MEL GIBSON'S EDGE OF DARKNESS REVIEW

Probably my last Blog for awhile. This week is gonna be a game-changer for sure. So I wanted to go out with a Bang, and who better than Mel Gibson to usher us into a new era. Despite all the personal peccadilloes I really love the guy. So many of his films helped shape not only my filmic culture but my persona as well. Melvin was too cool as Mad Max and Martin Riggs. He was awesome as William Wallace in Braveheart. His crying jag on the balcony of his Manhattan sky-high apartment in RANSOM was heart-ripping. The guy could do no wrong in my eyes. So with great anticipation I saw his return to the big screen awhile back and here's what I thought: Saw the first screening ever of Mel Gibson's comeback film EDGE OF DARKNESS. Definitely a work in progress, it wasn't color-timed, had temp-music, etc. Martin Campbell the director was there. Lots of nervous looking suits as well. The usual drill.   Massive spoilers ahead... but I will try to contain them and spare the story:   In the film Mr. Gibson plays a police officer called Craven. The film starts slowly, Mel Gibson/Craven picks up his daughter at the train station (I think) and they go home... strangely she's throwing up what seems to be blood and Mel doesn't bat an eye lash... it's obvious he loves his daughter, she's the only thing left in his life. They are having supper when she begins bleeding from her nose and then profusely vomits lots of blood into her plate. In agony, she screams that she needs to get to hospital and that she has something important to tell her dad. They step outside on the porch and a car speeds by, the mysterious driver sceams out: CRAVEN! And blasts the daughter square in the chest with a shotgun. Instant death. It's gory and graphic and very shocking and unexpected. Mel cradles his dead daughter and this is the first 10 minutes of the film. The Mrs and myself thought we were in for a real treat... but alas that was not to be. I'm a big Mel Gibson fan. Grew up on the awesome Lethal Weapons, Braveheart, Mad Max... hell, I even liked CONSPIRACY THEORY. I liked Apocalypto and thought the Jesus torture-fest PASSION OF CHRIST was brave filmmaking. But why Melvin chose this as his comeback film befuddles me. It's not a bad film, it's just so-- mediocre... and there are lots of plot holes. LOTS. I will mention the first and most glaring one: After his daughter is gunned down, everyone assumes that the shooter meant to kill Mel. They think it's a botched cop killing. Sounds reasonable but.... right before she was killed, the daughter was coughing blood, begging to be taken to the hospital and desperately wanted to tell her dad something really important, just as she's about to tell Mel, blam! She's gunned down. What would you do if you were a cop who saw his daughter projectile vomiting blood. Did someone in the audience say: "Maybe call for an autopsy?" Is that what Mel does? No. Instead, he goes to the morgue to identify her body (she died in front of him?!?!? Why does he need to identify her!?), Mel cuts a lock of his daughter's hair (at the morgue) as a keepsake and THEN HAS HER CREMATED!!!!    We're about 15 minutes in and I'm angry at Mel and the filmmakers. This is a problem that should have been caught at the script level. Now the reason they cremate her is to drag out the mystery. Bcs if they perform the autopsy, they would find out a very important clue that would showcase the apparent botched cop killing in  very different light. So instead, they drag out the "mystery" and we get to see interminable scenes of barefoot Melvin on the beach grieving for his daughter and pouring her ashes into the ocean. Why the ocean? Who cares, it's a nice visual. At this point I can't believe that William Monanhan (Departed) wrote this script (maybe he needs to adapt more Asian cop films)...oh, did I mention that Melvin is a Boston cop with a full blown Bostonian accent...the accent is not bad, it's not good, it just feels forced. And yet, Mel is good in the film, as he always is. Anyhow, after all the grieving, Mel goes to his daughter's apartment and empties out her backpack and finds a Geiger counter which starts going crazy when he brings it close to his jacket... what does he have in his pocket? The sheared lock of his daughter's hair! LAME plot device alert. Mel starts to put the pieces together. His daughter was a scientist/slash activist (to be honest it was never made clear and was very muddled, we never even get a flashback that explains her involvement... I know flashbacks are weak sauce storytelling wise but I felt like I needed one. At this point, the Mrs was completely lost and losing interest quick.)   Anyhow, so Mel realizes that his daughter, who was a disgruntled scientist was poisoned with radiation. How she got poisoned was clever and I won't reveal it.   Did I mention that Ray Winstone is also in this as some high level cleaner who befriends Mel, but we're not really sure who's side he's on. His character is really under-developed and Ray's talent is wasted. You can see why Bobby Deniro hight-tailed it out of this production. There was nothing there for him to work with in terms of character. I love Winstone but he needs to stop appearing in lame supporting roles.    Eventually, Mel finds out that his daughter was working for General Stryker (Danny Huston) in another asshole role. Stryker owns some kind of nuclear power plant (I wasn't sure what it was but if people try to sneak into the compound, they release radiated steam to poison them or some shit like that).   I don't want to spoil the rest but Melvin takes charge of the situation... he wants revenge real bad and several people come to a very bloody and very gory end. One thing I've always loved about Mel is his penchant for gory violence and he doesn't shy away from it here. There are two genuinely shocking moments of violence that made me jump in my seat. And we see glimpses of the mad man Riggs in a few scenes... in fact, I wish Melvin would make another lethal weapon after seeing what a tough guy he can still be. Melvin looks like he can kick serious ass anytime. Anyhow, I digress.    This is a revenge film, pure and simple. Not much character development for Melvin's character. Once again, I'm not sure why this film spoke to him...   Basically, I can't give this film a good grade. It just felt too ordinary. Not special enough, even with Mel in it. I wish he would've chosen something else as his comeback vehicle. There is still much work to be done and the film could be made into something somewhat enjoyable with a few edits to clarify what's going on. But overall, it was an underwhelming exercise, especially considering the talent involved. It wasn't bad, it wasn't good, it was blah. And blah is terrible place to be. I will see this film again when it's released because I hope that somehow Mel can right this ship. If anyone can, Mel Gibson can. Your Friend, D.

MY REVIEW OF UP IN THE AIR

"When something like Up In The Air comes around it restores my faith in film."

"This is only Reitman's third film and he's showing such a level of confidence here that it's almost scary. Where does he go from here? UITA is going to be on everyone's Ten-Best list, and Clooney will be nominated for Best Actor. Clooney has never been so good. In fact, I feel he was born to play this character, a charmingly aloof business-track smoothie called Ryan Bingham.

"This is the Clooney who dashes around Italy on a motorbike with an Italian lap-dancer strapped to his back. This is a character Clooney was born to play, always impeccably dressed, meticulous in his words, basically a throwback to the great stars of yesteryear. In the film he plays a professional whacker...yup, the big companies fly Clooney around when they don't have the balls to fire a long time employee and he's good at it. He's got it down to a science.

"And he lives his life up in the air. He has no attachments, he has an empty apartment, he's a stranger to his family, nothing tethers him to this world... and that's the way he likes it. His only goal in life is to accumulate enough air miles so he can get the top secret super-platinum card given to you by the pilot himself.

"Of course, a complication arises. Clooney/Bigham's way of life is threatened when a young female whipper-snapper (Anna Kendrick) strolls into the office and comes up with a way to save the company loads of money by grounding Clooney and the staff of flying assholes whose job it is to fire you. The solution: fire people by web-conference, which is the next level of demeaning. Clooney freaks at the notion of not being able to accumulate his air miles and, in a great scene, he completely schools the young Ivy-league girl on why firing people over a web camera will not work.

"Clooney is masterful in this scene. Cary Grant crossed with Warren Beatty. He's amazing to watch. At the heart of the film is the notion of what drives us in life and what's most important to us as human beings. Clooney is a superficial jerk who meets a superficial lady (Vera Farmiga), and they strike up a very modern relationship. They have palpable chemistry in the film. They meet all over America in swanky hotel rooms with no strings attached. I don't want to spoil the film but by the end Clooney's character wants more from life and from the girl. Although he may be too late in making these needs known.

"I saw the film two weeks ago, and I still haven't been able to shake it. It was a test screening but it was a near perfect film, except for one minor dream sequence which was a little on the nose. In the film, Clooney says he's crisscrossed the world so many times that he could've gone to the moon. Well, you can guess what the dream sequence is: Clooney dressed like an old-timey astronaut floating up through buildings in downtown Omaha. It's trippy but felt out of character for the film.

"The film tackles all the big questions of life, prime among them: What is the meaning of life? It's relevant because it deals with corporate downsizing. There's so many levels to the film and I don't want to spoil to much. Basically, UITA is an absolutely amazing film. Love it and can't wait to see it again. As a former Montrealer, it's great to see the Montreal-born Reitman hitting it out of the park or, in hockey parlance, 'scoring a hat trick.'

"Oh, and there's a great ass-shot in the film....astounding."

TOP ELEVEN BEST FILMS OF THE YEAR SO FAR

Everyone makes lists. This year I thought I'd make my own. It's the TOP ELEVEN BEST FILMS that have resonated with me this year. Why eleven? Because I made the list and refused to leave off one film. So suck it up. All the heavy-hitter Oscar Contenders have yet to arrive, so the list will ultimately fluctuate. This list is comprised of the films that hit from January 1st until September 14th.

Be warned. Lots of SPOILERS abound.

1) UP IN THE AIR directed by wunderkind Jason Reitman and starring Cary Grant's modern Avatar George Clooney. I know, this one doesn't come out until November but I was fortunate enough to see it with Reitman sitting two rows behind me at the first ever public screening. Reitman was nervous but good nervous. The film plays. Clooney is devastatingly suave. An almost effortless performance or at least he makes it seem like it. It's a Career best in what has been a series of off the beaten track roles for him. Still want to see him killing again a la DUSK T'Ill DAWN. Anyhow, UITA is so prescient and current that it will have people in tears. The ending confirms just how much Reitman loves his family. The ending is an ode

to family. Mark my words, this is the one to beat.

2) DISTRICT 9 directed by Neil Blomkamp would've been my favorite film of the year if I hadn't seen UITA. Alas, it currently holds position 2. Great story, great effects and all done on a reasonable budget for a film of this magnitude (30 Million). Much like the MATRIX, it borrowed from several classic films to create a new beast that was both compelling and original. And the ending, caught me so off guard. SPOILERS SPOILERS... I mean it. When Wikus is seen in video footage talking about his wife and what an angel she is to him and we cut to Wikus in Prawn-form making a junk-metal rose for her (she still wants to believe he's alive), well, I was shaken. Even now I get the goosies just thinking about it. The most tragic ending of the summer. Powerhouse film that came out of nowhere and kicked unholy ass. Reminded me of when I saw MATRIX for the first time. I had no idea what to expect and came out of there blown to bits. I can't wait for DISTRICT 10!

3) INGLORIOUS BASTERDS by QT. His best film since PULP FICTION. Divided people sharply and I can see why. It makes the Jew Rebels into sadistic maniacs. But damnit, I wish there was a group of blood-hungry Jews that went around bashing Nazi heads. A sort of Jewish-Gollum Boogeyman that would strike terror in the hearts and scalps of the Nazi regime. This is the ultimate wish fulfillment film. Even the crazy German with the Chaplin stash gets it good in the end. It's the biggest surprise of the film. Like all great Tarantino flicks, he breaks screenwriting conventions. There is no main character. I would say Pitt's Aldo Raine is 3rd lead. The lead, if there was one, is the greatest German Detective in the world, Hans Landa aka the Jew Hunter (Christophe Waltz). Fucking Hans will win the Best Supporting Actor Award. Hands down. All others need not apply. The opening scene on the dairy farm, as he sips milk and compares rats to squirrels, asserting that rats are a bushy tail away from being hand-fed is priceless. The Jew Hunter is the pure personification of evil. And Shoshana's story is heartbreaking. It's a film about the power and love for films. Powerhouse film.

