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2003 Screening Log, Part 4
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Dirty Pretty Things
Director: Stephen Frears
It's always refreshing when a movie you knew very little about manages to surprise you with odd
plot twists and decent performances from actors you either disliked (Audrey Tautou) or had never
heard of (Chiwetel Ejiofor). "Dirty Pretty Things" is such a film, and except for a middle section
that drags sheepishly before picking up briskly and engagingly at the end, it's a fine mystery that
blends disparate stories of British immigration, organ donation, and unforeseen romance. The rich
cinematography and where's-it-going-next plot structure evoke suspense films from the '70s, while
Steven Knight's screenplay is padded with a bevy of interesting supporting characters and choice
one-liners. With a little more tightening, it probably could've fared even better at this year's Oscars.
My grade: B
Screened: February 14
Oscar potential: Nominated for Best Original Screenplay
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91
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90
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The Barbarian Invasions
Director: Denys Arcand
There are two movies struggling for attention in this witty take on life and death: A story about a
philandering history professor about to die, and a treatise on the director's political opinions. As
someone who's never seen the movie that preceded this one (1986's "The Decline of the American
Empire"), I can say that the treatise seems half-baked and pretentious. As a whole, "Invasions"
movingly explores themes of love, regret, death, and religion with appropriate touches of humor and
pathos. But when the characters go off on tangents about 9/11, Mother Teresa, the Canadian health
care system, and global warfare, I didn't make the thematic connections that I can tell the filmmaker
was urging me to. (Yes, we get it -- the professor's friends and lovers have been invading his life
and he may or may not be all the better for it.) Still, there's no denying the humor and heart evident
throughout the film, especially in its emotional closing moments -- a much more meaningful
metaphor for the life of the protagonist.
My grade: B
Screened: January 30
Oscar potential: Nominated for Best Foreign Film, Best Original Screenplay
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89
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88
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The Cooler
Director: Wayne Kramer
Let's start with the performances: Alec Baldwin is perfectly villainous, William H. Macy is his
usually sturdy schmucky self, and Maria Bello is effectively strong-willed and resonant. But
throughout this story of a Las Vegas "cooler" whose bad luck turns to good upon falling in love, we
kept revisiting other Sin City movie cliches that prevented the film from achieving greatness (instead
of mere goodness). Blend two parts "Casino," one part "Owning Mahowny," a touch of "Leaving
Las Vegas," and mix with William H. Macy's familiar on-screen persona and -- pow! -- out comes
"The Cooler."
My grade: B-
Screened: January 16
Oscar potential: Nominated for Best Supporting Actor (Baldwin)
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87
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86
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85
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84
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83
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82
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81
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80
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79
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78
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77
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76
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The Return of the King
Director: Peter Jackson
What a long, strange trip it's been. To sum it up, there are many "mosts" to acknowledge "The
Return of the King" for. It's the most suspenseful chapter of the three, with a giant spider
providing jump-from-your-seat thrills unrivaled in today's modern action movie. It's the most
emotional story as well, with the characters -- particularly Frodo and Sam -- getting to emote all of
the anguish, frustration, temptation, and deep friendship that the story has been rooted in from day
one. It's also the most technically accomplished piece of the trilogy, with Gollum coming to
(scary) life in even more ways than he did in "The Two Towers" and a fleet of larger-than-life
elephants adding to the ferocious power of Sauron.
Unfortunately, "The Return of the King" is also the longest leg, ending about three times too
many when a simple fade-out would've been more than adequate. It's unfortunate that the film
does drag along as it comes to a close, because you're left with a slightly bitter aftertaste that the
ball's been dropped right when the audience needs strong storytelling the most. This may have
lowered my grade from an A- to a B+, but the film as a whole is still a more-than-worthy
conclusion to one of the most daring cinematic undertakings of our time.
