Entertainment Maven

A Good Day to Die Hard Review (Robert Harding)

A Good Day to Die Hard (2013)

Starring Bruce Willis, Jai Courtney, Sebastian Koch, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead

Directed by John Moore

A Good Day to Die Hard marks the 5^th installment, yes I said 5^th, in the Die Hard franchise. Bruce Willis reprises his role as John McClane with Mary Elizabeth Winstead coming back in a small role as his daughter Lucy. Then there’s new cast member Jai Courtney who is playing the role of Jack McClane ie. John McClane’s son.

Having reconciled his relationship with his daughter in Die Hard 4, John McClane has apparently been searching for his son. He manages to find him in Russia and quickly boards a flight from New York. He eventually finds out that Jack is an undercover CIA operative working to prevent a nuclear-weapons heist. Of course now the two McClanes must team-up against underworld forces.

Much like Live Free or Die Hard, this film deals with reconciliation between John McClane and one of his children. While his relationship with his daughter was saved because she simply “needed her daddy”, this film tends to do a better job of portraying the father and son relationship and its bond. Sure it’s cliche and predictable but at least it makes sense and you can see the progression throughout the film.

Unfortunately, fans of the Die Hard franchise looking for classic John McClane might be a little disappointed. In previous films it has always been John McClane, guy in the wrong place and the wrong time, against a mad man (and his team). There is a back and forth almost comedic relationship between our hero and his new found enemy. This is severely missing from this new film. Not only is John not the only good guy but there are several bad guys. Missing is the typical cat and mouse game with witty banter only to be replaced by a certain foreign hybrid. And the classic lines you come to expect from a Die Hard film seem forced and out of place.

Those out there who are just looking for a good action film should be warned. Die Hard has many many flaws that don’t take a vast knowledge of film to notice. The most obvious would be the absolutely terrible dialogue. I wouldn’t be surprised if this film generated some fun drinking games. How many times does McClane say he’s on vacation again? Less obvious is some really bad editing. This is the kind of editing that has people saying stuff but you never find out to whom or why. Seems the film is more concerned with creating hectic jump cuts and less with letting the viewer know what’s going on.

A Good Day to Die Hard does have some good big budget action sequences. There is a fantastic car chase sequence and plenty of gun play but unless that’s all you care about, the film will seem quite hollow in comparison to the rest of the franchise. In fact, with all the poor pieces of filmmaking, the film might not only feel hollow but might leave you with a bad taste in your mouth. I’m not saying you should avoid the film but I do think you should know what your getting into before you decide to shill out your hard earned money.

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A Simple Life Blu-Ray Review (Kirk Haviland)

A Simple Life Blu-Ray Review

Starring Andy Lau, Deanie Ip, Pik Kee Hui, Paul Chun, Elena Kong with Anthony Wong, Sammo Hung Raymond Chow and Tsui Hark

Written by Susan Chan and Yan Lam Lee

Directed by Ann Hui

New on Blu-ray February 26 from Well Go USA is the multi-award winning drama about a lifelong servant and the relationship she develops after a life altering incident: A Simple Life. The film stars Andy Lau and Deanie Ip in a tale that covers many similar themes to director Michael Haneke’s Amour, but from a much less dour place, as this film is a mostly about the blossoming of their relationship that is years old but has never fully developed into the family it becomes.

Roger (Lau) is a successful movie producer. Ah Tao (Ip) has worked for Roger’s family as a nanny and maid over the course of four generations. Now she is only looking after Roger who is the only member of the family still residing in Hong Kong. When Roger comes home to find Ah Tao has suffered a severe stroke and is no longer able to take care of herself, he agrees to help her relocate to a nursing home. Ah Tao moves in and begins acquainting herself with a new ‘family’, the brisk but fundamentally kindly supervisor Ms. Choi and a motley crew of elderly residents, including the dapper Uncle Kin, the jealous Auntie Kam and the good-hearted dialysis patient Mui Gu. Giving even more time and attention to Ah Tao’s needs and pleasures, Roger comes to realise how much she means to him. But the closer the two get the more Ah Tao’s health begins to deteriorate.

