It had been a long time since there was a sports based film that has had a lot of acclaim when “The Fighter” came out last year. Many look back to “Raging Bull”, “Rocky” and the original “The Great White Hope” as its inspiration for making it such a great film with a story that any can relate too. Times have changed and boxing is not as popular now as it was 10 years ago. A new gladiator has stepped up its game in the form of MMA, Mixed Martial Arts. Gavin O’Conner (Pride and Glory, Miracle) has walked into the octagon to change your mind about these individuals and why they may stand the test of time with “Warrior”.

Tommy has just come home from the war in Afghanistan and Brendon is a high school teacher. Two brothers separated when their mom took Tommy away to get as far from their alcoholic father as possible. Both are battling life in different ways. Brendon with trying to make ends meet in a downturn economy and Tommy fighting the ravages and a secret of the war. Both have the ability to fight as Brendon was once an up and coming professional fighter in the UFC and Tommy an undefeated Greco wrestler. How do you make ends meet? What path will they take to get to the ultimate prize? All is at stake. Life will be tested. Family will be stretched and broken as two men are on course to fight for the largest cash reward in MMA history.

Before you shrug this off and think the film is wrought with fighting and blood, as many MMA fights I have watched are, you will miss one of the best stories written. In a time when I am seeing too many remakes of films O’Conner along with Anthony Tambakis and Cliff Dorfmam have put you in the audience to look deep inside these two men that have had different lives yet still share similar same pains. The one catalyst between these two men is their father, who in his own right was a great boxer at one time, but was an alcoholic and favored Tommy growing up. That left Brendon, the oldest, always trying to prove himself.

These three writers get it in your head right from the start that this is not a film about MMA but a film, a story about paths we take. O’Conner takes it the next step by adding his creative directing and giving you the gritty aspect that you could be involved with someone just like these people. It is heartfelt in the presentation you see before you.

The delivery of this story is exuded in the performance by a stunning cast. Joel Edgerton (King Arthur, Kinky Boots) is Brendon, the eldest son of Paddy Conlon played by the everlasting Nick Nolte (Cape Fear, 48 Hours) and Tom Hardy (Inception, Bronson) is the troubled Tommy.

Edgerton shows such passion and want as a father trying not to be what he grew up with. Jennifer Morrison (House, Star Trek) plays opposite Edgerton as his wife Tess, the strong willed, ‘we’ll make it happen’ kind of person that brings out the best in Edgerton’s portrayal as Brendon. The dynamic of these two actors really sells to the audience that this could happen and may be happening to someone right now. Their troubles are mirrors of American society right now.

When it came to casting Hardy as the antagonist, O’Conner hit it right on the nail. You cannot deny Hardy is a physical monster of an actor and I’m not just talking his body. His range of emotions may be subtle at times but is perfect for this person who has so much pain hidden inside. He snaps in an instant from being calm to anger to jovial and pulls you with him to being angered at him then empathizing.

Tying these two together and keeping them apart is Nolte, a consummate actor who has had his share of acclaimed roles and personal tragedies. He steps in and draws upon his own reflection as someone who has seen it all, been on top and hit rock bottom, now trying to make his life meaningful and mend the past so that no one makes the same mistake.

These four actors make up for the bulk of the film with many others filling in to create a masterful story. Their interactions make you feel your own thoughts of times you may have been in their place. You want to reach in and grab and shake them to wake them up to reality.

Even the cinematography lends its part to draw breath of life before your eyes. O’Conner, having done “Miracle”, knew that the feel had to be gritty and real. When you watch the action sequences, yes there is MMA fighting so don’t worry you’ll see some blood, you are part of the fight. Some camera angles are POV, fast paced, capturing the emotion few are able to do so seamlessly.

I do applaud an amazing group of stunt artisans for putting your bodies on the line for a film that may very well give MMA the kick to be more main stream than ever before. I say that with all my heart. As a fellow stunt performer it is tough and demanding to do what these men do on a daily bases. To have your body thrown, wretched, slammed, hit and bruised is not something the everyday person could or would do.

This is an outstanding film. It is what all films should be in that it grabs you and does not let go the entire film. You can try and speculate the outcome but the evidence will keep changing so that you will be constantly thinking. You will cheer during the MMA bouts, you will grip your seat wanting to jump in and help. Grab your friends, your loved ones and go see this film. It is our generations “Rocky” if ever there was one.

