Alpha Dog (2006)

Rated R for pervasive drug use and language, strong violence, sexuality and nudity.

117 Minutes

Written and Directed By: Nick Cassavettes

You ever have that dream: the one where you did something… You don’t know why, but you can never go back? -Johnny Truelove

Synopsis

A young boy in the suburbs of LA is abducted by local drug dealers as ransom for his older brother who owes them a whopping $1200.  Along the way it becomes clear these rookie criminals don’t know what their doing, and it becomes a dangerous road of whether their fear or common sense will prevail.

Review

There was no way I imagined this would be a good movie.  With no question the film had it’s issues, but in general I found myself enjoying it’s over the top drama.  This sensationalized story inspired by true events was much more than it promised in it’s previews.  Ten minutes into the film it’s apparent there will be no Oscar performances and the story is going to cross into the land of fiction more often than not, but what is offered onscreen in those first few minutes is enough intrigue about the character’s and the promise of a story that will keep you entertained if not intellectually sustained. 

The obvious holes in the story, and ignorance of it’s main character’s to their situation that leads to the finale don’t necessarily add up in a way that makes sense for any of the character arcs or the climax in general, and that’s where the film lacked the most.  Suspension of disbelief only works if there is a remotely logical answer to the viewers questions and Alpha Dog ignored that at times.  It was certainly melodramatic and could have done without the last fifteen minutes.  It’s definitely on the softer side and often it fails simply because it tries to come off more abrasive than it truly is.

However, some of the twists and conflicts the story and character’s take begins to give the tale a bit more substance and suddenly it seems like Alpha Dog might actually be about more than young attractive actors glamming the silver screen up.  What the film did was demand some respect, and attention from it’s viewer, and in general was a successful story that worked.

Cast

• Bruce Willis as Sonny Truelove
• Emilie Hirsch as Johnny Truelove
• Justin Timberlake as Frankie Ballenbacher
• Shawn Hatosy as Elvis Schmidt
• Ben Foster as Jake Mazursky
• Anton Yelchin as Zach Mazursky
• Sharon Stone as Olivia Mazursky
• Olivia Wilde as Angela Holden
• Dominique Swain as Susan Ha
• Chris Marquette as David Stratten

Where the film lacked in structure and general direction it made up for with a charismatic cast that often preoccupied the audiences mind and saved it from thinking too much.  Hirsch was downright believable and kept his sidekick played by Timberlake grounded.  The touching emotional scenes Timberlake was brilliant and natural.  It was the in between moments that he felt awkward, but with some training and practice it’s something he can get past.  Ben Foster is overwhelming in whatever he does, but it felt like Cassavettes literally took away the reins and let him go bonkers.  At times I felt like he was trying to be too Ed Norton in American History X, but his twisted high pitched interpretation mostly made it his own.  His behavior didn’t always make sense with the story, but it kept you entertained.  Anton Yelchin was so sweet and adorable, I’d want to keep him as a pet too.  By the end of the film he had me honestly concerned about him and his well being.  The supporting ladies, including a small role by Sharon Stone, were great supporters, but there were so many and they all looked like carbon copies on one another.  So much so, that I began to confuse them at points.  Shawn Hatosy is a seasoned actor, and his veteran skills showed next to Timberlake again providing a strong counterpart to play off of.  In the end each others weaknesses were upheld by each others strengths, and that’s good directing.
Ratings and Suggestions

With an attractive and charming cast this film will no doubt appeal to the teen crowd, but it does have something to offer an older, smarter audience as well.  There is nothing profound about Alpha Dog, but it entails an engaging story about glamorous rich kids who do something very bad, and the choices they make thereafter.  The performances are fun, and entertainment value on point.  Alpha Dog was definitely more than it should have been, and is certainly worth checking out.  Two and a half stars out of Four.

Casino Royale (2006)

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violent action, a scene of torture, sexual content and nudity.

144 Minutes

Directed By: Martin Campbell

Written By: Neal Purvis and Robert Wade

The name’s Bond… James Bond. -James Bond

Synopsis

Bond returns with a new face and a new story, and after decades of gracing the big screen rewinds itself in history to the first mission of 007.  His first mission is a game of gambling in more ways than one.

Review

The smooth and perfect Bond the world has grown accustomed to is now a bit altered on his first mission where errors and trouble are a muck.  Our new Bond, played by Daniel Craig, no doubt is the same Bond we’ve watched years over, but certainly on the green side.  The Bond we all know wouldn’t lose a fight, screw up, or be confused and caught by the bad guys, and if he would his escape and retreat would be so delicate it would see as though it were his plan in the first place anyway.  But of course he had to start somewhere, and Casino Royale offers a trip to see where it all began for our favorite secret agent hero.

Bond of course never bumbles, but he does error in this film, and frankly it’s actually difficult to watch.  He is still elegant as ever, not too mention arrogant, but to watch him fail makes this a very different Bond film.  By the end of the movie you’ve found a resolve in his strength and why he is the Bond we know now. 

With a different style, different script with a lot more depth, and a new Bond himself, Casino Royale often feels like the only characteristic its encompassed from Bond is the title character himself, and while this is not a negative thing, on first viewing it certainly does throw you, even if you expect it.  Nonetheless, myself an avid aficionado of the Brosnan style Bonds, I found a relief in the fresh direction Casino Royale took and am more than perplexed to see where the next complicated Bond tale takes me.

