Movie Review - Captain Fantastic

Captain Fantastic (2016)

Starring Viggo Mortenson, George MacKay, Samantha Isler, Annalise Basso, Nicholas Hamilton, Shree Crooks, Charlie Shotwell, Kathryn Hahn, Steve Zahn, Ann Dowd, and Frank Langella

Directed by Matt Ross

***This film is currently streaming via Amazon Prime***

The inhabitants of Captain Fantastic are people with whom I would never ever want to spend any time in real life.  Self-professed hippie Ben Cash (Viggo Mortensen) has taken his six kids out of the "normalcy" of society to live on their own private family commune in the middle of the Washington wilderness where they kill their own food, learn survival skills, live out of an old school bus, and learn about left-wing philosophies.  Leslie, the matriarch of the Cash family, was recently hospitalized for bipolar disorder and at the end of the film's first act, Ben learns that his wife has committed suicide.  With the kids devastated, Ben decides to put his children on the bus and travel to his wife's parents' home where he will try and convince them to acquiesce to his wife's wishes and cremate her rather than having a church ceremony and subsequent burial.

The bus journey makes up the bulk of Captain Fantastic and while it certainly showcases the bond Ben has with his six children, it does little to make me feel that what Ben is doing is good parenting.  While I recognize that my personal opinion is neither here nor there (Lord knows as a conservative-leaning movie-lover, I'd have to hate half of what Hollywood dishes out), the film wants the audience to believe that what Ben is doing with his wilderness living is the best thing for his kids despite the fact that the film shows us several times that it's not.  The film is inherently set up for us to root for the life of Ben and the kids to remain their current status quo, but we in the audience know that's not what's best for them and by Ben being so stubborn in his ways, I found myself losing interest about halfway through.  Granted, by the conclusion of writer-director Matt Ross's film, Ben eventually realizes that he needs to adjust his kids to some semblance of normalcy in order for them to survive in the real world, but it's a bit too little too late.

Still, despite this, Captain Fantastic is moderately engaging thanks to Viggo Mortensen at its core as the genuinely caring father whose disdain for modern life has transferred fully onto his children.  As for those kids, most of them do nice work helping Mortensen to carry the piece especially young Shree Crooks as the headstrong and inquisitive youngest daughter Zaja.  Obviously your mileage may vary, but something about the motivations of the characters made it difficult for me to buy into this film despite the good performances.

The RyMickey Rating:  C

Movie Review - Grace of Monaco

Grace of Monaco (2014)

Starring Nicole Kidman, Tim Roth, Frank Langella, and Parker Posey

Directed by Olivier Dahan

***This film is currently streaming on Netflix***

First off, I must say that the critical lashing Grace of Monaco received after its premiere at Cannes in 2014 that led to the film not being released theatrically is completely unwarranted.  While the Nicole Kidman-starring pic isn't mind-blowing, it's certainly not anywhere close to the bottom rungs of films released in 2014 and should've at least garnered a bit of an audience based on the subject matter and star alone.  Seeing as how it's actually up for an Emmy for Best TV Movie (it premiered on Lifetime earlier in 2015), I'm obviously not alone in this assessment.  For the RyMickey's Ramblings blog, however, logistically, I'm going to call Grace of Monaco a theatrical film released in 2014.

Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier of Monaco in 1956 and by doing so the Oscar-winning actress essentially ended her Oscar-winning film career at the young age of 26.  However, as the film tells us, by 1962, Princess Grace was considering a return to the big screen when Alfred Hitchcock paid her a visit with the script for Marnie.  Seemingly ready for a return to Hollywood, Grace's yearning to act again is put on hold when the people of Monaco begin to question her loyalty to their small country just as her husband Prince Rainier (Tim Roth) finds himself in a dispute with Charles de Gaulle of France over taxation.

