Defiance
Movies involving the persecution of Jews during the reign of Hitler are a dime a dozen. However, I'm liking the recent trend of these films to focus less on the actual massacre, choosing instead to highlight smaller peripheral stories spun out of that tragedy. Defiance continues this trend, casting Daniel Craig as Tuvia Bielski, eldest of four Bielski brothers. Liev Schreiber plays his hot headed brother, Zus. Jamie Bell is Asael, and George McKay plays the largely ignored fourth brother, Aron. As the German swept through Belarussia, their parents are killed by the local police force under orders from the German army. The Bielskis, who have a reputation for being somewhat shady and violent themselves, decide to seek vengeance. One brutal moment of cold blooded murder later, and the Bielskis find themselves on the run in the dense forests. There they encounter other Jews, and Tuvia takes on the role of reluctant leader to an ever growing community.
Sickness, harsh winters, constant food shortages, and the constant threat of attack keep things interesting, but honestly it's the strength of Daniel Craig and the fiery performance of Schreiber that carries this film. Truth be told, not a lot happens here. As the camp grows larger, internal conflicts, specifically between the competitive elder Bielskis, threatens to destroy what they all have built. But also harsh divisions are drawn between the people who fight and those who don't. The whole thing degenerates into what can best be described as a version of Lord of the Flies, where the strongest begin to take advantage of the weak.
This won't be a film that appeals to those looking for a ton of action. There is only one real act of violence and other than one sobering image of the cost of being Jewish during the time, the focus remains squarely on the building of this community and the trials and tribulations within. Craig and Schreiber are excellent, as always, but some of the supporting performances are lackluster. Ed Zwick, who wrote one of my favorite films The Last Samurai, tosses in a love story seemingly out of nowhere almost as if he felt obligated. He didn't need to. The strength of the story and the two lead performances was more than enough to carry it.
7/10
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
I knew from the start that this would be a one-note flick with a razor thin gimmick, and it turned out I was right. What struck me even more is that apparently the writer knew it too. The idea that this fat, wimpy, almost feminine mall security guard could fend off a squad of hardened criminals from robbing the joint seemed like a good idea for a half hour sitcom, not a feature length film. In truth, the mall takeover is only about half the film. The rest of the time we are treated to Blart and his attempt to woo a hot saleslady. We also get glimpses of his somewhat pathetic life as a single dad, where he makes videos of himself doing tricks on his Segway. In fact it's a wonder that Blart has a kid at all, even from a woman who only married him to get a green card. Surely there were better options than this wuss?
Kevin James is a funny guy most of the time, but he's another in a growing list of comedians who are best in measured doses. He's at his best when clearly going against type, attempting to play the tough guy when he's really just a mountain of marshmallow. Or when he's drunk off his arse. He makes a great drunken frat guy. But his cuddlier than thou routine just didn't work for me, and ultimately I found myself wanting this dude put out to pasture, which ain't good considering this a softie of a comedy. A nice turn by Bobby Canavale as the jerkoff commander of the SWAT team surrounding the mall almost saved this flick, but then they ruined him with a lame plot twist attempt. Ultimately, Mall Cop is a lot like it's hero: lame but really pretty harmless.
5/10
My Bloody Valentine....3-D!!!
At some point, you'd think people would stay away from small mining towns in horror flicks. Or small fishing towns. Whatever. Especially if they have a name that sounds either extremely peaceful or pretty friggin' scary. Go for something in-between. Springfield would be a nice, happy medium. When a small mining town becomes terrorized by a vicious murderer sporting a mining uniform, memories of the similarly dressed killer from a decade previous come to mind. The problem: the previous murderer has been presumed dead for years. So who is behind the mask now? Is it the son of previous killer? Or is it a copycat? Or is it the man himself, back from the dead?
Apparently it's up to my fellow Punch Drunk Critic John Nolan's #1 Man Crush Jensen Ackles to figure out who's wielding the pick ax. I can see why John likes him as an actor. He does posess a certain charisma that's good for a relatively low-level flick like this. Certainly Kerr Smith, who never fails to stink up anything he's in, can't be expected to shoulder the burden. I'll never forgive how he ruined a potentially good Cruel Intentions 3 with his one facial expression and wooden delivery.
What I enjoyed most about this had nothing to do with the 3-d element. In fact, it added very little real value to the film for me with only a couple of exceptions. A few splatters of blood or in one case a whole jawbone fly in your general direction, but otherwise it was like reading a pop-up book. But they do a reasonably good job building up the suspense to the big reveal. A few decently placed red herrings are left to confuse, and for the most part they all work. It features a large, entertaining cast that I was genuinely happy to see ripped apart. This is the type of horror/slasher flick I can get behind. Bloody, gorey, goodness, that doesn't try to be anything more than what it is. A helluva lot of fun. My only real complaint? The last third of the film is a bit weak as they struggle to try to maintain the killer's identity with so few credible candidates remaining. But who cares? I don't think any of us showed up to figure out some grand mystery. We just wanna see people get their wigs split.
7/10
