Change Your Image
fireflyhill
Reviews
Bone (1972)
"Melodramatire", before "Edutainment" came and went
"Bone" opens with a shot of the bucolic veneer of affluent white America. There is something glib and greasy in the ease with which the Beverly Hills couple, Bill and Bernadette, interact with each other at the side of their pool. Their leisure is an act of aggression. There is something under the surface, unnamed, ignored.
The rat in the pool is like a stopper that keeps the veneer in place. When the rat is removed, the stopper is unplugged and we then watch as their delusions slowly go down the drain. As the characters speak of their son we see flashbacks that serve the dual purpose of representing the delusional story that the parents tell themselves, and perhaps even their mental image of the nightmarish reality of the situation.
These visual spikes tear into the veneer that has been spread before us. Each character has created an image of themselves in their heads. It is an idealized version that they don't live up to. This movie is not only an indictment of an era, it's a stab at that which makes us human. The impact of the film not only punctures the skin, ripping off the veneer, it pushes past flesh and strikes bone.
The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2000)
Sharp as Crocodile Tears
"The Eyes of Tammy Faye" definitely has an agenda. The filmmakers aren't necessarily "objective", whatever that means. But all that being said, this is a surprisingly touching film that focuses on the many sides of Tammy Faye that most of us haven't seen or heard about.
For many, Tammy's obsessively overdone make-up and the Baker's poor taste in furnishings, clothes and their overall flamboyant style in all things symbolized everything wrong with the vacuous, cocaine hungover, fake smile that was the '80s. Watching Tammy in those days as she shed copious amounts of crocodile tears it was impossible not to wonder what trauma lay behind all that emotional neediness and smiling self-denial.
"The Eyes of Tammy Faye" offers the answers (often coming straight from Tammy Faye with amazing forthrightness). She shares stories about the ups and downs in her quest to become a compassionate and understanding human being. And in so doing, she also conveys her genuine passion for life, singing and make-up.
By the end of the movie I found myself questioning the arbitrary line that separates "kitsch" and "authenticity", and suddenly I realized that I was in Tammy's world. Perhaps the tattooed mascara is fake and the tears are real?
Peau d'homme coeur de bête (1999)
Men in the skin of wolves
"Peau d'Homme Coeur de Bête" is a fairy tale in the classical sense. This isn't a Disney movie and we get the feeling that the children might be devoured at any moment. This tension runs throughout. Does this movie depict violence towards children? Not exactly. But the threat is real and ever-present. It saturates everything.
All of the men in this movie are struggling with their emotions and anger. After having left various male organizations (such as the military, the pseudo-military fraternity of cops and perhaps even prison) we see that these men don't know how to vent or focus their own aggression. It spills out. They lash out at those around them. When the men gather together this emotion tumbles from riot to celebration seemingly at random.
This is a dark portrait of "the heart of a beast" that beats within all men. In the end, however, there is a small sliver of hope. Perhaps it is possible, somehow, to vent this aggression in a non-destructive way.
Yi yi (2000)
Beautifully moving, Movingly beautiful
It is very seldom that a filmmaker is able to accurately capture the mentality and imagination of children. Sometimes the children come off as impossibly all-knowing, like in "The Opposite of Sex" and the TV show "Dawson's Creek". Other times they are portrayed as complete idiots. In "Yi Yi" however, it is the actors who play the children who give the richest and most moving performances.
I was completely enraptured with the perspective of the son, who takes pictures in such a way so as to capture aspects of people that they might not be able to see for themselves. (After you see the film you will know what I'm talking about.) This tactic is ultimately what "Yi Yi" accomplishes. It captures parts of ourselves that we might not be able to see for ourselves and then presents them back to us.
The full impact of this presentation is enhanced by the lustrous and lush cinematography. This film deserves to be seen on the big screen.
Fa yeung nin wah (2000)
Moving minimalism
Beautifully shot, "In the Mood for Love" obsessively circles around two people as they tentatively circle around each other. Brought together by a mutual source of hurt and betrayal, they reach out for something stable, for some shred of affection. Or perhaps their connection is maintained only in an effort to prepare each other for dealing with hurt. Or perhaps their only function is to act as stand-ins for each other so that they can reenact fanciful scenes in which they will lash back at those who have hurt them.
Predominantly set in interior spaces, there is an overriding sense that the world outside is changing. We get the feeling that the outside world might come crashing in on these two characters at any moment.
Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung are two of the most attractive actors in the world, and together they are...well, unbelievable. Their performances in this film are incredible. The furtive, loaded looks that they share heighten the tension. Nothing is explicit. It is all percolating under the surface. This lends itself to the feeling that the chaos of the world outside is mirrored by the chaos of their own hidden emotions. On the surface everything is calm. They try to keep up appearances. Meanwhile the world outside comes rushing in.
Memento (2000)
Puzzle Piecing
You find yourself in a dimly lit room. You're unsure whether you've been here for just 15 minutes or for weeks. Then the lights come up. Everything seems to be running backwards. Liquid drips up the wall. This scenario seems vaguely familiar. You feel like you might have been here before. But you're not quite sure. You have the vague feeling that you might be watching a movie.
The disjointed story line of "Memento" places the viewer in the same uncertain mental space as the protagonist. As each scene opens you are uncertain whether this place should be familiar. How long has this been going on?
Even at the end the facts aren't stable. They are open to interpretation. You piece the puzzle together in the way that makes the most sense even though your senses are ultimately unreliable.
This film offers an effective metaphor for the act of watching film. You find yourself in the dark, piecing together a memory in images.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
People vs. Presents
This Seuss story is well-known and loved by all. But is this new version really necessary?
The emotional and moral core of this film revolves around the question "Is Christmas all about presents (which can be extended to encompass commercialism and gross consumerism) or friends and family?" The warm feeling you get when the expected conclusion is drawn (and not very well) is muddled by the fact that you've just watched a $100 million juggernaut steamroll your emotional responses. How can you resist the cute little residents of Whoville? How can you avoid letting that "warm feeling" spur you on to purchase hundreds of dollars worth of Grinch(tm) -related items?
There was a turning point in the career of Jim Carrey. That fork in the road was called "The Cable Guy". Instead of making movies that could push the envelope and his audience, he instead choose to push the high-water mark for the highest paid actors in Hollywood.
There are some funny moments with Grinch and his dog alone in their cave. But you've probably already seen them on TV as part of the marketing campaign for this film.
Jim Carrey's talent is literally buried in this film. Even Carrey's irrepressible mania cannot claw its way out from under three hours worth of makeup.
If you aren't taking a seven-year-old, don't go see this movie. Even if you are, I would suggest reading the book or watching the cartoon Grinch instead.
The End (1953)
The End
This is one of the most incredible films to come out of the Beat community of San Francisco in the '50s. Running throughout the film (in much the way it ran throughout America at the time) is the fear that "The Bomb" might drop at any moment. Everyone sits, anxiously anticipating "The End". And it comes, again and again. Endless repetition with slight variation.
The poetic way in which seemingly disjointed images are constructed in seemingly unrelated vignettes allows for a tremendous amount of harmony and dissonance between image and spoken narration. At one point the viewer is informed that the narrator doesn't know the story for the following vignette, and the viewer is urged to create their own story with the images provided.
Weaving together beautifully photographed color and black and white footage, "The End" is an important film. "The End" perfectly captures the time at which it was made and speaks eloquently about self-destruction, both personal and cultural.