Barbarian

Director: Zach Cregger
Starring: Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgård, Justin Long, Matthew Patrick, Richard Brake, Kurt Braunohler, Jaymes Butler, Kate Bosworth, Brooke Dillman, Kate Nichols, Sara Paxton
Running Time: 102 min.
Rating: R

★★★ (out of ★★★★)

There's a clever misdirection in Zach Cregger's Barbarian that'll cause viewers to second guess their original suspicions. It's a jarring transition intended to take the story somewhere exciting and unexpected, and for a while it does, successfully pulling off a reversal that has us on pins and needles. We're eager to see how the scenario plays out, knowing that comes with the hope it can join a handful of horror films released over the past few years that transcend the genre to become something more. But hype can be a movie's worst enemy, and while watching, I couldn't help but wonder whether my reaction would be the same not knowing the enthusiastic response it's already gotten from critics and audiences.

Atmospherically directed and at times genuinely terrifying, it's easy to understand all the praise and even agree with much of it. A lot of that comes early, before the curtain's pulled back with a reveal that's initially mind blowing, until later planting the film in more traditionally familiar territory. It's still delivered exceptionally well, but there's sort of a comedown in realizing it might not be going to those unexplored places after all. Instead, we get an effort more along the lines of The Hills Have Eyes and Texas Chainsaw remakes, with shades of 1973's The Baby. But even as the frustration of elevated expectations loom large, it's hard to complain about what we do get, which is better made and more rewarding than those titles by a considerable margin. 

When Tess Marshall (Georgina Campbell) arrives at an Airbnb rental house in a rundown area of Detroit the night before a major job interview, she discovers it's been double-booked and is already being occupied by a man named Keith Toshko (Bill Skarsgård). After they process this awkward dilemma and it's clear she'll have no place to stay, Keith suggests Tess crash there for the night while he sleeps on the couch. Initially suspicious of his nervous demeanor, she reluctantly agrees, as they spend the evening talking and discovering shared interests. 

Despite finding her door mysteriously unlocked during the night, Tess returns to the house the next day after the interview, only to make an unnerving discovery in the basement, where she's then trapped. Meanwhile, in a seemingly unrelated event on the West Coast, an actor named AJ Gilbride (Justin Long) is about to be fired from an upcoming TV series due to rape allegations from a co-star.  But as a captive Tess fights to stay alive, her chances of survival dwindle when sordid, disturbing details of the home's darkest secrets start to unspool, tracing all the way back to the man who owned the property decades ago.

For the first third of the picture, Cregger orchestrates a clever cat-and-mouse game with the audience when Tess arrives at this house in a dangerous neighborhood, only to find this man there. She's not yet privy to just how awful the area is, mainly because her primary worry is the unexpected guest. And it's this section that proves to be a masterclass in suspense, preying on the instantly relatable conundrum of not knowing how much trust is acceptably safe to put in a complete stranger. Of course, that goes double for a single young woman, and in a great performance, Georgina Campbell conveys every bit of that fear, to the point we can see and sense it in every exchange she has with him, both through voice and body language. Skarsgård's a long way from the evil Pennywise (or is he?), expertly playing Keith with socially awkward, nervous vibes that seem Norman Bates-like on the surface, but could also be read a few different ways. 

Either Keith's a Ted Bundy clone setting his trap or legitimately a nice guy just as uncomfortable about this accidental double booking, if that's what it actually is. When the ice starts to break between them, Tess seems more vulnerable and at ease, causing greater concern for her safety as we never let go of the chance something more sinister is happening. This is all while Skarsgård still manages to simultaneously invoke the feeling that this guy can be trusted and taken at face value, with Cregger triggering the same kind of doubt in viewers that Tess and other women in similar situations experience. 

