[Sundance Review] The Summer of Sangaile
One thing I’ve noticed at Sundance this year is the amount of coming of age films that are featured on the program. One such film is The Summer of Sangaile, a Lithuanian film that features two culturally different teenage girls developing a romantic, electric connection with one another. If this sounds somewhat similar to 2013’s Blue is the Warmest Color, that’s because there is indeed a lot of similarities between the films; however, whereas Blue is the Warmest Color was comical in its depiction of love (perhaps due in part to its source material being a graphic novel), The Summer of Sangaile is grounded and offers a sweeter approach to first love.
The Summer of Sangaile
Director: Alante Kavaite
Rating: N/A
Release Date: January 22, 2015 (Sundance)
Sangaile (Julija Steponaityte) is a somewhat awkward teenage girl vacationing in Lithuania for the summer transfixed by stunt planes despite her fear of heights. Noticing her fascination with the planes, Auste (Aiste Dirziute) rigs a contest to allow Sangaile to ride in one, but she refuses. Auste’s determination to befriend Sangaile goes undeterred, and the two quickly connect with one another, resulting in an undeniable romantic and sexual chemistry that allows both girls to open up to one another. However, as they grow closer, Sangaile’s level of comfort begins to be pushed as Auste attempts to fully break her out of her shell.
The strength of the film comes in the performances by the two women. While the characters themselves (and ultimately, the narrative as a whole) are a bit cliché, both Steponaityte and Dirziute are able to carry their characters past any aforementioned clichés. Dirziute especially shines in her debut film with a sense of subtle longing in her mannerisms, like a gaze directed at Sangaile that lasts just long enough.
The Summer of Sangaile, like most foreign festival films, may not get wide distribution, but should still be searched for by those that appreciate strong cinematography and coming-of-age films. Unfortunately, the tired character archetypes and predictable narrative ultimately hold The Summer of Sangaile back.
[Review] Manny
[This review was originally published during our SXSW 2014 coverage. It is being reposted to coincide with the documentary's wide release.]
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Manny
Directors: Ryan Moore and Leon Gast
Rating: N/A
Release Date: March 8, 2014 (SXSW)
Manny Pacquiao is one of those figures that can transcend from their initial platform and find success in multiple ways outside of what they're known for. And, for better or worse, Manny Pacquiao has become not just a boxer, but a singer, an actor, a politician, and a missionary of sorts. Diehard Pacquiao and boxing fans have seen the effects of overexertion in a handful of his fights, and I always wondered how Pacquiao himself viewed his journey. In Manny, not only is the question of Pacquiao's identity explored, it delves deeper into the boxer's history to paint a better, more detailed picture of who Manny is outside of the ring and away from the spotlight.
As a half-Filipino man, I have to say that I'm very familiar with Pacquiao's story. As a young boy growing in poverty in the Philippines, Pacquiao turned to boxing to support himself and his family. After finding success, it wasn't until he was paired with famed trainer and former boxer Freddie Roach that Pacquiao's star began to rise in which he has (so far) captured eight different titles at eight different weight classes. All of this is retreaded ground for anybody familiar with either boxing or Pacquiao, and the background information on Pacquiao is necessary for audiences that may not be familiar with Manny. However, what I loved most about the documentary is that not only does it create a running narrative of Pacquiao's "rags to riches" story, it pairs it well with amazing cinematography, editing, and a mix of both on-location shots and archival footage to properly tell Pacquiao's real story, with both good and bad sides given equal focus.
The big question I asked myself (and both director Ryan Moore and editor Lenny Mesina) was the nature of the documentary's intent: Is it meant to appeal to pre-existing Pacquiao fans, or is it meant to bring in those that may not be familiar with Pacquiao? I believe that Manny appeals to both groups, but pre-existing fans will find something extra to enjoy about the documentary. I won't even lie, I found myself getting teary-eyed, not only because of my admiration for Pacquiao as a boxing fan, but for everything he represents as a cultural icon for The Philippines.
Again, I'm biased when it comes to Manny, and I felt a stronger connection to this documentary than everything else I viewed at SXSW. However, with my bias set aside, I truly believe that Manny will find success in both pro-Pacquiao circles and general documentary/cinephile circles. When it comes to sports documentaries, fans will always have a connection they will turn to to better understand the recipient of their cheers and pride; however, I think the real magic is when a well-crafted documentary can turn viewers into a fan of the subject, and I believe Manny is capable of doing that.
