frontrunners

This is a documentary about a high school student government election. Most of the writeups talk about how it parallels the broader electoral situation in US. That's true, but I don't think that's the reason to see the movie. There's no high drama here along the lines of the drama most likely to come to mind - Election. It's a simple movie, but very entertaining and manages to be so without exploiting any of the subjects. It's good and only available in a limited run at the Northwest Film Forum so make some time this week or mark it on your "to rent" list.

The film follows an election for Student Union President/Vice-president at Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan. For those not familiar it's a highly selective public school where admission is granted only to the top few percent of scorers in an admission test. So this is not a dumb group of kids. At times it's easy to forget that since the various tickets at first seem break down along familiar lines to anyone who's seen a teen comedy. But it's the rare teen film where the "cheerleader" character mentions in passing some advice her Robotics teacher gave her. It's a nice change.

The group for all their intelligence, often comes across as goofy as any other group of teenagers. The trailer below starts off with one of the funniest aspects of the film. An interview with the presidential candidate talking about something or other with the vice-presidential candidate rolling her eyes given his extended ramblings. That dynamic repeats itself quite a lot, most of the best aspects come from keeping your gaze on the "bottom" of each ticket. The film doesn't go into it in depth, but one gets the sense that the VP candidates are friends (platonic or otherwise) that got roped into something vs. the presidentials who appear to be more ego driven. The story follows all four campaigns, but dives deepest into the two that make it past the primary. You get the political angle of course but also a bit of real life characters that you may recognize not just from the traditional teen stereotype films but also from the quirkier ones such as Rushmore or Election (with a bit of Ferris Bueller thrown in) - for example the one who sets up his lounge in a school hallway complete with chairs and a roped off discussion section.

There are definitely analogies a'plenty to the true presidential elections. The candidates at Stuyvesant produce campaign literature, shake hands, engage in televised debates, seek newspaper endorsements, etc. Perhaps most notably they all factor in racial politics to some extent, if only commenting that the ticket without an Asian member is at a severe disadvantage. We watch the school newspaper staff debate whether to just present the candidate's platforms or to call things out that aren't correct/don't make sense. For me the most interesting political line in the film comes from the staff member who complains that letting the candidates speak without any analysis is akin to just publishing all of their campaign literature and a therefore adds no value. There's a passing subtext of the Stuy student body being apathetic - the percent that vote is clearly fairly low. Though it seems to me that being apathetic about your high school election is perhaps more rational than not voting for the president of the country.

The true pleasure for me came from just watching the students go through the experience. At times absolutely laugh out loud funny (I hadn't laughed until I cried in a while at the movies) other times sad. I don't think I picked up any big new truths about the universe. But I got to watch a subculture that's probably similar and different to most high schools in the country. I particularly liked the filmmaker's approach which really treated all the topics softly letting you take what you wanted from the film vs. hitting you over the head with a specific conclusion. A personal observation - it was nice to see a school of kids that while perhaps over-driven in studies comes across as more accepting of quirks and differences than those we normally see in other "high school" films. I went to a selective public HS in NYC (though not Stuy) amongst a not entirely dissimilar bunch of kids and this was closer to my experience than something like that depicted in American Teen (another good film) earlier in the year.

Twilight

Your standard story where a teen moves to live with her father, enrolls at a new school, starts to make friends and before you know it meets a vampire, developing a suggestive yet chaste relationship based on longing stares, immortal love and co-dependent tendencies before the final action packed finale. Sort of a "abstinence now" version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer crossed with a Victorian era novel - set to music at home on the CW network.

As everyone on the planet knows this film is based on a series of young adult books. If you didn't know you'd probably figure it out soon enough from the squealing female fans that seem to congregate around theaters playing this movie. When I went to see Milk an preview screening of Twilight had just let out (or just started) and there were a fair amount of that demographic hanging around.

I went in with fairly low expectations. But I thought I'd give it a try. I've liked the Buffy/Angel genre, a smattering of Anne Rice, The Southern Vampire Tales, and even managed to get through a few Anita Blake novels (before they got way to ridiculous for my taste). Some of these things work better on the page, some better on the screen. I'm not sure I'd particularly enjoy the Twilight novels, but I must admit I sort of got into this film.

