A Week in the Life of a Film Geek (April 12-18, 2010)

A Week in the Life of a Film Geek (April 12-18, 2010)

M (1931) *****
Directed by Fritz Lang

My tweet:

M (1931)- Someone better protect the children for sure, but we must be protected from the systemic flaws of the state. Amazing! ***** of 5

Other thoughts:

Putting aside for a minute the fact that M might just be one of the greatest movies I've ever seen, it's hard to know where to begin to analyze a film with intentions that aren't one hundred percent clear. Without a doubt, Lang is trying to say something which he feels very passionate about. His direction is none too subtle, and his aggressive, frenetic visual style remains jarring even today. His close ups are framed with an ugliness that breaks down viewers until they are left feeling just as frustrated with the evils of the world as the group of criminals in the makeshift underground trial that takes place during the finale.

The question remains, "Which evil or evils is M really commenting on?" Is it a film solely about the capacity some people have to rape and murder children and the fact that we and our kids are made to live alongside them? Perhaps, M desires above all to chastise the unbridled power of the state when it takes away civil rights in the name of making society better. With this argument especially, it's possible to see M as an anti-Nazi movie at its core. Another way to view M is as a film that's sick of the mob mentality of both the upper and lower classes which results in a citizenry that's vile and baseless.

Without question, there's a great deal of loathing that goes on within this profoundly dark mix of a serial killer movie and a police procedural. Everyone loathes the child murderer who we later learn also loathes himself. The police loathe the criminals. The criminals loathe the police. Society crumbles into a loathsome chaos when the police can't produce any substantial leads even with all its resources dedicated to solving these vicious crimes. If one man has that much power over the police, then what does that say for the way justice is carried out? Perhaps vigilante justice is the answer. Either way, as the grieving mother of a murdered girl proclaims, "This won't bring back our children. We, too, should keep a closer watch on our children." It's chilling to think of one final possibility. Maybe nothing and no one can protect the children, no matter how closely we keep watch.

M is an extraordinarily powerful glimpse into a crime that pretty much succeeds in unhinging a society. Peter Lorre plays a compulsive child killer who is the recipient of a great deal of hatred and blame once his crimes are made known, until his defender makes the argument that he's not responsible for his actions because of an illness. Lorre makes one of the greatest speeches in film history when he futilely attempts to make those who are not inside his head understand why he has to do what he does. He talks of a fire and an agony, which can be seen in an earlier sequence when he's luring a girl to her death only to find himself in a situation where things don't go as planned. Frustrated, he sits at a table at an outdoor cafe and says to the waiter that he wants a coffee...no, make that a vermouth... no wait a cognac... and another. He's clearly trying to quench a powerful thirst albeit unsuccessfully.

In today's society when a show like "To Catch a Predator" turns the reality of pedophilia into gimmicky entertainment, perhaps the societal critiques within M still need to be heard. Are we doing enough right now to protect our children? Is the government? Maybe the government is doing too much and making society worse. What's the answer? What exactly is M trying to say? All I know for sure is that M stands out as one of the masterpieces of twentieth century cinema.

Black Dynamite (2009) ***1/2
Directed by Scott Sanders

My tweet:

Black Dynamite (2009)- First ten minutes & last ten minutes are hilarious. Rest is hit & miss. All involved not on the same page ***1/2 of 5

Other thoughts:

Some may praise the merits of Black Dynamite because of the way it spoofs the campy blaxsploitation genre of the 1970s, while others may simply find it funny on its own merits. I fall squarely in the second group, though I can also see why people might not like the movie at all. Black Dynamite regularly crosses the line separating spoof and navel-gazing broad comedy, and the times it doesn't remain true to its identity as pastiche are the moments that don't work at all.

Take, for example, In Living Color's Tommy Davidson who plays Creamed Corn. The first time we see him, he has curlers in his hair while talking tough to the ladies in the beauty parlor. Everything up to that moment plays out like we are watching an actual serious blaxsplotation film that's just unspeakably bad. Davidson's humor is right out of a late night sketch comedy show, like, say, In Living Color. Saying that he's winking for the camera is an undersell. That scene smacks the audience across the face with a glove and says, "Look at me! I'm Tommy Davidson and I'm trying so hard to be funny."

