Man Push Cart (2005)

I had time to watch one final movie for this year and decade. I'm glad I choose Man Push Cart. It's a heartbreaking New York story, about a Pakistani immigrant, once a popular musician in his native country, now struggling to survive by selling coffee and bagels beginning every morning at 3AM. It's a film that avoids excesses, instead quiet and relying on its simplicity. However, it does have an emotional wallop, and for those who have passed down New York City streets, as I have, there are rare moments of familiarity that are touching in their frankness. Leticia Dolera was fantastic as Noemi, a Spanish immigrant working temporarily at her family's newsstand. She befriends our central character Ahmad, although their relationship is more conflicted and layered than you might guess. Director Ramin Bahrani invokes the nuance of the best of Italian neo-realism in a wonderful film about sacrifice, responsibility, and commitment.

Terra (2007)

Also known as Battle For Terra, this animated film mixes soft, digital animation, solid voice acting, and an overt political warning about the danger of military invasion. Its hard not to compare it to Avatar, as I just saw it, and certainly some parallels can be made between the two. While its no grandiose technical achievement, or monumental masterpiece, as many are considering Avatar, I do think that it is arguably its equal (or perhaps better) in regards to heart and message. If you can look past the animation, which some may label as too child-like, there's a riveting story that dabbles in very adult themes (death, betrayal, sacrifice, etc.).

Avatar (2009)

Avatar is a technical masterpiece for sure. Just the other night I was watching A Charlie Brown Christmas, noticing how they used squiggly lines on the characters' faces to express different emotions, a stark contrast from the computer generated characters in Avatar, some of which show a fuller range of emotions and lifelike qualities than their co-starring human counterparts (animated Neytiri is in my opinion the strongest character in the film). The digital imagery and effects are stunningly beautiful, for many years to follow this will truly be the benchmark that others desperately strive and thrive to work towards.

But, the movie itself didn't have much of an impact on me. I wondered afterwards, sitting in my seat in the formerly crowded theater, did I miss something? On the drive home, and now, a day later, I still feel as although the assumed impact I'd expected the film to carry was sadly not there. I tried to chalk it up to different factors, I've been watching a lot of critically acclaimed, quieter films about real, everyday people lately. Maybe since this was so larger than life it didn't engage me in the way a personal documentary might? But that reasoning, among similar trains of thought, are ultimately all excuses. I just didn't find Avatar all that special.

James Cameron is a masterful storyteller, but Avatar never reached the emotional depth of Titanic, the suspense of Aliens, or the adrenaline boost I received when seeing Terminator 2: Judgment Day for the first time. The casting of the supporting cast was somewhat troubling, I couldn't take Joel Moore seriously, I kept thinking back to his role as J.P. in Grandma's Boy, and then there's Michelle Rodriguez, reprising a role she's been typecast in, the street smart, tougher than nails girl that can hang with the big boys, developed in her portrayal of Letty in The Fast and the Furious, and continued here as a rebellious fighter pilot. Even Giovanni Ribisi, whom I usually like, seemed to only ever hit one note in his role as greedy, profiteering Parker Selfridge.

The film lacked an emotional punch. Yes, there was death, love, and so on, but I didn't get emotionally invested. Being that it's so new, and still being seen by so many, I'll refrain from divulging much in terms of plot. Although, even if this film were several years old, I doubt I'd have much interest in exploring the story in any great detail. Is it this generation's Star Wars? Time will tell. I'll give it a second viewing down the road and reexamine my initial feelings. For now, I'll say it's a beautiful film to stare at, but features a rather generic, stock plot and fails to meet its immense potential.

Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987)

I first saw this movie back in 2007 and afterwards I felt a sense of guilt it’d taken me so long to see it. The next time was in the dead of a frostbitten, midwestern winter. I sat alone shivering in my car, one of two people who’d braved the cold to watch a John Hughes marathon at the local drive-in movie theater. I recently received it as a gift on DVD and immediately popped it in for a third viewing.

This is your ideal comedy. If there were such a thing as an LPC (laughs per minute) rating, I’d wager this film would rate in the upper-percentile of all comedies. The story is pretty straightforward: Neal (Steve Martin) is trying to get home for Thanksgiving, things take a decidedly bad turn, leading to a hilarious series of misadventures with fellow traveler and shower ring salesman Del (John Candy). Flights are canceled, trains brake down, cars erupt into flames, etc. While their perilous journey is tons of fun, the most satisfying aspect of this film is watching two certified comedy legends, Martin and Candy, at their absolute best. Martin plays the stuffy, straight man opposite Candy’s messy loudmouth. The performances are so pitch perfect, with absolutely impeccable timing, extraordinary chemistry, and so on, that both actors truly shine, and for my money Candy’s portrayal of lovable loser Del Griffith is one of cinema’s all-time great comedic roles.

The film is incredibly funny, but make no mistake, it also has tons of heart. It’d be difficult to narrow down my favorite moments. One smaller scene I really like, towards the end of their uncanny voyage, Del and Neal are up late in a cheap motel, drinking a variety of miniature bottles of alcohol, eating chips, laughing and bonding over the hardships they’ve survived. This film is full of terrific moments. I urge everyone to seek it out. It’s arguably John Candy’s greatest performance and amongst John Hughes’ best work.

The Devil and Daniel Johnston (2005)

A complex story about art and the creative process, mental illness, and family. This is a documentary about Daniel Johnston. From a young age, Daniel was extremely creative, constantly doodling and coloring, playing piano and singing, making movies with his parents' camera, etc. Daniel became a prolific songwriter, writing and recording song after song, creating his own full-length albums he'd record on cheap cassette tapes and pass around town. While working at McDonald's he became somewhat of a local legend, his music to most would sound like the unrefined wailings of a timid kid, but many saw the beauty in it, so raw and genuine, that he started garnering attention in underground music circles.

Daniel is also very sick. Throughout his life, whenever things were starting to look up, he'd self-destruct, suffering from severe manic depression he'd alienate his family and friends, disappear altogether, lash out, proselytize and preach, and so on. He spent a lot of time in several mental institutions. All the while, his legend grew.

I thought this documentary was extremely compelling. I was fascinated by Daniel and his story. I couldn't help but think back to my own youth, as a young kid I'd also record music in my parents' basement, but never with such earnestness nor amassing such a staggeringly prolific output as Johnston did. Daniel's borderline craziness and its impact on his aging mother and father is also a very crucial part to this story and film. At one point his dad, while retelling the story of Daniel taking the keys out of a small airplane they were in and tossing them out the window, sending the plane into a violent tailspin and subsequent crash, starts crying. It's the type of real, genuine human emotion that great movies, even at their highest points, can't hope to convey. You're actually watching a man, who has spent the better years of his life constantly worrying and carrying for a handicapped son, temporarily lose control of his nerve and cry. Even though Daniel caused them such grief and trouble, many times over, the relationship between Johnston and his parents as depicted in the documentary is deeply moving.

Daniel is an enigmatic force, it's no wonder why those that came across him developed such a fondness for him. Whether it was his drawings of Captain America, or songs of unrequited love, Daniel was in every sense an artist. While the story itself is so captivating, it must also be said that the documentary, and those who put so much effort into it, is also tremendously done. It seamlessly blends in archival footage, interviews, narrative, etc. and is never dull or needlessly explanatory. It's a challenging film, just as Daniel himself is a challenging person, sometimes it brings us awfully close to a level of genius and also a level of mental unbalance that is almost uncomfortable to confront. I think one of the biggest compliments I can give it is that it inspired me. I wanted to pick up a pen, camera, paintbrush, guitar, anything and just create from within myself.

Sin Nombre (2009)

This is bold filmmaking. The type of story that grabs you and doesn't let you go, you're on the edge of your seat, feeling anger, fear, etc. right along with the characters. This Mexican import hits hard, dealing with both gang violence and border crossing, with razor-sharp insightfulness and a pulse-pounding plot. To reveal plot details would only be a disservice, its 96 minutes of running time fly by leaving you rattled. I'd definitely recommend this one for people looking for excellent foreign films from '09.

Mitt liv som hund (1985)

Lasse Hallström's film has qualities and moments that I know will resonate in me for a long time. It's a simple drama about everyday people. The central character, a young boy named Ingemar, often tells himself it could be worse, using examples, his favorite being Laika, the dog that was left up in space and died of starvation, to put things into perspective. While living with an aunt and uncle to give his ill mother time to rest, he encounters all sorts of interesting people in their quirky town, such as Mr. Arvidsson, an old man who likes to have Ingemar read lingerie ads to him, or Fransson, a man who obsessively is perpetually fixing the roof of his house.

