I'm Anxious To Find Out Where Insanity Ends And Evil Begins: Shadows and Fog (1991)

Woody Allen is a craftsmen in the world of comedy, delicately composing films that seriously deal with existential ennui in the most absurd of ways.  His 1991 homage to German Expressionism is certainly an example of this from its shadowy cinematography to its narrative, which is irrevocably preoccupied with death.  The film has a few laughs, more than its share of philosophical pondering and a cast of Hollywood's most respected outsiders.  It has, like so many of Allen's films, the perfect blend of artistic distance and mainstream accessibility making it a film that is easily enjoyed by a multitude of viewers.  It is one of Allen's lesser known works, but certainly one of his best to date.

The film consists of multiple interconnected stories, each of which relates to a local killer strangling innocent bystanders.  In classic Allen fashion the film centers around a man named Kleinman, played by Woody Allen.  He, against his own discretion, is a member of a vigilante group set out to catch and kill the murderer, and as such has been summoned to find the killer.  Meanwhile, a traveling circus is in town, one that is quite reminiscent of Tod Browning's Freaks.  Two of the circus members are couple Irmy (Mia Farrow) and the Clown (John Malcovich) who after yet another argument have decided to spend the night apart, leading the confused Irmy to a brothel, led by a garrulous Madame (Kathy Bates).  This allows Irmy to meet fledgling academic Jack (John Cusack), who after one moment of lovemaking falls in love with her and seeks her companionship again.  However, at this point Irmy meets Kleinman and they unintentionally attempt to find the killer, which in the end leads to Kleinman briefly trapping him, with the help of the circus musician.  In the end of the film the characters arguably remain the same, Kleinman is alone, Irmy remains in an unhappy relationship and the killer goes on killing.  It is Allen style existentialism at its finest, no resolution...only despair.

One of the genius elements of this film is its commentary on the sensationalizing of murderers and crime sprees.  Each character shown is existing within their daily lives, the fact that a murderer roams the city is arbitrary to their actions, in fact many of them move through the night ignoring this issue.  It is a film concerned with minutia as opposed to grand ideas.  Yet it reminds viewers that the individual existence is truly arbitrary and can disappear instantaneously with little explanation or reason.  It also shows the futility of planning for, or studying, the unknown.  The films doctor, Kleinman and even the couple attempt to rationalize their actions only to discover that detailed planning only results in disappointment.  In the vein of Allen's auteurist tendencies it is a film that posits assuming the worse, because good things rarely happen, and if they do it is only briefly.

I will only recommend this film to die hard Woody Allen fans, or people who appreciate expressionist filmmaking.  If not it is just another film that has moments of laughter, and brief exposes into self-worth and the human existence.

You Cannot Run From This, It Will Follow You: Paranormal Activity (2007)

I felt that after The Blair Witch project and its use of the "found footage" method nothing would prove as successful or as scary as that film.  I was wrong; Cloverfield used the same filming style and became a standout film upon its release.  However, when approaching Paranormal Activity, I expected little more than a domestic version of Blair Witch...oh how I was mistaken.  Oren Peli's psychological approach to a personal phobia results in an eerie film that, while not brilliantly acted is without a doubt one of the scarier films I have seen in the past few years.  It combines the suspense of any high budget horror movie, yet sparsely uses special effects and manages to pace itself much better.  Furthemore unlike many of its contemporaries Paranormal Activity delves into the human psyche and its preoccupation with the unseen, even if what we want to discover proves to be deathly.

The film, as noted earlier, sets itself up as a "found footage" documentary.  It follows Micah (Micah Sloat) and his girlfriend Katie (Katie Featherston) as they attempt to videotape and record audio of a entity that Katie clams to be haunted by.  Of course, in classic horror fashion Micah finds this to be absurd but plays along with the ordeal with hopes of creating different types of videos with Katie.  Slowly through reviewing the video, and using various avenues of demonic communication Katie and Micah discover that their house is indeed possessed by a demon, one that desires to possess Katie and maim Micah.  Despite their best efforts to escape the unseen demon, Micah and Katie fall victim to it in what may be one of the best closing scenes to a horror film I have ever seen, and in found footage fashion the film simply ends, no credits and little explanation for the aftermath of Katie.

