Belfast

Belfast (2021)

Starring Jude Hill, Caitriona Balfe, Jamie Dornan, Ciarán Hinds, and Judi Dench

Directed by Kenneth Branagh

Written by Kenneth Branagh

Click here for my Letterboxd review

The RyMickey Rating:  C-

The Nativity Story

 The Nativity Story (2006)

Starring Keisha Castle-Hughes, Oscar Issac, Hiam Abbass, Shaun Taub, Alexander Siddig, Ciaran Hinds, and Shoreh Agdashloo

Directed by Catherine Hardwicke

Written by Mike Rich

Click here for my Letterboxd review

The RyMickey Rating:  C

First Man

First Man (2018)

Starring Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy, Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler, Corey Stoll, Pablo Schreiber, Christopher Abbott, Patrick Fugit, Lukas Haas, Shea Whigham, Olivia Hamilton, Brian d'Arcy James, and Ciarán Hinds

Directed by Damien Chazelle

Written by Josh Singer

Summary (in 500 words or less):  A look at Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling) and the struggles he faced -- both familial and professionally -- to become the first man to walk on the moon.

 

Click here for my Letterboxd review

The RyMickey Rating: A

Justice League

Justice League (2017)

Starring Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher, Jeremy Irons, Diane Lane, J.K. Simmons, and Ciarán Hinds

Directed by Zack Snyder
Written by Chris Terrio and Joss Whedon

Summary (in 500 words or less):  Indulge me for a moment, as I copy the first paragraph of the Wikipedia summary for Justice League -- 

"Thousands of years ago, Steppenwolf and his legions of Parademons attempt to take over Earth with the combined energies of three Mother Boxes.  They are foiled by a unified army that includes the Olympian Gods, Amazons, Atlanteans, mankind, and the Green Lantern Corps.  After repelling Steppenwolf's army, the Mother Boxes are separated and hidden in locations on the planet.  In the present, mankind is in mourning over Superman, whose death triggers the Mother Boxes to reactivate and Steppenwolf's return to Earth an effort to regain favor with his master, Darkseid.  Steppenwolf aims to gather the artifacts to form "The Unity," which will destroy Earth's ecology and terraform it in the image of Steppenwolf's homeworld."

• Granted, there's a whole lot more to Justice League than that summary above, but just reading that gives you an idea of how ludicrous the overarching story of how this movie is.  Justice League is supposed to be DC Comics' equivalent of Marvel's Avengers, bringing together the best of DC's superheroes, and yet director Zach Snyder and his two screenwriters squander the appeal of bringing together Batman (Ben Affleck), Superman (Henry Cavill), Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), the Flash (Ezra Miller), Aquaman (Jason Momoa), and Cyborg (Ray Fisher).
• It's obvious that screenwriter Joss Whedon was brought on to add lightness and humor to the decidedly heavy aesthetic that always permeates the DC Universe films.  While some jokes land, most just feel like they were added on in reshoots.
• Ben Affleck has talked about leaving the franchise and I think that's best.  Granted, it isn't all his fault as Zack Snyder's choice of direction cause the character to lose any modicum of charisma, but Affleck just never seems like he's having fun with this iconic figure in the slightest.
• The Flash is certainly the standout here to me with Ezra Miller getting the bulk of Whedon's jokes and thereby showing the most charisma.  Perhaps his standalone film will be the first DC flick to actually win me over completely because thus far, they've been incredibly disappointing.

The RyMickey Rating:  C-

Movie Review - The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them

The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them (2014)

Starring Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Nina Arianda, Viola Davis, Bill Hader, Ciarán Hinds, Isabelle Huppert, and William Hurt

Directed by Ned Benson

I can't deny that The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them teeters on slow-paced boredom at many times throughout its run time.  However, at its heart is an interesting glimpse at how one married couple deals with a horrible tragedy.  After being ripped apart as they find the need to deal with the aftermath in different ways, can they ever be reunited in love?  However, rather than place a large amount of emphasis on the tragedy (which is admittedly mentioned only in passing a few times and only takes center stage in one quiet, yet power-packed scene), first-time director and screenwriter Ned Benson instead pushes his lens into the depth of what pulls apart and pushes together a couple that cares deeply for one another.

