2010: The Year in Film: "TRON: Legacy" Review

I set a personal record for myself this week, I saw "True Grit" on Thursday, "The Fighter" on Friday and this one on Sunday. As another aside, maybe I'm not the best person to be seeing and reviewing this one, I've only seen the original once, and only kind of remember it - but hey, here goes nothing. The original "Tron" is a sci-fi classic that has achieved "cult" status in the 28(!) years since its release. Indeed, the original was the first film to use CGI in a feature film. Given the state of film today, that becomes quite the milestone. A rough outline of the original goes as follows - brilliant computer programmer and video game designer named Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) who's had his designs stolen by a rival discovers a way to transfer himself into a digital world and directly confront the programs and games in highly stylized "battles" that replicate the games designed by Flynn. The story doesn't make a lot of sense in a realistic type of way, but it's original and had a visionary approach to the future that has turned out to be increasingly accurate (in terms of the involvement of computers and games in our lives). So the original is remarkable for the visuals, which were entirely groundbreaking at the time.

Here were are at Tron: Legacy. 20 years have passed since Kevin Flynn inexplicably disappeared, leaving behind his young son, Sam, after promising to show him his creation. Sam is running from his father's legacy, choosing to shun involvement in the empire built on his father's creations. When a mysterious page from his father's office to his former partner shows that something may be stirring, Sam investigates, and winds up immersed in the digital world his father created so many years prior. Searching for his father, Sam finds himself embroiled in a struggle between his father and rebellious creations who have corrupted "the grid" and threaten our world as well.

So there's the plot - pretty nonsensical, indeed, but this isn't a flick you're seeing because of the narrative structure. This is a spectacle. Escapism and entertainment at a very high level. Movies can be a great storytelling venue - but at a certain level, there's an appeal for visual spectacle, the kind of thing that can never be achieved in a book or story. This film looks great. Seamlessly melding CGI environments with physical actors is a trick that hollywood just about has mastered. The bright colors, unique world, soundtrack (scored by Daft Punk) and fantastical outfits, buildings and machines all serve to create a sort of techno-gothic land of perpetual twilight. There are some terrific action sequences and the nature/physics of the environment allows for some pretty cool stunts.



What grounds this one are the performances. Without the gravitas of Bridges (who plays two roles), this could slip to B-movie schlock, but Bridges keeps the necessary humanity present and grounds the outlandish nature of pretty much everything going on. Olivia Wilde is great as well as Bridges' surrogate daughter figure, and the very underrated Michael Sheen makes the most of his limited part. While the lead can't match the strength of Bridges or Sheen, he does what he needs to, playing the headstrong young hero part, and definitely resembles Bridges.

This is a fun movie that looks amazing. I was impressed, it was significantly better than I thought it would be. The visuals, color scheme, soundtrack and design of the architecture and vehicles all combine to create some sort of technological bad dream. Considering the original was made in 1982, the TRON franchise has a lot of credibility as far as sci-fi goes, for who could have envisioned in 1982 how central computers would eventually become to our existence?

A good time at the movies, and well worth seeing on the big screen.

7/10.

2010: The Year in Film: "The Fighter" Review

Boxing movies have a special place in the American pantheon of film. There's something about the dedication, the training, the strength of will and the determination of the pugilist that makes boxing a perfect metaphor for so much of what defines us as a culture. "Irish" Micky Ward was a popular champion in the late 90's and early 2000s, a working class hero of sorts who spoke to many. This fllm purports to tell the story of a fighter whose once promising career derailed by misfortune, bad luck and bad advice, and ultimately was rediscovered through adversity to rise to the very top of his sport. While there are some inaccuracies and artistic liberties taken with actual events, the finished product is a compelling story of a family, time and place whose lessons of determination, redemption and triumph resonate loudly today - when so many places and families struggle with the very challenges facing Lowell, Mass and the Wards/Eklunds. This has been a passion project of Mark Wahlberg's (a native of the Boston area) for years, and has seen Darren Aronofsky come and go, Brad Pitt come and go, and the project pick up and die several times. In steps David O. Russell (Three Kings, I Heart Huckabees) and the insane method actor who is Christian Bale (you know damn well who he is), and they deliver one of the great sports movies of recent memory. Indeed, Sports Illustrated recently named "The Fighter" as "Sports Movie of the Decade", high praise indeed from the most respected sports publication around.

