Lars and the Real Girl

Apparently everyone in the world liked this film a lot better than I did. Though it was a sweet film with an interesting premise, I found it kind of boring and saw the ending coming from a mile away (not that that is necessarily a bad thing, but the acting and storyline just didn't offer up anything new or exciting for me.) I felt at times I was watching a Hallmark special.

I think a much more interesting story would have been if someone put a bullet in Bianca's head and see how Lars would react to that. Would he implode upon himself? Would he be forced to face the reality of his world and meet the challenge? How would others respond? I also think it would have been much more interesting if Lars was sleeping with the doll. It would have put a much more darker and challenging spin on the entire story instead of the saccharine-coated, neutered fable that it was. Now don't think that all I like is disturbing, psychological movies. I enjoy a nice, feel-good movie as much as the next wuss, but the movie was just missing something for me.

One of the main reasons I watched the movie was because I was so impressed with Ryan Gosling's performance in Fracture. Here, I feel his talent is wasted as he is forced to play a repressed, delusional man that seems like he is on Prozac entire time. He does play it very well, and actually reminded me a lot of a guy I went to rehab with who eventually went crazy (or was a little off-balanced from the get go). He was my friend's roommate after rehab, and one day my friend returned from a trip to find that he had waxed his dog, had a washed a bunch of newspapers (which were hanging on clotheslines strung throughout the apartment) because they were dirty, and had a dried turd collection on the kitchen table. I half expected Gosling to go Slingblade on us at some point, but that never happened. Even though Gosling did play that character very well, it's kinda like stuttering, you don't want to sit through an entire movie where the main character stutters all the time.

There were good performances all around. I particularly liked Paul Schneider's performance as the brother. He had some really good, non-verbal reactions at times, but after awhile I got tired of his stammering--like a mid-western version of Hugh Grant. When I saw Patricia Clarkson as the doctor/psychologist for the first time, I thought, "Damn! She sure is a GILF!" Then I found out that she's only 48! That's only six years older than me!!

Director Craig Gillespie seems to have some talent at pulling at the heartstrings, perhaps from his 16 years of experience directing commercials (I'm guessing Hallmark cards and feminine hygiene products). Though he did direct Mr. Woodcock as well (which I haven't seen yet and probably won't, but understand is a little less sweet), I think he needs to get dark for awhile, really dark. Then maybe he can come back and make some good, sweet-but-not-so-sweet movies. I think it's like being a great abstract painter: You have to be a really good realistic painter first before you can truly start abstracting from reality.


Lars and the Real Girl (2007)
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer, Paul Schneider, Bianca
Directed by: Craig Gillespie

(4 out of 7 skinks)

Superman Returns

The question that kept haunting me while viewing Superman Returns was, why?!! Did we really miss him in the first place? Though good performances and nice camera work abound, I really didn't see anything new or exciting to warrant revisiting this superhero franchise.

Director Bryan Singer, who burst on the scene in 1995 with the brilliant Usual Suspects (followed up with decent outings in Apt Pupil and X-Men), may need to leave the comic-book genre alone for awhile. X2 was rather bland and Superman Returns even more so. I'm all for mindless, summer fare, but how much more can we really push the comic-book hero movies at this point? Both of the sequels felt rather uninspired to me, and I don't think he has anything more to bring to the genre. I was happy to see that one of his current projects is The Mayor of Castro Street (the Harvey Milk Story), and look forward to a big change of pace from him.

The performances are decent but nothing special. Kevin Spacey and Parker Posey have some funny moments as Lex Luthor and his sidekick, but don't come close to Gene Hackman and Valerie Perrine in the original--I think mostly because they are just replaying parts that have been done before. Kal Penn (of Harold and Kumar fame) is wasted as one of Luthor's henchmen. The only character that I really enjoyed was the always entertaining Frank Langella as editor Perry White.

I never really cared much for Superman comic books because there is really no conflict. He's Superman: He flies, he shoots laser rays from his eyes, bullets can't stop him, he's invincible (save for that pesky kryptonite, which apparently you can purchase from any five and dime store...). There's no internal conflict or dark side to him--he's a freakin' boy scout. Batman, on the otherhand, now that's a compelling superhero in my book.

Lex Luthor's plan this time is to create a new continent off of the East Coast by dropping some magic crystals into the ocean--kinda like those magic "growing crystals" that you could buy out of the back of comic books. I was always intrigued by the sea monkeys (one plus for mentioning them in the film), the 100 army men for $1.00, and of course, the x-ray glasses. I never bought any because I'm not that much of a freakin' idiot, plus I lived overseas at a time when international post took 3 years to deliver. All I know is that if I had x-ray vision, I know what I'd be looking at.

