The Debt

The Debt tells the story of three Mossad agents, and their mission to bring a Nazi war criminal out of East Berlin and to Israel for justice. Taking place both in 1965 and 1997, we see the events of the mission, as well as the fallout for the agents 30 years later as result of those events.  The cast is impressive, Helen Mirren, Ciaran Hinds and Tom Wilkinson play the agents in 1997, and they do an fine job of looking world weary and beaten down by the pressure of the secrets they keep.  But it is the scenes set in 1965 that truly bring the film alive.  The agents in their youth are played by Jessica Chastain, Sam Worthington and Marton Csokas, and their scenes practically vibrate with all the tension and anxiety of inexperienced field officers in over their heads.  The man they are sent to capture is played by Jesper Christensen with a casual malice and lack of fear, and we watch as the agents become captives of a situation spiraling out of control.  They grow moe and more brittle, haunted by unspoken personal demons as well as the man they have been hunting, and the final fracture is the secret they spend the next 30 years trying to forget.

I loved the movie that took place in 1965.  As can be expected, the mission naturally lends itself to more excitement and tension, propelling the story along because we can't wait to figure out what really happened.  But the scenes set in 1997 should have been riveting as well.  Three people, who have suffered their regrets differently for all these years, struggling with heavy secrets and the question of justice and redemption as they grow older, are characters ripe for exploration and drama.  And yet I felt the modern portion of the movie fell flat, not enough ambivalence, or regret was communicated, and the ending itself bordered on preposterous.  I appreciate what the filmmakers were trying to do, but I wish they had simply made a movie about the mission itself and given the three newcomers even more time to shine.

The Debt 1hr 53 min  R

Warrior

A lot of people probably aren't going to be interested in seeing Warrior because of the basic premise - two brothers training and fighting in a mixed martial arts tournament.  One is an ex-marine war hero, the other a physics teacher father of two.  Both are desperate, angry, damaged men with painful pasts and family history.  And while the focus is on the tournament, and the fighting, the movie is neither glorifying nor glossing over the brutality of the sport.

And the beauty of the movie is that all of the training, and fighting are the only way these two men know how to survive.  Tom Hardy plays Tommy Conlon, the ex-marine younger brother who is carrying around so much anger and resentment that you can see getting in the ring is the only thing keeping him from burning to a cinder on his rage.  Hardy barely speaks during the movie, and yet we understand completely the fury and guilt driving his every punch.  Joel Edgerton plays the older brother Brendan Conlon, a retired UFC fighter drawn back in to the ring in a desperate attempt to hold on to his house and the quiet family life he first left it for.  He has the thick facial structure of someone capable of taking any hit thrown his way, but his eyes betray pain and feelings of inadequacy he carries from a childhood playing second fiddle to his brother.  Both brothers (and their father, played by Nick Nolte) are estranged, caught up in a fractured family dynamic with edges still too sharp to smooth over.  The details of the past are rarely mentioned, and yet body language and facial expressions communicate exactly what happened in a way no words could.

Despite previews revealing that the final match is between the brothers, each victory in the tournament is as nail biting and triumphant as if we were unaware of the outcome, and the final bout takes such an emotional toll that the audience feels almost as battered as the fighters.  I expected this movie to be exhilarating and exciting; I didn't expect it to be heartbreaking as well.  If you can stand the violence (there is no overt blood or shattering of bones, but it is still men beating each other senseless) then this is a definite must see.  An expertly crafted story enhanced by acting from two men we will no doubt be seeing a lot in the future.


Warrior 2hrs PG-13

Contagion

The first minutes of Contagion are truly harrowing; we see sick people, out in public, interacting and moving through the population before being found dead. The illness spreads quickly, and as the audience we are given that special advantage of knowing more than the characters in the movie.  We know that the sickness in London and Chicago and Hong Kong and Tokyo are all related, and we know that it is going to spread.  We are treated to numerous shots of hands touching subway railings, and drinking glasses and other innocuous items, knowing that a killer lurks on these surfaces unseen.  And when Gwyneth Paltrow's character dies (not a spoiler - this fact is in the previews) we are caught between sympathizing with Matt Damon's disbelief and shock and the frustration of wanting to shout "your son is sick too!" and the screen.

It is incredibly interesting and tense watching the characters in the movie trying to figure out this disease and fighting against the clock of the rapid spread and the dying.  I've always loved that peculiar sensation of knowing more than the people on screen - it is a sort of delicious anxiety as they travel towards their doom and you, the viewer, can warn them.  But after the initial break out and discovery of the virus, the movie loses a little of it's emotional heft.  The movie focuses on the CDC scientists fighting for containment and to find a vaccination (Kate Winslet, Laurence Fishburne), a blogger with typical anti-governmental conspiracy who may be using his immense reach to help his audience or for his own personal gain (Jude Law), A WHO worker trying to trace the origin of the disease (Marillon Cotillard), and the husband of the index patient (Matt Damon) who has proven immune, but who is left fighting to keep his daughter from exposure. 

And yet the second half of the film lacks emotional connection.  There are a few scenes depicting the fear and panic of the general population: rioting over limited food supplies and available medicine, but a kidnapping for vaccine subplot goes nowhere, and the scope of the global devastation is offered with numbers and brief shots of deserted city streets littered with garbage.  I'm certainly not suggesting that the filmmakers should have chosen to focus on the gore of mass graves and rampant death, but simply mentioning 25 million dead doesn't even begin to fully represent the actual horror of that type of situation.  There are moments when the hopelessness of fighting an enemy we cannot see and barely understand come through, but all too often the movie seems more like it is in shock itself, with all the attendant muting of emotional resonance.  Everyone seems to be dealing with the situation a little too calmly. Where is the terror?  Where is the grief?

All that said, this movie is enjoyable, provided you aren't already a germaphobe, and it has a cast to die for.  Definitely recommended viewing, although you may want to watch it at home with a year's worth of canned goods and hand sanitizer.

Contagion 1hr 45 min PG-13

fun fact: Matt Damon and Gwyneth Paltrow's house in the movie is not in suburban Minneapolis, but actually suburban Chicago, a block away from my parents'.  You better believe that I was totally jealous that my mom was that close to all the action instead of me.  She didn't even hide in the bushes and try and get any photos!

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2

What can I say?  Honestly, if you are AT ALL interested in this movie, you are already planning to go see it (or maybe already have).  And unless you live under a rock or are so uninterested that you haven't read even one book (in which case why are you reading this review?) you know the story.  So there is not much point in recaps or plot summaries.  Which just leaves us with one question:  Did they do it justice?  And the answer is a resounding Y. E. S!

This movie ends an unprecedented series of films, which have broken all box office records, and entertained millions of people, and yet stayed faithful to a series of books that have shattered publishing records and literally changed fiction forever.  And it does it honestly, loyally, and epically.  The movie is heartbreaking, exciting, joyful and exhilarating all at once, and it concludes the beloved story with the respect and faithfulness it deserves.  I guarantee that (if you are a fan) you will leave the theater feeling happy about the resolution, satisfied with the adaptation, and maybe a little bit sad about our glimpse into the world of Harry Potter coming to an end.

However...

that is not to say that this movie is a tour de force of film making.  The director/writer/editor/whoever may have done a great job winnowing the incredibly packed final half of the book into a concise storyline, but they did NOT make a particularly adept stand alone film.

The movie starts as though we are coming into the very middle of an existing conversation, rather than simply beginning a new chapter in a much longer story, which even for a "part 2" sets a strange tone.  Yes, we all know what happened in part 1, and yes, we are probably familiar enough with what will happen in part 2 to keep up with what is happening and why, but that doesn't mean it isn't jarring to just sort of start right in the middle of all the action rather than taking the time to set the stage and reintroduce us to the current mood and situation.  The filmmakers have said that they wanted to do away with exposition and explanation and kind of reward fans for their loyalty (not to mention save time no doubt) by just jumping in to the story and assuming we will know what is going on.  And while I applaud that approach, there is something to be said for at least attempting cohesive storytelling.  Just because we know that an epic battle is about to begin when Harry and his friends return to Hogwarts doesn't mean it isn't still abrupt to have the fighting just begin.  When a character says "he knows we're here" to me that implies 'he knows we're here and he will be here soon' not, 'he knows we're here and so is he with a whole giant army.'  Everyone (characters and audience) may be well aware that the war to end all wars is on the brink doesn't mean we can forgo all the dread and tension of the buildup to that final moment when the first shots are fired.  Without the pressure of increased suspense, the eventual explosion of violence loses its urgency and emotional impact.

