Movie Review: Children of Men

Well it's a relief to have this to unseat Grindhouse as my most recent review. The premise here is that a few years in the future humans can no longer reproduce. But the real story is what humans do without hope. This takes a true story lifted from today's media, extropolates it into the future, and makes it even truer. I'd like to pretend that with faith, I wouldn't lose it as bad as this society has, but there's this ringing in my ears (a cleverly repeated device used in the film that I suddenly understood the intent of much later ) that reminds me that I'm not really above anything.

So what hope do we have on Earth? Is our only hope really self-propagation? And is that all that's holding us back from falling into the abyss? It's a worthy question, and one that I've never seen asked better. If you choose to watch this, know that it's not easy entertainment (as per most of what grabs me and what I review here), but asks you to wrestle with your own self. In sum total, this is a powerful statement about where our increasing fear and hatred will take us, and what it will take to prevent it.

To everyone who thinks this would make a great video game, you've entirely missed the point. It is like a video game -- the comparison is obvious. Watch for an extended one-take action scene toward the end: it looks just like a first-person shooter game, except like the lead character, we don't have a gun. And the stakes are much higher. If we continue to live shallow, sheltered, selfish lives, the consequences are more dire than we care to imagine. That imagination is what Children of Men is for.

Movie Review: Grindhouse

This is kind of the movie that my future brother-in-law would call "light-hearted entertainment". Which (when you use the "future brother-in-law" decoder ring) translates into "normal people are going to throw up in their shoes". It's light-hearted in the way that Sin City was. Or... well, no I can't think of anything else comparable. But what a ride!

People who are complaining about the length of movies these days could be directly pointing a finger at this one. Strictly speaking though, this is two movies. The first one, Planet Terror, is a gross-out movie, more gory than anything I've seen. It turns into sort of cartoon violence -- it's so over-the-top it's ridiculous, and yet still somehow realistic and believable. That's pretty odd. The second one, Deathproof is, well, kinda the same, though with more car chase.

I feel like I just participated in some cult-status-initiation-ritual thing, and I don't know anything about what I just joined. Like all good cult movies, this one has now flopped at the box office (though that might just be publicity's spin -- it is actually making some money). Part of the fun of this movie would be doing the research and the backstory and knowing all the little knick-knack details. I can't bring myself to care that much about it. But it was wild shenanigans to experience it.

I think this is a retro statement whose time has come. The thing is that every element of these movies feels real. The production values are lower, the budgets are obviously smaller, and they are more off-centre than anything in mainstream movies. But with no cg, or at least nones that discernible, they just have a raw, real feeling. You have to work hard if you're going to suspend your disbelief over these two. Or you can just choose not to care, and go along with the camp craziness. In the end, I'm still trying to figure out what these two mean for me -- there's something deeper in them that what's visible. I just can't articulate it yet...

On a side note, if Deathproof inspires a movement of rat muscle car (a natural to follow the current lo-buck rat rod trend), I'm going to be a little miffed. I wanted to be unique just once! But whatever happens, I'm not going to kill people inside it by driving them to death -- that just gets messy!

Movie Review: Sherrybaby

Maggie Gyllenhaal strikes me as a person that is interested in pursuing interesting and important work, art rather than commerce. Films such as the Secretary, Stranger that Fiction and even in her role in Mona Lisa Smile (her most mainstream appearance?) point me to that conclusion. These are not blockbuster extravaganza type diva roles. Rather they are heartfelt parts that get to the guts of how people tick. I don't know anyone like Sherry, but I know they exist, and I think the introduction to her world is important, shocking and sad as it is.

I'm trying to understand how God fits into this story. There are passing references to him, in the prayer/wishful thinking of the AA meetings, and there is even a scene where Sherry clearly prays, but these are pretty minor references in such a, well, gruesome story. And I have to start to think that maybe that's the point. I can't tell if that's the creators' intention here, but this film seems to examine a godless existence where a dependence on drugs, sex and even family seem to be surrogate answers to fill the longing in humans for Him. So many things are attractive bait to slefdestructive snares. Every element of life is perverted in this film, to the point where, I have to imagine, it pretty accurately reflects reality. The redemption in this story is so tremulous and feeble that it also, to me, mirrors a reality without Christ.

How they got that kid to come on board, and make such a coherent impact here, I don't think I'll ever know. I would honestly love to talk to her in about 5-10 years and see how she remembers this whole experience. She fits so well, her moods so in sync with what's happening (and needed) onscreen, that is was actually pulled out to contemplate it. I had to keep reminding myself that this is a work of fiction. I think, obviously, huge credit goes to Maggie for be able to so perfectly “be there” that she could so acutely work with everything that little girl gave.

It's a dark movie, no question, but there are elements that make this a very worthy effort, and for those who are either in it and haven't recognised yet it, or for those who will never see its world firsthand, Sherrybaby is for you.

Movie Review: Blood Diamond

This may be odd to say about a movie that shows corpses dragged behind 4x4s, depictions of children mowing people down with machine guns, and blood-spattered violence at every turn, but what I really appreciated about Blood Diamond, was its restraint. With the subject matter, it would have been entirely possible, some might even argue profitable (at least financially), to dwell on the spectacle. But it didn't. It treated the violence as the everyday common occurence that it is in this part of the world. It insinuated certain things (see previous post), but didn't feel the need to put them on the screen. Let's face it, Blood Diamond is overwhelming enough without a morbid fascination on the most gruesome potential of the human condition. And in amongst its shattered world, the other element I appreciated was its hope.

When surveying Africa from a distance, it is impossible to get a good picture. But when looking at people, at individuals, it is possible to catch a glimmer of what allows them to continue. That there is a dogged persistence that this is home, and that one day it will be better. It's just a glimmer. I don't quite understand it, because it looks pretty bleak to me, no matter how or where I look. But I sincerely appreciate it.

Leonardo di Caprio is a phenominal actor. Somehow he has managed to sidestep the fame-trap that has ensnared other men/actors into their own celebrity oblivion. Instead he continues to put forward one solid performance after another. In this case, as Danny Archer, he's almost someone I could have gone to school with in southern Africa. It's not just a convincing accent, either. It's the turn of phrase, the lingo, the swagger of power wrapped up in shifty-eyed mistrust. The more I think about what Blood Diamond has clarified in me, the more I wonder if it wasn't written specifically for me.

This whole thing is what I saw unfolding in Africa, only I never quite saw it this bad. I saw the foundations of power, layered with fear-called-respect. I saw weak, disorganised bureaucracy-called-leadership, and deep, stark lines drawn in arbitrary places. Perhaps in Vietnam movies, people could see their buddies in the characters onscreen, and that's why they've achieved their place in pop-culture prominence. In this movie, it was my turn. The systemic release from any restraint. The capability to succeed simply by being willing to do things far more ghastly than your enemies. The dazzling way a rocket leaves a weapon in the hands of a child, and blows a gaping hole in a building. It's a mesmerising video game where real people die. "TIA: this is Africa."

I think it's interesting that it ended in a rap song (violence warning: "Shine on 'Em" by Nas, a decent knock against our culture's conspicuous consumption, uses footage from the movie). Movies about the American ghetto always seem to crave escaping it, while Blood Diamond's Africa shows a more earnest desire to redeem it. (That's not just a Hollywood contrivance, either. It resonates with experience, and people I know.) The connection between African and African-American seems somewhat incongruous to me, and I think that this example of hip-hop is the first instance of pop culture I've experienced that actually scratched that itch. There is suddenly a recognition that the cultures are connected, and in a very real sense the latter has subjugated the former. Hopefully that will gain some traction and new relevance in macho-infused black culture on both sides of the ocean. ''In America, it's bling bling. Out here it's bling bang,''

Movie Review: Stranger Than Fiction

What a great concept for a film! A character can hear the narration of his life as it unfolds. When he hears that his death is "imminent", he goes on a quest to find out why, and to see if he can prevent it. The whole film is imbued with a whimsical self-awareness, perhaps the first of its kind. Certainly the first I've experienced. It's works as a commentary on our (post)modern times, the reason and impetus for creativity, and philosophy and meaning of life as we understand it. So how to you handle such big concepts, and not get soapbox-preachy? Very Carefully.

