Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps - Dir. Oliver Stone (2010)

"Greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right. Greed works."

Michael Douglas famously uttered those words in Oliver Stone's 1987 picture, Wall Street. The film served as an indictment of the excess that came to mark the era of Reagan and New Coke. Douglas earned an Oscar for his portrayal of corporate raider, Gordon Gekko, who became the epitome of yuppy capitalist culture gone wrong. The Faustian tale saw Gekko as the devil on the shoulder of young Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen) as he's seduced by the dark side. Released two months after the stock market crash of '87, Wall Street was eerily prophetic and, over twenty years later, remains so. Unfortunately, they either didn't listen or got the message wrong.

"Greed is good," was meant to be a warning. Instead, it became a rallying call. Aspiring stock brokers cited Gordon Gekko as their inspiration. In Boiler Room, a group of hotshot traders recite whole lines of dialogue from Wall Street as if they were holy scripture. Now, the economy is in the worst shape it's been since the Great Depression. What better time for the return of Gordon Gekko?

The long-gestating sequel, Money Never Sleeps, opens in 2001 as Gekko is released from prison after an eight year sentence for securities fraud. The scene in which Gekko is given his paraphernalia is played as both comical and poetically fitting. He's handed a "gold money clip with no money in it" and a ridiculously oversized mobile phone. The penthouse predator who once spouted, "Lunch is for wimps," is reduced to a joke without a pot to piss in or a ride.

Flash forward to 2008 and we are at the nascent of the current economic collapse. Jacob Moore (Shia LaBeouf) is a stock trader with an interest in alternative energy. He also happens to be engaged to Gekko's estranged daughter, Winnie (Carey Mulligan), a blogger for a liberal news website. Winnie hasn't spoken to her father in years and blames him for the suicide of her brother. The destinies of Gekko and the younger generation are intertwined following the suicide of Jacob's boss, Louis Zabel (Frank Langella).

A mentor and father figure to Jacob, Zabel saw his company (a composite of Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers) ruined due to false rumors of insolvency spread by Bretton James (Josh Brolin) of the rival Churchill Schwartz. He's a new breed of boardroom bastard, the kind who proudly displays a copy of Goya's gruesome "Saturn Devouring His Children" in his office. Zabel is forced to sell out for pennies on the dime then steps in front of a subway train. In a classic character moment, Gekko responds with quiet respect. At least, Zabel had the "balls to commit suicide." Gekko offers a trade. He will assist in Jacob's revenge scheme against Bretton James in exchange for reuniting him with Winnie.

Money Never Sleeps is a slickly made film thanks to cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto (21 Grams, Brokeback Mountain) who makes New York City and Manhattan come alive. Stone (the son of a stockbroker) and screenwriters Allan Loeb (who once worked at the Chicago Board of Trade) and Stephen Schiff haven't created an in-depth expose of economic collapse. It is merely the backdrop for a more intimate story. However, the filmmakers can't help but diverge from the central plot to lecture the audience and utilize the sledgehammer of plot.

The movie really drags when breaks out a large chunks of exposition as LaBeouf explains fusion, complete with an animated graphics to really drive it home. Later, Stone matches a Dow Jones line chart with the New York City skyline, threatening to turn his film into a glorified Powerpoint presentation. The symbolism is heavy handed with talks about bubbles bursting and a child blowing bubbles in Central Park. Susan Sarandon is cast as Jacob's mother, a real estate agent who looks like a castaway from The Real Housewives of New Jersey. Her subplot feels shoehorned in simply for Stone to comment on the crash of the housing market.

What strengthens Money Never Sleeps is the sparkling dialogue by Loeb and Schiff and an incredibly game cast. Michael Douglas slips right into the skin of Gordon Gekko and is absolutely magnetic from the get-go. His teeth have been dulled, but he remains just as sharp. Even a slightly domesticated Gekko is still cooler than anybody else. It's easy to see why he became an inspiration rather than a cautionary figure. Gekko is at his most vulnerable when delivering a heartfelt speech about his wayward boy. The moment bleeds into real life as it mirrors Douglas and the drug problems of his own son, Cameron.

