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Nothing Is Private (2007)
Alan Ball makes a movie.
In the first 30 minutes of Alan Ball's film adaptation of Alicia Erian's novel, "Towelhead", I wasn't sure if I wanted to keep watching. The abrasiveness was getting to me. The characters were not likable. Being a film fan, I stuck it out, and I'm glad I did.
"Towelhead" is brave, honest, real, and moving - this is why I fell in love with cinema. Alan Ball masterfully directs his piece and his actors in a brave way that is rarely seen in film today. This could easily be an Oscar grab, but it's not, which is why you'll see it rated very in between. Sure, our subjects go through changes and have experiences, but all of the results are very realistic to true life.
We follow 13 year old Jasira Maroun (Summer Bishil) as she moves in with her Father (Peter Macdissi) in a Texas suburb after being caught shaving her nether regions with her Mother's boyfriend (Chris Messina). Jasira deals with her budding sexuality, her controlling and hypocritical Father, racism, and adults who act like children on her way to her own sexual and emotional awakening.
Why the first act of this film is very tough to deal with is that it doesn't pull any punches on the audience. There are devices to ease us into the content which the film presents. It is blunt, and given the subject matter and outcome of the film itself, this is a good quality for it to have. It is very brave of a man like Alan Ball, who has never directed a feature prior to this, to present his first attempt in this way.
As the film progresses, we become well aware of what is in store for us. It is a tough watch, that's for sure. Not all films are going to be an hour and a half of smooth sailing, taking your eyes off the screen for minutes at a time, coming back and not being effected. "Towelhead" is excellent story-telling, and should be viewed as full and complete. Art can be tough on it's audience, and still considered of the highest quality.
What really holds this film together is it's performances. Aaron Eckhart's brave performance as Travis Vuoso, a 36 year old Army Reserve who takes a liking to Jasira, is one of the bravest and least selfish screen performances by a well known actor is recent years. There is no payoff for Eckhart or the man he portrays on screen, and for him to take such a role and do such a great job is a promising note for his future career.
Peter Macdissi is also very good in his role, which has little pay-off for the performer. A border-line (and sometimes over that line) abusive, possibly closeted homosexual, racist, and hypocritical Father. It can be stated that he is pretty much just a douche bag, in plainest English. The acting is very fearless from all angles. Not to mention our main character, played by a girl of 18 as a 13 year old, is beautifully done despite all the criticism aimed in her direction since this films opening. She is more than convincing.
Some might tell you that they have no belief in this story of that it is not realistic. My response that is that plenty of things go down in the world to many people. Some people's coming of age experience is much different than others. If you cannot open your mind and sit through 2 hours of someone else's, you probably shouldn't be voicing your opinion on film in the first place. You have every right to, but it will be taken with a grain of salt if your mind isn't open at all times.
Synecdoche, New York (2008)
We can dissect all we want, but in the end, it is a pleasure to have an artist like Kaufman in our generation.
It is only fitting that screenwriter Charlie Kaufman would step behind the camera for his directorial debut for this, which seems even more personal than "Adaptation". Philip Seymour Hoffman stars as Caden Cotard, a New York playwright who is known for his ambitious set-dressing technique. From the start of the film, it is obvious that Caden is quite obsessive compulsive when it comes to his work and his life. He begins to obsess about his health after a slight head injury.
After Caden's production of "Death Of a Salesmen", a version where he chose young actors to portray the characters of old age and is congratulated on this choice (another Kaufman allusion to his own work in this very film), he is offered a genius grant. He vows to make his most personal work ever. By this time, his wife and his four-year old girl have taken a "vacation" in Germany. Quickly, we learn that as Caden is constantly going to doctors appointments and working on his play which begins to outright reflect reality, that it has been a year since his wife and child have left for Germany. Caden has lost all sense of time. Quick jumps take us only forward in time, and Caden does not seem to understand why.
I would prefer at this point to not give too much of the plot details away, because this first act is very typical and humorous Charlie Kaufman writing. He slips in on the audience and gives them a reason to stay, to watch the film develop. Of course, he puts his own subtle ( and not so subtle) pieces of the plot in this first act. But for Kaufman's least accessible work, he has his plot down, he has his points, he has his humor, he has the knack for directing his actors.
Everything comes together in a film such as this. As Caden begins to build a replica of his entire life within a warehouse in New York for his play, we see an amazing set come to life with a cast and crew who are obviously dedicated and who believe in the work of Kaufman. Visually, the film is beautiful, but not in the same way as "Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind". It is just as, if not more surreal, than any of his previous work. It explores human relationships, the human mind, what life may mean to some people, it plays with gender roles, it's a play within a play within a film within a script within a life within a performance that is Philip Seymour Hoffman who is playing a man who is a reflection of the mind of Charlie Kaufman - and for what it is worth, it doesn't come off as a pretentious work whatsoever.
If anything, Kaufman explores the neurosis of the human mind that he may know better than anyone. Having devoted this part of his life simply to writing, it has to be hard not to know your own brain inside out but to develop a parallel theory of paranoia to everything you are sure of in your mind. A human who is neurotic knows they are, unlike many humans who are paranoid schizophrenic who can be oblivious to the fact that they are paranoid, a neurotic human is aware of all times and is battling themselves in every moment of their life. Paranoia is a huge part of this film, but it is not the only aspect of it.
The film possesses a jet-black humor to it. All of the jokes are truly funny. It is darker than any of the humor in all of Kaufman's other work, but it works so much better. The entire film works so much better. It is as if Kaufman knew that if he directed this project he could do it like he had visioned all of his other work on screen - but on the other hand, no one would expect this man to have so much confidence in himself, so I can see him doubting himself every second of making this movie. Once again, it is that constant battle. I think Kaufman knew he could make it the way he would want to see it, and that was good by his mind, but then, "Will other people hate it? No one thinks like I do, I'm just crazy." Even with that, we can see this film and we can over analyze it if we want and wonder why the artist put this in that or that in there and this person said that line or what does this mean. In the end, we can walk up to Kaufman and ask him, but I do not think he is that kind of artist. His work is open for interpretation. I think that how we reflect on this film, reflects on who we are. Our past experiences make us who we are today, and after we watch a film like this, a work of art, how we feel is a reflection of ourselves. Every response to this review is a reflection of our own personality, our human condition. Every event that has happened to us in the past has conditioned us to some degree to make us who we are today. Think about what you are about to say or do, and then think about who you are and what made you that.
There is no need to go into and dissect every piece and every page in and every scene in Kaufman's work. It is a masterpiece to be enjoyed over and over. Every time we watch it in the future, we do not need to have a round table to wonder what everything means. Kaufman is reaching out and trying to convey his mind, his emotions, he is not trying to change his viewers. He is trying to relate, like everyone else.
Clerks II (2006)
Kevin Smith's well known film formula in play and at it's best.
In my experience, you either hate or love the work of Kevin Smith. I am in the Grey area, all alone. I like some of his films, but none of them are near favorites, and some of them I do not enjoy whatsoever. That being said, Smith tends to use a formula in almost all of his movies. A somewhat clueless loser male falls for a beautifully oblivious woman and their relationship starts, ends, starts again and maybe ends again. The forced romance can be trying, but for "Clerks 2", it happened to work out pretty well.
By any stretch of the imagination, this is not a great film, but it is entertaining and pretty heartfelt. "Clerks" did not have a feeling of this much emotion. Who knows why, could have been the bad acting, the fact that it was Smith's first film, or just the stress of making a picture with no budget. Though the final product of "Clerks" was a good portrait of how being an asshole at work is fun and made itself a cult film, watching it now leaves a stale feeling in my mouth.
Randall (Jeff Anderson) was the most interesting part of the first film. He was a good ying to the yang of Dante (Brain O'Hallaran), who's acting was outright terrible, though for some reason he was tolerable to be the main subject of the film. In the second film, Smith plays to the strength of Randall even more by introducing a nineteen year old Transformers/Lord Of The Rings fanatic named Elias who works at their new clerking location, named Elias (Trevor Fehrman). The scenes between Randall and Elias have to be some of the most entertaining dialog that Smith has written since "Chasing Amy".
Somehow, Smith actually manages to make Dante an interesting character as well. He is not ranting about his girlfriend blowing a million dudes, he is about to get married, but he happens to have an obvious thing for his boss Becky (Rosario Dawson). Once again, we are seeing the force-fed Smith brand romance flash before our eyes. The only difference is that this time, it feels so much more genuine. It might be because Dawson is actually an actress, and she's good at it. Or it might be that the story and script are just honest, and more deep-rooted in Smith because this project holds sentimentality. Unlike other sequels, which are made to cash in on successes the morning after, "Clerks 2" was made more than ten years after the first film. Smith has also never been known as a box office smash artist.
Once again, why this film works (and possibly why some of Smith's work doesn't for a lot of people) is that it is more about human relationships than a budding romance with little back story between a "hideous C.H.U.D" and a beautiful woman. "Chasing Amy" was just that, and this one goes down as one of Smith's better films.
Shotgun Stories (2007)
The sadist, the Southern Gothic.
Mike Nichols is of a new breed, inspired by a classic breed of stand-up film makers. "Shotgun Stories" is one of those films for those with patience and appreciation of beauty in every day life. When you see those shots of the American landscape through the lens, they are so much more than just this small town where some people happen to live.
Gripes with such films is that they aren't entertaining to many people, that nothing really happens or that too little goes on with a dragging pace. If you want to see cars explode and people do drugs, this isn't the film for you.
"Shotgun Stories" is about two families who share the same Father. He passes away, and the family he left ignites in a battle against the family he was a part of for the second half of his life. The feud is so natural, so human, and so emotional that it is hard to find a way out of it for the boys as they are sent closer to the edge. The only possible answer is what comes next, death.
Michael Shannon gives a fantastically reserved performance as Son Hayes, as he has been building on great performances in supporting roles, but getting no recognition for his stand-out lead performance in "Bug". It is clear that he is one to watch.
If you are a fan of Terrence Malick, David Gordon Green, or Andrew Dominik's "The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford", this should be on your list to see.Shotgun Stories
Friday Night Lights (2004)
A sports film with a different heart than most.
It's rare that a film makes it's subject one of (if not the most popular) sporting events in America and takes such a different direction than it's safer counterparts such as "Any Given Sunday", or "Remember the Titans". "Friday Night Lights" steps out from under that thumb and makes it's own path.
We can look back to sporting gems like "Raging Bull", or "This Sporting Life" - even if they are on two different ends of the spectrum, they chose a path and perspective that is rarely shown in sporting films and they did it with grace and precision. What makes a film like "Friday Night Lights" work is that all of the cast seems so adapted into their roles that we believe this is who they are, and when they have their own scenes of personal breakdown (as many do in this film) we do not think they are just actors giving a self indulgent performance or hogging screen time. These people are great at what they do, and they are directed very well throughout.
The mood is set by a score composed by Explosions In The Sky, for what is a very depressing and almost sadist film in regards to Football. It may be dreary for many to handle, which explains much distaste for the film. I've heard it called self indulgent, over directed, over acted, but when you understand what these kids and adults are going through and try to understand their perspective, it can really hit home. High School Football is their life, it is everyone in the towns life, and they don't think twice about why it is that way. It just always has been. There is no looking back, and you have to toughen up to endure what comes with that. Everyone plays the personal scenes of inevitable breakdown with grace and understanding, and those scenes make the film what it is.
Derek Luke as Boobie Miles is a standout for sure, playing his role in times of building the cliché of himself up and really acting when times get tough for himself. He rockets out of his scenes, as does (strangely enough) Tim McGraw. He plays the abusive Father of one of the High School stars, who happened to win the State Championship and was beaten by his own Father when he was a teen. He is raw and no holds barred in every one of his scenes, and was a pleasant surprise to watch. The acting from every angle is strong.
"Friday Night Lights" main downfall is that it is a sad story with no happy ending. It is hard to sell these films. Most movie-goers do not want to sit and watch a story that leaves them emotionally drained. This is not the fault of the film makers or anyone involved in the film, it is just a tendency of the public, and a matter of taste or lack of substance in preference to art.