I will admit up front that I may be reading too much into this film, but I cannot help but feel that it was intended to be something far more analytical than a simple horror film.  I think Peli envisioned the film to be a commentary on the public nature of relationships in a society that is growing more technologically invasive with each day that passes.  The film shows the downfall of their relationship, using the demon as a metaphor for jealously, distrust and animosity.  No matter what the couple does, one thing is certain, they cannot escape the gaze of the camera.  The intervention of friends only prove to divide Micah and Katie, as it becomes a point of contention over who is properly dealing with the demonic issues.  In a moment of brilliance, Peli has a psychologist/psychic visit the house only to admit that he is of no use to this couple, not only in regards to their demon possession, but for their decaying relationship as well.  While the ending is certainly an unlikely outcome for a splintering relationship, it does serve to show that such divisions can prove drastic if not properly dealt with.  This film is primarily a horror film, but it serves a secondary purpose as an eye into contemporary romance its how easily love can falter in the face of obstacles.

This movie is intense and may prove too much for the faint of heart.  However, it is a sound horror film and certainly a new convention in the genre.  It is sad to see the director going in the route of multiple sequels, but this is certainly a stand-alone work worth owning for horror and film buffs alike.

Top Ten Thursdays: Film Noir

I have decided to do something different with my Thursday posts, partly to get more Google Search results, but also for a point of reference to future questions about favorite films in various genres or by certain directors.  Given this, I plan to create a top ten list each Thursday with a theme, and for the inaugural week I have decided to go with my personal favorite genre film noir.  As you may know film noir is distinguished by its gritty style, heavy shadowing and often crime related narrative.  However, these films often focus on existential crises, particularly as to how a single person justifies their existence in an indifferent world of contingency and chance.  Most of these films are brutal, offer little sign of redemption and posit a cheating wins ideology, particularly for seductive women and shrewd underworld bosses.  Here, after much consideration is my top ten list for the genre of film noir:

10. D.O.A. (1950)

This is the quintessential noir film.  It involves shootouts, corrupt police work and most importantly a futile death of the main character. 

9. Pulp Fiction (1994)

Quentin Tarantino's homage to the genre is to date one of the best, and most well known, noir movies.

8. The Long Goodbye (1973)

Elliot Gould playing the role of Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe results in one of the hippest movies of the 1970's

7. Detour (1945)

One of the lesser known film noir masterpieces, Detour provides the prime example of arbitrary interactions which have dismal consequences, and at only an hour and some change it packs a quick and heavy punch.

6. The Killing (1956)

One of two film noir offerings by the great Stanley Kubrick, The Killing is a brilliant study in the intricacies, and fallacies, of underworld heist groups.

5. The Maltese Falcon (1941)

The Maltese Falcon is perhaps the most prolific of film noir movies, particularly given that it combines the work of both Humphrey Bogart and Peter Lorre, each known for other movies involving inner city turmoil.

4. Touch of Evil (1958)

This is Orson Welles' vision of crime, no elaboration needed.

3. Kiss Me Deadly (1955)

This is a textbook film noir in every sense...excluding its post apocalyptic ending of course.

2. Blade Runner (1982)

Ridley Scott's fantasy neo-noir is a how-to course in cinematography and narrative, with one of the greatest monologues in film ever.

1. The Naked City (1948)

Jules Dassin is the auteur of film noir; his works combine the intimacies of the individual and their ultimate downfall as it relates to an unyielding and indifferent city.  This movie proved so successful that a television series emerged to help tell rest of the eight million stories in The Naked City.







Honorable Mention:

M (1931)
Double Indemnity (1944)
Breathless (1960)
Dark City (1998)
The Departed (2006)

Hi, Are You In There?: Everything Must Go (2010)

As a comedic actor, Will Ferrell is boisterous, abrasive and condescending.  Yet when he takes on serious roles this childish demeanor becomes tragically real, as is the case with Dan Rush's inaugural film Everything Must Go.  The film does not offer anything new to the middle aged drunken failure narrative, nor does it display the medium of dark comedy in any new or unusual way.  Yet, the film works harmoniously to show one man's struggle to rediscover life after losing everything and realizing that it is when a person has nothing that they are in a position to truly give everything. Everything Must Go is a soundly made film that benefits from veteran actors, a heartfelt soundtrack and the right dash of indie style cinematography.  It is an enjoyable film that at no point tries to overpower its viewers, but instead offers them a window into one man's rise and fall.

The basic premise of the film is that Nick Halsey (Will Ferrell) becomes a middle aged unemployed man after yet another work related skirmish that was directly tied to alcohol abuse.  This problem is only exacerbated by coming home to find his belongings strew across his yard, as a result of his wife leaving him.  This combination of bad luck leads Nick to undertake a drunken stupor in his front yard in rebellion.  His refusal to reconcile the situation is quickly ended when he is informed by his AA Coach Frank (Michael Pena) that it is illegal for him to reside outside of his residence.  Fortunately, Nick is able to salvage a few days of life on his lawn by running a yard sale.  In the process, Nick befriends a young boy Kenny (Christopher Jordan Wallace) who reminds him that learning and growing are continual processes, even in ones later years.  Nick eventually recovers and after another round of devastating news and decides to move on with his life, even if it means starting over clean.

