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2003 Screening Log, Part 3
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73
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72
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71
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70
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Sylvia
Director: Christine Jeffs
Gwyneth Paltrow has never had to chew her acting chops as much as she does in "Sylvia," and it
pays off handsomely. One scene in particular -- when she discusses a suicide attempt while sitting
at the edge of a violently-rocking rowboat -- is so steeped in melancholy and surreal dread that it's
altogether frightening. Alas, the rest of the film doesn't quite live up to her performance. It drags
especially turgidly in the final third, when the audience waits for the inevitable suicide attempt to
finally occur. Yet even then, in the film's slow spots, Paltrow radiates the internal pain of her
character with such clarity and effectiveness that it's hard to fault the movie completely.
My grade: B
Screened: November 8
Oscar potential: Best Actress (Paltrow), Best Supporting Actor (Craig)
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69
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68
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66
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65
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Whale Rider
Director: Niki Caro
Keisha Castle-Hughes gives one of the best child performances I've seen in many years as the
daughter of a New Zealand Maori tribe leader who struggles to find a role in a male-dominated
culture. On a technical level, the film is aces all around -- beautiful pastel seaside cinematography,
a non-intrusive musical score, and very realistically defiant performances from the entire cast.
More importantly, "Whale Rider" succeeds on an emotional level as well, never falling into the
sappy traps that most kid-themed movies seem to relish in. If there ever was a film that the whole
family could enjoy, this is it.
My grade: B+
Screened: November 2
Oscar potential: Best Supporting Actress (Castle-Hughes), Best Adapted Screenplay
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64
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63
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62
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61
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Radio
Director: Mike Tollin
Despite this movie's sap-drenched trailer, it's is not as corny as you'd think. Ed Harris in particular
gives another one of his trademark assured performances that will win him an Oscar someday.
But, in the end, it's still a Southern football movie that can't avoid many of the cliches of the genre.
And with a female supporting cast that includes Debra Winger, Alfre Woodard, and S. Epatha
Merkerson, why waste them in almost nothing roles?
My grade: C+
Screened: October 23
Oscar potential: Best Supporting Actor (Harris)
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60
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59
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58
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57
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Runaway Jury
Director: Gary Fleder
If you want a movie about the issue of gun control that merely skirts the topic, this is it. If you
want a movie in which the purveyors of good and evil are homogenized into recognizably simple,
broad characters, this is it. If you want a movie that purports that vast conspiracies of jruy
selection exist -- including hidden cameras in prospective jurors' homes and underground lairs of
personality and handwriting experts -- this is it. If you want a movie in which you can repeatedly
ask youself, "Why is John Cusack in this?," this is it. If you want a movie that features one really
decent scene between Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman, this is it. If you want a movie about a
real runaway jury, see "12 Angry Men." It's a lot better.
My grade: C+
Screened: October 12
Oscar potential: None
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Click here for Part 1 of the 2003 Screening Log
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The Human Stain
Director: Robert Benton
Two very engrossing movies exist in "The Human Stain," but neither one reconciles well with the
other -- at least onscreen. There's the romance between a distinguished professor (a taut Anthony
Hopkins) and a mysterious poor woman (Nicole Kidman, who is too hot be a cow-milker, but gives
a fiery and sensuous performance nonetheless). Then there's the mystery about the same
distinguished professor, who is fired for making racist remarks but gradually reveals a secret that
explains a lifelong lie. As a novel, the dichotomy between these two storylines might've had more
nuance, but as a movie -- which also has its fair share of flashbacks -- it feels too episodic and
unrelated. But the actors give it their all, especially Nicole Kidman, who can really do no wrong
nowadays. After you get over the fact that she (like Hopkins) just doesn't look the part, you'll see a
tormented soul caged like a crow -- which, of course, she talks to in the movie.
My grade: B
Screened: October 12
Oscar potential: Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Adapted
Screenplay
The Station Agent
Director: Tom McCarthy
This is your typical Sundance film -- small budget, odd characters coming together, bizarre
moments of truth and poignancy. But this one just feels real, and that's due in no small part to the
trio of intriguing performances that guides the viewer through a rather uneventful and meandering
story. Peter Dinklage (as a lonely train-obsessed dwarf), Patricia Clarkson (as a divorcee who's
recently lost her son), and Bobby Cannavele (as an over-friendly hot dog vendor) form a friendship
that defies explanation -- but that, for better or worse, fulfills a longing that none were ready to
express. Though all three performances are carefully nuanced, Clarkson is simply stellar as a
woman who isn't as ready to move past her son's death as she might think. At one point in the film
she screams to Dinklage, "I'm not your girlfriend and I'm not your mother!" But for the two of
them, the not-easy-to-categorize bond they do share is simply enough.
My grade: B+
Screened: October 10
Oscar potential: Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Screenplay
Kill Bill, Vol. I
Director: Quentin Tarantino
This clever combination of styles, influences, genres, and film stocks hits like a shot to the heart.
When it's not funny, it's action-packed, and when it's not action-packed, it's visually stunning.
Though smallish in the plot department, the fight scenes, set pieces, and sparse one-liners more
than make up for it. But this revenge odyssey would be nil if it wasn't for the fierce performance
of Uma Thurman, who gets shot, stabbed, kicked, thrown, beaten, punched, and comatized with
the perfect amount of determination and energy. She's not you're typical action heroine, but this is
not your typical action movie. It's the Tarantino action film -- artsy, memorable, and one-of-a-kind.
My grade: A-
Screened: October 10
Oscar potential: Best Director, Best Actress, Best Original Screenplay
September 11
Director: Various
This anthology comprises eleven short films from different directors around the world who had
"artistic freedom" to make a piece that reflected feelings about the 9/11 attacks. As with all movies
of this nature (such as "New York Stories" and "Four Rooms") the weaker segments drag down
the integrity of the entire project. The film from Egypt, for example, uses an overemphatic score
and mixed political messages about Beirut, Palestine, and Iraq to suggest that the people who died
in the Twin Towers won't be coming back -- which we already knew. More effective is the
segment from Mexico, which, over a black screen, combines a devastating sound mix of bodies
falling from the WTC and phone messages from those on the planes. Pieces from France (about a
deaf woman who's oblivious to the attacks) and the U.S. (in which Ernest Borgnine portrays a man
devasted by his wife's death) are also effective. By the end of the entire movie, however, I was so
familiar with images of the planes crashing into buildings that I became unwillingly desensitized.
My grade: B-
Screened: October 11
Oscar potential: None
Bubba Ho-Tep
Director: Don Coscarelli
Convalescent home residents Elvis Presley and JFK -- who, by the way, didn't actually die -- join
forces to rid their community of a night-stalking mummy who threatens to suck the souls out of
their fellow senior citizens. There are very funny bits in this wannabe cult classic; among them are
mugshots of Lee Harvey Oswald hanging over the bed of a man who claims to be JFK (Ossie
Davis!). There are many other parts, such as repeated complaints by Elvis (Bruce Campbell) about
a grotesque and unfortunately located blister, that aren't. If you can get through the half-jokes and
find your way to the more interesting humor about fame and old age, a promising satire exists.
My grade: C+
Screened: October 11
Oscar potential: None
My Life Without Me
Director: Isabel Coixet
There might be legitimate reasons to hide a terminal illness from your loved ones in real life, but in
movies (or at least this movie) it comes off as selfish and uncalculated. Sarah Polley, in another
performance that transcends the film around her -- let's call it Cate Blanchett syndrome -- she plays
a poor young mother who decides to keep her sudden diagnosis of cancer a secret in order to fulfill
a "wishlist" of things she's always wanted to do before dying. Some of these goals are
commendable, such as to always say what she's thinking. (This proves very funny in a scene
where she tells a waitress how dumb the woman's fixation with a certain pop culture icon is.)
Other things on Polley's list are a bit more troubling, such as her decision to make someone fall in
love with her. Not only is this action narrow-minded, but it's dramatically implausible. The young
actress's deep-willed determination almost can't overcome hurdles like that. Almost.
My grade: B-
Screened: October 14
Oscar potential: Best Actress (Polley), Best Original Screenplay
The Safety of Objects
Director: Rose Troche
Plot: Four married couples with two kids each, living in Indie Movie Suburban Hell, USA, see their
lives collide in the most "unexpected" ways. I use the term "unexpected" with reservation because
in this movie, it runs the gamut from a mother's love for her comatose son (heartfelt) to a boy's
fixation with a talking Barbie doll (bizarre). Two of these four families could have been excised
from the movie and it would've been more easy to digest. In fact, the fine performances of Glenn
Close (as the aforementioned bereaved mother) and Patricia Clarkson (as another mom who's
daughter has been kidnapped) are worthy of an entire picture altogether -- or at least one that
doesn't slab them alongside the oddball residents of Indie Movie Suburban Hell, USA.
My grade: C
Screened: October 17
Oscar potential: Best Supporting Actress (Clarkson, Close)
The School of Rock
Director: Richard Linklater
This comedy is unlike most other children's movies I've ever seen. It doesn't pander to the young
ones, it's full of more comedic adult references than most adult movies, it features timeless classic
rock songs by Led Zeppelin and the Doors, and it's full of great performances. From Jack Black to
Joan Cusack (who's worthy of an Oscar nomination but probably won't get one) to each of the
abnormally bright kids, the film comes together in a way that many artsy and more serious pics fail
to. In telling this light-hearted fable about not succumbing to the wiles of "the man," director
Richard Linklater presents a timely lesson about maturity and independence that never feels forced.
And even in the midst of all this, he and screenwriter Mike White maintain their indie flair; when
Black first starts handing out instruments to each kid, for instance, it's done in an extended scene
that reveals his true love for music, his determination to leave no one out, and, perhaps most
importantly, to introduce the likes of Zep and AC/DC to the young generation at the movie theater.
My grade: A-
Screened: October 19
Oscar potential: Best Supporting Actress (Cusack), Best Original Screenplay
In the Cut
Director: Jane Campion
I'm not sure why early reviews have pegged this serial killer/sexual awakening drama as such a
stinker. While it's far from perfect, it's no "Gigli" by any means. First, the strengths: Meg Ryan's
unflinching performance, Jennifer Jason Leigh's saucy turn (where has she been?), the deep-hued
and off-kilter cinematography by Dion Beebe, and the suspenseful score and song selection. If one
were to take out the unnecessary goriness and trim a few overlong scenes, "In the Cut" could've
had the semblance of a taut thriller. Instead, it's merely an interesting -- though distanced -- story
about a few odd characters looking for love or sex or something on the dangerous streets of New
York. The serial killer storyline -- which might seem like either a superfluous subplot or the main
narrative, depending on your mood -- eventually proves to be more rote than the blossoming bond
between the strong-willed English professor (Ryan) and the quasi-crooked cop (Mark Ruffalo).
My grade: B-
Screened: October 22
Oscar potential: Best Actress (Ryan), Best Supporting Actress (Leigh)
In America
Director: Jim Sheridan
Jim Sheridan's heart is in the right place with this true-life tale of his family's arrival to New York
City from Ireland, but for some reason it didn't completely click for me. Great performances aside
(especially from the child actors), I kept feeling that the audience was being pushed in a certain
direction. We are told to feel sorry for the family, to undertand why they miss their dead son, to
see how their friendship with their strange neighbor develops...but without much dramatic weight
in the story to back it up. I'm probably alone in this opinion -- and I do foresee a lot of Oscar
nominations coming its way, judging by the lack of dry eyes at the screening I attended -- but it
just wasn't that overwhelming of an experience for me.
My grade: B
Screened: October 23
Oscar potential: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Considine), Best Actress
(Morton), Best Supporting Actor (Hounsou), Best Original Screenplay
Elephant
Director: Gus Van Sant
At first glance, this Columbine-inspired tale of high school violence comes across almost as turgid
as the director's earlier effort this year, "Gerry." But in this instance, the long takes and extended
silence has a definite point. As we criss-cross the lives of a variety of students at a Portland high
school -- a shy girl in gym class, a photography student, a football player -- we get to see very
mundane moments of their lives. This obviously brings to mind the randomness of the deaths and
the needlessness of the violent acts. While this is something most people probably already knew,
the lengthy scenes also caused me to reflect on my own high school experience. Did I know kids
like this? Did I ever actively exclude someone? These seem like trite responses, but for a film
that's as resolutely objective as "Elephant" tries to be, self-examination seems to be one of its major
goals.
