Initially apprehensive about how the narrative structure of Barney’s Version would translate to the screen, I was presently surprised. The film mixes flashbacks with events occurring in the present day, jumping forwards years and months at a time without jarring the audience. Brief moments of forgetfulness and showing the protagonist through mirrors or translucent surfaces illustrates the onset of Alzheimer’s Disease before Barney is completely stricken in the final quarter of the film. On the other hand, I thought that the book included more of a Rashomon-type vibe than what was featured by the film. The work was entertaining – …
Bell Lightbox Screenings, Part I: The Godfather
The reason that we screen films at the Bell Lightbox is so we can better appreciate today’s films. It’s not solely a matter of enjoying the film that is shown – although that is also a significant factor – but to understand its impact on the films that followed it. The Godfather is one of the best films of all time and it is always satisfying, despite the condescension dripping from Lightbox staff and the crowd of jackanapes who had smuggled six-packs into the theatre and insisted on quoting every famous line aloud. Those drawbacks were trivial relative to the …
T.I.F.F. 2010, Part III: The Big Picture
Also known as L’Homme qui voulait vivre sa vie, The Big Picture proved to be another excellent film. “Thank you for choosing this f—— film,” director Eric Lartigau told the capacity crowd at the Toronto International Film Festival. The f—— film focuses on Paul Exben, played by Roman Duris. Early in the film, his learns that his marriage has collapsed. Paul confronts Grégoire, his wife’s lover, and accidentally kills the man. He realizes that he must disappear so he assumes Grégoire’s identity and moves to the Balkans. The film is a dark character study of a tragic hero. Lartigau often …
The Tillman Story
Another work which chronicles the brutality of war, The Tillman Story is incredibly disappointing. Not because the film is of dubious quality – the documentary is capable and competent – but because many leaders lied and let down the public who they were supposed to serve. Pat Tillman was a safety who played for the Arizona Cardinals before he decided to leave millions on the table and enlist in the Army Rangers. Tillman never articulated the reasons behind his decision and expressed a desire to be treated like any other soldier. Both wishes were ignored after he was killed in …
Get Low
Some of the best character actors in recent memory carry Get Low. Robert Duvall plays Felix Bush, an infamous hermit who wishes to throw himself a funeral party, Bill Murray is struggling funeral home director Frank Quinn, and Sissy Spacek is Bush’s former flame Mattie Darrow. Director Aaron Schneider faithfully recreates a rural community in Depression-era Tennessee (the tough economic times are the sole reason why Quinn – who is in financial trouble despire working in the one business everyone needs – humours Bush’s wishes); like America, the small town is full of characters both old and young who are …
The Secret in Their Eyes
A film that alternates between drama, romance, and comedy, The Secret in Their Eyes shows that thoughtful filmmaking is not dead (at least until the final ten minutes when subtlety goes out the window). Esposito is a retired investigator who is now an aspiring writer. Although he has changed careers, he cannot put his two passions – an unsolved case and an unrequited love – out of his mind. The crime in question, a twenty-five year old murder and rape case, is not overly intricate. Some crime thrillers compile twist after twist until the story passes the bounds of plausibility …
Nuremberg: Its Lesson for Today
“The war was over but there was no peace.” Nuremberg: Its Lesson for Today is the documentary complement to the dramatic Judgment at Nuremberg. Both feature the themes of good and evil and how one can determine morality in a subjective world. The opening comments of the prosecutor in the documentary seem as certain as the fictional character in the drama. At that time and place – post-war Germany in 1945 and 1946 – it certainly seemed that those on trial must have steadfastly supported the sinister atrocities of the German Reich. Judgment at Nuremberg shows that that interpretation is …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Precious
It reflects poorly on current cinema that Precious has been accorded the critical acclaim that suits an Academy Award contender. The film is sentimental, an essay into human nature, but it is as flawed as the characters who are portrayed. Everyone appreciates stories with happy endings, especially those featuring the Cinderella archetype, but Precious misses the mark. The audience was mostly moved when it is in shock because the protagonist, Claire “Precious” Jones , was victim to vicious violence or exceedingly cruel treatment. The crowd did not react during the terse dialogue between Precious, her mother Mary, and a social …
Saboteur
The climax on top of the Statue of Liberty’s torch is silent: there are no explosions or yells, no chaos or confusion. Simply the drama of two men fighting followed by the villain clinging to the landmark as the hero attempts to help him. The tension is enormous. Saboteur may be one of Alfred Hitchcock’s weaker films but it is still very dramatic. Barry Kane, a reluctant hero, is wrongfully accused of sabotage and must travel across the country to clear his name and prevent a greater act of terrorism. On the way, he meets many people – a chance …
The Hidden Fortress
The Hidden Fortress is a great action comedy movie that puts all others to shame. It’s scandalous that today’s audiences have to tolerate clichéd Lethal Weapon-type dialogue and excessive explosions; this film shows that a director can do both well, along with the usual Akira Kurosawa theme of how does one act morally in an immoral world. Is the ultimate goal profit or the greater good? Each character tries to discover this during the film. Is the ultimate goal DVD sales, audience enjoyment, or greater a work that stands out as one of the greatest of all time? Kurosawa accomplishes …
Red Beard
Akira Kurosawa’s last black and white film, Red Beard, follows a storyline similar to Bernard Émond’s La Donation. The themes are similar, although the Japanese work develops more slowly and is more lyrical. A doctor with aspirations of serving Japan’s royal court is sent to a small clinic in a poor village. Unlike Dr. Dion, who chose to accept a one month posting in Normétal, Dr. Yasumoto is tricked into reporting to the iconic Dr. Niide (a.k.a. “Red Beard”) and initially refuses the position. Over time, he comes to respect Red Beard, his pragmatic viewpoint, and his effective manner of …
T.I.F.F. 2009, Part II: Leaves of Grass
Leaves of Grass may be the best movie that I have seen out of the 2009 crop to date. On the surface, it is very similar in style to the Coen brothers in that it features average characters who find themselves in dangerous situations which force them to confront their morals, bizarre supporting characters, and black humour including scenes of absurd violence but it is more than that. Tim Blake Nelson wrote an excellent screenplay and directed the film admirably. Edward Norton plays both feature roles, a professor of classical philosophy in Rhode Island and his twin brother who grows …
Sisyphus and Starbucks
According to a Starbucks’ cup that I read recently (The Way I See It #76): “The irony of commitment is that it’s deeply liberating — in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around a rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life.” On the subject of the Greek myth of Sisyphus, Albert Camus wrote: “Je laisse Sisyphe au bas de la montagne! On retrouve toujours son fardeau. Mais Sisyphe enseigne la fidélité …
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