Marty

I have a new favorite quote and it comes from the 1956 Academy award winning film Marty. The quote, which is “college girls are one step from the street,” makes me laugh and disproves a perception I held about the 1950’s but in all actuality, it doesn’t have anything to do with why I enjoyed this movie so much. I loved Marty, and think you will too, because it’s (once again) a story about someone finding himself.

The plot circles around a 34 year old butcher, Marty Pilletti played by Ernest Borgnine, who is unmarried and has no prospects. All his siblings have gotten married and suddenly all the pressure is on him. To his surprise he meets a girl that he enjoys spending time with but runs into some reservations from his friends and family. Marty is forced to make a decision between listening to his heart and listening to everyone around him. It’s heartwarming and I love watching the emotional and psychological journey that he goes through to make his decision.

On a different note, going back to my new favorite quote, I enjoyed this film – and the quote – because it sucker punched my notion that everyone in the 1950’s thought that women should be barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen on their way to be the archetypal June Cleaver. Obviously the person who delivers this line in the film thinks that way but she’s also an older woman “set in her ways” who obviously doesn’t understand the changing times. I’m sure that there were people who didn’t (and probably still don’t) get that Marty was poking fun at this idea, but the extremeness of the statement that educated women are somehow less than those who “can’t type on a typewriter” shows the ridiculousness of an outdated and incorrect perception.

What surprised me was how blatantly this 1955 movie attacks it. I know that women have been fighting for equal rights since the 1800’s and that there have been strong independent minded women throughout history, but I didn’t expect to see Hollywood, or any male dominated institution, outright call people out on it. I was and am impressed and pleasantly surprised to discover that my perceptions were incorrect and that there were people “back in the day” who saw the stupidity of preventing women from educating themselves and doing something with their lives other than get married and have babies.

It has been interesting for me to discover many of these older films and truly appreciate them for the quality and cleverness that they present to audiences. The special effects may be laughable and I may not always be familiar with the actors but the stories are still relevant and there is still something to be gained from watching them. Don’t let the lack of color fool you – the movies of yesterday often have more to offer than the blockbusters of today.

Penelope

Not enough people saw Penelope. I don’t have the statistics to prove this statement, but I’m convinced it’s true just the same. Whenever I mention it the response is always the same, “Oh yeah, I think I remember that one. I wanted to see it, but never got around to it,” or something to that effect anyway. Well, I am here to tell you that this movie should not be missed. It doesn’t have a surprise ending and there is nothing particularly award winning about it, but it’s a fanciful and sweet story and everyone should see it.

For those of you who don’t remember what this movie is about, let me remind you. It’s about a high society girl named Penelope, played by Christina Ricci, who is born with a pig nose because of a curse put on her family by an old woman over one hundred years ago. In order to break the curse she has to win the acceptance of a high society, blue blooded man – and convince him to marry her. Basically, whenever she shows herself to any of her “suitors” they run away. Finally after she falls for one of the men she decides that it’s time for her to come out of hiding and experience the real world. She runs away from home and discovers something unexpected – herself.

I love this movie because it is colorful – in every sense of the word. The cinematic imagery is vivid and vibrant. The story is creative, witty, and meaningful and the characters are humorous and relatable. The clothes are even bright.

What makes Penelope so great is how easy it is to relate to the story. Everyone has some physical attribute about themselves that they don’t like. Either they’re too fat, too skinny, have a ridiculously large rear end, or are lacking one all together. The list can go on and on – big ears, double chin, thunder thighs, chicken legs, extra long nose hair, a think uni-brow, or crooked teeth – just to name a few.

We all have flaws and often we’re painfully aware of them, but Penelope teaches us to embrace our true selves for who we are, not who we wish we were. It’s a story of acceptance – accepting others, but most importantly accepting ourselves for who we are inside and out.

A Streetcar Named Desire

I watched A Streetcar Named Desire on Tuesday while I was home sick and I think it is one that I’m going to have to purchase and add to my collection. I really liked this film for multiple reasons. It of course rekindled my crush on Marlon Brando but it also has quality acting, a great storyline, interesting cinematography, and genuine character development. It’s no wonder this film is on the American Film Institute’s top 100 movies of all time. It was made in the early 1950’s and it is still relevant today. In fact if it weren’t for the dated clothing and some minor cultural references, it could easily pass for a modern day film. It stands the test of time and frankly begs the question, what more could you want from a movie?

Marlon Brando is widely considered one of the best actors of all time. I’ve only seen a few of his films, but I would agree that he gives superb performances in each of them. He is fully committed to his role and provides depth and realism that draws the viewer into the story. Yes, he has somewhat of a “typical” role that he falls into, but he still manages to show variety in each one and you don’t feel as though you are watching one of his previous characters being morphed into the current one. Plus, on the superficial level, Brando is just fun to watch. He is one of the iconic men of the 1950’s who just exudes charm and you can’t help developing a crush on him.

A Streetcar Named Desire's plot is complicated, at best. It’s not a movie you can half-heartedly watch. You have to pay attention or you’ll have no hope of ever understanding what is going on. I wish I had paid more attention while I was watching, but I think I caught most of it. Blanche DuBois (Vivien Leigh) arrives in New Orleans to live with her sister and brother-in-law, Stella and Stanley Kowalski (Kim Hunter and Marlon Brando). On the surface it appears that DuBois’ arrival has disrupted the happy life the Kowalskis have together, but as the film carries on the viewer discovers that there is more going on than the eye can see.

Stella and Stanley have a volatile relationship that is hot and cold but fueled by passion, and alcohol. DuBois’ past is mysterious and her actions are peculiar. The viewer is never quite sure whether to trust her or not. She is not perfect, but neither are Stanley or Stella. Each character has his or her own demons to deal with and they try to hide them while pointing out the faults of others. It’s a rough ride that the stars of the story take us on, but in the end it’s one that examines real issues of secrecy, betrayal, abuse, and the desire to be wanted, to be a part of a group, and to be taken care of.

As I mentioned, there is a reason this film is a timeless classic. Everyone can relate to it and in some way we are each a part of each of the characters. As humans we are capable of so much and each of our actions has a consequence. We can run from our past but it will catch up with us at some point. We can ignore what is happening in front of us or we can take a stand and make a difference. We can become so focused on the problem that we can’t see the solution. A Streetcar Named Desire is really a fascinating case study on humanity and how vulnerable we really are.

Milk

Sean Penn is an amazing actor, there’s no doubt about that. He is a chameleon and can do practically any role and I am sure he will be awarded a lifetime achievement award before his career is over, unless he already has one, I don’t know. By being such a superb actor everyone expects him to perform that way and so it’s often easy to miss just how outstanding it is. I think this is the case with Milk. Penn has been recognized, being nominated for the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild, and the Academy Awards, losing the Globe to Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler but taking the SAG. The big question is will he win the Oscar? I think so, but Mickey Rourke will be his biggest competitor.

The only downfall I see with Penn’s performance is that at the beginning of the film I was reminded of his performance in I Am Sam where he plays a mentally challenged father trying to keep custody of his daughter. This is obviously a VERY different roll from that of Harvey Milk but there were some uncanny similarities. He still deserves the Oscar nod and probably the win, but it reminds me that while Penn is great, he’s not perfect.

The second best performance in Milk is that of Emile Hirsch who plays Cleve Jones, a member of Milk’s political team. You may remember Hirsch from Into the Wild and Speed Racer. He does a great job in this film and to be honest, I almost didn’t recognize him at first – thanks to hair and make-up. I was a little disappointed that he did not get an Oscar nomination (even though Robert Downey Jr. did for Tropic Thunder), but politics being what they are in the film industry I’ll have to let it go especially when I already have decided that Michael Shannon should win for his role in Revolutionary Road.

Overall Milk is a hard film for me to rate. I think it was well made and the emphasis was placed in the right areas. It’s a biopic about Harvey Milk and from what I’ve read it’s fairly accurate, so in that sense it’s a good movie. My only qualm about the storyline is in the following Milk builds throughout the film. I do not doubt that he was a good person in real life and maybe in real life there was more discussion, but in the movie they only allude to his faults and hypocrisies briefly before moving on.

When Milk demands that his following come out of the closet to everyone they know, his ex-boyfriend Scott Smith (played by James Franco) calls him out saying that he (Milk) was in the closet most of his life and shouldn’t expect people to do what he couldn’t. Their conversation is quickly ended when their new respective partners appear and are anxious to leave for the night, and that’s the end of it. It’s not mentioned again but it’s a question that the film needs to answer. There are a few other instances where the viewer gets a glimpse at the Harvey Milk behind the public figure but the door is shut so quickly that you have to wonder why?

This film could use a little more depth and allow us to see the true character of Harvey Milk. I will be the first to admit that I don’t know the history behind the movie well enough to state if it’s a true depiction or not, but in my humble opinion, it’s not true to life. Milk is portrayed too perfectly in this film and no human is that selfless and pristine. There has to be more underlying baggage that they didn’t show. While it may have been done intentionally to keep the focus on the grandeur of the legislature that Milk passed, it also detracts from the reality of this film. It sets Milk up as an idol instead of a man who had faults but still did great things – and that is something worth being proud of.

Vicky Christina Barcelona

I didn’t want to like Vicky Christina Barcelona. The plot synopsis that I had heard was that it included a three-some and was basically a love story about these three people. Not really my kind of movie BUT Javier Bardem is in it and he did such a good job in No Country for Old Men I thought I should give it a chance. That and Penelope Cruz was nominated for a Golden Globe, Oscar and Screen Actors Guild Award and the film itself won the Golden Globe for best musical or comedy film. I had to at least attempt to watch it.

In all honesty I didn’t pay attention to the film completely. I made my dinner and was working on a project on my computer while it played, but I was still able to follow the story and appreciate what it had to offer.

The first thing to catch my attention was the opening credits. The music that played set the tone for the music perfectly. It was simple, yet “arty” and it fit with the rudimentary credits. There was nothing special or unique about them. Just a black screen with white lettering and a font that held a small embellishment but not like it was trying too hard. It was what it was, nothing more, and nothing less.

The second thing that struck me was the use of a narrator, an omniscient, omnipresent voice that introduces us to the characters. The voice is matter of fact, decisive, and alert, but it offers no feeling or sympathy. We’re informed of events as they happen, like watching a sporting event but without the feeling or passion that is often in the announcer’s voice. This narrator gives us the character’s thoughts as if we were reading a book and imagining the story for ourselves.

I like this approach. The way the camera cuts up the scenes and the narrator provides insight perfectly allows the viewer to make Vicky and Christina’s story one’s own. As the movie progressed I found myself frustrated with the characters for making decisions I would not have made in their positions, but I cared for them and wanted them to find what they were looking for.

Ultimately Vicky Christina Barcelona is a story about finding oneself. All the relationship stuff that’s thrown into the plot is there for scandal to make the movie seem artistic and help promote it, but the root of it all comes down to self discovery. Both Vicky and Christina are in Barcelona to escape from their everyday lives. They need a break, a change of scenery, and Spain offers these two New Yorkers that possibility.

Their summer unfolds and we’re taken on a series of adventures that are cautious and guarded as well as careless and dangerous. The good and the bad, the wise and the ill-advised moments are viewed through a lens of self-discovery. We’re all looking for something more and what the “more” is I don’t know if we’ll ever know or even find, and that’s what this movie is about; Vicky and Christina searching for more and wondering where it will all lead them, living with their choices each day, and hoping for the best.

I won’t tell you how the movie ends in case you want to see it yourself. I will say that I like the ending. It isn’t pretending to be something else. It is honest and real and true to life. And as someone who is going to begin an adventure overseas in the next year I appreciated the value in its message – at least the message I took away from it – that sometimes what you’re looking for isn’t what you’re looking for at all.

Gran Torino

I enjoy Clint Eastwood films. I’ll admit it, I like watching westerns and Eastwood has been a part of some truly great ones. He has also gone on to do some wonderful pieces, such as Million Dollar Baby and Letters from Iwo Jima, and Gran Torino is another quality film he can add to that list. It’s not a great film and it isn’t going to win any awards, but Eastwood tells a wonderful story about a complicated man in an honest way. It may not be 100% believable and its a little corny at the end, but it has a message that we all need to hear.

For those of you who don’t know, Gran Torino is the story of an elderly man, Walt Kowalski, whose wife has just died. He is a grumpy racist whose old neighborhood has slowly turned into a Hmong neighborhood. While everyone around him has let their houses deteriorate, he has kept his in pristine condition, as well as his 1972 Gran Torino that he built himself while working for Ford in his earlier life. He has a past, he was in the military and it seems he has participated in some questionable activity. It is obvious that he loved his wife dearly but doesn’t seem to care much for anyone else, even his sons and grandchildren.

Kowalski becomes involved with his Hmong neighbors when he inadvertently saves Thao Lor (Bee Vang), the teenage boy who lives next door, from a Hmong gang. What follows is an awkward relationship between this coarse, sailor-mouthed old man, a shy teenage boy, and his outspoken headstrong older sister, Sue Lor (Ahney Her). Sue’s persistence to befriend Kowalski turns successful as he realizes that he has more in common with his Hmong neighbors than his own family. Kowalski’s friendship with the Lor siblings grows and all three learn something about themselves and the others. Old wisdom is passed on and new ideas are embraced.

