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Reviews
It's Complicated (2009)
It's not all that complicated (as a movie).
"It's Complicated" is marketed as yet another movie in the "mature people discovering things about themselves through funny, awkward situations in a down-to-earth but heart warming fashion" vein. Does it deliver? Well, yes, it is not badly done, but it is also quite formulaic, and if you have watched the last couple of movies with Diane Keaton as a woman discovering herself after meta-pause, there are a lot of situations that will not be all that surprising.
On the plus-side, the acting is good. Streep is funnier than the script, adding wonderful mimic to several scenes, and Baldwin is a joy to watch making fun of his aging, not-so- well-kept body. He and Streep are well cast opposite each other, never stealing the scenes for themselves. I am also now officially a fan of John Krasinski whose work in "Away We Go" was wonderful. He highlights his comic talent in a small, but charming role as the boyfriend of one of Streep and Baldwin's daughters. Steve Martin is a really good actor that is unfortunately too seldomly used for quasi-serious roles as here. (Last time I remember him doing that was in Lawrence Kasdan's bleak "Grand Canyon".) He is an interesting choice for a character that is not un-funny, but not hilarious either, in a movie that is, taken as a whole, a comedy.
The film did succeed in making me laugh several times (although not all the time) and for that I would always credit a movie with a grade above average or higher, when the funny moments are intentional, as they are here. But I am staying exactly at 6 - there are just a bit too many predictable scenes and stylized female coffee-table whimsiness packed into this offering.
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009)
Best Gilliam movie since "Twelve Monkeys"
This review does not spoil the whole film, but does reveal a few things about the introduction that may spoil its impact on the first-time viewer.
Let me say to begin with, that I grew up with works like C.S. Lewis' "Narnia" chronicles, Michael Ende's masterpieces "Jim Button", "Momo", "The Neverending Story" and his not quite as well known, but brilliant existentialist/symbolist/dream-like works for adults, "Mirror in the Mirror" and "The Prison of Liberty", Diana Wynne Jones' "Chrestomanci" series and many more - in short: Fantasy fiction that does not necessarily entail something with dragons and magic wands, but builds universes with their own set of rules in which different aspects of human existence can be highlighted. Therefore, if there ever was a target audience for "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus", I definitely belong to it.
I do not agree with the reviewers who think this is all visual surface and no coherent content. The thing is that the story, a piece of fantastic fiction, is much more complex than your average Hollywood blockbuster. At the core of the story lies not a straightforward "battle" between good and evil, but rather a "game" between these two forces, but this core is surrounded by psychologically realistic, yet dreamlike story lines of people, their flaws and peculiarities, delivered in a scenario with metaphysics too difficult to explain in a short review, especially without spoilers.
To boot, Terry Gilliam makes the bold move of starting the film "in medias res": Without any further introduction (other than an indication of the geographical location), we are thrown into a clash between the old- (and odd-) looking world of Dr. Parnassus' horse pulled traveling menagerie and unpleasantly drunken young people stumbling out of modern discotheque, a clash that ends as jaw-droppingly surreal and pompous as you could hope for in a Gilliam movie. Plus some. But after this we have to get a good stretch into the movie before Ledger's character, the mysterious Tony enters the story and prompts a few explanations of the film's world that is otherwise taken for granted and hardly discussed by Dr. Parnassus' employees. So, I do at least understand if some viewers are so puzzled that they are immediately turned off.
However, "The Imaginarium..." has so much rich symbolism and layers of meaning and great story ideas that I think it is wrong to dismiss it as a mere visual exercise. Yes, the visuals are stunning, not in virtue of being "well-made" (although they are by most standards), but in virtue of being extremely imaginative in a no-holds-barred way, where time and the risk of alienating the viewer does not limit the amount of weird creations that are crammed into a shot.
Although I am overwhelmed by this movie and do consider it Gilliam's best since "Twelve Monkeys" (for the time being I will not try to compare it with his earlier masterpieces), I hesitate to give it 10 immediately - I need repeated viewings to test the film's long-term impact.
Serenity (2005)
Great sci-fi adventure!
"Serenity" is a very good, exciting sci-fi / adventure / action movie. A friend of mine found some of the acting substandard and was turned off, but I was hooked throughout the entire film. The visual format is perhaps not very grand (with aesthetics suited for a TV-show), but the editing and pace of action makes it one thrilling ride. It has some interesting quasi-philosophical points as well, dealing with moral, religious and political issues: The classic conflict of plights in ethics is demonstrated by crew leader Mal in the many situations where he has to decide whose life he should give the highest priority. The portrayed strength and danger of people believing to be right is also interesting, not only in connection with a discussion of religion, but also as a selling point for philosophy: we should, at least some times, doubt if we are right. And obviously the film has some points about freedom of speech and distribution of information to the public (think of the role of the Internet in oppressive regimes) - hence the tag line, "can't stop the signal". But do not expect to be educated - just expect to be entertained.
The Grudge (2004)
A little too mysterious
"The Grudge" is an OK horror movie. It has a thoroughly unpleasant atmosphere and lots of well directed shocks. Unfortunately, the mysterious paranormal going-ons get more and more mysterious as the movie progresses, eventually canceling the viewer's expectation of an answer to any of the questions raised (much as, without comparison, in David Lynch's "Lost Highway"). Consequently, one's interest is bound to drop. However, if you do not demand a terribly consistent plot line, if you thrive on the nightmarish and unexplained, if you like camp fire story-like scariness (as in e.g. "The Blair Witch Project")... Well, then this is probably a film for you.
