Weekly Review -- Out with the old, in with the new

In honor of this week of transformation and general awakening, the opportunity is ripe to talk about a film which will hopefully soon represent a distant past; one that channels a political and social metamorphosis through the eyes of the new world, not unlike the milestones that stand before us today.


Stop-Loss (2008) -- Call it human nature. Call it instinct. No matter what it is, the fact remains that the cup of human history ranneth over with conflicts. The constant absence of peace gives way to another undeniable fact -- every war and battle that has ever occurred has been one of the favorite subjects of film, literature and endless discussions. The latest Iraq conflict is no different, spawning several movies to mixed reactions. Sargent Brandon King (Ryan Phillippe) has just returned home to Texas after a tour of duty. Ready to retire from the army, he spends some time adjusting to civilian life, along with fellow soldiers and friends, Tommy Burgess (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Steve Shriver (Channing Tatum). However, unexpected and disappointing news come Brandon's way when he learns from his commanding officer (Timothy Olyphant) that he has been stop-lossed -- ordered back to Iraq, due to the lack of new recruits -- and finds himself between his life and his duty. The problem with the film is the obvious tailoring of the story to speak to the MTV generation. Too preachy and explanatory at times, the movie suffers from the after-school-special syndrome, with the screenplay categorizing and spelling out too many of its elements. However, the relevance of the story, the dehumanizing details of the Stop-Loss policy and those of military regulations in general are at the essence of the piece. The most moving parts concern the political and economic desperation that forces many individuals to enlist, as well as the difficulty between reconciling memories of death and slaughter with the present reality of a world that does not necessarily understand the workings of a soldier's life. Phillippe draws a convincingly torn portrayal of a dutiful man, while Tatum and Levitt find depth in the roles of Brandon's friends, both lost outside the battlefield. Olyphant and Victor Rasuk provide great, albeit brief, turns as Brandon's tightly wound commanding officer and wounded peer, respectively. Although occasionally pedestrian, Stop-Loss makes for a fascinating vignette from a rather gloomy political era, one that has hovered like a ghost over the United States for eight years. Let us hope for rational thinking, educated strategizing and valuing the mind above statistics; above all, let us hope that the phantoms are at bay.

6/10

Weekly Review -- (De)famed and (de)glamourized pretty things

Sugar Town (1999) -- A slice of real life that takes place in a vacuum devoid of it, this Allison Anders-Kurt Voss collaboration shows a humorous and somewhat seedy side of L.A.'s music scene. The story follows the exploits of aspiring singer Gwen (Jade Gordon), working as an assistant to neurotic film production designer Liz (Ally Sheedy) and clawing her way to the top. Liz's actress friend Eva (Rosanna Arquette) and her husband, musician Clive (John Taylor), are in the midst of a personal and professional crisis; yet another struggling musician, Carl (John Doe), is questioning his family obligations while awaiting the arrival of his new baby. The lives of these players intersect and collide in an endless quest for elusive success and publicity. Each person's journey hinges upon another person's desire and vice versa; each of these people's ambitions might be obstacles to, or might be obstructed by, an even more voracious individual. One of the things I liked about this movie was Anders and Voss' decision to employ uncompromising tactics, such as innovative script and camera techniques, in revealing the various elements of the story. Rather than simply dissect and judge, the filmmakers identify the different pressing issues that come between dreamers and their dreams, as well as show the depths some people would sink to in order to achieve their goals in the fame game. The starkly realist, documentary style of the piece shows the pursuit of all things glitzy as a vicious circle, and is peppered by comedically ironic twists and very nice acting turns that add finishing touches to juicy characterizations. There are some scenes that will stick with you for a long time and there are some characters that you might even be able to relate to because, in the end, emotion and its expression are one and the same everywhere, be it your neighborhood, my neighborhood, or the Hollywood Hills. In case you have not done so upon its release, you should pay a belated visit to this town.

8/10

Weekly Review -- Creepy nooks and crannies

Session 9 (2001) -- An eerie, underrated fright fest, Brad Anderson's Session 9 is a horror gem. 

An asbestos removal crew arrives at an abandoned asylum for a lucrative job. They soon discover odd goings-on involving old patients and the hospital's questionable history, events that start affecting them in strange and horrific ways... 

The film's pacing is half of its achievement. The suspense builds up slowly through the unexpected, as well as the characters' backstories that slowly start interweaving with the asylum's past. The filmmakers utilize the extraordinary setting to maximum impact; the camera explores every decaying room, peeled-down wall and broken window, finding the promise of terror in each corner. This technique turns the hospital into a character that lurks behind the scenes, only occasionally appearing to frighten the wits out of both the characters and the audience. I loved the absence of gore and the presence of ambiance -- sometimes true horror can indeed be poetry told through refined verse, rather than a poor result of shoving blood and guts down viewers' throats. Anderson creates metaphoric references to show the dusk of the human mind, switching back and forth from his human characters to the haunted and haunting location, using stark-yet-vibrant cinematography to show the men's psychological odyssey in the most realistic fashion. 

The acting is up to par with the symbolism; Peter Mullan and co-writer Stephen Gevedon are especially effective in their roles of an anxious new father and a troubled ex-law student, respectively. 

The rich plotlines, shadowy effects and minimalist music make Session 9 seem like a jazzy, smoky combination of The Shining and House on Haunted Hill; however, that would still be a deliberately vague description on my part, since the movie offers so much more than that. This is one of those movies that are best experienced with eyes wide open, knowing as little as possible in advance, so please do yourself a favor and do not look for spoilers. This one time, let yourself be surprised. You will not regret it.

8/10

Weekly Review -- Big Brother and hitmen for the new year

Eagle Eye (2008) -- One of the better conspiracy movies of recent years, this D.J. Caruso thriller is a hyper, fast, exciting ride from start to finish. Jerry Shaw (Shia LaBeouf) lives his life without ambition or pretense, while Rachel Holloman (Michelle Monaghan) is a preoccupied single mother. They are the last people one would expect to be recruited for a covert government mission, yet one day each receives a call from a mysterious woman, who blackmails them into a series of perilous tasks for an unknown purpose. Chased by representatives of various branches, including an acerbic FBI agent and a tenacious Air Force agent (Billy Bob Thornton and Rosario Dawson, respectively), Jerry and Rachel have to try and figure out the enigma, before they are either eliminated or sent to prison. The movie takes advantage of post-9/11 fears to create a world where technology is our enemy, tracking our every move and controlling our lives from morning until night. Indeed, one of the most interesting things about the movie is its display of imbalance between humans and our own inventions, that threaten to shut humanity down before we can return the favor. The action sequences are not only innovative and well done, but also contribute to the story's context. A movie like this one could easily have got lost within possible CGI and crash-boom-bangs, but that, fortunately, never happens. As far as the cast goes, LaBeouf keeps building on his leading man status in the underdog role, while Monaghan is believable and relatable as a woman who has no choice other than her child. Thornton also offers a nice turn as a patriotic FBI veteran, as does Michael Chiklis as the much-too-eager Defense Secretary.

**SPOILERS**

The only gripe I have about Eagle Eye is that its third act may have benefited from more bravery on the filmmakers' part. For some reason, The Parallax View came to mind as I was watching the tension at the end grow to a climax, making me think afterwards that a more nihilistic finale may have been more appropriate and incomparably more effective. As it is, the ending used was a rather safe option; I wonder if a darker one had ever been in play and discarded, lest the audience should feel alienated in our era of global political and terrorist hazards.

**END OF SPOILERS**

While far from a classic, Eagle Eye is more intelligent than the usual action/adventure/suspense piece. A thriller that makes its genre proud, the movie is kinetic candy at its finest, as well as a fun vehicle with a message.

8/10


In Bruges (2008) -- The domain of dark, gritty humor is a sorely neglected one; I suspect this stems from the lack of financiers' faith in turning any profit from it. However, when filmmakers are given a chance to show courage and integrity, without the burden of expecting dollar signs to start popping up, we get a well-written and unapologetic gem like Martin McDonagh's In Bruges. Two hitmen, Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson), have been ordered by their unscrupulous boss Harry (Ralph Fiennes) to hide out in the picturesque Belgian town of Bruges, after a botched job back in England. Things change for the worse when a series of events brings violently paranoid Harry to the town... The advertisements market this movie as a comedy; however, it is more of a drama with dashes of sepulchral wit, bringing to mind the surrealist beauty of Emir Kusturica's works. Farrell is incredible as Ray, who wears his emotions on his sleeve, yet also paradoxically opts for easy avenues like sarcasm and violence to help him deal with raw guilt and deep-seated depression. One is never sure why Ray has made the decisions he did, and Farrell makes us believe that sheer desperation and glamorized notions of easy money were the main reasons, ideas that were shattered in a flash. Apart from this film, Tigerland and Phone Booth, Farrell has never really got a chance to show his range; I have not seen Pride and Glory yet, but I sincerely hope he will keep getting roles that showcase his talent. Gleeson gives a touching portrayal of seasoned hitman Ken, who recognizes the bleak inhumanity of the job and the humanity in Ray, not wanting him to get lost in the merciless chaos. Fiennes is hilariously insane as Harry, sporting a pitch-perfect Cockney accent and reveling in a hypocritical moralistic code that guides the character. The setting is perfectly symbolic for this tale of death merchants on hiatus. Bruges, a town whose every whimsically picturesque corner appears to belong in another era and another world, serves as inadvertent crossroads for each of the protagonists. It makes us wonder if, in the end, they will be able to remain within its safe cocoon -- literally or figuratively -- and enjoy a redemptive ordinary life, or if they will go back to their disastrous and self-destructive ways. The movie is a cinematic choice between life and death, innocence and corruption; a question of too many wrongs and too few rights, seeing hell for the first time and looking for a way back.

10/10