Pop Culture Round-Up XIV

I like this list fine, but it is missing what I consider to be one of the best credit sequences ever: Rescue Me. The way film speeds up and slows do to simulate riding on the truck through New York, all the while the Von Bondies' "C'mon, C'Mon" hammers home everything the show is about without ever being obvious or over the top? That's how it's done. Honorable mentions to Veronica Mars and Weeds.

Grant Guimont wants to tell you about Hollywood's Manliest Directors . No sissies here.

I voted for A League of Their Own. There are many other worthwhile entries on the list, but I want it to make it past at least the first round. If it doesn't, though, I will be brave. If that movie taught me anything, it's that there's no crying in baseball. That, and avoid the clap.

David Denby takes a look at the fractured narratives becoming more commonplace in film today.

The woman who introduced me to TWoP reflects on its sale.

Sometimes movies are great. Except for scenes that completely suck .

"Unafraid to answer the call when the clock strikes 'ass-kick' "? Doesn't get much better than this.

Jesus Camp (2006)

Focus: Evangelical Christians and their kids, particularly the kids that attend Becky Fischer's summer camp, Kids on Fire.

 

Honestly, I don't know how to review this movie. Much like when I didn't want to review Deliver Us from Evil, I find it difficult to assess the film critically while disengaging the subject matter. And the more I think about it, the more it seems necessary in order to look at the filmmaking itself. The subject matter is so polemical and so politicized that it is difficult to say word one against the film without seeming to come across as in support of what we see happening to these kids on screen. But the two aren't related. I don't want these children to have their childhoods stolen from them, traded for a combination of lies and half-truths instead of a genuine relationship with God. We see kids learning to be pro-life before they are even able to understand from whence babies come, and the next thing we knew they are getting red tape placed over their mouths with 'LIFE' written across it in big block letters. Thanks to a clever bit of editing, we have no idea what the symbolism is or why they are doing it. We just go from telling kids that abortion is bad to taking away their speech.

 

Directors Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady choose a target ripe for mockery, and they simply allow the participants to be their ridiculous selves. They take advantage of the few kids they do focus on (12 year-old Levi, 10 year-old Rachel) much in the same way that Becky and her ilk to, although to a far less shameful degree. Handily, radio commentator Mike Papantonio frames each new segment with precise and intelligent monologues on what is really happening to middle America. When all else fails, they throw up a couple of captions.

 

See? I told you I didn't know how to review this movie.

 

Maybe it's a result of putting myself through every episode of Studio 60 or maybe that it's the fact that I grew up in a fairly easy-going Baptist community, but it seems to me that taking aim at Evangelic Christians is about the same as trying to hit the broad side of a barn. There's no feeling of exposé to this documentary. The best parts come when the subjects try to deny that their movement is in any way political, all the while asking the children to ask God to bless Bush or to pray to reclaim the courts.

 

I guess the problem is how thoroughly disheartening the whole endeavour is. The film is aimed squarely at lefties and liberals such as myself, who can come out and have a laugh at other people's insanity. Other audience members were busting a gut while I retreated into my seat, feeling ever sorrier for this children who are home schooled into believing, for reasons unrelated to religion, that global warming isn't real. Ewing and Grady are preaching to the converted, but to what end? Deliver Us from Evil, for all the squeamishness over the subject matter, gives us something to easily hate and attack. Things aren't as cut-and-dried with this doc. Once we see what's happening to these kids, where do we go? B+

Pop Cultre Round-Up XIII

Generate an emo name. Because it's hard to figure out how angsty and misunderstood you are on your own.

So not the Buffy I thought they meant.

What's that you say? Popular interest, critical acclaim, and awards success don't necessarily overlap? Thanks, dude.

WHAT?! Still trying to decide exactly how worried I should be.

Things like this make me want to wear a beret and start talking out of the side of my mouth. That, and add a bunch of movies to my ZipList.

I know at least one movie on this list is right. In high school, a guy told me that he always cries during Rudy because it's "so damn inspirational." This list isn't so bad either.

I may have enjoyed 300 to the point of not entirely understand its critics, but Mark Harris makes a though-provoking argument against it and sterile filmmaking generally.

300 (2006)

Story: Loosely based on the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC, King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) leads 300 Spartans against Xerxes's (Rodrigo Santoro) million-man army. On the home front, Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey) attempts to win the approval of the council for more men to support her husband, much to the chagrin of Theron (Dominic West).

