Catching up with 2013 Mini- Reviews: Part One

Before Midnight(2013): One of the best trilogies of our times is finally complete! Off course, we don't know if Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke will stop after this third installment. Hell, till this time last year I doubt if I knew there will be this third installment. I remember when the news broke that they are already working on this one, my first reaction was Why? Off course, I loved the first two and coming out of nowhere, this third movie seemed like nothing but a bad idea. Fortunately, Linklater-Delpy-Hawke trio proved everyone wrong. Not only did they prove everyone wrong, I guess now people will be much more receptive of any further installments if there are any. I ain't asking for them but I know I will be if they are up for it.

At the end of Before Sunset(2004), Jesse misses his plane and stays with Celine. Nine years after, they are not only still together but also have beautiful twin daughters. It opens with Jesse dropping his son, from his first wife, off at the airport. They are spending their summer somewhere in Greece at one of Jesse's writer friend's house. Once again, we spend a day of their life with them and once again we get plenty of long takes and beautiful conversations. As a matter of fact, I think I can make a strong case for the dinner table scene as not only the best scene of the whole trilogy but even one of the best ever. Delpy's bimbo herself would win half the battle. And then there is Natalia's story to cap it off. The only difference is this time, having spent nine years together, their whirlwind, perfect romance is through it's spring and is moving more towards its autumn. Conversations here are more about how the other one is suffocating them in this relationship. Sometimes it is just a cordial nudging, teasing while at one point it even transforms into full-blown storm. 

It's obviously hard to see what many of us perceive as the ideal, almost ethereal romance going through these very earthly phases but, if truth be told, I like the fact that they dared to go there. And not only did they go there but they did it convincingly. Sure we can go on playing the blame game, which as a matter of fact both Celine and Jesse do plenty of, but what I liked about it is it exposes both the sides. On many occasions, I found myself leaning back and forth during their fight. And in the end we have a glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe, if we get another film, they are still together. I really, really hope they are!
Rating(out of 5):

Pacific Rim(2013): Yet another film that I had my doubts about when I first heard about it. I will be honest; from the trailer it looked like another Michael Bay vehicle with all the technology and showiness and not much anything else. Sure, it had Del Toro at the helm but you never know. Well, it was definitely better than that. I like the fact that it tries to go against the norm. For starters, Kaijus come from underground; not the biggest of the difference but hey, nobody thought of that before. Their first strike comes down at San Francisco. Once again, it is still in US but at least not New York and when was the last time someone mentioned Manilla in a disaster film? I was happy for all that but unfortunately, that ends here. 

Everything later on is pretty generic. It sets up the whole film in first 5 minutes with most generic voice over narration. As a typical disaster film, it gets over emotional at the end trying to make a big statement. It has all the typical characters, follows certain pattern and even overthrows logic for making a spectacle of it all. But fortunately, despite all that, it isn’t a crappy film. Even if it is just a spectacle, it is a good spectacle. Actually, it is a good action film. Technology used is brilliant, visuals are stunning, fights are amazing and both Kaijus and Jaegers are designed with great care eye for the detail. There is almost no dull moment in the film and as the movie progresses, even though very predictable and unnecessarily emotional, fights only get bigger and bigger in scale. Even though none of the actors was bad, I don't think they had much to do here. I remember Rinko Kikuchi being the big deal at the time of its release. She is quite good as well but except for the fact that she was a woman who had something to do other than being a love interest, I didn't think there was anything different to her character than all the others in the movie. Overall, I think Pacific Rim was worth watching for its technical feat but on the narrative side, it definitely could have been much better.
Rating(out of 5):

Stories We Tell(2013): I have been a fan of Sarah Polley’s work for a few years now. In the early months of this blog, I watched The Sweet Hereafter(1997) which affected me dearly. In fact, it was the first ever review I wrote. Ian Holm’s harrowing portrait of this guilt ridden lawyer was certainly the main reason for it but Polley’s Nicole, the only survivor of the accident, made quite an impression on me. Then Away From Her(2006), which believe it or not also introduced me to wonderful Julie Christy, and last year’s Take This Waltz(2012) further cemented her position. But even then I don’t think I ever expected something like this from her. Well, I didn’t expect something like this from anyone but here I am. Not only watching it but also writing about it.

