Cindy Prascik's Reviews of La La Land & Live by Night

 

Dearest Blog: This weekend it was off to Marquee Cinemas for La La Land (finally!) and Live By Night.

 

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers. I will offer thumbs-up or thumbs-down on endings, without divulging specifics; if that's more than you want to know, read no further until you've seen these.

 

First up: Oscar hopeful La La Land.

 

An aspiring actress and a jazz musician chase their dreams in Los Angeles.

 

Let it be noted, dear reader(s), that, from its first trailer, I've anticipated La La Land as a great movie and likely Best Picture winner. I generally love musicals, and--while romances aren't my favorite--who could resist a pairing as adorable as Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling? Certainly not I! Well...as it turns out, La La Land IS a great movie, and the probable Best Picture winner...but it's a lousy musical.

 

Getting the bad news out of the way first: La La Land features forgettable original tunes and unimaginative choreography. Neither Gosling nor Stone is a great singer, at least not as demonstrated here. (Stone has done Broadway, so I know she has to be better than this.) The musical numbers are exactly why some folks hate musicals: random songs dropped in mostly random places; there's no flow whatsoever. Finally, the movie has a disappointing finale that's so at odds with the rest it feels as if someone accidentally tacked on the ending of a different film. As La La Land's final impression, it casts a heavy shadow on the whole. (This is not a judgment of a happy or unhappy ending; it's about how the ending fits the rest of the picture.)

 

Having said all that, the good news is, there's lots of good news! La La Land is a compelling enough story that its musical failings are almost entirely forgivable. Stone and Gosling manage to out-cute Lawrence and Pratt as the movie year's most lovable couple, a feat I would have thought impossible. Remarkably, their weak singing voices play as part of a self-deprecating charm, and their characters' struggles and dreams should be relatable to just about anyone. La La Land boasts lovely production design and costumes, and there is one smokin' number, performed by John Legend, that even manages to break the movie's tired-old-showtunes mold.

 

La La Land clocks in at 128 minutes and is rated PG13 for "some language."

 

La La Land is a very good movie, a terrible musical, and a love letter to Los Angeles that fails to sell Los Angeles as anything worth loving. 

 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, La La Land gets seven. 

 

Next on the docket: Ben Affleck's mob thriller Live by Night.

 

A Boston mobster takes over Florida operations for a former rival.

 

By now you've probably heard enough negative commentary to guess Live by Night won't go down in the annals of legendary gangster movies. While that's probably true, that's not to say it isn't a worthwhile afternoon at the pictures.

 

Writer/director Affleck has created an interesting--if deliberately paced--story full of twists and turns. Per usual, he's crafted himself a role that plays to his stoic style and, while he does an admirable job, it's Sienna Miller who steals the show as his sometime girlfriend. If you're into mob movies in general, there are some...erm...offers people can't refuse, but the violence isn't overly graphic, and the movie never feels like a shoot 'em up where the story only occasionally interrupts.

 

Live by Night runs 128 minutes and is rated R for "strong violence, language throughout, and some sexuality/nudity."

 

Live by Night may not rank among the all-time great gangster pictures, but it's a well-executed tale with a satisfying payout. 

 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Live by Night gets six and a half.

 

Fangirl points: Christian Clemenson! Brendan Gleeson! Titus Welliver!

 

Until next time... 

 

MOVIE REVIEW: AMERICAN SNIPER

Biopic of Chris Kyle (Bradley Cooper), the most-celebrated sniper in American military history. In the aftermath of 9/11, Kyle decides to serve his country by becoming a Navy SEAL. But with each tour of duty, he grows more detached from his wife and children. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Director: Clint Eastwood 

Cast: Bradley Cooper, Luke Grimes, Sienna Miller, Kyle Gallner, Ben Reed

Release Date: Jan 16, 2015

Rated R for some Sexual References, Language Throughout and Strong Disturbing War Violence

Runtime: 2 hr. 12 min. 

Genres: Action/Adventure, Drama 

Review:

American Sniper is an interesting film that manages to be straightforward but complicated at the same time.  Eastwood doesn’t really give us much of a point of view on the Iraq War; he’s more interested in the personal story of Chris Kyle which is refreshing since it could have easily devolved into a jingoistic anthem.  Eastwood’s film alternates between the war and Kyle’s home life but it’s clear that Eastwood is far more comfortable with the war portion of the story.  He delivers some impressive battle sequences with the final one being the most impressive and tense of the entire film.  At the heart of the film is Bradley Cooper who does fine work embodying Chris Kyle and chartering his growing internal struggle as his military career wears on.  Cooper is reserved and understated throughout but he captures the intensity and drive that ran through Kyle’s life.  Even though it’s a biopic the film does seem to focus on Kyle almost exclusively which means that doesn’t get a good feel for his friends or even his wife whose under characterized.  It doesn’t help that she’s played by Sienna Miller who’s not nearly a strong enough actress to believably deliver the emotional moments required.  Some creative choices also left me scratching my head, such as the villainous enemy sniper which was always within earshot of Kyle, regardless of which tour of duty he was on.  Even with its faults, the film does a fine job of honoring Chris Kyle’s memory and legacy. 