Stranger Than Fiction is one of the very few movies I would consider to be literature. It's tough to explain what I mean by that, but it helps to have dialogue which involves somewhat sophisticated concepts and vocabulary. It also helps that it touches on some literary concepts. This is handled in a sort of an unspoken battle of wits between Dustin Hoffman's lit-prof character, and Emma Thompson's as the author. I like that these two know each other so well throughout the movie, so that when they finally meet near the end of the movie, there is no small talk between them, only truth.

The movie almost (but not quite) states a faith-based truth claim. It comes so close in its treatment of our lives as story, as it compares all the signs of love and touch that humans share. And then at the crux the narrator says "Thank God for Bavarian sugar cookies". I'm trying to decide if that's as significant to the story (or its makers) as it is to me. It comes at a pivotal moment of trust in the bigger picture of life's story, and to put that in God's hands seems so satisfying to me. But I'm not thoroughly convinced that that was entirely intentional. It is however the only mention of God, and it's perfect timing. Perhaps it's God's own authorial intrusion...?

STF a lighter movie than I may have made it out to be here. It's a radical departure for Will Farrel (very timely, and very well done), and its consistent wry humour is charming. But it's not common that a movie leaves me pondering in my seat while the credits roll. And that was really the best part!

Movie Review: Kinky Boots

If you were to ask me what my favourite movie is, I'd be stumped. But if you asked me what my favourite movie moment is, it's undoubtedly the catwalk scene in Kinky Boots. (It pre-empts the piano-playing-during-sea-storm from the Legend of 1900.) As per all reviewers, I don't want to build anything up so much that you're destined to be disappointed, but this scene is cinematic genius. Of course it needs the rest of the movie to get there, so let's get on with it.

Kinky Boots is about a shoe manufacturer in Britain that is on the verge of bankruptcy. They make men's high-quality, high-cost shoes which are an anachronism in their marketplace. Craftsmanship is evidently no longer a valued asset in shoes, and cheap shoes at a cheap price have devoured their market. However, one segment that has never been touched is apparel for cross-dressers. What happens when you put a line of bright-red, patent-leather, drag-queens' boots in a staid, traditional British factory? Predictably, shenanigans ensue!

But the comedy (and a killer soundtrack) is only part of the story. All the cliches fit: it's a heartwarming, feel-good, coming-of-age story (for thirtysomethings). But somehow it transcends the cliches. It's inviting without being smarmy. It's catchy without being simplistic. And I came away with a real idea of how close to my home these people live. As the world changes in some pretty radical ways, we need films like this to help us make sense of it all.

Movie Review: Little Miss Sunshine

I have to admit this: what I was really expecting from this movie was "Little Miss Lukemia Patient" whose 'fragile, tiny spirit of bravery would conquer all odds'. It turns out, the only thing right I got out of that preconception was the 'all odds' part.

This is actually a very well realised story about a disfunctional family that needs to take a road trip. That in itself is deeply contrived, and yet it doesn't exactly ever feel contrived. In fact, at any given point in the story, I wasn't jarred by something being either too absurd or too simplistic to be believable. And if you just look at the basic plot points, that's a remarkable achievement! And while the plot is charming, it's the characters that grab your attention. We're introduced to each by her or his particular vice or foible. That's a particularly brilliant step, because if you know someone's habit, you know her deepest secret. And we go on to know each of these characters pretty well.

As we're introduced to a socially awkward set of circumstances, I feared another Napoleon Dynamite. And then when I discovered that Little Miss Sunshine is actually the name of one of those ghastly child beauty pageants, I feared the film would turn into a celluloid callamity a la Christopher Guest (Best in Show, Waiting for Guffman, etc.). And yet it carefully navigated between the absurdity of the situation and the reality of its characters, miraculously staying true to both.

And along the way, Sunshine certainly has some fun with the whole pretentious, gritty and character-maiming potential humans all share. How could it not? But every point it makes about what life means (or what it doesn't) is a gentle point. Overall this is not a neat, tidy and safe little story. Rather it's carefully, gently and occasionally brutally honest. Don't believe me? Check it out for yourself!

Movie Review: Cars

We went into this with low expectations because a family told us their young son was actually bored through it. He never laughed, started wandering around in the aisles, and even asked to go to the bathroom. Unusual behaviour for a child at an animated movie. Oh well, forget him -- we loved it!

If you like cars, and I mean just about anything to do with cars, like mechanics, painting, cruising or extended road trips, Cars had it all. It was time-travel to the present, reminiscing about what isn't, but should be. Historical Route 66, vintage stock car racing, pain and heroes, it was all crammed in there. If you're into hotrods, lowriders or even sportscars, you'd be happy too. However, if you're into plastic imports with neon lights, and tricked-out Hummers you probably won't like how your hobby is represented. (Personally, I found it really, really funny!) No, this is a car movie for real car guys.

The attention to detail was impeccable. The level of research into not just cars, but auto history, and general car culture was staggering. They got it right. They got it so right! When this comes out on DVD it's going to assume its place right beside the Incredibles, and I'll be watching it more than once just to pay attention to the myriad of details I've missed.

The story was solid and satisfying, if predictable. The car-acters (car-actors?) were vividly represented, and believably real. You know, good. But the experience was so far beyond the given story.

Y'know, it's so sad. That we've reduced vehicles to mere commuting appliances takes so much away from what they are. The celebration of human achievement. The freedom to explore. To meet people. And to have fun doing it.

If you can, join up with some friend and go watch Cars at a drive-in. That would be a real hoot! And then hop in your car and go visit someplace you've never been.

Movie Review: Annapolis

This movie is a liar! From the first preview to the opening scenes in the flick, it's staring you right in the face, and lying through its teeth. I should probably warn you that most of this review is a spoiler, but maybe it'll do you a service and convince you not to see this heap, so here goes.

It promises to be about the creation of officers, their training and selection process. It pledges that it will discuss honour and integrity and what they mean to the modern soldier. You have to admit that such a topical and daring theme is pretty intriguing. Along the way we might learn about something of man-at-arms comraderie. And if all that were fulfilled, I'd grant it its one obligatory love interest, and if done well, I'd forgive its shortcomings.

But I didn't get any of that. Actually, after initial character introductions, we may have been in boarding school for the all relevance it held to war. A strict boarding school, with white uniforms. Add the occasional giggly co-ed, and you're there.

It all comes down to boxing. Boxing! What starts off as an amusing little diversion I'm humouring all of a sudden takes over the whole movie. It's Rocky meets an unfunny version of Police Academy on the Navy's most esteemed training/parade grounds to have a peeing contest. (Unfortuntely one's going for distance, the other's going for volume, so they both lose). The filming of the actual boxing scenes is a poor joke, too. Shaky, blurry camera work in too tight to the action made me wonder whether it was the actor, camera man or director that was taking all those punches on the chin. Uh, guys? For me to engage, I need to be able to see what's going on!

And the relationships? What relationships? Meaningful moments are scattered randomly between characters with no explicable reason, and similarly there's deep provocation that gets no response. (It feels like the director's going "I don't know how this scene should end, so... Cut!") In terms of pure human interaction and character development, this has all the subtlety and finesse of the recent Star Wars prequels. Ditto for the love interest: one can descibe it as neither love nor interesting. (Unusual given the talent and attractiveness of both actors.)

I don't hate Annapolis because it's terrible. On its own, it's simply a typical, tired, formulaic, cheesy, underdog sports movie. No, I hate it because it lies so pretentiously, and because it has squandered the perfect opportunity to do something honourable and worthwhile. And with the tools and chops that is had at its disposal, it really could have. That's the part that sucks the most!

Movie Review: Vacuuming Completely Nude in Paradise

There's a nearby coffeeshop that's started showing a run of foreign films. It's a neat opportunity to sidestep the Hollywood machine, and witness culture through a completely different lens. Foreign films, it seems, are never created with the expectation of big audiences, and so have more freedom to delve into the nitty-gritty of life.

Vacuuming was just such a flick. It was obvious that this film's creators have had some experience selling. The detail and richness of the depravity of a salesman had me hooked; it struck a chord in me from my own (very) brief selling bout. And yet, fascinatingly, it leaves enough humanity intact that you are unable to entirely hate its lead. In fact, despite his saturation in cunning cynicism, there is enough there, both in the script and Timothy Spall's convincing delivery, to make one really believe that the character is still within reach of redemption. In spite of ourselves, we're actually pulling for this ragged, wretched creature.

