December 27, 2011
December 26, 2011
Chatroom (2010)
Directed by HIDEO NAKATA
Internet safety awareness is something that us bloggers certainly deal with every day. How much to share, where to share it, and with whom are decisive elements that we need to balance carefully. Though newer generations grow-up surrounded by safety campaigns, danger keeps evolving into new forms everyday, making this a constant struggle.
One of the oldest and most dangerous hazards are chat rooms - and Chatroom deals with them in a particular way. The film follows the lives of five teenagers, each of them with their own problems, but all of them with something in common: they were seeking comfort, and they all looked for it in the same chat room, Chelsea Teens!. They immediately connected and promised to go online every day, sure that that was the remedy for all their worries - and indeed it seemed like it, until the secret agenda of one of the members, William (Aaron Johnson), begins to unfold.
It's a rather dark film, that can easily be very unsettling - after all, Hideo Nakata directed it, so you can expect a compelling combo of the japanese terror minimalism with what the brits do best. Though note, despite having a few not scary but disturbing moments, it is not a horror film, but rather a teen semi-surrealistic drama. The actors play a huge part as well, of course, particularly Matthew Beard, who after that adorable character in An Education delivers a splendid performance - I mean truly remarkable and seriously overlooked - as does the lead, Aaron Johnson, that we've seen before in films like Nowhere Boy and Kick-Ass, but never as the villain.
The shock factor also comes from the most interesting aspect of Chatroom: in the film, cyberspace is depicted physically, in a fresh angle that drastically changes our perception of it. Suddenly, everything is amplified, not only the sense of vulnerability and the sense of danger, but also feelings that are triggered by what happens there, and so the real world merges with the virtual one, as so often and naturally does today. This illusion is skillfully done throughout most of the film, inserting small but interesting details here and there, and always with an emphasized visual contrast between the real, cold colored world, and the over-saturated cyberspace.
Certain plot details and outcomes are, however, a bit foolish, and perhaps some elements of fantasy are unnecessary and even disadvantageous. Nonetheless, I believe the outcome is positive. Cyberspace it's a deceiving world with infinite places for horrible things to happen, and for criminals to hide. And it has, indisputably, serious consequences in real life - if there's even a line anymore. Chatroom is precisely about the darkest alleys of cyberspace, and it is, at the very least, interesting and memorable.
December 25, 2011
December 24, 2011
Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956)
★★★
Directed by ROBERT WISE
Rocky Graziano is considered one of the greatest boxers of all-time, known for his thunderous knockouts. Saying he was a troublemaker is an understatement - as a teenager he spent more time in and out of reformatories and jails than in school. It's fairly easy to see the amount of drama, violence and eventual triumph such a life has. And perhaps that is precisely what is missing from Somebody Up There Likes Me. Though it does depict Graziano's life since he was a boy until he fought against Tony Zale, it can be hard to really feel both his pain and joy, as the film appears to barely scratch the surface of the boxer's early life. Also, one may consider that some of the most interesting moments of his life happened later, like when he got knocked-out by Sugar Ray, but then it wouldn't have the same ending - something that perhaps wouldn't be such a bad thing. Either way, though the boxing world is mean and brutal (and for Graziano, it didn't exactly end in splendor), to not depict his whole career was a choice like any other. As I've said, the issue I have with Wise's film is its superficiality: too much happens too quickly, and though Newman does a fine work with getting as much as he can out of the character, it feels like the script is not willing to let him go all the way. Or perhaps it's just not that kind of film - maybe it wasn't meant to be brutal and "true", and maybe it wasn't meant to exalt character development. Still, let me be clear: it is a good movie.
Though the films sprints through it all, it does so with style, so only good things to say about the visuals. As for the acting, it's hard to picture a better cast, even though at the time they had no way of knowing that some of them would soon become some of the biggest stars in Hollywood. I'm speaking of course not only of Paul Newman's breakout, but particularly of Steve McQueen, who appears for only five minutes or so, uncredited (imagine that). It is hard to picture someone more ethereal than Pier Angeli, who plays Rocky's wife, creating an alluring contrast with his character's toughness. Sal Mineo kept showing his talent shortly after doing Rebel, as a troubled young boy, one of Rocky's friends. All of them create some interesting and funny moments, and there's very little to say against their performances. "Little", for though undoubtedly a great actor, I just can't get over Newman's italian accent - it's a detail, but it's one that keeps coming back for two hours.
