Waltz with Bashir

Is it possible for an ending to completely win you over? By completely I mean not having enjoyed most of the movie until its final moments, then wind up fully appreciating it? If there was ever a film to bore me then suddenly grab me, here it is.

Having said that, most of my boredom was my own fault. I have a strict policy of knowing as little as possible going into a movie. I try not to watch and re-watch trailers, I don’t read reviews, I don’t pay attention to hype, and so on. So I literally knew next to nothing about this film. I knew it was animated war film, but that was it. What I plan to reveal won’t give anything away, but it may help to get a better understanding of what to expect.

It’s helpful to know that Waltz with Bashir is essentially an animated documentary, with an added narrative. Ali, an Israeli filmmaker begins getting flashes from memories he suppressed during the 1982 invasion of Lebanon. Throughout the film he goes to each of his fellow veterans and gets their take on what happened. While each of them speak, we see an event from the invasion through the eyes of the interviewed soldier.

Through his interviews, Ali begins remembering more and more from the invasion. And through the interviews, the film turns into an impressive, yet horrific, animated mashup. The images pulse with excitement as a rousing mix between 2 and 3-D. The final product is a marvelous and utterly original film spectacle.

In summing it up: director Ali Folman is the man that interviews the subjects. His fellow veterans really do play themselves. It’s their face, their voice, just animated. I didn’t figure this out until it was too late, and with only a few minutes left, I was trying to catch up with the rest of the film. If this was a fictional piece, I don’t think I would’ve enjoyed it. But because Folman has the audacity to present this story in animation, it makes for very unique stuff.

Warning: the final images are so haunting in their reveal that they won’t escape your mind for days. By haunting, I don’t mean graphic, but something worse. What you see is reality. After that, you’ll thank Folman for presenting his film in animation. A-

Wendy and Lucy

For most of us, this 80-minute hidden indie wonder fell through the multiplex cracks before we got a chance to see it. You may’ve heard in passing that Michelle Williams was great in that “weird looking movie about a dog”, and you would’ve heard right.

Wendy and Lucy is a quiet, deliberately paced film about a desperate woman in desperate times. Wendy’s stuck in Oregon on a long journey to Alaska. Her car’s broken down, her funds are nearly depleted and her dog, Lucy, is hungry. She slowly watches as her life essentials begin to slip from under her.

Without going into details, this moving, hypnotic little film grabs you right away. In a lesser year, Williams would’ve gotten an Oscar nomination. To prepare for the role, Williams slept in her car for days, didn’t bathe for a week, and void herself of any makeup during the shoot. The method paid off, as this is some of the best acting she’s ever done. She’s totally convincing and completely engrossing.

Some people will be off-put by the HD hand-held look of the film. But it doesn’t just look gritty, it feels gritty. Besides… it’s only 80 minutes. Catch it on DVD. A-

What's In a Name?

When I first started this blog, I chose its title for use as a sly gimmick. For most of my first posts, I incorporated the phrase, “I’ll never tell”, into each review. I wanted to let people know right away that none of my reviews would divulge essential plot elements from the film. What’s the point at ruining all the fun, right?

After a while, that gimmick burnt out and I stop trying to force the phrase in. Recently I’ve been trying to think of a new title, something to get your attention and make you curious. So, without further ado, I present… “And So it Begins…”

Everytime I go to a movie, no matter my expectations, it is a new adventure. I’m thrilled by the whole experience. And whether or not I enjoy the film, there is always that initial excitement in sitting down comfortably in front of the giant, blank white screen, waiting for the show to begin.

But more than that, due to years of inside jokes, “and so it begins...” has manifested itself as a personal family motto. So, with this duel meaning, I give you my new and improved site, which includes a few new sections.


MY FAVORITE SCENE: my favorite moments from a few of my favorite films.

BEST OF 2008: wraps up a great year of character studies.

OSCARS: full (yet dated) coverage on the show.

SUNDANCE ’09: reviews from this year’s festival

10 SECOND REVIEWS: brief reviews of a vast amount of films, to be presented alphabetically shortly.

Hope you enjoy the new features. And so it begins…

Friday the 13th

You know what… the beginning really isn't that bad.

Like all recent horror duds, this film opens with a string of characters, defined very well by their various clichés- the geek who doesn’t get any, the sex-crazed couple, the good girl, the sensitive hero- but then things start to heat up, fast.

At the risk of ruining what little fun this film offers, let me just say that by the time the title card pulsed onto the screen, I was impressed.
Of course it all goes to shit pretty quickly, but what the hell, if you’ve paid the price of admission you know what to expect.

Not exactly a remake of the original Friday the 13th, which was a cheesy B-movie knockoff of Hitchcock’s Psycho, this “remodeling” of the franchise combines aspects from the first three Jason Voorhees films.

But lets talk about something bigger… when did horror films start producing so much crap? People go to these films to escape from their lives and be given a taste of something eccentric. I get that. But lately, this genre is dead. Did you see Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later? How about The Descent, in which five women stuck in a cave discover some very bad things. Both are brilliantly bold ventures into a genre that we’ve seen hundreds of times, yet they both manage to pull it off with thrills and smarts.

The problem with the new Friday the 13th's, the Halloween's, the Texas Chainsaw Massacre's, the Prom Night's, as well as the Saw's, the Hostel's and the other massive loads of film garbage out there is that they all lack the same quality… originality.

But maybe I’m thinking too much into it. The first weekend box office take of this Friday the 13th grossed more than the Best Picture nominated The Reader and Frost/Nixon… combined. Given those numbers, I imagine you can expect much more of Jason and company very soon. D+

2008 Oscar Wrap Up

A POST-OSCAR CHAT

I fared pretty well, scoring 19 winners out of the 24 categories. The night proved to be eventful, even if it was pretty predictable.

Few surprises were brought by the near-Slumdog sweep (really, you couldn’t have given it Sound Editing?). To be honest, the biggest surprise came with a movie no one has heard of, when Departures won Best Foreign Film, beating the critically acclaimed The Class and Waltz with Bashir. Don’t get me wrong, I was on the edge of my seat during all four acting categories, with a somewhat pleased result.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE-- The format, namely how the acting prizes were handed out. The average time to present one of the acting awards (yes, I timed it) was 11 minutes. Eleven minutes… for one award? Go back to the normal way of giving out the award and you’ve just cut over 35 minutes from the show. But instead, we watched as five previous winners from each respective category kissed each nominee’s ass.
It would’ve been better if I actually believed that those five presenters had actually seen the performances they were hailing. (Do you really think Christopher Walken saw Revolutionary Road?)

