The Fate Of History Decided In Court... "Denial"

Denial (2016)

Rated PG-13

Starring Rachel Weisz, Tom Wilkinson, Timothy Spall

Directed by Mick Jackson

The Story:

Historian and author Deborah Lipstadt (Weisz) is accused of libel by historian David Irving (Spall). He makes the accusation in England, where Deborah is forced to prove that Irving's claims are false. With Richard Rampton (Wilkinson) and his team on her side, she must prove that Irving's claims that the Holocaust never happened are patently false.

If she should fail, then the British government will be forced to rule that the Holocaust never happened.

How's that for a high stakes game of  Law & Order?

It's a fascinating, and sad, story to be told.

How anyone could deny what happened during World War II is unfathomable to begin with. To do so as an author and historian seems incredible to believe.  But here it is.

And did I mention it was based on the real court case that happened in the late 90s?

Because if I didn't, well, it was.

The entire existence of whether or not the Holocaust ever occurred was played out in an English courtroom.

To make things even more challenging, Rampton refused to let Leipstadt or any Holocaust survivors even testify.

They refused to give Irving any ability to question, interrogate, harass and belittle any survivor, as he was very much a "shock and awe" public speaker.

Instead, they would use his own words against him whenever possible, and rely on historical fact and inaccuracies in Irving's own published words against him to win the case.

If you're up for a good legal thriller, look no further.

Final Grade:  B

Never Doubt The Persistence Of A "Little Boy"

Little Boy (2015)

Rated PG-13

Starring Jakob Salvati, Emily Watson, Kevin James, Michael Rapaport, Tom Wilkinson, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa,

Written and Directed by Alejandro Monteverde

The Story:

Pepper (Salvati) loves his dad (Rappaport) so very much. The two are inseparable, which helps Pepper because the poor kid is kind of not really growing, thus earning him the "Little Boy" nickname. When his dad gets drafted into the war, Little Boy is alone and wants nothing more than his dad to come home. He consults the local priest (Wilkinson) on what he should do to bring his dad home safely, and he gives him a "to-do" list which centers around a local Japanese-American (Tagawa) who is facing the brunt of racism from the locals.  Naturally, all of these stories are going to converge before the movie comes to a close.

Handkerchiefs are optional.

Based, somewhat, on a true story, those of you that remember your history will know what is and isn't true.

For the non-history buff, watch the willingness of a boy believe that if he does the right thing, God will bring his daddy home safe from WWII.

And watch the worry in Wilkinson's eyes when he realizes that this boy has more than the faith of a mustard seed, but what if even that is not enough?

The only thing that seems slightly off in the movie is the Doctor (Kevin James) who is all kinds of creepy.  It's hard to see James in a serious role as you almost expect to see him say or do something funny, but he's trying to branch out into a serious role, and that's fine.  But with the moustache and creepy overtures towards the mom (Watson), like I said... :: shudder :: stranger danger alert time!

:)

Still, a pretty decent flick that's worth a viewing.

Final Grade: B

"Unfinished Business" Is An 'Uneven Movie'

Unfinished Business (2015)

Rated R

Starring Vince Vaughn, Tom Wilkinson, Dave Franco, Sienna Miller, Nick Frost, James Marsden

Directed by Ken Scott

The Story:

Dan (Vaughn) has had it with his current company. He quits and tries a Jerry Maguire speech to bring his co-workers with him. Tim (Wilkinson) and Mike (Franco) are the only two that jump in with him. Time passes, and they have one final "Hail Mary" to save their business from going under, but involves a business trip to Europe to land a deal with Mr. Spinch (Marsden). They assume it's a lock, until they realize their old employer is there to close the same deal.

Tucked in this movie was a good story with some funny characters.

They emerge every so often as the film moves along.

They also get buried in a lot of "throw it at the wall and see if it sticks" moments that really do nothing except padding the runtime of the film.

It loses focus often for the sake of the gag, and the gags rarely help the overall momentum of the film. Instead it seems like a lot of pieces that are cobbled together to frame a story from beginning to end, but it's a bumpy, jarring ride to get there.

Are there funny moments? Absolutely, but they often are isolated and alone and rarely strung together.

Vaughn's attempt to help his daughter's homework project seems like a weird narrative device to shoehorn his home life into the work story.

That said, the final product that she turns in is very heartwarming and something most dads should relate to.

It's got some genuine amusement, and a fantastic cast, but just too scattershot to be worth ever revisiting.

Final Grade: C

A True Story That Helped Change The World... "Belle"

Belle (2013)

Rated PG

Starring Matthew Goode, Emily Watson, Tom Wilkinson, Sarah Gadon, Gugu Mbatha-Raw

Directed by Amma Assante

The Story:

Dido Elizabeth Belle (Raw) comes to live with her uncle, Lord Mansfield (Wilkonson) when her father (Goode) drops her off. She is raised with her cousin Elizabeth (Gadon), but though she is raised to enjoy much of the benefits of her noble bloodline, her color keeps her at a distance with what she is able to do.

