Dead Man Walking (9/10): A thought provoking spiritual drama.

“I want the last face you see in this world to be the face of love, so you look at me when they do this thing. I'll be the face of love for you.”

Dead Man Walking is a film that explores the unique and unexpected bond formed between a Catholic nun and a convicted murderer on Death Row. I know this doesn’t exactly sound as a compelling plot nor a crowd pleaser, but it was definitely a thought provoking film and surprisingly one of the best movies of 1995 thanks to the strong performances. Tim Robbins adapted the screenplay from Sister Helen Prejean’s nonfictional book of the same name, and he also directed this inspirational spiritual drama that avoids being one sided and preachy by approaching the material through several different viewpoints. Sister Helen Prejean may be an advocate for the abolition of the death penalty, but this film rather than take sides on the issue allows for both views to make their case and doesn’t seem to have a hidden agenda. Robbins could’ve taken the easy way out by making the convicted murderer more sympathetic, but from the very first scene he’s in, we know this is no saint and the film doesn’t shy away from what he did and the effect his actions had in the family of the victims. This is one of those rare films that approaches a controversial subject and succeeds at being balanced, which makes it a great tool for discussion.

Sister Helen is probably one of the most authentic Christian characters portrayed on film as she is purely empathetic towards everyone around her. She isn’t forcing her religion on this convict or trying to convert him, but rather finding a way for him to come to terms with what he did and find redemption by taking responsibility for his actions. She truly cares for this man, who isn’t exactly a role model, and there is never any judgement in her words. It is rare to find a spiritual character like this portrayed on film in such an honest way, and Susan Sarandon takes the strong material and delivers one of her best performances to date. She simply cares for everyone around her and she is trying to do what is right because she is committed to her beliefs, and she actually applies them which is a rare thing (not even Christian films seem to get this right at times). Sean Penn also delivers a strong performance as the convict, Matthew Poncelet, who every time he opens his mouth the less sympathetic he is, but it is evident he is trying to hide his true emotions and blame everyone else for what he has become. His chemistry with Sarandon is what carries this movie, but there are also several strong supporting performances. Margo Martindale is an actress that is often overlooked, but she deserves more recognition. She can effortlessly play a villain like in The Leftovers, or a loving and supporting Sister like she does here. R. Lee Ermey and Celia Weston play the resentful parents of the victim, and they share a great scene with Susan Sarandon that says a lot about her character. Tim Robbins hasn’t directed a better film and I think he owes much of the success of this movie to the strong performances along with his well written and thought provoking script. 

My Favorite Collection: Mystic River (10/10)

“We bury our sins here, Dave. We wash them clean.”

     

Mystic River and Unforgiven are my two favorite Clint Eastwood films and depending on which one I see last I tend to put in first place. Right now I’m inclined to declare Mystic River as Eastwood’s best film, but that is subject to change anytime (perhaps even before I finish writing this review). Nominated for six Academy Awards, the film won two: Sean Penn for Best Actor in a Leading Role and Tim Robbins for Best Supporting Actor. I was rooting for Brian Helgeland’s wonderful screenplay adaptation from Dennis Lehane’s novel, but it lost out to The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Helgeland had previously won an Oscar for his adaptation of L.A. Confidential, which is another wonderful thriller. Lehane’s novel adaptations have always translated well to the big screen and I recommend each one: The Drop, Shutter Island, and Gone Baby Gone. So when putting these two great writers together you are guaranteed an intriguing story with rich characters, which is one of the reasons why I love Mystic River. On a side note I just want to say that Lehane’s novel, Live By Night, is being directed by Ben Affleck and will be released some time next year. It’s already my frontrunner for Best Picture at the 2017 Academy Awards without knowing anything else about it. 

