Saving the World in a Mini Skirt

Movie: Sucker Punch

My Rating: 3 stars

Anticipating a movie bit too keenly can lead to disappointment.  I fall into this trap more often than I’d like.  And, for a film like this that’s all action and sex and rock’n’roll, sometimes you just can’t top the pacing and polish of a well-edited trailer.  These short promotional pieces have becomes minor works of art in themselves, and they often times contain all the best scenes a particular movie has to offer.  I’m sad to say that that’s the case with this particular film.  Whether or not you’re interested in seeing this movie (hey, I’m not ashamed to admit that I was really excited for this one), you have to admit that the trailer is pretty bad-ass.  Especially if you check out one of the versions that’s been edited  to look like a heavy-metal music video, rather than one that spends a little more time describing the story. 

A beautiful, nubile orphan (played by Emily Browning) gets thrown into an asylum for the criminally insane by her evil stepfather so that he can claim her dead mother’s whole estate for his own.  This is a rotten place, full of sadistic people who just want to take advantage of the bevy of young inmates, so it’s up to the girls to bust out of that joint on their own.  But, the stress is too much for our little Baby Doll to bear (seriously that’s her name), so whenever she’s called on to perform a particularly repugnant task, she slips into her own fantasy world where she fights dragons, demon samurai, and killer cyborgs.  Yeah, yeah, but no one in the audience really cares about any of that.  They just want to see a few more shots of these lovely teenagers in their little combat-sailor-suits.  I mean, that’s what I like to wear when I’m killing Nazi zombies.  Those little skirts provide good range of motion for the legs when I’m giving ‘em a roundhouse kick to the face.

Seriously, this is a ridiculously gratuitous movie.  I hope director Zack Snyder was joking at least a little when he made this one, because no one would advertise being this big of a pervert, right?  Well, he did direct another one of my favorite lech-fests, 300.  And, I’m pretty sure that one was meant to be a little funny.  So, I’ll give this one the benefit of the doubt too.  The movie definitely delivers on its promise of guns and explosions and jiggling boobs.  Everyone likes a hot chick that’s kicking butt and taking names.  It’s just the pacing I object to.  The plot is pretty flimsy.  It’s really just an excuse to get our group of pretty girls in their sexy, little asylum uniforms.  So, all the time the movies spends lingering on the plot feels like an eternity.  Still, I’m sure you’re not going to let something as trivial as that keep you from enjoying the film, you pervo.  :o)

Doing Science

Movie: Teknolust

My Rating: 2 stars

I’m fascinated by Tilda Swinton.  She’s such a totally foreign creature.  She doesn’t seem particularly male or female to me.  Hey, she almost doesn’t even seem human.  I don’t think it’s a coincidence that she always seems to be cast as some sort of alien or android, or even just characters with massive personality disorders.  Tilda Swinton actually reminds me an awful lot of David Bowie in that way.  They could be Goblin King and Queen together.  So, I was really interested in seeing this older film of hers (from 2002).  Swinton stars as a mad scientist of sorts, Rosetta Stone (sigh).  She also plays the three clones she’s made of herself.  She keeps these women totally isolated and unsocialized so that she can do “science” on them without their being contaminated by the outside world.  Yeah, this isn’t really a film for real sci-fi fans because the script plays pretty fast and loose with exactly what kind of science this researcher is actually doing.  Is it a psychological experiment?  Genetics?  Epidemiology? Studies on the replication of computer viruses?  Scientist Rosetta would give you a glassy-eyed stare, and answer, “Yes.”  (She has a Masters degree in Science).   

