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 He is outdated in an age that doesn't make sense.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.




Related Reviews:
Jeff Bridges movies
The Big Lebowski (1998)
The Fisher King (1991)


Other Critic's Reviews:
Independent Critic
Combustible Celluloid




Click here to buy your copy of
You Are What You See and learn
to change the world from your couch

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

It is fair to assume that most people walking into this movie would expect a quirky, humorous satire of the ineffectual, bureaucratic heart of the United States military. The trailer, available below, certainly forwards this message.

The military decides to begin a program designed to create super soldiers through the use of telepathy, telekinesis and other odd, unproven mental skills. George Clooney fronts the film which seems to have been made with a Coen Brothers vibe.

That vibe isn't there. Neither is the story.

Yes, some aspects of the story are true. The government did have a time when it delved into alternative concepts like remote viewing. Unfortunately, being true doesn't always translate into being watchable.

In all of its attempts at being zany and too cool for the room, this film commits one of the unforgivable sins: it is dull. It is open-mouthed, broadly announced yawn kind of dull. Start daydreaming about the household tasks that remain undone kind of dull. Kevin Spacey ten years past when he gave up trying kind of dull.

Have you ever seen a Coen Brothers movie like Burn After Reading or The Hudsucker Proxy where they just can't make it work? Their cobbled together plot is too creaky and loose to function properly? This leaves them with a bunch of scenes that feel under-worked? This whole movie is one of those scenes. Quirky jokes that aren't amusing. Not good.

Skip this one. It wasn't done cooking before they served it up.




Related Reviews:
George Clooney movies
Good Night and Good Luck (2005)
Ocean's 11 (2001)


Other Critic's Reviews:
Los Angeles Times
Roger Ebert





Click here to buy your copy of
You Are What You See and learn
to change the world from your couch

Labels: Ewan McGregor, film, George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Spacey, movie review, Robert Patrick, Stephen Lang, Stephen Root

This is a very good trailer. It does a wonderful job of selling the film and the performances. George Clooney does have a goofy comedic side which doesn't get utilized enough. As this trailer displays, he has a particularly good knack for double-takes.






Screenwriters: Jon Ronson (How to Lose Friends & Alienate People)
Director: Grant Heslov
Actors: George Clooney (Burn After Reading), Ewan McGregor (Trainspotting), Jeff Bridges (The Fisher King), Kevin Spacey (21), Stephen Lang (Avatar), Robert Patrick (Terminator II: Judgment Day), Stephen Root (Office Space) and Waleed Zuaiter

Labels: Ewan McGregor, film, George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Spacey, movie trailer, Robert Patrick, Stephen Lang, Stephen Root

Labels: film, Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, movie trailer

Short Review: Far more interesting than Nickel Man.

Robert Downey Jr. gives the most inviting and outright fun performance since Johnny Depp dressed up like Keith Richard in Pirates of the Caribbean. Downey's career still stinging from his drug issues and time in the hoosegow manages a remarkable comeback performance in this silly flick. He obviously had fun portraying the weapon industrialist turned iron-clad superhero Tony Stark. He gives Stark a belligerent, but sharp minded snarkiness that lights up the whole picture.

The movie itself isn't going to win any awards for originality. The plot a bit copy and paste and only serves to introduce Stark/Iron Man. The points of the plot tick off predictably but the movie as a whole works because screenwriters Mark Fergus and Hank Ostby (Children of Men) smartly keep the focus on Stark rather than Iron Man. The time it takes for the transformation from man to superhero takes almost the whole film. If you're heading in to see Iron Man kick the stuffing out of bad guys and perhaps throw something through a building, you won't be completely disappointed but you're going to have to wait. Don't take this patience to mean this is a moody and ponderous film like Batman Begins. This more like Spider-Man - the story is properly developed so there's less time for the visual eye candy we have come to expect from content free films like Fantastic 4, Tomb Raider, and Daredevil, X-Men: The Last Stand.


