Iron Man 3

Iron Man 3 (2013)

Starring Robert Downey, Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Jon Favreau, James Badge Dale, Paul Bettany (voice), and Ben Kingsley 

Directed by Shane Black

Click here for my Letterboxd review

The (current) RyMickey Rating:  B

Click here for my previous RyMickey Rating

A Rainy Day in New York

 A Rainy Day in New York (2020)

Starring Timothée Chalamet, Elle Fanning, Selena Gomez, Jude Law, Diego Luna, Rebecca Hall, Cherry Jones, and Liev Schreiber

Directed by Woody Allen

Written by Woody Allen

Click here for my Letterboxd review

The RyMickey Rating:  C

Movie Review - Christine

Christine (2016)

Starring Rebecca Hall, Michael C. Hall, Tracy Letts, Maria Dizzia, J. Smith-Cameron, and John Cullum

Directed by Antonio Campos

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

Based on a true story, director Antonio Campos' film Christine is an intense character study of its titular female, television news reporter Christine Chubbuck who worked for a small-town Sarasota, Florida, news station in the early 1970s.  Although initially lacking in personality and seemingly way too serious to be considered even remotely engaging, we soon discover that the headstrong and desperate-for-success Christine (Rebecca Hall) has more than a few emotional problems with which she's failed to come to grips.  These issues eventually rear their ugly head in a way that will likely be a huge surprise for those unfamiliar with this film's conclusion prior to watching it.

Rebecca Hall is impressive as Christine, carrying the entire film on her shoulders.  Christine isn't a warm person in the slightest and that admittedly puts up a barrier between the audience and Hall's portrayal, but it's still an admirable turn that captivates.  The film slogs a bit to its conclusion -- especially if you know the way it's going to end -- but it still is successful enough to warrant a watch.

The RyMickey Rating:  B-

Movie Review - The Gift

The Gift (2015)

Starring Jason Bateman, Rebecca Hall, and Joel Edgerton

Directed by Joel Edgerton

The Gift is a rather unique flick.  Yes, it would certainly be classified as a "thriller," but rather than place emphasis on jump scares or classically "suspenseful" moments, writer and first-time director Joel Edgerton creates an atmosphere with an always building sense of foreboding, and while some may consider the ending a bit of a "letdown" in terms of a lack of stereotypical "Hollywood-style" confrontation, the film ends up feeling more realistic and therein scarier than most flicks of its ilk.

Married couple Simon and Robyn (Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall) have recently moved to Simon's old hometown for his new job.  While shopping for furniture for their new home, Simon runs into Gordo (Joel Edgerton), an old classmate of Simon's whom Robyn invites over for dinner.  Gordo is slightly off kilter in terms of having an odd personality that doesn't sit so well with Simon who becomes particularly distressed when Gordo brings a variety of gifts to them on multiple occasions seemingly in an attempt to simply hang out.  Simon ends up telling Gordo to essentially take a hike which doesn't sit so well with the former classmate who may have a reason to seek revenge on Simon for things from the past.

As mentioned, writer-director Edgerton does a nice job of building ever-increasing tension thanks to the various layers he peels back on the lives of Simon, Robyn, and Gordo.  With a film that is essentially a three-person dialog-driven piece (albeit with slow burn directorial flourishes thrown in thanks to the genre on display), Edgerton impressively weaves his story with the appropriate levels of dread and tautness.  Rebecca Hall and Edgerton himself come off the best with Bateman also solid.  The latter suffers a bit from the fact that he's playing a role we've seen him play before in that Simon is a bit of a slimy guy and while Bateman can play slimy guys well, it's seemingly de rigueur for him.  Still, all three actors play well off one another and help to create the necessary character twists and turns seem believable.

All these positives being said, however, The Gift misses the mark a bit in that it overstays its welcome a little too long.  I understand the slow burn mentality Edgerton was bringing to the party here, but there are a few scenes at the beginning and during the middle that I couldn't help but feel could've been trimmed without detriment to the overall storyline.  There's also a character issue that's been gnawing at me in the past few days that I can't quite get over.  Maybe I missed something in the story, but this particular "trait" is a bit to spoiler-y to reveal here -- I'll throw it into the comments if I remember but it has to do with things in Simon's past that are brought to life that strike me as a bit inconsistent with the story The Gift is trying to tell.  Still, Edgerton proves to be a deft director here and the film itself is a solid thriller.

