A Year of Movies

Man With A Movie Camera
Started & Finished: 11/23/09

“ATTENTION VIEWERS,” reads one of the only title cards in Dziga Vertov’s 1929 doc.  ”This experimental work aims at creating a truly international language of cinema based on its absolute separation from the language of theatre and literature.”  He lives up to this claim, but what Vertov doesn’t tell you is that you’ll be doing a lot of the work in helping him develop this new cinematic language.  I’ve argued it before and I still stand firm: The most rewarding film is the one that finds the elusive sweet spot between the narrative and the experimental, because it ends up being the most engaging for the viewer.  Man With A Movie Camera excels at this balance as few other films have.

While alone it may skew toward the experimental more than the narrative, an original contemporary score by The Cinematic Orchestra draws the viewer closer to the middle by recontextualizing scenes in ways Vertov likely never imagined.  The band’s compositions range from atmospheric to eclectic, and give the footage an eerie quality.  The score has a way of cutting straight through the viewer, and the subsequent vulnerability coupled with the rawness of the footage creates a brand new beast: Half man, half man with a movie camera.

Though Vertov claims it is simply “excerpt from a camera operators diary,” his editor (and wife) E. Svilova cleverly weaves a story of the human condition while showing off dozens of camera tricks and innovations that make Méliès seem dated.  Some may draw parallels to Qatsi Trilogy of the 80s and early 00s, and more recently (my personal favorite) Baraka.  But while they all attempt a universal cinematic language, Vertov accesses an unfathomable amount of depth in his work that make these contemporary films seem heavy handed in their imagery and messages.

This act of watching the film, spurred by the haunting score, creates a different encounter for each viewer in a way that words can’t begin to explain—it really deserves to be experienced for itself.  Lucky for you, Ninjatune (The Cinematic Orchestra’s label) just re-released this rare DVD.  Alternatively, you can watch it on Google Video.  While I’m kicking myself for not knowing enough about the historical context of the film, it is undeniably a masterpiece that stands alone and is well worth seeking out.

North By Northwest
Started: 11/13/09 | Finished: 11/21/09

Cary Grant may be Oompa-Loompa Orange, but Technicolor never looked so good.  North by Northwest truly is the “Hitchcock picture to end all Hitchcock films” as screenwriter Ernest Lehman stated.  Intrigue!  Suspense!  Comedy!  Road trips!  Hayes Code on a train!  But of course, you already are well aware of the highlights of this masterpiece.

I first saw NBNW in my sixth grade English class, over the course of 4 Thursday mornings.  As you might imagine, it was tricky to follow with such long breaks in between.  (Maybe this is where my movie-watching habits stemmed from.  Hmm…)  In any case, the vivid memories of taxi-stealing and pencil-rubbings and plane chases remained.

A bit older and more versed, this fresh viewing brought out all the subtleties formerly lost on my 11-year-old self (Eva Marie Saint’s blunt propositions, Martin Landau’s sexuality, Bernard Herrmann’s stunning score).  I suspect even more details will become foregrounded the next time I watch.  This is, in my opinion, a rare trait of the best films— the versatility of story that allows for multiple interpretations and revelations upon subsequent viewings.  50 years later, North By Northwest holds up remarkably well as not only classic Hitchcock, but fantastic filmmaking as well.

The Wire, Season Three
Started: 10/20/09 | Finished: 11/9/09

I was on a roll.  I was watching more movies (from start to finish) than I ever had previously.  And then you came along and busted it all up.

“Come on, just a lil taste,” you said.  ”Everybody’s doing it.”  Before long we were hanging together all day in the projects.  Things started to heat up, so we took a breather and started chillin’ at the docks.  But I needed my fix, so you took it back to streets where it all started. Just a couple of crews trying to make ends meet.  Now I’m in so deep I don’t know if I can get out.

I’m glad to see you’re bringing your A-game again.  I hear we’ve got some good times to look forward to together.  Hopefully they will include less from that fool Brother Mouzone, who sticks out like a sore thumb.  I mean, your reputation for reality precedes you.  Yet here’s this smooth talking, Nation of Islam gangster that is straight out of a comic book.  I just don’t buy it.

You know I need my re-up baby, but I’ve gotta pay more attention to my other people for a bit.  I got needs.  I’ve been neglecting the feature for quite some time, and I gotta man up and pay her the attention she deserves.  So forgive me if I take a break, but you know I’ll be back for you.

Alright this is getting weird so I’ll holler at you later, k?  I’m OUT.

P.S. You had me at Hamsterdam

Harmony and Me
Started & Finished: 11/1/09

Still one of my favorite movies of 2009.  Hopefully it’ll get a release on Netflix so you all can check it out.  In the meantime, DVDs available at harmonythemovie.com.  Feeling a bit lazy today with the words, so you can check out my notes on the movie here, and a good cross section of other reviews at IFC.

The French Kissers (Les beaux gosses)
Started & Finished: 10/28/09
Plays tonight at the Clay Theater, 7pm! Director in attendance.

Imagine a French Freaks & Geeks with a dash of Youth In Revolt, and plenty of writer/director Riad Sattouf’s own clever humor that makes even the crudest moments of adolescence feel genuine.  Not sure if this has a U.S. release, but it’s playing as part of French Cinema Now.  Highly recommended for anyone that has experienced puberty.

Where The Wild Things Are
Started & Finished: 10/26/09

I have many vivid memories from my childhood where, for one reason or another, I thought or said some variation of “Being a kid is so hard!!!!!!!  Adults just don’t get it.”  With a handful of years under my belt, I find myself thinking, “Kids don’t know how easy they have it.”  With my foot firmly lodged in my mouth, I’m here to announce that kids do indeed have it rough: Where The Wild Things Are reminds us grown-ups that though our childhood angst may seem trivial in retrospect, those emotions are less powerful than the frustrations we experience as adults.

