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Michael Parker's Journal
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Wednesday, March 23, 2005 |
Written and directed by: David Mackenzie
Adapted from the Alexander Trocchi novel.
Starring: Ewan McGregor (Joe Taylor), Tilda Swinton (Ella Gault), Peter Mullan (Les Gault), Emily Mortimer (Cathie Dimly), Jack McElhone (Jim Gault)
(Rated R for nudity, sex, and adult situations)
"The Return"
by Michael Parker
When he saw her, he was sitting. Smoking
at the pier’s edge. Observing things writers
observe. Note. Analyze. He barely flinched
seeing her in that white slip he saw her last
in. Riding up below swollen nipples as if she
tried taking it off just for him. Just one more time.
She approached him submissively. Face
down. Eyes hidden by hair that moved with
every shift of the current. Her arms stretched half
out seemed to have let go or anticipated him -
an embrace too long in the waiting.
They used an anchoring hook. Lifting. Heaving
her from the river. Straining. The weight of water
heavy in her. She was pale as alabaster lying
on the pier.
He was on his knees handling her differently
carefully straightening splayed limbs - open legs
disheveled arms. He slid her slip down covering
naked extremities and sighed. Looked to the bay.
He placed his palm on the flat place in between her
shoulders. Rested there. Then raised his hand to her
head and combed her hair away from her face with
open fingers.
He closed her eyes.
**********
The opening of David Mackenzie's film Young Adam might just be one of my favorite beginnings in film. Joe (Ewan McGregor) discovers a body floating in the river. (It actually floated right up to him.) After his employer helps pull the body out, he runs off to get the authorities, leaving Joe with the body. These moments Joe has alone with the body are so captivating and memorable, but mostly revealing. It lays the groundwork for explaining why and how the body of his lover, Cathie, gets in the river.
But Young Adam, at heart, is a film about Joe and his insatiable appetite for love, primarily the passion aspect of it. And the fact that women are drawn to him and his kind, thoughtful personality, especially women in loveless, sexless marriages, sets Joe up as a type of savior-figure.
In all, Mackenzie's story is intriguing. The photography noteworthy. But the beginning? Now there is a mini-masterpiece.
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Monday, March 21, 2005 |
Note: A much smaller version of this article appeared in The Daily Herald, March 17, 2005.
If you looked at the title of this article and suddenly felt like you’d just stepped into a time warp, sit back and relax. You haven’t.
The wild boys of MTV video fame are indeed back on the airwaves and on stages around the world. And though they aren’t the prima donnas of the popstar world, nor the princes of the teen mags like they were in the 80’s, their new musical offerings are as good as their old stuff and definitely worthy of attention.
Under a smiling crescent moon floating in the western sky, Duran Duran landed their popular Astronaut Tour in Salt Lake City’s Delta Center, NuSkin Theater to a thrilled and appreciative crowd of approximately 5,000. It marked the band’s first ever appearance in the state.
Duran Duran. I’m sure you remember them -- flamboyant fashion, big hair, and supermodel looks.
Their synthesized sound was hypnotic and fresh, like the first days of spring after a long winter. You couldn’t help not dancing. But I recall being most fascinated by their bizarre and catchy lyrics. They were the new poetics of the synthesized age.
You can’t pick just one element that propelled them to stardom. They were the epitome of it. In the short time span of their American debut with the album Rio (1982) and subsequent releases Seven and the Ragged Tiger (1983) and Arena (1984), the band amassed ten Top 40 hits, their biggest chart toppers being "The Reflex" and "Wild Boys," which topped the charts at #1 and #2 respectively.
(Arena, a greatest hits album, actually helped introduce Americans to the hits from their debut album Girls on Film, from 1981.)
The band parted ways in 1985 after releasing the theme song to the James Bond film A View to a Kill, which ironically became the bands second only number one record on the Top 40 charts in America.
Duran Duran, under the skeleton crew of Simon Lebon, John Taylor, and Nick Rhodes, continued releasing the popular albums Notorious (1987), Big Thing (1988), Decade: Greatest Hits (1989), and the bands biggest-selling album The Wedding Album (1993).
But after the failure of their four subsequent albums, it appeared that Duran Duran was on the verge of distinction.
After reconciling their differences a couple of years ago, the band regrouped and met in Paris to write the lyrics for their latest album Astronaut. While recording, they were contacted by one of the most noticeable producers in the music industry, Don Gilmore (Linkin Park, Good Charlotte, Sugar Ray, and Pearl Jam, to name a few). Gilmore’s relationship with the band has proved most fruitful, yielding an album that is second only in substance and depth to The Wedding Album.
Despite all of this, heading into the concert I wondered whether the Astronaut Tour was anything more than a standard reunion tour. My thinking couldn’t have been more wrong.
The Fab Five started off the show in a dramatic under-statement. In single file, with just guide lights set around the stage for light, Simon Lebon, Nick Rhodes, John Tayler, Andy Taylor, and Roger Taylor (none of them related) walked onto stage in single file, finally taking their place all in a row at the edge of the stage facing the audience. Their dark silouettes stood against a lighter backstage and it teased the crowd to the point of madness.
The evidence of hysteria was visible. Directly in front of me, five thritysomething-aged women went into spasms not unlike the kind I’ve seen watching re-runs of the Beatles performing in America for the first time. They shook their hands, held their heads with both hands, jumped up and down clinging to each others shoulders, and squealed that piercing squeal that as parents we ban our children from doing anywhere in hearing distance.
When the lights came on in a sudden flash, revealing the Fab Five dressed in trendy black suits, white shirts and thin ties, the crowd flew into a frenzy. Then they rocketed into their opening number "Reach Up For the Sunrise," their first hit off Astronaut.
Long gone are the non-sensical, outlandish, and esoteric lyrics of yesteryear. They have transformed over the years, grown mature. Though you’ll still recognize that poetically playful style of the early years, they’re songs sport a basic story-telling standard sprinkled with gems of insight and wisdom. Just consider the chorus to the opening number, a mantra of hope and affirmation: "Reach out for the sunrise, bring the new day into your life."
Maybe they’ve been mastering kabbalah with Madonna? Maybe they’re just masters of tivo-ing The Oprah Show. But debating the "whatever" or "however" is pointless. The songs off their new album were some of the more meaningful moments of the show.
It wasn’t surprising that the crowd consisting of mostly thirty and fortysomethings, however, were there to hear the songs that made the band a household name. And the Durans obliged, immediately going into a set of oldies: "Hungry Like the Wolf," "Hold Back the Rain," and "Union of the Snake."
Nearly immediately into "Hungry Like the Wolf," the same ladies in front of me (who nearly cried in anticipation for the concert to begin), hopped on their cell phones and started screaming in delight to the person on the other end and pointing the cell phone toward the stage in the hopes of proving their exact location. Thank goodness for modern technology, you’d have to wait till you got home to razz your friends that you went to a concert!
The frontman for Duran Duran, Simon Lebon, who has great vocal power and range, started off flat at the beginning of a few of these opening songs. However, he recovered and was pitch perfect the majority of the concert and especially when it mattered. He showed impressive vocal acrobatics especially during the songs "Union of the Snake," "Come Undone," and "Sing Blue Silver."
In all due respect, Lebon might be aging but he has the mojo of a superstar. He worked the audience like no other, dancing and jumping about like a younger version of himself. If this indeed was a reunion tour, someone forgot to tell him. His presence was magnetic and the audience followed him incessantly, reacting wildly anytime he came their direction. Witty, sensual, provocative, and likable, Lebon seemed in the moment, not detached or disinterested.
I was most taken by Lebon during the performance of "Ordinary World," which he dedicated to all of their friends and loved ones who had passed on. Near the end of the song, off of center stage and out of the main spotlight, he drew his arms and hands in close to his chest and then suddenly threw them out and wide open as if he had just released a thousand doves from his chest. It was a seemingly sincere and remarkable expression I won’t easily forget.