And there was time to include it.  At 2 hours 10 min the movie could easily have handled another 10 or even 20 minutes without feeling bloated or leaving viewers squirming in their seats, and those precious minutes could have gone a long way towards smoothing the pacing and knitting together crucial scenes into a meaningful whole.  And they could have done even more towards heightening the emotional impact.  I was glad to see that the pivotal moment involving Harry's long time nemesis Snape was given just attention, but seeing other beloved characters fight and die loses resonance when they have little or no screen time before hand.  The final showdown between Harry and Voldemort was also changed from the book, most likely to make it more action-y for film (and 3D), but in actuality all it did was sacrifice some of the triumph.  All in all, this movie was an excellent last chapter in a remarkable series, but failed at the one thing any film should hope to achieve which is to stand alone on its own merits.


Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2: 2 hrs 10 min PG-13

ps: just in case you read this entire review while also being somewhat on the fence about seeing the movie, let me add this: this movie contains the greatest, most realistic dragon I have ever seen.  That alone is worth the price of admission.  Seeing one of the world's most beloved characters grow up and kick some ass is just icing

So You Think You Can Dance Season 8: Top 20

So, is it just me or did basically everyone get their own genre (or close to it) this week?  I personally think this is a good decision as it gives all of the contestants a chance to be seen in the best positive light as we are all still getting to know them before they are thrown to the wolves with a quick step or something.

Also - the competition this year is fierce! usually I have a couple of favorites, and some others I like just fine, but this year I feel like every couple that came on I was going "oh, yeah! I love her!," "oh, that guy! I love him!" That's going to make for some rough eliminations.  And I'm sorry that Mia Michaels is not working with the show anymore (unless I'm wrong about that? fingers crossed), but I think I'll live as long as Travis Wall keeps choreographing.  That kid is a freaking genius.

this made me cry from perfection (I'll try to find a better clip):



If there is a better piece than this one all season we can all consider ourselves lucky indeed.

Super 8

I think all you probably need to know about this film is right up there above the title: Abrams and Spielberg.  That's a pretty good movie pedigree, and Super 8 does not fail to live up to its creators names.  This movie really has a little bit of everything: father son tension, forbidden (young) love/friendship, precocious kids, vast government conspiracy, monsters and retro nostalgia.  And it all hangs together beautifully.

Super 8 is the story of a group of friends making a zombie movie on their super 8 camera (in the 70s), who happen to witness a train crash that may or may not be an accident.  It is also the story of the strained relationship between a young boy and his father after the mother's death, and the growing friendship between that same boy and a girl with an equally troubled paternal relationship.  Strange things start to happen after the crash, including an invasion by tight lipped Air Force soldiers, and while we are given bits and pieces into the mystery, our viewpoint of the events is distinctly that of the kids - who are intrigued but also more consumed by their own personal dramas and utilizing the town excitement for their film.

The monster-movie portion of the film is a little under served - spooky, unseen tentacles grab people occasionally, but the tone remains firmly in the sweet/sour personal story vein until the final climax.  The invading soldiers aren't even that big of a part of the movie for all of their omnipresence in the town, and I was pleased that the resulting eruption into all out war was given a plausible explanation rather than just being the typical Hollywood depiction of the military as total jagoffs looking for any excuse to blow shit up.

The kids, led by Joel Courtney and Elle Fanning (who is SO much better than her sister Dakota who I admit is talented but I just always kind of want to punch), were fantastic, as of course were the adults - most notably Kyle Chandler as the beleaguered town deputy/ unprepared single father.  The writing was good, the cinematography beautiful, and if the ending was a little too perfect, well, who doesn't like their endings wrapped up in a bow?  This was one "event" film that has so much going for it beyond the explosions and mystery and hype - it has a heart.  And yes, sappy cinematic music that totally made me cry.  When you see it (and you should see it) make sure you watch the credits too - the finished "film" the kids made is included, and it is pretty amusing.

