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| Courtesy of Bleecker Street |
Trumbo
(Rated
R for language including some sexual references. Now playing in limited
release.)
The
cast: Bryan Cranston, Diane Lane, Louis C.K., John Goodman and Helen Mirren.
What
it’s about: In the 1940s, Dalton Trumbo (Cranston) was one of Hollywood’s most
in-demand screenwriters. But the Red Scare soon swept the country and thousands
of people found themselves jailed and blacklisted for their political beliefs. In
the years to come, Trumbo and his colleagues fought back against fear and
intolerance, while simultaneously proving how ridiculous the blacklist was.
Need proof? Trumbo won two Oscars while he was on it – he just had to use a
pseudonym.
The
good: The true story of Trumbo’s fight to protect the First Amendment is vital
and fascinating; it deserves better than this melodramatic interpretation. Cranston
continues to prove he’s an outstanding actor, significantly elevating the material
and making scenes work far better than they should. I wouldn’t be shocked to
see him get an Oscar nomination. Reliable character actors like C.K., Goodman
(who gets the movie’s biggest cheer moment – it involves a baseball bat) and
Michael Stuhlbarg are also quite good. The film looks gorgeous, thanks to Jim
Denault’s cinematography.
The
not-so-good: Pretty much everything else. Director Jay Roach (best known for
the Austin Powers flicks and a couple of politically-themed HBO movies),
working from a screenplay by John McNamara, fumbles the tone, ensuring
practically every scene is preachy and over-the-top. The subject matter – more
relevant than ever, sadly – will immediately alienate half the audience (John Wayne
is portrayed as a villain, for example).
Poor
Lane is wasted in the thankless role of Trumbo’s wife. Mirren, hamming it up as
gossip columnist Hedda Hopper, seems like she’s in a completely different movie.
Still, Trumbo could easily do well during awards season. Hollywood shamelessly
loves films that glorify the movie industry, even though most people in charge didn’t
do the right thing until it was politically expedient to do so.
Grade:
C+
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| Courtesy of Roadside Attractions |
Love & Mercy
(Rated
PG-13 for thematic elements, drug content and language. Now available on DVD.)
The
cast: Paul Dano, John Cusack, Elizabeth Banks and Paul Giamatti.
What
it’s about: The film presents a unique, empathetic look at Beach Boys member
Brian Wilson, primarily focusing on two different points in his life. In his
youth (played by Dano), we see his brilliant songwriting process as he
simultaneously struggles with mental illness. When he’s older, (played by
Cusack) we see him meet a caring woman (Banks) who realizes he’s being abused
by a monstrous therapist (Giamatti).
The good: Thankfully,
the narrative structure eschews the typical music biopic formula, which is now
pointless after Walk Hard mercilessly skewered it. Wilson’s life, although clearly
tragic, is rich and fascinating. I’ve always been a fan of the Beach Boys’
music, but I’m ashamed to admit I knew almost nothing about the band’s history.
Dano and Cusack are
both excellent in their portrayals of the lead character, approaching the role
from opposite angles and focusing on different elements of Wilson’s
personality. The scenes that take place in the studio as he creates songs like “God
Only Knows” and “Good Vibrations” are pure magic.
Banks is also
fantastic, easily delivering one of the best performances of her career. She’s
generating a lot of buzz in the Best Supporting Actress race, which is completely
deserved. Bill Pohland, directing a script from Oren Moverman and Michael A.
Lerner, is skilled at putting viewers in Wilson’s position as he struggles with
the voices in his head. The haunting effects are only a small taste of what it
must be like to live with that terror every day.
The not-so-good: Giamatti
plays a caricature here, a moustache-twirling villain who possesses none of the
complex, subtle character work viewers are accustomed to from the actor. He
played a similar role in August’s Straight Outta Compton with much greater
success. (It looks like he’s now the go-to guy for playing music industry slimeballs.)
Pohland attempts a few experimental scenes that suggest he was going for
profound, but they just come off as unnecessarily pretentious.
Grade: A-
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| Courtesy of A24 |
The End of the Tour
(Rated
R for language including some sexual references. Now available on DVD.)
The
cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Jason Segel, Anna Chlumsky and Mamie Gummer.
What
it’s about: Loosely based on a true story, the film chronicles the five-day
road trip Rolling Stone reporter David Lipsky (Eisenberg) took with author David
Foster Wallace (Segel) right after the critical darling published his magnum
opus, Infinite Jest. Over the course of their time together, they establish a
unique, yet guarded relationship. They’re not quite friends and not exactly
rivals, but as writers who can relate to the complexities, joys and neuroses of
their chosen profession.
The good: Segel,
typically associated with comedic roles like the one he played for nine seasons
on How I Met Your Mother, is a revelation here as the ultimately tragic
Wallace. He tends to mask the character’s true nature behind a cautious exterior,
although the audience gets occasional peeks at the “real” Wallace when his
temper flares slightly or when he clearly disapproves of some of Lipsky’s
behavior.
James Ponsoldt, who also
directed the far superior The Spectacular Now, keeps the talk-heavy film from
becoming tedious through constant scene changes. In addition, he includes plenty
of entertaining moments of the two awkward writers enjoying life’s less
sophisticated pleasures, like junk food and ridiculous action movies.
The not-so-good: Eisenberg
doesn’t really stretch his acting muscles, instead playing the same jittery
neurotic guy he usually does. I imagine the audience for this one will be limited,
as it’s literally two guys (and a handful of other people) talking for almost
two hours. I found their conversations mostly compelling – although a few
bordered on insufferable – but I’m also a nerdy English teacher. Your mileage
may vary.
Grade: B
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