Snow Angels

Director: David Gordon Green
Starring: Sam Rockwell, Kate Beckinsale, Michael Angarano, Olivia Thirlby, Amy Sedaris, Nicky Katt, Griffin Dunne
Running Time: 107 min.
Rating: R

*** (out of ****)

Was it unfair of me, given the director and subject matter, to go into Snow Angels expecting it to be nothing short of a masterpiece? Maybe, but when you have a filmmaker like David Gordon Green tackling suburban dysfunction and moral depravity, expectations of greatness are bound to accompany it. Don’t get me wrong, this is a good film, but I just anticipated a little more. It’s frustrating because so much of the film is beautiful and glimpses of what could have been are visible at every turn, yet after it concludes there isn’t a lot to extract or think about.

The story Green tells is basic and that may have been the problem. He’s a filmmaker who operates with a minimalist approach that deals primarily in capturing feelings and moods. It works for films like George Washington and All The Real Girls (and believe it or not Pineapple Express). This is the first time he’s adapting a novel (in this case Stewart O’Nan’s) to the screen and it’s easy to see how maybe the obligation of faithfulness to the source material could have limited him some.

What Green and his cinematographer Tim Orr can accomplish visually are limitless but there’s only so much that can be done with the story. It really needs to crackle with force and energy and Green’s laid back “slice-of-life” approach may not be the best match for material this weighty. The actors really had to be up for the task and most of them are, with one notable exception. Unfortunately, she plays the most important role in the film and the entire emotional impact of the story rests on her shoulders. This performance isn’t distractingly awful or anything, but in a way it’s worse in that it’s just plain bland.

Movies that cover similar territory like The Ice Storm, American Beauty and Little Children depend on us not necessarily sympathizing with deeply flawed characters but understanding them. If we can’t see at least a little of us in them it doesn’t work. Snow Angels works about halfway in that regard as I could get a handle on the motivations of most of the characters, except for the most important one. I actually kind of despised her and considering the film's bleak, tragic events that’s a serious problem. And because everything else is handled so well by Green the actress has to take the lion’s share of the blame for the false notes that are hit. She’s just wrong for the role and if another actress had played it the film would have likely been improved ten-fold. There are also other smaller issues at work, but that's the major one .

During the film's opening minutes a teacher’s impassioned pep talk during a high school marching band practice is interrupted by the sound of two gunshots in the cold, snowy air. We flash back to weeks earlier and are given glimpses into this small Pennsylvania town and the events that led up to that moment. All of them seem somehow connected to trombone player Arthur (Michael Angarano), whose parents are separating as he embarks on a relationship with the new girl at school, Lila (Juno’s Olivia Thirlby). On weekends he works at the local Chinese restaurant with waitress Annie (Kate Beckinsale), who babysat him in his youth.

Annie’s currently separated from her alcoholic, suicidal husband Glenn (Sam Rockwell). He’s recently found Jesus (and a new job) but it’s done little to curb his violent outbursts as the two spouses argue constantly over their young daughter. Annie seeks solace by having an affair with slimeball Nate (Nicky Katt), the husband of her co-worker and best friend Barb (Amy Sedaris in a rare dramatic turn). All these characters lives are about to be seriously altered by the tragic events that will unfold, or so we’re led to believe. It isn’t trying to be a mystery so much as deeply involved character study, but the film curiously only scratches the surface of what it could.

No filmmaker is more in tune with the rhythms of everyday life than Green and that’s where most of this movie’s power comes from, even when the story doesn’t seem particularly inspired. The developing romantic bond between classmates Arthur and Lila is one of the more authentic depictions of a teen relationship on film you’ll see. Nothing about it is forced and every moment Angarano (best known for playing the younger version of William Miller in Almost Famous) and Thirlbly share onscreen together is really something special. I kept waiting for them to become more than just periphery characters standing on the sidelines as the adults wreck their lives, but that never came to pass.

Arthur’s crush on Annie also didn’t go where I expected. Problematically, it didn’t go anywhere at all. The details of Arthur’s parents’ fractured relationship is as well observed as their younger counterparts, but with far less screen time. It seemed the whole film is meant to have the characters represent various stages of a relationship, from puppy love (Arthur/Lila) to complete destruction (Glenn/Annie). That's great, but you can get that insight in a therapist’s office or psychology class.

