Charlie Wilson’s War

What kind of film would you expect from the writing of Aaron Sorkin and the direction of Mike Nichols? A smart, witty and entertaining film that challenges conventional wisdom and pokes fun at the establishment. How this film only received one Oscar nomination is beyond me. It was quite clearly one of the best films of 2007. The acting is superb, the writing amazing and the direction incredible. Maybe there is a bit of war-fatigue among film audiences with so many docs and feature films about Iraq, but “Charlie Wilson’s War” deserved far more attention.

Let’s start with the writing. This is Sorkin’s best stuff since Sports Night - that ill-fated but brilliant sitcom with the best dialogue on television. Forget West Wing, Sorkin’s work on Sports Night is some of the best writing in the history of television. It’s a shame the show didn’t last longer. In this film, Sorkin brings his unique ability to write dialog that seems absolutely natural and incredibly intelligent at the same time. The only other writer that can equal him is the master… Woody Allen. 

When you are blessed with a great script you are well on your way to a good movie, but when you pair it with one of the best satirical directors of all time you get greatness. This film reminds me of Nichols work with “The Birdcage” and “The Graduate”. All three have that serious tone with a hard, comedic edge to them. The characters seem like cardboard cutouts, but they aren’t. The plot seems simple, but it isn’t. Watching this movie is like watching a master conductor lead his symphony. I only wish more people had seen it.

One thing that has always impressed me with Nichols is his casting. It’s perfect, and Tom Hanks, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Julia Roberts are another example of a job well done. The three deliver superior performances and all seem to feed off one another. The office scene between Hanks and Hoffman when they first meet is absolutely hilarious. The scene where all three meet is another gut buster. Why Hanks and Roberts were ignored by the Academy is beyond me. The Golden Globes had this one right — nominating all three and Sorkin.

“Charlie Wilson’s War” is a great film that deserves a second look if you haven’t seen it. Take the time to watch one of America’s best directors, Mike Nichols, at his best and you won’t be sorry. I only wish the film received more attention because its message is too important for us not to listen to.

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Film’s website: http://www.charliewilsonswar.net

Cloverfield

Ok, so after all the hype I finally got a chance to see this film and two days later I still have a headache!! I was hoping that this film would be different than “Blair Witch,” but unfortunately it was not. From the contrived storyline, to the horrible camera work, to the poor acting this film misses on almost every level. 

When I found out that JJ Abrams was involved in this film I expected, at the very least, an interesting storyline that would keep me guessing throughout the film. It’s what he does so well on Lost and Alias. It never materializes. When I looked a little further into who did what it became clear as to why…. Abrams brings all of his TV buddies to the film (writer Drew Goddard and director Matt Reeves) resulting into a glorified TV movie that fails to make an impact on the big screen. Now, I’m not one to bash TV people crossing over to film (or vice versa) but if you are going to make the crossover you better understand how the medium changes how you write and direct the film. Goddard and Reeves fail miserably in this regard. Watching this film seems like you are watching a television pilot. The storyline is being told just to set up the series, not to stand on it’s own as a quality film. Since Cloverfield 2 is arleady in pre-production it’s obvious that this was their intent, but that still doesn’t make this film any better.

More specifically, I hated the camera work and all-too-convenient plot devices. First the camera work. It gave me a headache and it didn’t add a single thing to the story. That’s the worst thing. It was a gimmick. I’m fine with taking chances (remember the old M*A*S*H episode told from the POV of the patient - brilliant) but it has to enhance the story or it just stands out as “look ma, no hands.” Second, the writing. I hate it when characters are just plain stupid or doing things that are totally unreal. What am I talking about? A monster attacks the city from the water and the military decides the best way to evacuate the city is over a bridge?? How about a skyscraper falls against another and neither collapse AND are structurally sound enough for four people to walk to the top. Oh, and a helicopter crashes and only our heroes survive (did they steal this from that ER episode?).

Maybe I’m being unfair here. Maybe I expected too much from Abrams and crew, but if I were JJ and I was making the crossover into film I would go and get an established film crew to make my idea fly. Unfortunately he didn’t and the result is a truly bad made-for-tv horror film that belongs on “Creature Features” not the big screen.

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Film’s website: http://www.cloverfieldmovie.com

August Rush

This is a film that I wanted to love, that had all the elements there for me to love, but in the end disappointed me. Why didn’t I love it? I’m not sure director Kirsten Sheridan knew exactly what film she wanted to make since there are so many story lines and characters that get introduced but never fully developed. Is this film about the unbreakable bond between child and parents, or finding one’s true love, or following one’s passion, or fixing the foster care system or something else? With so many characters and story lines no one gets to be developed deep enough to connect with the audience. It’s a shame because there are some very strong performances here. Young Freddie Highmore as the musical prodigy is very strong, Robin Williams is his usual self as a crazy-homeless “Fagin” and Terrence Howard provides a great supporting performance as a concerned social worker. What I didn’t like were the performances by Keri Russell and Jonathan Rhys Meyers who play the boy’s parents. They seem to be whining and grimacing throughout the film and tend to be too reactionary as characters.

The plot also seems to be too random. Too many times in the film events would happen to push the story forward that had me and my wife asking, why and how? Whether this was an issue with the screenplay or the directing I’m not sure, but it makes watching the film difficult. It’s a shame, since the idea of this film is wonderful and the cast had the potential to make it great, but the execution falls short of the mark.

It’s not a bad rental on a slow night, mainly because it’s a feel-good movie that is very family friendly.

Rating:

Film’s website: http://augustrushmovie.warnerbros.com

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.

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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