A Simple Life is a very uncomplicated movie. The film knows it lives off the relationship between the two leads and the chemistry they create, which comes in waves. The script is smart and tight and keeps the focus where it needs to be without fearing to take interesting little side excursions into the lives of Ah Tao’s fellow residents. Do we need to know what Uncle Kin does with all the money he borrows, what is going on with Auntie Kam’s family, or even need to meet Mui Gu doting mother? No, but these little details help flesh out the world where Ah Tao has chosen to make home and give the nursing home itself a world of its own and director Hui makes it believable and real.

Deanie Ip is fantastic here. Her performance is vibrant and engaging, the type of performance that has you happily following her story even though you already know from the beginning that it can only be a heart breaking conclusion. Ip infuses her character with little nuances and reactions that make her even more endearing; a conversation about dating between her and Lau’s Roger is infused with quirky charm based on her performance alone. And the end of the film, where it could be lost to over dramatization, it goes the opposite way into an endearing finale. Lau manages to support Ip solidly here, as his performance as Roger is not a flashy one, but deals a lot with interior moments and emotions. Roger’s ever growing devotion to Ah Tao is manifested through the more entangled and invested he becomes in her welfare and her life in general.

The setting of the nursing home works very well. It encompasses the parallels in Ah Tao’s life, being used to living in smaller surroundings, and the lack of thought that can be put into our elderly as they get put into undermanned and almost ramshackle environments to live out their years under the supervision of others. We see many examples of how the home is not adequately suited to take care of the residents as well as it should, but without the money to afford better accommodations the occupants of the home must do what they can to continue on. Roger’s apartment, tiny as it is, also shows that despite his success he still desires to live a simple life himself. Director Hui demonstrates a delicate yet masterful hand here, the direction used to guide and not interrupt the story.

Filled with some fun cameo appearances from top people in the Chinese film industry like Sammo Hung and Tsui Hark, A Simple Life also deals with the film industry from more of the workman-like side of the business, without the glitz and glamour with which it frequently presents itself. A Simple Life may be simple on premise but it is strong on execution and features some excellent performances. And backed by the strong performances of the leads the film stays true and engaging throughout. Although the disc itself contains no special features, the Blu-ray is well worth a purchase. A Simple Life is a definite recommend.

Till Next Time

Movie Junkie TO

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Snitch Review (Kirk Haviland)

Snitch Review

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Jon Bernthal, Barry Pepper, Michael Kenneth Williams, Rafi Gavron, Melina Kanakaredes, Nadine Velazquez, Benjamin Bratt and Susan Sarandon

Written by Justin Haythe and Ric Roman Waugh

Directed by Ric Roman Waugh

A desperate father tries to save his teenage son from an unjust prison sentence by infiltrating a dangerous drug cartel in Snitch. The ‘Inspired by real events’ tale features Dwayne Johnson in a much more dramatic performance than the usual action packed extravaganzas we are used to seeing him in. Snitch plays out more slowly and methodically than the commercials and previews would have you believe, but is that a good or a bad thing?

Businessman John Matthews (Johnson) is devastated when his 18-year-old son Jason (Gavron) receives a mandatory minimum 10-year sentence in federal prison. Jason is caught with a package he received from a friend, who set him up, containing illicit drugs. When Jason turns down an offer from politically ambitious U.S. Attorney Joanne Keeghan (Sarandon) to reduce his sentence by manufacturing evidence against someone else, John begs Keeghan to let him go undercover instead. John infiltrates a violent gang led by ruthless drug dealer Malik (Kenneth Williams) but he compromises another innocent man’s (Jon Bernthal) life and family in the process. And when he unexpectedly catches the eye of a major player in the Mexican drug trade (Bratt), the already dangerous venture turns potentially deadly.

Snitch features a simply plotted script, some decent performances and one fantastic beard. Waugh has scripted and directed a pretty solid stripped down film without many twist and turns or even very many bells and whistles. The dialogue works though it’s kept pretty standard and just mainly used to propel the story as opposed to enhance it. Johnson actually shows some good range here in his performance, which should not come as too much of a surprise for those who have been following his career for a long period of time because he has shown versatility may times over, but may pleasantly surprise those only used to his action films. Of the main cast the only one who feels out of place is Kanakaredes as John’s ex-wife, whose presence here results in a role that ultimately becomes a throw away character. On the flip side, Velazquez’s turn as John new wife is a performance that actually begs for more screen time. And the aforementioned fantastic beard award belongs to Barry Pepper’s grizzled DEA agent who sports a serious goatee, and manages to ground the film by bringing to light the severity of John’s actions when everyone else seems to be glossing them over.

The action sequences that are part of the movie are staged very effectively with some good camera work and pacing. The closing sequence includes a highway chase involving some cars and a semi-truck with a full trailer that crashes and bangs across multiple lanes of a freeway with vehicles impressively flying all over the place. The one thing not involved this time around is any physical fighting from Johnson, in fact Dwayne doesn’t punch a single soul, and the one action sequence in Snitch belongs to Bernthal.

The film ends up clocking in just less than two hours and could have been trimmed a bit as some of the exposition and dramatic sections do drag a bit. That said the film still does a decent job, delivering a solid film that while not dazzling in any way does manage to get the job done. There are many other options in theaters right now that are far less entertaining than Snitch. Ultimately Snitch ends up as a mild recommend.

Till Next Time

Movie Junkie TO

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Side Effects Review (Dustin SanVido)

Side Effects (2013)

Starring Jude Law, Rooney Mara, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Channing Tatum

Written by Scott Burns

Music by Tomas Newman

Directed by Steven Soderbergh

Steven Soderbergh has been one of the most, if not the most prolific director of the last two decades. Although I’m not a particularly big fan of his work there is no debate as to the fact he is one of the most driven filmmakers in Hollywood. He’s successfully walked a fine line between appeasing general audiences with such mainstream fare as the Ocean’s trilogy, Magic Mike and Contagion while also pushing his independent artistic envelope with experimental works such as Bubble, Full Frontal and The Girlfriend Experience. Soderbergh recently stated his intention to retire from filmmaking after his latest works, his Liberace biopic for HBO “Behind the Candelabra” and the pharmaceutical thriller Side Effects. With Side Effects being Soderbergh’s supposed swansong, he has crafted an engaging dramatic mystery that wears its Hitchcockian-inspired visuals and narrative proudly on its sleeve while also reminding the audience that few filmmakers today can make psychological thrillers as effective as he can.

It’s difficult to talk about the narrative in Side Effects without spoiling the many twists and turns found within so I will attempt to be brief. The film begins as Emily Taylor (Rooney Mara) is awaiting the release of her husband Martin (Channing Tatum) from prison after serving a four year sentence for insider trading. Upon his release, Emily begins suffering from depression and begins treatment from Dr. Jonathan Banks (Jude Law), a psychiatrist who introduces Emily to a series of prescription drugs to cope with her illness. As Emily’s world begins to unravel from within, Dr. Banks prescribes a new drug after consulting with Emily’s prior doctor (Catherine Zeta-Jones) which leads to unexpected side effects that will change the lives of all involved.

Side Effects never reveals what film it’s trying to be until the last act. Is it a medical/crime drama, a moody character piece, or weighty message drama that screams Pharma-companies are bad? The answer is none of the above, which may lead some viewers to wrongly interpret Side Effects as a muddled who-dun-it that doesn’t really know what it wants to be. I believe this was Soderbergh’s intention as he didn’t want to make a simple mystery film, but one that lets the viewer experience the narrative as his protagonist does. Disguising the film thematically allowed him to surprise the audience with many shocking moments that seemingly come out of left field but ultimately link up to create a taut and effective mystery thriller.

