Indie DVD Round-Up: "The Deep Blue Sea" and "Weekend"

The Deep Blue Sea (2011)

The Basics: A deliberately paced drama, set during the 1950's, focusing on a love triangle. At the center is the beautiful Hester Collyer (Rachel Weisz), who is married to the much older High Court Judge Sir William Collyer (Simon Russell Beale). William provides her with financial security and a place in society, but he is rather emotionally aloof. His mother (Barbara Jefford) is very similar, but treats Hester with disdain, believing that she is not good enough for her son. Hester is secure, but not happy, so when she meets and begins an affair with a young Royal Air Force pilot, Freddie Page (Tom Hiddleston), who brings out her passionate side, she wants to believe that she can find the happiness that eludes her.

Reasons to Watch: The Deep Blue Sea features solid performances, but feels more like a stage play than a movie. That is not a criticism, just an observation. While I found the characters and their relationships to be realistic, I had trouble feeling empathy for any of them, since they are all unlikable. Kudos for the inclusion of the classic Jo Stafford song "You Belong to Me" during a group scene which finds many of the actors singing along.

The Bottom Line: A slow paced, well acted film with a character driven story that brings the demons out in every character. A solid Indie effort from writer/director Terrence Davies.



Weekend (2011)

The Basics: A romantic drama focusing on an encounter between two men, Russell (Tom Cullen) and Glen (Chris New), who are anticipating a one night stand, but their time together turns into something unique and special, prompting them to contemplate a relationship.

Reasons to Watch: The performances by the aforementioned actors are understated and completely believable. Russell appears to have fallen in love overnight, while Chris is more reserved about his feelings, but sees something unique about Russell that makes him reconsider previously made plans. I enjoyed listening to the duo talk about their night together in a comfortable, relaxed manner.

The Bottom Line: Quality Indie effort from writer/director Andrew Haigh that transcends a typical relationship drama and is accessible for any viewer, regardless of their sexual orientation. Potential viewers should be aware that the sound on the DVD (at least the one I rented) is not the best. During some scenes, I had to keep adjusting the volume because the sound was almost inaudible at times. In addition, there is not a subtitles option, which I sometimes use in a case such as this one. FYI.





Disney's "Oz The Great and Powerful" - Starring James Franco

Photo Credit: Disney

One of the greatest films of all time, The Wizard of Oz, is still popular today, nearly 75 years after its original release. Trying to recapture the magic of that legendary and beloved film is no easy task, but that did not stop director Sam Raimi from trying with the newly released film Oz The Great and Powerful, which is a prequel, of sorts, to Frank L. Baum's classic book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The films are similar is some ways, but because Warner Bros. owns the rights to The Wizard of Oz, Disney had to careful not to infringe on the original or risk potential legal challenges. 

Oz The Great and Powerful begins in small town Kansas, where a mediocre circus magician, Oscar Diggs (James Franco), romances the ladies, abuses his assistant, Frank (Zach Braff), and tries his best to fool audiences into believing that he is the real deal, which he is not. Oscar is a cad and his bad karma is about to come back to him as a tornado barrels towards the circus while he is running from the boyfriend of one of his potential conquests. Oscar escapes in a hot air balloon which is battered by the powerful storm and is then whisked away to the magical land of Oz. 

Oscar is relieved to be out of harm's way and appears open to the new and wondrous land of Oz, which is populated with original characters and beautiful, vibrant colors. Oscar soon meets Theodora (Mila Kunis), who believes that his appearance may have been foretold in prophecy. Of course, Oscar's not so cheap tricks may have influenced Theodora, whose sister, Evanora (Rachel Weisz), serves as a bad influence on her. The witches turn out to be wicked and attempt to manipulate Oscar into believing that Glinda the Good Witch (Michelle Williams) is actually a wicked witch. Theodora quickly falls for Oscar, but Evanora uses her huge crystal ball to show Glinda and Oscar together, thus sparking jealousy in the immature and reactionary witch. 

Theodora becomes a woman scorned thanks to Evanora's manipulations and soon swears revenge on Oscar, his friends and the residents of Oz. From their home base in the Emerald City, the sisters plan an attack as Theodora literally transforms into The Wicked Witch of the West, complete with green skin, a menacing laugh and a broomstick, which is used for transportation and was jokingly mentioned by Oscar during their first encounter. Consider Theodora's transformation as a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Oscar is still using his own powers of manipulation by pretending to be a great wizard who will become the savior of Oz. However, he must now act like he is in charge and concocts a plan with the help of the tinkers, the farmers and the beloved munchkins. Yes, they make an unlikely team, but the wicked sisters mean business and even though they seem to have the upper hand, Oscar still has a chance to redeem himself and become the man that he claims to be, which sets the stage for the entertaining final act. 

Oz The Great and Powerful looks sensational. courtesy of cinematographer Peter Deming and the marvelous special effects. The use of color is simply astonishing and allows to film to have an ethereal, otherworldly quality, similar to The Wizard of Oz. The screenplay, by David Lindsay-Abaire and Mitchell Kapner, utilizes familiar entities, such as the Yellow Brick Road, the Emerald City and subtle references to the Cowardly Lion and the Scarecrow. The screenwriters also introduce new characters, including the precious China Girl (Joey King), whose village is destroyed by the wicked witch. Oscar and his new found friend, Finlay the monkey (Zach Braff), discover the injured China Girl, who suffered two broken legs. With the help of super glue, Oscar helps the youngster in a very touching scene that may just make you cry. I expect both China Girl and Finlay to quickly become beloved characters. 

