The Grey

Liam Neeson is a survivor. In The Grey he is a survivor, too. After their plane crashes in the Alaskan wilderness, Ottway and a group of fellow roughnecks struggle to endure extreme weather, ferocious wolves and worst of all, each other. In the Arctic men are tough, rugged and strong of spirit, but Mother Nature is the great equalizer and she is not fighting fair.

As a natural leader, Ottway tries to gather the men and make provisions for their eventual rescue. But first he must face off Diaz (Frank Grillo) an ex-con who is anything but agreeable. Those who make it past the first day must now bind together and work towards a common goal. But when you are dealing with contentious, antisocial, independent men, this is easier said than done.

In the shadows, just out of sight, there is a presence sinister and grave. Ottway knows it’s the wolves; it’s been his job to track them down. But now, without a rifle, the two killers are on equal terms. The wolves show their hand and one by one they start taking the survivors down. Will Ottway keep everyone safe? Or, is death just a matter of time? The Grey is about living and dying and the peace you must make with yourself every day.

Shot on location in 40 below weather The Grey is completely authentic when it comes to the Arctic conditions. But the wolves are mythic, ethereal and larger than life. This is not a documentary or just a survival tale, this film is spiritual, epic and concerns the soul. This is a film about life and death and what we hold dear. The wolves in many ways are a metaphor.

As a fan of adventure films I did like The Grey, but to be honest, I didn’t love it. I would see anything with Liam Neeson in it, so that wasn’t the problem. He is very good here. My problem with the film was its spiritual nature. I was hoping for more complexity and more personal change within the characters. If you are in a group of men and you are being picked off one by one and you have no idea who is going to be next, it is going to shake you to the very core. The film does touch on this, but for me it was too superficial. On the plus side there are some great death scenes, good action sequences and some breathtaking photography of nature’s severest weather. The wolves are scary, too. All in all, this film will make you shiver in more ways than one.
 
Rating: Bargain Matinee A cool thriller

Haywire

A Marine Corps dad (Bill Paxton) raises his daughter to be tough, independent, honorable and brave, she evens grows up to become a Marine herself. But when she starts working as an independent contractor and things go wrong Mallory brings her problem home and instead of looking proud, Dad looks a little horrified. His little girl (Gina Carano) is a fierce mixed martial arts fighter and seeing her in action is frightening. As played by a true-life champion Gina Carano, she is not one to mess with.

I’m not sure what kind of film career Carano is going to have but watching her in action I had a desire to see her paired with other Hollywood bad-asses. The first one that came to mind was Jason Stratham. Now that’s a pairing I’d like to see. But for now we must evaluate her based on this movie.

Haywire has a stellar cast. We got to see Carano do battle with Channing Tatum, Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor and various other thugs. Also in the cast are Michael Douglas and Antonio Banderas. So this is no straight to video shot for Carano she is being groomed and she is being given a fighting chance. She has the skill, but does she have the star power. At this point her acting lacks depth, but there is room for improvement. At least she is not terrible. And although she does clean up nice, she lacks the sexuality of some of our other action stars such as Angelina Jolie or Zoe Saldana. But she is fierce and attractive, so we’ll see what Hollywood can do with our newest action star. I think with a little help she can be fantastic.



Rating: Bargain Matinee This lady is fierce

Win Win

An act of selfishness backfires and forces a man to open his life to a senile old man, a troubled teen and a mercenary daughter with heavy baggage. This intrusion not only impacts Mike Flaherty (Paul Giamatti) but his entire family as well. Amy Ryan stars as Jackie, Mike Flaherty’s wife and at first she is very upset with her husband. But when her mother’s instinct kicks in and she bonds with the boy Kyle (Alex Shaffer) all she wants to do is kick his mother’s ass.

This all started when Mike, who is a lawyer, signed up to be Leo Poplar’s legal guardian. Leo, played by Burt Young, is wealthy and his guardianship comes with a $1,500.00 monthly conservator fee. Mike is struggling in his small town practice so he convinces the judge to let him take over so Leo could stay in his private home instead of becoming a ward of the state. But as soon as Mike has custody he moves Leo into a senior care facility, a nice one, but not his home.

What makes Win Win so endearing is the wonderful script and the relationships between the characters. Mike coaches the high school wrestling team along with his friend Stephen (Jeffrey Tambor). When it turns out that Leo’s grandson is a champion wrestler, Stephen and Mike finally see a chance of having a winning team. When things start to turn around, Bobby Cannavale as Terry joins the coaching team and the three of them are finally enjoying the taste of being winners. But when Kyle’s mom (Melanie Lynskey) shows up and challenges Mike and threatens to take Kyle and his grandpa, Mike must face his wife and confess his selfish act.

Win Win has such a delicate balance of comedy. It is funny and will take you right up to the edge but it never crosses the line into farce. It remains human and heartfelt and never loses its focus. This is a gem of a film and if you take the time to seek it out, you won’t be disappointed. It's a Win Win piece of entertainment.

Rating: First Run An act of selfishness opens a door

Warrior

Two brothers grow up with something in common, an alcoholic abusive father (Nick Nolte) and a love of fighting, but when their mother decides that she has had enough and resolves to leave her husband, one brother goes with her and the other brother stays. This causes a riff between them that separates their lives. Brendon (Joel Edgerton) who is the oldest decides to stay because he is in love. He marries his high school sweetheart (Jennifer Morrison) and becomes a high school physic teacher; meanwhile Tommy (Tom Hardy) after watching his mother die has joined the Marines. Their lives are miles apart but they still have two things in common, a talent for fighting and a disdain for their dad.

