Gangster Squad

DRAMA

New Territories

★ ★ ★ ★ out of 5 | Movie - DVD - Rental

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Rated: R Strong violence and language.
Release Date: January 11, 2013
Runtime: 1 hour 53 minutes

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Director: Ruben Fleischer
Writers: Will Beall, Paul Liberman
Cast: Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Nick Nolte, Robert Patrick, Michael Peña, Giovanno Ribisi

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SYNOPSIS: In 1949, the chief of the LAPD enlists a group of police hard cases to form a gangster squad to go against Los Angeles crime boss Mickey Cohen.

REVIEW: 30 Minutes or Less and Zombieland director Ruben Fleischer goes dramatic Los Angeles mobster noir with a screenplay by Will Beall (Castle, the announced Justice League) from the book of the same name by Paul Lieberman. What happens when the law is not enough to keep organized crime in check? You create a task force with members more ruthless than the criminals ever were.

Ex-boxer Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn, Milk) only knows violence and power. He led with his fists in order to gain an upper hand in 1949 Los Angeles. As he controlled more and more of the city's organized crime, the cops and politicians not under Cohen's thumb are near powerless to combat the power hungry thug turned crime boss. Chief Parker (Nick Nolte, Warrior) enlists the service of homicide squad Sgt. John O'Mara (Josh Brolin, Men In Black III) to put together a squad of men who would work beyond the boundaries of the law in order to dish out justice against Cohen and his syndicate.

Gangster Squad is inspired by a true story as the men and women of post-war Los Angeles suffer under the rule of the mob. Part L.A. Confidential and part The Untouchables, Brolin's O'Mara puts together a squad of hard cases to work without the protective shield of the L.A.P.D. badge. Sgt. Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling, The Ides of March) is the young capable cop who has as many vices as he does virtues. African American Officer Coleman Harris (Anthony Mackie, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) on the beat is the only thing that stands in the way of heroin hitting his local streets. And Sgt. O'Mara's wife's urging, O'Mara ends up picking up old-style western six-shooter Officer Max Kennard (Robert Patrick, Trouble with the Curve) to give some accuracy to the boys' shooting. Tagging along with Kennard is a companion Officer Navidad Ramirez (Michael Peña, End of Watch) who doesn't seem to be right for the job but stands behind his guns when necessary. Rounding out the squad is Officer Conway Keeler (Giovanni Ribisi, Ted) who counterbalances to team's brawn with some brains as a former Army intelligence officer with skills and wiretapping to try to get at the bottom of Cohen's criminal mechanisms. 

There may be several members to the righteous Gangsters Squad but Mickey Cohen has his own men surrounding him loaded to bear. Most serve as cannon fodder and human shields to protect, but Cohen does surround himself with a trusted bodyguard and his number one lieutenant who serve him above all else. But none of the men who carry Tommy guns and carry out Cohen's orders are no match for the power-hungry man himself. Brolin's O'Mara has his hands full with the weathered, progressive-thinker brute with a plan grander than the city itself. The Chicago mobs may have clung to the old ways just a little to long, allowing themselves to be lulled into thinking their empires couldn't be toppled.

Tommy guns roar and bullets riddle both personal property and torsos. The film pulls no punches as hot lead and closed fists lead to sprays of blood. Embroiled with men on both sides of the law, Grace Faraday (Emma Stone, The Amazing Spider-Man) serves as the softer side of a story filled with hardened and driven men. A girl just trying to make it in Hollywood Land, Faraday ends up being an evening gown swishing, crimson-lipped dame on the air of both the domineering Mickey Cohen and the charismatic Jerry Wooter. Stone smokes up each scene she walks her gams into, but sometimes does not have enough to do to warrant part of the story.

Gangster Squad is the perfect post-noir period piece for your hard-boiled enjoyment. Of course, there are moments of Hollywood Land cinematic bravado. Such things are inevitable when there is such a vast library of storytelling already projected on the silver screen, plus guns and gristled men of action. Quentin Tarantino would be proud of the mob/gangster squad standoffs. And Kevin Costner, remember that scene at the train station with Elliot Ness in The Untouchables? Brolin, Gosling, and Penn ellipse that with more bullets and blood on the carpeted steps of a posh hotel. Director Fleischer and writer Beall ramp up the violence, the intrigue and the humor. Michael Peña and Giovanni Ribisi add their own sense of style to the keep the mood as light as it can handle.

Gangster Squad is the perfect blend of bullets, blood, and classy babes. Brolin's square jaw, Penn's piercing stares, Gosling's charisma, and Stone's sultry eyes make for fine entertainment taking place on the streets of the City of Angels.

End of Watch

Pushing Black and White

★ ★ ★ 1/2 out of 5 buckets | Matinee or DVD

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Rated: R Sexual references, pervasive language, some disturbing images, some drug use and strong violence

Release Date: September 21, 2012

Runtime: 1 hour 49 minutes

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Director: David Ayer
Writers: David Ayer
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Peña, Natalie Martinez, Anna Kendrick, Frank Grillo, America Ferrera, Cody Horn, David Harbour, Maurice Compte, Yahira Garcia

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SYNOPSIS: Two hot shot police officers are marked for death by a drug cartel after they are part of several busts of guns, money, and human traffickers.

REVIEW: David Ayer, writer of Training Day and S.W.A.T., graduates to writing/directing of his sophomore film with End of Watch. Gritty and raw, Ayer uses the documentary style Handicams, dashboard cruiser cams, and shaking handheld camerawork to delve into the workings of the life of two blue brothers in arms.

Police officers and partners Brian Taylor (Jake Gyllenhaal, Source Code) and Mike Zavala (Michael Pena, Tower Heist) patrol the streets like black and white pushing armed cowboys. While Taylor takes Pre-Med courses, he takes an elective course in filmmaking, resulting in him bringing a camcorder and other small cameras on the job. Cleared of a good shoot earlier, Taylor and Zavala get back out on the streets, answering calls ranging from assaults on mailmen to missing kids to gangland politics. When a routine stakeout turns into a traffic stop that involves weapons fire and the seizure of money and guns, Taylor and Zavala find themselves in a much bigger situation involving a drug cartel, human trafficking, drugs, guns, gangs, and a price on their heads.

David Ayer writes and directs a dramatic and realistic turn of two patrolling policemen who live and bleed blue for their brothers in arms while trying to maintain a life outside the force. Considered reckless cowboys on tour, Taylor and Zavala keep it light until they need to 'get the job done'. When out of uniform, Mike dotes on his high school sweetheart turned wife Gabby (Natalie Martinez, Death Race), while Brian trades in sleeping around for an intelligent, beautiful woman named Janet (Anna Kendrick, ParaNorman). At work or at play, the duo give it their intense best.

While Taylor and Zavala seem to have it all at home - loving women, babies on the way - but they may be unprepared for what is piecing together during their tours on the job. A stakeout turned traffic stop reveals money and guns and additional intel that lead Taylor and Zavala deeper into illegal activities and organizations that more covert law enforcement agencies are circling. As Taylor and Zavala uncover more dire and twisted locations run by local gangsters, they come to the attention of a Mexican drug cartel who kingpin decides that the decorated pair have caused enough problems for their operations and puts a price on their heads.

The acting is superb. Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena work great together, making you believe that these guys have been working the job together and having each others' back as friends and partners for a long time. Natalie Martinez and Anna Kendrick, as Brian and Mike's domestic partners, anchor the duo and the story in the real world. Cody Horn (Magic Mike) and America Ferrera (Ugly Betty) make for unlikely squad car mates, showing that they are much tougher than people thought. Frank Grillo (The Grey), as the Sarge, has been playing law enforcement for a while and it shows. On the other end of the law, Maurice Compte (Breaking Bad) as 'Big Evil' and Yahira Garcia as La La show why men and women of the police forces of this nation should be commended at a dangerous and sometimes thankless job.

The film slowly builds to an intense gun blazing ending. Gyllenhaal, Pena and the rest of the cast do their utmost best to move the story along, but their best still doesn't keep the story from slowing down from time to time. When the story steers to matters not involving carrying a badge and a Glock 19, the story meanders a little too long before the partners get back on shift and to horrifying discoveries. But once the sirens blare and the call goes out on the radio, the pace quickens with the adrenalin rush of facing uncertain death.

End of Watch is a rare flick that displays many facets of the life on the job and off. Equal parts domestic bliss, dull down-time between calls, and the sudden intensity of serving and protecting against unknown odds, this police drama shows heart, as well as violence. 

