A Serious Man

"A Serious Man"
Starring: Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Kind, Fred Melamed, Aaron Wolff, Sari Lennick
Grade: A

The latest film by Joel and Ethan Coen appears to be their most personal work yet. A Serious Man takes place in the conservative suburbs of Minnesota in 1967 where physics professor and father, Larry Gopnik is trying to hold together the growing angst of his heavily Jewish family. An opening prologue introduces us to yet another unusual tale of morals and chance the film will heavily mirror.

Unknown and clean cut actor Michael Stuhlbarg plays the troubled protagonist, who's life begins to spiral away from him when his wife informs him that they must separate due to her affair with a man named Sy Ableman, a grizzly-bearded man who tries to convince Larry that everything in time will be okay. Larry is baffled at his simplicity, and earnestness in light of the devastating circumstances. Sy offers hugs and reason, while Larry begins to crumble. Larry has two teenage kids, a boy who is on the verge of his bar mitzvah, and a girl who is annoyed at her inability to spend time grooming herself in the bathroom due to Larry's loafing brother Arthur. The son listens to Jefferson Airplane song that serves as a footnote to the film, and experiments with pot in order to escape the boredom of his Hebrew schooling.

As Larry begins to question his life, things go from bad to worse in a Coen-esque way. Larry begins to seek out Rabbi's that will instruct and point him in the right way. Some are too busy "thinking" to meet with Larry, while others offer him stories that he may be able to relate to. No such luck arises for this honest and decent man, who has been forced to leave his house and move into a meager motel with his moping, and all the while mysterious brother.

The film is based and rooted in the ideals and traditions of Jewish folk. The Coen's poke fun at their own background often, as the films characters possess many humorous stares, coughs, names, and ticks. While some may feel the audience is left out of the joke, this is not the case with A Serious Man, which does its best job of letting the non-Jewish audience relate to the 60's Jewish culture by examining there own.

While the film is certainly a black comedy at heart, the Coen's decorate the film with an extra coating of foreboding, and a haunting tone that is only hinted at in some of their earlier work. While the narrative may come across as a boring exercise in satire to many, there is much to appreciate other than the brilliant script. The cast fits the film perfectly, as many Broadway and unknown actors flourish with their roles.

Outside of this review and the films trailer, there will be many perks in going into this film fresh. The Coen's are at their bizarre and witty best, as they've crafted another modern American gem which will resonate beyond this year. The film feels like a mish-mash of there filmography, throw No Country for Old Men, Barton Fink and Fargo into a blender and out comes A Serious Man. Many critics have taken note of the film's haunting final image, which may serve as an understatement. I caution viewers, if you hated the ending to No Country for Old Men, call me and I'll tell you when to leave this movie.

Ghost World

"Ghost World"
Starring: Thora Birch, Scarlett Johansson, Steve Buscemi
Grade: B

Ghost World is a nice little coming of age story from director Terry Zwigoff, starring mainly Thora Birch, and Scarlett Johansson before she broke out. The film based off of a comic tells a familiar yet original story of outsiders, teen angst, friendship, and relationships.

The directing isn't flashy, but the performances and script do more than enough to suffice. The story revolves around Enid played by Birch and her curiosity about a middle-aged man Seymour, played effortlessly by Steve Buscemi. They don't have much in common, but quickly learns things about each other and life, in this semi-romance/friendship.

The film is about growing up and progression. When the film starts, the two females have just graduated high school, and plan on doing what every girl wants to do, get a job, move into an apartment together and so on. The script identifies with modern youth in their hesitance towards responsibility and growing up

Where The Wild Things Are

"Where The Wild Things Are"
Starring: Max Records, James Gandolfini, Catherine O'Hara, Forest Whitaker, Chris Cooper, Lauren Ambrose, Paul Dano, Catherine Keener
Grade: A-

It's really hard to imagine how this film got made. The genius behind critical hits of years past has crafted a film that will split audiences opinions, and puzzle little kids. Spike Jonze, the auteur behind all of this made sure he got permission from writer Maurice Sendak, to adapt his beloved children's novel into a live-action film. The film has had a rough time line in terms of production, it was due out last year, but studio executives thought it was too dark for its target audience. Yes, the same audience who marvel at the yearly Pixar films.

This $80 million dollar spectacle is now finally released, and is something to behold. The film stars Max Records a Max, a confused, lonely, and angry little boy who is sent to him room one night after screaming at his busied mother played by the lovely Catherine Keener. He jumps onto the kitchen table and yells, "Feed me women!." Max then runs away into the woods where he finds an imaginary boat that will take him through a treacherous journey to the island of the wild things.

The wild things, are a marvel to look at, they're 9 feet tall puppets, that look as real as humans. They're all voiced by numerous A-list actors including James Gandolfini as Carol, Forest Whitaker as Ira, Catherine O'Hara as Judith, Lauren Ambrose as KW, Paul Dano as Alexander, and Chris Cooper as Douglas. They live amongst each other as a sad, and broken family until Max takes his role as king and promises that he will "make the sadness go away." The sadness is layered on thick, especially in Carol, voice by Gandolfini, who has violent and angry mood swings. I'll leave the social commentary subtext for others to decide upon, but I'll just say that the film is simple and complicated all at once.

We watch Max enjoy his time with these creatures as they erect forts, sleep in piles, and throw dirt clods at each other. This will all appeal to the younger crowd, but it's the innocence and honesty that rings true in almost every scene. Director Spike Jonze's portrayal of childhood is one of wonder, fear, and excitment.

The score by Karen O and The Kids, along with Carter Burwell is nuanced and haunting. The film which was shot by Lance Accord is lush and beautiful in imagery, the sweeping landscapes and oceans signify an honest and believable departure for Max. The film serves up a melancholic tone of sadness throughout, which may confuse the youngsters. The screenplay by Spike Jonze and Dave Eggers gives these creatures interesting dialogue, and realistic ways of expressing themselves.

I get the distinct feeling that this is the film Jonze wanted to make, a bittersweet and honest love letter to the rigors of childhood and all the fear, and isolation that comes with it. As of now, this is my favorite film of the year.

Paranoid Park

"Paranoid Park"
Starring: Gabe Nevins
Grade: B

Gus Van Sant has made a living off of directing films that show alienated youths and there social surroundings. This time, Van Sant favors style over minimalism, and makes a pretty good film about a young teen dealing with guilt and loneliness.

Gabe Nevins plays Alex, a teen, who is involved in the "skater community," as a cop puts it. Alex has a girlfriend who doesn't interest him much, and his parents are divorced. He likes to skate, write in his journal, and not much else.

The film takes an interesting turn as it builds towards an answer, and then ends in uncertainty. Van Sant uses a lot of slo-mo, glamorizing young skaters in Portland, the footage is littered throughout, and while it may be distracting to some, Van Sant is clearly trying to build mood.

The film isn't for everyone, if your a fan of Van Sant, who is known for commercial successes such as Good Will Hunting and Milk, this is a different kind of film, one I believe is worth checking out.

Away We Go

"Away We Go"
Starring: John Krasinksi, Maya Rudolph, Jeff Daniels, Catherine O'Hara, Allison Janney, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Paul Scheinder
Grade: C

Sam Mendes gets the chance to work on a smaller and modest scale, and in the end turns in an un-even and flat effort. Away We Go is a road picture starring two young leads that are un-married and expecting a baby. Verona asks Burt, "Are we fuck ups?," he's unsure.

The script written by Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida features too many annoying characters to even keep us interested. Only towards the end does the resemblance of real people outside of Burt and Verona make their way into the film.

With a soundtrack filled mostly with songs from Alexi Murdoch, and a flawed script, Away We Go is never worth caring about. The leads are serviceable, but the script lacks any raw emotion. The film deals with important life questions, but never presents any real truth or emotion with its audience, making Away We Go a less than mediocre effort