Movie Meme, Day 10: A Movie I Never Thought I’d End Up Loving

I may have said this before, but I’m rather spot on with knowing what I’d like. Most of the films I seek out are the ones I know I’ll love. Most often the ones I despise are those I see for the hell of it, or Oscar bait I watch for completion’s sake. Not to say that I’m omnipotent…surprises occur. A number of films ran through my head when I saw the title, but it kept coming back to a particular. It’s one that I felt even more of a desire to feature since it narrowly missed making my TOP 100 and I do love it. I’ve never been a big fan of Spielberg. He has two Oscars and even though one is often considered the best film of the nineties, and the other is considered the best in the war genre I wouldn’t have given him on either count. I like Tom Cruise even less. Whereas I’m neither for nor against Spielberg, Tom Cruise tends to annoy me generally. Hence, I felt the slightest bit of trepidation at seeing Minority Report. A Cruise / Spielberg blockbuster? I think not. How wrong was I in prejudging this? Very!          

Though it’s nowhere near as brilliant as 2007, 2002 was a brilliant year for films (2002 in review). There was the trimester of Chicago / The Hours / The Two Towers and those were followed by another trimester Gangs of New York / Minority Report / Spiderman. Each of these six had something that made me anticipate an appreciation for them, except for Minority Report. The story focused on a time in the future when a special band of policeman could anticipate crime and the perpetrators, essentially curbing it before it occurred. One day Chief John Anderton, Head of the Precrime department, sees himself projected in the precogs vision – he will commit a murder. There’s no reason to doubt them because the precogs visions are always accurate. Right? At its base Minority Report is about one man trying to find ascertain the truth around him and  Anderton must do the unthinkable going on the round with Agatha (the female precog) in two. It’s part action, part scifi and complete brilliance. I don’t usually find myself going agog at the genre (though I’ll continually pledge allegiance to Gattaca) but I’m always seduced by the adrenaline rush in Minority Report.

Spielberg creates a brilliant film and art direction and visual effects play an important part in the brilliance of the film, but what makes Minority Report stand apart is the acting. I’ve never found Tom Cruise so moving even in a role that reads as Tom Cruise doing Tom Cruise. I’d have given him an Oscar nomination for this, along with Samantha Morton who is simply outstanding. Neal McDonough, Max von Sydow, Collin Farrell and Kathryn Morris offer good support to the two thespians making the film as dependable for its human resources as it is for the technical ones. I never fail to be lost in the world of Minority Report, I never expected myself to be as enraptured as I was the first time but I was and I am. It’s still brilliant.

       

What do you think of Minority Report?

           

All because of the MEME.

A Love Story…for Hip Hop

I was in the process of tabulating the films I’d seen in the last decade (more on that later) and I came across a 2002 gem that’s become criminally forgotten. The film touched on two issues that often get reviewers riled up. Where, they ask, has the good old-fashioned romantic comedy gone? And why, some continue, can’t there a well made and original black film made? The fact that Brown Sugar came about eight years ago and was promptly forgotten makes me wonder if the questions asked are done so in sincerity. Last week when I caught Brown Sugar again it resonated with me much more than it did with my young self. I was moved by the honesty with which Michael Elliot wrote this subtle comedy. It was more than the exploration of a romance between our charismatic leads Taye Diggs and Sanaa Lathan but it was like Elliot’s own tribute to hip-hop, a music genre that has admittedly lost much of the panache it once held. It almost became a dual throwback, both to hip-hop’s roots and the old romantic comedies of eras long ago with two affable leads, and an eclectic supporting cast.

