Movie Review - Gladiator

Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen
Year: 2000

Gladiator is one of those defining-moment movies.  It was the face of the new millennium, coming out in May of 2000 and taking box offices by storm.  It was an epic to end all epics, taking on ancient Rome with ease, sending audiences into the arenas and forcing us to smell the blood.  And it would sweep the Academy Awards, winning for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Sound, Best Effects, Best Costumes, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actor.  It was a huge project, a massive hit, a take-no-prisoners film.  But that was 14 years ago.  We're not as enamored with Russell Crowe as we once were, we've seen a million period-piece epics, and it's not so easy to create one project that blows away all other films.  Would Gladiator stand up to a re-watch and some extra scrutiny?

The gladiator of the title is a man named Maximus, a warrior with only one thing on his mind; revenge.  In his past life, Maximus was a general in the great Roman army, conquering Rome's enemies in the north and helping to expand the empire.  He fought for his Caesar, the wise old Marcus Aurelius.  But when the emperor dies and his son Commodus takes over, Maximus is no longer in favor, all the more because he has been charged with giving power back to the Senate, a thing that Commodus can never allow.  Stripped of his titles and betrayed by his country, Maximus finds himself enslaved, forced to become a gladiator with no hope for survival.  But survive he does, flourishing in the arena and driven by his desire to face the man who took everything away from him.  His chance comes when he travels to Rome itself, fighting for the pleasures of the crowd, but always with vengeance on his mind.

Watching the film again after so many years is a mixed bag.  The action stands up perfectly well, the battles in the sand holding just as much energy and gore as one could hope for.  The sets are magnificent, as are the costumes, colors, landscapes, architecture.  All the visuals are there and nothing of that nature was lost in translation.  And the acting was still strong as well.  Crowe as Maximus was solid and that will always be his career-defining role.  It was cool to see Phoenix as Commodus, knowing how well he's done since then, and I think it's safe to say that he stole the show.  The weakest parts were the dialogues, those long dramatic conversations between main characters that dragged on a bit, getting in the way of the story as often as aiding it.  I had forgotten just how long the movie was and how sometimes it felt a bit boring.  I wished that the action told the story more often instead of being talk battle talk battle talk.  Ridley Scott is a great director, but I think he failed to meld together all the great pieces into one perfect unit.  That said, Gladiator is still an excellent film, one that defined a moment and still remains viable today.

My rating: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Movie Trailer - Persecuted

Director: Daniel Lusko
Starring: James Remar, Bruce Davison, Dean Stockwell
Release: July 18th, 2014

I'd be interested to see from which angle this movie is produced.  Is it pro-religion and anti-censorship?  That seems to be the feel, but I'm curious; maybe there are more underlying points and/or morals.  Anyway, I'm intrigued but not really enough to make an effort to see it.

Movie Review - Million Dollar Arm

Director: Craig Gillespie
Starring: Jon Hamm, Aasif Mandvi, Lake Bell, Alan Arkin
Suraj Sharma, Madhur Mittal, Pitobash, Bill Paxton
Year: 2014

I've got to say, I was skeptical coming into this one.  And 'skeptical' might not even be a strong enough word;  I assumed it would be bad.  After all, it's a heartwarming Disney movie, the culture clash was bound to be stereotypical, and I already know how the true story ends.  But two things got me into the theatre to see Million Dollar Arm.  One is the fact that I'm a film critic and I wanted to join the conversation.  The other is that I love baseball.  Any movie about baseball stands a good chance of sucking me in, excellent or awful.  So in I went and out I came with a smile on my face.  Not only did the film delight and surprise me, but it's always nice to be reminded that a good director & a great actor can come together, take a story that others would have unceremoniously bludgeoned, and deliver a movie that combines heart & entertainment in a way that is rarely achieved.

This is the real-life story of Major League Baseball's first Indian athletes.  From a country that doesn't know the the game to a place obsessed with it, these two talented young men put a nation on their backs and traveled across the world to fulfill their dreams.  They did it with the help of their mentor JB, a sports agent who was on the verge of failure before he came up with one incredible idea.  He traveled to India to set up a talent competition, a contest that would find the best arms in the country, bringing two lucky winners to America to train for a shot in the big leagues.  But it wouldn't be easy, attempting Western organization in an Eastern culture or, afterward, exposing country boys to big city life.  Both JB and his protegees had a lot to learn; about each other, about America's game, and about working together to make the impossible a reality.

It really shouldn't have worked.  After all, it's a cheesy film about finding yourself, about never giving up, about realizing what the important pieces of your life are.  It's a typical India/America culture clash film, complete with stomach troubles, language barriers, and incense.  It really ought not to have been good.  But it was; the fun part is trying to figure out why.  A little honesty can go a long way, and I've always appreciated honest emotion in a film.  Give it to me straight and I'm with you all the way.  That's what Million Dollar Arm did to keep from becoming just another stupid and somewhat racist true story.  They delivered an emotionally realistic movie, a plot that may have been stereotypical at times but only when that was the reality of the situation.  Cows in the roads, tiny villages, trouble with the food.  And in America, fun with elevators, trouble with alcohol, learning English.  Those things aren't exactly new, but they were an honest part of the film, portrayed in a way that seemed accurate as parts of a true story, never cheesy afterthoughts or cheap ways to get a laugh.

The acting went a long way towards supporting what could have easily become a throwaway film but never did.  Jon Hamm was excellent as JB.  He was given time to develop his character, to show us the driving forces behind his actions, before he was thrown into the drama of the story.  The director also took time to show us JB in India, to build that base before adding in the more heart-warming parts of the film.  With a solid actor slowly developing a plot, I became totally invested and so was willing to forgive a little cheese later on when the story got gushy.  All the side characters were strong as well: Lake Bell as the love interest, Alan Arkin the grumpy old scout, Sharma & Mittal as the fish out of water.  Even Bill Paxton gave a good performance, which was strange.  Everyone contributed a controlled and level character, creating a film that never felt off balance or bumbly.  It could have easily gone the other way, it could have taken a crappy turn at any given moment and gone completely off the rails.  But it never did, the cast & crew were always professional, and you could feel that every step of the way.  Million Dollar Arm was a surprisingly good film, one that avoided the pitfalls of so many before it and instead told an honest story, letting the emotion speak for itself and allowing the actors to do their jobs.  Sounds simple really; take a cool plot and let good actors bring it too life.  Perhaps more directors should follow that recipe more often.

My rating: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