Poignant without becoming Preachy

Posted : 1 year, 9 months ago on 7 November 2006 07:17 (A review of Bobby)

Last night, as a member of the Philadelphia Film Society, I was able to see this movie before it officially opened in the city. I knew nothing about it, other than it was about Robert F. Kennedy and his assassination. During the opening of the film I was constantly surprised at the barrage of instantly recognizable, by name celebrities. This made me a little leery, because of something my father always used to say, something to the effect trying to compensate for a bad movie. However, rest assured, that even though this movie isn't the greatest movie ever made, it is still a pretty good film. Estevez mixes official, historical clips of Bobby Kennedy into the film pretty seamlessly. Obviously there is a lack of quality in these clips, but he uses them sparingly enough, and only for the final sequences when Bobby is shot are the real clips mixed in with the staged ones; typically they are used as a transition from one major act to the next. The movie does a great job of talking about the political time and what people thought of Bobby without really using Bobby as a real character. I mean, he is represented by his own words in the clips, but mostly he is talked about or subtly referenced in the acts of others. This is kind of a feel good while feeling horrible movie, because the message is clear and uplifting, but at the same time, it is a very depressing story that ends badly when you think about what has happened in the last 38 years. Estevez manages his large ensemble cast well and no one character outshines the rest. Too many great performances to name, this is definitely a movie worth seeing, especially if your memory of that moment in our history is fuzzy.

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Great, Fun Movie

Posted : 1 year, 9 months ago on 2 November 2006 09:13 (A review of The Nightmare Before Christmas)

After the annual watching of this movie on Halloween I felt the urge to write a quick review. First, the animation is amazing. The effort that went into the making of this movie is definitely felt. The plot is interesting because there is a subtle critique/exploration of how one culture experiences itself and how it views/experiences another foreign culture. Jack Skellington is a great character and the soundtrack is great. Gotta love Tim Burton.

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Frighteningly Spot-On

Posted : 1 year, 9 months ago on 29 October 2006 09:04 (A review of Junebug)

As someone who grew up in a small town and then moved to a big city, I found this movie both very well made and at the same time almost intolerably unnerving. The direction and writing really captures with clear precision the setting and characters. This film is almost a documentary of life in a small rural town with its uneasy awkwardness and tense unhappiness that seems to underly everything. Each member of the family is almost like a mirror to members of my family or people I knew in my small town. The use of silence and long still shots of empty rooms helped flush out the mood of small town life. This is definitely a character piece, but the plot was kept at a good pace and Amy Adams' portrayal of Ashley was magnificent. Lots of visual metaphors and subtle reinforcements of the larger emotions throughout. For example, the story arc of Madeleine and Wark was such an interesting counter arc to Madeleine's initiation into the Johnsten family. A smaller, but nice touch, was the painting of Madeleine's nails, which stayed red until they were back on the highway and leaving it all behind. As I said, this film made me crawl in my skin it was so realistic, but it was an excellent watch.

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The Buzz

Posted : 1 year, 10 months ago on 14 October 2006 08:41 (A review of Jesus Christ Superstar)

If you can set aside some of the cheesier moments in the film (the freeze frame on the line "Will You *DIE* for me?" the ridiculous number of zoom/re-zoom during the opening of "Heaven on Their Minds") it is actually a great little rock opera. For the purposes of this public review I'm going to ignore the criticisms of a vocal few who say that this is a sacrilegious retelling of the Christ mythology as I find that irrelevant. I'm going to write a review that focuses more on the music as well, but in regards to the film it is rather interesting that it is filmed in Israel which is used as a backdrop for this very stylized film. I was a big fan of all the anachronistic elements to tell this story. Carl Anderson (Judas) really steals the show in my opinion but then again I think this version of the Christ myth is more about Judas and Jesus than Jesus alone. I liked the concept of the actors arriving during the Overture and preparing to do a little performance although I was glad that this motif was only a bookend structure as it could have really detracted from the film if brought up too often. The performance of "Herod's Song" is still one of my favorite moments of this movie along with "Simon Zealotes." I think the film does a good job of bringing up a lot of the history surrounding this story that I think most Christians ignore or are unaware of. For example, the occupation of the Jews by Rome at this time and the charged political atmosphere during the time that Jesus supposedly lived. A fun watch and a great soundtrack.

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The Perfect Murder Directed Perfectly

Posted : 1 year, 10 months ago on 8 October 2006 08:52 (A review of Rope)

This film was fantastic! I had seen it when I was much younger and remembered it being good, but having just rewatched it I was struck by how much it felt like a filmed play. The very long shots helped establish the real-time aspect of this thrilling story and Hitchcock's brilliant directing really shines. Great performances all around and with any Hitchcock picture, every moment feels like it was carefully thought out and executed for the greatest effect. Watching Jimmy Stewart (Rupert) piece together the evidence was as exciting as watching John Dall (Brandon) and Farley Granger (Phillip) try to keep it together. I've read that Hitchcock wasn't particularly fond of this film, and I'll grant that he certainly has created better films, but I'd take an evening of Rope over an evening of Final Destination 3 any day.

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Smart and Funny Documentary

Posted : 1 year, 10 months ago on 3 October 2006 05:15 (A review of Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room)

This documentary had a bit of a rough start. Although intriguing, it failed to deliver the rough sketch of the Enron scandal quick enough. I'll shamefully admit that I had forgotten most of the details of the Enron scandal, as I was in college when it broke and I didn't care too much about it at the time. But, once the overall story had been discussed, this documentary did a fairly good job of telling a compelling narrative and trying to explain the rather complicated financial wizardry that was ultimately the corporation's downfall. The depictions of Skilling were very clear and it was nice to see a woman was at the heart of breaking the story and writing the movie (which was based on a book she co-wrote). Amusing use of music and title-cards kept the pace quick, and unlike Michael Moore's documentaries, this one was actually full of well presented facts. I'd definitely recommend seeing this movie, especially because it reveals yet another reason to hate W and his administration. I wish more people were interested in this kind of reporting and that our day-to-day media was this intellectually engaging.

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