MOVIES:
Steven Spielberg once said “the only thing better than seeing movies is
reading about them.”
We agree. This month:
Two Lovers,
Watchmen, I Love You, Man, He's Just Not
That Into You, The Class and The Reader.
DVD'S:
Juan Marcos Percy reviews Happy-Go-Lucky. Rick Sayre
reviews I've Loved You So Long, Rachel Getting
Married, Milk and "The Venture Brothers: Season
3."
MUSIC:
U2's No Line on the Horizon. Marianne Faithfull's
Easy Come, Easy Go. Ryan Leslie's self-titled debut.
BOOKS:
Rick Sayre reviews The Servants by Michael Marshall
Smith.
FOCUS:
Juan Marcos Percy
pays tribute to "Star Trek." Markell William's "My Calm, My
Cool."
SPOTLIGHT: "To
most people, Mathieu Kassovitz is primarily known as Nino
Quincampoix, Audrey Tatou’s ever-elusive soul mate in
Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s contemporary classic Amelie. But
behind that sweet, comic performance is an actor and
director who has made a variety of French and American
films, including one that, I feel, is one of the greatest
movies ever made in the history of motion pictures."
Starring: Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Jackie Earle
Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Patrick Wilson, and Carla Gugino.
The first time I read Alan Moore’s Watchmen, I was too young to
get it. I was an insatiable comic book reader when the first issues hit
the stand, but it wasn’t until a couple of years later that I picked any
of them up, thumbing through the boxes of back issues at Sunshine Comics
in Miami. By then I was probably 14 and Watchmen was too dark,
too sophisticated. Eventually I read the entire series and was able to
appreciate the flat-out genius of what Moore had done. Even though I
wouldn’t consider myself a hardcore Watchmen fan, I was one of
those people who found themselves excited and also a bit skeptical when
the film was announced. Possibly even more so when it was announced that
Zack (300) Snyder would be directing. Once the trailers started
appearing however, I was on board. Snyder’s Watchmen looked
bad-ass.
After seeing the film, I can tell you one thing for sure: Watchmenlooked bad-ass. But as a moviegoer, that may be all that I walked
away from it with. This movie hits you hard with everything it’s got.
Which I suppose is what some people want out of a movie. That sort of
Bam! Crash! Pow! Is fine in the medium of comics, but it’s exactly
the kind of heavy-handedness that completely takes me out of a film. I
need subtlety, grace and soul in my cinema. Watchmen lacked all
of that. Yes, the beginning and the end are thrilling,
particularly the amazing opening scene and the murder of The Comedian.
The visuals, as I said, are incredible and flawless. Performances by
Jackie Earle Haley and Patrick Wilson were highlights. Yet for all of
that, it can’t compare to the book.
Then
there’s the laughable prison scene, involving an over-the-top midget and
his equally ham-fisted minion, the incredibly heavy-handed musical
choices (Simon & Garfunkel’s “The sound of silence” and Leonard Cohen’s
“Hallelujah” being the worst offenders. Particularly “Hallelujah”
playing over a sex scene that made me laugh out loud in the theater) and
Snyder’s recurring use of slow-motion in action sequences. So yes,
Watchmen finally came to the movies, but with fairly mixed results
and without any of the sophistication that made it such a revelation
upon its original release as a graphic novel. Dear Hollywood, please
leave the good stuff alone. Oh yeah, and don’t even try to mess with
Sandman.
Set in the gray and grit of Brighton Beach, the love in Two Lovers
is best understood with tremendous patience. Leonard (Phoenix) is a
recovering depressive after an engagement gone awry. The opening
sequence of the film sees him on a delivery run while working part-time
for his father's dry cleaning shop. He suddenly attempts to drown
himself.
Luckily, he is saved, but it is with the darkness of the night that we
see how real love in life, from the hearts that remain knowingly hopeful
and reassuring for their beloveds, makes all the difference. An aspiring
photographer, Leonard is now living with his parents (Rossellini and
Moshonov) and is setup with Sandra (Shaw) one evening, the daughter of
close family friends, looking to agreeably take over Leonard's father's
business. She is the sweet brunette and dependable daddy's girl. Looking
out the window one night, he sees Michelle (Paltrow), a stylish city
blonde residing in a room paid for by her married lover, a man with
money and a past. Wandering aimlessly and back on drugs, she is the
messed up one. While Leonard is captured in Sandra's light, he is taken
by Michelle's need for a knight and unconditional acceptance.
What continues is a film that is in many ways awkward, sad, beautiful
and a tad too long. While the majority of the film is very surface and
begs deeper exploration in any and all of its characters, it is a
provoking, well-shot portrait of a story I hope most of us know. Two
Lovers affirms we will do anything for love, it brings the best (and
the worst) out of us, and it's the whole point.
Movies Lily saw: I Love You, Man, He’s
Just Not That Into You, The Class and The Reader.
