Thirst (2009)

You don’t have to be a vampire movie buff to enjoy, Thirst. The story had a great set up. A priest volunteers to develop a vaccine for a community affected by a deadly virus. He repeats throughout the movie that he just wanted to help people, to do good things. But he contracts the virus and is given a transfusion, apparently infected by vampire blood. Now he is able to continue living with the virus rather than die like the 500 others. The change brings about typical vampiric desires that even his priestly guilt cannot keep at bay. For the first time in his life, the priest makes love and falls in love with a woman named Tae-ju. Together they commit a heinous act. While he thinks he’s helping Tae-ju, he is also satisfying his new found thirst. Haunted by their guilt, they begin to see and feel things that cannot be real. Will their guilt absolve them?

There have been many vampire stories that tackle the guilt issue. Vampire characters, especially in recent history, do not let go of their humanity completely. Good men become more human-like vampires and bad characters make more monstrous ones. This film wrestled with questions of the very existence of evil.

In life, people commit evil acts, but, unless their psychotic, they will feel remorseful or be disgusted by these acts; or, at the least, they feel sorry for the consequences they face. In this world, vampires, like humans, are complicated creatures. They are animals who act on instinct, but they are not missing that which makes them laugh, cry and love the same as any human. This to me is not evil. It is life reacting to its environment, the same as it might have a hundred thousand years ago.

In Thirst, the priest later receives absolution, but I asked myself why. His faith demanded it. But I do not believe he thought God would forgive him for everything. He was too smart to think it would be that simple. Why then, wouldn’t you give in to your monster? Why did his human part wrestle with it, trying to keep it at bay, if he could not go to heaven? I think perhaps we as humans deserve some credit. Maybe we try not to hurt people for the simple reason that we do not want them to hurt. We don’t need faith or consequences for that.

There were some pretty graphic sex scenes. Tae-ju enjoyed pain, and even inflicted it upon herself. The priest was uncontrollably aroused by her pain and pleasure. I’m not sure if these scenes were made to scare us for the lack of control and vulnerability, or if they were made to display more of their animalistic behavior. Perhaps it was a bit of both… immorality presenting itself as a thing that cannot be controlled, and the consequences of her actions when she allows it to enrapture her.

At one point, before making love, the priest tells Tae-ju that he is evil. That she will go to hell. She responds, “I won’t go to hell because I have no faith.” Tae-ju felt she was beyond consequence. And perhaps she did not go to hell, but she would eventually face the consequences here on earth.

Directed by Park Chan-wook (Oldboy, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, and Lady Vengeance), you will see some awesome shots typical of this master filmmaker. Horror film directors would be wise to learn to use his crooked tracking shots that provide viewers with obscurity and a loss of control. The use of white to exaggerate blood splatter is also fantastic. High contrast makes for edgier scenes. Who needs the shaky cam tricks or sudden loud noises when you watch a story unfold through the eyes of Park Chan-wook?

Zombies Live!

There must be some kind of virus spreading, because we just can't get enough of the walking, flesh-eating dead.  A zombie cop takes revenge on his murderer in "R.I.P.D,"  currently filming in Boston, my source tells me, for a 2013 release date.  Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges are listed as leads on IMDb.  After some research (in other words, I googled it), I found that this film is based on a Dark Horse comic book written a decade ago.  Two more comic-based zombie flicks on the horizon are "Boyscouts vs Zombies," and "Zombies vs Robots," both sure to be crowd pleasers for comic book and zombie fans alike.

Rare is the horror film without sequels.  In the next couple years, we can look forward to a few good ones.  "Zombieland" returns in 2013.  This was a hit for the mainstream crowd, with lots of laughs to compliment the bloodsplatter, and a pretty outstanding cast.  No word on IMDb of this sequel's cast, but I'm hoping Jessie Eisenberg returns as the nerdy antihero, Columbus, Ohio.  "28 Months Later" (what else would it be called), is also set to be released in 2013.  So far they've used different writers and directors for this series, however, I was impressed by how the second film's director, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo kept the "the infected", and the film's unique style, consistant with the first film.  I'd like to see him direct this one as well.  Finally, there's "REC- 3," which I imagine will be as good as the first two. 

 There are two new zombie films coming out that were based on novels, each with it's own spin on classic romance.  "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" made the New York Times Best Sellers list in 2009. It retold the classic Jane Austen story, but with zombies, of course.  As a fan of both, I cannot miss this one. 

