Ran (1985)

Ran is one of the most epic films ever made, a masterful achievement for director Akira Kurosawa. A loose adaptation of King Lear, the film is set in 16^th century medieval Japan and tells the story of a warlord named Hidetora who decides to split up his kingdom among his three sons. While the elder two sons agree, the youngest son is dubious of the plan, questioning the sense of loyalty that all three sons will stick together to keep the kingdom alive. What follows is a story about pride, greed, betrayal and ultimately, defeat. It’s a bleak and nihilistic tale that is told with such weight that it could become suffocating, but Kurosawa’s sense of visuals and composition help maintain the film’s visceral qualities.

Kurosawa was 75 years old and nearly blind when he was filming Ran, and it’s amazing that the end product is filled with such depth and visual poetry. The film plays much like a visual tone poem, where the colors and landscapes come alive like few films do. Even the weather seems to come alive, as there are multiple shots of ominous clouds overtaking the landscape. The clouds eventually give way into wind and storms, seemingly commenting on the chaos that is destroying the kingdom.

The film’s main setpiece comes about an hour into the film, when the two elder sons have been plotted against each other, and both are storming the castle with the aging warlord trapped inside. One army comes decked in red; the other in yellow. It helps the viewer identify each army, but the colors also create a sort of moving painting. As the ghost-like Hidetora sits at the top of his castle, the armies wage war below. The first part of the battle is done mainly in silence with just the soundtrack playing over the battle, very much creating a poetic scene. Then, a gunshot goes off, and we are brought right back into the battle, the sound effects now reflecting the scene, with swords clashing, horses racing, and battle cries everywhere. The sequence ends on a powerful shot of Hidetora walking down the steps of his burning castle, slowly leaving his kingdom in a trance-like state. No words are needed to convey the weight of the sequence—Hidetora realizes his reign is over and his kingdom will fall at the hands of his own family, and all the wisdom he’s acquired throughout his life will not save him.

As mentioned before, the film is very bleak in its view of humanity. The title ‘ran’ translates to ‘chaos’, which is exactly what the kingdom is experiencing. Hidetora realizes that his power has now been reduced to nothing, as his sons bicker and fight, tearing apart piece by piece the kingdom that he had created. However, Hidetora isn’t necessarily a heroic character himself, as it is referenced earlier that the way he came into power was through murder and other ruthless tactics. Even Saburo, the most honorable son (the only son who expression dissention to his father’s original plan) ends up dying a cheap, pointless death.

Ran is not a particularly fast paced film, but it doesn’t need rush things along to convey its themes. The first hour establishes the characters and how the power in the kingdom isn’t necessarily based on loyalty. The rest of the film is spend tearing down that power, where by the end nothing is sacred and everyone has experienced defeat, whether it be through death or extreme suffering. The final shot of the film shows a blind peasant (the blindness was caused by Hidetora years ago) left all alone near a cliffside. As he inches closer and closer towards the cliff, he barely catches himself before plunging to his death, but the fact still remains that he has nowhere to go and nobody to help him.

Kurosawa directed many masterpieces in his time, and to have yet another near the end of his career proves all the more impressive. Ran remains to this day a masterpiece of visual style and kinetic storytelling.

Rating: 5 stars

The Top 5 Films of 2010 (So Far)

I realize it’s a bit past the halfway point of the year, and there are still plenty of films I haven’t seen yet, but based on what I have seen, here are my picks for best of the year (so far):

5. Inception – No matter what your thoughts are about the film, Christopher Nolan’s latest has at least been something worth discussing in this disappointing summer movie season. Its stunning visuals and inventive sequences (Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s anti-gravity fight scene stands out) help create an entertaining heist film. The dream sequences could have been a bit more inventive, and there was probably a bit too much exposition in the first half, but despite its flaws, Inception remains one of the highlights of the year so far.

4. Exit Through the Gift Shop – Street artist Banksy’s debut film is a playful, highly entertaining documentary about artists, wannabe artists, the nature of art and how we react to art. It’s also funny as hell. (see my review here)

3. Toy Story 3 – Pixar has been on a bit of hot streak lately (you could also make the argument that they’ve never made a bad film). Toy Story 3 continues with the adventures of Woody, Buzz and co., and it definitely holds its own with the first two films. The second half plays as a nice homage to prison escape films of the past (The Great Escape, Cool Hand Luke) while also keeping the wit and humor of the series. It also has two of the most effective scenes in recent memory in terms of emotional impact near the end of the film. You’ll know them when you see them.

