Category: 2013

I'll Follow You Down (2013, Richie Mehta)

There are a handful of easily fixable problems with I’ll Follow You Down. Director Mehta shoots it in Panavision aspect ratio and doesn’t know what to do with all the width. Combined with Tico Poulakakis’s lens flare happy cinematography, Follow looks like a glossy television commercial. There’s never a sense of time or place, which is a big problem considering it’s about time and place.

Mehta isn’t great with directing actors either, but most of the cast can work through it. Gillian Anderson, for example, gives a breathtaking small performance. Mehta gives the cast a lot of room–it’s kind of a sci-fi story, but one where the human aspects are far more important (not to mention cheaper to shoot). So the film’s a showcase for Anderson.

Victor Garber also does really well and he’s got some of the hardest scenes in the film.

In the lead, Haley Joel Osment is decent. He’s occasionally really good, but he also has some too pat moments. He’s just not dramatic enough; like I said, Mehta isn’t great with actors. Rufus Sewell has the exact same problems so it’s clearly not the actors.

The only weak performance is Susanna Fournier as Osment’s girlfriend. She has the second hardest part after Garber and she can’t sell the scenes like he can.

Mehta has some iffy dialogue and a lot of missed opportunities, which might be budgetary, might not be budgetary.

But Follow has two great performances and two often good ones. It’s a conditional success.

2/4★★

CREDITS

Written and directed by Richie Mehta; director of photography, Tico Poulakakis; edited by Stuart A. McIntyre; music by Andrew Lockington; production designer, Chris Crane; produced by Lee Kim; released by eOne Films.

Starring Haley Joel Osment (Erol), Gillian Anderson (Marika), Rufus Sewell (Gabe), John Paul Ruttan (Young Erol), Susanna Fournier (Grace), Sherry Miller (Mrs. Moore) and Victor Garber (Sal).

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Devil’s Knot (2013, Atom Egoyan)

There are plenty of things one simply cannot do in two hours; if Devil's Knot is any indication, one cannot try to tell the story of the trial of the West Memphis Three in two hours. Paul Harris Boardman and Scott Derrickson's script seems to do quite a bit well–for the first third of the film, the horrific nature of the crimes has the film sympathizing with the police officers (Robert Baker in particular), only to later reveal incompetence and corruption on these characters' parts.

Then, once the script's obviously manipulative nature becomes clear, it's hard to take Knot seriously. The deception makes little sense, since the film's written for people familiar with the case (as there's no explanation why Damien Echols isn't executed at the end).

As for second-billed Reese Witherspoon, who plays a grieving mother looking for the truth, her arc's incompetently handled. At least Colin Firth doesn't have an arc or character development. It may very well be historically accurate, but it's far from dramatic.

There are some excellent performances. Kevin Durand and Alessandro Nivola are both good as suspicious fathers. Amy Ryan has a nice scene. Firth isn't bad. Witherspoon eventually gets a little better–but it's too little too late. Much of the supporting cast and some of the principals are weak. Especially James Hamrick as Echols.

Mychael Danna's score is manipulative and derivative. Director Egoyan does an insincere job. It's tepid, vaguely incompetent and Oscar-desperate.

Its compelling nature has nothing to do with the filmmaking.

1/4★

CREDITS

Directed by Atom Egoyan; screenplay by Paul Harris Boardman and Scott Derrickson, based on the book by Mara Leveritt; director of photography, Paul Sarossy; edited by Susan Shipton; music by Mychael Danna; production designer, Phillip Barker; produced by Elizabeth Fowler, Richard Saperstein, Clark Peterson, Christopher Woodrow and Boardman; released by Image Entertainment.

Starring Colin Firth (Ron Lax), Reese Witherspoon (Pam Hobbs), Dane DeHaan (Chris Morgan), Mireille Enos (Vicki Hutcheson), Bruce Greenwood (Judge David Burnett), Elias Koteas (Jerry Driver), Stephen Moyer (John Fogleman), Alessandro Nivola (Terry Hobbs), Amy Ryan (Margaret Lax), Robert Baker (Det. Bryn Ridge), Kevin Durand (John Mark Byers), Michael Gladis (Dan Stidham), James Hamrick (Damien Echols), Martin Henderson (Brent Davis), Kristopher Higgins (Jessie Misskelley Jr.), Brian Howe (Detective McDonough), Matt Letscher (Paul Ford), Seth Meriwether (Jason Baldwin), Rex Linn (Inspector Gary Gitchell), Kristoffer Polaha (Val Price) and Collette Wolfe (Glori Shettles).

