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Reviews
Knockaround Guys (2001)
It's been done and redone and now overdone
Thirty minutes into this film, I found myself wondering impatiently if anything remotely original was going to ever transpire. Each scene was in fact, just a stereotypical blend of a dozen other gangster films. A young Matty (Barry Pepper) is handed a gun by his uncle Teddy (John Malkovich) and told to finish off the man who ratted his father (Dennis Hopper) out (echoes early scene of The Funeral). When their victim begs, Teddy sadistically cuts out his tongue (a la Reservoir Dogs). Malkovich is a fine actor, but he is treading water here, playing his archetypal "villain" role. In fact his character's name is the same as the merciless gambler he played in Rounders. A brash young pilot friend of Matty's is carrying a bag full of dirty money and runs into the cops (more inferences to Reservoir Dogs). The bag he stashes ends up misplaced (Eight Heads in a Duffle Bag) and the four tough guys wind up in a remote hick town (U-Turn) where the corrupt sheriff plots to kill them and keep the money for himself (Touch of Evil). Matty calls up his mobster father and soon Mafia reinforcements arrive ready to decimate the town (more U-Turn, even a little El Mariachi for good measure). About two thirds through the movie, something original finally presented itself. A tragedy at the hands of Matty's would-be saviors suggests the possibility of an interesting morality tale. But even this falls through as the script feels free to skirt the responsibility of its glorification of the gangsters. The movie was stylish, but very weak. Both Malkovich and Hopper are given thankless roles and have to sit with pertetual scowls on their faces, while the brat pack take up far more screentime than they deserve. Interestingly enough, Vin Diesel does extraordinarily well and outshines the rest of the cast as the strongman with heart. Note to self: This has been done and redone and judging by this last reincarnation, maybe it is best left in peace for awhile.
Gangs of New York (2002)
A strong look at the politics of the era with only one major oversight
I haven't seen Polanski's The Pianist yet, but Adrien Brody had better have given a truly stellar performance to beat out Daniel Day-Lewis at the Oscars. I would go as far to say, Day-Lewis' portrayal of the proud warrior Bill the Butcher was the strongest aspect of the film. He spits out lines like, "I'll paint Paradise Square with his blood...two coats" with a penetrating ferocity matched in recent years perhaps only by Christopher Walken. Even when he recites bad quips like, "that's the minority vote" while pointing to an Irish victim of his, he gives the lines a hellish intensity. As for the other performances, they are good all around, but nowhere near as impressive as Day-Lewis. DiCaprio wisely tones down the Irish accent that could have easily become gimmicky and manages to glower at the camera with enough animosity to at least hold his own beside Day-Lewis if not actually compare. The sets were lavish and startlingly realistic and the movie covers more political ground than I thought possible in its running time of 166 minutes while still keeping a strong grasp on its principle characters.
Scorsese shows even the ugliest aspects of the times with a brutal honesty that is likely to endear the film to more serious viewers. It is because of this, that I found the movie's lack of a major black character particularly problematic. It is not that Scorsese overlooks the racial tensions of the era. In fact, he shows with horrific detail what becomes of the unfortunate blacks in New York City when the immigrants, who have been drafted to fight for emancipation, turn into violent lynch mobs. Because Scorsese is willing to put these events on screen it would seem fair for him to include the trials and tribulations of a major black character. Alas, all we recieve is Jimmy Spoils, a token black character who essentially stands around and says approximately six lines. Scorsese tries to cover up this oversight with a late scene in which Amsterdam (DiCaprio) sees Jimmy a final time and begins to understand the tragedy of the riots. But, we can only sympathize with Jimmy on the shallow level of melodrama, because we know virtually nothing about him. Another smaller concern of mine was Scorsese's choice of modern rock music for the opening fight scene between the Native Americans and Dead Rabbits gangs. Had he continued with modern music for the rest of the film, he would have had something. Something odd and unsettling perhaps, but at least something. But Scorcese opts to cut back to archaic flutes, drums, and orchestratic music after the disconcerting start. Better yet, he could have left the fight music out entirely and selected a heavy percussion set instead. The last thing I would like to mention is Scorsese's over-zealous use of extraneous flashbacks to link the characters to their earlier incarnations of Dead Rabbits. I felt that these were unnecessary since all but the least-conscious of film-goers can recognize the likes of John C. Reilly (Boogie Nights, Magnolia) and Brenden Gleeson(The General). Overall, Scorsese deals out a hard dose of a side of history that has been overlooked for far too long. It's just sad that he did not take the time for one more script revision that would supply Jimmy Spoils with meaningful screen time.
Brown Sugar (2002)
A hip-hop culture/romantic comedy that avoids the gags of both genres
Brown Sugar (2002) could have been retitled Love & Hip-hop if only to simplify matters. Like Love & Basketball, it marries the tried-and-true romantic flick formula to the emergence of mainstream "black" culture. Because of these similarities and the presence of Sanaa Lathan, most viewers will quickly lump Brown Sugar into one of two pools. They will either see it as yet another "black" film about a lifestyle that was once counter-cultural and is now, thanks to MTV, cliched or as one more in a long line of romantic comedies.
