Black Mass

With the first three Pirates of the Caribbean movies, Johnny Depp went from well-known but quirky actor to a huge star, an actor who embraced the weird, the odd and the deranged and was the better for it. He was a big star and he still is, but his film choices since have been more hit or miss. Some decent performances but nothing too crazy and not a whole lot of box office success (yeah yeah, I know that's not the end-all, be-all). Well, 2015's Black Mass is getting all sorts of positive buzz, much of it surrounding Mr. Depp himself. Onward Boston gangsters!

It's 1975 and in south Boston -- AKA Southie -- James "Whitey" Bulger (Depp) is a small-time gangster (but an extremely dangerous one) with a tight-knit crew of like-minded crooks called the Winter Hill Gang. Their Irish territory is under pressure from the other end of town where the Italian mafia is muscling in, forcing Whitey's hand. He gets an out in the form of FBI agent John Connolly (Joel Edgerton), a local boy done good, returning to Boston swearing he'll leave his mark. Connolly convinces Whitey to be an FBI informer, giving him any dirt he can on the seemingly unstoppable Italian mafia. As both men discuss, it isn't ratting anyone out. It's simply business. It's an alliance that helps both sides. Well, it may help one side more than the other. Connolly intends to do something good -- while turning a blind eye in other places -- while Whitey sees the vast potential in front of him. He was dangerous before. Now what can he accomplish with the FBI's protection?

No point in beating around the bush. Johnny Depp or more appropriately...JOHNNY DEPP. An always reliable actor basically no matter the movie, script or subject matter, Depp makes the average usually pretty interesting. When he's working with really good material? Here we sit, Depp stealing the show in director Scott Cooper's film that's based on the true story of infamous Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger (<--- about="" actually="" and="" as="" be="" but="" can="" could="" cover="" crazy="" decades.="" details="" don="" exploits="" happened="" help="" his="" how="" i="" if="" in="" is="" it="" itself="" keep="" knew="" little="" moving="" multiple="" obvious="" of="" p="" people="" performances="" read="" s="" some="" sorts="" spoilers="" story="" stupid="" t="" terms="" that="" the="" things="" thinking="" throughout.="" type="" want="" watching="" without="" you="">
Depp is an excellent actor, but here he's really working with a worthy character. The physical transformation is startling and chilling, Depp wearing icy blue contact lenses, donning a pointed prosthetic nose and makeup that thinned his hair. He looks evil. Like really evil, and the story helps develop that with ease. It is an intimidating, frightening performance, full of foreboding and doom that show the depths one man will go to in maintaining his hold on the power he has. Stay local? You'll be fine. Start to look for a way out? Start looking for a bullet with your name on it. Some attempts are made to humanize Bulger early on and it works to a point, but you really do get a sense of the evil in the man as the years pass and the body count rises. A testament to Depp's ability is that he does it with ease. You never get the sense he's trying too hard or hamming it up. He just dives in headfirst and goes for it full-bore.

An excellent performance, one that deserves the early Oscar buzz Depp is generating. There isn't a weak performance in the entire film, all the actors hitting the right notes one after another. It just shows you how good Depp is that not much else in the cast is being mentioned. The names though...those names. As he showed with Crazy Heart and Out of the Furnace (liked it a lot), some very talented actors want to work with Mr. Cooper. He's a talented director, getting the most out of his cast, both major supporting parts and smaller but still essential parts. Edgerton is excellent in a part that defies reality. No one could be both this dense and high-reaching, could they? I would have liked some more development of Agent John Connolly, but you get a picture of a man who wants results, the means be damned. Not as frightening as Whitey, but scary in a different way that puts into perspective how far some will go to get the job done.

