15 Monday May 2017
Posted in Rest In Peace
Tags
I was saddened to read of the passing of Powers Boothe at the age of 68 today. For me, he was the essence of a character actor. He was the guy who would pop up in movies and with usually a short amount of time, make his presence felt. He was a dab hand at villain roles and I always enjoyed seeing him in a movie. Thanks for all the great movies and roles you had Powers Boothe. This post is a tribute to his greatness that will be missed.
04 Wednesday Jan 2017
Posted in Movie Reviews
Tags
2000's, Bill Paxton, Frailty, Jeremy Sumpter, Matt O'Leary, Matthew McConaughey, Powers Boothe, Psychological Thriller
Film Title
Frailty
Director
Bill Paxton
Starring
A film that practically radiates a creeping sense of dread and shock yet keeps it in a plausible prism, Frailty is a dark and haunting psychological thriller marking the directing debut of Bill Paxton, that examines the destruction of a family through fanaticism and the relationships between father and sons.
At FBI headquarters, seasoned agent Wesley Doyle is surprised when a haunted looking man by the name of Fenton Meiks enters the building wanting to speak with him. 
Once he has established who this man is, Fenton reveals that he has knowledge regarding a notorious serial killer, referred to as God’s Hand who has been of large for a long time but has never been caught. Fenton claims to know this because the killer was his brother Adam, who he tells Doyle committed suicide this very night. Doyle begins to listen to the story that Fenton relays to him. Back in the 70’s, Fenton and his younger brother Adam were growing up in a small Texas house with their widowed father. He was a good father who looked after his kids and made them feel safe. That is until a fateful night when the father speaks of having being visited by an angel who appoints him as a divine force to seek out demons and kill them. Fenton as the older brother is extremely resistant to the idea of what he considers nonsense, while Adam as the younger sibling who idolizes his dad believes what he says. These claims by the father become very dark and twisted as he sets about attempting to find these demons who look like humans. The two children are then subjected to watching and helping him kill people who are on the list he acquires from an allegedly celestial source, slowly warping the way these boys see their father. 
Events came to a head when young Fenton couldn’t cope with standing by and watching these events unfold and his younger brother become as fanatical as his father. Yet as Fenton continues his recounting of the events that shaped his traumatised childhood, Doyle begins to question parts and gets the feeling that there is indeed more to the story than at first appears.
Bill Paxton directs with an assured touch and respect for the source material; playing scenes out in a natural way and bridging the gap between the thriller elements and the disquieting and stark drama at the centre of it all. Paxton doesn’t go for predictable here, cleverly employing various twists and turns that are jaw-dropping to witness and . The story could have easily slid into utter absurdity, but Frailty is delivered with precision and unsettling command that make sure any such fears are quickly allayed. Frailty often gets described as a horror movie and while there are certain references to this, I personally place it as a psychological thriller rather than outright horror. 
For starters, the main bulk of the film is charting the ways that family is accountable for shaping us and the implications of what we see can survive for a lifetime. There is precious little gore in Frailty, with Paxton excellently employing the less is more approach and leaving a lot to our own imaginations, with a healthy dose of ambiguity thrown in. If this film had gore galore, it would have destroyed the psychological drama at play as well as cheapened an intelligent story. The film is chilling from start to finish mainly because there is an air of possibility and reality to it, tempered with allusions to something metaphysical that are best embodied by the drained cinematography that steeps this exercise in a spooky atmosphere from the get go. Perhaps the most disturbing thing in the film is watching as the patriarch becomes so enveloped by his obsession and supposed visions, that he can’t face reason and becomes a force of disquieting unraveling. The film undoubtedly has a depth and layered feel to it, functioning as both a creepy evocation of a family forever altered and a mysterious thriller that conceals as much as it reveals. I mean I think everyone can relate to the feeling of the two kids in Frailty, as we all as children have usually looked up to our parents and obeyed them. No family is perfect, but the susceptibility of children plays a large part of this film, following the kids as they are forced to endure their father’s deranged ways and be party to his madness. There are those in the audience who will find some of this film hard to digest, yet it never sets out to be a comfortable watch and firmly establishes this from the start. The low hum and staccato ambience of the score perfectly match the gradual unearthing of the past and the shocking impact of it.
As well as being on directing duties, Bill Paxton successfully leads the cast with a memorable performance. 
Essaying the role of the father whose actions ultimately changed and traumatised his children, Paxton brings out such a steadfast belief that the character believes he is really doing the work of God and not actually harming anyone. This is probably the most effective thing about Paxton’s work; he doesn’t play the part as a horrible father who is a brute and outright monster, at the start he is a very amiable and relatively calm person. As the movie progresses, you can still see that he loves his children but is so obsessed by the alleged visitation and message that it harms them in the process. Paxton makes the role his own and displays great command of the work, both in front of and behind the camera. Matthew McConaughey marvellously conveys shell-shocked and haunted trauma as the man retelling his story, yet gives off a hint of elusive mystery to deepen the proceedings a plenty. In a supporting turn, Powers Boothe is rightly understated listening to the shocking story with both a trepidation and the feeling that something is not quite right there. He is essentially an extension of the audience and how we react to hearing this tale. The two boys(Matt O’Leary and Jeremy Sumpter) playing the kids whose lives are altered by their father’s blind devotion and zealous beliefs are both incredibly convincing, especially Matt O’Leary as the older and more mature Fenton, whose caught between the care for his father and his shock at the atrocities that occur.
A film that engages the brain as it unsettles and keeps you on your toes, Frailty is superbly executed with perceptive direction from Bill Paxton as well as a cast that he heads.
23 Thursday Jun 2016
Posted in Movie Reviews
Tags
1990's, Billy Bob Thornton, Claire Danes, Dark Comedy, Jennifer Lopez, Joaquin Phoenix, Jon Voight, Neo Noir, Nick Nolte, Oliver Stone, Powers Boothe, Sean Penn, U Turn
Film Title
U Turn
Director
Oliver Stone
Starring
A movie that caused a mixed opinion on release, U Turn is actually a head-spinning mashup of noir and dark comedy, wrapped in the guise of a fever dream. This wont be every viewer’s cup of tea, but is inventively strange and overripe with a cast willing to surrender to the baffling weirdness present.
Bobby Cooper is a gambler and two-bit criminal who is driving down the highway to Las Vegas to pay off debts to the mob. 
Armed with the money, Bobby wants nothing more than to settle the deal and be on his way. His unlucky streak has other ideas as his car breaks down and he’s forced to enter the town of Superior, Arizona. Now to say that this place isn’t a dust bowl and populated by some of the strangest people on Earth is a lie, as Bobby discovers the strange and dark ways that these people live by and how he just wants to leave. The local mechanic Darrell takes delight in annoying him with his obnoxious and unscrupulous ways that test Bobby’s patience no end and his day just goes from bad to worse from then on. A robbery at the local convenience store deprives him of the money he needs to pay of gangsters and puts him in a deadly situation. It’s at this point that the darkness increases with the introduction of seductive Grace McKenna and her brutal, older husband Jake. Grace entrances Bobby with her teasing ways and gorgeous beauty. While Jake makes him an offer that is very tempting but could be tainted. Jake asks that Bobby kill his flirty wife and a lot of money could come his way. Now while Bobby is no saint when it comes to criminal acts, he is more than a little hesitant to commit murder. 
Yet in a dire situation, what is he supposed to do? Complicating this twisted web is Grace seducing Bobby and bringing him into her plot to have her husband killed and make off with his hidden millions. More encounters with the unusual residents( such as the ditzy nympho Jenny and her short fused psycho boyfriend Toby N. Tucker, as well as a sheriff that is always skulking about) of Superior unnerve and annoy Bobby as he attempts every conceivable way to leave, yet seems to be thwarted at every turn. In need of money quickly and desperate to get out of the creepy town in at least one piece, he is left with either the plan to kill Grace or kill Jake; both of which could get him the stashes of money he craves. Let’s just say that events will go south and very bloody for all involved in this dark neo noir/ black comedy that just brings new meaning to the word weird.
I must say I found U Turn refreshing as it showed me a different side to Oliver Stone’s film making. From what I’ve viewed of his work, he is adept at directing films that confront issues and politics in a very well done way. But I enjoyed seeing him let loose and revel in the darkness of the story and the hazy world of unusual individuals that Bobby finds himself in and tries to inexorably escape from.
This isn’t one of Stone’s movies that is addressing any big ideas, but he gives the film a real stamp of his through demented events and weird happenings; all captured in a style highly reminiscent of an acid trip, complete with rapid fire editing, grainy styling and overlapping scenes. Stone is firing on all cylinders here, finding twisted comedy and lurid deceit in the neo noir story at play and obviously having fun with it. You see as much as U Turn is a crime film and noir, it is also something of a black comedy, and let me not forget that Stone tips his hat to the western genre in the setting and some of the tone. It isn’t funny is a way that many people will traditionally laugh at, instead finding humour in disquieting events of which many are so wildly over the top that you will gasp as it basks in perverse glory. Now while U Turn is an underrated surreal film, it’s not without flaws. The main one is the pace growing slightly stale in the middle stretch of the film and your interest could very well wander. 
The sheer abundance of visuals being thrown at us gets at times a bit bloated, yet there is hope as both flaws are rectified by an electric and twisting final part of the film that redeems whatever flaws came before it. A superlative score that skilfully crosses between the humour and brutality of the film is provided by the great Ennio Morricone, who shapes the score with unusual cues and melodies to further put us under the spell of the hypnotic and surreal events unfurling.
I really enjoyed watching the cast of great actors and actresses put into all these whacked out situations and give it their best shots, all making an impact in some way. Sean Penn is effective in the role of Bobby, who is something of our anti-hero in this strange odyssey. Penn rightfully does make Bobby a really likable guy, instead showcasing his arrogance and intolerance. Yet he imbues the character with a growing sympathy that is hard to forget as he endures the hardships of the crazy town and the murderous plans he is sucked into. Jennifer Lopez sizzles as the femme fatale Grace, lulling Bobby into her devious plans for money. 
Yet unlike some actresses that just make the temptress role just seductive and nothing else, Lopez excellently brings forth a damaged and saddened side to the character that makes it something different to the usual deadly lady. Granted she is still seductive and dangerous, but it was a bit refreshing to see another interpretation of the femme fatale role. The appropriate nastiness and sleaziness is brought to the table by Nick Nolte as the brutish Jake, who growls his way through life with violence never far away. Then there is Powers Boothe, who appears to be the one decent law-abiding citizen in town, but who may be far from it. A devilish and unrecognizable Billy Bob Thornton turns in a memorable performance as the disagreeable grease monkey that gets more testing to impatient Bobby as the film goes on. With his ragamuffin appearance and sneering smiles, Thornton just adds even more weirdness to the proceedings complete with grimy humour. Claire Danes and Joaquin Phoenix more than gamely play their roles of the floozy with a naive attitude and her petulant, man-child boyfriend. Both stars find ridiculousness and humour within both of the loopy characters. Jon Voight appears as a blind shaman, who talk philosophically to anyone that will listen and is actually pretty spot on about an upcoming carnage that will be brutal.
It does have its moments when it gets a bit much and the middle half drags, but taking all of that into account, U Turn represents an underrated film by Oliver Stone that puts weird into a whole other dimension with editing, good performances and the noir atmosphere tinged with black comedy.
22 Wednesday Apr 2015
Posted in Movie Reviews
Tags
2010's, Bruce Willis, Christopher Lloyd, Christopher Meloni, Crime, Dennis Haysbert, Eva Green, Frank Miller, Jaime King, Jamie Chung, Jeremy Piven, Jessica Alba, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Josh Brolin, Juno Temple, Lady Gaga, Mickey Rourke, Powers Boothe, Ray Liotta, Robert Rodriguez, Rosario Dawson, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
Film Title
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
Directors
Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez
Starring
Coming almost ten years after the startling original Sin City, this second installment had a lot to live up to. Unfortunately, it doesn’t match its predecessor in many ways, but A Dame to Kill For is far from an all-out failure and does have its moments that need praise.
A Dame to Kill For takes the same narrative structure of the first movie, albeit with stories that serve as a prequel to those events that occurred in the original. These stories intertwine at many points along the way of the narrative structure. 
We first of all have cocky slicker Johnny, who seems to have a lot of luck when it comes to winning in poker games. Arriving in the godforsaken town of the title, he takes on the corrupt Senator Roark in a game that he repeatedly wins. Roark doesn’t take to kindly to this showing of power from the young gambler and has his men violently sort him out. This in turn sets up many more brutal encounters between the two men in a battle of supremacy. The second story and prequel to the first movie, concerns Dwight McCarthy when he was a private detective, intent on not letting violent urges and temptation get in his way. Dwight finds himself caught in a seductive web, spun by the femme fatale Ava Lord. No matter how hard he tries to resist her, he can’t break the spell of the poisonous temptress. 
She brings him into a plot to kill her husband, by playing the part of the abused wife who needs protecting. Sure enough, the bewitched Dwight agrees and murders her unwitting husband. With her husband dispatched of, the cunning Ava leaves Dwight for dead. Good for Dwight is the fact that he has the brute Marv to help him and take him to the girls of Old Town, lead once again by the kick ass dominatrix Gail. The hookers shelter him and help him through reconstructive surgery alter his appearance, ready for revenge upon the eponymous dame for her betrayal. The last tale focuses on Nancy Callahan, who mourns the death of her protector Hartigan. Knowing that the reason he killed himself was because of the evil Roark, the exotic dancer slips into drunken madness and uncontrollable rage; plagued by hallucinations of Hartigan that warn her not to avenge him. Swearing revenge on the all-powerful Senator, she teams with a willing Marv in her attempt to kill the corrupt leader once and for all.
Visual style is very much on display throughout A Dame to Kill For, it’s just at times it doesn’t feel as fresh as it did in the first film. We do get some nifty visuals mind you( the sinister crimson of Ava’s lips and shining emerald eyes are a particular highlight) and the use of silhouettes is stunning to accentuate the smoky atmosphere of the town. There’s just a feeling of ‘been there done that’ about it that hangs over this movie. 
Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez both bring style and action to the fray, but the structure isn’t as up to scratch as it once was and the movie suffers as a result. For example, certain parts of the stories are expanded upon enough and other times too much time is spent on one tale. Yet when the action does hit its height, it does deliver in blood-soaked fashion that is still quite electrifying. Once again, a sexy soundtrack that hark back to the shadows of Noir creates a good amount of intensity that provides interest.
Mickey Rourke once again delivers the goods as the brutish Marv, who is more than willing to help out a friend with business, especially if it involves blood, murder and violence. Rourke does get to show a tender side again, this time acting as the helper to the vengeful Nancy in her time of need. 
Jessica Alba, though often the subject of debate as to her acting credentials, confounds expectations and brings sadness and aggression to the role of Nancy. Rather than just the sexy dancer from the first film, we get to see her as a broken down girl, shorn of hope but thirsty for revenge. Josh Brolin, portraying the character of Dwight before the reconstruction sported in the first movie, gives his part weariness as he navigates his way through violence, yet finds himself ensnared by the manipulative Ava. Eva Green is the definite showstopper in this movie, seductive and sinuous as she traps men with her beauty and brings pain to them. 
Slinky and cunning, she is a poisonous viper who is adept at making people do her dirty work and then leaving them with the consequences. To say that Eva Green was smouldering and sexy in this movie would be a criminal understatement. Joseph Gordon-Levitt contributes youthful charm and cocky self-assurance as upstart Johnny, who tangles with the wrong man in the form of Senator Roark and pays the price. Power Boothe returning again brings malevolent sneakiness to Roark and exposes his ruthless, power-mad nature that knows no bounds once infuriated by others. Rosario Dawson, although unfortunately used in a reduced capacity, is still fierce and crafty as Gail. Dennis Haysbert has the physical stature and deep voice to make Manute a very physical and dangerous adversary, yet Ray Liotta in a role as another corrupt politician is somewhat wasted. The same can be said about Bruce Willis, who appears as Hartigan in Nancy’s hallucinations. He just isn’t given enough to do to make his appearance here memorable. Jamie Chung doesn’t make for a great replacement as assassin Miho; I believe Devon Aoki did a better job and had the stony faced intensity for the part which Chung lacks. Jaime King returns as twin prostitutes Wendy and Goldie, but scarcely makes an impact this time around. Jeremy Piven and Christopher Meloni make impressions as two cops investigating the murder of Ava’s husband; Piven is the one who is wary of the dame, whereas Meloni is the one who falls under the siren’s spell. Christopher Lloyd gives his part as a sinister doctor who helps Johnny after he is brutalised by Roark’s men. 
Juno Temple is wasted as a young prostitute saved by Dwight, while music fans should look out for a cameo by pop star Lady Gaga as a sympathetic waitress who takes pity on a wounded Johnny.
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For was never going to match the heights of the original movie, but it’s not as bad as people make out. It’s just not as thrilling as it could have been, despite its wealth of potential.
31 Tuesday Mar 2015
Posted in Movie Reviews
Tags
2000's, Alexis Bledel, Benicio Del Toro, Brittany Murphy, Bruce Willis, Clive Owen, Crime, Devon Aoki, Elijah Wood, Frank Miller, Jaime King, Jessica Alba, Josh Hartnett, Marley Shelton, Michael Clarke Duncan, Mickey Rourke, Nick Stahl, Powers Boothe, Robert Rodriguez, Rosario Dawson, Rutger Hauer, Sin City
Film Title
Sin City
Directors
Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez
Starring
Visually outstanding, brutally realized and violently compelling, Sin City is one hell of a ride. Directed by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller, from whom the source of graphic novels is based, it may not be for everyone, but it’s definitely a film that is hard to get out of your mind.
