MRMOVIESETC
REVIEWS:
“Dragged Across
Concrete” (2019)
“Dragged Across Concrete” comes as the anticipated
follow-up of Director S. Craig Zahler’s 2017 feature “Brawl on Cell Block 99”,
which served as not only one of the positively jaw-dropping surprises of that
year, but also as arguably the finest performance of Vince Vaughn’s career.
Vaughn has played some serious roles in the past, however nothing quite like Bradley
Thomas - a stoic, no bullshit bringer of unimaginable pain and face-crushing so
swiftly brilliant it would make Gallagher blush. Now, to see Vaughn return
alongside Mel Gibson as a duo of cops with some racism issues whom turn to a
life of crime after getting suspended without pay, it’s no wonder that fans of
“Block 99”, myself included, were chomping at the bit to see what the almost
three-hour “Concrete” had to offer.
I cannot speak for the rest, but from where I sit, I
could only find the entire feature to be drastically underwhelming. For a lack
of a better term, I was somewhat astonished at just how soft the whole thing
turned out. To be clear, I do not have anything in the slightest against slow
burning films, or even long slow burning films. In fact, I get quite a lot of
enjoyment being able to get lost in an immersive plot that allows me to lose
total track of real time. Where I believe “Concrete” misuses this opportunity
and causes it to ultimately stumble is in its need to elongate procedural
scenes. “Concrete” is a good, albeit familiar story in of itself; however, as
an example, I did not need Vaughan chewing loudly in Gibson’s ear for several
consecutive minutes, especially since it establishes nothing of value. There
was another scenario where Zahler attempted to establish morbid gravity by
giving a side character almost a full formal introduction as a bank teller just
returning from maternity leave at a bank that’s about to be robbed; a scene
that could have been easily been saved as an extra on the DVD. Cut to about
three or four more of these types of situations, and I found myself far short
of the ability to give half a damn.
Granted, “Concrete” isn’t just two grumpy cops exchanging
dialogue in their car; Zahler does bring some of his signature brutality here
and there, and it is executed with the type of finesse that has given him the
audience’s eye the past few years. That being said, this is a film that should
have been so many shades darker than it was that, even by the time the blood
starts to spill, it’s too little too late and any sort of satisfying payoff was
dead on arrival. Gibson does turn in a performance that keeps the film on life
support as it slowly died, but as a clearly intended character-driven drama,
all of them were too sorely underwritten for it to work.
It’s a shame, but I’d say skip it.
“Dragged Across Concrete”: 5/10
“Another Year”
(2010)
Of all the ranges of emotion that films can submit unto
me, it’s really quite rare that one could give me *anxiety* as thoroughly as
“Another Year” accomplished.
Thank you, Mike Leigh.
***
No joke, Director Mike Leigh is so good at creating
character drama that, in the case of “Another Year”, he reminded me why I am
glad to have the size of social circle that I do. I suppose, in a way, that
clarifies pretty simply how good of a filmmaker Leigh is, and this title is no
exception.
Without getting into spoilers, the genius of this
narrative is how it leads the viewer into thinking it is all about a year in
the life of the happily married couple (Jim Broadbent and Ruth Sheen), along
with their family and closest friends; then, in the second half of the film, it
pulls a “Gotcha! Now go feel sad and guilty for a while.” Most importantly,
it’s the type of transition that is entirely earned through carefully
constructed interactions that may initially feel random and awkwardly out of
place, yet proves to be Leigh stacking the deck to dump just that much more
emotional baggage the audience could very well see coming but may not be
adequately prepared to handle. The final
shot alone is effectively lasting enough on its own that one will be tempted to
quickly find some sunshine afterward in order to feel better.
There’s really not much more I can say about this one.
Mike Leigh is a master at this type of drama, and while I haven’t seen nearly
as much of his filmography as I would like to yet, this is easily my favorite
one so far.
“Another Year”: 9/10
“The Kindergarten
Teacher” (2018)
Speaking of feeling uncomfortable, what better film to
see right after something like “Another Year” than “The Kindergarten Teacher”;
a film that made me talk to the television, which is significant because I’m
just not that kind of person. Much like the previous film review in this batch,
that speaks to not only how good this film is, but continues to cement my
opinion that Maggie Gyllenhaal is far too underrated as an actress. I truly
admire how bold she has become over the years and her performance here only
cements that transition.
Ironically, as much as I really enjoyed Maggie’s
performance, I will use this part of the review to bring forth my one main
grievance with “Teacher”, which is that I could not be sold on Lisa Spinelli’s
story arc. Maggie sells the hell out of it for sure and Lisa as a person is
certainly intriguing; however, and this isn’t really a spoiler because it’s in
the Netflix synopsis, there is some clear mental illness at play here that
doesn’t really work in the overall narrative that she’s only bored and
intellectually unfulfilled. The film gives plenty of glimpses into her home
life and how it came about being structured the way that it is – normal and
healthy – that her quick dive into some really inappropriate behavior does not
make a whole lot of sense. Again, Lisa is an interesting woman brimming with
good intentions, but for me, the dots just didn’t connect on this one glaring
thing.