The film won't again duplicate the heights it reaches when Campbell and Skarsgård initially share the screen, as their characters have an odd, compelling chemistry that can't exactly be defined. It eventually will when we get our answer about Keith, but their scenes are so compelling it's almost impossible not to wish it took up the film's entire running length. As Cregger likely intended, what follows it isn't quite the same, with Tess' excursion into the basement's hidden catacombs and corridors resulting in a claustrophobic sequence that scares in ways similar to 2006's The Descent. 

Whether the reveal of what's in that basement matches all the anticipation is up for debate, but a 1980's flashback featuring Richard Brake as the home's creepy former owner and the injection of Justin Long's AJ do take the story in a wildly different direction. Noticeably cast against type, Long chews into the role of an arrogant, self absorbed TV star (and possible rapist) embroiled in a "Me Too" scandal, giving the actor his most prominent showcase in a while. Seemingly unaware of what he's walking into, AJ is finally forced to reconcile the kind of person he sees himself to be with the one he actually is.

Once Cregger lays all the cards out on the table, you wouldn't be wrong in assuming it creates narrative complications for a premise that started so strong. Some may love the first half, but check out when  last act comes around, even if the reverse could undoubtedly hold true for just as many. But through it all, he still does a fine job consistently maintaining tension and keeping us guessing with his solo directorial debut. So even if it's tempting to consider what could have been, a challenge lies in being able to lay out a path superior to the one Barbarian ultimately succeeds in taking.        

Live Free or Die Hard

Director: Len Wiseman
Starring: Bruce Willis, Justin Long, Timothy Olyphant, Maggie Q., Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Cliff Curtis, Kevin Smith
Running Time: 130 min.
Rating: PG-13

***1/2 (out of ****)

Boy, what a great time I had watching this movie. Any director looking to make a successful action movie should watch Len Wiseman's Live Free or Die Hard and take notes. For every second and every frame of this picture's 130 minute running time it makes all the right decisions and doesn't step wrong once. This isn't just a great Die Hard movie or a great movie for the third sequel in the Die Hard franchise. This is a great movie. Period. Someone who's never seen any of the Die Hards would still love this, probably even more than someone who's seen them all. Those who have seen all the previous films are already debating this one's place in the pecking order. I may not be able to make a strong enough case it's the best in the series, but I can make one that it's the installment I had the most fun watching. By the end of the film I was asking myself the question: Why can't all action movies be like this?

The experience of watching this can best be attributed to eating at McDonald's. The meal has absolutely no nutritional value, but when you're hungry and need a fix, nothing hits the spot better. It's the ultimate summer popcorn movie that features a great cast, a frightening terror plot that unravels believably a layer at a time, not one, but two great villains, incredible action scenes and characters you actually care about. I would have given this movie four stars if it were just a little tighter and trimmed about 15 minutes. That's how good it is. Going in I wasn't expecting much and actually had some big-time concerns, but when it was over I could honestly say I saw the best action movie since John Woo's Face/Off was released ten years ago.

John McClane (Bruce Willis) is back and this time he's been thrust into a post-9/11 information age where all the rules have changed. He's a "Timex watch in a digital age," McClane's smooth adversary observes at one point during the film. And he's right. McClane has never seemed as out of his league as he does here. When he's called to Washington D.C. to pick up suspected computer hacker Matt Farrell (Justin Long, conveniently the star of those Apple Mac commercials) he's not sure why nor does he seem like he knows what a hacker even is. It turns out Farrell has unknowingly aided in a "fire sale" terrorist plot where everything must go. Everything being the nation's transportation, financial, power and utility systems. The man behind it is Thomas Gabriel (Timothy Olyphant), who's joined by his girlfriend, a sexy henchwoman named Mai Lihn (Maggie Q). They want Farrell dead, but they'll have to get past McClane to do it.

