A throwback to the days when slow to boil suspense and subtle intrigue were reason enough to screen a film. The film doesn’t require peeking through the fingers, seat belts or sending the kids next door to play. The ‘action’ takes place in your mind. So often these days, we, the viewers are spoon fed everything and the direction one looks to is spelled out thoroughly, lest one be burdened with the aspect of thinking. I’d have to say the last good film of this vibe was ‘Match Point’ (Woody Allen). What it has in common with ‘The Ghost Writer’ besides the fact that both were directed by infamous men (here Roman Polanski) of questionable character, is that they are well done.
The Ghost Writer concerns a writer (Ewan McGregor) hired to complete the memoirs of a former British Prime Minister (Pierce Brosnan) when the original ‘Ghost’ suddenly dies. While researching the PM, he uncovers, stumbles upon and is led to mysterious information regarding his subject. As befits most fine mystery films, that information comes from an array of interesting characters along the way. No disappointments here, as Tom Wilkinson, Robert Pugh, and the great Eli Wallach take turns throwing curve balls.
Kim Cattrall, as the PM’s Chief of Staff communicates more with posture and a sly wink than most blabbermouths making the rounds in Hollywood these days. Olivia Williams is outstanding as his smart but strictly photo op wife. Timothy Hutton, James Belushi and Jon Bernthal spice things up along the way to make this film recommended for one of those rainy days you haven’t a ghost of a chance to accomplish anything for the afternoon.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Friday, September 17, 2010
Kick-Ass
The great thing about movies that enter the realm of super heroes is that nothing is over the top. Anything goes, and that is precisely why I read them on a weekly basis while growing up. The sixties were a different era of course, and I could only afford new books on Saturday. But I spent the entire afternoon reading them. It was a time to let the imagination roam unfettered. Time would seem as if suspended while you studied and imagined the world beyond a single frame or page. So with ‘Kick-Ass’, I did exactly as I did so many years ago. Open it up, sit back and hopefully, watch in awe.
The movie opens slowly, and a foundation is laid out. This is very important due to many not having read the ‘Kick-Ass’ series. I had never heard of it. But the premise intrigued me and that was enough. So, in a sense, I was back to the Saturday afternoon atmosphere of seeing things for the first time, as they unfolded. And unfold they did.
The rise of ‘Kick-Ass’ was due to frustration with the status-quo. You don’t have to be into comics to understand this. However, it is the second ingredient to becoming ‘Kick-Ass’ (courage) that is uncommon. So young Dave (Aaron Johnson) has decided to change his world and the catalyst is the comic book super hero world he lives for. He creates an alter-ego ‘Kick-Ass’ and sets out to make a difference in his world. Along the way, he’ll meet allies, adversaries and find that recognition can be a two-edged sword.
Each page of ‘Kick-Ass’ yields additions to the film that are a surprise and very welcome. Christopher Mintz-Plasse is fine as the ignored son of the local mob boss (Mark Strong) who reckons he’ll be reckoned with one way or another. Nicholas Cage plays a comic book writer who has the added task of raising a daughter (Chloe Grace Moretz) alone. Chloe is a young dynamo who also happens to steal the movie (apologies to all the talent assembled, she is that good). I’m not getting into the characters here because you really need to watch the movie and let the story evolve.
The film is based on the Mark Millar comic book series. The writers worked closely with Millar . And for their efforts to bring forth a fresh and lively story to an old genre, writer Jane Goldman and writer-director, Matthew Vaughn have succeeded wildly. Oh and there will be more of these movies to come, that you can be sure of. After all, there’s a charismatic thirteen year old girl who simply must entertain the world, one more time before getting back to school.
The movie opens slowly, and a foundation is laid out. This is very important due to many not having read the ‘Kick-Ass’ series. I had never heard of it. But the premise intrigued me and that was enough. So, in a sense, I was back to the Saturday afternoon atmosphere of seeing things for the first time, as they unfolded. And unfold they did.
The rise of ‘Kick-Ass’ was due to frustration with the status-quo. You don’t have to be into comics to understand this. However, it is the second ingredient to becoming ‘Kick-Ass’ (courage) that is uncommon. So young Dave (Aaron Johnson) has decided to change his world and the catalyst is the comic book super hero world he lives for. He creates an alter-ego ‘Kick-Ass’ and sets out to make a difference in his world. Along the way, he’ll meet allies, adversaries and find that recognition can be a two-edged sword.
Each page of ‘Kick-Ass’ yields additions to the film that are a surprise and very welcome. Christopher Mintz-Plasse is fine as the ignored son of the local mob boss (Mark Strong) who reckons he’ll be reckoned with one way or another. Nicholas Cage plays a comic book writer who has the added task of raising a daughter (Chloe Grace Moretz) alone. Chloe is a young dynamo who also happens to steal the movie (apologies to all the talent assembled, she is that good). I’m not getting into the characters here because you really need to watch the movie and let the story evolve.
The film is based on the Mark Millar comic book series. The writers worked closely with Millar . And for their efforts to bring forth a fresh and lively story to an old genre, writer Jane Goldman and writer-director, Matthew Vaughn have succeeded wildly. Oh and there will be more of these movies to come, that you can be sure of. After all, there’s a charismatic thirteen year old girl who simply must entertain the world, one more time before getting back to school.
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