March 5, 2009
"Watchmen" is an obviously ambitious movie. They are gathering of superheroes in the fictional modern world where Richard Nixon was still US President well into the 1980s. Director Zach Snyder (who burst into the scene in a big way with "300") ups his ante with more violence, gore, bloodshed and considerably more complex inter-weaving multiple story lines.
It is really overwhelming for someone who has not read the so-called "best graphic novel in the world" by Alan Moore, and thus have no idea who these characters are at the start. But you know what, the innovative title credits sets the mood right off. And later on, you do learn about each character very well enough to care about them towards the middle and end.
I am still not really clear on what the superpowers of the mysterious Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) up to now. I don't think he has any, does he? But I would know what kind of person he is by the way this topnotch actor have essayed this complex character. The performance of Haley is very intense, and his character is the most interesting of all.
Mr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup) is a buff and unabashedly naked blue CG image almost throughout the whole film, yet it was still very effective in conveying this super-being's thought processes, despite his blank eyes. The raw physicality and conflicted character of The Comedian was very well limned by actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan. The actor had a magnetic screen presence that shines despite the flaws of his character. Patrick Wilson played the innate good guy Nite Owl II the best way he could given the limited range of his character.
The main antagonist Ozymandias I felt was the weak link in the cast. As played by Matthew Goode, he did not really look like a menacing super-villain nor did he even look like "the smartest man" on earth that he supposedly was. Malin Akerman had a lot riding on her as the main female character Silk Spectre II. She is quite sexy and all, but somehow her performance as a superhero was not too convincing.
Overall, it was a good enough introduction to the ultra-violent world of the Watchmen for the uninitiated, albeit a bit too long if you are not getting the drift. This movie is not really for everybody. The younger male demographic is clearly the target audience, despite the overt frontal exposures of Mr. Manhattan. As far as graphic novels go, I still prefer "Sin City" and "300". I have to confess that the violence content of "Watchmen" went a bit beyond my comfort limit.
February 21, 2009
"Rachel Getting Married" is a film about a dysfunctional family whose eldest Rachel was, yes, getting married. However the main character is not Rachel, but her black-sheep sister Kym who is a recovering drug addict just out of rehab, and dealing with guilt brought about by the the tragic death of their little brother Ethan while under her care. The stress of the wedding brings out the best and the worst in the strained relationship of the two sisters which is the main crux of most of the movie.
This complex role of Kym gives young actress Anne Hathaway a very rich character (so different from those roles she was well known for) to bring to life, and she succeed with flying colors. Her performance is raw and realistic, and very uncomfortable to watch in its realism. That squirmy long-winded speech at the wedding rehearsal, that quiet speech at the drug addict meeting where she talked about Ethan's death, that big argument with Rachel about Kym's lies during her rehab, and especially that powerful climactic scene with their estranged mother Abby -- Anne Hathaway has proved that her acting talent is by no means lightweight. She was fully deserving of the Best Actress awards she had already won and the one she might win on Oscar Night.
As the titular character Rachel, Rosemarie DeWitt is also very good in depicting the stress of woman on the week leading to her dream wedding, and having to deal with an unstable sister who seemed threaten its perfection. The other actor of note is the long-absent Debra Winger, who really shone in her few scenes as Abby, the mother of the sisters. The aforementioned scene with Anne is heartbreaking in its violence. Bill Irwin is also effective as the over-solicitous and good-natured dad who does not know what to make of how his daughters are behaving.
The unfortunate thing about this movie is the technical aspect. The camera-work is the shaky and occasionally unfocused handi-cam style which can make some scenes very dizzying (but not Blair Witch dizzy, though). I do not know why there are so many inconsequential scenes that made it to the final print, as if the editor was not at work. Why were there were too many speeches at the wedding rehearsal? Why did they have to show entire song numbers during the ceremonies when excepts would have sufficed? Couldn't they have shortened that dishwasher scene? And why did they have to show about ten minutes of strangers dancing and merry making at the wedding reception?
