Mini-Reviews: Anna Karenina, Holy Motors & Killing Them Softly (2012)

Anna Karenina (2012)

Gorgeous, but 'meh'.

Directed by Joe Wright
Produced by Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, and Paul Webster
Written by Tom Stoppard (script); Leo Tolstoy (novel)
Starring Keira Knightley, Jude Law, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Kelly Macdonald, Matthew Macfadyen, Domhnall Gleeson, Ruth Wilson, Alicia Vikander, Olivia Williams, and Emily Watson

***

In this adaptation from Leo Tolstoy's famous novel, an aristocrat (Knightley) begins an affair with a young Count (Taylor-Johnson), resulting in the chagrin of and persecution from her husband (Law).

Wright and Knightley make a good team, previously collaborating on Atonement and Pride and Prejudice. Both of those films are beautifully made and boast fine performances from the Oscar-nominated actress. Karenina, on the other hand, is neither her nor Wright's finest hour. A legendary novel set in 1800s Russia sets the stage for a lavish production with heartwrenching drama. Unfortunately, this film succeeds greatly on the former and fails admirably on the latter. While everything looks superb, the story comes across as distant and dull. I loved what I saw on screen, but I was never invested in these characters. Though the cast and crew should be commended, I was disappointed with the disconnect I experienced. However, I can slightly recommend it for its technical achievements, not to mention the fact that you might find it a more engaging film than I did.

Oscar Potential: Best Actress, Best Production Design, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Original Score, Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Holy Motors (2012)

Lavant gives a phenomenal performance.

Directed by Leos Carax
Produced by Martine Marignac, Albert Prevost, and Maurice Tinchant
Written by Leos Carax
Starring Denis Lavant, Edith Scob, Eva Mendes, Kylie Minogue, Elise Lhomeau, Michel Piccoli, and Jeanne Disson

****

Monsieur Oscar (Lavant) is paid to role-play. Or is he? This follows him for a day, as he performs these roles for the unknown viewership that is watching.

Carax has been out of the filmmaking loop for a while, and he's back with a phenomenal, if divisive, film. Told in an episodic format, this film is free to experiment, which it, of course, does at every opportunity. It's a bizarre, moving, and mysterious film that features Denis Lavant in one of the best leading male performances of all time. He plays every role with such conviction, and he simply blew me away. The cinematography is worth mentioning, but the real star here (apart from Lavant) is the fantastic use of makeup. Not unlike Cloud Atlas, this is a film that thrives on the wonderful - well, memorable at the very least - moments the viewer experiences. There are scenes here that will stay with me forever. Whether you like (or will like) this film or not, it definitely leaves an impression, and must be seen to be believed. Consider this a restrained, spoiler-free rave for one of the year's best films.

Oscar Potential: Best Original Song ("Who Were We?"), Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Killing Them Softly (2012)

Jackie (Pitt) and Frankie (McNairy)

Directed by Andrew Dominik
Produced by Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Steve Schwartz, Paula Mae Schwartz, and Anthony Katagas
Written by Andrew Dominik (script); George V. Higgins (novel)
Starring Brad Pitt, Richard Jenkins, James Gandolfini, Ray Liotta, Scoot McNairy, Ben Mendelsohn, and Sam Shepard

***1/2

A card game robbery gone right causes unrest in the local criminal world, leaving Jackie Cogan (Pitt) to clean up the mess.

I genuinely cannot wrap my thoughts around this film, which I will certainly revisit as soon as possible. There's a lot of dialogue, and the film manages to be quiet one moment and in your face the next. Moments of brutality are drowned out with endless scenes of character-driven conversation, some of which work better than others. Brad Pitt may be the name about the title, but several of the other cast members, especially Scoot McNairy, Ben Mendelsohn, and Ray Liotta, steal the show. These violent, twisted, and disillusioned characters will determine how much you like this film. If you don't want to spend time with them, you'll probably be disappointed. I enjoyed most of their interactions, yet the film is no paragon of pacing. Maybe it's the crisp style that made the film drag after the first hour, as it eventually looses steam. What starts as a low-key marvel ends as a daring, somewhat uneven, work from Andrew Dominik and company. Regardless, I was impressed overall.

Oscar Potential: None

KILLING THEM SOFTLY

KILLING THEM SOFTLY
Written and Directed by Andrew Dominick
Starring Brad Pitt, Ray Liotta, Richard Jenkins and James Gandolfini

Jackie: You ever kill someone? It can get touchy-feely. I like to kill them softly, from a distance.

Judging from how many cuts there are in the first few minutes of KILLING THEM SOFTLY, I would say writer/director, Andrew Dominick, took the criticism that his last effort, THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD, was a little too slow, very seriously. His latest, and second go round with Brad Pitt, is jarring, and aggressively so, from the very start. As a notable campaign speech by then senator, Barack Obama, can be heard echoing through the empty, trash ridden streets of whatever decimated American city this is, it becomes clear that Dominick is less interested in setting an actual scene and much more keen on criticizing the government.

If there is any legitimate business happening in this city, Dominick isn’t interested in it. Instead we spend all of our time with the underbelly of society, mobsters, hitmen, petty thieves looking to trade up. A few of the these thieves decide at one point to hold up a mob run poker game because if they don’t pull off a big score, they will never make it to the next playing level. This particular card game had already been held up but that was an inside job, so the thieves just figure everyone will assume it is again this time around. After the card game gets hit, the criminal economy collapses upon itself while the organization scrambles to restore order. All the while, footage or soundbites from the 2008 American election campaign and financial collapse that was happening simultaneously at that time, are incessantly thrown at the viewer to remind us when exactly this all takes place.

