REEL REVIEW: Rachel Getting Married (2008) ***1/2

written by: Jenny Lumet

Produced by: Jonathan Demme, Neda Armian, & Marc E. Platt

directed by: Jonathan Demme

rated R (for language and brief sexuality. )

114 min.

Watching "Rachel Getting Married" is to attend her wedding. You literally feel like a fly, buzzing from wall to wall as you take everything from the preparation to the post wedding cool down. Disregarding any formulaic conventions, here is an intoxicating drama that is truthful, painful, humorous and genuine.

Recently on leave from rehab to attend her sister's wedding, self-absorbed narcissist Kym (Anne Hathaway) returns to her well-off Connecticut family for a few days. It's hard enough for a recovering addict to return home, but thrust into the chaos of a weekend wedding ceremony, everything and everyone is especially heightened. At first, the sisters show genuine endearment for each another. While Rachel (Rosemary DeWitt) does her best to accept Kym for who she is, it is obvious there is tension in their relationship. Their father Paul (Bill Irwin) does not know how to act around Kym other than to dote or walk on eggshells. It's an awkward situation all around, especially for Paul's wife, Carol (Anna Deveare Smith) who doesn't seem to have a respected voice in the family despite being the rock for Paul over the years. The girls' relationship with their estranged mother (Debra Winger) is also an added stressor, portrayed as awkward, at best, throughout the film. As the camera walks us through each room of the house, we meet new friends and family that will take part in the wedding but we also can't help wonder when the next emotional eruption will occur. Looming over all of the them like the elephant in the house, is the family's past tragedy that occurred many years previously, for which Kym is responsible.

Without really knowing any other way and unable to deal with the spotlight on someone else, Kym adds tension to what would ideally be a time of celebration. Demme is careful not to portray Kym as the problem adult-child, or as a one-dimensional thorn in everyone's side. She may not know what to do in such a critical moment in her life but we at least see her try. As we see her deal with her demons, she is also devastated that Rachel has chosen someone else as her maid of honor and tries to maintain her local rehab meetings over the weekend. Unfortunately, for everyone, she comes across as narcissistic, vomiting raw emotion hardly anyone can understand. Needless to say, this leaves Rachel an emotional wreck during what should be the most important day of her life.

Not since "The Godfather" have we seen such a realistic depiction of what people do and say at a wedding, not to mention how they act. Like that Coppola classic, the wedding itself takes place at the family's house which becomes a character in and of itself. Several interesting supporting characters are introduced as either friends or family of the bride and groom. All come across as real people, far from the typical catty bridesmaids or frat brother groomsmen we so often see in rom-coms. These characters are unarguably genuine, especially Sidney (Tunde Adebimpe), the gentle and talented groom who sings Neil Young's Unknown Legend as his wedding vow. Kieran (Mather Zinkel), is his best man, who who has also been in rehab but is now clean. Ironically, Kym finds Kieran in the same local rehab meeting even before she finds out his "best man" status. Both men are seen as quite, patient support systems for the sisters of growing contention.

Many of these supporting cast members form the band that compose the soundtrack of the film which becomes yet another integral character. Demme gathers a community of ragtag musicians and artists (like Robyn Hitchcock and Fab 5 Freddy) and lets them saunter throughout the house, rehearsing for the wedding. They are left to interact and exist with the main characters in a rare and natural style, the likes of which are rarely seen on film.

Hathaway earns her Oscar nomination but the more challenging role went to DeWitt as Rachel. She has so much more to do. She's the bride going through all the commotion of a wedding weekend while at the same time she is challenging with her feelings toward Kym. She wants Kym to feel involved, loved, but Kym doesn't make it easy. We've seen addicts before but so seldom do we see a sibling struggle with how to be their for someone she loves without losing their mind. In the role of Rachel, DeWitt is more memorable and impressive.

There have been several complaints about the HD handheld camera that Demme employs for the rehearsal and wedding ceremonial. Some of said it's nauseating or like watching old home video footage. Some even say that the toasting sequence at the rehearsal dinner is excruciatingly long. They're missing out. They don't realize that Demme is actually benefiting the story and the characters by approaching these scenes in this fashion. Demme's wandering cameras expose raw and unfiltered characters with an appropriate closeness. The liberates him to focus on moments of discomfort, following Kym's determination to be in the limelight as she forces her self-centered behavior into uncomfortable areas of confession and humiliation.

We have all heard the phrase "there's one in every family" which refers to those relatives that are a challenge to be around or communicate with. These family members may be going through a variety of emotions and/or dealing with difficult situations and often unknowingly drag everyone around them down with them. Writer Jenny Lumet (daughter of Sidney) must know families, for all we know she could even be drawing from her own. What she and director Jonathan Demme do here is expose just how those siblings, daughters, fathers and estranged mothers deal or not deal with whatever familial sheen they inevitable wear. After all, sheen does eventually wear off to reveal what really lies beneath.

