Taken – This Week’s Guilty Pleasure at the Movies

Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) is a retired secret agent now living in the United States. Recently divorced, his days are spent taking it easy, and trying to get close to his 17 year-daughter Kim, who lives with her mother and ultra rich step-dad. Bryan is the type of guy whose years on the force have made him suspicious of the things he sees around him. For this reason, he is a bit hesitant to permit his daughter to travel to Paris with friends. Within minutes of arriving at their Parisian flat, Kim and her friend are abducted by a group of masked men. Kim manages to connect with her Dad right up until the kidnappers break into the bedroom and steal Kate. Using a 15 second phone recording that contains the voices of these masked men, Bryan is able to ascertain their language, jobs, boss, location, and wherabouts. I’m not kidding. 15 seconds. From here the tale of vengance kicks in as the audience is expected to gleefully watch our hero beat criminals to a pulp using a variety of skills he has acquired that include wire tapping, car-flipping, French speaking, wind-pipe severing, electrocuting, and the ever-popular espinoage. The only point of the film seems to be that there is virtually no situation that is even remotely too hard for Bryan to get out of. Seconds before the abductor takes Kim, Bryan warns him on the phone of the impending doom he and his accomplices will face if they do not return his daughter. The next hour and half completely deliver that promise. There are no stakes, and virtually no consequences connected to Bryan’s vengeful path of destruction. Unfortunately, the massive number of bodies that begin to pile up serve not only as collateral damage for Bryan’s mission, but for the flimsy plot as well.
Taken is the kind of rare movie that you face as a film “critic” that is hard to digest. It finds itself in that confusing territory of a movie that is fairly well made and actually fun to watch at times, but at the same time completely forgettable and unoriginal. I guess you might call it a guilty pleasure. For what it does, it does right. It raises your adrenaline for a minute or two, not allowing you to look away from the screen. If that is the only thing you are looking for, then enjoy. If not, you won’t be disappointed to see what’s playing next door.

2.5/5

Best of 2008

All right I admit. I have put this off long enough, but as promised, here is the much anticipated “best of” 2008 list. If you know me then you probably know that my disdain for “best of”/top 10 lists is a little bit high. The Academy Award nominations recently came out proving once again that the new generation of Academy voters is intent on voting for independent or highly unconventional films. The inclusion of the Best Animated Feature category seems to have eternally banished animated films “in their place” giving them no chance amongst the big boys.

Enough ranting though, let me explain my choices. The films on my list are not ranked in any order. I feel that it is virtually impossible to rank films in order best to worst made. It become much too highly subjective, and it doesn’t do justice to the subjectivity of the art form. Having said that, here is the criteria I used.

These are the films that made the most lasting impression upon me. Looking back at the end of the year, these are the films that just stand out to me. If have I had to wrack my brain thinking about which ones to put on, then it was probably a sign that it didn’t deserve to be on in the first place. I’m sorry it’s not much more of science, but I guess it just goes hand in hand with my philosophy of watching, experiencing, and enjoying movies.

One more thing, a recent film critic recently said that his top 10 list was put together while keeping one question in mind. If all of the film archives of 2008 were lost, and there were only 10 films that could be saved, what films should be saved in order to preserve a snapshot of where we are in filmmaking as of 2008? I would like to think that my list is faithful in trying to answer this question.

In no particular order…..here they are:

Wall.E
At its heart WALL.E is a wonderfully crafted tale of hope, optimism, and the eternal spirit of love to overcome. In a political year swirling with talk of hope and change, WALL.E seems to capture the spirit of optimism better than no other film did in 2008. Andrew Stanton and the creative team at Pixar have proven once again that they stand alone in the field of excellence in animated films. The first 30 minutes of this film rivaled absolutely everything I saw on screen this year.

The Dark Knight
Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight leaps from the pages of the previous Batman installment’s origin story to a jarring tragedy of epic proportions. TDK will forever be known as the film that revamped the comic book industry, and showcased the absolutely mesmerizing talents of the late Heath Ledger. His performance of the Joker was nothing short of brilliant and the amorphous nature of the character as realized by Nolan, made the story all the more chilling.