Black Dynamite works when those involved do not try to illicit laughs at all. Michael Jai White as the title character plays an actor with no talent playing a character in a movie that is so bad that it's entertaining. A handful of supporting performances do the same including Kevin Chapman as O'Leary and Salli Richardson-Whitfield as Gloria. These actors have a lot of fun playing characters that keep it close to the grain. If only the entire cast could have existed in the same authentic, albeit dreadfully inept, universe, then Black Dynamite could have really been something special.

Instead, it's simply a solid comedy in its own right more than an homage to blaxsploitation. Not having seen any in the genre, I can't comment with expertise whether Black Dynamite correctly lampoons the spirit of films like Shaft and Cleopatra Jones; however, considering that the plot goes from an orphanage, to a suburb, to a warehouse, to Kung Fu island, to a certain American landmark, I can only guess that it's diving headfirst into total ridiculousness. If so, I'm not complaining. Only a ridiculous film can have such hilarious sequences as the opening commercial for Anaconda malt liquor, the final battle between Black Dynamite and a certain participant in Watergate and my favorite scene where Black Dynamite leads his men to solving the most convoluted puzzle in order to figure out what "the man" is doing to stop black people from thriving on the streets.

It's hard for a movie like this to remain consistently funny, though it is possible. Take Airplane! and Tropic Thunder as prime examples. At times, Black Dynamite is just as funny as the best spoofs I've seen, but it also contains enough jokes and performances that don't work to hold it back from true artistry. If anything, there's no reason why it shouldn't leave a lasting impression on the midnight movie circuit for years to come.

The Damned United (2009) ****
Directed by Tom Hooper

My tweet:

The Damned United (2009)- A tricky film. Both too serious & surprisingly compelling at once. Love/hate relationship w/ Clough works. ****/5

Other thoughts:

Those Europeans sure do like their soccer. I, like most Americans, remain unmoved by the appeal of the world's most popular sport. Granted, I'm not much of a sports fan in general, and as such, my least favorite genre of film might just be the sports movie. Too many are written for the type of sports player/fan that I probably wouldn't be friends with in real life and who probably wouldn't want me as a friend either. Too often, sports films are filled with cliched locker room speeches meant to inspire and pump testosterone. The idea of winning a sporting match does little to inspire me, and I think I might have been born without testosterone. Given the opportunity to freely watch a formulaic sports film, I'd say thanks but no thanks.

Thankfully, The Damned United bucks almost all convention, with less than five minutes of screen time dedicated to people actually playing soccer. Instead, The Damned United tells the true story of Brian Clough, an insecure egomaniac whose loose tongue and cockiness became his own worst enemy when he led Leeds' football team to the worst opening season record in franchise history. He was offered the position after building up a nothing Derby franchise from the bottom of the second division to winning the championship.

We realize early on that Brian Clough's coaching success is completely dependent on his loyal, brilliant assistant coach Peter Taylor, played by the always reliable Timothy Spall. In fact, everyone realizes the key to Clough's greatness except for Clough himself. This leads Clough to decisions that sabotage both his partnership with Taylor as well as his uncontested reputation as a winning manager.

Brian Clough is played by Michael Sheen, who is quickly becoming one of my favorite actors. Sheen, with his naturally exaggerated toothy grin, always brings a level of sliminess to every role, and he's been smart enough lately to capitalize on this fact, playing men who are deeply flawed though fundamentally decent in films like The Queen and Frost/Nixon. At times, we hate Brian Clough as much for Sheen's performance as for the character's vanity. It would have been all too easy for screenwriter Peter Morgan to temper Clough's disagreeableness so audiences might effortlessly latch onto the moments when we are meant to root for him. Instead, the underbelly of a great and terrible man is fully exposed, and viewers are trusted enough to take the bad with the good. It's nice to see a film that respects its audience's intelligence.

Tom Hooper directs with a washed out color pallet making the whole thing look right out of the 1970's. While I found this gimmick effective, there are a few other indulgences that don't work. Early on, in order to demonstrate Derby's rise to the top followed by Leeds' fall to the bottom, text floats across the screen giving us scores and statistics which come off like a final presentation in a high school PowerPoint course. Though not perfect, The Damned United works beyond the sports film formula providing a treat that both soccer and film fans can root for together.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009) **1/2
Directed by Chris Weitz

My tweet:

The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009)- Dug Weitz's style, but mopey plot is short on action & tall on a romance I don't care about at all **1/2

Other thoughts:

