Blue Jasmine (2013)

I've often said that a simple story can work when done well.  Plots don't get much simpler than Blue Jasmine, the latest from Woody Allen.  After her life falls apart, Jasmine (Cate Blanchett) moves in with her adopted sister in San Francisco while she tries to pull it back together.  It's not really any more complex than that.  Blue Jasmine is character study at best.

Don't get me wrong, the story's not quite that thin.  Through various flashbacks, we learn that Jasmine was married to a wealthy businessman, Hal (Alec Baldwin), in New York.  Unfortunately, his shady business deals caught up with him and they lost everything.  He was also having a series of affairs, and you see there was a part of Jasmine that was willingly ignorant about these things.  Why rock the boat, right?  Isn't there a saying about bliss and ignorance?  They taste good cold or on toast or something like that?  With her world crashing down around her, Jasmine has a nervous breakdown.  Now she's prone to talking to herself, or anyone that will listen to her prattle on about how great her life was/is.  On various medications and never without a vodka martini, there are moments where she looks truly disheveled.

Also through these flashbacks you see that Jasmine doesn't have much of a relationship with her sister, Ginger (Sally Hawkins), and her ex-husband (Andrew Dice Clay) is quick to point out that Jasmine wanted nothing to do with her when she had everything.  If you're going to do flashbacks, this is how you do it.  You're never confused about what part of Jasmine's life you're watching or where they are.  The various establishing shots, changes in lighting, subtle dialog queues, and even Jasmine's appearance make this clear without every being explicitly told.  No "six months ago" needs to be displayed on the screen.

Jasmine tries getting a job and going back to school, but her adjustment has been anything but smooth.  She doesn't get along with Ginger's new fiance, Chili (Bobby Cannavale), either, and her moving in has caused a strain on her sister's relationship.  Things finally start to look up when Jasmine meets Dwight (Peter Sarsgaard), a wealthy diplomat who has his sights set on political office.  Even Ginger takes on a lover (Louis C.K.) as Jasmine pushes her to to do better than someone like Chili.

In a lot of ways Blue Jasmine reminded me of Young Adult.  Both feature an unlikeable sociopath as its main character.  They're full of crap, medicated and completely self absorbed in their own fantasy world.  Hell, "Jasmine" isn't even her original name, but changed it because she liked the way it sounded.  What are you, some kind of diva?  Despite that you don't have much of a reason to like Jasmine, and she doesn't show much in the way of growth, you still find a sliver of sympathy for them.  Bad things happen to her, some deserved and some undeserved.  Whether or not you think Jasmine was a willing accomplice, or could have done something about some of these events, it's still a lot for one person to deal with in a short period of time.  When things start to improve for Jasmine, I actually wanted it all to work out for her even though I couldn't condone her methods.

Also like Young Adult, it's carried by a great performance that keeps you interested in the journey.  Watching a film about a broken person isn't always a picnic, but when it features such a strong lead performance, you can't help but find it interesting.  Cate Blanchett was simply amazing!  She's so believable as a drunk that it wouldn't surprise me to learn that she drank or medicated herself while filming.  It's hard to fake that even if you have experience with it.  I still thought she managed to have a sexy quality about her, but that might just be cause I have a thing for Blanchett.  While this is one of Woody Allens strongest films in years, I don't know if it works as well without Blanchett.  I've heard a lot of Oscar buzz already around her performance, and I wouldn't be surprised at all see her win it this year.

It's not completely a one-woman show though.  The supporting performances are very good, too.  Perhaps the biggest surprise is Andrew Dice Clay, who's been showing lately that there's more to him than just his comedy act.  Alec Baldwin is as solid as he always is.  Another standout was Bobby Cannavale, who continues to be one of my favorite, lesser known actors.  I also felt sympathy for Ginger due to Sally Hawkins performance.  Peter Sarsgaard is good in his small role, along with Louis C.K., who plays slightly against type.

This is a much darker installment from Woody Allen's when compared to the lighter tones of something like Midnight in Paris or To Rome with Love.  That's not to say there aren't laughs to be had in Blue Jasmine, but don't go in expecting a laugh riot.  Much of the humor comes from uncomfortable situations or sometimes outright laughing at the characters, but I didn't think it was necessarily mean spirited.

Blue Jasmine is another great entry in Woody Allen's catalog.  While light on story, it's an interesting character study about a totally dysfunctional person, but still watchable because of a fantastic performance from Cate Blanchett.  I hope she has her dresses picked out, cause she's gonna be pretty busy at all the award shows.

4 (out of 5) Death Stars

Stoker (2013) - Movie Review

For some reason I can't say the title of this movie without getting that stupid Tom Jones song "Strokin'" stuck in my head.  Not that they are at all related, but I just can't help it.  "I stroke it to the east, and I stroke it to the west."  Damn it!  It's stuck in my head again!

