Sundance 2012: Wuthering Heights
Keeping It Reel is happy to have our Utah correspondent, Catina Martinez (see below), return with her coverage of the Sundance Film Festival….
written by: Andrea Arnold & Olivia Hatreed (screenplay) and Emily Brontë (novel)
produced by: Robert Bernstein, Kevin Loader & Douglas Rae
directed by: Andrea Arnold
rating: unrated
runtime: 175 min.
U.S. release date: January 22, 2012 (Sundance Film Festival)
Wuthering Heights is a story of chick-flickery at its finest. I’ve seen it sliced and diced at least half a dozen times and have loved it in most of its incarnations. The Brontë sisters knew how to write a heroine without any of the pretensions of the Jane Austin ilk. Director and co-writer Andrea Arnold’s ( “Fish Tank” ) take on the classic book is the first adaptation that I have ever truly disliked. It was my daughter’s introductory film to Sundance, and I could feel the boredom emanating from her as this film dragged on for an unthinkable three hours! I wanted to love this film and I really tried.
The Grey (2012)
written by: Joe Carnahan and Ian McKenzie Jeffers (based on his book, Ghost Walker)
produced by: Joe Carnahan, Jules Daly, Mickey Liddel & Ridley Scott
directed by: Joe Carnahan
rating: R (for violence/disturbing content including bloody images, and pervasive language)
runtime: 117 minutes
U.S. release date: January 27, 2012
In order to sell Joe Carnahan’s new action thriller “The Grey” to moviegoers, they needed to focus on what folks have come to expect from Liam Neeson this time of year. It started with the success of “Taken”, a couple years back and continued with last year’s flop, “Unknown”, both released around this time of the year. With his quiet and coarse voice, the towering Neeson became an unlikely yet fitting action star. “The Grey” is unlike those two films or other big-budget Hollywood survival films, but from the looks of the “man vs. wild” TV spots and theatrical trailers, you’d never know. In fact, it’s almost comical to see a bloodied Neeson strap liquor bottles shrapnel to his knuckles and charge a menacing black wolf. Before I saw the film, it seemed silly, and now that I have, it seems crazy because that scene isn’t even in it.
Albert Nobbs (2011)
written by: Glenn Close and John Banville (screrenplay) & George Moore (short story, The Singular Life of Albert Nobbs)
produced by: Glenn Close, Bonnie Curtis, Julie Lynn & Alan Moloney
directed by: Rodrigo Garcia
rating: R (for some brief sexuality, brief nudity and some language)
runtime: 113 min.
U.S. release date: December 21, 2011 (limited) & January 27, 2012 (wide)
The problem with the titular character in “Albert Nobbs” is that we know he’s a she because he’s played by Glenn Close. That has to be said right from the start. It’s right there on the poster, it says it in the trailer, and she’s all over the making of this film as well. Close played the character on stage back in the early 80s and has been trying to get a big-screen adaptation of the 1927 short story by Irish novelist George Moore for the past 15 years. She produced and co-wrote this film and even wrote a song that plays during the end credits. So, what’s the problem with the audience knowing in advance that this Albert Nobbs character will be played by a recognizable actress?
This Week on DVD & Blu-ray (01-24-12)
Here they are, folks, your 2012 Academy Award Nominations list! Announced this morning by Oscar nominee Jennifer Lawrence and President of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Tom Sherak at the Samuel Goldwyn Theatre in Beverly Hills, CA. Some of these are still in theaters, some are on DVD or Netflix Watch Instantly, but these are the cream of the crop for 2011, so check them out! Linked will be the available Keeping It Reel reviews for all nominated films.
The Bottom Five Films of 2011
Last week we looked at the best films of 2011 and now with the Oscar nominees just around the corner, it’s time to take a look at yet another list of films – this time the Bottom Five! For the first time here at Keeping It Reel, I’ve decided to share five films (ten would be too excruciating) that left me feeling: sorely disappointed, wishing I could unwatch what I had watched, or just made me want to hit my head against a wall (because it would be more entertaining). Now, since I made a commitment to myself last year to not see Every Movie Released (I learned my lesson in 2010 with “The Last Airbender” and “My Soul to Take”, to name a few), I’ve asked someone who Every Major Release last year to join me.
