Blame it on Fidel!

La Faute à Fidel! (2006)
NR
Running Time: 99 minutes
France

For a really long time I couldn't get over the acting of Victoire Thivisol of Ponette. It's really good, and she was 4 years old. Nina Kervel-Bey, however, gave Victoire a run for her money in 2006 with her sullen yet sassy role in Blame it on Fidel. I would be bitter too if I grew up in the comforts of bourgeois France only to be deprived of these things because my parents decided to become activists.

The story is probably hard to relate to. It might be offensive to some because of the film's glorification of radical (not liberal) ideals. It is even arguable that Anna (Victoire), who voices all the objections a spoiled capitalist would raise, embodies an infantile and inferior view to that of the radicals. (i.e. liberal = sophisticated, fiscally conservative = not yet educated on the matter.) This may, however, be a poor interpretation. It is important to remember that Anna is the protagonist.

In 1970, Anna's parents decide to go to Chile and help their comrades establish a new order. I'm not going to tell you the whole story because I'm lazy, and I have class soon. Essentially, the parents throw themselves into their work and neglect their children. Anna, in particular, resents this.

Anna is very perceptive. She questions her parents current and past actions, articulately observing the hypocrisy in their lives. The father is inconsistent in standing up for causes (he missed out on the 1967 French student revolt because he had a cushy job.) The mother jeopardizes their roles in Chile by getting involved in an advocacy group to legalize abortion.

Anna is also selfish (capitalist?). She has a conversation with "les barbus" (bearded men) who often congregate at her home about the merits of capitalism (you get lots of money for yourself) verses the merits of communism (there is no self interest). As much as the film is black and white or left and right, it is subtly complex in how it portrays the way the characters have to relate to each other given their ideals.

The film is pretty heavy handed. So, if you hate liberal ideals, don't watch it. You will be distracted and perhaps infuriated by the ideology.

The film ends on a very optimistic note. Anna transfers to a public school, and unwittingly the other children invite her to join them. I think the symbolism is we always ought to remember that a human being is more important than any ideal, left or right. I don't think that Julie Gavras really got the point across in any explicit way, but this is alright given that Hollywood beats us over the head with whatever they think is important. ( I have to disagree slightly with DC's review of Wall•E. The first 30 minutes were amazing. When the humans come along it was like we had to be bludgeoned to death with the fact that if we don't eat healthy and exercise, we will be obese, or the fact that the earth is nearly dead, but if a little plant can do it, (do what?!?) we can too! I absolutely agree that these are important issues, I just feel that the film was a little didactic. But, barring that barrage of if-you-didn't-get-the-point-we-will-reiterate-it-over-and-over-just-to-make-sure, Wall•E was great.) Okay, I better end the review there...

Smart People

Smart People (2008)
R
Running Time: 95 minutes
USA

I love double entendres...especially when used skillfully to make your mind think in ways that it probably wouldn't otherwise. This film is obviously about some of the smartest idiots on the planet...brilliant in some ways, socially retarded in others. Seems to me that in life there are certain trade offs when it comes to talents and abilities, something that Noam Murro explores through these complex characters that were created to demonstrate just how difficult it is to maintain "healthy" relationships when crippled emotionally.

Lawrence Wetherhold (Dennis Quaid) is the the widower father of two children and a professor at Carnegie Mellow. Self absorbed, arrogant and prideful, he can't even remember current student's names, let alone former one's. After a fall/seizure, he ends up in the emergency room as the patient of a former student and, painfully at times, a romantic friendship ensues. During all of this, Lawerence's adopted brother Chuck (Thomas Hayden Church) shows up for a handout and a place to stay and begins to stir the proverbial pot.

This movie was fairly well done. Strong performances by Quaid, Church, Ellen Page and Sarah Jessica Parker keep the story moving with comedic moments and an occassional heart string pull. It's rated R for language, some sexuality and drug use, some involving teens (I totally sound like a real movie reviewer! I'm proud of myself!). I was well entertained and would recommend it to anyone in the mood for a quirky, romantic comedy...but I would definitely suggest seeing Running With Scissors, if you already haven't. Smart People felt like a small step down from RWS...albeit both are worth seeing. Enjoy!

