SO Legends and Gods

SO Legends and Gods

Director Paul Thomas Anderson inspired Daniel Day Lewis to an Oscar-winning performance in There Will Be Blood. He also lifted up Tom Cruise in Magnolia, Mark Wahlberg in Boogie Nights, and even Adam Sandler in Punch Drunk Love.

SOTheMaster

In The Master, Phillip Seymour Hoffman is predictably amazing. Joaquin Phoenix, on the other hand, is a revelation. His performance is clearly one of the year's best.

The Master is an intriguing look at the use of spirituality to quell baser instinct. The acting is impressive, so it's sad to report that Anderson still has difficulty telling a cohesive story.

Phoenix is Freddie, a mentally unstable WWII vet job-hopping through the post-war era. Freddie's violent outbursts and sexual fixations are fueled by cocktails that mix alcohol and paint thinner.

Then this sinner finds New Age guru Lancaster Dodd (Seymour Hoffman), a self-help author who founded The Cause, a cult-like religion similar to Scientology. Dodd wants to reform him and show his vacillating followers and critics that he has the power of redemption.But a pregnancy, lawsuits and other legal troubles are all introduced without explanation or resolution. Talented supporting actors must contend with half-written characters. The film ambles along for almost two and a half hours before winding down.

Through it all, though, Phoenix and Seymour Hoffman are a joy to behold, even when the plot mires them in earthly confusion. In that sense, The Master is both Heaven and Hell.


SOArbitageFor those of us who aren't finance wonks, â┚¬Å”arbitrageâ┚¬Â is the simultaneous use of commodities for loans, sales, or profits. It's almost always illegal. Think Bernie Madoff and you'll be on the right track.

Gere is brilliant as a charming, sociopathic billionaire embroiled in a life of slippery ethics. After making a bad business decision, he tries to cover it up until he can sell. But the buyer is dragging the process out and possibly manipulating the sale price. Gere is also philandering on socialite wife Sarandon with Casta. When an accident occurs, Gere's many lies start to catch up with him. 

Gere has specialized in edgy slickness since American Gigolo, but we can't really care about his character. The enticement in Arbitrage is whether he will be held accountable. As the fibs multiply and overlap, police detective Roth is on his tail. The fortunes of innocent people hang in the balance. 

First-time writer/director Nicholas Jarecki does a brilliant job layering on the complexity. Gere's character is so incredibly hollow that even the dramatic scenes between him and Sarandon seem bloodless. You'll admire the man's tenacityâ┚¬â€his BS quotientâ┚¬â€but you'll still want him to pay and pay big.

What emerges is a story of captivating complexity and depth, with no soul at the center. But isn't that the way the financial system and the wonks who populate it are built?


SOTroubleWithTheCurveAfter Eastwood's wild swing talking to an empty chairâ┚¬â€pinch-hitting for the Republicans at their national conventionâ┚¬â€many wondered if the legend had lost it. Of course, that begs the question whether Dirty Harry ever had it in the first place; some of his acting performances have raised doubts. 

As a director, Eastwood has proved himself time and again. But he didn't direct Trouble with the Curveâ┚¬â€and it shows. This time, his oft-time second-in-command, Robert Lawrence, is giving the signals. 

Eastwood is an old, curmudgeonly baseball scout trying to hide his onset blindness. Adams is his type-A lawyer daughter, who suffers with abandonment issues. Despite the fact that she's up for a big promotion at work, Adams follows Daddy to North Carolina to help scout a player for the Braves. She'll be his eyes, and they'll work through their issues. Timberlake is along for the ride playing a rival scout, former Eastwood recruit and potential love interest for Adams.

None of the actors completely embarrass themselves, even though the plot holds no surprises. Some random moments feel like wild pitches. The rich baseball metaphor is underutilized.

The biggest error is the script.  ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢”šÂ¬Ã…”That's not called protecting; that's called rejecting!â┚¬Â exclaims Adams, in typically unnatural sounding dialogue. The fact that she and Eastwood can muddle through such Little League writing and still create some touching moments shows they're both still in the game.


Ratings_115150170

More in Film

See More