December Movie Denouement, Part 2

The rest of the December crop, and thus, the last batch of movies I saw in 2011. Read quick, because it’s almost time to pop the bubbly!

CARNAGE -- Two couples (Kate Winslet & Christoph Waltz and Jodie Foster & John C. Reilly) meet to discuss a confrontation that occurred between their kids. The discussion is begrudgingly civil at first, but gradually becomes more and more heated, finally escalating into all-out verbal warfare from which they cannot seem to escape. The result is often both funny and cringe-inducing as deep-seeded personal issues are revealed and exploited. Acting is obviously outstanding -- I mean, what could be better than watching these four great actors go at each other for an hour and a half? The material certainly fits right in with Roman Polanski’s usual themes of entrapment and the darker sides of humanity (if only he wasn’t such an asshole, so I could watch his films and not hate myself afterward). But I don’t know... I found it difficult to get completely invested because the whole thing is kind of silly. In reality, as soon as shit got nasty, any sane person would just get the hell out of there. If you’re a fan of the talent involved (and why wouldn’t you be?), then it’s a worthwhile curiosity -- but in the end it feels like a pointless exercise.

WE BOUGHT A ZOO -- This is the story of Benjamin Mee, a struggling single dad who packs up his two kids and moves to a new house to make a fresh start. The catch: They’ve actually bought a dilapidated zoo, which they now own and manage. With the help of a motley crew of zoo workers (led by a dressed-down but still-scorching hot Scarlett Johansson), the Mees attempt to rebuild the zoo as well as their lives. Contrived holiday-season sap? Oh yes. But everyone is so damn likeable that it works. Matt Damon plays Benjamin with wholesome earnestness and humor. His relationships with his kids are believable, as is his understated romance with Scarlett. (Incidentally, I’m going to need a video montage of every time Scarlett says the name “Benjamin,” for my own personal use. Get on that, Internet monkeys!) The budding friendship/romance between young Dylan Mee and a free-spirited zookeeper’s assistant is also very cute, though I think someone slipped something into Elle Fanning’s drink because she is perpetually, creepily smiley. Supporting cast, including such names as Thomas Haden Church and Carla Gallo, is eclectic and funny. At its core, it’s a movie about grand gestures, which is right up Cameron Crowe’s alley -- I particularly like (and have followed) Benjamin’s advice to Dylan that it only takes “twenty seconds of insane courage” to make something great happen. Not Crowe’s best film by any means, but effectively heartwarming in the moment.

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO -- I enjoyed the Swedish versions of these films and I’m not sure an English-language remake was absolutely necessary. But thanks to David Fincher’s direction and some excellent performances, this version works exceptionally well. The cool thing about Fincher is that all of his films look & feel like they exist within the same universe. So you have Detectives Mills & Somerset tracking the serial killer John Doe, while at the same time, the Zodiac killer is on the loose, Edward Norton is being suffocated by Meat Loaf’s bitch tits, and Mark Zuckerberg is sitting in his dorm room creating Facebook. Meanwhile, in Sweden, disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) is recruited by reclusive millionaire Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer) to solve the mystery of his missing niece, who disappeared without a trace decades earlier. A labyrinthine investigation ensues and Blomkvist enlists the help of a mysterious tattooed-and-pierced computer hacker named Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara in a star-making turn). Lisbeth also has her own problems -- namely, an asshole of a social worker who tries to control her life & finances (among other things). The film is intense, filled with menace and occasional extreme brutality, and driven by another relentless score by Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross. Craig infuses a bit more humor and steel-eyed confidence into Blomkvist, and Rooney Mara’s Lisbeth, while still bad-ass and awesome, has a fragility to her that Noomi Rapace’s interpretation did not. These subtle but key differences make for an experience that may not necessarily be better than the darker, grittier Swedish version, but works in its own right and allows it to co-exist as a separate vision. Should be interesting to see what happens with the rest of the trilogy.

ALBERT NOBBS -- A very sad, strange little film about a very sad, strange little man... or rather, a woman (Glenn Close) who dresses as a man in order to keep a job as a butler at a well-to-do hotel in 19th century Ireland. None of her employers or co-workers have any idea of this secret -- Albert does his (her) job well and blends into the background, keeping a nest egg hidden in a floorboard with the hope of someday escaping this life of suppression. One day, a burly painter by the name of Hubert (Janet McTeer) does some work at the hotel and discovers Albert’s secret when they are forced to become bedfellows. But turns out Hubert has a secret of his own -- he is a she, too! And he has embraced his situation, gotten married to a woman and lives an exuberant life that introduces Albert to a whole new world of possibility. Albert hopes this life may be achieved with the help of a young housemaid named Helen (Mia Wasikowska), who, unfortunately is smitten with a strapping loner (Aaron Johnston). It all sounds very intriguing, but the story plods along, only displaying rare bursts of excellence when Close and McTeer are onscreen together. Close is great but blends into the background perhaps TOO much; McTeer, however, breathes much-needed life into the proceedings and if an Oscar nod is destined to come from this film, I hope it goes to her.

PARIAH -- Alike (Adepero Oduye) is an African-American teenager living in Brooklyn. Lee, as she prefers to be known, likes girls -- a fact that she is slowly but surely coming to embrace. She dresses like a tomboy and sneaks off to a lesbian nightclub with her outspoken best friend, Laura (Pernell Walker), but she is shy and unsure how to proceed, sort of feeling her way through the process. Unfortunately, she has no help from her her parents, who have their suspicions about Lee’s lifestyle on top of their own marital troubles. Her mother, Audrey, tries desperately to force her to stay away from Laura and wear girly clothes, while her aloof father, Arthur, has convinced himself that there is no issue at all. When Audrey forces Lee to hang out with a co-worker’s daughter, it becomes a turning point that leads to new experiences, emotions and confrontations. If this sounds familiar, it’s because we have seen this kind of coming-of-age story before. But blistering performances (especially from Oduye and Walker), along with a potent script by Dee Rees (who also directed), help elevate it to something much more. A tremendously moving film, bursting with realism and heart, that should probably be required viewing for all in this day & age.

THE IRON LADY -- No actor or actress is taken more for granted than Meryl Streep. Think about it: She’s widely considered to be the greatest actress alive and has been nominated for SIXTEEN Oscars. Yet she hasn’t actually won since SOPHIE’S CHOICE in 1983. Since then, she easily could have walked home with gold every single time. When it comes to sheer acting talent, she is always head and shoulders above the competition. And yet, she never wins! My only guess is that the Academy must figure, “Eh, she’ll get it next year... let’s give someone else a shot.” Which brings us to this biopic of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Streep is, as always, at the top of her game, perfectly capturing Thatcher’s strength and tenacity, not to mention her voice and mannerisms. Unfortunately, the movie is simply not very good. Much like this year’s other big-name biopic, J. EDGAR, this one is too conventional and frustratingly shallow. I mean, say what you want about Thatcher’s ultra-conservative politics, but she WAS the first female leader in the western world -- yet the film never gives this fact proper gravitas. Instead, we get scenes of an elderly Thatcher doddering around, talking to her dead husband (Jim Broadbent) and reminiscing about her younger days. Story-wise, it’s a big yawn. Fortunately, the power of Streep makes the elderly scenes watchable (much better old-age makeup than the clown costumes in J. EDGAR, too) and the younger scenes fascinating. There’s no doubt that she will be nominated for her 17th Oscar -- but thanks to the shoddy material, she will also likely suffer her 15th defeat.

EXTREMELY LOUD & INCREDIBLY CLOSE -- I believe there are two types of people in this world: Those who will watch this movie and succumb to the raw emotion, or those who will scoff at it for being manipulative Oscar bait. If you’ve been paying attention to this blog over the past few years, you can probably guess that I fall into the former category. Yes, it’s about 9/11 and it stars Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock. Yes, it’s schmaltzy and sentimental and tugs on one’s heartstrings with reckless abandon. Yes, it may go a little too far with fantastical shots of Hanks falling to his doom from the burning World Trade Center. But damned if it isn’t extremely effective. It’s the story of Oskar Shell (Thomas Horn), a wildly precocious and inquisitive boy whose father is killed on what Oskar calls “The Worst Day.” A year after the tragedy, Oskar gets the nerve to dig through his father’s closet, where he accidentally stumbles upon a key in an envelope marked with the name “Black.” He decides that this key must unlock a hidden message from his father and becomes determined to find it. Thus, he embarks on an epic journey through the five boroughs -- one of coping, self-discovery and a greater understanding of the world around him. The film is filled with whimsy and taps into every emotion, especially for those of us who were in NYC and watched 9/11 happen with our own eyes (pretty much everyone at my screening was a blubbering mess by the end). I actually don’t think it is anywhere near good enough of a movie to compete for Oscar gold (except maybe for Best Score -- nice work from Alexandre Desplat), but as an experience, it is incredibly moving.

A SEPARATION -- The final movie I saw in 2011 was part family drama, part mystery, part socio-religious commentary on life in contemporary Iran. Expertly crafted by writer/director Asghar Farhadi, it begins with a court proceeding that shows the apparent crumbling marriage between Nader and his wife Simin. Simin wants to leave Iran for their daughter’s sake (and, considering the way women are still treated in Iran, her own, too), Termeh, but Nader refuses because he doesn’t want to leave his father who is suffering from Alzheimer’s. Things don’t go Simin’s way and she leaves them. Nader in turn hires a maid to help clean house and take care of his father, who is indeed in bad shape. From there, the film spirals off in a whole other direction and becomes a murder mystery of sorts that reveals the nature of Iranian culture and politics, the differences in class and religious beliefs and the fine line between truth and perception. As the mystery unfurls, it takes on a Hitchcockian feel in the sense that all of the clues are laid out -- you just need to pay attention and find them (which is easier said than done). Performances are outstanding, characters are complex and dialogue is multilayered -- you may find your sympathies changing as new information comes to light. An intense, intricate, riveting film that has gotten universal praise so far (100% on RottenTomatoes) -- if there’s a more worthy Best Foreign Film out there, I hope I get a chance to see it!

