Guido Stern's Journey Through Cinema

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

2009-07-02T19:46:00.001-07:00

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?]

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]

2009-05-25T10:07:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-23T21:31:00.001-07:00

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]

2009-05-20T22:02:00.001-07:00

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]

2009-05-18T22:34:00.000-07:00

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]

2009-04-14T22:02:00.000-07:00

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]

2009-04-14T18:29:00.001-07:00

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

Lovely & Amazing [Holofcener, 2001]

2009-03-29T21:27:00.000-07:00

Lovely & Amazing

directed by Nicole Holofcener

starring Catherine Keener, Emily Mortimer and Brenda Blethyn

2001

Going into it with considerable optimism considering my general enjoyment of Holofcener's Friends With Money, I came out entirely disappointed. While the screenplay offers plenty of good moments for its strong female cast, it is as a whole contrived and confused about what it's attempting to portray. The picture follows three daughters (two grown white women and an adopted black pre-adolescent) as they cope with different insecurities, a trait apparently inherited from their mother, who spends most of the film in a hospital due to plastic surgery.

If Lars von Trier has to hear a lot of shit for the humiliations he puts his heroines through, it'd be unfair not to put Holofcener under the same examination. Whereas von Trier creates his female characters as sympathetic, if only out of naivety , Holofcener's characters are hard to connect with because they are either obnoxious, ignorant, or contrived. I liked all of the women in Friends With Money, despite their flaws, but even the best actress here don't come out unscathed. When an actress as witty as Catherine Keener becomes (unintentionally) downright detestable, something's wrong. She's a brat in a woman's body, and offers no connective entrance to the viewer. While Emily Mortimer's improved in recent years (Lars and the Real Girl especially), her performance here is cold. Brenda Blethyn is sporadically excellent but disappears in the second half. No doubt it could be said that we are not meant to like all imperfect characters (see: Buffalo '66), but the film hinges on it, as there are many emotional cues throughout.

While this indie women's drama is better than similar standard fare, it's full of clever moments and short on direction, both narratively and visually. I laughed more than a couple times, especially because of some of Keener's one liners, but by the last half hour, I'd lost both interest and any emotional link to the characters.

5.5

Beijing Bicycle [Xiaoshuai, 2001]

2009-03-27T09:22:00.000-07:00

Beijing Bicycle

directed by Wang Xiaoshuai

starring Lin Cui and Bin Li

Obviously created with great awareness of Vittorio de Sica's The Bicycle Thieves, Wang Xiaoshuai's Beijing Bicycle attempts to tell a near identical story, but from two thieves' perspectives. It's something like a Ramin Bahrani film (especially Chop Shop), but with less nuance and more drama. In doing so he juxtaposes country and city life, and considers stealing out of necessity v. stealing out of want.

Unfortunately, neither is entirely well represented, as its protagonists (both 17) , a migrant worker from the country and a city boy from a working class Step family, are written as blunt extremes. Guo, moving from the country to become a delivery boy, is reserved, honest, and incredibly naive. Jian, on the other hand, is wholly unlikeable, as he almost always seems to make the stupidest decision possible, no matter the situation. That being said, the time spent with Guo is a lot more engaging than that with Jian, as we can at least feel for his mini-struggles and triumphs in the first 30 or 40 minutes (the best section of the film, not by coincidence). It's when Jian gets involved that the film becomes muddled and undeservedly cruel to its characters, an only partly believable excuse to comment on the bleakness of Guo's situation.

Despite these major scripting failures, the story is actually quite engaging, and Xiaoshuai's quietly observing camera captures the Beijing streets with great familiarity. de Sica's film is especially powerful because of its morally neutral illustration of its protagonist, and our emotional involvement with his situation through his relationship with his son--something Beijing might've been the better to consider.

4.5

I Love You, Man [Hamburg, 2009]

2009-03-26T18:58:00.000-07:00

I Love You, Man

directed by John Hamburg

starring Paul Rudd, Jason Segel and Rashida Jones

Colloquialisms like "bromance" and "mancrush" have become increasingly popular in the last year or two, as America slowly breaks down taboos of what's considered "gay" between male friends and what's simply heterosexually intimate. I Now Pronounced You Chuck & Larry explored the line between homosexual and heterosexual male behavior, albeit offensively (or so they say), whereas John Hamburg's film simply skirts the line without really attempting to comment on the underlying subject (Andy Samberg has a small role as Rudd's gay brother, but really only exists to show him how easy it is to meet men).

Working off a script co-written by Larry Levin (Dr. Dolittle 1 & 2) and Hamburg (Zoolander, Meet the Parents), Rudd and Segel are both at their best. While the script is expectedly average (Judd Apatow is not involved), what's surprising is how quiet much of the humor is. It's fascinatingly awkward for a bit, and then just odd after an hour. It's difficult to tell whether Hamburg is simply confused in his direction of these scenes or not, but some "jokes" are presented as a strange comic realism (when the film begins to betray this relative realism, though, as in a ridiculous vomit projectile scene, its disappointing).

The funny jokes are funny, though, and the film is unmistakably at its best when Rudd and Segel are together. Rudd is endless watchable as an awkward real estate agent (like James McAvoy's character in Wanted, consciously spewing Diablo Cody dialogue), and Jason Segel plays the confident alpha male with ease, shedding the desperation of his character in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Although the two have much better exchanged in this film than Sarah Marshall, the weak scripting and Hamburg's bland direction (the most ambitious thing he does with the mise-en-scene is associate Jones' character with the color yellow rather incessantly) make it much less rewarding. It's a film that's certainly worth seeing (if you are generally a fan of Rudd/Segel), but won't lose much when its shown on cable in a few years.

6.5

Must Read After My Death (Dews, 2009)

2009-03-26T11:53:00.001-07:00

Must Read After My Death

directed by Morgan Dews

2009 U.S. theatrical release [2007 festival debut]

Playing like something of a devilish mash-up between Capturing the Friedmans and Revolutionary Road, Morgan Dews' feature debut strips itself of any talking heads or excessive text because, thanks to his grandmother, he doesn't need any of it. Leaving behind hundreds of hours of recordings and home video, Allis clearly wanted someone to know her family's troubled story.

What could have made for a cathartic self-exploration of the director's identity is instead presented as a detached string of Dictaphone recordings against home video that is at times symbolic (several key shots of puppies feeding off their mother) and narrative. Dews also adds a musical score that sometimes irritatingly drowns out the recordings. While the trouble revealed within is intriguing, if not shocking, Dews perhaps fails in one respect at providing context for the family, giving very little exposition about any of its subjects. It seems when doc directors place themselves in their works, critics are quick to call them vain, but what's missing here is the individualization--precisely what made Kurt Kuenne's Dear Zachary the triumph that it was. It's like watching a Douglas Sirk film stripped of the close-ups, the Technicolor and, by effect, the emotional wallop.

Dews restricts the film to a very modest 70 minutes and reveals (obvious by that point) that he's the son of Allis' only daughter Anne, and gives a brief description of where each of the children are now.

5.5

The Class [Laurent Cantet, 2008]

2009-03-08T20:01:00.001-07:00

Laurent Cantet is a smart fellow. Taking cues from the brothers who've won two Palme d'Ors in the last decade alone, he translated their hand-held, cinema verite style to an uncompromising observation of a French class at a middle school in Paris. This is not to say he "stole" their style by any means--the Dardennes certainly were not the first to keep their camera obsessively close to their characters' faces, or attempt objective realism. In fact, Cantet beat out the Dardennes' The Silence of Lorna for the Palme d'Or, so there's obviously no mimicry going on.
If The Class seems curiously real, even for those familiar with naturalism, it's probably because it is, somewhat. Like Abbas Kiarostami, another Palme d'Or winner, Cantet blurs the line between fiction and documentary with his casting of Francois Begaudeau, who essentially adapted his own semi-autobiographical novel for the screen, and stars as his semi-self in it. Meanwhile, the students are all obviously real students, and almost all go by their real names.
If Ryan Fleck's Half Nelson and Mike Akel's Chalk proved that there was still nuanced or painfully comic narratives to be had from the classroom drama subgenre, Cantet's movie is out to deconstruct the narrative and instead observe the failure of a school system to its students, and remind us that the teachers are often as frustrated and confused as their pupils. The film takes place neatly over the course of exactly one school year, following Francois only while at work, and never resorting to any scenes of students outside of school to achieve sympathy for their conditions or "explain" why they act how they do. There's probably never been such a good cast of students in a film of this subgenre, likely because the actors "workshopped" their characters in Mike Leigh fashion, giving them a lot of time to get a feel for their characters and ultimately become them (if I were told every character was told simply to act as themselves, I would have believed that). The film resonates so well because these characters are so memorable, and portrayed so objectively that it's hard not to embrace them if only for their imperfectly human nature.
While Cantet can't, and henceforth doesn't try to characterize every student in the classroom, he does a damn good job of presenting the ten or eleven of those who are the most involved, and thus the most important (in this film of course). Although it doesn't take two seconds to notice that the class is almost completely made up of low-income emigres, the movie never makes the mistake of stereotyping its characters, nor portraying the white Francois as a stereotype-giver (except in a subtle connection of Chinese with mathematics, only noticeable for the comically deadpan look given by the boy's mother).
It's original title, Entre les murs, translates as Between the Walls, and is indeed the motif of the film. When the last shots of the film are shown, it becomes increasingly apparent what(/who) the title is referring to.

9/wonderfully objective observation of a middle school class, furnished with memorable characters and performances

2008 Cannes Film Festival -- Review Update

2009-03-08T19:40:00.000-07:00

The 22 films that played at Cannes last year are opening to the public rapidly--be it through theaters or the internet--so I'm just going to quickly rank those I've seen so far and touch on those I still haven't seen.

The films I've seen, from relative best to worst:

Waltz With Bashir / The Class [reviewed]

Synecdoche, New York*

Three Monkeys [reviewed]

Changeling

The Headless Woman [reviewed]

Those I haven't seen, but plan to in the near future:

Two Lovers -- should be seeing it Friday, it will be my first James Gray feature lest I see something in the next few days

Che -- should see this theatrically around the end of March.

Gomorra -- I've refrained from watching the DVDrip for so long, but it's playing in Rochester in early April.

A Christmas Tale -- perhaps the one I'm looking forward to most; I'm patiently waiting for the DVD.

The Silence of Lorna -- Rip recently became available online, hopefully catching it soon. I like the Dardennes quite a bit.

Regular Lovers -- see The Silence of Lorna

Il Divo -- hope to catch it at the Philadelphia fest, otherwise there's a rip online.

24 City -- waiting.

Adoration -- waiting. It's been a long time, but I have mixed feelings about Egoyan.

Serbis -- waiting.

Linha de Passe -- I have a copy, I just haven't mustered the excitement to see it.

Others

Blindness -- the flop of the festival. I have a copy but don't know if I'll ever get around to watching it. I hope Meirelles can comeback from such a critical/commercial downfall.

