Goodbye Solo [Bahrani] / Cheri [Frears] / The Brothers Bloom [Johnson]

All '09 theatrical releases.

Goodbye Solo

directed by Ramin Bahrani

[The Immigration Experience Pt. III. I kid, as Bahrani's third feature concerning both poverty and a male, non-white protagonist is actually the most different of these, for better or for worse. More clearly influenced by the brothers Dardenne than his first two, Goodbye Solo starts after the beginning of the story, and we're left to figure out all the pieces of the plot on the run. Bahrani's mix of close-ups and medium shots work well while this is his least narratively experimental picture, it's also his best script--including two layered characters with equally layered performances from Red West & Souleymane Sy Savane. My only major complaint about the picture is its ending, as I still think Bahrani has yet to figure out how to really nail it home. The earned suspense leasing up to its closing seems bound to disappoint, but Bahrani disappoints in an entirely different way, using a lofty flight attendant metaphor that isn't really satisfying. Still, the 75 minutes preceding it are entirely impressive and enjoyable, as Bahrani continues to prove he's one of the five or so (less, maybe?) most important voices in independent cinema.]

7.5

Cheri

directed by Stephen Frears

[Frears, what the fuck? I'm no expert on your oeuvre--I haven't even seen Dangerous Liaisons, embarrassing as it is to admit--but your last film, The Queen, was incredibly controlled and smart...two qualities Cheri does not possess. From its oppressively over-the-top score to the uncommitted accents to its occasionally amateurish editing (it was recut? no way!) to your awkward, practically spontaneous narration, its hard to believe this was directed by the same fellow as The Queen, or even High Fidelity. This is not to mention the sometimes ridiculous situational comedy, which I'd already seen and shrugged off in Dirty Pretty Things (though it worked better there because of Tautou and Ejiofor). Sure, there are some great one liners via Colette, and its both pretty and brisk enough that it's never quite boring, but I can't imagine anyone being moved by its unconvincing coup de theatre. Pfeiffer's really giving her all, which is probably the saddest part. And in the end, its exploration of the psychological effects of aging pales in comparison to that of Synecdoche, NY, despite essentially talking about for 96 minutes. This fall can't be weak enough that this nabs one of the ten Best Pic nods, can it?]

4

The Brothers Bloom

directed by Rian Johnson

[Can't believe I almost let the naysayers who wrote this off as a disappointing quirkfest nearly steer me away from catching it in theaters. Year for year (as opposed to pound for pound, get it?), Rian Johnson is perhaps the most talented young American filmmaker, and The Brothers Bloom lets all of his ambition run rampant. It's hard to say whether he's a greater writer or director, as the shamelessly clever direction (including a great coital visual metaphor, among many others including some I probably missed) are only out-clevered by its metafictional, unabashedly derivative screenplay. This is a mess of a review as the film is a mess of cleverness and raw talent, although only too messy for its own good in the admittedly disappointing final act (although by then I was so hooked that it's climax could have been that it was all a dream and I'd still be happy with the final product). The actors all give fine performances--especially the women (Rachel Weisz and Rinko Kikuchi)--and they seem to be having genuine fun, while not in a way that makes it feel for the audience like being the only sober one in the room. It's nowhere near perfect, but watching such a prodigious filmmaker operate with a large budget and freedom is truly something to behold.]

8.5

Lorna's Silence [Dardennes, '09] / Timecrimes [Vigalondo, '08]

Lorna's Silence

directed by Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne

[The kind of filmmaking you'd expect from the Dardennes, except perhaps the removal of a hand-held camera from the mix, though the camera's still always moving. As in their other movies, the plot trickles to the surface and becomes apparent about halfway-in, though some of the best scenes come early between Dobroshi and Renier. Mislabeled as a thriller because of, say, ten minutes of suspense, the film ends on a surprisingly quiet note and is ultimately a little bit disappointing in its lack of poignancy that came at the end of both Rosetta and L'enfant.] 7.5

Timecrimes

directed by Nacho Vigalondo

[Fun, rather stupid low-budget time-traveling story almost overstays its welcome at 88 minutes but luckily the last act picks up the slack from the second, which is largely just about thirty minutes spent showing us how the first part was done, most of which we've already figured out by then. Cheesy score and plot devices (the "pink" bandage) appear unintentionally funny, but even so this isn't exactly Primer, so what the hell. Can't wait to see the shot-for-shot remake starring Jordana Brewster!] 5

The Cannes Report

I've been keeping up with the goings-on at Cannes for the last week and a half pretty fervently, so I figured I'd list the 20 Competition films in the order in which I'm anticipating them off of their initial reviews and word-of-mouth, as well as the films I'm most looking forward to in the sidebars and out of competition screenings.

Competition

1. Antichrist (Lars von Trier)--hated by many, but without a doubt the talk of the festival, with enough shock and shlock that it's an absolute must-see.

2. Wild Grass (Alain Resnais)--probably the most praised among the critics I read most, and apparently fucking bizarre. I can't wait.

3. The White Ribbon (Michael Haneke)--pre-WWII study of a small town with Twilight Zone events happening to it. I love Haneke, and as it won the FIPRESCI prize, so did a lot of critics.

4. Enter the Void (Gaspar Noe)--probably the second most divisive film sans Antichrist, not surprisingly as Noe's Irreversible is one of the most infamous premieres in recent Cannes memory. Apparently unfinished, it's been called visually audacious and overlong.

5. Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino)--also divisive, also reportedly overlong, also hotly anticipated by me.

This is where things kind of tank. These five are all absolute must-sees in my mind, from here on out it's a bit more limited anticipation.

6-11 (Interest Based on Director Moreso Than Reception): Thirst, Broken Embraces, Bright Star, Face, Looking For Eric, Taking Woodstock

12-18 (Range from Very Well Received to "Meh," All From Directors I've Yet to Familiarize Myself With): A Prophet, Fish Tank, Vengeance, The Time That Remains, A L'Origine, Vincere, Kinatay

19-20 (Count Me Out):

Spring Fever, Map of the Sounds of Tokyo--both pretty much collectively rejected and not from directors I'm familiar with or all that interested in. 

This year, though, seems to have been somewhat dominated by non-competition films. Among them:

Up--the new Pixar, receiving a wide release on Friday, is getting Wall-E type buzz. Very excited.

Police, Adjective--sophomore effort from the director of 12:08 East of Bucharest is a critical favorite and apparently a must-see.

Dogtooth --Un Certain Regard winner and the highest rating from Mike D'Angelo means this is probably quite good.

I Killed My Mother--Director's Fortnight winner and critical favorite. Written, directed by and starring a 20-year old...impressive.

Tetro--the new F.F. Coppola which apparently doesn't suck too hard and has a breakthrough performance.

Mother--new Bong, nuff said.

The Imaginarium of...--new Terry Gilliam, Ledger's last performance. Mixed reviews but something I have to see just based off the names involved.

Air Doll--pretty divisive Koreeda, but very interesting nonetheless.

Agora--historical epic from Amenabar that could have been very boring and apparently is possibly pretty good. 

A few other films I've heard decent things about but not enough to mention at this point. Overall it seems a rather disappointing festival at least from the big name auteurs but it seems the fresh talent and older players managed to deliver, which is just swell. Please release Antichrist asap!

Monsoon Wedding [Nair, '01] / Star Trek [Abrams, '09]

Monsoon Wedding

directed by Mira Nair

[The second most acclaimed film shot in India this decade, Nair's pic takes viewers away from the streets and into the lives of an upper middle-class family in the days leading up to their daughter's wedding. Engaging and moderately funny storyline is sometimes a bit too conventional, but Nair and the solid cast make even its most saccharine moments sort of work. Mychael Danna's score is as good as A.R. Rahman's Oscar-winner, and never feels forced or tourist-y. After the last few days, I'm starting to wonder if pedophilia and celebrations go hand-in-hand, though...] 7

Star Trek

directed by J.J. Abrams

[Label me a 5%'er on this one, in that I suppose I fit into those exclusive few (Tim Brayton and Roger Ebert make for good company) who can't cosign this as the ultimate summer fun, or even all that much fun in general. I'm not familiar with any of Abrams' work (unless you count Cloverfield), but Star Trek seems to be one of those films that was made with the express intention of having a little something for everyone, and as a result only has a little something for me or any other non-"Trekkie" (kill me now) who isn't so easily won over by Chris Pine's fukking awsum badassery and a screenplay that wants so hard to be clever that it doesn't even seem to realize how ridiculous some of it is. In fact for an action movie there's a shit-load of expository dialogue and hardly any kind of real action until the third act. Some of that action is admittedly well-done but by that time I'd pretty much clocked out on any kind of intellectual level and was just waiting for Simon Pegg's chance to spew more mediocre one-liners with his delivery that makes pretty much anything funny. Speaking of funny deliveries, I found myself laughing at Anton Yelchin whenever he was on the screen, if only because Abrams seriously developed the character around his accent, and because he serves no purpose except for people to snicker at his thick Russian pronunciations. Acting across the board seems much more focused on looks than soul, but the only truly bad performance is Karl Urban, whose voice sounds unbelievably forced. Oh and yeah, the excessive (that's being polite) lens flares are retarded and serve absolutely no purpose except to distract me. Purpose accomplished!] 4.5

