"Water for Elephants"
Richard's Review: 3 ½ stars
"Water for Elephants" is told from the point of view of an older man. Looking back at the most important years of his life old Jacob Jankowski (Hal Holbrook) tells the story of how a 9,000 pound pachyderm introduced him to his wife. At first I wondered why they bothered with this device. Other than giving us a chance to see Hal Holbrook, which is always welcome, it didn't seem to add much to the story. Then I realized that the tale has a warm fuzzy kind of glow that is the result of being told from the point of view of memory and not reality.
Set during the Great Depression, the flashback part of the movie begins with veterinary student Jacob Jankowski ("Twilight's" Robert Pattinson) finding a job as a roustabout on the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth circus. On the job he meets Marlena, (Reese Witherspoon) a beautiful equestrian star married to August ("Inglourious Basterds'" Christoph Waltz), an abusive animal trainer. He falls in love with her while tending to Rosie, the faltering circus' 9,000 pound star attraction.
"Water for Elephants" has a decidedly old-fashioned feel. The old-time carnies speak like characters out of a John Steinbeck novel and the treatment of the animals clearly predates PETA. There's a nostalgic glow to every frame of the film which helps cover up occasionally overwrought dialogue like Jacob's summation of his first day as a circus hand: "The Benzini Brothers outdid God himself. They build heaven in one day." It's a bit melodramatic, but makes narrative sense when seen as the foggy recollections of an old man looking back at the single most important time of his life. Who hasn't embellished a detail or two when retelling a story?
The movie's occasional excesses are overshadowed by the winning cast. Reese Witherspoon looks like she was born to sit atop an elephant, R. Patz gets more action here than in all the "Twilight" movies combined and Christoph Waltz once again shows he was a way with cruel and unusual characters.
The only thing missing from Waltz's bad guy performance here is his SS uniform from "Inglourious Basterds". He really is becoming Hollywood's guy we love to hate, and he's good at being bad, but I'd like to see if he can do other things as well.
Pattinson on the other hand proved to me that he can play something other than a lovesick vampire, which, the success of "Twilight" aside, is kind of limiting career wise.
"Water for Elephants" is an old-school epic, or at least as close as we get to an old-school epic these days. It's a movie for adults, although they'll probably have to fight their way through the crowds of teens who'll line up to catch Robert Pattinson without his fake fangs in place.
"The High Cost of Living"
Richard's Review: 3 stars
Debuting at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival, "The High Cost of Living" details the unimaginable torment of its two main characters, the victim of a hit-and-run and the man who ran her down.
Set in Montreal, the movie casts former "Scrubs" funnyman Zach Braff as drug dealer Henry Welles. Driving drunk, he hits a Nathalie (Isabelle Blais) -- a pregnant woman who lives in his neighborhood.
He flees the scene, but overcome by guilt he seeks out Natalie. The relief he feels when he discovers she survived is short lived when he learns her child was killed in the accident and she will now give birth to a stillborn daughter. Without confessing his crime Henry befriends Nathalie, hoping to find some redemption. But the situation only becomes more complicated.
"The High Cost of Living" is a performance-driven film. Braff and Blais carry the weightiness of the story, handing in well-modulated performances that stop the story from veering into melodrama. Their relationship isn't always believable but their performances are.
Braff brings as much charm as possible to Henry, a low life drug dealer, and almost makes us sympathize for him. But not quite. If anyone sees this movie it could be a career changer for him, breaking him out of the sitcom mold.
Blais brings a raw edge to Nathalie, playing her as a woman whose life has literally come crashing down all around her. Roles like this ride a fine line. Go too far and you swerve into Victorian stage melodrama. Hold back and you discover that silent suffering isn't effective on film. Blais finds the right balance and is devastating as a haunted woman with a heavy heart.
Despite the presence of Braff, "The High Cost of Living" isn't a barrel of laughs. It's a heavy, but not heavy-handed drama that isn't exactly enjoyable. But it is effective.
"African Cats"
Richard's Review: 3 stars
"African Cats," the new slice-of-life-and-death documentary from Disney Nature, is a beautifully shot look at feline life on the African savannah in Kenya. Narrated by Samuel L. Jackson, it is one movie that most certainly cannot run the disclaimer, "No animals were hurt during the making of this film."
In an effort to create a dramatic structure, directors Alastair Fothergill and Keith Scholey divide a section of the Masai Mara nature reserve in Kenya into two halves separated by a river. On one side is Kali, a young powerful lion and his sons. The other territory is ruled by Fang and his lionesses. Also present is Seta, a mother cheetah who is raising five cubs.
Narrator Jackson tells the story of how their lives intertwine. It's a serious circle of life, which lead to me wonder how there are any animals left in Africa -- all they seem to do is eat one another.
Advances in camera technology allow Fothergill and Scholey to get intimate shots that likely weren't possible years ago. The audience is treated to up-close-and-personal looks at the mother cheetah raising her newborns, a showdown between a fierce lion and a crocodile and incredible footage of life in the wild. The movie works best when it backs off and allows nature to take its course. Showing us how mama cheetah fends off a pride of lions who are looking at her cubs like they're an amuse bouce is riveting stuff but occasionally the movie seems contrived. It's a nature -- but not completely natural -- documentary.
Case in point. When an older lioness leaves her pride for the last time, meaningful looks are exchanged between the old lion and her former friends with the kind of dramatic editing that would make the producers of "The Hills" envious. On the African savannah life is interesting enough without having to cobble together shots for dramatic effect.
Most dramatic of all are the hunting scenes, although they are most definitely not for little Jimmy's eyes. In one sequence Jackson purrs, "Success. Cheetah's cubs will not go hungry tonight," as the cat pulls apart a gazelle she has just hunted and killed. There are several circle of life scenes that will freak younger viewers out, so be warned.
"African Cats" has all the elements of a good story; there are heroes -- like the mother cheetah -- and villains. Hyenas, apparently, are no laughing matter. Not even the animal huggers of PETA could love these nasty little buggers -- and real life conflict. Too bad it occasionally feels manipulated.
"The Kind's Speech" DVD
Richard's Review: 4 stars
If you think a movie about a soon-to-be-monarch trying to overcome a debilitating speech impediment sounds dull, think again. Imagine a royal "Pygmalion" brimming with wit, pain and perseverance. It's a moving and even occasionally exciting story that climaxes not on a battlefield or boardroom but with two men, one microphone and an historical speech.
Colin Firth plays the man who would be king, the Duke of York, who later became King George VI when his brother Edward (Guy Pearce) abdicated the throne in 1936 and ran off with the twice-divorced Wallis Simpson. A chronic stutterer he tried every cure going, including smoking, which was thought to "calm the nerves and relax the larynx," and trying to speak with a mouthful of marbles. He has no success until he meets Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), an Australian voice coach with some unorthodox methods to help untie Albert's tongue.
Befriending the royal, he delved deep, looking for the cause of the vocal tics rather than simply working on the mechanics of uninterrupted speech. Slowly the stiff-upper-lipped Albert opens up, and with the support of his wife (Helena Bonham Carter) and his tutor/confessor, he confronts the psychological roots of his problem.
Since debuting at the Toronto International Film Festival in September there has been heavy Oscar buzz surrounding "The King's Speech" but I think the pundits are getting it wrong. Colin Firth has been touted as a front runner in the Best Actor category, and he certainly has the film's showiest role, but for me, the most effortless performance comes from Geoffrey Rush who brings a warm naturalism to his role.
Either way, the movie is anchored by two terrific performances and is most effective in its quiet moments—the look on Firth's face when his daughters stop calling him father and begin calling him Your Majesty, the film's climatic speech and Albert's heartfelt acknowledgement that Lionel, a commoner, is his best friend. Those underplayed moments are really were the gold is.
"The King's Speech" is, of course, about more than a speech impediment. It's about someone who didn't want to be king reluctantly accepting his duty, and not only finding his voice, but also giving a voice to England during the Second World War.
"Gulliver's Travels" DVD
Richard's Review: 1 star
We can blame Stephen Frears for the travesty that is "Gulliver's Travels." Frears didn't director or work on this big-budget 3D adaptation of Jonathan Swift's satiric novel. In fact, he might not have been within a hundred miles of the set. But 10 years ago he cast Jack Black in "High Fidelity," a movie that showcased the actor's unhinged brand of humor and made him a star. Black had kicked around Hollywood previously, taking small roles in movies like "The Jackal" and "Enemy of the State," but Frears gave voice to Black's now trademarked manic enfant terrible act. Since then there's been good moments -- "School of Rock," "Kung Fu Panda" -- some bad moments -- "Envy" and "Year One" – and now a downright ugly film, "Gulliver's Travels".
Black plays Lemuel Gulliver, a 10-year mail room veteran at a big publishing company with only one ambition -- to date Darcy (Amanda Peet), a pretty magazine travel editor. When he finally works up the courage to ask her out a misunderstanding leads to him being offered a travel writing assignment instead. Sent to the Bermuda Triangle, he gets sucked into a vortex and lands in Lilliput, a miniature kingdom under constant attack by a neighbouring nation. When Gulliver helps defend the diminutive country he becomes a hero to all except the scheming General Edward (Chris O'Dowd) who will stop at nothing to cut the giant down to size.
At one point during the action Jack Black cracks a joke and follows the punch line with, "Does that translate? Is that a joke here?" a question he probably should have asked after initially reading the script. The satiric tone of the novel has been surgically removed, replaced with "Star Wars" references, a lame musical number and Black's incessant mugging. I get that this has been reinvented with a young audience in mind, but dumbing down a classic novel like this just seems wrong. It's like watching "King Lear" interpreted by The Three Stooges with Larry, Curly and Moe as Goneril, Regan and Cordelia. It just doesn't fit. Perhaps a title change might have been in order. May I suggest "Gulliver's Twaddle"?
The problem doesn't lie completely with the script. It's terrible to be sure, but its Black's antics that really sink the movie. He dominates the movie, and not just because he is 20 times the size of his co-stars. Perhaps it's just that a little bit of his hyperactive slacker routine goes a long way or perhaps that we're weary of his overgrown kid shtick. What once seemed so fresh now seems tired and worse, not funny.
"Gulliver's Travels" suffers from some dodgy special effects, a dreary script and an over abundance of Black, and for that I blame Stephen Frears.
