Babel “A”

I’m An American!

Miscommunication, the cornerstone of modern society.
Political correctness, the other cornerstone.

“Babel” is a visually stunning and extremely heart wrenching film brought to us by the director of “Amores Perros” and “21 Grams”, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.

What Inarritu has accomplished here is arguably his best work in his short career. What can I say? This man knows how to tell a compelling story using every aspect of filmmaking at his disposal. Cinematography, editing, music and performance all come together almost naturally effortless.

On to the story. The film centers around a vacationing couple who’s marriage is on the rocks. Though while it is never fully explained why such American WASPs are traveling through Morocco on a bus, nevertheless it makes for compelling drama, don’t ya think? Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett play their roles with aplomb and while his role calls for frustration and deep sorrow, Cate’s role is very difficult. She has to be dying through 95% of her onscreen time! Oscar winner Cate Blanchett is hands down one of the finest actresses of the last 20 years. She has never turned in a bad performance and she certainly doesn’t disappoint here. The tale is interwoven with three other stories, albeit with lesser known actors. The segment about their two children in the care of their Mexican nanny is so well done but is just wrong on so many levels. Adriana Barraza as the nanny turns in perhaps the best performance in this ensemble film. Her performance is so gut wrenching and believable that even when you know that her character made many bad judgement calls she deserves the most sympathy. In the Japanese segment actress Rinko Kikuchi plays a pretty deaf girl who is struggling through major issues. When the police arrive to question her father she assumes the worst. Her performance is absolutely fearless and really quite amazing. She is brilliant. The weakest segment revolves around the goat herders in Morocco who actually cause this whole mess because they are trying out their new rifle. The kids are just plain irritating and are quite rebellious, which doesn’t quite ring true. All four of these segments are intertwined, some are obvious but some are not revealed until the end.

Now some say this film is heavy handed and preachy and even say critical of America (we play the bad guys). But I say lighten up! This is a story of global miscommunication and reflects the true cultural differences we face every day. I think this is one of the best films of the year. It will be nominated for an Oscar for best picture that’s for sure. It will have multiple noms for actors, director, editor and cinematographer. Cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto is a magician and he is one of the top 5 DP’s working today. The camera is like another character in the story, at times slyly observing and at others right in the middle of things. Prieto should definitely win an Oscar for this.

While I think the the story sometimes stretches a bit to link everything together, I can’t forget how visceral an experience this was. I thought about this movie for days after and always it was “what if this character did this instead of that”. Now that’s a testament to strong filmmaking. Put yourself in their shoes, how would you react? What would you do differently? It’s always easy to say that I would do the right thing if I was in such circumstances . . . but who knows?

I do know that you owe it to yourself to see this film.
Judge for yourself.

Down In The Valley "B+"

Do You Have Gumption?

Many comparisons have been made to one of Martin Scorsese’s classics. They call this film “Taxi Driver of the heart”, or "Norton channels De Niro as Travis Bickle" and so on.

“Down In The Valley”, is not that film. Does it borrow elements? Sure. Does Norton really channel De Niro? Absolutely. Are the character portrayals the same? Nope.

People seem to be torn on this film. I think it’s one of the best films about true mental illness in years. So often we see exaggerated caricatures of what mental illness is. But the truth is, this is closer to reality. Many people who are “sick” live among us and interact with us daily. Most don’t hurt people when pushed but some do.

Edward Norton plays Harlan. Harlan believes he is a cowboy. Yes, an actual cowboy. He treats people, especially elders, with that “good old boy” respect and has dreams of meeting a nice woman to settle down with. Problem is, that he is actually an ex-con who lives in the San Fernando valley. He is deluded just enough to live a happy and peaceful life. That is until he meets Tobe, played beautifully by Evan Rachel Wood. She is magnificent in this role, which I believe is one of the most accurate portrayals of teen boredom ever filmed. Wood is simply amazing here and I think she has firmly established herself as one of the most brilliant up and coming actresses of her generation. With brilliant roles in “Thirteen” and “Pretty Persuasion” on her resume, is there anything that she can’t do? She digs in and imbibes this character with the right mixture of innocence, sexuality, rebelliousness, and boredom.

Edward Norton plays Harlan with just the right degree of “aw, shucks” sincerity and danger. You always feel that there is something off about him but as he unravels you still root for him. He is treated unfairly by Tobe’s dad played strongly by David Morse. But does he not like him because he’s nearly 20 years older than his daughter or is it because he can see through the good old boy act? While her dad has good intentions for his daughter, he just sucks at being a dad. Some people can be good parents but most suck at it. Does that make them bad people? Not particularly. They just shouldn't have been parents. Tobe’s dad falls into the latter.

The story is somewhat predictable but the performances are so delightful that this is a small issue. It’s filmed well by showing the not too glamorous aspects of So. Cal. There are some humorous moments in this story but ultimately it’s a heartbreaking tale of the fantasy of young love set against the backdrop of harsh reality.

You might even be reminded of people you know, which is in itself scary but sadly true.

See this movie and think of how much better your life is.

Thank You For Smoking "B+"

Smoking Is Cool . . . .

Ah, spin. What a wonderful art. It takes a truly special person to completely and wholly manipulate what others say, without guilt, without remorse.

In fact, a “spin doctor” in the 21st Century is one of the most sophisticated professions and certainly one of the most lucrative. Lobbyists in Washington are full of these pros, they lobby our elected officials with everything from oil, and guns to tobacco and cotton. Wow.

Anyway, that what this very good comedy is about. Yes, “Thank You for Smoking” is a comedy about a lobbyist for the tobacco industry. It’s also one of the best social satires in many years.

The title character of Nick Naylor (get it?) is played beautifully by Aaron Eckhart who excels in portraying characters who are at the same time repulsive but ooze charm. The rest of the cast such as Robert Duvall (sufficiently scary), Maria Bello (doesn’t take her clothes off, thank god), Katie Holmes (finally plays a woman, not a girl), Cameron Bright (still creepy) and William H. Macy (excellent as always) all do wonderfully in their roles.

The story blurs the lines between who we think are the good guys and the bad guys. It is in essence saying that everyone has their own agenda, whether that’s just to put food on the table and pay the mortgage or to leave a legacy behind. Everyone in this movie has an agenda and they all manipulate each other so smoothly and perfectly that it’s hard to know who to root for. This my friends is the world we live in. Never knowing who the “good guy” is, who is manipulating us (until it’s too late) and who actually has our best interests in mind. That’s why people should always look at both sides of an argument and make up their own minds and not be led around like sheep.

One of my favorite scenes in the movie comes early on when Nick is on Sally Jesse Raphael with members of various groups that want to ban smoking and “cancer boy”. Everyone hates him including the audience and the host but within moments he puts on an amazing “spin” and convinces everyone not only is he the good guy but all the groups are bad! This really shows the power of well crafted words and great acting that so easy influences the uneducated and uninformed mass population.

See this film and laugh but also think about it. If you think that something like this could never happen, think again, it already does.

An Inconvenient Truth "A"

Used To Be The Next President

What I learned from this documentary:
1. Global warming is a planetary issue that few people if any recognize.
2. Scientists don’t disagree on the issue of global warming, politicians do.
3. Al Gore is a thoroughly engaging, dynamic and charismatic speaker.
4. PowerPoint presentations can be interesting.

I don’t usually comment on documentaries because they are either far reaching or slanted in their point of view. What I do have to mention is that this is no ordinary documentary. The film “An Inconvenient Truth” is Al Gore’s way to spread the message, in fact he says it himself that he has done this presentation all over the world at least 1000 times. Boy does he have it down pat.