The film is very reminiscent of Eastern philosophy, particularly notions of Karma and cyclical life experiences.  Nick represents the particularly bad person, who eventually receives punishment in the form of job and love loss.  However, in classic Hindu fashion, his choice to be good and promote positive actions result in favorable experiences as his karmic energy changes.  More importantly, however, are the notions that life is truly a continual flow of ups and downs, to steal from Eastern ideas it is an inexplicable series of Yin and Yang days.  Nick realizes this truth not when looking at himself, but instead when visiting an old high school friend Delilah (Laura Dern), who after having brief luck now resides in his town with two children alone.  She is the aftermath of Nick's experiences and serves as a reminder to him that even if life is currently miserable it is his choice to accept the fate or to correct it through positive actions.  He is reminded of his possibility for good nature as Delilah points it out to be something he undertook quite regularly in the past.  It is a story of loss and gain, both physical and spiritual and could be easily missed for those only skimming the film at the surface level.

This film is likely still in theaters in much of the U.S. and is certainly enjoyable.  Despite being a blatant commercial for PBR it is well worth watching and picking up when its released on DVD.

I Have Seen Beauty Thrive In The Most Fragile Of Places: The Secret of Kells (2009)

Prior to seeing this film, I had held an opinion that the only people producing spectacular children's movies these days was Pixar.  However, I this spurt of ethnocentrism was been corrected upon viewing the English version of The Secret of Kells.  Relying very little on CGI, this animated film instead creates a world of vivid watercolors and dark chalked out nightmares that rival the big budget films of Hollywood animation studios.  Furthermore, the film brilliantly combines very simple commentary on the wrongs of destroying the environment with deep pondering on childhood and the loss of innocence to create a movie that is enjoyable for both children and adults.  Next to Wall-E and the works of Hayao Miyazaki, The Secret of Kells is the most prominent thing to happen to animation since Toy Story.

The film is rather simplistic in its plot given its nature.  However, simplicity by no means implies an uninteresting film.  In fact this is a rather well perfected coming-of-age tale, complete with a disapproving parental figure, a "grass is greener" belief, and even the sting of loss necessary for proper maturity.  The film itself follows one Brendan (Evan McGuire) as he longs to become a master illuminator in his village.  His Uncle Abbot Cellach (Brendan Gleeson), however, finds the act of illumination to be futile in the face of a Viking attack which will, undoubtedly, destroy their village.  Fortunately for Brendan, a famed illuminator visits the village and teaches him his own techniques, some of which include his venturing outside the village walls, where after a near death experience he meets Aisling (Christen Mooney), a sprite who claims to own the forest.  What follows is a battle between Brendan's desires to become one with the natural world and his Cellach's forceful protection, which inevitably leads to a loss of not only the forest, but Cellach as well when he sacrifices himself to help Brendan pursue the power of the image.

It is the idea that words and ideas can prove more powerful than actions that drives this film.  A simple message that is easily grasped by children and appreciated by adults.  It is obvious that Cellach represents the oppressive nature of warfare, while Brendan and his mentors represent people of thought and compassion.  Brendan learns while working on manuscripts that he is inextricably tied to the natural world and that no amount of brick walls can protect nature from intruding, as Aisling proves when she uses the wind to free him from the tower.  As many great thinkers come to realize, change often requires destruction.  Cellach is unable to appreciate the power of the natural world to change things until it is far to late, and in a sobering moment looks upon Brendan's illuminations and cries at their beauty.  It is in this loss, however, that Brendan realizes that he must commit his soul to proclaiming the gloriousness of beauty and infuses himself into his work.  Brendan's own Book of Kells posits a rejuvenation and rebirth of the world, remind the viewers that even after the most devastating losses one can grow and begin again.

This is a beautiful film.  It is what children should be watching as opposed to half the crap that is released these days.  However, it is certainly a great movie for adults as well, and I would recommend watching it on Netflix or grabbing a Blu-ray copy before it undeservedly falls to the wayside.

First There Was Darkness, Then Came The Strangers: Dark City (1998)

For a multitude of reasons, some very good films fall under the radar in favor of superior films.  Usually this occurs in a year with a significantly large amount of good movies.  The 1998 film Dark City is certainly an example of this, because not only is it a beautiful film, it is also a rather poignant statement on the state of human souls in a world destroyed by industrialization.  It is a multi-coursed cinematic feast complete with excellent acting, flashy action sequences and state-of-the-art special effects.  With the exception of Terry Gilliam few directors can pull of such feats, yet in Dark City Alex Proyas does all these things and so much more.

