[Review] – ParaNorman

Title: ParaNorman
Year: 2012
Directors: Sam Fell and Chris Butler
Writer: Chris Butler, based on a story by Arianne Sutner and Stephen Stone
Starring: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Tucker Albrizzi, Anna Kendrick, Casey Affleck, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Leslie Mann, Jeff Garlin, Elaine Stritch, John Goodman, Ariel Winter
MPAA Rating: PG, scary action and images, thematic elements, some rude humor and language
Runtime: 93 min
IMDb Rating: 7.3
Rotten Tomatoes: 86%
Metacritic: 73

The people at Laika are the kind of people I love. Founded in 2005, the Oregon-based stop-motion animation studio did work on that year’s Corpse Bride, and they released their first feature as a company in 2009 with Coraline, the absolutely stunning adaptation of Neil Gaiman‘s novel. That film just blew me away because of how exquisitely it was made, and it totally established Laika as an animation studio with aesthetic sensibilities that really spoke to me, and I honestly couldn’t wait to see what they did next.

[Trailer] – Paranorman

We’ve already seen a trailer for Paranorman before, but this new international trailer, which you can watch above, is a bit longer and has some new footage to get you excited for the film. And you really should be excited, this one’s being made by Laika, the great stop-motion animation behind Coraline, and the talent assembled is pretty nifty.

Tower Heist

Title: Tower Heist
Year: 2011
Director: Brett Ratner
Writers: Ted Griffin and Jeff Nathanson, with a story by Adam Cooper, Bill Collage and Mr. Griffin
Starring: Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Casey Affleck, Alan Alda, Matthew Broderick, Téa Leoni, Michael Peña, Gabourey Sidibe, Judd Hirsch, Zeljko Ivanek, Jessica Szohr
MPAA Rating: PG-13, language and sexual content
Runtime: 104 min
IMDb Rating: 6.6
Rotten Tomatoes: 68%

I watched Tower Heist about a month after the whole Brett Ratner kerfuffle. Not on purpose but rather because I had some catching up on previous movies to do, but still, I’m glad that happened. I’ve never thought much about Mr. Ratner or his movies (though Red Dragon, for which he was a very unlikely choice for director, was pretty damn decent) and the way he handled himself when making the rounds for this movie was just seriously atrocious, a move which of course got him ousted as producer from the upcoming Oscars telecast, and with him also went his collaborator in this film, Eddie Murphy, who had been tapped to host the ceremony.

Now that that’s all been resolved, and the Academy made the much smarter move of getting Brian Grazer to produce and Billy Crystal to host, the feelings for Mr. Ratner have settled down again, and I can watch Tower Heist and judge it for what it is. And, surprisingly enough, it actually turned out to be a film I can actually recommend to people. Don’t get me wrong, this is still undeniably a Brett Ratner movie, as in that it has absolutely no brains or anything of substance, but it’s also a good Brett Ratner movie in that it’s just seriously entertaining thanks to an ensemble that helped make the fluff of the film really fun to watch. And, perhaps more importantly, I thought this was a nice comeback vehicle for Mr. Murphy; he’ll probably never be what he once was, but this is a step in the right direction.

Seriously, Tower Heist is actually worth your time, it’s reminiscent of those big caper movies of the good ol’ days and it’s certainly well-made, and yeah, there’s nothing of substance to hold on to and the minute you leave the theater you’ll forget all about the film, but the fact that it has such a capable cast means that even the lousiest jokes in the films (of which there are a few) don’t sound as horrible as they normally would. Plus, like I said, Eddie Murphy shows more than a few glimpses of his old comedy mode (as in, not the ones that depended on a fat suit), and when that happens it’s actually pretty awesome just to watch him perform, he has that magnetism one couldn’t be blamed for having forgotten because of his recent choices in films, but once you see him stealing any scene from any of his co-stars, you’ll be glad he’s back to doing what he does best.

Not to mention that of course this film has that feeling of being quite timely what with all the Occupy Wall Street happenings of late, as the film centers around a group of employees of an apartment building full of insanely wealthy people and their plan to exact a heist to rob the Bernie Madoff-like billionaire played by Alan Alda, an arrogant guy who’s more than fine with leaving them without a pension fund. That timeliness actually makes this one better, you can relate to their causes, the people who were there in Wall Street will certainly like the idea presented by this film (even though it’s made by the people they’re protesting against).

The group of building employees is led by the manager, played by Mr. Stiller, who starts recruiting people for his heist, including a bankrupt resident played by Matthew Broderick, the bellhop played by Michael Peña and, of course, a thief played by Mr. Murphy, who’ll obviously be the volatile member of the team who may be acting with his own individual purposes at heart. So you just know this will be a fun movie, because no matter what you say it’s always fun to watch a slimey billionaire (especially one played so well by Alan Alda) get his due, and Mr. Stiller is always dependable in this kind of role, and Mr. Murphy is back to doing what he does best. Don’t get me wrong, there are all kinds of things that are off in this movie, loose ends abound and in the end it’s all pretty forgettable, but it’s a fun way to spend a couple of hours in the theater.