Interestingly enough, the entire summary of The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them is pretty much encapsulated in that opening paragraph.  As we get to know Eleanor and Conor (Jessica Chastain and James McAvoy), we realize that the couple who seemed so lovingly enraptured with one another in the film's opening scene have suddenly been torn apart by the time scene #2 rolls around.  There's a lot of quiet contemplation and friends and family try to help both deal with the estrangement, but the film is really about time for reflection -- for determining what is really wanted from life.  Chastain and McAvoy are both quite good in a film that's all about their relationship but features less than five scenes with them actually together.  It's an interesting concept that doesn't quite come together, but it certainly isn't for lack of trying on the actors' part.

It's the slow burn of The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them that brings the thing down a bit.  I'm all for a slower pace in romantic films as it allows us to further get to know the characters, but here the heaviness of the proceedings start to wear on the process about halfway through.  Ned Benson's concept behind The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby is actually quite an interesting one.  He actually made two films -- The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him and The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Her.  Both were released in theaters in sort of a double feature, with Him obviously focusing on Conor's reactions to their relationship and Her concerning itself with Eleanor.  To be somewhat commercially viable, Benson created Them which clocks in at two hours -- about an hour and ten minutes less than Him and Her combined.  With the pacing of Them being what it is, I'll admit that I'm not quite sure I'd have been able to handle a viewing of Him and Her.  Once again, this isn't a bad film by any means, but it's just a bit too heavy to be enjoyable.  

The RyMickey Rating:  C+

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 - Frozen

Frozen (2013)

***viewed in 3D***

Featuring the voice talents of Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad, Santino Fontana, Alan Tudyk, and Ciarán Hinds

Directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee

Unlike some, hearing that Frozen was going to be an all-out old-school animated Disney musical was a huge plus for me.  I grew up in the days of The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin -- movies that relied on their songs to both advance the story and add depth to their characters.  Of course, that was the era of Alan Menken and Howard Ashman whose respective music and lyrics felt necessary to the plot rather than seeming superfluous to it.  With Ashman's passing in the early 90s, Menken still carried on the tradition and did so rather successfully.  As of late, however, Disney has veered away from the movie musical in large part likely due to the success of Pixar's films which were never music-based.  With 2011's Tangled, Disney rehired Alan Menken and were treated to their most successful animated movie in well over a decade, but the film wasn't as musically "full" as prior flicks, containing only four full-length numbers.  Although the trailers for Frozen weren't entirely appealing, the Disney fan that I am still had high hopes because of the apparent return to their 90s-era all-out musical.  Unfortunately, with some new lyricists and composers at the helm, Frozen just had me longing for the glory days of the Menken/Ashman 90's with the music proving to be a hindrance rather than a help to the overwhelmingly enjoyable plot and characters.

Admittedly, none of the songs by the husband-and-wife team of Robert Lopez (music) and Kristen Anderson-Lopez (lyrics) are unlistenable (with the exception of the final number of the film).  However, there are two main problems that are major factors in the disappointment.

1. First, the lyrics at the beginning of nearly every song are incredibly childish.  Let's reminisce about Beauty and the Beast for a moment.  Howard Ashman wasn't afraid to use a word like "expectorating" in a song for fear that kids wouldn't "get it."  He used it...and it opened up my vocabulary to a new word!  Here, the Lopez duo keep things incredibly basic.  Best known for their Tony-winning Broadway play Avenue Q (which was hilariously ribald), the twosome also wrote lyrics and music for the Finding Nemo musical show in Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom.  Although that forty-minute Broadway-style show is a visual treat, the songs are incredibly pre-schoolish and the same thing could be said of what we're given in Frozen.  In nearly every song, the lyrics begin with incredibly basic words that eventually shift to something a little more complex.  Quite honestly, they all get to a "good place," but they never start out promisingly.
2. Secondly, there's a lack of cohesive flow in the film from where the dialogue ends and the songs begin.  To me, this is as much a fault of the directors as it is the songwriters.  Unfortunately, this bumpy transition is off-putting more than once and it's typically never a problem for me in Disney films, so I just have to think something didn't quite mesh with the composers and the director.

