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Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Kubrick's Bows Out With Style
Like pretty much all of Kubrick's other films, I think that "Eyes Wide Shut" will grow in stature with time. Although not his strongest film, "Eyes Wide Shut" is still a compelling picture, mostly due to the trance-like atmosphere it creates.
The dreamlike mood that permeates the film, as well as the strange characters Tom Cruise's character encounters, almost makes this seem like a David Lynch film. Nevertheless, one is never in doubt that this is a Kubrick film, as each shot is meticulously crafted with Kubrick's trademark visual elegance.
"Eyes Wide Shut" is meant to be Kubrick's exploration of sexual relations. Its deals with themes of lust and jealousy, and how these innate human characteristics can take their toll on a relationship. Bill (Tom Cruise) and Alice Harford (Nicole Kidman) play the married couple whose relationship begins to unravel when Alice admits she had sexual fantasies about another man, sparking Bill's jealousy and causing him to go on a sexual adventure that takes him to places he never could have imagined. Its here that the film is most compelling, and delivers some of the most memorable scenes ever to grace a Kubrick film. Although the pace of the film is quite slow, this is important in creating the dreamlike atmosphere, and the plot still remains intriguing. I was never bored.
Cruise and Kidman both deliver strong performances. However, as per usual with any Kubrick film, its the director that is the star of the show. Although I'm a huge fan of Stanley Kubrick, this is probably the one complaint I would have about his style, as I feel that his perfectionism can sometimes detract from the raw quality of the performances. Its not often that I come away from his films feeling like I truly know the characters or have gone through fire and hell with them. Nevertheless, the film is a visual treat, and that is the reason that I keep coming back to Kubrick: he is a visionary with images.
"Eyes Wide Shut" is the last stunning work of the director's illustrious career. Its a fitting end to his legacy.
Solyaris (1972)
A Masterpiece of Art-house Cinema
"Solaris" is a stunning film in every sense of the word. Although perhaps more plot- oriented than anything else he ever made, "Solaris" is still unmistakably a Tarkovsky film. The dreamlike way in which the camera moves, the long takes, and the wonderful imagery is all there. So is the symbolism and deeply philosophical dialogue, which asks so many questions to the audience that the film needs multiple viewings to be fully appreciated.
The film, based on the novel by Stanislaw Lem, follows psychologist Kris Kelvin (Donatas Banionis) who is sent to a space station orbiting the planet Solaris to evaluate the mental state of the remaining crew members after mysterious occurrences have caused some members to go insane, in order to determine whether the operation should continue. It's an interesting premise, and makes for a fascinating character study as the planet's recreation of Kris' dead ex-wife, Hari (Natalya Bondarchuk), leads him to question what he wants from his life: to live in a dream with the planet's fabrication of Hari, or to return to his real life on Earth.
As important as the story is the way the film is crafted. Andrei Tarkovsky is the master of creating visual poetry, and from the first frame this is clear. The gorgeous shots of nature and running water establish the importance the concept of nature will have in the film, and juxtaposes the mysterious, foreign ocean of Solaris. The film is drenched in mood, eliciting feelings of melancholy and nostalgia, as Kris re-encounters Hari in Solaris. Also crucial to creating the film's atmosphere is the music. A chorale prelude by Johann Sebastian Bach is featured multiple times throughout the film and mirrors the inner feelings of Kris Kelvin. Meanwhile, the score by Eduard Artemev helps craft the unsettling aura that the mysterious ocean of Solaris emits. The excellent performances by the actors, especially Natalya Bondarchuk, are also crucial to the film's emotional scope.
Ultimately, the virtuosity of Tarkovsky's direction makes "Solaris" a beautiful, spiritual film that resonates in the soul. The film builds up wonderfully towards its haunting conclusion, and lingers on in the mind for days. Its a phenomenal artistic achievement, although the slow pace and philosophical nature of the film means that it definitely will not appeal to the mainstream audience. However, for fans of art-house cinema, "Solaris" takes the viewer on an epic, emotional experience. Its a masterpiece, and one of my favorite films of all time.
Godzilla (2014)
A Tedious, Heartless Film
For fans of monster movies, "Godzilla" was surely one of the most anticipated releases of the year. Therefore, the most surprising thing about Godzilla is not how empty the story is, but rather how little there is of the monster in the movie after which it is named.
