Sideways; Million Dollar Baby; Finding Neverland; The
Incredibles; The Merchant of Venice; The Bourne Supremacy; Hero;
Maria Full of Grace; I'm Not Scared; Kill Bill: Volume 2
Director: Alexander Payne ("Sideways"); Actor: Johnny Depp
("Finding Neverland"); Actress: Hilary Swank ("Million Dollar Baby");
Supporting Actor: Clive Owen ("Closer"); Supporting Actress: Virginia
Madsen ("Sideways"); Foreign Film: "Maria Full of Grace;" Original
Screenplay: Charlie Kaufman ("Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless
Mind"); Adapted Screenplay: Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor
("Sideways"); Cinematography: Christopher Doyle ("Hero"); Jan A.P.
Kaczmarek ("Finding Neverland"); Film Editing: Joel Cox ("Million
Dollar Baby")
Dave F's 2005 Reviews
Click on the name of a film to be
taken to Dave's review of that film
"King Kong":
187 minutes plus another 15 for previews, many of which were
for sequels and remakes, reminded me that sometimes one has to pay a
steep price when watching a movie, especially a Hollywood epic.
Nearly three and a half hours later, I rose from my seat in the
theater with a stunned look on my face and the realization that
"steep price" I'd just paid was one of the best investments I ever
made. Yes, "King Kong" was that good. No, make that great. Heck, make
that one of, if not THE best Hollywood "epics" I have ever watched.
The fact it was made by Peter Jackson, the brain behind the
ambitiously-made "Lord of the Rings" series and a well-known 'nut' of
the original "King Kong" film, only made it sweeter. I knew I'd be in
for a ride, only I had no idea it would be this good. "King Kong" is
divided in three acts. Act One takes place in New York, where
filmmaker Carl Denham (Jack Black) is trying to convince his backers
to allow him to finish his next film, a jungle adventure, on Skull
Island, a legendary place of great unknown. Before they have the
chance to say no to his face, he flees on a chartered steamer with
the unfinished film, some equipment and an unemployed vaudeville
performer named Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts), whom he intends to be the
love interest in the film. Also tagging along (though somewhat
unwittingly) is the film's writer, Jack Driscoll, star (played by
Kyle Chandler) and some members of the film crew. Ann, whom we see as
a struggling performer and victim of the depressing times in Act One,
becomes the focal point in Act Two, which takes place on Skull
Island. It only takes a few minutes (and some unruly cannibals)
before the steamer's inhabitants realized it wasn't your average
island. In addition to the unorthodox natives, Skull Island's
residents are of the 'super-sized' variety, including spiders and
snakes, beasts-thought extinct (such as Tyrannosaurus Rexes), and one
very oversized ape. Ann captures the attention of the Beast, who
snatches her and eventually protects her from attacks from not one,
but two T-Rexes, in a breathtaking sequence that is just one of many
in this fantastic film. If you're familiar with the original film,
you know Act Three takes place after the Beast is captured. What sets
it apart is the relationship between the Beast (now dubbed 'Kong')
and Ann Darrow. Naomi Watts as Darrow is a revelation. Luminous is
the word that jumps to mind. Her face lights up the screen. Bravo to
Peter Jackson or whomever decided to cast her. Watts had to affect a
gamut of emotions, while spending a big chunk of her screen time
acting next to a CGI beast. To say it was a brilliant performance
would be a huge understatement. She was supported solidly by Adrien
Brody (basically playing himself) and Jack Black (thankfully NOT
playing himself) and of course, Kong, who, for CGI purposes, was
inhabited by Andy Serkis ("Gollum" from the Lord of the Rings
series). But the star of the show may be Jackson. His film is set in
1933, the time of the original's release. Jackson faithfully
recreates the era, including their dialogue as well as the mannerisms
of its actors. This film was made with a lot of love - and a lot of
money, but it shows. The special effects were, well, wow. At least
that's what I audibly uttered on more than a few occasions. To heck
with the others, just give "King Kong" Oscars for special effects,
costume, sound and, who knows - best picture. As I said, it was that
good. Boys and girls, THIS is what movies are all about; pure
entertainment at the highest level. Bring a large tub of popcorn,
find your ideal seat, and prepare yourself to be blown away like
never before. **** (out of) ****
"Brokeback
Mountain": There's a degree of irony in the commercial release
of a gay-themed western. Initially, the producers of Ang Lee's
"Brokeback Mountain" weren't comfortable releasing their film to a
wider audience, fearing the country wasn't quite ready to accept a
drama set in the 60's about a forbidden love affair between two men.
In the film, these two men had to keep their love a secret because of
a feared-backlash. How much has changed in some forty years? Here, in
the state of Georgia where the film is in just one theater so far,
not much apparently. "Brokeback Mountain" begins during the summer of
1963. Two young strangers, Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Ennis Del
Mar (Heath Ledger) are both looking for seasonal work in the mountain
region of Wyoming. Through a ranch foreman (played by Randy Quaid),
they're hired as sheep herders. It's their responsibility to manage a
large flock of sheep while making sure the sheep are protected from
predators. Two cases of genetic predisposition, coupled with the
long, lonely summer soon lead to more than just a simple friendship.
The summer ends and the two men go home to their preconceived notions
of an ordinary life: Ennis to his fiancée, Alma (Michelle
Williams) in Wyoming, and Jack to his life as a budding rodeo
performer in Texas. Ennis and Alma marry and become parents to two
girls, while Jack settles down with the local rich girl (played by
Anne Hathaway), with whom he becomes the parent of one boy. Ennis and
Alma struggle to make a good life for their family, while Jack and
his new bride adjust to working in her father's farm equipment
business. All seems 'normal' enough except neither Jack nor Ennis can
quite forget that memorable summer on Brokeback Mountain. After not
seeing each other for four years, Jack revives the friendship through
a simple "coming through town" postcard. After their "forbidden love"
is successfully rekindled, the postcards become more frequent with
the "old fishing buddies" arranging for long weekends together away
from their families. This continues for many years, as their children
grow, and Jack and Ennis' wives wonder why their men love spending so
much time fishing together, yet never seem to bring back any fish.
"Brokeback Mountain" was directed by Ang Lee and adapted (from a
story by Annie Proulx) by Larry McMurty and Diana Ossana. Lee
lovingly directs his cast, using sparse dialogue, the Canadian
scenery (substituting for the story's Wyoming and Texas settings) and
a good sense of pacing (along with some excellent editing) to tell
Proulx's original story. The performances, especially Heath Ledger's,
are all excellent. The problems I had with the film, however, lie in
the screenplay. Ledger's character, Ennis Del Mar, is well-formed;
his pain well-defined, but Gyllenhaal's Jack Twist, while clearly
more comfortable in his skin (that much is explained), is woefully
underdeveloped. It's as if whole scenes featuring Jack Twist and his
life were missing from the final cut. Understanding Jack Twist might
have led to a little more personal immersion, as well as heighten the
intended emotional impact of the story. If only the celebrated
screenwriters devoted as much time to Jack as they did Ennis. It's a
pity because those 'missing scenes' might've resulted in a film
worthy of the hype it's been receiving, but, in the presented
product, I don't feel it quite deserves. *** (out of) ****
"Mrs.
Henderson Presents": As an avid moviegoer, it's sometimes
frustrating that the best films are saved for the end of the year,
and we have to settle for 'just okay' during the rest of the time. In
the case of Stephen Frears' latest, "Mrs. Henderson Presents," I wish
I watched it last summer when I had to settle for the likes of "The
Island." I'll just cut to the chase. "Mrs. Henderson Presents" isn't
a great film; in fact, it's fairly flawed, but it does have one very
compelling reason to see it: Judi Dench. She is amazing (and I mean
*amazing*) in the title role of Mrs. Henderson, a charming widow
suddenly free to do what she wants, including buying a theater and
turning it into the second coming of Paris burlesque. That's mild for
this day, but heady stuff if you're in England in the late 1930's.
Mrs. Henderson hires Vivian Van Damme (Bob Hoskins), an experienced
theater manager, to run her new diversion. Together, they hit upon a
formula for success: stage performances that also feature the nude
female form. A local censor (played by Christopher Guest), objects to
the nudity, but after some convincing by Mrs. Henderson (who likens
the performances to nude paintings in a museum) Lord Cromer is
persuaded to allow the non-clothed portion, provided those particular
performers remain perfectly still. "Mrs. Henderson Presents" was
written by noted playwright Martin Sherman ("Bent"), who, at his
best, fills his story with the stuff of wonderful backstage musicals
(including some entertaining songs) and some hilarious dialogue.
Unfortunately, Sherman chose to punctuated his story with war footage
from the period, and after an entertaining first half of the film,
the shift of focus (and a prolonged disappearance of its title
character) interrupts the flow of the film and distracts us from the
its strengths, including the great characters and the wonderful
performances by their actors. I already gushed over Dame Judi Dench's
performance (just engrave the Oscar, already!), but I'd be remiss if
I didn't acknowledge the others, including Bob Hoskins, who matches
up well with Dench, and Christopher Guest, who was deliciously dry as
the stuffy censor. Also excellent were Will Young as a young singer,
and Kelly Reilly, playing a stripper-with-a-heart-of-gold. If you're
able to overlook its flaws, "Mrs. Henderson Presents" is a very
entertaining experience at the movies. *** (out of) ****
"Syriana": has
two taglines that truly say everything about it: "Everything is
connected" and "What is the price of oil?" Writer-director Stephen
Gaghan mines the same territory as his 2000 film "Traffic" (the
narcotics-themed movie for which he deservedly won a Best Screenplay
Oscar), only this time he's using multiple storylines and characters
to tell the story of oil and the effect it has on the peoples' lives.
Jeffrey Wright plays a Washington lawyer hired to sift through a
complicated oil merger that may or may not be knee-deep in
corruption. Mazhar Munir and Shahid Ahmed are father and son oilfield
workers whose sudden unemployment due to the proposed merger tests
their value systems. George Clooney is a CIA agent with a
crisis-of-conscience. Matt Damon is an oil industry analyst who pays
the ultimate price for oil, and Alexander Siddig plays an idealistic
Arab prince who is waging a private war with his extremist brother
for the heir to the throne, with the balance in the Middle East
potentially hinging upon who eventually rises to power. Mixed into
the stories are the secondary characters playing key parts.
Christopher Plummer (what is not to love about this great actor?) is
Wright's slimy boss; William C. Mitchell plays Wright's alcoholic
father (the father and son theme runs throughout "Syriana"). Chris
Cooper and Peter Gerety are the bosses of the two oil companies that
are trying to merge, and Tim Blake Nelson (who has an incredible
cameo) and William Hurt play mysterious characters that ultimately
have a large impact on the story. Gaghan's film is filled with
complicated blink-and-you'll-miss-it moments, but that's what's great
about "Syriana." Personally, I LOVE these types of movies. The more
intrigue, the better. And "Syriana" is absolutely bathing in it. I
had to watch the film twice, just to finish playing connect-the-dots.
And you know something? I still didn't connect them all.
Surprisingly, for all its hot-button themes, Gaghan manages to keep
his film balanced and fairly non-political, choosing only to ask us
to understand our world's dependence on oil can have far-reaching
ramifications. As a film, "Syriana" is almost overloaded with great
actors playing great characters. You could almost fill all five Oscar
supporting actor slots with performances from this film. Jeffrey
Wright is the standout, but I loved the aforementioned Christopher
Plummer and Tim Blake Nelson in their roles. George Clooney and Matt
Damon were excellent and you can't go wrong if your movie features
the great Chris Cooper as a cocky oil CEO. If you'd like to think
you're on the tip of what's going on in the world AND you love great
movies, this is the juice. And if you like to think about your
movies, "Syriana" is for you. **** (out of) **** (In English, but
this film also contains several scenes of Farsi and Arabic dialogue
with English subtitles).
"Kiss
Kiss, Bang Bang": Robert Downey Jr. is small-time
thief/part-time actor Harry Lockhart. Harry, while running from the
cops, becomes part of a movie audition. He wows the producers,
immerses himself into the Hollywood scene and gets to play dick with
a gay detective named Gay Perry (played by Val Kilmer). Yeah, I know;
that last sentence makes little sense, but then again, neither did
this movie. "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang" is "Lethal Weapon" series creator,
Shane Black's comeback chance. His disappearance for the better part
of a decade resulted in another violent movie filled with unstable
characters. He takes his love for Raymond Chandler to the extreme,
sprinkling his film with femme fatales and rapid-fire jokes that read
like throw-away lines from a ten-cent pulp fiction novel. "Kiss Kiss,
Bang Bang, annoyingly narrated by an all-too-aware Downey, is
supposed to be a great cult film in a Tarantino-esqued vein, but this
QT fan just didn't get it. "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang" plays like Shane
Black's private little in-joke. It's too bad we're not privy to it. *
1/2 (out of) ****
"The Ice
Harvest": "I'll have to see that" was my
reaction after watching the coming attraction for Harold Ramis' "The
Ice Harvest." "Well, that's 90 minutes I'll never get back" was my
reaction after actually watching the film. And now I ask myself: is
it worth more of my time trying to describe why I didn't like it? Not
really. What I will tell you is that nice guy John Cusack tries to
convince us that his mob lawyer character (who has to be making some
serious coin) is dumb enough to not only steal $2 million from his
gangster clients, but is willing to partner up with a shark (played
by Billy Bob Thorton), and not immediately skip town. Throw in Oliver
Platt as Cusack's drunken wiseass friend (despite the fact he stole
Cusack's ex-wife); the requisite femme fatale (played by Connie
Nielsen); some unnecessary violence, and more than enough Coen
Brothers-circa-"Blood Simple" worshipping and you get a film without
one single redeemable character (despite its casting of a few nice
guy actors) that adds up to one heaping pile of, well, you get the
idea. Stay away; far away. * (out of) ****
"Breakfast
on Pluto": Patrick Brady (Conor McEvoy)
had always been a little different. And it all started the day his
birth mother left him on the doorstep of a priest (played by Liam
Neeson). It doesn't take young Patrick very long before he figures
out that he just wasn't cut out to be a boy. After a series of
mishaps and missed identities, Patrick the adult (now played by
Cillian Murphy, the villain in the recent "Red Eye") becomes
"Kitten," wild child extraordinaire and friend of the Irish
Republican Army. Director-writer, Neil Jordan revisits the territory
he mapped in "The Crying Game," choosing to tell the story of his
latest film "Breakfast on Pluto" in 36 short chapters, all within the
context of a transvestite who isn't necessarily searching for his
identity, but for his origins. And along the way, there's a lot to
tell about "Kitten," but precious little to pique our interest.