4) MOON by Duncan Jones. Made for 5 million but looks like it cost 10 times as much. If you mixed Kubrick's 2001 and Soderbergh's SOLARIS the baby would be MOON. Sam Rockwell should get a Best Actor Nod. He's on a solo mission on the moon for 3 years... by himself and begins losing his mind or so we think. The scene when he realizes what's really happening on the moonbase and he finally finds a way to phone home. The way it plays out and what he realizes destroys me. He has one devastating line (during the phone call home) that completely had tears jutting out of my sockets. Great performance by the one man show of Sam Rockwell.

5) WATCHMEN by Zach Snyder. Very divided and controversial film. It's way ahead of it's time and will be appreciated in the future just like Blade Runner was. Yes, I called WATCHMEN this generations BLADE RUNNER. This film is so beautiful that sometimes I turn down the volume and just watch the images. The whole 20 minute Doc Manhattan origin sequence is breathtaking and pitch perfect, from the music, to the editing to the very melancholy voice-over by Billy Crudup. And to those idiots who wanted a giant squid to destroy the world at the end. Get real. The world needed an otherworldly threat to unite them. DR. Manhattan who was God-like and otherworldly fit the bill and stayed thematically close to the seminal graphic novel. Zach Snyder did an incredible job with this film. A true visionary who respected the source material.

6) HURT LOCKER by Kathryn Bigelow. This is not a movie for pussy's. This is the summer's most muscular action movie. It was like sucking on an adrenaline popsicle for two hours. Jeremy Renner owned every scene and it was a difficult role. A single-minded bomb defuser who cares more about the thrill of bomb defusion than himself or his family. Never seen someone quite like him on screen. The story is thin but the film plays, the tension is thick and the performances and direction are insanely good. Give Bigelow a superhero franchise NOW.

7) ADVENTURELAND by Greg Mottola. How did I miss this one on first run. Saw it on DVD and not on the big screen and truly regret it. Finally, a film that doesn't make fun of the 80's. This is an honest with no tongue in cheeks depiction of what life was like in 1987. I laughed. A lot during this film. The ball-puncher Dude cracked me up every single time he sucker-punched the lead in the balls. You root for everyone in this film, even the bad guys. Bella Swan is in it and she's quite good as well. This film felt like stepping into a time machine while wrapping myself in my favorite warm blanket. And it has a killer... and I mean killer soundtrack.

8) 500 DAYS OF SUMMER directed by Marc Webb. The anti-romantic comedy. After all the bulshit rom-coms this is the anti-dote. A shot of real life romance right to the heart. Zoey is enchanting and Joseph-Gordon Levitt (who should play the Joker in the next Batfilm) is a movie star in this film. We watch as Joseph desperately attempts to keep this relationship afloat. This film is cruel... but true. Especially at the end of the film. Levitt and Zoey's final conversation on the park bench was quasi-sadistic but in a subtle manner. A very effectively sad film that portrays downtown LA in a very flattering light. 500 Days of Summer is funny even when it cuts you.

9) STAR TREK by JJ ABRAMS. Best opening scene of any film this summer. The death of Kirk's dad, as he hears his son being born on the intercom is heart-shattering. Had my wife in tears and my throat lumping. Never thought I'd say that about a Trek film... well not since Spock died in KHAN. Perfectly cast. I mean if you change one person in the cast the whole deck of cards will fall. The story has some glaring plot holes but the cast is so pitch perfect and the film zips by so quick you don't notice the problems. Chris Pine as Kirk establishes his star credibility. Spock is great. The best of the summer blockbusters. In a season of big movies that failed to deliver, Star Trek delivered big time. Can't wait for the next one, just tighten the script next time JJ.

10) FUNNY PEOPLE by Team Apatow. Still can't figure out how this one failed to connect with audiences. It died at the box office. I guess no one wanted to see the Adam Sandler is dying film. It's the Sandman's best performance. Ever. Mature, measured and low key. I got to see a super-early test screening that was much longer than the theatrical cut and the audience was busting a gut. I was too. I laughed a lot. Loved Rogen in it. Schwarzman played a great Douche-bag. Eminem and Ray Romano had awesome cameos. And the casting director who cast the Swedish Doctor who looks like Hans Gruber's brother in DIE HARD really earned their dough that day because that guy was both funny and creepy. Great film that deserved a better fate.

11) GIJOE by Stephen Sommers. Yup, GO JOE gets a pass from me because it never hid what it was: A big fun summer movie with no artistic pretensions and a short runtime. Unlike that movie with Robot cars that had giant testicles that took itself way too seriously, GI JOE has no such delusions of grandeur. It's like an action-packed day at Six Flags with your best friends. It was worth the admission price for the Snake Eyes vs Storm Shadow confrontations alone. In fact, I wanted more Snake Eyes but I digress. I had a great time watching this live action cartoon. And Sienna Miller was great in her fetish gear.

Honorable mention should go to Jim Carrey's I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS which hasn't come out yet and still has no distributor. It's basically a very gay version of CATCH ME IF YOU CAN. It's the craziest story you'll see this year (if it ever gets a release) and it's based on a true story to boot. Carrey hasn't been this funny in ages and Ewan Mcgregor is great as Carrey's lover. Yup, OB1 and Ace Ventura get it on, in a very graphic fashion. I don't think I laughed harder this year at the movies. The film is hilarious but it also has a heart. I hope to see it again soon. The first 20 minutes are comedy gold.

Of course my list will change. I expect AVATAR to move into the top 3... maybe even into position 1. The 15 minute 3D preview was mind-blasting. Fucked my eyes proper. What can I say, I'm a sucker for Big Jim Cameron. CAN'T WAIT FOR AVATAR!!!

That's all for now.

Your friend,

D.

I WILL READ YOUR FUCKING SCRIPT (with a few conditions)

This morning I open my email and what do I see: The now infamous Josh Olsen "I won't read your script" rant. You can find it here--http://bit.ly/1WVbMX. Of course, I already read it the night before, posted it on my Twitter, passed it through my lower intestines and digested it. But a few industry friends felt obligated to send it to me, as a way for excusing their douchy behavior. I have a bone to pick with Josh Olsen. Back to the email. It was from a very dear friend who is about to direct a feature film. In the email he professes in 3 short words his feelings about the Josh Olsen Rant (heretofore known as the JOR): I LOVE IT. I feel Olsen's rant/article--ranticle, is a bit disingenuous. I think people are missing that the article was written with tongue in cheek. But it does ring of truth. Although, I strongly believe when you reach a certain level of fame/success/accolades I feel it's your God-damned duty to give something back. And in JORs specific case, he wasn't even asked to read a whole script--IT WAS A TWO PAGE SYNOPSIS. Two minutes of his life. Let's get right to it. Josh's article should be titled: I don't work for free. I get it. No one likes to do free work. NO. ONE. Hell, some people don't even like to work when they are handsomely renumerated. I have some great famous actor stories but that's another blog. My policy (and I'm nowhere near Josh Olsen's fame/success, so don't accuse me of comparing myself to him. I'm just starting out. But I also didn't compare myself to Picasso) is I don't accept complete strangers scripts. But I will read friends screenplays. I read the first 10 pages. If it sucks I stop. Simple. I use my common sense before I accept to read a script. I query the writers on the themes of the story and what it's really about (is there layers? etc). If it sounds good, I read. If not, I say I'm too busy. Josh Olsen says in the article: "would you go up to a doctor and ask him to explain a complex medical procedure?"... well, if I was just entering medical school, then yes, yes I would. Moxie gets you in the door... talent keeps you in the room. Skill, structure, character, storytelling and luck (never under-estimate luck, but the better of us make our own) gets your movie made. Another trick I now use with people who are acquaintances and want me to read their material is-- I ask them to do the following 3 Things:  1) Write a LOGLINE-- Two lines describing the story. 2) Write a 2-3 Page SYNOPSIS. 3) Write a HALF PAGE on why you want to tell this story. If they complete the above task, I will read their script. So far, no one has come back to me with the aforementioned task. NO ONE. Not even one person. Because for the casual writer, it's too much work. It reveals that all they really want is for you to do all the heavy-lifting. It's a good process that weeds out the wannabe's from the real deal writers.  Back to my friend's email, artists shouldn't forget where they came from because many people helped them along the way and the Karma Police have a habit of showing up at the most inappropriate times. Your Friend, D.