Movie Review: "Amish Grace"

Amish Grace
Directed by: Gregg Champion
Starring: Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Tammy Blanchard, Matt Letsher,
Rated: TV-PG

Amish Grace is heralded as a great depiction of faith and forgiveness. It's decent in its depiction of the Amish community’s forgiveness of the man who shot killed innocent school children in 2006. While the film obviously has great potential to be a deep and profound discussion on true forgiveness, what is faith, and can the Amish community keep out the sinfulness of this world, the film is slightly wasted on Kimberly Williams-Paisley’s character simply refusing to forgive. Again, when crafted well, it can be interesting, but her character stomping around for two hours shouting “I’m not going to forgive him” is hardly interesting. The film, which glorifies Amish life, painting it in bright, happy colors, also fails to realize that, by depicting the grunginess and evilness of this world as harshly as it does, Williams-Paisley’s failure to forgive is not acceptable to the audience; we can’t sympathize with her character, and find her frustrating, not sympathetic. The film would have been more interesting had simply stuck with the storyline following actress Tammy Blanchard, who is far superior as an actress and whose plot line is far more intriguing. Amish Grace may not much more than an interesting premise for a film, but Ms. Blanchard simply makes it worth watching once, and she’s not even an Amish character.

Archive Analysis: "Synecdoche New York"

Synecdoche New York

Directed by: Charlie Kauffman
Starring: Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, Michelle Williams,
Samantha Morton, Hope Davis
Rated: R for language and some sexual content/nudity
(The following review contains minor spoilers: discretion is advised.)

Charlie Kauffman's imagination is truly remarkable, and his directoral debut Synecdoche New York is as technically stunning as a film comes. The performances are incredible, especially the splendid Philip Seymour Hoffman, Samantha Morton, and Hope Davis. The film is funny at moments, riveting at others, but it is always depressing. The film follows a man, focused on dying, depressed about life, unable to understand himself, and ultimately alone. He loses touch with reality, with himself, and wastes what little life he has trying to understand the world around him and himself through his forty year rehearsal of his epic-scale play. The most sickening aspect of the film is it's depiction of a world void of redemption; his play is never performed, his past lovers never bring love, his failed relationships never mend, his daughter never forgives, his illness never brings death, and he ultimately understands himself and life too late. With pure Nietzschean flare, life has absolutely no meaning or value. Praise God life isn't like that.

Movie Review: "Unstoppable"

Unstoppable

Directed by: Tony Scott
Starring: Denzel Washington, Chris Pine, Rosario Dawson
Rated: PG-13 for sequences of action and peril, and some language

Tony Scott has always had a fascination with speed. from his short film Agent Orange, to Top Gun, to Days of Thunder, to Taking Pelham 123, Tony Scott has always loved fast-moving transportation. His latest film, Unstoppable, is a different twist of his speedy-fare: a runaway train is bounding out of control through suburban areas, leading a dynamic duo of Denzel Washington and Chris Pine to race to avoid (and then stop) the un-manned train. It's as simple as that. No character development, meaningful themes, or interesting plot twists. If you try digging deeper in the film, you only get frustrated by the shallowness of the characters, or get weirded out by the chemistry and reactions of Washington's on-screen daughters. If you keep it simple, it's a a sure-fire adrenaline pumper that captures industrial Americana and, like most Tony Scott films, makes for a fun pop-corn muncher.

