The Hide (2008)

Movie quotes:
"I’m not caged. I’m not a hemmed-in man."
- Roy

At a glance:
Director Marek Losey’s freshman film is a tense character study of two men from opposite ends of the class spectrum who form a strange relationship during the short time they spend together in a claustrophobic bird-watching hide

Our review (with spoilers):
There’s the consummate clash of cultures in The Hide, a movie that takes place completely inside a bird-watching hide on mud flats somewhere in England. Stuck-up, better-than-thou ornithologist Roy Tunt (Alex Macqueen) has his quest to tick off every known species of bird interrupted by David (Phil Campbell), a rough, lower class mystery man with an obviously troubled soul (even if we weren’t privy to his bizarre flashbacks). At first, Roy seems arrogant yet innocent, and David, gulping from a bottle of vodka and scratching his head with passion, looks like he is about to explode in anger and violence. Despite their cultural differences, they find a way to communicate and to enjoy – and need – each other’s company – although why they need each other is not immediately clear.

(Note: Do NOT read any further if you have not yet seen this film). Director Marek Losey plays with stereotypes to lead us in a certain direction, then abruptly pulls the rug out from under us. One man is obviously troubled but harmless to others. Another is hiding his sins, and, by design, is extremely dangerous.

The Hide is a bean counter’s dream. There are only two actors, and virtually the entire film takes place inside a small bird blind (hide). Losey proves that you do not need expensive sets, fireballs, or big name actors to create a mini-masterpiece.

Rating:  3 of 4

Other reviewers said:
"One claustrophobic location, two men, a relationship that shifts with the flood tide... and a film that far exceeds the limitations imposed by its low budget and small scale."
- Anton Bitel (Eye for Film)

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007)

Hank (Ethan Hawke): Well, Bobby said that he needed to rent a car, but that he did, uh, this was Friday night, and he didn’t have a credit card, so I told him that I would rent him a car and – I owed him some money – that’s, that’s it, I swear – I’m so sorry.
Chris (Aleksa Palladino): So what – so, you’re lieing? If Bobby wanted a car, he would have fucking stolen one!

Andy (Philip Seymour Hoffman): The thing about real estate accounting is that you can, you can, add down the page or across the page and everything works out. Everyday, everything adds up. The, the total is always the sum of its parts. It's, uh, clean. It's clear. Neat, absolute. But my life, it, uh, it doesn't add up. It, uh... Nothing connects to anything else. It's, uh... I'm not, I'm not the sum of my parts. All my parts don't add up to one... to one me, I guess.
Justin (Blaine Horton): Get a shrink or a wife.
Andy: Uh, I got a wife.
Justin: Get a shrink.

At a glance: Veteran director and legend Sydney Lumet returns at age 83 to direct this torrid, unappealing, but highly rated crime drama, where perhaps the world’s most dysfunctional family gets to smother the screen for 2 hours.

(SPOILER ALERT) Hank (Ethan Hawke) is a divorced dad with money issues. His brother Andy (Philip Seymour Hoffman) hatches a plan to rob their parent’s jewelry store. Hank has never done this kind of thing before, so he enlists the help of Bobby (). Bobby has done this kind of thing before; he brings along a handgun and an attitude. When he sees Hank’s disguise, he says he will do the heist alone, just asking Hank to drive instead. We learn early that the robbery is a failure; later, we find out just how much of a failure it is on so many levels. Then, through trips back in time, we see why people did what they did. Hank seems like the one with problems, but although Andy looks like he’s got it all under control, it is he that is embezzling, using hard drugs, and trying to save his failed marriage to Gina (Marisa Tomei). The deliberate pacing may not appeal to all viewers, nor will the fact that there is not one character with any redeeming quality (other than perhaps how good Marisa Tomei looks when she is topless). This is my first exposure to Hoffman, although I have had Capote on my to-view list for some time. And I wish I had watched it before this, as I believe Hoffman’s acting may be somewhat of an acquired taste that may come off as overacting at first glance. On that subject, virtually everyone overacts and pulls faces, especially Hawke – this is not subtle direction for the most part. By the way, Hawke has matured less than gracefully and and is looking very Nick Nolte-ish. There are moments and styles that I liked about the film – for example, the way Justin (Blaine Horton), Andy’s waifish heroin injector, is always filmed from a distance, with his face turned at an angle to the camera, to emphasize his status as a non-entity. Generally, however, I found it too distasteful and overwrought. Note that this film has generally received excellent reviews, so I’m going against the norm by rating it so poorly. Rating: 2 of 4

"Marisa's bored and frustrated sexpot trophy wife is pretty much kept around in the movie just for occasional guy sexual satisfaction, in Sid Lumet's human cesspool of murky madness."
- Prairie Miller (NewsBlaze)

"Marked by hammy performances and outlandish revelations, Sidney Lumet's film can barely hold a candle to his greatest work."
- Wesley Lovell (Oscar Guy)

"Bleak, brutal and quite possibly brilliant, this is a triumphant return to form for Lumet and further proof that Hoffman is on an incredible winning streak."
- Helen OHara (Empire Magazine)

The Prestige (2006)

Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman): I never thought I'd find an answer at the bottom of a pint glass.
Cutter (Michael Caine): Hasn't stopped you looking, has it?

Sarah Borden (Rebecca Hall): Alfred I can't live like this!
Alfred Borden Christian Bale): Well, what do you want from me?
Sarah: I want... I want you to be honest with me. No tricks, no lies, no secrets.
[pause]
Sarah: Do you... do you love me?
Alfred Borden: Not today. No.

"You always were the better magician. We both know that. Whatever your secret was, you have to agree, mine is better."
- Robert Angier (to AlfredBorden)

Alfred Borden: Everything's going to be alright, because I love you very much.
Sarah Borden: Say it again.
Alfred Borden: I love you.
Sarah Borden: Not today.
Alfred Borden: What do you mean?
Sarah Borden: Well some days it's not true. Maybe today you're more in love with magic. I like being able to tell the difference, it makes the days it is true mean something.

Alfred Borden: I love you.
Sarah Borden: You mean it today.
Alfred Borden: Of course.
Sarah Borden: It just makes it so much harder when you don't.

Hanging Officer: Do you have anything to say?
Alfred Borden: Abracadabra.

At a glance: This period piece about feuding magicians is so much more than the sum of its parts. It has science, magic, surprises, and mysteries to be solved by those willing to watch closely. Director Christopher Nolan (Batman Begins) has once again created a captivatingly layered story.

In the 19^th century, two friendly magicians (Robert Angier, played by Hugh Jackman; and Alfred Border, played by Christian Bale) become enemies when Borden may or may not have accidentally killed Angier’s wife by tieing her hands incorrectly while she was part of an underwater magic trick. Angier becomes obsessed at both besting Borden as a magician, and destroying his personal life. Like two pig-headed countries, the battle slowly escalates, with neither willing to put an end to hostilities, and both insisting on striking back in retaliation. The story is told in real time, and is narrated by Borden and Angier reading each other’s stolen diaries. There are movements back and foreward in time to tell the story most effectively. There is imagery, such as when (SPOILERS) Sarah Borden hangs herself amid the birds hanging in cages. Along the way, we get to follow a rich plot with a few surprises. We learn a few behind the scenes tricks of the magician’s trade. The story is captivating, but does require that the viewer suspend their disbelief a bit. It worked for me, having just recently read about the crazed genius of Nikola Tesla. The real-life Tesla/Edison rivalry is a fascinating obsessive story in itself. It is only touched upon here, but someone will film it someday. Good supporting work by Michael Caine – again, and some quirky casting with David Bowie as Tesla. One scene that for some reason didn’t work for me as well as I thought it would was the final scene between Borden and Angier (especially Jackman’s lines and delivery). Rating: 3.5 of 4

"An example of old-fashioned storytelling, the kind of magical movie that could have been made fifty years ago and, consequently, will still be watched fifty years from now."
- Brian Tallerico (UGO)

"It's quite a movie -- atmospheric, obsessive, almost satanic."
- Roger Ebert (Chicago Sun-Times)

"Nolan balances Hollywood and indie sensibilities pulling off a film that is smart, complicated and carries a big look."
- Ryan Cracknell (Calgary Movies)

"Odd, but brilliantly so. It's a small film that feels big, a period drama that looks modern, defying comparison to anything but Nolan himself."
- Dan Jolin (Empire Magazine)

And Then There Were None (1945)

"Very stupid to kill the only servant in the house. Now we don't even know where to find the marmalade."
- Emily Brent (Dame Judith Anderson)

This 1945 oft-copied mystery set the bar for how to successfully film a whodunit, and includes suspense, intrigue, comedy, and even a little love story.

Eight guests and two hired helpers are invited/assigned to the sole house on an island, there to be accused of crimes and to be sentenced to death by their host, U. N. Owen (a code for ‘unknown’). In a plot structure oft-copied, they are killed off one-by-one by a seemingly hidden assassin. Each time someone dies, one of the ten Indian sculptures is removed from a table centerpiece. It’s sometimes hard to believe this movie was filmed in 1945. It contains quite a few techniques (like the characters looking at the camera) that must have been revolutionary, but are now passe. It also has a very low-key, offhanded mood that makes it feel more like a murder game than a real series of murders, especially since we never see any of the murders first-hand. Based on one of Agatha Cristie’s highest rated and most popular novels.  Rating: 2.75 of 4

"One of the supreme suspense films."
- Jeremy Heilman (MovieMartyr.com)

Breach (2007)

"One might propose that I am either insanely brave, or…quite insane. I’d answer neither. I’d say, ‘insanely loyal.’ Take your pick. There’s insanity in all the answers."
- Robert Hanssen (Chris Cooper)

At a glance: Beautiful prose and Chris Cooper’s captivating performance makes this almost poetic thinking person’s thriller captivating to watch, with the focus on the relationship and mental battle between an aspiring FBI agent and his seasoned boss.

Aspiring FBI trainee Eric (Ryan Phillippe) is assigned to work with and investigate Robert Hanssen (Chris Cooper), a highly successful veteran FBI agent who is suspected of being a sexual deviant. Although the agent (Laura Linney) who assigns him to the case assures him that Hanssen has been found with pornographic material on his computer and has been reported for questionable behavior by female co-workers, what Eric finds initially is an intelligent, brusque, conservative, and highly religious man who appears to value family and loyalty above all else. He gets even more confused when he finds out that Hanssen is due for mandatory retirement in two months anyway – so why is the bureau investigating him so vigorously? Eric is a sharp young man, but is he clever enough to match it with one of the most clever and intuitive agents in the bureau. Even if you are not patriotically involved in the cat and mouse story of catching an uber-traitor, you can still revel in the excellent prose, solid performances, and understated direction. Cooper is a powerful, captivating actor – he virtually stole Adaptation  - and, working with a magnificent, sometimes poetic script, his screen presence radiates brightly. There is also excellent supporting work by Laura Linney and Caroline Dhavernas. What it lacks in razzle-dazzle and fast-paced editing, it more than makes up for with character study and dialogue. A small, quiet success – but perhaps a little somber for some palates. Rating: 3 of 4

"In the face of such a towering performance from Cooper, Phillippe keeps his end up while Laura Linney, as his handler, delivers the kind of turn we’ve come to expect from one of America’s finest movie actresses."
- Daily Mirror –UK

"A sombre game of cat-and-mouse. What it lacks in genuine tension it amply compensates in the understated performances of the two leads."
- Anthony Quinn (Independent)

"The script is intelligent and Ray's direction solid...Performances are top-notch, especially from Cooper...and the low-key cinematography and music serve the material well."
- Doris Toumarkine (Film Journal International)