The RyMickey Rating:  B

Movie Review - Transcendence

Transcendence (2014)

Starring Johnny Depp, Rebecca Hall, Paul Bettany, Cillian Murphy, Kate Mara, Clifton Collins Jr., and Morgan Freeman

Directed by Wally Pfister

Conceptually, Transcendence is probably one of the more interesting films I've seen as of late.  Will Caster (Johnny Depp) is the mastermind behind a sentient computer which he hopes will outpace the human race in terms of intelligence.  While Caster and his wife Evelyn (Rebecca Hall) see potential in such technology, there are large swaths of people who fear such work will bring an end to humankind.  One such group -- R.I.F.T., or "Revolutionary Independence From Technology" -- goes to terroristic means in order to get their point across, and after a conference in which Will Caster touts his opinions, Will is shot by a RIFT member who then kills himself.  After a few days, it's discovered the bullet shot into Will was laced with plutonium, thus causing Will's bloodstream to be contaminated with radiation leaving him with less than a month to live.  Desperate for Will's dream about sentient technology not to die with him, Evelyn thinks up the idea to place Will's entire consciousness inside the computer he's developing so that his "spirit" will never die and his intelligence can continue making technological advances.  Unfortunately, things go a bit awry with this plan, creating a bit of havoc and a battle between man and machine.

I don't know about you, but I kind of dig that Terminator-esque Man v. Computer battle being set up. Unfortunately, first-time director Wally Pfister languidly paces the film so that we can't help but be bored by what we're seeing unfold.  It certainly doesn't help matters that Johnny Depp doesn't even appear to be awake -- if he can't be bothered being interested in what he's doing, how in the world are we going to care?  After a promising start, the flick written by first-time screenwriter Jack Paglen begins to unravel and its climactic moments fail to resonate despite the captivating premise.

It's possible that in more experienced hands Transcendence may have been a success, but as it stands now with first timers behind both the lens and the scripting with neither behind-the-scenes aspect able to convince the film's leading actor to appear alive onscreen, the flick falls flat.

The RyMickey Rating:  C-

Movie Review - Iron Man 3

Iron Man 3 (2013)

Starring Robert Downey, Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Jon Favreau, James Badge Dale, Paul Bettany (voice), and Ben Kingsley 

Directed by Shane Black

After the overhype that was The Avengers -- yes, I didn't love it, so perhaps my thoughts on Marvel movies automatically get negated because of that -- I admittedly wasn't looking forward to tackling Iron Man 3.  In fact, my biggest issue with The Avengers was Robert Downey, Jr.'s portrayal of Tony Stark who I found to be obnoxiously annoying in that piece.  [Yes, I realize that's the point, however, as I mentioned in my Avengers review, setting him amidst "nicer" superheroes made the character's self-important sarcastic nature more grating.]

So, color me surprised when I sat through Iron Man 3 and found it an enjoyable action flick.  Tony Stark is dealing with the aftermath of that wormhole/alien incident in The Avengers and it's mellowed him out, helping to build a character that has more depth than the playboy we've seen in movies past.  Stark still has his sarcastically quippy replies to most things, but the script (and Downey, Jr.) does a nice job of creating a few more emotional layers on the character.

In Iron Man 3, Stark is faced with battling The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley), an American terrorist who's hellbent on making the US pay for their "crimes" against humanity.  After a bombing outside the Chinese Theater in L.A., the police are unable to find any bomb residue or any evidence that a bomb even existed onsite which begs the question of how exactly the Mandarin is causing these disasters.  Despite being more based in reality than some of the previous Marvel flicks, let's just say that the cause of the explosions takes us down that fantastical comic book unrealistic path -- and I don't mean that in a condescending way at all.