So overall, the movie is one where very potent and well-acted dramatic family scenes were ungainly meshed with long and boring wedding scenes, seemingly as the filler to make the film longer. I think director Jonathan Demme (yes, of "Silence of the Lambs) had failed to rein in the indulgent excesses of the script by Jenny Lumet, thus making this film only a diluted success at best.
February 20, 2009
This movie tells the story of a lesser known aspect of World War 2 in Eastern Europe, about the Bielski brothers, Tuvia, Zus, Asael and Aron. They were Belarussian Jews who were forced to hide out in the forests because German Nazis destroyed their village and massacred their families. There they end up leading more than a thousand other Jewish survivors to freedom. Their flight inevitably drew parallelisms to no less than the book of Exodus.
I did not like the storytelling too much as it was too disjointed and episodic. The drama was not told in an emotionally involving way. There were scenes that show the Bielski group rob and kill German sympathizers. There was a scene where the Jews beat a captured German officer to death. There was scene where Tuvia led his band of Jews to cross a river. Then there was the climactic (but unrealistic) scene where the ragtag group of civilian Jews fight and win over a fully-armed group of German soldiers who even had a Panzer tank. Yet there seemed to be no fluidity that bound these scenes together.
The actors who played the Bielski brothers do not look like brothers at all. Daniel Craig, who played the idealistic eldest brother Tuvia, looked miscast to me in particular. He did not look like he belonged with the rest of the Jews he led. Liev Schrieber (as the more aggressive Zus) and Jamie Bell (as the young Asael) were more realistic and successful in their portrayal.
Technically, the movie looked average and unrealistic. The art direction and make-up looked haphazard. The editing of the gun battles was erratic. Even the Oscar-nominated musical score was not really memorable. And the overall direction by Edward Zwick seemed without a unifying focus, wasting the potential of a good story.
February 16, 2009
This is a Swedish movie with a lot of internet buzz. Before I watched, I only knew this film puts its own spin on the current vampire trend. I found it interesting to see a European take on the subject, as the Hollywood interpretation of the vampire is getting to be very predictable. The title refers to the legend (which I have not really heard before) that a vampire cannot enter a residential house without being invited in.
This tells the story of Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant), a pale blond 12-year old boy, a loner who is constantly picked on by bullies in school. He was befriended by his similarly lonely new neighbor, a pretty dark-haired 12-year old girl named Eli (a sublime Lina Leandersson). Their friendship develops in the dead of a snowy winter in a Swedish town, while a series of unexplained bloody murders were taking place in the neighborhood. Maybe that is all you need to know about the main plot. The rest is for you to discover while watching this movie.
The European style of film making is there. The slow pace. The straightforward storytelling. The stark sets. The quiet music. The natural actors. It all works for the benefit of this film. The atmosphere is very eerie. The violence while mostly hidden and off-screen was still frank and brutal in execution. The build-up to the actual scene of violence was replete with tension. There were many memorably scary images I have not seen before in other horror films, particularly that scene with the cats, and the climactic scene at the pool.
I think this is only the second Swedish movie I have seen after the classic yet (for me) woefully boring and over-rated Bergman opus "The Seventh Seal". This is a novel experience to watch a European horror film, after getting our fill of Asian horror a few years back. There are already plans to make a Hollywood version of this, and I dread how that would look like (like what they did to "The Ring" or "The Grudge.")
Though ineligible for the Oscar for a Best Foreign Film nomination due to release date problems, "Let The Right One In" has also earned its share of awards. Recently in the Online Film Critics Awards, this film won four awards for foreign film, adapted screenplay (for John Ajvide Lindqvist who adapted his own best-selling novel), breakthrough actor (for Lina Leandersson) and breakthrough director (for Thomas Alfredson).
February 13, 2009
I have not seen a Woody Allen movie for a very long time. In fact I do not even remember the last one. Watching "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" brought it all back -- the incisive and thought-provoking ideas elucidated in the very smart dialogue. Vintage Woody, back to form. Nobody can write with so much neuroses in its varied forms like Woody Allen. You can hear Woody through all the actors pronouncements!
That said, I think the screenplay, while very witty, also had its flaws in its very unexpected plot turns. First, who was the Narrator? He surely helped the story along, but who was he in the first place? However, my main qualm was the way the problem of Vicky got resolved which I found contrived. I did not like it. It seems to be the easy way out.
I'm sure all the men in the audience would agree what a lucky guy Javier Bardem is, sharing the screen bed with three gorgeous women -- Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hall and Penelope Cruz. He plays the smouldering Latin lover here, miles away from his Oscar-winning cold killer role last year. No real effort for Bardem in this one, he seems to be just very relaxed and enjoying his fantasy role as the woman-magnet Juan Antonio.
Scarlett Johansson is very natural and carefree as the free-spirited Cristina. Her character makes a key yet sudden decision midway in the film that upsets the status quo. This is another one of my problems with the script. She has certainly come a long way from the girl in "Horse Whisperer." My favorite Scarlett role remains to be Griet in " Girl with a Pearl Earring."
Rebecca Hall looks and acts very different from her confident character in "Frost/Nixon," playing the mousy and conflicted bride Vicky. As the more conservative and rigid character, she had to convey her thoughts and emotions in less words and less body language. Yet she still succeeds to get her character's conflicts across to us.
However, it is Penelope Cruz's character Maria Elena who is far and away the most showy role and she goes to town with it. I did not like the way the character was written, but Ms. Cruz did very well in it, if not a little overdone. She has already won the BAFTA award for Best Supporting Actress. Hers is the only nomination earned by "VCB" in the upcoming Oscars, and is quite favored to win. MIra Sorvino ("Mighty Aprhodite") and Dianne Wiest ("Hannah and her Sisters" and "Bullets Over Broadway") both won their Supporting Actress Oscars in Woody Allen movies. And Ms. Cruz could most likely be next in line.
I should mention one more actress, Patricia Clarkson. She has a short role, yet influential in the development of Vicky's character. Ms. Clarkson does very well in her few minutes on screen.
Overall though, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" is not entirely a Valentine sort of romantic movie. I'm not really sure why this was nominated (and won) for Best Musical/Comedy in the Golden Globes. While the cinematography, set design, music and the Barcelona location are all fantastic, the topics tackled are quite serious and controversial, especially for our conservative Asian sensitivities. This is not the typical romantic comedy, no real laugh out loud moments. The script provides difficult questions that challenges the audience to think and discuss afterward.
February 9, 2009
This is the 5th and final Oscar Best Picture nominee that I watched. Honestly, this is the prime reason why I watched this. But, I am glad I watched it because the movie really peaked my interest, and I actually enjoyed it. I totally think "Frost/Nixon" is worthy of its slot on the Best Picture shortlist.
This movie recounts an event in the history of American television broadcast, which was totally unknown to me before I watched this film. This was a celebrated interview of the infamous resigned US President Richard M. Nixon by British talk show host David Frost in 1977. However from this rather limited and shallow plot, British playwright Peter Morgan was able to develop a hit play, and from that this very vibrant screenplay.
This is another very potent acting showcase. All of the actors did so well. The two lead stars were the same two who originated these roles in the West End (2006) and on Broadway (2007), and their familiarity with their respective roles shows. All the awards attention is being showered on Frank Langella in his performance as the disgraced Nixon. In fact, he has the lone acting nomination of this film. However, the entire cast should really be recognized as an ensemble.
The supporting actors provide a very lively background for which the principal actors perform. I have to give special mention to Oliver Platt and Sam Rockwell for playing Zelnick and Reston, the research staff of David Frost. I enjoyed ALL of their lines. So funny in their sarcasm. Pretty newcomer Rebecca Hall is the only female member of the cast, and she holds her own in her relatively decorative role as Frost's girlfriend Caroline. And who can forget fierce loyalty of Nixon aide Jack Brennan as played by none other than Kevin Bacon.
My favorite actor in all this was actually Michael Sheen who played the shallow show-biz oriented British talk show host, David Frost. Sheen, whom I only knew previously as Tony Blair in "The Queen," played it light, charismatic and likable as Frost was. He very effectively provided the sharp contrast to the serious and manipulative Nixon, as the script needed to succeed. He should have also been nominated for Best Actor.
Frank Langella worked under the disadvantage that he doesn't look like the very recognizable Richard Nixon. He needed to focus our attention on the inner persona and sharp intellect that Nixon is also known for. Mr. Langella slowly won me over from my initial hesitation of accept him at first, and he had me believing in him in the end. The script had emphasized Nixon's apparent greed for money, his sharp strategic mind and also his monumental pride. Yet at the end, he was unexpectedly still able to project humility (something which may not sit well with a lot of anti-Nixon people).
Unlike "Doubt", "Frost/Nixon" does not betray its theater origin. It was as if it was originally written for the screen. The language of Peter Morgan's script is so alive, evoking both tragedy and humor. This extraordinary writing especially shone in scenes showcasing the British wit of Frost, the mind games of Nixon, and the sarcasm of Frost's advisers. I think the vitality of the script helped the potentially static nature of the plot along and made the directorial job of Ron Howard quite easy.
February 7, 2009
I had no plans to watch a movie last night, but I had an emergency call at the hospital to do a stat operation at 12 midnight. So in order to keep myself awake, I watched "The Wrestler".
This movie follows the life of Randy "The Ram" Robinson, a legendary pro wrestler who was well-liked and famous as he has his own action figure and video game. However, he is now past his prime, almost over his hill, and dealing with big problems about his personal life and his health.
This film is almost a documentary. A lot of times it just shows Randy doing a lot of daily stuff around his camper, his gym, his wrestling arenas, his favorite strip joint, his meat counter in the supermarket, etc. Yet in all this realism, there is something riveting and touching about the whole thing.
The story is actually very predictable and simple. You can foresee the inevitable plot development and even the ending. It seems like you have seen it all before, but set somewhere else. But somehow it does not matter. Plot is secondary to character study in this movie. I liked how Randy's speech at the end wrapped up what the movie was all about. I also liked how the whole movie ended.
This film also shows the world behind the noisy show that is Professional Wrestling -- the surprising camaraderie and good will among the wrestlers, the drugs, the techniques to make the "performance" realistic, the groupies, etc. Very interesting even for non-wrestling fans. However, some wrestling sequences really go over the top bloody, especially the one with the staple gun.
Technically, the whole film is as rough as the world it depicts. The sets, the costumes, the language of the script are all so unpolished, cheap and even trashy. The cinematography is gritty, grainy and shaky, as to lend a very realistic feel to the whole project. You can see "indie" all over it.
One of the women in The Ram's life is his estranged daughter Stephanie (played by Evan Rachel Wood). This character is sort of the weak link in this movie for me. We understand she is all so angry with her father for abandoning her in the past. But one time, she gave her dad a chance, and they had a good bonding time. Yet when he shows up late for their dinner date, I felt her reaction was a bit extreme! (Of course, we don't really know how deep the previous wounds had been.) All fathers in the audience must have felt a pang in their hearts during that sharply-worded scene.
The other woman in his life is Cassidy, Randy's favorite stripper. Marisa Tomei goes all out daring for this electric performance. No conservative camera angles or strategic objects hiding anything. She looks great in this movie, and so does her body! I do not remember any previous film that featured her body so generously before. Her acting is understated and very sensitive. It looked very natural for a role that is so far from how I knew her to be. For this, she was rewarded with a well-deserved Best Supporting Actress nomination by the Academy.
But the main man Mickey Rourke IS The Ram. The line between actor and character is definitely blurry here. There seems to be no distinction at all. The actor does not look a thing like his "9 1/2 Weeks" heyday anymore. You cannot recognize this man to be an actor playing a role. He is clearly living this part. It is as if no obvious acting being done. He was repulsive, disgusting and pathetic, yet he can still manage to evoke sympathy and project dignity. Rourke's amazingly real portrayal of "The Ram" is certainly the centerpiece around which the whole film hinges its Awards credibility.
For this performance, Rourke already won the Best Actor award in the Golden Globes, among others. You can see in his GG acceptance speech how his career actually closely parallels that of Randy "The Ram".
