Film#6 - Now, Voyager, 1942, dir. Irving Rapper
I must be honest; I would never ever thought I would see a film like this in my life. The title and DVD cover image such the stage of boredom in my mind before I even have any idea what the plot could be. To further shock my preconceptions, I actually loved this film. A classic melodrama with one of the 'biggest' movie stars of all time, Bette Davis, who until this film had never even heard of. The general story revolves around Davis as an 'ugly duckling' of a rich bourgeois family in Boston, living at home under the strict leadership of her mother. She has serious mental problems, at least we are meant to think at first. This film really speaks to the way society labels people and put people into boxes so quickly that may or may not have been true to begin with, but just because the label is there the treatment will continue. If someone says you're insane, how do you prove your sane? This just one of the motifs in the film, along with cliche (at least in our time) tales of forbidden love and rebellion. Fantastic story and what I would assume to be a fairly controversial set of characters at the time make this film highly recommended.
8/10
Film#7 - An Education, 2009, dir. Lone Scherfig
This straight up blew me out of the water. At this point it is my favourite film of the year. An English story of love between generations accompanied by an undeniable charm and wit alone make me love this film. Featuring relative newcomer Carey Mulligan, who for you star-crazed celebrity fanatics is dating Shia LaBeouf, alongside Peter Sarsgaard (think the friend in Garden State) and Alfred Molina (Dr.Octopus), you can tell quite simply from the title what it's about. Life isn't learned in a classroom. Groundbreaking concept. Where this film stands out is in the bizarre way it chooses to convey that message. Mulligan (age 24) is playing a 16 year old prep-school girl, while Sarsgaard is her late-30's lover. From a Western point of view it seems wrong, yet the film doesn't in the slightest try to make that an issue. The idea of sexuality doesn't even overtly come up until weeks (maybe months) into their relationship. Morality plays a big part, but more importantly the film challenges the idea we need to be working towards our future as fast as we can, we need to take every opportunity to advance in the eyes of society and our parents. It may seem like a common theme these days, but this film approaches it from a new perspective. A film like this is far too commonly overlooked by today's moviegoers.
9/10
Film#8 - Youth In Revolt, 2010, dir.Miguel Arteta
I wouldn't consider myself a huge Michael Cera fan, although he does have his own appeal. However I still thought the trailer looked fairly decent when I saw it a few weeks before the movie came out. As a big fan of trailers, I really do tend to sift out what's good from the bad before I even see the films and as bad as that may be, I have to have some sort of guidance in what to watch. Better than judging them by their names or cast. This film, sadly, let me down. Cera plays the same character he always does. I can't even call it acting, he's basically the next Ryan Reynolds of type-cast stars. Youth In Revolt casts Cera as a wimpy, socially-challenged teen just trying to 'get the girl', throwing out his little one liner comebacks left and right. It completely relies on his I-don't-even-know-what-to-call-it style of 'acting' to get any laughs from the audience. As the film wrapped up and the lights came on, there this air of "do we clap?" which quickly faded as people shuffled out in near silence. It was reminiscent of seeing Inglourious Basterds opening night, which decided to go the other way and have a standing ovation for a absent cast and crew. This film is not worthy of such praise. That said, it has it's high points too. I could speak to all the positives about the film (which are few and far between) but I find the film attempts to be another Cera comfort film people could watch over and over, even if they don't laugh out loud anymore. I admit, I've seen Superbad at least half a dozen times. This one I won't be seeing again anytime soon.
6/10
Film#9 - Antichrist, 2009, dir. Lars von Trier
I recommend this film, first and foremost. It's got a style unlike anything I've ever seen, and has such a depth of beauty that could make you sick to the stomach. However, it could make you sick to the stomach from much more than the beauty. This film is disturbing. It is highly controversial. It is straight up disgusting at times. I struggle to imagine a person who wouldn't at least mouth "what the eff" at points, namely a certain bloody 'happy ending', and in no way do I refer to the ending of the film. Putting it's scenes of mutilation aside, this film is like a brick in the face. Willem Dafoe and his in-movie wife Charlotte Gainsbourg, who remain nameless characters throughout the film (not to mention there are no other characters), explore grief to such extents that it doesn't feel like acting; this is actually happening. Following the death of their only child, these parents struggle to move on, namely Gainsbourg. Dafoe plays a therapist who chooses to treat his own wife, who only finds salvation in rough and spur of the moment sex. I'm quite serious. She frantically transitions from sobbing to grasping at Dafoe's crotch like it's going out of style. Where the beauty of this film shines through is not only in their powerful performances, but the visual style is overwhelming. Many extreme slow motion scenes with highly constructed scenery set an erie backdrop to the lives of these poor people. This film is not for the faint of heart, obviously, and is truly brutal. However, I've never been one to shy away from watching something just because it's morally disgusting or hard to stomach. If you're looking for a quality film, this should be a serious consideration.
8/10
Film#10 - I Love You, Man, 2009, dir. John Hamburg
A bit of a change of pace from Antichrist, here we have a film I'm sure many people are already familiar with. Paul Rudd and Jason Segel by no means give exceptional performances. They do however light up the screen with the way they vibe off each other. As the film started, I found my interest dwindling at the poor narrative reminiscent of someone Rob Schneider might have written (no offence to his incredible artistic repertoire). The moment Jason Segel appears, and I do mean the moment, the film just took off. Although not as witty as other films in the same vein with these men, it has it's charm. I can't imagine having much to say about this film; it accomplishes what it set out to do. Straightforward jokes paired with well-executed awkward situations make it a run of the mill comedy, at least what I would like to imagine to be a standard comedy. The genre has become a joke in itself, rarely being taken seriously in the eyes of critics, and comparably to other genres, is much less recognized as an art form. 50 years ago this would not be the case. Films like this are a step in the right direction, although it being a small one, in regaining the genre as a respectable medium.
7/10
