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Blade_Le_Flambeur's rating
The Coen Brothers return with True Grit, their 4th consecutive film (starting from No Country from Old Men in 2007). Shot only earlier this year, the film contemplates the Southern plains following a feisty heroine Mattie along with the unscrupulous Rooster Cogburn and sidekick LaBoeuf. Along for the ride is vicious Ned Pepper and the dull Tom Chaney.
As the Coen brothers stated numerous times, True Grit is meant to be a more earnest adaptation of the source novel by Charles Portis. This is clearly presented in the film with its sometimes unintelligible dialogue and classic tropes. Unlike their darker No Country for Old Men, the film takes on a more unsophisticated tone. Mattie is clearly the hero and Chaney and Ned clearly the antagonists. Rooster's drunken stupor leads to comic effect, as does his verbal sparring with the self-righteous LaBoeuf.
What helps the Coens realize this goal so well is the support they garner by their more than capable cast. Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Barry Pepper, and newcomer Hailee Steinfeld are completely embrace their parts. And in this process of complete immersion in language and mannerisms, they all turn in remarkable performances. Bridges and Steinfeld are likely to receive Oscar nominations (the latter, unfortunately, in Supporting Actress) but the cast on the whole roundly performs. Damon in particular continues to show off impressive ability after his likewise humorous turn in The Informant!.
From a behind-the-scenes perspective, the Coen Bros. also rely on their trusty team. Roger Deakins proved his ability to master the Western landscape with The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and here proves once again his fateful eye. The compositions all feel completely appropriate. Sometimes Deakins channels the starry nights of The Night of the Hunter (also referenced through the older Mattie's narration in beginning and end) and like that earlier work, the film is visually entrancing. Carter Burwell also provides a solid score, frequently using "Leaning on Jesus" (also a nod to Night of the Hunter). And the Coen Bros., using their alias, masterly cut the work together so that it builds along nicely. Violence often erupts in True Grit with the filmmakers preferring to use the point-of-view of the characters rather than cutting to the potential victims.
If one can knock True Grit for anything, it's that the film sometimes feels longer than it needs to be. The epilogue, in particular, feels less necessary than it does tacky. But the Coens faithfulness to the source novel may have been a part of this, as well as their desire to tell a complete story. Along with a PG-13 rating, this is probably the most market friendly Coen Bros. film in quite a while but it still works due to their unquestionable talent.
To summarize, True Grit is a satisfying Western. It does not aim to subvert the genre like No Country for Old Men, but rather to please. And thanks to its solid performances and technical craft, True Grit succeeds.
As the Coen brothers stated numerous times, True Grit is meant to be a more earnest adaptation of the source novel by Charles Portis. This is clearly presented in the film with its sometimes unintelligible dialogue and classic tropes. Unlike their darker No Country for Old Men, the film takes on a more unsophisticated tone. Mattie is clearly the hero and Chaney and Ned clearly the antagonists. Rooster's drunken stupor leads to comic effect, as does his verbal sparring with the self-righteous LaBoeuf.
What helps the Coens realize this goal so well is the support they garner by their more than capable cast. Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Barry Pepper, and newcomer Hailee Steinfeld are completely embrace their parts. And in this process of complete immersion in language and mannerisms, they all turn in remarkable performances. Bridges and Steinfeld are likely to receive Oscar nominations (the latter, unfortunately, in Supporting Actress) but the cast on the whole roundly performs. Damon in particular continues to show off impressive ability after his likewise humorous turn in The Informant!.
From a behind-the-scenes perspective, the Coen Bros. also rely on their trusty team. Roger Deakins proved his ability to master the Western landscape with The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and here proves once again his fateful eye. The compositions all feel completely appropriate. Sometimes Deakins channels the starry nights of The Night of the Hunter (also referenced through the older Mattie's narration in beginning and end) and like that earlier work, the film is visually entrancing. Carter Burwell also provides a solid score, frequently using "Leaning on Jesus" (also a nod to Night of the Hunter). And the Coen Bros., using their alias, masterly cut the work together so that it builds along nicely. Violence often erupts in True Grit with the filmmakers preferring to use the point-of-view of the characters rather than cutting to the potential victims.
