THE CHRISTMAS DAY RELEASES
Two of the holiday season’s most anticipated movies opened
nationwide on December 25, 2014—the intense drama Unbroken, based on the real-life wartime experiences of
Italian-American WWII vet Louie Zamperini, and the wild musical Into the Woods, a Stephen
Sondheim-penned mash-up of several popular Brothers Grimm fairytales set to a
fast and furious musical score. I had been waiting to see both films (I love
musicals, and Unbroken, for months,
looked to be one of the Must-See flicks of the season) and managed to track
both down within 5 days of their opening.
I found both films to be disappointing. Like many true-story
films, Unbroken ended up little more
than a point-by-point recitation of events—a history book come to life. The
film was polished and well-acted but felt empty. The idea that the late
Zamperini really lived through the experiences depicted and came out to live a
long, productive, forgiving life is compelling; the film was often less so, largely
because all the characters were underwritten and all of the movie’s moments of highest-passion
had been revealed by the trailers. On the other hand, Into the Woods was lively and vivacious and brought to life by an
exceptional, energetic cast, but the movie ended up defeated by its
relentlessly twisty plot and curious shifts in tone. Part fairy tale, part satire,
part moody magical fare—it threw me too many times and, in the end, felt quite
long.
A few more of my (hopefully) shorter thoughts on each appear
below:
UNBROKEN
Grade: B-
Plot
A troubled youth turned Olympic runner, Louie Zamperini
(played by British actor Jack O’Connell) ended up a bombardier in the Pacific
theater of World War II. When their plane ditched in the ocean after a
mechanical failure, Louie and two of his mates survived in a life raft adrift
at sea for 45 days before being picked up by a Japanese warship. There followed
torture including near-starvation, physical beating, isolation, grueling
interrogation and internment in several labor camps. Singled out for punishment
and degradation by a haughty Japanese officer (Takamasa Ishihara) due to his
status as an Olympian, Louie was driven nearly to his wit’s end. However, once
the war ended, he escaped his nightmare and was reunited with his family.
What Worked?
Louie’s story is certainly compelling, and Director Angeline
Jolie’s film brings it to vivid life. O’Connell acts his butt off in what could
well be a star-making performance, and he’s ably supported by Domhnall Gleeson
in a buddy-buddy relationship that carries the middle of the film.The movie’s
technically flawless, and has some moments of fierce emotion that could bring a
tear to the eye.
What Didn’t Work?
Maybe it’s true-story-movie fatigue, but Unbroken feels very long, very slow, and
very dry. Obviously, Zamperini’s lengthy wartime experiences weren’t short and
entertaining and so neither should the film be, but with no love interest,
flashbacks exhausted early, plus minimal dialogue and important characters, Unbroken gives the viewer precious
little to invest in. And all the movie’s most important dramatic moments were
telegraphed in advance by the many trailers. One key character in the movie
(Ishihara’s torturer) turned out to be feebly underwritten and was given one
moment of emotional breakthrough that felt all wrong. Once upon a time, Louie’s
story would have been hailed as a groundbreaking, epic marvel, but here, in
addition to being long (137 minutes) and feeling long, it was also hard to
shake the feeling that nearly every part of the story had been done before, and
better, by at least one other film (Empire
of the Sun, Pearl Harbor, Life of Pi, Schindler’s List and Forrest Gump were some of the movies
that came to mind).
Bottom Line
I have a feeling many will disagree with me on this movie,
but Unbroken was a little too long
and not nearly exciting enough. Again, I’ve got nothing but respect and awe for
the late Zamperini for his courage and wherewithal, but watching the movie
turned out to be quite the arduous task.
**UNBROKEN was rated
PG-13 for thematic material including language, violence, scenes of brutality
and torture, disturbing images, and intense emotional content
INTO THE WOODS
Grade: B
Plot
In a village on the outskirts of a magic kingdom, an old
witch (Meryl Streep) nurses an old grudge that has included cursing a household
to bear no children. Desperate, a baker (James Corden) and his barren wife
(Emily Blunt) ask the witch what they can do. She gives them 72 hours to
provide her with a cow as white as milk, a lock of hair the color of corn, a
shoe was pure as gold, and a cape as red as blood. They’re in luck—in their
nearby wood, a young girl (Lilla Crawford) travels to visit her grandmother
while wearing a bright red cloak with a hood; also, a young peasant boy named
Jack (Daniel Huttlestone) leads his white family cow to market to sell it. Also
living nearby is a harried maiden named Cinderella (Anna Kendrick), who cooks
and cleans for her haughty stepmother (Christine Baranski) and her spoiled
daughters, who mock Cinderella when she asks to go to a ball hosted by the king’s
son (Chris Pine). But a burst of supernatural magic drapes Cinderella in a
glittering golden dress and matching golden shoes, and she catches the prince’s
eye. And all these people have heard the distant beautiful singing voice of
another young maiden (Mackenzie Mauzy) who’s been shut high in a tower in which
she is joined by those who are able to climb her long golden hair. The baker
and his wife soon encounter each of these unique people and seek to acquire the
items the witch requested, but things are not what they seem.
What Worked?
The concept is really quite clever, and it was easy to get
interested and invested in Into the Woods,
what with the introduction of so many familiar characters and story elements.
It didn’t hurt that the cast was brilliant, from the always-great Streep and
the fantastic Blunt to the girl-next-door Kendrick and humble Corden—not to
mention the energetic kids (Lilla and Daniel) and an amusing turn by Pine as
the suave but dopey prince. The songs were also wonderfully irresistible and
catchy (you can’t watch this movie and walk out NOT humming/singing the titular
tune) and the effects were largely top notch.
What Didn’t Work?
From an agreeable, interesting and tidy first half, Into the Woods seemed to become the
musical version of Inception, with a
relentlessly-winding plot that never lost that playful glint in its eye but
also went on too long and featured a few jarring, uncharacteristic deaths.
There is so much packed into this
movie that it started to become too busy and you rather wanted it to just be
over already. I give it points for energy and originality, but it overstayed
its welcome.
Bottom Line
Most musicals are superbly exciting and endearing at their
best, but it’s hard to maintain that level of energy for a long time, and Into the Woods, despite its explosion of
characters and plot lines and songs and ideas, was no different. The acting and
singing were great, but the movie threw in some nasty turns and just went on
too long. I really would like to see the stage version, though.
**INTO THE WOODS was
rated PG and included scary moments, some disturbing images, sensuality and
some action
Directed by Angeline Jolie
Written for the Screen by Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, Richard LaGravenese and William Nicholson
Based on the book ‘Unbroken’ by Laura Hillenbrand
Cast: Jack O’Connell, Domhnall Gleason, Garrett Hedlund, Takamasa Ishihara, and Fitt Wittrock
Rated PG-13
Length: 137 minutes
INTO THE WOODS (2014)
Directed by Rob MarshallScreenplay by James Lapine
Based on the musical by James Lapine (book) and Stephen Sondheim (music and lyrics)
Cast: James Corden, Emily Blunt, Meryl Streep, Daniel Huttlestone, Anna Kendrick, Lilla Crawford, Chris Pine, Tracy Ullman, Christine Baranski, Johnny Depp, Mackenzie Mauzy and Billy Magnussen
Rated PG
Length: 125 minutes
No comments:
Post a Comment