The story itself is simple; Andre and Sydney have been friends since they were children. With a friendship joined by the rise of hip-hop Andrew becomes a music producer of a morally dubious recording company and Sydney develops into an intuitive writer of a hip-hop magazine. Everyone, but our two leads, is aware of their attraction to each other. But it’s neither a disservice to them, nor the audience, that we must await their inevitable union which acts a contrivance of sorts. One thing that Brown Sugar does with aplomb is avoid shrillness. Nicole Ali Parker and Boris Kodjoe have the dubious job of playing characters who’s single flaw is not being “right” for our leads i.e. not being an avid reader or music lover, respectively. I applaud Elliot and director Rick Famuyiwa for not resorting to the rudimentary to destroy the characters of either. Even though Parker has a plotline that seems as just slightly misogynistic we realise that Elliot is not interesting in creating stereotypes, but real people throughout. Moreover Parker plays her role with such sincerity I always end up feeling for her dilemma as much as that of the two leads. I probably will keep wondering why Sanaa Lathan has not found success. I mentioned her performance in the TV adaptation of A Raisin in the Sun (the stage incarnation of which earned her a Tony nomination) and she has contributed good, if sometimes rote, work to other films of the genre – Something New (more revolutionary than it gives itself credit for), Love & Basketball (too mawkish for me at times, but ultimately pleasant). However, her work in Brown Sugar is particularly stellar, for me at least. Her chemistry with Taye Diggs (why hasn’t his star risen?) impresses and they could handle the entire film on their shoulders. But they don’t have to.

Interestingly neither of the aforementioned four offers the best thing in Brown Sugar. It is Mos Def (a rapper) and Queen Latifah (another rapper) who provide Brown Sugar with a brand of comic relief that is neither over-the-top nor annoying. Latifah has always been charming, and with a small role she sizzles whenever on screen. But it is Mos Def in particular, oddly one of the best black actors around (see Cadillac Records, Be Kind Rewind, Something the Lord Made). There’s a particular scene that attracts me both as a fan of his and as a movie buff. While berating Andre for his insolence with Sydney he says, 

“I'm not the Humphrey Bogart in this. I'm the Peter Lorre. I'm the sidekick character. You the Humphrey Bogart. You had your opening. You know what I'm saying? She wanted you to stop her from marrying the old dude, but you let it ride, you know? Same thing Bogey did, man. You're the same dude.” 

Kudos, to Elliot for offering us this allusion that’s neither too on-the-nose or too pretentious. What’s more he’s careful to break us from the spell of romanticism to reality as it continues...”

Dre: “Man, don't be dissin' Humphrey Bogart, man.”
Chris: “Why not?”
Dre: “'Cause he's Humphrey Bogart. He's the man. Yo, he was fightin' a war. That's what they did back then.”
Chris: “You know what he needed to do back then? He needed to stop fine-ass Ingrid Bergman from gettin' on the plane with the corny dude. And then, he gonna walk off in the fog with some other dude. Come on, man. With another dude, in the fog? Come on. Two grown men walk off in a fog, you don't know where they goin'? Think about it, man.”
Dre: “You smoke too much grass, man.”

It’s an awareness (and subtle hilarity) that I can’t help but applaud. It’s this awareness that makes Brown Sugar so special, like showing the realism of the music industry where an inspired rapping duo Ren & Ten (the hip-hop Dalmatians, one black with white spots, one white with black spots) burst into a passionate rendition of their latest song “The Ho is Mine”. It’s not that Elliot is mocking current artistes (though his estimations are on point, it's eerie that the track sounds like something we'd hear on the radio). It’s an awareness that everything gets commercialised, Sanaa says astutely “Hip hop was changing, and I didn't want to share.”. I’m no where near as interested in music as I once was, especially hip-hop, but Brown Sugar reminds me of the days when a Lauryn Hill or Common track would make me get all fuzzy inside. Hip-hop has changed, but Brown Sugar isn’t an elegy. It’s a celebration; not only for music lovers, but for fans of good old simplicity. Pity it’s not more remembered, or loved.

The Lord of the Rings: Caught in the Middle

I’m well aware that Tolkien’s masterpiece was one book in many parts, and not three books in parts. I’m well aware, too, that Jackson’s own masterpiece though released over three years was shot at once. Yet, I can’t put it as one film on my top 100. It feels like a disservice to the talent involved, even as I realise that by dividing it takes up 15% of my top 20. I’m fine with that, though. The three films may be created simultaneously, but they’re not created equal.

