The Grey (2012)

When it’s over, humans are no match for the power of mother nature.  Liam Neeson plays Ottway, a huntsman and one of seven survivors whose plane crashes into the Alaskan mountains.  The typical story of man vs. nature and survival of the fittest unfolds as the survivors are killed off one by one by vicious territorial wolves.  The film was quite good, up until the ending.  ** If you haven’t seen the film and don’t want me ruining it for you, stop reading now, because I am going to include some spoilers. **  This is one of those films that truly requires a visual ending.  What I mean by this, is that I need to see how the story ends.  I don’t want to assume or guess the outcome as I was forced to do in this film when the credits began to roll at what I considered the climax of the film.  The screen faded to black, and I was left feeling cut off.  I knew the path of the story would eventually lead to the final showdown between Ottway and the alpha wolf, and to not show the battle between hunter and prey made the whole journey of the film pointless.  After the film, I asked myself what are the chances of Ottway surviving the fight, then finding civilization?  Probably not great, but maybe.  After all, this was Neeson and this was Hollywood filmmaking, so there was that slight chance that Ottway’s endurance would pay off.  Or, the story could go the opposite way with Ottway going down fighting and taking out as many wolves as he could.  I think the later ending was more what Director Joe Carnahan had in mind.  Still, I think Carnahan should have shown it, not implied it.


My rating:  3 out of 5

Fright Night (2011)

When it’s over, this remake of the successful 1985 film starring Roddy McDowell and Chris Sarandan is a perfect example of good talents going to waste.  Colin Farrell plays Jerry Danridge, the vampire Sarandan made popular in the 80’s, and Anton Yelchin is Charley Brewster, the teen nerd who suspects his neighbour to be a vampire.  Rounding out the trio of men is Andy Tennent as Peter Vincent, the vampire killer.  The plot is simple and parallels the original:  Charley enlists the help of Peter to stop Jerry from continuing his blood feasting frenzy.  However, the film doesn't get better with age.  Farrell is poorly casted and doesn't sell the vampire personage, while Yelchin fares better with his bouts of paranoia and fear.  Toni Collette and Imogen Poots lend some female presence as the mother and girlfriend, but both get buried under this sloppy script.  I think the best scenes are with Tennant, who brings a bit of Rock n’ Roll to his character, which is amusing and fun.  However, Tennant’s performance isn’t enough to add bite to this film.


My rating:  1.5 out of 5

The Help (2011)

When it’s over, The Help served up a fresh perspective on the social unrest between African Americans and whites during the Civil Rights Movement.  Set in Jackson, Mississippi, during the early 1960’s, the story follows a young white woman, Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan (Emma Stone) and her relationship with two black maids.  After graduating from university,  instead of looking to get married like all her friends, Skeeter decides to pen a book about the maids (aka: the help) and the racism they face every day while working for their white employers.   The driving force in this film were the female characters, and credit definitely goes out to the talented actresses who portrayed them as well as the costume designer, Sharen Davis, who dressed them.   Details can make all the difference in whether a character is "flat" or "alive," and the details in The Help exceeded my expectations on every level.  Each character was unique and distinctive and was defined by how they wore their hair, the choice of colors they attached to their clothing, and the style of their clothing.  For example, Celia (Jessica Chastain) often wore bright colors with evocative cuts suggesting her vivaciousness, desirability, and rebellious nature.  Even though the maids wore almost identical uniforms, they wore them differently.  For example, Aibilene (Viola Davis) wore her uniform more fitted suggesting confidence and strength and she was someone who others looked to for leadership and support; Minny (Octavia Spencer) wore her hair tightly back suggesting her "don't give me no saucy lip" attitude and her uniform hung more loosely suggesting her temperament leaned more on the wayward side.  Although the male cast was less dominate in the film, their short scenes proved to impact and support the themes in the story as well as help define their female counterparts.   In short, a dream ensemble cast; actor turned director, Tate Taylor, breathed new life to Author Kathryn Stockett's beautiful narrative without fragmenting it; and a smartly adapted script (by Taylor) that redefined the boundaries of friendship, courage, and hope. 


My rating:  4 out of 5

Trust (2010)

When it’s over, the key word to remember from watching Trust is Awareness.  This independent film is scary and disturbing, but it’s ultimate goal is not to frighten, but rather to educate and to promote awareness surrounding social media and its ability to harm when mis-used.  In this story, a 14 year old girl becomes the target of an online sexual predator.  What follows after predator meets prey is a downward spiral of events and emotions, which tests the strength of family, friendship, and trust.  I was impressed with David Schwimmer’s direction and storytelling skills.   He kept the story tight, honest, and emotionally brutal when necessary.  Although there have been other films relating to online predators (such as Hard Candy 2005 - great film), I found Schwimmer's take a realistic and uncompromising one.  I think what sets this film apart from others that fall along the same storyline is that this film's not about justice, getting even, or payback.  It's more about how the characters react to the tragedy and how they support or not support one another.  Trust mirrors reality and reality can be cruel, where there are no answers, no complete closure.  With a subject matter as sensitive and disturbing as this, the casting is crucial, and with this film, the casting was right on with Clive Owen as the father who becomes obsessed with finding the perpetrator; Catherine Keener as the mother who tries to hold the family together; and Liana Liberato as the troubled young teen who is reluctant to come to terms with what has happened to her. 


My rating:  4 out of 5

The Artist (2011)

When it’s over, French Director Michel Hazanayicius has done something very wonderful and unique by breathing new life to silent films.  In the absence of words, Hazanayicius used music, captions, montages, and a brilliant cast to tell the story of a silent movie star named George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) who fears the emergence of the “talkies” will be the end of his career.  Contrary to the film’s storyline, I think Dujardin’s excellent performance consisting of eye twitching, frowns, smiles, and body gestures will be the emergence of greater Hollywood roles to come.  Berenice Bejo as Peppy Miller delivered what her name implies.  She was exciting to watch and knew just how to flirt with the camera.  John Goodman, James Cromwell, and Penelope Ann Miller all added to the sparkle of this gem.  There was so much nostalgia about this film that watching it reminded me of other silent greats that I’ve long forgotten such as The Birth of a Nation (1915),  Battleship Potemkin (1925) from the Soviet Union, and the creepy Nosferatu (1922) from Germany.  There was nothing I didn’t like about The Artist.  The details were spot on from the sets, to the costumes, to the look of the film stocks of a bygone era known as vintage Hollywood.  Lastly, I couldn’t end this blog without mentioning George’s dog (Uggie), who definitely deserves a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame alongside Lassie, Rin Tin Tin, and Strongheart.

My rating:  5 out of 5