Movie Review: CARNAGE

CARNAGE

2011
R


"You're blowing this all out of proportion!"
-- Michael Longstreet

Carnage is a 2011 black comedy directed by Roman Polanski that serves as a film adaptation of Yasmina Reza's play, God of Carnage. It follows the story of two couples who are trying to come to terms with the fact that one of their son's assaulted the other. After Zachary Cowan hits Ethan Longstreet with a stick causing serious damage to his face and mouth, the Cowan parents - Nancy (Kate Winslet) and Alan (Christoph Waltz) - go to meet the Longstreet parents - Penelope (Jodie Foster) and Michael (John C. Reilly) - in order to figure out what their next move should be. Ultimately, Penelope and Michael want Zachary to apologize to their son, but as the argument and debate, which doesn't always stick to the desired topic at hand, starts to escalate, more and more information about the assault comes to the forefront, causing more and more strain between the once-cordial parental meeting.

I have to be honest and say that I didn't know much about this film going into my viewing of it. I had seen the early theatrical posters and had heard that it had opened to relatively good reviews from critics, but I didn't even know it was a Polanski film until the title credits started to roll. In a sense, I was going into the film a little bit blind, only knowing that the caliber of acting was sure to be above the average standard. And often times, that's the best way to go into a film: without any predisposed notions as to whether it will be truly good or truly bad. Fortunately, I lucked out with Carnage.

Let's start with the film's screenplay. The storyline offers a very simple premise: the two boys get into their fight - a short, far-off scene playing behind the title credits that will be missed if you're not paying attention - and we immediately cut to the parents devising a written statement of the account of what happened between their children. Had the best of intentions been kept, the film could have easily ended there, but where would be the fun in that? The Longstreets do their best to be cordial, inviting the Cowans to stay for a while as they try to understand the reasoning behind their boy's action. As the conversation gets deeper, however, more personal information about each couple surfaces, and the opposing couple ultimately attempts to use that information as a way to slander the other into painting a different portrait of their general character.

Ultimately, this film simply shows one extended scene that lasts basically for the film's entirety. The discussion and argument is probably one of the most realistic I've ever seen portrayed on-screen, and the feel of the argument is so genuine that it feels completely real and natural. The ebbs and flows in the conversation work perfectly, and the changing of allegiances is so beautifully-crafted that it's immediately acceptable and bitingly hilarious. In fact, the comedy is so perfectly-placed that I found myself rolling with laughter for most of the film. Now, it's a black comedy, so this brand of humor isn't exactly for everyone, but for those of you able to appreciate it, I'm sure you'll find it just as comical as I did. My only slight issue with the screenplay was that the ending was a tad bit predictable, but I personally think it's the only way the film could have ended and have retained its comic power, so in this instance, the predictability can be forgiven.

We're lucky enough to get an all-star ensemble cast bringing these characters to life. If you look at the cast list, you'd be hard-pressed to find a way to think they would under-perform. Between the four of them, they have a total of twelve Academy Award nominations with four wins under the belts, so to expect anything less than their best would be a little bit foolish. And boy do they deliver. A lot of the buzz has gone to our female leads, both of whom have landed Golden Globe nominations for their performances, but I would like to salute our male characters as well. I personally think Waltz offers the film's best performance, and while he's not quite on par with everyone else, Reilly does a fantastic job in his role. I think he's made a little bit of a fool of himself in the past few years with his collaboration in some not-so-great comedies, but Reilly has the ability to be a very good or even great actor when he tries to be (see: 1997's Boogie Nights or 2002's Chicago). At the end of the day, Carnage has a brilliant cast that's firing on all cylinders, and they convey the screenplay and the story perfectly.

As I previously stated, Carnage's brand of comedy isn't going to be for everyone. It's a little off-the-wall, and it takes a little time to build to comedic level, but once it hits that pitch, the film slams on the pedal and doesn't let off until the final credits roll. If you're into black comedies, then this one's going to be right up your alley. I think everyone should at least give Carnage a chance, but just know that you should probably be a fan of this brand of comedy if you hope to truly enjoy the film.

Movie Review Summary
Grade: A
2 Thumbs Up

Movie Review: ROSEMARY'S BABY

ROSEMARY'S BABY

1968
Not Rated

Sometimes, even when you know what's coming, a movie can take you by complete surprise and utterly floor you...

Rosemary's Baby is a 1968 psychological mystery that centers around Rosemary Woodhouse (Mia Farrow) and her husband Guy (John Cassavetes). After moving into a new apartment, the young couple soon make friends with an elderly couple - Minnie (Ruth Gordon) and Roman Castevet (Sidney Blackmer) - who live on the same floor. Soon thereafter, a whirlwind of change strikes the couple: Guy, an aspiring actor, lands a part in a play when his main competition suddenly goes blind, and Rosemary learns that she has, at long last, become pregnant. Overjoyed, Guy elects to inform the Castevet's of the good news, and they quickly devote their services to Rosemary, including striking a bargain with a doctor friend. As Rosemary's pregnancy goes forward, she starts to feel as though things are not quite right. Her doctor has given her an assortment of herbal-remedy prescriptions that vary drastically from the commonplace drugs normally given to women with child. Through the ups and downs of her somewhat unstable pregnancy, Rosemary begins to develop a deep-seated paranoia towards everyone around her, fearing for her own safety as well as the safety of her unborn child.

Now, I'm not very well-versed in the annals of Roman Polanski's filmography (as I have openly admitted in my review of his 2010 film, The Ghost Writer), but I think that I'm starting to get a little better feel for his work. This being only the third of his films that I've been able to see, I'm by no means an expert, but I think I've come to know just what to expect out of a Polanski feature. And if Rosemary's Baby is any indication of the man's ability, then perhaps I should have been expecting much, much more from him. It's positively spectacular.

Mia Farrow is an absolute revelation as our leading lady, taking us through every step of her pregnancy, through the ups and the downs and the (in)sanity in-between. Although she does get a little over-the-top (for my liking) at times, she's mostly pitch-perfect, as is most of the cast. In the beginning of the film, I had issue with both Sidney Blackmer and Ruth Gordon (who won an Oscar for her supporting role) as their characters simply seemed too out of place within the film. However, as time went by, their boisterous personalities seeped in, blending perfectly into the background.

And then we've got the screenplay... Polanski adapted it from Ira Levin's 1967 novel of the same name, and boy does it pack a punch. It starts out a little bit slow, to the point where I contemplated giving up on the film in the early going. However, it's reputation kept me watching, and I'm glad that I did. Polanski crafts a tightly-wound screenplay that literally winds you up then sends you spinning for the film's climax. We've got issues with claustrophobia and paranoia and a slew of other psychology-related problems that we almost become totally numb to the experience. Until the ending, that is. Polanski gives us a true catharsis, but it's not really one that many people are going to like. I feel as though the ending is a real love-it-or-hate-it, but you will only love it if you can appreciate the beauty behind the storytelling. I hope that makes sense, but I apologize if I'm rambling and spouting nonsense.

Rosemary's Baby is not a horror film in that it's going to scare you, but it will probably leave you rather horrified with its final few sequences. As I previously mentioned, I already knew how the film would essentially end (the broad strokes, at least), but that did not take away my sense of awe and wonder with the climactic moments. I'm not quite shaking, but there are slight vibrations running through my arms as I type this post. Rosemary's Baby is horrific. Rosemary's Baby is haunting. Rosemary's Baby is a must-see.

Movie Review Summary:

Grade: A
Current All-Time Rank: Best - #49
2 Thumbs Up

Movie Review: THE GHOST WRITER

THE GHOST WRITER

2010
PG-13

You can watch the trailer here

The Ghost Writer follows a young, well, ghostwriter (Ewan McGregor) who lands a job crafting the memoirs of Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan), a former prime minister of Great Britain. From the start, the writer feels a bit of concern with the job, and his nervousness isn't aided by the fact that accusations of war crimes soon surface against Lang. The writer travels to the United States (where Lang is staying/hiding) to work on the book, but he soon becomes engrossed with discovering the secrets uncovered by the previous ghostwriter who had mysteriously drowned only days earlier.

Honestly, the plot is much more intricate than what I've laid out, but if you really want a full synopsis, look it up on Wikipedia. I try not to give everything away. As excited as I was about watching this movie, I have to say that I was a little bit disappointed. It's not that there were holes in the story, although I'm sure I could name a few; instead, it was that this political thriller left me rather bored fairly quickly. Sure, it picked up in the last thirty minutes or so, but the film just didn't have that thrilling of a quality about it. I just felt like everyone was trudging along, going through the motions. There just seemed to be too much information being thrown at me all at once, and maybe I couldn't keep up with it, but who knows. I did, however, like the fact that McGregor's character was never named - it accentuated the fact that he was a ghostwriter. A little lame, but I liked it.

The acting is good, but it's definitely nothing to rave about. McGregor is decent as our lead, but it's nowhere near his best work. Considering he's on-screen for most of the film, I wish he would've given a little bit more. Brosnan was grossly under-used - all I'd heard was that he was fantastic in his supporting role (and he is very good), but he's barely in the movie. Out of the two hours, I'd be surprised if he's actually on-screen for more than ten minutes. Hell, that's usually not enough to get your picture on the poster, but I guess that's marketing for you. The best acting in the film probably belongs to Olivia Williams who plays Lang's neglected wife.

To be fair, most of the film's press came from the fact that it was directed by the troubled Roman Polanski who's still dealing with all of his legal issues. I don't have many Polanski films in my repertoire (the only other film is 2002's The Pianist), so I can't really compare it to the rest of his filmography, but I can tell you that The Ghost Writer has been very well-received by critics. It's also worth mentioning that Brosnan's character is apparently a near-perfect analogue for the real-life former prime minister Tony Blair, but I'm also not well-versed in the particulars of his life. Maybe Polanski fans or people with knowledge of Tony Blair will appreciate this film more than I did, but for me, The Ghost Writer was just a bore.

Movie Review Summary:
Grade: C-
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