She's more than highschool evil

Jennifer's Body (2009) Directed by Karyn Kusama
Screenplay by Diablo Cody



Jennifer’s Body is the second original film from Academy Award winning writer Diablo Cody. When compared to Cody’s first film Juno one clearly gets the sense that Jennifer’s Body is the work of an auteur--- not from the director in this case but the writer. The film has the feel of a Diablo Cody film. It’s laden with Cody’s now trademark witty, sarcastic, tell-‘em what you’re thinking, pop culture savvy dialogue. It’s a combination of Billy Wilder on overdrive plus a dash of Woody Allen’s dry wit.

Despite Megan Fox playing the boy-eating title character, this movie is clearly Amanda Seyfreid’s from start to finish and she also turns in the best performance. She plays Needy, the Jan Brady-like best friend of the school’s most popular hottie Jennifer (Megan Fox). Fox’s work with Michael Bay clearly didn’t sharpen her acting prowess but her work here is passable. It’s a part that requires her to be sexy, scary and funny and she does well in this regard. In some ways it’s comparable to a Marilyn Monroe performance as Fox often seems pleasantly surprised with herself for nailing Cody’s acerbic dialogue.

Cody’s sense of humor seems to lend itself nicely to the horror genre because there are plenty of opportunities for snappy one liners even in the most dangerous circumstances. Consider a scene in which Needy’s boyfriend Chip (Johnny Simmons) seems to be in danger. His mother offers him a pepper spray to keep away crazy girls but Chip offers this:

“I can take care of myself. I’ve been using Bowflex”.

In another instance a scene of terrible violence is offset by a clueless teacher (J.K. Simmons) who hears screaming from afar and calmly remarks that the kids just need to let out their grief.

The one liners and Cody’s knack for not taking things too seriously is the draw for me with Jennifer’s Body. For fans of the horror genre there is plenty of gore, ample cleavage and sex scenes. I believe Cody does a decent job of balancing the gore with scenes in which the violence is left to the viewer’s imagination which is usually the scariest type of violent conflict.

Jennifer’s Body may not be a cinematic masterpiece or even an Academy Award caliber film but it is a lot of fun, plenty of laughs and some chills. In this regard it more than delivers and will certainly amass plenty of fans for those who enjoy the horror genre and even some casual movie goers.

*** (out of 4)

Quirk and circumstance

500 Days of Summer
Directed by Marc Webb
Screenplay by Scott Neustadter & Michael H.Weber



500 Days of Summer has some positive things working for it. It features two likable actors in the Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel and a plot which is atypical of most Hollywood romantic comedies. It’s billed not as love story but a story about love which examines a relationship between two 20-somethings with the good and the bad, the joys, the heartache, frustration and frequent miscommunication in young love. The film promises a realistic depiction of a relationship without the typical Hollywood story conventions and it delivers to some extent.

Unfortunately the film falls into the Indy hipster trying desperately to be offbeat and ultimately falls into the trap of being too quirky for its own good. Its pseudo-stream of conscious narrative structure and use of plot devices was no doubt inspired by Annie Hall, a film which is the apex of the genre, yet with 500 Days of Summer everything seems to be done to prove itself different and eccentric. The film uses split screen, toys with the aspect ratio, includes an unnecessary homage to classic foreign films, illustrates a reality versus desired scenario and even has a cringe-inducing impromptu song and dance number.

It also includes a myriad of things which have become hallmarks of annoyingly quirky films: obscure Indy bands and play lists, pretentiousness (a Belle and Sebastian yearbook quote), an all-knowing narrator, supporting characters who contribute very little to the plot,flashbacks to childhood, an abundance of superfluous pop culture references, thrown-in literary references to appear intelligent and a laughable and out-of-place reference to The Graduate. All of these were seemingly included to make the failed relationship between two young people seem all the more digestible.
500 Days of Summer is Tom Hansen’s (Gordon Levitt) story. Much of the narrative is from his point of view while Summer's character is only partly developed. Tom’s real passion in life is architecture but he settled for job writing for a greeting card company because it pays the bills and perhaps taking a chance and trying to make it in architecture was too much of a bold risk for him. He’s somewhat content with his job and believes everything will fall into place once he meets the girl of his dreams. I’m not sure I’d call him a romantic but he’s definitely an idealist. Unfortunately for Tom he believes Summer Finn (Daschanel) is the one he’s waited for all his life.

