Films I Watched - July, 2005
Submitted by lbangs on Mon, 07/11/2005 - 12:33
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- 7/31/05 -Garden State - This is the same film I saw before, and my reaction is largely the same. The preciousness seems a bit more precious, yet the emotional scenes strike me as even a bit more emotional than the last go round. *** 1/2
- 7/30/05 - Me and You and Everyone We Know - Todd Solondz’ Happiness is the obvious touchstone for Miranda July’s debut, but July stomps Solondz and wipes the floor with his flawed film. This starts a bit shaky, and the viewer requires a few minutes to make the difficult transitions into July’s slightly skewed world, but her films works so well because of the intimate degree in which it wraps its troubled characters about us. Oh, it is funny, truly funny, not simply hoping to evoke laughter from uneasy shocks but from genuinely humorous material, no matter how disturbing it may be. This winning film indeed did win me over, and while its audience is no doubt a limited one, it should be a quite pleased one. ****
- 7/30/05 - My Summer of Love - Pawlikowski tackles the awkward teen coming of age film, bringing enough honesty and real-life strangeness to lift the film above the average entry into the genre. Even more effective, the images and sounds are striking and mixed to produce an often-hallucinogenic feel, bringing the hypnotic intensity of adolescence to cinematic life. Although the film focuses on the excellent female leads, I have to wonder if Paddy Considine is not heading toward greatness. ***
- 7/29/05 - Divided We Fall - Despite the title, this film seems to divide the critics into two extreme camps. Much like Life Is Beautiful, this daring experiment shakes down the sheep and the goats into two different camps, one comprising critics who think the film works, and one where they aren’t buying the humanistic, often comical tone mixed with the tragedy of the World War II-era Czechoslovakia. I do not think this soars quite as high as Benigni’s film, but I still bought it completely. This film refuses to draw easy lines, choosing to view humanity as one great whole rather than a dualistic conglomerate made up of angels and monsters. Now, having aligned my self with the true believers, I confess that the slow-frame photography at times baffles a bit, the symbolism of the names is a bit much, and the ending scene does not quite pull off the transcendent vision its director no doubt saw, but the film as a whole uses the terrific cast and cinematography to bring its humane, iffy script to terrific life, and darn it all, I loved it. Beware, no doubt. ****
- 7/23 - War of the Worlds - The kid gets strange… and thank goodness. This is easily one of Spielberg’s weirdest films yet, and for the first ninety minutes, it is one of his best. The sense of horror the director conjures up is incredible, a terror emanating not only from the terrible tripods, but also from the mobs of humans seeking survival. Spielberg is finally getting the themes down properly; the symbolism here is under the surface and allowed to simmer there. Too bad he still can’t quite always nail the ending. *** 1/2
- 7/22 - A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum - The play may originate from Rome, but this film is rooted in the swinging London of the sixties. Richard Lester, who helped create that particular scene, is at the helm here, with Zero Mostel as a sure navigator. Weak scenes sag, but several comedic setups pay off richly, and the dated direction is fun and anachronistic all at once. Besides, the use of Buster Keaton and Sondheim songs is beyond cool, daddy-o. Despite all these incredible talent, little-known Leon Greene steals the entire film and claims one of the greatest entrances in film history with the hysterical, “My Bride.” ***
- 7/20 - Throne of Blood - I’m no longer sure that this my favorite Kurosawa film, but it certainly runs the rest of his work a good race to the finish. Morphing Macbeth into some strange concoction of Shakespearean, Greek, and Japanese tragedy, and ditching any attempt to translate Willie’s gorgeous English into an Oriental equivalent, AK lets the visual do the heavy lifting here, and with some of his most haunting images, the film soars. The key is shimmering in the fog and the forest, deep in the murk where the human heart lies. ****
