Sunday, October 31, 2004

24 Hour Party People

Is it a documentary? Is it a mockumentary? Is it a biography? Yes. The story of Tony Wilson's efforts to bring punk rock to the world, beginning in Manchester, England, with all the obvious roadblocks included (e.g., punk? ew!, packed rave hall but no funds, insane musician-producer contracts). Could have been interesting as a straight-up documentary, but instead is played as a comedy with Wilson's role filled by comedian Steve Coogan. And mostly it is funny, with all the missteps and faux- violent attitudes of punk rockers, except when it's deadly serious (as when the lead singer of a seminal band dies). It's also got some unique hallucinogenic film "enhancements," such as a UFO segment that needs to be seen to be believed. The filmmakers are doing their best to mimic the feel of the punk rock movement and if nothing else it is interesting. But if punk wasn't or isn't your life, the impact of the film is less than intended. I would recommend it as slice-of-culture entertainment, and to see Coogan in a role perfect for his cynical talents.

year: 2002
length: 117 min.
rating: 2.5
IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0274309/combined

The Village

I certainly liked this film better than Signs. Those dorky-looking aliens stretched the limits of plausibility and ruined the whole film for me. This film has nothing so tangibly out of sync, however, it is a Shyamalan film, so you can assume the surprise ending. If you listen very closely, there will be no surprise (hint: listen for what's not being said), but even if you figure it out (for me it came during the wedding party, as the issue of sister bonding is being discussed) it's clever enough and revealed slowly enough to be recognized as a decent plot device. What matters is that the surprise is not what the film is about, and it separates this film from the rest of the Shyamalan pack. One has to wonder if he wrote it during the mass despair following 9/11. To me, it channeled the zeitgeist of America then (as it is now), i.e., our culture of fear. The "village" of the title is a community living in a valley surrounded by woods populated by fearsome beasts, keeping the villagers content in the life they've built but constantly scared of what could take it all away. Sound familiar? Populated by able actors including William Hurt, Joaquin Phoenix and especially the marvelous Bryce Dallas Howard as a young brave blind woman. There are further themes in the film, but they are obvious only after the surprise is revealed, so I'll leave them for you to discover.

year: 2004
length: 107 min.
rating: 3.0
IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0368447/combined

Duel

I've been noticing lately a clear division between excellent films and everything else. That sounds obvious written down, but let me explain. A handful (maybe a few dozen) of films I feel I can recommend to anyone and be certain that 99% of those people will recognize their greatness. Everything else is opinion -- people can either love or hate a film depending on whether they like the actors, the theme, or the mood of the film (or what mood they're in when they go to see it). This film is one of those handful and its description is bound to increase your skepticism of my theory. A guy driving to a meeting is terrorized by a large truck. That's it. Based on a short story originally published in Playboy, it was picked up by Steven Spielberg's assistant at the start of his career, as he was shooting 1960s TV episodes. And as boring as it sounds, I place this first film at the same level as Spielberg's most serious (and masterful) effort, Schindler's List. Go right ahead and be skeptical -- the more you are, the more pleased you will be by the end result. If you rent the DVD, watch the featurette interviewing Spielberg about the making of the film. If he isn't teaching potential filmmakers, he should be. He's one of the few visionary directors who can also excels at discussing technical and compositional issues of film directing. And he's passionate and intelligent which only improves his appeal. My favorite point of his from the featurette is how important it is for a film director to believe in the film he is making -- whether it's Jurassic Park or Amistad -- because if you don't believe in it, why will the audience?

year: 1971
length: 90 min.
rating: 4.0
IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067023/combined

Withnail & I

A few of the featurettes included on this DVD looked intriguing, so I flipped through some of them. But when I reached the one describing how the producers wanted to pull the plug on the film a week in and the director is bemusedly explaining this is because they thought the film wasn't funny, I snorted and turned it off. Damn straight this film isn't funny. The word I would use is excruciating. There is maximum one very funny scene (the one with the bull), but the rest of the film is unintelligible, and that has nothing to do with the British accents. Ostensibly the story of two friends in the 1960s who decide they need a vacation from their daily grind, consisting of desperately trying out for theatrical productions, the film meanders from one boring soliloquy to the next, interspersed with dialogue that has nothing to do with the plot (what plot?). It's also offensive to gay people, in its assumption that gays are natural predators. If you make it to the end, I'd be happy if you'd let me know what it was all about (like I said, what plot?). The only reason it gets that extra 1/2 point rating is because I adore watching Richard E. Grant do his stuff. Who cares if he's impossible to understand? It's his attitude and aura that are entrancing.

year: 1987
length: 107 min.
rating: 1.5
IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094336/combined

Captain Blood

My husband read this 1922 book by Rafael Sabatini and was so enchanted by the language that he wanted to see the film. Never seen Errol Flynn? This is a great introduction (as it was for me) to the definitive cinematic swashbuckler. I think his legend has done him a disfavor -- billed as so naughty off the set, he has a rep like Rudolph Valentino but is leaps and bounds beyond that silent screen star's abilities. It's surprising that he ever had difficulty finding a niche in Hollywood, particularly as he could have just as easily been a Shakespearean actor, with his method of delivery and subtle expressivity. If this were filmed today, the visual effects spectacle would overwhelm the story. Not so in a 1930s film, and it gives it a hokey quality (check out those fake ocean backgrounds!), but if you can look past that, sit back, and watch Flynn and the interplay between him and the lovely, spunky Olivia de Havilland, you'll have as much fun watching this as any popcorn film today.

year: 1935
length: 119 min.
rating: 2.0
IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0026174/combined

Friday, October 29, 2004

Curb Your Enthusiasm

Watched The Office? Admired and enjoyed it, while peeping through your fingers as at a horror film? Then you'll find this series a hoot. While you're cringing for different reasons (The Office: clueless people, Curb Your Enthusiasm: clueless situations), you're enjoying them for the same reason -- brilliant comedy. Larry David, writer and producer of Seinfeld, has created a show that supposedly mirrors his own life, although we have to hope everything in the show doesn't happen in his life. Happening to meet the Barney's shoe salesman on the street from whom he purchased a replacement pair of lost shoes while happening to be carrying the found shoes? Right. So, the situations are Shakespearean, in the sense of idiot plots and misunderstandings galore. It could be laughable (and not in the hilarious sense), but he's created tight scripts that are humorous on several levels -- the situations themselves, the ad-libbed interactions between the characters, and the re-visiting of elements from previous episodes. I admit I was quite skeptical myself, and unfortunately any description cannot do it justice. You just have to experience it for yourself.

year: 2000-?
length: seasons 1-2 on DVD, season 5 picked up
rating: 3.5
IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0264235/combined

Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy

Yes, this is George Lucas created, so you need to keep a healthy dose of cynicism about you as you watch. Still, much of this documentary about the making of the original Star Wars trilogy seems to be fact-based and balanced. Naturally, there is zero reference to the critical and fan revulsion of his recent Star Wars films. Instead, he makes us all laugh by acting surprised that his adherence to the independent film ethic has backfired as he's become the head of a conglomerate corporation consisting of Lucasfilm, THX, Industrial Light and Magic, and other offshoots. Still, the documentary is appealing due mostly to the interviews with the cast and crew, especially Mark Hamill, who is an engaging and humorous interviewee. How I would love to see him in some new films, and not just as the voice actor he has become. (And here's hoping he gets some in-person acting gigs because of this doc.) The other reason this documentary keeps your interest is the skill displayed in matching the interviews with production materials, no more evident than in interview segments with Lucas discussing the casting process interspersed with original casting call videos. Wonder how the lead cast members were chosen? I'm sure casting is a difficult process, but it's beyond evident to the viewer why the principals were picked. If you don't have an abiding detest of Lucas that prevents you from watching him onscreen, you shouldn't hesitate to check this out. It's on the 4th disc of the new Star Wars trilogy DVD set.

