Like the last couple of weeks, there aren’t that many new choices in this frame. With the exception of one film that looks interesting, the other 2 new releases this weekend don’t sound very worthwhile. Let’s look at these films in detail… [breakdown of new releases after the jump]
1. “Edge of Darkness”The Story: Mel Gibson plays a Boston cop who, looking to avenge the murder of his daughter, stumbles upon a conspiracy of powerful players and shady government agents (including the great British actor, Ray Winstone).
The Good: Off-screen antics aside, Gibson remains a terrific actor; it’s good to see him on screen again, particularly in terra firma dramatic territory. Lethal Weapon’s Martin Rigs made him a superstar, and this film looks to play on that type of role—a desperate, emotional man with (you guessed it) nothing to lose. It helps that few could do intensity quite like Gibson too—the phone call scene/duel of threats in Ransom comes to mind, and it remains one of my favorite moments in his career. He’s backed here by the gifted Brit, Ray Winstone, who made the most of his screen time in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and as a CGI-ed Sean Bean look-alike in the title role in Beowulf. He could do shifty, commanding personalities at the tip of a hat.
Behind the camera, this comes from director Martin Campbell, the man who brought us two of the best Bond films, the Pierce Brosnan launcher, Goldeneye, and the exceptional Daniel Craig reboot, Casino Royale (with one of my favorite adventure films, The Mask of Zorro, squeezed in the middle). The man knows how to stage great action, and, for the most part, he makes thrillers with intelligence and taste. Finally, the script is by William Monahan, who won an Oscar for The Departed (which I wasn’t enthusiastic about) and penned Ridley Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven, a hugely underrated, beautiful epic (watch the 4-Disc Director’s Cut if you don’t believe me).
The Bad: Actually, I don’t have too much here. This film might not be a masterpiece or a future Oscar winner, but the reviews and word of mouth are quite strong (see below). However, the reviews specify that the film is not exactly a deep or thoughtful one, and the overarching conspiracies (which are, thankfully, nicely hidden from the film’s marketing) don’t hold as much weight as they should. Plus, from the sound of it, the nature of the picture is straightforward—Gibson loses his daughter, he goes out to avenge her—which might sacrifice some room for needed character development, particularly of the supporting cast. And, yes, there is a bit of the “cheesiness” factor—ie, Gibson in the trailer even specifies that he’s a “guy with nothing to lose”.
Reviews: Good, just not great. I especially like the numerous comparisons to last year’s State of Play, which, perhaps in a similar way, unfolded its mystery into a large tapestry of players and seedy motivations. It’s a good sign for me, but, to be fair, I was also one of the few to really like State of Play, so take that as a good indicator.
Overall: This is what I want to see most this weekend. It’s the best-reviewed movie of the bunch, and, I don’t know about you guys, but I’m always up for a well-acted, well-made thriller.
2. “When in Rome”Story: Kristen Bell plays Beth, one of those standard romantic-comedy gorgeous workaholics—she’s got a great career, but is just perpetually unlucky in love. But, lo and behold, in Rome for her little sister’s wedding, she happens to meet Josh Duhamel at the reception. Sparks fly, though through a series of comic circumstances, things don’t work out the way they should, and a desperate Beth ends up plucking five coins from Rome’s magical wishing fountain. And here’s the film’s big conceit: by the “rules” of this fountain, if you remove a coin from the water, then the owner of that coin is automatically in love with you. And, so, Kristen Bell must then ward off four new suitors (the very colorfully-cast Will Arnett, Dax Shepard, Jon Heder, and Danny DeVito) and figure out if Suitor #5 (Duhamel, who also happened to drop a coin in) is actually in love with her…or if he’s just under the magic spell.