Lots and lots of other very talented actors to check out. Benedict Cumberbatch -- getting third billing -- plays Whitey's younger brother, Billy, a state senator in Massachusetts in spite of what his brother is up to. A small but essential and layered performance. Whitey's crew includes Jesse Plemons, Rory Cochrane (excellent) and W. Earl Brown, all part of Whitey's madness and power. David Harbour steals his scenes as Morris, Connolly's right-hand man in their doings with Whitey, with Kevin Bacon, Adam Scott and Corey Stoll as other office representatives at the D.A. and FBI. Because that's not enough, also look for Dakota Johnson (shaking off the awful Fifty Shades of Grey), Peter Sarsgaard, and Julianne Nicholson in key supporting parts.

'Mass' covers a lot of ground in its 122-minute running time, but it never feels rushed. The time jumps are never too severe and find a decent rhythm. If there's an issue -- and it ain't a crippling one -- it's that Cooper's film is missing that one special something to make it a classic. The story is always interesting, the casting pretty spot-on and the musical score from Junkie XL adds something to the tension and sense of foreboding. It's missing that final ingredient to take it up to the next level though, and I can't quite put my finger on it. The story is familiar, a tad predictable, and at times feels a little too influenced by The Departed, The Town and any number of Scorsese crime dramas. It's tough to criticize a movie for something like that. This is a true story that no doubt influenced those movies, but those movies hit theaters first. Make sense? Nah? I'm not even sure!

An easy movie to recommend, especially for the acting from top to bottom, especially Johnny Depp, Joel Edgerton and Benedict Cumberbatch. An excellent lead performance from Depp, one of the first to gain some Oscar buzz as we fast approach the end of the year and the beginning of award season. Definitely worth seeking out if not a classic.

Black Mass (2015): ***/****

JFK

On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was traveling by motorcade in Dallas when he was shot and killed by Lee Harvey Oswald. Or so some think at least. One of the most tragic events in U.S. history, Kennedy's assassination has sparked hundreds and thousands of theories. Was Oswald working alone? Was it a government conspiracy to kill Kennedy? Maybe no one will ever know for sure, but the conspiracy theories abound. Enter stage right, 1991's JFK.

The district attorney in New Orleans, Jim Garrison (Kevin Costner) is stunned like so many Americans when news of President Kennedy's death hits the airwaves. He watches with morbid curiosity and a desire for answers as Lee Harvey Oswald (Gary Oldman) is arrested for the murder and summarily shot by Jack Ruby two days later. Several years pass, but by 1966, Garrison is bothered more and more by the details of the assassination. With help from his staff, Garrison begins to do his own investigation, and the results are startling. What exactly happened in the days and months leading up to Nov. 22, 1963? More importantly, what happened after? The more they find out, the more Garrison smells a government cover-up.

From director Oliver Stone, this is quite the ambitious project. For starters, because it involves such a touchy subject as the JFK assassination, everyone has at least somewhat of an opinion on the subject. More than just viewer opinions, the amount of info, theories and evidence involving the assassination is endless. Type in 'JFK Conspiracy' at Google, and see how many results you get. So walking through a virtual filming minefield, Stone takes on a gargantuan task. The end result is a thought-provoking, somewhat meandering (at 206 minutes) story that throws a lot at the viewer, but if you pay attention, it's not a difficult movie to keep up with.

The goal from the beginning is simple; Stone intends to put that bug in your head that the lone shooter theory -- Oswald shooting Kennedy -- just isn't the way it happened. Recent studies show that some 60% of Americans believe there was a conspiracy involving the shooting. Stone has always had an aggressive shooting style, but it's a positive here. The entire movie is basically one interview after another -- quick cuts, fast editing, flashbacks galore -- as one piece of evidence piles up one on top of the other through Garrison and Co.'s investigation. The story is based on the true-to-life efforts of Garrison and his staff (with some tweaks here and there), but it plays like All the President's Men or any number of other films detailing an investigative report.

Ready to be impressed? This is one doozy of a cast, starting with Costner who delivers a likable, human performance as the D.A. driven to obsession to find out the truth. The subplot with his family (including wife Sissy Spacek) is one of the few weak points the movie has. Seeing him only in flashback, Oldman is frighteningly good as Oswald, and a dead ringer physically to boot. Garrison's investigative staff includes Jay O. Sanders, Laurie Metcalf, Wayne Knight, Michael Rooker and Gary Grubbs. Don't go anywhere. I'm not to the halfway point yet. There's also Ed Asner, Jack Lemmon, Brian Doyle-Murray (as Jack Ruby), Walther Matthau, John Candy, Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland, Kevin Bacon, Joe Pesci, and Tomas Milian. Some are nothing more than a scene or two cameo, but their presence alone legitimizes their scenes. Jones, Sutherland, Bacon and Pesci are the most memorable of the group.

Presenting all sorts of what ifs and could bes, the movie builds to a courtroom scene where Garrison puts someone on trial for conspiring to kill JFK. The scene is a gem, capping off all we've heard, sene and learned through their investigation. Costner is highly effective in this scene, both pointing out the flaws in the lone shooter theory (later referenced famously in Seinfeld with the Magic Loogie, watch HERE) but also addressing the jury for what they should do. It shows one man's frustration at what he believes the government has been up to, doing something for extraordinary amounts of money rather than what's good for the country. The whole movie is enjoyable and extremely polished, but the court scene (about 35 minutes at the end) is the best thing going.

So did Oswald shoot Kennedy? Were there other shooters? We'll probably never know. But I have to give Stone's film credit. Say what you want about your own thoughts on the assassination, but Stone cleanly lays out the potential for at least one possibility. Maybe Oswald was a patsy, one man set up by larger forces at work. It's something you will have to think about yourself, but as a director, Stone does an admirable job at least making us question what really happened.

JFK (1991): ***/****

Crazy, Stupid, Love.

There are romantic comedies, and there are dramas. It seems it's one or the other when it comes to stories about love, marriage, relationships, but without any real middle ground. When movies with some laughs produced from dramatic situations come along, scoop them up, like 2011's Crazy, Stupid, Love.

Married to his wife, Emily (Julianne Moore), for over 20 years with three kids and leading a supposedly happy life, Cal Weaver (Steve Carell), is dealt a shocker when Emily asks him for a divorce. Cal doesn't know what to do other than to agree, especially when Emily says she slept with a co-worker. In his mid 40s, Cal now finds himself basically starting life over, discovering everything isn't so easy as a single guy. One night in a bar he meets Jacob Palmer (Ryan Gosling), a successful 20-something who is quite the ladies man. Quick enough, Jacob has Cal acting like the confident guy he can and should be, but even then Cal feels like he's missing something. Jacob meanwhile has a problem of his own, he's fallen hard for Hannah (Emma Stone), and has no idea how to handle this new situation.

Finding a middle ground between raunchy sex comedy and hardcore, depressing drama, 'Crazy' in terms of quality is better than most of either of those two extremes. It finds a nice balance in between the two. It tries to take an honest look at the world of love, from Cal and Emily's 13-year old son, Robbie (Jonah Bobo), who's fallen in love with their 17-year old babysitter, Jessie (Analeigh Tipton), to the younger audience of Jacob and Hannah, and then capping it with the married couple in their 40s. In taking a fairly honest approach, the risk is that we won't like the characters, and at different points, that's true. These people are not likable in a lot of instances. There were times I wasn't rooting for anybody. But it is honest, and it shows people for what they are, human, just people looking for some sort of happiness whatever that may be.

With an ensemble cast working together in a movie that's 115 minutes long, there are times where it feels certain stories and characters get the short end of the stick. Still, it's a talented ensemble so it's not a major issue. Similar to his performance in 2007's Dan in Real Life, Carell shows he's capable again of comedy and drama. He plays that John Everyman as well as anybody, and his chemistry with Moore -- even through the trials and tribulations -- is real and believable. Gosling gets a showy performance as Jacob, a smooth ladies man (womanizer comes to mind) who effortlessly gets women, Stone's Hannah presenting a bit of a challenge and a change of pace. Also look for Marissa Tomei as Kate, one of the women Cal meets as he tries to jump-start his single life. Like What Women Want, Tomei plays slightly crazy, and I'm thinking...why can't she get better roles? Kevin Bacon plays David, the co-worker Emily sleeps with, making the character more than just a stereotype. He's got genuine feelings for Emily, it just happens to be a bad situation.

