Song of the day: “Ready or Not” by The Fugees

Special

Director: Hal Haberman, Jeremy Passmore
Genre: Drama
Year: 2006

There is nothing wrong with Les (Michael Rapaport; Hitch, 29 Palms). Sure he lives alone well into his thirties and seems to have no real relationships, unless you want to count his friendship with the two brothers at the comic book store. He has a job in parking enforcement – nothing to howl about, but it could be a lot worse. And while he might have a bit of an issue socially, he is not so completely out there that one could label him a freak. All things considered, the guy simply…is.

When Les goes to check out the trials for Special, a new pharmaceutical in the testing stages, he wants to be a part of that trial, not so much out of need but a desire for improvement. This drug, they say, is supposed to elevate your confidence, give you that one boost that you are going to need to succeed, and the drug promises to be a big hit, if it can pass its clinical trial.

The instructions are simple enough: one pill a day. Done.

So Les takes it, initially feeling nothing, and then…he begins to feel Special, the first signs of which making themselves known when he finds himself levitating over his couch. Soon enough, he can also read people’s thoughts and run through walls, he has become a super hero!

Except he hasn’t.

Turns out the drug has had an adverse reaction on him and it has fooled his brain into making him feel super human. The doctor tries to explain this to him but…you try convincing a super hero to give up his powers. Needless to say, Les goes on to make his outfit and save mankind from the clutches of evil, even if half of the evil is really in his head and the way he goes about ‘helping’ is largely a fantasy. Blurring the lines of reality, uncertain of what is and isn’t, Les if suddenly lost in a world where he is no longer exactly sure of what is real and what is not, leading to a story that is both comical and tragic at the same time.

Let it be said that Michael Rapaport is special indeed. He single-handedly carries this film on his back with the best performance I have ever seen him give and when his support cast stumbles or flounders, he is there to more than pick up the slack. Shot in with what seems to be a low budget and with directing that tried to hit the mark and was just a little off, it really comes down to Rapaport and the really intriguing concept to make this film still very likable and thought provoking.

Touching into matters that most superhero films do not get into, this time around we can see the human side to it, the difficult side to it, the painful side to it, even if it is a fantasy for a man that has lost all touch with reality. It also explores relationships, over-medication and the role of pharmaceutical companies in society and the way they operate. Even if a lot of the cast feels like the B-list actors that they are, Rapaport makes this film very much worth your while and you might decide in the end this is not worth the purchase, but I doubt you will decide it was not worth the watch.

Rating:
Comments: Strong language and brief violence, mostly kept light save for a final confrontational scene which does have a number of ‘wince’ moments.
Quote: Les: The truth is, with so many billions and billions of people on the planet, most of us can’t be unique or important in any meaningful way.

Song of the Day: “blood red blood” by Good Luck at the Gunfight

Goya’s Ghosts

Director: Milos Forman
Genre: Drama
Year: 2006

The movie is called, Goya’s Ghosts….not Francisco Goya. This is important because you do not want to walk into this movie like I did, expecting the story about Francisco Goya and instead getting the story of other people who are unfortunately less interesting and incredibly tormented. Perspective, in this matter, can make a big difference on your view of this movie.

Set in 1792, during the years of the Spanish inquisition, we are introduced to young Ines (Natalie Portman; V for Vendetta, The Other Boleyn Girl), Francisco Goya’s (Stellan Skarsgård; Angels & Demons, Mama Mia!) muse and friend, who is erroneously labeled by the Church’s watchdogs as a heretic. Their proof? She failed to eat pork, which ‘clearly’ signified that she was practicing the Jewish ways of her ancestors. In speedy fury, the church summons the girl to the Holy Office and has her arrested and put to “the question”.

“The question” – in the context of this movie – is the stripping and cuffing of your hands behind your back, then your bindings are attached to a rope overhead and your are lifted in that fashion while you are questioned about your heretic ways, to which of course any person will confess in order to avoid the pain. For this reason, Ines confesses to being that which she is accused of, a move that prompts her father to take action in order to rescue her.

