Layer Cake (2004) **

You might think that a complex crime thriller starring Daniel Craig would be a sure hit.  Unfortunately, while “Layer Cake” is not a complete miss, it never managed to score a solid hit with me.
Craig plays an unnamed cocaine dealer in London (literally listed as XXXX in the credits, the director is so coy).  He is ultra-smooth and ultra-cautious, never using his product and never working with people who are too showy or unreliable.  Managing his money intelligently, he has saved up enough to retire in style, but on the eve of that secretly-planned retirement, his boss gives him a couple of assignments that break all of his rules.  He is to make a deal for a huge load of Ecstasy with a flashy turd of a gangster named Duke (Jamie Foreman).  He is also supposed to find his boss’s friend’s daughter, who has disappeared into the drug underworld.  His next couple of days are a whirlwind of violence, double-crosses, and revelations, as XXXX’s world gets turned upside down.
“Layer Cake” wants to be “Snatch,” but it fails on every level.  The film is populated by some interesting characters, but the script just doesn’t develop them enough or give them enough to do.  I never really found myself rooting that hard for the “good guys” or hating the bad guys all that much.  After all, these guys are all drug dealers and thugs, and the film never managed to get me beyond that.  For a smart guy, XXXX does a lot of stupid things, including taking these two assignments in the first place.  I find it frustrating when a plot requires a character repeatedly to do things that are out of character.  They also manufacture a love interest (Sienna Miller, the most generic hottie in film), which feels completely arbitrary and gratuitous.  The final nail in the coffin for a film like this:  it’s a bit slow and boring.
If you keep your expectations low, “Layer Cake” is mildly entertaining.  You could watch it on cable in a hotel room some time.  I like crime movies as much as the next guy, but this one left me feeling robbed.

2 stars out of 5

Lost In Translation (2003) *****

In retrospect, it’s clear that “Lost in Translation” is the career pinnacle to which Bill Murray was building all along.  Watching some of his quirkier, earlier films like “Quick Change” and “Groundhog Day,” you can see glimmers of the world weary soul that would become the Bob Harris character.  In “Lost in Translation,” Harris is a fading actor who travels to Tokyo to turn his fame into some cash by doing a Japanese whiskey commercial.  He is also escaping his life, which is populated by children to whom he is not close, and a wife who tolerates but doesn’t respect him.  But of course he cannot escape himself.  Enter Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), a young woman in Tokyo with her photographer husband, feeling neglected while he pals around with movie stars.  Japan is supposed to be a great adventure for Charlotte, but she winds up feeling lonely and disappointed in the experience.
As dissatisfied fellow travelers, Bob and Charlotte hit it off immediately when they meet in a hotel bar.  They wind up enjoying Tokyo together, and spending a lot of time talking about life.  Both feel that sense of relief you get upon meeting someone who sees the world as you do, who seems to understand you, but the difference in their ages and the fact that both are married makes their few days together bittersweet.
I think “Lost in Translation” is one of those films that should be re-visited every decade or so.  Re-watching it recently, I was struck by how I got different things out of it this time around.  On my first viewing, I found Scarlett Johansson to be not exactly chubby, but un-toned.  Now, as an older man, I can appreciate how beautifully lush, soft, and feminine the 19-year-old actress was in this movie.  The first time around I thought that Bob should have just gone for it; slept with Charlotte and maybe left his wife for her.  Now, as a father myself, I appreciate how complicated Bob’s feelings for Charlotte are, with attraction mixed with a paternal desire to protect her, and sadness, because he recognizes that, like himself, Charlotte is destined never to be completely happy.
Much has been made about the final scene, where Bob whispers something in Charlotte’s ear.  Everyone wants to know what he says to her.  The point, of course, is not to know what one actor actually said to another in the scene, but to fill in the blanks ourselves.  Knowing the characters as we do, and knowing how they have connected in just a few days, what would we say, and what would we want to hear?
For those who haven’t seen it, this sounds like it could be a slow, boring, talk-fest, but in fact it is quite hilarious.  I haven’t yet mentioned all the physical comedy, including Bob’s interactions with the Japanese entertainment world and his bizarre introduction to the world of Japanese prostitution.  Anna Faris is also hilarious as a chatty, self-absorbed movie star.  My favorite funny line of the film, however, has to be Charlotte’s comment that her husband is “using some sort of hair products,” which somehow sums up her entire state of disaffection.
Still, it is the movie’s heart, not its laughs, that have made it stand the test of time.  The theme behind all this comedy and drama is contained in the title of the film.  Every human being is isolated in a world of our own thoughts and feelings, and our efforts to share those with others are always fraught.  Whether the barrier is a language difference, a culture clash, or a couple of decades’ difference in age, every message in a bottle we send out there runs the risk of being lost in translation.

5 stars out of 5

Silver Linings Playbook (2012) **½

It’s hard making movies about the mentally ill.  While there are plenty of “fun-crazy” or “scary-crazy” characters in movies who are quite entertaining, it turns out that real mental illness is a real downer, so the more realistic a movie is on the subject, the harder it is to watch.  The fix most filmmakers turn to is that whenever the mood needs lightening or the script demands it, the character simply stops being crazy and starts being romantic, or heroic, or whatever the plot calls for.  This is the trap “Silver Linings Playbook” falls into and never escapes.
Bradley Cooper plays Pat, a bipolar patient fresh out of a mental hospital.   He is manic as hell, brimming with unrealistic ideas about getting his old job and wife back, and he goes running every day, wearing a garbage bag to make him sweat.  Friends introduce him to Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a depressed, young widow whose main pathology is that she screws anyone who will pay her a little attention.  They become friends, and she convinces Pat to help her compete in a ballroom-dance contest.  Together, gradually, the two help each other become slightly less crazy.
Overall, the movie works, but what starts as a pretty honest portrayal of mental illness devolves into pretty standard romantic comedy fare.  Robert De Niro plays Pat’s father, chewing scenery and making faces like he always does.  Cooper and Lawrence, however, are both outstanding, with great on-screen chemistry.  I’m not convinced, however, that Lawrence really deserved a Best Actress Oscar for it, and the film definitely didn’t deserve a Best Picture Nomination.  Maybe it just reflects a relatively weak year for this type of movie.  In any event, “Silver Linings Playbook” is enjoyable enough to watch, but I wasn’t crazy about it.

2.5 stars out of 5

Celeste and Jessie Forever (2012) ***½

Who knew Rashida Jones was such a talented screenwriter?  Apparently she got tired of waiting around for great scripts to come her way, so she and her friend, character-actor Will McCormack, penned this pleasant little, indie, rom-com.  The film is based loosely on their own experience of trying out romance but winding up fitting better as friends.
 “Celeste and Jessie Forever” tells the tale of the two title characters, played by Jones and Andy Samberg, trying to remain best friends while getting divorced.  Celeste is a successful media executive, a “trend forecaster” in fact, who has her shit together but is maybe wound just a little tight.  Jessie is a slightly under-motivated, unemployed graphic artist.  They are childhood sweethearts, but one can imagine how their differing approaches to life might have created friction over time, even between people who genuinely love each other as they do.  The movie begins with the pair separated, but with Jessie living in the guest house and hanging out with Celeste daily.  The arrangement is very modern and cool, but that sort of thing just can’t go on forever.  You can imagine the sort of complications that ensue when they start dating other people, and so on.
What I liked about the movie is that while many of the plot turns are fairly predictable for this sort of tale, the point of the story is not the standard “true love wins in the end” bromide.  It is that people can actually change.  Celeste and Jessie are both really good people, and the film does not yield to the temptation to exaggerate their flaws.  Nonetheless, Jessie’s lack of responsibility and Celeste’s overabundance of it are barriers to their happiness, and the story gives them a chance to grow.
I vote that Rashida Jones and Will McCormack continue writing together if they can continue to produce stuff this good.  “Celeste and Jessie Forever” is funny and human.  The characters feel very natural, and they mostly avoid the annoying extravagances that usually populate these romantic comedies.

3.5 stars out of 5

Role Models (2008) ***

Pay attention, alchemists, I have found the formula for comedy gold.  “Wet, Hot, American Summer” cast reunion?  Check.  Jane Lynch?  Check.  Stiffler?  Check.  A little Judd Apatow flavoring, including Christopher Mintz-Plasse (McLovin from “Superbad”)?  Check!  Mix well and poof!  Start laughing your ass off.  This little gem from director David Wain (“Wanderlust” “Wet, Hot, American Summer”) isn’t exactly movie-of-the-year material, but it is plenty of hilarious fun.
Paul Rudd plays Danny,  a salesman who spends his day ironically giving anti-drug speeches and promoting an energy drink while his co-worker Wheeler (Sean William Scott) cavorts in a minotaur costume.  Despite having a gorgeous lawyer girlfriend (Elizabeth Banks), the uselessness of his career has Danny in a slow-burning depression.  When his girlfriend gets sick of it and dumps him, Danny flips out and winds up getting himself and Wheeler in legal trouble.  They are given a choice: 30 days in jail or “volunteering” in Sturdy Wings, a Big-Brother-type program.  Obviously, they go with the mentoring program.  Danny gets paired with Augie (Mintz-Plasse), an odd teen who is obsessed with a fantasy-role-playing game.  Wheeler gets stuck with a foul-mouthed little badass named Ronny.
What happens after that?  You can probably guess.  Things start out stand-offish, then the guys and the kids gradually warm up to each other, and eventually everyone learns a lesson about life.  The plot is not the point.  The point is an entire herd of talented comics being hilarious.  The movie features several actors from the old MTV show “The State,” including director David Wain, and I love those guys.  Jane Lynch is excellent, as usual.  Bobb’e J. Thompson is an excellent little, foul-mouthed child actor.  Ken Jeong, from the show “Community,” puts in a appearance as a smarmy king.  Really, everyone in the movie cracks me up.  “Role Models” is not quite up to the standards of “Wanderlust,” but it’s still a great time.

3 stars

OSS 117: Lost in Rio (2009, french) and OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies (2006, french) ****

The film world is full of James Bond spoofs, but I think I have found my new favorite.  “OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies” and “OSS 117: Lost in Rio” feature Jean Dujardin as a clueless, dim-witted version of the international super spy.  The films would hardly be described as subtle, but they have an edgier satire than, say, the Austin Powers films, and they contain a sly social commentary that the Powers films lack.  Dujardin plays French spy Hubert Bonnisseur de la Bath as a handsome, dashing man of the 1950’s who has no idea how offensive his casual racism and sexism appear in the 1960’s.  He cruises through life sporting a tailored suit and a smile, taking the appreciative looks from women as his due and muddling his obtuse way through each case mostly through luck.
While I immediately took these movies as James Bond spoofs, further research reveals they are, in fact, spoofs of the original OSS 117 movies from the ‘50’s and ‘60’s, which were apparently serious spy flicks.  Indeed, the original OSS 117 novels, by author Jean Bruce, predate Ian Fleming’s excellent 007 novels, and the first OSS 117 movie was released in 1957, five years before “Dr. No,” the first Bond film.  Nonetheless, these movies play well as critiques of Bond, who does sometimes seem like a man about a decade out of his element.  As OSS 117 tells one hippie in “Lost in Rio,“ “Why do you want to change the world?  The world is fine.”  Indeed, these films tend to point out that the Bond films are really one, big testimony to how fine it is to roam the world as a tall, handsome, white male.  The effect is enhanced by Jean Dujardin’s similarity in appearance and style to the young Sean Connery.
The social commentary in these films is used like a subtle spice, enhancing the flavor of the dish without dominating it.  In both films, it would be possible to focus on the comedy and completely ignore these undercurrents, but they are there.  OSS 117’s complete inability to engage with the Arab Muslims in “Cairo, Nest of Spies” is reminiscent of America’s misadventures in the region.  In “Lost in Rio,” the satire is turned on France, as OSS 117 is sent to retrieve a list of French Nazi-collaborators from WWII.  His initial response to the assignment is, “What collaborators?!  All of France resisted completely.  De Gaulle said so.”  It may seem odd to an American audience for a 2009 film to reference something from so long ago, but the movie was made in France, where the wounds of occupation have perhaps not completely healed.
I have not said much about the plots of these films because, as with the Bond films, there is little that needs saying.  In the Bond films, the storyline is clearly just a vehicle for Bond to BE who he is, and the same is true for OSS 117 in these films.  The comedy is absolute gold!  OSS 117’s dashing cluelessness crashes repeatedly into the unsmiling disbelief of his female co-spies, to delightful effect.
Director Michel Hazanavicius and Jean Dujardin didn’t see much international success with these films, but you may have heard of their 2011 collaboration, a film called “The Artist.”  This silent film was a joy to watch, and won Oscars for Best Picture and Best Actor.  One could only hope that this success might prompt them to bring back OSS 117 to once again save the world.

4 stars out of 5

2 Days in New York (2012) ***½

It’s no surprise to see Chris Rock appearing in a comedy, but it was a pleasant surprise to see him demonstrate an ability to turn down the comic frenzy and turn up the heart for an adult comedy.  “2 Days in New York” showcases some of the best acting I have seen from Rock.  It was also my introduction to Julie Delpy as not just an actor but also a director, and she availed herself pretty well.
Rock and Delpy play Mingus and Marion, a couple living in New York.  Both have kids from previous marriages, and they have a good relationship, with a nice little blended family.  This system gets stress-tested when Marion’s father (Albert Delpy, Julie’s actual father) and sister Rose visit, along with Rose’s boyfriend Manu, who happens to be an ex-boyfriend of Marion.  Between Marion’s dad refusing to shower, Manu buying pot in front of the kids, and Rose walking around the apartment naked, the visit is a bit too much for Mingus.  Meanwhile, Marion is trying to host a gallery exhibition of her photographs.
“2 Days in New York” is truly a comedy for adults.  The French characters are hilarious in the way characters in a Woody Allen movie are, and Mingus and Marion’s relationship is very adult and honest.  The film is actually a sequel to “2 Days in Paris,” which I haven’t seen.
Lots of movies explore the “True love conquers all” theme.  “2 Days in New York” skillfully explores the question of whether true love can survive the greatest challenge of all, the extended family.

3.5 stars out of 5

Bernie (2011) ****

The latest creation from Richard Linklater, the writer/director behind “Dazed and Confused,” “School of Rock,” and “Before Sunrise,” is a bit less accessible than those films, but quite entertaining once you get used to it.
“Bernie” is based on the real-life story of Bernie Tiede, a Texas funeral director and pillar of the community who befriended a wealthy widow named Marjorie Nugent, became her companion and assistant, then murdered her.  When Tiede was convicted of first-degree murder in 1997, he was portrayed as a gigolo and embezzler who enjoyed expensive travel with Ms. Nugent and embezzled millions from her, presumably murdering her when he was caught.
“Bernie,” however, tells the story from Tiede’s point of view, presenting him as a sympathetic, Christian man who was fond of old people and befriended the mean-tempered Marjorie because she had no friends and was estranged from her family.  Early in their relationship, Bernie (Jack Black) brings Marjorie (played with zest by Shirley MacLaine) out of her shell, making her seem a decade younger.  As time goes on, however, Marjorie more and more turns her mean, demanding temper on Bernie, who feels trapped in the relationship.  One day, seemingly out of nowhere, Bernie reaches the breaking point and kills her.
It’s hard to know what really goes on between two people, and the bare facts of the Bernie Tiede story surely lend themselves to two different narratives, one in which Tiede is a cold-blooded con-artist and killer, and another in which he is a sympathetic soul whose life got taken over by a sociopath.  Linklater has stuck with the second narrative, and he does seem to have plenty of corroborating evidence.  “Bernie” is sprinkled with testimonials from Carthage, TX townspeople supporting the sympathetic portrayal of Bernie and the portrayal of Marjorie as a mean bitch.  Then, too, this article from the Telegraph, written by Marjorie Nugent’s nephew, Joe Rhodes, paints her as perhaps even worse than she looks in the film.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/9243732/How-my-wicked-aunts-murder-became-a-Shirley-Maclaine-comedy.html

One possible angle to the story that does not get explored in the film is the question of why Marjorie and Bernie’s relationship turns so sour and abusive.  One possibility that occurs to me, based on Shirley MacLaine’s performance, is that Marjorie may have had early dementia.  Much of her behavior, such as the clinginess and increasingly irrational demands, would be typical of dementia, especially in someone who tends to be demanding and unforgiving by nature.  It’s sad to think so, not because it would have changed the ultimate outcome for Marjorie, but because it could have helped Bernie deal with her, had he understood what was going on.
Whatever the truth behind the case, and one suspects that it lies somewhere in between those two narratives, “Bernie” is a charming, if off-kilter black comedy.  MacLaine is perfection, and Jack Black manages to stay just this side of parody, lending his version of Bernie Tiede plenty of heart to balance out the grating Texas accent and mincing mannerisms.  Matthew McConaughey is delightfully unrecognizable as district attorney Danny Buck.  The Carthage townspeople, however, are the real stars of the film.  Ever since his first major project, “Slacker,” Richard Linklater has held a reputation for being able to find real-life “characters,” and that is fully on display in “Bernie.”  All the best lines come from the townsfolk.  Truth is stranger than fiction, and often funnier.

4 stars out of 5

A Town Called Panic (2009, French) ****

It is rare to see a movie that generates such unmitigated delight, and even rarer to find one that you can watch with your kid.  This French, animated movie is a great introduction for a kid into watching foreign films with subtitles, and it is fun for the whole family.
“A Town Called Panic” (Panique au Village) started as a Belgian tv series, with 5-minute animated shorts.  What we watched was their full-length feature, featuring the same characters, including Horse, Cowboy, Indian, and a host of other characters who are all little plastic toys filmed in stop-motion animation.  These characters create the most bizarre and entertaining story, which as it unfolds seems like it is straight out of the imagination of either a child or an opium smoker.
I think the best thing about “A Town Called Panic” is the sense of unbounded imagination it exudes.  The story feels as if a child is making it up as it goes along, but there are hilarious reminders that children are always observing the adult world.  In one scene, the characters have a big party for Horse’s birthday, with some of the characters playing poker in the kitchen, and some getting belligerently drunk in the living room.  The next day, they are hung over.  Trust me, a hung over plastic cowboy is something you need to see!

4 stars out of 5

Timecrimes (Los Cronocrimenes, 2007) ***

If there is one thing we’ve learned from movies, it’s that time travel causes problems.  You would think these mad scientists would learn, but they never do.
In the Spanish film “Timecrimes,” the hapless victim of the paradox of time travel is Hector.  While renovating his new home in the country, he sees some strange equipment in the woods.  He gets out his binoculars for a closer look, and then he sees something even more interesting: a woman in the woods taking off her clothes.  Clearly, the only logical thing to do in this situation is to hike out into the woods for a closer look.  There, Hector is attacked by a man with bloody bandages wrapped around his head.  Bandage-man pursues Hector onto some kind of compound that, it turns out, includes a time machine.  Hector seeks refuge in the machine, getting sent back in time and into an inescapable loop of paradox.
I enjoy the mind-twisting aspects of time-travel movies as much as the next guy.  Most just take the basic “Back to the Future” approach, where a character will disappear if he does something to change history and prevent himself from being born.  I prefer the films that have a bit more fun with the possibilities, and the low budget “Primer” is probably the best of the genre.  By having the characters make multiple trips back in time, including trips within trips, multiple versions of the same person can interact, pretty much making the viewer’s head explode from trying to keep up.  “Timecrimes” owes a big debt to “Primer.”  Unlike “Primer,” however, which I seem to recall held up pretty well to logical analysis, “Timecrimes” does contain a pretty glaring paradox that can’t be explained unless you are willing to sacrifice the traditional cause/effect relationship.
That’s not to say that “Timecrimes” isn’t a completely serviceable movie in its own right.  The film is written and directed by Nacho Vigalondo aptly enough that I plan to seek out his other film, “Extraterrestre.”  The acting is good, the plot is well-paced, and actress Barbara Goenaga looks great naked.  The presence of the bandaged man lends a real sense of menace.  Overall, this is a taut thriller, and worth watching.

3 stars out of 5