Sleight of Film

Today’s quick review: Dog Day Afternoon. One summer afternoon in 1972, a pair of amateur bank robbers attempt to hold up a Brooklyn bank. But their robbery turns into a hostage crisis when the police show up. Sonny (Al Pacino), the brains of the operation, is forced to keep the precarious situation from deteriorating. To stay alive, he must negotiate with the police, take care of the hostages, talk to the media, handle the crowd, and keep his quiet partner-in-crime Sal (John Cazale) from despairing.

Dog Day Afternoon is a crime movie that is based on a true story. What distinguishes Dog Day Afternoon from other hostage films is its realistic, slightly comedic take on a bank robbery. Unlike most fictional bank robbers, Sonny and Sal do not have a plan. They are unprepared for the arrival of the police, and only a combination of luck and quick thinking keeps the situation from falling apart immediately.

But neither are Sonny and Sal the caricatures one would expect in a crime comedy. Their humor comes from their humanity, from their casual relationship with their hostages to Sonny’s impromptu rabble-rousing when he finds the crowd of spectators taking his side. The police are somewhat comedic themselves, bumbling authority figures with an undercurrent of menace. These elements of comedy give Dog Day Afternoon a lighter tone than most standoffs, even if the core plot of the film is a drama.

Sonny himself is a surprisingly compelling character. Al Pacino is given the better part of two hours to develop Sonny from an amateur crook in over his head into a nuanced, likable individual. Pacino accomplishes the difficult feat of playing a likable criminal who is neither a suave mastermind nor pure comic relief. For all his faults, Sonny seems like a nice enough guy, and he gives the movie a strong heart.

Watch Dog Day Afternoon if you are in the mood for an unconventional crime drama with traces of humor. The plot offers nothing special, but the acting is very good, the writing is sound, and the tone is a blend of comedy, drama, and realism that is hard to come by in other films. Skip it if you are looking for an exciting heist, a taut thriller, or a pure comedy.

8.0 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.5 for strong writing, good characters, an unusual tone, and a great performance from Pacino.

Today’s quick review: Arrival. Louise Banks (Amy Adams) is a linguistics professor mourning the death of her teenage daughter. But when alien vessels land at twelve sites around the world, she is recruited by an Army colonel (Forest Whitaker) to translate the aliens’ bizarre language. With the aid of Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner), a scientist on her team, she attempts to communicate with the aliens to answer the question of why they have come to Earth.

Arrival is a science fiction drama with a linear, focused plot. The film skims over certain details in favor of presenting what is of plot or emotional significance. As such, many of the science fiction aspects of alien contact are addressed only in passing, while emphasis is placed on establishing communication with the aliens and the effects of the contact on Louise.

Fans of cerebral science fiction will have plenty to chew on. Louise sets about decoding the aliens’ language with a satisfying mix of logic and intuition. Her work is sprinkled with just enough real-world linguistics to make it feel authentic without getting too technical. And unlike many sci-fi films, Arrival has very little action to distract from the main plot.

Arrival also offers something to fans of personal drama. The outer science fiction plot wraps around a inner story of personal loss. Louise’s interactions with the aliens dredge up memories of her daughter that begin to affect her judgment. The personal drama gives the film a bittersweet tone that meshes well with its realistic, focused take on alien contact.

Watch Arrival if you are keen on hard science fiction and well-told personal drama. Arrival is a movie that sticks to its key themes and handles them well. Those who prefer adventure-style science fiction should look elsewhere.

8.5 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.5 for solid execution of an interesting premise, but drama fans will rate it higher.

Today’s quick review: Sharknado. When a freak storm makes landfall in Los Angeles, it brings with it a rain of sharks it sucked up from the Pacific Ocean. Fin Shepard (Ian Ziering), the owner of a dockside bar, flees inland with his best friend Bas (Jason Simmons), a waitress Nova (Cassie Scerbo), and a local souse George (John Heard). The group stop by the home of Fin’s ex-wife April (Tara Reid) to get his family to safety amidst the tide of flooding and sharks.

Sharknado is a TV action horror movie with a low budget and a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor. With bad acting, low production values, and a ridiculous premise, Sharknado is objectively a bad movie. At the same time, Sharknado is a strangely entertaining watch. The film revels in its preposterousness and delivers shark-on-man and man-on-shark action with wild abandon.

How much you enjoy the film will depend on your willingness to embrace its absurdity. The premise is a thin excuse for shark attack-style gore in an urban setting. Many of the kills during the film are played for humor or astonishment, and these are what give the film its violent sense of fun. Not all of Sharknado’s decisions are correct ones, even given its unusual premise and tone, but it should elicit a few good laughs from a viewer with the right attitude.

Watch Sharknado if you are looking for a ridiculous, low-budget action film done right. Skip it if you have any standards regarding acting, writing, special effects, or intelligence, or if you are sensitive to gore.

3.3 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 4.0 for production quality, a 6.0 for breathing life into a low-budget film, and a 7.0 to 7.5 for enjoyability.

Today’s quick review: Casino. Sam “Ace” Rothstein (Robert De Niro) is a successful gambler with a knack for picking odds. When the mob notices his skills, they entrust him with running the Tangiers Casino in Las Vegas. They also send his childhood friend Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci) out to Las Vegas to act as Rothstein’s muscle. But when Santoro decides to set up his own criminal operation, his actions threaten to send the situation spiraling out of control.

Casino is a Las Vegas crime drama from director Martin Scorsese that follows the rise and fall of Sam Rothstein and Nicky Santoro. Rothstein is effective at his job, but his attempts at legitimacy are damaged by his connection to Santoro. Santoro sees Las Vegas as a city ripe for the taking, but the same recklessness that makes him powerful causes him to make mistakes. The relationship between the two men is strained as their respective goals begin to conflict.

Casino is a movie with excellent writing, acting, and craftsmanship. Rothstein and Santoro are both compelling characters, with interesting actions, motivations, and troubles. The film is narrated jointly by De Niro and Pesci, explaining the situation and bridging the film’s many time jumps. The film’s capable writing combined with the acting talents of De Niro and Pesci keep the narration engaging.

The trouble with this format is that the film tells as much as it shows. The narration tapers off two-thirds of the way through the film as the plot begins to move under its own power, but much of the plot in the meantime feels like setup. In a film of nearly three hours, the slow buildup is justifiable but not necessarily welcome. The film’s omnipresent soundtrack makes Casino feel even longer, with over 50 songs crammed into the movie back-to-back.

Watch Casino if you are looking for a well-crafted crime drama with high production values. The format of the film may or may not be to your taste, but the components of the film, its acting, writing, and direction, are all sound. A couple of flaws in pacing, plotting, and soundtrack use keep Casino from being an unequivocal hit, but it is a strong choice regardless.

Skip it if you are looking for a tidy story. Watch Scarface instead if you want a success story with a bit more crime. Watch The Wolf of Wall Street if you want a success story with a bit more comedy.

8.2 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.5 for high quality with a few issues.

Today’s quick review: 21. Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess), an MIT senior, needs $300,000 to attend Harvard Medical School. His prayers are answered when he catches the attention of Mickey Rosa (Kevin Spacey), a mathematics professor who runs a secret club of student card counters. But as Ben finds success in Vegas, he grows distant from his friends and risks losing himself to his newfound riches.

21 is a light crime drama with heist elements. 21 is a movie with a good core plot, decent acting, and pacing issues. Mickey uses his brightest students to run a card counting system capable of clearing six figures from the blackjack tables in one trip to Las Vegas. Their activities are not illegal, but the risk of getting caught is high and professionalism is a much. However, the film spends too much time on setup and gambling montages, causing it to drag in places.

Kevin Spacey is the high point of the movie, bringing his considerable acting talent to the role of Ben’s sharp but predatory card counting coach. His part is limited to a few key sections of the moive, though, and the focus is on Jim Sturgess. Sturgess straddles the line between dorky and charming, lacking the edge to pull off the hustler half of his persona but remaining a pleasant enough protagonist to follow.

Watch 21 if you are interested in a low-key approach to the heist genre. The stakes are lower and nothing is stolen, but the vibe is the same. The film makes a few pacing errors and the characters could be stronger, but 21 is still a decent watch when the right mood strikes you. Skip it if you prefer an actual heist film or crime drama.

6.8 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for a good premise with decent execution.

Today’s quick review: Pulp Fiction. Jules Pitt (Samuel L. Jackson) and Vincent Vega (John Travolta) are a pair of enforcers working for crime boss Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames). A miracle leaves Jules contemplating a more righteous path, while Vincent is asked to take care of Marsellus’s wife Mia (Uma Thurman) for the night while Marsellus is out of town. Meanwhile, Butch (Bruce Willis), an aging boxer who Marsellus has hired to take a fall, enacts a daring plan for his retirement.

