August: Osage County
Film Review by Kam Williams

In 2008, August: Osage County not only won a Pulitzer Prize, but it also took home a quintet of Tony Awards, including Best Play. However, the screen version of Tracy Letts’ haunting tale about a dysfunctional Oklahoma family is unlikely to be as well-received, given the tawdry tale’s relentlessly-morose plot. Who goes to the movies to get depressed?

That being said, the picture nevertheless does boast a very impressive, stellar cast headed by Meryl Streep, even if in service of a kitchen sink soap opera. She turns in another Oscar-quality performance as Violet, the substance-abusing, cancer-stricken matriarch of the Weston clan.

The film revolves around the return home of that downer of a character’s three daughters in the wake their suicidal father’s (Sam Shepard) sudden disappearance. As the action unfolds, we find each of her offspring involved in a relationship more bizarre than the next.

Eldest Barbara (Julia Roberts) arrives from Colorado escorted by her estranged husband, Bill (Ewan McGregor), even though the philandering college professor is dating one of his students. Along for the ride is their 14 year-old daughter, Jean (Abigail Breslin), a sullen stoner ostensibly upset about the state of her parents’ disintegrating marriage.

Youngest sister Karen (Juliette Lewis) shows up with her creepy fiancé, Steve (Dermot Mulroney), a successful businessman whose money has her deep in denial (until he hits on her niece) about his being a pedophile. Meanwhile, middle child Ivy’s (Julianne Nicholson) issue is the incestuous affair she’s carrying on with her first cousin, Charlie, Jr. (Benedict Cumberbatch).

Then there’s Violet’s sister/Charlie’s mom, Mattie Fae (Margo Martindale), a shrew who openly abuses both her son and hubby, Charlie, Sr. (Chris Cooper). She’s has a humdinger of a skeleton hidden in her closet just waiting to trump everybody else’s shocking developments.

A movie featuring so many sensational storylines certainly lends itself to melodrama, which is what August: Osage County proceeds to serve up in spades. Thus, the film frequently feels more like an adaptation of a dime-store romance novel than of an award-winning Broadway production.

An overplotted, feel-bad flick saved by a host of compelling performances, most notably those of Meryl Streep and Margo Martindale.

Very Good (3 stars)

Rated R for profanity, sexual references and drug use

Running time: 121 minutes

Distributor: The Weinstein Company

To see a trailer for August: Osage County, visit

David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants

by Malcolm Gladwell

Book Review by Kam Williams

 

Little, Brown and Company

Hardcover, $29.00

320 pages

ISBN: 978-0-316-20436-1  

 

“Three thousand years ago on a battlefield in ancient Palestine, a shepherd boy felled a mighty warrior with nothing more than a stone and a sling, and ever since then, the names David and Goliath have stood for battles between underdogs and giants. David’s victory was improbable and miraculous. He shouldn’t have won.

In David and Goliath, Malcolm Gladwell challenges how we think about obstacles and disadvantages, offering a new interpretation of what it means to be discriminated against, or cope with a disability, or lose a parent, or attend a mediocre school, or suffer from any number of other apparent setbacks.”

-- Excerpted from the Inside Book Jacket

 

In best-sellers like “Blink,” “Outliers” and “The Tipping Point,” Malcolm Gladwell has proven himself quite adept at breaking down complex psychological, scientific and political concepts in such a way that they are readily digestible for mass consumption. This popular public intellectual and veritable man of the people has done it again with “David and Goliath,” an earnest examination of why so many manage to flourish in the face of seemingly overwhelming odds.

He opens with a discussion of the classic showdown from which the opus borrows its Biblical title. There, he suggests that, contrary to legend, diminutive David might not really have been at a disadvantage to the giant Philistine at all. For, the author points out that even a muscle-bound soldier armed with a sword and a shield would probably still be no match for a civilian skilled at hurling rocks with a sling from a safe distance.

The balance of the book is basically an exploration of illustrative examples of the triumphs of real-life underdogs in supposedly lopsided conflicts. Again and again, in case studies ranging from the African-American fight for civil rights in the segregated South to the Irish Catholic struggle for freedom from the British, we learn that military might was no predictor of the eventual outcome.

Gladwell also relates the triumphs of several successful individuals as further proof of his central thesis, such as dyslexic David Boies who became one of the country’s leading lawyers, and orphaned Emil Jay Freireich who grew up to become a top medical doctor.

Persuasive, if counterintuitive, food for thought surmising that a child might be better off having to surmount a considerable life challenge rather than being born with a silver spoon in his or her mouth.

