49 Up (2005)

Life is short, yet slow and unpredictable. Who are we to judge if we've made a difference in the world, or to predict what might happen in the future? The people in "49 Up" have had to contemplate every 7 years the major decisions they've made in that period of time, evidently because director Michael Apted won't leave them alone. But there's a reason for that--and you would know it, emotionally, after watching this overwhelming 2 hour 15 minute segment.

"49 Up" may be the best documentary I've seen since "Hoop Dreams". The seventh chapter in a filmmaking experiment, originally conceptualized in 1964 as a British working-class study ("Give me a child at seven, and I will show you the man"), is very similar to the 1994 basketball saga, not to mention that Roger Ebert loves to endorse both, but in that both give you glimpses of lives and ambitions in motion. However, the difference is that this film goes one step further: it takes place long after the ambitions were fulfilled or denied, attempting to give enough closure for either result.

All but one of the protagonists are white, most living in a middle-class society, most divorced at least once. But all appear to be content with their lives, repeatedly stating that they are "happy"-- it's obvious that we're not seeing all of these people's lives, and some loose ends are left hanging. They're also somewhat irritated that they have to still be in these movies. Is it right for everyone to be able to see what these people are doing? Maybe not, but all for the sake of art.

One thing that stuck out in my mind while watching this was that there are never any questions or comments about religion (apart from the final protagonist, who discusses his preference for the older Testament over the New). You would think that religion could be a significant part of people's lives. Or maybe my Jewish upbringing puts those thoughts in my head.

Regardless, I haven't seen any of the previous segments, so this one felt like a giant load of character for me (it contains footage from all the others, so it's like a combination of each). But this works to an advantage, because we can see distinct parallels and differences in all of their lives, and, knowing that these aren't just characters on screen, but real people, allows us to contrast our lives, where we've been (if over or near 49) and where we may be going (if significantly under 49, like me), to these seemingly run-of-the-mill characters. They may not like it if we judge them--and nobody will ever blame them--but the rewards for moviegoers (not to mention humanity) are endless. Here's to "56 Up".

Grade: A

Top Ten of 2006 (detailed)

I already listed my top ten movies of the year in my last post, but this is my yet-to-be-published school newspaper article on the topic, with an explanation for each pick. The writing itself sounds a little too snappy for my tastes, not to mention family-friendly, but I'll get over it if you will. The article has yet to be designated appropriate for the newspaper, so it'll most likely go through some changes, but I might as well post it here as it's fresh off my mind. Thanks for reading.

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It seems we live in a time where all the “good” movies are released at the end of the year, now dubbed “Oscar season”; and in the nine months before, we get the same rehashed, generic trash.

But that’s not entirely true, as can be seen from my top ten list below; four of them were released before October, which is when awards season begins to heat up. We live in a moviegoing city, which means that smaller, riskier films that struggle for distribution are released by independent theater chains, so that us Angelinos can get some variety.

Overall, it would be callous to call 2006 a bad year for movies, because there were a select few that pushed—or at least fine-tuned—the boundaries of where celluloid could take us. Two of them were even by the same director (and I’m not talking about Clint Eastwood). And on more than one occasion, we were sent to places we wouldn’t ever want to return.

Here are the films that impacted me the most, in descending order:

10. Notes on a Scandal

There are certain movies that are enjoyable for their controversial plotlines and over-the-top performances, and this is certainly one of them. It’s a lot more thrilling than most movies this year, thanks to Judi Dench’s unbelievable performance and Cate Blanchett’s refreshing countenance—this is the best she’s ever looked on screen as far as I know, and it’s another memorable turn from one of the most consistently brilliant actresses in show business.

9. United 93

While not only a humbling experience in a movie theater, this is one of the best examples I’ve seen of how to treat a sensitive subject in the most accurate and effective way possible. What I admired most about this movie were its subtle, yet essential characteristics—such as the lack of familiar faces in the cast and the flight’s duration occurring in real-time—that director Paul Greengrass made sure to put in, so that this wouldn’t be an attempt to cash in on a major tragedy, but instead a near-perfect re-enactment that will eventually have to be revisited.

8. Jesus Camp

Possibly the scariest movie of the year, this documentary portrays a part of America more people need to know about, through a summer camp in North Dakota, in which precocious evangelical Christian children are sent to be trained as “Jesus’ soldiers” and to “take back America for Christ”. According to former leader of the National Associaton of Evangelicals, Pastor Ted Haggard, when the evangelicals vote, they determine the election—so, apparently, this is where it all stems from. What’s fascinating about the film is that it doesn’t force any opinions on you—it just shows you a neutral point of view, and lets you make your own decisions. A backlash of controversy came after the film’s release, causing the camp to eventually be shut down. Pastor Haggard’s resignation from his position at the association—due to allegations of homosexual promiscuity and drug abuse— didn’t help either. See for yourself.

