Review: Billy Elliot (2000)

29 07 2009

Billy ElliotEvery once in a great while a film comes along that so blinds a person to its faults that he labels it “perfection.” Billy Elliot is that film for me. Rarely does a film capture so exquisitely the passion of youth without letting it become melodramatic or cliche. At its core, this is a film about following one’s heart no matter where it leads and refusing to let judgment or antagonism scuttle a dream or anesthetise the soul. Billy Elliot reminds us that we must push forward, we must try, and we must love deeply. And, it does all that with a strong wit and an amazing soundtrack.

Jamie Bell, as the title character, proves his acting chops at a very young age. He carries a very challenging role on his small shoulders and does so with bravery, humor, and a smile that will melt his most resistant critic. Julie Walters, as Billy’s ballet teacher, plays her character Mrs. Wilkinson with such skill and passion that she too deserves special mention here.

Kudos also belongs to the film’s music supervisor Nick Angel who created perhaps the second most important character in the film outside of Billy. Mr. Angel’s choice of mixing classic ballet music with 1980’s British punk may at first seem surprising, but it so captures the undulations of our young protagonist’s life that we almost fail to take heed of how important a character it is in creating and modifying this film’s mood.

I am confident that no small number of viewers will revile against the rather stereotypical Hollywood ending to this film. I have no response to such critics other than to encourage a second viewing of the film . . . it may just soften your heart.

No one can shake my resolve that Billy Elliot is filmmaking at its best. You really should consider revisiting this small little cinematic gem. If you’ve yet to have the pleasure, may I encourage you to just buy the DVD as it is a film that you’ll most definitely want to watch again.


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Review: Hancock (2008)

28 07 2009

HancockHancock is proof-evident that the Hollywood machine is still going strong. Superhero movie – check. Big name stars – check. Tons of action – check.  Lack of meaningful story – check. Massive amounts of storyboarding – check. Uber CG (which was awful, by the way) – check. $300 million dollars in the bank – check. Hancock has all the components of a summer blockbuster, but misses what makes a truly successful film – heart. I’ll take a $5 million dollar passion project versus this Goliath of a film looking to score big money at the box office.

Now, don’t get me wrong, making money and paying back creditors is great, but so too is making quality entertainment. This movie just wasn’t very fun. It had a great concept, but got lost somewhere along the way in executing a story that (1) made sense and (2) was sincere.  At best, this film is a Little Debbie snack cake that you nibble quietly while waiting for a main course film. You’ll forget Hancock the minute The Dark Knight is served.


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Review: The Village (2004)

27 07 2009

The VillageEveryone loves to hate at least one M. Night Shyamalan movie and, at least before Lady in the Water and The Happening, The Village topped most folks’ list. I don’t understand that. In spite of all the rancor against it, I found The Village both entertaining and engrossing. Shyamalan continues to improve as a director learning the art of putting story first and himself last (well, at least, second . . . now I wish he’d give up casting himself as an actor in all his films).

The Village is beautifully shot, has an amazing soundtrack by James Newton Howard, and has spot on costume design (in fact, I can’t get the vibrantly used colors of red and yellow out of my mind’s eye). I’d be remiss in not mentioning Bryce Howard’s compelling performance as Ivy Walker as another high point in this film.

I also enjoyed the story even if this is the one area that seems to trip people up in the end . . . and I literally mean in the “end.” I need more than two hands to count the number of viewers who have loved the movie until its final minutes. Some have called the ending lame, corny, or another Shyamalan gimmick . . . I found it interesting and it made me think a bit more about the nature of humanity. The film could have ended in a thousand different ways, like any story, but this particular ending didn’t jar me like it did for some (how would they have wanted it to end, I wonder?).

There is so much positive in this film, it’s hardly worth mentioning the somewhat unbelievable plot point at the end where a character finds a certain important something under a floorboard. Would they really hide that something in that room? I think not. Still, this minor point of doubt isn’t enough to ruin an otherwise well-crafted film.

