Martin McDonagh’s black comedy ‘Seven Psychopaths’ hit theaters Friday, October 14, 2012, and will compete with ‘Taken 2’, ‘Frankenweenie’, ‘Argo’, and ‘Sinister.’ It has a unique spot at the box office with its impressive cast and offbeat sense of humor. While ‘Psychopaths’ is certainly the delightful black sheep of the October movie spread, it may leave the audience feeling somewhat disappointed.

Spoilers ahead.

‘Seven Psychopaths’ takes place in Los Angeles and centers around a group of friends. The first is Marty (Colin Ferrell), a struggling alcoholic screenwriter. He is currently working on a screenplay entitled ‘Seven Psychopaths’ and needs to have it finished soon to give to his agent. However, Marty has a huge dose of Writer’s Block and cannot focus on the story for more than a few hours a day. Meanwhile, his friends Billy (Sam Rockwell) and Hans (Christopher Walken) run a dog kidnapping business. They find rich clients out walking their dogs, snatch them up, and then turn the dogs in after the owners post rewards for them. Billy does it for easy money while Hans does it to pay for treatment for his hospital-bound wife.

Billy unfortunately kidnaps Bonnie, the dog owned by an unstable mobster named Charlie (Woody Harrelson). Charlie sends his men out into the city and they quickly find Hans and Marty. Hans and Marty are rescued by the mysterious Jack of Diamonds serial killer and narrowly escape. Charlie tracks down Hans’ wife and kills her when she doesn’t give up the location of her husband or the dog. After Hans, Marty, and Billy find out that Charlie means business, it is a race to get out of town before he guns them down over his precious little shih tzu.

‘Seven Psychopaths’ has two points that make it a strong film: the cast and the writing. First, the cast is by far one of the most colorful and well picked in this year’s selection of movies. The standout performance goes to Walken, who nails every single line flawlessly. However, it is not just his comedic timing that sets him apart from the others. Hans’ storyline is the only one that is taken seriously at all times and is deeply tragic from start to finish. His backstory is chilling and impressive, giving the black comedy all the darkness it can handle. His persona is softened by the presence of his lovely wife, who easily steals the audience’s heart within five minutes of meeting her. The movie’s trailer would not lead one to believe that there would be an emotional connection with this wacky trio of friends, but it is a welcome sight in the middle of all the gore.

Harrelson is also in top form with his erratic, cruel role as Charlie, who is unbalanced in every sense of the word. His obsession with his dog Bonnie is hysterical, but his coldblooded nature sobers some of the laughs with absolute precision. There are many times in the film where one is trying to decide whether to chuckle or gasp in horror at something Charlie does. It is definitely one of Harrelson’s best roles in recent history and he nails the part.

The writing for the first and second acts is superb. The film openly mocks itself, examines its flaws, and parodies certain archetypes and clichés in action flicks. Marty is an excellent example of an upcoming writer trying to understand the process of writing and learning what works and what does not. Billy appears to represent the ignorant side of the writing world that thinks he knows what people want. Hans appears to represent the seasoned writers who take their time with themes and understand the sacrifices necessary to achieve them. It was a brilliant decision to have these three men interact and embody the warring parts that make up screenwriters and filmmakers.

However, the writing is also the movie’s biggest flaw. The third act is the weakest part of ‘Seven Psychopaths’ because things start to deteriorate. The dialogue is sloppy, unfocused, and sometimes unnecessary. There are several actions carried out by Marty and Hans that simply do not make sense in the context of the movie or in the context of their characters. They each show massive potential but neither of them fulfill it by the film’s end. Hans’ fate is especially disappointing since he is by far the best character of the bunch.

Additionally, there are a lot of predictable events in the film, despite its focus on chaotic comedy. Many events can be seen coming either due to an overabundance of foreshadowing, such as the identity of the Jack of Diamonds killer, or because of the nature of the black comedy genre. In majority of black comedies, most of the main characters die and ‘Seven Psychopaths’ is no different.

Overall, ‘Psychopaths’ has a likable tartness to it that fans of black comedies will enjoy, but ultimately, it does not live up to its potential. Still, if you like Quentin Tarantino-esque dialogue, egregious violence, or Christopher Walken, give it a shot.

Grade: 3.5/5

The article ‘Seven Psychopaths’ is Entertaining but Sloppy appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Boston, U.S.A. - In the two-way mirror that often is a reflection of life or art, another trend is forming. The worlds of literature and Hollywood are colliding again, this time with a focus on cryonics, the science intended to reanimate people after death and freezing.

The debut novel from Bruce E. Spitzer, Extra Innings , about baseball great Ted Williams returning to life through cryonics, was published last month by Bear Hill Media. Extra Innings was featured recently in Sports Illustrated Magazine and ranked in the top 25 on the Amazon Kindle bestseller list for sports fiction.

A cryonics movie, Freezing People is Easy, is in pre-production in Hollywood and will shoot in the fall, reportedly starring Paul Rudd, Kristen Wiig, Owen Wilson and Christopher Walken.

Inspired by Bob Nelson’s memoir We Froze the First Man and an episode of Chicago Public Media and Public Radio International’s This American Life, Freezing People is the story of Nelson’s first cryonics attempts in the 1960s. Errol Morris will direct. Producers include Steven Zaillian and Garrett Basch of Film Rites. Toronto-based Entertainment One announced that it will distribute the picture worldwide.

TV got into the act last winter when Larry King announced on CNN that he wanted to be cryonically preserved. Can reality TV be far behind?

Unlike Freezing People, which looks back at the beginnings of cryonics, Spitzer’s Extra Innings looks forward, featuring Ted Williams reanimated in 2092. In real life he was cryonically preserved after death in 2002. In his imagined return, Williams plays again for the Red Sox, bats against a robot “Botwinder” pitcher that he abhors pilot’s jets for the Marines, and struggles in a future world beset by global warming and flooding.

“The narrative resonates with the consequences of the major issues we face in our world today—the steroids debate in sports, global warming, corporate greed, technology run rampant, and the moral ambiguity of war,” says Spitzer. “It’s a societal and personal journey. Flawed in his first life, Williams must decide in the second, what’s more important: the chance to win his first World Series or the chance to be a better man?”

Extra Innings, adds Spitzer, is not only about science, baseball, redemption, and the quest for meaning in this life and the next, it’s humorous as well. “Similar to what we’re likely to see in Freezing People, you can’t help but poke a little fun at the idea of returning to life after being frozen.”

The article Baseball Great Ted Williams Lives on in Extra Innings appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.