But, I have a sneaking suspicion that this movie is less about Science and more about Style.  That might explain why Stone keeps the three clones are wearing all those colorful silk kimonos.  Those don’t look like regulation lab material to me.  Well, as you can probably guess, these three prisoners gradually become more and more aware of the outside world because Dr. Stone foolishly gives them access to the internet.  This leads them to become dissatisfied with their dull lives.  Luxuriating in bed on satin sheets in fashionable loungewear no longer holds the same allure it once did.  What can this harried scientist do to alleviate her wards’ malaise (especially when she’s pretty poorly socialized herself)?  Let the wacky hijinks begin!  Well, this is actually a pretty short movie, so there isn’t much time in the story for anything too crazy, or too difficult to resolve.  The story ultimately becomes a question about how different people deal with loneliness.  Since we all have different personalities, we all have different ways of combating this crippling emotion.  Some people slut it up.  Others prefer throwing themselves into anonymous chat rooms.  The more pathetic folk with low self-esteem think it’s somehow their own fault that they’re alone, and let mean people walk all over them.  But all these people are still sad and hurt.  And, I think that’s what this film is about.  The story seems pretty exotic at first, but unfortunately it isn’t all that original down at its core.  It’s not the best movie I’ve ever watched, but it’s not the worst.  But, I’d still probably skip it if I were you.

Nostalgia Sells

Movie: Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

My Rating: 2 stars

So, this is an absolutely dreadful movie.  I was aware of this going in, but I just can’t seem to resist watching movies with stars that remind me of my family members—even if they’re terrible actors.  So, which particular celebrity am I referencing with this dig?  Do you even have to ask?  Yes, I think that Shia LeBeouf bears a striking resemblance to my brother, so I was helpless to resist this particular stinker.  (This also explains my various run-ins with that vexing Transformers franchise).  Heck, not only did I know that I was going to rent this movie, I even prepared for it!  I didn’t catch the original run of Wall Street because I was a little kid when it came out.  I was more into those sweet Flashdance leotards, and Cyndi Lauper’s brand of bubblegum female empowerment than the wild world of investment bankers with their cocaine-fueled parties, and high-priced prostitutes. 

So, I figured I needed to do a little catch-up and I rented the original.  In some ways this was necessary for my pop-culture literacy, but in others it was a mistake.  Gordon Gecko is a big character, and he gets referenced a lot.  But, the movie feels really dated.  This is bound to happen any time a movie tries to show off a particularly lavish lifestyle by throwing around brand names and the newest high-tech electronics.  These things evolve and change so fast that there’s no way of predicting what will be cool in a few years.  It’s even worse when the film mentions prices, or hard dollar amounts of any kind.  Sorry guy, but your dual tape deck hi-fi system is kinda lame.  And, I’m not impressed that you paid eighty dollars for it.

Well, this sequel falls right into the same trap (or is it a tribute?).  It’s full of fancy motorcycles, hard dollar figures, and pretentious a-holes galore.  Oh, and some pretty atrocious acting, too.  Now, I’m not one-hundred percent sure about this one, but I also get the feeling that the movie takes itself pretty seriously, too—all the macho posturing from the men, the environmental activism from the ladies, and just all the general pouting everyone’s doing about their relationships and feelings.  But Michael Douglas still gives a pretty strong performance.  He’s the same, slimy creep—so cold and unfeeling, he’s practically a reptile.  I’ve always enjoyed characters that are pure evil.  But I really think Oliver Stone just made this movie as a way to make a quick buck.  Everyone who remembers seeing the first is naturally curious to see what will happen with the second.  It’s not anything  special.

Rock'n'Roll

Movie: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

My Rating: 4 stars

I was pleased to discover that this movie wasn’t as insufferable as I was expecting.  Yeah, it’s still full of all the self-satisfied, hipster shenanigans you’d imagine—permanently childish, incurably vain, young adults, obsessed with their image.  But, it actually works, because the movie as a whole isn’t as self-conscious as the characters, themselves, are.  Director, Edgar Wright, knows that these kids are ridiculous, and he’s having a little fun at their expense.  Perhaps that’s kind of a cheap ploy to win over an audience, but in this case, I didn’t mind.  Maybe that’s because I wasn’t really familiar with the comic book the movie is based on before I saw it.  Actually, I wasn’t even aware that it was out there at all until the studio started promoting the film.  But, I didn’t get the feeling that the comic was as tongue-in-cheek as the film.  Maybe people who were already really into the comic feel differently.

I think my favorite part about this movie is that my adorable, little Michael Cera, who plays the title character, finally plays a guy with a little bit of a backbone.  Oh, he’s still the hapless, beta-male with low self-esteem that he always plays, but this time he’s at least pretty competent.  This is a character who is supposed to win.  In this story Scott Pilgrim has to defeat a string of “evil-ex-boyfriends” in a series of superhero-style battles if he wants to date the woman of his dreams, Ramona.  And, this is a mission that this character is actually supposed to be able to accomplish.  We want him to win, even as we begin to question whether this too-cool, unimpressed, Ramona is really worth it.  Do guys really want to end up with girls who are always sneering at them and rolling their eyes?  It seems like that would grow old really fast.

But, despite the fact that I find some of the characters irritating as people and disapprove of their unhealthy relationships, the movie is still really fun.  I like the comic book aesthetic with its super-saturated colors, and the wild, superhero logic and physics.  Plus, the film features some pretty awesome indie rock music, too.  You’ll probably want to download the whole soundtrack rather than just a couple of your favorites.  Although, some of the songs do lose a little bit of their magic when not paired with the exciting, colorful visuals.  The combination of the unpolished, amateur rock with the hyper-edited, glossy special effects really works for me.  I think you may be pleasantly surprised too.

Internet Dating

Movie: Catfish

My Rating: 4 stars

What can you really say about a movie with a secret ending?  It’s no surprise that there’s a twist in this film.  It’s all over the promotional materials and in all the critics’ reviews.  But, the twist is the whole point of this story, and it’s what makes this one so interesting, so it’s really hard to talk about the film without ruining the whole thing.  In fact, I saw one poster that just said “See it before someone ruins it for you.”  And I think that sums this one up pretty accurately.  So, I hope you’ll understand why I necessarily have to keep this review a little shorter than usual.

This film is a documentary.  But, it ends up being a story about something a little different than the filmmakers originally intended.  The filmmakers Henry Joost, Ariel and Nev Schulman get to know a young artist, 8-year-old Abby, after she sends Nev a very impressive painting she did based on a photo of his that appeared in the New York Times.  Nev is fascinated with the little painter, and wanting to get to know her a little better, he “friends” her whole family on Facebook.  As it turns out, all the family members are pretty creative, and he’s even more impressed as he learns more about these incredible people.  (He's especially "impressed" with Abby's sexy, older sis Megan).  And, that’s when things start to get a little bit interesting.

This film is definitely worth checking out.  I can’t say much, but I can at least say that.  The documentary is made in that (relatively) low-budget, hand-held camera style that’s become so popular these days, but it really doesn’t distract from the film’s content.  It has the feel of a video diary, and viewers learn new information right along with the people in the documentary.  It’s pretty entertaining.  So, go ahead and see this one before someone else ruins it for you.

Summer Fluff

Movie: BMX Bandits
My Rating: 4 stars

Unlike most people from my generation, I’m not a huge fan of 80s movies (or 80s genre movies).  I’m a child of that generation, but I still don’t think that excuses all that high-waisted, yoked, acid-washed denim, or black-lace fingerless gloves.  (Although, I did kinda get into the whole leotard thing).  But, this is one of the few movies out there that I think actually makes the 80s look pretty cool.  It “follows” the teenage BMX bike scene in Sydney, Australia.  Although, things get a little crazy when the teens accidentally stumble across a group of bank robbers planning another heist, and foil their plans the way meddling kids tend to do.  Kinda silly, but the film really makes it look fun to be a kid in Sydney in the 80s.  The sun, the cute t-shirts, the wild, permed hair, and the unstructured summer fun.  Of course, the movies always make things look just a little bit better than real life, but I was a little jealous. 

Perhaps fashion didn’t get quite as out of control Down Under in the 80s as they did here in the US, but the decade doesn’t look quite so atrocious in this movie.  Maybe it’s because most of the time the characters are wearing specialized sports wear.  Or, I could have just been dazed these kids’ delightful Australian accents.  Little Nicole Kidman was such a cutie back before she became the ice queen she is today.  Not that there’s anything wrong with that.  There will always be enough films that call for a frosty, passionless villainess to keep her working as long as she likes.  (For the record, I blame Tom Cruise).  But, you’ve really got to see how adorable she is here.  Although, I was thrown off guard by how disconcertingly identical the young Nicole Kidman looks to my law school roommate.  They could be twins.

So yes, this movie is just a big pile of cotton-candy.  It’s all summer fluff.  The plot is silly and the acting is hammy.  But, this is pure-hearted cheese from a more innocent time—a time before all comedy had to be so ironic and self-referential.  So, the hiinks don’t feel wrong here.  The movie has actually survived the test of time pretty well, I think.  And better yet, it’s available for streaming through Netflix, so you don’t have to make a big commitment if you want to take a peek.  Ah, convenience!  This is the perfect film for these hot, sticky days we’ve been having lately, so crank up that AC and check it out.

Rough Watching

Movie: Lebanon

My Rating: 3 stars

Well, this movie isn’t exactly enjoyable—no film this tense and nerve-wracking really could be—but it is pretty well done.  Critics have called this movie this decade’s Das Boot.  I can see where they got the idea.  The film is set almost entirely inside the interior of one of those cramped, old-school tanks.  The story is about a tank full of Israeli soldiers during the Israeli/Lebanese conflict in the early 80s.  It’s pretty hard to navigate those tanks from inside, using only a periscope.  And, when the soldiers piloting it are a bunch of nervous, inexperienced rookies, it’s even more difficult.  So, of course these kids take a wrong turn, and wind up accidentally driving their tank right into enemy territory.  And naturally, they need to get out fast.  But, with the pressure turned up even higher, these anxious kids’ nerves become even more brittle.  Not a good combination.

You can’t really get more claustrophobic than this film.  And, the heat of the Middle East summer really increases that confined, smothered feeling.  It’s a very uncomfortable feeling.  However, I think the comparison to Das Boot is a little misplaced.  Granted, it’s been an awful long time since I’ve seen that classic film.  I probably watched it sometime in high school for some history unit.  But, I think the old “submarine cat-and-mouse game” is inherently different from the “tank stranded in enemy territory” narrative going on here.  Although, both films feature small groups of young, green soldiers experiencing some of the most hellish aspects of war.

So, like I said, not a very pleasant film.  This isn’t the one you want to rent if you’re looking for a relaxing evening.  But, it’s not bad by any means.  While this movie isn’t good for mindless entertainment after a hard day of work, if you’re looking for a story about human nature and how delicate souls crack under pressure, this movie’s for you.  Although, my one complaint is that director Samuel Maoz spends a lot of time creating atmosphere without spending enough time on character development, or really even explaining the plot.  Of course, this film is supposed to be all about the atmosphere, but I would have enjoyed a little more expansion of the other two elements as well.  But still, the film is worthwhile.  It’s worth checking out.

Those Crazy Oldsters

Movie: Women of the World
My Rating: 3 stars

It’s fun to watch old movies sometimes.  Usually, I’m not a fan of the outdated production value of these old movies.  But, sometimes it’s fun to see how different things were back in the “olden days.”  (That’s how I like to think of the 50s and 60s).  Those were the days when it was apparently normal to grab a martini for the road, or to calm a hysterical wife by administering a heavy dose of tranquilizers.  This little gem of a film claims to be a documentary about social and cultural differences around the globe.  This is some hard-hitting journalism, reporting on all the similarities and differences between women from all different countries.  This is a very important and very necessary investigation.  But, I think it was really just an excuse for the three Italian directors involved to get a lot of film footage of pretty ladies without getting slapped.  Normally women don’t go for men following them around with cameras trying to get a glimpse up their skirts.  But hey, this film is from the 60s, so really who knows what women were willing to tolerate back then.  (Although, according to Mad Men, it was apparently quite a lot). 

But, despite all the blatant sexism and chauvinism, I actually kinda liked this film.  It’s pretty entertaining as long as you’re in the right frame of mind.  And, by that I mean, willing to take this “documentary” as merely portraying light male fantasy, and not actually representing actual female behavior and predilections.  Oh sure, there are plenty of ladies that are like the ones in this film, but it actually depicts a pretty narrow view of femininity for how diverse it claims to be.  But, I guess a lot if different kinds of movies create fantasy roles for men and women—romantic comedies, action flicks, even those girl power movies.  So, I’m not going to criticize this one too much.  

A Very Scary Horror Film

(Best with sound)

Living With Moms

Movie: The Kids are Alright
My Rating: 4 stars

I liked this movie.  But, I like it more for what it stands for than for the actual story.  The plot line is pretty mundane.  A pair of siblings (Mia Wasikowska and Josh Hutcherson) goes searching for their biological father.  They are the children of lesbian partners (Annette Bening and Julianne Moore) who decided to visit to a sperm bank once they decided to have kids.  Naturally, this brother and sister find something a little different from what they were expecting once they finally track “daddy” down.  What I really like about the film is that it’s set in a post-non-traditional family setting.  Just like feminists really had to fight hard for the rights that we ladies now take for granted, men and women in these “non-traditional” relationships had to fight for the right to be recognized as families.  Of course, they haven’t made as much progress as they’d like.  Gay and lesbian couples still can’t marry in most states.  But, it’s become pretty normal to have friends at school with two moms, or two dads.  I like that this movie takes this family dynamic for granted.  It’s not even an issue that needs to be examined in this story.  The real drama is created by the introduction of this fifth individual into the mix—the sperm donor played by Mark Ruffalo.  I think it’s kinda cool that we’ve reached that stage already.  It seems like these social revolutions are happing much quicker than they used to.  (Although, still not quickly enough). 

I do also love the fun this film has with the characters’ names.  The younger sibling in this story is named Laser, and all the characters throw it around nonchalantly, as if it were the most normal name in the world.  Sure, naming norms have also lightened up a lot these days, but I still find this pretty hilarious.  Joni is the biological daughter of the dominant Annette Bening character, and Laser is the biological son of the free-spirited, frivolous Julianne Moore character.  It’s funny that one mom picked a pretty sensible name, and the other picked one that’s sure to raise a few eyebrows once his resume starts circulating.  This film’s other strength is the acting.  These actors create some of the most realistic family dynamics I’ve seen in film.  It all feels so natural and organic.  The actors are all comfortable with each other, and the kids are just as annoyed with their moms as any kid would be.  And, then Mark Ruffalo is exactly the kind of directionless underachiever that seems cool for a while, but the ultimately underwhelms.  I’d say the film is a success.  It’s not the most exciting story ever, but you’ll end up feeling good about it in the end.

Rock'n'Religion

Movie: The Taqwacores
My Rating: 3 stars

I really liked the idea of this film—a group of young, Muslim punks living together in a group house in Buffalo, New York, and trying to figure out their lives and their faith.  They live and party hard, but they stay true to their religious beliefs.  Although, we soon learn that each of these youngster’s definition of what it means to be a Muslim is vastly different from each other’s.  The movie reminded me a lot of the documentary Heavy Metal in Baghdad in that regard.  In both of these movies, a new generation explores a genre of music that has previously been considered incompatible with Islam.   In that film it was heavy metal, and in the one, it’s indie punk.  Unfortunately, this one isn’t quite as good as Heavy Metal.  It’s hard to really compare a documentary with a drama, but something can be said about the quality of the editing in general. 

It seems like the main narrative in this film is mostly about the various characters lamenting the fact that they don’t really fit in.  They complain about this fact an awful lot, but the story really doesn’t progress much beyond that.  Perhaps this is a bit of an old-fashioned notion, but I really like some sort of development in my films.  Maybe the resolution or some major plot points, either good or bad, or at least some personal growth on the part of the characters.  But, there’s not really much of that here.  Heck, we don’t even get much punk rock music for how much these guys can’t stop talking about it!  All the kids in this story are just as confused at the end as when it starts.  Each of the residents of this group house is very different from the others, so you’d think they’d learn a thing or two, just from being in such close contact with people who are different.  But, really this situation just makes each character more stubborn and set in his ways.

I’m still glad I watched this film.  This is a whole sub-culture I don’t really know much about, and I think it’s always good to learn new things.  The kids in this movie identify as part of the punk community, yet the details of their personal circumstances and beliefs create all kinds of variations in the way they express this identity.  So, even if the characters don’t learn much about themselves, perhaps we in the audience can take something away from the story.  Maybe we’ll be a little less judgmental.  Or, perhaps we’ll be a little less smug and know-it-all when it comes to a particular genre or sub-culture we think we’re experts on.

