The Devil and Death

Before the Devil Knows Your Dead

I somehow completely missed this movie when it was playing in theaters. But when I was browsing at the rental store this past Saturday, and read the back cover of the DVD, my reaction was to immediately think that it has to be good because it’s directed by Sidney Lumet (12 Angry Men, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, Running on Empty) and stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Marisa Tomei, and Albert Finney.

My instinct was correct. Hurray me!

Seriously, it’s excellent. It’s a modern tragedy about two brothers (Hoffman and Hawke) who decide to rob their parent’s jewelry store because they need the money and they think it will be a victimless crime because they know their parents are well insured. As you can probably guess, things do not go nearly as smoothly as they planned.

Death at a Funeral

I love English comedies and this is a great one about the outrageous hijinks that happen when a stereotypically staid English family attempts to stage a dignified funeral for the family’s patriarch.

The Darjeeling Limited and Hotel Chevalier

If you aren’t familiar with Wes Anderson, he has directed four feature films – Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou – that focus on quirky characters, in unusual situations, generally working through family dysfunction while engaging in often comedic, yet stilted, dialogue. In varying degrees (Tenenbaums and Bottle Rocket more than Rushmore and Zissou), I’ve enjoyed each of his movies. In particular, I’ve always found them to be visually appealing; the backgrounds of his scenes are often filled with interesting, sometimes strange, set pieces that seemingly don’t fit but ultimately reveal something about the characters’ personalities.

Last night, I watched his latest movie, The Darjeeling Limited. It’s the story of three brothers, estranged since their father’s death approximately a year before the beginning of the movie, who together take a train journey across India on what the eldest brother, Francis (portrayed by Owen Wilson), deems a spiritual quest. It turns out that Francis’ true intent, which he keeps hidden from his two younger siblings, Jack (Jason Schwartzman) and Peter (Adrien Brody), until it’s basically too late for them to reject the idea, is a reunion with their mother (Anjelica Huston) who is holed up in a convent in the Himalayas. If you haven’t watched any of Anderson’s movies, are you starting to understand what I mean about quirky characters in unusual situations? Regardless, I recommend the film.

But the reason I’m writing this post is that I’m wondering if anyone else has seen the movie, particularly the short film titled Hotel Chevalier that precedes Darjeeling on the DVD and is subtitled Part 1 of the feature. Chevalier stars Schwartzman as Jack and Natalie Portman as Jack’s girlfriend who seemingly toys with Jack’s emotions. It’s a fascinating, albeit brief, exploration of controlling individuals and the tortuous essence of some human relationships. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

However, in one scene, Anderson’s lens pans across the hotel suite in which Chevalier is set. In keeping with Anderson’s visual style, the shot features a quirky “background” set piece. But, this time, the set piece is a completely nude Natalie Portman. In the scene, she is uncomfortably lying/bent over a chair, in an almost entirely non-sexual way (she is Natalie Portman, she can’t be completely non-sexual). Initially, I found Anderson’s use of Portman, precisely because she is essentially reduced to a set piece, unsettling and exploitative.

Anyway, since I watched it, I’ve been considering my initial reaction. On one hand, given that it fits with both Anderson’s style and the short film’s theme, I think his use of her body as a prop is appropriate and maybe my reaction was expected as a sort of turning of the tables of control. On the other, though, I still don’t like his degradation of Portman’s body (Because actors work willingly, I generally find that attitude quaint – which sort of explains why I can’t fully work this out in my own mind). Regardless, it certainly made me think, and I consider that to be a good thing.

The Namesake

Last night, I watched The Namesake.  Based on the novel of the same name by Jhumpa Lahiri, it’s a movie about the experiences of a first generation Bengali immigrant family.  It especially focuses on the identity crisis of their son Gogol.  I liked it but, as with most movies based on books, I think it didn’t quite do the book justice.

If you are inclined to read, and haven’t read The Namesake, I highly recommend it.  Lahiri, an almost unbelievably gifted writer, tells her stories with a delicate, intricate prose that is a joy to read.  When I first read the book, I recall annotating several sentences that I simply wanted to read again later because of their astounding structure.

