A Boston double bill
For some reason, my local cinema programmed a Dennis Lehane Boston-isn't-safe-for-kids double bill recently. I'm not sure what the reason for this was, if any, but I'm not complaining as I'd never seen either of them.
So first of all I finally got round to seeing Ben Affleck's directorial debut (after its unfortunate UK shelving / blink-and-miss release), one of the few big Oscar films of this year's ceremony that I hadn't seen. Colour me impressed.
With this kidnap-mystery thriller and that Jesse James thing under young Casey's belt, there's no doubt anymore about which of the Affleck boys is the actor; but that said, it certainly goes some way to proving that Ben may have a shot at better reviews behind the camera than in front. It certainly feels like an authentic Boston film, but any locals from the area will need to confirm since I've never been. I did see GOOD WILL HUNTING though. It's refreshingly unshowy, given that so many debut directors very often try to be a bit too clever, pulling off all sorts of camera gymnastics and dodgy effects.
He also got the best out of most of the cast too, which is far more important. It's a film that doesn't exactly boil over with action, so you really need a good cast of characters to keep things ticking along. While I'm sure Lehane deserves the credit for the characters' creation, there's no doubt that an incredibly good cast really brought them to life.
I've never read the novel so I don't know how faithful the film is. The only flaw seemed to be that there were a lot of characters who were in there because they ultimately had some integral part of the plot hang on them, but were given far too little to do for the rest of the film (Michelle Monaghan springs to mind). That's a shame, as many of the actors involved really deserved better.
It's a cracking film though and the story's twists and turns certainly take the film into unexpected territory towards the end too. If you're one of the countless people who missed out on account of the UK distribution problems then take the opportunity to see it as soon as you can.
The second part of the double bill provided another Boston-set kiddie-threatening Oscar-troubling acting showcase, in the form of Clint Eastwood's adaptation of MYSTIC RIVER.
Like Affleck's debut above, Eastwood is an assured director who shows just enough flair without being flashy and again gets terrific performances from a superb cast. Sean Penn can certainly be accused of having a few too many actorly moments and Robbins doesn't totally convince, but apart from that the cast is terrific. The story (three childhood friends are reunited by the death of one of their children) is powerful, gripping and (again like the Affleck film above) springs plenty of surprises. In the end though, it's let down by going on five or ten minutes after it has reached a logical conclusion, the worst offender being a ridiculously neat and tidy wrap-up of a Kevin Bacon subplot that was needless to begin with. I think we can let Eastwood off with that though, since he does a fine job in every other area (including the understated music as always).
So first of all I finally got round to seeing Ben Affleck's directorial debut (after its unfortunate UK shelving / blink-and-miss release), one of the few big Oscar films of this year's ceremony that I hadn't seen. Colour me impressed.
With this kidnap-mystery thriller and that Jesse James thing under young Casey's belt, there's no doubt anymore about which of the Affleck boys is the actor; but that said, it certainly goes some way to proving that Ben may have a shot at better reviews behind the camera than in front. It certainly feels like an authentic Boston film, but any locals from the area will need to confirm since I've never been. I did see GOOD WILL HUNTING though. It's refreshingly unshowy, given that so many debut directors very often try to be a bit too clever, pulling off all sorts of camera gymnastics and dodgy effects.
He also got the best out of most of the cast too, which is far more important. It's a film that doesn't exactly boil over with action, so you really need a good cast of characters to keep things ticking along. While I'm sure Lehane deserves the credit for the characters' creation, there's no doubt that an incredibly good cast really brought them to life.
I've never read the novel so I don't know how faithful the film is. The only flaw seemed to be that there were a lot of characters who were in there because they ultimately had some integral part of the plot hang on them, but were given far too little to do for the rest of the film (Michelle Monaghan springs to mind). That's a shame, as many of the actors involved really deserved better.
It's a cracking film though and the story's twists and turns certainly take the film into unexpected territory towards the end too. If you're one of the countless people who missed out on account of the UK distribution problems then take the opportunity to see it as soon as you can.
The second part of the double bill provided another Boston-set kiddie-threatening Oscar-troubling acting showcase, in the form of Clint Eastwood's adaptation of MYSTIC RIVER.
Like Affleck's debut above, Eastwood is an assured director who shows just enough flair without being flashy and again gets terrific performances from a superb cast. Sean Penn can certainly be accused of having a few too many actorly moments and Robbins doesn't totally convince, but apart from that the cast is terrific. The story (three childhood friends are reunited by the death of one of their children) is powerful, gripping and (again like the Affleck film above) springs plenty of surprises. In the end though, it's let down by going on five or ten minutes after it has reached a logical conclusion, the worst offender being a ridiculously neat and tidy wrap-up of a Kevin Bacon subplot that was needless to begin with. I think we can let Eastwood off with that though, since he does a fine job in every other area (including the understated music as always).
Labels: oscars
posted by Alan at 6:18 pm
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