Palermo Shooting -- largely considered the worst film @ Cannes, I'm intrigued, but don't know that I'll ever see it.

The rest -- no significant interest, but if they become available and I read more about them I might see them too.

Of course, 2009 Cannes is coming May 13th, I'm looking forward to living vicariously through the privileged viewers of those films, and hope that I someday gather half as dedicated following as that bastard Mike D'Angelo.

/envy

*considering I was completely bemused on first viewing and my impression of it has fluctuated in the months since, I'm attempting to reserve any concrete judgment before I see it again--which should be quite soon.

Three Monkeys (Nuri Bilge Ceylan, 2009)

2009-03-03T18:13:00.000-08:00

Nuri Bilge Ceylan followed in prestigious footsteps when he won the Best Director prize at Cannes last year, an award won by Haneke, Schnabel, and Inarritu in the previous three years.
Indeed, Three Monkeys' direction is discernibly present, most noticeably in his manipulation of light and color, both inside the clammy flat, and out. As is obvious in the above pic, Ceylan captures the atmosphere above Turkey with such vividness that it becomes as melodramatic a character as any of the foursome that the film centers on.
Opening with a trio of stunning nighttime shots, Ceylan's picture then moves at a leisurely pace, lenser Gokhan Tiryaki soaking up the tension between mother and son, and later, husband and wife, with an evenness of long shots and extreme close-ups. Captured on Sony HD (the same camera used for the one shot Russian Ark), Ceylan and Tiryaki let dark greens, blues and grays dominate the screen at all times, a spectacle that's admittedly more pleasurable than Fincher's digital Benjamin Button.
The film's plot is quite simple (though I dare not spoil the opening segment), and allows for the mentioned visual meditations, though Ceylan's storytelling is not flawless. While he subtly touches on themes of guilty and infidelity, he fails to paint a complete picture of the film's most important character; although well-played by Hatice Aslan, Hacer is something of an empty slot. If we are to completely believe the totality of her actions, Ceylan must give us some hint of motivation--at the risk of coming off misogynistic. Also, the film's circularity is, at least to me, too neat, lacking the power to really hit
title refers to the japanese maxim: "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil," but probably refers to the three central characters, reduced by guilt and incommunicability to primitive behavior.

8/beautifully shot study of alienation and guilt within a (three-person) Turkish family

The Edge of Heaven [Fatih Akin, 2008]

2009-01-15T12:55:00.000-08:00

I've had a copy of this since February, but have put it off for no good reason, until now.
Built on consciously coincidental contrivances, Fatih Akin's latest is similar to the Dardennes' films in the way it presents conventions and then gracefully goes in a completely direction than you're trained to expect. while it is a film about extreme coincidences, it's loose enough that it's believable because, in the words of Stanley Spector, this happens sometimes.
Comparisons can also be drawn to Babel, in that the film connects many different people and a key set piece is a gun. The Edge of Heaven is much less heavy-handed about this than Inarritu's film, and so it's fitting that this film ends not with a bang but with a sigh.
I don't think this was a very good collection of my thoughts, so I'll keep going a bit. The acting across the board is very fine, the only actor of note being former Fassbinder leading lady Hanna Schygulla, who is especially affecting in her limited screen time. The film's cinematography is very humble, showing what needs to be shown and focusing on its content moreso than style. The locations are what makes the atmosphere so brilliant, effectively painting a picture of both Germany and Turkey.

8/affectingly unconventional sketch of the way humans connect with each other, if not through life than through death

The Day the Earth Stood Still [Robert Wise, 1951]

2009-01-12T23:56:00.000-08:00

beautiful screen cap, I know. i'm simply way too lazy to make any myself. anyway, in celebration of a (undoubtedly) shitty Hollywood remake, I watched the '50s sci-fi classic for the first time.
the film's first 15 or so minutes are interesting because its driven solely by news reports and crowd shots surrounding the arrival of a spaceship. its not until Michael Rennie's Klaatu is shot are we introduced to any characters.
I discovered that Robert Wise's film isn't so much a sci-fi film as an anti-war global commentary. Edmund North's script is written with the best intentions, and our protagonists' struggle to simply be heard by all the nations provides a great opportunity for satire and commentary--though it singles out any one nation.
the ending is admirably ambiguous, quite clearly saying "so Earth...what are you gonna do?" unfortunately, the film is obviously still relevant in 2008 so.
Bernard Hermann provides one of his best scores, helping to raise the tension and leave people remembering a lot more action than there actually was.

9/well-intentioned, engaging social commentary masquerading as a science fiction film

In the City of Sylvia [Jose Luis Guerin, 2008]

2009-01-11T14:29:00.000-08:00

Guerin's latest has ended up on many critics' top ten lists this year, almost out of nowhere, and is clearly loved for its exercise in pure cinematic techniques, pushed to the limits
the first 25 minutes have received the most buzz, as it features an incredibly long sequence in which the protag stares at different women outside a cafe. Guerin makes such a thing interesting by framing his POV shots in a way that clearly seems to be influenced by Edouard Manet cafe paintings. Guerin focuses on the layers of women (all beautiful, naturally), at times blocking the line of view with other people. if this kind of dedication to technique excites you, you'll likely enjoy this film. if not, run for the hills.
as i mentioned, the first 25 minutes are what most critics are drooling about, but the greatest part of the film in my opinion comes in the later half of the film, specifically in scenes in and around a tram (to describe more would ruin the little plot that there is). Guerin here uses shadows and reflections to scape a ridiculously beautiful setting for the long awaited sequence of actual dialogue. it allows Sylvia to morph from a person to a symbol (or ghost?).
In the City of Sylvia sounds comparable to the recently reviewed The Headless Woman in some ways (no background detail, following a single person throughout), but Guerin's is far from boring and only a tad bit frustrating in its remoteness.

7/a laudable technical achievement wrapped in a slight, whimsical search for someone from the past

The Headless Woman [Lucrecia Martel, 2009]

2009-01-08T23:17:00.001-08:00

debuting at Cannes in 2008 to mostly glum reviews, Lucrecia Martel's The Headless Woman has been picking up critical steam since, topping indiewire's "Undistributed 2008 Films" list.
Martel's film is extremely disorienting--it mostly follows bourgeoisie MILF Vero in the aftermath of her running over something(/someone?) while reaching for her cellphone
one could admire for Martel's dedication to plot dictating form--the viewer is certainly as disconnected with the story as Vero is with reality--but Martel forgot to give us a reason to give a shit about the woman we're constantly following. I spent most of the film wondering how people relate to Vero and why people kept telling her to wash her hair than worrying about Vero--or its apparent class commentary, which shows the stratification but doesn't have much to say.
thank goodness Martel and D.P. Barabra Alvarez can compose interesting shots, edited very cleanly and rarely overstaying their welcome. in fact, the first few minutes are probably the most interesting as the camera follows three lower class boys and a dog in a friendly chase.
at only 87 minutes, The Headless Woman isn't so much difficult for a lack of drama, but rather because it refuses to fill us in on its point

4/finely framed, but lacking in any apparent message to justify its form or your time

Let the Right One In [Tomas Alfredson, 2008]

2009-01-07T21:06:00.000-08:00

the best films get under your skin, and Let the Right One In certainly does a good job in that department. i'm glad i slept on it before writing this, as I like it more in retrospect--it truly warrants the phrase "hauntingly beautiful"
Alfredson captures a cinematic world that I've never seen before. a small, middle class town in Sweden flips between the bright reflections of snow and the eerily dark woods and playground outside the leads' apartment complex.
both the leads (Kare Hedebrant and Lina Leandersson) are wonderfully interesting, neither looking nor acting like the other children shown. the romance that ensues is handled gracefully as their "love" is never taken too seriously and yet its still enough to draw the audience in.
horror scenes are mostly very creepy without extreme gore. the first kill is first shot from a distance, and then the subsequent gore is blocked from view. the kills do become more graphic, but Alfredson clearly is not trying to merely please bloodthirsty viewers.
all in all the story is touching and strikingly slight, ultimately about a friendship between two children who aren't like everyone else. with some revenge thrown in there as well.

8.5/nimbly balances its coming-of-age story with horror elements to create a not soon forgotten product

Shotgun Stories [Jeff Nichols, 2008]

2009-01-06T11:41:00.000-08:00

unjustly snubbed by Sundance, probably because of its slow, lethargic pace, Jeff Nichols' directorial debut is nonetheless one of the most mature debuts of the year.
Michael Shannon stars as Son in a story about two sets of half-brothers whose hostilities are brought to surface when their father dies. the film plays as a sort of double-edged In the Bedroom, focusing on the apparent necessity of revenge and the lack of satisfaction that comes with it.
while far from perfect or as well-made as Todd Field's picture, Shotgun Stories has a sensible pace and makes its statement in only about 84 minutes. Nichols (who also scripted) would've been better to make the film solely from Son's family's point of view as the brief scenes of their half-brothers fail to characterize any of them beyond archetypes. Nichols is however properly subtle in his economic contrast of the two sets; the superiority can be felt when Son's half-brother shows up to his house, parking his new Ford in front of Son's beat up Mazda.
landscape is well captured which is to be expected when David Gordon Green is producing, and one gets a fair idea of Arkansas as that's all the camera or the characters seem to know.

7.5/genuine directorial debut with enough nuance to successfully recapitulate its themes

Hunger [Steve McQueen, 2008]

2009-01-05T21:05:00.000-08:00

Steve McQueen surely earned his Camera d'Or for Hunger, a film whose visual audacity is bested only by its content. the picture is carefully divided into three acts: the brutality against the prisoners, Bobby Sands' unthinkably long conversation with an IRA-affiliated priest, and Sands' hunger strike and death.
first act begins with the morning routine of Ray Lohan, who we are lead to believe is our protagonist until we see him put on prison guard uniform. isn't this a Bobby Sands biopic? McQueen's camera (d.p. Sean Bobbitt) focuses on the nuances of Lohan's routine -- the crumbs he brushes off his lap during breakfast are obviously a juxtaposition of what's to come; we see him washing his hands in the morning and then again at work, except the second time, his knuckles are bloodied.
then we are introduced to a skinny new inmate who we find is not Bobby Sands? we follow him for a bit before finally getting to Bobby (played admirably by Michael Fassbender). I believe McQueen (with Enda Walsh) designed the film this way so not to glorify Sands as the lone martyr in what was indeed a community suffering. one of the film's few missteps is in this transition, though, as the viewer is left wondering who's Bobby, when's he going to show up, was Bobby the roommate who had his hair cut?
McQueen makes up for this lack of focus quickly in an unthinkably long static shot (pictured above) of Sands conversing with a priest. Fassbender's chops really show here, as he displays selflessness, doubt and charisma all within the same shot.
last act is dedicated to Hunger, and Fassbender's grotesque body transformation rivals Bale's infamous weight loss for The Machinist and Rescue Dawn. McQueen pulls quite a few visual and aural tricks to communicate the symptoms of your body slowly shutting down.
all in all, Hunger is certainly unflinching in its portrayal of IRA prisoners of war in 1987. it's an extremely subjective film, and assumes you know quite a bit of the civil war (I didn't), and is clearly sympathizes with its portrayed side. nonetheless, McQueen's direction is magnificent, and had the world any justice, both he and Fassbender would be receiving Oscar buzz. European Film Awards noms will have to do.
i suppose that was too much plot for a review, but hey, it's my first since October. give me a break.

9/unflinching, beautifully observant examination of Bobby Sands' last six weeks

Ranking the 25 Films I've Seen This Year

2008-10-03T14:57:00.001-07:00

The Signal was the 25th film I've seen in 2008 (going by theatrical release date in the States, not festival or domestic release).

1. The Dark Knight

2. Vicky Cristina Barcelona

3. Frozen River

4. Flight of the Red Balloon

5. Chop Shop

6. In Bruges

7. Pineapple Express

8. 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days

9. Snow Angels

10. [Rec]

11. Forgetting Sarah Marshall

12. My Brother Is an Only Child

13. Iron Man

14. Cloverfield

15. Paranoid Park

16. The Wackness

17. The Bank Job

18. The Signal

19. Funny Games

20. Baby Mama

21. Redbelt

22. Tropic Thunder

23. Married Life

24. The Strangers

25. The Ruins

The Signal [David Bruckner; Jacob Gentry; Dan Bush, 2008]

2008-10-03T14:43:00.000-07:00

The Signal is a rather muddled film, but with ultimately more good ideas than flaws
broken into three "transmissions," the first and second are nearly exceptional in their own ways while the third breaks off into self-importance and leaves a bad taste in one's mouth by the end
first transmission does a fair job of explaining the story without beating it through viewers heads, and is shot in a truly scary manner, dimly lit hallways and faces almost always too shadowed to make clear
second act is a sudden but understandable shift to black comedy, and good comedy at that. everyone is crazy by now, some because of the signal and others because of the people with the signal. they're not that much different
third bit isn't worth going too far into, it's loaded with dialogue and empty of importance. it's the final stage of delirium but that doesn't mean we want to see incoherent blabber for the last fifteen minutes

6/enough talent to be considered a success

Cloverfield [Matt Reeves, 2008]

2008-10-03T14:25:00.000-07:00

essentially taking the faux-doc subgenre that The Blair Witch Project pioneered and making its subject a monster comparable to Godzilla or the more recent The Host, dir. Matt Reeves and pen Drew Goddard think up and bring to life a hell of a concept
the monster is effectively scary and realistic. the film's best and worst attributes largely relate to its medium, though. on one hand, pic's dedication to viewers watching a REAL videotape of the destruction is admirable in its switching between monster footage and interaction between the two leads who love each other shot a month before. however, flaws are revealed here as well. during the film, there are several occasions where scenes have obviously been edited together. it uses a good number of Rope tricks to appear continuous but there are still many unexplained stops and starts. and i wasn't looking for them through, hoping to report on it
is engaging in its entirety, with a running time that is smart enough not to overstay its welcome
unfortunately, the most sympathetic character in the film is....well, no one. for all the time and professionalism put into the special effects, a rewrite of the actual characters and dialogue could have made the picture absolutely epic. there's an arguably daring choice to make the camera holder a socially awkward character...but he's just annoying and rarely funny. the central love story pulls no emotional strings for me as I was only given about a two minute intro to get to know them and judging by everything afterwards, they aren't very interesting. in essence, i enjoyed the ride, just not who I was sitting next to throughout

6.5/creative, contrived monster movie

Redbelt [David Mamet, 2008]

2008-10-01T16:08:00.001-07:00

from beginning to end, Mamet's latest is implausible, stacking up plot contrivances that are ridiculous not because of implausibility but because of stupidity.
film is largely a character study, and i understand that, but Chiwitel Ejiofor is the ONLY character among a large cast that gets any kind of development. Ejiofor's wife, played (rather badly) by Alice Braga, is shown only as a whiny bitch. Tim Allen is an action star (stretch!) and mainly just a McGuffin. We're supposed to care about Ejiofor and Emily Mortimer's relationship but we don't because we don't have a clue who she is
between the stupid opening involving Mortimer and a suicide, the picture is pretty engaging, as Ejiofor is given room to work. everything afterwards is muddled, and the ending is laughably bad...I'm not going to bother going into it
pic is however more entertaining than it is good, as Ejiofor is fun to watch in anything and the fight scenes are often very cool. easily the worst Mamet pic (script or direction) i've seen to date, though

4/implausible and dumb

Iron Man [Jon Favreau, 2008]

2008-09-30T16:38:00.000-07:00

solid, at times intriguing superhero movie that seems more interested in its characters than in plot, for a change. unfortunately, these characters aren't incredibly deep. this is made up for, though, by the always fantastic Robert Downey Jr. and an optimistic return to big movies for Gwyneth Paltrow. The former is perfect for the role, at times hilarious. Aud can relate to him better than Bale's Batman, and he's a lot cooler than Maguire's Spider-Man. Paltrow looks beautiful and has great chemistry with the much older RDJ
there is minimal action scenes prior to the inevitable final battle, both impressive and puzzling. the exposition and general plot are an entertaining ride but not particularly ambitious. Terrence Howard is disappointingly restrained but Jeff Bridges chews away as Obediah, intriguing especially because of his high voice and intimidating stature
aforementioned final battle is worth the wait, not terribly clever, but well edited and technically cool. final few minutes are a great wrap-up but certainly leave one desiring more, especially in regard to the RDJ-Paltrow relationship (and tongue-in-cheek reference to Howard's possibly expanded role).

7/effective popcorn pic w/ great perfs

Frozen River [Courtney Hunt, 2008]

2008-09-30T15:34:00.000-07:00

one of the most veteran-seeming debuts in recent memory, Courtney Hunt helms a feature that carefully straddles the line of drama and thriller, neither falling into any genre nor conforming to its cliches
Melissa Leo mans the film. there's not much reason the role couldn't have been played by a male, but one is thankful it wasn't. thesp bears resemblance to Helen Hunt's character in Pay It Forward without any of the Hollywood buzz or spoon fed character traits. she doesn't ask us to like her, or root for her, but we do because we can see the desperation in her wrinkled hands and weathered eyes
expert cinematography from Reed Morano, who like Hunt as no previous film credits but possesses a great eye for detail in the film's icy suburban setting
i feared momentarily that the film's ending was spiraling into the ordinary, but is saved by Leo's last minute change of mind. this sacrifice isn't presented as self-righteous, but as logical and appropriate. pic ends with a great set piece that offers recollective poignancy

9/great, uninfluenced performance piece (and then some)

Vicky Cristina Barcelona [Woody Allen, 2008]

2008-09-30T15:10:00.000-07:00

Spain has undoubtedly inspired a new (or, revived) type of Allen film, always observing its characters, but with sympathy more than cynicism
the three central characters, played by Rebecca Hall, Scarlett Johansson, and Javier Bardem, are all flawed but captivating characters. Hall, in the only role I've seen from her outside of playing a period character in The Prestige, is wonderful, playing out her indecisions in tangible fashion
narration is at first off-putting because of Christopher Welch's irritatingly casual tone, but is written beautifully. the connection of the opening and closing narrations perfectly encompass the complexities and simplicities (not in that order) of the picture
Allen smartly goes to the native Javier Aguirresarobe (Talk to Her) for lensing, capturing the language in characters' eyes as well as Barcelona's streets with equivalent excellence
Penelope Cruz enters the picture with only about forty minutes to spare, and her presence is immediately felt. all characters are affected and the influence adds so much more to the film. She is both beautiful and detesting, innocently manipulating Johansson with grace
believe it or not, Vicky is as liberal a film regarding relationships as he's ever made. the hypocrisies of "relationship rules" are broken down quickly through the Americans' culture shock while this free perspective is in turn criticized
note: in one scene, at dinner with fellow good-intentioned snobs, Hall's husband begins a joke about Indonesian rugs or of such but the audio goes silent while Hall contemplates the dullness of her future. Patricia Clarkson is also adequate in this sense as swiftly adding an element of falling out of love with someone you marry thru boredom

9/classic Allen, updated

In Bruges [Martin McDonagh, 2008]

2008-09-26T15:54:00.000-07:00

In Bruges is a neo-Shakespearian tragicomedy disguised by advertisements as a crime thriller. characters live longer than disbelief can be suspended for, there are contrived coincidences, and a great moment of self-awareness ("don't be stupid. this is the shootout"). trust in the material or allow its effect to be lost on you.
Colin Farrell finally finds a balance between drama and comedy, forgettably stiff and embarrassingly free. he is often hilarious, managing to be a douchebag, but one we like. Brendan Gleeson is great, especially when his role gets larger in the second half. Jordan Prentice is hysterical.
i've heard that Americans found this film offensive, which is crazy. most of the best lines come at the expense of such cliche American stereotypes as being fat and getting our ass beat by Vietnam (cleverly flipped in the "Canadian" revelation).
when Ralph Fiennes arrives in Bruges, the theatrical surrealism begins. characters' voices are no longer restricted by their bodies, fate will be carried out regardless of plausibility. in any other film, Gleeson would have shot down Fiennes from the belfry tower just as he was about to kill Farrell. it's so foggy, though, that it's almost like a fairy tale. Gleeson can't see anything, and instead sacrifices himself on a whim of saving his young friend. the film opens and ends with a monologue, continuing the theatrical theme and smartly concluding in ambiguity of Farrell's fate

8.5/hilarious tragicomedy

The Wackness [Jonathan Levine, 2008]

2008-09-25T21:00:00.000-07:00

props first of all for Levine not beating viewers over the head with its slang or hipness (cheap shot at another Thirlby film?!). i know what purple haze is, and yes, white people do say "peace out" regularly. Nothing over the top.
the slimmed down Josh Peck gives a good performance, though its Ben Kingsley who, not surprisingly, molds the most interesting character. most of the comedy goes through him and without the comedy, this could have gone seriously wrong.
soundtrack excellently captures the hip hop influence of '94, but becomes overused to a point; the great "i like my girls brainless.." line would've been a lot better if we weren't beaten over the head with Biggie's music throughout the film. still, it's refreshing to hear an Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Niggaz song in a film that isn't named Belly or Waist Deep.
tiny roles from Mary Kate Olsen, Method Man and Jane Adams are all memorable. Famke Janssen however is miscast or at least underused, only breaking free in a scene toward the end.
pic really falls off the map in the last thirty or so minutes, dry out of themes to revisit and instead decides to experiment with drug use for the hell of it. nearly every relationship arc in the pic falls apart here and only Kingsley is around to keep us interested.