- 7/17 - Land of the Dead - Romero lays claim to his rightful heritage in the land of zombie films. This one is more of an Aliens to the original’s more-frightening Alien ; scares are not as common as action, and the gore is not nearly as horrifying as it is, er, gory. Still, Romero is at the helm, and that means social commentary is never distant. In fact, he takes it a bit overboard at times, even for such an obvious genre (does the evil capitalist really need to pick his nose as well?). Still, the plot is intriguing and lacking in so many of the weakness that sink most horror films, and many of the images, such as an army of zombies rising not from the ground but from a body of water, are stellar. This may not be a classic on the level of Night of the Living Dead, but it is surely several steps above the genre’s typical fare and a surprisingly good zombie flick. ***
- 7/17 - Batman Begins - Kudos to the constantly consistent Christopher Nolan for yanking Batman from his uncomfortable previous digs into a world the dark knight can truly inhabit. The story and characterizations soar here, almost enough to make the lame editing during the action sequences and the occasional lapses of logic forgivable. Terrific acting and a decent script send this one over any of the previous entries in the series, including the over-rated Burton original. ***
- 7/17 - Howl’s Moving Castle - Miyazaki, unlike nearly any other contemporary director that comes into my puny mind, understands how to construct a wonderland for the young. His visuals manage to achieve true jaw-dropping spectacle without resorting to clichéd Hollywood explosions, and his stories tap into regions of endless childhood fascination. In fact, I have heard his films referred to as targeting young girls, but as a grown man, I have to reject that simplistic notion (I have to!). This latest offering does not quite achieve the nearly perfect bedazzlement of Spirited Away; the plot is a tad bit more shaky, and the magic does not quite straddle the worlds of reality and fantasy as well as that flat-out masterpiece. Still, the story keeps the eyes wide and the mind buzzing, and the animation proves that hand-drawn movies are not artistically bankrupt in this decade. Disney once more provides a much better dubbing job than most studios muster. *** 1/2
- 7/12 - American Splendor - Harvey Pekar watches Paul Giamatti play him watching Donal Logue playing the original Harvey in a stage play while various scenes are sprinkled with animations from his famed underground comic. Hope Davis plays his odd wife. I'm not sure most folks around here need more description to encourage an interest, and the film luckily does remain intriguing to the end credits. This pleasing little bio has been wildly over-rated by some, but that doesn't mean it isn't a good flick. It should make most viewers smile. ***
- 7/10 - Kontroll - A wired, symbolic film more rewarding with style than with its fairly simple substance. The leads are perfect, the soundtrack thumps, and the ideas still manage a certain resonance despite their over-familiarity. The thoughts may be common, but the vision is unique. ***
- 7/8 - The Sugarland Express - Spielberg begins with a film quite unlike most of what followed, although if you squint, you can still see most of the roots for his later work buried in this fertile film. If you think of Thelma & Louise or Bonnie and Clyde while scanning the box, you will certainly be replaying those films while watching this movie. If Raising Arizona springs to mind, you might be even closer to the point here, except this screenplay shames the Coen's attempt at funny regional dialects, and although his clout is weak at this site, Steven can direct a film when he puts his mind to it. The acting ain't half bad neither. ***
- 7/5 - In Good Company - Dennis Quaid deals with being demoted and replaced with a younger Topher Grace. The Weitz brothers continue to exhibit quirkiness to their advantage; most of the humble plot twists are fairly unexpected, and the characterizations are honest and blessed with incisive observation. A speech or two, however, seem sadly out of place, and the film is oddly unaffecting, but it is still a pleasant enough character comedy. ** 1/2
- 7/? - Unzipped - Unzipped is a competent documentary with an exciting subject who easily outshines the actual film. Isaac Mizrahi is a hoot to watch, but the film lacks focus and stumbles when aiming for artiness. Your mileage will no doubt vary based on your interest in the fashion world. **
Author Comments:
I'm rating the films on a zero to four star basis. ** 1/2 is average.
I'm rather behind, so the reviews through 7/10 are brief and flimsy. Sorry.
Glad you (and Jim!) liked American Splendor, though I agree that it has been pretty overrated. Did you like Judah Friedlander's character? After my roommate and I saw the movie, we kept saying to each other, "I would recommend the peenya colada."
I'm not really sure how this one escaped my net for so long, but I'm glad I both finally caught it and enjoyed it.
I remember those MTV promos from the 80s. I always assumed 'Toby' was an actor. Judah nailed the character; James Urbaniak, Simon from my man Hartley's Henry Fool, recreated Crumb's voice with perfection. Both actors were nearly freaky with their wonderful portrayals.
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Oh man, Land of the Dead, Batman Begins, and Howl's Moving Castle! Glad to see you liked them all. How I wish I could free up more theater time for such as those...
I had a very good run yesterday, but boy, I am paying for it today! The last one, Land of the Dead, ended past midnight.
Howl's Moving Castle was a particular joy...
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Oh gracious, I hadn't noticed you did all those on the same day. What a day!
wait whats your issue with burton's batman / Returns? they are masterpieces...aren't they?
The first installment was promising but went on way too long. The second one had serious problems, with only an excellent Catwoman to keep one's interest.
To my knowledge, neither film is widely considered a masterpiece, though Burton fans do tend to adore the first one.
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
To be fair, we now have several incarnations of Batman to choose from. Hop into the wayback machine, to the first Batman film, and people were impressed to find a darker, more sinister version of the comic book that previous had only campy cartoony treatment. I think that appealed to Tim Burton fans and Batman (the comic book) fans alike. It may not be a masterpiece, but its importance in injecting a bit of the gothic into live versions of the character should not be underestimated.
Somewhat true, although even at the time, in light of the direction the graphic novels were going in, Burton's film seemed a bit more comic strip than comic book. True, it was more serious than the earlier film (based on the tongue-in-cheek television series), but what wasn't?
Still, with some decent editing, the first Burton film could have been quite good indeed. It still ain't bad, but no, I don't know too many critics who view it as a masterpiece. Lord knows, I could be wrong.
Let's watch Batman run up a spiral staircase a little longer.... ;)
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
You make a good point, though I should point out that the general public is rarely aware of what's going on in the world of comic books. For the unwashed masses, it was a drastically different treatment of a character they thought they were familiar with.
As I've never given any serious consideration to the actual filmic achievement that is Batman (never thought I'd be saying THAT sentence!), I'll have to take your word for the editing. It's been an awfully long time since I've seen it, but from my memory of that spiral staircase, I think you're probably right.
Unwashed masses? Gee, I was sixteen at the time, and hardly sanitary or solitary. :)
I haven't seen the entire first film since, so be aware we're working off of some aged memories here...
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Ha! Me too, so I guess we're on equal footing.
I recently loved Happiness, so I think I'm a prime candidate for loving Me and You and Everyone We Know. I really need to check it out before it leaves my art house theater.
I was just reading your review of Happiness (I had no idea that was on your list when I wrote the above review)! Yes, I think you should probably try and check the film out. I really loved it, but nicotine deprivation has left me loopy the last few days, so my opinion may be a less reliable than usual!
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Heh. Okay, I'll keep that in mind. I'm curious why you didn't like Happiness, though. Were you implying that Happiness was "simply hoping to evoke laughter from uneasy shocks"? If so, maybe I didn't think Solondz was trying to go for humor in those places. I didn't think that, for example, any of the scenes between Dylan Baker and his son were funny. Whether they were trying to be is debatable, I guess.
I thought Happiness was okay, working best when looking at Dylan Baker's character and on shakier ground when focusing on others (and this is despite my crush on Jane Adams). Some of the scenes were obviously set up to shock at least somewhat(bad dog!), and those fell pretty flat to my jaded eyes. The characters connected better than the taboos. I think he tried to coast a bit too much on dis-ease.
Granted, though, it has been a bit since I've seen it.
Now, I loved Welcome to the Dollhouse...
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Oh excellent, I'm happy to hear you liked Me and You and Everyone We Know! The trailer really caught my eye, but was a bit worried it was a "all the good parts" trailer.
I never saw the trailer, but given the nature of some of the funniest parts of the film, I sincerely doubt they made the promo cut...
I loved the film. My eye is on July.
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs