Blu-ray Review: Love & Mercy (2014)

Now Available to Own
   

AKA: Love and Mercy

Like the waves of the ocean that inspired so many of The Beach Boys' earliest hits, Love & Mercy moves back and forth in time between two of the most pivotal decades in the life of its subject Brian Wilson (played by Paul Dano in the 1960s and John Cusack in the 1980s).

As multilayered as one of Wilson's symphonic Pet Sounds compositions that likewise move between multiple time signatures and keys, Tree of Life producer Bill Pohlad's phenomenal true life tale is a wonderful labor of love.

Experimental but still both palatable and accessible to viewers more accustomed to the traditional extended flashback formula often employed in contemporary biopics, while Love & Mercy may indeed "get around" in its chronology, it never wanders out too far off the deep end, learning a valuable lesson from the overly fragmented Bob Dylan opus I'm Not There which was partially penned by Love co-writer Oren Moverman.

Helping to ease the transitions in time by shooting a majority of the earlier sequences on Super 16 millimeter film, frequent Wes Anderson cinematographer Robert Yeoman infuses his '60s set footage with vibrant, nostalgic golden light to shower Wilson with (as he famously sang) "the warmth of the sun."

And since we're missing a good decade of drama, Yeoman's innovative and impressionistic lensing not only emphasizes the changes in Wilson's life but it also serves as a painterly shortcut for the audience. Inviting us to read between the lines of drama left on the cutting room floor, we're struck by the weight of Wilson's offscreen loss and heartbreak through the stark and sudden shift in both color and camera.

Replacing the brilliant glow of loved ones who'd filled his younger years with harmony, music, laughter, love, and sunlight with the harshness of cool blues and white prescription pill hued overcast light makes us acutely aware of the isolation felt by Wilson under the care of a domineering psychiatrist (played by Paul Giamatti) in the 1980s during one of the bluest periods of his life.

However, even though Love & Mercy is centered on Brian Wilson, the surprising heroine of Pohlad's picture is Wilson's then-girlfriend Melinda Ledbetter (beautifully portrayed by Elizabeth Banks) who helped liberate her future husband from his overly controlling doctor/legal guardian.

From one of Love's earliest scenes where the two meet in a Cadillac showroom to their tentative escape from one of the doctor's spies by diving into the same waves he'd sung about decades before, given the role that love played in liberating Wilson, Mercy is thematically on par with the impressive if more traditionally structured Johnny Cash endeavor Walk the Line.

Featuring one of John Cusack's strongest turns in years, although Love & Mercy plays even better to Brian Wilson devotees (myself included) who have a greater frame of reference for details about the composer's past that are only briefly referenced in the film's dialogue, Pohlad's sensitively drawn portrait nonetheless remains one of the best musical biopics that I have seen in quite some time.

Unlike some genre efforts that get so caught up in the drama that the music nearly becomes an afterthought, the filmmakers behind Love & Mercy allow Wilson's creative process to guide some of the film's most inspiring and memorable sequences.

Rather than focus on music video style montages of screaming fans and tour dates or settle for the "a-ha" light bulb moments of brilliance that gave birth to a hit song, Pohlad and Moverman celebrate all aspects of Wilson's musical genius while presenting the soundtrack of The Beach Boys as a vital part of his biography.

Racing to keep up with the music and voices in his mind (that would later lead to a misdiagnosis of schizophrenia), we travel with the gifted Paul Dano's '60s era Wilson from one studio to the next several times per song and watch in awe as he layers impromptu inventions and multiple "pet sounds" on top of one another to result in an endless harmony.

Trying to turn mistakes into instrumental beauty and dissonant noises into sweet melodies, as masterful as the movie is, in the end perhaps Love & Mercy's greatest feat is the way that it enhances our understanding of Brian Wilson's lush pop music symphonies.

   

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Blu-ray Review: The Uninvited (2009)

Inviting You for a Good Scare
On DVD & Blu-ray
4/28/09

Watch Korea's Original
A Tale of Two Sisters

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Employing a classical sensibility to their feature filmmaking debut that relied nicely on in-camera edits and a bare minimum of digital effects to match their psychologically Freudian influenced remake of the recent Korean horror film A Tale of Two Sisters-- British brothers and successful commercial directors Charles and Thomas Guard (a.k.a. The Guard Brothers)-- crafted a uniquely effective and underrated genre film. And in doing so, it's every bit the "art" movie they aspired to make in honoring the original.

