Lost River (5/10): Gosling's ambitious directorial debut doesn't reach the high standards he was setting for the film.

“The wolves... if they're not already at your door... they're gonna be there very efin soon.”

Lost River has the potential of becoming a cult film in a few years because it is very artistic and far from being a mainstream movie due to its lack of a cohesive narrative structure and its nightmarish atmospheric approach. Ryan Gosling, who is one of my favorite actors, is the writer and director of Lost River, and for a first feature film I must say that he aimed extremely high. He borrows heavily from directors he’s worked with in the past or that he’s admired, so you can see some heavy influences from Refn, Noe, Cronenberg, and perhaps even more from David Lynch. These aren’t directors that are easy to imitate and therefor Gosling struggles to find his own voice although the result is rather unique. Being an actor that many people like the easiest thing for Gosling would’ve been to direct a mainstream film, but I give him credit for trying to make an artistic film that will be appreciated by a select group of people. I didn’t have any funny watching Lost River, but I did find some of the nightmarish scenes quite disturbing so it isn’t one of those movies you easily forget about. I’m not a fan of surrealism so I’m not the greatest judge for a film like this, but I think that it will find its audience with fans of movies like Enter the Void, Under the Skin or any of Lynch’s films. What Rosling is trying to get at under all the heavy imagery he uses is the desolation that the American Dream has on some people when its not achieved.

Perhaps the most difficult thing to do in a review for a film like this is write a plot summary because it would be easy to confuse the reader and make them believe there is some sort of narrative structure to the movie when in reality it’s more about setting a dreamy atmosphere. The story takes place in a fictional town named Lost River where most of the people have abandoned the place after a nearby flood destroyed the city. It is actually filmed in an abandoned town in Detroit and Gosling experiments by having some residents interact with the actors in a couple of scenes. A young teen named Bones (Iain De Caestecker) dreams of leaving the city knowing there is no future there, but his single mother, Billy (Christina Hendricks), refuses to leave the place where she grew up in. Billy is behind on the payments of her home however, and she is forced by a banker named Dave (Ben Mendelsohn) to accept a job at this sort of dark underground freak show that he owns. Bones’ neighbor, Rat (Saoirse Ronan), who lives with her mute widowed grandmother, tells him that the flood has left a spell on the town and that is why everyone behaves so strange in this city. The streets are owned by a violent man known as Bully (Matt Smith) who Bones gets into trouble with. Meanwhile Billy is introduced to the dark underworld where she works where audiences seem to have a fascination for gore. There she meets one of the performers, Cat (Eva Mendes) who shows her how the place works. The film basically follows these characters and introduces us to the nightmarish town accompanied with a vibrant electric score and neon lights. 

The performances in Lost River are solid with Ben Mendelsohn standing out as you can tell he’s having a lot of fun with his character. The film might be all over the place at times, but the talented cast delivers. Iain de Caestecker is the lead actor and his scenes were probably my favorite when it focused on his relationship with Rat and the tension between his character and Bully. Matt Smith is also having a lot of fun with his character and despite not being as menacing a villain his wacky and violent behavior is always hard to predict. As much as I enjoyed Christina Hendricks in the female lead role, the scenes of the dark underworld took me completely out of the movie. It was a freak show that I didn’t care for very much. Reda Kateb has some interesting scenes playing the nice cab driver. There is one scene where he talks to Billy about the American dream which is sort of the underlying message of the film. Overall I felt the movie didn’t balance the two main stories very well and there were scenes that felt disconnected with the rest of the film. Lost River isn’t an easy watch but I still admire Gosling’s effort.

My Review: The Place Beyond the Pines (9/10)

¨If you ride like lightning, you´re going to crash like thunder.¨

The Place Beyond the Pines is director Derek Cianfrance´s follow up to his critically acclaimed drama Blue Valentine which also happened to star Ryan Gosling. I personally never have seen Blue Valentine, so this was the first time I ever watched one of Cianfrance´s films and I have to admit that I was blown away by this epic drama. It may have its flaws, but the film is tremendously powerful and sticks with you long after the credits role. This isn’t an easy watch either as it is a 140 minute movie with a lot of character development, but it has some very entertaining and thrilling moments that make the film go by rather quickly. I never found a dull moment in this film and although it shifts gears several times each part of the film hooked me and left me wanting more. Cianfrance delivers one of the year´s best films thanks to some great performances from Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, and newcomer Emory Cohen. Ryan Gosling give a similar performance to the one he gave in Drive, where his character doesn’t say much but acts really tough and cool. This time around he is an experienced motorcycle driver. This epic film can be divided in three parts, and in my opinion the first 40 minutes might be the best part of the film where Gosling absolutely shines and the film works more like a suspenseful thriller. In the second segment, the film focuses on Bradley Cooper and we get to see him play his useful charismatic self. This was probably the weakest part of the film for me, but it ends with a bang in the third segment where we are introduced to the main character´s sons 15 years later and we get to see how their family´s legacy influences their lives and decisions. Both Emory Cohen and Dane DeHaan give some strong performances here. This last part might feel a bit rushed and I could have used some 20 more minutes of their story, but it was great nonetheless. I was really hooked with this movie and look forward to seeing some of Cianfrance´s previous work.

