This week is all about strong male leads. I didn’t intent it that way, but went with the flow. I have to say, it was a great journey.
Say Anything…
– United States, 1989
Director, writer: Cameron Crowe
Stars: John Cusack, Ione Skye, John Mahoney and others.
There is something incredibly sincere about the 80s movies. It feels like directors and writers of that period felt the big changes coming and wanted to get those true feelings out there, before sexual revolution and technological advances hit our homes making us forever unable to feel without being pragmatic.
Say Anything… is all about honesty and sincerity. The summer before college overachiever with a bright future Diane Court (Skye) falls in love with Lloyd Dobler (Cusack), who is most probably destined to be unsuccessful. But he is honest about it. He is honest about his love to Diane too. It is the beautiful kind of love that makes him want to protect her from everything, including glass on the ground. And Diane is honest enough to let herself love, not calculate except maybe when influenced by her pragmatic and caring father.
But as her father will soon learn, Lloyd is impossible to pass on. He is THAT guy. The one who will persistently fight for a girl and then consistently make her happy. And there is no one else I can imagine playing this role better than young John Cusack.
Watch it for your taste’s sake /
Watch it
/ At your own risk / Do not watch it
When in need of sincerity.
Rush
– United States, Germany, UK, 2013
Director: Ron Howard
Writer: Peter Morgan
Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Daniel Brühl, Olivia Wilde and others.
Based on a true story the film covers the 1970s rivalry between Formula One racers James Hunt (Hemsworth) and Nikki Lauda (Brühl).
Painfully handsome Hunt (not THAT handsome in real life) is disorganized and irresponsible, but as soon as he hits the track he turns into a fearless adrenaline monster. Brilliantly strategic Lauda is Austrian to the core – he doesn’t only drive, but helps his employees build the car to make it faster and better. Having a speech defect and overbite, he resembles a rodent, which earns him an unfair nickname – the Rat. But do not underestimate the rat. He wins world championships, throwing the competitiveness and jealousy of others, including Hunt, over the roof.
I find it incredibly unfair that this film was almost completely missed by major awards this year, and you will probably agree when you watch it.
First is Brühl. He was hands down brilliant. And I am amazed that he did not get the Golden Globe, or been nominated for the Academy Award. I loved him in Goodbye, Lenin! (if you haven’t seen it, run home right now and watch it), and Inglorious Basterds, but he exceeded my wildest expectations. He grew into a thorough and precise actor, who wore a dental appliance and spent a long time with real-life Lauda to be able to mimic his accent and pronunciation correctly. We’re talking De Niro class here.
Then comes Chris Hemsworth’s torso, which must be mentioned separately. But jokes aside, Hemsworth was very natural in the role of the British heartbreaker, constantly living on the edge.
The screenplay is well written. If you read real-life facts of this rivalry, you will see that the film is very close to the truth. Except for one major aspect – Hunt and Lauda were not as competitive of “frenemies” as the film portrays them, but I do understand the Peter Morgan’s impulse.
And last but not least – directing, camerawork and editing. Together with Danny Boyle’s loyal cameraman Anthony Dod Mantle, Ron Howard doesn’t only show the race, but the racer and his set of mind. Close ups on their eyes before and during the race boosts your own adrenaline levels, causing your heart to pace and palms to sweat. There is a great deal of excitement that the film causes, and it’s not about the sport – it’s about the feeling, the rush.
Watch it for your taste’s sake /
Watch it
/ At your own risk / Do not watch it
When low on adrenaline.
The Graduate
– United States, 1967
Director: Mike Nichols
Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft, Katharine Ross and others.
Benjamin Braddock (Hoffman) moves back in with his parents after college. His parents throw parties to show off the recent graduate to their friends. At one of those parties Ben meets Mrs. Robinson (Bancroft), middle-aged wife of his father’s partner. Mrs. Robinson quickly seduces terrified and inexperienced Ben, and the affair begins. Things get complicated when Mrs. Robinson’s daughter Elaine (Ross) visits her parents.