Kicking and Screaming (1995)
A personal favorite, from the outside looking in.
Kicking and Screaming has suffered many setbacks on it's way to being considered somewhat of a cult film. The fact that another film exists with it's same title starring the well-liked Will Ferrel does it's own damage, but still many complain about the content of the film itself.
Starting first with the characters that the film depicts. Many complain about them being boring and uninspired. Why couldn't Noah Baumbach pick a group of interesting people and have things happen to them? Mainly because this film is a realistic depiction of types of people you meet and may befriend despite their faults. Baumbach paints each person carefully onto the page from obvious personal experience in college life. Typically, events take place that could happen to any of us; a break up, a divorce, someone moves away, someone stays when they shouldn't, we all make bad decisions which effect our lives in ways we don't realize until it's too late.
A good example of the type of slight an artist such as Baumbach faces in his own work is a flashback scene which takes place in Jane and Grover's writing class. Jane makes a comment regarding Grover's piece regarding the hollow nature of his subjects and how they never discuss anything important and tend to discuss the little things with more anxiety than anything else. This rings true to many things I have personally heard regarding "Kicking and Screaming", that everyone could be interesting if they put all of the jokes and snide comments aside and talked about how they really felt. The problem with this is how often do those situations of pure honesty and intimacy arise in the common person's life? It is rare to be able to pull your deepest feelings out for all of your friends to see in every conversation you have, and it usually comes out in a fight or when a situation is deteriorating - such examples are Skippy and Miami/Max and Skippy, which are some of the most honest moments in the film combated with the development of the persons themselves throughout the film.
Baumbach tends to overkill the stress on aspiring (as well as accomplished) writers in his best-drawn films, which are this and "The Squid & The Whale. Where as the two parents on the edge of divorce in the latter film are writers, in Kicking and Screaming, the two young people in the outs of their love are aspiring writers and the main's parents are going through divorce. You can see many pieces of Baumbach's latter work in Kicking and Screaming, as he went back to the basics with The Squid & The Whale after suffering many disappointments in the 1990's.
It is clear that Baumbach is a different type of film maker than his auteur counterparts such as Wes Anderson. His films feel and look realistic, rather than coming from another world inspired by the many worlds within our own. He has an interesting voice, and a knack for dialog. Kicking and Screaming is a piece of romantic comedy history, and more people should go out of their way to watch it with perspective and an open mind, rather than looking at the faults in the subjects which we all have ourselves.
All the Real Girls (2003)
Real & honest. David Gordon Green goes into the wind and doesn't turn back.
David Gordon Green suffers from a strange problem, in that his films have almost all been critically praised, but no one goes to see them. They are hard sells, in that they are hard content. People die, hearts get broken, and the scenes are honest to the highest degree. In 2000, his debut "George Washington" started his career which would be developed into a string of Southern Gothic art house films in the vain of the great Terrence Malick. No one watched it, but it was later released on the Criterion Collection.
For his second effort, Green collaborated with Paul Schneider, a friend and actor for the script "All The Real Girls". Another small-town love story from the perspective of a depressive American eye, it was again seen by little to none upon release. Now, with the the build up of his career and films since, Green is on the brink of finding a new audience.
"All The Real Girls" is a piece of the career's of every person involved. Paul Schneider has gone on to rave reviews in such films as "The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford" and "Lars & The Real Girl" and seems to have a long career ahead of him. Zooey Deschanel is this decade's Parker Posey, being in so many films it's hard to see them all, and teaming up with indie rocker M.Ward to form the musical duo She & Him. The film also was the debut of new popular comedy star Danny McBride, who went on to roles in "Tropic Thunder", "The Foot Fist Way", "Hot Rod" and Green's own "Pineapple Express".
As for the content of the film itself, it has to be one of the most honestly heartbreaking romantic films of recent years. It does not suffer from the clichés of many romantic comedies of today, yet they be the ones which lean more into comedy with a romantic back story or the ones which rely more on the expectations of romance. It is photographed beautifully and well-acted by all involved. It stands today as possibly Green's finest work, and should not suffer the lag it has.