Cop Out

I realize that my taste in movies is broader than that of some of my readers. Some of you may never have seen a Kevin Smith film before, and if that is the case, maybe it should stay that way. "Cop Out" is by far and away the tamest of anything Smith has ever done, but that isn't really saying all that much. Smith has a distinct sense of comedy, in that he understands the psycology behind base humor. I guess I would suggest that Smith has elevated a form of low entertainment. When people around me talk about certain subjects I find it to be degrading and offensive. Smith has the ability to take far worse and place it into a context that I can relate to, or at least have sympathy for the plight of his characters. Let me be clear though that I do believe that Smith often goes too far. "Dogma" and "Clerks 2" and "Zack and Miri..." all take their subject matter well beyond any line as far as I'm concerned.

Beginning with "Jersey Girl" Smith has been dabbling in mainstream Hollywood movies with mainstream Holywood actors. I have found these endeavors to be somewhat lacking, but only lacking compared to his earlier independent films. Compared to the mainstream Hollywood comedies he is competing with, he is definitely at the top of the game. "Cop Out" falls into the mainstream category. It's funny, it's even Kevin Smith funny. Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan are cast well together, and aside from the fact that once again the trailer gives away too much of the good stuff, this is a funny comedy throughout.

Perhaps I'm allowing my satisfaction with "Shuuter Island" to influence my analasys of this movie too much. I had high expectations from Scorsese last weekend, and this weekend I was looking forward to a Kevin Smith film. You can read the results from last week, but this week wasn't without some dissapointment. Perhaps a brief appearance from Jay and Silent Bob would have upped this review, but alas it was not to be.

Shutter Island

I've been looking forward to "Shutter Island" for quite a while. So far the combination of Scorsese and DiCaprio has proven to be flawless. I have been so disappointed with mediocrity in films of late that I was really hoping for something that could deliver on it's promises... "Shutter Island" is everything I knew it would be. Even though I had high expectations going in, and even though the film achieved greatness throughout, it's amazing how Scorsese still has the ability to surprise and impress at just about every moment he chooses. And of course once again, here's DiCaprio at the top of his game. Perhaps someday he'll lose his touch. Maybe he'll make a poor role selection or slip in his personal life in a way that catastrophically affects his onscreen presence. But right now he seems perfect. I don't want to give too much away about the plot, but here DiCaprio must play such a wide range and he makes the needed transitions take place so smoothly as to be nearly invisible. In a sense you can't fully appreciate everything he's done until the film is completely over. I could use clichés to describe why this film was so effective; I could discuss how the atmosphere, the sets, the editing and the camera work all worked together to create terrifying tension. I could point out the obvious homage that Scorsese was paying to Hitchcock through not only cinematography, but also with his direction of the actors performances and the classic Phyco-esque music. Instead I would suggest that for Scorsese all these elements were a natural, automatic course to follow. When you're making a perfect film there is only one perfect answer to each decision a director must make. Of course unlike other directors who may choose the "easy" course or they feel that their individual style requires them to do something unexpected, so they avoid perfection in an effort to leave distinct trademark. With "Shutter Island" we get the best possible version of the film, which personally I prefer to any excuse others might come up with when they make movies similar in subject yet far inferior in substance.

 
On a side note there were two aspects of this film that I was uncomfortable with at the time. One, which I will not discuss here, though very disturbing, in retrospect I feel was necessary in conveying the emotional power of the film. The other element, which I'm still not sure how I feel about, was the film's Holocaust flashback sequences. I guess that I have become very alert when filmmakers use historical events as backdrops to further their stories. It is very easy to use a setting so horrible as a Nazi deathcamp to establish a sense of despair and trauma. Yet does it take away from the impact those events should have in our lives when they are used for dramatic effect in a work of fiction? I think arguments can be made for and against, and ultimately it probably comes down to how reverently history is treated (and accurately). Just a thought I had. Please feel free to let me know what you all think, I'd love to have your input on this subject.

Crazy Heart

On the road with a legend. Amazing creativity in a time of mediocre drivel. An ability to tap into the rawest of human emotions and connect with his audience. Great music and great actors. These are the qualities of the film "Crazy Heart" staring Jeff Bridges and Maggie Gyllenhaal. Like "Walk The Line" before it, this film glorifies a lifestyle that if you actually think about it isn't a life you'd want for yourself. Maybe it's one of those ageless questions of what is an acceptable throwing up/writing hit song balance? Personally I really hate thowing up and I try to avoid it as much as possible. On the other hand I really would like to be a great singer/songwriter, so maybe I'd take the bad to get the good. My point is that this film contains not only the strengths of "Walk The Line" but also it's weaknesses. Although, I think "Crazy Heart" does a better job of imparting the idea that even though it's super cool to be a musical legend, it's not all a bed of roses. But really, beds of roses are overrated.

Nominees

"Avatar", "The Blind Side", "District 9", "An Education", "The Hurt Locker", "Inglorious Basterds", "Precious", "A Serious Man", "Up" and "Up In the Air". These are the films nominated for Best Picture this year at the Academy Awards. Now I know that these awards are designed to promote an industry and therefore cannot be seen as unbiased. The list most likely contains certain films added primarily to spark controversy for even being on the list. It should also be noted that a list this year compared to a list from previous years would look very different and that is partly because the pool of contenders vary from year to year. So it would be unfair to say that none of these movies are as good as "Braveheart" because no movies this year were that good. So it really sucks for filmmakers when they release great films in a year of great films because it hurts their chances of being singled out that particular year (personally this is why I prefer a Top 100 List like the American Film Institute puts out, which covers all films from all time). Finally, before I comment on the specific movies nominated this year, it should be mentioned that there are three I haven't seen, including two I don't really have any desire to see...

First and foremost there is one movie on this list that does not deserve to be anywhere near the "Best Picture" category. Now this movie is a great visual masterpiece. It contains everything that the average moviegoing idiot is looking for without a shred of anything that would make it more substantial than that. If "Avatar" wins, then the Academy should officially apologize to the makers of "Speed", "Armageddon" and "Top Gun", because those films all gave us the same visceral rush that "Avatar" achieved, and didn't really give us much more. (I'd like to take this time to apologize to those three movies I just mentioned because they are actually far superior to "Avatar"). Typically the movies that gross the highest, that have the highest mass appeal are the ones that don't dig too deep. Blockbuster movies are an escape, which by definition is a kind of mindless disconnect from the real world. What gets me is that "Avatar" in it's core is a self-loathing criticism of the very system that made it possible, yet it's so gorgeously packaged in vibrant blue 3D action that everyone seems snowed. Maybe in the days of Obama, we deserve a Best Picture like "Avatar".

Secondly, the other nominees. You could go back and read what I thought of the ones I've seen so far. I'm hoping for "The Hurt Locker" to win, because it was a well crafted, effective dramatic film that got me involved and caring for the character. "Up" wasn't the best Pixar film, it really is too bad that the Academy is just now recognizing a Pixar film in this category. I feel that "Finding Nemo" should have been a nominee the year it came out. "Up in the Air", which I saw relatively recently contained a good performance, but I thought the film overall was too contrived. "A Serious Man" was another well made film that in retrospect I just didn't really enjoy. I was surprised to see "District 9" make this list, on the other hand it was a far superior alien movie than "Avatar" and even though the endings are similar, the messages are very different. And finally "Inglorious Basterds". Tarantino is back, nominated again. "Pulp Fiction" lost to "Forrest Gump", is this the film that'll finally give Tarantino some official Academy recognition? Overall the film wasn't consistently good enough in my opinion. I liked the arc that he created beginning with the opening farmhouse sequence and concluding with the Brad Pitt line. Yet it wasn't my favorite, and there was just too much unneeded 'filler' from my perspective. Yet in a year with such a weak competition, maybe Tarantino will get it. As for the three films I haven't seen, maybe "Precious" is as good as the "Godfather" but I'll never know. You know what they put on french fries in Holland instead of ketchup?

From Paris With Love

The best line in this movie wasn't written well enough to deserve being present. When you reference another movie, you're using that other movie's greatness to build up your movie. Unfortunately here in "From Paris With Love" the reference alone isn't enough. John Travolta plays a secret agent who doesn't seem to value his secrecy all that much. I don't mind the shoot/blow/beat-up action movie every once in a while, but sometimes I feel as though some directors want both, a serious espionage thriller and an action movie. Well, this movie was not successful in combining those genres, so it should have stuck with one or the other. It's too bad really, because there was a hint of a great film here. We've all seen the reluctant rookie agent teamed up with the hardened veteran chasing down the terrorist. But what if one of the agents was in love with the terrorist, and what if maybe, just maybe the terrorist was in love with that agent as well. Of course now things start getting sticky and a simple moral line is more difficult to establish. This movie chickened out and answered all the questions in typical Hollywood, dumbed down, average American fashion.

The film that Travolta pays homage to is "Pulp Fiction". Now there was a film that understood that people talking about stuff is way more interesting than the stuff itself.