My grade: B+
Screened: December 2
Oscar potential: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Mortensen, Astin), Best
Adapted Screenplay, Tech Categories
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Cold Mountain
Director: Anthony Minghella
I actually enjoyed "Cold Mountain" a lot more than I thought I would. It started out slow -- and it
took a while to get used to the "accents" of Nicole Kidman and Jude Law -- but the film kept
surprising me with colorful characters and rich cinematography and music. The story's vignetted
nature works well, keeping the plot flowing nicely while allowing for bits of humor and character
shading. And the film's moral questions about duty vs. conscience and civility vs. vengeance were
also carefully delineated by the dramatic situations each player was faced with, culminating in one
of the most heartbreaking -- but cinematically satisfying -- climaxes of the year. As with
"Something's Gotta Give" (above) and "The Return of the King" (below), the movie went on just a
little too long. but it definitely justifies all of the pre-release hype. This ain't no "Chocolat" for
Miramax; it's as passionate -- and award-worthy -- as "In the Bedroom."
My grade: B+
Screened: December 3
Oscar potential: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Law), Best Actress (Kidman), Best
Supporting Actress (Zellweger), Best Adapted Screenplay, Tech Categories
Something's Gotta Give
Director: Nancy Meyers
This could've been a near-perfect romantic comedy. It had vibrant supporting characters (the
briefly-seen but hilarious Frances McDormand), a unique angle (May-December romances), and
witty dialogue. Yet right when the movie felt like it was winding down, another forty minutes of
unnecessary plot entanglements was tacked on, keeping me on the edge of my seat as to whether
the movie was finally over or not. A simple but pleasing comedy turned into an agonizingly long
melodrama. It's almost frustrating how much better the movie could have been had it ended at the
90-minute mark. Ah well, thus is the nature of mainstream cinema. Diane Keaton nonetheless
turns out one of her best performances in years -- alternately funny, heartwarming, sympathetic,
intelligent, and imminently watchable. It's a shame that the film wasted this ever-present talent
during its tailspin of a conclusion.
My grade: B-
Screened: December 5
Oscar potential: Best Actor (Nicholson), Best Actress (Keaton), Best Original Screenplay
Master & Commander
Director: Peter Weir
How refreshing it is to see a movie that's not overextended and doesn't follow any sort of timeworn
formula. The film is so matter-of-fact about its characters and storylines that the realism is
enhanced to an unusually attainable degree. The camera rarely veers from the confines of the ship,
yet when it does roam -- to the undiscovered riches of the Galapagos Islands -- the audience is
seemingly discovering rare birds and beetles at the same time our two hundred-year-old crew is.
But "Master & Commander" is first and foremost a slice-of-life, with battles and crew
disagreements merely wallpapering a very interesting study of naval society and the attitudes it
festered. As such, it succeeds on most levels. (It was just so tough to decipher those accents!)
My grade: B+
Screened: December 6
Oscar potential: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Crowe), Best Supporting Actor
(Bettany), Best Adapted Screenplay, Tech Categories
My Architect
Director: Nathaniel Kahn
In the search to discover who his father really was, Nathaniel Kahn meets a variety of interesting
characters -- feisty architects, reverential colleagues, opinionated relatives, and attentive strangers.
Piecing together the man's life also proves intriguing. Louis Kahn's story is a similar one to that of
many immigrants who came to this country in the first part of last century, and his son tells it
proudly. But at nearly two hours the pic's welcome is just a bit overstayed, and for a film about a
world-famous designer, his buildings don't really captivate the imagination. The striking time lapse
photography certainly enhaces them at a very emotional level, however, and gives the viewer a
connection to the elder Kahn that we can only guess his son must have felt as well.
My grade: B
Screened: December 7
Oscar potential: Best Documentary Feature
Big Fish
Director: Tim Burton
It's frustrating to watch "Big Fish" and realize the potential for a great movie within a merely
average one. It's a varying mesh of styles, moods, and performances, and Burton never settles on
a tone that quite fits the material. First off, the flashbacks are imminently more watchable than
what's happening in the present, yet we must continually hop forward in time to watch Billy
Crudup complain about his egotistical father (Albert Finney, hilarious in his brief scenes). And even
among the flashbacks, a few don't maintain the same gravitas as the others.
Highlights include Ewan McGregor visiting the odd town of Spectre in which no one ever wants
to leave. The sequence is a touching allegory for taking risks in life, and it's apparent by the film's
end that few of these recollections have the same narrative weight as this one. A scene recalling a
Korean War ambush is nearly as satisfying, yet one about a bank robbery seems misplaced and
incongruous with any of the others. By the end of the film, half of the people in the theater with
me were crying their eyes out. I was completely dry.
