Thursday, June 15, 2006
Match Point (2005)
Woody Allen has a gift. He is able to make the most mundane of movies interesting by simply adding in an extra layer for viewers to ponder. No matter how lengthy certain scenes, even if the first hour is bereft of any major revelations, Allen has a knack of implanting an engaging idea in the first few minutes of film, and keeping the viewer glued to the screen, waiting for the root idea to germinate into an awe-inspiring finale. While critics have blasted the director for regurgitating the same ideas over the years, Match Point proves that an old idea can be injected with new life, brought back from the dead to create a new and exciting experience. Ditching the usual New York locale, Woody Allen takes on London in what is definitely one of his greatest works.Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Bend It Like Beckham), son of the man who was Indiana Jones’ Egyptian sidekick and Gimli in Lord of the Rings, plays Chris Wilton, a man of Irish descent come to London to work as a tennis trainer for company bigwigs. Of modest wealth, Chris quickly makes it big as he starts to date a rich executive’s daughter and is soon asked to work in the company. His new family treats him very well, and has seemed to settle into a luxurious and safe life. This sense of balance is disrupted upon the arrival of American Nola Rice (Scarlett Johansson), a sultry wannabe-actress dating a member of the family. What follows is a classic Woody Allen affair scenario, filled with close calls and sexy encounters, soul-searching and the rest. It is in this first portion of the film where viewers familiar with Allen’s work are likely to roll their eyes in knowing boredom. Thankfully, the first few minutes of film introduce a wild card: in the game of tennis, when the ball hits the net, there is a moment of time in which the ball could fall either backwards or forwards; luck decides what course the ball will take. It is this simple idea that makes the first hour more endurable, that creates a need to know where the equation gets plugged in.
Woody Allen makes an excellent move after the lengthy setup sequences. While the affair scenario sparks a quiet interest in the viewer who is constantly waiting for the punchline, Allen makes a twist that changes the entire feel and emotion of the film. The twist is poignant; I found myself glued to my seat in utter confusion, aghast at the turn of events, until the very end of the film where it twists once again to create one of the most satisfying conclusions of any recent movie. The one-two punch breaks the fabric of the typical Allen affair film, and with the usual Shakespearean
overtones, Match Point ends up being one of the most overlooked films of 2005 and signals another classic for Woody Allen’s extensive portfolio. We should count ourselves lucky that there are direct-to-screen filmmakers of his quality still in circulation. 
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)
After searching for cheese on the moon, being troubled by a penguin thief and blamed for rustling sheep, Wallace makes his debut on the big screen. This time, the British duo run Anti-Pesto, guardians of vegetable patches from the terrible creatures of the night who would disturb gardens. Coming off the heels of their successful Chicken Run, Aardman Studios returned to what originally made director Nick Park a star in the UK: Wallace is an inventor who loves cheese and whose mind is on the moon, while his silent partner is a dog named Gromit, gifted with common sense. Done entirely in claymation, the series has been awarded several nods for fluidity of motion and excellent comedy. Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit continues Aardman Studios’ track record of excellence, in the Oscar-winner for Best Animated Film of 2005. It is well deserving.The antics are familiar territory for Wallace & Gromit, with Wallace’s wondrous yet inane inventions that cause all sorts of trouble, while Gromit is stuck with solving all the pieces of the puzzle. When a mysterious giant creature begins rampaging the gardens Anti-Pesto is sworn to protect, Wallace finds himself along for the ride, with Gromit playing detective. The silent interplay between Gromit and other creatures in the film are the highlights, while Wallace provides most of the action sequences, including one spectacularly choreographed chase scene. The animation work is without a rival in this field, and it’s a shame to have learned that the props studio burned down shortly after completion of the film. Stars Helena Bonham Carter (Fight Club, Big Fish) and Ralph Fiennes (The Constant Gardener) lend their voices as Wallace’s very-English (see: beautiful teeth) love interest and the shotgun-totting man competing for her hand. All in all, the voice acting has a British charm vital for the comedy of the film, though it is perhaps Gromit’s lack of voice that offers the most laughs.
Pixar Animations is noted for creating family films that offer laughs for viewers both young and old; despite years of attempting to renew their success with Shrek, DreamWorks Animation has yet to produce a film on the same level as their competition, but having procured the rights for this film accomplishes such a goal – even though all the credit must be given to Aardman Studios. Wallace and Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit succeeds in being a worthy fourth edition in the series, though those who have not seen the three short films will have no trouble jumping on the bandwagon with this film. Unfortunately a poor marketing campaign and the lack of computer-generated animation likely means many gave this film a pass; this is unfortunate being that it is the
most fun family film of 2005, filled with quirky humour, action and cute rabbits. One of Wallace’s famous lines best sums up my feelings to the film’s creators: “Oh ho ho, cracking job!” Monday, June 05, 2006
Walk the Line (2005)
Biopics about musical talents are usually a double-edged sword in terms of enjoyment; on the positive side, if that musical talents happens to have incredible music (and Johnny Cash falls into this category) then the least you will get is a decent two-hour soundtrack; however, does good music equate to an interesting life? Johnny Cash was widely known as grizzly bear of a man, rough-edged and with a deep and unknowable chasm of a past. His stint at Folsom Prison forever shaped his image, and the few scenes that deal with the event are among the most powerful in James Mangold’s Walk the Line. Unfortunately, coming off the heels of 2004’s Ray, this biopic treads a path that was too recently trekked; a path too familiar in the biopic genre of film: singer struggles to find talent, upon finding said talent become a star, falls in love, has children who remain out of focus, trudges through years of some form of drug, and comes out a champion. Luckily, Joaquin Phoenix is good enough to fill in the large footsteps created by Jamie Foxx, though the commonalities of the biopic genre are not challenged.June Carter, played by Reese Witherspoon (Legally Blonde), was a vital force in Johnny Cash’s life. Like a sweeter Jekyll and Hyde, Reese expertly portrays an innocent and naïve Southern dame while on stage, whilst showing off her fiery and relentless devotion in her private life with Johnny. The acting throughout is top notch, with a notable performance by Waylon Payne – Jerry Lee Lewis came alive once more on screen rivaling Dennis Quaid’s 1989 rendition of the partygoer. Like Ray, however, brilliant acting is the saving grace for an otherwise run-of-the-mill movie about a 50s-60s performer.
Walk the Line is worth a watch for Cash’s witty and swinging music and the good performances, but I can’t help but wonder how this movie could have been done differently had director James Mangold taken a few more risks to avoid the biopic outline. While the love interest and drug addiction and their interrelation are an integral part of Cash’s early life, the real reason fans are interested in the man behind the music is the highway man, the wanderer, the man in black, the man who’s been everywhere. Walk the Line provides a textbook portrait of Johnny Cash’s early life without revealing the mysteries of his heart, his soul, his thoughts. Cash’s interest and sympathy for inmates is revealed but in his performance at Folsom, but never finds an equal footing with the addiction and love story. We get the clear idea that June Carter is to be thanked for removing him from a spiraling ring of fire, but we never get a clear indication of what form by which that ring of fire manifested
itself besides what can be seen on the outside. Thus, Walk the Line succeeds in its purpose: making a good biopic, but fails to take enough risks to propel itself ahead of such films such as Ray or Great Balls of Fire!, instead feeling more comfortable lying beside them as an equal. 