Posts tagged with “michael douglas”
Great Faces in a So-So Action Flick
HAYWIRE (2011/IN THEATERS) 
The previews for Stephen Soderbergh’s latest effort looked pretty darn good. Featuring a boatload of good looking faces including Channing Tatum, Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender, Antonio Banderas, Bill Paxton, and Michael Douglas, and introducing real-life kick-ass MMA superstar Gina Carano as the main character Mallory Kane (a woman’s version of Jason Bourne), the previews promised lots of action combined with classic Soderbergh arty filmmaking. Critics like the film and have given it an 86% positive Rotten Tomatoes rating. Audiences on the other hand have reacted quite differently, voting the movie a D+ Cinemascore and a low 46% on RT. The plot of the film (which is very thin) has us following Mallory Kane as she makes her way from upstate New York to her father’s house in New Mexico, pursued by her former employer and lover Kenneth (McGregor) who has set her up in her last jobs in Barcelona and Dublin, and is clearly looking to polish her off. Why, we don’t know and won’t know until a final “reveal” at the end. As Mallory waits in a small coffee shop, her friend/colleague (or enemy?) Aaron (Tatum) enters and asks her to leave with him. When she refuses, he throws hot coffee in her face and starts to smash her head into the floor. Not to worry, though, since our girl is able to eventually break his arm and knock him unconscious. Hey! It is an action picture after all. Through a series of flashbacks we see that Mallory’s past week has been full of action—including at least one person posing as her partner who is also trying to kill her (Fassbender, in a small but well played part). He dies too. I won’t spoil the movie for you by giving more plot details, but let’s just say this is no “Bourne Identity.” For some reason, despite all these attractive and talented actors, and some cool editing and music, the picture is not at all suspenseful and feels slow. It could be the story-line and the absence of any clever dialog. But perhaps the biggest problem is Gina Carano herself. She is a real-life MMA superstar and that shows on screen. But unfortunately she can’t act and since she is the centerpiece of the picture, that’s a problem which is hard to overcome. My advice: wait for the DVD—this will be a perfect popcorn movie one of these long winter nights.
Grade: B-
Solitary Man…Mega Mid/Late-Life Crisis
SOLITARY MAN (2009/ IN THEATERS) Michael Douglas gives us a less-likeable (make that much less likeable) extension of his Wonder Boys personae in Solitary Man. This time he’s playing Ben Kalman, a hugely successful former car dealer and family man who is trying to crawl back after being convicted of scamming his customers (“I paid my fine”), while also trying desperately to keep up his relationship with his daughter and grandson, and mostly trying and succeeding in “screwing his way to immortality.” He is obsessed with sex –- sexual conquest, to be precise. He can’t stop talking about it, even bragging about his recent victories to his own daughter. His lovely ex is played by Susan Sarandon; his current lover by Mary Louise Parker, a wealthy, well-connected link to the banks and auto execs Ben needs for his big come-back. Unfortunately, he blows that opportunity early in the movie—I won’t tell you how—just know that it’s part of quite a number of “oh no” moments in this film which will leave you groaning. How Michael Douglas manages to make this guy even remotely sympathetic is a miracle. Jesse Eisenberg as a young college student who idolizes him and Danny DeVito as his true blue college friend help a lot in this regard. The movie features solid performances, clever dialog and some very interesting jump-cutting techniques to move the story along. Worth seeing despite some trite moments. A good rental for sure.
Grade: B
Suggested Movie Pairing: Wonder Boys– for a big Michael Douglas night.