Incidentally, The Two Towers is my favourite section of the novel and it ends up being my least favourite part of the actual film. But, all things being relative, it’s still a magnificent film nonetheless. It is in this instalment that Viggo Mortenson gives us his greatest incarnation of Aragorn. In a way, The Lord of the Rings focuses on three men. The first is centres on Gandalf, the second on Aragorn and the third on Frodo (accompanied by Samwise). Thus, The Two Towers like its protagonist is a man, fallibly human. Mortenson followed up on Aragorn with three excellent introspective portrayals in Eastern Promises, The Road and A History of Violence. True, Aragorn is more like one of the kings of our imaginations than a flawed man but Mortenson does enough to make us believe in the imperfections of this king-to-be while assuring us that he is infallible. I’ll forever hold a soft spot for Arwen (the Jackson creation more than the Tolkien one) so I never do become as emotionally invested in the would-be romance between Aragorn and Eowyn even if Miranda Otto is turning out an excellent performance. Is it that Aragorn forgets about his elfin love…obviously, no. His biggest fault (if he has one) is actually his strength. Aragorn is intent on playing the hero – always. Naturally, he cannot be everyone’s hero; but it is his penchant to come to the rescue of those who need it that makes his rapport with Eowyn so true – something Otto and Mortenson play perfectly.

But it’s not about Aragorn alone. It’s in The Two Towers that I become altogether too fond of Boyd and [ ]. I’d choose this pair over Frodo and Sam, and not because they’re more fun. The two are so often forgotten even though both (particularly Boyd) turn in excellent performances. It’s more than acting childlike, there’s an unruly naïveté about them that is altogether too infectious to ignore and they pull it off with aplomb. Thus their capture by the Orcs and then by Treabeard plays out as more than just the comic relief that it could have been. Of course, I remember the middle for the return of Gandalf – no longer Grey, now white. I know he’s coming back, but still the revelation of his return always makes me gasp just a little. He’s still out acting everyone around him, even if the villainous Christopher Lee is giving him a run for his money. If The Fellowship depends more on story and the The Return of the King more on visuals then The Two Towers depends on the acting. Andy Serkis’ maddening Gollum is at his creepiest here and Brad Dourif’s take on Wormtongue is excellent, even if he’s forgotten in the wake of so many crazier villains. More mention should be made of Bernard Hill's King Theoden. Just like the revelation of Gandalf the White the moment where he casts off Wormtongue is excellently played and so alluring. He and McKellen play well off each other and we believe that this is a great man who still could have been duped by a scoundrel like Wormtongue.

        

I will admit there are times I forgot how great The Two Towers is until I actually see it. It’s waiting for the inevitable showdown that will occur in the finale, but it’s more than merely a bridge. It has significance in its own right. The Two Towers falls at #15 on my list of favourites, so that of course means that the other two instalments fall higher. What moments do you recall vividly in this, the middle child of the trilogy?

Scene On A Sunday: Chicago

I’ve spoken enthusiastically about Chicago and about Catherine Zeta Jones in it before, and always my thoughts go to a particular scene in the film. I often refer to it as my favourite scene in the film, but the entire film is excellent – so I can’t be certain. Velma is at her wits’ end and knows that Roxie is taking so she goes to make her plea for a collaborative effort. It’s already funny because we’ve only just heard her tell Mama Morton that she would only suck up to Roxie “over her dead body”.

          

I love how she comes in so sanguine.

Mind if I join you? She's not being overconfident.She knows very well that Roxie does mind, but she's being the ultimate diva and ensuring that we never see her sweat. Then she takes out the box, oh so incidentally. Am I the only one who thinks that Velma probably confiscated the box of chocolates? Its seems like just the sort of thing she'd do, then go into her lie:

Look what some Johnny sent me. Triple cream caramels all the way from San Francisco. 

             

Roxie’s cold demeanour throws her though, even as she tries and tries to cajole mentioning her double act with her dead sister. I love her slight looks of fear like this one as she prepares for her “Act of Desperation”.  She's worried, and it's the first time we're seeing it.

 As she goes into the prelude for the number this particular short always amuses me.

