Wednesday, September 30, 2009

"It Was Like a Message From God: 'Honesty Doesn't Pay, Sucker.'"

City of God should be listed amongst every top ten gangster film poll ever released. I’m not embellishing for the sake of embellishment.

The direction of Fernando Meirelles challenges and pays tribute to most of Martin Scorcese’s body of work. Cinematographer Cesar Charlone could arguably be compared with Emmanuel Lubezki (Children of Men, Ali) and frequent Spielberg collaborator Janusz Kaminski (Munich, Saving Private Ryan).

When the technical aspects of filmmaking are able to match the drama of the story and craft of the actors, art is created. Is that schmaltzy enough for’ya? Fortunately, this film is everything BUT schmaltzy.

It’s refreshing to watch films that break new ground through stylization while still cribbing ideas from prior works. The quick editing, mind-bending camera angles, and gritty gun fights were as refreshing to watch as films like Fight Club and The Matrix. One such angle includes the camera tracking a chicken. They had to use a fake chicken for some of those shots. If they didn't, then I don't know what to tell you.



Set in the 1960’s through the 80’s, City of God is the “true story” of life inside the slums of Rio De Janiero in a time of poverty, drugs, and gang wars.

At the center of the controversy is Rocket (Alexandre Rodrigues), a teenage “groovy” who spends his days skipping class, smoking weed, and perfecting his photography skills. He and his friends, Benny (Phellipe Haagensen), Angelica, played by Alice Braga (I Am Legend, Redbelt), Tiago (Daniel Zettel), and Knockout Ned (Seu Jorge) have managed to maneuver through the danger of the slums throughout most of their young lives until the escalating drug trade and organized crime overtake them.

The story is narrated by Rocket, our protagonist. The problem is that the subplots are more interesting than Rocket's story, so Rocket seems to play the backdrop for most of the movie. You could equate him with Vinny Chase from Entourage, who is also the least interesting of all of the characters despite him being the central character. The same could be said about Jerry Seinfeld.

Leading the crime wave is Lil’ Ze (Leandro Firmino), one of the m
ost underrated movie villains of all time.

Again without embellishing, Lil’ Ze can best be described as a combination of Ralph Fiennes’ portrayal of Ramon Goeth in Schindler’s List, Joe Pesci’s Tommy Mottola, and any version of Scarface (i.e. Pacino, Deniro).

Lil’ Ze murders his way to the top of the drug empire and needlessly plans a war with other drug lords to increase his power. Eventually the victims of Lil’ Ze’s reign fight back, which results in a full scale war with the slum as the battle ground. The police are of no help to civilians and wouldn’t dare cross any gangs.

At the center of the film are ideologies. Each character presented lives in a situation they feel is inescapable (drugs, violence, murder, etc.) and must adopt a new way of life in order to survive--much like the chicken in the beginning of the film. Rocket escapes through his photography, Tiago becomes a druggie, and others die when trying their own ideas.

Much like In Bruges, the setting in which the violence and war ensue is dreamlike. The scene featuring Rocket and his friends enjoying a day on the beach looks like a Newport cigarette ad. You know, the one that shows young people on an exotic beach smiling and playing games. I know, right—it’s a cigarette ad.

Anyway, the shot of Rocket sitting with Angelica on the beach, which is also on the movie poster, is arguably the most iconic scene because of its paradox to the rest of the film. Meirelles establishes irony by sho
wcasing scenic areas of Rio De Janiero as a contrast to the violence that ensues nearby. It’s amazing to know that such violence and death can happen in a place so beautiful.

With Rio De Janiero's recent win as the location for the 2016 Olympics, I wonder how the city plans to handle the violence and crime which has only grown since the events that took place in City of God.

9 out of 10











Tuesday, September 15, 2009

"I Didn't Even Know Where the Fuck Bruges Was--it's in Belgium"

You’d think a film featuring drug induced hit-men, economically conscious prostitutes, extreme acts of violence, and racist dwarfs would send moviegoers running to theaters, but, for the most part, In Bruges came and went in 2008.

If the trailer led you to believe that Martin McDonagh’s second directorial and screenplay effort is an action-packed thriller with some comedic elements, think again. This is not an emotionless story featuring cliché dialogue and some sly wit. It’s heavy on dialogue and dark humor, action scenes are few and far between, and the setting is, of course, in Bruges.

The story is set in present time and opens with a monologue from the main character, Ray (Colin Farrell), who states that he and his partner/friend Ken (Brendan Gleeson), both hit-men for the mob in London, were instructed to hideout in Bruges after a mishap on the job.