-- The Oscars are notorious for their ridiculously long and plentiful montages (okay, the ‘In Memoriam’ one is a must, I get that), but the montages this year were just utterly pointless. Two separate episodes involved an assortment of clips from films that weren’t even nominated. While a ridiculously long musical number had… Zac Efron! The kids from Mamma Mia! Beyonce! And I ask… why? What is the point of boasting mediocrity? Maybe I missed something.

WHAT I LIKED-- For starters: Hugh Jackman. He didn’t tell off key jokes. He didn’t that many jokes at all, really. And after delivering a brilliantly paced opening musical number, he did a great job of not wasting our time with extended stage monologues. Bring him back next year. (Oh, and Anne Hathaway can sing? Damn.)

-- Penelope Cruz thanking Pedro Almodovar. Must actors thank their families and the director that directed them to this current award. Almodovar has been essential in the success of Cruz’s career, and it was noble of her to give a shot out.

-- Kate Winslet. Just everything about her. Seriously, what’s not to like?

-- Kate Winslet’s dad. That whistle? Hilarious.

-- Philippe Petit. The subject of Man on Wire never ceases to amaze as he demonstrated an amusing coin trick before actually balancing an Oscar on his chin. That’ll go down as this decade’s one-armed push up. Believe me.
-- Kunio Kato’s speech. The winner for best animated short gave a nearly incomprehensible speech before ending with the self-mocking phrase: "Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto." Classic.

-- Sean Penn’s speech. Yes, I wanted Mickey Rourke to win, badly. Yes I was disappointed when Penn’s name was called. But Penn showed us that he knows how much of a pain in the ass he can be. By taking shots at himself as well as the crowd, he proved his humor can come out. He also managed to, somehow, give the most moving speech of the night, when he switched to the topic of gay rights, pointing out the signs of hate that plastered the streets near the red carpet entrance. While keeping his fierce intensity, Penn explained the shame that those people will come to feel in due time. And, somehow, I like him more now.

So that should wrap up this year’s Oscar coverage. I’ve really enjoyed the bold choices that the Academy has made in recent years. American Beauty started the trend. A very dark film dealing with very touchy subject matter. Once the Academy embraced that film, it opened up some gratifying doors.

The next few years returned to traditional Oscar fare, but in 2004, everything changed. Million Dollar Baby was extremely controversial when it was released, and its Best Picture win was the perfect kick in the face to all the haters. Likewise Crash, The Departed and last year’s No Country for Old Men. All of these films have one thing in common: they are unlike anything that has ever won Best Picture before. Bravo Academy, keep it up.

WHO'S GONNA WIN

Before I sit down with my Oscar appetizer (that would be the Independent Sprit Awards at 5pm today on IFC), I thought I’d post my Oscar predictions.

A slew of tomorrows races are neck in neck, so picking them won’t be easy. Actor, Actress, and Supporting Actress are anyone’s guess. But using my best judgment and reasoning, this is what I’m banking will win, (and of course, what should win).

BEST PICTURE
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

Should Win:
Slumdog Millionaire. It’s this year’s great rags-to-riches story. A movie barely marketed prior to release became an overnight sensation. Why? Because everyone liked it. Why? Because it’s just that good.

Will Win:
Slumdog.

BEST ACTOR
Richard Jenkins- The Visitor
Frank Langella- Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn- Milk
Brad Pitt- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke- The Wrestler

Should Win:
Rourke. He delivers the year’s best performance. Sure this character parallels his real life with painful accuracy, but even in judging the performance on its own, it’s has more heart than anything else out there.

Will Win:
Looks like Penn. And I can’t complain. Penn gave the best performance of his already masterful career in Milk. But I’m really hoping people pull for a Rourke comeback.

BEST ACTRESS
Anne Hathaway- Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie- Changeling
Melissa Leo- Frozen River
Meryl Streep- Doubt
Kate Winslet- The Reader

Should Win:
Winslet. She’s paid her dues (5 nominations by age 33), and she’s considered by many to be the best actress of her generation. Although she was better in Revolutionary Road, she still hit all the right marks as a remorseless ex-SS guard in The Reader.

Will Win:
I’ll say Winslet, with reservations. Streep is right there with her and not without merit. Streep gave her best performance in years as a Doubtful nun, and she’s been nominated a hundred times (at least) but only won twice. But I think (or hope) the Academy will finally award Winslet.

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Josh Brolin- Milk
Robert Downey Jr.- Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman- Doubt
Heath Ledger- The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon- Revolutionary Road
Should Win:
Ledger. Take out the sentiment of his untimely death, and you still have an Oscar worthy performance.

Will Win:
It doesn’t give me any consolation that everyone is saying how much of a lock Ledger is. The Academy has given us a few very wide curveballs in recent years, which scares me. I’m not saying someone will dethrone Ledger, but it’s in the back of my head.

SUPPORTING ACTRESSAmy Adams- Doubt
Penelope Cruz- Vicky Christina Barcelona
Viola Davis- Doubt
Taraji P. Henson- The Curious Case of Benjamin ButtonMarisa Tomei- The Wrestler

Should Win:
Tomei. She was the character audiences immediately identified with in The Wrestler, which allowed us to slowly understand Rourke’s character. Simply put, it’s the best thing she’s every done.

Will Win:
Cruz. Or Davis. This is usually the hardest category to call every year, with no exception here. Cruz had all the early buzz as the fiery girlfriend from hell. But Davis picked up quick traction for her 12 minutes in Doubt.  Even Adams generated a little buzz towards the end of Academy voting. I’ll go with Cruz.

BEST DIRECTOR
David Fincher- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard- Frost/Nixon
Gus Van Sant- Milk
Stephen Daldry- The Reader
Danny Boyle- Slumdog Millionaire

Should Win:
Boyle showed audiences how to miraculously fuse all the elements of filmmaking into a breathtaking spectacle.  A lock if there ever was one.

Will Win:
Boyle.

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Courtney Hunt- Frozen Water
Mike Leigh- Happy-Go-Lucky
Martin McDonagh- In Bruges
Dustin Lance Black- Milk
Andrew Stanton- Wall-E
Should Win:
I love the Mike Leigh process of forming a script after rigorous rehearsals with actors. His filmed shinned with gentle optimism.

Will Win:
Black should beat out Stanton.

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Eric Roth- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
John Patrick Shanley- Doubt
Peter Morgan- Frost/Nixon
David Hare- The Reader
Simon Beaufoy- Slumdog Millionaire

Should Win:
Beaufoy. For his seamless narrative.

Will Win:Beaufoy.

ORIGINAL SONG
“Down to Earth” by Peter Gabriel from Wall-E
“Jai Ho” by A.R. Rahman from Slumdog Millionaire
“O…Saya” by A.R. Rahman from Slumdog Millionaire
Should Win:
“The Wrestler” by Bruce Springsteen from The Wrestler. Oh wait, it wasn’t nominated. Okay then, “Jai Ho” or “O…Saya”, take your pick.

Will WIn:
I think Gabriel will pull an upset. Mainly because Rahman is already going to win in the original score category. Why not spread the love?


As for the rest, keep in mind that the Academy votes in trends. Most members pick the same film for all the technical stuff. Sound and Sound Editing almost always go to the same film. Likewise Art Direction and Costume Design. So think in patterns and you’ll either be dead on, or way far off. Personally I’d like to see a Slumdog sweep of every category it’s in (which would mean zero for Benjamin Button, but oh well.)

Are all of my predictions going to be right? God no. But that’s the fun of it. If you’re not kept on your toes for 4 hours then you’re going to have one hell of a boring time.

MY ALTERNATIVE OSCARS

As is my tradition every year, I like to make an alternative Oscar list. If I were the sole member of the Academy, this is what my list of nominees in every major category would look like.

Winners are in bold followed by a brief explanation.

PICTURE
The Edge of Heaven
Milk
Rachel Getting Married
Slumdog Millionaire
The Wrestler

The best film of the year.

DIRECTOR
Darren Aronofsky- The WrestlerDanny Boyle- Slumdog Millionaire
Jonathan Demme- Rachel Getting Married
Christopher Nolan- The Dark Knight
Gus Van Sant- Milk

Boyle directed the best, most thrilling, technical achievement in recent years.

ACTOR
Leonardo DiCaprio- Revolutionary Road
Richard Jenkins- The VisitorFrank Langella- Frost/Nixon
Mickey Rourke- The Wrestler
Sean Penn- Milk

The very best acting performance of the year (sorry Heath).

ACTRESS
Anna Hathaway- Rachel Getting Married
Sally Hawkins- Happy-Go-Lucky
Angelina Jolie- Changeling
Meryl Streep- Doubt
Kate Winslet- Revolutionary Road

Winslet was more raw and emotional here than in The Reader.

SUPPOTING ACTORJosh Brolin- Milk
Heath Ledger- The Dark KnightBrad Pitt- Burn After Reading
Michael Shannon- Revolutionary Road
Philip Seymour Hoffman- Doubt

No explanation needed.

SUPPORTING ACTRESSHanna Schygulla- The Edge of Heaven
Rosemarie DeWitt- Rachel Getting Married
Marisa Tomei- The WrestlerKate Winslet- The Reader
Viola Davis- Doubt

My second favorite acting performance of the year (sorry Heath), not to mention the biggest snub of this year’s Oscar’s. DeWitt was nothing short of perfection as the smart, kind, and overshadowed sibling to her drug addicted younger sister.

SCREENPLAY- Original
The Edge of Heaven
The Wrestler
Rachel Getting Married
Milk
Happy-Go-Lucky
The long conversations, the gut wrenching emotions, the brutal accuracy. Just brilliant.

SCREENPLAY- Adapted
Frost/Nixon
The Reader
Revolutionary Road
Slumdog Millionaire
Tell No One

How many movies have you seen like this before? People forget that a movie this rare starts somewhere.

DOCUMENTARY
American Teen
Standard Operating Procedure
Encounters at the End of the World
Religulous
Man on Wire
A breathtaking spectacle.

CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
The Wrestler
Rachel Getting Married
Slumdog Millionaire

No film looked better this year.

SCORE
Slumdog MillionaireThe Reader
The Dark Knight
Milk
Gran Torino

No film rocked better this year.

EDITING
Slumdog MillionaireThe Dark Knight
Milk
Tell No One
The Edge of Heaven
No film was better assembled this year.

Critics Pick: Who WILL Win

Here are a few critics (myself included, of course) I like and consider to be reputable, and their picks for who will win in all the top categories. (The New York Times critic picked Taraji P. Henson to win supporting actress, which throws his credibility right out the window).

Keep in mind, there are always surprises. Actor, Actress, and Supporting Actress are all very close races. And so it begins...

PICTURE
Roger Ebert: Slumdog Millionaire
Peter Travers (Rolling Stone): Slumdog Millionaire
Dave Karger (Entertainment Weekly): Slumdog Millionaire
Me: Slumdog Millionaire
DIRECTOR
Ebert: Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire
Travers: Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire
Karger: Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire
Me: Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire

ACTOR
Ebert: Sean Penn in Milk
Travers: Sean Penn in Milk
Karger: Sean Penn in Milk
Me: Sean Penn in Milk (but my god do I hope Mickey Rourke proves us wrong)
ACTRESS
Ebert: Kate Winslet in The Reader
Travers: Meryl Streep in Doubt
Karger: Kate Winslet in The Reader
Me: Kate Winslet in The Reader
SUPPORTING ACTOR
If you are wondering this, then your head has been underground for 8 months.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Ebert: Viola Davis in Doubt
Travers: Penelope Cruz in Vicky Christina Barcelona
Karger: Penelope Cruz in Vicky Christina Barcelona
Me: Penelope Cruz in Vicky Christina Barcelona
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Ebert: Dustin Lance Black for Milk
Karger: Dustin Lance Black for Milk
Me: Dustin Lance Black for Milk

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Ebert: Simon Beaufoy for Slumdog Millionaire
Karger: Simon Beaufoy for Slumdog MillionaireMe: Simon Beaufoy for Slumdog Millionaire


LET'S TALK OSCAR

Most of the nominations in this year’s race brought little surprise, with a few exceptions, of course. Here is the breakdown of each nominee, the biggest snub in each category and the top two contenders in each race.

