Smart People

This movie is awful. Having watched it recently, the plot is already almost forgotten - something about a curmudgeonly (but not very old) widower and professor; his prudish, pedantic, annoying daughter; a nurse; and a lazy bum of a brother. While such a combination of characters seems like a fail-proof concoction for fun and exciting scenarios, somehow it completely misses. There may be one or two amusing quips, but for the most part the dialogue is flat. A dry, offbeat feel is striven for but not obtained, and overall it seems to have been a poor attempt at mimicking the more entertaining film The Squid and the Whale.

BOOOOOOOO!
1 out of 5
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Plot: 1
Imagery: 1
Originality: 1
Soundtrack: 1
Overall: 1

King of California

What a horrible little slice of Americana! A teenager, abandoned by her mother and with a father on a funny farm, works full time at McDonald's instead of going to school. The daughter's routine is disrupted by her father's release. He has become obsessed by the idea that there is a Spanish explorer's long lost treasure buried somewhere near their suburban Californian home. The daughter's initial skepticism fades to enthusiasm for her father's crazy quest as he researches and spends his time roaming with a mental detector. Eventually they decide they'll find it under Costco. The daughter secures a job there, gets her hands on some keys, and in the middle of the night they drill their way into a disaster. This trashy glimpse of dream crazed America, in its shallow plot, unconvincing and depressing pretext left us with a feeling of having wasted our time more than wariness of the future. Not convincing but at least a little creative with a decent original soundtrack.

Um?
2 out of 5
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Plot: 2
Imagery: 1
Originality: 2
Soundtrack: 3 Buy the: soundtrack Download the: soundtrack
Overall: 2

Che: Part 1

A film about Che could easily be terrible. The image of the Latin American revolutionary is as ubiquitous as those of Jesus Christ, Chairman Mao, and Colonel Sanders, although the only thing it really represents these days is the power of commercialism to milk anything, no matter what its origin. Thankfully, perhaps because his likeness is so saturated and separated from its namesake, it is now possible to look back and see where that image came from. The first half of Steven Soderberg's historical film, which follows Che's involvement in the Cuban revolution (beginning with his fateful meeting of Castro) avoids the traps of glorification and glamorization. It is refreshingly subdued and un-Hollywood. The film's rhythm is as quick and syncopated as the snippets of Cuban drum beats that occasionally appear, never lingering long enough on the face of Che or personal facts for him to bloat into a vague symbol - in fact, the camera tends to keep a distance from him, careful to allow his surroundings and companions to play their parts. In a sense it is not so much about one man as the movement in which he played a vital role. The story of the revolution is interspersed with flash-forwards to Che's 1964 visit to New York as Cuban delegate to the United Nations; his speeches at that meeting, along with an interview, reveal his already gaining celebrity (if not notoriety) and provide framing insights into the questionable rationale of violent revolution.

FUN TO WATCH
4 out of 5
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Plot: 4
Imagery: 4
Originality: 4
Soundtrack: 4
Overall: 4

Rescue Dawn

Werner Herzog's venture into Hollywood is an extension of his documentary Little Dieter Needs to Fly, which retold the story of a German-born American pilot who was shot down over Laos before the Vietnam War "officially" started. While in the documentary Herzog had the real Dieter return to the place of his capture and relive his terrifying experiences, Rescue Dawn employs high-paid actors. It is still undeniably Herzog, however, full of brutality, tension, and realism (Herzog is famous for doing anything to achieve the desired effect). While trailers of the film show a great deal of explosions and excitement, the film itself mostly portrays a group of malnourished captives whispering their plans for escape. After crashing in the jungle, Dieter is taken to a camp where he meets other prisoners, some of whom are steadily descending into madness. Little Dieter Needs to Fly offers a little more insight into the man and his peculiar mind, but the dramatization is an unsensationalized study of madness, hunger, and the limits of human endurance - some of Herzog's favorite themes.

WORTH WATCHING
3.5 of out 5
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Plot: 3
Imagery: 4
Originality: 3
Soundtrack: 3
Overall: 3.5

Spirited Away

This film, framed with a standard child escapist scenario, is a stunning, inventive adventure from director Hayao Miyazaki. A young girl wanders from her parents (who are gorging themselves on food) and suddenly finds herself in a different, parallel world, full of bizarre creatures and mysterious happenings. Combining Peter Pan-like fantasy with Japanese lore, the world sprouting from Miyazaki's fertile imagination contains a healthy amount of oddity and grotesqueness. Certainly, the film may be seen simply as entertainment, but there is commentary behind the fantastical situations, as in the presence of a greedy, ghostlike No Name monster that will do anything for attention and then devour those who have fed its desire (The black hole of consumerism? A needy, lonely weird kid?). The girl is endangered by a witch/bath house manager who steals her employees' names (and thus their identities) binding them into her service - perhaps a good message for anyone entering into a dismal corporate career. The animation is excellent and the story manages to breathe life into the old, well-used plot of a child lost in an imaginary world.

Worth Watching
3.5 out of 5
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Plot: 3
Imagery: 4
Originality: 4
Soundtrack: 3 Buy the Spirited Away Soundtrack
Overall: 3.5

A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash

While the theme of this documentary is important, it offers nothing in the way of information or insight into our oil problems that couldn't be earned from a few minutes of reading or searching around the Internet. A great deal of time is spent trying to fuel fear - we use oil for a great number of things, and we'll sure be sorry when it's gone. The film gives a brief and scattered history of oil productions; a limited look at the relationship between oil, politics, and war; and a fruitless, half-assed introduction to energy alternatives. The handful of interviewees throw out endless statistics and numbers - but their point remains uncertain. In the end it is a propaganda film with an obvious goal of frightening people more than educating them - but, while it repetitively asserts a dire need to brace ourselves for the impending oil crash and the problems it will bring, it seems to suggest that there would be no problem if the world's oil supply was limitless; there is no mention of the environmental implications of burning fossil fuels and the fact that we need to readjust our consumptive lifestyles and restricted thinking regardless of how much oil exists. A better film would focus on the possibilities for alternative energy rather than trying to insight paranoia and panic.

Um?
2 out of 5
Buy this film: A Crude Awakening - The Oil Crash

Plot: 2
Imagery: 2
Originality: 2
Soundtrack: 2
Overall: 2

The Wrestler

Apparently this film is supposed to be impressive because its story of a broke-down, aging wrestler seeking redemption is very similar in theme to the real life of its broke-down star, Mickey Rourke. Hollywood may love rebirths, but what is so exciting about an actor playing himself - especially when that mutual character is a worthless goon? Of course, the wrestler's pain is the spectator's joy - but the concept of self-sacrifice is a bit far-fetched in this case. The wrestler, known as 'The Ram,' is scarred and smashed up twenty years after his big fight - since then it seems his life has gone steadily downhill, though he's still wrestling and signing autographs. A sudden disaster sends the steroid junkie reeling, and he makes a couple half-assed attempts to put his life back together: trolling after an aging, broke-down stripper who insists she isn't really a stripper; and attempting to win back his estranged, college-age daughter who doesn't want him in her life. Can you guess what happens?

In other words, the story is ludicrous. A general weirdness permeates the film, simply due to the subject matter and 'backstage' look at the pro wrestling world, and it is shot in a somewhat gritty, realist style (the camera often follows the Ram's back, like a documentary) - but none of this manages to redeem the failures of the uninspired plot and flat characters. In the end, its attempts at rawness and authenticity are undermined, and The Wrestler is essentially a merger of Rocky, a porno, and a WWE show - unnecessarily graphic, smutty, and contrived.

BOOOOOOOO!
Rating 1.5 out of 5
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Plot: 1
Imagery: 2
Originality: 2
Soundtrack: 1 The Wrestler
Overall: 1.5

Waltz with Bashir

This Israeli animated feature length documentary is the story of director, Ari Folman, a retired soldier, and his quest to fill in the gaps of his Lebanon Wartime memory. Haunted by a reoccurring vision of the aftermath of a massacre (Sabra and Shatila) and yearning to know if is based in reality, Folman dives into a series of interviews with friends, fellow soldiers and a reporter, all of whom were in Beirut at the time. The realistic animation lasts almost the entire film, providing the audience with insight into Folman's memories as they reform, surreal as they may seem, and the harsh, shadowy tones help to express the dark mood of the film. The only live footage, which plays for a few seconds at the conclusion of the story, is a powerful news clip of wailing mourners and piled bodies. Waltz with Bashir has been designated an anti-war film by Folman - with an original soundtrack that picks up the narrative, seamlessly filling in gaps between interviews, this robust story leaves little room for that message to be missed. All together an intriguing, courageous and entertaining film, tight enough that it doesn't have to explain much, instead allowing room for personal reflection and further questions.