The two make an unlikely duo as it's up to Farrell's brain and McClane's brawn to save the country from the ultimate threat. One of the many terrific aspects of Mark Bomback's screenplay is how the villain actually has an interesting motivation for what he's doing and the terror plot has something important to say about national security and how safe we think we really are. This isn't one of those movies where nameless, faceless Arabs attack the country just because they hate us for some fanatical reason never explained. Bomback also takes the idea of computer hacking (which has been done to death in movies like this) and somehow finds a way to make it fresh and exciting. I can't completely claim that the events in this film are realistic but the movie presents things in such a way that something like it definitely feels plausible. There's one scene where Gabriel cuts into the national tv broadcasts and delivers his message in the scariest way I've ever seen a threat on this country depicted in a film. Ever. I was actually worried watching this movie that Bomback may have actually done too good a job writing a feasible terrorist plot, if you catch my drift.

There have been some complaints about the casting of Olyphant as the lead heavy in the film. These complaints mainly center on the fact that he isn't Alan Rickman or Jeremy Irons. It's true he isn't, but I'd argue we're in a different era now and it calls for a different type of villain. Rickman and Irons were great for then but this is now. I'd imagine the person who would stage an attack like this on our country today would be exactly like Gabriel: calm, cool and collected. He knows exactly what he wants and exactly how he's going to go about it. In a way, that's far scarier. His low-key manner fits what the movie is trying to say and the casting of Olyphant works perfectly. I thought he did an excellent job and deserves better than being compared to other Die Hard villains in films that required a different type of actor playing them. This is a different movie.

As good a job Olyphant does, however, he can't hold a candle to Maggie Q as Mai. She made a strong impression with a small role last summer's Mission Impossible III, but she makes a HUGE impression here. She's one of those rare movie villains that are so entertaining and so good at being bad you actually feel like rooting for them, if not for the fact they're trying to bring down the entire country. I'd honestly have to go back to the 1980's to remember a villain in an action movie that was this fun to watch. That she isn't bad to look at definitely doesn't hurt either. You know you're watching a real first-class villain when about half way through the film you find yourself scared she'll be killed off. When the possibility of that scenario presented itself I felt like screaming at the screen because I knew the movie just couldn't be the same without her.

The entire fight sequence between her and McClane (the conclusion of which involves a dangling car in an elevator shaft) is probably the most exciting 10 to 15 minutes I've had watching an action movie I can remember. Supposedly a lot of CGI was used for all the action scenes, but I couldn't tell. Everything looked realistic to me. One of the big complaints the movie seems to be getting is that McClane looks more like a superhero than an NYPD cop with all the stunts he pulls off, which border on and often exceed the ludicrous and unbelievable. I agree and there were points during the film I was actually laughing aloud at how over-the-top it was (especially toward the end) but you know what? Who cares?! This is an action movie not a documentary.

The things he did may be unbelievable, but the effects are so good that they never look unbelievable, which is all that counts. Plus, as far as I'm concerned the terror plot itself provided enough frightening realism to make up for any shortcomings in that department. Any concerns about the films PG-13 rating are unfounded. While I can't say I'm happy certain things had to be edited out to market the movie to a broader audience it isn't conciously noticeable watching the picture. In fact, I'm actually surprised the MPAA gave the film a PG-13 considering how much violence is in it. It should be interesting to see if an unedited director's cut is released on DVD and how much that differs from the product released in theaters.

So how about all those worries that Justin Long was going to become the Jar Jar Binks of the Die Hard franchise? Not only does that not happen the interaction he has with Willis makes the movie. The decision to pair the two of them together takes the movie to another level because they unexpectedly play off each other so well. They're complete opposites thrown into this situation together and the back and forth between them is hilarious (without ever becoming annoying) throughout the entire film. I also liked how they used Farrell to bring across the point of how out of touch McClane is with the current digital age, which is really the main theme running throughout the picture.

Long actually has what amounts to a co-starring role as he's onscreen as much as Willis and he not only doesn't drop the ball, he delivers in a huge way. His presence in this movie is every bit as important as Willis' and I'd even go so far to say that if there's another Die Hard (and I wouldn't complain if there is) I'd have no interest in seeing it unless Long's character is involved somehow. The addition of Long could and should have been a disaster but credit Bomback's script and his performance for turning the character into more than just a goofy sidekick. He actually adds another dimension to and enriches the McClane character.