I liked Tower Heist, I probably didn’t want to like it, actually, but I left the theater with a good feeling about it. There are good things here; the cinematography by Dante Spinotti (who did L.A. Confidential and The Insider) is pretty damn neat; the visual effects from Mark Russell are really effective; Kristi Zea (who did The Departed and Revolutionary Road) did the production design. So yeah, there are a lot of good parts to Tower Heist that, while they don’t make it a stellar film, do add to make a really entertaining caper flick.

I still don’t particularly like Brett Ratner, his comments make him look pretty stupid to me most of the time, but a) I don’t actually know the guy and, b) I won’t let that bias my judgment for this film. This is a film that makes us laugh about the economic crisis because we need some comic relief, that has Alan Alda being that kind of sarcastic he’s so good at that, that has Ben Stiller instill that everyman type of soul to his character and, most importantly, that has Eddie Murphy be the funniest he’s been since Bowfinger, and maybe back on the right track to relaunching his career. What it doesn’t have is enough Téa Leoni, she’s always incredible but most films don’t give her enough screen time or know how to best use her, and this one isn’t the exception. But hey, this isn’t a perfect film, but it’s really fun, and that’s more than what I thought it would be.

Grade: B

I’m Still Here

Title: I’m Still Here
Year: 2010
Director: Casey Affleck
Writers: Casey Affleck and Joaquin Phoenix
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix
MPAA Rating: R, sexual material, graphic nudity, pervasive language, some drug use and crude content
Runtime: 106 min
Major Awards: –
IMDb Rating: 6.3
Rotten Tomatoes: 54%

I just saw I’m Still Here today, mid-December, three months after it was admitted that the film was a hoax, and not really a true documentary portraying the crumbling down of Joaquin Phoenix’s life. I would have loved nothing more than to see this film without knowing it was all fake, to see it and be worried about Mr. Phoenix’s state of mind, to see if I believed it all to be true, to see if I would have been skeptical or to see if I would have considered it a sham all along.

But I don’t have that luxury, and I really can’t say what I would have thought of the film had I not known that Casey Affleck, Mr. Phoenix’s brother-in-law, had revealed the truth behind the film. I can only judge it as what I think it is now, and I think it is one of the riskiest and most daring fictional films done in quite some time. I mean, really, this is high-concept performance art, in which the players all devoted over a year of their lives into making a hoax, with Mr. Phoenix completely putting on hold a very well-respected career and risking it too, making people believe that he was in self-destruct mode, victim to drugs and case of an overbearing ego.

And considering it’s a hoax I guess I feel two things towards the film. One is that I’m a bit annoyed, mostly because we had to endure seeing Mr. Phoenix, a phenomenally gifted actor, being reduced to a punchline, seeing him try to become a rapper and failing miserably at it, then that infamous interview on Letterman happened, not to mention the fact that his supposed meltdown brought nothing but bad press to Two Lovers, his dubbed “last film”, which was actually a very good film that was overshadowed by the alleged troubles of its star.

And the other feeling the film brought in me was just sheer awe. Awe that this was done. Whether you hate or love this film, call it a hoax, a documentary, a commentary on celebrity or whatever you want, this is a film that works, because it had people talking, it had quite a lot of people falling for its sham, and that’s ultimately what it aimed to do. And I don’t really think I can grade I’m Still Here correctly know, I mean, the real grade would have been the one given if I didn’t knew it was fake, and I’m bummed that I didn’t get to see it without that knowledge, but I can still appreciate it for what it was.

But I don’t really think one’s opinion of this film would be ultimately based on if they thought it was real or not, because one can still appreciate it as a film about whatever it is about. Finding exactly what it is about is what’s daunting, it’s shot like a documentary, it features Mr. Phoenix in a performance that, if not real, then maybe autobiographical, or biographical of someone else, or fictional, or something else entirely. Even once we all know I’m Still Here is a hoax, questions remain, about its making and who was in on it, and mostly about why it was made in the first place.

Maybe that’s the problem I have with I’m Still Here, if it’s about Joaquin Phoenix I have some questions as to why it was made in the first place, if it’s instead one elaborate metaphor about the price of celebrity, then there are still some questions. This is a film that raises too many questions about itself and answers just a few of them.

But I still liked I’m Still Here, I liked it a fair bit. One reason for that is that, even though I hate the fact that Mr. Phoenix put his career on halt for over a year (not to mention that he hasn’t been officially attached to any new projects since), I respect how committed he and Mr. Affleck were to the project, and that level of commitment is commendable. And the other reason is that it was spellbinding. Seriously, you can’t take your eyes off this film, even if you know that everything going down is false, it’s still pretty captivating.

