The successful
conspiracy flick rests on the audience unsure of who to trust or how deep the
conspirators –- be they Big Brother or Big Corp. -– lay buried. Endings are key.
From “Conversation” to “Most Wanted Man,” if I’m not shaken paranoid, then what’s
the point? There’s none in “Closed Circuit,” a meek flick about London spies putting
two attorneys (Eric Bana and Rebecca Hall) through hell as they represent the
Muslim suspect of a shop bombing. Upfront: The villains are ploddingly obvious,
with Jim Broadbent all ham as a John Mitchell type with an ugly beard, and another
Famous Name as a mentor who -– of course -– turns traitor. Zero suspense. And
that’s surprising as Stephen Knight (“Dirty Pretty Things”) wrote the
screenplay. I wanted a dark tale that left me breathless, but when our heroes
meet in secret at a football match, surrounded by cameras, I was laughing. More
so, the heroes are dumb. Who doesn’t question the sudden suicide of a pal
working on a top secret case? No one here has seen a movie. And
that’s the problem, the likely studio-mandated fix-it ender is so happy, it
feels like every movie we’ve seen. C-
Friday, November 28, 2014
The Book Thief (2013)
World War II drama “The
Book Thief” is not for me. It is intended for teen girls familiar with fantasy
and romance, not familiar with the Holocaust. “Thief” -- based on a YA novel -– wants
tragic and magic as it follows every crushing blow -– death, illness, bombing -–
with an immediate balm, often so fantastically out of place, it made me laugh.
In disbelief. It is narrated by “Death” (why?) in a voice not different than
Gandalf or Dumbledore, assured words pouring bright magic over the terror of
Hitler’s Germany. The titular character is Liesel (Sophie Nelisse), ferried to
rural Germany to live with childless peasants (Emily Watson and Geoffrey Rush).
On the way, Liesel’s brother dies. Cry not. Rush’s new poppa is Mr. Rogers
kind. Liesel steals a “criminal” book from burning, and is seen by the wife of
the head Nazi. Fear not. Kind frau lets the girl steal books from her own home.
The town is bombed. Scores die. Fear not. Liesel is found, adapted, loved, and
saved. In two minutes. I know “Thief” must speak gently to and not horrify its
young audience, and I get that, but I still cringed. Sage narrator, gorgeous
cinematography. Cringe. C-
Labels:
2013,
Book Thief,
children. drama,
controversial,
Emily Watson,
Geoffrey Rush,
Germany,
Holocaust,
Jews,
Oscar,
Sophie Nelisse,
war,
World War II
The Book of Life (2014)
Trailers for “The Book
of Life” promised a gloriously animated supernatural vibe from King of the
Weird and producer/writer Guillermo del Toro. The film delivers. Maybe not to
the heights of “Pan’s Labyrinth” or animated siblings “Up” or “Coraline,” but enough
that I left the cinema awed. Heavy on the wood and stone art of Mayan and
Spanish cultures, “Book” has a literal bookend story of ragtag school kids
visiting a museum and through a hip tour guide (Christina Applegate) learn of the feisty Mexican beauty Maria (Zoe Saldana) who becomes a coin in a
bet between gods Xibalba and La Muerte, the after-life rulers of the Land of
the Forgotten and the Land of the Remembered. Maria, see, is chased after two
men, a reluctant bullfighter (Diego Luna) and a seemingly invincible soldier
(Channing Tatum). The story is deep and wondrously dark and riffs on Radiohead’s “Creep.” Huge sticking points: Our gal still is made to
choose her hubs to be. Ice
Cube as God is so very Special
Appearance By Ice Cube, the film’s magic bear breaks. B+
Labels:
2014,
animated,
art,
Channing Tatum,
children,
Creep,
death,
Diego Luna,
gods,
Guillermo del Toro,
Mayan,
Mexico,
Radiohead,
wood,
Zoe Saldana
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