Tom Hardy Mesmerizes in Simply Complicated "Locke"

For the second time in less than a year I was riveted by a movie that featured only one actor.  First came Robert Redford in "All is Lost."  And now in the equally, if not more brilliant "Locke" starring Tom Hardy, we have another solitary actor, but at least he gets to speak and listen to other voices.  Although both movies have a gimmick, they work in different ways cinematically to achieve powerful results.  Both are examples of amazing writing, directing, acting, cinematography, and editing; and both should be studied for many years to come.

"Locke" is written and directed by Steven Knight, the talented British filmmaker who wrote two of my favorite movies from the past decade:  "Dirty Pretty Things" and "Eastern Promises."  It comes as no surprise, therefore, that his latest movie is a superbly crafted thriller with complex characters and exhilarating drama.

Nor is it surprising that Tom Hardy is an amazing actor.  Most famous for playing the supervillain Bane in the recent Batman movie, Mr. Hardy has been gaining a reputation for his combination of physicality and psychological complexity.  Some of his best work can be seen in such movies as "Warrior" and "Lawless," and he's appearing in the upcoming "Child 44" and the newest "Mad Max."  Forced to carry an entire movie on his own, he succeeds brilliantly and should be remembered at Awards season.  He may have the best voice in cinema today - or at least the best control of his voice as a tool of his acting arsenal.  Here, he exhibits a Welsh accent that is distinct, powerful, and ultimately the heart and soul of an entire movie.  It's an amazing achievement.

"Locke" the movie is about Ivan Locke, a working-class family man who steps into his BMW SUV at 9:00 PM on a rainy night and drives 90 minutes to his destination.  Along the way he has multiple phone conversations with his co-workers, his wife, his children, and several surprises.  He even has a few imaginary discussions with his long-departed father.  Ivan Locke's profession is a concrete specialist, and his wife says he leaves concrete footprints wherever he walks.  He pours the foundations for major buildings (which he calls "my buildings") and has earned a reputation over the last 10 years as an expert.  On the eve of the biggest concrete pour in Europe - outside of the military and nuclear sites - Locke is called away on an unexpected emergency.  His decision to leave, and not supervise his work, or go home to his family for one night, sets in motion the most strenuous drive of his life.  The result is a captivating journey that we the audience experience with Locke.

The movie was filmed over the course of eight nights while Mr. Hardy was towed around London.  His car was equipped with three cameras, as he read through the entire script twice each night (teleprompters were installed to help).  The voice actors whom he interacts were stationed at a nearby hotel and placed actual calls on cue.  Thus the conversations are real, and Mr. Hardy did not have to act completely alone (unlike Mr. Redford in "All is Lost").  The vibrant nighttime photography is by the talented Haris Zambarloukos - a Cyprus-born cinematographer with a fabulous eye.  His lighting and compositions provide a virtual  second character to the car ride, creating a richness to every shot.

As fascinating as it is to watch, it's the writing that elevates this story.  The movie is gripping and provocative because of Locke's choices.  He's made mistakes and now he's trying to fix them.  Is he a bad man?  One character describes him as "the best man in England."  But other characters beg to differ.  By keeping Locke as a working class everyman, writer-director Steven Knight makes him very relatable.  He's not a secret agent, politician, or gangster.  He's very real, which makes the drama all the more absorbing.

Like many recent movie protagonists, Locke may be seen as unlikable.  Take Llewyn Davis, in the recent Coen Brothers movie "Inside Llewyn Davis."   He has poor judgment, acts boorish, is insensitive, but is still fascinating.  Why?  Because he isn't a saint, and neither are any of us.  We all make mistakes, and we all need to improve.  Ivan Locke admits his mistakes, comes clean, and starts to change.  It's fascinating to see it happen up close, as it happens, in one single car ride.  After the show, I stepped into my own car and paused.  I wondered where I was headed, and how a simple commute home can sometimes be so much more.

"Noah" - All Creatures Wild and Wacky

The best way to enjoy "Noah" is simple:  know little to nothing about Noah's three Biblical chapters in Genesis.  As the filmmakers take multiple liberties with the plot, co-writer and director Darren Aronofsky tells a version of the story never shown before.  He gets points for ambition and originality, but does it all work?  Yes and no.

"Noah" is a fast-paced, action-disaster flick with more CGI battles than "Transformers."  It's also a head-scratching oddity that viewed under the right (or wrong) circumstances could be hilarious.

Russell Crowe stars as Noah, and once again saves mankind in his ultimate role - spiritual gladiator with an environmental soul.  Along with his wife (Jennifer Connelly) and  three sons, Noah lives a peaceful, faithful life in a world of sin.  Unlike the Biblical version, Noah never hears the voice of God, but instead has a couple dreams about death and floods.  He builds the ark, the animals are called (all CGI and rather unimpressive), and a hard rains starts to fall.  Along the way, a couple major conflicts arise.  First, Noah must find wives for his sons to take along and help repopulate the planet.  It's a contrived obstacle invented by the filmmakers, but it does provide Noah with the inner-struggle of whether the earth should be repopulated or not.  Well, duh, why'd you get on the ark then?

The second conflict involves the evil king Tubal-cain.  Played by the excellent and underrated Ray Winstone, he's a multi-faceted villain who first wants to destroy Noah, and then wants aboard the ark.  A direct descendant of Adam and Eve's son Cain, Tubal-cain laments the Creator's absence in the world.  Although this character is sure to anger Biblical scholars and literalists, Tubal-cain adds some excitement to the story, resulting in the movie's best thrills. 

One major problem is the lack of background on the world that is to be destroyed.  That, to me, would be a fascinating exploration of the evils within our heart.  How did we go from the Garden of Eden to such a decadent evil civilization that needs to be wiped out?  Aside from a brief prologue explanation, not much is shown.  All we really see are roving bands of thugs which look more post-apocalyptic than pre-.  They are a clichéd gang of grunts reminiscent of a "Mad Max" movie or even the descriptions from Cormac McCarthy's "The Road."  I really wanted a better sense of who are these people and why have they so angered their creator.

Along these lines comes the second major problem:  the lack of insight into Noah.  Again why is he so special as chosen by God to be the lone survivor?  He respects the earth and all living creatures, but lives apart from his fellow man.  Rather than being a righteous soul in a world of sinners, he exists completely outside their society - and this is a big difference.  Ultimately, when he decides to build the ark he never questions his faith, nor does anyone else.  Russell Crowe does his best to look pensive, but the filmmakers failed to provide enough context for him to be such an important character.

Ultimately, the movie lacks a meaningful relevance to our life.  Outside of the blatantly obvious "we are destroying the earth" imagery, a true sense of connectedness is missing.  When the flood is over, and life returns to Earth, what is the message for us today?  I believe it's a movie about faith.  I'm not sure that it really is, though, and perhaps that theme is just my own projection.  I'm curious to know what other people think.  So in that regard, "Noah" is worth seeing and discussing.

"Noah" the movie is one interpretation of this ancient story.  At over two hours long, it moves fast.  So forget what you know and enjoy the ride.  

"The Grand Budapest Hotel" - Wes Anderson's Latest Masterpiece

Every Wes Anderson movie seems to exceed the previous one.  In terms of scope, ambition and style - each one adds to the whimsical genre that he has created for himself.  The newly released "Grand Budapest Hotel" continues that upward trend with a bold, fast-paced, hilarious, literary story featuring an endless parade of stars.

Following the success and ambitions of "Moonrise Kingdom," Mr. Anderson pushes his creative and cinematic limits with a highly imaginative comedy set in a fictional Eastern European country in 1932.  It's actually a story told in multiple flashbacks - a story within a story within a story within a story - thus making the audience both enthralled by, and dubious of, the storytellers' integrity.

The main plot focuses on Monsieur Gustave H. (Ralph Fiennes) - the sophisticated, old-world concierge of the mountaintop resort.  Meticulous and proper, yet also profane and sneaky, Gustave's life mission is to maintain the highest standards of service and luxury for the grand hotel.  Even in 1932 he's a bit anachronistic.  Much like the movie's director, his perfectionist eye for detail is all about the personal, handmade touches of class that few people in the later generations notice or appreciate.

Gustave also has the habit of seducing older women.  MUCH older women who happen to be rich.  When Madame D. (Tilda Swinton) dies and leaves a priceless painting to Gustave, her family takes an elaborate revenge on the unsuspecting concierge.  What follows is an action-packed, genre-bending journey across the snowcapped chalets of prewar Europe, where we encounter the likes of Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Willem Dafoe, and Adrien Brody. 

This is Wes Anderson's most commercial movie to date, blending humor and thrills, while limiting the arthouse eccentricities.  It's a near perfect journey to an imaginative world, where both the narrators and audience recognize a bygone era.  Not just the opulence of European aristocracy, or the analog delights of handwritten notes, but also the beauty of original filmmaking.  Undoubtedly it's one of the more inventive and unpredictable movies we'll see this year.  It's not based on a comic book, or a remake, or a sequel.  But a good, old fashioned original story.

The one flaw is that with so many great character cameos, I wanted more.  Adrien Brody's sulking, menacing Dmitri could have been better utilized as a villain.  He only briefly appears, and is more of a caricature than a three-dimensional antagonist.  It's always great to see Owen Wilson, who practically steals the show in his brief 2 minutes of screen time, but again such a tease leaves the audience wanting more.  Clocking in at just over 90 minutes, I could have sat through a much longer version, and with these actors it would have been a pleasure.

Miniature set display from Arclight Theater, Hollywood.

"The Grand Budapest Hotel" is fun entertainment, but also nostalgic and melancholy.  I left the theater reflecting on the past.  Distant memories and details that we haphazardly choose to remember - and not just ones filtered through movies (although that happened too).  I realize it's only March, but I'm certain "The Grand Budapest Hotel" will be remembered  when the Oscar nominations are announced next year.   

2014 Oscars Recap

The 86^th Annual Academy Awards proved to be a thrilling mix of glitz, gravitas and blockbuster.  It was an exciting show, hosted by second time emcee Ellen DeGeneres, who dished out witty jokes while pulling such memorable gags as ordering pizza for the audience, and taking an impromptu star-studded photo with Meryl Streep, Brad Pitt, Jennifer Lawrence and Julia Roberts.

The big winners were split between the powerful slavery drama 12 Years a Slave, which won Best Picture, and with the innovative sci-fi spectacle Gravity, which won Best Director plus six other technical awards.

Although it only won three Oscars, 12 Years A Slave made the biggest impact.  By winning the top honor, it marked the first time a film made by a black director won Best Picture.  In addition, it won Best Adapted Screenplay for John Ridley’s excellent script of the 150 year old memoir by Solomon Northup.  In one of the most deserving honors, Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’o won for Best Supporting Actress in her first ever movie.

12 Years A Slave writer John Ridley

Gravity’s total of seven Oscars led the night, highlighted by Mexican born Alfonso Cuarón winning Best Director – a first for a Latin American filmmaker.  Gravity also scored wins for Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Score, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Editing, and Best Sound Mixing.

Gravity Director Alfonso Cuaron

The true-life AIDS drama Dallas Buyers Club also won three key victories:  Matthew McConaughey for Best Actor, Jared Leto for Best Supporting Actor, and a much deserved Makeup and Hairstyling award.

Matthew McConaughey

Cate Blanchett won Best Actress for "Blue Jasmine."  This is her second Oscar, after winning Best Supporting Actress for portraying Katherine Hepburn in 2004's "The Aviator."  This win also represents another milestone:  five straight decades an actress in a Woody Allen movie has won an Oscar.

Cate Blanchett

The evening's other multiple winners included The Great Gatsby, which won for Best Costumes and Best Production Design.  Also, the Disney movie Frozen won for Best Animated Feature, along with Best Original Song for the hit “Let It Go.”

The Best Foreign Language Film went to Italian director Paolo Sorrentino’s Felini-esque comedy The Great Beauty.  This was the first Italian film to win this honor in fifteen years since Life is Beautiful.

The Best Documentary Feature went to 20 Feet from Stardom, the riveting story of the many backup singers who struggle for recognition in popular music.  Singer Darlene Love made a memorable acceptance speech when she broke into song to show that she is more than a supporting role player.

Other highlights for the evening included a touching Wizard of Oz tribute, where Pink sang “Over the Rainbow” – the Oscar winning best song from 75 years ago!

Pink sings "Over the Rainbow"

Once again, the In Memoriam tribute was especially moving.  It’s always sad to remember the recently departed legends which this year included Joan Fontaine, Esther Williams, and Philip Seymour Hoffman.  The tribute was capped off by Better Midler’s stirring rendition of “Wind Beneath My Wings.”

"The Rialto Theater" - A Photoplay in 10 Pictures

"The Rialto Theater" is an original photography story about a father and son.  When the alienated son encounters his father, he attempts to bridge all gaps of time and failure with the hope of finally attaining reconcilation and love.

All photographs were shot on medium-format 120 film, with a 1950s era Yashica-A camera.  Not a single frame was altered digitally.

Special thanks to Chris Heltai (The Son) and Elias McCabe (The Father).  Photographed in South Pasadena, California on January 11th and 25th, 2014.