6.5/promising premise, confused prestige

Snow Angels [David Gordon Green, 2008]

2008-09-22T18:24:00.000-07:00

'07 Sundance film that didn't see its theatrical release until March (ideally it should've been released around October, the probable and important setting of the pic)
excellently paced, developing characters through short cuts that observe the subtlest bits of behavior, while every once in a while taking a moment to admire the beautifully white town (camerawork a la the great Tim Orr, who's yet to receive Academy appreciation for his talent)
standout performance belongs to Sam Rockwell, who continues to stack his pile of great performances that (will) ultimately be forgotten come awards season. young thesps Michael Angarano and Olivia Thirlby give wonderfully mature performances in their pivotal role as the only working relationship in the picture
Angels is most admirable for its refusal to shy away from the emptiest depths of human relationships, and its small town realism. Rockwell's Glenn is probably the most sympathetic character in the movie yet he not only disappoints those around him, but the vi hopeful ewer, too.
what could've potentially ranked with George Washington and All the Real Girls, pic disappoints in its last ten minutes once the viewer realizes where its going and how unnecessary it is. really, a near-perfect film up until that point, so its quite disappointing.

8/affecting storytelling

The Bank Job [Roger Donaldson, 2008]

2008-09-22T18:07:00.000-07:00

heist film that's unique in its focus not on the robbery but rather its consequences.
paints a descriptive picture of the hostility between police, government, and blacks in Britain in the '70s
serviceable acting around the board, with no real stand-outs save Saffron Burrows looking stunning [probably not difficult, but i digress]. a case for Statham's need to stay across seas is strengthened but alas Transporter 3 hits in November
first 45 minutes of pic is set-up and probably too much; if you must overbear the viewer with information, you need the pace of Zodiac or All the President's Men. pic's final act is smart and exciting, though
ending is somewhat ridiculous, or at least queer. if your husband robs a bank and cheats on you in the process, one would hope it'd take more than a couple days to get over it. perhaps if implied she was a gold digger, however...

6.5/sharp, reasonably interesting thriller

Straight Out of Brooklyn [Matty Rich, 1991]

2008-09-21T18:49:00.000-07:00

back on my grizzy, young money where ya at // two tables and a mic tell the dj run it back
in contrast to the swelteringly hot NYC of Spike Lee's '80s films, Straight Out of Brooklyn puts forth a chilly Red Hook, in the weeks just before snowfall
directed by Matty Rich, a 19 year old who dropped out of NYU Film after a month, pic is quite obviously low budget and direction is framed more by the heart than the head
the "plot" of the film is as simple as can be, but only about five of its eighty minutes are concerned with plot. rather, the action of S.O.B. (apt acronym) takes place in character's eyes, between dialogue and in contemplative silence. one impressive scene of many is one in which the kids are getting their gun from an older friend. upon receiving it, Kevin smiles and is satisfied. he's forgotten something, though, and the older man returns with a case of bullets. Kevin's smile disappears momentarily, as he now realizes they might actually need to use the weapon.
the film's conclusion seemed inevitable from the start. the money brings much more good than bad, and one is left to imagine what ultimately happens to Dennis and his sister. the film ends perfectly, though, with the message "First things learned are the hardest to forget. Traditions pass from one generation to the next. We need to change." Still applicable today.

8.5/pivotal culture cinema

Close-Up [Abbas Kiarostami, 1990]

2008-02-16T12:02:00.000-08:00

There are perhaps no films that stay with me quite as much as those that challenge genre, audiences, or film itself--and Close-Up manages to accomplish all three.

Questioning the criteria of what's documentary and what's not, Close-Up is essentially a re-enactment of actual events, mixed with live documentary footage and an artistic shot or two as well.

What I found most fascinating about Close-Up was its suggestion that filming reality is simply not possible. The main character(?) is asked by the court whether or not he is acting, as the camera is on him. One wonders, though, whether or not this is the documentary footage or a re-enactment?

In reference to the "artistic shots" mentioned above, there is a rather wonderful long take in which a can is tossed off a pile of garbage by one person, and the camera follows it rolling down the street. Later, another person kicks it in celebration. Not particularly impressive in description but it references Kiarostami's interest in long takes and the rewards one can receive from them.

Bit with Makhmalbaf at the end is rather affecting, and rather daring [or couldn't it be helped?!] decision to include the footage with constantly interrupted sound due to faulty mic.

10/masterpiece

The Darjeeling Limited [Wes Anderson, 2007]

2008-02-14T12:06:00.000-08:00

[spoiler-full]

Pic begins roughly, much of the material teetering on the edge of self-indulgence more than anything, but loses self-interest once the trio gets off the train for the first time.
What seems to be going down nearly the exact same path as Life Aquatic makes a dramatic turn for the better when the three jump into the a river to save drowning Indian boys. No coincidence; Brody is the only one who fails to save his child and like with his father, experiences his death first-hand. The funeral that follows goes beyond any Anderson material to date, many silent sequences which include Brody's coming to grips with fatherhood [of which he's about to experience].
The control freak and brutally honest words of Wilson are reflected by his mother, Huston, but he has not completely followed in his mother's footsteps. Whereas she has run away from her family, Wilson insists on reunion.
Materialism is an important theme in Darjeeling, ironic considering Anderson's always glossy set pieces. Wilson constantly complains of his expensive clothing being borrowed or stolen, which directly contrasts the simple lives of the Indians. After they're kicked off the Limited, Wilson's laminating machine falls off and breaks--the beginning of the end of their materialism as the Satyajit Ray and Powell/Pressburger elements set in at the Indian boy's funeral.
This motif is also key to both the beginning and end. Bill Murray races to catch the train but is ultimately weighed down by his large suitcases, and misses the train. The somewhat obvious metaphor of luggage equaling emotional baggage is revealed in the end: the brothers are forced to ditch their suitcases and bags in order to catch their next train. They've successfully let go of the burden of their father's death.
Who is Bill Murray's character and why is he included both in the beginning and the inspired "curtain call" of minor characters portrayed in train compartments? He's the men's father. Notice the look Brody gives Murray when their racing to the Limited, and remember that he's "looking through his father's glasses." Is it a coincidence that their father was killed by a taxi, and Murray being held up by his taxi in the beginning? I think not. Thus in that important scene when the three brothers and their mother "communicate without words," Brody is imagining Murray as having made the train--a sense of closure.
Cinematography is top notch especially a poignant scene towards the end when Schwartzman stacks rocks upon a feather in a pyramid structure. The camera pulls away to imply that the three are in fact that little stone on top of the enormous mountain: the world doesn't revolve around them.
Probably the best soundtrack of the year, Darjeeling combines The Kinks' "Strangers" The Rolling Stones' "Play With Fire" with original scores from Satyajit Ray pics. Music is a staple in dramatic Anderson scenes and he continues to choose his songs perfectly.

8/great

Syndromes and a Century [Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2007]

2008-02-12T21:29:00.000-08:00

split into halves like the previous Tropical Malady--but a significant improvement upon the style. Whereas Malady's second half was a brilliant idea drawn out for the sake of equidistance, Syndromes elaborates on its first half completely. We receive the opportunity to watch the same characters at the same age in two hospitals, one forty years earlier and the latter present day. The effects of modernization are subtle, implying both growth and reluctance [portrayed most in a scene in which a doctor replies with silence to the proposal of moving into a futuristic urban business center with his girlfriend].
The sound, as in Malady, stands out. The film is mostly scored by birds chirping and the wind blowing through trees, but a slow love song that helps bridge the two narratives [or lackthereof] is especially affecting.
The visuals of both nature and city life are astounding, the camera working in long takes both static and wandering. In the beginning, the camera wanders away from its characters and rests upon an open field, a more interesting subject to Weerasethakul. Later, a woman stares into the camera while a colleague attempts a spiritual healing method on a patient. With her long direct eye contact, the nurse seems to demand viewers to follow the instructions as well.
The ending suggests further advancement in time; the small aerobic class of 40 years earlier performed static stretches, then in the second half a now larger class jogged down the halls, and then finally in the last shot, a group of fifty or so people perform caffeinated dance moves to a hyperactive techno track.

Experimental stuff is never easy. Let me dwell on it.

Lars and the Real Girl [Craig Gillespie, 2007]

2008-02-11T20:34:00.000-08:00

modern day fable balances sentimentality and comedy well, never indulging itself in too many sex jokes or emotionally manipulative climaxes
screenplay is incredibly basic and unpretentious: everyday language and characters familiar to small town residents [such as myself]
Gosling escapes into the title role, playing Lars intimately in a role radically different than that in Half Nelson or Fracture. Paul Schneider and Emily Mortimer, especially, are fantastic in supporting turns. Patricia Clarkson is gorgeous as always and Kelli Garner shines in her dorky role.
use of Talking Heads' "This Must Be the Place" is wonderful; David Torn's musical score is exceptional in the bowling scenes, and the ending.

7.5/very good

Lust, Caution [Ang Lee, 2007]

2008-02-11T20:21:00.000-08:00

Because paragraphs are overrated...

standout debut performance from Wei Tang, she pulls off seduction, sympathy, guilt and mystery effortlessly; per usual exceptional perf from Tony Leung, creating an intimidating, complex character
I never lost interest in its 160 minute running time, but the plot did lollygag a bit
The sex scenes are indeed the film's best moments. Intensely shot by Rodrigo Prieto, intercourse likely wasn't simulated. The passion is tangible.
Ending seems a bit rushed, but the scenes preceding it are the best besides the Lust ones.

8/great

Strangers on a Train [Alfred Hitchcock, 1951]

2008-02-10T00:44:00.000-08:00

Released in 1951, Strangers on a Train was a rebound from more forgettable films such as Stage Fright and Under Capricorn. Hitchcock wastes no time developing his two title characters with a clever opening: Guy's plain black pants and shoes are contrasted by Bruno's striped slacks and spotted shoes in continuous shots.. Our protagonist is the rather plain, even boring, tennis star played by Farley Granger, who looks like a bit of a young James Stewart stand-in. The owner of the flamboyant wardrobe is Robert Walker's Bruno, who looks uncannily like Robert Mitchum.

The movie quickly becomes an analysis of obsession, led by Walker's powerhouse performance that seems to have in fact influenced Mitchum's in Night of the Hunter. As usual, Hitchcock invents new ways to heighten suspense, including the brilliant use of glasses to reflect an image. However, some of it doesn't quite work: the would-be nail biting tennis match nearly kills the suspense for a while until the climax on one of the best set pieces I've yet see Hitchcock use: a carousel.

Overall, I wouldn't quite put Strangers on a Train up with pictures like The 39 Steps or Shadow of a Doubt but would compare it to the success of The Lady Vanishes. Still, "above average" Hitchcock is better than most directors' magnum opi [I think I made that word up].

8/great

Contempt [Jean-Luc Godard, 1963]

2008-02-10T00:37:00.000-08:00

I don't think my radically different impressions of the two Godard [the other being Breathless]films I've now seen are owed completely to difference in quality. I probably would have reacted the same to Contempt two years ago, so I'll credit both experience and education in terms of film as to why I'm so incredibly impressed at this picture's depth--and greatness.