Super 8 1 hr 52 min  PG-13

X-Men First Class

Can I just say first off that I wrote a fabulous review of this movie in my head on the way home from the theater, but stops at Target and the grocery store have completely erased it from my mind so this will no doubt be a far more mediocre summary of the things I wanted to say.

X-Men First Class is an origin story of how Professor Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Magneto (Michael Fassbender) first met and became friends, and then enemies.  Both actors are superb, although Fassbender manages to steal the show due to a meatier character dealing with his growing powers and tragic back story of abuse at the hands of the Nazis in World War II Germany.  McAvoy plays Xavier equally well, except he is given less to do besides touch his temple to demonstrate his telepathy and expound with wisdom and superiority towards all of the other characters.  Apparently professor X was always a straitlaced know-it-all, despite an early, pointless scene trying to show him as a bit of a skirt chasing cad.  Jennifer Lawrence gives a decent performance as Mystique, and while her eventual decision to join forces with Magneto as opposed to her pseudo-brother Xavier feels natural and right for the character, it might have benefited from a few additional scenes demonstrating her inner struggle to accept her outward appearance. 

The action of the movie takes place against the backdrop of the Cuban Missile Crisis in the 60's, which turns out to have actually been the work of a manipulative mutant with the power to absorb all kinds of energy, played by Kevin Bacon.  In the introductory scenes Bacon exhibits a kind of uber-villain glee (and really good german), but in the rest of the film his bad guy kind of loses his sparkle as well as any sense of actual evil.  Even when he is absorbing the explosion of a grenade or gunfire and then sending it back in all its destructive glory he kind of just seems to be going through the motions. 

The whole "let's get the regular humans to kill themselves so mutants can rule the world" focus seems like an after thought as well - merely a vehicle to explore the friendship between the two protagonists and eventually set them at odds.  Which is where the movie fails.  There are too few arguments between the two friends where they hash out their different ideologies: Professor X wants to show the normal humans that mutants are people too so we can all live together happily - Magneto fully believes in mutant superiority and intends to hold mutants above and apart all the lesser gifted.  These differences of opinion form the basis of all the previous X-men movies, and the backbone of the X-Men universe - is there anyway mutants can live alongside humans peacefully, or are they destined to always fight for acceptance and survival?- and as such I would think they would play a larger role in the friendship of these two men both as it develops and as it dissolves.  Instead, we get chummy pals and then one angry moment when everything changes abruptly.  it's not entirely out of the blue or unrealistic, I just think it could have benefited from a little bit more exploration throughout the film instead of relying on hints and the fact that we are already familiar with who these characters become.

There is also a weird montage section with a very retro split screen thing going on - which I'm assuming is meant to sort of reference the fact that the movie takes place in the 60's, but instead just comes across as random and not at all in concert with the general mood of the movie.  And to clarify - its only the split screen effect that is offputting - the scenes in the montage itself are just fine.  But by far the worst thing in the movie is the character of Emma Frost.  First off, she is a telepath, which is kind of redundant since we already have a telepath, but she can also turn herself into diamond, which doesn't really seem to offer any advantage except that no one else can read her mind while she is in diamond form, and she can use her sharo diamond fingers to cut ice and glass.  Great?  It is kind of a stupid power, and the fact that both the good guys and the bad guys have a telepath is completely under utilized, so that basically makes her a totally unnecessary character.  Also, she is played by January Jones, who is the stiffest, worst actress I can currently think of.  I have no clue why she is so popular, except that I guess her character on Mad Men is kind of an ice princess and so her natural disability to act with even the slightest inflection or emotion probably plays into that nicely.  And she certainly is pretty.  But seriously Hollywood, stop casting her in other things because the girl is about as lively (and likeable) as a petrified tree trunk.  She shows more depth and emotion when she is CGI'd into sparkly diamond.

All in all, I think X-men First Class is a decent effort at the origin of these characters.  Certainly most of the acting is top notch, and the areas where the movie suffers seem to primarily be writing - or possibly editing.  The types of explanations that would have given the extra needed depth could certainly have been in the original script and tossed in favor of time or flashier action scenes.  But aside from Miss Jones, there wasn't anything remarkably bad - and overall it was a highly enjoyable combination of action and acting (with two wink wink cameos).

X-Men First Class 2hr 12 min PG-13