Frost/Nixon is a good flick with fine performances by Michael Sheen and Frank Langella but the movie doesn’t dare to soar. It’s too timid to be ferocious, too bland to be bold, to safe to more than diverting.
In other words, how did this get nominated over DARK KNIGHT and WALL-E? I don’t blame Ron Howard for the movie he made. I blame the academy.
I have a deep appreciation for Jim Carrey. For some reason, when I’m feeling low, he makes me laugh.
And so is the case with YES MAN. I thought this film was gonna be LIAR LIAR minus the magic and I was half right. This film is like LIAR LIAR and there is no magic that causes him to say “yes” but this film sticks to its premise, milks the humor and winds up better than my fears could have imagined.
Look, I’m not gonna try to sell you anymore on this film. If the holidays have you down, this flick has some sure fire laughs to help stave off the blues.
First, know that I have a wrestling movie in me. I grew up watching Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant and Randy “Macho Man” Savage, even some of the Lucha Libre stuff before the hipsters appropriated that facet of Latin culture as yet another trinket to be anted up in their cooler-than-thou games (bastards).
The first hour of this film plays like a European neo-realist remake of Marty infused with a healthy does of American sweetener. And what’s not to like. Mickey Rourke’s tough-guy-now-sad-sack charm plays for keeps and Marisa Tomei makes you think that maybe that Oscar wasn’t such a mistake (and that a 44 year-old stripper might still be worth a trip to the champagne room).
But then all that sweetness turns and by the final sequence rots whatever sincerity this film had; one even gets the feeling that Aronofsky might be suffering from a case of M. Night Shyamalan-itis. How could he have let that take of Marisa Tomei saying “…but your heart?” followed by her touching her chest stay in the film? Didn’t he realize that speech by Randy was just too self aware for a lug like that (besides, what ever happened to “show, don’t tell”)? And then there’s the ending. WTF? You give us a film about gladiators then don’t give us the blood you’ve been promising? Couldn’t you have at least given us the DRUGSTORE COWBOY ending? What happened to the filmmaker that made a film so unwatchable I had my eyes covered for the final montage of REQUIEM FOR A DREAM?
I have little doubt that this could have been one of the most significant American movies of the year. Unfortunately, like that girl you always pined for but never mustered up the courage to ask out until she was firmly in the arms of another, a misstep in timing can snatch greatness from one’s destiny.
First, this movie is remarkable. Not only does Sean Penn dazzle but so do all the supporting performers. On top of that, this might be Gus Van Sant‘s best work since… ever. His filmmaking is stylish, daring and thrilling while always growing organically from the richness of the script and the performances. Don’t believe me? When was the last time you held your breath while watching a ballot measure’s vote tally?
Which brings me to the non-review section of this post: why the hell was this film released after prop 8 passed in California?
For those that don’t know, proposition 8 was a California ballot measure that would rewrite the state constitution to define marriage as only possible between a man and a woman.
Clearly, a piece of thrilling, life affirming, mind opening entertainment like MILK could have swayed a few more people to reconsider their fear of “the other”. Was it that the filmmakers were afraid of getting caught up in the mix, of being labeled as “political”?
And while we’re on this topic, let me address the Rich Raddon issue. Mr Raddon was the director of the Los Angeles Film Festival, an arm of Film Independent. Apparently Mr Raddon, a practicing Mormon, donated $1,500 to the “Yes on 8″ campaign. Once this news went public, he tendered his resignation but FIND declined to accept it. Word was that FIND didn’t want to throw one of their own under the bus for what they saw as improved PR.
Then the news spread like wildfire. Filmmakers were up in arms. Sure, nobody thought a boycott of Sundance would ever work but LAFF, yeah, the Los Angeles gay activist community could seriously disrupt that festival. Rumor had it that the board at FIND was regretting their decision. After a couple weeks of silence, Mr. Raddon resubmitted his letter of resignation but this time the board took him up on it. Afterwards, Mr. Raddon and FIND released a couple of pretty lame press releases.
I’ve met Mr. Raddon, I’ve worked for LAFF, I am a dues paying member of FIND and an alumni of their minority filmmaker support program, Project: Involve. If you’ve read this blog for a while, you know that I attend many of their seminars. I can’t imagine Los Angeles without this organization.