If one can knock True Grit for anything, it's that the film sometimes feels longer than it needs to be. The epilogue, in particular, feels less necessary than it does tacky. But the Coens faithfulness to the source novel may have been a part of this, as well as their desire to tell a complete story. Along with a PG-13 rating, this is probably the most market friendly Coen Bros. film in quite a while but it still works due to their unquestionable talent.
To summarize, True Grit is a satisfying Western. It does not aim to subvert the genre like No Country for Old Men, but rather to please. And thanks to its solid performances and technical craft, True Grit succeeds.
Black Swan, the latest from Darren Aronofsky is a twisty-turny psychodrama in the vein of Roman Polanski with aspects of The Wrestler through in for good measure. The film constantly pumps itself through with menace, leaving the audience increasingly jolted until the sweeping conclusion.
The story is hard to explain without spoiling anything. Nina (Natalie Portman, at her restrained best) is an earnest ballerina hoping for her big moment. She is potentially foiled (or is she?) by Lily (Mila Kunis), a more striking figure.. all the while under the auspices of Thomas (Vincent Cassel, channeling plenty of smarminess). Along for the ride is Nina's overriding mother (Barbara Hershey) and an dancer on the skids, Beth (Winona Ryder). As these characters collide the plot becomes less and less coherent.
And this does not pose any problems for Aronofsky who along with his capable collaborators in both aural and visual realms works to stir a striking environment. The New York city streets are constantly empty, leaving Nina to face off against unknown forces. Her overdone apartment speaks volumes about her childlike state. Aronofsky, like what he did with Mickey Rourke, hovers behind Portman constantly with his camera creating a sense of constant alertness. Rather than shooting dialogue in two shots, he cuts in front of both actors to convey a volley of emotional drama. Like Polanski's Rosemary's Baby or Repulsion, Aronofsky tries to stir up as much menace as possible. Every frame feels tense, especially when the story becomes more splintered.
The visceral impact of this works because it serves as the driving force behind the film. It's practically impossible to isolate a singular aspect of Black Swan; the sound design, the performances, the writing, etc. all coalesce under Aronofsky's commanding vision. Here he has fully matured as a director, confident in his constantly stylistic protrusions. Consequently the film, like Requiem for a Dream, leaves the viewer gasping for air. By the time the ending credits begin there is a definitive response-but to what, exactly? Are Black Swan's pleasures all sensory? Is there something more intellectually engaging underneath the strong exterior?
These are questions like to divide viewers. But it is a film that works, thanks to Aronofsky's direction, and one that leaves an impression throughout and immediately after. What happens after remains to be seen.
The story is hard to explain without spoiling anything. Nina (Natalie Portman, at her restrained best) is an earnest ballerina hoping for her big moment. She is potentially foiled (or is she?) by Lily (Mila Kunis), a more striking figure.. all the while under the auspices of Thomas (Vincent Cassel, channeling plenty of smarminess). Along for the ride is Nina's overriding mother (Barbara Hershey) and an dancer on the skids, Beth (Winona Ryder). As these characters collide the plot becomes less and less coherent.
And this does not pose any problems for Aronofsky who along with his capable collaborators in both aural and visual realms works to stir a striking environment. The New York city streets are constantly empty, leaving Nina to face off against unknown forces. Her overdone apartment speaks volumes about her childlike state. Aronofsky, like what he did with Mickey Rourke, hovers behind Portman constantly with his camera creating a sense of constant alertness. Rather than shooting dialogue in two shots, he cuts in front of both actors to convey a volley of emotional drama. Like Polanski's Rosemary's Baby or Repulsion, Aronofsky tries to stir up as much menace as possible. Every frame feels tense, especially when the story becomes more splintered.
The visceral impact of this works because it serves as the driving force behind the film. It's practically impossible to isolate a singular aspect of Black Swan; the sound design, the performances, the writing, etc. all coalesce under Aronofsky's commanding vision. Here he has fully matured as a director, confident in his constantly stylistic protrusions. Consequently the film, like Requiem for a Dream, leaves the viewer gasping for air. By the time the ending credits begin there is a definitive response-but to what, exactly? Are Black Swan's pleasures all sensory? Is there something more intellectually engaging underneath the strong exterior?
These are questions like to divide viewers. But it is a film that works, thanks to Aronofsky's direction, and one that leaves an impression throughout and immediately after. What happens after remains to be seen.
An enigmatic tone piece from internationally acclaimed Nagisa Oshima, Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence is a left-of-center look at the moods of a WWII P.O.W. Camp. Comparisons to The Bridge on the River Kwai cannot be avoided (not that the producers strove to do such) but this film is a very different animal indeed.
As posited by Jeremy Thomas in a supplemental interview, "What happens when a Japanese filmmaker makes a Japanese P.O.W. camp movie?" Something like this film in which the elegiac tone is oh so much more important than anything else. David Bowie's constant, downbeat independence vs. Tom Conti's fierce loyalty vs. Takeshi Kitano's upbeat clown pose... these are the most important elements of the piece.
The humid tropics of Java help tell the story of a wound up prison camp in Indonesia during W.W.II. Cryptic Jack Celliers (Bowie) joins the titular Lawrence (Conti) and his crew of British soldiers under the auspices of the jocular Hara (Kitano) and Yonoi (pop star Ryuichi Sakamoto, pulling double duties as the composer). Their relationships form the backbone of the film as they all vie for control. Celliers and Yonoi's ambivalent relationship moves the film along while the Japanese-speaking and mannered Lawrence constantly bickers with Hara about equal treatment.
The film has a definitive Western feel in the setting up of the story. It is based on a South Afrikaner's memoir and written by a British screenwriter. The back-and-forth dialogue, particularly during rigid two way conversations speak to this. But Oshima lets the music pulsate along and tracks along, showing how these men affected each other. By the conclusion the audience is so thoroughly engrossed in just the ambiance that they forget everything else. Unlike Oshima's more extreme In the Realm of the Senses, Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence is a relatively easy act to follow. Although not as artistically rewarding, it is equally worth watching.
As posited by Jeremy Thomas in a supplemental interview, "What happens when a Japanese filmmaker makes a Japanese P.O.W. camp movie?" Something like this film in which the elegiac tone is oh so much more important than anything else. David Bowie's constant, downbeat independence vs. Tom Conti's fierce loyalty vs. Takeshi Kitano's upbeat clown pose... these are the most important elements of the piece.
The humid tropics of Java help tell the story of a wound up prison camp in Indonesia during W.W.II. Cryptic Jack Celliers (Bowie) joins the titular Lawrence (Conti) and his crew of British soldiers under the auspices of the jocular Hara (Kitano) and Yonoi (pop star Ryuichi Sakamoto, pulling double duties as the composer). Their relationships form the backbone of the film as they all vie for control. Celliers and Yonoi's ambivalent relationship moves the film along while the Japanese-speaking and mannered Lawrence constantly bickers with Hara about equal treatment.
The film has a definitive Western feel in the setting up of the story. It is based on a South Afrikaner's memoir and written by a British screenwriter. The back-and-forth dialogue, particularly during rigid two way conversations speak to this. But Oshima lets the music pulsate along and tracks along, showing how these men affected each other. By the conclusion the audience is so thoroughly engrossed in just the ambiance that they forget everything else. Unlike Oshima's more extreme In the Realm of the Senses, Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence is a relatively easy act to follow. Although not as artistically rewarding, it is equally worth watching.