THE BIG SHORT

So, can a movie about economics and investments be entertaining?  It can with a great cast, a very good director, and some quality source material.  The Big Short, based on the book by Michael Lewis, explores the build-up and burst of the housing bubble just a few short years ago.

The Big Short follows three different groups, all trying to profit from the unimaginable.  Michael Burry (Christian Bale), a socially awkward and brilliant hedge fund manager, sees what he believes is an imminent collapse on the housing market based on subprime loans (mortgages made to people who can't pay them back).  He creates a credit default swap, where he pays money if the loans are secure but profits if they collapse.

Sleazy investor (and narrator of the movie) Jared Vennett (Ryan Gosling) learns of Burry's plan and decides to jump on board, to make as much money as possible.  Trader Mark Baum (Steve Carrell), a man with a conscience, haunted past, and a nose for smelling scams, winds up potentially working with Vennett and exploring America with his team to find out what's behind these failing mortgages.

Meanwhile, young investors Charlie Gellar (John Magaro) and Jamie Shipley (Finn Wittrock) get word of this idea and work with retired and paranoid former investor Ben Rickert (Brad Pitt) to start buying up as many credit default swaps as they can.

The result of this is the revelation of a presumed safe and secure housing market that's amazingly precarious, run by people interested in short-term profits ("I don't get it.  Why are they confessing?"  "They're not confessing."  "They're bragging.") and organizations that keep saying everything is fine even when the collapse has begun.

Director Adam McKay recognizes that talking about finances can be dry and potentially boring, so he has several characters break the fourth wall to talk directly to the audience.  He also brings in Margot Robbie, Anthony Bourdain, and Selena Gomez as themselves to explain the financial concepts.  These feel gimmicky and may provide a little levity but could have been left out.

What works is the rest of the movie.  McKay gets the best from his actors, and everyone delivers a terrific performance.  Having Baum exploring the real world for the background to this crisis (and barely suppressing his rage and frustration at what he finds) brings the movie from abstract banking discussions to the real-world ambitions, greed, and stupidity that led the economy over a cliff.  And as the audience gets into the feel of the financial shenanigans happening, we are drawn into the outrage of a self-perpetuating system of unfettered greed and self-enforcing cover-ups that continually say everything is fine.

The Big Short isn't perfect, but it gets a lot of entertainment from a global shell game of the housing market.

Overall grade: A-
Reviewed by James Lynch

AMERICAN HUSTLE

The movie about the elaborate con is pretty routine in Hollywood, but American Hustle elevates this type of film with not only layer upon layer of deception and double-crosses, but also commentary on the corruption that comes with power.

Set in 1978 and loosely based on real events, American Hustle follows an unlikely collusion between confidence men and the U.S. government.  Irvin Rosenfelt (Christian Bale, unrecognizable with his extra weight and giant comb-over) runs all sorts of scams, from forged art to fictitious lines of credit for desperate people.  His partner and lover is Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams), a meticulous con artist who uses a British accent to add a foreign element to their schemes.  Irvin's biggest weakness is his wife Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence), a foul-mouthed and unstable woman who uses her sex appeal and her son, who Irvin adopted, as leverage to keep him with her.

Irvin and Sydney wind up busted by FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper), an ambitious agent.  He initially agrees to let the two go after they help him make four busts with their cons.  But Richie's hopes grow -- along with Irvin's fears -- as a con involving a rich sheik and millions of dollars gets the interest of New Jersey Mayor Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner).  Polito wants to use the sheik's money to build up Atlantic City, and soon congressmen, senators, and even the mob are getting involved.  And as Irvin gets more and more nervous, no one is really sure who's using who. Is the tension between Irvin and Sydney real?  Is Sydney falling for Richie -- or just playing him?  And will Rosalyn make everything fall to pieces?