Pulp Fiction is a stylized crime drama from Quentin Tarantino. The movie consists of three interlocking stories told in non-chronological order. The first segment focuses on Vincent and his night out with Mia, the second on Butch and his plan, and the third on Jules and his perceived miracle. No story goes exactly as planned, with plot twists that send them careening in different directions.

The unusual format can make the movie hard to follow at first, but paying close enough attention shows that Pulp Fiction is very well crafted. The vignettes fit together like a puzzle, with themes and events that intersect in unexpected ways. While the movie lacks a single overarching plot, it makes up for the absence through unpredictability and style.

The film’s dialogue is packed with Tarantino’s unique musings on the world, from the ethics of foot massages to the nature of awkward pauses in conversation. Although the characters are not entirely likable, their dialogue and mannerisms make them oddly compelling. Interesting scenes, intelligent camera work, and iconic moments arguably make the film Quentin Tarantino’s best work.

Watch Pulp Fiction if you are in the mood for an odd, stylish crime drama with an excellent cast and Quentin Tarantino’s signature style. Between occasional violence, mature themes, and a penchant for the shocking and unexpected, Pulp Fiction is not for the sensitive. But those who are on board with the mature content will find Pulp Fiction to be an incredibly competent film that is well worth the watch.

8.9 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it an 8.5 for stylish presentation, excellent craftsmanship, and a number of iconic moments.

Today’s quick review: The Incredibles. After a public relations disaster forces America’s superheroes into early retirement, Bob Parr (Craig T. Nelson), the former Mr. Incredible, and his wife Helen (Holly Hunter), the former Elastigirl, settle down to an ordinary life in the suburbs to raise their shy daughter Violet (Sarah Vowell), their hyperactive son Dash (Spencer Fox), and their baby Jack Jack. But when Mr. Incredible resumes hero work behind his wife’s back, the consequences of his actions threaten to tear his family apart.

The Incredibles is a CGI family comedy and Disney’s take on the superhero genre. The Incredibles features superpowered action, themes of family and supporting one another, and a stylized world of heroes and villains inspired by the glory days of the superhero genre. The graphics are dated but nevertheless impressive, while the writing sparkles with humor and clever details. The whole is capped off by an outstanding soundtrack with a strong trumpet theme.

Fans of the superhero genre may find The Incredibles odd at first. The setting is a hodgepodge of superhero conventions more than a world of its own. The Incredibles’ powers are close, but not identical, to the Fantastic Four’s. The family dynamic seems to distract from the core hero work. But eventually the film proves that it is not only an ode to the genre, but a competent story in its own right.

The Incredibles does a surprisingly good job of handling the familial aspects of its story. The story is not just about Bob’s midlife crisis, but Dash’s need for an outlet, Violet’s lack of confidence, and Helen’s efforts to keep them all together. For relatively simple character concepts, they touch on some interesting themes, and their interactions and growth are handled quite well.

Watch The Incredibles if you are looking for a family-friendly adventure with great characters, strong writing, and mountains of style. Most people will enjoy the film to some degree, and many will find it a modern classic.

8.0 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it an 8.0 to 8.5 for smart writing, action, and fun.

Today’s quick review: The Princess Bride. After her true love is killed on the high seas, a forlorn Buttercup (Robin Wright) agrees to marry Prince Humperdink (Chris Sarandon). But unbeknownst to her, Humperdink has arranged for her kidnapping to spark a war with a neighboring kingdom. A trio of brigands (Andre the Giant, Mandy Patinkin, and Wallace Shawn) abscond with the princess, but their scheme is interrupted by a mysterious stranger clad in black (Cary Elwes).

The Princess Bride is a cult classic that delivers comedy, romance, and adventure all wrapped up in a storybook shell. The pleasant, simple flavor of the storybook genre makes The Princess Bride a light and easy watch. At the same time, The Princess Bride pokes loving fun at the conventions of the genre, from the politeness shown between the stranger and the kidnappers to the everyday treatment of a world of potions, miracles, and unusual rodents.

For all its charm, The Princess Bride is missing a number of elements that would make it an engrossing story in its own right. The story has a generic medieval setting with slight fantasy elements. The fight scenes are not impressive enough to qualify it as an action movie. The characters and story are deliberately simple.

