Tag Archives: justice

Review~ A Combo Death Machine & Grim Reaper, He’s The Man, Jason Statham; Safe

May 16, 2012 By in candid film critique, recommended Tags: , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

Safe, with Jason Statham, Catharine Chan & Chris Sarandon.  Boaz Yakin, director (screenplay, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time).  Statham delivered the goods as a dealer of hard justice with just enough room in his broken heart for the welfare of a little girl.  I like these pressure cooker films where they hold back for about thirty minutes, then all hell breaks loose.  Statham is a rough & touch ex-extra-special government assassin, who’s seen bad times & is redeemed with a mere glance from a pixie.

Though Statham is fundamentally second rate, I really like him & his work.  I’m not a snob & there’s really nothing wrong with second rate, if it does what’s expected.  Anyone that knows Statham’s films realizes what they’re going to see (I have a feeling, I’ve said this before regarding him).  He’s an action star that is the master of all (yup, every single one) martial arts & his simmering nothingness always astonishes.  It’s like, he just eased into the films we periodically see, like hard candy that might break a tooth.

Obviously, I’m leading the cheer on this actor.  Positive reinforcement is all important.  The parents among my readers understand these things better than Cinema Marc Winger.

There are actually quite a few good old names in this film.  Chris Sarandon (an ex-husband of Susan Sarandon) is a familiar face.  I remember him initially from the original Fright Night (1985).  He’s aged well & tries so very hard to be a good actor.  Succeeding slightly.  His role as the Mayor of New York City during Statham’s rampage through the gang world is one of studied emphasis on the very few lines he has.  Enough lines to be more than just a cameo role.  It’s good to see him.  This is why people are hoarders.  There’s always something in the back room that can be dusted off & stuck on the dining table as a centerpiece.  (I’m a little worn out & cranky or I’d scrape up a little kindness at this time.)

James Hong, who was in several of the original Hawaii 5-0‘s, is always (always) a wonderful sight to see.  The elder actor has been in several films a year, every year, since time began.  His villains (he is an evil Asian kingpin in this) are his best work, in my opinion.  They make them durable in Minneapolis.  He’s gifted in his work.  According to his website, he teaches acting classes; which would be something special to audit.

One of the things I like about Statham is that he doesn’t swing his legs around in death-dealing, karate blows at every instance.  It keeps his movies at a safe distance from kung-fu films.  Call me ethno-centric, but I get bored with too many karate chops.  He definitely chooses to emote using kick-boxing & Western-style (all-inclusive) fighting skills.

The pace of this movie is quick & violent after the above-said beginning.  Usually Statham’s characters have at least one or two moments of smiling but in this tumbling adventure there is to be no grins.  Deadly retribution is the name of the game.

I recommend this film for those special moments when you really want someone else to let off steam.  You’ll definitely be a calmer person after it’s done.

Review~ A Test Of Justice; The Conspirator

August 18, 2011 By in candid film critique, recommended Tags: , , , , , 2 Comments

The Conspirator, with James McAvoy, Kevin Kline & Robin Wright.  I find U.S. Civil War dramas a bit tiring & repetitive; but when I heard McAvoy was in this, it drew my interest like a moth to a flame.  I was not disappointed.

What saved me from hitting the “stop button” on this movie was that it did not focus on the assassination of U.S. president Abraham Lincoln.  Rather, its story orbits the trial of the conspirators, specifically Mary Surratt.

I must say that, the period costumes & sets were luxurious, well-representing that period in, not only Washington D.C. but the U.S. as a whole.  Usually, one will see some dusty & dirty representation of style & architecture from mid-19th Century America, with flattened renditions of hairstyles & ill-fitting clothing.  It was refreshing, to say the least, that normal humanity & it’s style of the time were shown perfectly (& comfortably).

James McAvoy is a tremendous young talent that I’ve come to enjoy immensely.  The Scot was able to pull off an a perfect American accent & I soon forgot his origins.  Also, he has great hair.

I vaguely remember seeing Robin Wright in a few things over the years, but nothing major, except Unbreakable. Though the story line revolves around her role; her character is actually not the focus of the movie.  That belongs to the characters played by McAvoy & Kevin Kline.

To get you to see this not-excellent “good movie” I have to insert one basic spoiler here that should do no harm.  The film’s basic moral play is about the right of an American citizen, criminally accused, to trial by a jury of peers & the rush to judgment (literally) by a justice system (a nation’s government) intent on putting crisis & the accused, to rest.

That said, there is more to this motion picture than just this moral play.  So don’t let this dry topic stop you from seeing this worthy film.

After all, it’s a moral lesson that so many of our countries (in today’s world) are learning & re-learning, repeatedly.  Our justice systems, no matter how flawed; being at least a small guarantee of fairness against accusation, by our neighbors or government.

I  can’t help but surmise that the film’s producers meant this as a vague indictment of military tribunals & the equity of justice served.  During a period when the U.S. has so many horrible monsters (permanently) detained, awaiting trial by these tribunals; there are so many arguments for & against justice meted out by the military.  However; I don’t see this film as a successful indictment of tribunals.  It’s just not the reality in the U.S. today.