The performances by Bee Vang and Ahney Her are hit and miss, lacking in some scenes and amazing in others. It’s painful to watch them interact with the local gangs. They are stiff and uncomfortable as actors instead of as characters. Eastwood spends the first half of the film grunting and the second half he manages a few lines. It’s his typical role and he does a good job at it, but it’s nothing new.

Despite the less than Academy quality acting, Gran Torino is a film I think everyone should see. It’s not for the faint of heart – there is blood and a post-rape scene that is particularly hard to watch – but the message of self-sacrifice and the good that is in each of us overpowers all that. This film touched my heart and reminded me why I love talking to the older generations. Their wisdom and experience is not something to be disregarded in the same way that each new generation’s youthful ideas should be embraced. We can learn from each other, help each other, and be there for each other – we just have to get past ourselves first.

Revolutionary Road

I remember when Titanic came out. I was in middle school and I wasn’t allowed to see it. My friends had all gone to the theater multiple times to watch Kate (Kate Winslet) and Leo (Leondardo DiCaprio) express their devotion to one another. I quickly heard the details of key scenes so that I could pretend I knew what everyone was talking about. In middle school image is everything. Once I finally was allowed to watch the movie from the comfort of our living room – so that my parents could sensor two specific scenes – I didn’t really get what the fuss was all about. Kate and Leo, eh.

Half the draw for any movie is the actors who star in the piece, but when you get two actors together who have had onscreen chemistry prior, you’re guaranteed box office gold. Google Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas, Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, or even Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey – just to name a few – and you’ll understand what I’m getting at. Putting key actors together may draw a big crowd and be a box office success but that doesn’t mean it’s a good movie.

If you are a die hard fan of the Kate and Leo concept you will love Revolutionary Road. The Titanic lovebirds are back together in all their glory. Their fantasy sea-legged love story has matured and grown and now they are forced to deal with reality of everyday life, with volatile results for two people who want to be anything but ordinary.

I appreciate what this story is trying to depict. While I did not major in sociology and study the 1960’s and the societal “cookie-cutter” pressures that were forced on the American people, I have heard enough from my family’s personal history, read accounts, and seen enough depictions of the suburban family to know that life wasn’t always as “peachy” as it appeared. The movie resonates with viewers today because those same pressures are still present. The “American Dream” hasn’t died and as American’s we’re taught that we can and should be more than what we are and what our parents were. We are also anything but ordinary.

Revolutionary Road fails when it assumes every viewer has a love affair with Kate and Leo. It relies on hype and the previews (literally) to establish the wonderfully ideal love that Frank (DiCaprio) and April (Winslet) Wheeler are supposed to share. Scenes from the preview are missing from the film itself and had I not seen the clip prior to the film I would be left wondering even more about this couple’s relationship. Sam Mendes (the director) doesn’t give us enough information about the happy days of Frank and April before their relationship goes south. The audience isn’t given enough time to become invested in the positives of the Wheeler’s relationship to care about their difficulties.

DiCaprio’s performance also leaves me wanting more and questioning the choice of actor for this complex role. I applaud DiCaprio’s efforts, but he gets in his own way. His natural “baby face” will allow him many years of future work in the film industry, but it hinders his task to play a 40 year old husband and father. It’s like watching a child dress up in his father’s clothing and play house. He tries so hard and the more effort put into it the more it’s obvious. Half of the time he comes across as fake – which I think may be deliberate in order to show the superficial role he is supposed to play in this 1960’s perfect world – and the other half of the time he is yelling so hard that veins are about to explode from his face. He’s hot and cold in seconds flat.

The best performance in Revolutionary Road is by Michael Shannon who plays John Givings, the committed son of a neighborhood woman who has two scenes in the entire film. He is the voice of reason and truth. In some ways he is the comic relief, but he inserts himself so honestly and awkwardly into the lives of Frank and April that his appearance represents the best and worst of their relationship. Shannon earned a Supporting Actor Academy nomination for this role that he deserves to win – although Heath Ledger will probably take it for his role in The Dark Knight.

Revolutionary Road is worth seeing. It’s not an easy movie to watch. There is yelling and screaming, passionate lovemaking, blood and violence, rage and bitterness, love and devotion, betrayal and deceit, morality and immorality, selfishness and self-sacrifice, and somewhere there is a story that resonates on some level with each and every viewer. Could it have been told better? Yes, but for the sake of seeing the forest instead of the trees, watch this film, but just be forewarned.