If you haven’t seen The Village lately or you’ve never seen it, I highly recommend it as another fine film in the Shyamalan series.


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Review: Driving Lessons (2006)

26 07 2009

Driving LessonsI’ll admit that I’m not even slightly partial to Rupert Grint’s acting. He’s most assuredly the weakest link in the three-fold strand of friends in the Harry Potter films. For this reason, I avoided jumping into his car in Driving Lessons. Still, I can’t resist a coming of age story. For this reason (and, yes, for Julie Walters), I buckled in for what I feared would be a bumpy ride.

I’m happy to report that not only do I give Driving Lesson a passing grade, I genuinely enjoyed a few of its left turns. Grint was solid while Walters couldn’t find her gear. Now, I can’t say it was all her fault (the screenplay threw her some serious speed bumps), but I felt (at times) that she was over-acting. Granted, that may have been the point, her playing a washed-out actress and all.

Acting aside, I did really enjoy the friendship developed between the older Walters and the younger Grint. I found it touching even if it was a bit contrived at times. I thought it weird, however, that they sort of “broke up” at the end when he got a new job. He just lives up the street for crying out loud!  If they were such good friends, I’m sure he could visit her on occasion.

My biggest grip against the film (besides its rather outlandish story) is its presentation of Christianity. Laura Linney was great as Laura Marshall (Grint’s mother), but I have rarely, if ever, met a “Christian” quite like her. Yes, I realize the story needed an antagonist, but why is that so often the crazy Christian?

That pothole aside, this is still a fine little film worthy of a drive around the block. Enjoy the lazy Sunday afternoon ride.


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Review: La Vie en Rose (La Mome) (2007)

25 07 2009

La Vie En RoseLa Vie en Rose’s success hinges solely on the portrayal of Edith Piaf by Marion Cotillard. Ms. Cotillard is brilliant and worthy of the Academy Award she garnered for this film. Outside of her mesmerizing performance, however, this film isn’t particular good. Oh, the music is just fine, but the narrative through-line is muddled by too much jumping around in Piaf’s life. I never knew where I was, how old Piaf was, or exactly what stage of her career she was in. Granted, I’m not familiar with the person of Piaf, so maybe this chronological shake-up helped the uber-familiar French viewer, but for me it was confusing and unnecessary.

This would have been a much better film were it told in chronological order and told much shorter. There is no reason whatsoever that it needed to be 140 minutes. A tight 120 minutes would have served the audience better without losing anything of importance in relaying the story or character of Edith Piaf.

Overall, I would recommend seeing the film if you’re a fan of Piaf or you simply want to see Cotillard’s breath-taking performance.  If you fall into neither of these catagories, might I instead suggest Amelie as a much more enjoyable French film alternative.


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Review: Secondhand Lions (2003)

23 07 2009

Secondhand LionsAs the quintessential family film, Secondhand Lions works on all cylinders from humor to heart to action to the appropriate mix of furry animals. Hollywood routinely fails in producing family fare that panders to kids, but has adult sensibilities. Secondhand Lions is the rare exception to the sub par movies you’re likely to see on the Nickelodeon or Disney channels these days.

In spite of its levity, there’s a serious story afoot in this film and with Michael Caine’s and Robert Duvall’s pitch perfect performances we are more than happy to follow. I could tell that these actors were having fun playing their characters and that alone is reason enough to see this film.

Now, having said this, I feel it only right not to intentionally mislead you into thinking this film is a first-rate piece of cinematic art. It is not. It’s a sweet movie that, even with some good performances, cannot rise above its goofy plot. Some of the dialogue feels extremely forced and while the main culprit here could very well be the script, I think the fault lies more with Haley Joel Osment. Don’t get me wrong, Mr. Osment has given some brilliant performances in his short film career (e.g., The Sixth Sense), but this is not one of them. He pushes too hard and responds too quickly to other dialogue resulting in a performance that, to me, lacked genuineness.

Even with its few minor drawbacks, Secondhand Lions tells a touching story that will warm your soul and make you smile. In my book that makes it a successful enterprise worthy of your family’s time.