If you actually need a reason to see this film, obtain it in anticipation of the talents of McAvoy & Kline.  Two superb actors who acquit themselves in an extremely intelligent way.  McAvoy, one of the newest of heaven’s stars.  Kline a reigning master.

I recommend this film, especially for those of you who have had dealings with justice & litigation; as receivers of verdicts, defenders of the codes of law or as those responsible for judgments.  None of which I’ve ever been involved.  I just liked the film as a courtroom drama, historical specific & period costume drama.

Don’t miss it!

Review~ A Way Of Life, Now Decades Gone. Drama Among Queen Bees; The Help

August 17, 2011 By in candid film critique, recommended Tags: , , , , , , 2 Comments

The Help, with Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard & Octavia Spencer.  This turned out to not be the disaster I had expected.  As a male, with no gender issues, I’m not necessarily fond of (what is sensitively termed) Chick Flicks.  But as a movie reviewer, do I really have the choice in avoiding top-rated, just released, big films?  Nope.  If I can sit through a bad film, I can certainly patiently watch a film that showcases women (being women) & their issues.

The movie takes place in the early 1960′s, in Jackson, Mississippi; the Deep South.  I saw the gist of the film, as focusing on the last dregs, of a way of life that didn’t end with the emancipation of negro slaves & the end of the U.S. Civil War.  Centering on the women of Jackson, during those last days of official (& lawful) segregation.

Again, a film that tells a story which is a microcosm of larger events.

It’s a sensitive topic, to this day, anywhere in the American Republic.  Sensitive mostly, because of ignorance of the realities that were & the realities which currently are.  Perhaps the only reason that I can legitimately comment about any of this, is that I was never really involved (as a child) in any of these gigantic, domestic, social changes.  I grew up in Utah & the chips were falling where they were to settle, in other places where these issues were actually issues.  Listening, observing over the years has taught me much about the dynamics of segregation, not just in the Deep South, but all over the U.S after the Civil War & up until (& including) the 1960′s.

Obviously, the movie is about the ballistics (socially) between Americans in the Deep South (who are White) & the proclivity of those households (at the time) to employ the labor of Americans, who were black.  Specifically, the labor force employed as housekeepers & maids.  Therefore; the title “The Help”.  A polite American term referring to domestic servants of any color & standing.

To be fair, since the film’s moral implication pointed at the wrongness of segregation, I must say that America was still undergoing the major transitions that we went through, after freeing the slaves (& freeing ourselves) from the age-old traditions of enslaving other humans.  So any criticism that segregation of blacks & racism still existed, as of the early 60′s, is really invalid.  Is a century really long enough for a transition like this?  Obviously it is not.

America is always fine tuning itself.  Enough said?

Anyway; that said – one can really enjoy the social interactions between the Whites & their servants – because it’s interesting.  Also, it’s not the way life is anymore to the extent that it was during that period.  Therefore; a snapshot in time of a world that no longer exists; in any substantial way.

Watching the southern White woman, doing their thing as housewives & coordinators of their households, was so mesmerizing to me.  Viewing the Blacks react to their situation was a hoot!  Both groups of women; being women.  Highlighting, the superior position that White women had during that period & how they executed their responsibilities; for better, or for worse.

The film is not a documentary or a biopic; but it does document the lives of the four main individuals.  Each with their own dramas, personalities & agendas.

Emma Stone is extraordinary in her ability to portray the great empathy of her character. She brings a bit of the tom boy to her role as well as an awkwardness that I found utterly charming.  She’s yet another talent that’s somehow got cast in a wonderful, dramatic character.  I wish her luck, because I want to see her again!

Viola Davis is one of my existing favorite actresses.  A perfectly, handsome woman that excels in making a difficult character understood by an audience.  She is really the star of this film.  I was too busy scrutinizing her intricate portrayal of a patient servant, to even be upset about the reality of her character’s situation!  You know, that’s quite a feat, considering the sobering idiocies of segregation; back in the day.

You will forgive me my social commentary – because the film (in & of itself) IS a social commentary.  It’s also imbued with humor, fascination, horror, desperation & futility.  One after the other in an endless cycle, guaranteed to leave you breathless at the end. Basically, it’s a “drama” more than anything else.  Rather than a “comedy”, that many will assume going in to the film.

It’s also, pointedly, a perspective (totally) of the women in the South.  Black & White. There are a few men, but the story is a women’s story.  Pure & simple.  It’s not a Date Night film or a Family Film.  It’s a Chick Flick with a serious moral flair.

Think of, Driving Miss Daisy, before going to see this.  So you’ll be prepared for the colossal, emotional roller-coaster that you’ll find yourself caught up in.  It is definitely a hive of activity, by women, for women, about women.

It’s also about justice.

I recommend this film for women & for patient men.  It’s a great film, even for those among us all, who are not women.