[Review] Paddington
If you've heard of Paddington, it's probably thanks to the 'creepy Paddington' meme which popped up following the movie's ill-received first trailer. There's no denying that Paddington looks a bit uncanny valley thanks to CGI which isn't always up to the expected modern standard, but it would be a great shame were it to put people off seeing the movie, which unexpectedly proves one of the funniest and most charming family releases in some time.
Big screen adaptations of beloved childhood stories and characters have not traditionally gone well outside a few happy exceptions, and those familiar with Michael Bond's sweet but slight series of books and the 1975 series of 5-minute shorts (easily found these days on YouTube) would have good reason for doubing whether the material was a suitable fit for extending to feature length. Those doubts are quickly dispelled by the movie getting its first big laugh within a minute of starting, riffing on the Victorian trope of the gentleman explorer in an opening which amounts to a sort of reverse Up!. It establishes the tone neatly and concisely, allowing the gags and set-pieces to build on each other and create a nicely balanced comic rhythm that gives the best jokes enough time to stand out and discarding weaker material before it can become a problem.
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Paddington
Director: Paul King
Rating: PG
Release Date: January 16th 2015
King puts to good use his previous experience as director on cult surrealist comedy The Mighty Boosh to good use in creating a London at once familar but fantastical, enlivened by bold colour contrasts and a keen eye for bringing out the character of each area of the city. As the story of a young bear who travels to the big city in search of a new home, Paddington wears its themes about immigration and integration on its sleeve, revelling in the flavours and textures of an urban melting pot of cultures and ethnicities bound by a very English affection for the eccentric. It's a wonderfully inclusive portrayal which doesn't preach, but instead offers an arresting vision of the best possible version of what such a city could look like. It is just about the most English thing you'll ever see, right down to an entirely positive delight at cross-dressing humour, which inexplicably earnt the movie a higher age rating and proved the censors less open-minded than the movie they were assessing.
That eternal positivity is what defines Paddington more than anything else. Despite one early misstep, caving to the misconception that children's movies are seemingly obligated to have at least one sad thing happen, the movie's refusal to surrender itself to cynicism or sneering irony is a welcome relief. Pop culture references are few and far between, with the only really prominent one a visual gag played to absolute perfection in the final act, and even the threat of Nicole Kidman's villainous taxidermist is played almost entirely for laughs, right down to her receiving a beautifully humiliating comeuppance.
Paddington himself is a perfect translation of Michael Bond's creation, curious and clumsy but polite and well-intentioned to a fault. The CGI may be a bit wonky at times - a frankly terrifying CGI chihuahua turns up halfway through - but does good work visually conveying the character's personality, matched by Ben Whishaw's immediately winning vocal work. On the human side, anyone who has seen Happy Go Lucky will know Sally Hawkins' ability to radiate pure wide-eyed joy, put to wonderfully sweet and funny use as the free-spirited matriarch of the Brown family. Hugh Bonneville of Downton Abbey plays her officious husband (graceful writing makes it clear why and how much they love each other, despite the gulf in personalities) and gets no shortage of opportunities to put his gift for straight-faced humour to excellent use. Even the Brown family children are sufficiently well-drawn to be ingratiating rather than grating, and while Julie Walters and Peter Capaldi are sadly not given enough to do despite their valiant efforts, there are strong cameos from Matt King (Super Hans from Peep Show) and Jim Broadbent in particular as a kindly antique shop owner with a love of train sets and afternoon tea.
Paddington is one of those rare movies which comes out of nowhere to prove a complete joy. From its boundless enthusiasm for a perfectly timed bear pun - including a sat-nav joke which still makes me laugh just to remember it - and relentless optimism in people's essential good natures and ability to form bonds with even the unlikeliest of strangers, it is childish in all the best ways and sufficiently confident in its tone not to need to segregate its humour between younger and older viewers. 2015 got off to a bleak start in the real world, making Paddington a welcome infusion of unapologetic joy and silliness in dark times.
[Review] The Sheik
The wrestling community is one of the most loyal circles of fandom I've ever experienced. Regardless of the behind-the-scenes nature of predetermined match outcomes, wrestling is one of those things you can't ever shake off. Like most adults in their late-20s, I grew up watching WWF, but drifted away from the sport as I got older. Over the summer, however, I fell back into the swing of things thanks to the nostalgia offered through the WWE Network, and it's with this newfound sense of nostalgia over the old WWF that many others like myself have fallen back in love with our real-life superheroes of yesteryear.
One such man, Khosrow Vaziri, better known by his wrestling name The Iron Sheik, has found himself at the forefront of social media with his viral tweets that are both "works" that reflect his wrestling persona, but also "shoots" that may just reflect who he really is. The Sheik is an intimate look at Vaziri's career before, during, and after his time with the WWF. As anybody familiar with wrestling knows, it enters very dark territory, but thankfully, this is one story that has a bright and happy ending.