2. Winter’s Bone – Based on Daniel Woodrell’s novel, this film noir via Ozark adventure is one of the most gripping films you’ll see all year. Jennifer Lawrence gives an excellent performance as the teenage heroine, and John Hawkes gives one of the best performances of his career as the heroine’s intimidating uncle. The atmosphere in the backwoods of Missouri is like a character unto itself, always in the background like an ominous force.

1. A Prophet (Un prophète) – Technically released in 2009 in France (and nominated for Best Foreign Language Film in last year’s Oscars), this film didn’t get a stateside release until this yearr. The ambitious film is an instant classic in the gangster genre, all told through the viewpoint of the lead character primarily within the confines of a French prison. His rise to power can be seen as reminiscent of Scarface, but the film never gets as campy as that film not glorifies the lifestyle, instead presenting it in a much more harrowing manner. Tahar Rahim gives an outstanding performance in the lead role, and he effortlessly shows the character's rise within the prison ranks from scared newcome to head boss.

Honorable mentions: “June 17, 1994” (part of ESPN’s “30 For 30” series), Greenberg, Best Worst Movie (also a 2009 film via festival circuit), Shutter Island, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Many more films to see this year, many more reviews to write (and catch up on). Stay tuned.

Chinatown (1974)

“Forget it, Jake. It’s Chinatown.” Those are the infamous words spoken at the end of Chinatown, and probably the most well known line from the film. Yet, it carries such a weight that explains everything that has come before and still remains entirely elusive. Everything’s changed, yet nothing is really different at all. Not matter how hard he tried, how much he learned, Jake Gittes is powerless to what happens, but it’s his fault at the same time. It’s quite possibly one of the saddest, most devastating endings in all of cinema, made all the more heartbreaking that despite his best efforts, Jake won’t forget what happens in Chinatown.

To call Chinatown a perfect film isn’t that far from the truth. It fits squarely in the neo-noir genre, but it ever so subtly takes those noir conventions and turns them into something much deeper than most hard-boiled detective stories of the past. Detective Jake “J.J.” Gittes, as played by Jack Nicholson, at first seems like the stereotypical film detective from ‘40s noir—detached, business-minded, sharp-witted. But we soon learn that he empathizes much greater with the plight of some of his clients than the detectives you may find in a Raymond Chandler novel. The plot is downright labyrinthine at times, but it never buckles under the weight of its own ambition. The plotting never panders to the audience, however, so while everything is laid out in the plot, it’s a film that requires careful viewing. It’s made all the more interesting that the detective in this noir story is not on the hunt for gold or jewels, but rather is chasing a much larger, much more abstract—the corruption of the water department of Los Angeles. What begins innocently enough as a case to uncover an affair ends in real human tragedy for some of the characters.

While the production and filming of Chinatown has a very storied history, the effort created by the cast and crew is practically flawless. Director Roman Polanski was at the peak of his talents here, eclipsing even previous efforts such as Rosemary’s Baby. Robert Towne’s script is masterful in its ability to create a complex plot that deals with the idea of corruption at a macro level while never losing sight of the characters at the core. The cinematography by John A. Alonzo is also well worth noting, as the world of the noir is usually accented in black and white, with sharp shadows and negative space. Here, the rich yellow and orange hues of the desert and sun come alive over Los Angeles, creating an even more foreboding notion that evil and corruption doesn’t always hide in the shadows and can often times be found in plain sight. The acting is great, as Jack Nicholson gives one of his best performances, as he plays Gittes with a sense of restraint and a little defeatism; a nice guy who is just trying to make it in a world that is full of betrayal and corruption. His performance is key in holding the film together, especially since he appears in every single scene. Faye Dunaway, playing a variation of the femme fatale character in the film, gives an emotionally vulnerable performance while remaining mysterious through most of the film. Once her motives and secrets are revealed, it’s impossible not to sympathize with her plight. Director John Huston (who directed such classics as The Maltese Falcon and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, so he probably knows a thing or two about film noir) gives an outstanding performance as the intimidating millionaire Noah Cross, a man whose charm and power have given him free reign over a city that he helped shape, but his crimes and intricate webs of deception take on a dark and disturbing undercurrent to the revelations found near the end of the film.