What should the average person take away from this?
Everyone should be required to watch this eye opening and engaging film. It’s based on the fact that we are in a worldwide crisis. No, it’s not terrorism or the fight for freedom but something much more threatening. We humans are polluting the air so badly that it’s going to be very tough to live on this planet in a 100 years, heck it’ll be tough in 50 years. Now, I don’t have children, nor do I intend to, but it seems to me that with all the talk about how “children are our future”, blah, blah, blah, that we would take an active interest in what kind of future our children will be living in. Makes sense, right? This movie will give you the basics on global warming, what is happening to our world right now and what the projections are in 20 or 30 years. From here look up the facts, get knowledgeable and make the determinations yourself.

What’s scary is not the fact that the polar ice caps are melting or that it’s getting hotter worldwide or that even a rise in global temperature triggers more violent hurricanes (Katrina anyone?) but that on Thanksgiving day the damn temperature here in Phoenix was in the 90’s! What is that bullshit? Doesn’t anyone realize that my air conditioning bill is STILL over 100 bucks a month?? Don’t you care??!???!?!! Actually, I’m only half joking. While locals remain apathetic and simply say it’s the desert, I say bullshit! I have lived here 10 years and it has never been this hot this late in the year!!!!!

I’m sick of apathy. We live in a consumer based society that screams “if it doesn’t affect me, than I don’t care”. This is the problem.

As I watched this documentary with a touch of sadness a few things popped into my head. Things like, “I wonder how our country and world would have been different if this deeply caring and eloquent man who won the popular vote in 2000 was President?”, and “we might as well kiss off our future now because people will never relinquish their cars or vote to curb emissions”, and finally, “I wonder what my air conditioning bill will be this month?”

So watch this documentary if you want, unless something important comes up like watching the football game or you have to clean out your sock drawer.

Apathy, it will be the end of us (or not).

Hard Candy "A+"

4 Out 5 Doctors Agree . . .

“Hard Candy” is a euphemism for an underage girl found on the internet. It was coined as slang by the predators who scour the internet for underage innocents and it has a double meaning that I won’t go into here. It’s also the name of an amazing film that is sadly appropriate for our times.

This film reminded me of a great little film a few years ago called “Audition” that explored some of the same themes. Unlike that movie however, this film touched on the controversial subjects of child pornography and internet predators. This film takes these themes to a whole new level and it’s now one of my favorites. It’s just very well made.

It’s a reversal of gender roles (which I am huge fan of) that puts the predator in the guise of a 14 year old girl. This film shows that people, not men or women, regardless of age, are capable of the most heinous and diabolical things.

Now, this film could have been an after school special if not for the dynamic and highly charged breakthrough performance of 18 year old Ellen Page. She inhabits this character so fully that her performance is mesmerizing. Looking like a 14 year old boy but acting like Glenn Close in “Fatal Attraction” is quite disconcerting. Page has all the tools that every actress dreams of. She can at once play a sexually charged deviant and show the innate ability to imbibe innocence at the same time. She is a revelation. She delivers her lines with a controlled deliciousness that belies her age. She sometimes says things that are so horrific in such a way that you feel that she is a little girl and at the same time Satan himself. It’s extremely rare for an actress to so wholly engulf a character that you think that this person is actually like that. She might as well become a lesbian in real life because I’m sure that no man would want to get close to her after this performance. She is every man’s nightmare. Yes folks, her performance is that good.

Now the movie does have someone else in it, not that I care. Just kidding, I do care. Patrick Wilson plays the guy that thought he could get away with it and he plays the character with a controlled fury that kicks this film up from after school special to R rated cult film. Understand that this film has two characters in it. The challenge is to make a movie with only two people and and make it interesting. The director David Slade has accomplished just that. The cinematography and look of the film is something you would expect from a big budget Hollywood affair but this is a true indie film with a modest budget. I’m not going to go into the story because if you hear the plot you might think it’s simple (more likely, why didn’t I think of that!) but I will say that this film has a few twists and turns despite what you might think.

This film is not for the squeamish and it’s definitely not a “date” film but it is one of the great movies of the past 15 years. Keep an eye out for Ellen Page as she is a force to be reckoned with. Sadly, I don’t think Hollywood will have a place for her and her career might just end up on the indie route. This will be very sad.