My grade: B-
Screened: December 10
Oscar potential: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Finney), Best Adapted
Screenplay, Tech Categories
The Triplets of Belleville
Director: Sylvain Chomet
The fact that this French cartoon is nearly wordless -- yet is able to tell a very original story --
speaks a lot about its visual invention. Though it does tend to drag in spots, it's never less than
fascinating to watch and is nearly always funny. From the gluttonous Statue of Liberty to the
underwater frog bomb to the square-shouldered villains, the movie is ripe with satire and
otherworldly imagination. Another big plus it its resourceful use of music; instead of the standard
movie score that tells everyone in the audience that now is the time to laugh, it blends classic Bach
with new French material (including the memorable "Belleville Rendez-Vous") to winning effect.
My grade: B+
Screened: December 13
Oscar potential: Best Animated Feature
Matchstick Men
Director: Ridley Scott
I saw this little film on a plane during the holidays, and I wonder why more people didn't like it.
It's funny, quirky, well-shot, well-scored, and constantly entertaining. Even the twist at the end
wasn't too far out of left-field as to render the whole movie inept. In fact the only thing that really
got on my nerves was Nicolas Cage's little facial tics and stuttering; it worked in toned-down
fashion in "Adaptation," but here it just drags the performance down. Alison Lohman also shows
great potential that kind of went to waste in "Big Fish." Nothing earth-shattering, but "Matchstick
Men" is still a worthy addition to the Ridley Scott canon.
My grade: B
Screened: December 17
Oscar potential: None
A Mighty Wind
Director: Christopher Guest
At first intake, "A Mighty Wind" seems less funny than "Best in Show" and less outrageous than
"Waiting for Guffman." But it grew on me in the folllwing days, and I just couldn't shake the
poignancy of Mitch & Mickey's final kiss -- or their devotion to each other in the follow-up
interviews. Guest tried to fool people that he made a serious movie wrapped in mockumentary
packaging. Eugene Levy was just the right kind of weird, Catherine O'Hara was hilarious as usual,
and the rest of the troupe was up to their usually near-genius standards. Wouldn't it be great if they
all got onstage at the Oscars and performed another reunion song together?
My grade: A-
Screened: December 23
Oscar potential: Best Supporting Actor (Levy), Best Song, Best Original Screenplay
The Last Samurai
Director: Edward Zwick
This film hits most of the right emotional moments. It hits most of the right historical ones. But,
for God's sake, Tom Cruise just doesn't fit in it! Take him out of the picture and it would improve
by half. He constantly seems like Tom Cruise in Japan, not Captain Nathaniel Algren in Japan, circa
1876. His lines are off ("Are you a ladies man?"), his characterization is off, and he weighs the film
down with his lame attempts at humor and pathos. (Odd, considering it's basically his movie -- and
that he reportedly spent 8 months preparing for it.) The scenes in Japan are striking, and the
interplay between Ken Watanabe and the Emperor are moving, but in the end, it's a Tom Cruise
movie. Who do you think will be the only one living at the end of the film?
My grade: B-
Screened: December 25
Oscar potential: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Cruise), Best Supporting Actor
(Watanabe), Best Original Screenplay, Tech Categories
Monster
Director: Patty Jenkins
Charlize Theron gives a blistering performance in search of a better movie. Let's start with the
performance first. Never once did I think I was watching A-C-T-I-N-G in the impersonation sense.
This was a character, plain and simple -- as if Aileen Wuornos had stepped onto the screen and
were interacting with the audience on a first-person basis. Putting aside the extraordinary makeup
tricks and weight gain, Theron embodied the persona so well that she was scary, frightening,
repulsive, and sympathetic all at the same time. She was a demon embodied in the soul of a
frightened little girl and the body of a street walker. But the movie is...just okay. After a while, it
was tough to see why Wuornos would stay with her girlfriend Selby (Christina Ricci) given her
constant nagging and pushing toward prostitution. And the third act seemed a little too episodic, as
if we are all waiting for the inevitable to happen and for the killer to get jailed. Yet Theron's
performance is one of raw power, and ranks with the best of the year.
My grade: B
Screened: December 26
Oscar potential: Best Actress (Theron)
Girl With a Pearl Earring
Director: Peter Webber
This period piece is almost like a silent film. In suggesting an inspiration for Dutch artist Johannes
Vermeer's master painting, Scarlett Johansson (as the servant girl, Griet, who posed for him) and
Colin Firth (as Vermeer) spend long passages staring at each other, at the incandescent light that
floods the studio, and at colorful canvases full of elegant brush strokes. The design team has the
look down perfectly -- from the canal-filled burgs of Holland to the 17th century-era carpentry,
clothing, and manners of life. But it's Johansson's illuminating Mary Pickford-esque performance
that keeps you glued to the screen whether she's mixing oils, ctutting vegetables, or merely sitting
still for Vermeer. Her subtlety is all the more welcome during the movie's two most visually
rewarding scenes -- the removal of her head cap and the painting of that famous image that has
puzzled art historians for centuries.
My grade: B+
Screened: January 9
Oscar potential: Nominated for Best Art Direction, Best Costume, Best Cinematography
Pieces of April
Director: Peter Hedges
In this digitally-shot serio-comedy, a young woman (Katie Holmes) prepares a makeshift
Thanksgiving dinner as her estranged father (Oliver Platt), cancer-stricken mother (Patricia
Clarkson), and siblings make their way to New York City to "enjoy" the feast. The film is shaped
liked a sitcom in many ways -- there's constant cutting back-and-forth between all of the characters'
activities, and many scenes are played for punchlines -- but the strong performances hold it all
together. Holmes is a standout as the punkish April who can't stand her mother but knows this
could be her very last Thanksgiving. But as the ailing mother, the movie belongs to Clarkson. She's
alternately hysterical, resilient, feisty, spontaneous, and contemplative...and let's you know why's
she's the mom you'd love to hate. It's too bad that the director decided to exhibit the climactic
dinner as a series of photographs instead of a fluid scene; that -- and Sean Hayes' wacky portrayal
of a bizarre neighbor -- are the only significant caveats to this warm and human drama.
My grade: B+
Screened: January 17
Oscar potential: Nominated for Best Supporting Actress (Clarkson)
City of God
Director: Fernando Meirelles
The big story with "City of God" -- and what caused me to see it -- was its surprising four-Oscar
charge that came from nowhere. Pushing out bigger names like Gary Ross, Anthony Minghella, Jim
Sheridan, and Tim Burton, Fernando Meirelles was able to score a Best Director nomination for his
startling account of slum life in Rio de Janeiro. The trouble is, despite its visual flash and some
stirring performances, it can't compare to "Bus 174," a documentary account of the very same
troubles that is, in the end, much more moving and heartbreaking. (It was also my #7 film of the
year.) While it's clear that a lot of meticulous care went into "City of God's" filmmaking craft, only
a few poignant moments really stick out, most notably the foot-shooting scene. I'm always open to
the Academy embracing renegade cinema, just surprised that this was the route voters chose to take.
My grade: B
Screened: January 31
Oscar potential: Nominated for Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Editing, Best
Cinematography
Osama
Director: Siddiq Barmak
Add this to the year's list of egregious Oscar snubs: "Osama" missing from the Best Foreign Film
race. While it's probably the most depressing movie I've seen in a long time (and that includes
"Monster" and "21 Grams") it is also one of the most powerful. The story concerns a young girl
living in Afghanistan under Taliban rule who changes her appearance to become a boy -- thereby
allowing her to walk in public unescorted and find work. What makes the story so harrowing is its
window into Afghan culture. I'm sure I'm not alone among most Westerners in knowing very little
about the day-to-day routines and manners of the people of Afghanistan. After seeing "Osama," it is
more than clear what a poison the Taliban regime was -- an oppressive, omnipresent nightmare that
literally sucked the life out of people. There are images in the film -- a woman covering her
"arousing" ankles with a burka, the post-coital "ablution" that a mullah performs after a hideous act
-- that I am sure will stay ingrained in my cinematic and political consciousness forever.
My grade: A-
Screened: February 17
Oscar potential: Non-nominated submission for Best Foreign Film