Public Enemies

8/10














Johnny Depp as John Dillinger is served to us as a hard-boiled egg. Dillinger is a man of simple tastes; he likes baseball, fast cars, movies, good clothes, and whiskey, as he tells his girl, Billie Frechette (whom he also likes). Dillinger is a bank robber and a dangerous man. His background is never explored; rather, it is skimmed over by Dillinger himself in a manner of seconds (much like his robberies). He is absolute and disciplined. That is why he is so good at what he does.

Director Michael Mann adapts this tale of the bank robbing golden age from the book Public Enemies: America's Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933–34 by Bryon Burroughs. This age in America was so rife with sagely gangsters and cheeky bank robbers that it inspired supervillainesque nicknames (“Pretty Boy Floyd,” “Baby Face Nelson,” and Alvin “Creepy” Karpis) one might find in the pages of a comic book. There were so many characters, and many of them would collaborate for the next big job, much like the classic costumed villains.

Although it is not the feel-good, comic book, sense that Mann brings to this front. The film is like Dillinger, absolute and disciplined. The film captures this buck wild side of crime but does it with seriousness.

The three above mentioned criminals all make an appearance in the film’s rouge gallery but for every criminal there are lawmen working in counterpoint. Billy Crudup plays J. Edgar Hoover, the FBI’s first director, and plays him well. Christian Bale relieves us of the Batman voice (seen also in Terminator Salvation) and is excellent as Melvin Purvis, the man hired by Hoover to stop Dillinger. Purvis is a tactful man who fights for the law and is determined to succeed and put Dillinger behind bars or in a coffin. He, in the beginning, is the only man of his outfit qualified to stop criminals of this caliber.

Depp is solid as Dillinger. His attitude and demeanor are further establishes Dillinger as being absolute. Because of Depp the audience is not left to wonder about where he came from or why he acts the way he does. He just is.

Marion Cotillard plays Dillinger’s “girl,” Billie Frechette. Not much comes out of this relationship, as those annoying policemen constantly separate the two, but the two get what they need from each other. For Billie, protection. For Dillinger, a sense of empowerment for his safeguarding.

Visually, the film is beautiful. A shaky camera and excellent direction provide for a captivating mise-en-scene, especially during the shootout at Little Bohemia, where the muzzle-flashes heighten the imagery. Filmed digitally, it gives the film a hint of an animated, smoothed over look that, at times, I cannot decide if I like.

The film is high in quality and very dense indeed. But it does, however, lack a dramatic quality to it. Perhaps it is because we do not know who to root for? The movie is essentially Purvis vs. Dillinger, and the audience is not pushed to favor one of the two. Both men engage in good deeds but also stray away from their ethics at certain moments. Both men are affiliated with bad men and good men. Or perhaps it is because we already know the fate of Dillinger? I think not. Consider in Milk, a movie about a real man whose fate was also known beforehand. That film somehow made me forget about Harvey Milk’s fate for the two hours I watched it until the very end, and was startled. So perhaps it is a little bit of both.

Public Enemies is still a slightly different kind of gangster film. It substitutes machismo and exaggerated stylishness with intelligence and clarity.

Lost in Translation

9/10


Writer/director Sofia Coppola presents a hilarious and touching romantic/comedy so unlike all the others it hardly stirs any reminders of them.

The closest film that resembles this would be Richard Linklater’s "Before Sunrise," a film about a man and a women traveling across Europe who’s paths cross in Vienna where they then have heart-to-hearts on life, love, religion, and other sweet nothings, all the while falling in love.

But there is still a large disparity between these two great films. Lost in Translation is quieter and funnier. Compared to Sunrise, there is less camera time documenting conversation and more time capturing the characters soul-searching and encountering their frustrations.

The great Bill Murray plays Bob Harris, a movie star who can be recognized all over the world, as evidenced by the fans who notice him in Tokyo, the story’s setting, and the advertisements that display his image next to Suntory whiskey, whose advertising gig brings Bob to Tokyo. As he explains in the film, he came to Tokyo for a $2 million advertisement when he “could be back home doing a play.” He leaves his wife and kids behind and journeys to Tokyo alone.

Staying in the same hotel as Bob is a young married couple, John (Giovanni Ribisi) and Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson). John, a hip photographer, is in Tokyo for work and Charlotte is a recent college graduate who wonders whats next (she received a degree in philosophy) and tagged along with her husband as she “had nothing better to do.”

Charlotte begins to grow an uncertainty about the man she’s married and about her future in the career world. Bob’s marriage has declined over the years, losing its spark and romance. His inspiration as an actor has also plummeted (why else would he be doing an ad instead of a play?).

Bob and Charlotte both experience a lonely stay in Tokyo. Much of John’s time is absorbed by work and later he must leave Tokyo and Charlotte for a short trip. Bob’s only encounters with other human beings are Japanese photographers, their meager translators, and the bar tenders of Tokyo until he meets Charlotte one night in the hotel’s bar where they relate their desire to get the hell out of Tokyo. After frequent run-ins with each other, the two forge a friendship.

