It should be understood before I list these that: a.) I don't enjoy horror movies, b.) I therefore haven't seen many, many classic horror movies (Halloween, The Omen, Rosemary's Baby, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Saw, etc.), and c.) this is a strange list because of a.) & b.). I think it can be fun to have a good scare every now and again to check your wits and reflexes, but who really wants to have nightmarish images branded in their mind?
1.) The Scariest Movie I've Ever Seen: The Shining (1980) - No question about it, the movie that scares me more than any other, even if I see it (and I try not to) on TV during the day with commercials. Anybody with me on this? The images of the twins and the butler and the hotel are just totally chilling, and I've always looked away before the decomposed lady comes out of the bathtub. Quite a collaboration between Stephen King, Stanley Kubrick - a master of bizarre creepiness - and Jack Nicholson. I even get a little nervous when I see "The Simpsons" spoof of this.
The rest:
It (1990) - Serial killers on the loose and demon-possessed goblins are warm and cozy compared with clowns and dolls. Another Stephen King adaptation, starring Jonathan Brandis and John Ritter, It almost made me stop taking showers for fear that the clown would come up out of the drain. I remember there were pranks in the years following It where people in the neighborhood would dress up as clowns and creepily drive around or loiter at a little league baseball game or something. That's funny. An entire community of kids scarred for life.
Poltergeist (1982) - I don't think I saw any of the sequels to this, but the first one was enough - a killer clown doll, maggot-infested meat, haunted tree, a pool full of skeletons, and worst of all, a really short woman with the creepiest voice you've ever heard.
The Paper Boy (1994) - This only aired on the USA channel, so I think few people probably saw it even though it was on consistently for some time. Starring Alexandra Paul ("Baywatch"), it's about a really creepy teenage boy (Marc Marut) who is obsessed with being with her and will take whatever steps necessary, even dispatching his dad and the old lady/witch in the neighborhood. Marc Marut probably acted himself out of a career with his too-real performance, kind of like the kid in the Problem Child trilogy.
Child's Play (1988) - Fortunately, I don't even think I've made it past the first 20 minutes of this movie. I'm so scared of Chucky that when a preview for Child's Play 2 (1990) was on TV one afternoon and I was home alone, I bolted out of my house before it was even over, leaving everything on and the door wide open. Terrified, I ran to two houses in my neighborhood until someone let me in to wait until my mom got home. I was 9 or 10, and I was freaked out of my mind. My students loved to tease me about this story when I was teaching - thanks, Jill, for outing me. I can't even put the poster up here.
Ghostbusters II (1989) - Pretty funny, right? Ooooh, ghosts and bad guys with awful haircuts! Well when the weird museum guy (who is also the bad guy in Die Hard) morphed into a creepy ghost at the end, I literally went the entire night without sleep.
Jaws (1975) - Near the top of the list of my greatest fears in life is the deep sea - scary enough on its own, but a total nightmare when sharks are around, which I'm convinced they are no matter the body of water. The only really terrifying scene is the first one with the girl at night, but it's not like the rest is laughable or anything. I know I'm not alone in this - Jaws is basically the reason great white sharks are an endangered species. Steven Spielberg inadvertently set an entire generation of people on a mission to rid the world of them as soon as possible.
Carrie (1976) - Not sure when or how I first saw this, if I've even seen the entire movie, but I know I was pretty bothered by the blood dumping at the prom (?) and Sissy Spacek's dazed and disturbing appearance throughout the movie. Yet another Stephen King story - this guy is sick.
Psycho (1960) - Hitchcock's black-and-white classic didn't have extreme gore (chocolate syrup as blood), but delivered real horror with suspense and a creepy Norman Bates. I didn't see the remake starring a young Vince Vaughn. Can you imagine?
Seven (1995) - Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman discover some of the most gruesome crime scenes you can imagine, the work of a demented serial killer (Kevin Spacey) who eventually beheads Gwyneth Paltrow. I can't remember exactly where it's supposed to take place (NYC?), but it's raining the whole time. One scene is particularly frightening, when the literally half-dead person jumps out of bed.
The Blair Witch Project (1999) - I saw this opening night back when I used to read reviews and watch trailers, so I knew it wasn't real. Nevertheless, I was chilled to the core by the children's voices and especially the last scene. Conveniently, I was staying overnight in a friend's windowless basement that night, and didn't sleep a wink. You have to give credit to this first-time filmmaking team.
The Exorcist (1973) - I'd never seen The Exorcist before going to the Boston Film Festival when the Director's Cut version was released a few years ago. Linda Blair, who plays the demon-possessed girl, was present at the screening for Q & A. We were told beforehand that she was running late but would be there by the time the movie was over. Well about halfway through, right after the horrifying backwards spider walk, a woman entered the theater and sat directly behind me, since my friends and I were in the back row. My roommate Shara and I looked back and looked at each other. The evil face on the screen was sitting behind us, surely spinning her head around right behind us. Needless to say, the rest of the movie was an unnerving experience. When the lights came up, the film festival person introduced Linda Blair to the audience, and a woman sitting on the complete opposite side of the theater stood up and walked to the microphone.
Deliverance (1972) - Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty and Jon Voight in a gripping and disturbing tale of a canoing trip gone horribly wrong in Georgia. If you're familiar with "Dueling Banjos," this is where it's from - and it's really creepy, in addition to some other bizarre encounters in the woods. A Best Picture nominee that lost to The Godfather, Deliverance has suspense that you just don't find in movies any more, and it's scary because you believe that it could be a true story.
The Sixth Sense (1999) - M. Night Shyamalan's breakout film about a boy (Haley Joel Osment) who "sees dead people" is well written and expertly directed, with some very chilling moments - basically whenever we see the living dead. I especially had a hard time with the slit-wrist mother, the vomiting girl, and the shotgun-head boy. Fortunately, Shyamalan has since made only absolute nonsense, so I haven't had to have another terrifying theatre experience.
That's pretty much it. Feel free to list others that I haven't included (probably because I haven't seen them).
Background: Truly a traditional independent film, Lars and the Real Girl marks the film debut of both writer Nancy Oliver (HBO's "Six Feet Under") and director Craig Gillespie (who followed it with Mr. Woodcock!?). The script floated around for several years and was #3 on the 2005 Black List of the top 90 unproduced scripts in Hollywood. Lars and the Real Girl was considered gold, but only if the right leading man was found. Who better than current Hollywood "it" guy Ryan Gosling (Half Nelson)? It also stars a handful of other recognizable but mostly unnameable faces - I was happy to see Paul Schneider again, who was recently excellent as Dick Liddil in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Lars and the Real Girl was filmed in just 31 days in Ontario, a pretty good stand-in setting for northern Wisconsin where the story is set. As in the movie, the plastic doll was treated just like another cast member on set, with a trailer, make-up, etc.
Synopsis: Lars Lindstrom (Gosling) is an 20-something, unassuming loner who lives in the garage of his childhood home, now occupied by his older brother Gus (Schneider) and pregnant wife Karin (Emily Mortimer from Match Point). Gus and Lars lost their mother at an early age, and Lars was left alone with his distraught father when Gus left after high school. Lars goes to church regularly, works a boring clerical job in a generic office (that also employs a female acquaintance from his church), and basically avoids everyone as much as possible. One of his co-workers introduces Lars to a mail-order doll website, and soon arrives plastic "Bianca," to Lars' great excitement. He introduces her to his brother and sister-in-law as his girlfriend, and their reaction is obviously humorous. Unsure of how to handle the situation, they bring Lars and Bianca to the family doctor Dagmar (Patricia Clarkson from The Station Agent), who to Gus's horror tells them to play along, but also falsely explains to Lars that Bianca is suffering from a strange illness that will require regular visits. Over the course of the next few months, the community gradually accepts Bianca as one of their own, no less a real person than anyone else. In the meantime, Dagmar meets with Lars during Bianca's "treatments" to get to the root of his mental illness, which we learn makes him experience pain when touching anyone except Bianca. Gradually, Lars begins to have trouble coping with his own adulthood, Bianca's place in the community, and his feelings for his co-worker Margo (Kelli Garner from Bully and Thumbsucker), leading to a moving finale.
I Loved:
+ When Lars throws the flower away in one of the first scenes.
+ Ryan Gosling's subdued, sticky, and eventually outstanding performance. It took a little bit for Lars to have any emotional range, but by the end you're again convinced that Gosling deserves all the acclaim he receives.
I Liked:
+ The performances from and chemistry between Paul Schneider and Emily Mortimer.
+ The touching musical score at the right times.
+ That the humor was from witty writing and not crude language and innuendo.
I Disliked:
- The accents, in general - 1.) For northern Wisconsin, it's completely missing when it should be completely obnoxious, and 2.) Emily Mortimer's British accent comes out clearly in the "nobody cares" argument with Lars.
- That it takes a while to suspend disbelief about the possibility of this story actually happening.
I Hated:
- The costume design - it was a little too kitschy with the perfect retro outfits for Lars and Margo. Even in rural areas of the country, it's still 2007.
Grade:
Writing - 8
Acting - 10
Production - 9
Emotional Impact - 9
Music - 5
Significance - 4
Total: 45/50= 90% = A-
Last Word: There are sure to be unfair comparisons between Lars and the Real Girl and a number of Napoleon Dynamite-like movies. It's a dry comedy with quirky characters, but that's basically where the similarities end. Lars is an adult, not a high school student, and his inner tragedy is much more profound than weird family members, outward appearance, a low self-esteem or problems with the popular kids at school. I'll admit that the story initially seems outrageous, but when you get past that an incredible thing happens - you stop laughing and actually begin to believe that Bianca is a real person, even if only "real" to Lars, whose struggle gradually becomes both understandable and sad. It was unclear to me whether Lars was just odd, traumatized, or developmentally disabled, but whether all or none of the above, it doesn't really matter. Lars and the Real Girl is a story of acceptance, attachment, and maturity, and it deftly balances comedy and tragedy, which is an impressive achievement from a first-time director. Surely it helps to have an outstanding cast, but this is just a well-made film. The only minor questions I have are about the reality of the community (is this the most tolerant, loving utopia in America?) and Lars (how did he so fluidly and simultaneously interact with "real" people and Bianca?). Despite these, I thought it was surprisingly moving and refreshingly enjoyable to experience.
Background: Based on the novel by John Burnham Schwartz, Reservation Road is directed by Terry George (Hotel Rwanda) and stars Mark Ruffalo (You Can Count on Me, Zodiac), Jennifer Connelly (Little Children, Blood Diamond), and Joaquin Phoenix (We Own the Night, Walk the Line). You might also recognize Elle Fanning, little sister of Hollywood darling Dakota (War of the Worlds). It was filmed on location in Connecticut. Wow, I just saw the trailer for the first time - that's a great trailer and it only gives away as much as I'm about to, which is a lot.
Synopsis: College professor Ethan Learner (Phoenix) and his wife Grace (Connelly) are returning from their son's cello recital when they stop for wiper fluid (?). Attorney Dwight Arno (Ruffalo) is delivering his son (about the same age as the Learner boy) to his ex-wife's house after taking him to a Red Sox game. Because of a cell phone call and some fireflies, Dwight accidentally hits and kills the Learner's son - and leaves the scene (Reservation Road) without being identified. Over the course of the next month, Ethan and Grace try to put the pieces together in their life, Grace looking to heal and move on but Ethan wanting revenge against whoever hit his son. Dwight is racked with guilt but can't find it in himself to confess to the police. By incredible chance, Dwight's ex-wife was the music teacher of the Learner's son, Dwight lives down the street from the Learners, and Ethan Learner hires Dwight to handle his legal affairs with the case. Despite all of this pressure, Dwight still doesn't turn himself in, and Ethan grows more desperate in his attempts to find his son's killer. Eventually his suspicions settle on Dwight, leading to a final confrontation between the two hurting fathers.
I Loved:
+ That I really didn't know what was going to happen at the end.
I Liked:
+ When Jennifer Connelly found out about the fireflies.
+ Mark Ruffalo's performance - he's an excellent nervous actor and was great for this role.
I Disliked:
- When Jennifer Connelly flipped out about their son's belongings.
- The online chat forum - what kind of a weird program was that? The interface was really bizarre, and it was odd online dialogue.
- Joaquin Phoenix with a beard - weird and not a good look.
- The focus on the Red Sox - there was too much time spent watching and discussing baseball when we could have been learning more about the characters.- The poor acting by Antoni Corone as Sgt. Burke.
I Hated:
- The obviously fake tear that dropped on the camera viewfinder in the last shot - that was really poorly pulled off and left a bad taste in my mouth.
Grade:
Writing - 8
Acting - 8
Production - 8
Emotional Impact - 8
Music - 4
Significance - 4
Total: 40/50= 80% = B-
Last Word: In addition to some awkward dialogue and a few too many coincidences, my main criticism of Reservation Road is that it drags a bit. It feels longer than it actually is, and either out of nervousness or boredom, you might find yourself looking for some action. Also, something about the evolution of Joaquin Phoenix's character didn't really click, though it was a believable performance. And, the marriage between Phoenix and Jennifer Connelly dissolved strangely, but I'm sure a tragedy will take its toll in different ways. Mark Ruffalo successfully made me squirm, though the reasons he didn't turn himself in could have been flushed out a bit more. God forbid I ever hit something on the road, but if my wits are about me I really don't think I could just take off. What would you do? Overall I think it's a story worth adapting to film, but a few issues with the production/editing, some unbelievable story elements, and poor character development all weaken what should have been a very powerful movie.
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.
Background: Danish writer/director Susanne Bier has received praise for her previous two films, last year's Oscar-nominated After the Wedding and 2004's Brothers, neither of which I've seen. She makes her American film directing debut with Things We Lost in the Fire, working with first-time writer Allan Loeb and veteran actors Halle Berry (Monster's Ball, X-Men) and Benicio Del Toro (Traffic, 21 Grams), with supporting performances by David Duchovny (X-Files) and John Carroll Lynch (Zodiac). Things We Lost in the Fire was filmed in Vancouver, BC, but is set in an oddly sunny and drug-riddled Seattle.
Synopsis: Audrey (Berry) and Steven (Duchovny) are a loving married couple with two perfect children. To Audrey's disdain, Steven is still loyal to his childhood friend Jerry (Del Toro), now a heroin addict. One night, Steven is killed when he interrupts a domestic dispute. Jerry comes to Steven's funeral and reconnects with Audrey, who tells him she has always hated him. Soon afterwards, a miserably and lonely Audrey invites Jerry to live with her and the kids, partly to help him kick his drug habit and partly to help herself get over Steven's death. Their new friendship struggles through jealousy, grief, lust, anger and regret, eventually leading to a rushed and somewhat happy ending.
I Loved:
+ Benicio Del Toro's rich performance - nothing new for him as a troubled loner, but still done better than almost anyone else.
I Liked:
+ Halle Berry's subdued performance - minimal screaming and well-timed outbursts.
+ That I wasn't totally annoyed with the child characters for once - believe it or not, kids are a lot more tolerable when they sound like kids and not witty adults.
+ The supporting performances from Omar Benson Miller as Audrey's brother and John Carroll Lynch as the friendly neighbor.
+ The musical score - not too much, not too little, appropriate mood.
+ That more wasn't made of the interracial marriage.
I Disliked:
- Some cheesy lines sprinkled throughout - "Am I fluorescent?"
- The underdeveloped backgrounds of the characters - though the focus was meant to be on the present and not the past, it would be nice to know more about Jerry and Audrey's bad blood.
I Hated:
- Feeling like the ending was unresolved and a little too loosely thrown together.
Grade:
Writing - 7
Acting - 10
Production - 7
Emotional Impact - 9
Music - 4
Significance - 4
Total: 42/50= 84% = B
Last Word: Angelica compared this to a Lifetime Channel movie as we left, and I would agree. It will certainly hit home for those who have lost a loved one through some tragedy, but the average viewer may not take much away from Things We Lost in the Fire, aside from maybe a closer look into the horrors of heroin addiction. Benicio Del Toro gives an excellent, chilling performance, especially when he is high, but even when he is not. Halle Berry does a fine job in a pretty limited role - act sad, angry, and miserable. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this for a date, nor would I in any way considered it a feel good movie. It's probably best viewed when you know you can do something a little more cheerful immediately afterwards. I would probably see Susanne Bier's next film, because this is well directed, but I'd like to see something a little more uplifting. Speaking of which, Halle Berry and Benicio Del Toro could each do something not overwhelmingly tragic once in a while, couldnt they?
Background: In addition to being Ben Affleck's directorial debut, Gone Baby Gone has received a lot of buzz for portraying "authentic" Boston since it was filmed on location and features a number of extras who were just picked up off the street during filming. Based on the novel by Dennis Lehane (author of "Mystic River"), Gone Baby Gone stars Casey Affleck (The Assassination of Jesse James...), Michelle Monaghan (North Country), Ed Harris (Pollock, Apollo 13), and Morgan Freeman (The Shawshank Redemption). See if you can differentiate the real Boston accents from the fake ones - I bet Amy Ryan fools you. Also, watch for Boston rapper Slaine in a shamefully likable role as Affleck's drug dealer buddy.
Synopsis: When 4 year-old Amanda McCready goes missing in South Boston, her aunt (Amy Madigan from Uncle Buck) hires private investigators Patrick Kenzie (Affleck) and Angie Gennaro (Monaghan) to talk to the people who don't talk to the police. Kenzie and Gennaro, along with help from Boston police (Harris & Freeman) work their way through the tough neighborhood before eventually accusing Amanda's mother, Helene (Ryan), of mixing Amanda up in a drug deal. In the ensuing search for Amanda, Kenzie has harsh words for everyone he meets, and a number of people are killed, including Amanda. Soon, Kenzie begins to suspect a larger conspiracy that the police are trying to cover up, and he is left to decide how far he wants to go in discovering the truth about Amanda's disappearance.
I Loved:
+ That there were genuine moments of suspense - the drug house, the first bar scene, and the quarry.
+ That the final dilemma is left unresolved on the screen and in your mind.
+ That Ben Affleck wasn't in it.
I Liked:
+ That the Boston accents were authentic, and not forced when they weren't natural (Morgan Freeman).
+ That there were few stereotypical Boston references - Red Sox game, "Hahvahd" jokes, etc.
+ The solid supporting performances from Ed Harris, Amy Ryan, and Morgan Freeman.
I Disliked:
- Casey Affleck's performance - he didn't seem nearly tough enough to be talking they way he did to everybody.
- Michelle Monaghan's performance (or just her character) - she was awkward and seemed lost. By the way, does she not look identical to Emma Stone from Superbad?
- The similarities to The Departed - yes they were probably coincidental, but the gravelly rooftop showdown was a little much.
I Hated:
- That while it was suspenseful, the plot twists were extremely far-fetched. With the exception of The Usual Suspects, you can't have an ending that is totally out of left field and for which there are no clues (even in the obligatory flashbacks) that you could have picked up on.
- The creepy bathroom discovery scene - a little too graphic.
Grade:
Writing - 9
Acting - 8
Production - 10
Emotional Impact - 9
Music - 4
Significance - 4
Total: 44/50= 88% = B+
Last Word: You're going to leave Gone Baby Gone feeling pretty sick about society, or at least you should if you have any decency. I was pleased with the portrayal of Boston, or at least of the Boston I knew going to school there. Oddly, though, all the evil characters didn't really make me want to move back. I haven't read any of Dennis Lehane's novels, but I'm pretty sure he always sets up a dark, creepy Boston, like in Mystic River. I don't know if I would consider Gone Baby Gone a grand lesson about humanity, but there is a fairly complex dilemma that is posed at the end and it's especially well written and executed. Ben Affleck gets the family award in this one, as he was able to create some extremely suspenseful scenes. Casey, while fine for the role, just didn't do much but spout his tough lines. I missed his character in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. I would recommend Gone Baby Gone for fans of "CSI" or "Cold Case", neither of which I've ever seen but both of which always seem to be about sensational violence and sordid child abductions. Isn't a little troubling that this is the most popular show genre year after year? Makes me sick...
Background: Yet another installment in this season's "post-9/11 America/War in Iraq/War on Terror" series, Gavin Hood's Rendition stars Jake Gyllenhaal (Donnie Darko, Brokeback Mountain), Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line), Peter Sarsgaard (Kinsey), Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine), and Meryl Streep (The Devil Wears Prada). Hood, a South African who deservedly won an Oscar for writing and directing Best Foreign Feature Tsotsi in 2006, is currently working on the next X-Men sequel. Quite a Hollywoodized career arc if you ask me. Rendition was partially filmed in Morocco and Cape Town, the latter only because Hood probably wanted to stay home for as much of the production as possible, since there was no other reason for the opening scene in Rendition to be filmed there, let alone even set there.
Synopsis: Douglas Freeman (Gyllenhaal) is a rookie CIA analyst in "North Africa" who drinks too much and cares too little. When he has a near-miss with a suicide bombing, he is assigned to observe the interrogation of suspect Anwar El-Ibrahimi (Omar Metwally from Munich), an Egyptian-born American immigrant who is husband to "Izzie" (Witherspoon) and dad to Jeremy ("Jeremy El-Ibrahimi"?). El-Ibrahimi was detained upon arrival at Dulles Airport and, under orders of "extraordinary rendition" from CIA higher-up Corinne Whitman, (Streep) shipped off to a secret detention facility/torture dungeon in "North Africa." The local authorities are in charge of the interrogation, allowing Freeman only to look bored/uncomfortable during the torture sessions (and throughout the movie). In the meantime, super-pregnant Izzie desperately runs around D.C. trying to find information on what happened to her husband. Conveniently, her ex-boyfriend Alan (Sarsgaard) is a staffer for a U.S. Senator (Arkin), and eventually Izzie gets the opportunity to confront the ice-cold Whitman and scream at her for a couple of minutes. Back in "North Africa," Freeman is trying to expedite the interrogation, and his local counterpart is busy dealing with his teenage daughter Fatima, who is dating Khalid, an impressionable young "North African" who has extremist tendencies and is the doppelganger of actor James Franco. The plot speeds up here as all of the characters become desperate to finish the movie, and an odd time warp brings us back to the beginning, where we see the suicide bombing all over again. Some new details emerge and we're left with a predictable made-for-bad-TV ending.
I Loved:
+ Nothing.
I Liked:
+ Peter Sarsgaard's short screen time - his scene with Streep, second scene with Arkin, and second scene with Witherspoon.
I Disliked:
- That the identity of the country was deliberately ambiguous, and poorly hidden at that. We learn it's Tunis, Tunisia from Douglas Freeman's Interpol search.
- The gratuitous shots of Washington D.C. in the background of every scene. Izzie has the master hotel suite with the perfect view of the capitol? Doubt it.
- That it looked like it was filmed on a really bad set - dark, wet alleys; cliched torture dungeon; quaint city square in "North Africa," etc.