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Everything Must Go

Everyone Should Go

Director: Dan Rush

Writers: Dan Rush, Raymond Carver (short story "Why Can't You Dance")

Stars: Will Ferrell, Rebecca Hall, Christopher Jordan Wallace, Laura Dern, Michael Peña, Stephen Root

SYNOPSIS: When relapsed alcoholic Nick Halsey loses his job and comes home to find himself locked out of his home with all of his belongings on the front lawn, his only choices are to hold a yard sale or to go to jail.

Will Ferrell comes to the screen, not as an anchorman in Seattle or a stock car driver in Talladega, but as an alcoholic Regional VP of sales in Arizona who loses his job minutes after he finishes a motivational speech to the members of the organization. After a bad choice after he leaves the office, he comes home to an empty house and all of his personal belongings out on the lawn. Newcomer writer and director Dan Rush takes pages from the short story "Why Don't You Dance" by Raymond Carver and expands it into a feature length film sized story.

For Everything Must Go, Ferrell chooses a role more Stranger Than Fiction than Step Brothers or Semi-Pro. He portrays a range of emotion that most would think unavailable from Ferrell. The same narrow piercing stare that he elicits for comic effect in his other films translates into the hollow, haunted man, Nick Halsey, wrestling with his demons and the loss of everything he worked for in life. Enter the innocence and hopefulness of young Kenny Loftus in the form of Notorious BIG and Faith Evans' son Christopher Jordan Wallace. Curiously drawn to Nick Halsey's property by the array of belongings found there, Kenny is enlisted by Nick to guard his cherished materials so he can run to the mini-mart to buy more beer. Add in Nick's AA sponsor, Detective Frank Garcia (Michael Peña) who protects Nick enough to get him a 5-day permit to legally run a yard sale, new pregnant neighbor Samantha (Rebecca Hall) who takes interest in Nick's antics while she unpacks her house and waits for her husband from the East Coast, and uppity, superior neighbor (Stephen Root) who has secrets of his own, and Dan Rush brings to screen a movie with heart and substance.

Who would expect a well-known comedic actor, the son of a rapper, endless cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon, and a $5 million dramatic film with it's primary set piece taking place on the front lawn in Arizona suburbia to be successful and effective? I would suspect there would be plenty of doubters. But I have in me a new found respect for the man who made me cry with laughter during Elf, and now makes me feel his pain with every heartbreaking sale of material and memories with haggling yard sale pros. Christopher Jordan Wallace, I am sure, will have a bright acting career ahead of him if his honest performance in Everything Must Go is any indication. The most poignant moments of the film include the eventual sale of the leather recliner, the realization of what Nick's belongings represents, and the stolen moments between Nick and his new neighbor, Samantha.

Paced beautifully, clever, heartfelt, and sometimes funny, Everything Must Go delves into the real effects of alcoholism for the drinker and those around him using a simple, yet elegant, story concept. Opened in limited release thus far, Everything Must Go is a hidden film in a handful of theaters, but one worth seeing.

WORTH: Matinee or Netflix

The Lincoln Lawyer

The Verdict Is In!

Director: Brad Furman

Writer: John Romano, Michael Connelly

Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Marisa Tomei, Ryan Phillippe, William H. Macy, Josh Lucas, Michael Peña, John Leguizamo

RANT: I have even more good news. As I watched the workers come out of theater 1 at the Regal theater that I frequent in Westbury, NY, I was informed that IMAX theater to be operational in April will be open this coming weekend. Just in time for Sucker Punch!

SYNOPSIS: Mick Haller is requested specifically to take on a defense for a rich young man. During the investigation and trial, he finds more truth than he bargains for.

Director Brad Furman brings Michael Connelly's The Lincoln Lawyer to the big screen. Main character lawyer Mick Haller is embodied in the slick coolness and charisma that only Matthew McConaughey can bring. With a wink and a smile, Haller manages to glide effortlessly through the courtrooms, working the system to his advantage. Even his ex-wife still has a soft spot in her heart and bed for Mick, even though their reasons for separate become obvious.

The film is part courtroom drama, part whodunit, all McConaughey! Not a stranger to the inside of a courtroom with A Time To Kill, McConaughey comes out on top with The Lincoln Lawyer. With a string of recent, not-so-spectacular films, this movie will return some luster to his career. He charms and smolders in equal amounts, knowing when to disarm and when to lash out.

