Lincoln Long but not Dry

Director Steven Spielberg takes on a tall order approaching a film centered on the 16th U.S. president on his quest for emancipation. And he fulfills his task quite well.

Set during the Civil War, president Abraham Lincoln (the uber talented Daniel Day-Lewis) plans a strategy with his Cabinet on how to convince the Republican party to vote for the 13th Amendment. This is problematic for the Southern states--ending slavery will free their labor force and dissipate their economy. Lincoln then faces the hurdles of which to end first: the war or slavery?  Ending slavery before the war will result in more fatalities on both sides. Ending the war before the 13th Amendment passes will kill it automatically; without the promise of ending the war, Republican House representative have no incentive for passing it.

Although the ominous presence of war is present during this film, Spielberg concentrates more on Lincoln's attempt towards emancipation and passing the 13th Amendment *spoiler alert: it does*. He also doesn't shy away from depicting Lincoln in a gentle nature. There are these quiet moments Lincoln shares with his son Tad (Gulliver McGrath), carrying him to bed, watching him play with wooden soldiers as he waits for the House's final vote, holding him after he hears the church bells' ring when the votes are tallied. He also appears aloof, yet wise at times, recounting stories--about Ethan Allen, telling his men what scares the shit out of radicals--he had once heard as if lost in a contemplative trance. This is where Day-Lewis shines. He becomes stern and upset when the situation requires him to, like when he argues with Mary Todd (Sally Field) about his lack of grievance over his son, but his tranquil moments are what stood out to me.

And with a running time of 150 minutes, Spielberg had plenty of time to showcase these moments. In moments without Lincoln, these long takes seemed unnecessary. And yet despite the film's length (and trust me I become restless after an hour) I found myself completely engaged from start to finish. There may have been a minute or two, at most, of war action depicted, but the real battle was in Washington, in heated debates between Thaddeus Stevens, Democrat, (Tommy Lee Jones) and Fernando Wood (Lee Pace), a slavery advocate. Lee Jones is just superb, he appears cold and disinterested, but he is perhaps the most passionate during these House debates going back and forth with Pace with witty banter and political rhetoric, even slimy Republicans are equal, Stevens shouts. Again, Spielberg could have done without showing so much, particularly when we see Jones come home with the Amendment. Sometimes less is more.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, playing Lincoln's son Robert, also felt unnecessary and underused. However as lengthy as the film was, it was not dry with performances. Lee Jones, Day-Lewis and Field were the clear attention grabbers here, but also worth mentioning were Jared Harris playing Ulysses S. Grant, Hal Holbrook playing a foul-mouthed Preston Blair and a always amusing James Spader playing W.N. Bilbo, a cohort of Lincoln trying to gather Amendment votes.

Visually, Lincoln was almost distracting in how beautiful it was. Spielberg teams up with D.P. Janusz Kaminski yet again and produce aesthetic awe. Everything from the production design (Rick Carter), costumes by Joanna Johnston, make up and overall look of the image were striking. The candle desk lamps that illuminated scenes added more depth and shadow to Lincoln's face, showing his age; during the end of the war Gen. Grant tells Lincoln how in the past year he has aged ten years. There's also a really nice shot in the beginning where we see Lincoln and Mary Todd's reflections in mirrors during a bedroom conversation.

Spielberg hasn't quite lived up to his reputation in past years, but Lincoln is a step in making up for it.

Rating: B+

Don't Mess with Hesher

     Whoever said modesty is the road to salvation, was fortunate enough never to share that road with Hesher.

     How do you describe someone who's rude, crude and above all else dangerous? Well, for starters, he's definitely not someone you'd want looking after your kids, but that's putting it lightly. Let's just say, he wouldn't qualify for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America any day of the week. However, that's exactly who Hesher (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) ends up becoming, a sort-of mentor to the film's protagonist, T.J.

     Struck with grief over the recent death of his mother, T.J. (Devin Brochu) is struggling to learn how to cope with the loss. His widowed father (Rainn Wilson, The Office) can't help him; he can barely take care of himself. And his sweet grandmother (Piper Laurie, Carrie) is too senile to understand the morbidity of the situation. He has no friends and is constantly being harassed at school. He eventually runs into Hesher, who, after much creepy stalking, eventually invites himself as a permanent house-guest with T.J. and his family.

     Soon after, his bad influence on T.J., quickly takes a toll on the rest of the family, as well. He swears profusely, smokes in the house, almost gets T.J. thrown in jail, commits arson on an almost daily basis and did I mention the swearing? Yeah, it's bad, but creative, might I add. "What's green and slimy, and smells like bacon?" Sorry, you're just going to have to figure this one out on your own.

     T.J. is young and confused, he needs some obvious guidance, but is unsure if his new friend/roommate/guy-I-should-have-called-the-cops-on-the-moment-he-stepped-in-my-house will be any help in his silent search for clarity and salvation. And during the film, I found myself asking the same question.

