The cinematography is amazing, presenting New York city as a living character, just as much as any of the actors. Although it was shot on DV, you’d be hard pressed to notice because of the use of natural lighting. Unlike Once, where the grain is obvious, we see all the shadows.
The ending does sort of come quite abruptly leaving you with a sense of lack of closure. Granted, it may be necessary for the myth, but it probably could’ve been handled better.
Update: Ninja didn’t understand why I gave this a 2/4 stars. The main reason is because none of the characters really go anywhere. I understand that that’s kind of the point of the myth of Sisyphus, but in the same vain, the way the third act forces the character back into the routine is a bit contrived.
Paranoid Park is about a teenage skateboarder, Alex (Gabe Nevins) who accidentally kills a security guard. The film is adapted from the novel of the same title.
Van Sant tells a lot of the story through visuals and non-chronologically. This is probably the best part of the film. As information is slowly revealed to us, we get a sense of Alex’s paranoia. The cinematography is gorgeous. At times artistic and at times like a traditional skate video, it all works to form a cinematically striking film. There’s one scene where Alex breaks up with his girlfriend and the entire sequence is presented without any dialogue. It’s truly beautiful.
The film’s greatest strength is also its weakness. The images drag down the narrative and at times makes the film drag. Which is odd considering it clocks in at 88 minutes. Coupled with the non-chronological story structure and some people may get lost.
If you’re into stuff off the beaten path, you’ll enjoy Paranoid Park.
Midnight Clear is about 5 people and their struggles. As with most multipart structures, it’s hard to get to know all the characters. Some are fleshed out a little more than others, but they’re still 2D at best.
There are points where Midnight Clear feels like it’s about to get preachy, but luckily, it doesn’t go down that route. It effectively takes all the different narratives and link them together in a fairly natural way. In the end, you feel encouraged by an otherwise depressing movie.
Since the characters can be a little thin, you get a fair sense of their lives pretty fast, so for the remainder of the film is just waiting. You kind of know where the characters are going and you want them to deviate, but it just takes such a long time to get there. And that’s the problem. The entire thing takes way too long to get to the punch line. At 103 minutes, you’d think it’d be a little more brisk.
Lars and the Real Girl is about Lars (Ryan Gosling) who is so emotionally detached, he starts dating a Real Doll. In order to get the premise to work, they have the whole town to go along with his delusions for Lars’ sake.The premise is really interesting. They could’ve been sophomoric about the way they approach the material, but they choose to take it seriously. This is not to say there isn’t any humor in it, there is, they just downplay that aspect. Which is a good thing, because that would’ve been way too easy. Instead, they make Lars’ emotional problems real. By not laughing about them, it gives it a sort of gravity and seriousness which is effective.
Even at 90 minutes, the film does feel long. It almost gets boring, but not quite. It’s just that not much happens. There are some touching moments, like a scene where Lars gives CPR to a teddy bear (he’s being playful), but there just aren’t enough of them.
Blow Out is about a sound recorder, Jack (John Travolta) who’s trying to unravel the murder of a presidential candidate.
Brian De Palma knits together an effective thriller filled with murder, conspiracy, and mystery. There’s a large emphasis on sound that’s used effectively both to tell the story and drive the story forward. There’s a particularly interesting shot where the camera spins while Jack runs around the room playing different reels. It’s one continuous take that’s borderline nauseating but works.
Looking back on the 25+ years since it was made, it’s interesting to see the dramatic progression of technology. We still use tapes, but not reels. Video and phones are now pervasive. It’d be interesting to see if you’d be able to do a modern remake that’s just as effective. Although dated, it doesn’t take you out of the film at all.
The best thing going for Sweeney Todd is the art direction. There are times when it feels too dark, but Burton does a good job of setting the tone and doing all the costumes. Unfortunately, that’s also the only thing going for it.
The music, though interesting, would’ve been better served by a pair who can actually sing. Depp and Carter do a fair job, but their diction made it difficult to understand what they were saying at times. Not that there was a lot of plot or narrative in the songs, but trying to understand what they’re saying really takes you out of the moment.
Still, without the music, the entire narrative is really predictable. Granted, that may be a function of just having seen a lot of movies or understanding storytelling.
The first two acts of I Am Sam are pretty good. You’re drawn into these characters and you want them to be together even if you question Sam’s capacity to raise Lucy.
Where the film falls apart is in the 3rd act. **Spoiler alert** After the court decides that Sam shouldn’t get custody of Lucy, he sits in his room with self pity. Then Rita (Michelle Pfieffer) comes in full of self pity and we lose that connection. What follows, is a descent into the saccharine and the artificial.
Some would say Sean Penn does a great job. But as I watched it, Dakota Fanning consistently outshines him. Everything Penn does feels like he’s trying. Fanning is so natural and effortless.
Run Fatboy Run has its chuckles, but it finds itself mired in cliche and predictability. This is not to say it’s a bad movie, but with every scene and every turn, you know what exactly is going to happen. Luckily, it comes in at a brisk 96 minutes, so it doesn’t get boring. There are enough clever marks and laughs to get you through. And when Dennis runs the marathon, you genuinely do want him to finish.
Simon Pegg is usually a better writer. You look at Spaced and Shaun of the Dead and you know he’s got talent in there. You just kind of wonder if it’s all been spent already.
Bella is about Nina (Tammy Blanchard) who finds out she’s pregnant. When she gets fired from her restaurant, she’s pursued by Jose (Eduardo Verástegui), the head chef chases her, trying to convince her not to get an abortion.
The good thing about the film is that it doesn’t quite cross the line into romance. It stays just a bit shy of it as it builds the relationship between Jose and Nina. It’s also got some decent editing; cutting two scenes together that aren’t necessarily happening simultaneously. It’s done in such a way that it works without pulling you out of the narrative.
The main flaw is that the story gets a little too heavy handed. We’re told that Nina can’t afford to have a baby, fine. We can see that Jose has a thing for little girls, not in a creepy way, but in a sorrowful sort of longing. But when he practically comes out and tells Nina to not do it, that’s where the whole thing fell apart. They have some scenes where they try to show Nina’s indecision, but it’s obvious what’s going to happen.
What could’ve been an effective drama about family and love, ends up being heavy handed and preachy.
Once is about an aspiring musician (Glen Hansard) who meets a girl (Markéta Irglová) while performing on the street. The narrative is unique in the sense that most of the story unfolds with very little dialogue. Instead, we have a lot of heart felt songs by the musician.
Since there’s so much music, the film really pivots on the quality of it. Luckily, the music is good. There are times where it feels like certain songs may go on for a little too long, but it’s acceptable because it’s delivered with so much honesty. And that’s what makes the film shine. The characters are simple, but they’re not one dimensional. They’ve been damaged in previous relationship and you really want them someone to connect to. Whether it be to each other or to their exs.
The only problem with the film is that it sometimes looks like a series of music videos strung together. Granted, the music is good, but the videos them selves aren’t particularly interesting. Thus, you get a little bored towards the half-way point. Luckily, the movie comes in at 86 minutes, so it doesn’t get as irritating as it could be.
The movie definitely looks indie. There are times when it’s obviously shot on DV, but that’s ok.
Bottom line: If you like the music, you’ll enjoy the movie.