The Skinny:

• The film opened the 65th Venice International Film Festival. The film also opened in Canada's Toronto Film Festival on September 6, 2008
• The screenplay was written by Lumet. daughter of director Sidney Lumet and granddaughter of Lena Horne. Lumet, a junior high school drama teacher, has written four earlier screenplays, but this was the first to be produced.
• The film and was shot in Stamford, Connecticut in a naturalistic, documentary style. The working title for the film was originally Dancing with Shiva, but was officially changed to Rachel Getting Married.
• It was Sidney Lumet himself who approached Demme about his daughter Jenny's script.
• The kid playing the guitar in the film is actually Demme's son.
• Filming took 33 days and occurred in late 2007.
• Demme had wanted to work with Anne Hathaway ever since he spotted her in a crowd at a screening five years earlier. He immediately took her in consideration for the role of Kym.
• Hathaway later said of her first reading Lumet's script: "I was in my old apartment in the West Village [Manhattan], just pacing back and forth between the kitchen table and the couch. I somehow wound up on the floor sobbing by the last page."
• DeWitt was considered by the film's casting directors. Demme and the rest of the crew were impressed and immediately wanted her to play Rachel.
• Bill Irwin is one of Demme's dear friends and neighbor.
• Irwin is also an accomplished circus performer, often performs in musicals is one of the actors on Sesame Street who has portrayed Mr. Noodle for Elmo's World.
• Tunde Adebimpe's role, Sidney, was originally offered to American film director Paul Thomas Anderson while he was working on the post-production of the movie "There Will Be Blood."
• Adebimpe is the lead singer/muscian for the popular art-rock band TV on the Radio.
• Demme was concerned about Debra Winger's interest in doing the film, but he pumped up his courage to ask her because they had met several times before at the Jacob Burns Center, a film center close to their homes. Winger later accepted the role of Abby.
• A diverse array of musicians, actually played by director Jonathan Demme's son Brooklyn and his friends, attend Rachel's wedding performing both before and after the ceremony. Various musical soundtrack themes are played "live" during the film.
• Jenny Lumet spent about 7 weeks writing the script. It was her first to be made into a film, even though it was the writer's 5th screenplay.
• The dishwasher scene was based on an actual event involving Sidney Lumet and Bob Fosse.
• Childhood photos of Anne Hathaway's younger brother Thomas served as photos of Ethan in the film.
  

REEL REVIEW: District 9 (2009) ***1/2

written by: Neill Blomkamp & Terri Tatchell produced by: Peter Jackson directed by: Neill Blomkamp "District 9" is worthy of becoming the sleeper sci-fi hit of the summer. It may resemble aspects of previous films but for a change it's not a prequel, sequel, remake or reboot. Why, in that sense, it may even be considered refreshing. For a movie made on a small budget of $30 million, consisting of no-name actors and an even lesser-known South African-born director, that's quite an accomplishment. The film starts out in a documentary style fashion and then lays out an imaginative story set in a unique landscape. For over two decades, an enormous spaceship has mysteriously made its home hovering over Johannesburg, South Africa. The residents became accustomed to living in the shadow of this behemoth, yet there were questions looming. How and why did this ship arrive on Earth? It's unclear how it lost gas and parked itself above this particular city back in 1982. It didn't take long though for the government to jimmy their way in. There they found a hurt, hungry, and destitute alien species in need of a home. A familiar state for many refugees who make their way to another civilization but quite an unfamiliar sight for us humans. Initially, there was a well-intentioned alien integration effort attempted but that didn't last long. The aliens soon experienced human prejudice, poverty and the apartheid policies of the time which already segregating nonwhites. To the working class locals, the aliens have become not just an unpredictable threat but quite a financial drain as well. A portion of their tax-paying dollars are spent providing for District 9, the shantytown ghetto the aliens have been assigned to reside in. Regardless of their mental and technological advances, they are labeled "Prawns" due to their offensive, crustacean-like appearance. While they can speak our language and can walk as we do, they resemble a cockroach/shrimp hybrid that is quite disgusting. This and their love for cat food doesn't make for good alien PR much less help in amicable inter-species relations. Over time, as the human complaints rise, the restlessness and anger of the aliens come to a boil as well. Something had to be done. That's where private-interest corporation Multi- National United (MNU) are brought in to try to sell the aliens on relocating to District 10, a "better location", otherwise known as concentration camps. We soon see pencil-pushing bureaucrat Wikus van der Merwe (Sharlto Copley), married to the boss' daughter (Vanessa Hayword), assigned as the supervising field agent of this forced eviction. Wikus comes across as an almost likable company guy, happy to follow through with his mission regardless of whose life it costs. Surrounded the MNU military police and cameramen, he exudes an expected air of prejudice and arrogance. We see a layer of fear and apprehension underneath his facade that is inevitably revealed in a most harrowing way. Through a careless mishap, Wikus is thrust into a life-changing transformation that sends him on the run, becoming Joburg's most wanted man. Not to give too much away but it soon becomes quite clear that everyone wants a piece of him, literally. From the MNU military leader Koobus (David James) and the weapon-hungry corporate heads, to the Nigerian smugglers that call District 9 home, it seems he has no one to turn to except those which he sought to evict. Wikus forms an awkward alliance out of necessity with an alien named Christopher Johnson (Jason Cope) and his son, Little CJ, in hopes of self-preservation. Not only does this relationship form the heart of the movie, it also catapults the film into an adrenalized and excited climax. This is the gritty R-rated world that writer and director Neill Blomkamp has established and immersed us in. It should be noted that some scenes, while essential in conveying the appropriate drama, are not always easy to stomach. There's no getting around the handheld camerawork that some viewers can't stand, and the dramatic gore and vivid action scenes may be a bit much as the humans and aliens mistreat each other in a variety of ways. At no point does any of this feel gratuitous or indulgent. In combining the timeless themes of segregation, prejudice, and xenophobia with the sci-fi genre, Blomkamp has no choice but to portray how it might actually all go down in his. At 29 years-old, Blomkamp has made an intelligent, stylized directorial debut with the help of producer Peter Jackson and co-writer Terri Tatchell. This not only makes him one to watch in the future but it should also instill hope in a genre that has lately relied on CGI and bombastic explosions over style, substance and characterization. The CGI here is flawless and serves the story well. Even in the bleached-out daylight, the aliens we see walk around feel like actual beings that were placed in these tin-shacked slums. Add to that the character of the smug Wikus and we are given someone to follow in a world we already invested in. We want to know what becomes of him even if he's not all that likable, we can relate to his desperation. Therefore, credit must be given to another first-timer, actor Sharlto Copley, who displays a wide range of talent, digging deep where needed, and at times, quite funny. It would be no surprise to see Copley and Blomkamp work together again in the future. Smart films of this genre are sadly something rare in this world of short-attention span viewers. A film like Duncan Jones' (another debut) recent "Moon" is an exception that comes to mind. Despite how enthralling a film like this is, it seldom reaches the masses it deserves. The film already has great buzz with the studios' creative viral-marketing, and the contagious praise from the San Diego Comicon but it will still take continued word-of-mouth to succeed. Far from the typical alien invasion we often see, this is an action-packed story with an engaging, emotional awareness amid all the Prawn-human chaos.

The Skinny:

• As part of the marketing campaign in North America, posters were put up in major cities on bus stops, the sides of buildings, etc. designating areas that were restricted for humans only, with a number to call (866.666.6001) in order to report non-humans. The title of the film was generally not included, although the URL address for the film's official website was.
• The initial premise of the whole film is based on the Short Film Alive in Joburg (2005), written and directed by Blomkamp, which depicted in a a documentary-style the struggles of social interaction between aliens and inhabitants of Johannesburg ("Joburg"), South Africa.
• he film was based on director Neill Blomkamp's childhood in South Africa during apartheid.
• After the feature film based on the _HALO: Combat Evolved_' video game series which was to be directed by Neill Blomkamp fell through, producer Peter Jackson went to Blomkamp and offered him $30 million to make whatever he wanted. The result was this film.
• Sharlto Copley had not acted before and had no intention of pursuing an acting career. He stumbled into the leading role as 'Neill Blomkamp' placed him on-camera during the short film.
• All of the "prawns" in the film are CGI with the sole exception of the ones on the operating table in the medical lab.
• The mutilated animal carcasses in the background of many scenes were real and with only a few exceptions, were already in the real slums and shacks used for the filming.
• All the shacks in District 9 were actual shacks that exists in a section of Johannesburg which were to be evacuated and the residents moved to better government housing, paralleling the events in the film. Also paralleling, the residents had not actually been moved out before filming began. The only shack that was created solely for filming was Christopher Johnson's shack.
• Backstory for many elements of the film had been created but not explained on film, such as why only the prawns could use their weapons and humans could not.
• The creatures used in the small fighting arena were meant to be rodents/pests which were aboard the ship.
• The idea of the prawns being obsessed with cat food came from two inspirations. In impoverished areas of Johannesburg, Neill Blomkamp would see people selling cheese poofs and other snack foods out of large 3-foot tall bags and wanted the aliens to have a similar cheap food. The decision to make them cat food came from one of the producers who used canned cat food to bait hooks when fishing for prawns in Vancouver.

REEL REVIEW: Paper Heart (2009) **1/2

written by: Nicholas Jasenovec & Charlyne Yi
produced by: Sandra Morillo & Elise Salomon
directed by: Nicholas Jasenovec

rated PG-13 (for some language)
1 hr, 28 min.


Here's a sweet enough film blending meta-reality and fantasy that can't quite seem to figure out what it is. A documentary? A mockumentary? Hard to say. There definitely is comedy throughout this film directed Nicholas Jasenovec , which focuses on comedian/musician Charlyne Yi as she searches for answers to the questions: What is love and does it exist? and Does true love exist?

For reasons unexplained, it appears Yi doesn't believe in love and isn't sure if she's capable of experiencing it. Now, that's a sad and potentially serious situation to be in which many people can relate to, yet Yi is all smiles and awkward giggles. This can be a bit off-putting at times since we haven't been given the chance to know who she is and are left wondering what brought her to this point. It's obvious Yi is cute and endearing in her own disheveled look but it's unclear why she chose to embark on this quest. While her brand of humor is entertaining we're still left wanting to know more as the film progresses. Once we come to terms with the idea that it is unlikely we will know if the protagonist we see onscreen is the real Yi, hopefully we can enjoy the journey.

After interviewing fellow actors and friends like Martin Starr and Seth Rogen, she decides to travel cross-country with a small film crew and hit up the requisite, supposed "random people" for their take on love. Along with biologists, newlyweds, and seasoned lovebirds, Yi also encounters a a romance novelist, a psychic, a divorce lawyer and a Las Vegas Elvis minister. The most creative and lively moments can be seen when the interviewees back stories are illustrated with hand-made dioramas and paper cut-out figures. The biker-bar run-in, similar to PeeWee Herman's, was a bit stereotypical; as one patron described love as 'thirty minutes in the back seat'. Sigh. The high point though was Yi's interaction with with a playground full of kids in Atlanta, who freely offer their advice on love; some with wisdom well beyond their years. The answers and explanations given certainly run the gamut on love. There are moments here of heart and truth that rise above the expected hilarity and quirk.

Throughout this process, things get complicated when the crew goes back to Los Angeles where Yi is introduced to actor Michael Cera (playing Michael Cera playing Michael Cera) at a party. We see her not making a big deal out of her increased communication with Cera while traveling and filming continue. Like a high schooler brushing off any acknowledgement of possible infatuation, she finds herself falling for him and the two eventually hit it off as they tentatively date. Jasonevec sees this budding romance as an ironic opportunity and starts to film Charlyne and Michael every chance he gets. After all, she's doing a movie about love and the lack thereof and then this happens: it's perfect!

Since they are both playing themselves, it's hard to determine if this budding non-romance is really happening. Their scenes together, performed with a dash of improv, rarely rely on the script and their whole relationship confirms that love can be found when you're least looking for it. It should be noted though that Yi and Cera are supposedly dating off screen. That may be why he agreed to this role to begin with but it's difficult to see what exactly Cera brings to the role of boyfriend except that he's nice, kinda funny and seems to share common interests with Yi. In a scene where the two of them are recording music together, it becomes clear that could be all she needed.

The concept of the film was created and written by both Yi and Jasenovec, and takes a life all it's own once the cameras start rolling. Jasenovec is played by actor Jake M. Johnson (last seen in "Redbelt") which was the first "huh?"moment that makes you realize this wasn't a straight-up doc seeing as how there was someone playing the director. The beginning is enjoyable and interesting in it's "woman on the street" feel as we see Yi asking random passerbys in Vegas what love is. It felt real. Yet once we notice the director was clearly played by another person, it's an unfortunate ripcord effect which leaves one continuously trying to determine how close this movie represents reality.

The awkwardness of the relationship scenes felt real but something seemed to be missing. It was difficult to care for these two because we were given nothing to invest in. You really need to be a steady fan of Cera to swallow all his trademark antics and if you're not, that could be distracting. Another problem might be Yi herself. If we knew more of her before seeing this film, it might be easier to root for her. We briefly come close when we see her among her family as she introduced Cera to them. She can be very interesting and often funny here but it's a lil distracting that you cannot tell whether she is 13 or 33 years old (turns out she's 23), plus, it's even hard to tell if that smile and laugh of hers is genuine or simply a case of social anxiety. Why is she doing all this? What is she trying to show (or tell) the audience about love? Is it all part of the film's character or is this really Yi? It's never clear.

If you have that many questions after going along with such a journey, then you have to wonder if time was well spent. In the end, I have no idea what this film is trying to say. It just seems chock full of many of the endless cliches on love that we already know. That's too bad since there is enough creativity, humor and heart going on here....then again, maybe this paper heart is a bit too thin

"Paper Heart" has a U.S. release date of August 7th (limited) & August 14th (wide)

REEL REVIEW: Knowing (2009) **

written by: Ryne Pearson, Juliet Snowden, Stiles White and Stuart Hazeldine.
produced by: Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, Alex Proyas & Steve Tisch
directed by: Alex Proyas

Rated PG-13 for disaster sequences, disturbing images and brief strong language.
122 min.



When I first saw the poster for this film, I was convinced it was yet another Roland Emmerich disaster containing global disasters. Then I saw Nicolas Cage's name attached and I immediately figured I'd be waiting for the DVD release. Once I realized this was the new film by Alex Proyas (The Crow, Dark City and I, Robot) though, I knew I had to give it a theatrical shot which was only confirmed after I saw the exhilarating trailer.

The film opens up in 1959 outside a Massachusetts elementary school where a focused little girl, Lucinda Embry is seen staring up at the sky as her teacher tries to gather all the children back into class from recess. There is no indication of who or what she is looking at, only that she is being spoken to by indecipherable whispers. Back in class, her teacher (Danielle Carter) is collecting drawings made by the children to be put into a time capsule that will be opened by students fifty years later. The assignment is to draw out what they imagine the future will look like, but when Lucinda's paper is collected the teacher is frustrated that hers is meticulously filled with numbers. A disturbed Lucinda watches as her paper is taken away and added to the rest of the pile to be sealed for students yet to be born.

When the capsule is unearthed fifty years later, each present day student is given an envelope that contains the various drawings. It just so happens that Caleb (Chandler Canterbury), a boy more interested in The Discovery Channel than The Cartoon Network, opens the envelope that contains Lucinda's dizzying numbers. While he finds this interesting he finds it curious that a strange blonde man in a long, dark coat watches him in the distance and then disappears. Caleb lives with his father, MIT astrophysics professor John Koestler (Nicolas Cage) since his mother died which has brought them closer together. Yet it has also distanced John from any passion for his profession and finds him nursing away his sorrow with a bottle of booze each night. When John stumbles upon the numbers late one night, he notices they are not exactly random. He discovers a cypher system within the list that accurately depicts a series of dates, fatalities and cooridinates representing major disasters that have happened in the world in the last fifty years. This sounds remarkable enough until John finds out that three of the dates have yet to take place and are set in the near future.

John feels he has stumbled across these numbers for a reason yet he doesn't quite know what to do with this information. He shares this chilling data with a colleague (Ben Mendolsohn) who only becomes more worried for his already reclusive friend. While stuck in traffic on his way to pick up Caleb from school, he is alarmed by a set of familiar numbers on his GPS device which correlate to the location of the next disaster. This motivates him to get out of his vehicle to find out why traffic has stopped. Before John can find out anything, we see a giant 747 falling out of the rainy night toward the line of cars, plowing through power lines above and then crashing in a field on the other side of the highway. In a state of shock, John runs toward the wreckage amid torn debris and enflamed screaming people as he tries to help survivors. He is without any luck, the numbers predicted the exact amount of people that would die form this catastrophe.

Traumatized by this event, John becomes more determined to intervene and prevent more destruction from happening. Unfortunately, it's here that Nicolas Cage gets in the way of the film. No surprise there. At almost every illogical turn, Cage strays further away from a stunned professor and closer to the gaped-mouth, flashlight-swinging action hero viewers have come to know. There's no explanation why he leaves Caleb alone in the car to encounter identical strange men as he follows his numerical quest or how he thinks he can possibly prevent the next disaster. It's not the worst performance from Cage but if it makes you actually recast the lead while watching the film, well, that's a disaster right there.

Not even the addition of the usually delightful Rose Byrne as Diana, Lucinda's daughter, could add a redeeming factor to the film. She's just not given much to do except sob and scream as she and her daughter Abbey (Lara Robinson, who also plays Lucinda) team up with Cage and son. Cage's character's poor parenting must be contagious because we even find her leaving both children alone in a vehicle unattended. There appears to be no room for realistic responses or plausibility in this overwrought script which leaves the viewer as frustrated as Diana when she comes to the conclusion that they can't do much to prevent her mother's prophetic dates.

Of course, the writers must carry the responsibility as well. Their weak subplots and deep plot holes make what should be startling situations both laughable and predictable. For example, the origin and purpose of these strange "whisper men" (they are the source of the indecipherable whispers after all) remain a mystery which is inexcusable considering the impact they have throughout the film, especially the ending. I knew it was a bad sign when a revealing plot element at the end made me think, "Oh no. Not that". What a shame since the story did start out like some of the best X-Files episodes, examining philosophical themes like whether or not universal events are random or determined. But then it just seemed like substance suffered to weak dialogue and spectacular effects.

As expected, Proyas and his crew deliver the right suspenseful tone and some truly breathtaking visuals but it just doesn't have the same impact as his previous films. Even one of the most impressive large-scale subway derailments ever filmed is minimized by characters reacting unnaturally to crucial situations. I'll still follow the work of this talented director, but Oscar-winner Nicolas Cage will have to be put back on notice as one of the youngest actors to consistently phone it in. What started out as a very intriguing sci-fi thriller leaves the audience with that knowing feeling that they should have seen coming.

The Skinny:

• Knowing was originally written by novelist Ryne Pearson, and the project was set up at Columbia Pictures.
• Both Rod Lurie and Richard Kelly were attached as directors, but the film eventually went into turnaround.
• The project was picked up by the production company Escape Artists, and the script was rewritten by Stiles White and Juliet Snowden.
• Director Proyas was attached to direct the project in February 2005.
• Summit Entertainment took on the responsibility to fully finance and distribute the film. Proyas and Hazeldine rewrote the draft for production, which began on March 25, 2008 in Melbourne, Australia.
• The director hoped to emulate The Exorcist in melding "realism with a fantastical premise".
• The film is set in Boston, and to represent the city, filmmakers used Australian locations such as Geelong Ring Road, Melbourne Museum, Mount Macedon, and Collins Street. Filming also took place at Camberwell High School, which was converted into John Adams Elementary, set in Boston circa 1958.
• Interior shots took place at the Australian Synchrotron to represent an observatory. Filming also took place at the Haystack Observatory in Westford, Massachusetts.
• In addition to practical locations, filming also took place at the Melbourne Central City Studios in Docklands.
• Proyas used a Red One digital camera, marking the film the first time the director used digital cameras. He sought to capture a gritty and realistic look to the film, and his approach involved a continuous two-minute take in which Cage's character sees a plane crash and attempts to rescue passengers. The take was an arduous task, taking two days to set up and two days to shoot. Proyas explained the goal, "I did that specifically to not let the artifice of visual effects and all the cuts and stuff we can do, get in the way of the emotion of the scene."
  
  
  
  

Interview with Proyas

REEL REVIEW: Gran Torino (2008) ****

written by: Nick Schenk (screenplay/story) & Dave Johannson
produced & directed by: Clint Eastwood


rated R (for language throughout and some violence)
1 hr. 56 min.



If it wasn't for iconic characters like The Man With No Name and Dirty Harry, there would be no way to take Clint Eastwood's latest acting role seriously. One of the more resonating characteristics of these gun-toting, take-no-crap personas is the way in which they resolve their problems with a blast of gunfire and a resoluting wisecrack, while walking away without a second thought. Many of us wish at times that we could get away with that behavior, so does racist Korean War vet, Walt Kowalski. Retired after 50 years from the local Detroit Ford plant and recently widowed, Walt grumbles and growls his days away as he nurses his perfectly-manicured postage stamp of a lawn in his well-maintained, picket-white fenced home.

Walt is that old goat who looks around at his world and wonders how things have gotten the way they are. His selfish and chubby Midwest sons, busy with their careers, have alienated themselves (most likely due to his cold gruffness) as they plot out how to get Walt into a senior home. He groans at his grandkids with their piercings and blackberrys but also at the persistant Father Janovich (Christopher Carley) from his wife's church. Walt doesn't care for the baby-faced padre who promised his wife that he'd get him to confession. It would seem Walt cares only for a handful of things at this stage in his life: his Lab retriever Daisy, his M1 rifle from the war, and his mint condition 1972 Gran Torino, a symbol of days long gone. Walt finds himself as lost and without a place as the company he used to work for.

What gets under Walt's skin the most though is the noticeable influx of Asian Hmong immigrants he finds himself surrounded by in what used to be a blue-collared neighborhood. No country for this old man, indeed! Eastwood plays up Walt's disdain to the hilt but we can't despise him because we realize he's cut from a different time period. While there's no excuse for his abrasive racism, you can't help but respect who he is and that's a tribute to the actor who's playin' this worn-down character. With all this build up, it's obvious that Walt is destined to get a serious thawing.

That comes in the form of the neighbor teen, Tao (Bee Vang) who tries to steal Walt's beloved vehicle in a gang initiation stunt. He thwarts the freshman thief but this encounter just catapults the inevitable. The botched theft is what brings a livid Walt rifle-first into the Hmong neighbors as he winds up breaking up a gang fight on his front lawn. Inadvertantly scaring off the gangbangers, Walt unintentionally winds up saving Tao and his family from further violence. All he wanted was them to stay off his well-kept lawn. What follows is an outpouring of gratitiude from the Hmong family and as punishment for his actions, Tao is made to work for Walt (though it's unclear who this is punishment for) in order to restore honor to the family.

Tao's older, plucky sister, Sue (Ahney Her) starts to wear down Walt's calcified heart as she becomes his introduction to her family which finds him coming to terms with the Hmong culture. Through his encounters with the various generations, he starts to see that he is a haunted man, empty and without peace. A man who hides behind any racial epithet possible without any possibility of anyone really getting to know who he is. Walt is soon won over by Hmong traditions, befriending Thao with hopes to teach him some self-respect before the gang activity worsens. But he sees there isn't much hope or future for Tao and his family and is compelled to intervene, driving away local gang members and earning the respect of the Hmong community.

For Walt, defending the defenseless is a form of atonement and an act of contrition. The killings in Korea still effect him, as he tells Tao, "I used to stash guys like you five fet high in Korea. Used 'em for sandbags," which only confirms that some resolve is needed. He now has a reason to do away with his bitterness and protect these kids against anyone who would do them harm. Yet unlike the typical Eastwood vengeance flick we're used to, this is as much in line with Will Munny (from "Unforgiven") in that there is a price one must pay when violence is used. Esatwood knows it would be plain stupid at his age to have Walt decimate the gangs in the hood. Instead, we're given an emotional resonance that becomes enthematic for the entire film. There's a final validation here for Walt which gives the viewer a rewarding cinematic experience.

Eastwood successfully culminates all the tough-guy characters he's known for into Walt Kowalski, an incorrigible soul who has to deal with issues of life, death, racism and salvation. While it may not be his best performance it certainly is one of his more ballsy ones. Is it a perfect script? No, not really. Are there flaws? Some. It's not a scholastic take on race relations, but newcomer Schnek understands the venomous mentality of men like Walt, who live and breathe outdated American values, only to find their faith rewarded by the degeneration of respect in the youth and the rise of foreign perspectives in their own backyard. I appreciated the fact that Eastwood used primarily first-time Hmong and Asian actors. It lended an added authenticity and naturalness to the characters that at time is jarringly noticeable but a welcome surprise nonetheless.

Like many of his smaller films (Million Dollar Baby) there's an exacted simplicity that is to be commended here. An easy-going yet purposeful filmmaking style that is long gone. At 78 years, Clint has no peer. No one else can do what he does, making him the best there is at what he does. If this is to be Eastwood's swan song as an actor (gasp!) then this is quite appropriate. For anyone who enjoys Clint's acting, his humor, his honesty and craftsmanship as a director....this is a must see.

The Skinny:

• The film will see a limited release in the States on December 12th and 17th and then a wider release on January 9th, 2009.
• Filmmakers chose to produce the film in the state of Michigan, being one of the first films to take advantage of the state's new law that provided lucrative incentive packages to film productions.
• Filming began in July 2008; locations included Warren, Royal Oak, and Grosse Pointe Park, with work on the final cut endint in late October 2008.
• Hmong crew, production assistants, consultants and extras were used.
• There has been debate over the film's depiction of Hmong gang culture, with some criticizing its authenticity and fearing that the film will perpetuate stereotypes of Asian youths.
• Eastwood described the character's relationship with his two prized objects (the Gran Torino and M1 rifle, "He worked on the line in the Ford plant and retired and had this one car he bought himself. It's sort of a symbol of his days with the Ford plant. The M-1 is sort of a symbol of his days in the military... He's clinging to the memory of the war. You'll find out when you see it, some of (the memories) are not as pleasant as others. That helps make him even tougher to get along with."
  
• Of the character, Eastwood said, "He's one of these guys who finds it very hard to accept change... [and that the film] just shows how his life goes and how he gets involved with the Hmong people who are living next door."
  
• Eastwood's starring role was his first since Million Dollar Baby in 2004.
  
• The character of Tao is Van's first acting role and is described as "the neighborhood wimp", and the large height difference between Tao and Kowalski was a deliberate echo of the mentor relationship Kowalski has to the character. Vang said, "Tao is literally 'looking up' to [him]".
  