Taking a small page out of Grace and Rainier's life, Grace of Monaco is not billed as a biopic and indeed it begins with the wording, "The following is a fictional account based on real events."  You may then ask yourself, "What's the point of the film then?"  To this blogger, it details the universal quest of most women to find balance in one's life in terms of family, career, and love -- here, it's simply amplified to someone more famous as she leaves her old world behind and is thrust into an even higher profile limelight.  Nicole Kidman does quite a good job at conveying Kelly's sense of doubt as to her place in Monaco and I actually think it's one of her better acted roles in recent years.  I was quite captivated any time she was onscreen (director Olivier Dahan excels at capturing the "glamour" of the star and of Monaco) and while I would've preferred her Australian accent be always muted (I was distracted at moments because of this), Kidman more than carries the film.

Considering its streaming status on Netflix, I think this one is worth a look if the subject matter is even remotely interesting to you.  The boos and hisses Grace of Monaco received after its premiere at Cannes in 2014 were simply those of uppity folks expecting a bit more than they probably should have.  For the Weinstein company to have abandoned this flick like they did is kind of ridiculous and paints an unfair portrait of the perfectly acceptable film itself.

The RyMickey Rating:  C+

Movie Review - Draft Day

Draft Day (2014)

Starring Kevin Costner, Jennifer Garner, Denis Leary, Frank Langella, Chadwick Boseman, Josh Pence, Sean Combs, and Ellen Burstyn
Directed by Ivan Reitman

I've never been a football guy and I likely never will be.  I've never gotten excited over who the Philadelphia Eagles choose in the annual NFL draft so the concept of a film revolving around this day didn't exactly scream fascinating to me.  The fact that Draft Day kept my interest is a feat unto itself and the notion that I found it somewhat enjoyable is nothing but surprising to me.

Kevin Costner is quite captivating as Sonny Weaver, the general manager for the floundering Cleveland Browns, who wakes up on draft day to his girlfriend and co-worker Ali (Jennifer Garner) telling him that she's pregnant.  As if draft day wasn't strenuous enough, now he's got this whopper in his back pocket all day (and, really, let's be honest, if Ali is the football fiend that her high-paying job at the Browns says she is, she should have known better than to reveal this big news on draft day).  Nevertheless, the claws are out for Sonny from the fans, the potential draftees, the coaches and players currently employed by the Browns, and the owner of the team (Frank Langella).  One wrong move and Sonny will seemingly be out of a job.

Draft Day works best when it places Sonny in moments where football decisions are front and center.  (No one is more surprised than me that I just wrote that sentence.)  Clouding his day with family problems -- the new fatherhood, his mother (Ellen Burstyn) attempting to make him feel guilty for forgetting about his dead father (and former Browns coach whom Sonny himself fired when the team failed) -- just bog the film down.  I guess part of me understand why these issues are present in an attempt to appeal to the masses, but the inner machinations of an NFL draft day are more than interesting enough.  Livelihoods are truly on the line and Draft Day does a pretty darn good job of making that evident.

The RyMickey Rating:  B-

Movie Review - Noah

Noah (2014)

Starring Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, Emma Watson, Logan Lerman, and Douglas Booth; with the vocal talent of Frank Langella and Nick Nolte

Directed by Darren Aronofsky

I go to church.  

I also go to movies.  

When I go to movies, they don't need to reflect any of the teachings that are espoused in the church, but if they do, I prefer not to be hit over the head with them.  I'm an intelligent enough guy to read between the lines and grasp any philosophical or religious undertones.  You won't ever catch me heading to the insanely (though perhaps dubiously) popular God's Not Dead for this very reason.  Blatant religious proselytization is a complete turn-off to me perhaps because it's not how I live my religious life.  (I'm one who you'll never find preaching my beliefs to others -- which perhaps makes me a bad Catholic, but I can't help but feel my beliefs are my own.)

The reason for that preface is to illustrate the point that those who are ragging on Darren Aranofsky's Noah for "taking liberties" with a Bible story that is two pages long don't know what they're talking about.  The criticisms lobbed at this one are utterly unfounded and quite honestly paint "religion" in a bad light.  Then again, I'm one of those religious folks who believe most aspects of the Bible are simply "stories" that present "how to live one's life" as opposed to "actual happenings."  But you Noah-complainers can go on believing that Noah lived to be 950 years old...