At 52 years old, could Bruce Willis still deliver the goods as a viable action hero? He not only delivers the goods but you believe that this guy could kick anyone's ass. Willis often gets credit for being a great action star, but it's time to be completely honest: He's a good actor. In fact if someone asked me to point to a movie where Willis is at the absolute top of his game and at his very best I'd point to this one. John McClane is described sometimes as the "blue-collar James Bond." I love that description because it's so accurate. He may not be slick or suave or the smartest guy around, but he has street smarts, can blow things up and kick your ass right, left and sideways. That's John McClane and this movie captures it perfectly.

An interesting decision is made in adding another McClane family member we end up caring about. It's his college-age daughter, Lucy (Mary Elizabeth Winstead who, no complaints from me, seems to have appeared in every other movie I've seen in the past year). Her kidnapping at the hands of Gabriel comes so late in the film that me telling you about it could almost be considered a spoiler (if the commercials hadn't spoiled it already). Of course McClane has to have a strained relationship with his daughter, but I liked the way it was handled early on in the film. Bomback's screenplay doesn't push the buttons too hard and it feels just right. It's funny, yet relatable. Later on when she's in danger it becomes clear, much to our delight, she is very much John McClane's daughter. The casting of Winstead is perfect and when this was over I wished she had even more screen time because she was so believable and brought just the right amount of spunk to the role. There's also a hilarious cameo appearance from Kevin Smith (one of the few directors who can actually act) as a thirty-something computer hacker living in his mother's basement, which he's turned into a Star Wars shrine. Why do I suspect Smith probably has a room just like that in his home?

As the conclusion of the movie approached I realized something: I didn't want my time with these characters to end. That may not seem rare, but it is for an action movie. I could actually imagine a successful television series focusing on McClane and his daughter fighting terrorism with Long and Smith's characters along for the ride. We can call it The McClanes. For now though I'll take a sequel with those three returning. Bruce Willis gets a free pass from me to make as many Die Hards as we wishes, although part of me thinks it would be nice to end on the highest note imaginable, which this clearly is. One can hope when Harrison Ford dons the fedora and cracks the whip again next summer for the fourth installment of Indiana Jones, he has as much success as Willis does here. Honestly though, this will be tough to top. When the summer of 2007 comes to a close, Live Free or Die Hard deserves to go down as its biggest success story.

Accepted

Director: Steve Pink
Starring: Justin Long, Jonah Hill, Blake Lively, Lewis Black, Adam Herschman, Columbus Short, Maria Thayer, Hannah Marks
Running Time: 90 min.
Rating: PG-13

**1/2 (out of ****)

Accepted is an excellent example of what separates a good comedy from a great one. It raises the interesting question of whether you judge a movie on what it is or what it could have been. What it could have been was the best college set comedy since Animal House, but what it ends up being is entertaining and efficiently funny. The premise is so strong and the movie so close to greatness you can almost smell it, but it makes stupid little mistakes that were avoidable. It was probably a script rewrite away from really being something. There are still a lot of good things in it but not enough to earn a mild recommendation.

Bartleby Gaines (Justin Long), known to his friends as B., isn't going to college. He just couldn't get in anywhere. So what's he going to do? Make one up. With the help of his rotund friend Schrader (Jonah Hill, who steals the entire film) they create a web site for a fictional college named the South Harmon Institute of Technology (S.H.I.T.-get it?) and produce a fake acceptance letter for his parents. Surprisingly, and to the movie's credit, the S.H.I.T. joke doesn't get old as they constantly find inventive variations on it throughout the movie. Of course, his folks want to see the place, so with some help, they renovate an old run down mental hospital, get some fake students for show, and they're in business. The only problem is every student who couldn't get in to any college anywhere applied online and were accepted. Now they're all showing up at the front door for class and B. has to figure out how to run a college. They also face the threat of eviction from nearby prestigious Harmon College, where Schrader and Monica (Blake Lively), the girl of B.'s dreams, are enrolled.

You probably know how this is all going to end. What you don't know, however, is that this film actually does kind of have something to say and is enjoyable much of the way through. It's not laugh out loud hysterical (although parts are) but it's definitely funny and the characters are memorable. Sometimes an actor is given a line that may seem mildly amusing on paper, but when delivered onscreen it just hits a home run. I must have seen the scene with Schrader dressed as a hot dog telling everyone to "ask me about my weiner" at least a hundred times before seeing the film and laughed every time. When I saw it in the context of the movie I was still on the floor laughing. The sincerity and idiocy with which Jonah Hill deivers it with is perfect and he does the same for just about every other single line he's given in the movie. The guy is just hysterical and it would be worth seeing this if only just for his performance. What I like about the Schrader character is that he does stupid things, but he's not stupid. He knows how illegal this whole operation and against his better judgement goes along for the ride. It was also great to see comedian Lewis Black finally get a role worthy of him as the bitter, grumpy shoe salesman who acts as the fake dean of the college.

Justin Long (the guy in the Apple commericals) is nearly pushing thirty yet I still found him believable as a college freshman and he made a good straight man to all the ridiculousness that sorrounded him. I really liked how they handled his relationship with Monica as they've known each other for years, but never really knew each other at all. There's a great scene where B. thinks she's asking him to the prom, but she's really asking him if he could mow her lawn. She's a nice person who just really isn't aware of his existence through no fault of her own and I liked the way Blake Lively played her. She doesn't do anything actorish and is just really natural as a normal, pretty girl. One of the best performances of the movie comes from Hannah Marks as B.'s wise way beyond her years little sister who knows everything her brother is up to and is easily smarter than every character in the movie.

With all these things the movie does right it almost does as many wrong. Why is it PG-13? If there was ever an opportunity to make a good, old fashioned R rated college comedy it was this. With kids creating their own college the opportunity for gross-out hysterics and over the top comedy was limitless. Instead it's limited, like the filmmakers were too afraid an R rating could hurt the box office. Also, way too much screen time is given to a very annoying character named Glen who's head looks like an eraser. Nothing he does is funny and he's given an amount of screen time that should qualify as cruel and unusual punishment for the viewer.

The script often throws common sense out the window. I know we're supposed to suspend disbelief to the max in a comedy like this, but the movie doesn't even try to make any of this the slightest bit believable. That this stunt would require students with a college education to pull off I'm willing to forgive. Or that no one has anywhere to sleep or eat I can deal with. I mean, it is college. What I can't handle (spoiler warning!) is the students being in complete shock late in the movie that this wasn't a real college and feeling upset and betrayed. Gee, what gave it away that it was a fake college guys? Plus, why would they care as long as they're having fun? This goes against the spirit of the whole movie.

The film contains some really good ideas about higher education such as that colleges don't really do anything to prepare you for the real world and you should always just follow what you're interested in. I liked the idea board they came up with where students create their own classes. Unfortunately, the movie grandstands at the end painting the issue in black and white with evil Harmon College up the road killing education and suffocating students with structure and discipline. The villains are caricatures, the issue isn't that one-sided and the final courtroom scene is embarassing, even for a comedy like this. The movie deserved better.

This is the directing debut for Steve Pink who co-wrote Grosse Pointe Blank and High Fidelity with John Cusak. He just directed it. There's no way a man who co-wrote those movies could have had any hand in writing this, I would hope. This is not even close to being in the same leasgue as those two films. It sounds like I hate the movie, which I don't. It's actually pretty good and at least worth a rental. Even with all it's problems, I still may have enjoyed it more than Old School. When it was over though, I couldn't help feeling that, like the applicants to this college, this movie just failed to reach it's full potential. That's a shame because Accepted had all the ingredients to be the best collegiate comedy in years.