Joaquin Phoenix

NAPOLEON: but didn’t they name a complex after this guy?

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Photo caption: Joaquin Phoenix in NAPOLEON. Courtesy of AppleTV.

Of all living filmmakers, Ridley Scott would seem the most well-equipped to pull off a boundless EPIC, but his Napoleon, other than three spectacular battle scenes and a little sex, is boring, underwhelming and a little confounding. As The Wife said exiting the theater, it’s a slog, and she wasn’t referring to the winter retreat from Moscow.

For better or worse, Napoleon covers Napoleon Bonaparte’s entire public career – from his emergence in 1793 at age 24 to the beginning of his final captivity on St. Helena in 1815 at the age of 46. It’s kinda like a college survey course in the Napoleonic Era. Napoleon’s historical accuracy is solid, and, for a Hollywood movie, remarkably unusual.

Even with a running time of 2 hours and 38 minutes, there’s a lot of ground to cover. He did fight 61 battles, and it took the SEVENTH Coalition of opposing nations to defeat him. So, we get the briefest of glimpses of Napoleon’s mother, his second wife and other major figures in his life and times.

Here’s what is great about Napoleon – three extraordinarily spectacular battle scenes, depicting the Siege of Toulon, and the famous Battles of Austerlitz and Waterloo. They are amazing to watch, and the first two help us to understand Napoleon’s military genius (and the third, Wellington’s military genius). A segment of Austerlitz where Napoleon orders cannon fire to break the ice under enemy forces is one of greatest and most unforgettable battle scenes in cinema history.

Napoleon also does a pretty fair job with the the relationship between Napoleon (Joaquin Phoenix) and his first wife Josephine (Vanessa Kirby). It was a very uncomplicated one: he was utterly captivated by and devoted to her, and she just wasn’t that IN to him. Josephine was a survivor and an adventuress, who navigated through her misogynistic environment with a gift for canny manipulation. He finds that even making her an empress isn’t enough to quell her promiscuity. Phoenix and Kirby do a good job with this part of the story.

But, oddly for a biopic, Napoleon fails to help us understand Napoleon. Sure, he’s ambitious from the start, but why? And why does he need to keep conquering, at the risk of overreaching and losing everything? After all, didn’t they name a complex after this guy?

Joaquin Phoenix was so vivid as Johnny Cash in Walk the Line, as Commodus in Gladiator, and as Freddie in The Master; he was so original and authentic in Her and C’mon C’mon. But, in Napoleon, his performance doesn’t unwrap the package of Napoleon’s psyche. I can’t say it’s Phoenix’a fault, but the collaboration between Phoenix, Scott and screenwriter David Scarpa doesn’t pay off.

Scott does point out in an end title that 3 million lost their lives during the Napoleonic Wars, which raises the question, to what end? This guy with an insatiable appetite for power and conquest was starting wars with some twits who had been born into underserved monarchy.

Here’s a random digression from the movie Napoleon. Was Napoleon’s military prowess overrated? This is ironic, because Napoleon rose on his merits. But the forces he was defeating were led by royalty and aristocrats, who were given command of armies, not by their own training and demonstrated skills, but by the accident of birth. Alexander I of Russia, for example, started out as an immature, headstrong nitwit and aged into a fullblown nutcase. Maybe Napoleon was analogous to MLB Hall of Famers who never had to face black ballplayers. Hmmm.

Napoleon is now in theaters, and will stream on AppleTV on a date TBD.

C’MON C’MON: parenting, even an adorable kid, is hard

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Photo caption: Joaquin Phoenix and Woody Norman in C’MON C’MON. Courtesy of A24.

In the charming and authentic C’mon C’mon, Joaquin Phoenix plays a well-intentioned, emotionally intelligent guy who gets an immersion course in parenting.

Phoenix plays Johnny, an NPR-style radio journalist whose current project is interviewing children, getting their views on their world, their parents and our future. Johnny is really good with his subjects, but he is not responsible for the 24/7 welfare of these kids.

His Los Angeles sister Viv (Gaby Hoffman) has to deal with an out-of-town emergency, so she asks Johnny tocome from New York and watch her nine-year-old son Jesse (Woody Norman) for a couple days. The emergency becomes extended, and Johnny takes Jesse back home to New York with him, and then on an assignment in New Orleans.

Fortunately, Jesse enjoys using Johnny’s professional sound equipment for recording the ambient sounds of Venice Beach’s Ocean Front Walk, a skate park, the bustling NYC streets, Central Park and a New Orleans street parade.

But Jesse’s life has been disrupted, and Johnny learns that parenting a kid whose life has been disrupted is hard. Jesse may be just a kid, but he’s more than a match for Johnny.

C’mon C’mon is written and directed by Mike Mills, who makes a feature film every five or so years: 2005’s Thumbsucker, 2010’s Beginners (Christopher Plummer won a Supporting Actor Oscar) and 2016’s 20th Century Women (Mills was nominated for a screenwriting Oscar). I wish his movies came more often. Mills is interested in making films for adults about inter-family issues.

Joaquin Phoenix is utterly believable as this well-intentioned and sympathizing character. Phoenix has never been more relatable. One critic had even described him as “endearing” (Joaquin Phoenix?) and, surprisingly, that adjective fits.

Woody Norman, a kid absolutely brimming with personality, plays Jesse.

Gaby Hoffman is excellent in a far less neurotic role than the ones she often gets; her Viv is a solidly competent working mom who is highly-stressed and then even more highly-stressed.

C’mon C’mon is playing in theaters.

IRRATIONAL MAN: not bad, but empty

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IRRATIONAL MAN
Joaquin Phoenix and Parker Posey in IRRATIONAL MAN

Woody Allen’s latest, Irrational Man, is about a burn-out who revives his joie de vivre by committing a very grave crime, in the process self-administering a shot of metaphorical adrenaline.  That’s all there is in Irrational Man, an entirely plot-driven movie.  Skip it.

To be sure, as one would expect with a Woody Allen movie, it is well-acted.  Joaquin Phoenix plays the kind of iconoclastic academic whose womanizing and drinking was part of his dashing charm until he sagged into middle age.  The ever-lively Parker Posey is a faculty member who is bored with her life and her marriage.  Emma Stone plays the precocious but impressionable coed.  Besides the cast, the best thing about Irrational Man is the music, especially a wonderfully raucous version of The In Crowd by the Ramsey Lewis Trio.

Here’s my discussion on Woody Allen and his filmmaking career.  Despite Irrational Man, I’m a fan.

[SPOILER ALERT:  I don’t understand how it’s possible to make a non-exciting movie scene centered around Russian Roulette, but we don’t even momentarily cringe at this one.  Maybe it’s the combination of having to explain what Russian Roulette IS (to a character who had somehow made it to college without hearing of Russian Roulette), and then having the ONE CHARACTER who we all know is going to make it to the climax of the movie pull the trigger at the mid-point.  Yawn.]

Stream of the Week: INHERENT VICE

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Joaquin Phoenix and Josh Brolin in INHERENT VICE
Joaquin Phoenix and Josh Brolin in INHERENT VICE

Adapted by Paul Thomas Anderson from a Thomas Pynchon novel, Inherent Vice is a funny and confused amble through pot-besotted 1970 Los Angeles.  Joaquin Phoenix plays a bottom-feeding private eye who is contacted by an old girlfriend and, of course, finds himself knocked out and implicated in a murder.  Thus begins a plot so convoluted that it makes The Big Sleep look as linear as a Bud Light commercial.

We meet a wide array of characters with names like Dr. Buddy Tubes, Japonica Fenway and Puck Beaverton.  We hear sly wit along with seeing low brow sight gags (nose-picking. etc.).  There are funny lines, as when Phoenix’s pothead detective is described as “You smell like a patchouli fart”.  Perhaps the funniest moment is when our addled hero writes himself a note in block letters: “NOT HALLUCINATING”.

Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon, Benicio Del Toro, Eric Roberts, Jeannie Berlin, Jena Malone, Maya Rudolph and Martin Short all pop up in Inherent Vice, and Joaquin Phoenix is as good as one would expect.  The most memorable performances, though are by Josh Brolin and Katharine Waterston.  Brolin is hilarious as a flat-topped hardass cop.  Waterston plays the former girlfriend, Inherent Vice’s female lead, and she pretty much captivates every scene that she’s in.  Musician Joanna Newsom, who also plays a minor character, narrates very effectively.

Paul Thomas Anderson (Hard Eight, Boogie Nights, Punch-Drunk Love, The Master) is a brilliant filmmaker, and Inherent Vice gets the time and place just right, with an especially evocative color palette.

It’s mildly entertaining all the way through, but never compelling.  And all the way through is two hours and twenty-eight minutes – not really a slog, but you’re never on the edge of your seat.  And you’re certainly not going to think about it tomorrow.

I finally got around to watching Inherent Vice on DirecTV PPV.  It’s also streaming on Amazon Instant Video, iTunes, Vudu, YouTube, Google Play, Xbox Video and Flixster.

DVD/Stream of the Week: Her

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her1Her, the latest from writer-director Spike Jonze is about as inventive at his Being John Malkovitch – and that’s really saying something. Joaquin Phoenix stars as a lonely guy fascinated by his breathtakingly intuitive new computer operating system (voiced by Scarlett Johannson). This new operating system is SO intuitive that it molds itself to please him, constantly fine tuning itself into the image of his ideal companion – and he falls in love.

It’s set in a technologically not-so-distant future (but far enough in the future that everyone in LA lives and works in highrises and takes transit, even to the beach). Along with the absurd premise, Jonze sprinkles in some brilliantly funny touches. There’s a blind date with a knockout (Olivia Wilde) that spirals out of control with stunning suddenness. There’s an inspired bit with a waitperson interrupting the diners with “How’s everything?” (one of my personal pet peeves) at precisely the most awkward moment possible. A video game figure is cuddly looking but shockingly abusive. Here’s one more sly touch – a future male fashion of awkwardly high-waisted pants. Lots of smart laughs.

Her is one of the more thought-provoking films of the year – why did the main character’s most recent relationship fail? Does he really know what he wants and needs? Can he give enough to make a reciprocal relationship work?

Joaquin Phoenix is very good, as are Wilde, Kirsten Wiig, Chris Pratt, Rooney Mara and Amy Adams. Scarlett Johannson, however, is a revelation; equipped only with her husky voice, she dominates the film. It’s an extraordinary performance.

All this being said, Her is not a perfect film – it drags in places. But between Johannson’s performance and Jonze’s wacky but thought-provoking story, Her is a winner – and on my Best Movies of 2013.  Her is available on DVD from Netflix and streaming from Amazon, iTunes, Vudu, YouTube, Google Play and Xbox Video.

Her: boy meets operating system

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her1Her, the latest from writer-director Spike Jonze is about as inventive at his Being John Malkovitch – and that’s really saying something.  Joaquin Phoenix stars as a lonely guy fascinated by his breathtakingly intuitive new computer operating system (voiced by Scarlett Johannson).  This new operating system is SO intuitive that it molds itself to please him, constantly fine tuning itself into the image of his ideal companion – and he falls in love.

It’s set in a technologically not-so-distant future (but far enough in the future that everyone in LA lives and works in highrises and takes transit, even to the beach).  Along with the absurd premise, Jonze sprinkles in some brilliantly funny touches.  There’s a blind date with a knockout (Olivia Wilde) that spirals out of control with stunning suddenness.  There’s an inspired bit with a waitperson interrupting the diners with “How’s everything?” (one of my personal pet peeves) at precisely the most awkward moment possible.  A video game figure is cuddly looking but shockingly abusive.  Here’s one more sly touch – a future male fashion of awkwardly high-waisted pants.  Lots of smart laughs.

Her is one of the more thought-provoking films of the year – why did the main character’s most recent relationship fail?  Does he really know what he wants and needs? Can he give enough to make a reciprocal relationship work?

Joaquin Phoenix is very good, as are Wilde, Kirsten Wiig, Chris Pratt, Rooney Mara and Amy Adams.  Scarlett Johannson, however, is a revelation; equipped only with her husky voice, she dominates the film.  It’s an extraordinary performance.

All this being said, Her is not a perfect film – it drags in places.   But between Johannson’s performance and Jonze’s wacky but thought-provoking story, Her is a winner – and on my Best Movies of 2013.

The Master: a visual and acting masterpiece that fizzles out

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This ultimately unsatisfying film is a visual masterpiece with an extraordinary performance by Joaquin Phoenix.  It’s also a brilliant depiction of alcoholism.  But the story fizzles out like a spent Roman candle.  With all of its achievements, it’s hard for me to imagine The Master pleasing more than the narrowest audience.

The story is about an emotionally troubled WW II vet (Joaquin Phoenix) who drifts through post-war America, leaving social carnage in his wake.  His only success is in making moonshine out of available ingredients ranging from torpedo fuel to paint thinner.  He happens upon the charismatic and manipulative author of a new path for seekers (Philip Seymour Hoffman), and the two men forge a bond.  The leader enjoys the drifter’s moonshine and, when he needs a thug,  harnesses the younger man’s rage.  The drifter finds someone who seems to care about him, who offers a place and a sense of belonging.

Phoenix’s performance as Freddie Quell is one of the best of the century.  Phoenix took some risks with the physicality of the performance, employing a hunch and a scowl that could have been too much, but instead help create a flawless performance.  Freddie can stand quietly at the back of a room filled with people and fidget just enough so you absolutely know that he’s trouble.

Freddie is a damaged soul who self-medicates with alcohol.  Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal of his compulsion to drink and the inevitably unhappy (and sometimes lethal) consequences makes for one of the best ever movie portraits of an alcoholic.

(Two scenes of Freddie’s experience at a military hospital for battle traumatized vets are lifted directly from the brilliant John Huston documentary Let There Be Light, which I have written about and which you can watch for free on-line.)

Philip Seymour Hoffman is superb as the charismatic charlatan.  Amy Adams and the rest of the cast give uniformly excellent performances.

Every single shot has been carefully composed, framed and photographed in especially beautiful 65 mm.  The story takes place in the early 1950s, and every period detail is perfect.  You could use any 100 shots from this film and make one glorious coffee table book.

The Master has been perhaps the years most awaited movie for two reasons.  First, the Philip Seymour Hoffman character is inspired by L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of controversial and ever litigious Scientology.  But the movie is really the story of the young transient (Phoenix’s character), and the cult created by Hoffman’s character is merely the setting.

Second, it was written and directed by acclaimed filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson (Hard Eight, Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Punch-Drunk Love, There Will Be Blood).  Since the fun and accessible Boogie Nights, Anderson has been specializing in critically anointed films that are not that audience-friendly.  This time, Anderson has done his best job of directing, but the movie fails because his screenplay peters out.

I would happily invest two hours and 17 minutes into a good story that looks this good and is about a character this compelling.  In the first half of the movie, I was on the edge of my seat, wondering “What will Freddie do next and what will happen to him?”.  Unfortunately, the last half of the film takes Freddie a few thousand miles with very little dramatic payoff.  So, like a boat inexpertly tied to the dock,  the movie drifts in and out and bangs against the pilings.  This could have been a masterpiece, but you need a good story to make one of those.