Movie Meme, Day 2: A Movie More People Should See

I’d probably say that all the movies I like are films people should see more, but there are some movies that just don’t earn much money. Eventually classics reach cult status and their viewership increases exponentially as the years go by, but with recent film it’s a different ballgame. Give or take 2001 or 2010, I’d say that 2007 was probably the best year for films for the last decade. It sucks that one of the three best films from that year managed to go by with little notice, earning a mere 25 million at the box-office and racking up zero Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe or SAG Award nominations.

I’ve singled out the screenplay as one of the decade’s best as Ethan Hawke’s performance as one for the decade too. And really, the movie’s that good. Two deadbeat brothers (one more obviously deadbeat than the other) hatch a misguided plan to rob a jewellery that leads to such tragedy that calling it a melodrama would just be mean. Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead is a film so tautly created that I respect it as much as I love it. Sidney Lumet has a knack for becoming second fiddle in his films. He’s always doing such a good job of making his actors shine that I forget he’s the one helming them. The thing is, though the actors shine here, it’s Lumet who defines the brilliance in Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead. He’s always been known for his almost painstaking love for realism and the film is handled so brilliantly. Yes, everyone was going wild for the other bit of visceral directing that year, and sure I was going wild for that period flick but Sidney Lumet was so obviously head and shoulders above all other directors that year. It really does suck that he’s never been Oscared…

I’ll praise the brilliance that is Ethan Hawke to my grave, but it’s unfortunate that so few get to enjoy him in this – which is probably his best performance. Speaking of which, this is probably the best work from Phillip Seymour Hoffman too. Unless you’ve been in jail for the last ten years (or living in a cave) you’d know that Hoffman singlehandedly ruled the latter half of the decade. Add that to the fact that Albert Finney, one of the legendary greats, turns in a tour-de-force performance as their father and that Marisa Tomei’s woman-in-the-middle turn is even better than her excellent turns in In the Bedroom and The Wrestler and add that to the fact that Oscar nominees Amy Ryan and Michael Shannon give brilliant cameos and you’re probably wonder why you’ve never heard of this film…

Kelly Masterson (the screenwriter) is a cruel mistress. To say that Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead doesn’t give a damn about its implications is a gross understatement. It keeps on surprising you at every turn, though it’s never for the “shock” factor and always in service of the excellent script. I’m a little in love with it in all its delicious irreverence and lewdness, and though it’s not one that will appeal to all it deserves to be seen just because it’s that good. It’s easily one of the twenty five best films of the last decade…and definitely one that more people should see. Have you seen it?

      

And the MEME continues…this is actually easier than I anticipated…

A Different Tim Burton

If all goes well I should be seeing Burton’s Alice in Wonderland next week. I don’t expect the film to be perfect, and I won’t be angry if I don’t love it as much as I wanted to. It seems that so many hate Burton now and with the announcement of his imminent reimagining of The Addams’ Family (which I think could be excellent) the trolls have emerged; but I digress. Whenever I hear the claims of Burton’s lack of restraint I always feel the urge to slag someone off by citing my favourite live action Burton film – an imperfect masterpiece that thrills me as much as it moves me, 2003’s forgotten Big Fish.

Big Fish is a drama, a fantasy, a comedy, a romance and a mystery all rolled into one atypical bundle from Burton. It is the story of Ed Bloom a dying man forever at odds with his son. On his deathbed he tries to explain himself to his son. In this way Big Fish is two stories in one. On the most obvious of levels it’s difficult to believe that Ewan McGregor grew up to become Albert Finney, not because Albert Finney isn’t charming. To be fair Finney’s early work in Tom Jones is not that different from the young Ewan in the film. Finney just gives the feeling of a man whose light has been snuffed out for whatever reasons, even though he’s not unhappy. Jessica Lange plays brilliantly in the small role of Finney’s wife. I’ve always been a fan of Lange and her manner of imbuing so much emotion to a nondescript role is effective. As earnest and delicate as the times in the present are, it’s difficult to deny the sheer (aesthetic) brilliance of Big Fish when it retracts to the past. It’s a fanciful tale, but that’s precisely the point which is why Burton is so effective, but the present moments in their sombreness is done excellently. The visuals are an important of the film, but it’s the not the defining entity. That would be the acting.

Helena Bonham Carter made my top 5 of 2003 for her brilliant performance in a dual role. It’s the most sensitive role Burton has given her and she handles it perfectly. It’s difficult to balance her charm against the beauty and stability of Lohman/Lange and Carter never turns it into a cliché. Ewan McGregor gives his best performance as Ed. It’s that fanciful innocence that suits him, and even the accent tends to get obtrusive in some moments it’s still an absolutely brilliant incarnation and Albert Finney does so much emoting with so little time (this man continues to be excellent even in his old age). Big Fish also features Marion Cotillard in a small role as Billy Crudup’s wife.

I am a fan of Burton so I really can’t say whether or not I’m the most infallible critic, but then who is? Big Fish delights me and it stirs me. It’s an excellent creation and a treasure of the last decade as far as I’m concerned. It features on my list of favourites at #41.

Performances of the Decade (Male)

I liked the nineties more, even if I can’t remember them clearly (I was a babe) and even if I need to see more films from the period. Still, one thing about the aughts is seeing how many actors made their mark as inventible screen presences. Does anyone remember the guy who played Jude Law’s ally in Cold Mountain? I mean, he made my shortlist, but I don’t think anyone was expecting that guy to turn into one of the most important actors of the last half of the decade racking up three (almost) consecutive nominations – and a win, too. Personally, I think he’s brilliant. Yet, he was snubbed for his greatest contribution this decade – at least I think so.

        

#11 Philip Seymour Hoffman in Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (2007)

Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead opens unceremoniously. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Marisa Tomei are having sex in what looks like the least romantic of styles. Lumet never was afraid to shock us and Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead is a close look at a family more pervasive than the usual family drama. It’s the kind of film where perspective is difficult to attain until we’ve stepped back and examined the entire film after the credits have rolled. Hoffman has always had the ability to unnerve the audience, his excellent Capote was a bit too suspicious and even though he made Father Flynn congenial enough the cards were already decided and there was no need to doubt his guilt. It’s this intimidating manner of his that he uses to full effect as Andy Hanson.

          

Andy is a tyrant in some ways and this is most perceptible in the brilliant scenes opposite Ethan Hawke. Hoffman has a way with flashy dialogue and from the most superficial of levels he thrives here. But, what makes him so invaluable to the screen is his ability to turn the tables. Forced to pin down one scene in particular to validate Hoffman’s inclusion on the list – I’d have to single out the tour-de-force battle against Albert Finney (playing his father). Someone said once it was like watching two wild animals go at it, and when it comes to the ferocity they’re not wrong. The similarities between Finney and Hoffman are not inadvertent and Hoffman’s breakdown is brilliantly executed. It’s unnerving, but in a different way. Notice how Maria Tomei is almost repulsed by the show of emotion in the car. Her Gina is notoriously weak and can’t handle this breakdown. I love how Hoffman responds in turn to her noncommittal reaction. Or how he goes to his drug supplier - so broken. But still not humane enough for us to feel anything other than discomfort.

Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead is – after all – a film about dealing with personal demons when life twists your life up. Hoffman’s confrontation with the conman at the end is brilliant like all else, it is in some ways more of a showcase for Hawke but even when he’s not the centre of the scene he never plays second fiddle. It’s a scarily brilliant turn and it’s a pity that such a well made film with all these great performances was ignored. Philip Seymour Hoffman has made some indelible contributions to cinema in the last decade and I only hope that he continues to be as prolific in this one. He’s not the typical leading man, and it’s strange when an actor hits their stride at his age. But he has the talent to pull it off.

           

Were you impressed by PSH in Lumet’s recent film? Or does another of his performances impress you?

Erin Brockovich

In my youth when I saw the Steven Soderbergh’s enviable double feature of Traffic and Erin Brockovich I cannot deny that the latter was the one that was more enjoyable. However, I was at that strange time when I believed commonness was equated with enjoyment and thus I heavily believed that Traffic was the superior of the two. Years later, I still cannot be certain if Traffic is not the better of the two – but I realise that the ostensible enjoyment one derives from Erin Brockovich belies a smart and elegant interior.

                

Erin Brockovich is a film that has become equated with Julia Roberts – one of the greatest stars of her time. Of course her Oscar win has become somewhat maligned today but I will not deny that as much as it seems to be a role of pure stardom Julia’s Erin is one of the strongest and most enjoyable female characters of the decade and her line-readings are more than just line readings for the sake of it. Erin is the type of character who we admire all the while noticing her lesser qualities. She’s not perfect, definitely no angel as she prances around in those stiletto heels destroying everything in her path. It’s the sort of rare character that demands a leading lady with an exceptionally strong screen presence and Julia delivers on all counts. But even though the title suggests otherwise, the film is more than just a showcase for Julia and Julia alone. You’d think that the supporting players are relegated to mere caricatures in the presence of such a woman, but you’d be wrong.

Albert Finney’s Oscar nod for his supporting turn is both baffling and satisfying. It’s a performance that is without airs and completely realistic and as Julia’s boss we leave the film with as clear an understanding of Ed as we do of Erin. Aaron Eckhart has the unenviable task of playing “wife” to Julia’s role-reversed heroine. It’s a thankless role, but he holds his own with Julia in that final scene of his reminding us that even though Erin is a hero she is far from a paragon of goodness.

                      

Erin Brockovich is a film that has become exceedingly underrated. The script is witty without being grandiose, casted to perfection with a nice little performance by the wonderful Cherry Jones, and edited fittingly it’s an incredibly enjoyable. It doesn’t fit into our usual thoughts of a biopic, but it’s a credit to its genre. It entertains as much as it edifies and though many look back and criticise its success; it deserved the recognition it attained, including that Best Picture nomination. Here it is at #81 on my list of favourites.              
Starting this week I'll be looking at 2000 in review.