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“ALBERT NOBBS”: The measure of a man

January 27, 2012 by butlerscinemascene

Glenn Close as Albert Nobbs

“ALBERT NOBBS”  My rating: B (Opens Jan. 27)

113 minutes | MPAA rating: R

There’s so much interesting stuff going on in “Albert Nobbs” that it’s hard to know where to begin.

First, of course, there are the Oscar-nominated performances by Glenn Close (best actress) and Janet McTeer (supporting actress). What makes it doubly intriguing is that both play women disguised as men.

Then there’s the true but semi-fantastical premise of the screenplay by Close and John Banville, which springs from the fact that in Victorian Ireland (and elsewhere around the world during various epochs), certain women to simply survive or to realize their ambitions have opted to go through life as males, never letting society know of their secret.

And finally there’s the man behind the camera, Rodrigo Garcia, who has given us two wonderful and criminally underappreciated masterpieces of independent cinema (“Nine Lives,” “Mother and Child”) and produced (and, frequently, directed) the HBO  series “In Treatment” about a psychotherapist and his patients.

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“EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE”: Precious, but…

January 20, 2012 by butlerscinemascene

“EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE”  My rating: B (Opening Jan. 20)

129 minutes | MPAA rating: PG-13

I was prepared to be irritated by “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.” And I was.

This is a movie about a too-cute kid (he may or may not be autistic) who after losing his father in the 9/11 attack goes on a borough-to-borough scavenger hunt throughout NYC, attempting to solve the final conundrum left by his puzzle-posing papa.

This yarn has an off-the-charts potential for preciousness.

And yet by the end, Stephen Daldry’s film adaptation of Jonanthan Safran Foer’s novel had me by the throat and the tear ducts.

This puts your humble critic in an uncomfortable position. My left brain is telling me, “Aren’t you ashamed?” My right brain is saying, “Yeah, but it feels so good.”

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“SHAME”: The job of sex

January 20, 2012 by butlerscinemascene

Michael Fassbender

“SHAME” My rating: B (Opening Jan 20)

101 minutes | MPAA rating: NC-17

The words “sex addict” are never uttered in Steve McQueen’s “Shame.”

This isn’t one of those social-problem films where a shrink swoops in to explain our hero’s condition and tell us how with therapy and the support of loved ones a sufferer’s life can be turned around.

We’re not even all that sure that Brandon Sullivan, the film’s protagonist, wants to turn his life around.

When we first meet Brandon (Brit actor Michael Fassbender) he’s lying in his bed after a sexual encounter. We hardly get a glimpse of his partner, who is dressing to leave. In fact, she doesn’t matter. Certainly not to Brandon.

As he gets up to walk to the bathroom we take him all in — stark naked from head to toe.  It’s blatantly in-your-face, with Fassbender’s pendulous manhood advancing directly toward us.

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“CORIOLANUS”: Bard in the Balkans

January 20, 2012 by butlerscinemascene

Gerard Butler, Ralph Fiennes in "Coriolanus"

“CORIOLANUS” My rating: B- (Opening Jan. 20)

122 minutes | MPAA rating: R

The rarely-performed plays of Shakespeare pose a problem for film adaptations. Lacking the familiar plots and Bartlett’s-heavy dialogue of a “Macbeth” or “Hamlet,” these minor works force filmmakers to come up with a creative presentational style if they’re to hook a modern audience.

With that in mind, director/star Ralph Fiennes makes of Shakespeare’s Roman play “Coriolanus” a modern-dress political fable about patriotism, loyalty and class warfare.

It’s quite well acted and if the text itself isn’t terribly compelling, the movie’s semi-documentary visual style and the political parallels Fiennes draws between ancient Rome and our own time engage both the eye and the intellect.

The plot centers on the Roman general Caius Martius (Fiennes), who has defeated the rebel forces of Aufidius (Gerard Butler). For his great victory the Senate renames him Coriolanus and names him Consul of Rome. But before getting the job the newly-named Coriolanus must gain the approval of the citizenry.  And that’s no small task, since he’s an aloof patrician who views everyday Romans as worthless rabble. Early in the film we see him turning back starving rioters who have attacked a government warehouse demanding to be fed.

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“CARNAGE”: Touchy-feely to the death

January 13, 2012 by butlerscinemascene

Kate Winslet, Jodie Foster, John C. Reilly and Cristoph Waltz

“CARNAGE” My rating: B  (Opens Jan. 13)

79 minutes | MPAA rating: R

Wickedly funny and maddeningly claustrophobic, Roman Polanski’s “Carnage” is a sort of pretention-free “No Exit” in which four characters are trapped in a hell from which there appears to be no escape.

Actually it’s a nicely-appointed Brooklyn apartment owned by Michael (John C.Reilly) and Penelope (Jodie Foster).  Visiting are another couple, Nancy (Kate Winslet) and Alan (Christoph Waltz).

Nancy and Alan’s 11-year-old son Zachary has ended a playground argument by smashing Michael and Penelope’s son Eliot in the face with a stick.  Now the parents are coming together to make amends in a nice, civilized fashion.

Good luck with that.

Almost from the beginning you can tell that this attempt at reconciliation is not going well.

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“THE IRON LADY”: Her coolness

January 13, 2012 by butlerscinemascene

Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher

“The IRON LADY” My rating: B-  (Opening Jan. 13 at the ** theaters)

105 minutes | MPAA rating: PG-13

By now we should be thoroughly inured to Meryl Streep’s transformational abilities.

