Sometimes we see movies when we’re not writing. We hate reviews, but we feel somewhat obligated. We digress… [ed. dude, these aren’t that short]
Lars and the Real Girl (dir. Craig Gillespie. Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer)
This film, about a delusional young man (Ryan Gosling) who adopts an anatomically correct sex doll as a coping mechanism against his social paralysis and the family that tries to help him (Emily Mortimer, Paul Schneider), seems to be semi-polarizing to some. Some respectable friends have censured the film for being cloying, precious and annoying, but we thought the subject matter was handled with a lot of respect, sensitivity and maturity. Ryan Gosling delivers another subtle, but powerhouse performance and there’s a lot less goofiness and cheap laughs than you might have expected. In fact we’d probably label this movie a dramedy before we would a comedy (thanks misleading trailer). It’s poignant and sad, charming and sweet; we unabashedly enjoyed it. Emily Mortimer said the inanimate sex doll deserved the crew’s respect and Ryan Gosling even kept the thing. [B+]
Michael Clayton (dir. Tony Gilroy. George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson)
The key to understanding this movie, its rhythm and its intentions is a throwaway line director Tony Gilroy (writer of the Bourne franchises) said in an interview with EW where he lauds films of the ’70s and their ability to not “round things off.” What Gilroy means is the impulse to smooth over all the edges and tighten up a script and this is exactly what Gilroy doesn’t do with his loose crisis of conscience tale. Like thrillers from the ’70s (“The Parallax View,” “All the President’s Men,” et al.), rather than making a taut, tight thriller that cuts to the chase, Clayton purposely lingers and wanders with a slow and deliberate gait. We’re supplied with tons of deep backstory about this conflicted ”fixer” (Clooney) who works for a slimy, corporate New York law firm and is forced to dig through a dangerous conspiracy involving their A-list litigator (Tom Wilkinson) who’s stopped taking his meds and gone off the reservation. It makes for a nostalgic and unique ride (at least these days) about moral crisis. The ending is a little Hollywood, ta da!, but ‘Clayton’ is still a powerful directorial debut and Clooney’s performance is free of his tricks and almost soulful. [B+]
Southland Tales (dir. Richard Kelly. The Rock, Sarah Michelle Gellar)
Apparently Richard Kelly (director of once overlooked, now-overrated cult hit “Donnie Darko”) thought this post 9-11, post Iraq not-to-distant future culture/war Orwellian allegory was supposed to be a comedy. And one can see why, but most of the guffaws are not with the director, but aimed at his ambitious, but laughable and woefully misguided attempts at satire and prescient dystopian profundity. The casting is also part of the supposed irony, but folks like The Rock, Sarah Michelle Gellar and a bunch of D-list SNL actors are just plain awful. The soundtrack may have some interesting cuts by the Pixies, Jane’s Addiction and other alt-rockers, but it can’t save this grasping at straws and all over the map mash of muddled politics, specious religion and sci-fi ridiculousness.[D-]
Persepolis (dir. Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud. Catherine Deneuve)
Could this film be a harder sell? A black and white graphic novel adaptation of young girl’s experience growing up under the fundamentalist revolution in Iran; sounds like fun for the whole family, right? But Persepolis needs its own “you must see” campaign to combat any pre-conceived ideas you may have about it as it’s wonderful. Charming, funny, and heartbreaking, this unique coming of age story won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival for good reason. Voiced by Catherine Deneueve and her daughter Chiara Mastroianni (fathered by Italian screen idol Marcello Mastroianni), the film explores themes of tyranny, oppression, alienation, xenophobia abroad, and universal ideas about growing up female in a male-centric world (not to mention loving punk rock under the regime of the Shah). The film premiered in North American at the recent NY Film Festival, but doesn’t hit theaters until Christmas. Don’t miss this terrific gem.[A]
PS the American version of this film (i.e. no subtitles and dubbing instead) will feature Iggy Pop and Sean Penn as the voices of the two male leads.
“Persepolis” trailer
