![Wasting my time in order to save yours…spoiler-free
In the true self-indulgent nature of hosting and maintaining your own blog (and Facebook, Twitter, etc…), I figured, “Why don’t I create a new recurring feature (pending my ability to actually keep it up) giving my two cents (aka forcing my loyal reader [hey, mom] to rush out to indulge my recommendations while totally disregarding their own personal tastes) on various film and theatre experiences I overload myself with. So here it goes - and by all means, trust me.
Inglourious Basterds
Dir. Quentin Tarantino, Starring Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Diane Kruger, etc
I had heard nothing but rave reviews for Tarantino’s latest Spaghetti Western-infused take on a new genre (in this case, a war-based historical fiction) and especially that of unknown (to the US) actor Christoph Waltz, who plays the ridiculously villainous Hans Landa (the Jew Hunter). Long story short: All high expectations were met and expanded. Ok, now it’s time for the short story to go long again.
The film is set up in chapters, much like Kill Bill. Dubbed as a “revenge film”, it follows two separate revenge plots set to bring down the leaders of Nazi Germany (Hitler, Goring, Goebbels and Bormann). The first is the trek of the Basterds, a group of Jewish American soldiers set to take the lives and the scalps of all Nazis they cross. The second is that of Shosanna, a French girl who managed to escape the massacre of her family as they were hiding from the Nazi’s. Both parties become aware of the fact that all Nazi leaders are scheduled to attend a German film premiere at Shosanna’s theatre in France and both develop plans to annihilate (for lack of a better, more disturbing word) them.
The highlights include the performances, most notably that of Christoph Waltz. Known as the “Jew Hunter,” Waltz’s character Landa blends a mad temperment mixed with a devilish eloquence that is displayed through ingeniously crafted dialogue scenes. Tarantino has called the Landa character the one that “gave [him his] movie back”. The other highlights are that of Tarantino’s signature on the film: Spaghetti Western techniques, genre blending, contrasting soundtrack and over the top and often comical brutality.
Bottom Line: Rush out, see it now, thank me immediately after
District 9
Dir. Neill Blomkamp, Starring Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, etc
When I first started seeing the viral and unique advertising for District 9, I expected some kind of alien farce - basically something that was anything but appealing to me. When they finally released a trailer and started offering more insight into what the film was actually about, I got more intrigued. District 9 involves a group of aliens, known to humans as Prawns, who were stranded on earth when their ship came to a stop above Johannesburg. Segregated to the fenced slums of District 9, the Prawns are forced to subpar conditions while a government agency, MNU, polices their stay on Earth while also testing on them. The film follows Wikus, an MNU agent charged with delivering eviction notices to the Prawns so they can be forced farther out of the city. Things go wildly wrong when Wikus is accidently infected with a virus that is transforming him slowly into a Prawn. From this and an inevitable hunt for him by MNU, he begins to empathize with the Prawns and join in their resistance.
The first thing that I loved about District 9 was how it was filmed: both as a documentary and as a narrative. The film starts off interviewing Wikus as he works for the MNU and cuts in interviews with government officials, scholars and his family and hints that the slow, yet good-hearted government worker, did something awful. As the documentary follows his eviction deliveries, it slowly transitions into a narrative and shows Wikus’ run from MNU and his interactions with the Prawns - especially Christopher Johnson, a Prawn that is seeking the ability to get his ship working and back to his home planet.
Second, the no-name cast was also standout. Sharlto Copley as Wikus toyed with the classic struggle between self-preservation and selflessness and displayed a character arc that had you loving and hating him until the very end. As his story continue, the film became less about aliens living among humans, but more of a social commentary about segregation, discrimination and xenophobia. I had heard many people state that their only qualm with the movie was that it didn’t seem to know whether it was an action film or a drama. I, on the other hand, enjoyed the balance it maintained as it provided strong social commentary while also appealing to every moviegoers need for raw entertainment.
Bottom Line: Go see it - It’s not often that I preach for the social commentary of a film, which is a testament to it’s effectiveness of blending great action with strong drama and performances.
Adventureland
Dir. Greg Mottola, Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Bill Hader, KRISTEN WIIG, etc
Utilizing hipster advertising techniques like a muted 80s palate, quirky characters and taglines and a general sarcastic tone that has thrived in movies like Napoleon Dynamite and Juno, Adventureland seemed to be another appealing indie-ish gem. Incorrect.
