Film Review: Contraband

A lot of people were surprised yesterday when the official box office estimates were released showing the new Mark Wahlberg film, Contraband, winning the 4-day MLK weekend with close to $30 million.

While many experts had pegged it to win the weekend box office title, few expected it to reach the heights it did it terms of revenue.  I for one saw the film over the weekend and have to say it turned out to be a solid action flick, set in a world that hasn't been shown much on the big screen recently, that of international smuggling.

I'm not one to spoil an entire movie in a review so the layout I'll give here is the barebones of the film and what I mostly liked and didn't like so much about it.

The premise of the film revolves around Mark Wahlberg's character, Chris Farraday (who use to smuggle goods through international customs for a living), coming back into the game to settle a debt for his young and stupid brother-in-law, Andy (played by X-Men: First Class' Caleb Landry Jones).  Andy has just thrown away a shipment of cocaine he was smuggling into the country for the sole purpose of not getting caught, only the man he was working for, Tim Briggs (played by the always exceptional Giovanni Ribisi), doesn't see it that way.  He wants his drugs or the money it's worth, otherwise, Andy is dead.  Chris is forced to get his old team back together to settle the debt with the help of his longtime friend, Sebastian (an underused Ben Foster) and against the wishes of his wife, Kate (the bland as hell Kate Beckinsale).

While the film follows a generic action plot and and succumbs to a few Hollywood clichés, the story is definitely engaging and doesn't waste any time in getting to ball rolling.  All the action was practically done (which is refreshing in this day and age) and the whole film looked to be shot on-location (as opposed to studio work or cheap fill-in environments).

The acting is mainly solid with Wahlberg once again proving himself as being capable lead while the underrated Giovanni Ribisi looks like he's having a blast playing the main bad guy.  Lukas Haas and J.K. Simmons fit nicely into their supporting roles, with Haas playing Wahlberg's sidekick, Danny, and Simmons once again playing an hilarious asshole as a ship sea captain.

My only real complaint is the fact that Ben Foster was incredibly underused and Kate Beckinsale is still getting roles in Hollywood.  I'm sorry but Foster deserves better than this and Beckinsale couldn't act her way out of a paper bag.  To me, she's nothing more than a pretty face in Hollywood and I found myself rolling my eyes when her name was credited with Wahlberg's above the film title.  Completely undeserving.  Foster, on the other hand, is tremendously talented and I'm really not sure why he picked such a prototypical role where he's the best friend but you know he's hiding something else.

Overall, I gave the film a solid B as being both a good action flick and refreshing take on what could have been a generic premise.

Well done Wahlberg.

Gainsbourg (Vie Heroique)

Gainsbourg (vie heroique) gained much attention for not only becoming the first film ever to tell the story of France’s legendary rebel named Serge Gainsbourg on the big screen, but also accomplishing it in such unconventional manner that it appears questionable whether the film can be categorized as anything that matches the standards of a biopic.

The cinematic debut of Joan Sfar, a famous comics creator from Europe, may split its audience in two parties by his venture to approach the long-existing idea of a movie about the French cult of the last century through a rather risky exposure of the protagonist’s inner world and personal life, rather than going the traditional route of aiming at exploration of his career’s rises and falls and the public image his persona represented in society.

Those, who are looking forward to the thorough examining of the true events in the tumultuous life of a rowdy celebrity, will be left unsatisfied from the opening scene to the final credits of an over-two-hour observation of Serge’s continuous love affairs and interactions with his illusions from childhood imagination.

Nevertheless, the film apparently doesn’t lose much from its inconsistency with the real life of Gainsbourg, as it still succeeds to build connection between Gainsbourg and us, between his reality and ours, thus it is not surprising if you find yourself wondering what turn the story will take after the first fifteen minutes.

Sfar’s choice to focus his entire film on personal concerns of Gainsbourg may be applauded by ones and criticized by others. The man, whose name is behind some of the most controversial songs of the last century, was notorious for his outrageous attitude on stage and inadmissible statements addressed to those in power.

Aside from the scene involving Gainsbourg’s dispute with the right-wing war veterans in the last act, all this is barely even mentioned in Sfar’s movie. Although it would be certainly delightful to have a whole movie about the thrilling conflict between Gainsbourg and society and between his songs and publicity, Sfar’s movie proves that the personal life of the rowdy, yet talented and clever artist is also tremendously fascinating to watch.

Without any doubt, the movie strongly stands on the phenomenal acting, which quickly sells the story and convinces in its credibility. The lead actor, Eric Elmosnino, precisely implements every peculiar movement, every eccentric gesture and every unique face expression of Serge Gainsbourg to the degree, at which it becomes impossible to discern the actor in his role and question the embodiment of Gainsbourg on the screen.

Elmosnino completely disappears, giving the breath to the iconic figure in French music to have just one leap from the past to the present days and take advantage over another chance to sing seducing songs to his gorgeous women and handle queer conversations with the surreal La Guele, well-performed by the common man behind the mask, Doug Jones. The grandiose acting of the cast splendidly balances with Sfar’s surreal visuals and transiently flowing narrative.

However, the film’s title Gainsbourg (vie heroique), translated as Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life, may cause confusion among many. Such title would be appropriate to the film about an artist, who was fighting for the truths he believed in, which was well-depicted in Gainsbourg’s argument with veterans of the war in Algeria regarding the actual meaning of the lyrics of the French national anthem, La Marseillaise. On the contrary, Sfar’s vie heroique implies the story of an unattractive man, whose talent is personified by his own hyperbole and whose dirty songs about lollipops have brought such beautiful and elegant ladies as Brigitte Bardot and Jane Birkin to his bed.

The question that may be whirling in one’s mind throughout the whole movie is “What was so great about this guy that turned him into a national idol?”. Every French person knows the answer to this question even prior to the beginning of the film, while every foreigner will leave theatre still asking this question until he looks up in the Internet or encyclopedia. A Heroic Life runs for over two hours, but never really reveals what was so heroic about Serge Gainsbourg.

Joan Sfar’s movie is ingenious in its delivery of the story, similarly to Francesco Rosi’s Salvatore Giuliano and Todd Haynes’s I’m Not There. Its charming and unusual visual style and excellent acting contribute to the film’s distinction from others in its genre. The film is far from being anything like a detailed and reliable guide in exploring Serge Gainsbourg’s biography and the answer that would explain the prominence of his role in French culture and music.

Nonetheless, it is an entertaining journey throughout his private life, which discloses some truths of Gainsbourg’s nature and the way he was when not on stage. Gainsbourg (vie heroique) represents a sea one should cautiously swim in when discovering the deepness of Gainsbourg’s inner world, not a surface to confidently walk upon while investigating the reality that surrounded the protagonist.

Captain America: The First Avenger

Captain America: The First Avenger is the story of Steve Rogers, a scrawny young man with a heart full of determination who has been rejected on several occasions by the U.S. military. His life changes when Dr. Abraham Erskine realizes the great potential residing within, and offers him a chance to be the subject of a "super-soldier" serum injection which transformers him into Captain America.

Before entering the theatre I had such a strong feeling that Captain America would be the must see film in the superhero genre this year. Unfortunately I walked out feeling under whelmed and disappointed. It doesn't rank among the worst by any means just somewhere along with the mediocre.

The positives brought with this film include the seamless integration of Chris Evans head onto the body of a 90lb weakling, the set pieces, and a movie that you can take your entire family to without worry of it being too much for the young ones. Director Joe Johnston does a fantastic job of making the time period very believable. Other than these few things, I can't find much with the movie that kept my attention.

