For some reason Werner Herzog intrigues me as a director. I cannot quite put my finger on why though other than he’s a director that is very interested in not just documentaries but in historical narratives. When I heard he was doing Rescue Dawn with Christian Bale I was incredibly intrigued but I was never able to get to the theatre to check it out.
This movie is based on the true story of pilot Dieter Dengler and based on the documentary Little Dieter Needs to Fly also by Herzog. I know that some liberties were inevitably taken to translate this story to film, such as there being seven captives in reality but only six in the film; however, as best I can tell Herzog stuck to his documentary form and tried to keep Rescue Dawn as close to the real events as he possibly could. This story is about Dieter and that was Herzog’s primary concern, that the audience understand Dieter.
What Herzog chose to include in the film is a heck of a story. It begins on Dieter’s ship, just before Dieter is sent off on his first mission over Laos. He is subsequently shot down and follows orders to get rid of his radio and anything else that the Viet Cong can use against his shipmates; as a result he is unable to signal the rescue crew when they fly over his location over the next few days. Eventually Dieter is captured and put through various tortures before finally being taken to a POW camp where he meets other prisoners. Together he helps hatch a plan for their eventual escape.
The driving force of this film is Christian Bale. The only thing I can say is that he is so dang infectious in the role, as an audience member you can’t help but to like him. From opening to end all Dieter wants to do is fly and is so dang loyal to America because they gave him his wings. Bale makes Dieter a man you would follow any where, through any plan because you believe him capable of anything. He is a red-blooded American pilot which is odd as Dieter was German born and Bale is Welsh. Talk about confusing.
However, the surprise factor goes to Steve Zahn as fellow prisoner Duane. Duane is the only other soldier in the camp (the other prisoners worked for Air America) and bonds closely with Dieter. I have never seen Zahn in a dramatic role and he hits it out of the park. Comedians can truly be some of the best dramatic actors and I cannot wait to see more drama out of Zahn.
As a director, one of the most fascinating things for me when I watched Rescue Dawn was knowing that this film was shot in reverse chronological order. Because Herzog knew that the actors had to lose a lot of weight for the roles, and weight is easier to gain than to lose he shot the film starting with the end, and moved back to the beginning so that the actors could lose all of the weight and slowly gain it back through the shoot. Part of why this is so shocking for this film is because this requires your actors to start emotionally with the end of the story which in this case is the most emotionally gut wrenching part, and move slowly backwards to the opening which is much lighter and more idealistic – how the actors managed this I have no idea, but it works so incredibly well.
Director & Writer: Werner Herzog
Dieter: Christian Bale
Duane: Steve Zahn
Gene: Jeremy Davies
Squad Leader: Zach Grenier
Dieter: When I was uhh... five or somethin', I was looking out the window, with my brother... and we see this fighter plane was coming right at us. I was not scared. I was mesmerized! Because for me, this pilot was this all-mighty being from the clouds. From that moment on, I knew I wanted to be him. I wanted to be one of them. I wanted to be a pilot.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
Eagle Eye
I have loved DJ Caruso’s films since I was introduced to his debut feature film The Salton Sea when I was in college. I see a lot of talent in DJ Caruso and I have been waiting for another film to match the level of talent he showed in his debut feature film. Eagle Eye is not that film, but that does not mean it’s not an enjoyable film. Anything by DJ is worth watching at least once.
What I did love about Eagle Eye is that I finally got to see DJ do a straight out action film; they gave him a budget and let him blow up anything he wanted – and he does. The only problem with the film is kind of the problem with all action films nowadays, the cutting is so chaotic during the action bits that it becomes very muddled and hard to follow. More than once I thought the protagonists had their car crashed, shot or set on fire only to find out that was a different car. It was rather annoying, but most action films have been having this issue since the Jason Bourne series hit the cinemas. This film actually reminds me of very early Michael Bay films - you know, when he still had a plot to his movies.
To me Eagle Eye was a little predictable on one level, because when a certain piece of the plot was revealed I guessed a big chunk of what was going on – but I see more movies than most people so that’s kind of understandable. It felt a little to me like 2001 meets Patriot Games.
What does work is the actors. This is a conspiracy theory that does not have a lot of time to develop deep characters, so your actors have to have the right chemistry from scene one so you as an audience member can wait to learn about the characters as you go along with the story. Michelle Monaghan & Shia LaBeouf have chemistry. They bring a vivacity to the screen that shows one of DJ’s true talents – casting the right people in the right parts.
All in all, Eagle Eye is not a perfect film, but it is what an action movie should be: a smart, fun adrenaline rush that keeps you guessing and makes you want to see what is going to happen next. Just be prepared for the political commentary.
Director: DJ Caruso
Writers: John Glenn, Travis Wright, Hillary Seitz & Dan McDermott
Jerry Shaw: Shia LaBeouf
Rachel Holloman: Michelle Monaghan
Zoe Perez: Rosario Dawson
Defense Secretary Callister: Michael Chiklis
Agent Toby Grant: Ethan Embry
Agent Thomas Morgan: Billy Bob Thornton
William Shaw: William Sadler
What I did love about Eagle Eye is that I finally got to see DJ do a straight out action film; they gave him a budget and let him blow up anything he wanted – and he does. The only problem with the film is kind of the problem with all action films nowadays, the cutting is so chaotic during the action bits that it becomes very muddled and hard to follow. More than once I thought the protagonists had their car crashed, shot or set on fire only to find out that was a different car. It was rather annoying, but most action films have been having this issue since the Jason Bourne series hit the cinemas. This film actually reminds me of very early Michael Bay films - you know, when he still had a plot to his movies.
To me Eagle Eye was a little predictable on one level, because when a certain piece of the plot was revealed I guessed a big chunk of what was going on – but I see more movies than most people so that’s kind of understandable. It felt a little to me like 2001 meets Patriot Games.
What does work is the actors. This is a conspiracy theory that does not have a lot of time to develop deep characters, so your actors have to have the right chemistry from scene one so you as an audience member can wait to learn about the characters as you go along with the story. Michelle Monaghan & Shia LaBeouf have chemistry. They bring a vivacity to the screen that shows one of DJ’s true talents – casting the right people in the right parts.
All in all, Eagle Eye is not a perfect film, but it is what an action movie should be: a smart, fun adrenaline rush that keeps you guessing and makes you want to see what is going to happen next. Just be prepared for the political commentary.
Director: DJ Caruso
Writers: John Glenn, Travis Wright, Hillary Seitz & Dan McDermott
Jerry Shaw: Shia LaBeouf
Rachel Holloman: Michelle Monaghan
Zoe Perez: Rosario Dawson
Defense Secretary Callister: Michael Chiklis
Agent Toby Grant: Ethan Embry
Agent Thomas Morgan: Billy Bob Thornton
William Shaw: William Sadler
Thursday, September 25, 2008
A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints
Lately, I have had a fascination with watching Robert Downey Jr. movies. I’d forgotten how much I love him as an actor until I picked up Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and threw it into my DVD player a few months ago. Now I am obsessed. Since I opened a Netflix account and now have access to everything I added most of Downey’s catalog and Christian Bale’s to my queue. The latest Downey film I received is A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints.
The film is autobiographical about the life of the director/writer of the film and book - Dito. In the film Dito is played by Robert Downey Jr. in the 2005 time line and Shia LaBeouff in the 1986 time line. In the present Dito has just written the book about his life as a teen in Queens and why he left, and his mother gives him a call because his father is sick and won’t go to the hospital so she wants Dito to attempt coming home and taking him. Dito left home in 1986 and hasn’t been back since. The film recounts the events that led up to Dito fleeing home in the flashbacks with Shia LaBeouf.
I enjoyed this movie, but I don’t think that it is one that will appeal to the mass audience. The director has chosen to add some experimental elements into the film that won’t sit well with a large portion of the audience. There is subtitles put in the film when they would not normally be necessary, portions are edited similar to The Limey where you flash forward and backward with characters during a conversation so you don’t see them speaking while you hear them conversing, and the fourth wall is broken multiple times.
