4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS & 2 DAYS
Further fueling the current Romanian film renaissance, 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS & 2 DAYS is a serious cinematic accomplishment (it even won the Golden Palm a the Cannes Film Festival last year). What makes it such a remarkable film is that on the surface its functional extremely well as a dramatically devastating abortion drama (propelled by the impressive performance of Anamaria Marinca) but if you burrow a little deeper you realize the film is simultaneously a critically impressionistic portrayal of Romania during Communist rule (the film takes place in 1986). It’s this subtlety, this representation that isn’t forced upon you so much as reveals itself, that makes the film so powerful, affecting - and at times gut-wrenching. Pay particular attention to a dinner sequence later in the film that is shot in a long-take, and though it seems to only be small-talk between people celebrating a birthday, is actually the thematic center of the film. 4 MONTHS…, ladies and gentleman, is filmmaking at its best.
Overall rating: A
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CITY OF MEN
The film that spun out of one of the best films of the last ten years (2002’s CITY OF GOD), emerges as one of the best films of this year. Narrowing the focus somewhat from its predecessor, CITY OF MEN is a heartfelt and humane coming of age story. The film follows two best friends (beautifully acted by Darlan Cunha and Douglas Silva) who struggle with growing up in the face of a violent gang war that breaks out. Inevitably their paths split, but in the end they come back together having learned to overcome their surroundings, their past, and their own limitations to face their responsibilities to themselves and each other. It’s the greatest trick the film pulls. You’re thinking you’re watching an intense, soap-opera like gangster film (and in a way you are), but in reality you’re watching one of the more mature, probing stories about young men growing up positively in spite of their circumstances to come along in a while.
Overall rating: A-
THE RUINS
Though not nearly as terrifying as Scott Smith’s novel (probably because of how much worse my imagination made things), THE RUINS is effective in that does capture what made Smith’s novel disturbingly enjoyable in the first place: it’s horrifying and frightening portrayal of the mental/emotional deterioration of people stuck in an increasingly dire survival situation. It’s what helps get one through the simple characters, the “villain” of the piece getting short thrifted (compared to the book), and the somewhat rushed and de-clawed ending. In that sense THE RUINS proves that with heightened dramatic intensions the trappings of the horror genre can be transcended, and an effective little film can emerge. Also, if nothing else, the film deserves credit for proving that killer plants can be scary. Take that, M. Night Shyamalan and THE HAPPENING.
Overall rating: B-
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THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES
THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES is something of a rare commodity in the family film genre: it is not only refreshingly mature, but also intensely exciting. I can’t think of many such flicks that on an emotional level so seriously and effectively wrestle with the effect of divorce on a child, nor on an entertainment level provide such a genuinely pervading sense of danger and tension. That’s all the more impressive given that in the end it all really comes down to something as ridiculously simple as keeping a book away from a bad guy. Nevertheless there were numerous sequences that had me glued to my screen, whether out of sheer wonder, or just good-old fashioned enthrallment with some of the film’s more intense moments (especially its climax).
The film’s (and by extension the book’s) imagination is also something behold. The film’s fantastical world is not only lovingly painted (all the more apparent in Blu-Ray), it seems to me welcomingly old-fashioned with its great cast of goblins, fairies, griffins, whether good or bad. It’s not just the cast though, it’s the word itself as the film revels in its sublime imagination. In that sense THE SPIDERWICK CHORNICLES’ greatest trick is not only that it appeals to a child’s sense of wonder, but that it can allow an adult like myself to recall my own.
Overall rating: B+
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It’s somewhat surprising for me to see that I’ve been doing this long enough now that movies I saw in theaters and subsequently reviewed are now hitting DVD. That’s probably nothing new for veteran bloggers, but being a young up-start myself that kind of puts things in perspective. Anyway, personal tangents aside, here are some excerpts, grades, and review links for films that have hit DVD in the last few weeks.
DEFINITELY, MAYBE
From the original review: “DEFINITELY MAYBE is a solid entry into the romantic comedy genre, and one of the more memorable ones of the last little while, mostly because it succeeds in elevating itself from just a straight up romance. It doesn’t break the boundaries of the genre, but at least it gives them a gentle little push.
Overall rating: B+
CARAMEL
From the original review: “CARAMEL remains the rarest breed of romantic comedy, the kind that will tickle your heart and your brain.”
Overall rating: B+
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A while back in a review I wrote of THERE WILL BE BLOOD, that “I suspect with further time and consideration it may prove to be one of the better films I’ve seen, well, ever. Without any shred of understatement, I feel it is nothing less than a cinematic masterpiece.” The reason I suggested rather than asserted, was because when I first saw the film I was wholly unprepared for the deep wells of thematic explorations the film offered me. It was like stepping outside with an umbrella expecting a light rainstorm but walking into a raging hurricane instead. I absorbed enough of the films ideas to know it was brilliant, but felt I was only tapping the surface of what it was really getting into.
That’s why with the release of the film finally on Blu-Ray I thought it would be a good time to not only enjoy Robert Elswit’s gorgeous Oscar winning cinematography in glorious high definition, but to see if THERE WILL BE BLOOD not only holds up as a “cinematic masterpiece” but to further immerse myself in its rich tapestry of themes and see how far down the rabbit hole I could actually go. So, tapping into my former film student I grabbed pen and paper, turned on my brain for once, and threw myself into the film with analytical zeal to see what I could come up with.
After a second viewing, and a full ten pages of notes, I am certain it’s a cinematic masterpiece. I also began to more fully comprehend the overwhelming flood of themes being explored in the film. I’ll refrain from going into all of them, because it would turn this article into a bigger monster than it already is. But if you’re really interested or just generally curious, feel free to email me about it.
Anyway, amid the flurry of interpretations and analyses that filled my brain as the images on the screen passed me by, there was one that caught me completely surprise.
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Paramount Pictures and Nikelodeon Movies’ successful and critically praised family film THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES hits DVD next week, and theREELaddict is more than pleased to be able to give away two copies of the 2-Disc edition of the film.
For a chance to win one of those DVDs, all you have to do is answer a question inspired by the film in the comment section below.
Question: What’s the spookiest thing that happened to you as a kid and/or what supernatural beings did you believe were haunting you or your house as a child?
The deadline for this contest is midnight of Tuesday, June 24th, so check your emails Wednesday to see if you may just be one of the lucky winners.
GRACE IS GONE
Man, it’s great to be reminded every now and then why I love John Cusack so much. Heck, it’s great to be reminded that he can still flex his acting muscles and not play a variation on a character he’s been playing for years (I say that with complete love). GRACE IS GONE of course is not just worth checking out for John Cusack though, or the other impressive performances, most notably first-timer Shelan O’Keefe. It’s an excellent film in its own right. It’s a sweet, deliberately paced and emotional look at a man dealing with grief, learning how to be a father when his children need one the most. Most poignantly it reminds us all that it’s often our own children whom we need to heal, and from whom we can draw strength in order to in turn be strong for them. All of this is conveyed in scenes that echo real life father/daughter behavior so realistically, that sometimes I forgot it involved a major Hollywood star. Sure, some have criticized the film for its seeming apolitical stance, but its humane approach to this story is precisely where its politics can be found. Above all else it’s a universal tale of the decidedly human “at home” cost of war, but that theme can easily lead you down a path to wondering whether the current Iraq War is worth that cost. Whether you choose to go down that path the film leaves entirely up to you, and that is why GRACE IS GONE proves what I feel is the key to the success of any political film: letting you choose to make politics out of a film, instead of letting a film choose politics for you.
Overall rating: A-
NATIONAL TREASURE: BOOK OF SECRETS
I know a lot of people hated the first NATIONAL TREASURE, writing it off as a INDIANA JONES knock-off, a DA VINCI CODE knock-off, or well, just bad. I’m honestly not entirely sure why it earned such ire, because I thought it was a genuinely fun action adventure treasure hunting movie. Outlandish, of course, but that’s sort of the point. It was also a film that didn’t really need a sequel, though it was obviously inevitable. That brings us to BOOK OF SECRETS, which like many poorly executed sequels drains and dilutes the franchise’s magic, rather than adding to it. It’s not a bad film, nor is it an unexciting one, it’s just too much of a slave to its own success. It tries too hard to be like the first one (even ripping itself off at times), resulting in a film that wants to be fun, but can’t break through feeling formulaic and as if it’s going through the motions.
Overall rating: C+
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I’M NOT THERE
I wanted to like I’M NOT THERE, mostly because on an intellectual level I appreciate its audacious and artistic experimentalism. But unfortunately like a lot of intellectually artistic pursuits - and this is more a shortcoming on my part than the films - it never becomes engaging for me as an audience member who needs a little more coherent narrative, and a good deal more emotional involvement instead of just intellectual stimulation (it’s why I can never get into true experimental film, a la Brakhage, etc.) Even if the one thing I can appreciate is its attempts to defy traditional conceptions of a musical biopic, precisely because Bob Dylan himself defies such neat structuring, it still has the unfortunate ability to alienate though (like me) who are just not as familiar with Bob Dylan as Haynes and others are. Regardless, on a simpler level, the film is undoubtedly well put together, features Dylan’s outstanding music, and has numerous excellent performances.
THE ORPHANGE
Produced by Guillermo Del Toro, THE OPRHANGE essentially is a spiritual partner to his own supernatural child-centered dramas, THE DEVIL’S BACKBONE and PAN’S LABYRINTH. Though perhaps not as good as either film, it’s nevertheless effective at emulating those films’ formula of being a genuinely creepy horror film that has – more importantly – a solid dramatic character story at its center It even throws in a surprising and unsettling ending.
Overall rating: B
THE GOLDEN COMPASS
Chris Weitz had a hefty task ahead of himself when he set out to adapt Philip Pullman’s “The Golden Compass,” the first in the sprawling, rich, and layered “His Dark Material” series. I certainly don’t envy him the job, but then again, given the series’ ambitions I wouldn’t have recommended it for feature film adaptation to begin with. Sadly the film provides a perfect example of how not to adapt a novel. Weitz remains loyal to the original source material in the wrong ways. Instead of capturing the spirit of the book, he excises its best scenes and elements, and desperately tries to stitch them together into a cohesive film narrative, creating a Frankenstein monster instead: something that resembles a proper film, but isn’t. It doesn’t help that the film becomes bogged down by excessive exposition, noble – but foolish – attempts to somehow find a way to convey the numerous laws of Pullman’s universe. In the end the film is really something of a soulless experience, devoid of the fantasy, joy, and wonder material like this should easily elicit.
Overall rating: C-
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STARTING OUT IN THE EVENING
I’ve always had a soft-spot for films about writers, even if few ever really portray a writer character who is truly literate, artistic, and intelligent, capable of talking about his craft in a way a real writer would. Usually if you find a writer in a film, it’s really some auxiliary element to a character, rather than a driving force in the narrative. STARTING OUT IN THE EVENING is a film about a writer, but also a film about the complexities of life that often inspire writers to bring experience to paper. It’s a highly literate script, no surprise given that it’s based on a PEN/Faulkner Award nominated novel. Sometimes that can be a detriment. The film is very dramatic – for lack of a better word, and yet in the truest sense of the word – and very artistically ambitions, not unlike a stage play. Problem is sometimes it can get too “artistic” for its own good, as there are several moments in the film where characters do things that feel motivated solely by artistic construction, rather than realistic behavior, and just come off as strange and bizarre, especially the relationship between Frank Langella and Lauren Ambrose’s character which makes you marvel at how VENUS succeeded in avoiding such creepiness. The film is pretty heavy, and certainly not light viewing, but it’s a solid exploration of art, what inspires art, and just basic human drama, specifically what cajoles stagnant lives out of their resignation. It’s especially complimented with a reliable performance from Lili Taylor and Lauren Ambrose, but most of all the astounding – and quite beautiful – understated performance from Frank Langella who was robbed of an Academy Award nomination.
Overall rating: B+
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