Sex, drugs, and new wave…Los Angeles in the early 1980s: a time of excess and decadence, and nobody captures it better than Bret Easton Ellis as he co-adapts his own acclaimed novel for the screen. Its multistrand narrative deftly balances a vast array of characters, who represent both the top of the heap (a Hollywood dream merchant, a dissolute rock star, an aging newscaster) and the bottom (a voyeuristic doorman and an amoral ex-con). Connecting his intertwining strands are the quintessential Ellis protagonists—a group of beautiful, blonde young men and women who sleep all day and party all night, doing drugs—and one another—with abandon, never realizing that they are dancing on the edge of an abyss.

There’s a heap of big named celebrities in this film (it’s not surprising, the budget was around $10 million…not really a film that fits in with Sundance).  Billy Bob Thorton, Kim Basinger, Winona Ryder, Mickey Rourke…the list just keeps going.  The film celebrates (or bitches about) the excess of the eighties, and the lack of satisfaction the wealthy get from doing lines of coke off urinals and having group sex.  Blah blah blah.  The story is broken up into several vignettes that barely have any relationship to each other, and sadly, none of them are interesting.  When introducing the film, Jordan warned that the film was more about mood than a coherent narrative.  He was going for the fantastic European films that follow the same code, but he failed to reach his lofty ambitions.  Lead Jon Foster channeled a watered down version of Christian Bale (who played another Ellis character in American Psycho).  The other actors (at least the big names) performed efficiently.  Except for a weird Kim Basinger.  How does she keep getting roles?   Isn’t a narrative mostly what movies about?  Story telling?  The film does have style.  I’ll give it that.  But after a while, the style can’t make up for the disjointed plot, and the lack of character development.  You can safely skip this one.

1.5 out of 4 stars

Directed by Sam Raimi (The Grudge 2, The Messengers), this film is uncharacteristically good, coming from someone with his precedence.  The story follows Hank (Bill ‘pick up the paycheck’ Paxton), his semi-retarded brother Jacob (Billy Bob Thorton), and Hank’s wife Sarah (Bridget Fonda).  By happenstance, Hank and Jacob come across a downed airplane in the forest.  Inside the aircraft is a duffel bag, full of millions of dollars.  Accompanied by Jacob’s semi-retarded friend Lou, the three decide to keep the money provisionally, until they’re sure no one is looking for it, at which point, they’ll split the booty and get the hell out of Dodge.  While the three argue the morality of keeping what could possibly be dirty, stolen, or drug money, they decide that it’s most likely a victimless crime.  Hank runs the situation by his wife in hypothetical terms.  To which she answers that under no circumstances would taking the money be appropriate.  She holds firm in her stance until Hank dumps thousands of one hundred dollar bills on to her coffee table.  It’s then that greed, poverty, and an unattainable desire for happiness start shaking things up.

This seems like a recitation of the the Adam and Eve story.  Hank is skeptical, unflinchingly aware of the dire consequences, should they be caught.  But once Sarah has her eye on the prize, Hank becomes her puppet, doing whatever she asks, no matter the consequences, tricking himself, and Jacob into thinking the money will bring them happiness–no matter the cost, and believe me, it costs them dearly.

The best part of this film was the fact that I had no idea what was going to happen.  Three minutes before the credits started rolling, I still didn’t know how it was going to end.  A rare feet indeed coming from the man who brought us Boogeyman 2.  The direction was remarkable, keeping the suspense at an even build up, right to the very end.  Billy Bob Thorton was remarkable (I don’t care about the stereotypes of playing a mentally ill person, he was bitchin’).  Paxton was flat, but what do you expect?  Fonda was terrifying in her performance of the cold-blooded, seemingly normal housewife.  Even Gary Cole was entertaining in his small role.  It was also fascinating in that you can see yourself in each of the characters.  Each commits heinous acts that, with under the right circumstances, we can see ourselves committing.  What would each of us do to provide better for our families, our children, our siblings?  It’s a film that forces the viewer to take a good long look at himself, and see the good, and the evil, brimming just below the surface.

4 out of 4 stars

Rottentomatoes: 91% – Cream of the Crop: 86%

I’m not sure it’s director D.J. Caruso’s fault either.  The script he had to work with is a big steaming pile of poo.  It’s no secret that Eagle Eye had not less than six official re-writes of the script…a script that was co-written by John Glenn and Travis Wright (both of whom haven’t really written anything before this).

The story follows Jerry Shaw (Shia LaBoeuf, a fiercely independent copy boy who hates his family and the world.  One day, he finds his bank account balance about $750,000 higher than it usually is.  His apartment is filled with guns, fake passports, and enough materials to build several large bombs.  It’s here that he gets a phone call from a mysteriously emotionless female voice that gives him directives that will keep him alive and out of the reach of the FBI.  Meanwhile, Rachel (Michelle Monaghan) receives a call from the same voice, threatening the safety of her son if she doesn’t comply to the directions she’s given.  In this panicked state, the two are thrown together and are sent all over the place doing whatever the voice asks, breaking laws, and leaving innocent bystanders dead in their wake.  Two high ranking government officials (Rosario Dawson and Billy Bob Thorton) are hot on their trail the whole time.

Caruso did what he could with the materials he was given.  There were actually some very impressive explosions, car chases, graphics.  But harping on these same stupid themes that have plagued our theaters for the last 7 years (i.e. fear of all middle-easterners, fear of being mistaken for a terrorist, fear of ‘Big Brother’), the viewer is just offended (or should be) fifteen minutes into the film.  There were also some serious continuity issues as well.  Logic was thrown out the window on this one, so don’t expect a very coherent narrative.

Michelle Monaghan is, as always, great.  Although after last year’s Gone Baby Gone, I can’t figure out why she’d stoop to this (maybe it’s because Steven Spielberg is listed as an executive producer).  And as much as I love to hate LaBeouf, I really didn’t have a problem with his performance.  All in all, this is slightly less-than-average popcorn flick, that will entertain you, but leave you sad you watched it as you walk out of the theater with your head hung with shame.

1 out of 4 stars

Rottentomatoes: 27% – Cream of the Crop: 23%