Caught up with a couple 2006 movies, a 2007 and one that was remade in 2007 - but I saw the original. I'll get right into it since I wrote practically a dissertation on every one of 'em.
Hairspray
Because of all the recent attention paid to Travolta-in-drag, I decided to go the other way and watch the John Waters' directed original. Now, normally John Waters is a director that I would go out of my way to avoid. Having caught even just five minutes of his horrific 1972 film Pink Flamingos, if I saw the man coming down the street I would probably run. The guy freaks me out. Apparently I saw another of his films previously without even realizing it too, Serial Mom, back when I was a kid. Now that I think about it, it makes sense. It's a wackjob film. It fits his emo. The only other film he's ever made that I have any remote interest in is Cry-Baby, but only because of Johnny Depp.
That said, Hairspray wasn't wholly terrible. It's definitely odd, but it's got an underdog charm and implausability that appealed to me. The whole Tracy Turnblad character succeeds in spite of any physical flaws she may have and that Waters seems to not even notice or embraces them (having Tracy bite into a snowball dessert while modeling plus-sized outfits?) adds to the naivete - and enjoyment, really - of the film.
I don't want to overpraise this film, because it really was pretty average, but there were things about it that were unusual and welcome. The acting, however, was not one of them. It's pretty dreadful, even considering they're supposed to be playing it over-the-top. But when you've got a crossdresser named Divine playing two roles in the film, what do you expect? Plus it had the good sense to keep it short (under 90 minutes)... something most films nowadays can't even come close to.
I don't know if I'm more interested or less interested in seeing the Adam Shankman version now. Waters' film is campy but has a racial undercurrent that I'd be surprised made it into the updated version (can anyone tell me if it did/didn't?). Like I said, I'm not really recommending nor dissuading anyone from seeing Hairspray. It's harmless enough to make it easily consumed, but I doubt if anyone's gonna really remember it as anything more than that.
(side note: If anyone has seen this film and played the classic Genesis video game "ToeJam & Earl" try to tell me that the 'crazy dentist' character from that game isn't just Waters' role as the 'crazy psychiatrist' in this film. Try to tell me differently).
Breach
My favorite of my recent watches. You can tell this was directed by the same guy (Billy Ray) who did Shattered Glass, which is a good thing. It's a tight movie. Sharp dialouge. Interesting characters. A fascinating storyline and some great performances (especially Chris Cooper, but Ryan Philippe is pretty solid as well). In those aspects, it's pretty much Shattered Glass all over again.
Billy Ray even goes so far as to take a much-maligned actor (Ryan Philippe this time instead of Hayden Christensen) and wrangle another good performance out of him. I'm not a Philippe hater though, I thought he was the best part of Flags of Our Fathers and one of the better parts of the much-overrated Crash. He shows ability. He's not flashy and I wouldn't categorize him as a great actor, but his being in a film is not going to dissuade me from seeing it. He'll never be a top-of-the-line talent, but he's good enough to warrant the roles he gets and he can be a nice addition to an ensemble cast.
And Cooper is great as always. It's basically his C.I.A. role from the original Bourne Identity if it was elaborated, he was a little more beaten down and he'd been pushed towards retirement but Cooper does great things in this role. He always seems to shine when given a chance. Lone Star, American Beauty, Adaptation... you give this guy a role and he'll work wonders with it. I'll agree with chachi from a while back, this one is a definite watch for anyone who hasn't seen it.
Bobby
Emilio Estevez's heart was in the right place. His script just wasn't all that good. It's okay. It's subject matter is interesting. The way he decided to do it, portraying the people at the hotel on the day of the assassination instead of focusing directly on Robert F. Kennedy, was an interesting twist. I think it takes away from the film truthfully, but it was an interesting decision nonetheless. Bobby Kennedy was what was the draw to this story though. That these people revered him and admired him isn't that compelling, it's his assassination and why it happened that is... but that's largely ignored.
Then the rest of the story is broken down into segments because we're told what amounts to a series of short stories about characters that really aren't very important. While Shia LeBeouf can act, seeing him strung out on LSD for an entire movie and then regretting not going door-to-door to promote Bobby isn't really a story. It's just something that happens, it doesn't amount to anything and then Bobby dies. Same goes for a lot of the things that happen in this movie. Demi Moore's Virginia Fallon is a drunk and a floundering singer, that's about all I learned about her. Except maybe she has a big wig and a sadsack husband (Estevez). Anthony Hopkins plays chess and greets Bobby at the door. But nothing is being said here. It's just what happened.