It is my opinion that this film worked in this format because it was made by the author of the book. It is obviously not a faithful adaptation to the entire book, but rather focuses on something very specific that Dito needed to work through – his relationship with his father and the life that he wanted for his son. This is actually one movie that really makes me want to learn more about the man behind it and read the book.
Director & Writer: Dito Montiel
Dito: Robert Downey Jr.
Young Dito: Shia LaBeouf
Flora: Dianne Wiest
Laurie: Rosario Dawson
Young Laurie: Melonie Diaz
Diane: Julia Garro
Jenny: Elenore Hendricks
Guiseppe: Adam Scarimbolo
Nerf: Scott Campbell
Young Nerf: Peter Tambakis
Antonio: Eric Roberts
Young Antonio: Channing Tatum
Monty: Chazz Palminteri
Mike: Martin Compston
Frank: Anthony DeSando
Dito: In the end - just like I said - I left everything, and everyone. But no one, no one has ever left me
The film is autobiographical about the life of the director/writer of the film and book - Dito. In the film Dito is played by Robert Downey Jr. in the 2005 time line and Shia LaBeouff in the 1986 time line. In the present Dito has just written the book about his life as a teen in Queens and why he left, and his mother gives him a call because his father is sick and won’t go to the hospital so she wants Dito to attempt coming home and taking him. Dito left home in 1986 and hasn’t been back since. The film recounts the events that led up to Dito fleeing home in the flashbacks with Shia LaBeouf.
I enjoyed this movie, but I don’t think that it is one that will appeal to the mass audience. The director has chosen to add some experimental elements into the film that won’t sit well with a large portion of the audience. There is subtitles put in the film when they would not normally be necessary, portions are edited similar to The Limey where you flash forward and backward with characters during a conversation so you don’t see them speaking while you hear them conversing, and the fourth wall is broken multiple times.
It is my opinion that this film worked in this format because it was made by the author of the book. It is obviously not a faithful adaptation to the entire book, but rather focuses on something very specific that Dito needed to work through – his relationship with his father and the life that he wanted for his son. This is actually one movie that really makes me want to learn more about the man behind it and read the book.
Director & Writer: Dito Montiel
Dito: Robert Downey Jr.
Young Dito: Shia LaBeouf
Flora: Dianne Wiest
Laurie: Rosario Dawson
Young Laurie: Melonie Diaz
Diane: Julia Garro
Jenny: Elenore Hendricks
Guiseppe: Adam Scarimbolo
Nerf: Scott Campbell
Young Nerf: Peter Tambakis
Antonio: Eric Roberts
Young Antonio: Channing Tatum
Monty: Chazz Palminteri
Mike: Martin Compston
Frank: Anthony DeSando
Dito: In the end - just like I said - I left everything, and everyone. But no one, no one has ever left me
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Burn After Reading
Burn After Reading is the latest in the long line or quirky and original films made by the Coen brothers, and hot off their Oscar win for No Country for Old Men. To call Burn After Reading a spy movie does not properly define it, but to call the film simply a comedy undersells it. Like most of the Coen brothers movies there is no simple way to categorize Burn After Reading.
The film begins with Osbourne, a CIA analyst who is told he is being demoted and therefore quits, his wife Katie reacts adversely to this news and chalks up another reason for divorce. Meanwhile, Harry is a ladies’ man who hides his many girlfriends from his wife, and is a paranoid US Marshall who thinks he is being watched. In another section of Washington D.C. Linda and Chad work at Hard Bodies gym; Linda is obsessed with changing her life by getting plastic surgery to change her body, and Chad is blissfully Chad. At the gym one day Chad & Linda stumble on a CD of Osbourne’s memoirs and financial info and make the mistaken assumption that it is “secret intelligence shit” and decide to offer it up to Osbourne thinking that they will get a good Samaritan reward. However, this backfires and they instead try blackmailing Osbourne which is where the plot gets even more complex than it already was.
Hands down the best thing about this movie is Chad played by Brad Pitt. He steals the show. Chad is just so blissfully Chad that is almost beyond description, he exists in his own world. I really can’t describe him to justice – just go see the movie.