My own feelings about this film have run the gamut from overexcited to utter hopelessness as I followed the production news from breakthrough puppetry technology to studios demanding reshoots to lighten up the film for kids.  My expectations rested in a sort of purgatory where I couldn’t be too hurt if it was an awful film.  Luckily, my fears of an overly saccharine nostalgia piece were put to rest quickly, and the result is a genuine story with one of the most honest depictions of childhood put to film.

Director Spike Jonze and his co-writer Dave Eggers lured me in with a tale that I thought was about a kid, for kids.  But unlike most modern children’s films, Wild Things doesn’t attempt to be one movie for children, and another for adults.  Rather, the in-jokes and figurative camera-winks are for the kids, while the movie is really for the grown-ups.  Jonze and Eggers do an outstanding job of telling a child’s story for an adult audience while still staying true to Max’s perspective throughout.

My only complaint is the soundtrack— there was just way too much of it.  About 70% of the movie had some Karen O song or another in the background, and it felt like she was trying a bit too hard to come off as innocent and child-like.  As a result, the narrative tended to drift into music video territory every so often.

I’m not sure why the film has been getting such mixed reviews.  Perhaps those reviewers failed to take note of the film’s heart: It’s okay to be angry, lonely, sad, scared or frustrated, and it can be difficult to navigate those emotions.  But if you come out of this movie without feeling even slightly warm inside, you may be due for a trip to visit the wild things yourself.

Pet Sematary
Started & Finished: 10/23/09

One lesson I was taught in screenwriting regarding choosing your protagonist:  Who is the person least likely to be caught up in your plot?  For example, if you were writing Pet Sematary, you might ask: Who is least likely to believe in an ancient Indian burial ground that brings dead animals back to life?  Your answer might be “someone who knows reanimation is impossible.”  Like a doctor.

But the trick is to draw that disbelief out— if your character becomes a believer right away, you risk letting the air out of your story.  And if your story has no air, then I’m left watching an hour’s worth of a gullible, possibly mentally disturbed M.D. whose undead cat keeps popping out of cabinets.

It is important to remember that this is Stephen King’s Pet Sematary after all.  The last third of the movie almost redeemed the bulk of his famous (read: generally slow and cliched) exposition that leads up to the finale.  But I was expecting more zombie animals, so I was a bit disappointed.

Unfortunately, I don’t have the childhood nostalgia of this film to find it very frightening.  But I can’t really knock a horror film with Fred Gwynne (The Munsters), Blaze Berdahl (Ghostwriter) and a bunch of crazy cats.

Trick ‘r Treat
Started & Finished: 10/19/09

I always forget how much I enjoy scary movie season.  Not for the (usually horrific) horror films that have frequented theaters in the last decade or so, but for the openness the rest of the world shows toward a genre that has been relegated to the bargain bin at your local Walmart.  And for good reason: The market is saturated with remakes and reboots that rely more on surprising you with loud, nondiagetic sounds than manifesting actual fear.  But while I will watch The Shining any day, October provides a once-a-year opportunity to indulge in the crap that is Halloween-themed-horror.

Don’t get me wrong, there are some quality films centered around this holiday.  And I hardly consider myself a horror aficionado.  But the recession-proof nature of the genre only spurs Hollywood’s goals of quantity over quality.  So it should be no surprise that a film like Trick ‘r Treat was released straight to video.  What is surprising is that it’s actually a quality Halloween-themed flick that might have found a following in theaters had it been marketed properly.

The concept is simple: Several Halloween myths converge over the course of one night in Sleepytown, Ohio.  Add a bit of Tales From The Crypt and a splash of Pulp Fiction-style storytelling for an added gimmick, and you’ve got Trick ‘r Treat.  There’s the requisite gore, comedy and nudity in this 82 minute feature, and even several history lessons on the origins of the holiday.  And while it fails to drum up much fear in the audience, it certainly succeeds as a fun, Halloween-themed romp that recent horror has failed to provide.

Trick ‘r Treat was supposed to be released in 2007, but because it didn’t fit the Hollywood model, it was tossed away and only released a few weeks ago.  The film is certainly no replacement for the classics, but it could have been a step in the right direction for a tired genre if it had been given the chance.  Perhaps one day, the world will produce tweens that find the Saw series boring and demand something original.  But until that day, I’m afraid we’re stuck wading through the tripe that is modern-day horror.  And that is a scary thought.  Bwa-ha-ha-h… shut up.

Up In The Air
Started & Finished: 10/14/09

When, by the end of a film, there’s nothing left to really speculate on, what are you supposed to think about?  For some reason, I’m left feeling like Up In The Air went in one ear and out the other.

It’s by no means a bad movie— I was attentive throughout, even during some textbook-cheesy moments.  The direction was fine, the script was quick and clever, and the acting was good, but it’s not very challenging.  Which is fine—I guess I was expecting something a bit deeper.  Rather, I wasn’t expecting such a morally straightforward story.  It’s really one big cautionary fable about the perils of being a manchild.

I did really enjoy the conclusion of the film, and how that was handled— but only then did writer/director Jason Reitman really bring the drama.  It’s also a good example of efficient storytelling, and the sleight of hand required to bring scenes to life (specifically, the act of showing one thing while characters are saying another, and letting the audience read the true meaning of the scene).  I’m not sure when Up In The Air will be in wide release, but it feels like it’d be a very enjoyable holiday-break type movie.  Easy, funny, relatable, and not too depressing.