Film Reviews 2009

The Class is a French film (Entre les murs) that won the Palme d’or at Cannes and is nominated for a best foreign film Oscar this year. I went to see it yesterday and recommend it though not as enthusiastically as I thought I would. It has the feel of a documentary, with home movie style camera shots and many close-ups. It takes place in mainly one classroom of a very multi-racial, multi-ethnic and lower-class Parisian school. Nothing really happens except for the interactions among the 14-year-olds in the often poorly behaved class and with their teacher, who is trying quite heroically to run a class of mutual respect and discipline. Even the black students from different African countries seem to be at odds with each other. So I found it quite thought-provoking in a somewhat low-key way.

I've been wanting to see Tell No One, the highly acclaimed French thriller for some time and finally was able to rent it. And wow! what a thriller it turned out to be. All I can say is that the French really know how to make them. I was riveted to the sofa for the full 131 minutes of all the twists and turns that thankfully were unraveled at the end. Everything about it was so well done, from the visuals to the characterizations of both rich and seemingly untouchable aristocrats to the petty criminal, multi-racial, rather charming and also apparently untouchable segments of the population, and even the music and song selection were perfect. I'm proud to say that I recognized the excellent lead actor, Francois Cluzet, as the same one who played the main non-musician character in the film "Round Midnight" from many years ago. Anyway, if you want to be entertained in an intelligent way that demonstrates what great cinema is all about, rent this film!

Frozen River is a very powerful film, with a sense of impending doom or tragedy through much of it. Melissa Leo, the lead actress has been nominated for best actress Oscar for her performance, which is indeed excellent; she's been in quite a few previous roles but mainly on TV and as far as I know, never noted for a film role before. I also thought Misty Upham, who plays a young Mohawk woman, deserves acclaim for her part. The story takes place on the US-Canada border, where a Mohawk reservation straddles that border. The two women come together by chance and fall into a smuggling partnership, as both are financially desperate mothers in their very poor and desolate communities. Belligerent towards each other at the beginning, a different and unlikely relationship develops between them as the story progresses. The frozen river of the title serves as their road back and forth across the border, and its icy yet vivid presence is like a third main character in the film.

The film The children of Huang Shi came out in 2008 but never arrived here, and it seems to have gotten mixed reviews. However, I really enjoyed it. It's based on the true story of journalist George Hogg, who in 1937 was able to sneak into the area of China that was being brutally attacked by the Japanese and ended up taking care of a group of young boys who had been made orphans by the fighting. It reminded me a bit of other epic stories in exotic locations like Dr. Zhivago, Lawrence of Arabia or Bethune, the excellent Canadian film also set in China, without quite their scope but also very moving and visually stunning.

Before going to see State of Play yesterday I had skimmed three reviews of it, two of them being fairly unfavourable though for very different reasons. So I have to agree most closely with Roger Ebert, who gave it three stars. This thriller was based on a British TV series that apparently was fantastic, but which I haven't seen. One of the reviewers had and so this influenced his take on the film. As always, I very much enjoyed and admired Russell Crowe's performance, and I also thought the other actors in the film were very good. The cinematography was excellent, and the music, which sometimes was quite unusual and overpowering, and other times absent altogether, was very effective. My one criticism is that though a couple of potentially engrossing political and societal issues were part of the plot, for some reason they faded from my consciousness in favour of the twists of the mystery and personal relationships. So I'd call it a very well done and enjoyable film but ultimately not very thought-provoking.

I wouldn’t call the film Che: Part One a great film, but after having seen it last night I find myself thinking about it quite a bit. Part One of the story begins when Che, who's from Argentina, joins Fidel Castro's small revolutionary group, sailing with him from Mexico to Cuba, and concludes just as they're victorious and about to march into Havana. As I had heard, Benecio del Toro does a fantastic job portraying Che, and I also thought much of the other acting was very good, particularly the actor playing Fidel, Demian Bichir, with whom I was not familiar though I see from IMDB that he's been on the TV series Weeds. The look of the film was also very effective, as it went back and forth between lush jungle scenes and pseudo-newsreel grainy black & white footage from Che’s trip to NYC and speech at the UN in 1958. I was unfamiliar with the details of the revolutionary fight or the trip to NYC, so these were both quite interesting to me. I was also struck by the idealism of the two leaders, their humanitarian, egalitarian and compassionate philosophies. Of course, this story was taken from Che’s writings so it can't be seen to be unbiased, but still, it gave me much food for thought in terms of revolutions in general, how Cuba has developed over the years, and where it is now and might be going.