Paul Rudd can do no wrong. Sort of. He’s been in his fair share of bad
movies—good god, Over Her Dead Body!?—but regardless of the
craptastic film that he may be featured in, somehow he always
manages to shine. In the past couple of years especially, Rudd has been
on a comedic roll with parts in nearly all of the Judd Apatow comedies—Anchorman,
40-year-old Virgin, Walk Hard, Knocked Up, and
Forgetting Sarah Marshall—and he has stolen the show every single
time. It is hard to pinpoint why exactly—he is good looking and
charming, yes, but so are a lot of other actors. What stands out about
him for me however is the sincerity with which he acts.
That was true in last year’s hilarious comedy Role Models, but it
is especially apparent in last month’s I
Love You, Man alongside Jason Segal. The movie tells the
story of the ultimate bro-mance as Rudd’s Pete is in desperate need of
finding a best friend and best man before his wedding. The film itself
is pretty funny, although not as funny as any of the Apatow comedies,
but the real reason to watch it is Rudd. He is so endearing as Pistol
Pete, the name that Segal’s Sydney grants him during their early
courtship, and his performance is really memorable in a film that has
more heart (and plot, thankfully) than comedic chops.
He’s Just Not That Into Youhas neither sadly. The only laughs that the film
garnered from me were from embarrassment—at the film’s poorly written
script, sound editing (during one scene, a song actually drowns out the
dialogue for about five minutes), and characters. The movie suffers from
too many movie stars playing too many characters with too many sub par
storylines; I can’t remember the last time an ensemble piece like this
actually worked out. The best part of the film, and it should come to no
surprise to those who know me, are Ben Affleck and Jennifer Aniston.
Their characters are the only ones that seem like actual people rather
than caricatures, and their performances are equally real and moving.
I’m a huge supporter of all things Affleck but I am especially a fan of
his romantic comedy skills, which are so rarely seen. He is equal parts
charming, intelligent and funny, and although his screen time added up
to about 15 minutes, sitting through He’s Just Not That Into You
was worth it just for him.
The Class
won the Palme D’Or at last year’s Cannes film festival and deservedly
so. It did not win this year’s Oscar for Best Foreign Film and it is
hard to understand why. The film feels like a documentary and is shot
like one, telling the story of a young high school teacher and the
struggles he faces in teaching difficult students, many of which are not
native French speakers. The movie is based on François Bégaudeau’s book,
and he wrote the screenplay and stars as himself in it as well.
Bégaudeau is by no means Robin Williams in Dead Poet Society. He
is a real teacher with real issues and problems, and a temper that
flares itself in one of the film’s most uncomfortable moments. The
Class is engrossing all-throughout it’s 2+ hours, and leaves you
wishing that it were the first of a series of films about the teachers
and students at Bégaudeau’s school.
The Reader
is probably the most under-hyped movie to be nominated for a Best
Picture Oscar this year. Yes, I am aware that it was well-reviewed, but
unlike Slumdog Millionaire, which seemed to be everywhere,
The Reader was this quiet little film touted solely as a vehicle
for Kate Winslet’s award-winning performance. I honestly never heard or
read anyone speak of the qualities of the film itself, or of any of the
other actors in it for that matter, and after seeing it I find that
surprising.
The Reader
is a film that sneaks up on you—it is a mystery when you expect a drama,
a love story in ways that you least expect and a drama when you are
entirely enthralled by the thrilling storyline. Directed by Stephen
Daldry and written by David Hare (who previously worked with Daldry on
The Hours), The Reader is an incredibly well-made film.
The acting, the cinematography, the score, the story, all are spot-on
and remarkable, harkening back to another revered drama, at least in my
book, The English Patient. (This should come as no surprise
considering that the late, great Anthony Minghella, and the powerhouse
Weinstein brothers produced both.) Winslet is fantastic as Hannah, a
complex and very difficult character to portray, and one that she
embodies perfectly. But I knew that (and expected that) coming into the
film.
What I didn’t expect however was to be completely swept away by Ralph
Fiennes and David Kross, the latter a young German actor (the crew of
The Reader had to wait for Kross to turn 18 in order to film some of
the movie’s more risqué scenes) and the former a man whose range seems
to only get better with age. Fiennes makes his performance in this film
look so easy, so effortless, as he often does in his roles, that its
heartbreaking tenderness is very nearly taken for granted. Kross,
playing the younger version of Fiennes in the film, lights up the screen
with his exuberant youth and intensity. Winslet is definitely the star
of The Reader, but remarkably—and believe me, I never thought I would
say this—I found myself counting the minutes, and often holding my
breath, till Kross and Fiennes appeared onscreen once more.
The idea for a film about the first openly gay man to be an elected
official, Harvey Milk, has been around Hollywood for ages. At one point,
Robin Williams was rumored to be the man to play Milk. The book The
Mayor of Castro Street was going to be the source. Gus Van Sant was
attached. But it never happened.
