Coop's Film Blog: Indie Drama

3/5

Somewhere between Stephen King’s Cujo and the newly rebooted Dawn of the Planet of the Apes films lies foreign thriller White God. The film focuses on young girl Lili (Zsofia Psotta) and her mixed-breed dog Haden. When Lili is forced to stay with her biological father for three months, her dog tags along with her. Soon after arriving at the apartment, a nosy neighbor spots the mutt and contacts the authorities. In Hungary, mixed breed dog owners must pay a tax to maintain possession of them. When her father refuses to pay the fee, tension builds between him and his daughter. When Lili gets in trouble for bringing the dog to school with her, her father angrily kicks the dog out of the car - abandoning it in the streets. Poor Haden is forced to fend for himself. While Lili is struggling to get along with her father, Haden is taken in by a dog fighter who begins conditioning him for battle. It doesn’t take long for Haden’s friendly, benign demeanor to become taken over by pure aggression. That sense of aggression follows Haden to the animal shelter when he is finally captured. He manages to break loose and attack one of the shelter workers and frees all of the incarcerated dogs. Their pack mentality kicks in, and they begin wreaking havoc on the city.

The duality between Lili and her lost pup is really the basis of the film. They had an affectionate balance with each other. When they were separated the aggression and defiance began to build in both of them. The dynamic between her and her father is a difficult one. We see her fathers sad eyes early on when he is in the middle of a meat inspection. You can tell he is disgusted by his job, constantly having to wash blood away from his clothing. He is still nursing the wounds of his heartbreak from the divorce. When Lili is cold to him, it must be unbearably frustrating for him.

White God plays with some uncommon elements. It’s not often that we see a large pack of dogs brutally attacking a city. An indictment on the Nazi-like purebred dog ideology, it’s a revenge film for the great mutts of the world. The film ends satisfyingly, even if its nothing more than letting the dogs finally get their momentary say.

December 31, 2015

Room

Lenny Abrahamson, 2015

4/5

In terms of modern day literary adaptations, Room is certainly pulled from dark subject matter. Told from the perspective of main character / five year old boy Jack (Jacob Tremblay) , in structure it resembles similarly disturbing adaptation “The Lovely Bones” which was adapted to screen by Peter Jackson in 2009. Bones was told by an abducted teenage girl slain by a serial killer. While Bones dives a little deeper into the darkness, Room definitely puts you in an unsettling place. Actually, it immediately puts you in it. The film opens up inside the small shed / tiny prison where mother Ma (Brie Larson) and her little boy are laying in bed. The film doesn't jump into the past, showing you what circumstances led to their captivity. Nope, just right to the shed. It goes on to show you that Ma has created a routine for him, clearly trying to maintain some kind of stability while housed in such a small space under horrific circumstances. Not only does it show her dedication as a parent but it shows her patience as well. When Jack erupts into small tantrums, she has no choice but to stay close to him and take a deep breath and try to let it go. Tough work as any parent realizes. Walking away, leaving the room (or "Room" as they call it) is not an option. An early success in the film is how quickly you become invested in their characters. Larson is no stranger to playing a troubled female lead, as she did remarkably in Short Term 12. Larsen and Tremblay are really the shining performances of the film, easily outshining veterans Joan Allen and William H Macy. Macy's talents don't really feel used properly in the film. He just sort of passes through quickly, and sort of fades away insipidly.

Room is a very different movie from Abrahamson's work last year in Frank. Although he does have a way of blending black comedy elements into a dark drama as he does in both pictures. Room is really a heart-wrenching story, uncomfortably tense at times, about a mother and her son forced to try and endure unimaginable circumstances. It's a provocative & unique drama, certain to make some kind of impression on you.

November 29, 2015

Doomsdays

Eddie Mullins, 2013

3/5

Doomsdays is one of those films that focuses on a couple of characters that you really wouldn't want to spend a lot of time with in real life. These are people that have no regard for personal property. They have no moral barometer, no real sense of remorse for anything they've done or anything they will do. Instead, they drift through the Catskills. Home to home, day to day, drink to drink. They take what they need and they move on. But it doesn't just stop there. If they feel like smashing a window, or breaking what's probably valuable family heirlooms, they do that too.