Again, my opinion is compromised by knowing that this is all a hoax, and thus not being able to fully experience I’m Still Here as it was intended to be, but this is still a riveting film, certainly a very bizarre one to watch unravel, but one that will capture your attention fully. Joaquin Phoenix is after all a very good actor, and here he’s good at playing whoever it is he’s playing, because by telling everyone that he was leaving movies and going to start a music career, the guy was giving a performance, one that lasted  over a year under as far as the public eye was concerned.

I don’t think we’ll ever fully understand what the intentions of Mr. Phoenix and Mr. Affleck were with this film, and I have my doubts about them knowing their own intentions themselves. But I will say that this is a very fascinating film, one that certainly looks and feels like a real account, and one that provides a handful of captivating looks into a very intimate and tormented life. And even though that was all a fabrication, it worked.

Grade: B

The Killer Inside Me

Title: The Killer Inside Me
Year: 2010
Director: Michael Winterbottom
Writer: John Curran based on the novel by Jim Thompson
Starring: Casey Affleck, Jessica Alba, Kate Hudson, Bill Pullman
MPAA Rating: R, disturbing brutal violence, aberrant sexual content and some graphic nudity
Runtime: 109 min
Major Awards: –
IMDb Rating: 6.8
Rotten Tomatoes: 56%

The Killer Inside Me is a film that’s beautifully shot, such a stylized direction was pretty much a given considering the source material, but it’s a film that’s being trashed by some because the hugely graphic violent and sexual content of it all completely overthrows the emotional complexities behind it, personally I’m kind of at the halfway point, I do realize Michael Winterbottom probably should have spent more time getting us to know the characters, or at least the main character, but I still thought this film was well done the way it is, the main character of this tale is a really complex and vivid one to portray, and yes, the script and direction could have given it more material for us to understand it all better, but with Casey Affleck portraying him I think we were off just fine.

Casey Affleck is a tremendous actor, his performance in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford was seriously good, one of the three best of that year in my opinion, so when I found out it would be him tackling this role I realized we would be in good hands, and, coincidentally, Andrew Dominik, who directed The Assassination of Jesse James was first attached to do this film some five years ago or so, but pulled off after the original star, Tom Cruise, also pulled off, I do think this film is better off with Mr. Affleck as Lou Ford instead of Mr. Cruise, but I do think Mr. Dominik would have made a better film out of this material than what Mr. Winterbottom ultimately did.

Kate Hudson as Amy Stanton and Jessica Alba as Joyce Lakeland are the other two main characters, they are Lou’s girlfriend and a local prostitute, respectively, I thought Ms. Hudson, in a role for which Katherine Heigl, Michelle Williams, Natalie Portman and Sienna Miller were all considered, was quite good, though I do believe Ms. Williams would have been a better choice. But something about Ms. Alba’s performance just didn’t do it for me, the other actresses considered for this role, Emily Blunt, Anne Hathaway or Amanda Seyfried, would have surely been better picks and would have enabled this film to further achieve it’s full potential, but it is what it is, and nevertheless, this film is all about Casey Affleck as Lou Ford.

Lou Ford is one of pulp novelist Jim Thompson’s bleakest creations, a guy who has no real comprehension of the line between good and evil, that’s what the title of the film is all about, there is a killer inside of Lou Ford, I don’t mean split-personalities type of killer, I mean that he kills people, some of whom he loves, and he really doesn’t know why, he just does it, he’s not the killer, but he has not control over the killer either, and that’s what’s so damn fascinating about him, and we feel for him, because he’s a guy that seems so nice, he has a girlfriend and his boss at the Police Department seems to like him just fine, but we know there’s so much more to him, and his calm voice in the voice-over narrations only makes it creepier.

The source material for this was a pulp novel, so you really can’t expect that much as far as explanations for the actions of the characters, but you would expect Mr. Winterbottom to at least offer some, the past of Lou Ford isn’t explained, we aren’t given much insight on his behavior towards women either, we are just shown how many women who like to be beaten around are attracted to him, and I think that’s why the violence came as such a shock to all the people who have watched this, because, even though we knew it was coming, we weren’t given any sort of preamble or warning sign, it just happened, and it’s seriously graphic stuff, too, so yeah, it’s shocking, and that’s when the movie will either lose you or keep you in its grasp, in my case it kept me in its grasp, it just wasn’t as tight a grasp as I would have liked it to be.

It kept me in its grasp because Casey Affleck is fantastic, he can really play this sort of character well, the way he played Robert Ford in The Assassination of Jesse James, a guy who can look all sweet and innocent but who’s convincing as hell when he shows us that underneath that is a killer instinct and a dangerous personality just bursting at the seams. We know The Killer Inside Me won’t give us an ending that will have us going home happy and cheerful, the title and synopsis of the film tells us so, but in those sort of films it’s at least important for the director to have us leave with some sort of closure, to have us come to terms with the story he’s told, and while Cassey Affleck gives one awesome performance there was too much missing as far as explanations go to have us really achieve this sort of closure.

Grade: B