Even so, her performance as Margaret Thatcher in “The Iron Lady” comes as a shock.

Yes, she gets immeasurable help from an unsung crew of costumers, hairdressers and makeup artists. But as with any Streep performance, the magic goes far deeper than the surface. The way in which Streep’s Maggie Thatcher moves, holds herself, speaks — it is little short of eerie.

Streep’s believability in the role goes a long way toward ameliorating the movie’s biggest drawback — namely that director Phyllida Law (“Mamma Mia!”) and screenwriter  Abi Morgan (“Brick Lane,” “Shame”) are deeply ambivalent about their subject.

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“THE SWELL SEASON”: Travels with Glen and Marketa

January 13, 2012 by butlerscinemascene

“THE SWELL SEASON” My rating: B  (Opening Jan. 13 at the Tivoli)

91 minutes | No MPAA rating

One of my most satisfying moments of live music ever came a couple of years ago when Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova brought their band the Swell Season to Kansas City’s Uptown Theatre.

Marketa Irglova and Glen Hansard

Only a few weeks before the duo had won an Oscar for their folky song “Falling Slowly” from the film “Once” (they also starred in the movie…if you haven’t seen it, shame on you). It was about as copacetic a concert as I’ve ever attended.

“The Swell Season,”  a documentary by Nick August-Perna, Chris Dapkins and Carlo Mirabella-Davis, is an easygoing, impressionistic film about the band’s post-Oscar tour (I think there’s even some footage here from the Kansas City gig).

It’s meandering and shapeless but it offers numerous opportunities to hear the outgoing Hansard and the more subdued Irglova perfoming…and that’s always a good thing.

It also chronicles — in very haphazard fashion — the slow undoing of their romantic relationship.

The filmmakers chose to present the movie in widescreen black and white…and it looks absolutely fantastic. Good choice.

If you’re not already a fan of the Swell Season you probably won’t have enough background on Hansard and Irglova to figure out what exactly is going on or why you should care.

If you love their music, then it’s a bit like spending an evening with dear friends.

| Robert W. Butler

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“CONTRABAND”: Lost at sea

January 13, 2012 by butlerscinemascene

“CONTRABAND” My rating: C-  (Opening January 13)

110 minutes | MPAA rating: R

Absolutely nothing.

Those were the two words that came immediately to mind after viewing “Cotnraband,” the latest from the hugely productive actor/producer Mark Wahlberg.

This crime drama generates a couple of generic thrills, but that’s about it.

Well, one supposes that not everything Wahlberg touches can be gold.  Every movie can’t be “The Fighter.” But, sheesh, he’s not even trying here.

The premise finds former international smuggler Chris Farraday (Wahlberg) living the straight life in New Orleans with his wife (Kate Beckinsale) and their kids. He long ago quit the criminal trade and now installs homes security systems. Continue Reading »

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BRUCE BRANIT: Local f/x guy up for award

January 11, 2012 by butlerscinemascene

Giancarlo Esposito...his last moments on "Breaking Bad"

Kansas City visual effecs wiz Bruce Branit (of BranitFX) has been nomined for an award by the Visual Effects Society.

Branit and associates Werner Hahnlein, Gregory Nicotero and William Powloski got the nod for their work on the season finale of AMC’s “Breaking Bad.” They are nomninated in the Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Broadcast Program category.

If you saw that episode – “Face Off” – you haven’t forgotten it.

Branit and gang worked on the shot where drug kingpin Gustavo “Gus” Fring (Giancarlo Esposito), targeted for assassination by bomb, walks away from the blast straightening his tie and apparently unharmed.

Then the camera moves from a side shot to a full-on shot and we realize that one half of  Gus’ face has been blown off.

He promptly collapses and dies.

Others shows nominated in same category include “Boardwalk Empire,” “Bones,” “Game of Thrones” and “Pan Am.”

In announcing this year’s nominees, VES chairman Jeffrey Okum said: “The standard of the creative work that is being considered this year is unbelievably high across all categories. The judges faced a huge challenge because all of the work was so far above the norm. We’re honored to hage the opportunity to focus the spotlight on the outstanding work that has contributed to some of the highest grossing films and broadcast projects of all time.”

The SIV will honor comic book legend Stan Lee with a lifetime achievement award and f/x guru Douglas Trumbull (“2001: A Space Odyssey”) with the Georges Melies Award during ceremonies Feb. 7 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. The event will be carried on the Reelz cable channel.



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“TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY”: LeCarre’s people

January 6, 2012 by butlerscinemascene

Gary Oldman as George Smiley

“TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY” My rating: B+ (Opening January 6 at the Glenwood Arts)

127 minutes | MPAA rating: R

Gary Oldman is often described as an actor’s actor…which in his case apparently means an incurable ham.

Oldman’s career is heavily weighted toward over-the-top, push-too-far performances. Sometimes this is forgivable, particularly when he’s in a bad movie and his fierce scenery gnawing is the only remotely entertaining thing in sight.

Too often over the years, though, I’ve found him to be a jarring pothole in a movie’s narrative highway.

Now I can happily report that in “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” Oldman gives a marvelously restrained, subtle and carefully modulated performance.

He plays British spymaster George Smiley, the owlish Cold War protagonis of several John LeCarre novels — a role essayed by Alec Guinness in the 1979  PBS adaptation of “TTSS.” And he is quietly wonderful.

The movie’s not too shabby, either. Continue Reading »

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