Every Dark Cloud

   Often times films are portrayed in trailers as one thing and when you see the film it turns out to be something completely different. I expected Silver Linings Playbook to be just another crazy romantic comedy.  Nothing could be further from the truth and the end result is a film that is so enjoyable to watch I came away feeling joyful.  No small feat for a film that deals with bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and being widowed at a very young age.  Serious subject matter to be sure but rather than glossing over these issues they are obstacles the charcaters navigate towards a wonderful conclusion.  Kudos to director David O. Russell.

     Playbook has received much critical acclaim since its' release in November and deservedly so.  It has been nominated for Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actor (Bradley Cooper), Best Actress (Jennifer Lawrence), Best Supporting Actor (Robert De Niro), Best Supporting Actress (Jacki Weaver), and Director and adapted screenplay (David Russell).  The nomination of all four actors is quite rare and a first since Warren Beaty's "Reds" in 1981.  

     The story is set in Philadelphia circa 2008 and starts with the lead being released from a Baltimore mental institution where he has been for the previous 8 months.  Pat Solitano, played by Bradley Cooper, is suffering from bipolar condition and seems to be on the edge of losing control.  Yet his character is extremely sympathetic and I found myself constantly rooting for him.  Cooper had a very troubled and complex character to play and I feel he pulled it off beautifully.  In flashbacks the film shows Pat coming home early from work one day and finding his wife having a affair with another man.  He almost beats the other man to death and this is the incident that get's him institutionalized in the first place.  Understandable in the situation but not good.  Obviously he has control issues which may have been learned from his father who has been banned from Philadelphia Eagles games for fighting with other fans.  The movie shows Pat struggling to regain control of his life and holding on to the fantasy that he will somehow regain the respect of his estranged wife and be happily married once again.  Pats' parents are trying to help their son with much patience and unexpressed love but are really out of their depth.  Since Pat refuses to take medication he is always on the edge of losing control and sometimes goes too far.  A great character in the film is a police officer who continually is called to their home to quell disturbances, always reminding Pat that he can be sent back to the institution.  
     Enter Tiffany Maxwell, played by Jennifer Lawrence, who has plenty of issues of her own.  Through narrative it is learned that she suffered the loss of her husband and has resorted to sex as a means of dealing with the loss.  As a matter of fact she tells of having sex with everyone at her office which eventually gets her fired.  
     While there are many wryly funny moments in Playbook up until this point, when Tiffany arrives on the scene the movie really takes off.  Pat seems like a sad, lost soul but with Tiffany annoying him he becomes less self-absorbed.  These two damaged people dance around each other, both figuratively and literally.  Suddenly this becomes a very sweet movie.  Playbook is not your usual fare and swings back and forth between drama and comedy.  A dramady if you will.  And yet the romantic undertones,  perhaps not even recognized by Pat and Tiffany themselves, is what propels this movie to it's ultimate, yet predictable conclusion.  
     The supporting cast are what really lifts this movie to another level. Pat Sr., played by De Niro, suffers from OCD and has recently lost his job.  What does he do?  He resorts to bookmaking to make ends meet.  He is a rabid Eagles fan who is filled with all sorts of superstitions that he is convinced determines the outcomes of games.  But it is the heartfelt and emotional scenes with Pat Jr. that really gives De Niro opportunity to stretch his acting chops.  A few minutes is all it takes to remind us of what an acting giant he is and worthy of perhaps an Oscar come spring.  And lastly there is Dolores, the matriarch of the Solantino clan, played by Jacki Weaver.  She is the one person that seems to be the most well adjusted of the bunch.  Long suffering and silent in most of her scenes, she makes crabby snacks on game day and supports her men all along the way. Of course when things get too nutty she speaks up but by that time who is listening with all the yelling going on?  Yet the warmth and love that she expresses in her facial expressions is really what holds this family together.  She is Mom, all the way.  The ending becomes predictable but who cares?  When I left the theater I believed that every dark cloud has a silver lining.  

Les Miz

     Opening on Christmas day 2012 was the film version of the much beloved stage musical Les Miserables.  Directed by Tom Hooper and starring Hollywood heavyweights Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, and Anne Hathaway.  The stage production of the musical has been seen by more people than any other musical worldwide and is touted as the most popular musical of all time.  The stage production first opened in 1980 and while initially was panned by the critics audiences were very receptive.  What do critics know anyway?  Our job is to be critical.  To me the star of the show is the music itself.  The score is sweeping in scope,  emotionally charged, and moving in nature. This is the challenge facing any actor wishing to perform in this musical.  Of course the stage productions cast the absolute best singers in the roles and since, have become legendary in their portrayals.  

     This work is based on the classic novel first published in 1862 and written by Victor Hugo who also authored "The Hunchback of Notre Dame".  At more the 2,500 pages the novel is anything but an easy read.  However it is considered one of the classic novels of all time.  The story is set in early 1800's pre-revolution France.  The story begins in 1815  and follows the trials and tribulations of Jean Valjean, using him to expose the conditions of the day and social injustice.  The story opens with Valjean being paroled from prison after serving a total of 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread and failed escape attempts.  He ends up breaking his parole and assuming a fake identity after being given a second chance at life by a priest from whom he tried to steal.  He becomes the mayor of a town, owner of a factory, and a man driven by ideals.  The antagonist in the story is Javert, a fanatical policeman who pursues Valjean over the decades this story covers.  Many other characters move in and out of the story which creates a lush tableau for a classic tale of social injustice, intrigue, love, and redemption.