It is impossible to not appreciate how multilayered is the film. It is a clever comedy about a recent graduate who is now living in a grown up world. He must make choices and suffer the circumstances. The reality where sex doesn’t seemingly involve emotions, but actually does, and love is irresponsible and often imaginary, slaps Ben pretty hard. The grown up life is individualistic and harsh. He is worried about his future.
It is surprising how fresh the film looks even more than 40 years later. The camerawork is way ahead of its time and so is the film’s philosophy. The essence is in the last scene, where the characters move towards the unknown full of realization of what had just happened and what to expect next.
Soundtrack deserves a special mentioning. Simon & Garfunkel on the background will make anything better, especially a brilliant film.
Watch it for your taste’s sake
/
Watch it / At your own risk / Do not watch it
When craving some food for thought.
Garden State
– United States, 2004
Director, writer: Zach Braff
Stars: Zach Braff, Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard and others.
Andrew Largeman (Braff), a quiet and emotionally numb aspiring actor returns home for his mother’s funeral after years of absence. He has a complicated and uncomfortable relationship with his psychiatrist father. He has been overmedicated into numbness from a young age. He is now trying to get off the medication because he is convinced there was little to no reason for it in the first place. We learn the reason further in the movie, but I will not spoil it.
Back home he reunites with his old friends and meets a girl, Sam (Portman). That is when his life starts to change – he starts feeling again. He hangs out with his stoner buddy Mark (Sarsgaard) in his dysfunctional house. He gets to know Sam and learns about her strange life, too. Everything feels like new, and the trip ends up being a life changing catharsis.
If I liked existential crisis movies, this one would be among my favorites. Mostly, because it’s one of the few where such crisis makes sense. Andrew has a reason to be numb. At this point in his life he must choose to be comfortable, or to be real – a choice to which many of us can relate.
The biggest advantage of the film is how unpredictable it is. Most things happen in the strangest, most unexpected way possible. The scenes might be a little long and slow-paced, but they are worth sitting through.
The soundtrack is outstanding, and it brought Zach Braff, who also directed the movie, a Grammy for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album in 2005. Also, according to IMDB trivia Braff sent a CD with the soundtrack songs along with the script to people.
Natalie Portman was the perfect fit. Being ageless, she pulls off adorable characters both childish and mature at the same time like no one else.
Watch it for your taste’s sake /
Watch it
/ At your own risk / Do not watch it
When in existential crisis.
Once
– Ireland, 2006
Director, writer: John Carney
Stars: Glen Hansard, Marketa Irglova, Hugh Walsh and others.
The guy (Hansard) is a street musician trying to make a living in Dublin, Ireland. The girl (Irglova) is an immigrant from Czech Republic, getting around by selling flowers on the street and cleaning houses. They meet and find comfort in each other. She turns out to be a talented musician herself, so they decide to record songs together.
There is something very romantic about street musicians. It’s like having a real life soundtrack that makes you feel a little more important. Well, Once will make you feel a great deal important because of how real, innocent and accidental it is.
Here is some fun trivia to prove it. It was meant as a film to be distributed on DVDs during concerts, but went on to receive the Academy Award for the Best Original Song for Falling Slowly. Marketa Irglova was 18 when she received the award. As Glen Hansard mentioned in his acceptance speech, it was filmed in three weeks (17 days even) on two handycams and for 180,000 EUR. Isn’t that the triumph of independent cinema?
Hansard and Irglova are not professional actors and it is obvious. In fact, their street scenes were filmed from long distances in order to make them more comfortable and to avoid attention of random passers by. But, their on-camera innocence gives the film the striking feeling of reality. After all, that is how life really is – uncomfortable silences, unspoken words, and responsibilities that we choose over picturesque adventures more often than the movies make us believe.
Once might be the most down-to-earth and the least pompous musical you will ever see, and that is the beauty of it.
Watch it for your taste’s sake /
Watch it
/ At your own risk / Do not watch it
When your soul wants to sing.
Oslo, August 31
st
– Norway, 2011
Director: Joachim Trier
Stars: Anders Danielsen Lie, Hans Olav Brenner, Ingrid Olava and others.
Anders (Danielsen Lie) grew up in Oslo, where he knew every street and every corner. He was raised by intelligent parents, who valued education, were opinionated and stood for their values. He had a happy childhood.
As he grew up he started using drugs, any kind – cocaine, speed, heroine, alcohol, you name it. He has done it so much and so often, his friends and family expected him to overdose any day. It lasted for years, until he went to rehab and got clean.
At 34 he has his first day out for a job interview. He takes a cab to Oslo, where he uses the chance to meet old friends.
Oslo, August 31
st
is a sobering observation that made a realistic and powerful drama. It might be the best film about the consequences of drug addiction that I have seen. It is not overly commercialized, or filled with cliché common wisdoms. It’s not black and white.
The film is well made and it starts with the title, August 31. In Norway’s rough climate it’s the end of August and people are already wearing coats. The summer was over before it even began, just like Anders’ life. Danielsen Lie’s impressive acting is the icing on this deep philosophical drama.
That scene in a café when Anders sits by himself, listens to conversations at other tables and watches random people pass by, imagining their lives might be the key scene. Some of those people are already lonely and unhappy, and others, like the young girl who was reading the list of things that can potentially make her happy, will most probably not do most of them. The whole film hovers around the idea of happiness making you question your own.
In their sincere conversation Anders reminds his best friend Thomas (Brenner) how he once told him that if someone wants to destroy their life the society should let him. Indeed, how does one integrate back into society if they don’t want to, and does society really need someone like him? How do you help that person? What do you tell them? As friends, as a family, what more can you do and why would you?
The film raises many important questions and provides no answers.
Anders’s one-day journey ends on August 31 at the last place where he was once happy – his childhood home. The ending might be predictable, but is no less powerful. It is the puzzle of Anders’ mind that is interesting. What he is thinking about, whether he will give up, or will choose to take that chance that life is handing him and be happy.
Watch it for your taste’s sake
/
Watch it / At your own risk / Do not watch it
When strong enough for a reality check.
Biutiful
– Mexico, Spain, 2010
Director, writer: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Stars: Javier Bardem, Maricel Álvarez, Hanaa Bouchaib and others.
Uxbal (Bardem) is a single father of two, who is getting around in illegal immigrant business in Barcelona, Spain. He is dying of cancer.
I have watched Biutiful when it first came out, and re-watched it for this challenge. It was hard.
First of all, you will not recognize the festive tourist heaven that is Barcelona. In Uxbal’s world it is gloomy, criminal and painted in grey and dark blue.
Second, watching Uxbal face the enormous challenges that life cruelly throws at him is heartbreaking. He is imperfect as the world itself. He means good, but keeps finding himself in bad situations. He is a caring father, who cannot give his children a better life. He is a loving man, whose ex-wife Marambra (Álvarez) is abusive and psychotic. It is hard to stay impartial to his character, and hard not to judge his choices, the ones that originally led to this situation. But maybe, and most likely, he was never even given a chance.
Brilliant Mexican director Iñárritu doesn’t make movies very often, but every time he does, he makes me happy. Well, right after he makes me miserable. I have been a fan since Amorres Perros, which Biutiful didn’t top, but resembled in a way. Mostly, with the sophisticated and real characters placed in intense situations.
Another upside of watching Iñárritu movies is his loyal composer Gustavo Santaolalla (Babel, 21 Grams, Amorres Perros, etc.). Music in Biutiful is heavenly.
And finally, his casting will make you happy, too. Bardem, who turns every role he plays into a mesmerizing journey, is once again brilliant. He is one of those actors who live every role without having to speak. It’s all in his face. According to IMDB, his Academy Award nomination for the role of Uxbal was the first time a performance entirely in Spanish was nominated for the Best Actor.
Watch it for your taste’s sake /
Watch it
/ At your own risk / Do not watch it
When having first world problems.