This film would have benefitted greatly from Paul Greengrass's cinema verite style. That way it would feel real. It would feel like Bloody Sunday or United 93. Instead, we get a dramatic rendering of the day that ultimately feels hollow. Greengrass never tried to explain the events of those two films, he just presents them as best as he can while making observations. Estevez tries something similar but can't hide his obvious regard for the man, nor can he help but amplify the dramatic elements (Macy cheating on his wife, Lohan trying to marry Wood out of his army service, etc.). Again, I don't think it's bad... it just doesn't work. It hides a lot of the intrigue of the event and doesn't even work as a real recollection of the day. A flawed, but valiant, attempt.
The Painted Veil
I probably could have included this as one of the Screening Room Sessions but instead I just went ahead and checked it out on my own. My family was around and we needed something we'd all watch... so a nice family film about cholera, infidelity and death seemed as good a choice as I had in my collection.
And you know what? It was pretty interesting and I liked it for the most part, especially the dynamic between Norton and Watts characters. I liked their storyline. I like how their relationship changed along the way, how these two people grew to respect one another and maybe to love one another. There were a couple of predictable points to the story, but nothing that stands out as too detrimental to the overall film.
I gotta say I'm a little surprised that it's IMDB rating is so high though (7.7) but it's a solid little film, much in keeping with John Curran's last film about relationships We Don't Live Here Anymore. And much like that film, Naomi Watts gives another very good performance. She's an interesting actress. Kind of muted - meaning that she's not real showy, she's not meant for your typical romantic comedy type of film. But in films like this, or 21 Grams or even King Kong she has a sincere, very human quality that I enjoy. She knows how to ground her characters so that they seem like everyday people. She's relatable. Anyways, another solid B film.
Alright. Those are my most recent watches, what are yours?
7 comments:
Just a quick comment. I just finished a 15 hour shift and have no energy whatsoever. Anyways, Hairspray, both the original and the updated version, rely heavily on integrating the Corny Collins Show. I haven't seen the original in a while, but in the musical, they have Negro day once a month, while Tracy Turnblad wishes it were Negro Day every day. From then it becomes all about bringing whites and blacks together in dance. I know it sounds stupid, but it works.
I find it is rather relevant and raises, what should be strictly campy fun, to greater heights. I would check out the musical. I found it to be rather infectious. The songs are all rather catchy and the acting is great all around for the most part. One thing I admire about Travolta is he didn't want to perform it as a man in drag, but as if it were a real woman in the movie. So I would recommend you check it out at some point. But if not, you shouldn't expect to leave a open spot for it for your Best of the year. It's just a lot of fun.
OK...some of these were technically viewed in July, but I'll just post here for convenience.
Simpsons:
Fantastic. Just about everything I wanted from a Simpsons film. Funny, with a heart. It loses a little when the family leaves Springfield for awhile, but overall, one of the funniest films this year. The laugh per minute ratio is extremely high. And there's Spiderpig...greatest. creation. ever. Go into this expecting some fun, and I guarantee you will have a great time.
Sicko
I'm a fan of Michael Moore's films. They may not always be factual, but I think his purpose is more to raise awareness for these issues and problems, than to educate us on all the aspects of them. As documentaries, I don't think they entirely work, but, if viewed as entertainment with a higher purpose, then I think they mostly succeed. Sicko is probably his best. It still has problems. Mostly Moore's dumb American act during the last half of the film. But, the footage we see during the first half is moving and shocking enough to make me recommend this.
I didn't watch this and think "Man, we need to be exactly like France." What I walked away with was the understanding that we are too good and powerful and wealthy a nation to have such a flawed health care system. I think any sane person could agree with that. People in this country die everyday because it helps some insurance company's profit margin. There's something fundamentally wrong with a system that is meant to protect and help people, but won't because that's not how they make they're money. This film, with all its embellishes and half-truths, gets that point across very clearly, and for that, I highly recommend watching this with an open mind.
Chuck and Larry
Everything Chachi said. This is bad bad moviemaking. Not funny. Not topical. Not poignant. Just crap.
Be back later with reviews of Rescue Dawn and Sunshine.
ok...so i've been in germany for a month so most of the stuff that i watched i had seen before BUT yesterday was my first real day home and my sister made me watch Reefer Madness: the Movie Musical and i LOVED it lol. i like musicals to start with ...yeah yeah i don't want to hear it lol...but this one was fucking hilarious and it has Kristin Bell in it… this movie made for great early morning entertainment
I had a really good weekend for movies. Incredible even. I love when I hit a streak where it’s just bam-bam-bam great movies one right after another. Nothing better than that. You feel like you’re a baseball player who can’t help but hit homeruns, you’re in the zone.
Well, I felt that way until I watched Fracture last night. But up until then, I’d had a nice three-for-three weekend.