Important
4 out of 5
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Plot: 3
Imagery: 4
Originality: 5
Soundtrack: 4 Waltz With Bashir Soundtrack
Overall: 4

Chop Shop

With shaky, raw camera work and non-professional actors, this independent film about a brother and sister struggling for an existence in a rough New York neighborhood definitely has an air of realism. But the very things that give it its edge may be its downfall - the acting is barely passable at times, and the story lacks a strong thread, perhaps limited by inadequate resources and talent. The subject matter is honest but not particularly original - a young, hardworking boy fends for himself in the big city, begging for work and selling candy on the subway until he manages to find odd work (and housing) at a chop shop. Soon his older sister comes to live with him and work in a taco truck, and the two of them dream up a solution to their dependency and poverty. Chop Shop offers a melancholic, candid look at a strained sibling relationship, but its potential for insight and emotional power is not quite fulfilled.

Worth Watching
3 out of 5
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Plot: 3
Imagery: 2
Originality: 2
Soundtrack: 3
Overall: 3

The Last King of Scotland

Instead of focusing on the atrocities perpetrated by the Ugandan regime of Idi Amin, this film tells the surreal story of a young Scottish doctor who unwittingly forges a relationship with the megalomaniac but charismatic dictator. Driven by rash idealism, the doctor abandons a family practice to work in the third world, by chance finding himself treating Amin, before long he is irreversibly entangled in the uncertain world of Ugandan politics and civil war. By avoiding graphic images of the genocide, or hardly referring to it most of the film, the viewer experiences the Scotsman's amazingly limited understanding of the situation around him. While surely altered and magnified by Hollywood, the premise of this story is intriguing, and Forrest Whitaker successfully brings to life the infamous Amin's childish insanity.

Worth Watching
3 out of 5
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Plot: 3
Imagery: 3
Originality: 3
Soundtrack: 3
Overall: 3

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story of the same name opens with the following image: "Wrapped in a voluminous white blanket, and partially crammed into one of the cribs, there sat an old man apparently about seventy years of age. His sparse hair was almost white, and from his chin dripped a long smoke-colored beard, which waved absurdly back and forth, fanned by the breeze coming in at the window." The filmmakers who adapted Fitzgerald's tale either completely missed that passage, or deliberately decided to ignore the absurd tone it set so well. The film version frames the real story by placing it within the ludicrous plot of a dying woman revealing a long-held secret to her daughter. Instead of embracing the obviously silly nature of the premise, that of a person being born as an old man and growing young, the film attempts to use it as a vessel for cliche life lesson after cliche life lesson. The major mistake was choosing drama over comedy - it would have been more effective to cast a bumbling Will Ferrell type in place of Brad Pitt.

Um?
2 out of 5
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Buy the original story: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Other Jazz Age Stories

Plot: 2
Imagery: 2
Originality: 1
Soundtrack: 1
Overall: 2

Standard Operating Procedure

Errol Morris's newest documentary is an effort to shed some light on the infamous Abu Ghraib scandal, in which American soldiers stationed at the prison photographed themselves and others engaging in 'questionable' tactics with the Iraqi prisoners. Relying heavily on the actual still photographs, this film is more visually disturbing than Morris's The Fog of War, but it likewise tries to achieve an understanding of incidents that until now have been seen mostly through the popular media. Interviews with soldiers, supervisors, a military advisor, and others collectively retell the story of the abuses, but also call into question the military's 'handling' of the situation (coverup) and its double standards with regard to acceptable behavior. It is difficult to sympathize with some of the convicted soldiers, as their actions seem to have been the result of extreme ignorance, stupidity, and disregard for human life - but one must remember that soldiers are trained to exhibit those very qualities, and the film attempts to show their actions in light of the horrific conditions of Abu Ghraib. One of the more outrageous aspects of the scandal, which is not examined too deeply in the film, is the military's ambiguous distinction between a 'criminal act' and 'standard operating procedure,' where the given examples of both, to my mind at least, seemed undoubtedly criminal. It gives the impression that the military's attitude is that anything goes until someone finds out - so the only thing that separates these Abu Ghraib soldiers from others all over Iraq is that their photos went public, not that their behavior was abnormal. It is a glaring example of the superficial 'self-correction' that is so typical of corporations or hierarchical systems such as the military: even though orders had been given, however unclear, it was the bottom level participants who took the fall, while other guilty parties were never even mentioned, let alone incriminated. For a more in-depth experience, Morris collaborated on a book of the same name.

