Tonight I screened Widows, starring Viola Davis and Elizabeth Debicki.
Veronica (Davis) is married to Harry (Liam Neeson), who is a criminal. He orchestrates a heist that goes horribly wrong and his whole crew is killed as a result. When the dirty politician he did business with comes to collect his debt, Veronica is forced to take matters into her own hands.
She enlists the help of her fellow widows from the heist crew to assist her in carrying out a final "job" using meticulous instructions left behind by her husband. Alice (Debicki) and Linda (Michelle Rodriguez) are hesitant at first, but are also desperate to stay afloat financially, so they agree to the plan. Amidst the back-and-forth are several (unnecessary) supporting characters that don't do much except chew scenery (Colin Farrell and Daniel Kaluuya). There are crooked representatives, white collar men who pay for escorts, saintly drivers, innocent children—you name it, the gang's all here.
Of course Davis can carry any film, no matter how flawed. She's extraordinary alternating between grieving wife, angry widow, badass leader-of-the-pack and fierce opponent. Just to sit and watch her work is worth the price of admission. And there are many clever twists that were fun to absorb although the overall story had too much going on to be truly effective.
I'd say if you just want a ride that bumps and crashes and moves at a fast pace, you may leave satisfied, but if you're craving substance or something more clever than your average thriller you may be disappointed.
~~~
Showing posts with label Liam Neeson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Liam Neeson. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 07, 2018
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
A Monster Calls
Tonight I saw A Monster Calls, starring Lewis MacDougall and Sigourney Weaver.
Time is on our side. Time heals all wounds. Time flies.
There are countless sayings about our only true measure of life; simply choose the circumstance to match the cliché.
In this film, time is in short supply as young, British Conor (MacDougall) has a mum (Felicity Jones) who is terminally ill. As if that isn't enough for a kid to deal with, he's also the target of the school bully and doesn't really get along with his Grandma (Weaver). Did I mention Dad has made a new life with a new family in America too? It's no surprise Conor suffers from terrible reoccurring nightmares.
As he attempts to cope with all of the turmoil in his life, he begins receiving visits—always at 12:07—from a tree monster (voiced by the magnificent Liam Neeson). The monster tells him a series of stories, empowering Conor to wreak havoc along the way, with the expectation Conor will tell him "his" story, or rather the entirety of his nightmares.
The adults do the right thing to try to help Conor: Grandma takes him home with her, Dad comes for a much-needed visit, Mum always tells him the truth (even if it's bad news). But that doesn't make his situation any less tragic.
No matter how old we are, dealing with loss/significant change is rough. Adjustments are painful even if they have a more pleasant existence on the other side. We may never truly learn to navigate the rough roads of life (or perhaps when we do, we die), but in the meantime we find ways to escape, distract and power through.
This film serves as a metaphor for those escapes, delivered through beautiful watercolor-inspired animation that's like no other I've ever seen. The tree monster is a bit scary for little ones (there were some toddlers crying/screaming in the theater when he lashed out with fire), but an appropriate match to the rage felt when one is in so much pain they can barely breathe.
The acting on all fronts is solid in the film and the grief very raw. Though stories of children losing their parents and bullies picking on the weakest of souls is nothing new, this story does find a new way of telling it with a somewhat magical "twist" ending.
Just don't forget your tissues. You'll need them.
~~~
Time is on our side. Time heals all wounds. Time flies.
There are countless sayings about our only true measure of life; simply choose the circumstance to match the cliché.
In this film, time is in short supply as young, British Conor (MacDougall) has a mum (Felicity Jones) who is terminally ill. As if that isn't enough for a kid to deal with, he's also the target of the school bully and doesn't really get along with his Grandma (Weaver). Did I mention Dad has made a new life with a new family in America too? It's no surprise Conor suffers from terrible reoccurring nightmares.
As he attempts to cope with all of the turmoil in his life, he begins receiving visits—always at 12:07—from a tree monster (voiced by the magnificent Liam Neeson). The monster tells him a series of stories, empowering Conor to wreak havoc along the way, with the expectation Conor will tell him "his" story, or rather the entirety of his nightmares.
The adults do the right thing to try to help Conor: Grandma takes him home with her, Dad comes for a much-needed visit, Mum always tells him the truth (even if it's bad news). But that doesn't make his situation any less tragic.
No matter how old we are, dealing with loss/significant change is rough. Adjustments are painful even if they have a more pleasant existence on the other side. We may never truly learn to navigate the rough roads of life (or perhaps when we do, we die), but in the meantime we find ways to escape, distract and power through.
This film serves as a metaphor for those escapes, delivered through beautiful watercolor-inspired animation that's like no other I've ever seen. The tree monster is a bit scary for little ones (there were some toddlers crying/screaming in the theater when he lashed out with fire), but an appropriate match to the rage felt when one is in so much pain they can barely breathe.
The acting on all fronts is solid in the film and the grief very raw. Though stories of children losing their parents and bullies picking on the weakest of souls is nothing new, this story does find a new way of telling it with a somewhat magical "twist" ending.
Just don't forget your tissues. You'll need them.
~~~
Friday, February 28, 2014
Non-Stop
Tonight I saw Non-Stop, starring Liam Neeson and Julianne Moore.
Bill Marks (Neeson) is a troubled U.S. Air Marshall, embarking on a flight from New York to London. Jen Summers (Moore), a stereotypical, chatty passenger on her phone, trades places with another man for the window seat next to Marks.
Things are business as usual until folks start relaxing to sleep through the flight. As the plane grows quiet, the chime of Bill's phone goes off as he begins receiving messages from a would-be hijacker. He/she says that one passenger will die every 20 minutes unless $150 million is wired to a specific account—which we soon learn is under the name "Bill Marks."
Soon, a passenger is dead and all aboard have to wonder if Marks himself is the hijacker.
From there, the familar-Taken-like-version of Liam Neeson emerges and the film becomes a full-on thriller.
Only Nancy the flight attendant (Michelle Dockery) and Jen trust in his innocence—but are they making the right choice by supporting him?
The script plays a fun game of ping-pong with the audience, allowing them to believe that several different people could potentially be the hijacker and it all leads to a nerve-wracking, if not predictable, ending.
The acting is solid, the effects are decent and the script refrains from too many "catchphrase" quotes.
If you just want to get lost in something entertaining for almost two hours, I think you'll like this film.
Bill Marks (Neeson) is a troubled U.S. Air Marshall, embarking on a flight from New York to London. Jen Summers (Moore), a stereotypical, chatty passenger on her phone, trades places with another man for the window seat next to Marks.
Things are business as usual until folks start relaxing to sleep through the flight. As the plane grows quiet, the chime of Bill's phone goes off as he begins receiving messages from a would-be hijacker. He/she says that one passenger will die every 20 minutes unless $150 million is wired to a specific account—which we soon learn is under the name "Bill Marks."
Soon, a passenger is dead and all aboard have to wonder if Marks himself is the hijacker.
From there, the familar-Taken-like-version of Liam Neeson emerges and the film becomes a full-on thriller.
Only Nancy the flight attendant (Michelle Dockery) and Jen trust in his innocence—but are they making the right choice by supporting him?
The script plays a fun game of ping-pong with the audience, allowing them to believe that several different people could potentially be the hijacker and it all leads to a nerve-wracking, if not predictable, ending.
The acting is solid, the effects are decent and the script refrains from too many "catchphrase" quotes.
If you just want to get lost in something entertaining for almost two hours, I think you'll like this film.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Unknown
Today I saw Unknown, starring Liam Neeson and Diane Kruger.
An upper-class American couple arrives in Berlin to find some of their luggage didn't make it from the airport, so the husband catches a Taxi to return to the airport and retrieve it. Unfortunately, during that ride, he's in a terrible car accident and ends up in a coma for four days. When he wakes up, he remembers everything about his life, but no one will confirm it—not even his wife of five years.
So here we have the story of Martin Harris (Neeson). A supposed brilliant scientist who is in Germany to give a presentation at an intellectual conference until he is made to believe that his life is not his own after all.
There are folks who swear they don't know who he is. His wife Liz (January Jones) and the alleged real Martin Harris (Aidan Quinn), for starters.
Then, there are those sympathetic like his doctor and nurse, who just want proof before they agree that he is indeed Dr. Harris.
The folks at the hotel and the conference don't know what to believe, but the police are called multiple times just in case he's nuts.
Left without any options, Dr. Harris tracks down the taxi driver (Kruger) who saved him after the accident for additional answers and seeks the help of a former spy who is now a private investigator. As this is happening, at least two people (not those two) die trying to help him.
To say that it's boring would be unfair, to call it "smart" would be equally unfair.
Liam Neeson is his usual good "desperate" character. There are car chases and flashed knives and guns pulled and men in black leather jackets there to let you know they are bad guys.
There is also sexual tension (with the taxi driver) and enough flashback shots of a flirtatious Liz to make you wish you were watching re-runs of Mad Men instead.
As for figuring out the mystery, after a certain point I quit caring about Dr. Harris.
Unfortunately, the box office returns didn't, so more empty action films like this are sure to be made.
~~~
An upper-class American couple arrives in Berlin to find some of their luggage didn't make it from the airport, so the husband catches a Taxi to return to the airport and retrieve it. Unfortunately, during that ride, he's in a terrible car accident and ends up in a coma for four days. When he wakes up, he remembers everything about his life, but no one will confirm it—not even his wife of five years.
So here we have the story of Martin Harris (Neeson). A supposed brilliant scientist who is in Germany to give a presentation at an intellectual conference until he is made to believe that his life is not his own after all.
There are folks who swear they don't know who he is. His wife Liz (January Jones) and the alleged real Martin Harris (Aidan Quinn), for starters.
Then, there are those sympathetic like his doctor and nurse, who just want proof before they agree that he is indeed Dr. Harris.
The folks at the hotel and the conference don't know what to believe, but the police are called multiple times just in case he's nuts.
Left without any options, Dr. Harris tracks down the taxi driver (Kruger) who saved him after the accident for additional answers and seeks the help of a former spy who is now a private investigator. As this is happening, at least two people (not those two) die trying to help him.
To say that it's boring would be unfair, to call it "smart" would be equally unfair.
Liam Neeson is his usual good "desperate" character. There are car chases and flashed knives and guns pulled and men in black leather jackets there to let you know they are bad guys.
There is also sexual tension (with the taxi driver) and enough flashback shots of a flirtatious Liz to make you wish you were watching re-runs of Mad Men instead.
As for figuring out the mystery, after a certain point I quit caring about Dr. Harris.
Unfortunately, the box office returns didn't, so more empty action films like this are sure to be made.
~~~
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