Hannah's Pick: The Fighter

Well, I had a fairly good streak going on the blog, running the Monday to Friday life and getting reviews posted.  And then, all fell flat.  I wish there was a great reason for this.  I wish I could come up with a grand explanation as to why I was absent for the last few days.  Sadly, I have nothing other than a video game addiction that overtook me, which lead to a complete inability to track time.  I think I may have had a bug as well, but it was more so due to my desire to crush, kill and destroy pixelated villains in the name of good.

While many people look to this year as being the career renaissance of actor Matthew McConaughey, 2010 was the turning point in career of director/writer David O. Russell.  He had not directed a movie since 2004’s I Heart Huckabees and returned with The Fighter, which started off an incredible run of three movies in four years that would all earn Oscar nominations for best picture, best director, and a slew of acting nominations and wins.  I believe it is the first time in history that a director got such big recognition for three consecutive movies, and, as a pick from my wonderful sister-in-law Hannah, I thought it would be a great idea to travel back and take a look at the film.

One thing that Russell has managed to excel at in his films is the ability to draw captivating performances from his actors (Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle both got nominations in all four acting categories).  These performances, combined with great script and direction, quickly create people who we are invested in and we become quickly wrapped up in the story.

The Fighter, a movie about the life of boxer Micky Ward, follows brothers Micky (Mark Walberg) and Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale) as Ward finds himself in a battle between his own best interests and those of his dysfunctional family.  Managed by his mother Alice (Melissa Leo), the attention is never on what is most appropriate for Micky, but on the former glory of Dicky, who is battling drug addiction.  Micky soon meets a local bartender named Charlene (Amy Adams) and finally has someone in his life who puts his needs ahead of his brother’s.

A typical boxing movie can be a great thing, as we get to cheer for the underdog as they claw their way up the ranks with grit and determination.  The story of Micky Ward is indeed one of the underdog, but it plays out so differently than most other films.  The real focus in this film is the relationships that surround Ward, the support (or lack of support) that he gets from different people, and the choices that he must make regarding career and family.  The pugilistic elements is just a backdrop for a deep story of human connection that hits a head and shatters, needing to be either swept away forever or put back together.

Because the boxing is secondary, the action scenes are not the strongest to exist in a boxing flick.  There is little sense of the crowd and environment (except for a wonderful scene as Micky is preparing to walk out to the ring), which may have been an intentional decision to make it more about Micky and those who were ringside.  The voice over commentary of the action also felt a little lifeless and forced at times, which detracts from the emotional experience of the boxing event.

That aside, there is very little that can be criticized about this film.  The acting was a collage of performances making a piece of art, instead of simply one or two stand out roles that compel the audience.  The characters are such a part of each other in this movie that the majesty of the ensemble’s efforts propels the story to another level.  It is especially the chemistry between Walhberg and Bale that plays well on the screen, giving so much history and context of their relationship simply through their body language and how they interact together.

Ward’s life was one of blue collar upbringing, and that essence comes across in perfect clarity thanks in equal parts to the hair, wardrobe, and locations.  It is easy to forget just how far those aspects can go in immersing the audience in the tale set before them, and the attention to detail that each received in The Fighter increased the tone of the film and took it to the next level.

I may be more than a bit of a David O. Russell fan, but his style of storytelling is right up my alley.   I get really geeked out about movies that focus on creating deep and interesting characters, put them in a situation, and have them have to play off of even more deep and interesting characters.  Some people may think that to be a bore, but I would take that any day over run-of-the-mill special effects and explosions.  Russell is one of the modern masters at this craft, and The Fighter is an excellent case study of how impactful a story can be when we actually care about the choices of the people on the screen.

