Archive for August, 2010
Top 10 Movies to Look Forward to This Fall/Winter
10. Somewhere (dir. Sofia Coppola; in theaters December 22nd)
Sofia Coppola doesn’t work that often (I’m not saying she’s Terrence Malick though folks), but when she does, she makes lovely, emotional, and atmospheric tone poems. And of course, considering her family history, I’m really curious to see her take on a father-daughter story.
9. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1 (dir. David Yates; in theaters November 19th)
The Harry Potter movies are truly unique in how they’ve grown up with a generation, probably most comparable to Michael Apted’s Up series, but with wizards. The series’ darkest hour (split between this and part 2, out next summer) looks like it takes things to another level, and it’s been a pleasure to witness the rare series of films where each sequel improves upon the last.
8. Never Let Me Go (dir. Mark Romanek; in theaters September 15th)
Mark Romanek hasn’t made a film since 2002’s interesting One Hour Photo, but if early word is any indication, he’s roaring back with a vengeance with his adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s acclaimed novel of the same name. Spike Jonze claims to have wept after viewing an early cut of the film, and that has me curious.
7. Buried (dir. Rodrigo Cortes; in theaters September 24th)
One-location thrillers are tricky — trickier when that location is only slightly larger than a human body. However, with good writing, innovative direction, and strong performances (or just a performance in this case), this could be the kind of movie that’d make Hitchcock proud. Word out of Sundance says that Ryan Reynolds delivers and the film is a swift and exhilarating little thriller, and I’m totally jazzed to see if that buzz is to be believed.
6. The Town (dir. Ben Affleck; in theaters September 17th)
Gone Baby Gone proved that Ben Affleck is someone we have to take seriously as a director, and I’m eager to take another voyage into the Boston criminal underworld with him. The cast — featuring Jon Hamm, Rebecca Hall, Chris Cooper, Jeremy Renner, and Affleck himself — is pretty impressive, and I predict this being another film that really sneaks up on people, much like his last one.
5. 127 Hours (dir. Danny Boyle; in theaters November 5th)
I can’t tell you how I know this (stupid NDAs), but I can say with certainty that this film is pretty damn good. Leave it to Danny Boyle to make a film about a guy trapped under a rock visceral, involving, and totally original.
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4. The Illusionist (dir. Sylvain Chomet; in theaters December 25th)
The director of The Triplets of Belleville, working from an unproduced script by the great Jacques Tati. Tati meets The Triplets of Belleville — say no more, I can’t think of a lovelier way to spend the holidays at the movies.
3. Black Swan (dir. Darren Aronofsky; in theaters December 1st)
A Darren Aronofsky psychological thriller with shades of Polanski, Lynch, and Kafka? I’m down.
2. True Grit (dir. Joel and Ethan Coen; in theaters December 22nd)
The Coens never disappoint (well, let’s just collectively forget about Intolerable Cruelty and call it a day), and unless you count No Country For Old Men, they’ve never tackled an honest-to-god western, much less a seriocomic one about revenge and youth. Throw in the fact that the last time the Coens worked with Jeff Bridges we got The Big Lebowski, and I’m sold. Even if it inexplicably doesn’t work, knowing the Coens, at least it’ll be interesting.
1. The Social Network (dir. David Fincher; in theaters October 1st)
A movie about the genesis of Facebook and the ensuing hostilities and legal battles sounds like it shouldn’t work, but leave it to David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin to deliver something that looks acerbic, relevant, and tense — all around guys making a website. The script is aces, the cast is great, and if early word is any indication this thing could exceed everybody’s expectations.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 1 so far )Watch This: The Daytrippers on YouTube
You’ve seen Superbad, but have you seen The Daytrippers? Director Greg Mottola’s lovely and incredibly underrated debut film is on YouTube, and considering Mottola’s recent prominence (not to mention the film’s cast including Liev Schreiber, Hope Davis, Campbell Scott, Parker Posey, and the one and only Stanley Tucci), it’s shocking that this wonderful little gem isn’t more widely know. The film concerns what happens when a young woman (Hope Davis) finds a love letter written by her husband (Stanley Tucci) which may prove that he is having an affair. Alongside her family, she shuttles into Manhattan for the day to watch her husband behind his back, and the film consists of the episodic odyssey made by her family as they roam aimlessly through the city. It’s a scrappy little effort, but Mottola’s writing is sharp, and if you’re a fan of his later films (Adventureland, the aforementioned Superbad) this is a must watch.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Albert Brooks to Play the Heavy in “Bronson” Director’s Latest
This just shot to the top of my “must-see” list.