Summer is proof that the term “jerk” is not exclusive to men and may be afforded to women as well. She’s the type of girl who is not interested in society’s expectations for herself and her gender and assumes others, mainly men, should know this and not be surprised when she contradicts herself. Her character really made me upset because she is the type of girl that dumps on decent men then expects everyone to be friends because she has pretty blue eyes. Summer lets Tom know that she’s not interested in having a relationship because she enjoys being independent. Most men would interpret this as Summer not being interested in Tom in a romantic sense and they would be right – to an extent.

Summer claims she doesn’t want a relationship yet she sleeps with Tom but then expects him not to see her as a girlfriend (“Why put labels on things?”). Tom isn’t in the friend zone but his relationship with Summer is complicated to say the least. He’s involved in a year and half relationship with a woman that will never make him happy yet he believes she is his dream girl. Essentially this is the crux of the story.

I believe this conflict between the two main characters is enough to base the plot around and the inclusion of the aforementioned narrative devices and hallmarks of quirk exist only to get in the way of the narrative—they’re just not needed. Moreover, it’s disappointing that a film with two likeable stars and suitable premise fails because it is so intent on proving to viewers that it is original. Very few films made today are original as most anything has been done before in some way as execution is key in producing an excellent film and that’s where 500 Days of Summer falls short. **

Woody returns to New York

Whatever Works is Woody's followup to the stellar Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Larry David with a Woody Allen script? A must see. Plus, Patricia Clarkson is said to play a a nutjob and a nemesis to David's character. With Evan Rachel Wood, Ed Bagley Jr., and Henry Cavil.

Forget the half-baked action films, sequels and me-too films coming out this summer-- this is the film event of the summer (or at least it is for Woody Allen fans!).

5 of My favorite reviews

Ace in the Hole (Wilder, 1951)
Comment: Wilder's best noir.

Before Sunset (2004, Linklater)
Comment: Arguably the best film of this decade.

Hiroshima mon Amour (Resnais, 1959)
Comment: One of the most beautiful films I've ever seen.

Persona (Bergman, 1966)
Comment: Bergman's greatest achievement.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona (Woody Allen, 2008)
Comment: Woody's best since Crimes and Misdemeanors. Here's hoping Woody casts the beautiful and talented Rebecca Hall again.

Most read reviews since January 2008
1. The Big Lebowski (Coen Brothers, 1998)
2. The Notebook (Nick Cassavetes, 2004)
3. Gilda (Charles Vidor, 1946)
4. There Will Be Blood (P.T. Anderson, 2007)
5. Before Sunset (Richard Linklater, 2004)

Much more than a horror film

The Shining (1980)

Directed by Stanley Kubrick

The magic in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining is the way in which one may perceive the nature of the events unfolding in the film. A simplistic view of the film would surrender to the notion that the horrors of the overlook experienced by Jack (Jack Nicholson), Wendy (Shelley Duvall) and Danny (Danny Lloyd) are in fact supernatural and the film is pure fantasy. The previous caretaker Delbert Grady (Phillip Stone), his two twin (Louise and Lisa Burns) daughters, Lloyd the bartender (Joe Turkel), the motif of gallons of blood gushing from the elevator and the seen and unseen in Room 237 can be explained as ghosts or illusions. It’s a simplistic view of the film which appeals to mainstream tastes and casual filmgoers. There’s nothing wrong with viewing the film this way, but The Shining can be enjoyed even more as a psychological horror piece by questioning the sights and sounds of the Overlook hotel—is it objective reality or fantasy?

