DVD Movie Review - Big Eyes

Big Eyes is a true story about art, business, creativity, women's status, and knowing how to keep a humongous secret.

STORY:

Margaret (Amy Adams) is an artist in the 1950's that decides to do something unheard of: leave her husband.  But while trying to settle down and start a new life with her daughter (Delaney Raye), she happens to meet another charismatic artist named Walter Keane (Christoph Waltz).  He's so taken by her art that he decides to marry Margaret and call her paintings his own.  Scandals, acrylics, phony smiles, great business ideas, and the silly art world ensue.

"Yes, I'm going to screw over everyone and really enjoy it." 

THOUGHTS:

How would you feel if your art was world renowned?  How would you feel if you made millions of dollars just by touching paint to a canvas?  How would you feel if your paintings could be found on post cards, in supermarkets, on TV, in museums, and in galleries?  You'd be the happiest artist in the world, right?  Well…how would you feel if you had all the above, except your spouse took all the credit?  Could you go on and live with yourself, knowing someone else's face was attributed to your art?  Those questions and questions about love, family, and real friends are at the heart of Big Eyes' story.

The film opens up in the 1950's and you get a taste for what it's like being a woman during that time period.  How obtaining certain jobs can be rough and how women weren't necessarily respected in the art community...at least not as much as men.  But Margaret is different.  She wants to pave her own way without a husband hanging around.  But then she accidentally meets the love of her life, Walter, the man who will turn her simple paintings of children into world renowned masterpieces.  The man that will give her everything she's ever wanted: a beautiful home, a huge bank account to support her daughter, nice cars, in-ground pools, and a gigantic studio where she can practice her art.  But it's all at a cost.  Each and every painting she produces has her husband’s name on it.  Ouch.  And that is the real treat of the film: the amazing true story of a no-name artist's claim to fame and how everything about the journey is one big colossal lie.

The film is directed by Tim Burton and aside from the huge eyes in the paintings, is a far stretch from what you're used to seeing in his films.  This is a true story.  So don't expect any crazy twists at the end (the ending is predictable) or people dressed all in black or monochromatic cinematography or even weird characters played by Johnny Depp or Helena Bonham Carter.  In fact, the film is saturated in colors and is shot pretty straight forward for a Tim Burton film.  So if you're a diehard fan and are looking for a macabre aesthetic, you'll be quite upset when none of his artistic traits are present in this movie.

"I wanna thank everyone for coming out tonight and having to deal with my ridiculous hat." 

THE ACTING:

Christoph Waltz is unbelievable in this film.  If you've seen any of his previous movies then you already know what to expect.  The man becomes whatever character he needs to play and it's quite astounding to watch…so astounding that he'll make you hate him in this movie.  That's when you know the actor has done his job: When you can't stand to look at his face or fake smile anymore, because of his slimy and disgusting traits.  In the beginning you'll enjoy his suave dialogue and charismatic personality, but towards the end, when things start to unravel, he'll become the most hated person in the film.  Well done.  Amy Adams (Margaret) continues to impress in every movie.  Her ability to go from helpless mother to an emotional mess to independent is fantastic.  You'll feel each and every painstaking step as she makes worse and worse decisions in her life.  And pairing her with Waltz couldn't have been a better choice in the casting department.

"It says I've won a one year membership to the Jelly-of-the-Month club."

"It's what you've always wanted."

The rest of the cast pops in the story to push the plot forward, but also deliver respectable performances in their own supporting roles.  Danny Huston shows up as Dick Nolan, part movie narrator and the newspaper columnist that gets the Keane Art Empire rolling.  Krysten Ritter from Breaking Bad, appears as Margaret's good friend, DeeAnn.  She helps Margaret see her life from the outside looking in.  Jason Schwartzman jumps in the film for a few minutes here and there as a competing gallery owner.  As typical with Schwartzman, his scenes all contain a witty dry comedic nature.  The original General Zod, Terence Stamp, lends his expertise to the role of John Canaday, an art critic whose insight on the Keane masterpieces play a huge role towards the end of the film.  And both Delaney Raye (young Jane) and Madeleine Arthur (older Jane) respectively play Margaret's daughter throughout the span of a decade, but it's Raye that ends up showing the true problems of living in an oppressed household.

"I don't want your dime A-hole.  I want to punch you in the face."

CONCLUSION:

Big Eyes is a remarkable true story of a woman's passion to make her own way in life.  If you're okay with no crazy story twists or fantasy plots that director Tim Burton is known for; and you have no problem with biographical films, then you'll enjoy Big Eyes and its look into what makes the art world tick.  Now, if you're not an artist or a “creative” in any way, and a woman's life story and tragedies throughout her career sound slow and boring.  Then your best bet is to stay far away from this film and wait for it to grace cable instead.  But if you want solid acting, an unbelievable true story about a scandalous art empire, and want to see just how ridiculous the art community can be at times, then feel safe knowing you'll be in good hands with Big Eyes.

