Life of Pi

          Life of Pi is a unique movie which I’m surprised was only rated PG.  It is definitely not a children’s movie despite being based on a children’s book and having a PG rating.  The subject matter is powerful and at times abstract and some of the scenes of violence are quit intense.  Overall, it was an intriguing spiritual journey, yet one that I found over rated.  Reviews have compared it to Avatar, but I found the only similarity was the use of the occasional phosphorous scenery.  If I had to compare it to another movie, it would be a more metaphorical version of ‘Castaway’ with Tom Hanks. 

The film centers on an Indian boy named PI (Ayush Tandum) whose family has decided to sell their zoo and move to Canada for a new life.  On the ship voyage across the Pacific they encounter a violent storm which capsizes the boat and only Pi and a Bengal tiger survive by making it to the life boat.  Pi is adrift in the middle of the Pacific in a life boat with a wild tiger facing starvation.  Not an attractive scenario given that Pi is probably viewed as food.

The majority of the film takes place on the life boat with Pi and the Tiger (named Richard Parker [interesting story behind the name]) trying to find a way to co-exist in the face of death and starvation.  What I admire about this film is that they didn’t try to humanize the tiger as most films would.  Richard Parker is not one of our jungle friends.  He is a predator.  Not good or evil, rather it’s just what he is.  Pi believes he can see the tiger’s soul in it’s eyes, and he very well might be able too, but that doesn’t mean that the tiger will act like a human.

The early scenes of Pi trying to survive are intensely realistic and terrifying given the tiger’s ferocity.  I made the mistake of taking my 11 year old niece and it was a little too much for her.  Slowly, the two develop a way to co-exist, but with the proper fear and respect that the tiger could kill him at any moment if he lets his guard down.  These were some of the more poignant scenes in the film as the mutual respect slowly established itself.  The two are adrift for longer than one would think possible, but Pi develops survival skills that keep both himself and Richard Parker minimally fed.

As the weeks pass, the film transcends into abstraction.  The director Ang Lee was obviously influenced by Avatar in his use of phosphorus colors at night and utilizes the Ocean’s full color palette and beyond.  It’s as if as Pi becomes more delirious from his journey, we participate in his delirium.  From here, we begin to lose track of what is reality and what is metaphor.  The voyage into Pi’s spiritual revelations are laid out before us to interpret.

My major issue with this film is that towards the end Ang Lee feels the need to spell out what all the symbolism means as opposed to letting us come up with our own answers.  When you paint by the numbers with spirituality, it loses something, I think.  I did like that the answers weren’t necessarily as clear cut as a typical Hollywood movie would portray.  It’s safe to say that there will not be any Richard Parker stuffed tiger animals as Charlie is portrayed the way a tiger actually is and not the way we want them to be.

As I stated earlier, don’t go expecting a kid friendly PG film because, despite the rating, it is violent and intense.  The suffering that Pi and the tiger endure being adrift at sea is very real. I am glad that it was made and it was an interesting spiritual exercise, but don’t go expecting the epic they are trying to bill it as.  

http://www.fandango.com/movie-trailer/lifeofpi-trailer/145722/2260842587

I give this film *** stars.

Skyfall

        I have mixed feelings about the newest Bond film ‘Skyfall’.  It does reaffirm my personal bias that Daniel Craig is the best Bond ever (my apologies to the Sean Connery purists) and I deeply admire what the director Sam Mendes was trying to do in this film.  This was an attempt to reinvent Bond and at the same time take him back to his roots.  After 50 years, how many times can you have a chase scene through a third world bazaar and have it still seem fresh?  While all the ingredients for a Bond film are there; exotic women, creepy bad guys, cool gadgets, and cool espionage stuff, it definitely had a different feel and pace from a typical Bond film.  I’m not going to say it succeeded as I did not enjoy it as much as ‘Casino Royale’, but it was a far cry better than the previous ‘Quantum of Solace’.

This film is as much about M (Judi Dench) as it is about Bond (Daniel Craig). She is more of a co-star than a supporting character.  Bond’s loyalty to M is tested after she makes a call that almost kills him.  The presumed dead Bond seeks to find a peaceful retirement in obscurity until a Julian Assange style villain named Silva (Javier Bardem, my favorite Spanish actor) starts outing the identities of British undercover agents.  Bond’s sense of loyalty to country overcomes his bitterness towards M and he returns to track down the effeminate villain.

Has Bond lost his edge though?  He is challenged by a body that is wracked by physical abuse as well as deep seated psychological issues.  M’s competence is also called into question.  Is she simply too old to do the job? Dench captures both the strength and frailty of a character refusing to accept her approaching retirement. We are used to seeing Bond as a superhero, not as a human being with weaknesses and foibles that prevent him from being the super spy we know and love.  Can we still accept Bond as a super spy without the ‘super’ in front of it?

Javier Bardem’s Silva is an excellent villain.  Highly effeminate, yet lethal in his desire to kill M.  I won’t go into the backstory, but M’s past has caught up to her and she must face the consequences of what she has done.  While it is clear who are the good guys and who are the bad guys, the line is crossed often and not always comfortably.  

Of course, there are the beautiful Bond women.  They always seem to come in pairs.  Bond’s fellow agent Eve is played by the beautiful English actress,  Naomie Harris.  I don’t know how she isn’t more famous than she is as I have noticed her for a long time.  Not just her beauty, but her acting ability as well.  She seems relegated to small parts (Pirates of the Caribbean, Miami Vice, 28 Days Later), but she has always made an impact on me.  I’m glad her roles are expanding.  I hope to see her as an A-lister some day.  The Femme Fatale is Sévérin played by  Bérénice Marlohe.  She is a relatively obscure French actress without many credits outside of France, but she has an exotic beauty befitting a Bond girl.  Her screen time was unfortunately far too short.  The final addition is a fresh faced young Q (Ben Wishaw).  He is not the old curmudgeon we knew and loved (RIP Desmond Liewelyn), but he brings a sardonic wit and sarcasm that quickly wins us over.

The film also explores Bond’s mysterious past without giving up too much of it which would take away the Bond mystique.  I’m not sure how true it was to the book, but it’s always interesting to see the backstory.  It also provides a canvas to throw in a lot of nostalgic and fun callouts to the past Bonds. 

       ‘Skyfall’ is a film that seeks to freshen up the franchise without losing what makes Bond... Bond.  Like I said, I admire the attempt, but I’m not sure it hit the mark as satisfyingly as Casino Royale did.  You be the judge.

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi17081369/

I give this film *** stars

Flight

      Flight is a powerful movie that solidifies (as if he wasn’t already) Denzel Washington as an A-list actor and a Movie Star in my humble estimation. This entire film relies on Denzel’s powerful acting to make the emotional impact work.  In the hands of a lesser actor, this would be a role that would tempt one to over act, which would actually diminish the force of this character.  What Denzel is able to convey with just his eyes and minor facial expressions is more emotionally moving than anything a stage thespian could convey.  The title is misleading, because this film is more about a man’s battle with his personal demons than anything to do with flying.

Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington) is an airline pilot who  has a problem with drugs and alcohol.  He lives a hard life of narcotic ups and downs, but he is able to function in everyday life.  In fact, he is a great pilot.  This becomes evident when he miraculously crash lands a plane after a severe mechanical malfunction saving almost everyone on board.  He is worshiped as a hero until his hospital toxicology reports come back showing that he was legally drunk when he was flying the plane.  What starts out as media worship turns into a media circus as the investigation is taken to the airwaves and the court of public opinion.  

Out of all the lives that were saved, five people did die.  Even though his landing was nothing short of miraculous, the prosecutors need someone to blame for the deaths.  A drunk pilot is the perfect scapegoat for the plane manufacturer and airline.  The media smells blood in the water and goes after Whip with a vengeance. Whip escapes the media frenzy and hides out on his grandfather’s abandoned farmhouse to try and deal with his problems.  His life crosses with a woman named Nicole (Kelly Reilly) who is dealing with her heroin addiction.  She is his hope and conscience while at the same time being a mirror to what he has become.  She is perfectly cast as she is beautiful, but her eyes are full of hurt and vulnerability.  Her life is out of her control and she is desperately trying to claw her way back up.  Unfortunately, Whip is an anchor, threatening to drag her down.

Denzel does a great job portraying a man who realizes he has a problem, yet at the same time can lie even to himself that he can handle it.  He disposes of all the liquor in his house only to completely restock it a day later.  He thinks he is above AA meetings, because that is for people who can’t handle their problems.  He is trying to come to grips with his alcoholism all the while facing  the possibility of life in prison.  Not an easy task. The film evolves from a plane disaster movie to a character study and Denzel does it adeptly.

