Take Shelter

The economic crisis of 2008 serves as the nasty underbelly of this compelling beast of a dramatic thriller directed by Iranian-American filmmaker, and Winston-Salem native, Ramin Bahrani (“Man Push Cart”). His latest morality tale stars Andrew Garfield (“The Social Network”) as Dennis Nash, a Florida construction worker and single father whose home falls under foreclosure. Nash and his family, consisting of his son Connor (Noah Lomax) and mother Lynn (Laura Dern), are thrown out of their home almost immediately after his court date by steely real-estate broker Rick Carver (Michael Shannon of HBOs “Boardwalk Empire”) and his gaggle of police escorts.

It’s at this point that “99 Homes” slips it’s potent hook into the viewer with a visceral immediacy as Carver and the police invade the Nash home watching Dennis scramble to gather what belongings he can within a few minutes notice. Shot mostly in one take the sequence builds incredible tension and places the viewer squarely in Nash’s shoes as a man literally pulled out of a home with little to no means of finance. He moves his family into a nearby motel for the time being and makes a number of calls to gain construction jobs which have slowed. Ironically enough, Nash is soon recruited by Carver on a construction job which leads to another and then Carver decides to take Nash under his wing as more of a realtoring personal assistant which becomes lucrative rather quickly.

Although seemingly a bit “Wall Street” within the confines of the mentor/protege arrangement that develops between Nash and Carver the film does succeed in making both characters identifiable people and neither complete hero or villain. Nash is very much a decent working-class everyman with no other agenda than to get money in the bank to provide for family while Carver is made out to be an aggressive opportunist who has found a way to game the financial system that once gamed him. And it doesn’t hurt that both Garfield and Shannon provide considerable shades of humanity in their respective roles.

The former Spiderman actor seems to relish the opportunity to play a more nuanced and mundane earthbound spirit who is hit with various ethical dilemmas at every turn. He imbues the scrappy Nash with a quiet integrity that becomes more and more at odds with the relationship he’s built with Carver to gain the money he needs to get his home back. And Garfield also brings a sharp emotional immediacy to the scenes where he’s sent to evict tenants himself (some of which seem to be non actors that only add to the films almost documentary style tone and dramatic rawness).

Yet as good as Garfield is as Nash, it’s Shannon’s performance that stings more and ultimately has the most impact. After playing the likes of hitman Richard “Iceman” Kuklinski and General Zod it’s no longer a surprise that Michael Shannon can play menacing in his sleep but it’s the way his character has become so accustomed to his entitlement that becomes most dynamic. Sporting various cream colored Tommy Bahama style suits and vaping away on E-Cigs, Carver has become a cultivated wolf in sheeps clothing. His no-nonsense business demeanor seduces Nash along with the trappings of a lavish lifestyle earned by tireless strategy. And Carver’s lack of compassion for people is boldly played by Shannon with striking moments of wry humor at others expense. One scene in particular stands out when Carver reveals a rare moment of his personal history as Nash asks for his house back. Flickers of backstory culminate into a fierce monologue shedding light onto how this shameless monster could have once been a decent man whose survivalist instincts eventually trumped his moral compass. The sheer power and honesty of the scene and how Shannon plays it consists of the best screen acting I’ve seen in a film this year.

As engrossing as “99 Homes” is during the first two thirds it does become problematic towards the end coming to an almost abrupt halt that seems a bit too convenient for a film that revels in such gritty authenticity. Needless to say conscience and business collide and good subdues evil, if only for a time. But Shannon’s compelling fire and the eviction scenes of various American citizens of varied creed and gender will continue to seep into the memory long after the tale comes to a convenient close. It’s a movie whose power lingers and for Bahrani and company that’s the point.

Galaxy Quest

Ridley Scott hasn’t exactly been crushing it lately.  The once masterful helmer of the groundbreaking sci-fi classics “Alien” and “Blade Runner” has underwhelmed recently with curious but emotionally vacant films like “The Counselor” and “Exodus: Gods and Kings.”  So it’s a relief and even a grand cause for celebration that “The Martian” doesn’t just feel like a great technical return to form for Scott but it’s quite possibly his most fun and relaxed film to date.

The film begins on Mars as a manned mission of scientists gets caught up in a great wind storm where they are forced to evacuate leaving behind astronaut/botanist Mark Whatney (Matt Damon).  Whatney having been hit by a satellite dish during the storm and losing communication with his crew is presumed dead and wakes up alone some time later to the realization that he’s been completely abandoned.  All alone and with few supplies at his disposal Whatney must use his wits and perseverance to keep himself alive.  And on Mars keeping oneself alive just over the course of a few days can be a great challenge which Whatney learns all too well.

Based on the Andy Weir novel of the same name, “The Martian” takes a familiar premise and spins it in fresh directions with surprisingly nimble execution shying away from dire circumstance and inviting some great humor into the proceedings.  As Whatney problem solves various situations whether it be finding ways to conjure water in order to grow potatoes in his tent or troubleshooting a 90s era satellite dish to signal earth, the film plays more as situational comedy.  Far removed from say the morose tone of Robert Zemickis’s “Cast Away” which employed a similar premise, “The Martian” succeeds in illuminating Whatney’s character through the details of his experiments and vlog musings (which becomes a clever way of  transferring Whatney’s interior dialogues from the book to cinematic audience clarity).   

The narrative structure assembled is sound but Scott’s real ace in the hole is the casting of Damon who infuses his own brainy everyman charisma into the part of Whatney most assuredly.  Damon’s star appeal has always been his relatability which works great in the vlog segments where Whatney’s wry commentary on the inhabitability of Mars, incompetence of NASA, and his severe distaste in the abundance of disco music left behind by his team captain scores numerous punchlines.  Damon also handles the urgency of dramatic beats well and is backed by a formidable supporting cast including Chiwetel Ejiofor as Dr Vince Kapoor heading Mars Missions, Jeff Daniels as head of NASA Teddy Sanders, and Jessica Chastain as Whatney’s captain Melissa Lewis whose own steely resolve to go back and get him becomes more pressing towards the denouement.

Ridley Scott films, no matter the quality or subject matter, always look great and “The Martian” is certainly no exception.  The red sandy vistas of Mars were actually shot in a red desert in Jordan which look beautifully eery as Whatney’s backdrop of isolation.  The striking space suits and props, along with everything as mundane as Whatney’s potato garden, were actually constructed for the film forgoing much use for CGI which feels appropriate for the grass roots story and subject matter.  And a number of visual inklings and homages of Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” are also on display which are a nice treat for the cinephiles amongst us.

As superb as the scenes are with Whatney on Mars the film can’t quite maintain the same level of interest with the earthbound NASA scenes.  Most of them are consisting of droves of scientists and technicians trying to get him help and then orchestrating an attempted mission to save him.  Meetings are held and management disagree about whether it’s more important to get Lewis and crew saved as opposed to sending them back to rescue Whatney.  Whatney’s predicament as presented is enough for one film but it seems like some of the NASA scenes where people are scrambling to get something done, although well acted and staged, are perfunctory.  In relation to the overall piece most of these scenes could have simply been trimmed to keep everything at a great brisk running time.  A minor quibble though within a film that gets most everything right.   

In the end “The Martian” serves as that rare combination of successful star-director-crew collaboration that is able to function within the confines of a major studio film without losing artistic integrity in the process.  More importantly this film touches upon a great concept that is also becoming rare in our recent times.  And that is the brilliant resolve of the human spirit.