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The Descendants

The Descendants is based on Kaui Hart Hemmings' book about a (mostly absent) father who is forced to re-connect with his two daughters after his adventure-seeking wife is injured in a boating accident in Hawaii. George Clooney plays Matt King, a wealthy but down to earth land owner and practicing lawyer . He is descended from Hawaiian royalty, and in between hospital visits, he is trying to sell family land to make money for his lazy cousins who have squandered their inheritances. (Beau Bridges plays one of the cousins.)

As if Matt doesn't have enough on his plate, he finds out that his wife had been having a long-time affair. He sets out to find her lover, aided in part by his rebellious daughter Alexandra (Shailene Woodley) and her friend Sid (Nick Krause). To make matters worse, his father-in-law
(played by Robert Forster), thinks his daughter can do no wrong while giving Matt no credit whatsoever. You feel for him whenever he gets a dressing-down from his cheating wife's father.

Mr. Clooney's understated performance anchors the film, and he might even get an Oscar nod. He is the perfect mix of humor (Hawaiian shirts. That goofy run.) and pathos. One hospital scene in particular made me break down. His daughters are excellent as well: the lovable but troubled Scottie (Amara Miller), and headstrong Alexandra. You take that emotional journey with this father and his kids. The final scene was so moving in its simplicity but very cathartic.

Written and directed by Alexander Payne (along with screenwriters Nat Faxon and Jim Rash), the story is character-driven, and all the characters are human and relatable. I hope you'll enjoy the Hawaiian soundtrack as much as I did. This is one of the best family dramas I've seen in a long time.

(photo from Imp Awards)

The Ides of March

Don't you just love that poster? I think it's one of the more brilliantly conceived movie posters lately. It's from the George Clooney helmed film The Ides of March that has recently been showing in the cinemas. The film is based on the play Farragut North by Beau Willimon last seen Off-Broadway in 2008 with Chris Noth and John Gallagher Jr.

The Ides of March is a political drama set during the democratic primary elections in Ohio and centers on Stephen Meyers (Ryan Gosling) an idealistic campaign strategist working for the campaign of Mike Norris (George Clooney). It looks at the backdoor deals that take place in politics and examines the subject of intergrity. I am well aware that these backroom deals happen but it's a bit jolting when it plays out in front of you in the movie screen. Aside from Mr. Clooney and Mr. Gosling, the film has a stellar cast of talented actors including Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Marissa Tomei, Jennifer Ehle, Paul Giamatti, Evan Rachel Wood and Jeffrey Wright. It is however, Mr. Gosling's film and his transformation from an idealistic newbie to a calloused man is chilling.

Bad Boys

Two movies that came out around the same time had me rooting for the bad guy. All because they are seeking personal salvation. After that One Last Job of course.

In The American, George Clooney plays a mysterious assassin (who goes by Jack or Edward) whose last assignment goes awry. He decides to lie low in a small Italian village, befriending a priest Father Benedetto (Paolo Bonacelli), and an, erm... prostitute named Clara (Violante Placido). His handler Pavel (Johan Leysen) convinces him to take one final assignment, assuring him that he doesn't even need to pull the trigger this time. He only has to customize the weapon for the female assassin Mathilde, played by Thekla Reuten. Jack/Edward wants atonement. The priest and the fallen woman also want redemption for this sinner. We don't always get what we want though. The film's ending was devastating to me.

George Clooney gives one of the best performances of his career. There are many scenes without dialogue or music. Mr. Clooney gets to show us again that he's not just a pretty face. I loved this film for its subtlety, the beautiful cinematography, its restraint. Dutch director Anton Corbijn shows us that a good action movie/spy thriller doesn't have to be loud and CGI-heavy, nor have clever quips, buzz words, or catch phrases. He gave us a thoughtful, meandering, subdued film that haunted me.

The Town is not quite the typical Hollywood blockbuster either. It is a smart, funny, and taut thriller about bank robbers from Charlestown, Massachusetts and the FBI's efforts to catch them. Ben Affleck's second directorial offering is a worthy follow-up to Gone Baby Gone. He stars as Doug MacRay, a gang leader who falls in love with the hostage/bank manager Claire (the excellent Rebecca Hall), much to his partner/BFF Jem's chagrin. (a twitchy, scary, unpredictable Jeremy Renner, as exceptional as he was in The Hurt Locker) Jon Hamm is FBI Agent Frawley. Mr. Hamm has the thankless job of trying to win the audience's sympathy in his quest to catch the handsome bad guy who just wants a normal life with his girlfriend. Frawley is not above using Claire and Doug's druggie ex-girlfriend Krista (Blake Lively---who was quite good) to catch him. The cat and mouse game is ON.

Watch out for brief but goose bump-inducing scenes with Chris Cooper (as Doug's father) and Pete Postlethwaithe (as an Irish criminal with a seemingly harmless occupation---florist). Even Victor Garber has a cameo. Mr. Affleck has a flair for action scenes and building up the nail-biting suspense. Bonus: I used to live near Boston so I truly enjoyed seeing Beantown and its inhabitants. So if you're looking for a good heist movie, you might want to take a turn around the Town.