The setup is as follows. Bella (pictured above) moves to the Pacific Northwest to live with Dad. There she meets Edward and falls instantly in love. Edward is part of a group of vampires that live in the area and keep up their cover by attending high school. There are so many jokes to be made about immortality not being worth the trade-off of spending eternity in high school - but that seems intentional as this is not a film based on subtlety. Edward lives with several adopted siblings - together the worst job of blending into a high school ever. For one, they're all very very pale (as if they were wearing way too much makeup or perhaps dead). Second, the various siblings are openly dating each other. Now Washington is a pretty live and let live sort of place - but you'd think that would raise some eyebrows. "Dad" is the town doctor - and is also laughably white. But don't worry 'cuz these are the good vampires, only drinking the blood of animals. Though Bella poses problems from Edward due to her irresistible bloody goodness. He struggles to resist drinking her blood. She misinterprets his resistance as hatred for her. So of course they become inseparable in short order.

Of course where you have "good" vampires you've got to have some bad ones. No surprise there. But the film is less about the risk these evil undead folks pose than about the relationship between the two main characters. In spite of myself eventually the over the top cheesy interactions between the two grew on me and I enjoyed the movie (pulled along by the ever present soundtrack). Some of the scenes are so goofy-bad it was enjoyable - though I don't think that was the film maker's intent. I can't quite put my finger on why the relationship between the two leads works. But once I got past Edwards general appearance (which seems to follow the movie cliche of the "French exchange student" look) I just went along for the ride.

For whatever reason I felt I got my money's worth and I'm not going to question it. Perhaps it's something like my experience with Bring it On - which apparently was a serious movie that I enjoyed thinking it was satirical. Or maybe I'm just a total sap for any love story with supernatural challenges. Regardless, I'm not running out to buy the books but I'll likely give the inevitable sequel a try.

Transporter 3

Basic popcorn action adventure stuff. Not as good as the first, better (from what I can recall) than the second. It's not amazing, but if you're looking for a basic escape from the rain it'll do. It seems Mr. Statham may have cornered the market on whatever form of martial arts involves gaining an advantage by taking off your clothes as you go and using them as a weapon.

Only some parts are too painfully acted to watch and there's a guilty pleasure mixed in here and there. Just don't think too much about how enforceable a contract really is when it's signed because one of your ministers has had their daughter kidnapped and you'll be fine. If you have a female facial freckle fetish this is also the film for you regardless for your interest in cars, fighting, etc.

'nuff said ;-)

The Wrestler

Mickey Rourke stars in this story about a professional wrestler well past his prime and unable to move beyond his glory days. Twenty years ago Randy "The Ram" Robinson was at the top of the world - having "won" a huge bout against his nemesis "The Ayatollah." But now he's living in a trailer, working at a supermarket and wrestling in small local events. He still is in tremendous shape, but age, a lot of abuse and a good amount of hard living has clearly taken a toll.

The film pulled me into the story from the get go - it was one of the better movie experiences I've had in a while. There's not a ton going on in terms of plot twists, and most people won't be completely shocked by the arc of the story. But it's easy to really feel as though you're watching a compelling documentary instead of a piece of fiction. The director was at the screening I attended and from his comments this sort of documentary feel was clearly intentional.

Ram is barely making ends meet with the wrestling in small time arena's. He has a long-shot hope on the horizon with an upcoming rematch against his former professional nemesis. Realistically it doesn't seem like a great opportunity but it's at least a positive thing in his life. It's around this point that Ram is dealt a setback by way of a heart attack. Of course he's told to stop wrestling or risk death. Like the more common story of the middle aged man who's life is consumed with work but then loses his job this is represents a huge crossroads for him. With very little going on in his life he tries to find support with his estranged daughter and a stripper played effectively by (the occasionally very naked) Marisa Tomei. These attempts for support meet with varied amounts of success. This is one of those films I wish I'd seen with other people as there's actually enough going on that you could have an interesting discussion afterwards.

Rourke seems perfectly suited from the part. He's put on a lot of muscle and is very physically convincingly in the role. He manages to get the feel just right - the character's sadness comes through. He's clearly not an angel but leaves the viewer very sympathetic to their story. I can almost guarantee you that you'll think of professional wrestling a bit differently by the end of the film. I definitely recommend checking this out if anything about the subject matter seems the least bit interesting to you.