But as with all great writers, in addition to her technical writing prowess, Lahiri has something to say.  In her case, it’s a description of the immigrant experience.  Even though I am several generations removed from the specific struggles of first generation immigrants, I particularly identified with Gogol who, caught between the culture of his Bengali family and that of modern America, has difficulty carving his own identity.  During the process of maturing and learning to live on our own, I think most of us have experienced feelings similar to Gogol’s.

Anyway, read the book.  If you aren’t a reader, I still recommend the movie.

Movies – Blood and Comedy

I had written what I consider a very nice post about There Will be Blood and Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show:  30 Days and 30 Nights – From Hollywood to the Heartland.  There were some especially nice bits about Daniel Day-Lewis’ acting, P.T. Anderson’s direction, and Johnny Greenwood’s score.  

Unfortunately,  I lost it.  It was my own fault. Regardless, I don’t have the energy to rewrite.  Suffice to say that Blood is a masterpiece.  The Wild West Comedy Show isn’t spectacular but I think it’s worth seeing because some of the comedy is laugh out loud hilarious and because the insight into comics on the road is interesting.

Lately…

This is how I’ve spent my time when not working:

Reading:

Geek Love is a novel about a family of circus performers.  The family’s patriarch, who runs the circus with which the family is associated, decides, along with his wife, to create their own sideshow freaks through their offspring.  They accomplish the task by experimenting with various drugs and radioactive materials during the couple’s pregnancies.  Sounds weird, huh?  It is.  But it’s well written by Katherine Dunn and because she creates a world unto itself, it’s also insanely absorbing and entertaining.

Listening:

Jukebox by Cat Power.  As with her Covers record a few years ago, Ms. Marshall reinvents previously recorded songs, most of which were written by other artists (a couple of the tracks were written and recorded by her on previous records).  Regardless, she has a way of making songs her own, whether she wrote them or not, sometimes completely changing the mood of the original recording.  In her case, I think that’s a great thing.  I can’t get enough of her honey voice.  On Jukebox, I especially love her take on Bob Dylan’s “I Believe in You.”

100 Days, 100 Nights by Sharon Jones and Dap Kings.  A funk/soul record created in the spirit of the genre’s heyday of the 1960s and 70s.  To give you and idea of the music, a number of the Dap Kings feature prominently as backing musicians on Back to Black by Amy Winehouse, a record I absolutely love.  The Dap Kings do the same thing here, only in their original context with their original singer; it’s authentic.

Watching, Television:

Arrested Development, Season 1.  I can’t believe I missed this hot mess when it was on television.  Actually, I tried to watch a couple of episodes, during the middle of the first season, when it originally aired.  I couldn’t get into.  But starting from the beginning, I loved it.  By this time, I’m probably behind the crowd and everyone is probably aware of the trials and tribulations of the Bluth family (primarily of their own creation) and their son Michael’s attempts to save the family business.  If you haven’t seen it, though, I encourage you to do so, starting with the first episode.  It’s a smart, hilarious caricature of modern life and family stereotypes, and lessons about what is truly important.

Torchwood, Season 1.  This spin-off of the long running British sci fi series Dr. Who is somewhat akin to a BBC version of the X-Files in that the Torchwood Institute is, like Mulder and Scully, in the business of protecting the world from extraterrestrial threats.  Wow, was that sentence packed with nerdiness or what?  Seriously, though, if you are even the slightest fan of science fiction, then you owe it to yourself to check out Torchwood.  Jennifer and I watched Season 1 on DVD.  The second season is currently being broadcast on BBC America.  As a warning, though, it is closely interlinked with Dr. Who, a show that I cannot recommend enough.  The last three seasons, a bit of a revival for the series, have been outstanding.  So I’m sure my love of Dr. Who impacted my expectations of and response to Torchwood.

