STEVE JOBS (2015) movie review

I’ll call it a film triptych as three periods of time, three locations, and three types of cameras parallel Jobs’s three historical product launches.2462_60_00002r_cropIf you’ve watched The West Wing or The Newsroom, you’ve already taken a class in “sorkinese.” Aaron Sorkin writes with poignant, often profane cutting banter but has an uncanny ability to allow great actors to shine and the characters they play to remain flawed but incredibly likable.1280x720-uThFassbender is to Jobs as Reeves was to Superman. Put on the turtleneck and white tennis shoes and away he goes. steve jobs michael fassbender mirrorMeanwhile, Kate Winslet’s sweeps the rest of the audience in under her protective umbrella to watch the rest of the performance. She is caretaker and necessary foil to Jobs’s hero.screen-shot-2015-07-03-at-20-47-02Sorkin weaves fictional story plots into true history with provocative threads of conversation. He builds an intricate spiderweb of verbal sparring between those closest to Steve Jobs, whose pride and potential trap him in the center of the web. The illusive enemy and savior become one as iNnovation thrusts the world forward simultaneously cutting friendly and familial ties. His own daughter is among the collateral casualties. Steve Jobs (MICHAEL FASSBENDER) with daughter Lisa Brennan (MAKENZIE MOSS) in “Steve Jobs”, directed by Academy Award® winner Danny Boyle and written by Academy Award® winner Aaron Sorkin. Set backstage in the minutes before three iconic product launches spanning Jobs’ career—beginning with the Macintosh in 1984, and ending with the unveiling of the iMac in 1998—the film takes us behind the scenes of the digital revolution to paint an intimate portrait of the brilliant man at its epicenter.Jobs conducts the creation and release of the future of personal computing while his orchestra of brilliant tech and financial wizards play in the pit. They all must play the roles they are given, but without the sacrifice and leadership of the front man, all would be lost. Jobs sees this. It takes a strong, driven leader with unparalleled focus to make history like he did. The question posed, as always, is: is it worth it at the expense of relationships. Must genius doom itself to solitude?steve-jobs-movie-2015-holdingZZ13FA808DAs films go, this one haunts. The Tron-esque pulsing score matches the blood pressure of the film’s namesake. 1280x720--EkDanny Boyle, the director, uses people as props and lighting as sets, playing on the algorithms and symmetry of people on the move, of friendly connections severed, of puzzle pieces placed over decades as industry stretches forward to match the dreams of innovators.
A few flashbacks literally flash in between scenes of dialogue as the three art pieces, poised and playing in real-time hand-cam style stand adjacent in order to be appreciated as a singular masterpiece in three parts.screen-shot-2015-07-01-at-12-37-27-pm

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JOHN CARTER movie review (2012)

Dedicated to Steve Jobs, this high budget, high concept film essentially offers another cowboy meets aliens film with far less gimmick but a lot more Disney. It feels a bit like Return of the Jedi meets Prince if Persia meets Avatar. Watch for legitimate Jedi allusions. It was a blast. Decent writing – its far cleverer than I presumed, funny and pretty classy.

Riggins returns as a warrior with nothing left but self interest and gold lust until one day…the inciting incident of this film transports you from High Noon to Tatooine.

This title role was originally created one hundred years ago as a sci-fi novel series. John Carter, as a character, is truly likable.

His strong female counterpart, though beautiful with a sultry dark voice, would be better cast as antagonist, or sister, or queen of hearts, or the one-scene seductress. The character feels monotone at best, but I think I’d fire her costume designer first. Another odd choice was the robed Mark Strong – classic bad guy since he dawned the cloak and angry eyes in the first Sherlock. He’s back, bald, still bitter, and holding all of the cards. Otherwise, casting was lovely from Cranston to Church, (as in Bryan Cranston of Breaking Bad fame who plays Powell, a Civil War scoundrel, and Thomas Haden Church who voices one of the inhabitants of Mars).

Fortunately, the title role does for this film what he did for Friday Night Lights. He looks good, adds heart, and fights until he wins the day.