"Casino Jack"

*January is a notoriously weak month at the theatre. I didn't bother with Season of the Witch (though I may check it out in the coming days since I am a huge Cage fan) because it wasn't playing at my local theatre and I didn't feel that it warranted the trip to Owensboro, KY. I'm facing the hard truth of life in Cannelton, hours away from any of the screenings I get invited to. But I do have some screeners left that I haven't reviewed yet. After this review of Casino Jack (which should see a wider release in the next month or so after opening in a handful of theatres for awards consideration back in December), I will review I Love You, Phillip Morris, Biutiful, and The Company Men. All of which should have at least a limited release soon.

The point of all this is that I won't be able to review the big releases (like The Green Hornet this weekend) until I can make it to the theatre after its release. No more reviews published the day the film comes out...

Casino Jack - Directed by George Hickenlooper, written by Norman Snider, starring Kevin Spacey, Barry Pepper, Kelly Preston, and Jon Lovitz - Rated R

"I'm Jack Abramoff and I work out every day!"



Jack Abramoff is a character. It just so happens he is an actual person as well. Abramoff was a hotshot lobbyist for years in Washington, D.C. until his world came crumbling down. A rise and fall in D.C. hardly makes a compelling character, but Abramoff had enough idiosyncrasies to warrant not just a documentary (the informative and entertaining Casino Jack and the United States of Money), but also a fictionalized retelling of his story. Unfortunately, it turns out that the documentary was good enough for his story. This film just seems like overkill.

The story of Jack Abramoff is interesting. He was a lobbyist, mainly for Native American casinos (hence the nickname), and was eventually brought down due to extreme corruption and betrayal. It is a story meant to be dramatized: a lobbyist who abuses tax laws to keep sweatshops open, deals with mafia-types, is obsessed with movies (he actually produced a couple Dolph Lundgren movies), and seems to always need to prove himself. It all somehow ends up being a bit boring and pointless.

Casino Jack is not a complete exercise in futility, though. Abramoff is portrayed by Kevin Spacey and it is a great performance. The film begins with Spacey giving himself a pep talk in a bathroom mirror. It’s strange but mesmerizing at the same time. As Spacey says emphatically, “I’m Jack Abramoff and I work out every day!” you realize that a determined performance is taking place. Spacey’s outbursts and seemingly random comments make this movie worth watching, but in the long run it’s not enough to make Casino Jack a great film.

It can’t be stressed enough that the documentary about Abramoff contains all the information you could ever want from this story. It’s very strange that both the documentary and the dramatization would come out so close together. Even stranger is the fact that director George Hickenlooper, primarily a documentarian (and a gifted one at that), would be the filmmaker behind the dramatization. (As a side note, Hickenlooper’s untimely death in October is doubly saddening because of his promise as a filmmaker.)

The film’s downfall isn’t that the documentary preceded it; it’s the fact that the documentary does a much better job at explaining the circumstances of the situation and the downfall. A dramatization is never really meant to provide the real story, anyway, but Casino Jack fails at being entertaining as well (aside from Spacey, that is). It’s not so much the characters that surround Spacey that make things boring; it’s the uninspired casting. There’s Barry Pepper as the young hotshot. Fine, but how many times do we have to see Pepper in that role? Then you have the sleazy businessman played by Jon Lovitz. Lovitz is usually a comedian, but how many times has he played a disgusting sleazebag? It’s a boring combination of clichéd characters and typecast actors. To be clear, Pepper and Lovitz both do fine jobs here, it’s just that they could play these roles in their sleep.

Casino Jack could be inoffensive in its clichés held together by a great Spacey performance, but oddly enough, the film’s score makes the film nearly unbearable. The old saying is that a good score is never noticed. That only rings true when a film needs a plain score. Casino Jack needed a plain score. What it got was an insanely annoying and far too loud score that sticks out like a sore thumb. It cannot be described in words; you must hear it to understand how annoying it is. It was as if the score was trying to force a lighthearted tone that doesn’t exist. The film would be much better off with a soundtrack and nothing else.

Perhaps the biggest problem with Casino Jack, however, is the fact that it really doesn’t have much to say. That isn’t necessarily a problem for most films, but if the film deals with political corruption and lobbyists, it is pretty much required that there is a message about why things went the way they did or at least a warning about how to keep them from happening again. The film tries to be a character study about Abramoff, but lacks the focus to make that case. Kevin Spacey is the only aspect of the film that warrants any close attention.

If you’re looking for an inside story concerning Abramoff and Tom DeLay (among other politicians), then check out the documentary. If all you want is an above average Kevin Spacey performance, then check out Casino Jack. Be warned, you won’t learn much and you may want to cover your ears every now and then.

"True Grit"

True Grit - Written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, starring Jeff Bridges, Hailee Steinfeld, Matt Damon, Barry Pepper, and Josh Brolin - Rated PG-13

The Coens made a neo-western with No Country, now they've made a plain old western. I'm glad they did.

Remakes seem to be almost universally hated in the film community these days but there are some (including me) that don’t get up in arms about every single remake. Why is it so terrible that filmmakers want to give their own spin on a story? Worst-case scenario: it sucks; you ignore it, and then watch the original again. Case in point, True Grit, the latest remake from the Coen Brothers, will probably not replace the John Wayne original in most viewers’ hearts, but it doesn’t hurt to see a new take on the Charles Portis novel, especially when it’s made by the Coens.

The Coens, no strangers to the remake game after 2004’s The Ladykillers, have said that their new version of the story is a new adaptation of the novel rather than of the screenplay and that holds true. This version is definitely darker and more violent than the original. It’s not just about darkness and violence, though. The novel had a bittersweet quality to it and more of a focus on the young heroine, Mattie Ross; whereas the 1969 film focused a bit more on the grizzled antihero, Rooster Cogburn. Enough about the original, though, True Grit is its own film.

True Grit takes place in Arkansas in the latter half of the 1800s. Fourteen-year-old Mattie Ross (relative newcomer Hailee Steinfeld) takes it upon herself to track down her father’s murderer, Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin), who has fled into Indian territory, which is a haven for outlaws. She enlists the help of a hardened, drunken U.S. Marshal, Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) and receives unwanted aid in the form of a Texas Ranger named LaBoeuf (Matt Damon).

At its heart, True Grit is a film about determination and retribution, but it is also a film about the friendship, or lack thereof, between Cogburn, Mattie, and LaBoeuf. There lies the true action of this film. LaBoeuf and Cogburn trade barbs while Mattie decides which man is more admirable. At certain points, it seemed like the two men were more worried about maintaining their dignity in front of Mattie than actually finding Chaney.

Mattie is the focus of the two male leads of the film and she is the rightful focus of the film itself. The rough Old West lawman has been done to death, but the determined fourteen-year-old girl of the Old West is untouched material. Thankfully, the film doesn’t get stuck on the ridiculousness of a young girl hunting a fugitive (although the acknowledgment of the fact does lead to a good laugh or two). Instead, the focus is on her character. Mattie is a stubborn girl who argues for what she thinks is right no matter what. And Steinfeld completely inhabits the character. From her first moments, her steely gaze convinces you that not only can she handle the character of Mattie Ross, but she can even outshine the likes of Matt Damon and Jeff Bridges. She handles the Coens’ rapid-fire witty dialogue with complete sincerity and ease. Steinfeld is easily the best part of the film and deserves some recognition this awards season. (For the record, she did win the IFJA’s Supporting Actress award.)

Steinfeld is more impressive than her co-stars, but that doesn’t mean their performances are weak. Bridges does a fine job and gives a very amusing turn as Cogburn. He basically plays it as if Bad Blake from last year’s Crazy Heart was a lawman and there is nothing wrong with that. No one is going to forget about John Wayne or anything, but Bridges does a great job. Damon is just as entertaining as the egotistic LaBoeuf. Josh Brolin and Barry Pepper (who is nearly unrecognizable here) also turn in good performances, Pepper more so than Brolin.

Humor might seem like an odd word in relation to what’s supposed to be a dark western, but this is a Coen Brothers western. The dialogue of any Coen Brothers film is a star in itself and that applies to True Grit. The bickering between LaBoeuf and Cogburn, the bartering of Mattie, the rambling of a strange bear hunter/dentist, etc. is all great and makes what could be boring scenes become funny scenes.

This isn’t a complete comedy, though; True Grit does contain some scenes of sudden and brutal violence (don’t worry about that PG-13 rating, this movie has blood). It is all very effective, but more importantly, it looks beautiful at times. Director of photography Roger Deakins has filmed yet another beautiful film. Teamed up with the Coens, Deakins creates slow, meandering tracking shots, interesting wide shots of great locations, and low-lit scenes of intensity. Add an effective, old school score by Carter Burwell (with great touches that are reminiscent of Miller’s Crossing) and True Grit is a very aesthetically pleasing film.

True Grit may not be the action packed western some may hope for, but if you let the film sink in you realize how effective it really is. Most effective, though, is the Coens’ slavish devotion to the source material. Much like No Country for Old Men, the Coens never stray very far from the novel the film is based on. The ending of the film truly benefits from this. Others may find the film’s finale a bit abrupt or anti-climactic, but it is in keeping with the realistic tone of the rest of the film.

The film is not without its faults, though. The devotion to the source material may go too far at times; most notably with the mentally challenged outlaw who makes animal sounds. A reader will recognize that character, but a viewer may be left confused. Aside from that, there is really nothing wrong with True Grit. If anything, though, a Coen fan may be a bit disappointed by how straightforward the film is. The discussions created by last year’s A Serious Man (my #1 film of 2009) are nonexistent here. You can’t fault a film for abandoning the deep end, but it may keep this film off of top ten lists and the like.

Top ten lists and awards probably don’t mean much to the Coens. They are more likely worried about making an enjoyable and beautiful film and they certainly have accomplished that with True Grit. If you want John Wayne and an ending that comes complete with a bow on top, then by all means, watch the classic 1969 film. If you’re looking for something fun, well-acted, dark, and beautiful, then watch this new version. Remember, it’s not a really a remake, it’s just the Coens’ own vision of a novel and it’s a vision worth seeing.


Random Thoughts

Barry Pepper plays Ned Pepper. I just thought that was amusing. Not since Kevin Dunn acted in a film with a character named Kevin Dunn (Snake Eyes) has such a coincidence occurred. Aside from that, I can’t stress enough how vastly different Pepper looks in this film. His performance will make you wish he had been the main antagonist throughout, although Chaney isn’t truly an antagonist, either, to be honest.

I dug Cogburn’s intro via an outhouse, just a really great way to introduce the character.

I can’t find any confirmation of this, but I am 99% sure that the voice of Lawyer Daggett is none other than J. K. Simmons. It was a nice touch adding his voice, assuming I am correct, that is.

The nearly word for word adaptation of the court scene from the novel was great. It was as if the Coens handed the actors a copy of the novel rather than a script, which is a possibility.