Archived Analysis: "Matchstick Men" and "Paris, Je T'aime"

Zach’s Favorite Film: #27

Matchstick Men

Directed by: Ridley Scott

Starring: Nicholas Cage, Alison Lohman, Sam Rockwell

Rated: PG-13 for Thematic Elements, Violence, Some Sexual Content and Language

Deceit is a powerful and dangerous act; it alters one’s perceptions and understanding of people, situations, and intent, which causes devastating consequences. No film expresses this moral quite like Ridley Scott’s comedic thriller Matchstick Men, a film which follows Roy (Nicholas Cage), a legendary con-artist, who is planning the con of a lifetime with a fellow con-man (the terrific Sam Rockwell). However, Roy suddenly comes into contact with his estranged daughter (Alison Lohman), which leads to the practical and moral dilemmas of Roy trying to be a good father while dealing with his life of crime and deceit. Despite his obvious flaws, we seem to connect with Roy; he’s an idealist who wants to be a good person, and reconnecting with his daughter gives him a reason for that growth. Unfortunately, he’s also aware of his own apparent hypocrisy; he’s a man who mirrors his daughters’ disobedience and ignores his own guidance, but with even more devastating consequences . Some may be shocked that this film is on my list of favorite movies. After all, the film wasn’t praised by critics and didn’t get any awards for Ridley Scott and company. While I think some of the criticism is valid, I feel that much of the hostility comes from the fact that Scott is brilliant con-man himself, getting us to feel certain emotions and connect with the story before pulling the rug from under our feet, landing us face-down onto the floor. While those who never grew up on those impossible Encyclopedia Brown novels will find this experience frustrating, one, such as myself, is astounded that I simply didn’t see it coming.

Paris, Je T'aime

Directed by: Tom Tykwer, Joel and Ethan Coen, Alfonzo Cuaron, Gus Van Sant, Wes Craven, and many others

Starring: Natalie Portman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Steve Buscemi, Juliette Binoche, Willem Dafoe, Elijah Wood, Rufus Sewell, Nick Nolte, and many more

Rated: R for language and brief drug use

Love is such a complex and powerful feeling and action; no matter how many songs, plays, or movies we see where love is the focus, there’s always a new and unique interpretation of it’s power and abilities. And what better way to showcase this than with short films on love that are all located in the city of love itself: Paris. The film of short films, entitled Paris, Je T’aime, focuses on just that: interpretations of love. Acclaimed filmmakers from across the globe, such as Tom Tykwer, Joel and Ethan Coen, Alfonzo Cuaron, Gus Van Sant, Wes Craven, and many others all travel to Paris to show us stories of heartbreak, grief, undying love, reignited passions, and love at first sight, forming a perfect blend of stories and styles. Obviously, I didn’t care for every story told, but each seemed to accent the movie as a whole, like watching an anthology of films on love. Perhaps this is a crazy prediction, but I believe the short film is powerful genre that could revolutionize film in the future. Thanks to avenues of distribution like iTunes and Youtube, the short film may once again capture America’s heart in ways that features can not. After watching Paris, Je T’aime, I hope I’m right.

(As a postscript, my favorites were: Nobuhiro Suwa’s "Place des Victoires", Isabel Coixet’s "Bastille", and Alfonso Cuarón’s "Parc Monceau". I didn’t care for Vincenzo Natali’s "Quartier de la Madeleine" at all.)

Archived Analysis: "Hide and Seek" and "Defiance"

Planning on seeing Where the Wild Things are soon. Until then...

Zach’s Favorite Film: #28

Hide and Seek

Directed by: John Polson

Starring: Robert DeNiro, Dakota Fanning

Rated: R for frightening sequences and violence.

Alfred Hitchcock once famously said that no one is afraid of a gunshot, but are always afraid in the anticipation of the gun shot. Filmmakers, such as M. Night Shyamalan, have been extremely successful in getting us to fear the anticipation, while most horror directors simply get us (or try to get us) to fear the gun shot, itself. It takes a truly great film for us to fear both the anticipation and the gunshot, which is exactly what the film Hide and Seek does, making it a truly frightening experience from start to finish. The story follows David Calloway (played by the brilliant Robert DeNiro), a widowed husband who decides to focus on being a full-time dad after his young daughter (played by the just-as-brilliant Dakota Fanning) witnesses the suicide of her mother. Despite his efforts to give Emily a fresh start, David soon discovers that Emily’s new “imaginary” friend, whom she calls Charlie, is more than Emily’s new playmate; he’s bent on turning their worlds upside down. While the performances of DeNiro and Fanning are the most obvious strength of the film, Hide and Seek is truly magnificent on several scales; Dariusz Wolski, the cinematographer for the Pirates films and Tim Burton’s new DP, enhances the creepiness factor with his slow pans and full frames. John Ottoman’s score accents the jump scenes, yet never distracts us from the story. Even newbie director John Polson, in Hitchcock-like fashion, seems to know when to make us jump. Although a R-rated film, Hide and Seek is unlike the formulaic grotesque imagery of modern horror films (ala Saw VI). It's great to see a film that truly understands suspense; taking things that we should normally find comfort in (little children, dolls, police officers, neighbors, pictures, and the game “hide and seek”) and making them truly terrifying without resorting to blood and guts, like that of a slasher-film. Don’t try to hide from this movie; it’s simply too scary to miss.

Defiance

Directed by: Edward Zwick

Starring: Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, Jamie Bell, Alexa Davalos

Rated: R for violence and language.

Amidst the stories from World War II, one never hears the story of Tuvia Bielski, who protected over a thousand Jews in occupied Belarus from 1941-1945. Likewise, amidst the storm of Oscar films this past winter, one never heard of the movie Defiance, the retelling of Bielski’s story. This is truly unfortunate, because both the movie and the story are inspiring, and worthy of one’s attention. Directed and adapted by Edward Zwick, Defiance is a lot more about the subtext than the actual story. Sure, it boasts the action of a WWII epic, and counters it with the survival aspects of movies like The Great Escape, but Defiance is not about action or survival; it centers on the internal consequences of these events. While trying to keep a sense of humanity in an inhumane time, Defiance brilliantly documents the different responses to the war. While the camp struggles with issues of morality, faith, and the value of human life, the stoic Tuvia Bielski (Daniel Craig) struggles to find the leadership necessary to control the instability of the group. Zus Bielski (a terrific performance from Liev Schreiber) tries to balance is thirst for blood and revenge with his responsibility to the others, while the third brother, Asael Bielski (an encouraging performance from Jamie Bell), is forced to grow up rather quickly in order to become the co-leader that his brothers need. As incredible as the story and themes are, at times, the film can be too much; the first act is nothing but rushed plot, which then slows down once we get to the story and issues Zwick wishes to tackle, causing the pacing of the edits and scenes to feel rather unbalanced. But, like Zwick’s other films (Blood Diamond, Last Samurai, Glory), these infractions don’t take too much from the movie, and Defiance is still a simply inspiring tale. It forces one to understand that despite your environment or situation, integrity and humanity, in the face of suffering and inhumanity, is more than an act of defiance; it’s the way we were meant to live.

Archived Analysis: "Unbreakable" and "Away We Go"

Zach’s 30 Favorite Films: #29

Unbreakable

Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan

Starring: Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic elements including some disturbing violent content, and for a crude sexual reference.