Nick Rhodes must be commended for remixing the oldies. The songs never sounded so good. And Andy Taylor (guitar) and John Taylor (bass) were sheer brilliant. Their guitar work was electrifying, spine-tingling, and captivating during "I Don’t Want Your Love (Waking Up the House)," "White Lines," and "What Happens Tomorrow," to name a few.
The talented Anna Ross, backup vocalist, made her presence known during the rocked-up version of "I Don’t Want Your Love."
The circular stage (with catwalks stretching out its two sides) was simple and utilitarian, allowing the band just enough room to move about and work the crowd.
The key to the visual experience of the show, however, was the five long and narrow LCD screens that hung at the back of the stage. The screens displayed images of the audience or of the band in real-time. They also showed the same types of bizarre and cryptic visuals and stories that comprised many Duran Duran music videos. For example, colored illustrations of the space shuttle and astronauts flashed during the performance of the song "Astronaut." And a video montage of the band performing "Planet Earth" in the 80's was a perfect dichotomy to their performance of this night.
I was most impressed with the short anime film during "Careless Memory." The anime film told a Tarantino-like story in which the band members were martial art fighters (who dressed in suits and thin ties) who fought super-villains, monsters, robots, and evil CEO’s.
I also enjoyed the visuals for the song "Wild Boys." On the LCD screens, the sillouttes of naked women dancing amidst bright orange and red flames seemed to pay homage to the infamous introductions of the James Bond films.
One of my favorite displays, however, was used for the beautiful slow song "Save A Prayer." A continuous shower of golden-yellow rose petals fell behind Lebon and company throughout the song. It was peaceful and reflective, a most beautiful enhancement.
The band played three other songs off of Astronaut: "Chains" and "Nice" (which received the best response of all the new songs). But the upbeat and hopeful "What Happens Tomorrow" might have just been the shows highlight for me, sporting some of the more memorable lyrics of the evening: "And nobody knows what will happen tomorrow. We try not to show how frightened we are. If you let me, I’ll protect you, however I can. You’ve got to believe it will be alright in the end."
Duran Duran seemed genuinely thrilled with the crowd in Salt Lake. Early in the show, Simon commented on how "nice" the audience was, adding that they loved Utah and loved the Osmonds. And coming back for an encore, John Taylor took the microphone and commented how this first trip to Utah might not be the last because "you are such beautiful people. How could anyone stay away?"
Yes, the night belonged to the thrity and fortysomethings, dressed to the nines, many of whom had waited twenty years to dance and cheer at the feet their favorite group of the 80's. But the night also belonged to Simon, Nick, John, Andy, and Roger.
Whether this was some elaborate swan song or the beginning of a new day, many in attendance Saturday night were reaching for a bit of sunlight and hoping it wouldn’t so quickly fade, that there is more from this band than just Astronaut.
If there is one thing evidenced from this performance it is this: Boy bands beware! You’re outclassed! Go back and get some talent! The Fab Five is back for now and they have the real thing!
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Sunday, March 20, 2005 |
Martin Scorsese had me wrapped around his multi-million dollar finger when he depicted Howard Hughes filming a dogfight scene for his film Hell's Angels hundreds of feet above the ground, strapped standing up to a plane so he could film the embattled planes whizzing around him. This scene would be Scorsese's visual representation of the type of man Howard Hughes was -- driven, obsessive, demanding, compulsive, risky, adventerous to the point of recklessness, and visionary to the point of genious.
Everything about The Aviator is larger than life, from the elaborate and expansive sets, the throngs of extras, the detailed costumes and hair styles, to the depiction of Hughes' mental meltdowns.