• Open casting calls for Hmong actors were held in Hmong communities in Saint Paul, Fresno and Detroit. All but one of the ten Hmong leads were acting in a film for the first time, as were many of the Hmong extras.
  
• Eastwood's son, Scott (son of flight attendant Kathryn Reeves) plays a spineless thug named Trey in a hilarious scene where Walt defends Sure from some African-American thugs.
  
• For authenticity, Eastwood encouraged ad-libbing among the actors in the Hmong language. An authentic Hmong shaman was cast, though it was claimed his ceremonial scenes were made more exotic.
  
• Eastwood has win Best Actor recently at the National Board of Review Awards.
  
• Eastwood often composes music for his films and this one is no different. This time he actually sings a little of the theme song, Gran Torino, that can be heard in the final scenes.
  
• He wrote the song, which is nominated for a Golden Globe, with his son, Kyle, Michael Stevens and singer, Jamie Cullum (who can be heard singing in at the end credits).

Eastwood talks cars and Gran Torino

REEL REVIEW: Slumdog Millionaire (2008) ****

written by: Simon Beaufoy
produced by: Christian Colson
directed by: Danny Boyle


R (for some violence, disturbing images and language)
2 hrs.



I can't remember the last time a film had me so absolutely absorbed from beginning to end. "Slumdog Millionaire" is that rare film and is so far the best movie I've seen all year. It exudes such a breathless exilleration in its visual and narrative style that made it difficult for me to take my eyes off the screen. It's a classic Dickensian story of adversity told with passion and visual virility surrounded by a bleak setting occupied by some truly sadistic characters. Director Danny Boyle shows his love for the buoyant culture and life of India and it's teeming energy. Through the slums of Munbai he hits the ground running (literally) with a kinetic, addictive quality that can't be denied.

Loosely adapted for the screen from the Vikas Swarup novel "Q and A", as a searing portrait of a child's indominable will to survive and to above all else....love. It's crafted with such harrowing scenes of peril and heart-wrenching intensity, while also delivering sweet humor and tender exchanges. Eighteen year-old orphan Jamal Malik (Dev Patel), from the slums of Mumbai, is about to experience the biggest day of his life. With the whole nation watching, he is just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on Kaun Banega Crorepati the Hindi version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?"




Since no one has ever gone as far in the game as Jamal, he is accused of cheating, arrested and brutally interrogated by a suspicious police inspector (Irfan Kahn). In order to protect his life, Jamal must carefully explain how he came up with the answers to the challenging game show questions. He leads us through the history of his life as a "slumdog", including scenes of him as a resilient boy determined to obtain the autograph of a famous Bollywood star; the death of his mother during an anti-Muslim raid on the slums, and how he and his older brother Salim (Madhur Mittal) befriended an orphaned girl, Latika who becomes the object of his desire. To go into the story any further would be a disservice to those who have yet to see it (not to mention a dizzying task) as it is best to view this amazing film with little knowledge going in.

At no time does screenwriter Simon Beaufoy resort to any type of known rags-to-riches convention. In fact, as I was watching the film I couldn't help but think about what a task it must have been to write all these different time periods that revolve around Jamal in the hot seat with ubiquitous host Prem Kumar (Anil Kapoor). This is a far cry from lazy storytelling. Boyle takes the machinations of a traditional tragic romance and breathes new life into expected clichés, leaning more toward the Jamal's harrowing life than his fragments of joy. It's all crammed into a sprawling story of a life lived under the foot of poverty, violence, and guilt, revolcing around a single miracle evening that could possibly produce an entire reversal of fortune.

Boyle's signature kinetic frenzy is on hand here as he wraps the viewer up in the chaotic motion of Indian street life. We're shown that the value of life is cheap, the tattered communities are built on towers of rubbish, and the citizens do the best they can. Boyle plays with time and location to a dazzling degree, keeping the viewer unsettled as the camera shadows extreme trauma of these three children. They witness horrifinh events that would scar any age and a "Oliver Twist" style exploitation from a kingpin of orphaned street beggars. Through it all, one constant remains in Jamal''s life, his connection and pursuit of Latika (Freida Pinto), whose liberation from the clutches of sexual and physical abuse becomes a personal quest for Jamal.

As a child, Jamal doesn't see Mumbai as a land of despondency, it's simply just a new land to conquer under the instruction of his brother. It's to Boyle's credit that the humor he infects in such a challenging story is cautious to progress the story instead of just play for laughs. Most notably when the boys stumble off a train and arrive at the Taj Mahal, a place they are clueless about, inadvertently becoming guides to gullible tourists while stealing their shoes for profit. While the film does have some disturbing situations, it's saved from a somber tone by Boyle's celebration of survival, backed by composer A. R. Rahman's phenomenal soundtrack of vivacious hip-hop and electronic cuts that propel the story.

It must be noted that the standoput performances are of the young children who play the three characaters that we follow. Young Jamal (Ayush Mahesh Khedekar) gets himself into some hilarious situations, where Young Salim ( Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail) is forced to be too serious for his age and then there's shy and brave Young Latika (Rubiana Ali), all actors who have never acted before and you would never know. Their presence on the screen is so natural that one would think they didn't even know they were being filmed. But the true testament to their amazing work is how they respond to the dire circumstances the encounter. The best decision the film's producers made was to pluck these children from the streets of Mumbai, resulting in such distinct performances that makes the adventures and horrors they witness seem all the more real.

The final act of the film focuses inevitably on Jamal and Latika. There are moments of genuine tenderness here without resorting to pure saccharine. That's no easy task but Boyle knows that it's better to "show" than "tell" an audience what is happened to a character. Something that many directors have no patience for. It's turns out to be a perfect fit that the actors playing these two characters are both relative newcomers. Having no knowledge of any previous work, I was able to be introduced to their world without distraction and becomes absolutley involved in their longings and desires. Their relationship is surrounded by outrageous suspense especially at the end, leaving the viewer on the edge of their seat as Jamal faces down a final trivia question that could make or break his life. It's no surprise that the answer is intertwined with his life experiences but it also specifically catapults his future.

I've like most of Danny Boyle's in the past but most of all I really respect that he is a stylized director who purposely switches genres with each film. Here teamed with co-director Loveleen Tandan (whore experience as a casting director came in handy), he has really outdone himself. Delivering a somewhat unconventional love story that combines classic storytelling and filmmaking techniques with Boyle's uncanny ability to switch styles as necessary to create an innovative cinematic experience. This is by far one of the best movies of 2008 and will likely remain my personal favorite. The film is a great example of why people love movies.

The Skinny:

• After failing to find a suitable actor in India, Patel was cast as the lead role, Jamal, after Boyle's daughter first saw him on the English TV show "Skins" and urged her father to take a look.
• Mercedes-Benz asked that its logos be removed in scenes taking place in the slums. The company, according to Boyle, did not want to be associated with the poverty-stricken area, fearing that that might taint its image.
• The actor whose autograph young Jamal gets is Amitabh Bachchan. Amitabh Bachchan is a very real, and very famous Indian actor, and the original host of the Indian version of 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire'.
• Pinto graduated from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai. She modeled for two years before meeting Boyle and being cast.
• Boyle considered hundreds of young male actors, though he found that Bollywood leads were generally "strong, handsome hero-types", not the personality he was looking for.
• To hone the script, Beaufoy made three research trips to India and interviewed with street children, finding himself impressed with their attitudes. Swarup used many ideas from student director Asim Bhatti while working on the script.
• The screenwriter said of his goal for the script, "I wanted to get (across) the sense of this huge amount of fun, laughter, chat and sense of community that is in these slums. What you pick up on is this mass of energy."
• By the summer of 2006, British production companies Celador Films and Film4 invited Boyle to read the script Slumdog Millionaire. He initially hesitated since he was not interested in making a film about Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
• Boyle soon found out that the screenwriter was Beaufoy, who had written 1997's The Full Monty, one of the director's favorite British films, and decided to revisit the script.
• Boyle was impressed by how Beaufoy wove the multiple storylines from Swarup's book into one narrative, and the director decided to commit to the project.
• The film was projected to cost $15 million, so Celador sought a distributor to share costs. Fox Searchlight Pictures made an initial offer that was reportedly in the $2 million range, and then Warner Independent Pictures made a $5 million offer that Fox Searchlight could not top.
• Filmmakers traveled to Mumbai in September 2007 with a partial crew, and they began hiring local cast and crew for production. When preparing for filming, Boyle decided to translate nearly a third of the film's English dialogue into Hindi.
• The director fibbed to Warner Independent's president that he wanted 10% of the dialogue in Hindi, and she approved of the change.
• Filming locations included shooting in Mumbai's megaslum and in shantytown parts of Juhu, so filmmakers controlled the crowds by befriending onlookers. Filming began on 5 November 2007.
• In a recent podcast on Creative Screenwriting, Beaufoy talked about all the child actors involved in playing the three main characters. He stated that once the producers cast them in the film, they made a deal with the families that the children's schooling would be paid for through their teen years as long as they stayed in school.
• Composer A. R. Rahman planned the score over two months and completed it in two weeks.
  
• He has stated he was aiming for "mixing modern India and the old India" with the music, but that the film and soundtrack "isn’t about India or Indian culture. The story could happen anywhere."
  
• Boyle, who "hated sentiment" and told Rahman "Never put a cello in my film", wanted a "pulsey" score. Rahman appreciated that Boyle liked how Indian films mix music, saying the director wanted "edgy, upfront" music that did not sound suppressed.
  
• Composing pieces to fit the images, he noted "there’s not many cues in the film. Usually a big film has 130 cues. This had just seventeen or eighteen: the end credits, beginning credits."
  
• Describing the music as one of the parts he liked most in the film, Boyle wanted to include M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes" from early on in production on the score, which appears along with an original track Rahman composed, "O...Saya," featuring Arulpragasam.
  
• M.I.A., who Rahman described as a "powerhouse" and Boyle hailed as "a gift" to the soundtrack gave brief film notes on some scenes to Boyle upon request during editing.
  
• The soundtrack for the film will be released via N.E.E.T. — available online on 25 November, and at record stores on 23 December.
  
• The soundtrack has received a 2008 Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Score.
  
• The film premiered at the Telluride Film Festival on August 30th, 2008, where it was positively received by audiences, gaining "strong buzz".
  
• The film also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival on 7 September 2008, where it was "the first widely acknowledged popular success" of the festival,winning the People's Choice Award.
  
• The film has made it on several Top 10 end of the year lists, has received various nominations and has already won various awards for writing, directing, acting and film.
  

http://www.foxsearchlight.com/slumdogmillionaire/

Interview with Patel

Interview with Boyle & Beaufoy