Conviction (6/10): An inspirational tale about the devotion a sister has for her brother

“I'm sorry you wasted your life on this. Your brother killed that woman.”

Inspired by a remarkable true story in which a sister practically gives up almost two decades of her life in order to save her brother who has been convicted of murder and has been sentenced to life in prison. It’s an amazing and inspirational story, but unfortunately the film suffers from being overly manipulative at times and too conventional. Conviction has Oscar bait written all over it, and despite having a heavy clichéd script the excellent cast elevate the film and make it worth recommending. Many people remember Tony Goldwyn from his villainous role in Ghost, but he has also directed a couple of rom-coms. This is the first time he directs a fully dramatic film and it suffers from being overly sentimental at times (the score is way too melodramatic). 

The film is saved however by its excellent cast. Hillary Swank is amazing as this working mother who decides to put her personal aspirations aside to help save her imprisoned brother. In order to do so she decides to finish High School and go through law school. Not an easy task considering Betty Anne has two children to maintain. Sam Rockwell plays Betty’s brother, Kenny, who was arrested in 1983 for a brutal murder. Betty and Kenny had been very close since they were young because their mother was constantly working so we get several flashbacks of them spending their childhood days breaking into nearby homes and dreaming of a better life. This always got Kenny into trouble with the local authorities. Years later, when a woman was found brutally murdered in a trailer near to Kenny’s place he was the first suspect. After some incriminating evidence against him he is sentenced and that is when her loving sister decides to dedicate her life to free him. The degree of devotion she has for her brother is unprecedented and truly inspirational.

The question one asks throughout the film is how far Betty is willing to go to help her brother considering it has led her to lose her husband and any attempt to have a life of her own. It has even affected her relationship with her two children, played by Owen Campbell and Conor Donovan, who feel neglected at times. There isn’t one second in which she questions what she is doing and takes it more as a responsibility and a debt she has for her brother. Swank gives a powerful performance and her devotion to Kenny is completely believable. Rockwell is also great as Kenny in both the prison scenes and in some of the flashback scenes where we see some of his wild behavior. He plays his character extremely well, up to the point where you are never really sure wether or not this guy is guilty for the crime he has committed. The only person who seems convinced about his innocence is his sister and that made the film all the more compelling. 

Minnie Driver plays Abra Rice, one of the law students who befriends Betty and helps her on the case. Her relationship with Betty could’ve been explored a bit better, but the entire focus of the film was on Betty’s devotion and effort to try to free her brother so she is only introduced as this friend who helped with the case. The family dynamics between Betty and her children and between her and her ex husband is barely touched upon because the filmmaker’s devotion was focused on the relationship between the two siblings. It didn’t hurt that they were played by Rockwell and Swank, two extremely talented actors. I’m a huge fan of Sam Rockwell and I could personally watch anything he does so I might be a bit biased but their relationship in this film is what sold this movie. Melissa Leo has some small scenes in the film, but her presence is always welcomed. The film has its flaws and at times the pacing of the film does begin to drag and feel repetitive, but the performances more than make up for it at the end.   

Frozen River (8/10): Melissa Leo is given a strong female character and she takes full advantage of it.

“What if a trooper stops us? -They're not gonna stop you, you're white.”

Frozen River made a lot of noise in 2008 after debuting in the Sundance Film Festival and winning the Grand Jury Prize. It went on to win many other awards and even received two Academy Award nominations for best lead performance from Melissa Leo and for original screenplay written by Courtney Hunt who also directed this grim indie film. It is an impressive debut film considering the subject matter usually doesn’t attract much attention. The story centers on a mother who’s left with the task of raising her two children on her own after her husband has abandoned them ten days before Christmas. He took off with the money that her wife had been saving. It takes place in Massena, New York, near the Canadian border where a Mohawk reservation exists. She meets a Mohawk named Lila and circumstances lead her to smuggle illegal immigrants across a frozen river in order to sustain her family. Frozen River is a character study of a hard willed woman who is determined to do what it takes to provide for her children. It can be a challenging watch for the audience, but Melissa Leo’s authentic performance makes it an engaging one. There are very few films that center around strong female characters, and Courtney Hunt has directed and written a powerful one. This film reminds me a lot of Winter Bone (which came out a couple of years later) which also benefited from a strong female performance. It is a tale of endurance and focuses on the American underclass that very seldom is portrayed on film in an authentic manner. I enjoyed this film so much that I’m actually looking forward to Hunt’s next film (The Whole Truth) which will be released this year. 

