Explorations

Brief Review: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly (1966)
Directed by Sergio Leone
***1/4

Several years ago, I watched Leone's great film Once Upon a Time in the West. A wise friend told me that, as far as Westerns are concerned, I should quit while I'm ahead. Well, since I like Leone films a lot, I thought I'd give the rest of them a fair shake. This one, set during the Civil War (but filmed in Italy, of course), follows the three dudes of the title through their various trouble-makings and down to an impressive finale. The only problem is that it takes 3 hours to get there, when trimming all the fat out (read: slow, boring parts) would have taken about an hour off. Clint Eastwood is awesome, much better than in Dirty Harry, and in true Leone fashion, the film has its fair share of cool, tense and funny moments. With something this sprawling, though, it may only be worth it for loyal Leone-ites.

Brief Review: Dan in Real Life

Dan in Real Life (2007)
Directed by Peter Hedges
***3/4

Take fabulous writer-director Hedges (of What's Eating Gilbert Grape? and Pieces of April fame). Add a great soundtrack, with the whimsy of Juno's but even better. A dash of the unexpected. Like, say, Juliette Binoche, in a very funny role. And Steve Carell in a really good performance (note: I normally just tolerate the guy). This is the sort of thing that could easily become a family favorite. The tale: advice columnist Dan is a little lonely, since he's raising three daughters after their mothers' death. But cheer up! It's the time of year to visit the big happy family of brothers and sisters. On his first day there, he just may have met the woman who can make everything work out OK again. Or has he? I think I might recommend this to anyone I've ever met. Or at least to you.

Brief Review: Paris, Je T'Aime

Paris, Je T'Aime (2007)
Directed by Olivier Assays, Emmanuel Benbihy, Gurinder Chadha, Sylvain Chomet, Joel & Ethan Coen, Isabel Coixet, Wes Craven, Alfonso Cuarón, Gérard Depardieu & Frédéric Aubertin, Christopher Doyle, Richard LaGravenese, Vincenzo Natali, Alexander Payne, Bruno Podalydès, Walter Salles & Daniela Thomas, Oliver Schmitz, Nobuhiro Suwa, Tom Tykwer & Gus Van Sant
***3/4

As you can tell from the director list, this is a collection of short films. And oh, what a collection it is! For sake of space, I can only hint at how great some of these are, like Tom Tykwer's fast-paced romance between an actress (Natalie Portman) and her blind boyfriend. Or an American tourist's (Steve Buscemi) conflicted experience in the Paris Metro. Sylvain Chomet (The Triplettes of Belleville) steps into live action - of a whimsical sort. An African man reminds his nurse that he loves her. A man decides to fall in love with his wife again. And Alexander Payne delivers what I think is a true masterpiece of short film, a narrated tale of a midwestern woman's eye-opening visit to Paris. There are some duds (notably Natali's vampire tale starring Elijah Wood and the next Bond girl!). But for the most part, Paris, Je T'Aime, je t'aime.

Brief Review: Gone Baby Gone

Gone Baby Gone (2007)
Directed by Ben Affleck
***1/4

This was so much better than I expected from Ben Affleck. I know that's a terrible way to start a review, but it's true. This film proves that Ben is a better director than most actors who try; it also proves he's a better director than he is an actor. The film has its flaws, to be sure. It's over-long, hits its climax about an hour before the end, and becomes a little too cynical for my taste. In the meantime, though, Ben directs his far-more-capable-as-actor brother Casey in another really strong performance. Casey plays a rookie missing persons detective, and he and his partner (Michelle Monaghan) are shocked when they're approached by a local family who wants them to work alongside the police to retrieve their kidnapped daughter. They're even more shocked when the mother is so trashy that they would almost prefer to find the girl dead. It's set in South Boston, so it's terribly profane. But it's also tense, atmospheric, and truly interesting. Encore?