Che: Part Two: Overall I wasn’t drawn into it as much as Part 1, mainly because it was basically a one-item story; it didn't really stay with me afterwards, wasn’t as thought-provoking. It's the story of Che’s unsuccessful attempt to start a revolution in Bolivia in the late 60s and mainly takes place in the mountain jungles of that country, which aren't lush like those in Cuba but instead are stark and dry though sometimes also include breathtaking mountain and small town vistas. So most of the film is scenes of the guerillas tramping through the brush, preparing, living together and fighting. Again, Che’s idealism is evident and Benecio tel Toro does a great acting job, in my opinion (I learned after Part 1 from an Argentinian friend that his accent was not at all Argentinian and that really bothered her as Che came from there, but of course I couldn't tell the difference.) The story does bring up the question: is it a heroic thing to try to bring a revolution to another country, where the poor are clearly being mistreated? In this case those he wanted to help obviously weren't ready for it, but who knows what effect the attempt had on the overall history? Bolivia now has a socialist government. This film definitely made me curious about both Che’s biography and the history of Bolivia.

Two Lovers is an excellent film, in my opinion, though I wouldn’t rave about it quite as much as the review on IMDB does this morning. The performance by Joaquin Phoenix confirms my earlier opinion of what an excellent actor he is. I imagine playing the character of Leonard in this film was extremely demanding and emotional, and perhaps that's at least part of the reason why he's announced he will no longer act in films. Not only is Leonard in pretty much every scene but the character is very complex and obviously dealing with an intense and chaotic psychology. I thought all the other acting was also excellent, as well as the cinematography, moving from the dark and somewhat claustrophobic Brooklyn apartment and subway rides to the bright and exuberant energy and lights of NYC. I'm not going to go into the story here except to say that it's fairly dark though with some lighter moments, thought-provoking in terms of relationships, psychology and what constitutes neurotic/confused behaviour. But I didn't find it to be a downer, and I definitely cared about the characters.

Yes, I’m sure I've seen all the episodes of the original Startrek series, as well as The next generation and Voyager and I went to the latest Startrek film yesterday. I enjoyed it, though I think anyone who didn't have a familiarity and affection for the characters of the original series might not appreciate it that much. I was a little surprised that most of the audience was young people, but I suppose many if not most of them have seen it in reruns. And it's definitely the kind of film that appeals to them - I could have done with fewer scenes of impossible fights and chases and lots of stuff blowing up. But I thought it was a clever story presenting how the original characters of the series ended up together on their starship. And the young versions of those characters we know so well were really well done and believable, particularly the young Spock.

I had forgotten about wanting to see the film I’ve Loved You So Long until I noticed it on the shelf at the video rental store. This is the highly praised French film from last year starring Kristin Scott Thomas, who I didn't know till I heard about this film has lived in France for 20 years though she’s well-known here as a British actress. Anyway, in my view she should have won even more awards than she did for her performance in this poignant and quite emotional film. I particularly admire films and actors who can tell so much of a story with only the visuals - in this case, her amazing face that with beautiful subtlety told you all you needed to know. I have a slight quibble with the ending, which I'll discuss with anyone who's seen the film, but other than that (which didn't spoil what came before), it’s an excellent film. Briefly, it’s the story of a woman just released from prison after a 15-year stay for killing her son. That’s all I knew when I went to see it and all you need to know.

If you like documentaries and in particular are interested in film history and personalities, the 2008 film Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired will probably fascinate you as much as it did me. It mainly tells the story of the trial for his sex scandal with a 13-year-old girl in the late 1970s but also includes quite a bit of background information about him. I had forgotten, or perhaps it never registered, that he was the husband of Sharon Tate when she was murdered, and also that his parents were killed by the Nazis. Besides his story, it's also quite a vivid picture of a corrupt side of the US justice system, including current-day interviews with all the lawyers involved in the case and the now adult victim. I had also forgotten that Polanski acted in most of the films that he’s well-known for having directed.

I really enjoyed Easy Virtue though I wouldn't call it a great film. But it has many of the elements that I appreciate when they really use the film medium well: great cinematography, costume and art design that really evokes the art deco period, witty, appealing actors and though in many ways a light mood to it, it was more than the totally fluffy story I thought it might be. Based on a Noel Coward play, it also effectively used music of the period throughout which included quite a few Noel Coward songs. I thought Jessica Biel did a good job as the glamorous American thrown into an upper-crust British family, Colin Firth was as wonderful as always (I’m biased), and the other characters were well played in their dotty British way as well.

