Movie Review - Money Monster

Money Monster (2016)

Starring George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Jack O'Connell, Dominic West, and Caitriona Balfe

Directed by Jodie Foster

Lee Gates (George Clooney) is the host of the successful financial cable tv show Money Monster, but one afternoon, mid-show, an armed man enters the soundstage on live television.  Aggravated that Lee's advice to invest in a company called IBIS has backfired, deliveryman Kyle Budwell (Jack O'Connell) had had enough and his irritation built to anger at Gates and the 1% culture.  After placing an explosive vest on Lee, producer Patty Fenn (Julia Roberts) must figure out how to save Lee, appease Kyle, and get the crew out alive.

Told closely to real time, director Jodie Foster creates a decent amount of tension in Money Monster, achieving most of that thanks to the solid performances of her three main cast members who certainly create an atmosphere that consistently keeps them on edge.  For the film's first forty-five minutes or so where it's trapped in the confines of the television studio, there is an overarching sense of doom and fear.  Unfortunately, the script drifts during the film's second half, taking Lee and Kyle on a ridiculous journey through the streets of New York City that seems ludicrous and improbable, oftentimes eliciting laughs as opposed to its intended goal.  It's a shame, really, because there was something exciting going on in its first half and the whole affair falls apart a bit as it continues down an ever-increasingly silly path towards its conclusion.  You could certainly do worse than Money Monster, but in the end, it's not quite recommendable thanks to its disappointing conclusion.

The RyMickey Rating:  C

Movie Review - '71

'71 (2015)

Starring Jack O'Connell, Paul Anderson, Richard Dormer (father), Sean Harris, Martin McCann, Cory McKinley (kid), Charlie Murphy (daughter), Sam Reid, Killian Scott, and David Wilmot

Directed by Yann Demange

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

As I watched '71 and recognized the quality of the direction from first time feature film auteur Yann Demange, I also couldn't help but be thoroughly befuddled by the various political factions trying to win out as this story unfolded.  With actors/characters looking too similar and heavier Irish and Brit accents, I found myself lost at times.  Couple that with a late night viewing (which obviously is no fault of the film itself) and I must confess that these various factors affected my enjoyment.

'71 takes place in Northern Ireland in 1971 when Catholic Nationalists and Protestant Loyalists found themselves fighting one another for political control.  Gary Hook (Jack O'Connell) is a young, British solider sent with his platoon to try and help appease the disruptions, but when they're sent out on their first peacekeeping/protection mission, a riot breaks out.  When one of the Catholic rioters steals a soldier's gun, Gary is told to rush and get the gun back.  In the ensuing melee, Hook's regiment leaves him behind and Gary finds himself as a soldier in enemy territory with people who don't want him in their neck of the woods to try and quell the political upheaval.

Director Demange does a fantastic job in the film's first half creating a chaotic atmosphere in which Gary is unsure who to trust or how to escape.  There are several jaw-dropping moments that had me thoroughly excited for the remainder of the film to play out.  Unfortunately, the flick becomes very talky in the second half which may hold significance for Brits and Irish watching this, but for this American, I began to lose interest.  I don't mean that as an Ameri-centric slight on other cultures, but rather as a fact that I'm simply unfamiliar with the crux and political aspirations of the Catholic-Protestant contention of this era.  I know it was highly significant and I'd certainly heard about and had some knowledge of the issue, but not being fully informed on the tensions proved to be detrimental to the film.

As I mentioned above, many of the actors look somewhat similar and the cast is full of relative unknowns to me.  While they all do a good job, it grew a bit confusing in part because of my lack of full understanding of the historical event, but also because there were factions within factions of both groups that were "tertiarally" mentioned that then come into greater play as the film progresses.  To keep up with these side groups while I was trying to comprehend the main political event proved to be too much.

Yes, I realize I should be more up to date on my Anglocentric history, but it let me down here.  I also recognize that perhaps this shouldn't have been a late night watch where my mind may have wandered more easily than had I watched it another time.  I say these things because I recognize that Jack O'Connell is quite good here as the beleaguered soldier and I've already praised the first-time director for his work, yet somehow '71 just didn't quite click for me.  That said, I do think it does a nice job of portraying the history of this heated internal Irish battle -- if only I'd known a little more of the history beforehand...