Today we can look back with thanks that the movie about Milk didn’t get
made until now. It was something that needed to be told by these
particular people: It needed Gus Van Sant, an openly gay filmmaker, who
can create the most beautiful moments of intimacy onscreen; it needed
Dustin Lance Black, a first-time screenwriter who wanted to give people
hope and did so beautifully. Mostly, I think it needed Sean Penn. In his
completely justified Oscar-winning performance, Penn breathes life into
the film. He inhabits this man so completely, who worked for so long and
fought so hard in service of his community—not just the homosexual
community, but also the city he loved so much. Who else, other than Sean
Penn, a righteous activist and one of our greatest living actors, could
have so indelibly performed this part? Not to mention a supporting cast
including James Franco, Alison Pill and Diego Luna. There is also Josh
Brolin, who is on some kind of career high, turning in one great
performance after another (and never really getting his due credit).
In the film, Harvey says “You’ve gotta give them hope.” When Dustin
Lance Black accepted his Oscar for writing the screenplay for Milk,
he talks about how learning about Milk gave him hope and then went on to
deliver his own message of hope to all of the gay kids who were
watching. It was the most inspiring moment of the night. What is amazing
is that Black has managed to weave that same feeling into the writing of
Milk. It is an inspiring film, one that I know I will watch over
and over again. I do hope that anyone, gay or straight, who feels like
an outsider, feels like they just don’t belong, will watch it and see
that change can happen. It happened in the 70s when Harvey Milk was
elected to office and it has happened again here in America with last
year’s monumental election. You’ve just got to have hope.
Starring: Sally
Hawkins, Alexis Zegerman, Eddie Marsan, Samuel Roukin, Kate O'Flynn,
Caroline Martin and Sylvestra Le Touzel.
What has one “Oh!
What-chu-ma-call-it ding dang dilly dilly da da hoo hoo!” two
inseparable best mates, three fallen angels that are part of the
triangle of car mirrors, a homeless man, a crazy driving instructor, a
dysfunctional family and more than 50 reasons why you will fall in love
with Poppy? Would you like a hint? One word “Enraha.” Nothing yet? Okay
two words, Mike Leigh. Now if you are still scratching your head
wondering what the hell I’m talking about, then may I suggest that you
go to Netflix and look up Mike Leigh then rent Naked, Secrets
& Lies, Career Girls, Topsy-Turvy, All or Nothing
and Vera Drake. (Sure you can see Happy-Go-Lucky without
watching his other films but I promise you that you will be missing
out.) Even though this film is by far the most accessible of Leigh’s
films I feel it’s important to see where his characters have come from.
Happy-Go-Lucky
follows the life and adventures of a carefree, happy, optimistic primary
school teacher named Poppy as she learns that a bicycle might be the
best form of transportation, finds love when she least expects it,
dances flamenco in her cowboy boots, fights to save one of her students
and promises to stay “Happy-Go-Lucky” in a not so happy world. This time
around Mike Leigh has replaced the famed, troubled, and eccentric lead
character with Poppy the optimistic angel. But don’t worry—the rest of
the elements he is known for are still there: You have the obsessive,
paranoid, anti-social, religious driving instructor Scott, played
brilliantly by Eddie Marsan. The loving, understanding flat mate and
partner in crime Zoe (Alexis Zegerman) and the two dysfunctional sisters
Suzy (Kate O'Flynn) and Helen (Caroline Martin). We also can’t forget
the seemingly perfect love interest that makes Poppy’s smile that much
bigger, Tim (Samuel Roukin).
This leads me to
Miss Poppy herself, Pauline Cross, played by Golden Globe-winning
actress Sally Hawkins. Although her never ending smile and her eternal
cheerful disposition might annoy some people I found her optimism and
charisma to be refreshing and uplifting. I truly got a kick out of
seeing what she was going to do next. The only real criticism I have is
that the film ended right when things were just starting to get good.
Mike Leigh could have continued for another two hours and I would have
loved every minute of it. I almost feel like they should make a TV show
from Poppy’s life and it would be a guaranteed hit. I guess what I’m
trying to say is that if you love Mike Leigh’s films then I’m confident
you will love Happy-Go-Lucky as well.
Okay, so I’m not grouping these two movies together just because they’ve
got almost the exact same DVD covers: Lead actress close up with out of
focus people in the background and Sony Pictures Classics logo on the
top. No. The thing is that these are both astounding films about sisters
with dark pasts returning to the family fold. Also, both films feature
spellbinding performances by their lead actresses.