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Review: Milk (2008)

20 07 2009

MilkMilk has strong characters and even stronger acting. I credit Gus Van Sant for not letting his oft times quirky directorial style get in the way of his actors or the compelling subject matter. Yet, this said, Van Sant and screenwriter Dustin Lance Black have committed one of the cardinal sins of movie-making — putting too much emphasis on message and not enough on story. As I have said in other reviews, however, should there be a hierarchy of sin, I think this one is lower on the list than the alternative of not caring enough.  I’ll take heart over a marketing campaign any day of the week.

Still, for all its good qualities, I struggled with the fact that this film felt a lot like propaganda to me. It was too much bullhorn and not enough character development. What about the first 40 years of Harvey’s life. Or, if that is beyond the scope of this film, what about his relationship with Scott (James Franco’s character)? What happened there?

I give novice screenwriter Black credit for pulling together Milk’s life into an engaging two hours, but I couldn’t shake his dire attempt to convince me of something through a loud speaker instead of a touch or a glance. I don’t think I needed much convincing on his message (i.e., all people, regardless of sexual orientation, deserve to be treated humanly and shown much kindness and grace), but the manner of the message in this film rubbed me the wrong way.  Where is the line between cinema and propaganda?  I’m not exactly sure, but Milk hugs the line far more than I would have preferred.


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Review: Body of Lies (2008)

19 07 2009

Body of Lies[Warning: Potential Spoiler Ahead]

Body of Lies is entertaining enough, but throughout my viewing of it I couldn’t put off that nagging inner voice which insisted I had already seen this film. And, I had . . . I just didn’t realize it also went by the name Syriana, or do I mean The Kingdom?

Sarcasm aside, Body of Lies does little to breathe new life into the decidedly geriatric film topic of conflict in the Middle East. Ridley Scott does his best to infuse energy into the subject with a heightened number of action sequences, but all his attempts feel strangely like recycled concepts and shots from his superior Black Hawk Down. Russell Crowe hardly has a pulse in this film and DiCaprio plays the same beleaguered character we saw in Blood Diamond. Further, the cool detachment between the two main characters left little opportunity for even the smallest comedic touch to warm the audience. Instead, we were encouraged to find some respite from the bombs, gunfire, and death in the trumped up romance of Ferris (DiCaprio) and Aisha (Golshifteh Farahani).

All this said, Body of Lies does have one superior quality missing from so many of the other tired films portraying the tensions in the Middle East — that is, intelligent natives. The smartest people in the room, in the case of this movie, are the Jordanian Intelligence Officials. How refreshing to see someone besides Americans save the day. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not down on America, I just think this world is a big one and there are a lot of people who know more than we do.

While I applaud the filmmakers for some of their story choices, this film does little to endear the audience to it. I think most folks will enjoy it for its first-rate action scenes, but beyond that it will be quickly forgotten.


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Review: Zelary (2003)

18 07 2009

ZelaryZelary came highly recommended by a good friend, so I was determined to like it. I didn’t. Now, mind you, it isn’t a terrible film or in the same league as A Very Long Engagement (another lengthy foreign film, which follows so many rabbit holes one fails to care much about any character by the end). Zelary tells a compelling and straight forward tale that only starts to unravel at the end upon the arrival of the Russians. The filmmakers do a good job of drawing in the audience such that we truly care about the characters and are invested in the film and its outcome. However, herein lies the problem . . . not that we care about the characters (which is a sign of a good story well-executed), but that things don’t end well for our beloved characters.

It is on this latter point that my friend and I diverge in opinion. She loves the film because it tells an honest story with a historically-accurate portrayal of life in Czechoslovakia during WWII. Perhaps even more, she values that the film shows the development of true love in a simple (and stunning) setting and the importance of communication.

