Recliner Reviews | Good acting in ‘A Most Violent Year’ and ‘Wild’ but pass on Dracula remake
“A Most Violent Year”
The title and trailer for this one are a little misleading. Even the premise will throw you a bit. The film is set in New York City in 1981 – historically the city’s most dangerous year. You’d think it would be brimming with chaotic mischief and gangster mayhem, but in fact, it’s a slow simmer of a drama.
The plot plays a married couple against one another, played superbly by Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain. We watch the violence of the city escalate around them as the tension between them boils.
Adding a nice assist in a supporting role is David Oyelowo. And director J.C. Chandor (“All Is Lost”) does a remarkable job transporting us back to the Big Apple in the ’80s.
The cinematography is grainy and definitive for this period. But it’s not the most greatest movie; there are moments where the drama lags and scenes lose their edge. But Chastain’s charisma alone makes this one worth a watch.
“Wild”
Based on Cheryl Strayed’s memoir, Strayed hiked the Pacific Crest Trail alone for more than 1,000 miles after her mother died and she got divorced. Reese Witherspoon devours the role of Strayed, taking each of these scenes like her career depends on it. Her efforts earned her a well-deserved Oscar nomination.
Laura Dern plays Strayed’s whimsical mom through flashbacks, and their scenes together are magic. Dern’s performance also garnered an Oscar nod. Director Jean-Marc Vallée (“Dallas Buyers Club”) delivers a film you can feel emotionally and physically.
The heartbreak, the blisters, the grief, the thirst, the fear – all the pitfalls of the trail and the frailties of humanity are presented in real and relatable ways. This journey of self-discovery is given both the feel of poetic romanticism and gritty transgression. Go wild for this one – worth a watch.
“Dracula Untold”
There have been so many vampire movies – classy ones, demon ones, teen-dream ones, the types go on and on.
Then, there’s the OG of vampires – Dracula. This is meant to be the beginning of a throwback to Universal Studio’s “Monsters Universe” – the ’30’s and ’40’s films with the classic monsters like Dracula, Frankenstein, The Invisible Man, The Mummy and The Wolf Man.
But instead of the tired classic tale, we get Vlad the Impaler remolded into a superhero origin story, set in the 15th century. There are plenty of effects-driven action scenes and sword play. There’s some overwrought moral struggle about the nature of vampires and Catholicism.
But more than anything else, there are loads of melodramatic lines of dialogue delivered without precision. There’s heavy-handed symbolism and plenty of corny packed into its rushed hour and a half running time. Perhaps, “Dracula Untold” should’ve stayed untold – pass.
This story was originally published April 6, 2015 at 11:35 AM with the headline "Recliner Reviews | Good acting in ‘A Most Violent Year’ and ‘Wild’ but pass on Dracula remake."