There is an extended shot of actor David Gulpilil's face late in Charlie's Country that is devastating in its authenticity. Gulpilil's Charlie, behind prison bars, his dark hair and white beard shaved, has lost all sense of his identity.
Like many Australian Aborigines, Charlie is a stranger in his own country. His home is a government settlement in Arnhem Land, a region of Australia's Northern Territory. He spends his days walking the dirt streets of the village, voicing his concern over the lack of quality food in the only market store, making small talk amidst the constant buzzing of insects, and sleeping in his government paid for housing, which amounts to nothing more than a wooded platform and a mattress.
Charlie has his frustrations, but he maintains a sense of humor and camaraderie with the other villagers. That begins to change after a couple of run-ins with the white policemen stationed in the village. Charlie and a neighbor get their guns and truck confiscated after shooting a water buffalo for meat. Still wishing to hunt, Charlie carves a traditional spear, only to have the police take it as well.
Charlie's inability to provide for himself as his ancestors did, governed by prohibitve rules established by outsiders in his native land, drives him to the bush to live off of the land. The venture starts off well. Charlie fashions a hut, spears fish and cooks them beneath burning embers, and his inherent connection to the land and his heritage springs forth from hibernation. Then, a health setback leads to an emergency flight to a hospital in Darwin. Separated from his village and the land he calls home, Charlie's mental state and sense of self begin to deteriorate. He flees the hospital, falls in with a group of displaced Aborigines living in a wooded area just outside the city, begins drinking heavily, and ends up in prison.
What makes Charlie's Country so moving is the palpable sense of inner turmoil Gulpilil conveys with little dialogue and spare facial expressions. Gulpilil has lived this life, feels these frustrations, and can't be said to be acting here. With every distrusting look he receives and injustice he suffers, he embodies the collective pain of his people, who have lost so much and cling to their tradition and pride like life preservers.
Australian cinema has produced several frightening examinations of its nation's soul. Wake in Fright focused on aggressive male bonding and alcoholism in a brutal Outback town; Picnic at Hanging Rock used the unexplained disappearance of a group of boarding school girls to tackle themes of repressed sexuality; and Walkabout, also starring Gulpilil, looked at the consequences of the communication gap between white and Aborigine culture. With Charlie's Country, which is more straightforward in its approach to Australia's cultural divide, we are presented with an Australia that is teeming with history and mysticism. But like Charlie's Country's title character, Australia risks the loss of its true identity.
Two kids, fresh off a glue sniffing binge, go to a young man's house and pay to sleep with his mentally disabled younger sister.
A group of shirtless rednecks gets drunk and takes turns arm wrestling before beating the shit out of a kitchen chair.
If you're not intrigued, don't bother with Gummo. All 90 minutes of its runtime are replete with disturbing scenes of nihilism. Filmed in the poorest neighborhoods of Nashville, Gummo is set in the town of Xenia, Ohio in the aftermath of a devastating tornado. The twister is glimpsed in grainy footage at the beginning and end of the movie, and I guess it's meant to give an explanation of why the town's residents seem resigned to lives of killing cats, getting high, and fighting furniture.
It's a fucked up movie. There's not much of a story to speak of, the picture and audio are often unclear, and several scenes drag in inanity. But despite its inadequacies, Gummo has several jarring scenes and strangely beautiful passages that make it memorable and contribute to its cult status. The child bathing in filthy water -- a strip of bacon sticks to the wall above the tub -- while eating spaghetti and drinking milk; the albino woman discussing her dream man; the boy with the bunny ears playing an accordion in a vacant bathroom; and the climactic montage set to Roy Orbison's "Crying"…there's poetry in the way these scenes play out.
Written and directed by the enigmatic Harmony Korine, who got his break penning the script for Larry Clark's divisive movie Kids and most recently scripted and directed the surreal Spring Breakers, Gummo sheds light on places and people most moviegoers would deem unfit for the screen. There's a purity in the way Korine simply turned the camera on these people and let them be. Korine has certainly matured as a person and filmmaker over the years, but his work still maintains the same fuck you attitude and unorthodox components that established him as a major talent (the Britney Spears song segment in Spring Breakers is a minor miracle). I can't say whether or not you'll enjoy Gummo, but you won't soon forget it.
I love movies – the emotions they elicit, the places they
show, the people they introduce. Every movie, good or bad, offers a new
experience. The following 10 films are not necessarily the 10 best I’ve ever
seen, but they represent all that I love about movies. If there are any you
haven’t seen, check them out and let me know what you think. Enjoy.
Rocky
The ultimate underdog tale and the antithesis of
the rest of the Rocky films, the first installment of the franchisewas grounded in reality. Aside
from the fairy tale circumstances that pit the penniless, down-on-his-luck
southpaw against the heavyweight champion of the world, the characters,
setting, and emotions are incredibly authentic. And, most importantly, Sylvester
Stallone succeeded in making it impossible to not root for his title character.
Rocky was certainly rough around the edges, but he treated those around him
with kindness and fierce loyalty. We all know the famous training sequence,
but it’s the tender moments between Rocky and Adrian, Paulie, and Mick that
made the Rocky so endearing and lasting. The supporting characters
were richly drawn and achieved their own personal victories along the way,
something that was greatly missed in the shallow sequels. Sure, Rocky screaming
for Adrian will always be cheesy, but you smile every damn time.
Winter’s Bone
I feel like what little I've contributed to
this blog has been a shrine to Winter’s
Bone, but it’s that fucking good. The movie that served as Jennifer
Lawrence’s coming out party is a dark, suspenseful tale about a girl searching
for her meth-cooking dad, who put the family house up to post his bond after
getting arrested. When he promptly disappears after getting released,
Lawrence’s character, Ree, sets off to find him to avoid losing the house.
Set and filmed in the poverty-ridden backwoods of the
Ozarks, Winter’s Bone is a gritty
tale of survival and determination when everything, and everyone, seems to be
working against you. Throw in an incredible performance by John Hawkes as Ree’s
violent uncle, and Winter’s Bone has
all the makings of a truly great movie.
In Bruges
I can recall few movies that feature as distinct
a setting as the medieval city of Bruges. Bruges plays such a prominent role that it
deserved top billing. That’s not to take away from the film’s leads, Brendan
Gleeson and Colin Farrell. They are phenomenal as two London hit men hiding out
in Bruges after a botched job, and they spend the days touring Bruges and
“gettin’ pissed." A dark comedy, In
Bruges is at its funniest when Gleeson and Farrell are bickering about
Bruges (Farrell’s character despises the city, while Gleeson’s is in awe).
There are also several hilarious moments featuring an American dwarf actor
who’s in Bruges to film a movie.
The profanity in In Bruges is delivered with gleeful
velocity, and the dialogue is the movie’s greatest pleasure. Even if the plot
doesn’t appeal to you, the movie’s worth watching just to see Bruges. I spent a
day there in the spring of 2010, and it is, as Gleeson’s character observes, a
fairy tale place.
Wake in Fright
I have a fondness for movies that introduce
me to unfamiliar places. I especially enjoy when those places play a key role
in the action. In the case of Wake in
Fright, the suffocating heat and desolation of the Australian Outback are
palpable, draining the inhabitants of their humanity. The majority of the men
in the fictional town of Bundanyabba are aggressive alcoholics, and the only
female given screen time seems resigned to a meaningless existence. The promise
of sex brings out a sense of desperation rather than joy.
When the central character, John Grant, arrives in the
“Yabba” for a night before catching a flight to Sydney, he quickly loses all of
his money in a crude gambling game played by the locals. He descends into a hellish
haze of alcohol and violence that unravels him frighteningly fast. Capped off
by a disgusting kangaroo night hunt and an insinuated rape, Wake in Fright is one of those films
that sticks with you long after you see it.
Zodiac
Directed by the great David Fincher, Zodiac is a near masterpiece in the way
it generates prolonged suspense with its dialogue. Much of the film consists of
journalist at The San Francisco Chronicle and local police trying to piece
together a puzzle where the pieces never seemed to connect, and it is
enthralling. Zodiac generates its
emotional impact by showing how the lives of the people trying to solve the
case slowly came undone from a lack of evidence, the taunts of the killer, and
the realization that the culprit would most likely never be caught.