Admittedly, director Shane Black hasn't had much experience behind the camera (this being only his second film) and it shows a bit when it comes to lensing action sequences.  While the quick cuts aren't necessarily abundant, I couldn't help but think that many of the "BIG" scenes felt a bit muted in terms of excitement and were a bit confusing and slapshot in the way they were filmed.  Still, Black does a very nice job in the film's quieter moments and gets some good performances from all of his players with Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, and Jon Favreau making return appearances and Kingsley, Guy Pearce, and Rebecca Hall making solid debuts in the Marvel universe.

The RyMickey Rating: B

Movie Review - Closed Circuit

Closed Circuit (2013)

Starring Eric Bana, Rebecca Hall, Ciarán Hinds, Julia Stiles, Anne-Marie Duff, Denis Moschitto, Hasancan Cifci, and Jim Broadbent

Directed by John Crowley

I keep waiting for the movie that's going to provide the breakout role for Rebecca Hall.  Not only is she incredibly attractive (with a British accent to boot), but she exudes an intelligence and a down-to-earth demeanor that I find appealing.  Closed Circuit certainly didn't provide the breakout, but it's a perfectly acceptable political thriller that is elevated because of the respectable cast.

The film opens with a bombing in a open-air market in central London.  The police arrest Farroukh Erdogan (Denis Moschitto), a man who seemingly has ties to Middle East terrorist organizations.  When the barrister set to represent Erdogan in the public hearing commits suicide, up-and-comer Martin Rose (Eric Bana) is plucked to replace him.  However, prior to the public hearing, a private hearing needs to be held.  With many aspects of the bombing having the ability to compromise MI-5's terrorism investigations, the government appoints another lawyer to Erdogan's defense, Claudia Simmons-Howe (Hall), to look over all of the government's secret information relating to the attack and determine what, if anything, needs to be made public record in order to help her accused client.  While Martin and Claudia are supposed to not have contact with each other -- as Claudia's private information may affect Martin's public defense -- the two used to have a romantic relationship and find it difficult to cut ties.  Not only that, but as both Claudia and Martin dig into the Erdogan case, they realize that things may not be as cut and dry as MI-5 hoped it would be.

Closed Circuit is a solidly made thriller that moves along at just the right pace.  However, I couldn't help but think this belonged on the BBC rather than in a movie theater.  There's nothing about it that screams "THEATRICS," but that doesn't by any means signify it's not of a high quality.  Seeing as how this is out of theaters and you'd just be watching it at home anyway, it's absolutely worth watching should political thrillers be your cup of tea.

The RyMickey Rating:  B

Movie Review - Everything Must Go

Everything Must Go (2011)

Starring Will Ferrell, Rebecca Hall, Christopher C.J. Wallace, Michael Peña, and Laura Dern

Directed by Dan Rush

Essentially getting a direct-to-dvd release after an extremely limited theatrical run, Everything Must Go is Will Ferrell's latest attempt at being more "mature" in his comedic roles.  Just as Jim Carrey peppered his career with a few dramas or dramedies post-superstardom success, Ferrell is doing the same thing with his repertoire every now and then.  Adapted from a short story, Everything Must Go would have worked infinitely better as a short film.  As it stands now, the story of businessman Nick Halsey (Ferrell) who both loses his job and gets kicked out of his house by his wife on the same day meanders on for a bit too long and doesn't really get anywhere.  With no place to go and with all his personal belongings strewn out across his front lawn, Nick simply hunkers down and finds himself living in his yard for five days, reverting back to drinking (after being six months sober) and finding his life essentially unlivable.

While this is nothing like Step Brothers or Anchorman, there is definitely comedy to be had here, but at times Ferrell seems to forget that he's not in one of those aforementioned movies of his and he takes things a step too far in the physical comedy direction via his mannerisms.  That said, overall, Ferrell is certainly a decent dramatic actor.  Even though the film grew tiresome towards its conclusion, Nick's eventual "awakening" and introspective look at the man he has become is absolutely believable and that's due to the actor behind the character.  Credit should also go to director-screenwriter Dan Rush who does create a nice balance between the humor and the pathos.  However, at times, that balance is thrown a bit out of whack by a story that just doesn't really have anywhere to go.  Too much time is spent before Nick reaches his (in Oprah terminology) "A-Ha! Moment" and by the time that happens my interest in the film had waned.