And on that note, after 155 trips to the movie theatre over the past twelve months, we can put 2011 in the books. My Top 10 and Bottom 10 lists, as well as all sorts of other year-end goodies, are coming soon, so stay tuned! Happy New Year to all -- and may the best of 2011 be the worst of 2012!

May Movie Madness

Wouldn't you know it, the entire month of May has come and gone and I haven't written a single word about the movies I've seen. At least, not here in the ol’ blog. If you follow my adventures on Twitter, chances are you've seen my 140-character critiques in real-time. If not... well... you should, because even when I slack here, I'm on top of things there:

www.twitter.com/benlikesmovies

Now, let's take a quick look at the wealth of films I've seen to kick off the summer of 2010....

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET -- Technically I saw this movie on April 30th, but, um, whatever. I wanted to write more about this debacle at the time, but I couldn't boil down my rage into a coherent paragraph. Suffice to say, it is a travesty that never should have happened. There's seriously no reason for it to exist. I mean, as bad as Rob Zombie's HALLOWEEN remakes are (and they are very bad indeed), at least he tried to do something different. This new NIGHTMARE is basically just a cheap rehash, completely stripped of the mystique and social commentary that made the original such a classic. It even uses the exact same imagery, but instead of being, y’know, scary, now it’s like, “Oh, here’s the scene where the knived hand appears in the bathtub, and here’s the scene where Freddy's form presses through the wall.” I will tip my cap to Jackie Earle Haley, who actually makes a decent Freddy, but he's no Robert Englund, and he had absolutely nothing to work with. Utterly pointless and worthless trash that needs to be swept under the rug and forgotten as quickly as possible.

THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE (FIRST SEQUENCE) –- I don’t want to say TOO much about this movie for a couple of reasons. First, the less you know, the better and more mind-boggling your viewing experience will be. And second, I don’t want to be responsible for you losing your lunch all over your keyboard. By far one of the craziest and flat-out GROSSEST movies ever made, it is all at once intense, harrowing, completely twisted and utterly ridiculous, featuring an unbelievable performance by the awesomely-named Dieter Laser, who helps raise the age-old question, “WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH GERMAN PEOPLE?!” An absolute must-see for anyone who prides themselves on being able to endure the most disturbing horror films. This movie was so freaking insane that it spurred me on a Netflix quest to watch the craziest, most disgusting and/or fucked up movies I can find -- so far, I’ve watched such films as I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE, AUDITION and CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST, and perhaps the best thing I can say about THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE is that it most certainly belongs in those ranks. Time will tell if we will ever see future “sequences,” as per the title’s implication -- I shudder at the very thought, but God help me, I know I won’t be able to turn away. (Oh, and also, after you see the movie, be sure to play the video game! http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/537029)

THE SQUARE -- Fantastic slice of noir from Australia about the dangers of temptation and how the wrong decisions can lead to a downward spiral of devastation. Ray is married to Martha, but is having an affair with Carla, who is married to Greg, who has a big bag of dirty money hidden in their house. Carla decides to steal the money and burn down the house so she & Ray can run off together. Ray agrees, and naturally, things do not go according to plan. It's very dark and wildly entertaining, with lots of twists and turns and great performances. It's written, directed by and starring the Edgerton brothers (one of whom, bizarrely, plays young Uncle Owen in the STAR WARS prequels) -- when they are household names in a few years, remember that you read about them here first! (Also, when I saw the movie, it was preceded by SPIDER, a jaw-dropping short film that I highly recommend watching online here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgYykXgwl20)

IRON MAN 2 -- The first IRON MAN was one of the great comic book adaptations of all time, as Robert Downey, Jr. proved that he is, in fact, the man and Jon Favreau proved that he had his finger directly on the pulse of geekdom. All signs pointed to a kick-ass sequel... and kick ass, it most certainly does. I still think the original is the better movie, but #2 is a worthy sequel -- bigger, louder, crazier and fully loaded. Downey, Jr. is still the man, Mickey Rourke is an awesome villain, Don Cheadle fills in nicely and of course, my girl Scarlett is smoking hot as the tight-leather-clad Black Widow. Even Gwyneth has done her best work in years in these movies. I am certain that THE AVENGERS is going to kick serious ass in a couple of years (stay after the credits for another clue along those lines)... but I’d love to see a third IRON MAN to complete the trilogy, too!