The one I'm really looking forward to is "Warm Bodies," based on the novel by Isaac Marion.  It's creatively told from the point of view of a zombie who falls for his victim's girlfriend.  These are the kind of zombie stories I want to see.  If it's possible for a zombie to still have thoughts and feelings, what would he feel about his new afterlife?  What can he hope for other than where his next plate of brains will come from?  How does he feel about doing something that would've morally repulsed him in his pre-zombie life?  It reminds me of "Zombie Honeymoon," in which recently married Danny is unsuspectingly turned into a zombie and attempts to go on with his honeymoon plans.  For Denise, the pain of watching Danny's physical decomposition and loss of consciousness will not keep her from the man she loves.  The idea of a zombie and human match up is both hilarious and romantic, and it proves to me that they have not yet run out of plot lines for zombies stories.

Last Night

In the span of one night in which a young married couple spend apart, each contemplates love, loyalty and adultery in Massy Tadjedin's "Last Night." Michael, played by Sam Worthington, is tempted by an attractive coworker who relentlessly makes passes at him. Joanna, played by Keira Knightley, runs into an ex-lover who was never really forgotten.

The film begins at a poshy party for really hot people which, to my surprise, turns out to be a friend's wake. There, Joanna watches jealously as Michael interacts with his attractive coworker. After having realized this is the woman Michael has been traveling with on business, she accuses Michael being attracted to her. Michael assures her she has nothing to worry about. Then, the film cuts back and forth between Joanna and Michael in a match up of whose actions are most sinful, and we wait two hours to see if one or both will cheat.

At the hotel, Michael attempts to call Joanna a couple times, but cant reach her. Is he hoping for her to answer and give him strength against temptation, or is he looking for an excuse to have a nightcap with his sexy coworker? Back home in New York, Joanna is seemingly innocent when she has dinner with an ex-boyfriend, Alex, and his friends. As they spend the night pet sitting, party hopping, and discussing resentments about their past, Joanna discovers it was never really over for Alex. She quickly realizes there's no question about what's left between them, but that the real question is what she will feel about the choice she makes.

I'm a little on the fence with this film. It brought up some really good questions about relationships and commitment. However, while the dialogue was passionate, it was not without it's flaws. Dialogue in a drama that discusses real issues like this one should share secrets, open doors and develop it's characters. Instead, the viewer can only make assumptions based on the characters' present choices and actions... and some very obvious body language. Take this film for what it is, a sexy, almost romantic chick flick, and enjoy!

The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things

In the 2004 indie drama, "The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things," written, directed and acted by Asia Argento, a young boy, Jeremiah, is removed from his happy foster home to live with his young unstable biological mother, Sarah. Together they move from place to place, as his mother enjoys a life of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. As years pass, Jeremiah is verbally, physically and sexually abused by whomever his mother is sleeping with at the time, and we begin to see the damage this does to the young boy's psyche.

This story reaches a new level of dysfunction in the family. The disturbing images will replay in your head. The unconventional visual style and perhaps scattered and unique plotline were matched perfectly with an experimental, indie, semi-punk soundtrack that made the film so artistic, though some may find difficult to watch, especially considering the dark subject matter.

A strong preformance by Jimmy Bennett as young Jeremiah kept my eyes glued to the screen. In one scene, Jeremiah wears a blonde wig as Sarah applies make-up on both their faces, and they pose pinup-doll-style in front of the mirror. Moments later, young Jeremiah goes in the other room in his girly get-up to seduce his mother's boyfriend. The scene used mixed shots of mother and son, perhaps because the scene was too risque to be preformed by such a young actor. But it was implied that Jeremiah was the one seducing the grown man. When the man attempts to have sex with Jeremiah, Sarah walks in and, in a raging fit, kicks the boyfriend out and attacks her son. She is both jealous and angry and has no resources nor the mature intellect to handle the situation. Yet, the film allows us to feel the love Jeremiah feels for his mother, Sarah.

How will you feel about watching a mother's desperate need to be with her son one moment, and watching her place him in danger the next? It is this controversy that made it a difficult film for respectful critics to review. Fortunately, I am not a respectful critic, but a film lover, and I loved this film very much.

Blue Valentine

  I'm so glad that all these indie movies are playing at the bigger theaters. I know its because of the Oscar hype, but it gives a lot of my friends a chance to see movies they normally wouldn't. I guess the opportunity is always there with at least five independent movie theaters in the Boston area. But for some it wouldn't even occur to them that any of these movies are worth seeing. And to be honest, I enjoy the comfy seats, and large screens at the bigger cinemaplex.

"Blue Valentine" is a dark drama about a couple who have come to a point in their relationship where they are broken-hearted, empty shells going through the motions of life, doing what they must to survive in the same house. While Dean and Cindy go about their day, looking for their dog, fixing breakfast for their daughter, Frankie, and going to work, it seems they are living in separate worlds. Dean, hoping to go back to the time where he and his wife were still connected, makes plans for the two of them to spend the night at a sleazy theme hotel. It is there that the couple's exhausted emotions surface into a cold abyss of hurt feelings and resentment.

Throughout the night, as Dean tries to break away his wife's surface and force some type of intimacy between them and Cindy tries avoid Dean's touch, we are shown flashbacks of when the couple first met. The scenes are so beautiful and romantic that it makes the flash-forward that much more painful. How could they have lost so much in just a few years? It's like looking at a wedding photo album right after a divorce, which is exactly why I don't recommend seeing this film on a first date or if you're recovering from a break-up or divorce.

"Blue Valentine" is really amazing. It was real - not over dramatized. I loved their night in the "The Future Room."  It was so cold, like the inside of one of those 50's movie space crafts... everything tinted blue. The lighting reminded me of when the lights are turned on in a club.  After a night of drinking and sweating, things don't look so good anymore.  Well, there were no exceptions for these two beautiful young actors. It's nice to know they were willing to sacrifice vanity for good art. But this was just a small factor in the magnitude of the performances by Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling. I can't imagine how difficult some of these scenes would have been to film. They were difficult to watch.

I believe Michelle Williams and the writer/director, Derek Cianfrance, are both very worthy of Oscar nominations. However, I think there were bits of the dialogue that made me feel like it wasn't original enough to win for best screenplay.  As far as best actress and best director, well, I think the competition was just too tough this year. I don't think there have ever been so many best picture nominees in one year before. It should be an exciting show!

Winter's Bone

A young girl in search of her meth cooking deadbeat father is faced with some pretty tough obstacles at a pretty young age. Seventeen year old Ree must figure out how to save her home from foreclosure, feed her young siblings and track down her father in this dramatic mystery nior which takes place in the seedy sticks of the Ozark Mountain country in winter. When she discovers she'll lose her home if her father doesn't appear in court on drug distribution charges, Ree begins asking folks around town where she can find him. But things get tough when no one wants to talk. For a girl who feels so strongly about deserving the help she seeks, she sure doesn't get very far. And along the journey she learns that the obligations which have been handed to her by fait will mean a long term commitment. Winter's Bone is a sad story of social circumstance filled with wild characters true to the setting. These people continue to rely on hunting and fishing as its earliest settlers did. Country music, family and survival are all they live for. And they are surrounded by miles of dark, thick, invading woods. And out of these cold bitter woods are born cold-hearted bitter people.

I wasn't as crazy about this film as I was told I should be. Everything leading up to the climax was a little scary, however I felt the climax itself was intended for shock value. Have I just seen too many movies that I have been desensitized to the gruesome challenges of the hero? To be truthful, I think I simply didn't like the lead character. She was tough because of her situation, but not strong the way I would have liked her to be. She showed no real vulnerability, only demanding expectations. Ree was angry with her friend when she wouldn't lend her her husband's truck, but when the friend changed her mind, she replied something to the effect of, “I knew I could count on you, Sweetpea.” I suppose it was important to show how she learned to do what she needed to in order to survive. But that type of personality doesn't ask for a whole lot of sympathy, if you know what I mean. Overall, this was a pretty good movie, but not necessarily worth paying to see it in the theater.

The Kids Are All Right

There were a lot of good films this past year, and this was one of them. However, because there were so many really good films, I feel that this one will be forgotten by the next year, similar to some other films in its niche like “Lovely and Amazing,” “Junebug,” or “Savages.” These are all really good films with great performances. I might even go as far as to say they positively influence future filmmakers, a little. But they're not really profound or unforgettable. They're not the kind of films that someone would actually call their favorite. This story, like others in its category, found humor in everyday drama and tried to normalize the unconventional lifestyle, which is tiresome.

Now let me talk about what I loved about the film: Annette Bening and Julianne Moore. These women are beautiful, smart, and spirited, and they melded together perfectly. Their performance matched with the direction of the film made it seem these two women had known each other and loved each other for years. When Annette Bening's character, Nic, makes a discovery about her wife, every little emotion, expressed privately, is read with a look in her eye. Her pain has placed her inside a lonely bubble. Her ears have filled with silence and she's removed from her setting regardless of who surrounds her. This great little cinematic moment is thanks to great direction and great acting. And there are a few other moments like this one that made me appreciate the film and believe it is Oscar nomination worthy. Unfortunately, I think its competition is a little too tough this year to win best film. Not that this is what matters in the making of good movies, but I did title this little piece “Countdown to Oscars,” and so... there you have it!

Black Swan

Natalie Portman takes method acting to a whole new level in 2010's last minute Oscar push, "Black Swan". She's quite the actor, I must say. The role is brilliantly calculated, technical, psychological, primal and passionate, and Natalie unfolds and plucks out its layers one feather at a time. This is guaranteed to be one psychological thriller you have not seen before. And I wouldn't be surprised if horror fans welcome it into their favorite genre because what could be scarier than digging deep into your soul and pulling out something so strange and dark you're not sure who you are anymore?

Natalie Portman plays Nina, a ballerina who has dedicated her life to being just that, and finally wins the lead in an original interpretation of “Swan Lake.” Nina preforms the part of the white swan perfectly. However, as her teacher and another ballerina, Lily, help her get in touch with her darker side in order to preform the part of the black swan, Nina is torn apart. From the first scene when she seems to misinterpret her own reflection in the subway window, to a later scene when Lily doesn't seem to have the same memory of their night together, we are feeling pretty disturbed inside Nina's twisted sense of reality. With no help from her overbearing mother, played by Barbara Hershey, we see how perhaps trying too hard to play a role perfectly has some serious repercussions. It makes me wonder what Natalie went through to play this character... and this role within a role.

“Black Swan” was hands down my favorite film of 2010. I will never forget how I felt at the end of the last scene. I think some viewers might have a hard time with the film only because some viewers want something that makes them feel good rather than something that makes them feel nervous or icky. Its not a far cry from one of Darren Aronofsky's earlier films, “Requiem for a Dream.” If you'll remember, some of the scenes were so brilliantly shot, you actually felt you were in the moment. Its the reason we're so passionate about film, being able to experience things we normally wouldn't or couldn't. However, I loved this movie so much more, and I hope everyone will see it. I recommend seeing it with someone you love: you can discuss its meaning and the powerful performance by Natalie Portman over a cup of Jo as I did, and then you can give each other a hug so you wont have depressing dreams at night.

True Grit

The Cohen Brothers remake the classic John Wayne western with True Grit, about a young girl who hires a drunk U.S. Marshall to hunt down her father's killer. All of the ingredients for another hit Cohen Brothers movie are here. The typical humor and superior dialogue, the shocking blood shed, the emotional climax, and the unforgettable characters, including our lead anti-hero Rooster, remarkably reprised by Jeff Bridges, and the spitfire fourteen year old Mattie Ross, played courageously and smartly by Hailee Steinfeld. I hear this version was closer to the book than the one with John Wayne, but the two movies were so similar. I almost thought they'd used the same script, until three quarters of the way through. I was only slightly disappointed in the ending, when Mattie doesn't quite accomplish her goal in the way she had hoped, and Rooster unintentionally lets her down once more. However, we are left with clearer picture of Mattie's soul and the realization that she is the one with “True Grit” for whom this film was titled.

This film is definitely deserving of an Oscar nomination. Even with films like “The Kids Are All Right,” “Black Swan,” and “The King's Speech,” this film is a tough contender, and Jeff Bridges may have the opportunity to take home a statue two years in a row after winning just last year for “Crazy Heart.” Was it in his sights all along? For those of you who do not know, John Wayne was nominated and won the Oscar for his portrayal of Rooster Cogburn in 1969.

Never Let Me Go

The world in which Never Let Me Go is set is darkly fantastic. I want be clear that when speaking of the setting, I am not referring to the physical location, background or props. It probably takes place in England, but that's not important. I'm speaking of the social state of the world created by the novel's author, Kazuo Ishiguro. The story spans from the late 1970s to nearly present day. However, in this alternate world, children grow up to be “donors,” clones who live for the sole purpose of giving their organs to everyone else in the world. There are three stages to this film, each signified by the age and condition of the characters, Kathy, Tommy and Ruth. The story is narrated by the lead character, Kathy, played wonderfully by Carey Mulligan. She is tortured by her love for Tommy who is in a relationship with her loyal yet self serving friend, Ruth, played by Kiera Knightley. At a young age, the three learn of their impending early departure from life, as they are all donors. Their knowledge of this effects how their relationships develop with each other. The last film adaptation of a novel written by Kazuo Ishiguro was that of Remains of the Day. It, too, was about how second class citizens live in their world and how they shelter their emotions from those they love to keep the stability of that world. Remains of the Day was directed by the accomplished James Ivory (A Room With a View, The White Countess), while Never Let Me Go was directed by Mark Romanek whose only film director credit I know of, albeit a good one, is One Hour Photo. I didn't feel the same emotional pull in this film as I did in Remains of the Day, but I certainly felt a little tug. I think Never Let Me Go was adapted quite well and I definitely took a little part of it with me as I left the theater. The composition of the film reminds me of haiku poetry. It says so much with so few words or action and you might need to take a moment when its over to meditate on its purpose. Its simple theme of opposites, perfect yin and yang, remove the necessity for too much eventful detail or dialogue. This story is about balance. Along with the main character, Kathy, we learn that there cannot be virtue with out vice, life without death, or love without suffering. To feel both hope and despair is what it is to be human. Never Let Me Go received some mixed reviews since its release this past weekend. It seems critics either love or hate this film. I think the film was excellent, but probably required a certain amount of patience to appreciate it.

neo ned

Neo Ned

A Neo Nazi meets a black girl who calls herself Hitler in a mental institution and they fall in love. In the typical biracial love story, a person of one ethnic background falls in love with a person of another ethnicity and the former works to be accepted and fit in with the friends and family of the latter. In Neo Ned, two people of different ethnic backgrounds are placed together in the same environment for the thing they have in common: their psychoses. This story is not about race as it's summary may imply. This is a story about a boy named Ned who didn't receive the love and support he needed as a kid. He gets mixed up with a group of young Neo Nazis, and becomes a resident at a mental institute after being an accomplice in the murder of a black man. While his doctor tries to make Ned realize his childhood may have had some bearing on his current situation, Ned feels there is no connection. Ned isn't quite sure why he behaves the way he does or why he says what he says. But when he meets Rachel at the hospital, Ned begins to question whether his words have any meaning at all.

Regardless of the topic, this film is surprisingly lighthearted. It doesn't take long to realize that Ned isn't the man he labels himself to be. Although immature and irrational, he is sensitive and charmingly optimistic. We accept him as all the characters in the film accept him. When the guard, played by Ethan Suplee, hears Ned say horrible things to Rachel, he rolls his eyes, sighs, and continues his paperwork, letting us know that he doesn't take Ned's racial comments seriously and neither should we.

When Rachel helps Ned to realize his Nazi persona is unsubstantial, they become fast friends and begin an adventure of life in the outside world. But when they realize they are both in the wrong place at the wrong time, they must work together to get back to a home where they belong, but this time with new appreciation of the lives they were meant to live.

This unique and happy tale ends before you're ready to say goodbye. Jeremy Renner's performance won him best actor at the Palm Beach International Film Festival, and this screenplay came in fourth place at Slamdance and won for best screenplay in the San Diego Film festival. For something a little different, check out this emotionally dark romantic comedy written by Tim Boughn and directed by Van Fischer.

The Town opened in theaters this past Friday and you better believe the theaters in my home town of Boston were packed. Just a week ago we were graced with the presence of the film's leading actors as they walked into Fenway Park for the red carpet premier. I have to say, I was a little concerned, that after all my excitement and watching scenes from the film being shot just outside my back door, I might not like the movie. I've never been a huge fan of Ben Afleck as an actor. I was pleased with "Gone Baby Gone," but was hesitant about another bank robbery movie. And who would believe anyone's stupid enough to try and rob Fenway Park of millions of dollars?

Well, Ben Afleck definitely pulled this off. The story is smooth and very believable. The car chases through the North End had me on the edge of my seat. The love story moved a little fast for me, but who am I to say it doesn't happen that way. Jon Hamm has a presence you cant ignore and Ben Afleck seemed to fit this role better than any he's done before. Rebecca Hall was decent, and Chris Cooper was perfect as usual in his very small part. What I loved was Jeremy Renner's transformation into the emotional and violent James Coughlin who was product of growing up in the "bank robbery capital of the America." He changed his posture, his gate, his accent, his style, and I hardly recognized the pretty, charming man I met outside Fenway on the night of the premier.

I know how proud Bostonians are proud of anything to come out of Boston, but this isn't just a movie for us. Its legitimately a good film and we have good reason to be proud. Congratulations, Ben Afleck, for making it into the big leagues!

Peacock

In the first sequence of the psychological thriller Peacock, a young woman meticulously prepares a breakfast and, carefully noting the time, sets it on her kitchen table. As each movement is made with purposeful intent, she sets her hands, shoes, furniture in its place. She then walks up to her bedroom, sits at her vanity, removes her make up, hair and dress to reveal John Skillpa, played by Cillian Murphy. Nearly unrecognizable at the start, the actor's transformation is surprising. Following this, he is dressed in a suit, eating the breakfast prepared for him, then walking out the door. Stopping to pull a small treasure box out from under the porch step, he nervously looks over his shoulder at the bedroom window where we saw him dress earlier. Who could he be looking out for? He was clearly alone in his house.

John Skillpa, is a young bank clerk who, when no one's watching, dresses as Emma to recreate the daily routines of his deceased mother. But in the wake of a strange train accident which leaves the wreckage in his backyard, the politically driven townspeople draw attention to John and the supposititious Emma, whom the townspeople believe to be his new wife. While John is motivated by his need for privacy, Emma is driven by the need to feel socially connected to give truth to her existence. Neither personality is aware of what the other encounters in the course of his, or her, day. Eventually the two personalities clash, taking this emotionally disturbing story to a deeper, darker level.

Although I'm a big fan of Cillian Murphy and I've always known him to be very talented, I marveled at his performance as John / Emma. I cannot imagine that he wouldn't be recognized for the brilliant job he did in this film. As Emma, he is comfortably feminine and pretty. Emma's character is shy at first, but once aroused by the positive attention she receives from others, she is open and vibrant. John, on the other hand, is extremely tense. When his boss approaches him about a photo-op of the train wreck in his yard, the muscles in his neck protrude as his face revolts against a friendly gesture. Even more striking is the deep crease on the side of Murphy's face which remains throughout his performance as John, then disappears when he becomes Emma.

Despite the all star cast, including Susan Sarandon, Keith Carridine, Bill Pullman, Ellen Page and Josh Lucas, this film received almost no attention from media and went straight to DVD this month. This is a definite must see in my book. Its unfortunate that billions of dollars are being spent on ticket sales for films like Transformers and the Twilight series, two of the top grossing films of 2009, and films like Peacock cant even be found in a drive-up DVD rental box. Thank god for Netflix!

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

This is a fantastic adaptation of Stieg Larsson's best selling murder mystery novel which I noticed so many women reading last year. The story follows Mikael, a journalist convicted of slander who, during the time he is waiting to serve his sentence, is hired by a man to solve the 40 year old case of his missing niece, Harriet Vanger. With the help of a young, damaged computer hacker, Lisbeth, superbly acted by Noomi Rapace, Mikael investigates the entire rich and powerful Vanger family, whom Harriet's uncle considers each a suspect.

From the starting credits to the final scene, this movie had me feeling a little tense the whole way through. Mikael and Lisbeth are unstoppable against the push back they receive from the elders of the Vanger family, some of whom are ex-Nazis. As they begin to measure the danger involved in the investigation, they get too close to back down.

This movie felt a little like a classic cat and mouse mystery, but a bit more brutal... think a John Grisham version of Silence of the Lambs. The mood was extremely dark, the temp was cold, and the emotion, well, after watching the anxious, depressed Lisbeth chain smoke her way through the film, I felt I needed a little psychotherapy or at least stiff drink to bring me back to normal.

A Serious Man

“A Serious Man” is not exactly what I expected to be the Cohen brother's next picture. After one of my favorite films, “No Country For Old Men,” and their next hit “Burn After Reading,” I hoped “A Serious Man” to be better, fresher than the last. Watching this movie in the comfort of my home on my big-ass TV, I found myself to be restless and impatient to find answers to the questions posed by the main character, Larry. Larry is physics teacher whose wife is leaving him for a man who has nothing more going for him than Larry (and if its not for money, looks or power, it seems to me a bigger jab than if she'd left him for someone more impressive, am I right)? Anyway, Larry tries to be a good husband, father and teacher, a Balebetishen Yidden (Yiddish for “good Jew”), but cant seem to get a break. He even tries several times to seek help from the elder Rabbi. Unsuccessful, he remains stagnant as the rest of world seems to move past him like a naïve child rolling down a hill on a bike with no breaks. Don't they know they're all wrong? Larry cant seem to be taken seriously by anyone. In the end, his pot-smoking jerk-of-a-son gets to meet with the elder Rabbi, only to send him off into the world with the lyrics to “Somebody to Love” by Jefferson Airplane. And Larry? Well, he doesn't get the answer to his life's questions, and the audience is left feeling basically hopeless.

In the first scene of the film, a tale is told in Yiddish of a couple who let a dybbuk, a ghost, into their home. I was completely frustrated by this tale, as it is never mentioned in the rest of the film and I could find no connection to the story or purpose for its use. Then I found Roger Ebert's review of the film on rogerebert.com (10/7/09), and he writes that Larry may be cursed because his ancestors let the dybbuk in their home. This made a lot of sense to me. Whether or not the Cohen brothers intended for the prologue to have this relevance is unknown to me, but I would like to think it had some meaning.

This film did not leave me feeling any kind of satisfied. It wasn't a bad movie. In fact, it was entrancing, funny, well acted, a little tense, and thought provoking. But if a film doesn't leave me satisfied, I cant recommend it.

Remember Me

So, I went to see Remember Me last night. It was the only movie playing now I hadn't promised to see with someone else, and since I was going alone, I figured I'd see a guilty pleasure: a sexy romance. Sexy romance it was, but this movie wasn't exactly what I expected. In the first five minutes of the film, the audience is shocked to near tears by a traumatic experience that later helps to explain the lead female Ally's character and situation. In the scene that follows we watch Tyler, played by Twilight's Robert Pattinson, mope around in a typical brooding teenage-angst fashion. The film quickly evolves as something more significant. Each character has his or her own place in the film and they're played well by seasoned actors, Chris Cooper, Lena Olin and Pierce Brosnan. New to film, Ruby Jerins, plays Tyler's much younger sister Caroline. Bullied by her grade-school peers, Caroline relies on her brother for support, while their father, much too busy with work, has emotionally abandoned his family.

I really liked that the relationship between Ally and Tyler didn't take up too much screen time. The audience sees what it needed to in order to follow the story. There weren't too many fillers, as I call them: montages of the couple doing daily "couple life" things... save for one unnecessary scene of them playing at the beach. Their part was full of realistic problems and emotions most people could relate to and perhaps feel nostalgic about. The attractive young couple had great chemistry and preformed well. All of these things legitimated the film's classification as a drama rather than a teen romance.

The part of this film I had a hard time with is its ending. I felt they used a cheap trick to manipulate the audience into crying. I'm not sure this was necessary to the story. Perhaps the writer didn't know how to end it. Before these final scenes are a series of uplifting displays that tell you "things are too perfect, so I know something has to go wrong." However, this particular thing is not what I expected, so should I give credit to the filmmakers for that? I'm not really sure. Overall, I really did like this movie... I was just a little disappointed in the ending.

"This time on Masterpiece Classics..."

I have to admit that I have, for a while now, been a fan of Masterpiece Classics on PBS. The latest Masterpiece Classic, Jane Austin’s Persuasion, is possibly the most unique and perfect adaptation I have seen on the Masterpiece series.

If you know the story, Persuasion can be a bit of a drag, telling the tragic story of a spinster named Anne who regrets breaking off her engagement to Captain Wentworth eight years earlier. When Captain Wentworth returns a rich war hero, she is sorry she every allowed her family to persuade her to refuse him. Will he ever forgive her? Will she ever tell him she has never stopped loving him? Of course! Jane Austin always graced her readers with a romantic and happy ending.

There is not a lot of action in this story, and it is much shorter than Jane Austin’s other novels. But from the beginning, this film pulls us in with little tricks I had not seen before on Masterpiece Classics. One of the most notable was having the actress, or Anne, peer subtly into the camera, especially after writing in her journal. When the camera and her eyes slowly adjust to meet, we are in synch with her emotions. In other scenes, the position of the camera conveys a closer point of view. The camera moves in so closely that the actors nearly walk into us. And at times, Anne’s face is cut off by the shot. These “tricks” bring us into the mise en scene, giving us the feeling of being there rather than just being an observer. Another affecting piece of the film’s composition is the use of shadows. The shadows here are exaggerated and very black. A few times the two main characters exit the scene by walking into the shadows. The black in their costume meets the black in the shadow until we can no longer differentiate the two. The characters were literally swallowed up by the dark.

The director was very successful in creating a dark yet passionate mood. And the lead actress, Sally Hawkins, grew more beautiful as time went on, as one might in real life. I’m not sure if my opinion is biased here… as I said earlier, I do enjoy Masterpiece Classics, and this was one of my favorite so far. How it fares with a general audience, I’m not sure. But if there were any of these films you’d want to see, I’d choose this one. Not only is it good, but it's shorter than the other films in the Masterpiece series (the award winning Little Dorrit was six hours long!).

