A Serious Man by The Coen Brothers

Some people throw around the word genius a little too freely when it comes to the brothers Coen. They have had their hits and their misses for every No Country for Old Men or Fargo is a Ladykillers or Burn After Reading. The Coen Brothers, regardless of any flops, have indelibly left their mark on filmmaking and it is in 2009 that they offer up their most personal, and brilliant work to date. A Serious Man follows Larry Gopnik, a very serious jewish man, as his life crumbles before him. His wife is leaving him for his best friend who also attempts to console him, his son smokes pot, and his daughter is saving money up for a nose job. At work he is being bribed by a student to bring his grade up and blackmailed by him at the same time, meanwhile he is up for tenure. The whole film plays like a modern rendition of the book of Job in the bible. What is wonderful is that this film is filled with all the dark humor of Fargo and all the serious ambiguities of No Country for Old Men, while offering us what is probably the closest glimpse at the childhood of the Coens as we are ever going to get. This film is hard to write about as it is so wonderful on the strengths of its writing that all of the other elements, all top notch, seem to fall in line with the greatness of the words. Then there is the ending, oy vey what an ending. This film has perhaps one of my favorite endings of the year if not the best one. This film struck me in a way that for the next week coming I just couldn't shake it. If you live in chicago the Landmark is still playing it, grab a friend and go see the best work the brothers have made yet.

Up in the Air by Jason Reitman

Jason Reitman is one of the most intelligent people working in mainstream Hollywood today. He is a man who knows how to get a movie made, give it some style, some brains, some meaning, some quirk, and still get everyone to see it. This year he returns to the screen after his oscar nominated Juno with Up in the Air. Up in the Air is about Ryan Bingham (George Clooney), a man who is paid to travel the country to fire people on behalf of their bosses. He loves his job, he loves the idea of reaching a magic number of frequent flyer miles, he loves living up in the air with nothing to tie him down. This is all threatened when the intelligent Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick) walks into his life with a plan to keep everyone at home and fire people online. Ryan takes Natalie under his wing to show her why he does what he does. Along the way he meets Alex (Vera Farmiga) who lives a life identical to his, and he sees in her a kindred spirit. The film is intercut with real peoples reactions to getting fired. This all plays well, in fact from the cold clinical technical aspect Up in the Air is a flawless film. It has the best performance of Clooney's career, though it seems as though he is just playing himself. Its screenplay is witty without the quirkiness of Juno, and smooth like butter. The movie has the sheen of a new car, it is sleek, stylish, and everything you could expect, except one thing. For all its perfection Up in the Air seems to miss out entirely on heart. Sure there are scenes meant to redeem the cold life of Ryan, but they are too small, too late, and little proof of any change, and by the end you aren't really sure what to feel besides a little bit of a chill. This movie came out right at the right time as our economy aches and people lose their jobs everyday, and it never preaches which is a wise thing, but I have to wonder what is the staying power of such a movie? Who will care about this movie ten years from now when things don't suck as much (we hope)? Is Ryan's arch as a character enough for the film to stand alone outside of social circumstance? I cannot say, only time will tell, but for me this movie hardly stands up for this years let alone years to come.

(Current Song: Lenin by The Arcade Fire)

A Single Man by Tom Ford

Debut films are always exciting prospects, but typically they come from within the industry or from an indie filmmaker trying to make his way, but not here. Here we have fashion tycoon Tom Ford debuting as auteur. And what a debut it is. A Single Man traces one day in the life of a gay man whose lover of 16 years died in a car crash months prior, and this man's intent to kill himself at day's end. The plot is a pretty simple one, what is not simple is, basically, everything else. Colin Firth plays George Falconer, the single man, with such an intensity that he blows all other performances this year out of the water. George is a man of porcelain, he spends each morning putting on his facade, putting on the person he shows to the world. Inside George is aching and lonely, he searches for life and purpose. The only thing he has is his best friend Charlotte. Charlie, as he calls her, is an alcoholic ex-wife of some man, she lives from drink to drink in the same sadness as George, and desires him more than anything else. Julianne Moore slips into the role of Charlie in a way reminiscent of her gold digging wife in Magnolia, in the same way as then she reaches down into her soul to find the despair that rests inside of Charlie's eyes. George, who is a professor of literature, also has a young man in his class who sees him as a kindred spirit and wants George as more than just a teacher. This young man is play by Nicholas Hoult with such a grace and charm that saves this character from slipping into what could easily be a creepy role. So in many ways A Single Man is an actors film, it is certainly Firth's career best, but it is also Ford's film. Each frame is filled with such lush detail, such exquisite design, each character so fashionable and beautiful it hardly seems to be reality. While some critics have faulted the design of the film, I view it as a great credit to the film, after all art is meant to be a heightened reality, if it all looked and felt exactly as we see it then seeing movies would be more chore than joy. A Single Man is filled with so much pure visual beauty I don't understand how you could fault it for that. But forget the detailed design, the virtuoso cinematography, the moving score, and it all comes back to story and character. This film is a sad one, perhaps this year's best tragedy, but it is such a moving tragedy. It is a film full of ache and yet relief, so full of pain, and yet pleasure, the whole film is about finding those moments of joy inside a lifetime of sadness, a lesson we all could learn.