7. The Science of Sleep

In director Michel Gondry’s imagination, dreams unfold with funky music, a hazy rainbow of colors, and an endless sense of invention—but that’s just the first scene. That third characteristic runs throughout this quasi-autobiographical exploration—Gondry’s first written screenplay—making this his most personal film yet. The versatile Gael Garcia Bernal is the naive protagonist while Charlotte Gainsbourg plays his love interest, and either can be seen speaking three different languages, riding stop-motion animated creatures, driving around in cardboard cars, or destroying the environment from an office building to the tune of a White Stripes song. This is stuff I can gladly tolerate.

6. Dave Chappelle’s Block Party

I put two Michel Gondry films on my list—so what? He’s definitley one of the coolest cats around. But the real host this time is the once-heralded, now-humbled comedian Dave Chappelle, who lets the cameras document his legendary, once-in-a-lifetime musical event for hundreds of lucky fans: the greatest underground hip-hop concert ever assembled. Maybe that’s pushing it a little, but whoever loves the genre has no reason to be disappointed with this movie, which features rap heroes such as Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Kanye West and the reunion of The Fugees. As well, there’s a load of wacky characters that all supply memorable scenes, including Chappelle himself, who thankfully stays himself, and proves that you don’t need to impersonate Rick James to entertain an audience—you just have to know what brings people together.

5. The Prestige

Christopher Nolan knows how to make intelligent movies for a wide audience, and he proves it again with this expertly crafted magician’s anxiety tale. Two tricksters battle each other over their reputations and their women, and who better to play both of them than Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale, the latter of whom can effortlessly juggle charisma and menace in any role he plays; and David Bowie is nearly unrecognizable as a soft-spoken scientist. This is a film all about the details. It may be entertaining on first viewing, but a completely different thought process once it’s over—its shocking Usual Suspects-like ending will overwhelm you while you put all the pieces together.

4. Half Nelson

We finally have a movie about drug addiction that brings new depth to its characters, but works just as well as a high-school drama. Ryan Gosling, already the best actor of his generation, plays a crack-addicted history teacher that befriends one of his female students, maturely portrayed by newcomer Shareeka Epps. Outside of the classroom, both of them find the world tumbling down around them, each caught in a struggle between the right and wrong decisions. The soundtrack by the indie-rock band Broken Social Scene gives the scenes their rightful presence. Undoubtedly the year’s best directorial debut and a beautifully understated effort from all involved.

3. Inland Empire

I have no idea who David Lynch is whenever he makes a movie, even though I’ve met him in person. Many of his films throw all narrative sense out the window, leaving the viewer to take them at face value. But if you can get past that, as I always do, you’ll find his latest—a three-hour nightmarish film-within-a-film role-reversal extravaganza (in digital camera, no less)—to be his deepest rabbit hole yet (the rabbits included), and like absolutely nothing you’ve ever seen. To spoil any of the images or inside jokes writhing around in this behemoth would be sacrilege, but I will say this: nobody knows sound design or lighting tricks like Lynch, and this is him with a bigger toolbox. And Laura Dern gives every inch of herself to a role that has to be seen to be believed—Lynch always gets more out of his actors than any other director. It took me three months to digest most of this film, but I’ve finally gathered that this has to be American cinematic genius, if not extraterrestrial.

2. The Departed

There’s no reason for anyone who loves going to the movies to not have seen this already. In my opinion, this is why people go to the movies, especially for two and a half hours: to be entertained, to have a fast-paced narrative, lots of snappy dialogue, a concise and purposeful soundtrack, a few A-list actors moving freely in their own element and therefore playing unforgettable roles, under the watchful eyes of a tried-and-true master director, Martin Scorsese, who now can add another masterpiece to his long film career. And topping it off, there’s an unbelievable ending and a little sly symbolism to ponder as you leave the theater. You want to know why the price of admission is so high at the mall? Because movies like this exist, and can be made, and hopefully will be made more often in the future. Who would have thought that such a box-office-smash could possibly be such a satisfying movie on every single level—and the best mainstream movie of the year, anyhow?

1. Mutual Appreciation

So you haven’t heard of it? Well, you have now. My favorite movie of 2006 is one that I connected to the most personally. Andrew Bujalski’s self-distributed sophomore effort, continuing his fictional documentation of what the current post-college generation bickers about in their spare time, has a plot that we’ve all heard before: a twenty-something singer-guitarist falls in love with his best friend’s girlfriend. But visually and performance-wise, it’s a whole other story. In black and white, with a miniscule budget, no background music, and improvised dialogue by non-professional actors who are mostly the director’s friends (think Cassavetes)—including the director himself—this movie consists entirely of people just being people. And it floored me, because I’m not sure if I’ve ever felt like I’d already known the characters on a movie screen for my entire life, and my being there was like paying a visit to see how they were doing. This effect makes the spontaneous happenings that much more meaningful, such as when the main character drunkenly enters a room of unknown girls, and they dress him up in women’s clothing. You may think I’m not being serious, but the overall confusion between the needs of characters and subtle hints at unrequited love throughout the film give each scene an uncanny undertone of reality. I was able to meet Bujalski himself after the show, and I thanked him for the experience. Evidently, we have some great talent under the radar.