The story takes place in Schenectady, New York where Luke (Ryan Gosling) is just passing by along with the carnival as he works as one of the motorcycle drivers in the globe of death. He happens to share a connection with the small town as his former lover, Romina (Eva Mendes), lives there. They exchange a short dialogue after his act and he offers to take her home. He discovers that she has had his kid but is now living with another man. Growing up without a father has affected Luke´s life so he decides he wants to be around for his kid despite Romina not wanting him around. Luke quits the carnival and decides to stay in town working for a mechanic named Robin (Ben Mendelsohn). He wants to provide for his son, but the money isn’t enough so Luke is easily convinced by Robin to begin robbing banks. The two form a duo that involves Luke robbing the bank and driving off as fast as he can in his motorcycle while Robin waits for him in a truck where they can easily hideout and escape. They begin to have success, but Robin isn’t sure they should continue to do heists as often as they do. Luke decides to continue on his own and that is where his path is connected to Officer Avery´s (Bradley Cooper), an ambitious police officer who works in a department full of corrupt cops. And yes Ray Liotta plays yet another corrupt detective once again. The film shifts its focus in this second part on Avery and his relation with the police department and his family, specifically with his wife, Jennifer (Rose Byrne) and his supportive father Al (Harris Yulin). The final segment takes place 15 years later and it involves the relationship that Luke and Avery´s sons have with each other.

The film is ambitious but I think it manages to capture several issues in a very powerful away. Some of the things that the director is dealing with here seem to be the importance of a father figure (or lack thereof) in your life, and how the mistakes of our past continue to catch up with us in our generations to come. It is not an easy thing to tackle these issues in such a short time, but the film really felt like a novel and many of the images were left unsaid for the viewer to interpret on their own. The film has a very strong screenplay, some very powerful performances, and several dark dramatic turns. It is also very beautiful to look at despite the film noir look. I really found this to be a wonderful film and one I had to pay close attention to as the events unraveled before the screen. I especially liked the first 40 minutes of the film and the final 20, but I think it worked really well as a cohesive and connected story.

 

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My Review: The Other Guys (7/10)

¨ You have the right to remain silent... but I want to hear you scream! ¨

It was about time 2010 gave us a comedy that was actually funny. The Other Guys isn`t a perfect comedy, but it does have several laugh out loud moments. This is one of Will Ferrell`s best movies since Talladega Nights. It was good to see him team up with Mark Wahlberg in this buddy comedy and their chemistry was great. Most of the movie focused on them, leaving the supporting cast kind of flat, but it did pay off at the end. Eva Mendes, Samuel L. Jackson, Dwayne Johnson, Michael Keaton, and Steve Coogan had good supporting roles, but the main attractions are actually Ferrell and Wahlberg and the movie keeps us focused on them. Director Adam McKay knows Will Ferrell really well since they have worked together before in Anchorman, Talladega Nights, and Step Brothers. This is probably not as good as their two first movies together, but it is definitely an improvement over Step Brothers. McKay wrote the screenplay along with Chris Henchy who had also written a screenplay for Ferrell`s other movie Land of the Lost. Ferrell is back to his old self mixing his calm behavior and nature from Ron Burgundy in Anchorman with some outbursts here and there. Wahlberg`s comedic timing isn`t the best, but he is funny nonetheless when he is screaming and insulting everyone. The movie could have been a lot better since the first half of the film is actually much funnier than the second, but it is still worth a watch considering there haven`t been great comedies released this year so far.

Allen Gamble (Will Ferrell) works as an accountant for the New York police department. He is very happy with his safe job and is always in the mood to do all the paperwork for the true heroes of the city: street officers P.K. Highsmith (Samuel L. Jackson) and Christopher Danson (Dwayne Johnson, better known as The Rock). Danson and Highsmith have just tore up half of New York City chasing a pair of criminals in a car pursuit. They catch the criminals who only happen to possess a quarter pound of cocaine, but are still received as heroes by city citizens because they are willing to do what it takes and even defy the laws of physics in order to catch criminals. Allen`s office partner is Terry Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg), who is really unhappy with staying indoors all day and wants to be in the streets fighting real crime. The problem is that Terry has had a funny incident in the past (which I won`t give away) and therefore he isn`t allowed to work in the streets anymore. The police captain is Gene Mauch (Michael Keaton) who needs more men in the streets after he loses Danson and Highsmith. Hoitz forces his partner Gamble to accept a case in order to stop from being simply the other guys. Gamble isn`t too happy about leaving his job because he doesn`t like taking risks and he enjoys his happy life with his beautiful wife Dr. Sheila (Eva Mendes). Forced to take a call Gamble and Hoitz head to the streets where they accidently run into David Ershon (Steve Coogan). Gamble has been building a case on Ershon because he believes him to be a shady capitalist, and now he and Hoitz have an opportunity of a lifetime to become heroes if they can uncover his fraud.

