REVIEW 297: THE JUDGE

Release date (India):	October 17, 2014
Director:	David Dobkin
Cast: Language:	Robert Downey Jr, Robert Duvall, Vincent D’Onofrio, Vera Farmiga, Jeremy Strong, Billy Bob Thornton, Ken Howard, Dax Shepard English

The Judge is not the most earth-shatteringly original film. What is impossible to ignore though is the heavyweight cast, from the two Roberts playing an estranged father and son, to every single supporting player. For them and them alone, this would be a film worth seeing. 

To be fair though, there is more to it than just the assembly of awe-inspiring actors. The Judge is the story of the successful, high-flying big-city lawyer Henry/Hank Palmer and his dad, the imperious small-town judge Joseph Palmer. When Henry’s beloved mother passes away, his return back home for her funeral brings the long-dormant father-son animosity to the surface.

Where the film focuses on the relationship between Henry and Joseph, Henry and his ex-girlfriend Samantha Powell (Vera Farmiga), Henry and his brothers – the former baseball star Glen (Vincent D’Onofrio) and the mentally slow, camera-obsessed Dale (Jeremy Strong) – it is on solid ground. Each of these actors possesses a certain quiet dignity that does not betray them even in their characters’ more over-wrought moments. Where The Judge falters is in its effort to throw too much into the mix, with the primary element of strained family ties stirred up with the ravages of old age, a crime thriller aspect, courtroom drama, romance and other bits and bobs.

Some of it seems familiar and none of it is outstandingly unusual, which is why The Judge falls far short of being a remarkable film. It is however, never short of being good.

Watching the legendary Robert Duvall and the always-excellent Robert Downey Jr play off each other as Joseph and Henry is a bit like watching Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts share screen space as the mother-daughter duo Violet and Barbara in their Oscar-nominated performances in last year’s August: Osage County – there is such joy in seeing two generations of great actors in the same frame. That being said, the Palmers are nowhere near as dysfunctional as Violet’s crazy clan. The Judge is less about screaming confrontations and more about things left unsaid, about rage left simmering below the surface until it threatens to destroy treasured bonds.

Comparisons are inevitable too between The Judge and last year’s deservedly multiple-Oscar-nominated Nebraska. Watching Henry and Joseph rediscover each other is no doubt a reminder of David (Will Forte) rediscovering his declining father Woody (Bruce Dern) in that film. The screenplay of The Judge though pales in comparison with the genius of Bob Nelson’s writing for Nebraska, which packed understated, heart-wrenching emotion into every single second of its filmic existence. The Judge is nowhere within touching distance of Nebraska.

However, there is much to recommend The Judge too. Foremost among its strengths is the fact that unlike many prodigal-son-returns-to-the-small-town tales, this one does not feature a single character who seems to regret their backwaters existence. Samantha Powell in particular is the exact opposite, the one who discovered early on that this is where she belongs, in the process turning out to be much more than Henry clearly ever thought anyone could be in his hometown.

Sans too many grand flourishes, DoP Janusz Kaminski seems to revel as much in showing us the picturesque Indiana countryside as he does in unintrusively capturing that tear that struggles not to escape Henry’s eye. It’s been a while since we’ve seen Downey in a film in which he is not a high-strung Sherlock Holmes or a maverick millionaire with superpowers. The Judge is the best showcase for this endearing actor’s ability to play a regular guy since the lovely Zodiac in 2007.

The pairing of the two Roberts is of course the selling point of the film. They are backed here by an intimidatingly talented supporting cast. Vera Farmiga’s luminous presence is hard to miss even in the small role of Samantha. The wonderful Vincent D’Onofrio brings to the part of Glen Palmer a brooding intensity that is familiar to Indian viewers who have seen him play the male lead in the beautifully written and acted police drama Law and Order: Criminal Intent. Fluff TV junkies would perhaps be pleased too to spot Leighton Meester in a tiny but impactful role as Samantha’s daughter Carla, far removed from the sheen and glamour of her calling card – the big-city rich kid Blair Waldorf that she played in the irritatingly frivolous Gossip Girl.

The actors do not though overshadow the film’s other strength: those moments of intimacy when you are least expecting them. Watching Henry repeatedly struggle not to break down, seeing the father and son tide over an awkward bathroom accident with a shared chuckle, that brief instant in their darkened home when Glen quietly observes the two rip the covers off their anger against each other… as much as the powerful cast, these are what make The Judge worth our time, warts and all.

Rating (out of five): **3/4

CBFC Rating (India):	A
Running time: MPAA Rating (US):	142 minutes R (Rated R for language including some sexual references)
Release date in the US:	October 10, 2014

Poster courtesy: https://www.facebook.com/TheJudgeMovie

REVIEW 214: THE CONJURING

Release date:	August 2, 2013
Director:	James Wan
Cast: Language:	Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Lili Taylor, Ron Livingston, Shanley Caswell, Hayley McFarland, Joey King, Mackenzie Foy, Kyla Deaver English

The interesting thing about The Conjuring is that it uses many of the plot points and devices employed by other horror filmmakers (an isolated house, new owners, creaking floorboards, cobweb-ridden spaces, a mysterious cellar, adorable little girls, an old doll) and yet manages to feel fresh. The reason has to be an additional ingredient: stillness. The Conjuring is a far cry from the days when director James Wan (Saw, Insidious) was listed as a member of Hollywood’s “splat pack”, makers of ultra-violent horror derisively called “torture porn”. His latest film is terrifying as much for the noiseless stretches between attacks as when evil actually strikes. Besides, we’ve become so used to bloodletting and bloodcurdling screams by now, that it’s a relief to find these elements kept down to a minimum here. The Conjuring is one of the best supernatural films to emerge from Hollywood in a while.

The story begins with demonologists Lorraine and Ed Warren – she a clairvoyant, he an exorcist – delivering a lecture on their work to an eager audience. We’re then taken back in time to 1971 Rhode Island where the Perron family – mum, dad and five daughters – have just moved into their new home. On the very first day, their dog refuses to enter the door. That night they hear strange sounds, discover a junk-ridden cellar and the girls have some disconcerting experiences. In the morning they find that all their clocks had stopped at 3.07am. As the situation worsens over a frightening few days, they call upon the Warrens to cleanse their house of the being/s haunting it.

The Conjuring is that rare spook flick where the cast is not overshadowed by the paranormal presence. The leading ladies, in particular, are exemplary. Vera Farmiga (Up In The Air, The Departed) is blessed with a sensitive face, speaking eyes and an Ingrid Bergman-like quiet dignity that she draws upon to portray Lorraine Warren as a woman of immense strength yet not shorn of her own fears. Lili Taylor as Carolyn Perron swings from confusion to trepidation and outright terror, from protectiveness to vulnerability and victimisation without striking a false note. Patrick Wilson and Ron Livingston provide able support as their husbands. One glimpse of the Perrons’ lovely daughters huddled together in fear is enough to convince you that they’re worth risking life and limb to save. Shanley Caswell, Hayley McFarland, Joey King (from White House Down also currently in theatres), Mackenzie Foy and Kyla Deaver are well cast as the endearing, exasperatingly real Andrea, Nancy, Christie, Cindy and April.

Do horror films manipulate the audience? Of course they do. The good ones just don’t leave us with the time or mindspace to be conscious of the manipulations. The cleverness of Chad Hayes and Carey W. Hayes’ screenplay also lies in the fact that it anticipates most questions doubting Thomases might ask (Why don’t the Perrons move out of their new house? Why do the Warrens risk keeping possessed mementoes in their house instead of destroying them?) and offers pre-emptive answers that are hard to argue with. The writers don’t stop at creeping us out. Cynics please note: the Warrens believe in God, use scientific tools for their investigations and are themselves quite cynical about most of the cries for help that they receive because experience has taught them that “there’s usually a rational explanation”. Misogynists please note: there’s a neat little point tucked away in there about America’s infamous Salem “witch” hunts. The Conjuring does fall back on tried-and-tested territory in the climax, but with everything moving at the speed of lightning at that point, there’s nary a moment to ponder. The only unsatisfactory portion in the story is a flashback to the Perrons’ previous assignment which had drained Lorraine so much that at the start of the film, Ed did not want her to embark upon another ghost-busting exercise. This little aside is a bit of a let-down.

James Wan has surrounded himself with an impeccable technical team for The Conjuring. Cinematographer John R. Leonetti – who partnered Wan on Insidious – is a master of dread, building up an eerie atmosphere right from the word go. Once we enter the Perron home, the camera sometimes gets so intimate with the residents, that it almost feels like the eyes of the spirit watching the family. The eeriest of the film’s many memorable shots though is one of Carolyn Perron looking down into the cellar standing alone at the top of the stairs. Leonetti’s work is complemented by the choice of scenic location for the Perrons’ home and production designer Julie Berghoff whose use of wintry grays and whites is enough to have you hugging yourself to ward off the cold, as Carolyn does throughout the film. Joseph Bishara’s music is less “music” and more of a chilling drone against which the story plays out. 

It doesn’t matter whether you’re a believer or not, because let’s face it: as kids we all thought there were ogres under the bed. The Conjuring is as ominous as The Omen though it has less depth, as chilling as The Exorcist but with greater surface quietude. There's the added thrill that comes from being told it’s a “true story” (the Warrens are a real-life couple who were also involved in the infamous Amityville case already chronicled by Hollywood). If you’re a masochist like all horror buffs, this film is certainly worth your time. Be prepared to be scared.

Rating (out of five): ***1/2

CBFC Rating (India):	A
Running time: MPAA Rating (US):	96 minutes R (for sequences of disturbing violence and terror)
Release date in the US:	July 19, 2013