Angels and Demons

Angels and Demons (2009) dir. Ron Howard
Starring: Tom Hanks, Ewan McGregor, Ayelet Zurer, Stellan Skarsgård, Nikolaj Lie Kaas

*1/2

With these Dan Brown novels, Ron Howard has just about the sweetest gig in Hollywood: a veritable cash cow franchise not dependant on anything but some controversial Vatican-bashing. “The Da Vinci Code” was a pulpy novel to start, which, to the surprise of everyone, including the author, became the must-read of 2004. Even I, a casual fiction reader at best, read it and was unimpressed. The movie was a middle-of-the-road thriller in every aspect of its production. So how can anyone get jazzed by “Angels and Demons”? Not a sequel, or a prequel really, just another adventure for Robert Langdon, the Harvard symbologist and puzzle-solver-for-hire.

In this episode, Langdon is brought in the Vatican to help locate four kidnapped monks who happen to be the leading candidates for the vacated Papal office. The infamous Illuminati, another subversive organization bent on taking down the Catholic Church, have taken credit, and since Langdon knows their historical trajectory, he’s the best man for the job. He and his scientist partner, Vittoria Vetra (a stunning Israeli actress, Ayelet Zurer) scour the archives of the Vatican deciphering codes seeking to discover the location of each monk. Oh yeah, there’s also some stolen anti-matter from a local French science base which threatens to blow up Rome.

“Angels and Demons” goes so far off the deep-end, it makes “The Da Vinci Code” look like social realism. The opening sequence establishes a ticking clock device which would have seemed ridiculous in a Pierce Brosnan Bond Picture. Anti-matter? Huh? A lame attempt to incorporate a scientifically plausible theory of creationism – after all, one of the running themes of the series is creating controversy around the steadfast Catholic beliefs. There’s nothing profound in anti-matter, just bubble gum dramatics.

The attraction of “The Da Vinci Code” was the connection of religious history, sacred works of art and historical science. To give Dan Brown some credit, the core ideas were intriguing and his historical connections actually seemed plausible. In "Angels & Demon" the puzzles are hastily told to us by Langdon without the time to linger on the historical context of what he’s discovering. Even the puzzles in “National Treasure” are more interesting.

The action is episodic and seems to serve only to break-up the boredom. Langdon’s near death experience in the locked down archive basement is out of disaster-movie 101, adventure without conflict, just a contrived sequence of false jeopardy without any impact of the story.

There’s a couple of twists, which are telegraphed too accurately by Howard. As soon as the real baddie shows up on screen, we know what’s going to happen – in fact, I guessed it already from the trailer.

The saving grace of the film is the casting of Nikolaj Lie Kaas as the hitman heavy who kills with great proficiency. Kass is a Danish actor, who is largely unknown outside of his own country, but anyone who knows the work of Susanne Bier and Anders Thomas Jensen knows Kaas is a casting coup waiting to happen. Howard knows it and it’s the only inspired aspect of the film.

As with "The Da Vinci Code", everyone here ‘phones it in’ – but going by the success of Da Vinci, only the bare minimum is required to make these films successful.

Cannes 2009 Scorecard - Day 9

A L'ORIGINE (aka In the Beginning)(France) dir. Xavier Giannoli
A true story of a conman whose latest scheme, the building of a road, inadvertantly brings hope to a small dying community.

Mike Goodridge, Screendaily, calls it, "a sort of social realist Capra-esque fable set in the rain and grit of northern France...The film is crippled, however, by an extreme running time of 155 minutes which dilutes rather than strengthens the message of the story and will have even the most patient cinephiles shifting in their seats."

Xan Brooks, Guardian UK, calls it, "an engrossing portrait of small-town France in economic decline." He thinks it could be a late festival surprise, "this, too, would make a worthy winner, because it is humane and assured; a snapshot from the frontline of France's recession and a tale of how we live today."



DAS WEISSE BAND (aka The White Ribbon) (Germany/Austria/Hungary/Italy)dir. Michael Haneke
On the eve of World War I, the story of the children and teenagers of a choir run by a village schoolteacher, and their families: the baron, the steward, the pastor, the doctor, the midwife, the tenant farmers. Strange accidents occur and gradually take on the character of a punishment ritual. Who is behind it all?

Total Film, reports, "It's austerity would verge on absurdity if it weren’t for Haneke’s exquisitely taut control of every frame. For a film that burns so slow, there’s not one inch of slack...if the tie-up isn’t perfect, White Ribbon’s made from material that haunts, grips and immerses."

Eric Kohn, Indiewire, likes, "Pairing visual mastery with a quietly immersive story, “The White Ribbon” plays like a morbid version of “Our Town,” patiently revealing the inward discord beneath the surface of a settled community. It’s a frightening depiction of mortality."

Todd McCarthy, Variety, saw it too: "Immaculately crafted in beautiful black-and-white and entirely absorbing through its longish running time, Michael Haneke’s “The White Ribbon” nonetheless proves a difficult film to entirely embrace. Stressing, as usual, a conspicuously dim view of the world,...The White Ribbon” feels like a thematic companion piece to “Lord of the Flies.”



LOS VIAJES DEL VIENTO (aka The Wind Journeys) (Columbia/Germany/Argentina/Netherlands) dir. Ciro Guerra
(En Certain Regard) In northern a parentless child makes a lengthy adventurous journey to return an accordion to the man who gave it to him, his teacher and mentor.

Justin Chang, Variety, writes, "The rugged majesty of the Colombian landscape forms a spectacular widescreen backdrop for a simple, bittersweet tale of regret and companionship ...Awash in scenic vistas and infused with a touch of the supernatural, this beautifully judged two-hander tells the story of an aging accordion player and the young wannabe musician he's reluctantly allowed to accompany him on his long trek north."

Lee Marshall, Screendaily, writes, "With its stunning widescreen landscapes, colourful musical interludes and sure human touch, The Wind Journeys occupies a niche not too far from nature-and landscape dominated world cinema releases such as Himalaya or Tulpan."



SKAZKA PRO TEMNOTU (aka Tale in the Darkness) (Russia) dir. Nikolai Khomeriki
(En Certain Regard) A lonely female beat cop goes on a journey to take her out of the darkness.

Leslie Felperin, Variety, writes, " A lonely, lovelorn femme cop mopes around a seaside town for a blessedly brief 77 minutes in the Russian drama "Tale in the Darkness." Although strong-featured lead thesp Alisa Khazanova proves watchable throughout, helmer Nikolai Khomeriki's second feature has little more going for it than the fact that it's more accessible than his last, the obscure and soporific sci-fi squib "Nine Seven Seven."



