Stars to Watch: Part 12 – Movies Spotlight – May 2013

Lake Bell

What She Has Been In:

Lake Bell, 34, got her start in 2002 with roles in the indie film Speakeasy and a two-episode arc on ER. From there, she continued to get work on television, starring in the TV movie War Stories and as a series regular in the short-lived Miss Match. She also had a notable character arc on Boston Legal.

In 2008, Bell started to get comedic supporting roles in films, including: Over Her Dead Body, What Happens in Vegas, and It’s Complicated. She took on some dramatic work too with a role in Pride and Glory.

Making a name for herself starring on the funny ensemble comedy series Childrens Hospital, she took more comedic work with better supporting roles in No Strings Attached and A Good Fashioned Orgy. She played a series regular in HBO’s short-lived, but good How to Make It in America, giving probably the best performance of her career to date as Rachel Chapman.

Breakthrough:

Childrens Hospital and How to Make It in America gave Bell more notoriety. She also has immersed herself amongst a strong group of comedians, all of which is beginning to pay dividends. Her upcoming film In a World… will likely make her a star (or at least a star among indie film fans). She writes, directs, and stars in the film. It is about an underachieving vocal coach who is motivated by her father, the king of movie-trailer voice-overs, to become a voiceover star. It played to rave reviews at Sundance.

May Film:

This month Bell stars with Katie Aselton and Kate Bosworth in the indie thriller Black Rock. Aselton also directed the film and co-wrote it with her husband Mark Duplass (something very different to the comedic stuff they usually do). It is about three childhood friends who decide to reunite for a girls’ weekend on a remote island off the coast of Maine. However, after a tragic turn of events, the weekend becomes a deadly fight for survival. The film received mostly negative reviews during its advanced screenings. See the trailer here.

Upcoming:

In addition to In a World…, Bell also stars in the upcoming sports drama Million Dollar Arm opposite Jon Hamm, Alan Arkin, Suraj Sharma. Directed by Craig Gillespie and written by Tom McCarthy, it is about a sports agent who tries to convert a talented Indian cricket player into a Major League Baseball star. It is clear that Bell has a bright future with these projects.

Career Highlights:

1)      How to Make It in America (2010-2011) – series regular (Blu-ray, Streaming, Trailer)

2)      No Strings Attached (2011) – supporting (Blu-ray, Streaming, Trailer)

3)      Childrens Hospital (2008-present) – series regular (DVD, Streaming, Trailer)

*Editor’s picks

Benedict Cumberbatch

What He Has Been In:

Benedict Cumberbatch, 36, started his career in 2001 in the theatre. He then started taking roles on British television. His first great role came in 2004 playing Stephen Hawking in the TV movie Hawking. He also took supporting roles in Starter for 10, Atonement, The Other Boleyn Girl, Four Lions, and The Whistleblower building up quite a resume of strong character performances.

In 2011, Cumberbatch starred in Danny Boyle’s reimagining of Frankenstein for England’s National Theatre Live. He continued this great work with strong supporting performances in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and War Horse, as well as starring in the HBO miniseries Parade’s End. All this brilliant work has made him one of the most sought-after stars. 2013 will be his breakthrough year in the States.

Breakthrough:

Cumberbatch’s big break however came with the British series Sherlock, a modern reimagining of Sherlock Holmes. Created by Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffatt and co-starring Martin Freeman, it is fantastically brilliant and among the five best shows currently on television. Cumberbatch is wonderful and iconic as Holmes. CBS decided to remake the show for Americans, calling it: Elementary.

May Film:

This month Cumberbatch plays the villain in J.J. Abrams’s Star Trek IntoDarkness. The film, being the sequel to Star Trek, sees the crew of the Enterprise foolhardily go after Cumberbatch’s character after he attacks Starfleet only to find that they facing a force they never quite expected and are certainly not ready for. The film looks like a lot of fun and should be a good sci-fi action adventure. See the trailer here.