Two of those films, however, are being saved for a separate section. Days of Being Wild will be discussed more in depth in the Screening Room Session topic (and elaborated on after Chachi catches up with it) and The Bourne Ultimatum - and the Bourne series as a whole - deserves it’s own post, so I’ll be throwing something up for that with a possible “Best Action Franchise Ever” debate included.
The other member in the three-for-three hot streak was The Lookout. I had a good feeling about it going in for a number of reasons. 1) Joseph Gordon-Levitt is quickly proving himself to be the leader of his generation of actors in Hollywood (after Brick and Mysterious Skin I find this impossible to debate). 2) Jeff Daniels has always been a friendly, amiable personality that I welcome in pretty much any movie he appears (John Goodman is another actor that fits in this category). And 3) Scott Frank had never directed before, but he had written the screenplays for Out of Sight, Get Shorty and Minority Report (I’ll forgive him for The Interpreter and the Flight of the Phoenix remake) so he definitely had the potential for a great film in him.
And for a large part, he delivered it. This film is much, much more polished than I would have expected from any first time director. The storyline is interesting and unique. The characters are different than you would have expected too. For instance, they play with the brain trauma gimmick in a much different way than Memento so as to not draw direct comparisons and the routine guy-girl storyline with Gordon-Levitt is actually kicked to the side when the heist starts to go down and never gets a full resolution (this is not a drawback, it’s an open ended storyline that just so happened to not get tied up nice and neatly by the conclusion).
I make it no secret that the heist film is probably amongst my favorite type of films. Ocean’s Eleven, Confidence, Matchstick Men. I can’t get enough of these films if they’re done well, and The Lookout is another one that is. And for that I say… keep ‘em comin’. Good stuff.
And as for the aforementioned Fracture… it’s something you’ve seen before. It seems like bits of different movies (The Devil’s Advocate and Silence of the Lambs being two obvious influences) culled into one storyline. And… it’s okay. It’s not good and everything that doesn’t relate to the case directly (Ryan Gosling’s new job and new boss in particular) is tremendously boring. Anthony Hopkins is in a realm of self-parody here so deep I can’t even fathom it. I thought he’d gotten as much out of his Lecter character as he could when Red Dragon continued to ruin the legacy of Silence of the Lambs. But nope, he’s back at it again in his reserved, smarter-than-thou psycho role here.
The strange thing is though, when it’s just Gosling and Hopkins in a scene, it works. They play off one another well and it’s interesting to watch them bat this dialogue back and forth, but when they’re separate it feels like all the air comes right out of it.
Oh, and the music sucks. If I have to watch another thriller where they put ominous music overtop of people working, walking down the hallway or driving their cars, I’m gonna flip. The music is supposed to blend in or enhance a scene, in films like Fracture it seems to jut out like a broken bone protruding through the skin. It doesn’t work and it’s painful to witness.
Let me ditto your sentiments Mulligan.
I think Lookout is among my favorite films of the year still. And I like your take on the whole girlfriend scenario, but in the end it wasn't that I wanted resolution, but the fact I didn't really care for her character much at all. That said, it had one of the best openings ever. Period. Exclamation Point! Daniels deserves a nomination for his great performance. A very underrated actor in my opinion. Goode was also great as the "friend" who ropes Chris Pratt into this heist. And naturally Levitt infuses such nuance into a character without ever going over the top. He really is a master of subtle acting.
Fracture...I can't really remember much about this movie anymore. I agree Hopkins is just doing parody now. Gosling was okay, but considering this is his follow up to Half Nelson, I was definitely disappointed. The story was just to simple. The whole plot hinged on this one piece of evidence. It just made it seem like our legal system is extremely flawed, which it is, but I wanted something a lot more.
More on Bourne later, but I'm just about swayed to your colossal statement you made about it Mulligan.
My last big post for a week.
Stardust- just a whole lot of fun. More a series of moments than a working collective, but still entertaining as hell. Good performances all around especially Ricky Gervais whom I have a man crush on.
Rush Hour 3- um it sucked, and I like the first two. Funny only occasionally, but even more irriating. Jackie is just too old and you can tell. They don't have chemistry at all, and an even dumber story to boot.
Kiki's Delivery Service- sweet story about a witch from the imaginative mind of Hayao Miyazaki. One of my favorites. There isn't some big overwhelming message about the environment, which kinda puts me off in his films. Just sweet and sincere and glorious to look at.
O Brother Where Art Thou- I remember not liking this film when I first saw it during it's initial run. I liked it a lot more this time out. The cast is fun, the music is great, the story is odd like any other Coen Bros. Not great, but very good.
