* I visited a hilarious HIGH School
* Winter’s Bone has a chilly, but warm sentiment
* Wasn’t Lucky enough to win the jackpot
other news
The director of Winter’s Bone spoke briefly about the film after the screening. The lead actress, Jennifer Lawrence, is a Kentucky native and it made shooting in the Ozarks an accessible transition from one mountainous region to another. I’ll have video up in a few days.
reviews to come
Au Revoir Taipei, an evening with Sir Patrick Stewart
Sir Patrick Stewart sits down to talk about growing up, Shakespeare, Star Trek, film vs. theatre, reality television, with open and earnest commentary.
A high school comedy in which two former friends come together to get the entire campus stoned could reek of not just THC but of banal stoner snickers. However, High School ensured that, despite my sober state, I would have just as much fun as the chemically altered characters on screen (sans the paranoia). Continue reading
Posted in Edinburgh International Film Festival, Reviews
Tagged Adrien Brody, Brian Williams, Colin Hanks, Comedy, HIGH School, hilarious, Michael Chiklis, Slacker, Stoner
Fans of Team America: World Police are probably dying for more films from Matt Stone and Trey Parker. Until they finally cut their ties to Viacom, there’s another outlandish puppet comedy to whet your appetite.
It’s 1940 and in this alternate history, the Hindenberg flies with armor plating and England has been invaded by the Nazis. Denied a military job due to his grizzly bear sized hands (his fingers can’t fit in the trigger guard), it’s up to farm boy Chris to rescue Winston Churchill and his country from the Third Reich. Joined by Fiske, the explosion retardant American, and an elite Punjabi unit, the Englanders flee North to the inhospitably barbaric “Scot-Land” for safety. Stuck between Nazis and the foreboding territory of the Scots, they make a final stand.
Where Team America relied on mad puppetry and The Nightmare Before Christmas utilized stop motion claymation, Jackboots on Whitehall manipulates Barbie doll type puppets and minor digital effects for mouth movements in a manner familiar to those who watched Shining Times Station. The attention to the minutiae of this miniature world will have Coraline and Team America fans alike struck with wonder.
Click for a bigger image. Isn't that amazing?
Especially when sh*t gets blowed up good. When the Nazis attack Downing Street, it recalls the chaotic, gritty combat of Saving Private Ryan, and the ending, that of Helm’s Deep and Braveheart. For those of us still in love with practical special effects (and the action films that are allowed to exploit them to the hilt), you’re going to freakin’ love this movie.
When puppets aren’t being brutally slaughtered with the flourish of Tom Savini, hilarity is found when we meet the Nazis and the Scots. Goebbels looks like an orc toddler, gangrenously colored, mouth agape, and eyes plucked from Gollum. He, Göring, and Himmler, plot death to the Englanders and run around Buckingham Palace with Hitler in Queen Elizabeth drag. The Scots are equally parodied, effectively saving the day (in more ways than one) with their Viking manliness and 13th century weaponry. The way the English talk about “Scot-Land,” and even the accompanying Nazi’s fearful whispers of the region, hit the precise note of over-the-top humor it should embrace for the full 93 minutes.
Unfortunately, it takes missteps: treating the angst of Monster Hands McGee Chris and his romantic sub-plot with Daisy with dramatic tonality ill-fitting to the overall picture. These moments lack the madness and outlandish caricature that the lone American hero,* the Nazis, and the Scots all receive – which reveals how the film goes conspicuously light on the English caricaturizing. Sure, Daisy’s crazy vicar father brings chuckles whenever he brings up Chris’ freak fingered features, but the English jokes are mere light ribbings that play outside of the film’s zany atmosphere.
When the film’s life is seeping out during these moments, the formalistic restraints depress it further. Unlike other animation films, the Barbie doll puppets (shot live action) lack varied movement and thereby, the energy, to hold our interest. The dynamic movements of Robot Chicken or even Pixar films is part of the joyride, but in abandoning stop motion, the makers of Jackboots on Whitehall rely on stiff mechanics that prove a detriment to the film when it can’t blow things up or deliver hilarity.
Though Jackboots on Whitehall isn’t committed to the type of self-aware ridiculousness in overdrive that makes Team America so entertaining, the Nazis and Scots pick up the slack while you’re enchanted by the intricately detailed sets, characters, and war machines. Though it loses its way from time to time, the miniatures and outlandish caricatures from World War II iconography make it a unique, and at times, hilarious viewing. Jackboots on Whitehall earns double plus good points.
*imagine David Koechner’s Texas pilot character from Snakes on a Plane, but less jokes about Thai hookers
When Pixar’s Up! came out I couldn’t help but feel disappointed. Both Up! and Wall-E strayed into dark, adult thematic areas, but had to hop over to the kid’s table to maintain commercial viability. Thankfully, there are countries in the world where animation is held in equal regard to traditional filmmaking. The Illusionist is filled with a romance and poignancy that hits you in the gut and lets you deal with it sans cute adventuring. Thank God.
