Movie #24 The Killer Inside Me

I managed to squeeze another film in this week.  2010's The Killer Inside Me.  The movie is directed by Michael Winterbottom and stars Casey Affleck, Kate Hudson, Jessica Alba, Elais Koteas and Simon Baker.  The film is based on a pulp novel by Jim Thompson.  I was really looking forward to seeing this film.  I was upset when the nearest  theater to show the film was 5 hours away.  Even after reading the lukewarm reviews I wasn't detoured.  Well, I should have listened to the critics.  The film is not a wash, and there are some really good elements and performances, but as a whole I was sadly disappointed.

Michael Winterbottom has made some great pictures in the past 15 years or so.  24 Hour Party People, Tristram Shandy and Welcome to Sarajevo are among them.  The Killer Inside Me is about a psychopathic Deputy Sheriff in Texas names Lou Ford.  The story takes place during the 50's.  He develops a mutual sadomasochistic relationship with a prostitute that lives on the edge of town.  He helps her come up with a plan to rob one of her John's out of some cash.  Then all hell breaks loose.  The killer is played with a graceful ease by Casey Affleck.  He is as good here as he was in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.  He is also involved in rough sex relationship with his fiance and small town "good girl" Amy Stanton (Hudson). 

Allow me to say that this film is some what graphic.  That was one of it's big criticisms.  I didn't find it to be repulsive.  A few times I thought Winterbottom accomplished exactly what he set out for to show the brutality of these murders.  Some of those scenes left a chill down my spine and queeze in my stomach.  But in a good way.  I love visceral emotion from a film.  Regardless if it is a good feeling or a bad one.  And this movie did move me.

Now for some of the down side.  Jessica Alba as the hooker.  Sexy?  Yes.  Good actor?  No.  I'm sorry, but putting Alba up against Affleck is like a boxing match with Ali vs Urkel.  Kate Hudson was dull and lifeless on screen as well.  Ned Beatty was channeling John Huston from Chinatown and a slew of other performances that were labored and heavy handed.  One role with little screen time but that was played with integrity was Liam Aiken as the troubled teen.  I think that kid has a future.

Winterbottom's camera which has been electric in some movies was stagnent here.  There are a few shots and scenes that showed a lot of promise, but not enough.  The score was ok with 50's pre-rockabilly and earily country music songs.  This film should have been drenched in atmosphere.  It is ripe for a full blown noir, or even a noir run up / homage.  I would love to see Winterbottom tackle such a movie.  With the Killer Inside Me he setteled for a very straight forward approach to material that we have seen 1,000 times before without bringing enough of his vision to the project.  As a protrait into the mind of a sicko killer this movie is a success.  As a movie in it's own right, it is not.  I would give The Killer Inside Me 2.5/5 stars.  Take a look for yourself.  Click the link below to view the trailer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_U2LUsfeMwg

Country Strong Trailer

Wow! I saw this trailer before "Easy A" last night. Wow! and I don't mean Wow in a good way. This seems to be the story of a struggling female country singer / alcoholic. Think Crazy Heart with boobs.
This trailer literally made me sick to my stomach. It stars Gwyneth Paltrow and Tim McGraw. This is the most blatant Oscar grab I think I have even seen. I am not a huge Gwyneth fan to begin with, but I think overall she has done good, solid work. But this.....I just feel sorry for her. Watching this trailer was like seeing a cousin that you were best friends with growing up, now all strung out on meth.

Movie #23 Easy A

In my opinion the teen sex comedy in recent years has really gone down hill . There are a few exceptions to that rule of course.  "Juno", while not exactly fitting into this sub genre, was a tremendous achievement.  It managed to reinforce that today's youth (in all their self imposed existential angst) really isn't that different from the generation that bore them.  It also was refreshing to see a bright, confident all be it snarky teen female lead in a movie.  Compared to cookie cutter stereotypes that are repetitively trotted out in film after film.  You know what I am talking about.  "The Cheerleader", "the book nerd", "the rebel", "the best friend".  The documentary "American Teen" embraced these pigeon-holed conventions and exploited their high school experiance for all to see.
I am glad to say that Easy A continues more along the path that Juno blazed.  The story is loosely a modern retelling of The Scarlet Letter.  Emma Stone gives a electric performance as Olive.  The whip smart high school student who becomes the subject of all the school gossip.  The word 'round the campfire is that she s sleeping with everyone and even doing so for money.  A rumor that she inadvertently starts and at first thrives on the recognition she receives.  Once she becomes aware of the negative impact these fabrications are having on her life and the lives of those she cares about, she attempts to set the record straight.

At first I had my concerns for this film.  Much like Juno, it open with some dialogue that fall totally flat (honest to blog).  Fortunately it rights the ship and delivers a wonderful story with some rapid paced, intellectual/witty banter.  Which Emma Stone and the majority of her co-stars handle wonderfully.  Stanley Tucci and Patriaia Clarkson play Emma's parents and they are among my leaders for supporting performances for the year.  The family dynamic in this film is so captivating and real.  This has been a good year for non-traditional families representing new family values.  Both this film and the wonderful The Kids are Alright are front runners in this movement. Other notable performances come from Thomas Haden Church and Alyson Michalka as a favorite teacher and best friend respectively.

This movie is not without its faults.  It does get a little to "cutesie" and to steal a line from the movie "It's not as smart as it thinks it is".  It is sharp, but occasionally it crosses the line.  I felt a little patronized watching a few scenes.

I would be remiss if I didn't further comment on Mrs Emma Stone.  She lights up the screen.  She is by no means the typical Hollywood beauty.  With her blazon red hair, petite stature and informed smile but she commands the screen with every word, glance and movement.  Her self awareness and self assurance projects itself.  I couldn't help but to be lured in.  I first noticed her in last years Zombieland.  I noticed both her beauty and acting chops.  I am glad she has found a role that better allows her to stretch her wings.

This is a sex comedy, a genus as old as ancient roman times.  And this movie pulls off something that most sex comedies don't.  There isn't any sex.  not even any nudity.  At a few points in the movie, Olive comments on how she wishes her life were like a John Huges film.  I don't know if "Easy A" will be remembered with the passion that the Huges fans have for his films, but it is a movie I won't soon forget.  I give "Easy A" a 3.5/5 stars.  For more information check out the link below for the trailer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNbPnqyvItk

Rough week for the film world. We lost long time Tarantino editor Sally Menke and the director of Bonnie & Clyde Arthur Penn. RIP

Enter The Void - This Will Blow Your Mind

Movie #22 Black Narcissus

A few years ago when I bought my first iPod I started listening to podcasts.  This was a relatively new medium at the time.  iTunes had a few hundred listed, but that was all.  At that time most of the content out there was pretty amateurish.  You could tell it was recorded by a few stoned dudes sitting in their mothers basement.  The podcast that stood out for me was called Filmspotting.  A play on the title of the Danny Boyle film Trainspotting.  Filmspotting was structured.  It had a weekly update with reviews of a current movie release, a contest where you could win a free DVD, and other content.  Including one of my favorite segments "Top 5 Lists".  They would pick a topic and list their Top 5 favorite films that involved that topic.  For example:  Top 5 Father & Son movies.  My Top 5 would include To Kill a Mocking Bird, Big Fish, The Empire Strikes Back, There Will be Blood and The Host.  Anyway, another feature on the show is there marathons.  Much like I did (stole the idea) with my Coen marathon the chose the work of a director or genre they are unfamiliar or under educated on and watch 5-7 films in that category.  Then the review each one and at the end of the marathon they announce their favorites in a variety of categories.  I have maintained a devoted listener.  I don't believe I have missed an episode in the past 5 years.

The current marathon is over the films of the directing duo Powell and Pressburger.  AKA "The Archers".  Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger were directors in the 40's.  They made broad, epic technicolor dramas.  They are considered by many to be some of the greatest directors of all time.

I heard 1940's, technicolor, and dramas and I thought this would be a marathon I would pass on.  Their first review consisted of them gushing for almost 20 minutes about the films and declaring Powell and Pressburger the find of the year for one of the Filmspotters.  Then the second film they reviewed was a movie I had heard of and I knew that it was regarded as an all time classic.  The Black Narcissus.  I decided to give it a try based upon their comments.  I was rewarded.

I should know better than to form opinions about films before I watch them.  I have been burnt by movies that I couldn't wait to see in theaters (I'm looking at you Burn After Reading) and I have been blown away by movies that I watched only because someone who's opinion on film I trust recommended it.  Even though I wasn't all that excited about it.  The best example of this is Night of the Hunter.  Once I get the Criterion Collection DVD of this for Christmas I will review (hint hint).

