Movie #9 - Foxcatcher

Sunday morning and we were planning to go and see The Interview for a giggle.  Then I realised "The Oscars are on next Monday - eek!  Better go see the rest of the movies I haven't seen".  So after a quick comparison of options for the remaining films on the list, we decided to go and see Foxcatcher which obviously hasn't been as popular as the other films.  Couldn't be further from The Interview!

Foxcatcher is another 'based on true events' story that seem to be very popular with the Oscars voters this year (competing with American Sniper, The Imitation Game, Selma, The Theory of Everything).  It comes directed by Bennet Miller, the guy who brilliantly reinvented sports films with Moneyball a few years back.  This one also puts sport into the background of a character study and mood piece, although the mood is a lot darker here.

We are introduced to Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum) who, despite winning a gold medal in wrestling at the 1984 Olympics, seems to be pretty down on his luck and a loner.  His older brother Dave (Mark Ruffalo aka The Hulk), also a wrestler and gold medallist at the same Olympics, seems to be the only close friend he has as he struggles to make enough money to survive as well as train for the next World Championships and Olympics.  We don't need too many scenes of Mark's lower lip jutting out to know that he's going to say 'yes' pretty quickly when he's approached by multimillionaire philanthropist, philatelist, ornithologist and amateur sports enthusiast John du Pont (Steve Carell) to join a wrestling team he's putting together.  John has set up his family's estate, known as Foxcatcher Farm, to be the ultimate training facility and he even puts Mark on the payroll and lets him stay in the Chalet full-time.  He allows Mark to pick a team of guys to train and compete with, and John particularly wants Dave to come and be his assistant coach, an offer which Dave initially refuses as he doesn't want to uproot his young family. 

Within minutes of meeting John du Pont, you will be ill at ease.  He is a strange individual, sometimes warm and friendly but more often than not cold and detached.  He looks down his rather large nose at everyone (great makeup effects on Carell) like a king surveying his peasant subjects.  At once superior and inferior.  He pulls people to him then shuts them out if they get too close.  He is obviously trying to please his snobbish mother but seems not to know how.  He is delusional over his abilities as a coach and athlete (he became a wrestler after age 50).  It's a magnetic, creepy performance by Carell, who comes across like a tightly coiled spring where you never know what he's going to do next. 

The story follows a very linear path from Mark firstly enjoying du Pont's patronage and then becoming disillusioned, bringing big brother Dave along for the roller coaster ride of emotions as they hurtle towards the 1988 Olympics.  Channing Tatum is good as Mark, if a little too simian for my liking, but Mark Ruffalo is really excellent as Dave the peacekeeper and key to Team Foxcatcher's success.  If not for JK Simmons in Whiplash, I think this would have been his year at the Oscars for Best Supporting Actor.  He really looks like a wrestler, even in everyday conversation he stands with his hands out and shoulders hunched, ready to rumble, but is actually a very nice guy.

The outcome of this triangular relationship all with the same goal in mind is best left for you to discover.  It's a little slow-moving and probably won't need multiple viewings due to the linear structure, but it's a compelling film and interesting view into the mind of a man with a lot of money and very few friends and also the sad state of overlooked sports in America. 

I give this 7 out of 10 for great performances and being something a little different than the norm.

Movie #5 - American Sniper

Much like the subject matter of this movie, I'm on a mission. A mission to see all the Oscar nominated films (Best Picture, Actor and Actress categories only) before the Oscars, so I can try to predict the winners.  Apart from that though I was also interested to see this movie that has caused a little bit of controversy in the United States - is it pro-war, neutral or anti-war?  As someone who was watching out for this carefully, I have to say I found that the ultimate message was anti-war.  So don't let the fact that it's directed by Clint Eastwood and there's a hoo-ha about it being pro-war and pro-US put you off, as it's actually an excellent film.

The film tells the true story of Chris Kyle, a Texan who joined the military at the age of 25 after his first career choice, a bronco rider, didn't work out after an arm injury.  With the shooting skills learned from hunting with his father from a young age, Chris is right for the Navy Seals and becomes a sniper - the guys who sit on rooftops that can pick off anyone attacking the main military force's operation. Chris Kyle, the real person, was credited with 160 confirmed kills from a probably 255 kills during his military career of about 10 years.  While still in training, he meets Taya (Sienna Miller, who is almost unrecognisable here, not sure what she has done to herself though), falls hard and they marry before he is even deployed on his first overseas mission.

While the film appears to deviate from or leave out some parts of Chris Kyle's true story, it hews close enough to the key events to be a worthy document of his life.  The film switches between Chris' time in Iraq through four tours, his wife at home raising their two children, and his time at home between tours.  While Chris' 'absence' from life at home even when he is home must surely be exaggerated (why would Taya remain in love with such an empty shell), it certainly serves to show that the impact of war on those in the military and their families is extreme.

Bradley Cooper is very good as Chris Kyle.  He worked out and ate a bunch (every 50 minutes) until he gained the size of the real guy, making a more believable character, but more importantly he nails a mix of Texan charm, gung-ho patriotism and brooding intensity over the horrible things he has to do at times.  Chris' belief is that his role is essential in protecting American soldiers and the homeland he loves so much and he seems, on the surface, to be able to use that to ignore any criticism of his job and America's wars.  However, Cooper does a great job of showing the deeper feelings of trauma or sadness, even if they are only seen for a few fleeting seconds before he firms again.

There are really no other name actors in the cast of fellow soldiers and the people trying to help Chris Kyle 'become human again' after his honourable discharge from the Navy in 2009, when he started to work with injured vets to find meaning and purpose after the horrors they experienced.  The only other big role is that of an enemy sniper, a Syrian former Olympian who was plying his trade in the same area in Iraq against the Americans, who becomes Chris' nemesis and obsession to take down. 

Clint Eastwood is assured in both the action scenes (no shaky cam here thank God) and the family drama, with excellent pacing throughout.  While we can't agree with his pro-gun stance in his personal life, I truly don't think this has been made as a pro-war film.  If you don't walk out of here thinking "What a mess these wars make" I'd be very surprised.  It's tense, it's interesting and it's a quality film that deserves to be seen before it's judged.

I'm giving this 7 out of 10.