Cast

• Daniel Craig as James Bond
• Eva Green as Vesper Lynd
• Mads Mikkelsen as Le Chiffre
• Judi Dench as M
• Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter
• Giancarlo Giannini as Mathis

Daniel Craig slips into the smooth shoes of the beloved Pierce Brosnan as our new Bond.  With a different twist and different kind of Bond, but with the same underlying skills underneath, Craig takes the chance of becoming the Bond everyone would hate.  However, his sarcastic smugness coupled with his tantalizing charm is impossible to not accept.  He plays his role perfectly while still possessing the qualities of a Bond that the world has grown to adore and idolize.  The Bond club is a very unique group that only a few have been part of and most are remembered solely for.  Even Sean Connery with all his accomplishments and diverse roles over the years is often referred to as Bond.  Hopefully in Quantum Of Solace Craig continues the brilliant commencement of his Bond career.

Ratings and Suggestions

I really enjoyed Casino Royale.  In fact, I rank it as one of the best Bond films ever.  The risks taken were well worth the result, and made a new cousin in the Bond family, that while related is certainly it’s own self.  Reinventing is not an easy task, and even a greater one when the popular belief states the story is closer to what Ian Flemming’s original ideals about Bond should be.  In every respect Casino Royale was a success.  It’s plot and script was flawless and balanced it’s fantastical action with character’s to die for.  Casino Royale earns my respect and three and a half stars.

Stephen Kings: The Stand (1993)

366 Minutes

Directed By: Mick Garris

Teleplay By: Stephen King

Based On The Novel By: Stephen King

M-O-O-N, that spells Tom Cullen. -Tom Cullen

Synopsis

Man has finally met his match.  A super virus created by the military has wiped out the majority of the planet nearly ending in an extinction for man.  The survivors have each found they share similar dreams.  One that leads them to Nebraska to an elderly woman, and one that leads them to Las Vegas to a man who is ominous and terrifying.  As the survivors pick sides reality shifts once again, and suddenly surviving isn’t enough.  One side must prevail.

Review

Just like a Stephen King novel, a translated film, even miniseries like The Stand, ends up being pretty prolific.  One of the things I admire about Stephen Kings storytelling is the need for the writer to really finish a story instead of leaving the unknown.  When a tale is told, everything is told, and it feels like the story has really ended.  There is a complete catharsis to finish his stories, and it was evident that he was responsible for the teleplay of The Stand as it omitted that same feeling of tying up all loose ends.

A magnificent tale of survival after a man made Apocalypse, a fear displayed again and again in film and novella, King manages to make his own twist on it that is very different than most stories.  Death by virus is a simplistic method for extinction, but the supernatural and religious overtones that follow the cataclysmic end of man, really define what The Stand is about.  There is no question the story began as child questioning the universe what the meaning of life is, good and evil, if God exists, and all the other profound questions one could surmise.  It’s told in Kings simple way of letting a plethora of characters play out seemingly irrelevant events that lead to a masterful conclusion.

My one complaint about the tale had less to do with the story telling and more to do with the directorial position than anything.  The first three parts were clearly started and finished but also contained a symmetry between them.  They never felt like they were carrying on or going for too long.  The fourth and final part felt very dragged out at times.  Especially with the final mission which seemed created just for the sake of killing more people.  Whatever the motivation, the result was a dragging that left the story feeling like it would never end.

Cast

• Gary Sinise as Stu Redman
• Rob Lowe as Nick Andros
• Molly Ringwald as Frannie Goldsmith
• Jamey Sheridan as Randall Flagg
• Ruby Dee as Mother Abigail
• Laura San Giacomo as Nadine Cross
• Corin Nemec as Harold Lauder
• Ossie Davis as Judge Richard Farris
• Miguel Ferrer as Lloyd Henreid
• Matt Frewer as Trashcan Man
• Adam Storke as Larry Underwood
• Ray Walston as Glen Batemen
• Bill Fagerbakke as Tom Cullen

The cast was fully loaded and to no surprise, each actor, on the good and evil side added something special to the survivors of earth and each actor really displayed the understanding that surviving wasn’t enough.  Jamey Sheridan, Bill Fagerbakke, and Gary Sinise were the stand out performances, but everyone else played very well to the typical Stephen King ensemble cast, other than Molly Ringwald.  In the past twenty years she continues to prove she has no acting talent and that her career as an eighties teen princess should be left in the eighties with Tiffany and Debbie Gibson’s music.  She was an annoying thorn in the side of the movie, but only that, not enough to ruin it.

Ratings and Suggestions

It took me nearly fourteen years to finally sit down and make a marathon of The Stand, but it was well worth the wait.  I’m not sure it’s the kind of movie I want to revisit, but I’m definitely implored to read the book.  This, more than many of Kings supernatural tales, really seemed to get under my skin and be entertained at the same time.  It’s a balance he generally plays well.  I think everyone should take a viewing of this movie eventually.  It would be worth your while.  This quote from the film seemed to sum up the theme best:

You’re quite a piece of work Mr Cockroach. We could learn a lesson from you, especially in light of recent events. I have an idea come this time tomorrow I’ll be gone, but you’ll still be trucking, running little roach errands. -Glen Batemen