The penultimate scene of Oliver Stone's clever new biopic, "W.", shows the embattled president walking furiously through the White House, after having just bombed at a press conference. Asked if he had made any mistakes, the character Bush stumbles, sweats, and equivocates, before finally giving up. This scene would be brutally awkward, except that it actually happened. Check it out here.
This tension marks a lot of this film, which, for all of its short comings, proves to be one of the best of the year. As we follow an angry, aggressive Bush through his up-and-down life, we are so enraptured by the great performances that we forget that all of these things really happened! Its a testament to the filmmakers that they so gracefully executed an intriguing story while sticking to the fact; that they made history so romantic.
And by Romantic, I mean that this is a love story...but also that there is Livy in it, too. In fact, the best scenes of the film involve W and the love of his live, and the second best involve the title character and those Bruti and Cassiuses that drive to pull the strings. For all the President's shortcomings, no one can say that he was a bad husband or father, and and earnest and devoted son, and the film never loses this perspective. The historical tragedy, well, that needs more perspective, but its enough for this film to contemplate the early days of the war in Iraq, and ask how the personality of the president did, or didn't, affect those decisions.
As W., Josh Brolin turns in an oscar-worthy performance, at once hilarious and sympathetic, edgey and nuanced. It's a cinematic character, not a SNL rip-off. It seems that in every scene W stops just short of saying what he wants to -- to his father, to his political opponents, and allies -- but Brolin, with the help of his director, conveys so much without speaking, and we can't help but complete his sentences.
And then there's the elephant in the room. Yes, this movie is political. It's about the sitting president. And yes, Stone takes some pot-shots that let the latte-sippers have a good laugh at the President's expense. No, Republicans will probably not enjoy a trip to the theater for this one. But that doesn't mean this movie is polemic, or even satire. Each and every political swing is tempered by an appreciation for W the man, for W the historical figure.
This movie was filmed in forty-some odd days. It was an experiment. It had the budget and the cast of a hollywood movie, but the haste of a USC thesis film. As such, cut it some slack. This movie is entertaining in ways that so few films are. It speaks volumes. When the historians and essayists go back, they might very well see it differently. But for all the loose ends and hasty patchwork, Brolin and Stone have delved deep and made a very enjoyable 129 minute film. And in so doing, they have conceived of the President in a way lost on so many others, yet so undeniably true: that his was an American story. 7.9
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Lists
I love lists. They give people something to argue about, and there's always that great sense of smug satisfaction when you agree with the list maker. In honor of EWs's exhaustive list of lists, I thought I'd make one of my own.
Top Ten Movie Vietnam Vets
10. Herman Blume - Rushmore
9. Forrest Gump - Forrest Gump
8. Carson Wells- No Country for Old Men
7. Captain Koons - Pulp Fiction
6. Michael - The Deer Hunter
5. Travis Bickle - Taxi Driver
4. Llewelyn Moss - No Country for Old Men
3. Walter - The Big Lebowski
2. Rambo - First Blood
1. Ron Korvic - Born on the Fourth of July
Top Ten Movie Vietnam Vets
10. Herman Blume - Rushmore
9. Forrest Gump - Forrest Gump
8. Carson Wells- No Country for Old Men
7. Captain Koons - Pulp Fiction
6. Michael - The Deer Hunter
5. Travis Bickle - Taxi Driver
4. Llewelyn Moss - No Country for Old Men
3. Walter - The Big Lebowski
2. Rambo - First Blood
1. Ron Korvic - Born on the Fourth of July
Sunday, July 20, 2008
The Dark Dark Night
Jonathan Nolan, 32, has been helping brother Christopher write movies for some years now. Together, the two of them have become one of the most energetic and daring storytelling duos out there. "The Dark Night" draws so many of its plot points, style elements and tonalities from the "Long Halloween" series of Batman comics, placing the caped crusader in a dark and semi-realistic world of underground crime, exploding public officials and very creepy villains. As director, Nolan (Christopher) pushes every stylistic element to the max, often successfully (like with the sleek new bat 'cave') and sometimes less so (like with his insistence that Christian Bale grunt whenever behind the mask), but all in all he calibrates each performance and set piece perfectly, creating a hellish cross between Law and Order and Escape from New York while staying true to the Batman creed.
This is also a movie about terrorists. It's filled with home-made hostage videos, enhanced interrogation techniques, fear and mayhem. The politics of the film are very vanilla, don't worry. Those 29% of Bush supporters, I'm sure, can find comfort in imagining their man as the Dark Night himself, perhaps bending the rules and taking the law into his own hands, but doing so because no one else can protect Gotham from the looneys; Markos Moulistas and his gang will understand that the true heroes are the guys on the boats who do the right thing, and that burning the forest down to catch the jewel thief is just as bad as letting the clowns over-run the city. But nevermind. Nolan doesn't overplay his hand, and instead presents just enough real life parallelisms to hook us viscerally without overdoing the think factor.
And the hooks are incredible, whether its the Hong Kong airlift or the Batmobile's eject mechanism, th Nolans have found some really fun ways to play with Batman. But what makes these scenes and others so impressive is the way they have been structured into the overall screenplay, how the stakes are always many and increasing, how they are presented with enough subtlety to feel, sort of, possible. The story of so many comic book movies is taken for granted -- see: Iron Man and Hellboy II -- and it is really breathtaking to be fascinated in a plot so deeply. There is so much conflict, so much pathos (so many pathos?), so much warrant and action that we aren't just waiting around for something to blow up, but we are legitimately concerned with how our heroes and villains will respond to their success and failures. This is especially exciting since we all know the lore anyway, and let ourselves be set up for what we know is coming, and then are shocked when and by how it does.
For all that has been made of Heath Ledger's performance-- and I don't think we'll stop hearing about it anytime soon-- I was blown away with what turned out to be the scene stealer: Aaaron Eckhart. Whether as idealistic DA Harvey Dent, killer two-face or Romantic Lead, Eckhart found so many ways to elevate this role and give the character shadows and highlights. OK, maybe the transformation happened a little two quick for comfort, but all in all I'd say this movie was mostly about him, even more so than Batman. If any Oscar nods go out for supporting actor in this movie, I say it should go to him.
The Dark Night was the kind of movie that's worth seeing twice in theaters, then twice on netflix, then ten more times on HBO. The Nolans' careers are already on the fast track, and it will be amazing to see what they think of next. With only one old black guy with white hair exception, the casting was perfect (think Katie Holmes would have elicited any sympathy the way Maggie Gyllenhal did when she met her fate?). I'm sure this movie had flaws, I'm sure some of the depth will wear thin on second viewing, and I'd hesitate to equate this movie with other thriller masterpieces like Minority Report or Terminator 2. But for its freshness, its poise and its precision, at this point at least, I'd have to say this was one of the best films of the year. 8.3
This is also a movie about terrorists. It's filled with home-made hostage videos, enhanced interrogation techniques, fear and mayhem. The politics of the film are very vanilla, don't worry. Those 29% of Bush supporters, I'm sure, can find comfort in imagining their man as the Dark Night himself, perhaps bending the rules and taking the law into his own hands, but doing so because no one else can protect Gotham from the looneys; Markos Moulistas and his gang will understand that the true heroes are the guys on the boats who do the right thing, and that burning the forest down to catch the jewel thief is just as bad as letting the clowns over-run the city. But nevermind. Nolan doesn't overplay his hand, and instead presents just enough real life parallelisms to hook us viscerally without overdoing the think factor.
And the hooks are incredible, whether its the Hong Kong airlift or the Batmobile's eject mechanism, th Nolans have found some really fun ways to play with Batman. But what makes these scenes and others so impressive is the way they have been structured into the overall screenplay, how the stakes are always many and increasing, how they are presented with enough subtlety to feel, sort of, possible. The story of so many comic book movies is taken for granted -- see: Iron Man and Hellboy II -- and it is really breathtaking to be fascinated in a plot so deeply. There is so much conflict, so much pathos (so many pathos?), so much warrant and action that we aren't just waiting around for something to blow up, but we are legitimately concerned with how our heroes and villains will respond to their success and failures. This is especially exciting since we all know the lore anyway, and let ourselves be set up for what we know is coming, and then are shocked when and by how it does.
For all that has been made of Heath Ledger's performance-- and I don't think we'll stop hearing about it anytime soon-- I was blown away with what turned out to be the scene stealer: Aaaron Eckhart. Whether as idealistic DA Harvey Dent, killer two-face or Romantic Lead, Eckhart found so many ways to elevate this role and give the character shadows and highlights. OK, maybe the transformation happened a little two quick for comfort, but all in all I'd say this movie was mostly about him, even more so than Batman. If any Oscar nods go out for supporting actor in this movie, I say it should go to him.
The Dark Night was the kind of movie that's worth seeing twice in theaters, then twice on netflix, then ten more times on HBO. The Nolans' careers are already on the fast track, and it will be amazing to see what they think of next. With only one old black guy with white hair exception, the casting was perfect (think Katie Holmes would have elicited any sympathy the way Maggie Gyllenhal did when she met her fate?). I'm sure this movie had flaws, I'm sure some of the depth will wear thin on second viewing, and I'd hesitate to equate this movie with other thriller masterpieces like Minority Report or Terminator 2. But for its freshness, its poise and its precision, at this point at least, I'd have to say this was one of the best films of the year. 8.3
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Friday, July 18, 2008
Summer Movie Report Card, Pre-DN
Iron Man.
Director Jon Favreau and Leading Man Robert Downey have done the seemingly impossible: made more money than Indiana Jones. And in the process, they have offered a glimpse of Generation 2.0 of comic book movies: more mature, funny and relevant. What a good idea to have so many scenes take place in the middle east, dealing with real-life threats like terrorist and WMD's, even if only obliquely. This movie hit so many marks, but with lackluster special effects and a brutal, might-as-well have two robots fighting each other finale, plenty of room is left for improvement in Iron Man 2. 6.9
Wall E.
Pros: An apocalyptic kids movie; a homage to Golden Age Hollywood; the summer's most taciturn hero.
Cons: shtick walks a thin line between Charlie Chaplin and Darkwing Duck; feel-good bioler-plate pervades more than just the climax. 6.0
Wanted
Neither Angelina Jolie nor James McAvoy can save this clunky amalgam of genre action, sloppy storytelling and inexplicable Morgan Freeman villainy. For all the loud music, swooshing cameras and wham-bam cuts, Kazakh-director Timur Bekmambetov's American debut is stolid and dull. Save your money. Stay home and watch Monk. 2.1
HellBoy II
There's a scene where Hellboy is taking a shower, steam clouding out his nether-regions, rosary beads tied around the same hand that clutches a can of Tecate. With creatures big and small, Guillermo del Toro builds a comic book world unlike that of Tony Stark or Bruce Wayne, one where superhero's aren't made by inherited fortunes and just-beyond-the-pale trinkets, but by gods and monsters. There are at least four legitimate action scenes here that range from squeamish to frightening to surprising, so we can forgive some of the less interesting filler, and hope for part III. 6.4
Director Jon Favreau and Leading Man Robert Downey have done the seemingly impossible: made more money than Indiana Jones. And in the process, they have offered a glimpse of Generation 2.0 of comic book movies: more mature, funny and relevant. What a good idea to have so many scenes take place in the middle east, dealing with real-life threats like terrorist and WMD's, even if only obliquely. This movie hit so many marks, but with lackluster special effects and a brutal, might-as-well have two robots fighting each other finale, plenty of room is left for improvement in Iron Man 2. 6.9
Wall E.
Pros: An apocalyptic kids movie; a homage to Golden Age Hollywood; the summer's most taciturn hero.
Cons: shtick walks a thin line between Charlie Chaplin and Darkwing Duck; feel-good bioler-plate pervades more than just the climax. 6.0
Wanted
Neither Angelina Jolie nor James McAvoy can save this clunky amalgam of genre action, sloppy storytelling and inexplicable Morgan Freeman villainy. For all the loud music, swooshing cameras and wham-bam cuts, Kazakh-director Timur Bekmambetov's American debut is stolid and dull. Save your money. Stay home and watch Monk. 2.1
HellBoy II
There's a scene where Hellboy is taking a shower, steam clouding out his nether-regions, rosary beads tied around the same hand that clutches a can of Tecate. With creatures big and small, Guillermo del Toro builds a comic book world unlike that of Tony Stark or Bruce Wayne, one where superhero's aren't made by inherited fortunes and just-beyond-the-pale trinkets, but by gods and monsters. There are at least four legitimate action scenes here that range from squeamish to frightening to surprising, so we can forgive some of the less interesting filler, and hope for part III. 6.4
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