Superman saves the day this time by lifting up an entire continent and jettisoning it into space. An entire continent! Next he's going to punch a planet and smash it to smithereens and then put out the sun by taking a whiz on it. I'm mean, come on.

The special effects are great, but the characters and story is banal and bland. I hope the next movie is Superman Dies, so we can finally kill off this dead franchise and let Christopher Reeve rest in peace.


Superman Returns (2006)
Starring: Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey
Directed by: Bryan Singer

(4 our of 7 skinks)

Fracture

Is there anyone creepier than Anthony Hopkins? Well, Christopher Walken, maybe...but with Walken you can just look at him and know that boy ain't right. Hopkins, on the other hand, has that unique ability to appear normal and unassuming at first, and then slowly reveal a creepy side that makes your skin crawl.

Perhaps it the inevitable association with Hannibal Lecter from Silence of the Lambs that give Hopkins this quality: Few people have ever owned a role like he has in that movie. Still, he projects better than anyone, that placid exterior that quietly masks that vortex of evil that swirls below (and probably a few dead bodies to boot.)

Ryan Gosling was equally impressive as the young, brash attorney soon to cash in on his legal success. I had heard of him before, but thought he was some dude on Dawson's Creek or some other WB, or UPN, or CM or whatever it is network. As a result, I was really surprised by his deep, nuanced, and spot-on performance. He reminds me of Ed Norton (who incidentally also starred in another court drama by director Hoblit, Primal Fear). Hopkins and Gosling together on the screen were really a joy to watch--their subtle psychological sparring and posturing was just good, damn cinema.

Director Gregory Hoblit may be one of the most under-rated directors around. He weaves a tight, gripping, and suspenseful story that has you on your seat the entire time. Though the story is about a district attorney prosecuting an accused murderer (or attempted murderer), very little of the movie actually takes place in the court room. He devotes most of the time building a rich cast of characters that make the film more of a psychological character study than a courtroom drama.

He doesn't go for the cliched characters, but rather complex, layered individuals that make for an engaging and rewarding cinematic experience. Beautiful camera work, sharp editing, and honest, non-gimmicky story-telling make this one of my top films of the year.


Fracture (2007)
Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Ryan Gosling
Directed by: Gregory Hoblit

(6 out of 7 skinks)

The Cooler

As I am always on the forefront of breaking news and trends, I just recently watched Wayne Kramer's great 2003 film, The Cooler. This small, independent film contains great performances, inspired directing, and some outstanding dialog that definitely put it at the top of my list for that year. (Now if I could only remember the year 2003...)

William H. Macy plays the downtrodden loser like no-one else can. His droopy eyes, sagging shoulders, and quiet resignation projects a pathos akin to a mangy puppy at the pound that no-one is ever going to adopt. Limping through life with his tail between his legs, his luck is so bad that it affects all those around him. Like Pig Pen and his cloud of dirt, gloom envelops Macy and sucks the joy from everything around him.

Maria Bello plays the hooker with a heart of gold. Ok, not really. She does play one of those damaged people that Vegas seems to harbor en mass. You never know her story, but it is obvious that she has suffered a few of her own hard knocks. At first I didn't quite buy the relationship between the two, but as it progressed it really did make sense how someone like her would be attracted to someone who wasn't trying to scam her for the first time ever. Having been to Vegas quite a few times, I can relate. There is a seedy, sleazy undertone to the whole place where your value is only as high as you're willing to buy.

Alec Baldwin is great as the hard-nosed Shelly who is the last vestige of the old Vegas of Sinatra and The Flamingo: chain-smoking, whiskey-drinking, bare-knuckles brawling, men in fedoras. He projects the perfect mix of suave business man and crude gangster in an Oscar-worthy performance (he lost out to Tim Robbins for Mystic River).

Some of the dialog in The Cooler is some of the best I've heard in years--most given by Baldwin. Reminiscent of Mamet at times, but a little more fluid and with less staccato. It is a pleasure to hear and see on film. The design choice for Macy's color theme is truly inspired. The pale greens that dominate his wardrobe and long-term hotel room, perfectly reflect the pervasive sickly, nauseating existence that is his life.

Some people bashed the movie for its ending, but I particularly like it as it was unexpected to me. Director and co-writer Kramer handles with skill and precision and creates a simple, yet compelling story and moves along naturally and efficiently. I'm not familiar with his other efforts, but based upon this excellent offering I think they are definitely worth checking out.