Brief Review: George Washington

George Washington (2000)
Directed by David Gordon Green
***3/4

Sometimes, small-town life is so quiet, you can't even hear the anguish inside, or the hollow sound of a broken world. In this remarkable film, a group of children become our world for 90 minutes, and their joys, complicated friendships, and horrors become our own. For poor black kids and white trash alike, life is a beautiful mess in unnamed town that slowly creeps its way into decay. Gordon Green is one part Stand By Me and two parts Terrence Malick. This, his debut, was made on a miniscule budget, but rightly became a serious sensation. This, my friend, I highly recommend. It's not perfect, but maybe even better, it's good.

Brief Review: Damage

Damage (1992)
Directed by Louis Malle
***1/2

Writer-director Louis Malle is passionately interested in people. All of his films show it, whether they live with them in a boys' school (Au revoir les enfants) or sit down with them to dinner (My Dinner with Andre). This film, most appropriately titled a sexual thriller [why was this such a popular genre in the 90s?], explores the boundary between friendship and just-don't-do-that. That's the boundary that gets danced around by a British MP (Jeremy Irons) and his son's new, elusive girlfriend (Juliette Binoche). Yes, you read that correctly. The plot is - surprisingly - engaging and meaningful, the acting (also by Miranda Richardson) is really good, and the ending is devastating. Since sexuality is a significant plot element, this is not recommended for many. Choose wisely.

Brief Review: St Trinian's

St Trinian's (2007)
Directed by Oliver Parker & Barnaby Thompson
**3/4

When I was young, a family friend would babysit me from time to time, and one of our favorite movies to watch was a bizarre, hilarious movie called The Belles of St Trinian's. That nostalgia led us to see this modern "reimagining" — well, that, plus the chance to see Rupert Everett play a posh Englishman and his school-marm sister. Or was it to see Stephen Fry as a game show host? Or Colin Firth as the obviously flappable Minister of Education, who sets out to make an example of the lax standards and riotious behavior at St Trinian's. Of course, as we can see coming, the joke's on him. In the meanwhile, a similarly bizarre tale develops of a pack of wicked school girls, their devious ways, and the miraculous way the school was saved from bankruptcy.

Brief Review: 10 Things I Hate About You

10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
Directed by Gil Junger
***

Heath Ledger's first performance in an American film is also one of the many that rode that brief Shakespeare-in-modern-day wave. It's not great, but this high school update of The Taming of the Shrew does manage to be clever at times. It doesn't hurt that Ledger and late 90s discovery Julia Stiles have such great stage presence. Throw in a couple of lame but laughable side-plots, a story you know well, and a plot that gives you a couple surprises, and you have at least 10 reasons to like this movie. Keep in mind: that doesn't count as a guaranteed recommendation for all. I still know what film I'm talking about.

Brief Review: The Big Heat

The Big Heat (1953)
Directed by Fritz Lang
***1/2

What do you get when you take the director of M and put him in charge of a film noir? Well, sure, you get a tough cop who's all shook up, a hooker with a heart of gold, and a plot that's going to keep conning you until the end. You also get some true interest in characters, and a couple of scenes that are so un-1950s, they may have you jumping out of your seat. The plot? Oh, the plot. Good cop Dave Bannion is onto something - or someone. He's just about found the killer, when all of a sudden, he's getting the big heat from a whitewashed crime syndicate. After they beat his world to pieces, his best friend may just be Vince Stone's mistress. Tough-as-nails dialogue, Gloria Grahame and a young Lee Marvin are wonderful.

Brief Review: The Darjeeling Limited

The Darjeeling Limited (2007)
Directed by Wes Anderson
***1/2

Wes Anderson has managed to achieve that tricky balance between an assured creative style and a quirky unexpectedness. Each of his films is also a sort of search, which also seems to suit his style well. Here, in his most recent, the search becomes spiritual — sort of. Three brothers reunite on a train across India (where the film gets its title), but it's been a long time since they've seen each other, at least since their father's funeral. Loss, too, is an Andersonian theme, and the brothers' hilarious bantering, their aimlessness and attempts to find the meaning in their lives never quite cover up the fact that the reason for this trip has as much to do with what they've lost as what they hope to gain. These guys - Adrien Brody, Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, are a match made in comic heaven. Their timing is perfect, their antics are smile-inducing. I realize that Wes Anderson may be an acquired taste, but I loved this film.