Ed's Review Dot Com

Blackbird, Cold Iron Pictures, Movie Plus productions,

Richard Gere, Lior Ashkenazi, Hank Azaria, Steve Buscemi, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Michael Sheen, Dan Stevens, Josh Charles

Norman (Richard Gere) is a fixer. Head of the Oppenheimer Agency, Normal sets up meetings. He talks really, really big, has no fear of annoying everyone, and basically talks a big game! He befriends an starting out Israeli politician. Lo and Behold, in a few years he becomes the Prime Minister of Israel and he needs his buddy Norman to help him putting Norman on the precipice of destruction and on top of the world at the same time.

This is a very quirky and off-beat movie that features Richard Gere in a very cerebral and thoughtfully put together movie. I would think a lot of folks are going to get into this. It’s a character study, and Norman Oppeenheimer is truly a remarkable character. He lies without missing a bit, and not much that he says is not filled with hyperbole and exaggeration. He’s a nice guy inside, but is really crass on the outside. I once worked for a guy who used to always tell customers “I am not honest because of any moral reason, but I am honest because it’s simply good business>” Trouble is there wasn’t an honest bone in his body. Guys like Norman can be patting you on the back and heaping praises left and right while he’s picking your pocket. So what can I say about this movie? Well, I have mixed reactions to it. There’s no doubt that Richard Gere’s performance is really very expertly done. He does an amazing job of bringing this guy, we’ve all known at one time or another, to life. But the movie isn’t filled with much excitement. It’s mostly like a one man show. It’s slow paced, and I never did figure out how all the other characters fit in to this story as it lost me a bit, so if you tackle it, pay a lot of attention. However, if you like slow character development and enjoy a masterful performance like Gere turns in, you’re going to be a fan of this film. But it is really hard to classify this film, as it’s not that funny and not that serious, and there’s not that much going on here. For that reason, I hesitate to praise it too much.

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Blackbird, Cold Iron Pictures, Tadmor,

Paul Dano, Daniel Radcliffe, Mary Elizabeth Winstead

Hank (Paul Dano) appears to be on a deserted island and about to hang himself. Hank is very lonely and full of despair. As he’s about to do the deed, he notices a corpse floating out in the water. He changes his mind and sets out to pull in and rescue the corpse, but over time as his relationship with the dead dude, Manny (Daniel Radcliffe), he finds that not only is Manny still able to function, but he has magical powers that help Hank to escape his desperate attempt to return to civilization, especially to finally meet and talk to the girl he often saw on the bus, Sarah (Mary Elizabeth Winstead).

This film is really, really strange! Now that doesn’t have to be a bad thing, and in this case, it’s not anything like realism, but it could have many, many meanings. It’s wide open enough that you can come up with you own theory of whether everything is literal, if it’s a psychotic episode, or if Hank perhaps really succeeded in his attempt to hang himself. That’s all up to you, the viewer to decide. Daniel Radcliffe certainly picks some really strange roles, and this has to be the strangest thing he’s ever done, but it’s got some real comedic moments if you take it all seriously. It’s certainly way out there in the Twilight Zone. I don’t want to spill too much of the happenings as it might be fun for those of you who are fans of the strange, to try to figure out your take on it. Like “The Lobster” [Click Here for Ed’s Review] that was released on DVD not to long ago, this is really off the mainstream by miles and miles. As to the performances, Paul Dano did an excellent job on this movie, but he’s certainly not very likeable. Poor Hank has so many issues and is really screwed up, that’s for sure, no matter how you take it. And Radcliffe’s performance as I alluded to before is very strange, but he’s playing a talking (and farting) dead body, so what is there to judge it with? All I can say is that I didn’t really get it, and found it rather annoying in a lot of ways, but I certainly didn’t hate it either. I would not go out seeking this movie, as it is certainly an odd way to spend an hour or so, but if you do have a chance to see it, and you like very out of the ordinary subjects, then you just might like it. I can see where some people would think this a masterpiece (I don’t) but on the other hand, I can just as easy see fights erupting over what it all means, which may simply means totally nothing at all. Approach at your own risk!

Note: This is the studio’s Red Band or R Rated trailer:

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Caviar, Caviar Films, Cold Iron Pictures,

Bel Powley, Alexander Skarsgård, Christopher Meloni, Kristen Wiig

Minnie (Bel Powley) is a teenage girl living with single mom Charlotte (Kristen Wiig) in San Francisco in 1974. It was a time of rampant drugs and free love, and Minnie is full of curiosity. She is estranged from her father, and Mom is dating he latest boyfriend, Monroe (Alexander Skarsgard) when she notices he is paying attention to her. Ever the tease, Minnie flirts with him until they are in the midst of a full blown affair, but unable to control herself, once the devil is unleashed, Minnie branches out to anyone who will pay her any attention. Things blow up nicely when Mom figures it all out, and Minnie is out on her own trying to work it all out in this harsh and uncomfortable coming of age story in a strange period of our history.

This film is very uncomfortable. It does not pull punches, and it hits us in the gut from start to finish. Never flinching, it is very difficult to watch this, as we certainly feel like we are intruding. It was a difficult time to be a child in San Francisco during these years, and it was even harder to figure out how to manage to grow up unscathed in this unsettling time. This is a painful story to watch, and you really feel like you’re eavesdropping on something that should not be seen. It’s very bleak and direct to the point. My heart went out to Minnie as she felt ugly and unappreciated, and longing so fast to grow up and become like her Mother which was a very low goal to reach for. The film feels confined and small as it’s shot with very limited locations and settings and is based on the dialog and the events of the story, not beautiful photography and scenery. It almost feels like it is in black and white as it is very stark. Well put together, but it’s not going to suit everyone due to the harsh nature of the story, and it’s very realistic. Be warned that this film does everything in its power to pull the R rating that it well deserved. Critics are harsh, but I understand where they’re coming from, but at the same time I understand that this is based on life in the 70’s in the hippie community, and being a school age person in that time period must have been very disconcerting, especially without a father figure and with friends egging her along. Yes, it’s not the kind of experience I lived through in that period in a small community where drugs were not present, and behavior like this was still rare, and a major scandal, but it’s interesting seeing how a female handles being pushed into this crazy world without any real guidance or assistance. Actually the performances were really good, but it is still an uncomfortable story to tell or to watch. Buyer beware!

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