À DERIVA (aka Adrift) (Brazil) dir. Hector Dhalia
(En Certain Regard) Spending summer vacation with her family in Buzios, Filipa, a fourteen-year old girl, suffers through the rite of passage into adulthood while discovering love for the first time. A rite filled with anguish when she learns that her father, a famous author, is betraying her mother with a foreign woman who lives in the small seaside town. But, this secret is to be only the first in a series of others, both enchanting and painful, which she discovers about her family and herself as well.

I couldn't find any reviews for this film, sorry.

Adoration

Adoration (2009) dir. Atom Egoyan
Starring: Devon Bostick, Scott Speedman, Arsinee Khanjian

**

I am a big Atom Egoyan fan, which extends even beyond flag waving patriotism. Even his recent lesser-regarded films, “Where the Truth Lies”, “Felicia's Journey” dug into me and struck a chord. With “Adoration” it’s Egoyan again, his trademark multi-layered elliptical style with a peculiar story about a teenager’s conflicts reconciling the death of his parents. If this were another filmmaker’s film, I’d might call it a triumph of tonal control and metaphorical storytelling, but with Egoyan, it's something we’ve seen before, but with more preciousness and with lesser emotional punch.

Devon Bostick plays Simon, a high school student who lives with his ner-do-well, older brother Tom (Scott Speedman). We’re told by his ailing grandfather (Kenneth Welsh) that his father was a despicable man that had something to do his mother’s death. We also see, a recurring flashback at an Israeli airport customs desk where Simon’s mom (Rachel Blanchard) has problems attempting to enter Israel.

Meanwhile, Simon’s teacher Sabine (Arsinee Khanjian) convinces him to enter a drama show and pretend that his father was a terrorist and tried to heinously sacrifice his mother by planting a bomb in her luggage. Stay with me here… It seems like innocent deception until Simon posts his false story over the internet causing a huge fervour amongst the family. Slowly Sabine’s motivations are revealed and a dramatic connection to Simon outside of school emerges.

I can only gather that the purpose of the story structure is to confuse the audience, and eventually unravel the truth from the lies. It’s an hallmark of all Egoyan’s films – often jumping timelines to strategically unveil the emotion of the story. Unfortunately it doesn’t work with “Adoration.”  

We are fed blatant lies and false truths for no other the reason than to confuse us. In the first half we actually believe Simon’s dad was actually a terrorist - or maybe we do know and I was the only one in the theatre confused - I doubt it. Deceiving the characters is one thing, purposely lying to the audience is dangerous. Having bought into this dramatic bombshell magically erasing that plot point is an unfair dupe of our emotional investment.

I reviewed Brad Anderson’s “The Machinist” yesterday, and there’s some commonality in why both films don't work. Like Anderson's film, "Adoration's" 'story-guts' is contained in a truth, which is held back from the audience. With “The Machinist’s” Trevor Resnick character, he knows the truth, but his own mind is masking it. There's is little drama in the journey of either character, instead overweighted by its eventual twist reveal.

If anything, I enjoyed the performance of Scott Speedman who has said he aggressively pursued his role which was originally written for an older man. Speedman's instincts were right as his relationship with his brother, a paternal role he forced himself into, becomes the most interesting aspect of the film - a successful dramatic shift for Speedman into Cannes-worthy art house cinema.

Cannes 2009 Scorecard - Day 8

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS (US) dir. Quentin Tarantino
Tarantino's long in gestation WWII flick.. let's see the reaction:

Todd McCarthy, Variety, was entertained, "By turns surprising, nutty, windy, audacious and a bit caught up in its own cleverness, the picture is a completely distinctive piece of American pop art with a strong Euro flavor that's new for the director. Several explosive scenes and the names of Tarantino and topliner Brad Pitt promise brawny commercial prospects, especially internationally, as the preponderance of subtitled dialogue might put off a certain slice of the prospective domestic audience."

Kirk Honeycutt, The Hollywood Reporter, is tepid, "Inglourious Basterds" merely continues the string of disappointments in this year's Competition. The film is by no means terrible -- its two hours and 32 minutes running time races by -- but those things we think of as being Tarantino-esque, the long stretches of wickedly funny dialogue, the humor in the violence and outsized characters strutting across the screen, are largely missing."

Alex Billington, First Showing, writes, "is it a masterpiece? Not exactly. Tarantino doesn't reach those heights this time, though he does kick things up a notch in a way that even I wasn't expecting. Basterds is a bit light on the action, heavy on the talking, and full of great performances. It's as awesome as Tarantino's first two films and as entertaining as his most recent few. It's the WWII movie we've been waiting to see."



LES HERBES FOLLES (aka Wild Grass) (France/Italy) dir. Alain Resnais
A wallet lost and found opens the door - just a crack - to romantic adventure for Georges and Marguerite.

Dan Fainaru, Screendaily, writes, "Resnais is offering a deceptively simple and elegant picture, which will grow in depth and meaning with every additional viewing."

Duane Birge, Screendaily, writes, "at its roots, "Wild Grass" is merely a compilation of eye-candy fluff. It distracts with its warm visuals, but never fully fleshes out. With its thin narrative and elliptical story jumps, "Wild Grass" crashes and burns in a pretentious and unsatisfying manner."

Jordan Mintzer, Variety, writes, "the pic is marked by superb performances and a dazzling technical display by the helmer and praiseworthy cinematographer Eric Gautier. "Grass" should spread abundantly among the auteur's enthusiasts, but probably won't grow far outside the arthouse lawn."



EINAYM PKUHOT (aka Eyes Wide Open) (Israel/France/Germany) dir. Haim Tabakman
(En Certain Regard) A first feature for Tabakman, Eyes Wide Open is a gay love story in the heart of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Jerusalem.

Alissa Simon, Variety, writes, "Taboo-breaking "Eyes Wide Open" is an intense, restrained drama about a married butcher who falls in love with a seductive younger man in Jerusalem's insular ultra-orthodox community. Sensitively helmed feature debut by Haim Tabakman boasts a tightly structured, multi-layered script by Merav Doster, intimate lensing and strong, credible performances."



NANG MAI (Nymph) (Thailand) dir. Pen-Ek Ratanaruang
(En Certain Regard)

Twitch Film has a review and calls is, "supernaturally tinged drama...a languidly paced film...a stunning, virtuoso single take shot that tracks the would-be rape through the forest on what appears to be a blend of dolly, steadicam and crane work - Ratanaruang is beyond deliberate in his pacing of things...Though very well acted and clearly well constructed, Nymph is certainly the least commercial film of Ratanaruang’s career."