The film deals a lot with feelings of sexuality from the young boy's perspective, something not tackled often in mainstream cinema. There's a long list of examples: Ingemar getting his penis stuck in a bottle after unwittingly being dragged into an exhibition of procreation, Lilla removing her stockings under a bridge and urging Ingemar to join her, Saga a tomboy who disguises herself as a boy to be on the soccer team, tries to hide her burgeoning breasts, and is attracted to Ingemar, voluptuous local Berit, who while posing nude, finds Ingemar falling through a skylight to get a glimpse, uncle Gunnar's fascination with breasts, etc.

It's truly a wonderful movie. It deals with loss in a humane and profound way. All the actors, including the young ones, felt natural and authentic. The little Swedish town is engrossing, you feel during the film's duration that you are there in it, as a voyeur, watching as these people's real lives play out before you.

Nightwatch (1997)

Nightwatch (1997) is a critical misfire. My biggest issue stems from there not being a single likeable character. Ewan McGregor plays Martin Bells, a law student who takes a job as a night watchman at a morgue. Ewan is one-dimensional, eating up scenes gawking, smoking nervously, and edgily jumping at loud bumps in the night while on duty. Josh Brolin plays James Gallman, Martin’s best friend, and while its one of the film’s better performances, his character James is a misogynistic, arrogant, loose canon who we never get a real grip on. Then there’s Katherine (Patricia Arquette), Martin’s girlfriend, whom came off as a mere afterthought to the writers, having no development and generally used to sigh agitatedly at the ongoing mess her boyfriend is finding himself in.

Nick Nolte’s Inspector Thomas Cray is quiet and creepy; as the plot unravels he becomes increasingly more unsettling to watch. I did enjoy Brad Dourif as the agitated Duty Doctor, whenever Martin gets spooked, its his duty to trudge down to the morgue to investigate, where he ultimately pegs Martin as a anxiety-riddled college kid in need of meds, which he’ll happily provide out of his secret stash.

The story itself is of a serial killer, who after murdering his victims, rapes them, usually committing sodomy and cutting out their eyes. Martin, presumably not guilty of anything more than having a poor choice of companions, is implicated in the murders. The plot crashes through a series of rote devices, its mysteries not very mysterious, its horror coming from clumsy filmmaking more than anything else.

Le chiavi di casa (2004)

Gianni Amelio’s Le chiavi di casa (2004) is a touching, poignant story about a man meeting his (now teenaged) handicapped son for the first time. This Italian film, as its core sensibility, is quiet. Scenes that had this been a large Hollywood production would be muddled with musical cues to manipulate us, telling us how to feel, are instead quiet moments that actually allow us to feel. Lead Gianni (Kim Rossi Stuart) gives a performance with depth, we see him attempting to keep composure, grappling with the mental task of dealing with this newfound development, as well as the physical side of caring for a handicapped child. Andrea Rossi, as Paolo the developmentally challenged boy, is a sight to behold. He imbues his scenes with a naturalness that makes it hinder on documentary-like unaffectedness. In terms of it being a quiet movie, one example harkens to mind, when Nicole (Charlotte Rampling), a mother herself of a handicapped daughter, admits to Gianni she sometimes secretly wishes her daughter would die. Sitting with Nicole on a bench in a train station, Gianni says nothing, and what could he say that’d be anymore effective than the silence they, and we as an audience, share?

Preface

I watch more movies than you.

It’s with that simple, concise declaration this project begins. For the last decade, on average, I’ve watched between five to ten films per week, every week. I’d say I’ve seen at least 3000 movies since I graduated high school in 2000. For sometime now I’ve been chewing on the concept of writing about the movies I watch. I believe filmmaking is one of our best forms of storytelling. I’m amazed not just by the technical abilities of talented directors, cinematographers, and etc. but also deeply intrigued when studying acting performances, subtitles like watching an actor’s eyes, timing, body language, etc.

Watching so many movies, as the years have passed, sometimes it’s hard to keep an accurate track of all I’ve seen, how it resonated with me, impacted upon me, etc. So, if for no other reason than a point of reference for myself, this journal shall exist. In film, as in all art, I look for material that appeals to the uniquely human condition, films that move me, challenge me, persuade me, enlighten me, and so on. I hope, to those reading, some of my recommendations will find you well, and, that you feel free to let me know what you’re watching, and subsequently liking or loathing.