Slumdog Millionaire

The film opens as orphaned boy, a child of the slums of Bombay is about to win big on the Indian version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire." He's just gotten to the last round and has just one question standing between him and the main prize. Apparently due to a local twist in the rules that means he's hauled off to be questioned under torture by the police before he can answer the final question. And you thought Regis Philbin was tough...

This is a very good film and well worth watching. But before I forget it is worth noting that even though it is about a kid growing up, this is not a film to take your youngsters to. Not unless you want to do a lot of explaining and possibly deal with nightmares worse than those resulting from watching the witch give Sleeping Beauty the fateful apple. There is romance and some comedy here - but this is not altogether a light movie - providing some of the most direct portrayals of slum life I've seen in a while (making the neighborhoods of something like City of God seem downright pleasant by comparison).

Oh right, back to the story....

But of course Jamal is not cheating - instead having lived a life destined to serve him well on the show. Most of the movie is told in flashback as he recounts to the police how he came to know each of the answers - each hard earned from events of his childhood ranging through his young adult years. He's on the show itself more to win the heart of his childhood love than for any particular interest in the money. Nothing in the film is really particularly surprising, right down to the last question on the game show. Nevertheless it totally worked for me and I'm glad I went. This film is riding a pretty significant wave of buzz coming out of the Toronto festival - pretty well deserved. It's opening small but I suspect word of mouth will keep audiences coming in for a while. Definitely recommend catching it while it's around.

Third time's the charm update
I've had a hard time getting to this film. First attempt was a preview via The Warren Report - which I didn't quite get to due to work comittments. Next was an invite from SIFF with the director in attendance. Couldn't make that either (again work), though at least someone from my office was able to go in my place. This time I was more successful. Seems the easiest way is just to cough up the money and buy a ticket. Thankfully those who went before gave it a good review and that got me off the couch on a Sunday to give it a try. Aaron - you're right about this film - as well as the bizarre similarity to one (rather unpleasant) scene in Zack and Miri Make a Porno. Going in I couldn't imagine what you were talking about - now I get it.

Quick open letter to theater operators

Written while waiting to see The Slumdog Millionaire - at an otherwise wonderful theater...

A short list of things theaters should really stop doing.

• keeping the theater pitch black making any reading impossible. Presumably you came with someone that you can stand to look at. Those of us attending alone probably can stand the sight of humanity or we would have stayed home. Common - we know the place isn't super clean. You're not fooling anyone.
• playing intrusive music that keeps you from talking to the person next to you - or if alone being able to think.
• showing incredibly uninteresting but impossible to ignore video pitches for grade C level entertainment on cable stations most people don't get.
• playing ANYTHING by Alvin and the Chipmunks. Even if it is available on iTunes. And yes, that is an example from this afternoon's pre-film "musical" stylings.
  

I know we've lost the war on not showing commercials before the trailers (aka commercials) for other movies. But for the love of your fellow man - do you really need to do make us listen to Alvin. It's just a recording sped up - no one over the age of 12 wants to hear it.

In other words stop doing anything people wouldn't want going on in their living rooms. Theater attendance is down for a reason. It's not just due to the cost...

Angel

Set in the early 20th century this movie tells the tale of the fabulous rise and fall of a young romance writer. Setup just like what I'd imagine a romance novel to be it includes beautiful costumes, thoroughly unlikeable characters, and some especially cheesy special effects (I believe on purpose). I didn't especially like it even though it was amusing and times and definitely colorful.

I think there's a deeper point I'm supposed to get, it seems to have gone somewhat over my head.

The film opens with the main character being chastised in school for writing an over the top story in place of her assignment. Back at home we see she's channeling her vivid imagination - or perhaps better put as her stubborn opposition to reality - into a book. She's adamant that she's going to escape her humble roots by becoming a novelist. One thing she possesses by the cart load is confidence, to the extent that she almost walks away from her first novel being published because they want to make a few factual edits. Given her limited life experience some errors tend to creep in (such as champagne requiring a corkscrew to open). Even though she is happy to tell others she is making things up wholesale and rarely reads anyone else's work she refuses to accept that any corrections of this sort need to be made. However, her confidence (misplaced as it seems) appears to be rewarded as she becomes rich and famous. As expected, any rise in a movie of this sort must have a fall. Reversing the more traditional strategy of the heroine climbing towards the top and perhaps not making it, this film zips her upwards effortlessly so we can then watch reality attempt to intrude in multiple tragic ways.