What is interesting, at least to me, with this film is its view of the United States. In a time when Hollywood can't seem to say anything positive about America, this movie goes out of its way to be fair. Stark, a weapons dealer, gets kidnapped in Afghanistan. The American soldiers in the field with him are shown as heroic and kind. Given how they've been treated for the past twenty years, this is a notable exception. On top of this, the duality of America's foreign policies is also carefully displayed. Yes, we blow tons of things up and we've caused a great deal of pain. Conversely, we have also fed and saved millions through humanitarian aid and protection. When Stark's friend lies dying in an Afghan cave surrounded by American weapons they're using on our troops, it is not an accident the dying man is lying on top of a bag of grain also from the States. Finally, the villain Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges), Stark's business partner, is only identified as the villain when it comes out that he is a turncoat against America and is selling weapons to our enemies. Again, in a time when many in Hollywood would be more than comfortable not making a distinction between terrorists and America, this a worth noting.

If you can turn your brain off and gloss over the details (and ignore the plot conveniences) this is an enjoyable film on many levels. It doesn't rise above its comic book origins. Then again, its about a guy in an iron suit, its not meant to be an Oscar contender.


Cautions: Given that the Iron Man toys have hit the shelves and the franchise is off to a stellar start, many parents will be tempted to take their children to see the movie. For parents I'd give a warning that the movie does have some frank sexual behavior. Stark picks up a reporter and they are shown rolling in the sheets. She is then shown draped naked on the bed, blurry eyed, the morning after. Stark is a womanizer and this is referenced a number of times throughout the film. The violence is not gory but people are shot, beaten and thrown around like rag dolls. It should also be noted that small children will probably be disturbed by the frightening robots and loud voices.


Worldview: The movie contains a very valuable lesson on defining oneself through ones works. Stark is filthy rich, brilliant and insanely successful but his life is hollow. His mentor, once he learns Stark is without a wife and kids points out that Stark is a man who has everything but it means nothing. Much in the same way he sleeps around with women but never experiences love, Stark turns when he looks at his life and recognizes that works for their own sake are without value. The script does a great job of bringing this to life through the use of an obtuse symbol of a chuck of glowing technology that essentially replaces his heart. He only becomes a man when he lives to serve others and not his own selfish needs.


Related Reviews:
Superhero movies
Superman Returns (2006)
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)


Other Critic's Reviews:
Oxford Film Freak
The Film Chair

Labels: Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges, Jon Favreau, movie review, Robert Downey Jr, superhero, Terrance Howard

Simon Pegg knows how to pick productions that play to his regular-guy strengths. While it looks like it may be a Devil Wears Prada for geeks, I have to admit the final shot is perfectly done - hilarious.




Screenwriter: Peter Straughan (Sixty Six)
Director: Robert B. Weide
Actors: Simon Pegg (Hot Fuzz), Kirsten Dunst (Spider-Man), Jeff Bridges (Tucker: A Man and His Dreams), Megan Fox (Transformers), and Gillian Anderson (The Mighty)

Labels: film, Gillian Anderson, Jeff Bridges, Kirsten Dunst, Megan Fox, movie trailer

In the world of film geeks, Terry Gilliam who can do no wrong. The truth is that he is one of the most self indulgent directors to ever step behind a camera. I consider him to be the Coen Brothers without the sense of irony. Often his works reveal him to be more of a gifted designer than insightful director. This movie about a talk show host attempting to redeem his past is hollow but nicely shot. The performance by Robin Williams as an emotionally challenged transient is way over the top. Opposite this is Jeff Bridges portraying the host. He offers a good performance but is drowned out by the overreaching Williams. Pass on this one.


Related Reviews:
Terry Gilliam Films:
The Brothers Grimm (2005)
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988)
Brazil (1985)


Other Critic's Reviews:
WiderScreeenings.com
Hollywood Bitch Slap

Labels: film, Jeff Bridges, movie review, Robin Williams, Terry Gilliam

A forgotten gem of a film that never received the attention it deserves. Jeff Bridges provides a lively performance as the car designer who ran with the big dogs for a while. Well crafted and beautifully shot, this is certain worth the price of a rental if what you’re looking for is not available.


