Friday, December 24, 2010

Somewhere


"Somewhere"
Starring: Stephen Dorff, Elle Fanning
Directed by: Sofia Coppla
USA/2010
97 minutes

At a key moment in the film Somewhere, just when we think privileged A-list actor Johnny Marco will have a breakthrough with another human being, the noise of his helicopter mutes his most honest and heartfelt gesture in the film. Writer/director Sofia Coppola's fourth film, Somewhere will be compared by most to her second and most successful film Lost in Translation, which won her an original screenplay Oscar. With this new film, which is perhaps her least accessible, Coppola tells the story of Johnny Marco, played by Stephen Dorff. Not the most privileged actor, Dorff's resume as an actor doesn't feature any eye-opening roles, but here he shows incredible range here as a star caught in his own bubble of boredom and loneliness.

If there is to be some kind of narrative to be plucked from the film's relaxed manner, it's the arc of Dorff's character. He's a man with no country, a true loner. Coppola opens her film with a steady shot of what seems to be some sort of run down race track. We watch for 3 or 4 minutes as someone in a black Ferrari does laps around the track. A man gets out, and it's Johnny, looking off in the forever distance of isolation. By starting her film in this manner, Coppola immediately informs us that this will be something different.

In Lost in Translation, Coppola created mood by shooting most of the film in a upscale Japanese hotel where her protagonists could wander around for hours. Most of the film took place at night, and Coppola was able to showcase the beautiful and semi-exotic nightlife. She does the same here, but this time the setting is the famous Chateau Marmont, a sort of showbiz mecca for stars. Johnny seems to be in the middle of two films, and most of the Somewhere consists of his daily nothingness in the hotel. Johnny's life is littered with pills, alcohol, cigarettes, and a daughter. The enchanting Elle Fanning plays Cleo, an 11 year old who looks up to Johnny, but is old enough to be weary of his shortcomings. When Fanning suddenly arrives in the film, it doesn't throw off Johnny's nature as much as we may think, but it becomes clear that Coppola also won't give into audience expectations of Somewhere morphing into a different film.

Johnny is not a bad parent outside of the fact that he doesn't see Cleo that much. When she's dropped off at his place, her mother Layla has a disconnect with Johnny that hints that their marriage ended badly. Coppola, however doesn't delve into these notions with dialogue. Most of the emotional states of Johnny and Cleo aren't verbalized, Coppla hints at them through looks, gestures, and the relationship between the two. The film was shot by Harris Savides, and his framing, rather than the sparse dialogue, tells the story of these characters. In one scene, Johnny is floating in a raft in the hotel pool, the shot lingers until he drifts outside of it. Scenes like those are what makeup the texture of the film. All of the small slice-of-life moments throughout Somewhere work together in a uniquely cohesive manner.

Coppola is a wizard when it comes to mood and feeling. She clearly loves her actors, and gives them space to be natural. She paints a portrait of cross-generational need that has never felt so intimate, the young Elle Fanning conveys lifetimes worth of disappointment, joy, and love with her innocent and heartbreaking gaze. While some will be bored to death with Somewhere, it's truly something that evolves and invites to soak in its atmosphere. Those who are patient and stick with the film will be enlightened by the end, just like Johnny.

Grade: 4.5/5

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

The Fighter



"The Fighter"
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Melissa Leo, Jack McGee
Directed by: David O. Russell
USA/2010
115 minutes

Examining The Fighter up close reveals that the film isn't one thing in particular, but has the feel and unbalance of several different films. The caliber of the actors and the pure energy of their performances save the film from just being another mid-level sports film. It feels as though the boxing genre has been done to hell; The Fighter tries to come in from a different angle and floor its audience, but the full impact isn't necessarily felt throughout the film.

The true life story of  boxer Micky Ward has been a passion project for those involved in the film for several years. Actors Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale play the true life brother duo that serve as the foundation of the film and its themes of family unity and co-dependence. You won't meet a set of characters this crazy and over-the-top all year. There is Micky, (Wahlberg) a divorced father who has little interest in anything outside of boxing and his family. He comes from a blue-collar neighborhood in Lowell, Massachusetts where he and his family have lived for years. There is Dicky Eklund, played by the chameleon like actor Christian Bale, who lost a ton of weight to portray as Dicky as the crack addict he was. Dicky trains Micky, and is still living off of his one past glory of defeating Sugar Ray Leonard. There is Alice Ward, played by the reliable Melissa Leo, who reeks of 90's nostalgia with her bouffant hair due and her 7 blonde daughters from hell. Then, there is Charlene, the sexy working class outsider who tends bar and is the only known who seems to know what's best for Micky.

It's easy to tell how this story will go, but that's expected with most boxing films. O'Russell creates mood early on by making us comfortable with this small neighborhood and the people who live in it.  His musical cues, and montages of Dicky and Micky feel forced, but work at other times. This feeling of un-balanced material throughout the film is what plagues it the most. Part of the problem the film has, is that most of the actors seem to be acting as if their all in their own separate movie. The film works best when it's operating in quiet moments. After being stood up by Micky, Charlene arrives at his house unaware that he had lost a fight the previous night to a guy that outweighed him by 20 lbs. She tends to his beaten face and then finally understands who he is by an answer that he gives her. "Everybody said I could beat him," Micky says, Charlene asks who everybody is. Micky's response, "my mother and my brother."

The narrative is quite simple. Micky's quest for success as a fighter is constantly being halted by the shortcomings of his family. Dicky's drug addiction is known, but is mostly swept under the rug by Leo's character Alice. Not only does Micky have to worry about Dicky, but has to please his overbearing and annoying mother. Leo walks a fine line between playing the hell out of her character and overacting. As for Bale's portrayal of Dicky, it works for the most part, but there are several instances where it comes across as cartoonish. When the film presents emotional moments, it's hard to commit Dicky's cause for redemption. He's unlikable, but Bale is such a force that you can't help but feel for the guy. The father, George Ward, played by Jack McGee is level headed and is interested in Micky's best interest, but is usually overshadowed by Alice's plight. My favorite performance in the film comes from Charlene. Amy Adams has never played a character this thick skinned in her whole career. The character of Charlene is not only the most likable, but the one that attempts to save Micky from the bad influences of Dicky and Alice. Wahlberg is fine in his role, but at times we wish his character had the smarts to leave his family for better things.

The Fighter attains all its charm and spirit from the true events that inspired the film. If only O'Russell's script could have handled the highs and lows of Dicky and Micky with more intimacy, the film could've been something more. Take for instance the scene in which Dicky is in prison watching an HBO documentary based on his life with crack. It's easily supposed to be one of the more emotional parts of the film, but since Dicky doesn't feel completely authentic to us, the scene cannot resonate like it should. There are many parts like this, and for that I blame O'Russell for the film's messy nature.

Harping back to the idea of The Fighter feeling like 3 films stuffed into one, it's an obvious identity crisis that the film has, but we forgive in the end due to the richness of this ensemble cast. We follow Dicky's addiction and recovery, the relationship between Micky and Charlene, the tug of war between the family members and Charlene, the actual fighting, etc. I haven't seen so much raw energy in any other film this year, and that's what ultimately saves it. Bale, Leo, and Adams are all being considered for awards, and it's easy to see why.

As the film goes on, we become more comfortable with the style and the way O'Russell is telling this story. Sure, there are glaring flaws, but the most important aspect is making a film that does its true characters justice. During the credits of the film, we meet the real Micky and Dicky, and we understand a little bit more about Bale's performance from the detail of his mannerisms. In a way, The Fighter is named after Dicky, possibly named after the family unit that pushed each other to the brink of insanity over Micky's career. This is what the film is about, and we overlook its flaws to find something human that the whole cast has tapped into.

Grade: 3.5/5

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Black Swan


"Black Swan"
Starring: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, Barbara Hershey, Winona Ryder
Directed by: Darren Aronofsky
USA/2010
108 minutes

One can easily view Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan as a companion piece to the director's 2008 film The Wrestler. In the case of the former, Aronofsky gets to tell the same story, but with a completely different style and aesthetic all of his own. Aronofsky's films are comprised of addicts and obsessives. Math, drugs, the quest for immortality, wrestling, and now ballet. With Black Swan, the director has added another success to his resume, and in the process, has made a star out of Natalie Portman.

Nina Sayers (Portman) knows ballet and nothing else. Her room is decorated in pink and littered with stuffed animals as if she were still eight years old. She lives with her overbearing mother Erica (Hershey) in a small New York City apartment. The two have an understanding of Nina's drive and goals, but something is a little off. Nina seeks perfection in the cutthroat world of New York ballet, while her mother lives her life through her daughter. The dynamic of the two are one of the many that Black Swan displays.

As the film opens, the new ballet season is underway, and it's in Nina best interest to capture the attention of the artistic director Thomas Leroy, played by Vincent Cassel. Leroy's take on Swan Lake will be without prime ballerina Beth Macintyre, (Ryder) as he looks to cast someone new. Early on we can tell Nina has caught his eye, and why shouldn't she? She seems to be the best dancer in the company, but Leroy demands nuance, and sensuality. Nina is perfect in the role as the white swan, but the it's a duel role and Nina must inhibit the much darker black swan as well to get the role. Leroy is famous for demanding much and sleeping with his stars, something that Nina isn't used to. In one scene between the two, Leroy asks Nina to go home and touch herself. The genius of his character is that we aren't sure whether he's a full blown creep, or just pushing Nina off-balance in order for her to become something else, something organic and dangerous. Aronofsky informs the audience early that this film will be something different. Their is a sense of dread from the start, and we know that the young Nina will soon be put through the ringer to get the part.

