Vantage Point

I’m conflicted by this film. I really want to love it, but I just can’t. Pete Travis directs this mystery-thriller with a nod toward Kurosawa’s “Rashomon” and falls short of the mark when he reverts to a stereotypical Hollywood ending when anything but that was needed. I love it when writers and directors take creative chances and try something new with an old formula (which is why I loved Atonement, Crash and Traffic), but Travis doesn’t seem to trust himself with the ending. It’s either that, or the studio got in the way and wouldn’t allow a non-traditional ending. The more I think about this film the more I think this is true. I just can’t fathom a director making the first two-thirds of this film and then suddenly deciding to deviate from his narrative style so drastically in the final third. It’s either this or Travis got so lost editing that he forgot what kind of film he set out to make. So, did I hate it? Actually, no… for the first half. I really liked the idea of seeing this event unfold from several different points-of-view. While there were moans in the audience the third time the clock was reset (I heard an “oh, jesus” more than once) I had no problem with it. It was unique, original and kept me thinking where we were going next. The acting is strong, the cinematography and editing flawless and the narrative pacing fine. Where the film begins to fall apart is when we get to the third story and begin seeing too much of the same thing. I wanted the narrative to go much further with each “vantage point” and provide me with significant new information. Each one spends too much time recapping the mayor’s speech and not enough time moving the narrative forward. And then there is the end. It’s just absurd. Too impossible to believe and way too coincidental. It was forced, like somebody said, “ok, let’s end the film now” without regard to how the story had been developing. Some of the stunts were so unbelievable the audience was actually laughing. This is a film that started strong, had all the makings of a great movie, and then crashed and burned in the end. If you like the beginning, go out and rent Kurosawa’s “Rashomon” and see what this film could have been if made by a master director.

Rating:
Film Website: http://www.vantagepoint-movie.com/index.php

Away from Her

Ok, Tilda Swinton must have been absolutely amazing in Michael Clayton (I haven’t see it yet) because to win the Oscar over Julie Christie in Away from Her is a feat I didn’t think could happen. That’s how brilliant Christie is in this film. She is so brilliant that nobody is talking about the incredible performance of Gordon Pinsent as her loving, yet remorseful, husband and the delicate directing and writing job of Sarah Polley. This is just a phenomenal film. My wife starting crying about 10 minutes into the film and didn’t stop until the final credits. It connects with you that strongly.

What I loved most about this film was the sublime acting by everyone in this film and the director’s willingness to let it carry the narrative. There is nothing fancy about this film; the cinematography, editing, art direction and music are all invisible — it is truly an actor’s script and an actor’s film. The director gets out of the way and lets two amazing talents take us on a journey of love, devotion and sacrifice that I haven’t seen since Million Dollar Baby.

While this film could have easily become an Alzheimer’s film, Polley deftly keeps the narrative focused on the love story between Christie and Pinsent and in the end we realize the power of love, forgiveness and selflessness rather than just the tragedy of a terrible disease. It’s a film that will resonate with anyone who has had to deal with a loved one that is sick. Make sure to bring a box of tissues because anybody that doesn’t cry in this film isn’t human. It’s that powerful.

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Film Website: http://www.memory-catcher.net/

A Mighty Heart

There is nothing more difficult in filmmaking than making a film in which everybody knows the ending. A Mighty Heart tackles this problem expertly and the result is a powerful drama with an incredible message. Michael Winterbottom directs a beautiful film from John Orloff’s adaptation of Mariane Pearl’s book. Angelina Jolie and Dan Futterman deliver subtle, yet powerful lead performances and the supporting cast is outstanding. The film stays true to the tragic real story but at the same time provides a unique look at how one woman struggles to keep it together under the most intense circumstances. The cinematography in this film is amazing and resembles the feel of a documentary: daytime backgrounds are allowed to be overexposed and nighttime scenes are sometimes hard to see. It adds to the authenticity of the film and serves the true story well. The pacing is strong for a film in which a good deal of the drama unfolds in a living room with the main characters sitting around looking at their laptops. Another impressive element is both Winterbottom and Orloff’s self-restraint. This film could have easily preached to its audience, but instead the filmmakers let the characters and real events lead the way which results in a tough, social-political drama that will appeal to many. If there is a downside to the film it’s that Jolie can be hard to believe sometimes with her French accent. It’s not that she is not good (this isn’t a Kevin Costner in Robinhood issue!!), it’s just that she has become such a public icon that I find it hard to separate that image from her characters in films sometimes. This is a film worthy of all the awards it received and it’s a real shame that the Oscars overlooked it.

Rating:

Film Website: http://www.amightyheartmovie.com/

Crazy Love

Crazy Love is a crazy documentary that will leave your jaw dropping after the final credits roll on by. This is the type of film that gets you thinking, “there’s no way that happened” and then proves you wrong. The true ending is so messed up that you have to think it’s all made up — but, alas, it’s all true and that’s the power of this film.

Having made nearly 20 documentaries when a doc film really surprises me I know it’s been well made. Director Dan Klores crafts an amazing tale of love, angst, terror, betrayal and just plain weirdness as well as any documentary since Sherman’s March. He leads us through a confusing, yet, engaging narrative that one moment has you thinking you’re watching a love story and the next moment, a horror film.

Of course, a documentary is only as good as it’s characters and how can you beat Burt and Linda? They’re both straight out of central casting circa 1960 and their relationship could have easily been a noir film directed by John Huston (think Edward G. Robinson and Jane Greer in the lead roles).

The interviews are intimate and the stock footage/newsreels are used just enough to take us back in time, but not too much so that we feel like we are watching a historical film. Klores gives us just enough information at just the right times to keep us motivated and interested in these two colorful characters and leaves the biggest surprise for the final third of the film so we’re surprised at the end.

This is a great film that will keep you talking for days.

Rating: 1/2

Film Website: http://www.crazylovefilm.com/

Atonement

 

 

I was pleasantly surprised by this film. I was expecting a traditional melodramatic, love story and instead got a unique, modern melodrama about lost loved, regret and sibling rivalry. Director Joe Wright takes us on a journey with surprises around every corner, but never straying too far from the heart of Christopher Hampton’s wonderful screenplay. Wright’s willingness to confuse the audience every so often kept me wondering where the story was heading, but not in a bad way. There were just enough clues to keep me engaged, but enough questions to make me think, “what’s going on?” That’s a fine line for a director to walk and Wright does it masterfully. Seamus McGarvey’s cinematography is superb and both the costume and set design are beautiful. Neither overpowers the film (so common in period pieces) but all three add to the overall mystic quality of the film. The best part of the film, however, is the quality acting. While Keira Knightley and James McAvoy are wonderfully subtle in their lead performances, the young actress Saoirse Ronan who plays Knightley’s younger sister and the narrator of the film is beyond good — she plays a heartfelt, dreamer of a young girl who let’s her jealously and imagination get the better of her and ultimately causes the worst kind of pain one can imagine. Her Oscar nomination is well-deserved. I had a great time watching this film and couldn’t recommend it more.  

Rating:     
Film Website: http://www.filminfocus.com/focus-movies/atonement/movie-splash.php