PICTURE
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire
The big surprise is the introduction of The Reader, which obviously took The Dark Knight’s place. Even though The Dark Knight had nominations from the Director’s Guild, the Producer’s Guild and the Writer’s Guild (none of which The Reader received), members still aren’t ready to give a comic book movie a shot at the big prize.

Surprise snub: The Dark Knight
Head to Head: Slumdog v. Benjamin Button

DIRECTOR
David Fincher- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard- Frost/Nixon
Gus Van Sant- Milk
Stephen Daldry- The ReaderDanny Boyle- Slumdog Millionaire

No Christopher Nolan. But, this list is rare: the nominations for picture and director are the exact same, only the 5th time this has EVER happened in Oscar history. The last time was 2005, the time before that… 1981.

Surprise snub: Christopher Nolan- The Dark Knight
Head to Head: Boyle v. Fincher

ACTOR
Richard Jenkins- The Visitor
Frank Langella- Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn- Milk
Brad Pitt- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke- The Wrestler
No big shockers here, although it’s great to see the Academy spreading some indie love to Jenkins whose spot could’ve easily gone to bigger names like DiCaprio and Eastwood.

Surprise snub: Clint Eastwood- Gran Torino
Head to Head: Penn v. Rourke

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Josh Brolin- Milk
Robert Downey Jr.- Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman- Doubt
Heath Ledger- The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon- Revolutionary Road
Shannon was a great shock, but this is really Ledger’s to lose. Most people desperately want him to win (Shannon himself has said he’s voting for Ledger), but will all the hype be too much? I sure as hell hope not.

Surprise snub: Dev Patel- Slumdog Millionaire
Head to Head: Ledger v. hopefully no one

ACTRESSAnne Hathaway- Rachael Getting Married
Angelina Jolie- Changeling
Melissa Leo- Frozen River
Meryl Streep- Doubt
Kate Winslet- The Reader

This year’s biggest jaw dropper came when we found out Winslet only got one acting nomination, when everybody predicted two. But having her shut out for Revolutionary Road could be a good thing. Without the duel nominations, people won’t have to choose between two great performances, which could’ve split her vote. Now she has the edge over vet Streep and name-maker Hathaway.
Surprise snub: Sally Hawkins- Happy-Go-Lucky
Head to Head: Winslet v. Streep

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams- Doubt
Penelope Cruz- Vicky Christina Barcelona
Viola Davis- Doubt
Taraji P. Henson- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei- The Wrestler
The happiest nominees of the year are these five women here. Now that Winslet has moved up the ladder, they all have a decent shot. People that vote for Mickey Rourke could go hand in hand with Tomei. Cruz has paid her dues and deserves it. Davis has been around for a long time and steals thunder from the likes of Meryl Streep, a feat hard to accomplish. But my oh my, where is Rosemarie DeWitt from Rachel Getting Married?

Surprise snub: Rosemarie DeWitt- Rachel Getting MarriedHead to Head: Cruz v. Davis

Sin of Omission
By far my biggest issue comes in the best song category. Where in the hell is Bruce Springsteen’s nomination for his tender, moving title song in The Wrestler. I like A.R. Rahman’s music in Slumdog Millionaire just as much as everyone else, but he doesn’t need three nominations, (one for musical score, two in the best song category). He’s going to win score without breaking a sweat, so why did the Academy only allow three nominations for best song instead of five? Not only did they kick out Springsteen’s track, but Jamie Cullum’s title track for Gran Torino as well. Shame, shame, shame

Notorious and Defiance

What does a movie about a famous rapper and a movie about the Holocaust have in common? Other than the fact that they’re based on true stories, not a thing.

So why review them together?

Both films are entertaining, well-done, and weightless as air. You won’t remember, or care to remember, a single thing you saw about them once you left the theatre. But you will enjoy your time while you’re there.

Notorious is based on the all-too-short life of famed rapper The Notorious B.I.G. aka Biggie Smalls. The film accurately captures the rugged drug life in late-‘80s Brooklyn and is superbly acted, namely by newcomer Jamal Woodlard in the title role, but it’s nowhere near as hot as its booming soundtrack. We watch Biggie as he goes from rags (freestyle rapping on the streets between crack deals) to riches (becoming a musical icon at the helm of ambitious producer Sean ‘Puffy’ Combs), but the meat of the film is pretty dull.

The movie adds nothing new to the music bio-pic. Biggie is an adulterer! He yells! Screams! Punches walls! Treats women like objects! And so on. As Tupac Shakur, actor Anthony Mackie brings his reliable intensity to a man who was known for his not-so-nice temper. I didn’t mind the time I spent in the theatre, but I constantly wanted more.

The same can be said for Defiance a true story about three Jewish brothers during WWII that hide out in the woods from the Nazis. Slowly, more and more Jews are showing up in the woods, before long we have an entire community to keep up with.

The problem of the film is its predictability. I mean, do they really think they can hide out forever? Daniel Craig is good as the lead, but the material is weak. Credit director Edward Zwick (Glory, The Last Samurai, Blood Diamond) for the thrilling, but overlong, battle scenes. Again, this is a film that will keep your attention throughout its duration, but not too much after. If it’s a bio-pic you want, I suggest Milk, a Holocaust drama, check out The Reader.

Both Notorious and Defiance: D+

Sundance '09: We Live in Public

You may remember Josh Harris, the subject of the wildly entertaining documentary We Live in Public, as spokesmen for the internet awakening during the late ‘90s.

Harris was a genius in predicting the way our society would live. His first real web investment was a site that had chatting, video downloads, and live TV, none of which had been around before. After that site came and went, Harris wanted a new project, something bigger, better, stronger, faster. His idea was so ingenious, yet equally terrifying, that it startled a nation, and predicted the future.