The central story is Annie’s fractured relationship with the screw-up Glenn, which is where most of the film's problems lay. First of which is a performance from Beckinsale that can best be described as “blah.” I’ve never seen a movie of hers where she registered onscreen at all or conveyed any presence so it’s odd Green would think she’s capable of lifting material this heavy. Nothing on her résumé suggested she could. It’s kind of hard to believe a filmmaker as gifted as Green didn’t have more talented actresses knocking his door down to get this part. As I watched I couldn’t help but think what Nicole Kidman or Kate Winslet (who played a similar character in Little Children) could have done with it.

Beckinsale must play an irresponsible mother cheating with her best friend’s husband. And she plays it just like that and nothing more, sleepwalking her way through the whole thing. It isn’t a bad performance, just merely serviceable and for this type of a film you need a lot more than that. As a result, Annie comes off as an uncaring bitch and when the cataclysmic event occurs about an hour in and she’s blamed for it I couldn’t disagree. It is mostly her fault. The sad part is I don’t think Green’s screenplay intended it to come off that way.

Rockwell’s layered portrayal of a man driven to the brink is much more rewarding. He plays him as a decent guy trying desperately to do good for his daughter but continuously messing up at every turn because he just can’t get a hold of his demons. We can actually see and understand how things get to the point they do with him and that’s no small feat. Here’s hoping that Beckinsale comes off so bad because Rockwell is that great. What’s worse though is that this represents her best work, which means if Green can’t coax a great performance out of her then no filmmaker can.

There’s a lot going on but the separate characters’ lives rarely intersect and the story never really comes together as a cohesive whole, which you could argue fits the realistic minimalism Green pictures usually bask in. But that doesn’t mean it helps the film. That style is fine for a meditative tone poem like All The Real Girls that explores the heartbreak of relationships but this sets itself up to be more than that and doesn’t completely deliver. It actually could even be described as almost too restrained. The result is a depressing viewing experience that’s intelligently written, beautifully shot and features a couple of very good performances. And that’s pretty much it. More gasoline needed to be added to the narrative fire.

There’s been some debate as to when the film’s events actually take place. The novel was set in the 1970’s, but contrary to Netflix’s erroneous packaging information Green did adapt the film to present day. That you really can’t tell the time period is a high compliment that represents one of his many great attributes: they exist in a timeless vacuum that doesn’t age. His control of mood and atmosphere is such that it may be intriguing to see him attempt a horror film. This could almost be considered one. Unfairly or not, some directors are just held to a higher standard than others because we expect so much. David Gordon Green tops that list. While Snow Angels is his first film with some holes in it, one of his merely good pictures will always be ten times more interesting than most filmmakers’ finest.

Vacancy

Director: Nimrod Antal
Starring: Luke Wilson, Kate Beckinsale, Frank Whaley, Ethan Embry
Running Time: 80 min.
Rating: R

***1/2 (out of ****)

If I'm ever overcome with the sudden urge to write a horror thriller one of the first people I'm calling for advice is Mark L. Smith, the screenwriter of Vacancy. The film may not be completely perfect, but it's damn close and one of the more intelligent thrillers to come along in recent years. You can try to look for holes in the screenplay, but good luck. There isn't a single moment or action by any character in this film that rings false. No one here makes any choices that are illogical or that any of you wouldn't make if put in the same situation. Or at least you should hope you'd have the wherewithal to make the choices the characters do here, because they're smart ones. If anything resembling the events in this film were to really occur I'm convinced this is how they would happen and I'm not too sure something exactly like this hasn't. It's so frighteningly realistic it could easily be based on a true story.

A quote on the DVD jacket promises a cross between Saw and Psycho and that's pretty much what you get, with the catch being it doesn't contain the gore of the former or psychological depth of the latter. If it had a little bit more of both this would have really been something special. It also contains two memorably evil supporting turns from a couple 90's actors I was thrilled to see again, and even more thrilled to see in roles where they're clearly having a blast. One of which plays a caretaker that may be the creepiest I've seen onscreen since Anthony Perkins in Hitchcock's masterpiece. He at least has Vince Vaughn beat, that's for sure. At a trim, but effectively tight 80 minutes, Vacancy is a huge surprise.

After what may be the coolest opening title sequence of the year, we join David Fox (Luke Wilson) and his wife Amy (Kate Beckinsale) as David takes a short cut off the interstate on their way to file the divorce papers that will end their headache of a marriage. Their constant bickering is interrupted when he swerves to avoid hitting a raccoon and damages the car. They stop at the local run-down gas station where they meet an eccentric, high-strung mechanic (Ethan Embry) who offers to fix the problem free of charge. He's unsuccessful and the couple is forced to stay at a fleabag motel run by a very, very creepy manager (Frank Whaley) who isn't what he seems. Or more accurately, he is exactly what he seems. What happens when they first settle in this old, dirty, cockroach infested "honeymoon suite" initially resembles the John Cusack PG-13 horror thriller from earlier in the year, 1408. The phone rings. There are loud, banging noises. The tension mounts. I honestly thought we were in for another stupid ghost story. Boy, was I wrong.

Soon David makes a discovery. It's a stack of videotapes on top of the VCR and what's on them are graphic, disturbing snuff films. Snuff films that were shot in the very same room they're staying in. You're probably having bad flashbacks to Joel Schumacher's 8mm, but let me ease those worries now and tell you these snuff films not only look real, they're genuinely scary and difficult to watch. There's a special feature on the DVD that allows you to watch them in their entirety, but I had to shut it off. I'm not sure if this was because I was scared or that I felt guilty watching it. There's so well done there's actually a sense that the viewer is being implicated by just seeing it unfold. I won't dare spoil what happens after David makes this discovery but the film impressively picks up like a speeding train and director Nimrod Antal with cinematographer Andrzej Sekula (Pulp Fiction) create an unbelievable sense of deepening terror. This is a beautifully shot film with impressive establishing, and later, hand-held camera shots that take place mostly inside this claustrophobic hotel room. Credit should go to everyone involved for being able to keep the story in the room for that long and in a way that's continually exciting and makes sense.

After nearly sucking us of oxygen with all the tension, the bad guys, when they do show up, actually meet expectations. They're scary as hell and Antal doesn't make the mistake of overexposing them. Just when you expect the film to veer off into slasher territory, it instead reveals itself as a suspenseful story about two smart people put in a realistic situation they must find their way out of. When the action eventually does leave the hotel room it does so because the characters made reasonable decisions and problem-solved. I rolled my eyes when a cop showed up late in the film. Except this isn't your ordinary movie cop. He's actually smart! He surveys the situation, asks all the right questions and does exactly what any real law enforcement official would really do. If he fails it's because he's outmatched, not stupid. A lot of people will watch this and think the villains are fools, but that's where the brilliant twist comes in that most critics and audiences missed. They're making a snuff film so it benefits them to keep the two of them alive as long as possible. They want more material. The killers are directing a movie.

I nearly cringed at the beginning of the film when we're introduced to the information that David and Amy had a son who passed away. Luckily though, this information is brought up, then promptly dropped. They don't continually dwell on it like in 1408. It seems every other horror film released these days feel the need to tack on a dead child in script rewrites to earn sympathy points for the main character. Here, it's at least mentioned briefly as subtext and left for us to ponder the rest of the way. It's no secret this is an experience meant to bring this couple closer and Smith shows us, without ever saying it, which is greatly appreciated by me. Luke Wilson is generally thought of as a charisma deficient actor but here he really delivers the dramatic goods in a big way. His back must have been hurting after the shoot from carrying the bland as usual Beckinsale through this entire film. For once she lucks out being in a horror movie where she can just scream and coast through. While she fares just fine for what she's asked to do, the film may have been improved slightly by a more exciting actress who could have brought more depth to the role.

It took me a second to identify the creepy motel manager as a far thinner and mustachioed Frank Whaley, infamous for his role over a decade ago as the underling to Kevin Spacey's boss from hell in 1995's Swimming With Sharks. When I realized who it was I could barely contain my excitement because I knew he was going to go all out, and does he ever. He gives the kind of performance that gives Jon Voight's hilariously over-the-top work in Anaconda a run for its money in entertainment value. Yes, he's that kind of villain. He knows what he there to do and chews into every scene like a madman. It's a deliriously fun supporting performance from a great actor who we don't usually get the chance to see nearly enough of. Another actor we haven't seen nearly enough of, Ethan Embry (star of 90's teen cult classics Empire Records and Can't Hardly Wait), makes the most of his limited screen time as the maniacal mechanic. His role actually ends up being more significant than you'd think at first glance.

It's rare in a horror movie that I actually find myself doubting whether both characters will actually make it out alive. Here I did. There is actually real, legitimate doubt whether they'll survive. When the ending does come, it's perfect. Any more would have told us too much and any less wouldn't have been enough. In a way it's a throwback to horror films of the 70's that didn't feel obligated tie the ending up in a nice little bow. It also strangely reminded me of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (the original, not the remake) with a night of hell coming down to a face off at sunrise. If you're going to invoke the feeling of a horror film, that one definitely isn't a bad choice. From the retro opening credits to the emphasis on suspense over gore Vacancy harkens back to a better time in the horror genre.

