A "Serious" Oscar Contender

I type this on the day before Thanksgiving. Cinematically, I’m always grateful for directors who challenge me, not just present a situation and then guide me (or worse, force feed me) how I’m supposed to react.

Such is the case with the Coen Brothers’ latest effort, “A Serious Man”. I’m still reacting – a week later.

The Coen’s last Oscar-winning film was “No Country for Old Men”. That film shows the true personification of evil, as portrayed by Oscar-Winner Javier Bardem. I contend it’s more about fate, how actions have consequences, and that things in life can literally turn on the flip of a coin.

The new film, while semi-autobiographical, also reinforces the concept of fate. But it also accentuates the consequences of inaction. The protagonist, Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg, in an Oscar-worthy performance), basically watches his life pass him by. He’s a professor at a university, and his life seems to fly as high over his head as his lesson fly over his students’.

As the film progresses, Larry is presented a series of temptations and moral dilemmas, which he either downplays or ignores altogether. But in the world of the Coen Brothers, ignorance is far from bliss. All things must be accounted for, as Larry watches his family (the entire supporing cast is fantastic), his job, and his life spin completely out of control, all the while bewailing “I didn’t do anything”.

The main criticism most people have about this film is what I’ll call the “hard stop”. Just like the end of “Old Country”, the end comes abruptly and with little warning. Part of me felt ripped off, because I’d invested a good deal of my thoughts and time into these characters, something which I normally don’t need to do when watching a film.

Then I thought some more, and realized that the ending can go multiple ways. Although I happen to have my own opinion as to how the action would follow, I might be wrong. This is a film that demands discussion – I wish I knew more people who had seen it to discuss it with. I left the theater feeling energized, refreshed and curious. I’m glad I didn’t see it as part of a double (which was my original plan), because I think not allowing it to breathe would have wrecked it.

Like it or not, this is a film that you can’t help but react to. It’s nice to finally see a film that doesn’t manipulate my feelings, but allows them to all be justified. The Coens may not exactly have a wide audience – and most moviegoers probably wouldn’t have the patience for this film. That’s a shame. Because in the world of the Coens, the very last thing you can say about them is that they “don’t do anything”. It’s too bad that more directors and writers, even in this Oscar season, can’t be the same.

“A Serious Man”, Rated R, 105 minutes (***1/2)

"Up" sinks under the hype.

Last year, Pixar put out “Wall-E”. It was greatly praised, and flirted with Oscar. I didn’t see it theatrically; I waited until DVD. Surprising, I found it every entertaining and movie. I also thought it had an Important Message, and I even have a copy in my library.

This year’s Pixar film, “Up”, has been uniformly praised by critics and moviegoers. It’s allegedly one of the best films of the year. I didn’t see this in a theater either, as I thought it looked stupid. But, given the Oscar Expansion, I decided to rent it, hoping lighting would strike twice.

Here is a list of what “Up” is:
1. It’s moving. I cried through most of it.
2. It contains some family-friendly characters.
3. It is well animated and vibrantly colorful.
4. It has a moral (not message, moral), even if I disagree with it.

Here is what “Up” is not:
1. It is NOT a great film.
2. It is NOT worthy of a Best Picture Oscar (although it will get the nod, I’m sure)
3. IT IS NOT A CHILDREN’S FILM.

If you examine Pixar’s films, there is definitely a trend. “Toy Story” and “Finding Nemo” are classics. My personal favorite is “Monsters, Inc.”. But with their latest efforts, it’s becoming more and more evident to me that Pixar is flipping the script (or jumping the shark, as the case may be).

What happened? They started out with kid-friendly stories, exploring universal themes, like friendship. These stories were well-written, with a nostalgic adult pull for adults, while still fresh enough to entertain children. They should be praised for that (and are, ad nauseum).

But now we’re getting into the territory of non kid-friendly themes. People will say that “Up” is really about friendship between an old man and a young boy. But I also see the Disney head rearing in there – we’ve got lost/absent parents (a true Disney hallmark). For example, the whole reason Russell gets into this in the first place is just to see his dad.

But even worse than that, there’s FAR too much talk about death. Personally, I wouldn’t want to explain to my six year old what a nursing/”retirement” home is, or why someone wouldn’t want to go there. Or why older people have a tendency to accumulate stuff and live in the past. Or dwell on unfulfilled dreams.

Looking at the film from an adult perspective, I can understand why people liked it. There’s comfort in a love lost. It’s always reaffirming to know that our memories live on, even if our things don’t. And it’s always great to feel loved and appreciated – regardless of the source.

In my opinion, “Up” sinks under all the hype, making it a real downer. It’s one of the most depressing films I’ve seen in a long time – or maybe that’s just me being my usual jaded, adult self.

