Critics Corner – “Whatever Works”

Film Outlet	Movie Critic	Rating Given	Review Date
	Prodigal Son	3 / 4 nests	6-15
	Peter Travers	2.5 / 4 stars	6-18
	Lisa Schwarzbaum	C	6-16
	Roger Ebert	3 / 4 stars	6-25
	Critics / Users	C+ / B-	6-26
	N/A	N/A	N/A
	Rating / T-Meter	5.2 / 46%	6-26

As always, we bring you some of the lesser news items from the past week to you on Wednesdays. If you wondering how Batman 3 could possibly be considered one of the weeks lesser news items, please read on. More sequels and remakes await you and even a casting change you’ve all been begging for, but maybe not the way you would have liked it. Here are the weekly news tidbits.

In what seems to be a weekly event, those interested in Ghostbusters 3 tidbits should check out [MTV Movies Blog] for a interview with Ivan Reitman (a former boss of mine, in a way). The majority of the conversation revolves around the release of Ghostbusters on Blu-ray today, but there’s some discussion about the impending sequel.

For more fuel to the crappy IMAX Digital fire, producer Frank Marshall (of Raiders of the Lost Ark, Back to the Future and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button fame. So, really, nobody.) attended a screening of Bruno at an IMAX Digital theater in NYC and felt just as robbed as everybody else. [Frank Marshall's Twitter Account] Speaking of Twitter, you can subscribe to ours here. Lastly, if you want, you can read Roger Ebert’s dissing of IMAX Digital here.

In some non-news for you, Christopher Nolan has yet to sign for Batman 3. Gasp. As if he’s out shooting Inception or something. [Beyond Hollywood]

James Bond fans might like to know the character of Blofeld is scheduled to make another appearance in Bond 23 and rumor has it that Michael Sheen (The Queen, Frost/Nixon) may handle the portrayal. [Screen Crave]

With Total Recall and Predator getting remakes, why not throw in a third former-Schwarzenegger film to get the nod? The cast for the remake of Red Dawn grows by two. Josh Peck (The Wackness) and Adrianne Palicki (“Friday Night Lights”) join Thor-to-be Chris Hemsworth. [Atomic Popcorn]

Leonardo DiCaprio is set to produce and star in a film about online casinos based in Costa Rica. For some reason this reminds me of Two for the Money, but I’m sure it’ll be better. [The Scorecard Review] Speaking of DiCaprio, if you haven’t seen the Shutter Island trailer, it’s a must.

Anybody who’s ever hated the idea of Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane Watson in the Spider-man franchise finally got their wish, as Evan Rachel Wood (next seen in Whatever Works) will be portraying Peter Parker’s redheaded object of affection in the new Spider-man…musical on Broadway. Get some. [Latino Review]

Lastly, I just read a piece about Universal’s upcoming The Wolf Man remake with Benicio del Toro last night, so it’s only fitting that Universal is looking at remaking another monster film of theirs, Bride of Frankenstein. [Risky Biz Blog]

Jennifer Aniston was quoted recently as stating most romantic comedies aren’t predicated on the act of falling in love or the characters involved in such an act. It’s more about the scheme they’ve cooked up. This is accompanied by the idea of the “meet cute,” in which the characters must bump into each other in a way that hasn’t been seen before. “I ran you over with my car? Let’s fall in love.” I hesitate to label Whatever Works, the latest film by Woody Allen, a romantic comedy due to the negative connotations involved therein. Instead, it’s a comedy about finding love wherever possible.

Boris Yellnikoff is a genius, or at least he proclaims to be. His story consists of once being considered for a Nobel Prize in the field of quantum mechanics. Perhaps it was the failure to reach this pinnacle achievement that turned Boris cold to the human race. Either way, he says his superior intellect gives him the singularly unique ability to see “the big picture” and it frightens him. He wakes in the middle of the night in panic attacks, announcing that he’s dying, “not now, but eventually.” He associates with a few friends, although he despises the human population and refers to them as either microbes, inchworms or cretins. He’s unsuccessfully attempted suicide and now suffers from a permanent limp after splitting up with his wife because their marriage was too logical and rational for him to bear.