As Winnie Gekko, Carey Mulligan is the heart of the film and she's the second best actor in it. LaBeouf could have been the weak link, but surrounded by actors like Douglas, Mulligan, Frank Langella, and Josh Brolin, he manages to step it up. Special notice should be given to the 94-year old Eli Wallach as a grizzled partner at Churchill who was old enough to have lived through the Depression.

Charlie Sheen makes a quick cameo as Bud Fox who has become extremely Charlie Sheen-like over the years.

Rating: ** ½

Resident Evil: Afterlife

Resident Evil: Afterlife - Dir. Paul W.S. Anderson (2010)

Snarky internet commentators have snidely referred to Paul W.S. Anderson as 'Worthless Shit' Anderson. While that nickname may be a little harsh, Anderson hasn't impressed with his brand of generic action/sci-fi flicks. His most successful work has to be on the Resident Evil franchise, which is like that annoying rash that just won't go away. The series limps to its fourth installment (not including the animated Resident Evil: Degeneration) in Resident Evil: Afterlife. Anderson's wife, Milla Jovovich, returns as lead heroine Alice while Anderson himself returns as director. He helmed the first installment while acting as writer/producer on the other sequels.

In the first film (a high-tech take on the haunted house movie), Alice is an amnesiac and, along with a team of commandos, tries to survive in a mansion whose AI security system attempts to kill them at every turn. In the sequel, Resident Evil: Apocalypse, takes place immediately after with the survivors battle a zombie outbreak. The threequel, Resident Evil: Extinction, was a Road Warrior knockoff with Alice leading survivors through a post-apocalyptic desert. Since everybody is extinct, it is only apropos that the title of the film is Resident Evil: Afterlife. I suppose Resident Evil: Resurrection is next.

Afterlife opens with a slick and frenetic action sequence as Alice and her army of clones invade the Umbrella Corporation's underground headquarters in Tokyo. Umbrella's CEO Albert Wesker (Shawn Roberts) does what any good supervillain would do and activates the self-destruct. The base blows, leaving only Wesker and the real Alice who is injected with a serum that negates the superpowers she was given via the T-Virus. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, it doesn't matter. Anderson negates nearly everything that was carried over from the previous movies. Good for newcomers, bad for anyone who actually spent money on them. On the other hand, being deprived of her powers makes no difference as Alice is still capable of pulling off outlandish stunts.

Anyways, Alice jacks a plane and makes her way to Alaska in search of the survivors from Extinction. The only person she can find is her friend Claire Redfield (Ali Larter), rendered an amnesiac by an Umbrella Corp. device. Together, they make their way to Los Angeles in search of Arcadia, a supposedly zombie free refuge. They find a small band of survivors hold up inside a maximum security prison. The group includes Luther West (Undercovers' Boris Kodjoe), a former star basketball player, and Claire's brother, Chris (Wentworth Miller). With the zombie hordes crawling at their doors, the remaining humans must find a way to escape.

For Afterlife, Anderson utilizes the same Fusion Camera System used in James Cameron's Avatar to create his 3D effects. As such, it is definitely the best looking of all the Resident Evil movies. There is a distinct depth of field and the images aren't too dark so it's light years ahead of slapdash conversions like Clash of the Titans and The Last Airbender. Anderson embraces the 3D process, but aren't we passed the point where everybody is awestruck by objects thrown at the screen? There really isn't any dire need to see the film in 3D since they add nothing to the already derivative action scenes. Anderson blatantly rips off The Matrix at every turn with bullet time shots that went out of style ten years ago. It's hard not to notice when Alice (clad in a shiny vinyl outfit) dives out of a window while two fisting machine guns ala Trinity or when Wesker (in his dark shades and trenchcoat) dodges bullets in super slow motion.

Admittedly, the movie did have a few cool bits. A fight scene in the showers with Alice and Claire versus the monstrous Executioner was halfway decent in a hot, wet chicks kind of way. Alice loading her shotguns with quarters was also unique.

The supporting characters are simply a collection of entirely dispensable stock characters there to be nothing more than zombie food. Save for Boris Kodjoe, they're instantly forgettable. Shawn Roberts is utterly wooden as the lead villain. In his first post-Prison Break role, Wentworth Miller spends most of the movie trying to escape from prison again. Time to find a new agent?