- The silly subplot about the "North African" interrogator's daughter Fatima - a total waste of time.
- The silly subplot about Douglas Freeman's lover/girlfriend - what was the point of that?
I Hated:
- The time warp - another unnecessary Hollywood gimmick that had no place here.
- The neatly wrapped, very predictable ending.
- Fatima's discovery of Khalid's delicately crafted and totally bizarre scrapbook.
- The stereotypical Islam = terrorism theme, capped off with the exaggerated locker-room speech about killing Americans. Anyone with a middle school (which I taught) knowledge of Islam should bristle at how it's misconstrued here, but we're so used to it we don't even notice anymore.
Grade:
Writing - 5
Acting - 7
Production - 6
Emotional Impact - 6
Music - 5
Significance - 5
Total: 34/50= 68% = D
Last Word: Boy, this got worse really quickly after I started thinking about it. Between painful cliches, a convoluted story and bad acting, I really can't understand how Rendition was so well received, aside from the fact that it's the first movie to deal with extraordinary rendition. But the subplots and unnecessary characters really get in the way of what could have been an extremely significant, moving film. I'm not sure what Gavin Hood's motivations are, but this kind of mainstream/fast-food filmmaking is not his strength. Stick with a character-driven story like Tsotsi, which had important lessons and a simple plot, without all of the stereotypical characters and bizarre scenes. Maybe it was the writer's fault, whose only writing credit prior to Rendition was a comedy musical about drag queens. I'm sure there's a lesson to be learned somewhere in that fact, but a general rule we seem to be learning is to not make films about extremely complex global issues as they are happening. Like Matt said after we left this, the best movies about Vietnam, for example, came out several years after everything was over. You need perspective to understand how to make meaningful films about these subjects, but Hollywood is just rushing to make sensational fluff like Rendition and The Kingdom. Since the trend will presumably continue, here's hoping for at least a more thoughtful movie in the near future.
Background: You'd be forgiven in thinking We Own the Night is a sequel to The Yards, what with the same look, feel, leading actors, writer and director. Somehow, it's not, mostly because the police play a larger role in this one. Written and directed by James Gray (The Yards...and that's about it) and starring Mark Wahlberg (The Departed, Shooter) and Joaquin Phoenix (Walk the Line), We Own the Night was filmed on location in Coney Island. No word on the inspiration for the story, but it's your basic brothers-on-two-sides-of-the-law plot, with a couple of twists.
Synopsis: Brighton Beach/Coney Island, 1988. Bobby Green (Phoenix) is a free-wheeling nightclub manager who is quickly getting involved in the growing Russian drug trade. Bobby's brother Joe Grusinsky (Wahlberg) is a celebrated young NYPD narcotics task force lieutenant, and their father Burt Grusinsky (Duvall) is the NYPD deputy chief. Joe and Burt try to persuade Bobby to act as in informant, but Bobby is just starting to earn respect from the Russians and besides, he's having too much fun with his girlfriend Amada (Mendes). Lucky for Bobby, the Russians are unaware of his police relations (because Bobby uses his mother's last name...?), but when Joe makes a bust at the nightclub and the Russians decide to wage war against the police, Bobby finds himself caught in the middle and wanted to fight for both sides. He chooses his family, of course, and even goes so far as to enlist in the NYPD. By this time, though, it's too late - the Russians are wise to the situation and all that's left is to see who can kill whom first.
I Loved:
+ The ultra-real car chase in the rain.
I Liked:
+ Eva Mendes showing some real acting chops - I was impressed.
+ The 80's soundtrack that helped set the mood.
+ Joaquin Phoenix's performance - solid again, and able to elicit both sympathy and disgust from me at different times.
I Disliked:
- That I felt like I was watching Mark Wahlberg in The Departed - his character could have been given some more unique traits.
- The anticlimactic, almost cliched shootout ending - it was kind of how movies used to end before Hollywood went all mind-trippy in the mid-90's. This was kind of refreshing, but still a letdown.
I Hated:
- Nothing, really, besides some graphic violence.
Grade:
Writing - 8
Acting - 9
Production - 8
Emotional Impact - 8
Music - 4
Significance - 2
Total: 39/50= 78% = C+
Last Word: This is a classic shoulder-shrugger. It's entertaining and you maybe gain some insight into the war on drugs in the 80's, but it doesn't really take you anywhere. Looking at my grade, it was pretty well made, but it's just not an important movie. Joaquin Phoenix is at his best in roles like this where he can express a full range of emotions, compared with his stilted performance in Gladiator. You'll probably enjoy We Own the Night if you like police movies, drug movies, or bad television crime series. The acting is solid with the exception of the Russians, and the film color makes for an appropriate mood, but the story is unoriginal. Apparently it received a standing ovation at Cannes, which baffles me. Maybe the French have never seen an American cop movie, or maybe people were just glad to see a straight good guy vs. bad guy movie. One last thing - anyone understand what the title means?
Background: Tony Gilroy, screenwriter for the Bourne trilogy and a sampling of other random 90's movies, shopped his draft of Michael Clayton around Hollywood for several years. Because he insisted on directing it himself, which he has no experience doing, no one would bite. Finally, it was picked up by Castle Rock and Warner Bros., probably because of the success of the Bourne movies. Nevermind that they are completely different genres. George Clooney stars as the title character, supported by Tom Wilkinson (In the Bedroom), Tilda Swinton (The Beach, The Deep End), and acclaimed director, producer, and occasional actor Sydney Pollack.
Synopsis: We are introduced in the opening credits to Arthur Evans (Wilkinson), senior counsel for the law firm representing U North, a major agricultural corporation accused of using toxic pesticides. Evans, a manic depressive, delivers a Jerry Maguire-esque speech about an epiphany he has had in learning the truth, and we see a bunch of lawyers in crisis mode as the story is about to break. At the same time, the firm's "fixer" Michael Clayton (Clooney) is playing underground poker and U North spokeswoman Karen Crowder (Swinton) is practicing sound bites for an interview. We're then inexplicably taken back a few days in time to learn more about each character. Clayton's work is thankless and he is worn down from dealing with the firm's problems. He has family issues and a failed restaurant business. He genuinely cares about his colleague Evans, but he is concerned about what the fallout will be from Evans' mental breakdown. Eventually the story picks up as U North decides to take some predictably extreme measures to keep the story under wraps, and Clayton decides to do the "right thing" for once.
I Loved:
+ Nothing.
I Liked:
+ The kitchen scene where Michael Clayton deals with the spastic executive who has just committed a hit-and-run.
I Disliked:
- The hired hoodlums - clichéd unmarked van, clichéd black skullcaps, clichéd nondescript face, etc.
- The weak dialogue - specifically Michael Clayton's desperate voice message for Arthur, and Michael Clayton's awkward speech to his son in the car.
- The unnecessary lesson on the woes of trying to own a restaurant in New York City.
I Hated:
- The painfully predictable, obnoxiously obvious ending - not the cheap ending they show at the beginning for no reason whatsoever, but the pathetic real ending outside the ballroom.
- The disgusting speech we have to hear from Arthur Evans not once, but twice - it just sounded gross to me, and it was probably a lot better in Tony Gilroy's mind that it came to be on film.
Grade:
Writing - 6
Acting - 9
Production - 9
Emotional Impact - 6
Music - 5
Significance - 3
Total: 38/50= 76% = C
Last Word: I guess I just expected more from Michael Clayton. I thought there would be more suspense and characters I would actually care about. Maybe even an interesting take home message. Instead I see the end of the movie in the first five minutes and I find myself annoyed with almost everyone on the screen, plus all can I think is that I saw the same plot in A Civil Action. The whole thing was like a bad episode of "Law & Order," which I have actually never seen but imagine is like this. By the way, does any actor wear a white shirt and black jacket for as many characters as George Clooney? "No, I've got wardrobe, thanks, just give me some witty lines so I can look smarter than all of the other characters." OK, so I wasn't as annoyed with Clooney as I thought I would be - he does fine. The real problems with Michael Clayton are in the story. They're minor details, but they add up to a mess. For example, stop with the time shifting trend in Hollywood. It would have been a lot more shocking to have zero knowledge of the car bomb until it goes off at the end when he's petting the horses. Just BOOM! Out of nowhere. Instead, we're waiting for it the whole time. No reason to show that at the beginning, or the overdrawn GPS confusion with the bad guys. And why did he have to throw his wallet and watch into the car? Also, get the son and the restaurant business out of the story entirely (and dramatically reduce the teenage girl's role), and don't use a really tired plot (evil corporation conceals dangerous product) and even more cliched ending. I think Tony Gilroy should avoid writing legal thrillers and stick with action, where at least there's an excuse for bad writing.
Background: I didn't see the last movie made about Jesse James, American Outlaws (starring Colin Farrell as James), but I think it's safe to say that the legend of James has faded quite significantly from American pop culture. My limited knowledge of his life is how I'm measuring it, though, so that might not count for much. In any case, James is back on the scene in a big way thanks to Brad Pitt's Plan B Entertainment, which adapted the acclaimed 1983 novel that shares its ridiculously long name. The film, which was set to be released well over a year ago but delayed due to editing issues, stars Pitt as Jesse James, Casey Affleck (Ben's younger brother) as Robert Ford, and a host of supporting actors as the rest of the James gang, notably Sam Rockwell (Confessions of a Dangerous Mind). It was directed by inexperienced kiwi Andrew Dominik and filmed primarily in Alberta, Canada. Oh, and Nick Cave has a cameo as the saloon singer at the end. Weird. Synopsis: We meet the James gang in 1881, on the eve of their final train robbery in Blue Cut, MO. Having lost most of their original crew to the elements (prison, death), Jesse (Pitt) and Frank (Sam Shepard) James hire a ragtag group of outlaws for the job, including Charley Ford (Rockwell) and his younger brother Robert (Affleck), who grew up idolizing Jesse. Robert's creepy affection earns him acceptance and friendship from Jesse, but eventually Robert gets in the way of Jesse's return to normalcy and is sent home. Months go by and the disbanded gang goes through periods of jealousy, mistrust, betrayal, and even murder. Jesse, who is increasingly paranoid that there is a plot to turn him in for reward money, reconnects with the Ford brothers essentially to keep an eye on them. In the meantime, Robert has arranged a deal with the Governor of Missouri (James Carville!) to kill Jesse, a sensible decision since Jesse appears ready to take out both Ford brothers at any time. As evident by the title, Robert succeeds, but eventually regrets his action after he is subject to initial waves of admiration, then humiliation, and finally outright hate.
I Loved:
+ Casey Affleck's tour-de-force performance, amplified by the expectations I had beforehand - most of his screen credits recently have been in the American Pie and Ocean's trilogies.
+ The cinematography - sweeping vista views, great framing and use of blurred-edge focus, freeze-frame, slow motion, color, etc.
I Liked:
+ The narration - it was the quickest way to give us important background information about the characters.
+ The ensemble supporting cast, each excellent in their part.
I Disliked:
- That the movie felt as long as it was - if you weren't expecting it you might become restless. Basically, it dragged a bit.
- The occasional chimey, winsome xylophones in the background - these felt out of place.
I Hated:
- When Brad Pitt totally came out of character with his trademark obnoxious laugh.
- The usual gunshots to the head.
Grade:
Writing - 10
Acting - 10
Production - 9
Emotional Impact - 10
Music - 5
Significance - 3
Total: 47/50= 94% = A
Last Word: Like I said, I didn't know much about Jesse James before seeing this, other than that he was a celebrated outlaw and lives on as the only reason to visit Northfield, MN, where is he curiously revered. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford strikes an excellent balance in making the viewer feel sympathy for and conviction of the title characters. Casey Affleck just went nuts with this role. Apparently Shia LaBeouf was lined up to play Robert Ford but was considered too young. LaBeouf is a legitimate rising star, but this is Affleck's breakout role as a potential leading man, although I didn't see his well-received turn in Lonesome Jim. Pitt goes through the motions of his usual character: cocky, smirky, reserved, weepy, lonely, unpredictably crazy, etc. He plays James as a mixture of his roles in Syriana, Ocean's..., and Fight Club, but somehow it works. He did well casting himself, though somebody like Christian Bale probably could have added more depth to Jesse. The Assassination is not a traditional Western, but if that's your thing you'll probably enjoy it. However it ends up being categorized, it's an intriguing and well told story, even though it runs almost as long as its title.
Each month (starting this month), I'm going to select one movie from the backlogs that I don't feel ever received its due credit, and I'm going to call it the Underrated Movie of the Month (MOTM). Feel free to comment if you've seen them and have anything to share; these won't necessarily be classics or even considered good by most people, but I remember them fondly. Also, I probably won't have actually seen the movies since they were in theaters, so I'm mostly going on memory and a little research to remember why I thought they were so good.
The first Underrated MOTM is Der Krieger und die Kaiserin (known as The Princess and the Warrior in the U.S.), starring Franka Potente and Benno Fuermann, and directed by Tom Tykwer. It came out in the summer of 2001 and was quickly forgotten, mostly because people expected it to be another Lola Rennt (Run Lola Run), which came out in 1998 and made stars of both Potente and Tykwer (who were actually dating for years until they broke up in 2002 - I always find it strange how these film industry relationships work). When it was realized that Princess was in fact not Run Lola Run 2, it was immediately dismissed as plodding, slow, dragging, too long, boring, etc.
Do you remember Run Lola Run? It's like a Nike commercial/music video on crack set to a Prodigy song on repeat. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved it - but how do you follow that up? Tykwer made an excellent film in Princess, but it was "laborious" and "languorous" just because you didn't have a seizure while watching it. I just read one critic's piece about Princess on RT - "Crawl, Lola, Crawl." Really? Guess what, it wasn't meant to be a sequel!
OK, so you understand why The Princess and the Warrior wasn't better received. Well it's too bad, because I think it's an intense, suspenseful, gripping movie. VERY briefly: Sissi (Potente) plays a psychiatric ward nurse who gets mixed up in the life of Bodo (Fuermann), a distraught, aimless widower and would-be bank robber. Tywker heavily uses fate and coincidence to bring the two together in very dramatic ways, yet you never really see what's coming. If you're willing, you might even explore the deeper themes of loss, regret, love and hope. But if you really want to go there, you might as well watch Driving Miss Daisy. See The Princess and the Warrior for a taut, surreal story with interesting characters. If you have the attention span of an 8th grader, you should be just fine. Otherwise crack a Red Bull or eight and watch Run Lola Run again.
Tykwer has of course continued writing and directing since Princess, most recently with last year's Perfume: The Story of a Murderer. I haven't seen anything since Princess, but I am looking forward to his next film, The International, due out next year and starring Clive Owen as an Interpol agent.
By the way, bet you didn't know Tykwer is pronounced "tick-ver."
Somebody asked me the other day why I've given positive reviews to almost every movie so far on Getafilm. I had to think about it. Do I normally think so many movies are good? No way. Were the summer movies so disappointing that everything seems so much better now? Well, yes, but that doesn't seem like an explanation.
I answered, "I guess I just don't go to bad movies." Is that true? Have I become so perfectly selective that I don't see anything bad? That can't be. First of all, it's all relative, and maybe some people have hated what I've loved. Secondly, I've seen some really bad movies this year, none worse than The Invasion. Lastly, just because I've given mostly A's and B's doesn't mean that all of those movies are amazing - they're just above average and good, but not necessarily excellent (A+) or even Oscar-worthy. So far, only Into the Wild and The King of Kong have received "Best of 2007" labels, joining Once and The Namesake (I'm not going to post reviews of movies I saw prior to when I started this in September).
To summarize: I typically avoid bad movies, so I'm not going to be handing out a lot of D's and F's unless I totally get burned by something. And, a B isn't necessarily a glowing grade - look for the A's and A+'s.
Of course, that doesn't mean you shouldn't see bad movies. Please, if anyone can post reviews of License to Wed or Mr. Woodcock, go right ahead - no excuses necessary. I think they would be funny.
Background: Initially set for release in September of 2006, Across the Universe has been for the last year in the middle of a fierce battle between director Julie Taymor (Frida and the Broadway adaptation of “The Lion King”) and Revolution Studios executive Joe Roth. In some instances, directors have virtually no control of their film after it’s delivered to the studio, whose producers often make edits as they run the film through test screenings. Sometimes, the released version of the film is so much different than the “director’s cut” that the director asks their name to be removed from the film. (Tony Kaye apparently sued New Line Cinema for $275 million after they would not allow him to take his name off of American History X.) In the case of Across the Universe, the released cut is apparently closer to Taymor’s original, and the controversy has apparently faded, but not been forgotten. One other note about the film (which stars an incredible number of people who look familiar to you but you can't remember from what)
is that almost all of the singing was recorded live and not post-dubbed, which is amazing to think about it as you're watching the scenes.
Synopsis: Jude is a dock worker from Liverpool; Max(well) and Lucy are teen siblings from Jersey; Prudence is a loner from Dayton, Ohio; JoJo is a guitar player from Detroit; and Sadie is a singer from the East Village. Their lives intersect throughout the 1960's as family, college, love, war and hippiedom shape their future. From the first frame to the last, the songs of the Beatles are sung by the characters, sometimes together, sometimes alone, and always in earnest. While Max is at war, the rest of the group struggle through relationships, drugs, fame, a political revolution, and surreal, trippy mindscapes. It's hard to say how many years pass from the beginning to the end, and even though the characters do not age at all, by the end everyone is somehow older, wiser, and in love with each other again.
