Review: Punisher: War Zone

Punisher: War Zone

starring: Ray Stevenson, Dominic West, Julie Benz, Wayne Knight, Colin Salmon

dir. Lexi Alexander

I will say that the third attempt at a Punisher movie is the best, it isn't a good movie, but the best of the three.

Punisher: War Zone is derivative, poorly paced, poorly written and its worst offense is simply being blah. I know this isn't fair, not like I'd expect high art from a Punisher movie but I ask that they at least try. From a movie like this I wanted and expected one thing. Good kills! That sounds gross and like I have a sick mind (I do), but a movie like this, along the Rambo, AvP: Requiem, mold. The film is going to lack all creativity accept in the way it shows folks spending their last seconds on earth.

For the most part, it's disappointing. There are two very funny and gross kills and others that seem like goofy disgusting fun, but needed a few more frames to let it sink in. This is what the unrated DVD is for, but the rest of the movie is't worth my time to check it out again. See, I may be sick, but if you want to keep me comin' back, you get one shot.

Ray Stevenson is up to plate as Frank Castle this time. He's good and I think I give him extra points just because he was great in Rome. But there isn't a lot to the Punisher character in general, so he either pouts or looks angry. Dominic West plays Jigsaw the baddy. He has an over baked Brooklyn accent and he struts around checking his hair like a Saturday Night Fever reject. He's not much fun and lacks the energy and evil that would make a person cheer at his final, and strangely tame, demise. Julie Benz plays the upset widow who causes emotional turmoil for Castle. She is neither here nor there, but I mention her because she was in the other killfest at the beginning of the year Rambo. I think all that time on Dexter has gotten to her.

I'm actually so blah about it I can't even work up the energy to write much about it. The final word is if you want to see it, wait for the unrated DVD. Then it should have a bit more gore and you can sit around with friends, smoke a bowl and allow yourself to be punished in the privacy of your own home.

3.5 out of 10

Review: Milk

Milk (2008)
starring: Sean Penn, James Franco, Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin, Diego Luna
dir. Gus Van Sant


I have a few problems with this movie, but it still stands as one of my favorite of the year. It has energy and humor and a sense of the seventies that never feels false or cheesy. For that alone it deserves major kudos.

Sean Penn is great as Harvey Milk. I had worries after the seeing the trailer that it was going to be an over the top flamboyant performance that falls into caricature. It is anything but. Penn does show Milk's jois de vivre, but also captures his pathos and sincerity when dealing with his campaign or personal relationships. Personally I think it's his best performance since The Falcon and the Snowman, but I like name checking that film whenever I get the chance.

Josh Brolin is on a roll. His portrayal of Dan White shows a man who is out of step with the times. He is frustrated and angry and confused about who he is supposed to be. Is he a repressed homosexual as is suggested? He never gives any indication that he is or isn't. It's a balancing act that Brolin maneuvers brilliantly.

The other supporting actors are at the top of their game, with Emile Hirsch, James Franco and Diego Luna keeping Penn on his toes. Of these, Luna's character Jack fell a little flat for me. Since his relationship with Milk never really blossoms beyond emotional turmoil it feels incomplete. It's a minor quibble, but I did find myself detaching a bit every time Luna's character went into some jealous fit. Luna was great with what he was given, it was simply the character that's under written.

I'm a sucker for Gus Van Sant films and he does some amazing work here. Moving as far away from his minimalist films as you could imagine. There is an abundance of style and form that isn't flashy as much as it is fitting. One entire scene is shot reflected off of a whistle and drives home how defenseless the homosexual community was at that time. Van Sant is an incredibly confident filmmaker, moving between formats and shooting styles with ease. He never makes anything feel artificial and what could have been artifice comes off as authenticity.

Originally Van Sant wanted to shoot the entire movie in 16mm which would have made it feel like footage shot in the seventies. A great idea, but vetoed because the studio was unsure of the idea. A fair decision, but it would have been fascinating to see Van Sant's original vision.

