Getafilm Gallimaufry: Amreeka, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Road, and Anticipating Avatar

[Note: This series includes scattered thoughts on various movie-related topics. I was looking for a word that started with the letter "g" that means collection or assortment, but lest you think I'm some elitist wordsmith, know that I'd never heard of "gallimaufry" and I don't even know how to say it, but it was the only other option the thesaurus provided aside from "goulash" (too foody) and "garbage" (no).]

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Amreeka (B)  

Amreeka doesn't show you anything you haven't seen before in the immigrant/cross-cultural dramedy genre (and it is a genre, or at least a developing one). But few immigrants' stories are identical, and dismissing Amreeka as "just another one of those immigrant movies" is about as short-sighted as, for example, assuming all Spanish-speaking immigrants are Mexicans. The fact is that Amreeka, while not entirely unique, still offers memorable insights into post-9/11 immigration in America, particularly for those families coming from the Middle East (in this case, Palestinians to Illinois).

The film was written and directed by Cherien Dabis, a young Palestinian-American filmaker recently named by Variety as one of "Ten Directors to Watch". Dabis certainly presents the film with the authority of someone who has experienced the story, and her screenplay is balanced with equal amounts of tragedy and comedy. While the narrative is somewhat inconsistent in terms of character development, you find yourself genuinely rooting for Munah and Fadi Farah from the first few minutes - a sign of thoughtful writing. I have to admit I'm a little tired of seeing Hiam Abbass worked to death as apparently the only woman of her age Hollywood ever thinks to cast as "Strong-willed Middle Eastern/Persian Woman #1", but she nonetheless delivers in her role every time. 

Perfect Song, Perfect Scene #3

Final scene, Rushmore (1998): "Ooh La La" by The Faces

REVIEW: There Will Be Blood (A-)

Background: I haven't seen Hard Eight. I liked Boogie Nights. I loved Magnolia. I've forgotten Punch-Drunk Love. And along comes writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson's fifth film, There Will Be Blood, loosely based on Upton Sinclair's "Oil!" and starring the living legend Daniel Day-Lewis (Gangs of New York, The Last of the Mohicans), and Paul Dano (Little Miss Sunshine, Fast Food Nation). It also stars no women. Seriously, I don't remember a spoken line from any female in all 2 hours, 38 minutes. How is that possible? Anyway, There Will Be Blood has already been named Best Picture by the National Society of Film Critics, one of many, many awards it is likely to win by the end of February.

Synopsis: Daniel Plainview (Day-Lewis) is a misanthropic, alcoholic silver miner who strikes oil in early 1900's California. With his shrewd business practices and knack for efficient drilling, he soon becomes one of the foremost "oilmen" in the area. His greatest find actually finds him when Paul Sunday (Dano) tells him there is an ocean of oil under his family's ranch. Plainview and his young son, H.W., immediately stake their claim on the ranch and the surrounding area, but meet strong opposition from Paul's twin brother (?) Eli (Dano), who is the fiery preacher at the Church of the 3rd Revelation. Plainview's oil venture seems to be cursed from the start, as accidents (H.W. loses his hearing) and advantageous visitors (Daniel's "brother" shows up) almost bring him down. Enough damage is done so that years later we see Plainview as a wretched tycoon shooting sculptures in the hallways of his opulent mansion. He cruelly disowns H.W. and has a final, chilling confrontation with his rival Eli Sunday.

I Loved:
+ The first 10-15 minutes, in which there is no dialogue. Impressive and effective in pulling you in.
+ Daniel Day-Lewis, who is once again frightening, and frighteningly good.
+ The restaurant scene where Daniel confronts the Standard Oil group in front of his unassuming son.

I Liked:
+ The production design - amazing details and sweeping shots of the terrain in the Old West. Filming in Texas and New Mexico set the tone here, a la No Country for Old Men.
+ The actors who played H.W. Plainview, both as a child and as an adult.
+ The disturbing ending.

I Disliked:
- Some minor but noticeable similarities between Daniel Plainview and Bill the Butcher from Gangs of New York.
- Paul Dano - he did well acting but I just didn't enjoy the scenes he was in.
- Some dragging in the production, mostly 20-30 minutes after Henry Plainview shows up.
- That I didn't sense any overarching lesson from the movie except the predictable warnings about greed and religious zealotry.
- At times, the way-too-present soundtrack. Here and there it added to the scenes, but when it disappeared in the last half hour I found myself able to get deeper into the movie.

