Films I Watched - April, 2007
Submitted by lbangs on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 11:21
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- 4/6 - Grindhouse - All the publicity leads you to believe that Tarantino and Rodriguez are both synchronized approaching their beloved 70s cheapo double features, but that is far from the truth. Buried beneath several faux movie trailers (of very mixed success) are two feature-length films. Rodriguez contributes the first flick, Planet Terror, and Tarantino caps off the affair with Death Proof. Anybody into either director knows exactly what to expect. Planet is pure fun, a send-up of the cheesier side of cinema that revels in its inspirations without ever transcending them. Death, however, is much more ambitious. Tarantino takes a form, reworks it, pours more life into it, gilds it with fascinating dialogue and stellar performances, and ultimately delivers a gold standard for the genre that outshines its sources. It is a delirious trip - Robert’s zombies and twisty plot thrill with twists before the movie succumbs to the limitations of its one-joke premise, while Quentin works road rage into a masterpiece, crafting characters you care for and working his patent mojo into motifs, thrilling, scaring, and, as always, never allowing the audience to assume what is coming next. While both installments work, this experiment does point out why Tarantino stands several heads taller than most of his companions - they relish what they receive, grime and all; he melts the gold from the dross and further transfigures it into a gleaming hunk of something gloriously his own. Planet Terror - ***; Death Proof - ****; Grindhouse - *** 1/2
- 4/15 - Days of Glory - It is a little dismissive to call this the Algerian/French stab at Glory, but it is pretty accurate nonetheless. Oppressed Algerians fight for the very France that discriminates against them during World War II. The characters and their various reactions to and levels of awareness of the borderline absurd situation are given more complexity here than they are in the earlier film, and the few war scenes are captured with incredible power without unleashing the hounds of gore that gave, say, Saving Private Ryan much of its visceral trauma. The acting is top-rate, and the honesty of the writing and portrayals lifts this film above what well could have seemed like yet another retread of increasingly-common war themes. *** 1/2
- 4/15 - Smokin’ Aces - Film fanatics are always looking for that wonderfully trashy, fun genre flick the critics idiotically dismiss the first time around, that delirious buzz of brainy adrenaline that shoots electric sparkling streams through the gutter, showering the audience with the thrills of a blockbuster, a level of cool far above mainstream fare, and a twisty plot that doesn’t demand viewers snip their brains’ nerve endings to relish. Some folks claim 300 is that movie this season. Most folks are wrong most of the time. Until the train flies off the rails by trying to slam on the brakes applying a serious ending the preceding ninety minutes do not want in any way, this is that film, and my, it is a hip, pulpy high. (Yeah, I didn’t see it coming either...) ***
- 4/17 - The Namesake - I dig Mira Nair. She has a Harvard degree in sociology, and while that would seem like the kiss of death for an artist, she actually manages to make lively dramas studying the modern Indian experience, especially honing in on the intersections between tradition and modern times. Her 2001 Monsoon Wedding is still an unfortunately under-rated film. Her latest, The Namesake, doesn’t quite equal that work. At two hours, it is not timed right; it is either too long or too short. The first hour is the strongest, portraying an Indian couple adjusting from immigrating to America, but as the story strays to stay on the son, it loses focus. The fuzziness diffuses the film’s intensity and, oddly, intimacy, casting the drama adrift. Using more time to develop this section, or, more likely, trimming it down and keeping the parents front and center would have strengthened this movie. Still, the performances are good (Kal Penn is everywhere nowadays, and I’m not complaining), the visuals are often intriguing, and many of the moments are effective and true. It falters and fumbles a little toward the end, but there is enough working here to keep its audience happy. ***
- 4/18 - The Hoax - Clifford Irving spun a yarn that suckered in roomfuls of powerful, intelligent people. To a great extent, they believed him because they wanted to believe him, and he knew how to massage that aching with finesse. Lasse Hallström blows this feather about with a light touch that pokes between our nation’s ribs more than its grinning face lets on. His ability to keep this aloft equals his finest directing, and the cast also offers incredible work. Years ago, I read a theory about Richard Gere that I love - he is a great actor who unfortunately sleepwalks through good movies and only seems to give it his all in crappy films. The Hoax is fortunately an exception to that rule, as he oozes all the oil needed for his slick salesman while also allowing occasional glimpses through the cracking smile into the cracking soul. The rest of the actors make up a dream cast - Marcia Gay Harden, Alfred Molina, Stanley Tucci, Hope Davis, Julie Delpy, Eli Wallach - and not a single one disappoints. One wonders why the studio is plopping this down in the middle of spring without hardly any promotion. It is obviously a Oscar caliber work, and once upon a time, Miramax knew how to bait nominations, even with Hallström’s lesser work. It doesn’t really matter. If this year so far has proven anything, it is even creative, compelling advertising can’t sell great movies to an American public clamoring for Transformers and the latest installment of Pirates of the Caribbean. ****
- 4/25 - Army of Shadows - If Spielberg didn’t watch this quiet, powerful tale of the French resistance during World War II before filming his Munich, I’ll eat my shoe, all size 13 of it. Director Melville knew his material was tough stuff, and he was wise enough to shy away from any attempt to dress it up or over-dramatize it. Music is rare, most of the shots aside from the opener aim for artistic transparency, and the actors keep performances muted and restrained. The brave shadows are not glamorized, and this film plays as a stronger tribute because of it. It doesn’t knock you out, but it stays with you and disturbs you for a long, long time. ****
- 4/27 - Enter the Dragon - Without Bruce Lee, this is a hokey kung fu chop-em’-up, despite the big budget and the elements diverting this genre into the mainstream (these largely consist of pasting a James Bond plot over the entire affair). With the charisma of the lead, however, it is elevated into something approaching the Citizen Kane of seventies martial art films, which still isn’t quite an artistic masterpiece, but certainly a fun, hard-hitting triumph of sorts. ***
Author Comments:
I'm rating the films on a zero to **** basis. ** 1/2 is average.
Fay Grim trailer.
Thanks!
As you can guess, I'm anticipating this film, and the trailer hints that Hartley has gone a completely different direction than I suspected he would for this sequel.
Yay!
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Was there no Village Voice "Take Eight" this year? I so enjoy those.
I also am bummed that the poll is no more. The lead compiler claimed it just takes too much time...
*sigh*
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
How where he Grindhouse trailers? , i saw the hobo one that was censored in US, and the Eli Roth one which is sickly funny.
I enjoyed them! I don't think I went quite as bonkers about them as some of my pals did, but they were quite fun!
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs