Eye in the Sky (Brockway)

Tropic Sprockets by Ian Brockway

Eye in the Sky

"Eye in the Sky" is a topical thriller by director Gavin Hood (X-Men :Wolverine) involving drones and terrorism. It is not for the faint of heart. Helen Mirren stars as Colonel Powell, who is assigned to capture three known terrorists in Nairobi before they carry out a plot. All of the elements are in place. Then to Powell's horror, she sees one of the men with a suicide vest. On the spot, she urges her team to consider a shoot- to-kill operation.

The situation is further complicated by the sight of Alia (Aisha Takow) an innocent young girl in the area. The question: does the collateral damage outweigh the wanted persons? The tension spirals upward bit by bit, helped in no small measure by the cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos, who gives us the literal eye of a bug on the wall. The camera drifts back and forth with a slow and gradual rocking to reveal one skin crawling moment after the other, making the audience almost dizzy with apprehension. Seconds pass like pinpricks. The slow drift of time owes much to Hitchcock and one cannot help but be on edge.

The quandry becomes even more knotty because the audience is well teased and pulled along. One surely sees the call to eradicate terrorists but the conscience is acutely rattled when meeting Alia. Just when a snag is made smooth, another arrives. The audience becomes the prey.

Mirren is excellent, as is the late Alan Rickman, who sadly died last year, as Lieutenant Benson. Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad)  is the reluctant pilot and Barkhad Abdi of "Captain Phillips" fame does well as an undercover operative, overturning his sinister character. Both of the main actors,  Mirren and Rickman, shine because the two roles are neither good nor bad but instead highlight the amoral hell of war.

"Eye in the Sky" is an unrestrained and biting film under the deceptive guise of a thriller. It teases our wanting for a pat resolution and queasily asks all to weigh the worth of one person against others.

Write Ian at ianfree1@yahoo.com

Week of April 1 - 7 (Rhoades)

Tropic Overview

Tropic Cinema Poses Moral Questions Via Half-Dozen Films

Reviewed by Shirrel Rhoades

Film Critic, Key West Citizen

Morals seem to be a common theme in the films showing at Tropic Cinema this week -- from how we conduct ourselves amid the chaos of war to behavior for older folk to sex and superheroes.

“Eye in the Sky” wrestles with the moral questions that embroil modern warfare -- drones, in this film. Helen Mirren portrays a British military intelligence officer tracking terrorists in Kenyan via an eye in the sky. The question she faces is when to pull the trigger? Toronto Star says, “This riveting drone thriller is contemporary edge-of-your seat stuff.” And Kansas City Star calls it “A taut, well-acted thriller that raises all sorts of moral questions -- Hitchcock with a conscience.”

“Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” looks at war from the ground, with Tina Fey as a television war correspondent in the Middle East. WTF may be the abbreviation, but it poses questions about putting people in danger for the sake of a story. Creative Loafing says, “it’s nice to see the hilarious Tina Fey playing it straight.” And Sacramento News & Review observes, “Fey’s resourceful, wry and witty performance-pulls us through time and again.”
   
“Remember” is about forgetting Christopher Plummer gives us a 90-year old concentration camp survivor who gets lured into a plot of revenge. Los Angeles Times says, “Plummer, half-a-century after outsmarting the Nazis in ‘The Sound of Music,’ manages to further hone his reliably persuasive presence.” And Film-Forward.com describes it as a “masterly acted and suspenseful vengeance flick.”

“Hello, My Name Is Doris” teaches us not to give up on life. Here, a 60ish woman (Sally Field) falls for her younger co-worker in the exploration of what if. Newsday calls it “a winning comedy-drama built around one of cinema’s most endearing leading ladies.” And Tulsa World says it’s “a simple, delightful little human comedy. You know, like life itself.”

“Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict” is a documentary about the film’s namesake, the famous art patron who loved the painters almost as much as the paintings. Washington Post says, “As this film's engrossing character study makes clear, this woman of extraordinary tastes and appetites was ahead of her time, in more ways than one.”

And topping off the lineup is “Deadpool,” that Marvel anti-hero with self-healing powers due to a scientific experiment gone awry. Ryan Reynolds has finally found his groove with the wisecracking bad-boy superhero. ABC Radio notes, “As a stand-alone superhero movie, it’s about as much fun as you could ask for.” Hot Press calls it “a deliciously subversive approach.” And Filmsinreview adds, “Ryan Reynolds becomes a certified movie star.”

Killers overhead? Self-serving TV reporters? Vengeful Nazi hunters? Aging cougars chasing younger men? Sex-driven art collectors? Not-so-nice superheroes?