Indie Plug

I like to support indie filmmakers efforts, so here's another fun thriller for you to check out on Youtube.  This short film, Low by Jon Salmon, is a suspenseful thriller.  My worst nightmare is to be trapped deep underground in the dark.  But, the film ends up being pretty cute by the end.  It's only a few minutes long, so check it out.

Best of Intentions

Movie: Dogtooth

My Rating: 2 stars

Well, this film turned out to be way more sinister than I was expecting.  I actually haven’t seen very many Greek films, but it seems like the ones I did get to see have all had some very dark undertones to them.  They’ve all been a little disturbing and sexual.  And, alarmingly, more than a few oft hem have toyed with the idea of incest and abuse within the family.  Yikes!  There must be something going on in Greece to create such angst amongst its artists.  Or, perhaps these have all been horror-type films, and that topic is the most distressing thing possible to the Greek psyche.  Heck!  I found it all pretty monstrous.  I wouldn’t call this movie a horror, per se, but director Giorgos Lanthimos definitely creates a strong sense of foreboding right from the start.  The tension builds and builds until the film’s dreadful climax.

A father has created what he thinks is an oasis of purity in his carefully guarded family compound.  He home-schools his three teenaged kids, and lets neither them nor his wife leave the premises, lest they fall victim to all the evil out in the world.  To ensure their reliance on him, and to keep them from getting too curious about the outside world, he feeds them a constant stream of misinformation about the dangers that await them, should they leave.  But these kids are as clueless as you could expect from people who have been sheltered from all outside contact.  Their development has been dramatically stunted, and these kids live in a perpetual state of childish games and diversions . . . that is, until the hormones tart to kick in.  That’s when things start to get creepy.

It seems like I’ve been watching to pretty heavy films lately.  Well, maybe they haven’t all been that serious, but they’ve all been pretty dark.  It seems like I’m a little bit overdue for a little more cheesy fluff.  That’s what Summer’s all about, right?  Maybe I’ll try to focus a little more on those films.  Oh, who am I kidding?  I can’t resist these zombie/chainsaw/psychological thrillers.  Maybe the antidote is a few more of those dance-off movies.  They’ll never stop making those.

From the Vaults

Movie: Yasujiro Ozu's Good Morning

My Rating: 3 stars

This movie is an ode to snotty, spoiled kids everywhere.  Kids who make life so uncomfortable for their parents with all their pouting and tantruming that parents will give them just about anything just to get them to behave for half a second.  This is an old movie—from 1959—but it just proves that kids have always been little brats.  The film is set in small-town Japan.  It’s one of those little, isolated places that’s known for its stereotypically catty, gossipy women, and uninterested, emotionally distant husbands.  With all the adults paying attention to their own, petty problems, children are left to run wild.  And this story stars a pair of particularly stubborn, yet adorable, little school-aged brothers.  These little hellions are used to getting what they want, and this time, their campaign of terror is directed toward forcing their parents to buy one of those new-fangled TV sets.   You know, like the one the bachelor next-door, and that loose woman he’s shacking up with let them watch after school (gotta love those 1950s morals, don’t you?).  Well, these boys have learned a thing or two from past experience, so they know that if they hold out long enough, they’ll be able to wear down their parents’ resolve.  It’s a war of attrition, and these kids have nothing but time and energy.  Plus, they don’t have those pesky consciences to make them feel bad about any of this.  They’re willing to make their parents’ lives holy hell until they get that TV set.

The film is done in Technicolor so it’s got that awesome, retro look.  Somehow, that limited color palette breeds nostalgia, making the past seem a little better than it probably really was.  Even these little stinkers seem a little bit cute with their self-indulgent antics (for a little while, anyway).  But, it’s also kinda fun to see what Japan was like in the late 50s.  I already had an idea what the United States was like, but I hadn’t really seen or learned that much about contemporary culture in other countries.  It seems like a lot of the clothing fashions were the same as here in the US.  But each country is going to have its own, distinct social structures at play.  I’m glad I watched this one.  It’s not the most amusing movie ever made, and it does stretch pretty long.  It claims to run only ninety-three minutes, but it’s actually an hour longer, at one-hundred fifty.  That’s kind of a big problem.  But, I think it’s still worthwhile.