Pessimism is the cloud that lingers over this film from beginning to end. The Church is depicted for the worst of its actions, painted in extremely cruel, hypocritical and radically extremist in its conservative values. The Spanish nation as a whole is shown as power hungry and arrogant, on the part of the bourgeois and mindless on the part of the commoners that buy into the mass mentality. The French as shown as liberators that topple one evil and bring their own, in the form of pillage, rape and unrestrained authority in the name of liberty. The British as shown as rescuers from the French but no better than their predecessors, claiming women like property and taking over the land like any imperialist nation. All of this has an element of truth in it, no doubt, but it has been done so thoroughly and without balance that it almost seems shocking for the sake of being shocking. Aside from Goya and Ines, there is not a single likable character here, even those whose actions we can understand opt to use questionable measures of vengeance (however clever it might have been) and Goya himself is not always shown in the best of light either.

That there is not a single merciful priest, or intelligent Spanish aristocrat, or a truly logical Frenchman, or a righteous Englishman begins to show the level of one-sidedness that this film took. This, however, brings us back to the issue of the title, which is, once again, Goya’s Ghosts. Further consideration of this two words utilized, beg for the opportunity to further examine what the director might have had in mind. Anybody who is familiar with Goya’s prints is likely aware of the romantic, tragic, often disturbing works the artist created. Pain, anguish and human discord are topics that are shown throughout his works, etched darkly on the suffering faces of his subjects. If the artist saw his world for the pain that surrounded him, for the atrocities committed around him, for the injustices that seemed to prevail society…then we have some sort of justification for a film that is this extreme in its content. Given that argument, I am more willing to accept it for what it is.

Tragic to the very end, this film is interesting in the way it collects the worst of people and puts them all together in a semi-jumbled manner which is not great, but not horrible either. There is – it must be said – a powerful set of performances by both Natalie Portman and Javier Bardem as Father Lorenzo to give this film a bit of artistic leverage that can definitely be appreciated. A viewer that goes in knowing they are watching a skewed work of fiction can appreciate the message for what it is and learn to balance it with reality on their own. Those who do not, might end up being somewhat misguided in the information they take out of this.

Rating:
Comment: Brief nudity, mild language, torture scenes and graphic imagery. Adult content, for sure.
Quote: Goya: I am painter to the king!
Asylum Director: So what, I have three Napoleon Bonapartes in here, and two of them are Arabs.

Song of the Day: “Attitude” by Hardnox

Doubt

Director: John Patrick Shanley
Genre: Drama/Mystery
Year: 2008

Without a doubt – no pun intended – one of the best films of 2008 and timely, in the sense that lately the Catholic Church has been under scrutiny over its actions or the actions of many of its priests. Therefore, this film plays into the theme, without trying to take any particular side. The title of this film, as it turns out, is quite fitting, beyond the topic which it treats but also in the way that it plays out with the audience.

Father Brendan Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman; The Savages, Before the Devil Knows You Are Dead) is a priest at a Catholic school, run by a handful of nuns, of which Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Meryl Streep; Lions for Lambs, The Devil Wears Prada) is the superior. Striving for different approaches to education, Father Brendan opts for the progressive approach, with a friendlier façade and an approachable demeanor, while Sister Aloysius is fighting fiercely to keep with the Church’s original strict and conservative roots. The rift created between these two driven characters is only further increased when Sister James (Amy Adams; Enchanted) voices her concern over something that might constitute as questionable behavior on the part of Father Brendan.

What ensues is a heated battle between two opposing sides, one simply trying to do its best the other actively trying to look into what might very well be a crime, regarding the allegedly inappropriate relationship between the priest and the only black boy at the school.

Pulling at all strings available, and using its excellent cast to move this film forward, paired with an excellent script, this film is rather suspenseful, separated in stride by three sermons, given throughout the film, tacking a few of the subjects that become crucial to the understanding of a very human, very complicated film that raises more questions than it answers and that brings to the table an interesting discussion.

Rating:
Comments: Adult situations, mild language, intense scenes that are not appropriate for the little ones.
Quote: Father Brendan Flynn: You have no right to act on your own! You have taken vows, obedience being one! You answer to us! You have no right to step outside the church!
Sister Aloysius Beauvier: I will step outside the church if that’s what needs to be done, till the door should shut behind me! I will do what needs to be done, though I’m damned to Hell! You should understand that, or you will mistake me.

This is a recent video I watch on my TEDTalks subscription, and felt like sharing. That first poem makes me shiver.

Hope you like it.