Black Narcissus is the story of a order of Nuns that attempt to start up a nunnery in the Himalayas.  The Sister Superior is Sister Clodagh, played pitch perfect by Deborah Kerr.  She is very young to be heading up her own nunnery and she quickly runs into problems with some of the other nuns in her order as well as the locals.  Including a woman grounds keeper that has mentally seen better days.  Another thorn in her side is the government agent Mr Dean.  He is nothing but rude to the nuns and doesn't want them around, but Sister Clodagh can't help but be reminded of the love that left her behind and drove her into the sisterhood.

Another problem comes from one of the other sisters.  She become rabid with jealousy and rage for the relationship forged between Clodagh and Mr Dean.  Her transformation is one of the most dramatic and believable in recent memory.

It is for sure that P&P are master craftsmen.  Most of this film is shot on the lot with painted backgrounds.  Somehow they are really able to set you in this location.  I was completely caught up in the film.  The performances are mesmerizing.  P&P were decades ahead of their time for camera angles and editing.  This films has very clearly been lifted from ever since it was first shown.

This is another Filmspotting discovery for me.  Now I have to go back and watch their first film of the marathon "The Life and Death of Mr. Blimp" and play along with the rest of the movies.  If you are interested in watching these movies they are on Netflix streaming and the Criterion Collection has released them on BluRay and DVD.  I would give Black Narcissus 4/5 stars.  If you are interested check out the link below for the trailer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZRzcLK1Ar0

Movie #21 Night Watch

You might have noticed that I have changed the title of my blogs from "Day #" to "Movie #".  I have become fully aware of the difficultly of attempting to watch a movie every day AND blog about them.  All the while keeping a more than full time job and spending quality time with my kids, girlfrined, and family.  So, I am now going to see how many movies I can cram into 1 year.  Who knows, maybe it will be close to 365.  But I think now that 1 a day is unachievable for me.  None the less I intend on continuing to watch a variety of movies and obsessing about them at every opportunity. 

With that out of the way allow me to tell you about a film called Night Watch.  Night Watch is a Russian film made in 2004 by director Timur Bermambetov.  It is a story set in a world where some humans (called "Others") have a varying degree of special powers.  These Others have existed since the dawn of time.  A long time ago they had a battle and in the outcome was a truce.  The Other were split into two groups, the Light and the Dark  Once you discovered that you, as a human, had special powers you had to decide which group you wanted to belong to.  The Dark Others are vampires and the Light Others have a police like unit that patrols the evenings called Night Watch. 

The Light and the Dark generally get along and live together in a very civilized manor.  That is until one member, of either side, gets out of line.  Their relationship is like police and civilians   There are no problems as long as both parties keep the peace.  Once either side brakes the rules, all hell breaks loose.  Pun intended.

Night Watch is a kinetic, horror / crime drama.  Picture "The Matrix" + "28 Days Later" with a dash of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" thrown for kicks.  It is not hard to tell that this is a foreign film.  I watched it in dubbed English and didn't actually find it that distracting.  This film is rapid paced and doesn't pull any punches or hesitate to answer any questions for you.  At points I feel like it got away from it's director a little.  Kind of like he had a lot of ideas he wanted to throw in there and crammed them in where maybe they didn't need to be or just flat out didn't belong. 

As a whole I really liked this film.  It was one of the most modern looking foreign films that I have seen.  Particularly of this genre.  The acting is not quite stellar.  There were some characters that it looked like they hadn't received any direction at all.  Understanding that some of that could have been lost in translation. 

The story bounces around between the main character whose found out he had special powers (although they are not used very often) when he went to a fortune teller who was a dark other.  He then joins the Night Watch.  Another story is that of a woman cursed who is unwilling and seemingly unknowingly opening a portal to the end of the world???  There is a female vampire who is scorned by the murder of her lover by the lead character.  The lady vampire is using a siren like call to summon a little boy who could shift the ballance of power to whatever side he chooses.  The boy is being protected by light other shape shifters that turn into a tiger and a bear.  Like I said, this film is a little over crammed with plot.

After the film was over I wasn't sure what I had saw, but I was sure that I enjoyed it.  It reminded me of a lot of poorly made American action and horror movies in it's cheesyness, but it never rang false.  If you are willing to go along for the ride it will pay off in spades.  I give this film a 3/5 stars and I am looking forward to watching Day Watch soon.  Rumor has it that there is an American remake in the works.  For more information check out the link below for the trailer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMHQsjgQDrA