(2 People gave this 3.00 out of 5)

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“Boldly go!”

Click the image above for behind the scenes pics!

Swift shot:  The next chapter of the J.J. Abrams helmed Star Trek franchise doesn’t fail to deliver on the action, sexiness, or gut-wrenching drama you have come to expect from this incredible director.  All of your favorite characters are back to boldly go where no man has gone before.  (Screw you, PC police . . . it was meant to be man, and ‘man’ it will stay in my review!)  Some things should remain intact, even in an alternate reality.

Commander Spock (Zachary Quinto) and Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) are an odd couple in this universe, with both more or less tolerating one another yet grudgingly admitting they are a fantastic team.  And from the moment the action starts, we are given a glimpse of how each views their duties.  Spock is always logical and by the book, even at great personal risk, while Kirk is always a seat-of-your-pants type leader.  This film changes those roles to a certain degree, as Kirk is betrayed by Spock and loses his command of the Enterprise.  Now, if you thought that was a spoiler – DO NOT go beyond my Red Alert line below, because there are so many things in this film that are just far too easy to spoil.

After some major convincing, Kirk is allowed back on the Enterprise under Admiral Pike, but his tenure is short-lived as a nefarious terrorist, John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch) has destroyed the Starfleet Archives in London.  No doubt a subtle tip of the bowler to Cumberbatch’s roots.  Harrison is a formidable opponent of Starfleet.

Kirk is put in charge of a top-secret mission to bring the Enterprise to the edge of Klingon space (where Harrison is believed to be in hiding) and fire a set of experimental long-range stealth torpedoes at Harrison and then go home and drink some scotch.  That’s the plan, but this is Abrams folks – you don’t really think it’s going to be that simple do you?  Kirk, Spock, Uhura and some defrocked “red shirts” manage to capture Harrison at great personal cost.  Also, they kinda blow the whole “top-secret” aspect of the mission . . . and disobey their original orders.  Kirk disobeys a lot of orders, it’s kind of his thing, in ANY universe!

Admiral Marcus, the mission’s architect is none to pleased and decides to rendezvous with Kirk to voice his displeasure, but turns out the Enterprise has a stowaway on board, Marcus’ daughter, Carol, again, not a major spoiler!  Marcus is played by RoboCop himself, Peter Weller, and his blonde daughter by Alice Eve.  You may recognize Alice from her other Sci-Fi role as the young Agent O in Men in Black III.  Her character plays a crucial role in Kirk’s destiny, but not how you might be thinking.

Things rapidly go from black and white to gray as words like morality and honor take on a double-meaning.  As the Federation stands on the precipice of a great war with the Klingon Empire, there are those vying for a glory-bound campaign and others determined to avoid war at all costs.  There are arguably some stabs at previous administrations in the film, but I didn’t find them overly annoying.  Suffice it to say that if you want to find politics in this film, you won’t have to look hard.  But, there are so many great things and greater characters, with Chekov, Bones and of course Scotty and his weird . . . “companion.”  All the one-liners you are hoping for are again thrown into the mix as the tension is built up to a 10 on the butt-pucker factor!  Or, a 10 on my patent pending Thrillometer!

Again, ILM (if I have to tell you who that is, it doesn’t mean anything to you anyway) lend their talents to this Star Trek film, and the attention to detail is again breathtaking and spectacular.  Back when those words actually meant something, ILM was shattering their definitions!  With Star Trek Into Darkness, they really outdid themselves.  I got to screen it in 3D which was a bit of aaaallllllll riiiiight!

There are some crucial things that happen in Star Trek Into Darkness that “flip the switch” on the past franchise, but to get into that, you need to delve into the Red Alert section below – because there will be major spoilers ahead!  If you don’t want to be deprived the joy of experiencing everything as it unfolds, and/or you are Dr. Sheldon Cooper, this ends your read.  For many reasons that you have to see to appreciate, Star Trek Into Darkness is a must watch film!  And, as it is a major popcorn flick, you need to see it in theaters . . . there is no excuse not to!

***RED ALERT*** – Spoilers below

Ok, you have been advised, you proceed now at your own risk . . .