Few movies have been more expertly cast. Mark Ruffalo and
Robert Downey, Jr. especially stand out as Detective Dave Toskey, the lead
investigator, and Paul Avery, the journalist at The Chronicle who stoked the
ire of the Zodiac and received a death threat in return. The movie takes
advantage of foggy San Francisco, that damp and eerie city, to create a sense
of dread that lingers from start to finish. And that scene in the basement…
Zack and Miri Make a Porno
Kevin Smith, director of the
classic slacker comedy Clerks, is a
masterful writer of vulgarities. His 2008 romp, Zack and Miri Make a Porno, is inundated with the most offensive profanities
known to man. The language, however, is pure poetry, and it’s delivered with
relish by all of the cast members. From the hilarious exchange among Justin
Long, Seth Rogen, and Brandon Routh at the Monroeville High School reunion to the
“cure for constipation” scene, Zack and
Miri is wall-to-wall laughs. What makes it stand out above other
foul-mouthed comedies is the quality of the writing and what is, beneath the
smut, a sweet story about goodhearted and likable people.
Leaving Las Vegas
A sad, sad movie with two superb
performances at its center, Leaving Las
Vegas tells the story of Ben, a successful film producer in Los Angeles who
has descended into the deepest throes of alcoholism. When we meet Ben – played
by Nicolas Cage in an Oscar-winning performance – at the start of the movie, he
is hounding two colleagues at a restaurant for booze money. He tries to
keep up appearances with his attire and small talk, but he is a train wreck.
Ben’s drinking costs him his job, and he decides to head to Vegas with his
generous severance pay on a mission to drink himself to death.
This all happens before the opening credits. We never
discover why Ben began drinking, and he doesn't seem to remember why, either. Once he arrives in Vegas, he meets Sera, a prostitute for an abusive
pimp. Elisabeth Shue is incredible in the role, giving Sera much more depth
than the standard hooker with the heart of gold. Despite Ben’s rapid self-destruction,
Sera finds in him a love that can’t be explained. He doesn’t judge her, and he
doesn’t stand in the way of her work.
What’s most heartbreaking about Leaving Las Vegas is the promise Sera must make to Ben – to never
ask him to quit drinking. And despite the promise of love offered to him by
Sera, Ben remains steadfast in his tragic goal. Leaving Las Vegas is
beautifully acted and directed, and it demonstrates better than most stories
that true love is about acceptance.
Magnolia
There is a lengthy segment in Magnolia where the many main characters hit rock bottom. For most
of them, they come to realizations about themselves of which they were
in dire need. One of the many pleasures of watching Magnolia is seeing how they react to their moments of clarity.
Much like its successor, Crash,
Magnolia follows the lives of several
people living in Los Angeles whose lives are unknowingly interconnected. They
are the by-the-book cop, the TV game show host and his drug addicted daughter,
the misogynistic pick-up artist, the child TV star, and the gold-digging wife
of a dying producer who finds that she does, in fact, love him.
The gravity of what seem like trivial occurrences and the role
that coincidence and chance play in everyday life are given serious thought by
the movie’s immensely talented director, Paul Thomas Anderson. The ending
understandably frustrates many viewers, but it’s consistent with the film’s
message. Strange things happen all the time.
Dazed and Confused
The seminal high school movie. You didn’t
have to be a teenager in the 70’s for Dazed
and Confused to elicit nostalgia. The sense of freedom, good music, and the
promise of young love are all portrayed so memorably. We knew these people: the
asshole super senior, the stoner, the easy going guy who gets along with
everyone. Director Richard Linklater, currently earning high acclaim for
Boyhood, runs the gamut of teenage emotions all in the course of one day in a small Texas town. With
a kick ass soundtrack and several memorable lines, Dazed and Confused is much more than alright alright alright.
Warrior
I didn't expect much from Warrior. I’m not a fan of UFC, and the plot sounded ripe for sports
clichés, albeit with an intriguing twist. Warrior’s
plot is definitely unrealistic, but the performances and fight scenes give the
movie an incredible emotional impact. Nick Nolte is especially good as Paddy
Conlan, the father of Brendan (Joel Edgerton) and Tommy (Tom Hardy). It’s made
clear from the start that Paddy was a fearsome alcoholic and abuser of his wife
and sons. He hopes his newfound sobriety will help repair his relationship with
Brendan and Tommy, but it’s a case of too little, too late.