The Celebration [Vinterberg, '98] / Bowling For Columbine [Moore, '02]

The Celebration

directed by Thomas Vinterberg

[Dogme 1 perhaps confirmed that this new school of filmmaking could produce great films (though Trier's earlier Breaking the Waves was an early indicator of such), but the jarring editing is matched by the dread-inducing screenplay that makes you want to cover your eyes while watching more than most horror films. Which is what it is, essentially, although it's never quite clear whose the victim and whose the monster. The Danes obviously have a knack for keeping the tone precisely in between farce and seriousness, not tipping the scale until the final act.] 9

Bowling For Columbine

directed by Michael Moore

[An unsurprisingly biased argument (although less so than Sicko, perhaps) that puts Moore's mastering of the popcorn-doc on full display. It's doubtful any other director could pace the film so perfectly for two hours, including an animated 'History of America' that is at the same time ridiculous and forthright. Moore docs always result in guessing games of what's vanity and what's sincerity, but either way, it's a rather convincing investigation underneath all the garishness.] 7.5

Sunshine Cleaning [Jeffs, 2009]

Sunshine Cleaning

directed by Christine Jeffs

starring Amy Adams, Emily Blunt & Alan Arkin

Sundance '08 U.S. Theatrical '09

Not as bad as its detractors infer, nor good enough to be considered a success, Sunshine Cleaning works (somewhat) as a drama about two sisters' search for their identities, but is hindered by poorly written subplots including Alan Arkin phoning in a delusional grandpa (is that really acting..?) and an emotional climax using a set piece that would possibly work in a cute children's film...but this movie opens with a suicide and deals with far too mature subject matter to deserve such a stale a culmination.

Focusing on the good, Amy Adams is quite superb in a role that allows her to break free from the quixotic goodie-two-shoe that she's played in Enchanted and Doubt--she even gets nekkid (sort of)! It's as good a performance she's given since Junebug, and it's essential to the film's engagement of viewers. Clifton Collins Jr. adds a solid performance as a one-armed clerk who is probably the most believable character of all. Emily Blunt gets dealth a considerably weaker hand, and her storyline and climax are less momentous. She's at her best when on screen with Adams, which isn't often enough. The film is a relief in some sense because it's not as quirky as I was expecting, though the child character is by far the most irritating part of the picture, and I don't see any good reason he was given so much plot besides to arrive at the contrived emotional climax I mentioned earlier. 

Jeffs' direction isn't exactly daring, and she seems to aestheticize certain shots as if she's been studying Wes Anderson films. It's not as manipulative of color or as memorable as Little Miss Sunshine, but it's not completely forgettable either. That the film rises above other indie dramedy fare is owed mostly to Adams' fine performance and the script's refusal to shy away from darker subject matter (such as adultery and suicide).

6.0

Observe & Report [Jody Hill, 2009]

Observe & Report

directed by Jody Hill

starring Seth Rogen, Anna Faris, Ray Liotta & Michael Pena

2009

How this film gained the supportive backing of a number of reputable critics, I'll never understand. Maybe it's because this is just about the most awkward, fucking strange film to get a wide release that I can think of? I described the direction of I Love You, Man to be awkward, containing plenty of dialogue that neither moves the plot forward nor garners laughter, but is kind of just there...as the camera lingers awkwardly. Observe & Report takes this kind of direction to the max, except it's rarely funny and seems to be dark for no better reason than to push the limits of mainstream dark comedy.

Glenn Kenny pretty much stole my review of the film (save for the fact that his is more insightful and better written than anything I'd have done), but I'll reiterate that this is a comedy that turns into a character study that turns into an aimless observation of a truly psychotic human being doing a lot of really stupid things. It rips a number of basic plot elements from Taxi Driver (one of my ten favorite films, ever, I might add), e.g. obsessive longing for a girl, a  disillusioned self-important protagonist, but doesn't have anything to say. Anna Faris isn't used to her potential as usual, and the wonderful man behind the camera, Tim Orr, is reduced to making (on-location) shots of the mall look as claustrophobic as possible. 

There's something going around along the lines of "just wait til the last 10 minutes!," but even the moderately shocking/well-shot ending is merely a minor highlight. This is audacious mainstream cinema, too bad its risks are for risks' sake.

4.0