MOVIE REVIEW: BEAU IS AFRAID

Following the sudden death of his mother, a mild-mannered but anxiety-ridden man confronts his darkest fears as he embarks on an epic, Kafkaesque odyssey back home.

Director: Ari Aster

Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Patti LuPone, Nathan Lane, Amy Ryan, Kylie Rogers, Parker Posey, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Hayley Squires, Michael Gandolfini, Zoe Lister-Jones, Richard Kind

Release Date: April 21, 2023

Genre: Comedy, Drama,Horror

Rated R for strong violent content, sexual content, graphic nudity, drug use and language.

Runtime: 2h 59m

Review:

Ari Aster's absurdist waking nightmare Beau is Afraid is the type of film that's guaranteed to divide people for a variety of reasons.  Aster creates a massive metaphorical hellscape peppered with every different type of anxiety imaginable.  Needless to say it's a behemoth of story that will take an insane amount of time to digest what's being splattered onscreen at any given moment.  What's even more surprising is the amount of dark humor that is peppered throughout its rather expansive runtime.  Joaquin Phoenix carries the film as the tragic soul who embarks on this twisted hero's journey.  Phoenix is the perfect type of actor to take on such a massive undertaking.  His character is a collection of anxiety riddled sadness and failures made human thanks to Phoenix's sublime performance.  Its an impressive performance that rarely falters even in the face of the increasingly bizarre and fantastical elements come into play.  Nathan Lane, Amy Ryan and Kylie Rogers get a large chunk of screen time in one of the film's earlier chapters with all three doing solid work with Rogers proving just as capable as the veteran actors.  Patti LuPone and Zoe Lister-Jones make for an impressive one two punch as the older and younger versions of Beau's mother with each leaving their scathing mark on the film.  Parker Posey and Richard Kind have smaller supporting roles but they both make the most of their screen time.  The performances are strong across the board but its style and structure make it Aster's least accessible film since it rarely, if ever, plays on a literal plane opting for something more abstract.  There will be a variety of ways to dissect what the film is all about from a bevy of viewpoints for those who are willing to engage in its collected insanity.  Beau is Afraid isn't going to be for everyone but those allow themselves to take the journey will find plenty to ponder about long after the film is over.  

B

MOVIE REVIEW: ESCAPE PLAN

A structural security expert must escape from a prison based on his own designs in order to track down the person who framed him in this gritty action thriller staring Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger. However should they fail, they will both perish in a hell that was constructed as a place where people disappear forever. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Mikael Håfström

Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Caviezel, Vincent D'Onofrio, Vinnie Jones, Amy Ryan

Release Date: Oct 18, 2013

Rated R for violence and Language Throughout

Runtime: 1 hr. 55 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Suspense/Thriller

Review:

Escape Plan is the kind of ridiculous throwback you’d expect from a team up of Stallone and Schwarzenegger. It’s got enough potholes to give your brain suspension failure. The plot is overly complicated and muddled for no good reason other than to confuse you into thinking it’s smarter than it is. Once you come to the realization that you can make your way through most of the plot without the assistance of Stallone’s slurred/grunting exposition it’s clear it’s not a film that requires your acute attention. Stallone, or the wax figure that they’ve been passing off as Stallone since the late 90’s, is surprisingly serious throughout. I didn’t expect tongue in cheek cheese of The Expendables 2 but I did expect him to have a little fun. Thankfully Schwarzenegger is having a great time onscreen and he’s far more engaged more than his official return The Last Stand. Schwarzenegger gives the film a nice dose of energy each time he pops up on screen, oddly he and Stallone don’t have much chemistry in this film. Perhaps it’s personal preference but I’ve always enjoyed Schwarzenegger more than Stallone so maybe that skews my enjoyment. The supporting cast is made up of an impressive array of strong actors. Unfortunately, they are mostly wasted as very minor background characters. James Caviezel delivers a fun performance mainly because he’s in full mustache twirling villain mode completes with non-descript European accent. Vinnie Jones makes for a perfect henchman since he looks like he could have been plucked from either of the stars 80’s films. Mikael Håfström’s direction is generic with very little in terms of style, mostly he just gets out of the way of the cast and lets them have their fun. A bit of trimming would have streamed line this film, there’s no reason for it to be nearly 2 hours long. Still it’s a serviceable action flick, personally I still like the novelty of seeing Stallone and Schwarzenegger together, that doesn’t require too much brain power and if you bought a ticket for this film that’s probably what you were expecting.

C+

Movie Reviews: THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD & GONE BABY GONE

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

ON DVD

THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD

A cowboy named Robert Ford (Casey Affleck) joins the gang of outlaw Jesse James (Brad Pitt), only to become resentful of James' fame and plot his death.

Cast Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, Sam Shepard, Mary-Louise Parker, Paul Schneider, Jeremy Renner (more)

Director(s) Andrew Dominik

Writer(s) Andrew Dominik

Genre(s) Western

Release Date Sept. 21, 2007

DVD Release Date Feb. 5, 2008

Running Time 160 minutes

MPAA Rating R - for some strong violence and brief sexual references

Review:

The Assassination of Jesse James is truly a spectacular piece of tempered film making. A true feat when you consider the themes are all well traveled it not quite in this particular genre. This film feels like a dreamlike almost ethereal meditation on the themes of fame and obsession. Cinematographer Roger Deakin's was totally deserving of his Oscar nod and probably should have won, at least in my opinion. Needless to say the look and feel of this movie is just wonderful and entire engrossing. Director Andrew Dominik, Chopper, doesn't mind allowing the movie to progress in a natural manner; he allows scenes to go on as long as needed and gives the audience a chance to savor each line of dialogue. Some people maybe be put off by the movies slow pace but I personally had no issue with it at all, I found it perfectly paced. Acting wise there are sparklingly performances abound. Brad Pitt in the titular role gives his character the right mix of charm and charisma infused with a level of madness simmering just below the surface. Of course the star of the show is Casey Affleck. Affleck's portrayal of Robert Ford captures the characters inherent fandom and sadness which evolves into contained rage. Affleck is able to convey so much through his facial reactions without ever saying a word. Ford's a sycophantic resentful man who capable of murder as long as he can rationalize his actions. Sam Rockwell also delivers a great performance in a smaller role as Ford's older brother. As a whole this is the kind of film that can't be chewed and swallowed like fast food, it's the type of film that needs to be savored and enjoyed slowly.

A

GONE BABY GONE

Patrick Kenzie (Casey Affleck) and Angie Gennaro (Michelle Monaghan) work together as private investigators and are hired to find a 4-year-old girl who went missing from the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston. The media spotlight on the case burns brightly, and the pair are forced to team up with a detective (Ed Harris) and the chief of police (Morgan Freeman) to help solve it quickly. But as the clues start mounting and Patrick and Angie get involved with drug dealers and child abusers, it quickly begins to appear that there's a lot more at stake here than just one missing little girl.

Cast Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris, John Ashton, Amy Ryan (more)

Director(s) Ben Affleck

Writer(s) Ben Affleck, Aaron Stockard

Status On DVD

Genre(s) Drama

Release Date Oct. 19, 2007

DVD Release Date Feb. 12, 2008

Running Time 114 minutes

MPAA Rating R - for violence, drug content and pervasive language

Review:

Gone Baby Gone is a mixed bag of a film for me. My main issue with the film is the last 3rd heads which delivers ludicrous twist after ludicrous twist, sadly it kills a lot of the fine work done in the first 2/3rd. Ben Affleck's directorial debut is fairly impressive and he does a good job of giving his film an authentic feel from the get go. This is a movie propped up by fine performances from the excellent cast. Casey Affleck turns in a solid performance is fairly believable in his role even if it's a bit hard to buy his tough guy act when he looks like he looks as big as Amy Whinehouse. Never the less he does provide a solid sense of grittiness needed for his role complete with subtle mannerism that make his character seem more realistic. Michelle Monaghan also does some fine work here, providing the film a great emotional center throughout. Ed Harris's character is sadly a one note player and while Harris does the best he can with it there isn't much on the page to work with for him. Amy Ryan garnered a Supporting Oscar nod for her performance here and in her limited screen time she makes you despise her character. It's a real accomplishment considering her character more or less disappears in the 2nd half of the film. As stated earlier, the movie takes a few twists and turns as it nears it finale and the writing does seem to falter occasionally. I have a slight issue with the way the characters are written as well. All of them seem to be extremes. Ryan's character isn't just a bad mother; she's the world's worst mother complete with Jerry Springer watching habits. Affleck's character isn't just a good guy he's a good guy to a fault. Ed Harris's character is the best example of this as he's portrayed throughout as a hardnosed cop with almost no wiggle room for anything else. Affleck's character and his attributes are understandable as he's central to the thematic element and message the movie is trying to convey. The rest however feel a bit more like types as opposed to actual people, aside from Monaghan's character, which is odd as the film is really going for realism. In the end I think the excellent acting being done really covers up some of the story's short comings however some flaws, like the twist-a-palooza at the end, are hard to ignore.

C+