A more sophisticated view of the film and one in which I tend to agree with is viewing the film as one of inconceivable imagination and madness. The cook Hallorran (Scatman Crothers) who possesses the same psychic gift as Danny describes the ghosts of the Overlook as being “pictures in a book.” It’s my opinion that the ghosts the Torrances see in the Overlook are imagined. Jack was never served Bourbon by the bartender, never talked to Grady in the garish red, pop art-like bathroom and furthermore, was never let out of the storage room by him. Everything that is seen is the byproduct of Danny’s way of coping with his surroundings—his psychic abilities and incredible imagination, or Jack’s descent into madness (and later in the film Wendy’s hysteria) and the fact he’s a recovering alcoholic with no booze available.

Kubrick introduces ambiguity in the narrative for those of us who believe this theory. There are the scenes when the characters of the Overlook physically intervene with the Torrances. I maintain Jack never did have a drink because there is no glass or bottle left over and furthermore, Wendy makes no mention of Jack falling off the wagon or smelling alcohol on his breath, etc. Jack’s psychotic behavior is the result of his fragile state of mind brought upon by the increasing feeling of sensory deprivation or the removal of external stimuli (often called cabin fever).

Another scene in which a ghost (Grady) seemingly intervenes with Jack is when he is locked in the food storage room by Wendy after being clubbed with a baseball bat down the stairs by her. More often than not, the popular notion held by many is that ghosts, if they exist, are non-living entities which often haunt the living, but they do not have the ability to alter the physical environment. This is why I don’t believe Grady let Jack out of the food storage room. A rational explanation says that Wendy never locked Jack (She does struggle with the lock) in the storage room and he only escapes from the room once he feels stronger after recovering from the malaise brought upon by the hit to his head. Although, some may say Grady does unlock the door for Jack because we hear the sound of the bolt unlocking. However, this is never certain because Danny does hear the two little girls asking him to play with them and they must be imaginary, right? How does one explain the marks of strangulation on Danny following his venture into Room 237? In each case, what is real and what is imagined is certainly open to argument.

One of the most chilling and suggesting scenes in the film is another instance when the supernatural seemingly intervenes physically with the real, concrete world is when Danny is playing with toy trucks and cars on the maze-like carpeting of the hallway and a pink tennis ball slowly rolls into the frame. As viewers we are given the same perspective as Danny. We wonder where the ball came from, think we know who rolled it, but can never be certain exactly where it came from. The Shining may have been the only horror film directed by Kubrick, but he understood the notion that the most fear and tension is created by the unseen and inexplicable (Alfred Hitchcock proved this to be true with crime pieces and it’s probably true for cinema in general).

Influences

As with any film directed by Kubrick, The Shining is impeccably crafted with its direction, editing and cinematography (let’s not forget those striking snap-zooms or Garrett Brown’s steadicam) being of the highest caliber. I don’t think there is any question Alain Resnais’ masterwork Last Year at Marienbad (1961) was a heavy on influence on Kubrick for The Shining. From the slow tracking shots in the Overlook’s hallways to the pink and gold colors of the ballroom (Marienbad was filmed in black and white and the interiors were dressed with pink and gold wallpaper) to the puzzling conclusion of the film which suggests the idea of a perpetual time loop and the instability of memory. Moreover, there is a Marienbad-like scene which evokes ‘X’(Giorgio Albertazzi) pursuing ‘A’ (Delphine Seyrig)where Jack discovers the waiter Grady is the previous caretaker who murdered his family.

Jack Torrance: You WERE the caretaker here, Mr. Grady.
Delbert Grady: No sir, YOU are the caretaker. You've always been the caretaker. I ought to know: I've always been here.

More than anything, as Resnais did with Marienbad, Kubrick involves us in the story and challenges us to be active viewers always questioning what we see. In this way these films illustrate cinema at the height of its power. This brand of us cinema entertains, challenges and suggests but it never fully reveals its secrets because to do so would divest it of its magic.