Hey, sometimes it’s good to be bad!

srhoades@aol.com

Deadpool (Rhoades)

Front Row at the Movies

“Deadpool” A Bad-Boy Superhero Movie

Reviewed by Shirrel Rhoades

Poor Ryan Reynolds has been desperately searching for a superhero franchise. This is his fifth time in a comic book movie. His turn in “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” was lackluster. His big gig as “Green Lantern” was downright disappointing.”

Yet he’s been proving himself as more than a rom-com star with solid performances in “Safe House,” “Mississippi Grind,” and “Woman In Gold.”

So apparently the gods who run Marvel Studios took pity on him and tossed him the lead in “Deadpool,” the latest blockbuster-in-the-making from the House That Stan Lee Build.

Actually, Reynolds first played the Deadpool character in “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.” But this time around he gets to stand in the spotlight. This reprisal will be closer to the original comic book.

Deadpool is arguably one of Marvel’s most quirky characters, an anti-hero named Wade Wilson who was subjected to experiments that leaves him with advanced healing powers. He can take a licking and keep on ticking.

Now you may say this sounds like a bit of a mesh-up. Captain America is the result of scientific tinkering. And Wolverine can heal faster than you can pull the backing off a Band-Aid. But Cap is a flag-loving Boy Scout and Wolverine is an X-Men team player. Not really a nice guy, Deadpool is a ruthless mercenary who takes no prisoners (so to speak). Displaying a dark sense of humor, he wisecracks his way through the movie. He’s called the “Merc with a Mouth.”

This talkative nature is used to bring the audience in on the joke as he breaks the fourth wall, calls attention to movie tropes, and skewers the superhero genre.

Not surprising in that the character was created by sharp-witted writer Fabian Nicieza and bad-boy artist-writer Rob Liefeld.

When I was publisher of Marvel Comics back in the mid ‘90s I regularly arm-wrestled (so to speak) with Liefeld, one of those marquee creators who left Marvel to form Image Comics. We’d farmed out some of our superheroes to the Image guys for a stagy Big Event called Heroes Reborn. Liefeld was contracted to write twelve issues of The Avengers, but I canceled the deal after six, reassigning the project to Jim Lee. Rob was just so darned difficult to deal with, refusing to turn in his work until I personally handed a check to one of his emissaries like a Bridge-of-Spies prisoner exchange.

Self trained, Rob Leifeld’s artwork was somewhat naïve (“I’ll be the first to tell you that we -- the Image collective -- were never the best artists,” he said), but it was his clever mind and stylistic approach that made him a hit among fans. Deadpool was a prime example.

“Deadpool” is currently breaking moviemaking rules as readily as Liefeld broke social conventions. You can catch it this week at Tropic Cinema.

Directed by Tim Miller, “Deadpool” is intended to be the eighth installment in the “X-Men” franchise, but its wiseacre approach makes it more akin to “Guardians of the Galaxy.”

Oddly enough, this film about a superhero with accelerated healing powers, disfigured skin, and an unstable mind is a love story. Brazilian-American actress Morena Baccarin (you’ll remember her from TV’s “Firefly” and “Gotham”) plays Ryan Reynolds’ equally twisted girlfriend.

Reynolds describes Deadpool: “He’s funny and acerbic and a little bit of a head case. But he’s also not trying to be liked, he’s intentionally trying to annoy everyone.”

Deadpool’s first appearance was in the comic book “The New Mutants #98.” As publisher, I gave him his own title in 1997.

Being the custom, Stan Lee has a cameo in the movie, that of a DJ in a strip club. Look closely and you’ll also catch a glimpse of Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld, playing a customer at a tattoo parlor. Interesting casting.

srhoades@aol.com

Hello, My Name is Doris (Brockway)

Tropic Sprockets by Ian Brockway

Hello, My Name Is Doris

Sally Field has made a career out of earnest and accessible "girl next door" portraits. Many remember her from the "Smokey and the Bandit" films while others recall a kitschy flying nun, and still more recall Gidget on TV during the mid-sixties.  Field did excellentlyin 2012's "Lincoln" as Mary Todd, nominated for an Oscar.  Suffice to say, she is a disciplined and energetic actor and most have grown, if not to "really, really like her" to admire her.

In "Hello, My Name Is Doris" directed by Michael Showalter, Field plays the title role this heartfelt and spirited comedy that never becomes cloying or sticky sweet with an after-taste. Doris is an office worker who is now a kind of mascot. A new department head is brought in from Malibu: the handsome John (Max Greenfield).  Quirky and middle-aged Doris is instantly struck by the younger, Clark Kentish new employee, yet she relegates John to fantasy, thinking that a relationship is unrealistic.