Watching, Movies (quite a list so I’m just going to hit the highlights):

I’m Not There.  While I recognize and respect his influence, I’ve never really been a fan of Bob Dylan.  This movie made me want to be a fan, especially the performances of Cate Blanchett and Heath Ledger.  While they were both unbelievable in their interpretations of an aspect of Dylan’s personality, Blanchett deserves the Oscar for her performance.

Charlie Wilson’s War.  It’s entertaining and informative.  What else do you want?  I didn’t even mind Julia Roberts, and I don’t normally like her.

No Country for Old Men.  Wow, is all there is to say.  The Cohen brothers never cease to amaze me, in a good way.  On top of a beautiful movie with an engrossing story, the acting was superb.

Sunshine.  A sci fi movie about a mission to restart the Sun directed by Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, etc.)  It’s interesting, and pretty to look at, and certainly worth the couple of hours.

Strange Wilderness.  I don’t understand why terrible comedies continue to get produced, and how I end up watching them.  Skip it entirely.  In fact, if you are thinking about going, give me a call and I’ll pay you not to see it (hyperbole, folks, I’m not about to start actually writing checks).

Michael Clayton.  Cop movies and lawyer movies are normally all the same to me.  This one isn’t.  Loved it.  But I love Clooney.  Great story.

Savages.  If you don’t want to watch Phillip Seymor Hoffman and Laura Linney in a family-centered dramatic comedy then you’ve been sprinkling too much crack on your cheerios.  I cannot get enough of these two actors.  On top of that, this story is packed with truth about the shelter, and torture, of family.  Run to the theater to see this.

3:10 to Yuma.  In addition to the remake, I’ve seen the original starring Glenn Ford.  I prefer Russel Crowe’s interpretation of the outlaw Ben Wade.  Regardless, this is a good movie, especially if you enjoy westerns.  But it also has an independent appeal that is rooted in its exploration of what it means to be courageous and to have respect for fellow man.

Movies

Starting on this past Thursday night, I gorged myself on movies for a few days.  Depending on your taste, I can recommend each of them, some more heartily than others. Regardless, in the order I saw them, here is a short summary:

Sweeney Todd:  The Demon Barber of Fleet Street – Sort of My Fair Lady meets Halloween. It’s probably not for everyone. But I found it strange and beautiful, and I loved it.  Depp, Bonham-Carter, and Rickman are all wonderful.

Juno – In my opinion, this movie has the sharpest dialogue of any I’ve seen since Pulp Fiction.  That’s serious praise from me as Pulp Fiction is one of my favorite movies of all time. I loved everything about this story of how an obviously brilliant teenage girl finds parents to adopt the baby with which she is pregnant. In fact, it has replaced The Lives of Others as my favorite movie of the year.

National Treasure:  Book of Secrets – Partially because Nick Cage is one of my least favorite actors, I had low expectations.  While I think it was just a tad too long, it turned out to exceed my expectations by being fairly entertaining.

Fracture – I don’t normally love crime/courtroom dramas, but this one is well above average.  Ryan Gosling steals every scene he is in with Anthony Hopkins, and David Strathairn keeps up with them both.  I think it’s rare for three actors to appear in the same film and show such great skill in their performance.

Rescue Dawn – A movie that stars Christian Bale about the true-life story of how an American pilot, shot down over Laos during the early days of the Vietnam War, survived detention in and escape from a POW camp.  I think Bale’s acting is always excellent.  Also, I enjoyed the fact that the movie focuses on the camaraderie between the POWs, and how they worked together to plot their escape.

Once – The story of a young Irishman, working in his father’s vacuum cleaner repair shop, who dreams of landing a record deal with the songs he has written in his spare time.  He doesn’t have the conviction to follow his dreams.  That is, at least, until he meets a beautiful young immigrant from the Czech Republic who inspires him in the way only romantic attraction can.  The movie is interesting because I found myself watching with the same involvement as if it were a documentary about a singer of whom I am a great fan.

I Am Legend – Although it has moments that made me jump a little, I really consider it more suspenseful than scary.  Objectively, I think it’s a good, entertaining movie.  