As much as my enlightenment and love for film has grown, I must admit there was still so much that went over my head here. I'm rather proud of myself to say I immediately realized the following: while essentially a film about filming an unfilmable story, Godard instead allegorically adapts The Odyssey, the temptation of movies being the Trojan War. There are also a slew of Greek references throughout; one I picked up on was Paul's wearing of his towel like a toga. Another example, which I unfortunately didn't connect, was Prokosch's tossing of film cans like Olympic discusses.

The more I've read about Contempt since finishing it, the more impressed I've been. Godard uses several techniques to imply that the main couple in fact represents himself and his wife (Anna Karina). And from what I've read about the man, and seen (Breathless), you'd be surprised to see Godard take the woman's side of a marital strife, which is just what he does here. The second act of the film that, using long static tracking shots and quick edits, implies real time, is the film's peak as far as greatness goes. Paul's insecurities provoke Camille's psychological playfulness, until Paul's paranoia causes Camille to actually become what he had feared.

Contempt is so richly complex, not to mention visually breathtaking, that I could keep going for a long time, but would be largely borrowing from other more studious observers. That being said, I have taken on a radically new view of Godard, and can't wait to see more of his works.

10/masterpiece

Into the Wild [dir. Sean Penn]

2007-11-26T20:22:00.000-08:00

2007, 140 minutes
w/ Emile Hirsch, Catherine Keener & Marcia Gay Harden
[Sidenote: what a weekend to see two excellent adaptations of books I'd read beforehand! Sean Penn may not have been the go-to guy to direct this project; I probably would have pre-ordered it by now had Werner Herzog been helming -- but Penn has undoubtedly turned in one of the finest visual and overall film efforts of the year thus far. While it was probably easier having read Jon Krakauer's novel, Penn's script fluidly flips between Christopher McCandless' episodic trip and his final, fatal Alaskan adventure. His direction is incredibly confident despite still being a young director and taking on the most epic project of his career. There are only a handful of young actors talented enough for the role of McCandless, and Emile Hirsch is possibly the only one with the looks to play the role. And he plays it magnificently, performing both serious "I read poetry" musing scenes and happy-go-lucky comic material with startling ease. I think I'll be expecting an Oscar nomination for him after seeing everything left to come. Anyway, the story goes like this: intelligent college graduate with a bright future ditches his savings account and family to become a rugged individualist for the summer and ultimately the rest of his life. Why? Penn gives reason for McCandless' spontaneous nature throughout, including a disgust for the corporate world and his father's spousal abuse while growing up. The cross country (and also, Mexico) trip sees McCandless meeting and befriending countless colorful characters, all played beautifully by the actors. The always lovely Catherine Keener and amateur actor Brian Dierker effortlessly play a hippie couple who help guide Christopher. Vince Vaughn makes the most of his pretty funny material as a grain farmer who hires and befriends him early in his journey. Kristen Stewart reminds me that she's pretty damn talented for being just 18-years old as a brief love interest of his despite playing a 15-year old [don't worry, McCandless is no pedo]. The most touching and impressive supporting performance, though, comes from Hal Holbrook (Deep Throat!) as a lonely, retired old man who takes McCandless in for a brief time right before his Alaskan trip and, in a brilliantly emotional scene, asks to adopt him. I've already gone too far and won't describe Alaska specifically but will mention it contains some of Hirsch's best acting and some absolutely beautiful cinematography from Eric Gautier. It would have been nice to hear Penn take a bit of a stance on the McCandless character's choices, as the novel did, but I understand that it probably wasn't completely easy to even include the domestic violence scenes with the real McCandless' permission. Props also due to the Eddie Veddar driven soundtrack that helps pace the 140 minutes picture.]

****

EDIT: ***1/4

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead [dir. Sidney Lumet]

2007-11-26T16:34:00.000-08:00

2007, 117 minutes
w/ Philip S. Hoffman, Ethan Hawke & Albert Finney
[While the latest film I've seen from Lumet was 1976's Network, I think it's safe to say that he's nonetheless back making good movies with this one. That being said, it's not quite as good as it could have been. Before the Devil... is a brutally told meditation on the causes and effects of a heist gone terribly wrong and how it splits and brings together siblings, spouses and children. Much like Lumet's earlier films, Before the Devil is run by money, and the lengths people will go to get more. Perhaps the world's finest working actor, Philip Seymour Hoffman and the rather underrated if limited Ethan Hawke give perfectly pitched performances as brothers who decide to rob their parents' jewelry store as they both feel they need money. While the heist seems like it should be in the bag: the jewelry's insured, neither parent is working that morning and they know the combinations to everything....they fuck up, and more than one person ends up dead. In the middle of this is Hoffman's wife played by the ageless Marisa Tomei, who is conveniently meeting Hawke once a week for a lay. The film switches narratives and timelines (at least structuring them well with "2 days before robbery" titles) constantly, but the device is not used to its potential and almost seems a hassle. The picture is at its best when focusing on the mysterious Hoffman character and the likable Hawke, but seems to often have an agenda of trying to impress with little details in plot explained later on through narrative switches. The film spirals to a powerful though predictable ending. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead is a bit of an underwhelming picture considering it's potential, but regardless is a film that gets more right than it does wrong, and features four excellent performances from Hoffman, Hawke, Tomei and the brothers' father played by the ever consistent Albert Finney.]

**1/2

Rescue Dawn [dir. Werner Herzog]

2007-11-23T19:19:00.000-08:00

2007, 126 minutes
w/ Christian Bale, Steve Zahn & Jeremy Davies
[An auteur like Werner Herzog doing a Vietnam pic thirty years after Apocalypse Now and twenty after Full Metal Jacket? And based on a documentary that he already filmed ten years earlier? You may believe you've seen everything there is to see about Vietnam, and that may be true, but you've never seen it through eyes quite like Herzog, or Dieter Dengler's. The film wastes little time packing Dengler (Bale) into a plane and with some questionable CGI crashing him into a Vietnamese jungle before slowing down the plot and letting you breathe in the air and hear the footsteps of what could be a barrage at any moment. Dengler ends up in a P.O.W. camp with Americans Steve Zahn and Jeremy Davies, who have over time become more or less delirious and hopeless. Dengler, though, is a hero and absolutely refuses to accept their fate. Much of the movie is spent in planning an escape as well as the torture the prisoners [there are seven in total] are put through. The three lead actors get down to about 130 pounds, Davies possibly bottoming out at a shocking 110 by the looks of the ribcage sticking out of his chest. Herzog being one of the most dedicated directors to touch a camera predictably gets wonderfully natural performances out of his actors by extreme method acting -- none of them were given trailers, or shoes, for that matter during filming. Say what you will about the plot that follows, which is almost completely non-fiction, but Herzog has offered up what's probably his most accessible film to date while still being able to make an important character out of nature and its beauty.]

***3/4

Superbad [dir. Greg Mottola]

2007-11-23T19:06:00.000-08:00

2007, 114 minutes
w/ Michael Cera, Jonah Hill & Christopher Mintz-Plasse
[Having finally seen the most talked about comedy of the year, I'm late but nonetheless ecstatic to report that it's indeed the funniest film of the year and, at least within its subject matter, possibly since Kevin Smith's Clerks. Recognize the possible bias of me being a high school senior, but this really is what seems to be the decade's timeless high school picture as Dazed and Confused was for the '80s (despite of course debuting in the '90s...). Michael Cera and Jonah Hill give wonderfully contrasting comedic performances and yet still manage to hit emotional notes simply by the tangible fear of the future bleeding from them throughout the picture. Now that that's out of the way, Superbad thrives off sex and alcohol, as do the jokes. And unlike, say, the very funny Mean Girls, every fucking joke is fresh and hilarious and unimaginably quotable. We could have spent ten hours with these two main characters, but pens Rogen and Hader [who star as immature cops in an equally entertaining subplot] decided to throw in a third protagonist, and the most effortlessly funny, Fogle aka McLovin. Oh, and besides being hilarious with its slew of crude humor, Rogen/Hader even throw in Fellini, Coen, and Orson Welles references just in case cinephiles like myself weren't blown out of the water enough. I immediately wanted and still do want to see this again, and probably a third time after that.]

****

No Country for Old Men [dir. Joel & Ethan Coen]

2007-11-23T18:40:00.000-08:00

2007, 122 minutes
w/ Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem & Tommy Lee Jones
[The Coen bros. are "back" after a couple misfired with their best film since Fargo, a movie that ranks with Barton Fink and Blood Simple. as Coen masterpieces. Having read Cormac McCarthy's chilling neo-western in anticipation of the film, it's truly impressive how smoothly the story was put to screen, thanks in large to the three lead actors' wonderful performances. There are few actors one could have expected to play up to the role of Chigurh; and honestly Javier Bardem wouldn't have come to mind immediately: look how young and clean he looks in Collateral just two years ago. And yet he gained weight (or fat, at least), added the proper amount of aging effects and had his hair cut in what's possibly the most intimidatingly bad style possible and wha-la, the perfect looking Chigurh and one of the few actors in the world who could pull off his drawl, step and stare easily. Up-and-comer Josh Brolin seems to have been born for the role and Tommy Lee Jones delivers the picture's two key monologues as if he were McCarthy himself. The actors do not carry the load themselves, though. If you've never paid attention to sound editing or cinematography before, take the time to notice how crisply the bullets pierce cars and flesh and how perfectly framed Chigurh's encounter with Wells is. The plot itself seems written as if to be handed over to the Coens who instill adequately dark comedy ("look at that fuckin bone") and Hitchcockian suspense so that nearly every scene feels pulsing with life. The last twenty minutes or so veer slightly off from the novel's plot, namely SPOILS FOLLOW: in the climax of the picture when Bell goes back to the closed off hotel room to check if Chigurh's come back to the scene of Moss' death. The scene itself is open to interpretation but after reading into several theories I can't but believe that Chigurh was already gone by the time Bell arrived at the door, and the shots of Chigurh waiting in the room with his rifle were out of Bell's fear of death that is a major theme throughout the film. The picture also denies its audience as clean of an ending as the novel, which is a rather daring but ultimately wise decision when Bell gives his musing monologue about his father and death, and the screen blacks out. There was absolutely no musical score in the picture, making the credits that much more chilling.]

****

Fantastic Planet [dir. Rene Laloux]

2007-11-09T21:35:00.000-08:00

1973, 72 minutes
Animated
[Let me start out by saying everyone should see this film. Almost everyone gets caught in the sand trap of genre films and it's necessary to see a Fantastic Planet at least every once in a while to broaden one's mind and appreciate how artistically creative cinema can be. Pic tells the story of a planet where advanced creatures called Traags rule, fifty times larger than humans who are essentially kept as pets/slaves, and because they reproduce so much quicker, are exterminated every so often. The story follows a human (called Oms as in 'hommes) who because of a flaw is able to gain the knowledge of the Traags and begins an uprising against the suppressive Traags. The storyline is far less important than the unmatchable atmosphere of the movie, made better by its eerie score and imaginative creatures including an animal that traps birds in its branch like arms and throws them down to their death--this is just a transition between scenes. Planet contains themes of slavery and war and is incredibly poignant despite its black humor in the most sublte ways. Fantastic.

****

Saw IV [dir. Darren Lynn Bousman]

2007-11-09T21:23:00.000-08:00

2007, 95 minutes
w/ Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor & Lyriq Bent
[I honestly only saw this as something to do with a few of my friends, and was pretty sure going in that it was going to be as rediculously pretentious and psuedo-intellectual as ever; I wasn't wrong. It seems it's impossible not to like the Saws without being called a hater, but I think this has the most obvious flaws in acting, script and a silly ending which make my case easier to deliver to those who insist its one of the smartest series to hit theatres in years. I kind of had a good time, I laughed quite a few times throughout (including this great scene involving two guys chained together, one with his eyes and the other with his mouth sowed shut...you shoud know classic dialogue is to follow) and shook my head at several of the movie's fifty-two twists but again, I had a good time for it was expectedly horrid but the people I was with and attempted MST3K commentary made it fun.]

1/2*

Sicko [dir. Michael Moore]

2007-10-29T20:54:00.001-07:00

2007, 117 minutes
Documentary
[I figure most of those who hated or even disliked this film probably never saw it or were Michael Moore biased viewers beforehand. I consider myself a bit more reliable than Moore haters or dickriders as I've never seen one of his movies before and accord to no distinct political party. Sicko is a sprawling gathering of persuasive material intended to make Americans wake up and realize how bad of shape our health care system is in -- though only 1/6 people are significantly effected by the dog eat dog world of medicare and health insurance. While often accused of being a Bush hater, Moore takes only one or two subtle stabs at Dubya and celebrates Hilary Clinton's initial rallying for universal health care only to expose her hypocracies. The picture is mostly made up of personal stories of American people unable to afford health care, usually leading in economic downspiral, further health problems and on a couple occasions, death. The main [and practically only] criticism of the film is its lack of objectivity in parts -- Moore sometimes ignores finer points to other countries' health care systems that he praises -- but this is a persuasive piece of filmmaking and while it's not exactly objective, it hardly totters near the edge of propaganda or fiction. Moore fanboys will call him a great patriot, haters an egotistical prick; I'll just consider him an auteur who in Sicko has created a powerful motion picture with an overload of shocking facts as well as a few neglected opposing truths.]

***1/2

Bug [dir. William Friedkin]

2007-10-28T21:24:00.001-07:00

2007, 96 minutes
w/ Ashley Judd, Michael Shannon & Harry Connick Jr.
[Ashley Judd gives one of the year's best performances thus far in Friedkin's adaptation of Terry Letts' play, Oklahoma drawl and all. She alone makes the picture worth seeing, bursting with energy but depressingly hopeless and Friedkin most impressively is able to contrast her beauty with lighting and Judd's acting rather than make up. While marketed as a psychological thriller or horror, the film really can't be pigeon holed into any one genre for better or for worse. Believe it or not I never really was in suspense during the picture, just interest, and while building up quite nicely I hate to report that the last act was handled a bit clumsily: Judd and her paranoid partner Michael Shannon twitchily discuss their political conspiracty theories that are the cause for the bug infestation inside Judd's small home, and as intense as it is, at some point it bubbles over the top and while Friedkin employs a clever device for one of the final scenes, it's executed rather cheesily. Obviously not touching his Best Picture winner The French Connection or paranoia classic The Manchurian Candidate, Bug is at least leagues better than the similar Vacancy and the 2004 Manchurian remake.]

**3/4

The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie [dir. Luis Bunuel]

2007-10-28T21:13:00.000-07:00

1972, 102 minutes
w/ Fernando Rey, Paul Frankeur & Delphine Seyrig
[I sort of wondered through my first Bunuel film, The Milky Way, in order to prepare myself for its follow-up which is largely considered Bunuel's magnum opus, and I think it was a good idea despite probably not comprehending 5% of either pic. And that's what especially made Discreet such a great watch, the theories and themes that I read about and concluded upon. The plot is basically a collection of scenes in which three wealthy couples repeatedly try to have a meal together but are constantly interrupted before being able to eat it. Once you realize this theme, it becomes necessary to anticipate what interruption will hinder them each time, and Bunuel manipulates reality and surreality if only to frustrate and toy with his audience and satired characters. The hypocrisies of the bourgeoisie are comically revealed be it through extreme paranoia or infidelities and Bunuel creates a bishop character if only to include organized religion as part of the target and for cheap (though worthy) comical relief. There are many long takes of conversation between the men and women but I've interpreted the extended shots of the couples walking down a road sometimes randomly throughout as an ultimate watering down of their lives: empty and banal.]

****

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix [dir. David Yates]

2007-10-28T21:01:00.000-07:00

2007, 130 minutes
w/ Daniel Radclife, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint
[While I have trouble distinguishing the four films preceding it from each other, latest director Yates adapts the fifth book in the series (yes, I've read them all) to screen mostly effectively and somewhat, if overstated, darker than perhaps expected. This is the first film in the series I've seen where I couldn't remember the plot too well and I'm not going to discuss it in the review anyways. Rupert Grint remains the most impressive of the core three young actors in my mind while Emma Watson has a few shining moments and Radcliffe seems to be trying a bit too hard but is probably at his best here. Gary Oldman and Alan Rickman steal the show among the adult actors, and Imelda Staunton creates a successful bitch of a villain. The script has quite a few double entendres littered throughout and is pretty solid but sometimes awkwardly delivered by certain actors, especially the young woman who played Luna Lovegood. Some of the special effects are very impressive while others seem a bit cheesy and like the others the movie seems to rush through the plot yet still manage to boast a lengthy (not seeming so at least) running time. I'm pretty sure Cuaron's installment is still my favorite but I'd really have to rewatch them all to tell for sure. Not a bad start for Yates who will direct the next one.]

**1/2

Ringu [dir. Hideo Nakata]

2007-10-23T21:18:00.000-07:00

1998, 96 minuts
w/ Nanako Matsushima & Miki Nakatani
[Unfortunately I'd seen Gore Verbinski's The Ring before seeing this so its pretty much impossible to give a completely objective reaction to the film as the plots were nearly the same. Any whoo, Ringu comes off much slighter than its remake, focusing on setup and atmosphere rather than scares and this has mixed results. While Nakata creates a lonely Japan with dark, crowded corridors and rooms, the film seems to forget to push its storyline of the well known video tape that causes death in seven days. Hiroshi Takahashi adapts succesfully creepy techniques from the novel, especially the distorted faces on photographs, but forgets to give us much reason to care about our characters and fails to elaborate on the reasoning for the tapes' creators motivation. Ringu is often paired with The Blair Witch Project as rejuvenating the horror genre but the latter is so much more impressive in execution while Ringu is all concept and only clumsily translates to screen. A rewatch of Verbinski's may confirm my thoughts that his is actually the better of the two.]

**1/2

Talk to Me [dir. Kasi Lemmons]

2007-10-23T21:02:00.000-07:00

2007, 118 minutes
w/ Don Cheadle, Chiwitel Ejiofor & Taraji P. Henson
[Following pics like Stomp the Yard and Who's Your Caddy, actress Kasi Lemmons presents maybe the year's first great film to celebrate black people and to avoid stereotypes or shy from what Cheadle's Petey Greene calls "nigger jokes." Written by Rick Famuyiwa (Brown Sugar) and Michael Genet, Talk to Me tells the fascinating story of convict-turned-D.C. DJ Petey Greene and his discoverer-turned-DJ, Dewey Hughes (the ever-impressive Chiwitel Ejiofor). The movie starts out in rather ordinary, linear fashion as Greene manages to get out on parole and convinces Dewey Hughes to give him a shot (or two) at DJing, and as expected, he becomes a big hit. It's the film's second and third act that begin to move toward Spike Lee territory as Petey's newfound fame has him questioning why his mostly white audience laughs so hard (see Dave Chappelle) while Hughes pushes him harder and harder to making him a star. The lead roles are played to near perfection, Cheadle playing against type in his quirky, loud mouth role and Chiwitel Ejiofor (almost) nailing his American accent (he's a Brit) and bringing essential life to his character who could have gone to *eek* Will Smith had this been a bigger production. Taraji P. Henson who stole scenes in Hustle & Flow does the same again as Greene's sassy, loyal girlfriend and cult favorite Mike Epps adds a couple emotional scenes at the beginning and end. The James Brown driven soundtrack is incredible as the film hits a high on Brown's "I'm Black and I'm Proud."]

***1/4

Castle in the Sky [dir. Hayao Mayazaki]

2007-10-23T20:48:00.000-07:00

1986, 124 minutse
w/ Anna Paquin [English voice over]
[Inspired to see this film immediately by the following fake Criterion cover made by rottentomatoes.com member JediMoonShyne, I escaped into my sixth world created by Mayazaki and it certainly did not disappoint. The film tells the wonderful story of a young miner who saves a floating princess with a powerful secret. She is being chased by both pirates and "the government" and Mayazaki includes his usual anti-war themes, satirizing a Natzi-like army. The key to the plot is a legendary but thought to be fictional civilization that floats in the sky hence Castle in the Sky, and the picture climaxes when it reaches this environment. This review is pretty much all over the place but forgive me for Miyazaki is simply a genius and this difficult to describe as anything more or less than great. Joe Hisaishi's score is incredible. K go see it.]

***3/4

Chalk (dir. Mike Akel)

2007-10-13T00:01:00.000-07:00

2007, 81 minutes
w/ Troy Schremmer, Janelle Schremmer, Chris Mass
[Films like Chalk remind me why I find cinema so fascinating; movies as tiny as this exist with little to no buzz and no even notable actor/crew member, yet is able to be found and most of all enjoyed by anyone who looks hard enough. While often considered a mockumentary on teachers, I'd prefer to call it a faux-doc with definite satirical themes. As funny and awkward as it can be, Chalk's greatest achievement is presenting four genuinely interesting characters/people that defy cliche you may expect from their appearance or behavior in quiet moments or video diaries at home. Written and directed by real teachers (Akel on both, Mass co-writing and starring as an uber-competitive teacher), Chalk is full of moments that any high school student or teacher of the last fifteen years will immediately recognize and find both hilarious (there are few "LOLz!" but many Seinfeld chuckles) and difficult to watch. The acting by the four leads is fantastic and benefits from their fresh faces. Troy Schremmer manages to steal the show, though, as an awkward, insecure, unsure first year history teacher who finds himself overwhelmed by his rowdy students. The entire film is essentially a string of excellent scenes, but ones that stand out are a Happy Hour hang out that sees the teachers at their loosest, and a newly hired AP chasing down a run-away student through the halls, walkie-talkie in hand. I was especially impressed by a scene I thought was doomed from the start; in a TV-movie last year, The Ron Clark Story, Matthew Perry came up with the idea to rap his lessons to his students so as to try to relate. While it obviously achieved its targeted awkwardness, it wasn't all that believable in execution or in the students' reactions. Near the end of Chalk, a shyer black girl calmy raps as a boy pounds a beat out on his desk, and I was thinking "don't...ask the teacher....to rap." Sure enough, the question came up and Troy Schremmer comes up with an embarrassed, light-hearted half-rap/half-conversation with his students, unpretentious and hard to believe its not real, and then ends without asking any questions. Unfortunately this is only the tip of the iceberg that is Chalk, a short but subjectively rewarding and objectively clever picture that would become a Ron Clark Story or Freedom Writers if handled by Hollywood producers.]