"Up", Rated PG, 96 minutes (**)

Apologies and Anticipation

Dear Audience - I must apologize this week. I haven’t seen much, and what I did see wasn’t impressive. First things first – the only film I watched this week was the remake of “The Taking of Pelham 123”. It should be really done 1-2-3, because this film is just basic - basically boring. Directed by Tony Scott, Denzel Washington and John Travolta walk through a film lacking characters, suspense, drama, effects, or development. At times, I felt like I was waiting for the train/ending – and waiting – and waiting. Travolta again channels his much better “Face/Off” performance, and Denzel is reduced to playing Every Man. Tony Scott illustrates the haphazard camera shots normally attributed to the Michael Bay school of filming.

There are two reasons why I didn’t really watch much this week. The first is that I’ve been a bit under the weather (and no, I do NOT have the swine flu – just a simple head cold). The second has to do with the fact that cinematic storytelling is quite dead right now. Never has this been clearer to me than Sunday night, or technically Monday Morning.

I couldn’t sleep Sunday night. I have no idea why. I figured that since I couldn’t sleep I would watch the finale of my favorite show “Mad Men” that night, instead of waiting to on demand it Monday morning. I miss the original run time and the replay to watch football, so I stayed up until 2:30 watching the replay. It was worth every minute.

For me, this show is seven-layer taco dip. Detailed storytelling, an investment in a group of characters revealed over time, new and UNEXPECTED twists, a few laughs, and a few tears combine perfectly to interweave plotlines. At the end of the 40+ minutes, I wanted next season to start next week. (I also wanted to write AMC to tell them to expand to 22 eps.) I’m such a fan of this show I have quotes from it on post-it notes on my desk. It is that good.

But within the treat that was the “Mad Men” finale, there was another added present. During one of the “limited commercial interruptions” was an ad for the new Jason Reitman film “Up in the Air”. At that moment I had two thoughts – one, my two celebrity crushes Jon Hamm and George Clooney FINALLY combined and two, there is cinematic hope! I couldn’t discover the entire plot during the trailer! The characters looked realistic and interesting! I laughed at the trailer because it was witty! I actually had anticipation! (cue Carly Simon)

So here’s hoping that hidden among yet another Disney 3D holiday mess, a musical I won’t get to see until January, an important Race Relations Film, there’s not just another quirky, indie drama. Here’s hoping that somewhere underneath the commerciality – may lay a good story or two. It’s getting to be that time of year. I just have to get through this dreck first.

My "Paranormal" Experience

I finally gave in to the hype and saw “Paranormal Activity” earlier this week. My expectations going in were low. I was hoping against all hope I’d be scared at some point, or perhaps semi-freaked out. I thought maybe going at 5:05 in the evening meant the crowd would be absent. I knew I wouldn’t have nightmares that night – I’m a horror vet. I’ve seen foreign horror that freaked me so bad I couldn’t even look at the screen, and I’ve seen horror that made me nauseous.

So, what did I think?

I think maybe this film needs to marinate. It’s not a film that ends when you leave the theater. That’s the joy in effective horror – you’re creeped out more once you rejoin the outside world. A theater, after all, is a controlled environment. You can always look away or cover your eyes momentarily. Other people are there – people to feed off of (zombie pun unintentional). That’s why you’re supposed to see this in a theater. Thankfully my audience was just my friend and myself. Did we talk through it? Yup – which made it fun (plus we had better dialogue than the leads did).

While the film was running, I actually got bored. The film is repetitive. The acting is flat. I found both of the leads annoying, and I wouldn’t have stayed with either of them longer than ten minutes. I figured out the ending 20 minutes into the film. A few things were interesting, and I got my one jump. The ending was quite stupid and obvious from a mile away. As I got into my car, I called a friend, starting the conversation with “If anyone thinks this is the scariest movie EVER, I can think of fifteen others they need to see - off the top of my head”. I raved a bit about the blatant “Blair Witch” rip-off (expected) and “The Ring” (unexpected). I stated that the “realistic farce” stating “whereabouts unknown” is just dumb. I know exactly where these people are –on the front my EW I received last Friday!

But then I went back home to my new apartment. Living in an apartment means there is always constant noise coming from somewhere – and you know not where. I’m still getting used to that, as I like to have quiet when I sleep – dead quiet (pun intended that time). Since it was an early film, I had plenty of time to watch other things before retiring for the evening. I ate dinner, watched TV, read “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies”, and eventually got tired.

But here’s the rub - I slept with the light dimly lit all night. And I have no idea why.

But back to “what did I think”. Basically, I think it’s nowhere near the scariest movie ever made, but I do concede that the film works. The film in an inarguable success – I just think it succeeds much better outside of the theater.

"Paranormal Activity" - Rated R, 86 minutes **1/2