Into the Blue
A History of Violence
Broken Flowers
Into the Blue
A sloppy (unofficial) remake of "The Deep" (1977), "Into the Blue" is about four spoiled American youngsters sunbathing in the Bahamas who accidentally discover a plane stuffed with heroin at the bottom of the ocean… and something about love being more important than money. The movie would make a perfect summer gettaway video, with shot after shot of turquoise water and colorful reefs (except that one scene where someone gets eaten by a shark). Predictable, badly acted and boring, this feature wouldn't know an original idea if it were hit on the head by one. But then again, Jessica Alba wears nothing but a blue string bikini, which is more important than any narrative 's something the filmmakers persistently point out.
( Julie Vinten )
When this film was still nothing more than a one-minute pitch, the key words to getting it made were probably "Jessica Alba" and "bikini." The story, which was probably only later built around the much-talked about bikini, goes like this: Jared (Paul Walker) and Sam (Jessica Alba) are a loving couple living on some idyllic Caribbean island. While out scuba diving one day (that's the blue bit of the title), they happen to find a sunken plane full of cocaine as well as some artifacts belonging to a ship wreck reputed to be full of treasure. Cue ruthless drug lords, bent cops, the odd shark and lots and lots of shots of Jessica in her bikini. It's all mildly entertaining, but you'll have forgotten it by the time you walk out of the cinema.
( Tim Ochser )
A History of Violence
Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen) lives a quiet, happy life as a family man in a small American town until he's accused of being the long-missing brother of a mafia boss. This is a thought provoking and psychologically fascinating feature. Without being as outrageously morbid as your typical Cronenberg film, it still seeks to explore the dark side of human nature. Though the actual violence only amounts to a few bloody outbursts, the atmosphere of aggression and brutality is always intensely lurking in the air. Mortensen gives a powerful performance as a man trying to remain calm on the outside while being tormented on the inside. It actually felt like the feature was too short and could have gained from digging further into the details of this complex story.
3/4 ( Julie Vinten )
Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen) has it all. He lives in a picturesque little town with his adoring wife Edie (Maria Bello) and teenage son. When a couple of murderous thugs come into his diner one night, he ends up killing them in self-defense and is thrust into the media spotlight as a have-a-go hero. Soon after that some shady Mafioso types turn up and start insisting that Tom is really called Joey, and his cozy life quickly falls apart. This is David Cronenberg's most mainstream film to date, but also one of his most quietly subversive. From the brilliantly languid opening sequence to the almost surreal finale, Cronenberg manipulates cinematic convention to take an intelligent and deeply unsettling look at violence in its many guises. It will linger on long after you've seen it.
( Tim Ochser )
Broken Flowers
Jim Jarmusch's newest work is a minimalist comedy/drama of immense depth. A touching road movie of existential self-discovery, it's at once subtle and straight-in-your-face. The feature has Jarmusch written all over it, and though it can't be called mainstream, it's certainly his most accessible to date. Don (Bill Murray) was not so long ago a real Don Juan. One day he receives an anonymous letter from an old girlfriend. Reading that he has a son, Don goes on the road to track down the sender. In this simple and well-turned narrative, which boasts unbelievable attention to detail and delightfully understated humor, Jarmusch presents some of the most lovable, intriguing, funny, sad and wonderfully crazy characters I have seen in a movie all year.
1/2 ( Julie Vinten )
I have always found Jim Jarmusch's work strangely overrated, but "Broken Flowers" is certainly his best film for some time, and partly atones for the awful "Coffee and Cigarettes." Bill Murray plays Don Johnston, who receives a mysterious letter one day from a woman claiming she had his son 20 years ago. With the enthusiastic help of his neighbor Winston (the excellent Jeffrey Wright), an amateur sleuth, he embarks on a road trip to find some of his old flames in the hope that one of them might shed some light on the letter. The script is razor sharp in places, and the outstanding ensemble cast make this an unusually subtle and affecting film. However, Bill Murray's deadpan acting and his overly affected detachment ultimately seem hollow.
1/2 ( Tim Ochser )