Tommy, the youngest, returns home to Pittsburgh after a tour
in the Army. He solicits his dad to coach him for a major UFC tournament
featuring the world's best fighters. He makes it clear to Paddy
that he has no interest in reconciling their relationship. Brendan is married
with a young daughter who has a heart condition. A well-liked middle school
teacher and former low level UFC fighter, Brendan supplements the family’s
income by fighting in “smokers,” fights held in strip club parking lots and
such. He also has no interest in breaking bread with his father, though he
seems to have adjusted to life more effectively than Tommy.
For a fight movie, Warrior
spends a lot of time with Tommy and Brendan outside of the cage. So when the two
meet in the ring, we have a lot of emotion invested in both of them. We don’t want
to see either of them lose. The final minutes of Warrior are powerful and draining, and I couldn’t be happier that I
gave it a chance.
"...sometimes I think I have felt everything I'm ever gonna feel, and from here on out I'm not gonna feel anything new... just... lesser versions of what I've already felt."
This line from Theodore, played by Joaquin Phoenix, conveys the quiet anguish that has consumed him since splitting with his wife (Rooney Mara). Although Spike Jonze's Her features some overly quirky characters and an interesting view of fashion in the near future, it's story is one of loneliness and the search for human connection in a world where its availability is scarce. As dating sites and apps increase in number and diminish in complexity, and the beauty of intimate, face-to-face conversation becomes lost on a generation accustomed to the comforting barriers of instant messaging and texting, the search for love has gone digital.
Following the failed marriage that has left him scarred, withdrawn, and "mopey," as described by his good friend Amy (an unkempt Amy Adams), Theodore settles into a solo routine of work, video games, and sleep. He works for a company that specializes in writing letters on behalf of its clients, often letters to loved ones. In the future envisioned by Jonze, advanced software allows Theodore and his coworkers to dictate the letters instead of typing them out. Theodore excels at composing thoughtful messages but has lost the confidence and desire to use his natural romanticism to benefit his social life.
Enter Samantha, a newly developed operating system that self-customizes to best complement the personality of its owner. Voiced beautifully by Scarlett Johansson, Samantha speaks earnestly with Theodore about his dreams, concerns, and the meaning of life. In turn, Samantha expresses excitement over her budding understanding of human nature and frustration with the limitations of her existence, for lack of a better word. It's left to the viewer to determine whether Samantha is truly capable of experiencing emotion or is just simulating it per her - or its - programming. Johansson made me lean towards the former, while logic pulled me towards the latter; this is one of Her's many appeals. It makes you consider the nature of relationships in a way few films with human couples can. It's a testament to Jonze's writing and the performance of the actors.
In Samantha, Theodore finds a confidant and what most would describe as a soul mate. He opens up about the failed relationship with his wife and shares his confusion over what went wrong. They go on dates, Samantha composes music that reflects their time together and their budding relationship, and the physical obstacle to sex is somewhat overcome.
Although the physical obstacles are what you'd assume would pose the most harm to the relationship, it's Theodore's insecurities and Samantha's desire for something "more than this" that threatens their arrangement. The joys, frustrations, and pitfalls of their romance are familiar to anyone who has been in a loving relationship.
Despite their struggles, Samantha and Theodore, together, learn much about themselves and their capabilities. Her's ending will confuse and frustrate many, but it closes with a reassuring reminder that, despite what Theodore once believed, there is always more to feel.
The Hell referred to in this line from Wake in Fright (1971) is Bundanyabba, a fictional town in the Australian Outback where an ignorant and arrogant schoolteacher meets his ruin over the course of five days. The devils are the beer-swigging locals who are glad to be your "mate" so long as you have a drink -- or 10.
John Grant, played by British actor Gary Bond, is a young schoolteacher forced to pay off a government bond for his college education by teaching in a one-room school in the town of Tiboonda, shown in the opening shot as nothing more than two drab buildings surrounded by an endless expanse of flat, arid land. For being so vast, the landscape is suffocating.
The opening shot of Wake in Fright - the "town" of Tiboonda
The movie begins on the last day of class before the start of Christmas break. Grant rushes from the school to the only other building in town, a pub with a few rooms for lodging. He has just enough time for a beer and a few condescending remarks with the sweaty proprietor before catching his train. One of the most powerful images in the film occurs in the pub, as Grant catches a glimpse of the bartender's wife sitting lifelessly in the kitchen, resigned to a fate of dust, sweat, and loneliness, and the despair of knowing that life has nothing more to offer her.
