American Sniper (2014)

Title: American Sniper
Release Date: 25 December 2014
Directed by: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2179136
My Rating: (4/10) ★★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆

Master manipulator Clint Eastwood tries to ruin Christmas.

Unbroken (2014)

Title: Unbroken
Release Date: 25 December 2014
Directed by: Angelina Jolie
Starring: Jack O'Connell, Domhnall Gleeson, Takamasa Ishihara
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1809398
My Rating: (6/10) ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

Angelina Jolie's second feature lacks some key ingredients to form a completely satisfying mixture.

At first glance, for it's size and scope, this would seem like the work of a seasoned director. An epic scale biopic with enormous sets, difficult locations, and a multitude of extras. It is without a doubt a challenging project but then say what you will, Angelina Jolie has always been bold. Unfortunately though, as the film progresses, where those bold efforts are spent often feels redundant, leaving behind a wash of horrifying events that aren't as impactful as they could--and should--have been.

This film is not without merit. Wonderfully photographed by Roger Deakins, Unbroken tells the story of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic runner who suffers a series of tragedies, eventually finding himself a prisoner of war in Japan in 1943. Angelina Jolie clearly has incredible talent for directing actors--the absolutely riveting performances of Jack O'Connell and Domhnall Gleeson are testament--and for that she should be highly regarded. My trouble is that for a film that dives so deeply and so darkly into the worst moments of a man's life, there are surprisingly few moments of hope. Knowing he will persevere from the title alone is not enough and the lack of hope is achingly felt, creating a third act that feels empty and long winded.

Angelina Jolie is not entirely to blame of course. Doing a quick Wiki search told me more than the film thought to in terms of how regarded Louis was among the other prisoners--sharing recipes to take their minds off things and so forth. Perhaps the script by the Coen brothers (rewritten from earlier scripts) could have used this sort of lightness to the film's and Jolie's advantage. Jolie instead utilizes frequent pans to the sky and large scale shots that, had they been less beautiful and epic, may have brought you closer to the tragedy within.

I'm very interested to see Angelina Jolie continue to direct actors, perhaps next time with a more intimate script and less money. It takes years to hone the grueling craft of self editing, a skill that becomes more necessary with every million dollars that is added to the budget. A skill that is not usually exhibited from many young directors, including Angelina Jolie.

The Imitation Game (2014)

Title: The Imitation Game
Release Date: 25 December 2014
Directed by: Morten Tyldum
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightly
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2084970/
My Rating: (5/10) ★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

Beautifully photographed and fearlessly acted, The Imitation Game still somehow fails to resonate.

As I sat down to write this review, it occurred to me that I couldn't connect with any specific approach to recommend the film. I thought I was about to sit and write an eight star review for a film I loved--I mean, I was clearly effected when the credits rolled. So what happened? As I sit here now, trying to extol the film's virtues and decipher what it was that moved me so much, I realize it was all well crafted Hollywood illusion. And I'm the sappy 'mo that fell for it!

I didn't see the sleight of hand--director Morten Tyldum's ultimately formulaic approach to 2014's Aren't-I-So-Discerning-That-I-Chose-This-Movie movie. Yes Benedict Cumberbatch is without inhibitions, so much that even the smallest muscle in his face works toward creating a full and complex portrait of a genius mathematician abused by the circumstances of his time (Alex Lawther as a younger Turing is just as complex but frankly much more understated). And while, most likely historically inaccurate, Keira Knightly's performance is designed as one to really awaken and empower an audience. Which, when the credits rolled I was. Awake and empowered. Ready to accept my homosexual ex-fiance for who he is and give him the A Beautiful Mind lecture that he is here. And here is Now. And he just has to live damnit!

But that's the trouble: The increasingly gnawing feeling that it was all so perfectly designed, so flawlessly crafted that I'd seen it before. Many times probably. Like Alan Turing himself, the movie left nothing to chance and came with no surprises. It was so well paced in fact, I'd wager I could tell you what page we were on in the script at any given moment. And truth be told, I did leave the theatre feeling much more sophisticated and discerning than those chumps walking out of Taken 3.

So instead of 8 stars I'm giving this film 5 stars because, well, because it's fine. It's perfectly fine. It probably won't stay with you for very long, but it will make you feel something while you're there.  And that's exactly half of why I go to the movies.

The Gambler (2014)

Title: The Gambler
Release Date: 25 December 2014
Directed by: Rupert Wyatt
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, John Goodman, Jessica Lange
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2039393
My Rating: (4/10) ★★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆

The Gambler fails to thrill, entertain, interest.

This offering from director Rupert Wyatt (doing a bad Martin Scorsese impression) would infuriate me if I wasn't so mindful of showing more heated passion than anyone involved in the making of the film. Replace passion with quasi-philosophical, pseudo-introspective monologues spoken by every character with just enough "insider" film jokes to remind you there's a writer, and we got ourselves a picture!

I won't mention that if you had only this film to guide you, you might honestly believe that every person of color was either playing basketball or sitting in perfectly crossed shadows somewhere orchestrating your downfall. Unless of course it's your Korean gambling lord, in which case he's orchestrating your downfall from his well lit Korean nail salon slash gambling syndicate. Clearly it's a White Man's world and the other 64% of us are just living in it.

I also won't mention the dramatic and unnecessary weight loss that leaves our beloved Marky Mark pallid and grey and which, if it weren't so distracting, would at best be a mildly interesting character choice but instead reeks of egocentrism and Oscar baiting. I know I know, English-professors-on-the-verge are skinny! Blast.

Instead I'll mention my surprise, when researching this film afterwards, to find it listed as a thriller. Sure it's thrilling to watch Mark Wahlberg's lips slowly turn blue, which I choose to believe was not due to the intense weight loss but rather was a metaphor for what the audience was suffering through. And I suppose it was thrilling to watch the absurdly edited climax which, if you know Los Angeles, has our anemic antihero running in circles through Downtown Los Angeles up to USC to get to Koreatown. Will he ever make it to his predictable and sentimental final destination, I'm dying to know!!

In the end no one is serviced by this film, least of all Jessica Lange, whose years of bold, horrifying choices in AHS seemed laughably out of place here. God bless Jessica though, at least she was awake throughout her scenes, which is more than I can say for the rest of the cast.

Big Eyes (2014)

Title: Big Eyes
Release Date: 25 December 2014
Directed by: Tim Burton
Starring: Amy Adams, Christoph Waltz
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1126590
My Rating: (4/10) ★★★★✩✩✩✩✩✩

Tim Burton steers Amy Adams far away from nuance in this real-life tale of Margaret Keane, the artist behind the Big Eyes paintings.

Now I understand Tim Burton is Tim BURTON and I'm just me. Great. But as I sat down to watch Big Eyes, I started logging his films--when was the last time I had actually enjoyed watching one? I'll admit I missed Frankenweenie and Dark Shadows, but that's because I hated Alice in Wonderland and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and only mildly enjoyed Corpse Bride and Sweeney Todd. Could Big Fish be the last time I was truly engaged by master Tim Burton's vision? I guess so. And I don't even know if it would still engage me today. I was young, I was fresh. But here, I thought, we have the old Ed Wood team back together, and if it all sucks at least I'll have Lana del Rey to hold me in the dark. 

Now I'll spare any further comparison because I truly think there is nothing more tired than pitting an artist's old work against his new work. I'm surely a careerist and if you don't believe me, just check out every Mike Figgis movie in my DVD collection--I'm in it for the long haul baby. I'm canonical.

But back to Big Eyes, right. Old Burton, new Burton....fading, experimenting--nothing could disguise the fact that the script for Big Eyes was still in its infancy. After years of development, perpetually an infant. Years of development, and this is all we get in terms of character? Where's the subtext!? Where's the nuance!? Most importantly, where is the humanity? As a viewer, I felt untrusted when Walter screamed (spoilers) "If you say anything you'll destroy our whole empire!"--because believe me, I got the message in the overacting long before the character said it so plainly. As a viewer, I felt untrusted when DeeAnn boldly marched through Margaret's house toward an earth-shattering finale because she was merely 'interested' in her studio work (seriously, was there no better way to finesse a climax? And for that matter did Margaret not think to move the turpentine as Walter was flicking matches through the keyhole? How convenient!). But if all this was tiresome, certainly the tonal shift in Act III from perfectly production designed (way to go Rick Heinrichs!) light period drama to poorly executed Woody Allen knockoff was distressing at best. 

As Lana del Rey held me in the dark....as the movie wrapped itself up succinctly and faux-victoriously, I realized I had no greater insight into the psyche of the two lead characters than whatever I would have casually assumed 106 minutes earlier. The last act did not explore the terror of self-betrayal as Margaret slowly realizes she is complicit in her own obliteration. The last act did not explore Walter's own narcissistic psychopathy or the haunting darkness that must accompany being exposed on an international level. It opted for a tidier, more cliche ending leaving a big void where a big heart should have been.