J. Edgar

J. Edgar" is, as you might expect, the story of J. Edgar Hoover, at one time one of if not the most powerful man in the nation as he formed and led the Federal Bureau of Investigation for at least 48 years. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as the world's most famous G Man and Armie Hammer plays his faithful confidant and friend, Clyde Tolson while Naomi Watts portrays the role of Helen Gandy, J. Edgar's ever loyal secretary and girl Friday. The film was written by Dustin Lance Black and produced and directed by Clint Eastwood,. Although interesting from the point of view of the history of the nation's most famous crime fighting organization, I'm sorry to say that the film was much too long. Instead of shortening Hoover's name in the title of the film, the editors should have deleted a lot of unnecessary footage as the movie struggles to find itself and its proper pace. In this case FBI could stand "For Boring Individuals". Even good things should end in a timely manner. This is not the Clint Eastwood we came to know in "The Unforgiven" or his other great films. It was almost as if pride of directorship and artistic endeavor overrode the necessity to make the film work in a tighter vehicle. Perhaps trying to cover such a complicated character over so long a period makes the extraordinary length of the film inevitable but not necessarily pleasant to watch. I give the film 2 and 1/2 stars with the suggestion that a good cup of strong coffee prior to viewing it would be a good idea.,

The Descendants

"The Descendants" stars George Clooney and a number of perfectly cast actors in this beautiful, sad and honest story based on the novel written by Kaui Hart Hemmings. Masterfully directed by Alexander Payne, the writing, directing and editing of the film create a wonderful viewing experience that takes the viewer to the heart of a family's grief while allowing him or her to understand and share the frailties and positives of the human condition. A large part of this movie's success is due to the fine acting performance of Mr. Clooney.This is a portrayal that we will hear more about during the nominating process for Best Actor in 2012 and well deserved it will be. Mention must also be made of the superb acting done by a relative newcomer, Ms. Shailene Woodley, who, as Mr. Clooney's character's older daughter, displays a grace and dignity not often found in her peers. She is a star in the making. I give this film 3 and 1/2 stars for at no time was I ever conscious of its length but, instead, only of its power and beauty.

My Week With Marilyn

"My Week With Marilyn" is based on the true story of Colin Clark, a young 23 year old, who diaried and recounted his work as a "gofer"in the making of the 50's film "The Prince and the Showgirl" which originally starred Marilyn Monroe and Sir Laurence Olivier. This movie stars Michelle Williams (as Marilyn Monroe), Kenneth Branagh (as Sir Laurence), Eddie Redmayne (as Colin Clark) and other cast members including Julia Ormond, Judi Dench and Emma Watson (HarryPotter). Written by Adrian Hodges and directed by Simon Curtis the film is slow moving and oftentimes trite in its dialogue as it seeks to penetrate the life and psyche of Ms. Monroe. This complicated icon is portrayed by Michelle Williams in an uncanny and extraordinary manner that, regardless of the merits (or demerits) of the film, will certainly earn her Oscar consideration in 2012. Ms. Williams becomes Ms. Monroe and gives the performance of her career as she captures her character's nuances and likenesses to such an extent that even Meryl Streep would be forced to sit up and give a nod of approval. The film, under normal circumstances, deserves only 2 and 1/2 stars but because of Ms. Williams' performance, I give it 3. Movie-history buffs and all who enjoy seeing an actress come of age will like the film.




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The Artist

“The Artist” is one of the most exciting and interesting film endeavors to be viewed in a long long time. The movie casts French film stars Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo with more recognizable celebrities such as Penelope Ann Miller, Malcolm MacDowell and John Goodman in this almost silent film (in black and white) depicting events in the industry in Hollywood from approximately 1920 until the advent of the talkies in 1932. Written and directed by Michael Hazenavicius, perhaps much of the credit should go to music director Ludovic Bource whose incredible score during this almost 100 minutes of film without sound (other than the music) is the reason the project works. As you view this “silent movie” one realizes how our fathers and grandfathers in the first 30 years of the 20th century could sit and simply watch but not hear actors "talking" on the screen. Suddenly one realizes that the unsung stars of all of these silent emporiums were the organ players or musicians who not only played beautiful music but did it in sync and in total coordination with what was happening on the screen. Mr. Bource and his score accomplishes that and then some. It is difficult to even imagine the film working (as it does) without hearing the music which supports and, indeed, is the true co-star of the film. Remember, too, that all of this is being viewed by an audience born and bred in the era of talking pictures so to achieve such a wonderful result is a testament to the acting, writing, directing, musical scoring and editing of this fine film. Although the story is “hokey’ and reminiscent of the “A Star is Born” genre, the movie takes us into the world of silent films and the trials and tribulations of those who can and cannot make the transition to the new medium. Yes, I confess that I did look at my watch twice but only to make sure and satisfy myself that the film had more to go and wasn’t ending when I thought it might. My wishes were granted and I was able to see a wonderful product taken to its proper completion. I give this film four stars and urge, no, insist, that those who enjoy great filmmaking not miss this extraordinary film experience.