Song of the day: “Chant of a Poor Man” by Leftfield

Up

Director: Pete Docter, Bob Peterson
Genre: Comedy/Animation/Adventure/Action/Family
Year: 2009

The name of Pixar has become synonymous with quality assurance. The only movie of theirs I have not seen is Cars and from what I understand, even that film, in comparison to other animated films, is pretty good. When you have names like The Incredibles, Wall-E, Monsters Inc, and Finding Nemo in your repertoire, you know that the company is not bound to make a bad move anytime soon, even if their trailers are often not the most convincing. The trailer for UP, just like the one for Wall-E before that – and most other Pixar ones – failed to capture me. Perhaps because it was more a teaser than the trailer, but I have learned to simply ignore Pixar trailers, knowing that the end result will be pleasant. Up, is exactly like that and while I like The Incredibles and Wall-E more, this film is still really good and ranks up there with Nemo and Monsters.

The story for this film is pretty simplistic, in fact Todd pointed out that of all the Pixar films this is perhaps the most simplistic (in a technical sense) film they have done. Thankfully, the story is interesting, moving and entertaining enough that it does not feel too weighty having to be with the same characters scene after scene. In fact, it is not until after the journey has begun that we get a cut away scene into another part of the story that will eventually converge.

In very Pixar-ish manner, the story starts in a sad note, by telling the story of an old man who is merely trying to survive in the encroaching city after a lifetime with a partner whose time has come. In a brief montage, we are shown their entire life, as they grow old and fall in love and eventually she dies. Count on a knot on your throat in the same fashion as when Nemo’s mother dies, or when Elasti-Girl tells her children SHE might die and they will have to look after themselves. It is a sign of their mastery that Pixar is always willing to put heavy content on films intended for families and children and they pull it off in ways that seem perfectly balanced.

All there is left for Carl, the old man, to do, is to keep a few promises he has made and his way of doing it is by filling all of his balloons and taking the house with him, to South America, determined to find Paradise Falls where his wife always wanted to visit. Accidentally, however, he manages to get a tag-along traveler, in the form of Russell, a young Wilderness Explorer who has one more badge to go, which requires him to help the elderly. Together, this unlikely pair end up in South America, caught between a promise made a lifetime ago and the survival of an enigmatic bird who quickly befriends them.

Full of adventure, this story becomes an metaphor for life and the things that are important in it. With a senior citizen as its main character, the film lends for some pretty interesting jokes and moments that play out well throughout and the young kid makes a perfect contrast for a man who is on the verge of becoming jaded. All and all a well told story, with plenty of laughs and touching moments. And a good family film to boot!

Rating:
Comments: A couple of sad moments, but overall a family film.
Quote: Carl Fredricksen: Do you want to play a game? It’s called See Who Can Go the Longest Without Saying Anything.
Russell: Cool! My mom loves that game!

Song of the Day: “Breed” by Snake River Conspiracy

Star Trek

Director: J. J. Abrams
Genre: Sci-Fi/Adventure/Action
Year: 2009

Ok, so I am not a big Star Trek fan. At all. I do not know what the difference is between a Klingon and a Romulan is aside from one race potentially being better at clinging than the other. I know no details of ships and never watched a full episode of the shows – mostly because I could not make it through without falling asleep or changing the channel. I also could not tell you why there is a Captain Kirk and a Captain Piccard on the same ship, I guess one came after the other? Which came first, the chicken or the egg, I could not answer that either. Surely, you get my drift – I am a complete Star Trek neophyte and had only managed to sit through one of its prior movies and that only because I was dragged to it by a friend to whom I owed a favor and had to double on a date with his girlfriend’s uglier friend (that night was so not worth it).

I preface this review with those details mostly because I am well aware of the cult following this show has attracted over the years and no matter what I say, somebody is going to hate me for it; this is the perspective of somebody that is looking at this film entirely for what it is knowing nothing of what came before. That said, I liked it! Maybe because it was nothing like anything Star Trek I have ever seen before, and because it held my attention, had an entertaining script, made use of visual technology and did not bore me to death with endless speeches regarding space travel. This was, as far as I am concerned, only one small step below Serenity in enjoyment.

The backgrounds, the stories, the prior plots, the origins, I knew nothing about, prior to watching this movie and frankly it did not matter. This being essentially a look back at the beginning of things with the Enterprise, allows for you to have a completely empty head and still come out like you watched and got the most out of it while – as I understand it – still working under the context that has been set by the show and previous movies.

