Jayne Mansfield's Car

Jayne Mansfield's Car - Dir. Billy Bob Thornton (2013)

Billy Bob Thornton won a wealth of awards and critical acclaim for his directorial debut Sling Blade. His follow-up was an ambitious adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's novel All the Pretty Horses. Thornton butted heads frequently with then-Miramax head Harvey Weinstein over the final cut, which was heavily truncated. After that, his last directorial effort was the low-budget dramedy Daddy and Them while the last screenplay he penned with writing partner Tom Epperson was 2000's The Gift. Now, Thornton has returned to the director's chair for Jayne Mansfield's Car, a generational drama set in 1969 that has very little to do with the titular actress's infamous death.

Robert Duvall is Jim Caldwell, a crotchety patriarch living in a small Alabama town with his three sons Jimbo (Robert Patrick), Skip (Thornton), and Carroll (Kevin Bacon). Caldwell is a WWI veteran with an obsession for car accidents. He monitors the police frequency and surveys accident scenes like a tourist at Disneyland. His sons also served in the military during WWII. Jimbo is the closest in personality to his father, but was never deployed overseas, a source of much contention. Skip was a Navy pilot, who sports physical and psychological scars after surviving a hospital fire. Carroll has become a long-haired hippie protesting the conflict in Vietnam after witnessing the horrors of war as an Army medic.

Jim receives word that his ex-wife Naomi (Tippi Hedren whose scenes were deleted) has passed away due to cancer. Naomi left him some time ago and moved to England where she eventually married Kingsley Bedford (John Hurt). Now, Kingsley is coming to the States for the funeral long with his adult children Phillip (Ray Stevenson) and Camilla (Frances O'Connor). The two disparate clans bond in unexpected ways. Jim and Kingsley swap old war stories about their military service and their marriages. At one point, they visit a nearby fair where Mansfield's car is on exhibit. Skip finds himself smitten with Camilla while Phillip fends off the amorous affections of Jim's daughter Donna (Katherine LaNasa), who is married to an obnoxious car salesman (Ron White).

Jayne Mansfield's Car unfolds like a low-key Tennessee Williams play. It moves at a comfortable pace as if it were leaning back in a rocking chair with a fan in one hand and a mint julep in the other. The film primarily deals with the effects of war and the somber realization that the mistakes of one generation continue on to their children and their children's children.

Thornton has gathered together a powerhouse cast to bring the story to life. Duvall is pitch perfect as a good old southern boy who keeps his emotions close to the vest. He shares some welcome screen time with another vet in John Hurt. It's also a treat to see Ray Stevenson in a strong role that doesn't require him to kill a bunch of people. Thornton has one of the film's most solemn moments when he recounts the events that led to the burn marks across his body. He also participates in the most bizarre scene in which he masturbates while Camilla recites The Charge of the Light Brigade in the nude. This is the only over-the-top sequence as the movie generally finds the right balance between heavy drama and light comedy.

Ultimately, the script is too scattershot to emphatically succeed. There's not a strong enough narrative through line and the dialogue is painfully on the nose. Simmering tensions boil over during a stormy night, but things get smoothed over a little too easily by the time the credits roll.

Jayne Mansfield's Car is a noble attempt at an epic drama that misses the mark on several occasions. The array of talented actors, at least, makes it worth a rental.

Rating: ** (*****)

Jack Reacher

Jack Reacher - Dir. Christopher McQuarrie (2012)

"Do you think I'm a hero? I am not a hero. And if you're smart, that scares you."

Even without the tragic headlines still fresh in our minds, the opening of Jack Reacher is a tense and disturbing sequence as a sniper primes himself across from PNC Park, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates. We peer through the crosshairs of his rifle scope as the shooter picks off five targets, including a woman clutching a child while fleeing for safety. The investigation is swift and a retired Army sniper named James Barr (Joseph Sikora) is apprehended. During his interrogation by D.A. Alex Rodin (Richard Jenkins) and Det. Emerson (David Oyelowo), Barr remains silent and simply writes on a legal pad, "Get Jack Reacher."

