Movie Review - Heights

Hitting the 'Heights' and Lows

Subtlety in moviemaking is a difficult thing to even attempt, let alone to pull off well. Leave it to a first-time director to make a wonderful go of it. Chris Terrio’s initial foray into film has produced a very fine and emotionally moving piece of theatre that just happens to be projected onto the big screen. Characterizations are quite strong from the entire ensemble cast, and they come roaring out of the gate full-tilt from the very first scene. Each one of these actors give a uniquely detailed performance steeped in weighty backstory that can be felt with each evolving relationship and each intimate exchange. Relationships are explored from a kaleidoscope of various angles. Mother and daughter. Husband and wife. Friend and lover. Every interaction adding to the collective consciousness of a societal whole that comes clearer and clearer into focus as the film builds to a strangely wistful yet upbeat finale. The story itself doesn’t so much “twist” as simply gains in momentum and depth as we come to better know each of these interconnected individuals. It is a moving and interesting experience that I certainly appreciated. I must however mention some overripe aspects: a touch too much with the longingly knowing looks on the part of our fabulous diva mother (Glenn Close) in regards to her unresponsive philandering husband… a bit too many overly blank expressions by our sexually conflicted husband-to-be (James Marsden) when faced with any number of what-to-dos… a tad too over-the-top in the self-loathing department by third-wheel gay lover, Alec (Jesse Bradford)… the list goes on apace from there. All these things would read very well on the stage in a live performance, but seem to come off beyond the pail blown-up to cinema screen size. Odd that a director who shows so much subtlety and restraint also allows things to occasionally turn so emotionally purple. I’m sure with time and experience a balance will be found. For now, ‘Heights’ can be said to be a flawed work, but an emotionally filling one regardless, and to me, well worth the scaling.

Movie Review - Mysterious Skin

Silence Speaks

As an adult who endured sexual abuse and rape as a young adolescent, I feel that I can't be completely unbiased about this film. That said, I very much respect its aims. It faces headlong and attempts to tackle a huge issue that has quietly enveloped our culture. The sexual abuse of children is something that has gone on unannounced for many, many years. An epidemic of sorts that has touched us all in some form or another, however unbeknownst it may be to many. ‘Mysterious Skin’ shows two divergent paths children may take when confronted with such an adult violence as sex. Strange. Intriguing. Disorienting. Uncomfortable. Embarrassing. A young boy may either embrace such an act or push it away into the darkest, deepest corner of his mind. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Brady Corbet illustrate these disparate reactions, and do so with a true depth of understanding. Gordon-Levitt’s cocksure bravado and all-knowing swagger is balanced tit for tat by Cobet’s total banality and unassuming withdrawal. Both experiences are excruciatingly painful to watch. But as these opposing forces are slowly entwined and brought closer together, it’s as if one sees two contrasting sides of pain unite in some twisted kind of mating ritual. And in this union, one can so clearly see the devastation wrought by such an extreme and invasive act. A very strong supporting cast made up of Michelle Trachtenberg, William Sage, and Elisabeth Shue imbue the boys’ journey to self-discovery with a bittersweet fullness that without, would leave the film feeling utterly flat and solely didactic. Apart from the truly great performances in the film, the viewpoint of the material presented by writer/director Gregg Araki is somewhat heavy-handed at times and seems to occasionally enjoy its own shock value. However, this particular subject matter is a tensely coiled tightrope; it’s a very hard thing to strike a perfect balance with it at all times. That this film was even written, shot, and distributed at all is a tribute to all those involved and should leave Mr. Araki with, at the very least, a feeling of accomplishment. The silence of innocence lost has been deafening and has lasted far too long. Now, it speaks.

Movie Review - Batman Begins

A Better Blockbuster by Far

Whoever heard of a summer blockbuster that didn't show the iconic hero in full action until an hour into the film? This is not your usual stock-in-trade popcorn flick you've come to expect from the kiddie-pleasing Batman enterprise. This new installment is a film that has at its core a desire to fully explore the philosophical ramifications of injustice and fear and sure-handedly takes us along for the emotional ride. This is film that is not afraid to focus on the narrative meat of social and psychological issues while still providing the action-adventure thrills summer audiences have come to expect in hero vs. villain comic book based showdowns. I whole-heartedly applaud director Christopher Nolan for his commitment to character development and plot progression, even at the expense of the traditional bang-bang-shoot-em-up spectacular opening sequence. This movie is not a series of action shots, but rather one long crescendo, a single through-line that continues from opening scene right on to the credits. Christian Bale’s superbly acted Batman is so utterly defined and motivated and shown from so truthful a place that we believe totally in his need to act exactly as he does. There is such a realism and attention to detail in his portrayal of Bruce Wayne, a character who actually invents his alter-ego Batman by trial and error, hit and miss, with lots of misses along the way. There is no gloss here; this is almost super-realism. Add to the mix the outstanding supporting cast of Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson, and the inimitable Michael Caine, all of whom are brilliant dramatically, and even add wonderfully timed and heart-felt comedic moments throughout. The depth of talent here is almost endless. Yes, this ‘Batman’ most certainly belongs alongside Mr. Nolan’s other outstanding works: ‘Memento’, ‘Insomnia’, and ‘Following’. In truth, it should be considered very well placed within their ranks, sharing their search for a fuller humanity with a more open heart. Really, this is an indie film. It’s just disguised as a caped-crusading Hollywood blockbuster.

Movie Review - The Bridge of San Luis Rey

The Bridge is Fallen Down

With such a superb and experienced cast, one would expect a film that, if nothing else, offered well-acted and full-bodied characterizations. Unfortunately, the director at the helm of this project, Ms. Mary McGuckian, has dampened every aspect of this picture's possibilities, including the creative palettes of her onetime skillful actors. Apart from Gabriel Byrne's wonderfully introspective portrayal of the investigative priest Brother Juniper and the occasional flash of brilliance from F. Murray Abraham as the vacillating Viceroy of Peru, this film has nothing more to offer than pretty pictures. But indeed, the shots are quite well done. There is lovely visual composition in the fine-tuned cinematography of Javier Aguirresarobe and exquisite period detail in Yvonne Blake's costumes accentuated with amazingly inventive yet still realistic hair and make-up designed by Linda Devetta. Visually, this is a very appealing venture. Every other aspect, however, makes it an excruciatingly masochistic endeavor: laughable line readings, poor threadbare script, lack of any visible character development, confusing cross cutting of scenes, a disregard of clarity in the storytelling, a soundtrack that is so totally out of place as to be either a complete mistake by a musical hack or a brilliant existential commentary by a compositional genius (I can only assume the former). The most annoying element though is the potpourri of speech accents that when mixed, produced the most foul smelling sound that pervaded this film like a freezer full of gourmet beef cuts in a mid-summer kitchen that had lost its power two and a half weeks ago. I could go on, but there's no use in heaping insult upon injury. This film is simply a complete disappointment. With so much potential in having a substantial studio-backed budget, the literary source material of Thornton Wilder, and a gaggle of truly seasoned actors, Ms. McGuckian has effectively squandered any hopes of conveying the core message of this piece. She seemingly had no love for the material, and unfortunately, love is the only bridge to it.