3 Reviews

It's that time of year when Hollywood unloads a dog pile of "Awards worthy" films. Last week I raved about two of them, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and "Doubt." Here are my thoughts on three more.

Valkyrie - Far too much has been made about Tom Cruise's lack of a German accent in this film. No one seems to complain about the almost entirely British supporting cast not using German accents. That said, Tom Cruise is a large part of the problem with Bryan Singer's "Valkyrie." Cruise should never have been cast. I never saw the character of Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (a man who really existed), I simply saw Tom Cruise in an eye patch. An accent would have only made this more glaring.
Written by Chris McQuarrie (who penned Singer's masterpiece, "The Usual Suspects") and Nathan Alexander, "Valkyrie" never really takes off. The reason is not that we know the attempt to assassinate Hitler will fail. This should have been a fascinating film regardless of knowing the outcome. It's an obscure yet incredible piece of history. However as presented in the film, it is rarely engaging. Singer brings a great tension to a few moments but that tension should be present through much more of "Valkyrie."
In the end, it is also a waste of an excellent cast which includes Bill Nighy ("Love Actually"), Kenneth Branagh, Terence Stamp ("The Limey"), and Carice van Houten ("Black Book," a far better WWII film). Especially in the face of what else is out there, "Valkyrie" is not worth your time. The movie is in wide release. 5/10.

Gran Torino - Clint Eastwood's second movie this year (his first being "Changeling") is a tremendous surprise. The tone and feel of the picture were unexpected. Not as bleak as the majority of his recent efforts, Eastwood's film boasts a terrific script by Nick Schenk. It's a character study of Walt Kowalski (Eastwood), an aging racist in the Detroit suburbs, who is far more sympathetic than one would think. Misunderstood and avoided by his adult children, the recent widower finds nothing in common with his spoiled grandchildren either. He is unable to connect with anyone, save his barber (John Carroll Lynch, "Fargo," "Zodiac"), with whom he shares good-natured insults that would be highly offensive to almost anyone else.
Walt becomes a hero to the almost exclusively Hmong neighborhood when he saves young Thao (newcomer Bee Vang) from a gang. He slowly and reluctantly becomes close to Thao's family, especially the boy's sister, Sue (Ahney Her, another newcomer). He becomes like an uncle to the girl, who seems to understand Walt more than anyone else.
This is a film with a powerful message but a surprisingly wicked sense of humor. Eastwood delivers an absolutely amazing performance as Walt. No one else could have played this role. "Gran Torino" is Eastwood the director's most enjoyable movie in quite some time and has a very very powerful ending. "Gran Torino" is in limited release. Currently it is playing at the Alderwood Mall. 9/10.

Revolutionary Road - Eleven years after "Titanic," Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet reunite for this adaptation Richard Yates novel from the 1960s. Set in the summer of 1955, "Revolutionary Road" (directed by Sam Mendes, "American Beauty," "Jarhead") tells the story of the Wheelers. Frank (DiCaprio) and April (Winslet) are miserable suburbanites on Frank's thirtieth birthday. Coming off of an epic fight in the film's opening moments, April remembers the night she met Frank, and comes up with a plan to save their marriage and their hopes. She suggests moving to Paris with their two young children, so that Frank can finally figure out what he wants to do with his life and so they can truly live, something they feel unable to do in Connecticut.
"Revolutionary Road" is a film with a pervading sense of doom, even in the lighter moments when Frank and April excitedly plan their escape from suburbia. As they tell friends, neighbors, and Frank's co-workers of the idea, it is uniformly met with the same reaction. Shock at the "childish" nature of the plan. The one exception to this rule is the mentally unstable son of the woman who sold them their too perfect house. John (Michael Shannon, "World Trade Center") is all too happy to admit that he's crazy, but he openly and articulately cheers the Wheelers on. Later on in the film after they have abandoned their dream, John takes them to task. Shannon only appears twice but he is sensational, delivering the best performance in the film.
The two leads each give performances that are outstanding the majority of the time. There are a few moments however, most noticeably during their first argument, when they seem stilted. In one moment both DiCaprio and Winslet can be so natural, believable, and mesmerizing. In the next you feel like you're watching a play as they deliver their lines as though they are reading Yates' novel aloud. The inconsistency is strange and jarring.
All in all, "Revolutionary Road" is a very good film that is almost great (for similar subject matter I still prefer "Mad Men"). It is also deeply cynical and depressing, more even than I was preparing myself for. It is currently in limited release. In the Seattle area it is playing at the Guild 45th and Bellevue's Lincoln Square. 8/10.