It could be that if you’re not into Sci-Fi you won’t enjoy Moon as much as I did, but what a relief to see a relatively quiet, thoughtful SF film that’s not a cowboys-in-space simplistic and frenetic story! I can’t say much about the plot without giving away too much, but it’s a rather stark, dark picture of the future where an astronaut, Sam, is alone on the moon, with only a computer voice-robot-smiley face for company (the voice of Kevin Spacey reminiscent of Hal in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001). Sam’s job is to keep track of the robotic machinery mining helium that’s sent back to earth and is part of a new technology that’s made it possible to do away with all fossil fuels for energy. The cinematography and special effects are sparse and effective and the whole thing thought-provoking and rather grim.

If you want to be totally cheered up and chuckling, go see Julie and Julia. Especially for those of us who fondly remember many happy hours spent watching The French Chef, whether or not we ever actually tried any of the recipes, this is a thoroughly delightful film. In case you haven’t seen any of the many blurbs about this film, it’s based on two true stories: Julia Child’s introduction to and love affair with both French food and cooking while living in France; and Julie Powell’s 2002 contract with herself to spend a year cooking every recipe in the now famous Julia Child cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking in her apartment in Queens and write a blog about the experience at the same time. I loved both stories, thought the acting and casting were superb (yet another perfect performance from Meryl Streep), and appreciated the way the two were intertwined and also separate. Julia Child is an amazing example of a constantly exuberant, outrageous and joyful presence that spilled over and infected just about everyone with whom she came in contact. So go see this film and experience that effect for yourself.

How to describe Taking Woodstock, the new Ang Lee film? The first thing I’ll say is that it's more like his early films (Pushing Hands, The Wedding Banquet, Eat Drink Man Woman) than more recent ones with which you may be familiar (Lust Caution, Brokeback Mountain, Sense and Sensibility), in that it’s mainly about some very quirky characters played to the hilt by both unfamiliar and familiar (to me) actors, some of whom I didn’t recognize till I looked them up today: Imelda Staunton, Paul Dano (There Will Be Blood), Liev Schreiber for instance. Anyway, it's based on real events that led to Max Yasgur’s farm being used for the site of the legendary Woodstock concert. At times you can hear music from the concert in the background, but that’s not at all the main point of the film. I laughed a lot and found it to be also sweet and nostalgic, showing the height of the hippy era in all its optimistic openness and sometimes silly and embarrassing naivete.

Bright Star is a beautiful and beautifully made film about the intense love between John Keats and Fanny Brawne, and the tragedy of their lives, Keats in particular who died before receiving much praise for his poems. It demonstrates graphically the extreme up and down experiences of romantic love, from ecstasy to utter despair, in other words the truth of impermanence and change and the suffering that can bring. The film was like one of Keats’ poems, parts of which are read at different points in the story, and I'm now curious about those poems, which I haven’t read in many years. So I do recommend this film, but I have to admit that for whatever reason, I didn’t feel the degree of emotional connection that I have in other beautiful and romantic period-piece films such as A room with a view or The remains of the day.

The Informant is a very clever and funny film, starring Matt Damon in an excellent performance, and I’m not always a fan of his or his films. To say that it’s about corporate crime and a whistle-blower doesn’t tell you anything about the tone and experience of this film, which I’d compare to a well-made and amusingly executed farce. It’s based on a true story, and at times I found myself pretty much with my mouth hanging open in disbelief (just like some of the characters in the story) and often laughing out loud. The film is directed by the talented and eclectic Steven Soderbergh, and from the start the playful music and colourful lettering in the titles tells you it’s going to be an enjoyable ride.

Seraphine is a 2008 French film that I’d heard about for a while, but I hadn’t realized is about an artist and is based on a true story. The first part of the film takes place before World War I and then continues afterwards, during the 1920s and 1930s. Seraphine is a housekeeper and eccentric in a small French town where German art collector and critic, Willhelm Uldhe, happens to be living and discovers her. Much of the film itself, especially the outdoor scenes, is like a work of art itself, as it captures Seraphine’s intense and mystical connection to nature and religion. The story is interesting from an art history point of view, the visuals are frequently stunning, and the portrayal of the main character by Yolande Moreau quite

mesmerizing.

Cairo Time won the best Canadian feature film award at this year’s Toronto Film Festival. It’s a gentle and haunting love story, and the main love object, I felt, is the city of Cairo itself. It stars Patricia Clarkson and Alexander Siddig, and I discovered that this tall, elegant, brooding and handsome Arab man has been in quite a few North American films and TV shows, including playing Dr. Bashir on Star Trek Deep Space Nine, a show and character I never cared for! Anyway, though I wouldn’t call this a truly great film, the visuals, music and subtleties of the characters captivated me.

If you’re interested in seeing Coco Avant Chanel in order to admire lots of beautiful Chanel-designed clothes, you might be disappointed because there isn’t too much of that in this film. What you will get a glimpse of, though, is how her early life influenced her. I haven’t read any biographies of Coco Chanel, but if the film’s presentation of her life is factual, a good deal of it was unhappy, producing a grumpy woman who was often very dissatisfied with people and the world around her. But she was also observant, confident,  focused, and obviously ahead of her time, and so somehow from her mind and hands emerged beautiful and elegant women’s clothes that were totally different from what came before and yet apparently were quite readily embraced by the world. A very interesting and haunting story, well-made and well-acted film.

If you’ve seen ads for An Education, you may have read the ecstatic reviewers’ quotes  “A wonderful film!”, “One of this year’s best!”, and I totally agree with them, as well as the high praise I’d been reading for the young British actress, Carey Mulligan, who is a complete delight. From the clever and artistic opening credits, I was thoroughly smitten, despite a couple of small quibbles with the story. Briefly, it’s about a 16-year-old British school girl who’s bored senseless by her classes and life in general, looking forward to Oxford and the sophistications of the big world. So when she meets a charming older man who takes her to concerts, dancing and travelling with his glamorous friends, she (and her parents) are taken in. Partway through the film his more sleazy side begins to be evident, to us at least. The film does have some darker elements to it, but all in all it’s thoroughly enjoyable, and all the elements are very well done.

Now on to a DVD. Those of you who know me know that I’m no fashionista. But I do look forward to seeing all the designer gowns on display every year at the Oscars, so I also thoroughly enjoyed the film Valentino: The Last Emperor. This film not only shows many of his incredible gowns, both past and recent, it also shows the cadre of amazing seamstresses who put these dresses together by hand, often just based on Valentino’s very minimal instructions. Valentino’s opulent lifestyle is also on display, incredible but still always elegant, and we also get glimpses backstage at the production and carrying out of fashion shows and his over-the-top retrospective in Rome a few years ago. As well, the long relationship between him and Giancarlo Giametti is in evidence throughout the film, their personal closeness and also business partnership that allowed Valentino to become such a successful brand.

If you’re interested in seeing Me and Orson Welles, you might want to go this week as there were only a few of us in the theatre last night and maybe it won’t be on for another week. I wouldn’t say it's a great film but I did find it to be thoroughly enjoyable, with really good performances, especially by Christian McKay who plays the young Orson Welles to bossy and arrogant perfection. The film reminded me a bit of the wonderful Canadian TV series from a few years ago, Slings and Arrows, in that they both show all the backstage angst, confusion, heart-stopping anxiety and clunkiness that somehow is turned into a stellar performance of a Shakespeare play. I don’t know if this story is based at all on truth, but it revolves around an aspiring actor who’s still in high school and somehow stumbles into performing in the opening of Welles’ landmark production of Caesar. Besides the good performances, both the look and sound are wonderful, bringing one totally into the world of 1930s Broadway.

Many of you have already heard or read lots about Avatar, James Cameron's new Sci-Fi/Fantasy film, how much it cost, that it's in 3-D, all the new tech gizmos he’s used in it. In my opinion, all the positive hyperbole is valid; it’s in a category all to itself: don't miss it. I’d also recommend that if you’re going to go, definitely pay a bit more so you can see it in 3-D. It’s as visually magical and stunning as everyone says, and the 3-D and CGI are done seamlessly and not just cute distractions. Some reviewers commented on clichés in the script and characters plus the standard good vs evil story, which this time has a very topical environmental theme, and I can see their point in parts of the film. On the other hand, the planet Pandora, Na’vi natives, relationships with each other and humans, and more envisioned by Cameron and then brought beautifully into being (with lots of help - the credits go on forever) is incredible and totally engrossing. I can still see those blue Na’vi decorated bodies and faces, with all their emotions displayed, and they’re just as real as the human beings.

Well, ‘tis the season of many good films! I’ve seen two in the past two days. First, Invictus, centering around Nelson Mandela shortly after he became president of South Africa. This film is really about how to lead and was very inspiring, as well as a depressing reminder of the dearth of true leaders anywhere in the world in politics today. In South Africa at this time, at first neither most whites nor blacks were interested in reconciling with the other, but Mandela insisted on bringing them together, specifically through the World Cup of Rugby games in the film. So it also shows how it’s possible to use an everyday event that at first may seem not at all important or political in an effective and major way, as well as a leader who initially and with no hesitation goes against the majority of public opinion even though he knows there may be a political price. Great performances by both Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon. (Freeman’s accent has been criticized in some reviews but in my view, unless you’re South African I don’t think this is an issue at all.)

Next, Up in the Air, and if you’ve been paying attention at all to new film reviews, you know that this one has been highly praised and is already thought to be in line for many awards. I agree completely! From the opening shots and music, it’s clear that this is a snappy, creative and very engaging film. George Clooney’s performance is, of course, right on the mark, but the two lead women in the film – Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick – are just fantastic, as has also been noted in the reviews. I chuckled and laughed out loud quite a few times because of the witty and astute script, though the story definitely has its thoughtfully darker side as well. And of course Jason Reitman also deserves praise – I’ve seen him being compared to the new Woody Allen; I have to say that I experience him as preferable and more creative.

It’s not very often that I can enjoy a romantic comedy film, especially an American one, but I thoroughly enjoyed It’s Complicated, playing at Park Lane and elsewhere. Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin are both wonderful, and so are the other actors, with great comedic timing, facial expressions, etc., and of course the writing is really good or none of the other things would matter. I wouldn’t call it a great film, but there were many hilarious scenes, as well as beautiful scenery and some thought-provoking relationship issues. It may be that women will enjoy this film more than men, as you could say it’s an older woman’s fantasy where her ex-husband falls back in love with her and is dissatisfied with his 10-year marriage to a much younger, very sexy woman. High time, in my view, as a relief from all the juvenile men’s fantasy films about crude, rude, overweight and generally unattractive men who have numerous nubile and beautiful women falling in love with them!

Before going to see The Young Victoria, I had heard a couple of fairly negative (or at least unenthusiastic) reviews of it, mainly describing it as very dull. I don’t share that view, though as I’ve probably said a few times here lately about others, I wouldn’t call it a great film. But I found it compelling throughout, for the historical details of the period right before and the very early days of Queen Victoria’s reign, the visuals of opulent castles and lovely English countryside, and the characters themselves. Especially if you’re fond of British royal pomp, you’ll enjoy this film.

 A Single Man is an excellent and poignant film, with great acting, beautiful cinematography and music. Is life worth living when your partner of 16 years dies, especially when you can’t even share or show your heartbreak to most of the world because you’re gay in 1962 at a small US college? Finally, a role that demonstrates the scope of Colin Firth’s considerable talent; Julianne Moore, as usual, is also excellent. Haunting and thought-provoking, but certainly not “entertaining” in the usual sense, so be forewarned.

Despite having read some lukewarm reviews I still wanted to go to and really liked Creation. This film doesn’t really explore Darwin’s scientific achievements or voyages (some of the criticisms of the film are because of this) but instead focuses on his family life and his struggles to write the book for which he’s so famous. These struggles are both physical and emotional; he apparently suffered from a number of mysterious chronic illnesses for much of his life, and he was understandably anxious about the religious upheavals that might result from publishing his scientific findings, upheavals that were already evident in his relationship with his very religious and god-fearing wife. In any case, I enjoyed seeing these sides of Darwin’s life presented, and I also thought the cinematography was excellent, the characters interesting and well acted.

The Japanese film Departures won last year’s Oscar for best foreign film. I hadn’t been interested in seeing it because I was very annoyed Waltz with Bashir didn’t win. I still think Waltz with Bashir is more moving, creative and topical but have to agree that Departures is also an excellent film. It displays some standard Japanese characteristics: beautiful visually, the importance of ritual, combination of formality and near-hysterical emotion. Briefly, it’s about a Japanese cellist whose Tokyo orchestra is dissolved and so returns with his wife to his native town and takes a job as the assistant to a man who prepares bodies for the undertaker. This doesn’t describe at all the tone and theme of the film, which becomes evident the first time he’s present while the master lovingly and with intimate and respectful care does those preparations as the family watches, apparently a normal part of this very Japanese ritual. Quite beautiful and haunting.