Stranger yet, thanks to Gyllenhaal and the absolutely
adorable Parker Sevak alongside her, the somewhat flimsy foundation still
manages to get through its barely over ninety-minute runtime unscathed as a
fully absorbing drama that plays out as a slow-motion car crash that doesn’t
let the viewer look away. Truly, the fact that it does get to its destination
in good time is likely the key component outside of the acting that keeps it
from overstaying its welcome.
This is certainly one of the stronger films under the
Netflix umbrella that deserves to be seen. Don’t let this one get away from you
as the streaming service continues to pile newer titles on top of it.
“The Kindergarten Teacher”: 8.5/10
“Missing Link”
(2019)
What is certainly their most kid-centric film to date,
LAIKA still continues to prove that they are the masters of their craft, and yet
somehow continues to be criminally underappreciated in the mainstream.
Look, for the sake of argument, LAIKA likely has the
understanding that parents with young children are going to be timid about
their releases after the (awesome) nightmare fuel that was “Coraline” and “Kubo
and the Two-Strings”. Sure, the studio was pretty aggressive in the ad
campaigns for “Missing Link” that it is an absolutely family-friendly adventure
tale led by Zach Galifianakis (whom has never been an opposing figure). Then
again, “Kubo” was equally advertised as a colorful adventure tale.
At least “Kubo” didn’t have black button eyes in it. What
more do you want??
Personally, while the animation and storytelling would
typically be plenty for me, what I love most about LAIKA is their variety. Since
the comedy in “Missing Link” was not directly at those my age a majority of the
time, it didn’t do a whole lot for me; however, the more dramatic and
action-adventure type scenes were still engrossing. A large part of that
success can be attributed to the antagonist, Willard Stenk (Timothy Olyphant),
whom is pretty one-note, but thanks to Olyphant’s voice work, he’s the perfect
dirty Old West archetype that takes full command of a scene every time he’s on
screen. He provides the kind of counter-balance needed to keep Sir Lionel Frost’s
(Hugh Jackman) nobility and Susan’s (Galifianakis) goofiness grounded.
For what is still a limited library for LAIKA, while
“Missing Link” is likely the one film they have so far that I would reach out
for the least, I have a feeling I’m still going to have a general fondness for
it for all the positive aforementioned reasons. If you have any sort of respect
for the craft that this studio continues to adhere to in a CGI-crowded space, I
think you owe it to yourself to support them and check this one out.
“Missing Link”: 8/10
“Young and
Beautiful” (2013)
Taking into consideration the bold performance of lead
actress Marine Vacth, and the boldness of the story at play about a young woman
turned sex worker, it is more than a little sad that “Young and Beautiful” (or
“Jeune & Jolie”) played out as wooden as it did – no pun, I swear. Now,
when I say Vacth’s performance was bold, that’s not to say that is synonymous
with good. Without a doubt, I will beat the drum all day in support of any
actor that takes the leap in their job – as difficult as it is already – and
performs a bulk of said role in the nude for the sake of the art. Nevertheless,
sex and nudity can never truly make up for poor writing and otherwise
lackluster performances.
If that scenario is the type of thing being sought out,
PornHub assuredly has an app for that.
Underneath all the risqué business, the main premise here
has a heavier lean towards coming-of-age self-discovery after Isabelle (Vacth)
loses her virginity and becomes increasingly enticed by the possibility of
exploring these newfound sensations while getting paid really good money for
it. Of course, this comes with some dangerous setbacks to the tune “What could
possibly go wrong?”, i.e., asshole clients that treat her like a piece of meat,
the fact that she’s technically underage and has lied to said clients about her
age, and she still lives at home with parents that have no idea what she’s up
to.
Her actions would suggest that she gets enjoyment out of
this paid hobby for more than just the money; she also seems to like the sex
and the quiet power trip that comes with it. Sadly, none of that, the ups or
the downs, come through effectively enough by Vacth. Even as she begins to perhaps develop romantic
feeling towards one of her much older clients, it barely comes through as
anything other than a dull, fleeting spark, and the film suffers because of it.
I’m not sure if that falls entirely on Vacth, or if the
directing had a part to play as well. Francois Ozon has been known for his
multiple accolades over the years, so it is all the more baffling how this film
ended up being as flat as it turned out. It’s certainly not wholly incompetent
by any stretch. I was in it enough to see it through until the end, but there was
nothing that was incredibly moving, either.
It's tough on this one for me to place a preference one way or the other,
though I can feel myself gravitating towards a “Skip it” recommendation.
“Young and Beautiful”: 5.5/10
