The MacGuffin

With another year well underway, do you know what time it is? Why, time for another Dr. Seuss adaptation, of course! This go-around, the studio that brought us the highly popular Despicable Me (2010) is back with The Lorax (2012), directed by Chris Renaud and Kyle Balda and written by Ken Daurio. Now, to be completely honest with you, this particular story was not one of the Dr. Seuss books that I held very close to my heart; I was more of a How The Grinch Stole Christmas, The Cat in the Hat, and Green Eggs and Ham kind of a kid. I was slightly aware of what the story was about—regarding an imaginary creature and his attempt to stop a number of trees from being chopped down—but other than that I have to admit I walked into the movie with a pretty clean slate. A number of recent Dr. Seuss film adaptations have turned out fairly unmemorable, to put it nicely—would this one actually break ground?

Kill List starts off with a subtle air of tension. Jay (Neil Maskell) is currently unemployed, with a wife and child. We soon learn he hasn’t had a job in over a year, and the last one he did have did not go well. His wife Shel (MyAnna Buring) is unhappy and the two are not getting along. One night while Jay’s closest friend Gal (Michael Smiley) and his girlfriend are over for dinner, Shel’s and Jay’s feelings clash in an explosive argument. The situation leaves a rather bad taste in the mouth of Gal’s girlfriend Fiona (Emma Fryer) concerning her opinion of Jay. In response, she takes action that is directly responsible for what is going to happen to Jay.

One of the surprises of the 2012 Academy Awards was the nomination of a Spanish film called Chico & Rita (2010) for Best Animated Feature. I’m assuming that not many people have heard of this film, but they should. It is a vibrant, colorful love story that borders near perfection in its music, animation, and narrative skill. Directed by the trio of Tono Errando, Javier Mariscal, and Fernando Trueba, the film does not necessarily push the boundaries of animation, and because of that must rely more on its characterizations and ability to tell an engaging tale—and it does so in the best way possible. Filled from beginning to end with rhythmic Latin beats and cool emotional jazz, the film is very much a melodrama. But don’t let that deter you; yes, the story here is melodramatic, but in the sweetest way possible. We fall in love with the characters just as easily as they fall in love with each other.

Do you play video games, in particular first-person shooters? These include games such as Call of Duty, Battlefield, Halo, so on and so forth? I ask this because the connections between those kinds of games and the latest film Act of Valor (2012) had been swirling around by the time I got to view it. The similar traits are clear: military and armed forces deep in the middle of special operations, where men do courageous things in the midst of intense battle. I understand what directors Mike McCoy and Scott Waugh (along with writer Kurt Johnstad) wanted to do: present these individuals and come as close as they possibly could to reenacting missions that have happened in real life (an opening title screen says as much). However, while there is much to admire, from their intentions to the very people they put on screen, the film falters from a number of cinematic missteps, resulting in a film that feels all too much like an episodic, real-life version of a video game.

In Albert Nobbs (2011), Albert (Glenn Close), is a waiter in a hotel in 19th century Ireland, and is very good at his job. He is dedicated, polite, and knows his place. He is also secretly a woman and, if exposed, could ruin be ruined. When a visiting painter, Hubert Page (Janet McTeer), ends up staying with Albert, she discovers her secret. Albert is horrified—until Hubert admits that she too is a woman pretending to be a man, and even has a wife and a home. Nobbs is flabbergasted that this could happen, and when Page insists that Albert can also have a life and a wife of her own, she turns her attention to a young maid at the hotel, Helen (Mia Wasikowska).

Margret Thatcher is a controversial figure even to her admirers. She is the woman who stood up to the unions and communism. To her detractors, she was a brutal woman who put down workers and helped the rich get richer. Just on the history alone, this is a prime subject for examination in a film. So it is sad that there is so little to be learned about her in The Iron Lady (2011).

Steve James, the filmmaker who made one of the best American documentaries in Hoop Dreams (1994), has returned with yet another great, fascinating, and engaging film in The Interrupters (2011). This time, his story deals with urban and gang violence among the youth in Chicago neighborhoods, so prominent that it has recently received nationwide attention. In a way, this film is more urgent than his previous one, as the lives involved struggle every day just to survive. It’s a heartwrenching tale of a few brave souls who take it upon themselves to step deep into this world—a world that so many have chosen to turn away from—and do what they can to prevent further tragedy from happening. We get a glimpse into what life is like for these young individuals, we learn names and stories of those that would normally be represented only by statistics. And because of that, James has made a film that every single person should see.

In the trailer of Oren Moverman’s latest film, Rampart (2011), a quote says that “Woody Harrelson is the most corrupt cop you’ve ever seen on screen.” I would guess that that statement is fairly accurate. The character Harrelson plays, L.A. police officer Dave Brown, is not a good man. Heck, he’s not even a descent man. Brown is a down-and-dirty son of a gun in the worst way possible. He’s a hateful, misogynistic, egocentric, adulterous drunk who does whatever he wants, all the while hiding behind the protection of his badge and the power of his gun. When it comes to cinematic anti-heroes, you can’t get much worse than this guy. I usually like protagonists that tiptoe that moral line, who do questionable things as a means to an end. It’s much more interesting to see a person who has faults and eccentricities; it makes their journey much more fascinating to watch and analyze. So why exactly didn’t that work for me here?

Not every film needs to be revolutionary; sometimes films are entertaining but disposable. They can be comfort food. Safe House, from director Daniel Espinosa, touches this category. Safe House tells the story of CIA operative Matt Weston (played by Ryan Reynolds), who is in charge of a safe house in South Africa. After twelve months of doing nothing, he gets his first “house guest,” who happens to be the notorious former CIA agent turned traitor Tobin Frost (played by Denzel Washington). After Frost’s arrival at the safe house, they are immediately hit by an attack by some people in search of an item that Frost has obtained. The attack causes Weston and Frost to go on the run, while trying to figure out who sold them out.

Remember that one girl in school that everyone hated? She was the popular girl with the hot boyfriend that everyone felt was destined for great things? In Young Adult, Mavis (Charlize Theron) was this girl, and she has never really gotten over the high school life entirely. Her job is writing young adult books about a popular girl in high school, so she has been able to live this part of her life over and over in her head. Beyond that, her days are spent getting drunk and keeping herself beautiful and fit.