Movies 2007
July 11
I watched Smokin’ Aces on DVD tonight. This was an odd movie, which I felt didn’t really know what it wanted to be. There were some really good individual set pieces, with sharp writing and interesting characters, but the whole thing never gelled. And when the shooting began, it was hyper-violent. The most annoying thing for me, though, was Andy Garcia’s performance. He is trying to channel Al Pacino, and late Al Pacino is more than annoying.
June 19
I rewatched The Vertical Ray of the Sun a couple of nights ago, for maybe the third time. I really like this movie–it is beautifully filmed, with a nice eye for color, particularly, and composition. And yes, the people look pretty good too . . . I want to categorize this film with In the Mood for Love, because of their emphasis on beauty, color, sensuous details, although the films have quite different tones. ITMFL is even more unabashedly romantic, and of course melancholic. In TVROTS, the characters indulge rather than deny themselves, and although the film is often quiet and contemplative, with few words, it is quite joyful and life-affirming, I think.
May 2
I just watched Tickets, a film kind of co-directed by 3 different directors. It’s a bit different from other recent, similar-sounding efforts, such as Eros, which was 3 short films on the same theme, by Antonioni, Soderbergh, and Wong Kar Wai, or Grindhouse, two films by Tarantino and Rodriguez. Tickets is one continuous film, with the directors sort of passing the baton for 3 different sequences, which are linked by characters who are passengers on the same train who board or debark at various points along the journey. The film stock remains constant (not, for instance, switching between film and digital or color and b/w), and the photographic styles seem similar between the sequences by Ermanno Olmi, Abbas Kiarostami, and Ken Loach. It’s principally the treatment of characters and the differing themes that make each part distinct. I liked it.
It was interesting to see Martin Compston and Williams Ruane in the Ken Loach segment, as I just saw them a few nights ago in Sweet Sixteen, also directed by Loach.
March 1
Last night I watched a film called Unknown White Male. It’s about a guy who suddenly, completely loses his memory. Everything. Total retrograde amnesia. He literally does not know who he is, where he is, what he’s doing, nothing. You are probably thinking, ‘That’s just like Memento.’ But that was anteriograde amnesia, I believe. Meaning that he couldn’t form new memories, while everything before his accident was intact. And anyway, the really interesting thing is that this movie Unknown White Male is a documentary. We meet the man to whom this happened. And the filmmaker tells the story of how this guy pieced his life back together, and was even there at some key moments, when first reunions with family and old friends occurred. But is he really piecing his life back together? Or is he creating an entirely new one? Because he literally does not know, any longer, his sister, his girlfriend, his childhood buddies . . . and so he has to reacquaint himself with all of them, and decide if they really are going to be his friends any longer. With no shared memories, how can things be the same? They can’t, of course. And so the film raises all kinds of really interesting questions about identity, and about how much of who we are is dependent upon the experiences that we have had, and retain in our memories.
February 21
I have an ongoing email dialogue with friends who are into film as much as I am. This section is taken largely from my correspondence with them.
These days, when there is just so much to see, the first question I ask of a movie I’m interested in seeing is, “does this need to be seen on the big screen?“ Because in prioritizing, there are some films that can wait to be seen on DVD, without any great loss. I’m speaking of the talky-type films, for the most part, the not-so-visual. Which begs the question, perhaps, of why the director bothered, rather than just writing a book. There are other reasons why I sometimes prefer not to go out to the cinema: I can’t believe how many people put their feet up on the seats these days, even in new, clean theaters. And the cell phones, and the chatter. Don’t get me started.
But I digress. I wanted to talk about films themselves. And the ones that I will always go out to see, first-run on the big screen, are those with special effects, and those that really merit that kind of viewing environment, because the director in consciously creating for 30-feet high. There are some very “painterly” directors whose work really is deserving of this. Peter Greenaway comes to mind. Wong Kar Wai. A film like Sin City. Or Waking Life. How about Dances With Wolves? Just not the same at home. The beach scene in Saving Private Ryan had me almost literally ducking behind the seats, and this was in part because of the superior sound system, with those bullets seemingly pinging off of the walls around me.
To begin this section, I offer a list of movies from this century that I thought good, or great, and my reasons for thinking so. These are films that came readily to mind, but this is not a definitive list. (Also, this was written in mid-2006, and I have more to add!)
Amelie
I think my fondness for this film stemmed largely from its similarities in
style to their earlier triumph, Delicatessen. And I was charmed by
the performance of Audrey Tatou. I don’t mind a film that offers nothing
more than a series of vignettes, or doesn’t go too deeply into a “story.”
Narrative is only one thing that might draw me in.
Remember, my background is in fine art, specifically painting, and now I am
a graphic and web designer. And that obviously informs my tastes in movies.
I do think that film, as art, can succeed on levels that don’t require
narrative, in the traditional sense.
Adaptation
It’s just refreshing to have a voice like Charlie Kaufmann’s in
our culture. I don’t think there’s anything he’s written
that I haven’t thoroughly enjoyed. I also thought the performances were
great. I often HATE Nicolas Cage, but when he’s good, he is quite good,
and he is here. Also Meryl Streep, and Chris Cooper.
Amores Perros
Powerful, and what rich, saturated color this film has! Boy was this a launching
pad for Gael Garcia Bernal. I tend to like this kind of film which uses the
multiple story lines intersecting in some fateful event. Maybe not a masterpiece,
but it has some very powerful moments.