I Loved:
+ Jim Sturgess channeling Ewan McGregor.
+ The art direction - it may be have been too much or too little at times, but the quality was altogether excellent. Excellent.
+ "Let It Be"; "Come Together"; "Dear Prudence"; "A Day in the Life"; "I Want You"; "Hey Jude"
I Liked:
+ "All You Need is Love"; "Girl"; "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"; "Happiness Is a Warm Gun"; "With a Little Help From My Friends"
+ The last minute, when Jude and Lucy make eye contact - one of the most believable love connections I think I've ever seen on screen.
+ The cameo by Bono, primarily because I would never otherwise get to hear him sing "I Am the Walrus" unless we were hanging out in a karaoke bar somewhere, and that's probably not going to happen.
I Disliked:
- "Strawberry Fields"; "Revolution"
- The cheap look of some of the special effects (i.e., helicopters in Vietnam).
- That the Beatles song lyrics were significantly better written than most of the dialogue in between.
I Hated:
- Not knowing what Julie Taymor really wanted to show and what we actually see - this might be worth a director's cut viewing.
Grade:
Writing - 8
Acting - 8
Production - 10
Emotional Impact - 10
Music - 5!
Significance - 3
Total: 44/50= 88% = B+
Last Word: I told my friend Matt when we walked out that I don't remember a movie I've gone so back and forth with in my mind. At its best, Across the Universe is like an incredible dream with an amazing soundtrack. At its worst, it's irritating and over-the-top. Think scenes from Rent, Moulin Rouge!, and Forrest Gump all jumbled into a movie. As much as I really liked the effort, the writing and acting could have, at times, been better. Still, I find myself wanting to see it again soon, which is unusual. If you don't know many Beatles songs, or are one who thinks their influence is overrated, you probably won't enjoy it. If you are a Beatles fan (and are open-minded about song reinterpretations), this will probably be one of your favorite movies of all time. I don't even know if it's a movie. It's an extended music video and a musical and an interpretive dance of some of the most popular songs of all time. Not having grown up with any exposure to the Beatles, I was really surprised at the number of songs I knew, plus I could think of a number that were missing (sorely, I might add - Yesterday, Eleanor Rigby, In My Life, We Can Work It Out, Lady Madonna, Live and Let Die, Can't Buy Me Love, I'm Looking Through You, Here Comes The Sun, Ob La Di, Ob La Da, and on, and on, and on!). I don't know, the more I think about it, the more I liked Across the Universe. I think that's because the good parts were really, really good. And I admire Julie Taymor's ambition with it. At the very least she's extended the Beatles legacy for another generation, and made some new movie stars while doing it.
It should be understood before I list these that: a.) I don't enjoy horror movies, b.) I therefore haven't seen many, many classic horror movies (Halloween, The Omen, Rosemary's Baby, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Saw, etc.), and c.) this is a strange list because of a.) & b.). I think it can be fun to have a good scare every now and again to check your wits and reflexes, but who really wants to have nightmarish images branded in their mind?
1.) The Scariest Movie I've Ever Seen: The Shining (1980) - No question about it, the movie that scares me more than any other, even if I see it (and I try not to) on TV during the day with commercials. Anybody with me on this? The images of the twins and the butler and the hotel are just totally chilling, and I've always looked away before the decomposed lady comes out of the bathtub. Quite a collaboration between Stephen King, Stanley Kubrick - a master of bizarre creepiness - and Jack Nicholson. I even get a little nervous when I see "The Simpsons" spoof of this.
It (1990) - Serial killers on the loose and demon-possessed goblins are warm and cozy compared with clowns and dolls. Another Stephen King adaptation, starring Jonathan Brandis and John Ritter, It almost made me stop taking showers for fear that the clown would come up out of the drain. I remember there were pranks in the years following It where people in the neighborhood would dress up as clowns and creepily drive around or loiter at a little league baseball game or something. That's funny. An entire community of kids scarred for life.
The Paper Boy (1994) - This only aired on the USA channel, so I think few people probably saw it even though it was on consistently for some time. Starring Alexandra Paul ("Baywatch"), it's about a really creepy teenage boy (Marc Marut) who is obsessed with being with her and will take whatever steps necessary, even dispatching his dad and the old lady/witch in the neighborhood. Marc Marut probably acted himself out of a career with his too-real performance, kind of like the kid in the Problem Child trilogy.
Jaws (1975) - Near the top of the list of my greatest fears in life is the deep sea - scary enough on its own, but a total nightmare when sharks are around, which I'm convinced they are no matter the body of water. The only really terrifying scene is the first one with the girl at night, but it's not like the rest is laughable or anything. I know I'm not alone in this - Jaws is basically the reason great white sharks are an endangered species. Steven Spielberg inadvertently set an entire generation of people on a mission to rid the world of them as soon as possible.
The Blair Witch Project (1999) - I saw this opening night back when I used to read reviews and watch trailers, so I knew it wasn't real. Nevertheless, I was chilled to the core by the children's voices and especially the last scene. Conveniently, I was staying overnight in a friend's windowless basement that night, and didn't sleep a wink. You have to give credit to this first-time filmmaking team.
Deliverance (1972) - Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty and Jon Voight in a gripping and disturbing tale of a canoing trip gone horribly wrong in Georgia. If you're familiar with "Dueling Banjos," this is where it's from - and it's really creepy, in addition to some other bizarre encounters in the woods. A Best Picture nominee that lost to The Godfather, Deliverance has suspense that you just don't find in movies any more, and it's scary because you believe that it could be a true story.
