When you look over to your right and seeing someone snoring during the screening of a film, it’s never a good sign. When you are exiting the theater and someone behind you states: “this makes two of Matt Damon’s movies that are among the worst I’ve ever seen,” things can’t be much bleaker. Such is the case with the new Clint Eastwood directed, Matt Damon starring snoozefest, Hereafter. It’s a movie I had designs on walking out of, and believe me, I never walk out of films.
Hereafter is about retired psychic George Lonegan (Damon), who has trouble dealing with his visions and thus causes difficulties in his interactions with others. His pesky brother Billy continuously is on him about cashing in on his gift, whereas George sees it as a curse.
Overseas, two storylines will intersect with George’s in a bizarre way. One involves a French political reporter named Marie, who had a near death experience during a horribly acted CGI storm, while the other is about a young boy Marcus, who loses his brother in a tragic accident.
The three subplots play out separately. In George’s life, he deals with Billy’s advances and an apparent hope for love in the states. In Marie’s, she has curiosities surrounding her experience, which leads to professional trouble. For poor Marcus, he misses his brother, which is compounded by the fact that his mom is a dope fiend. Stop me when it gets exciting.
You didn’t stop me? No surprise. The movie plods along at an atrocious snail’s pace and when you are hoping for a major reveal, none happen. Eventually, George comes into the lives of the others, but if you were hoping for some sort of catharsis for any of the characters, be prepared to be let down – severely. Everything is so stiff and contrived, its ugly.
This is (at least) the third straight movie from Eastwood which has failed to deliver. His previous Damon led film, 2009’s Invictus, didn’t materialize into much and 2008’s Gran Torino suffered from some of the same issues here, with its wooden acting and unmoving storylines. The clock is officially ticking for the icon, who made incredibly strong films within the last decade in 2003’s Mystic River and 2004’s Million Dollar Baby. Highly disappointing.
As for Hereafter, there isn’t much positive to report, the director at times shows touch, but the source material written by Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon) is so poor, it leaves little option for the tree to bear any fruit. It’s the type of film you hope would never get made, or at least one that with lesser names involved, would go direct to video. Not only can I not recommend this for the big screen, I don’t recommend it for a Netflix rental. Just stay away and discover the hereafter on your own when the time comes.
Any sports fan knows that boxing is a savage sport. Even those unaffiliated with it in any way are likely to come to that conclusion. It is also known as the “sweet science” and it takes skill, passion, hard work, mental toughness, and physical strength to step into the ring and face an opponent. To create a better life, to become a champion, to support a family, to fulfill a dream; all of these are reasons one enters into the sport. But what is often overlooked is what takes place outside of the ring, after the spotlight is off. The physical toll that takes place on one’s brain, the mental fight that boxers deal with in their daily lives. These are the sides exposed and examined in the boxing documentary After The Last Round.
The film opens to the usual sights one acquaints with a sport that was once side-by-side with baseball as the most popular sport in America. From the gladiator stadium in Rome to the present day, the body blows, haymakers and knockouts that one often associates with the sport; all of that excitement and brutality is on display. After The Last Round documents the situations of five individuals who have all been into the ring, the effects that choice has had on themselves and their families, whether cautionary tale or success story.
Denny and Phil Moyer were brother boxers who entered into the ring in the 50’s at the behest of their father. Both men have suffered an inordinate amount of brain damage and their lives in recent years have left them a complete shell of their former selves. They while away in a retirement home, with only the most simplistic signs that they can still communicate. Essentially, they are living dead.
The film also follows Phil and Tony Bruno. Phil, a father to son Tony, who was seriously injured in a sparring match with a friend and now lives his life with half the side of his body in virtual paralysis. His thoughts are at a rudimentary level compared to where they were heading, when Tony was a strong academic at Colorado University.
DaVarryl Williamson is a fighter still going at 38 years old, hoping for one last shot at fulfilling his dream of a world title. He once lost a title shot on an accidental head butt against then Heavyweight Champion Vladimir Klitschko. With the undying support of his wife, he soldiers on hoping to reach his goal. Kelsey Jeffries, a female fighter who was never close to people, has achieved the titles and looks towards life after boxing. Their stories all unfold for us to see.
Some of the sport’s preeminent writers, doctors, neurosurgeons and even clips of boxing legend Muhammad Ali, all help to serve the story. The film jumps around a bit but its well put together. In its own way, it attempts to evenly lay argument for those opposed, and for, the sport of boxing. It’s not a surprising film by any means, but it’s eye-opening nonetheless and a worthy watch for fans of boxing, documentaries, or the human condition. The best way to track down info on the film is via its website.
Of Note: I was fortunate enough to watch this film at an intimate screening benefiting the Retired Boxers Foundation. The organization was headed up by Alex “The Bronx Bomber” Ramos, a man who has suffered frontal lobe damage due to his fight career. With the support of Bull Durham director Ron Shelton, the foundation was able to get on its feet a decade ago. Several notable men of the sport were in attendance and spoke; the likes of referees Don Cortes and Richard Steele, champions: Tony “The Tiger” Lopez, Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini, legendary Ken Norton and even a former NFL star Dwight Hicks. They all spoke about the effects of damage from their sports, their careers, and the film. It was both engaging, spirited and sad at the same time. I encourage you to look into the Foundation and donate if the mood so strikes you. There is no question that countless former ring warriors could use the support.
How we communicate is constantly in flux. It used to be primarily via face-to-face interaction. Nowadays, it is largely via computer. In David Fincher’s riveting new movie The Social Network, based on the book “The Accidental Billionaires” by Ben Mezrich, communication is exploited and exposed in many forms. One of those uses is the heavy, atmospheric score by Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, which signals the dark mood that Fincher employs for the story of how the communication mega-site facebook was founded and the power struggle behind the scenes of who came up with the original idea for the 500 million member social phenomenon.