So, without casting stones, let me simply ask these questions. Why did FIND remain silent for so long? Why did Mr. Raddon do it? Does he believe in his heart of hearts that homosexual don’t deserve the same rights as heterosexuals or was he simply being obedient to his church?
I suspect I’ll never get a satisfactory answer to this question. I do hope this mark doesn’t taint FIND or LAFF for too long. I do believe the organization wanted to do the right thing but found itself stuck between responding to the outcries of its community and what it must have felt like shutting out a friend that made a huge mistake.
So as not to leave you on such a downer, how about a bit of musical comedy featuring my thespian doppelganger?
Let’s face it, we’ve all seen this movie before.
This movie is the lazy and misanthropic “happy accident” of the far, FAR superior SUPERBAD and THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN. But I will give it this: it had the balls to take an “R” rating so we could hear the profanity and see the naked boobs.
Speaking of profanity, actor Bobb’e J. Thompson is so good at dropping the f-bomb that he should consider starring in a Mamet revival… or maybe remake the “Different Strokes” episode where Arnold’s friend gets molested by the bicycle shop owner expect this time it’s done as a blaxploitation revenge flick written and directed by Tarantino. Fuck yeah, I’d fucking pay to see that shit, bitch!
First, know that I love time travel movies. I can’t get enough of them and I’m convinced one day I will make the penultimate film in this genre.
That said, this is pretty good little movie that doesn’t strive for greatness. It wants you to think it’s clever and it kinda is but to anyone that calls this “dense” or “a head scratcher,” well, they’re just a moron. It is not a hard film to figure out and, what’s worse, you don’t really care. It’s not an engrossing film. It’s more of a mild diversion. But big points for bringing a little sexy back to sci-fi.
This movie rocks… except for the pacing. Allow me a moment to rant but what gives with independent/foreign films = super slow pacing. If I weren’t enjoying this movie so much I would have nodded off, having been lulled into a slumber by all the super long shots of snow falling and ice forming. Yawn.
That said, go see this movie. Dark and moody, sweetly innocent and drenched in blood, horrifying yet funny but also incredibly touching, this is exactly the kind of flick that rewards patient viewers. Even if you’re not that into foreign films or horror films or whatever your excuse, see this film.
There’s nothing that whips mobs into a murderous frenzy quicker than a joke anywhere in the proximity of religion. Trust me, it took me one short film to learn that people will call you evil just because you dare to mix religion and humor.
(Although, truth be told, that didn’t stop me from writing a religiously based romantic comedy which, funny enough, excites people about as much as it scares them.)
So, in the spirit of fraternity, I saw Bill Maher’s documentary.
I was pretty much with Bill until the very end. Up until the film’s closing moments, Bill skewers Christians (like shooting fish in a barrel) as well as Orthodox Jews and Muslins (like shooting armor plated fish bunkered down behind a bulletproof canister of C4). It’s funny, it’s blasphemous, it works.
Then, in those final moments, when Bill asks all non-beleivers to stand up and tear down religion (I’m paraphrasing but that was his message), that’s when Bill starts sounding like one of those nuts that broadcasts on public access or, worse yet, like one of those militant, avenging religious zealots that’s looking to precipitate God’s purification and wrathful purging of the non-believer. That’s when Bill starts sounding like one of them.
Thanks for the movie but no thanks.
If there’s one things I have to thank Quentin Tarantino for (I know, I gotta thank him for more than one thing but lets focus) it’s introducing me to this filmmaker.
Since that moment, I’ve consumed just about every Wong Kar Wai film.
One of the harder ones to wrap my head around was ASHES OF TIME. It was an action movie w/o action. Lots of stop-printing, close-ups and voice-overs. What was it about? Well, there’s a swordsman in the desert.
Yeah, it wasn’t my favorite WKW film but I could appreciate how it opened him up to my favorite period of his which begins with CHUNGKING EXPRESS.
But now WKW has returned to tinker on his sans-action epic. The ASHES OF TIME REDUX print looks great, the sound is phenomenal and I think I understood it more but it’s still not my favorite WKW film.
But it still makes me appreciate my favorite films of his just the same.
Why so serious?
Because this movie ran me through the wringer. I felt like I’d spent the whole day experiencing this movie (and I mean that in the good way).
Oh, since this is still a test of my posting abilities (the Rocky & Bullwinkle alternate title would be “Testing Embedded Videos with MarsEdit”) how about you take a look at this:
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