Jeremy Renner in "The Hurt Locker"
courtesy of Summit Entertainment
“’The Hurt Locker’ Is the One To Beat”

As we head into the Awards season it seems “The Hurt Locker” is the movie to beat. It has great odds going for it to be selected as the Best Picture of the year. I totally agree with that prediction. “The Hurt Locker” is a movie that creeps up on you. You are so busy being tense and afraid for the actions of a bomb dismantling squad in Iraq that you don’t realize how the characters in the story are growing on you. It is only at the end of the film that the full impact of their value hits you head on.

The film starts and immediately you are in the heat of war. A trio of men works to dismantle bombs that are discovered in war torn Iraq. The unit is counting down the days until they are rotated stateside. One of the members drops out of the team and is replaced by Sgt James (Jeremy Renner). He is a cowboy who takes risks in his job but always knows what he is doing.

The other two members of the team are Sgts Sanborn and Eldridge (Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty). It takes time for them to accept the newcomer and his unique ways but eventually the three men bond and go about their work covering each other’s back.

In this movie there is one crisis after another, and all of the film is shot in a documentary style. Since none of the key actors are that familiar to audiences the three Sgts appear to be real. This is also due to the completely natural style of acting these three men do. They are absorbed by the characters and don’t ever let their “acting” show.

There are familiar faces in the film such as Ralph Fiennes, David Morse and Guy Pierce but they are also so absorbed by their roles that they don’t jolt the story. That only happens when Evangeline Lily of “Lost” fame makes an appearance as James’ wife. She brings you back to “this is a movie” awareness.

Director Kathryn Bigelow chooses just the right scenes to move the story forward and to prepare for the impact of the final scenes. There are no sure things in this film. Those you expect to die don’t, and those you don’t expect do.

“The Hurt Locker” is an intense film that will not appeal to all audiences but for those who can take the tension of this wartime story it is an amazing piece of entertainment. Renner should see his acting stock shoot up to the sky based on his performance here. He is totally believable and totally charismatic.

This is a movie that shows the horrors of war but also provides knowledge of how adrenaline junkies get hooked on war. It feeds their need for self worth, love and excitement. Never have I seen a movie that sends this message home so completely.

All involved with “The Hurt Locker” have done their job completely. They have made a film that is not just good, it is informative and entertaining. If you have the stomach for it, “The Hurt Locker” is a masterful look at war and its components. This may just be the one movie about Iraq that is a success. So rent the DVD or better yet buy it. This one is a keeper.

On the other hand if they had to pick a movie to remake then “Fame” is a smart move. Since it is the story of talented kids going to a performing arts school the situations are timeless. The first version of “Fame” was in 1980 and it was full of talented youngsters who played realistic characters. Chances are you still recall Coco and Bruno if you saw the earlier version.

This time out the actors are talented musically but their characters as written are paper thin. The kids give it their all but are left “out there on their own.” It is only when they sing or dance that they come alive and the movie has some energy.

The film starts with Audition Day for the New York School of the Performing Arts. A variety of students turns up for the chance to attend the school but only a small percentage is accepted. Among them are gifted pianist Denise (Naturi Naughton), singer Marco (Asher Book), dancer Alice (Kherington Payne), rapper Malik (Collins Pennie), and actress Jenny (Kay Panabaker).

All of these characters are stereotypical. Denise is locked into classical music by her parents, but she wants to sing. Marco is so laid back and nonchalant about his career that it drives him and his girlfriend Jenny apart. She is definitely driven. Malik’s mother doesn’t want him to waste his time on rap music, and Alice’s parents want her to get in an exclusive dance troop and leave the School of Performing Arts behind. None of these situations grab the audience and when there is a crisis it is soon resolved.

If the students aren’t fully developed character wise the teachers are even worse off. Kelsey Grammer, Megan Mullally, Bebe Neuwirth and Charles S Dutton all make only brief appearances. They are flashes on the screen and never serve any real purpose.

The one outstanding musical number is Naughton’s rendition of “Out Here On My Own” which is a song from the original movie. “Fame” is also sung over the closing credits. The rest of the music is forgettable, as are the dance numbers. Payne tries to inject some life into her big dance number but it never takes off.

The struggle of young, talented people to make their way towards fame and fortune is generally mesmerizing but not in this case. There are no scenes that elicit emotions and no scenes that touch the heart. The first “Fame” scored points in both these areas.

This new cast sings and dances its heart out but to no avail. In the end you won’t even remember their names, and that’s a shame. Luckily when you watch the DVD you can speed through all the dull parts and focus on the musical numbers.

Two faith based films are available on DVD this week. They are “The Moment After” and “The Theory of Everything.” “The Moment After” deals with a rapture like occurrence which leaves millions of people missing. There is an investigation to determine where they have gone and why.

“The Theory of Everything” deals with a man reconnecting with his birth father and forming a bond with him. Then he works with his father on a testament of faith. David de Vos and Victor Lundin co-star in this film while the cast of “The Moment After” includes Kevin Downes, David A White and Brad Heller.

In the past few years there has been a resurgence of interest in faith based movies. Mel Gibson had major success with “The Passion of the Christ” and the Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia stunned people with the success of “Facing the Giants” and “Fireproof.” Of course there was the “Left Behind” series that also was popular.

So if you are drawn to this kind of film you will want to watch “The Moment After” and “The Theory of Everything.”

Finally there is “ER: The Complete Twelfth Season” which is now out on DVD. It contains all twenty-two episodes from that season as well as many bonus features. The high drama and excitement that permeates all “ER” episodes are here once again and the cast brilliantly brings the stories to life.

Nothing is as much fun as watching a season of a series straight through with no commercial interruptions. And because it is DVD this is what you can do with “Season Twelve.” Have fun!
 

 

 

 

 

©2010 Jackie K. Cooper

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