Arts of Darkness: Movies Watched in February 2014 Part II

Finishing up from last time, the rest of February’s movies:

Bubba Ho-Tep (2002) Don Coscarelli

As you can guess from the title, Bubba Ho-Tep is an odd, odd movie, one whose concept I like better than its execution, but even its execution isn’t bad. Here’s the premise: Elvis (Bruce Campbell) is definitely not enjoying his remaining days in a nursing home. Now we immediately know this is either an “alternate universe” Elvis or an Elvis impersonator, right? Ah, not so fast... All is not as it seems.

And there’s more. Also residing at the home is JFK in the body of an African American man confined to a wheelchair (Ossie Davis). Both men believe an ancient Egyptian ghost is haunting the nursing home. You’ve gotta admit, this isn’t the type of story you see every day. Bubba Ho-Tep doesn’t quite work all the time, but I appreciate its originality and willingness to take chances. (Although I can see some situations - say, after the consumption of several beers - where you might just think Bubba Ho-Tep borders on genius.)

3/5

Film Noir: Bringing Darkness to Light (NF 2006) Gary Leva

Better than average documentary chronicling the origins and history of film noir, including several clips from important noir films and commentary from key writers, directors and actors. A good starting point for someone just learning about film noir.

4/5

End of Watch (2012) David Ayer

Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña play two L.A. cops going about their daily routines when they discover evidence of a large drug cartel, something way bigger than either one of them. I’m typically not a huge fan of cop movies, but I usually like Gyllenhaal’s work and thought highly enough of director David Ayer’s previous work (Training Day) to give this one a shot. I’m glad I did.

4/5

Drinking Buddies (2013) Joe Swanberg

Two couples get together for a weekend getaway, people change partners on the sly, shenanigans ensue. Mostly boring and predictable. Skip this one.

2/5

Ender’s Game (2013) Gavin Hood

It took so long for Ender’s Game to actually get filmed that there was no way it could live up to its own mythos. I remember hearing Orson Scott Card speak about 12 years ago, lamenting that the film would probably never see the light of day due to several issues, chief among them finding believable child actors that were the appropriate age. That’s not really the problem here: Asa Butterfield as Ender, Hailee Steinfeld as Petra, as well as the rest of the child stars are quite good and believable. (I haven’t read the book in a long time, but it seems the kids in the film are a bit older than their counterparts in the book. Again, it’s been awhile, so I could easily be wrong.) I can say, however, that all of the child actors outshine Harrison Ford, who is pretty awful as the colonel in charge of training the kids.

Ender’s Game suffers from being equal parts engaging and boring. Add to that the fact that so much of the film is grim, bleak, and contains almost no joy whatsoever. Maybe that’s the point, giving us a sort of Full Metal Jacket with kids. What makes the film a weaker endeavor than the book is the fact that the payoff makes way more sense (and has greater impact) in prose than it does visually. I can’t say anymore about it without giving it away. Probably better off to just read the book.

3/5

House of Cards Season Two (TV 2014)

“The road to power is paved with hypocracy and casualties.” - Frank Underwood

No doubt about that. This second season of the Netfilx original series is both addictive and disappointing. If you never saw the first season, you’ll need to view it to understand what’s going on, who these characters are and how they got here. It’s a compelling show, but one that has its share of weak episodes. Season Two starts with a shocker and creates an intensity that, unfortunately, it can’t cash in on completely. There are simply too many plates spinning for too long. Yet don’t let that keep you from continuing with the series. Although I was disappointed with some of the plot elements, the performances are excellent, especially Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright. Go ahead and sign me up for Season Three......

3.5/5