Snatch. (2000)

You know how every once in a while there comes a movie that tries to mix style and substance and tries to make a big deal about it? That's probably a generalization, but I'm referring to such recent mainstream movies as "Smokin' Aces" and "Sin City," in which quirky characters and heavy dialogue are mixed with crazy camera techniques and cool soundtracks, usually to the delight of the young and young at heart worldwide. They've been called "MTV-style," "neo-noir," "video games",and "Tarantino-esque," among other things, but none of those actually explain what the movies are.

And the problem with that kind of movie is that recently, it hasn't worked. The story is almost always the first thing that's sacrificed, for the sake of some nifty imagery that never really sticks with you once you're done watching, or even if you are watching. (The primary exception to this is "GoodFellas," which is a movie that, over a decade later, manages to be just as entertaining, groundbreaking, and eye-orgasm inducing as when first released.) I can't say how many movies I've sat through, with or without friends, that I could describe as being utterly neutral to my emotions: it's there, I'm seeing it, but I just can't feel it at all. (Ahem, "300.")

Now, as for "Snatch"--it most definitely worked for me. In fact, it works so well that I'm amazed the directors of the aforementioned movies haven't taken its perceivable advice. It's hard for me to say why I liked it, but maybe I can suggest a few things.

For one thing, and perhaps the movie's most important success, is that the majority of the soundtrack cues in this movie are perfect. It's not often that a song and an image are so well edited that you really feel like a part of the scene, but this movie does it on a handful of occasions, notably in a few of Brad Pitt's scenes, where his mumbling gypsy-boxer is let loose to kick some ass. Pitt isn't particularly great in this movie; he doesn't do as much as you would expect him to, but he fits the part amiably, as do the rest of the cast.

It's nice to see Jason Statham not playing the badass action hero once again, even though he has his one particular scene...in fact, pretty much everyone in this movie has their one particular scene, but Dennis Farina and Alan Ford have perhaps the most ridiculous performances of all. "Snatch" is also a very funny film, in that its visual plot twists are well placed, and thankfully it doesn't get too loony for its own sake of plausible entertainment.

I'm typing this review late at night, and I better go to sleep, so I will say that unfortunately the movie ends too quickly, and by the end credits we realize that "Snatch" can only exist in its self-contained world, as fun and bloody and pointless as it really is. But all movies, good or bad, are in and of themselves, and knowing that they can be revisited more than once can be a reassuring thing. All the other guys can have their "300" and eat it too, but the rest of us will still have our "Snatch."

Grade: A-

Black Snake Moan (2007)

Craig Brewer's sophomore effort shoves its themes in your face in the first scene. First, there's black-and-white footage of a blues singer explaining how blues and love are intertwined. Then it blacks out, heavy blues starts to play, and it cuts to Justin Timberlake fucking the shit out of a startlingly bare-breasted Christina Ricci.

It's certainly one way to start a movie, and it's what I would expect from Brewer, one of today's most promising new directors, who began his first film (the excellent "Hustle and Flow") in just as eye-opening a way. But I did get the feeling that most of the audience already got what they came for.

If "Flow" was the ultimate hip-hop movie--deconstructing the craft while telling a convincing story of a pimp's rise to fame--then "Black Snake Moan" certainly doesn't live up to those standards. By no means is it a bad movie; it's just never clear on what sort of movie it wants to be. It's not an homage to 70's exploitation films, as the posters would lead you to believe; nor is it a sex romp with dirty Southern jokes. It's more of a pseudo-"born-again"-Christian-sex-anxiety-tale, yet with a heart. And if that makes absolutely no sense, then I don't know what else to tell you.

The original reason for me wanting to see this movie (as well as its primary selling point), aside from being a fan of "Hustle and Flow", was the concept: how the hell could they get away with making a movie about chaining a girl to a radiator? But that aspect of the story, when viewed as a part of the whole movie, is more of a comedic device, which, surprisingly, is thrown away more easily than it's brought in. The movie has a number of small plot holes--or, rather, character inconsistencies--that I don't feel are worth getting into. We already know that it's not a perfect movie--so let's talk about the acting.

