2009 Capsule Reviews, Part 2: The Girlfriend Experience, Where the Wild Things Are, Bad Lieutenant, In the Loop, Extract

Here are more capsule reviews for the year 2009.  I still have a handful of films to get to.  On the 25th I'll post my year-end wrap up, which will also mark my two year anniversary with the blog.  Until then here are some snapshot reviews of some pretty good movies I watched in the last couple of weeks...


The Girlfriend Experience 

"I know I should probably call a shrink, but I'd rather talk to you." This paraphrase of a line from Steven Soderbergh's latest experiment (read: another attempt at being the American Goddard) gets at the heart of what is so interesting about this snapshot of Capitalistic America during the recession. Soderbergh casts porn star Sasha Grey as Chelsea, an escort who works more in the "let-me-lend-you-my-ear" trade than the flesh trade. This isn't the kind of escort you may think, and the paraphrased quote above perfectly encapsulates what Chelsea does for a living: listen to rich men who have no personal life and must be "on" all the time, bear their souls. The film is told through the fractured narrative that Soderbergh made so enjoyable in The Limey, as we hear Chelsea reading her thoughts from what is presumably an online journal. She tries to heighten her profile online by getting involved with some not-so great individuals, and to our surprise we come to sympathize with Chelsea's dilemma as she tries to further her career and keep a relationship afloat (that's the experiment). Soderbergh does his usual auteur stuff as he not only directs but shoots and cuts the film (under his usual pseudonyms). It's a fascinating film about a fascinating profession (I saw a special on high-end escorts on CNBC one night and it was fascinating to me how many of them are paid to essentially be shrinks) where sex isn't the most valued commodity; that would be the ability to converse. The film opens with Chelsea discussing the documentary Man on Wire with a client…this discussion, and the ability to engage in an intelligent discussion about the arts, is more important than sex for these men. On the CNBC documentary I watched interviewed escorts talked about how for these powerful men, they aren't just looking for sex, that they can get anytime they want with their money, but they're looking for is something that is far more valuable. Soderbergh brilliantly broaches this topic and examines it with the eye of an auteur. It's a highly interesting snapshot of what life is like right now for a select few as Soderbergh gives us a sketch (the film is only 77 minutes) of the "have's" trying to make sense of the Capitalistic nightmare they've created, and a woman who has her finger on the pulse of such men.


Where the Wild Things Are

Maurice Sendak's sparse (in terms of words) children's book (alive with its imagery) gets the big budget treatment from auteur Spike Jonze in what has to be one of the most un-condescending children's movies ever made. I was blown away by the filmmakers ability to show us the pain a kid must feel being at an age where a broken home is a confusing thing that gives way to a varying degree of emotions. The aptly named actor Max Records plays Max, a wild child who we're introduced to as he wrestles a dog to the kitchen floor. One night he bites his mom in a frenzy of confusion, child-like audacity and unrestrained revelry. He doesn't quite understand why his mom (the always wonderful to see Catherine Keener) is so angry with him. Max runs away to a world he creates, a world where big creatures called The Wild Things live. Each "Thing" is given a distinct trait that parallels Max's, and this is what makes the film such a joy and treasure: it doesn't placate to children. Sometimes kids endure dark times…hell sometimes kids worry more about the unknown than adults, and the "Things" whether they are know-it-alls, out of control, shy, or nosy represent a specific emotion that Max has. This isn't just a film where Max runs with the "Things" and plays with them and builds forts and pretends to be their king; this is a film that tries to better understand the violent tendencies of Max (who shares the most with the wild Carol voiced by James Gandolfini), or why he thinks he's entitled to so much when his mom is struggling just as much as he is. The CGI is hardly noticeable as the "Things" look like half computer generated images and half muppetry, giving a weight to the "Things" that makes them more than just creatures. I loved this movie. I loved the way Jonze understands that not every kids movie has to be condescending, I love how Carter Burwell's score meshes so perfectly with the beautiful soundtrack by Karen O. of the Yeah Yeah Yeah's, I love how Jonze and writer Dave Eggers create a filmable story out of Sendak's six sentences that doesn't overstay its welcome, and I love that ending…boy do I love that ending. I love everything about this movie. This is one of my favorite movies of the year.