The insinuation of course is that the actual 2008 economic collapse, that so many people have not quite recovered from yet, mirrors this criminal model in many ways. Those that were in control of the money on Wall Street were getting greedy and were essentially robbing from each other, all made possible through loopholes and regulation. The smaller players aren’t even at the table, just like the disappearing middle class and ever increasing lower class, and the only way they can contend is by doing it by force. And of course the American government itself also seemed to run amuck trying to figure out how to rectify the situation. KILLING THEM SOFTLY thus not so subtly spends the majority of its time accusing the government of killing its people from a distance and not nearly enough time developing a satisfying plot.

THE FALL 2012 FILM PREVIEW (part one)

Ive been up for a couple of hours now and it has only just now dawned on me that it is September 1. Summer isn't technically over but it's hard to argue with its inevitable finality once September rolls around. All is not lost though. With the fall comes some very impressive films and Black Sheep is here to help you sift through them ...

SEPTEMBER

For me, September means the Toronto International Film Festival. And as I plan on previewing the 40 or so titles I will be seeing during this year's festival later this week, I will limit my choices today to films that will only be coming to a theatre near you.

TROUBLE WITH THE CURVE
Let's begin with the man everyone is talking about this week, Clint Eastwood. With all his directing as of late, he hasn't acted for another director for almost 20 years. (1993's IN THE LINE OF FIRE would be the last time, in case you were curious.) Personally, I can barely handle the man. His films are so bogged down with his old, white man idealism that they never resonate with me emotionally. Perhaps relinquishing his directorial duties will make him more enjoyable for me, but seeing as how his baseball scout character in this Robert Lorenz film seems like just as much of a curmudgeon as everyone else he plays, my hopes are not high. At least Amy Adams and Justin Timberlake are along to lighten the load.

HOUSE AT THE END OF THE STREET
Yes, this does look just like your typical fright flick, but how can it be with Jennifer Lawrence in the lead role? After earning an Oscar nomination for her brilliant work is WINTER'S BONE and dominating her star making turn as the girl on fire in one of the year's biggest hits, THE HUNGER GAMES, she certainly doesn't have to take a role like this. So unless this was shot before she stepped into the role of Katniss (which is possible but I could not find the shooting dates), this horror film has to be a cut above the rest. Lawrence herself is reason enough to find out though. Elizabeth Shue and Max Theriot co-star.

Other September highlights include Bradley Cooper plagiarizing Jeremy Irons in THE WORDS; Viola Davis and Maggie Gyllenhaal take over a broken down public school in WON'T BACK DOWN; Kirsten Dunst hopes her group of gal pals can repeat the BRIDESMAIDS success with BACHELORETTE; and although I can hardly believe it, they are still making RESIDENT EVIL movies. RETRIBUTION, the fifth in the series, hits September 14.

OCTOBER

FRANKENWEENIE
Many people accuse Tim Burton of having sold out a long time ago, of being washed up and tired now. I am actually often amongst those people but I am very excited for his newest stop-motion animation, FRANKENWEENIE. Based on his 1984 short film, which got him ousted from the Disney junior animator job he had at the time, the expansion is pretty much exactly what you would expect - young boy's dog is brought back to life and the townspeople are not very open to this freak of nature. Yes, there is the potential the feature length will bring with it many schmaltzy and unnecessary moments but if Burton does it right, it could be a new creepy cult classic.

KILLING THEM SOFTLY
Brad Pitt reteams with the director of THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD, Andrew Dominik, for this new thriller. Pitt plays a hit man hired to tail two less than sharp thieves who rob a mob-run poker game. The premise sounds almost funny but the trailer looks like the final product will be less than amusing. One thing is for sure though; with a 97 minute runtime, this one will surely be faster paced paced than their last collaboration. Also, Richard Jenkins and James Gandolfini co-star.

TAKEN 2
Given the success of the first TAKEN film, it is no real shock to see a sequel for the film hitting theatres now. After all, that film solidified Liam Neeson as a bonafide action star internationally. After watching the preview for the sequel, I am sure fans of the first film will not be disappointed with the follow-up. I, however, was not a huge fan of the first film and have very little interest in this instalment. This time around, his wife and daughter appear to be taken as revenge for the havoc he wreaked last time out. And I'm supposed to take this seriously?

Also coming in October ... Helen Hunt plays sexual surrogate to John Hawkes in Oscar-buzzy, THE SESSIONS; Jennifer Garner comes dangerously close to losing her cool as a champion butter sculptor in BUTTER; Robert De Niro and Diane Keaton play a long-divorced couple trying to play nice for their son's wedding in THE BIG WEDDING, which sounds like it could have been directed by Nancy Meyers (it is not); and apparently there is a never-ending stash of found ghost footage somewhere in a Hollywood basement just waiting to be turned into a PARANORMAL ACTIVITY movies. The fourth film in the series hits October 19 (and will be gone by November 1, most likely).

Check back tomorrow for Part Two of Black Sheep's 2012 Fall Film Preview, which will feature November and December.