A Dangerous Method

I usually avoid trailers because of spoilers and/or trust in the director and actors, but maybe I should have this time, because A Dangerous Method was not what I expected it to be.

A film about the relationship of Sigmund Freud and Karl Jung seemed interesting enough to me; psychoanalysis completely turned the field of psychology upside down, and since has become the most well-known form of therapy in pop culture. We all know something about Freudian psychology, but Jung's work, especially post-Freud, is also interesting, and I was prepared for a film examining the depths of both men's work. The addition of Sabina Spielrein, Jung's first foray into psychoanalysis, seemed like a perfect way to bring the two together.

Unfortunately, Cronenberg takes the easiest route possible and solely focuses on the most rudimentary sexual elements of psychoanalysis, shoving the themes of sexual repression into the audience's face. There is little focus on the relationship between Freud and Jung, instead revolving around Jung and Spielrein's relationship. I don't think it's a spoiler to tell you that it turns sexual, or that the film's conflict is surrounding Jung's guilt over their affair clashing with psychoanalytic views of sex. The relationship between Freud and Jung is rushed through, and after Sabine recovers, any other applications of psychoanalysis are completely glossed over in favor of sex scenes. The dream analysis scenes between Freud and Jung only serve to tell the audience about what we already know is in Jung's head or to show that hey, Freud is all about sex, right guys? We also hear Freud rejected Jung's alternate ideas, but there's little explanation of what these are, because apparently Jung sleeping with his patient is much more interesting.

Even if you ignore the wasted potential of the premise, the film is still very disjointed; each scene seems like its own entity that doesn't quite link with the scenes before or after it. Early in the film Jung complains about having to serve in World War One, but by the next scene, he's already back and nothing significant has changed! It is necessary at points for the film to jump forward in time, but it's done sloppily, which makes the already uneven pacing even worse. Apparently it was adapted from a play, which might explain the odd choices in pacing, but it certainly doesn't excuse it by any means. And this is getting away from a review and going towards my pure opinion, but how many damn costume dramas have we seen that involve repression and scandalous sex? Perhaps none with S&M involved, but Cronenberg is still falling into well tread territory that I'm not afraid to admit completely bores me.

The performances as a whole are serviceable, but I have to mention Keira Knightley's contortions as an untreated Sabine as a particular low. Pulling off hysteric jerks without overdoing it is undoubtedly difficult, but jutting out your jaw to look like you're imitating a bulldog will never look good. It's been two weeks since I saw this film, and I'm still really disappointed in it. Cronenberg and everyone involved could have done so much better.

Into the Abyss

I'm still not entirely sure how to write about Into the Abyss, except to say that it's about so much more than the death penalty. Herzog has outright said that he opposes capital punishment, but Into the Abyss doesn't try to be political. He doesn't put the death penalty in a vacuum; the film details the triple homicide committed by the two prisoners Jason Burkett and Michael Perry from the actual crime scene all the way through the execution of Michael Perry. Into the Abyss is more about the consequences of crime and murder than simply an examination of the death penalty.

Herzog looks at all sides of the murder, from the victim's families to the prisoner's acquaintances to the poverty and crime in the area they grew up in, to the chaplain and officer that are involved in the execution ritual. He attempts to explain but not necessarily excuse why anyone would commit murder, and that leads to the most moving parts of the film, where he interviews Jason Burkett's father, who is also in jail and has been for most of Jason's life. I can't do justice to his scenes in print except to say that it left me in tears.

At least one critic has mentioned that the title of the film could be the title for a lot of Herzog films, and while that's definitely true, I think it does fit best here. The abyss isn't even necessarily death, but the grief of the victims' families, the regret from a father that wasn't there, the trap of poverty and delinquency, the weight of working in a place where you know the person you are looking at is going to die. Herzog's last documentary, Cave of Forgotten Dreams, has gotten more attention, but I truly believe that Into the Abyss is the more meaningful film.

film write-up round up

Okay, I’m putting off my Hugo review until after tomorrow, since I’m seeing it again in 3D. I’m also probably seeing Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy on the same day, and should be catching Shame pretty soon. That makes the future write-up list:

• Hugo (3D)
• A Dangerous Method
• Into the Abyss
• Tinker Tailor Solider Spy
• Shame

And if I can justify spending more money, I definitely want to see if I can check out some smaller / indie films in the next month or two:

• Pariah - I’ve heard wonderful things about it, and I really should start getting into more black filmmakers. Also, if it’s good I can recommend it to my mom, and if it’s not too sexual I might even see it with her! Always good.
• Martha Marcy May Marlene - Another film getting a lot of praise, in particular Elizabeth Olsen’s performance. One of those things that might not be my type of movie, but I think it’ll be interesting.
• Carnage - I’ve heard kind of mixed things about it, but I love Jodie Foster and Christoph Waltz, so come on. I have to. I’m also waiting for it to come out at the cheaper theater so I can pretend I am somewhat responsible about my money.
• We Need to Talk About Kevin - I actually would have seen this earlier, but it got pushed back to the end of January, so oh well.
• Rampart - A crime movie? A corrupt cop? Grittier than grits? Fuck yeah!
• Margin Call - I’ve heard this is extremely underrated, so I think I might try and catch it before it leaves theaters.

…man that looks like a ridiculous amount now that I think about it. I am trying to see more films though now that I can; I can’t decide if 16 new releases in 2011 is a big amount or still small…(Into the Abyss and A Dangerous Method don’t count because I saw them this week.)

The Help

I will admit, I had a feeling I wasn’t going to enjoy this film. So far I haven’t been able to articulate the genre of film that I tend to gravitate towards, but I can definitely say that this wasn’t it. But my mom was interested in it, so I had to give it a fair chance. After all, I always advocate going out of your comfort zone. Unfortunately for me, this time my gut instinct was correct. The Help has some serious problems.

This movie is supposed to be about the racism that the black maids experience in pre-civil rights Louisiana, with an interesting twist about these maids’ relationships with the children of their employers. The plot kicks off with Skeeter, played by Emma Stone, coming back from college and finding out that her family maid Constantine, who practically raised her, has mysteriously disappeared. An aspiring journalist, she is stirred to interview black maids about raising white children, starting with one of her friend’s maids, Aibileen (played by Viola Davis). Soon Aibileen’s friend Minny (played by Octavia Spencer), who has been fired for daring to use her family’s bathroom instead of the one for the help outside, becomes a part of Skeeter’s project as well.

But as much as the film tries to convince us that Aibileen is the main character by having her as the focus of the first and last scenes, it’s really about Skeeter, which is terribly disappointing. The beginnings of the civil rights movement are only shown through brief glimpses of TV news or in one scene where Aibileen is forced to get off a bus when it heads through a crime scene where a civil rights activist was shot, whereas we have to slog through Skeeter’s romantic life. This film falls right into the “White People To The Rescue” trope that really needs to die already.

The performances in this film have been lauded even by their detractors, and I agree to a certain extent. Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, and Emma Stone are all wonderful, although Octavia Spencer does at some point have to play the Sassy “Mmm hmmm” Black Lady role. But who really stood out to me was Jessica Chastain, who plays my favorite character in the film, Celia. She takes on Minny after she is fired because she can’t cook and is afraid her husband might leave her otherwise, and she’s shunned by the rest of the community for being tacky and rumors that she stole somebody’s boyfriend. Her growing relationship with Minny feels genuine, sweet, and funny, but unfortunately is just a side story.

And that’s the big problem with this film. There’s too much Wise Black Servant and White Person With Radical Views For The Time and especially the Terrible White Villian, played by Bryce Dallas Howard, who seems like she should really be the leader of the popular girls in a high school comedy. Skeeter’s role as White Person With Radical Views is also frustrating, especially since I have heard she wasn’t so liberal in the book. But the stock stereotypes don’t stop; what convinces Aibileen to tell her story to Skeeter? A sermon about Courage and Standing Up For What Is Right, of course! The ending is especially annoying. After Skeeter gains success and escapes racist Louisiana for New York, the film tries to make us cry at the end by having a scene where three characters are crying, one of them an abandoned toddler. But it’s supposed to also be a happy cry, because Aibileen quits, escaping the most terrible white people, and walks off into the sunset knowing she is free. Roll credits.

And that’s the last we see of Aibileen, as if that’s enough closure for her. She lost her job and is (figuratively) walking off to who knows where, but her voiceover is liberated, so she’ll be okay, right? I was told the book gives her a much more definitive happy ending, but seriously?

The sad thing is, The Help is clearly trying to say something meaningful about having to raise kids that aren’t your own and women’s roles in society in general, but it really gets bogged down in sentimental and overdone bullshit.

Hmmm

I should have three new film posts coming up soon:

• The Help: I got this for my mom for Christmas and we watched it together. I really should write something in full, but to give a preview: I hated it. It’s baa manipulative tear jerker about a white woman who’s Not Racist Like THe Rest Of Them and how she helps some poor black people. I mean, the film tryies to say it’s about Abeline by bookending it with her voice over, but when she walks into the sunset, we don’t have any idea what is actually going to happen to her! But Skeeter got a happy ending, so it’s ok, right? 
• Hugo: I think I might see this again in 3D since I had to see it in 2D nd I just feel like it might be more impressive. I have to admit I took a while to get absorbed in the film; it starts off pretty average children’s movie. I didn’t love it the way I expected to, but it’s really sweet and I loved Chloe Mortez as Isabelle. 
• A Dangerous Method: I don’t really know what I was expecting from this film, but it was really disappointing. I might simply have been mistaken; I had assumed that the film was mostly going to be about Freud, Jung, and their theories, but really it was about sex, repression, and Keira Knightley. But even ignoring my disappointment in the plot, I felt this movie was really disjointed. There wasn’t enough connection between scenes or events, so everything got pretty flat. 

I’m also planning on seeing Shame and Into the Abyss soon, probably tomorrow. I also saw the trailer for Rampart and now I’m really interested in it.

I guess part of the reason I haven’t written anything is because I’ve felt a little blah about movies in the last week or so. I was definitely not in a good mood going into Hugo, and I might not have the money to see it again to get a new view. I had also sort of forgotten about A Dangerous Method a little, so I’m wondering ifmy mood is affecting my enjoyment of movies.

Then again, I’m totally stoked for Rampart, so maybe I’m just not doing well with brighter movies. Who knows, I just hope I get my shit together soon.

The Artist

Saw The Artist this Thursday and I loved it, but to be honest, I’m having trouble articulating why. I usually can’t stand it when people use words like “cute” or “charming” or the phrase “has heart,” but really, that’s exactly how I would describe The Artist. It has that old charm of classic Hollywood films. Let’s face it, we all can guess how the film is going to end. But just like the really good classic films, the fun is in following the characters on that path.


The plot to this film is very similar to Singin’ In The Rain; both films are about a silent film star trying to stay relevant as new stars rise in the talkies. I’m going to be completely honest with you; I have not seen the entire film. (I know, I know.) I was supposed to but…well, it was freshman year of college. Therefore, I’m not going to go into comparisons between Jean Dujardin and Gene Kelly or Bernice Bejo and Debbie Reynolds. That’s just silly anyway; although The Arist definitely wants you to think of Singin’ In The Rain, making a direct comparison is unfair. The Artist is a silent film, knows it’s silent, and takes advantage of that. The main characters perfectly show the difference between the silent and talkie era. Dujardin’s character, George Valentin, is perfectly charismatic in his mannerisms. He has an easy smile, a knack for physical comedy, and the broad mannerisms that make an excellent silent film star. Bejo’s character, the aptly named Peppy Miller, has the same knack for dancing and physical comedy, but she also has an extra spark; she’s talkative. Compared to the other characters, she speaks a mile a minute, even though we only get a few dialogue cards. Her jabbery energy allows her to easily transition from her first role in a Valentin film to a top billing star in talkies, but she still keeps her love for silent movies. I should also mention James Cromwell, who serves well as Clifton, George’s long-suffering butler.

As I said before, the film’s ending is not a surprise. What is a surprise is the amount of depth in the characters; underneath all the technical and nostalgic elements of the film is two very emotional performances. This is melodrama not in the disparaging sense, but in the sense that we are shown these stylized yet deep emotions.

Not that the technical elements should be ignored. After all, making a silent film in this day and age is, at the very least, ballsy as hell. But it immediately shows you that, as any intro film professor will tell you, these films are never truly silent. The score is beautifully retro, matching but not overstating the melodrama of the story.
We are also shown this in the first scene, where we see the orchestra playing along with George’s latest film. There also are two moments with sound, and both of them focus on a specific element of sound design. There is a large difference between lack of audible dialogue, which is what we usually think of when we think of silent films, and lack of foley and sound effects, which is often forgotten.

If The Artist is playing in your area, you should definitely go see it right now. It’s fun and moving and a love letter to 20s cinema without damning the progress of sound. It’s been getting a lot of awards buzz, and frankly, it deserves all of it.

[originally posted 12/25/11]

The Tree of Life (or death?)

I’ve been talking for a while about my trepidation about seeing this film. It’s one of those films that’s almost impossible to explain to someone who’s not familiar with art films, and I’d never recommend it blind to someone. Tree of Life was not completely confusing or boring like I had feared, but it surprised me, though I’m not sure in a good way.