Grant can't get out of Tiboonda soon enough. He plans to spend the holidays in Sydney with his girlfriend, Robin. His itinerary consists of a night's stay in the small city of Bundanyabba, referred to affectionately by the locals as "the Yabba," where he will catch his flight the following morning.
What follows is Grant's descent into Hell. After a drunken night of gambling that leaves him broke, he finds himself unable to escape the Yabba and resigns himself to the aggressive hospitality of several locals who prove to be little more than animals fueled by cheap beer. Grant is bombarded with endless offers of beer, and to turn down booze in the Outback is a sin on par with murder. Among the group he falls in with is Doc Tydon, a sinister, self-proclaimed alcoholic who passes himself off as a doctor and philosopher.
Wake in Fright paints a terrifying portrait of the Outback, where the stifling heat, barren landscape, shortage of women, and overwhelming isolation leaves its inhabitants searching for an escape, whether through beer or suicide. After a few blackouts, a sickening kangaroo hunt, and a horrific night in Doc Tydon's shack, John Grant discovers what little it takes to reduce a human being to a savage.
The title of the film comes from a Medieval adage. "May you dream of the devil and wake in fright." *Available on Netflix Instant Streaming
1) Monsters - Don't mistake Monsters for a bad sci-fi monster movie. Instead, think of it as a road trip movie with the presence of giant monsters serving as a brilliant backdrop. The monsters remain largely off-screen, but when they are fully revealed, they are more beautiful than terrifying. This is a movie about survival, self discovery, and finding love in the most dire of circumstances. Monsters is beautifully shot, original, and worth the watch.
2) Winter's Bone - I cannot recommend this movie enough. Despite a limited release, Winter's Bone went on to receive Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Actress, and Best Actor. Filmed on location in some of the poorest counties in Missouri, Winter's Bone tells the story of Ree Dolly, who is forced to locate her meth-cooking father, dead or alive, in order to save her family's house. A rural Gothic tale, centered on incredible performances by Jennifer Lawrence and John Hawkes, Winter's Bone proves the power of realism and setting in creating an excellent story. This is a must see.
3) Trust - Despite its R rating, many a young teenager would benefit from seeing Trust. The film's main character, Annie, is an intelligent high school student who grows close to who see thinks is a young man her age on the Internet. The two agree to meet, but the boy Annie thinks she is meeting is not what she expected. The remainder of Trust focuses on Annie's downward spiral following the encounter and her father's obsession with locating the man who assaulted her. A heartbreaking and cautionary tale, Trust is carried exceptionally well by veteran actors Clive Owen, Viola Davis, Catherine Keener, and Liana Liberato as Annie.
4) Goon - Goon will bring back memories of one of the greatest sports movies of all time - Slap Shot. Just as goofy but with more heart, Goon tells the story of Doug Glatt ( played by Sean William Scott), a small town bouncer whose vicious punch contrasts with his shy and kind personality. After knocking out a hockey player who climbs into the stands to attack Doug's friend, the coach of the home team recruits him to be the team's enforcer. Doug makes up for his lack of hockey prowess with his skills as a fighter. Complete with a potential romance and veteran enforcer Ross Rhea, played memorably by Liev Schreiber, Goon is a feel-good movie with plenty of laughs and more than enough good fight scenes.
5) Cold Weather - You have to be a very patient person to make it through Cold Weather, but if you don't require constant action and a traditional movie formula, you will be rewarded. This film is slow-paced and takes a while to get going, which has more to do with the use of realistic characters who will surely remind you of people you know. Cold Weather focuses on Doug and Gail, a brother and sister living in Portland, Oregon. Doug studied forensics for a time in college but dropped out due to reasons that are never really specified. He now lives with his sister and works a minimum wage job in an ice factory, where he becomes friends with the equally aimless Carlos. The movie gains momentum when Doug's old girlfriend, Rachel, visits from out of town and promptly disappears. What follows is a mystery that grips your attention and is magnified by the mysticism that seems inherent in the Pacific Northwest. The ending leaves something to be desired, but the ride is worth it.
6) The Innkeepers - This is the kind of horror movie I love. Though not filmed in the handheld style made popular by The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity, The Innkeepers similarly employs the theory that hearing things go bump in the night is much scarier than a special effects show, blaring music, and hyper-stylized gore. This is a good old fashioned ghost story with several chilling moments and a terrifying climax interspersed with several humorous scenes.
7) Enter the Void - You've never seen a movie remotely like Enter the Void, a nearly three hour acid trip from Argentinian filmmaker Gaspar Noe. Shot almost entirely from the point of view of a hovering spirit and set in Tokyo, Noe takes advantage of the bright and colorful neon lights that pervade the city to create one of the most visually stunning films I have ever seen. If you want a truly unique movie-viewing experience, you can't go wrong with Enter the Void. Be sure to watch the trailer.
8) Fish Tank - On occasion, an actor or actress comes out of nowhere to deliver a powerhouse performance. Such is the case with Katie Jarvis in Fish Tank, a British film from director Andrea Arnold. Arnold discovered Jarvis after seeing her in a shouting match with her boyfriend at a train station, and Jarvis seems to have an endless amount of anger to draw on for her role as Mia, who lives in a housing project in Essex with her young, vulgar, inattentive mother and little sister. When Mia's mother begins dating Connor, played by Michael Fassbender (Magneto in X-Men: First Class), Mia finds herself very attracted to him. Connor doesn't do much to discourage Mia's advances, and I'll leave it to you to see where the tension between the two leads. Fish Tank is a grim and gritty film, and Jarvis carries it effortlessly.
9) Trucker - Michelle Monaghan is a star in the making, and her role in Trucker solidifies this notion. Playing Diane Ford, a single woman who spends her days driving a truck and avoiding any complications or relationships outside of one night stands in cheap motel rooms. Her listless existence is threatened when Peter, the 11-year old son she abandoned years ago, is thrust into her care when his father is hospitalized with a serious illness. The plot may not sound original, but the writer and director do a fantastic job of avoiding cliches. The young boy is filled with anger at his mother, and she shows little interest in abandoning her lifestyle in order to take care of him. Trucker is worth seeing for Monaghan's performance alone.
10) The Last Rites of Joe May - Dennis Farina gives a career performance in The Last Rites of Joe May, the story of an aging man who has spent his whole life looking out for number one. The movie starts with Joe May returning home from a lengthy stay in the hospital only to find a young woman and her son living in his apartment. Because no one knew what happened to Joe, the landlord assumed he had died. Sympathizing with Joe's plight, the young woman, Jenny, allows Joe to move in if he helps pay the rent. Filmed on location in a cold and desolate Chicago, where Farina once served as a police officer, The Last Rites of Joe May is a touching film of a man seeking redemption in the final act of his life.
I have always been fascinated by movie trailers/previews. Most are generic and do nothing more than sum up the plot of the movie, while others are able to achieve of level of greatness all on their own. I appreciate trailers that aim to elicit the emotions viewers will experience in the full film without giving away too much of the plot. As in film and other forms of media, I love to see a clear expression of creativity and ingenuity. Below are five trailers that grasped my attention the first time I saw them and stuck with me for some time. Enjoy.
1. The Social Network (2010)
My all-time favorite trailer. The haunting cover of Radiohead's Creep fits perfectly with the slideshow of Facebook posts, demonstrating the reliance today's youth has on social media to express themselves. The song is also a reflection of Mark Zuckerberg's desperation in trying to get noticed and prove his genius to the world.
2. Gummo (1997)
Think the trailer is strange? You should see the movie. This little-known indie film, directed by the enigmatic Harmony Korrine, is one of the most fascinating, disturbing, and confusing movies that I have ever seen. There isn't much of a plot to speak of, but rather a series of scenes capturing various people's aimless lives in the aftermath of a deadly tornado. This trailer is just as mad, random, and captivating as the movie it previews. I don't know how, but Madonna's Like a Prayer fits perfectly.
3. Inception (2010)
Christopher Nolan has established himself as one of Hollywood's most innovative director's with such masterpieces as Memento, Insomnia, and the Dark Knight Trilogy. With Inception, Nolan gave us one of the most wildly entertaining and visually stunning films in recent memory. The teaser trailer for the film didn't even hint at the movie's plot. Instead, it featured some of the first-rate special effects and gravity-bending rules found in the film's dream sequences. I was hooked the first time I saw this teaser and couldn't wait to find out more about the movie.
