Lawless

The Good Fight

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Rated: R  Some sexuality/nudity, language and strong bloody violence
Release Date: August 29, 2012
Runtime:  1 hour 55 minutes

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Director: John Hillcoat
Writers: Nick Cave, from the novel by Matt Bondurant
Cast:  Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, Jason Clarke, Guy Pearce, Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska, Dane DeHaan, Gary Oldman

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SYNOPSIS:  In 1931 Depression-era Prohibition Franklin County, three bootlegging brothers' business is threatened by a new special deputy targeting moonshining operations in the hills of Virginia.

REVIEW: Director John Hillcoat, known for the bleak apocalyptic Cormac McCarthy adaptation The Road, return with another adaptation from multi-talented Nick Cave (The Proposition) based on the novel 'The Wettest County in the World' by Matt Bondurant. Looking at Depression moonshining based on the actual lives of three real-life brothers should make for fine drama. 

In 1931 Franklin County, Virginia, three brothers make their living distilling 'White Lightning' moonshine in the rural foothills. Led by Forrest Bondurant (Tom Hardy, The Dark Knight Rises), a man who cheated and overcame death in both the Great War and a bout of fever that took the lives of both of the brothers' parents, he remains a quiet but stern businessman of the local alcohol trade. Older bear of a brother Howard (Jason Clarke, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps) like the product a little too much but is devoted to his brethren. Younger brother and runt of the litter Jack (Shia Lebeouf, Transformers: Dark of the Moon) looks to follow in his brother's footsteps but lacks the stature and intestinal fortitude to do what sometimes must be done. Operating without problems from the local constables, the Bondurant brothers suddenly find themselves up against sterner authorities in the guise of special deputy Charlie Rakes (Guy Pearce, Lockout) who looks to shut down all of the stills operating in the back wood Virginia hillside. Unwilling to back down, the Bondurant clan continue to distill the illegal alcohol while the other moonshiners are bought out or run out. While Forrest deals with keeping what he has, Jack starts running his own part of the business and making enough money to buy fancy cars and clothes, and try to woe the beautiful daughter of a town minister named Bertha (Jessica Chastain, The Help).

What could have been just another drawn out early 20th Century period drama, turns into a gripping character-driven tale of loyalty, power, and love. With great performances by Tom Hardy, Guy Pearce, and the rest of the cast, plus a phenomenal story from Nick Cave from the Matt Bondurant, Lawless will entertain and enthrall.

At the end of the second decade of the Twentieth Century, the United States government decides that the ills of the country were due to the evils of alcoholic spirits, passing the Amendment to the Constitution for Prohibition. As the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression tore through the country, those with the strength of character and convictions were able to remain or become successful in spite, and because, of the decisions of the government. Bootlegging and moonshining became the cornerstone of prosperity for both those who produced the spirits and those who sold them, and survival for those who consumed them.

Taking place in the the hills of Virginia, the opening shot pans over the luscious orange, red, and golds tree tops of the forests of the commonwealth. An old Ford truck rumbles down a single lane dirt road and Shia LeBeouf's character Jack sits behind the wheel of the old jalopy filled with White Lightning. In voice-over, Jack describes his brothers and the business they share. As they travel through the county, selling crates of mason jars filled with moonshine to both the locals and the local constables, we get a glimpse that maybe selling moonshine during Prohibition is not as illegal and detrimental to the country's morals as it was supposed to be. The cinematography is sweeping and gorgeous, adding a beauty to a story that at times is bloody and hard.

The performances are exceptional. Tom Hardy's Forrest Bondurant is both eloquent and quiet, saying more with a clenched-jaw stare and a 'hmmm' than long monologues. Shia's Jack, the center of the story in some regard, shows he carry himself with characters other than talking robots. Guy Pearce, as the special deputy Charlie Rakes appointed by the Commonwealth of Virginia, presents his character as a Chicago operative who fancies the finer things in life, has a perchance for wearing gloves, and has no problem getting his hands dirty. Jessica Chastain and Mia Wasikowska bring a softness and maturnal climate to the brother's, Jessica as the minister's daughter that Jack tries to woe and Mia as the displaced Chicago showgirl who just wants to find a more quiet life. Dane Dehaan stumbles through life as the Bondurant Brothers' mechanic and gimpy boy Cricket with a heart of gold. And Gary Oldman cameos as the crime boss Floyd Banner, both friend and foe to the back-woods bootleggers.

Lawless is a fine period drama, corner stoned by superior performances by everyone on the cast, strong stark visuals, and a solid story. Violent and beautiful, Lawless entertains and enthralls. The brothers may be outlaws, but their loyalty to each other is beyond the rules.

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WORTH:  Matinee or DVD

The Dark Knight Rises

Knightfall

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Rated: PG-13  Intense sequences of violence, language, some sensuality and intense sequences of action.
Release Date: July 20, 2012
Runtime:  2 hours 45 minutes

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Director: Christopher Nolan
Writers: Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan, David S. Goyer, based on characters created by Bob Kane
Cast:  Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Liam Neesn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gary Oldman, Marion Cotillard, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Matthew Modine

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SYNOPSIS: After the Batman is held responsible for District Attorney Harvey Dent's death, the caped crusader disappears from the streets of Gotham. Some years later, when terrorist leader Bane takes over the city, Bruce Wayne again dons his cowl as the Batman to protect the city that had forsaken him.

REVIEW: Christopher Nolan, the man who wrote, directed and breathed new life into the man behind the mask and the scourge of the streets of Gotham City with Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, returns for the last installment of his trilogy of films with The Dark Knight Rises (see the The Dark Knight Trilogy: The Road So Far for the full story of the first two films of the trilogy). With Jonathan Nolan (The Prestige, Memento) and David S. Goyer (Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance), Christopher Nolan scribes a fully realized dramatic actioner from the characters created by Bob Kane that takes the Batman to the next level - as well as setting the bar higher for all other superhero films.

After the Batman (Christian Bale, The Flowers of War) and the new Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) defeat the two-faced Harvey Dent, they take it upon themselves to cast the Batman as the villain and leaving the memory of Harvey Dent as the shining example of the righteousness of good in the city of Gotham. Pursued by the Gotham Police Department, the Batman abruptly disappears from the city streets. In addition, Bruce Wayne becomes a recluse, not even bothering to take part in the goings-on of Wayne Enterprises. Some years pass and the city of Gotham, with Commissioner Gordon at the head of the police department and the Dent Act in full effect for the criminals of the city, has become a town with low crime rates and no villainous underbelly. As Gotham City enjoys a period of tranquility and peace under The Dent Act, a new threat emerges in the guise of Bane (Tom Hardy, This Means War), a terrorist who shares the cleansing vision of his one-time mentor Ra's Al Ghul Ra's Al Ghul (Liam Neeson, Battleship) as the leader of the League of Assassins. When the mechanical masked Bane hatches a plot to cut off Gotham Island from the rest of the country by declaring marshal law under his rule, the Batman must come out of retirement to confront and attempt to defeat the skilled and vicious man. With only Commissioner Gordon, a new GPD detective named John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 50/50), the devious alter ego of Selina Kyle as the leather-clad Catwoman (Ann Hathaway, Alice in Wonderland), Wayne Enterprises CEO Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman, Dolphin Tale), perspective business partner Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard, Contagion) and his trusty butler Alfred Pennyworth (Michael Caine, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island), the Batman fights an uphill battle that may break him physically and spiritually.

Christopher Nolan completes his vision of the Dark Knight with The Dark Knight Rises, the third in his trilogy of Batman films. Where Tim Burton's vision turned Gotham City into an abstract landscape filled with darkness and a little camp, and where Joel Schumacher lit up that darkness with iridescent color and a cartooned version of the Caped Crusader and his trusty side kick Robin, Nolan grounds his Bruce Wayne and cowled hero into a reality-based Shakespearean tragic drama centered around real architecture and deep symbolism. Throughout his films, Nolan denotes the Batman as a symbol to the city's denizens. In Batman Begins, when the Scarecrow rules the city with the symbol (and gases) of fear, the Batman became a darker, more dangerous symbol of real fear is. In The Dark Knight, the Joker hopes to mar the shining symbol of the city by corrupting Harvey Dent and his accomplishments as the city's district attorney. Instead of letting the Joker win, the Batman became the villain to shoulder the weight of the city's fury against his alleged murderous atrocities. In The Dark Knight Rises, Bruce Wayne and his alter ego must face difficult decisions and dire consequences to become a symbol for the city again. Can he rise up against the more skilled Bane to save the city he cherishes, and save himself in the process?

In The Dark Knight Rises: Prologue, the first six minutes of film was marred with the unintelligible rants of the mechanically respirator Bane. In the finished product, there are no more issues with his speech for the most part. With an elegant, raspy accent, Bane stands above his minions as a dangerous and driven man - bent on the destruction of Gotham City as per his one-time mentor Ra's A Ghul. Where Heath Ledger's Joker was a brilliantly psychotic maniac, Tom Hardy's Bane is a powerful and driven menace. Is Bane a better villain than the Joker? I am sure that many would find it blasphemy to speak ill of Ledger's last role. The brilliance of Nolan manages to set the characterizations of each rogue so far apart in scope and mission as to not warrant a comparison. In the comics, the Joker has been a mainstay menace to the Batman since the caped crusader's beginnings. Bane, although turned into a silly trench coated henchman in Joel Schumacher’s effort for Batman and Robin, was a critical component in a surprising and successful Knightfall story arc to the destruction and eventual resurrection of the man who would be Batman.

Many believe that Nolan may spread the story too thin by the introduction of too many characters. Before Batman Begins, the thought was that using minor rogues in the form of Ra's Al Ghul and the Scarecrow would undermine the success of the film, but its success spurred a sequel. With Bane, Cat Woman, and the possible return of Ra's Al Ghul, the same critics thought the same dilution of story might occur. Although long with a runtime coming in at 165 minutes, Nolan crafts a solid and dramatic tale that redeems Bane as a major pivotal villain in the canon of the Batman's rogue gallery and history, and cements all of Nolan's films of the Dark Knight into a carefully crafted, interwoven and tragic tale that borders more on fine drama than superhero fare. If you are looking for a super-powered follow-up to The Avengers, look elsewhere. If you are looking for too-human drama, The Dark Knight Rises is for you. Nolan's trilogy could be considered a saga in three acts. Act 1 in Batman Begins is Bruce's birth from man into the flawed, anti-hero and protector of the city. Act 2 in The Dark Knight takes the Batman from anti-hero to hero to villain. Act 3 in The Dark Knight Rises is Bruce returning as the reviled anti-hero to fight against odds he cannot overcome.

The Dark Knight Rises is a continuation of the foundation of what Nolan and his writers had already built in the first two films. Adding in elements from the Knightfall story arc and a dash of No Man's Land story arc, The Dark Knight Rises is both a telling of the physical breaking of the Batman and the spiritual breaking of the Gotham's citizenry. Equal parts Bane and Bruce, the Batman takes somewhat of a back seat to both. There is plenty of story and action, but the cowled avenger is relegated to the end of the first act and the sensational climax last act. For lovers of the dark detective, some story elements will be more obvious than for non-readers. This first-hand knowledge will not deter from the story, but will serve to foreshadow surprises later on.

The cast is stellar as always. Christian Bale gets a chance to just be Bruce for a majority of the film, but still managed to engage his gravelly deep voice of the Batman when needed. While Tom Hardy is barely recognizable behind Bane's mechanical mask, he does exude a fierce obsession of the destruction of Gotham that mirrors that of Ra's Al Ghul machinations from the first film. Ann Hathaway's Selina Kyle/Catwoman returns to the skin tight bodysuit and the razor's edge of doing for herself and doing for others. New character John Blake, played by Gordon-Levitt, steps out from the shadows of the GPD to become a detective in his own right. Oldman is still perfect as the ragged, war-weary, and determined Commissioner Gordon.

Similar to Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy where I enjoyed Spider-Man 2 the most with its established hero and superior villain, the performance of Ledger's Joker and the story in total stands out as the best of the Dark Knight trilogy for me. The Dark Knight Rises is a dramatic story with a sensational ending, working perfectly into the Nolan hero narrative. We can discuss and debate the merits of each film all day, but in the end all I can say is - 'why so serious?'.

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WORTH: Matinee and BluRay

Kung Fu Panda 2 (3D)

Even More Awesomer!

Director: Jennifer Yuh

Writers: Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger

Stars: Jack Black, Angelica Jolie, Jackie Chan, Dustin Hoffman, Gary Oldman, Seth Rogen, Lucy Lui, David Cross

SYNOPSIS: As the Dragon Warrior, Po the Panda, along with the Furious Five, fights injustice. Now, Shen and a deadly weapon to end kung fu threaten Po and all of China.

A fuzzy, over-sized, squishy black-and-white panda with the power of kung fu returns in this sequel to the widely successful Kung Fu Panda. With over $630 million in worldwide box office (www.boxofficemojo.com), Kung Fu Panda 2 was a karate chop lock. And loaded with big voice talent and a bigger, more action-packed story line, Kung Fu Panda 2 pleases like a one-two punch.

Director Jennifer Yuh, no stranger to animation, gets promoted from being in charge of the story in the original Kung Fu Panda to being in charge of everything for the sequel. Po (Jack Black), Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Shifu (Dustin Hoffman), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Viper (Lucy Lui), Crane (David Cross) and Mr. Ping (James Hong) return for more high kicking hi-jinks. Well, everyone but Mr. Ping - he is a simple noodle-making goose, you know. Joining the cast is the peacock weaponer Shen (Gary Oldman) out to conquer China and destroy a soothsayer prophecy that a Black-and-white kung fu master would destroy him. Rounding out the cast are Shen's wolf pack soldiers and the other kung fu masters Po idolizes.