Jordan set his film in the late Sixties, early Seventies, using
Ireland and its IRA, and London's glam-rock scene as the backdrop.
Heck, the film even has Bryan Ferry (of Roxy Music, one of the early
proponents of that scene) in a memorable cameo. Unfortunately, Jordan
loses the seriousness of the violence of the IRA in favor of the
frivolity and light-heartedness of Kitten's dalliances with his new
attractive lifestyle. Forgetting how to properly frame his film is
Jordan's fatal flaw. As Patrick "Kitten" Brady, Cillian Murphy does
an excellent job of washing that man right out of his hair. Murphy
narrates Kitten's story with a lot of flair, but ultimately, we just
don't care. The film, unfortunately, is in the need of a complete
rinse. * 1/2(out of) ****
"Walk the
Line": A successful biopic occurs when
you're either passive or know next to nothing about the subject going
in, but leave after its conclusion wanting to know more. On that
level, director and co-writer, James Mangold's treatment of music
legend Johnny Cash in "Walk the Line," is a roaring success. Joaquin
Phoenix plays Cash, depicting the perceived mental anguish of Cash's
tragedy-dotted childhood to his humble beginnings as a musician with
a unique new sound. The story also takes us on a tour of Cash's
career, including his professional (before it became personal)
relationship with June Carter (Reese Witherspoon) and how she helped
him hurdle through the breakup of his marriage, his bout with pills
and alcohol, and his constant struggle to wrestle with the other
demon in his life: pleasing his father. For me, it was impossible to
watch "Walk the Line" without thinking about last year's treatment of
Ray Charles' life, "Ray." The lives of both men, while from different
sides of the musical tracks, are strikingly similar, but those
similarities don't make "Walk the Line" any less of a film. It lacks
the character depth of "Ray," but "Walk the Line" makes up for it
through the performances, both musically and through the wonderful
acting of its cast. Joaquin Phoenix, who is the type of actor who
needs the right role in order to standout from the ordinary (like his
look-alike Billy Crudup) IS Johnny Cash, and the man can sing too!
Reese Witherspoon, long one of my personal favorites, seems right at
home as June Carter. She's also a talented singer. Her duets with
Phoenix (who, like Witherspoon, did his own singing) were electric,
which puts "Walk the Line" right up there with the great documentary
concert films. It was that entertaining. Among the supporting
performances, I especially loved Robert Patrick (best known as the
baddie from "Terminator 2") as Johnny's hard-as-nails father. The
character was a bit cliché, but Patrick makes you forget that.
Hollywood loves to exploit successful formulas, but if "Ray" and
"Walk the Line" are any indication, I say bring on another Elvis
story! *** 1/2(out of) ****
"Paradise Now":
As a human being, I fail to understand
why another human being would be willing to kill, let alone kill him
or herself in the process. As an American, I am at a loss how it
could happen to us. Here; on our soil. But that's probably just part
of our arrogance. Reminding myself of my first sentence, we're all
human beings. The Palestinian film "Paradise Now" examines the
lengths to which two Palestinian men would go to make a statement
about the damage the Israelis are doing to their people. Said (Kais
Nashef) and Khaled (Ali Suliman) work together as mechanics in an
auto shop. They're Palestinians living in Nablus under Israeli rule
and are certainly not happy. They're so unhappy that they're willing
to allow themselves to be lured into becoming human test subjects for
the next scheduled suicide bombing. One of the men is struggling with
whether the cause is just, while the other believes deeply in his
cause. However, one of the men is falling in love with the daughter
of one of the movement's martyrs. She believes that the acts of
suicide bombers are just giving their enemies an alibi. "Paradise
Now" was written and directed by Hany Abu-Assad, who endured unusual
pressure from both sides while trying to make his film. Abu-Assad
does an effective job in his attempt to counter the media's image of
the suicide bomber as just a religious fanatic. He also successfully
explains how the bomber's "jihad" is not a holy war, but recognition
that "life is a struggle." Paradise is the suicide bomber's condition
for life, but life isn't always paradise. "Paradise Now" is an
enormously thought-provoking film that takes you into the mindsets of
two distinctly different world-views, and does this with just a few
characters. It's a remarkable film. ***1/2 (out of) **** (In Arabic
with English subtitles)
"Jarhead":
When is a war film an anti-war film?
That's the question I asked myself as I left the theater after
watching Sam Mendes' ("American Beauty," "Road to Perdition") latest,
"Jarhead," a film that doesn't really take a stance one way or the
other. After all, war is hell, but shooting your weapon is cool,
well, at least in the opinion of one Anthony "Swoff" Swofford, a
young buck who decides to enlist in the Marines; to become a
"Jarhead." His first active duty is Iraq in 1990 in the weeks leading
up to Desert Storm, a war whose mission was accomplished entirely too
quickly for one Marine's tastes. The film, in a style very
reminiscent of Kubrick's "Full Metal Jacket," takes us through the
brutal drill sergeant, the boot camp, the unstable soldier, the
camaraderie between the men, even a sniper theme; all the
clichés, but does it in a way that doesn't SEEM
clichéd. Credit to director Mendes and his excellent cast,
including Jake Gyllenhaal as Swoff, Peter Sarsgaard as his closest
friend, Troy, and Scott MacDonald and Lucas Black as two fellow
Marines. The film, which is based on Swofford's book about his
experiences in the Gulf War, is filled with big performances in
smaller roles including accomplished actors Jamie Foxx (as a
puppeteer staff sergeant), Chris Cooper, and Dennis Haysbert. Also
striking is the look of the film, which borrows the California desert
for the Middle East and uses veteran Coen Bros. cinematographer Roger
Deakins to effect its style. As a film, "Jarhead" doesn't have much
of a point; well, if it did, it isn't telling. That's a little
frustrating, but maybe that's the point. The anti-war crowd will find
enough to be satisfied, while those who are not in opposition will be
satiated. ***1/2 (out of) ****
"Capote": It was
1959, a time in Truman Capote's life when he was a very visible, very
respected writer. The famed author of "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and
the "Grass Harp" reveled in the attention, but like any good writer,
he was always seeking his next story. He found it in a news account
of the slaying of a family of four. Capote (played by Philip Seymour
Hoffman) and his research assistant, one Nelle Harper Lee (Catherine
Keener) head for the small town of Holcomb, Kansas to interview Alvin
Dewey (Chris Cooper) who is heading up the murder investigation.
Capote, who started writing the piece as a story for the New Yorker,
soon finds it has grown much larger. After six years of interviewing
the principles, including the two killers who are eventually
incarcerated for the murders, Perry Smith (Clifton Collins Jr.) and
Richard Hickok (Mark Pellegrino), the book "In Cold Blood" is born.
The movie "Capote" is less about the book and more about its journey.
We see Truman's friendship with Lee, who has just finished her
Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, "To Kill a Mockingbird;" his struggle
to keep his relationship with his patient partner (played by Bruce
Greenwood), and Truman's very unhealthy obsession with Perry Smith.
"Capote," like the film version of "In Cold Blood," is very
methodically paced. Directed by Bennett Miller and written by Dan
Futterman, "Capote" is highlighted by an absolute in-the-skin turn by
Philip Seymour Hoffman, who, despite his six inch height advantage
over Capote, completely nails his subject. The film also boasts a
chilling performance by Clifton Collins Jr. as the creepy and
manipulative killer, Perry Smith, as well as solid jobs by a modest
Catherine Keener as Nelle Harper Lee, and Chris Cooper as the
distrustful lead investigator. I would've liked a little more about
Capote both before and after the period around "In Cold Blood," but
that's a minor nitpick in an otherwise very satisfying film. ***1/2
(out of) ****
"The
Squid and the Whale": I find it a bit ironic that a film about
divorce and the way it can shatter a family, would seem to be the
perfect vehicle for the skills of actor Kevin Kline. Well, it's
Kline's young son, Owen, a product of one of Hollywood's few
successful marriages (Kline to actress Phoebe Cates), who is one of
the co-stars of "The Squid and the Whale," writer-director Noah
Baumbach's autobiographical account of growing up as the son of
novelist Jonathan Baumbach and former Village Voice critic, Georgia
Brown. Noah is portrayed as Walt Berkman (Jesse Eisenberg). Walt and
his younger brother, Frank (the aforementioned Owen Kline) suffer in
a household of battling egos. His father, Bernard (Jeff Daniels) is a
professor and a once-famous author now living off his reputation.
Bernard is a wounded narcissist who can't accept the fact that his
budding-writer wife Joan (Laura Linney) is about to surpass him as
the success of the family. Something has to give and that something
is the Berkman marriage. The film's tagline is "Joint Custody Blows,"
and that is so true in this case. Shuttling between parents on
alternate days of the week isn't healthy for the 12 year-old Frank,
who has issues associated with puberty, or 17 year-old Walt, who's
becoming a little too much like his father. The results of this
awkward arrangement form the rest of the film. The beauty of "The
Squid and the Whale" lies in the brilliance of its script. There are
no wasted scenes or dialogue. It's no wonder it won Best Screenplay
at Sundance. I also love how Baumbach waves the proverbial middle
finger at traditional film convention. His story is bawdy and
unforgiving and filled with an honesty that just isn't found anymore.
Shot for $1.5 million and running at 80 minutes, "The Squid and the
Whale" covers more than films twice as long and fifty-times as
expensive. And it helps that Jeff Daniels, Laura Linney, Owen Kline
and Jesse Eisenberg are so good in their roles. "The Squid and the
Whale" is French New Wave cinema for the modern age. *** 1/2 (out of)
****
"Proof": Oh, to be
a genius. If we are to believe the movies, with brains come extreme
mental disorder. The latest in the recent long line of such films is
"Proof," David Madden's ("Shakespeare in Love") adaptation of David
Auburn's successful play. Catherine (Gwyneth Paltrow) has spent her
life living in the shadows of her famous mathematician father, Robert
(Anthony Hopkins). Robert, who made all his major discoveries by the
age of 26, has been living out the rest of his days on his legend and
as a professor at the University of Chicago. Robert has, you guessed
it, serious mental problems. His good and bad moments are measured by
the year, not the day. Catherine also has moments of mathematics
brilliance, but she's 27, so she's convinced that she's peaked. But
Catherine isn't interested in keeping up with her father, even if she
seems preconditioned for it. So much to her father's dismay, she
attends the relatively nearby Northwestern. But despite her seemingly
bright future, she ditches it all to attend to Robert when he becomes
seriously ill. It's during that time that she's courted by Hal (Jake
Gyllenhaal), one of Robert's students. Romance isn't her thing, but
that doesn't stop Hal, who looks past her obvious growing depression
and sees a lot of her father in Catherine. It's about an hour into
the film that Hal discovers something else in Catherine that may or
may not have a lot of Robert in it. And that's when "Proof" seeks
proof. This film succeeds in large part because it chose the right
people to execute its vision. Gwyneth Paltrow continues to show us
why she's one of our best actresses. She's absolutely brilliant as
the torturous Catherine. Anthony Hopkins is merely reprising several
other performances, but we forgive him because he's still great. And
Jake Gyllenhaal and Hope Davis (playing Catherine's sister, Claire)
are well-cast in their roles. "Proof," like the math problems that
are a part of its story, is a complex film, but then again, that was
the intention of the filmmakers. ***1/2 (out of) ****
"Good
Night, and Good Luck.": "Those who do not read and understand
history are doomed to repeat it." It was during Harry Truman's second
term that the Great Red Scare came into prominence. And much like
today's assassination of the "liberal media" and famous media types
like Dan Rather by the controlling political party of our country,
back in the 50's it was Senator Joe McCarthy who convinced Americans
of the evils of the communist party. And if the media dared to
question the importance or logic of the threats, their allegiance or
patriotism would be questioned. Sound familiar? It's Controlling the
Media (and Ultimately, the People) 101. In 1953, it was long-time
radio broadcaster (now television) journalist Edward R. Murrow who
openly took on McCarthy and his scare tactics. Through his impeccable
reputation and the CBS News program "See it Now," Murrow had the
public on his side, while McCarthy had them afraid of talking to the
wrong people. George Clooney, best known as an actor, makes a loud
splash as co-writer (with Grant Heslov) and director of "Good Night,
and Good Luck.," the story of Edward R. Murrow's infamous battles
with Senator Joe McCarthy. Clooney also found time to act as Fred
Friendly, Murrow's long-time producer and close friend. It was
Friendly who counseled Murrow (David Strathairn) and acted as a
buffer between his friend and CBS Television boss Bill Paley (played
by a perfectly-casted Frank Langella). While we see obvious parallels
between the situation of fifty years ago and today, the landscape is
different. At CBS News back in the 50's, married couples weren't
allowed to work together, so someone like Joe and Shirley Wershba
(played by Robert Downey Jr. and Patricia Clarkson) had to hide their
little secret. This is a little subplot in a film that's filled with
plenty of interesting stories. Robert Elswit's camera (the film is in
glorious black-and-white) takes us on a tour of the newsroom of the
50's, while Clooney's direction keeps the film well-paced and always
compelling. "Good Night, and Good Luck." is breathtaking, from the
letter-perfect performances of its wonderful ensemble cast, to the
aforementioned direction, writing and cinematography; to the music (I
loved the jazz singer touch) and sharp editing, but most of all: its
message, that, sadly, still needs to be delivered. **** (out of) ****
"Elizabethtown":
Writer-director Cameron Crowe is sort of a Hollywood Everyman.
He makes films that appeal on a deep level to both genders ("You had
me at hello;" "I am a Golden God!") but for someone like myself, I'm
just happy he can generally be counted upon to make a good movie.
Unfortunately, after watching his latest, "Elizabethtown," Crowe's
losing streak (beginning with "Vanilla Sky") now stands at two. Drew
Baylor (Orlando Bloom) is a highly-regarded shoe designer who just
tasted failure, big time, with his latest shoe. The disaster,
somewhere between a "failure and a fiasco," cost his bosses nearly
one BILLION dollars. Drew, who is obviously "so fired," uses the
occasion of his father's funeral in Elizabeth, Kentucky to try to
reconnect with himself, and, if the mood strikes him, with the people
from whom he grew so distant. It's a Crowe film so there has to be
romance for our hero, oh, and a lot of excellent music. It's here
where Cameron Crowe does not disappoint. The songs play like the
perfect I-Pod mix, and Kirsten Dunst, as the requisite love interest,
has got the cute thing down pat. She also plays annoying very well,
so much so that it can sometimes border on, well, annoying. She's
flight attendant Claire Colburn, who seems to be reasonably happy
with her station in life, even though we're never quite sure what
that is. She's the bubbly girl to Drew's flat dude who just wants to
figure it all out on his own. They meet while Drew is on his way to
Kentucky. Long story short, they do the get-together thing, but only
after lots of weird funeral experiences, some interesting (and too
short) travelogue scenes, and all that great music that is a staple
of Crowe's films. Dunst was very effective as the quirky Claire, but
Orlando Bloom just seemed out of place as the brooding shoe designer.