While this may be true, I see the purpose of art not so much as an undertaking to reflect reality, but an endeavor to transcend reality and show life as we would want it and not necessarily as it is. Life is hard, and we need happy endings. We need to believe that true love lasts and life can end well. Of course, in my saying so, I perhaps reflect my American heritage while my friend stays true to her European roots. I admit that I’m highly predisposed to prefer happy endings in my cinema, but I challenge you to walk away from a film like Zelary with a kick-in-your-step and an upbeat attitude. If you can, all the better for you, but if you’re anything like me you’re going to find Zelary a downer of a film.


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Review: Smart People (2008)

16 07 2009

Smart PeopleI found it challenging to leave off my feeling that Smart People was contrived from beginning to end. Don’t get me wrong, I braced myself for an unsatisfactory conclusion to the film’s 95 minutes of heaviness and was pleasantly surprised by the happy ending (I’m a sucker for one). But even this uptick at the end couldn’t save a film so desperate to be important.

Now, if the film was meant as a satirical jab at the educated egotists in the room, I might have stood up and paid a bit more attention (after all, I probably fall very squarely in that camp). Sadly, I don’t think this was the case (either that or I’m delusional).  No, unfortunately, this story takes itself seriously and in doing so plods along in search of making a point beyond the scope of its characters.

Now, here’s the rub: I like the point this film is trying to make — that is, relationships are important and risking hurt and shame to be in them is the true, but narrow path — but I just didn’t see evidence for how the characters made the leap from entrenched, miserable loners to engaged (albeit imperfect) relaters. Don’t get me wrong, I like the leap and wish I could make it more often than I do, but did they just wake up one day and decide that being who they were wasn’t working and they would try a different tack? I don’t know, maybe that’s possible and I’ve just grown cynical.

Smart People, while by no means unwatchable, does little to endear itself to its audience. Dennis Quaid does his best to keep us engaged, but even he can’t carry a story filled with loose ends that are slipshod together with a feel good ending that can’t bear the weight of the foregoing narrative.  If you want to see Ellen Page play yet another cynical, smartalecky character, this film is for you. Otherwise, I recommend taking a pass on Smart People and revisiting Juno instead.


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Review: A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (2006)

15 07 2009

A Guide to Recognizing your SaintsI’m not going to lie to you, A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints is not an easy film to stomach. The story is all over the place, the cinematography will shake you up, and the vulgarity is set on rapid fire. Yet, the acting is phenomenal (Shia LaBeouf is particularly stellar) and there is just something about the film that compels a person to stick with it. This “something” may very well be an internal hope that things will turn out well or perhaps a respect for writer/director Dito Montiel who actually lived this intense story. Whatever it was that kept me in it, I’m glad for it as I’ve rarely had the opportunity to see such unique storytelling.

As for the title of the film, I love it . . . but confess it borders on false advertising. A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints really isn’t much of a guide. There is certainly a compelling story in the mix here, but it’s so jumbled at times one wonders who are the saints and who are the sinners; truth be told, I think almost everyone in the film (and in reality) probably falls very squarely into both camps. Still, I think the power of the story was slightly lost by Mr. Montiel’s lack of guiding his audience a bit more clearly through his own life. Granted, how many of us really have enough hindsight to offer a clear summary of how the things of our past add up to our present (let alone our future)? This said, however, I would have liked to have seen a few more of the lines connected throughout the course of the film.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a film shot or told quite like this one. I wouldn’t recommend it to most, but if you love great acting, gritty stories, and don’t mind being thrown about for 98 minutes, you could do far (far) worse than A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints.


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Review: The Wrestler (2008)

14 07 2009

The WrestlerThe Wrestler is a poignant tale about what it takes to really live. Mickey Rourke and Marisa Tomei gave truly masterful performances. To Mr. Aronofsky (the director), I’d like to say thank you for not ruining another film with weird camera tricks or strange POV shots. Yes, the hand-held got a bit nauseating at points, but you got out of the way of the story and that’s a huge leap forward for you (seriously, thanks).

The beauty of The Wrestler shines through its screenplay which uses wrestling in a ring as a springboard for telling a deeply moving story about what it means to wrestle in one’s own heart. I know what it means to wrestle there and found, with great familiarity and disappointment, that Rourke’s character made the same choice I always make . . . to pull away from relationship. I desperately needed him to make the other choice.

