Author: Joe Bendel

By Joe Bendel. In 1986, Soviet Refusenik Natan Sharansky gained his freedom through the final Cold War exchange conducted on Berlin’s Glienicke Bridge. Brooklyn attorney James B. Donovan found himself negotiating the first. At trial, he had represented convicted Soviet spy Col. Vilyam Fisher, a.k.a. Rudolf Abel, a British born KGB agent, who had narrowly escaped Stalin’s purges during his time with the NKVD. Presumably, the Russians will want him back, just as America wants Francis Gary Powers safely returned. To negotiate the deal in his unofficial capacity, Donovan navigates the murky political waters of Berlin during the final days of the construction of the Wall in Steven Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies, which screened as a Main Slate selection of the 53rd New York Film Festival.

Donovan is the kind of stickler lawyer you do not want to be haggling with. Since he was also a junior member of the Nuremberg prosecution team, the Brooklyn Bar helpfully nominates him as Abel’s attorney. Although not thrilled, Donovan does his duty more diligently than anyone anticipates. Nevertheless, Abel is convicted, but conveniently not sentenced to death.

Sometime after U-2 pilot Powers’ capture and show trial, Donovan receives a strange overture from East Germany. With the CIA’s blessing but no official portfolio, Donovan tries to negotiate an Abel-for-Powers deal, but it is complicated by the arrest of American economics student Frederic Pryor on transparently bogus espionage charges. Suddenly the dodgy Wolfgang Vogel representing the GDR wants to swap Pryor for Abel, while the Berlin KGB station chief is willing to deal Powers for Abel.

While there is a bit of le Carré equivalency baked into screenwriters Matt Charman and Joel & Ethan Cohen’s depiction of the respective intelligence agencies, there is no denying the oppressive bleakness of East Berlin. Production designer Adam Stockhausen’s team vividly recreates the rubble strewn streets, bombed out blocks, and ominously imposing Berlin Wall. To his credit, Spielberg also shows exactly what happened to those who tried to scale it.

Of course, Donovan is exactly the sort of exceptional everyman that has become Hanks’ specialty. While he brings an instant credibility and a certain comfort level to the character, he never delivers any surprises—only sniffles as Donovan endures an awful cold. On the other hand, Mark Rylance is weirdly mesmerizing as the off-center Abel, precisely because of his restraint. It is like his face is a Rorschach test, which you cannot stop staring at.

For traditional villainy, Sebastian Koch chews plenty of scenery as Vogel, but he gets somewhat shortchanged on screen time. However, nobody is as embarrassingly unnecessary as Amy Ryan, playing an underwritten Mary Donovan, whose sole function in the film is to hassle her husband to bring back Harrods marmalade from his supposed fishing trip to Scotland.

Thanks to Stockhausen and cinematographer Janusz Kaminski, Bridge looks terrific, but it is relentlessly over-scored by Thomas Newman. Instead of evoking a noir atmosphere, he indulges in symphonic sentimentality. Granted, it is a Spielberg movie, but it sounds too much like a Spielberg movie. Just imagine what could have been if someone like the great Tomasz Stanko (a Krzysztof Komeda protégé) had composed its themes instead. Regardless, there is plenty of striking work on view, including that of Mr. Dreamworks himself, who still has eerily keen instincts for maximizing the emotional impacts of his shots. Recommended reasonably enthusiastically for fans of Spielberg and espionage movies, Bridge of Spies screened again last night at Alice Tully Hall as part of the 2015 NYFF, in advance of its October 16th theatrical release.

LFM GRADE: B+

Posted on October 6th, 2015 at 11:34pm.

By Joe Bendel. It is like Hitchcock’s Rope on MDMA. It is 4:30 in the morning, but the day is not over yet. There is still plenty of hedonism to indulge in and crimes to commit. Unfortunately, one Spanish expat will ill-advisedly become involved with the latter in Sebastian Schipper’s legitimate, no-cheating one-take feat Victoria, which opens this Friday in New York.

After an aimless night of clubbing, Victoria intends to get a quick rest and then report for work at the organic coffee shop around the corner. However, her plans will be fatefully derailed when she runs into Sonne and his three rowdy friends, Boxer, Blinker, and Fuss. Despite her better judgement, she drinks with them, engaging in a minor bit of delinquency. His three amigos are definitely knuckleheads, but there is a real attraction developing between her and Sonne. That is why he is so reluctant to ask for her help when the dead-drunk Fuss is unable to hold up his end of a dodgy bargain—and why she is willing to agree.

While in prison, Boxer enjoyed the protection of the gangster Andi, who has suddenly called to collect. He has a job for Boxer and the lads—a bank job. He happens to know of an early opening branch office with a stash of cash in a safety deposit box. If you think the heist sounds poorly planned, wait till you see the getaway.

Considering it was shot in twenty-two centrally situated locations in uninterrupted real time, Victoria is an absolute marvel of organization. Yes, they stay within a tight geographic perimeter, but the cast and crew were still covering a great deal of ground, running up and down staircases, in and out of buildings, executing chase sequences that bring to mind Run Lola Run, in which Schipper had a supporting role (some might also recognize him as the strongest co-lead of Tykwer’s 3). That is a whole lot of logistics that all came together perfectly.

Frankly, the first act set-up takes a surprisingly long time, but it convincingly establishes Victoria’s budding relationship with Sonne. After the time we spend with them, we can fully accept her decision to serve as their getaway driver. Of course, from that point on, the film is off to the races.

Laia Costa and Frederick Lau are terrific as Victoria and Sonne, while Franz Rogowski and Burak Yigit are all kinds of bad news as Boxer and Blinker, but in a flamboyantly colorful way. Yet what really defines the film is its evocative sense of place (slightly sketchy, hipsterish Berlin) and the after-hours vibe. Schipper perfectly captures that slightly alienating feeling of being awake when all respectable people are safely asleep.

In addition to running his butt off following the action, cinematographer Sturla Brandth Grøvlen gives everything a properly disorienting haze, reflecting the influence of the drugs, alcohol, and trance-inducing club music. Arguably, he also serves as the film’s editor, making editorial decisions on the fly, through his framing. In fact, some of his choices are remarkably astute.

Although the dialogue is largely improvised, there is real substance beneath Schipper’s flashy style. Audiences will not resent investing in his characters. Still, let’s not kid ourselves. The frenetic one-take style is the reason to see his grittily fatalistic caper and it is impressive. Highly recommended for heist movie fans and anybody who just wants to see a filmmaker pull off something cool, Victoria opens this Friday (10/9) in New York, at the Lincoln Plaza.

LFM GRADE: A-

Posted on October 6th, 2015 at 11:34pm.

By Joe Bendel. As usual, no internet use goes unpunished in the movies. This time, Michel Bellmer will provide our object lesson. He is an adventurer who specializes in conning lonely women out of money. He also engages in strange occult rites, but he is nothing compared to the psychopathic women he unfortunately charms. Belgian extreme auteur Fabrice du Welz darkly riffs on the already pretty macabre case of the “Lonely Hearts Killers” throughout Alleluia, which releases this week on DVD, from Doppelganger Releasing.

Evidently, Bellmer’s pre-date photo burning ritual worked, because mousy Gloria falls for him hard. After an uncharacteristic one night stand, she is only too happy to loan him money for his supposedly struggling business. Of course, women like Gloria are Bellmer’s business—and he is already working on his next deal. However, Gloria is not ready to move on. She tracks him down, but instead of demanding her money back, she offers to be his accomplice, as long as they can periodically steal some intimate time together.

Gloria has one stipulation—no more sex with the marks. Although Bellmer agrees, he knows there is no better way to seal the deal than offering a little sugar. Unfortunately, whenever he tries to hurry things along, Gloria erupts in a lethal jealous fury. Frankly, she is the past the point of being bad for business, but Bellmer is stuck with her.