My grade: B+
Screened: October 24
Oscar potential: Best Director, Best Original Screenplay
Bus 174
Director: Jose Padilha
This is hands down one of the best films of the year, non-fiction or otherwise. In a brilliant
weaving of a specific tragedy with an overall social ill (that rivals "Bowling for Columbine"), the
class warfare of Rio de Janeiro gets top-notch treatment. In 2000, a young man raised on the
streets took several bus passengers hostage before misdirected police officers killed one of them,
and then eventually the man himself. With footage from the actual standoff and interviews with
family members, friends, and encarcerated street kids in similar situations, an intimate portrait is
painted of the hostage-taker, Sandro do Nascimento, and the reasons for his violent act are
painstakingly explored. It is clear that America faces similar problems -- racism, overcrowded
jails, ineffective treatment for convicts, corrupt law enforcement -- and one wonders when a
similar tragedy will occur here next. The suspense and social analysis in this documentary are
without equal, and it truly is one of the most moving films of the year.
My grade: A
Screened: October 25
Oscar potential: Best Documentary Feature
Elf
Director: Jon Favreau
This is what I've been telling my friends about "Elf": shave off the first and last ten minutes of the
movie, and it's a great Will Ferrell comedy. It would be hard for him to do wrong; every side
comment, every earnest suggestion, and every unintentional mix-up is just hilarious. As he proved
earlier this year in the very funny "Old School" (and in many episodes of "Saturday Night Live"),
physical comedy is another one of his strengths. His awkward height and decidedly un-elf-ish
body shape only add to the genuine humor of the movie. Too bad that the filmmakers had to coat
such a hearty premise with mushy Christmas cheer. Sure, it might work for the kids, but the
movie should play well to the beer-swiggin' twenty-year-olds, too.
My grade: B-
Screened: November 3
Oscar potential: None
Brother Bear
Director: Aaron Blaise & Bob Walker
It's a common complaint that moviemakers in general far too often surrender substance to style.
This axiom has never been more the case with an animated movie than "Brother Bear." Long on
mystical hooey but short on emotion, the 'toon nonetheless has the look of a classical Dutch
painting. The bright backdrops are works of impressionist art that deserve to be hung on the walls
of a museum somewhere. From its steel-blue ice caverns to its verdant countrysides, the movie is
"art" with a capital A. Alas, the plot is a shallow combination of "Pocohontas" and "The Lion
King," both of which were far better entertainment for the family.
My grade: C+
Screened: November 3
Oscar potential: Best Animated Feature, Best Score, Best Song
21 Grams
Director: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
Bearing a strong similarity to "Amores Perros" in plot and theme, Inarritu's second feature (and first
in English) is a successful dissection of the roles fate, vengeance, and faith have in our lives. It
uses a non-linear narrative to show how death -- and escaping death -- can be a life-changing
trauma, and does so with a fierce performance by Naomi Watts and more subdued ones by Sean
Penn, Benicio Del Toro, and the excellent Melissa Leo. As with all movies that intentionally
fracture time ("Memento," "Irreversible," etc.), the question of the technique's necessity is raised.
That is, do the temporal shifts add to the narrative, or are they distracting us from a weak plot?
While the storyline of "21 Grams" would definitely seem simpler if laid out in a straight line, the
jarring editing serves to illustrate the drastic changes that tragedy can cause in normally rational
human beings; the juxtaposition of a clear-thinking character's bliss with his or her most violent
moments makes the pain seem that more haunting. On these grounds, "21 Grams" is a worthy
successor to "Amores Perros."
My grade: B+
Screened: November 4
Oscar potential: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Penn), Best Actress (Watts), Best
Supporting Actor (Del Toro), Best Supporting Actress (Leo), Best Original Screenplay,
Best Editing, Best Cinematography
Shattered Glass
Director: Billy Ray
"Shattered Glass" is a prime example of how a simple story told without any special tricks of the
camera can be told intelligently and engrossingly. On the surface, it merely recounts the true story
of New Republic journalist Stephen Glass, who fabricated many of his stories by simply making
entire events and conversations up. But on another level, it attacks the cultural personality that
seems to require instant information, overt friendliness, and unadulterated success. Hayden
Christiansen's stubbornly meek performance is spot-on as Glass, who always seems to be writhing
out of a tough situation just in the nick of time. Little is mentioned of his home life or what caused
him to lie so effortlessly -- and often -- but one gets the feeling that that's not the point. Amid the
backdrop of the Clinton-Lewinsky sex scandal, which was going on at the same time as the events
in the film, doesn't our real interest lie in examining how (and why) one gets caught?
My grade: B+
Screened: November 7
Oscar potential: Best Actor (Christiansen), Best Supporting Actor (Sarsgaard), Best Adapted
Screenplay
The Missing
Director: Ron Howard
This western is unlike any movie Ron Howard has made before; his thumbprint is nowhere to be
found. More than just a suspense thriller, it's like actually being present during frontier times to see
what it was actually like. Down to the most minute detail of how children skinned their deerhides
or how important horses were to a family, "The Missing" moves along with grace while always
maintaining interest. Much of that is due to Cate Blanchett's feisty, often trilingual performance --
she's completely lost in the role, right down to her Wild West accent (and her Wild West accent
while speaking Spanish to an Indian). The movie could do without the mystical touches or the
constant references to the characters' religious beliefs, but Howard has constructed a sturdy drama
that operates well on all levels. Salvatore Totino's luminous cinematography deserves equal praise
as well.
My grade: B+
Screened: November 12
Oscar potential: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (Blanchett), Best Actor (Jones),
Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography
The Fog of War
Director: Errol Morris
As a onetime student of the documentary genre way back in film school, I happen to know a little
more than the average person when it comes to non-fiction movies. The Errol Morris canon is, as
many know, one of the most celebrated; "Gates of Heaven," "The Thin Blue Line," and "Fast,
Cheap, and Out of Control" rank among some of the best films of any kind, period. While "The
Fog of War" doesn't quite live up to that trio, it's still a vastly interesting study of former Secretary
of Defense Robert S. McNamara. He comes off closely guarded about his personal feelings
toward Vietnam, but, more often than not, McNamara seems like a victim of circumstance and a
war-hungry boss (LBJ) than anything else. "When you've got every other Western nation against
you invading a country, it doesn't make sense to do so" is just one of several choice lines that could
apply to a certain President today -- and makes "The Fog of War" as topical as it is stimulating.
My grade: B+
Screened: November 20
Oscar potential: Best Documentary Feature
House of Sand and Fog
Director: Vadim Perelman
Like "Sylvia" before it, "House of Sand and Fog" is a fierce performance piece and somber mood in
search of narrative progression. All of the players inhabit their roles well -- Connelly is accurately
sullen; Kingsley is all fiery determination; Eldard coasts by on everyman bluster; and Aghdashloo
contributes just the right amount of sympathy. Trouble is, after about an hour in, the principals
start acting out of character and begin doing violent, questionable things without motivation.
Without giving too much away, it's safe to say that things end badly for everyone involved. The
supreme dedication to all aspects of craft involved (including many wispy San Francisco-shot
scenes) make this somewhat forgiveable, so it might be best to qualify the film as a flawed victory.
My grade: B
Screened: November 23
Oscar potential: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (Connelly), Best Actor (Kingsley),
Best Supporting Actor (Eldard), Best Supporting Actress (Aghdashloo), Best Adapted
Screenplay
Bad Santa
Director: Terry Zwigoff
There's something a little off-kilter about "Bad Santa," and it isn't necessarily the vulgarity-spewing
St. Nick. Near-unforgiveable credibility lapses abound in the film's second half, when Billy Bob
Thornton invites himself to live with a pudgy grade-schooler and his bizarrely incoherent
grandmother. Then there's the tone, which wavers from laugh-out-loud comedic to unsettlingly
dark in a matter of minutes. Additionally, Lauren Graham's character (a bartender who falls for
Thornton's mall Santa) seems unusually sexual, ditsy, and personality-free. Coming from the
director of "Crumb" and "Ghost World," these caveats may have been intended in-jokes; to me,
they tarnished a promisingly dark, dark, dark, dark comedy.
My grade: B-
Screened: November 28
Oscar potential: None
Calendar Girls
Director: Nigel Cole
One large problem exists in this generally amusing comedy that should be obvious to frequent
moviegoers right off the bat: Its central premise can't sustain feature-length treatment. In a
sentence, the movie's about a group of middle-aged women who strip for a nudie calendar to help a
local hospital where a friend's hudband passed away. The build-up of the plot seems to be will
they or won't they? for the first twenty minutes. When it's clear that they will, the film has nothing
to do but invent tiny obstacles that the audience knows will be overcome in a short while. A trip to
L.A. seems tacked on (even if it did really occur) and the expected reconciliation between Mirren's
and Walters' characters is just a little too sweet.
My grade: C+
Screened: December 1
Oscar potential: Best Actress (Mirren), Best Supporting Actress (Walters)