The Month in Review: June 2011

Apparently I subconsciously decided to make June "Difficult Movie Month," because in my choices, whether on DVD/online or in the theater, the best results came from films that weren't exactly easy going down. Whether it was my second venture into the filmography of Andrei Tarkovsky, or checking out another confounding piece from the Michael Haneke factory of uncomfortable scenarios, June proved equal parts tough and rewarding in terms of movie-going. The best of the best?

Best Film (Theaters): The Tree of LifeNot only the best film of June, but also the best theatrical release I've seen in 2011 thus far. As I've said before, I'm no die-hard fan of Terrence Malick, but this time he really got to me, even if I didn't realize immediately. Gorgeous images aside (and they are gorgeous), Tree manages to tackle the grandness of the universe through the mind of one man's mind and memories. It works as a vision of creation, as an intimate look of family life, and most importantly as a coming-of-age story shaded with loss. Yes, it can be ponderous at times, but I think that comes from Malick's refusal to give out easy answers, despite the occasional piece of overly blunt voice over. I think Mick LaSalle summed up Malick's cosmic intimate epic best (I'm paraphrasing) by calling it a bag of diamonds with a few rocks mixed in.


Best Film (Rental/DVD): StalkerLaSalle's description also fits perfectly with Andrei Tarkovsky's Stalker, a film that is by turns mesmerizing and tedious (and sometimes both simultaneously). For a story that centers primarily on shots of men walking through grass, Tarkovsky and crew are able to create a surprisingly intense, hypnotic journey without relying on flashy visuals or sets. This is the sort of challenging, layered cinema that deserves to be re-visited multiple times.


Best Director: Terrence Malick - The Tree of LifeWhatever quibbles I've had with Malick in the past, his latest film was one instance when everything fit together. From the beautiful work from the cast, to the brilliant music choices, and the better-handled subjective nature shots, Tree is an example of Malick's tendencies at their best.


Best Male Performance: Ryan Gosling - Half NelsonThough he gets oddly bug-eyed for a brief moment, Gosling's breakthrough performance (which earned him an Oscar nomination) is a quiet tour-de-force. Every angle of Dan Dunn comes together fluidly in Gosling's portrayal. The result is a character who can be good, bad, smart, self-destructive, careless, and caring, all without feeling scatter shot. Quite the opposite; it's a thoroughly compelling piece of acting, and easily ranks among the best of 2006.


Best Female Performance: Isabelle Huppert - The Piano TeacherAnd speaking of compelling performances, I'd be daft to not use that term to describe Isabelle Huppert's work in Michael Haneke's 2002 film. As Erika, the sexually repressed piano teacher who tries to start a relationship with a student, Huppert turns in a knockout performance, one that capitalizes on her ability to mix deeply buried passions with a steely exterior. Simply incredible work.


Best Ensemble Cast: Midnight in ParisIt may border on overstuffed, but Woody Allen's latest charmer certainly shines in the casting department. Owen Wilson makes for a nice change of pace in the Allen-stand-in role, and his interactions with the supporting cast are a complete delight. Whether he's falling in love with Marion Cotillard's Adriana, conversing with Corey Stoll's Hemingway, or having a bizarre (and hilarious) encounter with Adrien Brody's Salvador Dali, Owen and the cast are one of the best things about one of Allen's best efforts in recent memory.


Best Screenplay: Tyrannosaur by Paddy ConsidineThough it has all of the ingredients necessary to devolve into misery porn, Paddy Considine's debut as a writer/director benefits from his generally strong script. While not a hugely eventful story, Considine keeps the plot moving with a tight focus on his central trio of characters. The end result, while not without its flaws, is a grounded and powerful look at the lives of two strangers crossing at a time of personal distress for both parties.


Best Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki - The Tree of LifeIf there was ever a time when I really had no choice, it was in this category. Even the harshest detractors of Malick's latest will have trouble denying the staggering beauty in Lubezki's images. Whether he's turning shots of volcanoes and empty landscapes into pre-historic vistas, or capturing the family life of the O'Briens, Lubezki's work here is a towering achievement, one that has a strong chance of remaining unmatched come year's end.

Review: "Midnight in Paris"

When one has made as many films as Woody Allen has (40), it's easy to feel that the work is becoming repetitive. As one of the most prolific auteurs ever, Allen has had his shares of triumphs and failures. And yet he's always pressed ahead, never taking too long between films. Starting in the mid-2000s, Allen hit something of a turnaround, leaving his beloved New York to write love letters to the great metropolises of Europe. It hasn't been without setbacks (You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger), but Europe seems to suit Allen well, as evidenced by works like Vicky Cristina Barcelona, and now, Midnight in Paris.

First, a moment of honesty. When I first saw the trailer, I actually feared for the worst. All I got was that a man takes walks around Paris at midnight and "finds himself," and that everything else seemed rather, well, stupid. When Allen is on fire, he's fantastic, but when he's not, he can be horribly tedious, and I feared for the worst with this film. But the secret to Midnight in Paris that makes it work turns about to be those midnight sequences, which the trailer couldn't have done more to misrepresent.

After a picturesque opening montage of the city of light (one that could have used some trimming), we're introduced to American writer Gil (Owen Wilson) and his fiancé Inez (Rachel McAdams). Gil is, to put it lightly, in love with Paris. Inez? Not so much. He's a romantic who loves the idea of Paris in the 1920s, she's convinced that he's suffering from what the pedantic Paul (Michael Sheen) calls "Golden Age syndrome." One night, trying to get a break from Paul's pseudo-intellectualism and Inez's condescending right-wing parents, Gil gets lost wandering around the city, and finds himself (literally) transported to the Paris of his dreams.

And it's here, in those midnight sequences that the trailer(s) refused to spoil, that the magic kicks in. Gil begins fraternizing with everyone from the Fitzgeralds (Tom Hiddleston and Alison Pill) to Salvador Dali (Adrien Brody), and even receives writing advice from Gertrude Stein (Kathy Bates). These encounters, whether one-hit wonders or repeated, are charming, surprising, and at times hilarious. While there he also encounters the (fictional) Adriana (Marion Cotillard), part-time lover of Picasso and Hemingway. What initially starts as a charming relationship soon evolves into a microcosm of the film's central idea: that people always long for an idealized version of the past. For Gil, a man of the 2000s, it's the 1920s, but for Adriana, it's the Paris of the Belle Epoch. So even though Midnight in Paris is a love letter to Paris, it has the smarts to not go overboard in its idealizing of the past, reminding us that we can still enjoy the works of the past in the present.

However, like the Paris of Gil's fantasies, Allen's latest does have its share of problems, even if they often get buried under film's infectious charm. As fun and surprising as the historical cameos are, there are times when Allen's film falls prey to name-dropping for the sake of name-dropping, with plenty of luminary figures not even getting more than a few seconds of screen time. Meanwhile, in the present, Michael Sheen's Paul, though used to great effect, vanishes after a certain point, often-mentioned but suddenly never heard from again. Allen also throws in a rather pointless scene involving missing jewelry, one that comes dangerously close to evoking his writing at its worst: drawn-out, tedious, and not even remotely amusing. And as a work of story-telling, Midnight actually feels like a half step down from Vicky Cristina Barcelona, despite lacking that film's irritating omniscient narrator.

Thankfully, Allen has assembled an ensemble that makes even the film's weakest moments go down smoothly. The bigger cameos, like Hiddleston and Pill, or Corey Stoll as Ernest Hemingway, are true delights. Brody's Dali, however, is perhaps the best, in a one-scene role wherein he proposes to Gil that he paint him like rhino with a melting mouth. As the film's lone fictional blast from the past, Marion Cotillard brings a lovely presence to Adriana, even if the role feels almost too basic. Her chemistry with Wilson really works, and it's almost a shame that Allen wraps up their arc so quickly, instead of really exploring their gradually diverging views on the past. Back in the present, Rachel McAdams is saddled with a rather one-note role, which she handles adequately. More entertaining are her parents (Kurt Fuller and In the Loop's Mimi Kennedy), wealthy Tea Party-supporters who begin to grow suspicious of Gil's recurring midnight strolls. The show, however, belongs to Wilson. A California-ized version of the Woody Allen persona, Wilson's odd charm meshes perfectly with Gil's (and thereby Allen's) sensibilities, showing us that New York isn't the only city home to sensitive neurotic writers.