Cannes 2009 Scorecard - Day 7

BROKEN EMBRACES(Spain) dir. Pedro Almodovar
Almodovar's ode to 40's noir, a love triangle story between a filmmaker/novelist, Penelope Cruz and domineering millionaire.

David Gritten, Guardian UK, writes, "Broken Embraces parades his many virtues, it treads water rather than breaks new ground...This premise is too convoluted for its own good, a charge that could also be leveled at Almodovar’s last disappointing film, 2004’s Bad Education. He seems so intent on jamming as many elements as possible into his story that his characters lack dimension."

Jonathan Holland, Variety, writes, "Partly a film about films and partly a film about love, Pedro Almodovar’s “Broken Embraces” can’t quite decide where its allegiances lie. A restless, rangy and frankly enjoyable genre-juggler that combines melodrama, comedy and more noir-hued darkness than ever before, the pic is held together by the extraordinary force of Almodovar’s cinematic personality."

Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian UK, loves it, "a richly enjoyable piece of work, slick and sleek, with a sensuous feel for the cinematic surfaces of things and, as ever, self-reflexively infatuated with the business of cinema itself."



VINCERE (Italy) dir. Marco Bellocchio
Italian master Bellocchio returns to Cannes with a historical drama of Benito Mussolini's influence relationship with the woman who helped him rise to power.

Natasha Senjanovic of The Hollywood Reporter writes "Throughout the film, Bellocchio intersperses black-and-white archival footage, fascist-era graphics and close-ups of women whose identities are explained much later in the film, to good artistic effect. He creates an intimate mood while alluding to the general feel of the highly chronicled era without going too far over the top or reconstructing elaborate sets."

Jay Weissberg, Variety, writes, "Momentous events require suitably powerful storytelling, which vet helmer Marco Bellocchio delivers in "Vincere," the little-known story of Benito Mussolini's ill-fated first wife and son. Conceived as grand opera set inside delineated space, it's a thrilling, at times brilliant piece of staging that never forgets the emotional pull of either the tragic personal tale or the ramifications of history."

Lee Marshall, Screendaily, writes, "It’s a curious but rousingly cinematic work that for all its flashy stylistic quirks is at heart as old-fashioned as its surging orchestral score. As a study of the personal tensions behind Italian history’s grand events, Vincere lacks the sensitivity of the director’s Aldo Moro kidnapping drama Buongiorno Notte; but as a stirring portrait of a woman wronged, it delivers the emotional goods."



AMINTIRI DIN EPOCA DE AUR (aka Tales from the Golden Age) (Romania) dir. Hanno Höfer, Razvan
(En Certain Regard) Marculescu, Cristian Mungiu, Constantin Popescu, Ioana Uricaru
A Romanian compilation film directed by five of its bright cinematic stars, an unconventional personal history of the late communist period in Romania, told through its urban myths from the perspective of ordinary people. Comic, bizarre, surprising, these myths drew on the often surreal events of everyday life under the communist regime.

Mike Goodridge, Screendaily, writes, "another notch in the country’s film-making renaissance which focuses on day-to-day life ...t will be a crowd pleasing festival title around the world and could well stir up strong theatrical business in all the former Soviet nations"



DEMAIN DÈS L'AUBE aka Tomorrow at Dawn) (France) dir. Denis Dercourt
(En Certain Regard) From the director of 'The Page Turner' comes a film about the relationship between two brothers, the younger of whom is so enthralled by historical battles that he has lost touch with reality. At his mother’s request, Mathieu, the older brother, tries to free his kid brother Paul from his addiction...

Lisa Nesselson, Screendaily, writes, "Those who assume classical musicians are sissies may have to adjust their thinking after Tomorrow At Dawn, in which classical music meets historical battle re-enactments to excellent effect. ...The viewer can sense that bad things will happen without ever knowing when or in what form, and the punchline of this tale is a satisfying surprise."

Eric Kohn, Indiewire, Twittered this, "While no masterpiece, TOMORROW AT DAWN is very invigorating, suggests what ROLE MODELS would be like as a thriller."

Taken

Taken (2008) dir. Pierre Morel
Starring: Liam Neeson, Famke Janssen, Maggie Grace

**1/2

How a film like this, with ‘straight-to-DVD’ written all over it, managed to subvert expectations and make a $125million in the box office this year is astounding. It truly is. The fact is, this atrociously scripted minimalist actioner is the type of picture Steven Seagal used to make year after year in the late 80’s, early 90’s - kidnapped daughter brings her former CIA agent father out of retirement to give some major beatdowns to the international baddies du jour.

In “Taken” it’s the Albanians that are up against Seagel... I mean Liam Neeson. The first half hour features some of the worst exposition I’ve seen on film in a while. Liam Neeson is Bryan Mills, a retired military man, divorced from his wife and 17-year-old daughter, now turned annoyingly over-protective father. This backstory is told to us with the subtlety of a blunt hammer. We can almost see the director rolling his eyes at the inconvenience of having to establish these character traits to us, before getting to the action.

Begrudgingly Mills lets his daughter Kim (Maggie Grace, 25, playing a 17 year old??) go to Paris on a trip with her friend. Once in Paris, while on a phone call to Daddy, she is kidnapped. Mills immediately goes into military mode and uses his lifetime of skills and training to track down the baddies.

It’s a slogging 30mins to get through before the film really begins. Then, instantly brainchild co-writer Luc Besson and his director Pierre Morel bring the film to life. Like Jack Bauer, Mills becomes robotically obsessive about every detail of evidence he has. With not much more than a scratchy cell phone recording of the kidnapper saying ‘Good Luck’, Mills manages to systematically retrace Kim’s movements from her hotel room to the dingy brothels of Paris.

Neeson is impressive in his brainless action debut. Morel directs the action well making him look as good as Seagal but without the blackbelt and ponytail. Mills’ rampage of revenge is appropriately violent and unrelenting. Morel shows us exactly what we want to see – Neeson kicking major Albanian ass all over the place, whether it’s bone-breaking hand-to-hand combat, violent gun battles or car chases, Mills is consistently merciless.

It’s difficult to justify “Taken” truly as anything but a terrible movie, but something Todd Hallowell, one of Ron Howard’s producers, once told me in an interview about Howard’s philosophy of watching movies, “a good film is one that delivers on it’s own promise. Whatever genre, whatever it is, if it delivers on what it promised you, it’s a good film. It might not be a great film, but at least it delivered on what it said it would do.” Tempering the atrocious scripting and real-world logic with the impressive unforgiving intensity of Mill’s journey, a surprisingly decent film emerges. But a $125m film?