Bruho (Leo Fitzpatrick) and Dirty Fred (Justin Rice) are just downright despicable human beings. Borderline sociopathic, surely nihilistic. Bruho hides behind an unrealistic earthy ideology and Dirty Fred is just kind of complacent. They make you want to double check that your own doors are locked, just to eliminate the possibility that anyone like them may show up at your door. Even though you are forced to spend the whole 90 minutes with them, there is something alluring about following them. There is an odd curiosity as to what the next house is going to offer them. They aren't just purely sadistic. Because they have some kind of code, it's not pure carnage. Fitzpatrick seems to always get cast as the dirtbag type, from his role as Telly in Kids or as junkie Johnny in The Wire. His Bruho character is surprisingly a little more approachable that former two characters. But still pretty venomous. But just like Reyna (Laura Campbell) and Jaidon (Brian Charles Johnson) become intrigued by the pair, you can't help but be intruiged by them as well.

May 17, 2015

Bluebird

Lance Edmands, 2015

2/5

Edmands directorial debut features a film where the the weather conditions is almost it’s own character. There are films like this that have been made, where there is a built-in sympathy for town’s residents. Fargo, The Shining, Alive, Let the Right One in, The Thing. A portion of all of those titles are literally people just trying to ENDURE the unforgiving weather elements outside, of course all in varying degrees. It’s not much different in the rural blue-collar Maine logging town. The town is filled with people that are trying to get through their day to day life and are also facing the challenge of just trying to stay warm when it is absolutely brutal outside. Edmands is a director who certainly wants to show us some artistic flare. At one point in the film when the Marla character (Louisa Krause) is singing in the bar, it invokes memories of Christina Ricci’s character singing in the bowling alley in Buffalo ‘66. It triggers memories of that hypnotic darkness. Edmands employs some good acting: Adam Driver, John Slattery, Amy Morton. Nothing really falls short in the technical realm and nothing in the performances. Instead, it’s the story itself.

The title of the film is Bluebird, and as we see it’s a recurring symbol at different points in the film. In a sense it feels weirdly used. In Native American cultures the Bluebird represents spring. In the Iroquois mythology it is the singing of the bluebird that drives off the demigod Tawiscaron who represents winter. The Hopi tribes treat the bluebird as a guardian. Ironically, the symbolism of the bluebird, at least in this perspective, is disconnected. At no point does it feel like there is going to be any directional shift. These poor people in the town are starving for some kind of relief. Whether this comes in the form of warmer weather, better employment, better health. Anything. But it never comes. That’s the biggest problem with this film. It NEEDS a charge. Some deviation from the chill. Instead, it is mired in it’s own depression. It’s a story that continues to kick itself while its down. If only it could have provided a positive charge somewhere. And in the end, when there is a final shift, it’s too little too late. Instead we are forced to spend 90 minutes in a frigid town that we don’t want to spend five minutes in. Edmands deserves another shot, and he will get one. It will be interesting to see what he does in the future with a better (and maybe a little bigger) story.

December 13, 2014

The One I Love

Charlie McDowell, 2014

3/5

At the suggestion of their couple's therapist, Ethan (Mark Duplass) and Sophie (Elizabeth Moss) venture to a secluded retreat in an effort to rekindle their love for each other. But soon after arriving to the beautiful property they realize that the guest house has supernatural powers.

The One I Love is a smart little movie that someone could probably convince you was written by Charlie Kaufman and not Justin Lader (Bottom Floor, Errand Boys). Some of the mind-bending romantic elements are something out of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The layers of confusing exposition are something out of Adaptation. Some of the comedic imagery is something out of Multiplicity. Both Moss and Duplass are good together on screen, with Moss being the sensitive and emotional type and Duplass being the more cynical detached type. Both are struggling to keep the romance alive. They have reached a point of staleness in the relationship. The honeymoon phase is long gone. They are left with fading memories of what once was great, the more recent memories not being so favorable. Regardless, they decide to give it one last shot. The two manage to juggle the heavy mind-load of the movie, while also juggling their own multiple personalities. It fails to tie up some of the loose ends in the end, but it goes far enough into the abstract realm that it gives you quite a bit to come away with.