Every scene is Matthew McConaughey's. But he is surrounded by an excellent cast. Ryan Phillippe stars as Louis Ross Roulet, Haller's new client and possible rapist and/or killer. Phillippe is a rock when it comes to figuring out his innocence or guilt. Academy Award winner Marisa Tomei (yes, it is law to add the title) appears as Haller's ex-wife Maggie McPherson, turning on the same skills as she did in The Wrestler - minus the stripping. Wait, there is a little underwear action from Marissa, so you have that to look forward to.

The story is entertaining, but has a few weak moments. Private investigator Frank Levin's character (William H. Macy) is never really fleshed out. Also, the fact that Earl (Laurence Mason) drives Haller around in a black Lincoln Continental is due to Haller losing his license, but the back story that could have been told is left obscure. Even the on-again, off-again relationship between Maggie and Mick could have been ramped up.

With bikers, snitches, prostitutes, and a man's innocence on the line, The Lincoln Lawyer will satisfy the Connelly and Grisham fans. McConaughey is back on the top of his game. Let's just hope that Matthew doesn't decide to make Sahara II.

Worth: Matinee or Netflix

Butter Popcorn Meter

Battle: Los Angeles

Some Substance, All Spectacle

Director: Jonathan Liebesman

Writer: Christopher Bertolini

Stars: Aaron Eckhart, Ramon Rodriguez, Michelle Rodriguez, Bridget Moynahan, Ne-Yo, Michael Peña

image from moviewallpaper.com

RANT: Ran into my friend, Justin, at Planet Fitness the other day. Little did I know that he creates YouTube videos ranting about the issues of the day - whether they be politics, popular culture, or personal observations. You can check his work out at www.justintimeradio.com. Lots of discussion about Charlie Sheen these days. Give him a try!

SYNOPSIS: As meteors splash down in the oceans along various coastal cities around the world, a retiring staff sergeant is called back into duty to lead a platoon of men against an alien invasion of Los Angeles.

Director Jonathan Liebesman and writer Christopher Bertolini bring the masses the latest in alien disaster movies. As with most American disaster flicks, New York and Los Angeles become the primary targets. In this case, New York was already overrun, so this film focuses on the destruction of Los Angeles by the onslaught of vicious militaristic alien forces.

For a paltry reported $70 million, the audience is treated to a variety of popcorn favorites. Aliens running a beachhead onto southern California beach sands, firing on fleeing civilians. Heavily armed marines running into the smoky fray, unloading on every extra-terrestrial in their rifle sights. Viewing downtown Los Angeles in fiery ruins, the epitome of a post-Volcano event.

Battle: Los Angeles starts at the onset of meteor strikes in oceans around the world, just miles from coastal metropolitan areas. Then they take a step back to introduce the major military players that we will rely on to try and save the day. Most of the characters are bare bones - the cocky New Jersey boy Cpl. Nick Stavrou (Gino Anthony Pesi), the soon-to-be-wed Cpl. Kevin Harris (Ne-Yo), the too-fresh out-of-the-academy 2nd Lt. William Martinez (Ramon Rodriguez), and the gritty combat veteran staff sergeant Michael Nantz (Aaron Eckhart) who lives with the lost his entire team in a previous battle. I could continue with a dozen more caricatures, but all of that does not matter to me. Regardless of how shallow the character development may be, I still can empathize with any man (or woman) going onto the battle field to allow me my American freedoms - whether the threat is real or movie make-believe.

Battle: Los Angeles is a cross between Independence Day and Black Hawk Down. The entire film is taken to ground level with the soldiers in the field, with additional local and global footage to fill in a few story points. And with any classic alien invasion film where we are ill prepared and put back on our heels at the beginning, the resourceful eventually find a way to turn the tide.

Before writing this review, I heard a local station critic give his opinion and offering that the film was worth one wormy apple (out of four apples). He claimed going into the film that he wasn't expecting The King's Speech, and was prepared for a popcorn flick. I was also expecting a popcorn alien disaster popcorn flick, although our idea of the same thing seem to differ. The effects were decent to very good, the action was chaotic and close, the gunfire and aliens abundant. I wish I could have had a better look at the invaders, but I will settle for plenty of marine machismo - Oooorah!

Worth: Matinee and DVD

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