Midnight in Paris may not rank among Allen's finest, and it may have its share of flaws, but there's certainly a lot to love. The cast is game, the script is light and funny, and at a clean 90 minutes, it's the sort of small fantasy that you wish would go on for another 20 or 30 minutes. Allen's conclusion, that we can still enjoy the past in our own present, isn't executed with much depth or emotional resonance, yet it still works as a frothy love letter to one of the world's great cities thanks to its wit and irresistible charm. For a director now 40 films in, Midnight in Paris is proof that age has yet to rob Allen of his capacity to create thoroughly delightful cinema, regardless of whether or not you find it somewhat minor.

Grade: B

Cannes Review Round-Up: "Midnight in Paris"

Over France, the Cannes Film Festival is finally underway. And with the opening night selection screening complete, reviews are starting to pour in for Midnight in Paris, the latest from the uber-prolific Woody Allen. A few weeks ago I read one or two lines of buzz that hinted that the director's latest Paris-set effort was actually one of his best in the past decade. And if early remarks are any indication, those two sentences of hype were right:

Living in Cinema - Craig Kennedy: (4.5/5 stars) "Consistently amusing yet never straining for a big laugh, it feels effortless yet never lazy." Kennedy also praises the whole cast, especially Wilson, Sheen, and Cotillard.

Thompson on Hollywood - Anne Thompson: (N/A) "Midnight in Paris is Woody Allen's best movie since Deconstructing Harry in 1997." "[The film] has long term Oscar potential."

Hollywood Elsewhere - Jeffrey Wells: (N/A) "The advance buzz was correct: Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris is a goodie." "It is time well spent, and a time-trip worth taking."

Entertainment Weekly - Dave Karger: (N/A) "...I'd say the consensus will be that Midnight is easily his best film since Vicky Cristina." "The movie really belongs to Owen Wilson, who gives a droll and charming performance."

Rope of Silicon - Brad Brevet: (B+) "...inventive, imaginative, and charming." "...Sheen absolutely crushes the part." "As Adriana, Cotillard again brings a performance you can't help but be entranced by." "Midnight in Paris is a romantic comedy of the sort you wish Hollywood would aspire to."

Screen Daily - Mark Adams: (N/A) "...an amusing and elegantly constructed love letter to Paris, rich on romance, humour, and culture, and driven by a nicely pitched performance by Owen Wilson."

The Hollywood Reporter - Todd McCarthy: (N/A) "As beguiling as a stroll around Paris on a warm spring evening."

Guy Lodge (on Twitter): (B-/C+) "Sprightly and choux-sweet first half, gradually bogged down in skit-sized conceit and Woody's binary view of women."

Foundas on Film - Scott Foundas: (N/A) "...Allen has, I think, delivered one of his masterpieces - a movie about the romantic pull of yesteryear."

The Telegraph - Sukhdev Sandhu: (2/4 stars) "Some of its conceits are funny...[but] it devolves into a sweaty, over-crowded cocktail party."

The Guardian - Peter Bradshaw: (3/5 stars) "...a shallow examination of nostalgia with endearing performances by Owen Wilson and Marion Cotillard."

Cannes Verdict: A thoroughly charming and engaging romantic comedy led by strong work from Owen Wilson and a lively supporting cast.

2011 Cannes Film Festival Line Up

After much speculation of who would and wouldn't make it in, the Cannes Film Festival has finally unveiled its official roster of films, both in and out of competition. Here's the full list, courtesy of Empire Online:

Opening film:

Woody Allen - Midnight in Paris

Main competition:

Pedro Almodóvar - La Piel que Habito
Bertrand Bonello - L'Apollonide: Souvenirs de la Maison Close
Alain Cavalier - Pater
Joseph Cedar - Hearat Shulayim
Nuri Bilge Ceylan - Bir Zamanlar Anadolu'da
Jean-Pierre et Luc Dardenne - Le Gamin au Vélo
Aki Kaurismäki - Le Havre
Naomi Kawase - Hanezu No Tsuki
Julia Leigh - Sleeping Beauty
Maïwenn Le Besco - Polisse
Terrence Malick - The Tree of Life
Radu Mihaileanu - La Source des Femmes (The Source)
Takashi Miike - Ichemei (Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai)
Nanni Moretti - Habemus Papam
Lynne Ramsay - We Need to Talk About Kevin
Markus Schleinzer - Michael
Paolo Sorrentino - This Must be the Place
Lars Von Trier - Melancholia
Nicolas Winding Refn - Drive