Kidding aside, I had been looking forward to watching Stoker for quite some time, as it was directed by Park Chan-wook (or is it Chan-wook Park?), who many of you may know as the director of Oldboy.  There was a good amount of hype surrounding the film, and I'm glad to say that I wasn't disappointed.

From the opening moments, you can tell that India Stoker (Mia Wasikowska) is bit of an odd bird.  She doesn't have any friends, and her hobbies vary from piano playing to hunting small animals, which is already kind of a red flag.  She would normally hunt under the supervision of her father (Dermot Mulroney) though, but then that just made me think India is a female version of Dexter.  She also doesn't seem to like any kind of physical contact, and doesn't have much of a relationship with her mother (Nicole Kidman), which you know is going to come into play when we learn that her father has died on her 18th birthday.

At the funeral, India's uncle Charlie (Matthew Goode), who's been travelling the world, returns home and moves in to help out. We also learn that Charlie has been sending India a pair of saddle shoes every year for her birthday, but India never actually knew Charlie existed until he showed up.  India remains distant from both her mother and Charlie, but Charlie continues to try befriend her.  Something definitely seems a little off about Charlie, too.  Something is off about everything and everyone in Stoker.

I'd have to say that Stoker is a movie that's definitely not for everyone, as it's a real slow burn for a thriller.  If you like a dark, psychological thrillers though, then Stoker should be right up your alley.  Throughout the film I was reminded of the same eerie feeling I got when watching Take Shelter (totally underrated movie that you should go rent right now).  The score also reminded me so much of Take Shelter that I had to look up and see if they were done by the same person (nope).

One of the things that makes Stoker such an effective thriller is that there's a good use of red herrings that kept me guessing where the film was really going.  You're always wondering what the real motivations of the characters are or if what you're seeing is really happening.  I started to outsmart myself with some of the various reveals, so I did spend the majority of the film wondering what the hell was going on, but that's a good thing.  When everything is finally revealed, it was very satisfying.

Stoker does take a bit of time to get going, but another aspect of the film that works is that there are a lot of great, interesting camera shots that make the film that much more mesmerizing.  I'm usually not one to notice things like cinematography unless is really stands out, but there are some really great camera angles and transitions used throughout the film.  Like at one point Nicole Kidman is having her hair brushed, and you get a real tight closeup where you see every strand of hair, but then the camera begins to pan down and the hair slowly turns into long strands of dried out grass in a field.  Park Chan-wook and cinematographer Chung-hoon Chung (who also worked on Oldboy), created a great look for the film, and it's the kind of work where you're want to go back and watch other films they've worked on together.  If you haven't seen Oldboy yet, I do recommend checking it out.

Another thing that really surprised me about Stoker is that this was written by Wentworth Miller, of Prison Break fame.  I was really never a big fan of that show, but I think he wrote a really interesting thriller here, and I hope he keeps at it.

Lastly, sometimes a movie works only as well as the cast can carry it, and that's another strength of the film.  Nicole Kidman has that perfect icy demeanor that is spot on for her role.  Matthew Goode has a great, creepy duality about his performance that just sells his character so well, and you never quite know what's really happening with him.  Mia Wasikowska is simply fantastic as India Stoker.  She's been on my 'one to watch' list for a while and this just cements her place there.  Her performance is one where you just can't take your eyes off her and you're always wondering what's going on in her head.

Stoker is an eerie, layered mystery that's powered by the aesthetic and direction of Park Chan-wook, and further strengthened by the great cast and performances.  This is one of those haunting thrillers that'll stick with you, and I highly recommend checking it out.  It's in limited release, so many of you will have to save it for rental, but if it's playing in your area, then it's definitely worth the trip.

4 (out of 5) Death Stars

Beautiful Creatures (2013) - Movie Review

I'm already tired this year of using "Twilight" as a blanket comparison to any teen romance, but I'm gonna do it again...

Beautiful Creatures is naturally going to draw those comparisons, as it has familiar elements, a teen romance, supernatural elements, but that's about where it ends.  For one, when dealing with magic, you have a mythology that has a little more room for leeway, so you automatically don't have the irritation of sparkly vampires. Second, you cast two young actors that have way more chemistry and acting chops. Third, you round out your cast with Oscar-caliber actors.

I'll admit that I really wasn't looking forward Beautiful Creatures.  The trailer looked terrible, and appeared to be yet another Twilight clone with bad southern accents. Much like Warm Bodies, it quickly won me over.  When Beautiful Creatures starts though, I'm still on the defensive because the narration from Ethan Wate (Alden Ehrenreich), is delivered with a pretty over-the-top accent.  Once you realize that he's actually an intelligent kid, it's easier to get past that.  He lives in the very small town of Gatlin, South Carolina, and longs for the day he can get out.  It's the kind of small town that still bans (maybe even burns) books, where he's an avid reader, so he doesn't feel like he fits in.  Ethan explains that he's had this recurring dream about a girl, but doesn't understand the meaning or why he keeps having it.  The school year starts and Ethan is intrigued by the new girl Lena Duchannes (Alice Englert), and believes she may be the girl from those dreams.  Lena's from a notorious family that most people in town believe are Satanists, so she's rejected by her new classmates.  There's a lot of bible thumping and veiled slams on southern or Christian values, but I didn't think that was too over the top.  I tend to have a blind spot regarding political or religious undertones in movies, so I didn't focus on that much, but it's definitely there.

Ethan and Lena start hanging out and their love slowly blossoms.  However, Lena reveals that she's actually a witch (they prefer the term 'Caster') and that on her 16th birthday she's either going to be claimed for the Light or Dark.  Lena's concerned that she's going to be taken for the Dark (it runs in her family), so she tries to keep Ethan at a distance.  She's actually forbidden by her family to have a love, especially with a normal guy, but Ethan won't let up, and doesn't believe she's capable of being Dark.

Then the movie takes a turn for the awesome when Jeremy Irons shows up as Macon, Lena's uncle.  I hear the name Macon and can't stop thinking about bacon.  Mmmmm...bacon.  Sorry.  Irons has a pretty awesome opening scene, and generally classes the place up.  Just about any time Jeremy Irons appears he raises the level of the film and his scenes are some of the highlights.  One of the better qualities to Beautiful Creatures is that the adult characters actually have things to do, and are more than just parents there to warn their kids about danger.  Emma Thompson also really excels in her role as Mrs. Lincoln. There's more to her character than meets the eye and when this is revealed, Thompson is a blast to watch.  The same can be said for Viola Davis as Amma, who's a comforting presence when on screen.

When I looked at the cast, I thought of a basketball team where you have two rookies as your starting point guard and shooting guard, but then you have a team of experienced all-stars as your center (Irons), power forward (Thompson) and small forward (Davis).  If everyone knows their role and plays their part right, then you've got a really great team.

The movie works because you do like Ethan and Lena and they feel like normal kids.  That's to the credit of Alden Ehrenreich and Alice Englert.  Their performances are why this feels like the anti-Twilight, as they can act circles around Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart.  Englert starts out a little cold, but she warms up as the movie goes on and shows just enough personality for you to understand why Ethan is still pursing Lena so hard.  There were a few times where Alice's native New Zealand/Australian accent would creep in over her southern accent from time to time, but that's forgivable.  Ehrenreich really impressed me though.  While his southern accent was a little too jokey at first, he reigned it in a bit and he shows a lot of charm in his performance.  There's great chemistry between the two, and it's helped by the natural and sometimes clever dialog.

Another thing I liked about Beautiful Creatures is that it does pretty decent job with explaining it's own mythology.  It get's a little convoluted towards the end, but I never found myself lost, confused, or questioning it.  It helps that much of the exposition is taken care of by the veteran actors, and Ethan's character stands in for the audience in many of these scenes.

The effects weren't that bad either.  I don't know what the production budget was, but I'm guessing it wasn't huge.  There were few things here and there that looked a little cheap, but they did a good job for the most part.

The only real problem I had with the film is that once it gets going there's a little too much going on, and the film drags on just a tad longer than it probably should.  Emmy Rossum appears as Lena's cousin, Ridley, who's witch powers were to make her super hot and sexy, but it didn't feel like there was much for her to do otherwise.  I enjoyed her performance, so I don't want to say they should have gotten rid of her character, but I'm wondering if Ridley was more substantial in the book.

Director/writer Richard LaGravenese, adapted Beautiful Creatures from the book of the same name by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.  It's interesting to note that some of the criticisms of their book (i.e. protracted climax, overall length could have been tightened up) apply to the movie as well, so I'm guessing it's a pretty faithful adaptation.  I think LaGravenese understood how to keep the dialog natural and smart between the leads, and then got out of the way of Irons and Thompson and just let them do their thing.  Overall, I thought he did a good job from someone who's previous films I haven't been crazy about.

Beautiful Creatures is a supernatural teen romance that's smarter than it lets on.  It does a good job of setting up a rich magic universe, and then populating it with fun and natural characters.  It's strengthened by good performances from the leads and an awesome supporting cast.  It caught me be surprise and I recommend checking it out.  It's worth a matinee.

3.5 (out of 5) Death Stars