As with his previous works, Soderbergh gets every ounce of talent out of the actors involved, with Jude Law being the most effective. His Dr. Banks is a character that you would find in the kind of films Soderbergh is emulating. At first he is merely a supporting character who eventually discovers things are not entirely as they seem. Law is convincing and has no trouble changing gears between accentuating the performances of his co-stars to outright grabbing the focus of the film in the second act as his professional and personal life begin to crumble. Rooney Mara once again demonstrates why she was chosen to Americanize the character of Lizbeth Salendar in the remake of The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo. Her ability to transition seamlessly from emotion to emotion in the same scene is a rare talent that is used effectively in her dramatic moments with Tatum and Law. That being said, Tatum and Zeta-Jones are fine in their respective roles and make the most of what is called for, but since Side Effects is centrally focused on Emily and Dr. Banks, the secondary roles are by nature forgettable.

Like his previous works, there is an intentional plainness to the look of Side Effects with the exception of a few visual cues that harken back to the old noir films of the 50’s and 60’s. This is ever present in the beginning as a slow moving pan through a condo instantly establishes atmospheric tension that remains for nearly the film’s entire running time. Unbeknownst to most casual viewers is the fact that Steven Soderbergh shoots and edits his own films under a pair of pseudonyms, which is of course why his features all have a distinct feel. Also, the minimalist approach taken by Thomas Newman’s score effectively maintains the visual rhythm without taking attention away from the narrative or performances.

Side Effects is an effective mystery that slowly pulls its viewer in and rewards their patience and should be a delight for Hitchcock fans and lovers of old crime/noir stories. It’s fair to say that Soderbergh has made superior films, but should not be a deterrent to seeing Side Effects. If anything, you may be watching a masterful filmmaker engage your cinematic intelligence for one last time.

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Netflix: The Imposter Review (Matt Hodgson)

The Imposter (2012)

Starring Adam O’Brian, Frédéric Bourdin, and Carey Gibson

Directed by Bart Layton

In between unsolicited screenwriting and job hunting (some of the hardest and yet most rewarding work I’ve ever done vs. the Maslovian requirements of food and shelter and the currency exchanged for them) I’ve been spending a lot of time with the slowly improving Canadian Netflix. While I still hear tales about the oasis that is American Netflix, the great white north version now boasts dozens of films and no less than ten different TV shows that I have earmarked for my own personal consumption. Today, based on a recommendation that my partner Heather received from a co-worker, we decided to check out The Imposter: a documentary that was promised to leave our heads spinning.

While not necessarily a true documentary (more on this later) The Imposter is about real-life events, specifically, the disappearance of a 13-year old boy named Nicholas Barclay and the person who tried to take his place. After Nicholas had been missing for over three years, his family received a phone call saying that he had been found in Spain. Spain! Minds reeling, they followed the necessary steps to return Nicholas to Texas and reunite with the now 16-year old boy. Almost immediately we learn that this wasn’t Nicholas, but rather an adult male posing as a child. This immediately made me think of a recent horror movie that starts with ‘Or’ and ends with ‘phan’. However this unsettling revelation is only the first of many that will leave the viewer shaking their heads, for better or worse.

While the subject matter of The Imposter is very real, the filmmakers chose a style that is somewhere between documentary and theatrical crime thriller. I understand the choice as it makes the movie a much more entertaining experience with the high-quality re-enactments, but I can’t help but feel that it was a decision that was unjust to both the viewers and the people in the film alike given the terrifyingly real story of Nicholas and the man who tried to take his place. I have always found true crime stories off-putting as they are essentially the misfortunes of some turned into entertainment for others. Also frustrating is the information temporarily withheld by the filmmakers and only used when it provides the ultimate shock value. These revelations would immediately flip how I felt about specific characters and caused be to groan as I realized I was being strung along like a puppet throughout the narrative.

Criticisms aside, The Imposter is a remarkable experience for the absurdity of the events that took place after the disappearance of Nicholas, and as a piece of entertainment the film is incredible. However, it was impossible to forget that at the heart of this two-hour thrill was one of the most unfortunate accidents or horrendous crimes: the disappearance of a child. I’ll never feel comfortable with this subject matter as entertainment.

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