Film Critical

Film reviews and coming attractions by NAnderson for your consideration. I will be writing critiques of as many films as I can see. Check them out and write a comment.

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

COCAINE COWBOYS

A Maxim endorsed documentary worth its weight in kilos.

Cocaine Cowboys sheds a blinding light on the industry that brought Miami, Florida to the rest of the world. Watching this movie feels like watching a documentary in your old high school history class, but this time it’s packed with drugs, money laundering, violence and reigns of absolute power. It is just as appealing as it is appalling.

The film was created on a very low budget and with seemingly only one goal in mind; to tell the story of Miami’s birth into the world. Cheesy overlapping and rough camera shots are a couple things that continually remind you of the low budget, but what makes this film so good is the characters and the stories they tell. They are sequenced very nicely and the movie flows eloquently as one big story. Anyone who is not very familiar with the story of Miami as a worldly city can learn a lot from this film. It is so full of information and shocking facts that there is almost never a dull moment.

Miami as we know it now was created with drug money. Cocaine ruled the entire city in the early 1980’s. Everyone was doing it and everyone was involved in the trade. Hundreds of people died, billions of dollars were spent and the entire city was affected. The lifestyles of drug dealers became so lavish and out of control that they eventually caved in on themselves and self-destructed. It was a beautiful disaster that Cocaine Cowboys portrays with a sense of style and professionalism that wraps the audience up in the story.

Cocaine Cowboys is set up like an old-school documentary from your childhood, but a really good one that you could watch again and again. The story’s told are almost unbelievable, and the facts are astounding. The characters are first hand participants in the drug heyday of Miami and bring a personal view to this enormous story. If you enjoyed Scarface or Miami Vice you will want to see this chronicle that started it all. Cocaine Cowboys is one hell of a ride and absolutely fascinating if nothing else.


GRADE: B+
TRAILER: http://www.cocainecowboys.com/

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

CASINO ROYALE

Your Bond is back.

And so is director Martin Campbell. He was the director of the first, and probably the best, Brosnan-Bond film, GoldenEye, nearly 11 years ago. He has once again taken on Bond telling the much-anticipated story of how Bond became who he is. Ian Fleming’s first ever Bond story enlightens us on how he earned his ‘OO’ status, why he devotes his life to his profession, and his first mission.

Casino Royale is extraordinary. The film is gritty and powerful. This is not a fluffy Bond movie with cheesy humor and weak fight scenes. This is a film for the real Bond fans that might not have been exceedingly satisfied with the last few Bond flicks. This story stands apart because it is not just another Bond episode. It is the chronicle of how Bond, James Bond, came to be, and it is told superbly.

Casino Royale also shows that Daniel Craig is the real deal. He brings a whole new light to the character of James Bond after much speculation about his ability to fill the role. He acts like he was made to play it. Craig seems confident as hell and it shines through in the Bond character. I really liked how Bond’s demeanor was so on edge and vulnerable throughout the film. It gives him a sense of reality that most viewers haven’t seen before.

The start of the film was portrayed in black and white. This was a touch that I really enjoyed. I saw it as a metaphor to the way that Bond was thinking. He had to make his kills to get his ‘OO’ status. He was a pawn that was doing what he was told. The film switches to color and Bond doesn’t seem to know what to do. His world is uncertain and no longer black and white. He has new freedoms and a set of rules to play by. The story then unfolds as he finds himself and ultimately becomes the Bond that we all know and love.

His new journeys through torture, love and betrayal all are a big part of Bond’s character development, and are thrilling to watch from beginning to end. The film is action packed and loaded with characters. The main “Bond girl”, Vesper Lynd, is played by the stunning Eva Green who I found often stealing the screen. Her character is crucial to the development of the Bond character and is a big part of the story. Green gives a sensual and strong performance. Judi Dench also stood out in her role once again as M. She hit the character just right and gave M the sense of humor and power that she should have.

The locations were also beautiful to watch as Bond traveled through the Bahamas, Montenegro, London, and Madagascar among other places. The cinematography is impressive throughout the film. The camera went from these beautiful settings to gritty fight scenes with ease. I really enjoyed the shaky camera shots and realistic feel that much of the film had. The characters did not seem like they had just stepped out of make-up; they were sweating and bleeding and all around great to watch. Also great to watch were the beautiful Aston Martin DB5 classic and the exquisite, brand new DBS. Both vehicles perfectly cast and perfectly Bond.

Casino Royale is absolutely one of the greatest Bond films made to date. Be prepared to see a Bond you are not used to. It was cast well, and it directed very well which makes it a whole lot of fun to watch from start to finish. The writing is sharp and just what you want it to be without being what you expect it to be. Casino Royale is a very fine piece of filmmaking.


GRADE: A+

TRAILER: http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony_pictures/casinoroyale/trailer1a/

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

LOWER CITY (ON DVD)

A lusty little romp through human behavior and weak relationships.

Lower City revolves around three people in the smaller city of Salvador, Brazil where the humidity is high and everyone is hot and bothered. The three main characters are no exception. Two best friends are challenged by their love of the same woman. Their life long friendship is tested in a new way and the film revolves around the emotions felt by everyone involved.

This film is lacking something and it is hard to say exactly what it is. I think the story is just a little too weak. There are intense scenes of passion and lust that seem to terminate early with no revealing climax; much like the film overall. Alice Braga as the lover of the two friends really stands out in this film. She gave a noteworthy and award winning performance. The story just does not flow well through all these zealous characters though. Their relationships do not feel real. Their actions feel forced and planned out carefully. I did not enjoy watching the relationships depicted because I kept waiting for something more to happen and it never did.

The cinematography is wondrous conversely and plops the viewer right down into Salvador. Rich colors, shaky camera shots, and intense close ups make it a pleasure to watch. By the end of the film I had gotten to know the characters so well physically that I realized I could not grasp them psychologically, and this really left a void in my mind.

Director Sérgio Machado has little experience so far in the mainstream film world. I am however anxious to see what will develop from him in the future. He has made a decent attempt to tell the story of Lower City. But despite the interesting characters, exotic setting, and having plenty to work with I felt as though the story was not told properly or convincingly. Several people working on this film also worked on such great films as City of God and Motorcycle Diaries so I had high hopes for this one, but in the end it just fell short.


GRADE: C

TRAILER: http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/lowercity/trailer/

Monday, November 06, 2006

BABEL

A visual manifesto with not much to offer beyond that.

Babel is a film that showcases three different stories that all are connected through various characters. The stories cover a very diverse group of topics, but each presents a person struggling with the decisions they are making in the moment. The stories are loosely linked, and did not flow together very well.

The film is loaded with visual pleasure however. Incredible camera work created beautifully framed shots and emotional scenes. The most enjoyable story line was that of the young girl, Chieko, in Japan. This was a touching and emotional role played with brilliance by Rinko Kikuchi. The way the camera followed her through both the dense city and her more intimate spaces was powerful. The direction and cinematography really portrayed her story as the strongest. Ironically, she was the least connected to the core story line. Nonetheless, her performance was what really kept me into the film until the end.

This is not to say that the other performances were not strong. I just feel that the characters were not written very well. The cast was good, but their characters lacked substance. So they did not come off as too compelling, with the exception being Chieko.

The score to the film was composed nicely and really added to the film. Alejandro González Iñárritu has made some great films, including 21 Grams and Amores Perros. Babel was not as strong as either one of these past films, but I still look forward to more work from him.


GRADE: B-

TRAILER: http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount_vantage/babel/trailer1/

FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS

A beautiful film that very graphically and accurately portrays one of the most notorious battles of WWII.

