Thrilling to the very last second, Primal Fear is a carefully constructed courtroom drama that tends to exceed the confines of its otherwise stock genre. In most Law dramas there is a one-sided victory it seems until *gasp* a surprise witness?!?!?! OH MY GOD, NO WAY! Primal Fear offers a refreshing respite from this stereotype by having perpetual suspense highlighted by the phenomenal acting efforts of Edward Norton and Richard Gere.
Fear tells the story of Richard Gere as a high-powered attorney in Chicago Defending a murderer (when first describing this to my brother, he was certain the title of the movie was "Chicago" (not quite the same)). Gere's character, Martin Vale, has conflicted interests: he wants the notoriety and fame of being a defense attorney which is why he accepted the case of an archbishop being murdered by a choir boy named Aaron Stampler (Edward Norton), but by the end he becomes ambivalent about his feelings towards the fame of his position and even his feelings about the justice system in general.
As if the phenomenal acting and script weren't enough, Gregory Hoblit does an exquisite job of directing. Utilizing the juxtapositions of just and evil to show who are truly the righteous law abiding people in our society.
Ed Norton is really the standout of this film, as the psychologically distrubed Aaron Stampler, accused of murdering an archbishop he is trying to prove himself to his very own attorney. What makes his character so incredible, is the stutter. Each scene of this movie is excrutiatingly tense and suspenseful, but any scene with Norton makes every word suspensful - because you are never sure what may or may not come out of the quivering lips of the disturbed Aaron Stampler
For once, we come apon a drama that doesnt only make you want to know what happens next, but also makes you think.
Thank you Olivia Zhao for making this article happen.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Cinema Paradiso
Cinema Paradiso tells the tale of a young boy, and his relation to movies and the man who showed them to him. The film, set between the 1940s and the 1980s in a rural italian town in Southern Italy, is heart-warming, funny, and romantic - all at the same time.
What is truly remarkable about Cinema Paradiso, is that it is so honest in its portrayal of a peoples love for movies. Directly following WWII, Italy has been ravaged by war and is left in a grim state, with little more than a scrap of hope for happiness it seems. Yet, amongst all the misery, we see a vibrant lifestyle fueled by the majesty of film, which offers an escape for the otherwise depressing lives of the people who live in the village. When the reel starts rolling, and the lights go down, you truly see the lives of these people change, literally become better. The Cinema Paradiso becomes such a great escape from life, that it becomes their lives - people are conceived there, babies are nursed there, people sleep there, people eat there, people even die there occasionally.
It may sound odd, but i think that if this movie were American, it wouldn't be half as touching. There is something about the sadness of post- WWII that excentuates the beauty of the escape that the Cinema Paradiso.
What makes this movie so heart-warming to those who aren't physically in the Cinema Paradiso, is the fact that the audience can relate to the love for film. Because the escape of the movies is timeless. Everyone loves movies, and i love this one
What is truly remarkable about Cinema Paradiso, is that it is so honest in its portrayal of a peoples love for movies. Directly following WWII, Italy has been ravaged by war and is left in a grim state, with little more than a scrap of hope for happiness it seems. Yet, amongst all the misery, we see a vibrant lifestyle fueled by the majesty of film, which offers an escape for the otherwise depressing lives of the people who live in the village. When the reel starts rolling, and the lights go down, you truly see the lives of these people change, literally become better. The Cinema Paradiso becomes such a great escape from life, that it becomes their lives - people are conceived there, babies are nursed there, people sleep there, people eat there, people even die there occasionally.
It may sound odd, but i think that if this movie were American, it wouldn't be half as touching. There is something about the sadness of post- WWII that excentuates the beauty of the escape that the Cinema Paradiso.
What makes this movie so heart-warming to those who aren't physically in the Cinema Paradiso, is the fact that the audience can relate to the love for film. Because the escape of the movies is timeless. Everyone loves movies, and i love this one
The Searchers
The Searchers falls into a genre of movie that is unique to American culture: the western. The style of barren deserts, unkempt cowboys, and epic “gunslinger” moments, has taken a great deal of influence from the history of America and its western fronts, however often they may change. For the most part, the arc of a Western movie rarely changes: stranger rolls into town, a rivalry brews, trouble over a girl starts, good guy beats bad guy, happy ending. It rarely changes. This is where The Searchers finds its most redeeming quality.