Aw, heck yeah! Frankly, if that wasn't your response every time you was the trailer or a commercial with the part where Butler yells, "This. IS. SPARTA!" and kicks that guy into the giant pit, this probably isn't the movie for you. Kicking that guy into the pit isn't the least of what you will see. If, however, you find yourself thinking or saying something along the lines of, "Aw, heck yeah!" every time he lets loose one of his crazy masculine yells, then this is the movie for you.

So there it is. It's a movie for the 15 year-old fanboy in all of us. This picture had several thousand more pints of blood splashing every which way, but it was no where near as scary as Zodiac. Highly stylized violence and tons of GORE! based on a Frank Miller graphic novel just might be my thing. One of them, at any rate.

Butler's great for this kind of role. He has the kind of fleshy masculinity that perfectly suits an ancient warrior, and his deep, guttural growl can go straight through to your bones when he so chooses. When he takes the time out to be tender, you can tell he really means it. Leonidas may have a penchant for killing, but he's all heart.

You know how you can tell Theron is evil? He's young like the rest of the soldiers, but his abs aren't as developed. Bad, bad man. Well, that and the fact that I've never seen West play a particularly good guy. Mostly good guy, maybe. Actually, he reminds me a little of Rufus Sewell. They should play evil brothers in something.

It's a pretty big cast to keep singling people out, but props to Michael Fassbender as Stelios and Tom Wisdom as Astinos for their man love. I love the way guys bond by making fun of each other when it's done well. Props to David Wendham as Dilios for being such a great story teller. Props to Headey for making me believe she loved her king but Sparta more. Spartan women know the score.

And, of course, mad props to director/co-writer Zach Snyder. No matter how many times I see it, I can't imagine that acting against a blue or greenscreen is easy, and Snyder made everyone look awesome doing it. Some were completely costumed. Many wore barely anything at all. Tyler Bates' rocking score helped with the awesome.

When it comes down to it, there were bits so over the top that I giggled, and the themes were brushed on so broadly that you could ignore them wholesale, but you know what? Did you see an ad and think, "Aw, heck yeah!"? Then go see it. B+

Zodiac (2007)

Premise: In the late 1960s and early 1970s a serial killer known only as Zodiac terrorized the Bay area. Fancying himself a Jack the Ripper sort, he communicated to the papers through letters and ciphers. Although crime beat writer Paul Avery (Robert Downey, Jr.) covers the story for the San Fransisco Chronicle, editorial cartoonist Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal) is drawn into the case through his love of puzzles. Meanwhile, detectives Dave Toschi (Mark Ruffalo) and Bill Armstrong (Anthony Edwards) attempt to sort fact from fiction as they come together with officers (Elias Coteas, Donal Logue) from smaller towns were Zodiac has hit.

Let the 2007 viewing season begin!

Subject matter aside, I was falling all over myself to get to the theatre to see this one. Downey, Jr., Gyllenhaal, and Ruffalo? How could I resist?

Of the three Gyllenhaal is ostensible the protagonist. He's the first of the three we see, and, as the Zodiac killings subsided, the focus shifts to Graysmith's continued search as he compiles the book on the subject. That book, of course, being the basis of writer James Vanderbilt and director David Fincher's fine work. Perhaps for the first time in a long time, I was struck by just how young Gyllenhaal looks. The others are aged as time goes by with grey added to their hair, but Gyllenhaal looks the same throughout, a youthful vibe clinging to him. Nonetheless, he possesses a growing talent, making the "aw, shucks" that seems to hang about him a weapon, disarming the viewer as well as the other characters. As dangerous as his obsession becomes, Gyllenhaal makes Graysmith a likable protagonist even when he appears to be losing the battle.

Downey, Jr. remains among the best in my mind, if for nothing else than his ability to play to conflicting emotions simultaneously. Avery's telling Graysmith to get away, but you can see he really wants to help the kid if you look closely. I enjoy the way he uses the physicality of his characters, rolling sideways out of a chair instead of standing up, carefully pushing a letter around a table with the eraser end of a pencil, blocking the path of a cab with his jerky steps. I don't know how he does it - I never feel like he is calling attention to himself with actorly tics, and I never fail to notice just how he does something.

As for my dear Ruffalo, what can I say? To a certain extent, Toschi becomes the most effete character he has ever played in a series of fairly languid (but well done) roles. He does great work as the cop in the midst of this madness. The voice seems a little higher, the pants a lot tighter, but the heart is definitely in the right place. I loved the way he just couldn't resist assisting Graysmith, even after the whole thing blew right up in his face. His dedication, far beyond his reward, was not only the character's touchstone but the movie's.

The only criticism I can think of for Vanderbilt and Fincher's taught, smart, and witty (albeit shockingly violent) thriller is that it drags a little as it shifts gears from the murders to Graysmith's research. Just for a bit at the top of the act, but not so much that you are thrown out of the film. Fincher starts in on you again with the tension, and you forget what you were on about.

Okay, two complaints: whatever they had on Edwards' head. Dude looked Kevin Costner in the wrong lighting. Nice work from him, though.

Other than those two things, exactly what a thriller should be. Creepy, sparingly violent, tense. Kept me up that night. A

Minimum admission requirements

I should be reviewing Zodiac right now, and I'd like to, but I feel compelled to make a little public service announcement before hand.

If you are a parent, know a parent, or know a kid, this one's for you. Okay, listen up: Stop taking your kids to movies. Specifically, stop taking your 12 year olds to movies that are rated R/18A. Take them to other movies, movies that are rated G or PG or PG-13. If you kid is 13 and really wants to see a 14A movie, and you think it's alright to accompany them, I guess that's okay. But think about what you are doing. Look up the rating. When you see that it's R, visit a site like Kids in Mind to figure out why. Is it strong language? Violence? Drug and alcohol use? Sexual content? Think about what you are exposing them to.

I get that all kids are different, and maybe you have a really mature one on your hands. Even so, think it through. Adults older than I were walking out of Pan's Labyrinth in horror. Imagine mine when I saw the number of parents who had brought their young children in with them. In front of me last night at Zodiac, which, I don't mind telling you, is a movie about a serial killer? A girl who wasn't more than 14. She was reading an Archie comic when we walked in. What her mother was thinking is beyond me.

Now, I'm not in favour of censorship. I am, however, in favour of responsible parenting. If your daughter begs you to see a movie because, I don't know, Jake Gyllenhaal is super fine, look into the movie before you give her $10. Spend $10 yourself if you must. Wait for the DVD and vet it that way. Do whatever you have to prevent her from watching a couple be gruesomely stabbed to death. Growing up in this world is enough of a shock. Don't add to it.

Top 10 of 2006

The wait, gentle reader, is over. After hours of serious deliberation and careful review, I have winnowed down the 46 movies distributed in 2006 that I have seen over the last 14 months. Eighteen of those movies received grades in the A range. For all my concern in 2006 that it wasn't a very good year, it turns out it was one of the better years in recent memory for movies. I saw a lot of worthy pictures last year, ones that challenged me, ones that made me laugh, ones that made my scratch my head. Even so, I can tell these movies are going to be with me for a long time.

As always, the list is sort of rank ordered and sort of alphabetical. I will tell you one thing: the first movie truly was the best picture of the year.

1. Children of Men
2. The Lives of Others
3. Pan's Labyrinth
4. Half Nelson
5. The Prestige
6. Brick
7. A Prairie Home Companion
8. The Departed
9. V for Vendetta
10. The Science of Sleep

Honourable mention goes to La Règle du Jeu, which I swore I read about before I saw, although I cannot find proof that it was redistributed in the last year or so.

What have we here? Three foreign language films, a comic book adaptation, dueling magicians, a genre pic, and a genre defying noir. How could I have doubted the greatness of last year's films?

Days of Glory (Indigènes) (2006)

Outline: During the occupation of France in WWII, the French gathered up troops from French African colonies in order to free the "motherland." While their contributions helped the French make great advances, the African troops were treated as second class off the battlefield.

I was reluctant to review Flags of our Fathers because I didn't like it. I felt guilty for not liking something about the Greatest Generation. While it had its good points, it had next to no character development. I didn't really care what happen to those three guys nearly as much as I wanted to see what would happen to Barry Pepper and the others down on the beach. Adam Beach's histrionics back on safe ground? Nowhere near as compelling.

It is for the same reason that I feel guilty for not absolutely loving Days of Glory. Or, rather, not caring as much about some plot lines as I did for others. I feel like I should pay attention to an injustice being brought to light - one that finally mobilized the French government to take action - but I didn't care as much as I think I should have. I cared about Messaoud's (Roschdy Zem) romance with Irène (Aurélie Eltvedt), but the plot line didn't get much screen time. I wanted to care about whatever was going on with Saïd (Jamel Debbouze). Debbouze is a great actor, but either the script or the editor gave me absolutely no insight into the character. He's the first person we see enlist, but his reasons for doing so were murky at the time. They never really sharpen. By the time he's shoving Nazi propaganda into the holes in his boot, I found myself thinking, "That's a nice image" without being able to connect the dots. What does it mean?

Perhaps the most compelling plot was that of a pair of Nomadic herders, brothers who enlisted to raise enough money to marry the youngest off. Larbi (Assaad Bouab) was the more easily likable of the two, but Yassir's (Samy Naceri) steadfast devotion to his brother ultimately won my attention and my heart.

Aside from that, Patrick Blossier's cinematography was stellar. He did a great job of setting the scene.

I don't know, kids. It's a good movie and an even more important of history that we need to remember. I guess I was expecting a big old fashioned, epic sob-fest and found a quiet think-piece instead. B

The Painted Veil (2006)

Premise: Kitty (Naomi Watts) marries Dr. Walter Fane (Edward Norton), who whisks her away from London to Shanghai. Bored with married life and her staid husband, Kitty begins an affair with Charlie Townsend (Liev Schreiber). When Walter discovers the affair, he drags Kitty to a remote village in the cholera-infested interior in 1925.

I know that some of you have been waiting with breath that is bated for my Top 10 list. I decided when I opened my Bytowne guide in January that it would have to wait until I got the chance to see this movie, which wasn't playing until March. As such, gentle reader, you have had to wait. Fortunately, patience is virtue, and you shall be rewarded in short order.

Although it was composer Alexandre Desplat's other score that received most of the attention this year, I found this one to be a much more masterful turn. It may seem odd to you to begin a review with the score, but the movie begins with the score gloriously out in the open, richly swirling about you. The theme envelopes the audience from the opening frame.

I found myself a bit resistant to the framing device early in the film, but I was able to settle into it. Watts brings a breathtaking openness to her roles, and she does astounding things with her silences. I think the think I like best about her, however, is how she is slowly growing on me. I can see her still smoothing out the wrinkles in her performances. She hasn't quite gotten to the point where I am convinced that she is fully embodying someone else, but she's getting very close. It's nice to see it happen.

Norton once again proves that he is among the greatest living actors, with a spectacular accent and quite a nice seat.* I was charmed Walter's early, bumbling attempts at wooing Kitty, surprised but not shocked by the depth of his desire to hurt Kitty, and seduced anew by the man he grew into in the face of the epidemic. Thank goodness Norton is finding worthy roles of late.

It is to Schreiber's great credit, as well as that of writer Ray Nyswaner, that I could easily see how and why Kitty was seduced by Charlie. I don't know that there is a person alive who wouldn't have felt a thing had s/he been on the receiving end of his description of the opera. Charlie's a rake, to be sure, but Schreiber makes him more of a character than an archetype. Too bad we see so little of him.

When I found myself thrown by just how terribly the Fanes would treat each other, I thought to myself, "Who is this guy?" The guy in question being director John Curran. How does he present two characters that make me want to yell, "Stop being dicks!" with just enough compassion to make me care about what happens to them? Then I realized he has already done it to me. Is this some sort of a genre I had been previously unaware of? The angry married couple in midst of a crisis genre? Curran might be its master at only two pictures. It was hard to know for whom to feel worse.

As inevitable as the conclusion is (it is based on a W. Somerset Maugham novel, after all), you are still touched by the circumstances that brought us there. The coda fell mostly on the unnecessary side. Fortunately, not enough so to write off the film entirely. A character study above all, the film is a deeply etched portrait of romance, betrayal, and love. A-

*For horseback riding. Get your minds out of the gutter. Okay, I also noticed that he has a cute butt. I'm only human.

Bonus: The sonnet from which we gain the title.

Nit-pick: I find it hard to believe that any woman, much less one of Kitty's breeding, would have been walking around with bare legs in that day and age.

Pop Culture Round-Up XII

I like this take on the slacker movie.

I nodded at a few entries, but it was no. 8 that really made me smile.

If a door is closed, karate chop it open. It's been years since I saw this, and I had forgotten how laugh out loud funny it is.

Ruh-roh. I think we all know what happens when a couple makes a TV show about their love. Better keep David away from the cameras.

HAIR. This list cracks me up.

None of these would probably rank on my list, but I appreciate the sentiment.

I like this discussion, and I want that DVD set.