Middleburg Review: Tommy Lee Jones' 'The Homesman' starring Hilary Swank

When Tommy Lee Jones made his directorial debut nearly a decade ago it was with the pseudo-Western, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, a contemporary film tinged with just enough dust and tumbleweeds to qualify for the genre. It was also an immensely successful project, at least from a creative standpoint, but Jones has mostly stayed in front of the camera since, perhaps finding it difficult to rustle up the money for another Western feature. Whatever the reasons were for the hiatus, Jones returns with the old school oater The Homesman, a bizarre "deconstruction" about the grim reality for women in the Old West, or at least that's what the film appears to be about...it's too wildly out of balance to know what the heck was going on in Edwards' head.

Former Oscars staple Hilary Swank fits capably into the role of stiff and stern pioneer woman Mary Bee Cuddy, described frequently as "plain as an old tin pail". Tough independent women don't exactly make good marrying material in the Nebraska frontier, and poor Cuddy has been alone her entire life, practically begging men to marry her and finding no takers. Her loneliness has one terrible upside, though; she doesn't turn out batshit crazy like many of the married women forced to deal with sexually abusive husbands or the incredibly high death rate for children. Three such women (Grace Gummer, Miranda Otto, Sonja Richter) have gone loopy and since none of the men are willing to do it, poor single Cuddy volunteers to transport them to a psychiatric facility in Iowa. It's a dangerous weeks-long journey by wagon, so it's a good thing she happens upon goofy claim jumper George Briggs, rescuing him from a sure hanging for his past crimes.

Briggs is both the best and worst thing about the film. He might as well be a cartoon character; rootin' and tootin' and dancin' with his finger pistols up in the air like Yosemite Sam. He's absolutely ridiculous and lord knows the film needs what little humor he provides, but at the same time we're meant to take him and this deadly journey seriously. Jones seems unsure of the tone he's aiming for and it lurches wildly from comedy to bleak melodrama with images of dead babies, rotting cattle, and women wailing in despair. The deranged female cargo, all played by spectacularly talented actresses, don't get much to do but stare blankly so there's no real reason to tell them apart. The relationship between the plainspoken Cuddy and Grimes resembles the central pair in True Grit, and there's even a brief cameo by Hailee Steinfeld who had her breakout role in the Coen Brothers' remake.

If this was meant to be an exercise in female empowerment The Homesman chooses an odd way to go about it. Cuddy's personal strength is her greatest asset but it's frequently played up for strangely-timed laughs, just as her desperation for a man is. The journey, which has them encountering angry Native Americans, a rapist nutjob (Tim Blake Nelson), starvation, and desolate surroundings begins to put her mettle to the test, and to say Cuddy's story is a somber one would be an understatement. The screenplay by Jones and a pair of co-writers are intent on making her tale as sad as possible, and the turn it takes comes out of nowhere, presumably so the focus can shift even further to Briggs. Just as nonsensical is the change in his character from clownish rogue to avenging angel to unlikely father figure; it only serves to take the attention away from the plight of women, casting them fully into the background. Jones is clearly comfortable in the genre, though, taking his old school cinematic cues from the likes of John Ford and Sam Peckinpah. But The Homesman is a complete mess from start to finish. It's both too dark and too silly, and is unlikely to satisfy fans of contemporary or classic Westerns. 

 Rating: 2 out of 5

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First Look at James Franco's 'The Sound and the Fury' with Seth Rogen and Danny McBride

James Franco has taken upon himself the monumental task of adapting novels that have stymied more experienced filmmakers. And so in the last couple of years we've seen him tackling the works of Cormac McCarthy (Child of God) and William Faulkner (As I Lay Dying), and while the results weren't that great one has to admire Franco's ambition. Now he's taking on another challenge trying to bring the complicated, stream-of-consciousness narrative of Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury to the big screen, with the first images arriving before its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival.

Franco will again write, star, and direct the film and he's brought along a few familiar faces to join him. Seth Rogen, Danny McBride, Ahna O'Reilly, Joey King, Scott Haze, Loretta Devine, and Tim Blake Nelson star in the period drama centering on the aristocratic Compson family. Here's the official synopsis:

Directed by and starring Academy Award nominee James Franco, The Sound and The Fury captures the lives and passions of the Compsons, a once proud Southern family caught in a tragic spiral of loss and misfortune. Based on the novel by Noble Prize winner author William Faulkner and considered among the 20th century’s greatest works, The Sound and the Fury encapsulates the universal theme of the death of honor, social injustice and forbidden love.

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Review: James Franco's 'Child of God' Starring Scott Haze

NOTE: This is a reprint of my review from the Virginia Film Festival. Child of God opens at the Angelika Pop-Up on August 1st.

Whatever one thinks of James Franco as an actor, he's deserving of some serious props behind the camera, at least for not being a pansy in the projects he decides to take on. In fact he seems to thrive on the challenge of directing films many would steer clear of, or adapting novels deemed unfilmmable. We've seen this many times before with his Hart Crane biopic; his Sundance-debuting Interior Leather Bar; and this summer's William Faulkner adaptation As I Lay Dying. How successful Franco was in these ventures is a matter of debate, and that's likely to be the case with Child of God, based on the novel by celebrated author Cormac McCarthy.

Those who have dared read McCarthy's pitch black novel know this isn't any cakewalk, as the story treads heavily in themes of sexual deviancy and societal isolation. The 1960s Tennessee-set tale centers on Lester Ballard (Scott Haze), a local miscreant whose feral demeanor borders on the neanderthal. On his own since his parents died, he sees the family land sold right out from under him, despising the powers that allowed it to happen. Taking to the wilderness and living in an old shack, Lester further withdraws from society unless something is immediately necessary. He steals food when need be, but chooses to live off the land whenever possible. And like the other wild animals he isn't prone to taking a dump in the woods and cleaning himself with tree branches, in one especially disgusting moment.

The local sheriff (Tim Blake Nelson) knows Lester is trouble but lets him be, in some small way showing the only measure of concern for the man. Lester continues to deteriorate, though, especially after a woman falsely accuses him of rape. When Lester finds a dead couple by the side of the road, he has sex with the woman's corpse then takes her to his home to live out some sort of weird marital existence driven by necrophilia. When her body burns in a fire, Lester loses what little bits of sanity remained and goes on a killing spree murdering young women in an effort to replace the one he lost.

The shock of that first act of necrophilia never really wears off, and only compounds as Lester becomes more unhinged and his acts more brazen. The problem is that there isn't much else to Lester that's very interesting, even as touches of dark humor attempt to turn him into a disturbed antihero. Child of God works on the page solely due to McCarthy's distinctive prose, but without it the story is pretty drab. Franco does a solid job deciding which elements of the book are needed on the screen, but he doesn't do anything in particular to liven them up. Early on he lifts significant portions of the text and presents them as narration, which comes off as ponderous. The locale doesn't inspire much visually, either, and bland direction doesn't really help.

And yet the visceral, powerful performance by Haze overshadows much of the film's major issues. Snarling like a cornered animal and speaking in gutteral, broken English that probably should have been subtitled, Haze sinks into a role that calls him to do some pretty heinous stuff, and very nearly makes Lester someone we can sympathize.

Child of God is another ambitious effort by Franco, but there's a reason why others have had so much difficulty bringing it to the screen. While it's not all his fault the film doesn't work, one has to count Child of God as another interesting failure on his resume.

 Rating: 2.5 out of 5

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Tim Blake Nelson Joins 'Fantastic Four' as Mole Man

The days of comic book movies with one hero facing one villain are over. With many of these films stretching nearly to three hours in length, and of course the need to set up future movies, the more bad guys filling the screen the better. Josh Trank's Fantastic Four reboot already has Toby Kebbell lined up to play Doctor Doom, but now there's one more baddie the team will face.

Character actor and director Tim Blake Nelson has joined Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan, and Kebbell in the cast, taking on the role of Harvey Elder. Elder is better known as the team's very first enemy, the Mole Man, appearing in the pages of 1961's Fantastic Four #1. Mole Man was a scientist hated by the scientist community due to his dwarfish appearance, bad attitude, and outdated "hollow earth" theories. While exploring the hidden land known as Monster Island, Elder fell into a deep, dark chasm, becoming partially blind in the process. Unable to escape and unwilling to go back to the surface world that shunned him, he decided to stay and discovered the underground realm known as Subterranea, becoming its ruler and leader of the Moloid race.Elder won't appear as Mole Man in the film but it's being set up for him to show up in sequels as a villain.

