Quickie: Cloverfield
Cloverfield (2008)–*** Quickie Review On the eve of Rob’s departure from New York City, a giant creature attacks the city. As filmed by his best friend who was taking video testimonials at the good-bye party, Rob and other survivors trek across a devastated Manhattan to rescue Rob’s would-be girlfriend. A terrifying, if angsty monster movie, the J.J. Abrams-produced feature succeeds in giving itself over to the human element, rather than simple spectacle. (Take note Roland Emmerich.) The very personal P.O.V. shooting-style — when mixed with special effects — adds so much to the genre film that you forget how badly it could have failed. Directed by Matt Reeves and starring Michael Stahl-David, Jessica Lucas, T.J. Miller, Odette Yustman and Lizzy Caplan. [youtube...
Read MoreQuickie: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)–*** Quickie Review Jean-Dominque Bauby, editor of Elle magazine, suffers a stroke, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down and without the ability to speak. With the help of a speech therapist, he learns to communicate by blinking his left eye and dictates a book chronicling his “locked-in” life. A surreal, emotional experience, Schnabel adaptation of Bauby’s memoir is inspired even if it doesn’t reach the dramatic peaks it shoots for. Bauby’s still sharp sense of humor despite his condition (likely pulled directly from his memoir) maintains the film, while Max von Sydow’s performance as Bauby’s father achieves the highest level of sincerity. Also starring Mathieu Amalric as...
Read MoreQuickie: Lions for Lambs
Lions for Lambs (2007)–** Quickie Review The story of America at war is told from the perspectives of a college professor and a promising student, a reporter and a senator, and two soldiers in Afghanistan. As boring as any of Robert Redford directorial efforts and as an unartful as any of the recent Iraq War films, this exercise in rhetorical pomposity isn’t nearly as influential as it thinks it should be. Sure, Redford’s film demands American civic engagement, but judging from the number of people eligible for AARP membership who made up the audience at my screening, it will still be unsuccessful in getting suburban kids to do something other than watch MTV or play video games. Featuring dreary, dispirited performances from Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep and...
Read MoreQuickie: Lars and the Real Girl
Lars and the Real Girl (2007)–*** Quickie Review Slightly agoraphobic, but extremely sweet, Lars shakes up his small town when he orders a human-sized, anatomically-correct female doll and treats it like a real-life girlfriend. A touching and funny dramedy, this second feature from Craig Gillespie is only as believable as the actors are good. Ryan Gosling gives a painful, tender performance as a 27-year-old just coming of age, while character actor Paul Schneider gives his best performance to date as Lars’s guilt-ridden older brother. Writer Nancy Oliver (Six Feet Under) delicately discovers a heartwarming tale inside this rather offbeat premise. (Though, it may not be offbeat enough.) Also starring Emily Mortimer and Patricia Clarkson. [youtube...
Read MoreQuickie: Into the Wild
Into the Wild (2007)–**** Quickie Review After graduating from Emory University, Christopher McCandless abandons his life of privilege for a nomadic journey that ends in the Alaskan wilderness. Sean Penn’s third feature film is the defining feature of his directorial career. Penn successfully channels the McCandless’s spirit, cinematically christening him as an inspirational and spiritual icon for generations to come. This is a film that will change lives. Starring Emile Hirsch, Catherine Keener, William Hurt, Marcia Gay Harden and Jena Malone, with an Oscar-worthy turn by the 82-year-old Hal...
Read MoreQuickie: In the Valley of Elah
In the Valley of Elah (2007)–** Quickie Review The father of a murdered Iraq War veteran, himself once an Army man, helps a female police detective solve his son’s case, but the truth behind the crime is hard to comprehend. Writer/director Paul Haggis’s anti-war film proves once again that he should focus more on the writing and less on the directing. Most of the film’s drama comes from the audience’s knowledge of the current geopolitical climate and not from within the frame, while the actors are given the extreme task of contending with the world at large. This is a film that weighs on your shoulders, but rarely forces you to feel it makes one damn bit of difference. Starring Tommy Lee Jones, Susan Sarandon and Charlize...
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