Still, thanks to some solid supporting turns from Rebecca Hall (who is genuinely becoming an actress whom I'm enjoying more and more with each performance I see of hers) as Nick's new next door neighbor and the debut performance of Christopher C.J. Wallace as the young kid Nick befriends while living on his front lawn, Everything Must Go is worth an add to your Netflix Instant Queue if and when it shows up in that format.

The RyMickey Rating:  C

Movie Review - Please Give

Please Give (2010)

Starring Catherine Keener, Rebecca Hall, Oliver Platt, Anne Guilbert, Sarah Steele, and Amanda Peet

Directed by Nicole Holofcener
***This film is currently streaming on Netflix***

Honestly, I'm not quite sure of the point that writer-director Nicole Holofcener was trying to impart on the audience in her feature Please Give.  I think that she was trying to say something about either personal connections or feeling guilty about things as we age (very Oprah-esque), but the film never quite got there (or, if it did, I didn't really care).  Shockingly, however, despite the lack of an apparent purpose, Please Give was quite an enjoyable ninety minutes.  Mixed in with both the laugh-out-loud and touching moments that are sprinkled throughout, there are actually some realistic characters onscreen, none of whom I found to be the least bit fake...a rarity in film and what makes this flick rise above what I perceive to be a slight lack of focus.

The film focuses on two families.  Kate (Catherine Keener) and Alex (Oliver Platt) are a married couple with a teenage daughter (Sarah Steele).  They own an antique furniture store and are financially stable.  Emotionally stable?  Not so much...while they're both happy, it's obvious that they're in a rut.  Living right next door to Kate and Alex is Andra (Anne Guilbert), a crotchety ninety-plus year-old lady who is taken care of by her granddaughter Rebecca (Rebecca Hall) with a little bit of assistance from Mary (Amanda Peet), her other granddaughter who's incredibly abrasive and isn't afraid to admit that she's looking forward to her grandmother's death so she can stop wasting time caring for her.  The two families meet up to celebrate Andra's birthday and things begin to unravel a bit.  The nice thing about the unravelling is that Ms. Holofcener never takes things to a point of unbelievability.  The outcomes for each of the six characters above all seem logical.

All of the actors are quite good here and it was lovely to see all six of them really come together and play off of one another at the aforementioned birthday party.  Each character has a unique voice and there's not a bad apple in the bunch.  It's also nice to be able to say that Please Give is truly an ensemble piece with no one stealing anyone else's thunder in scenes.  So, instead of pointing out any particular actors here, I'll simply say that the group as a whole is worth your Netflix streaming time.

Yes, in the end, I think that the writer didn't quite succeed in getting across her thoughts on guilt and love, but Ms. Holofcener almost makes it there and her acting sextet more than makes up for those flaws.

The RyMickey Rating:  B

Movie Review - The Town

The Town (2010)

Starring Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jeremy Renner, Jon Hamm, Blake Lively, Pete Postlewaite, and Chris Cooper

Directed by Ben Affleck

It's not as if there's anything new story-wise in The Town, but somehow director and co-screenwriter Ben Affleck manages to craft a taut thriller that succeeds in all aspects.  He isn't re-inventing the wheel, but Affleck proves to be a director with a keen eye for knowing how to move a film along at a brisk pace, while developing what could have been stereotypical characters into multi-dimensional personalities that help elevate the film to a whole other level.

Best friends Doug (Affleck) and Jem (Jeremy Renner) like to rob banks...and they're very good at it, eluding the FBI and covering up all of their tracks.  One bank robbery goes a little awry, however, and they need to take the bank manager, Claire (Rebecca Hall) hostage in order to escape.  While they let the hostage go, it's soon discovered that she lives a mere four blocks from Doug and Jem's home.  The highstrung and uptight Jem wants to do away with Claire for fear of their crime being uncovered, but Doug, the calmer and more caring of the two, tells Jem he'll watch over Claire and make sure she doesn't speak to the FBI.  Soon, a relationship forms between Doug and Claire with Claire completely unaware that she's dating the very man who took her hostage.