Upcoming:

As said above, Cumberbatch is going to have a breakthrough year in 2013 starting with Star Trek Into Darkness – he may even be ‘the star’ of the year. He also has a supporting role in another big blockbuster The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug playing Smaug. Additionally, he is in three of the most anticipated dramas of the year. He stars opposite Julia Roberts and Meryl Streep in the ensemble dramedy from John Well called August: Osage County. It is about the strong-willed women of the Weston family, who must come together to guide the family through a crisis. Then, he stars opposite a strong cast as Julian Assange (the founder of Wiki-leaks) in Bill Condon’s The Fifth Estate. Finally, he has a supporting role in Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave (a drama that I think has potential to be 2013’s best film) about a man living in New York during the mid-1800s who is kidnapped and sold into slavery in the Deep South. It also stars Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender, and Chiwetel Ejiofor (headlining the brilliant cast).

Career Highlights:

1)      Atonement (2007)* – supporting (Blu-ray, Streaming, Trailer)

2)      Four Lions (2010) – cameo (Blu-ray, Streaming, Trailer)

3)      Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)* – supporting (Blu-ray, Streaming, Trailer)

4)      Sherlock (2010-present)* – series lead (Blu-ray, Streaming, Trailer)

*Editor’s picks

James Badge Dale

What He Has Been In:

James Badge Dale, 35, got his first big break when he was cast as Chase Edmunds in season three of 24. He continued to get roles on television, appearing in a three-episode arc on Rescue Me, a supporting role on The Black Donnellys (short-lived but really good), and as the series lead on AMC’s Rubicon (which did not make it past season one).

Badge Dale also took roles in a number of good film projects. He has a very small role in The Departed, playing one of the other cops who are undercover for Frank Costello. Additionally, he has supporting roles in The Conspirator, Shame, The Grey, and Flight (which he is brilliant in, even if it is only one scene).

Breakthrough:

Badge Dale’s breakthrough role came in 2010 on the HBO miniseries The Pacific from Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Gary Goetzman – their follow-up to Band of Brothers. The series is about America’s Pacific Theatre during WWII as told through three soldiers: Robert Leckie (Badge Dale), Eugene Sledge, and John Basilone (played by Joseph Mazzello and Jon Seda respectively). It is a wonderful miniseries.

May Film:

In May, Badge Dale plays the Mandarin’s henchman Savin in Iron Man 3, which sees Tony Stark lose everything at the hands of his enemy. The film is written and directed by Shane Black and is the second best film of Marvel’s film universe to date behind The Avengers. See the trailer here.

Upcoming:

In addition to Iron Man 3, Badge Dale also has a supporting role in the summer blockbuster World War Z, which stars Brad Pitt and is directed by Marc Forster. It is about the Zombie Apocalypse. And, the summer blockbuster The Lone Ranger (also known as Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean as a western) in which he plays the brother of John Reid (the Lone Ranger). It stars Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer and is directed by Gore Verbinski (who directed the first three Pirates of the Caribbean film and he is again working with the same creative team). Finally, he stars in the drama Parkland about Dallas’ Parkland Hospital on the day of JFK’s assassination. It is written and directed by Peter Landesman.

Career Highlights:

1)      The Black Donnellys (2007) – supporting (DVD, Streaming, Trailer)

2)      The Pacific (2010)* – series lead (Blu-ray, Streaming, Trailer)

3)      Shame (2011)* – supporting (Blu-ray, Streaming, Trailer)

4)      Flight (2012) – supporting (Blu-ray, Streaming, Trailer)

5)      Iron Man 3 (2013)* – supporting (Blu-ray, Trailer)

