17. Felony

October 18th in Chicago. I saw this on demand. An Australian cop drama about right and wrong. The story focuses on three detectives: Mal (Joel Edgerton), the hero; Carl (Tom Wilkinson), the "old school" detective and Jim (Jai Courtney), the young "go-getting," crusader type. The film opens as Mal leads a bust on a drug ring and takes a bullet for his troubles, luckily the vest does its job. He and his unit are out drinking to celebrate their deeds and Mal decides to get behind the wheel and drive home. His blood alcohol level is well over the legal limit.

As Mal makes his way home, Carl meets up with his new partner Jim. Jim is the eager new detective who wants to please the old, bitter and hardened detective Carl. While out rousting a witness, Jim and Carl get a call about a traffic accident. Carl wants nothing to do with it but since Jim is a "go getter," he decides to go. Plus, the scene is relatively close. They arrive to find that a hit and run occurred between a car and a young boy on a bike. Mal is pulled over as a "witness." As Carl questions Mal, he realizes that maybe Mal is more than a witness and sends Jim away. Carl's instincts were correct, Mal is drunk and he struck the boy. Carl tells him to stick to the story. Since he's not a bad person, its ok to let him walk.

Mal is racked with guilt. He eventually tells his wife, a nurse, but she takes the, "what good would it do to come forth" approach. Meanwhile Carl and Jim are going after a pedophile. Carl is convinced the guy's a pedophile but Jim isn't so sure and begins to sour on Carl and goes so far as to start investigating the hit and run on his own. Jim doesn't like what he's finding and he starts to become more and more convinced that Mal is more than a "witness." Mal goes to Carl and tells him he wants to come clean but Carl wants to hear none of it.

The detectives kind of square off against each other, and eventually the boy dies. Mal speaks with Carl and Jim about confessing when it comes out the Jim has been making the moves on the boy's mother. Things get ugly and Carl winds up in the hospital with a lousy prognosis. Mal gets into a single car accident this time and finds himself on the boy's mother's doorstep (I don't want to give away the ending). The film ends with Jim and Mal being partner.

Very good film that was well directed and well acted. The only issues I had was that it sometimes moved too slow. Each of the 3 detectives is flawed in their own way, Carl being the biggest douche. You have to be in the right mindset to watch this film. The film is directed by Matthew Saville, who usually has done Australian sitcoms makes a huge jump to a heavy drama and does a really nice job. 

October 2014 Film Preview

October 3rd

• Gone Girl: David Fincher directs this adaption of Gilian Flynn's novel about a woman's (Rosamund Pike) disappearance. Ben Affleck is her husband who becomes the prime suspect in the disappearance. This film has gotten a lot of positive buzz. Since its directed by Fincher, I'll be seeing this one
• Annabelle: The doll from The Conjuring is gets her own spinoff.
• The Good Lie: Sudanese refugees get out of their war torn country and relocate to Kansas. Apparently they get by quite well despite the fact that Reese Witherspoon is helping them out. There is some difficult subject matter in regards to innocent civilians in war ravaged Sudan and there's the predictable fish out of water theme as well as the the refugees help Reese as much as she helps them. Brought to you by Ron Howard and Brian Glazer. Inspired by a true story. Be advised. I would wager that the real life people who got out of the Sudan is far more interesting than any dreck Hollywood could manufacture. There will be some tearjerking moments. Given.
• 7500: Flight 7500 from LA to Tokyo has 273 good looking, mostly white passengers. Some doofus decides to leave his electronic devices on during take off and things go bad. Someone decided to bring super-natural horror to the confines of a commercial airliner.
• Left Behind: Nicholas Cage stars in a rapture themed film. Cage is a pilot catching a lift on another flight when the hit some turbulence and passengers on the plane (as well as the crew) are gone. Apparently the turbulence was the rapture. Yadda-Yadda-Yadda. I stopped watching the trailer about halfway through. Cage is not starring in the film for the sake of art.
• A Good Marriage: Based on a Stephen King short story. Joan Allen and Anthony LaPaglia have a seemingly perfect marriage with a lovely home and family. Until Allen starts to find clues that make it look like her husband is a serial killer. Stephen King's books are usually excellent but sometimes they fall short when they hit the big screen. This one could be worth a look.
• Drive Hard: John Cusack is a bank robber who uses dumb cluck's Thomas Jane's driver's ed car as a getaway car. Perhaps the money they stole (over $9m which seems like a lot for the short amount of time he was in the bank) isn't just FDIC money but some sinister organization's. As they make their get away more groups seem interested in getting the case that contains the money. This seemed like a comedy action film but it looked stupid to me.

