Robot & Frank (2012) Film Review

It’s not too far into the future and there are robotic helpers all over the place. Frank (Frank Langella) is a man growing older and is starting to get a bit confused about things. His son, Hunter (Peter Sarsgaard), sick of having to visit every week unsure of what state he will find Frank in gets Frank a helper robot. Frank is initially against this, but discovers that the robot is able to assist is a manner unexpected to all.

Any film about dementia is bound to be tough in some way or another. The exploits of Frank with his Robot are sweet and entertaining, but still allow the gentle tragedy of his situation come through. I’m trying hard not to say much about the story, as the story is delightful, especially if you don’t know where it is coming from or going to.

All Good Things (2010)

Surely, the name of this film just lends itself to bad reviews. Like ‘All Good Things – apart from the acting, story, directing and just about everything else’ or ‘All Good Things… All bad things, more like?’ or something equally as terrible. As it happens, it is not a great film, so unleash the terrible lines.

David Marks (Ryan Gosling) is the son of real estate tycoon Sanford Marks (Frank Langella). But he doesn’t want to follow his father’s footsteps. He and his beautiful young wife, Katie (Kirsten Dunst) move to Vermont and open a health food store called All Good Things. Life is great, but then David is pressured to return to New York and follow his father’s footsteps. He’s acting pretty weird, and then his wife disappears, then suddenly it’s 20 years later, David is dressing as a woman and his best mate dies, and the spotlight is put on him for both cases.

It is based on the true story of Robert Durst and his wife Kathleen McCormack who disappeared in 1982. It’s a pretty compelling story, yet not a compelling film. This despite the strong acting, especially from Kirsten Dunst in one of the best performances I’ve seen from her. The key problem was the structure and the script – it felt as though a lot of time was put into the set up of the relationship between David and Katie, but then the disappearance and all of the acts after this seem rushed, and given how exciting this part of the story is, it’s just a waste.

Unknown (2011) Film Review

Unknown is everything you want from a Liam Neeson movie. Fighting, running, desperation, outrage, and then that little smile that he gives to the special lady in the film that melts you just a bit. Okay, I’m not going to attempt to hide that I have a bit of a thing for Liam Neeson.

This film has Liam Neeson about to check in to a Berlin hotel with his wife, only he gets into an accident and wakes after being in a coma for three days. When he awakes, he knows who he is, but no one else does. And then it gets really exciting.

Man, sometimes I forget how much I enjoy action films. I like not having to think at all, and allowing myself to get surprised by the twists, even if they are obvious. I expect that many viewers of this film may well have figured out what was going on, at least to some extent. Not me, no siree. I let everything surprise me. I even get sucked in by the over-the-top music and the handheld camera chases. It’s all good.