*Editor’s picks

No Strings Attached (2011) – Review

No Strings Attached is really funny, yet disconnected and sort of a depressing assessment of modern relationships. Ultimately, it is an entertaining and enjoyable film – thanks primarily to the witty joke writing and comical (if not zany) performances from many of the cast members. Director Ivan Reitman seems, however, to want to tell a number of different stories with the same narrative. There is a lot stuffed into the film (much like life, I guess), but the format of a sub two-hour romantic comedy does not lend itself well to tackle all the narrative issues convincingly in the allotted time (had this been stretched to a season of television, it may well have worked a lot better and felt more complete, not to mention that the narrative idea felt a bit like a television sit-com pilot). As is, it is disjointed and superficially satisfying. Sure, the audience laughs (a lot) but the deeper emotions are not there. Not due to poor performances, but more so to the out-there, exaggerated nature of the comedy and hollow characters. The most difficult relationship to feel anything for was Adam’s with his father. The father character is not real, or at least does not feel that way at all. He oozes with forced humor intentions, while being completely awful to his son – resulting in a character and scenes that are neither funny nor illicit emotional connection/development. When, he does find his heart and reconnects with his son, no one cares because the relationship was meaningless to the audience from the beginning. Reitman also does something quite interesting (whether on purpose or not) in his juxtaposing the silly humor against the sad state that modern relationships are in. The ‘real’ love examples the audience are given play out mostly off screen, while the highly problematic relationships are forced upon the audience (one of them being Adam and Emma’s – while they do like each other on some level, it does not feel like they will make it, the ending having a slight awkward The Graduate feeling to it, though not nearly as poignant). Whether or not relationships in the film (primarily the one of the main characters) accurately mirror the current state of dating or not is secondary to their comparison to those of romantic comedies past (a genre that in recent years has faltered for the most part). Watching this film leaves an overall feeling of sadness while romantic comedies generally leave the audience feeling good. And so, while it is an interesting approach for Reitman and writer Elizabeth Meriwther to take (plus, in a world of remakes trying original concepts is greatly welcomed); it seems to ultimately leave the film feeling disconnected. The narrative is depressing for the most part, and yet the audience is told to laugh (and does so) throughout creating the disconnection from the deeper emotional turmoil the film is addressing. Thus, the narrative does not succeed (however, for those reading deeper into the film, Reitman does create a clashing of emotions akin to taking uppers and downers). The other issue is with the character of Adam. He really has no character. He is in a sense the ultimate straight-man allowing all those around him to be crazy. But, this is really his film and thus his character needed more. The audience only relates to him through projection of their own experiences and feelings. No Strings Attached is difficult to completely peg – it is very funny at times (though certainly geared towards a younger audience) and in being so entertaining and likable, but for those wanting more, like a complete narrative with real characters, it falls short.

Technical and acting achievements: Ivan Reitman has had a tough go of it in the last decade or so, directing mostly terrible films. Thus, it is good to see that the director who made many of my favorite childhood comedies (Ghost Busters being one of my top five favorites of all-time) actually make an entertaining film again. John Debney’s score and Rogier Stoffers’s cinematography were adequate for the type of film that this was (nothing special, but really not needing to be). However, Ida Random’s production design and sets/locations were aesthetically interesting. The cast is what really elevated this film (which is true really with any romantic comedy). Lake Bell, Chris Bridges, Olivia Thirlby, and Mindy Kaling provide good supporting work and some very funny moments. However, very good actors Cary Elwes and Kevin Kline were underused (and seemingly pointless to have an actor of his caliber in the role) and just not good respectively. Greta Gerwig and Jake M. Johnson were fantastic in their supporting roles. Both had some of the best and funniest moments; Gerwig stealing most of the scenes she was in. Ashton Kutcher plays the straight-man almost to the extent of being interchangeable with any other good looking late 20s early 30s male (though it is not completely his fault, his character was written hollowly without much emotional connection to the audience). Natalie Portman is good in the film (serving also as an executive producer), both powerful in the dramatic scenes while having great timing in the comedic ones.

No Strings Attached is probably the most entertaining and funny film to have a narrative that does not really work at all. 6/10