In Jonathan Demme’s Rachel Getting Married, the sister is Kym,
played by Anne Hathaway, in what is absolutely a performance that will
be remembered. Her Oscar nomination was completely deserved and her
transformation from The Princess Diaries-chick to formidable film
actress is official. Kym is a recovering addict, leaving rehab to attend
her sister’s wedding. From the start, Kym doesn’t make it easy on her
family. She hooks up with the best man in record time, usurps the
position of maid of honor and makes an incredibly inappropriate toast at
the rehearsal dinner. Meanwhile, her sister (United States of Tara’s
Rosemarie DeWitt) tries not to set her off and her father (Bill Irwin)
is solicitous and overly cautious. One of the film’s highlights is a
devastating scene between Kym and her mother, played by Debra Winger.
While it would be easy to miss all of the great performances, what with
Hathaway’s magnetic starring turn, it would be a tragedy to disregard
the great work by the supporting cast. In particular, I feel that Irwin
was very neglected during Hollywood’s extensive awards season. He gave
one of the best performances of the year.
Rachel Getting Married
is a caustic tale, but one with unexpected moments of humor and warmth.
The end sort of goes on a bit longer than perhaps it ought to, but
overall it’s a fantastic movie. The disc includes some deleted scenes
and features as well as two commentaries—one with Demme and another with
DeWitt (sorry, no Hathaway).
Kristin Scott Thomas also gave an amazing performance—one that was
lauded quite a bit, even if there was no Oscar nod for it. What’s more,
she did it in French. In I’ve Loved You So Long, Scott Thomas
plays Juliette, a woman who has been away from her family for 15 years.
In fact, she has spent this time in prison. Léa, her younger sister,
separated from Juliette by the parents who disowned her, gives her a
place to live upon her release, along with Léa’s husband and two adopted
daughters. I believe that the less you know about the story, the better
it is. The treat here is the magnificence of Kristin Scott Thomas, as
well as Elsa Zylberstein, who manages to hold her own as Léa. The only
features on the DVD are some deleted scenes, and the option to see the
film dubbed in English with Scott Thomas voicing her own lines. But why
would you want to do that?
Fans of the hit Cartoon Network show “The Venture Bros.” can rejoice:
Their best season ever is now available on DVD and Blu-Ray, and it is
even better than it was when it aired. Filled with laughs, secret origin
stories and more big show mythology moments than you can shake a stick
at, the show’s third season rocked. Pop culture geeks will freak over
references to G.I. Joe, The Fantastic Four, Voltron and of course,
Hunter S. Thompson with “big, beautiful tits!”
This time around, the uncensored version doesn’t just give us every
curse word, but frankly, more cock and balls than a French film with
Louis Garrel. When they say uncensored, they mean it. (Plus, you’ve got
deleted scenes with storyboards from every episode.) This ought to tide
over fans until the fourth (and final?) season begins in November. Will
Brock’s hair grow back? Will Molotov Cocktail get her due? If Hank and
Dean die again, do they die for good? We can only wait. But this is
enough to keep us entertained until then.
Ryan Leslie is a
name you may be familiar with. He’s a multi-talented singer, songwriter,
producer and entrepreneur. He’s produced songs for artists such as
Cassie, Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Cheri Dennis, LL Cool J, Danity Kane,
and Donell Jones. Leslie is also the CEO of the NextSelection Lifestyle
Group and has a very successful channel on YouTube, RyanLeslieTV. While
steadily building his reputation as a renaissance man, Leslie released
three buzz worthy singles – “Diamond Girl” and “Addiction” featuring
Cassie & Fabolous (both top 40 R&B hits) and the most recent single,
“How It Was Supposed to Be.” After several push backs, his self-titled
debut album was released in February 2009. And the wait was well worth
it.
Ryan Leslie
is a 12-track set of mostly mid-tempo, seductive grooves that (re)
introduces Ryan Leslie – the artist – to the world. Aside from the help
of a few musicians, Leslie wrote, produced, arranged, and played the
instruments on all 12 songs. Aside from Prince, Lenny Kravitz, and Van
Hunt, he’s one of the few contemporary artists to fall into the one-man
band category. That’s an amazing feat in today’s industry. Leslie’s
blend of R&B/Soul, Hip-Hop, Rock, Pop, and Electronic music make for an
enjoyable listening experience. This also makes it virtually impossible
to put him in a box (as he confidently states on his hit song “Diamond
Girl”), but that is not necessarily a bad thing.
Leslie avoids
formulas by varying his style with club anthems like “Diamond Girl” and
“How It Was Supposed to Be,” the alt-rock, N.E.R.D.-esque “Quicksand,”
sweet, tender balladry on “Valentine,” Hip-Hop/Soul on “Just Right,”
Neo-soul on “Shouldn’t Have to Wait,” drum-n-bass on “Out of the Blue”
and acoustic soul on “Wanna Be Good.” As far as vocal performance,
Leslie is a solid singer with a pleasing voice. He may not be the best
singer in the game, but he knows how to channel his strengths and stay
within a range that is most comfortable to him. He uses his falsetto to
great effect on songs like “Addiction” and “Valentine.” Though he
doesn’t need to resort to studio trickery, he does make quite a stir
with his use of Auto-Tune on the beautiful yet satiric “Gibberish,” the
album’s closing song. Most importantly, the goal on Leslie’s debut album
didn’t seem to be focusing on one particular aspect of his talent but
all aspects – his singing, songwriting, production, arrangements, and
instrumental gifts. And this is what makes Ryan Leslie stand out
when compared to other contemporary R&B releases in recent memory.
Ryan Leslie
is one of this year’s most promising contemporary R&B releases. Leslie
has assembled a stellar set of smooth, hypnotic songs that you can
listen to endlessly. He has a unique style, sound, and voice that should
keep him in rotation for quite some time.
Over the last several years, Marianne Faithfull has made a new chapter
in her 40-year long career by collaborating with the cool kids. With
Kissin’ Time in 2002, she worked with artists like Beck, Billy
Corgan and Jarvis Cocker, performing songs written by them for her. In
2005, she recorded Before the Poison, which featured songs
written by PJ Harvey and Nick Cave. This time around for Easy Come,
Easy Go, she is covering songs by artists like Neko Case, The
Decemberists, Morrissey and even Dolly Parton.
Marianne Faithfull is definitely not for everyone. Her voice is husky
and scratched up, the voice of a woman who has lived quite a lot. Think
of late Billie Holiday (who also sang “Solitude,” one of the songs
featured) or even Lotte Lenya. It is the combination of that voice and
the music she sings that makes what she performs so amazing. Even songs
I didn’t like in their original incarnations (such as The Decemberists’
“The crane wife 3”) are given an entirely new life when sung by Marianne
Faithfull. She lends a sense of gravitas to each song that she sings. In
a sense, she is more like an interpreter of songs than a traditional pop
artist.
There are contributions by other artists, and Rufus Wainwright, Cat
Power and Keith Richards are all present to sing along. However, they
are mostly relegated to the background. The two great exceptions are
Nick Cave, whose voice haunts “The crane wife 3” and Antony, who duets
on the Smokey Robinson cover, “Ooh baby baby.” I know that seems like it
really shouldn’t work, but it very much does. One song that doesn’t work
so much is the album’s closer, a take of West Side Story’s “Somewhere”
performed with Jarvis Cocker. It’s definitely the oddest version of the
song I’ve heard, but sounds more like falling apart than anything
else. Now, the Neko Case cover, “Hold on, hold on” is something I could
listen to over and over again and the Morrissey song, “Dear God please
help me” is a revelation. (This is coming from someone who really
dislikes Morrissey.) Again, it is all about Faithfull and what she
brings to the music. Of her recent albums I think this one is my
favorite. I’m calling it a must own.
When U2’s past two albums, 2000’s All That You Can’t Leave Behind
and 2004’s How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, were released, nearly
every review remarked that the band was going back to their roots, back
to the Joshua Tree-sound that made them a household name. In a
way this is understandable—the last album that the band had released
(excluding the two greatest hits) was 1997’s Pop, a landmark
dance album that was, by their standards, a flop here in the U.S. It was
unlike anything the band had ever done before, dark and moody,
alternating between dance and techno rythms, pop, soul and guitar-rock.
Music critics were astounded by it to a certain degree but most fans
took it in stride—up until that point, there was no such thing as a U2
album that didn’t break the mold of the previous one upon release. Until
HTDAAB, which resembled ATYCLB to a very large degree, but
still didn’t necessarily harken back to the so-called U2 “roots.”
No Line On The Horizon
doesn’t have that problem. It does sound like early U2 (there are
elements of Pop, Achtung Baby and even Passengers
all over the record) and yet it also sounds like nothing you’ve ever
heard the band do before. “No Line On The Horizon,” the album’s title
track, has a chorus that gets under your skin, with Larry Mullen’s
signature drumbeat permeating in the background. The song is infectious
and begs to be chanted—I can already see it playing out like “City of
Blinding Lights” did in the “Vertigo” tour. “Cedars of Lebanon” is
haunting and so reminiscent of a Passengers track that it is
eerie and “Unknown Caller” sounds like a B-side from Zooropa,
down to the very Lemon-esque falsetto vocals. All of these songs are
pretty incredible, but for every great song on NLOTH, there are
also absolute misses. “Get On Your Boots,” the first single off of the
album is the worst song by far, but “Magnificent” is not too far behind.
Both tracks try too hard to be innovative and creative and yet fail
entirely. In these songs, Bono’s voice sounds distant and effect-ridden.
I miss hearing the richness of his voice, the rise and fall of its
timbres, the depth of emotion that it can tap into with one single note.
But then there’s “Moment of Surrender,” a song that makes me want to
retract every single thing that I’ve just said. “At the moment of
surrender/I'm falling to my knees/I did not notice the passers by/And
they did not notice me.” The song encompasses everything that I love
about U2—the way that they are able to express the impossible, all of
the intangible, spiritual things that the best music always calls
to mind. It took me three full-length, very patient listens to
get into NLOTH but ultimately it was worth it. It’s an album that
makes me miss driving, as there is truly nothing as spectacular as
listening to a U2 album as it blasts through your car speakers.