Noah is a beautiful film told by a talented director headlined by a movie star giving what could very well be the best performance of his career...and it espouses the overall tone of the biblical story of Noah to boot.  All of those reasons are why Noah is a success.  Granted, the film doesn't quite hit all the right notes -- Aronofsky (who also co-wrote the film with Ari Handel) throws in a "bad sheep" subplot revolving around one of Noah's sons Ham that proves to be the biggest issue -- but I greatly appreciated the film's attempt to display a man's religious convictions and how they shape his life.  While it's true that Noah may "go off the deep end" a little bit in the film's third act as he attempts to bring an end to all mankind as he feels that was God's plan for him, the film more than justifies that stance while also supplying an appropriate ending and epiphanic-type moment for the title character to realize the error of his interpretation of God's word.

Everyone knows the story of Noah (played by Russell Crowe) and his ark, but Aronofsky and Handel expand upon the short tale in great detail and with significant "free reign."  I'm pretty certain the Transformers-like Watchers -- six-armed stone creatures who protect Noah as he builds his ark -- didn't make an appearance in the Bible.  Nor was there an epic battle between Noah and the descendants of Cain headed by Tubal-cain (Ray Winstone) who desperately want to find refuge on the ark to live through the water apocalypse.  Personally, I found that this expansion of the biblical Noah story added depth, heart, and even strengthened the religious aspects of the tale.

Noah is a man who wants nothing more for his family to live a life at peace with the Earth and the creatures and humans who inhabit it.  When we first meet Crowe's Noah, he's a humble, quiet man who we can tell deeply cares for the well-being of his family and has a strong faith in the Creator.  (This "Creator" nonsense is perhaps the biggest "uproar" the movie caused.  With only one mention of the word "God," opponents of the film are up in arms.  This criticism is utterly unfounded.)  However, when he "hears" God speak to him, telling him to build an ark to safely shepherd his family and two of every creature through the approaching storm, his calmness shifts to diligence and steadfastness to the Creator.  However, upon seeing the Creator's wrath upon humanity, Noah admittedly starts to go off the deep end, feeling that this horrific event imposed upon humans must mean that God doesn't want them to inhabit the Earth anymore.  (This religious fervor that Noah feels is essentially mirrored in the religious folks who don't want you to see this film.  To me, they're eerily similar in that they both feel they are fully aware of what God would want from them.)  Nevertheless, Aronofsky's Noah character is a tricky one and Crowe absolutely succeeds at portraying every aspect of the complicated and thought-provoking character.

Jennifer Connelly as Noah's wife Naameh and Emma Watson as Noah's adopted daughter Ila also provide powerful performances in a film that also heavily focuses on the women in Noah's life.  In fact, it's when the film attempts to shift to the trials of Noah's two oldest sons Shem (Douglas Booth) and Ham (Logan Lerman) that the film falters.  Their "love triangle" of sorts with Ila is disappointingly trite and Ham's attempts to undermine his father oftentimes feel cheap and overly dramatic.

As far as the cinematic aspects of the film are concerned, despite the subject matter this is most certainly Darren Aronofsky's most "mass appeal" film to date.  After the quick cuts of Requiem for a Dream, the somewhat erotic Black Swan, and the inward "simplicity" of The Wrestler, Aronofsky allows the story to take center stage (despite having a much bigger budget for this one than any of his other features).  That isn't to say that there aren't some typical trippy moments -- the "creation" story Noah details in the third act is beautiful in that it stands in such stark contrast to the rest of the aesthetic of the film while still feeling like it naturally belongs in the piece -- but this is the "least Aronofsky" Aronofsky film I've seen.  Personally, I love what he brings to the table and I think he created a very thoughtful big budget flick.

The RyMickey Rating:  B+

Movie Review - Robot & Frank

Robot & Frank (2012)

Starring Frank Langella, James Marsden, Liv Tyler, Susan Sarandon, and Peter Sarsgaard

Directed by Jake Shreier

In the near future, aging Frank (Frank Langella) is finding himself entering the beginning stages of dementia or Alzheimer's Disease (the specifics are never really discussed in the film).  His son Hunter (James Marsden) lives about six hours away from his father, but still visits him on a regular basis on the weekends leaving his own children behind to care for his ailing dad.  In order to alleviate some of this constant traveling in his life, Hunter decides to buy a robot caretaker (voiced by Peter Sarsgaard) who will clean, cook, and keep an eye on Frank's health, reporting back to Hunter when necessary.  Frank is adamantly against this as is his daughter Madison (Liv Tyler) who is working in Turkmenistan and can't really prevent her brother from bringing this newfangled technology into her father's home.