Going in, Resident Evil: Afterlife had two strikes against it being both a Paul W.S. Anderson movie and a video game movie. To no one's surprise, Afterlife is a failure on every front.

Rating: * ½

The Town

The Town - Dir. Ben Affleck (2010)

”I’ll see you again, on this side or the other.”

As an actor, Ben Affleck won’t be remembered in the same breath as Clint Eastwood. However, as a director, Affleck is almost assured the same longevity. Affleck made a strong debut in his first directorial effort with the Dennis Lehane adaptation, Gone Baby Gone, a film not too different from Eastwood’s own adaptation, Mystic River.

The Town isn’t based on a novel by Lehane (it’s based on The Prince of Thieves by Chuck Hogan), but it shares similar themes. The action shifts from Gone Baby Gone’s Dorchester to Charlestown, a section of Boston just north of the city proper and once a breeding ground for bank robbers. Affleck stars as Doug MacRay, the brains behind a quartet of stick-up artists. His right-hand man is childhood friend James “Jem” Coughlin (Jeremy Renner), a hothead whose rash actions initiate the film’s central plot.

The film opens with the crew holding up a bank. When a silent alarm is tripped, Jem takes bank president Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall) hostage, making their getaway, and dropping her off soon after. Doug agrees to keep a close on her after learning Claire lives a mere four blocks away from them. There’s a quick meet cute in a Laundromat as Doug becomes a strong shoulder for the vulnerable Claire to cry on. In turn, she becomes a chance for Doug to escape his old life. She's a far cry from his on-again, off-again girlfriend, Krista (Blake Lively), a drug-addled single mother and sister to Jem. With a tanned face caked in make-up, she's like the baby version of Amy Ryan's character in Gone Baby Gone.

The Town consists of many familiar elements of the crime drama, but the film is so well-crafted that it surpasses conventions. Affleck's knowledge and love of the city comes through in every frame shot. His action sequences (which are a dash of Michael Mann, a dash of John Frankenheimer) are skillfully composed without resorting to overused techniques like the shakycam. After the opening bank job, the next set piece is an armored car heist leading into a rousing car chase through the narrow Bostonian streets. It culminates in an out of left field, but very funny, conclusion. The Town climaxes in a daring daylight robbery of Fenway Park.

Affleck and the wonderful Rebecca Hall are great in their roles, even if their relationship isn't as interesting as Doug's interactions with his cohorts, in particular Jeremy Renner's Jem. The Oscar nominated star of The Hurt Locker seems to channel the spirit of James Cagney in his portrayal of the volatile Jem. However, he's a puppy dog compared to Pete Postlethwaite who plays the role of crime boss Fergie the Florist with a menacing restraint. Chris Cooper nearly blows everybody else away in his lone scene as Doug's father who is serving a life sentence for a double murder. Jon Hamm (fulfilling the legal obligation to include a cast member of Mad Men in every movie) rounds out the cast in a rather thin role as the FBI agent on Doug's trail.

Rating: ***

Pride & Prejudice

Pride & Prejudice - Dir. Joe Wright (2005)


The works of Jane Austen have been translated for film and television numerous times. Some of which include: Ang Lee's Sense & Sensibility and Clueless, a modern update of Emma. Of all her novels, Pride & Prejudice is the most often adapted. There was a 1940 version starring Laurence Olivier and Greer Garson, a Bollywood version called Bride & Prejudice, and several BBC miniseries, the best of which is the one from 1995 with Colin Firth. It was Firth's performance in that particular version that lead to him being cast in the Pride & Prejudice-inspired Bridget Jones's Diary, in pretty much the same role, no less.