Harris recruited 100 people to dive head first into his experiment titled “Quiet: We Live in Public”. This venture saw all 100 people living in an underground bunker smack in the middle of New York City. They slept in little pods (which look like Holocaust-era bunk beds), ate, went to the bathroom, shot guns at the shooting range, watched the Millennium ball drop, and so on. They lived as a family, with one small catch. Every single inch of the bunker was under constant surveillance. Every second of every day was taped for Harris’s pleasure. The sex, the urination, the showering, the arguing, nothing was to be missed.

Ondi Timoner followed Harris around for over a decade, recording his lavish, multi-million dollar ideas. But Timoner’s camera never judges. While Harris was eccentric, and egotistical and probably a bit insane, his ideas were revolutionary. Watching clips from his bunker experiment is like watching your favorite trashy reality show. But keep in mind, reality TV didn’t exist when this experiment took place.

Harris couldn’t be a better subject for a documentary. His life-conflicts are gut wrenching to watch on film. Take, for instance, one of his final experiments. He brought his “Quiet” project to a much more intimate level when he asked his new girlfriend if she would like to be filmed in his apartment 24 hours a day 7 days a week. The catch this time: it would all be broadcast live on the internet. Users could even chat about what they were seeing. It’s a real treat to watch Harris on his computer, reading the chat comments as they come to him live.

The downfall, as it is inevitable, is excruciating to watch. We witness a perfectly happy couple wallow in decay over a few months.

This film is like no other documentary I’ve ever seen. Credit Timoner for sticking with such a tough subject. What we get to watch is sacred. Never private, always out in the open. A-

Sundance '09: Passing Strange

It takes a while to get used to the experience, but Spike Lee’s new “see it like your there” film is great fun. Lee, along with one hell of an impressive camera crew, taped the final Broadway performance of "Passing Strange", an all black musical about a confused young man and the years following his leaving home.

The film is shot in real time, so, for the most part, you feel like you’re just another audience member in New York. The fun of the film is that Lee privies us to dynamic close ups, swooping tracking shots and other great tricks. If you’re going to shoot a play, then you have to make the audience member feel like they aren’t missing out on anything, you have to give them more.

When I saw Scorsese’s Shine a Light, the concert documentary on the Rolling Stones, I was almost happier that I was seeing it on an IMAX screen rather than actually being at the concert. Yes, it would’ve been kick-ass to watch Jagger and crew rock out, but there is a certain intimacy to the camera that you can’t get from 40 rows back.

Likewise for Passing Strange. How else, for instance, would be able to see a tear strolling down a character’s face during a pivotal scene? No way you could catch that emotion from the second balcony.

The film itself (or should I say the play) takes a while to warm up. But once it gets going, you’ll be dancing in your seat. B

Sundance '09: Cold Souls

This is pretty cool: so there is an article in The New Yorker which explains a new procedure known as soul removal. For a fee, people come in, painlessly have their soul extracted and, if the results are positive, they live life with no worries or troubles.

Paul Giamatti plays an actor named… Paul Giamatti (bear with me), who hesitantly decides to get the procedure done by zany Dr. Flintstein (David Strathairn, miles away from his Edward R. Murrow in Good Night and Good Luck). Once it’s done, Giamatti feels better, sure, but he’s lost that fire that gives his stage acting so much allure.

Soon he tries the even newer procedure of soul replacement, where one temporarily takes the soul of another. I’m making this sound like a hyper sci-fi film where people inhabit other people’s bodies. It isn’t like that. Once you have someone’s soul, you inhabit only small details of what the original person had. There are no exorcisms involved, only a few confusing dreams.

The conflict comes when we discover that Russians traffic the souls using “soul moles” to transport the souls between the countries. The Russians can sell them for big, so they make a scary profit.

French director Sophie Barthes most have Charlie Kaufman embedded in her subconscious as this film is a reflection of both Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. While the film is beautifully shot, it is clearly the work of a new filmmaker, one who’s a little rusty with her editing cuts. Rusty, maybe, but a director to look out for, definitely.

During the Q & A, Barthes described where the inspiration of the story came very with a highly amusing anecdote. She had a dream a few years ago where she was standing in a very posh, futuristic doctor’s office (as depicted in the film) and Woody Allen was standing in front of her, holding his soul in a glass jar. Allen explained the procedure to her and told her how he was upset that his soul looked like a chickpea (as Giamatti’s does). When Barthes woke up, she wrote the dream down and went to work right away. Assuming she’d never get Allen as the main character, she wrote the script with Giamatti in mind, sent him a copy, and made the film. She hasn’t told Woody Allen the genesis of her film, but if he hears it, I imagine he’ll be amused. B

Sundance '09: Five Minutes of Heaven

Oliver Hirschbiegel’s Five Minutes of Heaven would make a great three act play. There are only three major scenes, each a great exercise in screenwriting. Thank writer Guy Hibbert for creating a screenplay instead of a stage play, because this is a film that knocks you right out.

Without revealing too much, devliguging the meaning of the title would be giving too much away, this is the story of two lads on opposite ends of the religious spectrum during Britian’s occupation of '70s Ireland. For the first half hour or so, young wannabe thug Alistair is recruited to kill a Catholic simply because he is Catholic. The message is sent with murder, so is his reasoning. During the brutal gun slaying, Alistair is caught red-handed by his victim’s younger brother. The two share long stare before Alistair runs off.

Twenty three years later, Alistair (now played by Liam Nesson) wants a shot at redemption. A TV show wants to get Alistair and Joe Griffen (James Nesbitt), the younger brother of his victim, face to face for a first time encounter. Joe agrees, reluctantly, and the whole ordeal is to take place in a lavish home on a beautiful piece of property that resembles the home in the beginning of Atonement.

Once the film changes to its present setting, it takes a while to get settled. It doesn’t help that my flat, American ears have the damnedest time trying to pick out coherent sentences from all the thick Irish dialogue. Once our protagonists are nearly face to face, the film turns into a greatly compelling piece.

Both Nesson and Nesbitt are fantastic. Both deliver long unbroken monologues with just the right touch of delicacy (Nesson) and mania (Nesbitt). Nesson gives a performance of calm, regretful smoothness like a real pro, but it’s Nesbitt that steals the show. Nesbitt (Match Point, Bloody Sunday) unleashes his manic energy like a hurricane.