Evelyn

Evelyn (2002)
PG
Running Time: 95 minutes
UK

For those of you who managed to nail your eyelids open long enough to watch the newly released Mama Mia!, Evelyn may interest you too. Actually, all that the two films share in common is Pierce Brosnan singing. But, if James Bond singing ABBA songs to Meryl Streep doesn't deter you, then James Bond singing Irish Pub songs can only be that much more enticing. Supposedly this film is based on actual events. Desmond is the father of three children. His wife leaves him, and he subsequently looses his children because he drinks. The children are sent to a Catholic orphanage. James is poor and he is an alcoholic. He gives up the drink, teams up with some lawyers and they try to overthrow the Irish system of family law. The law can be interesting, sometimes, and this film does an fairly good job of exploring the social and political aspects of any good lawsuit, but so far as movies about the law are concerned, this one is pretty typical.

This film has good nuns and one bad nun, bad lawyers and a few good lawyers, cute little kids, and a grip of Irish people hanging out in pubs. But, there is only one lay Irish folk singer, and though he doesn't quite measure up to The Pogues, Dropkick Murphys, or Flogging Molly, he most certainly outdoes his performance in Mama Mia! (Trust me, that film was so bad that I didn't even see it.) The best part of this film is Evelyn's (Sophie Vavasseur) testimony.

This film is a 3 out of 5. It is mediocre, inspirational, and moderately paced. (Want to see a really good portrayal of politics and law? See the recent John Adams mini-series, episode 1.)

Pineapple Express

Pineapple Express
R
Running Time: 111 minutes
USA

Why do I do this to myself?

Let me clarify before your thought processes get off track. There is a certain skill in overcoming what I'd like to officially label as "Christmas Syndrome™" or "CS™". This malady involves seeing an ad for any given product and completely allowing it to define your perception of said item, whether that be a toy, piece of clothing or even a film. Sadly, I fell prey to my own made up disease with this film and would like to hopefully shed some light as to why.

Judd Apatow is an incredible filmmaker. He uses horrible language, extremely crude humor and somewhat gimmicky sight gags...but the skilled part is, he makes you care about characters who are complete and total losers. That's not easy to do...and Mr. Apatow seems to have the capacity to pull it off with regularity. HOWEVER, that only seems to be the case when he directs his movies. When the Apatow name appears only as a producer, the film seems to suffer some...

Which brings me to tonight's word...I mean, review (please don't sue me Mr. Colbert). Plot? Don't bother...it's hardly relevant. A good stoner movie (which, admittedly, this is) cares not for such things. Comedic value? I laughed hysterically for the first half of the movie...almost on par with Superbad...and then it was like watching a firecracker whose fuse reaches the flash point, fizzles and then slowly tips over. It left me wanting. Not a good feeling. It's like the girl that winks seductively, gets your attention and then runs screaming in the other direction (admit it..it's happened to you, too). And this is where CS™ set in. I just kept thinking "Why?! Why did you build this up into another 40 Year Old Virgin when you know that's an incredibly high bench mark to reach?" But then I remind myself...Seth Rogen is good in everything he's been in (I even liked his minuscule role in Donnie Darko), it's at least an Apatow production and James Franco as a stoner looked hysterical. Therefore, after reflecting back on what I just viewed, I can conclude that, based on previous experience with Apatow films and with Seth Rogen, I contracted a slight case of CS™ which most likely affected my overall satisfaction with the film (not to mention the poor casting of Rosie Perez and the fact that the gore at the end almost seemed to be an inside joke between cast and crew). This happened to me somewhat with Superbad...and I'm happy to say that several viewings later I have come to enjoy it thoroughly. Not sure if that will be the case with this latest installment...but we shall see.

If you like stoner flicks, or if you're an Apatow/Rogen fan, check it out. Just lower your expectations a bit, the sure way to cure any lingering CS™.

ADDENDUM: I just remembered something that bothered me, too. Not sure if I was just making things up or not but I could have sworn that there were about 10 plugs for AT&T's "My Moment" ad campaign. If that's true, it bothered me somethin' fierce. Not that I disagree with product placement in films...but if you're gonna do it, do it subtlety!! If anyone else noticed it please let me know so that I don't think I'm crazy...

The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight
PG-13
Running Time: 152 minutes
USA

I have no idea where to begin with this review. My head is filled to capacity with geekdom and is ready to explode. Truthfully, I don't consider myself all that geeked-out or nerdy...but when I see a movie of this quality all my self-perceived "coolness" goes out the window and I revert to '92 when comic books and my imagination were king.

I won't bother with plot outlines, seeing as how this is one of the biggest movies to come out all year and I assume that most everyone will see it...

...which leads to the only thing I want to talk about: Heath Ledger. Oh-my-hell...words cannot express the shock and awe. There are some phenomenal actors working currently and there have been many notables in the past. However, I am here to prophesy that Mr. Ledger will go down in history for this role as one of the most memorable, powerful and believable performances ever captured on film. Truly, movie-goers everywhere should be saddened at his passing, not only for his human worth and goodness, that being the main reason, but also for the fact that this one performance would have rocketed him into acting immortality. He most certainly would have graced us with a myriad more characters and performances sure to shake the dust off our souls.

It is extremely rare to come across a character that is so creepy, so insane, so despicable and conniving...and yet so charismatic, so strangely charming and so spellbinding. This is how I always pictured the "real" Joker when I would read the comics. This is the character that I have had in my head all this time. This is the human portrayal of my inner demons. Truly, this is as close to acting perfection as it comes...I've only seen it a handful of times: Daniel-Day Lewis (There Will Be Blood) and Javier Bardem (No Country For Old Men) to name a few. However, Heath Ledger now joins that list and becomes a part of acting legends that will never be forgotten.

In fairness to the rest of the film, it was incredible all around. Christian Bale, Morgan Freeman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart and Michael Caine were outstanding. The script was tight and even the one-liners hit on all cylinders. The CGI was flawless and the fight choreography was fast-paced and exciting. Honestly, if you only see one movie this year, it needs to be this one. Let the geeks run free!!!

Chaos Theory

Chaos Theory
PG-13
Running Time: 87 minutes
USA

This movie review is dedicated to my mother who is in constant pursuit of truth, "normalcy" and sanity. Not to suggest that she is insane...only that we are all searching for a sense of validation and stability. Everyone's in the same proverbial boat...which is what director Marcos Siega tries to show his audience in this romantic comedy drama.

Ryan Reynolds plays an efficiency expert who meticulously follows a daily schedule that is hand written on index cards. He feels that by doing this his life will have order, through which he can maintain control of his surroundings. As the title suggests, however, his very structured life turns chaotic after a series of unsettling events, leaving him reeling and trying to regain any semblance of control that he once had. I'll leave the details vague...no spoilers here.

As I'm writing this review and reflecting back over what I just watched, I'm picking out more lines that struck me as profound. Which, really, is sort of odd given that the movie had more comedic overtones than I thought it would. Still, Siega and writer Daniel Taplitz were able to include several very insightful commentaries about just how randomized life tends to be. I would suggest picking this one up, mainly because Emily Mortimer and Ryan Reynolds give great performances (I've always liked Reynolds, in spite of some of his movie choices). It's very light hearted, in spite of some dramatic scenes and is one to watch with your spouse/significant other since it's got the romance element as well. Plus, it's got the nerdy stop-and-think-about-what-you're-watching tidbits that keep it interesting for geeks like me. I liked the movie a lot...but it's nowhere close to breaking into the top 50. Just a good Friday night flick in with the loved one. Enjoy!

The Tracey Fragments

The Tracey Fragments
R
Running Time: 77 minutes
Canada

Artsy flicks can be problematic for me. Some are extremely well done and others are, well, not. Truthfully, the factors that surround my enjoyment of each one are mysteries since there's no real criteria that I can pinpoint which would help me determine the individual quality. That said, I know a good artsy flick when I see it...and this is definitely one of them.

The human brain is a strange, sometimes scary and overall fascinating place. Trying to make sense of everything that goes on cerebrally is an impossible task...and one that has literally driven people insane. The Tracey Fragments attempts to tell a linear "story" in a VERY non-linear fashion by showing bits and pieces of the heroine's thoughts, fears and versions of the truth, all through divisions within the main frame of the camera, crazy montages of objects and mementos and flashbacks. Bruce Mcdonald visually takes his audience into the mind of a 15 year old girl that has gone through some very traumatic experiences and allows us individually to attempt understanding of what actually took place.

I have another confession to make: Hollywood-ites are generally uninteresting to me. Until recently, there were only 2 people that I would actually care to meet and converse with, those being Bill Murray and Wes Anderson. However, Ellen Page has not only made that exclusive list but she will be receiving a wedding proposal in the mail shortly. Ok...I jest about the marriage but honestly, this woman can act! Juno was good and showcased her talents well...but if you see this movie (and I STRONGLY suggest you see Hard Candy as well...she was unbelievable) your eyes will be opened to just how well she can perform. Honestly, besides the vision that McDonald brings to the story, Page's performance is what makes this a truly remarkable film. The subject material is pretty heavy (attempted rape, murder, sex, missing child, abuse, etc.)...but, like I've mentioned in previous posts, I tend to like these movies because they're more true to life. Maybe not mine, maybe not yours...but most of us know people who have experienced some of these things which hopefully brings us as close to real empathy as we ever have to come. This was a great film...I suggest you see it...and tell me what you think.