Deadline has reported that Albert Brooks is set to play a “truly dangerous badass” mobster in Nicolas Winding Refn’s newest film Drive, joining a solid cast that already includes Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, and Bryan Cranston (who has spent the last two years doing phenomenal, awards-worthy work on AMC’s brilliant Breaking Bad — seriously people, watch that show). Refn is a Danish filmmaker known for directing the cult favorite Pusher trilogy and Bronson, the flick that put Tom Hardy on the map and earned Refn comparisons to Kubrick. His last film, the acclaimed Viking epic Valhalla Rising which is currently in theaters and available on video on demand. Drive is about a stunt driver (Gosling) who works nights as a getaway driver and gets in over his head, presumably with Brooks’ mobster character.
This is the sort of unusual stunt casting which could prove disastrous, but I trust what Refn is doing here. Brooks is not only a great director (Lost in America and Modern Romance deserve the Criterion treatment) but a really interesting actor too, known more for playing neurotic nebbish-types than anything, and I could see him using a lot of the pent-up frustration behind his comedic performances to great effect here. It’s definitely Brooks going against type, but when comedians have tried this kind of thing in the past, in many cases it has worked out really well. Case in point: Robin Williams’ great work in movies like One Hour Photo and Insomnia. In any case, Bronson proved to me that Refn is a great director just coming into his own, and I really can’t wait to see what he brings to a seemingly straight-forward thriller like this.
And for all those who doubt the awesomeness of Albert Brooks:
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Intriguing Trailer for Aronofsky’s Black Swan Drops
The first trailer for Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan just hit Apple, and the film manages to both look beautiful and enticingly creepy. Aronofsky’s follow-up to 2008’s The Wrestler, Black Swan details the psychological deterioration of a young New York ballerina, Nina (Natalie Portman), who encounters both a competitor and a mysterious new friend (Mila Kunis) who results in Nina getting more “in touch with her dark side with a recklessness that threatens to destroy her.” (Or so says the press release.) In any case, this doesn’t just look like a ballet movie, but something far more unsettling and haunting. The trailer alone feels like a thematic and stylistic cousin to films like Jacob’s Ladder, The Tenant, and Mulholland Drive. I’m really curious to see how Aronofsky applies the handheld, gritty aesthetic he cultivated in The Wrestler to what appears to be a horror film, and in my book the man hasn’t made a bad film yet. (I’ll be a major defender of The Fountain until the day I die.) Fox Searchlight has the film coming out in the middle of awards season, just like Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours (which I may or may not have seen already…), and I love how this year they seem to be open to letting these great directors make unique and challenging films, while positioning them for mainstream attention. Check out the trailer for Black Swan here and see the film in theaters on December 1st.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Movie Review: The Kids Are All Right
“I just wish you were… better,” one character confides to another at the end of Lisa Cholodenko’s The Kids Are All Right, thus emphasizing one of the film’s themes: people are rarely perfect, leaving ideals of family and relationships easier said than done. But as imperfect and flawed as these characters may behave, you always feel like you understand their actions, an impressive feat due in large part to the film’s damn good writing and performances. And make no mistake, this is a comedy and a drama about family and relationships, with that no way inhibited by the fact that the couple at the core of the story is gay. To some degree, The Kids Are All Right is one of the first post-modern relationship films, with the sexual orientation of the leads being almost incidental. Sure, it’s a necessary component of the film regarding the film’s plotting, but gay or straight, the film’s central question is universal: how far do you have to go to make a family work?
The family at the heart of the film, spearheaded by Nic (Annette Bening) and Jules (Julianne Moore), is living a quaint and idyllic southern Californian existence when we first encounter them. Nic’s a doctor, the family breadwinner, and the paternal figure of the household, stern but controlled, and prone to drinking more than her fair share of red wine. Jules on the other hand lends a much more maternal presence, and she occupies herself pursuing a variety of self-made careers like her most recent spontaneous endeavor, a landscaping company. Each woman used a sperm donor to conceive a child years ago, and now Nic’s daughter Joni (Mia Wasikowska) is a straight-A student off to college; and Jules’ son Laser (Josh Hutcherson) is a sweet young man unsure of himself, and mixed up with an obnoxious kid from the neighborhood. Of course it’s not perfect, but that’s family.
That is, until Laser forces the 18-year-old Joni to contact the donor used by “moms.” It’s not that Laser’s unhappy with his family — in fact he seems to be perfectly content with the situation, enough so that a backyard ping pong game with mom is never out of question — but he can’t help but be curious as to what it’d be like to have a father. Then along comes Paul (a perfectly cast Mark Ruffalo), a sweet, amiable, and charmingly immature restauranteur who is happy to meet with this new family. Suddenly, Paul’s arrival signals some feelings in him he never knew he had about the family he wanted, and his presence causes Jules to act irrationally in light of her own dissatisfaction regarding Nic’s emotional openness.