My problem with the music is very unfortunate because, overall, Frozen is pretty fantastic.  It's the story of two sisters -- older Elsa (voiced by Idina Menzel) and younger Anna (played by Kristen Bell) -- who were best friends growing up.  Elsa was born with the power to make anything turn to ice just by touching it, and after a horrific accident that nearly kills Anna when they were young, Elsa decides to isolate herself completely from Anna, never speaking to her or seeing her.  Years pass, Elsa and Anna's parents -- the king and queen of Arendelle -- die, and Elsa is set to become queen.  However, things go horribly wrong at the coronation ceremony and Elsa's powers are revealed despite her desperate attempts to mask them.  Embarrassed and ashamed, Elsa runs away in an angry rage, turning the whole sunny town of Arendelle into a snow-covered icy wonderland.  While the villagers want to crucify Elsa, Anna knows that her sister is good-hearted and kind-natured and sets out across the snowy tundra to find her and prove her goodness.

With a fantastic voice performance by Kristen Bell, Anna is the spunky lead, unafraid to speak or mind or stand up to a chauvinistic male.  Anna finds herself caught in a love triangle between Prince Hans (Santino Fontana) and "ice seller" Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), yet she needs neither of them to be happy. It's a pleasant change of pace from the typical "princess" stories we've come to expect and, with a nice twist at the end of the film, I imagine parents of young girls will be pleased with Anna becoming a figure of admiration for their daughters.

I also found the character of Elsa full of depth despite the fact that she definitely takes second billing when compared to her sister in terms of time onscreen.  Elsa so easily could've been turned into a completely "evil" character, but the writers crafted her as a character who has absolutely no desire to have her icy powers.  She's wary and nervous of the pain she could inflict with them.  Broadway star Idina Menzel's vocal performance gives Elsa a strength that, much like her sister, is refreshing in a Disney animated film.  

Frozen has an awful subplot (perhaps worse than my issues with the music) involving some trolls who raised one of Anna's suitors, Kristoff, since he was a youth.  I couldn't help but think they were added for a money-making ploy to sell some toys.  Similarly, one would think that the supporting character of Olaf, a snowman created by Elsa after she runs away from Arandelle, is present purely for merchandising opportunities.  And, to be completely honest, Disney's going to sell quite a few Olaf plushes this holiday season.  However, the reason they're going to be flying off the shelves is because the character is hilariously enjoyable, yet heartwarmingly sensitive.  Voiced by Josh Gad, the joie de vivre of Olaf is infectiously refreshing and his song is perhaps the best fitting musical number in the film.

I'm certainly going to give Frozen a second chance and maybe it'll redeem itself upon another viewing. With a fantastic story and unique characterizations when compared to prior Disney princess films, I find myself wishing that the songs didn't leave me so cold.

The RyMickey Rating:  B-

Theater Review - Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

Written by Tennessee Williams

Directed by Rob Ashford

Where: Richard Rodgers Theatre, New York City, NY

When: Wednesday, January 16, 8pm

***It should be noted that this presentation of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof was the show's last preview performance before opening night on Thursday, January 17.  Seeing as how this very show very possibly was the one that many reviewers attend prior to crafting their critiques which are released on opening night, the show was essentially "locked" and set in place.***

There were a lot of reasons I should've liked Broadway's newest production of Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.  Nearly three years ago, I saw Scarlett Johansson in her Tony Award-winning turn in A View from the Bridge and was incredibly impressed with her performance.  Then, two years ago, I had my first experience with a staged production of a Williams work with the University of Delaware Resident Ensemble Players' fantastic take on The Glass Menagerie which, to this date, had one of the most amazing finales of anything I've ever seen before (and since).  And about eighteen months ago, I watched the film version of this very play and I found it enjoyable with a sultry and sexy performance by Elizabeth Taylor.  All of those reasons explain why I should have liked Rob Ashford's production of this oft-performed Williams play (this is the third time it's graced the Great White Way in the past decade).  Unfortunately, I found it a flawed presentation with more than a few issues across all aspects of the production.

Let's start with the character of Maggie portrayed here by Johansson.  Maggie is married to Brick (played here by Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter's Benjamin Walker), but neither of them are happily in love and most of that stems from the fact that Brick is trapped in the past.  His longtime best friend Skipper has died and Brick has turned to alcohol to deal with his passing.  The whole situation isn't all that simple -- there are homosexual undertones (and some blatant overtones) that create some confusion -- but Maggie doesn't help matters here.  I'm not quite sure who's to blame (the director or the actress), but Ms. Johansson's Maggie is a shrill Southern belle.  After she bursts onto the stage at the play's opening with her breathlessly husky voice, rather than exude smoldering sex appeal (although the gorgeous Johansson does that anyway as she wanders around in a slip for most of Act I) Maggie is presented as a shrew I couldn't believe Brick could ever love -- and maybe he never did love her, but I think I'm supposed to believe he could have if he so desired.  She's a cat -- on a hot tin roof -- and the slinkiness associated with the feline members of the animal kingdom isn't present at all.  Maggie here is a completely unlikeable character -- and since there's been a decision to tone down the sultriness of Liz Taylor's take on the character in the movie (which, admittedly, is my only exposure to this character), you can't even get behind the concept of Maggie as a minx-type figure who won people over due to sex appeal.  Although there's some redemption for Johansson and her character in Act III, she's pretty much simply playing things with one overly strong and forceful note with very few changes in tone.

While I may have problems with Johansson's and the director's choices for Maggie, I had even bigger issues with Benjamin Walker as Brick.  While looking over my review of the film version, I commented that the character of Brick a one-note crotchety grump and I wondered how the role would play in someone else's hands.  Well, Walker's Brick makes Newman's look like Olivier's Hamlet.  There was zero stage presence emanating from Walker and while I admit that may have something to do with pitting him up onstage against the stunning Johansson, I just didn't find the guy remotely interesting.  Granted, he has very little to do in Act I, but as the next two acts unfold and the play becomes much more about Brick than Maggie, Walker still failed to reel me in and it's in those moments during which the audience begins to see the reasons Brick's life has spiraled so precipitously downward that should have registered most strongly.  It doesn't help at all that there is zero chemistry between the two leads, further complicating the fact that I have no idea what exactly the relationship between Maggie and Brick is supposed to be.  

Anyone familiar with the play or movie is well aware that the characters of Big Daddy and Big Momma are the histrionic epitome of mid-twentieth century rich Southern folk, but here they achieve mixed results.  Debra Monk comes off the best of any actor in the production with her Big Momma having the only moving moment of the night in Act III when she is forced to face the truth about her husband and his deteriorating health.  Ciarán Hinds' Big Daddy, however, has less success.  While there's certainly a caricaturish-type quality that comes along with the character, Hinds simply takes that to mean "bombastic" as he yells most of his lines...and anything that wasn't screamed was nearly incomprehensible thanks to a sound system that didn't really do any of the actors any favors.  

[It certainly doesn't aid things that the Richard Rodgers theater is fairly massive.  When I walked into the theater I was shocked that a play was being performed here.  Although the set design was rather striking, I couldn't help but think that this may have worked a little bit better on a smaller stage (although with this production, I'm not quite sure anything would've helped things).]

In Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Brick has a brother named Gooper (played here by Michael Park) who is married to Mae (Emily Bergl).  Together they have five children with a sixth on the way and they are supposed to be despised by Big Daddy and Brick because of their money-grubbing tendencies.  You know this play's in the weeds when Gooper and Mae are your most sympathetic characters whom you're hoping win their battle against Maggie and Brick in getting Big Daddy's estate in his will.  Brick is the "Chosen One" of the two brothers, but in this production, I found myself rooting for Gooper to become loved by Big Daddy and was not ever given a clear idea as to why Big Daddy would fawn over Brick rather than Gooper.  To me, this is indicative of this production's issues and the failure of director Rob Ashford.  I recognize that Maggie and Brick are maybe not supposed to be the most likable of characters, but I think there has to be a desire to see Maggie sway Brick off the bottle and into her arms, as well as for Brick to overcome his addictions and forgive himself for the way he treated his deceased friend Skipper in their final days.  Unfortunately, the audience finds itself having no vested interest in these characters which causes the whole production to just sink under the weight of Tennessee Williams' melodrama.

