Behind the Candelabra (2013)

Directed by: Steven Soderbergh

Starring: Michael Douglas, Matt Damon, Scott Bakula

Overall Rating: 71.3

The mythos of Behind the Candelabra in Hollywood had built up so much steam leading up to the release of Steven Soderbergh's biopic of the late Liberace, that the entire film almost felt like an exhale that lasted 2 hours long.  There had been talk about the film ever since the first peek of Michael Douglas as the famed pianist surfaced, followed by movie studios balking at the idea of this "gay" of a movie to be released, to its ultimate landing on HBO.  While the film tells a personal story of this larger-than-life personality, this may be the one time I found myself wishing Soderbergh had not muted the volume of his vision.

Candelabra follows the story of Scott Thorson (who also wrote the novel the film was based on, played by Matt Damon), a young gay man who was introduced to Liberace and started a romantic partnership.  The early parts of the film almost have a Boogie Nights feel to them.  A young, modest man gets a taste of the glamorous lifestyle thanks to his attractiveness, and soon finds his entire world flipped upside down.  Being told from the perspective of Thorson, you almost get an insider's look through a gay man's lens at the time.  The running joke early on is how all of these older, blue-haired women never realize that this man with poofed up hair, fur coats, an effeminate voice, and love of all things glitzy is actually gay.

As Thorson and Liberace grow more domesticated in their partnership, challenges begin to emerge.  Thorson develops a drug addiction after undergoing plastic surgery to look more like his older lover (because of course), Liberace continues to try to keep his public life a secret despite wanting to visit sex shops, and the two have constant trust issues always assuming a younger stud is on his way in.

Douglas and Damon both share a strong chemistry on screen, but don't necessarily make you believe they are the characters they are attempting to portray.  The supporting cast, however, give plenty of amazing performances to help hide this fact.  Dan Aykroyd plays Liberace's manager with a fierce temper.  Bakula fills the role of the in-between that first introduces Thorson and Liberace.  Ultimately, the scene stealer of the film is Rob Lowe as Thorson and Liberace's plastic surgeon.  Carrying an alien-like face that's been worked on a few dozen times too many, Lowe provides the much needed, unintentional humor for the film.

Considering the subject matter of this flamboyant musician, now known as a punch line for over the top imagery, the visual tone of the film almost felt dumbed down a bit.  The glitz and glamor of Las Vegas and the sequins of Liberace are present, but fell short of expectations.  We get to see the famous fox-fur coat that has it's own driver, we briefly see the golden bathtubs in Liberace's mansion, but we never get to feel like we're in this extravagant world.

Soderbergh succeeds in telling an interesting tale about a cast of interesting characters.  It's unlikely you'll watch the film and not learn something new about the late musician, but again, I can't help but feel like for a film about Liberace, there should have been more.

Individual Ratings
Enjoyment Factor: 6
Dialogue: 8
Acting: 9
Direction: 8
Audio/Visual: 5

Battleship (2012)

Directed by: Peter Berg

Starring: Taylor Kitsch, Liam Neeson, Alexander Skarsgaard

Overall Rating: 48.6

There's a few words that come to mind after viewing Battleship, but one stands out: terrifying.  It's terrifying to know that there were as many people involved in the production of this film as there were, not one of whom able to recognize just how horrible it was.  When a script that involved a naval battleship power-sliding across the ocean using nothing but its anchor, nobody thought to say "Hey, that's completely retarded".  When casting agents said "You know who would make a bad-ass naval officer?  Rihanna", nobody thought to second guess that.  And when a movie executive was given the cast, script, director, and even premise of the film, they not only green-lit the project, but gave it 220 million dollars to make.  Again, terrifying.

Let's start with the story: a down on his luck 26 year old (Kitsch) living in Hawaii gets in trouble one too many times, so his Navy career-minded brother (Skarsgaard) tells him to join up so he can keep an eye on the miscreant and hopefully turn his life around.  Cut to just a few short years later, and not only does our hero have a new haircut (which means he's reformed now!!), but he's worked his way up to a Lieutenant title, despite still always being late and not responsible at all.