The film plays out in a somewhat predictable and melodramatic manner, but the way that Aronofsky is able to sidestep the usual "backstage" cliches is welcoming. Lily, played by the up-and-coming, yet experienced Mila Kunis is sexy, loose, and everything that Nina is not. The dynamic between the two is everything you'd expect, but Kunis and Portman play off each other in an incredible manner. Their rivalry is not so much based out of competition, but in the notion that Lily is a different animal than Nina; a sexual being, a true woman.

The fabric of Black Swan examines duality, sexuality, competitiveness, and female identity. More than anything, Aronofsky is intrigued with the idea of a performer pushing their body to the brink of destruction. In The Wrestler, this idea of self mutilation was on full display as the protagonist Randy "The Ram" performed stubbornly past his prime as an athlete. Black Swan is different in terms of Nina being young, ambitious, and on her way to success. The two protagonists share common bonds; Nina seeks perfection, as Randy sought out fame and notoriety.

The film was shot by Matthew Libatique; his use of handheld is an interesting choice for a film with so much movement. In this case, the handheld works wonderfully to evoke the madness and absurdity throughout. Aronofsky has been clearly influenced by other films, and with Black Swan, he performs a high-wire act by effortless infusing different genres together. Aronofsky's framing is absolutely exquisite; the layers of detail tracing Nina's coming-of-age through drastic changes is successfully achieved here.  

Their are touches of Polanski, Cronenberg, Argento, and even Lynch. Nina's psyche is tested, and not since Ellen Burstyn in Requeim for a Dream has Aronofsky featured such a dominant and fractured female protagonist. The world of Black Swan is filled with dopplegangers, mirrors, and doubles, all figuring into Nina's struggle to transform herself. We're not sure what is real and what is fake in the film, we just marvel at the recklessness of Aronofsky and Portman, and their roles as artist and performer.

Grade: 4.5/5

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Handicapping the Oscars



Everything other than True Grit has been seen by everyone in the blog world, and so far, the race looks to be boiling down to The Social Network and The King's Speech. With roughly 3 months until the big night, studios will now start the campaigning and last ditch efforts to get their film seen by as many voters and critics as possible. Screeners for their films will be unleashed, and the most important questions is what film will critics avoid altogether? It will be a shame if they're turned off by Black Swan, which may turn out to be a critic's darling. The Academy tends to scoff at weirder Oscar buzz pictures, even though critics may praise them. A film like Mulholland Drive was a prime example when it came out in 2001.

Best Picture (the 10)

Locks:
The Social Network
The King's Speech
127 Hours
Black Swan
The Kids Are All Right
Inception 
Toy Story 3


Next in line
True Grit
The Fighter
Rabbit Hole
Blue Valentine
Get Low
Another Year
The Town


Best Director
Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan)
Tom Hooper (The King's Speech)
David Fincher (The Social Network)
Christopher Nolan (Inception)
Danny Boyle (127 Hours)


Next in line
Joel and Ethan Coen (True Grit)
Lisa Cholodenko (The Kids Are All Right)
Debra Granik (Winter's Bone)

Best Actor
Colin Firth (The King's Speech)
James Franco (127 Hours)
Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network)
Ryan Gosling (Blue Valentine)
Jeff Bridges (True Grit)


Next in line
Robert Duvall (Get Low)
Javier Bardem (Biutiful)


Best Actress
Annette Bening (The Kids Are All Right)
Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone)
Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine)
Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole)


Next in line
Tilda Swinton (I Am Love)
Julianne Moore (The Kids Are All Right)
Leslie Manville (Another Year)


Best Supporting Actor
Geoffrey Rush (The King's Speech)
Christian Bale (The Fighter)
Andrew Garfield (The Social Network)
Matt Damon (True Grit)
Mark Ruffalo (The Kids Are All Right)


Next in line
Justin Timberlake (The Social Network)
Bill Murray (Get Low)
Michael Douglass (Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps)
Sam Rockwell (Conviction)
Sean Penn (Fair Game)


Best Supporting Actress
Sissy Spacek (Get Low)
Melissa Leo (The Fighter)
Amy Adams (The Fighter)
Barbara Hershey (Black Swan)
Helena BonhamCarter (The King's Speech)


Next in line
Jackie Weaver (Animal Kingdom)
Haliee Steinfeld (True Grit)