Review: Cold in July

by Trevor Kirkendall

★★★

Fans of “Dexter” will rejoice upon seeing “Cold in July.” It shows Michael C. Hall taking on a different kind of role than his forensic analyst by day/serial killer by night character from the popular Showtime series. What they’ll be most excited about is that “Cold in July” is a smart and mature film that has at least some semblance of resolution rather than the abomination that was Season 8 of “Dexter.”

“Cold in July” is set in East Texas in 1989. One quiet night, a burglar breaks into the home of Richard Dane (Hall) and his wife Ann (Vinessa Shaw). Attempting to protect his wife and young son Jordan, Richard loads up a pistol and nervously sets out to see who has broken into his home. In a panic, Richard shoots and kills the unarmed intruder.

The local police say the man Richard shot was Freddy Russell, a wanted felon. His father Ben (Sam Shepard) had just recently made parole from a nearby prison. Ben shows up and threatens Richard’s son prompting the police to get involved again in order to catch Ben and protect Richard’s family.

This is about the point where “Cold in July” makes a sudden turn and starts to go down a completely different and unexpected path. Enter Jim Bob (Don Johnson), a private investigator who will help us get to the bottom of mystery wrapped in lies and red herrings. The plot zigs and zags until the shocking and brutal truth is revealed before a violent and bloody third act.

Director Jim Mickle confidently directs this taut thriller. His sharp script, co-written by Nick Damici from the novel by Joe R. Lansdale, is full of cynicism balanced nicely with the right amount of wit and humor, albeit dark humor. The tone and time period in which the film takes place is nicely accented by a great 80s style score by Jeff Grace. And Ryan Samul’s cinematography is reminiscent of some of the 80s best thrillers.

Despite the film being full of mystery and plot twists, there are many holes within the script that leaves several unanswered questions. None of them are quite as ridiculous as, “Why is Dexter Morgan a lumberjack now?” but there are enough to leave you scratching your head.

Hall is great in his new role as an everyman concerned with the protection of his family and the questioning of his own masculinity. It’s a much different role for him than his well-known parts on “Dexter” and “Six Feet Under” but he blends in to it seamlessly. Seeing him struggle with killing someone was something I thought would be hard to get past since I know him so well in his serial killer role, but it’s not. He fits in perfectly here.

Likewise, the supporting roles from Shepard and Johnson are equally great. Both veteran actors bring something different to their roles. Especially Johnson, who is a welcomed addition to this film the moment he walks on screen.  It’s been awhile since he’s been in a role that was more than just a caricature. While this is Hall’s movie, Johnson ends up stealing many of the scenes in the film’s back half.

It’s not perfect, but “Cold in July” is a nice break from all the superheroes that occupy so many movie screens in the summer. There’s plenty wrong here, but its faults don’t necessarily hinder the plot at all. With so many twists and turns, it’s easy for a script and the director to lose focus. But Mickel has a good grasp on the story and the film’s theme to not let all the mistakes of the script diminish what is ultimately a very effective, intense and violent thriller.

Review: August: Osage County

by. Joe Moss
★★★½

Gritty, powerful, heartfelt, dysfunctional, otherwise known as a trip through most family gatherings. John Wells' "August: Osage County--" based off of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize winning play of the same name, by Tracy Letts--is sure to pack a punch with most audience members who are not afraid to stare transfixedly into the dark realities that hide behind most homestead walls. Working through their short-comings, their past indiscretions, and many family secrets, the Weston family must decide how to move forward as a group, and as individuals.

Beverly "Bev" Weston (Sam Shepard) was once a truly famous award winning poet. He and his wife, Violet (Meryl Streep) placed roots in Osage County Oklahoma when Bev accepted his final teaching position at a local university. As the film opens, Bev is interviewing Johnna (Misty Upham) as a housekeeper/assistant to help take care of Violet who he says has mouth cancer. We find out that Violet has a widespread prescription drug addiction as a counterbalance to his alcoholism.

Suddenly, we are thrust forward a few days, and discover through a phone conversation between the Weston's middle daughter, Ivy (Julianne Nicholson) and the oldest daughter, Barbara (Julia Roberts) that Bev has gone missing. To aid Violet, who is severely distraught in her drug-induced dementia, Barbara decides to make the trip home. She brings with her, Bill Fordham (her estranged husband played by Ewan McGregor) and her daughter, Jean (Abigail Breslin). They meet Ivy, Violet's sister Matty Fae (Margo Martindale) and brother-in-law, Charlie (Chris Cooper) at the Weston homestead. Within minutes of arriving, the family is shocked by another knock at the door.  It's the Sheriff who bears the news that Bev has been found, and the body must be identified.

With the arrival of the remaining Weston daughter, Karen (Juliette Lewis) and her beau, Steve Huberbrecht (Dermot Mulroney), all HELL breaks loose in the household as the dirty laundry of all is finally aired out to dry.

My hats of to the producers of the film for allowing Tracy Letts to re-write and translate her play into the actual movie script. It is obvious that she took the time to do her award-winning play justice. Of course the personification provided by the cast is amazing. Meryl Streep is at her best in this movie as she channels the insanity of Elizabeth Taylor's title character from "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" (1966). She steals every scene with biting sarcasm followed by inhaling cigarettes--mind the mouth cancer now!!

Julia Roberts is a mirror image of Meryl Streep's character. As her oldest daughter, Barbara had to put up with Violet's tantrums the most...and this is how Julia plays the role. As s woman on the edge who takes no prisoners. Of course, she learned that from her mother--minus the extreme drug addiction. Julia's ability to hold screen time with Meryl (and even one-up her on occasion) speak volumes for her ability as an actress. They were both perfectly cast in their roles by Kerry Barden ("Good Will Hunting") and Paul Schnee ("Prisoners", 2013).

While the other supporting characters generally perform well, and serve their purpose toward plot development within the film, Juliette Lewis is one who stands out--but in a bad way. Her characterization as Karen falls flat. It just seems as more of Juliette Lewis' classic airhead characters. She doesn't seem to add anything to the plot of the film other than bringing her fiance, Steve, to the fray. His character is slimy and is played perfectly by Dermot Mulroney. Additonally, Benedict Cumberbatch's character, Little Charles, is forgettable. This is probably a good thing as he is only present in the film for about 10 minutes.

I heartily enjoyed this movie and fully recommend to anyone who enjoys the occasional glance into the dysfunctional goings-on of another household.