Subjectively, though, one scene ruined the whole movie for me.  Because of recent experiences, I connected with the scene personally in a way that made me think about real life.  When I see an action/sci-fi movie, the last thing I want to think about is reality.

Movies

Shoot ‘Em Up

I like Clive Owen a lot. I also like Monica Bellucci and Paul Giamatti. So I went into this movie with the attitude that there was no way I would dislike it. I’ve often found that such an attitude just results in disappointment. But I think the movie held up fairly well under the circumstances. I hadn’t read anything about the movie before seeing it, but it turns out that it is a spoof of action movies. The joke, though, is in the almost mind numbing overabundance of violence, and the ridiculous acrobatics undertaken by Clive Owen’s character while successfully killing his rivals (a mid-air gunfight after jumping out of a plane, for example, was riotously funny but obviously completely unbelievable – that’s exactly the point of the movie, though). Also, I’m not normally prudish about sexual content in movies, but one scene during which Monica Bellucci’s character, who is a prostitute, breast feeds a middle aged man with an obvious fetish is just plain gross in my opinion. You’ve been warned.

Paris Je T’aime

This homage to Paris is made up of a number of short films (12, if I remember correctly) each set in a different Paris neighborhood. It’s difficult, I think, to maintain the interest of an audience for two hours without one storyline to follow, but the transitional segment directors did an excellent job of maintaining continuity by connecting the shorts with wide angle shots of the city itself. Regardless, I thoroughly enjoyed most of the shorts. There were only a couple during which I considered stepping out of the theater to visit the restroom. Overall, though, I enjoyed being reminded why I and, apparently, many famous directors (Gus Van Sant, Wes Craven, Joel and Ethan Coen, Alfonso Cuaron) and actors (Bob Hoskins, Emily Mortimer, Nick Nolte, Natalie Portman) love Paris.

Movies

For the past few years, I’ve heard how movie executives are concerned about the downward spiral of theater attendance. I’ve always thought that, if Hollywood will produce some good movies, attendance will pick back up. Earlier this week, I felt a bit vindicated when I heard a story on NPR about how gross receipts at theaters are up this summer. In my opinion, it is attributable to the fact that a spate of clearly entertaining movies was released this summer. I saw two of them last weekend:

The Bourne Ultimatum

The bottom line is that Paul Greengrass knows how to direct an action movie. Starting with Bloody Sunday and The Bourne Supremacy, I have enjoyed his movies. He made me a lifelong fan, though, with United 93. I will always respect Greengrass for depicting the darkest of days with the superb grace he managed. In my opinion, The Bourne Ultimatum is a worthy addition to his filmography. Because of the somewhat jumpy result, I’ve heard some people bemoan his frequent use of handheld cameras. It doesn’t bother me, especially when, as in much of Ultimatum, the action takes place on a very personal level.

Without lessening my praise of Greengrass, I’m certain that his task was considerably eased because of the many talented actors composing his cast. Every member – including Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, Joan Allen, and David Straitharn – was excellent.

The Simpsons Movie

It’s just funny. It’s just like the show only longer. But it’s funny.

Why Michel Gondry is a Genius

Because Jennifer studied this past weekend, I rented and watched a few movies. In the order I watched them, here is my opinion:

Volver

This movie reminded me why, before she was tainted by Vanilla Sky and Tom Cruise, I thoroughly enjoyed Penelope Cruz in Blow. She is a fine actress. Even though I was impressed with Cruz, Pedro Almodovar surrounded her with great supporting actors in an extremely entertaining and funny movie about the resilience of women. I suppose it’s easier to act believably given Almodovar’s filmmaking skill.

Letters from Iwo Jima

Because his characters are well developed, I thoroughly enjoyed Clint Eastwood’s retelling of the World War II battle for Iwo Jima from the Japanese perspective. For example, I found myself caring deeply about the well being of the simple baker, conscripted for service near the end of the war when a Japanese defeat was all but certain, about the special forces member, demoted for insubordination when he refused to needlessly kill a pet dog, and about the commanding general who, even in the face of terrible odds, treated his troops and life in general with deep respect. Still and even though I think Eastwood directed a terrific movie, the message is a little tired because it is the same as with so many other war films: War sucks.

Little Children

I probably should start by saying that Kate Winslet and Jennifer Connelly are two of my favorite actresses. Keeping in mind my bias, I doubt that Little Children would have worked nearly as well without them. The movie is about how adults act in selfish, and childish, ways. There are six main characters who, in some way or another, grow throughout the film. Each character’s story, at least tangentially, relates to the characters protrayed by Winslet and Connelly. Winslet was perfect as a Mrs. Dalloway like character, trapped in a life with a child she doesn’t want and a husband whom she doesn’t love, who has an affair with Connelly’s husband. Likewise, I cannot imagine anyone else believably portraying Connelly’s character, a role that simultaneously required the exploitation and metaphorical concealment of her striking beauty.

Overall, I liked it. However, Todd Field chose to include a voice over in various parts of the movie telling the audience what his characters were thinking. I personally think that is an cinematic trick used by second rate directors to avoid good character development. The tragic part in this instance is that I don’t think Field needed the voice over. His characters and story are well developed and I think it would have been a much better movie had he not insulted his viewers and simply let them draw their own conclusions about the characters’ thoughts.

The Science of Sleep

This was by far my favorite movie of the four. In fact, I enjoyed it more than any movie I’ve seen in recent memory. Jennifer happened to catch the very end of the movie and asked me to explain what was happening. I paused the movie and, after thinking about how to approach an explanation, I decided that it is almost impossible to explain without watching it. But I tried. I’ll try again:

The film follows a few months in the life of Stephane (portrayed by Gael Garcia Bernal), a troubled young artist, who has just returned from Mexico to Paris where his mother has arranged for him to work as a graphic designer at a calendar company. Stephane is deeply upset about the recent death of his father, with whom he was living in Mexico, from cancer. His depression is compounded by the fact that the job his mother arranged for him turns out to involve brainless technical work with no creative input necessary. But his situation takes a fortunate turn when he meets, and falls in love with, Stephanie, his new neighbor (portrayed with understated grace and charm by Charlotte Gainsbourg) who understands Stephane in a way that most people do not.

It seems fairly straightforward, right? It would be except that Michel Gondry’s film can only be described as surrealist. Stephane, you see, has difficulty telling apart his dreams from reality. Gondry’s gift is a film that seamlessly blends Stephane’s worlds so that, at times, it is impossible for the audience to tell if what is happening on screen is dream or reality. But that’s the point. Through his character, Gondry leaves reality behind to explore truly important things about our lives and the human condition like our fear of rejection, and beauty, and love. In my opinion, film can often be boring and straightforward so that I am rarely awed while watching a movie in the same way that I am when hearing a beautiful song or a staring at a fabulous painting. With The Science of Sleep, however, I stared at the screen a number of times and simply thought, “How profoundly beautiful.”

Grindhouse – A True Experience?

Fair warning: Really long post. Also, I use some profanity. I assure you that it would not be the same without it.

Late Sunday afternoon, Jason and I went to see Grindhouse. I was skeptical. I have no experience with actual grindhouse theaters, but I had little enthusiasm for a movie inspired by places where, from what I’ve read, people could buy illicit drugs about as easily as they could buy popcorn, and where the movie was likely to be a low budget mess featuring bad acting and terrible directing. But, with the combined histories of Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino, I couldn’t resist.

It was good, especially Tarantino’s half of the double feature which is titled Death Proof . It’s about a former stuntman who kills people with his car. But even in his attempt to make a B movie, his sharp dialogue and distinct filming style resulted in an action movie as good as or better than any big budget, popcorn munching action movie released at the multiplex today.

In my opinion, Rodriguez’s style as a filmmaker is not as defined as Tarantino’s. Precisely because of that, I think he was more successful in creating the B movie feel in his feature, titled Planet Terror.  It’s a basic zombie flick. But I’ve never enjoyed B movies that much and, although I initially found humor in it, the constant, tongue in cheek, extravagant action wore on me as the film progressed.

