Waltz with Bashir

Every once in a while, a film comes around that completely knocks you off your feet. Waltz with Bashir, the story of a man's exploration of his lost memories of the 1982 Lebanon War, is that film.

I firmly believe that the more complex a movie is, as long as it is in the right hands, the better it will be. The fact that Waltz with Bashir is not just a war movie is where I think its greatest power lies; it walks a tight rope, balancing between being a movie about war, a movie about survival, and a movie about memory.

I think what makes Waltz with Bashir really special is the medium in which it is done: animation. Animated films are usually, unfortunately, children's films and I think it is a waste of the medium. Because Waltz with Bashir is animated, the film is able to explore all the different memories and dreams of the different characters as vividly as desired. In fact, without animation this film would not be nearly as powerful and almost impossible to make.

I am not the biggest fan of political films because I feel that I always need a history lesson before watching them. When I first saw Waltz with Bashir when it was first released in the U.S. a couple years ago, I was completely ignorant of the 1982 Lebanon War and the Sabra and Shatila massacres and I was still able to follow the film without a hitch. This does not mean that the movie was in-your-face and redundant when discussing the historical events but rather had the references or moments trickle out for the audience until a more complete picture was formed.

Parent Watchability: Because of its subject matter, I would not advise watching it with young'uns but I do think it is a great movie that everyone should see eventually and definitely one to share with others.

Categories of Note:
Directing
Story/Originality of Story

You Might Also Like: Paradise Now, Das Boot, Apocalypse Now, Cache, I've Loved You So Long

Blame it on Fidel!

Very rarely do filmmakers make accurate movies about children, let alone a child trying to understand the constantly changing world around them. Usually, the films have children in them but are never as powerful as they might have intended to be because it is much harder to do what they are trying to do: have a story told through the child's eyes.

Blame it on Fidel! manages to accomplish which so many have been unable to do while also conquering heated political material. This film is the story of a privileged young girl in 1970s France whose life changes completely as her parents become increasingly more politically active and involved in socialism.

This movie works so well because of some truly strong performances, especially from the film's protagonist, and great choices made by the film's writer and director, Julie Gavas. The main character of the film, Anna, brilliantly played by Nina Kervel-Bey, tries to understand all of the changes occurring in her life as well as managing the frustration which these changes create. The confusion of the character is so well handled as she tries to balance her parents telling her to think for herself while also telling her what to believe. There is a great moment in the film when Anna is told about the importance of not being a sheep and being an independent thinker while her parents teach her the importance of group solidarity and Anna has to figure out the fine line between the two.

The choice to only show the film from Anna's perspective is a very good and thoughtful one as the audience doesn't jump ahead of her and it more accurately describes the incomplete pictures of the world we get as children and how we deal with it.

Parent Watchability: This is a really good movie to watch with parents as I think everyone can relate to the main character's struggle for understanding adult concepts that adults don't quite understand themselves. The younger folk might get bored or the film might fly over their heads.

Categories of Note:
Story
Direction
Acting

You Might Also Like: Persepolis, Amelie, Mary and Max, The Class

Paradise Now

Before I begin, I must thank my lovely advisor, Ms. de Grijs, and all of her infinite wisdom for suggesting this movie to me. Usually, I am not the biggest fan of political movies as I think that they usually limit themselves to that political message instead of expanding on humanity and the human condition. Also, the phrase "political thriller" is the biggest oxymoron to ever exist and too many films have been released with this tagline.

Paradise Now is not that way. This movie is definitely political but I think that it speaks on a much deeper level about responsibility and freedom. I started watching it not knowing exactly what it was about except that my teacher, whose heart belongs to the Middle East, really likes it. In fact, I actually thought that it was a comedy because there were genuinely funny moments. I think (and hope) that these moments were intentional in this film as Paradise Now gives a face, a rationale, and humanity to a group of people who have previously only been demonized and the humor in the film comes from the humanness of those moments. (My favorite moment involves an impassioned speech/goodbye until the character finds out he isn't being recorded. The moment turns genuine as he begins to understand fully what he's going to do and leaves the most heartfelt and touching message about water filters ever to exist.)

Paradise Now features solid performances which are completely necessary to make the film work and to give a voice to a little explored role. In order to see the humanity of these characters, they must not be portrayed as simply black or white, good or evil and this film does a great job of exploring the gray area of justice and freedom and how someone deals with the morality of fighting for these things. I began to understand the desperation of the characters' actions even though I do not agree with their choices.

Categories of Note:
Subject Matter
Acting
Cinematography

Parent Watchability: This is a great movie to share with others and will definitely inspire conversation. Because of the heaviness of the subject matter and the fact that its subtitled, you might want to avoid watching with children.

