Stretch
Director: Joe Carnahan; Main Cast: Patrick Wilson, Ed Helms, James Badge Dale, Jessica Alba, Chris Pine;
Joe Carnahan has a knack for wacky, convoluted stories. I liked the wild ride that was Smokin’ Aces and Stretch doesn’t disappoint! It reminded me a bit of Into the Night, since this movie follows the misadventures of the titular character (Wilson), a down-on-luck limo driver, for roughly 24 hours and most of the crazy stuff happens during a long night. Stretch is plagued by a big debt with his bookie (who wants all his money back by midnight) and by a pushy competitor limousine service; in addition he’s still heartbroken since his girlfriend left him for a pro football player… and his day has just started. Clearly matters don’t improve and the viewer goes down the rabbit hole along with Stretch. After the short appearances of David Hasselhoff and Ray Liotta as themselves, both over-the-top and funny, the real treat and revelation is Chris Pine: absolutely hilarious as eccentric demanding billionaire that involves Stretch in a shady and dangerous deal with a promise of a hefty tip. I won’t add more to avoid spoilers. The film flows quite well with twists and turns that keep you interested and eager to know what crazy thing will happen next. The ending is a little predictable but it is still enjoyable and doesn’t detract from the overall fun of the film. Wilson is well cast as underdog that fights his way out of troubles, he gives a solid performance that carries the film from start to finish. If you like something weird in your entertainment this film is what you’re looking for. Zany —7/10
Filed under Seen at home
Bloodline (season 1)
Main Cast: Kyle Chandler, Ben Mendelsohn, Linda Cardellini, Norbert Leo Butz, Sissy Spacek, Enrique Murciano, Sam Shepard;
“All happy families are alike, each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way” and it applies very well to this family drama set in beautiful Florida Keys. The Rayburns are well-respected and pillars of the community of Islamorada. The patriach Robert (Shepard) and his wife Sally (Spacek) own and manage a renowned inn. Their grown-up children are quite arrived and leading a nice life: John (Chandler) is a detective for the sheriff department with a lovely wife and two teenager kids, Kevin (Butz) owns a marine services facility and he’s married and Meg (Cardellini) is a gifted lawyer with a charming boyfriend Marco (Murciano), who is also John’s partner. The exception is the eldest: Danny (Mendelsohn), who seems to always find himself in trouble and he’s the only one who’s left their hometown. Danny’s return for the celebration of the 45th anniversary of the inn is both expected and dreaded by the rest of the family, since there’s clearly something in the past that hangs over all of them. After a little back and forth, Danny decides to stay in town, although his father and his siblings are ambivalent about it (to say the least!). The story is intertwined with flash-forwards that give you hints of what’s to come but not to the detriment of the plot. I liked the juxtaposition of the bright sunny weather for the current tale and the dark rainy one for the future tidbits. This is a slow burning tale, that takes its time flashing out the characters and moving along the plot, and it is more a “whydunit” than a whodunit, since it is clear from the beginning that something has gone terribly awry and who is responsible for it. It should be seen as a very long film so stay away if you are impatient and want episodes that make sense as stand-alone. If you, on the other hand, like getting to know the how and what and why for each main character then this is your cup of tea. The cast is incredibly good (Chandler, Spacek and Shepard in particular) but Mendelsohn is spectacular! Worth watching just for him. Riveting —7.5/10
Filed under TV-shows
Sound & Motion Pictures: endings with a dance scene
In the holiday spirit of good and uplifting feelings I thought that some happy group dance scenes would be the right thing this week. These scenes wrap up good films, some of which are cult classic that live forever in the collective imagination. The music is catchy and light and you can’t help but feeling good. As always this is a list of favorites: enjoy!
Dirty Dancing – (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life, Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes (1987)
Nobody puts baby in a corner!
Swayze knows his stuff and it’s memorable! You finally get to see the famous jump.
Footloose – Footloose, Kenny Loggins (1984)
A whole school learn to dance and have a good time (very fast and very proficiently!). Kevin Bacon is a hero of the eighties (as Peter Quill reminded us!).
Slumdog Millionaire – Jai Ho, A.R. Rahman (2008)
A happy ending to a tale of woes in modern India with… a Bollywood musical number! That’s just perfect. The song stays with you for days.
Beetlejuice – Jump In Line (Shake, Senora) Harry Belafonte (1961)
Floating Winona Rider dancing with ghosts to an Harry Belafonte’s song… only Tim Burton could have come up with it. Plus shrinking heads!
The Blues Brothers – Jailhouse Rock, The Blues Brothers (1980)
Well, what’s better than making the best of it when you end up in jail with a classic song? Perfect conclusion to an epic film.
Shrek – I’m a Believer, Smash Mouth (2001)
The most irreverent fairy tale of them all and the best wedding party in animation history.
Bonus for a laugh: Tropic Thunder – Get Back, Ludacris (2004)
Unrecognizable and with a great sense of self-irony, Tom Cruise gives us this pearl of comedy.
