Cell 211 (2009, 110 minutes, Rated R, in Spanish with subtitles) 4 out of 5 stars

Tense, gritty, and engaging from the opening frame.

Juan Oliver (Alberto Ammann) is starting a new job as a prison guard at a high security jail. He goes in the day before he’s supposed to start to get the lay of the land and show some initiative, only to be knocked unconscious in the early stages of what becomes a massive convict riot. Abandoned and left in a cell when his fellow guards flee for their safety, he awakens and is forced to act as though he is an inmate as the days-long riot unfolds, soon finding himself in a cat and mouse game with the shady characters inhabiting the jail, the negotiators sent in by the Spanish government, some dastardly prison guards, and the “boss” of the inmates, Malamadre (translated to “Bad Mother” and played excellently by Luis Tosar).

The movie is suspenseful and very well-acted. Rarely do I notice casting in a movie, but it’s great here. The convicts are colorful characters, and one in particular stands out (the one who finds Juan at first, his character’s name is never given). It isn’t a perfect movie by any stretch, and is nowhere near as good as 2009’s Un Prophete (another foreign-language prison film- go watch it immediately if you’ve not yet seen it, brilliant). There are several plot elements that strain believability, but on the whole, this is an entertaining, well-paced movie. I would be shocked if we don’t seen an Americanized version of it soon.

4 out of 5 stars

Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop (2011, 89 minutes, Rated R) 3 out of 5 stars

Relatively entertaining if not great documentary chronicling Conan O’Brien’s stage tour following his departure from The Tonight Show in early 2010. Part of the settlement offered to him by NBC included a gag order on any radio, TV, or internet appearances for the next 6 months. It said nothing about doing live shows, so off Coco goes on a 4-months long nationwide tour with us the viewer coming along.

We’re given a lens into Conan’s home life, him riffing with (and often punching) his writing staff, the pre-production of the show and Conan in the immediate minutes after having performed, his self-imposed obligation to signing stuff for fans, and more, but nothing that’s horribly more interesting than anything just listed. What’s obvious is that Conan has the trait that most dedicated performers have, that being the need to be in front of an audience and to “be on”. He says as much himself throughout, yet also bemoans the baggage that comes with such a quality.

Jim Carey, Jack Black, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and various other celebrities make brief appearances throughout. Has some fairly funny parts, but wasn’t nearly as funny as I was expecting it to be.

Worth catching if you’re an absolute Conanaphile but not a must-see by any means.

3 out of 5 stars

Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008, 95 minutes, Not Rated (would be R)) 5 stars out of 5

As compelling and emotionally grueling as it gets. Kurt Kuenne‘s ode to his murdered friend, Dr. Andrew Bagby (and to Andrew’s child and parents), is easily one of the best documentaries I have ever seen but also one I am certain I will never watch again.

Bagby was 28 years old when he was murdered, presumably by his on-again off-again girlfriend, who was never actually tried for the crime after a dizzying array of judicial malfunction in the Canadian court system. Bagby was a larger than life person, a doctor with an unwavering devotion to his patients and beloved by his friends and classmates. A single child, his parents David and Kathleen are featured quite a bit by Kuenne, and from them it is easy to see how an exceptional person like Andrew was molded.

I’ll keep the other details of the ordeal the movie is based on sealed, as above was all I knew going in and there’s a lot more than just that. The movie is at times hilarious (Bagby had been acting in Kuenne’s movies since they were children, and we see ample footage), maddening, heart-wrenching, inspiring, depressing, and uplifting, and intensely so in each of those instances. Ultimately it reminded me that there are both monsters and saints in the world. David and Kathleen Bagby are two special people- the world would truly be a better place if more of us were just a fraction more like them.

Recommended but be prepared. I’d be shocked if anyone who watches this isn’t moved to tears at least once.

5 stars out of 5

Senna (2010, 106 minutes, PG-13) 4 out of 5 stars

Recommended documentary about Brazilian Ayrton Senna, who won three Formula One racing championships before his death at age 34.

This got good reviews, but I was somewhat skeptical. I have no interest in car racing (I didn’t even know the distinction between Formula One and NASCAR prior to seeing this), and was figuring I would find it pretty dull. The first 15 or so minutes did little to allay those fears, but by the end, I was sitting there white-knuckled with my hand covering my mouth. It is very gripping material and presented very effectively.

Senna must have had a video-camera on him close to 24/7 for most of his career because there’s tons of behind the scenes coverage the viewer is presented with from the Formula One circuit in the 80s and early 90s. Senna was an interesting man and a very aggressive driver, to the point where he was suspended for 6 months for causing multiple accidents in Formula One events. His fierce rivalry with opponent and sometimes teammate Alain Prost is fascinating and makes the Ricky Bobby/Jean Girard tug of war seem tame.

The movie succeeds in not only shining a light on Senna, but also shining a light on the general Formula One scene. I’ll never be a fan of watching race car driving, but I’ll be damned if the movie doesn’t present it in an interesting and compelling fashion.

It also has to be said that the on-car camera footage that is shown from the Formula One races is a million times better than any car chase you’ve ever seen in an action movie. Amazing how fast these guys are driving and how quickly they need to respond.

Highly recommended.

4 out of 5 stars

In a Better World (2010, 119 minutes, Rated R) 4 out of 5 stars

Highly recommended meditation on violence from Danish filmmaker Susanne Bier. Won the 2011 Best Foreign Film Oscar.

The movie unfolds in both Denmark and an unnamed African country, where in each we see the effects and limitations of both violence and non-violence. Anton (Mikael Persbrandt, who looks a lot like Michael Keaton and sounds just like Hans Gruber) is a recently-separated doctor who spends periods of times in Africa treating villagers, many of whom have fallen victim to the violence of a sadistic local warlord. Back in Denmark, his son, Elias (Markus Rygaard), is a bullied grade-schooler. Elias soon befriends a new boy at his school, the angry Christian (William Johnk Neilsen), who has recently moved to Denmark from London following the death of his mother. Christian shows Elias how to fight back against the bullies, and before long Christian enlists Elias in escalatingly malicious acts against those they feel have wronged them. At the same time, Anton finds himself dealing with a situation in Africa involving the warlord that tests his steady moral compass, and threatens to throw it way off kilter.

There are some worthy side-stories going on as well, but that’s it in a nutshell and without giving too much away. Very good. Asks some difficult questions about violence as a solution and provides some harsh answers. Definitely fairly heavy stuff, and a pretty sad, emotion-evoking movie in general, but a very well done one. The entire cast is great, especially the 3 mentioned above, including Rygaard and Neilsen who are both pretty young. Amazing cinematography- some beautiful shots.

Definitely recommended.

4 out of 5 stars

Rare Exports (2010, Rated R, 84 minutes, subtitled) 2 out of 5 stars

Very disappointing comedy/fantasy/horror that isn’t quite any of those things.

I don’t know much about the origins of the story of Santa Claus, but here the Fins put a twist on it, imagining that he was not a benevolent, gift-doling diabetic but instead a nasty old man who reviles in punishing those who misbehave. And a US/British-led archeological dig in the mountains near a Finnish village has also just awoken the vengeful geriatric and his “elves” (who, speaking of geriatrics aren’t elves at all but instead zombie-like, fully-naked old men who help Santa with his diabolic plot). Once reindeer start getting slaughtered, equipment disappearing and other odd things, the villagers band together and take a stand before Santa and his minions escalate their diabolism.

Sounds like it should be a pretty decent horror/comedy, maybe something like Gremlins. And in fairness, with a bigger budget maybe it would have been. But as is, it’s underwhelming on essentially every front. Not really funny, not scary at all- Santa’s never shown and the most frightening thing about the elves is the amount of shriveled penis the viewer is made to endure. In fairness, it is cold in Finland.