You Might Also Like: The Battle of Algiers, Blame it on Fidel

Brick

It might be the fact that I am graduating from high school and feeling nostalgic, but I am reviewing another movie set in high school... well, sort of. This movie takes all thats characteristic of noir films and throws it into high school (which I love because other than lockers and a police captain-like vice principal, there is nothing high school about it).

When I was telling a family member that I was going to review Brick next, he paused for a moment and said, "Yeah, I saw that a while ago... It's got a great plot, and cast, and dialogue... Now that I come to think of it, it has a great everything. I can't remember not liking one aspect of it." I think that sums Brick up perfectly; it's a great film but also very subtle which I think is it's biggest strength as a noir. When you think about it, you remember one aspect of the movie and then the flood gates open with all the different facets that make Brick good.

Brick follows a kid named Brendan who, after a cryptic call from his ex-girlfriend, navigates the underworld of high school trying to figure out what has happened to her. This film has an Inferno-like quality to it as the protagonist must go deeper and deeper into the different bizarre sects of high school to get to the truth.

The reason a noir of this caliber works in a high school setting is because it, like Heathers, does not look down on its characters (and audience) and make them behave like children; on the contrary, they all act like hardened adults. Brick's setting in high school makes the movie play on a deeper level. The whole film acts as an metaphor for the brutality of high school and how kids view everything as life or death situations, except in Brick, it is life or death. I've seen people criticize the film for its melodrama, but it's definitely there for a reason and they're kind of missing the point. One, because all noir films have those cliched moments and two, because high school is completely melodramatic.

My favorite thing about Brick has to be the dialogue. There is this insane flow and almost poetic rhythm to it that feels like it lies somewhere between Shakespeare and hip-hop. Exposition is always hard and, when done poorly, tends to be boring and breaks the pace of the film and noirs are bound to be chock-full of it but the whip-fast delivery always makes Brick exciting to watch. The superb casting of Brick also makes difficult, full-bodied dialogue seem effortless and natural.

The mark of a good score is that you don't notice it until after a couple of viewings when you're looking for details; it's meant to enhance the viewing not distract the viewer. Brick's score is absolutely perfect in this sense as most people I talk to who have watched it don't really remember, and even now I can remember only the gist of it, but do remember the darker tone of the movie and I think the inventive score definitely contributes to that.

Categories of note:
Dialogue
Score
Cinematography
Direction
Cast

Parent Watchability: There is some violence, but it has this cartoon quality which I completely love. But, violence is violence so I would avoid watching with the younger ones.

You Might Also Like: Assassination of a High School President, The Brothers Bloom, Old Boy, Elephant, Blue Velvet

The Secret in Their Eyes

I am actually shocked that I have not written about this film yet. I know that there is this holy grail quest for the "perfect movie" and there have been arguments and discussions, all probably very heated, on the merits of candidates for this elusive title. I am probably making a huge mistake in doing this, but here I go, very timidly I might add, and present to you my "perfect movie."

I think that it has all the aspects that a perfect movie should have. This film strikes an incredible balance with its tone (it's a drama but it has definitely comedic moments; it's a romance and an unrequited love story; it's a mystery; it's a thriller; it's political), it has a lot of heart and works with thematic giants, it's beautifully directed and acted, it's cinematically stunning...

It's hard not to wax poetic about this movie because I could go on and on. It is also hard not to give anything away because all I want to do is rant about the different layers of the film, the characters and their choices, those final two scenes... I must refrain.

The fact that I don't want to reveal too much about TSITE is because when I saw it, I was with my father and we had no idea what we were walking into. This act of blindness was probably the best choice we could have ever made because the whole movie was open to us without any preconceived notions of what was going to happen and what story was being told.

Without getting to specific, I'm going to try to express how amazing I think this movie is. Because TSITE deals with so many complex themes and subjects, it could have easily become a cinematic mess but the subtle and very real performances by the cast worked perfectly with and balanced the plot. As this story takes place in memory, in the 1970s, and in current day, the cinematography does a brilliant job portraying the differences in each time frame. The score mirrors the sentimentality of our protagonist when needed and the lack of score in some places is brilliant.

Categories of Note:
Acting
Direction
Cinematography
Score
Subject Matter/Themes
Plot

Parent Watchability: There is violence in this film so avoid watching with younger kids. This movie is a great subject for conversation with other family members and it's much more enjoyable if you watch it with others and are able to discuss it afterwards.

You Might Also Like: The Motorcycle Diaries, The Class, Waltz with Bashir, Cache, Oldboy

Heathers

I have a soft spot for teen comedies. I should rephrase this: I have a soft spot for good teen comedies. But how can I tell whether a teen comedy is good or not? I think the secret lies in whether or not it talks down to its target audience: me (and teenagers).

When this movie was released, it came out of left field. Winona Ryder had only just been in BeetleJuice and Christian Slater was pretty much an unknown. Actors and studios were avoiding this movie like the plague while it was being made because of its contraversial subject matter. No one thought it would be as successful as it was considering it is one of the darkest of the dark teen comedies.

Heathers looks at everything that plagues teenagers- suicide, alienation, parents, friends, school, sexuality- and blows it up (no pun intended) in your face. No subject goes unchecked. While this might seem like the most depressing movie ever, Heathers handles these subjects with sensitivity but also with biting wit and awesome slang and dialogue.

At no point does Heathers talk down to teenagers; it doesnt belittle teen problems. Instead, it says, "What the hell are you thinking? This is what is important to you?" It also doesn't act as if teens cannot make fun of their own problems and recognize the satire. Heathers doesn't dumb down its dialogue or ignore character development.

I believe that this is where the success lies in making a good movie whose target audience is teenagers: acknowledging that kids are not total boneheads and are capable of recognizing our pitfalls, even if only for ninety minutes. Some of my other favorite movies intended for a teen audience are movies that my older sister and brother, as well as mother and father, love, too. If you make a smart movie that happens to be about teenagers, at the end of the day, it will still be a smart movie. Heathers is a smart movie. I think the fact that it has not been forgotten speaks to its intelligence.

Parent Watchability: This movie is probably more enjoyable with friends. Avoid viewing with tots because of its dark subject matter and there might be some shady moments which could make you uncomfortable when watching with parents.

Categories of Note:
Dialogue

You Might Also Like: Pretty Persuasion, Mean Girls, Easy A, American Psycho, Clueless, Rushmore, Beetlejuice, Drop Dead Gorgeous, Election, The Rules of Attraction

The Fall

I should preface this post by saying that I have suggested this film to others with mixed reviews. While some people absolutely loved it and went out and bought it on DVD immediately, others panned it (for reasons I cannot say I completely understand). Nevertheless, I do believe that everyone should see The Fall because of its cinematic beauty and ode to storytelling, childhood, and innocence.

When I say this movie is stunning, it's a complete understatement. Tarsem Singh, the director, shot in over 20 countries and used no CGI for the settings. This statement doesn't do the film justice as The Fall is absolutely beautifully shot and you won't understand until you see it.

Unfortunately, the cinematography is also one of the factors that caused dislike in critics. Some accused The Fall of being one very pretty, but very long music video. While Tarsem is a very accomplised music video director, I feel that this comment is undeserved for this movie. It has a lot of heart and courage and these qualities only become stronger in my mind when I saw Singh's other film The Cell.

While The Fall does not deserve being called a long music video, I have a hard time ignoring that comment while watching The Cell. It might have been the casting, which was very poor, but whenever Jennifer Lopez was on screen I kept waiting for "Jenny from the Block" to start playing in the background. Because Tarsem's style is so visually rich, when you have a pop star on screen, everything starts looking like a music video. Cinematography, while important, should serve a purpose in the film but should never take a backseat to story. In The Fall, the cinematography enhances the storytelling and imagination because there is an important story being told. The Cell only has its cinematography.

So why does The Fall work while The Cell flounders? I think you can chalk it up to better material which leads to better performances. The Fall was perfectly cast with Lee Pace and new-comer Catinca Untaru and Singh and Pace went to great lengths to get a genuine performance out of Untaru. (Pace plays a paraplegic stunt-man and in order for the young Untaru to give a sincere performance, Pace and Singh told Untaru as well as the rest of the cast and crew that Pace lost his ability to walk in a motorcycle accident.)

Also, the subject matter and characters in The Fall strike a deeper chord than a serial killer thriller and show much more maturity from Singh. The audience isn't given much time with the characters in The Cell and anything important about them is revealed randomly and unnaturally throughout the movie or haphazardly hinted at. The Fall is much more gradual with character development, keeping the audience from having a "where did that just come from?" moment that were so frequent in The Cell. The Fall also covers childhood and the loss of innocence, themes that are as old as time, with a fresh perspective using two characters who are foils of one another, one very innocent and happy and one tainted by disappointment, to explore the process of growing up.

Parent Watchability: This movie is definitely family friendly and a really nice movie to share and discuss with others. There is violence and it does have scary moments so you might want to take heed before sharing it with younger kids.

Categories of Note:
Acting
Directing
Cinematography

You might Also Like: Pan's Labyrinth, Amelie, The Secret in Their Eyes