Computer nerd Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg, Zombieland) and businessman Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield, Never Let Me Go) are Harvard students and best friends. When the concept of social media is introduced to him, Mark creates a program that crashes the Harvard computer system, and the power of how quickly information sharing can spread becomes amplified. Eduardo provides the financial means for Mark to realize his idea and turn it into an opportunity to meet chicks – and much more.
Humbly-beginning, facebook became the entity it is through college students sharing information. From the dorms of Harvard to law offices in California, from exclusivity to being inclusive of all, facebook’s wide reach touched millions and became worth billions. The non-shocking irony is that the website that connects people worldwide was developed by Zuckerberg, someone who had next to zero connections himself. He clearly wanted a more social life, and with facebook, succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. Fincher’s film details how the site came to be and how it ripped apart the relationships of those involved in its formation.
The Social Network cast isn't staring at internet porn.
Strong performances abound, particularly among the potentially award-worthy leads Garfield and Eisenberg, but also extending to supporting players like Justin Timberlake’s swindler Sean Parker and Armie Hammer’s Winklevoss brothers (yes, he convincingly plays both twins with a bit of Fincher movie magic). Be prepared for Hammer to become a more well-known actor; ditto for Garfield (okay, that was a layup since he is the new Spider-Man). Even Rooney Mara who plays Mark’s girlfriend Erica is set to blow up soon with the lead role in Fincher’s next filmThe Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.
Fincher continues to further his oeuvre, transforming himself from a more creative, avant-garde and visual filmmaker into a mainstream, award-worthy, polished storyteller in recent films. Fincher takes what might not be typically exciting subject matter and makes it compelling, telling the story in a series of intercuts between past and present, keeping us engaged throughout.
Aaron Sorkin’s script, which is already being largely buzzed about for an Oscar run and seems the odds on favorite for the award at this juncture, is also noteworthy. His dialogue crackles, convincingly translating Mezrich’s work into a sharp screenplay for Fincher’s cast and crew to bring to life. Despite the occasional one-dimensional character and an unnecessary scene here or there, The Social Network is a film worthy of making into a social event. Where there is a money trail, there is often tragedy, and this story is no different. Go see the film, even if you are like me and not on facebook. Deep down inside, just like Mark, it only wants you to “like” it.
Inception is an amazing movie. There is no sense in moving forward with a full review without first getting that out of the way. Christopher Nolan and his team, with a cast that is led by the sterling Leonardo DiCaprio, have made a complex, innovative, and compelling film that will be talked about for years to come, let alone is an early awards season favorite. It is likely the best film that I have seen in the last five years and perhaps longer. Yes, it is that good.
Now that the superlatives are out of the way, let me tell you a bit about the film that has been hyped on the internet for at least a year. Inception is a difficult film to define, which will leave you questioning the events you have seen from start to finish. The idea of inception, is the concept of planting an idea in someone’s mind, in order to make that idea a reality within the individual. It may sound complex, and it is, but it also is very compelling.
In the film, DiCaprio’s Dom Cobb is a master at entering people’s dream states and stealing their ideas for various uses. Cobb has a team of rogues that include Arthur (the continually maturing Joseph Gordon Levitt of 500 Days of Summer fame), Tom Hardy’s (Bronson and RocknRolla) impersonator Eames and the rookie architect Ariadne (Juno’s Ellen Page). The team’s members are all capable of interacting with one another within a dream state.
While Cobb has largely been a stealer of ideas, with the concept of inception, his goal is to plant an strong idea in Robert Fischer’s (Cillian Murphy) mind, as a favor (paid) to billionaire Saito (Ken Watanabe), so that Tom will regain his freedom and be able to return to the United States and see his children. Cobb has been living on the lam internationally since he was forced from the US upon an accusation that he killed his wife (Marion Cotillard).
Entering the mind is a challenging art as the mind has defense mechanisms built in to defend itself against theft, which is played out in the film in various forms as well. That is the essential groundwork one can know, in order to grasp the basic principles of what will take place in the movie. Almost anything else would be considered a spoiler; a slippery slope as it is. That being said, the journey that Nolan’s Inception takes you on is an incredibly immersing and creative one.
The visual effects are top notch, the creativity involved truly makes a dream world come to life unlike any film I can recall witnessing. Physics and time rules are tossed out the window (trains travel down the middle of the street, building are bent, gravity shifts – all at a moments notice), and similar to being in a dream, things happen seemingly at random until the “kick”, which is a reference to being jolted awake.
Most everyone knows the feeling of falling from a cliff in their dream and bouncing awake on their bed. Inception takes that fundamental feeling and explains how it happens.
The movie is an incredible thing to witness. You are taken on a journey across continents, torrential weather changes, shape shifting worlds where houses float and stairs end and begin as you create them in your mind. Throw that on top of the strong acting and incredible direction. If you thought The Dark Knight or Memento was Nolan’s strongest point, you can now cast such thoughts aside.
Inception is the clear-cut leader in the awards race for best picture, director and technical achievement at this juncture, if nothing else. The Oscars, Golden Globes and others will be hard pressed to find a yet to be released film to top it. A tall statement in July I understand, but one I believe will hold true nevertheless. Inception combines the striking visuals and mind bending concepts of a film like The Matrix, the action of the Bourne trilogy, with the emotional core of a film like Slumdog Millionaire and rolls them into one challenging whole. Inception is a film that demands repeated viewings and philosophical discussions for those truly trying to discern specific answers to it, but even those who leave their minds at the door can enter into a dreamlike state and just take it all in.
