Movie Review: ‘Beasts of the Southern Wild’

Originally published in United Academics on 19/10/2012.

Since its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival last January, “Beasts of the Southern Wild” has been getting good reviews and enthusiastic responses everywhere. Distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures, the first feature film by Benh Zeitling (30) is an unusual mix of fantasy and down-to-earth description of a bayou-like community living in a fictional island.

In this ruthless, buoyant, primitive community, which they call “The Bathtub”, live a father, Wink (Dwight Henry), and his 6-year-old daughter, Hushpuppy (Quvenzhané Wallis). They struggle with the elements, celebrate live with the group and mostly get food from natural resources. When suddenly the place becomes threatened by the raising of the sea level and mythological-like menaces (dead of all animals, awake of fantastical giant wild boars), they will stubbornly decide to remain in their home at any cost.

“Beasts of the Southern Wild” makes a virtue of all its impulsiveness and improvisation, but just partially. The description of The Bathtub reveals an authenticity rarely seen in recent cinema. The characters live among the garbage and the animals, in contact with a wild, messy nature. They are lively and stubborn, sometimes aggressive in their manners but good-natured. The two main characters, this father and daughter, compose complex, temperamental roles that are truly refreshing for their wildness and unpredictability.

The problem is that the script and the development of the story seem to have been built following similar spirit, thus resulting in a quite messy, uneven film that moves from the epic to the intimate to the directly confusing. Some will argue that this is precisely the point of the movie, but I felt I was receiving just flashes of a story rather than a full, wholly finished motion picture. Special mention, however, should be made of the extraordinarily effective and beautiful soundtrack, composed by the director himself along with Dan Romer.

Movie Review: “Girl Model”

Originally published in United Academics on 27/07/2012.

Documentarians Ashley Sabin and David Redmon explore a disturbing issue in their ‘Girl Model’: how model agencies recruit 13 years-old girls in Siberia and send them alone to Japan, where they make a short career before being sent back home. They follow both an American model scout, Ashley, who is herself an ex-model, and one of the girls she choose to send to Japan, Nadya, from an impoverish village.

Ashley works as a freelancer for different companies, travelling through Siberia to pick up girls for the Japanese fashion market. These girls need to be slim and very young, so she looks among early teenagers that later on will lie about their age (state that they are 15 instead of 13). The castings in Siberia are already well-prepared, and it is suggested that some of the girls are educated to be models since they are 5-10 years old.

The filmmakers let the images and people speak for themselves, just adding a few notes about the conditions of the models. We learn much about the process of recruiting girls through the words of Ashley, who seems quite uncomfortable with the job she’s doing and admit the chance of abuses from the agencies’ managers.

In ‘Girl Model’ the content is more important than how it is presented. The camera work is a bit amateurish, and the editing is a little confusing. The inherent interest and human value of the matter and the characters sustain the documentary, but it doesn’t go far enough. As touching and eye opener as it is, ‘Girl Model’ seems to explore the tip of the iceberg.

Movie Review: “Jiro Dreams of Sushi”

Originally published in United Academics on 20/07/2012.

Jiro Ono is the 85-year-old main chef and owner of Sukibayashi Jiro, a small restaurant (only 10 seats) located in a Tokyo subway station. His establishment, which only serves sushi, is the only of its kind that has been awarded with 3 Michelin stars. Jiro and his small team of chefs, including his older son Yoshikazu, are guided by simple, humble principles: hard work, patience, repetition and relying on the best ingredients. Filmmaker David Gelb captures their activity, as well as the spirit of the place, in the most beautiful, subtle way.

The documentary is about Jiro, a man who devotes himself entirely to a passion, making the best sushi; but it is also about what it takes to make things right, time and attention to detail, and the sacrifices (and rewards) that come along with it.

One of the sacrifices is personal life: Jiro literally ‘dreams of sushi’; therefore, he didn’t have much time for his two sons (and presumably, for his wife). He somehow forced them into the business, which condemns them to be always under the shadow of their famous father.