Filed under Odds and ends, Sound & Motion Pictures
Spectre
Director: Sam Mendes; Main Cast: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Léa Seydoux, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Dave Bautista, Andrew Scott;
Sam Mendes as director, Christoph Waltz as main villain, Daniel Craig finally owing the role as 007, after good performances in Skyfall and Casino Royal, at least one age-appropriate Bond-girl (Bellucci)… this film had all the ingredients for being a worthy new chapter in the suave spy’s history. Alas, it doesn’t deliver on all its promises. To begin at the beginning: the title sequence with Sam Smith’s song is neither remarkable nor particularly memorable, so no, not a good start (it was difficult to top Skyfall, I know). Our hero is on a mission from M (the deceased one, not the current one) but he doesn’t really know what he’s chasing or looking for. The not-so-greving widow (the above mentioned Bellucci) of the man Bond most recently killed points him to a secret meeting of a secret organisation… and I was waiting for someone to say “Hail Hydra!”… I’m too jaded I guess for a serious take on an all powerful, worldwide criminal syndicate. It did work well in the sixties when the franchise started but now, after so many homages and parodies (I’m looking at you Austin Powers!), I think it lost its aura of menace and uncomprehending evil. Blofeld is not truly convincing as psychopathic megalomaniac, Waltz’s valid efforts notwithstanding, and makes the whole story a little flat. While our globetrotting spy is involved in all the classic Bond-action scenes — foot and car chases in cities, beating up henchmen, saving the damsel in distress and gathering intelligence — on the home front M (Fiennes), Q (Benshaw) and Moneypenny (Harris) are fighting the ugly face of progress, personified by C (Scott), who wants to bring the British intelligence into the 21st century. Of course, we know from the get go that there’s more to it and it helps bringing the plot full circle in the third act of the film but…really! Demonising the digitalisation process it’s a bit old… Sarah Connor told us decades ago. Anyway, I’ve been very negative so far, so here’s the good part: the cinematography is spectacular, the action is quite breathtaking and the cat-and-mouse chase during the Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City is amazing. All actors give solid performances and the story moves along smoothly, Mendes, after all, knows his job. Maybe my expectations were too high and I felt let down, only time will tell. Spectre wants to be sinister and serious but lacks the more raw and grim elements of Skyfall to be as good as the latter. Unsatisfactory –5.5/10
Filed under Seen at the cinema
Sound & Motion Pictures: TV Shows nostalgia 4
Here we go again with a blast from the past! There are many hit shows from the 1990s but the following are both emblematic and with an unmistakable intro music. As I have done for the previous decades, they are listed in chronological order.
Twin Peaks – theme by Angelo Badalamenti (1990)
We all wanted to know who killed Laura Palmer! This eerie, haunting and occasionally creep series stems from the wild imagination of David Lynch, heralded by an equally spooky music.
The Fresh Prince of Bel Air – theme by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince (1990)
The face that launched a thousand ships… oh no, sorry, I meant the show that put Will Smith on a path to stardom. The hip hop answer to the Huxtables with its memorable lyrics.
X-Files – theme by Mark Snow(1993)
I’ve often wondered: why did Scully and Mulder always end up in dark places with tiny flashlights? Another mystery related to this TV cult. The music has an uncanny feeling that stays with you for a long time.
Friends – I’ll Be There For You, The Rembrandts (1994)
Misadventures of a group of twenty-somethings in New York, you know, it’s like Girls but for Gen Xers. The upbeat music of The Rembrandts will always bring a smile to your face.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer – theme by Nerf Herder (1997)
Kickass leading lady that fight vampires and the forces of evil while painstakingly punning and making clever pop culture references: awesome! Welcome to the genius of Joss Whedon. The rock intro just sets the pace… in every generation there is a chosen one…
Sex and the City – theme by Douglas J. Cuomo (1998)
The life of four thirty-somethings: their sexcapades and troubled relationships in the Big Apple. All told with humour and style.
Filed under Odds and ends, Sound & Motion Pictures
Sicario
Director: Denis Villeneuve; Main Cast: Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, Benicio Del Toro;
Kate (Blunt) is a FBI agent used to kick down doors and catch bad guys for the good of all American people. She follows the rules but, on a rescue operation, she stumbles on something that it’s beyond understanding: dozens of dead bodies ensconced inside the walls of a house. It belongs to a major player in the drug traffic between US and Mexico and it has the additional perk of backyard shed booby-trapped with explosive that kills two policemen. Spurred by righteous indignation, Kate joins an inter-agency task force led by Matt (Brolin), soi-disant consultant for the Department of Defense, who will show her how the war on drugs is really fought. Mat is helped by Alejandro (Del Toro), another “consultant” of the US government, who is enigmatic, apparently all-knowing and rather shady, also not American. The viewer goes along with Kate on this grim ride, discovering facts and getting information as she does, slowly realising that she stepped into a very dangerous world where police work is substituted by covert military operations and rules and boundaries are very different from what she knows and believes in. Villeneuve seems to have a knack for making films that keep you engaged and uncomfortable at the same time. The foreboding mood of the story, the constant feeling that something is not right is difficult to shake off even for the jaded, cynical viewer, all thanks to Villeneuve’s ability in combining excellent performances with a good script and expert cinematography. Brolin and Blunt sell very well their respective characters but Del Toro is the one that truly shines! I did miss him in a role he could sink his teeth in and give us something remarkable. The other interesting aspect of this film is the fact that doesn’t really give an answer to the questions it raises on the “war” on drugs, it just depicts the situation in all its stark, disheartening reality, reminding me of a very illuminating exchange in an episode of The Wire:
Carver: You can’t even call this shit a war.
Hauk: Why not?
Carver: Wars end.
Gripping —7.5/10
Filed under Seen at the cinema
Ramblings of a cinephile 