Left alone to rot in his house, Paddy Conlon has a change of heart, gets himself sober and joins A.A. One day when he comes home after church, Tommy is sitting on his doorstep. Thinking that he has a chance to make amends, he greets his son warmly but Tommy wants none of that. He’s there for one reason and one reason only. Tommy wants to train. And if his dad has any value at all to his son, he was always a good trainer.

In the Marines Tommy’s best friend got killed and Tommy has vowed to take care of his comrade’s family. In Atlantic City there is a mixed Martial Arts championship and five million dollars is the prize. Meanwhile back home Brendon has his eyes on the prize too. With an upside-down mortgage and his daughter’s medical bills he needs the prize or he’ll lose his house. Once again these brothers have something in common, their eye on a prize and continued contempt for their father.

What makes this film better than your average fight film is strong performances and compelling family drama. Nick Nolte is used to great effect in this film and Edgerton and Hardy are believable as brothers. There is so much anger, bitterness and resentment being carried around by these young men that you wonder how they can concentrate on their fight. But they are both warring for someone else and both have motivations that are very powerful. Which brother will win? That is what makes Warrior exciting. There can only be one winner. Which one would you choose?

Rating: First Run An exciting family drama with kick

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Intrigue has surrounded the crown for as long as the monarchy has existed, but in World War II the game changed and the era of the modern spy began. In Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy the brightest of Great Britain were invited to join The Circus where unassuming men and women slipped in and out of non-desrcript buildings making decisions that impacted the nation. The majority of the old guard was lords, cultivated from the best of society, but after the war new recruits were gathered from all walks of life. The war was an equalizer and The Circus was looking for men and women with talent.

After World War II and fascism was put to rest, our wars became wars of ideology. Men who were conflicted in their loyalties became double agents leaking information to both sides. This is the thread that holds the story of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Who is the mole and why is he betraying his country.

Gary Oldman portrays George Smiley and his name is almost like a joke. It’s like calling a bald guy Curly, or a fat man, Slim. His somber, grey appearance makes him perfect as a spy. He’s the kind of man that people wouldn’t notice. He lives his life under a cloud of paranoia, placing markers on his front door, watching for tails, and checking the streets for people who don’t belong. His weakness is his wife and she has recently left him. If he is even sadder it is hard to tell. Smiley is a dour and serious man.

When Smiley is finally taken down it is from an unexpected source. He is fired, along with his supervisor (John Hurt) when a secret mission goes horribly wrong and a fellow agent (Mark Strong) is shot. Smiley is shocked by his sudden dismissal but his intellect is telling him that there is more than meets the eye. He is pressed back into service to find the mole and now he must spy on his former friends.

This film is nothing like a modern day spy film; it is somber, bleak and very intellectual. It is a thinking man’s film and it is not easy to follow but it has tone and power and can be quite compelling. Among the suspects are Colin Firth, Tobey McQuire, and David Dencik. Gary Oldman’s character must sort through all the misdirection and find the agent that is leaking information. The only people who know about Smiley’s task is a whistleblower by the name of Peter (Benedict Cumberbatch) whom he takes on as an assistant and the Prime Minister himself. It is a lonely road that Smiley is walking and he must face betrayal on both a professional and personal level. The life of a spy is not a life of glamor. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy makes this fact perfectly clear.

Rating: First Run A thinking man’s spy film
 
 

The Adventures of Tintin

I love going into a film cold with no pre-conceived notions and in turn being thrilled and delighted. Such was the case of The Adventures of Tintin, a lovely adventure story with an old-time yet contemporary flair. The animation is so realistic that in the beginning I couldn’t understand why they didn’t make it a live-action film. But as the movie began to become more fantastic and imaginative I realized that only animation would due. This is an adventure story, like the type that was published in the thirties and forties. Young adults are the central characters and they are full of energy and conviction and have none of the fear that comes with failure.

Tintin is a boy reporter who has a passion for facts and truth. Using his instincts and not afraid to crack open a book, he’ll follow his nose, do the research and keep going until the story is unearthed. He is likable, sincere and beloved by his dog, Snowy. The two together are a mystery-solving team and his reputation for good work is well known in the community.

Our story begins when Tintin purchases a model ship that has suddenly become very popular. In fact the ship is attracting so much interest that Tintin’s reporter’s nose is telling him that it has a hidden value somewhere. After being chased, burglarized, kidnapped and hit on the head, Tintin knows that his instincts were right and he comes after the truth like a dog and his bone, Snowy is right alongside him.

The animation in The Adventures of Tintin is fantastic. Directed by Steven Spielberg it has all the charm, nuance and complexity of a Steven Spielberg film. It’s fun too, with interesting characters, great locations, and a wonderful voice cast lead by Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig, Nick Frost and Simon Pegg. If this was a live action film the budget would have been staggering. But the beauty of animation is that it can take you anywhere in the world and as far as your imagination can go.

The Adventures of Tintin is a delightful yarn, and I can even see the possibility of sequels. It’s great fun, highly artful and exciting to boot. With pirates, stolen treasure, secret codes, prop planes, mutinying and desert Sheiks, The Adventures of Tintin will satisfy all. It is a timeless story told incredibly well. I highly recommend this film.

Rating: First Run An animated film for the adults (P.S. Worth it to see in 3D)