(Currently Song: Mescaline by Abel Korzeniowski)

Where the Wild Things Are by Spike Jonze

So here we are at the end of 2009 and I have been a terrible writer, but thankfully the masses don't care about this silly thing. Anywho. This year marked a slew of wonderfully quirky and audacious films, not the least of which was Spike Jonze's masterful Where the Wild Things Are. In adapting Maurice Sendak's beloved children's book Jonze had a lot of responsibility. Not only did he have to create a good film, as all directors are charged to, but make it one that expanded the minute book into a big screen adaptation that was true to the heart of the magic of the book. In my eyes he has done it. Where the Wild Things Are is in itself a very wild thing. With little traditional narrative Jonze has instead chosen to allow the film to just be which is part of the wonder of it. It walks with Max, the wildest of all wild things, as he learns about the pains of leaving childhood. It is big and loud when he is and small and tender when he is. It swings on every whim of his emotions, which are plentiful. There is never a rush to a big climax and you never feel like you are being set up for something bigger to come, instead you are allowed to gaze with wonder as you remember those feelings. What separates this film from other "childrens" films is it doesnt dwell on only happiness in childhood, it also reminds you that you cried as a kid and you hurt and you understood a whole lot more than childrens movies typically think children do. The film is accompanied by Karen O's perfect soundtrack that is one of the more genius soundtracks/scores I've heard, maybe up there with Johnny Greenwood's for There Will Be Blood. This film is a spirited hymn to those days long past and to the wonder of imagination.

(Current Song: All is Love by Karen O and the Kids)

Re-starting the blog.

Welcome back to the movie blog. I am sorry for ever leaving it. Whether or not anyone reads this doesn't matter as I just need an outlet for my thoughts. So welcome for any readers out there and enjoy.

Sun Sessions

Just to change things up a bit, here is a video called Sun Sessions by a junior film major at columbia college. It is quite good.


Sun Sessions from Eddie O'Keefe on Vimeo.

Breakfast at Tiffany's

Walking into Breakfast at Tiffany's I was curious. From the DVD case to the old trailer for it I just could not understand how this movie was often considered one of the film greats. From My Fair Lady I didn't know why everyone was so furiously in love with Audrey Hepburn, and I sure was not keen on the idea of watching a movie about a woman in love with money. Yet I watched it, and yes I am glad I did. What a delightful package this movie is. Audrey Hepburn is splendid as Holly Golightly a woman in love with money only because she has never had enough to support herself and in love with no one because she has never found anyone to belong to. As her couterweight George Peppard as the level headed Paul is strong and loving. Both are caught in lives that most anyone would consider immoral, Holly is a high class call girl and Paul is kept man. Oh yeah, Paul is a writer as well. The story is thin because it is so much about the characters. Watching Holly and Paul develop together is the marvel of the movie as neither are conventional stereotypes typical of romances in movies, but real breathing people who make wrong choices and live with them and on occasion make the right ones. This film ranks as one of the best romances, it is not ravishing or high flying, but quaint, cute and dazzling. If Casablanca is the great romantic epic then this is the great romantic comedy.

Where the Wild Things Are trailer

Movies that Define Cinema: The Lord of the Rings trilogy by Peter Jackson

My choice to do a movie, or movies, so recently made as a movie that defines cinema might be controversial to some, thought not like many read my blog. Regardless of the date of the making of these movies I feel it cannot be denied that this trilogy alone has defined visual storytelling as well as the Hollywood epic. Most of you know the story of the one ring by now and the quest of Frodo the hobbit to destroy it if not from the movie than from the books. So I will not focus on the narrative but rather on the filmmaking itself. Our introduction to Middle-earth comes to us in the first film through a narrative by Galadriel of the woodland elves. The narrative is brief, beautiful, and haunting. It is filled with images of grandeur and terror as the ring controls Isuldur and we see his dead body floating. From there we are given beautiful scenery in the land of the hobbits, the Shire, a heretofore unprecedentedly real, lush, and believable habitat for the curiously delightful hobbits. We go on to see the waterfall paradise of Rivendell, the eyepopping splendor of Galadriel's kingdom. We see giant statues from an older age of men. We see ruins from past ages. The grand fortress of Helm's Deep, the white city of Minas Tirith, the desolation of Osgiliath, the spire of Isengard, the entire land of Mordor is spectacle to behold. The key here, the dominating factor is that these places do not feel like sets, but instead feel like lands that have been walked and lived in by men who cease to exist which even the best true historical epics fail to do. Notice in Gladiator how false the Colosseum and all of Rome feel compared to the raw feel of Edoras or even Minas Tirith, the cities and lands feel real, feel old, feel as enchanted as we are led to believe. Outside of the mere sets are the effects used in the movie, how wise Jackson was in his use of effects. Here is a director who has used special effects in total aid of the film and medium of visual storytelling. We never feel as though we are watching a ton of CGI creatures, but rather a living breathing world. Consider for instance the Battle of Helm's Deep, a huge setpiece battle in the movie filled to the brim with CGI but tell me where it is, tell me where for sure you literally see it. Beautiful. And then there is the spectacle. Lord of the Rings is full of moments of such sheer awe as to have never been seen before in movies such as the moment at the end of the aforementioned battle as the sun rises and Gandalf appears at the top of the mountain, his white robe and stallion glowing. Listen as the music turns and Gandalf rides as hundreds of troops follow him. This is perhaps one of the most visually glorious scenes ever put to the screen, tell me your hair didn't stand on the back of your neck or that your eyes didn't water. There are many moments like that, but the real balance is the movie never feels heavy handed in its need for the spectacle, it fits right in. Now let us talk a small bit about the characters. Here is truly a battle of good and evil, the good guys are noble and just and the bad guys have no reason to deserve life. While in some regards this is a simplstic view of the world, it works as a powerful allegory of light versus the darkness and good versus evil. I cannot recall a character more noble than Aragorn, more wise and merciful than Gandalf, more spirited and full of good than the hobbits. On the other hand the orcs are driven by nothing but evil, there is no good in them. Not even the most terrible murderer can be said to be as evil as these creatures are; watch as they kill and eat one of their own. Then we have Sam, Frodo, and Gollum. These three characters represent the emotional weight. Yes the other parts are emotional and beautiful and grand, but without knowing the war that wages in Frodo there wouldn't be as much worth in the story being told. Frodo rests in the only gray area of the movie. He is a hobbit driven by his desire to do what will save all of middle-earth, but the ring he bears is killing him, tearing him down. On one side of him is Sam who no one could ask for a better friend, and on the other Gollum who is not evil, but is controlled by it no matter how far he seems to free himself from it. There is a seen of tenderness that is one of the most beautiful exchanges of friendship when Sam asks Frodo is he will ever be in books and little hobbits will ask "can we hear the story of Frodo and the ring?" To which Frodo responds "I wanna hear about Sam, Frodo wouldn't have made it far without Sam." You know the moment. There is so much to write about why this movie defines cinema, but I think you get the picture.