There is one scene in the film where Evelyn Mulwray (Dunaway) and Jake Gittes are lying in bed, and Mulwray asks about his life in Chinatown. He tells her that the entire area was corrupt, and he was told to do “as little as possible”, followed by a sign a resignation over his face as he explains that a woman that he was trying to protect only ended up getting hurt in the end. It’s a brief moment of true vulnerability for Gittes, which makes it all the more sad when this scenario is replayed exactly at the end of the film, complete with a confrontation in Chinatown. As he stands there in disbelief viewing the damage that has been done, he mutters to himself, “…as little as possible.” Gittes knows this cycle will never end for him, no matter how hard he tries to change the outcome. Best he just forget everything that happened, right? After all, it’s Chinatown.

Rating: 5 stars

Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010)

Exit Through the Gift Shop, the debut film by street artist Banksy, is a fascinating documentary that illuminates both the world of street art and the hype machine that surrounds the art community. The film tells the story of French-born, Los Angeles resident and thrift store owner Theirry Guetta, who obsessively videotapes everything in his life—right down to his family meals and morning showers. On a vacation to France he finds out that his cousin is the street artist Space Invader. He soon begins to videotape Space Invader and his installations, and soon Guetta is introduced the underground world of street art, meeting such artists as Shepard Fairey and the elusive prankster Banksy. Guetta begins to shadow the artists during their midnight installations, and the artists willingly let him tag along, as he often provides help and will keep a document of their work. Guetta often proves to be very loyal to the artists, and during one excursion to Disneyland with Banksy, Guetta is stopped and interrogated by security for hours concerning a “mysterious” new installation to the theme park. After some time, Guetta is encouraged by Banksy to make a documentary of the street art world, but time passes, tapes and tapes pile up, a documentary is nowhere to be seen, and things get very interesting.

What happens next (and yes, spoilers to follow) proves to be interesting for both the filmmaker and the subject. A documentary is finally produced, but it’s such a shambling mess that Banksy decides to take over the project. Banksy then decides it would be better to just make a film about Guetta, as Banksy felt he proved to be a more “interesting” subject than himself. In another twist, Guetta becomes a street artist, dubbing himself “Mr. Brainwash”, and he begins work on a major exhibit in downtown Los Angeles. The problem is, Guetta’s work isn’t very good and often derivative of his mentors. The role reversal is played very slyly, but it proves to be a very interesting twist, especially when Guetta’s exhibition proves to be massively successful, seemingly on marketing alone. Banksy not-so-subtly has nothing but contempt for Guetta’s work as an artist, and you can tell he has mixed feelings about how his own art can influence work that is blatantly derivative. But who decides what constitutes “good” art? It’s a question that Banksy brings up time and time again in the film, letting the viewer ponder the implications of what happens when the hype is more believable than the art.

With Banksy at the helm, the film definitely has a lot to say about the commercialization of art. Banksy’s art begins selling for big bucks at the auction house, and his first exhibition proves to be an instant success both critically and financially. He obviously doesn’t seem very comfortable with the notion of his art being sold to the highest bidder--the sheep mentality of patrons buying art seemingly on hype alone. He gets to prove his point yet again with the success of the Mr. Brainwash exhibit, trying to come to grips as to how and why art gets so commercialized. This may all sound very intellectual, but the film actually stays very funny and playful throughout.

Exit Through the Gift Shop starts as a great documentary about street art, as it contains a lot of invaluable footage of artwork that often doesn’t last more than a day. It later becomes an essay on the nature of art and whether the art or the artist is more important to the public at large. Then by the end of the film, we’re left with yet another take—was this all a hoax by Banksy? It’s a question that many have pondered—the possibility that Mr. Brainwash (or Guetta) is a real-life installation created by Banksy. After all, we never see Guetta actually produce any art, and he’s very elusive when talking about his own art. What if Guetta was purposely producing bad art so the results (and subsequent success) could be filmed? While nobody’s talking, it would prove to be the ultimate prank on the audience. I haven’t decided if Guetta’s artwork is fake or not, but I think I would respect the prank more if it were fake--Banksy’s art is clever and playful, why should his film be any less entertaining?