The year is 1959 and the world hasn’t become completely dominated by English as the “universal” language. When a French magician sets out to the U.K. to find work, he finds himself at a small village in Scotland, entertaining Gaelic speaking revelers. After his routine, one of the girls maintaining the inn becomes enchanted by his fancy handiwork. Separated by their respective lingua francas, the pair interact via noble gestures and find themselves in Edinburgh, where he practices his magic, and she eyes shop displays…
Directed by Sylvain Chomet (The Triplets of Belleville) and written by Jacques Tati, this tale of characters connected without language and destroyed by globalization, is a film for which the term “gut wrenching experience” was created and is made all the more fascinating by its audacious move to be silent. I don’t mean pre-sound film recording silence, but that one full sentence is uttered in the entire film. Chomet brilliantly uses this silence to convey humor and the undiluted sentiments of his characters. Though this may sound daunting, we forget film is a visual medium after all, and Chomet knows how to milk it for all it’s worth (this is not a film for people who enjoy the exposition lane on the film freeway).
Chomet spent five years working on The Illusionist, even creating a production studio in Edinburgh to handle the work. The visuals are beautiful, accurately capturing the awe inspiring presence of the Scottish Highlands, but it’s also a love letter to Edinburgh, with its attention to detail and an array of famous locations on full display.*
Unfortunately, I must also add that there are some uncanny valley moments. 1) I could swear they used some motion capture to get some movements realistic, which could be unsettling when combined with an animated human. And 2) All moving objects look removed from their settings. Sure, you watch old school Disney films and objects that move are brighter and the still background is darker–but my unease stemmed from something different. Instead of both background and character being hand drawn, the involvement of computers elbows the animations into another area that doesn’t blend well. These are some of the issues I picked up on, but it still didn’t completely undercut the stunningness of the world presented.
The film’s message, “We’re all waiting for our talents to be exploited by capitalism and our relationships replaced by consumer objects,” is the type of damning conclusion that settles in your belly with its veracity. Spending almost an hour and a half with these characters without words provides a unique window into their psyche, which is how The Illusionist pulls off its sucker punch coupe commentary in a believable and un-soap box manner.
The Illusionist‘s engrossing visuals and intelligent message trumps the $400 million dollar wizardry of Avatar, but is accessible to that same audience just as easily as the art house kids. If you weren’t already in love with Chomet for The Triplettes of Belleville, this should solidify your affections
*I’ve been living in Edinburgh for a full year and the film spoke of its romance in an honest way that had me realizing how much I’ve taken the city for granted (seagulls, wind, rain, but also the sunny green grass days with Edinburgh Castle and Arthur’s Seat dominating the skyline)
Posted in Edinburgh International Film Festival, Reviews
Tagged Animation, Arthur's Seat, Avatar, CGI, Comedy, Edinburgh, Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh International Film Festival, French, French Cinema, Highlands, Jacques Tati, L'illusioniste, Pixar, scotland, Sylvia Chomet, The Illusionist, The Triplets of Belleville, tragedy, uncanny valley, Up, Wall-E
:you can read part 1 here:
Trying to compare Ginger Snaps to Ginger Snaps Unleashed (released in the U.S. as Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed) is like trying to decide between Alien or Aliens: they are both good, but different. Ginger Snaps Unleashed picks up where the first left off. And no, there are no silly gimmicks, there really is continuity between the two (even the same actresses return). Continue reading
Posted in Articles, Filmsmith Faves, Reviews
Tagged canada, Cinema, Comedy, Drama, Drugs, Emily Perkins, Evil Dead 2, feminism, feminist, Fright Night 2, Ginger Snaps, Ginger Snaps 2, Ginger Snaps 2 Unleashed, Ginger Snaps II, Girls, Hollywood, Horror, Katharine Isabelle, menstruation, Monkshood, Sex, Trilogy, violence, Werewolf, werewolves
Teenage girls battling werewolves. Nope, it’s not Twilight: it’s another horror gem like The Descent and Carriers.
Katharine Isabelle as Ginger (left) and Emily Perkins as Brigitte (right)
While I was working at a video store, Ginger Snaps was just another straight to DVD horror film: attractive girl, catchy title, some ominous background music, BOOM, you have a cover just like all the other straight to DVD features (right next to Lord of the G-Strings and Santa’s Slay). But as I’ve been working on my dissertation detailing “unsafe” horrors, Ginger Snaps came up enough times to merit a screening. Results? The best werewolf film since Landis’ An American Werewolf in London. Continue reading
Posted in Articles, Filmsmith Faves, Reviews
Tagged An American Werewolf in London, canada, Carriers, Cinema, Comedy, Drama, Emily Perkins, feminism, feminist, Ginger Snaps, Girls, Hollywood, Horror, John Fawcett, John Landis, Katharine Isabelle, menstruation, Sex, Teeth, The Descent, Trilogy, vagina teeth, violence, Werewolf, werewolves
Given this weekend’s U.S. release of Iron Man 2 I wanted to bring to attention another Robert Downey Jr. film you’ll love and two others.
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (2005)
Posted in Filmsmith Faves, Reviews
Tagged Alfonso Cuaron, Bringing Out the Dead, Comedy, Darren Aronofsky, Detroit Rock City, Drama, EMT, Gay Perry, Iron Man 2, KISS, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Lethal Weapon, Martin Scorsese, Nicolas Cage, Raging Bull, Shane Black, Taxi Driver, The Monster Squad, Val Kilmer
Americans love them some 9/11. Whether being used as a way to frame the world (“Everything changed after 9/11”), a way to rally patriotism (the eloquent, “NINE ELEVEN!”), or a way for gas bags in suits to get elected, 9/11 is America’s catch phrase (I myself prefer to call it the September 11th attacks to free 9 and 11 from each other every now and again).
Hopefully the U.K. terrorist comedy Four Lions represents a gradual shift in rhetoric. The film follows four Muslims in the U.K. trying to prove themselves as bad ass terrorists, talking up the exploits of the mujahideen and Al-Qaeda like kids idolizing the gangsta life of Fifty Cent. The crew is made up of:
Omar: the brains
Barry: the white convert who is the most radical
Waj: the simpleton
Faisal: so stupid he’s funny
When Omar and Waj leave for a terrorist training camp in Afghanistan, Barry recruits youngster Hassan after he pulls a faux-suicide bombing stunt at a university discussion of Islam. Meanwhile, Omar and Waj return early from their training after royally screwing up, but to avoid embarrassment, Omar is forced to put their talk of suicide attacks into action.
The complexities with this film are vast. Frequently the group talks about “Western consumerist decadence” and going “jihad on their asses” yet Omar lives a nice middle class life. As he sits at a laptop reviewing the footage of a terrorist video the group’s been making, his wife Sophia and their son talk to him casually about his plans for martyrdom. The physical space of the house and natural lighting present this place as idyllic and inviting, the same “decadence” he decries. Further, when Omar’s orthodox Muslim brother visits, he refuses to look at Sophia. Omar and Sophia make fun of him, with Sophia running him out of the house with a squirt gun.
The juxtaposition between Omar’s home life and his terrorist plans is stark. You don’t get the sense from any of the “Lions” that they know exactly why they’re planning to blow themselves up. We never see them harmed by racial profiling or any other events to be called a motive. Omar’s contemptuous attitude toward his brother’s strict adherence to Islam and the Barry failing to recall the last time he went to the mosque make these guys Muslims in name only (like many Catholics). In the end, the characters themselves don’t seem to know why they’re doing this.
The film’s genius or failure lies in this confusion. Four Lions could be about a bunch of Muslims who have no identities other than terrorists. But really it just reminded me of a bunch of high school kids playing with explosives who slowly realize the seriousness of their shenanigans.
The thing that cripples the film is its inability to transition between the serious and the comedic. The film is hilarious, but sporadically in a way that drags. And when someone dies, you’re not really sure if you’re supposed to laugh or be shocked. The film’s conclusion just left you thinking, “Well that was stupid,” since we don’t really know their motivation. Hence, the sense of drama and poignancy we’re supposed to feel by the end is lost.
If Four Lions had kept to the comedic track and treated all events with the absurdity they deserved, instead of abrupt calls for depth, the comparisons to This is Spinal Tap would be more apt. Though a film like Shaun of the Dead was able to jump from funny, to scary, to downright tear inducing sadness, such shifts are not an easy task and Four Lions just couldn’t do it.
The character motivations and the abrupt transitions in tone hurt the film, but the great acting from the cast and the subject matter make it at least noteworthy. Four Lions is interesting, but not to the point of greatness.
Posted in Reviews
Tagged Chirstopher Morris, Chris Morris, Comedy, Four Lions, islam, jihad, middle class, terrorism, terrorist, This is Spinal Tap
Director Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) has a new film coming out this year called, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. Michael Cera (Arrested Development, Juno) stars as a guy who falls in love with a girl, but has to defeat her 7 ex-partners via Mortal Kombat style confrontations:
The whole cast for the film is a hodge-podge of actors from the quirky ends of the film universe:
-Mae Whitman is in the trailer, the actress who played Ann Veal in Arrested Development (playing Michael Cera’s character’s girlfriend)
-Anna Kendrick, who is now famous for Up In the Air, but will always remain to me for her part in Rocket Science
-Jason Schwartzman (every Wes Anderson film)
With the sound effects and whatnot it immediately made me think of Super Smash Bros. Hopefully this will be just as fun.
Posted in News
Tagged Action, Arrested Development, Cinema, Comedy, Edgar Wright, Film, Hot Fuzz, Juno, Michael Cera, Mortal Kombat, Movie, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Shaun of the Dead, Super Smash Bros.
The Filmsmith
The Filmsmith 