And that’s the charm of The Kids Are All Right. No matter what the characters do, their actions feel genuine and honest, and that’s a testament to the writer of both Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg, as well as Cholodenko’s direction. The film doesn’t quite stick the landing — the ending feels emotionally satisfying but somewhat rushed nonetheless — yet as a wholly unique and heartfelt portrayal of an unusual modern family going through normal family problems, I was very much moved by The Kids Are All Right. Like family, it can be messy, but when it works (and it often does) it’s funny, sweet, and emotionally satisfying.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Movie Review: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
In a movie loaded with visual and stylistic reverence to comic books and video games, the word that you wouldn’t immediately expect to come to mind is heart. Yet Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Edgar Wright’s brilliant adaptation of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s series of graphic novels, is brimming with just that. And for all that colorful, wonderful, splashy style, this is really a story about one guy’s personal growth and maturity, a maturity that’ll come about as the result of six increasingly impressive and gloriously insane fight sequences, one of which even features an evil musician villain with vegan superpowers. Yes, indeed.
As the title suggests, it’s Scott Pilgrim’s story, and it’s his emotional journey that motivates the film. Scott (Michael Cera) begins the story at a crossroads, yet unknowingly so. He’s happily invested in his early 20s, doing nothing, not working (save for in his crappy band), and bidding his time with his high school girlfriend, Knives Chau (Ellen Wong). Knives is sweet, patient, innocent, attentive, and… that’s really as far as their relationship goes. She comes to his band practices. They get lunch together. And they almost held hands that one time, but otherwise they don’t do anything together. It’s pleasant, but without a future, and that’s what Scott wants out of it. Then Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) enters his life, and Scott is in love. He’s taken by her unlike anyone else he’s ever met before, but with that comes her messy past and baggage, here literalized by her 7 evil-exes, whom Scott must defeat if he ever has a chance of winning Ramona’s heart. The question is, is Ramona worth all this trouble? Is Scott just another evil-ex waiting to be?
This is a movie where no character bats an eye upon the start of a massive video game-like fight sequence where defeated adversaries explode into piles of coins, but once you cross that mental barrier, the world of this film is infectiously fun and wholly engrossing. And it helps that it’s populated by so many hilarious and interesting characters, with every one of Scott’s friends investing the film with their own unique comic timing and perspective.
As far as casting goes, Cera immediately eliminates all doubts regarding his capabilities as a cinematic Scott Pilgrim. He’s not playing his usual role, but he’s doing his own take on the character which works, and the manic energy he brings to it is unlike anything he’s done before. Basically, cast aside all fears, Michael Cera is Scott Pilgrim. Additionally, Winstead does great work as the elusive Ramona, who could easily turn into an empty character in the wrong hands, but here feels like someone you understand. The rest of the supporting ensemble is similarly note-perfect, and I could go on about how much of an impression Allison Pill makes in her small role as Scott’s bandmate and ex Kim Pine; or Aubrey Plaza’s memorable performance as the brittle Julie Powers; or Chris Evans’ awesome turn as the evil-ex Lucas Lee, who was seemingly modeled after Keanu Reeves. But as far as supporting performances go, the star of the show is easily Kieran Culkin as Scott’s gay roommate Wallace Wells. Culkin’s comedic chops and presence are astonishingly polished here, and it feels like the work of a veteran performer. If any character steals the film, it’s his, no contest.
Speaking of polished skills however, Edgar Wright directs the thing like the demented love child of Sam Raimi and Jean-Luc Godard, and the sensibility of the film is perfectly manic and bubbly as it should be. Taking inspiration from O’Malley’s excellent comics while very much making it his own, Wright has crafted a film that’ll define a generation, not merely through its pop culture references, but in its temperament. This is a movie about a generation that has grown up surrounded by media, and the way the film masterfully incorporates everything from a brief Bollywood-style dance number to a laugh track is indicative of how Wright has channelled O’Malley’s way of using reference to capture state-of-mind, in a very similar way to what Wright himself has done in his own films like Shaun of the Dead. In short, Wright’s a perfect match for the material, and thanks to his sublime job of creating a wholly unique tone here (thanks to everything from on-screen graphics to jump cuts), this is his most accomplished film as a director to date.
