Five More Films from 2008- The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Still Life, I've Loved You So Long, Quantum of Solace, Body of Lies

June 3, 2009

Five More Films from 2008- The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Still Life, I’ve Loved You So Long, Quantum of Solace, Body of Lies

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008) ***1/2

Directed by Mark Herman

You gotta love Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly. She called the Holocaust film The Boy in the Striped Pajamas one of the worst films of 2008, shockingly re-titling it “Honey, We Gassed the Kids.” Presumably, she was disgusted by the cheap way kids are used in order to wrench our emotions from deep in the confines of our guts and gore. It’s hard to argue with that except to say that I was deeply affected by the film’s profoundly distressful conclusion. Months after seeing it, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas has stayed in my psyche, and it’s not often that this happens especially with the amount of films I’ve been watching over the last year. I feel it’s my responsibility to say that this isn’t for young children, despite the fact that the main characters are both under ten. So maybe the better title ought to be, “Honey, We Gassed the Kids and Made a Good Movie.”

Labels: 2008, Three and a Half Stars, Drama

Still Life (2008) ***1/2

Directed by Jia Zhang-ke

Like Up the Yangtze, Still Life shows the sadness that exists on the banks of the Yangtze River in China. The film’s patient pacing helps tell the calm story of a simple coalminer in search of his ex-wife whom he hasn’t seen for 16 years. A parallel plot centers around a young nurse seeking out her estranged husband whom she hasn’t seen for two years. The town of Fengjie, which has been submerged underwater because of the fury of the Yangtze, struggles to keep going similar to those whose stories are shown so beautifully. There are moments of odd absurdity, like when a building actually takes off into the sky like a spaceship, which helped keep me from being bored… which is good since Still Life came very close to losing me on account of its dullness. I’m sure many truths from all our lives are mirrored in the lives of those on the other side of the world, giving Still Life a significance beyond its touching narratives.

Labels: 2008, Three and a Half Stars, Drama, Foreign Film, Mandarin

I’ve Loved You So Long (2008) *1/2

Directed by Philippe Claudel

What a crock! I’ve Loved You So Long easily takes the title of the most overrated film of the year, appearing on many best of 2008 lists and receiving a Golden Globe nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. Perhaps everyone has been myopically overtaken by Kristin Scott Thomas’ fine performance as Juliette Fontaine, a woman recently released from prison who was charged with murdering her son. There’s a scene towards the end which shows Thomas breaking down completely which contains some of the best moments of acting all year. That being said, every single other element of I’ve Loved You So Long absolutely blows, most notably the performance of Elsa Zylberstein as Juliette’s kind-hearted sister Lea. Go back and watch the false ways in which Zylberstein delivers every single one of her lines and tell me that I’m wrong! Blame ought also to go to Claudel’s screenplay, which copiously offers the most ridiculous scenes that can’t help but hit audiences over the head concerning characters’ emotional quandaries which are able to understood long before. Also, the “surprise ending” is the least surprising thing I’ve ever seen! This movie is grade-A crap, and it irritates me that more people haven’t reached the same conclusion on their own!

Labels: 2008, One and a Half Stars, Drama, Foreign Film, French

Quantum of Solace (2008) ***

Directed by Marc Forster

Is there anyone in the world that knows (or cares) less about the James Bond franchise than me? Before Quantum of Solace, I saw only the first Bond movie with Sean Connery, and I’ve got to admit that I don’t even remember its name. Therefore, I had little expectations going into this one, and I’m happy to report that I had a good time watching this silly exploration into revenge for a death which occurred at the end of Casino Royale. The action scenes are pretty cool, especially the one involving the plane. Sure, there’s no way in hell that they would have survived that crash, or at least they wouldn’t have emerged still looking as pretty as they did. Still, this movie works as mindless enjoyment, and because of this fact, I judge the criticisms over the authenticity of whether or not James Bond would really behave the way he does here to be moot. Sip a martini and calm down!

Labels: 2008, Three Stars, Action

Body of Lies (2008) ***

Directed by Ridley Scott

It’s refreshing to see Leo DiCaprio in a film that’s not striving to win Oscar gold! Body of Lies is a violent, intense conspiracy thriller in the vain of so many other violent, intense conspiracy thrillers. DiCaprio’s performance ultimately holds Scott’s relatively forgettable flick together, and it single-handedly makes up for Russell Crowe’s silly, over-the-top turn as a CIA official who holds perhaps a bit too much power over DiCaprio’s terrorist infiltrator. This is satisfactory, run-of-the-mill stuff right here… perfect for a rainy day viewing.

Labels: 2008, Three Stars, Thriller

Goodbye Solo

May 31, 2009

Goodbye Solo (2009) **1/2

Directed by Ramin Bahrani

Goodbye Solo is the clear front-runner for the biggest disappointment of 2009! Recently, I included Bahrani’s previous flick, Chop Shop, on my list of the ten best films of 2008. Perhaps, the fact that I watched that glorious meditation on perseverance within marginal poverty twice in the last month hurt Goodbye Solo’s chances from the start. It’s hard to for a film to hold up when compared to a masterpiece, even if both films are made by the same director/co-writer.

I couldn’t wait to see what Bahrani would do next, and so you can imagine the letdown I felt as Goodbye Solo plunged deep into schlocky waters in its lackluster final act. Even worse is the fact that up until a scene that takes place in a motel room involving a small notebook, I was absolutely in love with everything Bahrani established. For the first hour, we are treated to some of the most effective moviemaking I’ve seen. Then, once the aforementioned notebook comes into play, everything completely unravels until all that is left by the end is utter worthlessness.

Character actor Red West, who is far from a household name despite his long career in the industry which dates all the way back to his days as a stuntman and a bodyguard for Elvis Presley, plays William, a suicidal loner who offers $1000 to a Senegalese cab driver named Solo to drive him on a selected day to a mountaintop presumably to jump off and end his life. Of course, this puts Solo, played by newcomer Souleymane Sy Savane, in a difficult position, which is complicated by the fact that he naturally connects with and cares for all those that he encounters. His empathetic nature forces Solo to involve himself in the man’s life in order to save him, much to the chagrin of William as well as Solo’s estranged wife. Meanwhile, Solo attempts to land a job as a flight attendant in order to better provide for his family in Africa, his stepdaughter Alex (Diana Franco Galindo) and his newborn son.

Much praise has already been given to the two main actors by many critics, and I want to share in that acclaim. I’ve convinced myself that the problems in both actors’ performances towards the conclusion ought to be blamed on Bahrani, since up to then they both embodied such pitch-perfect understatement. Savane, especially, is a true revelation from beginning to previously mentioned motel scene. Bahrani’s a master at extracting astonishing performances from his untrained actors. Savane follows in the footsteps of young Alejandro Polanco from Chop Shop, giving another one of the very best debut performances in movie history. I deem William to be a fairly straightforward character; he must look sad, and at times, he needs to be angry. West simply does what is needed to get the job done.

Knowing how Bahrani decided to conclude Chop Shop, I knew that a happy Hollywood ending wasn’t in store for Solo and William. Since that film and this one arguably fall into the category of cinema verite, or “truth cinema,” artificiality ought to have no place. In setting up who these men are, Bahrani gives us breathtaking truth in ways that equal the considerable honesty in Chop Shop; however, in order to conclude the plot, Bahrani betrays his own mission and offers the most blatant sequences of histrionics I’ve seen in a while. Add in some fog that couldn’t look more manufactured, and you’ve got a movie that completely rides off the rails concerning its intentions.

Also, Goodbye Solo cheaply mirrors Chop Shop’s narrative structure. Both start by introducing characters, and before any real plot comes into play, the audience comes to understand their situations and challenges in life. Then, the conflict is established, which serves as a guide for these characters to develop and mature into fully-realized human beings. Finally, the difficulties of life threaten to wear them down completely, until ultimately, they emerge stronger and wiser because of their inner strength and the relationships they have built.

In Chop Shop, this works brilliantly since its value exists in how well the audience immerses itself into the life of a character that is like so many street children in America. Solo, on the other hand, is an immigrant, but Goodbye Solo isn’t ultimately about the immigrant experience, and for that reason, it doesn’t have much sociological significance. Chop Shop’s plot regarding the taco stand that Ale purchases isn’t the focal point of the film; on the other hand, Goodbye Solo’s success or failure lies as much on its story as it does on its characters. The characters ultimately hold up; however, the narrative sadly does not.

Therefore, I'm compelled to ask--Is Bahrani a one-trick pony? Does he have a long future in the business? If so, he has to learn to do one of two things—either, let his knack for superb character development take focus, or else, learn how to tell a story that holds up from beginning to end.