The Departed
Scorcese does it again with a masterfully yet very dark tale about the Boston crime syndicates, spinning Good Fellas fame into the Irish bad guy lore. The remarkable cast is led by Nicholson, Martin Sheen, DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Alec Baldwin. Here we see the guts of both the criminals and the police in a cat and mouse game that is gripping and leaves the audience exhausted and gasping for air in this morally questionable epic. The film is directed with great ease by Mr. Scorcese, or so the picture reads, and I came away from the film stunned. We see through the eyes of Damon and DiCaprio, two excellent actors whose capacities are cast pitch perfect in some twisted flip side of the coin scenario, as if the two characters are peeled off the same individual and sent down opposing corridors in life. There is no great message in the end, there are a lot of bad people in the world as my mother mentioned accurately, and I am happy not to have to play that life and death game to pay the rent. One of Nicholson’s lines when discussing DiCaprio’s father in the film reads like, ‘You’re father never wanted money, and you can’t do anything with a guy like that’. DiCaprio gets lost in his roles and plays the confused, smart thinking scammer with survival mentality in such a way given his street cred to occupy a unique place in cinema. The same goes for Damon, whose characters as in The Talented Mr. Ripley, Rounders, and the Bourne series feel specifically made for him. Damon brings back his Southie world from Good Will Hunting, and the pairing of these actors in this film are a sight to see, although they barely share the celluloid together. Nicholson returns to bad boy Jack and relishes the role after a series of lovable Jack pictures which remain memorable for his larger than life screen presence. I would have liked a glimpse through the underbrush, a hint of Hollywood in the end that suggests that there is something to be taken from this film, but the Departed’s darkness haunts perhaps for its stilted finish. There is much Scorcese and prototypical American violence, the film is not for the faint hearted, and I wonder which film I think is better, Good Fellas or this pea in the same pod. As a sucker for Italian culture, and for Ray Leota’s unforgettably lighthearted narrative which makes that classic so strangely friendly, I lean towards Good Fellas. But Good Fellas doesn’t haunt the way I think the Departed will resonate, so I’m stuck and like it that way for now, pleased that Scorcese has made me tick again with his great movie making talent.
Little Miss Sunshine
From the trailers I thought this film might annoy me more than enjoy me. My New Yorker mother and I are usually keen on picking up the scent of some manufactured Hollywood family construct. I am thinking Grand Canyon, Magnolias, Life as a House, and the more contentious Crash last year, a movie so manipulated that I felt like a puppet on the director’s string; all these movies are so grandly phony and Holier Than Thou. Anyhoo I was wrong with the Little Miss Sunshine, which is one of the richest and smartest comedies I have seen since Alexander Payne’s brilliant Election, my vote for best comedy of the 90’s. LMS skates emotion in a wise way that reminds me most recently of Ms. Streep’s character Yolanda in a Prairie Home Companion. The cast is wonderful, the story is all around poignant, hysterical and real enough, and I couldn’t help loving this film. Here is a movie on the Acadamy radar that is word of mouth worthy and ought to be seen like the Illusionist, another best of 2006. A quick, choppy review but run don’t walk to the theater to see this movie. Conventional minds need not apply, as this is a weird but funny one. There are numerous moments that may stick to the slippery wall of American culture and will become iconic references that people in the know have in their drain pipes along the lines of Napolean Dynamite, which was a completely different film but is regurgitated daily and for good reason.
The Illusionist
The Illusionist is one of the most romantic and engrossing films I’ve seen this year. We are thrown into the world of Edward Norton’s Eisenheim as he appears out of nowhere to take Vienna by storm at the turn of the last century with his remarkable acts. But there’s a girl, there are politicans and police at play, so the plot thickens from the opening scene and continues to unfold in an entwining highwire dance to the very last minute of the film. This is a movie about true love. Mr. Norton has an everyman’s knack at making you feel his pain. His accent wobbles slightly but I don’t care. Paul Giamatti plays the police commissioner under the prince’s thumb, and it’s great to see him tee off on a number of projects now that everyone knows and loves him. Mr. Giamatti’s career trajectory reminds me a little of Phillip Seymor Hoffman or John Reilly, a triumvirate of heavy lifting actors whose audiences get lost in their numerous characters. Jessica Biel turns out a lovely performance and Rufus Sewell is the powerfully persuasively pompous prince Leopold. Written and Directed by Neil Burger from a short story by Steve Millhauser. Definite top 10 film of the year, this movie resonates and reminds me that there is such thing as movie magic which might just be around every next corner.
Invincible
Invincible is a very enjoyable underdog story starring Mark Wahlberg, who plays Vince Papale, a Phillie bartender who responds to NFL rookie head coach Dick Vermeil’s (ever excellent Greg Kinnear) open call for local talent in 1976. Respected cinematographer and first time director Ericson Core takes a taught screenplay and succeeds in telling an already inspiring story. Mr. Wahlberg is best as the unlikely or uncomfortable hero so this role suits him well. I was looking for a bump after painting all day and got it with this film where an individual is given a chance and does big things with his hard work and heart.
The End of the Spear and Proof
The End of the Spear is quite a film for adventurous types interested in clash of civilizations with a surprisingly sweet and inspiring message, based on a true story. Weak of heart or overly compassionate might steer away from this intense penetration into the world of a tribe in the Equadorian Jungle on the brink of extinction by self-inflicted cultural traditions.
Proof is another excellent movie which speaks eloquently about family sacrifice, academic excellence and the mysterious nature of the creative genius through a moving portrait of a woman played by Gwenyth Paltrow as she sifts through her past and decides which life to lead moving forward.
Both of these films were released in 2005 I want to say, and both display vigorous examinations of humanity, culture and the notion of family in inspiring fashions.
Sorry for the brief reviews. I’m swamped this week, and these films provided necessary escape and fire for the soul.