Haywire (2012)
written by: Lem Dobbs
produced by: Gregory Jacobs and Ryan Kavanagh
directed by: Steven Soderbergh
rating: R (for some violence)
runtime: 98 min.
U.S. release date: January 20, 2012
Haywire is a word used for something that is disorganized or not functioning properly or someone who is erratic, crazy and out of control. Well, the latest movie by Steven Soderbergh is very organized and functioning on all cylinders, and in it there is definitely one erratic woman who seems to be crazy and out of control by just about everyone around her – but make no mistake, Mallory King is totally in control. Soderbergh has found a heroine to showcase here that is a mesmerizing powerhouse, and in a story that is anything but original, that helps out immensely. As great as former American Gladiator and MMA fighter, Gina Carano is, if in the hands of any other director, the cliches here would’ve been more overt and well, haywire. Thankfully, what we have here is an electrifying and crackling action movie with intelligence and wry humor, that makes up for the familiarity and predictability of it all.
Red Tails (2012)
written by: John Ridley and Aaron McGruder
produced by: Rick McCallum, Charles Floyd Johnson, & George Lucas
directed by: Anthony Hemingway
rating: PG-13 (for some scenes of war violence)
runtime: 121 min.
U. S. release date: January 20, 2012
“Red Tails” is being referred to as George Lucas’ new film, and even though he didn’t direct it, I’d agree with that. Bringing the story of the Tuskegee Airmen to the big-screen has been his pet project of his for decades. And now after getting sidelined by the many incarnations of Indiana Jones and various Star Wars projects, we have a January release. Not a good sign. As you’d expect from Lucasfilm studios (who have at their disposal ILM and Skywalker Sound), the movie has impressive visuals, with breathtaking aerial dogfights that are easy to follow. As you’d expect from Lucas, the dialogue is wretched and cartoonish, eliciting laughter out of the audience instead of excitement. While it may be a safe all-ages film, the important story deserves so much more than this generic treatment, consisting of laughable stock characterization and a synthetic narrative.
The Iron Lady (2011)
written by: Abi Morgan
produced by: Damian Jones
directed by: Phyllida Lloyd
rating: PG-13 (for some violent images and brief nudity)
runtime: 105 min.
U.S. release date: December 30, 2011 (limited) & January 13, 2011 (wide)
There are common prerequisites for biographical films that have become so recognizable that a moviegoer can easily succumb to “biopic fatigue”. You know what I’m talking about. The protagonist comes from a broken home where he or she were abused, unappreciated, or ignored. At some point the inevitable addiction factors in as an obstacle to overcome, or it could be a character weakness, such as arrogance, greed, or insecurity. I’d be lying if I said I haven’t been absorbed by those elements before, but it does become quite predictable after a while. Thankfully, “The Iron Lady” does not rely on such repetitive tropes. Instead we follow an elderly woman searching for relevance and significance as she reflects on her formative years as the controversial Prime Minister of England, and possibly even questioning her sanity. Because of that refreshing approach, the story is anything but linear, and as we journey through the thoughts of Margaret Thatcher, we are grateful that she is played by an equally iconic actress.
This Week on DVD & Blu-ray (01-17-12)
Finally! “Abduction” and “Bucky Larson: Born to be a Star” are out – so you can start your year out on a good note! (So glad I missed those two). Those of you who are playing catch-up with all the Oscar-bait moviees, there’s actually a good one to check out and that’d be “The Ides of March” directed by George Clooney. To coincide with the theatrical release of the long-awaited “Red Tails” this month, there’s the 1995 HBO film ”The Tuskagee Airmen” starring Lawrence Fishburne, released for the first time on Blu-ray. Also premiering on Blu-ray is the fine award-nominated 1984 film “A Soldier’s Story” by Norman Jewison starring the late Howard E. Rollins, Jr. as well as some early work by Denzel Washington, David Alan Grier, and Robert Townshend. Criterion has updated and upgraded two very different films, Luis Buñuel’s classic “Belle de Jour” starring Catherine Deneuve and Steven Soderbergh’s “Traffic”, winner of four Academy Awards. “Traffic” is also another deliberate Blu-ray release, as it coincides with this month’s “Haywire”, also directed by Soderbergh.