Is that faux cheerfulness just for Roxie's behalf, is she imagining this double act with Roxie or remembering her departed sister? She starts out her number in typical diva fashion and I love how the camera cuts to Roxie’s bored face.

Say what you want about Renee, but she knows to sell her emotions with her face and doesn't she look so innocent in that costume? Nothing like the snake underneath. But back to Cathy, she attacks the number with fervour she's even frantic; just look at the shot below.

 It’s amazing watching her do her thing though,and I especially love the part where the music shifts into the Egyptian beats.

Cinematographer Dion Beebe makes her look so very good. It was an excellent year for the category, but damn I wish he'd taken it home. I heard a detractor comment that Catherine's height makes the scene awkaward, but I think it's her svelteness that makes her look so enticing, especially on that table.

Even Roxie isn't able to be completely stoic. Catherine ends the first part with aplomb, even if Roxie does shoot her efforts down.

 Pbbbbbt

But it's a good thing Roxie's a sceptic, because it leads into the very excellent part 2 of the dance.

She'd go...

The chair dance is something special, Velma/Catherine really is a talented lady and all the technical elements come together so well. I don't know who to thank most for this shot: Catherine (dancer), Rob (choreographer) or Dion (cinematographer).

See, how even Roxie's impressed by it all.

 

 As she climbs the steps to complete the number I'm amazed at how in character she stays - singing, dancing, acting and emoting. The number's getting more frenzied by the second.

 Here's a few partin' shots..

 

 

 The above shot really puts into perspective just how much dedication she put into this: no stunt doubles...and then the slide down the pole...

 

I love how the number ends with the shots of her face.

I like the first because because you can see how into it she is as she sings that final note, but the second one with the look of desperation is so poignant. Knowing how smart Velma was she probably knew that Roxie was not going to take her up on the offer... but what a thrill ride it was watching her plead her case.

Performances of the Decade (Male)

I’m nothing if not consistent. There are actors who continually work for me, regardless of the role they take or the film they star in. When you view an actor as the finest of his craft I suppose it’s a bit weird when you have to make lists like these. I do consider this man to be the best actor below sixty at the moment, even if my favourite performance of his last decade doesn’t top the list. I know everyone continues to praise his Plainview, which was excellent even if it was outside the top 15. The Day Lewis performance that really impressed me last decade was this – unfortunately snubbed – piece.

              

#2 Daniel Day Lewis in Gangs of New York (2002)

If any actor can be referred to as a chameleon it’s Daniel Day Lewis. I’m uncertain who Daniel Day Lewis – the man – is. But he has the ability to become so many different characters that it’s thrilling even disconcerting at times. In Gangs of New York he plays Bill the Butcher – a man as charismatic as he is dangerous. In the thrilling prologue we watch as he kills the father of our protagonist. As I write the word protagonist I wonder if Amsterdam really is the central character of our story. Perhaps, a bit like The Departed dually centred piece Gangs of New York exists in the same realm. Bill is a thrilling character, and he’d probably show up high (higher than Plainview I think, even) on a list of iconic characters. But the iconicity of Bill doesn’t lie completely in the writing – it depends centrally on Day Lewis.

                 

I began my admiration of Day Lewis after this film, and this is actually the first searing memory of him I have. I remember when I first saw the man (out of character) I was uncertain if it really was him. It’s not just the makeup, because the use of cosmetics is slight in unearthing Bill’s character. But every movement from Day Lewis seems to be from someone completely different. His swaggering walk, his laconic manner of speaking and the little tics in his movement are all completely different from Daniel Day Lewis, as he appears normally. Gangs of New York is recalled as the last important Hollywood epic and though the film is not absolute perfection, like all of Scorsese’s films it’s well worth your time. Ostensibly Day Lewis is at his most exhilarating in the first third of the film. As he tears through the film, even though the cast (particularly DiCaprio, Diaz and Broadbent) do good work there’s no one that equals his excellence here. It’s a total immersion in character that’s almost frightening to behold. Even though the theatrics diminish as his character develops Daniel doesn’t become any less satisfying.

                 

Bill is a beast of a man, but it’s to Daniel’s credit that we never think of him as a monster. His devotion to Amsterdam is interesting to watch as is his reaction when Amsterdam’s identity is revealed. His barbaric swipe at DiCaprio is chilling as we watch the glint in Day Lewis’ eyes. He is never the hero of our story, but he continuously looms over the narrative like a bad dream of unnerving spectre that we cannot avoid. His final scene opposite DiCaprio is a poignant moment. We’ve spent the entire time waiting for this moment, and when it comes it’s not as satisfying as we hope it would be – no fault of Scorsese. It’s actually the point of it really. Bill is a terrifying creation, but he has his ethics and his reasons for why he lives. Even though the narrative never delves too deep, Daniel’s excellent performance always keeps us aware of this.

             

Gangs of New York isn’t remembered very fondly? But what do you think? Is Daniel Day Lewis as exceptional as I think he is?

Performances of the Decade (Female)

When an acclaimed actor wins an Oscar there’s always rumblings that amount to backlash of some sort. Was it the right role? The thing is my next entry has had quite a decade. Even though Oscar has only recognised her twice she has given countless excellent performances this decade and sometimes her Oscar win is just a little too underrated, or maybe I’m just atypical. Because regardless of how many times I see her other excellent work I remain convinced that she won the Oscar for her best performance.

                

#4 Nicole Kidman in The Hours (2002)

One thing I always think about when Nicole’s name is mentioned in The Hours is her dedication. Perhaps it wasn’t particularly peculiar, but I always admire the fact that she learnt to write with her right hand just to lend authenticity to her portrayal of Woolf. I’m a big fan of Woolf now, though at the time I first saw this film I didn’t know too much about her. In retrospect I wouldn’t think I’d like Nicole that much in The Hours. Her incarnation of Woolf has nothing of what I usually like about her. She’s never been an overly technical actor, and usually what draws me to her is the charm she radiates in her performances. That is absent here. Virginia Woolf is the sort of technical piece I’d expect that other Australian to excel at; perhaps that’s why I love Nicole’s work here so much.

Even though Virginia is the most important character she has the least screen-time and Nicole begins adding nuances to her character immediately. She must. There is the slightest of pauses as she comes downstairs and Leonard asks her if she’s eaten. Eyes averted she answers: yes. It’s a lie, but not a thoughtless one. It’s more than just the nose, I truly believe in Nicole’s transformation. Her voice is the key to the role – as we’ll see later. But she doesn’t underplay the physicality either. An early scene that always convinces me of her brilliance is her confrontation with Nelly, the maid. It’s easily forgotten, but I believe it to be – arguably – one of Virginia’s most important. With that cigarette in hand Virginia is both mistress and mouse. (pictured above) She doesn’t like to lose, but she’s just a bit hesitant of reprimanding the servants. The slight glare in her eyes as she tells her: “The 12:30 train will get you to London right after one. If you return on the 2:30 you can return to Richmond soon after three. Do I miscalculate Nelly?” Nicole is giving Virginia so many layers that it’s difficult to believe we’ve only just met this woman.

Clarissa has Louis and Laura has Kitty and Virginia’s visitor is her sister Vanessa Bell. Vanessa is the most important of the three visitors – she stays the longest. At first it seems Miranda’s excellent performance is overshadowing Virginia, but we realise that Nicole is just playing it wisely. Notice, for example, the glowering stare as Vanessa says “I would have invited you to our party, but I knew you wouldn’t come.” Nicole asks, her voice brittle as ever: “How could you know that?” The tension between the two sisters – juxtaposed with their appreciation for each other – is well played and Miranda and Nicole really do work well together. But Nicole works well with all, doesn’t she? The short conversation between her and Anjelica is well played, and the profundity in the words is neither lost nor exaggerated.

