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Being John Malkovich (1999)
"You don't know how lucky you are being a monkey. Because consciousness is a terrible curse."
This film has a densely layered plot with plenty of insight into the human mind. John Malkovich is a vessel literally and metaphorically. The discovery of the portal amplifies the true nature of each character. Craig, the puppeteer, craves the acceptance of the public for his talent. Lotte, his wife, lives to care for her animals but ultimately wants a child. Maxine, the woman both Lotte and Craig claim to love, believes her beauty is worth the status she lacks. Malkovich is the means by which they believe happiness is possible.
Being John Malkovich is very applicable to this digital age of live celebrity updates and involvement with the public. Many wish they were someone who had more freedom to do whatever they wanted in their relationships, profession, and overall life. Craig, Lotte, and Maxine are all out for themselves: seeing Malkovich as an opportunity and not a human being. Walking in someone else's shoes is traditionally viewed as a chance to understand another person, but in this case it is exploited for narcissistic agendas. Only one character in the movie has true compassion for other human beings, and it is Elijah, their pet monkey.
The American (2010)
The American, or how I watched an alternate version of Drive
The American is a taut, minimalist thriller reminiscent of Le Samourai (1967). The life of an assassin is a lonely one, filled with personal rules to survive through the line of work. Much like the technical thought in building his customized weapon, the film itself is stripped down to a stark realism, and the soundtrack is mostly filled with a large void of ambient noise and silence.
This might be surprising to some, but The American's plot structure and themes are extremely similar to the much more popular Drive. Released almost exactly a year before Drive (both had a September opening), The American follows a similar lonesome working professional who finds love. Note how both Clooney's "Jack" and Gosling's "Driver" rely on the bare minimum to live. A table, his tools and craft are all he needs to get him through the day. Both movies contain minimal dialogue, and what is spoken is pretty much straight to the point.
There are some differences in the main characters. Jack is more about constant suspicion to survive the risks in his profession, whereas the Driver has more loyalty to those around him despite their untrustworthy character. Both main characters commit acts of violence, but the Driver's are more grisly and one of Jack's isn't justifiable. Drive is treated with a romantic glossiness, blaring catchy 80s inspired music and staging beautiful dramatic slow motion set pieces. The American has a colder approach, with realistic short action sequences, more brooding and visualized nuance. Most would prefer Drive, which in its own respect is a solid film, but watching The American is at the very least a comparable piece that differs in presentation and approach.
Our Idiot Brother (2011)
Dumb Love
"I like to think that if you put your trust out there; if you really give people the benefit of the doubt, see their best intentions, people will rise to the occasion."
- Ned
Ned (Paul Rudd) has just been released from a jail term after selling marijuana to a uniformed police man. His three sisters (Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel, and Emily Mortimer) pity him, because his idealist approach to life seems to get him into easily avoidable trouble. Lots of these difficulties start to begin in Ned's sisters' lives when he returns home.
Though this movie appears to be a formulaic laugher involving an ignorant idiot, it is not. The majority of modern released comedies involve no real strong themes, but cookie cut a bunch of gags (and sometimes excessive product placement) to finish with an "everything is okay and back to normal" ending. Characters didn't really earn anything, nothing is truly learned, and all are happy. Our Idiot Brother plays like Ned will learn a thing or two about not doing dumb things, but he actually lives a guilt and shame free life. His honesty and belief in the best of people becomes a reflection of all the characters who come in contact with him. The sisters, his girlfriend, and his nephew's reactions to Ned's nature show more about themselves than Ned.
Paul Rudd is at his best, creating a lovable and good-hearted oaf. His approach modifies the concept of the stupid male protagonist a la Forrest Gump. Instead of having to "fix" all the problems he created, people begin to see where the issues truly come from. Ned's character makes you wonder how different society would be if we lived with a heart as big as his.
The Crow (1994)
A Spectre on Film
Eric Draven and his newlywed wife Shelly are brutally murdered in their apartment. Eric was the first to die, being stabbed, shot and thrown out the window. Shelly was repeatedly raped and beaten by the four culprits, later dying in excruciating pain in the hospital. This is not the end of a story, but the beginning. The Crow is one of the rare comic book films made in the early 90s that holds true to the essence of its source material.
Based off of the popular comic book series by James O'Barr and directed by Alex Proyas, The Crow merges the Gothic with the mythical in a modern backdrop. Even though the movie is set in Detroit, it is extremely stylized with black stone architecture under never ending rainfall. The city seems like it is warped back to the middle ages, where crime has become the institution, and evil is commonplace. Eric Draven comes back not only as a grim reaper, but to give some small measure of hope to the few good people left.
There is a haunting pull of real darkness in this film. This heavy feeling looms because of Brandon Lee's accidental death during filming. There are scenes where body doubles were used to finish shooting, and as the plot progresses to the middle of the film, Draven's face is seen less and less, as if he is more of an apparition than flesh and blood. There is something ominous about seeing shadows and silhouettes in place of a man that already ceased to exist. The Crow is not a horror film, but the menacing acts and the tragic story behind the camera create the atmosphere of one.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
Animated Human Complexity
Outside of the of popular 90s Disney animated movies lies one of the most dark, human, and honest feature films created by this "squeaky clean" production company. The most adult themed content found in other rated G Disney pictures were subliminal and immature sexual allusions. In the Hunchback of Notre Dame, issues of superficial, racial, and religious prejudice are brought out to the forefront for the audience to contemplate.
If it wasn't for the goofy gargoyle characters to lighten up the mood every so often, the world this picture inhabits is quite bleak. Frollo orders the genocide of gypsies because he cannot deal with his lust for Esmeralda. Frollo tries to drop baby Quasimodo down the well before he is caught by the priest. The locals of Paris are portrayed as a fickle mob: in one moment cheering on Quasimodo for who he is, then turning, laughing and ridiculing him moments later. Towards the back end of the movie the people of Paris are again swayed by one speech to revolt against their own officials. Must they always listen and believe whoever is on stage speaking?
What ultimately sets this apart from other Disney films the most is that the main character doesn't get the love interest in the end. Was he only cared for by Esmeralda out of pity? Leave it to Disney to tell kids that saving the day doesn't get the girl. You have to look handsome too.
Lik wong (1991)
Ultra Comedic Violence
Based off the Japanese manga Riki-Oh, Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky is all types of absurd, overly serious, and unintentional hilarity. Riki-Oh Saiga (Siu- Wong Fan) is a young man of superhuman strength and fists as hard as steel. Recently incarcerated in a corporately owned prison in the future (in the year 2001), Riki is caught in a war between the guards and his newly made cell mates.
This film was the first in Hong Kong to receive a certified category III rating for violence (equivalent to an NC-17 rating), and at the time it was considered extremely graphic and shocking. Presently, the over the top gore and ultra violence play out effectively as unintentional comedy. What sets this so-bad-it's-good movie from just a bad movie is that Riki- Oh provides many creative varieties to which the violence is delivered. From the rubber dummy gore doubles to a resourceful attack using entrails, this cult film has something for everyone!
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
Directly under the influence.
Paranoid, unpredictable and out of control, Raoul Duke (Johnny Depp) and his lawyer Dr. Gonzo (Benicio Del Toro) venture through a drug bender in Las Vegas. Adapted from the legendary journalist's book of the same title, Hunter S. Thompson's real life experiences and Terry Gilliam's strong direction create a marriage in psychedelic heaven. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas delivers all of the drugged up wackiness of a binge gone too long and taken too far.
To the inexperienced with psychedelics, most of this film probably won't make sense on a few levels. There isn't much of a discernible plot: stuff happens, but nothing truly develops logically. Dialogue is spoken, but most of it doesn't seem important except the narration. Francis Ford Coppola famously stated that Apocalypse Now, "...is not about Vietnam...it is Vietnam." Fear and Loathing isn't a film about drugs, it is a drug.
Much like the desired and adverse effects of taking too much LSD or smoking too much marijuana, there are two major tones in the film: The fear, then the loathing. The adventure begins as they start the drive into Vegas. The fear sets in as they arrive to check into the first of many hotel rooms. The acid kicks in, and Duke panics when he concludes he is too gone to deal with the check in lady. This continues with many funny and baked results. Then the mood shifts into a darker, much more menacing half where lines are crossed and the altered states feel inescapable.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas isn't just about the hallucinogenic trip either. It draws parallels to an era of transition from the 1960s to the 1970s. After the drug trip, the movie concludes as if it all was a prolonged haze of confusion in a city with empty promises of the American Dream. Drug culture became more of an escape from the brutal realities than a movement for peace and love.
Requiem for a Dream (2000)
Take a tour through the intensifying horror of consuming addiction.
Requiem for a Dream follows the lives of four individuals who use drugs on Coney Island. As their dependency grows, their relationships start to set them apart. Each person develops their own unique brand of personal hell.
All of Darren Aronofsky's past work has an underlying theme of obsession. In Black Swan, a ballerina puts everything including her mental stability on the line for the pursuit of perfection. In The Fountain, a doctor struggles through space and time to cure death. In Pi, a mathematician pushes the limits researching a number that could serve as the blueprint of the universe. Requiem for a Dream is no exception, following Harry (Jared Leto), his girlfriend Marion (Jennifer Connelly), and his friend Tyrone (Marlon Wayans) as they live out the life of heroin addicts. Harry's mother (Oscar nominated Ellen Burstyn) finds herself on a different fix, but the outcomes of all four characters are horrible and painful to watch.
The style of the film is polished and cut frequently (it has more than double the cuts of an average movie). One of the most distinguishing aesthetics of Requiem for a Dream is the clever use of split screen. The dual screen isn't presented to show collages of multiple actions in plot, but to illustrate the mental divide between each person. Even though a connection seems to be present in certain scenes, the characters are separated by their true motives and growing individual dependencies.
As beautifully and creatively put together this film is (the soundtrack is iconic as well), it is ironic that the majority of people watching already know the horrors of doing hard drugs. Requiem would be far more effective as a movie about self destructive substances to teens, but because of the explicit sex, language and violence it will never happen. If it were to be used in place of drug education videos, you certainly wouldn't see a classroom of sleepy eyed students waiting for the bell to ring.