Movie Review - John Carter

John Carter (2012)

Starring Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Samantha Morton, Willem Dafoe, Thomas Haden Church, Mark Strong, Ciarán Hinds, Daryl Sabara, and Bryan Cranston

Directed by Andrew Stanton

While John Carter may not be worthy of the ridicule that came its way thanks to its extremely high budget and disappointing box office returns, this Andrew Stanton-directed picture was already at a disadvantage in my book as its premise simply isn't up my alley in the slightest (remember, you're talking about the guy who's never seen Star Wars and likely never will).  Ultimately, the film's biggest problem is that there's way too much story here for 130 minutes.  We've got introductions to multiple alien races, at least two civil wars amongst rivaling sanctions on the planet we know as Mars (but known to the natives as Barsoom), and, perhaps the most intriguing aspect (yet least focused upon) that some Civil War-era American has been transported to Mars and rather nonchalantly becomes the savior of some of Barsoom's peoples.

I could delve into more plot, but if I did it'd just take too long, so that last sentence in the above paragraph will have to do.  That said, that last sentence is really the reason the film isn't successful.  I understand that this was likely setting up any future films (that will now never happen), but I'm still not sure why there was a need to place so many different plotlines into this first movie.  If anything, these various storylines fight for prominence and oftentimes become incomprehensible due to the plot's overly ambitious nature.  Ultimately, the fault lies in the director and co-screenwriter Andrew Stanton (to whom this was a pet project for years) for failing to either simplify (or at the very least condense) the various plotlines to create something a bit more enjoyable to watch.

I should say, though, that for Stanton's first foray into live action, he does a fine job in terms of creating an aesthetically pleasing landscape and he has quite an eye for mixing humor and action especially at the beginning of the film.  And, given the enormity of the plot he tries to present, the film's pacing is actually decent.  But in the end, there's simply too much story where there doesn't need to be.

Taylor Kitsch is fine, but bland, as the title character.  He's given very little to do despite being in nearly every scene.  I had hoped his character would've been given a little more emotional oomph considering this American got mystically transported to Mars, but after an amusing few minutes of Carter getting used to differences in gravity, the character almost acts as if this new planet is nothing he hasn't seen before.  The rest of the acting is par for the course.  Nothing exceptional, but about what is to be expected in a sci-fi/fantasy flick.

The RyMickey Rating:  C-

Movie Review - The Woman in Black

The Woman in Black (2012)

Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Ciarán Hinds, and Janet McTeer

Directed by James Watkins

I must preface this review by saying that it took me nearly two months to get through The Woman in Black.  That's not to say it's horrible (although I'm not saying it's good either), but I started watching this on a plane ride home from London and the little television screen and poor audio weren't doing this ghost story which relies heavily on far-off ghostly images and strange noises any justice.  So, twenty minutes in, I decided that it might be best simply to rent this one once I got home.  Two months later that came to fruition and I finally finished the tale.

I think there's a really good ghost story here -- one of those that you'd tell around a campfire and perhaps genuinely get scared.  In fact, The Woman in Black is an incredibly long-running, well-received, and apparently frightening play in London and I actually thought I might see it when I was over in the UK.  I didn't get around to seeing it onstage and unfortunately something doesn't quite click with the movie.  For only being ninety minutes long, there seems like an awful lot of boring exposition in the first half of the film which drags this thing down horribly.

Lawyer Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe) is sent to a remote village in England to a huge mansion to find the paperwork needed to sell a deceased woman's estate.  For years, many of the town's children have been dying heinous deaths and Arthur uncovers that the unfortunate occurrences stem back to the decades-old death of the young son of a woman named Jennet Humfrye.  Ms. Humfrye, who is also now deceased, feels that her son's death could have been prevented and has been seeking revenge on the youth of the town.

The huge positive of The Woman in Black is that it doesn't try to be anything other than a genuine ghost story.  There's no blood or guts, just old-fashioned scares.  Unfortunately, those scares are too often foreshadowed by director James Watkins' camerawork or Marco Beltrami's score.  We in the audience are conditioned to know in a horror movie that if an actor is standing towards the left of the screen with a large black space to his right, something is going to pop up in that area.  Sure enough, that happens all too often here.  It makes me wonder how this tale would work on a stage.  I can't help but think that it would be more successful than on film.

