The Good, the Bad, the Weird (2008)

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By: Oberst von Berauscht (Two Beers)

A Toast

Finally, a mainstream action movie made by South-Koreans, filmed in the deserts of China and paying tribute to a Western made in the deserts of Spain by an Italian film studio and starring Americans.

And with that, you have The Good, the Bad, the Weird, an unlikely film from an unlikely source, but don’t think for a moment that this is pure novelty. Filmmaker Kim Ji-Woon set out to make a Western and that he accomplishes very well.

In the midst of a train robbery during the 1930s, Yoon Tae-goo (actor Song Kang-Ho) stumbles on a map that promises a fantastic treasure. Unfortunately, the map is also wanted by killer Park Chang-yi (Lee Byung-hun), countless other bandits, and even the Japanese Army. In pursuit also is Park Du-Won (Jung Woo-Sung), a relentless bounty hunter. These characters shoot, stab, and hammer their way through the wastelands of occupied Manchuria towards their ultimate goal.

What makes this film work is the filmmaker’s choice of cast, whose chemistry with each other gels very well. This creates an even blend of action, drama, and comedy. The special effects stay away from CGI for the most part, making creative use of practical explosions, clever production design, and well-placed camera angles to make the film feel bigger and more expensive than it actually was to make.

The film’s biggest action set piece is a high-stakes chase through the desert, where horses, trucks, and motorcycles weave through the surroundings, all while steel rain from nearby artillery kicks up dust all around. CGI has its place in film; it is used quite well to accomplish things that are impossible with practical effects, but it should not be used as a crutch.

The story is well written, with plot twists and turns that you’d never expect, which works to set this film apart from its namesake just enough to make it its own. The mood is set by music that effectively captures the East meets West nature of the proceedings.

Beer Two

Setting the film back from being a single beer is the sometimes confusing camera angles. During the more spectacular action sequences it can be difficult to tell what is happening. This is probably because, unlike a high budget Hollywood action film, they couldn’t afford to film shots from multiple angles to see what worked best. Ultimately this feels almost like a nitpick, as the confusing moments are brief; however, these scenes stand out so much from the otherwise impeccable cinematography, and therefore merit another beer.

Verdict

Very good, not that weird, and not at all bad.

The Pat Tillman Story (2010)

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By: Henry J. Fromage (A Toast)

The family of Pat Tillman, former football star and Army Ranger, try to separate truth from fiction and find out what happened to their son.

A Toast

There will be no further beers for this film, although you may want to drink a few more to deal with the deep sadness and smothering outrage of the story.

Probably not the healthiest habit

In short, and as you may remember, former NFL star safety Pat Tillman turned down a multi-million dollar contract not once but twice to enlist and fight in Iraq and Afghanistan as a member of the elite U.S. Army Rangers. When he was killed he was lauded as a hero who gave his life to save his unit. This would have satisfied most families. His preferred the truth.

Not to be messed with.

Director Amir Bar-Lev’s technique is impeccable, reminding me of master documentarian Errol Morris in his use of atmospheric music and lingering face shots to capture the utmost emotion and impact from each interview. He also does a virtuoso job of research, gathering a stunning amount of information and getting interviews that should have been nearly impossible. He uses all of this to build a case like John Grisham against a government and media system more willing to exploit the propaganda potential of Tillman’s death than reveal what really happened.

The result is a powerful indictment against a political and media environment that makes this sort of situation possible, a fascinating examination of the mindset of the common soldier, and a profile of a truly conscientious and complex man.

Verdict

Watch it. It’s an essential story that too few have learned the truth about.

The Rite (2011)

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By: SG2

Based on true events, Michael Kovak (Colin O'Donoghue), a student in doubt about his faith in seminary school, is sent to Italy to take a course on exorcism.

There, he meets up with Father Lucas (Anthony Hopkins), a Welsh exorcist who is treating people Kovak believes to be mentally ill. It’s Science versus Religion, Crucifixes versus Screaming Possessed People, and the Devil performing abortions!