3.5 out of 5 Stars (minus a star for true-life predictable ending & ½ star for a few slow plot segments)

DVD Movie Review - The Art of the Steal

With a main character named Crunch Calhoun and a cast filled mainly with B-actors, your first instinct may be to overlook The Art of the Steal.  But if you give it ninety minutes of your time, this heist movie might actually surprise you.

"Hey, what's the matter?  Haven't seen a couple of grown men playing with each other before?"

STORY:

Crunch Calhoun (Kurt Russell) wants to plan one last art heist and then call it quits.  And in the middle of the perfect plan, something happens and Crunch finds himself in the elegant prison system of Poland.  Fast forward seven years (five and a half with good behavior) and Crunch is out and ready to put his criminal life behind him.  In the middle of building a new career as a dare devil—famous for breaking bones and almost dying repeatedly—his old career comes back to haunt him in the form of his brother, Nicky Calhoun (Matt Dillon).  Roy Orbison's "In Dreams," pirates, magic pens, giant vaginas (yes, you read that right), and brotherly love ensue.

"You know, they call these things books.  One day, if I have the time, I'd like to open it 

up and look at the pictures."

THOUGHTS:

After reading the movie's caption and realizing another heist movie is not what the world needs, stop…take a breath, and then ask these questions: "Do I like humor?  Do I like somewhat silly humor?  Did I like The Usual Suspects?  Did I like Ocean's Eleven?"  If you answered yes to one or all of those questions, then you'll love The Art of the Steal.  It's one of those heist movies that's constantly moving, constantly making you laugh, and constantly using witty dialogue to hammer home plot points. 

Kurt Russell may look like his better days are far behind him, but he's just as goofy in this film as he was in Big Trouble in Little China, Escape from New York, or Captain Ron.  He still knows how to be the comedic leader with funny one-liners and outrageous facial expressions.  Fortunately, the movie's laughs aren't just from Russell.  The rest of the characters lend a hand in the joke department too.

Matt Dillon doesn't garner too many laughs, but he's perfect as the dick brother that pickpockets nine year olds for fun.  Jay Baruchel plays Francie, Crunch's sidekick that doesn't want to be prison raped.  He's basically playing himself like he does in every other movie, but his timid manners and squeaky voice never get old.  Kenneth Welsh nails old-school Irish as Uncle Paddy, the man with simplistic logic and a geriatric seductiveness that women can't seem to deny.  Jason Jones spends his time as a short-tempered Interpol agent alongside his calm, sarcastic partner, Terence Stamp (The duo spews some of the best quips in the film).  Devon Bostick pops in for a short cameo decorated with candy jokes, and Katheryn Winnick slides slightly over the line of "just another pretty face."

"Alright!  Alright!  I'll never leave the toilet seat up again.  I promise."

Like other heist movies before it, The Art of the Steal, moves at a brisk pace.  Schemes and plans are hastily thrown together and the assembled men are always moving in different directions with different agendas.  But you won't see high tech gadgets or bombs or people clad in black scaling down tall buildings and then making an entrance through an air duct.  This is old-school thievery, where sleight of hand and a master forger is all you need.  The main theft may be hard to grasp at times, but you'll never feel overwhelmed or confused.  Just follow along as Crunch falls deeper and deeper into a pit of lies and enjoy the many twists.  But the real magic of the movie isn't the reveal at the end (even though it's a doozy) it's the movie's ability to keep every escalating problem and sound-proof idea riddled with humor.  You'll be sweating one minute, wondering if they'll get caught, and the next minute you'll be watching two men discuss the proper pantyhose to wear during a robbery.  It's the perfect balance of smart and hilarious.  In fact, this being a "heist" movie may be the only problem some movie-goers have with the film, since the genre has been beaten to death for decades. 

With all the goofy antics and witty dialogue, the ending is probably predictable, right?  Wrong.  Not only will your mind be wrapped up in every little detail as the team attempts to steal a priceless book, but the ending will have so many twists and turns that you'd have to be Nostradamus to predict the finale.  And even then your prediction would only be in some vague mixed-language quatrain.

So the plot is over the top?  Of course.  Any movie involving fake Amish beards, the gospel according to Jimmy and a three foot tall vagina is not taking itself too seriously.  So this story couldn't happen in real life?  Well, let's not go that far, because art thieves and master forgers still exist in this day and age.  Okay, but what about the giant vagina?  Get your mind out of the gutter.  This movie is filled with hilarious writing and all you can think about is a giant vagina.  In your defense, it is one of the funnier moments of the movie.

"I don't know...I grabbed the color I thought would compliment my complexion, but I'm still 

a little hesitant.  What do you think?"

CONCLUSION:

If you enjoy the "Aha" moment at the end of a film, or just appreciate a band of misfits trying to pull off the perfect crime, then The Art of the Steal is right up your alley.  With witty dialogue and an onslaught of laughs straight through until the end, there's nothing this film needs to improve.  Now, if you hate heist movies or comedies (that's a shame), then don't come within fifty feet of this film.  For everyone else, The Art of the Steal is well worth the rental price and may even become a permanent installment in some movie-goer collections.

4 out of 5 Stars (minus 1 star for the cliché heist genre)