Movie Reviews: THE INTERNATIONAL

Monday, June 15, 2009
Movie Reviews: THE INTERNATIONAL
ON DVD

THE INTERNATIONAL

Interpol agent Louis Salinger (Clive Owen) joins forces with New York prosecutor Eleanor Whitman (Naomi Watts) to put an end to a powerful bank's funding of terrorism. As they follow the money from Germany to Italy to New York to Turkey, Salinger and Whitman find their own lives are at risk from those who will stop at nothing to protect their interests.

Cast: Clive Owen, Naomi Watts, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Brian F. O'Byrne

Director: Tom Tykwer

Opened February 13, 2009

Runtime: 1 hr. 58 min.

Rated R for some sequences of violence and language

Genres: Political Thriller, Psychological Thriller, Thriller

Review:

Tom Tykwer, director of my of all time favorite films Run Lola Run, has plenty of star power to work with in The International mixed with wonderfully scenic and exotic locales this film should be a classic but sadly it merely average. It’s not really Tykwer’s fault, the script is filled with issues and plagued by lack of depth on any of the characters. First-time screenwriter Eric Warren Singer shows an ability to throw large and heady ideas but doesn’t seem able to bring together in a cohesive whole. In addition, Singer’s script never gives any of the characters any type of depth or back story, tidbits about the characters past are mentioned but never fleshed out. Regardless, Tykwer does fantastic work behind the camera giving this film a modern appearance and never presenting anything close to mundane onto the screen. A spectacularly staged shootout in the Guggenheim Museum, meticulously recreated, is an example of beautiful carnage. The cast is impressive and all do solid work with what little they have to work with. Clive Owen wears a steely seething angry look throughout most of the film and he brings a fair amount of gravitas to the affair. Naomi Watts tries to bring something to her character but it’s so thinly written and she’s given so little to do that she can’t help but be forgettable. Armin Mueller-Stahl is impressive in his role and bring a necessary sense of gravitas to the proceedings, sadly his roles is painfully small and mostly confined to the last third of the film. Brian F. O'Byrne has what could have been an interesting role as the bank’s consultant aka assassin but his character is mostly glossed over as his main scene involves the aforementioned shootout at the Guggenheim. Tykwer delivers a visually impressive film which could have been a truly special had it had a more experienced screenwriter behind it. As is, The International is a self serious convoluted thriller, that’s a lot slower paced than the ads would have you believe, which leaves you mildly disinterested when we reach the swift and unsatisfying finale.

C+

Movie Reviews: EASTERN PROMISES & 1408

Sunday, October 07, 2007
Movie Reviews: EASTERN PROMISES & 1408
IN THEATHERS




EASTERN PROMISES

Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen), who belongs to one of London's most feared organized crime families, meets a midwife (Naomi Watts) who unwittingly holds damaging information that could lead to unraveling the family's criminal network. Nikolai must make sure this doesn't happen without ruining the young woman's life.

Cast Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, Vincent Cassel, Armin Mueller-Stahl (more)

Director(s) David Cronenberg

Writer(s) Steven Knight

Status In theaters (wide)

Genre(s) Drama

Release Date Sept. 14, 2007

Running Time 100 minutes

MPAA Rating R - for strong brutal and bloody violence, some graphic sexuality,

language and nudity

Review:

Eastern Promises is quite simply one of the best films of the year. David Cronenberg's new film is a complex and totally enthralling work that keeps your eyes glued to the screen throughout. This is due in no small part to stellar performances from the cast. Viggo Mortensen turns in quite possibly his best performance ever and is fully deserving of an Oscar nod come nomination time. Mortensen's Nikolai is a massively compelling character and it's impossible to take your eyes off him when he's on screen. Vincent Cassel supporting role as Kirill is excellent and he gives the character, which could have been played very clichéd in lesser hands, plenty of depth and pathos. Naomi Watts almost gets lost in the mix but her subdued performance is on par with rest of the cast even if her role isn't as meaty as her counterparts. Cronenberg takes advantage of these wonderful performances and elevates what could have been a very straight forward, even clichéd, thriller and turns it into an operatic piece of art with very Cronenberg sensibilities. Try not to winch and grimace during the naked knife fight which is as potent an action sequence as I've seen on celluloid. I've always been a fan of Cronenberg's work but his recent films like A History of Violence and Eastern Promises he's elevated his game to a truly masterful level.

A

ON DVD

1408

Mike Enslin (John Cusack) is a guy who stubbornly refuses to believe in the paranormal. In fact, he's written two bestselling books debunking myths and rumored hauntings. His latest subject is a hotel room in New York City with a dark and infamous past. However, in his determination to prove that 1408 is not haunted, Enslin may just stumble into a real-life ghost story.

Cast John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson, Mary McCormack, Tony Shalhoub (more)

Director(s) Mikael Håfström

Writer(s) Matt Greenberg, Scott Alexander, Larry Karaszewski

Status On DVD

Genre(s) Horror

Release Date June 22, 2007

DVD Release Date Oct. 2, 2007

Running Time 94 minutes

MPAA Rating PG-13 - for thematic material including disturbing sequences of violence and terror, frightening images and language

Review:

1408 starts off very well establishing mood and a pervasive sense of dread but quickly fizzles out as it crashes towards the end. Mikael Håfström (Derailed) movie starts with excellent pacing and wonderfully sets up shots that give the film a refined sense of quality. Unfortunately, once the action moves to the actual room these lavish shots quickly disappear and we are subjected to a fairly pain by the numbers ghost/haunted story. The story is surprisingly layered and deep but the execution just fails. My main issue with this film is that John Cusack is so over the top that it's distracting and hard to take him or the story serious. Needless to say I didn't find it particularly frightening or disturbing, on a side note it did make me want to watch The Shining again. As the film progresses and the situations get more and more outlandish the movie it becomes more of a chore to watch than anything else. 1408 starts the movie with the promise of great things ahead but fails to deliver anything new or frightening.

C-