This film fits into both categories but is far better than most of its fellow films. The hip-hop culture is a childhood background that has turned into a profitable lifestyle for Dre and Sid, the two main characters. Their careers are products of the American craze for pop culture but their love for hip-hop is strong enough to allow them the hope that they can somehow make a difference in the business. Films with black stars tend either to drown them with imagery of the ghetto (a la Menace II Society, Baby Boy, etc) or completely ignore the African-American element, dress the characters in business suits, and absorb them into the "white" corporate world of success. Brown Sugar does neither. Hip-hop is natural to Dre and Sid and is present in their conversations without being obtrusive. Writer Michael Elliot is wise to let them lead their lives in the corporate world without ever losing their childhood backgrounds.
In the other camp, romantic comedies generally sacrifice character development and plausibility to accomodate the dreaded near-misses, love misunderstandings, and the climatic scene where the man publicly confesses his undying love. For the most part, Brown Sugar steers clear of these pitfalls and remains true to its characters. The movie never pretends that any of its characters are perfect or indeed that any of them are ever sure of any of their emotions. This is not a fairy tale movie where characters have sex because they are in love. This film is more realistic. The characters are young and romantic at heart and for one reason or another, they find sex first. That then leads them to at least the misguided pretense of love. As one character explains it, "put a man and a woman together for long enough and something's bound to happen." Infidelity is shown as a sign of emotional uncertainty not of villainy. Even the best of the characters eventually considers it. But neither Famuyiwa's camera or Elliot's script vilify them for it. The characters earn the viewer's sympathy despite their mistakes and when confronted by their angry spouses, they do try their best to be honest and direct.
The script also avoids the kinds of contrived jealousy traps that most romantic comedies rely on. When one character finally falls for another and acts on his feelings, he is not lead astray by a misunderstanding. He arrives early enough to realize that she has managed to find love elsewhere while he was making up his mind, but too late to do anything about it. Even the public pronouncement of love is cleverly flipped. All in all, this movie should be watched by anyone who has seen one too many weak romantic or African-American comedies and needs to be reminded that a string of bad movies does not ruin a genre.
The Mad Songs of Fernanda Hussein (2001)
A brilliant concept limited only by mediocre acting
To be quite honest, the film is not perfect. But even when it fails on a professional level, it still manages to affect the viewer on a human level, and that I believe is the mark of its potential. Now as America plunges once again into war with Iraq, the film's sentiments speak more boldy than ever. We did not learn our lesson the first time. Let me start with what I disliked about the film, this being primarily the acting. Gianvito spends a good deal of time focusing on the thoughts and fears of the film's three lead characters. Because he is so careful to script these parts into touching human drama, it is unfortunate the acting falls through completely at some of its most important moments. I am reminded of Charlie Sheen in Platoon. Like Platoon, the dialogue here is deep, thoughtful, and occasionally shocking, but the actors say it as flat lines rather than breathing life and heart into it. Interestingly enough, in his cameo role, Gianvito seemed far more authentic than the leads, pulling off one line in particular to a student's father that could easily have fallen flat. Fernanda's caring friend and the old woman who takes the homeless boy under her wing are also played meaningfully and full of conviction. My only major issue with the story itself is the use of drugs and sex to portray the soldier's downward spiral. Drugs, especially, seem to pop up in any movie that requires a character to descend quickly into misery. It can be argued that this was a true occurence among those returning from war, but then why shoot the scene as a hyper-erotic scene of promiscuous sex. The sins of indulgence have become a staple of independent cinema and it's sad to see a film as good as this one bearing these trappings. On the other hand, I was completely absorbed by the docu-drama feel of the film. The shots of children obsessed with G.I. Joe, patriotic apparel, and Desert Storm-themed fireworks gave rise to a sick realization that as a child I had been the same way. And it all felt so innocent back then. The soldiers depicted with guns blazing seemed like comic pictures, not reality. I was also impressed that a large amount of the more successful dialogue is shot interview style. This reinforces and enhanced the stock footage used to show world events. The cinematography of the film is spell-binding. Vast Southwestern landscapes of sandstone and prairie grass stretch out to the infinite blue skies. The characters are shot at long distances, like ants. One scene concerning protestors who burn an effigy, turns into a demonic spectacle that managed to scare me more effectively than any horror film I've viewed in the last couple years. All in all, I have to argue that Gianvito created a concept that was completely original, poignant and significant to both my generation and his own, and limited only by his budget and his reliance on mediocre actors. I sincerely hope that Gianvito is able to gather together enough funding to shoot another film that can incorporate a higher degree of acting.
Marie Baie des Anges (1997)
The Perfect Teen Movie
This is truly a film about what it is like to be a teenager. Nothing is trivialized and none of the characters are "heroes." The protagonist is only that because she is the most interesting and accurate depiction of how a teenager sees life. These children have grown up quickly and at the age of fourteen, they view life with the skepticism of adults but lack the wisdom and the compassion that age garners. To say they are shallow and self-absorbed is a cop-out. Of course they are. That's the point. They see that they have matured physically but fail to realize they are still essentially children psychologically. They are eager to test out their newfound independence and their roles as young adults, particularly with sex. Marie realizes that she can use her body to get what she wants from some of the naval men in the area, but she is still too young to understand the price she is paying for their gifts. Orso has been picking pockets and burglarizing homes for some time and decides to up the ante with by packing a pistol. Their love is not the mature and caring relationship. They are in love the way every teenager is, that is to say that they think they are and with their hormones pounding, who's to say they're wrong. Similar to Kids or Gummo, the film to which it has been likened, Marie Baie des Anges shows the teenage years as a critical period in life. A teenager is still afflicted with the rashness of youth, but their actions suddenly have life-altering consequences.