I should call my annual compilation of indies, documentaries, and mistreated Hollywood films “Lost Causes of 2014.” The truth is few people will watch these films: Many won’t be interested because the titles are not familiar to them; others will have problems tracking down the obscure movies because there are too few venues or outlets willing to exhibit them. Still, as everyone who has seen Mr. Smith Goes to Washington knows, lost causes are the only ones worth fighting. If you really want to make a statement about free speech, don’t waste your time with The Interview, track down one of these films and watch it, because mainstream Hollywood has long since closed its doors to disenfranchised voices, diverse points of view, and alternative visions.
COLD IN JULY: THREE COWBOYS IN A PICK-UP TRUCK WITH GUNS—I’M IN!
Cold in July. Fellow Movie Morlock R. Emmet Sweeney clued me into this violent crime thriller directed by Jim Mickle, who made one of my favorite vampire movies, Stake Land. Not many indie filmmakers have a gift for genre, but Mickle walks that fine line between appreciating convention and toying with invention to deliver a satisfying genre flick. However, the film made my list primarily because of the performances by a terrific cast of character actors putting a unique spin on familiar male archetypes. If you were a fan of the series Dexter, you will appreciate Michael C. Hall in a different role. As Richard Dane, he begins the story as a genial, mild-mannered picture-framer who kills a home intruder. The dead intruder’s ex-con father, played by Sam Shepard, appears out of nowhere to maliciously harass Richard and his family. Don Johnson makes the most of his colorful role as a larger-than-life private detective. Wyatt Russell, son of Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, is memorable in a secondary role, revealing that acting and charisma run in the family. Available on DVD via Netflix.
BOYD HOLBROOK OF ‘LITTLE ACCIDENTS.’ HE’S GOING TO BE A STAR.
Little Accidents. I wrote about Little Accidents last month, so I won’t dwell too much on its merits. Directed by Sara Colangelo, this drama tells the intertwining stories of two people who are victims of the aftermath of a mining accident in a West Virginia coal town. The accident is roughly based on the Sago Mine disaster of January 2, 2006, in which one miner survived an explosion and cave-in that killed several others. In this fictionalization, the survivor is caught between the union who wants the non-union mine shut down and the miners who still need the jobs provided by the coal company. The other protagonist is a high-school boy involved in the disappearance of the son of the mine’s general manager. An excellent example of regional filmmaking, Little Accidents offers a believable blue-collar environment and an authentic portrayal of Appalachia. Little Accidents is listed on Netflix but is not yet available. Help the film’s chances for a Netflix release by putting it in your “Save” queue.
Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles. I also reviewed this documentary by Chuck Workman last month. To recap, Workman—who specializes in compilation documentaries—uses an extensive collection of clips and interviews to re-tell Welles’s story. Divided into four sections, the film challenges standard interpretations of Welles’s work by digging deeper into the legends surrounding the great man’s life and looking harder at the material he left behind. Most interesting is Workman’s alternative perspective on the films Welles made during the 1950s and 1960s. History books deem this era one of failed productions and unfinished films, but Workman offers alternative opinions on Chimes at Midnight (aka Falstaff), The Trial, and The Other Side of the Wind. Currently playing in limited release.
HARDY IN ‘LOCKE’
Locke. This one-character story takes place entirely inside a moving car. The claustrophobic set-up creates a slow-building anxiety as the viewer learns about the title character and his destination. A building contractor at a crossroads in his life, Locke is depicted entirely in close-ups and medium close-ups, forcing the viewer to sympathize even when we are disappointed in his indiscretions. Locke talks constantly on the phone, offering instructions to his right-hand man on an important building project, soothing an unknown woman obviously in trouble, and placating a wife whom he has wronged. Using little more than facial expressions and his voice, Tom Hardy effectively depicts a man working his way through life’s many traps. Written and directed by Steven Knight, Locke is available on DVD from Netflix.
GANDOLFINI AND HARDY IN ‘THE DROP’
The Drop. This is the second film on my list with Tom Hardy. Here he stars as Bob, a bartender who works at a neighborhood bar with his cousin Marv. Marv used to own the bar, but he lost it to Chechen gangsters (the new villains in crime films), who use it as a drop for illegal money. At first, Bob’s blue-collar mannerisms and simple ways reminded me of Terry Malloy in On the Waterfront, but as the film unfolds to a final reveal, I realized that Bob is much smarter than Terry. Written by Dennis Lahane (Shutter Island; Mystic River) and directed by Michael Roskam, The Drop offers an authentic portrait of a working-class neighborhood. Hardy gave two of the year’s best performances in Locke and The Drop. While Locke generated some award recognition, The Drop—costarring James Gandolfini in his last role—fell off the radar. Available on DVD on Netflix in February 2015.
ACCORDING TO ROCK, CEDRIC THE ENTERTAINER’S CHARACTER IS BASED ON A REAL-LIFE PROMOTER FROM THE OLD DAYS.
Top Five. The more I thought about Chris Rock’s cutting comedy about contemporary show business, the more I liked and respected it. Rock wrote, directed, and stars as Andre Allen, a former stand-up comic who made a fortune slumming in a series of action comedies called Hammy the Bear. Hammy is a smart-mouthed talking bear who is part of a crime-fighting unit. Considering that 2014’s biggest box-office success featured a smart-mouthed, talking raccoon who is part of a superhero team, Rock’s satire is not an exaggeration. Andre wants to escape the Hammy image by promoting a serious comeback film in which he plays a Haitian martyr, so he reluctantly agrees to a day-in-the-life interview with reporter Chelsea Brown (Rosario Dawson). Rock balances comedy and drama as well as raunchy sex scenes and sweet romance in this commentary on race, fame, and contemporary culture. The film costars a number of comics who occasionally adlib, but Rock and his crew are far better at presenting riffs and off-the-cuff remarks than Judd Apatow and company. Currently in theaters.
BOSEMAN AS JAMES BROWN
Get on Up. I predict that Selma, the story of a pivotal moment in Martin Luther King’s civil rights crusade, will sweep the awards season. The film industry will pat itself on the back for recognizing a serious subject and for rewarding minority actors. While I am sure Selma is very good, too bad there is no room on the awards ballot for another biopic about a prominent African American. If I had to choose, I would have gone with the story of James Brown in Get on Up. This biopic is a bit messy and includes some uneven performances, but it is more daring in its structure than Selma. James Brown addresses the camera directly, sharing his plans and his pain, while the story jumps from year to year and event to event, focusing on the touchstones of the singer’s life and myth. The very definition of flamboyance, Brown must have been a difficult figure to portray. As an entertainer, he was always “on,” meaning he was aware of being “James Brown” even when he was not singing. Chadwick Boseman does a terrific job of playing someone who was himself playing a role. Though the film’s soundtrack has been rightfully lauded, Boseman has been overlooked for his interpretation of a troubled man who became a temperamental star. Check it out yourself in February 2015 when it is available on DVD.
HOFFMAN IS THE SOUL OF ‘A MOST WANTED MAN.’
A Most Wanted Man. Based on a John le Carre novel, this international coproduction with a big-name cast has the same grave tone as the author’s Spy Who Came in from the Cold. Set in a suitably gloomy Hamburg, the story begins when a Chechen enters the city illegally. He becomes a pawn among the city’s clandestine organizations. Each group is defined by a different ideology and agenda that have been twisted or distorted in the daily business of espionage. Less important than the convoluted plot is the impact of this lifestyle on the people involved, especially Gunther Bachmann, brilliantly played by Philip Seymour Hoffman. It is difficult to watch the film without thinking about the revelations regarding Hoffman after his death: Was he channeling his troubles into the character, or was he actually such a stellar actor? Or, both? A Most Wanted Man was Hoffman’s last filmed role; sadly, his last released films are Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part I (2014) and Part II (2015). No comment on that travesty. Available on DVD from Netflix.
ERIC IS TORTURED BY THE JAPANESE IN BURMA DURING WWII.
The Railway Man. This 2013 film opened in the U.S. with little fanfare last summer. I made a point to see it, because I am a huge Colin Firth fan, though I knew nothing about it. I ended up showing it in one of my classes this past semester, because it was so good—and as it turns out, timely. Based on the real-life experiences of Eric Lomax, a British soldier who was captured and tortured by the Japanese during WWII, the film focuses on Lomax’s inability to escape the pain of his past. Lomax was part of the slave labor force used by the Japanese to build the Burma Railway, which cost the lives of 90,000 Asian civilians and 14,000 Allied POWs. Past and present, reality and nightmare merge, making it difficult for Eric to emotionally commit to his wife Patty, played by a de-glamorized Nicole Kidman. In addition to its merits as a good film, and its message of healing, The Railway Man is timely because of the torture scenes. The release of Angelina Jolie’s WWII drama Unbroken has caused criticism by the Japanese, who are offended by the depiction of their brutal prison camps. However, The Railway Man seems to have escaped their wrath, probably because it was not a major Hollywood production with a mammoth marketing campaign. Most interesting are the scenes of Lomax being water-boarded. I have read that the Allies executed the Japanese water-boarders after the war, because it was such a brutal torture. Given the recent report on the torture of prisoners by Americans in the war on terror, including the use of water-boarding, The Railway Man certainly provokes thought. Available on DVD from Netflix.
MY FAVORITE FILM OF THE YEAR: ‘SORCERER’
Sorcerer. My favorite film of 2014 was actually released in 1977. In April, I was in the audience when director William Friedkin introduced a beautiful new print of Sorcerer at Grauman’s Chinese Theater as part of the TCM Classic Film Fest. The film then enjoyed a limited stint in theatres before being released on Blu-Ray. A remake of Henri-Georges Clouzot’s Wages of Fear, Sorcerer is an action thriller about four wretched souls trapped in a hellish South American shanty town. Their chance to escape comes when an oil company hires them to drive two massive trucks filled with unstable explosives through the jungle to squelch a raging fire on an oil rig. A sequence in which the two heavy trucks cross a broken-down swing bridge left the Grauman’s audience on the edge of their seats and resulted in a rousing burst of applause. While the film’s taut editing and beautiful cinematography will come across on television screens, some of the relentless tension will be lost. Still, this is the best-crafted film of the year—no contest.