mother!

First Hit:  It was not very interesting, was poorly scripted and had little to offer.

Director Darren Aronofsky probably had something to say by making this film, but I can only come up with snide thoughts like:  The battle between control and chaos is difficult. One needs to ask their partner before inviting people into the house. People like Him (Javier Bardem), need to have their ego stroked. Well-known artists, Him, would sacrifice his family for outside admiration. People will give the artists they admire leeway to act poorly. Life is a never-ending sequence of the same stuff over and over again. I could go on.

One troubling aspect about this film was that Darren had some great actors, but Mother (Jennifer Lawrence) seemed like she was saying lines and occasionally her actions were more engaging. Him seemed to take on the poor struggling artist role rather mediocrely. Together they were a shipwreck ready to happen throughout the entire film.

The story is that Mother has rebuilt a very large house because it burned down in a fire. It was Him’s family home. She’s doing this because she loves Him and the poems that he’s written in the past. However, he’s had writer's block since the fire burned down his family’s home.

One day, Man (Ed Harris), a chain smoking doctor, shows up at their home thinking it is a place where he can rent a room while doing research. Without asking Mother, Him tells Man that he can stay there as long as he wants. Feeling pushed aside, Mother reluctantly goes along with this.

Then the rest of Man’s family shows up. Woman (Michelle Pfeiffer) is pushy and is very passive aggressive while Mother waits on her. All the while Him likes their company. Woman tells Mother that she needs to have a baby to really know what life is about.

During an argument, Him and Mother have make-up sex and she gets pregnant. Also, Woman and Man’s boys come to the house and start a big fight and one of the boys gets killed.

With Mother being pregnant and the killing of the boy, Him writes another poem that causes a national stir and now thousands of people come to the house to both grieve the dead boy and the celebration of this new poem. This makes Mother angry as she tries to kick everyone out because they are wrecking the house she built.

Then the film heads into over weird with rituals and demons and other stuff. Why? I cannot tell you why even if I knew. It is beyond my understanding of the point and purpose of this story and film.

Lawrence gives a uneven performance. It was both difficult and easy to understand her love and devotion based on whatever scene she was in. Bardem had an easier role of being egocentric and caring about himself more than the people for which he professed his love. Harris was OK as the initial interloper. Pfeiffer was interesting because her sarcasm and disdain towards Mother was well done. Aronofsky wrote a confusing and unclear script that came off as being overindulgent towards bizarre behavior. If the audience doesn’t get the point, why do a film like this? As director, the point was lost in the script, and therefore the acting wasn’t reflective of a cohesive story leaving the audience lost.

Overall:  This was self-indulgence at its finest and a waste of my time.

The Gunman

First Hit:  This film tries to be interesting and fails.

Using the politics of forced mining in the Congo as a backdrop, what the story is about is how a man slowly comes to grips with his killing past. What is unfortunate is that using this and his redemptive actions of drilling for clean water to make Terrier (Sean Penn) someone we care about failed.

I did not care one iota about Terrier’s self-redemption. Walking into the theater I expected to sit through a bunch of scenes of people shooting (and missing) at each other but for it to be so poorly done was disappointing. True to Penn’s own publicly pushed political stance – there are scenes where he’s the good guy, however, he’ll do anything to keep himself and his girlfriend Annie (Jasmine Trinca) alive and shooting people is what he resorts to doing. He continues to state that he's got no choice.

Javier Bardem, as Terrier's co-worker Felix, was a poorly created and acted character. He’s required to be extremely jealous and a drunk, and neither of these were done well. At least 3 times during the film, I was sat there thinking, I just wanted this movie to be over.

The best part of Penn’s performance was that he was in great physical shape but to have him smoking in so many scenes is downright stupid. His character didn’t need it. Trinca was OK and although she exemplified being a good person in love with someone who has a history of killing people for money, she rose above the stupidity of this film and delivered what she could. Bardem was a wasted talent in this role. Ray Winstone as Stanley, Terrier’s only true friend, was strong in his supporting role. He was the only bright light in this film. Don MacPherson wrote this mess and Pierre Morel did his best to shoot this film in an interesting way.

Overall:  Poor story, poor acting, and lousy characters make for a waste of time.

The Counselor

First Hit:  When all is said and done, there were a few outstanding moments of acting in a film that tried to make a statement.

The question is: What is the statement Director Ridley Scott wanted to make with this film? Was it about greed? Was it about accepting the consequences of the path chosen?

This film begins with a very luxurious soft, emotionally available scene where the Counselor (Michael Fassbender) and Laura (Penelope Cruz) are lying under the sheets in a beautiful modern bedroom. Their mutual attraction physically and emotionally drips off the celluloid.

Then we see that the Counselor must be doing well for himself as he’s driving a Bentley motor car and lives in a very nice home. He visits a client/friend Reiner (Javier Bardem), who we learn quickly is a major player in the drug trade. He enjoys his riches and the accouterments of his home, but he never looks or feels like it is his, it is more like he’s a guest in his home.

Bardem also seems this way in this character; he doesn’t look or feel like he is at home with this character and I never felt like I knew if this was on purpose or not. The best acting of the film came from Cameron Diaz as Malkina who, with her silver nail polish and cold look, defined an I don’t give a f&%# attitude.

Additionally, Brad Pitt as Westray a drug deal middle man carried the right amount of emotional detachment, sleaziness, and peacefulness at the path he’s chosen. The obvious point of the film's main character is: Was The Counselor prepared to pay the price for a big drug deal gone bad? The answer seemed to be not really.

There are major dialogue segments by Reiner, Malkina, Westray, and Jefe (Ruben Blades) that warn him about what the price is, but he still takes the chance. However, questions remain; why is he in this drug deal (excitement, money, greed)? What is the motivator?

Then again, maybe this film is just may be a Ridley Scott vehicle to give his advice on living life.

Fassbender was very good, however I didn’t care about him or his character. There was no background about why he would risk love for more money? Cruz was good as Fassbender’s love interest. Bardem, seemed lost in this role. I never got he was in the role but rather speaking the lines. Diaz was fabulous, showing the ability to be a strong dark presence and make each scene she was in interesting. Pitt was really good at having a laissez faire presence while carrying a clear message to the main character. Cormac McCarthy wrote the script but I don’t know if it was him or Scott that decided to glaze over providing enough information to care. Scott, created some amazingly beautiful scenes and shots but did he just want to tell us his version of the saying; you get what you pay for OR you have to be willing to pay the price?

Overall:  This film was forgettable by the next day, although Diaz’s performance will land her more roles.

Skyfall

First Hit:  Action and more action but without much thoughtfulness.

Don’t get me wrong – Daniel Craig as 007 – James Bond, is at least neck-to-neck, (if not ahead of) with Sean Connery as my favorite Bond.

Whereas Connery’s Bond was sophisticated and debonair; Craig’s Bond is more rough and movement oriented. Therefore this film is more or less strictly an action film versus a thinking man’s Bond film.

Like the immediate predecessors, this film begins with a long sequence prior to the opening credits. In this case we are led to believe that James is killed. We all know this wouldn’t be true or else why would we have another 135 minutes left of film to watch?

This sort of telegraphing happens throughout the film; we know that arch enemy Silva (played by Javier Bardem) will only be killed in the end, and no matter how many times Bond has the opportunity throughout the film it will only happen in the end.

What was surprising was M’s (played by Judi Dench) involvement in the story. And in some ways I liked this touch. I liked that we involved other characters including M’s boss Gareth Mallory (played by Ralph Fiennes), Eve (ready for it) Moneypenny (played by Naomie Harris, and a new Q (played by Ben Whishaw).

The newish versions of old characters were introduced reasonably well which bridged the old Bond to the new Bond. However, this film just seemed to be just a series of action sequences stringed together with some dialogue. However, Silva’s character created an appropriate level of disturbed presence to move Bond to the next level of action.

Although many of the action scenes were amazingly put together, I thought the subway (tube) coming through the hole in the ceiling to be incorrect. The sequence is too long and the train would have stopped moving forward long before it did and it wasn't appropriately slowing down as it hit objects in its way. This would have been different in real life and therefore it didn’t come off a real crash.

Craig is a favorite Bond of mine and he’ll do more good Bond films if his natural intelligence is developed as well. Here he is superb in the action sequences. Bardem is appropriately spooky and devilish in his actions. Dench is strong but a feeling tired in this role. Harris is nicely interesting in her role as Eve, one of Bond's paramours. Whishaw is good and appropriately nerdy as the new Q. Fiennes, works out well as M’s boss and his slow engagement into the story works very well. Neil Purvis and Robert Wade wrote an action script and not one exemplifying Bond’s intelligence. Sam Mendes, showed a strong hand at creating interesting action scenes (motorcycle chase), helicopter use (both on the island and Skyfall), and the wonderful nostalgia of first using the new Jaguar (M’s car) to the old DB5 (Austin) with ejection seat button and machine gun headlights.

Overall: If you want to watch a lot action – go see this film.

Biutiful

First Hit: A sad story and beautifully acted.

Everyone in this film is superb.

This Spanish film is dark, engaging, asks deep questions and is wonderfully acted. Uxbal (played by Javier Bardem) is a hustler. He assists illegally resident Africans sell illegally produced purses and DVDs on the streets of Barcelona. He learns he only has months to live because of cancer.

He has custody for his two young children Ana and Meteo (played by Hanaa Bouchaib and Guillermo Estrella respectively), his former wife Maramba (played by Maricel Alvarez) is a part-time whore, and he accidently has a hand in killing 20+ Chinese workers. He also makes some side money by listening to dead people who are struggling to leave this life. By listening to them he passes information on to their family.

He is looking for redemption for his life. He has a heart which shows up with the compassion he has for his children and for some of the people who work with him. He does what he can to give his children a home and support as he begins to fade from life.

However, it appears that what he did in life catches up to him, and as he dies we know his children will have a difficult life, the kind he had.

Bardem is amazingly wonderful in this role. He compassion and deal making are equally transparent. Alvarez is amazingly wild and free flowing in her role as an unstable former wife. Bouchaib was excellent as the 10 year old daughter. Estrella is wonderful as the son. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu wrote and directed this very fine film.

Overall: This isn’t a feel good film but this is an outstanding film telling a very good story in a creative way.