Zeljko Ivanek

Film Review: Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell in Fun ‘Seven Psychopaths’

BrianTT — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 13:55:35 -0400

Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – Is there room for vengeance if you believe in Heaven and Hell? How do we suppress our need for moral and even physical justice if we believe that violence leads to damnation? Is there a chance to…oh, never mind. Let’s just blow someone’s brains out. That’s essentially how “Seven Psychopaths,” the clever new action comedy from Martin McDonagh (“In Bruges”) works in that it has a number of interesting ideas that aren’t fully developed even if the movie is fun enough to be considered a sin.

Marty (Colin Farrell) is a writer in search of an idea. He drinks way too much, verbally abuses his girlfriend Kaya (Abbie Cornish) when he does, and steals other people’s ideas. One such person who inspires Marty’s writing is his friend Billy (Sam Rockwell), an abrasive personality who may or may not be one of the title characters (by the end, I think most people will count up WAY more than seven). Billy has an idea for a movie within the movie called, of course, “Seven Psychopaths,” and he even takes out an ad in the newspaper looking for nutjobs to serve as inspiration (to which Zachariah [Tom Waits] shows up and tells a stunning story of gruesome murder).

Read Brian Tallerico’s full review of “Seven Psychopaths” in our reviews section.

Meanwhile, Billy has a scheme going on the side that will soon intersect with Marty’s search for inspirational lunatics. He’s been kidnapping dogs on the side with Hans (Christopher Walken) and then returning them for the ransom money. They make the tragic mistake of dog-napping the Shih Tzu of a notorious madman named Charlie (Woody Harrelson) who will go to whatever ends to get it back. Before you know it, brains are being splattered and secrets are being revealed in this action-comedy hybrid with a habit of extreme violence that’s reminiscent of Quentin Tarantino and Sam Peckinpah.

“Seven Psychopaths” threatens to become something more than a fun action movie on multiple occasions. Several of Marty’s characters within the film along with the people in his life have fascinating stories to the point that “Seven Psychopaths” virtually approaches anthology structure at times. We see the story of the “Quaker Psychopath” (with a BRILLIANT cameo by Harry Dean Stanton). We see Zachariah’s story. We see the story of the “Vietnamese Psychopath.” And then the film starts to fold in on itself when you consider that the lead character is a writer writing a movie with the same title named Martin. It’s not unlike “Adaptation” meets “Pulp Fiction.”

Continue reading for Brian Tallerico’s full “Seven Psychopaths” review.

“Seven Psychopaths” stars Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Abbie Cornish, Christopher Walken, Harry Dean Stanton, Woody Harrelson, Zeljko Ivanek, and Olga Kurylenko. It was written and directed by Martin McDonagh. It was released nationwide on October 12, 2012.

Seven Psychopaths
Photo credit: CBS Films

Film Review: Jeremy Renner Propels Clever ‘The Bourne Legacy’

BrianTT — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 11:24:14 -0400

CHICAGO – Tony Gilroy’s world of double crosses, super spies, and covert government programs returns in the writer/director’s clever expansion of the world he created as the writer of “The Bourne Identity,” “The Bourne Supremacy,” and “The Bourne Ultimatum.” The Oscar winner doesn’t just offer a traditional sequel, presenting a new leading man and a story that takes place in the same world of international espionage as its predecessors but feels more like a spin-off than a follow-up. To that end, there are some elements of “The Bourne Legacy” that feel a bit too much like the less-accomplished sibling of a successful older brother but not enough to offset what truly does work about this smart, engaging thriller.

Rating: 3.5/5.0

As the tag line says, “There was never just one.” While Jason Bourne (Matt Damon in the first three movies, who is seen only in pictures here) is busy with his own action on the other side of the world, another participant in the program that turned him into a super-spy is traversing snowy mountains filled with deadly wolves in an effort to reach safety and more of the medication he needs to keep him above average. Meet Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner), a determined, old-fashioned action hero – the kind of direct, driven character that we don’t often see in Hollywood films any more. The lack of background in Cross could be seen as either a lack of depth in the character (and, therefore, a flaw) or a streamlined approach to action. I found Renner and Gilroy’s approach refreshing as they give Cross just enough three-dimensionality to make his driven approach worth watching and can expand on the character in future installments.

Read Brian Tallerico’s full review of “The Bourne Legacy” in our reviews section.

Where’s Aaron Cross going? He’s trying to save his own life. It turns out that the program that created Cross and Bourne is being burned to the ground before it can hit the public eye. In back rooms, nefarious government types like Col. Eric Byer (Edward Norton), Ezra Kramer (Scott Glenn), and Admiral Mark Turso (Stacy Keach) try to track down everyone involved in the human experiment and eliminate them with due diligence. (Recognizable faces from the rest of the “Bourne” movies like Albert Finney, David Strathairn, and Joan Allen have little more than cameos.) As more bodies keep falling, Cross eventually teams up with Dr. Marta Shearing (Rachel Weisz), one of the physical architects of the program and someone else that people like Byer want dead. Cross and Shearing probably wouldn’t make it on their own but they just might survive if they stick together.

Continue reading for Brian Tallerico’s full “The Bourne Legacy” review.

“The Bourne Legacy” stars Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton, Stacy Keach, Scott Glenn, Oscar Isaac, Donna Murphy, Corey Stoll, and Zeljko Ivanek. It was written and directed by Tony Gilroy. It is rated PG-13 and opens on August 10, 2012.

The Bourne Legacy
Photo credit: Universal Pictures

TV Review: NBC’s ‘The Event’ Lives Up to Mysterious Title

BrianTT — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 17:07:54 -0400

CHICAGO – Don’t tune in to the premiere of NBC’s “The Event” expecting answers to that oppressively-advertised question of what the title refers to, although the producers have made clear that it won’t be long before we know. Like a lot of sci-fi show premieres, the first episode of what NBC hopes will be a replacement for “Heroes” on Monday nights begins with more questions than answers.

Television Rating: 4.0/5.0

In fact, the majority of the pilot of “The Event” comes from the “WTF” school of storytelling in that you rarely have any idea what’s going on or why but you’re interested enough to not only stay tuned but instantly set your DVR for next week. The primary test for any pilot is whether or not it finishes in a way that makes you want to tune in for the second episode. It’s hard to believe anyone who watches the ridiculous climax of episode one won’t tune in to episode two to see where the chaos goes from here.

(l-r) Taylor Cole as Vicky Roberts, Zeljko Ivanek as Blake Sterling, Blair Underwood as Elias Martinez, Jason Ritter as Sean Walker, Sarah Roemer as Leila Buchanan, Laura Innes as Sophia McGuire, Ian Anthony Dale as Simon Lee
Photo credit: Patrick Ecclesine/NBC

The narrative structure of “The Event” involves enough chronological twists and turns that it can be difficult for the viewer to know “when” something is happening as opposed to what the hell is going on. In fact, the majority of the primary action of the pilot takes place in a short window of time with a series of flashbacks explaining just how we got there. I can’t imagine the entirety of the series will have such a crosscutting style but it’s effective for the first episode. While I generally feel that tricks with chronology are a crutch for weak writers, it has something of a mesmerizing effect in “The Event,” as each flashback allows a different angle on the action of the show.

Blair Underwood as President Elias Martinez, Lisa Vidal as Christina Martinez, Sayeed Shahidi as David Martinez
Photo credit: Justin Lubin/NBC

Jason Ritter stars as Sean Walker, a young man seemingly caught up in one of the most impressive international conspiracies in history. He’s on a lovely trip with his girlfriend (Sarah Roemer of “Disturbia”), one in which he plans to propose to her, when she completely disappears. There’s no record her having joined him on the trip at all and poor Sean seems caught in a Polanski-esque nightmare. She has simply vanished off the face of the Earth.

Flashbacks to Sean’s really bad trip are intercut with what looks like his attempt to hijack a plane in present day. As what appears to be a government agent (Ian Anthony) races to stop the plane from taking off, we also meet the newly-elected President (Blair Underwood), the leader (Laura Innes) of a mysterious group of detainees, and even Sean’s future father-in-law (Scott Patterson), who appears to have closer ties to the action than anyone first suspects.

Recapping the plot of “The Event” might give some the impression that I have a clear idea of what the hell is going on. The rapid-fire premiere is designed to leave viewers even more confused than when it begins. If you are easily frustrated with shows like “Lost” or “Heroes,” ones in which the narrative is purposefully muddled, than “The Event” is not for you. And there’s no denying that the program has echoes of “FlashForward,” “Threshold,” “Invasion,” or any number of other programs that began with intriguing questions that were unsatisfactorily answered.

