Biopic

Dubya

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: W
  • IMDB: link

“Any kind of government will do, as long as it’s a democracy.”

Oliver Stone‘s biopic on George W. Bush (Josh Brolin) is a bit of a mixed bag.  On one side you have a terrific lead performance by Brolin and strong performances by Elizabeth Banks as Laura Bush and James Cromwell as Geroge Herbert Walker Bush.  On the other hand you’ve got a group of caricatures from the likes of Thandie Newton, Scott Glenn, Ioan Gruffudd, Toby Jones, and Jeffrey Wright, among others, all of which seem to belong more on a parody sketch from MADtv than a feature film.

Also, and perhaps more surprising, is that Oliver Stone, the guy who gave us an epic conspiracy in JFK and the foibles which brought down a president in Nixon, doesn’t have much to say about W.

Stone’s basic premise is George is a dumbshit with a daddy complex better suited to be a used car salesman who became president.  That’s not exactly breaking news.  And although there are some good scenes throughout the film, Stone doesn’t really offer much insight into the character as he’s too busy poking fun at everyone involved.

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Dewey Cox Walks Hard on DVD

/ / Home Video
  • Title: Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
  • IMDB: link

walk-hard-dvdLast year the combination of writer/director Jake Kasdan and writer/producer Judd Apatow produced one of the best parody films in recent memory, and one of my favorite films of 2007.  Although the film received generally favorable reviews it struggled at the box office.  Those who missed out on their opportunity to see the film in theaters can finally check it out on DVD.

The film centers around the fictional life of music legend Dewey Cox (John C. Reilly).  The script, which parodies a variety of music biopics including Walk the Line, Ray, Great Balls of Fire!, Beyond the Sea, and others, is filled with the clichéd moments these films have been known for: tragic childhood, bad parents, drug use, affairs, etc.  For more on the film check out my original review.

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Walk Hard

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
  • IMDB: link

“It ain’t easy to walk to the top of a mountain.  It’s a long hard walk, but I will walk hard.”

walk-hard-poster

The collaboration between Jake Kasdan and Judd Apatow is a perfect parody of recent overly serious and sentimental music biopics like Walk the Line and Ray which examine the entire life of an artist with all the skill and depth of a Behind the Music special.  The film follows Dewey Cox (John C. Reilly, who plays the character from the age of 14 to 71) who faces the tragic death of his brother to an unfortunate machete accident, the disapproval of his father (Raymond J. Barry), drugs, booze, and women, to become a legend.

Although it helps if you’ve seen the films this one parodies it’s not a necessity to get most of the jokes (though you will miss some of more subtle moments including specific shots and camera work).  Reilly is terrific in a role that let’s him prove just what a great dumbass he can play.  And, as he proved in A Prairie Home Companion (read that review), he can sing.  It’s a combination of the music and sharp unrelenting wit that transforms this film from the regular mass produced parodies like the Scary Movie franchises, and moves into the elite company with This Is Spinal Tap and Airplane.

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Worth a Listen

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Talk to Me
  • IMDb: link

Talk to Me

Petey Greene (Don Cheadle) is a con artist and a convict.  Dewey Hughes (Chiwetel Ejiofor) works for the local Washington D.C. radio station WOL.  Through a chance meeting as Dewey visits his brother (Mike Epps) in jail a long, and often tumultous, friendship develops between the pair which lands Petey an opportunity as a disk jockey.

Martin Sheen provides a nice supporting performance as the radio station’s manager who is less than thrilled with putting a malcontent ex-con who speaks his mind on the air.  Dewey’s gamble pays off however and Petey provides the voice the station and its listeners have been waiting for.

The film is bursting with great performances.  Aside from the two leads, who will knock your socks off, and the nice turn by Sheen, the film also features Taraji P. Henson as Petey’s girlfriend and Cedric the Entertainer in a humorous and subdued performance as the Nighthawk.  All are terrific.

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It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s Murder!?

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Hollywoodland
  • IMDb: link

Hollywoodland

Hollywoodland isn’t quite what you’d expect.  Much more an art house character study than a Hollywood thriller, it provides some genuinely funny and dramatic moments.  Although Hollywood does raise its ugly head in places, for the the most part it’s a well acted and well financed small film that finds most of the right touches to provide an intriguing look at the life, and death, of the man who many saw only as Superman.

George Reeves (Ben Affleck) is dead, and private investigator Louis Simo (Adrien Brody) wants to know why.  Sure he’s in it for the money and fame, but the more he becomes entangled in the web of lies and mysterious secrets, the more he needs to know the truth.  Was it a suicide like the local police want everyone to think?  Or was it murder?

The film follows two lives over the course of its two-hour running time.  The first is the life and career of George Reeves.  The second is the life of Simo which, in many ways, mirrors Reeves own in how it falls apart over the length of the film.

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