December 23, 2011
Bogie Blogathon: Getting the Look
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I'm sure most of the participants are bigger experts on Bogart's films and life than me, so for this Bogie Blogathon, I bring you what I know best and love about him: his impeccable taste. It's no news that Humphrey Bogart was a style icon - I assure you most of our grandfathers wanted to be just like him. So if you're a 21st century man who aspires to have that Bogie look, here are a few guidelines:
First of all, you must have the right attitude to go with it, otherwise you'll just look like a brainless mannequin, and that was not Humphrey Bogart. From what we can see, Bogie was all about standing straight even when your back is crooked, a man of elegance, and from what we are told about him, he was polite and caring, active but cool, he treasured hard work and honesty. Plus, you know, the usual gentleman activities, like sailing with a beautiful woman and playing tennis. As for fashion, Bogart's style was timeless, so don't be a hipster, otherwise your clothes will be lost into oblivion sooner than later. And that's the opposite of what we are trying to achieve here: we want the essence of Bogie the public figure, the man he let us know he was. Wether that was the truth or not, it's irrelevant for our purposes, here.
All this be timeless talk doesn't mean that you should ignore current trends - you must be faithful to the classics, but incorporate here and there a few trendy items. For example, those sunglasses (bottom right) are perfectly in tune with today's fashion, but a few years ago they were probably hidden somewhere in shame, get them anyway, for Bogie had the most gorgeous glasses ever. On the other hand, the Jaguar, the little case for your favorite scotch, or a simple leather bag - never out of fashion. The trench coat is a classic, mostly associated with Casablanca (same thing goes for the hat). Bow ties are not a safe terrain (stay away from the flashy, dotted, crazy colored ones), but definitely go for it and have a nice manly scarf around your neck as well.
Some may wonder, but what about casual clothes? To you I say: recall Bogie performing such a causal, even sporty activity like bike riding. There are no casual clothes when it comes to Humphrey Bogart. Or at least, not according to our definition of casual. So if you are truly committed, ditch the flip-flops and t-shirts with absurd sentences, and burn those below-the-knee swim shorts (in fact, you should do this last one either way). You want casual, loose the tie now and then, take off your coat, and enjoy being flawless. Now, Bogart was a smoker, but due to what we know today about smoking I won't encourage it solely for the purposes of style. It's said he smoked Chesterfields.
Some may wonder, but what about casual clothes? To you I say: recall Bogie performing such a causal, even sporty activity like bike riding. There are no casual clothes when it comes to Humphrey Bogart. Or at least, not according to our definition of casual. So if you are truly committed, ditch the flip-flops and t-shirts with absurd sentences, and burn those below-the-knee swim shorts (in fact, you should do this last one either way). You want casual, loose the tie now and then, take off your coat, and enjoy being flawless. Now, Bogart was a smoker, but due to what we know today about smoking I won't encourage it solely for the purposes of style. It's said he smoked Chesterfields.
December 22, 2011
December 21, 2011
Friends with Kids (2011)
★★★★
Directed by JENNIFER WESTFELDT
Friends with Kids has a somewhat awkward start where it seems like it's trying to set the right tone, but pretty soon you realize that there is no tone to set and that is what makes this film so damn good. It is basically about two friends, Jason (Adam Scott) and Julie (Jennifer Westfeldt), who after watching their friends have disastrous experiences with having kids, decide to have a child too, even though they are not in love - or rather because they are not in love, so that they can date other people. It's a shaky theory, and the films makes it pretty clear on both sides - naturally, Jason and Julie think this is the most brilliant idea ever, while their friends think exactly the opposite - but most importantly, it's doesn't try make any kind of social statement or judgement, no matter what the outcome is.
From this point on, it's all about human dynamics, relationships of any kind - we watch some of them grow and some of them fall - but without sugarcoating, and certainly without melodrama. This is what I meant about no tone to set. There is no pop song to let you know you should feel good, no nostalgic sunlight between a kiss and certainly no spinning camera movements. The fact is, it's two hours of eight people having the most absurd conversations and heated discussions, in situations that anyone of us could or did, in fact, go through. Minus the two friends having a baby, of course.
Every problem that arises is depicted from two or more points of view, in long uncut scenes that give time for the acting to actually take place and evolve. It's not an original plot nor technique, but it is a different way of approaching it: when it comes to how the birth of a child affects the lives of the parents, it's incredibly honest and has no pretensions, revealing an interesting talent for behavior observation from Westfeldt. Friends with Kids is so simple, with such naturally flowing dialogue and effortless acting, from everyone involved, and so vigorous, that it feels real - something that usually lacks in romantic comedies.
Every problem that arises is depicted from two or more points of view, in long uncut scenes that give time for the acting to actually take place and evolve. It's not an original plot nor technique, but it is a different way of approaching it: when it comes to how the birth of a child affects the lives of the parents, it's incredibly honest and has no pretensions, revealing an interesting talent for behavior observation from Westfeldt. Friends with Kids is so simple, with such naturally flowing dialogue and effortless acting, from everyone involved, and so vigorous, that it feels real - something that usually lacks in romantic comedies.