The No Holds Barred March Madness Oscar Predictions

These are my predictions that have absolutely no real predictive ability for the Oscars which are almost a full year from now so these are little bit my hopes for movies and a little of what I expect.

BEST PICTURE and DIRECTOR
Nine by Rob Marshall
The Lovely Bones by Peter Jackson
Taking Woodstock by Ang Lee
The Human Factor by Clint Eastwood
The Road by John Hillcoat

The Alternatives:
(500) Days of Summer by Marc Webb
Away We Go by Sam Mendes
Where the Wild Things Are by Spike Jonze
Shutter Island by Martin Scorcese
The Boat that Rocked by Richard Curtis

BEST ACTOR
Daniel Day-Lewis- Nine
Viggo Mortensen- The Road
Joseph Gordon-Levitt- (500) Days of Summer
Peter Sarsgaard- An Education
Leonard DiCaprio-Shutter Island

BEST ACTRESS
Michelle Pfeiffer- Cheri
Meryl Streep- Julie and Julia
Hilary Swank- Amelia
Someone from the cast of Nine
Maya Rudolph- Away We Go

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Jackie Earle Haley-Watchmen
Bill Nighy- The Boat That Rocked
Jude Law- Sherlock Holmes
Phillip Baker Hall- All Good Things
Christian Bale-Public Enemies

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams- Julie and Julia
Someone from Nine
Mo'Nique- Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire
Rachel Weisz-The Lovely Bones
Someone else from Nine

SCREENPLAY: ORIGINAL
Away We Go
(500) Days of Summer
The Boat That Rocked
An Education
Up

SCREENPLAY: ADAPTED
Taking Woodstock
The Lovely Bones
The Road
Where the Wild Things Are
Nine

There it is, have fun.

Watchmen by Zack Snyder

Anyone who has ever seen a superhero movie, wanted to be a superhero, thought about the word superhero, and or heard words "super" or "hero" in the same vicinity needs to see this movie. Watchmen directed by Zach Snyder of 300 fame is a glorious celebration of the visual medium of film and storytelling. I believe Snyder is one of the people who remembers that while film should tell a story it is also a visual medium for a reason. So with that let us contemplate the entire rain drenched world that the heroes of Watchmen inhabit. Every store front and lot was created by set designers, the owl ship an entirely real object crafted by the set designers, all the costume storage areas, the comedian's apartment, the arctic base at the end, everything was a real set. Very little green screen here. Many like to criticize Snyder's use of the slo-mo but it is truly used with consideration here, the color palette is purposeful and spot on. A visual feast some might consider this movie.
In terms of the story and the characters we see each one of them on their own terms, each character is so skillfully and lovingly crafted into individuals, not like X-men where we only get smatterings of origins and individuality over three films. The story is intact and relevant to today when the country rallies behind a heroic leader like the people of this alternate history rallied around Nixon who won Vietnam with the utilization of Dr. Manhattan. Dr. Manhattan is given perhaps the best part of the movie, his origin story is one of great power and sadness, a man who has become a god no longer relates to the world that he was once so much a part of. Nite Owl is a pudgy man out of work too long who cannot get an erection with a costume on, he is played perfectly by Patrick Wilson and then there is Malin Akerman who plays Laurie aka Silk Spectre is great in her role as a woman defined by her sexuality and her mother. Matthew Goode is good, not spectacular, but good and cold in his role as Ozymandias the world's smartest man. Then there is Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach and Jeffrey Dean Morgan as The Comedian, these two men run the show along with Billy Crudup as Dr. Manhattan. Haley embodies an anger and hurt so deep in his character it is an astounding performance from the oscar nominee and Morgan solidifies his ability to rule the screen every time he is present.
This movie is a movie of extreme intelligence, moments of humor, great action, and a lot of ideas. Who gives these people the power to decide justice, what does being a superhero do to you and your sexuality, what happens to the mistakes me make, are doomed people, what is a miracle, is life such a phenomenon as we think?
I could write so much, but I have tried to filter my barrage of thoughts into something hopefully coherent. This is the best superhero movie ever made, and unlike batman which seems ashamed of its comic origins Watchmen wears it proud only to kill the idea of the superhero. Thank you Zach Snyder.

Y Tu Mama Tambien by Alfonso Cuaron

From The Little Princess to Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban to Children of Men Alfonso Cuaron has proved time and again he is a visionary that knows no bounds and here in Y Tu Mama Tambien, considered by many his masterpiece, he paints an picture of such electric eroticism and beauty it is hard not to envy his vision. Y Tu Mama Tambien is about two boys Julio and Tenoch who during a summer when their girlfriends went to Italy decided to take a road trip with the beautiful but older and married Luisa. Luisa has decided to go on this trip because her husband is cheating on her. What happens in the consequent time is a lot of talk of sex, acting on sexual impulses, and learning about sexuality. There is a lot of graphic sex so viewer discretion is advised, but as in all movies that use sex well the sex is portrayed as part of a broken world in the broken minds of two very sexual teenage boys. Yet the movie, for all it's sex, is not about sex, it is about growing up, finding life, and finding freedom. How, you ask, does this come from a whole bunch of sex? I cannot explain it, but it does happen and beautifully so. The ending is one of great power and great sadness, a good ending is the sign of a good movie in most cases, and here it is the sign of a unique one, one that dares to go where you never dream it can. As a quick end note I still believe Children of Men to be his best and one of the most important movies of the past 5-10 years.

Movies That Define Cinema: Francois Truffaut's The 400 Blows

In 1959 a man by the name of Francois Truffaut was paving the way for the future of filmmaking with this masterpiece. The 400 Blows is about a boy name Antoine Doinel who has been put upon by society. He is a young boy who is trapped in the machine with two parents who can't handle him, teachers who hate their students, and no direction but to become another cog. Yet Doinel wants out and he sure tries. The triumph of the movie is that it is mostly improv scripting, Truffaut set up the scene but let the actors create the dialogue. They create people who are real because they aren't confined by someone else's words, they are the characters they portray. The camera moves and tells as much of the story as the characters do which is a sign of the french new wave of filmmaking. The camera casts everyone in shadow except Doinel, the only one who seems to know what he is doing. It is a movie of great experimentation and while there isn't really a driving force in the plot, it is one of the most engaging films because of its ingenuity right down to the ending. The ending is very much a part of the new wave, and ending with no resolution, at least not in the normal sense. It is an ending of poetry and beauty that hadn't even been seen prior. Since then we've seen this style of ending in such films as The Squid and the Whale by Noah Baumbach or The Graduate or Children of Men, all are variations of the ending but in the same vein. Truly a landmark film any aficionado must see.

Best Picture

Slumdog Millionaire WOOT!!!!

Best Actor

Sean Penn-Milk

Best Actress

Kate Winslet-The Reader

Best Director

Danny Boyle-Slumdog Millionaire

Best Foreign Langauge Film

Departures.....no award for Waltz with Bashir

Best Original Song

A.R. Rahman-Jai-ho

Best Original Score

A. R. Rahman-Slumdog Millionaire

Best Film Editing

Slumdog Millionaire

Best Sound Mixing

Slumdog Millionaire

Best Sound Editing

The Dark Knight

Best Visual Effects

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Visual Effects

Best Documentary Short

Smile Pinki

Best Documentary Feature

Man on Wire

Best Supporting Actor

Heath Ledger- The Dark Knight

Best Live Action Short Film

Speilzeugland (Toyland)

Best Cinematography

Anthony Dod Mantle-Slumdog Millionaire

Best Makeup

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Best Costume Design

The Duchess

Best Art Direction

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Best Animated Short Film

La Maison En Petite Cubes

Best Animated Feautre Film

WALL-E

Best Adapted Screenplay

Simon Beaufoy- Slumdog Millionaire

Best Original Screenplay

Dustin Lance Black-Milk

Best Supporting Actress

Penelope Cruz-Vicky Cristina Barcelona

One Hour Till Showtime

One hour left people, and for those of you who cannot watch the oscars this blog is here for you...I will be covering the oscars live.

Why We Watch: An Essay on Film by Daniel Little

Frodo:I can’t do this, Sam.
Sam:I know… by rights we shouldn’t even be here. But we are. It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo, the ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn’t want to know the end, because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But, in the end, it’s only a passing thing… a shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come, and when the sun shines, it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you; that meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folks in those stories had lots of chances to turn back, only they didn’t. They kept going, because they were holding on to something.
Frodo:What are we holding on to, Sam?
Sam:That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it’s worth fighting for.
-The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

In times like these why do we go to the movies? When our pockets are empty and our houses foreclosed on, what good can come from a movie? Many will argue that nothing can be gotten from a movie, it is merely a story, an escape. Yet there has to be something deeper and bigger, there has to be a reason the film industry has stood the test of time, that a movie like The Dark Knight can have people returning to theaters twice, three times, or even four times. It is because film speaks to the soul when it is done right.
We watch movies because we remember how our hearts broke in Casablanca when Rick let Ilsa go, how badly we wanted her to stay, to not get on that plane. Yet we knew she would, we watched and wanted to scream out, to plead Rick's love to her and reclaim her. It isn't because this movie is pure escape, its because it resonates in our heart the need to know that love can conquer anything. Casablanca isn't pure popcorn fodder, but rather a masterwork, it is Picasso's Guernica or Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury.
We watch movies because we remember how badly we cheered for the freedom of the Von Trapp family in The Sound of Music or for the human triumph of Oskar Schindler. We remember the endless battle of McMurphy against the evil Nurse Ratched. We watch because film reminds what it means to be human, to feel, to live, to fight. It reminds there is some good in the world and it's worth fighting for. We watch to see Sam Gamgee carry Frodo Baggins up the side of Mt. Doom after spending nine, heart gripping hours with them.
Sure there are movies that show darkness, but we watch because they teach us. They teach us of the traps of Suburbia, the foulness of government oppression, and dangers of separation. We learn to acknowledge our prison's, and how to break through them. And, truth be told, they show us who we are on the inside, the deep dark part of us we show no one.
And yes, sometimes we watch them to escape. We escape into them as many escape into La Grande Jatte's sunday afternoon as painted by Georges Seurat. We watch with engaged fascination as street gangs dance and sing and fight, we watch as a female assassin gets revenge on the man she loves. We cannot help but be enraptured by worlds that need no cops, but have masked crusaders.
The world of film is a great expanse of imagination, it is a world of life and ingenuity. Sure there is a lot of garbage to sift through, but when you find a pearl it can speak volumes into you like a great song or a caring friend or a sensuous sonnet. Film is a language we can all speak. It unites us in times like these.

Quick Review: Doubt by John Patrick Shanley

None will argue that this year has been a slow year for movies as it has, however through the rough a few good and some great films have come forward. Doubt, I believe, is one of the great films. While Doubt isn't breaking a whole lot of ground in terms of filmmaking or storytelling it is a well told story with four incredible performances. That is what this movie is about, the performances. It is rare that every single main performance is matched by the high caliber of the others, but this is the case in Doubt. Meryl Streep playing Sister Aloysius as an overbearing crow of a nun is delightful, she is powerful, believable, and at times, few they may be, vulnerable. It isn't much to mention her ability in acting as she always comes through. The same can be said of Phillip Seymour Hoffman who never ceases to impress and continues a beautiful resume here as the head priest Father Flynn. It is, in my opinion, the two supporting roles that are the true victors. Amy Adams as Sister James is another oscar worthy performance, Adams has continually impressed since Junebug even in her tamer fare, but here she is a woman grounded in good-spirit and love who is losing her spirit to a woman with a heart as hard as stone. She is gripping and loveable is perfect in her supporting role as she always leaves the screen for Streep and Hoffman to rule. The final role, the key role, the emotional crux of the entire movie and probably the single best performance I have seen this year is in the 5, 10, 15, 20 minute screen presence of Viola Davis. Davis as the mother of the boy Father Flynn is said to have inappropriate relations with is heartbreaking. Her scene is short, it is where Sister Aloysius informs her of her suspicions, that is it and yet from the moment I saw the trailer it was her tiny glimpse in the trailer that made me want to see this film. It is hard to describe her performance in superlatives as there are many tiny pieces to a very full character she creates from the slight movements of eyebrows to her eye movements, body gestures, tone, when she cries, how much she cries. It is astounding to watch such oomph come from so small a role. Overall Doubt is a great work of performance storytelling, it is about the people not the story, and in terms of the actors it is like watching gladiators fight a fight where only one can triumph but all are able.

Movies That Define Cinema: Alfred Hitchcock's Notorious

Many movies can be used to define Hitchcock, who in himself defines suspense, but I feel it is Notorious that is one his more deft and subtle pictures. We are given two great actors in Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant as Alicia and Devlin. Alicia is a woman who gets caught up in a U.S. investigation into a man by the name of Alexander Sebastian, she is asked by Devlin to seduce this man and find out his secrets. Yet Alicia loves Devlin and Devlin, sometimes, loves Alicia but has a hard time loving a woman who would do what she does with Sebastian. Then there is Sebastian the bad guy who we feel for immensely because he truly loves Alicia, but is being played by her. Through just this web of love and deceit we see Hitchcock painting with broad strokes a film as much about love and desire as it is about suspense, and there is great suspense. From the moment Alicia begins her affair with Sebastian the viewer is on edge as to how all of this will play out as Devlin turns cold to her and she walks a thin line. Storytelling as only a master could tell it. Yet one cannot watch Hitchcock and not be amazed with his camera work. There is one beautiful scene at the beginning before we meet Devlin that takes place at party. Devlin sits in the foreground, back to the camera as we watch Alicia flirt and engage with the party it is almost as though the camera pivots around this shadowy figure signifying his importance without even showing his face. There is another striking sequence in which Alicia suffering a hangover wakes up shrouded in shadow, confused as she listens to Devlin speak to her. He tries to explain her necessity in the mission, and only at the end of the scene when all makes sense is Alicia in full light. The film plays out like only the best suspense can and so I do not want to ruin much only to say the end is one of immense restraint and intelligent thrill. Easier Hitchcock fare like North by Northwest and Psycho are more famous than this one, but truly as one of his earlier works this is the canvas of a master.

Movies That Define Cinema

Over the next month or so I will be covering the films that in my eyes define cinematic genius whether it be by their performances, their direction, art direction, cinematography, directing, editing, storytelling, etc. Stay tuned for some great movies.

Australia

So here we are again with a Baz Luhrman picture. As my avid readers know I adore his last work Moulin Rouge! Luhrman is a true auteur, a man unafraid and unapologetic of his vision. Moreso he is unafraid and unapologetic of critics. Luhrman has face a lot of critical snares on his journey, but in my eyes he has made another work great cinema. The best way to describe Australia is as a sweeping romantic epic in the vain of Old Hollywood, a bygone era where going to movies meant getting away. Luhrman still believes in that. Sure there are messages here about racism and war, but most of all it is a well told story with delightful characters, it has comedy, drama, tears, fears, and something for the kids. It is a movie, like all of Baz's movies, about vision and storytelling. Critics call it conventional and cliche but I am positive that is the point of this movie. Just as Moulin Rouge! was cliche, it is Baz's delight to work in cliche and push it to new creative heights. There isn't much use in explaining the story in detail as once you begin to watch the entire narrative is apparent, but you cannot help but watch it with eye stuffing wonder. Lady Sarah Ashley, played by Kidman who is never better than when directed by Baz, thinks her husband, a ranch owner in Australia is cheating on her so she leaves her easy life in England. She ends up in Australia, husband murdered, she meets the Drover (Hugh Jackman is native accent), there is a conspiracy against the ranch, a "half-caste" (half white, half aboriginal) boy whom they adopt emotionally, a war, some love, a stampede, expansive vistas, a ball, a kiss in the rain, etc etc etc. It is all very much in the vain of something like Gone with the Wind, but in my ignorant opinion it is better. It is sweeping and colorful and beautiful and lovely, it is a rhythmic and symphonic but never(sorta) does any break into song. Sadly I am in the minority in calling this one of the few truly great and visionary films this year.

If I Made Up the Entirety of the Academy the Nods Would Look Like This:

BEST PICTURE

Slumdog Millionaire
Rachel Getting Married
Milk
WALL-E
The Dark Knight

BEST ACTRESS
Anne Hathaway-Rachel Getting Married
Meryl Streep-Doubt
Kate Winslet- Revolutionary Road
Cate Blanchett-Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Melissa Leo- Frozen River

BEST ACTOR
Sean Penn-Milk
Mickey Rourke-The Wrestler
Brad Pitt-Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Dev Patel-Slumdog Millionaire
Leonardo DiCaprio-Revolutionary Road

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Emile Hirsch-Milk
Heath Ledger-The Dark Knight
Robert Downey Jr.-Tropic Thunder
Josh Brolin-Milk
Michael Shannon-Revolutionary Road

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Penelope Cruz-Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Marisa Tomei- The Wrestler
Viola Davis-Doubt
Rosemarie Dewitt-Rachel Getting Married
Debra Winger-Rachel Getting Married

BEST DIRECTOR
Jonathan Demme-Rachel Getting Married
Andrew Stanton-WALL-E
Christopher Nolan-the Dark Knight
Gus Van Sant-Milk
Danny Boyle-Slumdog Millionaire

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Rachel Getting Married
WALL-E
Milk
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
The Wrestler

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Dark Knight
Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Slumdog Millionaire
Revolutionary Road
Iron Man

Brokeback Mountain

This past winter break I was at a reunion and speaking with my friend Josiah. I would argue we are about equal in terms of taste and so in the midst of discussion Josiah mentioned that outside of Magnolia he thought Brokeback Mountain was the best movie of the past 10 years. This of course got me to thinking. So I finally came to terms with it and decided to watch Brokeback Mountain, which brings me to this evening's first viewing of it. For those of you uninformed readers Brokeback Mountain is a movie about two herders who spend a summer in the mountains herding sheep, their time alone together leads them to take their friendship to the next level. As the summer ends they part and return back to their "straight" lives. The story then follows them through the next 20 years of their lives as they marry women and try to find happiness but continue, instead, to find each other. It is a sad movie about longing and love, though you're never sure what love looks like or who its between in this movie. Personally, I didn't see the hype. Is it a good movie? Yes. Is it well made and acted? Very much so. Yet I don't believe it to be the modern classic critics were so quick to adorn it with. The showcase here, the top of this movie's pyramid, is the performances. Heath Ledger as Ennis, our lead man, is a powerhouse without hardly ever talking above a mumble. Had he delivered this in any other year without Phillip Seymour Hoffman playing Capote he surely would have won. Jake Gyllenhal as Jack, Ennis' lover, is at the top of his game and the same for Michelle Williams who has some heavy scenes. I would like to point out however the brilliant, quiet and small role of Anne Hathaway as Jack's wife Lureen. Hathaway delivers a performance that is so keen and subtle and perfect that you believe her and you know there will be no teary eyed screams from her, she is a woman of dignity and pride from her teeth to her toenails, and her last scene is masterful. It is a crime how unnoticed she went. I think my greatest issue with the story is that it has been heralded by my peers, acquaintances, and critics as a sweeping romance, an enduring love story. Yet I am not sure if anyone ever loved anyone in the movie, I don't believe Ennis loved Jack as much as he needed him and vice versa, they were caught in a world they couldn't make sense of and hurt all of those who dared step in to the ring. Perhaps the only person I believed to have loved anyone was Cassie, Ennis' second girl, her exit scene is one of great grit and power and one of love, while it is easy to confuse passion with love, it is also easy to confuse need or desire with love. It is a good movie, but in terms of romances I'll take Moulin Rouge another movie about starcrossed lovers, or if you want to discuss gay themes I will take Milk.