Related Reviews:
Jeff Bridges movies
Seabiscuit (2003)
The Door in the Floor (2004)


Other Critic's Reviews:
DVD Verdict
Roger Ebert

Labels: film, Francis Ford Coppola, Jeff Bridges, movie review

Short Review: Far more interesting than Nickel Man.

Robert Downey Jr. gives the most inviting and outright fun performance since Johnny Depp dressed up like Keith Richard in Pirates of the Caribbean. Downey's career still stinging from his drug issues and time in the hoosegow manages a remarkable comeback performance in this silly flick. He obviously had fun portraying the weapon industrialist turned iron-clad superhero Tony Stark. He gives Stark a belligerent, but sharp minded snarkiness that lights up the whole picture.

The movie itself isn't going to win any awards for originality. The plot a bit copy and paste and only serves to introduce Stark/Iron Man. The points of the plot tick off predictably but the movie as a whole works because screenwriters Mark Fergus and Hank Ostby (Children of Men) smartly keep the focus on Stark rather than Iron Man. The time it takes for the transformation from man to superhero takes almost the whole film. If you're heading in to see Iron Man kick the stuffing out of bad guys and perhaps throw something through a building, you won't be completely disappointed but you're going to have to wait. Don't take this patience to mean this is a moody and ponderous film like Batman Begins. This more like Spider-Man - the story is properly developed so there's less time for the visual eye candy we have come to expect from content free films like Fantastic 4, Tomb Raider, and Daredevil, X-Men: The Last Stand.


What is interesting, at least to me, with this film is its view of the United States. In a time when Hollywood can't seem to say anything positive about America, this movie goes out of its way to be fair. Stark, a weapons dealer, gets kidnapped in Afghanistan. The American soldiers in the field with him are shown as heroic and kind. Given how they've been treated for the past twenty years, this is a notable exception. On top of this, the duality of America's foreign policies is also carefully displayed. Yes, we blow tons of things up and we've caused a great deal of pain. Conversely, we have also fed and saved millions through humanitarian aid and protection. When Stark's friend lies dying in an Afgan cave surrounded by American weapons they're using on our troops, it is not an accident the dying man is lying on top of a bag of grain also from the States. Finally, the villain Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges), Stark's business partner, is only identified as the villain when it comes out that he is a turncoat against America and is selling weapons to our enemies. Again, in a time when many in Hollywood would be more than comfortable not making a distinction between terrorists and America, this a worth noting.

If you can turn your brain off and gloss over the details (and ignore the plot conveniences) this is an enjoyable film on many levels. It doesn't rise above its comic book origins. Then again, its about a guy in an iron suit, its not meant to be an Oscar contender.


Cautions: Given that the Iron Man toys have hit the shelves and the franchise is off to a stellar start, many parents will be tempted to take their children to see the movie. For parents I'd give a warning that the movie does have some frank sexual behavior. Stark picks up a reporter and they are shown rolling in the sheets. She is then shown draped naked on the bed, blurry eyed, the morning after. Stark is a womanizer and this is referenced a number of times throughout the film. The violence is not gory but people are shot, beaten and thrown around like rag dolls. It should also be noted that small children will probably be disturbed by the frightening robots and loud voices.


Worldview: The movie contains a very valuable lesson on defining oneself through ones works. Stark is filthy rich, brilliant and insanely successful but his life is hollow. His mentor, once he learns Stark is without a wife and kids points out that Stark is a man who has everything but it means nothing. Much in the same way he sleeps around with women but never experiences love, Stark turns when he looks at his life and recognizes that works for their own sake are without value. The script does a great job of bringing this to life through the use of an obtuse symbol of a chuck of glowing technology that essentially replaces his heart. He only becomes a man when he lives to serve others and not his own selfish needs.


Related Reviews:
Superhero movies
Superman Returns (2006)
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)


Other Critic's Reviews:
Oxford Film Freak
The Film Chair

Labels: Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges, Jon Favreau, movie review, Robert Downey Jr, superhero, Terrance Howard