Friends

(Fair warning, this is a spoiler filled post and if you don't want plot points revealed go see the film before you read)

Nothing was more pleasant to read last year than the three chief New York Times critics writing about scenes that go home with you. For all the technical expertise in cinema, it doesn't matter if you have flawless dialog or perfect cuts. The most proficiently made film might very well bore me to death. Once you've styled yourself a critic, you find quickly that there is a certain amount of snobbery in you. But it wasn't technical excellence that made me love films, enjoy talking about them and let me to eventually write about them. Rather it was how films made me feel. And that ultimately directs my opinion on all the films I see. the best films I see every year make me feel great. And they follow me home and resonate. my favorite films haunt me until I see them again. The fact is a scene that goes home with me is truly great and its always how I know how much I liked a film.

So much of film is a personal experience. My favorite films always move me personally. Sometimes its a scene that strikes me. Sometimes its watching said scene with someone. I remember vividly watching Magnolia with my friend Brad and after the prologue turning to him and saying "holy crap" exactly as he said "that was awesome." Say what you want about the film, that opening was a cinematic MOMENT for me. It slants what I think about the movie. Last year the scene I wrote about was personal. It had me reflecting on my father. This year has me reflecting on another important relationship: friendship.

Again my friend Brad once noted that particularly in movies best friends always get shafted in relationships. But in reality a friend is often as important as any person you will ever date. So when a great friendship is represented on screen I usually respond very positively. Its never so slight as how they talk but what they don't say and how they act around each other. A well constructed friendship on screen has me reflecting on friendship just as a meaningful father-son dynamic causes me to think of my dad. But as with last year, its more the relationship than any one scene that went home with me so I'll cheat again and describe several scenes.

The Visitor tells a story about a professor who discovers a couple who are illegal immigrants living in his New York apartment which he rarely visits. After the initial shock, Walter (Richard Jenkins) invites the two to stay with him until they can find their own place. Walter, a fairly shy man with few real friends quickly bonds with Tarek (Haaz Sleiman) a very exuberant and easy going Syrian. Bonding over something as simple as a drum, the two get along very easily. Soon Walter is excited to steal away from a conference to talk to a friend. An unfortunate happenstance results in Tarek's arrest and detention as an illegal.

It is here that several scenes all tied together struck me. Walter's first visit to see Tarek is fairly happy. Tarek is delighted at seeing a familiar face and he is as charming and optimistic as ever. When the meeting is ended prematurely, it is no problem for Tarek. Their second meeting is similarly lively though the strain on Tarek is more defined. Yet he provides strength to Walter by insisting Walter drum out a beat on the table of the visitor's room. Its a scene filled with hope and humor but the music or rather teh beat I think gives something to Tarek as much as it gives to Walter.

The devestation on Tarek's character is pronounced in the final scene. He can no longer keep his optimism. And when Walter tries to empathize, Tarek lashes out. Its quick, immediately regretted (but not taken back) and the strain is real. Tarek's deportation gives rise to the most lively bout of anger that Walter gives and its the rage of someone who has lost a true friend. And what is truly amazing about this friendship is I believe it wholly. And yet its timeline is short. Yet I don't question it could happen. But I believe its possible to fall in love in one night so why can't you build a lasting momentous friendship in ten days?

And as I watched their friendship I reflected on my own. Me a quiet new kid in fourth grade and much livelier kid who walked up straight away and introduced himself. and it isn't always what we talked about that made us good friends but also what we didn't. Telling that friend your tragedies or successes is often more important than anything they can say. Singing along to a bad 80s pop song might be as significant as sharing tales of heartbreak.

And Walter and Tarek both have tragedy. Walter's wife has died and Tarek lost his father. But beyond acknowledgment of a mutually understood pain they don't talk about it. So sometimes its not what is said but what isn't that defines a friendship. It was little things like that which made me believe in the friendship. When Tarek smiles when he sees Walter in the detention center everyone can relate to that. Those times when you are at your most unsure, your most afraid and a familiar face does wonders.

My best friend has done that for me on more than one occasion. And so I nodded in consent when it happened on screen. Its about when Walter consents to pounding out a beat when asked because it means something to Tarek. Its the reason I consent to a drink or whatever when a friend asks. Even if I'm tired or whatever, I do it because I know it is needed. So I smiled when I saw it on screen.

