Better Living Through Chemistry

Better Living Through Chemistry - Dirs. David Posamentier & Geoff Moore (2014)

The tried and true film noir formula follows a man seduced by a femme fatale into murdering her significant other, then digging himself into a deeper hole as he tries to stay one step ahead of the authorities. Double Indemnity and The Postman Always Rings Twice are two of the best examples. Better Living Through Chemistry takes a comedic approach to the basic noir story.

Doug Varney (Sam Rockwell) is a pharmacist and a family man living in the small, picturesque New England town of Woodbury. Too bad his life isn't as equally picturesque. Doug is married to the emasculating Kara (Michelle Monaghan), who constantly undercuts his abilities as a father and a husband. Their son Ethan (Harrison Holzer) is obviously troubled as he paints his bedroom windows black and smears feces everywhere at school. Kara denies anything is wrong and shows more concern for spin classes and bike marathons. Doug's father-in-law, Walter Bishop (Ken Howard), doesn't have much confidence in him either. Despite selling the town's pharmacy to Doug, he refuses to change the name from Bishop's to Varney's.

It's easy to see why Doug would fall fast for the glamorous Elizabeth (Olivia Wilde), the trophy wife to an absentee husband (Ray Liotta). Elizabeth shares with Doug her passions for sex and popping prescription pills. Their torrid love affair ignites something within Doug as he begins concocting his own medications by mixing everything from Prozac to valium. He even manages to become more assertive and reestablish his relationship with Ethan. However, things start to unravel when Elizabeth suggests they murder her spouse by tampering with his heart pills and using the insurance money to run away together. There's also a DEA agent (Norbert Leo Butz) snooping around the drug store.

In spite of a stellar cast, Better Living was released direct to video with very little fanfare. The humor falls flat on its face due to terrible jokes revolving around STDs and poop. For an inexplicable reason, Jane Fonda provides voiceover narration, the kind that unnecessarily spells out every little detail for you. Fonda later makes a cameo as a customer shopping for douche. How classy.

For what it's worth, Rockwell is one of my favorite actors working right now. He truly excels at playing smarmy and conniving characters as evidenced in Iron Man 2 and Seven Psychopaths. Here, Rockwell gets to go over-the-top as Doug spirals out of control as well as play it understated as the henpecked Doug. He's the movie's saving grace.

Better Living Through Chemistry was written and directed by newcomers David Posamentier and Geoff Moore, who have been tapped to pen Paramount's remake of Explorers. You wish the pair had delved deeper into the premise beyond one-note characters and tired gags. Better Living is full of wasted potential.

Rating: * ½ (*****)

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol - Dir. Brad Bird (2011)

Tom Cruise is one of the biggest movie stars in the history of cinema. Yet, his reputation and box office clout have been tarnished by his bizarre behavior. The Tom Cruise publicity machine has been working overtime to restore his standing in the eyes of the public. Will a return to the mega-successful Mission: Impossible franchise rehabilitate Cruise's status? In my opinion, the man can jump on all the couches he wants as long as he keeps making films like Ghost Protocol.

The fourth Mission: Impossible opens with an exciting prison escape as Ethan Hunt (Cruise) breaks out of a Moscow gulag with help from IMF (Impossible Mission Force) agents Jane Carter (Paula Patton) and Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg). During his incarceration, another IMF member (Josh Holloway from "Lost") has been murdered while attempting to retrieve launch codes for the Russians' nuclear missiles. As it turns out, the codes have fallen into the hands of sultry French assassin, Sabine Moreau (Léa Seydoux), who is in the employ of Kurt Hendricks (Michael Nyqvist), a Swedish-born scientist code-named Cobalt. Hendricks genuinely believes all-out nuclear war will benefit mankind in the long run, allowing only the strong to survive.

The IMF team infiltrates the Kremlin in order to retrieve information on Cobalt. Unfortunately, the enemy is several steps ahead as Hendricks alerts the security to IMF's presence, steals a launch device, blows up the Kremlin, and implicates Hunt's team as the culprits. Branded as terrorists, the entire IMF department has been disavowed by the U.S. government. On the run from Russian authorities, Ethan and his team must clear their names and prevent a nuclear holocaust. Joining them as their newest member is Brandt (Jeremy Renner), an intelligence analyst whose combat skills belie those of a mere paper pusher.