Drawn to the ambiguity of Asian horror films--The Guard Brothers found an ideal creative partnership in DreamWorks producers Laurie MacDonald and Walter F. Parkes who had brought to American interpretation of Gore Verbinski's The Ring starring Naomi Watts to life a few years earlier.

As the original Tale of Two Sisters took an exceptionally dark path with an even more ambiguous set-up than most of its contemporaries in the increasingly popular cult following of Asian psychological driven horror works that become ripe fodder for Hollywood remakes, the screenwriters and filmmakers decided to retain some of the elements of mystery and unresolved questions from the original but ultimately provide much more closure.

The result is a genuinely startling work that throws viewers for an ultimate loop in a stunning gasp of a twist ending that never once seems like a gimmick but instead a well-earned sleight of hand trick that still holds up when you instantly replay the events that led up to it in your mind once more.

While Freud and psychological horror such as The Omen, The Haunting, Rosemary's Baby, Carrie, The Exorcist, What Lies Beneath, Shadow of a Doubt, The Shining, The Others, The Sixth Sense, and The Hand that Rocks the Cradle are all referenced either directly in the production notes as influences or in cinematic homage throughout the feature-- the film's standard framework hits viewers on an immediate gut level with a set-up not unlike most fairy tales or Walt Disney features we were reared on as children with the classic problem of a potentially wicked and possibly even deadly evil stepmother.

Beginning inauspiciously in a frankly eye-rolling teen cliche of a group of kids on a beach presumably at their version of make-out point-- just when you think it's going to turn into a "don't go in the water" tale a la Jaws or Friday the 13th, soon supernatural elements come into play as we realize that our young heroine-- Emily Browning (Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events)-- is recounting the events that led up to the horrific death of her mother in dream form to her psychiatrist.

Institutionalized following a suicide attempt-- after ten months of intensive therapy, Browning's Anna gets a chance to return home to the picturesque yet eerily solitary seaside home occupied by her literary author father (David Strathairn-- a natural in the self-involved, clumsy cerebral roles), her rebellious extroverted older sister Alex (Arielle Kebbel) and perky blonde Rachel (Elizabeth Banks). The former nurse to her bed-ridden mother-- Rachel, for whom we immediately feel little sympathy-- has wasted no time in taking on the role herself, romantically involved with Anna's decades older father with the intention of marriage in the future.

While at first her bitter sister's homecoming reception of Anna appears less than warm as the two girls argue over who had it worse in their time apart, soon they become united by their shared dislike and distrust of Banks' exhaustively proactive Rachel who tries overwhelmingly hard to excel at her new role as "homemaker."

Or, to pin it down more precisely, there's just something that feels a bit overly phony and manipulative about Rachel and when Anna has a frightening experience wherein the ghost of her mother points a Hamlet like finger in the direction of Banks as the reason she's lying six feet under the ground, Anna and Alex embark on a none-too-careful background check of their possible step mother which leads to shocking realizations as past secrets are unleashed.

In the end, the film-- which is guaranteed to take viewers completely by surprise-- is bolstered by believable performances in an admittedly under-written work that clocks in at just under ninety minutes as we're left to fill in the blanks rather quickly and make some big conclusions about the motives of characters throughout as for just one example Banks and Strathairn seldom share a scene with more than one or two lines of dialogue throughout.

Likewise it's strengthened by The Guard Brothers' keen sense of artistry that helps us forgive some of the supernatural/ghost sequences that are a bit less than successful as it works best when dealing fully in the reality of the situation and manipulating some of the camera-work to convey a particular idea.

And the movie, much like The Sixth Sense and What Lies Beneath-- manages to use an intense sense of pacing and mysterious aura to great effect in lieu of gore, yet as some critics pointed out, despite this the PG-13 rating seems a bit weak although there's nothing quite so strong as to justify an "R" (again making us realize there should be another rating between the two).

With an immediate musical homage to the ominous child-like melody of Rosemary's Baby in a driving sequence that recalls The Shining as the film is set way out in the open in a deceptively airy and idyllic yet lonely and claustrophobic location-- it's easy to play "spot the influences" during The Uninvited.

Yet, part of the film's success lies in the fact that it presents us with the standard archetypes we know so well such as the less-than-attentive father, the trouble-making older daughter, the introverted one with a Freudian like obsession with her dad, the phony sweet on the outside but scary on the inside stepmother, etc. and then changes the playbook in the film's final act which is sure to make you want to view it one more time.

While it's safe to say you won't look at the versatile Elizabeth Banks in quite the same way again because she proves once and for all-- similar to her role as Laura Bush in W.-- that she's more than just the silly girl-next-door in Seth Rogen movies, the real discovery again is in the performance of young Emily Browning, last seen in Lemony Snicket who intelligently spaced out her work to complete her schooling.

With the face that made producers Parkes and MacDonald instantly realize that "this girl should be in a thriller," they add that the reasoning behind her look is because her "timeless quality" makes her someone you can't immediately place as "she's someone you would find in the 1900's but she is also very contemporary."

And when you put that angelic face with expressive eyes in an emotionally charged scene opposite a dead-on Elizabeth Banks channeling as she said the women whose dark turns inspired her like Rebecca DeMornay in Hand That Rocks the Cradle, Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction, and Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct-- the results are extraordinary.

Furthermore, it makes The Guard Brothers' impressive debut The Uninvited not only one of the biggest sleepers so far of 2009 but also a film that will possibly garner a Donnie Darko like cult following once it catches on in DVD and Blu-ray.

While the visuals crystallized in the Blu-ray are first rate with Daniel Landin's wondrously haunting and luminous cinematography, the sound balance of the transfer was way off having you lunge for the remote at times to move the volume well past fifty just to be able to hear a single line of vital dialogue in this deceptively quiet film.

Boasting what DreamWorks describes as "a chilling alternate ending" that basically just goes one step further in presenting the exact same information as offered in the theatrical one (making the decision to leave it as is, the right one), the two other features included on the Blu in high definition include the obligatory deleted scenes and an interesting Electronic Press Kit featurette transfer "Unlocking the Uninvited" that you'll definitely want to avoid until after you've seen the film since it's riddled with spoilers.

Far better than most critics would lead you to believe-- while I can't judge the way it compares to Korea's source material, it shows amazing promise from its directors and the fact that it's a film produced by a close husband and wife, directed by siblings, and centering on a sibling relationship seems to have been perfectly served by a cast and crew who were already on exactly the same page.

For-- as we're quick to realize since we end up on the exact same page early on-- if for any reason one is slow to catch on, rest assured you can always get there in an instant watching any of Disney's wicked step-mother movies that put you in precisely the right frame of mind.

DVD Review: Role Models (2008) -- Unrated/Rated Version

Refusing to Act its Age
& Leading by Hilariously Bad Example
On DVD, Blu-ray, & Video On Demand
3/10/09

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You wouldn't expect a guy who drives around a Minotaur-Mobile to local schools each and every day to peddle his company's sport drinks as the ultimate replacement for drugs to be a pretentious and snobbish misanthrope. But then again, you haven't met Role Models' Danny as played by Paul Rudd.

Rudd-- who just keeps getting funnier with each and every performance finally gets to be a true leading man in both this film and the upcoming I Love You, Man (opposite his Forgetting Sarah Marshall costar Jason Segel). And in this one, he is terrific as the smug, self-loathing employee who freaks out in a gourmet coffee shop, is dumped by his long-time girlfriend later on, and takes his frustrations out by driving the aforementioned Minotaur-Mobile straight into school property.

Since his more carefree coworker, Wheeler (Seann William Scott) was with him during his meltdown, both men quickly learn from their lawyer and Danny's ex Beth (Elizabeth Banks) that they will either have to face prison time or 150 hours of community service with the judge's favorite charity, Sturdy Wings.

A warped version of the highly respected Big Brothers, Big Sisters organization-- Sturdy Wings is run by its twisted founder and former addict and hooker, Sweeny (Jane Lynch). Lynch, who steals the entire film in a role that the Universal production notes reveals was written expressly for her, constantly reminds the men that she'll be watching them ever so carefully as they're forced into mentoring two kids who have yet to have struck a chord with any of the other volunteers (either forced or free).

Rudd's Danny is saddled with the incredibly imaginative and friendless sixteen year old Augie (Superbad's Christopher Mintz-Plasse) who creates Highlander meets Lord of the Rings styled choreography in his Dungeons and Dragons world. Compulsively clad in a cape and wielding a fake sword-- with a penchant to speak in old English especially as he drags Danny to intricate meidival role playing battles-- it's safe to say that Augie and Danny have a hard time forming a bond but their relationship is far less volatile than the one facing Wheeler.

He's assigned to be the "Big" to a fifth grade "Little" named Ronnie (hilarious newcomer Bobb'e J. Thompson) who trades f-bombs and abuse allegations as some kids do baseball cards right off the bat. Ronnie visibly steals focus from everyone else in a given scene in one of the most politically incorrect yet consistently funny running gags throughout the film as you simply have no idea what he's going to say next. A mini Richard Pryor-- Ronnie dominates Wheeler for awhile and at first, I found myself wondering if Role Models was just going to become a strange us vs. them (or "Bigs" verses "Littles") battle or traditional buddy comedy.

However, instead director David Wain's Role Models is surprisingly smart and fresh as it grows into a great outsiders coming together tale as we realize that much like their assigned "Littles," the "Bigs" who were always more co-workers than friends, could also benefit from the relationship as the overgrown adolescents and real adolescents begin to evolve.

Although it definitely has the juvenile humor down pat-- admirably, Role Models doesn't attempt for the same level of maximum gross out humor that some of its contemporary '08 R-rated comedies did including the Oscar nominated Tropic Thunder, Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly's comedy Step Brothers, and Seth Rogen and James Franco's Golden Globe nominated joint, Pineapple Express.

While certainly, Role Models is anything but sophisticated as Lynch joked in the press release, "Don't expect big words. Don't expect highfalutin concepts. Don't expect the characters to do the right thing. Just sit back, relax, and have a good time," honestly-- although the final medieval battle where everyone comes together was a bit overblown and cliched-- there's a heart hidden beneath the foul jokes. And admirably, it manages to include us in the situational humor more often than not instead of simply just pushing crude sight gags upon us ad nauseum. Of course, it does go for laughs any way it can and we're not exactly dealing with Woody Allen sophistication especially considering the DVD and Blu-ray's inclusion of "Inappropriate Bonus Features" (that really weren't all that inappropriate).

Moreover, the disc gives you the opportunity to watch either the theatrical and/or unrated version of the film for maximum f-bombs but intriguingly the extra features were virtually laugh free compared to the movie that had me quickly in hysterics to the point that I had to rewind most scenes in which Lynch appears.

In fact, in one of the only genuinely funny bloopers, it's Lynch herself who acknowledges the film's funniest MVP in the young Thompson who manages to shock the Christopher Guest pro to the point where she says, "God, you say too much for a young person!"

The on-set featurette celebrates the cast's ability to improvise as they were always rewriting and changing scenes for the maximum humorous effect sometimes right before they shot footage as Rudd notes he actually inserted his own pet-peeves (involving "pointless phrases") right into the script.

In a truly worthwhile highlight called "In Character & Off Script," The State comedy troupe funnyman David Wain and those he knows well (and invovles in his projects continuously) are given a chance to shine as the film's under-written supporting characters ad-lib backstories for their personalities. And some of these are so inventive, you wish more of them would've made their way into the film in place of it's one major drawback in a slightly long and drawn-out predictable "battle."

However, that one tiny flaw aside-- Role Models is one of the funniest comedies of '08 and for my money, one that surpassed Rudd's early '08 Apatow produced Forgetting Sarah Marshall. While it's too early to guess if his next work I Love You, Man will continue the success of this string of popular R-rated adult male coming-of-age movies-- Role Models stands out as a movie that really gets it right that you can now catch for yourself on Blu-ray, DVD or On Demand.

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