I got to review Arrested Development: Season One. Nuff said.
Check out my review at filmcritic.com. And watch for Season Two coming soon...
Saturday, May 30, 2009
On DVD and HBO: Taking Chance
The latest great film to come from HBO Films is now on DVD...and you can probably still find it on cable, too. Check out my review at filmcritic.com.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
What's a Nasty Girl Like You Doing in a Movie Like This??
Sasha Grey is a fascinating character. I say "character" because she has very savvily crafted a damn near impenetrable persona that only she will decide when and how to step away from. She has assumed the role of Most Notorious Porn Star Currently Working, and now she is the star of the new Steven Soderbergh movie. I have seen and read interviews in which she has seemed pleasant, respectful, cold, immensely knowledgeable, and remarkably, indomitably effusive. Her character is one of a cool, steely wall: she is untouchable, and if anyone tries to "touch," she sidesteps like a pro. There are countless current examples of Third-Wave Feminism Run Rampant -- far too many to count here, and the subject is far too complex to discuss in detail in what is supposed to be a movie review -- but Grey is carving out territory all her own...or at least she thinks she is. Listening to her tone of voice, and reading the kinds of things she says, she speaks about liberation and freedom as if she created the terminology.
Grey is an absolutely fascinating subject, if for no other reason than she has assumed the role of a man (thus underlining the Third-Wave Feminism parallel), claims to love participating in some of the most degrading pornographic scenes imaginable (though she still has her own set of boundaries), and seems as if none of it fazes her in the slightest...yet she is so dismissive, so evasive. It seems as if there is something hidden beneath the thick, stubborn surface.
Which brings me to The Girlfriend Experience, which reminds me of its leading actress -- it is undeniably fascinating, distractingly cold, and seems to be hiding a key element that would make it much more believable. The film is one of those small, almost-guerrilla style Soderbergh indies where the director strips everything down to make a sort-of movie that tackles high-concept material with a snarky wink to pop culture. These films are generally interesting failures (Full Frontal, Bubble), and The Girlfriend Experience fits the same mold, right down to its confounding arrogance. Soderbergh seems more interested in the act of making a film -- and the challenge of creating a specific, aloof tone -- than in crafting an enduring work of cinema. The result is certainly a piece of filmed art, but never quite feels like a real movie.
Grey is the central focus of the film as Chelsea, a high-class call girl who offers her clients the full "girlfriend experience" -- her sessions consist not merely of kinky sexual exploits, but lingering evenings of idle conversation and manufactured partnership that often end in...well, you get the idea. Chelsea never seems attached to any one of her clients; in fact, she never seems attached to anything within a specific moment. She unburdens herself in written journals that she speaks as occasional narration, but even her transcribed thoughts are more factual than intimate.
Chelsea mainly associates with wealthy fat cats in the financial business, many of whom care less about nailing a hooker than they do having someone with whom to discuss the financial crisis and how it is making them poor...even as they pay Chelsea a small fortune for one night of company. In her off hours, Chelsea makes a home with her boyfriend (Chris Santos), who himself is struggling to make a place for himself in the fitness world.
The Girlfriend Experience may be the first film to openly take place during the 2008 presidential race, and is easily the first to feature extended discussions of the disastrous state of the U.S. economy. It seems natural for a Soderbergh film to be so savvy and so current, and unfortunately natural for the film to be acutely aware of its intelligence. Soderbergh is truly a genius and an unabashed lover of filmmaking, but one of his eccentricities is falling so in love with the form and style that his ambitions sometimes come across as too cute by half.
The most interesting thing on the screen is Grey, who is the perfect fit for a character like Chelsea -- such a good fit, really, that it would be easy to ponder (as many publicly have) how much acting she had to do for the part. The truth of the matter is that hers is a very intriguing performance filled with subtle nuance -- no overstated emotion, to be sure, but she says a lot without saying anything at all. Too bad Soderbergh is precoccupied with shooting from a distance, so we don't ever truly get an intimate look at her face (or perhaps that was the point), and too bad he strains to draw a parallel between Chelsea's line of work and her boyfriend's. Sorry, working as a put-upon personal trainer and striving to start one's own business is not the same thing as sacrificing one's body and soul every single night, no matter how you slice it. If the filmmakers are trying to claim they are, in essence, one in the same, they are wrong. It doesn't matter what kind of edgy hipster spin Soderbergh, Grey, et al try to put on the cold hard facts...the cold hard facts remain the same.
