Certain films hit you at the right time and, for some reason or other, engrain themselves into the parthenon of all time classics. For me, Welcome to the Dollhouse easily fits into that groove. I first encountered the film as an undergraduate film student in an Intro to Film class, loved it then and still love it now. From a script he wrote before his freshman feature Fear, Anxiety and Depression (1989) Todd Solondz returned to filmmaking, after a brief hiatus as a ESL teacher, to direct his best film to date.
Quirky, a word often used to categorize films that defy categorization, cheapens a film, mainly because “quirky” films play odd laughs at the sake of reality. People behave as no other rational person would, acting out fantasies, not of the character, but of the director himself, in his/her attempt to create humor using setting and situation as contrast to expectation. Best represented by Wes Anderson in such brilliants films as Rushmore and The Royal Tenebaums, the style works because it fuels the drama, adding dimension to character, though, still set apart from reality, becomes believable in the organic execution of the set up. Since Wes sets the standard, all others who come after appear to be imitators jumping on the “quirky” bandwagon, namely because audiences eat these types of films up like cupcakes, licking each shallow sugar coated layer. (Little Miss Sunshine, anyone?)
First and foremost, the world of Welcome to the Dollhouse exists in a believable reality, where childhood confusion and loneliness drives characters to act in ways counter to expectation, creating humorous situations that maintain plausibility. Weiner Dog, beautifully played by Heather Matarazzo, went to my school, not literally, but she very well could have. Weiner Dog encapsulates the fears and anxieties of all pubescent adolescents, unsure of where they fit in socially, unable to express clearly their mixed emotions toward peers, potential lovers and especially family. That confusion creates a distancing effect, pushing one to the rim of human interaction, where it may be more comfortable to retain composure from a distance, without having to get one feet wet in the messy pool of emotional investment. Often the choices made in this state, lead to unexpected consequence, as is the case with the kidnapping of Dawn, Weiner Dogs’, angelic, emotionally favored younger sister, or growing attached and even welcoming sexual advances from an equally troubled rebel child; an award winning debut performance by Brandon McCarthy.
Welcome to the Dollhouse allows the tragedy and humor to play off each other without sacrificing believability, though it does walk at a fine line at times. For my money, the best film depicting the horror and confusion of youth, not only in the big moments, but also during the times that simply walking the school corridors can give one those little butterflies in the gut, unsure of whose may be around the next corner, what harmless social interaction may lead to crushed emotions and a lifetime of repressed memories. Thank you Todd Solondz for returning to filmmaking, if only to have made this one timeless gem.
Grade: A
Meadows, almost in an apologetic tone, addresses UK’s immigration issues, not from the point of aggressive attack (This is England) but, in the gentle development of a childhood friendship between the troubled English runaway Tomo, again played by the brilliant Thomas Turgoose and a newly immigrated Polish boy named Marek. The root of London’s segregated social environment lay not in race, but in territory, or rather the claim laid by locals via birthright to a locale and all things that rest within. Tomos’ introduction to London, being jumped and all belongings stolen by a group of street kids, brilliantly juxtaposes an action that Tomo, himself, would likely have done to an outsider parading on his turf in This is England; retribution for past sins, thematically connected within a directors oeuvre. Somers Town itself, the locale on which the beauty of childhood friendship and the reformation of family love develops, is a London created through the Non-English laborers, who dedicate their lives to manual labor, their blood and sweat laying the brick and morter, that allow native Londoners to function at the top.
The films’ quiet, simple black and white purity enhances the gentle, realism of both the character and story. A near perfect film experience.
Grade: A-
Once again Carpenter revisits Rio Bravo territory, a welcome homecoming indeed, yet it feels oddly less organic and more strained in its’ effort to create memorable moments and forced one liners. Carpenter’s classic trademarks, the focus on atmosphere and mood, strangers forced to work together in an enclosed situation seemingly void of an escape, possession horror that consumes anyone at anytime, flawlessly composed mise-en-scene and camerawork, strong, capable female leads surrounded by semi-professional acting at best, stinted dialog and the bass heavy score, encapsulate this potential future classic.
But, on second viewing, I still remain unconvinced for reasons I can’t quite put my finger on. Could it be the casting of Ice Cube? Well, Roddy Piper couldn’t act either, but I really enjoy They Live. Maybe it’s the dialog, but when has Carpenter dialog not been intentionally corny besides The Thing, though there are a few zingers in there as well. The setting here drives the film just as strongly as Assault on Precinct 13 or Big Trouble in Little China, but I am slightly less absorbed. Why doesn’t it all seem to gel? Hard to say, maybe in a few years I’ll attempt a third viewing and reconsider.
Grade: B
Like Wall-E, Up traverses into a foreign world with an Oz like feel that reminds us we’re a long way from home. One cannot help but get swept up by the adventure and driving energy that pushes every Pixar film to its’ breathtaking climax; whether it be the fight to escape the sinking ship and return to earth (Wall-E), the showdown against Emperor Zurg (Toy Story 2) or the cliffside struggle to survive and save new found friends against a driven explorer turned ruthless Villian (Up). But, the wonder of Pixar is that through inanimate objects, robots or crotchety old men, the films’ succeed by focusing on the heart. The unexpected is made real, whatever the hero because of the complex dreams, desires, wants and needs each Pixar character fights to achieve first on the inside, the heart made visible and compelling through the external struggle that drives the narrative.
Set a slower pace reminiscent of Miyazaki, in such films as Howl’s Moving Castle and Totoro, Up takes its’ time getting us to that Special World far beyond the clouds, where dreams are forged and friendships formed. The humor may be a little forced at times, but entirely forgivable as the films’ positives overweigh its’ negatives tenfold.