October 28, 2014

The Heart Machine

Zachary Wigon, 2014

3/5

Cody (John Gallagher Jr.) finds himself in an online romance with Virginia (Kate Lyn Sheil), consisting of nightly Skype calls and communicating via other social networking sites. But Cody soon becomes skeptical of Virginia's actual location, doubting that she's in Berlin like she says she is. He begins to discover that she may in fact be a lot closer to him than she tells him.

Wigon's unique romantic mystery piece is his first full-feature film, employing some talent behind the camera and also some talent in front of the camera with leading roles by Gallagher Jr. (Short Term 12) and Sheil (You're Next, House of Cards, Listen up Philip). It zeroes in on a pair of twenty-somethings that are in a digital relationship in the busy bee-hive that is New York City. Wigon's New York is friendly and passive by day, and promiscuous and forward at night. In a sense it's a cautionary tale about not knowing who the person is on the other side of the screen, projecting your ideal self through the filter of the internet. Gallagher is not the purely innocent sap that he played in the great 2012 film Short Term 12. Instead here, he is much more relentless and apprehensive. Some of his moments on screen are very uncomfortable in his few moments of great persistence. He certainly isn't a clear protagonist, and there also isn't really a clear antagonistic force at work either. It's certainly not certain that it would be Virginia. She's duplicitous, but not completely malicious. She's filling a void, protecting herself, but you also get a sense that she's protecting Cody. She values the relationship, and when there are hints of it's demise she grows defensive. You wonder why she uses her real name in her online persona, you would think that she would be able to hide more effectively if she hadn't. After all, it's seems quite easy to do some amateur detective work when you have access to the person's Facebook profile. It's probably the point for Virginia, who wants to hide in some shadow secrecy but perhaps not completely shrouded. Cody is a morally compromised character, like a stalker detective who digs his heels in even deeper when it would be way more appropriate to pull out and move on. Wigon plays with tension quite well, it builds to the point of being unbearable. The Cody and Virginia characters are complex and flawed, very much like any real life dynamic. There is irony in the sense that the online relationship is giving Virginia stability while making Cody grow more instable. Wigon's micro story feels much bigger with it's impressive balance of suspicion and deception.

October 7, 2014

Calvary

John Michael McDonagh, 2014

4/5

Father James (Brendan Gleeson) is taking confessions at his small-town church when a voice tells him that he plans on killing him in a week, revenge for the sexual abuse that the mysterious man was subjected to as a child.

The small-town Irish setting is gloomy, lonely. The visual aesthetic spills over to the overall tone of the film. The town consists of quiet encounters of it’s inhabitants during the day, and the consumption of spirits at the local bar come nighttime. Father James lost his wife years before he entered the priesthood, and you get a sense that it’s a grief that he carries with him through his daily life. He’s surrounded by many morally compromised people in his small Irish community. Adulterers, abusers, drunks, sex addicts, the greedy. They all float around him as if he’s some kind of central force that they can descend upon every Sunday to clear their conscience. When his daughter comes to visit him, it’s a reminder of his past life and his inability to completely escape the memories. After all Father is an enduring figure. Willing to drink a beer with his congregation members, but reluctant to consume whiskey (for an unspoken reason, presumably justified). When he hears the familiar voice through the grated window of the confession booth, he struggles to understand why he would be chosen to be the human sacrifice for some unknown priest’s sins. He has put in good time becoming a good man. But he is forced to spend the following week reflecting on his life, on humanity in general. He ultimately realizes that he is no different than the people of his community. They all breathe the same air, have the same blood in their veins. It’s all taken into consideration when deciding whether or not to show up on that beach the following week.

September 6, 2014

The Dirties

Matt Johnson, 2013

3/5

High school outcasts Matt (Matt Johnson) and Owen (Owen Williams) work together on a film where they exact revenge on the bullies they call "The Dirties", who torment them on a regular basis.

The Dirties is a love letter to popular cinema almost immediately, as Matt and Owen throw around movie references. The young cinephiles continue to reference them as they work on their indie film for a school project, but it's really a movie they are making for themselves. Sort of an indulgent nod to everything they've loved on screen. They certainly don't take a whole lot seriously, as most of their jittery shots are them giggling mid-line and having to put their heads down as they surrender to laughter. This could easily go off the tracks and become a sloppy mess, but it somehow manages to harness that energy and keep you engaged. And while all the movie love is going on, there is an interesting satirical experiment being conducted on high school bullying and violence in the media's impact on American Culture. All of which is being done through the divisive found footage genre. But it's never done in a way where it feels like an after-school special or something made by someone who is out of touch with American youth. Matt and Owen are likable because there's a real authenticity to their characters. We all remember someone from high school that is sort of like them, or perhaps we were those guys. The types of people who didn't necessarily engage in a lot of extracurricular activities but instead spent a lot of time together playing video games or watching movies. This lifestyle decision unfortunately also makes them a target for bullies. But the film really nails that realistic complacency. Like they have ultimately decided to surrender to the abuse, assuming it will never go away. They decide to take their retribution to the screen, where movie-obsessed Matt begins to take it all a bit too seriously.

September 5, 2014

Sightseers

Ben Wheatley, 2013

3/5

Couple Tina (Alice Lowe) and Chris (Steve Oram) are excited to go on a holiday with Chris' caravan. But the romantic getaway that they are expecting to enjoy is interrupted by many unexpected elements which threaten their good time.

First off, at the time that this review was written Netflix happened to have this film streaming. But not quite categorized correctly. It was in the comedy section with a very vague description. You may make the same mistake and assume you are putting on a dark English comedy, like a rougher version of Albert Brooks' Lost in America. Not quite. In fact, the only similarity between the two movies is there happens to be two people in an RV together. Sightseers is a hostile piece, quite brutal at times. And sure, there are some comedic moments. But it's certainly a black comedy Brit-horror piece with the coldness of Harold and Maude combined with the unforgiving brutality of Red White & Blue.

Wheatley's road trip from hell with two complete sociopaths at the wheel is intriguing. You have Tina, insecure and passionate woman who early on appears to simply be a loyal girlfriend. You have Chris, who appears to be a burly outdoorsy guy eager to escape suburbia and set out for nature. But the tone is set early when you see Tina eager to escape the grip of her overbearing mother. Her mother, quite wretched and bitter, still blames Tina for the death of their beloved Jack Russell Terrier. There are no warm goodbyes exchanged as they depart for their trip. You soon discover that Chris has a short fuse, where a simple discarding of trash on the ground can set him off fiercely and quickly. You wonder for a moment whether Tina will discover these quirks and go her separate way only to find that no...she has her own issues involving violent impulses and jealousy. One of the most unsettling elements in the film is the horrible events that occur in such an innocent and natural setting. State parks, campgrounds, historic sites. We all find ourselves in places like this, and to think of someone like this crossing your path is unsettling. Of course Tina and Chris are completely fictionalized monsters, but there are people that exist that have a similar disregard for human life. Wheatley puts a nefarious couple on screen that will stick with you. Next time you decide to go camping, you will probably be more inclined to keep to yourself.

August 29, 2014

Broken Flowers

Jim Jarmusch, 2005

3/5

Bill Murray delivers one of his more subdued performances, similar in a sense to his character in Lost in Translation. But while his Bob Harris character in Lost in Translation had a more cynical sense of humor with a certain degree of energy to pursue some level of enjoyment, his Don Johnston character here is more gloomy and forsaken. He has a sheer deadpan quality to him. In the first few minutes of the film you see his weary girlfriend (Julie Delpy) walking out on him, giving you the feeling that it's one of many over the years. He goes on to sit frozen on the couch like a reclusive ghost with the lights off, like he is in a heartbroken purgatory. He would continue to do this indefinitely if it weren't for his intrusive friend / wannabe private investigator Winston (Jeffrey Wright) pressing him on details and really causing him to get up and get moving. Winston is living the opposite life as Don, with a loving wife and active children running around. When Winston gets knowledge of the letter he pushes Don to probe the possibilities. This leads Don on a wild goose chase, desperately hoping to find out which one of his several exes have given birth to his son.

