Red Eye

Tags

2000's, Brian Cox, Cillian Murphy, Rachel McAdams, Red Eye, Thriller, Wes Craven

Film Title

Red Eye

Director

Wes Craven

Starring

• Rachel McAdams as Lisa Reisert
• Cillian Murphy as Jackson Ripper
• Brian Cox as Joe Reisert

Wes Craven takes to the air for this suspenseful little thriller that is lean, mean and nail-biting stuff. Red Eye, with many a Hitchcockian element to it, doesn’t aspire to be something brand spanking new; its main objective is to thrill and that’s what it does.

Lisa Reisert is a hotel manager whose life is all about dealing with tough customers and complaints. We pick up with her in Dallas, where she has just attended the funeral of her Grandmother. She’s not the biggest fan of flying, but is going to catch the red-eye flight back to Miami. Unfortunately, her flight is delayed and she has to wait around for a little while. It’s here that she meets the polite and handsome Jackson Ripper, who engages in friendly talk with her. When the flight is ready, they are happy and bemused to see that they are sitting next to each other on the plane. Though he keeps Lisa calm, there’s something not quite right about Jackson which becomes abundantly clear to us and her. What started as flirting and charming conversation soon turns to something very sinister as the plane takes off. Jackson admits to being part of a terrorist organisation that needs Lisa’s expertise in a deadly plan. You see the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security is staying in the hotel Lisa works in and the people Jackson works for are planning an elaborate assassination for him. They just need Lisa to switch his room for it to be successful. As leverage to ensure she takes part, Jackson informs the terrified Lisa that her father will be killed if his demands aren’t met. Faced with precious time that is ticking away, Lisa digs into her resolve in order to not buckle under the shock that befalls her. But just how long can she hold the evil and ruthless Jackson off before death begins to occur?

Red Eye benefits from the sure hand of Wes Craven in the directing chair. Having been one of the kings of the horror genre, his skills at inducing tension and terror are utilized here in this tightly compact suspense thriller. He gets over a real claustrophobia and paranoia that seeps into every frame, especially the main chunk that is airborne and the most unnerving. Red Eye isn’t aiming for immense originality or to be a game changing suspense movie; its most concerned with offering up something nail-biting and with more than a couple of jolts of unpredictability. economical running time makes sure that we are on the edge of our seats and no flab is seen leaking in Red Eye. The last half hour goes a bit overboard, but the build up and the tightness of most of it makes it easy to ignore and still a well constructed thriller with excitement and a whole lot of tension. The pacing is mainly where the movie is at, cleverly getting to the point after a short but bracing warm up before a white-knuckle intensity covers it splendidly. The mid-air game of sinister cat and mouse is sustained through effectively up close camerawork and  Marco Beltrami, who previously scored the haunting music for Craven’s Scream, is ace at filtering an electronic pulse into Red Eye. He starts with little drops of suspense, before cranking up the action and drama for something quickening and growing in volume.

Rachel McAdams and Cillian Murphy are the main players in this movie and they are talented performers. McAdams is a kind of actress who keeps things grounded and her part sympathetic and resourceful. She’s no screaming victim and though under duress, she makes her part one of both believable smarts and vulnerability. Cillian Murphy, with his intense stare and icy blue eyes, is superbly cast as the seemingly charming man who is anything but. Nastiness is his middle name but you can also sense some form of desperation to get his job done no matter what from the always watchable Murphy. Together, both are engaged in a deadly hunter and prey routine that is extremely entertaining. Although his appearance is rather sporadic, it’s always good to see Brian Cox in a movie and he is worth the watch no matter how small the role.

A tense and efficient thriller, Red Eye shows Wes Craven directing with great economy and style to give us a cracking suspense thriller.

The Vow

Tags

2010's, Channing Tatum, Jessica Lange, Michael Sucsy, Rachel McAdams, Romance, Sam Neill, Scott Speedman, The Vow

Film Title

The Vow

Director

Michael Sucsy

Starring

• Rachel McAdams as Paige
• Channing Tatum as Leo
• Jessica Lange as Rita Thornton
• Sam Neill as Bill Thornton
• Scott Speedman as Jeremy

The Vow says that it’s inspired by true events, but any hope for something to invest your time in is destroyed by a sappy and schmaltzy approach that hinders just about everything in the film and makes it forgettable. There was a story here, but it just got lost under all of this corniness.

Young married couple Leo and Paige are madly in love and in a very good place where it appears nothing can touch either of them. They are crazy about the other and both are doing well job wise; Leo has recently opened a record studio and Paige, an art student, is currently crafting a sculpture for an important part of her course. But everything takes a sharp turn when they are both injured in a car accident. Leo comes out with only a few bruises, but Paige suffers damage to her brain that she has to be put in a coma. When she does wake up, she can’t remember anything of her time with Leo. It is as if the last five years of her life have been erased and she still believes that she is living in the past. Leo is understandably devastated by this, but being so devoted to Paige he makes it his mission to woo her again. He hopes that this will help her regain her memories and despite the protests from her estranged parents who come back on the scene, he resolves to do whatever he can to get the woman he loves back. This going to be a lot more difficult than he imagined as Paige seems to gravitate more to how she used to be, which includes the reappearance of her ex boyfriend Jeremy. Yet can Leo really win Paige back with his attempts before it is too late for them anymore? Or is any attempt futile for Paige as she is torn between everything she had and what she could have, due to the gaps in her memory?

Michael Sucsy is I’m sure a good director, but his hand isn’t that assured with The Vow. Though having said that, I think most directors would struggle to make this have an ounce of credence. Although inspired by true events, which I’m sure where a lot more dramatic and heartfelt than what was depicted here, The Vow just simply ambles along the rote formula of romance that isn’t the slightest bit credible. If the film makers had kept the film grounded in some feeling of sincere emotion, then The Vow could have been passable. I get that this is a Hollywood version of the story and some of it is bound to be embellished, but I would have preferred a bit more soul to the whole enterprise. Seriously as I’m writing this review, I am struggling to find something memorable in the film, which is proving a losing task as there is nothing really that redeemable. It moves from one cliché to the next within minutes, with barely anything ringing true in my mind. Sure the premise is one that is definitely emotional, but I wasn’t really touched that much by The Vow, only in fleeting moments that I can count on one hand. And it’s so shamelessly manipulative with what it wants you to feel, but even then, it doesn’t induce the misty eyes it strives to elicit. The visuals are bright and glossy which is pleasing enough, but if more attention was given to the story than crass button-pushing, The Vow may have been at least bearable. I found myself wanting something more real and not as predictable as the end result, sticking to the basis of story and not just going for sudsy melodrama might have helped. And not even a sweet score and soundtrack went any way in making this film an easy pill to swallow.

The pairing of Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum is a nice one, despite the fact the characters are like cardboard cutouts more than people. Both of them are too talented for this sort of film, but try to bring something else. Sadly, that doesn’t come out and even though the chemistry is fine, the writing of the characters undoes any of the attempts made by McAdams or Tatum to make this credible. The blame can’t be put at their door as they at least attempt to salvage the mess, yet the tide of mediocrity from The Vow as a whole is too much against both appealing stars. The same sadly goes for Jessica Lange and Sam Neill, who are both given roles that are one-note to say the least, (that note being nasty and manipulative as Paige’s parents.) Once again, both actors are commendable in their endeavors to save this boring film, but are relegated to underused and not at all given an inch to flex their known skills. I mean, if you are going to hire actors of renown at least give them something to do, that isn’t asking for much is it? Scott Speedman, who has been very good in other movies he’s been in, is also stranded with a role that has no scope, that being the asshole ex of Paige.

So I must say The Vow just wasn’t the film for me. I found myself really disconnecting from it as it walked down the trite road to slush fest.  The story had definite potential, but it never went anywhere for me.

Spotlight

Tags

2010's, Based on a true story, Brian d'Arcy James, Drama, John Slattery, Liev Schreiber, Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Spotlight, Stanley Tucci, Tom McCarthy

Film Title

Spotlight

Director

Tom McCarthy

Starring

• Michael Keaton as Walter “Robby” Robinson
• Mark Ruffalo as Michael Rezendes
• Rachel McAdams as Sacha Pfeiffer
• Liev Schreiber as Marty Baron
• John Slattery as Ben Bradlee Jr.
• Brian d’Arcy James as Matt Carroll
• Stanley Tucci as Mitchell Garabedian

Gripping, intelligent and thought-provoking, Spotlight is based on the Boston Globe’s team of investigative journalists(known as Spotlight) in 2001 and their exposing through a year-long investigation of widespread child molestation and cover ups within the Catholic Church. Unshowy yet hard-hitting due to its attention to detail and refusal to exploit the source material, Spotlight is a film that really provokes your thoughts and shows the work of those bringing these horrifying events into the open.

The year is 2001 and the Boston Globe has a new editor in the form of Marty Baron. Something of an outsider in the predominately Catholic Boston area, the Jewish Marty is softly spoken yet very decisive. It is upon arriving that he enlists the expertise of the Spotlight team, who specialises in cases that require long and in-depth investigations. The team comprises of main boss Walter “Robby” Robinson, Michael Rezendes, Sacha Pfeiffer, Matt Carroll and overseeing managing editor Ben Bradlee Jr. After reading an article about lawyer Mitchell Garabedian who is representing a client in a case that says that the highest reaches of the Church in Boston knew of child abuse and did nothing, instead moving the priest to another parish, Marty has the team take a look at the potential story. The team is initially reluctant to investigate due to the readership being mainly Catholic, but go about the investigation nonetheless. The team in the beginning thinks that the case is just about one priest, but through their diligence and digging, they begin to uncover darker territory. Continuing to dig, through help from Garabedian, the attempts to unseal classified documents and testimonies of those who were the victims of molestation, they discover that over 80 priests molested children throughout the decades and the Church covered up their crimes by turning the other way. Shocked by their findings, the team becomes more determined to break the story and continue their search for the truth. Fighting political opposition and the Church trying it’s best to stop any story getting out to the public, it’s up to Robby and his team to break the silence on decades worth of systemic abuse and cover ups and bring the story into the light so that nothing like it ever happens again.

Now the first thing to commend Spotlight on is its treatment of the difficult subject matter. Rather than just over-embellish the story and become histrionic, it presents the events uncovered by the eponymous team with a documentary like precision. Tom McCarthy succeeds in making the film as authentic as possible and not making the horrifying findings that the team unearthed in any way sensationalized. There is a degree of respect that he keeps with Spotlight that does the subject matter justice and reveals the whole extent of the cover ups and abuse that happened throughout the decades. McCarthy wisely doesn’t use any stylistic flourishes as this is a story were the facts take precedence over that and to have overdone visuals would be wholly out-of-place and just wrong. Instead, Spotlight presents things in a gripping and powerful way that illuminates the fight for justice and the desire to bring forth the truth so it is never forgotten. The main characters in the film aren’t presented as fame-hungry opportunists trying to climb the ladder, but genuine, soulful people who cared about the story, telling it right and bringing it out in the open to expose the horror within the trusted organisation of the Church. It’s quite refreshing, due to the setting of the movie, to not see a lot of technology. Too often in movies now, there is a huge overuse of technology that often mars movies. There is the odd computer in Spotlight(yet it is not on par with today’s ones and neither should it be), but the focus is all on the note-taking, digging and legwork that went into the investigation and the impact it has it presenting the facts is deeply felt. A score that quietly builds and doesn’t overly intrude is well used throughout Spotlight as the investigation gains momentum and it is reflected in the gathering pace of the music.

The cast of Spotlight is an excellently assembled ensemble who burrow into their parts and create performances of naturalism and authenticity. Michael Keaton excels in his portrayal of the head of Spotlight Robby. He brings out a steel and drive to this man with little subtle things he does. Yet we can also sense an inner struggle that you can’t quite put your finger on that is effectively shown by Keaton. Mark Ruffalo brought a whole lot of emotion to the role of Michael with his determination growing as the horror of events opens up and his heart on his sleeve personality. His cry about how shocked he is about what the scale of abuse and the cover ups is a genuinely moving bit of acting that really makes an impact. I can see why he is up for a Best Supporting Actor award because his performance is really phenomenal. The same goes for Rachel McAdams, who is also up for an Oscar for her work as the compassionate Sacha. Her performance is one of nuance and sympathy as she talks to the victims and with her humility and warmth, helps them open up about their traumatic experiences. Liev Schreiber is authoritative and deeply intelligent as the new editor Marty, who is the person who puts the Spotlight team onto the story as he believes it needs to be told. John Slattery as the managing editor and Brian d’Arcy James as one of the group are equally as impressive as the rest of the cast. Stanley Tucci is marvellous as the lawyer who is representing many of the abuse victims and who prefers to work alone. Tucci just exudes the dogged desire to do right by these people and eventually he works with the eponymous team to help with the story.

Well-paced, superbly acted and mightily powerful in the true story it tells, Spotlight is one movie that triumphs, not due to sensationalism or distortion, but by the seriousness, authenticity and commitment with which it is told.

 

Midnight in Paris

Tags

2010's, Adrien Brody, Alison Pill, Comedy, Corey Stoll, Fantasy, Kathy Bates, Marion Cotillard, Michael Sheen, Midnight in Paris, Owen Wilson, Paris, Rachel McAdams, Romance, Tom Hiddleston, Woody Allen

Film Title

Midnight in Paris

Director

Woody Allen

Cast

• Owen Wilson as Gil Pender
• Rachel McAdams as Inez
• Marion Cotillard as Adriana
• Michael Sheen as Paul Bates
• Kathy Bates as Gertrude Stein
• Adrien Brody as Salvador Dali
• Alison Pill as Zelda Fitzgerald
• Tom Hiddleston as F. Scott Fitzgerald
• Corey Stoll as Ernest Hemingway

From the opening minutes of Midnight in Paris, as the camera takes in the sights of the city with a jazz soundtrack, you know you’re in for something magic and nostalgic from Woody Allen. Funny, touching and imaginative, Midnight in Paris is a comical fantasy film of beauty and the link between the past and present and how one longs for a life before their time.

Gil Pender is a hack screenwriter who is desperate to write a novel. He is a wide-eyed and nostalgic guy who travels to Paris with his gorgeous but disagreeable fiancée Inez, with her wealthy parents. Gil is suffering from writer’s block and is in need of inspiration, though Inez dismisses this as a daydream and cares more about herself. After an evening at a wine tasting with Inez’s pedantic friend Paul, Gil goes for a walk through the Parisian streets as it chimes midnight. As this happens, an old car from the 20’s pulls up and the passengers coax Gil into getting in. He does and soon realises he has been transported into his favourite era and along the way he meets such iconic figures as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein and Salvador Dali. This re-invigorates Gil’s imagination and he continues to travel back in time every night into the magical and nostalgic world. Through his trips to the past, Gil gains more inspiration, falls for Picasso’s alluring mistress Adriana and begins to realise that his union with Inez is not exactly a match made in heaven.

Prepare to be swept into the glamorous fantasy world conjured up from the pen of the prolific Woody Allen, who imbues the material with humour and a bittersweet longing for the past. His Oscar-winning script and various characters of literacy fame that populate it are funny, assured and highly enjoyable. Woody Allen shows he still has the gift for comedy after so many years in the celluloid spotlight. It is almost impossible not to be captivated by this tale of the tentative link between the past and present. Props should go to the jazz score that sets the right period setting and the dazzling cinematography, that bathes Paris in a golden glow of times gone by. Many beautiful shots abound in the film, but the one I remember the most is Paris in the rain. It just has such a poetic and romantic beauty about it that I can’t describe as I’d need a good few pages to do so. Above all it’s the characters that capture the interest of the viewer as Gil explores the nocturnal haunts of the famous. A played by Owen Wilson, Gil becomes a wide-eyed dreamer escaping his boredom by journeying back to another time. Wilson takes on this role with a charm and imagination, that is in the mould of roles Allen used to play many years ago. Rachel McAdams absolutely nails the role of the stylish but increasingly shallow Inez, who disapproves of Gil’s romantic notions of nostalgia. Fleshing out the supporting cast are a wide array of talented individuals. As Paul, the know-it-all friend of Inez, Michael Sheen injects humour as he tries to be much superior than he really is. Marion Cotillard, who is fast becoming one of my favourite actresses, is ideally cast and radiantly beautiful as the alluring Adriana. She has charming chemistry with Wilson, highlighted more by the fact that both characters wish for a long-lost past. Whilst Gil enjoys the 20’s, Adriana longs for a time before this. This adds a distinct poignancy tp the picture as we watch them fall for each other and discuss their nostalgic longings that somehow remain elusive at times. Also look out for Kathy Bates who is witty and wise as writer Gertrude Stein, Adrien Brody who is a hoot as surrealist Salvador Dali and Corey Stoll as Ernest Hemingway, whose advise holds special meaning to Gil. And not forgetting the pairing of Alison Pill and Tom Hiddleston who are excellently cast as the Fitzgerald’s.

Touching, warm and funny, Midnight in Paris is a comedy injected with a mischievous fantasy that is guaranteed to at least make you smile. Woody Allen proves he’s still got what it takes to make quality movies with this delightful picture.