After viewing the first Twilight film last year, I wrote that I wasn't giving up on the film series despite the fact that Catherine Hardwicke's movie was truly awful. Unfortunately, after viewing this far superior second chapter in the Bella Swan/Edward Cullen vampire romance, I'm tempted to make a firm proclamation that I'm never going to really like any of the Twilight films. The problem isn't with the acting, though Taylor Lautner better keep that pretty face and muscled torso cause he can't act his way out of a plastic bag used to pick up werewolf droppings, or director Chris Weitz, who directed About a Boy, one of my favorite films of recent years. I also kind of like the sporadic action sequences. What I simply will never get into is the truly dumb romance between these unbelievably melancholy lead characters. I don't give a damn whether Bella is able to become a vampire so she and Edward can be in love forever. Personally, if Bella was to ask my advice, I'd say dump the fanged one, go to college, date human beings and find a nice apartment with tennis courts and a cat.

Perhaps I was wrong to expect an action packed climax in what's essentially a teen romance series, but the first film, which felt like a Harry Potter rip off, ended like the Potter films with a bombastic final fight sequence. In New Moon, there's a fairly tepid little altercation involving Michael Sheen and a ridiculously underused and distracting Dakota Fanning followed by a wordy confrontation between Edward, Bella and Jacob. If the dramatic buildup in the future Twilight films all add up to a furthering of the romance, then I'm bound to be let down. Not a single part of me wants to know who Bella ends up with and how/why/when/where.

In order to stay on top of pop culture, I suppose I'll keep watching the films in the Twilight series. As such, I sincerely hope Weitz continues to direct them. He uses the film's bloated budget wonderfully, infusing the mood with a seamless mix of CGI and camera tricks that enhance without ever pulling focus. Weitz is an infinitely more talented director than the borderline useless Catherine Hardwicke. Finally, I want to enthusiastically recognize the amazing choice of songs used on the soundtrack. Sure they're a bit moody and emo, but they're also really awesome songs in themselves. I think I'll be humiliated while I do so, but I might just buy The Twilight Saga: New Moon original soundtrack. Beats owning the DVD.

A Week in the Life of a Film Geek (April 5-11, 2010)

A Week in the Life of a Film Geek (April 5-11, 2010)

I want to get back in the habit of posting more frequently, and the combination of a busy schedule and a lack of motivation are making full length reviews very difficult to regularly churn out, so I decided that every Sunday evening (with exception of course), I'll begin to type out some of my thoughts about the films that I saw over the week. As always, please feel free to comment on this or any other post. I promise from here on in to respond to every single reasonable comment.

Greenberg (2010) ****1/2
Directed by Noah Baumbach

My tweet:

Greenberg- Brutally honest meditation on being 40. Baumbach's not afraid to be unlikable in his successful quest for truth. ****1/2 of 5

Other thoughts:

I cannot express enough how much I despised Baumbach's nasty, pointless and above all misanthropic 2007 release Margot at the Wedding. Read my review of that film here. Margot sat quite comfortably atop my Worst of 2007 list, and because of that flick's total nefariousness, I wasn't completely looking forward to watching Greenberg, which on paper has quite a bit in common with Margot. Both deal with a profoundly insecure malcontent in the lead role and neither aims to portray humanity in a glowing light. Thankfully, Greenberg is a very good movie for many reasons, though most importantly because it consistently presents truthful characters and situations, unlike Margot at the Wedding, which creates unlikable characters that never once feel real. They instead come off like manufactured creations of a deeply angered and depressed screenwriter. Baumbach may have also been angered and depressed while writing Greenberg, but this time the plot and characters aren't buried in an abyss of suffocating repugnance.

Ben Stiller, who is such a talented and interesting actor, commits completely to showing his title character in a candid light. It's hard to like the man Greenberg, and, on the one hand, Stiller doesn't shy away from appearing disagreeable, yet he doesn't judge his character in his performance. Further, unlike some other comic actors who try out dramatic roles, Stiller doesn't attempt to underact. There are moments of huge eruptions of anger and frustration, and never once does Stiller come across as someone trying to be taken seriously as an actor by dialing down the intensity.

The entire movie plays both as a character study of a borderline unhinged man trying to navigate his way into the beginnings of middle age when nothing in his past has proven fulfilling. Yet, Greenberg isn't a man that we must contemplate from an emotional distance. Baumbach tackles some tough issues about being in one's forties that audiences can examine either from the past, present or future depending on one's age. It's around the age of 40 when life settles down, and the idealism of youth and young adulthood almost completely disappears. I can imagine that people start intensely judging the values of their past accomplishments in order to assess how satisfied they are in the present which understandably affects their temperaments in the future.