Jason Ritter as Sean Walker
Photo credit: Patrick Ecclesine/NBC

What distinguishes “The Event” from other “Lost”-esque failures and why should we hold out hope that this will be the new high-concept hit? First, Ritter has a charismatic everyman quality that so many of these programs have been missing. We need someone to be our eyes through the chaos and the young actor seems up to the challenge. It also helps to have notable TV veterans in the ensemble including Innes (“ER”), Zeljko Ivanek (Emmy winner for “Damages”), Patterson (“Gilmore Girls”), and the ageless Underwood. Behind-the-scenes veterans of shows like “24,” “Friday Night Lights,” and “The 4400” add a sheen to the production values of the show that shouldn’t be understated.

The veteran-level quality of the cast and crew is essential in that there’s a confidence of storytelling required for a piece like “The Event” to be successful. We don’t want to feel like we’re being set up with questions that the creators of the show have yet to even answer, but TV viewers are willing to be led through the maze as long as we think there’s a way out. The presence of talent like Innes, Underwood, and Ivanek gives the viewer a confidence they might not otherwise have with all-new faces.

Will “The Event” be the next “Lost”? Competition in its time slot seems far-too-intense with “Monday Night Football,” “Lone Star,” and “Two and a Half Men” siphoning DVR space and NBC has struggled on the first night of the work week for some time now. It seems hard to believe that “The Event” will break out between the eternally-struggling “Chuck” and the mediocre “Chase.” It’s a shame but the one reason I might suggest that you NOT watch “The Event” is that it may not be on the air long enough for the fascinating questions set up by its accomplished pilot to be answered. Let’s hope that’s not the case. There are very few quality programs making their debut this week. “The Event” is one of the best.

‘The Event,’ which airs on NBC, stars Jason Ritter, Sarah Roemer, Laura Innes, Ian Anthony, Scott Patterson, Clifton Collins Jr., Zeljko Ivanek, and Blair Underwood. It premieres on Monday, September 20th, 2010 at 8PM CST.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

TV News: Demand a Sneak Screening of NBC’s ‘The Event’ Premiere in Your Hometown

HollywoodChicago.com — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 11:19:21 -0400

CHICAGO – “The Event,” which is one of the fall’s most highly anticipated TV shows, last week was named HollywoodChicago.com’s most promising new TV show of fall 2010 beating nine other worthy rivals.

Footage from the show was presented at last month’s Comic-Con in San Diego. People can now log onto http://www.eventful.com/theevent to demand a sneak screening of the premiere episode of “The Event” in your hometown! You can also do so by watching and clicking on the widget below.

In “The Event,” Laura Innes plays Sophia Gavras, Ian Anthony Dale is Simon Lee, Jason Ritter is Sean Walker, Bill Smitrovich is Winston Jarvis, Blair Underwood is President Martinez, Lisa Vidal is Christina Martinez and Zeljko Ivanek is Blake Sterling.

Image credit: NBC

“The Event” is an emotional, high-octane conspiracy thriller that follows Sean Walker (Jason Ritter, “The Class”). He’s an everyman who investigates the mysterious disappearance of his fiancée, Leila (Sarah Roemer, “Disturbia”), and unwittingly begins to expose the biggest cover-up in U.S. history.

Sean’s quest will send ripples through the lives of an eclectic band of strangers including newly elected U.S. President Martinez (Blair Underwood, “Dirty Sexy Money”); Sophia (Emmy Award nominee Laura Innes, “ER”), who is the leader of a mysterious group of detainees; and Sean’s shadowy father-in-law (Scott Patterson, “Gilmore Girls”). Their futures are on a collision course in a global conspiracy that could ultimately change the fate of mankind.

Ian Anthony Dale (“Daybreak”) and Emmy winner Željko Ivanek (“Damages”) also star in the ensemble drama. “The Event” is a production of Universal Media Studios and Steve Stark Productions. Stark (“Medium,” “Facing Kate”) serves as executive producer, Nick Wauters (“The 4400,” “Eureka”) is the creator and co-executive producer and Jeffrey Reiner (“Friday Night Lights,” “Trauma”) is the director and executive producer.

By ADAM FENDELMAN
Editor-in-Chief/Publisher
HollywoodChicago.com
adam@hollywoodchicago.com