Daniel Radcliffe is actually fine, but doesn't exude any modicum of charisma (of course, he didn't do that in the Potter films either).  There's also a nice performance from Ciarán Hinds as the only member of the town to befriend Arthur.  In the end, it's kind of a shame things don't come together because the film picks up quite a bit halfway through and at least becomes enjoyable to watch, but it never really becomes "scary" or even "eerie" which ultimately is a disappointment.

The RyMickey Rating:  C

Movie Review - The Debt

The Debt (2011)

Starring Helen Mirren, Jessica Chastain, Sam Worthington, Jesper Christensen, Marton Csokas, Ciarán Hinds, and Tom Wilkinson

Directed by John Madden

Despite liking the overall premise and enjoying the acting, something didn't quite click with me after watching The Debt.  I think, ultimately, the "payoff" doesn't quite measure up to the "build-up" and that's always a bit of a disappointment.  Plus, an oddly underdeveloped romantic subplot thrown into the mix doesn't do anything to increase the tension despite attempting to do just that.

The film jumps back and forth between two time periods.  In 1965, we meet the twentysomething Rachel, Stephen, and David (played by Jessica Chastain, Marton Csokas, and Sam Worthington) -- young Israeli government agents sent to East Berlin to kidnap the infamous Doktor Bernhardt (Jesper Christensen), the Surgeon of Birkenau known for performing heinous medical experiments on Jews during WWII.  Ideally, the trio will be bringing back Bernhardt to Israel to stand trial for his crimes.  Needless to say, entanglements inevitably arise putting a damper on those plans.

In 1997, we are introduced to the elder Rachel, Stephen, and David (played by Helen Mirren, Tom Wilkinson, and Ciarán Hinds).  Thirty years have passed and the group has been celebrated as heroes for decades thanks to their work involving the horrible doctor.  However, the three former agents harbor a great secret known only to the trio and no one else...or so they thought.  When the truth behind their secret runs the risk of being revealed, it may be time for the now senior citizen former agents to head back into the dangerous world of espionage.

As I mentioned, the premise is altogether promising and enjoyable.  And there are also some really nice performances from Jessica Chastain and Helen Mirren, both of whom give their respective portrayals of Rachel much greater depth than I expected.  Still, I can't get over the fact that a love triangle between the three principals just doesn't work and failed to get me invested in any angle of the attempts at amour.  Plus, the older generation's story just doesn't capture the attention like the younger generation's tale.  Although the film jumps around in time (to nice effect actually), the end plays only to the 1997 aspect of the tale and, although it brings the story to a resolution, it proves to be a bit too anticlimactic given the tension achieved in the 1965 segment of the tale.

The Debt certainly isn't a bad film, but it's not one I could really tell anyone to rush and see.  It's adequate, but that's about it.

The RyMickey Rating:  C

Movie Review - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)

Starring Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, John Hurt, Toby Jones, Ciarán Hinds, Benedict Cumberbatch, David Dencik, and Mark Strong 

Directed by Tomas Alfredson

Man, this British spy flick is the kind of movie that tries its very best to make its viewers feel dumb.  In the end, I don't think ("think" being the operative word here) I misunderstood Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, but I certainly didn't get anything out of it either.  There's a story here...one much simpler than the convoluted mess onscreen would have you believe.  In early 1970s Britain, the British secret service has been infiltrated by a traitor who is working for the Russians, stealing information and delivering it to the Soviets.  It's up to George Smiley (Gary Oldman) to figure out which of his co-workers is the mole.  The problem here is that this tale is told so mundanely that it's tough to get involved with anything taking place onscreen.  When the film's climactic moment -- the reveal of the spy -- is relegated to a small throwaway shot, I think I literally threw up my hands in disgust.  I waited two hours for that?!?!

Tomas Alfredson's film looks great as if it were made in the very 1970s it so creatively depicts.  The costumes and set direction are spot on and the cinematography is gorgeous at many moments.  Alfredson always manages to create beautiful things to look at and is quite the master here and composing an appealing visual display, but that can't hide the fact that the film feels like it goes nowhere (although it certainly saves the film from being an all-out disaster).  While I don't need my spy dramas to be all Bourne Identity in terms of pace (in fact, I'd rather they not be filled with the freneticism of the Bourne series), there's got to be some semblance of either action or tension and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy has neither.