Flags of our Fathers is directed elegantly by Academy Award Winner Clint Eastwood. His films certainly have a way of passively overtaking the viewer. He has created a film that exhibits qualities both epic and intimate. The characters are portrayed as being only human. The audience’s perspective is the same as if they were there. Switching from different characters views of the scenes to show you what it was really like to be there.

The story is told from three different time periods, and it switches between them throughout the film. The story that takes place during the Battle of Iwo Jima was the most effective. The feeling of reality that Eastwood gets across is unbelievable. The horrors of war and the emotional effect they have on the soldiers if thrown in the audiences face. The main story revolves around the character of John Bradley, played by a compelling Ryan Phillipe. He has a strong ability to showcase the emotion of his characters, and this role is no exception. Phillipe is backed up by a strong cast; including Jesse Bedford, Adam Beach, and Jamie Bell. The film was cast well and this helps it come across as a real story.

The accuracy of the scenes seems to be dead on. The actual battle imagery, shown during the end credits, matches up perfectly with what the audience sees in the film. Eastwood did a very good job of making sure things were re-created with accurateness. The cinematography was also very effective. Each scene had a washed out, almost monotone, color to it. The bright colors were then emphasized and demanded attention. This created a striking visual landscape.

The main tile track to the film was done by Clint Eastwood and done well at that. The only problem I had was that it was over used. Every moment that required a slow, touching melody had the same one. This ruined some of the later scenes, because the audience has heard the same tune so many times already. Try something new to convey a different emotion.

The story to the film seemed like it was lacking something. The photograph that was taken when the American flag was raised on the island sets the story. It is interesting because the photograph that everyone loves is what causes so many of the problems for the main characters. Their futures after leaving the war are a direct result of that photograph getting published. The message of the film is about heroes, and how we create them because we desire their presence in our lives. This is a strong point, but I don’t know if it needed to take 2.5 hours to get it across. I would say that some of the scenes seemed unnecessary to the overall story and could have been omitted. I liked the message of the film, and enjoyed the characters that got it across.

The most exciting thing for me is that the other side of the story is also being told. Eastwood simultaneously directed the film Letters From Iwo Jima, which is due out in early 2007. This is a depiction of the same battle and the effects it had on soldiers, but told from the Japanese side. Shot in that same way and using much of the same footage it should be just as exciting to watch. Look forward to that in several months. In the meantime, go see Flags of our Fathers in theatres as it will enhance the experience greatly. I also suggest researching a little about the battle before seeing the film. Great direction from Eastwood, stunning cinematography, and a strong cast make it a worthwhile film for any war enthusiast.


GRADE: B

TRAILER: http://www.apple.com/trailers/dreamworks/flagsofourfathers/

Thursday, November 02, 2006

THE BREAK-UP (DVD)

A comedy with a serious note.

This film was not quite as light hearted and cheesy as I was expecting. It was a funny movie with serious moments that made it seem real. Life is not only one emotion, and this film captures the ups and downs of a couple working through their relationship issues.

Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn give solid perfomances that are entertaining and believable. The only part that isn't too believable is that Vaughn could land a girl like Aniston. But since it happened in real life I guess who am I to talk. Both actors transition very well from their comedic scenes into their dramatic ones. I thought Aniston did a particularly good job with this. Shifting from laughing to crying with astonishing ease all in one scene. She expertly demands the viewers attention and compassion. Vince Vaughn plays his typical witty, and dumb male, character role very well. It is nothing too new from him as an actor, but he does it so well that it is fun to watch again and again. Towards the end of the film he exudes some serious and heart felt emotions that were impressively done too.

The sets were warm and rich in color which made it pleasing to watch. The costuming, or lack there of (wink), was also done very well, and added to the visual pleasure.

The Break-Up is a fun film that showcases a good story through good acting. Not overly funny or overly serious it makes for an enjoyable evening in.


GRADE: A-
http://www.apple.com/trailers/universal/thebreakup/