Feeling Adventurous

Movie: Troll Hunter
My Rating: 5 stars

Now, here’s a film that’s right up my alley.  A group of Norwegian film students follow a big, burly (yet disillusioned) troll hunter around the countryside as he investigates disturbances amongst the local troll population.  He’s trying to figure out why they’ve been acting erratically lately, and exterminates ones who are out of control.  Sounds a little obscure, right?  Well, apparently my local art house theater thought so because even they decided that they’d only run this one for a week.  This from a theater that’s screening a German film about a man with Tourette’s Syndrome breaking out of a mental institution with his anorexic girlfriend and taking a joyride around Europe in a stolen car.  I don’t see how that film merits a longer run.  Oh well.  So, I really had to be on top of my game if I wanted to see this film any time soon.  I couldn’t dawdle around like usual. 

The undercurrent of the film is pretty silly, but director André Øvredal plays all the comedy very deadpan.  He presents the story as a documentary about amateur journalists uncovering big government secrets.  Of course, that means that it’s filmed in that hand-held camera, BlairWitch-style footage.  But, don’t let that keep you away from this one.  I think the whole hand-held footage genre has gotten remarkably better since Blair Witch.  Just look at [REC] or even Cloverfield.  Those films both have coherent stories, and don’t give viewers too much motion sickness.  And greater care has been taken with the editing.  Like those two, this film actually shows a fair amount of the creatures these characters are hunting.  I think the low-resolution footage, and unsteady image actually help make the trolls look a little more believable.  Because really, these things usually work way better if you don’t inspect the CGI too closely. 

This is a super fun film.  It’s a combination of fantasy, humor and good, old-fashioned conspiracy theories.  It’s a fun choice for a geeky night out with friends who aren’t going to take the film (or themselves) too seriously.  This is one that you should just sit back and enjoy—not pick apart and analyze from every angle.  Although, I can understand that there are some folks out there without a sense of whimsy—people who aren’t interested in this kind of silliness.  And, there’s nothing we can do about them.  But, I wholeheartedly endorse the film.  So, run out and see it before it’s pulled from your theaters too.

Summer Fluff

Movie: Midnight in Paris

My Rating: 4 stars

Well, this was a thoroughly delightful movie.  A little less cynical than Woody Allen’s typical fare.  Although all the characters still have mild existential crises and minor struggles with their consciences.  But, the movie is still just a lighthearted little romp through Paris and its exciting artistic history.  The kind of movie that even people with as widely varying tastes as my mom and I can both enjoy.  And, I did.  Owen Wilson plays  a man who is visiting Paris with his overbearing fiancé (Rachel McAdams), and her picky, unpleasant parents.  They’re the kinds of people who try to overschedule the day with tourist destinations they can check off their list, while nattering on about how much they aren’t enjoying themselves.  Wilson, on the other hand, would be content just wandering the streets, fantasizing (a little naively?) about Paris in the 1920s, and just absorbing the general Parisian vibe.  Maybe he’ll eat some bread and cheese, and smoke a Gauloise every now and then (just to fit in).  This whimsical attitude, and indifference to getting lost in the city of lights, leads him to stumble across a little time warp that appears in a certain square every night at midnight.  Magically, it transports him back to the exact time period he had been dreaming about: Paris in the 20s.  It’s complete with all Wilson’s literary heroes—Hemmingway, Fitzgerald, Stein, and all their rowdy cohorts.  He’s like a kid in a candy store.  And that’s just the start of Wilson’s wacky fun.

Of course, these magical evenings are broken up by having to spend times with his increasingly-crabby fiancé and inlaws-to-be, biting his tongue as he listens to all their ludicrous demands.  All this sounds like it would get pretty tedious after only a little while, except that Woody Allen makes each of these people such an obviously exaggerated caricature, that we don’t have to take any of them very seriously.  They’re more comical than grating.  That’s a good thing, because judging from the audience this film drew, it’s apparently a very popular date movie.  You wouldn’t want couples feeling like they want to wring each other’s necks at a date movie, right?  Although, that does seem to be Woody Allen’s bread and butter—the war between the sexes.  But, not this time.  This isn’t a serious movie.  It’s about as light and fluffy as stories come, but it’s good summer fun.

Kids These Days

Movie: Dance of the Dead

My Rating: 3 stars

Not all zombie movies are the same.  I guess that statement would hold true for any category of film.  When a genre becomes hot, it’s only natural that derivative works will start popping up left and right—good, bad, unexceptional.  This movie billed itself as a dark comedy—a spoof of all those high-school/prom horror flicks.  In this one, some of the waste from the the local nuclear power plant has apparently gotten into the water, and caused the undead to wake.  Normally, this would just be a minor nuisance, except that this time, they're threatening to ruin Junior Prom.  The horror!  I generally love spoofs, and it seemed like this one would be just witty enough and self-aware to be great.  Unfortunately, self-referential comedy is really hard to play, and this movie ends up feeling a little more affected than clever.  And, nothing kills cool faster than trying too hard.  Oh, the movie is still good fun.  I love these new floppy-haired teenagers.  Their humor is smarter and more quick-paced than it was fifteen years ago.  They’re way more sophisticated than my generation was when I was in high school.  I think it’s because the internet is way better now than it was then. 

But the movie still isn’t that original.  Just the same old jokes in a new package.  I found it pretty hard to maintain any kind of real interest in the story.  This was definitely a “tidy up the house, while the movie plays in the background” kind of a flick.  Although the music was pretty awesome.  Like all these high school movies, this one features a garage band with members that are just a few years too old to still being in high school.  (I think the age thing is intentional).  Usually these bands are pretty bad, sounding like they’re taking inventory of all the cafeteria’s pot and pans.  But, in this movie they actually rock pretty hard.  It’s super fun, upbeat rock with some melody and not too much reverb (plus, the musicians pretty cute too).  Again, that may be the age thing.  All the other kids are the pimply, “if I had a girlfriend, she’d kill me” type of teenager.  I guess that detail makes this movie a little more realistic than some others that star “alleged” high-schoolers.  All in all, I think I’d skip this movie if I had it to do all over again.  But, if anything, this movie is worth it for the awesome musical numbers.

Human Nature

Movie: Afghan Star

My Rating: 4 stars

Now, here’s a sentiment I can relate to: peoples’ universal love of singing!  It doesn’t matter where you’re from, or which religion you follow.  There’s something about really belting it out into a karaoke machine that’s just irresistible.  People makes careers studying the psychological components and the deeper meaning of Human Nature, but some of it is pretty simple and common.  This documentary follows the Afghan Star televised singing competition.  The show follows the format of American Idol, but instead of singing cheesy, English pop songs, the contestants here sing traditional Afghan music.  Apparently, the songs are more popular and contemporary than classical Afghan music, but they’re still in some of the various languages spoken in Afghanistan, and deemed culturally and morally acceptable by Islamic law.  That’s important for a show that’s broadcast throughout the whole nation.  This is a particularly touchy subject for the nation, since it’s one of the few things about which citizens can vote democratically.  Anyone with a cell phone can text in and vote for his or her favorite singer.  In a country as ethnically diverse as Afghanistan, citizens wonder whether the voting will really be unbiased, or whether voters will simply choose the contestant from their particular ethnic group.  And, In another unsurprising twist, these new voters run right into another one of the most contentious issues in modern democracy: campaign finance.  Wealthy Afghanis have figured out that they can purchase thousands of SIM cards, thereby throwing the vote in favor of their particular darling.  (I guess there’s more than one universal theme in this film.)

This documentary is really good.  Director, Havana Marking, does a great job introducing us to the various contestants, and she really builds the right amount of suspense as the competition progresses.  We get to know the singers a little.  We rejoice with them when they advance to another round, and we cry with them when they’re eliminated.  This show was very interesting, because it was one of the first new programs to pop up once the Taliban’s decades long ban on singing and music was finally lifted.  The show was particularly controversial because the producers allowed women to compete on television alongside men.  The film indicates that this contest falls into a gray area of Islamic law.  While there is no ban on women singing, the female contestants would have to be very careful not to draw the wrong kind of attention to themselves by appearing vain or sexy.  And, some of these women come dangerously close to the line.  It’s interesting to see how Afghanistan’s culture has started to revive itself after the Taliban lost its hold on Kabul.  People are wary, and they are branching out very carefully, but they never really lost their old preferences.