Denzel isn’t the only one who turns in a great performance.  Don Cheadle plays the union lawyer assigned to represent Whip.  Don plays the consummate professional  who must defend a man he dislikes intensely.  Someone who offends every morale fiber that he has.  Once again, a subtle performance that could have been played over the top.  John Goodman does play Whip’s drug dealer Harling over the top, but in this case it fits.  Harling is big hearted and affable and seen as welcome relief by Whip.  Harling is a big part of Whip’s problem, but his friendship and support is never in doubt which makes it harder for Whip to see how truly damaging Harling is.  Goodman brings heart and good humor to a role that is ultimately one of the more damaging aspects of Whip’s life.

The crash scene at the beginning is truly edge of your seat stuff, but that is over in the first 15 minutes, so don’t go expecting this type of movie.  From beginning to end, this is a movie that examines the battle a man has with himself.  I predict that Denzel will be nominated for another Academy Award for this. It will be well deserved.  He is an actor who truly knows that less is more.  The clip I have linked below is a good example of how Denzel can convey a man whose world is closing in around him in which he is unable to lie his way out.  It’s all done through the eyes and  facial expression.  It takes an accomplished actor to do this.

I recommend this film despite being a little heavier than the trailers would lead one to think. 

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1517462553/

I give this film *** stars.

Man with the Iron Fists

        There are a certain group of directors. whose love of 70’s karate and grind house B movies, have spilled over into their film making.  In some cases, they base their entire film making style in paying homage to these films that they loved so much in their youth.  Quentin Tarantino, the most notable in this fraternity (who once famously wanted to release rats during a premiere to recreate the feel of a grind house movie theatre), describes them as a group of ‘unique individuals’.  Others, such as Robert Rodriguez and Eli Roth, have achieved their own levels of success by somehow elevating this horrible movie style beyond just nostalgic reproductions to a true art form.  Making his directoral debut and anointed by this exclusive club, is RZA.  I really admire RZA as an artist.  He is the front man for the hip hop group The Wu Tang Clan.  He came from an impoverished inner city background to become one of the foremost hip hop producers of the 90’s.  In a hip hop world that glamorizes shallowness and image, RZA’s work is reflective and spiritual.  He is a thinker and writer who dabbles in Buddhism.  He has sought to expand his art beyond hip hop and ‘The Man with the Iron Fists’ marks his first foray into Hollywood.

For all the respect I have for RZA, I will say that, where his peers have transcended the B-movie format, he embraces it.  This film is a flashback to my early childhood of watching dubbed kung fu flicks on the late night TV movie shows or on the network Sunday matinees.  The acting is poor, the plot  basic, and the special effects and wardrobe are cheesy at best.  In this world, knowledge of different exotic types of kung fu is what is necessary to win battles.  Chop house films were like the Asian version of American superheroes and I loved them despite their poor quality.

The plot involves the pursuit of a caravan of gold by rival Chinese gangs and an English adventurer (a paunchy Russell Crowe) in feudal China.  A treasure chest of gold escorted by the imperial guard settles in a small town for a night of rest. The local blacksmith (RZA) is in high demand as the interested parties need weapons to prepare for the upcoming violence in order to capture the gold.  The side story of how an african-american ends up being a blacksmith in feudal China was improbable, but so was the plot of this movie.  Throw in a brothel run by the beautiful Madame Blossom (Lucy Liu) because you had to find some way to have sex in the midst of all this violence and you have all you need to know about this movie.

You can appreciate RZA’s love of this genre.  The film does not try to be anything that it’s not.  It’s a retro throw back and you can tell that as a boy RZA probably wanted to be in a kung fu film.  Given this low bar of quality, i will still say that I had things about the film that could have been better given it’s limitations.  The movie couldn’t decide what it was about.  I think if it would have focused on RZA as the blacksmith and how he became the ‘Man with the Iron Fists’, it would have been much more coherent.  Separate plot lines seemed to take the story in different ways.  Russell Crowe, as the English adventurer Jack Knife. was one of the film’s high points despite the distraction of his girth.  He brought a level of class to this cheese fest, but even his story was underdeveloped and confusing when it occasionally came to the forefront.

. This movie was bad, but in many ways it was meant to be bad.  I enjoyed it the same way I enjoyed those movies as a kid, so in that regard; mission accomplished.  Even the film credits were done in the 70’s fashion which caused pleasant nostalgia.  I enjoy seeing artists like RZA extend themselves beyond their comfort zones and take a risk in their expressions.  In the parlance of the film: “His Tiger style kung fu is strong”.

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3669665049/

I give this film * star (but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it)

Argo

       As the years go by, I gain more and more respect for Ben Affleck.  Initially, I thought he and Matt Damon got lucky with ‘Good Will Hunting’ (the film that launched their careers), but as time passes, I realize that many times people make their own luck.  Affleck has proven himself a good actor and, now as he transitions into the director role, he has proven himself a more than a capable director (‘Gone Baby Gone’ and ‘The Town’).  In ‘Argo’ he takes on both the lead acting and directing roles and produces a thoroughly riveting human story based on the Iranian hostage crisis of 1979.

Suspenseful docudramas are tricky for a variety of reasons. For one thing, for anyone alive at the time or knows history, we know the resolution.  Suspense is strongest when one doesn’t know the outcome.  Also, it’s difficult to tell a political story without the prism of your political beliefs seeping through.  I feel Affleck succeeded in traversing both obstacles.  His ability to create suspense and tension so thick that you could cut it with a knife was impressive. In regards to politics, Affleck is a well-known Hollywood activist, but he managed to stay fairly objective with only a few moments of his personal bias showing through.  It was a well crafted and informative tale about a CIA mission to secretly rescue hostages that has since been declassified.

The Iranian hostage crises was not the first major news event I remember, but it was the first one I remember following with interest.  Night after night, the saga of American citizens being held hostage in a foreign land captured the attention of our nation like nothing else I had remembered before.  It spawned entire news shows (Nightline started because of the crisis) and it ultimately was one of the major factors of Carter’s defeat in the Presidential elections.  It was a different time that had a different national mood and Affleck did a superb job at capturing the feeling of the era.  The country was demoralized after the Watergate scandal, rocked with a gas crisis and a floundering economy, and for the first time America began to have a sense of feeling they were declining as a world economic and political power.

The story of six hostages who escaped the siege was one I vaguely remember.  At the time, credit was given to the Canadians, and while they were definitely a huge factor, it was a CIA operation hatched by one agent that ultimately was the blueprint that rescued them.  Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) was tasked with coming up with a way to rescue the hostages as their time was running out.  The hostages had taken refuge at the Canadian embassy and the Canadians were getting ready to recall their ambassador.  The hostages were about to be stranded and at the mercy of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.

Out of a sea of bad idea’s, Agent Mendez’s plan to go in as a Canadian film crew and incorporate the hostages as part of his film crew seemed to be the least ridiculous (not that it didn’t sound ridiculous).  This was a plan that had to be completely plausible and able to hold up to scrutiny, so Agent Mendez went to Hollywood to find a movie to start up that would be printed in all of the industry publications.  Alan Arkin and John Goodman play Hollywood insiders who sign on with Affleck to help him with his plan.  Half the fun of this movie was seeing the process of how a movie gets backing in Hollywood (even if it’s an imaginary one).  After leafing through endless scripts, the team settles on a Sci-fi movie called ‘Argo’.  Their logic was that Iran offers exotic cityscapes that would be plausible for a movie company seeking it out for a film.  Hopefully, the Iranian government would accept this logic as well.

As I stated earlier, we all know the outcome, but Affleck did a great job in illustrating the emotional trials of six people who know they may be discovered and hanged at any moment.  The dynamics of the group interaction was the heart of the film and we lived their fears and pressures right along with them.  It also painted a picture of another part of the world very different than our own.  A modern world, yet one where people are still hanged in public for political beliefs.  A world where rule of mob is stronger than rule of law.  It’s a sobering reminder of the liberties we enjoy even while we sometimes complain about the lack of them.

This is a good piece of docu-history.  It takes those of us who remember back in time to see a story that was not commonly known and it would be a good education for those too young to remember  exactly what the nation went through.  Affleck is evolving as a director and I would be surprised if this isn’t nominated at Academy time.

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1537319449/

I give this film *** 1/2 stars