Escape Plan

Escape Plan - Dir. Mikael Hafstrom (2013)

"You hit like a vegetarian."

Stallone. Schwarzenegger. Two of the biggest action heroes in movie history with a combined body count well into the triple digits. Fans have always wanted to see them fight side by side, except the right project never came about. Sure, there's The Expendables, but Arnold's appearances were brief and they had to share the screen with a bunch of other red blooded action stars. Escape Plan is the first proper team-up for Stallone and Schwarzenegger though sometimes it feels like a film 20 years too late.

Stallone is Ray Breslin, a specialist who has spent decades breaking out of maximum security prisons to test their fallibilities. Breslin and his shifty partner (Vincent D'Onofrio) accept a $5 million payday from a CIA agent to test the security for a black bag prison housing criminals no country wants to house. The location is top secret so Breslin won't be able to receive outside help from his associates (Amy Ryan & Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson), who are uneasy about the whole deal. He should have listened because somebody paid a lot of money to keep him locked away for good.

Breslin is dropped into the Tomb and left at the mercy of the ruthless Warden Hobbs (Jim Caviezel), who has used Breslin's own work to shore up the Tomb's defense. Breslin finds an unlikely ally in fellow prisoner Emil Rottmayer (Schwarzenegger), the right-hand man for a mysterious boss named Mannheim, who holds the key to dismantling the European banking industry.

Escape Plan has the undeniable scent of an 80's actioner right out of the Cannon playbook. It has no desire to be anything more than unsophisticated B-movie fun. The story itself is riddled with plot holes. Never mind that Breslin's MacGyver-esque methods of escaping from prison are so convoluted that nobody else could ever possibly think of them, let alone threaten prison security. These issues will hardly cross your mind until after the film has ended because of the sheer screen presence of Stallone and Schwarzenegger. They may be decades past their prime and the banter doesn't have the same zing as it used to, but it's still a joy to see them sharing scenes. The audience cheered wildly when the former Terminator armed himself with a heavy machine gun. Jim Caviezel is suitably cartoonish as a warden so vicious, he hires Vinnie Jones as his head guard. He starts by doing the low-key, minimalist performance as seen on Person of Interest and then turns the dial up past 11 when he has to. Sam Neill and Amy Ryan are absolutely wasted in the throwaway roles of the weary prison doctor and Breslin's right-hand woman, respectively. Finally, the less said about Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson woefully miscast as a computer expert, the better.

Escape Plan pales in comparison to action classics like Predator, First Blood, and The Terminator, but it's certainly worth a viewing should it pop up on Netflix.

Rating: ** (*****)

Win Win

Win Win - Dir. Thomas McCarthy (2011)

Thomas McCarthy doesn't have one of the most recognizable names or faces. As a character actor, he's had supporting roles in films like Meet the Parents and 2012. However, he has won more critical acclaim as the writer/director of The Station Agent and The Visitor. McCarthy has specialized in telling stories about depressed outsiders forming an unconventional surrogate family. For his latest picture, Win Win, McCarthy sticks to his bread and butter, presenting his best movie yet.

Paul Giamatti is perfectly cast as Mike Flaherty, a New Jersey lawyer who practices in the matters of elderly care. He also doubles as the coach of a pathetic high school wrestling team with his partner Stephen (Jeffrey Tambor). Mike isn't pulling in enough money to support his wife, Jackie (Amy Ryan), and their two daughters. He finds what he believes to be an easy source of money in Leo Poplar (Burt Young), who is suffering from the onset of dementia. Unable to contact his family, Mike appoints himself as Leo's guardian in order to collect the $1500 a month from Leo's estate, then checks him into a nursing home so he doesn't actually have to care for Leo.

Mike's scheme seemingly goes off without a hitch until Leo's grandson, Kyle (Alex Shaffer), arrives on Leo's doorstep. Mike and Jackie take the boy in until they can contact Kyle's mother, Cindy (Melanie Lynskey), who is attending rehab and is estranged from her father. When Kyle shows off exceptional wrestling skill, Mike sees it as a karmic reward. He enrolls Kyle at the school for the chance to finally win a championship. Kyle's winning ways manage to inspire the adults around him as well as his lackadaisical teammates. Everything feels like it's coming around for Mike until Cindy shows up looking to collect her son and her father's money.

McCarthy's screenplay has a tendency to veer towards sitcom territory. It's formulaic and the complications are all wrapped up a little too conveniently. Yet, there's such a sweet-natured approach to the material that it's easy to go with the flow. Unlike other indie dramedies which are quirky for quirky's sake, the characters of Win Win feel genuine and likeable. The comedy ranges from over-the-top to low-key and each gag is never forced, coming naturally from the situations everyone finds themselves.

The cast also helps to elevate the film. Giamatti is the master of playing these sad sack roles, able to maintain an air of sympathy despite sometimes acting like a jerk (see American Splendor). Amy Ryan is excellent as the tough Jersey wife while Jeffrey Tambor plays the exact type of role you expect from Jeffrey Tambor. Rocky fans will be ecstatic to see Paulie himself appear in a small, but vital part. The real gem of Win Win is newcomer Alex Shaffer, who really is a champion wrestler in the Garden State. Shaffer manages to make so much more of a role that calls for the typical sullen and taciturn teenager.

McCarthy scores a definitive notch in the win column with Win Win. It's a funny and engaging film that stands as one of the best pictures released during the first half of 2011.

Rating: ***½ (*****)

Jack Goes Boating

Jack Goes Boating - Dir. Philip Seymour Hoffman (2010)

Philip Seymour Hoffman has accumulated numerous accolades and awards during his long career as an actor. He finally makes his directorial debut with Jack Goes Boating, based on an Off-Broadway play written by Robert Glaudini. The original theatrical production was workshopped at the LAByrinth Theater Company, where Hoffman once served as co-director along with fellow actor John Ortiz. Both Hoffman and Ortiz starred in the play along with Daphne Rubin-Vega. All three return for the feature film version with Amy Ryan rounding out the main cast.

Hoffman is the titular Jack, a chauffeur working for his uncle's limo service in New York City. Jack is the kind of fellow you wouldn't waste a second glance on. He's the type of person no one pays attention to in the Big Apple and that's the way he likes it. Jack shuffles along, staring at his feet as he walks the pavement. He buries his head in his earphones while listening to reggae music on his Walkman. Yes, he listens to an honest-to-goodness cassette player. Jack's love of reggae has led him to fix his hair into a series of unkempt dreadlocks.

Jack is best friends with Clyde (Ortiz), who is married to the strong-willed Lucy (Rubin-Vega). Lucy works at a funeral parlor with Connie (Ryan), a woman who is as socially awkward as Jack. Clyde and Lucy figure Jack and Connie would go well together, probably because it would be almost impossible for them to fit with anybody else. The four friends sit down for a dinner marked by sparse and uneasy conversation. In spite of that fact, Jack and Connie seem to hit it off. When she makes an off-hand remark about going boating in the summer, Jack embarks on a personal journey of self-improvement that begins with swimming lessons. Later, when Connie mentions nobody has ever cooked for her, Jack learns how to cook and agonizes over the idea of making the perfect meal for his paramour.

As the relationship between Jack and Connie blossoms, the marriage between Clyde and Lucy crumbles in direct proportion.

For his first directing gig, Hoffman chooses a less ambitious project where the emphasis is on acting rather than camera style. It's about what's happening on camera and not behind the camera. Needless to say, the acting is superb all around. Hoffman is an old hat at playing these roles. There's something almost heartbreaking about his performance as this gentle teddy bear of a man. His child-like demeanor certainly inspired the film's kid-lit style title. Amy Ryan is perfectly cast opposite Hoffman. Ryan's career skyrocketed following her award-winning turn as the drug-addled mother in Ben Affleck's Gone Baby Gone. She also won acclaim as the dorky love interest to Steve Carell on The Office. Ryan doesn't go to either extreme as Connie, but finds a quiet desperation the character. In the role of Jack's best friend is John Ortiz, who most movie-goers will recognize as the drug kingpin in Miami Vice or the drug kingpin in Fast & Furious. Yes, it is refreshing to see Ortiz in a more understated role than that of the generic, ethnic villain.

Jack Goes Boating tries a little too hard to create quirky characters. The script tends to labor at a feeling of preciousness leading to an artificial aura around certain scenes, in particular one in which Connie confesses to fantasizing about making love to Jack on a spaceship rocketing through the cosmos.

The oddball romance between introverts is the kind of storyline you generally see between two twenty-something hipsters, but Hoffman and Ryan make it work.

Rating: **½ (*****)

Green Zone

Green Zone - Dir. Paul Greengrass (2010)

Green Zone is easily the best film of the first half of 2010. It’s an exceptionally rare breed of action film. It’s an action film with a brain, something you don’t see very often.

Based on the non-fiction book, Imperial Life in the Emerald City, by Rajiv Chandrasekaran, Green Zone follows the U.S. occupation of Iraq following the invasion and toppling of Saddam Hussein’s regime. Matt Damon stars as Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller whose squad is tasked with the search for Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction. Miller’s searches are fruitless. One location is a playground; another is an abandoned toilet factory. Miller is less than assuaged by his superiors’ assurances that the intel, provided by a source code-named Magellan (an allusion to real-life informant "Curveball"), is thoroughly vetted.

In search of the truth, Miller encounters several individuals that help or hinder him. Among them are reporter Lawrie Dayne (Amy Ryan), an analogue for real-life journalist Judith Miller, who was oft-accused of being a shill for the Bush administration. Miller is also stuck in a tug of war between Martin Brown, the bureau chief for the CIA, (Brendan Gleeson) and Pentagon official Clark Poundstone (Greg Kinnear). Brown believes in utilizing the remnants of the Iraqi army to enforce order in the country. Neo-con Poundstone believes in playing hardball, weaving half-truths, and installing a glorified puppet to head up the new government.

Of utmost importance is a one-legged Iraqi who goes by the name, Freddy (Khalid Abdalla). He provides crucial information that puts Miller on the trail of Gen. Al-Rawi (Yigal Naor), one of the military's most wanted men. The relationship between Freddy and Roy Miller acts as an obvious parallel to the plight of the Iraqi people. Freddy is a representation of the hope and fear of his nation following the fall of Saddam Hussein. For Roy's part, there's an oblivious nature to some of these emotions. During one sequence, Miller and his men tackle Freddy to the ground, accidentally yanking off his prosthetic leg, because they believed he was escaping with valuable intel. In actuality, Freddy was hauling ass out of there after witnessing a black ops team (led by an almost unrecognizable Jason Isaacs) place hoods over prisoners' heads and herd them into a chopper.

The script by Brian Helgeland is blunt and lacking in nuance. However, the events are compelling enough for you to overlook any nitpicks. The same goes for the acting and the direction. Damon carries the film as the unflappable Miller. He plays well against his former Siamese twin brother (remember Stuck On You?), Greg Kinnear who takes smarmy to new levels.

Yes, Greengrass employs his trademark shaky cam, but it's not as nauseating or disorienting as his earlier work on the Bourne pictures. Teamed with cinematographer Barry Ackroyd (The Hurt Locker), Greengrass brings an immediacy and authenticity to the film. Green Zone feels like you've been dropped into the middle of Baghdad, despite the fact that the movie was shot in Spain, Morocco, and the UK.

Green Zone doesn't purport to be an accurate portrayal of the war in Iraq. Indeed, there is a sense of revisionist history and wishful thinking when it comes to the idea of a righteous soldier exposing the lies of his government. No, the film cements the tenant that it is the soldiers who bravely fight the wars that the politicians create. Perhaps, the most infuriating moment in Green Zone comes when Miller and his men (covered in sweat, sand, and grime) arrive at Saddam's former palace to find American VIPs lounging around the pool. After risking their lives in the desert, they are surrounded by politicians, contractors, and officials drinking margaritas and eating steaks.

Rating: *** ½ (*****)

Changeling

Changeling - Dir. Clint Eastwood (2008)



Eastwood is a rather populist filmmaker, more so this past decade. He’s directed four of my favorite Westerns, the first three being High Plains Drifter, The Outlaw Josey Wales, and the Shane takeoff, Pale Rider. The fourth is Unforgiven which took a less romanticized approach to the genre. Since then, he’s done the lovey dovey weepy (Bridges of Madison County), the crowd pleasing fluff (Space Cowboys), the serial killer thriller (Blood Work), the gritty crime drama (Mystic River), the inspirational sports film (Million Dollar Baby), and the war film (Flags of Our Fathers, Letters from Iwo Jima). With each project, Eastwood takes a straightforward approach, evoking all the basic emotions of triumph and tragedy you expect from awards season fare. Sometimes this can be more insulting than the worst piece of garbage to infest the multiplex. At least, when you’re pandering to the lowest common denominator, you have no delusions over what you are. When you pander to the Academy voters, you have a self-important air about you and film.

Now, am I insulting Eastwood’s abilities as a filmmaker? Not my intention. He’s absolutely amazing at what he does. But, other than Unforgiven and, to a lesser extent, Letters from Iwo Jima, he hasn’t truly offered anything different than what is normally found during the pre-Oscar hype months. He’s just not taking risks.

Changeling just screams Oscar bait. It’s a period piece, has an epic runtime, renowned actors, and a woman in peril. In anyone else’s hands, the film would have been manipulative tripe. However, in Eastwood’s hands we have a great movie, an old fashioned L.A. crime film in the vein of Chinatown and L.A. Confidential. Changeling is based on the true story of Christine Collins whose case was immaculately researched by screenwriter J. Michael Straczynski (a comic book writer and creator of Babylon 5). Straczynski spent a year researching the material and even went as far as attaching newspaper clippings to the actual script. Both Eastwood and Straczynski are exacting in their craft and together they have created an immaculate production. The costumes and production design are authentic to a tee while Eastwood’s approach is in line with the classic Hollywood style.

The length of the film never bothered me and neither did the multiple false finishes as I was absorbed at every minute. The story is part-mystery and part-serial killer movie while the third act is predominantly a courtroom drama. The latter of which isn’t quite as strong as the previous acts.

Much like her in A Mighty Heart, Angelina Jolie is called upon to give a heart-wrenching performance. She definitely looks the part of a flapper girl with her slight frame, pale skin, and ruby red lips. She cries on cue as the mascara runs down her cheeks. She’s de-glamorized and disheveled after being unjustly committed to an asylum.

While I enjoyed the film, I wasn’t blown away by it. Changeling proudly hits all the right notes at exactly the right moments. It’s impeccably made, well acted with a riveting story behind it. This is the type of movie that critics eat up. But, it's the circumstances surrounding the true life events that are more interesting than the picture based on them.

Rating: ***