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.
Philip Seymour Hoffman does an amazing job of portraying Andy. He’s calculating but flawed and conflicted. This, amongst his many other films, shows what a versatile and talented actor he is.
The movie starts off with a bang, showing the failed robbery, and going back to show you everything leading up to it. This is an effective way to tell the story because you know that everyone is fair game. As new scenes are introduced, it sheds light on everything that’s come before. There’s a point where all of it becomes inevitable and you can start seeing the strings. You hope that some of these strings get pulled and others you hope will just kind of hang.
That’s the only real problem with the movie. It gets to the point where it’s just too over the top. They’re just piling more and more on to the point where its lost any sort of tension because a) you know where it’s all going and b) things get so ridiculous, you’re just tired of it all.
The Kite Runner is the story of a Amir (Khalid Abdalla) and how he has to deal with his past. The movie is split into two halves. The first half deals with Amir in his childhood. The second half deals with Amir going back to Afghanistan to bring back his nephew.
The drama and characters are effective, especially in light of the war we had with the country. That’s the strength of the movie. You see Amir grow and change and struggle with the inaction of his past and having to deal with that as an adult. Abdalla and Gharibzada, Amir’s Father, Omar (Sayed Jafar Masihullah Gharibzada), do excellent jobs of bringing these conflicted characters to life.
Although the two parts of the movie are connected, it’s hard to say that the structure works effectively. Seeing Amir’s childhood and recognizing the self-loathing and forgiveness that he has to go through definitely frames his life as an adult. I think the main problem arises because the separation is so distinct. It would’ve been stronger had they not split it up so deliberately.
The Kingdom, or CSI: Iraq as I like to call it, is about FBI agents that go to Saudi Arabia to investigate a terrorist attack on an oil community. The way the film was advertised, you would think there would be a lot of action. But there isn’t. Instead, the film is bookended by action. And when the action starts, it is amazing.
The CSI elements work. It definitely helps to know that it will be a crime procedural going in. Otherwise, I would have been sorely disappointed. Even though it works, it doesn’t make it good. It’s on par with what you would see on the real CSI, just a lot more dessert. And that’s what really keeps the movie bogged down. You go to the movies to see something spectacular. But the investigation is kind of normal and every day.
If you’re into CSI type stuff, you’ll enjoy this. If you just want gunfights, fast forward through the middle section and you will be rewarded.
While watching American Gangster, I couldn’t help but think about Scarface. There’s not nearly as much violence or cursing as Scarface, but the story is just as engaging. American Gangster is true story about how Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) takes over the heroin business in Harlem while Richie Roberts (Russel Crowe) tries to catch him.
Ridley Scott has come a long way in terms of his narrative focus. Recently, I watched Blade Runner: Final Cut and Alien and was struck by how long the takes were and just how slow the pacing was. He does an amazing job of paralleling the two character’s lives until their inevitable intersection which isn’t nearly as climactic as it should be. So, after a strong first and second act, the film just kind of fizzles out.
There’s not a lot of violence, but when it happens, it’s raw and gritty. The story is great in its own right, but it’s no Scarface.
I found out about this film from JJ Murphy’s blog. If it weren’t for his commentary on it, I don’t think I would have any interest what so ever.
All the Real Girls is a love story. It’s not a chic flick though. Rather, it approaches two flawed characters and explores what happens when they fall in love. When people talk about character driven work, this is it.
What I really loved was the dialogue. It’s not witty or sharp, but it just seems so real and effective. The pacing is also really deliberate. In a world that loves MTV cuts and edits, it’s nice to see a film take its time. Still, it is bordering on slow, so if you don’t have the patience, you may not be able to sit through it. Likewise, since it is character driven, not much happens.
Watch the film, then read the commentary. Great if you’re a screenwriter.
