Zimmdance Film Festival
Recently my wife was out of town for over a week, so I had my own personal film festival. There’s really no common theme to the films I viewed, except that I wanted to watch or re-watch them.
Gerry
I have yet to see Gus Van Sant's Last Days, but it piqued my interest, so I thought I should check out some of his other work. Everyone on the planet saw Good Will Hunting and Finding Forrester, and they pretty much cancel each other out in terms of filmmaking, so I sat down to watch Gerry with an unbiased opinion. Have you ever seen a photograph of the desert? Have you ever stared at it for 85 minutes? If so, then you've seen this film! Van Sant was clearly trying to make an artistic film using minimalistic stylings, which adds up to a really boring movie. The vistas are beautiful, but it takes more than that to make a decent film. Minimalism works in film at times, but the films in which it works are usually trying to convey some message (See Solaris and 2001: A Space Odyssey, among others). Gerry is almost like a great documentary about a terrible subject: two guys who get lost in the desert. After seeing the film, I felt like maybe I missed something or just didn't 'get it'. But I'm pretty sure there's nothing to get, no matter how much Van Sant says there is. Final Score: 1 cent.
Elephant
After Gerry, I didn't even want to try to watch Elephant, but the subject matter—high school violence—was intriguing enough to get me to pop in the DVD. The film is essentially a fictionalized version of Columbine, told from the point of view of average students throughout the day of the shooting. Van Sant continues his simplistic film style in Elephant, but with a little more success. The static camera shots often come across pretentious, as if Van Sant wants to seem like he's being a bold filmmaker or making some kind of statement. The camera work doesn't make the statement, but the subject matter does. Columbine was a tragedy, and seeing a similar story told shows us how the day probably started just like any ordinary high-school day. Geeks were picked on, jocks were cool, nerds spent a lot of time in the library, and kids were late for class. The film is suspenseful because we know what's going to happen. It isn't exactly extraordinary, but taking the time to just ponder the events of the day makes the film fascinating. Van Sant made the right move by not trying to actually explain the events of the day, but his directing too often gets in the way of the plot, and nothing will yank you out of a story faster than that. Final Score: 2 cents.
Kung Fu Hustle
The first thing I can tell you about Kung Fu Hustle is that I barely remember the storyline. Not that it matters; and Stephen Chow must have known that plot was secondary when he made this film, which is essentially a celebration of slapstick cartoon humor, elaborate Kung Fu battles and CGI. If you take it as nothing more than that, you will enjoy this movie. If you're expecting an epic similar to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, you will be disappointed. Kung Fu Hustle references dozens of movies I have seen and probably dozens more that I haven't, but I think most would agree with me that Matrix jokes are getting old. The film is visually entertaining and you'll get a chuckle here and there out of it, but don't expect much more. Final Score: 3 cents.
Taxi Driver
Taxi Driver was released in 1976, and on the surface, it’s the gritty tale of Travis Bickle's (Robert DeNiro) suffering. More accurately, the film deals with a topic that was surely more timely when the film was released--the reincorporation of soldiers into American society after Vietnam. The fact that Bickle is an ex-marine is only briefly mentioned early in the film. Having no education or skills other than those he developed during Vietnam, he sets out to find employment. He is curiously drawn to driving a taxi on the midnight shift; possibly because the isolation and darkness are just about the only things that make him feel comfortable. He desperately wants to have a normal life, but is almost addicted to the immoral decadence of the city, which eventually leads to his descent into madness. This film is possibly DeNiro's best performance, and it was entertaining to see Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd and Harvey Keitel in a film from nearly 30 years ago. You wouldn't want to watch this film with your mother, but it is clear why this film is heralded as one of Martin Scorcese's best. Final Score: 3.5 cents.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
It almost seems as if Jack Nicholson was born to play R.P. McMurphy, a rebellious convict who escapes jail time by faking insanity, hoping for an easier life at the local asylum. McMurphy quickly discovers that the hospital is full of patients whose lives have been dampened by drugs, endless therapy and the commanding Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher). McMurphy, being the rambunctious extrovert that he is, quickly has most of the patients rallying behind him, rebelling against the authority of Nurse Ratched. The film, charming and tragic, is a cynical criticism of authority that is also symbolic of the state of the country after Watergate and Vietnam. A young Danny DeVito and Christopher Lloyd are also highlights. Will Sampson, who had never acted before, plays a "deaf and mute" Native American, and gives one of the best performances of the film. Final Score: 4 cents.