Melissa Leo deservedly received an Oscar nod for her performance and I think this was the perfect role for her. She has this authentic look and is credible as a single mother who is willing to do what it takes to get out of her current situation. Her chemistry with Misty Upham is what makes this film standout. Upham is also given a strong female character to play and she delivers a strong performance. She and Leo’s character both are going through difficult moments in their lives struggling with poverty. They are matched together by the circumstances they are facing despite their differences and that relationship is the heart of the film. The kids played by Charlie McDermott and James Reilly are both solid, but the female characters are the heart and soul of this film. The scenery also plays a huge role in this film considering the harsh and freezing conditions are transmitted to the characters in the story. They struggle and battle with the adversities presented in their lives with fearless strength. It is a small gritty indie drama that is worth checking out, especially if you were a fan of Winter’s Bone.  

My Review: The Equalizer (7/10)

"I am offering you a chance to do the right thing. Take it."

With the exception of Training Day, which I absolutely loved, Antoine Fuqua hadn't directed a film that merited much acknowledgement. Being able to team up with Denzel Washington once again definitely attracted many people's attention towards this project, but if they were expecting The Equalizer to replicate the success of Training Day then they'll be disappointed because what they get with this film is a standard, by the books action thriller. It plays out like most revenge thrillers do and it follows the standard formula of the genre in such a way that you can easily predict the outcome of most of the film. What The Equalizer does have going for it however is the presence of Denzel Washington in the titular role playing a character with a particular set of skills. Washington is solid and he elevates this generic film in such a way that he manages to keep us entertained. There is something cool about his character and he portrays that interior smoothness very well here. His character may seem calm and friendly in the surface, but when it comes to helping the weak there is no one who can serve them justice better than him. His character will easily remind people of Liam Neeson in Taken, or even Tom Cruise in Jack Reacher although Washington's character is much more likable. The film also takes its time to set things up and it works to the films advantage here; I would even say the buildup is much stronger than the execution. The stylized violence is also present in this Fuqua film and I enjoyed the overall look of the film with the underlying score setting the tone. The Equalizer reminded me a lot of Man on Fire, which was a film I really loved so if you were a fan of it as well you might want to check this out. It is very similar in structure and I would go as far as saying that it has a superhero movie feel to it as well. 

I have seen over 20 films starring Denzel Washington and I yet haven't seen one I disliked. Sure, there were some average films he made, but never have I been disappointed by his movies. I know The Equalizer isn't groundbreaking and I shouldn't have enjoyed it as much as I did because it is full of cliches, but it was impossible for me to resist Washington's charm once again. He gives a solid performance in this action thriller and he carries the film. The female characters are all portrayed as victims here once again, but Chloe Grace Moretz sells her character very well. She has some solid scenes with Washington at the beginning of the film which help set the premise of the film. Melissa Leo could have been the strongest female character in the film, but she only has a brief appearance. This is basically a one man show with Washington personifying coolness. Marton Csokas is set up as a pretty strong villain during the first half of the film, but he could have been better used in the second half. Csokas is Washington's counterpart (kind of like what The Joker was to Batman) and the buildup to the face-off is what works best in this film. I had a great time with this action thriller despite all its flaws.

My Review: The Angriest Man in Brooklyn (3/10)

"Reconciliation, in ninety minutes? Are you trying to kill yourself?"

I really didn't have any expectations going into this film, but I decided to watch The Angriest Man in Brooklyn for several reasons. First of all, I like Robin Williams despite his poor choice for roles over the past decades and I usually find his antics sort of amusing. Second, I will practically watch any film Mila Kunis stars in. Third, since I just finished watching Season 4 of Game of Thrones a couple of weeks ago I was anxious to see the imp, Peter Dinklage, back in action. And finally because Phil Alden Robinson was back in the director's chair after 12 years. Despite not being a huge fan of his most well known films: FIeld of Dreams, Sneakers, and The Sum of All Fears I still enjoyed them and found them entertaining. The Angriest Man in Brooklyn however is well below the standards he set because this was just lazy film making. There were terrible performances, bad editing, and weak dialogues which all combined perfectly to make this a mess of a movie. Williams and Kunis seemed like they were reading their lines when they were narrating the story and they didn't even try to give decent performances. Williams went way over the top trying to play this angry man, but you never believe his outbursts for a second. The entire premise is ridiculous and there wasn't one funny scene in the entire film. This was much worse than I anticipated as I at least expected to enjoy the performances, but no one really seemed to even try to make this a better film. The screenplay was perhaps one of the worst of the year. 

This was just a pointless film that explores themes we've seen done much better in the past. The entire premise is ridiculous. First of all you have Robin Williams playing an angry man who is always complaining about everything and then when his doctor (played by Mila Kunis) tells him he has a brain aneurism he forces her to tell him how much time he has left. She is going through a depressive stage in her life as well so she simply utters the first thing that comes to her mind: 90 minutes. With this shocking revelation, Williams' character tries to make amends with everyone he has hurt beginning with his family. His wife (played by Melissa Leo), his brother (Peter Dinklage), and his estranged son (Hamish Linklater). Meanwhile the doctor realizes that she made a huge mistake and decides to run after him and tell him the truth so you have Williams on the one hand running across Brooklyn while Kunis is unsuccessfully chasing him. He tries to make amends with each one, but somehow anger gets in the way and pushes everyone away. That is until they realize he is dying and also begin chasing him across half of Brooklyn. The film tries to make us sympathize with these characters, but the script doesn't help and only gets us more annoyed with the entire situation. 

Unfortunately Williams fails to create a character we can sympathize with despite his behavior. He simply didn't pull off the role and that hurt the entire film because it tries to be sentimental at the end but it never manages too. The comedy is also a huge miss here with no funny moments whatsoever. Not even a cameo from James Earl Jones was enough to put a smile on my face.It was just a huge mess. The film is simply disconnected from reality and tries to force the drama down the audience's throat. It does raise one question though, why do we always have to wait for a person to die or be terminally ill to forgive? That question could be explored in other films, but this one simply never even tries to make an effort at analyzing anything. I think that this movie doesn't even know what it wants to be and therefor was doomed from the very opening scene. 

My Review: Prisoners (8/10)

"Pray for the best, but prepare for the worst."

Prisoners is a dark thriller that will have you at the edge of your seat during almost the entirety of the film. It was a very intense experience. It is hard not to compare this film to Mystic River or Gone Baby Gone because those two movies set the landmark for modern thrillers dealing with abduction. Prisoners almost lives up to the standards that those two films set. Canadian director, Denis Villeneuve, follows up his Oscar nominated film, Incendies, with this intense thriller that manages to capture the audiences attention once again. Incendies was one of my favorite films of 2011, and despite Prisoners not living up to the perfection that film achieved, I still thought this film was highly entertaining and satisfying. There were a few minor plot points that didn't work for me, but that didn't take anything away from this great film. It is a more mainstream film, but it manages to follow a similar approach as Fincher reminding us of Se7en or Zodiac thanks to its dark and haunting atmosphere. I am a huge fan of this genre and really had a fun time trying to solve the mystery through the small clues that Villeneuve masterfully presented in the story. Prisoners was without a doubt one of the most gripping and intense experiences I had all year. Unfortunately it is a little too intense and at times I felt the film could have used some moments to release such tension. Anyways Prisoners is a highly recommended film and a must-see. 

Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) is a family man who is always prepared for the worst. He is a survivalist with a basement full of provisions and is teaching his older son, Ralph (Dylan Minnette), how to hunt. He's married to Grace (Maria Bello) and they have a daughter named Anna (Erin Gerasimovich). One afternoon, Keller's worst nightmare comes true while they are hanging out with their friendly neighbors the Birches. Franklin (Terrence Howard) and Nancy Birch (Viola Davis) have two kids about the same age as Ralph and Grace, Eliza (Zoe Borde) and Joy (Kyla Drew Simmons). While the two families are having a lovely time together, Joy and Anna decide to go back to Anna's house, but when the Dover's come back home they are horrified to discover that the kids never made it back. Ralph remembers that they were playing next to a strange RV that was parked up front which is now gone. Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) is appointed as the lead investigator in the case and the first thing he does is locate the RV. The driver is a disturbed young man named Alex Jones (Paul Dano) who has the IQ of a 10 year old and with no evidence to incriminate him Detective Loki has to let him free. His Aunt (Melissa Leo) comes to pick him up and explains how naive and innocent he is. As hours pass, Keller begins to get more desperate and convinced that Alex was involved he decides to take matters into his own hands. From here on the tension begins to escalate as they try to solve the mystery.

Prisoners succeeds as a neo-noir thriller building up a lot of tension with a very dark atmosphere which is perfectly captured by cinematographer Roger Deakins. It adds to the mysterious mood of the story which on its own is already pretty intense. The screenplay, written be Aaron Guzikowski (Contraband), is very well written with a very interesting premise and some great twists. My only complaint with this film has to do with the lack of a strong female character. With such a strong cast, I thought that Maria Bello or Viola Davis could have been given a stronger role, but the film focuses mostly on Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal. They both give very strong and convincing performances, and Gyllenhaal has surprised me over the last three years with very good films (Source Code, End of Watch, and now this one). I guess he has been choosing his roles very wisely lately because his next film also looks interesting (Enemy which is also directed by Denis Villeneuve). Paul Dano also gave a strong performance as his character's motivations were very hard to decipher. The strong cast and the interesting story make this a very entertaining film despite some minor flaws involving character motivations. It is one of the best recent thrillers coming out of Hollywood and I doubt you will be disappointed.

My Review: Olympus Has Fallen (5/10)

¨United States of America doesn't negotiate with terrorists.¨

Olympus Has Fallen reminded me a lot of those action films in the 90's that I grew up loving. The only problem is that I just don't feel the same way about those movies anymore. These action packed films follow a very similar formula and despite the great performance from Gerard Butler in the lead role I couldn't help but feel that the film lacked originality. I felt the tension and the suspense while I was watching this action packed film, but at the same time I kept on thinking to myself how stupid the plot was. This is a film that would have been a lot better if it used some comedy and didn't take itself so seriously. A lot of comparisons to Die Hard have been made because it follows pretty much the same exact formula, except for the fact that Die Hard had some comedic moments that allowed the audience to not take everything so seriously. This could have been a great plot for a Die Hard film. Antoine Fuqua has made some great films, but none of them have reached the potential of his 2001 Training Day. Olympus Has Fallen is an improvement over Tears of the Sun and King Arthur, but Fuqua still hasn't managed to deliver as strong a film as he did with that one starring Denzel Washington. I wasn't won over by this film, but I think it will win a lot of fans due to the action packed thrills and great performances by the strong cast. It was a lot better than what I thought it would be.

The film centers on Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) a former President Guard who is sent to work for the Treasury Department after the President's (Aaron Eckhart) wife passes away in a terrible traffic accident. Banning hates his new desk job and desperately wants back in at the White House. The opportunity comes when a terrorist group from North Korea attacks the Oval office and holds the President hostage in the bunker along with several other important American officials. Despite the Army and Secret Service's efforts they could do nothing to prevent the attack, and the only man inside the White House that can do something is Banning. Meanwhile the Speaker of the House, Trumbull (Morgan Freeman) is now in charge of the country and begins communicating with the terrorist leader, Kang (Rick Yune) who makes his demands. The people from the Pentagon are forced to put their trust on Banning who is the only man who can give them inside information. This is Banning's opportunity for redemption as the President's life is on the line.

Despite being formulaic, the film does something a little different. There are several casualties here as several civilians get killed. People who still suffer from post 9-11 trauma might want to stay away from this movie because there are a lot of scenes that will remind them of that episode. The action is packed and there are several moments of tension because several people are killed off. Fuqua wasn't afraid to show the amount of casualties lost from the attack. Other than that the film follows pretty much the same formula action junkies have come to love from action films like Die Hard, Air Force One, and Con Air. Despite the silliness of the premise, many people might enjoy this film. It was a lot better than I expected, but I still can't recommend it for its lack of originality. Olympus Has Fallen is loud, action-packed, and appeals to your patriotic senses. 

My Review: Oblivion (8/10)

¨60 years ago, Earth was attacked. We won the war, but they destroyed half the planet. Everyone`s been evacuated and nothing human remains.¨

Joseph Kosinski broke out as a director in 2010 with TRON: Legacy and before continuing his work on the sequel he took a break to direct his personal project, Oblivion, a sci-fi film which he had previously worked on as a graphic novel along with Arvid Nelson. He successfully adapted the screenplay and has created one of the most visually stunning films of the year. Oblivion looks great and has some terrific sci-fi action scenes with a strong charismatic lead role played by Tom Cruise. The supporting cast is also pretty strong, but the film focuses almost entirely on Cruise. That means that Cruise fans will probably love this film because he pretty much plays himself, while those people that can`t stand him will want to stay away from Oblivion. The best thing going for this sci-fi film are the great visual effects, while the weakest part is perhaps that it takes too many elements from dozen other sci-fi films and kind of meshes them altogether. On the positive side I was overall pleased with Oblivion considering at least that the studio took a risk at creating an original premise (and when I say original I mean that it wasn`t a sequel, prequel, or reboot of a previous film) and turned it into a fun and cool looking film. I actually enjoyed this movie much more than Kosinski`s previous film and hopefully this marks a great year for sci-fi film considering the upcoming After Earth and Elysium. As much as I liked Oblivion, I still have to admit that I felt Prometheus was a much superior film (thanks in most part to better performances).

The film opens with a narration from Jack (Tom Cruise) explaining how the Earth was devastated 60 years ago by a war between humans and an alien race known as Scavs who wanted Earth`s resources. We won the war, but the planet was devastated after the aliens destroyed part of the moon`s mass which caused several natural disasters. The population that managed to survive moved to one of Saturn`s moons known as Titan. It`s the year 2077 and the only humans on Earth are Jack and his partner Vica (Andrea Riseborough) who live in Tower 49. Jack is a technician in charge of repairing drones which are responsible for guarding the planet from attacks of surviving Scavs. Vica stays in the tower serving as Jack`s eyes and maintains communication with Sally (Melissa Leo), the mission commander living on the Tet (a large space ship in orbit around the Earth). They are in charge of safeguarding these giant machines that draw up water from the ocean to process it as energy in Titan. The few surviving scavs try to disrupt this process, but Jack and Vica are only two weeks away from parting from Earth to Titan. However, Jack is feeling nostalgic and is constantly having memory flashes of a woman (Olga Kurylenko) and he can`t quite figure out who she is since he has had his memory wiped after the war in order to serve his planet. Everything changes when a shuttle crashes on Earth carrying the woman Jack has seen in his dreams. Her name is Julia, and all of a sudden he begins to question everything that he has been doing.

I wasn’t too pleased with the way Kosinski decided to open the film having Cruise narrate the present situation, but the visuals won me over, and once the action begun I had a great time with the film. Like almost any other sci-fi film I felt there were some plot holes, but didn’t make much of them since the film kept me entertained throughout. Oblivion is a little over two hours long, but it has decent pacing and you never feel like the story drags. Morgan Freeman has a supporting role, but really doesn’t have much screen time. This is almost all about Cruise`s character, which is good although I thought Andrea Riseborough gave probably the best performance of the film. I like Kurylenko, but she doesn’t do anything memorable or ground breaking here. Oblivion isn’t a perfect sci-fi film, but it is an entertaining one and I had a great time at the movies. If you enjoy science fiction movies you will like Oblivion unless you are picky or expected a totally unique film. There are several moments where you will be reminded of some greater films which this movie was probably inspired by in one way or another (2001, Blade Runner, Moon, Logan`s Run, Independence Day, etc).  A lot of credit has to be given to Kosinski however for making a somewhat original sci-fi film and making it entertaining. I would recommend this film!

My Review: The Fighter (8/10)

¨I´m the one who`s fighting. Not you, not you, and not you.¨

It`s a good thing Mark Wahlberg`s character reminds us about this near the end of the film because you could think that he wasn`t the central theme of David O. Russell`s movie due to the fact that the rest of the performances from the ensemble cast outshine him. Christian Bale, Melissa Leo, and Amy Adams give such great performances that Wahlberg`s character gets kind of lost in the midst of the story, but I don`t think that`s a negative critique for the film because it kind of summarizes the way his character has felt his entire life. Sidelined by his mother and seven sisters who have always shown preference toward his older half-brother (played by Christian Bale), who is sort of the local hero of a small town in Massachusetts called Lowell. Russell, who hadn`t directed a film in 6 years (I Heart Huckabees), does a great job with the direction of this film thanks to a powerful script written by Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, and Eric Johnson. It is based on a true story, but of course has probably been modified by Hollywood for more dramatic effects. It follows the boxing career of ¨Irish¨ Micky Ward and his rise to the top against all odds. The plot may sound familiar and sort of follows the same premise every other sport movie does, however the performance from the ensemble cast makes this movie stand out from the rest. It also has a powerful screenplay and focuses on Ward`s family as much as it does with his boxing career so it makes for a good balanced dramatic sports film.

The movie takes place during the 90`s in Lowell, Massachusetts and opens with an HBO interview of Dicky Ecklund (Christian Bale), a former boxer known as ¨the pride of Lowell¨ who once knocked down the great Sugar Ray Leonard. He lost the fight, but survived all ten rounds in the ring with him. He is a retired boxer who is now training his younger half brother, Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) along with their mother, Alice (Melissa Leo), who is his manager. Dicky`s convinced that HBO is making a documentary about his comeback, but the truth of the matter is that it’s about crack addiction and how it can destroy people´s lives. Dicky is in his 40`s and consumed by his drug addiction. He spends most of his days locked up in a friend`s house getting high or in prison, although he still doesn`t seem to acknowledge the fact that it`s slowly ruining his life. His entire family knows about his addiction, but can`t seem to help him with it. Just like the rest of the people in Lowell, Micky admires his brother and listens to everything he has to say about boxing. Micky sometimes waits hours in the gym for his brother to show up and help him train, but his addiction and time in prison is hurting Micky`s career as well. His mother doesn`t help him very much as his manager either as she sometime pins him up in fights against boxers who are twenty pounds heavier than him. Micky is about to give up on his career until he meets Charlene Fleming (Amy Adams), a sexy bartender who teaches him to stand up against his family and not give up on his dream. When Dicky is sentenced to 15 years in prison it is time for Micky to find a new trainer and fulfill his dream.

Russell`s picture received 7 nominations including Best Picture and Best Director. It had been a long time since his latest film (six years) and the wait was worth the while. His most acclaimed film up to this point had been Three Kings (in which he also worked with Wahlberg), but I have a feeling most people will remember him for this movie now on. The Fighter is a good film. It is more than just another boxing movie; it`s a film about family and rising to the challenge. The film is so well balanced mixing boxing and family drama that I don`t know if the title is referring to Wahlberg`s character as a boxer, or Bale`s character as a drug addict. Both of them have to fight extremely difficult odds in order to survive (Micky as a boxer and Dicky as a free junkie). The family also has to go through difficult times in order to survive, but somehow they manage to stick together despite all the differences. Christian Bale is truly the star of this film. He is so energetic and loud, that one wouldn`t recognize this guy as being Batman or Sean Connor from the Terminator. The physical and emotional transformation he goes through in this film is just impressive. Melisa Leo (Frozen River) is also excellent in her role as Alice, as well as Amy Adams who also plays a different role in this film from what she has us used too.  All three actors have been nominated for the Oscars, and Bale is a favorite to win. Wahlberg, as I said, sort of gets sidelined by the rest of the cast, but his performance is strong and powerful nonetheless. The Fighter isn`t among my top ten films of the year, but it still is a very well balanced sports drama which I strongly recommend.

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