Sunday 30 April 2017

Movie Review: The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)


A bland comedy set in the domestic spy world, The Man With One Red Shoe is about nothing in particular and struggles to define a purpose.

In Morocco, CIA Deputy Director Cooper (Dabney Coleman), who covets the top job, sabotages an undercover drug operation and embarrasses CIA Director Ross (Charles Durning). Back in Washington DC, Ross is forced to testify before a Senate subcommittee, but plots his revenge against Cooper. Knowing that Cooper is tracking his every move, Ross dispatches loyal ally Brown (Edward Herrman) to the airport to liaise with a complete stranger.

Brown picks violinist Richard Drew (Tom Hanks) at random, and their brief interaction sets Cooper and his crew on a wild goose chase to find out why Drew is important. Drew is actually the victim of frequent pranks by orchestra percussionist Morris (Jim Belushi), and in return Drew is having an affair with Morris' wife Paula (Carrie Fisher). Otherwise Drew is a normal everyday guy, but Cooper's surveillance kicks into overdrive, including mobilizing the luscious agent Maddy (Lori Singer) to seduce Drew and learn his secrets.

Directed by Stan Dragoti, The Man With One Red Shoe is a remake of the 1972 French film Le Grand Blond Avec Une Chaussure Noire starring Pierre Richard. The Hollywood version enjoys slick production value and a strong cast including a young Tom Hanks, but the jokes (if they exist at all) are lame, the story is unengaging, and a void exists where meaningful plot elements and substantive characters are supposed to reside.

Drew is an innocent bystander and remains a most uninteresting central character, and Hanks can do nothing with role. Jim Belushi tries too hard as the immature friend still pulling high school level pranks, while Carrie Fisher gets one long scene in fetching leopard lingerie in a nod to her Return Of The Jedi slave outfit, but otherwise drifts aimlessly in and mostly out of the film.

Cooper and Ross contribute most of the narrative drivers in an astonishingly dreadful spy versus spy battle. Neither man is remotely likable, and who wins or who loses their petty careerist battle generates the flimsiest foundation for comedy. While Dabney Coleman and Charles Durning are fine supporting actors, they cannot carry the weight of the plot or the laughs. Lori Singer nails the role of the seductress and gets to wear a contender for the most stunning backless dress paraded on screen. She also owns the best laugh with a caught-in-the-zipper moment.

The Man With One Red Shoe doesn't so much run out of original ideas; it never had any in the first place.






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Movie Review: The Promise (2016)


An epic love triangle set during the dying days of the Ottoman Empire and amidst the horror of the Armenian genocide, The Promise is an old fashioned but still effective grand drama.

At the dawn of the Great War, Mikael Boghosian (Oscar Isaac) is a young Armenian man passionate about medicine and living in a small village in the Ottoman Empire. He promises to marry fellow villager Maral (Angela Sarafyan) for convenience, and uses the dowery to finance his education at the prestigious Imperial Medical Academy in Istanbul. In the big city, Mikael meets and falls in love with fellow Armenian Ana Khesarian (Charlotte Le Bon), who is already in a relationship with Associated Press journalist Chris Meyers (Christian Bale). Mikael also becomes friends with fellow medical student Emre Ogan (Marwan Kenzari), the son of an influential Ottoman army man.

The war breaks out, and the Armenian community is immediately subjected to a rising tide of violence and intimidation. Initially Mikael is saved from conscription by Emre, but eventually he is seized and sent to a prisoner labour camp. The campaign against the Armenians grows into large scale massacres as entire villages are emptied out and their residents indiscriminately slaughtered. Chris risks his life to cover the atrocities, while Mikael tries to survive and save his family, including his now-wife Maral. Ana is torn between the two men, as she helps with the growing crisis of refugees and orphans.

Directed by Terry George, The Promise aims for a lofty love story set against turbulent wartime history in the vein of Doctor Zhivago and The English Patient, and with laudable artistry shines a light on the second worst genocide of the 20th century. And through the character of Emre, George and co-writer Robin Swicord ensure that some balance is introduced to the story -- some Turks stood against the tide of ethnic hate. But despite the earnest tone and lavish production values, The Promise falls short of its ambitions due to limited original content and a muddled second half.

The front end of the film is by far the better experience. Mikael's story in the prelude to war is filled with personal and national intrigue. The Istanbul setting is deliciously conspiratorial, with Turks, Arabs and Armenians co-existing but somewhat uneasily. Businessmen, academics, journalists and army men circle each other as German military types start to make their presence felt and the winds of a global conflict blow into the city.

Meanwhile Mikael promises to wed village girl Maral, takes her father's money and promptly falls in love with the irresistibly cosmopolitan Ana, herself in an uneasy relationship with Chris. The overlapping love triangles create a tense personal dynamic, with both Mikael and Ana carrying guilt into their relationship.

Once the fighting erupts and the Armenian population is targeted, the film loses its footing. Frequent and dizzying perspective changes are introduced, with Mikael, Ana and Chris taking turns at the centre of the story. Instead of gelling the film fragments into vaguely unsatisfying episodes. The emphasis shifts from romance and politics to the Armenian genocide unfolding in the countryside, and a patched-on drama about undefined orphans and missionaries having to flee for their lives never gains emotional traction.

Despite the lack of genuine resonance, The Promise is never less than interesting to watch, a valuable spotlight on an under-reported and abominable episode in history.






All Ace Black Blog Movie Reviews are here.

Saturday 29 April 2017

Movie Review: Cinderella (2015)


A fairy tale fantasy romance, Cinderella hits perfectly pure notes in retelling the story of one woman overcoming hate with kindness.

Ella (Lily James) is simple rural girl brought up by kindly parents. Her mother dies when Ella is still a child, and on her death bed she pleads with Ella to always have courage and be kind. Her father (Ben Chaplin) remarries, but Ella's new Stepmother (Cate Blanchett) is an evil and selfish woman, while her two step sisters Drisella and Anastasia are conceited and rude. When Ella's father dies, her Stepmother reduces her to the status of a maid and the stepsisters nickname her Cinderella. Her only friends are a group of house mice, but still Ella does not lose her commitment to kindness.

On a ride through the forest Ella has a brief encounter with the charming Prince (Richard Madden), and the two are immediately enchanted with each other. The Prince is about to succeed his ailing father the King (Derek Jacobi), and a grand ball is arranged for the Prince to choose a wife, with all the maidens in the land invited. Stepmother and the two stepsisters get themselves ready, but cruelly prevent Ella from attending the ball -- until Cinderella's Fairy Godmother (Helena Bonham Carter) intervenes.

Directed by Kenneth Branagh, Disney's live action non-musical remake of the 1950 animated classic creates magic of its own. Targeting a family audience with a laser focus on story rather than sarcasm, irony, or gimmicks, Cinderella is a throwback to simpler times, and yet effortlessly succeeds in updating the message of tolerance and hope in the face of animosity and antagonism.

Recognizing the inherent magic of the story, the film steers well clear of silly cutesiness. There are no talking animals and the few friendly mice and one mean cat are deployed in just the right amount. Otherwise Branagh allows the film to breathe deeply from the magical fantasy elements. A particular highlight is the centerpiece palace ball scene, starting with the Fairy Godmother's arrival all the way through to the carriage turning back into a pumpkin. The CGI is seamlessly woven into the action, with editing smooth enough for eyes young and old to appreciate the wizardry.

It's not easy updating the character of a genuine Ella for a more modern audience, but the Chris Weitz screenplay focuses on virtues of tolerance and kindness reinforced with steely determination, and Lily James pulls off the role with glowing restraint. The Stepmother tests the limits of Cinderella's compassion, Cate Blanchett amplifying the character's hateful attributes while just hinting at a woman gone stone cold due to a stream of broken expectations.

The film looks rich and magnificent, with colours often subdued around Ella to allow her to literally shine. The sets are grand and imposing, Branagh finding impressive perspectives to fill the screen with activity and detail. The story may be familiar, but with charm and ambition, this Cinderella earns her own place as an inspiration for young hearts and minds.






All Ace Black Blog Movie Reviews are here.



Movie Review: 5 to 7 (2014)


A romantic drama, 5 to 7 explores a perfect love that just happens to thrive in the most imperfect of circumstances.

In New York City, Brian (Anton Yelchin) is a fledgling writer in his early twenties still waiting for his first publishing break. In front of the St. Regis Hotel he spots Arielle (Bérénice Marlohe), and it's love at first sight for both of them. Arielle is French and nine years older than Brian, which he does not mind. But with the relationship quickly turning serious, he is shocked when she reveals that she is contentedly married to diplomat Valéry (Lambert Wilson) and the mother of two young children.

Arielle educates Brian about the French custom of accepting affairs within marriage, as long as all parties are discreet and respectful, with the extramarital couple traditionally only meeting from 5 to 7 in the afternoon. Brian adapts to the concept, proceeds with the affair within the rules, and even gets to meet Valéry, his lover Jane (Olivia Thirlby), and Arielle's two children. The unusual arrangement completely rattles Brian's father Sam (Frank Langella), but his mother Arlene (Glenn Close) is more understanding. Brian's career catches a break, but as he falls ever so deeply in love with Arielle his delicate romantic arrangement starts to teeter.

Written and directed by Victor Levin, 5 to 7 benefits from exploring a romance with a few relatively original twists. While the New York City setting is familiar, Brian and Arielle navigate around differences in age and culture, her marital status and quite progressive views about the role of love and lovers in life. For long stretches Levin sustains interest not so much because of the love story, but because of where the romance fits into Arielle's life.