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The Sheik
Director: Igal Hecht
Rating: N/A
Release Date: December 2nd, 2014 (VOD)
Like many documentaries, The Sheik follows a loose timeline that tracks Vaziri's career from his amateur days as part of Iran's army, a member of the Shah's personal bodyguards, and his success as an amateur wrestler and coach in the United States. However, it wasn't until his initial run with the WWF that Vaziri was elevated to new heights. Under the guise of The Iron Sheik, Vaziri played a pivotal role in not only shaping both Hulk Hogan's career and the trajectory of the WWF's future success, but also shaping the mainstream success and pop culture viability of pro wrestling.
The Sheik offers an inside look into Vaziri's life outside of wrestling, including his family life, his struggles with drug addiction, and the general strife most old wrestlers have faced once they stopped actively wrestling. The Sheik is the most in-depth look at arguably the WWF's biggest heels to ever step into the ring.
However, while the documentary does detail some of Vaziri's life outside of the squared circle, it doesn't go as in-depth as most documentaries would. This could be due to the fact that one of his managers, Jian Magen, played an active role in writing and shaping the documentary. This is fine, but obviously it doesn't allow the project to be an objective look at Vaziri's life and character; rather, it serves as a means of illuminating upon his life beyond what the public may know, but in a way that is promotional. Again, there's nothing wrong with it (and I had no problems with it), but some might want an unbiased account of Vaziri's history.
The Sheik still stands as the most comprehensive documentary of The Iron Sheik, and fans of the wrestler, whether it's due to nostalgic memories of him facing Hogan or more modern fans who know of him through his social media presence, will enjoy it thoroughly. It was great to see so many other wrestling icons, like The Rock, Mick Foley, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Jim Ross, and others share some of their thoughts and memories about The Iron Sheik, but again, a little more in terms of insight and going beyond the surface level would have been more exciting and entertaining for fans.
[Review] Red Knot
There's the cliche metaphor of marriages being like journeys or adventures into the great unknown with another person whom we're lucky to have accompany us. The theme of the distant journey is one examined thoroughly in Scott Cohen's film, Red Knot. Shot on-location in Antarctica, the film is equal parts adventure, romance, and drama as it explores the fall of a newlywed's young marriage amidst the icy backdrop of the Antarctic landscape.
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Red Knot
Director: Scott Cohen
Rating: N/A
Release Date: December 5, 2014 (NYC)
Chloe (Olivia Thirlby) and Peter (Vincent Kartheiser) are a young newlywed couple embarking on an expedition to Antarctica for an assignment Peter is writing on one of the other passengers. While the journey begins peacefully, Chloe begins to feel isolated and ignored due to Peter's devotion to his work. The troubles come to a head when Chloe hears word that their psuedo-honeymoon might be extended into a year-long expedition, leading Chloe to get her own room and establishing independence from Peter onboard the ship.
Red Knot's thematic explorations is further expounded upon by the gorgeous cinematography of the Antarctic landscape. It's a bit cliche to draw the comparison of separation and marital displacement with the grandiose displacement of being placed in the Antarctic, but the photography in Red Knot is spectacular, with the cinematography shared between Igor Martinovic, Michael Simmonds, and Chris Webb. Antarctica is the type of landscape saved for documentary fodder, so seeing it play such a pivotal role in an independent drama film was breathtaking and helped enhance the film.
But I probably wouldn't have felt so strongly about Red Knot were it not for Thirlby's performance. Those familiar with my work know I'm a huge fan of her work, but it's not without reason: Every film Thirlby has starred in, she's stood out with brilliant performances, and Red Knot is no exception. Her character in Chloe struggles with being self-independent, but also supportive and thoughtful of her spouse's decisions. It's a hard line to straddle, especially in the rising exposure of pro-feminist ideas in media, art, and culture, but I felt that Thirlby handled the role deftly.
Red Knot is the type of film rife for literary examinations and analyses. There's much to be said of the film's themes (which I briefly touched upon with displacement, comparison of the film's setting and its relation to the marriage front and center of the film, etc.), and will invite avid cinephiles to revisit the film numerous times to fuel their literary fancies. Again, on its surface, Red Knot is a love story about a dwindling marriage, but there are many ways to examine and analyze the film through this basic theme that will appeal to those like me who love to read deeper into the films they watch.
Red Knot is a beautifully-shot film buoyed by an extraordinary performance from Thirlby. While the film's themes are a bit too cookie cutter, the cinematography and gorgeous shots of the Antarctic landscape make up for it. Cohen certainly has the ambition and vision to become an inspiring filmmaker, if Red Knot serves to be the first in a hopefully storied filmography.
[Review] Amor Cronico
Concert films rarely escape from the typical format of a minor documentary leading into and out of live show footage. With Amor Cronico, Jorge Perugorria's solo directorial debut, the aforementioned concert film format is shuffled up a bit, with the film following Grammy-nominated and Cuban-born singer CuCu Diamantes' tour across her home country mixed in with a fictional love story. Was it enough to break free from the trappings of the genre's conventions?
Amor Cronico
Director: Jorge Perugorria
Rating: N/A
Release Date: November 4, 2014 (Available here)
CuCu Diamantes finds herself in an awkward situation: She's too much Cuba for New York, but too New York for Cuba. During a country-wide tour of her home country, she meets a little person named Guarapo. They instantly connect to one another, and the singer decides to bring him on tour with her in an advisory/managerial-esque role. Throughout their journey, they fall into comedic episodes, such as their tour vehicles constantly breaking down and the like. The most prevalent arc through the fictional narrative is Guarapo's unrequited crush on CuCu, which is explored through various cutaway scenes. Sprinkled throughout the narrative are live performances of CuCu and her band.
As is the nature of concert films, Amor Cronico will only draw in pre-existing fans of the artist (in this instance, CuCu Diamantes). The added layer of the narrative was a nice touch to allow both CuCu and Perugorria to express their creativity and make Amor Cronico more than the typical concert film. However, while their intentions were sound, the film might have been better suited as a typical concert film. The plot did help beef the film up a bit, but was ultimately forgettable and uninteresting. The twist ending was a fun poke at the genre and filmmaking overall, but it would have been better appreciated if the metafictional, fourth-wall breaking was explored further throughout.
The narrative also distracted from the live performance scenes, which were absolutely amazing. I had personally never heard of CuCu prior to the film, but her voice and diva-like aura were captivating. I'd have much preferred to watch her perform than galavant around Cuba with her semi-fictional entourage. Then again, I guess that's what YouTube is for, right?
[Review] The ABCs of Death 2
The horror film genre is full of varying levels of quality from amateur films to Blockbuster genre films. As we all know, the best films come from the indie filmmakers not held back by studio demands. 2012's The ABCs of Death found 26 directors tackling the subject of death from any angle, so long as it corresponded to the letter of the alphabet in which they were assigned. And much like anthology films and similar film collections, many vignettes/segments are hit or miss.
Thus is the nature of anthology films, and with this year's sequel, The ABCs of Death 2 is a mixed-bag full of both interesting and exciting death shorts and uninspiring, bland shorts.
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The ABCs of Death 2
Directors: Various
Rating: R
Release Date: October 31, 2014
As addressed in the introduction, The ABCs of Death 2 features 26 shorts directed by different directors from across the world assigned to a letter of the alphabet. To an artist, the prompt must be a godsend to exhibit creative freedom over the depiction of death. For horror films, an anthology film like The ABCs of Death 2 allows them to experience new talent demonstrating their abilities in a short enough span so that, in case the short isn't to that viewer's liking, it'll end quickly before moving on to the next segment. In saying that, the balance isn't too terribly off, but there are definitely shorts that stand out way more than others.
Some of the aforementioned highlights include B is for Badger (directed by Julian Barratt) about a documentary team encountering wild badgers; D is for Deloused (directed by Robert Morgan) is a stop-motion short about a bug that helps kill an executed man's killers; F is for Falling (directed by Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado) about an Israeli woman finding her parachute caught in a tree and encountering a militant Palestinian boy; I is for Invincible (directed by Erik Matti) about grown siblings attempting to kill their immortal mother for her inheritance; M is for Masticate (directed by Robert Boocheck) about a man going on a vicious, zombie-like murder spree down a street due to bath salts; O is for Ochlocracy (mob rule) (directed by Hajime Ohata) about a woman who survived a zombie outbreak, but faces charges for her rampant murders in light of a cure for the disease; S is for Split (directed by Juan Martinez Moreno) about a man on a business trip talking to his wife on the phone just as somebody breaks into her house; T is for Torture Porn (directed by Jen and Sylvia Soska) about a woman objectified and treated terribly at a porn shoot revealing her vagina's made up of tentacles; and Z is for Zygote (directed by Chris Nash) about a pregnant woman who has resisted giving birth to her child for 13 years.
