Review: Seven Psychopaths

If you’ve seen In Bruges from writer/director Martin McDonagh it’s plainly evident that he fancies himself a disciple from the Guy Ritchie school of movie making.  He utilizes the same tone, voice, and style that Ritchie wielded in movies like RocknRolla, Snatch, and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.  McDonagh’s latest movie, Seven Psychopaths, likewise follows in this tradition of overly violent movies that feature huge ensemble casts, intertwining plot lines, and a dearth of intelligence obscured by outlandishly skewed sensibilities. 

The plot of the film focuses on a writer (Colin Farrell), who is currently struggling to pen a screenplay about seven psychopaths.  When his friend Billy steals the dog of a particularly violent crime boss and initiates a quest on his behalf to find inspiration by reaching out to other psychopaths, the plot takes on a series of violent twists and turns leading up to a bloody climax.

To enjoy this film, you have to check your common sense at the door and embrace the chicanery that ensures.  And even then it can be a tough sell.  Characters move and act in certain ways with the singular purpose of delivering blood and guts, but it’s far too easy for viewers to see through the paper-thin plot mechanisms that merely serve as window dressings along the way to catchy punch lines and bloody visuals.  At its base, a film has to have a story that moves from point A to point B.  Seven Psychopaths lacks this basic component.  It’s more a collection of violence thrown together with the end goal of Farrell’s Marty writing his script.  And that begs the question as to where the payoff is in that.

Still, as you look up and down the cast one cannot help but feel hope.  Sam Rockwell, Christopher Walken, and Woody Harrelson are three accomplished actors who are always a threat to steal every scene they are in.  Unfortunately, the script and direction never put them in a position to do so.  Likewise Abbie Cornish and Olga Kurylenko – two competent actress that are also very easy on the eyes – are terribly underutilized and make no impact on this film whatsoever. 

As for Colin Farrell, he is not his typically terrible self.  Normally after watching one of Farrell’s films, I am left with some choice words to describe what I have seen.  However, after watching Seven Psychopaths, I have come to the simple realization that he is perfectly incapable of playing a likable character.  Whether it’s the personal baggage or his craft limitations, the man cannot pull it off – even if you cast him as a war veteran who saves a thousand babies from a burning building, writes a haiku to the his high school sweetheart, and subsequently fends off the world from an alien invasion.  People would still come away from that movie disliking him, and it is this quality that cripples the narrative as his character must be the moral center drowning in a sea of immorality.

Am I saying that there is no entertainment value?  Absolutely not.  It is just difficult to enjoy a movie that is not metaphorically comfortable in its own skin.  The writing, directing, and acting comes off as overly earnest in its desire to be off beat, quirky, and edgy.  In a lot of ways, this movie is not unlike that weird cousin who invites himself over for the holidays.  He/she provides a few moments of ridiculousness that produces a round or two of chuckles during dinner, but ultimately at the end of the night you are left regretting ever letting them through the front door.  There’s just not enough in this film to fully warrant watching this movie, though under very specific circumstances, value can be found.  Leave it at the bottom of your Netflix queue or catch it on HBO and you probably won’t hate yourself when you finally get around to watching it.

Standout Performance: Woody Harrelson.  While it’s not his best performance he definitely commits to the role and goes for it.

Read More

Review: Total Recall (2012)

The pre-release buzz on Total Recall (2012) was not good – most saying that it fell short of the original.  I myself thought the first Recall was entertaining, but given that it featured Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sharon Stone, and Michael Ironside – three actors who have enjoyed varying degrees of success not necessarily tied to their acting prowess, definitely sent me into the movie with diminished expectations.  The fact that some were using the presence of the three-breasted woman (played by Kaitlyn Leeb) in the film to generate chatter about the project really punctuated my concerns about the movie.

Set against the backdrop of a post apocalypse world with civil war tensions rising, the plot of the movie follows the plight of Doug Quaid – a blue-collar worker who is plagued with feelings of discontent.  A visit to Rekall – a memory implant company – opens up a reality in which he is a key operative who may hold the key to easing the delicate political balance that plagues what’s left of the world.

I get a kick out of the people who in their reviews of this movie called it terrible or incredibly disappointing.  I don’t know what they expected to see onscreen when the lights went dim in the theater – perhaps Shakespeare in the Park – but to me the movie plays like your prototypical summer action flick.   And that’s perfectly okay, because not every movie can or should be The Godfather or Inception. Sometimes a movie can just be visual entertainment.  The plot of this movie is not as intricate as it may seem at face value and there are no real supremely intelligent reveals to elevate the proceedings.  The action scenes are slick and well choreographed and the pacing brisk and steady.  This one is not going to make anyone’s Best of the Year list in any category and you won’t find it hotly discussed at any MENSA meetings, but it delivers exactly what most should expect of it – guns, explosions, and mayhem. 

If it is possible to be the lead in a big budget action movie and not make a real impact then Colin Farrell accomplishes that feat.  I cannot really think of one memorable moment for him in the film – beyond having a really cool phone in hand (literally) – and if ever there was a scene that was well shot or choreographed, he was relegated to second fiddle by one of the other principals.  He’s not a good actor and he has only one gear.  You could probably make a compilation of his work in Minority Report, S.W.A.T., The Recruit, and this film and be hard pressed to figure out which scene was from which movie. 

As for Kate Beckinsale, she does some really good work in this movie.  Her performance (and that of her stunt double) is the biggest reason why Farrell’s act doesn’t derail the proceedings.  She uses her range to slide seamlessly from the role of a loving wife into that of an insanely aggressive assassin.  On the opposite end of that spectrum is Jessica Biel who was in the movie, shot some guns, flashed puppy eyes at Farrell’s Quaid, and threw the occasional punch or two.  The word “uninspired” best describes her work.   Rounding out the cast was Bryan Cranston and Bill Nighy - two terrific actors who always bring conviction to their respective roles, but sadly they were underused in this movie.  To have that kind of talent at your disposal and not fully exploit it represents a missed opportunity.

So despite these shortcomings, the film is still entertaining so I guess the MVP of the movie has to go to director Len Wiseman and his creative team.  The futuristic visuals are fun and engaging and there is a couple of show stopping action sequences.  If you appreciate the less cerebral brand action movie loaded with big explosions and great visuals then I would recommend seeing this in the cinema, otherwise this is more of a rental flick.  Again, it’s probably not going to make it into your DVD collection, but it is still worth a look. 

Standout Performance: Kate Beckinsale dominates this movie from start to finish and delivers by far the best performance of the cast.  

Read More

Review: Fright Night (2011)

While watching Fright Night (2011), a punch line comes to mind that was uttered by Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, while he was speaking with Jon Bon Jovi about his participation in the movie Vampire: Los Muertos.  Specifically, he said to Bon Jovi: “Finally, a role that requires you to suck!”  That one line perfectly captures how I feel about Colin Farrell’s turn as a blood sucking fiend from beyond in a film that can best be described as Disturbia (which is a cheap man’s Rear Window) meets The Lost Boys.  However, I have to admit that despite some bad CG, for once Farrell is not terrible – and I think this is because for years casting directors have been trying to place him in leading roles that require the audience to like him.  To the contrary, this role works precisely because it capitalizes on the unlikeable qualities that seem to pervade his public persona.

So going into this movie, I really did not want to like it.  It had been sitting on my iPad unviewed for over a month.  Only a cross-country flight could bring me to watch it.  This movie has a lot in common with the aforementioned Disturbia, which was not a particularly good movie.  One major reason it surpasses its doppelganger is that it features a protagonist that the viewer can root for.  Anton Yelchin (Star Trek, Like Crazy) is solid as a high school kid looking to maintain his perceived tenuous grasp on popularity and on his attractive girlfriend Amy, played by Imogen Poots.  You watch him on screen and find him believable as a sneaker-head/closet geek who is painfully aware that he is dating up and worried that some day his significant other is going to realize this.

Farrell's Jerry Dandridge is a good antagonist to Yelchin’s Charley.  While he may not be the most authentic vampire incarnation to make it on screen (actually far from it), Farrell smugness is so palpable that viewers can find themselves rooting against him regardless of the thirst-for-blood associated with his role.  Toni Collette is adequate as Charley’s single mom and David Tennant offers a nice tonal change of pace as the enigmatic illusionist Peter Vincent.  Of the group, Christoper Mintz-Plasse is the biggest miss as Evil Ed Thompson, though part of me wonders if it is because to most he will always be McLovin.

At the end of the day, we’re not dealing with Shakespeare here as there is nothing terribly original about a plot that involves a vampire terrorizing a semi-isolated small community – even when you throw the bright lights of Vegas into the mix.  But the movie is meant to put you on the edge of your seat and director Craig Gillespie does a fair job of building tension while intermittently opting for the cheap scare.  In a genre that is notorious for churning out low budget gore fests, Fright Night rates above average in regards to character development.

I do have to say that the film unravels a bit in the third act and that detracts from the overall tone of the movie, but I still consider Fright Night a fair horror rental - especially if you are looking for a moderate amount of suspense.  It may be a bit mild for hardcore enthusiast, but there is just enough there to keep everyone entertained.

Standout Performance: Imogen Poots does a nice job of channeling Sarah Roemer’s Ashley in Disturbia and Elisha Cuthbert’s Danielle from The Girl Next Door.

Read More