So, on to the plot. There is a new ship that requires a new crew and a lot of young blood is trying to fill the spots. The best of the best graduates (Spock) are being recruited, along with a young man (Kirk) with a promising future but a seeming lack of focus. Meanwhile, across the Universe(s?) a Romulan ship decides to put to waste the Vulcan planet. They have their reasons for taking such actions…mostly vengeance. Upon finding this, the Federation decides to act, but when the Enterprise Captain falls into Romulan hands, the young crew is forced to take actions into their own hands.

With versatile characters and an entertaining story, this is about as much as you can as for a Sci-Fi movie. It has humor, it has action, it has thrills and it even has a bit of romance. The cast is young and though here and there one of them flounders, I think that for the most part they all did their job in making the most out of their roles.

There are a few technicalities which put a furrow on my brow, I will not lie, starting with the fact that black holes are massive gravitational nodes, not time travel warp holes; there is also the red matter which is…what? Besides cool red fluid called red matter that can achieve amazing collapses in matter; there is also a few scenes which are a little too convenient and border on an eye roll, but nothing too damaging. Going into this film I was determined not to let the technicalities bother me and if you can breeze past a few of those, this movie is actually a thrill to watch and easy to get into. And with a good sense of story telling and usage of visual effects, there is really no way you can go wrong, specially since it is clean enough that you can take the family with you (save for the very little ones that might freak out at scary looking aliens….or a hot chick in her underwear).

Rating:
Comments: There is some sci-fi action here to be expected, with explosions and blasts. There is some hand to hand combat and violence, some intense scenes and graphic images (alienish stuff). But over all it is a pretty clean movie, early teens and up should be able to enjoy it.
Quote: Spock: We are traveling at warp speed. How did you manage to beam aboard this ship?
Kirk: You’re the genius. You figure it out.

Song of the Day: “Ghetto Rock” by Mos Def

The Soloist

I have to say that Joe Wright is quickly rising up on my list of good directors. His Pride & Prejudice definitely surprised me with its stellar cinematography, solid directing and superior acting. Atonement went on to get nominated for a Best Picture Oscar and in its case I felt it was well deserved. The Soloist comes right behind, falling short mostly for script issues than for anything having to do with the directing. Nevertheless, this is a film that is worth the watch.

Based on a true story, The Soloist tells the story of Steve Lopez (Robert Downey Jr.; Iron Man, A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints), a Los Angeles reporter who has been down in the dumps and has been unable to secure himself a worthy story, who coincidentally meets up with Nathaniel Ayers (Jaime Foxx; Ray, Any Given Sunday) a former Jilliard student now living in Skid Row. What starts as a happenstance incident soon provokes Lopez’ curiosity enough to want to seek out Ayers and try to nail down his story, which as it unfolds becomes more and more compelling. Eventually, as a bond is forged, Lopez finds himself making a friend, not just chasing the story of his life.

Once again Wright excels in his directing and both Downey Jr. and Foxx nail their characters with precision, giving them a human side to them which is very easy to relate to. The film also brings out a joy for music through the innocent, pure appreciation portrayed by Ayers, which elevates this film from a simple movie going experience to something altogether more fulfilling. When the moment comes where, all you see in the screen are colors and find yourself mesmerized by the music, you know the director has done his job.

This is however, not a perfect film, I felt that most of the problems stemmed from the adaptation to screenplay, where a number of scenes that might have been cute or funny made the cut, but were not necessarily crucial to the story. When someone like Wright is a the helm and making all the other scene works, the arbitrary scenes that might be needed for other people, become moot here. Case in point, would be the entire deal with the groundhogs at Lopez’ house. It was funny, yes, cute, sure, it does show character development…but given the amount of time spent there, they could have used it instead on the main story, advancing not just the character but also giving us more on the strange but beautiful friendship that blossoms between these two men. Still, a very good film and one I highly recommend.

Rating:
Comments: Language, if I recall, is a bit strong in some parts. Adult situations, drug usage and other topics not suitable for minors.