Rating: 4 ½ stars

Mystery Team (2009)

What happens to Encyclopedia Brown when he reaches high school? It’s the main premise of Mystery Team, from the comedy troupe Derrick Comedy. It follows three best friends who started a makeshift detective agency when they were young children. The problem now lies that the three friends are now 18 years old and ready to graduate high school, yet they are stuck in a state of arrested development. Also, the amount mysteries to solve in a sleepy suburban neighborhood aren’t exactly rolling in—the biggest mystery seems to be the location of the bully who stole the lunch money. However, one day a little girl shows up and wants to hire them. Everything seems pretty normal until the girl claims she needs help to find out who murdered her parents. While obviously in over their heads, their decision to tackle the mystery seems to take them through the seediest parts of town, including shoot-outs, strip clubs and drug dealers.

As the three main characters, leader Jason (Donald Glover of Community fame), boy genius Duncan (D.C. Pierson) and the brawn of the group, the dimwitted, big hearted Charlie (Dominick Dierkes) all play a mix of nerdy adolescent innocence and the continual fear of growing up and facing reality. Thankfully, their adventures are also very funny, especially when Glover is able to let loose and go “undercover” with a variety of costumes and characters (the group hilariously dons top hats, tuxedos and canes to try and gain entrance to the “gentleman’s club”). There are also several funny cameos from members of Upright Citizens Brigade and current NBC sitcoms such as 30 Rock (of which Glover was a former writer).

It’s difficult to transition from small, on-the-fly sketches to a full feature length film (see: any SNL movie), and Mystery Team is no exception. There are times in the movie where it feels like the filmmakers are straining to fill in some space with an extra cameo or costume, and while the pacing of the film seems to be a little off at times (much of the humor seems to fly out the window once the plot gets rolling), there is definitely some potential to be found here from the budding comedy troupe. The attention to detail is very admirable, and there is quite a bit accomplished with a paper-thin budget (the strip club and schools look barely populated, which ends up adding to the charm). The film could have easily devolved into cheap jokes and stereotypical characters, but thankfully, the filmmakers are smart enough to invest us in the characters early on, so we’re still engaged by the time the mystery ramps up in full force. There’s definitely enough wit and charm here to merit checking out Mystery Team, and here’s hoping to more good things to come.

Rating: 3 stars

Toy Story 2 (1999)

Toy Story 2 is yet another great achievement from Pixar, a movie that was originally slated to become a straight-to-video sequel but has more than enough talent to stand alongside its predecessor. Where Toy Story’s plot may have been about how these particular toys were perceived by their personal owner, Toy Story 2 touches on how the toys (specifically Woody and Buzz) have become perceived by society at large. Buzz has become the star of a hit new video game (as seen in the action-packed opening sequence), fighting off the clutches of the Evil Emporer Zurg. Meanwhile, Woody has become a rare collector’s item that is highly sought after. Woody learns that he was the star of the ‘50s hit radio and television show “Woody’s Round-Up”, following the adventures of heroic cowboy Woody, his trusty horse Bullseye, cowgirl Jessie, and the prospector Stinky Pete. Unfortunately, the show was cancelled after a cliffhanger episode, and now all the toys have become rare items. Meanwhile, Buzz and company find out that Woody has been “kidnapped” by the collector (voiced by Wayne Knight), and they start a reconnaissance mission to save him. However, Buzz finds that Zurg is lurking right around the corner and waiting to take his revenge on the space ranger, which leads to a shocking revelation for Buzz (hint: anyone familiar with the cultural lexicon of the Star Wars films may have a clue of Zurg’s identity).

While the film’s plot is definitely more ambitious than the original, the film does an excellent job of handling the more personal scenes involving just one or two characters, particularly Woody and Jessie. Woody is torn between the fear of becoming more and more obsolete as Andy grows older or the prospect of becoming a cherished collector’s item with his new “family”, but at the cost of living behind a glass shelf forever, never to be played with by any child again. He knows his decision isn’t easy, and it’s conveyed with real gravity within the context of the film. By far the most heartbreaking sequence, however, is the montage involving Jessie and her former owner Emily. As we see the progression from Emily as a child playing with her toys to her growing up and slowly losing that spark of interest in her former playmates, we see Jessie’s progression from a trusted friend to Emily devolve into full heartbreak as she is forgotten and abandoned by her owner. It’s a sequence that’s been rightly praised over the years, but it’s still an emotionally resonant scene which perfectly captures Jessie’s character without any dialogue.

The animation looks as detailed and rich as ever, and the voice acting all around is once again top-notch. Aside from the main characters reprising their roles from the original, Joan Cusack as Jessie and Kelsey Grammar as Stinky Pete both give their imbue their characters with enough personality to stand on their own. Toy Story 2 is the kind of sequel that not only retains the wit and heart of the original, but in some areas deepens and enhances its strengths. It retains our fondness for all of the characters introduced in the original, yet it goes a little deeper, both technically and emotionally, without losing any of the fun.

Rating: 5 stars

Toy Story (1995)

What more can be said about the film that rewrote the template for all future animated films? Filled with wit, heart, and humor, Toy Story is an excellent film that is as timeless today as it was the day it was released. It was the first feature length computer animated film from Pixar Studios, but it never shows signs of being an amateur or rookie affair. It’s fully developed and professional in every way, combining a heartfelt story with first-rate voice acting and excellent visuals. The story revolves around Woody, the cowboy toy with the pull string whose catchphrases consist of such gems as “Reach for the sky!” and “There’s a snake in my boots!”. Woody is the de facto leader of the rest of the toys, which include members such as Mr. Potato Head, Slinky Dog, Rex (the dinosaur), Hamm (the piggy bank), Bo Peep and others. All the toys belong to Andy, their owner and playmate who loves his toys and creating new adventures with them. One day, on Andy’s birthday, a newcomer arrives on the scene: Buzz Lightyear, the space ranger and popular new toy. Jealousy abounds (primarily from Woody), but the other toys are in awe of the new toy and all its gadgets. Also, Buzz thinks he’s on an actual space mission and can actually fly, which hilariously adds to Woody’s resentment.

Pixar and director John Lasseter achieve something quite magical with Toy Story: they actually create real feelings for these toys and fill them with empathetic traits and emotions—joy, fear, jealousy, sadness, loyalty, friendship. Each character has been given delicate care to give them a unique personality for the story, and we end up caring deeply about most of the toys and their plight. What seems to elevate Pixar’s films is that there is actually genuine care put into their characters and story, and the humor comes in service of the characters as opposed to the other way around. It also helps that the writing is top-notch here, filled with wit and heart. Consider a heartbreaking scene where Buzz, on a mission to get back to his home base via spaceship, witnesses a commercial where he not only sees himself, but hundreds of Buzz Lightyear toys lining the shelves. It’s difficult not to feel for him in this moment of defeat and realization that he is only a toy. The story is filled with moments like these where we forget that we are watching (computer animated) plastic toys and instead feel like we are watching very human stories instead. It also helps that the voice acting here is outstanding across the board. Tom Hanks brings his usual charm and biting wit to Woody, while Tim Allen is hilarious as the earnest and determined Buzz Lightyear. The supporting actors here are also just as good, including Don Rickles as Mr. Potato Head, Wallace Shawn as Rex, Jim Varney as the Slinky Dog.

Of course, not enough can be said about the visuals, which look as awe inspiring today as they did fifteen years ago. The use of space and depth is something to behold, and the use of lighting is excellent, creating convincing three dimensional characters and spaces in every scene. One thing that I have always respected about Pixar’s films is their attention to detail, filling the frame with subtle inside jokes and cross-references that require repeat viewings. They also amazingly respect the physics of all the toys, so Woody hilariously runs with limbs loose and flailing; Slinky Dog can strech to the point where his coils are not long enough; even the toy soldiers have to shift back and forth to walk because of the plastic mantle bounding their legs. The only complaint I can think of about the renderings is that the human characters look a little more on the cartoonish side, but it’s an almost irrelevant gripe since the film is not only about the adventures of the toys, but it also never pronounces itself as a paragon for realism--we’re watching a movie about talking toys here.

Toy Story is the type of film that can truly be enjoyed by people of any age, primarily because it taps into a childlike wonder, and it’s near impossible not to get lost in the film’s boundless imagination. I can’t say enough good things about this film, as it successfully shows how to combine a great story, memorable characters and excellent visuals into a unified whole that should be a template for not only animated features (as it has pretty much stayed the template for the past fifteen years, and also reinforced by the fact that Toy Story 3 was just recently released) but also for all films. These toys may be “child’s playthings”, but this film is certainly one for everyone to cherish.

Rating: 5 stars (out of 5)