Speed demons “Need for Speed” (PG-13), DIRECTED BY SCOTT WAUGH NOW PLAYING
“Better Living Through Chemistry” (R), DIRECTED BY SCOTT WAUGH NOW PLAYING [ REVIEW ] BY ADAM LUBITOW
authentic paints and brushes, a task that requires an exhausting amount of effort. The whole tedious project, carefully filmed through all its stages, takes more than five years from beginning to end; when he finishes, Jenison believes he has actually painted “The Music Lesson,” and both Hockney and Blakemore concur. “Tim’s Vermeer” exploits one of the most successful and entertaining practices of American film, its ability to show process, the step-by-step actions of doing work and making something — digging an irrigation ditch, tarring a road, erecting a barn, carving a baseball bat — and endowing that activity with a fascination all its own. Jenison’s remarkable journey through the many stages of his ambitious quest consists almost entirely of a series of carefully planned, artfully managed tasks, all of them terrifically cinematic. Beyond all that, Jenison himself serves as an appropriate hero of his own dream, an ordinary guy with enormous talent, pots of dough, and the willingness to pursue a quixotic adventure of the spirit. The movie provides an engrossing lesson in history, art history, and art itself; like Hockney’s book, its conclusions surely invite controversy and debate. Although nobody in the film wants, or perhaps bothers, to utter the point, Jenison’s work and his conclusions may ultimately reduce — if that’s the right word — Johannes Vermeer from a great artist to a great technologist, from an unusually accomplished painter to a remarkably skilled, patient, and meticulous draftsman.
Inspired by the long-running video-game series of the same name, “Need for Speed” is the first major-studio starring role for actor Aaron Paul in his post-“Breaking Bad” career. After award-winning work on that series and strong performances in a number of smaller indie films, Paul is no doubt being flooded with offers for work. With that in mind, it’s unclear as to what drew him to this dim-witted action flick, which does nothing to improve the dismal track record of video-game-based films. Paul stars as Tobey Marshall, a former race-car driver whose body shop faces foreclosure. That forces him to accept an offer from a past rival, Dino Brewster (Dominic Cooper), to help him build a one-of-a-kind Ford Mustang. After selling the car for a cool $2.7 million, Dino challenges Tobey, along with their third business partner, Little Pete, to a drag race, which ends in Little Pete’s fiery death. Dino frames Tobey for Pete’s death, sending him
Olivia Wilde and Sam Rockwell in “Better Living Through Chemistry.” PHOTO COURTESY BILL GRAY/SAMUEL GOLDWYN FILMS
to jail for two years, and allowing Dino to make off with the money. We flash forward two years as Tobey gets released from prison, with nothing but revenge on his mind. For some reason, he decides the best payback would be to compete against Dino in the DeLeon, a winner-takes-all, illegal street race staged annually by a wealthy organizer known as Monarch (Michael Keaton). Tobey drives across the country to reach the race’s starting point, with a car aficionado love interest (played by British actress Imogen Poots) by his side. The stage is set for high-octane vengeance. That’s infinitely more story than a film of this type requires, and unsurprisingly, the car chases are where “Need for Speed” truly shifts into gear. Aside from a rather mean-spirited disdain for pedestrians and bicyclists, the races themselves are excitingly staged by director Scott Waugh (“Act of Valor”). So it is mystifying that screenwriter George Gatins chooses to spend so much time away from the action, with every moment of supposed drama slamming on the brakes, and allowing the audience time to ponder how stupid it all is. (Not to mention questioning the morality of staging highspeed races in residential areas.) The actors mostly seem stranded with their cardboard characters, forced to speak in nothing but clichés. Paul feels miscast as the supposedly Steve McQueen-esque Tobey. What made the actor so compelling on “Breaking Bad” was the way he conveyed a deep vulnerability masked by a tough-guy exterior. His skills don’t translate as well to this “strong and silent” type of character. The practical car stunts are undeniably impressive, but recent installments of the “Fast and Furious” series have raising the bar for brainless car-related mayhem. The comparatively dull “Need for Speed” just can’t keep up. In the darkly satiric new comedy “Better Living Through Chemistry,” Sam Rockwell plays Douglas Varney, a sad-sack, smalltown pharmacist whose life has become
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Down-on-his-luck screenwriter Joe Gillis (William Holden) gets in over his head when he stumbles upon a decrepit mansion and decides to hide out there, only to discover its sole inhabitant is forgotten silent film star Norma Desmond (played by real-life silent film queen Gloria Swanson). Agreeing to write her comeback picture while working on a project of his own, he begins to realize the suspiciously possessive way Norma latches onto him. (Billy Wilder, US 1950, 110 min., 35mm)
an unending series of compromises. He’s married to an emasculating, competitive workout fanatic, played by Michelle Monaghan (her stereotypically ball-busting character is typical of the film’s rather unpleasant air of misogyny), with a preteen son who’s indifferent to his presence at best and outright hostile at worst. The one highlight in his life is his job, but even that has its difficulties: Doug has finally inherited his father-in-law’s pharmacy business, but the old man refuses to stop meddling. Things change dramatically when he meets and immediately strikes up a steamy affair with a bored trophy wife, portrayed by an incredibly game Olivia Wilde. The would-be femme fatale convinces him that he’s a fool for not taking advantage of his position at the pharmacy by getting high on his own supply, and the couple’s psychotropic recreation gives Doug the confidence he’s been lacking. Oh, did I mention the film is inexplicably narrated by Jane Fonda, playing some version of herself, for no particular reason? Rockwell is great, as usual, though the one adjective I’d never use to describe the effortlessly charismatic actor is “milquetoast.” And so his pre-affair performance as Doug is never entirely convincing. Olivia Wilde is an actress who has spent far too long playing dull, “stand around and look pretty” roles, but recent work in Joe Swanberg’s “Drinking Buddies” and Spike Jonze’s “Her” have shown that at least a few directors have caught on to the hugely likeable personality behind her looks; writer-directors Geoff Moore and David Posamentier utilize her effectively here. Disappointingly, the film spends its time attempting to shock a reaction out of its audience before finally revealing itself to be more of a placebo; there’s no substance beneath the posturing, and it all ends up feeling far too safe. However, the sequence of father-son bonding through vandalism, set to a cover of Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s “Shimmy Shimmy Ya,” is a relative comedic high point.
THE YOUNG GIRLS OF ROCHEFORT Tuesday, March 25, 8 p.m. Two sisters, dancer Delphine and piano teacher Solange, are looking for “Mr. Right.” Maxence is an artist trapped into serving his duty to his country. Simon owns a music store. As they go about their lives, they narrowly glide toward and away from each other, missing the perfect opportunity to meet their perfect mate. Starring Catherine Deneuve and a still-sparkling Gene Kelly, this vibrant classic will leave you in a state of wonder. (Les demoiselles de Rochefort, Jacques Demy, France 1967, 125 min., French w/ subtitles, 35mm)
Film Info: 271-4090 | 900 East Avenue | Eastman House Café—stop in for a light dinner or dessert before the film. | WIFI Hot Spot rochestercitynewspaper.com CITY 27