Eventually, Frank realizes that he's stuck with the robot so he might as well try and get to understand the technology...and this is where Robot & Frank starts to slowly go downhill.  The film's opening act (as detailed in the first paragraph) is amusing, but as the flick progresses, we discover that a long time ago Frank was a rather brilliant small-time thief who happened to get caught and spend some time in prison.  When Frank discovers that his robot companion has been programmed to do what Frank tells him to do, Frank decides to teach the robot the tricks of the trade when it comes to robbing people and this duo sets out to do some damage in their small town.

Ultimately, though, it isn't the story that takes Robot & Frank down a notch.  It's the fact that I failed to find myself connected to Frank in the way that I think was necessary in order for the movie to succeed on all levels.  Frank Langella certainly does a good job here...he's better than the part he's given, in fact.  Unfortunately, considering his condition of a slowly deteriorating memory, I never found myself invested in his plight.  When Frank says to his daughter who desperately wants to take the robot away after several weeks together, "But he's my only friend," I can't help but think that was supposed to hit me in the gut.  It didn't in any way, however, and the fault has to either lie in the direction of first time auteur Jake Shreier and/or the script from first time screenwriter Christopher D. Ford.  Somehow the screenplay and the direction never quite made the emotional connection with me in the way that the film desperately desires and needs in order to fully succeed.  Here's this old guy whose health is fading and he's being reinvigorated by a friendship with someone (or something, to be more accurate) he thought he was going to hate.  There's depth there worth exploring and while I think the film tries, it didn't click for me in the way it should have.

While it may seem like I'm critiquing Robot & Frank in a manner that would deem it not worth watching, it's actually a somewhat solid film with some nice performances from the whole cast.  The problem is that the potential for something greater is always present, but the film is never quite able to grasp it.

The RyMickey Rating:  C+

Movie Review - Unknown

Unknown (2011)

Starring Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, Aiden Quinn, January Jones, and Frank Langella

Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra

Jaume Collet-Serra's last directorial effort, 2009's horror film Orphan, ended up on my Top 20 list of the year.  His 2011 flick Unknown will not share that same prestige, however.  Unknown, starring the newly-turned bad-ass Liam Neeson as a man who, after a horrible accident, falls into a coma then wakes up to find his wife and friends acting as if they don't know him, is a film that just never reaches any levels of excitement.

Collet-Serra tries to formulate some action sequences, but between himself and the screenwriters, there's nary a new idea brought to the screen.  The whole affair just felt like a rehash of any number of movies previously created.  Neeson is a little too nonchalant and bland for a man whose life is being turned upside down and Diane Kruger as the taxi driver who unwittingly was the cause of his coma joins him in that blasé club.  Sure to find a spot on the worst acting of the year awards is January Jones who plays Neeson's wife who appears to have somehow turned on him following his accident.  I don't watch Mad Men, but if her absolutely wooden performance here is any indication of her acting prowess, then I have no need to add that show to my Netflix queue.

After the amusing Taken, I was hoping Unknown would be a nice follow-up somewhat in the same vein (and therein may lie a problem with the promotions department of this film who made it seem that it would be).  Unfortunately, it's not even remotely as enjoyable.

The RyMickey Rating:  C-

Movie Review - All Good Things

All Good Things (2010)

Starring Ryan Gosling, Kirsten Dunst, and Frank Langella

Directed by Andrew Jarecki
***An early review -- The film opens in select cities throughout December***

All Good Things has apparently been sitting on the shelf for two years which, nine times out of ten, isn't a good sign for a movie.  While the film isn't a complete bust, it's little more than a true-crime Lifetime movie that simply ups the ante a little bit by showing us Kirsten Dunst's boobs.

