Alright. It's been a crazy few weeks. I've really needed to write this for a while now and have been delaying it. It's THAT time of the year. When there are more movies being released than we really need, all acting like they aren't begging for awards recognition. The difference this year is that any of them are actually worthy of it. Please note, I'm only covering indie films on this blog, so i will not be discussing the heavy hilarity of J. Edgar, the joy of watching Hugo or The Descendants, or even the torture of watching Breaking Dawn Part One. Let's get to it.
Pedro Alodovar's new film The Skin I Live In is not one of his best, but it is just as intoxicating and memorable as you might expect, with some truly dangerous twists along the way I did not see coming. It was funny seeing this film after sampling the recent Blu-Ray release of The Last House on the Left, b/c this is basically Senior Almodovar's version of it. Antonio is very creepy as a mad scientist. But Elena Anaya steals the show with her sexy and brave performance. I wish I could say more...but this is a film that you really can't describe without giving SOMETHING away that kind of spoils the whole thing. Suffice to say, despite being someone who's familiar with Pedro's work, I really had no idea what I was getting into with this film...in the best possible way. See it in a theater if you can. Whatever you may think of the story's twists and turns, the art direction does not disappoint.
Sundance 2011's big winner was Like Crazy, a well-intentioned, improvised mumblecore drama. I have to say it's also one of the year's biggest disappointments, despite winning performances from Felicity Jones and Anton Yelchin. The romance never really goes beyond the infatuation stage. It becomes obvious from the start that this relationship probably wasn't a good idea from the start..but the journey is imperative to go through. As much as I bought into the actors' commitment to their roles, the cinematography is not as edgy as it could be and the direction is kind of a joke and contains some of the silliest time lapse shots I've ever seen in any film. If this is the next generation of romantic films, count me out. Nice ending, however...
I think these reviewers say it better than me:
...to go away...
One of the best surprises of attending this year's Loft Film Festival in Tucson, Arizona was seeing Lynne Ramsey's beautiful comeback film, We Need to Talk About Kevin in the wake of Gabriel Giffords. I personally skipped this film at the Scottsdale Film Festival last month b/c I've been hearing some negative things about it. I really wish I hadn't. Other than Melancholia, no film this year has caused such emotional devastation inside of me. Some have compared this film to a Stephan King story, and I kind of disagree with that. Though Ezra Miller's performance as Kevin isn't always as balanced as it could be, it is clear from the start that this "monster" is only getting back at his mother for not loving him like she should've. Tilda Swinton tops herself yet again as the selfish mother and John C. Reilly amuses as her clueless husband. The art direction and editing is astonishing. I haven't read the original novel, but even the author has stated that the adaptation is brilliant. I really cannot say enough nice things about this dark work. Some call it a horror film, others will say it's a tragic melodrama. I might call it one of the year's best mysteries.
I don't feel I see enough animated films. I certainly don't feel I see enough foreign animated films. Seeing France's A Cat in Paris at the Loft Film Festival changed that. This tale of a house cat/cat burglar is hand drawn and contains references to both Goodfellas and Reservoir Dogs. It also contains a classic jazz soundtrack. If you need anymore reasons to see this film when it is released in the states, I don't think I can help you anymore. Just go see it!
Here's a doozy...or maybe it isn't. Roman Polanski returns from house arrest to make a stunning (and short!) adaptation of Yazmina Reza's Tony-winning God of Carnage about...four horrible people with arrested development who all seem to be under their own house arrest. Gorgeous cinematography and tact editing aside, it's the performances that sell this work. All of the actors are incredible in their own ways. Christoph Waltz delivers an Oscar worthy interpretation as a tool that reminds one why he's a deserving Oscar winner...and deserves a nomination for this one! Kate Winslet is great and reliable as always as a total tightwad. John C. Reilly is...well. John C. Reilly doing a James Gandofini impersonation...but a really decent one. Jodie Foster is the wild card here. Many have cried that she is miscast, but I disagree. This is a performance that can only work in film. Her character, Penelope, is so shrill and theatrical, it's hard to imagine any good actress not winning a Tony for it (as Marcia Gay harden did). Film is a different beast. The character had to be completely re-imagined for a different medium. It's no wonder they had to rename the character from the stage's Veronica. Jodie's not a great stage actress. She's much too natural. It kind of shows here. I must commend Jodie on not being afraid to look seriously attractive and sound almost beastly at times. Her unhinged movements and scowls come from a deep place. A place most would say looks ugly and too theatrical. I must say that I could imagine this character being portrayed in a subtle way, esp. in a comedy. Jodie really seems to become this character, and turn off the audience at the same time. I don't see that as a bad thing, really...esp. since this is a film where the turning point is Kate Winslet projectile vomiting over art history books.
At once telling and slight, one can only hope this film doesn't end Mr. Polanski's incredible career, but it really doesn't enhance anything either.
Young Adult
Le Havre
A Dangerous Method
My Week With Maril
Another one of the year's nice surprises (nice being used loosely) is Jason Reitman's new film, "Young Adult." It is written by Diablo Cody, who won the Original Screenplay Oscar for Juno (which Jason also directed). Thankfully, this film is no Juno, and I mean that in the best possible way. Charlize Theron deserves her third Oscar nomination (but probably won't get it) for playing Mavis, an entitled bitch YA ghostwriter who decides to crawl back to her shithole small town to steal The One Who Got Away (or did he?) now that he is a married husband and new father. Along the way, Mavis loses her pride and totally humiliates herself in a way that can only be described as "Oscar bait." Patton Oswalt gives his finest performance yet as the victim of a supposed hate crime who helps Mavis along the way...and tries to convince the audience that someone as damaged as Mavis would ever have anything to do with him. If you're looking for Juno Part 2, please look elsewhere. This is Diablo at her most Todd Solondz (and even outdoes him most of the time). I will admit there was one attempt at giving Mavis a soul that I took as kind of a cop out. However, that does not detract from Charlize's great performance. This is a film that isn't getting a lot of buzz and hasn't been shown much, for good reason (I got lucky with an advanced screening a month before it is released in my area). Fell good...it ain't! I see it as this year's version of Jackie Brown. I highly urge everyone to put away their expectations and see it when it comes out. It's more than the coal in your stocking most will see it as!
Here's Jason from two years ago. I feel he's really hitting his true stride now. There's more on my channel if you're interested.
Another great one. Aki Kaurismäki's new film Le Havre is one of his best. It concerns an immigrant from Africa and a shoe shiner in Le Havre who takes him in once he arrives in the port city illegally. Some have said this Cannes critics prize winner film trivializes illegal immigration, and I really don't disagree. However, isn't it about time someone did. Not too many Americans get away with it, why can't Aki? The film's dry humor and dramatic pauses is infectious! Great performances by all! And it's always nice to see Jean-Pierre Léaud in anything.
This is an example of when Oscar bait doesn't work out. Johnny Depp plays a another version of Hunter S. Thompson, this time named Paul Kemp. This film works as an origin story...of sorts. Paul Kemp is in Puerto Rico working as a journalist, searching for his own voice. The first half is rather funny and true to the source novel. Suddenly, voice over narration is employed and the narrative becomes muddled and confusing. Withnail & I this is not.
It's really too bad b/c Johnny is great as usual as only Johnny can be as Hunter S Thompson and doesn't wear as much make-up or eye liner as we are so used to seeing him now. Enjoy it while it lasts, even if the film is a bit of a dud.
This final film on this little feast needs no introduction. The great great great great great David Cronenberg (have I mentioned that he's great?) returns after a four year absence to filmmaking with his adaptation of Christopher Hampton's great play The Talking Cure and John Kerr's book A Most Dangerous Method, now called A Dangerous Method. It is about no less than the birth of psychoanalysis.
The equally great Viggo Mortensen hams it up a bit as Dr. Sigmund Freud, hot thang Michael Fassbender is amazing as Dr. Carl Jung and Keira Knightly surprises as Sabina, a Russian patient suffering from Daddy issues and needing a good spanking.
Vincent Cassel also shows up as Otto Gross, a patient who teaches Dr. Jung a thing or two about repression that will shape his views later on in his brilliant career. Just about everything about this film is exceptional...yet everyone feels it's missing something...it is too talky...it is too theatrical for it own good (much like Carnage). I must say that it's the inflated expectations that really sink this skip. Much like M. Butterfly, DC seems to think that period detail and great acting will lead the way. And, for the most part, it does. But it does lack that special spark that DC's films usually have. Though it's never boring, it feels a tad anonymous and only slightly subversive. Only pregnancy tells the passing of time. I think that this story only really works on the stage. It is worth telling and re-telling (if it isn't...what is?!) I would like to say that the film needs a spanking. But spanking really only goes so far these days, doesn't it?
You have to love DC's press interviews. He's funnier than Lars von Trier and only makes his films more watchable the more he speaks. Maybe he should have cast himself as himself relaying the story with the dramatic scenes sandwiched through. It wouldn't have been dull, that's for sure. This film only really makes one pine for his next film, the adaptation of Cosmopolis with Robert Pattinson next year. With any luck, DC will become the new Woody Allen...only less neurotic.
Oh and as a bonus, I just saw Kevin Smith's Red State on DVD. Let's just say, the less said about this film, the better. I don't care if it won Best Picture and Best Actor at Stiges! Though Michael Parks, Melissa Leo and John Goodman were all great...but we knew that already....Of course, Kevin Smith is always better in person than his films are. Here's proof!
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