 

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call, New Orleans

How does one explain Werner Herzog's "remake" of Abel Ferrara's indie hit Bad Lieutenant?  That film -- starring Harvey Keitel as drug-taking, sex-crazed, and out-of-control cop -- is one of the best films of the 90's. I only mention this because these are the only things these two films share in common. Herzog's vision is essentially just a manic cop story acting as a vessel for Nicolas Cage to do his thing. Love him or loathe him, Cage is always interesting and can make even the most mundane film at least watchable. This is not a mundane film, however, and the energy that both Cage and Herzog inject into this post-Katrina setting is something that is befitting of them both. The film has one of the most hilarious drug busts I've ever seen, it has a scene where Cage hallucinates that iguanas are staring at him (and only Herzog would provide us with a POV of the iguana), it has bad drug trips, it has Val Kilmer actually toning it down so that the screen won't explode with both he and Cage emoting…ths blowing up the camera in the process, and the film – above all these other crazy elements – is an interesting cop story that is resolute in how crazy it wants to be, but unafraid to slow things down just enough to have a somewhat contemplative ending. I don't know that I totally buy that ending, but it's understandable why Herzog would throw it in there. Really, though, from the onset (a great scene where Kilmer and Cage debate the merits of getting their expensive clothes dirty to save a prisoner drowning in his cell from the flooding, hurricane waters) the film makes it clear that its main interest is being off-kilter; and what better person to have as a representation of that mood than Nicolas Cage. Here Cage gives what may be his best performance (at least of the manic ilk…which is just about 90% of his performances) in a role where it's clear that he and Herzog – a crazy man himself – were born to work together. It's a performance of maniacal glee, and I was thrilled that I never quite knew where Cage was taking it. That unknowingness, the inability to predict the beats of the performance (which flows quite nicely with how unpredictable Cage's character, Terrence McDonagh, is), is the primary reason to see this movie.





In the Loop

It's Ricky Gervais' "The Office" meets Aaron Sorkin's "The West Wing" in this hilarious political satire about the days leading up to Gulf War II. What's so great about the film, based on the popular British TV series "The Thick of It", is that it never once mentions the war, Blair, or Bush; and that restraint to go for the easy jokes is what made this far and away the best comedy of the year. I was blindsided by the film as I knew nothing about it going into it (except for the numerous rave reviews it was receiving), but I'm glad I watched the film as this kind of comedy – a preferred taste no doubt – is right up my alley. Peter Capaldi steals every scene he's in as the foul-mouthed assistant to the PM. It's a fast paced, manically hilarious satire that doesn't disappoint.




Extract

Mike Judge's (Office Space) office comedy from the point of view of the boss (Jason Bateman) this time is pretty funny and endearing experience if ultimately forgettable. Judge's reliance on his typical motifs makes the film seem safe rather than biting. It's a completely forgettable film once you're done watching it, but it definitely wasn't an experience that left me disappointed. Ben Affleck steals every scene he's in as the stoner bar tender friend of Bateman. J.K. Simmons has a nice role as Bateman's co-owner who refuses to learn the workers names because they're hoping to sell their business to a larger corporation. Judge makes some interesting comic commentary on the state of factory work, immigration, and the dilemma of running a small business; however, all of this is meshed with a sort-of con story that doesn't always work. The stuff that's most interesting is between Bateman and Affleck, and Bateman and his wife Kristin Wiig; the latter situation being one of the funnier things about the film as Judge displays good timing for some sexual mishaps and adulterous goings-on. Not a bad little comedy.

Revisiting 1999: The Top 10 Films of the Year, #6 --- Being John Malkovich (Spike Jonze)

Here's what we've covered so far:

The Top 10 Films of 1999:

Intro: Introduction: The Best Films of 1999
10 - The Limey (Steven Soderbergh)
9 - Affliction (Paul Schrader)
8- American Movie (Chris Smith)
7- Rosetta (The Dardenne Brothers)

It’s easy to forget sometimes that Being John Malkovich is just plain and simple a really damn good comedy. What I mean by that is that a lot of the focus is always centered on the ingenious premise penned by Charlie Kaufman. This postmodern comedy about a portal into the mind of the most unlikely of actors (John Malkovich playing himself) is rightly extolled for its one-of-a-kind, dada-esque storyline (I mean puppets are a major part of the third act); however, it’s easy to overlook just how sure first time director Spike Jonze’s timing is, how funny its actors (John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, and Catherine Keener) are, and how enjoyable this most bizarre, existential comedy is.


There’s so much to like about the innovation in Kaufman’s script. The detail attributed to the puppetry, the bizarre love triangle, the wonderfully odd and refreshing setting on a 7 ½ floor of an office building, and the sheer audacity to continue to go for the gusto for its entire 112 minute run time. Kaufman’s script doesn’t always work, but it has a way of weaving in tender moments amidst the absurdity (like the aforementioned love triangle where a pet store employee played by Diaz falls in love with the sultry co-worker of her husband).

Cusack plays a file clerk who puppeteers on the side. He gets a job at an odd building on the 7 ½ floor…and what they half floor…well you just need to see the brilliant training video they have to watch. It’s the details like the training video that get the biggest laughs. Or the way Diaz interacts with a monkey who has anxiety disorder (the only genuine relationship in the film because it’s the only one not predicated on sexual desire or power over the mind); or how Cusack puts on a puppet show on a street corner that is not kid friendly. These are the things that compound on the brilliant ideas of Kaufman, and are executed brilliantly by the cast to create some big laughs. Cusack is truly pathetic (and borderline psychotic) in his pursuit of Keener’s sexy siren, and Diaz’ pursuit of her seems more genuine, more from the heart.

Once we find out the reasons why there is a portal into Malkovich’s head the story gets a bit congested with some big Meta moments, but they all seem to work in this fantasy that seems indebted to the films of Terry Gilliam. The acting is universally good here, especially Malkovich who in the third act is being completely controlled by Cusack’s character; this is the ultimate fantasy for a puppeteer. There is a scene at the end when Malkovich gives up on acting, and there is a tribute video about his career playing on the television, and there cameos in the video that are just perfect. Speaking of cameos, Charlie Sheen drops by as Malkovich’s friend and confidant, and when Malkovich begins to relay his relationship with Keener’s character to Sheen there are so surprisingly funny moments from the actor.

The film is shot the way a Kafka story feels. The film is surreal, yes, but not a bunch of odd vignettes that act as nothing more than a platform for non sequiturs. Kaufman’s script is surprisingly taut considering all of the existential and postmodern ideas he has fluttering around, and as I’ve already mentioned, those big ideas could bog down a lot of movies annulling them of their comedic moments. Not this film, though…every scene is executed to perfection and no idea overshadows ones enjoyment with this film. I mean come on…when a film can pull off the visual gag of a title card that reads: “Malkovich’s Puppetry Master Class. Julliard School, New York City” you know you’re dealing with a special kind of comedy that doesn’t come around too often.

The subdued, yet beautiful and haunting, score by Carter Burwell is another one of the major highlights of the film. And cinematographer Lance Acord films the office scenes with the appropriate amount of sterility, and then knows to kick up the visual élan at the right moments so that the audience doesn’t grow weary of the camera’s tricks. The journey into Malkovich’s brain could have gotten tiresome, but Acord is always doing something new and interesting with his camera so as not to bore the audience…because too much innovation can be a boring thing when overused (I’m looking right at you Daren Arronofsky and you’re zoom into the eye trick).

Spike Jonze is one of those directors that I wish would work more. It’s incredible that this was his first film as it shows a filmmaker who is able to unravel new surprise after new surprise in a perfectly executed way. There is a chase scene at the end of this film that is one of the most bizarre things I have ever seen…it’s also one of the most inspired, and Jonze’s direction throughout the entire hard-to-believe third act never steps wrong. He followed this film by directing another Kaufman script the brilliant Adaptation.; another film that spent the majority of its time in its characters mind. Again, he shows us a director who understands Kaufman (that doesn’t always happen…need I remind you of Human Nature…ugh) and not only gets the big themes, but that there’s classic humor buried beneath all those postmodern ideas.

Of course Kaufman has made a career off these kinds of offbeat comedies inhabited by offbeat characters. Being John Malkovich is still one of those comedies that always manage to sneak up on me with how much I laugh out loud. The famous scene where Malkovich gets into his own head is still one of the most surreal and hilarious scenes I’ve seen in a movie. I don’t think the film has aged as well as the others that will rank higher, but it’s still worth dusting off every now and then and re-watching. Taking another look at this picture was one of the best movie experiences I’ve had this year – this project has proven to me (and as I stated at the beginning of this endeavor) that when something this audacious, something that can be easily defended as one of the most original films of the 90’s ranks sixth on this list…then you know you’re dealing with a very special year in film.

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