Now to my life lesson or as I always do how this movie depicts today’s life. We are in a tough state in our country in that we are pulled in a war. A war on terrorism, poverty, greed, disasters, you name it and as a country we feel we have to be the hero to all. Tommy is dealing with that as a vet, coming home and having to find a way to make right a secret he has been keeping, all the while being the hero. Brendon is the hero trying to make ends meet and be the man of the house and not lose everything. Paddy is trying to be the hero to himself and be better now before it’s too late and he is lost to all. It is something we all reach for. We all want to be the hero. Stand tall and say we did it on our own. Life is not like that though. No one ever is the hero on their own. We are not comic book or film characters, we are human. We have flaws and strengths, moments of brilliance and lengths of failures. As an individual we can stand, as a group we can stand tall above all. When we draw upon our groups strength we mend the weaknesses and provide an unstoppable power, a power that can do good in anyone’s eyes. It is not about us versus them it is about us versus peace and understanding. We are groups of individuals, tribes, banding together to live to our best and be remembered in the end.

Live life loving and not hating, for then we can all have peace in ourselves.

Follow my entertainment adventures throughout Southern California on Twitter @SCThrillsMarc.

“You’re good and I’m bad. We’re made for each other.”

These are words of a young mobster, Pinkie, whispered to Rose, his recently acquired girlfriend, one night as he fights to win over her allegiance to him.  Pinkie’s remark is also an apt description of director Rowan Joffe’s relationship with the source material.  Unfortunately, neither are a perfect match for each other. “Brighton Rock” is a film noir with sparks of brilliance that reveal themselves every so often, but are ultimately left for naught by an inconsistent devotion to the story and mood, falling a measure short of captivating. 

If anything, “Brighton Rock” that will leave you with a sense of bewilderment, especially if this is your first encounter with the story, a literary classic, written in the 1938 by Graham Green.  There is a sudden murder, and then we are introduced to Pinkie, an up and coming 20-something mob member who is out on the power-hungry prowl in the coastal getaway of Brighton, England.  Looking for revenge against those who killed his fellow gang member, Pinkie, by complete coincidence involves a doe-eyed waitress, Rose.  This event slightly derails Pinkie’s focus on gaining control of his mob, and he instead must secure the affections of  Rose to keep her from revealing information that would incriminate him as a murderer.

What makes the film a challenge to decipher from the beginning is the lack of coherent characters or coherent dialogue.  There is that unavoidable fact that this is a film deeply steeped in British vocabulary and dramatics.  But that neither helps nor hurts, instead the problem lies in the the way that the leading characters are almost too loosely defined and too much is left up to the audience having to interpret their motivations and even their basic emotions.  

Although “Brighton Rock” starts with a shaky beginning, it does overtime gain some sanity thanks to the three unique lead performances.  Roses’ employer at the cafe, Ida Arnold, played by Helen Mirren, takes upon herself a motherly protectiveness of Rose and begins to try to loosen Pinkie’s death grip on Rose.  Mirren absolutely thrives in the role, portraying an older woman while exuding a certain youthful veracity that has been absent from many of her recent roles in other films.  She electrifies the space she is given in every scene, and as Mrs. Arnold, she achieves an odd neutrality, full of goodness and yet, is threatening. 

Both Sam Riley and Andrea Riseborough complement one another well as Pinkie and Rose. What is surprising is just how flat Riley’s interpretation of Pinkie feels in comparison to Risenbourough’s turn as Rose.  Her performance is by far the most nuanced – in one moment she an insecure girl hidden behind a pair of glasses, the next, she is a much darker vision of sexual appeal, a lady.  Where Rose is a constantly evolving personality, Pinkie never reaches that climatic spark where he fulfills the expectation of vile, violent mobster that the film keeps trying to convince us that he is. And this, is where the entire thing begins to fragment. 

Viewing ”Brighton Rock,” I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was witnessing the potential of a story, decorated with all the right elements, that never arrives. Time and time again, as Pinkie grows closer to Rose in a hideous way, the melodrama of their relationship ebbs and flows wonderfully. Then, in the very next scene it is immediately wiped away with another convoluted conversation or overbearing visual element. I was left exhausted, and my emotions never had a fair chance develop in response to a story that wanted desperately to be a beautiful tragedy. 

What works brilliantly in “Brighton Rock,” is the final thirty minutes.  Oddly detached from the rest of the movie, the last moments finely capture a mood and meaning that should have existed all along.  As Pinkie and Rose come to the pinnacle of their experience, and Mrs. Arnold grows closer to saving Rose, there is a symphony to their heartbreaking demise.  The film’s musical score is finally noticeable, as it carries us along in the emotionally-wrenching arch with the characters. Director Rowan Joffe tries to final tell us something that up to this point, has been lost somewhere under the rubble of the rest of the storyline.  It is about the power of miracles, those that come from faith, a faith in Rose that never faltered once as she trusted Pinkie.  It is a religious faith as much as a self-invented, misguided one.  The message works, and while the majority of the movie is a blur, we are left with a shot of Rose listening to a recording of Pinkie expressing his affection for her.  It is a delusional love, but in Rose’s case, it is as unadulterated as can be.  If only the rest of “Brighton Rock” wasn’t this deluded in it’s own lack of brilliance.

Whenever a new film is released that somehow involves elements of WWII, it seems more than ever the Holocaust is used to elicit knee-jerk emotion from the audience. Or when Nazis are situated as major characters of a story, they simply fulfill the role of the hideous villain.  “Captain America,” is a prime example of a film that takes a Nazi to a comic level as a villain wreaking havoc on the world. “The Debt” touches both on the Holocaust and those that inflicted that horror, that is as much an original thriller as it is a thought provoking commentary on overwhelming power of truth and reality.

In 1966, three Jewish Mossad secret agents were sent to East Berlin on a mission to locate and return to Israel an infamous Nazi, Dieter Vogel, known as the Surgeon of Berkenau, to stand trial for his crimes during WWII.  The movie begins in the present, 1997, where two of the former agents, Rachel (Helen Mirren) and Stephen (Tom Wilkinson) are reunited after being contacted by their third comrade, David (Ciaran Hinds).  Rachel’s daughter has just completed a book detailing the events of her mother’s heroism in the mission that took place 30 years ago. In a matter of hours, Rachel discovers that she must face her worst fears that has been following her ever since the day she left behind East Berlin.

The past is a character unto itself in the “The Debt.” Three decades younger, Rachel (Jessica Chastain) joins David (Sam Worthington) and Stephen (Marton Csokas) in East Berlin to help get close enough to their target, Vogel who is working at a women’s health clinic. The men are committed to the mission, but soon find themselves distracted by the added presence of a female. Each of them has their reason for wanting Vogel brought to justice, ranging from revenge to satisfaction. 

Jessica Chastain’s performance as the younger Rachel is the glue that binds the entire story together.  Rachel appears reserved yet below the surface is decisively strong and brutal.  This year has been Chastain’s coming out as an actress, thus far in “The Tree of Life,” and “The Help.” She matches her wonderful efforts in those films equally in “The Debt” as she creates a character that is both tender and brash.  As the older Rachel, Helen Mirren is no less impressive as she portrays an intensity that has only grown stronger through the 30 years since the original mission.

Following the capture of Vogel, the three Mossad agents are forced to take vigilant watch of their prisoner in a small apartment.  It is during these moments we experience up close the deep animosity that begins to take root in each of them.  Jesper Christiansen’s performance as Dieter Vogel is more than just disturbing, as he becomes evil incarnate.  David, Rachel, and Stephen all reach their own breaking point as the Nazi doctor creates a living hell for them using no more than a few short words and piercing glances.

“The Debt” hinges on the element of surprise and mystique that surrounds the order of events and the actual truth of what took place during the attempt to take down Vogel.  One pivotal scene in the story is seen more than once from different perspectives, altering the entire tone of the of the film near its halfway mark.  This movie is constructed as a thriller, and a violent, pulsating one at that.  Throughout the entire film, there is a subtle back and forth of deep moments of stillness and quiet followed by clamorous bouts of noise and physical harm, creating an continuous, highly charged atmosphere. And when the story has moments of genuine emotion and sensitivity there is a balance that never forced or simply injected.

There is no doubt that director John Madden’s vision for this story is what makes it work so cleanly.  “The Debt” feels like two distinctly different films perfectly sewn into one.  On one side is the sequences of 1966 where the characters go through immense turmoil and are permanently scarred by their experience.  The present is sort of a catharsis, as Rachel must once and for all close the chapter on a part of her life that has kept her unknowingly imprisoned and shackled. The movie carefully walks the line of playing cat and mouse with the audience, but never to a point that makes the film appear like it is touting its own brilliance or surprising the audience for the sake of shock value.

What “The Debt” is truly after is gradually asking the deeper questions that relate to people’s need for retribution, and the grey areas that exist between fact vs. fiction.  The resulting conclusion is compelling, and the film hardly ever misses a beat. At the end, Rachel is presented with a choice, a question: “Can the truth set you free?”  Thankfully, “The Debt” leaves that for us to decide.

I remember growing up and going to the movies with my cousins. Sometimes we would go see the movie we paid for and other times see something our parents didn’t want us too. ‘Fright Night’ was one of those movies. This was 1985 and it was to be a big deal to see this horror movie. I couldn’t sleep well for days thinking our neighbor was a vampire. I digress as it is 2011 and this is the new ‘Fright Night’, updated for a new generation and some fun for those of us fans of the original.

Director Craig Gillespie (Mr. Woodcock, Lars and the Real Girl) steps in with the original writer/director Tom Holland with Marti Nixon (I Am Number Four) to scare and poke fun anew.

Another forgetful day in Vegas, or is it? High school senior Charley and his hot girlfriend Amy are going to school as usual. But is everyone there? A few of their schoolmates haven’t been to school. Ed is Charley’s boyhood chum whom Charley doesn’t see too much anymore, something that tends to happen during high school. Ed has a theory as to why they are missing and needs Charley’s help. Ed knows the truth about Charley’s new neighbor, Jerry, he’s a vampire. With the help of Peter Vincent an occult Vegas magician and a little luck, Charley will save his mom, girlfriend and who knows along the way.

Gillespie has done an outstanding work that would make any horror buff proud. In a day where everyone is doing a remake, and not always in a good way, he has done justice to the integrity of Holland’s original. Even with the addition of 3D the story wills out over having to do the cheap 3D tricks. Yes there are a few but within the context they are shot they work very well. This can be attributed to Nixon who is no stranger to keeping a story in check and not getting out of line.

As the story is important, it takes actors to bring it to life in a talented and fun group of individuals. Charley is played by Anton Yelchin (Charlie Bartlett, Star Trek). His boyish looks lend to his ability to be that high school kid who is caught up in something way above his head. Playing the, everybody wants her, girlfriend Amy is Imogen Poots (Jane Eyre, Centurion). Poots is as in past films playing the part to a tee. I am still waiting for her to burst through doing good parts and hitting her potential.

Keeping the bit if comedy in the film is Ed, the ever persistent friend who knows what’s going on, is played by the always baby faced Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Superbad, Kick Ass). This is in no way downplaying Christopher’s acting skills. He is a consummate actor who is stereotyped as the ‘nerd/geek’ kid, very reminiscent of fellow actor Alan Ruck.

Yet this would not be the horror film without the villain, in this case, Jerry played by Colin Farrell (Alexander, Horrible Bosses). Farrell is just ultra creepy as Jerry. This is in no way a slap to the original actor Chris Sarandon who played Jerry and has a great cameo. Let’s just say payback is a…. Farrell has just been fantastic as of late when he can exude a deep dark thought and keep making it more and more edgy. You can see in his performance that he is enjoying the mind games he plays with Charley.

The film is chock full of talent supporting this cast and exciting film. Toni Collette (Little Miss Sunshine, The Sixth Sense) as Charley’s single mother who just wants the best for her son and David Tennant (Doctor Who) as Peter Vincent the occultist magician with a secret past.

Since this is a horror film it would be insensitive of me not to chat about the special effects, make up and all that went into keeping you wondering “what’s next”.  From the opening scene you are exposed to the mastery of a highly creative team. From the title trailing across the screen as fresh blood to the morphing of Farrell into the vampire, the attention to detail is prominent. It goes back to my note about the 3D, in that it was not over used and when it was it was not just to do it but do it with purpose. The music enthralls you and makes the hair on the back of your neck tingle. The gore factor is not overdone and helps draw you into the story.

As I have said, great applause to Gillespie and his team for taking the remake mantle and not doing a par level film. Taking the time and effort to make this film their own and bring to the theater a compelling horror film that stands on its own. Congrats to all of you for making a grown man jump in his seat.

Again this is a horror film set for the teens of today’s generation. For those of us who saw the original it is a great look at connecting with that generation. This is a coming of age story hidden in the hellish nightmare of confronting a vampire. Charley, even though still a child, is the man of his house must protect what he loves no matter the cost. Something a child should not have to do. The original took place at a time when there was a lot of single mom’s making headway in society, my mom being one of those mothers and I, just like Charley was the man of the house. Today’s film is still prominent as we are seeing the single mom take the fore front of our society again, this time maybe stronger than before. This means even more kids growing up faster than they should, like I did. This is not a bad thing, just a little tough when you lose a bit of your childhood because responsibilities stack up faster. As a child you should be able to enjoy the ability to be just that a child and not take on the full responsibilities of an adult until they truly need to be, after high school.

Follow my entertainment adventures throughout Southern California on Twitter @SCThrillsMarc.

Jackson Mississippi, the center hot bed of unrest during a movement which would come to change the US and the South forever… The Civil Rights Movement. In Jackson, the top of society are the ladies who lunch. Those beautiful Jr. League women who live for their bridge clubs, their charity events and of course being the top of the society pile. Children and household came second only to the latest hair and dress; those trifles they left to the silent, colored, partners who ran their homes, raised their babies and disappeared behind closed door into the evenings each night… the help.

Touchstone Pictures and DreamWorks Studios along with Imagination Abu Dhabi FZ bring you a film not to be missed, “The Help”, based on the most talked about and brilliantly written novel by the same name by Katheryn Stockett. Imagine in this world of beauty, grace, good manners and good breeding where these girls are brought up to believe that there is nothing more than being accepted and revered as society ladies. But just beneath this layer of beauty is the ugly reality of racism and bigotry against the black community of Jackson and the country. The Help, which raise their children, clean their houses and cook their meals, are treated as second class citizens, unimportant and mistreated. Yet they feel tied and obligated to serve their employers and the children which they come to love as their own.

Meet Skeeter (Emma Stone, Easy A, Super Bad), a girl in her early 20s who aspires to be a writer. She has been brought up in the world of Southern Society but has always felt she didn’t quite belong. As she begins her career as a columnist for the local paper she starts to really see the “friends” she’s grown up with for who they really are.  And what she sees is ugly. She begins a friendship, of sorts, with Aibileen Clark (Viola Davis, Nights in the Rodanth, Solaris) the black house maid/ nanny who’s raised 17 babies in her tenure as a household worker. She works for the neglectful Elizabeth Leefolt (Ahna O’Reily, The Vampire Diaries, Forgetting Sarah Marshall) who is more concerned with following in the footsteps of bully and society Queen Hilly Holbrook (Bryce Dallas Howard, The Village, Lady in the Water) who by all accounts is a Goddess and a monster.

Skeeter decides to challenge herself by beginning the process of writing a book based on the experiences of Jackson’s black maids and their hardships. This is met by fear, resistance and anonymity by the black women in this community. Skeeter, trying as hard as possible to get her book under way, believes in her project and convinces Aibileen to talk to her about her experiences both good and bad. After a particularly ugly incident between Hilly and her cook Minny (Octavia Spencer, Dinner for Shmucks, Wizards of Waverly Place) Skeeter and Aibileen are able to convince her to open up about her experiences as well. Between the three women there is an understanding that this must be kept secret as they are all worried about being lynched or shot by snipers at night. However, after the community is stunned at the arrest and assault of a fellow maid and neighbor who has been accused of theft by non other than Hilly Hollbrook herself the community comes together to tell all of their disturbing, tragic, hateful, and funny stories. What is born from this is a secret and controversial book released on to the people of Jackson and revealing the ugly truths behind its prim and proper society. 

This film will bring you to tears, of joy, laughter and sadness. It reminds us that not too long ago the words “separate but equal” were an ugly lie that was disguised as the best way for society to be. It reveals the sadness that so many went thru and the trials and challenges as well. How beautiful change can be and how frightening it was to be strong in those times. It is brilliantly written and directed and the cast shines! With other supporting cast such as the brilliant Allison Janny (West Wing, American Beauty) as Charlotte, Skeeter’s mother who is dying of Cancer but never loses her spunk; who has spent her life working towards becoming the true society lady and in the process forgot who her daughter really is but discovers with abandon that her child has grown to not only be beautiful but strong and just. And of course Jessica Chastain (The Tree of Life) as the unrefined, country girl turned, wealthy wanna be society lady Cynthia Foote, who wants nothing more than to belong but finds herself on the same level as the black maids in Jackson. This movie turns your head and makes you think.

In a world of injustice, change does begin with a small, timid whisper. And these women find strength in each other and in themselves. I found this movie truly unforgettable and gorgeously envisioned. I tip my hat to them all. I sincerely hope that this movie moves you and makes you take stock in our world, and helps you look at your neighbor in a new light, for the ones we may see as below us are just like us in many ways and that color is just skin deep.