0103 - The Other Man

"Losers are brilliant at making things pretty."

I just watched four movies in a row and feel like watching a couple more (no, I don't have a life), but before I lose track, I need to take a break and write a few lines about what I saw, or else I will regret it at some point. With the amount of movies I watch, there's always a couple I miss commenting on, and being as anal as I am, it always bothers me a little. Some might call it compulsive. But if I set my mind on reviewing every darn movie I watch, I better do as I was told, god damn! But hey, nobody's perfect, and I guess what's most important is that I comment on the movies that deeply touched or pissed the shit out of me. But there's a lot of movies in between, in the gray zone, and some of them I just don't have anything to say about. Like All About Steve, for example, that's a movie I recently saw and didn't feel like reviewing. It wasn't bad, it wasn't good, it didn't evoke any sort of strong or strongish emotional reaction from my part, other than "Bradley Cooper is so hot, Bradley Cooper is so hot, Bradley Cooper is so hot". So, yeah, what's to write about?

Anyways. The Other Man, the first film of my movie marathon. Laura Linney is in it, one of my top favorite actresses. I am always looking forward to her next movie, 'cause not only is she one hell of an actress, but apart from one or two silly horror flicks, her name stands for quality movies. And then there's the lovable Antonio Banderas, who's such a sunshine, he always makes me smile. He's really like a puppy. I love it when he tries to be mean. You just don't buy into it. He's just too sweet.

From what I understood, the film went straight to DVD? Okay, I heard that it played in some theater in Northern California and on a Greek island. I guess I can understand why this didn't make it to major screens. Even though it had a strong and interesting premise, the execution failed. At the beginning, I didn't notice its flaws. It was moody and quite suspenseful, and I liked how much it focused on Liam Neeson‘s character, on his feelings of helplessness and particularly on his jealousy. Jealousy is probably the most consuming and gnawing feeling I know. It's plain torture. So I know what you're going through, Liam! And I really liked how the film portrayed that horrible feeling. I think it caught it well. It also caught pretty well how people deal with loss, how confused and vulnerable it makes you. Liam Neeson portrayed all these things very well. I actually pondered over him as an actor, while watching it, and I came to realize that he's one of those actors I am totally neutral about. Like... I don't love him, I don't hate him. He's unobtrusive. And that's probably a really good trait for an actor, in the long run. He's quietly done pretty impressive work, consistently, and is still going strong. And he's well respected for that.

So it's a shame the director Richard Eyre didn't know what to do with all that talent. That's what made it fail. It was unbelievably poorly directed. At times, the performances seemed wooden, even grotesque. There were holes in the plot, completely nonsensical behavior, and the screenplay, also written by Eyre, wasn't that great either. Based on a short story by Bernhard Schlink (The Reader), this story presents a strong foundation for a potentially great film, 'cause there's so much good and fundamental stuff in there and interesting characterizations (especially the Banderas character). It's classical material, really. Love, rivalry, betrayal, revenge, death. Banderas and Neeson displayed some good chemistry as two rivaling men, men who are brought together by the death of the woman they both loved, but any efforts by the actors couldn't make up for the lack of direction. It also felt as if they weren't given enough time to build up emotions, to get into the scenes, some of which seemed abruptly cut and halfheartedly glued back together.

It's still watchable. And it won't be painful either. It does have suspense, a very interesting twist and a strong, if at times dominant score by Stephen Warbeck.


Trailer

0102 - Humpday

Just before I heard the sad news of Brittany Murphy's passing the other day, I was gleaming with joy.  I had just finished watching Humpday. What a delightful surprise that movie was!

I remember seeing the movie poster a while back, thinking that it was probably just another one of those comedies that are just as painfully unfunny as they are conventional. You know, à la Will Ferrell, that kinda thing; a couple of jokes about strippers, fags and farts. Little did I know! I'm glad I watched it, 'cause it made its way straight into my heart and onto my favorites list. It's definitely one of the five best movies of 2009, in my book.