The Good: Kristen Bell. For anyone who’s seen Veronica Mars, you know that there’s nothing this girl can’t do. She’s pretty, brimming with talent and charisma, and just poised to become a major star. It’s a shame she’s not a household name yet (although, I doubt this will be the film that will make that happen). She’s also surrounded by a well-chosen group of funny guys: DeVito is always a delight to see; Shepard stole his scenes in Idiocracy (he played Frito, the lawyer who liked “sex and money”) and Without a Paddle; Napoleon Dynamite’s Jon Heder; and Will Arnett, forever the amazing G.O.B. in Arrested Development, is any film’s secret weapon. These four guys alone guarantee some laughs. Plus, Duhamel may not be a great actor (at least he hasn’t shown much range yet), but he’s a likable screen presence, and, from the trailer, he looks to share some good chemistry with Bell.
The Bad: Well, the whole movie just looks trite and extremely predictable. The trailer was occasionally cute, sure, but it seems to rely on wacky slapstick instead of well-written jokes, something I think will translate to the final film. It also doesn’t help that the conclusion looks telegraphed for miles, and, unless it has some cleverness or twists up its sleeve, I think the ending was actually shown in the AMC Extended preview (the one that plays before the trailers in AMC theaters). Like many romantic comedies, it just seems stupid and gimmicky, possibly ruining the potential for a believable romance. Plus, while I enjoyed director Mark Steven Johnson’s Daredevil (which I still think is underrated, despite its many flaws), he also made Ghost Rider, which I just can’t argue for.
The Reviews: Poor, pretty much all around. Like it looks, the critics attack its underdeveloped script and, perhaps worst of all, the notable lack of laughs.
Overall: Looks like we could easily skip this. As much as I like this cast (and rom-coms in general), there are more worthwhile films out right now. It’s probably harmless and cute, but we could really do better.
3. “Saint John of Laws Vegas”Story: The great character actor Steve Buscemi (Fargo, Con Air, Big Daddy, Big Fish, and lots lots more) plays compulsive gambler, John Alighieri (does that last name sound familiar?). Having escaped Las Vegas once to construct some sort of normal life, he finds himself drawn back to Sin City to investigate an insurance-fraud claim with his old pal, Virgil (Romany Malco from The 40-Year-Old-Virgin). From then, what ensues is a supposedly wacky road comedy, with wonderful supporting actors popping in, like John Cho (Sulu in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek! And, of course, Harold from the Harold & Kumar movies), Sarah Silverman, and perpetual scene-stealer, Peter Dinklage (Elf, Death at a Funeral). Oh, and perhaps best of all, Dante Alighiri gets a “Story By” credit here—that’s right, the film is like a comic reworking of Dante’s Divine Comedy, with Buscemi playing the Dante role and heading off with Virgil into Inferno’s Hell (re: Las Vegas).
The Good: I love how that story sounds, and the cast is definitely full of entertaining people. Most notably, Buscemi is one of the most likable and watchable people working in Hollywood—just watch how effortlessly he takes the audience’s attention in films like Con Air and The Island.
The Bad: Well, the reviews below aren’t a good sign. It appears like the film doesn’t quite come together into a cohesive package, ending up as a sort of loose collection of comic vignettes, many of which might not be that funny.
Reviews: Pretty poor. Although, for a silver lining, Buscemi and the cast are earning great notices; it just seems like the rest of the film doesn’t rise to their caliber.
Overall: This one’s in very limited release (playing only in LA and New York for now), and it doesn’t seem like it’s worth hunting down. Still, I will rent this in the future—with that cast and its Dante’s Inferno connection, I’m very curious to see how it all turns out (even if I’m not driven to shell out upwards of $10 for it).
And there you have it. Not too exciting of a weekend, but I think Edge of Darkness looks like solid entertainment. What do you guys think? Are you up for watching Mel Gibson kick corrupt-agent ass and take some names?
Like I mentioned before, we’re in for much better-looking movie choices in February, which is now just around the corner. See you guys next week!
Clips courtesy of Trailer Addict.
No comments:
Post a Comment