Despite the affair unfolding through Brian's eyes, Arielle emerges as a much more compelling character, and Bérénice Marlohe makes the film her own. Seemingly effortlessly, Arielle juggles the role of lover, mentor in affairs of the heart, wife and mother, and Levin succeeds in creating a captivating and stylish woman who can make a young man believe in alternative passion arrangements.

Less convincing is the concept of Arielle falling in love with Brian. Whatever charms the struggling writer possesses to turn the eye of a sophisticated woman are left off the screen, and Brian remains a rather whiny if infatuated young man. Anton Yelchin is dewy eyed but also miscast, unable to elevate the role beyond the star-struck American.

Brian's parents provide the comic relief and a contrast in bridges across the cultural divide. His mother Arlene is more than willing to give the liaison with a married woman every opportunity to thrive. His father Sam remains skeptical, barely tolerating Arielle's Frenchness, let alone the age difference and her marriage. Glenn Close and Frank Langella make for a fine married couple thriving in their eccentricities.

5 to 7 unravels in its final third, and the last 15 minutes are dominated by narration, Levin defaulting to describing rather than showing emotions. A great love can survive a lot, but it finally trips on a writer with too many words at his disposal.






All Ace Black Blog Movie Reviews are here.



Wednesday 26 April 2017

The Movies Of Patrick Swayze






















All movies starring Patrick Swayze and reviewed on the Ace Black Blog are linked below:

The Outsiders (1983)





Red Dawn (1984)





Dirty Dancing (1987)





Road House (1989)





Ghost (1990)





The Player (1992, cameo, as himself)





To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar (1995)





All Ace Black Blog Movie Reviews are here.
The Index of Movie Stars is here.


Monday 24 April 2017

Movie Review: Napoleon Dynamite (2004)


An off-beat comedy about the unlikeliest of nerds in the unlikeliest of settings, Napoleon Dynamite marches to its beat of brilliant weirdness.

In the tiny rural community of Preston, Idaho, Napoleon Dynamite (Jon Heder) is a gangly and socially clueless 16 year old high school kid. His only skill is sketching imaginative animals. He lives at home with his brother Kip (Aaron Ruell), who at 32 years old is addicted to online chatting. When their grandmother is hospitalized after a sand dune buggy accident, Uncle Rico (Jon Gries) arrives to ostensibly look after Napoleon and Kip.

But the egotistical Rico, who lives in a camper van, is still dreaming of making it as a pro football player and lamenting a lost game during his college years. He sets off with Kip to make money as door-to-door salesmen. Meanwhile, Napoleon meets equally awkward classmates Pedro (Efren Ramirez) and Deb (Tina Majorino). Pedro tries to woo Summer (Haylie Duff), the most popular girl in school, while Napoleon invites Summer's best friend Trisha (Emily Kennard) to a party. These attempts at relationships predictably don't end well, but nothing deters Napoleon.

Directed by Jared Hess, who also co-wrote the film with his wife Jerusha, Napoleon Dynamite is a study in the unexpected. Following exactly no rules, the film goes off to explore and amplify the awkwardness of growing up in nowheresville USA, and succeeds in delivering a stunningly original understated comedy. Among other outliers, the film features a stubborn llama, adventures on an egg farm, a dubious time travel machine, and the unlikeliest transformation for Kip.

Napoleon's obliviousness provides him with unshakable strength. Every potentially significant emotional setback washes off his back and on he marches into the next surreal situation armed with his unique brand of uncoordinated ineptitude. In their own way, Kip, Uncle Rico, Deb and Pedro are cut from the same cloth. Napoleon Dynamite places the marginalized left-behinds of society's cliques at the centre of attention, and finds the resiliency that allows them to dust themselves off and go on.

Hess directs with a quiet observational tone, the camera settling down to record with long takes and wide perspectives to capture the expanse of rural America. Everyone has a plan and an angle, maybe even a dream, but Preston, Idaho is a place where not much will change over time, no matter what. The film's time setting is appropriately vague and confused. Much of the surroundings, including the music and fashions, evoke the 1980s, but Kip lives his life online, including establishing a relationship with vivacious chat room girlfriend LaFawnduh (Shondrella Avery).

In his feature film debut Jon Heder get the role of a lifetime and delivers a mythical performance. Napoleon awkwardly and hilariously over-emotes, learned mannerisms that scream of a desire to fit in. Never smiling, Heder's eyes are often closed, his lanky body contorted into every posture except comfortable. Efren Ramirez and Tina Majorino complete the triangle of inelegance, but in their case less is more; both drown their misfit status with quiet sedateness, with Ramirez's Pedro bordering on catatonic.

An off-beat celebration of being different, Napoleon Dynamite commands the stage and dances in its own groove, achieving legendary status.






All Ace Black Blog Movie Reviews are here.