You get the feeling that Don feels like he's getting a last chance for something. Perhaps be present in SOME kind of relationship. He may not have any faith in pursuing a new relationship with a woman, but who knows, maybe his oddball personality can mesh well with a young child. You don't really get any sense that he wants to change for the most part. So you continue to watch Don drag himself through his past. He is served with some smiles, some frowns. It's quite obvious that some relationships had ended much more poorly. The differences between the women are quite dramatic, it seems as if Don continued to try to connect with varying personalities without much success.

Jarmusch really creates an interesting picture here. It certainly isn't fast-paced. It moves along at Don's pace. He has grown into a tired crawl in his life. But it's a picture that doesn't bore. Bill Murray has that ability to keep you engaged with his character, no matter how detached he may be. His pursuit pulls you in and keeps you wondering to the bitter end.

July 21, 2014

Short Term 12

Destin Daniel Cretton, 2013

4/5

Grace (Brie Larson) is a staff member at a group home for troubled youth. She struggles to balance the day to say drama while also dealing with her own personal issues that plague her.

The first scene in Short Term 12 really sets the tone for the rest of the film. Staff members Grace and Mason (John Gallagher Jr.) are helping to orient new employee Nate (Rami Malek) to life working at Short Term, Mason giving him a detailed recount of an mishap that involved a teen escaping while Mason was struggling with "plumbing issues". The funny story is told with the backdrop of the not-so-funny facility behind them, a preview of the of humor blended with anguish concoction that will flow through the rest of the picture. The door flies open and out runs the predictable red-headed escape artist Sammy (Alex Calloway), and the couple springs into action to subdue him and calm him down. Back to work. The fading white cinder-block structure that houses these troubled teens is rich with authentic, complicated characters. Their struggles feel real. Your heart breaks for them as you are served with pieces of their past, what they have unfortunately experienced or are trying to work through. Abandonment. Neglect. Abuse. They all have a story. It never comes off caricaturish, nor does it feel so heavy that the film becomes a pure downer. You come away knowing quite a bit about the youth even given the short amount of time that you get to spend with them. And the occasional comedic moments are so well-timed, proving that some welcomed decompression.

The film could easily could easily be considered Brie Larson's coming out party. Possessing both natural beauty and obvious talent, she had appeared in other 2013 films Don Jon and The Spectacular Now but didn't really get the opportunity to put it all out there like she does with her performance here. And she really delivers, bringing some honesty and nuance to her Grace character. She carries the weight of her own past and is able to leave it at the door and be there to support the teens who have gone through similar experiences. You see the burden of her past continue to strain her. You are reminded that there are many mistreated people in the world, people who don't necessarily have the best memories to reflect on. But it doesn't make them any less interesting.

Short Term is a little film with big emotions. Touching. Genuine. Impactiong. Moving without being painful. Funny without being a mockery. Cretton is a good storyteller and strikes a great balance here. He should be on everyone's radar for years to come.

July 3, 2014

The Hunt

Thomas Vinterberg, 2013

5/5

A beloved kindergarten teacher named Lucas (Mads Mikkelsen) is surprised to suddenly find himself accused of sexually assaulting one of his young students. It doesn't take long for the entire town that has for so long embraced him to turn on him completely.

Vinterbergs's unsettling drama opens up with Lucas on his way to the school where he works. You are immediately presented with a man completely revered by the children and his fellow staff that he works with. The children hide on him, try to scare him as he approaches the school grounds every morning. He even helps them, if needed, with bathroom duties. And soon, when that unfortunate accusatory seed is planted, all of the innocent companionship that he has had with his students is looked at differently.

