Bitchin' Film Reviews » Richard Jenkins

Trailer For The Rum Diary, And It’s Awesome

Blake — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 21:08:42 +0000

Johnny Depp loves all things Hunter S. Thompson, and I love all things when the two of them are mixed. In The Rum Diary, Depp plays a New Yorker who moves to Puerto Rico to work as a journalist. As per Hunter standards, he quickly discovers there’s a comically darker side to paradise.

Behind Depp, there’s a killer cast that promise to make Diary unmissable, including Richard Jenkins, Aaron Eckhart, Amber Heard, and Giovanni Ribisi. The film is directed by Bruce Robinson who hasn’t directed anything in twenty years. Watch the newly released trailer below.

Let Me In

Blake — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 05:55:23 +0000

So an American remake of a great foreign film didn’t suck. It was bound to happen, with Hollywood trying so very often. So now what? I’m not even sure what to make of it, or where to go from here. As the truth is now, Matt Reeves has made a very good, and satisfying vampire film. For all you that think you’ve been vampired-out, make room for something that isn’t dosed in cheesy teenage sexuality, or overt, HBO-style hedonism. This is an entry into the genre that deserves to be seen. Not as much as the Swedish original, Let the Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in), of course. I mean, what true cinephile would ever dare say “America did it better?”

Reeves chose tone, and atmosphere over action and plot. Don’t get me wrong, there are few fiendish moments that show off some pretty creepy special effects. But it’s all about mood here. And it’s a dark, gloomy creepy mood. I think I use the phrase, ‘the director couldn’t have asked for a better cast,’ quite a bit. But it’s quite literally true here. Abby, the vampiress that the film focuses on, is played by the nearly ubiquitous Chloe Moretz, who performs admirably. Her sociopath love interest is played by Aussie actor Kodi Smit-McPhee (who’s agent seems to want him cast in the bleakest roles possible), who wowed everyone in John Hillcoat’s The Road. Abby is looked after by an older sociopath/pedophile played by Richard Jenkins, and the small town cop bent on solving the gruesome murders done in the name of feeding Abby is played by Elias Koteas. Not too shabby Mr. Reeves.

The filmmakers did a great disservice to itself by promoting the film as ‘from the director of Cloverfield (this may explain the lack of enthusiasm noted at the box office opening weekend), as this film is light years ahead in sophistication of the pedestrian monster flick. While it’s easy to say that a film rides on the performances of it’s main characters, I have to opine that while Moretz and Smit-McPhee are remarkable, the real VIP of the whole thing is Reeves himself, who manages to create a disturbingly dark and melancholic world. Yes, he’s aided by setting the film in the 80s, a dark, dark time for everyone. But in Reeves realm, it’s unclear which world is more brutal: close to a vampire and bloody killings, or in a school full of bullies and ignored in a home going through a divorce. Take your pick. Just be sure to check out this film. After you’ve watched Låt den rätte komma in, of course.

3.5 out of 4 stars

The Visitor

Blake — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:28:00 +0000

It’s difficult to summarize ‘The Visitor.’ When you say it’s about a lonely college professor learning to play the drums, it sounds like lame. When you say it’s about immigrants and their plight, it sounds lame. Yet ‘The Visitor’ is anything but lame.

This film is written and directed by ‘The Wire’s’ Thomas McCarthy, and despite his inexperience in directing, this film will move you. The story follows widow Professor Walter Vale (Richard Jenkins) as he ventures into Manhattan to his rarely used apartment to attend a conference there. When he gets to his apartment, he finds that a young couple (who happen to be illegal immigrants) has been living there without his knowledge for a few months. Vale allows the young couple to stay at his place and consequently gets involved with their immigrationn and deportation issues (damn the ICE!).

Now usually, heartfelt, human-rights-message movies put me to sleep. They usually are so preachy, it’s like being hit in the head over and over for the entire length of the movie. With ‘The Visitor,’ it’s not so much that way. Instead of shouting his cause from the rooftops, McCarthy chose to let human interactions tell the story. The characters are flawed, but decent people, people you could seeing living next door to you, people you could see yourself being friends with. And because McCarthy let’s the characters’ action speak for them, you will actually become emotionally involved with their plight.

Both the acting and direction are of award caliber. Richard Jenkins deserves a special mention here. You’ve probably seen him before, his IMDB page is very impressive (my favorite is his role as the cynical, dead father on HBO’s Six Feet Under). But he performance in ‘The Visitor’ is eerily good. Even though this only his sophomore effort, McCarthy shows a maturity that lead you to believe he’s spent a lifetime behind the camera. ‘The Visitor’ will leave you wanting to see more from this promising director.

4 out of 4 stars

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language.

Rottentomatoes: 92% — Top Critics: 96%

Click here to find out from Fandango if ‘The Visitor’ is playing near you.