Nelson is becoming a go-to guy for playing Marvel scientists-turned-villains. He played Samuel Sterns, also known as the Leader, in The Incredible Hulk.

Fantastic Four opens on June 19th 2015. [THR]

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VFF Review: 'Child of God' Directed by James Franco

Whatever one thinks of James Franco as an actor, he's deserving of some serious props behind the camera, at least for not being a pansy in the projects he decides to take on. In fact he seems to thrive on the challenge of directing films many would steer clear of, or adapting novels deemed unfilmmable. We've seen this many times before with his Hart Crane biopic; his Sundance-debuting Interior Leather Bar; and this summer's William Faulkner adaptation As I Lay Dying. How successful Franco was in these ventures is a matter of debate, and that's likely to be the case with Child of God, based on the novel by celebrated author Cormac McCarthy.

Those who have dared read McCarthy's pitch black novel know this isn't any cakewalk, as the story treads heavily in themes of sexual deviancy and societal isolation. The 1960s Tennessee-set tale centers on Lester Ballard (Scott Haze), a local miscreant whose feral demeanor borders on the neanderthal. On his own since his parents died, he sees the family land sold right out from under him, despising the powers that allowed it to happen. Taking to the wilderness and living in an old shack, Lester further withdraws from society unless something is immediately necessary. He steals food when need be, but chooses to live off the land whenever possible. And like the other wild animals he isn't prone to taking a dump in the woods and cleaning himself with tree branches, in one especially disgusting moment.

The local sheriff (Tim Blake Nelson) knows Lester is trouble but lets him be, in some small way showing the only measure of concern for the man. Lester continues to deteriorate, though, especially after a woman falsely accuses him of rape. When Lester finds a dead couple by the side of the road, he has sex with the woman's corpse then takes her to his home to live out some sort of weird marital existence driven by necrophilia. When her body burns in a fire, Lester loses what little bits of sanity remained and goes on a killing spree murdering young women in an effort to replace the one he lost.

The shock of that first act of necrophilia never really wears off, and only compounds as Lester becomes more unhinged and his acts more brazen. The problem is that there isn't much else to Lester that's very interesting, even as touches of dark humor attempt to turn him into a disturbed antihero. Child of God works on the page solely due to McCarthy's distinctive prose, but without it the story is pretty drab. Franco does a solid job deciding which elements of the book are needed on the screen, but he doesn't do anything in particular to liven them up. Early on he lifts significant portions of the text and presents them as narration, which comes off as ponderous. The locale doesn't inspire much visually, either, and bland direction doesn't really help.

And yet the visceral, powerful performance by Haze overshadows much of the film's major issues. Snarling like a cornered animal and speaking in gutteral, broken English that probably should have been subtitled, Haze sinks into a role that calls him to do some pretty heinous stuff, and very nearly makes Lester someone we can sympathize.

Child of God is another ambitious effort by Franco, but there's a reason why others have had so much difficulty bringing it to the screen. While it's not all his fault the film doesn't work, one has to count Child of God as another interesting failure on his resume.

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James Franco adds Logan Marshall-Green, Danny McBride, and Ahna O'Reilly to 'As I Lay Dying'

Could James Franco's adaptation of William Faulkner's classic novel, As I Lay Dying, finally be the film that establishes him as a director worthy of attention? We've seen what he can do as a writer and director a handful of times already in tiny indie features and short films, all of which veer wildly from his mainstream persona. I mean...a biopic on the life of poet, Hart Crane? While The Broken Tower wasn't bad, nobody was going to rush out and see it.

As production on As I Lay Dying is set to begin in October, Franco is pulling together the cast, and he's rounded up some familiar faces. Danny McBride, who starred with Franco in Pineapple Express has joined the cast in an unspecified role. Tim Blake Nelson and Jim Parrack, both of whom worked with Franco on the Cormac McCarthy adaptation, Child of God, are also on board.  Also along for the ride are Franco's ex, Ahna O'Reilly, and Logan Marshall-Green, fresh off his breakout performance in Prometheus. Published in 1930, the darkly comic story follows the Bundren family as they attempt to fulfill the final wish of their matriarch to be buried in her native Jefferson, Mississippi.

I'm not sure Franco has any interest in making a movie that'll play in multiplexes, and it's unlikely As I Lay Dying would, either. It does show his continued willingness to stretch himself and take on projects many would find too daunting. [Showbiz411]

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