At some point her ability to steadfastly ignore reality is almost endearing - but overall this is not an easy character to like. The scenery generally makes it bearable - though I'd take practically any Jane Austen adaptation (or lesser stylized copy) over this any day. As I mentioned in the beginning I may just be missing something. A few chuckles, some over the top costumes made for a relatively pleasant Saturday morning screening courtesy of SIFF. But overall nothing to really recommend it greatly far as I can tell.

Milk

Sean Penn plays the title character of Harvey Milk in this film directed by Gus Van Sant. It's a very well done and interesting film, especially if you know very little about Milk himself. The first openly gay person elected to public office in the US he was killed (along with the mayor of San Francisco) by another city supervisor. I knew practically none of this at the time I walked in - but felt like I'd gotten a good sense of things by the time I walked out.

The film gives a portrayal of Milk that (positively) seems to have more shades of gray than many other biopics tend to have. All the performances are strong and the story if nothing else is an inspiring message of how much change one person can make, even if they haven't done much until they turn 40 (to paraphrase Milk summing up his life before moving to California). Gus Van Sant made a film that's seems to capture the era well - right down to the look of a film shot in the 70's.

Watching the film it's hard not to see the parallels with the recent proposition against gay marriage that won in California a few weeks ago. That adds an even more timely element to the film - though it would have been a good story to tell at any time. I've heard a lot of folks say Sean Penn will be up for an Oscar for his performance here. He definitely does throw himself fully and effectively into the performance. I can't say this was one of my favorite films of the year, but it definitely accomplishes what it sets out to do with a slew of strong performances throughout.

Quantum of Solace

Fun in the best Bond sort of way. I think I preferred this a bit to the last one. Definitely feel Daniel Craig has made this a watchable franchise again for me. The addition of the French actor Mathieu Amalric as one of the villains is a nice touch. But I've got to ask - what's the deal with Bond films and the need to have the final confrontation take place on a catwalk? At least there's no monorail in sight.

Not going to give any deep background here. If you saw the last one you don't need any. If you didn't - in a nutshell Bond is after the folks who killed his girlfriend - whom he has mixed feelings about on account of her sort of setting him up. He ended the last movie on the trail of the bad guys and this picks things up more or less in real time from there. Bond tracks folks, sleeps with beautiful women and kicks a lot of ass. Just what you'd expect - and in a way that exceeded the generally low expectations I've had of Bond films until fairly recently.

2009 Academy Awards - Foreign Film Submissions

I'm a little late getting to this - but it seems that last month the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the full list of official submissions for best foreign film. According to both the press release and a little quick pivot table action there are 67 films in contention of which I've seen 10. That last part wasn't in the press release for some reason. I've posted the full list below and coded the ones I've seen in blue. Overall almost all of the ones I've seen were in the good to great range. So I'm especially excited to get the chance to up the list a bit while at the Palm Springs festival in a couple of months.

Update (1/8/09): I've posted my own picks for the past year

Update (2010) - if you're looking for films released in 2009 and up for the Oscar to be awarded in 2010 - that info is right here.
2009 Foreign Academy Award Submissions

Get your own at Scribd or explore others:

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Anecdotal story related by co-worker. Out for the day and finding himself with friends at Redmond Town Center he noticed the new theater. Looked pretty nice so they got on the line to buy tickets. Finds himself at the counter and asked for a ticket. When they request he pay $35 he attempts to correct them explaining he only needed a single ticket and wasn't paying for the group. No mistake it turns out - a single seat is $35. Response - Hmm... No thanks. Turns to next guy in line and says something along the lines of "hey - seems a ticket is $35." Mass change in plan ensues as everyone on line walks out. Sounds like the start of greatness...

Wondering what you get for $35 a movie ticket. Best I can tell,
- Really comfy looking chairs
- Fancy-pants style everywhere you look
- The opportunity to buy food and alcohol and eat it during the movie
- The joy of living a life with money to burn

OK - maybe that last point isn't fair. It's entirely possible the experience is well worth the money. Though I've yet to meet anyone who feels that way.

