The Town

I saw The Town, this afternoon and give it enthusiastic thumbs up. I love love love Jon Hamm from Mad Men, and he gets to show his acting chops as an FBI agent, with his own demons, chasing a gang of Boston bank robbers. Hamm's character, SSA Farley dubs the gang the "not fucking around gang", because they are ruthlessly efficient in throwing the authorities off their trail. The gang hails from an area of Boston called Charlestown, that is known for producing bank robbers, a "skill" passed down from father to son.

The police and FBI are fairly certain they know the members of the gang, but there is never any forensic evidence to tie them to any of the crime scenes. Ben Affleck does double duty as director and, plays Doug McCray, also known as the Architect, because he plans the heists with absolute precision, so that no one gets hurt and they don't get caught. Of course there is always the crazy, reckless guy in the gang who is itching to shoot someone, and James Coughlin fills that role admirably. He plays crazy very well. Why is it that the sane one in the gang is always beholden to the crazy one in some way???

The plot centers around a bank job that the gang pulls and Coughlin "tunes up" the manager, giving the assistant, Clair Keesy (Rebecca Hall/Vicki Christina Barcelona) an opportunity to trip the silent alarm. McCray sees her do it, but doesn't let on and Coughlin decides to take her hostage. They let her go after they escape, only to find she lives in the Charlestown. They fear she might be able to somehow identify them even though they wore masks. None of the others have the stomach for murder, but Coughlin starts talking ominously about "taking care of her." McCray assures him he will handle things with Claire, and in the process, falls in love with her. Claire doesn't recognize him and still bruised from the trauma of the robbery, is drawn into a relationship with him.

The gang gets tapped by the local mob boss to pull a big heist at Fenway Park. McCray at first refuses, but after they threaten Claire, he agrees. Can McCray pull one last job, get the girl and change his life? It's a tall order, for sure.

Ultimately the film is about redemption, with some justice mixed in for good measure. In the end McCray, in spite of the pervasive bleakness of his life, hangs onto hope and "hope" as someone once said, "is a good thing."

The Perfect Getaway

The Perfect Getaway is a suspense thriller about two couples hiking a remote trail in Hawaii when they hear reports of psychopaths stalking and killing tourists in the vicinity. Steve Zahn plays Cliff Anderson a screenplay writer, recently married to Cydney (Mila Jovovich). After being harassed by a very creepy couple who appears to be following them, they join Nick (Olyphant) and Gina (Kiele Sanchez) hiking along a remote trail which requires permits to enter the area. Nick is a "hard to kill" special ops Iraq veteran and Gina is a a tough as nails southern girl who knows how to handle herself. There is a scene where Nick goes off into the woods and kills a goat, and Gina field dresses it without blinking an eye.

When they start hearing the reports about the killers, Cliff, in particular, gets very anxious about being in such a remote area with a couple he knows little about. Nick comes off as a little crazy, harping on Cliff to write a screenplay about his exploits in Iraq. Eventually the creepy couple shows up again and things start to heat up as the fight for survival begins.

The film does a good job building the suspense and you get to see Timothy Olyphant without his shirt a lot, which is always a good thing. Kiele Sanchez, a relative unknown, hits just the right notes as tough, but also kind of sweet. If you have ever watched the The Glades on A&E you will recognize her. Mila Jovovich, who usually plays a bad ass in The Resident Evil series, gets to play against type as a newlywed who wants to settle down and raise kids. I liked the characters and the suspense and a shirtless Timothy Olyphant certainly didn't hurt :)

State of Play

I recently saw State of Play with Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachael McAdams and Helen Mirren. It was in theaters briefly last year and got good reviews, but disappeared all too quickly. Apparently adult dramas are out of vogue and The Transformers are in.

It's a Watergate style whodunit complete with a murdered female staffer, the earnest young senator who is having an affair with her (Affleck) and an old style journalist who finds himself with a hot story and a potential conflict of interest. Russell Crowe is Cal McAffrey a cynical wisecracking reporter for the Washington Mirror (read Post) who happens to be the former college roommate of Senator Stephen Collins. Paunchy and disheveled, McAffrey is kicking it old school, with in depth reporting, a network of carefully cultivated police contacts and stories written on his twelve year old computer. He has little use for his young colleague, Della Frye (is that a great name or what?) played by McAdams. She writes the online blog for the newspaper and is trolling for the story of the minute. The always fabulous Helen Mirren is Cameron Lynne, the hard as nails managing editor trying to balance journalistic integrity with making a buck to keep the paper alive.

