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Hidden Gem of the Week-Straight Time (1978)

Posted by amateurcinefile on February 15, 2014 in Films From The Past, Hidden Gem

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Review by-Jarrett Leahy

One of the true joys of the cinema hobby is finding long lost or forgotten hidden gems. With hundreds of new films released year in and year out, there are bound to be handful of great movies that for one reason or another fall through the cracks or are all but ignored upon initial release.  From time to time as I come across a film I feel deserves more love, I will post a quick Hidden Gem review, and hopefully convince at least a few of you to keep an eye out for it. This week’s Hidden Gem is the 1978 crime drama, Straight Time.

Straight Time stars Dustin Hoffman as Max Dembo, an ex-con fresh out on parole after doing a 6 year prison sentence for burglary. Dembo tries hard to stay clean, finding himself a real job and his own place. But constant harassment by an overzealous parole officer leads to Dembo’s eventual return to his past life of crime.  Straight Time is directed by Ulu Grosbard, a director better known for his work on Broadway than in movies. Under Ulu’s skillful direction, the film has a tension filled atmosphere, allowing the viewer to feel all of Max’s frustrations and hostility to life on the outside.

Admittedly my one trepidation going into this film was whether or not Hoffman could give a convincing performance as a hard edge felon. But let it be said if there were any questions to the pure acting talents and range of Dustin Hoffman, his performance in Straight Time most definitely puts that to rest. Rarely has an actor so adeptly captured the emotional highs and lows experienced by a convict on the lam. And Hoffman is not alone when it comes to Straight Time’s impressive performances. Harry Dean Stanton, Gary Busey, Cathy Bates, and Theresa Russell all give first-rate supporting portrayals. Combined, they help create a film that keeps you glued from start to finish.

The 1970’s was a decade filled with excellent crime dramas. Unfortunately it is this high number of critically loved crime films that lead to Straight Time being forgotten over these last 36 years.  The DVD of the film is currently Out Of Print, so the best chance to find it is through Netflix.  I truly believe that Straight Time should be a film that is held in the same esteem as the likes of Dog Day Afternoon, Get Carter and The French Connection.  Perhaps a company like Criterion Collection will see its greatness and help bring it back from obscurity.

On a side note, there is a fascinating underlying story surrounding the script for this film. The screenplay was based on the novel No Beast So Fierce written by Edward Bunker. Bunker wrote No Beast while serving a prison sentence for armed robbery and based it about his time as a lifelong criminal. It is reported that Dustin Hoffman visited Bunker in prison to express his interest in turning his novel into this film. After being released early from prison, Edward was hired as a consultant and was even given a small bit part in the movie. This led to a few more small acting roles, helping Bunker finally turn his life around. Edward Bunker is now best known for playing Mr. Blue in Quentin Tarantino’s debut crime drama, Reservoir Dogs. How ironic that a former real life convict became famous for portraying an armed robber on the big screen.  His assistance on Straight Time certainly helped make it the impressive film that it is.
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The Monuments Men (2014)

Posted by amateurcinefile on February 13, 2014 in 2014 Film Reviews

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Review by-Jarrett Leahy

The Monuments Men tells of a group of art historians who were recruited to protect and retrieve millions of pieces of stolen art that the Nazis took during World War II. After so many years, it is great to have these men and their unheralded achievements finally recognized. Without their efforts so many of the fine art masterpieces we know and love would have been destroyed at the hands of the Nazis. Unfortunately, Clooney and Co. turned what should have been a thrilling and adventurous treasure hunt into a sluggish, lackluster dud.

Red flags were originally raised when the film’s studio decided to change the release date from December 18th to February 7th. I naively held out hope that perhaps this wasn’t a sign of the film’s quality, but I should have known better. The Monuments Men never fully decided whether it wanted to be a lighthearted adventure comedy or a serious wartime drama and the film suffered from this. I had such a difficult time understanding the pace of the film. Too many times we found characters standing around doing nothing. Why so much downtime was chosen to be highlighted in what should have been an engrossing story was baffling. The script was also full of campy, mediocre dialogue, turning an A-list cast that includes Clooney, Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett, and Bill Murray into grinning and frowning buffoons.

George Clooney’s directorial career has been a mixed bag. Good Night and Good Luck is by far his most accomplished film, being nominated for 6 Academy awards including Best Picture for 2005. He also received varying levels of critical praise for the political drama The Ides of March and the biopic comedy Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. But his football comedy Leatherheads wound up landing with a thud and it appears The Monuments Men is about to join it.