From my perspective, however, the real show was not what was on screen. We attended the 4:50 showing. We walked into the theater just after the appointed time, but a rabid car chase was already under way on screen. Knowing that it is not beyond either director’s sensibilities to start a movie in the middle of action, we were both simply amazed that the theater had started the showing on time. But when the credits started rolling, we realized that we had walked in on the end of the previous showing.

There was a group of young girls, sitting in the row in front of us, who all seemed oblivious. Suddenly, a young woman with flaming red, bobbed hair, sitting a couple of seats apart from the girls but on the same row, got up and moved to the seat beside the girl on one end. The girl looked red head up and down. As she was sitting so close, I believe it was a gesture intended to show the girl’s disgust at red head moving to the seat next to her. Red head was undaunted and, loudly enough for the whole theater to hear, she said, “I just talked to the theater manager a few minutes ago. Apparently, their times are off. This is the end of the previous showing. The 4:50 showing is going to be late. Probably around 5:15.”

One of the young girls said, “Oh Shit! Who picked this movie?!? Isn’t it supposed to be like 4 hours anyway? We got to be at the skating rink at 8 like when we said.”

The red head responded excitedly, “No! You can’t leave! This movie is a double feature. It’s hi-laaaaaaaiiiiiiiir-eeous! It’s the kind of movie where you laugh at stuff that you know you probably shouldn’t be laughing at which just makes it funnier. You know what I mean?”

The girl sitting next to her asked rapidly, “How you know that? You seen it?”

Red head responded, just as excitedly as before, “No, I haven’t seen it. But my friends have and they loooooooved it! Besides, I’ve read all about it. It’s two movies in one – you know, a double feature! Plus, Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino each directed one-half of it.”

A girl, sitting in the middle of the group, asked, “Hey, didn’t Robert Rodriguez direct those Spy Kids movies?”

Red head responded, “Yes, he did. But he also directed really good movies like Desperado and Sin City.”

One of the girls randomly exclaimed, “Oh hell yeah, I loved me some Sin City!”

Red head continued, “But I personally prefer Quentin Tarantino. He’s a geeeeeenius! Haven’t you seen Reservoir Dogs or Pulp Fiction?!? They are two of the best movies ever. He’s nothing short of revolutionary!”

She was obviously a little too excited for her own good and, in spite of losing the girls’ attention when she mentioned camera angles, continued on for some time, talking about Tarantino’s other movies, his penchant for detailed dialogue, and his filming style. In my mind she forever changed from red head to Tarantino Lover. When she finally stopped for a breath, she realized that the girls were no longer listening, and abruptly moved back to her original seat. I actually felt a little sorry for her because she was attending a movie, about which she was clearly excited, by herself. I found myself hoping that, as I do from time to time, she had chosen to attend the showing alone.

Regardless, Jason and I soon started our own nerdy conversation about Rodriguez and Tarantino and I forgot about Tarantino Lover for a while. In the end, the movie started about 30 minutes late. I’m amazed that the theater mismanaged time that much. I’m glad I didn’t have any prior obligations that evening. I was also amazed that no one left before it started. In fact, a couple of people came in just before it started which would have made them really late for the advertised time, including one guy by himself, who chose to sit on the end of the same row as Jason and me, on the opposite side of the theater from Tarantino Lover.

Planet Terror showed first. For the first few minutes, everyone pretty much watched in silence, except to laugh when appropriate. But approximately 30 minutes into the movie, Stacy Ferguson appeared on screen. One of the girls sitting in front of us yelled, “Girl, that’s Fergie!” Another answered, “My Humps, My Humps, My lovely lady lumps!”

From that point on, the girls discussed the movie, and other things, openly and without even attempting to whisper. At one point, one of them asked, “What time is it, I don’t want to be late getting to the skating rink?” And then, about 15 minutes or so after Fergie had appeared on screen, Tarantino Lover joined in. She would sometimes randomly, always loudly laugh. She also took to cheering on the people who killed zombies by yelling at the screen things like, “You Go GIRL!” or “Hell yeah girl, shoot him in the head! He deserves it!”

