A Serious Man

Last year, 2009, was the first year since 1943 that the Academy nominated more than five movies for best picture in one year. The idea was to be more inclusive so that more people will want to watch the Oscars if they had seen more of the nominees. One of the surprise nominations was the Coen Brothers’ odd comedy A Serious Man. After a brief and puzzling prologue, the story begins with Larry going about his normal day as a Jewish physics professor in 1962 Minnesota suburbs. He lives with his unsympathetic wife, his deadbeat brother, his hair-washing obsessed daughter and his pothead son. Things begin to go bad when his wife demands a divorce and presents the man she intends to then marry. From there, the smorgasbord of crap piles on top of Larry piece by piece.
I really enjoyed this movie, however, I would not recommend it for everyone. First of all, the Coen brothers have a specific humor that is not always enjoyed by all, so if you didn’t enjoy The Big Lebowski, Fargo, or Burn After Reading, don’t bother with this film. The comedy is almost painful in a What About Bob kind of way but without the benefit of likeable characters. The only relatable character is Larry and nothing good happens to him. All the other characters take advantage of Larry in odd ways and he simply lets them do it. None of these characters are what you would call normal and are more like caricatures of the annoying people we all encounter in our lives. Also the ending isn’t exactly what you would call…conclusive.

That being said, I found it hilarious but I couldn’t really get drawn into it because of the oddness. Instead, I was able to stay detached and appreciate other aspects of the film. Most of the things I enjoyed were due the ways that this film seriously challenges traditional formulas of film. There are three distinct times in the film where they present a story arch that you might expect and then subverts it, clearly making fun of the audience a bit by beginning something that the audience would expect to happen next and then changing it so the viewer is made aware that films often make predictable patterns and the Coen brothers are trying to break those patterns. There are a lot of interesting things going on with parallels that would be interesting to study further. The parallel between Larry’s storyline and his son’s storyline or the parallel between the seemingly unrelated prologue and the film itself would both be very interesting to delve further into.
Entertainment- 4. Most people will not appreciate this film. Unless you are a die-hard fan of the Coen brothers’ work or really enjoy films that take a bit more work on your part after the credits roll in order to make sense of it, you will hate this film.
Award-worthy- 9. All the elements are there to make an Award-winning film. Even though the set design and cinematography are nothing special, the writing challenges the traditionally accepted norm of film, the acting is subtle and well done, and the music add to the themes and parallels. I think the problem comes from how abstract it is. This is more of a scholar’s film than an entertainment film.

This Week

I'm planning a big week for movies.  Dani and I just finished watching A Serious Man, review coming soon.  I am hoping to run up to the cheap theatre and catch Burlesque on its second round.  I don't really plan to enjoy it, but it is going to be a prevolent at the Golden Globes.  This weekend I will definately be seeing The Chonicles of Narnia: the Voyage of the Dawn Treader.  I would have seen it earlier, but I need to wait until I can get home to see it with my dad.  This is my favorite book of the series and I hope they don't mess it up like they did the last one...Anyway I am also hoping to catch Black Swan when at home before it falls into the pit between the theatre and DVD releases and stays there until after the Oscars.  I hate that pit.

The highlight of my week, of course, is going to be getting a big group of people together to see True Grit.  I watched the John Wayne version 3 times in preperation.  John Wayne was 61 when he made that film by the way.  It blows my mind.  Anyway, I can't wait to see the Coen brothers' take on this novel.  They have yet to let me down.  I know it is going to be darker and more raw than the first film version and I am ready!!  Hooray for the return of the Western!

