Secret Agent Gal Movie Reviews

Water for Elephants ****

 

 

Beyond the big top, life is hell at Benzini Brothers Greatest Show on Earth. Animals are fed rotting meat and work until they collapse. Humans subsist on hooch and three squares, waiting weeks for a paycheck. Layoffs are dispensed by red lighting, with men thrown from a moving train.

The circus is home to a small, dedicated band seeking more than survival during the Depression. These beings want excitement and greatness, the chance to break free and be loved and accepted.

The show is built on illusion, but we may as well believe in this uneven adaptation of Sara Gruen’s novel Water for Elephants.

A madman drives this circus. Oscar winner Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds) brings the most energy to the drama as ringmaster August. Bombastic, terse and menacing, Waltz plays a paranoid schizophrenic who pours champagne one moment and brutalizes his wife Marlena (Reese Witherspoon) the next.

Director Francis Lawrence (I Am Legend; Constantine) crams too much of the book into this film, and peers most at its harshest realities.  As a result, the action lags occasionally and we are left feeling grim.

Robert Pattinson seems to play Robert Pattinson rather than orphaned veterinary student Jacob Jankowski, displaying a Twilight-like, flat affect with a hint of smolder. The actor achieves some chemistry with glowing Witherspoon, and he convincingly relates to Rosie the elephant and other animals.

The love of animals and a “sixth sense” about the beasts draw Jacob and Marlena to each other. Tai, the elephant who plays Rosie, looks mournful as she’s brought in to save the struggling circus. We learn that she likes whiskey and lemonade, and answers to commands in Polish. Rosie performs her duties with uncanny wisdom. She’s capable of flashes of humor and rebellion.

This film received the No Animals Were Harmed (R) designation of the American Humane Association.

 

Pattinson’s low key approach doesn’t always stand up alongside colorful Waltz. In one confrontation with August, Jacob seems to fade into a wall. A high point is an early scene where the two leap atop boxcars of a train snaking into dusk.

Hal Holbrook ties the film together with early narration. As Jankowski in his nineties, he visits a modern-day circus and tells his story to Charlie (Paul Schneider). “I had a good life, you know. A big life.” With melodious voice and teary eyes, Holbrook is a treasure.

Reese Witherspoon is a regal survivor. In keeping with the tone of the film, she remains cool and removed. Delivering some wonderful equestrian acrobatic scenes, she loses the Witherspoon warmth found in Election and Legally Blonde.

“Out there I got nothing, just like everybody else” says Marlena. “There is something better for you,” Jacob tells her.

An excellent supporting cast includes Jim Norton as the roustabout Camel, and Mark Povinelli as Jacob’s roommate Walter.

Despite its PG-13 rating, Water for Elephants is not a feel-good, family film. Ultimately uplifting (screenwriter Richard LaGravenese uses Gruen’s delightful surprise ending), it dwells in a sad, gritty place.

Several violent scenes are added late in the film. These depart significantly from the novel. There was no need for them, since Gruen’s vision and her beloved animals deliver a baptism that is powerful enough.

If you like Water for Elephants, you might enjoy:  Red Riding Hood; The Last Lions; Born to Be Wild.

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Water for Elephants     2011  /  PG-13  /    2 hours

Cast Overview:  Reese Witherspoon, Robert Pattinson, Cristoph Waltz, Paul Schneider, Jim Norton, Hal Holbrook, Mark Povinelli, Richard Brake, Tai, Uggie, Ice, Major

Director:  Francis Lawrence

Genre:  Drama, Romantic Drama, Drama Based on the Book, Period Piece

Soul Surfer ***1/2

 

The comeback of surfer Bethany Hamilton, who lost her left arm in a 2003 shark attack, is filled with belief, love and ecstasy. On her website, Bethany quotes Bible verses.  She knows what it is like to rely on God alone. 

A born "mermaid," Hamilton rides mighty waves and swoops through funnels of moving water. Just one month after the catastrophe, the 13-year-old returned to the ocean, dreaming of going pro. “It was my own personal tsunami,” Hamilton writes in her book Soul Surfer.

Despite its flaws, the Hollywood-styled drama Soul Surfer glimpses both faith and rapture.

Magnificent cinematography by John Leonetti (Insidious; Piranha; The Mask) brings to life every wave, revealing surfers’ athleticism and skill. Doubles including Hamilton performed most of the surfing. Cameras were mounted on surfboards and jet skis. Filming took place in Hawaii at Turtle Bay Resort, Sunset Beach, Makaha and Waimea Bay.

AnnaSophia Robb (Race to Witch Mountain), her arm erased by CGI, renders a fine, fiercely competitive yet low key Hamilton. Dennis Quaid brings much-needed gruffness to the role of her dad Tom, and Helen Hunt lends sweet strength as her mom Cheri. Lorraine Nicholson (Jack Nicholson’s daughter) plays Hamilton’s spirited best friend Alana Blanchard.    

Soul Surfer is marred by one dimensional characters and weak dialogue. Robb, Quaid, Hunt and Nicholson manage to deliver despite an anemic script. What’s missing is deeper insight into every personality. For example, why not show more of the strength training Hamilton had to endure after the accident? How did she meet new social challenges? What was it like to be home schooled?

Hamilton despairs only twice. First she gives away her surfboards to young autograph seekers after wiping out at her competitive comeback. Later she rejects a prosthetic arm because it can’t be used in the water. The heroine’s quick recovery and uncomplaining course may seem too simple. “I don’t need easy, I just need possible,” she says. She no longer relies on her strength alone.

 

Commercially successful films with a Christian viewpoint, including The Blind Side and Secretariat, show faith in action.  A light hand is used with religious references, where a little goes a long way.

Director Sean McNamara and a team of seven writers (including himself), fill Soul Surfer with faith-based references. The result is a message film with less universal appeal.

Hamilton’s dramatic rescue scene is excellent. Kevin Sorbo and Nicholson play the father and daughter whose quick thinking and action save her life. Later Hamilton joins a humanitarian aid trip to Thailand following a tsunami there. Coaxing a young boy to trust the water, she rediscovers a sense of purpose.

In a weak film debut, Carrie Underwood lends preachy petulance to an important figure in Hamilton’s life, church group leader Sarah Hill. As a result their relationship doesn’t gel onscreen.

Hamilton reconsiders beauty when her mother shows her an image of the Venus de Milo. Long considered a pinnacle of beauty, the statue has no arms. Mother advises daughter to “pray and listen for what comes next.”

A plot device meant to add drama rings false. Competitor Malina Birch (Sonya Balmores Chung) bullies Hamilton even after her accident. When Birch wins a championship trophy, she suddenly announces that she’s sharing the title with Hamilton. Really?

Hamilton turned pro in 2007 and competes worldwide. She stars in a short documentary made by her sister-in-law, Heart of a Soul Surfer (2007).

If you like Soul Surfer, you might enjoy: The Blind Side; Win Win; The Music Never Stopped; Secretariat.

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Soul Surfer     2011  /  PG /  1 hour, 46 mins

Cast Overview:  AnnaSophia Robb, Dennis Quaid, Helen Hunt, Carrie Underwood, Kevin Sorbo, Lorraine Nicholson, Jeremy Sumpter, Ross Thomas, Sonya Balmores Chung, Chris Brochu

Director:  Sean McNamara

Genre:  Action, Drama, Sports, Movie Based on the Book, True Stories

Red Riding Hood ***

 

Red Riding Hood grows up as Amanda Seyfried plays the luscious maiden who carries both dagger and picnic basket.

Seyfried (Letters to Juliet; Dear John; Chloe), wide-eyed and bosomy, wears nubile womanhood well with her hypnotic screen presence. Valerie is a strong heroine as she follows her heart and confronts a werewolf.

Fear and superstition, honor and bravery hold sway within her forest village of Daggerhorn. The people know the ways of herbs, hunting and gathering. They revel in bacchanalia, festivals of dance and drink.

The Wolf is no legend.  He haunts the community at the blood moon. The people have appeased him with animal sacrifices for years. Without warning, he strikes down another villager, Valerie’s own sister.

A purple-robed werewolf hunter arrives with a small army who vow to root out evil within any and every villager. Gary Oldman plays Father Solomon with cut-throat fervor.

Like Grendel, the Wolf has his own story to tell, but that’s not revealed until the end of this fanciful reimagining of the Little Red Riding Hood fable by the Brothers Grimm.

Director Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight) delivers her whimsical, solemn coming of age tale with beautiful set design and good special effects.

A massive, bloodthirsty Wolf speaks in desperate, guttural tones. Dismembered limbs and knife wounds abound. Still the effects are muted with much left to one’s imagination.

Building a contemporary feel are riffs of musical score by Alex Heffes and Brian Reitzell.  Heffes, whose film credits include The Last King of Scotland and BAFTA-winning Touching the Void, is known for his modern / experimental style with grand overtones.

Trite, stale dialogue mars what could have been a better film. Still, Red Riding Hood casts a spell with gorgeous aerial photography of the landscape and Valerie, her crimson cloak floating on the wind over white snow.

Best of all is a plot that keeps us guessing. Anyone could be the Wolf as the terrified group descends into petty accusations and witch hunts.

 

Dashing Shiloh Fernandez (Red; Deadgirl) plays Peter, an orphaned woodcutter and Valerie’s true flame.  Max Irons (Dorian Gray; Unrequited Love) – son of Jeremy Irons – plays Valerie’s honorable betrothed.

Hardwicke captures the ripeness of youth, beautiful and handsome, tentative and impetuous, obedient and rebellious.

The three young stars really deliver what it’s like to be young. There’s a strong desire to take on romance, a poignant tenderness towards the elders who love and guide them.

Julie Christie is fascinating as Grandmother, a shaman-like good witch who concocts hearty stews in her own cabin away from the others. Christie’s delivery and sense of drama are wonderful.  Wearing lots of dangly jewelry and earthy shawls, she wove Valerie’s bright red cape (an early wedding present).

Billy Burke (Twilight) and Virginia Madsen (Monk; The Event) protect their daughter. Mama is eager to marry Valerie off to well-to-do Henry, who she doesn’t love.

Valerie’s independent spirit lives throughout the film and its surreal, seductive ending.  

May that primeval howl live on in all of us.

If you like Red Riding Hood, you might enjoy: The Eagle; Splice; 127 Hours.

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Red Riding Hood     2011  /  PG-13  /  1 hour, 40 min

Cast:  Amanda Seyfried, Megan Charpentier, Gary Oldman, Billy Burke, Shiloh Fernandez, DJ Greenburg, Max Irons, Virginia Madsen, Lukas Haas, Julie Christie

Director:  Catherine Hardwicke

Genre:  Thriller, Supernatural Thriller, Horror, Romantic Drama

The Lincoln Lawyer ***

 

Matthew McConaughey is so money as a charming, sleazy defense attorney in the entertaining whodunit The Lincoln Lawyer.

Working out of the back seat of his black Lincoln, Mick Haller defends hookers, drug dealers and bike gang members. He’s a busy man.

One day bail bondsman Val Valenzuela (John Leguizamo) begs him to take on a new client. Beverly Hills boy Louis Roulet (Ryan Phillippe), accused of brutalizing a call girl, declares he’s innocent. His family attorney Cecil Dobbs (Bob Gunton) just doesn’t have the – connections that Mick has, so the family needs his help. Louis’ bejeweled mother (Frances Fisher) carries the checkbook. Mick is hooked.

It sounds too good to be true and is, according to his sharp private eye Frank Levin (consummate character actor William H. Macy). Soon Mick is investigating his own client.

Mick has had a few setbacks in life.  He drinks. He’s divorced but still friends with his lovely ex (talented Marisa Tomei, the perfect foil here as a prosecutor).

When his ex-wife and daughter are endangered, the lawyer works more billable hours to connect the case to that of another client, Jesus Martinez (Michael Pena, intensely good here).

Luckily Mick’s chauffeur Earl (Laurence Mason), always ready with a wry comment, lends a few skills of his own to the investigation.

 

Mick followed his old man when he became a lawyer. Like his dad, Mick has just one fear: he’ll fail to get the “not guilty” verdict for the one client who’s innocent.

McConaughey is scintillating as a smooth-talking shark who’s not above postponing a trial because he hasn’t been paid yet.  Yet Mick never becomes one-dimensional.  Ever so slowly, he begins to care about doing the right thing. Charm oozes through every pore, even with the cheap suits and ties. It’s easily McConaughey’s best role since We Are Marshall. 

The plot lacks a “wow” factor but unfolds solidly enough.  The film is based on the bestseller The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly.

Industry buzz has it that the lively lawyer may roll around again in a sequel.

If you like The Lincoln Lawyer, you might enjoy:  Conviction; Casino Jack; The Fighter.

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The Lincoln Lawyer   2011  /  R  /  1 hour, 59 min

Cast:   Matthew McConaughey, Ryan Phillippe, Marisa Tomei, William H. Macy, Josh Lucas, Frances Fisher, John Leguizamo, Michael Pena, Bryan Cranston

Director:  Brad Furman

Genre:  Drama

2012 *****

 

Earth shifts big-time as humanity scrambles in the terrifying adventure drama 2012.

Geologist Adrian Helmsley (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is ordered to the President’s office when he discovers that impending global changes will happen in a matter of hours.

Ejiofor (Children of Men; SALT) and co-star John Cusack both model love and concern for others as cataclysms unfold. Beneath all the mayhem, the theme of the film is love. 

Cusack plays Jackson Curtis, a writer who moonlights as a limo driver.  A heartbroken everyman, he lost his family to his obsession with writing. Jackson’s world has been rocked by divorce in poignant parallel to the world around him.

When Jackson and his kids trespass in a restricted area at Yellowstone National Park, they meet enigmatic radio DJ Charlie Frost (very real and funny Woody Harrelson). Jackson also meets Adrian (who convinces the U.S. Army to release his favorite sci-fi author). 

Frost is attuned to what’s going on (a copy of Your Immortal Reality by Gary Renard sits on his desk). He monitors the radical changes happening under the Earth’s crust and dares to talk about them. Despite his wild-eyed ravings, he speaks from the heart. Jackson is intrigued. 

2012 is based on Mayan prophecies about widespread Earth changes occurring around the year 2012.  The changes and how to prepare for them are being described by the shaman Little Grandmother and others.

President Thomas Wilson (Danny Glover) decides to stay with the American people, but makes sure his daughter Dr. Laura Wilson (Thandie Newton) will have a spot on one of the huge arks built to ride out massive tsunamis. 

Three hi-tech Noah’s arks promise safety for a lucky few, but the flight to reach them is perilous as the Earth’s crust shifts.

Over 100 artists created the film’s 1300 visual effects (VFX) shots. Spectacular decimation swallows Los Angeles, Yellowstone National Park, Washington D.C., Saint Peter’s Basilica and The Himalayas. The film is riveting at over two and a half hours.   

Oliver Platt takes advantage of the crisis as ballsy White House chief of staff Carl Anheuser. Carl takes over in the absence of the President, but not without a challenge from Adrian.

Repopulating the planet is paramount, Carl insists, but saving his own skin seems the primary motive when he argues against extra passengers on the ark. Ironically, billionaires and governments have paid in advance for precious tickets.

 
 
Romance persists when Laura meets Adrian on board a plane heading for China. Amanda Peet plays Jackson’s reluctant ex-wife Kate with their two children in tow.

Beyond its Hollywood façade, 2012 asks us to honor the earth and to love ourselves and one another.

If you like 2012, you might enjoy: 127 Hours; The Cove; The Wind Journeys.

2012     2009  /  PG-13  /  2 hours, 38 min

Cast:  John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Thandie Newton, Danny Glover, Woody Harrelson, George Segal

Director:  Roland Emmerich

Genre:  Action, Adventure, Drama

True Grit ****

 
 

Ethan and Joel Coen’s remake of the 1969 classic True Grit sparkles with dark humor and lovely cinematography reminiscent of John Ford westerns. 

Top billing should go to Hailee Steinfeld as Mattie Ross.  True Grit is her movie.  The rest of the cast complements her admirably.

It’s 14-year-old Mattie who hires Marshal Rooster Cogburn to avenge the shooting death of her father.  He is the angriest if not the best bounty hunter, she is told.  He has grit, the determination to get the job done.

Kim Darby was 22 when she portrayed Mattie in the original.  Steinfeld (who was 13 during filming) commands the screen as a determined, fast-talking Arkansas girl who insists on tracking down the felon Tom Chaney. She is all spunk and emotionally direct.

Jeff Bridges updates John Wayne’s Cogburn as an ominous rascal with a heart of gold. Yet Bridges may have relied too heavily on Crazy Heart’s Bad Blake as his inspiration.  This Rooster is sloshed a bit too often. Ultimately though, Bridges delivers a grittier, warmer performance than the Duke’s.

Matt Damon plays Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (pronounced “LaBeef”) with deadpan self-importance.  Damon is pursuing Chaney for his own reasons. A hefty bounty awaits him if he can return the killer to Texas, where he killed a senator.  Damon’s rough and gentle flirtation with Mattie adds interest.

The legendary, one-eyed Rooster isn’t about to let LaBoeuf outdo him.  The two decide to travel together, then apart, in pursuit of Chaney.  Neither wants young Mattie tagging along. 

 
 

Mattie insists on accompanying Cogburn and LaBoeuf into Choctaw territory.  She wants to capture Chaney alive and bring him to justice for her father. Dramatically, she fords a river on horseback to keep up with the two men.  The scene is marred only when Mattie confronts the pair on the opposite shore – completely dry.  

Josh Brolin does well in his brief appearance as sly, desperate and slow-witted Chaney. On the run, Brolin has been traveling with Lucky Ned Pepper (originally played by Robert Duvall, brought to life here by scraggly-bad Barry Pepper). Chaney underestimates Mattie at his peril.

The Coens relied on the novel True Grit by Charles Portis to evoke the period.  Each character’s voice reflects Portis’ rich dialogue. The words are chosen thoughtfully. Characters describe their world with flair, rage, or bemused wonderment. Words like “remonstrate” and “depradations” add aural richness and dimension. These heroes do not use contractions.

True Grit evokes a sense of camaraderie among strangers. In pioneer times, each encounter was savored. Conversations hold weight and significance. The faces of the film's extras convey all the hardship and valor of the era. The Coens' editing keeps lumbering action moving along with purpose.

Roger Deakins provides rich, evocative cinematography, most beautifully in a scene shot beneath a brilliant night sky. At a public hanging in the town square, Mattie looks on amidst the assembled townsfolk.  In an iconic scene Cogburn, reins in his teeth, rides directly into a phalanx of criminals, his two guns blazing.

Mattie’s fall into a snake-filled cave provides another symbolic moment.  The fates of Cogburn, LaBoeuf and Mattie are finally revealed.

If you like True Grit, you might enjoy: The Fighter; Conviction; Winter's Bone; Crazy Heart.

True Grit  2010  /  PG-13  /  1 hour, 50 min

Cast Overview:  Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Hailee Steinfeld, Josh Brolin, Barry Pepper

Director: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen

Genres:  Drama, Western, Adventure

 

Secretariat ****

 

Secretariat, a family-friendly Disney film about the heroic horse, complements its famous kin Seabiscuit (2003) with insights into thoroughbred racing and a woman's right to excel in business and family ventures.

Director Randall Wallace succeeds with a fresh, exciting retelling of history. The action centers on Secretariat and his owner Penny Chenery Tweedy (Diane Lane), who battle reluctant family members and 1970’s attitudes toward women with fierce competitiveness.

Secretariat became the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years.  Racing officials considered several names for the majestic horse, finally choosing one that suggests a supportive, administrative role.

Penny rouses great inner strength and conviction in a new career as Secretariat's manager.  Although she's away from her family in Denver for weeks at a time, she stays in touch and finds ways to be a good mom. This was an unusual decision for a well-to-do wife and mother in the 1970's.

Penny's husband Jack (Dylan Walsh) argues that they should take the sensible route by selling her father's horse stables. Penny fights to resurrect the former glory - and profitability - of the enterprise. It all depends on one fiery, promising horse.

 

John Malkovich delivers one of his funnier performances without sacrificing depth. As Lucien Lauren, he plays a reluctant horse trainer whose flamboyant dress reveals an avant garde soul. Lauren's smart-alecky barbs refresh the idealized Disney formula.

The aristocratic culture of championship horse racing is brought to life by Scott Glenn as the ailing Chenery monarch. Fred Dalton Thompson and James Cromwell play sparring entrepreneurs who match wits with Penny.

Secretariat astounds in many exciting racing scenes. Meanwhile anti-war protests rage. Fans of all ages flock to see his victories, which culminate in the Triple Crown (the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and Belmont Stakes).

Breeding is key to reviving the Chenery family’s past success and immortalizing a true champion, Penny realizes. She decides to sell shares in the horse, who will sire in the future.

The unifying power of sports becomes evident, as it did in Seabiscuit and the more recent Invictus (2009). Christian undertones are evident in the film. 

Otto Thorwarth plays Secretariat's jockey Ronnie Turcotte. Also memorable are Margo Martindale as the Chenery’s wry assistant Miss Ham, and Nelsan Ellis as devoted groom Eddie Sweat.

Wallace succeeds with concise script and screenplay. A few too many hippie scenes with Penny’s daughter (AJ Michalka), and some overly poignant violin music, mar Secretariat’s dramatic tension.

Seabiscuit, an atmospheric sports drama set in the Great Depression, runs well over two hours and dwells on the fate of his jockey Red Pollard (smoldering Tobey McGuire, who also executive produced).  Seabiscuit’s lush production values are complemented by Secretariat’s fine cinematography and editing.

If you like Secretariat, you might enjoy:  The Blind Side; Win Win.

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Secretariat   2010  /  PG  /  1 hour, 55 min

Cast Overview:  Diane Lane, John Malkovich, Dylan Walsh, Dylan Baker, Margo Martindale, Nelsan Ellis, Otto Thorwarth, Fred Dalton Thompson, James Cromwell, Scott Glenn, Ron Turcotte, AJ Michalka

Director:  Randall Wallace

Genres:  Drama, History, Sports, Drama Based on a True Story