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Dirty Old New York aka Fun City, Part I (2013, Jonathan Hertzberg)

Dirty Old New York is a multi-part series–presumably always intended by editor Jonathan Hertzberg to be a multi-part series. The project has Hertzberg cutting together clips of seventies and early eighties New York City.

Hertzberg creates a narrative, sometimes just between two or three clips and those times usually for humor (he succeeds with those). He does not succeed when trying too hard with the narrative editing–there's one lengthy phone sequence in this installment and, even after the constant phone shots is getting tiresome, Hertzberg edits conversations together.

There are two more technical issues and both seem to be technology related. Hertzberg pauses shots before they fade to other shots or fade out; it's understandable (to avoid the fade) but it's too jarring. And the footage he's using has varying aspect ratios–he doesn't unify them. It too is jarring.

Dirty is fun, but Hertzberg never manages to make it sublime.

1/3Not Recommended

CREDITS

Edited by Jonathan Hertzberg.

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The Suspect (2013, Won Shin-yeon)

The Suspect isn’t just another action thriller where the director never lets up the pace; it’s also one where the filmmakers constantly force the viewer into one emotional response–a negative one–before relieving the tension a little and creating a hopefulness, then repeating an even more negative situation.

It’s expertly manipulative and director Won seems to understand as long as he goes out with the viewer rewarded enough, no one’s going to hold it against the film. It provides a good ride with minimal resentment.

Even after the final manipulations–Won and writer Lim Sang-yoon eschew a sublime ending for a melodramatic (and entertaining) one–the biggest problems with The Suspect are the technical ones it has all along. Won relies way too much on digital video to insert lame noveau cinéma vérité shots (Suspect is very post-Greengrass Bourne), Shin Min-kyung’s editing is weak and Kim Jun-seong’s music is a little much. But Won makes up for those unpleasantries with excellently staged action sequences and fine directing of his actors.

Gong Yoo plays a North Korean defector who just happens to be a super spy and just happens to find himself in a bunch of trouble. Luckily he’s got the help of a reporter–Yoo Da-in–who’s got an agenda of her own. Too bad his old nemesis from his spying days, Park Hee-soon, is assigned to catch him.

It’s a contrived setup but the actors all make it work; Won handles it all earnestly too. Even the exaggerated costumes.

The Suspect’s a welcome diversion.

2.5/4★★½

CREDITS

Directed by Won Shin-yeon; written by Im Sang-yoon; director of photography, Lee Sung-je; edited by Shin Min-kyung; music by Kim Jun-seong; produced by Yoo Jung-hoon and Shin Chang-hwan; released by Showbox.

Starring Gong Yoo (Ji Dong-cheol), Park Hee-soon (Min Se-hoon), Jo Seong-ha (Kim Seok-ho), Yoo Da-in (Choi Kyeong-hee), Kim Seong-gyoon (Ri Gwang-jo), Jo Jae-yun (Captain Jo), Kim Min-jae (Soo) and Song Jae-ho (Chairman Park).

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Tim’s Vermeer (2013, Teller)

Tim’s Vermeer is simultaneously an intensely personal look at a guy–the titular Tim, Tim Jenison–and also not an intensely personal look at him. Jenison sums up his hypothesis in the first few minutes of the film–what if Vermeer (and some of his contemporaries) were less hippy dippy artists (my term) and more inventors? They were using cutting edge technology to make what we now consider fine art, but at the time they were creating the form.

The documentary, which barely runs seventy minutes, doesn’t really discuss any specific friction caused by Jenison’s venture. It mentions general friction at the idea, but I think I remember from art history classes the idea of Vermeer using science to accomplish his paintings. What Jenison does himself could be handled far more like Pierre Menard, Author of the Quixote, only director Teller and co-writer (and narrator) Penn Jillette don’t go that route. Because it’s not actually a personal look at the guy or even a questioning one about the cultural connotations of his experiment.

The film has three sections–the introduction, the building of the set, then the painting. The de facto fourth section is the abbreviated reaction to the final product. The fourth section could be the whole picture. But the film’s not grandiosely ambitious, it just wants to show this guy’s experience. Only not too personally.

Technically, Vermeer is decent. Teller has fine composition. Lousy editing from Patrick Sheffield though. Conrad Pope’s music is awesome.

It’s cool stuff.

3/4★★★

CREDITS

Directed by Teller; written by Penn Jillette and Teller; director of photography, Shane F. Kelly; edited by Patrick Sheffield; music by Conrad Pope; produced by Jillette and Farley Ziegler; released by Sony Pictures Classics.

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7x6x2 (2013, Paul Pope and Sridhar Reddy)

If a viewer is unfamiliar with co-director Paul Pope–and his comic work–he or she might not be as disappointed with 7x6x2. The short would probably still be disappointing, just because it takes itself way too seriously and has no self-awareness about being a sci-fi short apparently shot where the old "Star Trek" filmed a bunch.

But, if a viewer is familiar with Pope's comics work, he or she would be able to identify the composition and how close Pope's style matches in live action and illustration. Sadly, that composition doesn't carry over into any other directing skills–and it isn't just Pope, co-director Reddy's fault too. They can't direct the actors at all.

Lead Joseph Aviel is bad; it doesn't help he gets poorly handled flashbacks, which just increases the bad. As his sidekick, Shawn Thomas is pretty good.

Bad music from Ben Rubin doesn't help.

7x6x2 isn't uncreative, just inept.

1/3Not Recommended

CREDITS

Directed by Paul Pope and Sridhar Reddy; screenplay by Pope and Reddy, based on a graphic novel by Pope; director of photography, Jesse Green; edited by Stephane Dumonceau; music by Ben Rubin; production designer, Mike Conte; produced by Gary Krieg; released by Tribeca Digital Studios.

Starring Joseph Aviel (Bryce) and Shawn Thomas (Swanson).

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The Earth, the Way I Left It (2013, Jeff Pinilla)

Oh, good grief. I really wanted to start out with the positives about The Earth, the Way I Left It put director Pinilla goes out on such an unbelievably saccharine note–after being way too obvious a minute or two before–I just can't.

Pinilla's got some very good composition chops. But Earth just keeps on biting off more than it can deliver. It's set in 1962. Why? Why not. Because 1962 is the only time kids can like astronauts, apparently. And then there's a 8mm camera, so Pinilla can fill us in on the situation through flashbacks. But not real ones because the dead brother (sorry, it's about some girl who's visited by her dead brother's ghost dressed up as an astronaut) disappears from the footage for emphasis.

Then there's some weird thing with the parents not speaking English.

It's all over the place.

Earth needs to be insightful; it's trite.

1/3Not Recommended

CREDITS

Edited and directed by Jeff Pinilla; written and produced by Pinilla and Matthew Pourviseh; director of photography, Justin Simpson.

Starring Amelia Osborne (Alexandria).

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Snowpiercer (2013, Bong Joon-ho)

Snowpiercer is relentless. There are three quiet moments; I’m not estimating, I’m counting. The final quiet moment comes with some commentary on the earlier quiet moments. The relentlessness is appropriate, as the film concerns a train traveling through a frozen wasteland housing the last survivors of the human race. It’s a post-apocalyptic rumination on remorse and violence. Director Bong treats the viewer as a passenger on the train, forcing the viewer’s perspective through protagonist Chris Evans.

At times, the film seems episodic, which is only appropriate as the first act comes to a close and Evans–along with his fellow insurgents (they’re the poor people in the rear of the train)–discovers the train’s cars are all different. So it’s appropriate the journey through those cars is going to be different. Vignettes might be a strong description, but maybe not. Especially not when considering how Bong lets supporting characters’ subplots play out in background.

The casting is flawless. While Tilda Swinton spectacularly chews through all of her scenes, there’s great work from Octavia Spencer, John Hurt, Jamie Bell and Ewen Bremner. The three leads–Evans, Song Kang-ho and Ko Ah-sung–are all fantastic. Song only speaks Korean, but is excellent when just walking around. It’s a reluctant leading man performance from Evans; he, and all the other actors, show their characters’ sufferings without exposition.

Snowpiercer is also a visual feast. Bong’s presentation this train and its passengers is a constant surprise.

It’s a hard film; Bong doesn’t offer any quarter, neither does his cast.

Home (2013, Jono Oliver)

Home is never inspiring or sentimental. Writer-director Oliver lets sentimentality graze the film graze once–and it’s a film about sympathetic mental patients reintegrating so it’s amazing he was able to get away with a sidewalk picnic without sentimentality–but the realities of the characters quickly reign in any loose tender particles.

