antlers

The ongoing stream of somber horror movies of our era continues with Scott Cooper's (Crazy Heart, Out of the Furnace, and Hostiles) Antlers. Set in the rural Pacific Northwest, Cooper's film (co-written by Henry Chaisson and Nick Antosca) follows a group of traumatized people in the wreckage of a ravaged economic landscape. Keri Russell plays a teacher, Julia Meadows, returning to her small town in Oregon to live with her brother, police officer Paul (Jesse Plemons, who has furthered his career of character roles, interestingly many in law enforcement) in their childhood home. Through scraps of flashback, we witness the torment of Julia's childhood at the hands of her father. We also see her fight back urges to buy alcohol,  glaring at bottles in a worn convivence store. Her relationship with her brother is somewhat strained. Her teaching seems unfulfilling, with a mostly unengaged class. She is drawn, however, to a shy, seemingly bright young boy, Lucas (Jeremy T. Thomas, who does excellent work with a difficult role). Lucas harbors a secret in his dingy, dark house: behind a padlocked door are his little brother and father (Sawyer Jones and Scott Haze) afflicted with a mysterious illness.

Scott Cooper is known for dramas with characters going through harrowing journeys of varying degree, so his transition to a horror film is a fitting one. Antlers reaches into the traumas of the present and past, with a firm sense of setting, that recalls the heavy, twisty tales of Stephen King. Alongside cinematographer Florian Hoffmeister (who shot the lovely-looking Terence Davies' films The Deep Blue Sea and A Quiet Passion), Cooper creates a film of unending eerie atmosphere--foggy, deep-darkly-lit, with cryptic flashes of light (flashlights, the blue-red glow of police lights, a creaky camera flash of flesh that conjures the opening of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre--a key house in the picture reminded me of that movie as well). Another homage could be  George Mihalka's 1981 film My Bloody Valentine. Both films have a sort of grimy grimness to them--and feature coal mines. The mines in Antlers are abandoned and filled with meth labs.

Antlers, a bit late into the proceedings, also evokes the legend of the Wendigo, relayed here by the always solid Graham Greene. I am not sure why Greene's screen time is so short, perhaps there are scenes of his that were cut, but I wish he had been in the movie more. Despite all the layers of the characters, the Wendigo aspect isn't explored as deeply as it could have been, or with as much complexity as the eerie 2001 Larry Fessenden film under the same name. The cast delivers good performances, and it was nice to see Amy Madigan again, who like Greene, I wish had more to do, even if brilliantly effective in a few moments. Overall, Antlers is still one of the better horror movies of the year so far, even if it's a tad overwrought with emotional wounds.  **1/2

-Jeffery Berg

heart of gold

Debut director Scott Cooper helms a beautiful directorial debut with Crazy Heart. The plot is familiar as blues--an alcoholic, washed-up aging singer falls in love and ultimately finds redemption. It's similar to 1983's Tender Mercies and echoes both the bleak grit of Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler and the tuneful slickness of the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line. Yet Crazy Heart's screenplay (adapted by Scott from a 1987 Thomas Cobb novel) is fairly funny and buoyant throughout, a charming throwback to old country and naturalistic classics of the early 70s such as Five Easy Pieces.

The crowning glory of the film is Jeff Bridges. Sometimes too overbearing, Bridges has finally been given a big ol' role that suits his robustness, his charms and gifts. He physically transforms into the greasy, bloated Bad Blake: recklessly driving a '78 Suburban, chain smoking, swigging whiskey, limping on a crutch, fiddling with his guitar. His voice, so haggard and worn, is perfect too, and he gives the film's outstanding country numbers an emotional pull. It's one of the great performances and a joy to watch. Maggie Gyllenhaal, as a small paper reporter and Blake's romantic interest, is so expressive and likable that I forgot that she seemed miscast, too metropolitan and too young for the role (she's in her 40s in the novel). A surprising revelation is Colin Farrell (always good at playing a slime ball) who nails his part as Bad Blake's Nashville-glitzed one-time protégé. Tender Mercies's Robert Duvall shows up as Blake's salty bartender friend and offers up a little song (stay for its reprise in the closing credits).

Besides the stirring performances, the technical elements are strong as well. Cinematographer Barry Markowitz (All the Pretty Horses, The Apostle, Sling Blade) provides many stunning shots and really should do more movies! The music enhances the film immeasurably. T-Bone Burnett who co-wrote the score and song production has modernized old folk and country on soundtracks such as Walk the Line, Cold Mountain, and O Brother, Where Art Thou? which won the 2001 Grammy for Album of the Year. On Crazy Heart's gorgeous soundtrack there are remnants of these rootsy, infectious sounds. The film's ultimate anthem is "The Weary Kind," written by Burnett, Ryan Bingham and the late Stephen Bruton (whom the film is dedicated to). It's a tender ode for the downtrodden. Another tune, "Fallin' & Flyin'," is gorgeously melodic and soars at one point when our story's two clashing stars sing it as a harmonious duet. It certainly sounds like a song that Blake could have recorded--a comforting, long-forgotten hit in the dustbin of American country music. ***1/2

-Jeffery Berg