I wish the performances were equally as good as the writing and technical aspects of Oz The Great and Powerful. James Franco is fine as Oscar/The Wizard and he believably makes the transition from cad to savior. However, the witches are not as convincing, which is troubling because I expected more from the extremely talented Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams and Rachel Weisz. I do not mean to place the blame completely at their feet, since they may have been portraying the characters as directed. There are additional supporting characters who just do not resonate either. Perhaps additional films in the series will allow the characters to develop fully. Indeed, the overabundance of characters introduced in Oz The Great and Powerful may have been overkill, while the lack of musical numbers is certainly suspect. 

Fans of The Wizard of Oz and the classic Disney formula will likely enjoy Oz The Great and Powerful. This family friendly effort features a few new lovable characters, sends a positive message about being honest and true to yourself and expresses the importance of helping others in need. In addition, the outstanding use of 3D technology enables the film to have a contemporary feel that younger audience members will surely appreciate (and the limited edition glasses are pretty cool, too). I would like to see Oz The Great and Powerful again in order to fully appreciate this relatively fast paced effort and its astounding visuals, which are perhaps the most memorable, great and powerful aspect of the film. Just ask the man behind the curtain if you do not believe me.

"The Bourne Legacy" (2012) - Starring Jeremy Renner

The Bourne trilogy, starring Matt Damon, prompted me to once again become a fan of action movies. But the Bourne films were very different from the typical action films that relied on violence, special effects and acts of destruction to entertain the masses, usually at the expense of the acting and the screenplay. Alas, it is possible to make an action movie for adults that is cerebral, well acted and well written and The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum repeatedly proved that. Of course, the success of the series relied on casting a believable and capable lead actor and whoever thought Matt Damon would become an action star? I think it is fair to say that he exceeded everyone's expectations.

After being spoiled with three outstanding efforts, I was disappointed to learn that Damon would not be appearing in The Bourne Legacy. However, I was encouraged to learn that Jeremy Renner would be taking over the lead role, but not as Jason Bourne, but rather another super soldier by the name of Aaron Cross. It would have been a mistake for anyone to try to assume the role of Jason Bourne and the filmmakers clearly understood that. Renner had previously delivered strong work in The Hurt Locker and The Town, so I knew he had the ability to take over for Damon, who is rumored to be considering a return for the fifth installment.

The Bourne Legacy mentions Jason Bourne on a few occasions, for continuity and story purposes, but the plot revolves around Aaron Cross, who is a member of Operation Outcome, along with many other agents. They are all super soldiers, like Bourne, and possess increased physical and mental abilities, thanks to a series of meds that keep them in top form. Early on, Bourne leaks classified information about secret government programs that leaves the Feds scrambling to do damage control. As a result, CIA official Eric Byer (Edward Norton) is enlisted to help contain the fallout and orders all super soldiers, or Outcome agents, to be eliminated. Aaron Cross, who is in Alaska on a training mission, is unaware of what is going on until a cabin that he is sharing with another agent, Number Three (Oscar Isaac), comes under attack from a drone. The cabin is destroyed and Number Three is killed, but Cross left just moments before, so he is spared, but shaken. However, each Outcome agent has a tracking device inserted into his/her body and once Cross realizes that he is still in danger, he removes it and attaches it to an unexpected source, which is then destroyed, thus tricking his superiors into thinking that he is dead.

Later, a scientist responsible for creating the meds that power the agents, Dr. Donald Foite (Željko Ivanek), is brainwashed into murdering his staff and proceeds to go on a killing spree, murdering all but one of them, Dr. Marta Shearing (Rachel Weisz). Cross somehow finds his way to Shearing, who is holed up in a remote location, and saves her life when government agents arrive to kill her. As a result, Cross and Shearing are forced to run for their lives. Cross also needs Shearing's help to obtain more meds so that he can sustain his abilities. Shearing informs Cross that he has already been genetically modified to sustain his physical abilities, but still needs the so-called "blue pills" to enhance his emotional well being. With few options available to find or manufacture the drugs, they head to the Philippines, where they are produced as needed. Cross also confides that he remembers his back story and understands who he really is and recalls how he and the other agents were manipulated by government officials to keep them compliant and under control. The balance of the film features several exciting action sequences, which were a hallmark of the three previous films, as Cross and Shearing do everything possible to avoid being captured and killed.

Like the previous films, The Bourne Legacy features an intelligent and intricate screenplay, courtesy of Tony Gilroy (who also serves as director) and Dan Gilroy. Continuity is important to the franchise and several characters, including Pamela Landy (Joan Allen), Noah Vosen (David Strathairn) and Dr. Albert Hirsch (Albert Finney) all play significant, albeit small roles, in the film. New characters, such as the aforementioned Dr. Shearing and Eric Byer, as well as Mark Turson (Stacy Keach), are seamlessly added into the mix. In addition, the action sequences are once again expertly choreographed and are the highlight of the film. Furthermore, the performances by all of the previously mentioned cast members are solid.

Like Matt Damon, Jeremy Renner is physically impressive as the lead character. An early scene featuring Aaron Cross fighting for his life in the Alaskan wilderness starts the film off in style. However, in between the action sequences, something appears to be missing and I cannot say for certain what is it. All of the elements are present to make yet another great film, but The Bourne Legacy loses momentum during the "down time." Perhaps the film is a bit too long and maybe a little too detailed, or perhaps the emotional investment in the new characters is lacking. I was also not thrilled with the ending, which did not feel like an ending to me because of its abrupt nature, but it does provide a decent segue into the next installment. I wanted to love The Bourne Legacy, but instead, I ended up liking it a lot. Perhaps the bar was set too high for anyone to try to match or exceed the previous efforts. With that being said, I look forward to the next film and the possible return of Matt Damon.