Samuel L. Jackson probably enjoys his acting career more than anyone else his age, and he shows it. His breakthrough role in "Pulp Fiction" jumpstarted a cult following of crazy whiteboys (the ones who made that 30 seconds of "Snakes on a Plane" worth seeing), who are always searching for one of those classically delivered phrases, many of which he echoes here, such as "bad motherfucker". This role doesn't do anything new for him, apart from proving his worth as a blues singer.

Christina Ricci--probably the main reason to go out and see this movie, if anything. I always find it fascinating to see actresses play these types of roles, where either they lose their minds completely, or their clothes, and at the same time looking as dolled-up as possible. The fantastic opening credits sequence (another one of Brewer's talents), in which the camera lingers on Ricci's swaying hips in a jean miniskirt as she trots along the freeway, has a great "fuck authority" image that needs to be seen to be believed.

Another notable sequence is the supposedly "much-talked-about" trashing scene, which, if it has, I never heard anything about. Basically it consists of Samuel L. Jackson playing blues to a full crowd at the local bar, as Ricci bumps and grinds in slow-motion along the dance floor with numerous partners, her dirty-blonde hair stuck to the front of her sweaty, dirty face. It's almost scary to watch, since by this point (SPOILERS AHEAD) we would have assumed that Ricci was cleansed of her freaky nymphomaniac doings (another plot hole). (SPOILERS FINISHED) Apparently, this is different, yet it's ultimately the dirtiest, and most memorable, scene of the film.

One problem that a lot of people have had with Ricci in the past (and not that she tends to play white-trash roles--this time to the extreme, no less) is that she's always exposed her giant forehead, which gives her a strangely youthful look, her huge eyes and weird mouth popping out at you. Thankfully, "Black Snake Moan" fixes that problem, as her hair is almost always disheveled in front of her.

Justin Timberlake is woefully miscast as Ricci's boyfriend, an anxiety-ridden yet ultimately hopeful guy who enlists for the military. It's hard to watch a pop star/sex icon play a flawed character. His subplot is never believable, and his character never reaches a satisfying ending.

It's ultimately a testament to Brewer's craft that the best scenes in "Black Snake Moan" are the ones that play like the first, with blues and sex mixed to create some extremely provocative imagery--and ultimately, those two elements are what save the characters. But it's scenes like those that made me think of what the movie could have been, rather than what it already is. The majority of the humor comes from people cursing each other out, which is always fun, but that's not good enough, coming from a director who's already proved that he can put together something much more concise, resonating, and heartwarming.

But honestly, it's good enough, and as the first movie I've seen in 2007, it's just an inkling of things to come.

Grade: B-

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.

2006 in review.

I saw about 74 movies that came out in theaters this year (believe it or not). You can figure out how much money that is; I really don't know or care, I'm pretty tired right now. I kept a list since the beginning of the year of what I saw in theaters, including ones that came out late last year, and ones that had come out on DVD this year but I didn't get a chance to see in theaters. So, here they are in order, for your enjoyment:

the white countess, bubble, fateless, the three burials of melquiades estrada, the matador, firewall, dave chappelle's block party, running scared, cache, neil young: heart of gold, v for vendetta, l'enfant, inside man, the devil and daniel johnston, thank you for smoking, lucky number slevin, slither, friends with money, the notorious bettie page, brick, united 93, mission impossible 3, art school confidential, lady vengeance, x-men 3, over the hedge, an inconvenient truth, cars, peaceful warrior, nacho libre, you me and dupree, a prairie home companion, the proposition, superman returns, clerks 2, pirates of the carribean 2, miami vice, little miss sunshine, talladega nights: the ballad of ricky bobby, jesus camp, the descent, snakes on a plane, beerfest, half nelson, the illusionist, idlewild, crank, mutual appreciation, sherrybaby, hard candy, the science of sleep, a guide to recognizing your saints, the room, little children, the departed, inland empire, marie antoinette, the prestige, saw III, babel, last king of scotland, borat, volver, come early morning, casino royale, the fountain, tenacious D in the pick of destiny, the queen, dreamgirls, the pursuit of happyness, children of men, rocky balboa, letters from iwo jima, and notes on a scandal. ha!

God, I love movies. I could drink them. But this year really sucked.

Here are my top 10 of the year....I guess. It's a bit rough, in my opinion, but I have to make one for newspaper regardless, so here you go. I'm definitley going to add the explanations for each of them underneath as I write the article, but here's the list for now. (Runners up are Hard Candy and The Notorious Bettie Page.)

1. Mutual Appreciation

2. The Departed

3. Inland Empire

4. Half Nelson

5. The Prestige

6. Dave Chappelle's Block Party

7. The Science of Sleep

8. Jesus Camp

9. United 93

10. Notes on a Scandal

Comments, questions...

MASH (1970)

"MASH" is my least favorite Robert Altman film, so far at least. It's not a bad movie by any means; it moves quickly and has some great acting, noticably because you can tell how much fun the guys are having. This is strictly a guys' movie--the entire thing is one sexist prank after another, with Altman's trademark claustrophobia-inducing zoom shots and overlapping dialogue being introduced here for the first time.

But the problem with "MASH" is that it's not very funny, and, unlike the other Altman movies I've seen, it hasn't revealed any deeper meanings or undertones several hours after watching it. Both of which are due to my narrow appreciation and knowledge of comedy and war psychology, respectively, and have nothing to do with the merit of the movie itself. But it doesn't matter, because I can say whatever the hell I want.

You know, one problem I have with people (ahem, AFI) labelling some movies as "one of the funniest ever made" is because what people find funny is completely subjective. Like, say, the people who never tuned into the TV show "Arrested Development" and watched "The War At Home" instead, letting a critically acclaimed series die a humble death. Personally, I think "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" comes close to being the comedy movie masterpiece, but who am I to judge something like that? No other movie this year made me laugh harder than "Beerfest".

But regardless of whether "MASH" is as hilarious as some people say it is, it's still a riot of sorts, and it's understandable why it was loved back in the day and why it will always be Altman's most commercially successful film. Simply put, it's not as weird as his other 70's films. But personally speaking, I just find those ones a whole lot more interesting.


Grade: B

The Dreamers (2004)

I'm not sure if "The Dreamers" is trying to reassure movie buffs like me, in that locking up three of our kind together in a Parisian complex results in some kind of kinky party. Or maybe it's a bad sign, in that becoming obsessed with movies pretty much fucks you up in the head.

Either way, I'm not convinced, and it's because I'm still not sure who this film is made for. Certainly not softcore porn enthusiasts, since I'm positive that director Bernardo Bertolluci ("Last Tango In Paris") has something else he wants to get in our heads here, even if Eva Green gets fully naked and mostly stays that way.

And when they're not re-enacting scenes from classic celluloid, this triangle of lovers (a brother, a sister, and an American) don't just have sex---they masturbate in front of each other, rub menstrual blood on each other's faces, recieve oral sex while dressed as the Venus de Milo, play another's favorite song full blast to piss them off, and one attempt to shave another's pubic hair---all for no apparent reason, leaving the viewer waiting for a resolution that never comes.

There's a single subtly important scene early on in the film that takes place at the dinner table, with the three soon-to-be-lovers and the siblings' parents, in which Theo, the brother (playing a stereotypically French badass) blames the father (a poet) for not signing a petition against the Vietnam war, reminding him of the most famous words he once wrote: "A petition is a poem, and a poem is a petition." The father snaps back, "I'm not that old, so you don't need to remind me of my own work," and disregards the son's next comment, when he admits he never wants to end up like his father. The dinner ends, the scene ends, the parents suddenly decide to take a vacation and leave the three alone for the week(end?) without a single word.

Maybe this is why the siblings are so rebellious and lost; their parents refuse to admit their shortcomings, and then leave them unsupervised. So I guess mom and dad are to blame here, although their presence feels like an unfinished subplot---even moreso when the parents return shortly before the film ends in an equally "wtf" moment.

You can take any number of things from this movie, like "Thirteen" before it and "Borat" after, which is also what makes it dangerous. Just like how so many promiscuous teenagers made fun of the former, and generally everyone in America (including me) died laughing at the latter, you could do the same with the overstated eroticism and ludicrousness of this film.

We don't need any more movies like this. It doesn't tell us anything about the gloriousness of cinema, it just shows us some stupid dreamers who can't help fucking everyone over.

Grade: D+