hanna: i still love joe wright

i saw JOE WRIGHT's HANNA a while ago and couldn't place it. it's a story that's been told somewhere before, so when walking out of the theatre after watching my favorite director's latest work, my first thought wasn't awe. it wasn't disappointment. i knew i needed to sleep on it.

HANNA tells the tale of a girl (SAOIRSE RONAN) that's some sort of government project. she has undergone rigorous training by her father (ERIC BANA), and is sent on a mission to kill a woman (CLAIRE DAINES). she learns a bit about herself along the way.

she runs. she sleeps. she kills. images containing a decaying amusement park and an awesome score by the chemical brothers sometimes suggest the perversity of an adolescent female made to murder. but i think that's all, folks, which begs me to ask: is telling an oh-too-familiar story in a well-directed way worth the $8 - $15?

even so: interesting characters. beautiful cinematography. great acting. good pacing. perfect for a friday night at home, but can't wait for what's next for mr. wright.

may 7, 2011

i'm not afraid of anything.

last night: sex, love, and a frenchman

MASSY TADJEDIN's LAST NIGHT boasts one of the most attractive casts i've ever seen in a film. and what do attractive people do? sleep with each other.

writer/director tadjedin, however, doesn't make it a movie about sex, but a story of a married couple (KIERA KNIGHTLEY and SAM WORTHINGTON) confused about their faith in one another when confronted with temptation (french GUILLAUME CANET and EVA MENDES). after a fight, a business trip divides the main couple between philadelphia and their home in new york, and it is during this one night apart that they are separately confronted with a sexual/romantic itch. the film's scheme keeps its audience guessing how its characters will react to their given circumstances of emotion, desire, intoxication, and doubt throughout the night. all four have backstories, but a viewer must ask themselves what they want of the other: is it sex, or is it love? how do they express it? to this plot, marriage is an unmistakeable roadblock for its players in their exploits outside, and one that elevates the plot to honest drama.

it is full of awkward moments that add to immediacy of its viewing experience, and feels more like a stage play than anything that has been on screen for a while. the story and its tellers don't try convince their audience of a specific viewpoint of love and marriage, but try to figure it out, making this film a genuine gem in a genre generally jaded to the male or female sex. beautifully shot, well acted (i think something's clicked for knightley), and skillfully directed, LAST NIGHT will read you as well as you read it.

blue star

you know what i mean

certified copy: let's talk about art

the first hour and a half of director ABBAS KIAROSTAMI's COPIE CONFORME (CERTIFIED COPY) offers a most profound discussion on art and marriage. it is, for the most part, a walk-and-talk; the audience follows two opinionated, intelligent, 40/50-something europeans through a small tuscan town as they talk about the nature, purpose, and viewing experience of a work of art and the nature, purpose, and experience of the lasting romantic human relationship otherwise known as marriage.

an obvious story begins as the two converse and middle-aged sparks fly, but after a beautiful exchange between JULIETTE BINOCHE and an old, wrinkled italian barista about the pangs and privileges of wifehood, things just get weird. binoche and her male counterpart, WILLIAM SHIMELL, start without announcement to behave as if they were a married couple and have been for a good while. they act strangely, silly, forcing the emotions of their 'characters' and failing to react accordingly, as the film's genuine first half suggests. where had the story gone? and where did this french absurdism spring from? was it important thematically, poetically, even structurally? what was this to communicate now about marriage, about art?

i rode the remainder of the movie out in anger, feeling as if we the audience had been cheated out of eight matinee dollars. part of what we as audience members pay for is the story that what was marketed to us (SEE TRAILER); part an enjoyable viewing experience, a dramatic foray into a world unknown; part an original worldview, a point-of-view that expresses truth about humanity and the madness that surrounds us.

perhaps mr. kiarostami has satisfied that last part, perhaps not. binoche and WILLIAM SHIMELL's characters speak at length about the insignificance of whether a piece of art is a copy, for the viewing experience remains the same. the 'copy' of binoche and shimell's fabricated relationship, on the other hand, was hard to observe. if CERTIFIED COPY's two recurring topics were art and marriage, he has to be comparing them. is he saying marriages cannot be faked with any success? is that some twisted critique of romantic drama? unfortunately, this argument stems more as a product of my frustration than it does from specific evidence or claims of the film, so i can hardly take anything in this paragraph seriously.

is this a movie i can recommend? for the first hour and a half, yes, it's a great experience. in its entirety, however, it seems at best to be certifiable confusion.

of gods and men: a story of faith for euro-loving hipsters everywhere

some french cistercian monks got more than they bargained for during a terrorist uprising in algeria a few years ago, inspiring this magnificent film to be made. OF GODS AND MEN explores the unique dramatic situation of this group of holy men that stood determined to live out their vocation as Catholic priests in a foreign country.

the film's beauty extends from these men coming to realize what faith is in the midst of death. while one might think a priest would have a solid grasp on the mysteries of what faces a man after death and their personal relationship to the divine, we are able to see doubt spread across their faces as terrorists intrude their monastery. it is a true drama here, seeing these men come to terms with their own priestly vows when their lives are threatened, and it seems here to be the honest conversion of saints or martyrs.

great characters. fantastic direction. so cannes. so euro. so beautiful and thought-provoking. absolutely powerful. for our hipster generation that rarely puts faith above itself, i think this is one to consider seeing.