A Couple Movies to Watch For

Now that we have seen the end of the year, the oscar nods have rolled in. They will almost surely award the perky and beautiful Slumdog over the faulty, but epic Ben Button and they seem to have missed the boat entirely with a Dark Knight snub. So now that its all over and we can take away some gems to look back on for years it is time to look ahead my friends. I bring with me just a few movies I am looking forward to...a couple look to be potential oscar contenders, another will define a genre or destroy a masterpiece, one is taking a note from Tarantino and Rodriguez(I think), a delightful spy game movie by the genius who brought us Michael Clayton, and the last doesn't have a trailer yet but I just can't help but know itll be great.

1. (500) Days of Summer


2. The Informers


3. Watchmen


4. Black Dynamite


5. Duplicity


6. Where the Wild Things Are

Oscar Nomination Predictions

Thursday is the day of truth, but for now here are my predictions.

BEST PICTURE
Slumdog Millionaire
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Milk
The Dark Knight
WALL-E

BEST DIRECTOR
Danny Boyle-Slumdog Millionaire
David Fincher- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Christopher Nolan- The Dark Knight
Gus Van Sant- Milk
Darren Aronofsky-The Wrestler

BEST ACTOR
Sean Penn-Milk
Mickey Rourke-The Wrestler
Brad Pitt- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frank Langella- Frost/Nixon
Clint Eastwood- Gran Torino

BEST ACTRESS
Sally Hawkins-Happy-Go-Lucky
Anne Hathaway- Rachel Getting Married
Meryl Streep- Doubt
Kate Winslet- Revolutionary Road
Angelina Jolie- The Changeling

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Heath Ledger-The Dark Knight
Josh Brolin-Milk
Dev Patel- Slumdog Millionaire
Phillip Seymour Hoffman- Doubt
Robert Downey Jr.- Tropic Thunder

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Viola Davis-Doubt
Amy Adams-Doubt
Kate Winslet-The Reader
Penelope Cruz-Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Marisa Tomei- The Wrestler

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Rachel Getting Married
The Wrestler
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Milk
WALL-E

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Slumdog Millionaire
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Doubt
Frost/Nixon

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
WALL-E
Horton Hears a Who
Waltz With Bashir

BEST MUSICAL SCORE
Thomas Newman-WALL-E
A.R. Rahman- Slumdog Millionaire
Danny Elfman- Milk
Alexandre Desplat- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
James Newton Howard & Hans Zimmer- The Dark Knight

Top 10 Movies of 2008 Based on Not Having Seen Everything

This list is compiled of the movies I have seen up to this point which excludes The Reader, Happy-Go-Lucky, Doubt, and Frost/Nixon, but without further ado, here it is:

10. The Fall
9. Vicky Cristina Barcelona
8. Hellboy II: The Golden Army
7. The Wrestler
6. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
5. The Dark Knight
4. WALL-E
3. Rachel Getting Married
2. Milk
1. Slumdog Millionaire

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

This year has been full of movies that delight in storytelling and David Fincher's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is no different. In fact one might say this movie, over most others this year, is delirious in its ability to tell a story no one could believe in the most human and believable way. We meet Benjamin as the first World War ends and we say good-bye to our characters at the time of Hurricane Katrina. Styled in a similar sense as Forrest Gump we see this extraordinary life spanning the benchmarks in American history through flashbacks. Anyway, so we meet Benjamin, he is old at birth, like a man on his way to the grave. His father leaves him on the steps of a retirement home, ironically. He is taken in and raised by the care taker of the older folks in the home Queenie played with endearing heart by Taraji P. Henson. The first years of Benjamin's life are spent fairly normally until one day he meets Daisy, the granddaughter of one of the women in the home. She is a pretty little girl with red hair and dazzling blue eyes. She changes his life. From then we see his his journey through ports on a boat, through a touching affair with an unsatisfied woman played in perfect pitch by Tilda Swinton. Benjamin grows younger as he ages, so the next time he returns home it is much more youthful than when Queenie last saw him. Then there is Daisy who has been pursuing dancing and is now played by Cate Blanchett. Bradd Pitt becomes more apparent in his digression as well. Eventually fate and delightful storytelling lead them back to each other. Here is the emotional crux of the movie. Last year we saw Keira Knightley and James McAvoy, two lovers we knew deserved each other, but were torn apart by circumstances beyond their control. It is the same here. From the beginning we know that there is an inherent sadness in two people in love passing each other in age in opposite directions. To tell anymore is to spoil. Yet I must touch on the lavishness with which it is made, the immense heart that pumps the blood of the movie, and key perfs from Blanchett and Pitt. Blanchett and Pitt provide a surprising amount of chemistry to lead the audience to believe in this love. The greatest scene in the movie happens in a dance studio at night when the two have now far passed each other in age, Pitt a youthful 20-something, Blanchett approaching her 60s. It is a remarkable scene. Many have complained upon the length of the movie, but upon seeing it and experiencing it I believe it could not be any shorter. Once you reach the end, the real, final end you as the viewer have felt the journey and it is justified to reach the level of emotional pitch that the ending conveys. One of the best of the year and surely will live beyond this award season.