This latest attempt casts Keira Knightley in the role of Elizabeth Bennet, the second eldest of five sisters. Elizabeth is intelligent and not afraid to speak her mind, unlike most of the women of her time. Her oldest sister is Jane (Rosamund Pike), who is considered to be the most beautiful. Mary (Talulah Riley) is the quiet, middle sister, more concerned with books and the piano than socializing. The youngest of the bunch is Lydia, played by Jena Malone, one of the few Americans in the production. Lydia is, perhaps, too fun-loving for her own good and she's always followed around by Kitty. Their mother, Mrs. Bennet (Brenda Blethyn), spends her day trying to find suitable husbands for all her daughters, especially in light of their financial situation. Without a son, the estate of Mr. Bennet (Donald Sutherland) will be passed onto a cousin, leaving the Bennet women without a home.

Things look up with the arrival of Mr. Bingley (Simon Woods), who hits it off right away with Jane. The same can't be said for Elizabeth and Bingley's friend, Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfayden), his arrogant and curt attitude rub her the wrong way. Elizabeth confesses, "I swore to loathe him for eternity." Of course, this is movie talk for, "I am madly in love with him and we will be together before the credits roll."

Darcy isn't the only one to get underneath Elizabeth's skin. Much to her dismay, she is courted by the diminutive Mr. Collins (Tom Hollander), the cousin that stands to inherit her home. Despite her mother's wishes, Elizabeth has no interest whatsoever in Mr. Collins. Spurned, Mr. Collins proposes to Elizabeth's best friend, Charlotte Lucas (Claudie Blakely), who agrees as her family needs the money and at the age of 27 (a spinster in her era), she cannot expect another offer as good. It's an emotional moment that could have been more effective had her character been developed more.

Even at a length of over two hours, Pride & Prejudice isn't able to devote the time it needs to the multitude of characters and subplots. While it's hard to keep things straight sometimes, it's a small gripe considering how well-made the film is. This is, by far, the most gorgeous looking of all the Jane Austen movies which culminates with a rendezvous at dusk between Elizabeth and Darcy. This is a great accomplishment for director Joe Wright, who had previously worked in TV before making his feature film debut with Pride & Prejudice.

Wright uses a moving master shot at the start of the film to introduce us to the Bennet household. He uses an even better one during a ballroom scene. The camera seamlessly moves throughout the mansion as it follows one character to the next and so on. It's no wonder that Wright has garnered some impressive accolades for his work. He was chosen as Best New Filmmaker by the Boston Society of Film Critics, British Director of the Year at the London Critics Circle Film Awards, and won the Carl Foreman Award for Most Promising Newcomer at the BAFTAs.

Speaking of awards, Keira Knightley has gained her own recognition for her performance as she snagged nominations for Best Actress at the Golden Globes and Oscars. As Elizabeth, she continues playing the tomboyish characters that she's done so often. Yet, at the same time, she is able to do more than the superficial macho posturing that was done in King Arthur or Domino. There's a splendid scene where the camera pans around Elizabeth as she comes to the realization of how much she truly loves Darcy, while she is staring at a bust of him. And I think it goes without saying that Donald Sutherland and Judi Dench are wonderful in their roles.

Pride & Prejudice is a solid film enhanced by a cast of great actors and a talented, young director.

Rating: ***

Harry Brown

Harry Brown - Dir. Daniel Barber (2009)


Now, this is the kind of role I want to see Michael Caine play. Following in the footsteps of Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino, Caine takes up the mantle of the septuagenarian avenger in Harry Brown. This isn’t Caine’s first foray into the revenge film. He famously starred in one of the best revenge movies (and one of my favorite films of all time) in Get Carter.

As Jack Carter, Caine played a suave, yet vicious, gangster searching for his brother’s killer in the seedy underbelly of Newcastle. In Harry Brown, Caine is a former Royal Marine collecting his pension and living in the council estates (the British equivalent of the projects) in South London. It is a very ugly and dehumanizing world that Harry Brown lives in. At least Newcastle had a working class charm to it, the estates of Harry Brown have an ultra-modern brutalism to it. The building he lives in looks almost like a filing cabinet where society’s castoffs are stuffed in and quickly forgotten. The film was shot on location in the Heygate Estate which bares similar architecture to the infamous car park from Get Carter. Just like the car park, the Estate has been torn down to make way for gentrified reconstruction.

