Serenity (2005)

The Expectation:
First, I must tell you right off that I am an avid Buffy fanatic. Not the really stalkerish creepy kind, but the kind that owns every season, buys the comic books, and writes papers about the symbolism, style, etc. I also understand that there is a very fine line here- don't argue. This fanaticism, of course, clouds my expectation of Serenity because it is a Joss Whedon creation in the same way that Buffy is. Hence my fan pic to the right here of the Serenity cast in Lego form- thank you Dunechaser! I once read that if Buffy is the apocalypse about to occur and Angel is the apocalypse happening in the present than Firefly is post-apocalyptic. I had seen Firefly, the one-season tv show that is Serenity's prelude, so my expectations were high- although they take into account the show's sci-fi foundation, cheeky humor and cheesy story lines. A ship of smugglers; Cowboys in space- what a premise.

The result:
This is a great film for sci fi comedy lovers. It flirts with you with stock characters like the witty pilot and his gorgeous and talented wife, the back country technician pining for her love, the serious doctor who only has eyes for his troubled sister, and the ultimate space cowboy pilot who serves as a kind of patriarch to this family rabble. Ultimately, as they work the universe, robbing and looting, they have a core principle of fighting the rapidly growing, brainwashing, peace keeping Alliance (the State, essentially). Criminals with a noble goal! The premise is smart, the special effects seamless, and the characters fill all the requisite roles that need to be filled for a sci-fi audience. The message is incredibly obvious- the State will fall if its foundation lies in deceit, if its impulse is to deny truth to its constituency. And then we all have to live with the consequences, the grief, and the tragedy- made all the more worse by the cover up. How well we know that now, America. How we will never learn.... I think I just found a way to revive the show- another season, another film?

What to look for:
The scenery, the towns, the sets- its like a smaller Lord of the Rings
The rich and interesting characters.
The technology- it is interesting how we envision the future from our current position in time.


Flickr photo by Dunechaser

Sunset Boulevard (1950)

The Expectation:
I knew this was one of those films that is a real classic in the world of Hollywood cinema. I knew that Billy Wilder- one of the great writers/directors of his generation- was instrumental in self-reflective stories- often scathingly. Add William Holden and Gloria Swanson, and the fact that it is billed as a film noir, and I expected only the greatest from this classic film.

The Result:
Billy Wilder is a genius at attacking the subtle hierarchies that are built into our society. He did it with Sabrina and class hierarchies and with Double Indemnity and gender stereotypes. And he does it superbly with Sunset Boulevard- one of his most personal films- as it attacks the pressures inherent in the star system of the Hollywood system itself. Gloria Swanson plays Norma Desmond, an aging actress- past her silent film era fame- and desperately living only to reach that fame again through her re-entry into the 'pictures'. She hires (or coerces) a B movie writer, Will Holden as Joe Gillis, to edit down her masterpiece- the film she wrote for herself to star in. They whole themselves up in her studio era mansion with all its finery and their relationship evolves. Gillis is essentially a gigolo- but his real- almost maternal- affection for Desmond makes him a likeable and pitiable character. With the addition of great silent film era stars who play themselves, the film silently chastises the film industry's economic bottom line where production disregards the human condition. In the same way, we are all scolded, as viewers, for living in our disgusting culture of fame, where worth is measured in hysteria and worship, where stars are valued for their ability to feed our voyeuristic desires. The film makes it clear that this kind of system is completely unsustainable for the human individual- who is worshiped, eventually discarded, and made mentally unstable through this manipulative squander. Wilder is also a fantastic writer, while knowledgeable about film pace and creative camera placement. Overall, this is one of the best films I have ever seen. What does it say about our film system-and our society-that Wilder's creation still rings true in its shockingly brilliant look and critical messages.

What to look for:
Opening shots to sequences- the camera is placed intentionally to create great art shots.
Film noir aspects of narration, extreme angle shots, vertical lines, etc.
Gloria Swanson at her finest- the last sequence is desperately creepy.
The sets-especially that Baroque Mansion!
If you have the time and inclination- check out the Making of Special Feature- you won't be sorry!

