Seven Very Quick Movie Reviews
by George Watches Things
Brick (2006)
Attention fans of violent neo-noirs, high school drama, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. What if I told you there was a mystery thriller that packed some punches, classic boyfriend/girlfriend troubles with dangerous implications, and old-school Joseph Gordon-Levitt? Yeah, that’s what I thought. And why shouldn’t you want to see Brick? You might not understand what’s happening for all of the movie, but you understand the characters’ motivations and can appreciate the beautiful look Rian Johnson brings to the great story. 3.5/4.
Chronicle (2012)
Chronicle is a very minor entry in a long line of annoying found footage films. I kept waiting for the movie to shed the format, but it never did. I understand why critics like that the film uses it, considering the main character’s desires to chronicle his life and struggles, but it goes nowhere for me. In fact, the first two thirds of the entire movie are totally aimless. You might say, “but George… don’t you think what you call aimlessness could be a reflection of how free this [reveal movie twist here] makes him?” No. I don’t. Oh, also, the found footage format makes me physically sick while I’m sitting in the theater. 2/4.
Dead Poets Society (1989)
Robin Williams has acquired a somewhat unfair reputation for being over-the-top silly. Truth is, though, he can and has handled serious roles in the past. He was truly excellent in World’s Greatest Dad. Even as Mrs. Doubtfire, a movie in which he plays a man playing a freaking woman, he shows restraint and turns in a nuanced performance. But I must say, he isn’t given enough to do in Dead Poets Society. Peter Weir (director of brilliant Fearless and brilliant-but-in-a-different-way The Truman Show) must have thought it best to place the heavy load on the shoulders of the teenage actors, and… he was right in doing so. That’s right, my problem with Dead Poets Society isn’t about the acting at all, but instead a somewhat uneven script and what I can only call a ridiculous rash decision made by a character near the end. 3/4.
The Interrupters (2012)
The Interrupters is a brave film about brave people who try to stop gang violence in Chicago. The film, at times, doesn’t really feel like a documentary. And I don’t attribute that exclusively to the dramatic content. Of course, it’s clear from its style that The Interrupters is a doc, but it retains a cinematic element despite the fact that it isn’t stationary (like, say, 2008’s Man on Wire). The final shot, a prime example of this, is beautiful, brilliant, and for some reason heart-wrenching. It isn’t very often that a documentary has this effect on me. 4/4.
Le Havre (2012)
Le Havre is one of the weirdest films I’ve ever seen. It’s filled with strange, retro sets and awkward pauses which I felt bad I wasn’t filling with chuckles. But even though the pitch-black deadpan comedy didn’t work for me, the movie did not fail. Like many of the movies and TV shows I have recently enjoyed (including the appropriately-named Community), it was about a community coming together to do some good. Le Havre warmed my heart, and if you should ever need heart warmth, I suggest you seek it out. 3/4.
Mary and Max (2009)
Mary and Max is an emotionally gorgeous claymation film about two people who are having some difficulty in life. One is a mud-tinted Australian girl with autism, and the other is a gray-colored Asperger’s syndrome-suffering New Yorker. The story of their friendship really got to me, and I’m proud to proclaim this one of the best animated feature films of all-time. Unfortunately, I must now steal a line from IFC’s Portlandia to tell you that I did not like the ending: “I did not like the ending.” 3.5/4.
The Myth of the American Sleepover (2011)
Can we agree that this was the worst plotline?
This made a perfect double-feature companion to Brick, if only to show me how good Brick was. The Myth of the American Sleepover tangles together about six stories of teenagers drinking and either falling asleep in boats or trying to sleep with someone. And it’s just as successful as any other tangled plot film with a true ensemble other than Pulp Fiction. The film struggled because of two things: 1) a clear lack of stakes and 2) a clear lack of a nice main character that anyone who didn’t drink in their teens could relate to.
Now, I’m not out of my teens yet, but I have a feeling that I won’t suddenly flip the switch and start drinking and doing the marijuanas. Not only that, but no one I know acts like the people in this movie do. Not even close. It comes off as unauthentic… a word you won’t see in many reviews of the film, since I think it’s blatantly trying for authentic, and even succeeds for some people. Not that it matters, because authenticity does not a compelling movie make. You need some sort of urgency in order for a movie like this (which takes place over less than twelve hours) to work. The characters in this movie were threatened with falling off of benches when they should have been risking something at least as high as a diving board (with a dry pool underneath, it goes without saying). 2/4.
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Just letting you know that I love your reviews and I’ve nominated you for ‘The Versatile Blogger Award’. For more details: http://freepagenumbers.wordpress.com/2012/03/14/spreading-the-blogger-love/
Congratulations!
Really glad someone else has seen Le Havre. I loved that movie when I saw it and I hope Janus/Criterion bring out a home release soon.
It’s a fun movie to watch. Thanks for commenting!
“brick” was a surprise. was cool to see the kids in that movie acting along a plot and events that are normally for adult roles. my favorite was lukas haas from “witness.” he’s supposed to be sort of a tough guy, but the scenes in his house with his mother were great.
as for “dead poet’s society,” wonderful movie. however, the act by the one boy at the end, when you say “ridiculous rash,” how do you mean that? i’m trying not to spoil anything, so let me clarify because i’d rather keep typing than back up and delete. are you saying it was a ridiculousness on the part of the script, or are you saying his actions were ridiculous? i would say that his actions were not a surprise. however, in the grand scheme of the world, it is certainly ridiculous. i’m not sure if i explained that well.
those are the only two i saw. i won’t see “chronicle” because it doesnt’ interest me at all. as for the “found footage” thing, it’s annoying. are they trying to get you to believe it’s real footage? are they going for a blair witch project thing? it’s been done and done and done too much. it’s not unique, but too many people think it’s something special. it’s a gimmick when you think your movie won’t be strong enough on its own.
speaking of gimmicks – and lists, because you like to compile lists – here’s a list for you to compile. i’m very very tired of the gimmick that involves an object or event that connects several groups or individuals. for example, “sisterhood of the travelling pants,” in which several girls share a pair of jeans, and we get to see each of their stories thanks to the sooooo original gimmick of the pants. in “babel” we had a shooting. guess what we had in “crash”? good luck guessing. i believe “the red violin” uses something like that, but dammit if i can’t remember the object. oh well. i’ve tried to trace back to the earliest film that used this, and the best i could find was from – i think – the early 50’s. it was called “the yellow cadillac.” several different people/groups/families owned this car, and we got to see the different things they did with it. i saw it about 20 years ago, but i have not found one trace of evidence that it even exists. in my (not really humble) opinion, this is something a writer does when they can’t think of a strong enough story. instead, they have four weak, incomplete stories.
happy tuesday.
The character’s actions were ridiculous and I felt betrayed by the movie somehow. His actions were a surprise to me.
The whole found footage genre is a bit tongue-in-cheek, but in the worst possible way. I thought Chronicle MIGHT have been strong without this annoying crutch.
I love the idea of those movies with objects or themes and a large ensemble cast, but I can think of very few good ones. That’s sort of what The Myth of the American Sleepover does, but with sleepovers.
i agree it was ridiculous for the boy to do what he did, but i don’t agree that it was ridiculous for it to be in the script. i do agree that it wasn’t necessary though, they could have had other things happen instead.
it’s possible that your age allows you to tolerate the “convenient connecting object story.” what i mean by that is simply that you haven’t seen enough films with it, so it’s not annoying yet. give it time, and if you’re good at research, let me know if you find anything about “the yellow cadillac.” IMDB has nothing.
It’s not ridiculous for it to be in the script, but I still didn’t like it.
That’s a plausible theory. I haven’t seen any good ones, but I don’t hate them.
i have more to add, but it would say too much about the event in question. should i care? it’s your blog post, not mine, so i don’t want to say more than you prefer to be said.
It’s been 23 years since its release, so I think you can. Clearly label it as a spoiler, though.
ok. like this? SPOILER!!! how’s that?
okay. similar to the gimmick of the “convenient connecting object” is the movie i describe as a “somebody has to die” movie. it goes like this: we meet a character. things happen to that character little episodes and anecdotal material. nothing outstanding but all things interesting. then, there’s nothing else to do, so they have to die.
beaches. terms of endearment. gran torino. love story – which may have started it. these are just a few. i’m wondering if that’s how they looked at dead poets society. there was nothing else to really do, how do we end it? i don’t know. let’s kill someone! all in favor? the “aye’s” have it.
Hahaha. Exactly like that.
I agree. It’s not always the worst move, but I feel like there had to be a better way to end Dead Poets. Same with Beaches.
he could’ve run away, disappeared. fade to black. graphic on bottom says “four years later.” open to robin williams and a wife/gf sitting down to see a play, shakespeare in the park, and guess who is playing hamlet?
that works for me.
That sounds very good.
thanks. it’s what i do. i take stories that people are having trouble with, and i make them better. that’s when i’m not working on my own.
Love love loved Dead Poets.. that incident was of no great consequence to me. HAven’t seen the others, the found footage thing can get annoyong after a while as we all know it was ‘picked’ and not ‘part’ of the movie (does that make sense?). Mary and Max looks interesting. Love your work George! :) (like the addition of that btw)
Chronicle just seemed weird for me. I didn’t see it, but I have a deep sea hatred for footage found films.