“Deadwood: The Movie” Movie Review

    Before “Game of Thrones” became a cultural phenomenon and the biggest hit HBO ever produced, the cable channel had several critical hits under it’s belt including one of my favorite shows, “Deadwood”.  The show was gritty and unusual with a huge talented ensemble cast.  The dialogue was interesting because while characters cursed like sailors, they would do so with a poetic flair that made every line of dialogue feel both dirty and beautiful at the same time.  Sadly, “Deadwood” was cancelled after it’s third season with no resolution to some of it’s key storylines.

    The film takes place ten years after the finale of “Deadwood” and we most of the characters have remained in the town of Deadwood, chiefly U.S. Marshal Seth Bullock and Al Swearengen.  The town has settled down for the most part since we last left it and South Dakota is in the process of entering statehood.  The town’s peaceful existence is put at risk when George Hearst, now a United States Senator, returns to Deadwood and seeks to purchase Charlie Utter’s land (and get payback on Trixie for shooting him a decade ago).

    I had long given up hope for a film follow up to the series years ago.  There were talks of a film concluding the series for years now but after a few years, talks of a movie died down (along with talks of a movie following the events of “Rome”).  The show ended more than a decade ago and most of the cast went on to other successful shows and films.

    The movie was a worthy successor to the show and it was nice revisiting the characters.  The only problem I had with the film was that the end felt a bit rushed in my opinion.  Maybe I just wish their was more “Deadwood” on the horizon.  I feel like they left the ending a bit open ended deliberately in case David Milch ever decided to revisit the series again at some point (which I would be down for).  At the end, it supplied a more satisfying ending than the series did and it was nice to get a sense of closure.

    It is a bit refreshing to see a western these days, especially one so well written and performed.  The thing I love about David Milch is that his scripts are almost Shakespearean.  The characters are far more articulate than characters in other shows.  I enjoyed having some of the events from the series briefly shown via flashback because I hadn’t had a chance to revisit the series before I watched this (plus I wanted to test the movie and see how accessible it would be to first time viewers).

    I adored seeing Timothy Olyphant and Ian McShane return as Seth Bullock and Al Swearengen and the pair were amazing.  Gearld McRaney also proved to be the perfect antagonist as George Hearst.  McRaney is a very underrated performer.  It was also amazing seeing Paula Malcomson, John Hawkes, Molly Parker, Kim Dickens, Brad Dourif, and Anna Gunn all reprising their roles.

    Director Daniel Minahan managed to capture the tone and spirit of the series in a way I didn’t think possible.  He also managed to get some of the best performances I have seen from actors I have seen this year.

    “Deadwood: The Movie” is a satisfying finale to the epic HBO series.  New viewers may feel a little lost but should enjoy the film for it’s overall quality.  As a fan of the series, I was happy to see this.

Grade: B+

“Eyes of Laura Mars” Movie Review

    It’s new release Tuesday for home video releases and one of the films hitting stores is a forgotten film titled “Eyes of Laura Mars”.  The film is being released through Mill Creek Entertainment and once again, they were kind enough to provide me a review copy.  As you may already know, these movies often range a great deal in quality.  Some films are forgotten gems while others should probably stay buried.  Regardless of how good or bad I feel certain films are, I am thankful Mill Creek Entertainment makes these films available for collectors such as myself.  I had never heard of “Eyes of Laura Mars” before so I was curious what type of film this might turn out to be.  It was a little ironic that I was watching a film titled “Eyes of Laura Mars” blindly.

    The film tells the story of Laura Mars, a shock photographer whose photos depict violence and nudity.  Mars begins to have visions of her associates being killed and it feels as though she is there, seeing the murders through the eyes of the killer.  Uncertain what to do when she begins to find out these people have been murdered, she goes to the police to tell her story and is helped by Lieutenant John Neville.  Through their encounters, Laura and John begin to develop feelings for each other.  Lieutenant Neville tries to protect Laura as the pair try to figure out who the killer is but like any good suspense film, things aren’t always how they appear.

    When I first started watching this film, I was sure I wasn’t going to like it.  I just wasn’t feeling the beginning of the movie because I am not someone too keen on the art scene.  Perhaps I am just too blue collar for all that artsy fartsy stuff.  I always commit to watching review copies through though and I was glad I did.  As the film progressed, I found myself being pulled into the story more and wondering how everything was going to play out.  Fleshing out the amazing supporting cast as the film went on also helped the movie.

    The film does an amazing job with helping the audience feel as if they are in New York during the late 70s.  There is so much atmosphere to soak in and the film does a good job showcasing the art scene of the era.  One thing I didn’t care for was the soundtrack.  A lot of the featured music just doesn’t hold up.  At it’s core, this story feels like it would have been better served as an episode of “Tales From the Crypt” as opposed to a feature length movie.

    The film has a stellar cast with Faye Dunaway as the title character, Laura Mars.  Dunaway manages to deliver an amazing performance and she was perfectly cast.  Dunaway’s eyes are captivating and haunting and help convey much of the film’s suspense.  Tommy Lee Jones co-stars as Lieutenant Neville in one of his early film roles.  Jones portrays Neville as conflicted and righteous in his view of the world.  The film has a strong supporting cast as well.  Brad Dourif of “Child’s Play” fame plays Laura’s driver while “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” favorite Rene Auberjonois plays Mars’ agent.

    The movie was co-written by John Carpenter based on his spec script titled “Eyes”.  Famed producer and former hair stylist Jon Peters bought the spec script for his then girlfriend Barbara Streisand to star in.  Streisand decided the film was too sexual in nature and opted to pass on it, although she did sing the film’s opening ballad.  Irvin Kershner directed this film before his success with “Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back” and “RoboCop 2”.

    Part of me doesn’t really know what to make or think of this film to be honest.  I know I actually enjoyed it and I was glad I got a chance to see this unearthed suspense gem.  I would recommend watching this personally but I would warn everyone that the first ten or so minutes aren’t easy to get through.  Once the suspense kicks up a notch, so does the movie!

Grade: C+

Buy “Eyes of Laura Mars” on Blu-ray Here!!!