This is great character work, with a moving third act to balance out the heaviness of the rest of the film. It’s two actors at the top of their games. Enjoy. A

Sundance '09: Dare

What a delightful little film. Dare is a simply story told with very ballsy execution. Straight-edge highschooler and wannabe actress, Alexa (Emmy Rossum) quickly finds her life uneventful after an accomplished actor brutally throws all of her faults in her face. She decides to stop hanging out so much with her nerdy best friend Ben (Ashley Springer) and to “slut it up” with hot-shit Mr. Popular, Johnny (Zach Gilford).

It doesn’t take long with things to seriously heat up. Soon enough the three are involved in a steamy love triangle that really gets the blood pumping. But underneath its humor and booming musical score (a character in itself), there is real drama to this satire.

Johnny is a dick, sure, but it’s incredible how much we grow to care for him. Gilford, excellent in TVs Friday Night Lights, gives Johnny layer after impenetrable layer. He’s a seriously flawed guy hiding behind his temporary popularity. How many people did you know like that in high school?

Rossum (Sean Penn’s daughter in Mystic River, Phantom of the Opera) delivers a star making performance as emotional Alexa. She’s funny, daring and so sexy it’s incendiary. I couldn’t take my eyes off her; she has a lasting conviction.

The movie doesn’t stumble down typical high school clichés, instead, it present a new look at how the rich kids live. It’s great fun, with a message.

Note: look out for the stage actor that puts Alexa in her place, it’s a great cameo from a tremendously talented actor. Don’t ruin the surprise. A-

Sundance '09: Taking Chance

Welcome to the festival’s biggest sniffler. When the lights came up, the only sound to be heard was the blowing of noses and daping of tissues against red cheeks.

Indie producer Ross Katz (In the Bedroom, Lost in Translation) directs his first film, a true story about senior officer in the Marines escorting the body of a deceased Private to his home.

Kevin Bacon plays Lt. Col. Michael Strobl, bored with his desk work, he decides to escort the body of Private Phelps across the country, an odd request by a officer of senior status. Strobl’s reasoning is none other than Phelps was born and raised in the same Oklahoma town as he.

Taking Chance, the title has several meanings, is a different kind of Iraq War film. Not a single moment takes place overseas, but rather, in the buried remorse of the characters. There is a lot to be learned here. Katz, with vivid accuracy, shows each painful step of how a body ends up in its rightful place. The process is long, arduous and ever-so tedious. Every detail has to be perfect, from the cleaning of the soldier’s nails (which will never be seen because Marines are wearing white gloves when they are buried), to the saluting of the casket nearly every time it passes by.

I was facisinated by the process, but even more by the film. There are several moving, extended scenes during the travel home in which the story is told entirely with an outstanding musical score. Ten minutes will pass between words being spoken, all we have is the 60-piece orchastra to fill the sound barrier. The images, presented with beautiful fluidity by cinematographer Alar Kivilo, will dazzle you. I’ve rarely seen middle America presented so flawlessly.

Bacon arguably gives the best performance of his famoulsly underrated career. He plays Strobl to restrained perfection, hardly ever letting his emotions take over, even as they resonate deeply inside of him. Credit Katz for sticking to the story, rather than throwing in some fictional conflict to make the film more cinematic.

The film, while earnest and heartfelt, will lose some of its melodrama on the small screen, when HBO premires it in Feburary. This is a movie that, in a dark theatre, will cause you to care. But in your living room your mind may wonder. It deserves a bigger treatment.

When Katz introduced the film, he mentioned that most of us are desensitized to war images on CNN, himself included. He said he made this film as a way to re-sensitize himself and maybe a few others. After watching Taking Chance you’ll find yourself caring once again. A-

Sundance '09: Brief Interviews with Hideous Men

Brief Interviews with Hideous Men falls under the exact same category as The Informers. A great book by a cult novelist (recently deceased David Foster Wallace), that fails when adapted to the screen.

This film is men speaking badly. Several different characters explain to a female graduate student (Julianne Nicholson) the nastiest little details about their sex lives. Some stories are amusing, but rarely heartfelt.

I feel like this film was just a way for first time director John Krasinski (Jim on The Office) to highlight his acting talent. He gets the second biggest role of the film which includes the longest of several breathy monologues from every character. Krasinski doesn’t pull it off. He delivers the lines of the speech in the same note, never cracking his voice, never sympathetic, never angry. It’s a problem when a character needs to be choked up and sympathetic and angry but the actor can’t get there.

As for his directing, Krasinski doesn’t do much better. His editing is ridiculously hard to follow, not to mention choppy and distracting. I would’ve liked to see each character deliver their monologues in one take, without cutting back and forth, infusing one guy’s story with another.

“Brief Interviews with Hideous Men” is an almost inadaptable book, but I’ll give it to Krasinski for trying. He means well, and hopefully his next one will be better. D

Best of 2008

TOP 10 OF 2008
This is the first time in several years that my best film of the year won’t be nominated for best picture (if I’m wrong, then that’d be great).

It was a year of simple, not sensational, films with the exception of a few, of course. Sensationalism isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but most of these films conveyed subtle, powerful messages by letting the audience become completely immersed with the characters.

I’ll dub 2008 the year of great character studies, and what’s better than that?

10. Happy-Go-Lucky
Mike Leigh, the often serious, always genuine British director crafted one of his best films yet with this peppy look at a girl full of impossible optimism. The film didn’t have a shred of plot, but it actually made me feel good. Good about myself, about others, about life in general. How many films can do that?

9. The Dark Knight
Because it redefined what a summer popcorn movie can be. Because it lived up to the hype. Because it didn’t insult your intelligence. Because it’s thrilling as all hell. Because Heath Ledger’s performance is better than any fancy adjective you can assign it. Because after multiple viewings of this two and a half hour movie, you’re never bored.

8. Revolutionary Road
Not nearly getting the credit it deserves, Sam Mendes directs this all-too-real film of a crumbling marriage in 1950s suburbia. Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet give the best work of their respective careers. This is serious stuff, but well worth the melodrama.

7. Tell No OneThis little-seen French indie was some of the most fun I had at the movies this year. Its intricate and merciless plot is comparable to Hitchcock. The acting is top notch from every twisted character involved. Catch this multi-genre’d wonder on DVD in March.