It's hard to think of any way that American Hustle could be any better.  The cast is stellar from top to bottom, and director David O. Russell brings out an intensity and realism from everyone that propels the film from start to finish.  While the movie is gripping and dramatic, there's also plenty of comedy, from the opening shot of Irvin putting together his elaborate comb-over to Louis C.K.'s role as Richie's boss whose concerns are ignored more and more at the prospect of big takedowns.  American Hustle is intelligent, entertaining, and a great example of what a movie can be.

Overall grade: A+
Reviewed by James Lynch

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

Comic book fans know what happened between Batman and Bane in the Knightfall storyline, and The Dark Knight Rises -- the final film in director Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy -- explores Batman's fall and rise, along with tying Bane to themes from the earlier movies. Too bad it can be boring far too often...

After a brief recap of the end of The Dark Knight (with Batman taking the blame for Harvey Dent's murders), we jump ahead eight years. Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) has retired the Batman and become a recluse in Wayne Manor, wandering its halls with a beard and a cane; he also spent his half his fortune on a source of clean energy, only to pull the plug on it when he learned it could be turned into a weapon. Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) has almost rid Gotham City of crime, largely due to "Dent's Law." Alfred (Michael Caine) is still hoping Wayne will find some happiness in life, while Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman) keeps coming up with innovative tech for Wayne. There's also a young "hothead" officer named Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who admires Batman (and knows far too easily his secret identity), and a beautiful rich woman named Miranda (Marion Cotillard) who believes in Wayne's clean energy project even when he doesn't.

Enter the villains. An amoral, acrobatic cat burglar named Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway) piques Wayne's interest when she steals his late mother's pearls and copies of his fingerprints. The far bigger threat is Bane (Tom Hardy), a giant of a man with a mask always covering his mouth. Bane has large plans for both Batman and Gotham City, and they involve everyone from Wayne's business rival to Catwoman to an old adversary.

It may not be such a thin line between epic and bloated, and The Dark Knight Rises crosses that line quite often. In giving a lot of time to the supporting cast, the movie manages to forget about its main characters for very long stretches of time; the very long time before Batman even appears on the screen doesn't help either. Anne Hathaway is terrific as Catwoman, bringing a combination of self-centered desire and droll snappiness to the role, but Bane isn't that interesting a villain, and Christian Bale doesn't make Bruce Wayne's fall and redemption all that inspiring. And while I hate to compare Marvel and DC superhero movies, the flying "Batmobile" pales next to the special effects in The Avengers.

The Dark Knight Rises does manage to find more of its footing near the end (even if they take the "ticking clock" to a new and ridiculous level), but it's a long journey getting there. I don't know if Nolan will revisit the Batman mythos (the door is left wide open for another moviei in the franchise), but The Dark Knight Rises is a mediocre finale to a trilogy with a weak beginning and outstanding middle.

Overall grade: C+

Reviewed by James Lynch

PUBLIC ENEMIES

Gangsters and feds slug it out during the 1930s in Public Enemies, the latest crime flick from director Michael Mann. This movie is a clash of personalities -- but something is missing from the movie.

It's the Great Depression and bank robber John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) is America's most famous and infamous criminal. Dillinger robs banks and blasts away with his machine gun -- yet he doesn't steal from individuals and proves amusing and charming even while committing crimes.

Naturally, the bad guys have to be pursued by the good guys. J.. Edgar Hoover (Billy Crudup) wants publicity and funding for his Bureau of Investigation, and he sees getting Dillinger as the key to both. His pick to lead the pursuit of Dillinger is Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale), who made headlines for killing Pretty Boy Floyd (Channing Tatum). The supporting cast includes Billie (Marion Cotillard) as Dillinger's love, a coat check girl who is as excited by Dillinger's lifestyle as she is aware that he'll wind up in jail or in the ground; and Baby Face Nelson (Stephen Graham), a mobster who seems to enjoy killing.