Since it made its first screening in last year’s TIFF, Stories We Tell has been on my radar. I have tried to keep my distance but despite my best effort, I was exposed to certain facts about it prior to watching it. [SPOILER ALERT] I knew it revealed that Michael Polley is not her biological father. It even told who is her real father[SPOILER END]. So I thought I would be ready for it when it comes. To my utter surprise, it still sneaked up on me and even more surprisingly; this prior knowledge did not ruin the whole thing for me. What I did feel throughout the film but some sort of voyeuristic guilt, like watching something I am not supposed to and despite knowing that full well, can't take my eyes off because it is so fascinating. I still can’t believe she made a film out of something so personal and here is the whole family talking so candidly about it. Candidly! That’s a word of prime importance here as, despite everything, none of the family seems to be engaging much in the blame game. I am sure there are many families with similar stories out there but what impressed me the most about this documentary was the maturity with which this family handles the whole situation and how Polley presents it exploring every facet of the story.

This whole story is about perspectives. Like Rashomon(1950), this film is trying to tell us how the story changes according to who is telling the story? what are his affiliations and motives to be involved in this story? As Polley says towards end that to get the whole story, she felt it necessary to include everyone that played part in this story or was affected by it. It’s fascinating to watch every person associated with the story has his own version of it. At the end, it drags a bit longer than necessary but other than that I don't believe there are many films that made me think about so many things before.

Rating(out of 5): 

Take This Waltz

Over the last month or so, there was a lot of talk about Sarah Polley's latest movie Take This Waltz(2012) finally getting its theatrical release here. I find it strange that before getting into theaters, somehow it made onto 'On-Demand' television first, but whatever - it finally got there, after hearing about it for almost a year. I call myself Sarah Polley's Fan ever since I saw her first in Atom Egoyan's brilliant The Sweet Hereafter(1998) more than a year ago. This impending release also gave me that final push to check her first directorial effort Away From Her(2006) that I have been meaning to see as well and off course did nothing other than increase my admiration for her. So, I did go into this one with little bit of anticipation.

Take This Waltz is a story of Margot who is a wannabe writer and as we find out in very first scene, she hates connections of flights, she is afraid of being afraid, being stuck in an unknown place. She is married to Lou who is a cook. He is writing a cooking book and he tries the recipes he wants to include in the book on his family in their lunches together. When she meets Daniel on an airplane, there is an awkward but instant chemistry between them. When they both get down at airport and decide to share a taxi, they both find out that they are actually live right across the street from each other. Daniel is artist who paints but never shows his work to anybody and he pulls a rickshaw to pay his rent. Margot and Lou have a great family, very real and normal people except Lou's sister Geraldine who is a recovering alcoholic but she seems to be doing fine and is also very good friends with Margot. They seem to be happy together, at least on the outside but there is something missing between them, they seem to lack that spark in a relationship that usually keeps it going. Their interaction with each other is rather childish most of the times, either that or almost non-existent. I understand that after spending 5 years that Margot and Lou have spent together, almost every couple develops their own language that only they can understand. However, it is almost like they are being childish because that is only way they both can keep the conversation going. After spending 5 years together, after that so-called honeymoon period of their marriage behind them, they both seem to struggle with the idea of taking their relationship further from that point. In one scene in the movie when Margot and Lou go out for dinner on their anniversary, they seem to be at complete loss of even making a small-talk and when Margot tries it, Lou discards her completely.

With Daniel around, Margot starts to feel all those things that are basically missing in her marriage. Even Daniel seems to be into her, despite of knowing she is married. She tries to keep him away because she is in a happy relationship but never seems to get him out of her mind completely as she keeps returning to him. Margot is kind of person who is never exactly sure of herself and this fickle-mindedness perpetrates into everything. There seems to be something wrong with Margot as she is mostly not in the moment, especially in intimate moments with her husband. One minute she is afraid, next she is laughing and again in next minute she looks to be in despair and all this happens without any outside interference. As Luke Kirby's character puts it she seems restless in a permanent way. On one hand, she is uncomfortable getting out of her seemingly perfect marriage but on the other, she is waiting on her porch at 6AM just to see him leave. But with apparent staleness in her marriage, there is not much that can hold her back and it seems that their marriage is in real trouble now. But things happen in a way that you are not sure which one is cause and which is an effect and you don't really know if and who to blame. However, right here with not much working for Lou and Margot, Sarah Polley gives us a beautiful scene where Lou confesses that he was the one throwing cold water on her and not the faulty shower. If I had any real problem with the film, it was last 15 or so minutes were quite redundant. I agree that it brings it the whole circle proving main point of story - "New Becomes Old", but even then I believe it could have been, probably even more effectively without them.