Man on Wire
In a film that truly transcends its genre, this engrossing story of tightrope walker/daredevil Philip Petit plays more like a classic heist film than a documentary. The audience becomes totally engrossed in the attempts of Petit to tightrope walk across the world trade center, and even though we know is going to survive from the first few frames, we can’t help but gasp when he takes that first step onto the wire.

Chop Shop
Wonderfully acted and skillfully directed, Chop Shop is the tragic story of a tough street kid named Alejandro who lives and works in the sprawling junkyards on the outskirts of Queens. When his older sister returns from a foster home, the two most struggle to make a better life for themselves and face insurmountable odds to do so. The film’s quasi-documentary style blended with some of the best child performances captured on screen make for a gripping emotional journey that stays with you long after its over.

The Wrestler
For Randy “the Ram” Robinson, the time has come to bow out from the sport of wrestling, but what else is there? Randy spends his nights and weekends doing the only thing he knows how to do, beat his body to make ends meat. As the sport evolves into something a little more gruesome, the Ram makes his way through the independent circuit fighting not only for a chance to reconnect with his estranged daughter, but for his own soul as well. Heralded as the return of Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler delivers one of the most knock-out performances of the year in the Randy the Ram.

In Bruges
Held up in Bruges after a job that goes horribly wrong, two hitmen begin to ponder life and death together, with often times completely differing views. Colin Farel, in a surprisingly excellent performance plays the conflicted soul, the bane of whose existence resides in Bruges. The screenplay tactfully mixes humor with searing drama, with an emotional punch to boot as well.

Slumdog Millionaire
Director Danny Boyle’s story of an orphan teenager from the slums of Mumbai who finds himself on the Hindi version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, is a take on the serendipitous nature of events that take place in our lives everyday. This film might be remembered as the movie that made “Bollywood” mainstream. It’s the uplifting story and strong performances that make it remarkable to watch though.

Snow Angels
David Gordon Green’s tragic suburban drama interweaves the stories of two sets of families from two different levels of the social strata. Sam Rockwell’s outstanding performance alone makes it worth seeing.

Doubt
Adapted from the stage play, and boasting an all-star cast, Doubt is a simple story with huge implications for its main players. A naïve younger priest feels the weight of accusation when he comes full force with the immovable Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep). Stellar performances combined with a wonderful script make this one a must see.

Paranoid Park
2008 will most likely be remembered for director Gus Van Sant’s more conventional biopic Milk, but the arthouse film, Paranoid Park has the marks of a wonderfully skilled director all over it. The film tells the story of a young teenager involved in the accidental death of a security guard near the local skate park. When the boy decides to tell no one about the incident, he must daily live with the consequences.


Honorable Mention:

The Fall
Hamlet 2
Iron Man
Gran Torino
Tropic Thunder

Top 5 Biggest Disappointments

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Happening
Standard Operating Procedure
W.
Miracle at St. Anna

"Don't go callin me wally"...

Iconic actor/director/producer Clint Eastwood’s newest film Gran Torino tells the story of what would happen if Dirty Harry retired from the auto industry and lived in the suburbs. Ok, not exactly, but it does further cement his reputation as a man now well into his late 70’s who is truly a legendary force both behind the camera and in front of it. Walt Kowalski (Eastwood) is the rock that although has been aged and hardened by the rivers of life, hasn’t budged an inch for years. He likes his cars, his beer and coincidentally, his neighbors, all the same way; American made and American born. A retired Korean War Vet, for nearly 50 years he has lived on the same block and worked for the same Ford company, alienating many of his family and closest contacts along the way. After the passing of his wife, Walt defiantly insists on changing virtually nothing in his pace or routine, despite the jest of his family members. Walt sharply holds onto his deep-seeded prejudices when a Hmong family moves in next door. Their lives collide when the youngest boy Tau attempts to steal Walt’s coveted 1972 Gran Torino car in response to neighborhood gang pressure. Through a series of cinematically programmed moments, Walt begins to lead the boy away from a life of gang-related violence.

There is a particular arc to this story that is never fully satisfied by its payoff. Much of Kowalski’s family is written into the script in order to set up Kowalski himself. They do little to drive the plot in any way on their own. His wife is all but absent from the story, mentioned only in passing. I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of woman she must have been to live with such a man for so long! The real treat here is to watch Eastwood perform with relentlessly channeled emotion. He still manages to easily convince us that he is indeed as tough as nails, and not just because it sounds like he is chewing them during every line of dialogue. He plays the character with such restrain and physical control, that we feel like the next word, the next push could finally set him off, without ever fully realizing such a climactic moment. The audience believes that it is Kowalski himself who is the only one who truly knows what he is capable of, and the tension it creates is genuinely palpable.

In the end Gran Torino has a little bit to say about the possibility for good to reside in all people, in any stage of life. It also has a bit to say on the responsibility that comes with understanding race relations in the ever-widening melting pot that is American culture. It is the presence and signature of a Hollywood veteran though that will tower over the film itself, long after the credits roll.

3/5

The Daunting task of the dark campaign

So I just stumbled across this website the other day by chance. www.thedarkcampaign.com is the official website of the unofficial grassroots campaign dedicated to getting The Dark Knight a win for best picture at the 2009 academy awards. If you're like me you might be asking yourself how could the "votes" of tons of online campaigners hold any weight with the same committee who in 2007 handed out acting awards to people whose names most Americans couldn't even pronounce, let alone had ever heard of?

The academy awards in case you didn't know have very little to do with audiences as they do with the votes of elite members who have earned their spot in the snobbery.. I mean..sophistication of deciding who is the best of the best. The Dark Knight has the deck stacked against it already in that it is a comic book movie, and the city in which the awards take place, already named WALL.E the best movie of the year. I'm still not convinced it should be in the category of best 5 of the year, but I can at least appreciate the efforts of a few idealistic cinephiles out there who want to see oscar history. I would think that if the Academy wants to continue to have the annual celebration televised, they would do well to listen to the pleas of such fans. The last few years, the show has boasted some of the lowest viewer ratings in history. Last year was an all time low when the majority of the films nominated made very little impact on box office sales. Something tells me that if even if the show sunk as low as to have ABC drop the historic program, the Academy would still find a way to pat themselves on the back in private and still do the show.

Picture with me if you will, an oscar show with at least 3 of the best picture nominess being DK, WALL.E, and Benjamin Button. Right there you have a show that promises potential big star nominations and the celebration of movies that millions of people paid money to see. The Dark Knight may or may not be deserving of the nomination, but I have to admit that the mere watchability of a show like that definitely peaks my interest more than watching people glorify something like Soderbergh's 4 1/2 hour biopic Che.

Whether or not you loved the film, you should defintely check out thedarkcampaign.com Note some of the critics' quotes on the trailer and how ridiculous some of them sound. This alone might make you believe that the creators of the site may be shooting for the moon.

‘Tis the Season..for Joy/Frustration

It’s that time of year again in which masses of movie critics will roll out their “self-appraised” top 10 lists. I have to admit that this time of year always fills me with at least a formidable amount of excitement. It’s always interesting to see what films make everyone’s list, which ones everyone has been talking about, and which ones they would most like to forget at year’s end. In recent years however, this annual occurrence has filled me with equal parts joy and frustration. Think about this: Does it not seem a tad bit pretentious to dogmatically list the so-called “best” of 2008 as if said critic’s opinion is the final answer on any question that presumes to answer what the best films truly are? I think part of my concern with turning movie criticism into such a science comes out full force when the “best-of” lists come out ever year. The problem with ranking 10 films is that you inevitably leave truly great films on the cutting room floor. Great films and their filmmakers should be celebrated, and sadly, top 10 lists seem to glorify more and more predictably each year, the same type of movie.

I have heard it said for example, by more than one critic this year that this was a bad year for cinema. This air of pomp and stuffiness is usually offered as an explanation of why such a critic felt it necessary to litter his/her top 10 lists with films that premiered in 2007.(i.e. Paranoid Park, Snow Angels, etc.) While it is safe to say that I shared an equal affinity for films like these, I would add that what some critics may think was a bad year for “cinema” was actually a great year for movies. This year was the first in a long time in which an animated movie literally made me stand up and cheer, more than one comic book movie captivated me with every frame, and seemingly formulaic plots filled me with intrigue and excitement (for this last point see Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire in order to really understand what I’m talking about.) What the awards season has shown us for the majority of the last decade is that there has been an ever-increasing chasm in the movie industry between the highest form of cinema and genuine popcorn blockbusters. Since the Coen Brothers’ Fargo in 1996, there has been at least one or more independent film nominated for best picture every year. While I have been excited as anyone with a genuine love for movies with the trend, I have to admit that I do miss films that are loved by audiences and critics alike. Gone are the Forrest Gump’s and Shawshanks of our day that touch a fabric in virtually every audience, critic and casual alike. I guess what I’m saying is that when the filmmakers who lash out against formula make films that in and of themselves are formulaic, what are they really trying to prove? And what is the academy trying to prove by nominating them? Think back upon 2005 in which virtually every oscar nominated best picture was highly political and/or completely non-commercial in virtually every way. I’m not saying that this is entirely bad, but what I am saying is that it is starting to leave some annoying marks on the movie industry.

I wonder if we have come to a point in which winning an award is the end all of a filmmakers’ career. What the awards season has shown us is simple. Hold off the release of your film until November or December and you will be most likely get nominated. Every Golden Globe nominee for best picture this year was for a film that was released in November or December, some of which weren’t even in wide release at the time of their nominations. The problem with this is that it smacks of formula. After seeing Clint Eastwood’s Changeling this year, I am absolutely convinced that the man has an oscar algorithm in his notes. Just put some actors in front of a camera and make them talk about things that no one wants to pay 8 dollars to hear about. You know, mass murder, child abduction, pedophilia, etc. Don’t let anyone see your film until a couple months before release, and you might have a chance of brining home the statuette. I recently heard that the release of the adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road had been delayed until 2009. Apparently post-production was taking much longer than expected. The delays have been so lengthy that director John Hillcoat was actually considering holding the film until next November. For those of you keeping score, this is nearly one year after the original release date. And why such a delay for a film that will be long finished before then? Why, for Oscars of course.

So why should this concern you and me as a movie lovers? Well, I guess in all actuality we shouldn’t lose that much sleep over it, but when we the people make our top 10 lists, lets try to do what so often the award shows fail to. Let’s celebrate really good films and the people who make them. This year boasted many such films, domestic and foreign. Hopefully, this will be the year in which the Oscars overlook the “formula” for more “unconventional” stories. Like a little robot with big ambitions for example… In a few weeks I will add my small and insignificant voice to the masses, and I will sit back and reflect upon the 10 “best” of the year for me. They will be 10 films that stuck out the most, and left the deepest impression upon me in 2008. I will not even begin to try to rank them, but I hope that in the process I will be able to celebrate good movies, people who love them, and introduce at least someone out there to a new favorite film.


Until then, here are at least two that are in the running that you might not have seen yet.

Gus Van Sant’s Paranoid Park- 4/5 – A high school student is involved in the accidental murder of a security guard at the skate park. After the incident he chooses to tell no one and then tries to deal with the consequences. Extremely interesting, and directed with great flair. Serves as interesting counterpart to Van Sant’s other more conventional ’08 biopic Milk.

Chop Shop¬ – 4/5 – tells the story of 2 kids living in the salvage yard streets of Queens, and their own journey to find hope and stability. Brilliant direction, and incredibly moving performances.

Break out the egg nog..it's holiday movie time.

Every year it seems like the Christmas season starts a little earlier than it did the year before. Retailers begin rolling out the red carpet for shoppers just about as fast as they pack away all the Halloween candy and costumes. Ever gone into Wal-Mart on November 1st? Halloween is like the dirty secret that never happened, and this year the twenty foot Christmas tree and bell ringers greeted me undoubtedly a few hours after the fall decorations had been taken down. Hollywood is no different, and each year you can bet that a slue of holiday movies will hit the box-office with little or no fanfare to support them. Much like their corporate counterparts, these films are here one day, and gone the next, and chances are, you won’t remember most of what happened in them. Perhaps this is the reason I staved off the chore of seeing Four Christmases until mid-December despite its Thanksgiving release. I knew it was one of those films that I would inevitably end up writing about, and correct me if I’m wrong but didn’t Vince Vaughan’s Fred Clause just come out on DVD? The film pits Oscar-winning Reese Witherspoon alongside Vince Vaughan for some formula-based holiday mayhem.

For quite some time now, Brad and Kate have made their annual Christmas vacation about spending time with each other, away from their unsuspecting families. This year is no different. When the young and energetic couple’s flight to Fiji is cancelled at the last minute, they are forced to spend Christmas with their families. What you need to know is that Brad and Kate have built their entire relationship upon making their own rules, and this means avoiding any type of serious commitment. It’s why they still haven’t tied the knot, and are prone to spending the holidays sipping mai tais rather than playing board games with their families. Hmmm. Seems like an hour and a half is just enough time for these characters to learn a valuable lesson about family. Oh yeah, both characters come from divorced families as well. Hence the title.

Here’s the point. If you’re a sucker for Vince Vaughan, (which I admittedly am) then go see this movie. If you’re with the fam during the holiday and trying to decide on a movie to go to, you could probably do worse. Just don’t expect to remember much of what you saw a year later. Especially if, God forbid, Vaughan stars in Fred Clause 2: The Buy-out Clause in 2009. At times you will probably laugh, but you just might glance at your watch a few times as well. I did both. The film boasts a surprisingly talented all-star cast. I won’t name names here because to do so would ruin the fun of meeting the family members yourself. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m headed off to the living room to dust off some Christmas nostalgia and put It’s a Wonderful Life into the DVD player.

2.5/5

"It's impossible....let's get to work."

On August 7th, 1974 young Frenchmen Philippe Petit went from virtual anonymity to worldwide celebrity in a matter of 30 minutes. Petit committed what came to be known as the “artistic crime of the century” when he danced across a wire he had illegally strung between the two world trade center towers. On-lookers stood agape as they marveled at the man 1,350 feet in the air appearing to float across the sky. He was truly inspired, truly brave, and almost certainly mad. James Marsh’s mesmerizing documentary Man on Wire tells the intriguing story of one man’s obsession to do something that challenges the realm of possibility. Through a combination of archival footage, dramatized re-enactments, and interviews with Petit and his crew, Marsh attempts to tell the story of how Petit was able to pull off the ultimate ‘heist' and accomplish an incredible task. The result is a film that stirs the emotions, and quickens the pulse.

Philippe Petit’s obsession with the World Trade Center towers began before they were even built. As a youngster, the story tells us that he first learned of their upcoming construction in a magazine article while waiting in a dentist’s office. There is no other explanation from this point as to what exactly drove Petit to do what he did, other than that the towers seemed to be calling him to do something magnificent. Marsh brilliantly leaves the ‘origin story’ of this character virtually absent. There is literally nothing we can point to in order to explain the veracity with which he pursued his outlandish goal. Marsh ultimately decides it is better to offer insight to this man the same way Petit responds to a reporter upon his arrest. When asked why he committed the crime, he simply answers: “There is no why”. Instead there is a zeal, a furor for living life on the edge in such a way that to die is only worth doing, if it is in the throes of something which you are passionate about. The story is as taut and thrilling as any crime caper movie. The suspense is so heightened that there are times you will literally remind yourself “It’s ok. I know he’s going to come out alive!”

Man on Wire does what few films, let alone documentaries, are able to. It plays on all of your emotions, and still leaves with you the same sense of wonder that caused all those New York passers-by to gawk upward into the sky that magical day. Ultimately, Petit is neither a hero, nor a tragic case study, but a parable. In a way in which he never probably planned, his fanciful ideals call us to look at our lives and see the possibilities that lie before us in ways we never thought possible. The film’s message, in as much as it even has one, is probably best described in the words of Petit himself. “Life should be lived on the edge. See everyday as a true challenge, and then and only then do you live your life on a tightrope.”

5/5