The RyMickey Rating:  C

Movie Review - Unbroken

Unbroken (2014)

Starring Jack O'Connell, Domhnall Gleeson, Miyavi, and Finn Whitrock

Directed by Angelina Jolie

The courage and sheer will to survive of Mr. Louis Zamperini is incredible and, considering how thematically inspirational it is, I'm surprised his fascinating story hadn't been brought to the screen prior to director Angelina Jolie's Unbroken was released in 2014.  Here's a guy who went from being a misfit child to an Olympic runner to a soldier whose plane was shot down near Japan after which he spent 45 days floating on the ocean with two of his fellow heroes...only to be captured by the Japanese and taken to a prison camp where he found himself the target of a vicious general.  You can't write something like that and make it seem believable if it didn't really happen...but since it did really happen, you can only be in awe of the willpower of Zamperini.  Unfortunately, Jolie's movie doesn't quite find itself firing on all cylinders, wasting most of its gas in the film's admittedly very good first half and petering out in the end.

Jolie crafts a perfectly adequate film in Unbroken and it's obvious that she has the utmost respect for Zamperini (played in the film by Jack O'Connell), but despite the crisp look of the piece, the film feels oddly empty.  For all of this guy's struggles, I never found myself emotionally invested in the character in the way that I wanted to be.  Jolie is absolutely at her best in the scenes after the plane crash in the riveting time at sea on two small yellow rafts with Zamperini and his two fellow soldiers Phil and Mac (Domhnall Gleeson and Finn Whitrock).  When her focus shifts to the Japanese war camp headed by the sadistic Watanabe (played by Miyavi) in the film's final hour, the emotional struggle to survive so present in the film's first half fades away when it should've become perhaps even more relevant.  Unable to carry this important emotional aspect through the entire piece is a bit of a disappointment.

With great technical aspects all around -- cinematography, score, costumes -- and solid acting, the potential for Unbroken seems disappointingly untapped.  This is the first film I've seen directed by Jolie and I appreciate her eye behind the lens.  Considering the obvious admiration she holds for Mr. Zamperini, it's a shame the film didn't resonate as emotionally impactful as it should have.

The RyMickey Rating:  C+

Movie Review - Starred Up

Starred Up (2014)

Starring Jack O'Connell, Ben Mendelsohn, and Rupert Friend

Directed by David Mackenzie

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

Gritty and seemingly realistic (although I admittedly am fortunately unfamiliar with the setting), Starred Up is a solid prison tale that adds an interesting twist to the genre as father and son inmates try to reign supreme despite their decidedly hot tempers which wreak a bit of havoc amongst those on their cell block.  Jack O'Connell is the young Eric Love who is transferred to an adult British prison (a practice known as being "starred up") and immediately decides to puff his chest and show his strength by trying to harm a prison guard.  While this would typically place an inmate into solitary confinement, Eric lucks out as his father Neville (Ben Mendelsohn) just so happens to be in the same prison and just so happens to be well-liked by the officers and guards.  Neville is able to work out a deal that places his son into a rehabilitation program where he meets with Oliver Baumer (Rupert Friend) several times a week with a few other prisoners in a group therapy-type setting in hopes that the nineteen year-old Eric can become less angry and more "functioning" as he spends nearly a decade in prison.

As mentioned, director David Mackenzie and screenwriter Jonathan Asser have crafted a gritty flick here with a character in Eric that is disarmingly unpleasant.  Jack O'Connell does a great job of showcasing the youth's visceral dislike for authority and violent tendencies towards everyone.  Ben Mendelsohn is also eerily unsavory as Eric's father -- how does he get what he wants?  Why does he have pull in the prison?  The answers aren't necessarily appealing.

Admittedly, I found the accents in this one a bit harsh to this American's ear and I did find that I had to watch the flick with subtitles in order to fully grasp what was going on.  However, Starred Up is a solid piece of filmmaking with an impressively scarily realistic turn from Jack O'Connell who's certainly seeing his star rise in recent months.

The RyMickey Rating:  B