And that youthful vigor of Wright’s style serves as a perfect compliment to the story’s themes of maturity and growth. For indeed, this is a film about growing up, but not growing old. Scott’s journey is dictated by his need to accept Ramona’s past in order to truly love her, and get over his own hang-ups and grow up in the process. Much like the aforementioned Shaun, this is the story of a boy quest to become a man. Shaun fought zombies. Scott fights super-villainous exes. And with a film as energetic, joyful, creative, cool, funny, and uplifting as Scott Pilgrim, the audience members are the real winners.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )The Best Films of the First Half of 2010
In alphabetical order…
Exit Through the Gift Shop
Simultaneously a thoughtful examination of modern artistic merit and a raucous look at a truly bizarre street art success-story, Exit Through the Gift Shop isn’t merely a very entertaining movie, but one where the very existence of the film (or documentary, depending on how you look at it) itself forces you to reexamine everything it’s is saying. Whether the events depicted on screen here are true or not, this is a piece of filmmaking which is important as an artistic statement, a conversation piece, a dissertation on filmic form, and a work of entertainment.
Greenberg
There’s a part of me that thinks Noah Baumbach is working in the wrong decade. While his films are unfairly maligned now as awkwardness porn, his thoughtful and unsentimental character studies would be right at home with 70s classics like Five Easy Pieces and Fat City. Then again, if he was working back then, we would never have seen, Greenberg, his wonderful take on aging Gen-X angst which is not everyone, but destined to be cherished by those who’ll appreciate it. It’s a prickly film, but to call it misanthropic is a misnomer. Baumbach is just that rare director who merges cynicism with sensitive humanism, and I’m glad his voice is out there.
The Ghost Writer
Say what you will about Roman Polanski’s personal life, but the man is one excellent suspense filmmaker, and his latest effort feels like the work of a craftsman who knows exactly how to push an audience’s buttons. This isn’t to say The Ghost Writer is Chinatown or Rosemary’s Baby, but there’s something very satisfying about a smart, thrilling story for adults that’s well told. And the final shot is a work of ghoulish brilliance.
Inception
Destined to be the most widely discussed film of the year, Inception feels like the culminating statement of all of Christopher Nolan’s films thus far. It’s a film about broken men, regret, control, and the way people can get entangled in and obsessed with elaborate fictions of their own creation. And what better way to approach that then with dreams, where a Nolan protagonist can literally get lost in a limbo of their own demons? The metaphor gets even more interesting when you consider the film as Nolan’s own statement on storytelling and filmmaking, with the character of Cobb subbing in for him. I feel like there are many more layers of Inception I will yet uncover on future viewings, but for now it remains Nolan’s most emotionally engaging film, as well as his most fascinatingly ambitious one.
Kick-Ass
This is a silly film, but an infectiously fun one at that, and why can’t that be the point? Director Matthew Vaughn seems to be wondering why our superheroes have to be brooding when they can indulge in the giddy thrills of gratuitous violence, and in a way he manages to have his cake and eat it too. Unlike Mark Millar’s comic, the satire works here, but it’s never played hard enough that the audience can’t enjoy a properly deranged Nicolas Cage putting criminals in car-crushers and talking like Adam West. And in that sense, the thing plays like gangbusters
A Prophet
A Prophet is a long film, and one that absolutely takes its time every step of the way establishing an exhaustingly detailed portrayal of the criminal underworld of a French prison. Yet none of that gritty exposition and world-creation feels tiring, and when the film startlingly bolts to action during several moments of genre-infused lunacy, it’s absolutely exhilarating. As opposed to a slog, A Prophet is a compelling modern crime epic and a great character study that manages to say a lot about everything from the inherent flaws of the prison system to cyclical nature of violence after the occasional wonderfully tense assassination sequence. It’s an experience that requires your attention, but dutifully rewards it nonetheless.
Shutter Island
Much like The Ghost Writer, this is a movie destined to be looked down on because it’s something of a minor work from an absolutely brilliant director, but that’s besides the point. The point is, when a great director gets a chance to work some basic skills in a genre sandbox, it can be a joy to watch. Such is the case here with Scorsese’s throwback to everything from Laura to Night of the Hunter, but Shutter Island isn’t some empty exercise in style. It’s also a really interesting look at an unreliable narrator and a character study marked by an amazing attention to point-of-view. But Shutter Island is Scorsese’s show all the way, and with great cinematography and excellent performances all around, it’s a terrific film, proving that just about any Scorsese is better than most modern films.
Toy Story 3
It should just be enough for me to say that Pixar’s latest film doesn’t break the streak. It’s funny without ever being condescending, emotional without ever being trite, and it provides a fitting close to one of the best trilogies in movie history. This movie made me weep for the fates of plastic toys, and that’s no easy feat. Well played Pixar.
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Fascinated Film Fanatic 