Bad Blake (Jeff Bridges) is a used-up country singer floundering in the death throes of his career. His best years long past, Blake is a stodgy drunk playing bowling alleys and bedding wrinkled, old, bar fly groupies. He's been better.

Inexplicably, Bad Blake hooks up with Jean (Maggie Gyllenhaal) a struggling journalist/single mother who is literally half his age. Their relationship creates the backbone of the film. The problem? Their relationship never quite makes sense. Blake isn't crashing and burning. He's crashed and his smoking ruins are already starting to go out. There is nothing for Jean to find endearing, wonderful or redemptive. Her relationship with the haggard singer is a pathetic leap of self-destruction. Only a woman on a mission of ruining herself further would get involved with a guy like Blake. There is nothing strange about this, there's plenty of self-destructive women out there (trust me, I've met them), but Jean gives no clue that she is harboring any self-loathing. Actually, since she's portrayed by Gyllenhaal, she doesn't provide much of anything beyond line readings.

Despite the awkward, and let's face it, downright icky relationship at its heart, this is still a very good film that I can easily recommend. Why? Bridges.

Jeff Bridges provides a nuanced performance as the soured drunk and gets the audience to care about his pathetic mess of a life. Bridges fits in the role perfectly and this is not a simple role to pull off. Bridges has to expose Blake's horrible drunkenness while simultaneously explaining his pain. On top of this, Bridges has to carry himself onstage, performing as Blake would - the old workhorse who can sing a song for the thousandth time and still make people feel something.

The soundtrack is also remarkable. I am not a country/western guy. However, this film made me reconsider. Blake sings the old dirty country of Cash, Nelson and Jennings. His gravely voiced tunes feel authentic. This contrasts the souped-up, polished new country tunes performed by Blake's protégé Tommy Sweet (Colin Farrell). Sweet is wildly successful but sings to please instead of the express himself. He is Burger King where Blake is a greasy spoon dive. The contrast of the two styles buttresses Blake's disjointed life. He is outdated in an age that doesn't make sense.

This is one of the rare times I get to say that the end of a film is nearly perfect. The final moments of most films are Hollywoodized cinematic warm fuzzies that often ignore the motivations and incidents leading to the final conflict. In this case, writer/director provides an intelligent and completely fulfilling resolution that makes complete sense - on top of that, it is the most moral ending that could have been written for the story. I'm willing to recommend this film based just on the final sixty seconds alone.

Ignore Gyllenhaal's weak link yammering. Ignore the fact that she's kissing up on a drunk who is literally twice her age. Ignore these things and you will find a worthwhile movie fronted by a inspiring performance from an actor who has rarely gotten enough credit.




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Labels: Colin Farrell, film, Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, movie review

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Labels: Alicja Bachleda, Colin Farrell, film, movie trailer, Stephen Rea, Tony Curran

Terry Gilliam is a brilliant designer. In most cases, he's a miserable director. His films a stuffed with visual goodies, and quirky performances, but they are completely lacking in any emotion or humanity. His films rarely investigate anything meaningful, instead they chase down esoteric philosophical points or overly complex plot situations. Gilliam is capable of some very good moments, but his overall body of work is over-hyped by people who confuse interesting with meaningful.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus tells the tale of the titular Dr. Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) who runs a theater troupe that travels London. Parnassus has made a deal with the devil (portrayed by Tom Waits) and has a wager to snare or save five souls. The ante? Parnassus' daughter Valentina (Lily Cole).

Patrons are lured into a mirror onstage, behind which they enter into a supernatural world where their morality is tested and they find pleasure or damnation.

The goofy plot provides Gilliam with plenty of canvas on which to apply his visual flair. The plot unfortunately also gets easily convoluted. Gilliam makes the error of presenting the universe of Parnassus without explaining the details early on. Instead, Gilliam loads the first half of the film with fantastic, but obscure imagery and scenes without explaining what is going on in a logical fashion. The average audience member will most likely tune out of the film before the plot's hook is revealed. For those willing to hang on, the explanation seems more like a cobbled together excuse than a intentional narrative.

The film had a short cinematic shelf life. It would have been completely ignored, like many of Gilliam's other films, if it were not for Heath Ledger's untimely death.

Ledger was working on this film at the time of his drug-induced passing. To complete the film, Gilliam introduced a cheesy element where Ledger's character Tony transforms into different physical forms. This permitted Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell to step in and complete Ledger's scenes.

The inclusion of these other actors is conspicuous. These scenes are also, mostly, unnecessary. The added actors are put into scenes where they deal with surreal chase sequences and conflicts. They all give stunted performances Their disconnect with the material is clearly seen in their work.

Ultimately this is a disjointed and unemotional film. Gilliam may have the ability to create quirky and strange designs but he has always flounder giving them any humanity.