  

In a way, The Hours is the story of three women’s days as they spiral out of control, and we notice the agitation in Virginia early. Her desperate plea to Vanessa chills always “Nessa, tell me I’m better. I do seem better.” Then, the frantic kiss which – I believe – is more a plea for attention than anything else. As Vanessa goes back to her self professed boring world that not even Virginia can envy Nicole says it so sadly “But I do.” It’s all she wants really – to have that normalcy. The train station scene has become a given as to the archetypal scene for Nicole – and it is good. I’d like to mention, as an aside, that Stephen Dillane really shines with little here. It’s the moment uncharacteristic of the Virginia we’ve seen thus far but Nicole’s anxiety is palpable. “You cannot find piece by avoiding life.” She’s been given some of the most brilliant words of the last decade, and she doesn’t waste them. But it’s not an incidental success. Nicole makes Virginia into the excellent creation she is. It’s a performance I return to often just to see the brilliance of this woman, arguably the greatest all-rounder we’ve had this decade but it’s her Virginia Woolf that makes me return to this film like a boomerang.

This remains as a beloved of mine whenever I think of her. But what do you think of Nicole’s Virginia Woolf?

Performances of the Decade (Female)

By now you’ve probably heard me mention internal acting quite often. Sometimes it doesn’t work, but you’d have realises I tend to get all hot and bothered when an actor shows talent in keeping their emotions at bay but still relaying their feelings to the audience. Mirren in Gosford Park and Whishaw in Bright Star were noticeable for this trait as was this particularly exceptional performance.

        

#7 Julianne Moore in The Hours (2002)

 Julianne stars as Laura Brown, the protagonist of the middle story of The Hours. While Virginia writes about Mrs. Dalloway and Clarissa lives it Laura reads about the women. It’s a symbolic action because Laura Brown is a spectator who yearns to be on the inside. Still, it would be a disservice to The Hours and to Julianne to call her the clichéd dissatisfied housewife of the era. We catch only a day in the life of Laura and in many ways it’s not as obvious a pivotal day as Clarissa and Virginia but Julianne convinces us. From the very first shot of Julianne I know something is off about Laura. Look into those eyes and they’re completely empty. It’s an emptiness that becomes more pronounced as the day goes on.

It would seem that Laura is the least sympathetic of the three, but I never can judge them against each other, and she's not bad just misunderstood. I always see her as a woman more worthy of our pity that hate. It’s like the story of the mother in Lawrence’s “The Rocking Horse Winner”. We can palpably notice Julianne’s attempt at loving her child. The kisses, terms of endearment but there are those moments (blink and you’ll miss them) where her discomfort is obvious and unnerving. It’s there in her enunciation too. It’s as if she’s speaking as slowly as possible to buy time, she’s not sure how to communicate with this person. I spoke about Clarissa’s defining moment with her visitor and Laura has hers too – Kitty. Next to Kitty’s almost violently bubbly behaviour (a superficial one) Laura seems even more dour. I like the moment, for example, when Kitty inquires as to the plot of Laura’s novel. I love Laura’s response “It’s about this woman...well, she's a hostess, and she's incredibly confident, everyone thinks she's fine - bu she isn't." It’s such a strange summation of the novel and Julianne’s intonation always chills me, even though I’m not sure why.

Julianne is forced to act in vignettes because Laura really is the least defined of the three women, she is more of a plot point than a character on her own. So Julianne must act with her eyes. For example, the tortured look of conflict as she leaves Richie at the babysitter. She already knows what she plans to do, and a favourite moment of mine is when she decides (or is Virginia who decides…) that suicide is not the option. The gasp and the teary eyes are terrifying and a complete conveyance of emotion even though, really, we haven’t been given that much information. The ending of her portion as she cries in the bathroom is always a punch in the gut and though I’ve not quite understood Laura – as yet – I still feel profound sympathy for her.

…Of course, she returns. She is the only woman to exist in more than one chapter, and she nails it. Her line to Meryl “It was death, I chose life” is one in many excellent line readings in the film and as she accepts her life – and her son’s lack thereof – I always applaud Julianne for crafting brilliance where few could have succeeded as well.
           
This remains as the peak of my appreciation of Julianne and I will continue to praise her subtlety here. But what do you think of her Laura Brown?