Public Enemies misses a great chance to contrast its too leads. We learn much about Dillinger -- that he has a code of honor while also ruthless and self-serving -- but Purvis remains almost a mystery. Did the fed hate Dillinger, respect him, have qualms about the wiretape and brutal interrogations, or have his own ambitions? Bale plays Purvis as almost stoic and efficient, with little revealed beyond his duty.

Public Enemies is still an intriguing movie of crime and law enforcement. Depp's performance doesn't glamorize the criminal yet makes us able to see why he was so popular. The setting of the Great Depression also reveals why people would admire a criminal who went out and took what he wanted -- even if that was outside the law. And unlike many other movies, this shows the blood and guts of guns and violence, not neat, inoffensive little bullet holes. Public Enemies is far from perfect, but it is an entertaining diversion.

Overall grade: B-
Reviewed by James Lynch

TERMINATOR SALVATION

The Terminator franchise jumps to the future with Terminator Salvation. Instead of sending more robots to the past to keep John Connor from becoming the leader of the human resistance, this latest installement in the series takes us to the future in the middle of the human-robot war.

In the year 2018, John Connor (Christian Bale) is a leader in -- and to some, the savior of -- the Resistance. He leads ground missions, works with his pregnant wife Kate (Bryce Dallas Howard), and wants to find Kyle Reese, the man who John will send back in time to save his mother and become his father.

Meanwhile, Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), who we saw executed in 2003 after signing his remains to Skynet, wakes up in this future with no idea what's been happening. He meets up with Resistance fighters Blair Williams (Moon Bloodgood, fulfilling this movie's sexy tough female role), mute young girl Star (Jadagrace) -- and Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin).

This wouldn't be a Terminator movie without lethal robots. Terminator Salvation offers Terminators fused to motorcycles, snakelike Terminators in the water, a giant Transformer-type Terminator, and the traditional skeletal-metal T-800 Terminator. And the Terminators aren't just killing humans: They're capturing humans for a nefarious purpose.

Terminator Salvation is almost relentlessly bleak -- just about the only humor comes from lines from the original Terminator -- and relentlessly action-filled. There are chases, gunfights, running escapes, and dodged bullets in close to every scene in the movie.

The focal points of this movie are John Connor and Marcus Wright, flip sides of the same coin: Connor is the human out to both destroy the machines and preserve his destiny, while Wright feels guilt over both what he did before and his inhuman state and wants to find redemption. The other actors are all decent -- including Bloodgood, Helena Bonham Carter as a Skynet scientist, and Michael Ironsides as the ruthless Resistance leader -- but they're all there to support the two stars.
Terminator: Salvation isn't a great movie, but it is exciting. By turning the future into the movie's present, we are given not another variant on time-travelling assassins but rather a chance to see humanity in its own element, fighting not for an abstract future but for their present. This series will continue -- I've heard that this movie is the start of a second trilogy of Terminator movies -- and Terminator Salvation shows that the future should be exciting.

Overall grade: B

Reviewed by James Lynch

THE DARK KNIGHT

Batman returns to the big screen in a tremendous way in The Dark Knight. In a summer with a large number of quality superhero movies -- Iron Man, Hellboy 2, The Incredible Hulk -- The Dark Knight stands out with all-around quality, from the edge-of-your-seat action to an impressive script backed by equally impressive acting.

At the start of this movie, things are going well for Gotham City. Batman (played by Christian Bale) is both popular with the people and has the mob on the ropes by attacking their money sources. Lieutenant James Gordon (Gary Oldman) is officially denying involvement with the Batman while shining the Batsignal and working with him. And the city's "white knight" is Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), the district attorney who's fearless in taking on the mob. Dent is such a popular, courageous, and overall good warrior that Batman is considering retiring his superhero ways and finally being with Rachel (Maggie Gyllenhaal, taking over from the role from Katie Holmes in Batman Begins) -- even though Rachel is happily dating Dent. Meanwhile, Batman still gets moral support from Alfred (Michael Caine) and hardware support from Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman).