This film takes a literal exploration of its sister sequel, The Wrath of Khan.  In fact, Khan is the primary villain, as he manipulates just about everyone into reckless danger.  Where The Wrath of Khan is known for many famous, often quoted, lines – Into Darkness delivers the same lines with not-so-subtle changes.  Perhaps a character you were expecting to say a famous line is uttered by another, equally important, character.  But, even my spoiler section isn’t going to divulge that.  Just know that the entire film is a dedicated parallel to The Wrath of Khan.  And just like when Ricardo (Fantasy Island) Montalban played him, Cumberbatch is vicious and unrelenting in his desire for revenge.  Perhaps his vengeance is a bit weak though, as Abrams only dabbles in the back-story of why he is so determined to see Marcus die.

Maybe letting us actually see Marcus’ betrayal would have made Khan a more sympathetic creature.  Perhaps his vengeance would have been justified?  Also, Abrams attempted to make the argument that vengeance doesn’t solve anything.  Ok, but ending the film like he did, a year after the attack where they go off on a five year mission might have made sense in our known Star Trek universe, but in this new reality . . . not so much.  As the film ends, Kirk [The Federation in other words] has led an incursion into Klingon space and killed a patrol there.  Vulcan is gone, and the enemies are very much at the gates.  So to go on a noble five year fact-finding mission makes little, if any, sense.  Maybe it is the warrior in me, but the ending was weak, and Kirk’s final moment at the podium about not seeking adventure and vengeance are all well and good until you hear these words . . . “Klingon bird of prey ahead, Captain!”  Now what?

Click the image above for MANY more vibrant shots of this instant classic film.

Check out both reviews!

Madison Monroe (She Said) gave it four stars and Alyn Darnay (He Said) gave it five out of five!

(1 People gave this 4.00 out of 5)

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Introducing . . . The Mandarin?

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Can you spend all your life running from a mistake made in your youth? In April 2013, we found out you may want to keep running, but life has a way of catching up with you.

Directing this 125 minute thriller is Robert Redford.

The great cast is: Robert Redford as Jim Grant/Nick Sloan, Jackie Evancho as Isabel Grant, Shia LaBeouf as Ben Shepard, Susan Saradon as Sharon Solarz, Terrence Howard as Agent Cornelious, Brendon Gleeson as Henry Osborne, Julie christie as Mimi Lurie and Anna Kendrick as Diana. With other great stars making appearances like Nick Nolte, Chris Cooper, Stanley Tucci and Sam Elliott.

In our youth we all make decisions, and depending on how strongly we feel, sometimes we take action. Back in the 70′s we saw a lot of groups take action, they were called activists. A few of these groups became known as radicals because some of their actions were illegal. Like, in this case, robbing a bank where an off duty cop gets killed. Not wanting to get caught for this crime the group known as the Weather Underground splits up and hides.

The members take on new names and scatter to different places, doing what ever is needed to stay off the radar. Since you can’t run forever, Sharon decides to turn herself in and pay for her crime which ignites a media storm. One reporter, named Ben, wants to get the scoop. What starts out as simple assignment quickly becomes his obsession.

The realistic storyline was very easy to fall right into and get hooked on. This was only reinforced with the great work done by the cast. It is a little slow paced but well worth the watch.

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More Mud images here

Written and Directed by: Jeff Nichols

Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Tye Sheridan, Jacob Lofland, Sam Shepard, Reese Witherspoon, Michael Shannon, and Joe Don Baker

It starts with a boat in a tree, on an island in a lake, inhabited temporarily by a mysterious stranger, who will forever change the lives of two young boys out on an adventure. It’s a story of obsessive love, of first love, of women who are unworthy of love, of divorce, of men and boys caught up in the throws of it all, and most certainly a “coming of age at every age” parable. It’s a sweet southern fairytale; a “Gumbo” if you will, that has all the earmarks of being an adapted classic novel, yet it’s an original story.

The movie wants to take its background from Mark Twain’s “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” but it feels more like “Winter’s Bone.” It is a complex tale told in a sly quiet way that forces itself into your mind, because you’re compelled to find out what the characters are really all about below the surface.

Yes, the movie is that good. I’m not going to tell you anymore about the plot, I’ve already said too much. You need to experience Mud for yourself, let it charm you just as it did the audiences at Sundance, South By Southwest, and Cannes.

I will however, talk about the acting, because it’s so outstanding that no one person’s presence towers over the others. It is the perfect ensemble. The acting is consummate throughout. McConaughey, grubby and adrift in his life as Mud, turns in one of his greatest performances to date. Tye Sheridan (remember his name) as young Ellis is a special find as is his buddy NeckBone played by Jacob Lofiand. Sam Shepard, who appears to be born for this role, is above his usual high standard, and Reese Witherspoon is excellent playing against type in a pivotal cameo. Everyone in this film seems so real you’ll forget they are actors playing a part in a movie.

Indie Director Jeff Nichols, on his third outing here (Take Shelter, Shotgun Stories) has written a fable that is ageless while still being current with the times, quite a feat. And as a director he was able to bring all the elements together in a style uniquely his own, wrapped up in some of the most beautiful cinematography of rural Arkansas you’re ever likely to see, because it’s fast vanishing.

I had to think about Mud for a day or two before I could write this, I wanted to be sure of my feeling about the movie. It’s different. I mean the themes are familiar; they are just dealt with differently, excellently. So here’s my take; there are a lot of films worth seeing in the theaters right now, and I know a small film like this gets overlooked easily; however, if you’re looking for a great drama with tremendous soul, don’t overlook this one!

(1 People gave this 3.00 out of 5)

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A comedy of errors with a truly horrific twist – it really happened!

Click the image above for more pics!

Swift shot:  This is a true story, and yes it is also tragically funny.  It’s hard to explain how it made me feel, because as Michael Bay put it, “I want people to be conflicted.”  Well, that about sums up how I feel . . . conflicted.  One one hand you have a bizarre comedy about Americans that want it all without putting in the hard-work, and on the other hand you have a true crime that affected real people in the South Florida community.  Is this a good film, yes, is this a horrible story, yes, will you find yourself laughing several times, yes.  Is this a ground-breaking film?  Yes!  I am struggling to come up with a true story that is as dark and tragic as it is horribly funny that was made into a film.  I am drawing a blank.  There are many dark comedies that are pure fiction, and I have no problem laughing at those.  But in the case of Pain & Gain, they kept reminding us that “this is a true story.”  Real people died.

–> Check out our South Beach interviews here with the Cast and Crew! <–

Daniel Lugo (Mark Wahlberg) is not a normal person, in his mind he is an exceptional physical specimen that demands respect and royalties from life.  To see someone making more than he does, without really putting in much effort, grates on him.  And in Miami Beach, the discrepancies over the haves and have-nots is crystal clear.  Lugo wants to live the American dream . . . to the Max!

After serving a short stint in prison for some kind of ponzi scheme on old folks, his career options are pretty limited.  He comes across the Sun Gym and notices the need of gym owner, John Mese (Rob Corddry).  His gym is filled with ‘old floaters’ and Lugo promises to not only sexy up the place but to triple membership in a month!  Mese can’t resist giving the con a shot.  Lugo simply gives free waxes to new members and gives free membership to strippers . . . voila!

Lugo’s gym-rat friend, Dorable (Anthony Mackie) is like the pup circling his boss, essentially worshiping at the Lugo altar, and he also wants more out of life.  He wants a large woman for which he can provide a house and a family.  Enter Rebel Wilson, of course.  Rebel provides most of the pure comedy in the film as juicy, penis nurse Robin, and fans of hers won’t be disappointed in the least.  She even manages to add some real depth to an otherwise character-actor role.

Victor Kershaw (Tony Shaloub) is one of the ‘haves’ of South Beach, not only does he have it, he enjoys rubbing in your face the fact that you DON’T have it . . . and probably never will, because you aren’t willing to do what it takes.  I have watched EVERY episode of Monk, and I can set your fears at Bay (as in Michael Bay) that you will NOT see Kershaw as Monk within seconds of his on screen introduction.  Credit to Director Bay for making his entrance do exactly that, break the Monk mold.  Shaloub is one of my favorite actors, since Wings even, and he deserves some kind of accolades for pulling off a credible creep in Kershaw.  He’s a character that is easy to root both for and against with mere seconds apart.

Lugo spends a lot of time thinking about self-improvement, as he puts it, “I believe in America, I believe in fitness.”  One evening he falls for self-made millionaire pitch-man, Johnny Wu’s seminar (played by the mad-Korean, Ken Jeong) and it changes his life, and many other lives . . . forever.  Once a new hire at the gym enters his circle though, fantasy becomes reality as he starts to plan something sinister and real.  Paul Doyle (The Rock) is also an ex-con with a bizarre personality as a born-again Christian teetotaler that frequents strip clubs and is easily swayed by Lugo’s charms as the master mind.  This might be one of the rare times The Rock gets to show off his acting muscles without primarily relying on his muscles . . . or his trademark eyebrow.  He manages to go from a reformed ex-con, born-again Christian, to a full-on coke fiend with a pseudo-sociopathic decline.

No true story about a gym would be complete without a gym-bunny, and Bar Paly provides the perfect “American” woman of the nineties.  Sorina Luminata is an illegal-immigrant and rebel without a clue, coming from Romania by way of Mexico.  She unwittingly, and it has to be unwittingly, because if she had half a wit, she’d be a half-wit, gets tricked into the team.  Lugo convinces her that he is “with the government” and asks her to serve her new country with him in the CIA.

With the team all assembled, they set out to kidnap Kershaw and make him sign away all his possessions to Lugo, and he will share it with the rest of his crew.  This is where Shaloub shines, as there are several botched attempts to kidnap Kershaw, and when they finally do get him, they are so sloppy and ill-prepared for just how strong-willed this half Colombian half Jew is!  His family survived the Nazis, and he is not an easy mark.  While his torture is hard to watch, it is actually hilarious at the same time, as certain toys are used on him that you might never associate with torture . . . well, some of you sick bastages might!  If you’ve ever seen Eight Heads in a Duffel Bag you’ll see what I mean how torture could be funny. The Lugo, or Sun Gym, crew gets creative, and Michael Bay let the cast do some improvisation in these scenes that is sure to leave a mark.

As inept as they were at kidnapping Kershaw, they are WORSE at killing him!  You might think it would be easy to kill someone, and just like anything in life, you need the right tools . . . and the right operator.  In this case they had some interesting choices for how they were going to kill Kershaw, but they always managed to screw it up!  Finally convinced that Kershaw is dead, they move on.

Kershaw wakes up in a hospital and is pretty mangled but he is alive.  Because he is half Colombian, and this was the 90s, the Miami-Dade cops aren’t buying his ridiculous story.  They leave him in the hospital to rot!  The Lugo crew finds out he is alive and, yet again, they try to kill him.  But, this time he manages a miracle of what would only ever be believed in a “convenient writing” scenario as Kershaw picks up a phone book in the hospital and calls DuBois Detective Agency.

Thing is, DuBois has been retired for a long time, but he does eventually take the case.  That is what was so unbelievable, here is a detective that ends up taking a case because he is bored.  His client has no money, because he signed it all away to Lugo.  DuBois (Ed Harris) takes the case more for something to do besides golfing and fishing.  Harris is a freaking monster actor, with a tiny part he manages to become this character with a wry attitude and Miami style.

With DuBois on the case it is really only a matter of time before he puts all the pieces together.  He can’t believe it himself, and this was a guy who both retired from the police force and his own detective agency.  To put it simply, he’s not easily surprised, but this case managed to do just that.  It’s why the film should leave you conflicted.  He does try to warn the Miami-Dade police that these guys will strike again, even though they believe the gang is just a fiction of this “Colombian” who probably pissed off the cartel.

The Lugo crew are an odd bunch of players.  Sorina is convinced she is working with CIA and her partner is Doyle.  Doyle is convinced that he is protected by God and can do as much cocaine as South Beach can pump up his nose.  Dorable is convinced that he is a good provider for his girl, and they do get a small house in a nice neighborhood.  Lugo himself is convinced that he DESERVES greatness, because that is what America is all about.  Thing is, they are ALL wrong!  Their combined delusions of grandeur eventually catch up to them, and no amount of grilled evidence can keep them unscathed.

Michael Bay got his start in Miami with Bad Boys, and he has a not-so-secret love affair with the city and people.  I asked him at the Press Junket in South Beach if he would be making more films here.  Based on his answer, it is clear he will.  He may have a hard time finding a story so incredibly dark yet so terribly funny again in his career that is actually a true story.  But, as the saying goes . . . “Welcome to Miami Bitch!”

Again, if this weren’t a true story, it would be hilarious and most people would call it brilliant writing.  But, in this case, the architects of the inane events were actual inept criminals that destroyed many lives with their get-rich quick devious schemes.  How did I feel about it?  Conflicted . . . but the hell if I wasn’t laughing throughout!

This article was also shared with my friends at NerdSpan.

(2 People gave this 2.50 out of 5)

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“Is it possible to miss a place you’ve never been?  To mourn a time you’ve never known?”

Click the pic for tons more sexy images from the film!

Swift shot:  Heavy on Sci-Fi with a script that makes you care about the characters, Oblivion is my Sci-Fi sleeper pick of 2013 . . . so far.  In a future world, Earth is mining her last natural resources for a trip off world due to an alien invasion.  “We won the war, but we still have to leave the planet,” is how it is summed up by Tom Cruise’s character, Jack.  He is part of a two person team whose job it is to repair drones.  These drones would give Rand Paul fucking nightmares!  They monitor all the remaining “Scav” activity on the surface and terminate any invaders foolish enough to crawl around in plain sight.

‘Scavs’ are the remnants from the invasion that the drones take care of on a nightly basis.

Jack is living on a Skytower with his “effective” partner, Victoria (Andrea Riseborough), whom he lovingly calls Vika.  They check in with Sally (Melissa Leo) who is on the Tet, a giant pyramid shaped ship which is collecting all the water from Earth in preparation to find another planet, because the Scav invaders literally blew the Earth’s moon in two!  The devastating effects from that blow created massive earthquakes and tsunamis – leaving the Earth an uninhabitable war-ravaged nuclear wasteland.

But, there is something that keeps haunting Jack, he keeps dreaming about a strange woman that he has never met, Julia (Olga Kurylenko).  He knows that his memory was wiped for security reasons, and he is pretty sure Vika doesn’t suffer from similar nightmares about the mysterious Julia.

On a routine mission to repair Drone 166, which will make several appearances throughout the film and becomes every bit as alive as Wilson from Cast Away, he happens to be where the last Super Bowl was played in 2017.  Oh, I forgot to mention, this day is March 14, 2077.  [The next day would be . . . The Ides of March]  He gives us a brief run through of the game . . . never mentioning the teams, of course.  It is clearly a New York stadium, as there are buried reminders of the once big apple . . . now a rotten core of a proud nation.  A symbol of what was once a beautiful planet, ruined.  Credit to Director Joseph Kosinski for showing us images of the “Freedom Tower” in Jack’s dream sequences.  It was a nice touch, and he uses not so subtle nods to Classic films that really makes a good movie . . . great!

You will recognize the music as Kosinski worked with co-composer Joseph Trapanese when he directed Tron: Legacy.  And the art design is very similar in style, with the Bubbleship and drones having a familiar feel to Legacy fans.

All that aside, what makes this movie incredible is the authentic feel to the characters in an otherwise fantasy world.  There are more twists in this film than the Bubbleship makes in the Statue of Liberty chase sequence.  That scene drew a relieved “whew” once it was concluded by someone sitting to my left in the theater.

I won’t spoil the film, but I will tell you I predicted a few of the twists . . . but not all of them!  This is one of those fun movies that you can watch once, then get some friends who haven’t seen it yet and watch it with them, as you will want to see their reactions.

Morgan Freeman and Olga Kurylenko both turn in great performances as pivotal characters that help Jack wake up from his nightmares.  Each one of them offers something special for Jack, but you won’t know what they are until you see the film.

The director wrote this as a short 12 page graphic novel in 2005, well before Tron and Disney came calling.  What he learned in making Tron: Legacy, he obviously applied with a genius stroke of artistic sexuality that is visually incredible.  And, like I said, the story will keep you thinking and feeling for these characters.  Also there is a love scene in the pool on the Skytower that is sexy as hell, yet serene and tasteful.

If I haven’t made the case for you yet – yes, this is a great film!  It’s one of those films that Sci-Fi nerds and romance nerds can both gel over.  See it in IMAX, like I did, and prepare to be moved and impressed.  I was.  And while there are a few similarities, this is not Wall-E despite what others are saying.

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If you ride like lightning, you’re going to crash like thunder.

A story in three acts, The Place Beyond the Pines stars Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, and Eva Mendes.  I never did learn from the movie what the title refers to, but I found out via IMDb that the place beyond the pines refers to the name of the city of Schenectady, which is where the movie took place and also was filmed.

Act One involves Luke (Ryan Gosling), a stunt motorcycle rider who works for a traveling circus.  While performing in Schenectady, he runs into Romina (Eva Mendes), a sometimes lover of his.  When Luke discovers Romina has a baby boy named Jason and that Jason is HIS son, he decides he wants to be a part of his son’s life.  He immediately quits the carnival to stay in town to be near his son.  Now, what happens next is kind of unbelievable, but it’s a movie so I went with it.  While riding his motorcycle through the forest, Luke meets Robin (Ben Mendelsohn), who gives him a trailer to live in and a job fixing cars at his shop.  I’m pretty sure nothing like that would happen so fast in real life, but this is movie land so I guess it works.

Now that Luke lives near Romina and Jason, he wants to spend as much time as possible with his son.  Some scenes were pretty heartbreaking, such as when Luke goes to watch his son get baptized and Romina and her boyfriend are standing up there holding the baby instead of Luke, or when Luke and Romina take Jason for his first ice cream because Luke wants his son to remember him whenever he has ice cream.  Some fathers just don’t get to spend enough time with their sons, and that’s not right.

Anyway, since he has no job, Luke decides to rob banks to get money to support Romina and their son.   Using his motorcycle to get away from the robberies, he is able to get away with it a few times.  Until one day, his getaway doesn’t quite go as planned.  Enter Avery (Bradley Cooper), a cop who is summoned to the house where Luke has taken cover.  I won’t spoil exactly what happens next, but it’s not good.

Next comes Act Two.  This focuses on Avery as he returns to work after a work-related injury.  Avery and his wife Jennifer (Rose Byrne) have a baby boy, AJ.  When he returns to work he is on light duty, which includes being in charge of the evidence room.  Here he finds out that some of his fellow cops aren’t exactly on the good side of the law.  As he struggles to deal with the guilt of shooting a suspect, he also has to deal with the issue of his crooked cop buddies and his crumbling marriage.

Finally we arrive at Act Three.  It is fifteen years after the end of Act Two.  Avery is running for Congress.  Avery and Jennifer are divorced.  AJ wants to live with his father in Schenectady, and he is enrolled in the high school there.  AJ is a drug-addicted, partying waste.  While at his new school he meets a fellow student, Jason.  They become fast friends and end up getting into trouble for possession of drugs. Avery tells AJ to stay away from Jason, but AJ won’t leave Jason alone (not in a homosexual way, just in a buddy kind of way).   I can’t really say much more about this without spoiling anything so I’ll leave it at that.

One word I can use to describe The Place Beyond the Pines is raw.  These characters did NOT look glamorous.  They looked weary and somewhat wrecked.   Director Derek Cianfrance seemed to favor tight, close shots of the actors throughout the movie and there was no escaping their tired eyes.  I also noticed another camera technique, which was following behind Luke as he walked from his trailer to the tent where he performed his motorcycle stunts.  It was strange yet it worked, because you felt like you were there at the carnival with him, although I did think “gosh I hope the whole movie isn’t filmed this way” (it wasn’t).

Overall I thought it was a good story, but it would have kept my interest if it was shorter.

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A great story, but merely a good movie.

The H-Bomb: In post-war 1940′s America, fascism has been defeated overseas, but here at home, segregation still exists in practically every facet of society; in schools, buses, restaurants, restrooms, and professional sports. Brooklyn Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford) feels that it’s time to break down that racial barrier by recruiting an African American player onto his team (though he admits it’s as much a financial decision as it is a social statement). After an extensive search, Rickey settles on a 26-year-old prodigy out of California named Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman).

This Robinson kid soon proves to be quite gifted, as he makes stealing bases look easy, and can hit a home run like it nobody’s business. He clearly has the potential to be a great sports star, there’s just one problem… his skin color. He is the first African American to ever play in the Major Leagues, and given that this is the 40′s, not everyone is a fan. Despite being clearly talented, Robinson encounters, and is forced to deal with, bigotry at pretty much every turn. It’s something that could derail his promising career, especially if he loses his cool in public. So, the question is, will he be able to suck it up, put all the taunts and torments out of mind and just play the game?

As I said a long, long time ago in my review for The Blind Side, I’m not a sports fan. However, I do tend to enjoy sports movies, because they usually have the makings for good drama: a hero, typically an underdog, has to struggle against all odds, in order to achieve an ultimate goal, which in a sports film usually means winning the big game/race/fight, or what have you. That is the formula for most sports films, and it’s the one that 42 follows to the letter.

For Jackie Robinson, the hurdle he had to pass didn’t have to do with the game of baseball, so much as his ability to play the game while contending with small minded racism that seems to come from all directions; from booing crowds (there’s a chilling moment where a young boy starts shouting the N-word at Jackie after listening to his father do it), umpires, players from opposing teams, and even his own teammates.

One of the worst occurrences happens early on; Robinson is playing for the Montreal Royals in Florida, when some shit-kicking hillbilly cop walks up to him after scoring a run, and orders him to get off the field, or else. Another instance, one that personally brought my piss to a boil, is when Robinson steps up to bat in Philadelphia, and is forced to listen to an endless barrage of cruel taunts from Phillies Manager, Ben Chapman (Alan Tudyk, who plays a true dick, and does it a little too well).

At that point, I would’ve had no problem with Robinson going over to the guy and caving his face in with his bat, which he clearly wants to, but of course doesn’t, because good old Rickey taught him better than that. He taught Jackie to turn the other cheek, that the best way to show up his unenlightened naysayers up is by performing on the field. And that Jackie does, by taking the Dodgers all the way to the Pennant… don’t think I’m spoiling anything there, folks.

As an indictment on racism, and showing younger audiences just how bad things really used to be, 42 pushes all the right buttons, hits all the right notes, and works nicely. As a sports drama, and a biopic of one of the most important men to ever play the game of baseball, it just doesn’t quite make the cut. This is mainly because Robinson, as a central character, is woefully underwritten. Boseman is stellar in the role, but aside from a few moments of warmth with his wife, Rachel (Nicole Beharie), and one crucial scene where he has a private emotional breakdown, he comes off as incredibly stoic and cold, to the point where he seems a little off putting.

I know it was a conscious decision for Robinson to behave that way in public, but we never get enough of a peek behind the curtain to get a sense of who he really was, and consequently, I never got as caught up in his story, nor did I care about him, nearly as much as I knew I was supposed to. I lay the blame for this at the feet of writer/director Brian Helgeland (screenwriter of L.A. Confidential and Mystic River), who does a masterful job of recreating the period. The ball parks, the locker rooms, and the back offices all look and feel authentic, it’s just a shame Helgeland decided to treat Robinson as a symbol instead of a character.

Because of that, the majority of the dramatically juicy bits go to the cigar chomping Rickey, who is played by Ford with gravitas and gusto. Unless I’m forgetting something, this is the first time in Ford’s career where he truly inhabits and disappears inside of a character. I didn’t even recognize him when he first appeared on screen, then, after some time, I forgot that I was even watching him. I would go so far as to call his performance Oscar worthy, even if he does overplay his hand at times by hamming it up a little too much. It also seemed a tad silly that he always had some wiser-than-thou speech prepared whenever someone came to him with a problem, but again, that’s Helgeland’s doing.

With 42′s faults aside, it is a solidly entertaining film that tells a remarkable, and important, “true” story (embellishments were made, I’m sure) that deserves to be seen, particularly by young people, who only seem to get their history from the movies these days, anyway (if Scary Movie 5 out performs this at the Box Office, I will lose all hope for humanity). Yes, it could have been better, and perhaps less conventional, but still, it’s uplifting, inspirational, and had me leaving the theater with a smile on my face.