Who is this stoner kidding?

When I was a young boy I learned about exorcism from 1973’s The Exorcist. I was probably 5 years old when I saw it. Whenever the girl would speak with a demonic voice I’d pull the covers over my head and hide from what I thought was the Devil trying to possess me.

Could this be real, I wondered? Does the Devil really take over your body and do bad things to you? I grew up Catholic, and of course my parents said it was. In fact, they told me if I didn’t believe in God, Jesus, and all the Saints, what happened in the movie would happen to me. It’s no wonder why I’m weird.

A Toast

I raise my first glass of beer to Anthony Hopkins. He plays Father Lucas, a Welsh priest who was once a doctor, but now an exorcist. In this film he lives in Rome, thus speaking Italian, which he did really well. If he faked it, he fooled me. Speaking, arguing, and performing an exorcism in Italian was definitely something to be noted.

***Bit of a spoiler***

Without a doubt the best and most shocking scene is during his transition from Father Lucas to a possessed demonic man. He’s at a park, staring into the distance, when from behind a precious little girl walks up to him and asks if he’d bless her teddy bear. His eyes slowly look toward the little girl and, without warning, she is bitch-slapped and sent packing. This was epic in the sense that I believe it will be parodied. “Will you bless my… insert anything you’re carrying…” SLAP!

Enough said.

Beer Two

Michael Kovak is played by Colin O’Donoghue, a pretty face that can’t carry this movie kind of like Tom Welling in The Fog. A native of Ireland, he convinced me that he had an American accent. So in that respect I like him. However, when there were scenes with just him, I started to get bored and started looking at the time. I don’t think he was right for The Rite. This role needed someone less serious and a bit more loose.

I even bore myself.

Beer Three

When the Devil performs his abortion, I decided it was time to take a drink. This was more than just a touch of symbolism, it was basically saying abortions are works of the Devil. Rosaria (Marta Gastini) is a pregnant 16 year old who was raped by her father. If this isn’t bad enough, she’s also been possessed by the devil.

She also happens to be one of Father Lucas’s patients. When his exorcisms fail to rid her body of the demon she ends up in the hospital where she rants and curses. While she’s tied down she has a major demonic episode. Her baby monitor machine begins to beep rapidly and a pool of red blood forms in her bed. It’s clear the movie has a certain ideology it is conveying here, but for myself, I thought it was a big stretch. If anything it was a severe miscarriage, but in Italian it was referred to as an ‘aborto.’ Ridiculous.

Look out, he’s got a cross!

Beer Four

Formulaic writing and editing really brought this movie down for me. Picture this; a boy walks in late to class. The teacher notices him, and shames him in front of everyone in the class. Later, the boy contributes an intriguing thought in front of everybody and wins the mind of a love interest.

I just described a scene in the movie but you could use this for countless teen movies, scary movies, any movie. Towards the end of the movie there’s an “I believe in you” line and I just roll my eyes, angry, that I’m watching this movie. Oh, and the guy gets the girl at the end. We all win, right?

Verdict

If you are looking for a scary date movie, this one could be it. It’ll give you some cheap scares. If you’re an Anthony Hopkins fan, you’ve seen a version of his performance before with Hannibal Lecter. It’s a little different, but maybe not worth the 9 dollars + popcorn to see. Still, if you’re a faithful Catholic, I dare you to go see this movie late at night and then go home to sleep. It may not happen.

The Mechanic (2011)

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By: Oberst von Berauscht (4 Beers)

Let me start by saying that I haven’t seen the original 1972 Charles Bronson version of The Mechanic, so this review and my opinions therein are based solely on this experience.

The Mechanic follows Arthur Bishop (Jason Statham), a star hitman for an international shadow corporation that specializes in high profile murder. One day he is asked to kill his mentor and only close friend, Harry McKenna, (Donald Sutherland) on the evidence that he may have betrayed the organization. After fulfilling his job, he befriends Harry’s son Steve (Ben Foster), who now wishes to become Bishop’s apprentice.