Rating – 3.5 out of 4 stars

American Hustle

After missing a post last night because of falling asleep too early (due to an anxiety attack and the drowsying effects of anti-anxiety medication), I am back in full force to talk about American Hustle, a movie that opened in theatres today.  I will be very straight forward and blunt in the fact that this is a movie that I have been anticipating for the last ten months.  Ever since I saw it listed on IMDB, and knowing nothing other than the title and who was involved, it has been my most anticipated film to see of the entire year.  Originally, it was to open in wide release on Christmas day which, while being the ultimate Christmas present, would have been hard to explain to my family why I needed to step out for a few hours.

As with anything that has a lot of personal excitement and anticipation, it is extremely hard for the event to live up to the expectations that the mind can create.  Over the past few months, while continuing to count down the days and stare at the calendar, I have been attempting to clear my head for this movie so that I was able to view it purely for what it is, otherwise it would most likely not live up to what I expected it to be.  The very opening scene of the movie, Christian Bale with a pot belly, skillfully and meticulously crafting his comb over to hide his bald head established a deep and rich feel to the tale that was about to unfold.  It was becoming everything I had hoped for… and then it changed.

The movie is directed by David O. Russell (The Fighter, Silver Linings Playbook) and is about the Abscam operation in the 1970s.  Bale plays Irving Rosenfeld, a con-man who is roped into helping F.B.I. agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper) along with his partner in crime, Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams).  Also in this film are Jennifer Lawrence, Louis C.K., and Jeremy Renner, a very deep and talented cast indeed.  Russell, along with Eric Singer, wrote the screenplay for this film.

Now, when I had said that after the initial scenes the movie ‘change,’ I am referring to a tone and pace adjustment that is kicked off as the film goes into flashback mode to establish the characters.  At times it felt a little clunky and forced, and I began to worry that this film which was Hollywood’s early Christmas present to me would in actuality be a lump of coal.    I do not necessarily believe that the mere fact that there were flashbacks were to blame, but more so the entire construction and delivery of about a fifteen to twenty minute section of the film.  I was still entertained, and was still enjoying it, but I was not hooked and there was no magic.

At that, I have said the only negatives that I can find possible to say about this movie.  It is easily my favourite film of the year, and was worth every moment of anticipation that has passed over the past ten months.  The skill of this movie is in the characters, who are multi-dimensional beings, all with strengths and failings, alienting and sympathizing aspects, who bring the story to life.  The more the movie progresses, the more we know the characters, and the more we become invested in every decision, every action, and every risk that they take.

This is really where David O. Russell is one of the best in Hollywood.  It is an amazing fact that his film last year, Silver Linings Playbook, had an actor nominated for every single one of the performance awards.  He seems to be able to create such vivid characters and allow the actors to fully embrace and take over their qualities that actor and character become one in a seamless and glorious marriage.  This is what hooked me to Silver Linings Playbook (my favourite film of 2012, I should add), and the art of this mastery is elevated even further in American Hustle.

As far as the acting goes, it is brilliant right across the board.  If it was not such a competitive Oscar year, it would be easy to assume that once again there would be a representative from this movie in each of the performance categories.  The reality, however, is that probably will not happen due to the depth of options this year, but the quality on display in American Hustle is such that it would not be a huge shock or disservice if that were to happen.  There was not one, at least to the best of my recollection, awkward acting moment where the delivery seemed flawed, forced, or merely just a line read from the script for the cameras. 

At the same time of all of my praise, this is not a typical type of movie.  It is about con artists, F.B.I., and very dangerous unsavoury folk, but it does not rely on the standards typical of that kind of film.  While most would indulge in gun-play, cat and mouse scenes, fights, car chases, and even a possible explosion or two, this film uses any gritty element so sparingly that it hardly seems to exist.  The reason for this is because everything ultimately comes down to the characters and the chaotic whirlpool that their lives become during all the unfolding of the operation, and it is engaging with brilliant moments of hilarity.  The humour is not from jokes forced into the script, but comes from these quirky and messed up people as they try to make their way through the mess around them.