B-

Cindy Prascik's Reviews of Big Eyes & American Sniper

Dearest Blog, this week I had a glance at two awards favorites, Big Eyes and American Sniper. How's that for mature viewing? The fact that I saw both of these because the times worked well with additional Hobbit screenings...well, we'll keep that to ourselves, eh?

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers or, you know, if you occasionally watch the news.

First to the plate: Big Eyes.

The subject of Big Eyes is painter Margaret Keane--noted for her portraits of waiflike children with extraordinarily huge eyes--her marriage, subsequent split, and legal battle with her second husband, who took credit for her work.

I burned a half-day's vacation Thursday to see Big Eyes before it closed here, thinking I'd need it for the Oscars. Oscar nominations were announced Thursday morning, and, as it happens, I don't need it at all ("My luck!" my Dad would have said), but, since the schedule worked perfectly with The Hobbit...well, you know the rest of that story.

Now, dear reader(s), you know how I feel about female-centric stories. I couldn't be less interested.

Even allowing for the Tim Burton factor, I expected to snooze through Big Eyes expressly for the privilege of saying, "Gee, that Amy Adams sure is great, huh?" Great Ms. Adams certainly is, but I couldn't have been more wrong about the rest of it. It's really nice to see something from Tim Burton that isn't inherently wacky. It's been awhile. That's not to say Big Eyes doesn't have its wacky Burton touches, but we're minus the goofy hats, silly songs, and rubber-legged dance numbers this time.

The whole thing still has an air of fairy-tale about it, which keeps a sometimes-less-than-happy story light and easy to watch. Amy Adams is incredible in the lead, a straight-woman to Christoph Waltz' over-the-top turn as her husband. (That's not to say Waltz isn't also great, and given the story, I don't find it hard to believe his performance is entirely accurate.)

Full marks to costumers, set designers, art direction, etc.: the movie looks beautiful, bright, and colorful, even in its toughest moments. It moves at a good pace and never feels slow or long, though it's hardly action packed. It came as a pleasant surprise that I enjoyed every minute.

Big Eyes runs 106 minutes and is rated PG13 for "thematic elements and brief strong language."

Maybe Oscar didn't love it, but I did.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Big Eyes gets seven and a half.

Yesterday's heavy hitter was American Sniper.

Bradley Cooper stars in the true story of Navy S.E.A.L. Chris Kyle, a legendary sniper through four tours in Iraq, who found difficulty leaving the war behind when he finally returned home.

I always think it's important to be upfront if there's something that colors my opinion of a movie besides the movie itself, so here I need to state that I lost a friend, a Marine, in Iraq. Though I'm usually a notoriously cold fish, since then I can't keep it together if I so much as see a Marine by the Toys for Tots bin at the Mall during Christmastime. There's no way for me to watch or write about this movie minus that baggage.

So... *deep breath*

Bradley Cooper is as good as you've heard in the lead. I can't say he deserved an Oscar nod over Jake Gyllenhaal, but there's certainly nothing bad to say about his work here.

The supporting cast is solid, too, though I confess I'm not entirely sold on Sienna Miller.

The "in country" scenes are brilliantly executed; you can practically feel the heat and smell the dirt, and I'm pretty sure I held my breath for the better part of two hours, waiting for a potential threat from somewhere...anywhere.

For such a grim picture, there's a good bit of laugh-out-loud banter, and very little scene-setting music, which adds to the realistic tone.

Kyle very much embodies the prevalent American attitude of the time, so American Sniper presents quite the black-and-white view of the war, with little, if any, grey area.

The movie runs just a little longer than it needs to, and it feels somewhat wrong allowing it to present as truth so many things that have since been called into question. (The war itself aside, Kyle's Estate has been the subject of several lawsuits over the book on which the movie is based.*)

When it was over, I sprinted from the room in tears, bowling over a couple Marquee friends in my haste to go hide in a bathroom stall for a minute. (All I could see were maroon vests, so whoever it was I hope you're reading this and I apologize.)

I don't think I stopped shaking until the Elves arrived in Dale. I'm not sure how much blame/credit for that goes to the movie and how much to personal experience, but from the number of sniffles I heard around the room, this film is doing a bang-up job striking a nerve with more than just me.

American Sniper clocks in at 132 minutes and is rated R for "strong and disturbing war violence and language throughout, including some sexual references."

There are many reasons I hate American Sniper, none of which keep me from realizing it's a very good movie.

Its unflinching depiction of the cost of war is essential viewing. Of a possible nine Weasleys,

American Sniper gets seven.

Until next time...

*Thanks to Melissa Bradley for bringing this to my attention.

 






































"Tim...you made a movie WITHOUT ME??"