Examining the true story The Monuments Men was based on, all I can say is what an opportunity wasted. Normally a film as milquetoast dull as this was would be an infuriating experience. But sadly, the best description I can come up with for The Monuments Men is simply disappointing. How a cast and director so talented with such a fascinating untold story can be so yawn inducingly bland is beyond my comprehension.-JL

Grade: C-

Edited by-Michelle Zenor

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Top 6 Lists-Natalie Portman

Posted by amateurcinefile on February 11, 2014 in Top 6 lists

List by-Jarrett Leahy

Year after year, Natalie Portman has proven time and again why she is considered among the best actresses of her generation.   As seen by this list, Natalie is not afraid to take chances, choosing diverse roles across a slew of film genres. 2014 looks to be another busy year for Portman, with 3 films scheduled for release including a passion project she’s also the producer of, a western titled Jane Got a Gun.  Here are six past performances that the cream of the crop for me…

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6. Closer (2004) Natalie teamed up with legendary director Mike Nichols (The Graduate, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?) along with Julia Roberts, Jude Law, and Clive Owen to create one of the most adult melodramas of the last decade. While each actor is at the top of their game, it is Portman’s portrayal of Alice, a mysterious and erotically provocative American that steals the show, earning her the Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe and her first Oscar nomination.

5. Leon: The Professional (1994) At age 13, Portman splashed onto the Hollywood scene playing Mathilda, a young girl who is rescued by a professional assassin after her family is killed by dirty cops. As Mathilda’s relationship with Leon (Jean Reno) grows, she convinces him to teach her his trade secrets. Rarely do child actors give debut performances as confident or seasoned as Portman’s was in The Professional. It was quite obvious from the start that she had the talent to a star on-screen.

4. Black Swan (2010) No actress could have better portrayed the emotional vulnerability or inner turmoil required for the role of Nina Sayers in Darren Aronofsky’s psychological drama about a ballerina’s mental deterioration under the stress of her new star role. Critically heralded as the performance of her career, Portman swept all the major awards of 2010 including winning her first Academy Award.

3. Brothers (2009) One of the more underrated films of 2009, Portman plays Grace, the wife of Marine Captain Sam Cahill (Tobey Maguire) who goes missing in Afghanistan after his helicopter crashes. Fearing the worst, Cahill’s younger brother Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal) tries to comfort Grace as she deals with the grief of possibly losing her husband. Portman perfectly captures the emotional trauma inflicted on a spouse during a wartime tragedy. I hope more movie fans will revisit and give this one a second look in the future.

2. V for Vendetta (2006) If you are looking for a whip-smart and extremely entertaining action flick you can’t go wrong with this Portman effort. V for Vendetta tells the story of a vigilante who unleashes a barrage of terrorist attacks on a futuristic Great Britain in order to bring to light past atrocities the tyrannical government unleashed on its own people. Natalie is Evey, an unsuspecting citizen who is mistakenly identified as an accomplice, forcing her to go into hiding with charismatic stranger. V for Vendetta still gets my juices flowing when I throw it in blu-ray player. Portman’s commitment to her character is quite evident as you can see both her physical and emotional transformation throughout the film.

1. Garden State (2004) Zach Braff’s directorial debut may be a surprise pick to some for my #1 spot, but I’ve loved this perfectly quirky love story/family drama from the first time I watched it. Garden State is tells of Andrew Largeman (Braff), a semi-employed L.A. actor who returns home to New Jersey for his mother’s funeral after being away for almost ten years. Natalie plays Sam, a charmingly eccentric young woman who meets Andrew and helps him come to grips with the emotions that arise during his visit home. Portman steals every scene she’s in, giving a performance filled an energetic charisma.-JL

What is your favorite Natalie Portman performance? Vote Here!

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The LEGO Movie (2014)

Posted by amateurcinefile on February 9, 2014 in 2014 Film Reviews

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Review by-Jarrett Leahy

Looking around my Friday matinee showing of The LEGO Movie, it became quite obvious that I was the only adult in the crowd that didn’t have a minimum of two overly excited little youngsters in tow. Family films, especially animated ones have become big business in today’s cinema landscape; a studio having even a moderately entertaining one usually means a jackpot at the box office. The LEGO Movie is Warner Bros studios latest attempt at cashing in on this money train, recruiting the likes of Morgan Freeman, Will Ferrell, Will Arnett, Elizabeth Banks, Channing Tatum, Chris Pratt, Jonah Hill, and Liam Neeson to help bring this skillfully created world to life on screen.

Emmet Brickowoski (Pratt) is a standard, run of the mill LEGO figure who is mistakenly believed to be the long prophesized Masterbuilder sent to stop the evil Lord Business (Ferrell) from using the dreaded “Kragle” to glue their beloved universe together. Enlisted to join a group of LEGO superheros that include Superman (Tatum) & Batman (Arnett), it quickly becomes apparent that Emmet is not quite savior that the great Vitruvius (Freeman) has predicted. However, Emmet uses his “unique” ideas to help aid in protecting their LEGO world.

Phil Lord & Christopher Miller, the writer/director team previously responsible for the animated film Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, playfully borrow from past action franchises such The Matrix and Lord of the Rings to mockingly give Emmet a clueless Neo/Frodo “The One” type character. Adding to the satirical humor is the film’s irreverent depiction of a society so devoid of any original thought that they can only function with the aid of daily instructions on how to live their lives. Sixty five years of toy making has led to a plethora of LEGO sets, and The LEGO Movie adeptly takes advantage of this diverse toy universe, jumping from city settings, to the old west and high seas, even using LEGO’s relationship with Star Wars to have a humorous cameo from a galaxy far, far away complete with a LEGO Millennium Falcon.

The highlight of the film lies in the final 15 minutes, with a surprise plot shift that helps tie the story together. Inevitable comparisons to past Toy related animated films such as Toy Story and Wreck-It Ralph are fair, however I’d personally rank The LEGO Movie below those previous efforts. If I had one complaint, I found the LEGO movement animations got a bit repetitive, although I’m not sure there is much that could have been done differently. Overall however, it appears Warner Bros. Animation finally has a hit animated film on their hands. What they were able to create is a sweet, humorous and action packed family film that has enough smart, subtle satire to keep the adults entertained while the kiddos are having a blast.-JL

Grade: B-

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Rush (2013)

Posted by amateurcinefile on February 8, 2014 in 2013 Film Reviews

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Review by: Jarrett Leahy

“25 drivers start every season in Formula One, and each year, two of us die.” That opening line hit me like a sack of bricks. I can think of no better quote to remind the viewer just how real the inherent dangers are in a sport such as Formula One racing. Race car drivers are so skilled at the job they do week in and week out that sometimes we forget there is not a moment spent on the track where they are one mistake away from disaster. Though still extremely popular internationally, Formula One’s heyday has long since passed in the U.S., replaced by the ever-growing juggernaut that is NASCAR. So when news came that Academy award winning director Ron Howard was staking his reputation on creating a story involving a rivalry from the 1970’s, I was a bit perplexed. This is not the first time a film of this nature have been made. Among the many failed attempts of the past, two in particular came to mind. In 1977 director Syndey Pollack and Al Pacino teamed up to make Bobby Deerfield, a forgettable romantic drama about an American driver who falls in love while racing in Europe. In 2001 Sylvester Stallone’s racing drama Driven was panned by critics, with Jonathan Foreman of the New York Post calling it “embarrassingly bad.” So, why would this one fair any better?

Based on a true story, Rush tells of the intense on-track rivalry been two Formula One drivers as they both vie for the 1976 season long championship. What sets this story apart from similar ones told before are the performances from the two leads.  Chris Hemsworth is the obvious box office star of the film, playing the almost stereotypical pretty boy James Hunt. Hunt’s driving style is aggressive, taking chances and pushing the limits of his race car in order to succeed. However that same risk taking that aids in Hunt being a success on the track causes him to live life dangerously off it. An addiction to the celebrity lifestyle and the perks that come with it, most notably sex, booze and dope cause racing owners to see him as a liability.  The jury is still out on the true acting talents of Hemsworth, but with a dashing smile along with an overflow of charm and sexual bravado, there’s little doubt he is perfectly cast for this role.

Even more impressive is Daniel Bruhl’s portrayal of Niki Lauda, an antisocial, self driven outcast who uses his knowledge for car modifications to help move quickly up in the sport. Bruhl is a German actor who first splashed on the scene in the touching 2003 foreign drama, Good Bye Lenin! American audiences were then formally introduced to Bruhl in 2009 when he was cast in Quentin Tarantino’s revisionist WWII action drama, Inglourious Basterds. Despite being a relative unknown, Bruhl adeptly held his own, exuding the spot-on sleaziness of the overconfident Nazi war hero Frederick Zoller. Now four years later, Bruhl is once again displaying his impressive acting range, perfectly embodying Lauda’s single mindedness to succeed. Socially awkward on a good day, a real a-hole on a bad one, it is a testament to Bruhl’s commitment to the role that he isn’t afraid to be the disliked character of this film.

If left in the hands of a less talented director, a movie of this nature could run the risk of being too schmaltzy. However, Ron Howard does an excellent job convincing the viewer to truly care about well being of these two men without having to lay it on too thick. The cinematography used to capture the racing action is top notch, giving the viewer a front seat view of what a driver experiences during competition. In the cutthroat world of auto racing, happiness off the track can at times be seen as the enemy. Fear of having something or someone to lose can put doubts in a driver’s mind. One of the repeating themes explored through out the film is the difficulty that comes with trying to balance these on and off the track commitments.

It’s not very often a filmmaker has the opportunity to create a movie that can be considered the best of its genre. For decades studios have been trying to truly capture on film the adrenaline fulled terror that race car driving offers.  Examining the past successes, or lack there of, of previous racing movies, I feel pretty confident in saying that Rush has a legitimate claim to the title of the greatest car racing film to date.-JL

Grade: B+

What is director Ron Howard’s best film? Vote Here
(Rush was just recently released on dvd/bluray and can be found in your local Redbox machine)

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