Flickr photo by Claudio.Ar

Public Enemies (2009)

The Expectation:
Johnny Depp is one of our generation's great actors- a highly skilled craftsman in his field who has grown very adept at picking the right roles and the right film creators to work with. Marion Cotillard is the lead female and after her role in the spectacular La Vie en Rose, I would gladly watch anything she is in. Add in Christian Bale, another serious character actor who produces some of the finest work I have seen (including my favorite Batman character), and you get a wealth of acting talent to propel my expectation of this film through the roof- at least for a gangster film. The preview showcases some unconventional shots and perfectly chosen behind the scenes music for a bank robbery. Michael Mann is known for his masculinity driven films- Miami Vice, Hancock- but some of them are done exceptionally well- Last of the Mohicans, etc. Thus, I expected a smart story, creative camerawork, superb acting, and yet still some fun gangster action.

The result:
For some reason, this movie felt so long that I was surprised the whole thing only took two and a half hours. Still a long time, I could have sworn we were in that theater for five hours. The main problem with this film is the story- or lack of. The characters don't get explained- they are not allowed to grow- as if the director thought that we already knew the characters stories so he wanted to showcase just one or two elements- mainly the gunfights and the cool weapons. The film, while I think it was trying to be artistic, jumped around with choppy transitions and lethargic sequences; one of those films that you think is about to be over many times but just keeps going....and going. The love sequences are not grounded so Dillinger comes off more as a punk than someone the film is trying to admire and the FBI, including Bale's character exudes a pathetic and incompetent air that I almost wanted to pity them for their extreme faults. Really they all just need to be fired- and I wonder how much of that is really true today. Both sides are just men running around with weapons and power without a clue how to turn it into respectability, justice, or anything that makes either of their pursuits worthwhile. I could not figure out who to like- who to suture myself to as a viewer.
On a lighter note, some of the shots were creative and the death scenes, although gruesome, held some entertainment value. Overall, I am just glad I had a free ticket to this one.

What to look for (if you go):
Creative camera placement- inside the car, lots of high and low angles, etc.
That fabulous bank robbery music. We get more warning than the bank employees!
How the cowards win- don't they always- at the end.

Flickr photo by Mashishka

Easy Virtue (2008)

The Expectation:
I love period pieces, and this film was set in the 20's in England, pitting the flirty, rambuncous American culture, against the stereotypical uptight English world. Interestingly, it also positions the American city life against the English country. I knew it would be fun and colorful and I really wanted to see the costumes. Finally, I went to see Colin Firth, who I think is a brilliant actor. I was a little nervous about Jessica Biel's performance; I am not used to her in a role with this much weight for the entire film. And blond.

The Result:
The costumes were fantastic and the soundtrack is remarkably fitting. The film uses Cole Porter's Lets Misbehave as its tag line (and defining sound). I want to live in the 20's -but that is a whole different thing altogether. Although some of the plot lines are a bit ridiculous, and the battle between Mrs. Whitaker (Kristin Scott Thomas) and Larita (Biel) is stretched just a little to far to fill an entire film, there are funny and endearing moments that push the film forward. Biel, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Colin Firth are interesting in their roles, although often a bit overdone and unnatural; but the rest of the cast is a bit trying, and by the end, nasty to behold. At the finish, the film is really about the battle between living safely in the present and moving forward into an unknown future. I will let you decide which ultimately wins out (and which is indicative of the American way). I think the most harmful message posited by the film is that everyone would be a lot happier if they would just stay in their place. Truly disheartening. But the costumes are really fantastic.

Pay attention to (if you go):
The beautiful pastoral setting- if only it wasn't so contaminated by its inhabitants.
The music.
And the costumes....

Flickr photo by REphotography3

The Queen Family: Appalachian Tradition and Back Porch Music

The Expectation:
I was asked to watch this film for a Museum I work at. Meant to correspond to an exhibition on photos of Appalachian Musicians, I knew this documentary was made to capture a family in Jackson county, NC who grew up playing Appalachian music as a part of their specific regional heritage.

The Result:
Only thirty minutes long, this documentary fully captures the spirit and grace of the long time residents of the Western North Carolina mountains. As a region I have come to love, the film showcases them at their finest as they try to come to terms with the fading away of a culture they were raised within, a culture that still defines their own sense of self and community. The music is wonderful and it is juxtaposed with talking heads who explain their own perceptions, as a part of this unique family, of how the music is reflective of their culture and their lives. If they are truly indicative of this specific way of life, I am jealous to have grown up in Florida suburbs and not in the Carolina mountains. I gave it my approval- go see films at your local museum or library!

To pay attention to:
The witty and good humored matriarch, Mary Jane Queen- I want to give her a big hug.
One scene where two family members play the same guitar at the same time- truly incredible!

Flickr photo by Pharis Patenaude

The Towering Inferno

The Expectation:
I have to admit that I watched this film because I read one of the books it was based on almost 10 years ago- The Glass Inferno. Since then, I learned that this movie was adapted from two books that were so similar it would have been silly to make two separate films (and thus two studios could combine their resources to make one giant blockbuster). A fire engulfs the largest skyscraper in the world (in San Fran), wreaking havoc on the many different players still residing within- the builders, businessmen, residents, rescue teams.... Think about a 1970's version of The Lord of the Rings- or something to that effect. Billed as a Disaster Movie!, I got very excited when I saw the cast- Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, Faye Dunaway, Fred Astaire, Robert Vaughn, Robert Wagner, OJ Simpson?- and thus, I prepared myself for a fantastically 70's blockbuster extravaganza.

The Result:
Terrible! I was expecting cheesy dialogue, out of date special effects, and blockbuster-esque epics but this film takes it to a whole new level- so much so that I kind of wish that I was alive when it came out so I could objectively weigh the contemporary response to it. Was it embraced like so many of our wonderfully over the top blockbusters today (Transformers, we love you!) or was it shunned into bankruptcy? The problem that I have with so many big films is that they forget about the story. This film almost had no story, unless you can somehow synthesize the many half stories mixed together to make the complete film. The movie focused only on spotlighting its many A+ list actors- and the mini stories that their characters held- without actually developing the creation of the fire, the back story where animosities lay, the consequences, etc. Each actor got their own film-and long drawn out scenes that rarely connected to the whole climactic fire arc. As it should have been, the building was one of the star characters, but the film spent too much time taking in the scenery of it all- as if to impress the audience watching at the time. "Ooh, look at the plush carpets, the sloping lobby, the grand penthouse", etc. I half expected to see some obvious product placement. And at its core, the film pitted the architect (Newman) against the fireman (McQueen) for its final lesson of development versus safety. Where is that border anyway, where profit and greed eclipse human decency and compassion? In some way, this shameless film is a hypocrisy of the film's final scenes- where the fireman chastises the architect for not asking him how to build a safe skyscraper. Alas, I fear we still have not learned thirty years later.

If you see it watch out for:
Don't watch it- your curiosity is not worth the pain.

Flickr Image- Chris Friese

Happy Go Lucky (2008)

The Expectation
This film is exactly my kind of film and so I think my expectations were a bit higher than the average viewer. I am a fan of quirky and unique independent films that are put together well. Everyone has there favorite film and this is mine- the pace, the odd shots, the perfectly timed music, etc. We can say I was very excited about this one.

The Result
I don't know if it was my high expectations or if the film was really not that good, but it fell short for me. Although Poppy is a great character and Sally Hawkins plays the character quite well, the film lost itself in its lack of plot and uninteresting dialogue. Silences that could have creatively been used as white space to heighten the difference in perspective of Poppy and the other characters- the main point of the film's narrative- were trite and boring and made the film seem very long. As a film viewer in this culture, I am used to the cliche narrative and thrilled when it is broken- except for when it is forgotten entirely, and I cannot help but feel as though watching the film was a waste of my time. The main plot point contrasting Poppy's undying happiness with the despair of others merely lingers. Poppy's unnatural joy is not developed, interrogated, or even commented on throughout the film and thus the message about personal perspective creating happiness gets lost in a sea of bright colors and beautiful British accents.

What to look for:
A sea of bright colors- the costumes are excellent
and the beautiful British accents
One great scene between Poppy and the driving instructor, Scott, yelling at each other in the street.

Flickr Image- Lucy Nieto