War Horse Review

By Ryan Hamelin

Movie Grade: A

The first thing that becomes apparent as John Williams’ instantly classic score begins to swell under the opening shots of War Horse is how much we’ve missed this. We, as an audience, have spent quite a long time without a warm, inspirational Steven Spielberg movie arriving in theaters, and we’ve desperately needed one. With the exception of the much-maligned Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Spielberg’s fare has been rather dark and introspective in recent decades, leaving behind the sunny family fare he made a name with in exchange for more adult subject matter. A film about WWI may not seem like the road back to the lighthearted days of yore, but that’s exactly what War Horse has to offer. With a PG-13 rating that aims to imply more than it explicitly shows, the violence of the war itself may be curtailed, but the emotions certainly aren’t. You can’t help but get caught up and invested with these characters, and the slow first act slogs through the foundations of the relationships, ensuring that once the bullets start flying, we know who we’re supposed to care about.

For those who have seen the play at Lincoln Center, there shouldn’t be much of a surprise here. Instead of a puppet you have a beautiful live horse, something I find it hard to imagine going without, and you have the scale and scope of a studio budgeted war picture. The canvas really is quite expansive, and as we journey with the horse, and his original owner, we get to see a lot of what life was like on the ground in Europe. Because of the seemingly endless swapping of owners, we’re also introduced to a plethora of great supporting parts, little vignettes that serve to inform our understanding of the different sides of the conflict. The horse also happens to be one of the best actors in the film, and I haven’t the faintest idea how they managed to train it to do all the different stunts and subtle character interactions. There were probably multiple horses involved, but it’s still a tremendous feat to imbue an animal with this level of depth and development.

The actors all do quite well, especially considering most of them are not household names by any stretch of the imagination. The little girl who you meet about halfway through the film, in particular, has an astonishing amount of screen presence and charm, harkening back to some of the other great child performances that Spielberg has achieved in his illustrious career. Tom Hiddleston and Benedict Cumberbatch make for a great British commanding unit, and Emily Watson and David Thewlis get to chew the scenery a bit towards the start of the film, two truly talented character actors getting to go head to head. You care for each and every one of them, and as the film progresses and some are lost, others are discovered, building a sympathetic rewards system where you find yourself alternating between joy and sadness, sometimes within the same moment, and losing yourself completely in the magic of moviemaking.

A couple of things to consider. This is a long movie. At two and a half hours, it feels exactly its length, and if you’re not committed to putting that much into it, you probably shouldn’t see it in a theater. Once things get going, it moves very well, but the beginning can be particularly slow paced and hard to get used to. The other thing is that, while a tremendous filmmaker, some may feel Spielberg to be too manipulative of his audience. He packs a whole stack of tear jerking moments into the buildup to the finale, and you really have to be willing to let yourself be taken along for the ride. Resisting the pull will make the movie hard to watch, and I wouldn’t recommend it for the overly cynical or close-minded among us. There was at least one such gentleman in the audience for our screening, and his commentary was ruining some of the most tender moments. It’s a great family film, and if you bring along your own tissues, a wonderful release of a movie. Just make sure you’re up for what this journey has in store.

Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol Review

By Ryan Hamelin

Movie Grade: B+

See Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol on the big screen. In fact, see it on as big a screen as you can find, preferably in an IMAX theater. This is a HUGE movie, and the film is crafted to give you the biggest bang for your buck should you trek out to one of those massive screens. Several action set-pieces, including Tom Cruise dangling dangerously from the tallest building in the world, were shot on the format, and when you see it, you’ll understand why. It’s rare that the 4^th film in a series surpasses its predecessors, but a very good argument could be made for the work done here. Should this end up being the last outing of Ethan Hunt and his team, you can’t say they didn’t go out with a bang.

For starters, the film is absolutely relentless. From pretty much the opening scene onward, there’s rarely a moment to breathe. Things go wrong, the characters consider their options, and they move on to the next mission. The story is actually so linear that it can feel a little too convenient at times, and the focus, while laudable, prevents this installment from having the more relaxed meandering scope of previous outings. The world doesn’t feel so big, and even with transitional scenes that consist of, “We’re going to India” “Oh, okay, cool” you never really feel like you’ve moved all that far. In this way the story is both a strength and a weakness, never letting up on the accelerator, but curtailing a larger narrative in the process.

As for anyone who’s seen trailers or other advertising materials for the film should know, the IMF (Impossible Mission Taskforce) has been disavowed at the start of the film. What this means, is that Ethan and his team are on their own, with only the resources hidden in a single train car. When I look back on the series, I can’t ever really remember a movie where the team wasn’t pretty much on their own the whole film… maybe with occasional backup from Simon Pegg in the 3^rd one, but isn’t that kind of the way the agency operates? It’s set up like this major storytelling revelation that’s going to change the way this movie works compared to the others, and in the end, it’s basically the same deal. Do they conveniently have every piece of technology they’d ever need in the train car? Of course. Do they have exactly the right amount of contacts still in existence to do what they need to do? Of course. My point is that it’s not the story itself that is in any way revolutionary for the series, it’s the way they tell it, and the amount of fun the audience has along the way.

The biggest thing I loved about this film, is that the threat of injury is always present. I don’t know if it’s the IMAX immersion, or just Brad Bird’s tendency towards realism with his staging and execution, but you were always worried about someone getting hurt. Cruise isn’t a young man anymore, and neither is Ethan, leading to a number of moments where you see him visibly working through the logistics of what he’s trying to do in his head before he does them. It’s so refreshing to see an action hero understand his mortal peril before he tries to jump off the third story of a building, and the final confrontation is one of the most painful fight scenes I’ve seen on film, simply because you can tell how much it hurts. You see the strategy going into each moment, and Hunt trying to figure out how he can accomplish his goal and still be conscious enough to follow through should he succeed. It’s pretty remarkable actually, and a direction I never thought I’d see the series take.

I’ll end on the subject of Jeremy Renner, who has been getting a lot of advance flack of his multiple franchise commitments lately. He’s great in this film, an impressive addition to the team and the kind of guy you just can’t take your eyes off of. Does Hunt pass Brant the torch at the end? No. Could it conceivably happen in a future film… I’m a little more hesitant to say “Yes” than most. Renner is capable, to be sure, but this is Cruise’s franchise, and I think it’s more likely that, should a handoff take place, it’ll be in the final moments of a 5^th installment where it’s clear that the team will flourish under a new leader, but we as an audience won’t necessarily be asked to follow them any further. Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol refines what makes the series great and delivers the kind of ride that can only be fully appreciated on a big screen. For the first time since I can remember, I’m cautiously optimistic about what the future of this franchise has in store.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Review

By Ryan Hamelin

Movie Grade: A

I have never read The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Because of his, I feel like I have a unique perspective on where the audience will stand when the credits roll. Does the film make sense? Was I able to follow it despite a complete lack of knowledge of the source material? Will it blow you away? To all of the above, the answer is a resounding and unequivocal “Yes.” If this one’s managed to fly under your radar so far, make no mistake, David Fincher isn’t interested in slowing down, and should he fulfill his commitment to complete the trilogy, he’ll have a franchise under his belt to rival the greatest in film history. You may wonder how I can be so sure after only a single film. I have faith in Fincher, but more importantly, I have faith in the cast and crew and their continued commitment to the material. I for one can’t wait to see where the story goes next, and I’m considering not reading the second book until the second movie rolls around, based on how much fun it was to go in blind.

From the opening title sequence, a glorious mishmash of beautiful abstract imagery that rivals classic James Bond intros, to the closing frame, there’s never a moment when you’re not caught up in the experience. I didn’t check my watch once, nor could I pull my eyes away to look around me at the faces of the other reviewers, many of whom had read the source material. It’s a riveting piece of work, and instead of watching a movie, it felt like a window had been opened into another world. Even at over two and a half hours, I wanted more, and I will gladly line up again on opening night. Every year there’s one film that manages to meet and then truly exceed an already high bar of expectation for me, and this year, this is that film.

Rooney Mara is… well… wow. I can’t think of any actress this year who has been more committed to a part, and the fact that she hasn’t been getting more awards season buzz is a criminal oversight. She disappears into the role in a way none of the other rumored actresses ever could have, and I’d be surprised if fans don’t embrace her devotion. She carries a lot of the film on sheer force of will, and if it was entirely her story, it would be a powerful movie in and of itself. Then you have Daniel Craig, in probably his finest performance to date, and you start to see the big picture. His washed up newspaper reporter is looking for a distraction, and a long unsolved murder is exactly the ticket out of town he needs. His relationships with both Salander and Robin Wright as the co-editor of his magazine give the movie a human element that’s both unexpected and rewarding. You find yourself caring more about individual characters and their motivations, even beyond the boundaries of the case, and solving the mystery takes a back seat to observing the chaos. Throw in Christopher Plummer as the elder statesman of the family in search of the answer to his granddaughter’s murder, and there’s plenty of reasons to keep watching.

Fincher himself has been cagey about the movie’s award prospects, saying, with some traces of amusement, that the film just has “too much anal rape” for Academy voters. It’s certainly not a happy journey, but the impact is real and the discomfort that the audience feels only helps fuel their involvement in the power struggle taking place. Don’t let anybody frame your perceptions going in, just show up, pay for a ticket, and know that it’ll be well worth the money you spent. If having the director of Fight Club, Se7en, and The Social Network isn’t enough to make you feel like you’re in good hands, I don’t really know what to tell you. This is the real deal: high impact, high stakes storytelling that will bring you to the edge of your seat and hold you there. They don’t make ‘em like this anymore.

The Adventures of Tintin Review

By Ryan Hamelin

Movie Grade: A-

At long last, Weta has attempted full screen motion capture human beings, albiet stylized, and takes their first major steps into the infamous uncanny valley. What was the death of Robert Zemeckis‘s work with The Polar Express and Beowulf has finally reached a level of technical sophistication that it rivals the audience’s suspension of disbelief with Gollum or Caeser (Rise of the Planet of the Apes). Since we look at human beings every day, we’re predisposed to know what a living, breathing human moves like, and even the greatest examples of visual effect wizardry rely on our inability to compare what we see to reality. In Avatar, we believed in the Navi because we don’t know what an 8 ft tall blue cat creature would look like. Even James Cameron knew better than to try to integrate photo-real CG humans into the film, so it’s important to recognize just how much of an achievement Tintin, Captain Haddock, and the rest of the characters truly are.

This is also the return of a master to the genre he’s partially responsible for creating. Since Raiders of the Lost Ark, Steven Spielberg has dabbled in many other types of films, but it’s a joy to see him back in the adventure genre, and for something that isn’t Indy 5. Getting the chance to build the cinematic language of this beloved character from scratch has freed his imagination in a way we haven’t seen in many years. This feels like a movie he’s been building up to for his entire career, allowing him to craft off-the-wall set piece action sequences that take full advantage of the computer generated landscape to deliver something that wouldn’t have been possible in the past. One sequence in particular, a seemingly endless one shot that takes place in Morocco, feels reminiscent of the joy I associate with many of his best films, and it’s times like these when the full potential of The Adventures of Tintin is undeniable.

Unfortunately, this isn’t going to be anyone’s most satisfying film of the year. The third act in particular feels weak, and though it ends exactly as Herge wrote it, we’re left anxiously awaiting the sequel for any real sense of closure. The sequel, to be directed by Peter Jackson, will go into production as soon as he finishes The Hobbit, with a potential 2014 release date being actively discussed. It’ll be interesting to see how the filmmakers look when positioned back to back with the same source material, but until we get to see a little more of the world, it’s hard to really evaluate the tale as a whole. Jamie Bell and Andy Serkis each acquit themselves wonderfully, despite the grey scale surroundings they had to play against, and the geniuses at Weta bring their performances to life. Snowy, Tintin’s dog, steals most of the movie anyway, often playing around in the background of intense expositional moments and keeping us entertained throughout. He’s just one of the wonderfully realized components that make up a truly breathtaking world, and the 3D is both natural and immersive, bringing you so far into the lives of the characters that you’ll forget you’re even wearing glasses.

The Adventures of Tintin feels like the first act in what could be a very promising trilogy. Because the filmmakers know this movie doesn’t have to stand alone forever, it loses some of its emotional punch in the final act, leaving us wanting more, but not necessarily in a bad way. There was an awful lot of fun to be had throughout, and I’d recommend it even on the grounds of an escapist afternoon adventure. The film is already a smash hit internationally, and it’d be foolish to expect anything less on the domestic front, particularly with Spielberg’s name headlining the production for a change. Equal credit goes to Joe Letteri and the impressive effects crew at Weta who have pulled off yet another visual masterpiece. They’ll get more recognition for Caeser in Rise of the Planet of the Apes this awards season, but they’ve yet to face a challenge they couldn’t handle, and handle wonderfully. In a crowded holiday season, this one is certainly worth checking out.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows Review

By Ryan Hamelin

Movie Grade: B

It was bound to happen. A hugely successful relaunch of one of the most classic characters in literature pretty much guaranteed a sequel, and two years later, we find ourselves right where we left off. Guy Ritchie‘s Sherlock Holmes surprised the skeptics of its action oriented re-imagining with a combination of great character moments and a clever script that built a yarn fit for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself. With his arch nemesis only hinted at, it should come as no shock that this sequel aims itself directly at Holmes’ greatest enemy, the devious mastermind of Professor James Moriarty. The globe-trotting adventure has the epic canvas one would expect, but does the parchment remain intact, or does the weight of expectation burn a whole in the carefully laid plan.

Interestingly, the question of expectation is dissolved almost immediately as Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows stumbles headfirst out of the gate. Shoddy character re-introductions, a dizzying series of location changes and major exposition that’s only vaguely explained make for a first act that is almost indecipherable. Not to mention that these scenes are meant to build the emotion upon which the rest of the film is based, and yet there’s literally no time allowed for the moments to breathe. It’s like someone told the filmmakers that they had to reach a predetermined plot point in an exact amount of time, and the editing team went about tightening and trimming a good twenty minutes of fat where there hadn’t really been any to begin with. There were rumors in our screening that an early UK cut of the film was quite a bit longer, and if I had to hazard a guess, most of that time came out of the beginning of the movie.

Once we’re past our set up, things settle down into a much more familiar, and quite a bit more enjoyable pace. The jokes start landing, the characters redeem their earlier awkwardness, and the adrenaline begins to pump. You’ll be hard pressed to remember all the little fragments of exposition that were tossed at you in the opening half hour with the care of someone hurling the contents of a paper shredder, but it really won’t matter. Moriarty is behind it all, and his aim is a war that could end the western world as we know it. With that simple premise finally capitalized on, the rest of the pieces fall into place, and by the time we reach the international peace summit nestled in the mountains of Switzerland, you’ll be sufficiently informed to be able to begin munching your popcorn loudly once again. The finale is easily the most capable part of the film, and it does a great job of redeeming much of the earlier portions of the movie. At times the film suffers from fits of grandeur, truly beautiful sequences that should be iconic were they built on a stronger foundation. The clock face is quite pretty indeed, it’s the gears that are a convoluted and corroded mess underneath.

Through it all, the stars shine brightly. Robert Downey Jr. slides back into his stilted British accent like putting on a pair of slippers. Jude Law gets a lot more to do this time around, and could even potentially be regarded as the primary protagonist. Stephen Fry is an absolutely delightful addition as Holmes’ brother, and the screen lights up whenever he’s around. Noomi Rapace doesn’t really have that much to do besides look exotic, and that’s a real shame. Perhaps she had some great scenes of her own that ended up on the cutting room floor. The value of certain characters is a bit of a curiosity in the film as some that you’d expect to be impactful aren’t, and others that you wouldn’t consider important resonate. It’s another way in which the editing, particularly of the beginning, really hurts the whole movie, reducing a lot of potent developmental milestones to cliffnotes and summaries.