As if Alleluia was not creepy enough, lead actor Laurent Lucas was the victim of an internet death hoax a few months ago. Happily it was bogus, but this feels exactly like the sort of film that could become notorious for the curse-like deaths of its cast-members. Strictly speaking, it is an earthly serial killer film, but Manu Dacosse’s tripped out, massively feverish cinematography gives it all a supernatural looking haze. Du Welz and co-screenwriter Vincent Tavier are pretty vague on the geo-particulars, so for all we know, it could be in one of the outer circles of Hell. It certainly starts to feel that way for Bellmer.

The hopefully very alive and kicking Lucas is terrific as Bellmer, convincingly portraying his unique character development arc, from sociopathic ladies man to psychotically henpecked common law husband. However, Almodóvar regular Lola Dueñas is the black soul at the center of the film. She is profoundly unsettling as the deeply disturbed Gloria (and vice versa). It is also worth noting the fine work of Héléna Noguerra as the rebooted Lonely Hearts Killers’ third prospective victim, the well-to-do widowed mother, Solange. She brings real presence to what could have been a largely disposable role.

This should go without saying, but if the French lover you just met over the internet wants to move in with his unstable Spanish sister, you need to put your foot down and say no. Alleluia should surely will not do any favors for online dating services. Instead, it is an unusually impressive genre film, but it might actually be too effective, by not giving us any breathing space in between the psychotic episodes. Tense and disorienting, Alleluia is recommended for fans of art-house horror when it releases today (10/6) on DVD and Blu-ray.

LFM GRADE: B

Posted on October 6th, 2015 at 11:32pm.

By Joe Bendel. A former mercenary like Baek Yeo-hun would never be the good guy in a Hollywood movie. “Good” is a strong term for the former employee of a Blackwater-like outfit, but he is immeasurably better than the cabal of crooked cops running rampant through the city. Inconveniently, Baek nearly starts the film as the dead guy, but an unsuspecting ER doctor has the misfortune of saving his life in Chang’s The Target, the Korean remake-reconception of Fred Cavayé’s Point Blank, which releases this week on DVD and digital, from Lionsgate.

When adapting Cavayé’s French fugitive-style thriller, Chang (a.k.a. Yun Hong-seung) opted to go bigger and bolder every chance he could. Instead of a burglary, Baek steps into a frame-up intended for his developmentally challenged brother. They were not expecting someone with Baek’s particular set of skills, but he nearly makes a premature exit anyway. Dr. Lee Tae-jun manages to save him, but he is rewarded for his troubles with the abduction of his mega-pregnant wife, Jeong Hui-ju. The kidnapper’s demand is straight forward, but difficult to execute—trade the recuperating Baek for Jeong.

Nevertheless, Dr. Lee smuggles the suspect out of the hospital, turning into an outlaw as a result. Unfortunately, Baek refuses to cooperate, giving the doctor the slip. Eventually, Lee will catch up to Baek—and they will even join forces when they realize a band of corrupt coppers is trying to kill them both.

While the formerly comatose anti-hero was a mere safecracker in Cavayé’s original, albeit one played by the hardnosed Roschdy Zem, Baek is a bad cat of an entirely different stripe. He takes over the movie from the innocent Wrong Man doctor, turning it into an old school beatdown. He is the kind of grizzled action hero who can easily take on twenty men at once. It might not be credible, but it is really fun to watch.

Sort of like the original, Target climaxes with a showdown in the police station, but Chang cranks up the action to levels nearly as earth-shaking as Alan Yuen’s explosive Firestorm. He really lets Seoul’s institutional buildings have it, unleashing all kinds of bedlam in the hospital and police station. However, Jun Chul-hong’s adapted screenplay also increases the emotional stakes with the addition of honest Inspector Jeong Yeong-ju’s implied lesbian relationship with her junior partner, Park Su-jin.