Black Hawk Down
Scary, realistic (I think), powerful.
Chicago
I was smiling literally start to finish while watching this. Color, costumes,
music, dancing, choregraphy, Queen Latifah singing that “Good to Mama”
song. Who’da thunk that Richard Gere could tap dance? That John Reilly
could sing? I loved the over the top production.
Closer
Brutal honesty. I have to admit that part of my admiration for this film was
in seeing parts of myself in the characters on screen (although in that sense
maybe "admire" is the wrong word!). There is definitely here a reflection
of my philosophy regarding romantic relations. And some great performances,
superb script.
Collateral
I’m a Michael Mann fan. Have you ever seen his version 1 of Heat, called
variously Made in L.A., L.A. Takedown, and other titles?
I think it’s much better - a leaner, cleaner film, without the bombast
of Al Pacino, which was the real turn-off for me in Heat. In Collateral
I thought that both Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx were spot-on, and I liked the
script and the direction, the digital photography which made nighttime L.A.
as much a character as either of them.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
This was another film of real beauty. I’m not a huge fan of these hidden
wire special effects that so many Asian martial arts movies depend upon, but
they were fun to watch here. For me, in this kind of movie the plot really
just doesn’t matter. By “this kind of movie” I think I mean
any story that requires a suspension of disbelief; anything relying on magic
or the supernatural automatically puts plot/storyline into the bottom drawer,
and the film will have to win me by other means, most commonly by means of
Eye Candy.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
I suppose this also falls into the above category. But it won me not by means
of Eye Candy, but just sheer inventiveness and fun, and the talents of the
cast and writer. I tend to like conundrum movies, and films that raise philosophical
questions. This certainly falls into that category as well.
Gosford Park
This may not be the best of Altman’s efforts, but I thought it worked.
Altman is of course the master of the multi-thread story, but it was fun in
this film to have everything confined to one location, in a kind of claustrophobic
Agatha Christie-type of thing.
The Incredibles
Pixar is just a breath of fresh air, for the animation industry as well as
for film in general. There just aren’t that many movies out there which
can be appreciated to this degree by such a wide range of ages and tastes.
For me, the eye candy was of course there, the writing was impeccable, the
whole mid-century modern vibe was a treat, and of course I enjoyed the reference
(which 99% of the world-wide audience will never get) to Emeryville, in the
scene showing maps of local streets when the police are chasing the bad guys
near the start of the film. (I live about 3 blocks from the Pixar campus,
and my neighbor and friend two doors down is a “texture artist”
there, currently working on their next film, all very hush-hush.)
Junebug
Again maybe not a top-tier film, but it has a special place for me as the
screenwriter Angus
MacLachlan is an old friend from North Carolina. I did think it was excellently
written, and the performance by Amy Adams was terrific. It’s nice to
see a small, quiet film like this to remind us that not everything has to
cost 50 million bucks to be really enjoyable.
Moulin Rouge
Pretty much the same list of reasons as for Chicago, although this
film was a good deal more tongue-in-cheek and campy. Just loads of fun, for
me. Spectacular color and costumes.
Monster
This falls into the “powerful” category. Charlize Theron is just
spectacular, one of our most underrated actresses, I think. How could such
a beautiful woman inhabit this character as she did? I was sucked into this
film, pummeled, and left for dead like one of her victims.
Monster’s Ball
Billy Bob Thornton is an actor of some versatility, and I think I liked this
film for his performance. And the moral dilemna aspsect, of course. Another
of those films in the “brutal” and “honest” categories,
I guess.
Requiem for a Dream
Powerful, disturbing, and very effective. And an excellent example of how
inventive filmmaking technique can serve the story - I’m thinking especially
of that drugs-syringe-eyeballs sequence, and the sped-up sequence. Great cast,
great performances - Ellen Burstyn in particular of course. Sad and depressing.
Ugh, great film!
Sideways
This is, subtly, so many things at once. Mid-life crisis, of course. Love
story. Road movie. Buddy movie. Wine education class. I liked the script,
the story, and Paul Giametti’s performance. Plus, like him, I think
Pinot Noir is the best of grapes . . .
Sin City
Now this is eye candy at its best. I loved the inventiveness of the filmmaking,
in the same way that I liked Waking Life a few years earlier. So
incredibly visual, which for my money is what film is all about. Some insist
upon a narrative, but as I’ve indicated, that isn’t necessary
for me. Sin City of course had a story, but it was pretty typical,
and was just a framework for that gritty dialogue, spectacular characters,
and the super-contrasty visuals.
Spirited Away
Just a pleasure to watch. The animation is beautiful, the pacing is nice,
the heroine someone you really like and root for. This film is so imaginative
and so fully formed, I think it’s one that even non-fans of anime can
really enjoy.
Waking Life
The combination of a talky, “idea” movie and fresh, inventive visuals
was the draw here. Some might think it a bit sophomoric, but I admire work
that tries to do what this tries to do. I’ve re-watched this one with
pleasure.
YiYi
Charming. A peak inside a culture I know next to nothing about.
Y Tu Mama Tambien
Maybe not great, but another good performance by Gael Garcia Bernal. Like
many of the films on my list, a non-Hollywood effort, which gives it a head-start.