The Woman in Black – A Review in Three Paragraphs

The Woman In Black
Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Ciaran Hinds, and Janet McTeer
Directed by James Watkins / Written by Jane Goldman, Based on the Book by Susan Hill

Arthur Kipps, a young lawyer desperate to provide for his son and eager to prove his worth to his employer, takes an assignment to settle the legal matters of a large estate out on the bleak English moors. Upon his arrival in the village near the estate, it becomes immediately apparent to Arthur that superstition and fear permeate the climate. The villagers are reproachful and tense. Children are kept heavily protected indoors. When Arthur finally gets to the house, he learns of its twisted history and unwittingly stirs up the wrath of a vengeful apparition.

The Woman in Black is pure funhouse-style entertainment. Though it begins slowly, establishing a beautifully eerie atmosphere, when the scares show up they don’t let up. Those easily effected by horror movie tricks – like myself – will find themselves jumping in their seats frequently. In an extended sequence in which Arthur stays in the house overnight, the film moves from one building scare to the next as Arthur moves from room to room, investigating insistent bumps, whispers and groans. For a horror film, The Woman in Black isn’t as interested in blood and gore as it is in surprises. Sure, it has a few disturbing moments, but nothing too far-reaching. Fans of ghost stories should be satiated by the film, just don’t be expecting anything too original. Those eager to see Daniel Radcliffe in his first post-Potter role will most definitely be happy. The film is – for a majority of its running time – a one-man show, though Daniel’s performance consists mostly of walking slowly through dark hallways and reacting accordingly upon sudden ghost attacks.

Honestly, there isn’t much to report here. The Woman in Black wears what it’s got on its sleeve quite apparently and proudly. There is a whole subplot with Arthur dealing with the loss of his wife in an attempt to bring depth to the character, but it takes seventh fiddle to the scares. And though I thought they were effective – but again I’m quite a pussy when it comes to horror – a film so reliant on its scares may work as an attraction, but as a good story? Not so much.

Verdict: You can pass on The Woman in Black. For those who are adamant to see Radcliffe again on the big screen, I’d suggest going to see him this upcoming weekend with the big crowds, ready to react.

Andrew
Two Jackets Productions

Red Tails – A Review in Three Paragraphs

Red Tails
Starring Nate Parker, David Oyelowo, Terrence Howard, and Cuba Gooding Jr.
Directed by Anthony Hemingway / Written by John Ridley and Aaron McGruder, Story by John Ridley, Based on the Book by John B. Holway

Red Tails recounts the story of the Tuskegee Airmen of World War 2, a US Air Force squadron made up entirely of black pilots. During a time when blacks were still considered to be of inferior intelligence to whites, the Tuskegee fighter pilots were kept far away from enemy lines and restricted to assignments of minimal importance. The story here is told from the perspective of a close-knit group of talented Tuskegee pilots who, when given the chance, set out to prove that race has nothing to do with flying planes (or anything, for that matter.)

This film is intended for families. For a war piece, it mostly avoids the atrocities we associate with the genre, especially with modern war movies like Saving Private Ryan. Director Anthony Hemingway was definitely going for a classic feel here. Shots are composed and lit like the glossy Hollywood pictures of the thirties and forties, which makes total immersion into the story difficult. When it’s in the air, Red Tails mostly succeeds. The CG dogfights are quite impressive. Children should lose it over these sequences. Not to say adults won’t, but they’ll probably notice what I noticed whenever the film cuts into the cockpit: the dialogue in this film is atrocious. Hell, the whole script is pretty bad, employing just about every cliche character and situation possible: the overly daring pilot who puts his group at risk; the fast-talking guy who won’t pass up an opportunity to crack wise; the young one out to prove himself; the colonel whose every line is inspirational. You’ll be able to point out every single one.

I didn’t know about the Tuskegee Airmen at all before this film so I’ll give it the credit of making me aware of this important moment in our country’s history. However, I do not think Red Tails does any justice to this incredible story. It’s just a bad way to approach the subject. Running a war story through the filter of a family film is tricky. War sucks. It’s gory. People die. Red Tails doesn’t completely hide these truths, but it sure does try to avoid them as much as possible. There needed to be stakes here. All movies need them. War movies. Family movies. It doesn’t matter. Sure, people die in Red Tails, but there’s no impact because the characters are all one-dimensional stereotypes. I’d go as far as to say the film functions as military propaganda in the way it romanticizes and glamorizes battle. As we watch the Tuskegee men escape unscathed from one aerial skirmish after another, battle seems without consequence. When a daring pilot finally makes the ultimate sacrifice, it feels tagged on. After all, this was the same pilot who earlier singlehandedly took down a heavily-armed battleship. The story of the Tuskegee Airmen deserves a better telling than this. These brave men had to overcome adversity in order to put their lives on the line for their country. What kind of person would go through such trouble to do that? Red Tails doesn’t have an answer.

Verdict: Pass on Red Tails. WW2 aficionados should most definitely stay away. For families looking to go to the theatre this weekend, go see Tintin or The Muppets.

Andrew
Two Jackets Productions

The Grey – Three Paragraph Reviews

Okay, so it might take four or five this time, (I know, I know. False advertising, Andrew! Ya jackhole!) but I would like to use these additional blocks to explain the intent of these future reviews. My new philosophy in 2012: keep it simple, stupid. Why do you read a review? What do you hope to get out of it? When I read a review, my main goal is to gain some insight into whether or not I need to fork over the bazillion dollars it takes to go see a movie in the theatre. Going to the cinema is ‘spensive, folks, as I’m sure you’re well aware. I don’t want to waste my hard-earned dollars-and-cents on a dud. I want a dandy!

So that’s what I plan to do here. I’m going to get to the damn point in order to save you time and money. After today’s mammoth five-paragraph mamma-jamma, I’m going to be keeping it to three. Here’s how it’s tentatively going to be broken down: 1. Intro to the story, 2. What to expect, 3. My reactions. That’s it! There will be facts and there will be opinions, but my hope is that by the end of these brief reviews you’ll have a better idea of what you’ll be getting yourself into. So let’s take a crack at this!

The Grey
Starring Liam Neeson, Dermot Mulroney, Dallas Roberts, and Frank Grilla
Directed by Joe Carnahan / Written by Joe Carnahan and Ian Mackenzie Jeffers, based on Jeffers’ short story “Ghost Walker”

A plane full of oil workers goes down in the beautiful yet inhospitable Alaskan wilderness, leaving only seven men alive. Among them is Ottway, played by Liam Neeson, whose job back at the refinery was to protect the workers by shooting down threatening predators. Ottway knows help will not come to them here. This is no-man’s-land. The strong, biting winds are incessant – as are the wolves. Luckily, Ottway knows how wolves work. He knows that the men must go. To where, he’s not sure. They just have to get as far away from the wolves’ territory as fast as possible and hopefully find some form of civilization in the process.

For those who are unsure about The Grey, my first advice is to ignore any pre-conceived notions you’ve established based upon the trailers. The marketing team for this one has seriously missed the point. The Grey is not Liam Neeson: Wolf-Puncher. It’s not a popcorn actioner like The A-Team, Neeson’s previous collaboration with Director Joe Carnahan, or Taken, which glossed over its serious subject with heightened action. The Grey is a man vs. nature piece, much like The Edge or The Perfect Storm. Carnahan throws away glossy Hollywood conventions and goes straight for the throat, trying to portray the situation as honestly as possible. If The Grey falls into any genre, it would be horror – specifically a monster movie. Not a monster like Frankenstein or even a slasher like Michael Myers – no, nature is the monster here. It takes its victims one by one with kills varying from extended, bloody atrocities to surprising yet plausible accidents. So if you’re looking to see a serious action or horror movie next weekend, The Grey is definitely for you. Neeson’s fans should also be pleased by his turn here. I’d place it amongst his finest performances.

The Grey is also the best I’ve seen of Carnahan’s work. He proves here that he has the ability to hold tension and build atmosphere. Cold permeates this film, so much so that you can almost feel it. And then there’s the consistent dread. I didn’t think the wolves would work as a viable threat, but I was quickly proved wrong. They are vicious. Effects wizard Greg Nicotero once again proves himself a master of his craft with the brilliant, lifelike design of the wolf animatronics! Though Carnahan chooses to be unnecessarily sloppy and chaotic during a couple of the wolf attacks, the moments we do get to see the extent of Nicotero’s work are truly memorable. Lastly, I’d like to pay respect to Carnahan’s uncompromising approach to this story. These characters don’t receive any unearned or unjustified breaks. They have to work for every lumbering step forward they take. Faith becomes an important theme in the film. Some men choose to bring God into the situation, others don’t, and Carnahan is wise to leave out any straightforward answers. Towards the end of the film, there’s a scene where Carnahan plays with this theme and our expectations. He creates a moment where deus ex machina could easily rear its ugly head. He even goes as far as to have Ottway ask for God’s intervention! But he doesn’t give in, and for that, I applaud him. With that important, uncompromising choice, Carnahan ensures that his film will not fall in amongst those that have taken the easy route – and have been easily forgotten.

My verdict: Worth the money! I strongly recommend checking out The Grey! Make sure to stay through the credits!