In fact, watching it you’re struck that it is essentially a kid’s movie. Next to no gore, very little onscreen violence, no swearing, no sex. But it’s rated R. When I read the synopsis and saw the R rating, I figured this would have all of the aforementioned. This leads me to believe it received the R rating almost solely on the basis of the amount of screen-time the naked elves are given. I know the MPAA can be weird with their ratings, so I wouldn’t be shocked if this was the equivalent of a PG movie when released in Europe, but it got slapped with an R here for all the dong shots.

End sidebar. Not recommended. To be fair, my expectations coming in were an R-rated horror/comedy that provides a little twist on the Santa myth. In reality, it’s a sterile, low-budget, family Christmas movie. But a mediocre, at best, one of those anyways.

2 out of 5 stars

The Guard (2011, 96 minutes, Rated R) 3.5 out of 5 stars

Entertaining if uneven comedy with a great performance from Brendan Gleeson. He plays Gerry Boyle, an extremely politically incorrect, foul-mouthed Irish cop in a small town in County Galway who has little use for following by the book procedure when it comes to his job or his life outside work. Gerry’s also a good man beneath his abrasive surface however, immune to corruption and a good son to his dying mother (played by Fionnula Flanagan, the matriarch from the Showtime series ‘Brotherhood’).

Don Cheadle plays FBI agent Wendell Everett, who finds himself in Galway as part of an international drug investigation. He soon crosses paths with Boyle, and after a rocky start, mostly due to Boyle’s aforementioned offensiveness, the 2 become a formidable duo in trying to stop a murderous crew of drug smugglers (each played well by Liam Cunningham, Mark Strong, and David Wilmot).

The movie is fairly by the numbers in terms of plot, and there are also some holes in the story along the way (do Irish cop cars not have dashboard-mounted cameras?). The end also turns into a bit of a mindless action movie. That said, the characters in it are great, well written, and very well acted. The cinematography is very striking, accentuated by deeply saturated colors throughout. It’s very pretty to look at. Rarely am I struck by a movie’s lighting but it’s noticeably good here.

Not something you need to rush out and see, but definitely worth a look, if for nothing else to see Gleeson in a great role. One of his best.

On a side note, Mark Strong continues to impress. Guy just has a stout screen presence in everything I have seen him in. I’m also keen to see what director/writer John Michael McDonagh has up his sleeve next. Given that this was his directorial debut I am impressed.

Lastly, be forewarned that the accents in this are hard to understand at times.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Incendies (2010, 130 minutes, Rated R, subtitled) 5 stars out of 5

Highly, highly recommended. Disturbing, timely, and extremely well done. One of the best movies I have seen in a while and one that won’t soon be forgotten.

The movie opens in Quebec, with the viewer introduced to twin brother and sister Simon (Maxim Gaudette) and Jeanne (Melissa Desormeaux-Poulin). Their mother, Nawal (a Lebanese immigrant to Canada) has recently passed away and has left her dying wish in her will- that her children deliver sealed letters (which she’s posthumously provided) to their father and their brother who each reside in an unnamed country in the Middle East (assumed here on and prior in this review to be Lebanon, more on that below). Problem is they don’t know their father at all, having been under the impression he’s most likely dead, and they weren’t aware of their brother’s existence.  Simon bucks at the request, leaving Jeanne to travel on her own to Lebanon in search of her father and brother. Through flashbacks, we learn about Nawal’s (played by Lubna Azabal) story, and how and why it came to be that this would be her dying wish. Much of the movie takes place in what is presumably 1970s/1980s Lebanon, during the nasty civil war that took place there (in which Nawal ends up involved), taking the viewer to bleak settings like burned out orphanages and prisons where torture is rife and brutal.

I run the risk of spoiling the movie by stating much more. It packs a few disturbing gut punches, one of which that reaches a bit too far and starts to feel a little forced. The rest of the movie is so grounded that it worked for me still. That slight stretch, as well as some chronological squabbles a discerning viewer might pick up on, are the only things I can fault the movie on, and it makes up for it in other ways to keep it at a 5-star rating.

Also, it’s never specifically stated that the twins and their mom are Lebanese, nor is the country Lebanon ever named. It’s pretty clear that’s the country things unfold in however. In fact, a quick briefing on the basics of the Lebanese civil war would probably be useful for the viewer. Things will make more sense.

Watch it, but be forewarned that this is not lite viewing. Not overly violent, but powerful and disturbing subject matter.

5 out of 5 stars

The Devil’s Double (2011, 109 minutes, Rated R) 2.5 out of 5 stars

Over-the-top presentation of a pretty interesting topic that ultimately falls way off the tracks in the final act.

Latif (Dominic Cooper) is a soldier in the Iraqi Army. Having just served his country well in the war against Iran, he’s tapped by Uday Hussein (also played by Cooper), to serve as Uday’s body double. The two grew up together and Uday is amazed at how much they look alike. Latif is no fan of Uday, and initially resists, but is persuaded by Uday with tactics that the world is now familiar with him having employed, namely torture and threatening families.

Before long, Latif has had some surgical procedures to make him look even more like Uday, and he’s living as Uday’s double, with access to all the luxuries, and enemies, that Uday possesses. How long can he put up with this assignment before he cracks though?

Interesting premise. It fails on a few fronts however. Uday Hussein, who was clearly an abhorrent person, is portrayed here as a cackling, sociopathic sexual deviant with a severe substance abuse issue thrown in for good measure. It felt over the top, even for the portrayal of someone as bad as he was. They also make him sort of funny, which left me feeling conflicted, for obvious reasons. Maybe that’s credit due to Cooper, who does a very good job of playing both Uday and Latif, though he relies a bit too much on a gap-tooth revealing smirk to distinguish the former.

The movie is based on a book supposedly penned by Latif, and therefore presumably all true. Events unfold in the last 3rd of the movie that feel impossibly fake however, and the final postscript is just awful. The violence is very over the top, laughably so in one particular scene. I really don’t need to see a CGI disembowelment. And on several occasions I felt like I was clearly watching something that was being filmed in California, or at least definitely not in Iraq. The cinematography also has a music-video feel to it for most of the movie, which felt like the wrong aesthetic.

That said, it is an interesting topic and is very watchable at times, mostly due to Cooper. He alone can’t overcome the many flaws of the movie though. Pretty skippable.

2.5 out of 5 stars

Beginners (2010, 105 minutes, Rated R) 3.5 out of 5 stars

Pretty well done comedy/drama that isn’t breaking any new ground but is well presented, elevating it a bit above the average entry in the genre. The word is overused with these types of movie, but it’s definitely in the “quirky” category.

Told non-linearly, the movie features 38-year old Oliver (Ewan McGregor) both coming to grips with his father’s death from cancer, and trying to better understand the person he was. The catch here is that his father (played by Christopher Plummer) was 75 years old and just months removed from his wife, and Oliver’s mother, dying when he came out of the closet, and soon started living full time with his (much younger) boyfriend. As the movie progresses, through the use of flashbacks, the wife/mother character is fleshed out and we also see Oliver meet the uber-(at times annoyingly)-quirky actress, Anna (Melanie Laurent), who, like us all, has plenty of her own baggage. Add in a Jack Russell terrier who has his thoughts displayed as subtitles, Oliver’s funny side kick Elliot (Kai Lennox), a bit of navel-gazing romance, and some sad death scenes, and there you have it.

Like I said, pretty good, if not great. Does a good job of connecting emotionally with the viewer, is genuinely funny and sad at times, and has good acting. The last 20 minutes are pretty sad and engaging, but then the final conclusion a bit weak, I thought.

3.5 out of 5 stars