14 | living arts
The Scarlet
october 30, 2014
Impossible to Defend The Judge Review By Ronald Gerber scarlet staff
In American cinema, the notion of taking justice into one’s own hands is far from novel. It pervades the Western, gangster, and superhero genres. The ethical dilemmas it poses have provided the foundation for great tragedies like The Godfather. David Dobkin’s The Judge promises to have all the ingredients for a potent parable: a small-town setting, fraught family dynamics, and a taste for revenge. Robert Downey Jr., Vincent D’Onofrio, and Robert Duvall act with all the experience and emotional depths they are known for. Unfortunately for us, none of these qualities can save The Judge from its sluggish pace and harsh touch. Successful Chicago defense attorney Hank Palmer (Downey) smugly puts up the façade of a perfect life, but is struggling through a divorce so ugly that his young daughter (Emma Tremblay) is worried. While news of his mother’s death is especially devastating, Hank takes it as an opportunity to get away from his troubles and revisit his hometown of Carlinville, Indiana. There, he sees his brothers, Glen and Dale (D’Onofrio and Jeremy Strong, respectively), his still-sexy high school girlfriend Samantha (Vera Farmiga), and his prickly elderly father Joseph (Robert Duvall), for the first time in 20 years. Joseph is an old-fashioned judge, holding the law and his courthouse sacred and reacting contemptuously to the kind of huckster tricks Hank, with whom he has a strained relationship, pulls with witnesses. The two are brought together when Joseph is accused of killing a man he convicted years earlier and grudgingly acknowledges that he needs his son for his defense. The case is made more difficult by the patriarch’s pig-headed refusal
to acknowledge his recent illness, as well as Hank’s fear of being outmatched by the slick skill of prosecuting attorney Dwight Dickam (Billy Bob Thornton). It is difficult to say where exactly a premise like this goes wrong. Was it at the scripting stage? It would certainly be a break in tradition for screenwriter Nick Schenck, whose screenplay for Gran Torino was so powerful that director Clint Eastwood decided to follow it to the letter and ended up with an Oscar-winning, thoroughly memorable film. The Judge’s screenplay is far more lackluster. Duvall in particular stumbles over his lines. It is unfortunate that at the times when he should appear imposing and scrupulous, he comes off as tired and out of it. His gift has always been for more heartfelt moments; indeed one of the few memorable scenes in The Judge is one in which Hank helps a struggling Joseph make it to the bathroom, bonding despite the awkwardness and severity of Joseph’s illness. There is a warm humor to the situation that works well for Downey, who touches us most when his overconfidence falters. If only more scenes had been executed with such direct tenderness. Perhaps Dobkin took for granted his veteran actors’ skill, focusing more on the quality of the film’s cinematography, whose sweeping wide shots of the purportedly Midwestern landscape (it was shot in Massachusetts) are inarguably beautiful. Regrettably, they run long, dulling the effect the family drama. Ultimately, for all its ambition, The Judge lacks the punch of a television procedural. I would not be at all shocked to find a remake in twenty or thirty years; the raw materials are there, they simply need to be organized more masterfully.
courtesy of impawards.com
A Story That’s Never Been Told Clarkies Form Original Web Series By Tessa Isis-Bahoosh scarlet staff
In a peaceful universe devoid of religion, a college student named Emma Zebroski is mysteriously gifted with godlike powers. Emma is a girl-next-door type, firmly rooted in contemporary culture—she is the Ugg-boot-wearing, pumpkin spice latte-drinking twenty-year-old we all know. Emma’s life becomes extraordinary when it is revealed (through details hitherto undisclosed) that
she has been bestowed with her new powers, and must decide how they should be exercised. This is the story Skyla Choi (‘16) and Skye Wingo (‘16) plan to tell in their upcoming web series, Project: Emma. With a storyline that is still partially under wraps and a title that was originally a placeholder, Emma promises to be fun not only as a finished product, but as an ongoing and developing idea. While this project is not part of any class, the team plans to give
it special polish. As Wingo plans to study abroad in the spring, a lot of activity is being packed into the current semester. Wingo and Choi are hoping to have Emma up by Christmas, but say they are more dedicated to doing a thoroughly good job than adhering to a strict timeline. “It’s very much a story that’s never been told,” Choi said, “especially in a college-y, amateur setting. We want to make it so we’re not just a bunch of kids playing around with a camera— we want to do something real, something meaningful.” Discussing the origins of Emma, Wingo credited cinematographer Mitchell Gamache (‘17) for initially expressing the desire to make a web series. Although Gamache is designated as cinematographer, the roles will rotate throughout the series, as each member of the team will have a chance to direct, with Wingo and Choi currently co-writing the script. The concept of a normal student given exceptional abilities interested Wingo, and he approached Choi to ask if she wanted to help turn the idea into something concrete. Since then, Emma has garnered enthusiasm not only from the creators, but from eager audience members as well. Choi, Wingo, and Gamache are currently working with the Film Production Society to produce the series. “The club’s really there to give a chance to people who want to create visually,” Wingo said, acknowledging that, in general, students who want access to Clark’s film equipment need to be taking a class on film production. They hope this project will be inviting to people with emerging interests in filmmaking, and will become an opportunity for everyone involved to practice navigating a large film crew. Anyone interested in finding out more about Project: Emma can follow Wingo on Twitter @swingofilms, or friend Wingo, Choi, or Gamache on Facebook. Choi can also be found on Instagram as skychoi16. If you’re interested in helping with prop work, mention your desire to help accomplish what Wingo calls a “Star Warsy feel.” For an even better chance at getting involved, donations of warm croissants are suggested.