The plot in "Godzilla" is disposable. It only exists as an excuse to unleash the film's titular character. However, is it too much to ask for an original plot with characters we could care about? Here, the back story is cliché-ridden and the characters simply serve the function of moving the story forwards. As such, one would expect that Godzilla is at least given ample screen time. Surprisingly, this is not the case, and the majority of the film's focus seems to be on the military attempting to find out how to kill Godzilla and the MUTOs, which look like giant, angry cockroaches. Ultimately, it is left up to the score and the Michael Bay-esque dub-step reminiscent sound design to create tension.
Its almost futile to talk about the performances in the film because despite the strong cast, the characters are so one-dimensional that nobody delivers a memorable performance. Bryan Cranston and Juliette Binoche do their best with the little screen time they are given, and the couple of Aaron-Taylor Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen are given the impossible task of creating interesting characters from the uninspired script. More worrying, however, is how unnecessary Sally Hawkins' character is and how the script manages to make Ken Watanabe look like a second-rate actor, as his character rarely changes expression from the looks of intense thought or surprise.
Overall, "Godzilla" did not work for me at all. Not only is it a film without heart, but it a film meant to thrill that ends up just being tedious. I could have left halfway through the movie. I just didn't care how things would turn out.
Black Swan (2010)
Technically Perfect
"Black Swan" is an excellent example of a film that succeeds both in being commercial and artistic. The film's subject matter of a woman's fears causing her to descend into a state of paranoia, as well as Darren Aronofsky's direction are both clearly influenced by Roman Polanski's 1960's psychological thrillers "Repulsion" and "Rosemary's Baby." However, while "Black Swan" is also primarily a character study of a female protagonist's deteriorating mental state, the faster pace and more melodramatic dialogue makes "Black Swan" a more commercial film. That isn't to say that "Black Swan" is a lesser film, because I think it just about as good as Polanski's classics, and possibly deals with more relevant themes. It's simply that the style will probably not shock the audience as much as Polanski's.
Having said that, I consider "Black Swan" a perfect film. The story follows Nina, a young ballerina (Natalie Portman), who gets her dream role of the Swan Queen only to find herself becoming paranoid of losing the role to her double (Mila Kunis), as she is pushed to the extremes by her director (Vincent Cassel) to "let go" of her obsession with technical perfection in order to become the darker side of her role: namely, The Black Swan. The way Nina begins to embody her role of The Black Swan, while being paranoid of losing her dream part, is what constitutes the "horror" of the film. It also builds up to an operatic climax that wraps up the film beautifully. Aronofsky's direction brilliantly captures Nina's paranoia, making for a hallucinatory viewing experience, and the musical choices elegantly complement the great camera-work and choreography. It's a beautiful and thrilling film, although I did not find it particularly scary.
The performances here are excellent. Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, and Barbara Hershey (as Nina's overprotective mother) all put in convincing displays in their supporting roles. Nevertheless, the true star of the show is undoubtedly Natalie Portman. Doing the majority of her dancing scenes without a double, Portman delivers a virtuoso performance that demonstrates the full spectrum of her acting ability from the subtle, nervous glances she gives to the tears of heartbreak and torment.
Artful, thrilling, and powerful, "Black Swan" is a technically perfect film. Ironically, however, "Black Swan" might just suffer from the same problem as its main character, in cementing itself as a classic: it is so perfect that it fails to deliver the final punch by letting everything go.
Oldeuboi (2003)
A Brilliant, Disturbing Thriller
I have to admit, in the first hour I was worried that this film would be another "Kill Bill" in that it would be a shallow, formulaic revenge flick made in a highly stylized manner. I could not have been more wrong.
"Oldboy" starts out in predictable fashion, as we see the film's protagonist Oh Dae-Su (Choi Min-Sik) captured, put through 15 years of imprisonment, and then released with a burning desire to hunt down and inflict revenge on his captors. However, as I would discover, there is more to the situation than meets the eye, and Oh Dae-Su is in for a shocking discovery.
