This is the second installment of Movies to Watch Out For series in this blog. For this edition, I will be discussing five movies screened at the 40th Toronto International Film Festival.
THE MARTIAN (2015)
Direction: Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner, Thelma and Louise, Gladiator, Black Hawk Down)
Screenplay: Drew Goddard (The Cabin in the Woods, World War Z)
Cast: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Kristen Wiig, Kate Mara, Jeff Daniels
US Release: 2 October 2015
Philippine Release: 30 September 2015
IMDb Synopsis: During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive.
The Martian (2015) is an addition to Ridley Scott's arsenal of space movies: classics Alien (1979) and Blade Runner (1982) and, of course, Prometheus (2012). While Scott tried to diversify his filmography, he can be a hit and sometimes a miss. Adapting Andy Weir's bestselling novel into an epic adventure is exciting for us, Ridley Scott fans, given the great output the movie turned out to be. Comparable to recent space adventures Gravity (2012) and Interstellar (2013) (and also casting two of Interstellar's actors Matt Damon and Jessica Chastain), The Martian (2015) should be another inspiring story about the resilience of the human spirit.
Verdict: Ridley back in (a good) space.
Rave for film:
"Although technically science fiction by virtue of its being largely set on a neighboring planet, this smartly made adaptation of Andy Weir’s best-selling novel is more realistic in its attention to detail than many films set in the present, giving the story the feel of an adventure that could happen the day after tomorrow. Constantly absorbing rather than outright exciting, this major autumn Fox release should generate muscular business worldwide."
Verdict: ...an enthralling and rigorously realistic outer-space survival story in which Matt Damon plays a NASA botanist stranded on the Red Planet after a sandstorm forces his crewmates to abort mission.
...should do far more than just make Fox a ton of money; it could conceivably rekindle interest in the space program and inspire a new generation of future astronauts.
Verdict: 3/5
Ridley Scott's playful sci-fi runs out of fuel before reaching home. Matt Damon’s turn as a sardonic astronaut stranded on Mars anchors this lightweight survival tale but his star-studded colleagues are sorely underused.
Middling review:
"It is not fantastic, in either sense, but it does show-off a sense of play. For a survival flick it’s actually pretty light on peril (you never really believe that the Jordanian desert, where the film was shot, is Mars), but it’s not short of thrills."
Aggregated reviews:
Rotten Tomatoes: Smart, thrilling, and surprisingly funny, The Martian offers a faithful adaptation of the bestselling book that brings out the best in leading man Matt Damon and director Ridley Scott.
Metacritic: Generally favorable reviews
***
DEMOLITION (2016)
Direction: Jean-Marc Vallee (The Young Victoria, Dallas Buyers Club, Wild)
Screenplay: Bryan Sipe (first major Hollywood feature)
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Naomi Watts, Chris Cooper
US Release: 8 April 2016
IMDb Synopsis: A successful investment banker struggles after losing his wife in a tragic car crash.
After the critically lambasted Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010), Jake Gyllenhaal started to establish himself as one of the most interesting and bravest actors of his generation successfully playing complicated and challenging roles in such movies as End of Watch (2012), Prisoners (2013), Enemy (2013), Nightcrawler (2014)(which prompted Oscar buzz but was eventually criminally snubbed), and Southpaw (2015) to dizzying critical acclaim reminiscent of the McConnaisance. Anything he stars in nowadays is worth watching just to see what he still has to offer. Combine Gyllenhaal with another equally interesting talent that is Jean-Marc Vallée who has given us The Young Victoria (2009), Dallas Buyers Club (2013), which gave Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto their Oscars, and Wild (2014), leading to Reese Witherspoon's second Best Actress Oscar nomination. The guy has definitely not yet reached his full potential but he seems to be on the right track.
The Hollywood Reporter
Verdict: Jake Gyllenhaal tears it up in this dynamically offbeat dramedy.
Praise for Gyllenhaal:
"As farfetched as that sounds, Gyllenhaal makes it all feel compellingly real, turning Davis into a man who does some wild and questionable things throughout the movie, but also makes us laugh at the same time: One memorable sequence has him walking onto a construction site and offering to sledgehammer a house free of charge, while another has him breaking out into spontaneous dance on the streets of Manhattan."Variety
Verdict: It all could have gone horribly awry, were it not for the top-of-their-game contributions of leading man Jake Gyllenhaal (continuing in recent-streak crazy mode) and director Jean-Marc Vallee (back in early-career “C.R.A.Z.Y.” mode), whose unexpected creative choices across the line salvage a sledgehammer-obvious screenplay that will stop at nothing to provoke a reaction.
Rave for Gyllenhaal:
"Somehow, amid this erratic roller-coaster of behavior, Gyllenhaal grounds Davis’ wildly unraveling psyche, finding both humor and heart in a man who admits to having spent the past 10 to 12 years incapable of feeling. Considering how far the dedicated actor will go to transform himself into someone new, famously bulking up (as in “Jarhead” and “Southpaw”) or slimming down (a la “Nightcrawler”) as the role requires, it’s doubly impressive to see him build a character without the crutch of a total physical reinvention — which is to say, that he can show up as the Jake Gyllenhaal fans know and love, and yet still disappear completely behind his own facade.
