Lucky Number Slevin (2006)

The Nick Name

The movie stars Josh Harnett as the oddly named Slevin Kelevra, a white boy lately tied up with a string of bad luck. First, he finds out his girlfriend is cheating. Then on his way to visit his buddy Nick Fisher in New York, he is punched on the nose and gets mugged. He enters his buddy’s apartment but Nick is nowhere to be found. There’s only the chatty neighbor Lindsay (Lucy Lui) – who talks the same unrealistic language as Mr. Kelevra (ah, how cute). Then thugs show up at the door mistaking Slevin for Nick. It turns out Nick owes money and suddenly it is Slevin who’s forced to take Nick’s place of paying rival crime bosses The Rabbi (Sir Ben Kingsley) and The Boss (Morgan Freeman).

“Lucky Number Slevin” is frustrating to review because it splits me into two. I can write a full review of how I passionately hate it, but on the other hand, I also enjoyed the movie. On first impression, it looked like another stylish gangster movie, trying too hard to be cool. It led me to underestimate, an action that oddly benefited the movie. With so low expectations, I was happily surprised that the film had some substance and skill after all.

Despite the cliché turns, they aren’t too obvious as they are happening. The plot is effective, with bits of rousing storytelling sprinkled about. And there are a lot of twists involving scenes deliberately left out by the editor. (I’m sure they could make the sequel “Still Lucky # Sleight” by just creating the movie’s missing scenes). The movie is not quite believable though. Without giving much away, it involves a grand scheme that depends on so many factors. And yet, with the exception of one snag, it’s perfectly executed. But hey, at least, “Lucky Number Slevin” attempts to plug some plot holes to stop credibility from leaking. While the goal was not attained, the effort noticeably improved the movie.

What gives the movie some clout is its well-known cast. The biggest revelation is Lucy Liu, in a welcome change from her dominatrix-vibe roles. She makes her Lindsay a sweet kooky girl with a penchant for unraveling mysteries. Josh Harnett in the lead role is a bit uneven. He’s good in comedic scenes, but quite unconvincing in other scenes. Veterans Freeman, Kingsley, Tucci, and Willis are at their professional level and elevate the movie from being cheesy. Sometimes I’m embarrassed by the lines they’re fed – it’s smart-ass, asinine, sculpted movie dialogue. It's sometimes amusing, but the overall effect is distracting. It comes across as fake. ALL the characters talk the same gibberish way. They all probably talk like the writer. How else can you account for characters with superb knowledge of movie trivia? Hey, I know movies too. Maybe I’d make a good gangster.

With its emphasis on tricks, gimmicks, sleight of hands, and misdirection, “Lucky Number Slevin” is more of a magic show than a movie. While it’s fun and enjoyable, it’s only deemed superior by the most gullible spectators. Furthermore, the whole film reeks of I’m-so-clever vibe. I think cleverness takes some subtlety. We all know who the filmmakers are trying to imitate: Quentin Tarantino. “Lucky Number Slevin” has the Tarantino tricks, but poof, it never achieves the Tarantino magic.

Grade: B (maybe B+ for the effort)

CAST Josh Hartnett, Stanley Tucci, Ben Kingsley, Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Lucy Liu, Kevin Chamberlin, and Oliver Davis Screenplay by Jason Smilovic Directed by Paul McGuigan Rated R for strong violence, sexuality and language

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The Proposition (2006)

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

“The Proposition” is an Australian Western that takes place during 1880s, in the brutal but beautiful landscape of the outback. Authority figure Captain Stanley (Ray Winstone) has captured two brothers of the notorious Burns gang, wanted for murder and rape. He offers the older brother Charlie (Guy Pearce) an intriguing proposition. The good captain will set him free, but he has to find and kill his oldest and most rotten brother Arthur (Danny Huston). The deadline is Christmas Day and if Charlie fails, his also-captured 14 year-old brother Mikey will fatally dangle from a noose. Oh brother.

“The Proposition” has uniformly good cast. Winstone as Captain Stanley has a commanding presence, but the captain also struggles with a fragile and conscientious mind. Emily Watson, as the captain’s wife, brings emotional baggage to the story and it disastrously leads to one of the movie’s aching scenes. Danny Huston, as the savage brother, is quite the menacing creature. Guy Pearce, almost unrecognizable from “Memento” and “L.A. Confidential,” looks haggard and emotionally drained as Charlie.

To me, the movie is a fascinating study of people that lived during that place and time. The English settlers, who resided on the outback, think the land could be tamed with their sense of order, justice, and upright morality. Despite their effort to be all civilized, they don’t quite think, but fall back on the savagery of their emotions. The sickening displays of racism, prejudice, fear, revenge, and violence are the sources of the film’s power. In terms of story, writer Nick Cave has fashioned a startling Western that slowly gathers momentum. But in terms of characters, I didn’t connect the way I wanted to. The leads are introspective men and may across as cinematically boring. There are numerous scenes of staring off in the distance and where the soundtrack plays poetic reveries (not as overdone as “The New World” though). Sometimes it works. Other times, you’re left wondering what the character is wondering about, which led me to also stare off a distance and recite some poetry of silence.

Grade: B+

CAST Guy Pearce, Emily Watson, Ray Winstone, David Wenham, John Hurt, David Gulpilil, and Leah Purcell Screenplay by Nick Cave Directed by John Hillcoat Rated R for strong grisly violence, and for language

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Apocalypto (2006)

Oh Man, It's an Omen!

