Things I'm Addicted Too

War Movies...Jake Gyllenhal...ellaboration? Gladly.

Ragtag Cinema in downtown Columbia recently played "The Tillman Story" (2010), a documentary about Pat Tillman the professional football player that gave up his multi-million dollar contract to serve in the military. It was a true portrait of his character, as well as a revealing look at the cover up of his death. The mystery surrounding his death made for a good plot to the story, and the people who spoke in the film really gave it a unique voice. It was so effective, that by the end of the film, I was agitated and motivated by the injustice I saw on screen. If I ever made documentaries, that is the type I would make. I have, and always will, believe that film exists to serve as a mirror to society. It should show us what we are doing wrong, either by revealing what has been concealed or highlighting what we overlook the first time, or by showing us what we are doing right. A film should never be made for money or the experience of making a film, it should come from something real that exists and needs to be highlighted.

During "The Tillman Story", there was a point at which a combat camera crew was assembled to take video of the rescue of Jessica Lynn. This bothered me, because that was a place where I felt a camera should not be, and that's when I realized why I am a narrative filmmaker. I believe that there is a time and a place for a camera. It should not be ever present, or a priority in real life. Using it unnecessarily, degrades the art of film and ignores the etiquette of the craft.

I also saw "Jarhead" (2005), recently. I had wanted to see it when it came out, but the poor reviews steered me away from it. Gee was I dumb...I gotta stop listening to other people's opinions of movies to judge whether or not I should watch them. The film was directed by Sam Mendes and I could tell, he has a style and while I may not like it, he kept it in check and told a good story. The film was so intense and hard to watch at times that i had to take breaks and detox. It was a very real film.

I will say that I have always had a very deep respect for men who serve in the military, which may have contributed by my liking this movie. One time when I was like 17 or so, I went to see the Shepherd of the Hills in Branson with my family and they had all of the veterans stand up. The gentleman in front of me stood up, and for some reason, after the show, I felt compelled to shake his hand and tell him thank you. This is not an uncommon urge in my life, but it really has no source that I know of. My family is not a military family, and I have never had anyone incredibly close to me serve, but I will always have that deep respect. From this deep respect, I believe, spring my love for films like "Jarhead" (2005) and "Stop-Loss" (2008). Neither of these films portray soldiers as infallible or superior human beings. They show the true torture that these men go through, physically and emotionally. They show these men at their worst, when they break down from the pain that results from their decision to protect a largely ungrateful country, and yet they still come out as heroes. They may be anti-heroes, but they are heroes, and no one can disagree with that.

On this Christmas Eve, I would like to thank all of the men and women who have served, or are currently serving in any branches of the military. It is because of you that I have the right to write this blog and spend my days discussing art and changing technology. Everyday I wake up and know that my basic needs are secure because you relinquish so many of your rights in the fight to protect them. You're dedication and sacrifices are not overlooked. Thank you all.

The Kids Are All Right

*Warning*

This is going to be a very personal post.

I'm sure this film was technically very good, I just didn't notice too much because I was really lost in an emotional roller coaster. There were wierd cuts, but that's standard these days, and a phenomenal bit of acting at the end by Mia Wasikowska, who played Joni, in which her mouth twitches between smile and frown as she fights back tears.

My favorite part of this film, however, were the relationships. It's no secret that I love character motivated stories, and this one had so many different characters going through so many different things that I find it hard to even explain. Annette Bening was phenomenal as the over-worked dominant personality, typically portrayed by the man, leading the household by providing financial support and an overbearing presence. Julianne Moore was not to be outdone, however, as the emotionally traumatized, somewhat lost housewife trying to find her way in the world. Then there was Mark Ruffalo who played the very charismatic sperm donor living a rather new age life style. As the relationship between the three of them develops, Moore finds herself caught between her wife and her new found lover, trying to appease the one who sees her role in the family as threatened while convincing the other that he cannot fall in love with her.

The children in this film were absolutely phenominal. Mia Wasikowska plays the new graduate, preparing to go off to college, who ends up dealing with the introduction of the new father figure played by Mark Ruffalo, the problems between her parents, also also her own changing life. As I watched this, I could see my own college career starting all over again. You act out because you don't know how to deal with the changes that are coming your way, and no matter how strong you try to act, your emotions will always get the better of you. And of course, before you leave, there is this sense that you need to know where you stand with everyone in your life and it just isn't necessary.

The brother, played by Josh Hutcherson reminded me way too much of my own brother. He was the awkward, sensitive teenage guy that doesn't quiet fit in with everyone else his age. The entire conflict of the film was started by his own longing to find a male figure in his life worth following as he realized his friends really weren't that great. And of course, every night when he comes home he has the unconventional family that loves him, but causes friction with the people around him.

All of the clashing character types are perfectly portrayed by the actors, and ring so true to real life that you feel awkward in your seat. There is beauty in the awkward moments that you rarely see played out on screen in a believable manner, but their beauty does not make you feel any more comfortable. The story makes you talk to the characters, even though they can't hear you, and feel things you want to forget about your own life.

On a very personal note, the initial reason I wanted to see this film was because I'm the product of a sperm donor and I thought it would fuel my own fantasies of meeting my biological father. In a perfect world, where I was able to find out who my sperm donor father was, I would really like for him to be something like Mark Ruffalo in this film. Perhaps this stems from the very unhappy childhood that I had, which has built a desire to have a different father figure in my life, one that will never exist but I can still dream about.

This film did inspire some very open conversation between my best friend and I, to the point that I think our relationship has reached a whole new level. It definetly inspires new understandings, conversation topics, and knowledge, whether you are seeking them or not.

I absolutely love this film, and apologize for the hodge podge rantings that lacked technical critique. I just don't have it in me to break this one down, sorry folks...soon to come thought, Leaves of Grass, and I promise I will be extra critical.

127 Hours

Is it bad that as soon as the movie was over and I got my whole 2 complaints out, I was ready to blog about this movie? No, not at all.

I did not want to see this movie at first, mostly because Danny Boyle directed it, and a little bit because of all the people passing out and what not (Thanks for warning us Ragtag). I still hate Danny Boyle, but I didn't pass out or get sick. The only time that I felt queazy during the whole movie was when he had to cut through a nerve in his arm and this screeching metallic sound came out, and even then I was mostly getting sick remember the pain from my two recent bouts with MRSA. All in the all the gore was handled well, at times it looked a little fake, but Franco's acting made it seem very real. And it must have been fun for him to film that, walking around with the blood all over his face and what not.

My only complaints about the film are rather minor. First of all, he was trapped in the canyon for 127 hours, and if a guy goes that long without shaving, his facial hair starts to grow. Throughout the entire thing, his facial hair stayed the same, so the passage of time was a bit skewed.

Another problem I had comes from Boyle himself. I am the farthest thing from a fan of Danny Boyle's style that you can get, but in the beginning of the film it worked because it suited the life style of the main character. I still didn't like this style, but I could accept it. Once things got intense, however, the style no longer suited the story. James Franco was doing an amazing job and there were many times that I thought to myself "Stop reminding us that your directing this and let him act, he is carrying this scene just fine". I wish that Boyle would have trusted Franco more.

Now that we have that out of the way, this film was really good. I was afraid that it was going to be an hour and a half of a guy cutting his arm off, and it definitely was not. It truly takes us on a journey that starts in canyon, but travels though time and space to reveal a complex character who's ultimate reason for living was to end up trapped by a rock. Franco gives an incredible performance of a man teetering between madness and sanity, and more importantly life and death. He has joined the ranks of few actors that can carry an entire film by themselves, and he deserves the Oscar buzz he is getting. I squirmed more before he cut off his arm than I did when he actually did it, and I believed everything that I was seeing.

I really like that the film answered the question of what happens when you wear contacts and don't get a chance to take them out. There was a flashback in which it was revealed that Aaron wore glasses, which leads to the logical assumption that he now wears contacts since he is not wearing glasses. Having worn contacts myself I wondered if they were going to over look this detail, but they answered my question in great length, which added to the realism of the story.

The theme of this film was also very touching. Aaron learns that being a hot shot, independent guy is not what matters. He realizes that being close to people is not a sign of weakness, but instead of necessity . In the end he is able to ask that four letter word that is so hard to speak, but so crucial to being a part of society. No one can do this alone.

One last side note about the technology in this film. Franco's character carries a camera and a video camera throughout the film, and I would just like to say thank you to the crew for using appropriate models foe the time. I see those cameras come in all the time. Something I found interesting was that his still camera was a sony and his video camera a cannon. If the story were set today, those would probably be switched.

Anyways, go see this film. It is fantastic. It may not make you like Danny Boyle, but James Franco is worth it. He really proved himself as a powerhouse.

Hollywood's Not So Expendables

It's no secret that deep down inside I'm a 12 year old boy, and while watching The Expendables (2010), that 12 year old boy was going crazy. Initially I was skeptical of the film, because even the actors had described it as Sly getting a bunch of his buddies together and creating characters for the purpose of making a film where they blow stuff up. As much as like Sly, Rourke, and Li, that just isn't enough to get me in the theater...now I wish I had gone to see it in a theater. The explosions were great on my laptop screen (played from a DVD, not downloaded), but they just weren't as epic as they would have been on the big screen.

I should have expected more from this film, knowing that Sly was involved in the writing and then directed the film, considering that I am such a die hard Rocky fan (except for IV, I hate that one). The writing was witty at times, even though you need to have a fairly well rounded knowledge of action movies to get the jokes, and it respected the fact that this was an action film, not a drama. The dialogue was often times minimum, which was nice because it wasn't the center of the story. The one scene that did have a lot of dialogue was well acted by Stallone and Rourke, and avoided getting too overly dramatic. It got to the point, developed some character, and helped us realize that the purpose of the violence was not money or saving a country, it was saving a single person, a woman, and let's be honest, there is nothing sexier than a man going after a woman. You can say you're a feminist all you want, but at the end of the day, a guy that stands up for a woman is going to go home with her on his arm. There is just something in our nature that compels us to go for these men. Which brings me to my next point, this film was so full of testosterone that I think I may have started growing a beard halfway through watching it. There are people getting shot to pieces (tastefully), bones breaking, dudes busting other dudes balls, and two women becoming the center of conflict between men. Many of the conversations were witty pissing contests when the men weren't trying to one up each other with their fists or their weapons. Even the gag reel exudes the overwhelming testosterone that fuels this film. This isn't a bad thing, just something I felt the need to point out.

The way this film was shot also complimented the story. There were some interesting focus adjustments during shots, but it work somehow. The camera movements and effects (like the use of fast shutter speeds) made the fights seem more intense and dangerous. The lighting was also very interesting with pools of shadows placed very strategically, reminiscent of film noirs. It was at times a bit novice, often times lacking a simple eye-light, which could have been an artistic choice, or just a mistake, either way it probably won't be noticed by anyone that hasn't sat through class after class with a teacher obsessed with perfect lighting. And the grainy quality of the film was just beautiful. Although it was very unflattering for the beat up skin of the aging stars, it was honest about their age and made the characters much more real.

I won't say The Expendables was a perfect film by any means, it definitely had it flaws (unrealistic scenes, gratuitous violence not always motivated, and sometimes obviously CGI violence), but it was fun. It got my heart racing a little, made me laugh, and let me know that my favorite action stars are still alive and kicking. The movie accomplished its goal of getting every overly buff Hollywood star from the past thirty years in one movie where lots of things blow up, and still maintained some dignity.

The Chick Flicks Have Got to Stop...

but one more for the Road.

Before I begin, let me preface this entire post with the fact that I am in love with Drew Barrymore. I have always found her very charismatic on screen, and after her directorial debut with Whip It (2009), she has been my hero. She has really been through a lot and come out on the other side clean and still making amazing work. Her acting is only getting better and better, her choices more and more strategic, and her talents are ever growing.

That being said, I just watched Going the Distance (2010) after a trip to my local video store yielded no copies of Vahalla Rising (2009), a film that is only on my radar because it comes highly recommended from a very trusted source. Before I discuss this movie, by the way, I would like to encourage you all to go to your local video store and pick up a movie. They have lots of titles to look at, and most of them will be there for you watch right then, no waiting for Netflix to come in the mail because it isn't available on instant Netflix, and no bad internet connection for downloading, just a simple DVD, and guess what? It helps people keep their jobs! And when people have jobs, the economy works better...and when people have jobs in the film industry, I have potential jobs in the future.

So, back to the subject of this post, two paragraphs later, Going the Distance was exactly what I expected, which is not a bad thing at all. The humor was very crude and very masculine, but it wasn't over the top. Drew Barrymore's character was a real woman who wasn't danty and fragile, and didn't try to bend men to her liking (trust me, those girl's aren't real, they just go to an all women's college). The conversations about sex and masturbation were just as honest as the ones about being scared of the upcoming relationship and the issues like "are we exclusive". Barrymore and Long had amazing chemistry, and the film truly captured what it's like to be reluctantly approaching a monogamous relationship, despite your better judgement. The writing, which comes from first time screenwriter Geoff LaTulippe was spot on and imitate real life in a way that is rarely seen in main stream hollywood. I will say that Long's character did do a complete 180 in his approach to relationships and went a little over the top in his gestures. They were more the fantasies of girls across the country, than realities of 20-something guys living in New York City, but that is the magic of movies and the willing suspension of disbelief. I tend to be skeptical of romance in movies, and for me to be so lost I didn't even notice how ridiculous it was, says something about the world created in the film.

As I was watching this film, I said to myself "this director has done documentary work" because of the way it was shot. There was one scene in particular, the first time the two characters have dinner together, in which I truly noted the documentary feel. The camera was removed from the conversation, giving a more observational feel, and the dialogue here as well as many other places was overlapping and almost stumbled upon the way real people talk. When I looked up the director, I was not surprised to find that it was Nanette Burstein, the director of American Teen (2008), one of my favorite documentaries to date.

This will hopefully be my last chick flick for a while, but I'm glad I watched it. I wanted to see this film in theaters, but never got the chance, so I'm glad that I saw it later rather than never. I highly recommend this film for the story and the characters.