I picked up The Servants one day when I was in the mood for
something scary. I was expecting a spooky ghost story from an author who
had written a couple of great thrillers (The Straw Men and The
Upright Man). In the end I found myself surprised and disappointed.
I had read two of Michael Marshall Smith’s novels years ago and both
were unsettling, complex suspense novels. Since then he has made a name
for himself with his novel Spares. He now follows that with
The Servants. It’s a tale about an 11-year old boy, Mark, who has
been relocated from London to sleepy, seaside Brighton, with his mother
and stepfather, David. While his mother spends her days in various
stages of sickness, being tended to by David, Mark leads a lonely
existence, skateboarding on his own or walking along the seafront. Much
of his time is spent complaining about how annoying David is. (Readers
like me will find themselves feeling the same way about how often the
word “annoying” is used.) It’s also likely that they’ll wonder, as I
did, whether or not this was meant to be a book for young readers, as
it’s pretty much written at a 5th grade level. I suppose it
could be written so simply because it’s focusing on an 11-year old,
which would be totally fine except that the story it tells is jaw-droppingly
dull.
In the course of his days, Mark befriends the little old lady who lives
downstairs. One day, she takes a key from her cupboard and opens up a
door in the back of her flat. Beyond a passage lies the old kitchen, a
remnant of the days when the house was staffed with housemaids, cooks
and butlers. She explains to Mark the way the house was run, the two
worlds of upstairs and downstairs. Eventually, Mark returns to the
cupboard and opens the door on his own to find a very different world.
That may sound promising, but in the end it only disappoints. The next
time I want to read something spooky, I’ll re-read A Good and Happy
Child by Justin Evans instead.
Sci-Fi has always
been a big part of my life. My earliest childhood recollections are of
watching shows like “Planet of the Apes: The Series,” “V: The Series,”
“The Greatest American Hero,” “Knight Rider” and “The Incredible Hulk.”
But the show that had the greatest impact on my young psyche was Gene
Roddenberry’s “Star Trek.” I consider myself to be a trekkie, and
as you might already know there are several degrees of trekkie-madness.
For example, I love the “Star Trek” franchise but you would never catch
me dressed up as a Borg, Vulcan or Klingon at Comic-Con or any
convention for that matter. (Seriously, I took the “Are you a trekkie?”
quiz at nerdtests.com and I got a rating of “Lieutenant” which means
that “You watch one or two series, but you don’t try to impress your
neighbors with your trivia knowledge. You’re a fan but you try not to
take it too far.”)
The “Star Trek”
franchise is made up of six television series, ten feature films with
the eleventh about to be released next month, dozens of computer and
video games and hundreds of novels. Not to mention the yearly “Star
Trek” conventions, a themed attraction in Las Vegas, “Star Trek” Online
and a tsunami of merchandizing. So as much as you would like to ignore
the phenomenon, “Star Trek” is here to stay. The show’s contribution to
film and television has made it possible for the Sci-Fi genre to survive
in the cutthroat mainstream film and television markets. The road for
other drama-driven Sci-Fi shows to follow was paved by the quality of
the writing, the always improving special effects, and the fan base of
each new series in the “Star Trek” franchise.
My present day
obsession with the updated version of “Battlestar Galactica” would not
be possible without the efforts made years ago by the legendary Gene
Roddenberry. His life story is filled with both failure and success. He
will always be known to the world as the man that created “Star Trek,”
but few people know that he had to struggle for years before finally
making it in Hollywood. For seven years he worked as an LAPD Police
officer, until the day came when he resigned to try his luck and become
a writer fulltime. While working as a police officer, Gene Roddenberry
started developing the idea for a television show that combined Buck
Rogers, Flash Gordon and “Wagon Train.” Eventually this idea
would turn into “Star Trek.” Sadly, after only three seasons on the air,
NBC decided to cancel the show due to poor ratings. Surprisingly the
show reached its peak in popularity years later while in syndication; it
was thanks to this newly found interest in the show that Gene
Roddenberry was given a second chance to bring back the Enterprise and
his beloved characters. This second attempt to revive “Star Trek” would
eventually lead to the transition from television into feature films.
Although many of
the feature films have proven to be both critically and financially
disappointing, it is important to acknowledge their presence and
significance to our culture and the Sci-Fi community. During the late
seventies Paramount realized the potential of the syndicated show and
turned the “Star Trek” name into a money making franchise. Unfortunately
something very important was lost in the process. After the
disappointing reception of the first film, Star Trek: The Motion
Picture, Roddenberry was removed by Paramount from all future “Star
Trek” feature film projects. He was given the title of consultant but
was powerless to do anything to prevent the franchise from spiraling
down due to poor writing and sequel fatigue. (Gene Roddenberry would
later return to television to create and produce my second favorite
“Star Trek” series, “Star Trek: The Next Generation.”)
