Tuesday, February 12, 2008
2007 Honorable Mention Films - Part 2
Paris, je t'aime - Usually films like this either are a complete mess or are average at best. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this really works. I don’t think a single segment didn’t work at all while most were very enjoyable. There is pretty much something for everyone. My favorites included themes from the Coen brothers dark comedy, two segments by Richard LaGravenese & Gérard Depardieu featuring older actors, Wes Craven’s piece featuring Oscar Wilde, Alexander Payne’s moving piece of a poster works & Oliver Schmitz’s sad segment on a hate crime.
Persepolis - A very good animated film from France that is both a visual and narrative treat for adults. Drawn in mostly stark black and while it tells the story of a girl coming of age in 1980s Iran with a brief stopover in Vienna. Since it was condensed from four graphic novels, the film at 95 minutes seems to change focus quite a bit. It works better when dealing with growing up in a police state than as a coming-of-age film. But there is a lot to like in this film. Not the least of which is Catherine Deneuve and Danielle Darrieux voicing the mother and grandmother.
Ratatouille - Another animated film and another film set in Paris. This is another wonderful entry from Pixar. This succeeds because they got away from casting "names" and picked the best voice for each role. They also have a very solid story that adults, especially anyone into cooking, will enjoy just as much as the kids. That’s not to say the animation isn’t excellent, it is some of the best ever, but that doesn’t make a classic animated film. And this is one of the best they’ve put out.
The Savages - The interplay between a brother and sister make this a very entertaining film. Philip Seymour Hoffman is solid as the brother with a few issues and Laura Linney is excellent as the sister with a lot of issues. The declining health of their long estranged father, nicely played by Philip Bosco, spurs them to take stock of their lives and both show signs of improvement. A script that doesn’t over dramatize the family issues it just presents things in a very realistic manner.
The Simpsons Movie - With almost 20 years of television shows, the likelihood of failure was high. Yet almost all of the top talent from the history of the show didn’t disappoint. They moved to the big screen with a fine story that holds up for 90 minutes with wonderful jokes and pop-culture references. Yet it always seemed like I was watching an expanded television show on a big screen. But is that a bad thing? Not every film is Oscar worthy but there is nothing wrong with this effort.
There Will Be Blood - While many people consider this the film of the year, this began as the film of the year before staying just a bit past its welcome. The first half of this film is brilliant. Beginning with the wonderful look of the opening sequence of Day-Lewis looking for minerals to his persuasive takeover of land in California this captures the wild southwest of the early 20th century. Paul Dano is amazing throughout as the hypocritical religious leader. But Day-Lewis’ performance is one of the problems I have with the film. He is excellent at the beginning but later on, much like the film, it becomes a bit too over the top. I’m also unsure about the resolution of the film. I’m sure P.T. Anderson is trying to say something but with so many flawed characters, it isn’t clear what the point of the film is except religion and business are both bad.
3:10 to Yuma - A very strong remake that might not fully revive the western, as some people keep trumpeting, but is effective enough to green-light a film or two a year. The originally wasn’t big on action and while this film is longer and opens up a bit its success is totally dependent on the actors. Russell Crowe and Christian Bale more than deliver. They work together perfectly and the audience will be rooting for both of them even though Crowe is the criminal. The real criminal in the film is Crowe’s second in command, Ben Foster, playing a sadistic loon to the edge without being over-the-top. There are also a few nice touches rarely seen in westerns. One is the opportunistic townsmen at the end siding with whoever has more guns and money.
This Is England - A raw and powerful look at a skinhead gang set in 1983. Told from the viewpoint of a 12-year-old who lost his father in the Falkland War. He is desperately looking for a father figure as his mother is ineffectual in helping him cope in school. He is adopted by a gang that is about fashion, music, and dealing with the economic despair. The even has a couple of blacks as friends. It’s not until a racist college gets out of prison that things go bad. Thomas Turgoose as the young boy is wonderful young actor with a very expressive face that conveys both the joy and disillusion in following his new friends.
An Unreasonable Man - This very interesting doc about the professional life of Ralph Nader. He is mainly known as the man who caused Al Gore to loose the election. Over half of the film is devoted to the 2000 election with clever editing between the talking heads of his supporters and detractors both refuting each others claims about who was right. The rest of the film documenting his early success is just as interesting. His battles with business and relative little support from the government in charge, either Republican or Democrat, shed light on his distain for today’s ruling two parties. Surprisingly one of the most interesting speakers if fellow third party candidate Pat Buchanan.
Persepolis - A very good animated film from France that is both a visual and narrative treat for adults. Drawn in mostly stark black and while it tells the story of a girl coming of age in 1980s Iran with a brief stopover in Vienna. Since it was condensed from four graphic novels, the film at 95 minutes seems to change focus quite a bit. It works better when dealing with growing up in a police state than as a coming-of-age film. But there is a lot to like in this film. Not the least of which is Catherine Deneuve and Danielle Darrieux voicing the mother and grandmother.
Ratatouille - Another animated film and another film set in Paris. This is another wonderful entry from Pixar. This succeeds because they got away from casting "names" and picked the best voice for each role. They also have a very solid story that adults, especially anyone into cooking, will enjoy just as much as the kids. That’s not to say the animation isn’t excellent, it is some of the best ever, but that doesn’t make a classic animated film. And this is one of the best they’ve put out.
The Savages - The interplay between a brother and sister make this a very entertaining film. Philip Seymour Hoffman is solid as the brother with a few issues and Laura Linney is excellent as the sister with a lot of issues. The declining health of their long estranged father, nicely played by Philip Bosco, spurs them to take stock of their lives and both show signs of improvement. A script that doesn’t over dramatize the family issues it just presents things in a very realistic manner.
The Simpsons Movie - With almost 20 years of television shows, the likelihood of failure was high. Yet almost all of the top talent from the history of the show didn’t disappoint. They moved to the big screen with a fine story that holds up for 90 minutes with wonderful jokes and pop-culture references. Yet it always seemed like I was watching an expanded television show on a big screen. But is that a bad thing? Not every film is Oscar worthy but there is nothing wrong with this effort.
There Will Be Blood - While many people consider this the film of the year, this began as the film of the year before staying just a bit past its welcome. The first half of this film is brilliant. Beginning with the wonderful look of the opening sequence of Day-Lewis looking for minerals to his persuasive takeover of land in California this captures the wild southwest of the early 20th century. Paul Dano is amazing throughout as the hypocritical religious leader. But Day-Lewis’ performance is one of the problems I have with the film. He is excellent at the beginning but later on, much like the film, it becomes a bit too over the top. I’m also unsure about the resolution of the film. I’m sure P.T. Anderson is trying to say something but with so many flawed characters, it isn’t clear what the point of the film is except religion and business are both bad.
3:10 to Yuma - A very strong remake that might not fully revive the western, as some people keep trumpeting, but is effective enough to green-light a film or two a year. The originally wasn’t big on action and while this film is longer and opens up a bit its success is totally dependent on the actors. Russell Crowe and Christian Bale more than deliver. They work together perfectly and the audience will be rooting for both of them even though Crowe is the criminal. The real criminal in the film is Crowe’s second in command, Ben Foster, playing a sadistic loon to the edge without being over-the-top. There are also a few nice touches rarely seen in westerns. One is the opportunistic townsmen at the end siding with whoever has more guns and money.
This Is England - A raw and powerful look at a skinhead gang set in 1983. Told from the viewpoint of a 12-year-old who lost his father in the Falkland War. He is desperately looking for a father figure as his mother is ineffectual in helping him cope in school. He is adopted by a gang that is about fashion, music, and dealing with the economic despair. The even has a couple of blacks as friends. It’s not until a racist college gets out of prison that things go bad. Thomas Turgoose as the young boy is wonderful young actor with a very expressive face that conveys both the joy and disillusion in following his new friends.
An Unreasonable Man - This very interesting doc about the professional life of Ralph Nader. He is mainly known as the man who caused Al Gore to loose the election. Over half of the film is devoted to the 2000 election with clever editing between the talking heads of his supporters and detractors both refuting each others claims about who was right. The rest of the film documenting his early success is just as interesting. His battles with business and relative little support from the government in charge, either Republican or Democrat, shed light on his distain for today’s ruling two parties. Surprisingly one of the most interesting speakers if fellow third party candidate Pat Buchanan.
Labels: FilmReview
# posted by ChrisR @ 10:00 PM 
