Jackass 3-D/The Expendables

Jackass 3-D

I don't think I need to get into the 'plot' such that it is. At this point you're either on board with Jackass or you're not, and I sort of am. I won't deny that I get a sort of warped sense of joy from seeing people attempt and fail ridiculous stunts, and the way its presented in the Jackass universe the carnage comes off more as slapstick than actual masochism.

Anyway Jackass 3-d hues closely to the format established by its predecessors. With the exception of the opening and closing sequences, the stunts all have the charmingly low key DIY visual aesthetic of youtube videos, and there's more than enough carnage to keep fans happy. The unique this about the entry to the canon is that for the first time you see a real sense of fear on the faces of the participants (as well as more time being spent on the physical toll the stunts take). You could argue that before they were too young to know any better, and while age definitely plays a role, I think the bigger factor is that the majority of the film was shot with the cast being sober (due to some addiction issues of Steve-O). Therefore its understandable that they might actually have visible reservations about say, getting kicked in the nads by a donkey or running through a maze of tazers and cattle prods, and as a result the film has a somber undertone that I haven't seen before. Anyway the closing credits make it look like that this is probably the last entry and for the sake of everyone involved long term health I hope that's really the case.

The Expendables

I really wanted to like this reunion of great eighties action stars (plus Crank 2's own Jason Statham) but I just can't. On the whole the Expendables tries way to hard to be over the top and testosterone filled, and you can practically feel the mechanics of the plot groaning at all times. I never would have thought that an action film starring Sly Stallone, Dolph Lungren, Jason Statham, etc would every be too restrained, but this was. Its almost too self-aware and ends up feeling more like a plod than the glorious piece of testosterone laden unintentional comedy it should have been. I guess next time the participants need to do as much coke as they did back in the eighties to get a better result.

Quick Round up of stuff I haven't mentioned

There were several films I saw while traveling this summer that I haven't written up yet and in the interest of completeness should be mentioned:

Invictus - Should have been great, was tolerable at best

Before the Devil Knows you're dead - Man this was bleak, well made film though

Prince of Persia - Pass

Robin Hood - Unnecessary

Raging Bull - Bleak as hell, and probably not as good as the hype suggests. Still you can't dismiss the artistry.

The Devil Wears Prada - A plane selection, and I think I'm the first person who ever watched this back to back with raging bull. I've had a lot of people tell me how great it was and I was curious. It was okay, but I'm tired of films where the protagonist can't get a high powered job without alienating everyone in their life. A lot of people can maintain perfectly normal lives while finding the intensity of their work rewarding. Whatever.

Valentines Day - Obviously this was a plane viewing. You know how bad the reviews were? Its worse, almost offensively bad. Its the type of film I never watch voluntarily, and if this is what passes for a mainstream romantic comedy I weep for everybody who has to sit through them. I'm serious, you have no idea how much this sucked.

I also watched all three lord of the rings films back to back to back on a 15 hour flight and I was surprised how well they held up. The stuff with Frodo really drags, but otherwise they were still engaging films and I was surprised how much I enjoyed watching them again.

True Grit

I went into this film with moderate expectations. The Coen brothers have been a bit hit or miss for me (loved O Brother and Millers Crossing for example, hated Burn After Reading) and I don't remember the John Wayne original being that amazing. So when it turned out that True Grit was actually incredibly entertaining I was pleasantly surprised. In some ways my expectations made it the exact opposite experience of when I saw the Fighter. For that film I went in expecting great and got good, here I was expecting decent and got very good.

The film is unapologetically a 'western' in the classical sense. It has a very basic story with a clear conflict (little girl tries to get revenge for her father's death) and has none of the irony or revisionism which characterize the more recent entries of the genre. What really makes True Grit work though is the dialog and a killer lead performance from Hailee Steinfield as Mattie ross. Everyone in the film talks a calm mannered tone that gives the proceedings a lyrical air and sense of calm even when violence is breaking out. Combine that with a wicked sense of humor and the script elevates the proceedings above what could have been a very traditional story.

While Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon have the two flashiest roles (and they're great) they could have been filled by a number of actors, but the role of Mattie is key. She's the emotional center of the film, and if you don't buy her motivations the whole thing falls apart. Steinfield nails the role and I shudder to think what would have happened if a Miley Cyrus type played it. The only question I had afterwards was what character was a bigger bad-ass Mattie or hit-girl from Kick-Ass? This of course assumes no weapons...but I digress.

The film's a little bloated in parts, but overall its a fun ride marked by good performances and a well written script. In that sense its much like Yogi Bear.

tron:legacy

Meh

Rabbit Hole

The film is centered on a couple (Nicole Kidman & Aaron Eckhart) whose son was killed eight months earlier chasing the family dog into the street. Basically the film portrays how tragedy has affected them (not well) and how they try to deal with the grief. Given the subject matter it would have been surprising had the film not been intense and, occasionally, uncomfortably bleak, but its difficult to say if its really the films quality that invokes the emotional reactions in the audience, or if its just the inherent nature of the subject. In some ways the film is very conventional in how it hits all the beats of grief (anger, acceptance, leading to maybe some hope, etc) and nothing that new is conveyed. What it does have going for it is some nice moments of humor which actually feel organic when they could have very easily been out of place.

Its a tough film at times, and I'm not sure its really fun to watch. It does have two really meaty roles at its core, which both actors tear into, and at least tries to deal with some serious issues. I wouldn't necessarily avoid it because of the subject matter, but I can't say that I learned anything dramatic either. Though I've never had anything happen to me that would bring about this level of grief (other than the time sobarro's was out of pizza sticks) so my lack of engagement could have just been a result of my generally shallow nature.

The Fighter

I need to say right up front that I liked the fighter. Its a satisfactory sports film that features strong performances (from Christian Bale and Amy Adams in particular) and delivers a generally entertaining story. That preamble was necessary because the next paragraph is going to make it sound like I'm much more down on the film than I actually am.

Most of my disappointment stems from the fact that I had such high expectations going in. Expectations driven mainly by the presence of the director - David O. Russel. Russel has made a career making quirky, darkly funny, movies (Flirting with Disaster, Three Kings, I heart huckabees) and I was anxious to see how he would apply his sensibility to the sports genre. Therefore when he delivered what is very much a conventional sports film I felt a little let down. Like I alluded to before, he executes those conventions at a higher level than most sports films (the cast helps) and the whole thing is generally entertaining (though it seems to be getting a little overrated in the press). I was just hoping for great and ended up with good.

Miscellany:

-The boxing scenes were fine, though nothing special. I couldn't get a sense of whether or not Whalberg could really box because of the way they shot it, he wasn't distractingly bad though which is generally the best you can hope for.

-The one performance that has been overrated is Melissa Leo's as the mother. The character is generally one note and broad, and her seven daughters exist solely to fulfill every 'Bawston' stereotype known to man. It doesn't kill the film but did feel a little out of place.

-I was a little surprised they didn't climax with Mickey Ward's fights against Arturo Gatti, those are what really put him on the map.

Black Swan

This was a really ballsy film to make. Darren Aranofsky basically set out to produce a twisted version of Swan Lake, set it around an actual production of Swan Lake for the stage, and infuse the story with the hyper-emotion, out-sized acting, and visceral energy of an opera. Combine that with his trademark stylized approach, as well as an examination of the artistic process and how it can destroy its practitioners, and you get a film that walks a fine line between over-the top ludicrousness and exhilarating art. While not completely successful at maintaining the balance, its in general fairly mesmerizing and has several moments (the climax in particular) that manage to harness all its disparate elements into an audacious and electrifying concoction (I think we've reached out pretension level for the evening).

I can see how this film could be divisive (and there was a section of the audience at my screening who were actively laughing at key moments), and really have no idea how it will play for general audiences. However if you accept it for what it is, and revel in its excess and audacity I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.