It's a shame, really, because in addition to the lovely visual aesthetics, the cast of British men is quite good, although a few of them seemed to find themselves wallowing in boredom without any twinge of life in them.  Oldman is fine (but I found his role lacking any type of character arc and rather one-notey although he played that note very well), as is Benedict Cumberbatch who plays his protégé of sorts.  But I can't shake the fact that I feel like this talented cast wasn't given much to do, and what they were given to do, they were directed to act as stern and emotionless as possible.

Without a doubt, this will likely be the lowest rated film to land on any of my RyMickey Awards lists for 2011 (which, knowing me, likely won't start up until after the Oscars roll around) thanks to the look of the piece, but Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a movie that simply shouldn't have been made.  While there's maybe something there with which to create a story, it simply wasn't done in a way that works in the slightest.

The RyMickey Rating:  D+

Movie Review - The Eclipse

The Eclipse (2010)

Starring Ciarán Hinds, Iben Hjejle, and Aidan Quinn

Directed by Conor McPherson

(An early review -- this flick hits Philly theaters April 9)

The Eclipse is a well-made film that doesn't quite know what kind of movie it wants to be.

Does it want to be a depressing drama detailing Irishman Michael Farr's (Hinds) life after his wife has just passed away?  A peek at a man as he tries to be the best father he can to his teenage daughter and tween son?

Or is it trying to be a romance concerning a somewhat haughty horror novelist named Nicholas (Quinn) and his attempts to rekindle a relationship with fellow writer Lena as they meet up at an Irish town's famous book festival?

Or is trying to be a straight-up horror movie?  In the midst of the two melancholy tales above, there are genuine jump-out-of-your-seat moments...I did it twice and I'm not so easy to be startled in films.

The reason for that jumpiness, though, is because the film doesn't know what it wants to be.  There's nothing in the film that sets it up as a horror flick.  Yes, Lena is an author that specializes in "the beyond" and she meets up with Michael and they begin to discuss his dead wife whom he believes he has seen walking around his home.  That's the extent of the "supernatural" nature of the film.  Then, out of the blue, come these genuine scares.

Part of me wants to give writer-director Conor McPherson credit for that.  He takes this simple, rather elegant, film and throws in the gothic plot elements.  I mean, it succeeded, right, since it made me jump?  The other part of me says that he could have just made this really beautiful film about some aspect of "the afterlife" and left it at that.  I'm not sure which I would have preferred if I'm being honest, but something about the juxtapositions of tone just didn't sit right with me.

All that being said, The Eclipse is not a bad film by any means.  It's beautifully shot and Ciarán Hinds is pretty darn good as the grieving husband.  It's just a tad unfortunate that I couldn't get completely onboard with the director's odd vision in terms of the film's varying moods.

The RyMickey Rating: B-

Movie Review - Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008)

Starring Frances McDormand, Amy Adams, Lee Pace, and Ciarán Hinds
Written by David Magee and Simon Beaufoy
Directed by Bharat Nalluri

At this point, I think I would see Amy Adams in nearly anything. Even if the films she's in aren't perfect, she always seems to give an incredibly winning performance. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day is no exception.

After getting fired from her job as a nanny, down-on-her-luck Miss Pettigrew (McDormand) fortuitously stumbles upon another job opportunity as the "confidante" of the Marilyn Monroe-esque aspiring actress Delysia (Adams). The unlikely pair form a friendship as each help the other better their lives over the course of a single day (hence the title).

An amusing movie for sure, with great performances from the two leads and the supporting cast. It's slightly unfortunate that the movie's really about nothing...in the grand scheme of things, it's an adult version of Mary Poppins. The screenwriters (including Slumdog Millionaire's scripter Simon Beaufoy) try to throw in a subplot about World War II to ill effect to seemingly just add some unnecessary weight to the generally lightweight affair.

A cute movie...now if only Amy Adams could find a script that matches her talent, I'd be a happy camper.

The RyMickey Rating: B-