By Robin E. Simmons
PRISONERS
Unsettling and intense, this superbly crafted drama about the kidnapping of two young girls from two different families follows the anguish and anger of an increasingly unhinged father (Hugh Jackman) and the hunt for the kidnapper by a determined detective (Jake Gyllenhaal). Stunningly photographed by Roger Deakins, the Denis Villeneuve directed and Aaron Guzikowski scripted thriller is in fact a chilling horror film about what happens when rage and madness infect a family from both the inside and outside.
Jackman is always a treat to watch whether as Wolverine or Jean Valjean, but here he gives perhaps his best screen performance. The nightmare that has enveloped his family is unthinkable and the extremes of his rage are terrifying yet understandable. Jackman’s desperation is as scary as the kidnapping as he takes out his anger on a prime, mostly silent, suspect (Paul Dano). There’s more than one prisoner in this nicely crafted film that never looses its sense of dread. I was fully engaged from fade-in to fade-out and was satisfied when I left the theater. The supporting cast includes Maria Bello, Melissa Leo, Viola Davis and Terrence Howard. There’s not a single false move in the fabrication of this remarkable film. I would put PRISONERS in the same category as SE7EN and SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. If you like suspenseful crime thrillers, you will be rewarded. See it on the big screen at Cinemas Palme d’Or. Now playing.
THE FAMILY
Violent, bloody, brutal “comedies” are not my thing. I was finally dismayed and disappointed as I watched a fine cast play an unrepentant, unredeemable Mafioso clan in a witness protection program in Normandy. No one learns a lesson and a lot of innocent people die. The film ends with the family moving on to another location where more mayhem and deaths will assuredly follow. This film is unnecessary and serves no purpose. Luc Besson directs with a sure hand. Too bad the story itself was without a moral center or comic conceit. The laughs in the theater died out rather quickly. Now playing.
JEWTOPIA
When Christian (Ivan Sergei) meets Alison (Jennifer Love Hewitt) who happens to be the girl of his dreams as well as a rabbi’s daughter, he lies and tells her his name is Avi Rosenberg and that he’s Jewish. To keep up the subterfuge, Christian asks Adam Lipschitz (Joel David Moore), his best friend from childhood, to teach him how to “act Jewish.” There are more complications, but suffice it to say, the ethnic stereotypes and offenses far outweigh the laughs in this goy meets girl fable. The movie is based on the unlikely play of the same name. Now playing. (But probably not for long.)
New for the home theater:
THE EAST
Co-writer (with actor Brit Marling) and director Zal Batmanglij delivers a nice looking, involving and often suspenseful thriller about a band of educated, elitist eco-anarchists out to expose and punish corporations that degrade and exploit humanity and the planet.
This great premise has many moments of unfocused character development that is meant to create sympathy around the central drama of a young woman who goes undercover as part of her new job to infiltrate The East, an eco terrorist cell, for an equally secret, ambitious, private security corp.
The real dilemma, and the biggest potential source of tension — hardly emphasized in the story — is how Sarah (Marling) must deal with what she knows to be a moral and worthy cause. Her relationship with her boyfriend (or is he actually her husband or fiancé?) is glossed over as she has a passionate but brief relationship with Benji (Alexander Skarsgård), one of the men in the group upon whom she is spying.
Marling is photogenic in the right light, and although her character is resourceful, her on screen persona is bland and muted in THE EAST. She was far more memorable in ANOTHER EARTH (which she also co-wrote). Sarah’s boss Sharon (Patricia Clarkson) is not nearly as threatening as implied in the premise. In fact, the core drama of suddenly discovering you are working for the bad guys and spying on the good guys is the weakest part of the story. Still, this is an engaging drama that plays with a timely idea. What I’d really like to see is a fictional take on someone infiltrating a GMO corp not unlike like Monsanto and being brainwashed into believing they are the good guys when in fact they are not. Now there’s a scary movie! Fox Searchlight. Blu-ray
KINGS OF SUMMER
Nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, this uniquely charming comic coming of age tale is about three teenage friends who, in an act of defiance and independence, decide to spend their summer building a house in the woods and live off the land in an attempt to be “men.” Quirky and charming in equal measures, this is a sweet spot in the seemingly never-ending coming-of-age genre. Moises Arias is a standout as one the boys. The cast includes: Gabriel Basso, Nick Robinson, Megan Mullally, Alison Brie and Nick Offerman. Jordan Vogt-Robert directs with a poetic eye. CBS/Sony. Blu-ray
Also available:
John Carpenter’s HALLOWEEN 35th Anniversary Edition featuring all-new HD transfer, new 7.1 audio mix, new commentary track by John Carpenter and Jamie Lee Curtis along with never-before-seen bonus features. Anchor Bay. Blu-ray.
Comments? RobinESimmons@aol.com