Make no mistake, this cast and crew are a group of highly talented and highly creative people and when the movie hits its stride, it works incredibly well. Unfortunately, audiences may find themselves shutting down in the early going, and it would take a bit of superhuman storytelling to raise the work back up to the heights of the original. That film stood alone on its own two feet, and this one feels a bit reminiscent of another continuing storyline sequel, the recent James Bond outing Quantum of Solace. Bypassing the need for a more substantial recap of characters and events is a benefit to many sequel stories, but here they may have taken that a bit too much to heart. I’m interested to see it again and gauge how it works with an audience, but I can’t say I’m in any particular rush. If there is to be a third film, I’m curious as to where they feel they have left to go, and if this ends up being the last act of this particular incarnation, they can’t say they didn’t go out with a bang. Certainly worth seeing, but a lowering of expectations may aide in the ultimate enjoyment.

Shame Review

By Ryan Hamelin

Movie Grade: A

Shame is a freight train slamming into the side of your head. It’s a suckerpunch, a kick in the nuts, and a lightning-rod all rolled into one. Yes, the film is rated NC-17. No, there’s no way it ever could have been rated R. This is a picture conceived to be exactly what it is, a brutally honest portrait of a modern man, a modern man whose got a seriously twisted outlook on life. It’s hard to watch, it’s unrelenting, and you won’t walk out feeling happy or upbeat in any way. I don’t know if I could ever sit through it again, but in this case that’s a sign that the movie achieved exactly what it set out to achieve. You want to look away but you can’t, and the easy way out isn’t a concept that director Steve McQueen seems familiar with.

Lets start with the easiest component to address. If Michael Fassbender doesn’t get an Academy Award nomination for his work here, there’s really nothing he could do to earn that accolade. He goes through such an emotional rollercoaster here that there’s simply nothing more to play. Every major dramatic character has a piece of the psyche that is Brandon, but few are even close to as compelling or involving. Fassbender, for his part, is mesmerizing here, giving the kind of performance that can grow to define a career. This is his movie, and whether you like it or not, he carries the work head and shoulders above his peers. The movie wouldn’t exist, let alone work without him, and you may never be able to look at him in another movie the same way again. Carey Mulligan, meanwhile, is on a roll of her own, and between this and Drive, has two of my favorite supporting performances of the year. In truth, there is no lead actress role in the film, and though Mulligan easily has the most screen time of any other character, she acts in a more force-of-nature variety, bringing with her the unhinging chaos that Brandon has done his best to force to the sidelines of his life. The scenes between the two of them are the glue that holds the movie together, but she does a great job of never overplaying her hand, even when her back is literally or figuratively up against a wall.

Then we come to the unique, and harder to quantify aspects of the work. These are the things most likely to rub a person the wrong way, and could, if taken together, devalue the entire project. For one, there’s the nudity; male, female, full frontal, sexual, disturbing, the works. Many people will find the candor with which the nudity is displayed as shocking, disconcerting, and at the very least, invasive to their own sense of privacy. Desensitization occurs rather quickly but in the early going, it can be a lot to take. Once you embrace the world and embrace the vision it all becomes clear. This is a man who knows exactly the story he’s trying to tell, and has a singular idea of how that story is going to play out. The number of shots greater than a minute long is staggering, and that method of coverage allows the actors to immerse themselves completely in the scenes and in their characters. The lack of cuts prevents the audience from taking traditional moments to breathe during conversation scenes, and the pacing can be absolutely brutal to witness. Again, you’ll either love it or you’ll hate it, and though it worked for me, I can see it being a sticking point for others.

Looking back on Shame, I can’t help but feel relieved. It’s like the Hollywood system as a whole has been so caught up in the nature of ratings and standards that they’ve forgotten to tell good stories. This just so happens to be a story that couldn’t have been told any differently than it was, or at least not with the amount of impact it retains. Was it a fun popcorn muncher? Absolutely not, but I’m glad I had a chance to see it, especially if Fassbender goes on to get the Oscar he deserves. It may be too early in the season to start handicapping such things now, but in my mind, he’s on a level all his own. I wish the crew the best of luck, and urge you to check out the film, after taking careful stock of your own sensitivities. This won’t be a movie for everyone, but it’s definitely one of the most powerful films I’ve seen this year.