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Reviews
The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)
Command Performance from Thornton in Dark Coen Film
Contains Spoilers "The Man Who Wasn't There" is the best film noir Hollywood has offered since Pleasantville (1998), but that may not be saying much. The problem is the film lacks punch and takes too long in developing its dark main point about a plain-spoken barber (Thornton) who just can't seem to get noticed.
Thornton's barber Frank Kane is about as quiet and shy as they come. While other barbers cut hair, chat, cut hair, and gossip some more, Kane just cuts hair. He tells you that in the film.
Kane isn't dumb though. He notices things. He notices for example, the four or five specific cuts he applies to kids and whether he has cut their hair. He knows his clientele.
Kane also notices that his wife Doris (Frances McDormand) is having an affair with Big Dave Brewster (played by James Gandolfini of "The Sopranos). Kane wants to get back at them and devises a scheme where he can blackmail Dave out of ten thousand dollars and pay for an investment venture on dry cleaning. (Keep in mind this is set in the 50's, so that isn't such a bad idea back then)
So everything's going fine until something goes wrong... Dave gets killed and Doris is blamed. But Kane knows who did it and he's not exactly telling.
The plot is fairly straightforward but the film does a lot with point of view. It's not who committed the crime that is interesting, but, like in any Coen brothers' film, in the characters. The most interesting character is of course Thornton.
Not unlike Henry Fonda's character in another film noir, Alfred Hitchcock's "The Wrong Man," The Coens show how a plain, quiet generally uninteresting character can be extremely interesting in being ordinary. That is what is so incredible about Thronton's performance. He is straightlaced throughout. Never has much emotion, even when he finds out his wife is having an affair. He doesn't seem to care that much on the surface.
Perhaps what keeps us so intrigued is that we are so clueless why. Why doesn't he act like he cares. But when you watch Thornton's performance, it's obvious he does, that he plays a conniving character who feels plenty of emotions-- just none he expresses.
But the film, all in black and white, misses its own point. If Frank is so interesting for being unnoticed, for just fitting in, why then near the end of the film is he so important then? Why is he noticed then?
The Coens seem to drive just up to the edge of brilliance but then drop right off the cliff. The Coens-- so incredible in their story in Miller's Crossing and Fargo--- so off in their story in The Big Lebowski-- give you half of one here. It's almost brilliant, but not enough. But expect Thornton to be up for an Oscar nomination for his performance. If you like great acting, watch him. It's there. But even with a good script and a strong supporting cast, you still walk out of the film wishing there was more (or less) to it.
Under the Skin (1997)
Samantha Morton's Breakout Performance
"Under the Skin" could be simply, though inaccurately summarized as simply the story of two sisters dealing with the death of their mother, with one sister becoming sexually loose as a means of escapism.
But the story runs much deeper than that. Samantha Morton plays the British version of a sexually "used" American male. She frets about calling a lover, she is mistreated when she does. She makes bad decisions in choosing lovers, and loses in the end with most of them.
"Under the Skin" presents a realistic portrayal of how sexual escapism only does so much, how it only paints the faintest of illusions of comfort and companionship. It is only a silkscreen for the real problems of the need for emotional as well as sexual fulfillment as part of companionship.
What makes Morton's portrayal so powerful is its complexity of character. Following her mother's death, Morton's character goes through a series of transformations. First she is the doer, the chooser. It is she who walks out on her boyfriend, she who decides to also cheat on him, she who sleeps with whatever man she wants.
It is Iris, Morton's character who is in control, while her sister Rose is an emotional wreck. She is having a baby, she thinks her husband fancies Iris, she is concerned about her appearance, her weight, and she can't find mum's ashes.
All of this is especially sad because she is mum's favorite daughter.
But then everything changes when Iris is mistreated by several lovers, one of whom physically humiliates and abuses her.
She tries to go back to her boyfriend but finds he doesn't want her. She is left without any money and has no one to turn to except her poor sister.
It is during these series of transformations from power to humiliation that Morton shines. It is no wonder many have called this the film that made her a UK star. It is the film's frankness and realism that is attention-grabbing as well. A true window to the world of random hook-ups. Love isn't very easy to find after all.
The Wind in the Willows (1983)
Cartoon Movie A Reminder of When 'Toons Were Great
"Wind in the Willows," a 1987 tv movie was brilliantly made, brilliantly casted, and was a departure from more commercialistic cartoons of its day.
This film starred Roddy McDowell and Jose Ferrer in the roles of Ratty and Badger, respectively in this children's classic. Whereas other cartoons of the '80's promoted products like action games (Q-bert) or toys (GI Joe) this cartoon movie does none of the above and is as well done as a Disney film.
The great performances from the actors are given an assist from a memorable score with a classic "Wind in the Willows" theme song: "Soon, soon you will forget," it goes, "The wind in the willow turns frolic to fret." There's also a song on Mr.Toad that's pretty catchy.
But what's best about this film is that it stay pretty true to the book "Wind in the Willows." Often times, a movie made from a book, especially a cartoon eschews the book to a degree that renders the translation unrecognizable from its original form.
But this version, enjoyable for kids or adults does not. It shows off the characters of Badger, Mole, Ratty, and Toad as representative of certain virtues or failings, much to the author's original intent. Toad is rich but wasteful as well as boastful; Ratty is full of wanderlust; Badger is unsociable but brave and smart; Mole is industrious and friendly. And the Wildwood is forever scary, forboding, mysterious-- everything a forest of fiction is supposed to be.
But together, the characters find they are inseparable-- in some way or another each character needs the others-- and this cartoon movie brings that out. There is a sense of community there among them, to the point that we non-animated humans could learn a little something from these characters!
True, the quality of animation isn't exactly Disney's finest, and some of the human cartoon characters are annoying to watch--especially when up against the animals, but viewers will ignore that in a heartbeat.
I saw this first when I was ten years old, I watched it again when I was 14, and if I still had it on video I would watch it again today. One of the best-- including Disney-- cartoons I have ever seen.