Enjoyable, satisfying, and pure genius at time, The Cooler is an awesome movie. I'm so glad I could expose this wonderful piece of cinema in such a timely fashion. Stay tuned to for my next review of another new release, Patton. ;)


The Cooler (2003)
Starring: William H. Macy, Maria Bello, Alec Baldwin
Directed by: Wayne Kramer

(6 out of 7 skinks)

The Man from Earth

The first time I started watching this movie I had to turn it off because the acting was so bad. I tried a couple more times and made it further along, but kept falling asleep. I was watching it very late at night though, so don't take that as a criticism of the movie.

The Man from Earth is very sedate and low-key, and practically the entire movie takes place inside a college professor's cabin. He is moving on to a new life and set of adventures, and is joined by a handful of fellow professors and friends for a final, going-away party. The entire movie consists of the discussion that ensues between all the professors, experts in a wide variety of disciplines, after the main character poses an interesting question to them: What if a man from the stone age had been able to survive for 14,000 years and was living amongst them today?

Now as scintillating as this must sound, it is actually a pretty dynamic and engaging movie once you get past the first 20 minutes. The acting does get better, and as more and more secrets begin to be revealed (each scrutinized differently by the various experts), it really begins to roll. It could be likened to one of those late-night coffee and cigarette-fueled, spittle-laced, philosophical debates that you had in college at the local coffee house (before Starbucks killed them all). It's more then mere mental masturbation though, as the true reason for the discussion eventually starts to become clearer. It reminded me a lot of My Dinner with Andre, in which the entire movie is a single dinner conversation. Or even Talk Radio, which is just a single radio host talking the entire time. Both are excellent movies, btw.

Writer Jerome Bixby is well known in the science fiction community for having written several of the best Twilight Zone and Star Trek episodes. He also wrote Fantastic Voyage, in addition to a number of science fiction books. Holding true to form, he has a knack for being able to raise very thought-provoking ideas and questions, and then examine them carefully under a variety of microscopic lenses. When the main conversation really gets going, it is actually very engaging and suspenseful. His writing of the other dialog though--outside of the ivory tower of academic debate--stinks like an elephant carcass on the side of the road, left to rot by intellectual poachers.

Apparently the cast includes some very accomplished and veteran actors, but it certainly didn't appear that way to me. The entire movie was shot in one week, so I suppose that most of the time was devoted to memorizing the extremely large amount of dialog that the actors had to deliver. Director Richard Schenkman keeps the dialog lively and well-paced, but was not overly impressive with anything else (especially that terrible acting in the beginning). The appeal of the movie relies solely upon the strength of Bixby's script. Schenkman's other directorial projects include Playboy's International Playmates and Playmates in Paradise. I'm sure the acting is much better in those.

Despite the number of flaws, the story is very gripping, and like all good science fiction (or even regular fiction) stories, it leaves you pondering deep and interesting philosophical questions long after it is over. It is definitely a cerebral movie, yet it is not difficult to follow nor maintain focus throughout its duration because the questions *are* so very good. You can't help but be sucked into the debate, eagerly awaiting to find out what will happen next. (Well here's a hint: Someone talks. But it is *what* they are going to talk about next that you'll be eager to find out.)


The Man from Earth (2007)
Starring: David Lee Smith, Ellen Crawford, Richard Riehle
Directed by: Richard Schenkman

(5 out of 7 skinks)

Firefly (TV)

I don't normally review TV shows (and this isn't actually a review per se), but I just had to mention the TV show Firefly. I had never heard of it before, but since it was the basis for Serenity, I thought it was worth checking out.

The TV show is actually really good and much better than the movie. I'd highly recommend it, though unfortunately, you can only see it on DVD as it was canceled after only one season.

Where the movie is enjoyable despite its production flaws (as I mentioned in my review), the TV series is really well done and all the elements just seem to work together better. The camaraderie between the actors is much more natural and the stories are much more fluid. After watching the series, I went back and watched the movie again and was struck by how much more rigid and deliberate everyone seems when compared to the show. Had they fully captured that in the movie, I think it would have been a lot better.

As the season goes on, the episodes get more and more interesting. It's a shame that they couldn't continue exploring some of the interesting dynamics and stories from the show. You don't have to enjoy science fiction to enjoy it either, as the appeal is really in the characters and there are no aliens and big space battles (not that there's anything wrong with that). It reminds me somewhat of one of my other favorite TV series, Northern Exposure, in that the interplay of the characters and the interesting themes dominated the show's appeal.

I still don't think that TV is an art form like movies, but this is definitely worthwhile viewing.


Firefly (television series - 2002)