Jeff Lubeck

The Look – You know What I Mean

most violent

Oh the look… the look… Oscar Isaac gets the chance to display The Look in A Most Violent Year and by any measure he nails it.

You know The Look; Al Pacino in The Godfather, Robert DeNiro in Taxi Driver… that look… The Look.

A Most Violent Year pays it respects to the best films of the 70’s and early 80’s depicting New York and all its organized control (I did not say crime, I did not say crime). 1981 was the most violent year in NY NY history. The film is not perfect, but is pretty close.

Oscar Isaac (The Bourne Legacy, Inside Llewyn Davis) is superb as the immigrant who is making good (actually really good) and unwilling to fall victim to violence or the wrong way. Isaac is scary good in the role – just as good as Pacino and DeNiro were in their signature The Look movie opportunities.

Albert Brooks (Finding Nemo, Out of Sight), David Olyelowo (Selma, Jack Reacher) are excellent in support. Jessica Chastain (The Help, Zero Dark Thirty) is good – because of her acting. However she feels slightly mis-cast as a NY crime-boss’s daughter.

Note: I could swear the movie set is using the Haitian Cotton sectional in their 1981 NY home, that Linda and I once possessed. I am thinking of calling the Teamsters and getting them to slow down traffic on the bridges into NY as a protest. Oh… that has been done recently?

Whiplash – A Fight Like Few Others

Whiplash

Have you ever fought for something, really fought for something? Let’s suppose for the moment, you answered – yes. If Whiplash the film could ask the question and speak to you, my guess is the response would be as follows; I doubt it. I doubt you have anywhere near the strength let alone the understanding of what it really means to fight for and earn something. Get out of my sight now!

Whiplash provides an emotional ride like few others. Whiplash is an astonishing war movie without the military conflict or government espionage. Instead, Whiplash is about the war of wits and fighting to get what you desire – no matter the consequences. Whiplash is about fighting for the prize – even if your own blood is spilled and others emotions become collateral damage.

Writer and Director Damien Chazelle could easily have settled for creating standard Hollywood fare (i.e., Teacher vs. Pupil, predictable ending). Instead, Chazelle has created an electric and memorable film from which you cannot walk away.

Whiplash has two principle combatants Miles Teller (Rabbit Hole, Spectacular Now) as Andrew and J.K. Simmons (Juno, Spider-Man 1,2 and 3, Up In The Air) as Fletcher. Simmons is the instructor and Teller is the pupil. Each has a vision and passion for what they desire and no one is going to get in the the way – let alone each other. Each will appear to be human and in-human throughout, so as to keep you from getting to comfy or the opposite – giving up on them.

Using a remarkable script, superior editing, fantastic music and the performances of Teller and Simmons, Whiplash reveals in stark terms the beauty and ugliness of a human’s desire to succeed right up to (and possibly through) the screen’s jolt to black.

Foxcatcher – Does Not

foxcatcher

Foxcatcher is a eery disturbing film with outstanding performances by its male leads – Steve Carell (40 year-old Virgin, Crazy Stupid Love) as John du Pont, Channing Tatum (Magic Mike, 22 Jump Street) as Mark Shultz and Mark Ruffalo (You Can Count on Me, Shutter Island) as Dave Shultz.

Foxcatcher is a movie that claims it is based on a true story. However, it uses artistic license too liberally and introduces over-the-top plot lines that are not only false but unnecessary. The real-life story of Foxcatcher is harrowing and disturbing on so many fronts and therefore provides endless material for one scary and disturbing screenplay without a need to introduce elements and entire plotlines that are a total fabrication.

Carell is particularly effective. Although much heavier than the real-life du Pont, Carrell has perfected du Pont’s mannerisms and speech patterns. Facial prosthetics assist in making Carell highly convincing. Tatum, Ruffalo, Siena Miller (Layer Cake, American Sniper) as Nancy Shultz and Vanessa Redgrave (Blowup, AA Julia) as Jean Du Pont have also transformed to look and act very similar to the real people. In this aspect Foxcatcher works well.

The Production Design by Jess Conchor (No Country for Old Men, True Grit, The Devil Wears Prada) and Costumes by Kasia Walicka Maimone (Copote, Moonrise Kingdom) are total winners. Musical Director Rob Simonsen (Little Miss Sunshine, Life of Pi) expertly weaves the music into the story. The brooding score during a tense sequence where Mark Shultz is on the brink of possible failure harkens back the very best created by John Barry (James Bond, Out of Africa, Somewhere in Time).

One of the difficulties for sports oriented films is portraying the actual competition and training. Foxcatcher does a decent job in this area, but the reality is that the lead actors are simply too heavy and lumbering than their real-life counter parts in any of the action sequences.

If you want to see a scary, unnerving, disturbing piece of filming that is based on fiction with basic elements of truth then Foxcatcher is a solid bet.

The Look – You know What I Mean

Whiplash – A Fight Like Few Others

Foxcatcher – Does Not

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