4. Take Shelter (2011)
There's no better way to describe Take Shelter than as ominous, and the same goes for the trailer. Take Shelter focuses on a family man in rural Ohio victimized by visions of an apocalyptic storm, but doubt is cast on the credibility of his visions throughout the film. The trailer for the movie benefits greatly from David Wingo's score, which manages to evoke a peaceful world, or man, destined for doom.
5. Blue Valentine (2010)
The trailer for Blue Valentine uses a scene of Ryan Gosling serenading Michelle Williams with the song You Always Hurt the One You Love. The song sounds sweet and innocent, but if you listen closely, it does an excellent job of previewing the devastating relationship between Gosling's and Williams' characters. A minimalist indie film that had a limited theatrical release, Blue Valentine offers a brutally realistic depiction of the disintegration of a marriage. When you see Gosling singing to Williams, you see a young couple falling innocently in love. Once you see the entire film, you'll understand just how heartbreaking that scene is.
More excellent trailers:
The Dark Knight Rises
Hostel
Saw
The Impossible
Big Fish
The Crazies
Cloverfield
Where the Wild Things Are
The Strangers
Cold Weather
Garden State
Prior to her earning the coveted role of Katniss Everdeen in the blockbuster film adaptation of "The Hunger Games," Jennifer Lawrence turned in an incredible performance in the 2010 indie film "Winter's Bone." Lawrence earned a much deserved Oscar nomination for her work in one of the best movies of the last five years. Directed by Debra Granik and based on the novel of the same name, "Winter's Bone" is a rare cinematic experience that remains in your mind days after viewing.
Lawrence stars as Ree Dolly, a teenage girl looking after her little brother and sister in a shack in the woods. Her mother is present physically but remains in a daze following the disappearance of her husband, Jessup. After Jessup fails to show up for a court date, Ree is informed that her father put up the family's house to cover his bail. Unless he turns up in a week, the house is gone. This, of course, is a big problem, all the more so because Ree believes her father is dead. The rest of the film is a dark and dreary journey that Ree undertakes to prove her assumption.
It is no secret to Ree that her father is a meth cooker. Just about everyone Ree encounters in her trek is involved in the business of making and selling, and in some cases using, meth. Family plays a significant role in the film, as everyone in this region seems to be related in some way. But when the threat of the law is always nearby, family ties take a back seat to staying alive and out of prison.
Along the way, Ree comes across a gamut of frightening characters, none more so than her uncle, Teardrop. Played with a fierce intensity by the underrated John Hawkes, who also received an Oscar nomination, Teardrop advises Ree to not question her father's whereabouts. Despite his emaciated appearance, Teardrop is still an imposing figure who is more than willing to use violence when he deems it necessary. When he enters a room, people take notice. Once Teardrop's curiosity about what happened to his brother rises, he joins Ree on her quest. Together, Ree and Teardrop find more questions than answers, but despite several setbacks and one severe beating, Ree never falters.
Jennifer Lawrence and John Hawkes in "Winter's Bone"
Set in the backwoods of the Ozarks, "Winter's Bone" is a triumph of atmosphere and mood. The movie was shot on location in some of the poorest counties in Missouri, and the supporting characters appear just as authentic as the gritty locale. What I love about movies like this is the feeling of authenticity. The use of real locales and a mix of professional and amateur locals create an undeniable sense of realism, and every step of the way, we are aware of the dangers surrounding Ree. Still she forges on, and we wonder how in the hell she does it.
Rating (four star scale): ****
Available on Netflix Instant Streaming
On the surface, “Small Town Murder Songs” is a police
procedural involving the death of a young woman. What makes the film so
engaging is that the murder serves as a backdrop to one man’s efforts at a
small measure of redemption.
The story is set in a cold, desolate Mennonite town in
northern Ontario. The characters seem rooted in place, and indeed the town
seems to keep even those with reasons to leave from even making an attempt to
escape.
The film’s protagonist is Walter, the town’s sheriff. Walter
is attempting to put his violent past and short temper behind him. However, the
townspeople seem unwilling to forgive him. Walter is constantly met with
nervous glances and disapproval, and even he seems unsure about whether his efforts
are sincere. He finds hope in the Catholic Church and a woman who is aware of
his questionable past but who appears to have also been through some hard
times.
Walter’s plan for redemption is to surround himself with
anything and anyone he can to keep his anger at bay, but the discovery of the
dead woman sets into motion a series of events that threaten to bring Walter’s
recovery to a screeching halt. Walter suspects from the outset that his past
lover’s creepy boyfriend was involved in the killing, and there is quite a bit
of evidence to support his case. The ex is played by Jill Hennessey with a
combination of fear and anger towards Walter. It becomes evident early on that
a violent incident occurred between the two, raising doubt about the validity
of Walter’s suspicion of his ex’s boyfriend.
The murder investigation is fairly straightforward and
presents few twists, but the movie doesn’t have to rely on it for suspense. The
tension comes from Walter’s character, and Peter Stormare does an excellent job
of making us feel sorry for Walter when he may not deserve our sympathy. By the
end of the film, the new life Walter has attempted to build for himself is
about to come crashing down.
“Small Town Murder Songs” is not without its flaws. Despite
its 75-minute running time, some scenes tend to drag, and the end is not what
many viewers would have hoped for. There really isn’t a happy ending to be
written for a small town murder song.
*Available at Redbox and Netflix Instant Streaming
“Take Shelter” begins with a storm. Curtis LaForche stands
in his driveway and looks up at ominous clouds just as it begins to rain, the
drops brown and oily. This will be the first of many visions Curtis has
throughout the duration of “Take Shelter,” and they grow increasingly violent
and disturbing. He also begins to suffer from vivid nightmares. In one, the
peaceful family dog attacks him, and Curtis feels the pain in his arm the
following day. As his nightmares begin to involve those closest to him, he
grows more suspicious and unstable.
This is a brilliant piece of filmmaking by Jeff Nichols, due
in large part to the Academy Award-worthy performance by Michael Shannon as
Curtis. Shannon and Nichols previously collaborated on the 2007 film “Shotgun
Stories,” which centered on a blood feud between two sets of brothers in
Arkansas. “Take Shelter” has much in common with that film but is much more
visceral and intense.
Set in present-day rural Ohio, Curtis has what his best
friend Dewart calls a good life. His situation is certainly admirable, as he
has a loving wife, played by the dependable Jessica Chastain, and a beautiful
young daughter. The family is not without its problems. The couple’s daughter
is deaf, but a surgical procedure offers hope for her. This puts a strain on
the family’s finances, which are the product of Curtis’s construction job and
his wife’s handmade quilts.
As Curtis’s nightmares and apocalyptic visions intensify, he
becomes more of a threat to himself and his family. It is revealed midway
through the film that Curtis’s mother was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia
when she was around his age. He suspects that he may be suffering from mental
illness, and his low income and rural surroundings don’t give him much of an
opportunity to seek professional help.
Despite his visiting a doctor and sessions with a cheap
therapist, Curtis becomes increasingly obsessed with the storm he sees coming.
He begins to expand on the storm shelter in his back yard, borrowing his
employer’s equipment and spending large amounts of money on making sure the
shelter is well stocked and equipped for a disaster. People in town, including
his wife and Dewart, begin to question his sanity, yet his wife does her best
to support with him through the ordeal. In one of the film’s best scenes,
Curtis explodes in a shocking act of anger and paranoia at a community dinner.
Some may find “Take Shelter” to be a bit slow, but if you
appreciate great acting, cinematography, and storytelling, then it’s a
must-see. “Take Shelter” is unsettling, eerie, and will stick with you days
after viewing. It is certainly worth checking out.
Like many Australian Aborigines, Charlie is a stranger in his own country. His home is a government settlement in Arnhem Land, a region of Australia's Northern Territory. He spends his days walking the dirt streets of the village, voicing his concern over the lack of quality food in the only market store, making small talk amidst the constant buzzing of insects, and sleeping in his government paid for housing, which amounts to nothing more than a wooded platform and a mattress.
Charlie's inability to provide for himself as his ancestors did, governed by prohibitve rules established by outsiders in his native land, drives him to the bush to live off of the land. The venture starts off well. Charlie fashions a hut, spears fish and cooks them beneath burning embers, and his inherent connection to the land and his heritage springs forth from hibernation. Then, a health setback leads to an emergency flight to a hospital in Darwin. Separated from his village and the land he calls home, Charlie's mental state and sense of self begin to deteriorate. He flees the hospital, falls in with a group of displaced Aborigines living in a wooded area just outside the city, begins drinking heavily, and ends up in prison.