At some point I may try it myself - just to see. But for now it's sort of hard to figure out when I'd happily pay the $25 premium if there's another choice in town. I may give it a try for a birthday or some special event. Even then though it seems rough. Mainly, I don't see the need to combine dinner and a movie into the same period of time. Better to go out for a nice meal and then see the movie separately.

But as a classic show from my childhood once said - different strokes for different folks. If enough people enjoy it to keep the business afloat - more power to them. This can join the ranks of incomprehensible businesses charging premium prices for basic entertainment activities (such as Lucky Strikes in Bellevue where it's $75+/hr to go bowling). Maybe I'm just missing something...

Palm Springs '09 (or Bust)

After a lot of mental back and forth I've decided to take the plunge and head down to California for the Palm Springs International Film Festival. Now that I've made the basic arrangements (hotel, plane, pass) I'm really starting to look forward to the trip. Palm Springs makes things pretty easy by offering a choice of passes that cover specific multi day sections of the festival - without having to pay for the entire run if you can't stay that long. The folks that work there have also been very helpful this year in sorting out some hotel issues I was initially having. I opted for a pass covering the end week of the festival (1/14-1/18) - hopefully they'll be some great stuff to see that week. The full lineup won't be announced until 12/27 but I've got confidence it'll be a great way to start the new year. Once they post the specific schedule I'll scan through to see if there are any recommendations I can make based on films I've seen earlier (or buzz gathered from friends).

If you're looking for your own pass you can order one here. If you're looking to travel to a festival the one in Palm Springs is a great one to try. Most screenings are held in a single, very modern multiplex with other venues walkable or supported by a free shuttle service.

RocknRolla

This new film from Guy Ritchie delivers all of the style of his previous work but unfortunately falls pretty short in the substance department. Meaning it's sometimes fun to watch but it left me feeling less than satisfied compared to the punch of some of Ritchie's earlier films or other London gangster fests such as Layer Cake. It had screened at the Vancouver Film Festival but I hadn't been able to catch it there.

The overall story is as simple as the details are complex. Russian billionaire developer needs permits to build. He attempts to buy the quick delivery of these permits from a local gangster (Tom Wilkinson). Complications ensue ...

Not upset that I went - just wished the story could have had a little more meat to it. So not really recommended. Though it's always great to see the actors from The Wire on screen - in this case Idris Elba (who played Stringer Bell). Though like much other great actors assembled here he has limited opportunity to really make a mark in this film.

Zack and Miri Make a Porno

It's possible I was a little too harsh on Role Models. Yes it was fairly predictable, pretty basic dialog and not painfully funny all the way through. But in comparison with other recent R rated comedy at least I sort of left feeling positive even if it was in a slightly sappy way.

Why this change of heart? - I suspect it has something to do with Zack and Miri Make a Porno. When I first saw the trailers for this I pretty much wrote it off. Then when I realized it was a Kevin Smith movie I pretty much signed up to watch it. Even trudged out on opening night - a rare occurrence for me these days.

First the good...

• It's the most descriptively named film of the last year - possibly the decade. It's about two roommates named Zack and Miri who faced with impending financial disaster decide to make a pornographic film to raise money for rent. They enlist a motley crew of folks and set to work.
• It has moments of entertaining dialog in the signature Smith "voice" - it's nice to have that back, even if it's just for a little while.
• Genuinely has some funny moments.

Depending on your tastes it may have one of the funniest or most disgusting site gags ever committed to film. I'm pretty much on the latter side - but that's just me.

But overall it just doesn't rise to the level of his better efforts. While funny, there's no scene equivalent to the one in Chasing Amy where I was afraid I'd hurt myself laughing. And I doubt it will have the replay value that makes me stop and watch anytime I pass Mallrats on cable. If you haven't seen either of those two - do that first.

The main complaint I suppose is that it's so overwhelmingly predictable that it distracted me from just going along for the ride. It's not like I was expecting a twist in the last scene - but when you pretty much know exactly how things are going to play out sometimes it's hard to really care that much about the characters.

So if you're a Kevin Smith fan you're going to see it - otherwise my recommendation is a little less positive than most of the other reviews I've seen published. Trailer is below - be advised to give a better sense I've pulled the NSFW one.