Sin City comprises of three stories that intertwine on occasion. The setting is Basin City, a dirty, corrupt and downright nasty city of violence, sex and all things bad. 
One tale concerns honest cop Hartigan, who is ageing and has developed a heart condition but still trying to carry on with his latest case. He manages to save a young girl by the name of Nancy Callahan from serial rapist and child molester Roark Junior, who is also the son of the corrupt Senator of the city. In a cruel twist of fate orchestrated by the Senator, Hartigan is framed for a crime he didn’t commit and spends time in jail. Upon release, he manages to track Nancy down, she has now grown up into a gorgeous young woman who works as an exotic dancer in a saloon. Roark Junior is actually still alive and comes after them and it is up to Hartigan to stop him before it is too late. The middle tale tells of Marv, a lonely man mountain who is slowly slipping into madness. One night, he has a passionate encounter with a hooker named Goldie. Marv falls deeply in love with the girl, but unfortunately for him she is murdered while he sleeps. Heartbroken and filled with vengeance, he hacks his way through those in his way to track down the perpetrator; a psychopathic man named Kevin, who slaughters and then eats what remains of prostitutes. 
In the last of these overlapping vignettes, Dwight McCarthy protects his brutalized clandestine lover Shellie from her abusive partner Jackie Boy. Following the sadistic Jackie to Old Town, the red-light district, Dwight prowls in the shadows in an attempt to keep the girls safe. Not that they need to be protected, as they are led by the fierce Gail and have an arsenal of weapons at their disposal. When violence erupts, chaos emerges and bullets fly as the girls fight back against the corrupt powers that be.
Sin City immediately grabs you from its opening frames because of the stylish way in which it is shot. By combing the noir of black and white and the accentuation of certain colours, we are transported into this walking and breathing comic book story come to life. 
Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller bring so much to the table, skilfully immersing us in this world of violence, broads and deception. It’s like being in a hard-boiled pulp story, and these two really keep you riveted with their assured sense of direction and respect for the material. The structure of Sin City is also a highlight, with the characters slinking their way in and out of the stories at various occasions. Sin City is most certainly not for everyone’s taste, mainly because of the often gruesome and violent content. But for those with a strong stomach, it is well worth a watch. A rip-roaring soundtrack of jazzy riffs and driving guitar rhythms brings more life to the tales of graphic slaying, seductive atmosphere and shadowy dealings.
An accomplished cast fleshes out this cavalcade of tough guys and seductive vixens. 
Mickey Rourke brings swaggering violence and inconsolable rage to the role of the wronged Marv, who is on a revenge mission even if it kills him. Yet he also brings to the forefront of the tough guy the lonely and severed heart of a man who has the thing he cared about snatched away from him. Bruce Willis is excellent as the emotionally abandoned and ageing Hartigan, whose sole purpose for living is to protect Nancy, who he sees as a daughter. Clive Owen is at his best as the protective but very dangerous Dwight, imbuing the part with grave humour and macho virility. 
While Jessica Alba is often quite wooden in terms of her acting, she does manage to give the part of Nancy a sense of vulnerability and scorching sex appeal. Benicio Del Toro is skulking menace personified as Jackie Boy, while Rosario Dawson is smoking hot as the tooled-up Gail, who isn’t going to go down without a fight. 
Brittany Murphy gives sympathy to the role of Shellie and Devon Aoki is a scowling presence as Miho, a mute prostitute who is more than adept with a Samurai sword. Elijah Wood is surprisingly chilling as the light-footed and sadistic serial killer with a taste for blood. Jaime King essays the roles of the ill-fated Goldie and her twin sister Wendy, while Alexis Bledel is suitably naive as Becky, one of the younger prostitutes of Old Town. Nick Stahl is sinister and twisted as Roark Junior, along with a slimy turn from Powers Boothe as his well-connected father. Michael Clarke Duncan is imposing and vicious as a mob enforcer, and Rutger Hauer makes an impression as a member of the Roark family. Josh Hartnett and Marley Shelton give mystery and smoky elegance to the enigmatic opening to the film.
Violent, stylish and unforgettable, Sin City is a film that will definitely leave you awestruck.
vinnieh 