“The Gift” one of the year’s best films.

Smart, uncompromising and timely, Joel Edgerton’s excellent new thriller “The Gift” is a sly little film that mirrors its main character in all the best ways.

Unassuming and deceptive, the movie slowly sucks you in, leading the viewer down what seems a familiar path, only to play against expectations, shunning the more sensational aspects of the genre to ultimately deliver a humanistic tale of abuse and its effects on both the victim and perpetrator.

An exercise in psychological terror, “The Gift” is a potent reminder that the sins of the past are often never truly laid to rest. While Gordo may insist — ironically — that “it’s really important to not look back,” this sort of denial only compounds the potential harm that may befall us if we refuse to acknowledge and rectify our mistakes.

Powerful and haunting, “The Gift” will resonate with viewers far after the final credits roll, as its climax features the greatest offense, that of trespass of the mind, body and soul, leaving its characters irreversibly damaged. Edgerton goes for broke here, and it results in one of the best films of the year.

For a full review, go to: http://www.news-gazette.com/arts-entertainment/local/2015-08-06/chuck-koplinski-haunting-gift-one-years-best-surprises.html

Gyllenhaal Continues to Impress in “Nightcrawler”

There’s a moral vacuum where Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal) is concerned and over the course of this gripping film we see how deep the void within him really is.  Upon first meeting him, we see him steal a wristwatch from a security guard and it soon becomes apparent that he also filches cooper and other valuable metals for resale to scrap yards. However, one night he finds his true calling when driving along the highway.  An accident has occurred and Bloom pulls over to observe two police officers pull an unconscious woman from a burning wreck. Two independent videographers take footage of the incident and when he sees what they’ve filmed on the news later that morning he knows what to do with his life.

Gyllenhaal continues to be the most daring actor working in film today, bringing an unsettling sense of self-delusion and menace to Bloom, a man who lives in a world of his own, because that which he’s been born into has rejected him. Comparisons to Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver are inescapable and the actor makes certain not to mimic DeNiro’s iconic performance but cuts a distinctive path all his own, as he makes Bloom a subtle predator, a scavenger of human misfortune whose lack of morality is not as disturbing as it once was because it’s become more widespread. Gyllenhaal is scary here but you can’t take your eyes off of him, much like the horrific footage his character captures and sells.  In not being able to look away from what he panders, we encourage people like Bloom, making us the worst sort of enabler.

For a full review, go to: http://illinoistimes.com/blog-14682-gyllenhaal-continues-to-impress-in-nightcrawler.html

“Before” not as Clever as it Needs to be

A game Nicole Kidman stars as Christine, a woman with a tragic condition – she wakes up each morning with no memory of anything from her life – not her name, not her husband, not any of her experiences.  (If you’ve seen the Adam Sandler-Drew Barrymore feature 50 First Dates, a film with a distinctly different tone than this feature, you have some idea of what this woman’s up against.)  Thankfully she has a patient husband in Ben (Colin Firth) who gets her up to speed on a daily basis and seems to have no problem with the fact that any progress he may make on a given day to garner her trust, will be wiped clean once Christine’s head hits the pillow and her eyes are closed.

However – and this is a big “however”- Christine is getting help from Dr. Nasch (Marc Strong), a therapist who calls her each day to remind her that she’s keeping a video diary of all she’s learned from previous days and that she needs to watch it to keep current with what’s going on in her life.  Upon looking at the footage of herself dictating to the camera, she finds out that Ben is hiding things from her and should not be trusted.

In the end, it’s Joffe who’s responsible for the film’s undoing and while he did adapt the story from a best-selling novel by S.J. Watson, he needs to realize that some things that play on the page, appears clunky and labored on screen.  Such is the case with Before, a film that stumbles towards its finish, taxing our patience every step of the way.