The Other Guys may not end up being a very memorable comedy, but in a year with lack of good comedies, this was a fun and entertaining experience. Will Ferrell may have other funnier comedies as well, but it had been awhile since he had had one, and teaming up with Mark Wahlberg was a great idea. The chemistry between them worked really well and they made for a good couple in this buddy comedy. The beginning of the movie was pretty funny, Samuel L. Jackson and The Rock were hilarious during the opening scene and they also have a very memorable one when they are at the rooftop of a building chasing some criminals. I laughed really hard during these opening scenes. Will Ferrell was his usual self, without overacting this time and playing the nice guy. He does have a secret past which really works in this movie and makes up for the funniest scenes. He also happens to be a chic magnet which also brings several laughs throughout the film. Mark Wahlberg may not have the perfect comedic timing that Paul Rudd has for example, but he is still funny and makes for a good comedic partner. Eva Mendes also had some funny lines and we have seen her do comedy really well in the past as well (Stuck on You and Hitch). The action scenes in this movie are actually pretty well done and a lot of fun. The scene where Wahlberg fights off a bunch of guys on motorcycles is really well choreographed. I ended up enjoying this movie quite a bit, but I am still waiting for this year`s The Hangover.

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My Review: Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (5/10)

¨What the hell are those iguanas doing on my coffee table? ¨

(5/10) Werner Herzog directs a different version of the 1992 film that starred Harvey Keitel as the bad lieutenant. This time around that role is played by Nicolas Cage and the action takes place in New Orleans several months after hurricane Katrina. Werner Herzog directed one of my favorite movies of 2006, Rescue Dawn, in which Christian Bale played a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. Because of that my expectations for this film were high. Herzog also directed the Oscar nominated documentary Grizzly Man and several other German films; and he has received a lot of praise for this film although it didn`t fulfill my expectations. The screenplay, which was written by William Finkelstein, is decent and it focuses on Nicolas Cage`s character during the entire film, leaving the rest of the characters in a secondary position. The key ingredient in this film is Cage`s performance. This is definitely one of his best roles in a long time. He plays an eccentric character and Cage is always at his best when he has to play this type of role. Eva Mendes is a great actress, but her role was minor in this film; as was pretty much every other actor in the movie. Val Kilmer only has a couple of lines and I think we see him more in the trailers than in the actual movie. Nicolas Cage is the one who steals the show and his performance is terrific, but I got tired of the plot after the first twenty minutes and the movie seemed to drag from that point on. The only positive thing about Bad Lieutenant is Nicolas Cage; and hopefully he will continue to accept more roles like the one he played in this film.

Nicolas Cage is Terence McDonagh, a corrupt cop who constantly breaks the law in order to get what he wants. We are introduced to him shortly after hurricane Katrina and we see him saving a prisoner from drowning in his cell. Terence seems to be a good cop and he even receives an honorary medal for his service. Later he is at the hospital because he`s suffering from back pains and the doctor prescribes him Vicodin in order to control his pain. The movie suddenly jumps to six months after the disaster and we are introduced to a different version of Terence who seems to be suffering from drug and gambling addiction. He does whatever it takes in order to get his hands on some cocaine and even tries to bribe players in order to win some gambling money. It is during this addiction that he has to solve a murder case in which a group of Senegalese immigrants have been brutally killed over some drug scandal. Terence is probably not the right man for the job as he is probably guiltier than most criminals. The movie follows Terence everywhere he goes while investigating the murder. We are introduced to his girlfriend, who is actually a prostitute named Frankie (Eva Mendes) and she is also a junkie like him. Eva Mendes does a good job, but her character is not that important in the film (which is true for every other character other than the one played by Cage). Val Kilmer plays another corrupt cop named Stevie Pruit that works with Terence in some cases. Big Fate, played by Xzibit, is the prime suspect in the murder case and Terence actually uses him to get some more drugs and money. Terence is buried in debt and actually has to hide his girlfriend at his parent`s house in order to protect her from the collectors. His mother, Genevieve (Jennifer Coolidge from American Pie), is an alcoholic and his father Pat is played by Tom Bower. As the movie progresses Terence seems to get buried deeper and deeper in his drug, gambling, and sex addiction.

Bad Lieutenant might have resurrected Nicolas Cage`s career as we are reminded of some of his earlier works when he played more eccentric characters, but the movie just didn`t work for me. The hallucination scenes with the iguanas and the dancing souls were too bizarre and rather distracting although you do get a good sense of how Cage`s character was feeling. I didn`t like the way the movie ended either because everything seemed to work out just perfectly when it seemed impossible to get out of such a hole. I actually thought it was all another illusion that Terence was going through. The movie is dark and it has some entertaining parts thanks to Cage, but it just didn`t work for me. I found myself kind of bored after the first twenty minutes and was waiting for the movie to get somewhere. Perhaps I just had too many high expectations for this Herzog film because I enjoyed Red Dawn so much. One thing is for sure, the movie might not be so good, but Cage`s performance is great as he plays this antihero. I would recommend this movie for his performance alone, although if you are in to dark movies you probably would enjoy this because Terence is really a bad lieutenant