Four Winners And A Loser
Joe's Corner
1. "The Machinist". Do you ever get tired of films where you can figure out the entire plot in the first five minutes? Ever long for a movie that gives you some real food for thought, and still has you putting the pieces together not just until the last minute, but after? Was "Memento" one of your favorite films? If you said "yes" to any of this, "The Machinist" is for you. Christian Bale ("American Psycho") stars as a factory worker who hasn't gotten any serious sleep in a year because of SOME KIND OF tragedy in his past, and as a result is beginning to lose his grip on reality. Bale gives a genuinely riveting performance as a desperate man trying to hold onto the real world but not sure how of of what he perceives IS real. Way too much attention has been payed to the phenomenal amount of weight he lost for the role: forget that, and just sit back and take in one of the most unusual, but genuinely absorbing, movie experiences currently available. Currently a Twin Cities exclusive at the Lagoon.
2. "Mind The Gap". Now and then, movies come into town with absolutely no publicity, no trailers or TV ads, no newspaper ads, no huge stars, and they play for two weeks at theatres a lot of people don't even know exist. When a film like that is as excellent as "Mind The Gap", you just want to grab everyone you know and steer them in its direction while it's still here. Playing at the Parkway (at 48th and Chincago in Minneapolis), "Mind The Gap" is set in an around New York City, and chronicles the parallell stories of a variety of people who all have some sort of emotional handicap keeping them from really participating in life: a single father (writer/director Eric Schaeffer) trying to raise his boy and fearing he's not doing a good job of it; a highly talented singer/songwriter (recording artist Jill Sobule) who contents herself with streetcorner singing in New Jersey because she's afraid of crossing into New York and taking her chances in the clubs; an old man (Alan King, "Memories Of Me", "Rush Hour II") walking from one end of Manhattan to the other to fulfill a bargain made years ago with a recently deceased friend. Each of them is isolated in their own private world of pain, and to watch them gradually connect with others and come to share what they thought they could never share (as they gradually encounter each other and we see how all the "different" stories really tie together) actually makes you feel good about being part of the human race without being sappy and overly sentimental. This film is to 2004 what "The Station Agent" was to 2003, and higher praise than that I'd be hard put to find. This is a movie that doesn't TRY to be a "feel-good" film, and as a result, becomes one masterfully. PLEASE try to catch it while you still can.
3. "Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood Of War". When a movie contains as many war movie cliches as this one, it ought to, by all logic, not work, but somehow "Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood Of War" succeeds. A young man is drafted into the army of South Korea as the Korean War breaks out, and his over-protective older brother joins with him with the intent of keeping him out of harm's way. But older brother turns out to enjoy the life-risking, blood-spilling adventures he experiences, and the bond between him and his brother (who quickly sees the absurdity and horror of war) begins to splinter. The "Brother Vs. Brother" premise is a mighty powerful one, and if this film goes emotionally overboard at times, and contains a few too many characters you've seen in other war films (you know what's going to happen when a soldier starts proudly showing photos of his girl friend back home, don't you?), you likely will be too wrapped up in the dilemma of these two brothers to care. Against all odds, "Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood Of War" (currently an exclusive at the Uptown) is more powerful than it has any right to be.
4. "Ocean's 12". Another movie that's better than it should be. A re-written script that was originally meant as a serious crime drama for director John Woo, a major studio heist blockbuster, and a sequel to boot, filled with big name stars. But it's still fun. Not a classic for the ages, mind you, but there's nothing wrong with plain old well-done entertainment when the folks involved are clearly having such a ball brining it to you. 3 years after the original film, Danny Ocean's crew has been found out by the casino owner they robbed, and he's given them two weeks to return his money, or they're dead. At the same time, a famous French thief challenges Danny to determine which is the BETTER thief (the two events are connected, of course). It's fun to watch the little creative indie-film touches that director Steven Soderbergh throws into the mix to keep the film from seeming too Hollywood, and the movie pokes a lot of fun at the conventions of its genre, with a number of quite amusing in-jokes (and uncredited celebrity cameos). This is not a movie that will teach you the secret of life, but if you don't go expecting that sort of thing, you'll likely have quite a fun time.
5. "Alexander". You KNEW they weren't ALL going to be gems, didn't you? Oliver Stone's dream project, the life story ancient Greek world conqueror Alexander the Great, goes wrong so spectacularly in so many ways there isn't nearly enough space here to list them all. But a few: a Script that skips over so much of Alexander's life that we never see HOW he BECAME a conqueror (is that NOT IMPORTANT?), and contains some howlingly unintentionally funny dialogue. Characters you never get to know as people. Wretched performances, of course: Val Kilmer as Alexander's father over-acting like his life depended on it, and Colin Farrell playing the title role like an ancient Greek male model (with hair to match). But if I had to pick a favorite, it would have to be the mind-bogglingly bad accent of Angelina Jolie (cast as Alexander's mother in spite of the fact that she's only ONE YEAR older than Farrell). It took me the longest time to figure out what kind of accent it was... clearly it wasn't Greek... until it finally clicked: it's Natasha from "Rocky & Bullwinkle"! A cartoon Russian accent in ancient Greece! Every time she opened her mouth I kept expecting to hear her say "Look, Boris, is Moose and Squirrel!" It's kind of hard to take a movie seriously after that. Of course, it's kind of hard to take "Alexander" seriously after the opening credits.
1. "The Machinist". Do you ever get tired of films where you can figure out the entire plot in the first five minutes? Ever long for a movie that gives you some real food for thought, and still has you putting the pieces together not just until the last minute, but after? Was "Memento" one of your favorite films? If you said "yes" to any of this, "The Machinist" is for you. Christian Bale ("American Psycho") stars as a factory worker who hasn't gotten any serious sleep in a year because of SOME KIND OF tragedy in his past, and as a result is beginning to lose his grip on reality. Bale gives a genuinely riveting performance as a desperate man trying to hold onto the real world but not sure how of of what he perceives IS real. Way too much attention has been payed to the phenomenal amount of weight he lost for the role: forget that, and just sit back and take in one of the most unusual, but genuinely absorbing, movie experiences currently available. Currently a Twin Cities exclusive at the Lagoon.
2. "Mind The Gap". Now and then, movies come into town with absolutely no publicity, no trailers or TV ads, no newspaper ads, no huge stars, and they play for two weeks at theatres a lot of people don't even know exist. When a film like that is as excellent as "Mind The Gap", you just want to grab everyone you know and steer them in its direction while it's still here. Playing at the Parkway (at 48th and Chincago in Minneapolis), "Mind The Gap" is set in an around New York City, and chronicles the parallell stories of a variety of people who all have some sort of emotional handicap keeping them from really participating in life: a single father (writer/director Eric Schaeffer) trying to raise his boy and fearing he's not doing a good job of it; a highly talented singer/songwriter (recording artist Jill Sobule) who contents herself with streetcorner singing in New Jersey because she's afraid of crossing into New York and taking her chances in the clubs; an old man (Alan King, "Memories Of Me", "Rush Hour II") walking from one end of Manhattan to the other to fulfill a bargain made years ago with a recently deceased friend. Each of them is isolated in their own private world of pain, and to watch them gradually connect with others and come to share what they thought they could never share (as they gradually encounter each other and we see how all the "different" stories really tie together) actually makes you feel good about being part of the human race without being sappy and overly sentimental. This film is to 2004 what "The Station Agent" was to 2003, and higher praise than that I'd be hard put to find. This is a movie that doesn't TRY to be a "feel-good" film, and as a result, becomes one masterfully. PLEASE try to catch it while you still can.
3. "Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood Of War". When a movie contains as many war movie cliches as this one, it ought to, by all logic, not work, but somehow "Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood Of War" succeeds. A young man is drafted into the army of South Korea as the Korean War breaks out, and his over-protective older brother joins with him with the intent of keeping him out of harm's way. But older brother turns out to enjoy the life-risking, blood-spilling adventures he experiences, and the bond between him and his brother (who quickly sees the absurdity and horror of war) begins to splinter. The "Brother Vs. Brother" premise is a mighty powerful one, and if this film goes emotionally overboard at times, and contains a few too many characters you've seen in other war films (you know what's going to happen when a soldier starts proudly showing photos of his girl friend back home, don't you?), you likely will be too wrapped up in the dilemma of these two brothers to care. Against all odds, "Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood Of War" (currently an exclusive at the Uptown) is more powerful than it has any right to be.
4. "Ocean's 12". Another movie that's better than it should be. A re-written script that was originally meant as a serious crime drama for director John Woo, a major studio heist blockbuster, and a sequel to boot, filled with big name stars. But it's still fun. Not a classic for the ages, mind you, but there's nothing wrong with plain old well-done entertainment when the folks involved are clearly having such a ball brining it to you. 3 years after the original film, Danny Ocean's crew has been found out by the casino owner they robbed, and he's given them two weeks to return his money, or they're dead. At the same time, a famous French thief challenges Danny to determine which is the BETTER thief (the two events are connected, of course). It's fun to watch the little creative indie-film touches that director Steven Soderbergh throws into the mix to keep the film from seeming too Hollywood, and the movie pokes a lot of fun at the conventions of its genre, with a number of quite amusing in-jokes (and uncredited celebrity cameos). This is not a movie that will teach you the secret of life, but if you don't go expecting that sort of thing, you'll likely have quite a fun time.
5. "Alexander". You KNEW they weren't ALL going to be gems, didn't you? Oliver Stone's dream project, the life story ancient Greek world conqueror Alexander the Great, goes wrong so spectacularly in so many ways there isn't nearly enough space here to list them all. But a few: a Script that skips over so much of Alexander's life that we never see HOW he BECAME a conqueror (is that NOT IMPORTANT?), and contains some howlingly unintentionally funny dialogue. Characters you never get to know as people. Wretched performances, of course: Val Kilmer as Alexander's father over-acting like his life depended on it, and Colin Farrell playing the title role like an ancient Greek male model (with hair to match). But if I had to pick a favorite, it would have to be the mind-bogglingly bad accent of Angelina Jolie (cast as Alexander's mother in spite of the fact that she's only ONE YEAR older than Farrell). It took me the longest time to figure out what kind of accent it was... clearly it wasn't Greek... until it finally clicked: it's Natasha from "Rocky & Bullwinkle"! A cartoon Russian accent in ancient Greece! Every time she opened her mouth I kept expecting to hear her say "Look, Boris, is Moose and Squirrel!" It's kind of hard to take a movie seriously after that. Of course, it's kind of hard to take "Alexander" seriously after the opening credits.
posted by Joe Bunce at
4:39 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home