Reacher (Tom Cruise) is a hard man to find. A decorated soldier and a former military investigator, Reacher has dropped off the grid completely. He drifts across the country with only the clothes on his back and a portable toothbrush in his pocket. He's so old-school that he still uses pay phones. You don't find Jack Reacher, Jack Reacher finds you. Reacher is familiar with Barr from a previous case and doesn't arrive as a savior crusading for his innocence, but to ensure he is properly punished for his crime. Despite the pleas of Barr's defense attorney, Helen Rodin (Rosamund Pike), who also happens to be the district attorney's daughter, Reacher is ready to take the first bus out of town.

However, something bothers Reacher about the murders and he sticks around. As he digs deeper, Reacher unravels a dark conspiracy involving a clandestine cartel headed up by a man known only as The Zec (Werner Herzog). The Zec is a chilling puppet master who chewed off his own frostbitten fingers while imprisoned in a Siberian gulag.

There was immediate controversy when Tom Cruise was cast as Jack Reacher, the hero from a series of novels by Lee Child. In the books, Reacher is described as a craggily 6'5 juggernaut with shortly cropped blond hair. He's John Rambo, Sherlock Holmes, and the entire A-Team rolled into one. Imagine everyone's surprise when the 5'7 Cruise stepped into his large shoes. There are moments where Tom Cruise's…well, Tom Cruise-ness works for and against his portrayal of a no-nonsense action hero.

It's rare to find someone physically imposing with the acting chops to kick start a blockbuster franchise. The filmmakers could have gone for someone like Dolph Lundgren or The Rock, both of whom likely would have given a one note performance. Liam Neeson might have done in a pinch or Ray Stevenson. A younger Clint Eastwood could have also been a good choice, especially since the sniper angle is reminiscent of Dirty Harry. In any event, Cruise won the role and had the clout to get it made. At 50 years old, Cruise doesn't look like he's aged in the past two decades. Not an easy task to picture the exceedingly handsome star as a world weary combat veteran who shops at Goodwill. It doesn't help that Cruise's leading lady, Rosamund Pike, is taller than he is.

What Cruise does possess is a grim determination and a forceful screen presence. He may not be playing Jack Reacher any differently than Ethan Hunt or John Anderton, but he's convincing when delivering tough guy lines, such as when he threatens to beat someone to death and drink their blood from a boot. Cruise's Reacher isn't the guy you don't want to mess with, he's the guy you mess with and realize what a mistake that was. Cruise's small stature leads to one of the movie's cleverest sequences in which Reacher evades the police by simply stepping into a crowd waiting at a bus stop.

Jack Reacher was adapted for the screen by Christopher McQuarrie, best known for writing The Usual Suspects. This is his second directorial effort with the first being 2000's Way of the Gun. Handsomely photographed by Caleb Deschanel, Jack Reacher is an old-fashioned action film with McQuarrie eschewing the rapid-fire editing employed by many directors. The fight scenes are captured with a steady camera and a series of extended shots with Cruise performing the majority of his own stunts. There's a climatic confrontation in a quarry as well as a prolonged car chase, a throwback to Bullitt with Cruise ripping through the streets of Pittsburgh in a '70 Chevelle.

The script takes a by-the-numbers approach to the genre and though Cruise is miscast, he handles the material well. What really boosts the film is the inspired casting of German auteur Werner Herzog as the Zec. Despite being on screen for maybe ten minutes, Herzog is one of the most memorable movie villains in recent memory. He is downright eerie as he drones on in that unmistakable drawl of his. The plot centers on a needlessly complex obfuscation, but Herzog is so creepy you're quick to believe his mind works on such byzantine levels. Robert Duvall is also terrific when he pops up in the third act playing a crusty coot as only Robert Duvall can.

Jack Reacher is a rather generic start to a potential franchise for Tom Cruise and Paramount. Still, the movie stands as a solid bit of popcorn entertainment with several well done action sequences. Herzog and Duvall are certainly worth the price of admission.

Rating: ** ½ (*****)

Get Low

Get Low - Dir. Aaron Schneider (2010)


Robert Duvall and Bill Murray, those two actors together are more than enough reason to check out the folksy, down home drama of Get Low. Loosely based on a true story, Get Low comes to us from first-time director Aaron Schneider and screenwriters Chris Provenzano (Mad Men) and C. Gaby Mitchell (Blood Diamond).

The lead protagonist of the film is an ornery old cuss and who better to real-life ornery old cuss Robert Duvall. He plays Felix Bush, a hermit living in rural Tennessee during the late-1930's. Bush posts a "No Damn Trespassing" sign in front of his property and his only friend is his mule. The folks in town have been spreading rumors and gossip about the old man for decades. It has almost become a rite of passage for the children to throw rocks at his house then flee before he blasts them with his shotgun.

After being informed that a rare friend has passed away, Bush hitches his wagon into town to discuss the idea of a living funeral. When the local pastor (Gerald McRaney) turns him down, Felix is approached by Buddy (Lucas Black), an apprentice at the funeral home run by Frank Quinn (Bill Murray). With his business down, Quinn latches onto the idea, especially after Bush offers to give away his land via lottery. Folks from counties far and wide will come to the funeral so that Bush can hear their stories about him. In reality, he's seeking a way to tell all of them his story.

Bill Cobbs plays Rev. Charlie Jackson, a preacher from Illinois who knows Bush's secret, and Sissy Spacek co-stars as Bush's one-time flame, Mattie.

Get Low has a warm, old-fashioned feel to it. Chalk that up to the strong costumes and production design as well as an earthy look to its cinematography. The film looks very similar to the Coen Brothers' Miller's Crossing in its old-timey feel.

Schneider has created a fitting, Great Depression-era atmosphere, but his cast really brings Get Low to life. Duvall is just perfect as Bush. He can play grizzled eccentric then shift right into warm and fuzzy without missing a beat. Bill Murray is excellent as his foil, a slick, big city huckster now downtrodden by small town life. Murray proves that less is more. He's mastered this restrained minimalism that makes each and every line he utters count. Lucas Black, who starred in Sling Blade at a young age, hasn't done much to impress me with recent roles in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift and Legion. He again plays a bland Southern boy, but his character is thin in comparison to Duvall and Murray.

Get Low has a rich tone and mood though the story isn't as equally rich. It's a foregone conclusion that Bush's gruff exterior will be slowly chipped away and that the scared townsfolk will find a new understanding for the old coot. Still, the performances are strong enough for a recommendation.

Rating: ***

Crazy Heart

Crazy Heart - Dir. Scott Cooper (2009)


”I’m Bad Blake. My tombstone will have my real name on it, until then I’m just gonna stay Bad.”

The joke has always been that good country music is always about getting drunk or getting divorced. For country crooner Bad Blake (Jeff Bridges), he’s pretty much lived his life as a prototypical country tune. He’s always got a bottle of booze in his hand, a line of ex-wives, and nothing in his bank account. He wears a cowboy hat and faded jeans with the belt buckle loosened to let his belly hang out. Blake used to be a big deal, but now he’s relegated to playing dive bars and bowling alleys. Thankfully, no nihilists come looking for their money.

So Blake crisscrosses the roads in his pick ‘em up truck alone. Poetically, he and the truck are a lot alike: old, beat-up, and worn down with a lot of mileage. While Bad Blake seems destined to fade away into obscurity, his one-time protégé Tommy Sweet (an uncredited Colin Farrell) has risen in fame. He finds solace in the arms of a small-time journalist and single mom, Jean Craddock (Maggie Gyllenhaal). Blake falls in love with her and bonds with her 4-year old son, Buddy (Jack Nation), receiving a new lease on life.

Actor Scott Cooper makes his debut as writer/director in this adaptation of a 1987 novel by Thomas Cobb. The story is an overly familiar one and Crazy Heart certainly feels like The Wrestler with music instead of wrestling. What makes the film succeed is the mere presence of Jeff Bridges who netted an Oscar for his performance. His Bad Blake is Merle Haggard, Hank Williams Sr., and Kris Kristofferson all rolled into one, yet he’s also undoubtedly Jeff Bridges. There’s an easygoing charm to him that makes Blake so instantly likeable, it’s hard to hate him even when he’s being a drunken screw-up. As grizzled as Bridges is, he’s out-grizzled by Robert Duvall, master of the grizzled, in a role not to far removed from Mac Sledge in Tender Mercies. Surprisingly, Irishman Colin Farrell makes a convincing

In addition to the excellent cast, the film is elevated by a fantastic soundtrack featuring original songs by the late-Stephen Bruton and T-Bone Burnett, who also contributed to the soundtrack of O Brother, Where Art Thou? Bridges and Farrell croon several great tracks like “I Don’t Know” and “Fallin’ & Flyin’,” while Ryan Bingham sings the movie’s theme song, “The Weary Kind.”

Rating: ***

The Road

The Road - Dir. John Hillcoat (2009)


”She was gone and the coldness of it was her final gift.”

Will the world end with a bang or a whimper? According to Roland Emmerich, the world will end with a shit-ton of bangs. In the shadow of Emmerich’s bloated and idiotic 2012 comes The Road, a haunting experience and a post-apocalyptic film like no other. The Road isn’t an action spectacle like Mad Max nor is it the misstep that was I Am Legend, which completely missed the point of Richard Matheson’s original story. Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Cormac McCarthy, The Road features the same desperate isolation that marked the Coen Brothers’ adaptation of No Country For Old Men times a hundred.

Viggo Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee star as an unnamed father and son who are simply dubbed Man and Boy in the credits. The pair tries to survive in a desolate wasteland where the skies have turned to ash and the landscape is littered with dead trees and abandoned roads. The Boy has been born into this nightmarish world and knows nothing of life before. The Man tells stories to his son about heroes and bravery. He insists they are the “good guys” and that they “carry the fire” inside. As they attempt to make their way to the coast, the Man must protect the boys from the horrors he sees including roving bands of bandits who’ve turned to cannibalism to survive. In one of the film’s most harrowing moments, father and son come across a house where human beings are kept locked in a basement, filthy and emaciated, so their jailers can feed on them, piece by piece. Just as these people have gone to horrible lengths simply to survive, the Man becomes as equally desperate to keep his son alive. The Boy still manages to cling to his innocence, believing that there is still inherent good in others.

No explanation is ever given for the end of the world and none is necessary. There are a series of flashbacks showing the Man and his wife (Charlize Theron) briefly before the devastation and later scenes showing them dealing with the aftermath and her pregnancy. An almost unrecognizable Robert Duvall makes a quick and unforgettable appearance as an old, blind man they meet on their journey.

I haven’t read the original novel by McCarthy, so I can’t compare the two. Director John Hillcoat (who helmed the equally somber and desolate Western The Proposition) fashions a deals with the heights that man can reach and the depths in which he will sink. The Road is all about human emotion and not special effects or camera mugging performances. Mortensen and Smit-McPhee are fantastic and utterly believable in their roles. We become as frightened as they are and feel that same tiny moment of joy when the two find a lone can of Coca-Cola.

The way the film unfolds will leave many divided. Some have criticized it saying The Road hops from scene to scene without much flow or driving force. Yes, the script by playwright Joe Penhall does meander. But, it meanders just as the characters that inhabit the world, making it a natural fit. The Road isn't the classic that many were hoping for, but it's a damn good movie.

Rating: ***

Four Christmases

Four Christmases - Dir. Seth Gordon (2008)


Vince Vaughn was funny once, right? I’m not crazy when I say that, am I? He’s cracked me up in movies like Swingers, Made, and Dodgeball. Now, we have a Vince Vaughn whose tired, fast-talking wiseass act has grown thin. After one failed Christmas movie in Fred Claus, Vaughn follows it up with another wretched holiday film. With a brief runtime of 82 minutes, Four Christmases still manages to drag on and on in a neverending torrent of mean spirited, lowbrow humor. The characters are abrasive, smug, and unsympathetic while their families are as equally annoying.

Director Seth Gordon made an impressive debut with The King of Kong, but I hope this isn’t the path his career is going to take. Even more mind boggling is how they roped five Oscar winners into doing this piece of garbage.

Rating: DUD