Born into Brothels
Zana Briski, an American photographer, set out to document life in quite possibly one of the most miserable corners of the world: the red light district of Calcutta. She lived in the area for over two years, but her ultimate goal changed almost as soon as she arrived. Briski surely found the task of documenting the lifestyles of prostitutes and their families either too difficult or too depressing—or both—and her focus changed to the children of the area. She becomes a mentor to roughly a dozen children who take interest in her photography. The documentary focuses on Briski’s desire to teach the children a valuable skill that may help them escape their parents’ way of life. The children’s photographs are truly amazing; not only do they quickly learn the concepts of lighting and composition, but they also seem to have an inherent ability to find soulful subjects. Granted, part of this is because of their location (I live in central Indiana, so it’s unlikely I would find a third world marketplace around the corner full of interesting subjects), but the fact that the children have enthusiastically developed a useful skill is obvious. And in the end, Briski still delivers her intended message—many of her pupils end up being forced to stay with their families, drop out of boarding school and will likely one day become prostitutes—the lifestyle in this part of Calcutta is almost impossible to escape. However, a few of her students remain in school and have a chance at a better life, and Briski found a more noble goal: to showcase the miserable lifestyle in the area not by focusing on it, but by focusing on the glimmer of hope in a child’s eye. Final Score: 4 cents.
Shaun of the Dead
If you are a fan of black comedy and the occasional zombie movie, then you will probably never find a better movie that Shaun of the Dead. The film follows Shaun, whose lifestyle indicates that he’s a zombie already, as he and a group of his friends, family, and acquaintances board up in a local pub and try to defend themselves against thousands of zombies. Sounds like your average zombie movie, right? The difference is this film knows that zombies are just about the lamest, most boring villains to ever hit the silver screen. They’re slow, very easy to kill, and their only threatening quality is that they come in droves. After it takes Shaun hours to realize almost everyone around him is a zombie, he and his friends immediately head over to his mom’s house, where his obnoxious step-dad needs to be killed. They rescue her, and they all head for the bar to try to survive the outbreak. Much hilarity ensues. Lucy Davis is in the supporting cast, whom I’ve had a minor crush on since “The Office.” Shaun of the Dead is different than most zombie movies in one way…the comedy is intentional. Final Score: 4 cents.
Garden State
Anyone who is a fan of “Scrubs” knows Zach Braff is a talented actor, but his work in Garden State as producer, director and actor has me excited for anything that he does in the future. The story follows Andrew Largeman (Zach Braff) as he flies home from his struggling L.A. lifestyle to attend his mother’s funeral. While he is home, he connects with old friends, attempts to salvage a flawed relationship with his father, and most importantly, he meets Sam (Natalie Portman), a free-spirited girl who seems to embody everything missing from his life. Their relationship becomes far more important than anything else during his visit home, even after knowing her only for a few days. I had seen Garden State a few months ago, but I loved it so much that I though I should see it again to see if the film has staying power. It does. Final Score: 5 cents.
Gerry
I have yet to see Gus Van Sant's Last Days, but it piqued my interest, so I thought I should check out some of his other work. Everyone on the planet saw Good Will Hunting and Finding Forrester, and they pretty much cancel each other out in terms of filmmaking, so I sat down to watch Gerry with an unbiased opinion. Have you ever seen a photograph of the desert? Have you ever stared at it for 85 minutes? If so, then you've seen this film! Van Sant was clearly trying to make an artistic film using minimalistic stylings, which adds up to a really boring movie. The vistas are beautiful, but it takes more than that to make a decent film. Minimalism works in film at times, but the films in which it works are usually trying to convey some message (See Solaris and 2001: A Space Odyssey, among others). Gerry is almost like a great documentary about a terrible subject: two guys who get lost in the desert. After seeing the film, I felt like maybe I missed something or just didn't 'get it'. But I'm pretty sure there's nothing to get, no matter how much Van Sant says there is. Final Score: 1 cent.
Elephant
After Gerry, I didn't even want to try to watch Elephant, but the subject matter—high school violence—was intriguing enough to get me to pop in the DVD. The film is essentially a fictionalized version of Columbine, told from the point of view of average students throughout the day of the shooting. Van Sant continues his simplistic film style in Elephant, but with a little more success. The static camera shots often come across pretentious, as if Van Sant wants to seem like he's being a bold filmmaker or making some kind of statement. The camera work doesn't make the statement, but the subject matter does. Columbine was a tragedy, and seeing a similar story told shows us how the day probably started just like any ordinary high-school day. Geeks were picked on, jocks were cool, nerds spent a lot of time in the library, and kids were late for class. The film is suspenseful because we know what's going to happen. It isn't exactly extraordinary, but taking the time to just ponder the events of the day makes the film fascinating. Van Sant made the right move by not trying to actually explain the events of the day, but his directing too often gets in the way of the plot, and nothing will yank you out of a story faster than that. Final Score: 2 cents.
Kung Fu Hustle
The first thing I can tell you about Kung Fu Hustle is that I barely remember the storyline. Not that it matters; and Stephen Chow must have known that plot was secondary when he made this film, which is essentially a celebration of slapstick cartoon humor, elaborate Kung Fu battles and CGI. If you take it as nothing more than that, you will enjoy this movie. If you're expecting an epic similar to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, you will be disappointed. Kung Fu Hustle references dozens of movies I have seen and probably dozens more that I haven't, but I think most would agree with me that Matrix jokes are getting old. The film is visually entertaining and you'll get a chuckle here and there out of it, but don't expect much more. Final Score: 3 cents.
