We Are Marshall

We Are Marshall tells the story of the 1970 plane crash that killed 75 people, including the Marshall football team, and the recovery the town makes over the next year. Already a great story and it is hard to mess that up unless you do a TV movie of Into Thin Air or you let director McG have his way with your story.

McG is a very ambitious filmmaker in terms of his broad shot selection and his bag of camera tricks. This works very well when you are trying to dress up a 2 hour pile of shite like Charlie's Angels, but when you are doing a character study about a very sensitive subject... it doesn't work. In fact, the camera stunts are right out of an asinine episode of CSI Miami. Okay... with that being said, WAM is actually a fine film once you get through idiot camera movements.

The story revolves around 6 main characters. Matthew McConaughey is top billed for his performance as Jack Lengyel, the only man who take over a program that lost almost it's entire staff and players. The real lead is Red Dawson's (Matthew Fox) character. Red was the only coach not on the plane thanks to a recruiting trip he had to do after the final game of the year. Anthony Mackie plays the only returning starter who feels survivor guilt for having missed dying on the plane with his friends thanks than injury that kept him home. Kate Mara plays the young fiance of Ian McShane's son who died in the plane crash. Mara also serves as the narrator... Last but not least, David Strathairn plays the interim President of Marshall U. that is trying to pull everything together so the town can have football again.

All the performances are fine, even if McShane's and Mara's are almost completely unnecesary to the plot. Matthew Fox and McConaughey are adequate here, but hardly revelatory. Mackie and Strathairn shine when given the chance. The best acting of the bunch is the ten minute cameo that Robert Patrick has at the beginning of the film. Now that man can play a football coach! The rest of the plot is simple with the normal "conflicts" thrown in to complicate things now and again.

This most certainly is not a "football" movie. There is three small sections of games that punctuate the acts of the film, but this is more a character story. McG just doesn't have the chops to bring it all together perfectly, but it is enjoyable. After watching it though, you wonder what a Peter Weir or Steve James could've done with this material?

75/100

The Hoax

Clifford Irving (Richard Gere) was just another rejected writer when he decided he had enough. Irving constructed a premise to write a book on recluse Howard Hughes. Everyone wanted to know more about the famous billionare, but he hadn't been seen in public in a decade. Hughes couldn't come forth in court room since there was a pending lawsuit in regards to TWA. With that in mind, Irving decides that is the perfect chance to cash in, especially if Hughes can't sue him. Irving gets his editor (The wonderful Hope Davis) to bite that he and his friend (Alfred Molina) were picked by Hughes to write his autobiography.

What follows is a story of a man, Irving, who wants the spotlight at all cost. His lies get him in deeper with his wife (Marcia Gay Harden) and his publishers. Lots of nice cameos including Eli Wallach, Stanley Tucci, and Julie Delpy (And one of her boobs).

The director Lasse Hallstrom is quite an enigma. Reading his Imdb page is a scattershot of failures and vanity projects since his big screen debut of What's Eating Gilbert Grape? His biggest triumph was the superb Chocolat. I'm very intrigued to see the bomb Casanova with it's late star Heath Ledger. In The Hoax, Hallstrom keeps it simple and moving along. The story is so strong you don't need a stong hand to mess it up. Molina is especially terrific here as Irving's collegue Dick Suskin. Gere is perfectly casted as a showboat that craves attention. Only Harden falters here with her awful generic European accent. Why didn't they call Nadtassja Kinski? The role screams out for her!

It is kind of an odd proposition that The Hoax didn't do better in theatres. It received mostly positive reviews, but seems destined for better days on DVD. This film is wildly entertaining that goes down even better if you don't know anything about the event. This would be a marvelous double feature paired with Scorsese's The Aviator afterwards to really get an idea of Hughes.

85/100

Inland Empire

Ok... the new David Lynch film stars Laura Dern as Sue/Nikki. Nikki is an actress who gets a part in a new production that she learns has been cursed and is based on a Polish folktale. The previous attempt at making the film led to both of the leads dying. So with her director (Jeremy Irons) and costar Devon (Justin Theroux), they begin work on the film. Devon goes to investigate a mysterious sound on the set one day and finds a double of Nikki looking into the studio...As filming begins, Devon and Nikki start having an affair.

Soon, the reality between the characters becomes blurred. Nikki/Sue ends up going into a parallel universe to where the prior production was in Poland. And you also get a homage to Alice in Wonderland... So you end up with the actors reality, the movie reality, the reality of the prior film, and the people outside of the film watching it. All of this nonlinear of course, Lynch seems desperate to make his films almost impossible to follow. At just under three hours, there is a lot of bloat to this film.

I can't really say I enjoyed Inland Empire. I don't mind a film that makes me think long afterwards about really what happened, but the blatant disregard for the audience bugs me. I can't decide whether Lynch is a bitter genius or a drugged out maniac. This, is not a film for the average movie watcher.

50/100

I hope Herbie put some food on the table Michael Keaton

Keaton is trying to sell his new film at Sundance. The strange thing is he also directed it... read about it here.

Eastern Promises

Viggo Mortensen reunites with his History of Violence director David Cronenberg with Eastern Promises. Mortenson plays a man self described as merely the driver for some Russian mobsters in London. Of course, there is much more to the tale than that.

Naomi Watts plays a midwife that has a 14 yo Russian prostitute come in and die giving birth. She finds a diary that chronicles her tough life and the events that lead to her pregnancy. In the process of trying to get the diary translated and finding the child's family, Watts stumbles into a Russian mob run by Semyon(Armin Mueller-Staal). Mueller-Staal has got to be in the conversation for most overlooked actors ever.

Viggo works for Semyon's less than desirable son Kirill (Vincent Cassel). He has learned to have Kirill's back, but when a murder sets into motion a riff with a rival group - the shit starts hitting the fan.

Eastern Promises has a very basic storyline with strong actors throughout the roles. I, for one, always enjoy seeing Cassel living it up as the resident asshole of the picture as in The Brotherhood of the Wolf. Mortensen always gives a good turn, but I couldn't help but be reminded here of Robert DeNiro. Bobby usely tries the minimalistic route with much being conveyed with looks and well timed dialogue. It's as if Mortensen studied this aspect of DeNiro's craft and brought it all to the table here.

The storyline does have a couple of twists towards the end that don't feel forced. They seem like natural details that come to light only when necessary. By no means is this a perfect film. See the annoying narration from the prostitute while her diary is being read. They seriously could've gotten a better actor or method to express the words on paper to the audience. Despite the few problems I had with the storyline, Eastern Promises has a way of seducing you into watching it. Cronenberg does accomplish something very important: he leaves you wanting more.

75/100

Thunderheart

"Run for the stronghold Thunderheart. The soldiers are coming."

Thunderheart was a somewhat well reviewed film in 1992 from the well regard director Michael Apted. Apted, is a fellow much like Stephen Hopkins that has made a few mistakes in choosing his material, but he finds one he knocks it out of the park. Apted directed one of my favorite movies of all time in 2000's Enigma. Apted has done blockbusters in 007's The World is Not Enough and some commercial drek in Enough. Looking at his sheet on IMDB is a very interesting glance.

Ah but back to Thunderheart. Val Kilmer plays a part Sioux FBI agent Ray Lavoi brought in to investigate a murder of an officer on tribal grounds. He is partnered with Frank Coutelle (Sam Shepard) who is a legend in the FBI. Frank quickly decides that it is the work of a local movement trying to advance Indian rights on the reservation. Complicating things in a militia group working for a man named Milton (Fred Ward reuniting with fellow castmate Shepard from The Right Stuff) that is interested in expanding his land empire.

Lavoi learns about his past that he was ashamed of growing up as he digs further into the death. What follows is a decent thriller with a lot of well done touches including Graham Greene playing the local LEO also looking into the death of his friend. Graham Greene got noticed in Dances With Wolves and always provides levity in his roles. It always seems a shame that his highest profile roles are because of his skin. Greene is a master in the interplay between actors. I swear he could haven chemistry with anyone even Jessica Alba. (That would be a miracle)

The quote from above comes during a revelatory talk Ray has with a tribal elder. The scene unfolds in a mesmerizing way that I can't quite describe. The usual complications happen in the way that they do in thrillers... but ultimately I felt very satisfied with the product. I miss that Val Kilmer intensity... it is too bad he has decided to take the less traveled way. American movies need him back.

100/100

Linda Cardellini or Samantha Taggert from ER

Linda was on a great tv show a long time ago called Freaks and Geeks. No one watched it, so it was quickly cancelled. The geeks over at AVClub remember and pester Linda about it here.