Silver Linings
Playbook
“Reckless” is not usually how I would describe a movie, but Silver Linings Playbook is such an
egregious misfire that no other characterization would be appropriate. That’s not
to say that David O. Russell's film, which has all the moves of a tired romantic comedy, doesn’t have some satisfying features. These include strong turns from
Jennifer Lawrence and Robert DeNiro and an evocative rendering of the blue-collar outskirts of Philadelphia. But a handful of good performances and skillful visual grammar cannot overcome the unsettling reality that Silver Linings Playbook unforgivably trivializes a sensitive and difficult
subject—mental illness—with silly plot contrivances and a dubious underlying
message about blind faith. *½
Benh Zeitlin’s Beasts
of the Southern Wild takes you to a flood-prone locale outside New Orleans
called The Bathtub, where a young girl named Hushpuppy sets off on an odyssey.
Despite its problematic tendency to ennoble the girl and other members of this
community with penetrating insights into the mysteries of life, Beasts nonetheless authors a rich
portrait of a world far removed from the social and commercial restraints of
modern society. Moreover, the film’s most distinctive trait is that it seamlessly melds
a gritty brand of realism with sweeping emotional gusts and fantastical visions
of folk legend that come to play a major role in Hushpuppy’s coming of age. ***
Looper has everything a good science fiction film should offer, including a new spin on an
old concept (time travel), a bold depiction of the future, and most importantly
a character-centric story. The plot is too detailed to recount here, suffice to say that
director Rian Johnson approaches it only as an extension character, an emphasis that deepens the film's many bursts of intense violence. Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are both in fine form (playing, respectively, an
older and younger version of the same man), but this is Johnson’s
show, from the crisp writing to the distinctly understated visuals. Not every
beat is successful, but Looper’s moving
treatise on grief and remorse approaches greatness. ***½
The Deep Blue Sea has an unbound emotional core, and yet it is defined by
its reserve. Director Terence Davies adapts this play as if it were for the stage,
giving us only a handful of characters and locations in telling this tale of a
woman whose infidelities in post-World War II England magnify her deeper sadness. A
stirring opening with sumptuous music and color set the tone for what
becomes a somewhat muted and yet atmospheric work. The supporting characters are rendered too thinly for such challenging material, but the film is elevated by Rachel Weisz, who has no easy task in transmitting the suffering of a suicidal woman. Her restrained portrayal of transient hope and lingering depression is stunning. ***
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