The film concerns Gbenga Akinnagbe and his last two week and a half weeks in a New York mental hospital. He’s trying to get an apartment so he can be discharged (hence the title). Even though Akinnagbe has a goal and a set time frame, Oliver takes Home a lot of different places. The script takes its time fully realizing Akinnagbe’s character; the subplots almost seem independent of the narrative’s time limit. They move on deeper layers.

The film’s supporting performances are all stellar. Oliver makes sure all of his cast takes the time to listen–or, at the right time, interrupt–but also to think. Exceptional supporting work from Victor Williams, Frank Harts, Danny Hoch and Judah Bellamy.

Of course, while Oliver’s direction is phenomenal (the composition is quietly stunning and precise) and the film has excellent photography from Sung Rae Cho–Ulysses Guidotti’s editing is singular–none of it would work without Akinnagbe. Home starts with a narrative disruption; Oliver takes a long time to establish the ground situation, which is disorienting. The film relies on Akinnagbe’s character to navigate, even after it reveals Akinnagbe isn’t necessarily the most reliable navigator.

Home’s a striking success.

3.5/4★★★½

CREDITS

Written and directed by Jono Oliver; director of photography, Sung Rae Cho; edited by Ulysses Guidotti; music by Gingger Shankar; production designer, Eric Oliver; produced by Daniela Barbosa and Ged Dickersin; released by Entertainment One.

Starring Gbenga Akinnagbe (Jack Hall), Danny Hoch (Dundee), Joe Morton (Donald Hall), K.K. Moggie (Denise), Tawny Cypress (Laura), Victor Williams (Hamilton), Isiah Whitlock Jr. (Samuel), Tonya Pinkins (Esmin), Elena Hurst (Melissa), Frank Harts (Smitty), Adrian Martinez (Hector), Eddie R. Brown III (Travis), Alexander Flores (Thomas), Nick Choksi (Max), Deborah Offner (Sondra), Theo Stockman (Charles), Marilyn Torres (Viveca), Venida Evans (Ginnie), Ananias Dixon (Leo), Judah Bellamy (John) and James McDaniel (Dr. Parker).

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Snake and Mongoose (2013, Wayne Holloway)

I’m trying to think of something nice to say about Snake and Mongoose because pretty soon it’s going to seem like I’m picking on it. Fred Dryer. As in “Hunter” Fred Dryer. He’s in it for a bit. He’s having fun and still has some personality.

Sadly, the main actors have none. Richard Blake is a little bit better than Jesse Williams, but Williams is atrocious so it doesn’t make much difference. The rest of the supporting cast is even worse, though a lot of the fault might be the script. Alan Paradise and director Holloway write in one liners. It’s okay, of course, since the actors don’t act so much as wait to recite their crappy lines.

But the film’s incompetent in some ways it shouldn’t be. Holloway has a very limited budget. The way he shoots cars, one has to wonder if he promised the owners of these classic vehicles they’d be presented well. Shame Holloway didn’t put the attention into how he was shooting scenes.

Budget aside, the problem is director Holloway. He has no imagination for his small budget. He just pretends what he’s doing works and it doesn’t. More than half the film is old footage of the actual events, but there’s no attempt to integrate the scenes stylistically. Experienced cinematographer John Bailey doesn’t help. Sure, it’s digital, but Bailey does an awful job.

Snake and Mongoose’s badly made, badly acted. It’d do better as an historical clip reel than as an inept docudrama.

0/4ⓏⒺⓇⓄ

CREDITS

Directed by Wayne Holloway; written by Alan Paradise and Holloway; director of photography, John Bailey; edited by Richard Halsey and Nicholas Wayman-Harris; music by Gary Barlough; production designer, John Mott; produced by Robin Broidy and Stephen Nemeth; released by Anchor Bay Films.

Starring Jesse Williams (Don ‘The Snake’ Prudomme), Richard Blake (Tom ‘Mongoose’ McEwen), Ashley Hinshaw (Lynn Prudhomme), Kim Shaw (Judy McEwen), Maxwell Perry Cotton (Jamie), Fred Dryer (Ed Donovan), John Heard (Wally Parks), Julie Mond (Wendy), Leonardo Nam (Roland Leong), Ian Ziering (Keith Black), Tim Blake Nelson (Mike McAllister) and Noah Wyle (Arthur Spear).

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