Limping home one night, Boris encounters a “sub-mental” named Melodie St. Ann Celestine. She’s a wide-eyed, 21-year-old, country girl on flee from her adulterous parents. She begs Boris to let her inside his apartment to clean herself up, and after resisting for as long as possible, Boris allows the “half-wit” to stay overnight. The night turns into days, turns into weeks. Through hours of conversation with her intellectual superior, Boris’ views on life rub off on her and she admits to having a crush on him. This eventually changes Boris’ perception of her, and again after fighting off all obvious reason they shouldn’t be together, they get married.

As any marriage with four decades separating the spouses, it has its ups and downs, but by-and-large, it seems functional. Boris is happy to have somebody bow to his masterful mind. One day, however, after a long search, Melodie’s mother shows up at the doorstep. She’s a dedicated Evangelical and lord knows what happens when she finally finds her runaway daughter to discover she’s married to a Brooklyn Jew two score her senior. She faints, then proceeds to make it her mission to find a more suitable husband for her daughter, threatening to wreck the foundation Boris and Melodie had built with each other.

"Who are you supposed to be, my competetion? Yeah, right."

Woody Allen has long been associated with comedy ever since emerging onto the scene some fifty years ago, but it seems his drama films are the more acclaimed, or at least they have been recently. Vicky Cristina Barcelona and Match Point eclipse Scoop, Melinda and Melinda and Anything Else in both notoriety and quality. However, Allen returns to form here in a way that evokes the great Annie Hall. The quickest ways this film can be identified with his former masterpiece is when Boris breaks the fourth wall. One of the most recognizable moments from his Best Picture-winning film is when Allen’s character, Alvy Singer, is stuck in a line waiting for a movie when a blowhard in front of him starts dissecting Federico Fellini’s work, using the words of Marshall McLuhan. Alvy happens to have McLuhan handy and has him tell the blowhard he’s an idiot. Alvy then breaks the fourth wall and says directly to the audience, “Wouldn’t it be great if life were like this?” Boris tells his story to us directly and of course we see it play out, while he references us “out there” from time to time. The trick works just as effectively today as it did in 1977, as it helps to reign the audience in.

Allen is also used to working with the same actors for a few films at a time, but this time out his two leads are entirely new to the world of Woody Allen. In fact, Larry David isn’t really an actor at all. He plays a version of himself in his HBO show, “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and all of his work is essentially improvised. This is his first film role, and with Boris he takes up the task of playing the “Woody Allen character.” David is a neurotic, much like Allen, and their pairing is a perfect marriage. David may not be the actor Allen is, but he pulls off the task of the cynical, “world-is-against-me” character he’s asked to so well, I yearned for him to return whenever he was off-screen. The love interest of Melodie is portrayed by Evan Rachel Wood (The Wrestler), who continues her ascent toward being recognized as one of the top actresses of her generation. She plays funny, quirky and dumb, but with a likability you can see Boris growing fond of.

Of course, what really separates this film from Allen’s past few other “comedies” is that it’s funny. It might also be one of Allen’s most personal films. Although the script was apparently written in the 70s and dusted off, it seems to reflect Allen’s current outlook on life. A lot of people have been turned off to Allen, the person, due to his relationship with his at-one-point adopted daughter Soon-Yi Previn and his quote, “the heart wants what it wants.” The theme of Whatever Works carries a similar philosophy, while depicting a relationship with a multi-generational gap. This may not change anyone’s perception of Allen, the man, but may work to explain a little bit more about how his mind operates.

It’s been far too long since Allen has been relevant in the comedy world and this may not be his greatest triumph, but it’s far more successful at bringing the laughter than his past few attempts. Those hoping to witness a return to form for Allen in his genre roots will find it here or at least a kick-start to what will hopefully continue on into future years. Allen will almost certainly continue to carve out his niche on the dramatic scale of things, but when he hits the comedic nail-on-the-head, it deserves to be celebrated. Romantic comedy formulas be damned, Woody Allen is having none of it.

Whatever Works is the latest work from legendary writer/director/actor Woody Allen. I’m a causal fan of Allen’s work, but not the big fan our own Prodigal Son is. I have enjoyed such films as Scoop, Match Point and his classic Annie Hall. Though I have yet to see any bad stuff from Allen (which I’m sure he has), I am interested in seeing his pairing with “Seinfeld” co-creator and creator and star of the HBO show “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” Larry David.  I loved “Seinfeld” and always thought “Curb Your Enthusiasm” was funny, so it’s good to see two comedic geniuses working together.

"Ever seen 'Searching for Bobby Fischer?' I'm gonna take you DOWN!"

Larry David stars as Boris Yelnikoff, an upper class New Yorker who’s grown weary of his current lifestyle and yearns for a “normal” existence. Boris says he’s “not a likable guy” and is surrounded by “microbes.” He lives in Greenwich Village (if you’ve been to New York, the nicest area of the city) with his wife Jessica (Carolyn McCormick, “Law and Order”) and their relationship is on the rocks. One day, Boris meets Melodie St. Ann Celestine (Evan Rachel Wood, The Wrestler), an obvious out-of-towner who just got to New York from the South.  They quickly become friends and she’s the perfect excuse for Boris to get away from his unwelcome lifestyle. Things get a little difficult when Melodie’s mother, Marietta (Patricia Clarkson, Pieces of April) comes to visit her at her New York apartment. Marietta is a colorful religious southern lady who makes Boris uneasy. Things get even more difficult when Melodie’s equally religious father, John (Ed Begley Jr., Pineapple Express), visits her and wants to get back with her mother.  Boris must use “whatever works” to sort out the confusion before his excuse for a normal life gets as bad as his past life.

Whatever Works was written and directed by Woody Allen and he’s littered with career achievements, most notably Annie Hall, for which he won Oscars for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay and was nominated for Best Actor. I actually would have liked to see him act in this as well, perhaps in a supporting role.  It would have been amusing to see Allen and David going at it on screen. Of course, David is essentially playing the Allen role, anyway. Just in case you need to know more of Allen’s pedigree, since Annie Hall, he’s been nominated five times for Best Director and 13 times for Best Original Screenplay, but winning only once.

"If you keep eating that crap, your butt's gonna be out to here."

I’ve enjoyed Larry David’s writing and acting work on “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and I’m looking forward to seeing how he works with a living legend like Allen.  It’s refreshing to see an intelligent comedy come along for once and not ones that pander to the lowest common denominator, like Next Day Air or Year One.

Whatever Works opens June 19^th to a limited release.

Just yesterday I was talking about my excitement for  this film, which of course happens to be one of our most anticipated of the year. We’ll be previewing it later this month, but today we get our hands on the first scene from the film. We got just a brief glimpse during the end of the Oscars montage a couple of months ago and now we get a full-fledged 41 seconds of kinetic ecstasy to come.

Okay, actually the scene isn’t all that much to write home about. It consists of Larry David limping along a pier with Evan Rachel Wood’s wide-eyed girl from Mississippi. Apparently David is some kind of genius and the dialogue is decidedly Woody-like, debating America’s “greatness.”

The film is slated for limited release in June, but is opening the Tribeca Film Festival in New York this week. I wish I was there. I’d imagine we’ll get some early impressions pretty soon and I hope the film is everything the merging of two neurotic personalities promises to be.

One of THE most anticipated films of the year is the Viggo Mortensen post-apocalyptic film, The Road. Of course it was one of the most anticipated last year, too, until it was delayed for further awards consideration. Only a few stills have been released so far. No poster and no trailer yet. [Boing Boing] linked to some style frames done for the film. They’re kind of like rough concept art. If this is what we need to get some Road action, so be it. It’s slated for released in October, according to IMDb.

David O. Russell’s name has been mentioned a lot lately, attached to various projects, but his latest is The Fighter, about Irish boxer Mickey Ward. It’s taken forever to get this project off the ground, so we’ll see if this version will happen. Mark Walhberg is set to play Ward, and guess who’s set to play Ward’s trainer? That would be Christian Bale. I look forward to the inevitable Russell/Bale stand-off on-set. Here’s what they did as individuals. Should be epic. [Film Drunk]

Zack Snyder has continued to suffer fallout from Watchmen’s box office underperformance. His next film, Sucker Punch, has lost three key women all due to scheduling conflicts. Out are Amanda Seyfried, Evan Rachel Wood and Emma Stone. In are Emily Browning, Jamie Chung and Jena Malone. [Obsessed With Film]

Jason Statham is set to fill the shoes of Charles Bronson for director Simon West in the remake of The Mechanic. I’d imagine more than cars get fixed. [We Are Film Geeks]

Wanted creator Mark Millar decided to pipe up against the uproar of Evan Spiliotopoulos (writer of The Lion King 1 1/2) being tapped to write Wanted 2. He says Spiliotpoulos wrote an unproduced action-oriented spec script and that’s what won him the job.  Take that. [Fused Film]

[Cinema Blend] tells us Marlon Wayans is set to star in The Year of Living Biblically about a man who attempts to live his life with a strict adherence to the “Bible” for a year. As Ned Flanders would say, “Even the stuff that contradicts the other stuff.” Sounds like a high concept project hopefully better than any Wayans brother comedy.