Among the ten
“Star Trek” films there are a few good ones and the rest are forgettable
to say the least. My favorites include: The Wrath of Khan, The
Search for Spock, The Voyage Home, Generations and
Nemesis. The first three were written as a kind of trilogy that
revolved around the death and resurrection of Mr. Spock. The fourth one
was the transition from the original “Star Trek” cast to the “Next
Generation” cast, co-written by “Battlestar Galactica’s” Ronald D.
Moore. The fifth one doesn’t have much of a story line; it seems like
the writers just decided to steal the successful elements from the
previous films. However Nemesis does offer one of the best action
packed finales of any “Star Trek” film. In about a month the latest
installment of the “Star Trek” franchise will be released. Star Trek
is directed by J.J. Abrams and it promises to be the much needed
makeover that the fans have been waiting for.
For years the
“Star Trek” franchise has reminded us of the beauty of our universe and
inspired generations to keep looking up. The show is a mirror of our
society, giving us insight into God, man, the environment, social
issues, technology and our possible future. Characters like Mr. Spock,
Captain Kirk, Scottie, Sulu, Uhura, Data, Worf, Commander Riker and
Captain Picard have taken scenes from our wildest dreams and made them a
reality. For one hour every week the show has done the impossible and
transported millions of people into the far reaches of space. Who would
think that a TV show has the power to make your dreams come true? For me
“Star Trek” symbolizes man’s ultimate achievement, the ability to
conquer space, time and the social economic issues that plague our
civilization. To sum up, I would like to end with a line from the movie
Star Trek Generations. Captain Picard is pleading with Captain
Kirk for him to help him save a planet from destruction. Captain Kirk
jokingly replies, “Let me guess, the odds are against us and the
situation is grim.”
To most people,
Mathieu Kassovitz is primarily known as Nino Quincampoix, Audrey Tatou’s
ever-elusive soul mate in Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s contemporary classic
Amelie. But behind that sweet, comic performance is an actor and
director who has made a variety of French and American films, including
one that, I feel, is one of the greatest movies ever made in the history
of motion pictures.
Kassovitz, as a
director, began making short films in his early teens on a Super 8
camera he borrowed from his grandfather. In 1994 Kassovitz directed his
first feature film Café au lait for $550,000. Café au lait
is a charming comedy about a woman who is dating two men, a Jewish
delivery boy named Felix (played by Kassovitz himself) and a Muslim law
student named Jamal (Hubert Kounde). The lovely Julie Mauduech (Kassovitz’s
one time spouse and mother of his child) plays the lead role of Lola.
When Lola learns she is pregnant, she informs both of her lovers that
she will not know which of them is the father until the child is born.
In the meantime, the trio enters into a strange but humorous arrangement
where both men share the responsibilities of being Lola’s significant
other.
The film seems to
be largely influenced by Spike Lee’s breakthrough feature debut She’s
Gotta Have It. The moment we’re introduced to Kassovitz’s Felix,
it’s impossible not to think of Spike Lee’s Mars Blackmon. (Even the
story appears to draw inspiration from She’s Gotta Have It’s
protagonist not having one exclusive romantic relationship.) Café au
lait also touches on the issue of racial tensions and Kassovitz
handles the subject matter with objective honesty, not unlike Spike Lee
and Martin Scorsese.
When watching
Kassovitz’s films, one sees the influence Lee and Scorsese, as well as
other directors like Steven Spielberg, have had on the French director.
But what makes Kassovitz a terrific filmmaker is that he harnesses that
inspiration, uses it as knowledge and applies it to his own unique
voice. He is able to marry his influence to his own original ideas.
In 1995, Kassovitz
wrote and directed a film that I consider to be not only one of the most
important films of the 1990s and one of the greatest French films but
one of the best movies ever made. La Haine is, at its core, a
simple enough story: What happens when three young men from the projects
find a gun? During a riot, protesting police brutality that left a young
man in a coma, a cop loses his gun. The following day Vinz, who has the
gun, and his two friends, Hubert and Said, spend their time hanging out
as usual. Only on this day, they talk about the riots and the level of
tension is particularly high, especially because Vinz intends to kill a
cop if the young man in the hospital dies.
Kassovitz captures
all the tension, violence, anger and humor of each situation
beautifully. He raises questions about the society the three main
characters live in, about the violence, the corruption of officials, the
survival of the poor and the misplaced aggression of youth versus the
warranted retaliation of the oppressed. His characters are raw, truthful
and unwavering. The behavior of the people in the film is brutally human
and the way it is captured on screen is gritty and powerful.
La Haine is
as noteworthy for its wonderful camerawork and editing as for its
fascinating character-driven story. Kassovitz uses his camera to bring
alive the otherwise basic moments of mere existence. Often using long
takes and ever-moving shots, each angle gives a vibrant feel to the
simplest of moments.