Kung Fu Panda 2 brings a fast and furious action sequel to the masses. Sometimes the fighting sequences were so fast and so furious that the fists and the fury could barely be contained and seen onscreen. Layer on top of great fights a heartfelt story of an adopted Panda (wait, Mr. Ping wasn't his father?) looking for inner peace and for the secrets of his origins, great comic moments, and a finish worthy of Karate Kid 2 - yes, I recognized the parallels, Dreamworks! - and you have another animation enjoyable for both kids and their parents.

Gary Oldman's Shen is more formidable an opponent for Po and the Furious Five than Tai Lung was for the first film. Power hungry and looking toward total domination, he holds the key to Po's beginnings. Even though Po is now the Dragon Warrior, his focus needs more focus as he is distracted by visions of his past every time he encounters his peacock enemy.

The colors are deep, rich and vibrant. The story is accessible and legendary. You will laugh, you should cry a little, and you will come out of the theater with a smile and the impulse to show off your kung fu skills. Black Black has another hit on his hands. The real mystery is what a fuzzy, out of shape Dragon Warrior panda will have in store for us the next time!

WORTH: Matinee and DVD

Red Riding Hood

A Fairy Tale, But Grimm

Director: Catherine Hardwicke

Writer: David Johnson

Stars: Amanda Seyfried, Lukas Haas, Gary Oldman, Billy Burke, Virginia Madsen, Max Irons, Julie Christie, Shiloh Fernandez

image from news-leader.com

RANT: I have good news and bad news. The good news is that the Regal theater that I frequent in Westbury, NY is installing an IMAX theater which will be operational in April. The bad news is that I was fortunate enough to sit next to a woman today that kindly asked if the movie just started, then proceeded to check her iPhone every 10 minutes throughout the entire film!

SYNOPSIS: Valerie and her fellow townspeople must guard against the attacks of the werewolf that stalks the village at the height of the full "blood" moon.

Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke creates a fantasy tale based on the classic Little Red Riding Hood children's story. Written by Orphan scribe David Johnson, Red Riding Hood, is the current teenage equivalent of the fairy tale. The story is so much a Twilight spin-off, Red Riding Hood could have been a medieval prequel - without the pesky shimmery vampires to contend with.

We follow Valerie (Amanda Seyfried), a young woman with desires to be with with a strapping young woodcutter, Peter (Shiloh Fernandez). Just as they are set to run away together, the village bell sounds for everyone to return the village. They are mortified to find Valerie's older sister murdered by a werewolf that the townsfolk have been placating for 20 years with full moon animal offerings. A search party is formed to track down the wolf and kill it, but the father of Henry (Max Irons), a young man slated to an arranged marriage to Valerie, is killed. Soon Solomon (Gary Oldman), a renowned slayer of witches, wolves and other creatures is dispatched to the town to discover the truth and destroy the beast.

I enjoy my dark fairy tales to remain dark. All of the teenage angst in monster movies these days leaves me cold and empty. Don't get me wrong, every slasher film needs plenty of horny teenagers to fill in the formula. But the classics of werewolves, vampires and mummies are better left to adult sexual tension. Red Riding Hood seems so close in style to Twilight with the forlorn love triangle between Valerie, Peter and Henry, that every scene drips with obvious distracting comparisons. Only the bare ab muscles were left off camera.

Red Riding Hood does have fine moments. First is the sometimes successful cinematography in creating a surreal spooky mood, especially as Valerie walks around the spiked trees and foggy ground on the way to grandmother's house on the edge of the dark forest. Second is the determined hunter that is embodied by Gary Oldman. Valerie's vibrant red cloak stood in stark contrast with the somber, washed out hues of the village, the dark forest and the wolf's lair. Lastly, is the actual mystery that surrounds the town and Solomon's pursuit of the truth. Who is the werewolf? Most of the intrigue in the film rested on following Valerie piecing together the clues as to who the werewolf really was in human form.

Since I am not a diehard fan of the Twilight series (although I continue to see the sequel in hope of a better film), Red Riding Hood did not amaze or fully entertain me. I did not look at my watch to see if the movie was close to being over, but I might have close had it not been for the redeeming acting of Seyfried and Oldman and the overall look of the film.

One final flaw - any medieval period film production should have spent at least a few days trying to find suitable accents for its players. Like The Eagle before it, I lose respect for a movie when everything is so Americanized.

Worth: Netflix

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