The movie starts off at a slow pace, giving some insight into Steve Rogers' personality. He obviously is not a fan of bullys and never backs down from a situation where the person is bigger or stronger than he is. His eventual sidekick, James "Bucky" Barnes, is introduced early on as he comes to save Steve from an alleyway beating. They go out with two ladies on a date and Dr. Erskine overhears the buddies talking, realizing he has found the perfect subject for his experiment in Steve Rogers.

It is quite a while before we are thrust into any action and the first scene comes after the transformation of Rogers. Immediately after being injected and gawked at by everyone in the room, one of Johann Schmidt's (The Red Skull) Hydra agents is revealed, Erskine is shot and killed, then off goes Roger after him. As the agent flees in a vehicle, Steve chases him on foot while leaping over tall chain linked fences and crashing through shop windows.

After that Rogers is put on display in a sort of side show act, speaking to crowds in theatres and military men stationed elsewhere, wearing a crude version of the Captain America costume. He finally tires of doing this and goes on his own to save some captured U.S soldiers and gets the famous moniker. A team assembles and an important person parishes, but its hard to care for it because everything moves so quickly. I couldn't believe that I was watching the climax when it happened. The final showdown with Cap and Skull was anticlimactic. The dialogue was sprinkled with cheese while the two engaged in a very short and sloppy fisticuffs battle while the Red Skull's air carrier flew wildly in the sky.

The last scene was so forced by the upcoming Avenger movie that I have no problem in saying it is the worst ending of these tie-in films until the big team up happens. Iron Man 2 and Thor both suffered a bit as well with being too focused on what lies ahead rather than what is happening now.

The movie was slow to start off and once Steve Rogers became Captain America it felt like everything was rushed into the ending. I am still a bit unsure of what exactly the Red Skull's scheme was and all that action the TV spots and trailers promised ended up being mainly what was shown in them. I didn't go in just wanting to see action but the previews I've seen feel very misleading now.

Chris Evans was believable as Captain America. The problem with this character is there was never a true threat for him to face. He was never down and out with his back against the wall other than before his transformation. As soon as he became Cap, he plowed over enemies and performed super feats that I didn't feel like he would have any trouble saving the day.

Hayley Atwell handled the role of Peggy Carter well enough with what she was given. She never became that "damsel in distress" mainly because there was never a situation for her to be such a victim. She and Steve share an attraction towards one another that develops as well as it should but never gets to it's ending point.

The biggest disappointment has to be Hugo Weaving's Red Skull. He generally commands the roles he chooses, leaving a stellar performance. I thought he would steal the movie away from everyone else but I ended up feeling like he had been ripped from an episode of Adam West's Batman show. Hokey, cheesy, over the top, whatever you want to call it, he never felt menacing enough at any point to be a problem for Cap.

As the most uninteresting comic to film property this year, the First Avenger tries valiantly to pay tribute to classic action of the past with wholesome entertainment but fails to offer any true threat for the hero. The movie market has become overloaded with "superhero" films and at a time when they need to demand our attention, Captain America doesn't do so for me.

Conan O' Brien Can't Stop

 

In June of 2009 Conan O' Brien became the new host of the longest running franchise in history, The Tonight Show. Seven months later he departed from the show. His reason for leaving was simple; Jay Leno's new post-retirement show was being bumped into his time slot and The Tonight Showfor the first time ever would air at 12:05AM the following day. Conan refused to be the first host of the tonight show to host it the day after. Subsequently Conan left with a large settlement and Leno returned his huge ass chin to The Tonight Show.

As part of the agreement made with NBC in his settlement, Conan was prohibited from appearing on tv and radio in any capacity for the following six months. The decision to do a nation wide tour was first announce on his twitter account in March of 2010, the tour was to be called "The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour". Following the exploits and the behind the scenes of the tour was documentary filmmaker Rodman Flender. The documentary Conan O' Brien Can't Stop shows a side of Conan the publics never seen. Behind all the funny impressions and silly jokes on tv there's a real person who was burned badly by his own peers, whom he respected and worked with for over 15 years.

