Robert Strauss, in his last role, plays Noah, the sole remaining survivor on our planet after a nuclear holocaust. Noah floats across the sea, desolate and alone, reaching a small island where he be begins to attempt to start a new life. Soon after his arrival, it becomes clear that Noah is unable to fully accept the loneliness of this desolate predicament, as he begins to create and interact with an imaginary companion as a coping mechanism. Honestly this is the type of film which a mere plot description doesn't do the film the justice it deserves. Extremely nightmarish, haunting, yet poetic, 'The Noah' deeply explores the fragility of the human mind when facing such extreme situations. Think of this as a much more unique, strange and thematically complex version of 'Castaway'. As the film progresses, Noah becomes more and more eratic, creating multiple companions to the point where he communicates with an entire civilization of characters. Along the way we learn tidbits and details about the type of man which Noah was before the nuclear war, being that his memory serves as his primary attribute in creating this civilization of imaginary people. If I had one compaint it would just be that the film is probably a little too long, but it's really a minor complaint from my point of view. 'The Noah' is a harrowing portrait of a man whose loneliness and isolation have consumed him and the end is as deeply tragic as one would expect. 8.5/10
0 Comments
Based on actual events, Richard Linklater's Bernie tells the story of an assistant funeral director, Bernie, who operates out of the small, rural town of Carthage, TX. An extremely kind individual, Bernie is loved by everyone in the town, even befriending Marjorie, the most hated woman in town who many feel is pure evil. As Bernie's companionship grows with Marjorie, he becomes increasingly backed into a corner, serving as her near slave, until a fateful day when he snaps, murdering her. Shot in a documentary style, which really increases the realistic feel of the film, Richard Linklater's latest effort is a fascinating study of morality and the conventional standards of right and wrong. From the outset it's relatively clear that the film itself is rather biased, taking Bernie's side of the story, but it hardly matters cause of all the elements that make such a strong, fascinating film. It's the story of a man that is just too nice, to the point where he is unable to defend himself, leading to him being pushed over the edge. All that being said, it's a very entertaining experience that perfectly blends drama and comedy, having a few hysterical moments. This is easily the best performance of Jack Black's career and he truly deserves a lot of credit for bringing this rather tragic, yet incredibly optimistic character to life. In a way the film's secondary message is simply about making the best of whatever hand you are dealt, though it's definitely not the primary focus of the film. 8.25/10 Ricky, a dim-witted ex-con, meets Beth, a vacuous waitress, and they instantly fall in love with one and other. Ricky appears to be much more in love with the sex, than any real emotional attachment, while Beth is hopelessly enamored in finding her potential soul mate. Jon Jost's FrameUp is the director's version of a lovers-road movie, and it's by far his most comedic film I have seen. Jost's style in this one is inventive, using all sorts of avant-garde techniques including montages, split screens, lengthy philosophical monologues, as well as one of the most intense opening credit sequences this side of Noe's 'Enter the Void'. It's an incredibly creative visual palette, that is both engaging and effective at showing a lot with very little. Even though these characters are simpletons by traditional standards, these characters are also quite philosophical, as the viewer is given a window into their inner thoughts and emotions. Always interesting, and quite profound at points, Jost shows the irony of perception vs. reality. As funny as this film is, in the end it's typically tragic for a Jost film, and though I found the political agenda to be rather unnecessary to his greater point, I wouldn't say it was a burden by any means. 8.75/10 Christabel, a young seemingly innocent woman, moves in with her cousin Donna, whose fiancee,Curtis, is extremely wealthy. After awhile it becomes clear to the viewer that Christabel is a manipulative creature only interested in breaking up her cousin's engagement so she can be with Curtis' money. Nicholas Ray's Born to Be Bad has so much potential but it ends up being surprisingly bland and uninteresting. For starters this is one of Ray's least interesting films in both it's visual design and it's treatment of characters. Joan Fontaine is fine as Christabel, but the character is really one dimension and is never venomous or tragic enough for me to find her particularly engaging. The film never explores Christabel inner psyche only showing us her weaseling ways. The whole film just feels very passive, as no character goes through any transformation, as we are aware of Christabel's deceits early on. The relationship which Christabel forms with Nick, a rugged writer, could have been our window into this cold woman's mind but it never really develops. Nick is the only person who sees through Christabel's manipulations, but once again, the film doesn't really develop or explore this relationship near enough. Nick was the only character that Christabel seemed to have true feelings for, but we never see much of that side of her. Maybe I am being a little harsh, but considering this was a Nicholas Ray film starring Robert Ryan and Joan Fontaine, I was expecting a little more particularly in terms of complex character dynamics. 5.5/10 Autumn Moon is a young hopeless teenager who spends his days debt-collecting for the triad. Autumn is malcontent and volatile yet he has an intellectual, reflective side below his tough exterior. Autumn protects his slow-witted friend Sylvester, who is constantly picked on, constantly wondering if there is something more out there. Fruit Chan's debut feature 'Made in Hong Kong' is a electric pseudo coming of age story which really showcased Chan's unique voice. The film is visually stunning, with Chan mixing in all sorts of color filters and some beautiful compositions that really capture the hopelessness and yearning for purpose which Autumn seeks. At it's heart the film is a love story, as Autumn meets and falls deeply in love with Ping, a young girl who is dying of liver disease. It's a very meditative piece which has a lot of spiritual subtext, as Chan appears to fear the worst for the youth of Hong Kong. The style is very interesting in that it draws inspiration from films like My Private Idaho and Natural Born Killers, creating a very interesting unique, reflective piece of film-making. It's not a perfect film, but it's raw energy really demonstrates Chan's unique perspective on the world around him. 8.5/10 Two undercover policeman follow a young man, Hikoya, they believe to be a leader in a radical activist group. The men setup in an apartment across from the young mans, where they observe and attempt to gain information about this activist group. Slowly the men realize that Hikoya is not as involved as they expected, spending most of his time with his two sex partners. Koji Wakamatsu's Season of Terror is a fascinating film that explores many of his typical themes of political activism and eroticism. Hikoya is a man who has grown cold and tired, disgusted by the dissension within revolutionary movements. He instead has turned to sex and pleasure, spending his days lying about, stimulating himself purely with pleasures of the flesh. The cinematography is cold, stagnant beautifully capturing this fractured man's point of view. The compositions themselves are fractured at times, further hitting this point home. Wakamatsu draws parallels between sex, violence and activism, yet in the end It seems to me that he is being extremely critical of the sexual revolution. Honestly, this is the type of film that could have many interpretations, but for me Wakamatsu shows the corruption that the constant pleasures of the flesh can have on an individual, who in Hikoya's case, has lost all his desire to fight for what he believes in. As always for Wakamatsu, this is a fascinating film that engages the viewer, making them think. 8.75/10 Frontier Marshal is an early, romanticized version of the gunfight at the O.K. corral. Randolph Scott stars as Wyatt Earp, who agrees to become the marshal of the town and establish order in Tombstone. Obviously, this film is going to draw comparisons to Ford's My Darling Clementine, and while I'm not inclined to say it's a better film, Frontier Marshall certainly deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Ford's classic. In a way, this version focuses more on Doc Holiday's story than Earps. While Wyatt Earp has far more screen time, it's Holiday's story that contains much of the emotional weight, as a man who is constantly tormented by his past, especially when his old flame turns up in town looking for him. Randolph Scott is fantastic as Wyatt Earp, capturing a man who has absolutely no fear of death. This fearlessness really shines in creating this type of mysticism that would make Earp a legend. At only 70 minutes long, this is a tight, streamlined tale that spends a lot of time peering in the souls of these two men, particularly Doc Holiday. 8/10 While watching 'Pariah' I couldn't help but wonder why Oprah and Tyler Perry didn't throw their support behind a film like this rather than the laughably manipulative piece of shit 'Precious'. Pariah is the story of Alike, a 17-year-old African-American woman whose quietly embracing the fact that she is a lesbian. She lives with her good-natured, but extremely religious mother, her hard-working father, and younger sister. Pariah is a raw and honest coming-of-age story that adds some new wrinkles to a somewhat tired story, creating a fresh, touching film that is both funny, heartbreaking, and ultimately uplifting. The most impressive thing about Dee Ree's feature debut is just how well balanced the story is. While this is very much a portrait of a young woman's struggles, every character in this film is very well fleshed out, with lots of dimension. This is impressive because the film never wavers, never forgetting it's primary focus in Alike. All of these characters feel very real. Adepero Oduye, who plays Alike, gives a really strong performance, balancing both the highs and lows of her character to great effect. It's not surprising at all to learn that Dee Rees based some of this story on her own life, as everything about it feels genuine and real. 8.25/10 Having not seen The Last Picture Show in almost 10 years, rewatching this classic was almost like watching it for the first time. The film chronicles a small town in Texas that is slowly dying. The narrative focuses on a trio of high school kids, who should have their entire life in front of them, yet there is a bleakness in the air. We see there day to day lives and the boredom which hangs over these individuals, old and young, where everything just feels incredibly stagnant. The atmosphere of this film is really something to experience as everything and everyone feel so stuck, with no means of escape. Peter Bogdanovich's black and white cinematography really matches the film's mood, using some really great camera movements in a few key scenes, elevating the emotional impact. There is no doubt that Bogdanovich really studied the films of John Ford, using some meticulous compositions in deep focus, expressing how this era is coming to an end. The performances all around are undoubtedly fantastic, with Cloris Leachman really stealing every scene she is in as the lonely, troubled housewife, Mrs. Popper. Another aspect of the film which I always found interesting is how this boredom and stagnation breeds this type of moral corruption and experimentation. The Last Picture Show is definitely a film that deserves the praise it received, giving a unique time capsule of a decaying town. 8.5/10 Three Seattle magazine employees seek out the man responsible for an unusual classified ad from an eccentric man, Kenneth, who believes he's discovered the secret to time travel. Kenneth is looking for a partner in his time travel escapade, and Darius, one of the magazine employees, attempts to be that person. Safety Not Guaranteed is a funny, charming film that does a good job of never venturing into the indie cliche's which plague these types of films. Darius is a young woman whose not particularly happy with her life and as she becomes closer with Kenneth, the two of them form an intimate relationship, which both gain from. The film really does a great job at exploring these characters humanity, and not just in it's core character's story. I particularly found Jeff, the reporter whose original agenda for taking on the story has to do with his desire to hook up with an old flame of his, to be surprisingly strong. The strength of this film lies in the fact that all of it's characters are explored and given depth, while never slowing down the narrative or having it feel unfocused. It's nothing incredibly ground-breaking, but it's definitely one of the better indie comedy-dramas to come out so far this year. 7.5/10 |
AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
|