What I'm watching: 'Grey Lady’ interesting blend of arthouse tone and crime storyDate: 7/6/2017
I watch a bunch of stuff so you don’t have to!
On Demand, streaming and home video: Grey Lady
Springfield native John Shea has carved out a lengthy career as a solid actor who has appeared in numerous movies and televisions shows, as well as on stage.
He’s the kind of performer I admire – he’s not a star, but could easily carry a production.
His effort at film directing was “Southie,” a crime-tinged drama set in the Irish neighborhood of Boston released in 1999. He proved to be a more than competent director by insisting on shooting the film in south Boston and hiring local actors and residents to add authenticity to his production.
The film received some good reviews and deservedly so.
He followed those same instincts with his new film “Grey Lady” set and filmed almost entirely on Nantucket. In an interview with Reminder Publications he explained that as a resident of the island and the former director of its theater company he knew the local talent and wanted to use them.
He also clearly loves his home and the island is almost a character in the new film.
“Grey Lady” stars Eric Dane as Jimmy Doyle, a Boston police detective trying to capture a serial killer whose victims include his own sister. The killer becomes even more personal when he murders his partner and pregnant girlfriend in front of a wounded Doyle.
Now officially off the case, Doyle believes there might be clues to the killer’s identity on Nantucket and travels there in the off-season. It’s apparent the murderer has followed him and Doyle, with the help of one Nantucket police officer (played by Adrian Lester), starts to understand the role he is playing in the murders.
I’ve got to give Shea a lot of credit for attempting to bring an indie drama approach to the familiar genre of the serial killer. The performances are effective but understated with Dane carrying much of the dramatic load. He is ably supported by Natalie Zea as Melissa, who plays an artist on the island who gets swept up in the case.
The problem with the film is the approach doesn’t always gel with the material. There is sometimes a conflict between a leisurely introspective tone with the urgency of a psycho haunting this cop with killings. It may not be wholly successful, but it shows that Shea has the courage to take a standard kind of story – cops and serial killers – and do something different with it.
For that reason alone, “Grey Lady” may be worth your time.
The LEGO Batman Movie
When this film came out in theaters, I could get no one to go with me to see it and, frankly, some people thinks it’s a little creepy to see a 63- year-old man in a theater watching an animated kids’ movie by himself. I can’t wait for my grandson to be just a little older.
So, I waited and watched this clever and very funny parody with my wife in the comfort of my living room. I’m glad I didn’t give up on seeing it, as this is essential viewer for any pop culture fan.
Batman (voiced perfectly by Will Arnett) faces some of his biggest foes in this film – the Joker, Harley Quinn, The Riddler, and Bane, among others – but among them is a growing realization he is his own worst enemy.
He comes to understand his own selfishness, vulnerability and loneliness. Yes, all of this is very funny.
The jokes work on many levels: the casual Batman fan, the hardcore fan, kids and adults. The film requires repeat viewings.
I never caught “The LEGO Movie,” but now that I’ve seen what that creative team can do I need to see it.
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