Harry Brown (2009)

Posted: July 26, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: 4 / 5 Stars, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

Harry Brown stars Michael Caine as the titular character, an aged former marine living in a London slum. Harry is a widower whose days are spent playing chess with his only friend Leonard and visiting his hospitalized and dying sister. The neighborhood that serves as the film’s setting is home to a group of ever-present gangsters and hooligans whose volatility and constant hostility forces the un-criminally inclined to hide in their homes or risk assault. As the community descends into a chaos that directly impacts Harry, he decides to take action against the criminal pestilence. Emily Mortimer (Match Point, 30 Rock [The lady with hollow bones]) co-stars as an intuitive detective working in the area.

Harry Brown, like many British-made films, doesn’t fall directly in to any one genre. It is at once an emotional drama, a brutal action film, and tense thriller. The pacing of the film is somewhat slow but is never boring, and Caine’s performance is particularly moving. The mostly unknown cast of gangsters seem authentic and terrifying. For fans of vigilante films that are realistic and compelling, this is a must-watch.

Running Time: 103 Minutes.

Rating: 4 / 5 Stars. I really liked this movie.

Edit: Harry Brown was filmed between The Dark Knight and Inception, two colossal films, and one gets the impression that this was a project of passion for Caine, though this is purely speculation.

Good Dick (2008)

Posted: May 10, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: 4.5 / 5 Stars, Review | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

Good Dick was written, produced, and directed by Marianna Palka, who also stars in the film alongside Jason Ritter; both characters are listed in the film’s credits as “woman” and “man,” respectively. The male lead is a local video store clerk who decides to initiate a relationship with a frequent patron of the video store, the quiet and standoffish female lead, much to her annoyance. He eventually manages to become close to her using unorthodox methods and despite her increasingly obvious personal baggage and emotional problems. Martin Starr (Freaks and Geeks, Knocked Up) co-stars.

Good Dick is a very unusual dramatic and romantic film. The man spends a good portion of the film basically stalking the woman, but it doesn’t cross the line between ardour and creepiness; the man is well-intentioned and even sweet. His quest is simply to break down the emotional barriers between himself and the woman in whatever way possible and often in direct opposition to her will, and the resulting scenes are emotional and raw. The film examines emotional trauma, specifically the overcoming of it, in a stark and fascinating way. The film is focused, subtle, and gripping and is a fantastic directoral debut.

Running Time: 86 Minutes.

Rating: 4.5 / 5 Stars. I Really liked this movie.

Franklyn (2008)

Posted: May 10, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: 3 / 5 Stars, Review | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

Franklyn is a genre-bending Science Fiction film directed by rookie director Gerald McMorrow. It contains a split narrative, set in both modern London and a futuristic, fascist theocratic society. Preest is a masked vigilante in the Orwellian futuristic setting who is intent on finding his nemesis. Three interwoven stories are told in modern London: A young art student whose projects are becoming gradually more sinister, a heartbroken twenty year old, and a religious old man in search of his son. Ryan Phillippe (Flags of our Fathers, Cruel Intentions), Sam Riley, and Eva Green (best known as Vesper Lynd, the Bond girl in Casino Royale) co-star.

Franklyn is a very stylized, ambitious film with interwoven plot-lines that often shift between one another. Both the color palate and themes are dark, especially in the future scenes, and are reminiscent of Blade Runner and other dystopian films. The individual characters’ stories are each interesting and their connection is ultimately made clear; however, the process of getting there is sometimes confusing. Franklyn is certainly a unique and interesting vision but is ultimately not quite satisfying.

Running Time: 97 Minutes

Rating: 3 / 5 Stars. I liked this movie.

Edit: I think that Franklyn is one of the few examples of a movie that would benefit from a longer running time, maybe fifteen or twenty additional minutes to explore the world that it takes place in. We’re just sort of plopped into this strange society, and additional exploration and explanation of the world would have been nice, as it was definitely an interesting one.

Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008)

Posted: April 30, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: 5 / 5 Stars, Review | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father is a documentary made by Kurt Kuenne dedicated to the son of his murdered childhood friend Andrew Bagby. The film chronicles the battle for custody of Bagby’s young child between the boy’s mother Shirley Turner (Bagby’s ex-girlfriend and his suspected murderer) and Bagby’s parents. What begins as a tribute to the boy’s father turns into a journey through a long and grueling legal battle.

Dear Zachary is a truly touching film that documents a heartbreaking story. Andrew Bagby’s character and caliber are made clear immediately, and the weight of the tragedy of his death is remarkable. One cannot help but share the grief felt by so many in the film. Kuenne does a brilliant job of leading the viewer through the events surrounding the death of his friend and the subsequent custody battle, keeping the viewer on the edge of his seat in a way that action and suspense movies almost never achieve.

Running Time: 93 Minutes

Rating: 5 / 5 Stars. I loved this movie.

Edit: Dear Zachary was a powerful and emotional viewing experience for me. I’m not sure I’ve been that drained after viewing a movie since Schindler’s List. While it is a great movie, this isn’t the type of movie that I’d recommend watching casually.

Brothers (2009)

Posted: April 24, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: 3.5 / 5 Stars, Review | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

Brothers, directed by Jim Sheridan, is an adaptation of a Danish film of the same name that stars Tobey Maguire as Capt. Sam Cahill, an American soldier who is captured and subsequently imprisoned in a remote Afgani village. Sam’s wife Grace (Natalie Portman), believing she is widowed, is left to raise their two daughters, and Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal), Sam’s brother, takes a more active role in the family’s lives. After witnessing and participating in horrific and de-humanizing acts, Sam is rescued and returns home but is convinced that his brother and wife have begun a romantic relationship in his absence.

Brothers is dramatic and dynamic, often juxtaposing the quiet serenity of family life in the American suburbs with the atrocities of war, the effect of which can be jarring. Sam is quiet and emotionally distant throughout most of the film but one can sense the volatility and fragility of his sanity. Gyllenhaal and Portman deliver poignant performances as the one they love struggles against his inner demons. The film seems to progress slowly at times, particularly in the home-life scenes (which is no-doubt the director’s intention,) but overall the film is a success and definitely worth watching.

Running Time: 104 Minutes

Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars. I liked this movie a lot.

Helvetica (2007)

Posted: April 24, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: 4 / 5 Stars, Review | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Helvetica is a documentary directed by Gary Hustwit that details the rise of a font called Helvetica. Helvetica, the font, was created in the late 1950s by a Swiss typeface designer, and since its creation it has exploded into every area of printed words (in the Latin alphabet at least.) Much controversy has arisen in the design world over the juggernaut that is Helvetica.

Helvetica, conceptually, has a difficult and ambitious task: to make a font seem interesting to a broad base of viewers who probably aren’t schooled in the area of design. Like the font itself, the film has a modern and sleek feel that is surprising for such a small budget. The film shows just how widely used Helvetica is, and once the viewer sees it, one can’t help but notice it everywhere, from advertisements to street signs to . The font is both criticized and praised for its readability and simplicity; However, whatever one’s opinion of the font, the film is well-crafted and informative while remaining entertaining and interesting.

Running Time: 80 Minutes

Rating: 4 / 5 Stars. I really liked this movie.

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