Take This Waltz is one of those movies where I have seen the most divided opinion. In my opinion, it is basically because Margot, Lou or even Daniel are very normal characters and it is easily possible that anyone of us can find ourselves in Lou or Margot's position. And from there, the way you will react to this movie will probably come down to your own take of morality. I don't think it is a good idea to judge the characters this way but in this case I will give credit to Sarah Polley's writing and direction for making us do that. Actually, there are quite a few things that I will give Sarah Polley credit for. I loved the way this movie is shot in general, specifically I loved use of so many vibrant colors, use of Toronto and summer almost as characters in movie and also Margot and Daniel underwater. Also, scene immediately after that when she comes home and is sitting in kitchen and Lou is in the porch outside is shot really beautifully especially because the contrast in the background sound. In kitchen, there is soft, upbeat romantic song whereas sound of crickets on the outside and it keeps switching between the two. I am not really big on English music in general but somehow I noticed her choice of songs in this. I do not know any of those songs but they felt like perfect fit for that moment throughout the movie. Even though whole movie focuses on emotional journey of three leads, it didn't become overbearing or extremely slow in its pacing. Once it is established that Margot and Daniel are attracted to each other and the fact that she is married doesn't bother him much and despite being a little unhappy in her marriage, she doesn't want to cheat on her husband, it seemed to linger a bit. But, it does move forward albeit slowly with the introduction of Daniel and Lou to each other.

Second Lady that makes this movie work is Michelle Williams as our leading lady Margot. Her reaction when she finds out that Daniel lives right across her house and to their long term joke is pure gold. I know that almost everyone has said this already but it is really amazing the way Michelle Williams has become one of the best, if not THE best, actresses working today over last few years. With back to back Oscar nominations in last two years and bunch of other great roles, she seems to do nothing wrong. I pretty much hated Luke Kirby's character, incessantly lurking around her, proverbially trying to seduce her even though he knows she is married but that is completely my opinion and I won't take anything away from Luke Kirby for that. Seth Rogen was great in his role, more so because I never thought he had it in him. So, I am happy to be proven wrong. Sarah Silvermann is great as well. Take This Waltz is very frank, very different look at relationships. If nothing else, give it a try for two of the finest ladies in the industry, Sarah Polley and Michelle Williams.

Rating(out of 5):

My Man Godfrey(1936)

A small downside of being a cinephile (I have no idea when did I start calling myself that but I think it will do and I am really not complaining as well) is sometimes feeling that movies do not amuse me as much as they used to. Well, there was also the fact that I wasn't watching as many movies as I do now as well. So, it is always easy to win in a less competitive market. But, back then then it was easy to fall for a movie. Now, I have kind of raised bars for them myself. But, once in a while, a movie comes along and not only jumps over that bar but also clears it by fair margin. 12 Angry Men(1957) did that by sweeping me off my feet, Ian Holm and Sarah Polley did that by telling a very honest story of loss in The Sweet Hereafter(1997) and so did Waltz with Bashir(2006) by telling a story I never imagined can be told as an animation. So, even though it is little rare, it is good to come across a movie which gives you an experience you never had before or forgotten completely about it. My Man Godfrey(1936) did something similar for me. It made me laugh out loud so many times that I started thinking about when was the last time I laughed so much watching the movie for first time. Now, I know that I am talking about a movie that is more than 75 years old, but it is nice to see a movie with fresh and healthy sense of humour. They don't make them anymore like that, do they?

So, In My Man Godfrey(1936), a screwball comedy set during the depths of depression, Godfrey is a 'Forgotten Man' leaving in the city dump who helps Irene Bullocks win high society socialite scavenger hunt. A little while earlier, he not only has insulted her sister - Cornelia -  but also has pushed on the heap of ash, for asking him to do the exact same thing - appear in this scavenger hunt with her. Now, since Godfrey helped her beat her sister, Irene wants to do something to help him as well. He asks for a job and she hires him as a butler for Bullocks Household. Apparently, they have lost one. When Godfrey appears next day, transformed completely in crisp suit, clean shaven face and polished, sophisticated demeanor, reason why they lost previous butler or butlers becomes very evident - it is because every single character in Bullocks households is nuts. There is Irene, who has a childish temperament like riding a horse right into the house and parking it in Library. Her sister Cornelia is bitter and bitchy probably because she has always had her way in life, who doesn't mind breaking windows on her way home. Then there is their father Alexander who is secretly broke and tired of dealing with Cab drivers demanding their horse parked in his library and subpoena for breaking neighbors window glasses. Their mother Angelica pampers herself with luxury like you have ever seen and even has kept a protege, who can do two things well - eat and gorilla impressions. And their is also Molley, maid who is beyond all the craziness happening around her and warns Godfrey about it as well.

(If you still haven't still watched this movie after more than 75 years after its release, you might want to skip this paragraph. But before that, REALLY ?? You Haven't ? Now that I have seen it, I have all the right to say this to you. Go, Watch it First.) When they meet for the first time, it is rather evident that Irene is taking an uncharacteristic interest in Godfrey despite of him being a bum, primarily because she has never seen someone push her sister on pile of ash. But after she sees Godfrey next day in his best apparel and manner, she is swept off the floor by him. However, he takes pride in his proper behaviour and doesn't hesitate to show her the way out, politely off course. As he goes on going his regular duties, you start to suspect if there is more to him than what meets your eye as it is later confirmed when one of the guests for house tea-party recognizes him as Harvard classmate. Off course, none of the Bullocks realize that he is too good to be a butler since they are too busy in their own indulges. It appears that Godfrey is the prodigal son of Bostonian family just like Bullocks but has fallen out of their graces due to certain affiliation to a woman and now is looking for complete start-over. During his time in those city dumps, she has developed certain affection to 'forgotten men' he was with and wishes to somehow make their lives happier. Now with a well to do college friend by his side, might just be the right time for him to make that happen.

What makes this comedy work is characters and dialogues written perfectly to exploit the slapstick nature of it, but most importantly actors doing their job exactly the way they are supposed to. I really don't know any of the actors, so I can only judge them based on their performance in this movie but they all did a wonderful job. William Powell playing a titular character of Godfrey looks like right out of Butler Academy, if there is one. Every single thing about him is reflection of the position he finds himself in throughout the movie. However, real highlight of the movie for me was Carole Lombard as smitten kitten Irene. Perfection is the only word to describe her in it. Let it be her - apparently heart broken, in her own tea-party or elated her, wiping dishes with Godfrey. You might say she was little over the top but in my opinion that is the perfect way to play this character. Otherwise, how do you say something as ridiculous as "Do You Buttle? " with utmost sincerity. Their mother, played by Alice Brady provided quite a few moments that had me in splits. I simply can not imagine someone can say something like "If you are going to be rude to my daughter, you might at least take your hat off" or "He is the first thing she has shown any affection to since her Pomeranian died last summer" but when she did say that, I was literally on the floor, rolling. Believe me, I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. I should also mention Eugene Pallette playing their father, Gail Patrick playing Cornelia and Jean Dixon playing Molly, who do a fine job as well.

If you want to pick them, I can pick few flaws in it as well. There are more of a plot points, but you can say that Godfrey's plan of city dump a little too simplistic or some pretty slick stock market plan which almost literally saves Bullock family to come on to the road, little implausible. Even though I do agree with this, I am ready to discount this given the slapstick nature of film. And besides, I didn't really mind it as I was little busy wiping my eyes off with tears of laughter. So, don't bother too much, give it a go for laugh or two. They say, it makes your life longer !!

