Nightcrawler (Rhoades)

Gyllenhaal Slithers
To the Screen in
“Nightcrawler”

Reviewed by Shirrel Rhoades

I knew a National Inquirer reporter who was so aggressive he once asked a car-accident victim, “How does it feel to be dying?”

That’s the state of ambulance-chasing journalism you encounter in “Nightcrawler,” the new Jake Gyllenhaal film that’s playing at the Tropic Cinema. It’s a bleak, perhaps satiric look at a nocturnal low-life who reinvents himself as a freelance newsman, prowling nighttime Los Angeles with a camcorder in search of salable stories.

The local TV station’s graveyard-shift news editor (Rene Russo) wants blood. “The perfect story,” she says, “is a screaming woman with her throat cut running down a street in a good neighborhood.”

Lou (Jake Gyllenhaal) wants to oblige. He thinks nothing of dragging a body out of a crashed car so the wounds shine in the headlights. It makes for better television, right?
As an older, more seasoned cameraman (Bill Paxton) puts it, “If it bleeds, it leads.”
Lou is ever the money-driven entrepreneur. He hires an assistant (Riz Ahmed) and trains him by reciting inane mantras from the self-help books he reads. To Lou, empathy is a false commodity. A triple homicide in the home up in the hills is merely an existential scene to be filmed for television news.

“Nightcrawler” is the directing debut of veteran screenwriter Dan Gilroy (“The Bourne Legacy”). Here he’s telling us something about the voyeuristic nature of desensitized television audiences. And perhaps something about movie audiences too. After all, we’re sitting here watching this titillating cautionary tale, a postmodern version of “Broadcast News” and “Network.”

Jake Gyllenhaal lost weight for this role, transforming himself into a ghoulish nightcrawler, a vampirish figure who prefers the darkness. His twisted, twitchy persona will remind you of a Norman Bates with J-school ambitions, a man whose morality has withered for lack of daylight.

Yet there’s a certain manic vulnerability to his sociopathy.

At one point Lou stares at the backdrop of the LA skyline in the news studio. “On TV it looks so real,” he says, almost puzzled by the disparity between the unbridled quest for network ratings and immorality.

srhoades@aol.com

Key West Film Festival 2014 (Brockway)

Key West Film Fest highlights 2014
by Ian Brockway

The Key West Film Festival brings a spectrum of choices each year that parallels our island's eccentricity and this year is no exception. Color, mood and pathos is found in abundance.

Marisa Tomei

To start with director Adam Rapp (Winter Passing) directs Marisa Tomei in "Loitering With Intent," a comedy drama focusing on the ins and outs of Hollywood in all of its tinsel foibles. Tomei will also be a featured guest at the festival.

The festival will also showcase  the work of  Leon Ichaso, a master of gritty realism who infuses his work with an intensity informed by exile from his native Cuba. The film "Pinero" with its amphetamine collaged style, is a must see.

Also showing are some provocative existential dramas.

"5 to 7" from director Victor Levin and staring Anton Yelchin (Only Lovers Left Alive) centers on the stress of an extramarital affair in the realm of French politics. "Little Accidents"  by Sara Colangelo details a moral dilemma, involving a missing teen, and the film "Human Capital" is a riveting character study of one ruthless family by Paolo Virzì. "Ecotherms" is a seething examination of Miami's hedonistic youth by filmmaker Monica Pena.

There are many quirky documentaries to be sought out.

Dock Ellis

"No No: A Dockumentary" tops the list highlighting the Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Dock Ellis who achieved bizarre fame for having pitched a no hitter on acid. For true crime fans, "The Life and Mind of Mark DeFriest" is about the notorious Houdini of Florida, who brought fame to himself with his outrageous prison misadventures, too numerous to count. Chinese food lovers can taste "The Search for General Tso" about the origin and impact of the famed chicken recipe.

If magic is your bag, you can train your eyes upon "Honest Liar," about the life of magician James Randi, who is now a skeptic of all things that go boo and bump about on All Hallows' Eve.

Benedict Cumberbatch

And, last but certainly not least, there are two eagerly awaited films: one details history, while the other has a content and digital bestiary all its own. "The Imitation Game" stars Benedict Cumberbatch of Sherlock fame, playing the mathematician Alan Turing who was crucial in cracking the Enigma code during World War II. Terry Gilliam's uncompromising "Zero Theorem" conjures some anarchist alchemy. Gilliam once again stands alone with his concocted paradise of whimsy and tech-fear.

The Key West Film Festival is a true plural-eyed feast of visions sure to please every hungry eye on the island during this highly anticipated and festive week. Click here for the full lineup.