Don’t be put off by the subject matter and reserve any judgement you have, just see this film.

The Departed "B+"

Fucking Rats!

People say that great performances make a film. They also say that great performances can overcome a weak story or even a poorly shot film. Well, people say a lot of things.

Director Martin Scorsese makes great films and he especially makes great films about the mob. Having said that, there is much to like about “The Departed”, but on the other hand, there is much I didn’t like . . . technically speaking.

As a cinematographer friend of mine always says, “Let’s start with the good”. Well, here it is, what a cast!!! The cast in this film collectively and individually gives perhaps the best performances of their careers. Where should I start?

I’ll go against the convention of saving the best for last. Jack Nicholson, wow, what a bravura performance. Now Jack has given some of the best screen performances ever but he outdoes himself as the deliciously evil and psycho crime boss, Frank Costello. Nicholson’s performance rates up there with some of the greatest villains the screen has ever seen. He plays this character with such wild abandon that you become mesmerized just watching him. He is at once terrifying, funny and brilliant. What more can I say? His performance alone is worth the ticket price. But add that to the rest of the cast? Whew, it turns into a “How to act for film” class.

Leonardo DiCaprio also gives what I think is his best performance. Once upon a time Leo was a great actor and then “Titanic” happened and it seemed to derail his acting abilities. Now as the “new” DeNiro for Scorsese, Leo has morphed into a great actor. He seamlessly fits into the character of Billy Costigan by fully imbibing what it means to be an inside man. You can almost smell the pungent odor coming off the screen in his performance. In most cases that would be a bad thing for an actor but in Leo’s case it’s electrifying. Matt Damon is quickly compiling quite a resume of stellar performances. Here he plays one of the central characters, Colin Sullivan with such perfection that you believe that he missed his calling as a Boston cop. His multi-layered performance not only keeps up with the others but he holds his own proving that he not only belongs with such actors but he is one of them.

The rest of the cast is just as stellar. Alec Baldwin who has reinvented himself as a fast talking baddie, here plays a fast talking but clueless police captain. He is excellent in this role and often gets the biggest laughs (no, this isn’t a bad thing). Martin Sheen as the undercover police captain plays his role with understated vigor. He is perhaps the only sympathetic and good character in the film. Mark Wahlberg plays the only other cop who knows what’s really going on and he attacks the role with such gusto that I almost didn’t recognize him. All amazing performances and all worthy of Oscars let me tell you. It’s going to be difficult for the academy to separate all these dynamic performances come award time. The weak spot? Vera Farmiga who obviously went to the Claire Forlani school of acting (looks not withstanding) is painfully overmatched in all her scenes. Thank God she wasn’t in any scenes with Jack, he would have ripped her head off, threw it on the ground and danced on it.

Now let’s talk about the rest of the film or the “bad”. Usually in a Scorsese picture, the editing and music are amazing but here they seemed forced and worse, they both detracted from the story. The editing by longtime collaborator and legend Thelma Schoonmaker was sadly to say not her best. In fact there were some puzzling jump cuts that screamed “look at me I’m different!” I guess I expected more. The music was totally misplaced. There is something to be said for having an orchestral score that can’t be said by some random rock song. I know Scorsese likes rock songs and he loves “Gimme Shelter” but did he have to use it in three different scenes? That song was better suited in “Goodfellas” anyway. I love that song as well but come on. Now the cinematography is a difficult one to mention. Michael Ballhaus has shot many great films including aforementioned “Goodfellas” but there was something wrong here. Artistically the film was shot with beautiful moves with beautiful composition but the lighting just plain sucked. All the characters were much too “hot” or overblown. You could obviously tell that the lighting on them was too bright. And that neat little trick at the beginning where Nicholson was in the dark? Not done well. It was way too distracting. The story itself is one we have seen before and yes there are some surprises and twists and turns but if it hadn’t been for the actors and director this could have been a straight to video film.