The magic of the story lies in its telling. Peter Falk’s warm narration of the story to his sick grandson provides the film’s framing device. All the countless minutiae that other movies rely on to buttress their stories are scrapped in favor of memorable characters, quotable dialogue, and charm. The strength of these elements is not always apparent on the first watch, but The Princess Bride has a quality that persists time after time.

Watch The Princess Bride if you are looking for a light, cute, and somewhat sappy adventure. Skip it if you dislike the genre or are looking for more weight or a more fully realized world.

8.1 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it an 8.0 to 8.5 for charm and quotability.

Today’s quick review: Doctor Strange. After a car accident leaves him unable to operate, Doctor Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), an arrogant neurosurgeon, tries everything he can to recover the use of his damaged hands. His search takes him to Kamar-Taj, a mystic school in Nepal, where a woman known as the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) teaches him about the world of magic. But after Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen), a traitor to the school, steals the key to a dangerous ritual, Strange must put his newfound power to the test to save the world from an otherworldly threat.

Doctor Strange is a superhero fantasy film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Doctor Strange is Marvel’s first foray into straight fantasy with no attempt at a science fiction coating. The magic fits surprisingly well with the universe’s established cosmology, giving Doctor Strange free reign with its special effects and action. The result is a polished, visually astounding adventure with mind-bending special effects and boundless creativity.

Benedict Cumberbatch plays an excellent Stephen Strange, arrogant and inconsiderate, but with just enough of a conscience to redeem him. His inflated ego is counterbalanced by Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams), a fellow doctor and Strange’s on-again, off-again love interest, who sees the good buried within him. Tilda Swinton plays the Ancient One, a mentor figure with a peculiar relationship with Strange, while Chiwetel Ejiofor rounds out the main cast as Mordo, a fellow sorcerer who helps Strange in his training.

The story is solid if conventional, a well-executed tale of redemption with a typical superhero plot. Where Doctor Strange excels is its visual spectacle, a smorgasbord of fractal designs, visual surprises, and physics-warping fight scenes. The action is fast-paced martial arts crossed with Inception-style reality bending and magical weaponry. The whole package is tied together with smooth writing, a dash of Marvel humor, and a fitting, baroque-inspired soundtrack.

Watch Doctor Strange if you are looking for an action-packed visual feast and a self-contained, fantasy-heavy take on the superhero genre. Those who are cooling on superhero films should consider giving Doctor Strange a shot anyway; its slick execution and magic elements separate it from the usual fare. Skip it if you dislike action movies or magic.

8.0 out of 10 on IMDB. I also give it an 8.0 for spectacle, polish, and fun.

Today’s quick review: Swimming with Sharks. Guy (Frank Whaley), a Hollywood neophyte, is pushed to his breaking point when he takes a job as the assistant to Buddy Ackerman (Kevin Spacey), an abusive movie executive. His dreams of making it big in the industry are put to the test by Buddy’s insults, disrespect, and impossible standards. Guy must choose between his career and a developing relationship with Dawn Lockard (Michelle Forbes), a movie producer who urges him to get out from under Buddy’s thumb.

Swimming with Sharks is an unusual drama about the film industry and its effects on people. Guy’s eagerness to please runs aground on Buddy’s bad attitude, and Guy is left searching for some trace of humanity in an inhuman boss. The setup feels like a comedy, but it plays out like a drama, in spite of the absurd nature of Buddy’s criticisms. Kevin Spacey delivers a memorable performance as Buddy Ackerman, a character with just enough complexity to cause the viewer to question just what kind of man he is.

Swimming with Sharks does build to some interesting themes about ambition, sacrifice, and self-respect, but it lacks the plot to fully explore them. The story is told thorugh a series of flashbacks, but the only events of note take place in the present. The flashbacks chronicle the early days of Guy’s employment, the birth of his romance with Dawn, and his acclimatization to working for Buddy, but they are more a series of interactions than proper events. As a result, Guy seems to drift as a character rather than undergoing a concrete transformation.

Watch Swimming with Sharks if you are a fan of Kevin Spacey. The dynamic between Buddy and Guy is iconic, and the writing has a couple of smart moments. But the movie wanders instead of telling a concrete story, and the tone is caught awkwardly between a comedy and a drama. For those willing to overlook its faults for its virtues, Swimming with Sharks is a decent watch. For those looking for the complete package, skip it.

7.1 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for good characters held back by a poorly-constructed plot.