I guess John Cusack wasn't available. Crowe, the accomplished writer,
manages to write some nice dialogue and come up with some nice ideas,
but he can't put it all together in a fluid script. His thoughts are
incomplete and his characters not fleshed out enough. All this
sabotages the job for Crowe, the director, not to mention his editor,
who had to piece together Crowe's ideas, a la Crowe's nom de plume
William Miller in "Almost Famous," who compiled his big story for
Rolling Stone through a lot of tiny Post-It notes. Old habits dying
hard, Cameron? My advice with "Elizabethtown" is the same for Crowe's
last disappointment: buy the soundtrack, skip the movie. ** (out of)
****
"Nine Lives":
is nine vignettes of nine women told in nine long takes. The
nine women also carry nine loads of baggage, some of which we care
about, some we don't. In short, this is a gimmick film that doesn't
flaunt its angle, but doesn't get out of its way either. The film was
written and directed by Rodrigo Garcia, who is best known of the son
of famed writer, Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Garcia, through his vast
connections (including his extensive work as a director for some of
HBO's better shows) was able to assemble a very impressive cast of
actors for his film, including Glenn Close, Sissy Spacek, Holly
Hunter, Kathy Baker, Aidan Quinn, Amy Brenneman, Joe Mantegna, Ian
McShane, Molly Parker, Robin Wright Penn, and Jason Isaacs, to name a
handful. It's quite an ensemble. Their performances were excellent
(especially Wright Penn and Isaacs), but that still doesn't make me
care enough about the characters. Garcia is clearly an ambitious
writer and filmmaker, but tosses a few too many ingredients into his
special dish. He allows about ten minutes for each story, which just
isn't enough time to understand, let alone develop an interest in,
the characters, which, with just a few exceptions, disappear after
their segment has concluded. Along with that disappearance is our
rooting interest for that person. We see tale after tale of
unrequited love, whether it's from a neglectful parent, or a lost
love, or because of the "system." Not a bad concept, but it would've
worked better outside the constraints of Garcia's single-take system.
It would've been nice to see the stories and characters intersect.
And that approach would've led to some appropriate closures that most
of the individual segments sorely needed. "Nine Lives" is best left
for that rainy Sunday afternoon when you're in a bit of a blue mood
and there's nothing worth watching on television. **1/2 (out of)
****
"A
History of Violence": I recently reviewed "Red Eye," a film
directed by horror-master Wes Craven. I opined his knowledge of the
horror genre helped him handle the thriller. David Cronenberg's
horror tends to be a little more, um, 'explicit,' that, like Craven's
recent effort, "A History of Violence" is a departure for the veteran
writer-director, or at least that's how it starts. Tom Stall (Viggo
Mortensen) is a quiet, modest family man with an attractive wife
(played by Maria Bello), two children and the respect of his
community. He runs a diner in a small town in Indiana. Tom's life is
forever shattered one day during an attempted robbery at the diner.
Thanks to Tom's quick actions, he not only stops the robbery, he also
kills the perpetrators. He's quickly branded a hero by the town, as
well as the media, who grab onto the story. It isn't long before
Tom's heroics captures the attention of a few mysterious men from
out-of-town, including one man (played by Ed Harris) who claims he
has a history with Tom, whom he remembers as "Joey Cusack from
Philly." Tom, it seems, has a…"history of violence," and that
modest display of heroics was just "Joey" doing his thing. It isn't
long before Cronenberg's film dissolves into, well, a Cronenberg
film. That's not to say that weird things start coming out of the
wrong places, but weird things definitely start happening. Paths are
taken that a director with a better grasp for this type of material
(unlike Wes Craven, whose style aided "Red Eye") would've avoided.
It's almost a shame that this otherwise fine idea (and some nice
performances from the principle actors, especially Ed Harris) is
wasted when the director allows the fine idea to get away. I'd like
to recommend this film, but I can't. Give it ten years and perhaps
someone else will remake it into something better. ** (out of)
****
"Corpse
Bride": Is it fair to give a film a little "extra credit" if,
on a technical basis, it sets itself apart from others? I ask this
rhetorically as I ponder to myself how to describe my feelings about
Tim Burton's latest puppet-filled stop-motion animation effort,
"Corpse Bride." Burton co-directed "Corpse Bride" with Mike Johnson,
whose previous work included "James and the Giant Peach" (as an
animator). "Peach's" director, Henry Selick, worked with Tim Burton
on "The Nightmare Before Christmas." That effort was beautiful to
watch, but otherwise boring. Burton's "Corpse Bride" retains some of
"Nightmare's" creepiness, but, despite its title, is mostly harmless.
Emily, the Corpse Bride (voiced by Helena Bonham Carter), is a former
jilted bride, who, because of "circumstances" now "lives" under the
earth in a spooky graveyard. One night, while walking alone through
the graveyard, a young man (Johnny Depp) jokingly places his arranged
intended's wedding ring on a protruding branch. That "branch" turns
out to be the Corpse Bride's ring finger, and the ring is now as good
as a promise of marriage. It's bad enough that the young man is about
to marry a living woman he just met (arranged by the bride's
financially-strapped parents), but now he's been latched onto by a
dead woman with a marriage fetish! The story of the "Corpse Bride" is
much more involved than just that, but there's pleasure in uncovering
its various layers. The film is filled with great characters (the
voice talent includes Tracey Ullman, Emily Watson, Albert Finney,
Joanne Lumley, and Jane Horrocks) and some nice musical numbers,
which, as you might imagine, were well-choreographed within the
context of the film's story and gimmick of the stop-motion process.
The script, co-written by John August and Pamela Pettler, is clever,
and unlike other films of this type, its pacing isn't tedious. It
would be a little creepy as a live-action film, but as an animated
film, the "Corpse Bride" is a ghoulish treat that yes, for the
technical marvel it is, deserves extra credit. *** (out of) ****
"Red Eye": A
director with a handle for the material is usually the difference
between a good and a bad film, especially if it's a tired genre. In
the case of "Red Eye," it's horror film director Wes Craven trying to
make sense out of the terrorist-on-a-plane plot. And you know
something? He made it work. Rachel McAdams is Lisa Reisert, a hotel
manager with a real knack for solving problems. The aptly-named Jack
Rippner (Cillian Murphy) has a problem that needs to be solved. His
"organization" is targeting the head of Homeland Security, William
Keefe (Jack Scalia), but they need Keefe and his entourage (including
his family) to stay in a hotel room facing the water. Jack sees Lisa
and her love for her father as the way around this little
predicament. He befriends her in the airport lounge before the
flight, manages to sit next to her on the plane, and then shows off
his true self to her shortly after their night flight takes off. I've
already told you quite a bit, so I'll resist giving it all away, but
suffice to say there are thrills and a few chills with the expertise
of Wes Craven keeping the film from landing in the ho-hum pile of
Hollywood clichés. Extra credit goes to first-time writer Carl
Ellsworth, who, like me, is probably a stickler for realism in film.
He seemed to have all the answers to the "how can they do that?"
situations that plague films of this type. "Red Eye" isn't an
extraordinary film by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a
very effective thriller. *** (out of) ****
"The
Constant Gardener": Tessa Quayle (Rachel Weisz) is convinced
that when her husband Justin (Ralph Fiennes) sleeps, he dreams of a
world without weeds. Justin is a part-time obsessive gardener and
full-time British diplomat. But it's Tessa who would like to rid the
world of a few unwanted weeds. The outspoken activist has a serious
axe to grind against the pharmaceutical company who circumvented the
FDA approval process in order to force-feed a controversial TB drug
to the helpless in Africa. Tessa discovers proof the drug is a
condition towards getting treatment, and that it's killing, not
helping, the sick and poor. These are little-known facts the drug
company would do anything to keep secret; anything, including the
senseless murder of Tessa and her colleague, Arnold Bluhm (Hubert
Kounde). I'm not giving much away since this happens during the
film's first act and serves as the film's main premise. The balance
of "The Constant Gardener" is spent in flashback and present time, as
the otherwise low-key diplomat takes up his dead wife's cause in the
hope it will also uncover the mystery behind her murder. "The
Constant Gardener" was directed by Fernando Meirelles, whose previous
film, "City of God" was one of the greatest films I've ever watched.
He certainly doesn't disappoint with this follow-up. Meirelles is a
rare filmmaker who is able to translate his enormous vision into a
cogent presentation. He takes the smart script (by Jeffrey Caine,
based on the John Le Carré best-selling novel) and effuses his
style without sacrificing the credibility of the tale. In addition to
good architects, "The Constant Gardener" is blessed with fine
performances from its leads (Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz) as well
as memorable turns from its co-stars Danny Huston and Pete
Postlethwaite. The film's topic isn't pretty and it should leave you
angry, but that's the idea. *** 1/2 (out of) ****
"Lord of War":
For bloodthirsty action film fans, there's probably nothing
worse than a movie with a moral center, especially one that blurs the
line between the good and bad guys. And it doesn't help when the
film's message doesn't exactly flatter the leaders of your country.
"Evil prevails when the good fail to act." Ouch. Reads like a good
bumpersticker. Set in the early 80's, the "Lord of War" spans twenty
years in the life of Yuri Orlov (Nicholas Cage), a Ukrainian who grew
up in New York in a family that pretended it was Jewish. Years later,
Yuri's family pretend they don't know that he's one of the world's
most "productive" arms dealers. Yuri starts small, enlisting the aid
of his younger brother, Vitaly (Jared Leto) to watch his back while
Yuri quickly builds his notorious list of clients, mostly military
leaders who are anxious to gain an edge on their enemies. The film
depicts Yuri's rise and fall, as well as the lives he touches,
including Vitaly, who battles drug addiction, and Yuri's trophy wife
(played by Bridgit Moynahan) who doesn't want to know how he's making
his millions. Yep, everybody's in denial, especially Yuri, who's
convinced he's able to escape anything and anyone, including the
guilt from the lives he indirectly ends and from the Interpol agent
(Ethan Hawke) who's been trying to pin him down for years. "Lord of
War" was very smartly written and directed by Andrew Niccol
("Gattaca"), who based his story "on actual events," which could be
taken a number of ways. I was intrigued by the premise and mood of
the film, which was a lot like "Goodfellas" with guns, even down to
surveillance helicopters and the witty narrative by its star,
Nicholas Cage. Cage was excellent as the morally-corrupt and
completely delusional gunrunner. Jared Leto almost steals the film
(this talented actor needs to be in more films) as another casualty
of Yuri's poor career choice. "Lord of War" covers a subject I
personally loathe, but it does it in a non-exploitive and
(surprisingly) non-preachy way. Recommended. *** (out of) ****
"Cronicas":
John Leguizamo plays Manolo Bonilla, a semi-famous reporter
for a Miami-based Spanish-language TV station. His work takes him all
over Latin America, but in this particular week, he travels to
Equador, where he hopes to uncover the infamous "Monster" serial
killer of children, who has been terrorizing the countryside and is
blamed for over 150 murders. Bonilla, who is accompanied by his
producer (played by Leonor Watling) and camerman (Jose Maria Yazpik),
quickly finds controversy in the form of a near-lynching of a man
whose car struck the twin brother of a recent victim of the Monster.
The driver of the vehicle (played by Damian Alcazar) becomes a bit of
a hero when his story of mob rule injustice is aired all over the
country. The problem is that he knows a little too much about the
elusive Monster, which leads to a conflict for Bonilla, who
effectively made the new hero but has a self-responsibility to find
the serial killer. But "Cronicas" is less about all of the above and
more about the evils of the media and the lengths to which they will
go to find a story. The film's writer-director, Sebastian Cordero
does a masterful job of straddling the moral line of his story, while
not losing focus or his viewer. The look of his film is often
mesmerizing, while its score (from Antonio Pinto, best known for
"City of God") is memorable and the performances, especially from
John Leguizamo, outstanding. I especially liked the way Cordero
handled the film's ending. He could've taken it in a number of
different directions, but ultimately chose the smartest, which is
appropriate for this intelligent thriller. ***1/2 (out of) **** (In
Spanish with English subtitles)
"5x2": Couple gets a
divorce, has a child, marries, falls in love and meets. Five acts,
two people. If you place the sequences in order (like the French
DVD), it's standard stuff. Flip it around and it's pretentious
without the worthy payoff. Writer-director Francois Ozon, who's been
on quite a roll lately with "Swimming Pool," "8 Women," "Under the
Sand," and "Water Drops on Burning Rocks," hits a speed bump with
"5x2." The French filmmaker is a talent, but this is the stuff of
someone with a serious chip on his shoulder but without the brawn to
back it up. Valeria Bruni Tedeschi and Stephane Freiss play the
couple. Their performances are solid, but their characters don't
invite our sympathies or our contempt. Like the people they play, we
don't feel anything, and that doesn't make watching this film a
worthwhile experience. * 1/2 (out of) **** (In French with English
subtitles)
"The Best
of Youth": is as complete a film as you'll ever see. It's
hauntingly beautiful, both in appearance and in spirit. It's also six
hours long, but don't you dare allow that to stop you from
experiencing this monumental achievement from veteran Italian
director Marco Tullio Giordana. The film's celebrated running time
allows it to flesh out every aspect of its rich story. The "Best of
Youth" starts in Rome, Italy in 1966, where four college-aged friends
prepare for a fun journey to Norway. Circumstance and a woman
sidetrack the trip, but not the enduring friendships. The woman,
Giorgia (Jasmine Trinca) is a beautiful but tortured mental patient
who captures the fancy of two of the men, brothers Nicola (Luigi Lo
Cascio) and Matteo (Alessio Boni). Nicola is a medical student, while
Matteo isn't sure what to do with his life. He connects with Giorgia
because he's also lost, while the good-hearted Nicola finds a
fascination within Giorgia's life and eventually, psychiatric
medicine. But that's just one very small part of the "Best of Youth."
We're also taken through the great Florence flood of 1966 (where
Nicola meets his true love) and through the Red Brigades of the 70's
(which forms a major part of the story) and through all the changes
of the film's many characters as they live, die and procreate through
the four decades. Giordana's film (which was lovingly scripted by
partners Sandro Petraglia and Stefano Rulli) is filled with memorable
characters and beautiful storylines involving not only the lives of
the four friends and their families, but since the film spans nearly
forty years, also the lives of their children. Giordana, who's flush
with time, uses it to show us everything (including the lush beauty
of Italy), but never pours it on or resorts to trickery. The
filmmaking is very straightforward and its story well-paced, which is
amazing given its length. The plot twists are simple but not
overbearing, and we're not asked to swallow a silly storyline. The
acting is wonderful and the characters are lovely. In other words,
it's never boring. The "Best of Youth" is filmmaking at its finest,
and yes, it's worth every minute. **** (out of) **** (In Italian with
English subtitles)
"Four
Brothers": invites a double-standard. Why is it okay for
Quentin Tarantino to "find serious inspiration" in a genre of films,
but it's not okay for an established filmmaker like John Singleton to
"pay homage" to a different class of films? Well, when the genre
(low-budget drive-in revenge flicks) lacks camp value and was never
redeemable in the first place, it's just a bad idea. And director
Singleton, who has yet to build upon the enormous promise of his
debut effort, "Boyz n the Hood," gives us 110 minutes of a very bad
idea. Four young men, each born to a different set of parents, are
"rescued" by matriarch Evelyn Mercer (Fionnula Flanagan), who plucks
them off the mean streets of Detroit and into her home.
Fast-forwarding several years, the adopted brothers, Bobby (Mark
Wahlberg), Jerry (Andre Benjamin, aka Andre 3000), Angel (Tyrese
Gibson) and Jack (Garrett Hedlund) reunite to find the people
responsible for gunning down their adopted mother whose murder during
a convenience store robbery may or may not have been premeditated.
Thus begins a serious of stupid events leading up to a fairly
predictable climax. The movie is violent; the performances
unremarkable and the mood foul. If John Singleton spent as much time
on the film as he did on the Detroit product placements (Domino's,
GMC, Ford, not to mention the Tigers, Lions and Red Wings), or
bothered to film most of it in Detroit (instead of Toronto), it
might've resulted in a decent movie; instead we have this. * 1/2(out
of) ****
"March
of the Penguins": I've always been fascinated by instinct. How
does a cat know to use its wet paw to clean its face? Nature is
filled with animals that didn't have the benefit of teachers (beyond
their parents), books and training seminars to teach them how to act,
much less how to survive. Documentary film director Jacques Perrin
and his crew of a few (including two cinematographers) set out to
discover the unique mating habits of the penguin. Their exploration
took them to Antarctica, the natural habitat of the Emperor penguin,
where on a GOOD day, it's "just" 59 below. The crew, with loving
care, braved the treacherous weather (and it looked brutal) to show
us how the male and female penguins endure more than you can imagine
just to reproduce. This wonderful film makes us feel like we're in a
classroom all over again, only we didn't have the privilege of
threading the projector. Part of the beauty of this documentary
(aside from its scrumptious scenery) is learning about the penguins'
unusual habits, so I'll allow the rest to unfold in front of your own
eyes. But I will say that this may be one of the most passionate love
stories ever filmed, which is pretty heady stuff for a G-rated
documentary. "March of the Penguins" is a lot warmer than Antarctica
and about as fuzzy as a young penguin, and as a film experience, it's
a sheer delight. *** 1/2(out of) ****
"Broken
Flowers": When you think of Bill Murray, you think of that
silly groundskeeper in "Caddyshack" or his turns in "Ghostbusters,"
"Stripes" and "Groundhog Day." And then there's his moody aging actor
in "Lost in Translation." Murray channels that character for his
latest role as successful computer executive, Don Johnston. The now
semi-retired Don (a.k.a. Don Juan) has made a great deal of money in
the computer business, but he's never married. He seems content to
lounge around all day, watching movies and cartoons that mirror his
own situation. This doesn't sit well with his latest girlfriend
(played very briefly by Julie Delpy) who, like the many others,
leaves him. His life changes one day when a mysterious pink envelope
arrives with the mail. Inside is a letter from a woman purporting to
be an old girlfriend with a 19-year-old son she claims is Don's; a
son the otherwise childless Don never knew he had. The letter isn't
signed and the envelope contains no clues to its origin. After a
little detective work, Don's best friend, Winston (Jeffrey Wright),
convinces his reluctant buddy to seek out the mysterious letter
writer. They conclude it could be any of four women: divorcee Laura
(Sharon Stone); eccentric Dora (Frances Conroy); animal freak Carmen
(Jessica Lange); or biker "enthusiast" Penny (Tilda Swinton). Winston
researches their whereabouts, books the flights and rental cars, and
the "stalking with a Taurus" Don Juan is off on what turns out to be
a journey of self-discovery. "Broken Flowers" is otherwise somewhat
indescribable. We think we know what's going to happen, but we don't.
Writer-director Jim Jarmusch peppers his film with sly comic moments,
but keeps us a little in the dark about his characters. He'd rather
his audience reach their own conclusions, which is the way it should
be. Watching "Broken Flowers," I am reminded a lot of Sofia Coppola's
work in the aforementioned "Lost in Translation." This film could've
been written and directed by her, but that's just an observation and
is not meant as a slight to the extremely talented Jarmusch. As you
might expect from such a stellar cast, the performances in "Broken
Flowers" are otherworldly. Bill Murray is perfect as the
expressionless Don Johnston ("with a 'T'"), while Jeffrey Wright
delivers a very memorable turn as Winston. His past loves, like their
relationships with Don, come and go a little too quick, but they're
quite good. The rest of the cast, including Chloe Sevigny, Alexis
Dziena, and Pell James have blink-and-you'll-miss-them roles, but
they're very solid. "Broken Flowers" is long on charm and never short
on smiles, well, unless you're Bill Murray's character. Recommended
highly. ***1/2 (out of) ****
"The
Island": For some, the name Michael Bay is synonymous with all
that's wrong with Hollywood: lots of explosions, very little plot,
insulting formulas. But his films (the "Bad Boys" films; "The Rock,"
"Armageddon," "Pearl Harbor") make money, and that's the bottom line
in Hollywood. Bay, however, fancies himself a talent capable of
reaching our deeper consciousness. Uh, no. Sorry. Impossible POV
shots, does not a filmmaker make. Against my better judgment (damn
you, Scarlett Johansson!), I watched Bay's latest attempt. "The
Island" takes place in the world of the future where, for the right
price, you can part out a clone of yourself if, say, your liver is
failing. Theoretically, if you're rich enough, you can live forever.
Hey, it's a Hollywood movie, not reality! Ewan McGregor and the
aforementioned Scarlett Johansson (both chasing the paydays) play a
couple of clones living underground with a bunch of other clones, all
away from the contaminated outside world. Their handlers (led by Sean
Bean, performing the same role he plays in every film) lead the
clones to believe they're working towards going to the Island, a sort
of utopian paradise that was mysteriously unharmed by the
contamination. They're fed with memories of a past life, but
conveniently they lack a sex drive, which explains why McGregor isn't
immediately drawn to Johansson. Details. And speaking of details, the
first half of the film is filled with ambitious, if not a little
(okay, a LOT) of implausible reasons for this alternative world. The
second half of the film is a typical Bay-fest, with a lot of silly
action and a WHOLE lot of impossible sequences. The performances were
okay, but the white suits were better. Bay channels so many sci-fi
films in this effort that I was half-expecting Farrah Fawcett and Gil
Gerard to show up. In short, if you must see this film, make sure you
check your brain with the usher. ** (out of) ****
"Lords of
Dogtown": is the story of the origins of
the serious skateboard scene. Heath Ledger plays Skip Engblom, the
owner of a Southern California surf shop. Skip develops a
revolutionary new wheel that allows skaters to "grip" their surfaces.
A skateboarding team, led by soon-to-be-legends Jay Adams (Emile
Hirsch), Tony Alva (Victor Rasuk) and Stacy Peralta (John Robinson)
is formed by Skip, and together they grow as the skateboarding craze
grows. I was attracted to this film because, like the subjects, I
grew up in California during the Seventies and spent time around
skateboards. And not surprisingly, since the film's writer (Stacy
Peralta) was one of the Z-Boys portrayed in the film, "Lords of
Dogtown" generally gets it right, but it suffers from an aura of
cheapness and creates an atmosphere of apathy. This isn't "Dazed and
Confused: The Skater Edition." It isn't even the documentary "Dogtown
and Z-Boys." It's just a low-budget version of somebody's
interpretation of events that happened thirty years earlier. The
film's nicest character happens to be Stacy (surprise!) while the
rest of the actors either wildly overact (especially Heath Ledger,
doing his worst Gary Busey impersonation) or seem out of place as
skaters, while their stunt doubles do all the work. One of my biggest
disappointments about "Lords of Dogtown" was that it was directed by
Catherine Hardwicke, whose debut film "Thirteen" was so promising.
Like Peralta (who directed the original "Dogtown" documentary and has
been involved in other skateboarding-related films), perhaps it's
time for her to move onto more "mature" subjects. *1/2 (out of)
****
"Cinderella
Man": Most of us remember Ron Howard as Opie on "The Andy
Griffith Show" and as Richie Cunningham on "Happy Days," but for
nearly three decades Howard has been a successful director in
Hollywood, helming such features as "Splash," "Cocoon," "Parenthood,"
"Apollo 13" and "A Beautiful Mind." Howard's latest is "Cinderella
Man," the based-on-a-true-story of boxer Jim Braddock, whose life was
an inspiration for the downtrodden of the Depression era. Russell
Crowe plays Braddock, a gentle man who happens to earn his living
with his fists. Braddock nearly rises to the top of the heavyweight
ranks, but a bad break and the onset of the Depression put him and
his family on the breadlines along with millions of other struggling
families. After a number of years of lining up with the day laborers,
Braddock is given another opportunity in the ring and, well, it's a
Cinderella story, so you can figure out the rest. Russell Crowe, who
delivers another outstanding performance as Jim Braddock, is
supported nicely by Renee Zellweger in the unglamorous role of
Braddock's wife, Mae. Of special note are Craig Bierko as Max Baer,
the fearsome heavyweight champ of the era, and the always interesting
Bruce McGill as a ruthless boxing promoter. Director Ron Howard,
working off a script by Cliff Hollingsworth and Akiva Goldsman, does
an excellent job of balancing the story of proud family man, loyal
husband and professional boxer. "Cinderella Man" often strides the
careful bridge of predictability, but it's well-paced and
entertaining. Recommended. *** (out of) ****
"Madagascar":
Feature-length animated movies have come a long way. They used
to be Disney's forte. They'd pop out a movie every once in a while,
much to the pleasure of the younger set. And now we have computer
animation, multiple studios, and well-known voice talent. And it's
all to the delight of not only children, but adults as well. The
summer season's first big animated film is "Madagascar," the story of
zoo animals returning to the wild. The penguins at New York City's
Central Park Zoo are plotting an escape. They're pretty anxious to
return to their "Antarctica roots," and by jove, a broken plastic
spoon isn't going to thwart their digging efforts. The penguins'
longing for the wild has Marty the Zebra (voiced by Chris Rock)
thinking the same, only to somewhere a little warmer; somewhere like
Connecticut. Marty makes his move during the evening of his tenth
birthday (silly midlife crisis!), slipping out into the wild of the
New York City subway system. Once his buddies at the zoo, including
Alex the Lion (Ben Stiller), Gloria the Hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith)
and Melman the Giraffe (David Schwimmer), discover he's escaped,
they're doing their own disappearing act in an effort to convince him
the zoo's his real home. Thus begins the zoo animals' journey,
ultimately leading to a trip via a container ship that gets diverted
to Madagascar, home of a bunch of wild lemurs. The lemurs, led by
their king (voiced by Sacha Baron Cohen, aka 'Ali G') see the animals
as a way to protect them from their natural enemies. Meanwhile, Alex
the Lion, now off his steady raw steak diet, begins to see everyone
as dinner. As far as animated fare goes, "Madagascar" doesn't stand
out from the rest of the pack. The computer animation is good, the
story (by Mark Burton and Billy Frolick) flows nicely and the film
(directed by cartoon vets Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath) is solid.
"Madagascar" succeeds where it should: as wholesome entertainment for
small children. The three small children I took to the film loved it.
I just thought it was cute, but nothing special. In other words, see
it with the children in your life; otherwise wait for the DVD or a
long plane-trip. ** 1/2(out of) ****
"The Return":
The quiet lives of a woman (Natalya Vdovina) and her two sons,
Andrei (Vladimir Garin) and Ivan (Ivan Dobronravov), are suddenly
disrupted by the reappearance (after an absence of twelve years) of a
man (Konstantin Lavronenko) the woman introduces as the boys' father.
The man has a tough, but quiet exterior and is anxious to establish
himself as the boys' authority figure. With their mother's
permission, the man and the boys set off on a three-day fishing trip
that takes the three up the beautiful coast of Russia (the exact
location is never given). The older boy, Andrei, is content to obey
the man he believes is his long-lost father, but Ivan is skeptical
and is constantly testing the man's patience. In return, the man
shows Ivan who is in charge. The film's story is deliberately
mysterious, giving us just a dollop here and there; teasing us with
its intentions. Is the man who he says he is? Why was he gone for
twelve years? Why the sudden fishing trip? The look of "The Return"
is almost like a 100-minute car commercial, so it shouldn't come as a
shock that its first-time director, Andrei Zvyagintsev, comes from
that background. He, along with cinematographer, Mikhail Krichman,
created an exquisite look, aiding in the mood of the film. I
understand why the film won or was nominated for several awards,
including a nomination for the 2004 Golden Globe for Best Foreign
Film. "The Return" is a moody, atmospheric thriller that won't leave
you right away. Just like a good film. *** 1/2 (out of) **** (In
Russian with English subtitles). On DVD.
"Star
Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith": The Star Wars
franchise is a force. Okay, that was a bad pun, but the series, which
started in 1977 and has produced six films to date (and I'm not
convinced this is it), has grossed well over a billion dollars
worldwide. That's success. It's been enjoyed by fans and critics
alike, but I think we can all agree this isn't the Royal Shakespeare
Company. It's a futuristic action adventure and if it's taken as
such, it can be a lot of fun. The latest adventure picks up where
Episode II: Attack of the Clones left off. Padmé (Natalie
Portman) is pregnant with Luke and Leia, but hasn't told anyone that
Anakin (Hayden Christensen) is the father. Anakin has his own
struggles, as he is becoming disenchanted with the Jedis and more
entranced by the Dark Side, aided by the propaganda that Supreme
Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) is feeding him. The Jedi
Council, led by Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson), Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan
McGregor) and guided by Yoda (the voice of Frank Oz), are very
distrustful of Palpatine, whom we already know is also Darth Sidious
and part of the Dark Side. Since we know the origin of Darth Vader
and some of the characters from Episodes IV - VI, I'll let you absorb
the action for yourself. Once again, "Revenge of the Sith" was
written and directed by "Star Wars" creator, George Lucas. I admit I
hoped (as rumored) he would hand off the last two films to someone
different, but too little, too late. The film's performance are a
little better than usual, especially Natalie Portman, whose
Padmé character finally shows a little range. But the film's
best performance belongs to Ian McDiarmid as the evil Darth Sidious
(it was as if he were channeling a real-life figure. Hmm.). "ROTS" is
better than its two most recent predecessors, but that isn't saying
much. Those films succeeded by virtue of their action-adventure, plus
some incredible CGI. "ROTS" improves upon the others in many key
ways, and has cleaned up some of the problems (most notably the
wooden dialogue; it's still there, but it's improved), but the
novelty has worn off. I've never considered myself a "Star Wars"
junkie, having seen each of the films just once in the theater, and
never once in costume! I would say once is enough for "Revenge of the
Sith." *** (out of) ****
"Undertow":
When does it become acceptable for a filmmaker to take a huge helping
of poetic license? When the finished product is good, very good. Thus
is the case of writer-director David Gordon Green, whose previous
films owed a ton to Terrence Malick ("Badlands," "Days of Heaven").
Green's third effort, "Undertow," lightens up a little on the Malick
comparisons, but borrows several pages of script from Charles
Laughton's classic, "Night of the Hunter," as well as a serious ode
to the films and television shows of the Seventies, all of which
worked very well towards setting the proper mood for his film. But,
like Quentin Tarantino, all is forgiven when the resulting work (like
the "Kill Bill" films) is great. "Undertow" is the story of John Munn
(Dermot Mulroney) and his two sons: teenager Chris (Jamie Bell), who
was always getting himself in trouble, and Tim (Devon Alan), a sickly
child with several phobias. Their lives have been upside down since
the boys' mother passed away. John pulled his sons out of school and
moved them to a small farm in rural Georgia. Their home is so
isolated that Tim's tenth birthday "party" consisted of just the
three of them. Their new location also proves to be a task to find
for John's brother Deel (Josh Lucas), who looks up his sibling
immediately after his release from a local prison. Deel has an
ulterior motive for his visit: gold. Deel and John's father once
stole a cache of Mexican gold coins, the latter promising he'd leave
them for his boys to split so they could "treat themselves like
kings." For obvious reasons, John didn't bother to share the
ill-gotten gains with his then-incarcerated brother. If you watched
"Night of the Hunter" (if not, you should), you can figure out the
rest of the plot. "Undertow" isn't original but has a lot going for
it, including a likeable cast (led by Jamie Bell, best known for
"Billy Elliot"), a solid script, and a director on the verge of
greatness. David Gordon Green, who showed a ton of promise with
"George Washington" and "All the Real Girls," graduates with
"Undertow." It's well-paced, beautifully photographed (by Green
regular, Tim Orr) and despite its various influences, not overly
predictable. "Undertow" is a true gem. ***1/2 (out of) **** (On
DVD).
"Oldboy": I'm
discovering that cult films are not always to my liking. As an
admitted film geek, the edgier the film, the better, but my age, and
films of higher quality must be catching up to me. I went to see
"Oldboy" on the strength of its massive cult following (the 2003 film
is just getting its U.S. release, primarily because of the "people").
Unfortunately, like "House of Flying Daggers" and "Kung Fu Hustle," I
just couldn't get into it. The film's story revolves around the
fifteen-year imprisonment and torture of Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik).
The Korean man is held against his will in a large, otherwise
unassuming room outfitted with a bed and TV, which he watches when he
isn't recording a journal. While watching the news, he learns he's a
wanted murderer, so even though he feels he's innocent he's probably
safest right where he is, even if he is subjected to nightly gas
treatments (that's how his room and clothing are maintained) and the
same pot-sticker meals (which the hot-tempered Oh often discards in
disgust). When the fifteen years pass, Oh is suddenly back on the
street (I don't want to give too much away), but instead of putting
his past behind him, he's hell-bent for revenge against his former
captors, as well as trying to unlock the mystery that surrounded the
reasons for his captivity. "Oldboy" was co-written and directed by
acclaimed South Korean filmmaker, Chan-wook Park. The film won the
2004 Grand Jury Prize at Cannes, as well as praise from audiences
around the world, but it left me wondering about its point and
whether I, like the film's subject, am losing it. ** (out of) ****
(In Korean with English subtitles).
"Festival
Express": is a documentary/concert film about three infamous
concerts that took place during the summer of 1970. The concerts were
held in three large cities across Canada with the star-studded list
of performers traveling to each show via a train dubbed the "Festival
Express." For the artists, the attraction was the train. It gave them
an outlet to cut loose both musically and spiritually. In short, it
was one long, rocking party! The film amasses an incredible amount of
concert footage (the DVD's two discs are worth every minute) and
includes interviews with the talent as well as the promoter of the
concert. For me, as a wannabe rock and roll historian, the concert
footage (as well as several impromptu train performances) was pure
bliss. The Dead singing "Don't Ease Me In;" The Band performing
incredible versions of "The Weight" and "I Shall Be Released" (the
latter, my personal highlight). Janis Joplin was magnificent (and
I've never considered myself a fan), singing;- and I mean SINGING
"Cry Baby." Other bands such as The Flying Burrito Bros, Buddy Guy,
Sha Na Na, and Delaney & Bonnie & Friends filled out the
bill. Unfortunately, the documentary's producers couldn't secure the
rights to footage featuring Traffic and Ten Years After. The
inclusion of performances by those bands (is there footage of "Low
Sparks of High-heeled Boys?") would have sent my joy into overload.
Due to legal wrangling, it took the producers over 30 years before
they could bring this film to the screen, but I'm certainly glad they
succeeded. The documentary's anecdotes were wonderful, as well as the
stories behind the protests (the fans believed the concerts should be
free, which didn't go over well), and of course, the music was
incredible. I wouldn't been able to keep up, but oh to be on that
train. Too bad I was just six years-old at the time! *** 1/2 (out of)
**** (On DVD).
"Heights":
Isabel (Elizabeth Banks) and Jonathan (James Marsden) are a
beautiful couple about to marry. She's an ambitious photographer and
he's a former model, turned lawyer. For years, Isabel has lived under
the shadow of her famous mother - the award-winning actress, Diana
Lee (Glenn Close). Unlike her mother, who believes in an open
marriage, Isabel is faithful to her man. So faithful that she turns
down the job of a lifetime (traveling to Eastern Europe for the New
York Times magazine) because it conflicts with her upcoming wedding.
Unfortunately, Jonathan is a less-than-honest fiancé, in that
hiding his continuing cigarette habit (they're both trying to quit)
isn't the only thing he's keeping from her. Diana and her husband's
marriage may be open, but that doesn't mean she isn't prone to
jealousy and a little tit for tat on the occasions when he disappears
for four days only to turn up with a sweet young thing on his lap.
Opportunity strikes for Diana when she's smitten by a struggling
young actor named Alec (Jesse Bradford). Meanwhile, the story begins
to tie together when a journalist (John Light) comes to town to
interview the ex-lovers of his boss, a famous photographer who's
about to launch an exhibit. The assignment is especially excruciating
since the boss is also his current lover. "Heights" was directed and
co-written by former Merchant-Ivory associate, Chris Terrio, making
his film debut. By nature, the film is very voyeuristic, and like
other films about intersecting lives, it's interesting on the
surface, but where "Heights" fails is that it forgets to make us want
to care about its characters. It's one thing to marvel at the
performances (especially Glenn Close's) and play connect-the-dots
with what the filmmakers are trying to say, and it's another thing to
make you want to care. Ultimately, "Heights" is a very empty
film-going experience. ** (out of) ****
"Enron:
The Smartest Guys in the Room": There's been no shortage of
documentaries that depict one side or the other of the political
spectrum. Due to the current slant in power, it's mostly a bias
towards the progressive, but unless your name is Michael Moore, most
of the documentaries fail to gain theatrical distribution and
therefore miss their aim. Fortunately, a story as hot as the Enron
scandal has broad appeal. Democrats and Republicans can both agree
that cheating hard-working people just isn't very nice. The Enron
Corporation is (well, was) an energy company based in Houston, Texas.
This was a company that grew five-fold in a matter of a few years.
That's not unusual for a start-up, but at the time Enron was already
a company with a market capitalization in the billions. How did they
get that way? That's the controversy. They made much of their revenue
from trading futures - energy, bandwidth, the weather (!), whatever
they could come up with. And thanks in large part to a very clever
CFO (Andy Fastow) they successfully convinced Wall Street as well as
dozens of the biggest investment banking names in the universe. They,
along with the accounting firm of Arthur Andersen, all jumped on
board, eager to lend their reputations and money to what amounted to
a grand scheme. Fastow, with the approval of Enron's CEO, Jeffrey
Skilling and probably their chairman, Kenneth Lay, convinced a bunch
of smart people that Enron could book hypothetical future profits as
current profit. And whatever didn't work was shifted as a loss (off
Enron's books) to one of Fastow's shell companies. Enron's business
was so complicated to understand that the brightest minds in business
didn't dare question its legitimacy, and one of the biggest
accounting companies in the world had no hesitation when signing off
on the numbers. Enron had the business world at their fingertips. At
their peak, they had the ability, with little resistance, to call
California power plants to request they shut off their power for a
few hours (hence, the rolling blackouts). They would then manipulate
the markets to charge the state exorbitant fees for electricity. The
documentary also more than alleged the "California energy crisis" was
a scheme in part to shift the political power of the
Democratic-stronghold state from Gray Davis to the Republican's
candidate, Arnold Schwarzenegger, which of course, could have more
far-reaching ripples. It's damning stuff. "Enron: The Smartest Guys
in the Room" was written and directed by Alex Gibney, who based his
documentary on a book by Fortune magazine contributor, Bethany McLean
and her co-author Peter Elkind. Gibney's documentary shows interviews
with the authors, as well as former Enron employees. He also had some
extraordinary footage of both Bush presidents and their connection to
Kenneth Lay; Enron employee meetings, and video and audio tape of
executives and traders mocking Enron's manipulative business. "Enron:
The Smartest Guys in the Room" does no favors for those of the
conservative persuasion, but its message is universal. It's a
fascinating documentary. *** 1/2 (out of) ****
"Crash": I'd like
to think that "Crash" is the prototype for the Hollywood film of the
future. Made for less than $7 million and featuring some
decently-sized names, it's already a box-office success during a time
when studios are struggling to succeed. As you've probably noticed,
two or three studios are now required to finance those ambitious $100
million plus period pieces, most of which flop at the box office.
Meanwhile, it's the smaller budget films that make the real money.
Sure, many of those films are just as inferior as the bloated
efforts, but once in a while a movie like "Crash" sneaks through to
the cineplex instead of the art house. "Crash" follows two days in
the lives of several Los Angeles citizens. We see L.A.'s DA (played
by Brendan Fraser) and his socialite wife, Jean (Sandra Bullock),
carjacked at gunpoint. The obviously-shaken Jean then makes a mistake
in judgment when she immediately distrusts the Hispanic gentleman
(Michael Pena) assigned to change the locks on her home. That same
gentleman's next assignment is to replace the lock at a convenience
store run by an Iranian (Shaun Toub). They differ on why the door
won't close, and heated words are exchanged. When the store is
vandalized (because the door, not the lock, is broken), the
storeowner exacts revenge upon the locksmith. Then there's Anthony
(Ludacris) and Peter (Larenz Tate), whose "white man keeping the
black man down" exchanges pepper their banter as they move from one
carjacking to the next. We also meet Peter's brother, Graham (Don
Cheadle), a police detective who can't get any respect from his
drug-addicted mother who clearly prefers her always-missing younger
son to Graham. Matt Dillon and Ryan Phillippe play L.A. cops with
decidedly different opinions about what is, and what isn't proper
behavior. The two come to a head when Dillon incorrectly profiles a
couple (played by Thandie Newton and Terrence Howard); a
confrontation that humiliates the couple and leaves a mark that later
plays an important role to the film's continuing arc. I could go on,
as the film is thick with characterizations, but what I will tell you
is "Crash" is a film about the judgments we all make about other
people; from the innocent thoughts to the overt. The film's
performances are strong and thoughtful, led by Matt Dillon as the
classic bad cop who needs to be studied a little closer, and Thandie
Newton, whose fragile psyche isn't helped along by her passive
husband. Veteran TV writer, Paul Haggis (who also wrote "Million
Dollar Baby") makes his big screen directorial debut, and boy is it
impressive. Haggis has been writing sitcom episodes (and created
"Walker, Texas Ranger") for thirty years; everything from "Love Boat"
to "One Day at a Time." He takes the next big leap in a major way.
His film is like a mixture of "Magnolia" and "Traffic," only deeper
(if that's possible). He deliberately and very effectively creates an
atmosphere of discomfort. Just when you begin to question the
intention behind the intention, you realize you've been hooked. My
biggest criticism of this film is that the familiar faces are a
little too distracting to the story. Sandra Bullock is excellent as
the snobby housewife, but I think a lesser known actress would've
been just as effective. But perhaps that was Haggis' intention: to
point out the negative stereotypes of Hollywood. Hmm. Either way,
"Crash" is an enormously interesting, thought-provoking film. ***1/2
(out of) ****
"Mad Hot
Ballroom": A documentary about ballroom dancing? Involving New
York City school-kids? Yep. And it's good; very good. "Mad Hot
Ballroom" follows three schools: P.S.'s 115, 144, and 150 in
Washington Heights, Bensonhurst and Tribeca as they prepare for a
citywide ballroom dancing competition. About ten years ago, a program
was started in New York City to teach ballroom dancing to
fifth-graders. It was a mandatory class, which is probably why little
wannabe street-toughs suddenly accepted that dancing the Merengue can
be a cool thing. The documentary glides effortlessly back and forth
between the students, their teachers, and their lives. The cameras
catch everyone having real moments. These little 11 year-olds don't
have to turn on the charm, it just happens. We watch as these sweet
little kids learn how to dance the Fox Trot, Swing, Rumba, Tango, and
of course, the Merengue. The teachers and students form a special
bond as the children, many from a troubled environment, discover a
purpose within dance. The documentary, directed by Marilyn Agrelo
with an assist from Amy Sewell (who stumbled upon the great story),
raises an interesting question: should these fragile young egos be
exposed to tough competition? We never get a yes or no answer.
Instead we watch the winners and losers, the teachers who try so
hard, and their students who've discovered they can do anything if
they want it badly enough. "Mad Hot Ballroom" is a lovingly-created,
well-paced and well-edited documentary with charm and innocence to
spare. To say this is a great feel-good film would be a huge
understatement. T-A-N-G-O! ***1/2 (out of) ****
"The
Interpreter": As you might suspect (from the heading at the
top of this page), I'm a great admirer of both Sean Penn and Nicole
Kidman. They're great actors who work well inside, as well as outside
the Hollywood system. Occasionally, both actors will "take the
paycheck;" make a big Hollywood film for a big salary that "allows"
them to take a big pay-cut down the road for that small independent
film with the great script and "important" director. Penn and Kidman
are together for the first time in the $80 million production of "The
Interpreter," the story of Silvia Broome (Nicole Kidman), a United
Nations interpreter who accidentally overhears a plot to assassinate
a dictator who happens to be scheduled to address the UN. Penn plays
Tobin Keller, a secret service agent assigned to protect the leader
but not necessarily Broome, who also happens to have an agenda
against the dictator. Keller doubts Broome's story that she
"happened" to be in the room at the same time two people who happen
to speak her rare language (Ku, a fictitious language for the made-up
African country of Matobo) were plotting a murder. Uh-huh. I wish I
could say the rest of the film was interesting, but, well, it was
just a mixture of half-baked intrigue, and subplots involving Broome
and Keller's various personality issues. And the characters' motives
were silly and the ending unsatisfying. "The Interpreter" was
directed by Sydney Pollack (who also has a small role as Penn's boss)
and written by a total of five people (two story, three screenplay)
which is bad sign number one (yep, overstuffed screenplay). The end
result is a pointless film with a brooding Sean Penn and pouting
Nicole Kidman, all dressed up with nowhere to go. ** (out of)
****
"Look At Me":
was a darling at last year's Cannes Film Festival, winning
best screenplay and scoring a nomination for best picture. After
watching it, I understood why. Lolita Cassard (Marilou Berry), all of
twenty years, is a talented classical singer living in the shadow of
her famous father, Etienne Cassard (Jean-Pierre Bacri), a
once-successful author and current book publisher. All Lolita wants
is a little attention. Her horribly self-absorbed father barely
notices her; her youngish stepmother (played by Virginie Desarnauts)
means well, but she's too pretty and too thin to ever put the
spotlight on Lolita. Lolita's male friends seem more interested in
working with her father than becoming romantically involved with
"Daddy's big girl." Even her singing teacher (Agnes Jaoui, who also
directed "Look At Me" and co-wrote the screenplay with Bacri) tries
to use the Etienne connection to get her husband, Pierre (Laurent
Grevill), a small-time author, noticed. But then there's Sebastien
(Keine Bouhiza), the young man Lolita meets by accident after she's
inadvertently ditched by her father and stepmom. Sebastien seems to
have her best interests at heart, but she treats him as if he's just
another user. The strength of "Look At Me" lies in its script. Jaoui
and Bacri do an excellent job of infusing social satire (even poking
fun at their country-folk) with social commentary. Their character
development is brilliant and reiterates to us why the French are
almost always ahead of the curve when it comes to making great films.
Agnes Jaoui ("The Taste of Others") lows keys it in her acting role
as the singing teacher with the not-so-hidden agenda, but comes out
to the forefront as director. She does a terrific job of balancing
the film's multiple character and storylines as well as delivering
the message of "Look At Me," which is, well, right there if only
you'd see it. ***1/2 (out of) **** (In French with English
subtitles).
"Millions":
Damian (Alexander Nathan Etal) is a typical seven year-old
boy. Well, if typical is having an encyclopedic knowledge of saints.
The ancient saints come to him in his daydreams and he addresses them
almost matter-of-factly, as if they pop in on him all the time. And
he always asks them about St. Maureen, hoping that Maureen, his
mother who left his world when he was very, very little, has achieved
official sainthood. One day, while playing in his makeshift clubhouse
and chatting up a saint, a bag of money literally drops in on him.
Damian, ever the kind-hearted soul, sees the money as a message to
help the unfortunate. His nine year-old brother Anthony (Lewis Owen
McGibbon), a budding capitalist to Damian's socialist, would rather
use the money to buy property and worldly goods. The two boys,
growing up in England around the turn of the new century, agree it
would be best if their father (played by James Nesbitt) didn't know
about the money. Their plans are complicated by the fact that the
pounds are about to become worthless if they're not converted over to
the new Euro, and that converting more than a few thousand pounds at
a time (they have over 200,000) will raise suspicion. And naturally,
reality sets in when the real owners of the money (well, the crooks
who stole it, then threw it from a train) start looking for their
ill-gotten gains. "Millions" was directed by Danny Boyle
("Trainspotting") and written by Frank Cottrell Boyce ("Hilary and
Jackie"). Their previous work doesn't suggest they're capable of
making a charming children's story, but, well, they surprised us.
"Millions" hooks us with its sweet nature, led by the performance of
its lead, Alexander Nathan Etal, whose heart makes you wish he'd
somehow grow up to be Prime Minister. "Millions" also scores an extra
half-point for NOT having a predictable ending. Boyce's story was
headed down a particular road, but thankfully it was steered on the
right course. "Millions" is one of those feel-good, word-of-mouth
films that don't come along nearly often enough. It might be a tough
find in the theaters, but it's definitely worth a rental when it
comes out on DVD. *** 1/2 (out of) ****
"Sin City":
"…and now for a bit of the ol' ultra-violence." Alas, Alex never
saw it quite this "good." Violence in film has been celebrated for
years, from smeared grapefruits to .44 Magnums. Writer-director (and
jack of all trades), Robert Rodriguez's latest film, "Sin City" just
happens to be a little more conspicuous and a lot louder than most of
the previous examples. "Sin City" is based on a series of graphic
novels by Frank Miller, who also receives a co-director and writing
credit for this film. "Sin City" takes place in the fictional black
and white town of Basin City, a sort of warped version of Gotham
City, only instead of Chief O'Hara and Commissioner Gordon, we're
treated to the corrupt cop Jackie Boy (played by an unrecognizable
Benicio Del Toro) and crooked Senator Roark (Powers Boothe), the
latter not so forgiving that his rapist son (played by Nick Stahl)
has been disfigured by a vigilante cop played by Bruce Willis.
Hartigan, the cop, was trying to save a very young girl from rape.
Hartigan winds up in jail for the crime he didn't commit, while the
girl disappears. Upon his release, Hartigan unwittingly leads the bad
guys to the girl (now played by Jessica Alba), leading to more blood
and violence. The film's two other stories involve a part-man,
part-beast (played by Mickey Rourke) out for the revenge after the
mysterious murder of the woman he thinks he loves, and Clive Owen as
a wanted man who is trying to protect the hooker community who are
struggling to keep a truce in place after the murder of the
aforementioned Jackie Boy. "Sin City" isn't an easy film to watch,
especially if you loathe violence. For me, it's harder to ignore the
impressiveness of this film. Robert Rodriguez's direction cannot be
dismissed. He faithfully translates Frank Miller's stories to screen,
which by the way, in spite of the heavy violence, are pretty
enthralling. The look of the film (black and white with splashes of
red and yellow) is stunning, and the performances, when taken in the
context that they're translations of comic book characters, are
excellent. "Sin City" is a wild orgy of unrelenting violence. If
you're not opposed to a very well-made film that "celebrates" this
style, then "Sin City" is for you. ***1/2 (out of) ****
"Vera Drake":
Mike Leigh has amassed an impressive number of films and
plays, as well as a reputation as a meticulous director and one who
does not work with a script. Instead, his actors rehearse for several
weeks, sometimes months, before filming. During the course of the
rehearsals, they improvise dialogue and flesh out their characters.
As I watched his latest film, "Vera Drake," I thought for certain
he'd broken from this tradition, that there was no way he could've
operated without a script. Lo and behold, not only did Leigh not use
a script, but his characters - with the exception of his lead -
didn't even know the central theme of the film's story. They learned
when their characters learned. Wow. Vera Drake (Imelda Staunton) is a
well-liked domestic for several well-to-do London, England families.
Vera is a hard worker who is loved by her family and well-respected
within the community. She's been married for several years to Stan
(Phil Davis) who together with his brother, runs an auto repair shop.
Together, they have two young adult children: Sid (Daniel Mays) and
Ethel (Alex Kelly). Vera, blessed with a huge heart, is always
helping someone, whether it's the sick and ill, or a young woman in
trouble. It's the latter that gets Vera in hot water with the law.
You see, sweet Vera, in one of her ways of helping, performs
abortions. In England in 1950 (the setting of this film), that's
illegal. Vera's tight-knit family is stunned, and in some cases,
hugely disappointed, even though Vera never does it for money. It's
her "friend" Lily (Ruth Sheen) who finds the young women and, unknown
to Vera, collects the money.
Mike Leigh is in a bit of a precarious position. He could take an
obvious side to the abortion issue. He could quote the bible, or
preach of human rights, but wisely, he chooses to let the viewer be
the judge. The result is a well-balanced film, showing both sides of
the spectrum, allowing people with opposite views to not feel too
slighted that the film is biased one way or the other. Leigh paints
Vera as a good person who, despite her good intentions, must accept
the consequences of her actions. This is Mike Leigh's project, but
clearly, this is Imelda Staunton's film. She gives a performance for
the ages. We watch in amazement as this beautiful person's smile
slowly wavers, but her spirit is never crushed. She is at peace with
herself, and we believe every moment of it. Staunton is very nicely
supported by the tight cast, including Phil Davis as her rock of a
husband, as well as fine performances from Daniel Mays as her
confused son and Eddie Marson as Reg, a bachelor who is courting
Vera's daughter and who seems destined to repeat the family cycle of
big hearts. Like its namesake, "Vera Drake" is simple, but powerful.
This is a great film. **** (out of) **** (On DVD)
"Up and
Down": Human smugglers; petty thieves; a very dysfunctional
family; a couple who desperately want to have a baby; a subculture
built upon fanaticism and lined with racism. That's the setup of "Up
and Down." Oh, and somehow it all comes together. "Up and Down"
begins with a baby. The aforementioned smugglers are stuck with an
infant, left behind after a drop. Without revealing too much of the
film's story, the baby winds up with the couple who are unable to
have children and cannot adopt, mainly because the husband (or
boyfriend, we're not sure) has a record and despite his good
intentions, is having problems trying to "clean up." Meanwhile,
Martin (Petr Forman) is in the Czech Republic to reluctantly visit
his dying father (Jan Triska); the same father who left his mother
for Martin's girlfriend some twenty years earlier. Yep, that's
dysfunction. And as I mentioned, the characters, some good, some bad,
all tie together in the end. "Up and Down" was co-written and
directed by Jan Hrebejk ("Divided We Fall"). His film doesn't have a
conventional story, nor is it always capable of keeping what it has
together, but it has things to say, plus a very likeable heart. And
it doesn't always provide solutions, preferring to leave it to the
viewer. But that, unlike most films, makes you think about the things
it has to say. "Up and Down" runs a long, but ultimately rewarding
108 minutes. ***1/2 (out of) **** (In Czech with English
subtitles)
"Downfall": A
155 minute film about Hitler. Joy. Actually, yes, it should be
celebrated. "Downfall" is a thoroughly fascinating study of Adolf
Hitler's final days. The film, written by Bernd Eichinger and
directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel, begins inside Hitler's bunker in
April, 1945, during the last days before the famed icon for the Nazi
party took his own life. It is apparent to most of the Nazis that
Berlin cannot be held. Hitler, however, still believes he can win the
war, and as the title of this film suggests, this would be his
downfall. Hitler and many of his leaders, as well as their staffs and
families, are holed up in a bunker in Berlin, plotting their next
move. Once in a while, the cameras take us outside to the horrors of
war, to show us the atrocities; some subtle, some not, and then go
back inside, to show us, one by one, the dominos, as they begin to
fall. Oliver Hirschbiegel's direction is calm and deliberate. He
shows us the madness of the Nazis, their discipline, and the lengths
they will go to ensure they never subject themselves to anything that
contradicts their beliefs. He delivers us its characters and leaves
it to us to decide if they are worthy of respect or condemnation. And
Hirschbiegel's direction does something most filmmakers wouldn't
dare: he puts a human face on the Nazi Party; to show us that like
us, they're flesh and bone. The film is based on two stories: Joachim
Fest's "Inside Hitler's Bunker," and the memoirs of Hitler's personal
secretary, Traudl Junge (played by Alexandra Maria Lara in this
film). The story, amazingly, captures our attention for the whole of
its running time. That alone, is an amazing accomplishment. And at
the center of it all is Adolf Hitler (Bruno Ganz). It would be easy
to reduce this person, this blight in human history, to a
stereotypical assault. Instead, Ganz weaves himself inside his
character, showing us the human side as well as the monster. He
BECOMES Adolf Hitler. It is a performance for the ages. "Downfall" is
a film that takes you into the bunker; to act as witness to the deeds
of some of the most horrific minds in history. "Downfall" is a
completely riveting, remarkable film that deserves to be remembered
as one of the greatest celluloid depictions of war. **** (out of)
**** (In German with English subtitles)
"Kung Fu
Hustle": I'm learning fast that "kung fu" films can be very
hit and miss. I loved "Crouching Tiger" and the "Kill Bill" series.
"Hero" was a very likeable film, but others of its type (like "House
of Flying Daggers") were difficult to handle. Popular in Asia doesn't
always translate to good in America. Unfortunately, the latest flavor
among the geek-boy set (in addition to "Oldboy," which I've yet to
see) is "Kung Fu Hustle." The film has collected a number of prizes,
including best picture at the Hong Kong film awards. Unlike recent
Chinese films that have taken themselves too seriously, "Kung Fu
Hustle," like its title suggests, takes tradition and flings it out
the window. Think Bruce Lee meets Jackie Chan meets Popeye, and
you'll get the idea. The film is set in China in the 30's when
gangsters ruled the streets, and if you didn't know how to take care
of yourself, you learned. Sing (Stephen Chow, who also wrote and
directed this film) and his unnamed sidekick (Chi Chung Lam)
desperately want to impress the notorious Axe Gang. Unfortunately,
their idea of an impression is attempting to thug and con a small
community known as "Pig Sty Alley." As I mentioned earlier, in this
era you learned how to take care of yourself, which Sing and his
sidekick learned of this town very fast. The film's lack of plot is
replaced by a lot of violence - and not just for violence's sake, but
to amuse. Yes, the shtick of "Kung Fu Hustle" is cartoon violence.
