Mercurious at the Movies: April 20, 2013

It's rather in vogue to dislike Tom Cruise these days, and indeed there is much reason to roll your eyes when it comes to reviewing his public persona. The apparent arrogance of the man, the role as Scientology puppet, the carefully orchestrated and controlled PR machine....he's not a fellow that earns a lot of accolades for what he's done with his fame.

But when I think carefully about the movies I've seen featuring Tom Cruise, I have to conclude that there is a certain type of big-budget "B" movie (maybe B-plus) that he's really pretty good at.  And in his occasional turns in self-parody, he's also very good. Among the Tom Cruise movies I've thoroughly enjoyed:  Risky Business, Color of Money, Rain Man, Mission Impossible 1, Magnolia, The Last Samauri, Collateral, Mission Impossible III, Tropic Thunder, Rock of Ages.  In fact, when you look at the entire list of 40 or so films, there are really fewer dogs than you might imagine, given the actor is somebody you'd really like to dislike.  I realized that I very often wince when going into a theater showing a Tom Cruise movie, only to emerge a couple hours later to say to myself "not bad," or even "pretty darned good."

To this list I'll now add Oblivion, a very stylish and surprisingly thoughtful dystopian sci-fi film that features great special effects, but used in a manner that remains subordinate to an even more interesting story line. This isn't "Star Wars," for example (films that always frankly bored me  little with their ridiculous cartoon quality), but much more like "Inception" or "2001" in its visual stylishness and conceptual nature.

It's also a very nice homage to some of the very best classic sci-fi of modern times. It has bit of the best aspects of Star Wars effects, as well as traces of the Matrix, Terminator, Star Trek, Close Encounters, and most significantly, 2001, A Space Odyssey. If you are a fan of modern sci fi classics, you will recognize nods to those films in the imagery and directing.

Now, Tom Cruise's ego is such that he will always be "Movie Star ", and is unlikely to find a more socially conscious position in the Hollywood world, like former pretty-boy actors Brad Pitt and George Clooney pulled off. He could never imagine Cruise working with Terrence Malick in a pure art film, for example. Nor can you really imagine Cruise becoming a politically aware humanitarian spokesman like George Clooney or Ben Affleck. He's too self-absorbed for that.  But really, Tom Cruise needs credit where it's due. Oblivion is really quite a good movie, and may be as good a sci-fi thriller as you'll see this year.

Movies by Mercurious: Dec. 8

I very much wanted to like Hitchcock, as its subject is one of my favorite film personalities, and it features three very entertaining actors: Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, and Scarlet Johansson.

Alas, it falls short, through no fault of the actors, but mostly the screen play. The film quite can't decide what it wants to be: in-depth discussion of the creative process of making Psycho; examination of the complicated and fascinating marriage between Hitchcock and his wife Alma; or a depth psychology portrait of Hitchcock's strange and disturbing relationship to his leading ladies.  As a result, it does nothing very well.

The movie fails in the biggest way as regards the psychological portrait of Hitchcock's inner life. Ed Gein, the Wisconsin psychopath whose story serves as one major influence on Hitchcock's film, is presented as some sort of alter ego from whom Hitchcock takes personal and career advice. In nothing I ever read about Hitchcock was there ever any hint that he was this far down the path of bat-shit crazy, so this plot thread seems utterly contrived, and just plain silly.

The depiction of the historical problems and creative solutions on the Psycho screen play and filming and interesting, but it is hardly new ground, and you could get most of this from a short magazine article on the subject.

The plot thread that works best, and the one that the director should have taken as the core of the movie, is the unusual partnership between Hitchcock and his wife, a story that's not told often enough, and one that could have been amplified to great effect in the hands of these two fine actors. The few moments of extended interplay between husband and wife represent the only genuinely engaging moments in the film.

Scarlett Johanson is of course today's equivalent of the classic Hitchcock blonde, and if he was working today, she is exactly the actress he would long to work with. She does a passable job of playing Janet Leigh, but isn't exactly allowed to shine with any range here (then again, Janet Leigh wasn't an actress of great range, herself). But the presence of Scarlett Johanson wasn't enough for this Geezer to be able to strongly recommend the movie.

It's fine if you've already seen the other holiday films, but not really worth your time otherwise.

Geezer quotient:  70/100.


Better than Hitchcock, but still slightly behind the other big end of year movies, is Life of Pi.  I was very curious about how this excellent, fairy-tale-like novel would reach the big screen. I can think of no other director that could make a more valiant effort than Ang Lee, whose Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is one of my all-time favorites, but this isn't in that league, despite the many accolades and the likely nomination it will receive for Best Picture of the Year.

There is no point in discussing the plot here, just as describing the book plot is nearly impossible. Suffice it to say that both are about Big Questions, including fate and the existence of God.

The film is gorgeous visually, though, and is probably well worth seeing for that reason alone. But don't attend expecting it to duplicate the experience of the book. Movies rarely do, of course, but with a book that was so magically successful, meeting expectations in film is nearly impossible.

Geezer Quotient: 88/100

Movies by Mercurious, Week of November 25, 2012

I unfortunately do not have time for a full blown movie review this week, but can make a recommendation for those who are looking for  fresh movie and have already seen "Skyfall" and "Lincoln."

"Silver Linings Playbook" is well worth your time.

I am really not a Bradley Cooper fan. I generally find him to be smarmy and self-indulgent. But this movie is well worth seeing just for the performance of Jennifer Lawrence—a swell talent who I have yet to see in a bad performance. She is simply wonderful young actress who practices her craft successfully without going down the painfully anorexic body-image path of actresses like Keira Knightly. The supporting roles in this film, acted by Robert De Niro and Jacki Weaver, are also very fine.

And if you didn't catch it the first time out, do also see Jennifer Lawrence in a very, very good independent film from a couple of years ago, "Winter's Bone" (trailer below). The film is widely available on various on-line streaming options.

Silver Linings Playbook Geezer Quotient:  80/100

Winter's Bone Geezer Quotient: 95/100

Movies by Mercurious: Week of November 18, 2012

One thing that happens as you pass the 55-year mark is that time passage takes on  a different perspective. When I was a little fellow around five years of age, I remember my parents and grandparents talking about WWII, and it seemed like medieval history to me. Actually though, at the time that epic war was only 15 years in the past. As I write now, the war of my own youth, Vietnam, is approaching 50 years in distance from today.

Similarly, the American Civil War can seem like ancient history as it now approaches the 150 year anniversary. But with Vietnam seeming like yesterday, you recognize that in the greater scheme of things, the Civil War is relatively fresh cultural history. In fact, I remember a human interest story when I was a boy about the last living Civil War widow dying. She had been a very young bride who had married a rather old veteran well after the war, but still the point is valid. On the old "I've got a Secret" television program in the early 50s, I saw a very old gentlemen speak of seeing Lincoln's assassination when he was a wee boy.

America is a very young country by world standards, and this signature event is still being digested in our cultural conscience. To have gone from the end of slavery to an African American as president in a mere 150 years is a profound statement on the wonder of democratic government.

We’ve all been raised to believe that Abraham Lincoln is our greatest president, but when a figure reaches that kind of heroic status, it becomes hard to separate the truth from the mythological archetype.

Steven Spielberg’s new film, Lincoln, humanizes this American legend in a remarkable way. It is almost certainly headed for nomination as best picture of the year, and it’s likely that Daniel-Day Lewis and Tommy Lee Jones will receive accolades for best actor and supporting actor; Sally Fields as Mary Lincoln stands a good chance as well.

Focusing on the relatively brief stretch of Lincoln’s presidency near the end of the civil war as he tried to get the 13^th Amendment passed, this film is a sublime dramatization of arduous politics of getting slavery banished once and for all. School kids are raised to believe this was accomplished by Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, but that act was actually child’s play compared to effort require to pass the amendment that put this policy into the constitution itself.

I’ve not been all that huge a fan of Steven Spielberg’s of late. His films are always well crafted and epic in nature, but War Horse was only that, not a artistic film, really. Even the Color Purple, widely acclaimed by most, seemed a little manipulative to me. The only truly great Spielberg film for me was Schindler’s List, in which we saw evidence that Spielberg could be truly masterful. But I had come to see it as the exception proving the rule that Spielberg was an artist for the masses, not necessarily a genius.

Lincoln is not Schindler’s List, but it comes very, very close. Daniel-Day Lewis’ performance as Lincoln is a thing to behold, and I’ll be seeing this film several times just to enjoy him, and the performance of Tommy Lee Jones as Representative Thaddeus Stevens of Pennsylvania— a crucial figure in the passing of the amendment.

It will take a pretty darned fine movie in the closing month of the 2012 season to upset this for best picture of the year. 

Movies by Mercurious: Week of November 11, 2012

Up until recently, Geezers felt that there was only  one true cinematic James Bond. That, of course, was Sean Connery. Timothy Dalton and even Pierce Brosnan had their moments, but were still pale imitators. We won’t even talk about Roger Moore, who was an embarrassment to male Geezers everywhere.

With the third installment of the latest rejuvenation of the franchise, though, we now have a completely suitable James Bond in the person of Daniel Craig. He’s not only a fine actor, but is also of an age where he can contemplate his coming Geezerhood. For this reason, along with a great screenplay and terrific direction, Craig’s portrayal of Bond is laden with depth and dimension.

There’s no point in spoiling any of the plot points, but suffice it to say that this storyline borders on the semi-plausible, which will please those of us who were mightily disappointed in the absurdity of Film #2 of this franchise. Our story is essentially about the conflict between traditional gimmickry and spy-craft vs. modern high-techn nonsense, and geezers will be pleased that tradition wins out here.

The film is much helped by a world class director in Sam Mendes (director of American Beauty, among other fine films), who lends a stylishness to the composition and lighting that makes the film a treat to the eyes, as well.

The requisite Bond girl of mystery is played by Bérénice Lim Marlohe, a French actress who seems quite promising here. Alas, we see little of her, and that marks really the only disappointment at all in this movie.

Skyfall very clearly aims at continuing this new franchise, and does this by cleverly renewing key roles of M and Moneypenny.  A great villain in Javier Bardem, a great theme song by Adele...the satisfaction offered here is deep indeed.

Overall, this movie may well be the very best of all Bond films. That’s going some, as Goldfinger for me was the standard against which all others are measured.

Geezer film ranking:  90/100.

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 [MOU1]