     T.J. is shy, a bit confused and needs direction. He wants to stand up for himself and learn to talk to the pretty cashier (Natalie Portman, Black Swan) at the local grocery store--that is if Hesher won't get in the way. Hesher's abrasive approach, mixed with his often malicious words of wisdom (and trust me, it's hard to watch sometimes) makes him a very dangerous influence. However, you begin to wonder if his approach isn't exactly what T.J. might need. It's a constant struggle throughout the film seeing which character will break first, but I promise you it's one worth watching.

     Hesher marks the directorial debut for Spencer Susser, who also wrote the script, along with David Michod, based on Brian Charles Frank's story. The tone of the film is dark and often depressing, but Susser and Michod's script adds some lively and creative dialogue through Hesher's character, which actually turns out to be some of the highlights of the film: wondering what he'll say next.

     At times, you wonder if you can take the film seriously with all of the snarky and obscene remarks, but then remember you're watching Gordon-Levitt playing this character and are well assured he can pull this off. And he does. And after his performance in Mysterious Skin, there should be no doubt you're in good hands when watching one of his films. Also, worth mentioning is Wilson's sensitive, yet solid performance, which is a big departure from his t.v. character (no mustard-yellow shirts were worn during this movie).

     Whether you love Hesher or hate him (and you'd have plenty of reasons to) you can't help but want everything to turn out okay. You start to see that underneath all the layers there's a real person in there and hope he ends up saving himself, while "helping" T.J. and his family.

Rating: B+

50/50 makes cancer a laughing matter

     This cancer-comedy beats the odds and effortlessly intertwines the morbid aspects of being diagnosed with cancer all while poking fun at it at the same time.

     Inspired by a true story, 50/50 tells the story of a young twenty-something discovering he has cancer. Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Inception) is Adam, a radio journalist, who recycles, doesn't smoke and doesn't drive because automobile accidents are the fifth leading cause of death (ironically, cancer is the second). After discovering, he has a rare form of spine cancer with only a 50 percent chance of survival rate, Adam continues trying to lead a normal life as best he can. His girlfriend Rachael, played by the stunning Bryce Dallas Howard (Eclipse) agrees to stay in the relationship and take care of him. His best-friend Kyle, Seth Rogen (Knocked Up), is shocked, but eases the tension by being the foul-mouth, comic-relief of the film. And after telling his mother, the oh-so talented Anjelica Huston, of his newly discovered tumor, ignores her calls and attempts to form a close relationship, urging her he is going to be okay.

     However, Adam soon discovers the grim realities of living with cancer, when he begins his chemotherapy sessions. The pain is intolerable, his nights are restless and it's hard to focus on anything, however he continues denying his situation is not anything other than fine. It's clear he's in denial, but his attitude towards his disease is soon challenged when he goes to see a therapist, played by the quirky, yet adorable Anna Kendrick (Up In The Air). The fact that his therapist is younger than him and not even out of school yet, does not help her case towards trying to help Adam accept the graveness of his illness (but boy, does she try). It's awkward at first, but seeing Adam open up to her and us seeing how smitten Kendrick is that she is helping him get there shows how well the two actors play off each other, but also makes it hard to watch when Adam refuses to open up too much. It's not hard to predict a break-down is well on its way.

     The film evenly balances the heavy issues associated with a possible terminal illness with the lighter side. In what is perhaps one of film's most memorable scenes, Adam--after much urging--takes a macaroon laced with marijuana from one of his chemo-buddies and walks out the hospital, while having a few laughs at what most would not consider amusing things to laugh at. Seth Rogen's character is the Yang to Adam's Yin and both actors balance each other very well. Kyle's witty and profane banter never ceases when he's on screen and adds much needed humor. Despite Kyle's remarks (and they are pretty funny), the film is constantly reminding us of Adam's impending fate throughout the film. As funny as his situation can be, when the situation gets dark there is little to find amusing.

     Director Jonathan Levine (The Wackness) marks only his third film with a pleasant atmosphere. He is able to tell the story of a cancer-patient without it being too somber that it overwhelms you with grief. He keeps it evenly paced and light-hearted, but never lets us forget the seriousness of what is going on. Will Reiser contributed (in more ways than one) by writing and producing the film. His humorous script is never dull and paces itself quite well. As crazy as the situations Adam finds himself can get, the film also has a genuine realism to it that I found more pronounced in the therapy sessions with Kendrick.

     Without giving too much away, the film is a clever balance of non-stop laughs intertwined with truly heartbreaking scenes. The shining moments in the film rest entirely on this amazing group of actors and seeing each one of them deal with Adam's cancer and how it affects them individually, as well. Gordon-Levitt excels in this role, as he does all his others, and makes us sympathetic towards his character's illness and well-being from the beginning and even well after the film has ended.

Rating: A-