Y'know, the kind with frying pans and anvils and chain-smoking
overweight housewives with rollers in their hair and running shoes on
their feet. In other words, the silliest of all kinds. I watched
"Kung Fu Hustle" with an audience more accustomed to the latest
effort from Merchant-Ivory, and like them (from what I heard), I was
little shocked by this film. Not because it was trying to shock (it
wasn't), but because it was pretty bad. Cartoon violence can be funny
because it's in cartoon form. When it's not, it generally ceases to
be funny. Unfortunately, the filmmakers behind "Kung Fu Hustle" (the
same behind "Shaolin Soccer") never learned that lesson. * 1/2 (out
of) **** (In Cantonese and Mandarin with English subtitles)
"Winter
Solstice": "The birth of the unconquered sun" is the Roman
definition of "winter solstice." If you're looking for a connection
(aside from the last name of the primary characters), well, Jim
Winters (Anthony LaPaglia) has two sons: Gabe (Aaron Stanford) and
Pete (Mark Webber), both brooding and very self-involved and not at
all sympathetic to their widower father. And they're both looking to
take flight. Jim runs a landscaping business in a small town in New
Jersey. Gabe, the oldest son, works as a clerk at a local produce
market, but longs to escape the thing that is posing as his life. 17
year-old Pete is a directionless youth who is spending a chunk of his
vacation attending summer school - for the second time. A
house-sitting neighbor (played by Alison Janney) offers a glimmer of
romance for Jim, who has never quite let go of his wife who died
tragically five years earlier. The boys rarely speak of her, though
it's clear the remaining parts of the Winters' household are sorely
missing their beating heart. What I have just told you is more than I
knew one hour into this film. "Winter Solstice" tell you almost
nothing. The dialogue is sparse, leaving you to figure out the film.
The characters show little more than facial expressions, yet this
film's restraint is almost a joy to behold. This small American
independent film celebrates the minimalism of some of its foreign
counterparts, eschewing the directness of 99% of films on this part
of the globe. Josh Sternfeld wrote and directed "Winter Solstice"
with a slow and steady hand, economically expressing his ideas, and
drawing out some subtle, but nuanced performances from his minor
stars. Anthony LaPaglia is wonderful as the father, while Aaron
Stanford and Mark Webber slowly, but effectively release their angst.
Alison Janney, as usual, is a breath of fresh air, while Ron
Livington (as one of Pete's teachers) and Michelle Monaghan (as
Gabe's girlfriend) are nice in supporting roles. "Winter Solstice"
demonstrates that sometimes silence IS golden. ***1/2 (out of)
****
"Walk on
Water": Lior Ashkenazi plays Eyal, an assassin for Mossad,
Israel's version of the CIA. Eyal's boss, Menachem (Gidon Shemer),
has a penchant for catching Nazi war criminals and will stop at
almost nothing to eradicate the world of any that are still alive,
vowing to "get them before God does." Among the most notorious still
at-large, is Alfred Himmelman. Mossad intelligence "lost" him about
two months earlier. Menachem isn't sure if he's even alive, but when
he learns Himmelman's two adult grandchildren are in Tel Aviv, he
sends Eyal undercover as a tour guide, hoping the grandchildren will
somehow provide some clues. What keeps "Walks on Water" interesting
is the relationships that develop between the ultra-serious Eyal and
the children -- an openly gay man (played by Knut Berger) and his
attractive sister, Pia (Caroline Peters). Added to the twist are
Eyal's personal problems, and the common bonds of the three
characters in spite of their very different backgrounds. However, the
film suffers from the director's (Eytan Fox) continuous insistence on
using water as a motif. After about the eighth time, we got it. This
seems minor, but it's a distraction that keeps us from becoming
completely absorbed by the strong story. The performances are solid,
but fairly low-key. Where the film partially succeeds is in its sense
of suspense, creating several tense and very effective moments. But
where it also fails is in the silly ending, which is a little too
convenient and very reminiscent of a typical Hollywood film. "Walk on
Water" is an interesting, but flawed film. ** 1/2 (out of) **** (In
Hebrew and German with English subtitles)
"The
Motorcycle Diaries": A handful of years before Ernesto "Che"
Guevara, along with Fidel Castro, reshaped Cuba, Che was simply
Ernesto, a pleasant medical student with a big heart and a sense of
adventure. Ernesto (Gael Garcia Bernal), along with his best friend,
Alberto (Rodrigo de la Serna) and their beat-up motorcycle, set off
to explore South America, with the goal to complete their 8000 mile
trip before Alberto reaches his 30th birthday (less than a year
away). Both men were raised in a comfortable environment in
Argentina, but it isn't long before they connect with the people they
meet on their journey. Ernesto, in particular, sees himself as "one
of them," even to the point where he seems entirely comfortable
treating the less fortunate inhabitants of a leper colony. The film
only hints at the future, and surprisingly the "Che" we see in this
film seems far removed from the Che the rest of the world would soon
know. "The Motorcycle Diaries" was directed by Walter Salles and
adapted by Jose Rivera (from books written by both Ernesto and
Alberto). Salles, best known for "Central Station," does an
incredible job of balancing story and characters, scenery and mood.
"The Motorcycle Diaries" is also a magnificent feast for the eyes (it
was photographed by Eric Gautier), and very well-acted by its two
principal actors. Gael Garcia Bernal, who has incredible taste in
film roles, is as usual, fantastic, while Rodrigo de la Serna,
playing the lively Ernesto, gives a performance that almost steals
the film from Garcia Bernal. Salles' "The Motorcycle Diaries" is a
beautiful and very thought-provoking film. *** 1/2 (out of) **** (On
DVD)
"Ray": Ray Charles
Robinson grew up in rural North Florida with his single mother and
toddler brother, George. A tragic accident cost George his life,
haunting Ray and possibly contributing to his blindness, which
occurred just a short time after the accident. From that point
forward, Ray has to overcome one obstacle after the other (many of
his own making) as he went from talented blind musician, to great
musician who happened to be blind. The film traces Ray's musical
beginnings, from his first big break in Seattle (he traveled there by
bus from Florida in the late-Forties) to his rise as an influential
musician. Taylor Hackford, who directed "Ray" and wrote the outline
for the film (James L. White received screenplay credit), pulls few
punches in his depiction of Charles' life. Ray was a fantastic
musician, but he was a philanderer, a drug addict, a poor husband,
and not a particularly good father. Still, Hackford, while not
glossing over the sordid stuff, shows the man's greatness, and the
viewer in return, accords the subject with the proper respect. We
marvel at the beauty of the music that Charles' created, but we're
not asked to overlook the man's errors. It is as much a film about a
man and his demons as it is about a man and his music. In my opinion,
this is what separates it from most biographies. As Ray Charles,
Jamie Foxx is sensational. No, 'sensational' is too soft. How about
'masterful'? Yeah, that gives the performance a little more justice.
In short, Foxx *IS* Ray. He's supported nicely by Kerry Washington as
Della Bea, Ray's all-too-supportive wife, as well as a host of
character actors, including the return (for me) of the great Curtis
Armstrong, who manages to keep a straight face as Ahmet Ertegun, one
of the founders of Atlantic Records, as well as one of the key people
behind the scenes of Ray's career. The biopic drags a little, but
since it only covered a portion of Charles' life, it could've been
longer. Still, it's a fascinating story, smartly told, and filled
with fantastic music. *** 1/2 (out of) **** (On DVD)
"The
Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill": No, this isn't a film about
crazed birds. Rather, it's a documentary about a frequently displayed
man (Mark Bittner) who has come to care for a group of wild parrots.
The documentary is set in the Telegraph Hill portion of San
Francisco. Bittner, an unemployed musician in his early fifties, is
able to gain a temporary place to stay in the unused cottage behind
the property of a friend. It's there where he spends most of his time
communicating with and feeding the parrots. Bittner, under the
watchful eye of filmmaker Judy Irving, narrates "Wild Parrots,"
almost justifying his unusual behavior, though it doesn't take long
for the viewer to wish they were right there to experience it
firsthand. Bittner, in fact, reaches the point where he becomes a bit
of a local legend (he's dubbed "The Birdman of Telegraph Hill").
"Wild Parrots" is a documentary, so the ironies aren't scripted (but
can be carefully edited), but one cannot help but marvel at the
common threads man has with nature; how it never gets too old to be
reminded we are one. The documentary fondly quotes beat author Gary
Snider: "If you're looking for nature, look at where you are." How
true. "The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill" is a sweet and sometimes
very touching film. There are only a couple of prints out there, so
you may have to wait a while for it to come to your city. *** (out
of) ****
"The
Assassination of Richard Nixon": There is a moment in Niel
Mueller's "The Assassination of Richard Nixon" where one of the
characters draws a parallel between his personal situation and how
Richard Nixon was initially elected because he promised 200 million
Americans he would end the war in Vietnam. He also pointed out that
Nixon used the same promise in 1972 while seeking re-election.
Americans were too wrapped up in their own worlds and a little too
trusting to notice how some people will say and do anything to get
what they want. Sean Penn plays Sam Bicke, a man who has grown to
loathe such people. Unfortunately, he's a salesman with a boss
(played by Jack Thompson) who expects him to do whatever it takes to
sell office furniture. Sam has been bouncing around from job to job
and really needs to succeed at this latest one. He's trying to
reconcile with his estranged wife, Marie (Naomi Watts) and two young
daughters (whom he's lucky to see once a week). Marie knows their
marriage is over, but Sam still has hope. Don Cheadle is Bonny, Sam's
only friend. Together, they hope to form a successful business
partnership, something Bonny, a black man in the early-'70s, cannot
manage alone. Sam hopes their concept of a tire delivery business
will be his ticket out of the rat race that is slowly eating him
alive. He applies for a small business loan, but can't be patient
with the long bureaucratic process he is forced to endure. So when
things start to fall apart, Sam's falls apart. Richard Nixon seems to
symbolize what is wrong in Sam's world. Nixon and his Watergate
troubles are constantly playing in the background; at the office, in
Sam's apartment, everywhere. Nixon is the TV that Sam wants to kick
in. The title of this film is misleading to a degree (and sadly,
seems to be the primary basis for some of the criticisms of this
film), but to a larger degree, it is entirely appropriate. "The
Assassination of Richard Nixon" was written and directed by Niel
Mueller, but this film belongs to Sean Penn. He is stunning as Sam
Bicke. As brilliant as he was in "Mystic River" and "21 Grams" (and
in many other films), Sam Bicke may be his greatest performance. I'm
a little biased, but I believe Sean Penn has just confirmed what I've
known for years--that he's our greatest living actor. Penn is
supported nicely by Don Cheadle, Naomi Watts and Jack Thompson, but
they are clearly secondary players. Penn doesn't have to stretch an
inch to play Bicke. He IS Sam Bicke. There are obvious parallels
between this character and De Niro's portrayal of Travis Bickle in
"Taxi Driver" but I view Penn's character as a little more personal.
Ironically, Mueller appeared to direct this film as an homage to
"Taxi Driver," as well as to 70's films, in general. Unfortunately,
while the film made a bit of a splash at Cannes, it has gone almost
unrecognized in the States and has been ignored during awards season.
It's a shame that Sean Penn failed to receive an Oscar nomination. It
makes me wonder if this film was made during the wrong decade.
Somehow, had it been made thirty years ago (or shortly after the
actual events took place) with the same principle players (not
possible, of course), I believe it would've stood handsomely among
the classic films of that period. **** (out of) ****
"Bad
Education": Writer-director Pedro Almodovar is no stranger to
controversy. His films about alternative lifestyles have shocked and
delighted audiences for years. So why not add the Catholic church to
the unhappy side of the ledger? Gael Garcia Bernal ("The Crime of
Father Amaro"), also not a stranger to upsetting the Catholic church,
is, well, a few different characters in "Bad Education," Almodovar's
tale of confusing love among actors, priests, and filmmakers. "Bad
Education" is one of those films where the less you know, the better,
which works for me because to describe it in detail would give far
too much away. Let's just say it involves an actor (Garcia Bernal), a
filmmaker (Fele Martinez) and a priest (Daniel Gimenez Cacho and Luis
Homar). There's also blackmail, an identity crisis, and lots of sex.
And now you know too much. As for whether or not I'd recommend the
film, I would have to say it helps to be a fan of Almodovar's past
work (especially "All About My Mother" and "Tie Me Up! Tie Me
Down!"). If you are, you'll probably like "Bad Education," but will
agree it isn't Almodovar's best work. *** (out of) **** (In Spanish
with English subtitles)
"Before
Sunset": Like most filmgoers, I have a few genres of films
that I tend to avoid like the plague. With very few exceptions, I
stay away from the Hollywood cookie-cutter films. I usually ignore
the sequels, remakes, film versions of rehashed TV shows, and I avoid
watching "chick flicks." This is probably why I never saw "Before
Sunrise" and why it's taken me several months (and the DVD release)
to see its sequel, "Before Sunset." I know, shame on me.
Writer-director Richard Linklater, with help from his stars Julie
Delpy and Ethan Hawke, crafted this lovely film about a man and a
woman reuniting after not seeing each other for nine years. Hawke is
Jesse, who has written a book about his brief encounter with Celine
(Delpy); an encounter that took place nine years ago in Vienna. He
"happens" to be in Paris to promote the book, and Celine, who lives
within walking distance of a bookstore where Jesse happens to be
conducting a book-signing, "happens" to show up. Celine and Jesse
were supposed to meet again in Vienna six months later, but
circumstances intervened. Nine years later, Jesse is unhappily
married to the wrong woman, but feels blessed to have a beautiful
child. Celine is in a committed relationship, but secretly she, like
Jesse, wonders what might've happened had they kept that meeting.
Jesse only has a few more hours in Paris, so he, along with Celine,
discuss their lives and dreams while wandering the streets of her
Paris neighborhood. True, I don't like "chick flicks," but I have a
soft spot for beautiful love stories. This film's dilemma reminded me
of Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson's situation in "Lost in
Translation." They feel they're perfect for one another; they WANT to
be together but they…can't. Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke are
perfect as Celine and Jesse. Linklater, who allowed his stars to
write most of their dialogue, wisely stepped aside and let his actors
do their jobs. "Before Sunset" is a very, very sweet film. If there's
ever a "Before the Next Sunrise," I promise to see it during its
opening weekend. ***1/2(out of) **** (On DVD).
"Maria
Full of Grace": Maria (Catalina Sandino Moreno) isn't happy
with her life. The 17-year-old works the assembly line at a rose
factory, preparing roses for packages of dozens, something she'll
never receive from her loser of a boyfriend. The job, which pays
little but includes plenty of verbal abuse, helps provide for her
older sister (who couldn't be bothered to look for work) and mother.
She sweats, yet gets nowhere. Life in Columbia is no bed of, well,
you get the idea. Push finally comes to shove when she learns she's
pregnant. She can't stand her job and doesn't want the baby's father
to raise her child, so she bolts for Bogota where a job as a mule
awaits her. A mule is a person willing to smuggle baggies of drugs
inside their stomach. Maria sees the money and the potential
opportunity to improve her life, and ignores the obvious risks.