Harry Brown opens in a shocking manner with an amateur video recording of two drugged out youths joy riding on their bikes and shooting off a gun. They terrorize a mother pushing a stroller and unintentionally kill her before being struck down by a truck while fleeing the scene. The area is rife with crime and drugs thanks to the local youth gangs.

Brown lives alone in his apartment while his wife lays comatose in the hospital. He is late for her dying moments after taking the long way because the local hoods gather around a more convenient underpass. The last straw comes when Harry’s best friend and drinking buddy, Leonard (David Bradley) is murdered. The investigating detective (Emily Mortimer) has her suspects, but not enough evidence to arrest them. So Harry dusts off his old service pistol, goes for a walk in the middle of a night, and winds up killing a mugger in self-defense. With a new purpose, Harry is dead set on hunting down Leonard’s killers.

In one of the film’s most unsettling scenes, Harry attempts to purchase guns from a drug dealer frighteningly realized by Sean Harris (who played Ian Curtis in 24 Hour Party People). Harry strikes an uneasy deal as homemade pornography plays on the TV and an OD’d girl lays sprawled out on the sofa.

Even though he’s close to 80 years of age, Michael Caine can still make you believe he can kick your ass. And he probably could. He is easily capable of switching from hardassed to heartfelt. Director Daniel Barber (in his feature-length debut) and writer Gary Young (who also penned the DTV actioner The Tournament) have created a very nasty world for Harry Brown.

However, the film has very little to add to the genre. Harry Brown doesn’t have the deeper meaning of Gran Torino. It doesn’t transcend the trappings of its ‘Kill ‘em all and let God sort it out’ philosophy. More sensitive types may bemoan the way the film reinforces the fascistic overtones common with vigilante pictures.

Rating: ** ½

Is Anybody There?

Is Anybody There? - Dir. John Crowley (2010)


Whenever an actor gets to an advanced age, it seems inevitable that they'll eventually play the eccentric old-timer who dispenses sage advice to a wayward youth desperately seeking guidance. In his late-80's, Michael Caine has done the role twice, first in Secondhand Lions with Robert Duvall and now in Is Anybody There?, directed by John Crowley (Intermission, Boy A).

Bill Milner from Son of Rambow plays Edward whose parents (David Morrissey & Anna-Marie Duff) struggle to make ends meet while running an old folks' home. Edward tries to understand life and death by attempting to record a dying resident's final moments. He's angered by the growing distance between his parents, especially when Dad becomes infatuated with their young housekeeper. Edward's growing resentment is exacerbated when he's ejected from his bedroom to make way for a Clarence (Caine), a retired magician who still tools around in his camper top filled with magical knick knacks.

Clarence is downright hostile when he first arrives and Edward is none too pleased either. Soon, they become fast friends with Clarence teaching the little lad a few tricks to win over his schoolmates. In exchange, Edward does his best to care for Clarence as his heartbreaking senility sets in.

Other than an exceptional performance by Michael Caine, there's nothing truly noteworthy about Is Anybody There. The story is fairly predictable and filled to the brim with a copious amount of sentimentality. Important life lessons are learned as the film tries to wring every sappy tear out of the easily moved.

Rating: **

My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done

My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done - Dir. Werner Herzog (2010)


Lynch and Herzog. Herzog and Lynch. It's a titanic team-up of epic proportions not seen since Superman and Batman first joined forces in Superman #76 back in 1954. David Lynch serves as executive producer on My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done with Werner Herzog as director and co-writer with Herbert Golder.

My Son, My Son was loosely based on the case of Mark Yavorsky, a San Diego man who murdered his mother in 1979. Yavorsky was a stand out basketball player and grad student studying drama at UCSD. At the time, he was starring in a staging of Sophocles’ Greek tragedy, Electra, as Orestes who would murder his mother, Electra, in revenge for killing his father, Agamemnon. Ironically, Yavorsky would do the same, running repeatedly stabbing his mother with an antique sword.

Michael Shannon plays Yavorsky analogue, Brad McCallum, a deeply disturbed individual who still lived at home with his doting mother (Grace Zabriskie). One morning, he walked into his neighbor's house, where mom had taken shelter, and murdered her. Detective Hank Havenhurst (Willem Dafoe) and his younger partner Detective Vargas (Michael Pena) are called to the scene. Brad has barricaded himself in his home, brandishing a shotgun, and claiming to have two hostages. The police are soon joined by Brad's fiancée, Ingrid (Chloe Sevigny), and theatrical director Lee Meyers (Udo Kier), who worked with Ingrid and Brad on a production of The Oresteia.

Together, they reveal Brad's erratic behavior since his return from a disastrous whitewater rafting trip in Peru. His companions were killed by the violent rapids, but Brad escaped when he voice told him not to go. Brad claims to see God in the face of the Quaker Oats oatmeal guy. He vows to buy a home on the moon for Ingrid. His mantra of "Razzle dazzle" becomes eerily reminiscent of Charles Manson and "Helter skelter."

My Son, My Son is as much a straight hostage drama as Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call was a straight crime thriller. This is never more evident than in the moment when the police examine the crime scene. Don't expect exciting the use of high-tech equipment or the discovery of DNA evidence ala CSI. No, the detectives break out tape measures to log in the exact locations of coffee cups on a table. You can also see the unique flourishes of both Lynch and Herzog throughout the picture.

As Lynch did was Blue Velvet, Herzog examines the dark underbelly of idyllic suburbia. The film was shot on location in the actual neighborhood of Point Loma where Yavorsky lived and committed his crime of matricide. It is a completely nondescript area made all the more surreal with the usage of pink and flamingoes as a recurring theme. McCallum has two flamingos as pets and has decorated his garage door with a pastel colored mural of flamingos. Pink dinnerware and other similarly colored items are present during a luncheon with McCallum, his mother, and Ingrid. When mom serves oh so American dessert of Jell-O, the participants freeze in place, creating the Bizarro version of a Norman Rockwell painting. Herzog uses this pseudo-freeze frame again in a scene where McCallum and his bigoted uncle (Brad Dourif) pose in the foreground of a snow-capped forest as a dwarf in a tuxedo stands between them in the background. I don't really know what's going on, but there is an unsettling beauty to Herzog's impromptu tableaus.

By the way, the uncle is an ostrich farmer. It seems gangly, long-legged birds are Herzog's current fascination in the way he fixated on iguanas and gators in Bad Lieutenant.

Long-time character actor Michael Shannon gives another stellar performance as the unhinged McCallum. His booming voice and wild-eyed intensity make you really believe he's completely off his nut. Shannon has been moving further and further into the forefront recently with his Oscar nominated role in Revolution Road and excellent turns in films like Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, Shotgun Stories, and The Runaways. If there's any justice in the world, Shannon will have the career longevity of Christopher Walken. Shannon is joined by Brad Dourif and Udo Kier, making My Son, My Son, a sort-of character actor heaven for cinephiles.

Lynch veteran, Gracie Zabriskie (Wild at Heart, Twin Peaks), doesn't have many lines in the film, but she doesn't need them. With only the simple act of arched eyebrow, Zabriskie manages to speak in volumes through her severe features and facial expressions. Her Big Love co-star, Chloe Sevigny, does a fine job as McCallum's naïve paramour who doesn't get the hint to run like hell during his numerous breakdowns. Herzog rounds out the cast with solid performances from Willem Dafoe, Michael Pena, Irma P. Hall, and Loretta Devine.

As a native San Diegan, it was a delight to see familiar sights such as Point Loma, Balboa Park, and the Convention Center. Herzog also shot on location near the Urubamba River in Peru, the famous sites used in Aguirre and Fitzcarraldo. While My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done may not measure up to those past films, Herzog manages to craft a strange and compelling tale of a man's tenuous grasp on sanity.

Rating: ***

Animal Kingdom

Animal Kingdom - Dir. David Michod (2010)


Animal Kingdom is the grimy, blue collar reflection of the Godfather-style sprawling crime drama, coming to us from the Land Down Under. The film is loosely based on an actual case.

Writer/Director David Michod (who makes his feature-length directorial debut) sets the mood immediately with the introduction of Joshua "J" Cody (James Frecheville) sitting on the couch next to his comatose mother. EMTs arrive and we learn the mother has OD'd on heroin. J's attention drifts in between their futile attempts to revive her and an episode of Deal or No Deal on the TV.

J is sent to live with his mom's estranged family who she tried hard to stay far away from. J comes from a family of bank robbers. His eldest uncle, Pope (Ben Mendelsohn), is in hiding from the corrupt Armed Robbery division who shoot first and ask questions later. The middle brother, Craig (Sullivan Stapleton), is strung out on coke while the youngest, Darren (Luke Ford), follows the others like a lost puppy. He's so close to age with J that he refuses to be called Uncle Darren. The Cody brothers work with Barry Brown (Joel Edgerton who also co-wrote and starred in The Square), a stable family man looking to get out of the business. The matriarch of the Cody family is Janine (Jacki Weaver), a petite woman with arching eyebrows who plants prolonged kisses on the lips of her sons. She's Florence Henderson on the outside, but we soon learn she's black as night on the inside.

When Barry is gunned down by the gung-ho cops, Pope and Craig hatch a plan to get even by murdering two patrolmen. Darren and J are dragged into the muck with them. The investigating officer, Det. Leckie (Guy Pearce, sporting a goofy mustache), seems to genuinely be concerned about J, but has no problem using him to drive a wedge within the family. J finds himself caught between the law and his amoral relatives.

As the title suggests, the film is all about a pecking order with J at the bottom of the food chain. The passive protagonist is forced to become predator or prey. Michod is economic in his focus on the familial relationships. He never shows the Cody clan in action nor does he take us into the courtroom drama that unfolds during the third act. They aren't needed. However, Michod stumbles when he overplays his hand. He underlines the movie with unnecessary voiceover narration by J as he explains themes and story elements that are transparent. Animal Kingdom becomes excessively dour to the point of self-parody. Pope's increasing instability is summed up in a scene where he broods menacingly to the tune of "All Out of Love" by Air Supply. As the passive lead, J is only as interesting as the more compelling characters he's surrounded by. Once he becomes the center of the film, his innate inertia isn't enough to carry the picture.

Rating: **

Lottery Ticket

Lottery Ticket - Dir. Erik White (2010)


Ice Cube has come a long way from being a poster boy for gangster rap to being a purveyor of fluffy urban entertainment. Cube serves as executive producer and star of the ensemble comedy Lottery Ticket.

Kevin Carson (the no longer lil' Bow Wow) lives in the projects of Atlanta with his Grandma (Loretta Devine) and two best friends Benny (Brandon T. Jackson) and Stacie (Naturi Naughton). He picks up a couple lottery tickets for his Grandma and one of them yields a big jackpot of $370 million. Unfortunately, the lottery office is closed for the 4th of July weekend. Waiting it out becomes difficult when word gets out around the neighborhood. Kevin soon finds himself hit up by everyone who's looking to ride the money train. The worst though is ex-con Lorenzo (Gbenga Akinnagbe), just released from jail on shoplifting charges thanks to Kevin. Lorenzo not only wants revenge, but wants the winning ticket too.

Lottery Ticket is at its best in the first fifteen minutes as a slice-of-life examination of its colorful characters ala Cube's Barbershop. The opening finds Kevin just trying to get to work at Foot Locker. He's constantly interrupted by a colorful cadre of characters such as Charlie Murphy as the neighborhood gossip and Ice Cube as a former boxer who lurks in his basement and always asks for beef jerky and a Cherry Coke. Yes, all the most interesting stuff happens before the ticket is even introduced. Once it comes into play, the film drifts into a mawkish sentimentality.

Kevin lets riches go to his head as he begins preferring the company of fair-weather friends and gold digging hoochies to his tried and true pals. He inevitably learns the error of his ways and the value of giving to the community. The movie tries to enforce a positive message while simultaneously reinforcing stereotypes. Protagonists describe other characters as a "premature crack baby felon" or being covered in "slave dust."

Aside from the beginning, the rest of the movie only works in bits and pieces. The best scenes belong to the underutilized tandem of Keith David and Terry Crews as a local gangster and his enforcer and rapper T-Pain in a surprisingly funny role as a chatty convenience store clerk.

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: ***