On the surface, the film is much like "The Intern."  Here is another likable character a bit past her prime who wants to make it with another young crowd. But where that film got silly and formulaic, this story remains fresh. This is due to the fine acting by Sally Field and Max Greenfield. The two show an authenticity and have an amusing chemistry. Better yet, the couple share the screen with a generosity, allowing for a comic or dramatic beat, along with facial expressions, a rare thing in any film. What might be canned at first glance, is bubbly and bouncing here.

 It's a Walter Mitty story as much as anything else with an overwhelmed Doris carried away by a lusty fugue. While some might see Doris as a cartoon character out of step with bright clothes and a bow, she is far from it. Rebuffed, Doris takes to the streets, physically stalking the laconic John and checking his Facebook page for intimate secrets.

The film wonderfully balances the warmth of Doris being accepted during a rave party against the drear of obsession and the stab of rejection. We see Doris peering through a store window, overcome by the door of someone who is cut off and labelled as the other. Then in a flash, she is back bouncing about the office and chatting away with her friend, Roz (Tyne Daly).

Doris is a kind of Annie Hall with a sliver of darkness. Fans of romantic affection will be well served but there is also plenty of tension and quirk, given the jumpy wilderness of Doris's moods and desires coupled with John's innocence.

Thankfully though, the film entertainingly moves back and forth between jubilant energy and visceral sadness and will keep you guessing.  While the theme of middle age sprouting once more is familiar, both its wildness and its restraint at key moments is what makes this film so watchable. It manages to retain its color and mystery, when so many others lose their charm in the last half hour.

The exceptional credit to "Hello, My Name Is Doris" is that you do still wonder who this lady is, and what she is really about, after the film.

Write Ian at ianfree1@yahoo.com

Tab Hunter: Confidential (Brockway)

Tropic Sprockets by Ian Brockway

Tab Hunter: Confidential

The actor known as Tab Hunter, whose real name is Art Galien, was a pop phenomenon in the 1950s. He had All- American blond hair, blue eyes and a winning smile to match. Girls swooned. He first rose to fame in the film "Battle Cry," starring Aldo Ray. Hunter, having a smooth matinee-idol voice, was also a singer with many popular hit singles. Yet despite his fame, a Sword of Damocles hung over his head: he was gay.

The studio molded him as Natalie Wood's Valentine and cast him in two films with the female star:  "The Girl He Left Behind" and "Burning Hills." Hunter broke ground, playing against type as a psychopath in "Gunman's Walk."

 After the klieg lights were out, however Hunter sought the company of Anthony Perkins. The two were twin opposites: one outgoing and gregarious, the other inward and shy. Both were handsome actors and gifted singers, embodying the new young wave of Hollywood, in contraast to Dean and Brando. The romance came to a bitter end when Perkins manuevered the hot film project "Fear Strikes Out" away from his friend.

This pointed and lively documentary by Jeffrey Schwarz (the director of  "I Am Divine" about the John Waters comedian and star, Divine) shows a charismatic and engaged Hunter, who nonetheless battled to keep his personal self intact, dealing with the pressures of a closeted actor. John Waters is featured here. The added bonuses are Debbie Reynolds, Star Trek's George Takei, a very tan Robert Wagner and last but not least, the actor who became a nun after kissing Elvis, Dolores Hart.

The film has a smooth and bouyant rhythm   throughout, yet it is not without poignance. Hunter's mother was institutionalized for many years, and the actor had difficulties with unemployment after his youthful successes. Luckily, the genre of camp gave Hunter a second life when John Waters cast him in his melodrama "Polyester" as Divine's husband. Hunter co-starred with Divine again in the novelty Western "Lust in the Dust."

Aficionados of 1950s cinema will enjoy "Tab Hunter: Confidential," as well as those manic for our dreamboat teen idol past. Hunter is alive and well at 84. Now retired from Hollywood, he is happily with his partner, Allan Glaser along with being the apple in many a horse's eye.

Write Ian at ianfree1@yahoo.com

How To Be Single (Brockway)

Tropic Sprockets by Ian Brockway

How to Be Single

Director Christian Ditter's slick, glib and hyperactive adaptation of Liz Trucillo's book "How to Be Single," seems, at first glance to be made for a short attention span, but has some thoughtful segments. In what is essentially a "Sex in the City" film, this is a slapstick romp through the digital date scene of New York City.

Actor Dakota Johnson is Alice, a paralegal who dumps her beau Josh (Nicholas Braun.) Moving in with her sister Meg (Leslie Mann), an obstetrician, Alice strikes up a friendship with the irreverent and uncouth Robin (Rebel Wilson).  Robin encourages Alice to be hedonistic and grab single life by the horns, so to speak. Reserved Alice tries her best but is frequently embarrassed by the belly-rolling Robin. Alice runs to her sister for comfort. She, as a doctor, puts up a stoic front in not wanting a relationship, but is clearly bothered when she thinks about babies, which of course, is every single day.

There is a second story-line involving an aloof bartender Tom (Anders Holm) and a girl (Alison Brie) using several dating sites, who half-seduces the bartender to get free wifi. Tom thinks he is a hottie but he feels merely lukewarm as he spends a great deal of energy pushing ladies away from him. This is a full time job.

The best segments come from Leslie Mann as she grows restless and wants to have a baby. There is one scene when Meg is forced to talk with a baby. The adorable baby stares with wonder, returning Meg's anxiety with a big eyed openness. The scene is directed with feeling and intent that achieves a real poignance.

Also affecting is the auxillary story of the single dad (Damon Wayans Jr.) doing his best to raise his daughter, given her mother's passing. This aspect combined with Meg's baby envy, produces some of the best scenes in the film.

For the most part though the film centers on the melancholic Alice and her pining for  Josh, a damp piece of toast. Rebel Wilson has a lively presence but the film doesn't have her do much aside from push her way around and dance crazily, which she has done in other films.

That said, this is the one film where Dakota Johnson  shows seriousness and authenticity, a positive step, away from her robotic outing in the laughable "Fifty Shades of Grey." While it is a pity "How to Be Single" doesn't go all the way in its mimicking of a Judd Apatow comedy, all of the running around makes for an amusing encounter. It is indeed a spring fling that will quickly leave you when the lights come on, but this dalliance is not without some charm.

Write Ian at ianfree1@yahoo.com

Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict (Brockway)

Tropic Sprockets by Ian Brockway

Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict

Peggy Guggenheim was an odd bird and thankfully so. She didn't fit in and never wanted to. Her father, who earned riches in the mining industry, died on the Titanic. Peggy had a nervous breakdown at nineteen and did not like her mother, but she went on to become one of the most provocative and serious art collectors of the 20th century.

In "Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict" by filmmaker Lisa Immordino Vreeland, one gets the flavor of the eccentric powder-keg who never held her tongue and had the bravery to serve bad food at art parties.

Guggenheim first gained attention by being a muse for Man Ray in the 20s. In Paris she was swept up by Bohemian cafe society, most importantly the Dadaists. She met Andre Breton and the surrealist painter Max Ernst, not to mention Marcel Duchamp. After a violent marriage with Dadaist sculptor Laurence Vail, she dated the gifted war hero Ferrar Holms, but she also had affairs with apparently hundreds of men, many of whom were artists, Samuel Beckett and Giacometti among them.

Peggy Guggenheim had the idea for a bookstore or a gallery. She decided on a gallery---it was cheaper. Peggy was the first to have a showing of children's art in her gallery. Her daughter Peggeen, who was a very striking and original painter, was featured in the show. Her son, Sindbad wanted nothing to do with art.

Peggy was one of the first to champion and push Jackson Pollock and she is seen by many to be the connecting point between Surrealism and Abstract Expressionism.  What comes through most is Guggenheim's joie de vivre, and her choice of art as a very sacred belief system, stronger than any religion, which aided her through many darknesses.

Even the Gestapo couldn't stop her.  Other pitfalls came: her daughter Pegeen, died of a drug overdose. Still, modern art with all its fierce iconoclasm, luckily sustained her.

The film, though a bit wordy with art-speak, is colorful and breezy and does a thorough job in capturing this quirky but sophisticated art siren. Many give their glib opinion of Peggy, among them Picasso biographer John Richardson and the author Edmund White. Actor Robert De Niro relate the story of his attending Guggenheim's exhibitions and her museum in Venice. After all, both his mom and dad were accomplished Abstract painters.

In watching "Peggy Guggenheim"  there is no need to be an art lover. This is simply a portrait of a woman in her element. It is Pop and comic, informative and light, showing an electrically-charged woman, galvanized by sex as well as paint, who was as striking in her behavior as her seemingly infinite  Lhasa Apsos or infamous nose-job.

Write Ian at ianfree1@yahoo.com