PLEASE GIVE -- This is one of those indie movies about jaded, unlikeable people (in this case, rich New Yorkers) who do unlikeable things (such as buying vintage furniture from dead people’s families on the cheap and then reselling it for a lot of money), and who go through a series of unlikeable events (affairs, family strife, stalking, etc.) and are maybe slightly less jaded at the end. That being said, it’s a fine film that is loaded with superb performances. Catherine Keener may be the single most typecast actress in history, but she plays that role so well that it hardly matters -- she’s good. Also, while I thought Rebecca Hall was great in VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA, my crush on her has now really taken hold -- she is truly outstanding, and I will be following her career with great interest from now on....

ROBIN HOOD -- Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe join forces once again to bring us yet another retelling of the classic tale, though this time, it’s more of a prequel that tells us how Robin of Locksley came to be known as Robin Hood. Unfortunately, that twist, and Scott’s big idea to intertwine the legend with historical fact, wasn’t enough to make this movie even remotely interesting. The runtime is over two and a half hours, but it feels more like six -- it’s unfathomably boring and all the actors seem like they’re just going through the motions. Even the great Cate Blanchett as Maid Marion can’t breathe any life into the proceedings. It also doesn’t help that everyone feels way too old for these roles. I’m also getting tired of seeing a Tolkien-esque epic battle at the end of every movie these days -- first ALICE IN WONDERLAND and now this! C’mon. Sorry, Ridley & Russell, but this time, I was most definitely NOT entertained.

BABIES – The epic tale of four seemingly-normal infants who live and grow and ultimately come together to fulfill their destines and fight the forces of evil! Um, no... that’s not it. It’s a documentary that traces the lives of four unremarkable human babies, from four very different cultures, from birth to their first steps, and ZOMG is it super-cute! Really... that’s all it is. No educational voiceovers, no facts and figures… just ninety minutes of pure, unadulterated baby cuteness. Although, I did pick up on some anti-American sentiment, which was mildly annoying. I mean, really, if you’re gonna make a movie about cute babies, just make a movie about cute babies and leave the commentary out of it!

GET HIM TO THE GREEK -- Hey, remember the Judd Apatow film FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL, which introduced us to the crazy, womanizing, boozing, British rock star Aldous Snow? Well, someone got the idea to make an entire movie about his character and, I guess it was a good idea because the result is some pretty funny stuff. It’s probably about equal to FSM in terms of overall laughs (though, there is no single moment that is as good as Dracula: The Musical). Basically, if you like Russell Brand and Jonah Hill, you’ll probably get a kick out of it. P. Diddy also gives a surprisingly funny performance, and I really liked cutie Elisabeth Moss as Jonah’s girlfriend. (Speaking of Jonah Hill, um, it may be time for him to start following the Seth Rogen weight loss plan. Goddamn, he got huge!)

SOLITARY MAN -- I’ve long been a Michael Douglas fan, but he hadn’t done much of anything in recent years... until now. This is a brilliant character study of a complete asshole. A former renowned car salesman who, after getting a scare from his doctor, decides to throw caution to the wind and embarks on a journey of infidelity and crooked business practices that leave his life in shambles. The film shows us what happens when he hits rock bottom, unable to stop his philandering, alienated from his family (which includes Susan Sarandon as his ex-wife and Pam Beasley herself, Jenna Fischer as his fed-up daughter), and forced to reevaluate his life. Tremendous film loaded with solid performances (including Jesse Eisenberg, again doing the Michael Cera thing better than Michael Cera, and the captivating Imogen Poots -- not to be confused with my friend Poot -- in a pivotal role). Definitely worth seeing as we await the return of Michael Douglas’s most memorable asshole character in the upcoming WALL STREET sequel! (Incidentally, this movie really reminded me of a movie from a few years ago called ROGER DODGER, which dealt with some similar themes -- would probably make a great double-feature -- even the posters are similar!)

MICMACS -- The first movie in five years from the great Jean-Pierre Jeunet, director of AMELIE (my #1 movie of the ‘00s, for those keeping track). The wackiest, most colorful and fun commentary against weapons manufacturing that I’m pretty sure I’ve ever seen, it’s about a guy named Bazil who gets shot in the head by a stray bullet, and whose father (we learn in a flashback) was killed by a landmine -- both of which were built by the same manufacturer. Alive but now homeless, Bazil befriends a ragtag group of misfits who help him exact revenge on the evil ones responsible for his plight. Featuring Jeunet’s trademark whimsy and starring some of his usual players (including the awesome Dominique Pinon), it feels like it could totally occur in the same Paris as that of Amelie Poulain, the very thought of which fills me with glee.

Thus ends the month of May. What will June bring? Well, we know that TOY STORY 3 is going to rule. Beyond that... we shall see!