Following up yesterday’s slew of new film pics, here’s one from the new Neil Marshall (The Descent) film, titled Centurion. [Beyond Hollywood]

Finally, today we leave you with [Cinematical]’s speculation of the chance of Harley Quinn appearing in the next Batman film. It’s not much evidence at all, but the speculation is there. Why not fuel the fire that’s died down a lot since last summer?

Fresh off the hype machine that is Watchmen (yes, we’ve seen it and the review is coming soon), director Zack Snyder is set to tackle a different sort of movie, one with an all-female cast.  Sucker Punch is the new film and I would venture to guess with Snyder at the helm, we could think of Charlie’s Angels on steroids or something along those lines.  Culling from his own script, Snyder’s tale is based on an action-fantasy from the 60’s with the same title.  EW reports:

Snyder is still putting together his all-female cast, but sources say Amanda Seyfried is in negotiations to play the lead role of Baby Doll, a young woman who has been committed to an insane asylum and fantasizes about escaping with the help of her fellow inmates, who take on fantastical roles in her mind. Offers are out to a slew of young actresses to fill out those roles, including Vanessa Hudgens, Abbie Cornish, Evan Rachel Wood, and Emma Stone. The $100 million budgeted film for Warner Bros. is scheduled to begin production in the Fall. Says Snyder, who is also producing the film with his wife Deborah Snyder, “I already did the all-male cast with 300, so I’m doing the opposite end of the spectrum.”

I used to do Marilyn Manson and maybe Mickey Rourke.

You have to hand it to the guy for having the gall to take on a project like this.  An all-woman cast is a risky proposition at the box office, and with a triple figure budget, that task becomes significantly bigger in scope and possibly difficulty.  A man known for being a risk taker and visionary with 300 and Watchmen now under his belt, this is an opportunity for him to really set himself apart in the industry I think, if he hasn’t already done so.  The cast has some legitimately known names, Evan Rachel Wood is known to be a fine actress and Hudgens is a tabloid regular, so it should have some level of name recognition going for it, but it still has tons of risk in my eyes.

Will the fanboys this type of pic is targeting, come out in a testosterone-less piece of work?  Is the thought of possible T&A enough to rouse them to the theater? That didn’t work for Frank Miller’s The Spirit which I think could be looked at in a similar vein.  Will teenage girls embrace this opportunity for empowerment the way they did with Charlie’s Angels?  What will the film be rated and how will that affect it’s b.o. prospects?  Tons of issues here, but possibly an exciting time for those interested and involved.

Samuel L. Jackson proclaims to be a workaholic, and that may very well be true. It’s one of the major reasons he ended up on our 20 Actors Who Need To Call It A Career list. Woody Allen would never make it on such a list as long as I have a say, but the man is a machine. He’s consistently churned out at least one move per year since 1982! As writer and director and sometimes star. I’m aware that this fervent pace has caused more than a few people to feel the quality of his films has dipped severely, but you’re allowed to miss every once in a while when you can bring a gem like Match Point to the table.

Allen is returning to London were he made the triumvirate of Match Point, Scoop and Cassandra’s Dream. “He’s going, going, back, back, to London, London.” This time, he’s bringing Anthony Hopkins (another worthy addition to our aforementioned “20 Actors” list and Josh Brolin along with him. Like every Woody Allen project, nothing is known about any plot details, nor even a title at this point. Just cast.

Thanks to “Variety” for the great news. Allen currently has Whatever Works with my writing-idol Larry David and Evan Rachel Wood, wrapped up. No news as to when that will be released just yet, other than “sometime in 2009.”

I was turned on to Woody Allen in college and have been a huge fan of his since, so any news concerning an upcoming project of his is definitely welcome. Below is a scene from Play It Again, Sam, which he wrote and starred in, but did not direct. I think this catapulted him to prominence in my eyes:

Allen was also the subject of an episode of one my favorite TV shows, “Seinfeld.” “These pretzels are making me thirsty,” was instantly an iconic line.