year: 2004
length: 151 min.
rating: 3.0
IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0416716/combined

Thursday, October 07, 2004

The Notebook

All women should take their husbands/partners to this movie, if only to ask "so, do you love me THAT much?" On the surface, the film seems like a conventional young love story, but it is interspersed with a similar tale of unrequited love, only this is between an elderly man and the wife who can't remember who he is anymore. He reads a beautiful story every day to her, trying to bring back her memories. James Garner and Gena Rowlands play the husband and wife, and they are the main reasons to see this film, as they effortlessly bring these characters into our hearts. The movie is based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks, and it follows it religiously (I think there was one scene which I didn't remember from the book). The sappy romance-novel part of the book is handled graciously in the film (except for Noah carrying Allie up the stairs with his pants down around his ankles -- yeah, right) and the trajectory of the young couple in love is more than adequately rendered by Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, both relative newcomers to the film industry (McAdams was the meanest girl in Mean Girls). They have a palpable chemistry together, and effectively play their different acting styles off each other, making their characters more believable. If there is a flaw, Gosling doesn't always make visible the depth of his character's feeling. His character is supposed to be taciturn, but you'll see how this is somewhat unbelievable as the film continues. The best scene does belong to him, though -- the scene next to the car as she is about to leave him a second time. McAdams' reaction is that of every woman if the man she loved revealed this.

year: 2004
length: 124 min.
rating: 3.5
IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0332280/combined

Wimbledon

Without a doubt, Working Title Films has cornered the market on British romantic films. Unfortunately, at least half these films do not live up to early standards (e.g., Four Weddings and a Funeral, Bridget Jones' Diary, Elizabeth) and become dull echoes (e.g., Love Actually, Notting Hill). They've discovered their niche, and are now at the stage whereby they figure they don't need to work too hard to attract their audience. They got me to go! Even with middling reviews and the inclusion of a middling actress, Kirsten Dunst (the best thing going for her is that she's as tiny as actresses are supposed to be nowadays). Paul Bettany struggles to do something, anything, with his role, a hopeless task when he's given nothing to work with. It's the basic romance tale, with the addition of tennis, which is all anyone ever talks about when it comes to this film -- how intensely the actors trained to look like real tennis players (although those balls must be digitally included). If you like tennis, go ahead. That part's well done. (And one of the funnier things to notice is how hushed the movie-going audience gets when the tennis audience in the film is silent for the next play.) The rest of us can give it a miss. If only because the funny lines are sparse, the chemistry between the two stars is nil, and the obviousness of the ending is only for the very young and those who never, ever want their films to end with the smallest deviation from the standard plot.

year: 2004
length: 98 min.
rating: 2.0
IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0360201/combined

Friday, October 01, 2004

I, Robot

I told my husband that he wasn't going to like my review. Why? Because Will Smith is definitely hot! With that out of the way, let me explain what I mean by hot. He brings something special to each role, a combination of humor, looks, a rippling bod (had to get that in there) and a unique ability to give his lines a spin that bring new meaning to them. That is no small feat and takes practice, if nothing else. He was the only good thing about Independence Day and his cameo in Jersey Girl endears him to parents (and women who think the world of committed family men). I won't go so far as to say he saves this film, but he is a large component of why it works. Bridget Moynahan is fine, nothing too special there, but the sharp script and excellent robot animation are the foundation Smith works off of. The robots act like robots, but look human (particularly the "special" robot) without which the story would have been nonsense. Smith plays a man with a deep distrust for robots who on the eve of the largest robot distribution ever plays his hunch that something is disturbingly wrong at the corporation for robot creation. It's not one of Isaac Asimov's stories, but the base elements (the three laws, the distrust, the anomalies) are taken from them. Without a doubt, for an action flick, this was great fun and worth all those pennies.

year: 2004
length: 115 min.
rating: 3.5
IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0343818/combined