Mt. Rushmore of Movies '19

Thursday Movie Picks: Gangsters

A Late Quartet

Directed by Yaron Zilberman.

2012. Rated R, 106 minutes.

Cast:

Christopher Walken

Philip Seymour Hoffman

Catherine Keener

Mark Ivanir

Imogen Poots

Liraz Charhi

Wallace Shawn

The Fugue is a highly successful string quartet that has been playing together for twenty-five years. They are led by David (Ivanir), the first violinist and an uncompromising perfectionist. Robert (Hoffman), the second violinist is married to viola player Juliette (Keener). This seemingly perfect square is completed by Peter (Walken), the cellist and elder statesmen. We meet them as they’re getting ready for the start of their next season. Peter realizes he isn't quite right and soon learns he is in the early stages of Parkinson’s. As he contemplates his predicament, his illness becomes the impetus for the lives of these people and their group to start coming apart at the seams.

These are people who have intently studied every note of the classical music they play. No subtlety or idiosyncrasy of its composers has gone unnoticed. Fittingly, the story we’re told is very nuanced. It starts with the double-edged dialogue spread throughout. The characters, especially Peter, will occasionally spout little anecdotes about their lives that work on the literal level by being amusing. Subcutaneously, they function as clever analogies for what’s taking place on screen. The tricky part, which A Late Quartet masters, is they don’t tell us what’s about to happen. Instead, these tales present us a way of looking at the various situations that informs our viewing.

Of course, we run into some predictable plot points along the way. Thankfully, the movie deals with them in often unconventional ways. However, it’s not doing this just for the sake of being creative, or contrarian. They culminate in scenes that feel wholly organic to the situations, forgoing many of the contrivances of other movies. This fosters the notion we’re watching real people go through difficult times.

Also helping us believe in what we’re seeing is a phenomenal cast. Among our four principals, plus Poots as Robert’s and Juliette’s daughter Alex, there isn't a false chord struck. I’m a hug fan of Philip Seymour Hoffman so it’s no surprise I find him to be great here. I will note that for some reason I haven’t figure out yet, he wears his wedding band on his right hand for the entire movie. Mistake or metaphor? Catherine Keener plays a woman caught in the middle of multiple dilemmas. Still, it never feels like she’s overwhelmed despite the fact all of these are potentially earth shattering. Keener does a wonderful job conveying this. Perhaps most impressive of them all is Christopher Walken. For starters, he steers clear of giving us the usual Christopher Walken shtick. Admittedly, it’s served him well in many roles including the recent Seven Psychopaths. The absence of it works here. He really gives a poignant performance in what is ultimately a heart-breaking storyline.

While I see Walken’s storyline as a sad one, it’s debatable whether it’s totally so. That’s because it sets the stage for the others to possibly end happy. Whether any of them are or are not is open to interpretation. This is good. It leaves us something to discuss. There is ammunition for both sides of the argument. It gives us this ammo in a way that is not confusing, but fun to analyze.

As much as I like this movie, it isn't for everyone. It is not the type of film that throws us into deep waters as soon as possible. We wade in, slowly at first, and gain momentum as time passes. Even so, this is a drama absent much of the over the top histrionics found in plenty other pictures. Your “movie night” crowd might find it boring, especially if it is made up of viewers with middle age still over their horizons. This is a movie about adults with no illusions of youth who’s adventure is born of the anxiety of breaking their decades long routines.

Seven Psychopaths

Directed by Martin McDonagh.

2012. Rated R, 110 minutes.

Cast:

Colin Farrell

Sam Rockwell

Woody Harrelson

Christopher Walken

Tom Waits

Abbie Cornish

Linda Bright Clay

Olga Kurylenko

Gabourey Sidibe

Michael Stuhlbarg

Helena Mattsson

Kevin Corrigan

Marty (Farrell) is a Hollywood screenwriter and the world is anxiously awaiting his next masterpiece. He’s titled it “Seven Psychopaths,” but that’s pretty much as far as he’s gotten. His bestest buddy Billy (Rockwell) wants to help him write the thing and offers up some inspiration in the form of a story he heard in a bar and a newspaper article about an actual nut job, still at large, called the Jack ‘O Diamonds killer who goes around murdering members of the mob. Before long, real life intervenes when Billy’s “job” brings a genuine psychopath their way. He’s part of a dog-napping scheme with Hans (Walken). The two snatch up some poor unsuspecting canine then later return it to the owner for the reward money. It just so happens that their latest acquisition belongs to local gangster Charlie (Harrelson). Let’s just say he’s not planning on paying to get his dog back.

From the outset, we realize this is going to be a hyper-violent comedy. That the scenery will be blood-soaked is a given. The question is whether or not it can maintain the humor aspect. Thankfully it does, for the most part. Writer-director Martin McDonagh, who gave us the incredible In Bruges, crafts a script that’s borderline self-parody. It echoes sentiments others may have about his own work or of these sorts of movies, in general, purposely and sarcastically reinforcing them. Most noticeably, this includes apparent misogyny. Through other characters questioning Marty on his handling of his female characters, it becomes McDonagh fielding questions from critics. Through the course of the movie, his answer seems to be a defiantly waved middle finger. This doesn't make what happens pro-feminist in any way, but makes it easier to take because we sense the movie is aware of what it’s doing and simply trying to push our buttons.

The actors themselves also help push our buttons. Pulling off the delicate balance between graphic violence and snarky humor always requires strong performances. This movie has them in spades. The constant banter between Farrell and Rockwell works wonderfully as both men turn in stellar work. To compliment them, Woody Harrelson and Chrisopher Walken absolutely steal every scene either of them are in. This keeps the movie moving along at a snappy pace. Between the action and these guys tearing up the screen, Seven Psychopaths is a hard film to take your eyes off.

The biggest drawback to SP is that, at times, it feels overly influenced by early Guy Ritchie and Quentin Tarantino. This could very easily be mistaken as part of either director’s filmography (sans the British accents for Ritchie). Honestly though, McDonagh is a skilled enough filmmaker to make this is a good thing. More than just aping the movies we love, it stands alongside them as a sharp-tongued and mercilessly violent dark comedy that is at once absurd and sublime.

Ranking the Batman Movies: #9

9. Batman Returns

(1992)

Directed by Tim Burton

Batman…Michael Keaton

James Gordon…Pat Hingle

Alfred…Michael Gough

Catwoman…Michelle Pfeiffer

The Penguin…Danny DeVito

Max Shreck…Christopher Walken

Of all the live-action Batman films, this is definitely the strangest. Even though he directed both movies, Batman Returns is much more a part of Tim Burton’s world than 1989’s Batman. Gotham and its inhabitants become truly gothic. Perhaps our first hint is the name of Christopher Walken’s character, Max Shreck. For those not in the know, the real Max Shreck is a horror icon for having played Count Orlock in the classic Nosferatu. Catwoman, as played by Michelle Pfeiffer is a writhing mass of fetishized femininity. She put so much into the role that for me, it’s easily the quintessential portrayal of the character. If she’s the stuff our slightly off-kilter fantasies then Danny DeVito’s take on The Penguin is something that’s escaped from our nightmares. Everything about him is delightfully disgusting, if that’s possible. By the way, the plot basically involves him trying to get elected mayor of Gotham while working with Catwoman to get rid of The Caped Crusader. There was a fallout to such a bizarre approach to what was supposed to be a mainstream franchise. Batman merchandise took a hit as McDonald's actually dropped all merchandise related to the movie from their Happy Meals. A number of parents were up in arms over the film. Of course, there was also that whole ‘let’s get Joel Schumacher in here’ thing after all that stuff happened.

Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead

Directed by Gary Fleder.

1995. Rated R, 114 minutes.
Cast:
Andy Garcia
Christopher Walken
Christopher Lloyd
Bill Nunn

Jimmy the Saint (Garcia) is a small-time gangster gone straight but his new & legit business is experiencing hard-times. He gets hired by an old friend, The Man with the Plan (Walken) to scare off the boyfriend of his son's ex-girlfriend. He hires his old crew to convincingly do the job but, things go terribly wrong. It is at times funny, violent & even melodramatic. It’s a bit of an uneven watch because it tries to do so many things. However, Andy Garcia holds the movie together. Jimmy the Saint is the perfect character for him. In every role I've seen him, Garcia is ultra-smooth & generally has a glossy look about him. Jimmy is nothing if not smooth. He gives off the kind of coolness that other people recognize and would resent in other people as some sort of act but are inexplicably drawn to it in him. That coolness is fascinating, especially when he lets you in just enough to know that there are emotions there and it elevates the movie. The ending was a little off to me but that's offset by the pleasant surprise of seeing Steve Buscemi in a role where he doesn't just launch into his trademark cynical rants. In fact, he doesn't speak much at all.

MY SCORE: 7.5/10