I Hated:
- That the mystery of Paul/Eli Sunday isn't fully clarified. I've seen strong arguments that they are the same person and also that they are twins. Apparently there is more evidence that they are twins, but I think it's a much richer story if Paul is in fact the sinful persona of Eli.

Grade:
Writing - 9
Acting - 10
Production - 8
Emotional Impact - 9
Music - 5
Significance - 4

Total: 45/50= 90% = A-

Last Word: There Will Be Blood is a major departure in almost every aspect from Paul Thomas Anderson's previous films, so don't expect anything similar. Instead, prepare for the dark descent of an opportunistic man into an evil, Howard Hughes-like loner. As I said above, I'm not sure if there are any really deep lessons from the movie - at least maybe not as much as their could have been - but it's still a compelling story that is masterfully told. For me, the sight of oil gushing from the ground was amazing, especially in thinking of just how significant it is to global everything in 2008. I don't even know how that was done - what do you use as fake crude oil? And if it was real, didn't it inflate the budget? In addition to incredible camera work, we also see Daniel Day-Lewis once again dare anyone to out-act him (reference the restaurant scene again). Fortunately no one tries, and the all-male cast is excellent. Will There Will Be Blood turn its late momentum into an Oscar win for Best Picture? I don't think it was the best movie I saw this year, but worse films than this have taken the top prize before.

REVIEW: The Darjeeling Limited (C+)

Background: After disappointing virtually all of his fans with The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Wes Anderson returns with The Darjeeling Limited, featuring his usual cast (Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Anjelica Huston, et. al.) and a new member to the group, Adrien Brody (The Pianist). Filmed entirely on location in India, The Darjeeling Limited was originally made with a 13 minute short, Hotel Chevalier, that was meant to be screened before it in theaters. Apple and iTunes got mixed up with the studio and distribution details, though, so it wasn't yet being shown when I saw Darjeeling in theaters.

Synopsis: Francis (Wilson), Peter (Brody), and Jack (Schwartzman) Whitman are three estranged and extremely neurotic brothers from New York who are each struggling to cope with their father's death a year ago. Francis has planned a spiritual journey on The Darjeeling Limited train line through India, though he hasn't told his brothers that their final destination is Nepal, where their mother (Huston) has run off to become a nun in a convent. Their journey is clearly in trouble from the first day, as they bicker and whine their way through their ailments and moods. Over the next days of their journey, they achieve no spiritual enlightenment but instead just fight and fuss. After getting kicked off the train and witnessing a really unexpected death, they eventually trek their way to Nepal and reconnect with their mother, who essentially just encourages them to continue their journey - and off they go.

I Loved:
+ That it was filmed on location in India.

I Liked:
+ The minor details - color, luggage, facial expressions, etc.

I Disliked:
- The soundtrack. Gasp! Sorry, I just get sick of the same songs being used in movie after movie. I think Wes Anderson needs to upgrade the memory on that iPod used in the film.
- Adrien Brody's inability to play a typical Wes Anderson character - he's a good actor, just not the right casting choice here. Stick Luke Wilson in as the third brother instead.

I Hated:
- The feeling that I had seen all of these characters before in the other movies - the quirkiness and witty remarks get a little tired the fifth time around.
- The plodding story - I didn't feel like it was going anywhere, and the prolonged ending was awkward.

Grade:
Writing - 7
Acting - 8
Production - 9
Emotional Impact - 8
Music - 4
Significance - 3

Total: 39/50= 78% = C+

Last Word: I really didn't like The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou or even The Royal Tenenbaums as much as Bottle Rocket and especially Rushmore. Because of the downward trend, I didn't expect much from The Darjeeling Limited. That being said, I'm surprised at my grade. I question whether it was really that bad, but the more I think about it the more I remember bad parts. Had I never seen any of Wes Anderson's other movies, I probably would have loved it. But precisely because it was so similar to the other ones, I couldn't find anything new to like. You could separate the video and audio in the trailer and know within 3 seconds who made it. It's nice to have a recognizable style, but not when it gets stale. Somehow, in always trying so hard to avoid cliched characters, Wes Anderson has created his own cliche. Besides that, the plot of Darjeeling is really pretty weak. Look, I like Wes Anderson's movies and he has an original style, but I think fans of his later movies are actually just wistful for the old days. I saw Rushmore at 1:00 PM opening day at the now closed Har-Mar theater, and it's probably one of my top 20 favorite movies ever. Since then, every time Wes Anderson comes out with a new movie I'm hoping for Rushmore 2, but I'm always disappointed. I'm sure I'll see his next movie (which will obviously be about quirky friends/family dealing with neuroticisms), but my expectations are about as low as possible right now.