Taxi Driver
Taxi Driver was released in 1976, and on the surface, it’s the gritty tale of Travis Bickle's (Robert DeNiro) suffering. More accurately, the film deals with a topic that was surely more timely when the film was released--the reincorporation of soldiers into American society after Vietnam. The fact that Bickle is an ex-marine is only briefly mentioned early in the film. Having no education or skills other than those he developed during Vietnam, he sets out to find employment. He is curiously drawn to driving a taxi on the midnight shift; possibly because the isolation and darkness are just about the only things that make him feel comfortable. He desperately wants to have a normal life, but is almost addicted to the immoral decadence of the city, which eventually leads to his descent into madness. This film is possibly DeNiro's best performance, and it was entertaining to see Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd and Harvey Keitel in a film from nearly 30 years ago. You wouldn't want to watch this film with your mother, but it is clear why this film is heralded as one of Martin Scorcese's best. Final Score: 3.5 cents.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
It almost seems as if Jack Nicholson was born to play R.P. McMurphy, a rebellious convict who escapes jail time by faking insanity, hoping for an easier life at the local asylum. McMurphy quickly discovers that the hospital is full of patients whose lives have been dampened by drugs, endless therapy and the commanding Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher). McMurphy, being the rambunctious extrovert that he is, quickly has most of the patients rallying behind him, rebelling against the authority of Nurse Ratched. The film, charming and tragic, is a cynical criticism of authority that is also symbolic of the state of the country after Watergate and Vietnam. A young Danny DeVito and Christopher Lloyd are also highlights. Will Sampson, who had never acted before, plays a "deaf and mute" Native American, and gives one of the best performances of the film. Final Score: 4 cents.
Born into Brothels
Zana Briski, an American photographer, set out to document life in quite possibly one of the most miserable corners of the world: the red light district of Calcutta. She lived in the area for over two years, but her ultimate goal changed almost as soon as she arrived. Briski surely found the task of documenting the lifestyles of prostitutes and their families either too difficult or too depressing—or both—and her focus changed to the children of the area. She becomes a mentor to roughly a dozen children who take interest in her photography. The documentary focuses on Briski’s desire to teach the children a valuable skill that may help them escape their parents’ way of life. The children’s photographs are truly amazing; not only do they quickly learn the concepts of lighting and composition, but they also seem to have an inherent ability to find soulful subjects. Granted, part of this is because of their location (I live in central Indiana, so it’s unlikely I would find a third world marketplace around the corner full of interesting subjects), but the fact that the children have enthusiastically developed a useful skill is obvious. And in the end, Briski still delivers her intended message—many of her pupils end up being forced to stay with their families, drop out of boarding school and will likely one day become prostitutes—the lifestyle in this part of Calcutta is almost impossible to escape. However, a few of her students remain in school and have a chance at a better life, and Briski found a more noble goal: to showcase the miserable lifestyle in the area not by focusing on it, but by focusing on the glimmer of hope in a child’s eye. Final Score: 4 cents.
Shaun of the Dead
If you are a fan of black comedy and the occasional zombie movie, then you will probably never find a better movie that Shaun of the Dead. The film follows Shaun, whose lifestyle indicates that he’s a zombie already, as he and a group of his friends, family, and acquaintances board up in a local pub and try to defend themselves against thousands of zombies. Sounds like your average zombie movie, right? The difference is this film knows that zombies are just about the lamest, most boring villains to ever hit the silver screen. They’re slow, very easy to kill, and their only threatening quality is that they come in droves. After it takes Shaun hours to realize almost everyone around him is a zombie, he and his friends immediately head over to his mom’s house, where his obnoxious step-dad needs to be killed. They rescue her, and they all head for the bar to try to survive the outbreak. Much hilarity ensues. Lucy Davis is in the supporting cast, whom I’ve had a minor crush on since “The Office.” Shaun of the Dead is different than most zombie movies in one way…the comedy is intentional. Final Score: 4 cents.
Garden State
Anyone who is a fan of “Scrubs” knows Zach Braff is a talented actor, but his work in Garden State as producer, director and actor has me excited for anything that he does in the future. The story follows Andrew Largeman (Zach Braff) as he flies home from his struggling L.A. lifestyle to attend his mother’s funeral. While he is home, he connects with old friends, attempts to salvage a flawed relationship with his father, and most importantly, he meets Sam (Natalie Portman), a free-spirited girl who seems to embody everything missing from his life. Their relationship becomes far more important than anything else during his visit home, even after knowing her only for a few days. I had seen Garden State a few months ago, but I loved it so much that I though I should see it again to see if the film has staying power. It does. Final Score: 5 cents.
Zimm's two cents. | 5:33 PM
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