The year is 1993. Boxer/road crew worker and local semi-celebrity "Irish" Micky Ward (Wahlberg) is a boxer who's career is at a crossroads. After a promising start, he's lost his last few fights, and is facing a hand-picked opponent in an effort to turn his career around and avoid the "stepping stone" label. A native son of Lowell, Mass, once the birthplace of the American industrial revolution and now a post-industrial wasteland of drugs, petty crime and housing projects, Ward is managed by his overbearing and larger than life mother, Alice and trained by his half-brother, Dickie Eklund (Bale), who had a title fight against Sugar Ray Leonard in 1978 and has spent the last 15 years basking in the quasi-celebrity that resulted for all it's worth. Dickie, who's seen by his family as a legend, has spent his time wallowing in the depths and darkness of drug addiction instead of training his brother. Completely overshadowed by the insanity that is his family (he's the youngest of 9 kids, and one of only two boys), Ward is quiet and contemplative, resigned to his fate despite the often negative effect it may have on his career and livelihood. Things get worse before they get better, but Micky meets and falls in love with a local bartender and former athlete (a great Amy Adams) who, along with a new trainer and manager, help return the focus to boxing. Ultimately, this is a redemption tale. Redeeming a legacy, a career, a family and really, a life.

It's impossible to praise this movie without praising the performances. It's no secret that this blog is a HUGE Chris Bale fan, and he's never been better than he is as the charming, infuriating and rambunctious Dicky Eklund, a guy who dominates every room and has managed to completely recreate his own life and legacy through a web of delusions of grandeur. Bale will break your heart and ultimately bring you back from the brink, he's that good. He truly steals every single scene he's in, just as the real-life Dicky would have. Emaciated and squirrelly, Bale once again recreates himself physically to play a man who lost himself in the devastating web of drug addiction. Right behind Bale though is Amy Adams, who completely surprised me as the tough, determined, wise beyond her years Charlene, local sexpot and ultimate girlfriend of Micky. Adams believably brings to life a smart, fiery woman who impacts our protagonist greatly. The rest of the supporting cast is great, at times too believable as the lower-class cast of characters populating Lowell. Wahlberg pales next to Bale, but I'm pretty sure the real Micky Ward pales next to the dominating personality that is his brother Dicky. Wahlberg plays Ward with a quiet frustration, a man who feels trapped by his circumstances but who is too loyal to turn his back on his family.



This is a film that paints a picture of a time and place. Lowell, Mass in the mid to late 90's and a family who left their mark, both good and bad. This film is about boxing, sure, but it's about family, about post-industrial America, and ultimately, about redemption. Bale gives a truly unforgettable performance. There are flaws, mostly with the direction. 1.) It is impossible to tell what the time period is. Does the film cover 1 year? 10 years? Also, the boxing montage of Micky's comeback looked cheap. 2.) I take issue with the use of music. 4 or 5 times throughout the film a song plays nearly in its entirety, dominating a scene, and I don't feel it fits with the rest of the film. However, make no mistake, this is a great film. Easily the best sports movie since Cinderella Man, this is a story well worth telling that deserves to take its place among the great boxing movies.

8.7/10. Bale will win Best Supporting Oscar, I guarantee it.

2010: The Year in Film: "True Grit" Review

The Coen Brothers (Joel and Ethan) are true artists and have contributed more to film in the past 25 years than just about anyone else. Their catalogue (Raising Arizona, Fargo, Miller's Crossing, The Big Lebowski, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, No Country for Old Men, A Serious Man, etc) contains a number of classics (and only a few duds, Ladykillers *cough*) in a number of genres and they are one of the few director(s) who makes a film a virtual must-see just as a virtue of their mere involvement. Jeff Bridges is without a doubt one of the top actors working today. His performance in "Crazy Heart" was truly remarkable, and elevated something that could have been Lifetime "Movie of the week" level schlock to something much, much more. He's worked with the Coen's before, in the comedy/cultural cult classic "The Big Lebowski", as the legendary Dude, a film and role that are near and dear to my heart. This film is the Coens' second remake, after the deeply flawed "Ladykillers", but the source material is quite different indeed. The original, 1969's True Grit, is one of the great westerns, and for my money, one of John Wayne's best performances, indeed the only won for which he brought home Oscar gold. Into the Duke's sizable shoes steps Jeff Bridges, playing the deliciously crusty Reuben "Rooster" Cogburn, a man who's cunning, violent, drunken, debauched, and also quite funny.

This is a remarkable film. Visually stunning, tremendously acted, where it may be strongest is in the language and dialogue, it's poetic and often artistic.. hearkening back to an era where language held a prized place in our culture, as opposed to today's "Jersey Shore" era where "like" is every other word and mouth-breathing knuckle-draggers are barely capable of forming coherent thoughts. This film calls to mind the great era of Westerns - where the majesty of the settings and the strength of the personalities defined us through American fables, featuring great men and grand deeds, the stuff of legends filtered through a distinctly American lens. In an era where cynicism and moral relativism dominate discourse, it's refreshing (to me at least..) to know the stakes and get a classic, straight-forward story presented in such a well-done fashion.

Bridges, is, as expected, terrific. Wonderfully gruff and just an all-around miserable bastard, he's part hardened killer, part Bad Blake, part "The Dude" and all awesome. Matt Damon more than holds his own as a more straight-edged lawman, a Texas ranger known only as "La Beouf". The real star here is young Hailee Stanfield, who more than holds her own as spunky, precocious Mattie Ross, who seeks vengeance for the murder of her father. This isn't a story you've never seen before, it's a manhunt with revenge as the primary motivation. Josh Brolin (also a Coen vet) plays a somewhat vile villain and Barry Pepper is an unexpected surprise as the leader of the outlaw gang our intrepid wanderers are pursuing. It's sort of a Western road trip movie with a solid body count stacked up along the way. I won't say any more so as to not spoil the plot.



At once epic and intimate, the Coens do justice to a classic cinematic genre, rendering the period brilliantly. The artfully done portrayal of a time and place that seems so far away elevate this film from an homage to something more.. a great example of the genre perhaps? At times funny, dark, charming, witty and violent (not entirely unlike the old west itself), this is a great flick that's well worth a watch. Don't go in expecting your worldview to be forever altered by what you're seeing, but simply enjoy the artistry of filmmakers and performers at the top of their respective games, and remember that films like this is why there will always be a special place for movies.

8.5/10.

2010: The Year in Film: "127 Hours" Review

I saw this one last night - and am actually being prompt in my review - whaddya know? Every once in a while there's a news story that's so damned insane that no fiction could possibly match it. Most of you surely remember the story about Aron Ralston, the man who got trapped alone in a canyon in Utah and cut off his own arm to survive. It doesn't seem to me like it'd have enough substance for a feature film without a bevy of flashbacks (which are played out), but when one of the better directors working today, Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, Slumdog Millionaire) was attached, I became intrigued. When they cast James Franco - who I've been a huge fan of since he stole the show in "Pineapple Express" - my interest was piqued. This is basically a two-man show, as Director and lead craft a tale of human perseverance, determination and growth, while largely working within the tight confines of a narrow canyon.

Aron Ralston is a loner and adrenaline junkie. A man who needs nothing an no one other than himself, and sets out every weekend to prove to himself just how independent he can be and what he can do. The weekend of April 24, 2010, he sets out alone to Blue John Canyon in Utah without telling anyone where he's gone or how long he'll be away. After a brief run-in with some female hikers, he sets back off alone to do some rappelling. A freak slip ends with him trapped and pinned beneath a boulder for the next several days as his supplies and morale slowly dwindle.

This film is a celebration of the individual will, of the strength that comes from determination to survive. Shot on location in Utah, Boyle makes the most of the immaculate (and desolate) vistas, cliffs and rock formations present in one of America's true natural wonders. While I'm not much of an "outdoors" type myself, I can certainly respect and understand what would drive someone to lose themselves in the majesty of nature. Through flashbacks, hallucinations, visions and the like, Boyle expands the narrative from simply a man and a boulder to help express the despair and thought process one would experience in such a bleak, desperate situation. Through different camera angles and speeds, Boyle heightens the experience and joy followed by crushing devastation of what should have been a fun weekend for an adrenaline junkie.

But make no mistake, Mr. Franco is the true star of this production. He brings a charm, wit and "joi de vivre" necessary for a film where 99% of the shots feature him prominently. This is one of the great performances of our time. Franco is riveting, and manages to (along with Boyle) make this about more than a guy stuck under a rock, but about personal growth and what the sheer determination to survive can drive us to. It kind of makes you feel like a pussy for complaining about the minor problems in your life.

Make no mistake kids, this is must-see.

8.5/10.