The Irishman

2019’s The Irishman, directed by Martin Scorcese.

Starring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Al Pacino, Ray Romano, , Stephen Graham, Jesse Plemons, Bobby Cannavale, Harvey Keitel, Aleksa Palladino, and Kathrine Narducci.

What is it about?

WWII Veteran Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro) drives trucks and eventually begins skimming his deliveries to sell to organized crime. He meets up with mobster Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci) and begins to work for him, before meeting Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino) and getting involved with union movements. Sheeran is prized for his loyalty and consistency, but those qualities will be put to the test when Hoffa’s outspoken ways rub the power establishment the wrong way. Will Sheeran have good or bad memories of what was to come during his young turk days?

Why is it worth seeing?

Based off of the 2004 novel I heard You Paint Houses, The Irishman is the work of a confident auteur, now in his late 70’s, who has nothing left to prove. Unless of course, that auteur is trying to prove that he can make a film 3.5 hours long that’s still interesting. Filled with Scorcese flair, it moves similar to his previous genre gangster films- but features a new wrinkle (no pun intended)- consequence.


There’s a lot of consequential age in The Irishman. Sure, that’s demonstrated by a variety of geriatric Scorcese cast favourites, from De Niro to Pesci to Keitel, not to mention the addition of Pacino- all given various techniques to make them look younger throughout the extended flashback portions of the film. But as the film crawls towards its last third, their ages aren’t masked at all. Neither are the consequences of time- how it saps youth, fuels regret, and takes loved ones from us. While the first two thirds play somewhat like the third chapter of an unofficial Goodfellas/Casino trilogy (and their respective energies), its last third is some of the most sorrowful and mournful work Scorcese has ever done, more comparable to his quieter (and profound) works like Silence and Kundun.


Look, I swear I have an attention span. But a 3.5 hours run time will be challenging for some viewers. Ironically, it’s the first two thirds that threaten to drag, because they go to such familiar places in the Scorcese canon. Scorcese’s mastery of camera movement/close ups of inanimate objects, juxtaposed with habits of accompanying rock music, support familiar tropes of bad men making bad choices, for the sake of gaining power, or keeping it. Inevitably a loose cannon has to be contained, because, well, we did all that we could, but… you know. It’s the Rolling Stones playing their hits all over again, which can get old. Its story also follows Scorcese’s less welcome habits of shoving women firmly into the background (in particular, Anna Paquin is especially wasted, as one of the scornful daughters of De Niro), trapped in a zero sum man’s world. Finally, the addition of Pacino, results in a performance more reminiscent of his more overt 90’s grandstanding (and occasionally even Big Boy Caprice mannerisms).


What I could use even more of, is Pesci’s performance. Yet again, Scorcese was able to coax a dynamite performance out of an actor who previously said that they were done with acting, a retired actor whisperer if there ever was one. Pesci speaks quietly and economically, barely a hint of the over the top menace that he previously won an Oscar for- and it couldn’t resonate louder. The rest of the cast is great as well, a real coup for the casting director. As mentioned above, people may come for an opportunity to witness the greatest hits played yet again, but The Irishman’s greatest achievement is in its feeling of ramifications, first manifested in a tension of not wanting something to happen, followed by the regret that it did. To know it is to be sad. To watch it is divine.

Rating:

4/5

Trailer: Click Here.

The Art of Self Defense

2019’s The Art of Self Defense, written and directed by Riley Stearns.

Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Alessandro Nivola, Imogen Poots, David Zellner, Phillip Andre Botello, Steve Terada, Hauke Bahr, Jason Burkey, and Justin Eaton.

What is it about?

Mid 30’s accountant Casey (Jesse Eisenberg) is socially ill at ease, and has little control over his life. Bullied and ignored at his job, and with only his dog to keep him company, one night he is hospitalized after being attacked and mugged. Unable to take it anymore, he enrolls in a karate class. Taught by a quietly menacing sensei (Alessandro Nivola), Casey gets to know his fellow students, such as the kind hearted Henry (David Zellner), and accomplished but undervalued Anna (Imogen Poots). Casey begins to gain confidence and alter his way of looking at the world, but also starts to learn about the potential drawbacks of the dojo.

Why is it worth seeing?

Fans of deadpan comedy will find few faults with Self Defense’s humour. In a style similar to 2018’s Sorry to Bother You, it respects its audience in refusing to explain when it’s appropriate to laugh. Surreal and dark, each straight faced encounter between its characters is another exercise in daring one not to guffaw at some of the bizarre scenarios presented. Filled with throwaway sight and audio gags, it never distracts from the movie’s central question- who doesn’t find toxic masculinity funny?


A compellingly strange film needs a lead that is attuned to its clunky rhythm. Historically, lead actor Jesse Eisenberg often has his troubles moving past his inherent nebbishness. It just means that he is far more at home in roles playing irascible trolls like Mark Zuckerberg or even Lex Luthor, than more likable souls such as David Lipsky or Columbus (bonus points to him giving several shirtless scenes and having virtually no signs of athletic prowess). In his role of Casey (which another character drolly explains is a very feminine sounding name), he has found his comfort place. Tightly wound but completely impotent, he is a guy who burns hot- just as soon as he figures out how to speak to people. As well, Imogen Poots (who after Green Room is threatening to start a steak after appearing in yet another solid film with bad hair), and Alessandro Nivola, are solid as the senior members of the dojo who belong to an unjust hierarchy.

Comedic beats and well placed casting established, it’s the unstable but liberating realm of toxic masculinity that inevitably bring up Fight Club comparisons. As in that film, we witness a loser who self actualizes through some form of combat with others, and in the larger picture, finds a cause that compels him to want to get out of bed in the morning. In the film’s hilarious but plain styled depiction, writer/director Riley Stearns doesn’t have David Fincher’s gravitas or exacting precision- but his ball peen hammer-to-the-knee script’s conclusion brings a sense of completion that the 1999 masterpiece couldn’t coax. Self Defense’s lack of hall of fame pyrotechnics (and further lack of controversy!) is what gives it its solidarity, a lower floor that allows for the final act’s higher ceiling. Another feature it shares with the Edward Norton/Brad Pitt vehicle, is the revealing of a corrupt world that originally felt purified at the start of the journey. Here, it echoes the corruption of society in its occasional entrenched hopelessness- and subsequent calls for a radical solution that the purest of zealots, and the film itself, do not shy away from. Awash in a world that gets more perverse the further one goes, the screenplay’s direction goes to surprising places that are as commendable as they are inspiring. It’s atypical, to be surprised by a film’s choices in its characters’ journeys- and enjoyable. To miss out on a film so packed with originality, laughs, and an actual viewpoint on how the end could justifies the means, there is simply no defence for.

Rating:

4/5

Trailer: Click Here.

Zombieland 2: Double Tap

2019’s Zombieland 2: Double Tap, directed by Ruben Fleischer.

Starring Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin, Zoey Deutch, Rosario Dawson, Avan Jogia, Luke Wilson, Thomas Middleditch, and Bill Murray.

What is it about?

Set in the present after a zombie apocalypse, mankind is an endangered species and far flung in between masses of zombie hordes. Survivors Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), Wichita (Emma Stone), and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) return to kick more zombie ass and argue with one another. But after a successful occupation of the now defunct White House, the group begins to grow restless. Little Rock wants to spread her wings and enjoy her young adulthood, while Wichita chafes from the proposed affections of Columbus. It leads to Little Rock going missing after meeting an unemployed pacifist who at one point attended college, and the group travels across hostile territory find her. They add to their ranks when they stumble across Madison (Zoey Deutch), who despite her humble origin story may be more resilient than the gang believes, and the zombie hijinks continue as the group tries to find Little Rock in Babylon.

Why is it worth seeing?

No zombie/borderline horror franchise celebrates the value of rules as much as Zombieland. Peppered throughout the pair of outings, literally on the screen, are the various commands that the more nebbish characters embrace to not only stay alive, but pay homage to the countless zombie films that came before it, and maintain that dorky sense of je ne sais quoi, that it so fervently cherishes. As the film’s opening credits establish, there is no greater fun than that of the brain bashing of the undead, and several times the film depicts the grisly individual acts that warrant such frivolous awards such as Zombie Kill of the Year. Despite a film featuring a great deal of squashed brains, it’s best not to think about it too hard- you may develop a headache from the lack of gray matter. You could also miss some of the laughs.


Allegedly chief among the evolution that the film pays homage to, is that of developing zombies. Explaining lovingly (and graphically) in the beginning of the film, we see that the zombies have developed into smarter and faster versions of themselves. In theory, it should up the stakes- but little seems to disturb the gang’s happy go lucky vibes. That is, until the comedic highlight of the middle act- the introduction of Tallahassee and Columbus’ semi-clones, that of Albuquerque (Luke Wilson), and Flagstaff (Thomas Middleditch). The resulting conversations, mediated by Nevada (a welcome Rosario Dawson), are comedic gold. Also pleasurable, is Zoey Deutch’s take on the character of Madison. While initially her valley girl mannerisms are enough to grate one’s teeth, she grows on you and is highly underrated.

In fact, for a (at times) gory zombie film, it’s surprising how much love there is for the human characters. While it’s commonplace to feature the running undead getting deader from the living than ever through various violent techniques, the sequel has great love for humans of all stripes. However misleading, its tacit mission statement may be as well meaning as the no weapons rule of the hippy cult the characters find themselves trapped in. It’s sweet to see- and further throws into contrast other zombie IP that focuses more on the realistic implications of what a zombie apocalypse (lonely, desperate, and brutal comes to mind) would bother to look and feel like.  


Packed with images of zombies lovingly getting disemboweled and squashed, don’t bother thinking about the gaggle of logistics and real world impossibilities of the film (it has to set a world record for longest scenes of people driving without actually looking at the road, and I’m not sure how electricity still works), not to mention casting challenges (such as Jesse Eisenberg being charming, Emma Stone being jealous and sarcastic, and Woody Harrellson trying to convince us he’s physically up for the rigours of going up and down stairs)- instead, stay for the film’s love of its characters, the welcome comedic banter, and end credit’s Garfield tribute. You’ll never want to get Murray’d again.

Rating:

3.5/5

Trailer: Click Here.