The Fighter

Last night I saw one of the forerunners of the Golden Globe races, The Fighter. This film is nominated for 6 Golden Globes and is likely to be one of the Oscar nominees as well. The film is based on a true story about a boxer and his family. The boxer, Micky Ward, played by Mark Wahlberg trains with his Brother, Dickey Eklund, played by Christian Bale and managed by his mother. Dickey had been a fighter years before and had built a small amount of fame by once knocking out Sugar Ray. The dysfunction in this family is almost immediately apparent. At the beginning of the film, Micky is in the middle of a losing streak. He must decide if he will be loyal to his family and continue to lose, or take his girlfriend’s advice and accept that they are destructive for him and move on to a different trainer and manager.
As a viewer, I was definitely drawn into this film. Micky is a character you truly feel for and want to succeed. The mother is beyond insane and most definitely provides the comic relief. I find, however, that it is difficult to be completely drawn into a sports movie because there are really only two outcomes: the good guys will win or they will lose and nine times out of ten they win. The story is not the most compelling thing about this film and cinematically it brings nothing new, I mean how many times do I need to see the slow-mo punch? I also feel like there was one fight too many. I was just starting to feel the length when the final fight was about to begin. This is definitely a character and performance driven film. The characters are all ready-made, but it is the way the actors portray them that makes the film note-worthy. Christian Bale steals this film. We again see him losing unhealthy amounts of weight for a roll and his performance is compelling. This is the kind of role that draws attention and he doesn’t shy away from it. He is not afraid to be less than attractive and not exactly likeable. He goes for it and slam-dunks this awkward character. Nearly everyone else in the film has been nominated for their performances and they are well deserved also, but Dickey Eklund makes them fade into the background. The raw realism and attention to detail also set this film apart. The locations and scenarios all feel very true. As a viewer I was never distracted by thoughts like “A person like her would never say something like that.” or “A guy who works on a road crew would never live in a place like that.” One look at the cramped, undecorated apartment Micky lives in tells the viewer that he doesn’t make much money and spends all of his spare time training without it all having to be said.
Entertainment- 6 If you really like boxing movies or really strongly character-driven stories, this is a must, see, otherwise this might not be the Friday-night-movie for you.
Award-worthy- 8 The story and camera work aren’t much to get excited about, but the tone of gritty realism and the intense characters and performances kick this film into a more interesting bracket. Is it the finest example of cinematic perfection I have ever seen? No. Are there aspects worthy of recognition? Most definitely.
Overall I am somewhat apathetic to the film as a whole with the exception of Christian Bale and Melissa Leo’s performances.

Avatar

Entertainment-  8
Award-worthy-  5

I decided to start with Avatar because I don’t have any readers yet and I wanted to offend the fewest people possible.
This film is about a future where humans have discovered another planet with similar atmosphere and organisms to earth. There is a culture on this planet called “The People” and they are large, blue and cat-like. The main character is a man who used to be a soldier but must takes his brother’s place in a scientific/anthropological expedition to learn about The People. This involves his consciousness being temporarily transferred to a another body that is a combination of DNA from human and The People. He becomes assimilated into their culture and must then defend them against the militaristic human corporation that wants to wipe out The People.
Let me begin by saying that from an entertainment standpoint this is a spectacular film. Dani and I went to see this one in the theatres and it was most certainly worth it. I don’t think that I would spend the extra to see it in 3D, but I would see it on the big screen again. The visuals are breathtaking. I couldn’t help but be drawn in by the nail-biting suspense and the wondrous adventure. The main character, played by Sam Worthington, undergoes a noticeable transformation throughout the film that is endearing. Sigourney Weaver reprises her roll from Gorillas in the Mist quite well in this film. I found myself completely immersed in this movie the entire time I was watching it if the picky critic in me was turned off.
That being said, when the movie was nominated and won the Golden Globe, the picky critic in me flared up and was incensed. This film being added to the ranks of Academy Award nominees is actually offensive to me for two main reasons. The writing and story are not exceptional examples to be exalted on the Academy pedestal and I do not feel that this movie advances film as a medium, but only perpetuates the norms of similarly themed films of the past.
The biggest issue I have with the story here is that the allegory of Europeans coming to North America and encountering the natives is blatantly obvious and overly preachy. I prefer my allegory to be subtle and artful rather than bashing me over the head. Also (spoiler alert) the sickeningly happy ending steals any poignant impact the film might have had. What is it that the viewer is supposed to learn from such an ending?
The sanctimonious message of Avatar is rendered hypocritical when you truly examine the structure of this film. The audience is presented to the natives through a white, male protagonist. This same tactic can be seen countless times throughout film history in nearly every film containing Native Americans, most notably Dances with Wolves. Also this white male protagonist is not only able to become assimilated into the native culture, he must become their savior, taking the most sacred and influential role in this culture from the natives and into more “capable” hands. This is nothing new, and that is my point. In my opinion, for this film to be Oscar-worthy, the story should have involved The People saving themselves and being their own heroes.
I would also like to thank Dani for pointing out that the song at the end which ironically won best original song at the golden globes can literally have the words of “My Heart Will Go On” superimposed over the tune and it works perfectly.

In the beginning...

As many of you know, the Golden Globe nominations were released last Tuesday. The season has begun once again! I have some work to do to be prepared for the big night. I am working on getting all of the nominees seen for this year as well as see the Oscar nominees and winners from years gone by.
With my friend Dani as my partner in crime and hopefully readers as my motivation, I will embark on a journey into the cinematic past. Why? Because I want to inspire people into watching the classics that are still as valuable and genuinely entertaining as they were the day they were made. I hope to see more people break the color barrier and start seeing the beauty of the black-and-white movies again.
When I heard one of the high school girls that I work with refer to Elizabeth Taylor as “some semi-famous actress” when she was describing the version of Taming of the Shrew that she saw in school, I knew that it was my duty as a film lover to expose as many people to the films and actors that helped shape the world they live in today.
I hope to have a lot of fun and hope to be helpful to anyone looking to gain a greater appreciation for film.