A Toast

Praise is due for the rather unique approach this film has in its story elements. For a movie being marketed as the next Transporter or Crank, this is a surprisingly modest film. Of course, that is kind of like calling JWoww normal just because she isn’t the most vapid soulless shill on the Jersey Shore.

15 minutes ticking

By modest, I mean the film takes its time in developing the characters and story, allowing for more detail than you’d expect from an action film. In this way it certainly reflects its 70’s origins.

Jason Statham is certainly the right actor for this role, showing the sophistication and swagger you want to see from a stylized anti-hero. Ben Foster is interesting as well, aptly playing the black sheep son with a violent streak. In one particular sequence, while performing his first hit, he chooses to forego subtlety and planning in favor of brute force.

Beer Two

For all its strengths, the film feels like a missed opportunity. For one, it still appeals to several action film clichés that have begun to plague Hollywood. First of all, there are several extended sex scenes which have no bearing on the plot. These scenes develop a relationship Statham’s character has with New Orleans hooker Sarah, played by Mini Anden, whose wooden dialog is a clear-cut representation of her acting ability.

In other words, slash and burn

I’m a guy. I understand why they put these scenes in action movies, but these particular trysts, which ostensibly are meant to show another side of Statham, ultimately feel like crass exploitation.

Beer Three

The film is also edited quite manically, with many random cuts. This leads me to believe that much of the film was subject to reshoots or at least hastily touched up in post-production. Fast cutting between scenes using seemingly random coverage is a lazy attempt to make the film feel edgy and fast paced. As I covered earlier, the film’s strength is that it doesn’t have to move at a blistering pace to build tension and character. Somebody in the editing room missed the memo.

This is how it's done

Beer Four

(Spoilers!)

The greatest missed opportunity of the film is in the ending. It is important to note that Statham and Ben Foster do not play good guys in this film; they are only slightly higher up on the moral ladder because they are at least not intentionally treasonous. At the end of the film, shortly after the dispatch of the film’s antagonist, there was a brief moment where poetic justice seems to have visited everyone else. Why the producers chose to destroy this creative and unique ending in favor of sequel possibilities is obvious.

Verdict

Tagged and bagged

Rabbit Hole (2010)

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By: Henry J. Fromage (2 Beers)

There have been some films dealing with some tricky subjects this year, from The Kids Are All Right’s exploration of a sperm-donor’s first contact with his grown-up children and their mothers to Blue Valentine’s much less cheery no-holds-barred examination of a relationship dying. None of these subjects are nearly so tough, however, as that of Rabbit Hole.

Enjoy this picture. Refer back if you become too depressed.

A Toast

The quandary is, just how do you get over losing a child? When do you return to normal? Is that even possible? The toast isn’t to this situation, of course, but to the humanity and profundity those associated with the production employ in the explanation of this issue.

The film is based on a play by David Lindsay-Abaire, who also penned the script for this film. The dialogue is smart and authentic, and avoids that scripted feel that too many adaptations of plays seem to have. The direction by John Cameron Mitchell is excellent, and some of the innovative shots he uses are brilliantly effective and understated.

Something he doesn’t have a lot of experience with

Aaron Eckhart and Nicole Kidman play the grieving parents. Both performances are great, and capture two very different methods of grieving. This causes quite a bit of friction, and the resultant sparks are played up to perfection by the actors. Kidman in particular is amazing, especially in the scenes with the teenager who ran over her son. Her recent Oscar nomination is well-deserved.

Beer Two

The only bone I have to pick is the relative shortness of the flick. It’s not often that a movie needs to be longer…

And often the opposite

…but this is one that could have used more development. The supporting cast all turn in good performances, especially Miles Teller as the teenager and Sandra Oh as another grieving mother who provides a possible dalliance for Eckhart. They are effective foils for our main characters, but not at all well-rounded in their own right. They feel like human plot devices, and the film could really have been something special if it had explored them a little further.

Pictured: A Human Plot Device

Verdict

Devastating performances and good direction make this more than your usual stage-play to movie transplant. Give it a watch.