And the feel-good movie of 2006 is, drum roll please, not “Apocalypto.” One shouldn’t be surprised. Mel Gibson’s last two films should have been an omen. “Braveheart” – torture. “The Passion of the Christ” – torture. And “Apocalypto” – um, you guessed it, torture. Despite this beaten-to-death trend, Gibson’s recent torture-fest is, at least, notable for being off-the-radar from what Hollywood makes. Easily, “Apocalypto” has three things that could give studio executives heart attack: an unknown cast, English-free dialogue, and a time period so ancient, Suri Cruise wasn’t even born.

The film tells the fictional story of Jaguar Paw (Rudy Youngblood), who lives in a tribal village, somewhere in the jungles of Central America, sometime in 1500s. His father is proud of him. His pregnant wife and his young son love him. Life couldn’t get better for Jaguar Paw, until, well, life gets worse. Misfortune enters when a hostile band of men raids his village and bring in a lot of hurt. Some villagers escape, some die, and some, like Jaguar Paw, are subdued and held as captives. Tied up like animals, Jaguar Paw and his fellow slaves journey through pushy rivers and you-can-slip-off-the-edge high roads. They’re off to the heart of a Mayan city, where the bloodthirsty gods await.

While the movie can be aptly described, in a word, as brutal, “Apocalypto” begins with some primal high jinks. It is a welcome and rare tone in the midst of a barbaric setting. Unnerving comedy also shows up, to an extent, with the oh-so-frequent sightings of ass cheeks. I swear you can find more booties here than in a hip hop video, and they are mostly of men. Shudder. Let’s just leave those visions of behinds behind, shall we? Once the village raid scene occurs, the movie, from then on, is relentless in its full-bloodied savagery. The film runs as a creative exercise in inflicting human pain, both physical and emotional. While this exercise is undeniably shocking and grotesque, the excess of torture is more than I would like to stomach. At least, Gibson never displays excruciating agony in a senseless and lurid manner, as opposed to the gory crop of slasher flicks. In “Apocalypto,” pain is plain pain and not degraded as some form of entertainment for sickos.

The best part of the movie is its thrilling third act, set off by an omen of almost-inexplicable events. Here is where Gibson displays his technical talent in directing action sequences. The pacing is heart-beating brisk and the camera moves as agile as a jaguar in a jungle. The cinematography felt wrong though, as if it’s too pristine and professional looking. It needed either dirtier-earthier visuals or a majestic outlook a la Terrence Mallick’s "The New World.” Still, regardless of the film’s defects, “Apocalypto” is an unforgettable film that is bold enough to bring us a new cinematic world. In that respect, I guess it’s a refreshing film to feel good about.

Grade: B+

CAST Rudy Youngblood, Dalia Hernandez, Jonathan Brewer, Morris Birdyellowhead, Carlos Emilio Baez, Ramirez Amilcar, Israel Contreras, and Israel Rios Screenplay by Mel Gibson Farhad Safinia Directed by Mel Gibson Rated R for sequences of graphic violence and disturbing images

TRAILER

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Bridge to Terabithia (2007)

Magic Kingdom

I never read Katherine Paterson’s Bridge to Terabithia but judging from the movie adaptation, it seemed like a book worth treasuring. This is a fine family movie. I prefer this over the movie “The Chronicles of Narnia” - it is so much relatable and much more useful for children. While both worlds are about kids who enter a new world, “Bridge to Terabithia” is not entirely separate from reality. Here is a film informing children that fantasy does not simply happen in books or movies. It is a great message for a growing generation, fed in visual images instead of creating ones on their own.

The movie is about a boy named Jess Aarons (Josh Hutcherson). His life is anything but exciting. At home, the family is barely getting by on a tight budget. At school, his classmates tease him. Then, one day, a spirited new classmate enters his mundane world. Her name is Leslie and she just happens to live in close proximity. Pretty soon, Jess and Leslie become best pals. After school, they play in a nearby forest and pretend they are in a magic kingdom called Terabithia. This is their secret place, a haven from all the troubles from home and school.

“Bridge to Terabithia” is intriguing to watch since the plot works in different layers. Terabithia is not just a magic place created out of nowhere. The kids’ reality very much influences the imagined sanctuary. For example, the squirrels and the giant troll they fight in Terabithia are representation of the taunting bullies in school. It makes the fantasy part of the film more meaningful. Terabithia is simply another way of seeing or dealing with reality.

Josh Hutcherson, who was wonderful in “Little Manhattan,” is proving to be a child actor of value. His character Jess immediately drew me in; perhaps it was the doing of his genuinely sad eyes. The actress who play Leslie, AnnaSophia Robb, is pretty good too. As a contrast to the cheerless Jess, she is a bottle of joy, full of light. She is constantly happy - without being annoyingly perky. This is like the kind of roles Kirsten Dunst would play if she were younger.

Without these two talented kids, the movie would not have worked so well. The strength of the movie depends on how much we truly care for them and how much we are convinced of their strong bond. Hutcherson and Robb do their jobs well and they do so with subtlety. By the time the movie arrives at its third act, you might not know what hits you. Like most great films, “Bridge to Terabithia” has an undeniable power to move a viewer in a deep, poignant manner. Its prescription is to keep a healthy dose of imagination to fight instances when reality can be dangerously unimaginable.

Grade: A-

CAST Josh Hutcherson, AnnaSophia Robb, Zooey Deschanel, Robert Patrick, Bailee Madison, and Lauren Clinton Based on the novel by Katherine Paterson Screenplay by Jeff Stockwell David Paterson Directed by Gabor Csupo Rated PG for thematic elements including bullying, some peril and mild language

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