The Namesake

It is better that The Namesake looks and feels more like entertainment than it does an art film. The film is about the cultural divsions in an Indian family over the years. The story begins with the parents meeting, marriage and leave of India to go to the United States. What they come to is an entirely different world. The values and customs that their children are brought up represent an opposite extreme of what the parents themselves knew as children. The crux of the film is about the children trying to come to terms with their parents to appreciate what they have to offer.

The film is by Mira Nair, an accomplished filmmaker of the subject of Indian heritage. The film doesn't measure up to earlier efforts by her, but the film is better because it feels so translatable to American audiences. The story has some insights and perspectives, but not enough to climb over better, more depth films. It would be just another film of a recognizable sub genre if made to suit the art market. Cultural explorations are a good norm of that market, but with some recognizable American actors the film becomes a small gem to American audiences who will recognize Kal Penn. Nothing astonishing, but a good enough effort that has its heart and mind in the right place.

Across the Universe

The limits of interpretation apply to Across the Universe. The Beatles, icons of the 60s, have their music served up as story and discussion about two youths who fall in love but are torn apart by the political struggles to stop Vietnam War. A different Beatles song lays out a different emotion and thought for the short history of the characters and their times.

The film is a true musical in the sense that the lyrics are suppose to be as important and as meaningful as anything piece of dialogue, but the film over values the meaning of the music of the Beatles. The band dealt with both pop tunes and explorations in rock and darker subjects, but the idea that some of their songs are good for political climate of the 1960s is much less believable. The Beatles were politically aware but most of their progression with material and subject matter was personal. The few times they did outright deal with social change it was done in the most general way. The film milks those for songs for all they are worth and even extends the meaning of other songs to prove points that had little to do with original intention and isn't very believable now.

For Julie Taymour the filmmaker the story matters very little. She continues her exploration of mixing styles and sets to create visual poetry, but she underwhelms in Across the Universe. A few ideas and visuals are good, but she keeps the visua moments spread too far and too tin over the course of the film. Each new visual moment has a new set up and design and lasts many seconds instead of minutes. When Federico Fellini made Juliet of the Spirits, he tied the visuals together for twenty minutes of length sometimes. He understood the visuals were important, but it was more interesting in how they could be brought together through editing. Julie Taymour tries to impress us more with exaggerated production sets up. She doesn't link the visuals to that many impressive filmmaking sequences.

Definitely, Maybe

Love stories are like pop songs. They deal with our most intrinsic interest in life, but they also gloss over reality for ideal and conveniance. People always make too much importance of them. The fact they can relate to the basic feelings isn't that important. The words "I love you" are meaningful to everyone, but replicating those emotions in sugar coated works of pop entertainment always has great limitations.

The difference with Definitely, Maybe is that the story does try to complicate an age old formula. The father tells his daughter the story of how he fell in love with his mother. He tries to convince her it is complicated but she argues that it isn't. And so the film begins by relaying over his history with three different women and how chance events and new moments moved him from one girl to the next or from one great moment to a low one. Definitely, Maybe has a few ideas correct in that it cannot leave definite impressions of each woman or moment. Some characters just do drift away and ideas of his old self also just fade.

The few good parts of the film are shading around with what is still a standard vehicle movie. Ryan Reynolds is judged as an actor by his likability instead of his depth and the final hurrah with the great romance has the characteristics of a full fledged dream come true. It's relatable to no one but people who live vicariously through romance novels, stories and songs. I'd be lying if I didn't say the film tugged at a few of my emotions, but any sad situation can do that. The story of feelings in movies and how we relate to them has more to do with personal experience and intellectual thought. All of our senses have to be challenged. Definitely, Maybe just challenges a few and white washes a lot more. It's still just a holiday movie in the end.

Kid A - Radiohead

This is the last album by Radiohead that I paid serious attention to. What they developed with OK Computer was a sophisticated sound that was the result of a few albums of experimentation with guitars and other instruments. The album also had a high concept, but that is of lesser interest. Sometimes people associate greatness with the attempt at meaning, but Thom Yorke doodled a bunch of lyrics that hit the listener over the head with their obvious meanings. The true excellence of the album was the band's groing ability to develop with their original sounds and show slow but thoughtful progressions in their music. When Radiohead finally followed up OK Computer they didn't keep growing with their sound but instead they abandoned years worth of accomplishments for a new identity. The new make up was concentrated of new instruments and sounds.

Kid A is their romp through beats and computer effects. A styling so far off it was considered avante garde by anyone who had associated Radiohead with their earlier incarnations. The problem is that progression with musicians usually is associated with the instruments they are good at. Considering Radiohead isn't breaking new ground but going, numerous songs on Kid A can be considered simplistic, off beat versions of much better material. The National Anthem incorporates trumpet work with drum beats and other computer effects, but the progression of the song is a layer by layer introduction of each new instrument. There is little make up to the composition of the song beyond the basic beat that drives it. The use of the trumpet is just a decorative sound for a basic beat. When David Bowie experimented with electronica in the mid 90s, he also used simple beats to decorate whole songs. It showed his ability to cloak himself in new music without making it part of the best of his abilities. The shock is that when bands like U2 experimented they did so by associating many of their old instruments in with the new ones, but Radiohead designs most of the songs on Kid A to breed a complete new identity. They try to make an album that takes on talented musicians of the genre with only a few years experience. In some ways the success of Kid A is a backhanded compliment to the genre.

I've heard that Radiohead progressed after Kid A, but once I found Amnesiac to be disregardable I lost most general interest in the band. Someday I may find my way back to the band, but an album like Kid A doesn't live up to the hype.

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - The Beatles

Sgt. Peppers isn't the greatest album or even a good one. In the scheme of musical conceptions it isn't even a true album. The Beatles felt like it was a breakthrough for them because of the high level of experimentation relative to earlier efforts. The concept is that the album is being played by a mock band called Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, a kind of marching band that represents all different facets and personalities of the band. The fact that the Beatles would deal with different personalities was to be expected because the band was growing more tired with their original incarnation in every new album. The problem is that they had no good idea to go about showing the personality splits amongst the bandmembers. Instead of making a cohesive album filled with thematic, tonal and structural similarities, they made an album that is a collection of songs with no similaritiy amongst each other at all. The tie in to the concept is that each bandmember was able to mold and shift the songs to their design, but it was all for the purpose of an idea that wasn't even a concept. It's a rationalization. In Sgt. Peppers they also ditched a lot of their pop song structure with songs that challenged the bandmembers vocal abilities. Paul McCartney most notably comes up short and sings many songs with a lackluster thud. He wouldn't develop a great range until Abbey Road with the powerful stylings on such songs like, "Oh, Darling". The power behind that singing would have helped some songs on Sgt. Peppers. Abbey Road also was the album that did combine all the sounds of the Beatles and match it into an album that was an album. Different musical interests are everywhere, but all are tied with similar sounds and structures that appear through out. Plus a slightly more interesting concept drapes the album, but concepts were never the band's strong suit anyways

Finding Forrester

The film is likeable to me because it mixes two of my favorite things, basketball and writing. Other than that there is nothing to it. Gus Van Sant makes another film about an unlikely genius. This film just pales in comparison to Good Will Hunting. The story is smaller and the themes are almost nonexistent compared to the earlier film. Some filmmakers accidentally make early films of theirs shine by making new ones later about the same subject that really dissapoint. I wonder if Van Sant doing this film a few years later was such an accident. Also, I have a bone to pick with its believability. The young black basketball player is discriminated against because he is 16 and black and yet has an extensive knowledge about literature. OK, the film focuses on the fact he is black. I'll disbelieve it because he is 16! No one that young can have read so much in the timetable the film gave. It's impossible. Fun movie to watch, but not to take serious.

Saraband

The breath and depth of Scenes from a Marriage makes the idea of a sequel hard to grasp, but Bergman returns to the topic. The good news is that he reunites the original leading actors. The bad news is that the story does not hold up to the original Ullmann and Josephson, long divorced, reunite but have little shared history since their break up. The film has little to base on about them so it is mostly about secondary characters, Josephson's family mostly. This introduces fresh characters and themes into a story that already has much to it. Bergman doesn't contribute very well to the original characters with this. He borrows old themes from other films and makes a film that exists on the idea that multiple stories is better than one quality story. Bergman is a master dramatist, but even a master had to be dumbfounded about how to write a sequel to such a dense film about a couple who decide to part ways by the end. The sequel had to be about something else to exist. It is that and sadly the results do not impress.

Breaking the Waves

A ridiculous film. The story starts out fine and develops an interesting moral dilemma, but the film announces bankruptcy when it starts to become a film about right and wrong in the eyes of God. The conservative religious folk condemn the actions by Watson's character, but her character is honored by church bells in the sky upon her burial at sea. The fact this film develops with many themes and ideas and then reduces itself to a simple morality tale that goes against the dated religious belief of a small town is bad enough. But the film gets really bad with the ending church bell scene. It says Watson was in the right with God but with no context. Just praise be her and her committment to her husband. C'mon. There is no challenge in this ending but only a satisfaction to the taste buds of the audience. It is also an unlikely and out of place romantization within a very stark and dark disturbing story. Late films by Lars Von Trier have been poor for trying to merge the realism of art films and Hollywood characteristics.

Casablanca

This should be considered a cult film. Those who love the film do so without regret or angst. They also do so without just explanation to why it is great. Those who hate it can point out the obvious romance cliches, but those cliches are why the first group loves it. Ingrid Bergman is a model photographed from one side instead of an actress here and Bogart has fine moments, but the writing doesn't give him a character. It's a camp romance filled with cliche dialogue that reminiscences about what they had in Paris, but not about them. People should not compliment what just formulaic for the times. Incompetence is the only thing that held this movie back. I also don't believe Ebert when he says the depth comes in the scene of actual French citizens sing the song of French resistance during WW2. It is only one scene. Ebert does a better job in his commentary to point out the numerous filmmaking inaccuracies in the film. So much for the height of classical hollywood cinema!

Szerelem

The dissapointment for some with this film is that more doesn't happen, but the film (with a less than satisfying title) is a small but wonderfully textured story. A woman routinely visits her bedridden mother-in-law and both have to deal with their son who is a political prisoner. The mother is dying and the son isn't due back anytime soon. But without warning, he is released and unexpectedly comes home but is too late to see his mother again. The film doesn't make this a big dramatic moment. This scene of his return meshes with all the others. The beauty of the film is the simple conversations and the wonderful filmmaking that bring to life the mother's dreams and ideas. None of the ideas are specific or really add up to greater ideas, but wonderfully add detail to a day in the life of these characters. It's said the beauty of good literature is the texture of the characters and scenes. That can come in many ways. Szerelem finds another way to tell that equivalent on film.

Persona

A nurse is asked to treat an actress who refuses to speak and have any contact with her family. The hospital believes the condition is self willed so a young unassuming nurse is enlisted to dig at the reasons behind this peculiar act. The two women get to know each other intimately and challenge each other to find their bounds and limits. At one point the film stops being chronological and straight forward and takes on a narrative that illustrates the complexes of both personalities. Persona is one of the richest experiences in all of cinema. The appreciation only deepens with every viewing. Bergman always had an idea to film the subconscious and soul on camera. He's done many films to many levels of quality, but no film seems to match Bergman's ambition the way Persona does. It is unbelievable that a film under 90 minutes and made in 1966 is still one of the complex portraits for an art form, but Persona is one of the few perfections we have.

Requiem for a Dream

The fact the film is disturbing and powerful should not warrant kudos. Certain subjects will bring out those feelings. The film is amateur hour and mostly nonsense. There is little detail to the character's lives. Each person is introduced and the film speeds to their problems. The depth of the storytelling is in how much the camera set ups and tricks shots dominate. The purpose is to create a drug state, but the film is so repititious with a few set ups and tricks that there is little imagination to the filmmaking. Instead it becomes nauseating and numbing. All the characters have different addictions and problems, but the state of their reality seems to come with the same look and feel. Arnofsky would develop with The Fountain, but the big budget here doesn't hide the fact this film feels like Pi did as a starter film.

The Usual Suspects

I remember when this came out. A review said, "If you can predict the ending, a top job is waiting for you at the FBI." That's funny because the only interesting thing about this film is the ending. The rest is a fluff genre movie that tries to take itself too seriously. The story pretends to be meaningful when it is just tired, but is paced slow enough and has a few dramatic scenes to give the illusion it is something more. The ending reveals an intrigue into deception, but reveals nothing more about the characters or situation. The rest of story just comes off as an exercise in criminal acts than anything else.

Walk Hard: The Story of Dewey Cox

Walk Hard makes itself exist between good satire and the muddled version prevelant in so many Will Ferrel movies. The film had a chance to be more, but collapsed under the pressure.
The problem is that the movie clings to the latter interpretation of satire. It's more structured than the usual Ferrel mess, but the exaggerrations are still there. John C. Reily is playing Dewey Cox through and through. When his character hits moments hat reflect other great musicians, it's all still the Cox persona. It's no more ridiculous than how Ferrel would have seen him be if he played the part.

Parts of the movie are funny because they feel like comic twists on popular history, but a lot of it feels like loose make ups of what really happened. I only got a sense of some musicians while most were too generic to be insightful. As the Great Dictator proved, you do need to accurately portray your subject before you send him off on zaney adventures. That's the only thing that Chaplin didn't do.

The ultimate problem is that I feel is that the filmmakers captured and undermined music history as thoroughly and accurately as Wil Ferrel did Nascar racing with Talladagha Nights. The film was too loose with the references and the story dragged too much. We don't care too much for plot and instead want a series of good jokes.

SLC Punk!

Discussion about structure and aesthetics in a film are relative to the constructions that make up its fictional characteristics. SLC Punk has fictional elements certainly, but also has ties elsewhere.

Documentary is rooted in the idea of image as truth and story as nothing more than a recorder's basic objective. While SLC Punk! is not as documentary oriented in recording story as films like Il Posto or others, it has an aesthetic that defies easy criticism because its whole point is to be nothing more than an extended memory of early wild days and growng pains.

Thus the question of whether the film feels sincere or is edgy enough becomes relevant because all the characters are suppose to exist as worthy interpretations of disgruntled youth. The film has a structure of being a series of parties and misadventures, but it does have poignant moments in between all the scenes that don't exhibit cheap sentimentality.

The film has an edge to it that could exhibit comparisons to other indie films like Trainspotting, but the film doesn't wallow in grunginess to just do it, but has points that speak to the advent of maturity for a rebellious youth. The film does make aesthetic decisions to get to this point, but the fact is that it doesn't try to heavy hand the material or make points beyond the characters basic growing up. The ending is sad and climactic but that doesn't make it fictional because the teary moments are rooted in pain and flavored with as much abrasiveness as any other part of the film.

Letters to a Young Contrarian (Art of Mentoring) - Christopher Hitchens

It is pretty absurd to think a book by a contrarian about the subject will get total love and agreement from other contrarians. Hitchens does take a viewpoint on numerous subjects. Those things remain to be debated. But the best thing he does in this book is gage the reasons why people become contrarians and how they can protect that individuality. He understands the inert feelings involved. Thomas Jefferson once said he had to find the argument in everything. He didn't know why, but he just had to. This book professes the same thing. It also does well to explain why the contrarian voice is needed in society. Whenever I find my confidence wavering because I am against all opinions, I can come back to this book to find comfort.

Sontag and Kael: Opposites Attract Me - Craig Seligman

I read this out of simple appreciation. Like Craig Seligman, I too have a distinct attraction to both Susan Sontag and Pauline Kael. The benefit of Seligman's book is that he makes his personal affection a drawn out work. The structure is basically a commentary on both authors and the narrative voice is as casual as a conversation. He doesn't start at their beginnings and go until the end, but hits earlier and later periods often and with ease. The reader who is already well versed in the writings of both writers won't learn anything new here, but they will get a picture of Seligman's appreciation for them. Since the book is sometimes as much about Seligman as it is Kael and Sontag, it makes the book a personal journey as well. I'm not an expert on either writer so I also saw this book as a good introduction to them. This book isn't a mighty or grand work, but since books about both writers are very few in number, it's a special accomplishment nonetheless.

Let Us Now Praise Famous Men: The American Classic, in Words and Photographs, of Three Tenant Families in the Deep South - James Agee

James Agee's naturalistic answer to James Joyce's Ulysses. Inspired by the scope of Joyce's work, Agee tries to do it in a documentarian style for an impoverished American family in the 1930s. Joyce took on Ulysses through an array of styles and structures. Agee doesn't represent the history of literature like Joyce does, but he uses a mixtures of styles and structures to comment on a family and period of history. The ambition is to cover every part of daily life at the time. Photographs by Walker Evans bring light to all the detail in the book. When released in the 40s, critics were harsh but positive reviews came in the 60s once critics were able to transition into comfortability with the style. Unlike Ulysses, Let Us Now Praise Famous Men wasn't an immediate classic and given instant analysis and writings about it so praise was slow to come. Biographies about Agee and texts on the book are recommended if considering reading.

I Am Charlotte Simmons - Tom Wolfe

Not Wolfe's most impressive novel, but definitely his best orchestrated one. Every novel he has done has dealt with a scope and frame that was too large for him to wheel all the way. I Am Charlotte Simmons is very good and the end hits the right note for all the characters. The other note about this novel is that as much as everything about college life seems exagerated, it isn't. I read this before I went to live in a college dorm and my instinct was to second guess every idea and claim in the book, but Wolfe turned out to be accurate to an uncomfortable degree. For a writer who steps into other worlds with his novels, accuracy is an important element.

The Forging of a Rebel - Arturo Barea

The large story of Arturo Barea's life and political career. He has little to say about his family as an adult, but much about how his childhood shaped him and the circumstances that took from a lowly soldier to a working revoluionary. Barea keeps the narrative focused on the escalation of small events that eventually made him an important part of the Spanish Civil War. Many people outside the political arena have little idea how one man can make a difference unless that person becomes a dictator or outright leader of a group. Barea was the working man behind the scenes. This book isn't dense with political ideas, but has a lot to say about the political life. It was hard to end this book. I felt like I became intimate with the passion of a man.