 |
| Courtesy of MGM |
(Rated PG-13 for disturbing thematic content and related violent images, and for some language.)
The cast: Oscar Isaac, Ben Kingsley, Melanie Laurent, Nick Kroll, Haley Lu Richardson and Joe Alwyn.
What it’s about: The remarkable true story of a 1960 covert mission to capture monstrous Nazi Adolf Eichmann (Kingsley), who fled to Argentina after World War II. A team of Mossad agents, led by Peter Malkin (Isaac), infiltrates the South American country – which is still teeming with Nazis and sympathizers – and works to bring the notorious war criminal to justice for his central role in the Holocaust.
The good: Operation Finale is destined to be a movie that runs nonstop on TNT for years to come. Don’t get me wrong, that’s high praise – the watchability factor for this honorable, renowned story is through the roof. It’s a solid, admirable “dad movie.”
There’s no attempt at narrative complexity, out-of-the-ordinary cinematography or intricate sound design. If you’ve seen the trailer, you know exactly what you’re getting. Heck, even if you haven’t, just picture the kind of WWII-related drama your dad or grandfather loves and you’ll be in the ballpark.
Those may sound like backhanded compliments, but that’s not my intention. Quite the contrary; director Chris Weitz and screenwriter Matthew Orton should be commended for taking a predictable story, overflowing with genre tropes, and making it powerful and entertaining instead of delivering a history lesson that feels like homework.
The primary reason for that victory stems from Isaac and Kingsley’s incredible performances. There’s a reason these two men are considered two of the finest actors of their respective generations.
Kingsley has been known to chew through some scenery every once in a while – and he certainly gets that chance here – but he does phenomenal work as one of history’s greatest monsters. Another actor might’ve made Eichmann a mustache-twirling villain, but Kinglsey plays it relatively low-key in most of his scenes without ever making you forget the atrocities his character committed.
Isaac plays Malkin similarly to Poe Dameron, his character in the new Star Wars films. He’s a handsome, roguish figure that his teammates don’t trust because they think he’s cocky. Only when he backs up his bravado do they ultimately acknowledge his contributions to the team, but there’s still a suggestion that a lot of his success can be attributed to luck. It’s clear the mission could’ve gone off the rails at any time. Still, Isaac differentiates the two roles enough that you don’t think of him as one-note (especially since Malkin’s backstory is a real-life tragedy rather than an archetype who lives in a galaxy far, far away).
The not-so-good: This is a standard, run-of-the-mill historical drama with a well-known conclusion, so scenes designed to evoke suspense don’t work as well as Weitz and Orton intend. That’s especially true for two sequences near the end that leave major characters’ fates in doubt. The filmmakers basically concede most viewers already know the outcome since they just pop up for a key scene at the end with no explanation of how they got there.
That also means there’s a considerable amount of wheel-spinning in the middle of the story while all the important narrative pieces move into place. It gives the movie a chance to add detail to Malkin and Eichmann’s personalities, but most of the other characters get shafted. Laurent, Kroll and Richardson, in particular, deliver solid work, but the screenplay forgets about them.
Grade: B
 |
| Courtesy of Disney |
(Rated PG for some scary images. Available September 2.)
The cast: Chris Sarandon, Danny Elfman, Catherine O’Hara, William Hickey and Glen Shadix.
What it’s about: Jack Skellington (Sarandon, with Elfman providing his singing voice), Halloweentown’s pumpkin king, has grown bored with the same old annual festivities. When he accidentally discovers nearby Christmastown and its vastly different celebrations, he’s inspired to bring that change home. However, Jack’s good intentions go awry when he decides the best way to do that is by kidnapping Santa Claus and taking his place.
The good: I totally get why certain people love The Nightmare Before Christmas. It’s creative, visually stunning and most of the songs are fun – especially “This is Halloween” and What’s This?” It also establishes the foundation for director Henry Selick’s far superior Coraline, which would hit theaters 16 years later. Plus, Sarandon and O’Hara deliver stellar vocal performances.
The not-so-good: I’ve given this movie so many chances, but it’s just not for me. The characters aren’t compelling and the story isn’t interesting beyond a surface level. Furthermore, while it’s beautifully designed, the 76-minute running time feels more like 10 hours. Still, I’ll be the first to admit it’s totally an issue on my end, not the film’s.
Special features: Sing-along version of the film; extensive “making of” documentary; deleted storyboards and animated sequences; Tim Burton’s original poem and early films (Frankenweenie and Vincent); “What’s This?” Jack’s Haunted Mansion Tour (an outstanding 40-minute documentary); and more.
Grade: B-
Blu-ray Review: Hocus Pocus
 |
| Courtesy of Disney |
The cast: Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, Omri Katz, Thora Birch and Vinessa Shaw.
What it’s about: New to Salem, Mass., teenager Max Dennison (Katz) quickly realizes the town goes all-in for Halloween. His little sister Dani (Birch) and new friend Allison (Shaw) are much more excited about the creepy local legends, so he accidentally summons a coven of evil witches (Midler, Parker and Najimy) while trying to impress them. Now, with the help of a magical talking cat, the kids must prevent the witches from becoming immortal.
The good: Frankly, not as much as you probably remember. When is the last time you actually sat down and watched this cult classic/millennial favorite? You might be surprised. The movie’s biggest selling point are the actresses who play the scene-stealing trio of witches. Midler, Parker and Najimy are clearly having the time of their lives playing evil, child-murdering supernatural beings.
However, while most people are right to laud Midler, hamming it up as the wickedest witch, the clear standout is Parker. She’s in a much different movie than everyone else, instilling her character with a demeanor that’s simultaneously carnal and innocent. It’s a choice that shouldn’t work – especially in a movie aimed at kids – but it’s fascinating to behold.
The not-so-good: Everything else. Nostalgia’s one heckuva drug, and fans remembering Hocus Pocus through that hazy lens might be in for a rude awakening if they choose to revisit this 25th anniversary edition Blu-ray. The child actors at the center of the plot are not great (to put it kindly) and they’re tasked with delivering creaky dialogue from screenwriters Mick Garris and Neil Cuthbert, who clearly didn’t know any teenagers when they penned the script.
Director Kenny Ortega (who would go on to direct the Disney Channel’s High School Musical and Descendants franchises) doesn’t fare much better. The film is shot like a cheesy TV movie rather than a big screen effort, with flat, fake-looking sets and costumes straight out of a high school drama department’s wardrobe closet.
A mild warning to parents: there’s also a surprising amount of adult content for a kid’s movie. It’s a reminder that older movies aren’t as innocent as we remember them.
Special features: Trivia track; deleted scenes; cast and crew commentary; concept art and storyboards; behind-the-scenes info; original 1993 production featurette; and more.
Grade: C+
Comments
Post a Comment