***1/4

Repulsion [dir. Roman Polanski]

2007-10-11T15:52:00.000-07:00

1965, 100 minutes
w/ Catherine Deneuve, Ian Hendry, Yvonne Furneaux
[Considered one of the most daring films put to celluloid, Polanski paints a vivid and horrifying portrait of a sexually repressed tenant played by the beautiful Catherine Deneuve. The film's suspense builds slowly, giving subtle motivation for Deneuve's psycho-sexual problems, namely living with her older sister who has loud, orgasmic sex down the hall when she's trying to sleep. Deneuve has a "boyfriend," but seems to be repulsed (I swear I just got that) by him when he tries to touch her. When her sister goes on a vacation with her man , Deneuve slowly loses it, first through illusions that someone is in/outside the apartment, than eventually that she is being raped (this dipping into insanity is slyly implied when she sits on a bench facing a split in the concrete). She's sent home from her beauty parlor job after "accidentally" cutting a woman's finger while clipping her nails, and this further isolation causes her to spiral out of control with what's real and what's not. She enters a struggle with her mind and these sexual fantasies/nightmares up until the final, quiet conclusion. Deneuve gives a brave performance and Polanski's direction, especially of images, is top notch and drives the film more than anything.]

***1/2

Day Night Day Night (dir. Julia Loktev)

2007-10-10T14:16:00.000-07:00

2007, 92 minutes
w/ Luisa Williams
[Julia Loktev's first feature film is the second best debut I've seen this year next to another female's (Sarah Polley) Away From Her. I've heard Day Night Day Night been called a thriller which is pretty narrow-minded thinking and am more comfortable proclaiming it a minimalist art film, small in scope but large in execution. DNDN follows Luisa Williams' nameless character as she prepares to set off a bomb in Times Square (religious reasons being the only distinct motivation implied), effectively killer herself and others. The first 50 minutes or so is made up of long shots of sleeping, bathing, brushing of teeth and eating pizza with less than a page of dialogue. This is the set up. "She" is released to Times Square for her mission and this is around the time I realized a correlation between the pic and The Passion of Joan of Arc, especially considering the constant shots of our heroine's face. The last 30 to 40 minutes are spent on Times Square, which takes unexpected turns and includes genuinely sweet moments as well as due suspense. SPOILERS FOLLOW: After a long time of stalling and enjoying her thought to be last minutes on Earth, she attempts to set off the bomb in her backpack but the remote control doesn't work, arguably due to a problem in the set up, a time she was hit very hard by a passer by or a rather popular theory that it was all a scam. After a few more attempts she tries to call (what I assume to be) her parents, and from it comes one of the most effortlessly poignant sequences of the year, simply of different NY passersby denying her and offering her a quarter as she desperately tries to garner enough to make another call. Afterwards, there's a hilarious scene where a guy follows her, talking incessantly and flirting while she keeps trying to out walk him for a few blocks. By now, the suspense is off and it becomes clear that the film is following a blueprint of Joan of Arc, as she questions God "why he doesn't want her?" She asks for a sign, and the majority of viewers would agree that the sign is the bomb not blowing up and she's still alive, while it's certainly not my place to judge the thoughts she and those who watched that share her beliefs must have had. Loktev ends on this uncompromising note, with the last close ups of Williams' face and a quiet shot of the city around her. Luisa Williams gives a fearless perf that was necessary for the film's success.]

***1/4

All the President's Men (dir. Alan J. Pakula)

2007-10-09T16:03:00.001-07:00

1976, 139 minutes
w/ Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford, Jason Robards
[The best film about journalism I've ever seen and a blueprint for great movies of late (c) Zodiac and Shattered Glass, Alan J. Pakula's self-removed direction successfully treats the viewers as privileged voyeurs of one of America's most infamous scandals. Loaded with information and respecting the audience's intelligence, President's seems to sprawl as if an epic although it takes place in a short period of time. Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford are perfect in their lead roles and either of them could have been thrown an Oscar nom instead of, say, Sylvester Stallone. Moving on. The ensemble cast disappear into their roles selflessly, and Robards and Jane Alexander at least got supporting nominations (the former winning) for what would seem like thankless perfs. Pakula daringly chooses to go completely without a musical score and often provides a bird's eye view with a few impressive crane/helicopter shots, promoting the documentary feel. Extra applause for Pakula making a pic so soon after the events occurred, before things really got a chance to cool off.]

****

Jaws (dir. Steven Spielberg)

2007-10-09T15:49:00.000-07:00

1975, 124 minutes
w/ Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss, Robert Shaw
[Indeed, this is my first time seeing the film from beginning to end, without TV editing and my parents' censorship. I've never been a super-fan of Spielberg--I think he has a cornucopia (SATs ftw) of great films but have only given two of eight or so a perfect score: Schindler's List and Munich. Well, Jaws makes it three for ol' Spielberg and slides in between the two when ranking his pictures, an important, technically and visually spellbounding suspense thriller. I've sometimes criticized Spielberg for being too "safe" at times and failing to create realistically flawed characters, but he suceeds twofold, opening with some full frontal nudity and molding Richard Dreyfuss into a character that's hard to outright like or dislike. There are a few fantastic tracking and well-executed static shots that Spielberg is skilled at, and the actual shark and underwater photography stand up about 80% today, only seeming overtly unrealistic a few times. John Williams' score is possibly the most famous in cinema history and will probably forever be associated with what lies beneath the oceanic surface. Technically revolutionary and expertly handled storytelling.]

****

Smiley Face (dir. Gregg Araki)

2007-10-08T12:10:00.000-07:00

2007, 82 minutes
w/ Anna Faris, Adam Brody, John Krasinski
[I think there are two reviews for this film that can be written--one sober and the other under the influence (ideally pot but hard alcohol should work)--for this is a film about influenced by marijuana, about marijuana, and most likely made for Mary Jane lovers. I watched it sober, so take that into consideration if planning on saving this for 4.20.08. Araki's tiny new comedy is on the opposite side of the subject matter spectrum as Mysterious Skin, his brilliant '05 indie about the effects of child molestation on two teenagers. Anna Faris, who is probably my #1 retort to complaints that there are no funny women left in movies, stars as a commercial actress who accidentally eats her roommate's pot cupcakes after having already gotten high earlier that morning. Now completely baked and with a laundry list of vital things to do, Faris must navigate her way around and 1. go to an audition 2. make new pot cupcakes 3. make it to Venice to pay her dealer back and so on. Dylan Haggerty's script isn't anything to write home about as it is the Anna Faris show as she once again is able to turn simply decent or even stale lines or scenes into hilarious ones, overacting her mannerisms and jumbling her narration practically artistically. Araki assumably adds techniques specifically for the "target" audience including a wonderful opening credits sequence that probably make the movie too much for select viewers within ten minutes. Sitcom favorites Adam Brody (The O.C.) and John Krasinski (The Office) add great small roles as Faris' dreaded-up drug dealer and her nerdy admirer.]

**1/2

A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints [dir. Dito Montiel]

2007-10-07T14:40:00.000-07:00

2006, 98 minutes [2nd viewing]
w/ Shia LaBeouf, Channing Tatum, Robert Downey Jr.
[While the first time around I found the story and characters to be both affecting and interesting, as well as mostly convincing, I was able to focus on the innovative, experimental direction from the rookie helmer and subject Dito Montiel. He pays homage to the comparative Mean Streets with on screen titles for a few of the characters, as well as techniques such as playing a snippet of future chaos a few minutes before it happens, effectively adding an ominous atmosphere of what's to come. The story itself is nothing shocking or fresh as the Hughes brothers touched on the similar "no way out" mentality of youth in the ghettos in their first two films. LaBeouf carries the heaviest load on his back as young Dito but its surprisingly Channing Tatum, who I hated before seeing this for the first time, who shows serious if not limited potential (including a great scene where he throws a chair through a window in improv). Robert Downey Jr. is pitch perfect as present Dito and its doubtful anyone was better for the part of Dito's father as Chazz Palminteri. The heap of credit goes to Montiel, though, who rather than hire someone else to direct the film for him or seem safe in his approach, pushes the envelope artisitically and personally.]

***1/4

More 2007 Backtracking [Yuma, Away From Her, 300]

2007-10-05T13:03:00.000-07:00

3:10 to Yuma (dir. James Mangold)
2007, 117 minutes
w/ Christian Bale, Russell Crowe, Peter Fonda
[Although I'm guilty of not having seen the original yet, James Mangold's remake of 3:10 to Yuma successfully balances character study and a looming thriller-to-come (with an apt final shootout that satisfied). While Mangold's Walk the Line felt like a cut-and-paste formula of the musical biopic, he appears more artistically confident in this follow-up and has produced the better of the two major westerns this decade (The Proposition being the other) and elevates excitement for the coup of others recently and soon to be released this year (Western revival > Musical revival). The character "types" are simple enough; Good laborer Christian Bale and ruthless (nonetheless charismatic) killer Russell Crowe, but its in the conversations between the two and peaks into their lives that explain over time each man's motive for his refusal to give up (Bale escorting Crowe to be hanged, Crowe escaping). Bale and Crowe both give thanklessly sound performances that won't receive reward recognition but at least add more material to their resumes, Bale's especially as he remains Hollywood's best young actor without an Oscar nom. Phedon Papamichael's photography is beautiful and shines in the final twenty minutes.]

