Steve Jobs

         I have mixed feelings about the film ‘Steve Jobs’.  Let me start off by saying that this is a cinematic work of art (as i always expect from Director Danny Boyle) and I predict it will garner Michael Fassbender an Oscar nomination.  My struggle comes with from what perspective one views this film.  If you are enjoying it for it’s cinematic artistic value, then I have no qualms.  A truly beautiful and innovative film.  If one is looking for historical accuracy, then the film takes dramatic license to uncomfortable heights.  Much has been challenged in terms of historical accuracies in this film, but even Job’s closest friends have said that they have captured a sliver of Job’s essence.  If you are comfortable with those qualifiers then go and buy a ticket and watch an Oscar worthy film.

While Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire, 127 hours) is the Director, Aaron Sorkin (The Newsroom) is the screenwriter and loosely adapts Walter Isaacson’s definitive biography of Steve Jobs.  The story is used to examine Steve Jobs, the human being, by focusing on three pivotal moments in Job’s career.  The first act is in 1984 as Jobs launches the original Mac.  The second act is Job’s unceremonious departure from Apple and his start up of Next.  The third and final act is Job’s triumphant return to Apple and his launch of the iMac.  Aaron Sorkin’s reliance on sharp, combative, and confrontational dialogue permeates the film and is the cause for much of the factual inaccuracies.  In reality, many of the confrontations never happened and one of the most pivotal scenes, where co-founder Steve Wozniak confronts Jobs before the launch of the iMac, never occurred from Wozniak’s own account.  This is where accuracy must be forgiven if one is to enjoy this film.  Again by Wozniak’s own recollection, it does capture the essence of Steve Jobs as an acerbic and driven man who cared about his vision above all else.

The heart of the film was Job’s denial of his parentage of his daughter Lisa and his ongoing financial support of his ex-girlfriend.  As a society, we tend to deify accomplishments of giants and celebrities like Jobs, and this film focuses on Job’s very human failings.  Yes, Jobs made a ‘dent in the universe’, but at what cost?  His uncompromising drive and vision caused him to be derelict in other parts of life that many might consider the most important. Despite our awe at all that Jobs accomplishes, we feel pity for what he has shut out of his life in terms of family relationships and the respect of his friends.  As Steve Jobs is known to have said, it’s not that he doesn’t want to be liked, it’s that he is indifferent as to whether he is liked.  

Michael Fassbender was actually the second choice for this role behind Christian Bale.  While Fassbender may not have strongly resembled Steve Jobs, all was forgiven early by the power of his performance and the artistic integrity of this film.  After the credits roll, i could not imagine Bale doing better in this role despite the fact that he more closely resembles Jobs.This is not your typical biography, if one can even call it a biography.  It’s the artful execution of the story that allows me to forgive the inaccuracies in Sorkin’s screenplay.  I highly recommend this film.

I give this film *** 1/2 stars

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3176640537?ref_=ttvi_vi_imdb_6

Bridge of Spies

'

         ‘Bridge of Spies’ is Steven Spielberg’s best work since ‘Saving Private Ryan’ and will most assuredly put both Spielberg and Hanks in the race for the Oscar once again.  I don’t say this lightly as I’m one who is fatigued by glory and deference piled upon successful Hollywood Directors and Actors.  I feel that often their work is given a pass when it is mediocre or sub-par.  Further, having grown up with Cold War stories my whole life, I have begun to grow fatigued over what I thought was an exhausted genre. However, good is good, or in this case excellent. Spielberg truly uses film as an artistic canvas and takes a fight and battle free Cold War drama and makes it seem more action packed than most modern blockbusters.

Anyone who grew up reading John LeCarre, Tom Clancy, or Robert Ludlum remembers how much Cold War intrigue was a part of our life. Today’s generation has little concept of the extreme polarization of the world at the time compared to today’s fractured globalized politics.  Nothing illustrated that more than the rise of the Berlin wall that went up and ultimately came down before the current generation was even born.  Fears of global destruction seemed to teeter on the slightest misstep in world diplomacy.  Compared to today’s currently politically correct and morally equivalent world, the Cold War saw no qualms about labeling the enemy and vilifying them.

In 1959, when Russian spy, Rudolph Abel (Mark Rylance) was captured, the public spectacle was an almost unanimous lynch mob mentality.  The public and government alike looked for ways to skirt The Constitution instead of adhering to it. The United States government sourced James Donovan, a former Nuremberg prosecutor and current insurance lawyer, to represent Abel just for the appearance of a fair trial.’Bridge of Spies’ is inspired by the true story of James Donovan (Oscar performance by Tom Hanks) doing his constitutional duty of defending the accused and then becoming a key negotiator in the prisoner swap of Abel and downed U2 spy plane pilot, Gary Powers.  In a further demonstration of Donovan’s skill as a negotiator, he was also able to get a wrongfully jailed American student thrown in as part of the bargain.

Spielberg’s gift as a Director is his ability to show decency and values in the worst of situations without ever seeming contrived or naive. He is able to capture the wholesomeness and optimism of the time even as he reveals the horrors and anxiety of Cold War life.  This is a type of role for which Tom Hanks was made.  He is the virtuous everyman, given an impossible task of arranging a pre dawn prisoner swap in East Berlin at the Glienecke Bridge without any acknowledgement from the US government of his mission.  His objective of negotiating while completely vulnerable to the whims of the newly formed  East German government is an occasion to which few could rise. Donovan’s ability to remain calm and even go beyond his mission to help secure the release of the unjustly captured American student is a feat to watch and we marvel at his tenacity, when at many points, it would have been easier to leave the student behind.

Mark Rylance gives a superb and understated performance (one that I hope isn’t overlooked) as the Russian spy, Rudolph Abel.  His guilt is never in doubt, but with benefit of hindsight, he was not the monster Cold War hysteria painted him as.  A meek man who was only doing his job diligently for his side, his unlikely friendship with Donovan was the core of the film.  I do wish Spielberg had delved more deeply into Donavan’s motivations, but some of the film’s allure was Abel’s calm reserve, mystery, and detachment.  When Donovan asks Abel “Why aren’t you worried?”, his deadpan reply of “Would it help?” becomes a running joke in the film and even a source of comfort towards the end.   It’s not that we have sympathy for Abel, rather an understanding that, much like the captured pilot Gary Powers (Austin Stowell), he was just doing his job. 

This is just a great movie and fully worth the price of admission.  A great throw back to the Cold war era and a story worth being told.  It’s edge of your seat stuff and a great reminder of a world we have left behind.

I give the film **** 1/2 stars

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3682448/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

The Walk

‘The Walk’ is the first great movie of the Oscar season.  Roger Zemeckis has put together a film based on the 1974 tight rope crossing between  the World Trade center towers by legendary French performance artist, Phillipe Petit (played by one of my favorites, Joseph Gordon-Levitt).  Not only is this a great historical piece, but it is also a cinematic work of art.  Zemeckis captures the spirit of the time and Petit’s Gaelic passion, but this is also a case where the special effects truly make this film not just spectacular, but one of the most breath taking (and vertigo inducing) experiences at the movies I have ever encountered.  I saw it in 3-D.  I’m not sure I could have handle IMAX.  The suspension of disbelief is so real that you actually feel like you are on the wire with him as he traverses the gulf between the two towers.  I noticed many people in the audience unable to even watch as the third act unfolds.

In this day and age of spectacular blockbusters, where bouts of superhuman achievement have become the norm, it is a credit to Zemeckis’ skill as a Director that he is able to showcase human achievement with wonder beyond anything that a mega blockbuster is able to convey.  Further, this is not just some dry documentary accounting the life of Phillipe Petit.  This is a rich and artistically done film that brings to life the passion and mania of a Parisian street performer.  I already held Joseph Gordon-Levitt in high regard, but he flawlessly adopts the French accent and artistic spirit that I would have doubted an American would have been able to capture.  Oscar season starts in October and I will be amazed if this doesn’t garner him a nomination.

The story of Petit traversing the World Trade Towers was one of which I was always aware, but the depth of planning and execution was something I never imagined.  With the complexity of a bank robbery, Petit and his crew plotted for months with excruciating detail on how to execute the performance art of the century.  The film’s narration style fits well with getting inside the head of an artist whose passion turns to mania as he becomes fixated on what was, at the time, the tallest buildings in the world.  We feel his obsession for the artistry of the feat to a level that we know it was no longer a choice for him.  It was simply something that must be done.

While this was completely Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s film, I don’t want to over look a strong supporting cast.  Charlotte Le Bon as his love interest Annie was superb.  She was his support, if not of the act itself, then of his dream.  Charlotte Le Bon is a French Canadian actress who has been popping up a lot lately as the go to French character actress, but I hope she is able to break the type casting as her performance rises above mere support.  She shines with out over bearing.  Ben Kingsley plays Petit’s Czech circus mentor, Papa Rudy.  Kingsley also delivers a performance that is powerful because it is not over bearing.  He is Petit’s harshest critic, but his admiration of Petit’s passion and drive is never in doubt.  I’m not sure what accent Kingsley was putting on, but it must have been authentic if he was doing it.

In addition to the incredible feat itself, ‘The Walk’ also captures the spirit of the 70’s, both in New York and Paris.  There was only one scene where they mocked Americans, but overall it was a return to a day where the world saw America as a land where people went to accomplish great things.  It was a destination. It was fun to see all the ethnicities interact and enjoy each other’s differences.  It was also a joy to watch the authorities, while they knew they had to stop what Petit was doing, stand in marvel and admiration of the feat that he performed.  

I can’t recommend this film highly enough.  At every level it is a cinematic accomplishment.  This shows the potential of what CGI is meant to be.  Something that not only enhances a film, but also completes the palette of the story being told.  I haven’t seen what will come out the rest of the year, but I need for this performance to be nominated come Academy Awards time.  If you go, you will be uneasy and depending on your constitution it may be to the point of excessive discomfort.  I have heard stories of audience members throwing up or passing out during this film.  I confess, I don’t consider myself afraid of heights, but I had some severe heart palpitations during the third act.  Don’t let me scare you though.  This film illustrates how man can achieve and exceed anything those superhuman blockbusters can throw at you.  

I give this film ***** stars.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3488710/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

Sleeping With Other People

        I’ve always said I like to state my biases before I review something, so I have to admit I consider Romantic Comedies one of the lowest forms of cinema there is next to slasher films.  The typical romantic comedy is usually riddled with clichés and involves unrealistic people reacting to unrealistic situations in unrealistic ways (as opposed to super hero movies of course :-)).  I think it is more the unoriginality of them that I find so offensive as, despite my distaste for the genre, some of my favorite films fall into that category.  Movies such as ‘500 Days of Summer’, ‘Love Actually’, and “When Harry Met Sally’ are all well written and inspiring works of cinema.  Given my openness to respect those films, I tend to blame the producers of the genre itself rather than my fickle tastes.  So, needless to say, I approached ‘Sleeping With Other People’ with much trepidation.  Reluctantly I confess, that for what it was, I was pleasantly surprised by the wit and execution of this film written and directed by Leslye Headland.

The success of any romantic comedy relies on the likability of the two leads.  We have to have a fondness for them and want to see them get together.  Sometimes the genre goes for sheer star power and attractiveness (a la Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson), which usually means a stale and uninspired story follows.  Other times, as the case with this film, two characters who are just plain likable are given witty dialogue and realistic problems that many people can understand and relate to.  One would be hard pressed to find two more likable comedic actors than Jason Sudakis and Alison Brie.  Each is engaging and witty on their own and they bring that to the chemistry crested between the two of them.

Jake (Jason Sudakis) and Lainey (Alison Brie) lost their virginity to each other in their college dorm.  They go their separate ways until after 12 years of dysfunctional relationships, they run into each other again at a sex addicts meeting.  The chemistry is still there and they find a solace in being able to be open with each other about each other’s issues.  Even though they both feel attraction for each other, they realize how much sex has ruined their relationships, so they decide to just remain friends.  This proves easier said than done as they become closer to each other than most of their relationships and they are the first they turn to when things go wrong.

Like with “When Harry Met Sally” (seemingly the standard by which all romantic comedies are judged), the friendship goes through ups and downs while all the while being there for each other.  The attraction is always evident and acknowledged, even if it is not acted upon.  Without giving away too much of the plot, there are some surprising twists, but ultimately it is a romantic comedy and eventually the resolution finds its way back to comforting romantic clichés.

There are a lot of cliches in this film, no doubt about it, but a combination of Jake and Laney’s likeability combined with honest and witty dialogue makes up for any other faults the film may have.  Strong supporting performances by Adam Brody and Amanda Peet as their respective competing love interests gives this film everything it needs to be an enjoyable time at the movies.  Sure, this has everything you would expect from a romantic comedy (or dread depending on your perspective), but the humor is sharp enough to entertain anyone and Jason Sudakis has enough appeal and comedic timing to keep even the most jaded anti-romantic engaged.

This is a small quiet film that will not make much splash at the box office, but it is a great change of pace and will probably be a great date night movie at home, unless you are like me and have to see it in the theatre.  Rated-R, but with surprisingly little nudity.  Mostly for strong and candid dialogue.  I recommend.

I give this *** stars

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3165612/?ref_=nv_sr_1