It truly was the most amazing display from one group of theater patrons I’ve ever seen. So, when during Death Proof , the guy, sitting on the end of the same row as Jason and me, started yelling at about the same time as Tarantino Lover, I didn’t think much about it. For instance, when one of the girls in the movie, being stalked by the stuntman, would spout some clever dialogue, Tarantino Lover would shout, “Oh Yeah!” or something similar. The guy would, almost at the same time, shout something like, “Oh no you didn’t!”

This continued for most of movie. Because of where the two were sitting, on the ends of two rows with Jason and me right in the middle, we basically experienced stereo shouts. Then, when it was getting near the end of the Death Proof , Tarantino Lover yelled something in response to a particular quip made by Rosario Dawson. Almost immediately, the guy yelled, “Shut up!” I thought, “That’s strange, what does he have against Rosario Dawson.” A few minutes later, one of the other characters said something witty, and when Tarantino Lover shouted, the guy yelled, this time clearly in the direction of Tarantino Lover, “SHUT UP! BITCH!”

I sat straight up in my chair and snapped my head toward the guy. Jason, who was sitting between me and the guy, whispered out of the side of his mouth, “Yeah, shhhh. He’s been yelling at her for a while.” From that point on until the end of the movie, the guy would yell, “Shut Up!” or “Shut Up Bitch!” every time Tarantino Lover said or shouted anything.

I thought that I couldn’t get more uncomfortable until, after the big finale, when Tarantino Lover stood up, started clapping, and cheering at the screen. A few people stared. Then, the guy stood up.  I thought he was going to walk out. Instead, he took a couple of steps toward Jason, pointed at Tarantino Lover, and started yelling. He screamed, “Listen Bitch! If he had done anything to them, then he would deserve what he got, but he didn’t even dooooo anything! They should have left him alone, and let him do what he does without bothering him any more. HE DIDN’T EVEN DO ANYTHING!!!”

Because the rant was a gross display of anti-social behavior, I tend to think he was mentally ill. But because it made no sense in the context of the movie, he could have been just plain stupid. Either way, when he paused for breath, Jason and I got up and walked out the other side of the theater, glad to get out without any physical violence.

Movies I’ve Seen Recently

Catch and Release – A total cliché of a romantic comedy. That said and if you like that sort of thing, it’s as good as any other movie of this genre. I especially enjoyed the performances of Jennifer Garner and Kevin Smith. The only real complaint I have is that Juliette Lewis was miscast in a supposedly sexy girlfriend role. I like Lewis, but she is not sexy.

The Queen – I first became a fan of Stephen Frears when High Fidelity was released a few years ago. As much as any other director working today, he has a keen storytelling ability which he uses to direct films that, in a lesser talented director’s hands, would otherwise bore. Such is the case with The Queen. When I initially read that The Queen is about the English royal family’s reaction to Princess Diana’s death, I wanted to stay as far away from it as possible. I have never understood why people reacted so strongly to Diana, and I certainly did not care to see a movie about her. When I learned that Frears directed it, though, I changed my mind.

While the film treats Diana with respect, it doesn’t focus directly on her. It emphasizes how Diana’s death impacted the royal family, and to a lesser extent Tony Blair’s government, when Queen Elizabeth reacted in the standard, reserved English manner. Frears manages to place the events within the context of history. By watching it, I gained a great deal of respect for both Queen Elizabeth and Diana’s role in the royal family. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Smoking Aces – Sometimes, there is nothing better than going to an entertaining action flick and disappearing for a couple of hours into the world created on screen. Unfortunately, Smoking Aces is not entertaining. Skip it.