Unforgettable imagery

The Beauty of Steadicam

Garrett Brown’s invention is a stabilizing mount for motion picture cameras which isolates the camera operator’s movement from the camera. This allows for smooth shots even for quick movements or long tracking shots over uneven surfaces. There is no need to set up rails or use dolly shots. Brown followed Danny Lloyd with the steadicam mounted to a wheelchair just 2 to 3 inches off the floor. This scene is an excellent example of the steadicam at work:

A Sweet Ride

Gran Torino (2008)
Directed by Clint Eastwood
Screenplay by Schenk. Story by Dave Johnson & Schenk.

At the age of 78 director Clint Eastwood is a marvel of the film industry. Every year or two he makes a picture which is either very good (like The Changeling) or great (i.e. Letters from Iwo Jima), and sometimes he even makes two pictures in one year! Thankfully, Eastwood shows no signs of slowing and doesn’t see any reason why a director’s later years can’t be spent making fine motion pictures.

The latest offering from the Eastwood treasure chest is Gran Torino, a meditation on xenophobia, fatherhood and the degenerative influence of gangs and lowbrow culture on impressionable youth. Gran Torino is uncompromising in its use of racial slurs, yet at the same time it is often very funny (but never trivial), poignant, tragic and hopeful. It is the mark of a great filmmaker that can make a picture which makes the audience laugh, cry and think.

Eastwood is Walt Kowalski, a veteran of the Korean War, a tough as nails, stubborn as a goat, mean ol’ growling son of a bitch never afraid to tell it how he sees it even if it means using racial slurs (on everyone, even his Italian barber played by John Carroll Lynch) or rifle in hand, telling people to get the hell off his lawn. After Walt’s wife passed away the old man is even more suspect of those living in his neighborhood, namely anyone different than himself, specifically the Hmong people and the two-bit gangbangers that give them a bad name. Walt refuses to flee the neighborhood and always keeps a rifle or handgun nearby. It conjures memories of Eastwood the gunslinger from his spaghetti western pictures. Walt is a man seemingly living on an island as the world passes him by, yet he still has his dog Daisy and his prized possession, a 1972 emerald green Gran Torino which he had a hand in constructing at the Ford plant he worked at for 30 years.

The impetus for change is set in motion when one of Walt’s Hmong neighbors, Thao (Bee Vang) reluctantly tries to steal the Gran Torino as part of an initiation into his cousin’s gang. Naturally, Walt threatens to kill Thao and orders him off his lawn on another occasion. Walt gradually mellows (just a tad) toward Thao’s family and this is due mainly to Thao’s sister Sue (Ahney Her), a spirited young woman who brushes off Walt’s coarse behavior and helps him to understand the Hmong. Walt even becomes a hero to the Hmong locals when he scares away the Hmong gangbangers who confronted Thao at home. The Hmong shower him with flowers and food and generally make him feel uncomfortable as he’s treated like a king (although later he cannot help but accept a gift of chicken dumpling). They revere him because they know what would happen to Thao if he were to join his cousin’s gang. Young Hmong males mostly join street gangs and die young while the women go to college.

Most may come away from Gran Torino describing the picture as mainly a discussion of racism. Although, one of the film’s main themes is clearly racism, it is certainly not the only theme at work. Gran Torino shares much in common thematically with Eastwood’s masterpiece Million Dollar Baby (especially when looking at each film’s third acts) and also involves the church and a persistent young do-gooder priest (Christopher Carley). Whereas that film was concerned with a father-daughter relationship, Gran Torino delves a bit into an examination of the father-son relationship. Walt is never able to really relate to his sons primarily because he admits that he doesn’t know how to be that kind of father. He even admits to having more in common with his Hmong neighbors than his own family. Though he may never show it, Walt feels satisfaction in being a father figure to Thao in securing him a construction job and generally showing him how to act like a man and be confident around women.