     So now on to the film version which is pertinent since after all this is a movie review.  I have seen the stage production several times and as a musician and singer I am in awe of the actors who play these parts.  The film version not so much so.  When converting a stage musical to film the director has two choices in casting.  Go for great singers who can act or movie stars who can sing.  Hooper chose the latter with what I feel are mixed results.  Jackman and Hathaway have received much critical acclaim for their singing and acting but I am not on board.  Both recently won Golden Globe awards for their portrayals which, seems to me, make the Golden Globes nothing more that a love fest for Hollywood insiders.  Very often Jackman's nasality was a distraction to the beautiful score.  When Hathaway sings quietly she has the chops to carry off the demanding song "I dreamed a dream".  But when she ups the volume level and tries to push it to soaring levels she becomes melodramatic and falls flat.  Much criticism has been leveled at Crowe for his singing which I am also in disagreement with.  As Javert, the relentless pursuer of Jean Valjean (Jackman), Crowe sings the show stopping "Stars" in this musical filled with show stoppers.  He stays within  his limitations and as such it plays extremely well.  There are some stellar performances by people who come with the stage cred to carry it off.  Leading off that list is Samantha Banks who plays the tragic Eponine and Amanda Seyfried as the grown up Cosette.  Banks, nearly steals the show with the number "On my own".  A song that can melt the heart of anyone.  And Seyfried's voice is that of an angel.  These two women are the wow factor in this film.  Even an untrained ear can tell the difference between trained singers and the movie stars who are often out of their depth.  Another worthy mention is Eddie Redmayne as Marius, the love interest of Cosette.  His vocals are heartfelt and moving.  The score and orchestrations are in a word, fantastic.  I know this is delving into the music portion of the film in a lot of detail and to some may seem nitpickey.  But this IS a musical after all.  I also read that instead of prerecording the vocals and then shooting the film with the actors lip sinking to the sound track Hooper elected to film the actors sing to the musical score live while shooting.  I think this was a mistake.  

     Now on to the film itself.  Contrary to what you may be thinking I liked this movie.  It really expands on a story that is already known by millions and gives it a narrative that only film can do.  The opening scene has eye popping special effects, the make up and costuming is flawless, and the pacing keeps this 2 hour and 38 minute film interesting throughout.  Some of the editing or set design looks as though they just filmed a stage presentation.  This doesn't happen very often and I don't think detracts from this film in the final analysis.  I really enjoyed this film and would recommend it to anyone who likes musicals.  If you haven't seen the stage production you should love this film, and if you have you still will.  Just not as much.  There is a lot of tragedy in the telling of this story so if you take a date have a crying towel at the ready.

I give this film a B+

...bin Laden Hunting.

     The much lauded film Zero Dark Thirty opened in the Seattle/Tacoma area January 11th so I attended a late night viewing to see what all the buzz is about.  Nominated for five academy awards including best film and best actress I figured this would be an exciting film to see.  Not hardly.  In the trailers for the film most of the footage shown is of the raid on the Abbottabad compound where Osama bin Laden was killed.  Leading me to believe that a good portion of the film would focus on the operation and the special forces who conducted it.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  With a running time of 2 hours 37 minutes perhaps 30  minutes is devoted to the operation that brought bin Laden to justice.  So little time is spent on the characters of the special forces unit that they come off as stereotypical and cartoonish. The focus on the "hunt for bin Laden"  is entirely on the character of Maya, a young woman CIA agent/operative?  It is hard to tell what she is what because so much of the film goes unexplained. 
     I just don't understand why this film would focus on such a small aspect of the investigation.  Is it so surprising that women would now play pivotal roles in the CIA?  Countless women have served in Iran and Afghanistan and many have been killed in that service.  A more moving and compelling story which I hope a director will tell one day. 
     Yet with little to no narrative a film that aims at artistic expression instead becomes confusing.  Don't get me wrong, Zero Dark Thirty is a good film but I can't understand all the accolades this film is receiving.  Film critic after film critic is declaring this the best film of 2012.  Really?  The film begins with the use of torturing detainees in the gathering of information.  Much controversy had been paid to how torture is portrayed in this film and how it is presented as an effective tool in gathering accurate information.  I don't want to get to get into moral issues, after all this is a movie review.  But I do feel that if a director presents torture as an interrogation tool then they have a responsibility to present the good, bad and the ugly.  I think the good and ugly are shown but as investigations into "enhanced interrogation techniques" have shown, a mountain of misinformation was given by people who were mercilessly tortured.  That is the bad because it is not only counterproductive to what is trying to be accomplished it removes any moral high ground that the United States can claim.  Sorry, I got off track for a moment there. 
     Now back to the movie.  After bit of information is gathered the film shows Maya trying to follow each lead and tidbit in her relentless pursuit of bin Laden.  Maya has been recruited by the CIA right out of high school and this is her only job.  It takes years to make contacts, cross check information and run down leads.  I felt like I was watching the process in real time.  So much of this movie takes place in offices with people sitting in front of computer screens or arguing in hallways.  BORING  That kind of behavior can be observed in almost any work place.  Granted these people are acting in the national interest, but there is nothing here that makes working for the CIA appear romantic, interesting, or even the least bit fun.  The rest of the film for me plodded along while trying to build tension along the way.  For me it failed in this aspect.  I felt a lot more tension and enjoyed Argo twice as much.  For me Zero Dark Thirty is a good film but the best film of the year?  No way.
I would give this film a grade of B