February 2007 Movie Reviews
As promised, the B.H.'s (rather extensive) viewing for the month of February. Be warned: there are SEVERAL SPOILERS contained in his summary; I tried to put specific warnings on some of this, but I'm sure I missed something, somewhere. As asterisk indicates that I viewed the item, as well. (If I get inspired, I may add a sentence or two.)
Behind the cut,
February 2007
Somersault (2004)
This is a movie about sensuality and the erotic. Heidi is first and foremost a sensual and erotic being who has avoided going through any kind of latency period and is as erotic (in the psychological sense) at fifteen or sixteen as she was at two. The film’s seemingly random and meandering plot is actually a very carefully constructed and systematic exploration of what happens to our eroticism when it runs up against a patriarchal system of control, boundaries and classifications. It is not merely a cautionary tale, nor is it a story of “redemption.” I will write more after I watch it again.
*Schlock! The Secret History of American Movies (2001)
This is a documentary that does not pull a veil over its subject matter. While doing an excellent job of providing a historical context for the touring exploitation films of the fifties and sixties, this film is primarily concerned with the question: What is an exploitation film? Although they focus mainly on sex, violence/horror and schlock-y science fiction, the answer becomes clear. What these films exploited most of all were gaps in the public demand that Hollywood could not fill until the independent pulp and smut peddlers had done it first. This, blaxploitation films (not covered in this documentary) exploited the talents of Black actors (who couldn’t get decent roles in Hollywood films) in low budget films with poor scripts and prurient themes, but they mostly exploited the need for audiences to see heroic Black figures up on screen. And this can be said for all exploitation genres - even the sexploitation and drugsploitation, which helped to create a dialogue about the subjects no one was willing to talk about at the time. The film argues that there is a direct lineage between these exploitation films, especially Corman’s commandos of low budget film directors, and the profound transformation that hit Hollywood in the 70s. These films trained the directors and fought the court cases that Hollywood would later exploit.
King Arthur's Britain (2005)
Francis Pryor comes from the old school of essay writing: Tell them what you are going to tell them. Then tell them. Then tell them what you told them. And the message, ultimately, is this: Britain was never actually conquered by the Romans or anyone else, and it never went through a “dark age.” The King Arthur legend is his way into this thesis, and he attempts to show how the legend helped to preserve some of the beliefs and values of pre-Roman Britain. An interesting look at some techniques of modern archeology but not very visually appealing and not as systematic as could have been done in a book or a more academic-minded documentary.
*"500 Nations" (1995) (mini)
Depressing. This series attempts to show the history of north and central America from the perspective of the native population. Unfortunately, most of what we know about these cultures has to do with their systematic subjugation, betrayal and eradication at the hands of European pirates, missionaries and politicians. While the documentary does provide some idea of the original cultures of some of the larger tribes before they were conquered, the main effect of the 6 hour documentary is to lay out all the sins our European ancestors perpetrated upon the Native Americans over the last 700 years. You will not feel good about America after watching this series. However, there are probably better books and films out there if you want to get an idea of the culture, politics, art, music and literature of particular tribes in America before they were “discovered.” As the title implies, this film necessarily looks at them as something of a heterogeneous conglomeration, emphasizing their similarities (how they were different from their European conquerors) more than their differences (from each other) - though it does give some rough sketches of their individuality and identifies all "speakers" by their tribe. It is also a very engaging documentary - visually provocative with primary documents read by recognizable and appropriate actors.
Fixing Frank (2002)
If studies in gender identity and sexuality have helped us to realize that heterosexuality is an identity construction, and one that is increasingly constructed in reaction to a homosexual stereotype, then it is natural that homosexuality is equally constructed as a political reaction to heterosexuality. This idea has been lost in rhetoric surrounding the biological foundations of homosexual behavior, but this is exactly what Fixing Frank attempts to explore as two psychologists, a conversion therapist and a homosexual advocate, battle over the "soul" of the second psychologist's boyfriend, who is sent undercover to dig up dirt on the first psychologist. In the end, both psychologists lose their licenses for using a "patient" to pursue a personal agenda. I find it interesting, however, that, while this film is obviously embraced by a group of independent filmmakers specializing in gender-alternative entertainment, the conversion therapist emerges as an extremely sympathetic character, possibly because he is pursuing a personal agenda rather than a political one. And the ending also causes me to reflect on the nature of therapy, which, because we are human, must always be tainted by some kind of agenda based on the way we think the world works. In that sense, the conversion therapist becomes even more sympathetic because he lost his practice even though he wasn't actively trying to steal another doctor's patients in pursuit of a larger political agenda and didn't send an undercover agent to spy on his opponent. This film has a lot of ground to cover and does it with a tightly-written script and a premise that allows for exploration and development of both the characters and the ideas.