Milk

For a few years director Gus Van Sant has been making some off-the-beaten-path movies with his most notable being Elephant about a school shooting, and it is here in Milk that Van Sant returns to more conventional filmmaking but that does not diminish it's quality one bit. I mention Elephant because it, like Milk, is a movie about seperation and violence caused by it. Milk however is bigger, broader, and more important. In simple terms it is the story of Harvey Milk, played by Sean Penn, who runs for district supervisor in San Francisco in the 70s helping give the gay rights movement a gigantic shove and ultimately he was assassinated for his ideals, his passion, his ability to change, and his sexual preference. Those are not spoilers anymore than it is to spoil Titanic by telling you it sinks. It is fact. However what you need to see the movie for is the way in which it tells the story of not just the gay rights movement but the story of equality and fighting for what is right. It is the story of how one man set out to do something with his life and saved and changed thousands with it and many will hate this movie because it is about a gay man who is the reason that gays are still allowed to work, live, and be with everyone else and to those people I say, with all my Christian love, that your heart is wrong. The ending of this film and Harvey's life is such a grand depiction that you, those of you who find the idea of this film appaling, are hating people, that you would have rather seen their lives destroyed. It is a shame that it takes a gay man to stand up for his peoples rights when we as Christians are called to love all people as the same, that means giving them the same rights and fighting for them. Off my soapbox I must also commend Sean Penn for giving what I think is the best performance of the year, yes even over Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler. Never has Penn been more likeable than he is as Harvey Milk. The acting in this movie is great all around really, the ensemble is top-notch and flawless. More than anything it is an enjoyable movie which so few oscar contenders are with all of their weighty ideas and heavy handed production, Milk is accessible and expertly paced and simply a wonderfully told story. Slumdog Millionaire has my vote for Best Picture, but Milk would be a worthy alternative I think.

The Wrestler

From religious conspiracy to drug addicts to the final reaches of space and life director Darren Aronofsky has wooed, intrigued and boggled audiences with his visionary style and storytelling always reaching for the most bravado he could muster. This time, however, Aronofsky stepped back a little and produced his most heartfelt, striking gem of a movie in lo-fi. This time it isn't even Aronofsky's movie, this time it's all about the raved comeback performance of Mickey Rourke. The premise is pretty simple: an aged pro-wrestler name Randy "the Ram" Robinson who still fights in amateur events and works at a supermarket during the week is lonely and, well, aging. His best friend is a stripper named Cassidy and his only family, a daughter, hates him. Life is pretty down on this guy, but besides the cast of Slumdog Millionaire Rourke's Ram is the most charming and likeable character this year with Marisa Tomei's stripper a close second. Everything in this movie is turned way way down from Aronofsky's typical style, but he instead pulls in 3 wonderful pivotal performances, yes 3 of them, Rourke, Tomei, and Evan Rachel Wood as his daughter. The story though is Rourke. He is the wrestler, a man who failed out of life for awhile, looking for a comeback and Rourke found it here after a few minor roles in the past couple years, most notably in Sin City as Marv. In Robinson Rourke delivers a lot of humanity through the screenplay that depicts wrestlers fairly as a people of performance, but who still get hurt. The difference is that Randy the Ram Robinson knows the pain that awaits inside the ring, but it is the unexpected pain of the outside world he can't handle. This tale is bold, true, and vulnerable and packs as much punch as the wrestlers who inhabit it.

Revolutionary Road

Last February as the oscars ended bloggers everywhere began the next oscar race by listing the most buzz worthy movies with Revolutionary Road by Sam Mendes (American Beauty) being at the top of everyones list. It was a formula made in heaven Academy Award winning director directing a screenplay based on an acclaimed book, the story is of american dysfunction (an academy favorite as far as stories go) with Kate Winslet (multiple oscar nominee) and Leonardo DiCaprio (also a multi-oscar nominee) who both brought their last joint effort Titanic to win 11 academy awards. How could this not be the picture to beat? Well it turns out it isn't. That is not to say it isn't a good movie because it most certainly is. The production is strong and the leads are wonderful. Winslet acts far and above anything I've seen her put forward yet and Leo keeps up pretty well as a couple trapped in a 1950s American suburban life neither of them wanted. Their entrapment leads to some of the most devastating onscreen arguments I can recall outside of the coldness of Mary Tyler Moore in Ordinary People. Their accusations sting and the truths behind them destroy each other. These moments are the bulk of the film. The other best part is the character played by Michael Shannon in a wonderfully nuanced role that reminded me of Ledger's Joker earlier this year. Shannon's character John has just been released from a mental hospital and is the son of the Wheeler's real estate agent, April and Frank Wheeler are Kate and Leo. John has the impeccable way of spewing direct truth to the couple in the most abrasive and jarring way and never bowing to ask forgiveness. The lulls in the movie come from the times the couple are parted and we are given obligatory exposition of Frank's tiresome job and April's saddness as a kept wife alone in the house all day. The scenes are essential but are without the same heart if thats what you can call it. Ultimately the film is a beautifully wrenching and horrifying way to look at a life where truth doesn't set you free it destroys you and where those who live in lies live comfortably. It is dark, unsettling, and for me it offered little redeeming value outside of a harsh reality check. Personally I prefer Kate and Leo to have their final words drifting in freezing water after a torridly passionate love affair, I don't know about you.