For a full review, go to: http://illinoistimes.com/blog-14683-%25E2%2580%259Cbefore%25E2%2580%259D-not-as-clever-as-it-needs-to-be.html

“John Wick”: A Bloody, Cathertic, Brilliant Ride

.John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is a man who’s come to understand how to keep his feelings in check. This proved vital in his past life as an assassin as it was necessary to remain cool under pressure, while no small amount of personal tragedy, which would crush a less-disciplined man, has befallen him. His beautiful wife (Bridget Moynahan) of five years has succumbed to cancer, leaving him shattered and alone. Knowing her demise was in the offing, she made arrangements to have a small puppy delivered to their home after her death, in order to help her husband cope with his grief. However, this is interrupted one night when Wick’s home is invaded by reckless Russian hooligans who beat him senseless, steal his vintage sports car and kill his dog. Needless to say, revenge on these hooligans becomes our hero’s primary focus.

The movie doesn’t disappoint. There’s a visceral energy to the director’s approach that prevents the movie from being another simple genre exercise.

And while John Wick will never be accused of being intricately plotted, it’s a movie distinctly of our time. In the end it’s not about Wick’s stolen car or dead dog, it’s about pride and being able to right obvious wrongs. One of the reasons we go to the movies is to experience the sort of release that “Wick” so ably supplies. It may not be noble, but it sure feels good.

“Deed” Punishes Audience

Unoriginal, tired and poorly done, there’s not a shred of originality in this No Good Deed from Sam Miller, a television director making his feature film debut here, proving that he’s far more adept at episodic narratives rather than those of the full-length variety. Stretched past the narrative breaking point, despite its brief running time of 84 minutes, this is a film that wastes its two leading actors as well as the audience’s time as this movie has been done better and before, far too often.

Terri (Taraji Henson) is a stay-at-home mom who, despite loving her two young children, misses her job as a prosecuting attorney. Feeling underutilized, as well as ignored by her workaholic husband (Henry Simmons), this beleaguered woman could use a break. Unfortunately, Terri’s not going to get one anytime soon. With her husband away for the weekend, she hopes to reconnect with her best gal pal Meg (Leslie Bibb), an overbearing attention-seeker, for an evening of female bonding. However, a fly appears in the ointment of this best laid plan in the form of Colin Evans (Idris Elba), an escaped convict whose specialty is kidnapping and killing young women. Showing up on Terri’s doorstep, claiming he’s had a car accident and lost his phone, the deadly charmer ingratiates himself into her home.

There’s nothing subtle about this movie, either in acting or story, with the most egregious example being the music by Paul Haslinger, used to accentuate even the most mundane moments to heighten suspense that isn’t there. Colin drinks wine (ominous music), Colin walks down the hall (OMINOUS music), Colin stands by a window! (OMINOUS MUSIC) This is indicative of the sledgehammer approach that Miller takes throughout, making Deed the sort of movie that tries to distract us from the fact that is has nothing new to say.

For a full review, go to http://www.news-gazette.com/arts-entertainment/local/2014-09-18/chuck-koplinski-slow-steady-perfect-tombstone.html

Questions of Identity, the Vagaries of Marriage Propel “Girl”

Having purposely kept myself in the dark regarding the central conceit at the core of Gillian Flynn’s best-selling novel “Gone Girl,” I approached David Fincher’s adaptation of it ready to be knocked back on my heels. I wasn’t disappointed. Containing a plot that doubles back on itself more than once, an engaging mystery that, however improbable, plays fair with the audience in the way it dispenses its clues and genuine performances across the board, bringing a variety of layers to their complex roles, this is one of the best movies of 2014.

When we first meet Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck), he’s a man at the end of his rope. Having moved back to the dying small town of his youth, Carthage, Missouri, from New York City after losing his job as a writer, he’s at a loss as to what to buy his lovely wife Amy (Rosamund Pike) for their fifth anniversary. Certain she will have an elaborate scavenger hunt planned for him, Nick knows that, par for the course, his efforts will fail to live up to those of his spouse. However, this becomes the least of his worries when he returns home to find that his house has been broken into and that Amy is nowhere to be found. Soon, local detective Rhonda Boney (Kim Dickens) determines that she’s been kidnapped, a bit of news the media devours and blows out of proportion as Amy was the basis for a beloved character (“Amazing Amy”) from a series of children’s books. As days go by and the search for the missing woman proves futile, Nick becomes the prime suspect in what is assumed to be her murder.

More than anything, dating and marriage are pilloried in the film, the former seen as a ritual in which we willingly put forth the best image of ourselves in order to snare a mate, only to have to suppress our true selves in order for the relationship to survive. Both Nick and Amy are guilty of this and the results of each being dishonest with each other and themselves is catastrophic. All that happens in the Dunne’s marriage is exaggerated for effect but at its core, “Gone Girl” speaks to the confusion that arises within as a result our compromising ourselves for what we think to be a greater good. In the end, we’re hardly recognizable to ourselves.

For a full review, go to http://www.news-gazette.com/arts-entertainment/local/2014-10-02/chuck-koplinski-identity-issues-propel-super-mystery-gone-girl.h

Neeson’s Presence Makes for Strong , Gruesome “Tombstones”

A Walk Among the Tombstones, Thriller, Rated R. 3 Stars. Liam Neeson, Dan Stevens. 113 minutes.

Based on the crime novel by Lawrence Block, Liam Neeson stars as private investigator Matthew Scudder, who’s hired by a is a drug lord to find the people responsible for kidnapping and killing his wife. His brother Kenny (Dan Stevens), a recovering drug addict, who met Scudder at an AA meeting, brings these two together and before you know it, the former police officer agrees to try and find the people who committed this heinous act.

As with most good mysteries, this crime proves to be only the tip of the iceberg as far as the investigation is concerned. As laid out by director Scott Frank, the film’s center is solid and smart, while the villains prove to be the sort that audiences love to hate. While the movie threatens to overstay its welcome, Neeson’s strong, steady presence holds it all together.

For the full review of A Walk Among the Tombstones, go to:

http://www.news-gazette.com/arts-entertainment/local/2014-09-18/chuck-koplinski-slow-steady-perfect-tombstone.html

“Sin City: A Dame to Kill For”: Visually Dynamic, Narratively Tired

“Sin City: A Dame to Kill For.” 2 Stars. Rated R. 102 Minutes.

In this sequel to the 2005 hit, Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller throw us once more onto the rain-soaked, dirty, evil streets of Sin City where the men are hard, the women loose and daylight doesn’t exist, for three different stories that converge for a dark climax.

Though the movie is visually arresting the film noir tropes it contains are as pedestrian as they come. Each of the three stories follows the same pattern – someone’s wronged, they seek revenge, they get it in the bloodiest manner possible. This becomes tedious while the violence becomes more and more graphic as the film wears on, ultimately bordering on the offensive.

There’s no question that Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez’s “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For” is a visually stunning piece of work, the sort of film DVDs were made for – you’ll find yourself wanting to freeze-frame multiple images throughout to simply study their composition and appreciate the attention to detail that have gone into them. Utilizing green-screen effects, traditional animation and computer-generated images, the world the directors have created still seems fresh and vibrant as “Sin City” did some nine years ago, which is rather surprising what with all of the technical advances that have been made since. Unfortunately, similar innovations have not been made where Miller’s stories are concerned. Hoary when they were used in the original comic books released in the early ‘90’s, the film noir tropes at play here are as stale as the visuals are fresh and they ultimately undo this production as their familiarity, as well as the unnecessary graphic violence, bred more than a bit of contempt in this viewer.

While the violence is of a stylized nature, it’s rendered in such a callous, overwrought manner that it borders on the offensive and calls so much attention to itself that it takes the audience out of the film in every instance. That being said, if you’ve seen one film noir, then Dame holds little in the way of surprises anyway. A character is wronged, they seek revenge, it’s enacted in a bloody manner – and that’s about it. This adherence to form doesn’t do the movie any favors as the stories it contains soon become monotonous, breeding indifference and ultimately boredom in the viewer. Like so many of the scantily clad women it contains, Dame is something to behold but it soon becomes apparent that little lies beneath its surface.

Read the full review: http://illinoistimes.com/article-14376-dame:-dynamic-yet-tired.html