Chloe showcases what talent can accomplish, especially during the first half of the film. Compelling performances, creative cinematography, and clever direction grab the audience’s attention. Fearing that her husband David may be cheating, Catherine hires the titular character to tempt him. As Chloe reveals what transpires between her and the music professor, she becomes closer with Catherine. The story is told from Catherine’s perspective: we see how she imagines what happens between David and Chloe gradually, how she wistfully gazes at other couples and compares them to what she thinks her relationships has lost. Gradually, she pulls apart from her …
The Messenger
The Messenger is better than The Hurt Locker. Both films express common themes, such as the mental state of army personnel – during and after their deployment – and how people react differently to stressful situations. The films also introduce themselves slowly, using staccato rhythm of individual missions and assignments before reverting to a more traditional Hollywood storyline arc. Staff Sergeant Will Montgomery returns from Iraq after suffering an eye injury. He is assigned to the “Angels of Death” squadron, led by Captain Tony Stone, which is tasked with informing the next of kin after a casualty. Initial encounters with …
Un prophète
Most reviews of Un prophète are either very positive or quite negative. There seems to be no middle ground. I don’t know what to make of it. I would ask any view of Avatar or The Hurt Locker whether each film would have the same impact if it were the fourth or fifth version of that style of film. Unfortunately for Un prophète, it seems like it is one neo-realist film too many. After films like Gomorrah, Sin Nombre, and The Disappearance of Alice Creed have broken down all taboos and shown the gritty omnipresent nature of crime. Relative to …
Black Swans
David Hume remarked that “no amount of observations of white swans can allow the inference that all swans are white, but the observation of a single black swan is sufficient to refute that conclusion.” Too many times, coaches and players become conceited, myopic, or ignorant, unwilling to change their paradigm in order to improve. If you believe that you know it all, there is only one way to learn: teaching yourself. If you are willing to accept that others have valuable knowledge – which may range in significance from high to low – you can learn continuous, even if it …
Crazy Heart
Is it overly cynical to decry an amazing picture because the largely happy ending is somewhat clichéd? On my way out of the theatre, someone said that Crazy Heart was “The Wrestler redux, except with country music.” I actually was hoping for an ambiguous ending similar to that film; it would have suited the storyline arc better. It’s not a repeat of The Wrestler, although the protagonists share the characteristics of well-meaning faded stars who are substance abusers and spectacular screw-ups. This film is perfectly produced. The performances are intense and realistic, the patient direction filled with slow trailing shots …
Two Roads Diverged in a Wood
Zola once said to Cézanne, “Is painting only a whim for you? Is it only a pastime, a subject of conversation? If this is the case, then I understand your conduct: you are right not to make trouble with your family. But if painting is your vocation, then you are an enigma to me, a sphinx, someone impossible, and obscure.” So Cézanne left Aix-en-Provence and joined his friend in Paris. So how do you identify yourself and what provides you with the most self-actualization? What are you willing to do to follow your goals? Do you merely wish to pay …
Best Films of 2009
I see a great deal of films so I decided to rank the forty-four that I had seen so far. These are all films that received their major North American distribution in the past year. I tend to extensively self-select the films which I see and aim to avoid films which are daft, dreary, or dilettante. 2009 List: Leaves of Grass **** Compelling An Education **** Enlightening The Disappearance of Alice Creed **** Innovative The Damned United **** Inspiring La Donation **** Selfless Sin Nombre **** Depraved The Invisible City **** Revealing Up in the Air ***½ Pertinent A Single Man …
In the Loop
A satire mixing Burn After Reading, Thank You for Smoking, and Burn After Reading, In the Loop features one of the best scripts of the year. The satire alternates between vulgar and witty, yet remains engaging. Sometimes, when it comes to politics, the real dialogue seems absurd. Watching CNN, it seems like there are continuous contentious conversations regarding semantics and superficial details. In the Loop exaggerates this to a point where rivalries within the office become as significant as rivalries between nations. Under the pretence of high level meetings, cabinet ministers and their staffs are petty, pejorative, phony, and profane. As …
Up
Of the numerous animated films that I have screened, Up perhaps best combines visual effects with a meaningful yet humourous story. It is incredibly polished and may be the pinnacle of the obviously computer animated feature film if 3-D works such as Avatar are continually released. Yet it falls short of true cinematic greatness. Carl Fredricksen is a widow who is frustrated how the world has changed around him, literally and figuratively. He had fallen in love with his wife because they both imagined explorering the world, like their mutual idol Charles Munz. Despite all of their dreams, they never …
Trailer Park Boys: Countdown to Liquor Day
Two of the main criticisms of the second Trailer Park Boys film, Countdown to Liquor Day are that is isn’t funny enough and that there is not sufficient closure for the franchise. With regards to the former, it is true that the film does not match the laugh per minute ratio of the X-Mas Special or seasons one to four. With regards to the latter, I disagree. Now I will spoil the plot because I don’t have enough artistic criticism of the film. It doesn’t really operate on that level of sophistication anyways. The plot is not much to speak …
Inglourious Basterds
Inglourious Basterds is atypical of Quentin Tarantino films in some regards but similar in many other ways. The film twists traditional archetypes into meaningful characters. The conclusion of the film – which may or may not mirror the actual end of World War II – shows how that each side of the conflict was comprised of individuals, which their own characteristics and choices. The Nazis may have been charming or the Allies cutthroat, although more likely painted in shades of grey. Christoph Waltz won the Best Actor Award at Cannes for his portrayal of S.S. Colonel Hans Landa , “The …
Bright Star
An account of a brief love affair in the brief life of Romantic poet John Keats, Bright Star tells its story deliberately. Director Jane Campion highlights the dialogue by featuring a minimalist soundtrack; there is sparse music between bouts of extensive silence. Costumes and locations suit the film perfectly. The love affair is subtle but the passion between John Keats and Fanny Brawne is evident. The film sets out to deliver a moving love story and succeeds. The question remains as to whether this type of patient film can remain relevant amid countless Hollywood blockbusters which boast higher budgets, bigger …
Sherlock Holmes
To consider the latest Sherlock Holmes film canonical enrages the mind and inflames the soul. Robert Downey Jr. proves to be perhaps the most accurate interpretation of the literary hero but the plot is daft and dilettante. The sophistication and subtlety of Conan Doyle’s short stories are butchered by scenes of excessive violence and bludgeoned by overt symbolism. The atmosphere and setting of the film are sensation. London’s dark side, seen through Holmes Bohemian eyes is spellbinding and the soundtrack suits the action perfectly (the story about the “broken” piano is also fascinating). I could easily enjoy several films in …
Avatar
In his most recent film Avatar, James Cameron reates an amazing, luminous world. Pandora, a planet comprised of rain forests that cover an extremely valuable metal. To mine the ore, the multi-national, multi-planet corporation must displace the indigenous population and their lifestyle. Since humans cannot survive on Pandora, “avatars” have been created to mingle with the native population and attempt to negotiate a settlement. Jake Sully, an ex-marine who joined the mission solely because of desperation (on his part because he has no alternatives and on the part of the conglomerate because they need someone with the same D.N.A. as his …
Double Bill at the Royal Cinema, Part I: The Future of the Planet Seems to Be at Stake
Patrons of the Royal Cinema were treated this week to two esoteric films featuring two extraordinary gentlemen. Collapse: Michael Ruppert was an L.A.P.D. officer in the 1970s who blew the whistle on possible C.I.A. drug trafficking in the city. Since then, he has written several books about public policy and the dangers of excessive consumption. The film is essentially an eighty-minute interview, juxtaposing Ruppert’s thoughts with campy 1950s documentary footage. The reassuring Cold War era footage contrasts with the strong words expressed during the interview. It is a harsher version of Capitalism: A Love Story, taking the rhetoric to an …
Mistakes Worth Making
Aside from the priority placed on planning and reviewing – briefing and debriefing – as espoused by Robert McNamara and others, the main message of Mistakes Worth Making is that coaches must deal with the emotions of players, in addition to their skills. As evidenced by the title, there are some mistakes which lead to improvement and others which are desultory. As coaches, we aim to manage mistakes so that we (and athletes) learn from the positive errors and control the negative ones. A theme which is repeated through the book is that the emotions of athletes are as important …