To order a copy of David and Goliath, visit

Her
Film Review by Kam Williams

A few years ago, Joaquin Phoenix released I’m Not Here, a novel mockumentary which chronicled his supposed retirement from acting in favor of a career in rap music. What made the movie mesmerizing was how hard it was to tell whether or not he’d really had it with Hollywood. For the three-time Oscar-nominee (for Gladiator, Walk the Line and The Master) threw himself into the role so convincingly that we had to wait for word of his next picture to know whether or not his new hip-hop persona was a fake.

Joaquin’s latest offering, Her, is another mindbending adventure very dependent on his committing to a bizarre character. In this case, he plays Theodore Twombly, a lonely nerd who makes his living writing love letters for tongue-tied lonely hearts.

Just past the point of departure, we find him being served with divorce papers by his estranged wife, Catherine (Rooney Mara). The suddenly single geek subsequently searches for a new mate and finds one not at an online dating website but right inside his computer.

Sultry and seductive Samantha (Scarlett Johansson) is an operating system that comes equipped not only with state-of-the-art Artificial Intelligence but with a velvety voice to boot. Programmed to please, she’s ever evolving and adapting herself to fulfill her owner’s fantasies, and it’s not long before Theodore falls for her, computer headset over heels.

After all, Sam gives good phone sex, going so far as to simulate the most inspired screen climax since Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally. Soon, the man and software are an item, and smitten Theodore starts introducing his libidinous laptop to friends as his girlfriend.

Sorry, but I have a problem buying into such a farfetched premise, especially since the eccentric protagonist keeps up the charade when he has a chance to date his gorgeous BFF (Amy Adams) after she’s dumped by her husband (Matt Letscher) and needs a shoulder to cry on. But no, we’re expected to believe he’d rather remain in a frustrating, metaphysical relationship with a piece of software that becomes possessive and jealous of women with bodies.

Listen, this silly sci-fi storyline probably would have made a terrific, Twilight Zone TV episode back in the day, but it’s a little much to ask folks well grounded in reality to suspend their disbelief for a couple of hours for the sake of such a preposterous plot. That being said, I suppose there’s a good chance that the screen-weaned youngsters of the Millennial Generation might find the idea of dating a computer perfectly plausible.

What’s in your laptop?

Very Good (2.5 stars)

Rated R for profanity, sexuality and brief nudity

Running time: 126 minutes

Distributor: Warner Brothers

To see a trailer for Her visit

American Hustle
Film Review by Kam Williams

In the late Seventies, a half-dozen Congressmen along with a United States Senator were caught on camera taking bribes from FBI agents posing as wealthy Arab sheiks. The elaborate sting in which the disgraced politicians became ensnared was code named Abscam, a contraction of Arab Scam.

American Hustle is a visually-dazzling retro dramedy revolving around a fictionalized account of that embarrassing chapter of the nation’s history, Set in New York and New Jersey against the gaudy backdrop of the decadent Disco Music era, the film was written and directed by David O. Russell, Hollywood’s go-to guy blessed with the golden touch in recent years.

His Silver Linings Playbook landed eight Academy Award nominations and netted Jennifer Lawrence 2013’s Best Actress Oscar. That picture arrived close on the heels of The Fighter, which had garnered seven Oscar nominations en route to trophies for both Christian Bale and Melissa Leo in acting categories.

Here, David O. has produced another engaging and entertaining production featuring a plethora of powerful performances. This one co-stars Christian Bale as con artist Irving Rosenfeld and Amy Adams as his equally-mischievous British mistress, Sydney. They play a pair of small-time crooks pressured to help the Feds catch bigger fish in order to avoid prosecution.

Reluctantly, they cooperate with Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper), an ambitious, if flamboyant, FBI agent who draws attention to himself by curling his straight hair and wearing trendy clothes. Self-protective Sydney flirts shamelessly with the fashionable G-Man, feeling little loyalty towards her partner in crime who’s dragging his feet about filing for a divorce from his wife.

But when blowsy Rosalyn Rosenfeld (Jennifer Lawrence) realizes that her philandering hubby has been cheating, the trashy loudmouth decides to bring the drama, getting even by seducing a shady character (Jack Huston) she has no idea is under government surveillance. Generating great hilarity, these tawdry love triangles escalate into attention-grabbing distractions that threaten to wreck the supposedly covert operation.

Meanwhile, the naive Mayor of Camden (Jeremy Renner) is being manipulated by Irving to introduce a notorious mob boss (Robert De Niro) as well as the aforementioned corrupt politicians to Sheik Abdullah (Michael Pena). However, the hapless FBI looks more like the Keystone Cops when the agent trying to pass as an Arab can’t speak his native language when challeneged.

