The Counselor (2013)
An anonymous lawyer (Michael Fassbender) goes into business with drug dealer Reiner (Javier Bardem) only to find he’s taken on more than he can handle, endangering his life and the life of his fiancee, Laura (Penelope Cruz).
Malinka (Cameron Diaz), Reiner’s girlfriend is a master criminal planning to double cross him. Westray (Brad Pitt) is a business associate of Reiner’s who warns The Counselor of the dangers of the drug business.
Cormac McCarthy is the acclaimed author of Blood Meridian, No Country for Old Men, and The Road. Sadly, his immense skill as a novelist did not aid him as a screenwriter. This might have made a fantastic novel, but it doesn’t work as a movie.
The dialogue is occasionally lyrical, but the film is an uninspired fait accompli. When The Counselor gets involved in his first drug deal, we know it will end in death and misery.
Ridley Scott’s an accomplished director. I love Alien (1979), Blade Runner (1982), Gladiator (2000), and Matchstick Men (2003), but I did not like this.
If you’re interested in a gripping story about a man’s descent into hell following his entry into the drug trade: watch Breaking Bad. Walter White’s journey was fascinating because he was an indelible character, sadly the eponymous Counselor is not.
Shame (2011)
Because he’s addicted to sex, Brandon Sullivan (Michael Fassbender) is incapable of a healthy relationship. His addiction is so severe, he takes regular masturbation breaks at work. Sex is an act designed to make him feel good, not an expression of love. He has so completely divorced the two concepts, when he does meet someone he likes, he cannot perform sexually.
While Brandon has separated sex from a healthy relationship, his sister Sissy (Carey Mulligan) has fused them, throwing herself at men to validate her self-worth.
He’s a sexual predator who needs sex to feel like a man. She enjoys being desired and will do anything to encourage a suitor.
Much has been written about Fassbender’s willingness to perform nude, but his willingness to plumb such depths of depravity is more impressive than showing his impressive private parts.
In her relatively brief Hollywood career Carey Mulligan’s turned in a string of phenomenal performances in An Education (2009), Never Let Me Go (2010), Drive (2011), Inside Llewyn Davis (2013), and the Doctor Who episode, “Blink.” The scene where Brendan goes to see her perform at a nightclub singer is searing.
Director Steve McQueen has shown a rare willingness to make personal films about taboo subjects. I applaud the film for tackling sexual addiction and the dangers of oversexualization. To deny our sexuality is to deny a part of ourselves, but to indulge our urges completely is to create a world of people who, like Brandon and Sissy, define themselves by their sexuality.
White, Blue, and White (2014)
After Argentina won the 1978 World Cup, two of the team’s star players, Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa, joined the English soccer club, Tottenham Hotspur. With Tottenham, they won the 1981 FA Cup and became very popular players.
Ardiles and Villa were the two highest profile Argentines in Britain during the Falkland Wars. Sporting events provide a welcome distraction to the frustrations of our lives, but as this story demonstrates, these allegiances can create tension and uncertainty.
Viva Las Vegas (1964)
Lucky Jackson (Elvis) goes to Vegas for a car race. Needing money to fix his car, he enters a talent contest where he meets Rusty Martin (Ann-Margaret).
All of this is irrelevant. The movie is an excuse to watch Elvis in action.
It’s not earth shattering cinema, but it’s one of my favorite Elvis films. The music is fun, the dancing is great, and Ann-Margaret is sexy (there are persistent rumors, Elvis thought so too). Plus, Speed Racer was modeled on Elvis’s look in this film.