Mission: Impossible III took the franchise down a darker path in line with Casino Royale and the Bourne franchise. Ghost Protocol gleefully embraces the over-the-top elements of the spy genre. JJ Abrams, who directed the previous installment, has stayed on as producer and brought on board writers Josh Applebaum and André Nemec from his Alias days to pen the script. Their screenplay seems to have emerged from the 80's since it is packed to the gills with Cold War trappings. There are Russian antagonists, shady villains with generic foreign accents, and the looming threat of all-out nuclear war between the superpowers. The gadgets are all here too. The IMF utilizes high-tech gear such as a contact lens that can transmit visual data, a magnetic levitation suit, not to mention iPads and iPhones. The iconic masks are present as well. What would a Mission: Impossible movie be without a cool mask reveal? A running gag throughout the film is how the team's equipment always seems to malfunction at the most inopportune of times. Even the famous self-destructing message (hidden inside a payphone) needs a good bang to the side to get it started.

Each installment of the Mission: Impossible series has had a different director behind the camera employing his own trademark style. For Ghost Protocol, Tom Cruise went with an unlikely choice in Brad Bird, whose experience has solely been in animation. Bird has helmed The Iron Giant, Ratatouille, and The Incredibles. His skills have translated to live-action with rousing success. Bird has managed to create an edge-of-your-seat thrill ride in a way that not even action maestro John Woo, who directed Mission: Impossible II, could have. Ghost Protocol consists of one unique action sequence after another as Bird takes the audience on a globetrotting adventure from Budapest to Mumbai. You have a foot chase through a blinding sandstorm and a climactic fist fight in the middle of an automated parking garage. Without a doubt, the centerpiece of Ghost Protocol is a spectacular set piece involving Tom Cruise precariously scaling the outside of the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. It's an amazing stunt that Cruise insisted on doing himself. The sequence was also one of several that were shot in IMAX. Ghost Protocol features approximately thirty minutes of footage shot in the larger format and Bird makes the most of every frame, including the ones featuring the beautiful Paula Patton in a slinky evening gown.

Despite being 49, Cruise is as youthful as ever and slips right back into the role of Ethan Hunt with his usual exuberance. But, Cruise is smart enough to know when to step aside and allow his co-stars to share the spotlight. Indeed, Ghost Protocol is more about teamwork than its predecessors. Simon Pegg is easily one of the film's highlights with his trademark brand of comic relief. Jeremy Renner, who might be groomed to take over the franchise, is a welcome addition. While his castmates play it big, Renner underplays the role of Brandt and gives him a dry sense of humor. Also look for cameos from Tom Wilkinson as the head of IMF and Ving Rhames returning as Luther Stickell.

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is the epitome of a well-made, big budget blockbuster. The law of diminishing returns is not in effect here as the fourth picture is far and away the best in the series. The extra surcharge is worth it for the IMAX version as Ghost Protocol is gorgeously shot and one of the most fun movie experiences of the year.

Rating: **** (*****)

Source Code

Source Code - Dir. Duncan Jones (2011)

Duncan Jones obviously has a great passion for sci-fi having made a spectacular debut as a filmmaker with Moon, one of the best films of 2009. He must have had a unique childhood as the son of David Bowie, who was like a science fiction character come to life. Not surprising that Bowie was chosen to play an alien in Nicolas Roeg’s The Man Who Fell to Earth.

While Jones has several original projects in the works, Source Code is based on a script by Ben Ripley, whose only previous credits include Species III and Species: The Awakening. Not exactly an illustrious resume. Jones’ second film follows the trajectory of many new directors. Source Code is a more mainstream movie with a bigger budget and bigger stars. Often times, those aren’t necessarily advantages, but Jones doesn’t fall into the sophomore slump even if Source Code isn’t as strong or thought-provoking as Moon.

Jake Gyllenhaal is cast as Capt. Colter Stevens (an awesome action hero name), an Army helicopter pilot previously stationed in Afghanistan. He is shocked to awaken inside the body of a high school teacher named Sean Fentress, who is on board a Chicago-bound train. Before he can understand what is happening, the train explodes and Stevens finds himself strapped into a capsule where he is greeted by Air Force Capt. Colleen Goodwin (Vera Farmiga). Stevens is a part of a bold new experiment called Source Code, developed by the cold Dr. Rutledge (Jeffrey Wright). Source Code isn’t time travel, but it does allow the subject to relive events (eight minutes in length) by building from the final memories of the dead. Everyone on the train was killed by a bomb and another will go off in the city unless Stevens finds the culprit. Disoriented with little information to go on Stevens is hurtled back and forth until he can complete his mission. At the same time, he must also unravel the mystery of how he came to be apart of the Source Code project.

The best way to describe Source Code would be a melding of 12 Monkeys, Memento, and Groundhog Day. There’s also a dash of Quantum Leap thrown in and they even cast Scott Bakula for a brief voice-over cameo. It’s a high concept actioner in the vein of Inception. Unlike Christopher Nolan’s magnum opus, Source Code isn’t bogged down by endless exposition. Its inventor succintly states Source Code involves quantum physics and would take weeks to explain to the layman. There is just no time to science lessons when a nuke is about to kill millions. Honestly, the whole idea doesn’t make a lick of sense if you really think about it, which means the movie has to keep you engaged long enough so that you don’t poke through the plot holes.

At approximately 90 minutes, Source Code moves at a quick enough pace that the audience doesn’t have time to question the very nature of the Source Code. Each “do-over” is varied enough to avoid tedious repetition. The lead characters are well-defined with Jake Gyllenhaal doing an excellent job at playing the idealistic hero. Michelle Monaghan is also good as Christina, a friend of Sean’s who gradually becomes the love interest for Stevens. Warm and sweet-natured, it’s easy to see why he would fall for her. Jones grounds the film’s outlandish plot by focusing on the love story between the two. Both Jeffrey Wright and Vera Farmiga turn in strong performances, despite their brief and clichéd roles. Aside from the main players, the film noticeably lacks a memorable supporting cast. Unlike the comparable Speed, the other passengers on the train lack distinct personalities as such there is a lack of sympathy for their fates and a loss of dramatic tension in the mystery of the bomber.

Source Code has a unique premise and a powerful opening sequence, but features an ending that leaves more questions than it does answers.

Rating: *** (*****)

SPOILER ALERT: Click on comments section for discussion of ending.

Somewhere

Somewhere - Dir. Sofia Coppola (2010)

Sofia Coppola made a strong debut as a filmmaker with 1999's The Virgin Suicides, but it was Lost in Translation that made her a critical darling. Her second film did exceptional box office (especially for a film that only cost $4 million) and received numerous awards. After finding such success, many independent filmmakers choose to tackle more ambitious films as their next project. So it was with Coppola who chose to shoot her passion project, Marie Antoinette, with Kirsten Dunst in the lead and a budget ten times that of her previous movie. The picture was not given the same positive praise as Lost in Translation and was even booed the Cannes Film Festival. Coppola's decision to use an anachronistic pop music soundtrack with tunes like "I Want Candy" by Bow Wow Wow was a head scratcher for most. Personally, I feel Marie Antoinette is a widely misunderstood film as it was never meant to be an historically accurate biopic, but a piece of pop art and commentary on teenaged célèbre.

Taking the criticism in stride, Coppola has gone back to her roots with a low-budget and intimate tale of two individuals attempting desperately to connect. Call it Lost in Hollywood. Stephen Dorff plays movie star Johnny Marco, who has the type of career some predicted Dorff could have and should have had. Marco lives an utterly empty life as a glamorous Hollywood celebrity. This is symbolized quite bluntly during the opening scene in which Marco aimlessly drives his Ferrari in a circle out in the desert.

In between filming and press junkets around the world, Marco lives at the trendy Chateau Marmont, a hotel for the rich and the site of John Belushi's fatal overdose. As an A-lister, Marco doesn't just get room service; he gets strippers sent to his pad, blonde twin strippers with portable poles, no less. He runs through an endless parade of women. Most of the ladies practically throw themselves on him. Some send him anonymous profanity-laced text messages or tell him to his face how big a jerk he is. None of this sparks even an iota of genuine emotion from Marco. He can barely keep himself awake for the strip routines; he even falls asleep while attempting oral sex on a woman he just picked up. Only when Marco spends time with his daughter, Cleo (Elle Fanning), do we see a softer side to the bad boy.

Marco gets the occasional day with Cleo, but the latest daddy day becomes an extended stay when his ex-wife dumps Cleo on him for unknown reasons. As more time is spent between the two, Marco comes to the realization of how much he has missed and how much his little girl is slowly becoming a young woman. This revelation hits Marco when he looks up from his Blackberry to watch her during an ice skating lesson.

Is it difficult to feel for a millionaire movie star who tools around in a Ferrari and has woman flashing him at random? Yes, it is hard to sympathize with someone who is so miserable, yet still has so much. Somewhere becomes a far more interesting film when it moves past mopey Marco to the father-daughter relationship. Nothing feels forced or scripted about their scenes as little events work to build their connection. Cleo makes Eggs Benedict for her dad and his pal (played by Jackass's Chris Pontius, of all people) and beams a mile-wide smile as Marco is honored at an Italian awards ceremony.

Throughout it all, Elle Fanning gives a wonderfully understated performance, one that ranks at the top of female performances in 2010. Fanning deserves to be at the head of the youth movement of actresses that includes Hailee Steinfeld and Chloe Moretz. When one of Marco's one-night stands shares breakfast with them, Fanning brings a subtle change to her facial expression, a change that undoubtedly involves staring daggers at dad. Dorff compliments Fanning's performance well and is more than suited to play the brooding movie idol.

Just as the actors adopt a minimalist approach to their parts, Coppola adopts an equally minimalist approach to her direction. The camera lingers on the characters' inertia. The unique framing of the camera and the director's fascination with the most mundane tasks owes much to Chantal Akerman's Jeanne Dielman, which cinematographer Harry Savides screened for her. Coppola's penchant for infusing her pictures with pop songs is absent here as she goes for a purely diagetic soundtrack, aside from a score by the band Phoenix (fronted by Coppola's husband, Thomas Mars).

When Cleo is gone, it feels like the heart has been ripped right out of Johnny Marco's chest. It feels the same for the film as well. Elle Fanning is really the heart and soul of Somewhere and whenever she and Dorff are on-screen together is when the magic happens. Lacking that strong emotional core, Somewhere becomes a cold character study.

Rating: *** (*****)

Due Date

Due Date - Dir. Todd Phillips (2010)

Due Date had all the makings of a great comedy. It paired two talented actors on hot streaks in Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis for a variation on Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. Plus, it was directed by Todd Phillips as the follow-up to The Hangover, the highest grossing R-rated comedy in the United States. Sadly, Due Date winds up being an uneven film that labors to get a few giggles.

Peter Highman (Downey) is a tightly wound architect waiting for his wife (Michelle Monaghan) to give birth to their first child. On a business trip to Atlanta, he plans to catch the next flight to Los Angeles with time to spare. Unfortunately, Peter bumps into the eccentric Ethan Tremblay (Zach Galifianakis), a wannabe actor accompanied by his French Bulldog named Sonny. Ethan was inspired to go to Hollywood because of Two and a Half Men. Through a series of kooky circumstances, Peter and Ethan get booted off the plane and placed on the no-fly list. Having lost his wallet and ID on the airline, Peter is forced to ride with Ethan across the country to get to L.A. All sorts of shenanigans occur due to Peter's hot temper and Ethan's stupidity.

Ethan takes them on a detour to buy pot from a trashy Juliette Lewis and falls asleep at the wheel causing their car to careen off a bridge. Peter spends most of the movie alternately being befuddled and infuriated by Ethan's strange behavior.

Due Date has a rough time getting off the ground because its lead characters have been pushed too extremely in their disparate personalities. Downey is great as the straight man, but Peter is simply an unlikable guy. He's thrown off the flight partly because he's acting like a jerk. When we first meet Peter, he's yakking away on his Bluetooth earpiece, something he does constantly. I don't know about anybody else, but when I see people like that, I immediately think, "Douche." He spits on a dog, punches a kid, and suspects his wife of having an affair with little reason. Then, there's Ethan who is just too much of an idiot. At least in The Hangover, Galifianakis was sympathetic. Here, he's moronic beyond reason to the point that someone like him would have zero chance of survival in real life. Ethan is a poster boy for the Darwin Awards.

There are some funny moments to be found such as a wild highway chase after an encounter at a Mexican border crossing. Downey also gets into a brawl with a game Danny McBride as a paraplegic war vet working at a Western Union. However, Phillips loses momentum when he goes for lame, gross-out gags like a scene where Ethan and his dog masturbate in sync next to an incredulous Peter. Speaking of the dog, Phillips brings the cheap heat by cutting to reaction shots of the squishy faced dog just so the audience can go, "Aww."

The Hangover may not have been to everyone's tastes, but it went for broke in the crass, sophomoric humor department. Due Date struggles to reach that same level of manic energy and succeeds in only generating a few scattered laughs.

Rating: **

Eagle Eye

Eagle Eye - Dir. D.J. Caruso (2008)


Shia LeBeouf is pegged as a terrorist and forced to jump through elaborate hoops by a mysterious Big Brother…er…Sister?

Eagle Eye is Hitchcock by way of Michael Bay. It’s a loud, overproduced, and movies a million miles a minute only stopping at brief, preordained moments to let out arbitrary scenes of emotion. A preposterous film that hopes you’ll buy into it with just enough technobabble and political preaching.

You know what? I did buy into it just a little. As a brainless popcorn movie, Eagle Eye works for its first two acts right up until an I, Robot-esque revelation in the villainous mastermind. I picked the Will Smith vehicle because I wouldn’t deign to write Eagle Eye in the same sentence as 2001.

Rating: ** 1/2