Review: 'Cold in July' Starring Michael C. Hall, Sam Shepard, and Don Johnson

One never knows exactly where Jim Mickle is going to turn up next. What we do know is that whatever film he takes on it will be gritty, pulpy, and very bloody. After scoring an indie hit the vampire flick, Stake Land, followed by the chilling horror remake We Are What We Are, Mickle has channeled the likes of Walter Hill and John Carpenter for Cold in July, a dingy and muscular throwback that's like something you might pluck from the shelf of your favorite video store and watch late one night.

It takes some getting used to Dexter's murderous star Michael C. Hall as the meek, mullet-haired Richard Dane, a Texas family man with a wife (Vinessa Shaw), son, and modest business in the heart of town. Mickle puts the squeeze on early, during an ominous night in which Richard's home is busted into by an intruder, and in the blink of an eye his world is irrevocably changed. Accidentally shooting the intruder, sending his brains all over his neatly-arranged living room, Richard is suddenly a changed a man. The violence has changed him, but with it come a seemingly unending string of consequences.

This being Texas, Richard's ego is pumped up by some of the gun-toting locals, and it's clearly having an effect. No longer so shy and reserved, he's now walking with his chest out and a swagger in his step. But that all starts to change when he learns the man he killed had a father, Ben (Sam Shepard), a career criminal just let out on parole. It isn't long before Ben is lurking around every corner making none-too-subtle threats of revenge, which are mostly ignored by the seemingly hapless cops. When Ben finally strikes, literally waltzing right past the police and into Richard's home, the formerly quiet and reserved family man is again forced into the uncomfortable position of hero. Or at least what passes for a "hero" in a place where "shoot first, ask questions later" seems to be the policy.

But lest you think Mickle is making some sort of anti-gun political statement, setting the film in the 1980s and in "Stand Your Ground" Texas of all places, just wait because something to change your mind is right around the corner. What starts off as a standard-issue home invasion thriller, where the innocent family is hunted by a maniacal loon, flips on a dime into an all-encompassing small town conspiracy flick. And with that twist also comes a comic edge in the form of Houston private eye Jim Bob Luke (Don Johnson), Ben's old war buddy who shows up to drag him out of trouble. Johnson and Shepard, two grizzled old vets if there ever were, pump up the testosterone factor while Hall settles in as the straight-man in the oddest comic trio ever.

Ruminations about manliness intertwine with an investigation into the Texas Mafia (really) and a pornography ring fittingly run out of the back of a video store. It doesn't always make for the tightest mix, and the pace sways a little unevenly as Mickle blends in multiple genres. Echoes of Cronenberg's A History of Violence can be felt, along with the works of John Carpenter, Walter Hill, and others.  Visually stunning with oppressive blues and blacks hinting at the shadows on each character’s souls, the ominous mood Mickle creates will grind into dust those who aren't committed for the long haul. While separately some of Cold in July's facets don't completely work, as a whole it's a down 'n dirty guy flick with surprising ambition. It's another feather in the cap for Mickle, whose unpredictability is what will continue to carry him far.

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First Trailer for Jim Mickle's 'Cold in July' Starring Michael C. Hall, Sam Shepard, and Don Johnson

After chilling us with his superior (at least in my book) remake of horror We Are What We Are, Jim Mickle turns his attention to crime noir with Cold in July, one of the most buzzed-about films at Sundance earlier this year. Based on Joe R. Lansdale's cult favorite novel, Mickle has enlisted Michael C. Hall (Dexter), Sam Shepard, and Don Johnson for what the first trailer promises is a gritty, dusty old throwback.

Hall plays a Texas man who kills an intruder in his home, only to get in way over his head when the victim's murderous, ex-con father comes looking for revenge. Between his flashy role in this and Django Unchained, Don Johnson is clearly having one heck of a career resurgence.

Cold in July hits theaters and VOD on May 23rd.

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Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan Reunite in 'Ithaca'

The combination of Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan used to be a powerful thing, capable of dominating box offices in everything from Joe vs. the Volcano to rom-com classics You've Got Mail and Sleepless in Seattle. Things have changed considerably for them as they've gotten older, especially for Ryan who hasn't had a feature film since 2009. But now, twenty-four years after their first pairing. Hanks and Ryan will be reunited, although it won't be as romantic leads.

Hanks is set to produce Ryan's directorial debut, Ithaca, which she also plans to star in alongside Sam Shepard, Melanie Griffith and Jack Quaid. Based on William Saroyan's novel The Human Comedy, the Erik Jendresen-adapted film "is set in 1942 in a small town in California’s San Joaquin Valley, where 14-year-old Homer Macauley is determined to be the best and fastest bicycle telegraph messenger anyone has ever seen. His older brother has gone to war, leaving Homer to look after his widowed mother, his older sister and his 4-year-old brother. As spring turns to summer, Homer delivers messages of love, hope, pain and death to the good people of Ithaca."

Perhaps Hanks can be convinced to make a small cameo? Production is set to begin this summer.  [Deadline]

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Review: 'Out of the Furnace' Starring Christian Bale, Casey Affleck, and Woody Harrelson

The plight of hard, downtrodden men forged by tragedy and personal demons seems to be a recurring theme for director Scott Cooper, who made his claim-to-fame with the country music drama Crazy Heart, earning Jeff Bridges an Oscar win in the process. Out of the Furnace is no less tough; a machismo-filled ode to those who live desperate, economically depressed lives at the heart of the Rust Belt, where in some cases all people have to their name is guilt, loyalty, bad options, and worse options. It's a stark, unsettling working class revenge tale with grim echoes of The Deer Hunter, but for all its great casting and bleak atmospherics, it's never quite the film it should be.

Beginning in 2008 on the cusp of Barack Obama's inauguration, the hopeful wind of change has apparently not hit the poor industry town of Braddock, PA. It's there we find Russell Baze (Christian Bale), a man who has moved beyond a trouble past and settled into a comfortable, if meager existence working in the town mill. His brother Rodney (Casey Affleck) is all pent up rage and PTSD, a soldier returned home and found nothing waiting for him but a life he tried to escape in the first place. He's up to his neck in debt, and the only way he can slip back into civilian life is through bare knuckle brawls, earning a few dollars putting his body on the line yet again. He's eager for the pain, nervous for it, like an addict looking for a fix. The brothers love one another, that much is clear, but their relationship is lukewarm with disappointment and long-held grudges.

While the brothers prove to be the film's heart, the dark and menacing tone permeating it is established right from the start with the introduction of Harlan DeGroat. Played with brutal efficiency by Woody Harrelson, DeGroat is a whirlwind of cruel violence, capable of unleashing his terrible wrath at a moment's notice, ruling over the town like some backwoods crime lord. It's DeGroat who runs the underground brawls that Rodney has been sucked into, mostly to get out of debt to a nice-guy loan shark (Willem Dafoe) we know has no place in this ugly world. When Russell makes a terrible error in judgment and finds himself thrown behind bars, Rodney is hopelessly left to his own devices and sinks further into trouble. When DeGroat asks him to take a dive in big fight, it's just another treacherous step on a path that isn't too hard to predict.

Out of the Furnace is the slowest of slow burns, especially in the meandering first act as under-motivated characters flit in and out, such as Russell's one-time girlfriend Lena (Zoe Saldana) and the brothers' stoic uncle, Red (Sam Shepard). She represents hope for a better future, and when she eventually hooks up with the town sheriff (Forest Whitaker) while Russell is behind bars, it's another kick in the teeth from a life that has already been cruel. Cooper's deliberate pacing gives the film a true lived-in quality, and the dilapidated ruins of steel town Pennsylvania makes for a powerful backdrop character, captured by cinematographer Masanobu Takayanagi. The film's aimlessness eventually gives way to a straight-forward tale of vengeance that Cooper and screenwriter Brad Inglesby seem to think is more profound but is actually is.  It's one of those movies that mistakes ambiguity for significance and its theme of hopeless men driven to the brink by limited choices is a familiar one, and despairingly ends with the burst of vigilante justice that was apparent from the very beginning.

The supporting characters don't get much to work with, and the idea of Saldana ever being with Forest Whitaker is laughable even in a dramatic piece like this, but the main performances are big and handled with a delicate touch. All except for Harrelson, whose DeGroat is easily the nastiest he's ever played, which is really saying something. It's a big, commanding turn for Harrelson that sees him reach into the ugliest corners of his soul to play this monster of a man. In the less flashy of his two roles this season (the other being his combed-over turn in American Hustle), Christian Bale embodies a good man worn down to the nub. Like the other men in his family, Russell isn't the emotive type. He's a guy who keeps his dreams and fears buried away inside, but the truth is there in the hurt and hope in his eyes. In one especially wrenching scene, Russell learns that Lena has moved on with her life while he was in prison, and while he's happy for her the pain he's feeling is obvious.  He also shares some great moments with Affleck, who has the trickiest part as the explosive Rodney, who is struggling with a return to civilian life and the expectation of normalcy.
  
Out of the Furnace wants to be a complex film full of complex characters but it works best as a simple piece of depression-era noir.

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Middleburg Review: 'August: Osage County' Starring Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts

One has to give it up to John Wells. The creator of ER and The West Wing long ago figured out that the best way to make his job easier was to simply put together the finest ensemble possible, drop the camera in a room somewhere, and let his actors work. It paid off with his feature debut Company Men, and he didn't change a darn thing for his follow-up. But the nails-on-a-chalkboard August: Osage County could use a more creative hand to help break it free from Tracy Letts' award-winning play into a version better suited for the big screen.

A rundown of the cast would lead one to believe NOTHING could possibly screw something like this up: Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ewan McGregor, Margo Martindale, Sam Shepard, Misty Upham, Juliette Lewis, Julianne Nicholson, Abigail Breslin; all of whom are great and bring the requisite amount of piss 'n vinegar to the tale of the bitter Weston clan. Yet despite terrific performances, August: Osage County is basically a two-hour bitch fest with so many ugly reveals it strains the limits of credibility.

The Oklahoma-based Weston family have been estranged for years; splintered off into various locations where they can presumably loathe one another from afar. The film opens with the head looney in the bin, cancer-stricken drug-addled Violet Weston (Streep), all stringy-haired and maniacal like the Joker, harassing her poet husband Beverly (Shepard, tremendous in a tiny part) as he introduces their new Native American housemaid (Upham). When Beverly vanishes shortly thereafter, the Weston clan comes swooping in from all corners, each bringing a bushel of really ugly secrets and personal problems.

The film mostly follows the troubled Weston women, in particular Violet's three daughters. The oldest one Barbara (Roberts) is trying to hide her separation from husband Bill (McGregor), while their daughter (Breslin) flirts with rebelliousness. Barbara's younger sister Ivy (Nicholson) stayed close to home and is now resentful for it; while the youngest Weston girl Karen (Lewis) arrives from Florida with a sketchy new fiancé (Dermot Mulroney) whose riches can't hide his wandering eye. And really, that's just the tip of an iceberg that's threatening to sink the entire family as they're crammed under one roof in sweltering Oklahoma summer heat (the gauge reads 108 degrees) and allowed to stew in their own juices. Throw in Violet's boisterous sister Mattie Fae (Martindale) and her quarreling with even-keeled husband Charles (Cooper) over their awkward son "Little" Charles (Cumberbatch) and there's barely a moment when something venomous isn't spewing out of someone's mouth.

Dysfunctional families are something we all can relate to, and often find some measure of humor in, but there is so much pure hatred in the Weston family that it's tough to buy into them even talking on the telephone, much less showing up during a tragedy.  In one particularly toxic dinner scene, Violet cuts loose on everyone under her roof, spewing an endless stream of "truths" so painful the festivities erupt into a battle royale Vince McMahon would approve of. And yet it's just the first of many virulent showdowns, each revealing something more awful than the one before to the point where you just become numb to it.

With so much talent involved of course there are small moments that hit just the right notes, during those rare times when people stop screaming and start talking. That's when the actors are given enough room to provide nuance and tone to their words, whether they be words of support or disdain. But Letts, who adapted the screenplay himself, has delivered a hammer of a script that perceives nearly every scene as a nail even when subtlety would be more appropriate. Wells doesn't do much to stray beyond Letts' original vision, which probably works better split up into acts on a stage than it does in a movie where there's no time to catch a breath.  Streep has likely earned herself another Oscar nomination for her snarling, acidic turn as Violet, donning a big ugly wig and cutting loose in a way we haven't seen since The Devil Wears Prada. Actually, Violet would probably chew Miranda Priestly up and spit her out. Roberts is also very good as Barbara, who has grown cold, embittered, and begins to recognize how like her mother she really is. In the underrated category Julianne Nicholson will likely be overlooked because she's not a big enough name, but she's great at capturing the angst most neglected middle children contend with. And old reliable Chris Cooper does what he always does, taking a small role and delivering a stirring moment of emotional truth that cuts through the bullcrap. On the other hand Cumberbatch is woefully miscast as the cowardly "Little" Charles, although it could be because we're so used to seeing him play stronger characters.

As cherished a work as August: Osage County is on the stage, it can't simply be made into a movie without significant tweaking. Whether Wells failed to realize that or was unable to change it really doesn't matter because in the end this film was designed to be an actors' showcase first and foremost.

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New Trailer and Poster for 'Out of the Furnance' with Christian Bale

Four years ago Scott Cooper emerged like a house on fire with the country music drama, Crazy Heart, a film that earned him numerous accolades and a Best Actor win for Jeff Bridges. It took him awhile to ready his follow-up, Out of the Furnance, and as the Oscar race takes shape it's looking like Cooper may have another dark horse contender.

Starring Christian Bale, Casey Affleck, Woody Harrelson, Sam Shepard, Forest Whitaker, Willem Dafoe, and Zoe Saldana, the film follows two brothers who desperately want to escape the confines of their Rust Belt town. Bale plays the older sibling who must save his brother from a criminal ring run by a menacing Harrelson. It looks like gritty, tightly focused stuff that explores everything from economic depression to the bond between brothers.

Out of the Furnace opens on December 6th.


Out of the Furnace trailer # 2 by Flixgr

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New Images from 'Out Of The Furnace' As It Heads to AFI Fest

With Bennett Miller's Foxcatcher getting shuffled off to 2014, that left the folks at AFI Fest in a bit of a pickle as it was meant to be their centerpiece premiere. That left them scrambling to find a notable replacement, and they've definitely found one with Scott Cooper's Out of the Furnace taking over the slot and making its world premiere.

A number of new images have been release to coincide with the announcement, showing stars Christian Bale, Woody Harrelson, Forest Whitaker, Sam Shepard, and Willem Dafoe. Bale plays an ex-con in a small Rust Belt town who goes on the hunt for his younger brother after he gets mixed up in a criminal ring. In a slight ironic twist, the film was initially pegged to be a part of the 2012 Oscar race but was bumped to this year when it's expected to be a major player. AFI Fest has also added Alexander Payne's Nebraska and Ben Stiller's The Secret Life of Walter Mitty to the line-up with the promise of more to come.

Out of the Furnace gets a limited release November 27th before going wide on December 6th.

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First Trailer for 'Out Of the Furnace' Starring Christian Bale and Woody Harrelson

If The Town proved anything a couple of years ago, it's that a gritty as Hell crime flick can emerge in the fall and run roughshod over a lot of stodgy Oscar hopefuls. And that seems to be the plan cooked up by Relativity Media for Out of the Furnace, the new thriller from Crazy Heart director, Scott Cooper.

A handful of images debuted a few days ago, and following the usual pattern we now have the first trailer for what looks like a cracking good crime yarn. The story is a familiar one, but the A-list cast suggests there's something more buried beneath the surface. Christian Bale plays a poor steelworker in the Rust Belt who is released from prison and goes in search of his missing brother (Casey Affleck), who hooked up with the criminal element. The trailer goes a long way in making us feel the economic hardship and desperation in these characters, which typically leads to some brutal acts of violence. Zoe Saldana, Sam Shepard, Woody Harrelson, and Willem Dafoe all appear to have put on their game faces for this one, as well.

Out of the Furnace hits theaters on November 27th.

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Sure Shots: Jon Turteltaub; Sam Shepard; Jennifer Jason Leigh

* Well, this should come as no surprise that studios are scrambling to try and take advantage of the Olympics fever before it totally evaporates, but this next film is just plain ridiculous. Jon Turteltaub(National Treasure) is set to direct Beached, about a fat four year old boy who falls into the water during a family vacation and I guess is presumed dead. Instead he survives and is raised by whales, ultimately becoming an Olympic swimmer. Seriously. Fox 2000 owns this piece of watery crap, picking up the script originally written by Ted Griffin(Ocean's Eleven) way back in 1997. Turteltaub will rewrite the script, and I assume this will be his next project after Last Vegas wraps. [THR]

* The great Sam Shepard has joined the already terrific ensemble for August: Osage County, John Wells' adaptation of Tracy Letts' award-winning stageplay. Already boasting Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Chris Cooper, Benedict Cumberbatch, Juliette Lewis, Dermot Mulroney, Abigail Breslin and more, Shepard will play Beverly Weston, the alcoholic patriarch of the family whose disappearance brings all the women back home to Oklahoma and face some hard truths. Filming is set to begin next month. [Variety]

* You can never go wrong adding Jennifer Jason Leigh to any film, so her presence in James Ponsoldt's adaptation of The Spectacular Now is certainly welcome. Written by the (500) Days of Summer duo of Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, the film stars Miles Teller(Rabbit Hole) as a hard-paryting high schooler who attempts to transform a social outcast, played by Shailene Woodley. Leigh will play Woodley's mother, with Brie Larson as Woodley's best friend. [Variety]

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