Saturday, November 27, 2010

New Review: Fair Game

Secrets and Lies


It’s rough terrain now for the politically inclined film today. It has been well documented that most audiences today don’t have any use for films that attempt to decipher the American political system, particularly of the recent past. It is a shame, but sometimes they simply respond to the marketplace because a lot of the films that are produced border on sensationalism and feel rather shallow. For the most part, people have tended to have the same pattern with this film. Now that is the real shame because this is, surprisingly, one well made film that I think stands as one of the year’s better achievements.


This tawdry tale begins a month after the 9/11 attacks, and C.I.A. analyst and field agent Valerie Plame (Naomi Watts) is part of the team gathering intelligence on whether or not the United States will enter into conflict with Iraq. Few people know that she’s an embedded agent, one of them being her husband Joe Wilson (Sean Penn). Wilson was contracted to investigate whether Iraq was purchasing uranium for Niger. Wilson said the intel was false, but was ignored when the narrative was pushed anyway to justify action. Wilson retaliated with an editorial and the White House, with the aide of Scooter Libby, pushed back themselves by outing Plame and creating a media frenzy.


I was confident the film had the potential to be good, but I was genuinely surprised at how well this film grabbed me pretty much from the beginning. Doug Liman directs this piece like a political thriller and crafts a lot of the intrigue and behind-the-scenes deal with tension and excitement. Liman, working off of a pretty good script, does a really good job of keeping this story interesting as it jets off to many places. I will say that the film doesn’t quite handle the political grandstanding and domestic life that consumes the last twenty minutes of the film, but there are many elements in play that try to make it work.


One of those much appreciated elements is the cast. Watts and Penn cash in well on their chemistry from 21 Grams, and they successfully craft a relationship that is strained but also knows how to deal with one another. It’s great to see them working so well together. Watts has a really grounded performance that feels genuine to the character. She doesn’t blow the role out the water, but she’s capable enough to take on such a stern and vulnerable role. I was more impressed with Penn here. I’ve been on record with saying he is, without any hyperbole, is the greatest actor of his generation, and this is one that he sells with so much authenticity. You really believe his dedication to clear his name and frustration with the system. Like Watts, it’s nothing spectacular but solid nonetheless. The supporting cast is reliable but limited, with the only one worth singling out being David Andrews who plays Libby. The role is very small and not showy at all, but Andrews sells the sleazy guy incredibly well.


The film does sag a little bit in the drawn out ending, but overall I think this is a pretty great film. It’s well crafted, smartly written and ably performed by a very capable ensemble, headlined by Watts and Penn. I really hope people give this film a chance, but I have a feeling that for most the time has already passed. It’s really unfortunate, and I think this will probably go down as one of the most underrated films of the year. If you have the opportunity, check it out before it disappears forever, lost in the political black hole where so many films end up.


A-

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Behind the Scenes: Paul Thomas Anderson

PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON


Born: June 26, 1970


Occupation: Director, Screenwriter


Best Work: There Will Be Blood


Other Highlights: Boogie Nights, Punch-Drunk Love, Hard Eight


Upcoming Film: The Master


Paul Thomas Anderson has only made five feature films to date in his entire career. However, each film offers so much conversation and deep exploration into its subjects that it gives back with multiple viewings. Few filmmakers have the potential to enrich so much out of their material, especially when their material is self-generated. You may not always like what he has to offer, but the invitation to dive into the worlds he creates is one that is undeniable.


His first feature was a little movie called Hard Eight, a notoriously dogged production as Anderson had the least control over this project and wrestled with much studio interference. Even with all that baggage, the movie is a pretty solid effort for a first timer. There’s not a great through-line with the film, however, and it actually plays more like three short films strung together by, admittedly, some weak glue. Still, Anderson shows us what’s to come in his future, and plays with audiences’ sensibilities while also giving us some really good performances to admire.


His next film, Boogie Nights, is like a mini-masterpiece in his filmography. I’m completely fascinated with “industry films”: when a film pulls back the curtain on a type of business and gives a look behind the scenes. Before I saw the film, I would never have guessed the porn industry would be such an interesting backdrop for this fascinating tale. Anderson laces all these interconnecting characters with genuine detail, and he’s a master juggler with a slight of hand that invokes a magician that knows exactly how to pull it off. He’s bolstered by a terrific ensemble, but his direction is quite skilled.


Magnolia is probably the most divisive film not only in Anderson’s career, but in the history of cinema itself. There’s very few moderate opinions out there on this film: either you think it’s a fantastic work of art dealing with a layered and complex story, or you think its an overwrought, overstuffed, meandering, dull mess. I actually belong to the latter group. I’m not a fan of this film and quickly became disinterested in its disassociated characters and a howler of an ending that threw any credibility it had out the window. Thankfully I find solace in a great performance from Tom Cruise, but for me, this is my least favorite of his entire works. I’m not alone on the issue, but I’m well aware I’m not unified either.


When Anderson announced that his follow-up to such heavy dramas Boogie Nights and Magnolia was going to be an Adam Sandler comedy, many people thought he was joking. On face value, Punch-Drunk Love would seem like an invitation to be a part of something lower of desired quality. But like most Anderson films, it can’t help but be something more. The film actually works as an answer to all those annoying characters Sandler plays, giving an understanding to the frustration and anger that boils beneath the surface. It will make you see Sandler in a completely different light. I do think the film has some pacing issues and not every off-kilter music choice works, but as the story unfurls into something more ambitious than it originally intended, it’s a great discovery to make.


There Will Be Blood is great. Not only is it great, but I’ve now come to recognize it as the cream of the crop in an already great year that was 2007. Not only that, but I think it’s the best film of the 2000s. Everytime I revisit this film, I’m constantly amazed at how much it is able to give back. I’m still picking out tiny details from the film, and it’s like I’m rediscovering it for the first time again. Anderson’s direction compacts a lot of great elements on the surface, and as you dive down deeper into his layered screenplay, you are filled with a sense of wonder and enchantment. No doubt much of that also has to do with a bravado performance by Daniel Day-Lewis, but it’s Anderson’s work that is really held to a high standard. He lays out a map filled with unchartered terrain, and even as a guide he doesn’t lead us directly to the end. What he does do is start the path and then ascends into the omnipotent role above, leaving us to fend for ourselves. But he doesn’t desert us, and the idea that we are making a self-discovery while never knowing the manipulated hand takes a master craftsmen.


There’s not many people who are able to pick up the tools and automatically create something fantastic. Paul Thomas Anderson is one of those people, and I believe he is a certified genius. While though I don’t like every film of his, even four out of five is enough to get a recommendation on toothpaste. Anderson is currently working on his upcoming Scientology film set to star Philip Seymour Hoffman and Jeremy Renner. Unfortunately, the film has hit walls regarding its financing and creative endeavors, and is currently put on hold. I’m eagerly awaiting for the film, which sounds like more fascinating territory to be explored. Everything this man does is a gem of artistry. I hope this jeweler never retires.


Sunday, November 21, 2010

New Reviews: Harry Potter & 127 Hours

End Game


I do believe I can comfortably count myself as a genuine fan of the Harry Potter franchise. I’ve read all the books, seen all the films and have yet to find one that I can’t recommend. I may not know all of the prose that J.K. Rowling puts out, but I can say I am devoted. For example, during a moment where the heroes find themselves trapped in a rather crude predicament, my mind was shouting the necessary spell they needed to cast in order to safely escape. Keep in mind that these spells are not real, and the whole situation is manufactured, but I still have that knowledge stored away. As fun as a moment like that is, it can’t hide the fact that this film, while enjoyable to an extent like them all, is seriously over-stuffed and dull at many occasions.


In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past decade, this is next and penultimate installment in the wildly popular Harry Potter franchise, with the final continuation being released next summer. The light magic world is all but disappeared now, Hogwarts is not even visible here, as Harry, Ron and Hermionie have abandoned school studies in order to find a way to destroy the evil Lord Voldermort.


I wish I could go deeper into what happens in the film, but ultimately it doesn’t really matter. All the film is leading up to the final and epic climax, and while there’s some nice moments of action and tender scenes, a lot of it feels like fan service and useless to the benefit to the overall narrative. If given the choice between remaining extremely faithful to the text or taking liberties with the source material in order to make a crisper film, I’d choose the latter. The screenplay by long-time Potter scribe Steve Cloves is noble and good intentioned, but it fills the movie with many laborious scenes that drag on too much.


David Yates returns as the director, and he shows much of the improvement he made upon himself in the last film, my favorite in the franchise so far. Yates does his best to deliver good on some really exciting action sequences that find the right notes of suspension and excitement. Even in the more quiet moments, he tries to find a somber tone that can pay off on the emotions, and he does that for the most part. The dullness that exudes on so many scenes are not entirely his fault (they were his fault in Order of the Phoenix), but even he can’t save the mess this time.


Other than Yates, I’d put the acting as the real reason this film has any kind of success. We’ve watched Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson grow into these roles for many years, and it’s comforting to see them be able to maintain a genuine, dramatic portrayal. Radcliffe is really fantastic, and I was quite amazed at how he was able to take a character known so well and still put forth a performance that feels fresh and riveting. In complete honesty, if he can keep the same key for the next film, I’d harbor serious award consideration for him. Watson also is lovely in her role, and Grint, while always the most limited one of the trio, gives his Ron a bit more drama to cling onto. Not much more else to speak of on the supporting players (this one’s really about the kids), and the only real standout is a hammy Helena Bonham Carter who I am convinced brought her own clothes and hairstyling to the set.


Even though I’ve been cooler on some of the Harry Potter films than others, I’ve always ended up recommending them. I can’t quite go that distance with this one because it’s only half of a film, and it will more than likely end up being the weaker half. There’s just too much stuffed in here in order to please fans begging for an adaptation slavishly devoted to its source material (didn’t work out too well for Watchmen either). Still, some well conceived scenes here and there, along with some strong central performances pull it out of the gutters entirely. When the final conclusion comes along next summer, I’m sure I’ll join the chorus of praise. Until then, I remain somewhat silent.


B-



Stuck in the Middle With You


Those who know me well know that my affection for filmmaker Danny Boyle is pretty high. Even though I wasn’t completely over the moon for his last film, I still thoroughly enjoyed it, as well as his efforts. As I’ve repeatedly said, Danny Boyle is a man who can film cows grazing for an hour and a half and make it cinematically interesting. That crude example is put to the test with this film. No, it’s not about grazing cows, but it has a premise that is just as immobile: a guy literally stuck between a rock and a wall. However, leave it to Boyle to take that premise and turn it into an exciting and emotional journey that is to be surely remembered.


Some might remember, about seven years ago, a hiker named Aron Ralston who fell in an off-the-beaten-path canyon in Utah when a boulder fell on him. The rock pinned his right hand against the canyon wall, cutting off circulation as well as his ability to move from any other position except standing upright next to the boulder. Ralston was stuck there for five days before finally resorting to amputating his arm to escape.


The real-life Ralston may have conquered mountains, ice tops, mudslides and death itself, but the one obstacle he couldn’t overcome was literature. His memoir Between a Rock and a Hard Place, which the film is based on, is not the most eloquent piece, arbitrarily going back and forth from his past to his present entrapment with very little artistic flourish. Boyle and Slumdog Millionaire writer Simon Beauofy have taken that source and vastly improved upon it. They present a quick story that doesn’t linger too much on exposition, indulges in flashbacks only when provoked, and keeps tight on the much deserved focus, that of the main character. It’s not the most flashy script out there, but it treats its situation with genuine reality.


Still, it is Boyle who makes the great stride here, as his kinetic energy is put to good use, constantly keeping the audience involved in a story that has the potential to turn static. Boyle’s hyped-up, ADD presentation is much appreciated here, and he knows how to spin quite an interesting tale. Some might see this as overcompensating for a story that doesn’t go anywhere, but I’d say it’s more of a reflection of the character’s motives, and I feel they are justified. Boyle can be flamboyant, but he always finds a way to make it work, and this is certainly no different.


A film like this lives or dies on the casting, and whoever steps up for the role better be prepared for a very close proximity. We get very close to James Franco here, and he solidly delivers the best performance of his career. He’s been impressing me for a while now, but here, he’s simply fantastic. There’s not a moment of doubt in his portrayal, and he sells every emotional beat of this character. He captures the cockiness in the beginning well (maybe a bit too well), and then feels so believable as he brakes down in the canyon. It’s a marvelous job that I hope lands him a well deserved Oscar nomination, overdue anyway for his performance in Milk.


I could say that I thought the beginning of the film was a bit rocky (no pun intended), but even that minor hiccup started to feel like it flowed with the rest of the film later on. It can be a tough movie to sit through, but it’s worth it to find something that’s as wonderful as this. Franco’s performance is superb, Boyle’s kinetic direction is enthralling, and the whole thing delivers as an emotional roller-coaster that manages to haunt endearingly. It’s certainly one of the best films of the year, and I hope others can take note of it as well.


A