I think Luc Besson has become the Roger Corman of our time. After quitting directing, in the 2000’s he’s become a factory of successful euro-action flicks as writer and producer. In “Taken” there’s a deceptive intelligence in how Besson manufactures its success. As a Frenchman, he exploits America’s hatred of his own people as the one of the main audience attractions of the film. It’s clear the success of this film in the U.S. is partly due to the idea of a single American man, using his American military training to best the entire country of ineffectual Frenchmen. It would seem an unpatriotic treacherous manoeuvre for Besson, but with $125million box office bank, the joke is definitely not on him.

“Taken” is available on Blu-Ray and DVD from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

Cannes 2009 Scorecard - Day 6

LOOKING FOR ERIC (UK and others) dir. Ken Loach
A domestic drama starring former soccer star Eric Cantona as a postman and familyman whose lost love 30 years ago causes him to journey into his past to reconcile his internal pain.

Sukhdev Sandhu, Telegraph UK, calls it "endearing, crowd-pleasing fare".

Peter Bradshaw, Guardian UK, concurs, "a lovably good-natured if erratic comedy...It's a bit like Woody Allen's Play It Again, Sam. This is Kick It Like Eric. (Or maybe Kick Him Like Eric.) The difference is that Woody had to make do with an actor who only looked like Humphrey Bogart. Ken Loach has got the real thing (played, as it says in the credits, by "lui-même"): Cantona is excellent comic value, although his accent is still a bit impenetrable, and it isn't easy to tell if he is speaking in French or English."

Dave Calhou, Timeout, says, "It’s Loach’s most accessible film in years."



ANTICHRIST (Denmark and others) dir. Lars Von Trier
Easily the most hotly anticipated Von Trier film in years, a genre film perhaps? The Cannes synopsis reads as this: A grieving couple retreat to ’Eden’, their isolated cabin in the woods, where they hope to repair their broken hearts and troubled marriage. But nature takes its course and things go from bad to worse...

Peter Brunette, The Hollywood Reporter, writes "Danish director's overly fecund imagination overwhelms a slight but visually splendid story...Lars von Trier is in no danger of jeopardizing his reign as the most controversial major director working today. Visually gorgeous to a fault and teeming with grandiose if often fascinating ideas that overwhelm the modest story that serves as their vehicle, this may be the least artistically successful film von Trier has ever made. As such, commercial prospects appear slim, though many of the auteur's most ardent fans will want to see the film anyway. And they should."

Jonathan Romney, Screendaily, writes, "Some von Trier fans will welcome his return to the elaborate visual invention he abandoned with the founding of Dogme. But in the wider world, Antichrist will prove too loopy and coarse for art-house audiences, while genre horror buffs – however cleverly the film is sold to them - will spurn the film, much as they did Michael Haneke’s US Funny Games remake."

Jeffrey Wells, of Hollywood Elsewhere hated it, "easily one of the biggest debacles in Cannes Film Festival history and the complete meltdown of a major film artist in a way that invites comparison to the sinking of the Titanic"

Roger Ebert, writes, "Whether this is a bad, good or great film is entirely beside the point. It is an audacious spit in the eye of society... Von Trier is not so much making a film about violence as making a film to inflict violence upon us, perhaps as a salutary experience. It's been reported that he suffered from depression during and after the film. You can tell. This is the most despairing film I've ever have seen."

Manohla Dargis, NY Times, seemed to like it, "Chaos reigns if not narrative sense, but I would be lying if I didn’t admit that this impossible movie kept me hooked from start to finish"



INDEPENDENCIA (Philippines, France and other) dir, Raya Martin
(En Certain Regard) Early 20th century Philippines. The sounds of war signal the arrival of the Americans. A mother and son flee to the mountains, hoping for a quiet life. One day, the son discovers a wounded woman in the middle of the forest, and decides to bring her home. Years pass. Man, woman and child live in isolation from the growing chaos all over the country. But a coming storm soon threatens their existence, and American troops draw nearer.

Howard Feinstein, Screendaily, writes, "Generically, Independencia is as melodramatic as they come. Besides the family narrative and the acting style, the music, as lovely as it is, is continuous, insistent, and frequently mournful, with horns, guitar, flute, violin, and cello accompanying or anticipating every element of what little plot exists."

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) dir. Leonard Nimoy
Starring: William Shatner, Christopher Lloyd, DeForest Kelly, Robin Curtis

**1/2

It didn’t take long for the Star Trek producer Harve Bennett to figure out how to continue on the adventure of the immensely successful 'Wrath of Khan'. Without the talents and instincts of Nicholas Meyer at the helm, it’s a technically proficient affair but less passionate and ultimately a softened version of the previous film.

When we last left the crew of the Enterprise, Kirk outsmarted his nemesis Khan, destroying him and his mutinous crew and launching the Genesis device thus creating the first artificial ‘Genesis Planet’, but not before Spock saved the day and sacrificed himself for his colleagues. At the beginning of SFS those warmongering Klingons have also caught on to the presence and power of Genesis and seek to harness its power for evil. On the flight home Bones starts exhibiting strange behaviour and speaking like Spock. In fact, it’s Spock soul which he had downloaded to Bones via a mind meld. And when signs of human life emerge on the new Genesis planet, it’s apparent Spock is alive and needs to join up with Bones to complete his reincarnation. Kirk and a the essential Trek crew hijack the enterprise while docked at Earth and go back to the Genesis Planet to find Spock.

Kirstie Alley’s Lt. Saavik character is recast with newbie Robin Curtis. Though less striking in pointy ears than a young Alley, Curtis delivers a fine performance in one of the key roles in the film. Saavik’s matronly nurturing of Spock provides some of the most tender moments in the series, not excluding the Trekkie wet dream version of the Vulcan lovemaking ritual.

Unfortunately Christopher Lloyd doesn’t stand up to the intensity of Ricardo Montalban’s passionate performance as Khan. It’s the first Klingon baddie on the big screen, and admittedly it was difficult to look past Lloyd’s comic persona to find the fear in his character.

The Blu-Ray’s featurette is a treasure of the intra-cast conflict of egos. Leonard Nimoy’s promotion to director seems to be a sore spot in William Shatner. A palpable bit of jealousy emerges as he freely describes Nimoy’s popularity among the Paramount brass after his performance in Wrath of Khan. He even is bold enough to suggest that because he got Nimoy a directing gig on his show, “TJ Hooker”, and there actually taught him how to direct.

Of course, a fourth Star Trek meant an even longer voyage for the crew. “The Voyage Home” which completes what’s been billed as the “Original Motion Picture Trilogy”. The journey through time back to 1987 to bring back an extinct humpback whale to the future works like that famous ‘Trouble with Tribbles’ Original Series episode – a blatant comedy episode, with little redeeming franchise gravitas.

“The Search for Spock” sits right in the middle of these two pictures, film which unfortunately charts the downfall of the movie version of the franchise, that is, until the JJ Abrams resurrection. Enjoy.

“Star Trek: The Original Motion Picture Trilogy” is available on Blu-Ray from Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment

Cannes 2009 Scorecard - Day 5

VENGEANCE (Hong Kong) dir. Johnnie To
I've never been a Johnnie To fan, and I can't understand why his films continue to screen in Competition at Cannes, but whatever. "Vengeance" tells the story of a former killer, now a chef and father who comes to Hong Kong to avenge his daughter, whose family was murdered.

Kirk Hunnycuut of The Hollywood Reporter writes, "This is a tale of two Johnnies. Renowned Hong Kong action director Johnnie To teams up with iconic French singer-actor Johnny Hallyday for a stylish, whiz-bang revenge melodrama."

Lee Marshall, Screendaily, say it's "A revenge shoot-em-up which fires mostly blanks...As always, the sensuality of To’s visual style and soundscapes and the choreography of the film’s bullet ballet provide reasons to watch, but the contrived plot, some wooden English dialogue and Hallyday’s stilted perfomance derail proceedings well before the final showdown."

Justin Chang, Variety, loves it calling it "a smoothly executed revenge thriller that finds one of Hong Kong's genre masters in assured action-movie form."



KINATAY (France, Phillipines) dir. Brillante Mendoza
On the opposite spectrum of Johnnie To is Brillante Mendoza. He was at Cannes last year with "Serbis", now he's back with what looks like a more mainstream film, the story of a criminology student, is recruited by his schoolmate to work as a part-time errand boy for a local syndicate that collects protection fees from various businesses in Manila.

Mike Goodridge, Screendaily, describes the film as "the indie shocker niche occupied by Irreversible or Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer... a nerve-shredding exploration of crime which is both repellent and grimly compelling. Offering audiences no relief or redemption, it is perhaps most notable for its daring in attempting to capture the moment a young man crosses the line into irrevocable evil."

Maggie Lee, The Hollywood Reporter, seems equally disgusted and intrigued, "Featuring shooting violence, rape and mutilation extensively in real time, from camera angles that make the audience feel like they are watching a snuff film, this full-on experience of forced voyeurism is certain to incite strong (most probably offended) responses."



LE PÈRE DE MES ENFANTS (aka FATHER OF MY CHILDREN) (France) Mia Hanson-Love
(En Certain Regard) A story of a work-aholic film producer with a wife and two kids who when his invisible career starts to teeter is forced to face the possibilty of failure.

Jonanthan Romney, Screendaily, describes is as, "insightful, mature and extremely accomplished...The film not only has brains to spare, and considerable savvy about the cinema business, it’s also guaranteed not to leave a dry eye in the house."

Justin Chang (Variety) saw it, "Marked by moments of remarkable stillness amid its emotional tumult, the film's classy, perceptive treatment of potentially maudlin material merits wider arthouse attention than it's likely to receive on local release in December. It confirms Hansen-Love as a talent worthy of a following on and beyond the fest circuit."



TZAR (Russia) dir. Pavel Lounguine
16th century. In a plotting Russia in the grip of chaos, Ivan the Terrible strongly believes he is invested by a holy mission. He establishes an absolute power, smashing with an astounding cruelty whoever gets in his way. During this reign of terror, the Head of Church, Filipp, great scholar and Ivan’s close friend, dares to stand up and raise himself against the Sovereign’s mystical tyranny.

Derek Elley, Variety, writes, "laden with Russian brooding and violence, Pavel Lungin's "Tsar" is a brief peep into Ivan the Terrible's heart of darkness via a conflict between the regent and the head of the church" and cites, "rich, atmospheric lensing by Clint Eastwood regular Tom Stern, this is a heavy meal to digest outside the fest arena."

Deborah Young (The Hollywood Reporter) calls it, "A spectacular Russian retelling of the Ivan the Terrible story..."Tsar" positions itself between Sergei Eisenstein's "Ivan the Terrible" and Andrei Tarkovsky's "Andrei Rublev," though without their originality and inspiration."

Cannes 2009 Scorecard - Day 4

TAKING WOODSTOCK (US) dir. Ang Lee
The much anticipated story of Woodstock told from the point of view of a struggling motel owner in the area.

Eric Kohn of Indiewire seemed to hate it saying, "this messy historical fiction plays like a two hour “Saturday Night Live” sketch, and not a very good one, either."

Todd McCarthy of Variety was a bit kinder, though not raving, "A sort of let's-put-on-a-show summer-camp lark for director Ang Lee after the dramatic rigors of "Brokeback Mountain" and "Lust, Caution," the picture serves up intermittent pleasures but is too raggedy and laid-back for its own good, its images evaporating nearly as soon as they hit the screen."

Sukhdev Sandhu of the Telegraph UK, concurs and elaborates, "Taking Woodstock is a loving recreation of a time that holds a special place in the hearts of millions of people all across the world. But, pitched at the hypothetical half-way point between The Graduate and Almost Famous, it's almost too sweet for its own good, tasteful rather than transcendental, imbued with a nostalgia that Lee doesn't convince us he truly feels."



UN PROPHÈTE (France) dir. Jacques Audiard
Condemned to six years in prison, Malik El Djebena cannot read nor write. Arriving at the jail entirely alone, he appears younger and more fragile than the other convicts. He is 19 years old. Cornered by the leader of the Corsican gang who rules the prison, he is given a number of "missions" to carry out, toughening him up and gaining the gang leader’s confidence in the process. But Malik is brave and a fast learner, daring to secretly develop his own plans...

Though running at two and a half hours, Jonathan Romney of Screendaily was entertained, "When it comes to hard-bitten crime cinema, Jacques Audiard has few equals in Europe, and his violent, gripping prison drama A Prophet shows him extending his range with unimpeachable command. The story of a gauche young inmate who rises through the criminal ranks to become a formidable player, A Prophet works both as hard-edged, painstaking detailed social realism and as a compelling genre entertainment."

Alex Billington of FirstShowing.net writes, "I had never seen a Jacques Audiard film before today, but now I want to go back watch all of his films. I was waiting to finally discover something exceptional here at Cannes, and this it....From Tahar Rahim's stand out performance to Alexandre Desplat's amazing score to Stéphane Fontaine's wonderful cinematography, everything about Un Prophete is exceptional."

Justin Chang of Variety, describes the film as having "headlong momentum" and of Audiard's direction, "a flair for pulse-pounding setpieces."

Here's a trailer:

Un Prophète, de Jacques Audiard, bande-annonce
by telerama




MOTHER (Korea) dir. Bong Joon Ho
Playing in En Certain Regard, Mother is the newest film from the director of the The Host - another police investigative drama for Joon-Ho, about a mother's fight to exonerate her son who is accused of murder.

Jamie Graham of Totalfilm is not enthused, "Mother is slow-burner that unfurls with great deliberation...Mother is competent, no more, no less"

On the other hand, Maggie Lee of The Hollywood Reporter, loves it, "Bong Joon-ho's top opus zooms in on one character with smothering intensity to examine the primal quality of motherhood. At the same time, it is a superb murder mystery, with twists coming thick and fast yet always at the right moments."

Mike Goodridge of Screendaily, concurs with Lee, calling it "an operatic melodrama revolving around a knockout central performance from TV star Kim Hye-ja. Filled with the elegant compositions and mood-drenched cinematography which are becoming Bong’s specialty, Mother is a largely satisfying film which marks the director out as South Korea’s most versatile young auteur."



SAMSON & DELILAH (Australia) Warwick Thornton
(En Certain Regard) Samson, a cheeky 15-year-old boy, and Delilah live in an isolated Aboriginal community in the Central Australian desert. In amongst a tiny collection of houses, everything here happens in a cycle. Day in and day out – nothing changes, everything stays the same and no one seems to care. The two teenagers soon discover that life outside the community can be cruel. Though hungry and rejected Samson and Delilah fall in love. It is all they have. It is real. And when tragedy strikes they turn their backs on home and embark on a journey of survival. Lost, unwanted and alone they discover that life isn’t always fair, but love never judges.

An older review from Oz, Sandra Hall of the Sidney Morning Herald writes, "It's a demanding film, so determined to replicate the listless rhythm which governs the community's routines that you feel a need to slow your pulse beat to adapt to it. Thornton, who shot the film himself, has the action unfold in long takes which give you plenty of time to dwell on the desert vastness."

Sukdev Sandhu, Telegraph UK writing from Cannes gives is 5 Stars, calling it "an outstanding feature debut...There are shades of the Dardennes brothers here, and of Charles Burnett’s classic Killer of Sheep. Mostly, Samson and Delilah looks - and sounds (its sound design, both playful and dissonant, is terrific) – like no Australian film I’ve seen. Timeless and also utterly contemporary, it will leave hearts bruised, but aching with joy."

Age of Consent

Age of Consent (1969) dir. Michael Powell
Starring: James Mason, Helen Mirren, Jack MacGowran, Neva Carr-Glynn, Andonia Katsaros

**1/2

Guest Review By Greg Klymkiw

Okay, I don’t mean to reduce this movie to the following, but how can one not? The very thought of Helen Mirren NAKED in anything is always a cause for rejoicing, but the fact that Mirren is 23 years old in this film AND nude, semi-nude or in skimpy, skin-tight attire for pretty much the entire running time means that even if one doesn’t like the picture, there is plenty – and I mean PLENTY – to admire! Luckily, there IS more to admire than the sight of Miss Mirren’s milky flesh, her supple breasts and her perfect, pillowy rump. In addition to the aforementioned assets of her gossamer soft tissue, the picture is endowed with such bonus features as a starring performance from a taught, tanned and terrific James Mason, a lovely supporting bit from the magnificent Jack MacGowran and last, but certainly not least, it is the final feature to be directed by one of cinema’s greatest auteurs, Michael Powell.

Set against the stunning topography of the Great Barrier Reef, “Age of Consent” tells the slight, but entertaining story of a middle aged artist who, while financially successful, is at a crossroads in his creative life and feels he has yet to generate work that has any value beyond the purely monetary. Seeking solace, he decides to pack it all in and settle on what he believes to be a deserted island on the reef in order to get both relaxation and, perhaps, a spark of inspiration.

The island, however, is not bereft of a population – a ragtag group of hermit-like inhabitants soon rear their heads. Some of them are ugly. There’s a kooky middle-aged Miss Haversham type (Andonia Katsaros), starved for sex and a drunken old hag (Neva Carr-Glynn) who spends much of her time sucking back cheap booze and abusing her beautiful, young granddaughter. This is where Mirren raises her head of perfection. As the granddaughter Cora, Mirren eventually catches the eye of the artist and before you can say “James Mason”, she’s dropping her clothes and providing him the muse-like services he so desperately requires. Inevitably, Cora provides services of the sexual kind, but Mason’s character is so self absorbed that he’s blinded by his genius and doesn’t realize just how much Cora begins to love him.

Powell always had a soft spot for odd, obsessive characters living in either the outer reaches of the planet (“I Know Where I’m Going”) or in worlds far removed from the daily life most of us know (“The Red Shoes”). One can see how he was attracted to the material “Age of Consent” provided him. Based on the semi-autobiographical novel by Norman Lindsay, it allows Powell the opportunity to train his lens on the stunning natural beauty of the Great Barrier Reef while at the same time, focusing almost microscopically on those who inhabit it – dwarfed as they are like just so many insects. Mason, who doubled as the producer always longed to work with Powell so when he brought the project to him, it was a match made in Heaven.

The supporting cast is also not without considerable merit. Appearing as Mason’s drunken, gambling-addicted old pal, Jack MacGowaran comes close to stealing every scene he is in. There are also two cameos that add considerable texture to the picture. One is the great Australian character actor Frank Thring as Mason’s haughty agent and Mason’s real-life wife Clarissa Kaye who plays his sultry, raven-haired beauty on the mainland. She’s so wonderful in her brief appearance that one wishes she’d had a career well beyond her devotion to Mason.

Sadly, this was Powell’s final feature. He lived for another quarter of a century after it was released and tried in vain to get other projects off the ground. Married to ace editor Thelma Schoonmaker, being the recipient of accolades, retrospectives, restorations and in particular, the adoration of numerous filmmakers including the great Martin Scorsese (who continues to cite Powell as his primary inspiration), Powell was only able to raise financing for two short works after “Age of Consent”. As Scorsese movingly notes in an accompanying interview in the recent DVD release of Powell’s preferred cut (as opposed to the heavily butchered version that floated around for too many years), Powell never ceased to face a day without planning films he wanted to make. He was the ultimate filmmaker in that sense. As the world passed him by on some levels, he never gave up.

If the film falters slightly, it’s only in comparison to the considerable emotional and intellectual depth of Powell’s previous work. That said - Mirren’s Cora is a delicate, exquisite creature. There is both a passion and understanding beneath her supple youth and radiating from her soulful eyes that we are drawn to her as Mason’s character also is – with both yearning and passion.

It’s a lovely little film.

And did I mention Mirren is naked in it? A lot!

“Age of Consent” is available on DVD in a package titled “Michael Powell, The Collector’s Choice” from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and double-billed with a restored version of Powell’s truly brilliant “A Matter of Life and Death” (AKA “Stairway to Heaven”)

Cannes 2009 Scorecard - Day 3

BRIGHT STAR (UK, Australia) DIR. Jane Campion
The story of a secret love affair begins between 23 year old English poet, John Keats, and the girl next door, Fanny Brawne, an outspoken student of fashion.

David Gritten, Guardian UK gave the film a full 5 Stars, and "a welcome return to form ", saying "The story of their slow-burning affair, which was halted by Keats' succumbing to tuberculosis, is told largely from Fanny's viewpoint in this British-Australian co-production – a period film and a biopic that thankfully never feels a typical example of either genre."

Ray Bennett, Hollywood Reporter admits it's not mainstream fare, "it's doubtful that "Bright Star" will be the shining light at many suburban cineplexes, but festivals will eat it up, art house audiences will swoon and it will have a lucrative life on DVD and Blu-ray, not to mention the BBC and PBS"

Allan Hunter, Screendaily says, "Jane Campion has found renewed artistic inspiration".



BAK-JWI (aka THIRST) (Korea) dir. Chan Wook-Park
The latest film from the Old Boy director about a humble priest who travels to Africa on a mission to become a test subject against a new killer virus, dies, then is miraculously resurrected as a vampire.

Darcy Paquet of Screendaily sees Thirst as a return to form, calling it "a complex and supremely inventive work...Although the focus of its narrative movement is not always clear, in its best moments, Thirst offers something of the poetic force of cinema’s timeless masterpieces."

Maggie Lee of The Hollywood Reporter says, ""Thirst" is a torrid expression of predatory instinct and insatiable, all-consuming love" and "A cinematic maelstorm of bloodlust and sensual obssession projected through Park Chan-wook's runaway imagination."

Alex Billington of First Showing gives the film a 7 out of 10. He tempers his expectations as a Wook-Park fan saying "Thirst is no Oldboy, nor is it Sympathy for Lady Vengeance - no, it's not that great, but it's still good."



POLITIST, ADJECTIV (aka Police, Adjective) (Romania) dir. Corneliu Porumboiu
Cristi is a policeman who refuses to arrest a young man who offers hashish to two of his school mates. “Offering” is punished by the law. Cristi believes that the law will change, he does not want the life of a young man he considers irresponsible to be a burden on his conscience. For his superior the word conscience has a different meaning…

Jay Weissberg of Variety writes "Euro and bicoastal arthouse play is assured, though some auds may find the actionless passages taxing". Of the director's style, he writes, "Porumboiu is one of the few helmers working today who so completely understands both the power of language and the power of visuals. He brings this intelligence to bear on the corrupting influence of a system that exerted control for generations, arguing that such systems die very hard deaths."



PRECIOUS (US) dir. Lee Daniels
Previously titled "Push" Lee Daniels's Sundance discovery comes to Cannes to make some International Sales deals. It's a great film. Read my Sundance review HERE.

Cannes 2009 Scorecard - Day 1 & 2

The Cannes Film Festival is underway, and though, sadly, I’m not on the Croisette, from lowly Toronto I can still provide daily updates on the buzz of the Festival. I'll be compiling a scorecard on all the Competition and En Certain Regard films playing each day, with snippets of reviews as they flood in.

It all got kicked off with Pixar’s “Up” on Wednesday. Unanimous praise once again is flooding in, for what likely will be another massive hit.

Thursday is when the real films started screening, the hunt for the gems which we all hope will emerge and astound us.



FISH TANK (UK) dir. Andrea Arnold
Fifteen year old Mia’s life is turned on its head when her Mum brings home a new boyfriend. It appears to be the first gem right off the top.

Eugene Hernandez of Indie Wire hails newcomer and lead actress Kate Jarvis, “the discovery of the festival… Shot in sequence and in the hand-held tradition of other British realism… The often bleak story of a troubled and isolated fifteen year old girl who lives with her heavy-drinking mother and smart-talking younger sister in a dreary British council housing complex.”

Sukhdev Sandhu of UK’s Telegraph concurs saying, the film "draws a magnificent performance from newcomer Katie Jarvis, who plays Mia, a fierce-tempered, beer-guzzling teenager…Shot with a terrific eye for pointillist detail and panorama, Arnold opens up the council estates of Essex, revealing the myriad ways in which they cramp but never entirely extinguish the spirit and imaginations of the people who live there."

Peter Bradshaw of the Guardian calls it "a powerfully acted drama, beautifully photographed by cinematographer Robbie Ryan, who intersperses bleak interiors with sudden, gasp-inducing landscapes like something by Turner."



CHUN FENG CHEN ZUI DE YE WAN (aka. SPRING FEVER) (HK, France) dir. Lou Ye
Luo Haitao has been hired by Wang Ping’s wife to spy on the passionate relationship between her husband and another man, but slowly loses control of the situation. With his beautiful girlfriend, Li Jing, he is drawn in to the affair, overcome by the fever of drunken spring nights. All are possessed by an exhilarating madness of the senses, a dangerous malady that leads the heart and head astray...

Howard Feinstein of Screendaily says, “The screenplay is so convoluted and contains so many loose ends that the intense style (fragmented editing, jerky, handheld camera) only highlights the movie’s occasional lapses into incoherence. Add to that relatively explicit sex scenes between males, and the result is small chance of finding an audience in most markets, including Lou Ye’s native China.” Though he also calls it “poignant”, with "astonishing camerawork".

Derek Elley of Variety agrees, saying it’s for "the hardcore arthouse crowd, this overlong and very Euro-flavored “Spring” won’t make many B.O. wickets bloom". The tone feels “more of autumnal melancholy than of spring fever.”

Mike D’Angelo of the AV Club says, “it’s hard for me to imagine anyone getting behind this deadly soap opera".



KUKI NINGYO (aka AIR DOLL) (Korea) dir. Kore-Eda Hirokazu
Hideo, who lives alone, owns a life-size “air doll”, which suddenly finds herself with a heart. Everything is new to her in the world outside Hideo's house. She meets all kinds of people. The world is filled with so many beautiful things, but everyone seems to have some kind of hollowness, just as she has. In the morning, she pumps herself up, and takes a walk. One afternoon, she meets Junichi who works at a rental video store, and instantly falls in love with him. A first date. New words she learns from him. She starts working with him at the store, enjoys talking and being with him. Everything seems to be going perfect, until something unexpected happens to the doll. A sad yet happy fantasy. This is a story about a new form of love.

Dan Fainaru, Screendaily, says its "a philosophical and poetic essay on such weighty matters as innocence, solitude, women as sex objects, the proximity of life and death and the uniqueness of human beings. It wants to be light, airy, smiling and sad at the same time – just like real life. Although the bill may be too ambitious and Kore-eda’s approach too diffused, Air Doll does offer food for thought, poetical imagination galore, a touching performance by Korean actress Bae Doo-na in the lead part and superb, crystal-clear images provided by Hong Kong cameraman Mark Lee Ping-bing (In the Mood for Love)"

AV Club's Mike D'Angelo says "the film is a little too cute and scattershot to achieve real profundity, with the doll-woman too often coming across like a playfully erotic version of Being There’s Chance the Gardener, defined entirely by her absence of guile."

Eric Lavallee, I On Cinema, seems to offer the opinion, "Actress Bae Donna plays the role of a blow up doll disturbingly well and I loved how Kore-eda visually enters the frames - the camera work is crisp. And for those who think this is like 'Lars and the Real Girl' will think that might actually be closer to 'Pinocchio'."



KASI AZ GORBEHAYE IRANI KHABAR NADAREH (aka NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT PERSIAN CATS) (Iran) dir. Bahman Ghobodi
Bahman Ghobodi's ("A Time of Drunken Horses") film is portrait of Tehran, shot in a rush and without authorization, a story of Iranian youth fighting against repression and being bullied around. As his two heroes, underground musicians, desperately try to get papers to go to Europe, Bahman Ghobadi shows the secret life of this city's cultural energy, despite violent repression by the authoritie

Sukhdev Sandhu of the Telegraph calls this En Certain Regard entry, “Scrappy and overlong, it works better as a documentary than as a drama, though its ending is both unexpected and deeply moving"

Alissa Simon of Variety, says its "is unlikely to be screened legally in the Islamic Republic but should enjoy a healthy fest life offshore, with niche arthouse in some territories...Ghobadi employs rapidly cut-to-the-beat montage sequences (like earnest MTV) that show gritty aspects of Tehran life. Powerful lyrics work better to convey Iran's current stifling atmosphere for rebellious youth."

Howard Feinstein, Screendaily, discusses the freshness of this new Iranian film, "Anyone who considers the Iranian Kurdish director Bahman Ghobadi solely a practitioner of long-take chronicles about rural Kurdish life needs to reconsider...Although it’s hardly a mainstream effort, this film’s fast pacing and hip soundtrack are potential draws for the youthful audiences distributors crave."

Coming up tomorrow, look for coverage on Jane Campion's BRIGHT STAR and Chan Wook Park's THIRST.

Changing Lanes

Changing Lanes (2002) dir. Roger Mitchell
Starring: Ben Affleck, Samuel L. Jackson, Sydney Pollack, Toni Collette

***1/2

'Doing the right the thing', is easier said than done. The characters in “Changing Lanes” live in a world where the best man doesn't win and righteousness and reward are not correlated. Everything in the lives of the films two protagonists are pushing to cut corners, bend the rules and think of themselves before others. “Changing Lanes” is one of the more underrated thrillers of the past 10 years – a morality tale about capitalism, racism, class, and the pressure of life which fall upon everybody no matter what tax bracket you’re in.

Samuel L. Jackson plays Doyle Gibson, a struggling but low tier insurance man with an alcohol problem and a massive temper, both of which has contributed to the breakup of his family. Ben Affleck, in one of his best roles, plays Gavin Banek, a big city lawyer representing a foundation who’s just been left a large sum of money from the death of its rich benefactor. The two collide literally in an accident on the Manhattan freeway. Gibson wants to do the right thing and exchange insurance cards, Banek is too busy and writes him a blank cheque. When Gibson asks for a ride home at least, he’s shrugged off with a condescending remark, ‘better luck next time.’ At court, Banek realizes he mistakenly left an important file with Gibson, which becomes the maguffin to get these two desperate souls to go to battle with each other with white collar brutality.

The fight starts off slowly, Gibson pissed off at Banek’s disrespectful smugness refuses to give him the file. Banek responds by paying a guy to wipe out his credit. It’s a tit-for-tat escalating series of annoyances and then more venomous malfeasance.

It’s a revealing, if not unsubtle screenplay which, via the journeys of these two angry individuals the worst in all us rises to the surface. For Banek, he becomes witness to the corruption which is passed down generation by generation, not single dollar bill Banek encounters isn’t tainted with greed or moral ambiguity. For Gibson, he battles his inner demons, an controllable inner fury, fueled by years of abuse. The intense barroom confrontation with a couple of white guys reveals Gibson’s lifelong frustration with white superiority. Gibson is a man can never get a break, who, despite hard work, has never achieved success. His respite is his family which is now leaving him. Like Banek, he is both a victim and an assailant.

Director Roger Mitchell along with his great cinematographer Salvatore Totino express the simming air of conflict with a sharp grey visual design. Not a washed out picture, but carefully crafted art direction and carefully chosen exterior photography. It’s one drab overcast day in New York.

Gibson and Doyle are only in a few scenes together, but Mitchell keeps them close through creative editing. Affleck’s and Jackson’s scenes are often intercut with each other, and transitioning from one character to another overlapping the sound of one scene over another, seamlessly blending the characters into one space.

“Changing Lanes” remains smart through all three acts. In lesser hands the film could  devolved into action and bloodshed in the third act, but it remains a mental battle of wills, both inside and out. Both men, through stubbornness and fear just can’t do the right thing.

“Changing Lanes” is available on Blu-Ray from Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment, featuring running commentary by director, Roger Mitchell, and a forgettable EPK making featurette.