Following Conan on his tour and giveing perspective to who he really is was actually a lot funnier than I'd expected. He can be an asshole just like the rest of us, but unlike most people he really is that one guy that'll do anything for anyone. Getting the uncensored Conan was a refreshing  take on his persona. Jokes involving everything from his backup singers to the ridiculous groupie fans he encounters were crude and unexpected, but so damn funny it made being an asshole look like a good time.

The film follows Conan on his journey back to center stage. In between the segments involving the tour was Conans home life and the relationship with his friends and writers. By the end of the tour he's physically and mentally exhausted, but it's clear he's come full circle. Only weeks after ending his tour he began work on his new show, Conan for TBS.

For long time fans of CoCo this film is a must see. Watching Conan in his truest raw form uncensored by television is the funniest I've ever seen him. Even casual fans and people only mildly familiar with him should be able to enjoy the ride just as much if not more. Unlike most documentaries, it never slows down or gets boring, the pace is fast moving but covers everything it set out to do. Most importantly giving the fans what they want, Conan doing what he does best, entertaining.

Green Lantern

This film marks the first time the character's ever graced the big screen before, brought to life here by Ryan Reynolds. The film as I'm sure you're aware has been plagued with delays, shitty rumours, and a down right awful marketing campaign from the start. Luckily for Warner Bros and DC they seem to have actually delivered the end result they were aiming for. I can't say I was ever really a fan of the character before, aside from the direct to video animated releases, and I've never actually read a Green Lantern comic; so my opinion on the film is as unbiased and objectively viewed as it gets.

Ryan Reynolds casting as Hal Jordan the arrogant and cocky Air Force test pilot was as spot on as Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark. Similar to Reynolds previous roles he brings his sarcastic wit and charm, only this time he's also given a few brief moments to showcase his acting ability, he doesn't disappoint. Blake Lively as Carol Farris, Hal's love interest, felt like the most indispensable role of the film. They could have done with out the character or Lively and not had to change any serious element of the plot. Peter Sarsgaard's portrayal of Dr. Hector Hammond the main villain was both menacing and sadistic. Even Mark Strong who's screen time didn't seem nearly long enough was fantastic as the leader of the Green Lantern Corps, Sinestro.

The film starts off right away by assuming the audience isn't at all aware of the Green Lantern mythology and in turn gives a breif narrated back story to get the ball rolling. For those unfamiliar like I for the most part was as well; The Green Lanterns rings were created by an ancient mortal alien race known as the guardians. The rings were sent out to seek a Lantern in each corner of the universe to protect their individual sector or galaxy. They were forged by the power of will, and it's the will power of each lantern that grants them their abilities. Alternatively The guardians also attempted to harness the power of fear, there efforts turned unsuccesful when they realized the power could only be used for evil doing, thus giving us our main antagonist.

The opening sequence has the space ship of Abin Sur, a purple humanoid alien Lantern', being attacked. The trailer really did no justice to this action sequence at all. Sur really is one bad motherfucker, I'm sure he even has that stitched onto his wallet. We also get our first look at the power possessed by the rings as Sur fights off the invading force, only to be cornered into an escape pod. After crash landing on earth he allows the ring to seek out and find his predecessor, Hal Jordan, the first and at this point only human Lantern. Unlike the promotional images released early on the suit actually looks amazing on screen.

Without giving too much of the film away or spoiling any of the surprises, Green Lantern serves very much as a launching pad for the character; this is definitely an origin story, but much like Batman Begins it works quite well. The special effects and cinematography were well beyond what I'd expected going in, although aside from a few key scenes the 3D was used entirely as a gimmick. In the action sequences it was kinda fun to watch, getting the extra depth and scope of 3D, but for the dialogue scenes and everything in between it was distracting as hell. Regardless of what you may have also heard or even assumed the plot and the tone aren't at all as campy or cheesy as you may of thought. Martin Campbell did a great job at taking the source material a lot more serious than I think anyone expected.

I would also suggest staying until after the intial credits end for a special surprise.