Punk: Attitude (2005) (TV)
Some of the luminaries of the original punk "movement" talk about the good old days, and the message that emerges is remarkably articulate and coherent, probably because it is dominated mostly by Henry Rollins. In this way, it is one filmmaker's idea of punk rather than a raw history, and he interviews mostly the second wave - those who were inspired by the original rebels - but this almost works better because they function as expert eye-witnesses (and fans) rather than artists trying to explain why they did what they did. Some of the essential points: Punk, at it's core, is a reactive movement. It is against corporate control and established conventions. This expresses itself in the "Do It Yourself" ethic and aesthetic. If you don't like the music you are hearing, make your own (even, and especially, if you can't play an instrument). If the magazines aren't covering the bands you are interested in, write your own. If the venues aren't booking the bands you want to see, start your own club. If record labels won't produce and distribute your music, make your own label. Punk doesn't have anything to do with how you dress, what color your hair is, how many piercings you have, how many drugs you take or how often you shower. In fact, Rollins pointed out that Fugazi, who are so straight they wouldn't do an interview with Rolling Stone unless it was published in an issue with no alcohol or tobacco ads, are a prime example of contemporary punk. Most of the punkers, by their own admission, stopped being punk as soon as they started to learn their instruments and thought of themselves as artists, and yet they all agreed that Nirvana, especially lead singer Cobain, embodied the punk spirit. This documentary ends on such a positive note that it hard to believe they are talking about some of the same bands that came to epitomize the decadence and self-destruction of the 70s. But I like my history with an obvious point of view. At least that way we can begin a dialogue about it.
Experiment, Das (2001)
This is a German film based on a German novel (The Black Box) based on the 1971 Stanford Prison Experiment. I didn't know any of this when I watched it. I was interested in the experiment, confused by the artificial love story, and disappointed by the ending. The actual experiment was aborted only 6 days into their original two week project because the girlfriend of the supervising researcher, Zimbardo, protested that the conditions had become inhumane. In the film version, only the artificially inserted love interest of the most rebellious "prisoner" (a reporter who joined the experiment to get a story) protests that things have gotten out of hand, and she can't influence anyone in authority to stop it. After the six days of historical track runs out, the film starts reverting to movie formula and becomes less interesting. Fortunately, there was enough good material built up to make even the formulaic action ending more provocative than the average thriller. Tensions are heightened in obviously artificial ways, with a clear good guy/bad guy dichotomy, a chase scene, gun-play, fisticuffs, an attempted rape and a miraculous escape, but the questions still remain from the original experiment, and this is a good way to publicize them, especially in this day of prison overcrowding and Abu Ghraib. Does authority create sadism where it did not exist before, or will the most sadistic personality eventually emerge as a leader in a situation where there is a significant power imbalance? In this case, Zimbardo told his "guards" that the goal was to eventually shift the balance of power until the prisoners realized they had none while the guards had it all. Also raises similar questions about conformity and authority originally explored by the 1963 Milgram experiments.
*Hellboy Animated: Sword of Storms (2006) (TV)
Having started as a comic that was turned into a movie, with this new series of animated films and a video game title coming out, Hellboy is in danger of becoming the real-life version of the fictional Chumscrubber franchise. Thankfully this is neither a Saturday morning cartoon series or a Hollywood motion picture. del Toro certainly did his best with the feature film, but, while this series retains the same cast as the feature film, it seems to have more freedom to explore some of the same folklore territory as the comic, and, aside from some bang-up action sequences that had me worried at the start, at the same pace. Mignola is a genius at exploring the spiritual truths behind various cultural myths with the dead-pan humor of the working-class demon whose hammer fist is more suited to treating each problem as a nail instead of the emotional cat's cradle it usually turns out to be. This isn't the Ghost Busters (1984), or even the "The Real Ghost Busters" (1986). Hellboy is forced to deal with the dream scape of our human folklore, vanquishing ghosts and monsters with psychology rather than proton packs or a knock-down brawl (though there is some of that as well).
Science des rêves, La (2006)
I find it hard to remember the details of this film, like I find it hard to remember the details of a dream. There are just flashes that seem more vivid to me now than I am sure they were when I was watching the film. This is a "comedy" about a failed romance. I call it a comedy only because the protagonist, Stephane, finally gets the girl, Stephanie, if only in his dreams. Since the girl he fell in love with existed primary in his imagination anyway, this seems only appropriate. Even though Gondry paints his scenes with clunky special effects and a deliberately quirky, child-like aesthetic, the matter of this film is very adult. Stephan suffers from an extreme version of the myopia we all suffer from and therefor loses the chance at a seemingly ideal companion because he cannot let go of his fantasies enough to embrace some of the more uncomfortable and confusing realities that, admittedly, many of us also get too bogged down with. His dream persona expresses his id-ish desires, and it dwells in the depths of a very Freudian sub-conscious, cluttered with fragments of unprocessed childhood. The movie makes it clear that nobody else can live there with him. It's like looking through the eyes of Peter Pan. The creepy, psychological horror/thriller *Love Object (2003) is this film's evil twin. It deals with similar themes on a more a adult and pathological level and is more constrained by genre conventions.
*Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
Greg Kinnear has been completely overlooked in all the praise that has been deservedly heaped on this little independent film. His performances continually amaze me, and his character has to cover an incredible distance in this short film to make the ending as charming and hilarious as it is. He has a gift at portraying the sympathetic (because misguided) asshole. Even when his character doesn't have a conversion moment, as he does in this film, his earnest, quirky confidence in his wrong-headed point of view shines through even the most shallow characters. I remember noting this as far back as his very memorable portrayal of the two-dimensional Captain Amazing in Mystery Men (1999), which could have easily have been a throw-away role. That said, I have nothing really to add to the media blitzkrieg that, unfortunately, failed to garner this worthy film more than one Oscar, except that those pageant girls were creepy. Seriously. They made my skin crawl.
C.S.A.: *The Confederate States of America (2004)
In an interview, the director points out that America is still a bit bi-polar and sometimes acts like the country depicted in this speculative "documentary" about what America would look like today if the North had lost the Civil War. I am certainly not blind to the underground racism that still pervades this country, but I have seen more effective ways to portray it (and, no, I'm not talking about Crash (2004), though that still does it better). This project was both interesting and disturbing to watch. It was cleverly done and funny in quite a few places. If anything, it might be an effective way to introduce high school students to the concept of slavery in way they might be able to "relate to." The commercials it constructs around the industry of slavery and the products, some of which were still used as recently as twenty years ago, that played on the concept of racial inferiority and stereotype are extremely provocative and should make excellent prompts for discussion. *Twelfth Night, or What You Will (2003) (TV)
Orientalism invades Twelfth Night as this production transports it to post-colonial India. This production has much to contribute to the raw text as a British Olivia repels the advances of a Black Orsino only to fall for a shipwrecked Indian Viola. Each character is explored thoroughly in the most aggressive rendition of this play I have ever seen. Toby and Andrew are played very honestly as the mean drunks they are. Spying scenes are given a new energy by use of a security camera. Olivia's dismay at having been tricked into marrying a stranger in the gender bait and switch (and the homosexual undertones that implies) are not downplayed or glossed over.
*Bridge to Terabithia (2007)
I am not sure I have seen a more effective representation of death and loss on the screen, at least not recently. Granted, I had not read the book before we took our son to go see it, so I was caught completely off guard when the narrative took this sudden twist. The lack of any foreshadowing and on-screen death scene contributed to the simulated sensation immensely. From what I understand, getting this one detail right was whole point of adapting the book, which is meant to give children practice at dealing with loss and grief before they have to go through it for real. The audience is invited to experience the stages of grief along with the protagonist. We are not led by him - the director keeps him dead and emotionless for several scenes while we have a chance to process these emotions for him. When he finally does get to cry for his lost friend, it comes as a release for all of us.
Behind the cut,
February 2007
Somersault (2004)
This is a movie about sensuality and the erotic. Heidi is first and foremost a sensual and erotic being who has avoided going through any kind of latency period and is as erotic (in the psychological sense) at fifteen or sixteen as she was at two. The film’s seemingly random and meandering plot is actually a very carefully constructed and systematic exploration of what happens to our eroticism when it runs up against a patriarchal system of control, boundaries and classifications. It is not merely a cautionary tale, nor is it a story of “redemption.” I will write more after I watch it again.
*Schlock! The Secret History of American Movies (2001)
This is a documentary that does not pull a veil over its subject matter. While doing an excellent job of providing a historical context for the touring exploitation films of the fifties and sixties, this film is primarily concerned with the question: What is an exploitation film? Although they focus mainly on sex, violence/horror and schlock-y science fiction, the answer becomes clear. What these films exploited most of all were gaps in the public demand that Hollywood could not fill until the independent pulp and smut peddlers had done it first. This, blaxploitation films (not covered in this documentary) exploited the talents of Black actors (who couldn’t get decent roles in Hollywood films) in low budget films with poor scripts and prurient themes, but they mostly exploited the need for audiences to see heroic Black figures up on screen. And this can be said for all exploitation genres - even the sexploitation and drugsploitation, which helped to create a dialogue about the subjects no one was willing to talk about at the time. The film argues that there is a direct lineage between these exploitation films, especially Corman’s commandos of low budget film directors, and the profound transformation that hit Hollywood in the 70s. These films trained the directors and fought the court cases that Hollywood would later exploit.
King Arthur's Britain (2005)
Francis Pryor comes from the old school of essay writing: Tell them what you are going to tell them. Then tell them. Then tell them what you told them. And the message, ultimately, is this: Britain was never actually conquered by the Romans or anyone else, and it never went through a “dark age.” The King Arthur legend is his way into this thesis, and he attempts to show how the legend helped to preserve some of the beliefs and values of pre-Roman Britain. An interesting look at some techniques of modern archeology but not very visually appealing and not as systematic as could have been done in a book or a more academic-minded documentary.
*"500 Nations" (1995) (mini)
Depressing. This series attempts to show the history of north and central America from the perspective of the native population. Unfortunately, most of what we know about these cultures has to do with their systematic subjugation, betrayal and eradication at the hands of European pirates, missionaries and politicians. While the documentary does provide some idea of the original cultures of some of the larger tribes before they were conquered, the main effect of the 6 hour documentary is to lay out all the sins our European ancestors perpetrated upon the Native Americans over the last 700 years. You will not feel good about America after watching this series. However, there are probably better books and films out there if you want to get an idea of the culture, politics, art, music and literature of particular tribes in America before they were “discovered.” As the title implies, this film necessarily looks at them as something of a heterogeneous conglomeration, emphasizing their similarities (how they were different from their European conquerors) more than their differences (from each other) - though it does give some rough sketches of their individuality and identifies all "speakers" by their tribe. It is also a very engaging documentary - visually provocative with primary documents read by recognizable and appropriate actors.
Fixing Frank (2002)
If studies in gender identity and sexuality have helped us to realize that heterosexuality is an identity construction, and one that is increasingly constructed in reaction to a homosexual stereotype, then it is natural that homosexuality is equally constructed as a political reaction to heterosexuality. This idea has been lost in rhetoric surrounding the biological foundations of homosexual behavior, but this is exactly what Fixing Frank attempts to explore as two psychologists, a conversion therapist and a homosexual advocate, battle over the "soul" of the second psychologist's boyfriend, who is sent undercover to dig up dirt on the first psychologist. In the end, both psychologists lose their licenses for using a "patient" to pursue a personal agenda. I find it interesting, however, that, while this film is obviously embraced by a group of independent filmmakers specializing in gender-alternative entertainment, the conversion therapist emerges as an extremely sympathetic character, possibly because he is pursuing a personal agenda rather than a political one. And the ending also causes me to reflect on the nature of therapy, which, because we are human, must always be tainted by some kind of agenda based on the way we think the world works. In that sense, the conversion therapist becomes even more sympathetic because he lost his practice even though he wasn't actively trying to steal another doctor's patients in pursuit of a larger political agenda and didn't send an undercover agent to spy on his opponent. This film has a lot of ground to cover and does it with a tightly-written script and a premise that allows for exploration and development of both the characters and the ideas.
Punk: Attitude (2005) (TV)
Some of the luminaries of the original punk "movement" talk about the good old days, and the message that emerges is remarkably articulate and coherent, probably because it is dominated mostly by Henry Rollins. In this way, it is one filmmaker's idea of punk rather than a raw history, and he interviews mostly the second wave - those who were inspired by the original rebels - but this almost works better because they function as expert eye-witnesses (and fans) rather than artists trying to explain why they did what they did. Some of the essential points: Punk, at it's core, is a reactive movement. It is against corporate control and established conventions. This expresses itself in the "Do It Yourself" ethic and aesthetic. If you don't like the music you are hearing, make your own (even, and especially, if you can't play an instrument). If the magazines aren't covering the bands you are interested in, write your own. If the venues aren't booking the bands you want to see, start your own club. If record labels won't produce and distribute your music, make your own label. Punk doesn't have anything to do with how you dress, what color your hair is, how many piercings you have, how many drugs you take or how often you shower. In fact, Rollins pointed out that Fugazi, who are so straight they wouldn't do an interview with Rolling Stone unless it was published in an issue with no alcohol or tobacco ads, are a prime example of contemporary punk. Most of the punkers, by their own admission, stopped being punk as soon as they started to learn their instruments and thought of themselves as artists, and yet they all agreed that Nirvana, especially lead singer Cobain, embodied the punk spirit. This documentary ends on such a positive note that it hard to believe they are talking about some of the same bands that came to epitomize the decadence and self-destruction of the 70s. But I like my history with an obvious point of view. At least that way we can begin a dialogue about it.
Experiment, Das (2001)
This is a German film based on a German novel (The Black Box) based on the 1971 Stanford Prison Experiment. I didn't know any of this when I watched it. I was interested in the experiment, confused by the artificial love story, and disappointed by the ending. The actual experiment was aborted only 6 days into their original two week project because the girlfriend of the supervising researcher, Zimbardo, protested that the conditions had become inhumane. In the film version, only the artificially inserted love interest of the most rebellious "prisoner" (a reporter who joined the experiment to get a story) protests that things have gotten out of hand, and she can't influence anyone in authority to stop it. After the six days of historical track runs out, the film starts reverting to movie formula and becomes less interesting. Fortunately, there was enough good material built up to make even the formulaic action ending more provocative than the average thriller. Tensions are heightened in obviously artificial ways, with a clear good guy/bad guy dichotomy, a chase scene, gun-play, fisticuffs, an attempted rape and a miraculous escape, but the questions still remain from the original experiment, and this is a good way to publicize them, especially in this day of prison overcrowding and Abu Ghraib. Does authority create sadism where it did not exist before, or will the most sadistic personality eventually emerge as a leader in a situation where there is a significant power imbalance? In this case, Zimbardo told his "guards" that the goal was to eventually shift the balance of power until the prisoners realized they had none while the guards had it all. Also raises similar questions about conformity and authority originally explored by the 1963 Milgram experiments.
*Hellboy Animated: Sword of Storms (2006) (TV)
Having started as a comic that was turned into a movie, with this new series of animated films and a video game title coming out, Hellboy is in danger of becoming the real-life version of the fictional Chumscrubber franchise. Thankfully this is neither a Saturday morning cartoon series or a Hollywood motion picture. del Toro certainly did his best with the feature film, but, while this series retains the same cast as the feature film, it seems to have more freedom to explore some of the same folklore territory as the comic, and, aside from some bang-up action sequences that had me worried at the start, at the same pace. Mignola is a genius at exploring the spiritual truths behind various cultural myths with the dead-pan humor of the working-class demon whose hammer fist is more suited to treating each problem as a nail instead of the emotional cat's cradle it usually turns out to be. This isn't the Ghost Busters (1984), or even the "The Real Ghost Busters" (1986). Hellboy is forced to deal with the dream scape of our human folklore, vanquishing ghosts and monsters with psychology rather than proton packs or a knock-down brawl (though there is some of that as well).
Science des rêves, La (2006)
I find it hard to remember the details of this film, like I find it hard to remember the details of a dream. There are just flashes that seem more vivid to me now than I am sure they were when I was watching the film. This is a "comedy" about a failed romance. I call it a comedy only because the protagonist, Stephane, finally gets the girl, Stephanie, if only in his dreams. Since the girl he fell in love with existed primary in his imagination anyway, this seems only appropriate. Even though Gondry paints his scenes with clunky special effects and a deliberately quirky, child-like aesthetic, the matter of this film is very adult. Stephan suffers from an extreme version of the myopia we all suffer from and therefor loses the chance at a seemingly ideal companion because he cannot let go of his fantasies enough to embrace some of the more uncomfortable and confusing realities that, admittedly, many of us also get too bogged down with. His dream persona expresses his id-ish desires, and it dwells in the depths of a very Freudian sub-conscious, cluttered with fragments of unprocessed childhood. The movie makes it clear that nobody else can live there with him. It's like looking through the eyes of Peter Pan. The creepy, psychological horror/thriller *Love Object (2003) is this film's evil twin. It deals with similar themes on a more a adult and pathological level and is more constrained by genre conventions.
*Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
Greg Kinnear has been completely overlooked in all the praise that has been deservedly heaped on this little independent film. His performances continually amaze me, and his character has to cover an incredible distance in this short film to make the ending as charming and hilarious as it is. He has a gift at portraying the sympathetic (because misguided) asshole. Even when his character doesn't have a conversion moment, as he does in this film, his earnest, quirky confidence in his wrong-headed point of view shines through even the most shallow characters. I remember noting this as far back as his very memorable portrayal of the two-dimensional Captain Amazing in Mystery Men (1999), which could have easily have been a throw-away role. That said, I have nothing really to add to the media blitzkrieg that, unfortunately, failed to garner this worthy film more than one Oscar, except that those pageant girls were creepy. Seriously. They made my skin crawl.
C.S.A.: *The Confederate States of America (2004)
In an interview, the director points out that America is still a bit bi-polar and sometimes acts like the country depicted in this speculative "documentary" about what America would look like today if the North had lost the Civil War. I am certainly not blind to the underground racism that still pervades this country, but I have seen more effective ways to portray it (and, no, I'm not talking about Crash (2004), though that still does it better). This project was both interesting and disturbing to watch. It was cleverly done and funny in quite a few places. If anything, it might be an effective way to introduce high school students to the concept of slavery in way they might be able to "relate to." The commercials it constructs around the industry of slavery and the products, some of which were still used as recently as twenty years ago, that played on the concept of racial inferiority and stereotype are extremely provocative and should make excellent prompts for discussion. *Twelfth Night, or What You Will (2003) (TV)
Orientalism invades Twelfth Night as this production transports it to post-colonial India. This production has much to contribute to the raw text as a British Olivia repels the advances of a Black Orsino only to fall for a shipwrecked Indian Viola. Each character is explored thoroughly in the most aggressive rendition of this play I have ever seen. Toby and Andrew are played very honestly as the mean drunks they are. Spying scenes are given a new energy by use of a security camera. Olivia's dismay at having been tricked into marrying a stranger in the gender bait and switch (and the homosexual undertones that implies) are not downplayed or glossed over.
*Bridge to Terabithia (2007)
I am not sure I have seen a more effective representation of death and loss on the screen, at least not recently. Granted, I had not read the book before we took our son to go see it, so I was caught completely off guard when the narrative took this sudden twist. The lack of any foreshadowing and on-screen death scene contributed to the simulated sensation immensely. From what I understand, getting this one detail right was whole point of adapting the book, which is meant to give children practice at dealing with loss and grief before they have to go through it for real. The audience is invited to experience the stages of grief along with the protagonist. We are not led by him - the director keeps him dead and emotionless for several scenes while we have a chance to process these emotions for him. When he finally does get to cry for his lost friend, it comes as a release for all of us.