Y Tu Mama Tambien- I love this film. Such a great story that isn't afraid of talking about sexuality. There is also subtle hints at class, politics, gender differences. It has a lot to say. Some fun performance across the board. The chick that played Mercedes in Pans Labyrinth is also the one who plays Luisa here. She is hot.
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance- a lot better than I was expecting. I had heard it was easily the worst of Chan Wook Park's Vengeance trilogy, and it may be, but I still though it was great. Very interesting story about a deaf mute boy who kidnaps his boss's daughter in order to pay for his sister's kidney transplant. naturally everything spirals downward as mistakes. It all leads to a fantastic conclusion.
City of Lost Children- absolutely weird as hell, but a lot of fun. Villain steals dreams from children since he can't have any, but the kidnapping process traumatizes them and they only have nightmares. Ron Perlman, looking really goofy, tries to find his kidnapped brother with the help of a child thief ala Oliver Twist. There are scenes of fleas injecting toxins into people which cause them to fight nearby pedestrians whenever vendor music is played. I shit you not. Great visuals from Jean Pierre Jeunet naturally with his partner in crime Marc Caro.
The Host- another weird movie, but certainly worth a visit. A bit overrated, but the satire is pretty good. The ending was breathtaking, but a lot of the previous emotional moments are undermined by absurd humor that isn't even funny. Why does nobody learn from Jaws, and not show you the whole monster in 15 min of film? Still the FX are good, the humor can be funny, the long takes can be amazing. The most Anti-American film ever!!!! Everything bad is caused by Americans that suddenly show up within all these Koreans.
Perfume- I saved best for last. Absoultely stunning. One of my favorite films of last year now. Fascinating story. Some stunning moments of silence. Totally erotic and sensual without being graphic and vulgar. Two quibbles: goes on about 15 min too long, and our hero/villain is smart, yet is caught under stupid circumstances. Dustin Hoffman does stick out, but he gives another great performance. It's not his fault if he is Dustin Hoffman.
Didn't get to see anything on my vacation other than Superbad, so I've had to play catch up recently with the Screening Room. Saw Falling Down which I already posted on and also caught Croupier, which we'll discuss later. Hopefully I'll get Bugsy here soon so we can discuss that this weekend.
In Theaters-
The Invasion- you can tell just how many reshoots and rewrites this thing went through...very hacked up and glued together. Kidman was good, but Daniel Craig was pretty bad, which is too bad because I would have preferred it the other way around. A interesting enough premise that warranted another retelling of this story, but there are no scares. It is so easy to distinguish between pod people and those unharmed, that it is just silly. The pod people act more like zombies than our own new modern zombies act like. Had some genuine moments though between Kidman and her child, whom I really liked a lot. Still can't recommend spending money on it. If you see it on TV, give a spin, but don't rush out otherwise.
Mr. Bean's Holiday- I lived in Germany where I didn't have much in the ways of channels to watch. One I did have though was BBC. There I fell in love with Mr. Bean, Black Adder, and Fawlty Towers. Rowan Atkinson is a genius. If you ever heard the guy speak, it is like a polar opposite of his characters. This movie was much more in the vein of the actual show than the previous movie was. The '97 film was clearly Americanized with vulgar humor and a lot more spoken dialogue. Still I enjoyed it because I love the character. Here Bean gets to play the stranger in a strange land role again as he travels throughout France. The middle sags, but makes up for it with a very poignant and touching ending that blindsided me. More jokes were hits than misses, so I recommend seeing it if your fan like I. I did miss Teddy though who wasn't in the sequel.
Finally I popped my proverbial Swedish Cherry and saw a Ingmar Bergman film. Oddly enough it was his last, and unbeknownst to me, it was a sequel. "Saraband" revisits Marianne and Johan, Bergman's characters from "Scenes from a Marriage," 30 years later. Fortunately you don't have to see that film in order to understand what is going on. They have been divorced for some time now, and remarried. After Marianne's husband dies, she gets the urge to see Johan again. The acting in this is absolutely extraordinary. Börje Ahlstedt gives one of the best performances ever as Henrik, the estranged son of Erland Josephson's Johan. He is a character filled with so much hate, yet so much sympathy. He loved his deceased wife so much he has a unusual obsession with their 19 yr old daughter played by Julia Dufvenius. The film is all about their relationships, their downfalls, and their rebirths. Nothing is extravagant here except the acting. It is all about the characters and their portrayal. Their is little in the way of a score, there are but a few sets, and only four actors. Ten Scenes, a prologue, and a epilogue make up the film. I can already say that Bergman will probably be one of my favorite directors. He isn't afraid of telling the story, warts and all. I appreciate films that have the balls to be sad, yet rewarding and so full of truths. Highly recommend this one, but perhaps catch some of his other work before hand.
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