(The American poster from Cinema Blend; The Town from Screen Crave)

Up in the Air

Up in the Air's Ryan Bingham earns his living traveling cross-country downsizing people whose employers are too chicken to do it themselves. And he is perfectly happy living out of his suitcase and having no familial responsibilities. He's estranged even from his sisters, bride-to-be Julie (Melanie Lynskey), and Kara (August: Osage County's Amy Morton). Bingham also goes on speaking engagements to promote his no-strings-attached philosophy. In one of his business trips, he begins a casual romance with fellow frequent flyer Alex Goran (Vera Farmiga). His carefree lifestyle is threatened when young, haughty Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick) joins the company. She wants to cut costs by grounding all the corporate assassins and using video conferencing instead. Fighting to keep his way of life (and to meet his goal of ten million frequent flyer miles), their boss Craig Gregory (Jason Bateman) instead sends them both on a final lay-off blitz. As expected, the trips humanize them: Ryan gets to reflect on his no-commitments attitude, while Natalie's self-assurance diminishes as she fires people face-to-face.

The script is not as verbose as Juno, but it has its witty moments. The score is pleasant enough, but overused and thus, overwhelming at times. (By the way, the end credits song 'Up in the Air' was written by a job-loss victim.) To this cynic, the movie ends on a happy note, only because it is most un-Hollywood and unexpected. I almost rolled my eyes and threatened to groan when it teetered on the edge of a typical romantic comedy ending. Thank goodness it stepped back.

I went to see Up in the Air to see what the awards buzz was all about, and of course, George Clooney. The film is entertaining, but I was a tad depressed by the time it ended. Pretty sure its themes of isolation, human connection, and especially the economic downturn had something to do with it. During this grim recession, seeing footage of actual people who lost their jobs was probably all the drama I could take. (Zach Galifianakis from The Hangover and J.K. Simmons are interspersed with non-actors talking about their job loss, or what they would have liked to say to their former employers.) Like Nick Naylor from Jason Reitman's Thank you for Smoking, our central character was unsympathetic to begin with. But because it's played by Mr. Clooney, I still ended up liking Ryan Bingham. Except of course it seems like he's playing himself: the eternal bachelor. His performance in Michael Clayton remains my favorite.









(photo from Impawards)

Of Goats and Men

After watching a Jon Ronson TV interview, I was curious to see The Men Who Stare at Goats. It is based on his non-fiction book that claims the U.S. military trained and used psychic spies in the '70s, with some of the techniques getting resurrected during George W. Bush's War on Terror. Political satire, Jedi warriors, New Ageism, conspiracy theories---what's not to like?

Our stand-in for Mr. Ronson is Bob Wilton: a newly divorced, down-on-his-luck writer who meets Lyn Cassady (a wide-eyed, goofy, earnest, mustachioed George Clooney) in Kuwait at the start of the 2nd Gulf War. Mr. Cassady was one of the more gifted members of the New Earth Army, now a contractor in Iraq (and dance studio owner back in the States). And as a Star Wars fan, I have to admit that part of the draw was seeing Ewan McGregor look incredulous as Mr. Clooney's character explained all things Jedi to Obi-Wan himself. The duo make their way to Iraq to complete a secret mission he psychically received from the First Earth Battalion's former leader, Bill Django (Jeff Bridges channeling one of his most famous characters, The Dude). Kevin Spacey plays Larry Hooper, a felonious member of the Jedi army. Pretty one dimensional as a character, he is jealous of Cassady's powers and seeks to discredit his own group.

The film is bizarre, and Lynn and I found it wonderfully amusing. Despite the outrageous situations the characters find themselves in, it manages to take a swipe at the military, greedy corporations and the government. I read a review questioning how the filmmakers dare to take potshots at the military while 2 wars are raging. I do not share this criticism. The most poignant scenes in the movie are when Django comes home from Vietnam wanting an alternative way to fight a war; when Cassady goes to the Army and finds he belongs there, and when an Iraqi named Mahmud helped out so-called enemies, the Americans Cassady and Wilton. While the movie is clearly kooky, I didn't think it disrespected servicemen and women at all. Although I think the ending was totally made-up, the movie's message of tapping into people's basic goodness, finding yourself and fulfilling your potential came through.

The film opens by saying that "more of this is true than you will believe." And the premise is so ludicrous, I'd be terribly disappointed if it weren't true.


The DVD comes out 23 March 2010.

Ode to George

I finally saw Michael Clayton at the $2 movie house near me. I was on the edge of my seat even though it was designed to be a dark, quiet film. George Clooney has come a long way from 'The Facts of Life', 'Roseanne' and I even recently saw him in an old ep of my beloved 'Golden Girls' (yup, I can't change the channel when reruns are on, even at 1 AM.) He has wisely shied away from romantic lead roles. I've even forgiven 'Batman and Robin'. He has wracked up an impressive list of smart, thought-provoking yet entertaining films. My faves? Three Kings; O Brother, Where Art Thou?; Syriana, although this was a bit over my head; The Perfect Storm; Good Night and Good Luck. He is an actor with a conscience, using his celebrity to draw attention to the plight of the people of Darfur. If you watch his interviews, he is always funny, intelligent and self-deprecating.

Anyway, if you love legal thrillers, conspiracies and corporate shenanigans, Clayton is for you. The Bourne films' screenwriter and now Oscar-nominated Tony Gilroy wrote and directed this riveting film.
Mr. Clooney is Michael, a NY law firm's fixer. Broke, addicted to gambling, divorced, he's just trying to be a good dad to his extremely bright son. The firm's top litigator, Arthur (the always reliable Tom Wilkinson), has a meltdown after he stops taking his meds and his conscience gets the better of him. Clayton is summoned to do his "janitorial" duties and uncovers all sorts of dirty deeds. The hypnotic Tilda Swinton plays Karen, complete with shots of sweatstains, a flabby midsection as she practiced her speeches. Karen is chief counsel for an evil agrochemical company settling a multi-million dollar lawsuit. All got Academy Award nods.

Catch it on DVD 19 February before the Oscars. (photo from Amazon.)