 This neo-noir film follows a cast of characters in a city that is always plagued with darkness.  The main character is one John Murdoch (Rufus Sewell), who appears to have lost all of his memories with the exception of a strong bond to Shell Beach.  As becomes evident, however, Murdoch’s memories, like those of the whole of Dark City are fabrications by a group of wraith like aliens on a quest for the perfect soul.  Through a manipulative practice known as “tuning” these aliens wipe and exchange people’s memories, occupations and even living quarters as if it were a simulation game, complete with its own microcosm for Earth.  However, Murdoch, with the help of a cast of other characters, most importantly Dr. Schreber (Keifer Sutherland), discovers that even if his memories are fabricated his emotions remain, and through ambition and his own perfection of the “tuning” process, he is able to create a city of his own memories, complete with the Shell Beach of days gone by.

One of the blatant critiques to emerge from this film is its dismissal of patriarchy.  The aliens, all of which appear to be male and refer to themselves with the surname Mr, control Murdoch and the other residents of Dark City.  In this sense, the film is obviously approaching issues of emotionless oppression under the logic driven patriarchal framework.  One that is concerned with a collective memory that is ironically portrayed as an old pale white male, as opposed to individual experience which in Dark City includes women, persons of color and even the disabled.  It shows that soul and beauty cannot come from pure brainpower, which in the film is literally parasitic and devours any opposition.  Instead, as Murdoch explains to one of the aliens in its moment of death to find the human soul one should look to the heart, not to the head.

This is the best contemporary Blu-ray I have seen to date.  It is well worth seeing purely for its cinematic value, but be assured that the story is quite good on its own and deserves more recognition than it seems to have.  Do yourself a favor and buy a copy immediately.

Loneliness Isn't A Cause of Death: Made in U.S.A (1966)

Jean-Luc Godard's film career is divided into two distinct eras.  The films made as a member of The French New Wave and his political movies that comprise the remainder of his career thus far.  Made in U.S.A is one of the films that serves as a transition between these two eras.  It has the erratic nature, jump cuts and poetic flow of Breathless but also maintains the disconnect, verbosity and Marxism of his later works.  Godard's color palate splashes off the screen as if to recreate a 1940's Hollywood poster, or an equally similar soviet propaganda poster.  The film's use of blood is rampant, yet so stylized that it seems to mock the act of violence in both film and real life as child's play.  It is Godard at his best, making both beautiful film and fine-tuned political statements simultaneously.

Made in U.S.A. is incoherent, but that is to be expected from Godard.  However, the basic story is of Paula Nelson's (Anna Karina) quest to find the whereabouts of her husband Mr.P..., who she discovers to be dead.  However, in between this Paula murders a blackmailer, philosophizes over whiskey and stares despondently into the camera.  To explain anymore would be to ruin the film, because Godard as a filmmaker relies on his image to speak, not the narrative as it is written on paper.  In fact, Godard was infamous for creating dialogue on the fly and this film certainly reflects it with its heavy use of repetition, musical interludes and mimic gestures.  

The politics are what make this movie, particularly as they relate to bureaucracy and its affects of crime and punishment.  In the bar scene, viewers are reminded about the arbitrary nature of language and how by simply rearranging a sentence an item or action become illogical.  Similarly, all of the characters act on their own self-interests.  Nelson feigns interest in detectives, using her sexuality to deter her arrest, literally using her high hell as a sign of femininity to kill a man and eventually steal a gun.  The breaking of glass with her high heel reflects the perfection of femininity becoming a force of dominance over masculinity, particularly the phallic gun.  However, Nelson also uses her genius to escape the law when she agrees to help a young man write his never-ending novel in exchange for keeping quite about the murder.  The cops are by no means productive and often act in contradictory manners throughout the film.  The brilliance comes in Godard's use of a song, which continually mentions the loss of children and the tears that are a result.  Godard is reminding viewers that the hierarchy of power in a bureaucratic nation may prove nicely for the masses, but it still leaves large groups ignored and impoverished.   The brilliance of this film comes not only in its message but in its cool, hip and unconventional delivery, something that Godard has arguably lost in the recent years.

This is a must own for lovers of French cinema or political cinema for that nature.  It is a guide to controversial filmmaking and has moments of sheer hilarity that even the most anti-French person can find funny.  Criterion has done a great job with their transfer and I am hoping for a Blu-ray upgrade soon.