My issue with this story comes from any number of little things. Cliched comes to mind more than a few times, and some "twists" that are thrown at us don't really work. Check that, one toward the end really works. I didn't see that one coming at all. The story though has things happen for the sake of moving the story along. Sitting in a bar, Gosling's Jacob hears Carell's Cal giving a sob story about his situation and instantly steps to the plate, helping him become an older, stylish version of himself. Yes, Jacob says Cal reminds him of his father, but we're supposed to believe he's going to help a complete stranger because of that resemblance? Jacob is charming and smooth, but his character bugged me. 'Man-whore' comes to mind describing him, but oh, he's cute! Let's ignore that.

Then there's the last 30 minutes or so as the story takes a route I really wished they hadn't. Babysitter Jessie loves Cal, takes naked pictures of herself, her parents (Beth Littleford and John Carroll Lynch) find them with 'Cal' written on an envelope, and the fireworks start. Basically the whole cast comes together for a kooky, hair-brained, off the wall "fight" that is in itself, pretty funny. But it is so far removed from the tone of the rest of the movie, it ends up feeling out of place. And the ending, more characters doing things they would only do in a movie. Cal takes the microphone from Robbie at his 8th grade graduation and proceeds to tell the audience about his love life. Oh, and Jessie later gives Robbie the naked pictures of herself. Another oddity if you ask me, and kind of creepy.

This is a good movie. It is. The cast is very good, the script for the most part is well written, and on-screen chemistry helps make up for a lot of the movie's flaws. But they're there. No doubt about that. Hopefully you can look past them and enjoy the movie for what it is.

Crazy, Stupid, Love. <---trailer (2011): ** 1/2 /****

X-Men: First Class

Growing up watching Saturday morning cartoons, I was more of a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles man than anything else. How about that for a random lead that has nothing to do with movies? All other shows/cartoons/series took a backseat to the Turtles, including the X-Men. I knew the characters, the basic story, and without seeing an episode or reading a comic book thought that Wolverine was badass. So now as a 26 year old, I'm catching up a bit with the Marvel series, including this summer's prequel, 2011's X-Men: First Class.

From Marvel master Stan Lee, this is another in a growing line of quality movies that aren't just Superhero movies. It reminded me some of Captain America (set in WWII) in that it is based during the 1960s and the Cuban Missile Crisis, taking history as we know it and putting a little tweak on it. The formula in general for a "smart" superhero movie seems simple, and director Matthew Vaughn follows it well. Get good actors, not just movie stars, throw in some great action, cool characters, and a legitimately good, well-written story, and mix. You can't go wrong.

Since they were young children growing up in World War II, Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender) have always been different, possessing unique abilities that no 'normal' human should possess. It's now 1962, and the FBI, including Agent MacTaggert (Rose Byrne), are recruiting these mutants from around the world. They all have abilities that when harnessed can be powerful weapons, and they're needed now more than ever. One mutant, Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon), and Erik's former trainer/mentor, is attempting to pit the United States against Russia, starting World War III, a nuclear conflict that could destroy the world. Recruiting fellow mutants from around the world, Xavier and Erik prepare to stop Shaw no matter the cost. 

Well-written script, extremely talented actors and actresses, and a genuinely unique, interesting story. It really sounds too simple. Why can't more movies be like this? There isn't anything groundbreaking here, but that's not a bad thing. All a movie has to do to be moderately successful -- in my eyes at least -- is try to entertain. 'Class' certainly executes there. It is a polished action movie, but one that doesn't sacrifice story or character development for mindless explosions. Maybe a little long at 131 minutes, and composer Henry Jackman's score can be a little bit too epic at times, but this is what you want in a movie. Well-made and professional, entertaining from the word go to the end credits. As a finale, the X-Men in the Cuban Missile Crisis is one of the most insanely original ideas ever, especially Erik/Magneto manipulating a huge nuclear payload headed right at the mutants.

The heart of the movie and story is these mutants trying to decide whether to embrace good or bad. Because they're not "normal," the mutants are looked at funny, judged and ostracized by the supposedly normal people. This is shown best through McAvoy's Xavier, a learned professor and a bit of an idealist, with Fassbender's Erik, a survivor of the Holocaust looking for revenge on the men who killed his parents. It's clear from the start that these two men will be friends, albeit ones who see the world different and will eventually come to a conflict about it. Embrace the good and its pressures or lean toward the bad? Yes, it's Star Wars and the Dark Side and all that good stuff. It's great to see McAvoy and Fassbender in roles like this, two of the most talented young actors currently working in movies. They have a great chemistry together through good and bad, hopefully something any further X-Men movies will explore. Fassbender especially shines as Erik, torn apart inside by his personal and past demons.

What's cool about the X-Men is what's cool about all superheroes. Their powers are typically things as comic book nerds, little kids, a person with imagination, we've thought about it. Xavier can read minds, communicate through thoughts with others, even control their actions. Erik -- later Magneto -- can shift immense shapes, twisting metal and all sorts of shapes and sizes with his mind. Some of the other recruited X-Men include Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence), able to take different human forms, all of them hiding her own blue skin and red hair, Beast (Nicholas Hoult), a brilliant mind with extraordinary strength and physical ability, Banshee (Caleb Landry Jones), able to manipulate space with a shrill, speed of sound piercing yell, and Havok (Lucas Till), ready and willing to release pointed, explosive amounts of heat, and that's just the good guys. Along with Shaw's energy absorption -- it's cooler than it sounds -- there's Azazel (Jason Flemying), a Devil-like teleporter, Riptide (Alex Gonzales), able to create immense tornado-like explosions, and Angel (Zoe Kravitz), a young winged-woman.

As a fan of huge casts full of all star names and rising stars, that's the fun of watching a movie like this. McAvoy and Fassbender are unlikely leads without the star power recognition, but they're perfectly cast. Kevin Bacon as a super villain? Who thought of that one? But it works. January Jones is underused as the icy Emma Frost, able to use telepathy like Xavier, and even Oliver Platt makes an appearance as the Man in Black, a CIA officer working with Xavier. Of the other parts already mentioned, Lawrence is a bright spot and looks to be destined for bigger things. Hoult too is very good as Henry, later transforming into Beast. There isn't a weak spot around. If anything there's too many characters. You want more information on all of them, especially the villains. Definitely a good thing though when you want more of a movie.

Well, you can call me an X-Men fan now. This movie sold me on it. I look forward to any future prequels that set up the franchise, and the ending here is a perfect cliffhanger. It's just good old-fashioned entertainment, and I loved it. Also, watch for brief cameos by Hugh Jackman as Wolverine -- truly a funny scene with some shock value -- and Rebecca Romijn as an older Mystique.

X-Men: First Class <---trailer (2011): *** 1/2 /****

Frost/Nixon

The 1970s produced all sorts of controversies, some that ended up positively, others not so much, but one of the biggest was President Richard Nixon and the Watergate scandal.  In a decade when the American people were already skeptical of the government, this scandal involving a government cover-up was just one of many straws that helped break the camel's back.  Nixon's actions infuriated thousands and more likely millions, but because Gerald Ford pardoned him for all his actions he was let off the hook.

Last year, director Ron Howard's Frost/Nixon detailed the story and background of an interview that took place in 1977 between Nixon and British talk show host David Frost with one character's motivation being giving Nixon the trial he never received.  Howard is no stranger to working with true stories -- Apollo 13, Cinderella Man, A Beautiful Mind -- and he is an ideal choice to direct this movie.  Working with a pseudo-documentary style, Howard one-ups himself by having his actors provide voiceovers and even on-screen interviews as the real-life people they're playing, all of it adding to the documentary-like feel to the movie.

Interestingly enough, the movie is based off a play which is based off a series of interviews between Nixon and Frost.  An ongoing interview that took place over 12 sittings might not seem like a well-suited idea for a feature length movie, but as interviews on the DVD discuss, watching these interviews develop is like watching a prize fight.  The description is surprisingly dead-on, and these scenes of long stretches of dialogue have energy and tension to burn -- and that's knowing how they'll end.

It's 1977 and British talk show host David Frost (Michael Sheen) has been chosen to interview former President Richard Nixon (Frank Langella) in Nixon's first sit-down session since he resigned following the Watergate scandal.  No one thinks much of Frost or his ability to put Nixon on the spot, but with a team of researchers working with him, the English host lays out a plan of attack for how to question the former president.  But as excitement builds and the interview draws closer (12 sittings totaling 30 hours covering 4 key topics), Frost and his team can't prepare for the wickely intelligent mind that is Richard Nixon.  And with the whole world watching, there's no room for error.

Dealing with a story that is one of the most well-known news stories ever, Howard has his work cut out for him.  The same goes for the actors who are playing real-life people, many of them still alive.  For his performance of Nixon, Langella earned an Oscar nomination, and it's easy to see why.  Nixon was a deeply flawed individual, and the only U.S. president to resign from office so Langella doesn't whitewash any of his background (I don't think Howard would have allowed it).  Langella shows the man for what he was, good and bad.  He was a brilliant mind and intelligent speaker always looking to hold an advantage over those around him.  His Nixon is a master manipulator and isn't beneath pulling some below the belt trickery.

It would be tough to match Langella because his part is so good, but Sheen is a worthy competitor.  His Frost is an interesting character who risks everything to get these interviews on the air.  He has difficulty though because as a TV host, he lacks the credibility of a journalist.  Think of it this way; Jay Leno sits down for a 1-on-1 sit down with President Clinton about his extramarital affairs.  That's basically what this story is although Frost is a pretty smart guy himself.  Sheen's Frost isn't an easy character to get behind -- he's cocky, brash, arrogant -- but maybe more importantly he's an interesting character.  The scenes between him and Langella are at the heart of the movie and move along at a brisk pace.  In the hands of lesser talents, these interview scenes could have dragged on endlessly.

The supporting cast is nothing to shake your head at either.  Rounding out Frost's support team is Oliver Platt as Bob Zelnick, a Washington correspondent for National Public Radio, Sam Rockwell as James Reston, an author who'd like nothing more than to take down Nixon, and Matthew Macfayden as John Birt, Frost's friend and producer.  None of the three are huge parts, but the trio makes the most of it.  Platt and Rockwell have some great chemistry in their short scenes together, and Macfayden works well with Sheen.  In Nixon's corner is Kevin Bacon as Jack Brennan, a former marine and current chief of staff for the former president.  It's another smallish part, but a worthwhile one.  And being a Ron Howard movie, there's lots of recognizable faces, including little brother, Clint.  Also keep an eye out for basically everyone from the NASA war-room in Apollo 13.

Once all the background is laid out over the first 45 minutes, most of the rest of the movie is the interviews between Nixon and Frost with a few quick sidetrips here and there.  If these scenes didn't work, the whole movie would sink right with them.  I've never seen the actual Frost/Nixon interviews, but we get bits and pieces here and there of the first few segments.  The kicker is of course, the finale when Frost gets Nixon all wrapped up and basically traps him into admitting what he did was illegal/wrong.  That final Watergate interview is about 20 minutes long and is the best and strongest part of the movie. 

Howard might not be the flashiest director around -- that sounds a lot more negative than I intended it -- but this quasi-documentary movie has style to spare.  From the clothes to the hair to the sets, it feels very 70s.  The choice to interview his cast as the people they play, years after the interviews looking back on what they accomplished, is an interesting choice that ends up panning out for Howard.  His directing style overall is easygoing here, letting his actors show off and allowing the true story to develop at its own speed.  A movie that's well worth a watch.

Frost/Nixon <----trailer (2008): ***/****