That's the setup for writer-director Joshua Marston's first film,
which is so simple and plainly-stated, it's almost perfect. "Maria
Full of Grace" doesn't preach, flash guns, or ask for pity. It just
works. Catalina Sandino Moreno just received a richly-deserved Oscar
nomination for her role of Maria, the sweet, but tough girl who isn't
quite sure what she wants out of life. She's supported nicely by
Yenny Paola Vega as her best friend (and fellow mule), Blanca, and
Guilied Lopez as Lucy, also a mule--and the person who changes
Maria's life. At times, "Maria Full of Grace" plays like an "After
School Special" for the 21st century, only the total result is so
much better. ***1/2 (out of) **** (Mostly in Spanish with English
subtitles). (On DVD).
"Million
Dollar Baby": As a child, one of my favorite films was
"Tarantula," the scary tale of an oversized spider that lived in a
cave. It was standard Saturday afternoon fare, but I always caught it
whenever it was shown on TV. I didn't find out until years later that
"Tarantula" (released in 1955) was one of actor Clint Eastwood's
earliest films. Fifty years later, he's still making "great" films.
"Million Dollar Baby" is the 25th film in 33 years for the director
side of Eastwood's personality, and when all is said and done, it
could wind up as his best. Eastwood plays Frankie Dunn, a hardened
ex-cut-man, who now trains up-and-coming boxers at the gym he runs
along with ex-fighter Eddie Dupris (Morgan Freeman). Frankie still
has a lot to give to the fight game, but his very deliberate,
cautious ways don't mesh with his boxers' aggressive approaches to
their careers. Thus, he often finds himself left waiting at the
boxing altar, while a more daring manager takes the fighter to the
title bout. Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank) is a 31-year-old
waitress with an uncommon dream to succeed as a female boxer. She's
been small-timing it for a while and is now ready to take the next
step. Almost inexplicably, she sees something in the cantankerous
Frankie. She believes he can train her to become the best female
boxer in the world. It's too bad that Frankie isn't interested in
training women. Still, she's paid up for six months, so he allows her
to go through the boxing motions within the confines of his gym.
Eventually, with the help of Eddie, Maggie is able to convince
Frankie to represent her. He agrees to train her until she's able to
find a real manager. Well, you can figure out the rest. The
difference is that "Million Dollar Baby" is really two films. The
first is about boxing, while the second is about father-daughter
relationships. Both films work - well. Eastwood, working from a
script by Paul Haggis (based on a series of short stories by an
ex-boxer), burrows deep inside his characters, telling us that
Frankie is wounded by his damaged relationship with his daughter,
while the carefree Maggie is in denial about her own dysfunctional
family. It isn't hard to figure out that Frankie is exactly who
Maggie needs and vice versa. This is handled perfectly, and is the
main reason why this film succeeds. The work by the principle actors:
Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman, is touching and
effective. The story is extremely well-written and the direction is
methodical. It's easy to see why so much praise has been heaped upon
this film. "Million Dollar Baby" is a magnificent piece of work. ****
(out of) ****
"In Good
Company": I've been a staunch critic of the "Hollywood system"
for a very long time. If it works, make a sequel. If it once worked
on some level, whether it's an old film, comic book, TV show, foreign
film, video game, theme-park ride, whatever - make it into a film.
This leaves very little room for anything remotely displaying
originality, or at the very least, something fresh. On that note,
it's very, very, VERY refreshing to watch a nice Hollywood film like
"In Good Company." It doesn't try to beat you over the head with a
certain value system or a pat ending. Instead it just delivers a
likeable story with good actors. What a concept. Dan Foreman (Dennis
Quaid) can't complain much. He's 51, and married with two teenage
daughters, including Alex (Scarlett Johansson), who's about to start
her first semester at NYU. He's also a successful ad sales manager
for a large magazine. And Dan's wife (played by Marg Helgenberger)
has just announced she's pregnant again for the first time in nearly
fifteen years. Life is a little stressful on the pocketbook, but is
otherwise pretty good. Well, until Dan's employer (Sports America - a
knockoff of Sports Illustrated) is sucked up by a large conglomerate.
Suddenly Dan is out as manager, replaced by a man half his age. That
man, Carter Duryea (Topher Grace), is a comer who is content to ride
the company ladder at the expense of everything and everyone,
including his new co-workers and his young marriage. He is consumed
by the bottom line, and is very married to his work. Fortunately, Dan
is allowed to stay on at the magazine, but his role has been reduced
to that of Carter's "wing man." And to make matters even more
humiliating, Dan's daughter Alex has started dating Carter. Ouch.
Yes, on the surface, "In Good Company" would seem like just another
soap opera, but fortunately it's not. Writer-director Paul Weitz
("About a Boy") has taken a fairly simple story and turned it into a
very likeable film about three good people (Quaid, Grace and
Johansson) whose lives are intertwined a little more than they
expected. The key to all this is Grace's character. It would be very
easy to create a sleazy, step-on-people-as-you-rise-to-the-top
personality, but Carter Duryea is actually a sweet guy with all the
right intentions, but with the wrong aim. It's a beautifully-written
character capped off by an excellent performance from Topher Grace
(best known for "That 70's Show"). His star is clearly on the rise.
Dennis Quaid, the all-Hollywood good guy, is rock-solid as the hard
working family man, and the lovely Scarlett Johansson just keeps
getting better. Once upon a time, Hollywood used to make films like
"In Good Company." Using today's formula, here's hoping this film
makes a bundle. I think the "system" could use a few more films like
this one. ***1/2 (out of) ****
"The
Merchant of Venice": I can't say I'm an expert on William
Shakespeare. My exposure to Shakespeare has been limited to film
adaptations of his work. Thus, I have a lot to learn. From what I do
know, "The Merchant of Venice" is considered the most "problematic"
of his plays. It is rife with anti-semitism and homoerotic
undertones; certainly controversial enough to keep it from ever being
faithfully produced as a film - until now. Writer-director Michael
Radford ("Il Postino") took Shakespeare's work and instead of
whitewashing it or stripping it down, changed almost nothing (this is
according to a guest speaker [and Shakespeare expert] at the
screening I attended), choosing to remain faithful to the Bard's
original vision, controversy and all. In 16th century Venice, Italy,
Jews are forbidden from owning any property, so Shylock (Al Pacino)
earns his living as a moneylender. The very-Christian Antonio (Jeremy
Irons) loathes Jews, especially Shylock, but is forced to deal with
the lender as an indirect by-product of wanting to show his devotion
to the young lord Bassanio (Joseph Fiennes), who is more interested
in getting the attention of the beautiful Portia (Lynn Collins).
Michael Radford understands that today's society (for the most
part) is intelligent enough to understand that yesterday's naïve
norms, if accurately placed in context, can be construed in the right
manner. Feeling this, Radford freely flaunts both the anti-semitism
of Shakespeare's story, as well as that "The Merchant of Venice" is
actually ABOUT anti-semitism, which is a pretty progressive angle for
an over 400-year-old story. Radford's adaptation was very honest in
its use of stereotypes as well as for its sensitivities and
insensitivities, also faithfully portraying the Venice environment
where Jews who ventured outside their 'geto' had to identify
themselves by wearing red hats, and that the common prostitute had to
bear their breasts in order to identify their gender. In its heart,
"The Merchant of Venice" is a deep and very rich love story, showing
the lengths to which human beings will go to express their love for
another. Al Pacino was brilliantly understated (thank goodness!) as
Shylock, who as revenge for being spat upon and cursed by Antonio
(among other personal transgressions) wouldn't settle for anything
less than a pound of flesh as repayment for their arrangement. Jeremy
Irons as the jaded sea merchant Antonio was marvelous in a
performance that was also quite understated (another reason to like
Radford's direction), while Fiennes, in not the juiciest role, was
quite good as Bassanio, who was so taken by Portia to notice what was
right in front of him. My favorite performance was from Lynn Collins
as the aforementioned Portia. I'd never heard of her ("13 Going On
30" was her previous largest role) but what a revelation. The
Julliard-trained actress certainly proved her acting chops with this
role. She will be heard from again. The main plaudits belong to
Michael Radford, who not only took this "problematic play" and made
it work; he also extracted some beautifully-tempered performances
from his actors, especially the normally over-the-top Pacino. You
don't have to be a fan of the Bard to appreciate great filmmaking,
and in this regard, Radford's adaptation of Shakespeare's "The
Merchant of Venice" certainly qualifies.**** (out of) ****
"Hotel
Rwanda": Paul Rusesabagina (Don Cheadle) runs a nice hotel in
Rwanda, once a very popular vacation spot in Africa. Paul is a man
who feels that everyone and everything has a price. If he needs a
favor, or influence, or just wants someone to remember him someday,
he'll slip him money, or an expensive bottle of Scotch; whatever it
takes. In Paul's case, eventually he'll be bargaining with his life,
as well as the lives of his family and closest friends. You see, Paul
is a Hutu living in a society that's divided in two. If you're from
Rwanda, you're either a Tutsi or a Hutu. And it's the Hutus that
wield the power (once controlled by the Tutsis) and have the will to
destroy the Tutsi culture. Paul doesn't openly approve of these
feelings; in fact he's married to Tatiana (Sophie Okonedo), a Tutsi.
Eventually, push comes to shove and political unrest erupts in
Rwanda. If you're a Tutsi it is no longer safe to be in Rwanda. For
Paul, he's torn because in his heart he's a Tutsi, but he knows that
his savvy nature and his Hutu background will buy time for his wife
and her family. So he stays, using his large hotel to house not only
his family and closest friends, but about one thousand Tutsis, all of
whom fear for their lives, knowing that their fellow Tutsis are lying
dead in their streets, victims of a mass extermination by the Hutus.
Paul, a man consumed by power and greed, is now using his heart to
guide him to do the right thing. Unfortunately, even the presence of
the United Nations (led by Colonel Oliver, played by Nick Nolte)
cannot control what is turning into a horrific genocide of the
Tutsis. "Hotel Rwanda" is the story of a courageous man who is led to
do the right thing. It's also a powerful history lesson. Don Cheadle
as Paul Rusesabagina, is brilliant. "Hotel Rwanda" as a story
(directed and co-written by Terry George), is troubling, but you
still won't be able to take your eyes off the screen. *** 1/2 (out
of) ****
"House
of Flying Daggers": During the last five years, we've been
treated to a succession of excellent-to-great films out of Hong Kong;
most with stories that celebrated China's rich history. In that vein
we have "House of Flying Daggers." And the question is: should we
treat this film as one trying to soak itself in the grand traditions
of Hong Kong cinema, or should it be judged for what it is? I say the
latter, and on that note, I don't believe I've ever watched a more
strikingly beautiful, more promising film than what I witnessed
during the first 70 minutes or so of "Flying Daggers." The story was
really starting to take and the twists were making sense. But what
followed over the last 45 minutes was almost laughably bad. "House of
Flying Daggers" takes place late in the 9th century, during China's
Tang Dynasty. One of China's most notorious political guerrilla
groups, "The Flying Daggers," has just lost its leader to an
assassination. The government would love to know the group's
successor so it can kill him too. Captain Jin (Takeshi Kaneshiro)
tracks the former leader's blind daughter (played by Ziyi Zhang) to a
brothel. Long story short, he decides to allow her to lead him to the
Dagger's leader by pretending to save her life. This act gains her
trust and leads to the young couple falling in love. Awww. Everything
works - from the incredibly well-choreographed action sequences, to
the lush beauty of the landscape, to the story. And then
writer-director Zhang Yimou (fresh from "Hero") decided to go to the
well not once too often, but about, oh, a dozen times. It's one thing
to have a twist or two to keep things interesting, but Yimou didn't
know when to stop pulling off the proverbial mask to reveal yet
another mask. It didn't help when the film melted into a silly soap
opera, causing my eyes to drift towards the CG effects. How come
those leaves aren't moving when the horse trots by? Can it really
snow two feet in an hour or two? Wait a minute. They're still
fighting after an hour or two? Shouldn't they pass out from
exhaustion and blood loss? Wait a minute--wasn't that person fatally
wounded hours ago? Why are they now moving? I would expect this from
a "B" movie on late night cable, but not from a Zhang Yimou film.
Needless to say, I was incredibly disappointed, especially after such
a stellar beginning. And now that your expectations have been
tempered, perhaps you'll enjoy "House of Flying Daggers." I wish I
did. * 1/2 (out of) **** (In Mandarin with English subtitles).
"The Aviator":
Eccentric billionaire recluse. Skirt-chaser.
Obsessive-compulsive. Genius. These are words that could describe the
enigma that is Howard Hughes. Director Martin Scorsese explores the
man in depth in "The Aviator." Well, the depth extends to about a
twenty year period of Hughes' life, beginning in the mid-20's with
his move to Hollywood, and ending after World War 2 with his attack
upon Pan Am's dominance of the airline industry. Hughes (played by
Leonardo DiCaprio) inherited his father's machine tool company and
the all the riches that allowed him to pursue his primary dreams: the
conquering of Hollywood and its various starlets, and aviation. You
might say he was a spoiled rich kid, but he also had talent. The man
was a visionary who designed planes, personally broke aviation speed
and distance records, co-directed the ground-breaking film "Hell's
Angels," and built up his father modest empire through RKO, TWA and
Hughes Aircraft, amassing an amazing fortune. Scorsese, directing a
script by John Logan ("The Last Samurai," "The Gladiator") takes us
through Hughes' various successes as well as his failures, and shows
Hughes the control freak, as well as Hughes' gentle side (mainly
explored through his relationship with Katherine Hepburn). My chief
criticism of "The Aviator" is that it's too focused on a narrow
period in Hughes' life, and places too much emphasis on his quirks,
and less on the positive aspects to his personality. And at nearly
three hours, one would think there was plenty of time to explore more
than just his various neuroses. Still, having said all that, what
Scorsese did show us was still a very interesting dollop of Hughes'
life. The film is also a technical marvel, from Scorsese's precise
direction to his tremendous attention to the detail of the period.
Leonardo DiCaprio, whom I didn't think I would buy as Hughes, was
outstanding. The film also benefited from strong performances from
Cate Blanchett as Hughes' great love, Katherine Hepburn; Alan Alda as
a witch-hunting senator; John C. Reilly as Hughes' right-hand man,
and Alec Baldwin as Juan Trippe, the head of Pan Am and Hughes'
biggest business rival. For what Scorsese gave us, "The Aviator" is
an outstanding achievement. For what he could've given us, well, I
guess we'll just have to wonder. *** (out of) ****