I can't say I enjoyed a lot of what I saw in Greenberg significantly better than the goings on in Margot at the Wedding. Both films aren't afraid to get unabashedly ugly. Though I haven't yet seen Baumbach's much celebrated The Squid and the Whale, I think it's safe to say that it's probably a rare occurrence when someone leaves a Noah Baumbach film feeling good about being a member of the human race. This is perfectly okay with me as long as a film of his actually has something to say that's rooted in truth, despite its level of animus.

Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) ****1/2
Directed by Sergio Leone

My tweet:

Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)- Overstuffed, sure, but I can't recall too many films that are so damn entertaining. ****1/2 out of 5

Other thoughts:

I was pleased to finally catch a Spaghetti Western, a term which refers to a genre of westerns made in Italy by Italian directors in the mid-sixties through the seventies which starred American actors, most notably Clint Eastwood. Films such as A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and Once Upon a Time in the West are staple films on Internet Movie Database's Top 250 Films List. In general, the western isn't my favorite genre, but as a self-proclaimed film geek, it's inexcusable not to have seen even one Sergio Leone Spaghetti Western.

From its opening scene spoofing High Noon to its overblown confrontation between Charles Bronson's "The Man with No Name" and Henry Fonda's villainous Frank. I was completely mesmerized by Leone's one of a kind, operatic style more so than the film's plot, which really isn't all that much more than a collection of familiar western tropes (reformed bad guy seeking salvation, man seeking revenge for a family's murder, bad guy vs. good guy in a small town setting, etc.). Leone loves framing his sweaty, weather-beaten actors (and actresses) in extreme close ups capturing slight twitches or snarls meant for histrionic punctuation.

Is Once Upon a Time in the West perfect? Far from it. If one was to meticulously dissect and critique this over two and a half hour epic, it would be easy to come up with a pretty long list of flaws (Henry Fonda, for example, is way too old for the role he's in). Ultimately, however, Leone strove to captivate audiences in order to give them their money's worth. As such, without a doubt, Once Upon a Time in the West deserves a place on a list of the Top 250 Films for being so richly entertaining.

Afghan Star (2009) ***
Directed by Havana Marking

My tweet:

Afghan Star (2009)- Putting aside its desire to be a competition show itself, this doc showcases a country's struggles w/ transition. ***/5

Other thoughts:

Afghan Star falls into a trap that's becoming all-too-familiar with documentaries that showcase some kind of competition. Another example is Chris Rock's Good Hair, a doc also released last year which splits its focus between examining the billion dollar industry built around the hair of African-American women and a competition for best hair designer at a hair care convention. Marking's documentary Afghan Star, about Afghanistan's equivalent to American Idol, is structured like a season of the reality competition itself. Throughout the film, we watch as singers get eliminated one by one, so that at the end, we learn who earned that season's title of being the Afghan Star. Perhaps I'm disappointed that Marking took the easy way out by utilizing the most expected and obvious organizational pattern; however, even more so, the most interesting subplots are about singers who didn't make it all the way to the end so that by the time we reach the final two, the best elements of the film are already behind us.

That being said, Afghan Star certainly has quite a lot to say about a country desiring to catch up with the rest of the world in terms of its popular culture. After decades of being dominated by other, larger entities, including the Taliban, who outlawed secular singing and all dancing in the 1990's, a singing competition on a low budget television station with production values that would make Soul Train scoff in superiority is exactly what the doctor ordered. Unfortunately, there's still a great deal of tension in this Islamic fundamentalist country. For example, in the season spotlighted in the doc, there are women competing for the first time. The two female contestants are very different, not only coming from different tribes, but also because one is much more traditional than the other. The most powerful story centers around the backlash that occurs after one of the women starts to dance around on stage the day she's eliminated. Women who dance, according to a certain interpretation of Islam adhered to by many Afghans, are bad. Things spiral out of control resulting in this contestant not returning home to her village because of death threats directed toward her and her family.

In order for lasting modernization to permeate a country like Afghanistan, the acceptance of popular culture and artistic expression is crucial. Though the television show Afghan Star is so amateurish that it's almost unwatchable to those of us used to the pomp of American Idol, it potentially has the power to bring a country into the twentieth century. Yes, I know it's the twenty-first century right now, but after watching this documentary, you'll realize that it might be best to temper expectations regarding Afghanistan's cultural evolution.

The Ghost Writer (2010) ***
Directed by Roman Polanski

My tweet:

The Ghost Writer- A well-crafted beach read of a movie that's fun despite how shallow and at times ridiculous its plot is. *** of 5

Other Thoughts:

Beach reads by definition refer to books that don't require a whole lot of thought but are entertaining nonetheless. They're not aiming to win Pulitzer Prizes, but they are meant to absorb the reader in plot that's engrossing though undeniably shallow. John Grisham is perhaps my favorite beach read author. His novels are a whole lot of fun, though I don't really feel like I accomplished much when I finish one.

Roman Polanski's The Ghost Writer plays out like a John Grisham beach read. It's a little silly, completely manufactured and one hundred percent watchable. Ewan McGregor, who has certainly had his share of bad performances lately with films like The Men Who Stare at Goats and Amelia, is cast well as a British ghost writer offered the opportunity to write about an exiled former Prime Minister played by a scenery munching Pierce Bronsan. Things spin out of control when McGregor's character, for almost no real reason whatsoever, begins to investigate the suspicious death of the man he was hired to replace, thereby placing himself in serious danger. Corruption, scandal, suspicion and sex all come into play until we're left with a final sequence that's satisfying while also being completely ludicrous.

One can certainly understand why Polanski found himself attracted to this material. He's been dealing with his own self-imposed exile. He's recently found himself under house arrest awaiting possible extradition to the United States to face child abuse charges. Like a disgraced Prime Minister, Polanski must struggle with his own tarnished reputation and questionable legacy. You'd expect this man making this movie at this time to result in something provocative and memorable. Sadly, once one is finished watching The Ghost Writer, I'd be hard pressed to believe that it will stay with the viewer for very long. There are also none too subtle critiques of Tony Blair and the Bush administration. To really do something interesting with all this material, The Ghost Writer needed to have trusted its audience to be willing to think. Instead, it's absolutely possible to leave your brain on standby while watching.

The Secret of Kells (2010) ***
Directed by Tomm Moore & Nora Twomey

My tweet:

The Secret of Kells- A fuzzy story and a blend of mostly 2D animation w/ a peppering of computer generated 3D make for an okay movie. ***/5

Other thoughts:

There was a worldwide audible gasp within the film community when The Secret of Kells was announced as a nominee for Best Animated Film at this year's Academy Awards, beating out Hayao Miyazaki's Ponyo which was expected by many to be in the running. I follow the pulse of the film world as much as anyone, and yet, I had never heard of The Secret of Kells, and once I got home to read the Twitter buzz over the Oscars, almost everyone I followed was similarly perplexed and intrigued. I did a little digging and found that the Irish import based on the Celtic book of Kells only played at an animated film festival in Los Angeles in 2009. There were no plans at the time for an official release in the United States.

I would have loved to have seen The Secret of Kells before the Oscars. I was impressed with this little movie that could, and I posited that a film with such little exposure must be pretty damn good for Academy members to cast enough votes for a nomination. Though everyone agreed that Up was the hands down favorite to win, there was a little part of me that was rooting for the underdog. Had I seen Kells before the Oscars, I would have been able to dismiss it as stale and boring, not deserving to be mentioned in the same category as Up and Coraline.

The animation is similar to Sita Sings the Blues; it's like a collage on screen where illuminated cutouts are layered on a backdrop. I didn't love Sita, but at least that film had a sense of whimsy and imagination regarding its animation style that kept momentum going from beginning to end. Sure, there are sequences in Kells that are truly wonderful and magical, and these alone make the film worth seeing. Yet, there are whole sequences that literally lay there with such flatness that I felt tempted to disengage completely with its pretty lackluster plot about a boy in a monastery who betrays his abbot by venturing out into the magical woods to help out a traveling monk who believes that the boy could save the enclosed town from violent attack.

The magic could have been a lot more magical; the story could have been a lot more compelling; the voice characterizations could have had a lot more character; the animation could have been a lot more animated. There are a handful of computer generated 3D animation sequences that are pretty awesome to watch but feel completely disconnected with the 2D pallet that runs throughout. I was ready to completely write off The Secret of Kells as a failure when the story and the visuals take a disturbing turn which finally give the film some energy which had been lacking desperately. By the end, I was impressed enough to recommend The Secret of Kells, though personally, I wouldn't have voted to nominate it for anything.