The film shows Tommy Rag with a new sales protege, which is an excellent device to give insight into what makes Tommy tick. And the new guy, Pete (Michael Begley) nearly falls for the lifestyle, which goes a long way to show his own desperation.

If you like the pacing and novelty of foreign/independent films, here's one that pokes into the filthy sewer of the human condition and strikes something valuable.

Movie Review: The Weather Man

Friends of mine walked out of this movie, and four people (nearly half the audience) left halfway through while I was there. Take this as a warning if you're looking for pure entertainment: it is not an easy film to watch. But ultimately it is an important one.

David Spritz (Nicolas Cage) is successful in his caeer, but is failing at life. He tries desperately to reconcile with his ex-wife. So desperately that he ends up chasing her further away. And the two kids are excellent in their roles of victims of divorce, both trying to figure out life in their own ways. Michael Caine's performance as Robert Spritz, or Pa-pa, is one of a sad, regretful and disappointed man, trying to catch (or perhaps impart) one final glimmer of light from (to) a bleak family. The equal measure of regret and disappointment in David and Robert has driven a quiet, passive wedge between them.

The not-quite-celebrity status of a weatherman provides the perfect vehicle for the questions this movie asks. Questions about identity and purpose. Spritz realises that he can't measure up to the trust that people have in him. (He's offered several physical reminders in the form of messy fast-food projectiles.) He feels even more like a fraud when he enters negotiations with a much larger network. It's a huge advancement opportunity, and he wants it as deeply as he feels inadequate for it. David believes that if he could just get it, he could put the rest of his life back together around it, but it's destined to not be that easy.

I appreciate that the Hollywood machine dared create a movie like this. In a tide of endless happy endings, this one stands unique. Though sad and frustrating, I agree with Ebert's comment: "Every bad movie is depressing. No good movie is depressing." At the end The Weather Man, if I wasn't so stunned by its reality and depth, I probably would have applauded.

Movie Review: A Love Song for Bobby Long

Here's a John Travolta movie for people who hate John Travolta movies. This has none of his usual cocky, man-above-town swagger. Instead he portrays a lost, broken drunk slowly coming back to his senses. The story is crafted with such brutal honesty that it becomes in its own way beautiful. Scarlett Johansson is in the role of his foil, tearing him down where he needs to be, and yet also shoring him up where he sags.

There is a depth to the cinematography that is truly inspiring. I never felt like it was intruding, but as a photographer I really appreciated the warm lighting and colour that lends life and dignity to the dilapidated shack that is the primary set. Even in the midst of its cluttered ugliness, the old house is given beauty -- an excellent metaphor for the entire story.

It has given me a new understanding of the character of New Orleans, a city rich in history...and only history. The city's lofty aspirations and deperate reality are acutely reflected here, and it makes me wonder what is to become of it now.

Movie Review: The Wedding Crashers

This movie has generated a lot of hype, and a smattering of positive reviews. My question is, "How?". Here's the premise: the instition of marriage gets liberally pissed on for 1.75hrs, and the movie ends in a wedding.

We're given a loose story, looped carelessly around the actors. Or maybe you have the actors stringing up a loose plot. Either way, the improvised dialogue of the movie should have been cut in half, and the freed frames should have been used to tell a better story. When the actual wedding crashing fun of the movie ends early in a single montage, a feeling of doom descends.

Ask yourself, could any movie coming from Hollywood portray a man raping and sexually molesting a woman, and call it funny? So how is it funny if the genders are reversed? Unfortunately, as this movie amply demonstrates, feminism hasn't resulted in less objectification of women, it's simply enforced equal objectification for men.

I think that's ulimately the problem with this flick. Everything about the human condition is trivialised, from sex to suicide. It's not a Monty Python-esque caricature of articifial institutions and affected idiosyncrasies, which I could have appreciated. Instead it tries to be sincerely romantic one moment, and comically slapstick the next. Needless to say, it fails on both counts. For more hope and less degradation, go rent Spun.