While the film had an exceptional cast, everything that happened in the few hours that I lost in my life all seemed so predictable that the build up to each beat seemed like it was taking AGES. While I like Kristen Stewart, her signature uncomfortable demeanor and awkward breath control couldn’t help but make me think that Bella Swan had gone searching for Edward Cullen in a barely-functioning amusement park in the 80s. No one really stood out, even my favorite, Kristen Wiig, who was underutilized (simply for the fact that I want to see her all the time).
Bottom Line: Keep your precious time to yourself rather than sharing it with this snoozefest.
An American Crime
Dir. Tommy O’Haver, Starring Catherine Keener and Ellen Page
This movie was right up my alley: creepy, disturbing and based on a true story (which only elevated the first two points). An American Crime is the true story of the torture of Sylvia Likens by neighbor Gertrude Baniszewski (bless you). Sylvia Likens (Page) and her sister are left under the care Baniszewski (Keener), herself with six children, while Sylvia’s go on the road with their touring carnival for a bit. When the first check from Sylvia’s parents is late, Baniszewski, who develops an unjustified distaste for Sylvia, begins to torture her - whipping, burning with cigarettes, forcing her to put coke bottles up her Yahoo! while the neighborhood kids watch, etc…
Keener and Page are both ridiculously good in this film, which originally premiered on Showtime. As devilish as she is, Keener’s portrayal of Baniszewski is riddled with elements of extreme trouble and depression. This isn’t to say that the film justifies her actions by any means, but you can see that this is no sane woman who is completely in control of her actions. Ellen Page’s Sylvia, although seemingly weak, is somewhat of a selfless pioneer as she surrenders herself and her mental stability in order to protect her sister while not bringing more harm than needed to those around her.
I caught this film randomly on The Movie Channel one night and was beyond surprised. I’m glad I knew nothing about the true story beforehand, because it made the storytelling and especially the climax and ending even more effective (which is told by intercutting the torture and the eventual trial). One of my favorite movies of all time is Peter Jackson’s Heavenly Creatures, which reminded me a lot of this film - mostly because of the subject matter and how the storytelling brought to life a haunting and true story. I have since researched the actual incident portrayed in An American Crime a lot more and am exponentially baffled as to how something so crazy could have happened.
Bottom Line: It’s a powerful film told through powerful storytelling and performances, but don’t say I didn’t warn you about the disturbia factor](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kp954l6ltX1qzlsb9o1_500.jpg)
Wasting my time in order to save yours…spoiler-free
In the true self-indulgent nature of hosting and maintaining your own blog (and Facebook, Twitter, etc…), I figured, “Why don’t I create a new recurring feature (pending my ability to actually keep it up) giving my two cents (aka forcing my loyal reader [hey, mom] to rush out to indulge my recommendations while totally disregarding their own personal tastes) on various film and theatre experiences I overload myself with. So here it goes - and by all means, trust me.
Inglourious Basterds
Dir. Quentin Tarantino, Starring Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Diane Kruger, etc
I had heard nothing but rave reviews for Tarantino’s latest Spaghetti Western-infused take on a new genre (in this case, a war-based historical fiction) and especially that of unknown (to the US) actor Christoph Waltz, who plays the ridiculously villainous Hans Landa (the Jew Hunter). Long story short: All high expectations were met and expanded. Ok, now it’s time for the short story to go long again.
The film is set up in chapters, much like Kill Bill. Dubbed as a “revenge film”, it follows two separate revenge plots set to bring down the leaders of Nazi Germany (Hitler, Goring, Goebbels and Bormann). The first is the trek of the Basterds, a group of Jewish American soldiers set to take the lives and the scalps of all Nazis they cross. The second is that of Shosanna, a French girl who managed to escape the massacre of her family as they were hiding from the Nazi’s. Both parties become aware of the fact that all Nazi leaders are scheduled to attend a German film premiere at Shosanna’s theatre in France and both develop plans to annihilate (for lack of a better, more disturbing word) them.
The highlights include the performances, most notably that of Christoph Waltz. Known as the “Jew Hunter,” Waltz’s character Landa blends a mad temperment mixed with a devilish eloquence that is displayed through ingeniously crafted dialogue scenes. Tarantino has called the Landa character the one that “gave [him his] movie back”. The other highlights are that of Tarantino’s signature on the film: Spaghetti Western techniques, genre blending, contrasting soundtrack and over the top and often comical brutality.
Bottom Line: Rush out, see it now, thank me immediately after
District 9
Dir. Neill Blomkamp, Starring Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, etc
When I first started seeing the viral and unique advertising for District 9, I expected some kind of alien farce - basically something that was anything but appealing to me. When they finally released a trailer and started offering more insight into what the film was actually about, I got more intrigued. District 9 involves a group of aliens, known to humans as Prawns, who were stranded on earth when their ship came to a stop above Johannesburg. Segregated to the fenced slums of District 9, the Prawns are forced to subpar conditions while a government agency, MNU, polices their stay on Earth while also testing on them. The film follows Wikus, an MNU agent charged with delivering eviction notices to the Prawns so they can be forced farther out of the city. Things go wildly wrong when Wikus is accidently infected with a virus that is transforming him slowly into a Prawn. From this and an inevitable hunt for him by MNU, he begins to empathize with the Prawns and join in their resistance.
The first thing that I loved about District 9 was how it was filmed: both as a documentary and as a narrative. The film starts off interviewing Wikus as he works for the MNU and cuts in interviews with government officials, scholars and his family and hints that the slow, yet good-hearted government worker, did something awful. As the documentary follows his eviction deliveries, it slowly transitions into a narrative and shows Wikus’ run from MNU and his interactions with the Prawns - especially Christopher Johnson, a Prawn that is seeking the ability to get his ship working and back to his home planet.
Second, the no-name cast was also standout. Sharlto Copley as Wikus toyed with the classic struggle between self-preservation and selflessness and displayed a character arc that had you loving and hating him until the very end. As his story continue, the film became less about aliens living among humans, but more of a social commentary about segregation, discrimination and xenophobia. I had heard many people state that their only qualm with the movie was that it didn’t seem to know whether it was an action film or a drama. I, on the other hand, enjoyed the balance it maintained as it provided strong social commentary while also appealing to every moviegoers need for raw entertainment.
Bottom Line: Go see it - It’s not often that I preach for the social commentary of a film, which is a testament to it’s effectiveness of blending great action with strong drama and performances.
Adventureland
Dir. Greg Mottola, Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Bill Hader, KRISTEN WIIG, etc
Utilizing hipster advertising techniques like a muted 80s palate, quirky characters and taglines and a general sarcastic tone that has thrived in movies like Napoleon Dynamite and Juno, Adventureland seemed to be another appealing indie-ish gem. Incorrect.
While the film had an exceptional cast, everything that happened in the few hours that I lost in my life all seemed so predictable that the build up to each beat seemed like it was taking AGES. While I like Kristen Stewart, her signature uncomfortable demeanor and awkward breath control couldn’t help but make me think that Bella Swan had gone searching for Edward Cullen in a barely-functioning amusement park in the 80s. No one really stood out, even my favorite, Kristen Wiig, who was underutilized (simply for the fact that I want to see her all the time).
Bottom Line: Keep your precious time to yourself rather than sharing it with this snoozefest.
An American Crime
Dir. Tommy O’Haver, Starring Catherine Keener and Ellen Page
This movie was right up my alley: creepy, disturbing and based on a true story (which only elevated the first two points). An American Crime is the true story of the torture of Sylvia Likens by neighbor Gertrude Baniszewski (bless you). Sylvia Likens (Page) and her sister are left under the care Baniszewski (Keener), herself with six children, while Sylvia’s go on the road with their touring carnival for a bit. When the first check from Sylvia’s parents is late, Baniszewski, who develops an unjustified distaste for Sylvia, begins to torture her - whipping, burning with cigarettes, forcing her to put coke bottles up her Yahoo! while the neighborhood kids watch, etc…
Keener and Page are both ridiculously good in this film, which originally premiered on Showtime. As devilish as she is, Keener’s portrayal of Baniszewski is riddled with elements of extreme trouble and depression. This isn’t to say that the film justifies her actions by any means, but you can see that this is no sane woman who is completely in control of her actions. Ellen Page’s Sylvia, although seemingly weak, is somewhat of a selfless pioneer as she surrenders herself and her mental stability in order to protect her sister while not bringing more harm than needed to those around her.
I caught this film randomly on The Movie Channel one night and was beyond surprised. I’m glad I knew nothing about the true story beforehand, because it made the storytelling and especially the climax and ending even more effective (which is told by intercutting the torture and the eventual trial). One of my favorite movies of all time is Peter Jackson’s Heavenly Creatures, which reminded me a lot of this film - mostly because of the subject matter and how the storytelling brought to life a haunting and true story. I have since researched the actual incident portrayed in An American Crime a lot more and am exponentially baffled as to how something so crazy could have happened.
Bottom Line: It’s a powerful film told through powerful storytelling and performances, but don’t say I didn’t warn you about the disturbia factor
