December 21, 2008
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) ****1/2
Directed by Nicholas Stoller
Finally, I understand how so many people raved about films like Superbad and Knocked Up. Personally, I thought the dialogue and therefore the characters in those films were so fratboyish and ugly that I couldn’t wait to move on with my life. Both films are barely redeemed by effectively sweet final scenes. Forgetting Sarah Marshall, on the other hand, has characters that are genuinely nice, funny people. I totally enjoyed being in their world. There’s not a single ounce of mean-spiritedness anywhere in this hilariously raunchy comedy. However, the film suffers a bit because of the inclusion of two characters played by Jonah Hill (Superbad) and Jack McBrayer (30 Rock). Once again, Jonah Hill annoyed me to no end. I have yet to see a film in which he’s even remotely tolerable. McBrayer, on the other hand, does the best he can with his type-casted role as a virgin on his honeymoon who keeps trying to successfully make love to his wife only to end up more and more frustrated. There are marginally funny moments between McBrayer and his wife that serve as transitions between a handful of scenes. I can imagine that scenes like these would make a theater audience scream in laughter. Watching it alone, I chuckled, but at the same time, I felt annoyed that the pacing kept getting interrupted by these pedestrian moments. Otherwise, Forgetting Sarah Marshall is a true gem of a movie. Jason Segel from television’s How I Met Your Mother is absolutely charming and very funny as Peter Bretter, a man who escapes to Hawaii after his famous girlfriend named Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell) dumps him. Things turn very complicated when Sarah and her new boyfriend, rockstar Aldous Snow, in a breakout performance by Russell Brand, also show up to stay at the same resort as Peter. Luckily, he’s able to spend time with a gorgeous, sweet helpdesk girl named Rachel (Mila Kunis). Bell and Brand are very funny and surprisingly likable considering the fact that they are making Peter’s life a living hell. Yet, the biggest treat is Mila Kunis’ wonderful performance. I’ve always liked her on That 70’s Show, but her character on that show was supposed to come off a bit two-dimensional. Here, she’s able to play someone completely different considering that Rachel is upbeat, smart and charming. The best moment in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and possibly the funniest moment I’ve seen in a film this year, takes place at a bar when Peter begins to sing a song from a musical adaptation of Dracula which he’s in the middle of writing. Segel wrote this screenplay, and I wish Judd Apatow would take a few tips from him. Not everyone in the world is obsessed with pot and curses every third word. I don’t want to be around people that are like that. Segel writes his characters with class and charm probably because he’s a classy and charming guy himself. One thing is for sure—he’s definitely a great comedic actor!
Labels: 2008, Four and a Half Stars, Comedy
The Long, Hot Summer (1958) ***1/2
Directed by Martin Ritt
The Long, Hot Summer plays like Tennessee Williams lite. Set during a scorching summer in the Deep South, the movie plays with Southern rules and expectations including family, loyalty, class and heirs. Though its script is not on the same level as Streetcar Named Desire, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof or Sweet Bird of Youth, The Long, Hot Summer is certainly entertaining enough. If for nothing else, it’s worth it to see Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward together on screen for the first time. They would soon get married in real life, and their marriage would last decades until his death a few months ago. The two of them have wonderful chemistry, and Woodward is especially great as a proud, stoic young woman who is beyond the age when most women in that society get married and begin to have kids. Angela Lansbury is sadly wasted in a small part as Orsen Welles’ wife. She definitely earns her paycheck considering the fact that she has to kiss Welles on the lips! Yuck! Welles can’t help but attempt to steal this entire film with his bare hands through a performance that is way too over the top to be taken seriously by anyone other than Welles himself. He shouts and sweats his way throughout this entire movie. He was only 43 when this film came out, and yet he all too convincingly plays a man in his sixties. Welles was well over 300 pounds which is sad when you consider that 17 years prior, he was a man of average build when he appeared in Citizen Kane. There’s a moment that doesn’t work at all towards the end of this movie. It involves a barn burning and Welles’ character’s son deciding to lock him in to burn to death. At the last minute, he saves his father, and immediately, his father says how proud he is that his son has finally become a man with guts! If my son were to try and kill me only to change his mind at the last minute, I’m not sure I’d feel pride in his gumption. Still, The Long, Hot Summer is a well made, entertaining glimpse into the Deep South. However, you should definitely see Streetcar Named Desire, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Sweet Bird of Youth before even considering this movie. All those films are much better, and they all deal with very similar explorations.
Labels: 1950s, Three and a Half Stars, Drama, Paul Newman Marathon
Nobody’s Fool (1994) ***
Directed by Robert Benton
Paul Newman is absolutely terrific in this throwaway film about a small town and its jaded inhabitants. To be honest with you, that’s really all I’ve got to say about it. Oh yeah, this was also Jessica Tandy’s final film role, and she’s wonderful too.
Labels: 1990s, Three Stars, Drama, Paul Newman Marathon
Encounters at the End of the World (2008) ****1/2
Directed by Werner Herzog
This is the first documentary I’ve seen from the great Werner Herzog whose films Nosferatu, Woyczek, Fitzcarraldo, Cobra Verde and Rescue Dawn I have reviewed on this blog. He’s clearly an eccentric character with deep seated issues regarding his awe/fear of the power of nature. Therefore, it makes sense that Herzog would make a documentary about Antarctica. The only problem with Encounters at the End of the World is the fact that his own phobias too often guide the structure of the documentary. Had someone with less idiosyncrasies directed this movie, I bet it would have been much more palatable. The particular questions that Herzog asks stifle the final product. Otherwise, Encounters at the End of the World is a visual glory with gorgeous and often haunting imagery. I will never forget the eerie, inorganic sounds of the underwater seals. It’s also fascinating how the environment affects the lives of the scientist that live in Antarctica. There’s something a bit odd with most of the people we meet. Leave it to Herzog of course to emphasize this. Overall, Encounters at the End of the World is an eccentric exploration for sure, but it’s breathtaking nonetheless. It is really quite an achievement.
Labels: 2008, Four and a Half Stars, Documentary
Milk (2008) *****
Directed by Gus Van Sant
Sean Penn gives one of the best performances I’ve ever seen as Harvey Milk, the first openly gay person to be elected to public office only to be assassinated by his unstable former colleague Dan White, played magnificently by Josh Brolin. Milk is perhaps the perfection of the modern biopic formula. I’ve been so disappointed by films like Ray, Talk to Me and The Hoax with their paint by numbers plot structures. It seems that a good performance is all that’s needed to give these films critical praise… for the life of me, I can’t understand how Ray received a Best Picture Oscar nomination—Jamie Foxx was incredible, but otherwise, the movie was mediocre at best. Gus Van Sant directs Milk from within the biopic formula, but he’s still able to surprise us with rich, simple plotlines and wonderfully colorful full-realized (for the most part) supporting characters. Perhaps we could have learned more about the men (and woman) in Harvey Milk’s life, but Van Sant is able to convince me that Milk surrounded himself with truly lovable people who were completely loyal to him and to the cause he ultimately gave his life for. No matter what one believes about gay rights, it’s impossible not to be moved by the messages of courage, tolerance, justice and peace that Milk successfully puts forth. In my book, 2008 is the year of Gus Van Sant because he made Paranoid Park, which is quickly becoming one of my all time favorite films, and Milk, which is one hell of a cinematic treasure!
Labels: 2008, Five Stars, Drama, Best Picture Oscar Nominees