Naturally, this is based on a true story!

Of course, in a period drama like this, there are two things that will happen.

First, there's the forbidden romance (Sam Reid) that should not be allowed in the late 18th Century.

Finally, there is the historical event that centered around Lord Mansfield as the Supreme Justice who was faced with a monumental ruling that would forever change the slave trade in Britain.

A very competent cast, and a surprisingly shorter running time than movies typical to the period dramas, not a bad film, but nothing exceptionally noteworthy to make this a must see.


Final Grade: C

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Probably not, long period dramas rarely get multiple replays.

Stomping On Childhood Memories Part Two: "The Lone Ranger"

The Lone Ranger (2013)
Rated PG-13 for Violence, language, and killing the legacy of a venerable American hero

Starring Johnny Depp, Armie Hammer, William Fichtner, Tom Wilkinson
Directed by Gore Verbinski


The Story:

Tonto (Depp) narrates the story about how he and The Lone Ranger (Hammer) successfully defeated Butch Cavendish (Fichtner) and brought a corrupt railroad magnate (Wilkinson) to his knees.

That's not the William Tell Overture...
That's the sound of my childhood dying!

So many wrong decisions... where do I begin?

First, let's start with the tandem of Gore Verbinski and Johnny Depp.

The duo behind the wildly successful Pirates of the Caribbean series...

Don't get me started on that franchise.

The first one was okay, at best.  I've seen them all, and I couldn't really tell you what happened in any of them, except Johnny Depp parades around acting like a drunken fool and special effects rain down across the screen.

Hey, moving from pirates to the Old West, they pretty much keep the same formula intact.

The biggest crime?

They play The Lone Ranger as a farce.

That Giant Boom? That's The Box Office Bomb Going Off!

He was not an inept bumbler who got lucky in a fight.

Plus, the whole "Who Was That Masked Man?" was pretty much thrown out as everyone knew who he was, so what was the point of even donning the mask?

I don't even blame Hammer for his performance, he's almost charming in his role and has a few moments where if they had played the film straight, he would have done the character justice.

Nope, I keep the blame strictly on the Producers, Directors and Writers who decided THIS was the direction to take the film.

The funny thing, in the movie's 149 minute bloated run-time, there are times when it looks...and feels... like there is a good western film bubbling under the surface.

Then they come back with some newly contrived plot element that slaps you in the face and makes you realize, no, still the same movie, sorry.

Silver is the mystical spirit horse?

The Best Actor In This Scene Is Not Johnny Depp

Really??!!

:: sigh ::

In spite of myself, when the final climax of the film gets started, along with the William Tell Overture...

The heart skips a beat because of nostalgia for Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels and all those Saturdays and Sundays growing up when The Lone Ranger was on and I watched with my dad.

Some Classics Are Better Left Alone

Being tricked like that is a horrible feeling. 

Which again is a shame, because some of the stunts in the final act are pretty entertaining, but at that point, I can only sit back and shake my head with indifference.

It could have been better.

It should have been better.

The Lone Ranger deserved better.

So did the fans.

Final Grade: Originally was going to give it a D+ for the things it got right...but the more I type this review, the angrier I became.  So now, let's just go straight "D".

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Thanks, but no thanks.

Sometimes "The Debt" Will Cost You Everything

Some secrets cannot stay dead...

The Story:

In 1965, three young Mossad agents are in East Berlin.  Their goal is to find a villainous Nazi war criminal, Doktor Bernhardt (Jesper Christiansen) and bring him back to Israel to pay for his crimes.  Stephan (Marton Csokas) and David (Sam Worthington) are joined by newly appointed field agent Rachel (Jessica Chastain). Now, 30 years later, Rachel's daughter has published a book about the heroic Mossad exploits of her mother Rachel (Helen Mirren), David (Ciaran Hinds) and Stephan (Tom Wilkinson) and how they failed to bring the Doktor home to stand trial, but they did ensure he paid for his crimes when he attempted to escape.

Or did they?

This is a movie that lives in the flashback, and the opening is rather startling since we haven't yet figured out who all is who in the past and present.

However, they start filling in the gaps rather quickly and a great deal of the movie is focused on the mission in 1965 and how they attempt to bring the Doktor back alive.

As the flashbacks roll, there was indeed some startling surprises revealed both about the mission, and the characters themselves.

That Rachel has to basically go back into the world of shadows to rectify the mistake they made 30 years earlier is both harrowing and heartbreaking.

The movie alternates between thriller and drama, and the pacing seems to yo-yo with the direction of the story.  Sometimes it is full-tilt, and then it will slow down to focus on relationships.

Overall though, a rather engaging film with great performances all around.

Final Grade: B-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: All things considered, rather low.  Glad I saw it, but no real reason to revisit this one. If I want to see Helen Mirren kicking butt, I'll watch Red. Again. :)