However, some of the best lines in the film are given to a more minor character, the CIA supervisor played by JK Simmons. At at least two points in the movie Osbourne’s former boss must go to the supervisor to report on the oddities they’ve noticed since Osbourne quit – namely that Linda and Chad contacted Osbourne and then went to the Russian embassy. No one at the CIA can figure out what is going on or how this random group of people is involved and JK is the voice of that confusion.
If some of the Coen’s audience is new and jumped into their movies at No Country for Old Men they will be surprised by Burn After Reading, this movie is the old school, traditional Coen’s where the Oscar winning film is the mature side of the Coen’s. However, no matter how different their films may be they are all worth watching.
Director’s & Writer’s: Joel & Ethan Coen
Harry: George Clooney
Linda: Frances McDormand
Chad: Brad Pitt
Osbourne: John Malkovitch
Katie: Tilda Swinton
CIA Supervisor: JK Simmons
CIA Superior: What did we learn?
CIA Officer: Uh...
CIA Superior: Not to do it again. I don't know what the fuck it is we *did*, but...
The film begins with Osbourne, a CIA analyst who is told he is being demoted and therefore quits, his wife Katie reacts adversely to this news and chalks up another reason for divorce. Meanwhile, Harry is a ladies’ man who hides his many girlfriends from his wife, and is a paranoid US Marshall who thinks he is being watched. In another section of Washington D.C. Linda and Chad work at Hard Bodies gym; Linda is obsessed with changing her life by getting plastic surgery to change her body, and Chad is blissfully Chad. At the gym one day Chad & Linda stumble on a CD of Osbourne’s memoirs and financial info and make the mistaken assumption that it is “secret intelligence shit” and decide to offer it up to Osbourne thinking that they will get a good Samaritan reward. However, this backfires and they instead try blackmailing Osbourne which is where the plot gets even more complex than it already was.
Hands down the best thing about this movie is Chad played by Brad Pitt. He steals the show. Chad is just so blissfully Chad that is almost beyond description, he exists in his own world. I really can’t describe him to justice – just go see the movie.
However, some of the best lines in the film are given to a more minor character, the CIA supervisor played by JK Simmons. At at least two points in the movie Osbourne’s former boss must go to the supervisor to report on the oddities they’ve noticed since Osbourne quit – namely that Linda and Chad contacted Osbourne and then went to the Russian embassy. No one at the CIA can figure out what is going on or how this random group of people is involved and JK is the voice of that confusion.
If some of the Coen’s audience is new and jumped into their movies at No Country for Old Men they will be surprised by Burn After Reading, this movie is the old school, traditional Coen’s where the Oscar winning film is the mature side of the Coen’s. However, no matter how different their films may be they are all worth watching.
Director’s & Writer’s: Joel & Ethan Coen
Harry: George Clooney
Linda: Frances McDormand
Chad: Brad Pitt
Osbourne: John Malkovitch
Katie: Tilda Swinton
CIA Supervisor: JK Simmons
CIA Superior: What did we learn?
CIA Officer: Uh...
CIA Superior: Not to do it again. I don't know what the fuck it is we *did*, but...
Monday, September 22, 2008
Pride & Prejudice
The first time I heard they were making a feature length version of Pride & Prejudice I was mystified; the book is one of my favorites and after seeing the BBC mini series based on the book I really didn’t see how a feature length version could be made that would rival the BBC version and stay true to the book – it’s a really complex book. Of course, as I loved the book I was hopeful.
I adore this version of Pride & Prejudice. I think that it was brilliantly cast, visually stunning and kept the right amount of imformation in the book and changed certain things in a way that still kept them true to the book but made them work better for a two hour movie. This was an insane challenge for a writer and a director and I think that both mastered it and were able to create a wonderful adaptation.
Pride & Prejudice focuses on Lizzie Bennet and her family in the 19th century. They are a proper British family living in the countryside and are unfortunately burdened by having five daughters and no sons. As such the family is focused on one thing – getting the daughters married and hopefully married well. The two eldest daughters Jane & Lizze fall into the path of a new neighbor Mr. Bingley and his friend Mr. Darcy and their lives are changed forever. Bingley and Jane fall in love but are forced apart by his friends and family who believe her inferior and Darcy falls in love with Lizzie who does not return his affections. This story is classic and one of the romance films I actually enjoy shockingly enough – probably because it is populated with genuine characters that are fully developed.
I cannot review this film without giving props to Joe Wright. I had never heard of him before this film but will undoubtedly try to see his movies more. This film is beautiful visually and as I have already stated spot on in its translation, acting and every other element. This film is so well put together that you forget that it is put together at all – you don’t think about the editing, the score the acting, the costumes, and that is the goal of making a good movie.
Director: Joe Wright
Writer: Deborah Moggach
Lizzie: Kiera Knightly
Jane: Rosamund Pike
Mary: Talulah Riley
Lydia: Jena Malone
Kitty: Carey Mulligan
Mr. Bennet: Donald Sutherland
Mrs. Bennet: Brenda Blethyn
Charlotte Lucas: Claudie Blakley
Mr. Bingley: Simon Woods
Caroline Bingley: Kelly Reilly
Mr. Darcy: Matthew Macfadyen
Mr. Wickham: Rupert Friend
Mr. Collins: Tom Hollander
Lady Catherine de bourg: Judi Dench
Elizabeth Bennet: And that put paid to it. I wonder who first discovered the power of poetry in driving away love?
Mr. Darcy: I thought that poetry was the food of love.
Elizabeth Bennet: Of a fine stout love, it may. But if it is only a vague inclination I'm convinced one poor sonnet will kill it stone dead
Mr. Darcy: So what do you recommend to encourage affection?
Elizabeth Bennet: Dancing. Even if one's partner is barely tolerable
I adore this version of Pride & Prejudice. I think that it was brilliantly cast, visually stunning and kept the right amount of imformation in the book and changed certain things in a way that still kept them true to the book but made them work better for a two hour movie. This was an insane challenge for a writer and a director and I think that both mastered it and were able to create a wonderful adaptation.
Pride & Prejudice focuses on Lizzie Bennet and her family in the 19th century. They are a proper British family living in the countryside and are unfortunately burdened by having five daughters and no sons. As such the family is focused on one thing – getting the daughters married and hopefully married well. The two eldest daughters Jane & Lizze fall into the path of a new neighbor Mr. Bingley and his friend Mr. Darcy and their lives are changed forever. Bingley and Jane fall in love but are forced apart by his friends and family who believe her inferior and Darcy falls in love with Lizzie who does not return his affections. This story is classic and one of the romance films I actually enjoy shockingly enough – probably because it is populated with genuine characters that are fully developed.
I cannot review this film without giving props to Joe Wright. I had never heard of him before this film but will undoubtedly try to see his movies more. This film is beautiful visually and as I have already stated spot on in its translation, acting and every other element. This film is so well put together that you forget that it is put together at all – you don’t think about the editing, the score the acting, the costumes, and that is the goal of making a good movie.
Director: Joe Wright
Writer: Deborah Moggach
Lizzie: Kiera Knightly
Jane: Rosamund Pike
Mary: Talulah Riley
Lydia: Jena Malone
Kitty: Carey Mulligan
Mr. Bennet: Donald Sutherland
Mrs. Bennet: Brenda Blethyn
Charlotte Lucas: Claudie Blakley
Mr. Bingley: Simon Woods
Caroline Bingley: Kelly Reilly
Mr. Darcy: Matthew Macfadyen
Mr. Wickham: Rupert Friend
Mr. Collins: Tom Hollander
Lady Catherine de bourg: Judi Dench
Elizabeth Bennet: And that put paid to it. I wonder who first discovered the power of poetry in driving away love?
Mr. Darcy: I thought that poetry was the food of love.
Elizabeth Bennet: Of a fine stout love, it may. But if it is only a vague inclination I'm convinced one poor sonnet will kill it stone dead
Mr. Darcy: So what do you recommend to encourage affection?
Elizabeth Bennet: Dancing. Even if one's partner is barely tolerable
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