The sum of The ABCs of Death 2 is made up of more hits than misses (the previously listed shorts are just my personal favorites), and makes for a good night at the theater or at home. Audiences will be able to discover new filmmakers they might not have known about before, and will get the chance to view different styles of the horror genre that would appease anybody along the spectrum. Hopefully, some of the shorts in the anthology can be expanded upon into feature-length films or as part of a series.
[Review] Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
In my line of work, I hear of dozens of new films each week. On the one hand, it's great to have an insider, early look at a lot of the films coming out in the calendar year. On the other hand, it takes away from the intrigue and spectacle that films used to have before I decided to follow this career path. It's rare, but every once in awhile, a film will seemingly come out of nowhere and retrieve those lost feelings of awe and wonder. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) was that film for me.
In saying that, I subconsciously set a high bar walking into my screening of the film. Considering the cast and crew (Babel and Amores Perros writer/director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, Emma Stone, et al), how could I not? After a year full of festivals and amazing film premieres, would Birdman be able to rise above all of them and surpass my exceedingly high expectations? Spoiler alert: Yes and no.
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Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Rating: R
Release Date: October 24, 2014
Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) found success in the '90s portraying the superhero Birdman in a blockbuster franchise that is still remembered fondly to this day. Feeling artistically empty and desperate to affirm his talent as not only an actor but as an artist, Thomson is writing, directing, and starring in a Broadway play based on Raymond Chandler's short story, "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love." After the lead actor is viciously injured by a fallen stage light, Riggan implores his producer, Jake (Zach Galifianakis), to get Mike Shiner (Edward Norton), the most talented current Broadway actor. However, after Mike joins the cast, tensions rise between he and Riggan as control over the play ultimately falls out of Riggan's hands.
Through this, Riggan must also contend with the contentious relationship with his daughter, Sam (Emma Stone), a recovering addict fresh out of rehab, his relationship with girlfriend and co-star Lesley (Naomi Watts), the strong friendship with his ex-wife and Sam's mother, Sylvia (Amy Ryan), and a New York Times critic and close friend of Mike's who promises to bury the play in her review due to her perceptions of Riggan as a Hollywood hack simply extending his 15 minutes of fame. Of course, there's also Riggan's growing pangs of a midlife crisis breakdown and the eponymous Birdman manifesting itself within Riggan's psyche.
There are so many elements playing both in concert and conflicting one another in Birdman that it'll take multiple viewings to dissect and analyze the full depth of the film. For the sake of this review, I'll focus on the biggest and most apparent elements: the difference between theater and cinema and Birdman's attempt to create a dichotomy of the two and the dissection of art/entertainment. Birdman is screened to seem like it was all one long take with no edits (there are edits made through deception, i.e. dark shadows in corridors, etc.). This visual element gives the audience the notion that you are watching one long sprawling play about a cast of characters putting together a Broadway play. The characters themselves (both actors and supporting characters) always give off this notion of acting, creating the illusion that the characters are always "on stage," with lines delivered much like soliloquies found more within theater than in films.
The combination of the two may disarm viewers expecting a traditional film, and the effect may not carry the same esteem for everybody. Others may not like how much of the dialogue is delivered as if every actor had a spotlight shining on them as they stood upon a soap box and recounted personal, emotional stories about their characters. But for myself, somebody who has dedicated a growing number of years to analyzing and critiquing films, I absolutely loved Inarritu and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki's approach to Birdman. I'm a sucker for film visionaries that aren't scared to experiment with their craft. What's more, I think they truly pulled off creating the idea of Birdman, the film, being representative of a film of a play presented as a play through film.
What's more, it's hard to ignore the metafictional crux of the film of Michael Keaton playing the lead role, given his memorable performances as Batman during the early '90s. Without his past, would a film like Birdman even exist to this level? Probably not. Keaton truly is the heart and soul of the film, and not only does he knock it out of the park, each and every supporting actor from Norton to Stone to Ryan to Galifianakis help ensure Birdman reaches the levels Inarritu intended when putting the film together. Hell, even the jazz-influenced drum score by Antonio Sanchez helped ratchet up the faux-appearance of tightly-written improvisation.
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) was everything I wanted it to be and more. Even as I write this, I'm making plans to view it for a second time. As the awards season begins and many highly-regarded films will be released into theaters for Academy Award consideration, Birdman currently flies above the potential of any film scheduled for release through the end of the year. However, its experimental nature might not be for everyone, and while it may collect a multitude of critic awards and Top Ten list considerations, I'll be disappointed (but unsurprised) if it doesn't capture the amount of Oscar nominations it should. For the average weekend moviegoer, if you want to see some of the year's best cinematic performances and watch the vision of one of Hollywood's true visionaries, take it upon yourselves to find a theater that is screening Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance).