Article Category: Reviews

EW rates Green Book a B+, with kudos to both Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali. "It’s almost impossible to picture the fine-boned Danish-American actor as Tony “Lip” Vallelonga until you see him up there, all marinara-sauced vowels and Brylcreemed hair, working his bada bing like Joe Pesci’s chin-dimpled brother.... The movie wouldn’t work, though, without the elegant, understated balance of his counterpart."

Rex Reed gives Green Book 4/4 stars and names it "one of the best and most memorable films in a decade." He shares his own not particularly flattering memories of Dr. Don Shirley ("a pretentious Jamaican musician so improvisational he couldn’t play anything straight"), but delights in "the adventures of this unlikely odd couple [that] provide rich, hilarious and heartwarming material for a film that will leave you cheering." He applauds Mahershala Ali, who "more than lives up to his hype," and is effusive about Viggo Mortensen: "Words cannot describe how wonderful, real and three-dimensionally human he is.... Sporting a Bronx accent, a spare tire around his belly, a ton of gained weight and a cigarette dangling from his mouth, he’s a slob and a goon, but in no time you believe you know him from a thousand possible places, and he grows on you, like a tight shoe you can’t do without."

The reviewer asks us to "imagine having a queer Black protagonist in the '60s, a literal prodigy, living lavishly above the actual performance hall of the most iconic prodigies, who has his own throne room, and choosing to tell the story of his life from the racist white guy's perspective. Oh, what Ali could've done with a Dr. Shirley movie!" The review is accompanied by video clips where Peter Farrelly is asked why he chose to tell the story from Tony Lip's perspective, and Mahershala Ali is asked to explain how this is not a "White Savior" movie. She concludes, "we don't see Dr. Shirley's story in Green Book without Lip's lens. Without Lip, there is literally no movie. And perhaps that would've been best."

After sharing the way that Dr. Shirley and Tony Lip deal with the many challenges they encounter on their journey, the reviewer observes that "the joy of this movie hinges on the performances of its two central characters. Mortensen is a notoriously prepared performer, and I worried in the scene where Tony eats 26 hot dogs to win a bet that the actor might have done likewise. And Ali gets his first role since winning the Oscar for Moonlight that lets him show off his range."

The reviewer acknowledges that Green Book's "charms are not insignificant," but criticizes it as a "race-themed feel-good movie" where the viewer is "stuck watching a white man make his first black friend." She wants to see more of Dr. Shirley, saying, "We’re too often forced to look at Donald through Tony’s eyes, rather than learn more about him on our own." She concludes that the film is not realistic about racism: "Friendships between people of different races can bring more joy to the world, but they alone won’t put an end to racism. You can certainly enjoy this heartwarming tale about Tony and Donald as an isolated event, even if it centers on a prejudiced white man granting humanity to an exceptional black man who, by his own admission, shares little in common with his fellow black Americans. But there’s something unseemly about singling out this story, about the seemingly narrow scope of racism and how easily it can be undone. Green Book decries those cultural pockets designed to make white people feel good, often at people of color’s expense. But that’s about all it does, too. "

The title of Green Book derives from a period when African Americans often traveled at their own risk, especially in the Jim Crow South. Unwelcome in many restaurants, hotels and other public establishments, they even faced death in “sundown” towns, where they were warned to get out before evening, or else. In response, a postal employee […]

Peter Travers gives high marks to the Green Book director and cast: "Ali, a Best Supporting Actor Oscar winner for Moonlight, is superb at finding the buried rage in a refined artist challenging fellow Americans who never accepted the abolition of slavery.... The role is a game-changer for [Mortensen], whose dramatic chops are a given but proves he’s got a real flair for comedy that feels revelatory. He and Ali could take their own double act on the road." The reviewer concludes that "in a time when our nation is more divided than ever, the movie offers the possibility of redemption. Thanks to the dream team of Mortensen and Ali, audiences will be cheering."

"Viggo Mortensen may be the most taciturn actor in American movies today. His weatherworn, handsome face ... communicates character with only the slightest of movement, with rarely a hint of premeditation. You can’t slack off while watching one of his performances; his delicate way of registering feeling requires your utmost attention."

The reviewer is hooked by The Two Faces of January: "The performances are wonderful: Mortensen, as a man maintaining a battered façade of respectability, even as he disintegrates in alcohol and jealousy; Dunst, as a wearying sex-bomb looking for a way out; and Isaac, whose quality of watchfulness sets him apart from other young actors."

Reviewer Gonsalves appreciates Philip Ridley's vision, even though he realized it's not for everyone: "By the time you get to the giant glittering silver shoe floating in the river, you'll know whether The Passion of Darkly Noon is your kind of insanity." Barely mentions Viggo but gives an interesting perspective on what he terms "another way-off-center masterpiece by Philip Ridley." Rating: 5/5 stars.

Although A History of Violence may well be Cronenberg's most mainstream film in years, the 62-year-old Toronto native still aimed to make the audience do a little work for its entertainment. It is that characteristic, says Mortensen, that drew him to the project.

Reviewer likes Viggo's performance more than he likes the film: "As an action hero, Mortensen is an acolyte of the Clint Eastwood/Kurt Russell school of stoic minimalism. His quietly virtuous über-cowboy speaks—in a steely rasp, of course—only when he needs to, and even then, he says only as much as he needs to say. Mortensen nicely underplays his role, offhandedly tossing off one-liners and making the script's sometimes purple dialogue sound a little less cheesy, but the rest of the film often lurches into hammy overdrive."

Descriptive review focuses on the moral depth of Hidalgo, as Frank Hopkins "chooses the narrow road and makes his motives clear to those trying to weaken his resolve or make him weak." The reviewer concludes that Hopkins embodies the best of the ideal of the American cowboy.

Reviewer Dragan Antulov gives The Passion of Darkly Noon a 4/10 rating, saying that it "could have been quite remarkable film" but that in the last act "everything succumbs to clichés and [it] turns into "just another slasher film." He remarks that the casting was "perfect," and goes on to say that "Judd is seductive and innocent in the same time. Something similar could be said of Viggo Mortensen who is also effective in rather thankless role of her dimwitted and rugged boyfriend."

Reviewer Fazio reluctantly acknowledges how impressed he is with The Fellowship of the Ring, from the script to Peter Jackson's attention to detail to the acting. Excerpt: "It's McKellen, with a voice that truly could summon forth the spirits, who provides the film with depth and gravitas. His is a mesmerizing performance, with Gandalf at times looking like the aged, weary man who knows his time is getting short, and then, like a cat, suddenly revealing a flash of vigor and ferocity, the fire that still burns within. Subtract this performance and you could lop one star off this review."

Detailed review of The Fellowship focuses on the differences between the books and the films and the reasons for the changes. In spite of some reservations, he is impressed. "The filmmakers have shown great respect for their source material. I was moved by Peter Jackson’s passionate, caring, and human portrayals of these characters and dramas.... I’ve imagined these scenes my whole life, and to see them portrayed as vividly, or more vividly than I have imagined, really shook me. I felt like I was meeting in person someone with whom I had only corresponded long distance for decades."

This in-depth film review of The Indian Runner is an ode to Sean Penn's skills as a director. The author describes the interplay between the two brothers, played by Viggo Mortensen and David Morse, as "the two leads oppose each other stylistically: Mortenson an extroverted ticking assembly of sly grins and virile explosions contrasts Morse's introspective gentle giant."

The Grinch gives The Reflecting Skin a 5-star rating while warning that it is "definitely not for the squeamish."

Damian Cannon begins his review: "A twisted, haunting fantasy-tale, The Passion of Darkly Noon weaves the fate of strangers together and plunges them headlong into destruction." After discussing the film's plot, characters and metaphors, Cannon concludes that "as in most fairy-tales, the storyline is slight and only a small element of the final picture. Instead the interaction between characters, symbols, sound and light provide the engine which drives Darkly on his inexorable path towards chaos. It is these factors which make [the film] such a compelling and absorbing experience, encompassing viewers willing to experiment with a little logical relaxation. While unlikely to appeal to all, The Passion of Darkly Noon is worth a visit by those looking for something off the beaten track." He rates it 4/5 stars.

Of The Passion of Darkly Noon, film festival reviewer TR observes that "The brutality and contradiction of human nature is revealed without any romanticizing, by using dream-like images which are open to interpretation." He concludes that "The Passion of Darkly Noon secures Philip Ridley's position as one of the most interesting young British filmmakers of today."