Pan’s Labyrinth – This is a great story about how a little girl deals with the aftermath of the Spanish civil war, the death of her father, and a ridiculously cruel step-father. While it is a fairy tale, it is also a decidedly adult story. After watching the movie, Jennifer’s comment was something like, “I expected more pinks and greens. Even the fairies were scary.” While I had a similar reaction, I also think the movie, in a highly entertaining and original way, excellently describes how one little girl reacts to the horrors in her life. Be warned, the movie is in Spanish with English subtitles and has some very graphic scenes showing Spanish rebels being tortured for information.

Movies

Children of Men

This movie, like all good science fiction, talks about the future to discuss the present. Clive Owen is excellent in the lead, as are Julianne Moore, Michael Caine, and Clare-Hope Ashety in support. While painting a seemingly real but bleak picture of our future, the movie moves swiftly telling the story of how, in spite of universal infertility, a young woman (Ashety) has become pregnant and desperately needs the help of Theo Faron (Owen) to avoid the government and others, who would use her baby for their own purposes, to reach safety. I especially liked the small, seemingly inconsequential, details – like the literal and iconographic use of Picaso’s Guernica, and the well placed cover of the Rolling Stone’s song Ruby Tuesday – that illustrated the character’s nostalgia for a more innocent past and thereby emphasized their dire present situation.

Come Early Morning

With her writing and directorial debut, I believe that Joey Lauren Adams managed to capture life in a southern town without stooping to the cloying cliches normally used by film-makers. Along the way, she also made a pretty good movie, and was able to draw some actual acting out of Ashley Judd. The movie was filmed near Little Rock, but, other than a few dialogue references to places and establishments which people familiar with the area will recognize, it could have taken place in any smallish town in the south.

Blood Diamond

If you’ve heard that this movie is posing as an action movie but is really a historical drama teaching slanted political and moral lessons, then you’ve heard correctly. It probably helps that I agree with the political and moral lessons, but I firmly believe that it manages to be everything that critics have called it while also being an incredibly enjoyable movie. In my opinion, any work of art that makes a me think while I’m being entertained is worthy of my time. Besides, it features three of the finest actors working today: Leo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connolly, and Djimon Hounsou. Each of them became their characters during the movie.

United 93

This weekend, I watched United 93. When it was released earlier this year, followed by World Trade Center a few months later, I thought that the release of both movies smacked of opportunism and exploitation. As such, I was determined not to watch either movie. As the year progressed and I read more and more positive reviews of United 93, my attitude starting changing a bit about it (but not about the Oliver Stone version of the events). Not long ago, when I read a critic’s list of the top 10 movies for 2006, and found United 93 alongside some other movies that I enjoyed this year, I decided that I would see it sometime. When I was browsing at the movie rental store on Friday, I picked it up. Even after having decided to watch it and actually renting it, I was still tentative and some part of me dreaded watching it.

When I put it in the dvd player, though, my dread immediately faded. I was immediately reminded why I like Paul Greengrass’ directorial style. I first became a fan of Greengrass a few years ago when I saw Bloody Sunday, which is about the massacre of Irish civilians at the hands of British soldiers in the early 1970s. He approached that emotional event with the appropriate amount of stoicism that let the events speak for themselves; he understands that cheesy music and dialogue are not necessary when a script is appropriately spare yet paced well, especially if the events depicted are based in reality. He also filmed Bloody Sunday in way that resulted in a flim that feels almost like watching a documentary. In writing and filming the events that, over the past five years, have, in some way or another, shaped every aspect of our lives, he applied the same techniques. But, in my opinion, he did it more skillfully than with Bloody Sunday.  

All that said, it’s hard to say anything about the movie that you probably haven’t guessed. The reason that, even after I decided to see it, I still dreaded watching it is that I didn’t want to relive that day, especially from the perspective of the people on the United Airlines flight. The only thing I can say is that Greengrass has made an extremely important, and beautiful, film that, in my opinion, should be required viewing for all Americans. It is a wonderful tribute to those passengers on board the flight who, in my opinion, saved the government when the government was too slow or scared, or possibly both, to take action. In that regard, it is also an indictment and critique of a system that failed the passengers on those four planes, the people in the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and all of us.