There is also, however, the reward of the craftsman who is doing what he loves and knows best. And the result is gorgeous: The camera shows the process by which the sushi becomes such a delicate and tasteful bite. The viewer gets to admire Jiro’s stubborn strictness and simplicity and recognize why he’s been named one of Japan’s national treasures.

‘Jiro Dreams of Sushi’ is a masterful example of how to portray a subject and a person. It is definitely a must-see, even if you’re not a fan of sushi. You may have second thoughts about it after watching the film.

Movie Review: ‘Another Earth’

Originally published in United Academics on 13/07/2012.

Mike Cahill’s feature debut is one of the most remarkable low-budget American films of 2011. Made with less than 200,000 dollars, it was premiered at the Sundance Festival, where it received the Alfred P. Sloan Prize (given to movies related to science) and was acquired by Fox Searchlight (‘The Tree of Life’, ‘The Descendants’) for distribution.

The movie is based on the premise that another Earth, identical to ours, appears on the sky, without any physical consequences on our planet. The focus, though, is on the character of a young woman, Rhoda Williams (Brit Marling, also co-writer of the movie), a brilliant student who accidentally kills a mother and a son, leaving the father in a coma, when driving drunk. After four years in prison, she’s send back home trying to cope with the guilt and rebuild her life.

The fantasy element, which the authors never really try to make plausible, sets the mood of the story and, more important, a sense of possibility. A space agency is planning to send a ship to this so-called Earth 2, and there is the chance that one civilian will travel in it by winning an essay contest. Of course, Rhoda wants to participate and go to the unknown planet; but before she must make peace with the man whose family dead in the accident, John Borroughs (William Mapother), a musician now recovered from the coma.

Cahill’s style is contemplative and melancholic, sometimes too much. In many moments, the movie borders over-sentimentality, but the core of the film, the unlikely relation between Rhoda and John, is genuine. They build up a rare, original relationship.

Interesting as it is, ‘Another Earth’ is not without faults. Some side stories and voice-overs are pretentious, and the fantastic elements are sometimes unconvincing, especially towards the end of the movie; but it is certainly a promising debut.

Movie Review – ‘Page One: Inside the New York Times’

Originally published in United Academics on 6/07/2012.

Documentary filmmaker Andrew Rossi gained privileged access to the New York Times’ Media Desk for 14 months between 2009 and 2010. Not everyone within the Times’ staff agreed to participate in the movie, so Rossi focused on a few journalists to illustrate the ongoing crisis in journalism with the advent of the new technologies.

Those waiting for a detailed description on how the newspaper is done and how the journalists do their job will be slightly disappointed; the documentary shows some important moments in the history of the New York Times (Wikileaks, financial problems resulting in bailouts) and depicts some investigative journalism (by David Carr), but it is in the overall more focused on describing a particular moment in journalism.

The journalist’s activity is mixed with interviews to outside experts, such as Jeff Jarvis, author of ‘What Would Google Do?’, professor Clay Shirky or former Times’ journalist Gay Talese. Also, the filmmaker briefly addresses some controversial moments in the newspaper’s recent history, such as Judith Miller’s coverage of Iraq’s alleged Weapons of Mass Destruction or journalist Jayson Blair case of plagiarism.

In the end, however, it is journalist David Carr who gets most of the attention. His witty, confrontational style becomes an example of what independent journalism should be. Grown up with traditional, printed press, he tries to catch up with the new technologies while keeping the essence of ‘true’ journalism intact.

Despite the fact that the documentary could have been much more exciting and juicy, it stands as a privileged view into some of the gifted people that work at the Times. Is it a missed opportunity? Maybe, but the subject and the people are of the greatest interest.

Movie Review: ‘Oslo, August 31st’

Originally published in United Academics on 22/06/2012.

Anders (Anders Danielsen Lie), a former writer, is 34 years and lives in a rehabilitation home in the countryside. He himself is “clean”, but seems to no longer enjoy life. Now, he’s allowed to go to Oslo to attend a job interview and spend the day in the city. It will be an opportunity to meet former friends and family, maybe for the last time in his life.

‘Oslo, August 31st’ is based on the novel ‘The Fire Within’, by Pierre Drieu La Rochelle, which had already been adapted by Louis Malle in 1963. Director Joachim Trier moves the action from Paris to the Norwegian capital, and turns the alcoholism of the character in Louis Malle’s film into hard drugs addiction.

There is a modernization of themes and circumstances. Trier’s “hero” represents a generation of spoiled kids now in their mid 30s, who struggle through life without ever having really grown up. Anders doesn’t fit into society, but his friends and family seem to lead an equally frustrated life. In a sense, Anders is the smart one.

The second film by Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier has many valuable qualities; most remarkably, a beautiful, sunny Oslo that contrasts the gloomy mood of the main character, and the magnetic presence of the actor Danielsen Lie, who shows real pain and abandon in a subtle way. On the other hand, many of the dialogues and performances seem unlikely and unconvincing, as if most of the actors were unsuccessfully improvising.

There are powerful moments in between dull situations and erratic moves. Actually, the movie makes a wonderful trailer but an irregular, yet still interesting, long feature.

Movie Review: ‘Marley’

Originally published in United Academics on 15/06/2012.

It has taken some time and a few directors (Martin Scorsese and Jonathan Demme were appointed before Kevin Macdonald) to make an ambitious documentary about Bob Marley, but the end result is worth it. ‘Marley’ tells the story of the legendary musician from his birth in Nine Mile, a small village in Jamaica, to his death in Miami, when he was just 36. It takes about two hours and a half to tell the story, but the documentary never becomes boring or confusing; on the contrary, director Macdonald offers precise information about Marley’s life, beliefs and music in an amusing way.

The film features interviews with people who got to know him well, like his colleagues at The Wailers or his family, mainly Rita Marley and his daughter Cedella; along with archive footage and images of places that were important in his life, like his home village, Nine Mile, or the Kingston neighborhood where he grew up, Trench Town.

And of course, there is music. The documentary has the official approval of the Marley family and his British producer, Chris Blackwell, founder of Island Records. In fact, Blackwell himself and Ziggy Marley, son of Bob Marley, co-produce the movie. This ensures that most of the well-known songs are played throughout the documentary, and also a few rare ones. This is done in a tasteful way, though, perfectly intertwining the music with the narration.

In the end, however, it is not exactly a film about the music but about the man and his circumstances. If provides a positive image of Marley but not without shades (his political naivety or the way he behaved with his kids and with women). It comprises lot of information without losing the focus on what is telling, with masterful editing and a well-balance mixture of politics, religion, social issues and music. There might be other means of approaching the figure of Bob Marley, but I doubt they would make a better movie than this one.

Movie Review: ‘The Thing From Another World’ (1951)

Originally published in United Academics on 08/06/2012

Unlike ‘The Day the Earth Stood Still’, of the same year, ‘The Thing from Another World’ doesn’t stand the test of time. It’s not thrilling any more, and its scientific background looks naïve, to say the least. Why, then, is still considered a classic, and rightly so?

The movie, based on the story ‘Who Goes There’ by John W. Campbell, follows a team of scientists and military men (along with one journalist) who find an UFO at a distant arctic research station. They accidentally destroy the starship, but are able to bring a frozen alien back to the base. As expected, bad things start to happen, while a major storm keeps them isolated.

Produced by Howard Hawks (and believed to be directed by him as well, though credited to Christian Nyby), the movie stands out from the rest thanks to a masterful introduction of the events, without the alien showing up until well into the film; and quick, sparkling dialogues, the hallmark of screenwriter Charles Lederer (‘His Girl Friday’, ‘Ocean’s 11′). He adds a sense of humor and humanity to the characters uncommon in the genre.