October 10th

• The Judge: A local judge (Robert Duvall) goes on trial for murder. He's defended by his son, Robert Downey, Jr. They have a strained relationship. They cast alone, throw in Vera Formiga, should  be worth the proces of admission. The only thing that makes me hesitate on this is that the director,  David Dobkin, has more of a comedy background. The plot of murder, father and son reconnecting while one is on trial and the other is the defense attorney doesn't scream big laughs. There's a lot of buzz around it though.
• Dracula Untold: Not necessarily another vampire film. Instead this film focuses more on the Vlad the Impaler aspect. This is the major directorial debut of Gary Shore.
• Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible No Good Day: Disney family film about a white upper middle class family with 1st world problems. Alexander is the middle son who's the ordinary kid in the family. The parents are Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner. In their one bad day of their lives, hilarity ensues.
• One Chance: Based on a true story...an overweight, bullied British kid grows up to become an overweight bullied adult. But he's got the voice of an angel as he goes out to become an opera singer. It's a feel good story.
• Addicted: Sharon Leal is married to studly Boris Kodjoe. They have a lovely home, family and are easily the two best looking people in any crowd. Yet that's not good enough for Leal who starts fantasizing about painter William Levy. Then fantasy becomes reality and the two start sleeping with each other and Leal can't stop. Turns out she's a sex addict or at least addicted to penises not belonging to her studly husband but other studly men. Interesting drama on how Leal's perfect life is torn apart by her need have sex with extraordinarily good looking men.
• Whiplash: Miles Teller is a prodigy of jazz drumming. He enrolls in a an elite school for jazz musicians and the instructor, JK Simmons, is the type that demands total perfection. Very reminiscent of R. Lee Emery's Gunnery Sgt. Hartman in Full Metal Jacket. This film has gotten a lot of buzz and it could be worth a look but it may not be in wide release.
• Kill the Messenger: Jeremy Renner trades in the 70's haircut he had in American Hustle for an 80's haircut in this film. He plays an investigative reporter who is looking to blow the lid off the CIA army the Contras in Nicaragua. Throw in some cocaine and his life and the life of his family are in danger.
• Automata: Antonio Banderas plays a guy who works for a robotics company in the year 2044. Apparently someone is altering the programming of robots and that's bad. The trailer looks really cool but this looks a lot like a cross between Blade Runner and I, Robot. That said, I'll probably see this film because of my perceived connection to the former.
• Kite: This film is based on a Japanese anime where a young girl seeks revenge for the murder of her parents. Sounds a bit like Columbiana or even O-Ren Ishii's backstory. I'm a bit of a sucker for revenge films so who knows. 
• Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead: The sequel to the 2009 cult gem, Dead Snow is here! There are Nazi zombies with a purpose and lots of blood. The Nazi zombies even get a tank. Find a way to see this film.
• You're Not You: Hilary Swank is a concert pianist (or something like that but she lives a good life) with Josh Duhamel as her husband. Swank contracts ALS and "I do what I want" free-spirited college student Emmy Rossum becomes her caregiver. They both teach each other life lessons. Bring tissues if you're planning on seeing this.

October 17th

• Fury: This trailer is awesome and I will be seeing this film. David Ayer directs this WWII film about tank commander Brad Pitt and his crew behind enemy lines with the odds stacked against them. The fact that Shia LaBeouf is also in here is not a deterrent for me.
• The Best of Me: Yet another Nicholas Sparks adaption with a good looking white couple.
• Birdman: Michael Keaton is a washed up actor who hasn't recovered from playing an iconic superhero role 20 plus years ago. It appears that he snaps and tries to revive the character but in real life to bring his career/life out of the skids. This is similar to the 1980 film Hero at Large except grittier and with potential mental illness. Birdman has gotten some interesting buzz and could be worth seeing. All-star cast includes Emma Stone, Naomi Watts, Edward Norton and Zach Galifianackis.
• Dear White People: A satire about racial issues and topics at the fictional Winchester College. Think of this as a funny version of 1997s Higher Learning. The trailer was very captivating and touches on some interesting topics, "Dear white people, in order to not appear racist, the quota of black friends has been raised to two. Your weed guy Tyrone doesn't count." Poignant topics but delivered in a light hearted way but not so lighthearted where the message is lost. 
• Rudderless: William H. Macy takes his first directorial gig about a man (Billy Crudup) who's son is murdered. Embittered Crudup retreats from society to his houseboat and discovers that his son was a talented singer/songwriter. Crudup decides to go out and bring his son's music to the people one small venue at a time. Eventually he teams up with Anton Yelchin. Tearjerker alert!
• Felony: Australian film starring Joel Edgerton, Jai Courtney and Tom Wilkinson as detectives. Edgerton is the hero cop, Courtney is the up and comer and WIlkinson is the old detective past him prime. Written by Edgerton, one of them is involved in an accident that puts a child in a coma. One tries to to cover it while the other tries to find the truth. Guilt gnaws at the perpetrator.
• Young Ones: Set in the dystopian post apocalyptic future (my favorite kind) water is the most precious resource. Earth is barren and dying. There's some violence involved. Could be interesting.
• Listen Up Philip: Jason Schwartzman is a writer who's girlfriend is Elizabeth Moss but still sleeps around with other women but he seems unhappy. What the hell is it with films where the protagonist is an unhappy writer? Schwartzman is playing a 70s Woody Allen type. Moss is the girlfriend who doesn't like where the relationship is going. I don't know about this, it's got a solid cast but the plot seems worn out. I guess writers in film have the burden of being the last batch of pure intellectuals and the weight is too much to bear despite the fact they lead seemingly great lives with no source of income.
• Mall: A tale of several young suburbanites unhappy with where their lives are going that centers around a local southern California Mall. There's the stereotypical Columbine-esque loner who decides to shoot up the mall. The characters are unrelated but the one constant in their lives is the mall. All the characters seem pretty f*cked up. There's a lot of violence but some if it seems likes its in a dream sequence. Vincent D'onofrio stars as well as Pete Stormare. Gritty,violent and dare I say nihilistic film. 

October 24th

• Ouija: It' been nearly 30 years since Witchboard came out and Hollywood is giving those "spiritualist" Parker Brothers invention another go. Ouija stars some thin, white good looking twenty somethings who are playing high school kids. The pretty blonde stumbles across the ouija piece that people put their fingers on and it "moves" by itself and then dies in a very Final Destination manner. Her handsome but dim witted friends use the ouija and weird shit starts to happen to them. There's probably nothing original in this film and not worth seeing in the theatre. If it's any good, Netflix is a nice forum.
• St. Vincent: Bill Murray plays an aging veteran who's bitter, cynical and a bit of a drunk. That being said, he's the perfect mentor to recently divorced Melissa McCarthy's young son. This has a bit of Bad Grandpa feel except not as stupid. There's a lot of buzz around this film and I am going to see it because of Bill Murray. 
• Laggies: Keira Knightley has a nice life but when her boyfriend starts to propose, she starts to unhinge and disappears. She hooks up with high school student Chloe Grace Moretz and the two form such a bond that Moretz brings Knightly home. There Knightly meets Moretz's single father Sam Rockwell. If you don't feel like guessing, Knightly gives advice to Moretz and Rockwell starts to become infatuated with her. So we've got 3 people at crossroads in their lives all coming together. Knightly has a good life (white, good looking and upper middle class) but can't or isn't ready to face the responsibility of being grown up. Not my cup of tea.
• White Bird in a Blizzard: Shailene Woodley, Eva Green and a mustachioed Christopher Meloni are the Connors, a seemingly normal family with some dark secrets (think of the Burnhams from American Beauty). One day, Eva Green up and disappears. The trailer hints that Meloni may or may not have killed her or is a serial killer (there are clips of people opening a freezer and gasping). Thomas Jane plays the family counselor whom Woodley seduces. Heavy drama for sure but I will wait to see what the buzz is before making a commitment. 
• Revenge of the Green Dragons: This looks like an updated version of Year of the Dragon. Human trafficking by Asian street gangs in NYC is the basis. Ray Liotta is the obsessed cop trying to bring the gangs to justice and Justin Chon is the gang leader trying to get to the top without being too evil. The trailer looked cool and this may be worth watching. I was a big fan of Year of the Dragon 30 years ago.
• John Wick: Keanu Reeves is John Wick, a retired ass-kicking spy type who's dog gets killed, forcing him to get revenge. At least that's what I took away from the trailer. It'll hard to decide whether to see Keanu, Liam Neeson or Denzel racking up huge body counts.

October 31st

• Nightcrawler: Jake Gyllenhaal is a down on his luck creepy guy who finds his calling trying to beat cops to car accidents so he can film it and sell it to the local news outlets. Soon car crashes aren't enough and he escalates to crime scenes. There's been a lot of buzz about this film and it could be worth watching.
• Before I go to Sleep: Nicole has a memory problem. Due to severe head trauma, she has no long term memory and her short term gets erased when she wakes up. Colin Firth, her husband, has to remind of who she is and what they mean to each other. Enter Mark Strong who's telling Kidman that maybe Firth isn't such a great spouse. Ridley Scott is involved in this film and it looks interesting. It could be worth a look.
• Horns: Daniel Radcliffe plays a guy suspected of killing his girlfriend. The media pressure on him is intense and he eventually starts growing horns. I guess because people are calling him a devil and not in a Dennis the Menace kind of way. Radcliffe goes around searching for the killer and gets a boost of confidence from the horns as people are now frightened by him. There's some satire in regards to the media but it looks interesting. 
• Why Don't You Play in Hell: Japanese film about rival Yakuza factions who want to make a film about their gang war. At least that's what I took away from the trailer as there's a lot of action crammed into the two minutes and not a lot of plot hints. There's equipment, crew but no script. The film looks interesting but in all honesty I can't see myself viewing it in the theater. Maybe On Demand or Netflix. It does interest me a bit.