Let's call a spade a spade here -- there are clichés abounding in this movie.  We've got the bad guy with the heart of gold, the beautiful girl who causes the crook to question his "career path," and the need to pull off one last heist to name just a few of the commonplace stereotypes we come across.  Still, somehow, everything works in The Town and the reason is that the actors are all top notch, completely embodying these characters...even if we've seen these same characters before.

I'm perhaps sounding a little down on the flick and I don't want it to come off that way at all because The Town is, in fact, one of my favorite films of 2010 thus far.  So, instead of being negative, let's discuss the positives.

The acting across the board is great.  The Hurt Locker's Jeremy Renner is playing a completely different character here than his role in last year's Oscar-winning flick.  His Jem is a nasty guy -- not a likable thing about him -- but he's a treat to watch.  Rebecca Hall is also pretty perfect as the innocent Claire.  Anyone who's read my blog knows I like it when characters seem "real" and this her Claire is a perfect example of that.  From the way she moves her eyes to the way she spoke her lines, I kind of forgot I was watching an actress and not a real person.  Plus, you've got great turns from Jon Hamm as the FBI guy searching for Doug and Blake Lively as Doug's drug-addled former girlfriend.

And I didn't even talk about Affleck.  Yes, he was great in the film, but where he really shined was behind the camera.  This is definitely a step up from his previous directorial effort Gone Baby Gone, which, while a good film, lacked oomph.  In The Town, Affleck shows talent in the character-driven scenes, but really excels in the cleverly crafted action sequences.  Affleck manages to make each bank robbery scene seem fresh, never repetitive, and surprisingly nerve-wracking.  I can't imagine that the chase scenes he filmed were easy to capture and I was thoroughly impressed.

Don't think that I'm just giving Affleck props because he's "an actor" and did an admirable job directing "for an actor."  No, he did a good job for any director and I look forward to seeing whatever he tackles next in the directing department.

The RyMickey Rating:  B+

Movie Review - Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)

**Available on DVD**
Starring Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz, Scarlett Johannson, and Rebecca Hall
Written and directed by Woody Allen

This was honestly the first time I saw Scarlett Johannson onscreen and found her attractive. Unfortunately for Scarlett, I found relative newcomer Rebecca Hall much more beautiful to look at.

Hall and Johannson are Vicky and Cristina, friends who are visiting Barcelona for the summer (hence the title). While there, they meet artist Juan Antonio, who manages to seduce both ladies and lure them both into bed with him (though not at the same time, much to his chagrin). To Vicky's dismay, Juan Antonio chooses to spend his time with Cristina because Juan Antonio does not want to step between Vicky and her fiancé. Add Juan Antonio's ex-wife (Academy Award winner Penélope Cruz) to the mix and it's one big love fest with everyone sleeping with everyone.

Surprisingly, Woody has created quite an interesting movie here. Sure, everyone's kind of shallow and I don't quite get the "love the one you're with" mentality, but Woody made me not hate these people for cheating on one another. (Then again, is it really cheating when the people that you're cheating with are okay with the fact that you're cheating?)

Acting is top notch here...especially the two titular roles. Rebecca Hall is a find, for sure, and I hope to see her in many other things. Scarlett Johannson has been incredibly weak onscreen to me after her star-making role in Lost in Translation. Here, Woody is able to draw out a naturalness from her that is very refreshing. Javier Bardem is the perfect ladies' man and -- I don't know why -- but I could see why these ladies would be hanging all over this sleazy guy. While I'm not quite sure Penélope Cruz was worthy of the Best Supporting Actress Oscar (I feel like that should've gone to Viola Davis of Doubt), she was quite good...the best I've seen her actually. And, the movie has a narrator! And that narration works! I loved that fact! (Why, I have no idea.)

In the end, the movie's about nothing and the characters are all kind of unpleasant and moody, but Woody keeps the flick moving at a quick pace and he shoots it in such a manner that the sights of Barcelona and the people inhabiting the city look stunning. So, overall, it wasn't a bad moviegoing experience...One of the better Woody Allen movies I've seen.

The RyMickey Rating: B