Of course, I can’t blame him for his choice because that would be too much like pointing the finger at myself.  Yet, I do long for my art to get right what I don’t have the courage to get right in my own life thereby giving hope that should I storm the gates of complacency I may not just break through, but live.  Still, I can’t fault the creators of The Wrestler for telling a story that accurately reflects reality, I just desired an alternate ending.


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Review: The Great Debaters (2007)

13 07 2009

The Great DebatersResolved: The Great Debaters is a good film that should have been great. On the affirmative, myself, who can’t understand how a film with two Academy Award winning actors (Denzel Washington and Forest Whitaker) and a powerful story could be so ho hum.

Now, I don’t say this lightly because there were a lot of difficult things to see in this film and challenging ideas to ponder, but how is it that I didn’t care about the characters more? Likely, it could be the fault of the viewer, but films with far less weighty and important material have caught my heart and the hearts of America.

Why didn’t The Great Debaters have people talking over their water coolers (or via their blogs) like Slumdog Millionaire or Juno? Was it the subject matter, or perhaps could it have been the lack of character development? And by “character development,” I don’t mean entire back stories, I simply mean those little touches that tell us the small details about a person . . . like Tolson’s sweet tooth or Samantha’s need to always have a spoonful of honey in her tea. Those are silly examples, perhaps, but the Great Debaters’ lack of these little details had a chilling effect on my love and commitment to the characters. In the final scene, I should have been cheering on the characters with my fists pumping the air, but instead I offered a polite clap.

The Great Debaters is a prime example of a film that was so intent on capturing the big picture that it forgot that people’s stories are far more engaging and emotionally gripping than grand ideas or important civil movements.


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Review: Stop Loss (2008)

12 07 2009

Stop-LossIn spite of its flaws, Stop Loss touched a nerve in me.  It reminded me how we as humans naturally chaff against injustice and long to see things set aright.  If the purpose of story is to move its hears, the fact that this film did so for me makes it a worthy undertaking in my book.

I do agree, however, with others who’ve said that there were story elements unnecessarily included to drive home the point of the storytellers (i.e., stop lossing soldiers is unjust and needs to cease as a practice of the US military). I’m a little disappointed that the writers didn’t trust the characters to convey this to the audience, but Stop Loss wouldn’t be the first movie to focus too much on “the point” and not enough on character and story.

In the end, the performances were heartfelt and the film’s creators were honest in their storytelling . . . and that, when the sun sets, is all I can ask for. For those interested in stories of modern day injustice or current US military undertakings, I would recommend this film.


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Review: Last Chance Harvey (2008)

10 07 2009

Last Chance HarveyI am surprised that so many people are down on this film.  They say it’s dull, boring, slow, uninteresting, and uninspired.  While I don’t entirely disagree with these sentiments, the flawless acting of Hoffman and Thompson had me mesmerized.

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Hoffman play a restrained character.  I kept waiting for him to whip out his Tootsie attitude and it never happened.  Even when things got heated with his boss, I didn’t feel it was outside of the normal emotional range of the character.  No doubt, Harvey has a lot going on under the skin, but Hoffman did a superb job of reigning it in and expressing the richness of the character’s many inner realities through his non-verbals.

Now, as for Emma Thompson, I think she was brilliant.  I loved her “heart-on-her-sleeve” statements.  She gave a lesson in acting in this film.  Her monologue near the end when she is admitting her fears to Harvey is not only wonderfully written, but superbly delivered.  Thompson has amazing range and she proves it here.

As for the story itself . . . yes, it is a bit contrived.  Yes, it has been done before. And, yes, there is a lot of walking around London (too much, perhaps).  Yet, there are moments of grace, moments of failure, moments of triumph, and moments of characters taking significant risks.  During these moments, I greatly enjoyed the film.  It also doesn’t hurt that it was only 90 minutes long.


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