Despite what the trailers and commericials suggested, it has more in common with The Descent than The Hills Have Eyes or Dead Silence. Ironically, though, the one thing the film could have used a little more of was gore and blood. I have no idea why it's even rated R. It doesn't contain enough violence and blood to satisfy hungry horror fanatics, but isn't quite tame enough to earn a PG-13 and be classified in the same category as the slightly inferior 1408, which was a box office success. This confusion could likely explain why audiences stayed away in droves.

I wouldn't have added more scenes of graphic violence (that would negate the suspense), but what they had could have easily been ratcheted up a notch. As frightening as the snuff films were, if they went even just a little more over the line with what was shown it could have made a big difference. This is a very rare case where showing more could have benefited a horror film and taken it to the next level. Part of me also wondered what a Brian DePalma or David Fincher would have done with the material and what psychological complexities they could have drawn out of it. It seems right up their alley. But that's no slight on Nimrod Antal, making his English feature debut after directing the acclaimed Hungarian film Kontroll, and whose first name is no way suggests his competence as a filmmaker. Vacancy is one of those rare movies that actually give horror a good name, providing some hope that it's possible for modern day films to be both smart and scary.

Click

Director: Frank Coraci
Starring: Adam Sandler, Kate Beckinsale, Christopher Walken, David Hasselhoff, Henry Winkler, Sean Astin
Running Time: 107 min.
Rating: PG-13

** (out of ****)

With Click, Adam Sandler has officially made his worst movie. It takes one joke and hits us over the head with it over and over again, nearly forcing us into submission. Worst of all, it doesn't even have the conviction to stay true to it's roots as a slapstick comedy and delivers a final act so out of line with the rest of the picture you'd think somebody stole the final reel and replaced it with the ending of another film. It asks us to believe the impossible. Not that Adam Sandler has a universal remote that controls his universe, but that he's an architect married to Kate Beckinsale and a semi-responsible adult and parent. This is a kinder, gentler Adam Sandler and it doesn't work at all.

Sandler plays Michael Newman, one of those dads who's too busy with work to find time for his wife (Beckinsale in a completely thankless role) and kids. He's expecting a huge promotion from his clueless boss (David Hasselhoff) and must work around the clock to get it, virtually ignoring all of his familial duties, including a camping trip and Fourth of July picnic. He makes a stop one night at Bed, Bath and Beyond looking to purchase a universal remote control and finds himself in the "Beyond" section with a wackjob named Morty (a looney Christopher Walken) who pushes a cool new remote on him. This is the movie's one joke as the remote control allows Michael to rewind, pause, mute or fast forward any part of his life. I wonder if he'll abuse it. Only we find out later, it has a memory (like TIVO) and everything starts spiraling out of control when the remote takes over, attempting to carry out every function from memory it thinks Michael wants.

There are some funny moments early in the film. Scenes where Michael fast forwards through sex, fights with his wife, an annoying family dinner, and anything involving his dog are pretty good (if not repetitive after a while). Then the movie just flies off the tracks when it tries to tackle life lessons and gets very serious. Dead serious. The way the it does this is so bizarre, it ends up being the most (unintentionally) hilarious thing in the picture. The ridiculous lengths the screenplay goes to to show us that Michael isn't appreciating life by fast forwarding it is unreal. Without giving too much away, let's just say people die, Michael's hospitilized (twice!), three actors each play Michael's kid and there are some really bad make-up jobs. What unfolds is so tonally off from all that preceded it it's as if the filmmakers thought this was It's a Wonderful Life. It also delivers an unearned ending that's a complete cheat and made me think this whole enterprise was even more of a waste than I originally thought.

When David Hasselhoff is the funniest thing in your movie you know there's a problem, and I'm not even sure he was funny or I was just laughing because it was David Hasselhoff. Admittedly, Jennifer Coolidge was also pretty good as the oversexed next door neighbor. I'm sure a comedy about them would have been better than this. I understand the need for Adam Sandler to grow up for his audiences, but can't it be in a good movie? And can't we get a little more of the meaner, irresponsible Sandler we had in Happy Gilmore and Billy Madison? I miss that guy. We get a glimpse of it in this movie in scenes where he feuds with an annoying kid neighbor, but other than that he's missing in action. Sandler is one of our best comic actors and is always fun to watch on screen. I'm still waiting for the movie that can properly mesh the likable, self-deprecating, sensitive version of Sandler with the mean, funny one. It'll come. For now though, reach for your remote. Click is skippable.