The world of film has the ability to explore all aspects of humanity. Quite often these are parts of humanity that aren't necessarily comfortable to explore. Murder, rape, suicide, unexpected tragedy, illness, etc. They are all unpleasant and unfortunate parts of our existence. The Hunt examines the notion of someone being accused of a crime they did not commit. The whole idea of being guilty by the court of public opinion long before you have the opportunity to stand trial and defend yourself. We all know the court of public opinion delivers a verdict much more quickly, and much more unfairly. A modern day witch hunt, a hasty jumping to conclusions. Despite the troublesome subject matter, it's a film that grips you and doesn't let go, largely because of the great performances. There's really not one bad actor involved. Strangely, you realize twenty minutes in that there is a uneasy tension that has already been established that doesn't really let up for the remainder of the film. You see that Lucas is a good man. When the fabricated story is quickly conjured up, your heart already aches for what's yet to come. Then comes the inevitable snowball effect. That deplorable mob mentality. Humankind turning vicious. Then comes the complete tear-down of a man that was beloved by the community. You soon realize that there's no turning back. There's no getting back to normal. Those days of drunk singing around the table are over. Mikkelsen provides a stellar performance as Lucas. An introvert that has an affection for people. Still licking his wounds from his divorce, his whole life is the kindergarten that he teaches and the hope that he can spend more time with his own son. When you see it being ripped away from him, it's agonizing.

One frustrating moment in the film is when Lucas is confronted by Grethe at the school. She lets him know that a student has come forward and provided details of some sexual abuse. You would think that Lucas' immediate reaction would be to just outright deny it, quite adamantly and determinedly. Instead, his reaction is far more vague leaving Grethe to further speculate. Perhaps it's because he is so surprised to hear about the accusation. Perhaps it's pure shell-shock to him. The Hunt is a challenging film, and only because of the subject matter. A film that could have easily been a contender for the Top Five Great Films I Don't Want to See Again, but it's so worth that first viewing.

April 15, 2014

The Vicious Kind

Lee Toland Krieger, 2009

3/5

Dealing with heartbreak from a recent breakup, Caleb (Adam Scott) attempts to be protective of his younger brother who is home from college by scaring off his girlfriend, who he surprisingly starts having feelings for.

Set in Norfolk Connecticut, The Vicious Kind is a small New England love story packed with raw emotion. It's the minimalist design that makes the film appealing. You rely on the performances of three very different men and a beautiful girl, all who have their own personal issues that manifest themselves in various ways when in the presence of Emma (Brittany Snow). Caleb is mostly angry and heartbroken. The jet black hair of Emma is a feature similar to his ex-girlfriends, so it's not hard for Emma to actually become the woman who just broke Caleb's heart. Caleb's father Donald (J.K. Simmons) has his own issues with women, a general disrespect for them, which erupts quite quickly at the dinner table when introduced to Emma for the first time. And young Peter (Alex Frost), the most sympathetic character in the picture, is just so innocent and sincere. He hasn't been burned by the world yet.

The film studies the long-existing, never-boring father-son conflict. The brother/brother competitive dynamic. Ones personal destruction after a breakup and the inevitable slow rebuild. The Caleb character is a departure for usually-comedic actor Adam Scott, who has no trouble putting it all on the screen. He is defeated, bitter, resentful. He is unpredictable and impulsive, his mood turning on a dime. One minute he is sobbing to himself, cigarette in mouth. The next he is explosive to anyone around him. The film's best attributes are certainly in the performances and and solid camera work. The myriad of medium shots bring you into the weight of the moment, especially with the often rough exchanges between Caleb and Emma. The film gets a bit sloppy, especially with some of the flashbacks of Caleb with his ex-girlfriend. It makes sense they exist, if anything they give some kind of history to Caleb. But it seems a bit unnecessary. Adam Scott provides enough in the present-day Caleb to really deliver a thorough character without back-story. He shows this from the remarkable opening shot of the film with him sitting in a diner booth with watery eyes. Hopefully he pursues more dramatic roles in the future. He certainly has the chops.

March 23, 2014

The Station Agent

Thomas McCarthy, 2003

2/5

Fin (Peter Dinklage) is a train enthusiast who was born with dwarfism. When his friend dies and the train shop closes, he decides to relocate to the property he inherited to live a life in isolation.

McCarthy succeeds in drawing the sympathy early. Fin's world in Hoboken is an unforgiving one. He is laughed at by the children in the streets, pointed at by the people in the grocery store. When his friend passes, you can't blame him for wanting to get the hell out of the hell he is living in. The only thing that Hoboken had to offer was a job and a companion. Both of those are gone. He hasn't even seen the small bit of land he inherits but assumes it's an upgrade from the status quo. The backdrop of the run-down rail-yards and miles of power lines doesn't necessarily paint a warm landscape. Fin is a man who has been faced with adversity all of his life but also struggles with geographical limitations. Getting through his days are work, not because of physical limitations but because of the world around him. He appears to be on the edge of complete surrender by the time that he walks to Newfoundland. He's convinced that the one genuine person has died, and there's not another one left in the world. When he arrives in the small town, the ridicule is diminished but still present. When the friendly souls surface, it almost feels as if he is the one who passed and he is in some kind of strange afterlife. The film has a certain mythical quality to it in that sense. Food truck Joe is too friendly, to the point of being disconcerting. This works against his character too, because he truly seems like a person of unlimited patience and persistence. While McCarthy's simple story is earnest, at times it feels like it's dragging. While Dinklage is clearly a talented actor and provides a layered performance, when he finally opens up to Joe and Olivia he doesn't lay a lot out there. That's disappointing because the film is really a character study, built for Fin. He succeeds in constructing the beaten man, but fails at showing us a man who has truly opened up even though the story forces him to. Not that he needed to make an embellished character arch with a happily-ever-after conclusion, it would have been nice to see Fin truly conquer something within himself, rather than just crack a smile.

February 9, 2014

Nebraska

Alexander Payne, 2013

4/5

Woody Grant (Bruce Dern) receives a marketing letter in the mail informing him that he has one a million dollars and that he has to go to Lincoln, Nebraska to claim his winnings.

Payne's heartfelt picture has a simple plot but is anything but simple. Woody Grant sits on his old beaten up couch, inside of his old beaten up house. The many years of tavern dwelling has even made his body beaten up. His wife Kate (June Squibb) screams at him from the next room, which he (and the neighbors, probably) can hear through the thin walls. You get a sense that she only has one volume in which she speaks, and that's yelling. The bogus piece of paper is not bogus to him. Not because he thinks there's a million dollars waiting for him in Lincoln (maybe he does early on). That piece of paper is a ticket out of Billings. That piece of paper has some value to David (Will Forte) as well. Accompanying his father on the trip to Lincoln could be an opportunity to finally bond on some level before it's too late. He sees himself in his father, and is therefore able to humanize him more than hard-shelled brother Ross (Bob Odenkirk). Plus, it's not like David has much to lose by going on the trip. He's only leaving his empty apartment still filled with memories of the recent breakup and a wilting plant. David and Woody are not just making the trek to Lincoln for a quick pickup. They are taking a road trip down memory lane. Through Woody's past experiences. Woody's forgotten history. They make a pit stop in Hawthorne to visit family, and the town has aged much like Woody himself.

Payne took risks in making this film, and they paid off. Decisions that some other filmmakers may not have made. His decision to shoot the film in black and white was a bold move, and the right one. The absence of color adds a certain charm to the film, a certain honesty. The weathered Knights of Columbus sign on the outskirts of Hawthorne, or the old paint peeling off of Woody's childhood home's walls certainly wouldn't have that same feeling if you were looking at it in full color. Payne's decision to cast Will Forte as the lead paid off as well. He can now join the list of other comedic actors who have successfully made the transition to dramatic roles. The comedy in the film comes at the right moments, serving as a good relief valve. The cousins aren't big talkers, but are sure inquisitive about automobiles, as is the rest of the townspeople of Hawthorne. The family members and townsfolk sitting in front of the television watching football, completely emotionless. If the television is a window to the world, all of the excitement is on the other side of the glass. The more lively behavior comes as Kate shows her lack of a social filter by revealing past sexual experiences as they weave through the headstones of the cemetery.

Like Kate says: "usually someone has to die before the vultures start circling." Someone winning the lottery can bring out the worst in the people around you. But perhaps it brings out their true selves. Woody finally gets a moment in the spotlight after years of being ignored by those around him. He stands before everyone as they clap, congratulating him and it invokes a feeling of someone getting a lifetime achievement award. Perhaps playing into the facade is the right move. Perhaps it's his one last chance at some dignity. Perhaps it's his chance to have the last laugh, and ride off into the sunset. Ending it all on a good note instead of a sour one. Some retribution. In the end, the film is so redeeming even without needing the actual redemption.

January 30, 2014

Before Midnight

Richard Linklater, 2013

4/5

WARNING: If you haven't seen the previous two Before films, you'd be doing yourself a favor if you didn't read on. Please watch Before Sunrise and Before Sunset first, and then please come back!

Her

Spike Jonze, 2013

5/5

Set in the near future in downtown Los Angeles, Theodore (Jaoquin Phoenix) is a lonely man still struggling with his fairly recent divorce to his wife Catherine (Rooney Mara). He discovers a newly released operating system named Samantha (Scarlett Johansson) that once installed quickly familiarizes itself with his life. He forms a connection with the OS that grows quite quickly into a more romantic direction, filling the void that was in his life prior to installing her.

A high concept film that put in the wrong hands, could fall into pieces. And it doesn't with Jonze at the helm, and why would it? He has already proven that he is right guy for making such a picture, directing other outrageous high concept pictures like an obsession with Malkovichian mind-control in Being John Malkovich, or directing the complicated Adaptation which follows screenwriter Charlie Kaufman's struggles with writer's block while trying to adapt Susan Orlean's The Orchid Thief. This time he goes it alone without the help of Kaufman, and still manages to maintain a similar quality with his previous films.

The futuristic L.A. is quite beautiful. Urban curvature, a certain reddish glow, holographic imagery, green spaces. People shuffle about, rather closed off from each other with their ear-buds in. Actually a not-so-evolved version of our current iPhone culture, yet generations ahead. You settle into this world quite quickly, and when Theodore encounters the new Operating System it feels fit for the times. This is a society in which technology has been long interwoven, as humorously shown when Theodore is on a blind-date with a woman (played by Olivia Wilde) when he discusses some her interests that he had already seen on her online profile, and rather than be creeped out she considers it rather sweet.

The stigma's have been washed out of society. The personality is created, very much on it's own, and evolves quickly. The OS is basically a drastically evolved version of Siri. Rather than a computerized voice speaking to him, it's a sultry female voice. A voice with warmth, vulnerability, desire. Theodore finds his lonely nights are no longer so lonely, and his daytime hours are enhanced. The film examines some real philosophical questions. Is it considered real love when it's with a non-physical entity? Can it really love you back? While Her doesn't hide it's satire of our current digitally obsessed culture, it doesn't beat us over the head with it while maintaining the adequate amount of comedy blended with drama. Some of the ideas are actually quite frightening in a sense. How comfortable can you feel talking to a digital entity that absorbs knowledge so rapidly? How can you just turn off your own skepticism that the voice on the other side isn't just preying on your very easy-to-identify human vulnerabilities? And while Theodore is conflicted, he is still engaged with Samantha. He loves her. And she loves him? And in a sense, how can he not love her? He has a beautiful voice in his ear that is watching with him through every moment, big or small. She sees what he sees. She hears what he hears. She remembers it all. She can play the perfect song at a moments notice, or even create a new one for him. She can optimize the moment. She can use her various algorithms to sense his sensitivity. Samantha's informational capabilities are quite endless, but of course there's the ongoing struggle given the lack of pure consciousness. It's a love story of man and machine, and Jonze provides so much depth to the dynamic that he makes it very intriguing.

December 31, 2013

The Spectacular Now

James Ponsoldt, 2013