Overall, the performances make this film worth seeing. Martin Scorsese deserves all the accolades he’s getting for it. This wave of acclaim can carry him into Oscar season and he probably will be rewarded not so much for this film but for the injustices he has received over the years. How can you not give an Oscar to one of the best directors of the last 30 years? This is a crime that will be rectified come March 5th. But is it his greatest film? Not by a long shot. It’s more like a .38 to the head.
See this film and judge for yourself.

The Prestige "A"

Are You Watching Closely?

In my mind, director Christopher Nolan has solidified his standing as one of the finest and innovative directors working today.

His latest film, “The Prestige” is another entry in the arsenal of Nolan’s “must see films”. I have always been a fan of his style and even though he hasn’t made many films he is getting better at the craft of directing. He made his impact when he burst on to the scene in 2000 with “Memento” an amazing film that ingeniously told it’s story backwards. He also resuscitated the Batman franchise with a wonderfully imaginative “Batman Begins”. But enough praise for the director, this is a movie review, right?

The movie takes place at the turn of the 20th century and is centered on two friends who are magicians. Alfred Borden played powerfully by Christian Bale is the better magician but he lacks showmanship and onstage charisma. Hugh Jackman is Robert Angier who is also a fine magician but above all he is a master showman. Naturally, they are on a collision course and as the movie progresses they become bitter rivals always upping the ante with their magic and trying to outdo the other. The film has the trademark Nolan style as it begins in the future and jumps around in time. Some think this technique has become a cliche in itself but Nolan is a master at this and it never overwhelms the story. Yes, it’s true that you have to pay attention because if you blink you could miss important information but remember this is a story about magic and slight of hand is an integral part of that.

Nolan is reunited here with “Batman Begins” Christian Bale and Michael Caine who at 73 years old is still a magnetic and engaging actor. His scenes provide the anchor for the story and his voice over narration is always appropriate. Bale is equally engaging in his role as an outsider always trying to come up with the definitive trick to be remembered by. His obsession permeates every fiber of his being and you can see it in his face in every scene. A truly great performance. Scarlett Johansson (my favorite actress) plays Jackman’s assistant who is sent to become Bale’s assistant and spy on him. She characteristically plays her scenes with a demure but sexy demeanor and it’s truly amazing how she has such sexual chemistry with both leading men. She has consistently proved why she is the most charismatic actress working today. Oh, and she looks stunning in turn of the century corsets!!

But really it’s Hugh Jackman who is the revelation here. I’ve never cared for his acting that much, but he showed a glimpse of what he could do in Woody Allen’s “Scoop” also with Scarlett. His performance here is at times is controlled and calculating and at others obsessive and maniacal. But he is always charismatic without being over the top (unless the story calls for it). He truly gives a bravura performance that I think won’t go unrecognized.

The rest of the cast is extremely good as well with standout performances given by David Bowie (yes, the same one), Andy Serkis, Piper Perabo (surprising) and by Rebecca Hall (who has good things ahead of her).

Technically, the cinematography by Wally Pfister is flawless with the movie having an old time feel. The lighting is soft at times and dramatic when needed and you never feel the lighting or camera angles take away or distract you from the story, they only enhance it. This is the way it should be. The editing is also very good and again never detracts from the story. Basically, all of the elements of the film mesh together perfectly, which is the way a movie should be made. Christopher Nolan’s films have an effortless quality to them, but I know that in order for a film to achieve this it needs many people working very hard. It’s easy to make a lousy film with many people (just ask Michael Bay) but the true art of filmmaking requires talent, surrounding yourself with like minded people and a clear vision. It also takes a lot of work! So much for my film class.

Anyway, you probably have noticed that I haven’t talked about the story much . . . well, all I have to say is that there are many twists and turns in the film (director trademark) and to explain them would be a disservice to the filmmakers. I will say this, don’t believe everything you see, question everything and enjoy this tightly wound and wonderfully acted piece of cinema.

My prediction?
Oscar noms for Jackman and Caine. It should also get noms for cinematography, editing, director and best picture.

Anything else?
Yes, see this movie on the big screen, it’s more than worth it.