After arriving, our main characters learn that they’ll be hiding in Bruges for an extended time. Over the next hour, viewers watch as our characters involve themselves in what feels like episodes of a sitcom or scenes from a play. Audiences may feel the dialogue is Tarantino-esque as they watch Ray and Ken discuss why so many dwarfs commit suicide, the ethics involved in killing a "lollipop man," and why Burges is/isn't a "shithole." Their occupation as hit-men is almost irrelevant for the first two acts, except for a few instances where Ray displays his knack for violence.

Looming over the characters is Harry Waters (Ralph Fiennes), Ray and Ken’s boss from London, England. It is unknown at the beginning why Harry wanted our characters to go to Bruges, but his insidious and confusing plan is revealed later. This leads to an exciting, if not abrupt third act climax.

What truly makes the film is the acting of Farrell, Gleeson and Fiennes; although, Fiennes' talents are limited due to the script. Don’t worry—no plot spoilers ahead. Farrell, fresh out of rehab and running from anything related to 2006’s Miami Vice, broke new ground with his role as a neurotic Irish hit man. Gleeson’s portrayal of Ken can be equated to Jiminy Cricket from Pinocchio. He acts as a conscience for both Ray and Harry. McDonagh also manages to work in racists, druggie dwarfs; Belgian drug dealers and hookers; and fat, coarse Americans. None of these comedic elements are forced and McDonagh manages to tie them all to the main arc (plot), while also leaving audiences laughing.

The film displays more heart than the trailer leads audiences to believe. Ray struggles to cope with a fatal mistake he made on the job. Ken, ironically, becomes something of a father figure for Ray who seems to transcend from a self involved child to a socially aware man.

What’s great about In Bruges is that the director manages to perpetuate the aesthetic qualities of the setting amidst all the violence and vulgarity. McDonagh highlights some of the more scenic areas in Bruges, which are often referred to as "fairytale place[s]" by the characters. His screenplay combined with Carter Burwell’s (Burn After Reading, Fargo, etc.) score will stir your emotions, evoke more sympathy for a hit man than one might have imagined, and keep audiences laughing well into the climax.

With so many elements that worked, McDonagh almost imploded the film with the third act climax. So much of the screenplay included witty dialogue and fluid transitions, but the climax seemed to transcend from Pulp Fiction to Lethal Weapon. The end seems to crawl to the credits on the strength of the first two acts.

Some of the humor in the film could be considered, well, it is, offensive or immature to some viewers. Everything from gay jokes to a simile using a fat, “retarded black girl" on a seesaw are callously said, but viewers must remember which characters are making the jokes and what personality traits have already been established by those characters.

The negative aspects still do little to take away from the overall quality of the film.

Like so many other great films, In Bruges was embraced by awards ceremonies after being dismissed by audiences. Such awards included a best screenplay nomination from the Academy Awards and a best actor win for Colin Farrell at the Golden Globes.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Check out this scene from the film:






Next up - City of God



Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Warmin' Up

Wow—my first blog. It feels a little strange writing to an audience who may or may not end up reading my post. Anyway, I love movies. I don’t know if it’s healthy but my whole life seems to have revolved around films. One of my first and most beloved movies I remember watching was Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. I know this was formally the worst of the Jones films (recently dethroned by Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) but ask any (early) 80’s baby to recite their favorite lines from Indiana Jones and they’ll immediately start doing a Short Round imitation—“maybe we step on fortune cookie.” My love for films has grown with my increased knowledge of filmmaking. I’m the type of person who’ll read a screenplay after I watch a movie to see what an actor may have adlibbed. I also read scripts to see what scenes were edited out of the final cut of a movie. I love all types of genres of film. I don’t have an absolute favorite. It’s more like a revolving door of favorites.

This brings me to the point of my blog—movie reviews. My eventual plan is to consistently publish reviews of recently released films but for now I’ll review specific genres of films that have either just been released or have been available for some time. Over the next three months you can look forward to reading reviews on nontraditional gangster films, horror films, and independent films.

Through the rest of this month my movie list will feature nontraditional gangster films for American audiences throughout this decade. While I am a fan of most gangster films released in the past 40 years, I am tired of hearing the same movies (Scarface, The Godfather, Goodfellas, etc.) being discussed every time someone mentions the genre. Yes, they’re great movies but they’ve been worn out right alongside my favorite pair of boxers. It’s time to buy new drawers.

So, please check back soon to read my first review of Martin McDonagh’s In Bruges.

Check out the trailer: