Friday, January 9: Taken 3, Inherent Vice and Selma all open locally
Check local listings for showtimes/pricing.
Two movies come to town on a tidal wave of critical praise this week, and one arrives atop a tsunami of Liam Neeson kidney punches. We’ll start with the kidney punches, as the incomparable Liam Neesons returns as Brian Mills, the former CIA agent whose family has a proclivity for being kidnapped. This time, however, it appears his wife has her life taken instead of her person and Mills has to frantically struggle to uncover who framed him for the murder while keeping his daughter safe and evading the government agencies tasked with bringing him in. The first Taken was an enjoyable movie, grafting the skin of an Oscar-nominated actor over the skeleton of what is essentially a lower-tier Steven Seagal film, whereas the second film was a merciless slog that put some severe damper on the enthusiasm for Tak3n (pronounced Tack-Three-N for those purchasing at the ticket window this weekend). That said, the plot doesn’t appear to be as much of a tired rehash this time, and having Forest Whitaker reprise his role from The Last Stand as the man in pursuit is good casting so hopefully we’re able to exorcise those Taken 2 (aka 2ooken) demons here.
In the slightly more prestigious category you have the triumphant Milwaukee debuts of both Selma and Inherent Vice. Despite some recent allegations that the movie created some historical events or have taken them out of context (A narrative film not adhering strictly to facts in an effort to capture emotional truth? Why, never!), Selma looks more and more like the film to beat this Oscar season, following the pivotal voting rights marches that led activists from the titular Selma to Montgomery. Spearheaded by a beloved performance from British actor David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King, but not exclusively tethered to his experiences, the film (directed by Ava DuVernay) is almost universally acclaimed and I cannot wait to see it.
Similarly so for Inherent Vice, the latest picture from master filmmaker, Paul Thomas Anderson. Continuing his march across decades of American history in an effort to craft an oeuvre that defines the totality of our country’s existence, this shaggy dog mystery/comedy takes place at the point where the 60’s gave way to the 70’s. This adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s recent novel attempts to cinematically equal Pynchon’s penchant for verbal horseplay and gags, and I for one can’t wait to get swept up in what is being described as a ludicrous mystery wherein Joaquin Phoenix’s stoner detective attempts to find the missing boyfriend of his ex-girlfriend (a breakout performance from Katherine Waterson according to many). After a nearly catatonic week prior, we’re back in the groove with three fantastic options this week.
Saturday, January 10: Rebecca
7 p.m. @ The Church in the City, 2648 N. Hackett Ave. ($3)
The only other film event taking place this week is the inaugural 2015 screening for the Focus Film Society, a 75th anniversary celebration of the Alfred Hitchcock classic, Rebecca. Starring a luminous Joan Fontaine as the second wife of the brooding aristocrat played by Laurence Olivier, this isn’t as overtly stylized as much of Hitchcock’s subsequent work in the U.S. (this was his first picture here) but is an very enjoyable gothic romance/mystery nonetheless. It also is the only movie Hitchcock ever made to claim the Best Picture Oscar. Stave off the cold with this fiery tale!