***1/2

Away From Her (dir. Sarah Polley)
2007, 110 minutes
w/ Gordon Pinsent, Julie Christie, Olympia Dukakis
[28-year old Sarah Polley immediately establishes herself as one the most prolific new directors of her country (Canada) and gender with a picture that most 50-year old directors lack the maturity or grace to helm. Approaching subject matter that has become very much relevant in society but generally ignored in films--who wants to watch old people...?--Polley adapts the Alzheimer-based Alice Munro short story humbly and effortlessly with a pair of the year's best perfs from the still beautiful Julie Christie and overlooked Gordon Pinsent. When the latter is stubbornly forced to insert his accepting wife (Christie) into an Alzheimer's special retirement home, he has a difficult time accepting not living with her anymore. After their initial, mandatory month of separation, Pinsent visits his wife only to find she has fallen in love with a mute patient (Michael Murphy) and occasionally doesn't even remember Pinsent. Polley plays with time in a manner reminiscent of Atom Egoyan's Exotica and The Sweet Hereafter (she had parts in both). She also deserves credit for fearlessly including short, inexplicit sex scenes among the aging couples, something she could have stayed away from or approached over-ironically. While I've not seen much competition, Jule Christie has the best thus far and will probably end up in my top five leading female perfs of the year, heart breaking and irritating. Pinsent carries most of the film's emotional baggage on his shoulders and does so naturally and believably, acting with his eyes as well as anyone. Olympia Dukakis and Murphy impress in their supporting roles as well, Polley truly gets the best out of everyone in and out of the pic.]

****

300 [dir. Zack Snyder]
2007, 117 minutes
w/ Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, David Wenham
[300 is a silly, pretentious "historical epic" that takes itself way too seriously to the point where it can't even be thoroughly enjoyed with the brain turned off. Special effects excite about as long as a new video game's opening titles do, and I wanted to press START and skip them by the third fight scene. Butler's excessive screams are unintentionally campy and the subplot involving Lena Headey's rape so boringly stupid that it seems like they filmed six hours worth of battle scenes and threw the script/"plot" together in a few hours, figuring auds were coming to see Butler tear people's heads off not history. They were right, but that's where the movie's flaws appear in bunches and 45 minutes through I was the most bored I'd ever been in a film of this type. Nothing I loved about Dawn of the Dead ('04) was present here which is truly disappointing as its one of the most fun pics of the last few years. And uh wtf@Xerxes, but I'm already too bored with this review to get into that.]

*

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (dir. Michel Gondry)

2007-10-04T21:03:00.000-07:00

2004, 108 minutes [2nd viewing]
w/ Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Mark Ruffalo
[Having not seen it in nearly two years I felt an impulse to put it in and see if it still holds up to my great memory of it. Well, it wasn't exactly as I remembered it--it was better. In fact, it's flawless and easily one of the best and the most creative romantic films of all time, on the level of Annie Hall, Brief Encounter and Before Sunrise. Charlie Kaufman is the most profound, innovative screenwriter I've ever had the joy of watch the films of and at this point in his career Eternal Sunshine is his masterpiece. Michel Gondry deserves as much credit for his incredible direction which includes mind-blowing camerawork and a visual feast of colors and dream sequences. The basic plot, which artist Pierre Bismuth came up with the roots for, is a girl (Kate Winslet) erases her boyfriend (Jim Carrey) from her memory. Carrey finds out and has her erased, but during the procedure realizes he still loves her and tries frantically to corrupt the operation so he doesn't forget her forever-effectively ending their relationship without either knowing better. The chemistry between Winslet and Carrey is perfect and Winslet should have won the Best Actress Oscar unanimously, and Carrey at least should have been nominated. But one can only complain about AMPAS's obvious mediocrity so long, so moving on, while ESotSM could have been great with the Carrey-Winslet story alone, Kaufman writes a subplot among characters that include Mark Ruffalo, Kirsten Dunst, Elijah Wood and Tom Wilkinson. Gondry switches back and forth between the past, present and surreal as well as separate narrative with such ease that it's hard to believe this is his first major picture. The musical score is perfect. I can only describe so few reasons why everyone should see Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind but this second viewing assures it a place on my own favorite films of all time list.]

****

Night of the Living Dead (dir. by George Romero)

2007-10-04T14:46:00.000-07:00

1968, 90 minutse
w/ Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea, Karl Hardman
[The perfect way to start off my month of horror films, Night remains one of the most influential horror films ever made and the zombie sub-genre that has become so popular these days owes it all to this B&W picture shot on a shoe-string budget that makes The Evil Dead's effects seem elegant. Pratically shot in and around a single house, Romero makes effective use of claustraphobic environment and the hostilities that arise from people in peril. The acting varies from irritatingly bad (Judith O'Dea) to adequately convincing (Duane Jones) but is expected from amateur actors in a risky project. Almost everything in the pic is a downsized version of what Romero did in Dawn of the Dead, but it still provides its gross outs (the eating of human flesh especially) and bleak suspense. Romero should be especially applauded for shying away from an audience-friendly conclusion but rather provides a chillingly cynical finish.]

***1/2

Recapping 2007 So Far [Zodiac, Vacancy, The Ten]

2007-10-04T12:58:00.000-07:00

Zodiac (dir. by David Fincher)
2007, 158 minutes
w/ Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo
[Fincher's return to form non-fiction thriller was the first film I saw of the new year and nine months later holds that spot. A sprawling, long but well-paced crime investigation that stuffs in barrells of information and periodic scenes of genuinely creepy atmosphere. Jake Gyllenhaal stars and gives an effortless turn while Robert Downey Jr. provides comic relief and Mark Ruffalo expands upon his similar role in Collateral. Pic covers over three decades and while Gyllenhaal doesn't exactly age convincingly, it's hardly thought of as Fincher returns us to scenes of the Zodiac killer's murders and suspenseful snooping trips by Gyllenhaal (a scene towards the end in a creaky cellar is creepier than anything else this year...) and never in the least strays towards crowd-pleasing exaggeration or propaganda techniques. Fincher's best and most complete work to date without having seen Alien 3.]

****

Vacancy (dir. by Nimrod Antal)
2007, 80 minutes
w/ Luke Wilson, Kate Beckinsale, Frank Whaley
[Despite good, Hitchcockesque intentions and a fresh step away from recent horrors that rely on gore rather than suspense, Vacancy adds nothing to the genre and leaves little to be remembered. Still, before it seems I'm trashing the film, it has thirty minutes or so of honest suspense and doesn't overstay its welcome. Neither Wilson or Beckinsale seem completely comfortable with their dialogue and by the time the annoying opening ten minutes of bickering is through, you can't wait for some havoc to be wreaked upon them. Vacancy quickly becomes a chase pic with only a few annoying contrivances (involving backup cops or lackthereof...), but then soon ends and the credits roll and while you got your few scares, its forgotten and ultimately not too impressive. ]

*1/2

The Ten (dir. by David Wain)
2007, 93 minutes
w/ Winona Ryder, Paul Rudd, Gretchen Mol
[Disappointingly uneven comedy with ten short comedic episodes based on each of the Ten Commandments from a couple minds behind TV programs (a personal favorite) The State and (one I've never seen) Stella. The film starts off well with Adam Brody being stuck in the ground from a parachuting accident and becoming a star, which pokes fun at a lot of reality shows and magazines and is followed by a Gretchen Mol trip to Mexico where she falls in love with Jesus (funny perf from Justin Theroux). The film unfortunately doesn't keep this consistency and has more than one absolutely horrendous takes that are cringe-worthy (Oliver Platt's Ah-nold and Ken Marino's one joke "I made a goof..." in particular). Winona Ryder's long love scenes with a ventriloquist dummy are probably the climax (pun not..) as she continues her nice little comeback. The movie's worst offense are the embarrassingly written interludes between commandments hosted by Paul Rudd, who is as inversely funny as he was in Knocked Up, babbling on and on to the audience for way too long. Also why the hell was Michael Ian Black so underused, easily the funniest person involved in this project and he only got one, creepy but meh scene.]

**

The General (dir. Buster Keaton & Clyde Bruckman)

2007-10-03T14:47:00.000-07:00

1927, 107 minutes
w/ Buster Keaton, Marion Mack
[Probably the most critically acclaimed American silent film in history The General sets itself apart from similar silent comedies City Lights and Duck Soup with its impressive stunts and Keaton's lack of self-indulgence that sometimes makes the Marx bros. and Chaplin a bit unlikable. Essentially a chase movie set in the backdrop of the Civil War, Keaton is turned down to become a Confederate soldier but goes off to fight the war to impress his crush (Marion Mack), who is eventually kidnapped herself. Keaton risks his life many times throughout the picture, messing around with train wheels and cannons without ever showing any sign of doubt. Great tongue-in-cheek humor throughout including a great scene where Keaton finds himself trapped underneath a meeting table in a Union captain's HQ. The best silent comedy and perhaps favorite film of the '20s.]

****

School Daze [dir. Spike Lee)

2007-10-02T15:43:00.000-07:00

121 minutes, 1988
w/ Laurence Fishburne, Giancarlo Esposito, Spike Lee
[Lee's sophomore effort is a surprisingly wonderful spectacle with incredible musical numbers ("Good and Bad Hair" especially) and intriguing black philosophy that simply suffers in tying everything together and developing particular concepts. About three minutes in, Giancarlo Esposito's fraternity G Fi G interrupts up a rally to support Africa led by Laurence Fishburne. Spike Lee and four other pending members of G Fi G crawl onto the scene in silver elbow pads and costumes, chanting as Esposito acts as drill sargeant. This kind of thing had never been put to screen before, and still hardly has, and is reason enough for me to like it. Pic strays back and forth throughout as both a comedy and a drama as different students consider their worth as black men and women, and while there are no white people in the entire movie, a light vs. dark skinned battle rages among the women. Samuel L. Jackson makes a memorable cameo as a jheri curled dropout who forces Fishburne and his friends to wonder whether college has them trying to be someone they're not. Deep perf from Fishburne, hilarious turn by Esposito and Tisha Campbell (My Wife and Kids) shines in the musical numbers.]

***1/4

2007-10-01T21:23:00.001-07:00

Film/Album Rating System:
**** [Mind-blowing to Masterpiece]
***.5 [Excellent to Incredible]
*** [Impressive to Great]
**.5 [Solid to Good]
** [Legitimately Contrived]
*.5 [Awful to Unimpressive]
* [Terrible]
.5 [Nearly Worthless]
No Stars [Complete Piece of Shit]

The Last Tycoon [dir. Elia Kazan]

2007-10-01T20:59:00.000-07:00

123 minutes, 1976
w/ Robert De Niro, Theresa Russell, Robert Mitchum
[The only film legendary director Elia Kazan admitted to make soley for the money, The Last Tycoon is a nearly pointless adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's unfinished novel. Film suffers from uninspired direction and Harold Pinter's script that rushes into the love story and eliminates the key first person narrative of Theresa Russell's character. Robert De Niro acts as an innocent bystander in the mess, making the most of his performance with what he's given. Whoever cast Ingrid Boulting as Kathleen Moore most likely lost their job as she gives a terribly self-conscious, wooden performance that takes away everything mysterious and insteresting about her character. A star cast of underused actors, especially Jeanne Moreau and Tony Curtis, who star in a movie inside the movie [which was considerably more intriguing than the "actual film...]. The last twenty minutes are the best thanks to a much needed spark from Jack Nicholson as a Communist who brings out the worst in De Niro's Martin Stahr. Russell and Mitchum also deserve props for solid perfs despite absense of a quality script or direction.]

*/****