Scorsese orchestrated phenomenal performances from Leonardo DiCaprio (who in my opinion was only bested by Jamie Foxx this year), Cate Blanchett (whose Katherine Hepburn was a pure delight to behold and will remain timeless), and Kate Beckinsale (as the seductive Ava Gardner).
The Aviator is a masterpiece in grand-scale size. When your subject matter is the legendary Howard Hughes, it could not have been anything less.
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Yimou Zhang's The House of Flying Daggers is a masterpiece, replete with some of the most visually artistic sets, costumes, choreography, and cinematography you will ever cast your eyes on.
Precision sound editing throughout the film is also exceptional, but is especially evident during the amazingly exquisite Echo Dance and Battle in the Bambo Forest scenes.
The soundtrack too demands attention; it's mixture of drums and flute is richly evocative and powerfully moving. The theme song "Lovers" sung by the soprano Kathleen Battle is one of the most captivating and Oscar-worthy theme songs I've ever heard.
With a love story so dynamic, tragic, and memorable, I dare say that if the Bard were alive to see this, he would be green that he was not the one to pen it.
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Hero is the feng shui of film, the Gold Standard.
The cinematography is replete with sweeping desert landscapes, majestic stone palaces and courtyards, and exquisitely choreographed battles amidst falling autumn leaves, jade-colored scrims within the Emperor's Hall, and atop the shingled roof of a desert school (while defending it from an onslaught of a million arrows). These scenes stand out as some of the most breathtaking moments since Crouching Tiger. Hidden Dragon.
The use of color in the costumes and set design are remarkable, not only acting as a method for distinguishing each tale but adding an artistic element that is an incredible visual spectacle.
But it is Yimou's richly layered script that wins me over. He's our new master of tragic love stories. In fact, I'll be so bold to say that one of the closing scenes amidst desert sand and buttes might be the one of the most astounding scenes of tragedy between two lovers you'll likely ever see or forget.
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Clint Eastwood has created another film that resonates long after the credits roll and the lights in the theater turn on. Million Dollar Baby seems like a labor of love.
In a few places, the script wears its heart on the surface but for some reason it's hard to be critical of it-- its reflective, somber, quietly methodical, yet powerful manner is alluring and touching. The performances are riveting in their likewise quiet, far from flashy way -- they ring true to the plight of their characters -- we believe they've walked their life and lived their hardships.
The photography and editing is amazing. The use of light and shadow is like another character, adding a fascinating touch of symbolism to a captivating story about a strong-willed woman going after her dreams and a man who is searching for redemption from his past.
Life is a school of hard decisions, hard work, self-mastery, introspection, realization, opposition -- the struggle for improvement and redemption. Million Dollar Baby succeeds because the underlying current of hopes and dreams of becoming something more runs within each and every one of us. To deny this would be unhuman.
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Charlie Kaufman is a genius! Period. It’s totally irrelevant that he has the best track record in Hollywood--two of his last three scripts have been nominated for Oscars -- Being John Malcovich and Adaptation. Nonetheless, this is a fact that has to be admired (and envied if you are a screenwriter) -- count on his ingenious script for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind to win him yet another nomination.
Michael Gondry's direction of the film is nothing more than brilliant. Gondry amazingly depicts the erasing of Joel’s memory in frenetic flashes of nightmarish, labyrinthine-like scenes -- crumbling sets, people's features disappearing, and black nothingness swallowing up memory. He creates an unsettling and sad picture of a man on the verge of losing not only his memory but his identity, free will, and the love he decides he doesn't want to forget.
As Joel and Clementine run from memory to memory trying to escape the crumbling moments of their existence together, one can’t help think this is one of most remarkable stories ever visualized on film.
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What happens when you place two men with personalities as similar as the North is to the South pole in the same car and send them up into the wine country of California for one week? One hell of a funny movie!
Written and directed by Alexander Payne, Sideways truly is a masterpiece of exceptional writing and acting. Paul Giamatti is extraordinary as the self-loathing, manic depressive secondary school teacher, writer wanna-be who is awaiting word on whether his 750 page novel "The Day After Yesterday" will be published.