Rating(out of 5):

The Hill

                  

When I first started writing this blog, I made myself a promise that I will not write posts where I will just write reviews for a particular film basically because I have a habit of checking any film out before watching it. I never watch any movie unless I have a good reason to watch it. And generally after this, I find it hard to criticize it even though in many cases I really want to throw eggs at it. In most cases, I have kept my promise though some movies are so special that I had to bend this rule for myself. The Sweet Hereafter (1998) was one such movie. Today, after watching The Hill(1965), I am making an exception as well. Both these movies moved me so much that I couldn’t pass the opportunity to write something about them and both these films are so original, so different from any other movie I have seen, that if I write something about them, it can only be a review. But I am taking this opportunity since it is too much for me to pass it on. However, I shall warn anyone reading this that if you have not seen this, there will be spoilers because it is written so tightly that if I leave even a single smaller part, I doubt this will diminish the effectiveness of whole film by many folds. So, proceed at your own risk.

I recently stumbled upon “How Many of Woody Allen's Favorite Films Have You Seen?” written by Brad Brevet. The Hill(1965), making the list in his favorite American Films. I also had many of Sidney Lumet’s other films in my wish-list for quite some time now. So, I decided to watch this along with others as Serpico(1973) and Long Day’s Journey into the Night(1962). Lumet made this film during first of his two most successful artistic periods in his career (Second period being from 1973-1978, where his films including Network(1976) and Dog Day Afternoon(1975), accumulated staggering 31 Oscar nominations in 6 years, getting nominated every year and winning 6 of them).

Adapted from play by Ray Rigsby and R.S. Allen by Rigsby himself, The Hill is about five new prisoners in british disciplinary prison in North Africa and their fight to survive prison and their guards. Sean Connary is in the central character of Joe Roberts, demoted in the army for disobeying the direct order and sent to the prison for beating up his commanding officer. Staff Sergent Williams is Jailer of this prison who believes that his job is to make his prisoners MEN again to be sent back into army. Therefore, He relies on grueling, physical tasks, even though monotonous and pointless, to achieve this. Climbing up and down The 'Hill' made up of Sand and Dirt is most popular of those tasks.  Sergent Wilson is ferocious guard in-charge of these prisoners who enjoys  breaking men down. There is also Sergent Charlie Harris, more humane of the guards, who tries to limit Wilson's atrocities but always ends up failing because Staff Sergent Williams believes in Wilson's methods. There is also a medical officer, who always wants to do the right thing but almost every time has to bend down to Staff Sergent's authority.

However, all the hell breaks loose when Sgt. Wilson goes little too far is his sadistic treatment and one if the prisoners, George Stevens, dies. Staff Sergent Williams is not the one to disown his deputies and he tries to cover it up by pressurizing medical officer yet again to put it down as accidental death. However, Roberts doesn't shut down quietly. He thinks that Wilson killed Stevens and wants Wilson punished for his brutal behavior. Even Harris has had enough and stands behind prisoners to launch formal complaint and medical officer joins in as well when pushed hard enough by both sides. Other cellmates of Roberts, King and McCarthy stand firmly behind Roberts as well in the end.

This is not a typical good guys vs bad guys story. Roberts is not a typical hero and so is Wilson or Williams not a typical villain. Guards believe Roberts to be a Coward because of his disobedience which might have killed him and men under him. He believes that Man can not just follow any and every order given to him like machine but still believes that if there are no rules there will be no army. On the other hand, Williams is trying to break the spirit of all the prisoners because he believes that is the way they can become Men again. One of the prisoners, Jecko King, even though is constantly demeaned for being of different color, is the only one who stands behind Robert since start. However Williams favor-ism drives him crazy in the end. Another Cellmate McCarthy, keeps on fidgeting between for and against Roberts while Bartlett is the first one to jump the ship at the first notion of discomfort.

It is not what happens but How it happens is what makes The Hill a great film to watch. Once the prisoners start fighting against the authorities, it becomes so fast paced that it not give you time to breathe, but at no point it looses its grip. It keeps you compelled till the last moment, which in my opinion is a very realistic ending. All the characters are so well defined that even though some of them have short parts, they play very significant role in developing the story. Film does not have any background score and only place we see in the whole movie is prison in that desert. There are no special effects used in the background to help the story. All the importance is on the characters and story and dialogues. Especially in the last hour, there are lot of dialogues but that does not make film boring or heavy, they rather direct the story beautifully. Also cinematography helps a great deal to set up the feel of movie.

Rating(out of 5):