3 Razors

Man in the Chair

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Man in the Chair
  • IMDb: link

Man in the Chair

Cameron Kincaid (Michael Angarano) is a troubled kid, in trouble at school, with the law, and at odds with his overbearing step-father (Mitch Pileggi); his only escape is through film.

One day after school he meets Flash Madden (Christopher Plummer), a drunken loudmouth who seems to know more about films than anyone Cameron has met.  Flash worked for years as a gaffer in the movie biz and was given his nickname from Orson Wells (Jodi Ashworth) on the set of Citizen Kane.  Cameron strikes up an uneasy friendship with Flash and convinces him to help make a student film.  Flash persuades his friends at the nursing home, all of whom worked in the movie business, to help and Cameron finds himself with the most experienced crew any student has used to shoot his first film.

There are many things which work in the film.  First off the performances are good across the board especially those of the leads, Plummer and Angarano.  Although Plummer’s performance smells a little of Oscar Bait there’s enough to enjoy.

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The Walker

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: The Walker
  • IMDb: link

The WalkerI’m not big on gossip, the tawdry dalliances of people with too much money and time on their hands leaves me tired, and writer/director Paul Schrader‘s latest flick is full of such nonsense.  There are many who will no doubt like this film more than me, but although the film included some interesting characters it mars them in the middle of one of the most boring murder mysteries in recent memory.  Is it worth seeing?  Yes.  Is it worth gossiping about?  Hardly.

Paul Schrader has penned some great scripts (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The Last Temptation of Christ), he also wrote Light of Day (and directed Cat People).  The Walker, which Schrader wrote and directed, falls somewhere in between.

Carter “Carr” Page III (Woody Harrelson) is an escort to the wealthy and influential woman of Washington D.C.  He’s what is known as a “walker,” he walks ladies from place to place providing company, juicy gossip, and companionship.  Although he delights in telling his clients about the hot topics in our nation’s capitol, he speaks very little of his own life or of his long time relationship to a struggling artist (Moritz Bleibtreu).  To some he’s an acquaintance, to others an embarrassment of his name and the legacy of his father.  Harrelson does well in balancing the different facets of the character who will turn the other cheek and offer a smile even in the most dangerous circumstances.

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Tube Watch – The Big Bang Theory

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: The Big Bang Theory
  • tv.com: link

The show centers around two roomates, hopeless scientist geeks Leonard (Johnny Galecki) and Sheldon (Jim Parsons) whose routines of Halo nights, playing World of Warcraft, and discussing super-heroes and scientific principles with their friends Howard (Simon Helberg) and Raj (Kunal Nayyar)  are changed by the arrival of a cute midwestern gal named Penny (Kaley Cuoco) who moves into the apartment across the hall.

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Reservation Road

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Reservation Road
  • IMDb: link

Reservation Road

The Lerner family stop at a gas station late one night.  At the same time Dwight Arno (Mark Ruffalo) is driving his son home from a Red Sox game.  Distracted and trying to get his son back before his ex-wife (Mira Sorvino) goes ballistic, Mark makes a sharp turn and accidentally hits young Josh Learner (Sean Curley) who was releasing fireflies at the side of the road.  Knowing his involvement will lose him all rights to see his son Arno drives off without stopping leaving Ethan (Joaquin Phoenix) and Grace (Jennifer Connelly) to mourn the death of their son and begin a search for the man responsible.

The film does a pretty good job in casting Ruffalo as the man responsible for the crime without making him seem evil.  Is he a coward?  Yes.  Is he responsible for the death of a young boy?  Yes.  Most of his scenes throughout the rest of the film showcase him dealing with his guilt and trying to find the courage to come clean.  The screenplay does a good job getting inside Arno’s head as he comes up with rationalizations and excuses for his actions.

On the other side of the film you have Phoenix and Connelly mourning the loss of Josh.  The film successfully allows each character to grieve in their own way, although Ethan’s obsession does come off a little over-the-top at times.

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Not So Mighty, but Plenty of Heart

/ / Home Video
  • Title: A Mighty Heart
  • IMDb: link

A Mighty Heart

Based on the real life kidnapping of Wall Street Journalist Daniel Pearl the film tells the story of Mariane Pearl (Angelina Jolie) and the search for her missing husband (Dan Futterman) in Pakistan.  For more on the plot of the film read Ian’s original review.

I had a mixed reaction to the film in the theater.  It’s edited oddly in an almost George Lucas quick-cut pace.  Often scenes are left abruptly as time jumps forward minutes, hours, or days without explanation or warning.  This mirrors the disconnect Mariane and her friends have to the situation but it also keeps you disconnected from the story on a basic emotional level through most of the film.  If the film had been shot from Mariane’s point of view this method might have worked better, but that’s not the case.

Although the film is certainly well acted and shot it never comes together in quite the way it should.  Whether its the odd editing or the absence of scenes involving Daniel and the tension of what he is going through, it never quite connects with the audience.  Although the film is worth seeing I would suggest renting rather than buying would be the way to go.  There’s much to enjoy here, including a good message, and just as much to puzzle over; whether you enjoy the film or not you can still appreciate the emotion and effort that went into it to tell this tale.

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