In the same way, when such a riveting figure as Grey holds the screen, why cut away from her to dapple in unnecessary scenes featuring boringly rowdy men and their flyboy exploits? Watching Soderbergh focus on the boyfriend and his rich pals joking around on a plane to Vegas while they stupidly discuss the merits of Obama vs. McCain all the while knowing the only character of interest is being ignored just so these idiots can joke around solidifies the arrogance with which the filmmaker entered this film: the movie in its current incarnation thinks it's about Chelsea, but is really about how hip and current the content is. The cultural material fits in better when Chelsea is forced to discuss anything and everything with her bloviating clientele, in scenes that feel more natural for what the movie truly wants to be.
But for all its voyeuristic indulgence, for all its attempts at fly-on-the-wall realism, nothing in The Girlfriend Experience seems real, but more like stylistic artifice -- not unlike the persona Grey has carved out for herself. There is such interesting ground to cover with a character like Grey, and with a subject like the business of sex, but it all must be dealt with honestly. I never feel as if Grey is being honest with herself in interviews, and I feel like Soderbergh isn't quite being honest with himself in this film. The Girlfriend Experience, sadly, is just indie-chic posturing.
Monday, May 25, 2009
New on Blu-Ray: True Romance
No other way to describe this one other than, simply, "awesome." If you haven't seen it, you are missing a critical link in the evolution of your film education. And good news: it's now on Blu-Ray. Check out my review at filmcritic.com.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Video Pick of the Week: District B13
District B13 is a feverish, frenetic action blast set to a pulsating techno beat. It is a film whose sole purpose is to send a shockwave through the audience, to take viewers on a kinetic ride and leave them with adrenaline oozing out of their eyeballs. It succeeds in every way, on every level. I'm still shaking off the adrenaline rush. Here is a visceral cartoon of a movie, and I mean that in the best way possible; these characters run up walls, swing around buildings, jump through tiny window openings, and shoot at one another incessantly, yet they emerge with a keen sense of humor and their uber-cool left intact. This is one of the most creative and entertaining action films in a long time.
The film, known as Banlieue 13 ("Barrio 13") in its native France, is the brainchild of Luc Besson, the French action giant who has been moderately successful in the United States with such films as Leon The Professional and The Fifth Element, but who, back in his home country, delivers his best screenplay in years. And this isn't even a "screenplay movie" -- there is nothing revolutionary about the film's plot details, which are labyrinthine in a throwaway manner, or its structure, which is exceedingly simple. District B13 is not a movie about story or even a movie about words. Sure, the film is in French, and sure, there are a slew of English subtitles, but dialogue is not the film's primary mode of communication -- this movie speaks in a language of blood-pumping action, and its dialect is the hardcore thump of techno-club beats. We all get the message.
In "futuristic" 2010 France, one run-down, crime-infested barrio is taken over by government officials and is turned into a police state. B13 is isolated from the rest of the country, with giant walls encasing the city and armed guards protecting its borders. Schools have been shut down and law enforcement is all but obsolete; B13 lies in chaotic ruins, a crime haven to end all crime havens. Leito (David Belle) became fed up with the destruction of his city a long time ago, and found work in the only way he could: as a drug-runner for a seedy crime boss named Taha (Bibi Naceri, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Besson). As the movie begins, Leito has a plan. He wants to expose Taha and topple his operation, thereby restoring a modicum of peace to the home he loves. Of course, it's not that easy. Taha's men kidnap Leito's sister, Lola (Dany Verissimo) and drug her up real bad, and instead of sending Taha to jail, Leito is arrested for possession of narcotics. So much for his noble plan.
Six months pass. An experimental bomb with the potential to kill an entire city mysteriously finds its way to B13. Government officials send dogged undercover cop Damien (Cyril Raffaelli) to diffuse the bomb before it destroys B13 forever, but he needs a knowledgeable partner to help him navigate the seedy underworld. Enter Leito, who knows the ins and outs of Taha's syndicate, and for whom there may just be an added bonus to this scenario: diffuse the bomb, end Taha's reign, and save Lola's life.
District B13 takes on the standard aspects of a buddy movie, but adds its own iconoclastic flair to give labored material vibrant new life. The film is stacked wall-to-wall with some of the most viscerally exciting action sequences ever filmed. If the movie is a tightrope, its characters are brutish acrobats who glide across the rope without breaking a sweat and who possess such astounding physical prowess they may as well be flying through the air (and sometimes it seems like they are). Is any of it believable in the slightest? Of course not, and why should it be? This film is a high-octane fairy tale, a looney tune on vicious steroids. We are more than entertained by watching Leito and Damien kick ass after ass; we become vicarious participants. This is the kind of movie that makes even the most tranquil intellectuals punch the air and do somersaults on the floor.
Credit for this extravaganza obviously would go in equal parts to Besson, whose script places us in a delirious world and never lets up, and to director Pierre Morel, whose style is impeccable but who never lets his action become overwhelmed by his camerawork. There are countless slam-bang action sequences in the film, to be sure, but Morel works in a gritty style that vividly renders this dizzying world but never upstages it. He is a brash visualist, but not an arrogant one. In the same way, District B13 is short, sweet, and in-your-face, without any lofty goals or serious undercurrents. It is, dazzlingly and gloriously, all action and no pretense.
The film, known as Banlieue 13 ("Barrio 13") in its native France, is the brainchild of Luc Besson, the French action giant who has been moderately successful in the United States with such films as Leon The Professional and The Fifth Element, but who, back in his home country, delivers his best screenplay in years. And this isn't even a "screenplay movie" -- there is nothing revolutionary about the film's plot details, which are labyrinthine in a throwaway manner, or its structure, which is exceedingly simple. District B13 is not a movie about story or even a movie about words. Sure, the film is in French, and sure, there are a slew of English subtitles, but dialogue is not the film's primary mode of communication -- this movie speaks in a language of blood-pumping action, and its dialect is the hardcore thump of techno-club beats. We all get the message.
In "futuristic" 2010 France, one run-down, crime-infested barrio is taken over by government officials and is turned into a police state. B13 is isolated from the rest of the country, with giant walls encasing the city and armed guards protecting its borders. Schools have been shut down and law enforcement is all but obsolete; B13 lies in chaotic ruins, a crime haven to end all crime havens. Leito (David Belle) became fed up with the destruction of his city a long time ago, and found work in the only way he could: as a drug-runner for a seedy crime boss named Taha (Bibi Naceri, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Besson). As the movie begins, Leito has a plan. He wants to expose Taha and topple his operation, thereby restoring a modicum of peace to the home he loves. Of course, it's not that easy. Taha's men kidnap Leito's sister, Lola (Dany Verissimo) and drug her up real bad, and instead of sending Taha to jail, Leito is arrested for possession of narcotics. So much for his noble plan.
Six months pass. An experimental bomb with the potential to kill an entire city mysteriously finds its way to B13. Government officials send dogged undercover cop Damien (Cyril Raffaelli) to diffuse the bomb before it destroys B13 forever, but he needs a knowledgeable partner to help him navigate the seedy underworld. Enter Leito, who knows the ins and outs of Taha's syndicate, and for whom there may just be an added bonus to this scenario: diffuse the bomb, end Taha's reign, and save Lola's life.
District B13 takes on the standard aspects of a buddy movie, but adds its own iconoclastic flair to give labored material vibrant new life. The film is stacked wall-to-wall with some of the most viscerally exciting action sequences ever filmed. If the movie is a tightrope, its characters are brutish acrobats who glide across the rope without breaking a sweat and who possess such astounding physical prowess they may as well be flying through the air (and sometimes it seems like they are). Is any of it believable in the slightest? Of course not, and why should it be? This film is a high-octane fairy tale, a looney tune on vicious steroids. We are more than entertained by watching Leito and Damien kick ass after ass; we become vicarious participants. This is the kind of movie that makes even the most tranquil intellectuals punch the air and do somersaults on the floor.
Credit for this extravaganza obviously would go in equal parts to Besson, whose script places us in a delirious world and never lets up, and to director Pierre Morel, whose style is impeccable but who never lets his action become overwhelmed by his camerawork. There are countless slam-bang action sequences in the film, to be sure, but Morel works in a gritty style that vividly renders this dizzying world but never upstages it. He is a brash visualist, but not an arrogant one. In the same way, District B13 is short, sweet, and in-your-face, without any lofty goals or serious undercurrents. It is, dazzlingly and gloriously, all action and no pretense.
Sadly, now on DVD: Deflating the Elephant
Otherwise known as: Deflating the Careers of Sean Penn and George Lakoff. The sad disaster that should have been brilliant is now on DVD. I hope you can't find it anywhere. Check out my review on filmcritic.com.
New on DVD: The Cake Eaters
This just in: self-important indie tripe has just landed on DVD! Check out my review at filmcritic.com.
New on Blu-Ray: Anaconda
Believe it or not, the movie is worse than the Blu-Ray cover. Check out my review at filmcritic.com.
New on Blu-Ray: Roxanne
One of the great screenplays from one of the great comic philosophers of our time is now on Blu-Ray. Check out my review at filmcritic.com
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