Gran Torino deals with a subject which has been explored endlessly in cinema—the negative influence of gangs on youth. However, in this case the subject serves not only to show us how gangs are evil but to help Walt understand the Hmong. It is through this theme that Walt begins to understand that no matter one’s ethnicity, gangs and injustice in general, have a negative influence on one’s people. I think more than anything, injustice and rudeness disgust Walt.

Gran Torino may deal with themes that have been explored many times before, but it is the way that Eastwood plays with genre conventions that keep the audience guessing. There are at least two major instances in which we think something is certain to happen but are surprised by a simpler and more effective outcome. Lastly, let us not forget Eastwood’s excellent jazz score, fine invisible camera-like direction or his ability to coax admirable performances from the untrained Hmong actors. Gran Torino is yet another great entry in the Eastwood cannon and should not be missed. ****

Two for the Road

Revolutionary Road (2008)
Directed by Sam Mendes
Screenplay by Justin Haythe, based on the novel by Richard Yates.

If a little dreaming is dangerous, the cure for it is not to dream less but to dream more, to dream all the time.
-Marcel Proust

Some people are unhappy because they realize they could be working a job which gives them pleasure and fulfillment, being blissfully in love and living a passionate life. Many realize this is possible but few do anything about it. The few that try to achieve these ideals are our great romantics. These people must live and operate in a setting full of character and culture or they will suffocate. They feel and suffer more than others, yet they possess the innate gifts of expression and imagination- they are the dreamers.

Such is the case with Frank (Leonardo DiCaprio) and April (Kate Winslet), a young couple that appears happily married to others (especially to their archetype 1950’s married couple neighbors) but struggles to accept their prosaic suburban lifestyle in Connecticut in the 1950’s, an era when conformity ruled as many young people married after World War II, moved to the suburbs and started a family. Ironically, Frank and April met at a party where she was drawn to him because he was different. He didn’t know exactly what he wanted to do with his life but he knew it would be grand. Things didn’t turn out the way Frank had hoped as he nears thirty years old working the same dull office job his father worked for twenty years. Likewise, April’s ambitions of becoming an actress never panned out and she is instead relegated to producing dreadful school plays. Both are personal failures and naturally, it affects their relationship. April’s solution is to move the family to Paris where she will find a high paying job as a translator and Frank would have time to find himself.

More than anything Director Sam Mendes’ Revolutionary Road is built on marital conflict, a character-driven drama led by the charismatic DiCaprio and Winslet who can seemingly do no wrong in any role (Both have a penchant for taking on excellent projects). Although, to pigeonhole Revolutionary Road as a film merely concerned with suburbia as a hindrance to the American dream would be short-sighted. There are several subtexts below the surface.

The film examines the mundane moments in marriage, infidelity, pride in one’s occupation, familial responsibility, passionate love and the elements which are needed to maintain a happy and healthy relationship. DiCaprio and Winslet’s chemistry is strong throughout and despite the heavy subject matter at times and the mistakes made by each, it is difficult to take sides with one character. I say this because each character is flawed but wants what is best for each and the audience wishes only to see them happy.

The film boasts some fine supporting performances as well. The friendly but officious landlady Mrs. Givings played by Kathy Bates always seems to arrive at the Wheelers’ doorstep at inopportune times and she deals with conflict by ignoring it. This is in opposition to Frank and April having it out every so often in heated arguments. Mrs. Givings’ son John (Michael Shannon) provides some comic relief as a brilliant mathematician on leave from a mental institution. Ironically, John is the only one who fully understands why the Wheelers' desire to move to Paris. Others perceive it either as a hasty decision or fleeing from something at home.

All in all, Mendes’ latest effort is excellent, although it seems to be tickling greatness at times but cannot quite reach the next level of becoming a great film. It just seems to be one more memorable scene away from the necessary three once theorized by the great director Howard Hawks, although Revolutionary Road does have one of the subtlest, yet effective climaxes in recent cinematic history. To those who have seen the film I am not referencing the very last scene but the scene before it which is the real climax of the film in my estimation. In any case, Revolutionary Road is worth one’s time and money and will provoke plenty of thought and discussion. ***1/2