Movie Review: "Please Give"

Please Give

Directed by: Nicole Holofcener
Starring: Catherine Keener, Rebecca Hall, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt
Rated: R for language, some sexual content, and nudity

Guilt does funny things to people. That sentence sums up the dark comedy Please Give by Nicole Holofcener. The film follows a group of people who live in a New York City apartment complex, all of whom are motivated by their deep feelings, mostly of guilt. From the bargain furniture seller (the wonderful Catherine Keener) who feels guilty for pawning furniture from the children of the deceased, to her husband (Oliver Platt), who begins an affair because he can't be the man he once was. From the young nurse (the lovely Rebecca Hall) who feels guilty for wanting a life of her own beyond just taking care of her ailing grandmother, to her sister (Amanda Peet) who is so hurt from her recent break up that she is bitter to the world with an air of self-sufficiency. Through laughs and tears, we learn from these characters, making this a truly enjoyable film (besides the opening credit sequence, which depicts doctor's examinations in the most uncomfortable of ways.) And, through it all, we learn that the way to rid yourself of guilt is by doing what is right from the start. (Although the film fails to recognize that honesty and asking for forgiveness is an essential part of the process.) This quirky, enjoyable movie depicts the best reason for giving to others: because doing what is right always makes us feel good.

Archive Analysis: "John Q"

John Q

Directed by: Nick Cassavetes
Starring: Denzel Washington, Robert Duval, Ray Liotta, Eddie Griffin
Rated: PG-13 violence, language, and intense thematic elements

It's the story of a man doing whatever it takes to save his son. Scratch that. It's a movie about why we need universal health care. That's right, there is nothing in the subtext of Nixk Cassavetes' movie which follows John Q Public (I mean Archibald) who takes over a hospital wing by force to save his son's life. The great Denzel Washington plays the troubled father brilliantly, bringing a serious tone to the film. However, when the rest of the motley crew of hostages enter the film, the movie becomes silly and dismal. (What the heck is Eddie Griffin doing in this film?) Even Robert Duvall is out of sync, and the film starts to feel like a bad TV show rather than a blockbuster film. Considering the movie attempts to tackle a social issue by pure pathos, this is a fatal flaw to the movie that no doctor can save.

Archive Analysis: "Vertigo", "Barton Fink", and "Last of the Mohicans"

Vertigo

Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: Jimmy Stewart, Kim Novak, Barbara Bel Geddes
Rated: PG for sensuality, mild violence, and thematic elements

Hitchcock's classic film has all the rigjht moves; interesting premise, great camera work, wonderful performances, and a mind-bending twist. However, a lack of drive to the film, along with a seriously creepy and disturbing Jimmy Stewart as the protagonist made me unsympathetic and disconnect from the story. When looking at the AFI Top 100 list, I have to wonder why Veritgo hasn't fallen yet.

Barton Fink

Directed by: Joel Coen
Starring: John Turturro, John Goodman, Judy Davis
Rated: R for language and some scenes of violence
Watching the Coens' first films is truly an eye-opening experience. By all accounts, the film is great; it boasts wonderful set design, accenting by Roger Deakins' wonderful cinematography. It's original, taking a look at the golden age of Hollywood in a surreal yet enjoyable way. And, it boasts the fantastic dialogue that makes the Coens so incredibly entertaining (such as the cameo of Steve Buscemi.)
However, Barton Fink is missing something, and it seems that, after the big twist, the film loses its momentum. I feel it was because, unlike most Coen films, I simply didn't get the theme. Like Barton, I didn't understand the picture. Perhaps I will return to it one day and praise it as another classic Coen film. Until then, we'll simply call it a entertaining.

The Last of the Mohicans

Directed by: Michael Mann
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Madeline Stowe
Rated: R for violence
Perhaps it's Daniel Day-Lewis, perhaps its the heart-pounding musical theme, perhaps it's the fights, Hawkeye's emotional "I will find you" speech, or the beauty of the Colonial american scenery. Whatever it is, I enjoy Last of the Mohicans, despite it's campiness and lack of drive. Set around the French and Indian war, the film follows an American-raised-Indian trapper, his native american father and brother, and their involvment in the war because of whom and what they love. The film is Day-Lewis' worst performance (it's still decent) and Michael Mann really can't figure out what he wants the story to be. However, I feel the emotional pulls of the it's highly romanticized perspective, and it makes me want to run through the woods as fast as I can. I understand that Last of the Mohicans is not a great film, but I love it, nonetheless.