Movie Review - Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs (2015)

Starring Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen, Jeff Daniels, Michael Stuhlbarg, Katherine Waterston, Perla Haney-Jardine, Ripley Sobo, and Makenzie Moss

Directed by Danny Boyle

Told in three acts in "real time" with each detailing the forty minutes leading up to a product launch, Steve Jobs is a unique experience of a film told in a provocative way by director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin who have created something I've yet to see before that quite frankly shouldn't have worked, but proves exceedingly successful.  Providing excitement through dialog -- a rarity in art nowadays -- Sorkin and Boyle have crafted not so much a biopic, but a look at how a man's psyche and emotional state can both change over time and remain disappointingly the same.

There's certainly no way that prior to the 1984 launch of Macintosh, the 1988 launch of the Next computer system, and the 1998 launch of the iMac that Steve Jobs (Michael Fassbender) received visits from Apple CEO John Sculley (Jeff Daniels), Apple programmer Andy Hertzfeld (Michael Stuhlbarg), colleague Steve Wozniak (Seth Rogen), ex-wife Chrisann (Katherine Waterston), and daughter Lisa (played at the three stages by Makenzie Moss, Ripley Sobo, and Perla Haney-Jardine). There's also certainly no way that this group of people conveniently visited Jobs so that their respective story lines with the Apple founder/genius could progress in their respective manners.  There's also certainly no way that in the moments leading up to some incredibly important product launches, a man like Jobs would allow himself to be pulled away from such pivotal career moments to deal with crumbling personal and workplace relationships.  Yet, for some reason, thanks to the rather ingenious storytelling by Aaron Sorkin, this film and its rather obvious regimented set-up works.

Rarely do I write a review where I find myself giving tons of credit to the screenwriter, but in the case of Steve Jobs, I think what Aaron Sorkin does to create an atmosphere where the obviously manufactured set-ups work is something of a revelatory experience.  Part of the reason I think the three act structure is so hugely successful is Sorkin and director Danny Boyle's insistence to have the scenes play out in real time.  As Jobs's right-hand woman Joanna Hoffman (Kate Winslet) tries to wrangle her boss into prepping for his big event(s), we in the audience find ourselves gradually inching towards the edge of our seats desperate to see whether everything will be resolved by the time Jobs needs to take the stage.  As the film progresses and the second and third acts begin, we in the audience are now aware of the gimmick and the insistence of Sorkin to have Jobs meet up with all the aforementioned people, and the anticipation we felt in Act One grows even more as we now find ourselves desperate to discover how Jobs's relationships will either become positively or negatively affected by his actions.  This concept is a writer's conceit but it, along with Sorkin's fast-talking, highfalutin dialog, works.  (Seriously, how often do we hear the words "halcyon" and "somnambulant" in movies?)

Three paragraphs in and I've yet to discuss what may very well be the best cast assembled for a 2015 release when the RyMickey Awards roll around next year (there's a ways to go still, though).  There's not a bad egg in the bunch and everyone bites into the Sorkin mile-a-minute pitter-patter style with gusto and rolls with it.  Michael Fassbender is great as Jobs, although the film admittedly doesn't quite give the character the emotional arc it actually thinks it does -- his comeuppance at the hands of his teenage daughter while bitingly written and believably acted is the only aspect of the film that feels a tad contrived (and that's saying something in a film whose structure is entirely contrived).  Still, Fassbender is in every moment of the film and his interactions with each and every actor feel natural, real, and never forced.  Great work is also had by Katherine Waterston and Kate Winslet -- two women playing very different roles, neither of which are easy by any means, but both of which are absolutely necessary for the title character to be a fully realized one.  Quite surprising is Seth Rogen's take on Steve Wozniak.  Usually the star, Rogen is relegated to second banana, but his Wozniak is a character desperate for attention from his father figure in Steve.  Much like Jobs has all but abandoned his daughter (a pivotal Act One moment that resurfaces in subsequent acts), he has also left Wozniak behind and Rogen's depiction of Woz's woeful despondency and his deteriorating relationship with Jobs is the emotional crux of the piece for me.  (Their showdown in Act Three is fascinating stuff.)

Although I've heaped much praise on Aaron Sorkin, credit is also due to Danny Boyle who has created a rhythm in Steve Jobs that causes this talky, play-like film to move at a breakneck pace.  I'm not sure I've ever seen a film so chockfull of dialog that felt this fast-paced to me and the real time aspect of the three acts ingeniously keeps the tension palpable.  Kudos also to the concept of utilizing three different types of film -- 16mm, 35mm, and digital -- creating unique visual imprints in order to capture the various acts.

Whether or not Steve Jobs depicts the exact psychological journey of Steve Jobs "The Man" I don't know; but I do know that the film showcases talented folks in front of and behind the lens who have crafted a cinematic experience that still has me thinking about it nearly a week after watching it.  There aren't too many films that I experience in a theater that have me wanting to rush out and see it again -- and there certainly aren't many biopics that make me feel that way -- but Steve Jobs did just that.

The RyMickey Rating:  A-

Movie Review - Trance

Trance (2013)

Starring James McAvoy, Vincent Cassel, and Rosario Dawson

Directed by Danny Boyle

I've always been a fan of Danny Boyle and even if I find some of his films a bit overrated (I'm looking at you, Slumdog Millionaire), I still find them visually intriguing.  Trance is certainly eye-catching in the same vein as Boyle's other films -- and that's a good thing as the script seems surprisingly hollow considering the multitude of double crossings going on in this art heist-gone-bad flick.

Opening with an impressive sequence in which our main protagonist Simon (James McAvoy), an employee at a fancy British art auction house, tells the audience in voiceover how to prevent the theft of exquisite paintings only to have an exquisite painting stolen mere minutes later, I was intrigued with Trance right from the start.  In the midst of the theft, Simon is knocked unconscious by one of the thieves and wakes up in a hospital, unable to remember what occurred.  As it turns out, Simon himself was involved in the theft and integral in stealing the coveted art piece.  The only problem is that Simon was attempting to double cross his fellow criminals and kept the painting for himself...except that with his loss of memory, he has no clue where the painting actually is now.  When his "boss" Franck (Vincent Cassel) discovers that Simon was trying to manipulate him, he's none too happy, but is desperate to get the highly coveted and incredibly expensive painting back in his possession.  In order to do this, he sends Simon to a hypnotist (Rosario Dawson) whom he hopes will be able to get Simon's latent memories to rise to the surface.

There's nothing in that summary that I don't like.  Sure, it may not be the most original concept, but it sounds solid.  Unfortunately, things sputter a bit after the plot is laid out in the opening thirty minutes.  Hypnotic dream sequences come to the forefront and while they are nicely shot, they grow a bit monotonous and tiresome.  There's only so many times the screenwriter can "get me" before I grow wary of the circuitous "what is reality" conceit.

The acting is fine, but the best aspect of the film -- and what saves it from being a rather complete bore -- is Boyle's direction.  Unlike Baz Luhrmann whose films are essentially interchangeable in the way that he lenses and edits things, Boyle's films -- which some would say carry that same manic tone as Luhrmann's -- are aesthetically similar to each other in the way he shoots, frames, and cuts images, yet they each feel unique.  I'd never confuse a scene from Trance with a scene from Slumdog Millionaire or 127 Hours as an example, whereas I could easily mistake a scene from The Great Gatsby for one from Moulin Rouge.  For that, I give Boyle credit.  He's a director whom I look forward to seeing what he brings to the screen.  It's just a bit unfortunate that the screenplay here didn't carry its own weight.

The RyMickey Rating:  C

Movie Review - 127 Hours

127 Hours (2010)

Starring James Franco, Amber Tamblyn, Kate Mara, and Clémance Poésy

Directed by Danny Boyle

I don't get choked up too often.  For some reason or another, as 127 Hours came to a close, my eyes welled up a bit.  No tears flowed, but the true life nature of this story got to me for some reason.  Of course, a movie making you get emotional in that manner is always a good thing and Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle's latest is a winner and one of the best films I've seen in 2010.

Based on the true story of Aron Ralston, James Franco portrays the title character, an adventure-seeking nature lover who, while hiking alone through a canyon in Utah finds himself trapped under a fallen boulder.  It's him...and a boulder...for about eighty minutes.  Reminscent of Tom Hanks' turn in Cast Away, this film rests solely on Franco's shoulders acting-wise and the young talent delivers in spades.  Despite a somewhat shaky start (which I'll discuss in a bit), once Franco gets trapped, I was completely riveted.  Franco's playing two different sides of Ralston here -- a cocky adventurer who feels nothing can harm him shifts quite well into an extremely right-minded logical guy who needs to stay strong in order to survive his horrific ordeal.  Both sides are believable and both sides are executed perfectly by Franco who should be a strong contender for Best Actor at this year's Oscars.

Of course, with a film like this, direction is extremely important considering that the film is literally just a guy stuck underneath of a rock, and Danny Boyle delivers.  While Slumdog Millionaire, while a good film, was perhaps overrated, Boyle's Oscar-winning direction was the star of that film to me.  Here, Boyle ceratinly takes a back seat to Franco.  Still, his clever direction which consists of his trademark quick cuts interspersed with moments of much-needed calm shows true talent.

That being said, the one problem that I had with the film lies a bit in the direction.  The opening scenes screamed "PRETENSION" to me.  The quick cuts and split screens that Boyle employed in the introductory moments really had me despising the film for the first five minutes.  I honestly was kind of dreading the whole experience.  However, things came around and everything fell into place quickly and became a film that I'd absolutely like to watch again.

Beyond the direction and the acting, the film works because Boyle (and his co-screenwriter Simon Beaufoy) cleverly take us into Aron's mind by giving the audience a peek at his dreams and water-deprived hallucinations.  These little asides not only give the viewer a break from the intense feeling of being trapped with Aron, but they also make us relate more to this guy.  It may seem simple, but flashing back to scenes of Aron as a youngster with his mother, father, and sister or scenes with his ex-girlfriend help to shape Aron into a full character.  Had these moments not been included, I really feel the movie would have fallen flat.

[SPOILER ALERT from here on out, although if you know anything about this movie, you're probably 100% aware of what I'm about to discuss.]  Much has been made about the infamous scene in which Aron cuts off his own arm to free himself from the boulder.  I don't quite know why it would be so faint-inducing as has been reported.  However, much like I found myself shockingly emotionally attached to the character, I imagine that may be the reason it's difficult for some people to watch.  Like me, they'd grown to relate to Aron and became oddly invested in his struggle to survive.  As I said above, this movie worked for me much more than I expected it to and I hope to see it get nominted for quite a bit in the upcoming months.

The RyMickey Rating:  A- 

Movie Review -- Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

starring Dev Patel, Anil Kapoor, Irrfan Khan, and Freida Pinto

directed by Danny Boyle and Loveleen Tandan (co-director: India)

screenplay by Simon Beaufoy

I can't deny that expectations for this one were high.  With a co-worker telling me it was the best movie he had seen in three years, I couldn't help but think that I was going to be watching something special.

Slumdog Millionaire tells the story of young Jamal Malik who, as the film opens, is being tortured in an Indian jail.  Believed to have cheated while a contestant on India's version of "Who Wants to Be A Millionaire," Jamal gradually tells his life story to a police interrogator in hopes of proving that he genuinely knew the answers to the game show.

The joy of the film, for me anyway, was in the direction.  I'm a big fan of British director Danny Boyle even though I haven't seen the film that gave him his big break -- Trainspotting.  Despite (and I'm sure because of) quick cuts and the significant use of flashbacks, Boyle creates a beautiful looking movie...stylistically anyway.  A.R. Rahman's score is superb, and I found that it was probably the biggest key in pulling me into this Indian slum world.

Unfortunately, the film just didn't click with me until the final reel, and even then, it kind of left me a little cold.  I will say that this film still has me thinking about it to this day (I saw it over a week ago), but I find myself wavering in terms of how much I liked or disliked it.  The storyline dealing with Jamal's slimier brother is what I keep coming back to...I didn't really enjoy where that story went, and I found myself not caring at all about this substantial section of the film.  Plus, during Jamal's search for his childhood sweetheart, everything seems too coincidental (and, thus, unbelievable) leading up to their initial reunion (no spoiler there, really...I promise).

All that said, the tone that Boyle set for the film was perfect and his work alone knocks the film up a notch or two.  However, I can't understand why this film is winning everything in its path this awards season.  Was there really no better film? (I know the answer to that...and these better films will be reviewed in upcoming posts.)

The RyMickey Rating:  B