Solkongen (2005)
An odd gem
Director Thomas Villum Jensen and writer Anders Thomas Jensen are at last teamed up again for the first time since their Oscar-nominated short feature "Ernst and the Light". Where Anders Thomas Jensen has had the greater artistic success of the two, writing and directing "Flickering Lights", "The Green Butchers" and "Adam's Apples" and writing several other acclaimed pictures, Villum Jensen has focused on his work as an actor, occasionally directing mainstream family entertainment such as "Love at First Hiccough" and "My Sister's Children". "Solkongen" was shot in Svendborg, Denmark, a town on the south side of Funen, and although no-one in the film speaks with the proper accent, the milieu is actually very well captured. The characters are all very believable, even the more stereotyped comic-reliefs like Niels Olsen and Thomas Bo Larsen. That being said, the story is a classic comedy with the structure of a fairytale, only a very strange one. A middle-aged, wealthy widow in need of an introvert young losers affection - this may sound like a "Sunset Boulevard"-theme, but the misanthropy is gone, the Sunset Boulevard is an empire of Solariums, and the conclusion is as unusual as it is completely compelling due to the chemistry between Lie Kaas and Neumann.
Boudica (2003)
Almost a parody
Well, it was made for cable, so I will not bash the TV-series-like visuals. Neither will I criticize that everyone in the movie speaks English, although some sort of lingual contrast between Romans and Boudica's tribe would have been desirable. But to begin with this is technically very bad: the props - especially those of the Roman city that is destroyed - are obviously fake, and so is this way that the raped and tortured Boudica and her daughters drag themselves home (it looks like something from a zombie movie). The acting is generally unconvincing or perhaps just not very well directed. When Boudica confronts the enemy in a battle she resembles an enthusiastic housewife at a Rod Stewart concert more than a bloodthirsty avenger. The plot lends so many elements from "Braveheart", "Gladiator" and the like that it almost looks like a parody on historic epics (the main character whose family is assaulted, the cry-baby incestuous villain, the triumphant sacrifice for freedom and so on, and so on). And on top of it the opening sequence with its direct address of the audience and the anachronistic final is ripped off from Potter's "Orlando", only without embedding this theme in the entire script. Two stars because this is actually (unintentionally) quite funny at points.
Frost: Portrait of a Vampire (2003)
Someone should offer YOU money to watch this
This is the first time I have ever watched a film that was so appallingly bad that I almost didn't care to watch the second half of the movie on fast forward. OK, so it's supposed to be a vampire movie. It is not scary at any point. It turns out to be a sort of vehicle for action figure Frost who wears sunglasses through the entire movie because (in contrast to the vampires in the movie) his eyes are extremely sensitive to light. There is a ridiculous red herring (allthough the term red herring doesn't really apply to a movie without a sensible plot) in the script where Frost is hired to steal a painting and does in a sort of even-lower-budget McGyver way. This has nothing to do with the rest of the movie and there is no follow-up. The only good thing to say about "Portrait..." is that the sound and picture quality is OK. It is not even unintentionally funny. A soft-core porn movie with all the nude scenes cut out would be more entertaining. I give my sympathy to the cameramen, boom holders and professional editors who will apparently work for food.
Road to Perdition (2002)
Of fathers and sons
Filmed and edited in a beautiful, classic way with plenty of symbols embedded in the visuals, this is a movie that will thrill anyone who has ever toyed with a camera or just enjoy the art of photography. Gangster Hanks is forced on the run with his young son, a journey linked to another father-son relationship, namely that of Gangster boss Newman and his semi-insane offspring who is jealous of the affection that his father shows Hanks. The story could easily have been told in a very sentimental and melodramatic way, but instead Sam Mendes sticks to a very precise and at times cold (though not cold-hearted) mode of storytelling. This makes it all the more powerful to me, but my girlfriend thought she lacked a point of identification for the same reason. The movie shares the combination of harsh violence and a theme of protecting childhood in a mad adult world with Luc Besson's "Leon", and perhaps the melancholy and portrayal of understanding between mortal enemies with Michael Mann's "Heat". Perhaps not terribly original but extremely well crafted on all levels.
Batman Begins (2005)
Excellent new take on the superhero formula
Chris Nolan has brought some strikingly cool and different visuals to the film. Especially the bits where people are hallucinating on the drugs of the villains is some of the most creepy and stunning film-making I have seen in a while. Christian Bale is great as Bruce Wayne, bringing not just youth (obviously) to the role, but also an eccentricity and rebelliousness that - for the first time in Batman history - makes him ever as interesting as his criminal opponents. But the best about this film is that it completely ignores the plot lines of the previous Batman movies and creates a whole new mythology around its character: Batman is no longer driven by revenge, since the movie lets the murderer of his parents die before Wayne becomes Batman. This also makes sequel-making easier in contrast to Tim Burton's "Batman" that was sort of a "closed system" (Wayne seeks revenge, becomes Batman, kills the Joker who has turned out to be the killer of Wayne's parents, the end).
The Machinist (2004)
Good and very disturbing psychological thriller
"The Machinist" belongs to a special branch of film, where we know from the beginning that the main character is somewhat disturbed (and who wouldn't be with a deeply oppressive working environment and hardly any sleep or food?) but are forced to view everything through his viewpoint. This creates a deeply unpleasant atmosphere, where you are never quite sure what to believe. It is the mark of a good director (and writer) that we are drawn to the movie anyhow and never give up on or lose interest in finding out what is actually happening. Needless to say, Christian Bale is amazing as Trevor Reznick - forget about the weight he lost for the part, I am talking about the credibility of the role.