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Labels: Andrew Garfield, Christopher Plummer, Colin Farrell, Heath Ledger, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Lily Cole, Peter Stormare, Terry Gilliam, Tom Waits

Labels: British Cinema, Colin Farrell, film, mob, movie review, Ralph Fiennes

Like all Gilliam's films this is visually overwhelming.

Hopefully, unlike many of Gilliam's films, this will be watchable.





Screenwriters: Terry Gilliam (Brazil) and Charles McKeown (The Adventures of Baron Munchausen)
Director: Terry Gilliam (12 Monkeys)
Actors: Heath Ledger (The Patriot), Johnny Depp (The Libertine), Tom Waits (Domino), Jude Law (Sherlock Holmes), Andrew Garfield (Lions for Lambs), Colin Farrell (Phonebooth), Verne Troyer (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone), Christopher Plummer (Dracula 2000) and Peter Stormare (Fargo)

Labels: Christopher Plummer, Colin Farrell, film, Heath Ledger, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, movie trailer, Peter Stormare, Terry Gilliam, Tom Waits, Verne Troyer

There's a thin line between being a cop and being a criminal - yeah, yeah, yeah, got it, heard it before. The whole production has a derivative vibe that it never shakes. The film kept reminding me of We Own the Night for some reason. It could be because of how the film was shot. It could be because its yet another East Coast cop drama. Could be because they both are dank, poorly written messes.

The film tells the tale of a police family that hits rough times when Ray Tierney (Edward Norton) uncovers a corruption scandal that fingers his brother-in-law Jimmy (Colin Farrell). This is a pretty good plot hook but the resulting script penned by Gavin O'Connor and Joe Carnahan never finds its footing. The piece is structured well but there's nothing unique, there's no dramatic draw. It is not too much to ask that a piece of drama should pull the audience into the story.

There are better cop dramas out there. I advise finding them.


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Labels: Colin Farrell, cops, Edward Norton, film, Jon Voight, movie review

What we have here is really just a twist on the Civil Rights Era movie but in a historical setting. In Civil Rights Era movies black victims are only saved when East Coast liberal lawyers ride into town and beat away the wild-eyed, moron Southern whites. In this case, the only thing that changes from that template is that this takes place in Germany instead of Mississippi. Racial politics play out in a World War II prison camp because, as we all know, a story involving a POW camp run by Nazis isn't dramatic enough. Two black American pilots arrive in the camp. One gets murdered, the other is brought up on charges over the death of a white solider. Angry whites spit venom as the dutiful and open minded , Lt. Thomas W. Hart (Colin Farrell), takes up the case. While tensions flare, ranking officer Col. William A. McNamara (Bruce Willis) plots to take revenge on their captors.

Sounds like it could be good, but it isn't. Farrell sleepwalks through his role and the competing conflicts of the racist trial on one hand and Stalag 17 wanna-be element on the other pulls this film in too many directions. It's not a horrible film but it is forgettable.


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Labels: Bruce Willis, Colin Farrell, film, movie review, World War II

Labels: British Cinema, Colin Farrell, film, mob, movie review, Ralph Fiennes

I see two problems with this film by seeing this trailer:

1. Following multiple cop killings there's an internal investigation. Who do they bring in? The brother-in-law of the guy that was leading the men who died. "Hey, you have an inherent conflict of interest and possibly emotionally involved in the results, come on, I want you in my task force."

3. Colin Farrell transitory accent. He has tried pulling off a American accent before (see Phonebooth) and its as stable as a wicker chair at a fat camp.

On top of all of this, the whole premise feels reminiscent of about a dozen other movies and television shows.





Screenwriter: Gavin O'Connor and Joe Carnahan (Smokin' Aces)
Director: Gavin O'Connor
Actors: Colin Farrell (In Bruges), Edward Norton (Fight Club), Jon Voight (Anaconda) and Jennifer Ehle (Sunshine)

Labels: Colin Farrell, Edward Norton, film, Jon Voight, movie trailer

Terrence Malick (The Thin Red Line, Days of Heaven) is considered by many to be a brilliant director. I'm not one with this group. This film about the conflicts between the English settlers and Native Americans is much like Malick's other works. It is a beautifully shot but wholly self-indulgent bore. Colin Ferrell as John Smith who would seemed to be a mismatch with this material does well. Opposite Farrell, Q'orianka Kilcher portrays Pocahontas. Kilcher likewise adds to the beauty on the screen and out performs Farrell. The problem is that the piece is so poorly paced that the performances are drowned in the amount of footage the audience is asked to endure. Overall, this could have been a great piece if handled by a less ponderous writer/director. As it stands, it is too long and too meandering to recommend.


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Labels: Christopher Plummer, Colin Farrell, film, movie review, Native Americans, Q'orianka Kilcher, Terrence Malick