Mr. Murray turns in one of his strongest performances yet. Sure, Bob verbally expresses his feels at times, but they would mean nothing if he couldn't portray those thoughts and feelings through his actions. It is not his words that tell us he is disillusioned, its the way his move when he's sitting at the bar, the way he walks down the street, the way he breathes, and the way he asks the Japanese-speaking photographer how to appear in the ad. The same goes for Ms. Johansson.

The theme of loneliness is greatly portrayed in Lance Acord’s cinematography. He frequently juxtaposes the two main characters against large backdrops - monuments and cityscapes - to further emphasis their “living on an island” mindset in such a crowded and foreign city. Mr. Acord also captures his subjects’ reflections as they gaze out of windows in deep thought, possibly to further emphasize the self-analysis and uncertainty each character goes through.

The relationship between Bob and Charlotte is remarkable. They are strangers of different ages and classes and yet in all of Tokyo’s heavy traffic the two lost souls find each other and help each other. They establish a connection that really only strangers with nobody else could have. Their relationship is ambiguous, with no definite path. And its ending brings about both a whimper and a smile.

Best Picture Expansion

It was reported today that The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will be expanding their Best Picture Oscar candidates from five nominations to ten. No other Oscar categories are to see any change.

This rather radical change in the Oscar system, which seems to be motivated as a means to increase the amount of television viewers during the Academy Awards ceremony.

The decision to increase the Best Picture nominees, not the reason behind of, I greet with mixed feelings. It has become evident in past years that certain film genres, most notably action, science fiction, fantasy, comedy, animation and documentary have been subject to prejudice by the Academy. It is rare for a film of these genres to be recognized with the distinguished Best Picture nomination, let alone victory. The most recent example of this sort of genre “apartheid” includes The Dark Knight, an action/thriller, and WALL-E, an animated film, who were widely believed to have received the Academy’s cold shoulder this past ceremony. The two films however still managed to receive recognition in other areas (eight nominations for Knight and six for WALL-E). The expansion of five nominations to ten opens up the opportunity for a greater diversity within the nominated films’ genres and certainly allows those prejudiced films a chance to win the coveted prize.

Had The Dark Knight and WALL-E been given a chance whose to say the couldn’t have won? Both were critically acclaimed, and The Dark Knight was the most successful movie, financially, of 2008.

The liberation is wonderful but what worries me is that the prestige of the award will be diminished. It is now undoubtedly easier to win a nomination for an award so high in regard that the nomination itself carries with it a high sense of accomplishment and acknowledgement. DVD products for films always shout their nominations on the box cover as if they won the award. And now with such a large amount of candidates it appears that the nomination’s cache is threatened.

Overall I feel as if this decision will see more positive results than negative. Other genres now have a better chance of being acknowledged (not at the expense of others) and the Academy may well indeed see a higher television audience as a result. May the best picture truly win.

2008's Top Ten Films

1. Milk
Pure excellence all around. Directing, acting, filming, writing, and art direction. Van Sant, Penn, and the rest really show up for a remarkable film.

2. Slumdog Millionaire
Visually stunning and paced with the right amount tension that would have Chris Boomer saying "He could go... all... the... way!"

3. Man on Wire
Philippe Petit's eloquent narration is just as thrilling as his beautiful stunt in the clouds. Serve it in the form of a heist movie? Genius.

4. WALL-E
Pixar's lightening strikes again. The on-screen relationship between WALL-E and EVE is a charming romance that hasn't been seen since the silent era.

5. The Dark Knight
If you haven't heard already, Heath Ledger's presence will simply make you salivate. A film that was snubbed at the Academy Awards (Best Screenplay? Directing?), Christopher Nolan's writing and directing allow the rest of the cast, especially Eckhart, to flourish. And Wally Pfister's cinematography makes them look pretty as they do it. Without a doubt the best super-hero adaptation to date.

6. The Wrestler
A sad, but touching film about a man past his prime. Witness Mickey Rourke in one of the best performances of the year.

7. In Bruges
Mark McDonagh brings a smart and funny crime piece about two hitmen in hiding that can also leave the viewer thinking, not just laughing.

8. Frost/Nixon
Stellar performances all around for the near all-male cast. Frost/Nixon is a writer's movie first and a director's second. Fortunately, both positions turned in excellent work.

9. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Simply put, it is the most original romantic comedy in the last decade. Writer/actor Jason Segel throws all cliches out the window and after the first 5 minutes the viewer will not know what to expect. Oh yeah, it's also friggin' hilarious.

10. Burn After Reading/The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
I would give Coen Brothers the slightly higher nod for potent filmmaking in the FBI satire, Burn After, but David Fincher's Benjamin Button clings on for acting, directing, and beautiful visuals.

To Give You a Frame of Reference

Oy there. Within this blog you will find that I will be conducting critical reviews of any films that come my way during these summer months. I am one day hoping to become a journalist and my net of interests spreads over many things, one of them is movies. And so I will be taking any chance I receive at developing my analytical abilities. You will find reviews of both new releases and old alike.

I am indeed a "movie lover" as they say, and I hope that my opinions and observations can help expand any movie-goer's taste rather than shrink it.

Yes, I am aware that it is June, and that 2009 is half over, but I thought I'd kick off the blog with my top ten films of 2008 as an ice breaker. Which is coming soon.

Oh yes, by the way; welcome and thank you for coming.