Movie Review - The Forger

The Forger (2015)

Starring John Travolta, Christopher Plummer, Tye Sheridan, Abigail Spencer, Anson Mount, and Jennifer Ehle

Directed by Philip Martin

While I'd never find myself urging anyone to go rent The Forger, this little drama/heist flick isn't nearly as bad as its extremely minimal theatrical release indicates.  John Travolta is Raymond Cutter, a con man who strikes a deal with a criminal (Anson Mount) in order to get released early from prison so he can be with his son Will (Tye Sheridan) who has been diagnosed with an inoperable malignant brain tumor.  As a stipulation to his release, Raymond -- a talented artist -- must forge a painting by Monet and then take part in an operation to steal the original from a Boston library.

I will admit that as I typed out that summary, it almost seems a little laughable, formulaic, and overly melodramatic.  And perhaps The Forger is all those things, but I was surprised that I didn't dislike it as much as I thought I would.  (That's a ringing endorsement, huh?)  Travolta is fine throughout, but he comes alive in scenes involving the young Sheridan (also quite good) and the charismatic Christopher Plummer who plays Raymond's father.  The trio of actors make The Forger an enjoyable quick watch.  Now, is this little known film going to set the world on fire as a sleeper hit in years to come?  Not in the slightest, but should it perchance pop up on any streaming entity in the near future, believe me when I say you could do far worse.

The RyMickey Rating:  C+

Movie Review - Carrie

Carrie (1976)

Starring Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, Amy Irving, William Katt, Betty Buckley, Nancy Allen, and John Travolta

Directed by Brian De Palma

***This ilm is currently streaming on Netflix***

There are moments when I watch Brian De Palma movies where I can't help but think he's a big hack.  For example, the softcore porn-esque opening of Carrie in which naked high school girls frolic around a school gym locker room evokes laughs as opposed to lust.  However, there are also moments in this flick adapted from the Stephen King novel of the same name that are brilliantly staged and executed and Mr. De Palma's admitted appreciation for the Master of Suspense Alfred Hitchcock shines through.  So, De Palma remains a conundrum for me -- a director I sometimes despise, but oftentimes admire as well.

It certainly helps De Palma that he's got an interesting script to work with here that truly develops its main characters and only slowly builds to being what could be classified as a "horror" movie.  Carrie (Sissy Spacek) is shy, reserved, and the butt of many jokes at school.  Thanks to her frighteningly religious mother (Piper Laurie) who has kept Carrie closely guarded her entire life, Carrie fails at being adept socially and instead finds herself outcast and friendless.  Carrie soon realizes, however, that she has been blessed (or cursed) with telekinetic powers that, while she is able to control, really only show themselves when her anger builds up.  

The ending of Carrie which takes place at the high school prom is fairly well known, but the path to get there was rather surprising to me.  Carrie's invitation to the prom comes from jock Tommy Ross (William Katt) who reluctantly takes on the "job" at the urging of his girlfriend Sue (Amy Irving).  Sue feels incredibly guilty about poking fun at Carrie in a pivotal scene early in the flick which shapes a huge chunk of what is to follow, so in order to try and make herself feel better, she asks Tommy to take Carrie to the prom to show her a pleasant night.  Much to Tommy's surprise, he realizes that Carrie is actually rather sweet and, once outside the rigid confines of her mother's fanaticism, she's a lovely girl.  Needless to say, prom doesn't quite go smoothly and when things go awry, they do so in a huge way.

As I mentioned, the movie works so well because both Carrie and her mother (and to a certain extent, Sue and Tommy) are such well-developed characters.  The film is much more of a character piece than a horror story as we discover what makes Carrie and her crazed mother tick.  While Piper Laurie's performance might seem a bit over the top in today's day and age, Sissy Spacek is spot-on and wholly believable as the tortured teen.  The script does falter quite a bit in its portrayal of the school's biggest bullies -- played by Nancy Allen and John Travolta -- whose characters are so maliciously one-note that their scenes prove to be laughable, but that's the only aspect of the plot that threw a kink into this otherwise solid flick.

With bullying being a hot topic in the news, Carrie is perhaps more relevant than ever before.  For those that don't like their horror movies "scary," this may be a good first look at the horror genre with the scares coming from character development rather than cheap thrills.  You won't be jumping out of your seat necessarily, but the final scenes are tense and chilling nevertheless.

The RyMickey Rating:  B

Movie Review - The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009)

Starring Denzel Washington, John Travolta, John Turturro, Luis Guzman, and James Gandolfini
Written by Brian Helgeland
Directed by Tony Scott

A remake of a 70s flick, this updated thriller stays surprisingly fresh, in large part due to a very strong performance from Denzel Washington.

Washington is Walter Garber who has a job similar to an air traffic controller, but for the New York City subway system. Unfortunately for him, a group of guys headed by John Travolta's character Ryder decide to hijack subway train Pelham 123 and hold its passengers hostage.

There's nothing new here. It's a typical hostage situation movie, but Washington really raises the bar and makes it interesting. His character has an intriguing backstory that comes into play that adds an additional bit of depth to an otherwise straightforward character. Travolta isn't bad either and I really don't care for him typically at all. In fact, I would say he could be in my Top Five Least Favorite Actors. I find him very disingenuous in both real life and onscreen. That wasn't the case here, though. I actually found him quite good and shockingly believable as a bad guy.

I must admit that I'm a sucker for movies that happen in "real time" and that was certainly a plus here. The tension stays high throughout because of this. I glanced at director Tony Scott's imdb page and I realized that I actually liked quite a bit of his films (Enemy of the State, Deja Vu). It's not like he's a great auteur, but I tend to like the way he films things despite the fact that he's a little too spastic and quick-cut-happy for his own good. This film was a little more subdued...no real shaky-camminess here.

My major issue with the film is that once the film leaves the confines of the subway car in the final 30 minutes, it falls apart a little. A huge part of the climax hinges on a ridiculous coincidence that kind of ticked me off and ruined the end.

That being said, there are certainly worse movies out there and this one was a perfectly acceptable, somewhat exciting flick.

The RyMickey Rating: B-