As I mentioned, it is far and away my favourite movie of the year.  I will not say that it is the best movie of the year, but I had an incredible amount of fun viewing this film and was immersed in the craziness to a joyous extent.  While I was watching it, there was a young couple that walked out after having talked a lot and it seemed that this was not their cup of tea, and that’s going to happen.  It is not a hyped up explosive movie, but a tale that relies on getting the audience to become invested in the characters and care about what outcomes await them.  It is near perfect at this, and it executes it with many moving, crazy, and hilarious moments along the way.

Rating – 4 out of 4 stars

Hannah's Pick - The Machinist

Once again, it is Wednesday, which means, once again, the movie is a pick from my sister in-law, Hannah.  I doubt I have shared much about Hannah, but she and I have one awesome trait in common, and that is the ability to not sleep when we want to sleep.  My insomnia has been a lot better in the last year and a half, but I still get it from time to time.  Hannah's escapades trump anything I can pull of these days, and she seems to be the queen of not being able to sleep.  If you have seen The Machinist, you can understand why I am talking about insomnia.  If you have not seen this movie, I will share a bit about it.

The movie follows the character of Trevor Reznik (Christian Bale) who is a machinist by occupation (hence the title of the film) who suffers from severe insomnia.  Reznik claims that he has gone without sleep for a year, and goes about his life at times in an almost zombie like state.  His health has depreciated to the point where he is skin and bones, and looks incredibly sickly.  After an accident at work where a co-worker loses a limb, Reznik begins to be tormented by a mysterious man.  As the movie progresses, Reznik battles to keep his sanity and to find out the identity of his tormentor.

Christian Bale went to very extreme lengths for this film.  I at times get a bit frustrated when it seems some actors won't even get a different haircut for various films as it seems some people are stuck on just projecting the image of their star.  Bale is not one of those people, as he cut his body weight down to 120 pounds to play Reznik.  This has a profound effect on the movie, as we are constantly visually reminded of just how ill his character is.  Physical nature aside, Bale's performance is very captivating as he plays a character who is just trying to get through each day, lonely and seeking companionship in the arms of a prostitute and the listening ear of a waitress.

The film is very visually interesting as well.  For the most part, it is shot in very dull colours and only uses bright colours sparingly to allow the items to stick out and almost seem otherworldly in the dreary surroundings.  Scattered throughout the movie are recurring visuals that either work themselves organically into the scenes or are part of flashback type moments which gives the feel of a mystery to be solved.  As the plot progresses, it is very easy for the audience to be sucked right in as we are trying to make sense of everything we are seeing and put the puzzle pieces together correctly.

The Machinist is one of those movies that never really caught on in theatres, as it was never able to get out of the limited release phase and get to wide release status, playing in only 72 cinemas at its peak.  It was created by Paramount Classics, the 'art-house' division of Paramount Pictures, which no longer exists.  While all of the major studios seemed to have an arm devoted to alternative movie concepts, they appear to be dying off with only Sony Pictures Classics and Fox Searchlight remaining.  Universal's Focus Features recently got a new head who has closed its international offices as well as appearing to turn its attention towards mainstream fair, a direction which indicates that studios are giving up on finding the quality films.  If you have read some of my other reviews, you may be picking up on the evidence of this as I mentioned that Ron Howard's Rush was an independent film because studios were not interested, and that Oscar hopeful 12 Years a Slave only got produced because of Brad Pitt's attachment to it.

Why am I bringing this up?  Because The Machinist is a great example of the types of movies and concepts that are out there that would never be produced if studios are only interested in discovering the next big franchise.  Most people think of limited release movies as being in black and white with subtitles and symbolism, but they can also be quality films with intriguing and intellectual stories.  My point being, there are so many amazing movies out there that are waiting for audiences to discover them because studios never saw the potential for big dollars.  If you are up for a film that you could have never seen in theatres, The Machinist is a very entertaining watch.

Rating - 3 out of 4 stars