As much as I like and respect Allen’s work ethic, and he does receive extra points for writing all his films, Alfred Hitchcock was the ultimate workaholic director. Hitch directed 1.13 movies per year over a 54-year career! That’s counting the latter span after his wife and closest collaborator had a stroke in which he directed only four films in 10 years. An absolute beast!

Some people are meant to do just one thing with their lives. When they stop doing that thing, they can’t handle it. Just recently, Penn State football coach Joe Paterno signed a three-year contract extension with the school. He’s 80-plus years old and has been coaching at the university for 50 years. When debating why he wouldn’t retire, a local radio DJ cited Alabama legend, Paul “Bear” Bryant. When Bryant retired and was no longer coaching, he died. Those are the themes The Wrestler deals with. What do you do when you can no longer do what you love? Or the only thing you know how to do? How do you survive?

Twenty years past his prime of the 1980’s, Randy “The Ram” Robinson continues to toil in the only world he knows, that of professional wrestling. The bright lights and large screaming crowds are behind him. His squared-circle now consists of a makeshift ring transported to the middle of school gymnasiums. His spectators are now scattered in folding chairs. His autograph signings consist of fans you could count on one hand, surrounded by former wrestlers sitting in wheelchairs and concealing urine bags. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. We’re not in Wrestlemania anymore.

When not “sitting on other guy’s faces,” trying to scrape together enough money to stave off eviction from his trailer park home, Randy frequents a local strip club, where Cassidy and The Ram trade flirting conversations. She continues to maintain her professional integrity by treating him like the customer he is, trying not to get too close. She is the only important thing in his life, so it’s no surprise when he visits her after having a heart attack that cripples his career. She suggests he get in touch with his estranged daughter in hopes of reconnecting after his life is threatened.

Randy’s daughter, Stephanie, has been hurt by him far too often in her life and she is content to forget about him. Even though she is of college age, the most recent photo he possesses of her shows her around ten. His attempts to reconnect with her are not easy, and it’s clear he will have to change his ways if he is going to have the kind of relationship he desires. Just like no longer remaining a customer if he is to have a romantic pairing Cassidy. Like no longer wrestling if he is to remain living. How can he change his lifestyle to accommodate the people he cares for, including himself?

After a brief slick-looking hiatus with The Fountain, director Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream) returns to his gritty, independent cinematographic style from which he made his name. The handheld nature of the film creates a documentary-like effect, heightening the realism. Long shots trail The Ram from his dressing room to the wrestling ring, much like Spinal Tap trying to find their way on stage. These shots are echoed later while Randy works the deli counter at his day job, in attempt to replace wrestling as his career. This stripped-down technique displays none of Aronofsky’s penchant for visual tricks that he employed in his prior films, and fans may come away disappointed with the director’s eye narrowly focused on the acting.

The merging of actor and character is how the film gets by. The career of Mickey Rourke has traveled much the same path of Randy’s. He was at the top of his game in the 1980’s and has struggled to surmount much of a foothold ever since. One suspects he needn’t fabricate much of the emotion he elicits in the film. At this stage in his life and career, The Ram was a character he may not have been born to play, but one he needed to. It may spell the resurrection of his career and his life. The Ram’s daughter, Stephanie, played by Evan Rachel Wood, has only a handful of scenes, but they are stand-out. The pain and hurt she’s suffered at the hands of The Ram are worn prominently on her sleeve. Marisa Tomei’s Cassidy parallels The Ram as a stripper past her prime (not Tomei, the character) who dreams of moving on with her life, but realizes she possesses no other skills. She and The Ram are destined to be kindred spirits, relying on their bodies to carry them through.

At this point in professional wrestling’s pop culture tenure, and even in the 80’s, its spectators know it’s fake. However, I had never seen the underbelly of the sport exposed to the degree The Wrestler peels back the curtain. It’s great entertainment to watch The Ram and his opponent talk out their moves backstage and how best to bring the audience to their feet. Those professionals do a great job of it, but I don’t feel the film drums up the same amount of excitement. I found myself more interested in the plight of The Ram’s wrestling career than in the relationships he tries to retain outside of the ring. The script by Robert D. Siegel lacks the impact needed to transcend the film to higher heights than just a detailed account of what happens to wrestlers when the limelight goes dim.

The Wrestler is the ultimate tale of how being on top doesn’t last forever, not even on the mat. Solid acting by Rourke and company will certainly be nominated for major awards. However, the story doesn’t live up to all it portends to be.