Directed John Ford, who is hardly new to the genre of Western at this point in his career, delves deep into a character’s psyche, exploring his motives, history, etc. For what I imagine is one of the first times in the western genre, there is a flawed hero who does not quite fall into the mold of “good guy.”
The Searchers tells the story of Ethan, played by none other that John Wayne himself, a loner who strolls into town only a day before his whole family is either killed or kidnapped by a group of hostile Indians. Ethan swears vengeance, as if it was necessary to even swear, and spends the rest of the movie searching for the remaining members of his family who might have been kidnapped. He is accompanied by a inexperienced Martin Pawley, played by Jeffery Hunter, who wants so badly to find the closest thing to a family he has ever known. Here is where the psychological stuff comes in. Martin is one quarter Indian; Ethan is incredibly vengeful and racists towards all Indians, no matter the background – tension is immediate. As the movie rolls on, we witness more and more of Ethan’s imperfection, his craziness, highlighted by an otherwise static personality. One scene that truly exemplifies just how crazy Ethan can get, is when we see Martin and Ethan come across a herd of buffalo and decide to kill one for sustenance; Ethan shoots one, and then another, and then another, under the explanation that there will be “fewer for the Comanche {indians}.”
So despite a brand of acting which could not be more fake and unbelievable, The Searchers has a redeeming facet in being a new step in the genre of westerns. By taking that extra moment to actually establish the mindset of its characters, The Searchers distinguishes itself from all others in its field.
Directed John Ford, who is hardly new to the genre of Western at this point in his career, delves deep into a character’s psyche, exploring his motives, history, etc. For what I imagine is one of the first times in the western genre, there is a flawed hero who does not quite fall into the mold of “good guy.”
The Searchers tells the story of Ethan, played by none other that John Wayne himself, a loner who strolls into town only a day before his whole family is either killed or kidnapped by a group of hostile Indians. Ethan swears vengeance, as if it was necessary to even swear, and spends the rest of the movie searching for the remaining members of his family who might have been kidnapped. He is accompanied by a inexperienced Martin Pawley, played by Jeffery Hunter, who wants so badly to find the closest thing to a family he has ever known. Here is where the psychological stuff comes in. Martin is one quarter Indian; Ethan is incredibly vengeful and racists towards all Indians, no matter the background – tension is immediate. As the movie rolls on, we witness more and more of Ethan’s imperfection, his craziness, highlighted by an otherwise static personality. One scene that truly exemplifies just how crazy Ethan can get, is when we see Martin and Ethan come across a herd of buffalo and decide to kill one for sustenance; Ethan shoots one, and then another, and then another, under the explanation that there will be “fewer for the Comanche {indians}.”
So despite a brand of acting which could not be more fake and unbelievable, The Searchers has a redeeming facet in being a new step in the genre of westerns. By taking that extra moment to actually establish the mindset of its characters, The Searchers distinguishes itself from all others in its field.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
A Christmas story
AAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!
This movie just screams cutesy-cuddley and heart-warming, and i am not complaining. The type of movie you wouldn't mind curling up in front of a fire watching when the weather outside is frightful. A simple story, with incredibly truthful portrayal of the Americanized christmas: Crazy department stores, long lines to visit a grumpy santa, and of course: the fog on the display case of your favorite toy.
A Christmas Story tells the tale of Ralphie Parker and his never ending quest to get the perfect christmas gift: the Red Ryder (numerous adjectives) BB gun. He must convince Santa and his parents of his good behavior, attempting to do well in school, helping his father change a tire, anything - despite cautions that he would "poke his eye out" with the beloved BB gun.
What i love most about this movie is its genuine nature. It was truly what i imagine being the All-American Christmas (in an almost entirely white neighborhood barring a few gospel singers around a trash can fire). I have had the same desire for gifts - for Channukah mind you - and would do anything to get it. What is so interesting to me is that the materialistic desire does not stop with the kids, everyone is obsessed with material goods - including an outrageously hideous leg-lamp - which is in the nature of American capitalism: greediness is ageless.
I find it hard to "review" this movie, because while watching it i found it difficult to pick at the cinematic and directorial nuances. While watching this movie, one can't help but be engulfed by the honesty and heart-warming essence of this film.
So if this blog is lacking, it is only because i can't put into words the kind of feeling one recieves while watching this movie. It is a film for all ages, and most importantly: all religions. Feliz Navidad.
Totally Innapropriate, but hilarious:
This movie just screams cutesy-cuddley and heart-warming, and i am not complaining. The type of movie you wouldn't mind curling up in front of a fire watching when the weather outside is frightful. A simple story, with incredibly truthful portrayal of the Americanized christmas: Crazy department stores, long lines to visit a grumpy santa, and of course: the fog on the display case of your favorite toy.
A Christmas Story tells the tale of Ralphie Parker and his never ending quest to get the perfect christmas gift: the Red Ryder (numerous adjectives) BB gun. He must convince Santa and his parents of his good behavior, attempting to do well in school, helping his father change a tire, anything - despite cautions that he would "poke his eye out" with the beloved BB gun.
What i love most about this movie is its genuine nature. It was truly what i imagine being the All-American Christmas (in an almost entirely white neighborhood barring a few gospel singers around a trash can fire). I have had the same desire for gifts - for Channukah mind you - and would do anything to get it. What is so interesting to me is that the materialistic desire does not stop with the kids, everyone is obsessed with material goods - including an outrageously hideous leg-lamp - which is in the nature of American capitalism: greediness is ageless.
I find it hard to "review" this movie, because while watching it i found it difficult to pick at the cinematic and directorial nuances. While watching this movie, one can't help but be engulfed by the honesty and heart-warming essence of this film.
So if this blog is lacking, it is only because i can't put into words the kind of feeling one recieves while watching this movie. It is a film for all ages, and most importantly: all religions. Feliz Navidad.
Totally Innapropriate, but hilarious:
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Run Away
I am always willing to appreciate avant-garde films, foreign films, even mediocre films. But i draw the line at bad films
Run Lola Run is certainly an interesting film that makes you think about the importance of time, that every second counts. So in that field I give it credit. I even enjoyed the music choices that perfectly mirrored the feeling and emotion of almost every scene.
I go to the movies to be entertained, for the most part. A film where a woman is running for 70 minutes is just boring from my point of view. Not to mention the fact that only the smallest things changed each time. It is not like in the movie Memento, which i believe is similar in style, in which a little bit more is revealed each time; in this movie it is the same plot for every single scene.
I also had absolutely no attachment to any of these characters. When Lola got shot in the first scene i remember thinking: "that doesn't even look real, her blood looks like paint." When i should be thinking "Oh my God, is she gonna be ok!?"
Then comes the inexplicable nature of this character: Lola. She seems like a super hero with these mutant powers: she can run for incredibly long distances without getting tired, and she can scream to affect probability. Now i am a huge comic book fan, i love X-men and all of that, but at least some of that is explained a little bit. This is just some girl who runs places and screams a lot. That is honestly my feeling about the character of Lola.
By the way, if this guy Manni is doing all these drug deals anyway and he is wiling to shoot up a grocery store, then maybe he deserves to die.
I may be too critical. If you like movies like this (for 70 minutes):
Then be my guest.
Run Lola Run is certainly an interesting film that makes you think about the importance of time, that every second counts. So in that field I give it credit. I even enjoyed the music choices that perfectly mirrored the feeling and emotion of almost every scene.
I go to the movies to be entertained, for the most part. A film where a woman is running for 70 minutes is just boring from my point of view. Not to mention the fact that only the smallest things changed each time. It is not like in the movie Memento, which i believe is similar in style, in which a little bit more is revealed each time; in this movie it is the same plot for every single scene.
I also had absolutely no attachment to any of these characters. When Lola got shot in the first scene i remember thinking: "that doesn't even look real, her blood looks like paint." When i should be thinking "Oh my God, is she gonna be ok!?"
Then comes the inexplicable nature of this character: Lola. She seems like a super hero with these mutant powers: she can run for incredibly long distances without getting tired, and she can scream to affect probability. Now i am a huge comic book fan, i love X-men and all of that, but at least some of that is explained a little bit. This is just some girl who runs places and screams a lot. That is honestly my feeling about the character of Lola.
By the way, if this guy Manni is doing all these drug deals anyway and he is wiling to shoot up a grocery store, then maybe he deserves to die.
I may be too critical. If you like movies like this (for 70 minutes):
Then be my guest.
Look Closer
I had always liked this movie for its captivating performances by the phenomenal cast of Kevin Spacey, Annette Benning, Chris Cooper, Thora Birch, Wes Bently, and Mena Suvari. Each one representing, what i feel, are opposite ends of personality spectrums: Carolyn Bernham, (Benning) is anal retentive; Frank Fitts (Cooper), is a military man; Angela Hayes (Suvai), is shallow; Jane Bernhan (Birch), is misguided; Ricky Fitts (Bently), is incredibly profound and smart; and then there is Lester Bernham (Spacey) who is going through what those around him would call a mid-life crisis, but what he would call a great awakening. The quality of these breath-taking performances will never fade, but as i begin to look at this film with a more inquisitive eye I find a great artist hidden behind the screen: the director, Sam Mendes.
The extraordinary fact that this was Mendes's directorial debut only adds to the amazement that one experiences while watching this masterpiece. Gently woven into the fabric of the film are symbols of each characters mental state: Carolyn has the precise nature of her dining room table, Jane is constantly upset with her body, and Ricky is surrounded by his attempts to capture natural beauty through a lens. The symbolic nature in this movie is so vivid, and yet so subtle at the same time.
Then there are the roses. Practically the calling card of this movie, roses and rose petals are a ubiquitous presence throughout the film. However, they are most important to Kevin Spacey's character of Lester Bernham. Half-way through his life, Lester never learned to stop and smell the roses - now he is engulfed by them. Every time he thinks about Angela roses appear. They are the symbol of the Beauty that was missing in his life.
What is beauty? That is the focal point of the story, one could argue. It is my belief that this movie tries to break any sort of confinement that beauty might have and say that beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder. For Ricky it was Jane, even though she would be by most standards plain, for Carolyn it was her furniture, even though Lester only viewed it as stuff, and for Lester it was Angela, even though some might see her as shallow and fake - he saw her beauty.
The lesson of this movie is indeed its trademark line which is: "Look Closer."
The extraordinary fact that this was Mendes's directorial debut only adds to the amazement that one experiences while watching this masterpiece. Gently woven into the fabric of the film are symbols of each characters mental state: Carolyn has the precise nature of her dining room table, Jane is constantly upset with her body, and Ricky is surrounded by his attempts to capture natural beauty through a lens. The symbolic nature in this movie is so vivid, and yet so subtle at the same time.
Then there are the roses. Practically the calling card of this movie, roses and rose petals are a ubiquitous presence throughout the film. However, they are most important to Kevin Spacey's character of Lester Bernham. Half-way through his life, Lester never learned to stop and smell the roses - now he is engulfed by them. Every time he thinks about Angela roses appear. They are the symbol of the Beauty that was missing in his life.
What is beauty? That is the focal point of the story, one could argue. It is my belief that this movie tries to break any sort of confinement that beauty might have and say that beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder. For Ricky it was Jane, even though she would be by most standards plain, for Carolyn it was her furniture, even though Lester only viewed it as stuff, and for Lester it was Angela, even though some might see her as shallow and fake - he saw her beauty.
The lesson of this movie is indeed its trademark line which is: "Look Closer."
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Pleasantly Surprised
Rushmore review
Jordan Rochelson
Let me preface by saying that Wes Anderson is not a director that all viewers will, “fall in love with.” Director Wes Anderson’s unique style of blunt realism is one that is lost on many people, and admired by others. The former group dismisses Mr. Anderson as pompous, while the latter heralds him as a genius and innovator. I find myself leaning towards the first group. In the films in which his style is shoved in the face of the viewer, such as Darjeeling Limited (2007), the viewer feels lost and a tad insulted – as if we must be stupid if we didn’t understand the humor. However, there are occasions in which Anderson manages to curb his directness slightly, and it is in these occasions that Mr. Anderson flirts with greatness. Rushmore is a prime example.
The charming film tells the tale of Max Fischer, played by Jason Schwartzman: a prep school student on academic probation who falls in love with a first grade teacher at the school – Rosemary Cross (Olivia Williams). Fischer finds himself completely enticed by Ms. Cross – as he adoringly refers to her – and he spends most of his time trying to impress her and make her fall in love with him. Despite Fischer’s intelligence, he fails to see the obvious complication: he is a fifteen-year-old boy, and she is a teacher of thirty years (roughly). Both Schwartzman and Williams offer charismatic performances, as conflicted people without complete comprehension of their situation. A hilarious Bill Murray flanks the two, as the depressed millionaire Herman Blume who ends up falling in love with both Cross and Fischer it seems: Cross, because of her intelligence and beauty, and Fischer because he sees in him what he wants his hooligan sons to be. It is a hilarious story line, with very dramatic undertones.
It is true, Wes Anderson has a tendency to act sardonically in his scripts, mocking everyday life by trying to find comedy in places where no jokes are made. Anderson thrives on the kind of awkward situations that one would encounter on a daily basis. I would be hard pressed to find an occasion, in any of Anderson’s movies, in which a character makes a blatant joke. He tries to find the comedy in every day occasions. His issue is that he looks to far for them: in Darjeeling Limited he needed to take his characters on a wacky adventure in India, in Life Aquatic he takes his characters to the high seas in matching outfits on an exhibition to find…..god-knows-what. When Anderson tries to hard, he ties himself up in trying to explain what is going on. When he finds comedy out of basic stories – like a basic love story (Rushmore) – he manages to find that comedy that he is searching so ardently for. That is what is truly great about Rushmore, it is somewhat realistic and believable, that is why we can laugh, and feel for the characters at the same time.
If you are looking for the kind of film that makes you laugh and feel intelligent, then this movie is for you; if you want a movie that will show tell you jokes – then Rushmore will disappoint. I leave this movie with a feeling of intelligence and a recession in my hatred for Wes Anderson Films……for now.
Jordan Rochelson
Let me preface by saying that Wes Anderson is not a director that all viewers will, “fall in love with.” Director Wes Anderson’s unique style of blunt realism is one that is lost on many people, and admired by others. The former group dismisses Mr. Anderson as pompous, while the latter heralds him as a genius and innovator. I find myself leaning towards the first group. In the films in which his style is shoved in the face of the viewer, such as Darjeeling Limited (2007), the viewer feels lost and a tad insulted – as if we must be stupid if we didn’t understand the humor. However, there are occasions in which Anderson manages to curb his directness slightly, and it is in these occasions that Mr. Anderson flirts with greatness. Rushmore is a prime example.
The charming film tells the tale of Max Fischer, played by Jason Schwartzman: a prep school student on academic probation who falls in love with a first grade teacher at the school – Rosemary Cross (Olivia Williams). Fischer finds himself completely enticed by Ms. Cross – as he adoringly refers to her – and he spends most of his time trying to impress her and make her fall in love with him. Despite Fischer’s intelligence, he fails to see the obvious complication: he is a fifteen-year-old boy, and she is a teacher of thirty years (roughly). Both Schwartzman and Williams offer charismatic performances, as conflicted people without complete comprehension of their situation. A hilarious Bill Murray flanks the two, as the depressed millionaire Herman Blume who ends up falling in love with both Cross and Fischer it seems: Cross, because of her intelligence and beauty, and Fischer because he sees in him what he wants his hooligan sons to be. It is a hilarious story line, with very dramatic undertones.
It is true, Wes Anderson has a tendency to act sardonically in his scripts, mocking everyday life by trying to find comedy in places where no jokes are made. Anderson thrives on the kind of awkward situations that one would encounter on a daily basis. I would be hard pressed to find an occasion, in any of Anderson’s movies, in which a character makes a blatant joke. He tries to find the comedy in every day occasions. His issue is that he looks to far for them: in Darjeeling Limited he needed to take his characters on a wacky adventure in India, in Life Aquatic he takes his characters to the high seas in matching outfits on an exhibition to find…..god-knows-what. When Anderson tries to hard, he ties himself up in trying to explain what is going on. When he finds comedy out of basic stories – like a basic love story (Rushmore) – he manages to find that comedy that he is searching so ardently for. That is what is truly great about Rushmore, it is somewhat realistic and believable, that is why we can laugh, and feel for the characters at the same time.
If you are looking for the kind of film that makes you laugh and feel intelligent, then this movie is for you; if you want a movie that will show tell you jokes – then Rushmore will disappoint. I leave this movie with a feeling of intelligence and a recession in my hatred for Wes Anderson Films……for now.
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