WORTH WATCHING
3.5 out of 5
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Plot: 3
Imagery: 3
Originality: 3
Soundtrack: 3
Overall: 3.5

Army of Shadows (L'Armee Des Ombres)

This semi-fictional Jean-Pierre Melville film about the French underground resistance and their struggles against Nazi occupation during WWII, originally released in 1969, was not made available to foreign, English speaking audiences until 2006 (hence its placement on many critics' top ten films of that year). Army of Shadows, though perhaps a bit long (in shots and story), is worth watching for a number of reasons, including - but not limited to - bowler-topped heroes, sadistic humor, no irrelevant cuts, and historical significance. In other words, this film is well directed, well acted, and well edited with a compelling storyline, which is much more than can be said for most contemporary cinema. One scene stands out as particularly demonstrative: After escaping the clutches of his Gestapo interrogators, the protagonist runs down the curfew emptied street, ducking into the first lit establishment he finds himself in a barber shop. He asks for a shave and a painfully quiet, slow scene unfolds. As an audience member you find yourself in uneasy anticipation, uncertain if he'll survive, flinching with each pass of the razor scraping over his throat. Army of Shadows is well done and worth the hype - a not to be missed piece of French cinematic history.

IMPORTANT!
4 out of 5
Buy this film: Army of Shadows - Criterion Collection

Plot: 4
Imagery: 4
Originality: 4
Soundtrack: 3
Overall:4

In the Electric Mist

Tommy Lee Jones once again plays a tough, sharp-tongued cop in this Southern mystery, in which a prostitute found dead in the Louisiana swamp somehow connects with a murder that Jones' character witnessed decades before. There is absolutely no suspense in this film, as it is quite clear that every problem that arises can easily be solved by a few quick elbows, gunshots, or whacks with a baseball bat. The characters, who run the gamut from stereotypical poor black people to stereotypical rich white people, deliver their lines as though they're being whispered into the other ear moments before, and a cameo by blues man Buddy Guy backfires due to his unbelievable lack of soul while away from a guitar. Jones is occasionally visited by the ghost of a wisdom-spouting Confederate general, whose enigmatic presence just made us wish we were watching Wayne's World 2 instead. The film never hesitates to throw in reminders of the tragic Hurricane Katrina, but meanwhile portrays the south as an ignorant, corrupt wetland not worth saving.

BOOOOOOOO!
Rating 1 out of 5
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Plot: 1
Imagery: 1
Originality: 1
Soundtrack: 1
Overall: 1

Vitus

Vitus, a Swiss film about a young genius and his struggles to accept his unique situation, was a nice surprise. Instead of getting too bogged down in the pressures of expectations the film follows a triumph of wills and though certain scenes are a bit slow the plot moves fluidly through the two hours with enough twists to keep it interesting. The clearest comparison is to Wes Anderson's Rushmore - the young outcast prodigy protagonists of both films are in love an older woman and generally view adults as ridiculous - but the films differ in style. Vitus leans more on the realistic and serious with real piano virtuosos playing the roles of young and preteen Vitus, while Rushmore with Jason Schwartzman is partial to ironic humor. The talent of the young actors alone would make Vitus worthwhile but the story pulls its own weight and is worthy of your time.

Worth Watching
3 out of 5
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Plot: 3
Imagery: 3
Soundtrack: 3 Buy the Vitus Soundtrack
Originality: 3
Overall: 3

Eldorado

The basic premise of this low budget film is not particularly original or compelling, but it manages to escape the cliches of road trip discovery stories thanks to its subtlety and roughness. When a lonely mechanic comes home to find a burglar hiding within his house, he spares the deadbeat, cowardly intruder and tries to send him on his way, only to wind up driving him all the way to his destination. The story unfolds into a road voyage through the Belgian countryside (which, based on its landscape and lifeless pit stops, could easily be mistaken for some desolate section of the American middle), where the two encounter a series of odd characters who assist them in various ways. The film never shows too much, gives space to important emotional moments, and uses sometimes raucous, sometimes eerie music (from reverb-heavy surf guitar to Devendra Banhart) to compliment the dark, wet forests and empty farmlands through which they travel. Despite the string of bizarre occurrences and strange - if not demented - characters, the film is surprisingly real and honest - a refreshing escape from the mass of sentimental, false-hope-laced productions out there.

WORTH WATCHING
3.5 out of 5
Buy this film: Eldorado

Plot: 3
Imagery: 3
Originality: 4
Soundtrack: 3
Overall: 3.5

Burn After Reading

It is clear that there is no message in this film - that is, it is a closed bit of pure entertainment, not meant to provoke or inspire. That's not a condemnation, because it never presents itself as anything different. A couple Coen brothers veterans (George Clooney, Frances McDormand) mix with other Hollywood big names (Brad Pitt as an obnoxious gym employee) to assemble a ridiculous cast of characters whose collective idiocy drives this story of betrayal and mishap along. This film lacks the sinister atmosphere of No Country for Old Men and Fargo; nor is it as brilliantly strange as The Big Lebowski. Within the beginning and final Earth zooms is a quirky, amusing tale with enough startling escapes from predictability to maintain interest - but after, as the title suggests, you may as well dispose of the memory.

WORTH WATCHING
3 out of 5
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Plot: 3
Imagery: 3
Soundtrack: 3
Originality: 3
Overall: 3

Honeydripper

Honeydripper is set in the 1950s in a small, fictional town called Harmony, Alabama where it is cotton picking season in the still segregated south. This simple story played out by unconvincing actors (headliner Danny Glover) in underdeveloped roles is almost so bad it's good. But not quite. The story line, about as original as Fruit Hoops cereal, of a music club that needs saving and a performance that saves it, has the potential to be made compelling by the obvious racial divides, but these relationships are instead glazed over. Between the bland emotions of the characters as they spout their flavorless and unrealistic lines, the camera shots held way too long, and the lack of any original ideas in the plot, this movie is one to skip. If you're in the mood for a musical drama watch The Blues Brothers instead.

BOOOOOOOO!
1 out of 5
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Plot: 1
Imagery: 2
Originality: 1
Soundtrack: 3 Honeydripper Soundtrack
Overall: 1

The Darjeeling Limited

India is undoubtedly the star of this film. The dilapidated landscapes, vibrant primary colors, clutter - even the music is mostly recycled from Bollywood pictures. Following on the heels of the weird maritime adventure The Life Aquatic, Wes Anderson's story of brotherhood and convalescence offers all of the same stylization but much less in the way of originality. The brief cameo by Bill Murray seems to be an admission that the film is lacking something desirable. Truthfully, I was much more intrigued by the hectic opening chase scene than the 'real' plot - that of three brothers from a wealthy family (who haven't been together for a whole year!) joining on an Indian train with a vague mission of healing. Owen Wilson plays his usual self, and Jason Schwartzman is a slightly older asshole than he was in Rushmore - the characters as a whole are much flatter than in Anderson's previous, quirky ensembles. Nevertheless, Darjeeling is a pleasure to the eyes, and has its moments of redemption, thanks in part to good production but also due to the setting.

WORTH WATCHING
3 out of 5
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Plot: 3
Imagery: 3
Originality: 3
Soundtrack: 4 The Darjeeling Limited
Overall: 3

The Counterfeiters

This partly factual German film focuses on a master counterfeiter (of currency, passports, and seemingly anything else) who finds himself detained and thrust into a Nazi concentration camp during WWII. The cunning protagonist manages to secure himself a position as a camp artist, which frees him from the grueling labor and affords him special privileges. He is transfered to a new camp where he is forced to use his illicit skills - along with a group of other prisoners - for the benefit of his captors. A bit of unsteady camera work lends a slightly more organic, unsettling feel than other Holocaust films (not that the experience of mass genocide is something that can be, or should be desire to be, reproduced). Even so, the film assumes the viewer is somewhat familiar with the Holocaust, focusing less on the misery of life in the camps and more on the struggles between fellow prisoners, their taxing moral dilemma, and their unprecedented attempts at mass forgery.

WORTH WATCHING
Rating 3.5 out of 5
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Plot: 3.5
Imagery: 3
Originality: 3.5
Soundtrack: 2
Overall: 3.5