Who knows whether any of the ridiculous incidents recreated here ever actually transpired? But guess what? You don’t really worry about the truth when the laughs just keep coming and the witty repartee remains so inspired.

Another memorable masterpiece cleverly crafted by the oh so talented David O!

Excellent (4 stars)

Rated R for sexuality, pervasive profanity and brief violence.

Running time: 138 minutes

Distributor: Sony Pictures

The 10 Best, No, the 100 Best Films of 2013

by Kam Williams

 

Kam’s Annual Assessment of the Cream of the Cinematic Crop

            While 2013 may be remembered for black-themed films like 42, The Butler, Fruitvale Station and early Oscar favorite 12 Years a Slave, there were plenty of other excellent offerings released over the course of the year. The summer season alone featured a trio of outstanding horror flicks in The Conjuring, You’re Next and The Purge.

            And fright fans were even treated to a fascinating documentary deconstructing the making of Night of the Living Dead entitled Birth of the Living Dead. The profusion of cinematic treats once again made it impossible to limit my favorites to just the 10 best.

            So, as per usual, this critic’s annual list features 100 entries in order to honor as many deserving films as possible.

 

 

10 Best Big Budget Films

 

1. The Butler
2. Prisoners
3. 42
4. You’re Next
5. Gravity
6. The Purge
7. 12 Years a Slave
8. This Is the End
9. Inside Llewyn Davis

10. American Hustle

 

Big Budgets Honorable Mention

 

11. The Heat

12. The Best Man Holiday

13. Philomena

14. Gangster Squad

15. Black Nativity

16. Fast & Furious 6

17. Jack the Giant Slayer

18. August: Osage County

19. Rush

20. The Great Gatsby

21. Olympus Has Fallen

22. Bullet to the Head

23. Saving Mr. Banks

24. Dead Man Down

25. The Conjuring

 

 

10 Best Foreign Films

 

1. The Hunt (Denmark)
2. Hannah Arendt (Germany)
3. Paradise: Love (Kenya)
4. Kon-Tiki (Norway)
5. Aliyah (Israel)
6.  2+2 (Argentina)
7. The Price of Sex (Bulgaria)
8. S#x Acts (Israel)
9. A Hijacking (Denmark)

10. The Broken Circle Breakdown (Germany)

 

Foreign Films Honorable Mention

 

11. Three Worlds (France)

12. Sweet Dreams (Rwanda)

13. Hava Nagila (Israel)

14. Paradise: Faith (Austria)

15. The Grandmaster (China)

16. The Iran Job (Iran)

17. Pad Yatra: A Green Odyssey (Nepal)

18. War Witch (Congo)

19. Paradise: Hope (Austria)

20. Rising from Ashes (Rwanda)

21. The Act of Killing (Indonesia)

22. Reality (Italy)

23. The Pirogue (Senegal)

24. Garifuna in Peril (Honduras)

25. Israel: A Home Movie (Israel)

 

 

10 Best Independent Films

1. Fruitvale Station
2. The Kings of Summer
3. Nebraska
4. Mud
5. Drinking Buddies
6. Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
7. The Sapphires
8. I Used to Be Darker
9. The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete

10. Enough Said

 

Independent Films Honorable Mention

 

11. In a World…

12. Short Term 12

13. All Is Lost

14. Go for Sisters

15. Touchy Feely

16. Shadow Dancer

17. Lucky Bastard

18. Big Words

19. King’s Faith

20. Four

21. A Teacher

22. The Happy Sad

23. Mother of George

24. I’m in Love with a Church Girl

25. Finding Happiness

 

 

10 Best Documentaries

 

1.  Stories We Tell

2.  Dear Mr. Watterson

3.  Best Kept Secret

4.  A Place at the Table

5.  Muscle Shoals

6.  Unmade in China

7.  20 Feet from Stardom

8.  Schooled: The Price of College Sports

9.  Evocateur: The Morton Downey, Jr. Movie

10.Linsanity

 

Documentaries Honorable Mention

 

11.The Big Picture: Rethinking Dyslexia

12.When Comedy Went to School

13.Venus & Serena

14. Liv & Ingmar

15.Call Me Kuchu

16.No Place on Earth

17.Red Obsession

18.Cutie & the Boxer

19.Inequality for All

20.Spark: A Burning Man Story

21.Bidder 70

22.Men at Lunch

23.Aroused

24.When I Walk

25.Herman’s House