La Haine
won Best Picture at France’s coveted Cesar awards and Mathieu Kassovitz
received the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival. Kassovitz
also received recognition at Cannes for his next feature, Assassin(s)
in 1997.
In 2000, Kassovitz
directed Jean Reno and Vincent Cassel in The Crimson Rivers.
Despite the film’s terribly convoluted and far-fetched plot, Kassovitz
shows his great ability for creating and holding tension and providing
the audience with wonderful visuals.
In Amelie
(2001), Kassovitz plays Nino, a dreamer with his own peculiar quirks
that match the imagination and sweetness of Audrey Tatou’s title
character. Kassovitz is wonderfully soft-spoken as the curious Nino and,
though the on-screen time together isn’t very long, he shares wonderful
chemistry with the enchanting Tatou.
Over the next few
years Kassovitz would play supporting roles in both French and American
films such as Birthday Girl (2001) and Amen. (2002).
In 2003, Kassovitz
made his first English language film as a director with Gothika.
In a delightfully suspenseful psychological thriller, Halle Berry plays
a psychiatrist who is institutionalized for unknowingly murdering her
husband. Kassovitz unfolds the story in such a way that you are
constantly intrigued, never really sure if Berry’s character is crazy or
haunted. He also makes you wonder who can be trusted among both Berry’s
former colleagues and her former patients, who are now her fellow
inmates. With Gothika Kassovitz proves he is as effective
directing Hollywood stars in a big budget endeavor as he is directing
smaller, personal films. One of the reasons is the character
sensibilities he places such a high premium on in films like Café au
lait and La Haine, he adds to the plot-heavy Gothika,
which in other hands could have been just another horror movie.
2005’s Munich
gave Kassovitz the opportunity to work with one of his great influences
as a filmmaker, Steven Spielberg. As one of five men charged with the
task of killing those who planned the Black September attacks at the
1972 Olympics in Munich, Kassovitz’s Robert is the character most of us
could identify with. He’s just a toymaker, who had been trained in the
past to dismantle bombs, and is now the explosives expert for this
secret task force. But Robert is not fully conditioned for this work and
the killings get to him. Kassovitz portrays the character with great
sensitivity and has one of the most touching moments of the film when he
tells Eric Bana’s Avner: “We’re supposed to be righteous. That’s a
beautiful thing. That’s Jewish. That’s what I knew, that’s what I was
taught. And now I’m losing it, and I lose that, that’s everything.
That’s my soul.”
For five years
Mathieu Kassovitz nursed a project he felt very passionate about
bringing to the screen. The picture was an adaptation of Maurice Georges
Dantec’s “Babylon Babies.” In 2008, Kassovitz finally directed the
resulting film, Babylon A.D. Unfortunately Kassovitz’s film was
met with constant meddling by producers at 20th Century Fox.
Kassovitz said in an interview with AMCTV, “I never had a chance to do
one scene the way it was written or the way I wanted it to be. The
script wasn't respected. Bad producers, bad partners, it was a terrible
experience.” Kassovitz’s film was to be about the evolution of a world
where society is secondary to money and politics, and what that world
eventually becomes. Again Kassovitz’s social conscience adds depth and
vision to make a film something more than a run of the mill genre
picture. But Fox producers altered the script and eventually re-edited
the film, releasing a movie that Kassovitz never intended Babylon
A.D. to be. Kassovitz says of the film, “It’s pure violence and
stupidity. The movie is supposed to teach us that the education of our
children will mean the future of our planet… I should have chosen a
studio that has guts. Fox was just trying to get a PG-13 movie.”
On DVD, Babylon
A.D. was released in “unrated” form, with a running time of about
ten extra minutes. Perhaps this version is a little closer to
Kassovitz’s idea of the film, but since Fox’s interference began in the
script stage, it’s safe to say Kassovitz’s Babylon A.D. never
stood a chance. Watching the non-theatrical version, some of Kassovitz’s
style and filmmaking ability is clearly seen. Much of the opening of the
film seems familiar to a Kassovitz fan. But, sadly, throughout the rest
of the film, it’s easy to tell where and how Fox chose to simplify the
film attempting to make it a more accessible action flick.
To say that
Mathieu Kassovitz is talented would be an understatement. As an actor he
has always drawn me in to each performance. As a director he has
inspired me with his unique vision. In his commentary for the La
Haine Criterion Collection DVD, Kassovitz says that he believes
La Haine is the best film he will ever make. No one can say if that
will turn out to be true or not. I know that I will continue to watch
any Mathieu Kassovitz film I have the pleasure to view. I hope that he
gets more opportunities to use his voice, and I hope that his experience
with Babylon A.D. is just one bad bump along the road. Like
Hubert tells us in La Haine, “How you fall doesn’t matter. It’s
how you land.”
