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.

somewhere?

sophia's not my cup of tea, but i can't say i didn't enjoy watching it. with SOMEWHERE, her latest effort in directing, she not so much tells a story as captures a snapshot of a lifestyle and its implications.

many critics have compared this to european cinema, and this comparison makes sense. the film is quiet. the script is not full of words. the acting is generally genuine and not forced.

but if film directors are storytellers, one should expect them to tell a story. instead, miss coppola presents many prolonged snapshots from the perspective of an unassuming observer, seemingly expecting her audience to hyper-intellectualize the subject matter of her chosen moving images in order to reach a conclusion or formulate their own version of a storyline.

from my experience, good european cinema doesn't do that... so why the comparison? this is narrative minimalism to an extreme, and although it can be mildly entertaining to peek into the life of a fictional hollywood star and his lack of a family life, this seems to be less of storytelling and more of studying character in the form of a feature film.

the kids are all right: the film's just a'ight

there was one moment during this film when i felt like there was dramatically intriguing stuff. otherwise, THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT offers an interesting look at the levels of sacrifice necessary in a long-term "marriage," gay or not. the story's stituation is unique to lezzie partnerships, however, for breadwinner mom one (annette bening) and dykey mom two (julienne moore) bore children together thanks to one hippie sperm donor (mark ruffalo). the resulting children, now of age, search the hippie down, and his brief addition to the family catalyzes a long-comin', bedrock-shakin' fight between moms one and two.

for conservative theatre-goers, director LISA CHOLODENKO highlights what is probably one of biggest problems in a lesbian marriage: the need to feel sexually fulfilled by something only a man can provide. it's interesting to see that play out dramatically, though in the end i'm not sure it provides the argument it's necessarily going for in proving the absolute viability of gay marriage between women when compared to marriage between man and woman. what it does prove is that this group of people under the "momses," as one character describes, is a fully functioning, alternative family unit.

again: there's one moment that makes this movie absolutely worthwhile, but i can't in good mind spoil it. the filmmaking at that point is great. otherwise, the movie's pretty indie and the performances are generally good, though not oscar-worthy as many people are labelling it. this is simply the mainstream gay movie of the year.

hanna

highly anticipated.



joe wright is MY FAVORITE DIRECTOR.

trailer jam

my favorite trailer of 2010, even though i'm almost positive it will be better than the movie itself.