Tree of Life

Deb 10 Me 9

We’d been seeing the previews for this for quite a while and it looked like it would be interesting just from the visual and musical point of view. It was. It also looked like it might be some heavy handed attempt at finding the meaning of life or an “art film” that was pretty but about as deep as a birdbath. It might be all those things but it’s also a good movie. I didn’t think the printed synopsis painted a very accurate picture of the movie and based on that, it doesn’t sound very good. It is. For me it was sort of Santini meets 2001 with a bit of City of Angels added in.

From the beginning I liked the tempo and level they created. It was whisper quiet at the beginning and it compelled you to listen carefully, look carefully, and get sucked right into the story. They indicated information rather than spell everything out and it worked well. Most of the story was about kids in the late 1950s, and the kids they got for actors were really amazing. But their direction was really noteworthy. The way they moved, got off their bikes, played and hollered was really authentic. The look of the movie had you thinking you were there or at least watching home movies of being there. Clothes, furniture, cars, all the “stuff” was period correct (except for a couple Tonka pieces) and really thoroughly researched. This level of detail added to the credibility of the story.

The 2001 parts worked well and felt like part of the movie. These were the ethereal and imaginative scenes we saw in the previews. I can imagine a lesser filmmaker trying to pull this off and not getting the cohesive qualities this guy achieved. I liked these elements.

The City of Angels element was the least developed and therefore the most confusing, but there were only a couple issues there and not enough to distract from the overall story.

When we left (the last ones out of the theater), the usher asked us what we thought. He had seen it four times and was interested in what old people thought of it. He told that it was the most visually exciting film that has been made in his 24 years of living and he wanted us to love it too. I thought about it, and I can’t remember anything since 1987 that beats it, so hats off to the usher, and to the filmmaker who has made a neat movie for young and … us.

Submarine

Deb 10 Me 9

This one came out of the blue and the lobby poster looked interesting so we checked it out. It is set in Wales so there were some accent issues, but happily everything was intelligible. It’s a coming of age story about a delightfully wry kid and his coping with the world around him. He was sort of a cross between Harold (in Harold and Maude) and you. The characters were distinct and amusing, the situations all viable and the story telling was interesting and thorough. They did some stop action tricks in editing that would normally be a distraction, but here they were effectively used and added some visual interest. There were allegories and symbols used throughout that were really welcome additions, not just thrown in. It was just a genuine little movie, not one to break any box office records, but interesting, enjoyable and worth an evening out.

Midnight in Paris

Deb 10 Me 10

As always, this review is more about me than the movie. First off, I gotta tell you how tired I am of Woody Alllen’s whining. He heard this criticism from others too, so he cast other people to play him in his movies and their whining was obnoxious too; the insecure neurotic that dominates many of his movies just wears me out. I really enjoyed Woody’s movies from the ‘70s, the slapstick shtick, moving into new themes with Annie Hall, and maybe a touch of Manhattan. In the ‘80s he fell of a cinematic cliff and took my appreciation with him. There were occasions I’d go see his movies, he’s obviously very bright and talented, just so wimpy. Time after time I was bored with the same neurotic characters or the blatant attempts to counter them, that I gave up.

Well, he’s back. I sat down ready to hate it. The opening montage was way too long, then we meet the players, and they’re the same assholes that appear in the other movies. Owen Wilson is the Woody Allen substitute, but he has a likeable sincerity, and you feel like there’s hope for him (when Larry David played Woody, you just hoped it would end). It’s set in Paris, as the title might suggest, and that was refreshing too. After a bit, the same tired characters started to appear as old familiar faces you hadn’t seen in a spell and could put up with for a while.

Then, out of the blue, the real movie began. New players were introduced and a story line that was smart, compelling and entertaining as hell. My anti-Allen bias was being erased and replaced with genuine affection for this movie. It was beautifully shot, well researched and full of pleasant surprises. There was even a moral to the story.

There was nothing in the synopsis or the movie trailers that would indicate what this movie is really about, and I’m not about to tell you here. It was a risky marketing move that means positive word of mouth is the only way people will go see this movie. This thing turned me all the way around from a negative number to a legitimate 9 or 10.

I can see this movie starting a trend in films.

Water for Elephants

Deb 8 Me 8

As you know, I try to avoid too many mainstream movies. They’re cinema’s version of the best-seller list, which is the McDonald’s of literature. That is, appealing to the masses and not necessarily nutritious. Of course there are exceptions.

Water for Elephants is one of those books that has been read and enjoyed by every girl I know. Me going to see it is as inevitable as doing the laundry. But I heard it’s a circus movie and one of those hasn’t come to town in quite a while.

I liked it. It’s a good story and though you know certain things are inevitable from the start, the road to their resolution is interesting and entertaining. There’s a villain who is very credible, a nice guy hero who is a little flat and the heroine who is not flat at all. And then there’s the circus, a circus in the 30s, during the depression, which adds to the gala atmosphere. And the animals and their acts, the people and their escapades are all neat to see; the movie doesn’t dwell on them but provides us with a neat human-interest story set in a circus environment. It’s a neat story, a big story, and a story that would’ve made a great movie in the 30s or 40s and even makes for a good movie today. Speaking of the date, there was some confusion over the timeline presented in the film, dates would be better left out than inconsistent. The violence in the movie was handled very well, that is, it was left out, only implied. We saw the aftermath but didn’t have to watch it happen. I liked that very much, especially appropriate for a movie rated PG.

I didn’t read the book, but Deb did. She said the material they covered from the book was very well done, but they left about a third of the book out completely, only making slight suggestions about the things they edited out in the screenplay. But I didn’t miss any of it, ignorance is bliss. It was pretty tight, not too Hollywood (if that could apply to a circus movie) and I’m pleased to have spent my (senior) theater dollar on this one.

Cave of Forgotten Dreams

Deb 5 Me 5

Herzog is a famous dude and he comes up with some great movie titles. This one not so much, but he has a long distinguished career. Here he is tackling the cave paintings in France, thirty two thousand year old cave paintings perfectly preserved for us to see. And hear speculation about.

I was VERY excited about seeing this movie because the paintings really intrigued me. The movie was a let-down, but the paintings carried the day. There was some good background to the discovery of the cave, although the footage shot on the cave’s approach was terrible, better shots came from the untrained pranksters in Magic Trip. We were introduced to a gaggle of professionals whose work was never shown to us and soon they were abandoned altogether. The music was horrible. Werner played the part of Huell Howser, talking to us as if we were children throughout. Questions were posed and discarded all the time, partial facts and innuendo were provided that never satisfied these viewers.

But the paintings. Turn off your hearing aid and look at the paintings. It is incredible to think that man created these, regardless of the time or tools available to him. These are sophisticated creations beyond credibility. But they are credible artifacts of early cro-magnon dipping his fingers in soot and juices and rendering the most amazing art. Don’t let the low rating of this movie stop you from enjoying some really amazing visuals.

Magic Trip

Me 10

This was the one feature from the Newport Film Festival that was a must see for me. Sadly Deb had scheduling problems and I saw it alone. I’m excited for her to see it... and for you too.

I’m a big fan of Kesey and the gang, been to the farm, seen the bus, the whole shot. Somewhere I have some footage of Kesey in his fields on VHS. So, like a lot of folks, I was fully aware of the origins and destiny of this footage. What I didn’t know was that the whole shootin’, match was turned over to a couple capable individuals (Alex Gibney and Alison Ellwood) who turned all that raw color into a delightful movie.

It was exactly the movie it should be. It started by establishing who’s who, where they are, how they got there and where they’re heading, why and how. Then you leave. This is a fabulous trip across America, filled with sincere protagonists and onlookers. Just seeing (and remembering) how we all looked back then (1964), the cars, buildings and roads had a different feel to them back then, a little more organic, less corporate look. It was before designer labels on everything, before the paranoia of drugs and those who use them, back when we all had a little longer leashes.

Anyone who has an interest in the Beat Generation, the Hippie Movement or just the general origin of the species will be delighted buy this. General audiences will too. I mean, I’m biased, but this look at our country by a handful of intrepid explorers is fascinating. The protagonists of the time are revealed with an intimacy I never experienced from reading. Everything I’ve ever read on or by these folks (which is pretty comprehensive) now has a clarity that escaped me before. I mean, I know what frenetic is, but now I know what it looks like too. I can’t say enough good about seeing this film and recommend you find a way to see it too.

Win Win

Deb 10 Me 10

I don’t know why my shortest reviews seem to be reserved for the best movies. I had no idea what to expect with this thing. Thought it might be one of those feel good sports movies or something, the trailers weren’t really that inviting. It was sort of a throw your hands up in the air and say, “Let’s just go see it”.

I liked the characters, their lot in life was effectively revealed and the story unfolded in a graceful way. Soon I really liked the people and was interested in what would happen next. This is where a lot of movies fail, the next thing that happens is often predictable. Here we had a few Hollywood coincidences but for the most part the story took an unseen path without looking like it was trying to be unpredictable. It was just good storytelling.

This was enhanced by some great acting, there’s a kid who is the central focus who really wins you over, and there’s some great comic moments that were sincere and just plain funny. We both dug this one and felt like it was time well spent.