The long holiday weekend (thanks Mssrs. Washington, Lincoln, et. al.) allowed for some excellent movie watching. I’ll go in reverse chronological order to give some brief (well brief for me) thoughts on them.
Having just seen this I can now finally understand the hubbub over it. Aside from the atrocious but obvious big money Fifty Shades of Grey, Kingsman: The Secret Service did very well for itself at the box office and I helped to contribute to that total. It was a perfectly self-aware ode to spy films of the late 60’s to early 80’s where gadgets, puns, girls, and absurd villains ruled the day. This movie was exactly what the most recent Bond films aren’t: fun. Don’t get me wrong I love what Daniel Craig and team are doing with the new Bond films, but they are deadly serious at this point and following in the footsteps of Jason Bourne. The movie was just fun to watch from start to finish and actively referenced Bond and Bourne and even Jack Bauer. This was made by people who grew up on the early Bond films and want some of that particular magic back and we totally get it. Colin Firth would’ve been an amazing 007 given his turn in this film. Sam Jackson is a fun villain, (he had a similar role in xXx (another ode to Bond). I highly recommend seeing this film when you’re not in a serious mood and want a crazy romp of a spy film. I hope they turn this into a series and Matthew Vaughn proved he wasn’t a one trick pony on the Hollywood scene after X-Men: First Class. I do generally like more serious films at this stage, but I need to have fun from time to time too and there’s no better way to have fun if you love the spy genre.
This showed up on Netflix last Friday and I gobbled it up as soon as I could. It was certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and given the star power on screen I’m surprised this didn’t get a wider theatrical release. Viggo Mortensen plays a suave ’60s businessman with a secret. We don’t see enough of him on the big screen, he’s very picky with his roles so I was very pleased to see him here. Kirsten Dunst gives one of her better performances here, though she’s still third fiddle at best. What you’ve really signed up for is to see Oscar Isaac do his thing. He’s a rising star and is in both prestige pictures like Inside Llewyn Davis and A Most Violent Year and will soon be featured in potentially one of the biggest blockbusters ever; Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The story is reminiscent of The Talented Mr. Ripley in both characters and setting, which is fitting given it is from the same author. The director, Hossein Amini, gives a good freshman effort. He’s best known for writing the terrific Drive and shows here that he is more than capable of handling actors well and making a visually interesting film. If you’re asking yourself some night, “What do I watch on Netflix?”, the answer is The Two Faces of January.
This film and the next I was able to watch because a friend sent me copies of the blu-ray that have already come out in the UK. These films won’t be in theaters until February 27th. Luckily Maps to the Stars will also be on iTunes to rent on the same day. If you have an iTunes credit laying around I’d suggest using it on this in two weeks. If not it’ll still be cheaper to rent it than to go to the movies so it’s an easy choice. This film may be only for David Cronenberg fans, but if you’re not a fan of this subversive director then you’re doing something wrong. Cronenberg adds to his filmography of weirdness with Maps to the Stars. It’s an ensemble piece with interweaving pieces that satirizes southern California as a whole and Hollywood more specifically. It’s a film that is as self-aware is Kingsman but much more sardonic and grim. Despite this it has moments of absurdity that heighten it from just a satire to something that at least attempts to be more transcendent, though I’m not sure if it gets there. The reviews on this are a little more mixed but I’m a fan of whatever Cronenberg puts in front of me. He’s shown that Robbert Pattinson is much more than just Twilight with both this and his prior film, Cosmopolis. He also gets a very spooky performance out of Mia Wasikowska (who also was creepy in Stoker). But it’s Julianne Moore, who as usual, steals the show. If you have no other reason to watch this at least check it out for her.
The conflict in Ireland and Northern Ireland makes for great cinema. Whether it’s Bloody Sunday, Michael Collins, The Wind that Shakes the Barley, Five Minutes of Heaven, or Hunger, the backdrop and the themes it provides makes for great films. ’71 is an admirable addition to this tradition. Jack O’Connell is starting to make a career out of getting tortured on screen, as he has done in his two previous biggest films Starred Up and Unbroken. He basically plays a slightly rougher variation from his character in Unbroken (though this film was actually made first I believe). He’s a soldier who gets lost and left behind after his squad is out to assist in the arrest of an IRA supplier. The IRA and secret British forces are in a race to recover the lost soldier. The chase sequences are done incredibly well and the whole film gives off a claustrophobic vibe on the streets of early ’70s Belfast. The Troubles, as they were known, are a brutal part of British and Irish history and this film doesn’t pull any punches. While the middle of the film does trudge along rather slowly the beginning and end are superbly done. I guess this reflects reality rather well but doesn’t always offer the best cinematic experience in the middle minutes of the runtime. One of my favorite character actor of late, Sean Harris (24 Hour Party People, The Borgias, Prometheus, Southcliffe) gives another great performance here as the leader on the ground of the secret British Military Reaction Force (read up on their interesting story on Wikipedia) and you should really look for him in anything he does.
All of these films are well worth your time and you should give them a chance.
midwestmovieman 