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.

2009 in Review: War

Films on war have been a norm every year – from historical All Quiet on the Western Front, to The Deer Hunter to Saving Private Ryan. This year was a bit of different spin, we had films on war but instead of the highlights being the Vietnam War or World War II we had contemporary war films on America’s plight in the Middle East. The Hurt Locker was an early gem that impressed me. It was a riveting piece cast excellently from Renner’s leading man to Ralph Fiennes’ cameo. Fellow summer film Inglourious Basterds was more in line with the traditional war epic, kind of. We’ve been to World War II before, but never like this. I was reticent about appreciation of the film as you know, as I’ve said before the target audience would eat this up – and they did. I just was not part of the audience. Still even I could not ignore the scintillating performances of Christoph Waltz and especially Diane Kruger – certainly, neither would be my pick for a multitude of laurels but they’re performances were the highlight of the film for me with that intelligent Chapter Four standing out as the best of the lot – strangely, the one that was Christoph Waltz free. Still, Diane Kruger’s uninhibited turn as Helen Von Bismarck was the most significant part (acting wise) in Tarantino’s Basterds.

                       

The Messenger came out of nowhere turning into one of the more significant examinations of war. It was actually free of any scenes in or around combat, but the tale of a soldier recently come home whose job is to now inform the families of victims of soldiers’ death was one of the more harrowing pieces of the last few years. It’s obvious to see what the film’s selling point is though. It doesn’t show us so much the horrors of the war as it shows the trauma of war for the families of soldiers. Woody Harrelson’s Tony makes an astute point to the hypocrisy of it all. Families all wave and host parties to celebrate deployments and then are shocked when soldiers turn up dead. Of course, not all families are turning a blind eye to the potential misfortune ahead. Samantha Morton’s widow doesn’t, and neither does the entire cast of Brothers, I film I enjoyed much. The first half of Brothers, in fact, rests on this. One of my favourite scenes occurs as the soldiers turn up to tell Portman’s Grace of her husband’s (nonexistent) death. I wonder if Ben Foster’s Will would have taken to her too… There is not overt sadness here, Grace knew this moment was a possibility and she simply covers her mouth and the tears well in her eyes.                              

Next to these portrayals, I suppose In the Loop does look a bit irreverent, and it is – in some ways. Still, the entire point of this intelligent comedy is that the divide between actual combat and the promulgating politics is so different. The very document bemoaning the realities of war is after all amended simply to carry out a political agenda, it’s a bit frightening if we think too hard – but we’re too busy laughing to notice. Even those against war are not cuddly, teddy bear types. There’s nothing cuddly about Mimi Kennedy’s dirty mouthed (literal and figurative) Assistant Secretary of State. Three Blind Mice exists on the same level as In the Loop seeming to gloss over the traumatic incidents with humour, but it goes deeper. Of course, this deals with the Navy which is not the army – but it’s not far off. When Toby Schmitz makes his confession at the dinner table it definitively changes the tone of the film. His mother-in-law gasps, “That’s torture.” – I can’t help thinking in response, that’s the army. It’s not that the film isn’t funny after that; in fact the subsequent drunk scene is the funniest in the film. But the laughter has become less pure, more nervous.

                          

Two films I’m anticipating this year (The Way Back, The King’s Speech) both have war as secondary factors in it. King George struggles to be a better king in the latter and a group of convicts escape imprisonment during apparent guerrilla warfare in the former. If it’s good for nothing else, war is always a good starting point for film. Which was your favourite this year?