The actor reveals a near-sociopathic deadness to Davis in the early stretch, an almost Patrick Bateman-level lack of empathy when faced with the genuine grief of those around him (which also happens to be where Sipe’s quippy script works best, landing laughs at seemingly inappropriate moments), though the character gradually opens up in Karen and Chris’ company. If Davis’ “thing,” according to those around him, is an unfiltered and frequently tactless compulsion to speak the truth, then the Morenos serve as the mirrors who remind him of who he truly is, and Watts is wonderful in a rare supporting part that allows her to reflect her co-star’s soul without having to use sex in the process."The Guardian
Verdict: 2/5
Jake Gyllenhaal's muddled quirkfest crashes into emptiness. An investment banker struggles to grieve for his wife in this Toronto film festival opener while as an audience, we struggle to care
Pans Gyllenhaal and Watts:
"Gyllenhaal tries his best but he’s lumped with dialogue that would make Zach Braff turn his nose up (“Do you ever feel like everything is a metaphor?”) and ultimately he’s playing less of a character and more a collection of hazy-eyed stoner thoughts. Watts has even less to do and bizarrely disappears for a large portion of the film as her on-screen son becomes Gyllenhaal’s conduit to the real world."Aggregated reviews:
Rotten Tomatoes
Metacritic
***
OUR BRAND IS CRISIS (2015)
Direction: David Gordon Green (Pineapple Express, Your Highness)
Screenplay: Peter Straughan (The Debt, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Wolf Hall)
Cast: Sandra Bullock, Billy Bob Thornton
US Release: 30 October 2015
Philippine Release: 11 November 2015
IMDb Synopsis: A feature film based on the documentary "Our Brand Is Crisis", which focuses on the use of American political campaign strategies in South America.
Our Brand is Crisis (2005) was a documentary by Rachel Boynton about the 2002 Bolivian presidential election which utilized the political campaign marketing tactics by Greenberg Carville Shrum leading to their client's eventual win. Interesting enough, no? But the main selling point actually is not the controversial theme but the star, one of the biggest in the planet. Since her Oscar win for The Blind Side (2009), Sandra Bullock has started dabbling in movies that can showcase her still unrealized thespic gifts, namely Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011), although not successful, and Gravity (2013), which is her biggest box office draw to date and her most critically acclaimed, resulting to her second Best Actress Oscar nomination. She still stars in chick flicks and tentpoles but we can all give her a break, right?
Verdict: Yanks up to no good again in South America.
Somewhat mixed reaction:
"Under the direction of the ever-eclectic Green, there are amusements to be had, especially when Bullock finally begins cranking up her character to distinctly disreputable levels. But there’s the lingering feeling of opportunities missed, of things not being said that might have been, of stones being unturned that might have revealed much more about the shortcomings of political systems not exactly known for their reliability and righteousness...
"It’s fair to say this won’t be one of Bullock’s biggest grossers."
Verdict: The movie itself is something more of a mess, though designedly so, fictionalizing the incursion of U.S. marketing tactics in the 2002 Bolivian election, first captured in Rachel Boynton’s documentary of the same name.
Praise for Bullock:
"It’s a performance that depends just as much on body language as it does old-fashioned pratfalls (slippery staircases and collapsing folding chairs), though the pleasure comes in watching how Bodine’s mind works: At times, she clearly doesn’t have a clue how to improve the situation, but when the ideas start to flood, she’s a force to be reckoned with — every bit a match for “Wag the Dog’s” string-pullers or “In the Loop’s” Peter Capaldi."
Verdict: 3/5
Sandra Bullock adds gravity to Bolivian political satire. The Oscar-winning actor is in with another shot at the big prize as a strategist plotting a Bolivian senator’s path to power, but is let down by a script that lacks bite and underused supporting cast.
Rave for Bullock:
"Yet Sandra Bullock seems blissfully unaware of the film’s faults and delivers a performance that expertly plays on her strengths. Her comic timing, wasted in lesser, plane-ready comedies, is on top form and she imbues her neurotic character with more than the thinly sketched quirks provided on the page (she’s always eating crisps!). She commands a room when needed, perfects scenes of physical comedy and even turns a climax of forced sentiment into something poignant and believable."Aggregated reviews:
Rotten Tomatoes
Metacritic
***
TRUMBO (2015)
Direction: Jay Roach (Movies: Austin Powers 1-3, Meet the Parents, Meet the Fockers [please don't judge]; TV movies: Recount, Game Change [Emmy-winning HBO prestige TV movies])
Screenplay: John McNamara (debut film screenwriting)
Cast: Bryan Cranston, Helen Mirren, Diane Lane, John Goodman
US Release: 6 November 2015
IMDb Synopsis: The successful career of Hollywood screenwriter, Dalton Trumbo, comes to an end when he is blacklisted in the 1940s for being a Communist.
Thanks to Breaking Bad (2009), Bryan Cranston's career has never been better. He landed a great role in Argo (2012) and should have been nominated for an Oscar instead of co-star Alan Arkin; he extended his reach to theater with his Broadway debut in All the Way (2014), resulting to a Tony win for Best Leading Actor in a Play. He continues to play bit characters in movies so a seldom leading role is quite a break for him. Trumbo (2015) is an examination of the life of the famed Hollywood Golden Age writer who was blacklisted due to their red leanings. It should also be noted that the magnificent Helen Mirren co-stars as the gossip writer Hedda Hopper.
Verdict: Bryan Cranston goes from White to Red in this amusing if TV-friendly portrait of the famous blacklisted writer.
Praise for the cast:
"What makes the movie work are the lively performances, both from the supporting cast and from Cranston, who sheds the mimicry and pontificating of earlier scenes to turn Trumbo into a wry, self-deprecating and somewhat cheeky older man, even if he continued to stand up for what was right. "
Verdict: ...allows supporting actress Helen Mirren and the nobodies playing yesterday’s stars to overshadow Bryan Cranston and his fellow movie martyrs.
Pan for Cranston:
"Cranston can’t seem to rise above character-actor mode, affecting a stiff posture and surly accent, but not the Warren Beatty-y charisma of a self-righteous Red leader."
Verdict: 3/5
Bryan Cranston game and gummy in zippy hymn to Hollywood self-love. Jay Roach’s biopic of blacklisted 1940s screenwriter Dalton Trumbo is a dual exercise in fondness for the man and love for the industry
Praise for Cranston and Mirren:
"Bryan Cranston gives a game, gummy turn as the remarkably brave Trumbo, a man of such prestigious wit that even his friends wish he would tone it down a bit. "
"Among the supporting cast Helen Mirren is one of the few who gets the balance right. She plays legendary gossip columnist Hedda Hopper with the right mix of spice and sulphur. Hopper, who named Communists to the committee, is portrayed as glamorous and witchy – worrying virulent in her pursuit of the Red Menace. She can flip on a dime from cutesy to cut-throat."
Aggregated reviews:
***
TRUTH (2015)
Direction and Screenplay: James Vanderbilt (debut feature as director; writing credits include Zodiac, The Amazing Spider-Man 1 and 2, White House Down)
Cast: Robert Redford, Cate Blanchett
US Release: 16 October 2015
IMDb Synopsis: A newsroom drama about the controversy surrounding the 2004 CBS 60 Minutes investigation of then-President George W. Bush's military service in the Texas Air National Guard.
Cate Blanchett is having a great year. Her supporting turn as the humanized but wicked (and campy) stepmother in Kenneth Branagh's Cinderella (2015) and her lead role in the Todd Haynes' Cannes-featured 1950s lesbian drama Carol (2015) both earned her yet additional acclaim. In the biographical political drama Truth (2015), she plays Mary Mapes during the height of the scandal involving documents critical of reelectionist President George W. Bush during his time in the Air National Guard in the 70s. Mapes allowed her show, 60 minutes, to broadcast the documents and presented them as authentic. Robert Redford co-stars as the CBS news anchor Dan Rather. This is James Vanderbilt's directorial debut.
Verdict: Journos couldn't beat a Republican president's men this time.
Praise for Cate and Bob:
"Blanchett gives this dynamo of intelligence and doggedness a real human dimension that allows the propulsive drama to breathe; it’s another stellar performance that rates among her best. His hair reddish-brown rather than salt-and-pepper, Redford doesn’t closely conform to Rather’s looks, but he nonetheless comes to inhabit the role very credibly, his very familiarity merging with that of the real man he’s playing."
Verdict: Complex, incisive and high-minded, sometimes to a fault, ...should spin its juicy subject matter and lead turns by Cate Blanchett and Robert Redford into a solid commercial showing during another noisy election season; still, there remains a somewhat too-tidy fastidiousness to the picture that will keep it securely in the “pretty good” tier of 2015 prestige releases.
Raves for Cate and Bob:
"Suffering only from a measure of familiarity when set beside the actress’s other work, Blanchett’s performance is forceful yet delicately shaded, and she renders Mapes with admirable complexity..."
"Redford, who bears a solid resemblance to Rather but not quite enough to make you forget whom you’re watching, plays the veteran newsman with easy gravitas, inner strength and a gentle paternal twinkle, with little display of the anger and volatility for which he was often known over the course of his storied career."
Verdict: 3/5
Blue Jasmine (2013) in the 60 Minutes newsroom, with a twist. Cate Blanchett is back on campy, coiffured form opposite Robert Redford as veteran CBS newsman Dan Rather in a thriller that’s by turns tense and risible
Aggregated reviews:
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