The story begins when two people are inexplicably shot in an alley, one of them, a pizza delivery guy who was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. The next day a young staffer working for Senator Collins is killed when she falls in front of a subway. Initially it appears to be an accident, but of course, it's murder. McAffrey sees a conspiracy and starts investigating and Frye is more interested in writing about the rumors that the Senator was having an affair with the staffer. In the end they join forces to uncover the truth, but they find their lives in danger as they are pulled into a maelstrom of deceit and power politics played out in the back rooms and bedrooms of DC.

McAffrey is no superhero, but an every man kind of character. Just like Bob Woodward (Redford) in All the President's Men, who finds himself alone and terrified in an underground parking garage, McAffrey inadvertently stumbles onto the man responsible for the murders. He does what any one of us would do and runs, just like Woodward did in the movie. He manages to escape using his wits, but he has no desire to take on the killer. Della Frye starts out a bit perky for my taste, but in the end shows her mettle and wins McAffrey's respect. The debate between the two of what constitutes news in these times is relevant and thought provoking. The Senator is handsome, ambitious and seemingly vacuous, until you see beneath the facade that he is formidable and kind of scary.

This movie kept my interest throughout and it has a nice twist at the end, so just when you think you have it all figured out, think again. Eat your heart out, Transformers.

In Queso Fever: A Movie About Cheese Dip

If you love cheese dip, you will love this documentary short:

"In Queso Fever: A Movie About Cheese Dip" from Nick Rogers on Vimeo.

Fourth Annual Little Rock Film Festival

The fourth annual Little Rock Film Festival was a smashing success. Every year the festival grows and becomes more polished. It is truly a crown jewel for the city of Little Rock. http://www.littlerockfilmfestival.org/

I was lucky enough to see approximately fifteen films over the course of four days. Unfortunately I missed Winter's Bone, the opening night film, which won Best Narrative. I heard nothing but high praise from all who saw it.

Here are some of my favorites:

Alamar -- Part documentary, part narrative about five year old Natan who embarks on a journey with his Mexican father, Jorge, before he is taken back to Rome to live with his mother. Through their experiences, Jorge instills in Natan a sense of his Mayan heritage. It is a moving bittersweet film with breathtaking scenery.

Black White and Blues -- Jefferson Bailey, a troubled blues musician with a bad case of stage fright, travels from Austin, Texas to his hometown of Huntsville, Alabama to collect an inheritance left to him by his grandfather. He is accompanied by a a mysterious stranger (Augy), played by Michael Clarke Duncan, who claims to work for the attorney handing his grandfather's estate. As their stories unfold, they discover they are connected in an unexpected and life altering way. Directed by Mario Van Peeples.

Interesting note: Tom Skerritt plays a bar owner called Santa. During the film I noticed a gentleman sitting three seats over from me who looked VERY familiar. I finally realized it was Holmes Osborne, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0651660/ (That Thing You Do and many other roles) who during the Q & A, said that he had read for Tom Skerritt's role.

Happythankyoumoreplease -- A romantic comedy that hits all the right notes about six New Yorkers balancing friendship, romance and life's intricacies. Josh Radnor of "How I Met Your Mother" makes his directorial and screenwriting debut. He plays Sam, a struggling writer who sees a young boy separated from his family on the subway. He takes the child home with him intending to contact the authorities, then cannot bring himself to do it. I loved this film and hope it gets a theatrical release.

I Am Comic -- A documentary about stand-up comedy narrated by Ritch Shynder who was at the top of his comedic game in the 80's during the heyday of stand-up. Shynder gets so jazzed by the energy of the comics he interviews and the atmosphere of the clubs, he decides to try stand again himself. A penetrating look behind the scenes at the life of a comic. This film can be seen on Showtime this month.

American: The Bill Hicks Story -- A documentary about the life and comedy of Bill Hicks whose died in 1994 of pancreatic cancer at the age of thirty-two in Little Rock. He grew up in Houston, Texas, but his parents moved to Little Rock and still reside here. His in-your-face cutting edge comedy about politics and social mores never caught on in the US like it did in the UK and Europe. His ground breaking commentary has paved the way for the likes of Jon Stewart and Bill Maher. The Q & A featured Mary and Steve Hicks, Bill's mother and brother. They said a feature film about Bill's life is being discussed and Russell Crowe is interested in playing the lead.

Table at Luigi's -- A sparkling romantic comedy about the chef in an Italian restaurant who spices his gourmet creations with a little magic. The Feature Film Making Class at the University of Central Arkansas produced this enchanting film and they did an excellent job. I was very impressed by the screenplay, the acting and the production values.

Documentary Short: In Queso Fever: A Movie About Cheese Dip -- I am relieved to know my obsession with cheese dip is shared by the entire state of Arkansas. Of course everyone interviewed allowed as how their taste for the cheesy concoction was influenced by an Arkansas institution, Mexico Chiquito. The Tex Mex restaurant opened in Protho Junction in 1935 with dirt floors. In those days people came from all other the state to dine there. When questioned about putting cheese dip on his menu, the Head Chef at Ashley's in the Capital Hotel, was nonplussed, but then admitted that most Arkansas restaurants do have cheese dip on their menu, even if they serve nothing else even remotely Mexican. We do love our cheese dip!

Sex and the City II: Not all Bad (Spoilers)

I have always been a fan of Sex and the City. I loved the clothes and shoes and the show's humorous look at dating, relationships and friendships. The movies, though falling short of the success of the show, is like a reunion of old friends, even if the vehicle for bringing them together is less than stellar.

There were some cringe worthy moments in SATC II, but there are also some scenes that harken back to the glory days of the series. It made me wish that instead of a a feature length film, they would make a SATC miniseries of say, six episodes for HBO again. The tightly constructed thirty minute shows involved each character having a story line tied together with a theme. In the movie the themes were about, women finding their voice, and figuring out how to combine tradition and individuality. As the movie opens, all the characters are struggling with this.

Carrie (is she nuts??) is finding marriage to Big to be less than exciting a bare two years after the wedding that almost didn't happen. I have to say, I thought their life together looked pretty good. I can think of worse things than watching old movies in bed with Big (Chris Noth).

Miranda is dealing with a senior partner at her law firm that dislikes her. Charlotte is finding motherhood more taxing and exhausting than she thought it would be (doesn't everyone?) and Samantha is determined not to let menopause slow her down (more power to her).

One of my big gripes is Samantha's story line. I think it's great to portray her as a sexy and brash, but couldn't they give her something else to do? Fighting off menopause is a one trick pony, that could have used some help. Also, she takes off to Abu Dhabi with no understanding of Arabic culture, behaving like one of the Pussy Cat Dolls, all the while hoping to win an account representing a posh hotel there. How can Samantha, who having built a successful PR business in cutthroat New York, jeopardize a multi-million dollar account even for the joy of a little illicit sex? Samantha is not that dumb even in the throes of a menopausal melt-down. The story could have been written so that when Samantha did have her melt-down, the audience would have been cheering instead of thinking she acted like an ass.

With Carrie, I know they had to add some drama, and it was good to see John Corbett again, but come on. Carrie didn't marry Aiden years before, because she couldn't let go of Big and now, she is tempted by him? When Carrie and Aiden kissed, it made her realize she loved Big. I was a little disappointed in a straight arrow like Aiden falling prey to temptation. I know being in a foreign country can make you do crazy things, but Aiden was most unforgiving about that sort of betrayal in the series.

I thought it cathartic when Carrie, sobbing, tells Charlotte that seeing Aiden reminded her of her old life and when she kissed him, she remembered what it was really like. "Running around New York like a crazy person trying to convince the one man I loved to love me back." When Samantha comes in and advises Carrie NOT to tell Big about the kiss, she seems almost wise.

Then there is the excellent scene with Charlotte and Miranda at the bar discussing motherhood and its frustrations (Sip). In the show, Miranda faced motherhood somewhat reluctantly and pretty much alone. She has no qualms about articulating how difficult it is. In the end Charlotte discovers that taking a break is not a bad thing after all.

While I thought I would enjoy the fun and flashiness of the girls' trip to the middle east, it became distracting. Too much time changing outfits, not enough time spent on a more interesting and cohesive plot.

The bottom line is the series was at its best when it focused on the friendship between the four women. Like Samantha said, "Men, babies, doesn't matter, we made a deal a long time ago. We're soul mates." If there is another movie, the writers would do well to remember that.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo - Official Trailer [HD]