Sometimes a film falls through the cracks, and so I lump them into the most unlikely film grouping in recent memory…
Cinderella…A conventional take on “Cinderella” that people call “fresh” because it resists the urge to make Cinderella into some kind of vampire slayer or something. And I’ll admit that I’m tired of the trend that turns very old fairy tales into wannabe “edgy” entertainment, but that still doesn’t mean that there’s really a lot here. It’s a pleasant time–the film looks great–and adults may like it as much as their kids do, but after it was over all I could do was kind-of shrug. You might want more from a movie than that, although I know many people don’t. Grade: B-
Tangerine…A very different kind of “fairy tale” that involves two transgendered prostitutes during a long Christmas Eve night. This wildly-praised movie gained some notoriety for being filmed entirely with Iphones, and it certainly adds to the “anyone can make a movie!” enthusiasm the production bristles with. Still, the movie isn’t even 90 minues long but it feels longer than that, and is so full of shouting, unappealing sexual encounters (like the most unsexy hotel room orgy I’ve ever seen), and reality-show style “drama” that it kind-of gave me a headache after a while. The “plot” really just centers on a climactic confrontation between one of the women and her pimp/quasi-boyfriend played by the white “Wire”-vet James Ransome as the most unconvincing pimp in modern movie history. The excruciatingly long scene is almost surreal in its over-the-topness as screaming pimps, prostitues, and an Armenian family all have it out in a tiny “donut time” shop. But it doesn’t really go anywhere meaningful and it more than undercuts the realism the film was going for up to that point. I look at this as an interesting calling-card for a director who will probably go on to do bigger things, a lively experimental film experience more than a movie that truly works. Grade: C+
Run All Night…Okay, so this film really has nothing to do with the other two, but it’s the end of the year and we’ve reached crunch time to fit these reviews in. Anyway, “Run All Night” is better than I thought it would be, and that’s all you can ask for a sleepy crime thriller that came out in March and most people will only watch on HBO. It features Liam Neeson as a down-and-out hitman “legend” drearily celebrating Christmas with his best friend and Irish crime lord boss played by Ed Harris. Neeson’s son gets entangled in a mess that gets Harris’ son killed, and soon Harris is coming after them. “Run” isn’t a great film, but it manages to be just a little bit smarter than you would think and the movie really comes to life during the bristling, soulful scenes between Neeson and Harris. Contemporary Neeson-thrillers are either slick garbage (the “Taken” sequels or “Non-Stop”) or surprisingly thoughtful meditations on violence (“A Walk Amongst the Tombstones” or the terrific “The Grey”). “Run All Night” is somewhere in-between those two groups. [Caveat: Joel Kinnaman plays the overly snippy son and if this actor–who hasn’t really compelled me in anything he’s been in–has something to really show, he might want to do it soon.] Grade: B-