Write Ian at redtv_2005@yahoo.com

St. Vincent (Brockway)

Tropic Sprockets by Ian Brockway

St. Vincent

Bill Murray has played a wide variety of surly and offbeat characters often in his comprehensive career. He is so consistent in this vein, that he has an entire vocabulary of quirk moving through his body.  And, in "St. Vincent" by director Theodore Melfi, the actor doesn't disappoint.

Murray plays Vincent, an aloof and surly man who is a Vietnam vet who has seen much and doesn't care to see much more. One night, he drowsily prepares a slapdash dinner, liberally laced with booze, cutting himself and hitting his head on the fridge and kitchen counter. Vincent falls to the floor, knocked cold and bloody.

He is awakened by loud voices and a single mom Maggie (Melissa McCarthy) coupled with her son, Oliver (Jaeden Lieberher). Vincent wants nothing to do with Maggie or Oliver. But as Vincent's tree is maimed and his fence is knocked to splinters, he is fatefully involved. Vincent agrees to watch Oliver for a solid fee.

The theme of this film, although executed many times before as the buddy or eccentric mentor film, works perfectly. Murray as a somewhat pickled and smoky character has never been more natural, funny or softly nuanced. The rapport that develops between Murray and newcomer Lieberher feels like life itself.

Oliver is a full fledged character, neither silly, too serious or cynical, but simply a kid, with his own pre-adolescent wishes and fears. Murray too, is patterned with a richness as varied as the many wrinkles on his face. Although often aloof, irritable and tight in a sadness he never loses his sense of ease. His Vincent is akin to a figure in a Tom Waits song drawn with a loose and comic wildness, together with a kind of whimsy found in a Popeye comic that is almost musical. The mere sight of Vincent attempting to dance expresses a range of poetry between the body and mind.

Melissa McCarthy does a wonderful turn in toning down her usual aggressive and uncouth persona and consequently has never been more comical or charming. Chris O' Dowd delivers splendidly as an understated, yet cheerfully sarcastic teacher at a private school and he thankfully eases any nightmares you may have endured since his last eerie portrayal in "Calvalry". Naomi Watts appears as a Russian stripper Daka, although her character feels a bit anemic and  ready made.

The heart of the film, though,  lies in the rich give and take between Murray and Lieberher that mixes together to make a compelling elixir for any ill that assails you.  The film is unpretentiously in the tradition  of films like "My Bodyguard", "Uncle Buck" and "Bad Words". It contains some very textured irreverence  that recalls a less acidic "Bad Santa" and as much good cheer, ( if not more) than  the recent hit "Pride".

Yet the real magic is in the performance of Bill Murray, who makes everything old in this deflated yet entertaining sourpuss, seem new once more.

Write Ian at redtv_2005@yahoo.com

Week of November 7 - 12 (Rhoades)

Tropic Overview

From Cynical Comedy to Taut Thriller Tropic Cinema Delivers

Reviewed by Shirrel Rhoades

Cooke Communications Film Critic

You can count on Tropic Cinema to entertain. And that it does this week!

 

"St. Vincent" gives us Bill Murray as a cantankerous and misanthropic old crank named Vincent, who winds up as an afterschool babysitter for the kid next door. Not exactly the ideal role model, but Murray’s affability shines through with a saint-like glow. "One of these days, someone should make a movie about a really nasty old guy who, by the end of the story, is still a nasty old guy," observes San Francisco chronicle. And MLive says, "Bill Murray’s performance goes far beyond the irony of laughing at an old man who wears his cynicism on his sleeve."

"The Judge" is a grumpy old jurist, the father of a hotshot defense attorney. Robert Duvall and Robert Downey Jr. take on these adversarial roles in a family drama that’s winning. New York Magazine says, "The script has its bright patches, the setting is picturesque, and the cast is full of actors you'll want to see."

"Kill the Messenger" happens both literally and figuratively in the based-on-a-true-story about Gary Webb, a whistleblowing journalist who exposed the CIA’s connection to drug smuggling. Detroit News calls it a "an admirable journalism thriller that takes on a lot of big subjects." And Cinemalogue.com says, "This taut drama becomes a treasure trove for conspiracy buffs with its exploration of government propaganda, spin doctors and cover-ups."

Plenty of killing takes place in "The Equalizer," with Denzel Washington as an ex-covert ops guy who takes on the Russian mob when they mess with his friends. The amNewYork says, "There are few actors more commanding than Washington when he’s taking out bad guys." And Cleveland Plain Dealer declares, "Denzel does not disappoint."

In "Gone Girl" you’re not sure who’s been killed when a wife disappears. Did her husband do it? Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike play he-said she-said in this outstanding thriller. Cinemaphile.com says, "This is one of those rare, elusive endeavors that contains nearly every important quality I cherish about moviemaking." And Flicks says, "This superior thriller arrives at a time when Hollywood mostly seems to have forgotten how to make 'em."

"Before I Go to Sleep" is another husband-wife thriller, with Nicole Kidman as a woman with amnesia and Colin Firth as the husband she wakes up to anew every day. Ozus’ World Movie Reviews calls it "An imponderable and grim psychological thriller." And Detroit News concludes, "It isn’t Hitchcock, but it will do."

srhoades@aol.com 

 

　

St. Vincent (Rhoades)

Front Row at the Movies　

Bill Murray Wears Crooked Halo As "St. Vincent"

Reviewed by Shirrel Rhoades

Bill Murray is impossible to dislike. An easygoing, droll comedian, we grew up watching him on Saturday Night Live. And we loved the lovable doofuses he played in his early movies -- from "Caddyshack" to "Stripes" to "Ghostbusters" -- and forgave him when he tried to turn serious in films like "The Razor’s Edge."

We didn’t mind when he played a misanthrope in "Scrooged" because we knew that by the end-credits he would see the light and hoist Tiny Tim onto his shoulders. Or in "Groundhog Day" we knew he’d do it over and over till he got it right.

As he got older, he took on tougher roles -- "Lost In Translation," "The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou," "Broken Flowers." But that was okay because he wore well.

Now Bill Murray gives us "St. Vincent," which is billed as a comedy. But it is not. Here he plays a mean-spirited, cantankerous, bawdy, rude, dishonest, drunken, unkempt, chain-smoking, conniving, greedy, whore-mongering, obnoxious, cranky curmudgeon. Did I mention he doesn’t like people?

 

He’s not a nice guy. And he’s only liked by a sourpuss Persian cat and the forlorn kid next door.

It’s the kid (12-year-old Jaeden Lieberher) who serves as the catalyst for the predictable story, one that is as familiar as "The Kid" or "The Karate Kid." A grumpy old man who befriends an inept young boy, helping him overcome obstacles.

Going through a divorce, a new neighbor (Melissa McCarthy) has little choice but hire Vincent as an unlikely babysitter. He takes the kid to the track, goes drinking in a dive bar, introduces him to a Lady of the Evening ("A woman who works at night?"), teaches him how to fight dirty.

Okay, maybe Vincent has a few socially redeeming qualities. He visits his wife who is suffering from Alzheimer’s, her mistaking him for a doctor. He helps a pregnant Russian stripper. And he protects the boy against bullies.

That’s why by movie’s end he is dubbed St. Vincent of Sheepshead Bay -- part of an Everyday Saints program by a priest (Chris O’Dowd) at the kid’s school.

Yet, at the end of the movie there’s no epiphany. Still a not-nice grouch, Vincent lolls in a broken-down lounge chair while watering his grassless lawn with a hose and singing along to a Bob Dylan song during the end-credits.

"St. Vincent" is now playing at the Tropic Cinema.

So why bother seeing this movie about a mean old man?

Great performances. Bill Murray is pitch-perfect as Vincent. Melissa McCarthy underplays her part with precision. Naomi Watts surprises us with a comic turn as the pregnant stripper. And Jaeden Lieberher is a natural as the kid who looks up to this disreputable old bastard.

And despite this being a rather sad story, you’ll laugh. In fact, you’ll guffaw. And maybe shed a tear.

No, you just can’t help but like Bill Murray even when he’s being unlikable.

srhoades@aol.com

Kill The Messenger (Brockway)

Tropic Sprockets by Ian Brockway

Kill the Messenger

Jeremy Renner gives a raw and visceral performance as Gary Webb, a reporter for the San Jose Mercury News in "Kill the Messenger" by director Michael Cuesta (L.I.E.). Leave it to Renner, the combustible actor of "The Hurt Locker" to bring a real verve to this man who was clearly hunted and vilified because of his searing journalism and his book Dark Alliance.

It is 1996 and Bill Clinton is in the White House. Gary Webb is a small time reporter. No one pays much attention to him. Webb writes a story about drug dealers being stripped of their rights and houses even after they are acquitted. His news office takes notice and he scores a hit.

One day he gets a surprise call from a gangster's moll, the seductive Coral Baca (Paz Vega) who has a body like an infinity sign. Baca tells Webb that she has proof that her man possesses grand jury testimony about dealers getting crack into the country and selling it to the CIA to provide cash for a dirty war, specifically to fight the Contras in Nicaragua.