Thomas Haden Church, also, is extraordinary as the washed out daytime soap opera actor with a one track mind. Virginia Madsen and Sandra Oh give wonderful performances as the women the men meet and fall in love with on the trip.
But more than anything, it is Payne's script that most impresses--it's intelligent, witty, and unpredictable. Sideways is completely and delightfully intoxicating!
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Saturday, March 19, 2005 |
There are films that demand our attention because of what they reveal to us about history and humankinds' capacity to ignore, be privy to, or initiate lies, hate, abuse, and murder.
Terry George's Hotel Rwanda is such a film. Vivid and unflinching in its depiction of the genocide that ravaged Rwanda in 1994, in which over one million Tutsis were slaughtered, this film is the true-life story of Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager (and Hutu) who took in and eventually saved 1,286 Tutsis refugees (including his own wife and children) from being slaughtered by the Hutu militia.
Don Cheadle is nothing more than exceptional as Rusesabagina, a man whose career of styling ambassadors, generals, and diplomats allows him the leverage to save lives. It's a highly dynamic, stirring, and emotionally-charged performance.
Some people step forward in the only way they know how , or out of the basic need to survive, and by this act take upon them the salvation of many. In an industry that is becoming saturated with films about super heros, its refreshing to see one devoted to someone who is flesh and blood real.
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Marc Forster's tender story of how the washed-out playwright J. M. Barrie befriends Sylvia Davies and her sons and, because of this, pens the beloved play "Peter Pan" is a pure joy and a heartwarming tale of finding solace in the face of death.
The noteworthy performances of Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet (she's amazing), Julie Christy, Dustin Hoffman, Radha Mitchell, and a group of brilliant child actors, especially Freddie Highmore as Peter, highlight a truly thoughtful and moving script.
Finding Neverland is one of those rare experiences whose value is near priceless because of how it affects you. Forster masterfully develops the story void of sentimentality, which, if you are familar with it, could have easily fallen prey to. By reigning in the performances of his key actors, Forster set up an experience that allowed the viewer's heart to be breached nearly willingly, and the rush of hope allowed in to carry us off to the Neverland Barrie promises.
You'll leave this film different than when you walked in, Neverland reached.
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Mathilde and Manech were childhood friends and lovers. When World War I began, Manech was sent off to the trenches. After seeing the soldier next to him blown into pieces, he lost his sanity. Soon after, he was court-martialed for being wounded. He was cast into No Man's Land, the battle zone between the two opposing trenches. It was recorded that he was gunned down while carving their love sign MMM into the lone skeleton of a tree. But Mathilde, sensing he was still alive, began a journey to find out what became of her only true love.
Jean-Pierre Jeunet's film is a masterful tale of undying love and hope in the midst of war. Jeunet's depiction of war at the trenches and back in the secured offices where decisions are made is brutally realistic, raw, and ugly. This may be one of the best depictions of World War 1 on film.
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There are films you can count on to deliver pure and unadulterated action -- giant explosions, ten-minute car chases, multiple-car pileups, gunfights, swordfights, or sparring scenes that try to one-up any fight in The Matrix.
Richard Linklater films, on the other hand, provide action in the form of conversational fireworks and subtle, poignant body language. His latest work, Before Sunset, is a masterful conglomeration of conversational topics, slow evolving feelings, and the unraveling of guarded expression between two lovers who meet after nine years and have only three hours to catch up on their lives.
With one of the best scripts of the year as a foundation, Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy deliver simply amazing performances. I will not easily forget how, upon first meeting, their conversations stay safe and nondescript; but as the minutes of their time together pass by, the truth is eked out and the pain of their previous parting suddenly hits like a car crash. The timing and rhythmn of delivery and reaction throughout this film is masterful.
I read a comment calling Linklater’s scripts "pretentious." This isn’t a critique against Linklater as much as one on our dumbed-down society. We need more film characters with as much intellect, historical awareness, and reasoning capability that Linklater has graced us with.
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I have to admit that Michael Mann's edgy thriller Collateral was in my list until I saw Ray.
Jamie Foxx' transformation into the musical legend who battled blindness, loneliness, adultery, and drug addiction makes for the best performance of the year. What a monumental achievement!
Ray could have easily turned into a glorified made- for-television special but Taylor Hackford did a noteworthy job writing and directing the film. First and foremost, Hackford compiled and created a screenplay that didn't sweep under the carpet the incendiary aspects and characteristics of Charles' life.
Secondly, Hackford brought out the best in all of his actors. Other than Foxx, recognition should be given to the alluring and haunting Reginna King, who playied Ray's mother. Honestly, Ray consists of one of the best ensemble casts of the year.
Lastly, the cinematography at times was artistic. I'll not easily forget moments such as the multi-colored bottles hanging in the barren tree in Ray's boyhood yard; Ray's mother watching her blind son capture a cricket; Ray standing in front of the tiered audience in Ohio; and Ray's live performances.
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Tuesday, March 15, 2005 |
There were a few readers who could not get the Best of Film 2004 Shockwave file to work. So I'm posting the contents in standard format. Tonight, I'm posting the list of films I considered for the top ten but were pushed out. Consider them my honorable mentions.
Note: I was unable to see The Sea Inside or The Motorcycle Diaries. I feel those films could have been contenders too.
Collateral -- Michael Mann. A taxi cab driver is held hostage and forced to drive an assassin around the streets of L.A. Exceptional performances by Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx.
Closer -- Mike Nichols. Four people. Two couples. An affair. A tale of how vain, selfish, and terrible people can be towards one another. The acting is superb!
Dogville -- Lars Von Trier. A small town changes when a drifter walks into town seeking refuge.
Fahrenheit 9/11 -- Michael Moore. The controversial documentary on 9/11, Bush's ties relations with the Royal Saudi Family, and the Iraq war.
Garden State -- Zach Braff. An extraordinary debut from Braff about a young man who returns home to attend his mother's funeral and faces past mistakes in order to reclaim his sense of identity, an appreciation for life, the ability to feel, and most importantly, the ability to fall in love.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (UK) -- Alfonso Cuaron. Sirius Black escapes from Azkaban Prison and Harry Potter seems to be his next target.
Kill Bill Volume 2 -- Quentin Tarantino. The Bride finishes off the assassins who gunned down her entire wedding party.
Kinsey -- Bill Condon. A science professor takes on the role of sexual education and completes a study on male and female sexual habits that became the backbone of what we know about sexual behavior.
Maria Full of Grace (Columbia) -- Joshua Marston. A young woman risks her life in order to flee from her dead-end life and poverty in Columbia to be a human container for drugs transported from Columbia to the U.S.
Napoleon Dynamite -- Jared Hess. The sleeper comedy of the year! A high school nerd by the name of Napoleon just wants to have friends, get a date to the prom, play tetherball, learn to dance, and help his friend Pedro become school president.
Shaun of the Dead -- Edgar Wright. Comedy. Spoof. Love story. Zombies. One of the most clever scripts of the year.
Shrek 2 -- Andrew Adamson. Fiona and Shrek go to Far Far And Away to meet her parents. But a Fairy Godmother is plotting Shrek's demise and her son's chances at becoming Prince.
Spartan -- David Mamet. A spy thriller about an undercover operation to rescue the presiden'ts daughter.
SpiderMan 2 -- Sam Raimi. One of the best superhero films yet.
The Incredibles -- Brad Bird. A retired superhero goes back to work, gets in trouble, and his family (also superheros) have to come bail him out.
The Life Aquatic -- Wes Anderson. A quirky comedy, drama, tragedy that really comes together nicely in a kathartic ending in the depths of the ocean.
The Mother (UK) -- Roger Michell. A widowed mother falls in love with her daughter's boyfriend.
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