Based on a true story in which the names have been changed to protect the innocent (and perhaps not-so-innocent), All Good Things tells the tale of David Marks (Ryan Gosling), the son of New York City real estate mogul Sanford Marks (Frank Langella).  Not only does David feel the pressure of living up to the prestige his father holds in the city, but he also has to deal with the psychological torment of having seen his mother kill herself as a young boy.  Although he attempts to put his past behind him when he meets the lovely Katie (Kirsten Dunst), it's nearly impossible for him to push away his demons.  Seeing as how I prefaced the review by saying this was a true crime tale, it's not difficult to infer that David may perhaps do something wrong in regards to his loved ones, but I'll leave the details as a bit of a mystery in case anyone desires to watch the flick without spoilers.

It really has been a long time since I've seen Kirsten Dunst in anything and I was watching it wondering how she got pushed out of the limelight after such a promising start.  She's actually quite good here -- probably the best actor the pic has to offer.  Her Katie is at first a wide-eyed innocent who, after seeing the seedy side of the Marks family, soon realizes that she may be in over her head.  As the head of the clan, Frank Langella is also quite good, effortlessly walking the line between sleeze and charm without going overboard on either.

Ryan Gosling, though, is supposed to be the person upon whom the movie revolves around and I, unfortunately, never was drawn in.  It's a difficult role to play, no doubt, partly because the real life case upon which this film is based remains unsolved.  Because of that (and because the film doesn't make any assumptions as to innocence or guilt), Gosling is asked to play David in a rather ambiguous way.  Is he a bad guy or just psychologically damaged (or are those even mutually exclusive to one another in his case)?  With the film not settling the score in regards to the crimes that take place within it, the viewer is left wondering how exactly we're supposed to relate to David.

The film isn't bad -- the technical aspects are all certainly more than adequate, as well -- but it just doesn't really garner any type of emotion from me either good or bad.  It's certainly a flick that were you flicking channels on the tv in a few months and came across it you may want to give it a chance, but it's not really satisfying in terms of the final product.

The RyMickey Rating:  C

Movie Review - The Box (2009)

Starring Cameron Diaz, James Marsden, and Frank Langella
Directed by Richard Kelly

The Box is a movie that I definitely appreciate for its story, visuals, and simple uniqueness when compared to other modern-day films. However, it pushes the story way into Crazyland and it isn't helped by a poor leading performance by Cameron Diaz.

What would you do if you were presented with the following: If you press a button on a box, you'll receive a million dollars, but someone that you don't know will die. That's the premise of the flick. Diaz's Norma Lewis is presented with the box by the creepy Arlington Steward (Frank Langella). After she discusses the idea with her husband, Arthur (James Marsden), they decide to press the button. You see, rather conveniently, they are in the midst of some financial issues and the million dollars will certainly help. Now, this idea is pretty darn cool and if writer-director Richard Kelly had simply explored the human emotions behind this heavy decision, it could have been one of my favorite movies of the year. Instead, the movie drifts into science fiction mumbo-jumbo -- it gets simply ridiculous for the final hour.

It's a shame, really, because Richard Kelly crafts an interesting looking film that he ruins with a ludicrous script. The film takes place in the 1970s and the era certainly lends to some pretty nifty visuals -- the costumes and set design really made this stand out. As a director, Kelly throws in some camera tricks (like a silly unnecessary long shot), but overall, it's a cool looking retro flick.

Also unfortunate is Diaz trying to tackle a country accent. Painful. But at least she sticks with it for the whole movie -- James Marsden's accent goes in and out for scenes at a time. Still, Marsden is decent, but Diaz continues to be mindboggling in her appeal to me. Yes, I didn't mind her in My Sister's Keeper, but I don't get her star power...she's a lukewarm actress at best.

It's a shame, really, because they don't make movies like this anymore. This morality play has a really strong base to build off, but writer Kelly just failed himself by drifting towards the supernatural. All this being said, and despite the rating below (which, admittedly, may be a tad high), I'd recommend this to certain folks because even though it somewhat fails, it showed promise and I appreciate its aesthetics.

The RyMickey Rating: C-