Well wouldn't you know it, on the day a multinational war-games exercise is about to take place, our hero gets in trouble for the last time and is set to be kicked out of the Navy.  Darn the luck!  But since he's already on one of the boats, we'll let him stay for now (because why not let an officer in charge of enough munitions to destroy a small country stay in charge of said weapons even after you've told him he's about to get fired?).  As the exercises commence, a swarm of alien machines crash into the ocean set on destroying the earth and blah blah blah.  The hero rises to the challenge, earth is saved, we've heard this song a hundred times before.

What makes Battleship stand out as a truly remarkable piece of crap, is just how hard it tries to be the ultimate popcorn movie.  Hunky leading man?  Check.  Respected actor (Neeson) we can put in the credits without giving more than 10 minutes of screen time?  Check.  Pop star?  Check.  Ridiculously out of place, big breasted supermodel?  Check.  'Splosions? Check.

The whole movie essentially plays out like a terribly done propaganda movie for the US Navy (which it likely was).  Swooping shots of carriers, grizzled seamen from the era of diesel destroyers, spiffy white uniforms all get they're time to shine bright on screen.

You also get the feeling that whoever was in charge of the soundtrack was given at least $5 million of that $220 million budget.  Admittedly, there are some great rock songs that play throughout the movie.  The suckiness comes from the fact that they use one of these songs for EVERY scene change.  It feels like in a 5 minute span of the film, there could be 4 scenes, and 4 different rock anthems playing in between each. 

Then there's the acting.  Oh lordy, the acting.  There's really not a bright spot in the entire film, except maybe the CGI actors in charge of the aliens.  They got off the best, because nobody was able to identify who they are and that they were associated with this steamer.  As mentioned, the film was likely a propaganda piece for the US Navy, and unfortunately that meant the producers sought after real-life military heroes to play roles, including Col. Gregory Gadson.  Gadson is an above-the-knee amputee and real life hero and motivational speaker.  But an actor, the good Colonel is not.  Despite this, he still gets line after cliched line to regurgitate and it just makes the entire process unpleasant.  All of his scenes are with Brooklyn Decker, and she comes across looking like Meryl Streep next to him. 

The lone bright spot comes from the special effects.  The audio team does a stellar job of conveying the boom of a shell being fired from a battleship, as well as with the alien technology.  The visuals do nothing to add to the story or overall tone of the film, but also aren't cringe-worthy either.

In short, there's very little to recommend with Battleship.  In a lot of cases with big budget popcorn flicks, I can see the draw for certain types of film-goers.  But even fans of films like Transformers or anything starring Jason Statham would undoubtedly finish a viewing of this film with a horrific taste in their mouth, and that's saying something.

Individual Ratings
Enjoyment Factor: 4
Dialogue: 3
Acting: 2
Direction: 3
Audio/Visual: 6

Phil Spector (2013)

Directed by: David Mamet
Starring: Al Pacino, Helen Mirren, Jeffrey Tambor

Overall Rating: 57.7

The only thing that really differentiates Phil Spector as a TV movie made for HBO and the stereotypical "made for TV movies" shown on Lifetime in the 90's seems to be the star power associated with it.  Despite the likes of Al Pacino and Helen Mirren starring, and David Mamet directing, the tone and delivery of the film just falls flat.

The film follows the trial of legendary music producer Phil Spector (Pacino) as the defense struggles to find ways to defend their client in the midst of a constant media blitz insinuating guilt.  As is constantly pointed out, it doesn't matter if the evidence points to innocence, but rather how the jury feels about the defendant.  It's this struggle that Mamet focuses on: How do you sway public opinion for someone who appears guilty in a court of law, when all anyone talks about is that person's guilt?

Very wisely, the film begins with a disclaimer stating that the film is inspired by facts, but is not based on a true story.  As the real life version of Spector was found guilty and sentenced to 19 years in jail, the film takes great efforts to introduce "evidence" that hints at Spector's innocence, but was never introduced due to legal errors.  So the film is basically saying, "the real life jury never got to see this evidence, but if they had they'd have found Spector innocent".

After winning 2 Emmys for his work with HBO (2010's You Don't Know Jack and 2003's Angels in America), you can understand why Pacino would be willing to participate in a project like this, and for the most part he performs adequately.  Pacino plays the titular eccentric music producer with care, hitting the ferocious spots when intensity is needed, and understating his performance when not.

Unfortunately, that's the extent of the positives.  Helen Mirren plays the sympathetic Linda Kenney Baden who steps in to help Spector's defense team, but comes across as average at best.  For a film about one of the most famous trials of the 21st century so far, we also are only privy to the defense.  We are never even introduced to the prosecution or get a hint that Spector might actually be guilty.  It's this one-sidedness that takes away any drama from the film.

Phil Spector really tries to make Spector a charity case and gain sympathy for the misunderstood genius, but ultimately fails at that task, and at creating an entertaining movie.

Individual Ratings
Enjoyment Factor: 5
Dialogue: 6
Acting: 6
Direction: 4
Audio/Visual: 5

The World According to Dick Cheney (2013)

Directed by: RJ Cutler
Starring: Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Lynn Cheney

Overall Rating: 82.4

Being one of the most reclusive public figures to ever hold office, let alone the second highest office in the land, many were surprised to hear about a documentary coming out about former Vice President Dick Cheney.  Whether scrubbing his house from Google Maps, having a "man-sized" safe to store his documents, or his overall mentality of thinking that the legislative branch held no true power, Dick Cheney has always held an aura of sinister about him.  What we find out with The World According to Dick Cheney is that most of that was by design.

Before we even get to the opening credits of RJ Cutler's documentary produced for Showtime, we get a simple Q&A session with Cheney, consisting of softballs like "What is your favorite virtue?" and "What do you appreciate most of your friends?", each getting answered quickly and honestly.  Then the filmmaker asks "What do you consider your main faults?"  What follows next so amazingly demonstrates the disconnect that occurred between the Executive Office and the rest of the world, as Cheney struggles for a gut-wrenching amount of time to come up with an answer.  His face anguishing trying to comprehend how anything about him could possibly be considered a fault.  Finally, he simply responds, "I don't spend a lot of time thinking about my faults would be my answer".

Cutler takes a lot of his inspiration from Errol Morris' The Fog of War, which used controversial former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara as it's subject.  From his humble beginnings, to his rise to prosperity in the Nixon administration, to ultimately controlling the free world through proxy, each step is a calculated move by Cheney.

The doc does an astounding job of telling the former Vice President's story from his own perspective.  While there are guest commentators on both sides of the aisle giving their own thoughts and views, the film mostly focuses on Cheney's thought process throughout his life.  There's no need to add a lot of commentary to Cheney's words, as the sincerity he exhumes gives the viewers everything they need to know.  If you're a Bush/Cheney supporter, you will likely walk away with a better understanding of the man.  If you looked at that 8 year period in American history as a series of disasters, you get a behind the scenes look of the thought process behind each decision.

It's Cheney's complete lack of empathy or understanding other people's views that struck this reviewer the most.  At multiple times throughout the film, Cheney tries to proactively defend his decisions by stating that his job wasn't to be popular, but to get things done.  Even the tag line of the film pulls a quote from Cheney: "If you want to be loved, go be a movie star."  I don't believe anyone ever expects that administration to apologize, but the complete void of empathy regarding 9/11, the Iraq war, torture, or the economic collapse is truly astounding to see.

The film is educational, which as a documentary is all you can ask.  Getting a glimpse into the personal life of this reclusive man was an experience, and for that, the film accomplishes what it set out to do.  It's not a documentary to change the way you feel, but rather to enlighten the viewers to a period of history that will not soon be forgotten.

Individual Ratings
Enjoyment Factor: 8
Dialogue: n/a
Acting: n/a
Direction: 8
Audio/Visual: 7

Killing Them Softly (2012)

Directed by: Andrew Dominik

Starring: Brad Pitt, Scoot McNairy, Richard Jenkins

Overall Rating: 77.2

"This guy wants to tell me we're living in a community? Don't make me laugh. I'm living in America, and in America you're on your own. America's not a country. It's just a business. Now fuckin' pay me."

I'm sure it's not normal to quote the last lines of a film as the first lines of a review, but I feel it's these lines that so eloquently describe Killing Them Softly.  Being a film that was so critically praised, but scorned by movie-goers, I knew there was going to be a "love it or hate it" mentality associated, but all in all, the film achieves what it sent out to do: It tells a story within a story.

The film takes us into the underground of the 21st century of the mobster-mentality.  A mentality so strongly rooted in its past, but still always looking for innovation and advancement.  When a card game is robbed, the top of the mob food chain has to take action to prevent future crimes from happening, so they send in an enforcer to clean up.  This enforcer named Jackie Cogan, played with unassuming strength by Brad Pitt, harkens the audience back to a day of the Godfather or Goodfellas.  He's a no-nonsense guy who is going to do what he's told, but if he doesn't like what is being told to him, he's also going to make sure you know it.

The brilliance of the movie is the ongoing parallel between the mob and the financial collapse of 2008.  When the card game is robbed, the criminal economy crashes.  Nobody is sure of the security of any other games.  In order to get the money flowing again, the criminal world must be "bailed out", by Cogan and the bosses wiping the slate clean.  Innocent?  It doesn't matter.  If you're implicated, you're guilty.  And if you're guilty, you're going to have to pay so that others can prosper.

Cogan embodies the average American.  When discussing orders with his go-between (Jenkins) and hearing that the decision makers can't make decisions and the whole process of the "mob" has become like a corporation, he broods frustration.  He's willing to do the dirty work to make things right, but is prevented by people above his pay grade.

Scoot McNairy (Argo) shines and gets the majority of screen time.  Frankie is good for a number of laughs, but is also the morality of both sides.  He understands what his role in everything is, but is unwilling to accept it.  Whether working with his dirty partner to knock off the card game, or working with Cogan to save his own ass, McNairy shows both the arrogance of a schlub who was able to rob something that shouldn't have been able to have been robbed, as well as the cowering fear associated with said robbery.

It's easy to see why so many critics gave the film high praise, while the consensus among the audience was negative (a 48% by viewers on Rotten Tomatoes).  While the story may not explode off the screen, the subtlety that director Andrew Dominik displays makes the overall visuals of the film very pleasant.  Whether it's a slow motion car crash or execution, or a camera placed on a car door being opened and closed, we get a slew of unique shots that showcase the talent of the director.  Yes the pacing is slow, but coming from the man who made a Western about Jesse James with all of 3 minutes of action, you should have tempered your expectations going in.

It's not The Sopranos or Goodfellas, but Killing Them Softly does take the audience into the junked up world of the new age of the mob.  It's not glitz and glamor like Scorsese told us, but a dirty, drag-em-out game that very few get to win.  And we come full circle back to the capitalism parallel...

Individual Ratings
Enjoyment Factor: 6
Dialogue: 7
Acting: 7
Direction: 9
Audio/Visual: 9

Week in Review (Mar 16 - 22)

New Ratings Added to Database:

The World According to Dick Cheney (2013) - 82.4

New Reviews Added:

Week in Review (Mar 2 - Mar 8)

New Ratings Added to Database:

Easy Rider (1969) - 78.2

New Reviews Added:

Easy Rider (1969)

Easy Rider (1969)

Directed by: Dennis Hopper
Starring: Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, Jack Nicholson

Overall Rating: 78.2

"Easy Rider" takes the drug fueled anti-culture of the late 60's/early 70's and transcribes it into a visual road trip across the scenic countryside. With the reputation of a "drug movie", it's worth remembering that "Easy Rider" also stands up as a quality film, filled with great actors.

The film follows two men named Wyatt (Fonda) and Billy (Hopper) who sell a stash of drugs to travel from Los Angeles to New Orleans to go to Mardi Gras, experiencing America across the way.  During their travels, the two encounter a wide range of people looking to live their own lives.  There's the rancher struggling to grow crops to provide for his family, the outcast village of hippies looking to create their own community by living off the land, and plenty of bigoted rednecks un-accepting of the long-haired, free spirited duo.

The two men are played very differently by the two esteemed actors.  Fonda chooses to play Wyatt as the thoughtful, enlightened type, where as Hopper plays Billy as the hyper, wild-child hippie.  Each manages to have their own moments on screen.

The most recognized performance, however, comes from Jack Nicholson playing George, an alcoholic lawyer who decides to accompany Wyatt and Billy on their trip to Mardis Gras.  Nicholson earned his first Oscar nomination for his role, and it was well deserved.  As a seemingly well-off lawyer in a small town, George more than likely feels like he's a rebel with his alcoholism, until he runs into the main characters in jail.  Sensing a chance for freedom outside his small town, George tags along trying to get more experiences, but also provides context on life for Wyatt and friendship for Billy.

As so many art-house films of this era, "Easy Rider" focuses a lot on the audio and visual aspect of the film.  A large portion of the film is spent following the men on their motorcycles across the country, giving plenty of great scenic views.  As director, Hopper also manages to include plenty of classic songs to accompany the riding shots.

While it's definitely not a casual movie to turn on when you're looking for some excitement, the overall message and tones of "Easy Rider" should definitely be experienced at least once.  Even if you're against the hippie, counterculture lifestyle, there are still excellent images to be had and great performances to be watched.

Individual Ratings
Enjoyment Factor: 7
Dialogue: 8
Acting: 9
Direction: 7
Audio/Visual: 7

Week in Review (Feb 23 - Mar 1)

New Ratings Added to Database:

Side Effects (2013) - 86.3

New Reviews Added:

Side Effects (2013)

Side Effects (2013)

Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: Jude Law, Rooney Mara, Channing Tatum

Overall Rating: 90.0

As Steven Soderbergh begins his retirement, he leaves his fans and the movie world with one final mainstream film with an indie vibe with "Side Effects", and he leaves on a very good note.

Soderbergh has always been known as an actor's director, giving challenging dramatic roles that showcase dialogue and emotion over Hollywood fluff, and "Side Effects" shows us the Soderbergh that won him an Academy Award back in 2000 for "Traffic".  It's sad to think that this will be the final feature film that Soderbergh makes, but it's also just as hard to believe he's truly done for good.

"Side Effects" shows the dark side of prescription drugs and focuses on the "prescribe rather than treat" mentality of a growing depressed population.  Feeling blue?  Pop a Zoloft.  Need to concentrate?  Try Adderall or a beta-blocker.  It's a billion dollar industry that requires the doctors that we trust to work for the pharmaceutical companies to get rich off of our pain.

After her husband returns home from a 4-year jail stint for insider trading, Emily Taylor (Mara) finds herself growing more and more depressed as they try to put the pieces back together.  She knows she must put on a strong face for him, but inside can't help but feel trapped in a dark cloud.  After an intentional car accident, Emily finds herself under the care of Dr. Jonathan Banks (Law) who tries different anti-depressants to block out the sadness.  When she tries a new drug, Ablixa, she suddenly feels on top of the world.  The couple's sex drive is back, she's not sad anymore, and everything seems to be going well except for the fact that she sleepwalks.

After a tragic accident, the film shifts quite suddenly halfway through.  While the first half of the film is a dramatic take on finding happiness, the second half quickly becomes quite the suspenseful thriller with twists and turns along the way.  Despite a run time of 106 minutes, the film keeps you engaged throughout, making it seem like a much longer epic.

One of the primary ways we're kept engaged is through the brilliant performances of Rooney Mara and Jude Law.  Mara (Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) stays with her bread-and-butter performance range of the dark, yet fragile woman who can change an entire scene with a simple stare.  She commands the emotion of this broken down housewife with perfection.  She constantly makes you feel empathy towards her struggle, yet fight to try to understand what she's going through.

Law on the other hand, plays multiple iterations of his same Dr. Banks.  Without giving too much away, Law manages to take on the role of the caring doctor, paranoid conspiracy theorist, and conniving genius all in an hour and a half long movie, and play each part superbly.

Teaming up once again with screenwriter Scott Z. Burns (Contagion), Soderbergh and Burns continue to tell deep, complex stories without having to explain too much.  While the world of pharmaceuticals and prescription drugs to a non-user can seem complicated on the surface, Burns' words and Soderbergh's direction gently dip the audiences toes into the steaming waters below.

"Side Effects" is a dark, cautious tale wrapped up in a suspenseful thriller.  It's a shame to see Soderbergh step away from the lens, but with as many quality films he's put out over the past 15+ years, he's earned some quiet time.

Individual Ratings
Enjoyment Factor: 9
Dialogue: 8
Acting: 10
Direction: 9
Audio/Visual: 7