The Grave Outdoors

(image from Dead Wood)

Movie watchers be warned, if a group of young people venture out to the woods and make road kill of its local inhabitants, you better believe nature will come back and bite them in the ass, or the neck, or the chest cavity.

New on DVD, Dark Wood (Menan Films, 2007) begins like many horror-in-the-woods films with young adults venturing deep into the woods for a camping trip full with skinny dipping in dark lakes, alcohol and easy sex. I believe I recall something of deer brains being smashed against the front bumper on the way to their camping site. Anyway, one by one, they are plucked off by something in the woods. This haunting and unusual story reminds me a little of the new genre Japanese horror, where emotion left behind by the dead and is returned to take vengeance on the unsuspecting living. Unfortunately, I believe the film falls short of its vision. The idea was good, but the story probably could have been told better in an episode of the X Files, and maybe with a little bigger budget.

In Nature's Grave (Arclight Films, 2008), Peter, played by Jim Caviezel, hits a kangaroo on the way to an Australian beach camping trip with his dejected wife. With a bigger budget than Dead Wood, this film almost hits the mark of a made-for-TV true crime. Blatant shots of the couple's attack on nature, and natures slow, very slow imprecation on the careless couple make this movie hard to sit through. The end held a couple surprises and some nice gory scenes, but I think my time was wasted on this one.

Fortunately, there are plenty more new movies taking place in the wild. Wild Country (Gabriel Films, 2005) took some time to capture my attention and looks like it was edited in a public access television studio. The creature seems to roll across the screen as if taped to a popsicle stick and literally slid across the film strip by hand. Its pretty funny. What I liked was the design of the creature itself. I don't want to give it away, but it was pretty scary looking, and not much like anything I've seen before. Its movements are stiff and mechanical, but the sound wasn't terrible and the director was great about not really giving away the creature until near the end. It's cry was distant until it was ready to tear its prey apart, and we never really knew where it was going to be. Though I suspected the ending a little, I was pretty satisfied with the last scene. If you don't mind the faulty special effects, this is a fun movie for the kind of horror fans who aren't satisfied with the two or three blockbuster horror movies a year.

Not Another One!! Will the Remake Bring You to the Box Office?

If you're a child of the 80s, then this is the movie decade for you. I've heard rumors of a Goonies remake, Stephen King's It, Footloose and Mannequin of all films. I'm not sure what they could do with the last two, but I suppose with the recent hype of the dance film genre, Footloose could be a hit with teens.

Lately there have been a slew of horror movie remakes. Halloween, Friday the 13^th, Stepfather, The Crazies and Nightmare on Elm St... I'd like to see a remake of Hellraiser. I think they could write new story, but modernize the film and create all new cenobites. Those things cant get much more evil as far as their ability to inflict pain, but with new make up and technology, they could make the film a little more gruesome.

I've been hearing about a Tron sequel for years and it is now in post production as Tron Legacy, scheduled to be released at the end of this year. The film is directed by Joseph Kosinski, who's only film credit, according to IMDb, is this film and three others in development. There were also rumors of a remake of Frank Herbert's Dune a while back. (Can you imagine sandworms in 3D? I get goosebumps just thinking about it!) Unfortunately, I haven't heard anything recently. There was a TV mini-series in 2000 which would have been more impressive with better special effects. I think as a movie-goer, I'm always searching for an original film that gives me the same feelings I had when I first watched these older ones.

So, I guess the remakes are not without reason. There are plenty of movie patrons out there getting excited about these movies. And production companies probably feel a bit more comfortable about a sure thing. There must be a lack of original material out there in Hollywood, which saddens me. I guess if you're an aspiring screenplay writer, now would be the time to push your work out there!

The Blind Side

Based on the true story of the family who takes in the despaired black teen, Michael Oher, this movie came as a little bit of a surprise to me. I half expected to be annoyed by a message like "African American unexpectedly turns out to be an angelic superhuman." I'm also not a big fan of Sandra Bullock, who played nearly the same character in "While You Were Sleeping," "The Proposal," and "Two Weeks Notice" with a few adjustments to her architype. However, she was superbly cast for this role and preformed it flawlessly. The message I mentioned earlier was absent, and in its place a simply heart-warming true story of a football player's rise to success with the love and encouragement of the Tuohy family. I'm sure Sandra Bullock agrees with me when I say she would definitely benefit from taking more roles like this one.