RBR: Contenders and pretenders

There had been a handful of films that came out at the end of last year, now on DVD, that I had, for various reasons, been putting off renting. Now that some of the early 2012 films are starting to be available to rent, I wanted to take care of them asap. I had a movie weekend and decided to lump all of the reviews together in this one post.

The Descendants Director Alexander Payne (Sideways, About Schmidt) always seems to choose products that feature central characters at their very lowest point in life. His latest dramedy is no different as it centers around Matt King (played by George Clooney) struggling with a wife who is near death after a boating accident while also trying to finalize a land deal in Hawaii to could potentially earn his family a lot of money. On top of that he also struggling with being a parent to his two difficult daughters. Like in most of Payne's films, I found the journey we take with the film's central character to be compelling. While not his strongest performance, Clooney does fine work here as he attempts to take on one of his least glamourous roles to date. On the other hand, the two daughters grated on me and I struggled to empathize with the situation they were going through. Furthermore, we're never really given any suitable justification as to why King has such a strained relationship with them. Given how hands-on he is with everything that goes on in the movie, he doesn't strike you as they absentee-father type. I also wish the film had been infused with a bit more humor. It's not that the film is completely downbeat, but in comparison to some of Payne's films, I felt this one lacked the wry sense of humor that is typically infused into his movies. I certainly would not call this my favorite of Payne's films - the terrific Election still holds that distinction for me. This is a good film that kept me engaged throughout. I can easily see why it garnered the number of Oscar nominations that it did. While I wouldn't go so far as to say it's as enjoyable as a Hawaiian vacation, I do feel you'll enjoy watching this one if you give it a rental. Rating: **** 1/2

J. Edgar This was originally thought to be a strong Oscar contender until a series of bad reviews sunk its chances. While I won't go as negative as some with regards to film, it does warrant some of the criticism it received. For me, the biggest problem with this film was its purpose. In detailing the life story of FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, Clint Eastwood does not shy away from a lot of Hoover's flaws. His vanity, paranoia, cross-dressing, and possible homosexual lifestyle are all front and center in this depiction. And yet I question why. What is gained by smearing someone who also did a lot of good for this country in establishing the FBI? I felt the film was needlessly exploitative and I took no joy in seeing the salacious side of Hoover's life be such an integral part of this film. I would have much rather seen more of the forensic sciences that Hoover and his crew perfected in order to solve several notorious crimes. Aside from the film's purpose, this simply is not a quality film on par with some of Eastwood's other films. He only managed to get a distant performance from the usually strong DiCaprio. And perhaps most glaring of all is the awful makeup that is on display when the film is set in Hoover's last years. I know aging someone isn't easy, but I'd like to think most major films could do a better job than what was achieved here. This is disappointing all around and probably is not worth your time. Rating: **

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close Many people were shocked when this garnered a best picture nomination even though less than half of the nation's critics gave it a favorable review. Watching the film, I could understand why it managed to earn a nom while also seeing the same flaws that most critics did. After losing his father on 9/11, young Oscar Schnell discovers a key in his father's room and sets out on a quest (prior to his death his father loved creating mysteries for him to solve) to learn what the key belongs to. Of course, this quest is more than just finding a lock that fits the key. It's about coping with death, embracing life, and coming together in support of one another. Given that the film centers around the events and aftermath of 9/11, the film is shamelessly manipulative in playing with the audience's emotions. However, I did not necessarily have a problem with that. It exists in order to do just that. My bigger problem comes from the focus being on the boy. While there are allusions made, it's unclear as to whether Oscar is suffering from a learning disability (like Asperger's) or if he's just eccentric. Regardless, the character and the young actor's portrayal of the boy make it difficult for the audience to enjoy going on this journey with him. He doesn't yield the sympathy that the character should. Instead, we sit there wanting to know the answers ourselves, but don't exactly care whether or not the boy gets them. While there are some problems with the child acting, the film does feature several good adult performances including Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock in limited roles and Max Von Sydow doing some great work as a mute who may be the young boy's grandfather. The subject matter is not for everyone, but if you have an interest in it, I think you'll be glad with you did. Just make sure to have the Kleenex box nearby. Rating: *** 1/2

War Horse I struggle with how exactly to review this film. From a technical standpoint, it is near excellent. The camera work, cinematography, the score, and all other facets of the film are just great. They prove once again why Spielberg is in a class by himself. And yet I found myself extemely bored by the entire story. I just could not get myself interested in seeing early 20th century history being told from the perspective of a horse. In fact, in doing so, I actually felt like they trivialized a lot of the major events that they depicted in this film. While a horse may be a majestic animal, it does not make for a compelling character. To make matters worse, with a run time of two and half hours, the film felt endless. The production value is too good for me to give the film a truly terrible grade and yet I can't in good conscience actually recommend it to anyone either. If you truly love horses, I suppose you may get some value out of the film Or if you're looking to get into the film business on the opposite side of the camera, you may find value in looking at quality of the production, but that's about it. Everyone else is better off taking a trip to the glue factory instead. Rating:***