As brutal as the film is, and believe me it is brutal, the film in directed and shot quite beautifully. Park Chan-Wook crafts an almost surreal atmosphere at times, which when coupled with the film's rough, violent tone draws comparisons to both Miike Takashi's "Audition" and Nicolas Winding Refn's "Pusher." Park's use of classical music makes the film operatic in its brutality. It's clear to see why Quentin Tarantino is a fan of the film.
Also worth mentioning are the performances by Choi Min-Sik, who fully embodies the character of desperate, tortured, "monster" of a man, and Yu Ji-Tae, whose portrayal as the film's villain is truly chilling.
"Oldboy" is an incredibly cruel, and violent film. However, if one can stomach the images that Park Chan-Wook brings to the screen, the pay-off is a brilliant, disturbing thriller.
American Hustle (2013)
A Stylish, Character-Driven, Hugely Entertaining Film
Out of all the critically-acclaimed films of 2013, "American Hustle" is one of the few deserving the immense hype surrounding it. Last year David O. Russell delivered "Silver Linings Playbook," which garnered Jennifer Lawrence her first Oscar. In my opinion, "American Hustle" is even better.
As with "Silver Linings," the characters are what drives the film. Here we have the con-artists Irving (Christian Bale) and Sydney (Amy Adams), the ambitious cop Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper), the delirious wife Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence), and the good-guy politician Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner), each "hustling" to achieve their goals. The mind games between these characters is what makes "American Hustle" so compelling, and the great performances from the cast add to the spectacle. Christian Bale seems to be channeling Robert De Niro, who also delivers a great, albeit brief cameo performance, while Jennifer Lawrence provides some of the funniest scenes of the year.
Just as important as the characters is the direction. The style of the film bears many similarities to Scorsese's "Goodfellas" and even "The Wolf of Wall Street", although "American Hustle is by far the better of the year's flicks. However, David O. Russell relies even more on a superb 70's soundtrack, which features music from Electric Light Orchestra to David Bowie, matched with slow-motion sequences to set the tone for the scenes. When matched with the great costume design and cinematography, it makes for a very stylish film.
Even more so than most of the year's Oscar-nominated films, "American Hustle" seems to have experienced a backlash of angry users on IMDb knocking the film's rating down significantly. This is a shame, because "American Hustle" is far better than what users are giving it credit for. However, this is probably due to mainstream audiences being taken back by the slower pace of the film, in contrast to the energy of "The Wolf of Wall Street," which I think is absurdly overrated on the site. "American Hustle" certainly will not appeal to everyone, but for those who appreciate indie films "American Hustle" deserves a watch.
Closer (2004)
Good Performances, Mixed Writing
I was left with very mixed feelings after finishing "Closer." While there are many things that work in the film, it is a largely uneven picture, and ultimately doesn't quite live up to the hopes that I brought to the viewing. Having loved Mike Nichols' "The Graduate" and being impressed by the strong cast, I was looking forward to another thoughtful, moving, yet funny picture from Nichols. And while there is some genuinely witty writing to be found in "Closer," I found that most of the dialogue takes the form of verbal "showdowns" as the characters interrogate and try to manipulate each other, which although sharp and snappy at first, begins to become slightly tiresome in the long run.
The film moves along at a steady pace. It starts strongly with an opening scene that immediately draws the audience, as Dan (Jude Law) takes Alice (Natalie Portman) to the hospital after she is hit by a car, which leads to the start of their romance. The film's editing sees large time shifts occur very suddenly, and without even witnessing the high points of their relationship, we are taken to where it begins to fall apart, as Dan becomes infatuated with a photographer, Anna (Julia Roberts). From this point on, the theme of appearance vs reality, already implied through Dan's work as a writer of obituaries which use euphemisms to "cover up" the deceased's lesser qualities (a clever aspect of the screenplay), begins to dominate the love "rectangle" between Dan, Alice, Anna, and Larry (Clive Owen).
The characters in "Closer" are all morally ambiguous, and their tendency to utilize lies and deception is what makes the film unpredictable. It must be said that all the performances are solid, although Natalie Portman shines brightest as the sly, seductive Alice. Furthermore, the direction is sound, yet somewhat ordinary and uninspired in comparison to "The Graduate," for which Nichols won the Oscar for Best Director.
Ultimately, while "Closer" is entertaining for the most part, the strange thing is that it fails to have much of an emotion impact, despite the clear emotional pains that the characters endure.