After his wildly successful breakout hit The Sixth Sense, Shyamalan turned to the realm of comic-book lore with his film Unbreakable. However, unlike your typical tight-toting heroes flying over cityscapes, Unbreakable is based in realism, one that would even put NBC’s Heroes to shame. In the film, Bruce Willis plays David Dunn, a down-on his luck security guard who comes in to contact with a paraplegic man (played by Samuel L. Jackson) who is convinced that Dunn has superhuman powers. Unlike most superhero films, which dwell on nifty effects and lightning-quick fight scenes, Unbreakable dwells on the interior of the superhero concept; the ideas of accepting one’s fate and using one’s abilities. Combined with technical brilliance, especially with the showy-yet-breathtaking cinematography of Eduardo Serra, Unbreakable is truly a terrific film that plays to Shyamalan’s strengths; beautiful images, creative concept, jaw-dropping twists, and a great message. Although part of the overpopulated comic-book genre, Unbreakable is a film that DC Entertainment and Marvel should follow to closely; they might learn how make a movie that is truly super.

Away We Go

Directed by: Sam Mendes

Starring: John Krasinski, Maya Rudolph

Rated R for language and some sexual content.

Despite its frequent moral flaws, Away We Go is a great blend of heartwarming quirkiness and compelling drama. It's more than some whimsical comedy and not serious enough to be draining. Overall, it’s a complex film that feels very, very simple. The story follows Krasinski’s and Rudolph’s characters who are crossing the country to find a place to settle and raise their unborn child. Unfortunately, they not only run into a handful of people and places not right for them, but are forced to question the very nature of love and commitment despite the inconsistencies and craziness of the world around them. The story is littered with some harsh content, strong existential conclusions, and a rejection of marriage because (like real life) most examples are hardly "good" relationships (the film doesn't consider the spiritual aspects of marriage.) By the book, this plot (and content) shouldn't have worked for me. But, thanks to the mastery of Mendes, the writing of Eggers and Vida, and the performances of Krasinski, Rudolph, and an all-star supporting cast, Away We Go strikes a chord where most comedies fail, and makes you do more then just laugh and cry; it makes you want to live well.

Archived Analysis: Atonement and Fargo

Every week, I’m going to post an "Archived Analysis", meaning a review of a film or two from the past. One of them will be from my list of my 30 favorite films, while another will just be a movie I wanted to review.

Zach’s 30 Favorite Films: #30

Atonement
Directed by: Joe Wright
Starring: James McAvoy, Keira Knightley
Rated: R for Disturbing War Images, Language, and some Sexuality


Joe Wright’s visual adaptation of Ian McEwan’s novel Atonement is as close as a book-turned-movie can come; the cinematography and scope is breathtaking (including one of my favorite shots of all time), it’s brilliantly paced, well acted, and the story captures the emotion, atmosphere, character and (unfortunately) heavy content of McEwan’s novel. Many considering to watch this film will be concerned about the unrelenting sexual tension of the first half, or the grisly war-images of the latter half, for very good reason; the film is incredibly harsh, and not one that I can always fully enjoy (and one that I don’t recommend to everyone.) However, the story succeeds in depicting these events, not in a glorification of the said content, but in a tragic telling of the story; character makes decisions, jump to conclusions, and must live with the consequences of those actions for the rest of their lives, without any real hope of finding atonement for those sins. It’s a tragic tale that accurately portrays a life apart from a relationship with God, filled with guilt and without any hope of finding forgiveness.

Fargo
Directed by: Joel Coen
Starring: Frances McDormand, William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi
Rated: R for strong violence, language and sexuality


The classic film of the 1990s that put the Coen brothers on the map, Fargo is a unforgettable tale of how far the mundane will go in order to “find” happiness; in this case, a few hundred thousand dollars. It’s a tale that follows several characters, all involved in a kidnapping scheme that echoes the Bible’s warning of “your sin will find you out.” At the beginning, some relatively ordinary people living in an ordinary American town try to avoid the consequences of their actions, resulting in a life of escalating violence, mistrust, pain, suffering, and guilt, leaving the town’s bumbling woman detective (terrifically portrayed by Frances McDormand) as the only “normal” (and likable) character in the story. Like all of the Coens’ films, Fargo has deep nihilistic roots, but only because the world around them, including a simple town in North Dakota, doesn’t make any sense to them.