6. Man on Wire
Picture this: as Philippe Petit finally takes his first steps on to the tightrope he has set up between the two towers of the World Trade Center, the film looses all sound. No narration, no musical score, no moving picture. Instead, director James Marsh makes the bold decision to let the still images in his documentary speak for themselves. No scene knocked the wind out of me more this year. The fact that the film does not once mention 9/11 is a testament to its individuality. When you watch this film, you watch them stand tall once again.

5. The Edge of Heaven
Released overseas in 2007, it blows my mind why this film was barely released in the US this year. Like Babel, this multilayered film fuses together a variety of people. The only catch is that most of these people don’t know the others exist. It demonstrates a great message (better than Crash did) on how something we do can change the life of a complete stranger, even if we don’t realize it. This is real, emotional stuff. If you can’t pick it up at Blockbuster, then just buy it from Amazon.com, you won’t regret it.

4. Slumdog Millionaire
Remember that thing I said about this year’s films not being sensational? That doesn’t apply here. Visionary director Danny Boyle presents one of the most sensational delights in recent cinema history. Flawless in its execution, this movie will make cringe, cheer, and most importantly, think. For the cynics that bitch that cinema is dead, that no original ideas are left, I present you with this breathtaking film that pulses to life with remarkable energy and fierce originality.

3. Rachel Getting Married
Perhaps the most emotionally accurate film of the year. Watching this movie, we are let into the lives of one very dysfunctional family. In the extended scenes of candid conversation I often felt uncomfortable. Not because what the characters are saying is disgusting, but because what they are saying is so real. You actually feel like you’re in the rooms of their house, sitting next to them on the couch, waiting for the perfect moment to sneak off into the kitchen unnoticed. If a film can make you feel like an eavesdropper, then it has done its job.

2. Milk
Sean Penn gives the best performance of an already perfect career in Gus Van Sant’s best film to date. The film is executed to subtle perfection, never making its dramatic scenes over the top. Boasting the best cast of the year, Milk is a film that touched a nerve with its relevancy. Pay attention to the often off-focus camera work, Danny Elfman’s beautiful, quiet score, and the crisp lines of dialogue from Dustin Lance Black’s original script. A new kind of bio-pic, one with a pulse.

1. The Wrestler
Picking the best film of 2008 wasn’t easy. For the longest time, it was a toss-up between Milk and Darren Aronofsky’s masterwork about a washed-up professional wrestler. I finally decided what film should get the number one spot by analyzing each film’s lasting power. Which one did I think about more? Which stayed with me the longest after leaving the theatre? I first saw The Wrestler on Halloween night at the Virginia Film Festival and was completely blown away. I tried hard to convince my girlfriend, who was off-put by the film’s violence, that it was a modern masterpiece. It’s true, The Wrestler may not be for everyone. The violence is sparse, but gut-wrenching. The body of Randy ‘The Ram’ Robinson is a canvas for pain. Not just physical brutality but emotional agony as well. Mickey Rourke gives the performance of his life, and the best acting of 2008, as a man who only knows one thing. He still lives in his ‘80s hey day. Listening to the same hair-metal music, playing the same video games, wearing the same outfits, the same hair, etc. He’s a little boy buried deep in a huge mass of a man. I didn’t care about any character more this year than I did for Randy, or should I say Rourke? The man is so synonymous with the character that it’s hard to tell the difference. Good movies stay with you, and believe me, The Wrestler has yet to leave.

And ten more for good measure, alphabetically:

Changeling, established Clint Eastwood as a great, period director.
Encounters at the End of the World, was a pleasant gem from visionary Werner Herzog.
Frost/Nixon, is Ron Howard's best film yet, completely enthralling.
Funny Games, may be the most haunting film I've ever seen.
Gran Torino, allowed Eastwood to fuse all of his best characters together.
In Bruges, was the funniest film of the year.
The Reader, showcased the ever-terrific Kate Winslet.
Redbelt, is Mamet at his prime.
Snow Angels, was a quiet but memorable little film with dynamic acting.
The Visitor, had one of the year's most tender performances in Richard Jenkins.

THE BEST OF THE REST

Everything else that mattered in 2008...

BEST DIRECTION, CINEMATOGRAPHY, EDITING, SCORE, and SOUND
Slumdog MillionaireTake the opening chase scene: it’s the best shot (with frequent slow-motion and fast-action pacing), best cut (with the action focusing on multiple subjects), best sounding (with its pulsing sound effects), and the best scored (with A.R. Rahman’s feverishly captivating song “O…Saya" booming over the soundtack), sequence of the year. Thank director Danny Boyle for your fascination.

BEST CASTMilk
Runner Up: Rachel Getting Married

BEST LEAD ACTING: MALE
Mickey Rourke as Randy ‘The Ram’ Robinson in The Wrestler
This character breathes through the screen by Rourke giving him a pulse. His acting is phenomenal.
Runner up: Sean Penn as Harvey Milk in Milk


BEST LEAD ACTING: FEMALE
Kate Winslet as April Wheeler in Revolutionary Road
Winslet gives the performance of her career as an anxious woman trapped in 1950s suburbia. She’s perfect in every scene, from her opening moments as a failed stage actress to her cooking a cleansing breakfast in the third act. Just try to take your eyes off of her.
Runner up: Sally Hawkins as Poppy in Happy-Go-Lucky

BEST SUPPORTING ACTING: MALE
Heath Ledger as The Joker in The Dark Knight
No explanation needed.
Runner up: Michael Shannon as John in Revolutionary Road

BEST SUPPORTING ACTING: FEMALE
Rosemarie DeWitt as Rachel in Rachel Getting Married
The little-known DeWitt comes on like a hurricane as the older, wiser sister to Anne Hathaway’s drug addicted Kym. Sweet as can be one moment then gut-wrenchingly honest the next, DeWitt drove me to tears like no other performance this year. She’s so real, you forget you’re watching a film.
Runner up: Kate Winslet as Hanna in The Reader

BEST SONG
“The Wrestler” by Bruce Springsteen from The Wrestler
I was listening to this song on my iPod the other day, to the sad lyrics of decades-old solidarity. Suddenly I realized there was no music playing. How long ago had the song ended? How long had I been alone with my thoughts? Like the film, this song has some serious lasting power. I don’t know if it’s better that “Streets of Philadelphia” which got The Boss an Oscar in 1993, but it’ll get him to the big show once again.
Runner-up: “Gran Torino” by Jamie Cullum from Gran Torino

BEST TRAILER
Revolutionary Road
No, not the one you’ve most likely seen 10 times already. But this little seen teaser: http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid301778988/bctid2149951001
Scored beautifully to a soft version of “Sea of Love”, with almost no dialogue from the film, it did a great job of setting the haunting pace that the film conveyed.

BEST TITLE
Slumdog Millionaire
Runner up: Encounters at the End of the World


The 5 (Biggest) Disappointments of 2008

Forget the worst of the year, you don’t need me to tell you that Disaster Movie is complete garbage, instead let’s focus on the movies that shattered our high hopes.

Blindness
A tasteless movie from a master director. Fernando Meirelles, the visionary mind behind City of God and The Constant Gardener delivered this cheap exposé of a world gone mad. It was trite, and at times, repulsive.

The Happening
Every one of M. Night Shyamalan’s films are worse than the one before, but for some reason I still hold out high expectations for the man that gave us The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable. This film was a complete mess. His first R-rated movie? Who cares, I wanted my time back.

Miracle at St. Anna
Spike Lee got too indulgent with himself in this true story about four WWII soldiers who get stuck behind enemy lines. I give him credit for making one of the only feature films to focus on black soldiers, but for the most part, the film was long, boring, not to mention tasteless.

Seven Pounds
Probably the most dreadful time I’ve had at the movies this year. I had virtually no idea what the hell was going on for a good amount of it, which doesn’t say a lot about talented director Gabriele Muccino and star Will Smith (both did The Pursuit of Happyness). It tried to make up for its inconsistencies in the last five minutes, but it was too late, I had already emotionally checked out an hour ago.

Synecdoche, New York
This visually stunning, marvelously acted film left many people with the same feeling: Huh? What just happened? Was it real? What was with that house on fire? Oddball screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) aimed to entice audiences with his directorial debut. Instead he left most of us scratching our heads.

BEST QUOTES OF 2008

Couldn’t these all go to The Joker? At the risk of being repetitive, here’s a varied list of the lines that most impressed me (package nicely between two of Mr. Ledger’s best quips).

10. “Well hello, beautiful.” Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

9. “Maybe if I grew up on a farm, and was retarded, Bruges might impress me. But I didn’t… so it doesn’t.” Colin Farrell, In Bruges

8. “Get off my lawn.”—Clint Eastwood, Gran Torino

7. “There is no situation you cannot escape from.” Chiwetel Ejiofor, Redbelt

6. “I’m saying when the President does it that means it’s not illegal!”—Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon

5. “It is written.”—Dev Patel, Slumdog Millionaire

4. “We’ve got a hell of a way to go.”—Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky

3. “Without hope, life is not worth living. You gotta give ‘em hope, you gotta give ‘em hope.” – Sean Penn, Milk

2. “I’m an old, broken down piece of meat, and I deserve to be alone. I just don’t want you to hate me.”—Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

1. “I believe whatever doesn’t kill you simply makes you… stranger.” Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

Revolutionary Road

I’m at a loss. I’m having trouble trying to understand why Sam Mendes’ new breathtaking film isn’t getting the credit it deserves. For two authentic hours, audiences intrude on the lives of April and Frank Wheeler, a well-to-do couple in 1950s Connecticut. Frank works in New York City at a job he hates marketing electronics. April stays at home, watching their two kids, becoming envious of the life she could have had.

April comes up with a plan to rejuvenate their lives and put a little spark back into their marriage. The plan (which I won’t reveal) sets in motion one hell of a tumultuous movie.

Mendes’ new film is similar to his first, American Beauty, in the way that it depicts a side of suburbia that we’ve never seen. But it’s different in the way that it depicts how a marriage can quickly, and steadily crumble. Frank and April engage in long, ferocious arguments that feel almost too real to watch. And there, I suppose, lies the problem for some people.

Based on Richard Yates’ famed novel, Revolutionary Road, isn’t for a faint heart. It slams its character’s problems right down your throat. If you want escapist film, you’d better look elsewhere. Having said that, this movie is an affecting triumph.

Leonardo DiCaprio as Frank, gives the best performance of his beautifully matured career. He’s long gone from that man-child he played on that giant boat with his costar. Frank is kind, dismissive, brutally angry and most of all, clueless. He has no idea what his wife likes, wants, or needs. He’s a mess of a man.

This really is Kate Winslet’s year. Her work in The Reader is astounding; unlike anything she’s ever done, and in Revolutionary Road, she excels even further. She stretches April’s emotions as far as any movie character this year. She’ll rack up two nominations this year in both female acting categories. I don’t know which one she’ll win but I say to hell with it, give her both. There isn’t one specific scene of hers to highlight in this film. From the first moment you see her, you won’t be able to take your eyes of her. The fact that she is married to Mendes in real life makes me appreciate her April that much more.

Likewise for scene stealer Michael Shannon, who plays John, the son of Kathy Bates’ real estate agent character. Recently released from a mental institution, John is the only “real” character in the film. He has no filter in his head that allows us to keep our mouths shut. He says what he wants, when he wants, often to shocking conclusion. I’m dumbfounded as to why Shannon hasn’t been getting Oscar buzz (although he wouldn’t beat Heath Ledger). As one of the best character actors around, Shannon will make you cringe in this film.

One thing that annoyed me during the film: the constant smoking of cigarettes and lunch-hour cocktails. But, I am young and clearly misrepresented the 50s lifestyle. As Roger Ebert said about the film: “Don't think they smoke too much in this movie. In the 1950s everybody smoked everywhere all the time. Life was a disease, and smoking held it temporarily in remission. And drinking? Every ad executive in the neighborhood would head to the bar at lunchtime to prove the maxim: One martini is just right, two are too many, three are not enough.”

Revolutionary Road is a heavy dose of melodrama, but a real one at that. Think it won’t hold up to our times given its ‘50s setting? You’re dead wrong. This is a timeless story told with vicious honesty. It showcases a class-act of people at the top of their games. Hold tight, you’re in for a ride. A+