The Short Take (2005)

Liz's long take is a thousand words on a picture. My short take is far less. Rather than write detailed reviews of the movies I've seen during my vacation, I've rounded most of them up in one post. Enjoy!

Four Brothers (2005)

Plot: Four adopted brothers (Mark Wahlberg, Tyrese Gibson, Andre Benjamin, and Garrett Hedlund) return home after their mother (Fionnula Flanagan) is killed in a liquor store robbery. Upon learning that their mother was murder, the brothers decide to "knock on some doors," complete with the implication that cracking some skulls will soon follow.

John Singleton could direct a thoughtful drama concerning the difference between revenge and vengeance, in light of what the mother would have thought of her son's actions. But why do that when you can laze your way through yet another vigilante justice movie after giving non-violence three seconds of consideration?

So, Benjamin puts himself to good use, Hedlund gets confused between the movie and a jeans ad, Gibson charms the ladies, and Wahlberg takes the de facto leader position in stride with a light comedic touch and an impossible entrance.

By the time co-writers David Elliot (the moron who also penned the heinous The Watcher) and Paul Lovett get around to their inevitable conclusion, it left a slightly bitter taste in my mouth, in part because it took too long and in part because the inevitable felt unnecessary. Once you've seen one adopted sibling vigilante justice movie, you've truly seen them all. C-

The bonus Emily pointed out for the perfect capturing of Detroit's aesthetic is cancelled out by Sarah announcing that this movie was the worst she's ever seen. Because she's never seen . . .

Waking the Dead (2000)


Plot: Ten years after his girlfriend's (Jennifer Connelly) death, Fielding Pierce (Billy Crudup) begins to see her during his congressional race.

Good chemistry and heartfelt performances cannot redeem this painfully boring, ill-conceived drama. Is she alive? Is she dead? According to the conclusion (spoiler!), it doesn't matter anyway.

Apparently Keith Gordon likes to direct bland, vaguely memorable pseudo-thrillers. Do whatever you want in the future, Mr. "I gave up acting to direct". You shouldn't have quit your day job. D

The Client (1994)

Plot: As the tagline explains, a new lawyer (Susan Sarandon
) takes on a willful young client (Brad Renfro), who a mob lawyer confessed his secrets to on his deathbed. A slick DA (Tommy Lee Jones) tries to get the information out of the boy while his lawyer struggles to protect her client and keep them both from getting killed.

He knows where the bodies are hid! Smirking over that was the best part of the whole movie. When will I live up to my own edict to stay away from John Grisham adaptations?

Joel Schumacher directs Sarandon, Renfro, Jones into separately sparkling performances, nothing can make me care about Grisham's quixotic conclusions.

Still, slightly better than the last two, if only for the laughing at Anthony Lapaglia's mesh shirts. C



Ordinary People (1980)

Premise: A full year after the accidentally drowning of their eldest son, the affluent Jarrett family struggles with their grief - the father (Donald Sutherland) wants to move forward, the mother (Mary Tyler Moore) cannot reconcile her mind with her heart, and the guilt stricken younger son (Timothy Hutton) just wants a chance at something normal.

Could it be that the critically acclaimed film among the bunch also happens to be the best? Mais oui.

When I reviewed Beautiful Girls, I told my mom that I thought Hutton was poor man's John Cusack, which I maintain that he was in the role. My mom said that she thought he was pretty good in Ordinary People. It was already on my Zip List, but that comment clinched it - I must see this movie.

Robert Redford opts for the quietest, must subtle direction possible in this compelling character drama. You initially think you are going to watch the family put the puzzle pieces back together, until you realize that the pieces are shards of glass that cut that cut each member every time they try to pick one up.

It's impossible to single out one of the sterling performances for praise, as they all rely so heavily on one another, despite the fact that the characters live in completely different worlds. You simply watch them collide again and again, perfectely unaware of being stuck in their own bubble.

Sutherland was at the centre, desperately attempting to keep the walls from crumbling down around him as his wife and son grow further and further apart. His powerhouse performance allowed the other two to occur.

Hutton tugged at the heart strings - Conrad was forced to never admit who he really blamed for his brother's death, so he found himself unable to admit anything else. The most common answer in his shattering therapy sessions with the equally talented Judd Hirsch: I don't know.

But it was Moore that broke my heart. Beth never wanted to alienate her living son - it was just that every time she saw him, she also saw what she lost. It wasn't his fault, but she has no one else to blame. She was a woman obsessed with keeping their grief in the family, forgetting that the family was the one place she could not escape her overwhelming grief.

The genius Alvin Sargent and the uncredited Nancy Dowd script is a sneak attach of sorrow, and this beautiful, poignant piece is all the better for it. A+