Moneyball

“Moneyball” stars Brad Pitt as Billy Beane, the General Manager of the Oakland A’s baseball team, whose exploits were originally recited in the non-fiction book “Moneyball, the Art of Winning in an Unfair Game” written by Michael Lewis. Taken with the story Brad Pitt, in the role as Producer, sought the services of his friend, Steven Soderbergh (with whom he worked in “Ocean’s Eleven”) and began production in conjunction with Sony Pictures. Differences later arose between the studio and Soderbergh who then left the film. Just as A’s General Manager Beane was forced to regroup and create a new team when his stars left to go to higher paying clubs, so did Pitt, in a real life dramatization of the Beane character’s problems, seek and get Scott Rudin to join Pitt, Michael DeLuca and Rachel Horvitz as one of the film’s producers. Rudin’s prior association with Aaron Sorkin (“The Social Network”) brought Sorkin on board to work on Steve Zaillian’s script and thus create the finished product.. Also, like the story of Beane, Pitt got a new director, Bennett Miller (known for low budget films (“Capote”). Again the similarity between life and art is striking (no pun intended). This is a movie rich with the tradition of the sport and an insight as to how high financed clubs can dominate league play. More importantly, it represents how a new approach, dictated by economic needs and lack of funds, can alter conventional attitudes and bring about the unthinkable i.e.a team with a 39 million dollar budget outperforming those having four or five times that sum. Joining Pitt as the maverick general manager is Jonah Hill who portrays what some believe is Paul Podesta, an ivy league economics major who helps the Pitt character look at statistics in a whole new light. Philip Seymour Hoffman plays the field manager This is a Cinderella story which sees the team win an unprecedented 20 games in a row, the first time this ever occurred in the 103 year history of the sport.. More importantly, it is the story of resilience, confidence and focus and is all the more meaningful because it really happened. Of course a love of baseball is an added plus for any viewer of the film but the writing and directing are of such a high quality that even those unfamiliar with the sport will enjoy the story and its message. I give the film 3 and ½ stars with special kudos to Mr. Pitt who showed that in baseball and in show business, tenacity and dedication can still get big “hits”.

Contagion

“Contagion” stars Lawrence Fishburne, Kate Winslet, Matt Damon, Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow in this 105 minute film directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Scott Z. Burns. This is a poorly written and directed film with skimpy production values and characters who are two dimensional.. Faced with so many named stars, one would expect a film that might support such a cast. Instead, it is a letdown. The viewer simply has a "who cares" attidue about each of them.The character played by Jude Law is more an intrusion into the film than any positive addition. One can only try to figure out the meaning of the film’s title as one can try to understand the casting of Elliot Gould as one of the world’s leading biology researchers. As the line in the film goes “If Sussman (Gould’s character) doesn’t get it…no one will” In this instance the writer is right…no one gets it. Touted as the great dethroner to box office leader “The Help” I would tell the producers of “Help” that if good taste and quality filmmaking still prevail, they needn’t worry. I give the film 2 stars and am probably being overly generous in doing that.

The Debt

“The Debt” is the story of three Israeli Mossad agents and the events that took place 30 years ago, what takes place years later and how the two time spans interact into their personal, political and professional lives. The film stars Tom Wilkinson, Sam Worthington, Jessica Chastain and Helen Mirren in this intended cold war thriller. This is a remake of a 2007 Israeli film entitled “Ha Hov” (i.e. “The Debt” in Hebrew). Directed by John Madden (“Shakespeare In Love”) and co-written by Mathew Vaughn, Jane Goldman and Peter Straughan, the film is, supposedly based on actual occurrences. On paper, at least, it has all the ingredients for an adventure film with a great plot. Unfortunately, the movie moves rather slowly and is tedious at times as it gets a little too involved in the personal lives of the Mossad agents while not going deep enough into the world of significant political events taking place around them. In fairness to the performances and certain segments of the screenplay, the film does manage to hold the audience’s interest in spite of its almost 2 hour duration which, quite honestly, seemed longer than that. I give the film 2 and ½ stars with a concern that its title may be the precursor for the amount appearing on Miramax’ balance sheet after the grosses are computed.