002. The Deep Blue Sea

002. (05 Jan) The Deep Blue Sea (2012, Terence Davies) 58



Though Rachel Weisz's doe-eyed, doomed turn is more than a little irresistible, it's the only thing anchoring the dour, self-serious The Deep Blue Sea. Terence Davies already brought this kind of discontent to the screen with The House of Mirth (featuring a more masterful lead performance by Gillian Anderson). He never outdoes himself here despite a considerable achievement in the film's opening 15 minutes, which are an honest, enchanting portrait of the beginnings of a love affair.

From there, the screenwriting gets overcooked. Dialogue says far more than any action or image, making it painfully obvious this was first a stageplay. An early sign we're in trouble comes when Weisz asks her stuffy mother-in-law what she would replace passion with, prompting the reply, "A guarded enthusiasm. It's safer." A couple intense arguments between Weisz and Tom Hiddleston are well-acted and involving, but their relationship's inevitable decline doesn't have a strong emotional wallop.

360

360
Written by Peter Morgan
Directed by Fernando Meirelles
Starring Jude Law, Rachel Weisz, Anthony Hopkins and Ben Foster

The concept that we, as human beings, are all tied to each other in some way is one that most people understand on the basest of levels. Many might not think anything of it, while I’m sure many others think the theory is without merit. To genuinely try to conceptualize the grandness of the idea though can be overwhelming. Regardless, it is often fodder for filmmakers, including Fernando Meirelles, the Brazilian director of CITY OF GOD. His latest, 360, takes the viewer around the world to understand that we are just living in one big global community. Who knew that such a big trip could feel so slight?

Even talented scribe, Peter Morgan (FROST/NIXON, THE QUEEN) cannot revolutionize the 360 concept. The trouble with tackling this topic is that the filmmaker’s hand is shown in the first act of the film. The audience may not know precisely where they’re being led but they know that it will be from one insignificant moment to the next in an elaborate game of connect the dots. Subsequently, no attachments are made to the characters on screen and thus, very little engagement in the film is established. Gifted actors like Jude Law and Rachel Weisz (who won an Oscar the last time she worked with Meirelles on THE CONSTANT GARDENER) appear and disappear almost as quickly. Only Anthony Hopkins manages to carve out a memorable scene, with a passionate confession at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. And then he’s gone.

Life is made up of these fleeting moments and 360 does a good job demonstrating how even the seemingly least significant of those moments, derived from chance encounters in airports or dentist offices, can lead to life altering events. It does so in such a banal and uninspired fashion though that all it truly made me feel is that I would be better off making connections with people instead of watching people make them.

Review copy provided by eOne Entertainment.

THE BOURNE LEGACY

THE BOURNE LEGACY
Written by Tony Gilroy and Dan Gilroy
Directed by Tony Gilroy
Starring Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz and Edward Norton

Eric Byer: Jason Bourne was just the tip of the iceberg.

What do you do when the star of your successful film franchise no longer wants to make further installments? These days, the answer is simple. Reboot! Hence, THE BOURNE LEGACY, sans Matt Damon. The move away from the original plot of the series is justified by suggesting that Jason Bourne was never the only one of his kind. In fact, there are a handful of other super human types out there, walking amongst us and infiltrating some of the most guarded places on the planet. We meet one of these genetically enhanced individuals while he is training in Alaska. From under the icy water, he emerges half clothed, as if being born before our eyes. And with that, Bourne is reborn, or so director, Tony Gilroy, would hope.

THE BOURNE LEGACY gets off to a pretty slow start while the new face of the series, Jeremy Renner, as Aaron Cross, takes on the elements in Alaska. While he braves snow flurries and hungry wolves in a training exercise, Gilroy establishes that all this action is taking place at the same time as Jason Bourne’s last escapade, THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM, is coming to a close. Bourne’s antics have forced the government to not only abandon the program that made him, but rather abolish it altogether. This amounts to a lot of secret meetings led by Edward Norton (with one of the most ridiculous haircuts I’ve ever seen) that are meant to situate the viewer but only really serve to expose how convoluted the whole Bourne affair has gotten. It’s also rather tedious as well. It isn’t until Aaron realizes he is being hunted by his own creators that the actual action gets started.

Considering THE BOURNE LEGACY is a reboot, Gilroy relies far too heavily on past installments to establish the current premise. Renner holds his own as the new man on the lamb (as does the always impressive Rachel Weisz, as Renner’s love interest) but Gilroy doesn’t give him very much to handle unfortunately. The action sequences are fewer than you would expect and ultimately lead absolutely nowhere. Yes, the point is to have Aaron get away from his hunters but when Bourne got away, he did so with purpose. He was part of a bigger plan and his interaction with the other side was always engaging and twisted. Aaron is just running away and, while his attempts to flee do at times reach the thrilling heights we have grown to expect from the Bourne pictures, I’m not sure this is the legacy Jason Bourne would have wanted to pass on.

140. Page Eight

140. (25 Jul) Page Eight (2011, David Hare) 52



Though David Hare has a genuine knack for snappy dialogue and developed characterizations, Page Eight efforts to work as a romance and thriller keep it from rising above mediocrity. The acting is rather excellent even as plot twists fail to compel. Though her Emmy nomination is almost certainly from name recognition, Judy Davis makes the most of limited screentime. She, Ralph Fiennes, and Michael Gambon all make incredible impacts in supporting roles.