Song of the day: “Gone” by Kanye West feat. Consequence and Cam’Ron

Timecrimes

Director: Nacho Vigalondo
Genre: Thriller/Suspense/Crime/Drama/Sci-Fi
Year: 2007

Time travel movies are often difficult to make, mostly due to the differing schools of thought regarding how time travel actually works. The fact that nobody has really time traveled makes it difficult to say any one movie gets it right. Consistency and a clear idea, however, do volumes in making time traveling movies work and this one is by far one of the better ones, without getting into the complexities that Primer got into. In other words, Timecrimes is an exciting, interesting film regarding time travel that does not require you to have a Ph. D. on quantum physics to understand it. In fact, the movie itself does a good job in explaining the theory they employ.

The set up is quite simple, a man, relaxing in his backyard begins to experience a series of odd events that lead him to seek help at the neighbor’s house, where he finds a series of instruments and machines that rise his suspicions at least temporarily before his concern for his safety takes the driver seat again, forcing him up the hill to a laboratory he had not realized existed at the top of the hill. There, a scientist offers to help him by hiding him in a tub…strangeness ensues!

In a thrilling, suspenseful manner, the Spanish bring us a movie that forgoes big budgets and special effects to give us instead a very believable, low budget film that is far more convincing than anything Hollywood has put out in terms of time travel. Throwing the audience for a loop in its script, which is carefully written and exquisitely supervised, we become witnesses of how a man becomes ensnared in a dangerous web of events that ends up with tremendous consequences.

Do not let the sci-fi tag deter you, there are not spaceships, no aliens, nothing crazy or hard to swallow, if you can merely accept the possibility of time travel, then you are set and with a reined in cast of only five and a simplistic setting, the structure of this film allows you to focus on what matters most, the story! I would say this is a must own if this genre is favored by you.

Rating:
Comments: Quite a bit of violence and a handful of wince moments. No sexuality but there is some full frontal nudity in a couple of scenes. Spanish language, English subtitles.

Song of the Day: “Protect Me From What I Want” – Placebo

I have a number of reviews I wrote yesterday from my long list, they will, however, be released to you one at a time, because we do not want you to O.D. on them. Right? However, before I release those, I will release this review, which I apparently wrote out last year and never released. Considering that it is a really good movie, I will make way for it first before I continue with the scheduled list. Enjoy!

-Fco.

4 Months 3 Weeks 2 Days

This is the sort of story that in order to fully enjoy, you need to watch without knowing anything about the movie. If you have not seen the trailer, all the better and if you had not heard the praise it received the past year…no matter. Unfortunately, this is also the sort of movie you do not want to walk into blindly, however perfect it may be for the unfolding of the movie, in the end, this film has to do with abortion and that is not the sort of thing you lead people into with their eyes closed, particularly when it is told with this sort of frankness.

Set in Romania, the movie tells the story of two young women in 1987 trying to set up an abortion for one of them. It goes through the set up, the process and the aftermath, in an increasing sense of tension that is constantly there to remind the audience that, though this may be a film, it could have very well happened a thousand times to a thousand people.

I am curious to know what the budget for this film was, because it looked relatively small, with a small but very good cast and locations that are relatively simple. Amazing, that with so little to work with so much can actually be done. The writing seemed great, but I do have to say ’seemed’ because it is translated from Romaian and I know something may have been lost in translation. I am curious to hear it from a Romanian speaker what they thought of dialogue, but the way it plays out on screen is natural and the subtitled conversations flow naturally…organically, if a little too fast at times to keep up with.

There is a question that lingers, however: is two hours too long for a movie having to do with abortion? And while I personally do not think so, I can see how the argument can be made for such. Safely I can say that the independent minded crowd will enjoy every detail of this film from beginning to end and will not mind much the sterile way in which is shot, where entire conversations unfold with only one person in screen and without changing camera angles. The mainstream crowd will likely be turned off by this early enough to avoid the disturbing abortion scene and a few shots that show some of the aftermath of the procedure. In many ways, this movie is almost emotionally taxing, which is of course fitting, but something else to be aware of. The way one needs to be in the proper mood to watch Requiem for Dream, so too you need to be prepared for this one.

Needless to say, this is intended for an adult audience, and it is a movie that packs a sobering punch. Not a movie to buy, to be honest. I simply can not see anybody saying, I must have this movie so I can watch it over and over and then watch it with my buddies. But like other movies that have something worthwhile to say, this movie is most definitely worth the watch.

Rating:
Notes: Graphic, disturbing material, abortion scene, nudity. Romanian with English subtitles. And on an unrelated note, nobody ever told me the Romanian language sounds so beautiful.