Andrew
Two Jackets Productions

Limpwings Trailer

With the world premiere rapidly approaching, we figured it was about time to give you all a little taste of what to expect. So here it is – for your viewing enjoyment – the official Limpwings trailer:

And there’s more where that came from! About 90 minutes more, actually! So come on out and see it in its entirety:

Saturday. October 15th. 9:30pm. The historic Fargo Theatre in downtown Fargo, North Dakota. There will be a Q&A with cast and crew afterward. Plus…

Admission is absolutely FREE!

We hope to see you there!

Andrew, Eric, & Marcus
Two Jackets Productions

What Are Your Plans One Month From Tonight?

Well… What are they? On October 15th. One month from today. At 9:30pm. What are you doing? Working late? Going on vacation? Celebrating your wedding? Other sorts of plans?

Cancel ‘em.

Because we here at Two Jackets Productions are proud to announce that on October 15th, 2011, at 9:30pm at the historic and illustrious Fargo Theatre in downtown Fargo, North Dakota, USA, Planet Earth . . . Our first feature film, Limpwings, will be having its WORLD PREMIERE!

Almost three years after its conception, Limpwings is finally ready for you, the wildly attractive viewing audience, to, well… VIEW! If you live in the Fargo/Moorhead area, expect to see a few o’ these puppies poppin’ up around town:

However, we can’t only rely on this little blog and some posters… Word of mouth is key! We need YOU! Spread the word! Come out and support ultra-indie film-making! We’d love to have you, your best friend, your second-best friend, your grandma, your hair-stylist, your third-grade teacher – heck – Everyone! Because everyone’s invited!

Plus, like the poster says, admission to the premiere is absolutely FREE!

We’ll disclose any further details as we get closer to the big night. For now, just keep the evening of October 15th free. It’s going to be a grand ol’ time! A gala even!

Talk soon!

Andrew, Eric, & Marcus
Two Jackets Productions

30 Minutes or Less Review

Last night, I had another opportunity to check out an advance screening. This time the movie was the new dark comedy 30 Minutes or Less, starring Jesse “Social Network” Eisenberg and Aziz “Tommy Fresh” Ansari and directed by Ruben “Zombieland” Fleischer.

The movie follows Nick (Eisenberg), a pizza delivery guy, who gets kidnapped on a delivery by two idiots (Danny McBride and Nick Swardson) who strap a bomb to him and tell him he has ten hours to rob a bank. If he fails, he blows up. Ansari plays Nick’s best friend, Chet, who unwillingly agrees to help with the heist.

I really like the concept here, but the film is rather sloppy on the execution. The biggest flaw lies in the characters themselves, which I hate to say since I’m a pretty big fan of the cast. Eisenberg has been in two of my favorites of the last few years (Adventureland and The Social Network) and Ansari has proved with Parks & Recreation that he can do more than just cameo in every comedy ever. The script just doesn’t give these guys much to work with, especially for Eisenberg. I can see how we’re supposed to empathize with Nick, he has a bomb strapped to him after all, but there’s not much to him. Before the bomb, we see that he’s a pretty clever guy, but he doesn’t have any aspirations. He has a love interest in Chet’s sister Kate, but she’s off to bigger and better things while he’s busy delivering pizzas, smoking pot, and feeling sorry for himself. It’s hard to be immerse yourself in the situation when the lead is so paper thin. The stakes never seem high enough, even in a life and death situation such as this.

McBride doesn’t fare too well either. He plays Dwayne, one of the guys who straps the bomb to Nick, who isn’t much different than McBride’s character in Your Highness earlier this year. He’s a spoiled brat who spouts vulgarities we’re supposed to laugh at. I have nothing wrong with vulgar dialogue. Superbad is one of my favorite comedies of the last decade and it’s vulgar from start to finish. But Superbad had characters with substance beneath the dirty dialogue. They were relatable. Dwayne is just another loser. He wants the money from the bank robbery to pay for a hitman to kill his rich father. The problem isn’t that this has been done before, it’s that the film doesn’t try to make this recycled element feel fresh in any way.

Ansari definitely shines the brightest here. Chet works best because he’s the guy we can actually connect with. He acts as a sort of commentator to the situation, excelling because he’s actually reacting to the situation in a way I feel a person really would.

The robbery itself doesn’t disappoint thankfully. While I don’t think Nick and Chet are nearly as freaked out as they should be going into it, when the time comes, it is duly hilarious. The scene feels authentic. When they’re actually in the moment, Ansari and Eisenberg succeed in bringing truth out of the material, allowing for the jokes to really hit. I’d also credit director Ruben Fleischer for constructing the scene with precision. Though it’s pretty short, the sequence is filled with mounting obstacles, and Fleischer succeeds in giving each its due attention and time. The getaway afterward is also successful, allowing for our pizza delivering protagonist to actually show off some of his driving skills.

In the end, there’s some hugging, but no learning. No surprises either — other than there being another twenty minutes of movie after the robbery (the movie only clocks in at a speedy 80 minutes too). Overall, I’d say 30 Minutes or Less is a pass. Maybe a renter. Just don’t pay full price for it. It comes out on Friday, August 12th. If you find yourself bored that weekend with a hankering to watch a bunch of extremely funny people tell dick jokes, rewatch Superbad or Knocked Up. Hell, give Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story another try. There are dicks all over that movie. It’s great! You won’t regret it.

Thanks for stopping by twojackets.com! Keep checking back for more reviews and stuff!

Andrew
Two Jackets Productions

50/50 Review

Last Wednesday, I had the pleasure of attending an advance screening of 50/50, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen. Other than seeing the trailer when it debuted online a few months ago, I didn’t know much about it. The film’s stars were enough of a pull for me to check this one out cold.

50/50 tells the story of Adam (played by JGL), a good-natured guy in his late twenties, who is diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. The film depicts the treatment Adam goes through and the changes to his body that occur as a result. However, the heart of the film lies in how Adam’s relationships are effected by the diagnosis, those with his girlfriend, his best friend, and his parents, and the relationships his new life creates. The film is brimming with laughs, but doesn’t shy away from the dramatic moments. What makes this one special is how it balances those ends of the spectrum so successfully.

The performances here are top-notch. Director Jonathan Levine and his cast couldn’t have interpreted writer Will Reiser’s screenplay any better. Gordon-Levitt’s Adam is a sweet, easy-going guy. He’s passionate about his work. He’s supportive of his struggling-artist girlfriend. He’s got a good life. With a character such as this, it’s easier for us in the audience to project ourselves into his situation. We’d all like to see ourselves living a life like Adam’s, with everything so simple, together, and positive. It’s because of this that the bad news hits hard and the proceeding events affect as well as they do. The honesty of the script and the performances succeed in bringing us into the story, for both the hilarious moments and the difficult ones.

Seth Rogen’s character Kyle, Adam’s best friend, seems to take his friendship with Adam for granted at first. Throughout the course of the film, their friendship is tested, with Kyle using Adam’s affliction as a way to attract women for both Adam and himself, amongst other things. This may seem despicable, but Kyle always redeems himself and stays by Adam’s side to the end. Adam’s girlfriend Rachael, played by Bryce Dallas Howard, is a great foil for Kyle. When Adam is first diagnosed, Rachael is supportive and claims that she will take care of him. However, when the time comes for Adam to begin chemotherapy, Rachael won’t even accompany him into the hospital (in order to avoid “mixing positive and negative energies”). Soon, the tables turn as Kyle spies Rachael cheating on Adam. Instead of hiding this from his best friend, Kyle goes straight to him, resulting in a hilarious and tragic scene where Kyle reveals Rachael’s betrayal to Adam in person and with her present. After that moment, you have no doubts of Kyle’s bro-love for Adam.

Two other key performances lie with Anna Kendrick’s Katie, Adam’s therapist, and Angelica Huston as Adam’s mother Diane. These two create the positive female presences in Adam’s life. Katie and Adam’s relationship is a joy to watch unfold. Kendrick brings an eccentricity and earnestness to her character here that makes you fall in love with her instantly. She has such a passion to help Adam, but finding a way to do so is a long and awkward road for both of them. After all, we find out that Adam is only her third patient ever. Huston doesn’t have a lot of screen time as Adam’s mother, but she makes her moments count. Diane is a good mother. Upon hearing the news of her son’s diagnosis, she immediately wants to move in and take care of him. However, Adam pushes her away since she’s already taking care of Adam’s father, who has Alzheimer’s. Adam feels smothered by Diane’s constant attempts to take care of him and eventually doesn’t return her phone calls. What he doesn’t realize is how difficult the situation is for her as well as him, as she too is watching her family fall apart from disease.

I couldn’t recommend 50/50 highly enough. The film is such a perfect blend of comedy and drama, executed with precision and heart. It finds light in such a dark situation and shows how in our times of stress, our loved ones will help us, even if we don’t ask for it.

The film is released wide on September 30th, but for those of you in the Twin Cities, I know there are plenty of chances to see it before then. Check out gofobo.com for more information on advance screenings and keep checking back here at twojackets.com for more reviews and movie news!

Andrew
Two Jackets Productions