Southpaw

I love sports movies. There I've said it. I came to a not-so-surprising but still somewhat surprising revelation after recently watching 2015's Southpaw. I've thought of it before, but it hit me square in the face this time around. All boxing movies are remakes of Rocky to one extent or another. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it do make things a tad predictable at times...

From nothing to greatness, boxer Billy Hope (Jake Gyllenhaal) is the light heavyweight champion of the world. He grew up in the system and made something out of himself because of his boxing ability, which his 43-0 record attests to. Billy loves his wife, Maureen (Rachel McAdams), and their daughter, Leila (Oona Laurence), more than anything. It's the point in his career though where Billy doesn't win as easily, taking far more of a pounding in the ring than he used to. Still, he believes and his manager believes that his best days are still ahead of him. That plan and hope for the future though is ripped apart when tragedy strikes his family, putting Billy into a tailspin that causes him to lose everything, including his daughter. He sinks to rock bottom and has nowhere to go but up. Where will he hopefully find his redemption? Back in the ring, going back to the basics of the sport he love(d) so much.

What is it about boxing stories that work so well in film? My thought is the underdog status that hovers above the sport. Boxing is a sport that can chew up its competitors and spit them out in an instant. One loss, and that's potentially it. Your career could be over, your chance at a title belt gone because of one punch, one fist landed. So what do folks love so much about that premise? The redemption factor, a second chance, an opportunity to prove what you're capable of, fighting back against the sport that seemingly wants you to fail. When those second chances turn into success stories...yeah, it makes for a good movie.

From director Antoine Fuqua, 'Southpaw' is a really solid, familiar and well-acted boxing story that certainly shows the impact of Rocky some 40 years since the original's release. It's not that 'Southpaw' isn't good. It is. It's really good, but no matter what I did I couldn't help but feel I'd seen the movie already. First off, the trailer (I'll include the link below as always) gives away a HUGE FREAKING TWIST so don't watch it. Fighter is at the top of his game, he tumbles, must climb back up. Whole scenes felt duplicated from Rocky, from Million Dollar Baby, from Warrior and plenty of others I'm probably forgetting. Now the beauty of that quasi-duplication is that what it's mimicking (or following in footsteps) are damn good to classic movies. So yeah, that's my biggest complaint. It isn't original. If you've watched sports movies, you've seen Southpaw...but it's good, really good.

Man, Jake Gyllenhaal is the absolute best. I don't know if there's a more talented actor currently working in film. He follows up his best performance yet -- last year's Nightcrawler -- with another excellent performance, bringing to life the rags-to-riches-to-rags Billy Hope, a fighter who's made something out of himself with the unwavering support of his wife, Maureen (an excellent part for McAdams). For starters, Gyllenhaal got into extreme physical shape and certainly looks the part of a champion boxer. He looks natural and believable in the ring, a vital part of any sports flick, a believable athlete in the lead. More than that though, it's an acting performance dripping with intensity, rage and tension, a man not too far from going over the edge and constantly pulling himself back to try and make things right. There are some huge, gutting, absolutely draining moments that Gyllenhaal shows (again) what a great actor he is. Can't wait to see what he's up to next!

What does a good underdog need? A coach who isn't gonna take his crap, who instead is gonna push him to his limits and then keep going. In the Mick role, Forrest Whitaker is a scene-stealer, a great match to Gyllenhaal as Tick Wills, a gym owner who works with kids in the city and a former boxer himself who saw his fighting career cut tragically short. He's worn down, beat up by the world but keeps on going. The movie's most effective moments are these two beat-up fighters just talking, shooting the breeze, feeling each other out. Their chemistry is pretty flawless developing a relationship with some extreme highs and lows. Along with McAdams and Laurence (a very talented young actress), look for 50 Cent in slimeball mode as Billy's boxing manager, Naomie Harris as a social worker, Beau Knapp as a friend of Billy's who on his training team, and Skylan Brooks as Hoppy, a teenage fighter Billy works with at Tick's gym.

As emotionally effective and heartfelt as the more emotional scenes are, 'Southpaw' is at its most comfortable in the gym and in the ring. The fights are well-choreographed and brutal as a high-level fight should be. You grimace as the punches land, as the blood starts to flow and the fighters try to punch their way through a fight. Billy's principal rival -- in more ways than one -- is a tough, fast-talking Colombian fighter, Miguel 'Magic' Escobar (Miguel Gomez), outfitted with a brutal punch but the fundamentals and footwork to match it, an all-around specimen. The finale packs the biggest wallop, both in terms of the adrenaline-pumping fight but also the emotion wrapped up in it. Like the best sports movies, you find yourself rooting for our guy, for Billy to come through, to put his demons aside and do what he couldn't. Excellent ending full of excitement as one round turns to two and on and on. Oh, and the training montage is superb. You need a superb training montage.

Nothing flashy, but an excellent cast -- especially Gyllenhaal and Whitaker -- with a familiar but extremely well-told underdog boxing story. Highly recommended. Now bring on the newest flick in the Rocky franchise, Creed!

Southpaw (2015): ***/****

Out of the Furnace

I love a good movie trailer. I love the previews before the featured show. And some of them, they just reach out and grab you. Recently, the new Godzilla trailer caught my attention with some great visuals, great style and even better music. Released last year, 2013's Out of the Furnace caught my attention for different reasons. I should qualify that. Reason, singular. That cast. THAT CAST.

Russell Baze (Christian Bale) has spent his whole life in North Braddock, Pennsylvania, working at the local steel mill and carving out a rough hewn, tough life for himself. That life is torn from him one night when he drinks a little too much and gets in a car accident, two people killed in the other car. Russell is sent to prison and serves his sentence for manslaughter, finding his life even more uprooted when he gets out. Almost everything dearest to him has been taken away from him, his brother, Rodney (Casey Affleck), also in trouble. His younger brother is a veteran of multiple tours in Iraq and is struggling to cope, getting involved with a backwoods crime boss, Harlan DeGroat (Woody Harrelson). As he tries to pick up the pieces of his own life, Russell is now trying to save Rodney from himself too.

The trailer for this crime drama from director Scott Cooper caught my eye immediately. About just as quickly, the reviews started to come out criticizing the film. It wasn't that 'Furnace' wasn't good. It was more so that it wasn't as good as it could (and maybe should) have been. The reviews were pretty mixed, and it never gained any footing in theaters, earning a little over $14 million. Opinions will vary, but I liked this movie a lot. If there's a complaint, maybe it's that 'Furnace' is a little too familiar. It does feel like other movies, other crime dramas revolving around families and crime bosses operating on their own. It is dark, brutal and violent but the formula works, simple as that. It was filmed on-location in Pennsylvania and West Virginia where the story takes place, giving the story a gritty, authentic feel. Dickon Hinchliffe's musical score is okay but a few days later no themes really stick with me.

Christian Bale is on a short list of actors that I'll basically see anything they're in. I liked him a lot as Batman and love what he can do and has done with a variety of different roles. In a lot of ways, 'Furnace' reminded me of an ultra-gritty 1970s crime thrillers. It's the type of role that's easy to imagine Clint Eastwood or Steve McQueen playing, and Bale doesn't disappoint. Bale's Russell is that familiar but cool anti-hero, a good guy who's fallen on some tough times. What will he do to hopefully reverse that trend?  It's a matter of a guy getting out of his head and doing what needs to be done, even if none of that is the easy thing to do. This isn't a showy or flashy part, but Bale brings the character to life without any huge, dramatic monologues. His most emotional scene is a quiet, moving exchange with his ex-girlfriend (Zoe Saldana) as they meet for the first time in several years. The important thing is simple though. You're rooting for Russell, hoping he can figure things out in a solid lead performance from Mr. Bale.

But that cast! THAT CAST!!! Some reviews had some fun with the cast here in 'Furnace,' the trailers listing Academy Award winner/nominee, Golden Globe winner/nominee with seemingly every member of the cast. Harrelson is the downright nasty villain, his Harlan a drug-addicted, menacing criminal thug who doesn't have a redeeming thing going for him. It's fun to see villains like this, bad guys you love to hate. Affleck too is especially good as Rodney, Russell's younger brother who's struggling to readjust after returning from his tours in Iraq. Their relationship feels authentic from the get-go, two brothers who have always been close, one desperately trying to save the other. There's also Sam Shepard as Red, Russell's uncle who's very similar in demeanor to his nephew, Willem Dafoe as Petty, the local bar owner with his hand in some underhanded ventures, and Forest Whitaker as the local sheriff trying to keep his town somewhat in check as it threatens to implode. Hard to beat that collection of talent in one movie, huh?

This wasn't a classic movie, but I don't think it's trying to be. It is a good story with interesting characters and an equally interesting premise. The violence is startling and far from glamorous, not stylized like an action movie. So in that sense, 'Furnace' is quiet, moody movie that I enjoyed a lot. Appreciate the cast -- however big or small the role -- and watch this one. I feel like some viewers went in expecting an all-powerful movie that would rewrite the crime drama. It's just a good movie with an ending that's as dark and realistic as real life, not a duded up, forced ending.

Deal with it. Enjoy it.

Out of the Furnace (2013): ***/**** 

The Last Stand

It's good to have Arnold Schwarzenegger back. That is all. Elected Governor of California in 2003, the action star served two terms, putting his film career on hold for the time being. He returned to movies with The Expendables, a slightly bigger part in its sequel and officially took a key supporting role in last year's Escape Plan. But now, it's time for a leading role in a good, old-fashioned shoot 'em up, 2013's The Last Stand.

In the quiet border town of Sommerset Junction in Arizona, Sheriff Ray Towns (Schwarzenegger) enjoys a peaceful, restful life after years of serving in the L.A.P.D. Narcotics and Tactical Division. Well, that idyllic, peaceful life is about to get thrown a curve. With much of the town following the high school football team on a road game, Towns gets a call that someone has been murdered. His deputies stumble upon something in the desert, heavily armed ex-military firing on the deputies. At the same time, Towns gets another call, this time from FBI agent Bannister (Forest Whitaker), with a warning. A highly dangerous leader of a powerful drug cartel, Gabriel Cortez (Eduardo Noriega), has led a bloody escape and is making a beeline for Mexico in a modified, souped-up sports car. Bannister believes Cortez is heading right to Sommerset Junction. Towns figures Cortez's plan out, ex-military and all, but can he and his motley crew of deputies stop Cortez?

Ah, action movies, how I love you. This flick didn't do much business last year in theaters -- netting a little over $48 million -- but I remember catching the first trailer for this and being intrigued. This wasn't a movie I was dying to see, that I needed to see, but could it be good? Oh, you bet, and that's what it is in the end. From director Kim Jee-woon, 'Stand' is an entertaining, well-done action movie that's cheesy and goofy, blending some fun characters with one-liners, lots of bloody action and a straightforward good guys vs. bad guys premise. It isn't interested in rewriting the genre, and that's fine. In a lot of ways, it reminded me of last year's 2 Guns, a type of crime action movie that was really popular in the 1970s, especially with the U.S./Mexico border setting. Just enjoy it. Don't overthink it.

Schwarzenegger!!! It's fun to see one of Hollywood's all-time great action stars getting back to business. I got a taste of his return in Escape Plan (his parts in the Expendables are cameos as part of an ensemble, nothing more), but this is where it's at, the Governator in a lead role. Working off a script from Andrew Knauer, Schwarzenegger makes it look easy, even effortless, but he's always got that energy for the action. In other words, there's never a sense that he is phoning it in. Sure, the script has some fun with the 67-year old action star, but it's all in good fun. My favorite? "Sheriff, how are you?" to which Towns answers "Old" having crashed through a window. His backstory is handled in a quick explanatory scene, giving some depth to the small town country sheriff that's pretty familiar in action movies. How does Andy Taylor, um, uh....Arnold Schwarzenegger respond? With a whole lot of shootouts, gunfights and knock-down fist fights, as we've come to expect.

Who else to watch out for? Whitaker does his best as the city boy, the FBI agent who doesn't think a country sheriff could possibly know what he's talking about....even though the polished FBI agent just let a death row prisoner escape. Whitaker disappears in the second half as the action escalates, reappearing late. Johnny Knoxville has the comedic relief as Lewis Dinkum, the town kook with a warehouse full of guns, a part that's just right, not overused or overdone. Jaimie Alexander and Luiz Guzman are Towns' deputies, Rodrigo Santoro playing a town resident who teams up with the crew for the fight. Noriega is a more than worthy villain, his Cortez dripping with intensity and absolutely no fear, Genesis Rodriguez his "unwilling hostage." And because every cartel villain needs an over the top henchman, we get Peter Stormare as Burrell, the leader of the ex-military setting the ground work for Cortez's escape over the border. Also, look for Hollywood veteran and great character actor Harry Dean Stanton in a small uncredited part early.

With a movie that clocks in at 107 minutes, we're never long in between action scenes (and take away 6, 7 minutes for a long credit sequence). Cortez's escape is a good start -- reminding me somewhat of 2003's S.W.A.T. -- as the FBI scrambles to get him back. The highlight comes at the hour-mark, Cortez's advance crew descending on Sommerton where Towns and his deputies are waiting. It's entertaining and bloody and all over the place, bad guys dispatched with a head shot and a cool one-liner. Towns' entrance into the shootout is pretty epic too, Santoro driving a school bus, Schwarzenegger and Knoxville in the back with a seemingly ancient Vickers machine gun. The action is almost non-stop, but it's basically one sequence on top of another over the last hour. The finale between Towns and Cortez at the border is a whopper too, preceded by an epic car chase through a cornfield because....well, because car chases are cool.

Just a fun movie with some familiar touches, even the 1959 classic Rio Bravo. Sit back and enjoy it, welcoming back Aaaahnold.

The Last Stand (2013): ***/****

Lee Daniels' The Butler

The names of the U.S. Presidents are instantly recognizable, names synonymous with the history of the United States, especially that building where the president leaves, whatever it's called. The White House I think? What about all the people who work at the White House, who keep the place running? And no, it's not just the nameless/faceless individuals who get killed during terrorist attacks in movies like White House Down and Olympus Has Fallen. I kid of course as we jump into 2013's Lee Daniels' The Butler, the true story of one of the White House's longtime butlers.

Growing up as a young boy with his sharecropping family in 1926 Georgia, Cecil Gaines has his outlook on life forever impacted when his father is shot down by a white man, the land owner where the family work, after raping his mother. Cecil is taught to be a house worker, a butler, and grows up finding jobs here and there working as a butler for the rich and well-to-do, eventually ending up at a Washington D.C. hotel. It isn't long before a grown-up Cecil (Forest Whitaker) has created quite a reputation for himself, earning an interview and eventually a full-time job at the White House, working with the sizable staff to make sure the President's home is a crisp, clean operation on a day-to-day basis. It's the late 1950s though, America heading into a turbulent time in its young history. Cecil has an inside look at America's involvement at home and internationally, all the while trying to raise a family with his wife, Gloria (Oprah Winfrey).  

This wasn't a movie I was dying to see, but I was nonetheless curious, even intrigued to see it. Loosely based on the true story of Eugene Allen, 'Butler' is director Lee Daniels' second film since his 2009 movie, Precious, that really put him on the map. It received pretty solid reviews and was a surprise success in theaters, earning over $167 million. I'm not really sure what to take away from it overall. I can appreciate what the message is going for, what it's trying to stand for and say about American history, yet that said, I didn't especially like it. What it's trying to do is admirable. What it accomplishes? Still mulling that over. Some of that can be chalked up to the script which tries to accomplish a ton in a 132-minute movie.

What I didn't question was Forest Whitaker in the lead role. Playing Cecil Gaines, Whitaker is our window as an audience into a whole lot of American history. We see his mindset, his frustrations, his motivations, his friendships, his rivalries, all of it. It isn't a flashy part, far from it, just a very straightforward, effective part. Whitaker's Cecil is a family man who wants to provide for that family, especially his wife, Gloria, struggling with alcoholism as she misses Cecil, his oldest son, Lewis (David Oyelowo, a good performance with some odd moments as a 37-year old playing a 15-year old), who dives headfirst into the civil rights movement, and his youngest son, Charlie (Elijah Kelley). His narration as a lead characters gets to be a little heavy-handed at times, but that's the script and not on Whitaker's shoulders. A very solid performance for Whitaker, a man trying to get by and live in some extremely turbulent times.

Beyond the family though, the supporting cast is mostly a long list of historical characters and bit parts that aren't around long enough to resonate. We meet a handful of Presidents including Dwight Eisenhower (Robin Williams), John F. Kennedy (James Marsden), Lyndon B. Johnson (Liev Schreiber), Richard Nixon (John Cusack) and Ronald Reagan (Alan Rickman), even meeting Nancy Reagan (Jane Fonda). These little episodes are pretty cool, but they're also gone as quick as they started. Because of that pacing issue, these scenes, appearances and story developments aren't as effective as they could and should have been. In storytelling technique, 'Butler' reminded me of the classic Forrest Gump, bouncing around to a lot of stories, a lot of key moments in American history, the story giving us a window into those moments. Where Forrest Gump blended the humor and drama though, 'Butler' stays on the dramatic path, and it wore on me. This can be a heavy, dark movie to get through at times.

Give the movie credit. It tries to do a lot. Ultimately though, I felt like it tries to do too much. A story focusing on Cecil's 30-plus year career at the White House would have been fascinating in itself. The same for a man trying to care for his family through the turbulence of the Civil Rights movement, into Vietnam and beyond. Doing both ends up making things too bouncy to the point neither story gets the attention it deserves. Much time is spent with Oyelowo's efforts in the Civil Rights movement, Cecil and Gloria worried and angry back home. Moments that feel like they should resonate well and carry the movie feel rushed, not letting those moments breathe. Much like the recent The Monuments Men, this feels like a story that would have been better suited to a miniseries. The effort is admirable, the execution tolerable. Moments like Cecil interacting with his fellow butlers (Cuba Gooding Jr. and Lenny Kravitz) ended up resonating more with me than most of the far-more dramatic scenes. Also look for Terrence Howard , Mariah Carey, Alex Pettyfer, Vanessa Redgrave in odd, out of place parts.

That's the biggest issue. It doesn't pick a route and stick with it. Moments that work among portions of story that drift too much, kinda a necessity with a story that covers six decades in a man's life. I also resented something from the final scene, a written, on-screen message thanking all the men and women that have helped gain "our freedom." As a white individual, this message hit me the wrong way, and I admit I may be over-analyzing. Is this a movie meant solely for an African-American audience? Should I not be watching this movie? It's a mixed bag in the end, a generally interesting movie that ultimately doesn't live up to its potential.

Lee Daniels' The Butler (2013): ** 1/2 /****

Stakeout

The 1980s were a lot of things, but as far as sub-genres in movies, I can't think of a bigger one from the decade than the buddy cop movie. We've got Lethal Weapon, 48 Hours, Beverly Hills Cop, Running Scared and probably plenty more I'm missing. Well, we can add one more to that list, 1987's Stakeout.

Deeply into a long-running investigation, Seattle detectives Chris Lecce (Richard Dreyfuss) and Bill Reimer (Emilio Estevez) are reassigned to a case assigned by the F.B.I. A convicted killer of a federal agent, Stick Montgomery (Aidan Quinn) has escaped from prison, but there are few clues as to where he would head. Their solution is simple; set up stakeouts anywhere they think Montgomery might show up at. Chris and Bill -- along with another detective duo -- draw some of that stakeout duty, setting up an apartment observation post across the street from Stick's ex-girlfriend, Maria (Madeleine Stowe). The detectives brace for hours and days of mind-numbing duty...until they actually set eyes on Maria. That is trouble on one level, but what about when a lovelorn Chris falls madly in love with the woman they're observing. Uh-oh, here we go.

Like a good, old-fashioned peanut butter and jelly sandwich, there is something comforting about a buddy cop movie done correctly. From director John Badham, 'Stakeout' in its best moments follows that precise if familiar formula. That formula isn't exclusive to the cop angle, but it doesn't hurt either (think Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid). Put two like-minded men together, opposites or as similar individuals, who have worked together for an extended time, and let the hijinks begin! The partner relationship, like two close brothers, feels natural and real. The duo are friends -- maybe even best friends -- but they're always busting each other's chops, always ready to knock them down a peg, but when it comes down to it, they're always going to be there for each other.

'Stakeout' isn't a perfect movie, and as far as buddy cop flicks go, it's average, paling in comparison to the other ones listed above. When it does work though, it works because of that dynamic between Dreyfuss and Estevez. I was somewhat surprised by the casting, but it works. They play ridiculously well off each other, reflecting a partnership that goes back quite a few years. So go figure, the familiar cop partnership is the best part of this movie. I loved the bitching back and forth on stakeout, the bickering in the precinct, the jabbing back and forth at...every...given...moment. It works, simple as that. I won't go as far as saying it's the "science of stakeout," but it is fun to see the actual stakeout develop. The on-going rivalry between Chris and Bill and rival detective duo Dan Lauria and Forest Whitaker provides some very funny moments as the two pairs switch shifts, an escalating prank war going back and forth between the two. It's good stuff.

So it didn't take a nuclear physicist to figure out what the story was here. Two cops on stakeout, one falls in love with the woman they're observing. I can say I was surprised by how this developed. For one, I didn't think -- SPOILER WARNING STOP READING SPOILER -- that it would be Dreyfuss's Chris falling for Stowe's Maria instead of Estevez's Bill. Two, I didn't think it would work, but Dreyfuss and Stowe have a surprisingly strong chemistry. It's not their fault, just how their storyline develops. In a case of mistaken identity that Bill does nothing to correct, even promoting it, Maria starting to develop feelings right back at him. It gets to be a little much, disappointing because for the most part I enjoyed this one.

As the story focuses more on the surprising crush/love develops, Estevez gets left in the background unfortunately, but he makes the most of his screentime, especially with the escalating prank war. Stowe is quite the looker and holds her own in an otherwise all-male cast. Quinn too makes the most of his sinister appearance as Stick, drifting in and out of the story with his accomplice and cousin (Ian Tracey). In the final act, things get back to basics with the buddy cop angle as Quinn's Stick arrives on the scene in Seattle. The showdown in the end has all sorts of crazy shenanigans and mistaken identity, and oh yeah, wood chippers, shootouts and lots of random punching and fighting. It's a good movie, just not a great one. Give me a couple months and maybe I'll check out the rather unnecessary sounding sequel, 1993's Another Stakeout. No promises though so don't hold your breath.

Stakeout (1987): ** 1/2 /****