Mystic River’s underlying theme is the loss of innocence. The story centers around three childhood friends whose life is forever changed when one of them is abducted and molested for several days before he manages to escape. The film centers on these three characters now that they are adults. Dave (Tim Robbins), the victim, is now a married man, but he is clearly traumatized by the abuse he received. Sean (Kevin Bacon) has become a homicide detective, while Jimmy (Sean Penn) is an ex-con who is now a loving father of three. When Jimmy’s daughter goes missing and is found dead, Sean takes over the investigation, but Jimmy is not going to let whoever committed this terrible crime go unpunished. 

Mystic River stands out for its clever screenplay, and that usually translates to fantastic performances. Sean Penn delivers one of his best performances and the scene where he finds out his daughter has been murdered is heart-breaking. Tim Robbins is also fantastic playing a traumatized man whose life was changed by that terrible event during his childhood. Sean Penn is perhaps given the most straightforward scenes as the detective, but even he shares some powerful scenes with Sean Penn. Laura Linney and Marcia Gay Harden also have some intense dramatic scenes. The film stands out thanks to its powerful performances and the surprising dark reveals along the way. It could even stand out on its own for the detective story, but it is carried to another level thanks to the impressive performances and Eastwood’s solid direction.

“The last time I saw Dave…That was twenty-five years ago, going up this street, in the back of that car.” That quote left me with goosebumps all over my arms and a quick chill run through my spine.

My Review: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (5/10)

"To see the world, things dangerous to come to. To see behind walls, draw closer. To find each other and to feel. That is the purpose of life."

That quote is the central theme of this film directed by Ben Stiller and adapted by Steve Conrad (The Pursuit of Happyness) from James Thurber's short story, which actually is repeated throughout the film and can even be read during various scenes. It is a feel good message about achieving your goals and finding your purpose in life, but at the same time it's repeated so many times that the film feels forced and preachy at times making it loose its value. This is without a doubt Stiller's most ambitious film, but unfortunately it becomes predictable and instead of focusing on the adventures it becomes a preachy film about the cliched phrase "Stop dreaming, Start living." My main complaint however has to do with the pacing of the film which is really unbalanced during the first 30 minutes where the story seemed to lack identity and compelling characters. It really suffers from some sort of identity crisis at first not really understanding what kind of film it wants to be. The romantic relationship didn't work very well either, and Kristen Wiig was underused. Her character didn't have much depth and she seemed too restrained in her role. On a positive note, the strongest point of the film was without a doubt the cinematography which was beautiful and once the story becomes a globe trotting adventure going through Greenland, Iceland, and Mount Everest it really picks up and becomes escapist entertainment. By the end it's difficult not to leave with a warm and optimist heart because the story ends up being quite inspirational. The film may not be the modern fairytale it tries so hard to be, but it does have some fun and entertaining moments. 

Walter Mitty (Ben Stiller) has worked for Life magazine over twenty years as one of the main photo developers, but now that the company has decided to go digital many of the employees feel their jobs are hanging on the line. Ted Hendricks (Adam Scott) has been assigned to manage the company's transition and isn't too impressed with Walter once they meet and he begins to day dream and zoom out during the middle of a conversation. Walter does this a lot since he is bored with his life and dreams about doing things he would never do in real life, like speaking to his co-worker Cheryl (Kristen Wiig) whom he has a crush on. Walter's life takes an interesting turn when he doesn't find one of the films that his elusive photographer (played by Sean Penn) has sent him which is supposed to be the cover of the magazine's last issue. This leads Walter to travel across the globe trying to locate him in order to save his job, and that is when his true adventure really begins. No more dreaming, it's time to live.

Ben Stiller gives an entertaining performance, but as I mentioned before the romantic relationship between his character and Wiig's didn't really work too well. I hated Adam Scott in this film and thought that his character was too cartoonish and over the top. His scenes weren't funny, they felt awkward and forced like many other moments of the film. Shirley MacLaine and Patton Oswalt on the other hand gave great performances and stood out in their supporting roles. Patton was probably the highlight of the film for me despite not having much screen time. It was also interesting to see Sean Penn deliver a comedic role in a Ben Stiller film considering the hilarious scene in Stiller's previous film, Tropic Thunder, involving the never go full retard scene referencing his role in I Am Sam. There were several funny moments despite some of the misses and the beautiful scenery makes this film worth checking out. The day dreaming sequences didn't work very well for me, although I laughed really hard at the Benjamin Button one. Despite being uneven it is an entertaining and optimistic film. Be warned there is a lot of product placement in this movie, but I didn't have a problem with all the commercializing since I think it is part of life anyways. I guess in the end the long development and producing issues the film went through hurt its potential.

My Review: Gangster Squad (6/10)

¨I always knew I’d die in Burbank¨

Gangster Squad walks a really thin line between being a terrible film and an entertaining one. First of all it has a really great and talented cast; it also has a good production design and is very stylized reminding us of some epic gangster films. On the other hand the film only looks gangster-like on the surface; it is not really a serious neo-noir gangster film but more of a light comedic gangster movie. This is director Ruben Fleisher’s follow up to his hit comedy Zombieland, and in a way it does feel like a satire of sorts of gangster films, but in some strange way it fails to find its own personality. You never know if you’re supposed to take the movie seriously or not because something is missing in the mix between drama and comedy. One critic defined the film better than I could by claiming it is ¨LA Confidential without the script.¨ It has the look and the tone of a serious gangster film, but the script which was loosely adapted by Will Beall from Paul Lieberman’s book just fails and the dialogues seem cartoonish at times. The violence is pretty heavy as there are plenty of glamorized gunfight scenes and a large body count. Sean Penn plays the villain a little over the top, but it works if you view the film as this sort of spoof of the gangster genre. And really in my opinion this approach is what works best because it is entertaining if taken lightly as a spoof. I feel sorry for those who went into this film with high expectations because they will mostly be disappointed, unless they can live with a mindless popcorn action flick with some good performances.

The story takes place in 1949 Los Angeles where Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn), a mob king from Chicago, has taken over the city and is planning on controlling all criminal activities there with the help of corrupt officers and judges. He will eliminate whoever stands in his path. Sgt. John O’Mara (Josh Brolin) on the other hand is a WWII veteran who is determined to do what he can to clean up the city. When Chief Parker (Nick Nolte) hears about O’Mara’s heroics he decides to assign him with a special underground task: to form an elite squad of police officers that will take down the mob King. Thus O’Mara begins his quest to find the right officers for his special team with the help of his wife Connie (Mireille Enos) who is worried about his wellbeing and wants him to be protected as best as possible. O’Mara chooses Officer Coleman Harris (Anthony Mackie), Max Kennard (Robert Patrick) and his partner Navidad Ramirez (Michael Peña), Conway Keeler (Giovanni Ribisi) who’s the brains in the operation, and finally Sgt. Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling) who decides to accept O’Mara’s proposal after a member of the mob kills a kid he knew from the streets. Together these officers begin to try to intercept and disrupt Cohen’s operations working as an underground hit squad. Wooters also happens to be having an affair with Cohen’s love interest, Grace (Emma Stone), which could or could not be a good thing. And so the action begins as the squad tries to disrupt Cohen’s reign and clean up the city.

As I mentioned before this is an entertaining film which sometimes borderlines on the bad side considering it does have some pretty bad writing and underdeveloped characters. But it did work for me as a sort of spoof and light hearted film with a very stylized look to it. It has some fun action sequences with some strong performances, especially from the always reliable Ryan Gosling who continues to reinvent himself in every movie. I absolutely loved him here once again. Josh Brolin gives a pretty solid performance when he is not asked to do the voice over bit (it was a bit annoying at the beginning giving it a sort of fake Sin City vibe to it). The rest of the cast is pretty good although not getting enough screen time or storylines to develop their characters. Sean Penn plays the stereotypical bad guy a little over the top, but I enjoyed his performance as well (it wouldn’t have worked if you were expecting a serious gangster drama film). In the end Gangster Squad did work for me and I was entertained with this shoot-em up gangster film, but I know it isn’t for everyone.

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My Review: The Tree of Life (9/10)

¨The nuns taught us there were two ways through life - the way of nature and the way of grace. You have to choose which one you'll follow.¨

The Tree of Life is a beautiful movie, which works more like a poem than an actual narrative. Terrence Malick has made what is in my opinion one of the closest movies to Kubrick`s 2001 A Space Odyssey. There are several similarities, including imagery, use of music, and very little amount of dialogue in the picture. There is one moment where there is no dialogue whatsoever for about thirty minutes straight, so be warned this film isn`t for the average moviegoer. Film lovers and critics alike will probably love this film thanks to the beautiful imagery; it`s truly a poetic movie and it will stick with you for days to come. It`s an exploration of the meaning of life and the existence of God. If God exists than why does he allow evil? It`s a question we all make sometimes, and Malick answers it quite simply with a verse from the book of Job in the Bible: "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the Earth, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? ¨ Then there is a thirty minute montage of images beginning with the creation of the cosmos and universe, to the creation of Earth and the first living creatures up to the birth of a baby boy. This is where we realize that we are truly small creatures in the midst of such a vast universe. This boy ends up being the protagonist of the film as we see several flashes of memories he`s had growing up in a small Texas town. These are the experiences that have shaped him and led him to question God`s existence. In The Tree of Life, Malick manages to explore these common questions with great use of imagery. It is said that actions speak louder than words, in this case images speak louder than dialogues or typical narrative structures.

The main protagonist of The Tree of Life isn`t a character, we actually see much more imagery such as trees, water, rays of light, and other natural things, than we see people. Most of the imagery from the film comes from Jack O`Brien (Sean Penn) as we get to see his childhood memories and the things that have shaped his life up to the present day. He grew up in a small Texas town during the 50`s under the love of his caring mother, Mrs. O`Brien (Jessica Chastain), who represents the world of grace, and his stern father (Brad Pitt) who represents the world of nature (a more selfish view of the world). Jack (who is played by Hunter McCracken during his youth) is the oldest of three brothers. His fondest memories are of the three always playing together outdoors and enjoying life, although always fearing their father`s discipline. One of the moments that impacted his life was when the three were playing at a public pool and they saw a boy drown. Jack, who had up to that point lived under his mother`s vision of grace, now questions God and doesn’t understand how he could allow such a thing to happen. After his father goes away on a long business trip, Jack begins to go through a rebellious phase in which he does things he is not very proud of. We get to see all these memories and experiences Jack goes through as he recollects his past and tries to find meaning to life and the death of one of his younger brothers.

  

This is a movie in which every viewer will possibly leave with a different interpretation of the movie because the images can speak to us in different ways. It is a very thought provoking movie and Malick really has created a memorable and poetic film. Some of these images will remain in my mind for the rest of my life. I wasn’t really a fan of Malick`s work since I hated The New World and found The Thin Red Line quite boring, but after seeing this film I want to go back and rewatch those movies to see if perhaps my young age was a factor for it. Malick doesn’t make Blockbuster movies, but only time will tell if this film will become a cult classic. In my opinion this movie will be the most talked about film of 2011 over the next decades kind of like in the same way 2001 A Space Odyssey became such a cult fan favorite. This isn’t a movie for everyone, many won`t be interested in all the poetic imagery kind of like in the same way young kids aren`t expected to get excited about listening to classical music; they would much rather go to a rock or pop concert. The Tree of Life doesn`t have that kind of entertainment value, it`s more artistic than anything else. It makes you think about the meaning of life, and it really made me recall several moments of my own childhood. In a way, this is the same way I remember some of my own experiences throughout flashes of recollections I`ve had of my past. We all remember these vague experiences in which we first felt love, remorse, and guilt. This is truly a beautiful film and one I wouldn’t mind sitting through again.

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