But anyhow, it was great to round off this year with this low-key treasure, a movie with definite cult potential. Yes, I can imagine nerdy robot kids in the year 2080, throwing Humpday themed parties in their basement, wearing only boxers in honor of the cool flick one of them found in their grandpas' basement together with a vintage DVD player, an item that just became hip again like it's hip to mix good old fashioned mixtapes on actual tape in our day. This movie would definitely deserve such a scenario. Humpday deserves to be watched and cherished for its depth.

First thing I thought was: wow, Zack Galifianakis sure became a much better actor since The Hangover, then I realized Galifianakis wasn't actually Galifianakis, just someone who resembled him a lot. Only at first glance, though. Joshua Leonard (the kid from The Blair Witch Project, gee, did I love that movie), not only is the better actor, but he's got a much warmer and more genuine air about him, too. I could go on comparing them, but someone else already did so, and said all the things I might have wanted to say. He really nailed it, especially his description of Leonard as being "a little like Owen Wilson, only warmer". And he's got a wonderfully heartfelt, loud and infectious laugh (ugh, I love men who laugh like that). It's a pleasure to watch both, Joshua Leonard and Mark Duplass, as these old friends who both struggle with their definition of themselves and each other. That's when I noticed that this was gonna be way more than another funny movie. It's a lot about identity, about the self-images we create and hold on to, images that might limit us. It's about that tightrope walk between challenging yourself and staying truthful to who you are. It's also about preconceptions, about fighting them, and about coming up with your own definitions and rules for the life you are living.

I loved it so much that I feel really bad for bringing up one tiny teeny petty bitsy weeny point of criticism: the girl. Alycia Delmore, who plays Mark Duplass' wife. She's just not that great an actress, and the chemistry between the two just never really felt like husband and wife. They seemed more like fairly good friends. Not saying that husband and wives can't be friends, duh, they should, they should! But these two just didn't feel intimate enough with each other. They weren't that close. But as I've said: this is a tiny little flaw, a tiny dark spot in a film whose awesomeness is big and colorful like a giant hot-air balloon. You probably won't even notice it. And if you do, you will generously connive at it.

However this movie has been advertised, it hardly does it justice. I'm also unsure whether simply labeling it a "comedy" is the appropriate term for it. Not that labels matter, it's all about what's inside the box, but personally, I found it misleading. Not that I didn't laugh. I laughed a lot. But more at its authenticity, and because it felt so familiar. It was like spending an evening with a couple of your best friends, people who are both genuinely funny and highly analytical, too. And somewhere, a camera just so happens to be rolling. It was funny because it felt so normal, so real, there's nothing that's been overdone or exaggerated in this movie. Filmmaker Lynn Shelton easily could have made things more wacky, just for the sake of entertainment. But she didn't, and that's the strength of this film. Its complete and utter lack of any sort of bullshit. No one is cooler than they really are. I think I actually smiled more than I laughed, smiled throughout. It just touched me.

It's one of the most genuine, mature, intelligent, analytical, human, warm, complex and funny movies I have ever seen, with so many subtle layers the viewer might miss if they went to the movie theater just to get a few good laughs. And it's so real. Not that fake wannabe "real" as in (500) Days of Summer, but real real. The people in this movie are people we really know, people who are dealing with the same issues we are dealing with. So, personally, I wouldn't call it a comedy. I wouldn't call it anything except: delightful. Simply delightful, on so many different levels.


Trailer

0000 - In Memory of...

I can't believe it. My hands are shaking as I am writing this.

Brittany Murphy is dead.

She was one of my favorite actresses. (And underappreciated as hell, if I may add.)

If you wanna pay tribute by watching one of her movies... my favorite performances of hers are in The Dead Girl, 8 Mile, Don't Say A Word, Clueless, and even though I hate the movie, she was fantastic in Girl, Interrupted. She was definitely the best thing about it.

Rest in peace, beautiful badass girl.

0101 - Il y a longtemps que je t'aime (I've Loved You So Long)

In this atmospheric and complex movie, Kristin Scott Thomas plays Juliette, a woman who just spent fifteen years in prison, for the murder of her son. Upon her release, she moves in with her estranged sister Léa (Elsa Zylberstein) and her family to get back on her feet. Thomas is really convincing as this broken but also graceful character who struggles to find her place in society again. It's amazing how her face changes during the process of her reintegration. And that wasn't make-up. Just her expression. As she slowly opens up, it seems as if her aura is getting warmer, moving from a grayish blue to a warm yellow. (Hello Jenny! <-- inside joke.)

I liked this film, especially for its plea to take a deeper look at someone who's been imprisoned for an act like murder. I liked the intelligence, sensitivity and humanity the film displayed in dealing with the subject of prison and criminals, a topic that is too often portrayed one-dimensionally and superficially, and in doing so, is supportive of the masses who only too gladly close their eyes. This movie challenges you to take a closer look at someone like you and me, and to ask yourself just why this person felt so desperate, angry and/or helpless to consider murder as their last resort. (I‘m not pro-murder, by the way, just saying that if one is able to get past their own hypocrisy, it doesn't take too much to be able to relate to the possible causes, motives and feelings behind a murder, on one level or the other. Might take a little empathy, sure, something I only recently learned not everybody is capable of). If we wouldn't be able to relate, movies such as this one wouldn't work, and we wouldn't have fallen in love with Heath Ledger's Joker, either.

Also, what I found quite unique is that it offered a lot of room for the supporting roles. Each one of them has their own worries, their own little tragedy, and together, they worked as a whole and didn't distract from the main subject. Another thing I really liked about the script was that it depicted intense feelings of pain and love without letting it get teary, sentimental or plain pathetic.

Still, something felt slightly off throughout the whole movie. At first, I couldn't pinpoint it. First, I thought it was the editing. Some scenes were too short or cut off at the wrong point, and the time lapse in between certain frames seemed longer than in other movies (not true, though, they just seemed that way). Then I felt sorry for blaming the editor, 'cause it dawned to me that this prooooobably wasn't his fault. I mean, it sure as hell ain't the poor guy‘s fault that some scenes were too short! And after pondering it for a while, I finally got to the root of the problem: the directing. Or the lack thereof. Clearly, maker Philippe Claudel is a better writer than director. In certain moments, the scene seemed wooden, the actors helpless, moments that reminded me of the plays children stage for their friends and family. I used to be the director in such plays (*self-important throat-clearing*), plays where you had limited space with only a table and a few chairs. So you make the actors sit at the table and... wait for their cues and say their lines. "Oh oh, and after dinner, one of you could sit on the floor! What a great idea!"

So, a well-written, well-acted, badly directed movie. Luckily, if you got actors like Kristin Scott Thomas, who seems to be in such control of her performance, the director can probably sleep and it wouldn't do much harm. But it doesn't make a masterpiece, either.


Trailer (urgh, Apple didn't even get the title right...)

0100 - This is England

After liking Somers Town as much as I did, I had to check out director Shane Meadows' acclaimed This is England, a movie more and more people seem to be talking about. A bullied, fatherless boy (Thomas Turgoose) finds acceptance and approval with a group of local skinheads and gets enmeshed more and more into their world.

After seeing only two of Meadows' films, I can already say that he's got a real talent for mixing the ugly with the sweet. And for characterization. I like how real and yet original his characters are. Even if they're "bad", he draws them in a way that you can understand where they're coming from, and why they have built up such anger. Even the most brutal guy in this story will touch your heart, 'cause at the end of the day, we're all just kids who want to to be loved. Portraying even "bad guys" with such depth is real empathy, a trait that might just be the most important tool for a filmmaker.

It sure as hell helps with the casting, too. There's terrific performances here, especially by Turgoose, who so authentically portrays adolesence  -- that short and fascinating time when child and man mix. Turgoose giggles like a child and is in desperate need for a father figure. In other moments, he is all man, slick with the girl he likes, kissing "like a 40-year-old". I also totally loved the performances by Joseph Gilgun and Vicky McClure, a young and good-hearted couple who really wouldn't harm a fly. I have to mention Stephen Graham, too, who embodies the bad guy from head to toe and with deliberate pathos.

While presenting a relevant piece of history, This is England first and foremost is a touching coming-of-age story about a boy who is struggling to find his place in the world. Like Somers Town, it is characterized by the director's love for details and his distinct style of capturing them in a very direct and unreserved way. He's also one of the rare directors who know the power of a good soundtrack, someone who gets playful with the visuals when the music starts, presenting them with an energy that's usually found in music videos. Meadows just might be one of the most inquisitive and sensitive voices in today's cinema, someone who will leave a mark.


Trailer

0099 - Somers Town

Somers Town is a simple and absolutely beautiful film. A slice of life of barely 70 minutes, but maker Shane Meadows really makes use of this limited time frame. There's so much in it, big topics, too, and yet it follows such a clear and straight golden thread. Nothing is random here, you can tell a mastermind has been at work, and yet the film appears so spontaneous and unladen. It's beautifully subtle and only gives you the information that matters. We might not know a whole lot about these people, but we know what's important. There's not one sentence that's too much, the dialogue is sparse, and yet it doesn't seem contrived at all. Somers Town is a real, painful and funny, but mostly a heart-warming and life-affirming story about a friendship between two boys, their complicated social backgrounds, and the older girl they're both in love with. As real as it feels, it's incredibly poetic and pleasing to the eye. The black and white works really well and doesn't feel artificial, and the beautiful folksy soundtrack does the rest. It's funny, although it's considered as being "typically British", it felt very American to me (in the best possible way). It reminded me a lot of Raymond Carver's short stories. I highly recommend it.


Trailer

0098 - The Hangover

Okay, it's official now. I have a crush on Bradley Cooper. That's why I‘m not even gonna bother looking for a still from the movie, but instead I am proudly presenting this spectacular collage I put together tonight (it's a magic collage, yes it is, 'cause if you click on it, it gets even more gorgeous). The first time I saw him (don't ask me which movie), I thought: "Ugh, just another one of those mediocrely talented, mediocrely attractive guys." Then I saw him again. And again. And thought: "What's the big deal with this guy?!". Then I saw him in He's Just Not That Into You and I thought: "Hm, he's kinda... there's something about him." Next time I saw him in Yes Man, and I wondered: "When did he get so cute?" And today, as soon as I saw him, I had a huge grin on my face. Actually, just his name appearing in the opening credits was enough to make me all giddy and girly and sweaty -- and I maintained my grin throughout the whole movie. He's got that hot teacher look about him that I totally dig. Brains, charms and butt, what more do you want? Also, he's one of the few men in Hollywood with a decent height. And don't you get me started on that haiiiiir.

Other than that, I'm actually surprised I watched this flick. I didn't really plan to. See, I don't find drunks/being drunk funny. I don't find hangovers funny. Yeah yeah, I don't know how to have fun, it's tragic, but see I don't drink, I've never have, not even a sip, so I normally can't relate to stories of utter drunkenness and the mornings after. But I needed something light, a light dessert to help me digest Antichrist, so this was perfect for the occasion. And I enjoyed watching it.

It might not be exploding with creativity, but it's good for a few laughs and makes for an entertaining evening in bed with a hot water bottle and your favorite chocolate. I have a feeling this might be the kind of movie that gets better with every time you watch it. I especially had to laugh at the "masturbating baby", the police officers, and the Phil Collins/Mike Tyson scene (yes, Mike Tyson is in this movie. Phil Collins isn't. Just Tyson, singing Phil Collins. You can actually see a bit of it in the trailer). It's definitely a buddy movie, but it's sweet enough to delight the girls, too. Ultimately, it's a story about friendship and about sticking up for yourself and for each other. It's got a couple of lovable and quirky characters and is thoroughly well acted (I especially liked Ed Helms). I'm not too sure I liked Zach Galifianakis that much, though. He's a stand-up comedian, and even though some fine actors have been doing stand-up comedy before making it to the silver screen, not every comedian can (or should) act. He just tried a little too hard to be funny, especially at the beginning. I feel he did get better during the course of the film, especially when he got to reveal a more vulnerable side, but his performance was still a little weak, even though his character just might have been the most interesting and rewarding one.

A solid comedy with decent writing, a good pace and a zippy soundtrack. And an unbearably gorgeous Bradley Copper, of course.

I want him for Christmas.

Trailer