Serious Movie Lover

KILLER ELITE (2011/In THEATERS)  I don’t count myself a big action flick/Jason Stratham fan but I did love The Bank Job and I was intrigued by the chance to see JS up against the likes of Clive Owen and Robert de Niro in Killer Elite. Great cast, interesting story, solid trailer…and hey, it almost works. There’s plenty of action and the plot is thick—maybe too thick really. In the great tradition of British spy stories, this one is based on a book entitled “The Feather Men” by ex-SAS officer Ranulph Fiennes (Ralph’s cousin) and is set in the 1980s where it purports to tell the true story of four officers (former SAS who were active in Oman) who are assassinated by a “killer elite” squad on the orders of a Dubai sheikh whose sons were murdered by British forces. In the book, Fiennes claimed that he himself was targeted by the hit squad, but was saved by a group of vigilantes calling themselves the “Feather Men.” In the movie, we’re allied to the hit squad—lead by Danny (Stratham)—with his well played partners Davies (Dominic Purcell) and Meier (Aden Young). Danny is the reluctant assassin here—he comes out of retirement to take the sheikh’s assignment only because his partner Hunter (de Niro) is being held captive until all the revenge killings are completed. And just to make matters more interesting (read difficult), Danny must obtain confessions from each of the SAS officers prior to their murders and must send these through to Oman as proof of his success. Now, mind you, in the film, Danny is considered the best of the best when it comes to killing. But he meets his match in Spike (Clive Owen sporting a weird moustache) who is the ultimate protector for his former SAS colleagues, working in secret for a group of bankers, lawyers and typical British B-movie types, who form the backbone of the secret Feathermen group. This would be plenty of plot (right?) but we also have a love interest for Danny (gorgeous blond Yvonne Strahovski) back in Australia where he hopes to retire for good. Add to that two additional characters—one representing the British government’s interest in Oman and the other serving as a sort of “pimp” of assassins— whose loyalties are at best suspect and really you’ve got a bit too much going on. But let’s get real: who sees a movie like this for the plot? The action sequences are numerous and some are seriously good—most notably, a mano-a-mano battle between Owen and Stratham set in a hospital. And even though the movie runs long, and leads to a somewhat silly conclusion, I thought it was okay–not The Bank Job unfortunately–but not as bad as the reviews it’s getting. As someone else on the web suggested, a good choice for a matinee.

Grade: B-

BTW: Ever wonder what happened to Clive Owen? He was so red hot he sizzled a few years ago and was rumored to be the next James Bond before Daniel Craig made Layer Cake and took the role instead. The Independent sheds some light in this recent interview article.

LESS THAN ZERO (1987/DVD)  
Who knew? During an interview with Terry Gross on NPR’s weekend version of Fresh Air, Brad Pitt mentioned that he had been an extra in Less Than Zero. Wow.  And, as these things often happen, the movie turned up last night on a strange cable channel–so I watched it and I think I saw Pitt in a party scene but don’t hold me to that.  I’m not sure who remembers this movie–in its day, it created quite a controversy.  Roger Ebert gave it 4 stars for its damning but visually beautiful portrayal of the LA upper-crust young-things drug scene (with cocaine dominating).  He even offered strong support for all the performances though most reviewers had less positive things to say, saving their praise for only Robert Downey Jr. in the leading role as Julian, the charismatic druggie whose life is falling apart, and James Spader as his patient but evil dealer/pimp. The other two main characters are routinely seen as weakly portrayed by Andrew McCarthy who is Clay, Julian’s wealthy “home from college on Winter break” friend and Jami Gertz, the skinny model and love interest of both Clay and Julian.   I never read Bret Easton Ellis’ novel on which this movie is “loosely based,” but I gather the two are worlds apart–there’s still plenty of discussion in user boards on this topic.  But ignoring all that and taking the movie by itself, I’d have to say that it is seriously eerie to watch RDJ in what feels like a preview of all the bad turns his real life took in the early 2000′s—horrifying is probably a better word for this.  And thank heavens in real life he conquered his problems and is back in top form as the fabulous actor he always has been.  Ironically, young Julian–who is perfectly portrayed by RDJ in the film– by the end sincerely wants to get his life back also, but no such luck.  Not a great film by any means and it hasn’t aged well, but a good movie to catch if you’re a fan of either Spader or RDJ.  Just try to live through the Andrew McCarthy parts.

Grade:   B-

MONEYBALL (2011/IN THEATERS)

All that buzz you’ve been hearing (and reading) about this movie may have made you wonder if it could live up to its rep.  So I’m happy to tell you “no worries on that score.”  The film is extremely well made and absorbing, and it works not just as a sports movie but in every way possible. Directed by Bennett Miller, who also made Capote, the film tells the true story of the Oakland A’s General Manager Billy Beane and his experiment in using statistics to recruit “under-valued” players in order to compete in a game dominated by big and bigger salaries.  Beane’s assistant in this exercise is Peter Brand, a Yale economics graduate brought to life by an excellent Jonah Hill.  Beane is played by Brad Pitt whose performance carries the film and is the stuff Oscar loves and should love—he nails this part—and creates a full-bodied character.  What a year for Pitt, with the “Tree of Life” already under his belt.  Maybe he’ll get two Oscar nods?  That would be fine by me.  Philip Seymour Hoffman rounds out the main cast as Art Howe, the team’s coach, a sour guy who is just trying to make the best of what he and the other “old timers” all see as a fool’s errand.  The film is blessed with a great screenplay credited to Steve Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin, based on the book by Michael Lewis which incidentally has a spot-on subtitle:  “The Art of Winning in an Unfair Game.”  Real baseball fans know the whole story already and will recognize faces on the screen and the actual games being represented.  But even non-baseball people (like me) will find themselves sucked into this film.  Well done, one and all.

Grade: Big A

BTW:  There’s quite a checkered history to the making of this film.  The original script (by Stan Chervin) was set to be directed by Steven Soderbergh, pairing up with Pitt and looking like a sure bet.  But in June 2009, literally days before filming was to begin in Phoenix, Sony’s chief Amy Pascal halted production.  Word was that she had expected a traditional sports movie while Soderbergh was creating something more like a pseudo documentary, complete with player interviews, etc.  Soderbergh was let go; Bennett Miller came in; and the script was rewritten.  Jonah Hill was brought in to replace Demetri Martin (Taking Woodstock) who had been previously cast.  Pitt stayed with the picture and even took a producing credit.  And filming resumed in July 2010, 13 months later.

Of note:  The end credits to the film note that Beane, despite being offered the largest GM salary in baseball history by the Boston Red Sox, remained with the A’s.  In fact, he marked his 10-year anniversary as Oakland’s GM in October 2008.  The Red Sox went on to win the Series two years after Beane turned them down.  Oakland has yet to win.

CRAZY STUPID LOVE (2011/IN THEATERS)  In the mood for something light and fun? Try this slightly off beat summer comedy which is still running in theaters.  There are some great faces to admire, chief among them Ryan Gosling as a slick seducer who understands the power of a well fitting suit, sharp shoes and a great haircut–as well as a great body! (Wow…gotta love all those shots of him without his shirt and for that matter without anything else!)  And of course, Steve Carell gives his signature performance as the sweet but slightly clueless married man, dumped by his high school sweetheart and wife (Julianne Moore) over dinner.  Add to that Emma Stone, Marisa Tomei, even Kevin Bacon and couple of great young performers–Jonah Bobo as the 13 year old son of Moore and Carell who is madly in love with his high school baby-sitter Analeigh Tipton–and a fairly original script and you’ve got the makings of a fun night out.  Enjoy!

Grade:      B