Tag: Ray Liotta

film

Double Feature Madness! Cocaine Bear + Tár

Posted on by spacecortez

Hello there! Yes, it’s been awhile. Most of my recent film criticism can be found over at the website Films Fatale as I’ve been writing all of my new release film reviews there. While my most current film reviews will continue to be published there for the foreseeable future, the oddities and random bouts of obsession with films of any age will continue to arrive here in new and exciting forms! I’ve listed links below to each new film review that I’ve written for them, give them a look if you’re curious as to what I’ve been up to. On to the business at hand however, I could not think of two movies more disparate and tonally opposite of each other than the (relatively) recent films “Cocaine Bear” and “Tár”. So, if you’re a madman and planning on hosting a Double Feature movie night with a few friends- this pairing may work for you. Though while I watched “Cocaine Bear” first and “Tár” second, I would recommend switching the order of films. I’ll detail those reasons below.

Written by Jimmy Warden, and directed by Elizabeth Banks, “Cocaine Bear” feels more like a scheme to make a quick buck than it does an actual movie. This is, apparently, a movie now. Based on a weak “True Story” hook, way out in the rural mountains of Tennessee in the summer of 1985 a drug smuggler lost a delivery of Cocaine after tossing his payload out of a plane. As you probably guessed, a black bear finds the powder bricks and eats a few of them. Unfortunately for the local patrons of the forest the bear goes on a killing rampage, but the film also occasionally depicts the bear favorably after dispatching a number of people, some bad, some just stupid. Besides the occasional laugh at the sheer stupidity of everything onscreen, “Cocaine Bear” is just a cheap story structure crafted to hopefully make a few dollars at the box office. I can’t really see any other reason to attach a few recognizable actors (Keri Russell as “MOM”, Alden Ehrenreich as the depressed son of a mobster, the late Ray Liotta as said Mobster etc.) to the film and market the hell out of this cinematic lark on social media other than a cynical attempt to make some box office noise and cash. The main issue I have with the storytelling at hand, if you can call it that, is the lack of focus. Is the bear a slasher villain of sorts? Is the bear just a victim of circumstance and therefore an innocent animal just high on drugs? Is any of this even funny? If you want to make a horror-comedy you need to blend the genres with better consistency for maximum immersion. This could have been a thriller, or just a straight up comedy, but once you say it’s a horror-comedy, you have to actually commit to balancing that depiction. This one can be a good time, but only with a few good friends and a cocktail or two.

Final Score: 1 Black Bear High on Cocaine

Written and directed by Todd Field, “Tár” works like a biopic for the fictional character of Lydia Tár (Cate Blanchett), a world renowned composer-conductor widely considered to be one of the greatest living figures in the field. When we meet Lydia Tár she’s at the height of her fame and power. She’s about to launch a book and she’s preparing for the much-anticipated live performance of Mahler’s Fifth Symphony at the Berlin Philharmonic. The remainder of the film focuses on Tár’s fall from grace. Admittedly, this one didn’t connect with me for most of the runtime, there were some scenes that were more interesting, like when Tár is teaching a class at Juilliard and one of the students dismisses the work of a classical composer due to the problematic nature of being a cis white male that supported the patriarchy? I’m not entirely sure of the strength of the student’s argument of disregarding the past because of moral differences from today’s perspective, but since this is a film about the abuses of power in modern society, the scene is more about how Tár carries herself as a person in a position of power. In fact the whole film is about that subject matter in a variety of scenes and scenarios. I can see that the film is incredibly well made, down to the editing, the color palette consistency, the way that powerful people abusing others isn’t depicted as *big* or front and center as other films or filmmakers would make it out to be. Of course, there is the moment when everything boils over and Tár assaults her replacement at the performance of her recording of Mahler’s Fifth Symphony- everything else within the film is, however, glacial when concerned with it’s pacing. If it weren’t for the extremely committed and skilled Cate Blanchett in the lead role, the film would have been a disaster. She really does make it worth a watch. I can respect this film, but my experience watching it was just plain boring to me. That might be sacrilegious to some, but if it doesn’t connect with me, it just doesn’t. Maybe I will give this one another watch at some point. I’m already dreading that possibility though to be perfectly honest with you. Given the whole double feature nature of this article, I’d highly suggest watching this film first and using “Cocaine Bear” to rouse you from the nap Todd Field has put you in. (This is definitely a better film than “Cocaine Bear”, but I’d rather re-watch that stupid nonsense over something that lulls you to sleep).

Final Score: 1 Apartment for Sale

Check out the film reviews I’ve been writing over at Films Fatale this year! Show them some love people!

Skinamarink:

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2023/1/16/skinamarink?rq=Skinamarink

Knock at The Cabin:

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2023/2/8/knock-at-the-cabin

Ant-Man and The Wasp Quantumania:

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2023/2/22/ant-man-and-the-wasp-quantumania

Creed III:

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2023/3/8/creed-iii

65:

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2023/3/16/65

John Wick Chapter 4:

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2023/3/29/john-wick-chapter-4

Dungeons & Dragons – Honor Among Thieves:

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2023/4/6/dungeons-amp-dragons-honor-among-thieves

Renfield:

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2023/4/19/renfield

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film

Rapid Fire Reviews #16 A Double Feature of Heist Movies!

Posted on by spacecortez

Hello! Its been a heck of a Summer movie season, and while I have seen a lot of movies in that time, I haven’t written about all of them just yet. The next Rapid Fire Reviews article will include some odds and ends, mostly films that I’ve accrued through secondhand shops and at least one major film that I’ve seen in theaters recently. This piece, however, will focus on two heist movies set apart by about twenty years. Both have excellent star studded casts with key players in each film’s crew that unravel the mystery behind their bosses intentions once their heists go awry. While “Ronin” and “No Sudden Move” have a lot in common, each has their own specific texture. Ronin has a more kinetic and frantic energy to its scenes, especially with its exquisitely executed car chases. Whereas “No Sudden Move” embraces more of the Noir-ish elements of its crimes, this film allows itself to marinade in slower scenes that embrace a white-knuckle sense of suspense. Both films were highly entertaining, and I strongly encourage you to give both a shot!

Ronin (1998)

Written for the screen by David Mamet, based on a story by J.D. Zeik, and directed by John Frankenheimer, “Ronin” is a phenomenal action-heist film that knows when to lean into quiet character beats and when to hit the adrenaline with high octane shootouts and car chases. I had heard this one held some of the best car chases put to film, but I had no idea how good the cast was until finally giving this one a watch. In the beginning, Sam (Robert De Niro), Vincent (Jean Reno), and Larry (Skipp Sudduth) meet Deirdre (Natascha McElhone) at a Bistro in Montmartre, Paris. Deirdre then takes the two Americans and the Frenchman to a warehouse where an Englishman, Spence (Sean Bean), and German, Gregor (Stellan Skarsgård), are waiting. The story really hits the ground running in this one, and from there Deirdre explains the plan for the heist. They must intercept a heavily armored convoy in Nice, France and retrieve a large metallic briefcase. Obviously, things don’t go as planned. I won’t reveal the twists and betrayals in case you, like me, haven’t seen this one until late in the game. The performances are all great, the script is attentive and intelligent with its reveals and evolutions, and the cinematography is gorgeous! I really can’t over-emphasize just how damn good the car chases are shot and executed. The stunt drivers in the film deserve all the credit in the world with their high speed urban whiplash, squealing around tight corners and through narrow roads. Its cinema perfection to me. What’s in the box that they’re all after isn’t really that important. Its important enough to motivate Irish terrorists, Russian Mafia, and a couple ex-military, some spies, and wandering Ronin to put themselves all in immediate danger to obtain, or keep others from obtaining the box- and that makes for some thoroughly entertaining cinema. Highly Recommended!

No Sudden Move (2021)

Written by Ed Solomon and directed by Steven Soderbergh, “No Sudden Move” is a suspenseful heist film set in 1954 Detroit that follows a specially selected crew of individuals to perform some corporate espionage. The information about the actual plot of the danger at hand is doled out slowly, which gives the atmosphere of the film a perilous sense of mystery. Now, I’m not sure if this was the initial return of Brendan Fraser to acting in a big star-studded film, but it was really nice to see him back and killing it with his role as Doug Jones, the recruiter for the heist. As a morally grey middle-man bruiser, Fraser was a welcome addition to the cast and story. Much like in “Ronin” with the Deirdre character, Jones meets the crew and explains the heist and what to expect. Here it’s a bit more complicated than “Ronin”, Curt Goynes (Don Cheadle), Ronald Russo (Benicio Del Toro), and Charley (Kieran Culkin) are sent to the house of an accountant Matt Wertz (David Harbour) to force him into a bank safe at his work to steal an important document. The plan, as it is initially set up anyway, is for Goynes and Russo to babysit the Wertz family while Charley escorts Matt to his office. To Matt’s surprise, the safe is gone and the document with it. So… this is when the film really escalates the tension, but I’ll avoid any reveals of the betrayals, twists, and evolutions of the characters as with “Ronin”. Those mentioned already are the core of the cast for the film, however, there are also a few smaller roles with some big names attached. These smaller characters are played by the likes of Jon Hamm, Ray Liotta, Bill Duke, and Matt Damon. Also, I have to the take time to mention the score. Its jazzy as hell and the atmosphere really blends with the overly serious sense of inherent danger of the situation. The one thing I did not care for in the film however, was the choice of lens. The framing, blocking, and direction was all very good- but the lens blurred the edges of the frame and gave the film a dreamy aesthetic where it otherwise felt grounded and soaked in realism. That choice clashed with everything else in the film’s repertoire. Its a small nitpick in an otherwise incredibly well made film, but that being said, I highly recommend this one!

*I have been writing a few articles over at Films Fatale this summer as well! Check out these links below for more of my recent writing on movies:

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2021/8/13/the-suicide-squad?rq=Cameron%20Geiser

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2021/8/9/the-green-knight?rq=Cameron%20Geiser

https://www.filmsfatale.com/blog/2021/7/13/f9-the-fast-saga-or-why-you-should-watch-smarter-movies?rq=Cameron%20Geiser

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film

Review: The Place Beyond the Pines

Posted on by spacecortez

Written by Derek Cianfrance, Ben Coccio, and Darius Marder and directed by Cianfrance, “The Place Beyond the Pines” is a film about the mistakes a man can make and how those choices effect others over time. The film plays with the expectations ingrained in most audiences’ psyche as we follow several characters that interact by chance in Synecdoche New York. Now, due to the nature of this narrative, spoilers will be included in this review, but I do recommend this film- mainly for the cinematography and flow of the narrative.

We begin the story by following Ryan Gosling’s traveling motorcyclist Luke who essentially lives with a traveling carnival. After a show in Synecdoche Luke sees an old flame, Romina (Eva Mendes) and offers her a ride home. The next day he stops back at her house and is met by her mother holding a small blonde child, Luke’s son. Once he is met with the realization that he is a father he offers to help the best way he can. So he quits the carnival, meets some guy on a quad while out motocrossing through the woods (as you do), tries to work for that guy on his property through mechanic work, then starts robbing banks once he discovers that doesn’t pay well enough. Eventually things go awry, as bank robberies tend to do, and Luke gets into a chase sequence with a rookie cop that ends in a suburban house with Luke and the rookie cop both shooting each other and Luke falling to his death.

From that point on we follow the story of that cop, Avery (who also happens to be played by Bradley Cooper). He’s labeled a hero but is constantly fraught with guilt over Luke’s death as Avery also had a son roughly the same age. After some time he finds that he’s in a police department swarmed with corruption and fraud-which is where Ray Liotta turns up and gets to play his traditional gangster bit as a corrupt cop. Shortly after this we jump fifteen years forward in time to focus on both Luke and Avery’s sons and how they eventually interact and discover the truths surrounding their fathers’ lives.

What I enjoyed most about this film was the curvy path this narrative took. There are also some real emotional linchpins throughout that are visually compelling and thoughtfully acted by both Cooper and Gosling. Both are trying to make better lives for their sons, but both fail them in different ways. The story feels more cyclical than it may be, but while the film is unique in the way it tells its story, its themes and arcs feel familiar all the same. Possibly because stories about fathers and sons are as old as time itself, but also because it connects to universal goals of fatherhood and the anxieties that come from it. In any case, “The Place Beyond the Pines” is available on Netflix (at least at the time of writing this review) and I recommend giving it a watch.

Final Score: Two fathers, two sons

 

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