When the alien comes into scene, though, the movie is quite disappointing. The creature is no longer frightening (as it used to be in the 50s) and the explanations about its nature are unintentionally hilarious. All in all, it’s easy to see how it influenced subsequent movies, most remarkably Alien (1979).

Its 1982 remake, by John Carpenter, is a much more complex film, better than the original in many aspects, but it lacks its novelty and sense of humor.

Movie Review: ‘Prometheus’

Originally published in United Academics on 01/06/2012.

Until now, British filmmaker Ridley Scott had just made two sci-fi films, ‘Alien’ (1979) and ‘Blade Runner’ (1982), but both stand as genre-defining movies. This will not be the case of ‘Prometheus’, which is set some decades before the events seen in ‘Alien’.

In this case, the story centers on a space expedition that arrives on a distant planet searching for the origins of humanity. The crew includes two archeologists, Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green); a captain, Janek (Idris Elba); a humanoid robot named David (Michael Fassbender); and an employee of the company sponsoring the mission, Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron), among others. They expect to find intelligent life on the planet, but not sure of what kind.

Ridley Scott and his crew have put a lot of effort on the look of the movie, which is stunning. The visual effects and settings are wonderful, and they keep the interest of the spectator despite the weakness of the plot. Some elements of the original ‘Alien’ are there, like the conflicts within the crew or a strong feminine character (in this case Noomi Rapace), but on the whole ‘Prometheus’ is a completely different movie.

While ‘Alien’ had a strong premise and very few elements (the ship, charismatic characters, imaginative effects and clever directing and acting), ‘Prometheus’ tries to combine too many things at once. The story is quite predictable and full of clichés, while the characters, not well defined, fail to engage the spectator. Only David, the humanoid robot interpreted by Michael Fassbender, has some interest.

Despite its wonderful visual effects and superb setting design, ‘Prometheus’ is an overblown, inconsistent entertainment.

Movie Review: ‘On the Road’

Originally published in United Academics on 25/05/2012.

It has taken 50 years to adapt the most paradigmatic novel of the Beat Generation, which tells the ‘life on the road’ of Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty (pseudonyms of Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady, respectively) in the America of the late 40s. Producer Francis Ford Coppola bought the rights of the book in 1979, but still he needed 25 years to find the right director, Walter Salles, who he hired after seeing his ‘The Motorcycle Diaries’ in 2004.

The movie ‘On the Road’ is in fact made by the same team of ‘The Motorcycle Diaries’, another road movie that followed the early trips of a young Ernesto ‘Ché’ Guevara through the Americas. Both films share screenwriter (José Rivera), cinematographer (Eric Gautier) and composer (Gustavo Santaolalla), which ensures a solid, beautiful work but not necessarily a thrilling one.

Filmmaker Walter Salles brilliantly recreates the events of the book, the era and part of the spirit of the Beat Generation, describing their bohemian existences without mystifying them, but leaves aside most of its spirit. The poetic, incandescent language of the novel is present through a well balanced voice-over, but it’s only occasionally translated into images.

The characters travel, make love, consume drugs and try desperately to experience something new. Sal Paradise says about travelling with Dean Moriarty: ‘Somewhere along the line I knew there’d be girls, visions, everything; somewhere along the line the pearl would be handed to me.’

The book sublimates these experiences through a kind of Walt Whitman’s inspired prose; the movie describes them in a more down-to-earth, quite demystifying way. This may disappoint the fans of the novel, but results in an amusing and interesting drama; less commercial and more adult than could be expected, if a bit too long.

The main characters, Sal and Dean, are brilliantly played by almost unknown actors Sam Riley (‘Control’) and Garrett Hedlund (‘Tron: Legacy’), while the supporting cast includes well-known stars such as Kristen Stewart (‘Twilight’), Kirsten Dunst (‘Melancholia’), Viggo Mortensen (‘A Dangerous Method’) and Amy Adams (‘The Fighter’).