A big story device centers around Proposition 6. It proposed that you could lose your job if it was discovered you were a homosexual. This is Milk's big fight and coming on the heels of California's Proposition 8 in this years election, it was incredibly poignant and timely. It does make you stop and think about how much progress we've made, or not, with equal rights.

I'm giving this film a lot of praise and I think it's worth it. There are some problems. A visual montage of phone calls being made to, "Get the word out," feels more like a cell phone commercial than a part of the movie and there are scenes where it feels like moments of characterization are missing, but these are small things in a film that flows so well and makes you feel like you're witnessing a part of history.

9.5 out of 10

On The Boulevard: Signe Hasso

(An ongoing look at the stars on The Hollywood Walk Of Fame)

So who is Signe Hasso? A good question, because I had no idea. Sometimes walking down the street you see a name that strikes you and this is one of those names.

Signe is an actress who hails from Sweden. Born in 1910 she was one of the youngest students accepted to the Royal Dramatic Theater. That was in 1922, so I'm guessing there has been one or two younger since then. Maybe not.

She started making movies in Sweden in 1930 and was spotted by Hollywood where she moved to in 1940. RKO signed her and they tried to work the image promoting her as, "The Next Garbo!" Since most of us know Garbo's name and scratch our head at the name Signe Hasso, I'd say it didn't pay off.

But Ms. Hasso did have a decent little career. She starred opposite Spencer Tracy in The Seventh Cross (1944), George Raft in Johnny Angel (1945), as well as the Douglas Sirk film A Scandal In Paris (1946). For those who haven't seen Scandal, I'd highly recommend it. George Sanders plays a criminal who sees the light and becomes a cop... Or does he? It is one of Sirk's more underrated films and Hasso is quite luminous.

The other title I recognized was The House on 92nd St. (1945). This was another Henry Hathaway noir special. Shot mostly on the streets of New York it deals with the FBI taking down a nazi spy ring within the states. Hasso has an accent, so guess what she plays. The film is passable and entertaining. It even has J. Edgar Hoover introducing the film. He's not wearing a dress, so the film does lose a point for betraying reality.

Hasso's Career slowed down in the late fifties. Her husband passed away in 1955 and her son died in a car accident in 1957. That is just tragic. It looks like she gave up on Hollywood and went back to Sweden to make movies. She also spent some time on the New York stage according to Wikipedia, but I can't back that up. It also says she spent her later years as a poet and translated Swedish folk songs into english, which isn't something you hear about every day.

She passed away in 2002 at the age of 91. A good run you might say.

Though not a recognizable name, she earned her star, which means she has/had her followers. I'd also say that with A Scandal In Paris and House On 92nd Street, the following is well deserved.

24 Frames: Australian New Wave

The beauty of studying film is that there is always something new that came out of something old. The Australian New Wave is something that I recently discovered and I've actually unwittingly seen several movies from this movement. I even own some. Let's take a look t it, shall we?

Unlike the French New Wave which was spawned from a bunch of upstarts revolting against the film policy of the time, the folks down under just started making a group of movies that gained notoriety and popularity around the world. This popularity laster from around 1971 to approximately 1989 and included films that reached from the low to the high brow.

There are very few popular film movements that include a range of topics like The Year Of Living Dangerously, Breaker Morant, Razorback, The Road Warrior, My Brilliant Career and BMX Bandits. If that doesn't cover a rainbow of wackiness, I'm not sure what would.

The more pop culture loving entertainment crowd pleasers have recently been giving the label Ozploitation from a new documentary called Not Quite Hollywood. It takes a look at the low budget high octane exploitation movies of the era. These films include the Mad Max trilogy (as well as several other car movies), sexploitation, kung fu and lots of blood n' gore. Sound pretty terrific right?

Yes it is only putting a name to a period of time in a country's film industry, but it is exciting because it allows a framework of study. It's like offering a syllabus of movies to watch and try to understand the connection. I saw The Year Of Living Dangerously and Razorback as a kid, but I'd never consider that there was any sort of connection. Now I know there is. A period of time in a county's industry where business politics and ideas as well as audience understanding allowed both of these films to emerge from the same kettle.

Mel Gibson, Nicole Kidman, George Miller, Peter Weir, Bruce Beresford, Sam Neill, Judy Davis, Phillip Noyce and Bryan Brown all emerged during this period of time. That is an amazing list of talent that have also made some great films in the United States. WOuld they have become as well known without the popularity of that movement? Who knows.

But...

There is one down side and I don't believe that any other country can claim to have damaged movies as much as the Aussies have. It is during this era that they gave us Paul Hogan and Yahoo Serious.

We are still awaiting an apology.

The Eclectic Choice: Crime Wave/Decoy

Crime Wave/Decoy (1954/1956)
Dir. Andre de Toth/Jack Bernhard


These are part of Warner Brothers Film Noir Classic Collection Vol. 4 and every film in this set is worthwhile, but this disc is the prime cut. First you have Crime Wave, maybe one of the best B-noirs made. Directed by Andre de Toth in only 13 days it is a tight little thriller about a guy trying to go straight, the gang trying to pull him back in and the cop out to bust his ass. With some amazing visuals, including a gritty violent gas station hold up and a fist fight that physically hurts when you watch it, this is a primer on making every shot count. Sterling Hayden is excellent (as always) as the cop with a grudge and Timothy Carey makes an appearance as the wackiest criminal on the planet. Bit the real kudos go to Gene Nelson and Phyllis Kirk who give the film an emotional core. Nelson's tight gripped panic and Kirk's exasperation make you feel for the newlyweds who are stuck in a world they are trying desperately to escape. A winner on all fronts and bonus points for including Charles (Buchinsky) Bronson in an arly roll.

Next is Decoy, which may not be the best noir ever, but it is surly one of the nuttiest. Jeanne Gillie may not be the world's greatest actress, but her over the top performance melding with a character who's nothing but poison and bile is electric and leaves you giddy by the end. The plot itself is so implausible, which includes resurrecting a mob boss from the dead, that you have to appreciate it as high camp even if it was intended to be a serious piece. This sucker is filled with double and triple crosses, making it a fun filled, if not dated, companion piece to the straight forward gut punch of Crime Wave.

The entire set is well worth it and everyone will have their favorites, but for my money the Crime Wave/Decoy disc is the best of the lot.

Review: Australia

AUSTRALIA (2008)
starring: Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Brandon Walter, Jack Thompson, Bryan Brown
Dir. Baz Luhrmann

They are saying this is Australia's Gone With The Wind. I'll say sure, since I didn't care much for Gone With The Wind. This is a georgoue looking sprawling epic that isn't very epic since it feels so small and isn't very sprawling because I never felt like we strayed far from a back lot or green screen. That isn't entirely fair, there are quite a few scenes that take advantage of the sprawling outback, but all you end up remembering is the confectionery creations that Baz Luhrmann and his team cooked up in a computer somewhere.

There is a very good film in the 165 minutes that flash across the screen with quit edits, continual camera movement and Nicole Kidman making noises every second to prove that she is acting. The good film is in the telling of Brandon Walter's character Nullah, a half white half aboriginal boy who narrates the tale as well as giving the most compelling performance. It's actually his movie, but Luhrmann decides to focus on the romance between Kidman and Jackman, sidelining Nullah's story at every turn. Had the project refocused to be about the persecution of "Creamys", a derogative term for Nullah's mixed blood, you'd have an amazing movie. But Luhrmann is a showman and he needs to keep it about love, loss, more love and big frothy compositions. It is cinematic, theatrically cinematic, but cinematic.

Luhrmann makes it epic for epics sake. It's like he just learned the word and wanted to prove it to everyone. The story keeps rolling along and could have easily been about any one of the many events but instead, jams it into a giant tale that never gives enough respect to any of them.

Kidman's portrayal of Lady Sarah Ashley are fingernails on a chalkboard. Perhaps she has to keep huffing, puffing and making rancid squeaks to show emotion because her botox wouldn't allow it to come through her face. Jackman is passable. I like the guy, he has a certain charm. Ladies, People magazine devotees and homosexuals across the land will enjoy the way Luhrmann's camera molests his body at every possible moment. Jack Thompson is back playing the heavy for Baz. Much like his character in Moulin Rouge! (2001), he twists his lips and furrows his brow in melodramatic overkill. The only word that kept popping into my mind when he'd show up on screen was, "blech".

Now, with all of this bad mouthing, I won't say I didn't enjoy myself. I couldn't understand why until I thought about it a bit. I realize and now understand how Luhrmann works his magic. It is through a type of hypnotism. All of his films are structured the same way. The first twenty minutes are designed to toss you back and forth and make the viewer wonder if they are going to enjoy it. Then he shifts gears and mellows out. It lulls you into a sense of enjoyment and makes you think the final product is much better than it actually is. It's like rolling on ecstasy. When the initial kick of the drug stars to hit you're a little worried and fear an ugly ride. Then that moment arrives (minute twenty in his films). it becomes more of a mellow feeling and you enjoy it. But it's just a drug and there is nothing more to it than being a drug. None of what you felt was honest.

So enjoy the trip. Remember that it could have been so much more. A dessert that could have been a meal. Sometimes though, it's nice to let the drugs take over and just go along for the ride.

For a better film that takes a look at the plight of the mixed-race Aboriginals, I am told Phillip Noyce's Rabbit Proof Fence (2002) is quite good. I haven't seen it myself, so no guarantees.

4.5 out of 10

On The Boulevard: Ida Lupino

Ida Lupino is one of those women that, in my book, has it all. She had looks attitude and a brain. That is an awsome package. Just look at her cute as a button nose and you'd never know she could play hard ass femme fatales or even have the nerve to start her own production company and succeed as a director for the second half of her career. She's a pretty amazing woman in my book, but then again I tend to romanticize.

For me it was movies like They Drive By Night (1940) and High Sierra (1941) that showed me she could hold her own and even control scenes against the likes of Humphrey Bogart and George Raft. In Moontide (1942) she gave a layered performance of a tough girl who wanted real love and found it in Jean Gabin. In Roadhouse (1948) she made me fall in love with her singing, if it was her. If not, I'm in love with someone out there. Last but not least she tamed a savage Robert Ryan (his best performance) as a sensitive blind woman in On Dangerous Ground (1952).

According to Wikipedia, Lupino is uncredited as director for On Dangerous Ground. There is no reference to it other than that so I don't know how valid it is. But Lupino did direct several great films. She had grown tired of the fact that women’s issues were never portrayed accurately on screen, so she decided to do it herself.

Outrage (1950) dealt with a woman who was raped. Hard, Fast and Beautiful (1951) dealt with a woman deciding over a career or love. She is also considered the first woman to direct a film noir with the B classic The Hitch-Hiker (1953). She also directed the young ladies classic Trouble with Angels (1966), but I've never seen it so I can't comment. She'd go on to a directing career in television where she worked on The Twilight Zone, Batman, The Untouchables and Gilligan's Island just to name a few. That alone is an impressive resume.

She'd continue to act and direct until the late seventies and passed away in 1995 at the age of 77 from a stroke. At the time she was undergoing treatment for colon cancer, so it seemed she was gonna-get-got one way or another around that time. But it was a hell of a life and career she lived the way she wanted to. That's more than most people can say.

Lupino actually has two stars on the Boulevard, one for her work in television and one for her work in film. Beat that.