Webb confronts DA Russell Dodson (excellently played by Barry Pepper, one of the best unsung actors today) and he is as smarmy as they come. Webb travels to Central America and interviews Norwin Meneses (Andy Garcia) who gives him some cryptic news. He then goes to a Swiss banker Hansjorg Baier, (Brett Rice)  who becomes indispensable. He is corpulent, dapper and smooth with more Highsmithic ability than Chester McFarland from "The Two Faces of January".

With enough information, Webb writes with silver speed on wings of light. In one notable scene, he pummels the air with his big brassy arms and lets out a primal scream. In his moments of restless energy he seems like John Belushi or maybe Hunter Thompson ( after all both were truth-tellers, albeit with different mediums). Webb's story breaks as is and he is treated as a celeb or an enfant terrible almost on the level with a Truman Capote. Everyone wants him from 60 Minutes on down.

Then the noose tightens.

This is tightly crafted with more spooks than any sociopathic scare fest. The later scenes containing some soundless cement jawed agents are both as otherworldly and as creepily tangible as anything depicted in "The Matrix".

Renner is flawless as a gutsy but down to earth journalist who becomes literally asphyxiated by his reporting with no real outlet for his work. Through it all he tries to hold on in loving his caring wife (Rosemarie DeWitt) who becomes increasingly put off by his covert journeys.

Oliver Platt appears as a sycophantic boss who is all charm when Webb is on top and then full  of aversion and petty belittlement for him when the media backs away.

Granted "The Hurt Locker" was Jeremy Renner's breakthrough, but you will remember this actor just as much for this role. Through Renner's  incarnation, we feel the weight on Webb's shoulders as a textural experience.

The most disturbing thing in the film is that it shows an American agency, namely the CIA, acting with impunity and squashing this man in its path as the rest of the country is suddenly overwhelmed in the voluptual blindness of the Monica Lewinsky scandal.

There was more virulent national poison afoot and "Kill the Messenger" deserves its rightful place among other films like "All the President's Men" and "State of Play" for its part in exposing a genuine toxicity with tension and grace.

Write Ian at redtv_2005@yahoo.com

Before I Sleep (Brockway)

Tropic Sprockets by Ian Brockway

Before I Go To Sleep

Rowan Joffé (Brighton Rock) offers an entertaining if cliche-bound thriller with echoes of "Momento" in "Before I Go To Sleep." The film, which stars Nicole Kidman and Colin Firth, also has traces of  "Suspicion" as well, given Kidman's very paranoia.

Here Christine (Nicole Kidman) wakes up with the handsome sleeping Ben (Colin Firth)

Normally, for most this would not be a problem.

But Christine doesn't know who Ben is. He explains somewhat laconically that she has had an head injury years ago and they have been married for about fourteen years.

Christine is flabbergasted.

Ben leaves a daily itinerary on a board with important details written out step by step.

Christine moves through the modern house as if stuck in molasses and Ben is almost a cigar store Indian given his stony immobility.

Christine gets calls from her doctor (Mark Strong) who explains that she has a video journal in a camera located in a drawer.

Christine locates the object and watches clips of herself ( ala "Twelve Monkeys") relate that she does have amnesia and more disturbingly, that she will forget the day's events as soon as she falls into sleep each night with no recall the next morning.

Still even more frightening, the video version of  Christine feels someone is out to kill her.

Consequently, a domestic noose of sorts seems to tighten around her, within the house and the people she spies. As we can guess, trust becomes hazardous.

Directors like Hitchcock (Suspicion) Roman Polanski (Repulsion) and  George Cukor (Gaslight) have worked masterfully with the premise of the harried or hysterical wife and Rowan Joffé pays adequate homage.

The film also does well, skillfully blending in past and present events and subversively altering Firth's handsome and iconic actor's image. Here, Firth gives us an odd and passive sorrow combined with a reckless sardonic quality. Best of all, the film highlights Firth as a man with the capacity to be both eerie and insipid.

However, after the first jolt, the melodrama is so heightened, bold and loud that there is little juice left for subsequent surprises.

The film would have fared better with softer and creepier scares. Some of the shocks are foreshadowed by jarring noises or blunt equipment just out of reach in the manner of any network Tv shocker.

The oft-filmed story of the woman with nowhere to run has such a rich cinema history that the twists and turns in "Before I Go to Sleep" seem a bit slumberous.

The one lasting element remains the emotional power of Kidman and Firth who perform all of the loud reversals  onscreen as if for the first time, almost conceptually as a kind of film within a film.

By itself though, "Before I Go To Sleep" suffers a bit from a déjà vu that it shares with its other more original, cinematic cousins.

Write Ian at redtv_2005@yahoo.com