Grade: A-
Leone’s genius lay in his ability to focus on the subtle nuances and seemingly trivial details within the epic frame. His camera maneuvers gracefully from extreme wide shots that reveal his grandiose appetite for mise-en-scene, the frame stuffed to capacity with movement of both principals and extras, intricate set pieces, moving trains, mist and debris, light and shadow, explosions and gunfire, to extreme close ups, settling, what seems, only at the point of exhaustion. All set to the rhythm of Morricones ‘ expressive soundtrack that drives the story as much as the narrative itself. Even Steiger’s over-the-top performance finds moments of quiet contemplation within this vast landscape, a desolate space riddled with the bullets and dynamite craters left by the lone Irish revolutionary James Coburn, whose physical presence grounds the film, allowing both Leone and the audience a break from the constant movement. The 157 min. version never tires and is worth every revolutionary second.
Grade: B+
Filed under: MOVIE REVIEWS JUNE 09'
“You better think twice about that”
“A man who has to think twice, ain’t no man.” – James Coburn
Akin to the hard-line dialog found in classic Peckinpah territory, director Anthony McLagen (Shenandoah, The Rare Breed) and screenwriter G. Trueblood (The Streets of San Francisco) added yet another gem into the men out of their time-on-a-mission, revenge driven western genre. Falling short of such masterpieces as The Wild Bunch, Aldrichs’ Ulzanan’s Raid, or Manns’ Naked Spur, the films’ central thrust derives from the two leads, Charlton Heston and James Coburn. Forced out of retirement to track down a gang of escaped cons lead by Coburn (at his ruthless best) who have kidnapped his daughter, Heston struggles to keep up physically, but, a lifetime of experience, sets him leagues above both the posse he hunts and those that lend a hand. Only, equally experienced Coburn, proves his mental equivalent. The hunt is on.
A few unnecessary comic relief moments, namely the shooting off of the ear sequence set to a corny, ho-down fiddle music, pulls the film away from its’ focus, a character driven battle of aging “hard men” who see the only life they know fading away into the modern collective of passive gentlemen, who tend fields using current hydroponic techniques instead of manure, transfer information via the telephone and telegraph, ride around in cars and trains, cut their hair short and wear modern dress. These are the times that hard men, individuals who labor on sweat and blood, whose education is that of years of doing it the hard way, making mistakes and learning from them, realize they no longer belong. But it is during these very times, when called to action, that only the true old school, tough, thinking mans’ man can get the job done.
Grade: B+
Revisiting a film that you swore you really liked, only to find whatever appeal it once had, vanished, reminds me that sometimes certain films are best left viewed only once. Though, the film jumps right into the action, the humor/horror mix perfectly encapsulated via the brilliant Bruce Campbell, and early pit sequence genius, somewhere along the way, it started feeling uninspired. Clearly, a few sequences went too far in the gag direction, namely the attack of the mini-Ashs’ and the Three Stooges-esque skelton slap, eye poke fight. Still, the many classic one-liners and Campbells’ delivery of them, makes the film worthy of its’ fanbase, but I liked it all better the first time.
Grade: B-
Filed under: MOVIE REVIEWS JUNE 09'
From the early announcement that Eastwood was in preproduction for a film entitled The Changeling, various internet sites ran with the story that a remake of the 1980 horror film starring George C. Scott was in the works. Though I found it hard to believe Eastwood would direct a horror film post the brilliant Letters From Iwo Jima, it was possible, being that his directing career had began in horror with the tense Play Misty For Me in 1971. Gladly, the horror-remake rumor was short lived when IMDB posted plot details of a child abduction story based on a true occurrence in 1928 Los Angeles. The film opened in October 2008 and I am now finally getting to it 8 months later. Being a huge Eastwood fan, waiting this long is unthinkable, but as I watched the development of the film, through its casting, marketing, the release of the trailer and so on, I slowly lost all desire to see it.
The film is beautiful to look at. The heavy lighting scheme, the dark shadows cut with brilliant white shards of hard light beautifully hitting the walls of each period-perfect set, lead the viewers gaze precisely where it needs to be. At the same time, the soft browns of the 30′s attire smoothes out and balances the uneasy lighting schematics; light which slightly overexposes without washing out the powered white flesh of our heroine, whose crimson red lipstick pops maybe just a little too much. Emphasis was clearly focused on production value, when oddly enough, the core story itself needs the most work. As is, the story works best during the moments when the it does resemble the horror film I once thought the film to be. When the film eases up on the “It’s not my son” dramatics and shifts to a more lyrically visual style, Eastwoods true mastery of storytelling surfaces. As the camera surveys the farm, creeps in and out of dark corners, peeks through cracks in the walls, inches its way toward the inevitable horror lurking as of yet unseen, story gives reason to it’s detailed photographic beauty. During these moments, Changeling shines. Otherwise, it’s beautifully shot made-for-TV dramatics, not on par with such previous Clint masterpieces, as The Outlaw Josey Wales, White Hunter, Black Heart, Unforgiven, and Letters.
Grade: B-
Filed under: MOVIE REVIEWS JUNE 09'
A conflicted Yves Montand sacrifices self-respect, life-long friendships and family in this small Italian fishing village drama. On the brink of poverty, with mouths to feed, he resorts to bomb fishing one last time near the coast of his hometown, an act of desperation that plunges him under his own self-imposed moral standards and those set by the townspeople; his childhood friends. His actions, though done for the right reasons, lead to an unexpected tragedy and an emotionally devastating climax.
Grade: A