Absolute chaos hits Gotham City with the Joker (Heath Ledger), a scarred psychopath in makeup. From the heist on a mob-owned bank to destroying buildings and killing people, the Joker is a perfect portrait of madness and homidice. While there were fears that the sensation surrounding the actor's death would create hype that his performance could not meet, Ledger creates the perfect Joker.

His performance is one of many great ones in The Dark Knight. It's somewhat ironic that while Batman is the protagonist and star of the movie, Christian Bale has some of the least challenges as an actor here; it's not that his performance is weak, but he speaks gruff as Batman and doesn't offer much tension as Bruce Wayne considers hanging up the cape and cowl. As I mentioned earlier, Eckhart is amazing as Harvey Dent, the unmasked face of justice for Gotham City. He isn't flawless, and his intense focus hints at his ultimate fate. Gary Oldman shines again as James Gordon, an honest cop thrilled to be working with men like Dent and Batman -- and struggling to keep things together as the Joker's madness and destruction wears away the hope of Gotham City. Caine and Freeman are fine in their supporting roles, and Gyllenhaal provides Rachel with some backbone as she both fights the good fight and reminds Bruce Wayne not to pin his hopes for a normal life on her.

Did I mention how exciting The Dark Knight was? The movie opens with an intense bank robbery and keeps on delivering. There are amazing fist-fights, nail-biting vehicle chases (including a game of chicken between the Batcycle and a huge truck), and much more. Unlike Batman Begins where most battles were a series of dizzyng quick camera cuts, The Dark Knight shows the Batman as a skilled warrior.

My only complaint with the movie is its length -- over two and a half hours -- and reducing some of the time spent on the romantic triangle could have cut this down a little. That's a very small complaint from an amazing movie. The script is smart, the action and acting is truly impressive, and this could be the best movie of the summer -- as well as an example of everything a summer blockbuster can and should be. The Dark Knight is not just a great "comic book movie" but an epic adventure by any standard.

Overall Grade: A+

Reviewed by James Lynch

3:10 to Yuma (2007)

Russell Crowe and Christian Bale star in 3:10 to Yuma, an old style Western. Forget that nobody makes a film like this anymore, put your spurs on, load up your six shooter and saddle up for this review. This film is a remake of a 1957 film by the same name.

Crowe plays Ben Wade, a Jesse James style Western bandit that spends his day robbing stagecoaches outside town with his gang. Even an armored stagecoach with a Gatling gun (kind of ridiculous, I don't think it was ever done) can't keep the boys from getting the goods and killing the Pinkertons guarding it. Bale plays Dan Evans, the honest rancher with the family, facing the drought and the bank getting ready to foreclose, etc, etc, etc- you know, the guy with the white hat in most Western flicks. He is a Civil War vet, an amputee, and a sharpshooter from his regiment days. This makes Evans the perfect guy to accompany the Pinks to bring Wade to catch the 3:10 train to the Yuma federal prison. Besides, he needs the $200 in cash to save everything his family has worked for.

Needless to say, it doesn't quite go down as expected. After bringing Wade home (????!) as a diversion, and meeting the whole family (kind of ridiculous), they take a cross desert trip. Along the way, even I wanted to shoot Wade a few times as he incessantly attacks his captors, and gets temporary control of their weapons until subdued again. I was starting to wonder if Evans was doing this job too cheaply! The film progresses past the railway, and takes us to the inevitable shootout in the town waiting for the train.

In many respects, 3:10 to Yuma is the classic American Western reborn for a more modern audience. As "The West" is so intricately embedded in the American psyche, I do occasionally enjoy seeing a film like this. However, at many parts it was predictable as I found myself shouting at the TV "Don't go outside, they're waiting for you!" right before some character gets inevitably shot. The only new ground here is that their is no moral absolutism here. The good guys have to bend their morals to get the job done, and the villain prisoner attempts to redeem himself by the film's end.

Overall, 3:10 to Yuma is a little too slowly paced and predictable for my taste. It's not that it's a bad film, it's just that it's not a really good one.

Overall Grade: B

Reviewed by Jonas

Trailer:



PS: There's a medical tie in here. After the stagecoach robbery, the Pinkerton gets shot with a pistol. A few scenes later, we see that his abdomen has been turned into hamburger meat. First of all, it was more consistent with a shotgun blast, and no single bullet from a pistol could produce that injury. Then we see the town vet pull the bullet out with a pair of blacksmith pliers. For the rest of the film, the character is fine. Huh? It was a severe injury which would be difficult to repair using modern surgical techniques including prosthetic mesh, antibiotics, and advancement flaps. And this is just for the abdominal wall portion of the wound. I find it completely implausible that nothing in the abdomen was hit, which would have been fatal in those days, as abdominal surgery, and even sterility were decades away. Sorry folks, but they should have just given the character a different injury if they needed him throughout the film.

Rescue Dawn (2006)

When you mix in a story of a Navy pilot shot down during the Vietnamese War, and his harrowing plan of escape, I would think that this was my kind of film. Unfortunately, Rescue Dawn is rather lackluster, and doesn't add up to the sum of its parts.

Christian Bale plays Dieter Dengler, a German born man that had the dream of flight. After spending years in the US Air Force peeling potatoes, he goes to college living out of a Volkswagen (Digression: hey, it was the 60's, but that still doesn't explain the guy who did this in medical school that I knew.), and reenlists in the Navy. Dengler than becomes a Navy flier. He pilots the A-1 Skyraider from the USS Ranger (seriously, they were using propeller planes during 'Nam). On his inaugural mission over enemy territory Dengler gets shot down just over the Laotian border. Rescue Dawn chronicles his subsequent capture, torture, and escape.

So what's wrong with the film? The acting is merely average, but that is not what truly sinks it. Also, the scenery and setting seem to do the story justice. The screenplay simply obscures the amazing story of the principal character. I read the Wikipedia entry on Dengler, and it is a lot more fascinating than the film itself. The way the film progresses, sure we can't detail the entire guy's life, but Dengler hardly is portrayed as the hero that he was. Somehow, he seems too lackluster, and not a resilient guy that consistently bounces back from the knocks that life hands him.

Anyway, while the film is not terrible, I seriously think that it could have been a whole lot better. Breeze by Rescue Dawn, there's plenty of better movies out there.

Overall Grade: C

Reviewed by Jonas

Harsh Times (2005)

Christian Bale, Eva Longoria and Freddy Rodriguez star in Harsh Times. This film takes a look at life after being a soldier, and the corruption in law enforcement in Los Angeles.

Bale plays Jim Luther Davis, a recently discharged member of the Army Rangers, which are an elite special forces group. He served his country in Afghanistan. Now back in civilian life, he has a girlfriend "South of the Border" and needs gainful employment to bring her stateside. He first gets rejected from the LAPD, and then he gets a second chance from Homeland Security (which raises the question if they're getting the leftovers...). Anyway, along the way, he hangs out with his buddy, Mike Alonzo, played by Freddy Rodriguez, and they engage in all types of illegal behavior- gun dealing, DWI, assault, and drugs are all in a day's work as both are unemployed.

While Davis does not get officially labeled as having post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), he exhibits the classic symptoms of it. He is emotionally irritable and labile. He has poor, unrestful sleep with nightmares. he is aggressive with total strangers for no reason. It is a missed opportunity that he never gets the help that he so desperately needs.

Harsh Times tells the tale of what comes after military service for far too many soldiers. The military gets the problem off of their table by discharging them and recruiting someone else, but the issues persist. It is also a shocking look at the lawlessness among those that should be serving to uphold and enforce the law. If you want a gritty and violent look into these issues, then check out Harsh Times.

Overall Grade: B-