Baek is totally in Ryu Seung-ryong’s steely, hardboiled power zone and he duly knocks it out of the park. He is perfectly counterbalanced by Yu Jun-sang, who is flamboyantly evil as Senior Inspector Song Gi-cheol, the ruthless mastermind. Although he loses a lot of screen time in the translation, Lee Jin-uk manages to withstand the withering force of Ryu and Yu’s hardcore personas. Somehow, Kim Seong-ryeong and Jo Eun-ji also manage to add some depth as Inspector Jeong and Park.

Wrongfully accused thrillers sometimes get a bit angsty because of the alienation involved, but like Choi Ho’s rock’em sock’em Big Match, Chang keeps the adrenaline amped so far up, genre fans will not sweat the dire existential stakes and just enjoy the ride. Crackling good fun, The Target is enthusiastically recommended for action fans. It is now available on DVD and digital from Lionsgate.

LFM GRADE: A-

Posted on October 6th, 2015 at 11:32pm.

By Joe Bendel. It makes sense vampires are drawn to New Orleans. The city is unusually preoccupied with its cemeteries and mausoleums. Still, you would think that whole below-sea-level thing would complicate their undead rest, but two antagonistic vampire clans have found safe lairs. However, two rogue cops intend to root out the sadistic Molderos, as long as they enjoy the protection of their rivals by night. Of course, it gets messy when humans and vampires mingle in screenwriter-director Buz Alexander’s Nocturna, which releases this week on DVD, Blu-ray, and VOD from Alchemy.

Harry Ganet is a bitter, grizzled NOPD veteran, who is less than thrilled to be baby-sitting his new partner, the mayor’s gung-ho nephew Roy Cody. There is just no talking to the green detective when they find a so-called “Parish Kid,” one of the waifs branded with a vampire clan’s insignia. The term comes from the mysterious empty parish where they live, waiting to be sucked dry of blood or turned into vampires themselves. Cody figures he march right over and give the girl’s captors a stern talking to, but it does not work out so well for anyone.

The upshot is the Molderos are out to get Ganet and Cody, so the slightly less sinister Brisbane offers them a deal. They can crash at his crib during nights, if they sleuth out the Moldero resting places while the sun is up. Despite his surly attitude, Ganet seems more inclined to accept their hospitality than Cody. Perhaps it has something to do with Lydia Sonata, who also holds a grudge against the Molderos. She was once one of their branded possessions, but Brisbane rescued and turned her.

Granted, Nocturna is more than a little rough around the edges, but it combines elements of the Anne Rice and Underworld mythoi in interesting ways. Yet, Alexander does not share their erotic or action-oriented approaches, focusing instead on the grudges and betrayals of the respective clans and the human interlopers. Frankly, the pseudo-triangle of Sonata, Ganet, and Brisbane is more intriguing than you would expect, because of the supernatural implications of the relationships in question.

Mike Doyle and Mariana Paola Vicente actually display strong screen presences and develop interesting chemistry together as Ganet and Sonata. Danny Agha’s impossibly naïve Cody gets a little tiresome, but after the first act set-up, he disappears for long stretches at a time. As the respective clan leaders, Johnathon Schaech and Billy Blair are the sort of gothy strutting vampires we have seen innumerable times before, but the nearly unrecognizable Estella Warren plays the Moldero queen with a Mommie Dearest edge that is certainly disturbing.

Frankly, Alexander could have used some help coordinating his fight scenes, as well as some more convincing stunt personnel. Nevertheless, he maintains a reasonably creepy vibe and soaks up plenty of atmosphere from Baton Rouge and the Parishes outside New Orleans, where Nocturne was shot (we’d ordinarily complain about the lack of jazz and zydeco on the soundtrack, but these vampires just do not seem like the hip jazz sort of undead). It is just sort of okay, but there have certainly been less auspicious debuts. For those who support NOLA/Louisiana film production, Nocturna releases today (10/6) on various home viewing formats.

LFM GRADE: C+

Posted on October 6th, 2015 at 11:31pm.