And maybe most of all its the scene when Tarek having lost all hope, lashes out at Walter and immediately regrets it. But he doesn't apologize for it because both understand it. And sometimes your friends try to comfort you and what they say only angers you. And if you lash out you regret it but both ultimately understand. and frankly when that scene happened i was desperately hoping that things would work out for Tarek. And I'm the type of person who truly loves unhappy endings. But at that moment the friendship mattered and I wanted it to all work out.

and when Walter erupts upon learning of Tarek's deportation, it is anger and sadness at the loss of a friend. And I've lost friends for far less significant reasons than deportation. And the ones I truly cherished hurt the most. They made me angry and sad at once. And I've sat in my car yelling about it just to let it out. So when Walter breaks down I was teary eyed. And in the end Walter may never see Tarek again and maybe they will never talk and maybe the friendship will never be as immediate or real as it was but it leaves Walter with something.

And whether that somethings is a quiet smile as you remember to tell yourself as you look in the mirror that you are a rock star (because your friend told you to do it). Or one last walk with a friend where you talk about everything except the inevitable end. Or whatever strikes you, when you recall a great friendship whether it lasted a few months or has been going strong for many years. You can't help but appreciate it on screen. And The Visitor does it with aplomb.

Doubt

Set in the early 60s, Doubt takes place at a Catholic school which has one black student. The parish priest is likable and friendly Father Flynn (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) and the school principal is strict, harsh Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep). When a school teacher Sister James suspects something odd about Flynn's relationship with the young black boy, she goes to Aloysius with her suspicion. Convinced of his guilt Aloysius takes it upon herself to protect the boy and the school.

Directed by John Patrick Shanely based on his own play, the film never lets on whether Father Flynn is guilty of anything. It quickly becomes a tete a tete between Flynn and Aloysius over the alleged incident. Its your standard role actors love type of movie. Actors who are very good at what they do get to run the gamut of emotion sometimes all in one scene. And Streep and Hoffman are certainly two of the best at what they do.

It is a play to be sure and so feels rather stagy but that isn't always a bad thing. The film is at its best when it just relies on the performers to perform. It is at its worst whenever Shanely tries to ratchet up the mood with over the top dramatic music, ominous rain storms and general mood setting that just annoys. But overall it does what it sets out to accomplish. It leaves you questioning and impressed with the actors. It speaks volumes that four of the films actors were nominated for Academy Awards. It isn't a great movie but it certainly isn't a bad movie.

I could have done without all the tweaking of mood by the director and the final scene strikes an odd note I'm not sure I buy but the money is in the Hoffman and Streep scenes and one tense and emotional scene between Streep and Viola Davis as the mother of the black boy at the center of the controversy.

The Visitor

Walter (Richard Jenkins) is an economic professor at a school in Connecticut. He is a widower, who has been trying to learn the piano to help remember his wife. He lives a very lonely life consumed with staring out his window of his office and teaching a econ course. When a colleague he wrote a paper with cannot deliver it at a conference, he is forced to go in her stead. He arrives at his apartment in New York City which he has not been to in some time and discovers a couple living there. They are Tarek and Zainab. They are illegal immigrants who live in New York.

At first Walter is glad to see the back of them as they apologize for the misunderstanding. They had thought they were renting the place appropriately. But seeing them huddled on the street unsure of where to go, he invites them back in. Tarek virtually bubbling with good cheer and friendliness quickly begins to connect with Walter. Tarek teaches him to play the drum and they get along well. Zainab is far more wary of Walter. Then one day as Tarek and Walter are taking the subway, Tarek is accused of jumping the turnstile and is arrested.

Walter feels responsible and tries to get Tarek released. Because Zainab cannot go see Tarek, Walter visits him regularly. Eventually Tarek's mother shows up and the two bond in their concern for Tarek.

I've been accused of calling a sad movie, uplifting because some element which makes you feel good. This is a sad movie but I'll be damned if the final shot isn't a bit uplifting as well. There are three things that make this film work really well. And all three relate to Richard Jenkins. He rightfully deserves his nomination for this role. Nay, he deserves to win. I've seen the other nominees and they fall short. Jenkins is understated as the professor. Hiding a sadness for his deceased wife, a frustration for his job and a general unhappiness. And the moment he breaks from that disquiet feels exactly right.

Walter's relationship with Tarek is some of the best on screen chemistry I've seen in awhile. By the time Tarek is arrested it felt as if they had been long time friends and it was only an off hand comment by Zainab later that I realized the friendship formed in a matter of days. The Tarek/Walter scenes are at the heart of the film. Particularly the increasing pessimism of Tarek as he waits in the limbo of the detention center.

The other really subtle and fascinating relationship is that between Walter and Mouna, Tarek's mother. Their almost romance as they work to get Tarek free is quite charming. And Walter's revelation of unhappiness is played perfectly. Honestly I think I can say pretty reasonably that this is my second favorite film of 2008. And since 2008 was such a crap year in more ways than one, I'm glad I saw it in 2009 which is off to a great start.

Before Sunrise

Can't they just say what they mean? Can you? Language, after all, is not just about points and meanings. It is a medium of communication, yes, but also of avoidance, misdirection, self-protection and plain confusion, all of which are among the themes of this movie, which captures a deep truth seldom acknowledged on screen or in books: people often talk because they have nothing to say.

-A.O. Scott

The venerable Mr. Scott said this in his review of Before Sunset which is just as good and profound as many of his reviews. I admit when I saw the same film I was not as enamored of it but I of course did not heed Mr. Scott's advice "it is probably best to resist the temptation to watch "Before Sunrise" again until after you have seen the sequel." But nevertheless the block quote above could just as easily apply to the characters introduced in the original film.

Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) meet seemingly by chance on a train from Budapest to Paris. They strike up a conversation as the train bustles along as a deadline nears. Jesse is getting off the train at Vienna. Throwing caution and regrets to the wind both decide to disembark the train at Vienna and spend the night getting to know each other before Jesse gets on a plane back to the US. A simple set up, a simple plot and one that works very well.

The key to the film is that these two characters talk. They don't just talk about their lives but their pasts. They tell stories of funny things their friends did. It all feels real, at times mundane at times ill advised. They argue at times, they come off a bit pretentious at others. They float through Vienna not caring what they must sound like to others and are engrossed in their own little world. Jesse is a bit of a pessimist when it comes to love, Celine a more hopeless romantic. But there is no denying that both are seeking it.

Jesse is thinking it does not exist but hoping it might? Celine knowing it exists but thinking it may never happen for her. There is something enigmatic about watching the two as they stroll past the sights of Vienna. Why did he say that? Why is she asking that? But through it all you believe these two could fall in love in one night. Yeah some of what they say is a bit annoying and I don't agree with it. But that makes them all the more real. They believe it or rather they think they do because they are twenty three.

Not to be too systematic here but there are those who enjoy a good romance, there are those who don't and there are those who are like Celine. Hopeless romantics, who know love exists in the world and hoping it happens to them. If it isn't abundantly obvious to anyone who knows me, has read this blog or is a brand new reader (hey thanks for joining us!) then you know I'm of the third category. And I'm willing to bet (not really bet mind you) that if you are like me you will really love this movie.

And I'm also willing to bet that if you loved this movie, you also have your own tale. A tale of a perfect night with a woman or a man consumed with conversation. And maybe its not as cinematic as this film or maybe its more cinematic (at least in your own head). And maybe you never saw that person again and think on what might have been. Or maybe you did see them and it didn't quite work out the way you wanted it too. But when you see Before Sunrise, I think you are going to think back to that night and smile.

And yes I'm sappy and not well versed, but I wouldn't have said this after my first viewing of the film. I hadn't had one of those nights yet. I still enjoyed the viewing but nothing made me appreciate this viewing more than my own experience. And as I watched Jesse and Celine talk the night away I thought about my own "night in Vienna" story (which was not in Vienna at all or even anywhere close to as beautiful as Vienna) and that made me smile as much as the film.

But I would disagree perhaps slightly with Mr. Scott whom I have quoted above. Maybe its not having nothing to say but fear of saying what one wants to say. Because frankly when I have been enamored of a woman, more often than not I drone on endlessly about everything because just coming out and admitting the adoration is far more terrifying than sounding like an idiot all night. And in all that mindless blather, the right man or woman will see through it and hopefully give you an amused smile.

The film may leave you a bit melancholic as may your memory but damned if it doesn't also renew my hope. Damned if I don't want to sit outside on a nice fall evening and drink a scotch and remember my good memory. And hope that one day another opportunity comes along and in that night of all consuming conversation perhaps I'll share a story about spending a night consumed in conversation and how grateful I am to be building another one.

Academy Awards

I was going to write some elaborate piece about the nominations but for the most part everyone saw all these coming and I haven't seen on the films nominated yet so I will just make a few comments.

Wow, I did not think the Academy would honor Melissa Leo at all. Now if she wins I'll truly be happy. Heath Ledger was good but not great and by no means the best of the year. Honors for the deceased should be meaningful, not sympathy votes. Both Man on Wire and Encounters at the End of the World were nominated and both were two of my favorites from last year. But I'm hoping Herzog pulls it off because his film was so achingly beautiful and poetic.

Last Chance Harvey

A few days before I saw Last Chance Harvey with fellow movie snob CinemaRomantico, we joked that in fact the film only pretended to be a romantic comedy but was in fact an action film along Die Hard lines. Harvey would be an ex CIA operative who has to rescue his daughter when terrorists attack her wedding. Can't you just see the preview? "For former CIA agent Harvey Shine, there's ONE LAST CHANCE to save the day" all spoken by one of those husky deep voiced movie trailer guys. Wouldn't that have been something? There was not however any untruth in the advertising of this one.

Harvey (Dustin Hoffman) is an old, divorced jingle writer who is heading to his daughter's wedding in London. He gets fired, his daughter wants her step dad to give her away and Harvey is and feels alone. In an airport bar he strikes up a conversation with equally lonely Kate Walker(Emma Thompson). She has a close relationship with her mother and apparently no ability to get in a relationship. The two being conversing and walking a la Before Sunrise. Except that we don't hear much of the conversation and what we do is not interesting or very convincing.

As a concept, Before Sunrise worked. We just follow two people having a conversation and we believe they could fall in love. Everyday we have conversations. Sometimes at a bar or a party we meet and talk to someone we connect with and sometimes it turns into love. So why mess with that basic formula? The conversation. This and last year's offender Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist figured we'd buy into the romance with montages and wackiness when we'd be more convinced by a conversation. But frankly, directors or writers seem to think a montage with laughter is more convincing. It isn't.

But despite that I was unimpressed with Thompson and Hoffman's chemistry. Not sure if it was the twenty year age difference or what but the idea of the two was very boring. And then they decided to introduce an arbitrary plot device (one they could have established early on but never did). Because true to formula you can't have a happy ending without an arbitrary break up leading up to it. I wish I'd gotten the action film.

Gran Torino

An aging Korean War vet named Walt Kowalski (Clint Eastwood), whose wife has recently died, lives in an increasingly run down and low income neighborhood. The people he knew have moved out and a community of Hmong have moved in. Walt is old, grizzled, disappointed in his children and harboring a whole lot of racist resentment towards his neighbors. He spends many of his days drinking canned PBR and openly complaining about the state of the neighborhood. The quiet neighbor boy is pressured to join the local gang and his initiation is to steal Walt's prized 1972 Gran Torino. After this fails, the family insists the boy make amends by working for Walt. As Walt interacts with the boy and his sister, the more he connects with them and his prejudice falls away.

Clint Eastwood is pretty damn smart. A strategy he employed last year almost got him another Oscar nomination this year. Last year Eastwood released the early and generally panned Flags of Our Fathers before winning praise for Letters from Iwo Jima later in the year. This year he got Golden Globe nominations and praise for this film his second film after the maligned Changeling. The problem is "Letters" wasn't actually that good. And Gran Torino is good but not great. So pay attention would be award winning filmmakers: release two films, the second being marginally better than the first and you might find yourself nominated.

Admittedly it isn't a terrible film. It has moments and as a friend said to me, only Eastwood could have made this film. This is true, there is so much manipulation of Eastwood's own iconic tough guy image that you buy into Walt. for the most part. See I had two major problems with the film. The first might seem trivial but was actually what took me out of the film entirely. See Walt is a tough old son of a bitch Korean War vet who doesn't like change. He swills PBR daily and scowls a lot.

So why, oh why, I ask is there a scene with Walt in a bubble bath? I'm sorry. Nope. Walt Kowalski is not the bubble bath type. I find it impossible to believe even if the film claimed it was left over from his wife and he did it to be reminded. (The film did not offer that explanation, it offered no explanation.) So when we see Walt in the tub with bubbles covering him (no doubt to obscure any possible nudity) I just called shenanigans and the movie lost me completely.

More significant is the messiah complex Mr. Eastwood has in this film. And the end is just silly to watch on account of this. In its defense the film is fairly charming as Walt comes around to having affection for the brother and sister next door but overall its more manipulative than impressive. I admire Eastwood for tweaking his own mythology as Brad Pitt did last year in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. But "Gran Torino" the song at the end during the credits is quite nice and its an experience to hear Clint sing a verse.

Best Performance of the Year

I'm almost 100% sure that the best performance of the year will not only not be recognized this year but won't even be nominated. Melissa Leo had my attention the minute she appeared on screen in Frozen River. She drives the whole story and you believe her troubles. Sadly she was not nominated for a Golden Globe and the Oscars seem unlikely to do so either. But in my opinion the best performance of the year by man or woman was by Melissa Leo.