Un certain regard

Opening film:

Gus Van Sant - Restless

Bakur Bakuradze - The Hunter
Andreas Dresen - Halt auf Freier Strecke
Bruno Dumont - Hors Satan
Sean Durkin - Martha Marcy May Marlene
Robert Guédiguian - Les Neiges du Kilimandjaro
Oliver Hermanus - Skoonheid
Sangsoo Hong - The Day He Arrives
Cristián Jiménez - Bonsái
Eric Khoo - Tatsumi
Ki-duk Kim - Arirang
Nadine Labaki - Et Maintenant On Va Ou?
Catalin Mitulescu - Loverboy
Hong-jin Na - Yellow Sea
Gerardo Naranjo - Miss Bala
Juliana Rojas, Marco Dutra - Trabalhar Cansa
Pierre Schoeller - L'exercice de L'etat
Ivan Sen - Toomelah
Joachim Trier - Oslo, August 31

Out of competition:

Xavier Durringer - La Conquête
Jodie Foster - The Beaver
Michel Hazanavicius - The Artist
Rob Marshall - Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Midnight screenings:

Peter Ho-Sun Chan - Wu Xia
Everardo Gout - Dias de Gracia

Special screenings:

Frederikke Aspöck - Labrador
Rithy Panh - Le Maître des Forges de L'enfer
Michael Radford - Michel Petrucciani
Christian Rouaud - Tous au Larzac

Even though several major titles (Cronenberg's A Dangerous Method) weren't selected (likely due to incompletion), this year's festival has more than enough big-name talent coming its way. The opening night selection, Midnight in Paris, the latest from Woody Allen, is filled with big names (Rachel McAdams, Owen Wilson, Marion Cotillard, Michael Sheen), and that's just the beginning of the 11 day festival.

There's also The Tree of Life, which is surprisingly in competition, despite having a London premiere before its Cannes bow (Cannes generally requires in competition entries to have their world premiere at the festival). Of all of the titles from the festival that I'm anticipating, this is easily at the top of my must-see list, and I can't wait to see the reactions. Malick's films are generally well-liked, but they certainly have their detractors; I'm dying to hear how fierce the debates are, both about the film's meaning and its overall quality.

Also on my radar are The Skin That I Inhabit and Melancholia, from Pedro Almodovar (Volver) and Lars von Trier (Dancer in the Dark) respectively. Almodovar has temporarily taken a break from working with muse Penelope Cruz, in favor of reuniting with Antonio Banderas.

The film has been described as the director's first foray into the thriller and horror genres, and with Almodovar's dramatic flair and vibrant color palette, I'm dying to see what he comes up with. The same goes for Melancholia, which appears to be an anti-disaster disaster movie.

Opening with the destruction of the earth, the film them goes back in time to focus on how earth's impending doom affects two sisters (Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg). It's been described as von Trier's most mainstream film to date, though I'm sure there's some bit of insanity that hasn't been shown or hinted at in the trailer.

On the less flashy side of things is Lynne Ramsay's We Need to Talk About Kevin, a drama about a woman (Tilda Swinton) who tries to reconnect with her (ex?) husband (John C. Reilly) after their son goes on a Columbine-like killing rampage. I haven't seen any of Ramsay's previous work, but I'll see anything led by Swinton, even if the subject matter does sound almost unbearably grim.

Swinton's past two performances, in Julia and I am Love, garnered significant praise, but failed to gain any awards season traction. However, if the film is picked up for release this year and receives decent enough reviews, Swinton might not have to go 3 for 3. Who knows, she might even end up being a contender for the actress prize at Cannes. There's also Joachim Trier's Oslo, August 31, the director's second full-length film after the excellent Reprise (2008). IMDb has no plot synopsis (or full cast list) at the time, but I look forward to seeing what this promising writer/director has come up with for his next film.