Two Days, One Night Review

Two Days, One Night

                 The always alluring Marion Cotillard graces the screen as Sandra, a blue-collar worker who has just been informed that her co-workers passed a vote to lay her off in exchange for a 1,000 euro bonus. Sandra, whose recent fight with depression has left her one Xanax pill away from falling off the edge of sanity, must visit each of her 16 co-workers in order to convince them to change their minds before the re-vote on the following Monday. Cotillard nails the role as the timid Sandra as she never feels quite like the big star she is. Her presence never overshadows the lesser known actors on screen. The minimalistic approach to filmmaking by the Dardenne brothers also lends to the genuineness of Sandra’s plight. Without any music to distract us from the narrative, we are like flies on a wall as we feel and share in the struggle of the working class citizen in this subtle but moving new film.

-Cameron Johnson-

Lost River Review

Lost but Not Found

                Imagine if someone with a time machine traveled back to the year 2004. This is the same year the movie The Notebook hit movie theaters across the nation establishing Ryan Gosling as the symbol for every girls’, and some guys, affection for years to come. If that same man warned me that a decade into the future this newly crowned sex symbol would be responsible for the film known as Lost River, I would have laughed in his face. Unfortunately this is no fantasy, and the Gosling fanatics around the world are in for quite the shock.

                In his directorial debut Ryan Gosling attempts to use great ideas from directors such as Terrence Malick and Nicolas Winding Refn only to utterly destroy them. After a beautiful pre-credit sequence rife with imagery of dilapidated buildings intercut with snippets of the main characters placed on the backdrop of a 1960’s baled, the film begins and it all goes downhill from there.  I would attempt to give you a brief plot synopsis but in all honesty I have no idea what the film was about. I thought after a day or two to mull it over I would have a better idea of what I just watched, but after sitting and thinking about the film I am actually more confused now than I was when I walked out of the theater. It had something to do with an underwater city that is actually an amusement park with dinosaurs; also there is a curse that has to be lifted for some reason. I wish this was a joke but I could not make this stuff up if I tried. To make matters worse, the hollow plot culminates in an ending so unsatisfying and confusing that the bad taste in you have in your mouth from watching the film is exacerbated to a point in which cutting your tongue off seems like the only logical solution.

                First off, the editing rhythm is all over the place. For every smooth edit there are three or four choppy ones. I understand Gosling’s intention of creating a fragmented and dreamlike feel to his film, but some of the editing decisions made by him, and his lead editor Valdís Óskarsdóttir, are so jarring that it felt like they edited some of the scenes minutes before its premiere at Cannes. Scenes are also drowned in color treatments ranging from deep red to swampy yellow as Ryan Gosling attempts to do his best Nicolas Winding Refn impression. Shades of Only God Forgives can without a doubt be felt in Lost River.

Sound is also a major issue throughout the project. There is a point in the film where Ben Mendelsohn’s character says something along the lines of, “Can you speak up? I’m partially deaf in one ear so all I just heard was blah blah blah blah”. As a member of the audience I could not have agreed more. Dialogue is repeatedly drowned out by a musical score that teeters on the edge of being atonal. When dialogue is free from the music’s grasp there is no telling what kind of accent you will encounter. Who knows what Gosling had in mind for the geographical setting for his film, but this fictional and ambiguous land where every character has a different accent has a very different feel than its filming location of Detroit.

                Considering all the talent that was involved in making Lost River, one almost feels bad for the acting talent. Christina Hendricks does the best she can do with the material given to her while Eva Mendes is serviceable enough in her role as Cat. Saoirse Ronan and Matt Smith exemplify one of the biggest issues of the film though. They both portray characters so detached from actual human emotion that it almost seems like Ryan Gosling lives in another world entirely. A scene involving Ben Mendelsohn dancing will scar some to the point of therapy.

                “Ryan Gosling is less attractive to me now after watching this film” said a fellow female viewer as we were walking out of the theater. This sentiment was for one amusing, but it was also enlightening. People, no matter what I or others say, will see this film no matter what because Ryan Gosling’s name is attached to it. This is neither a positive nor a negative, just a fact. While I have spent the better part of 700 words bashing Lost River, there are in fact a few bright spots to point out concerning Gosling’s future as a director. The most important of which is his “eye” for certain shots. While some of his framing choices can be called into question, his ability to capture the haunting elegance of rundown Detroit should be commended. When it all comes down to it, his writing is probably where most of the blame should be aimed towards. It may serve Ryan Gosling well to use someone else’s screenplay for his next directorial outing. For now though we are left with Lost River, a film that has left me, just as the title indicates, very very lost.

Frank Review

Frank

Domhall Gleeson stars as a struggling songwriter who joins an eccentric electro-pop group led by the enigmatic Frank in Lenny Abrahamson’s new film of the same name. Gleeson gives a pretty solid performance throughout but it’s Michael Fassbender who steals the show as the titular character Frank. Quite the achievement considering he spends the majority of the movie under a mask. Maggie Gyllenhaal also makes her presence felt as she displays her hyper hipster hysteria every time she is on the screen. This oddball comedy does a great job of covertly critiquing the way in which modern day society affects the artistic process. Twitter captions and sound bridges of narrated blog posts constantly pervade the screen as the band records their “masterpiece” in remote Ireland.  When all is said and done the film leaves you with humor, charm, and even a little bit of darkness for you to chew on; all the while being very pleasurable to view the horrific costs of fame.

-Cameron Johnson-

Life After Beth Review

Signs of Life

                “ARE YOU FUCKING YOUR GIRLFRIEND’S SCARF!!!??” is one of the first lines of dialogue you will hear from the movie Life After Beth; and it only gets better from there. This new horror comedy mash-up flick, written and directed by Jeff Baena, is as refreshing as it is hilarious. Audiences will be treated to wave after wave of witty dialogue that never loses its momentum from the start of the movie to the closing credits. And while the film may not be the most cerebral thing you have ever watched, this is without a doubt some of the most fun you will have in a movie theater.

                Centering on the simple plot of a dead girlfriend suddenly coming back to life without explanation sets the stage for quite a wild ride. Interestingly enough, there is really never a true explanation of why or how most of the events in the movie take place. For some viewers these “plot holes” may be troublesome; but upon further analysis it is extremely evident that this is Jeff Baena’s intention. The film is very self-aware of its ridiculousness and it often times pokes fun at itself for it. A particular scene near the end of the film involving the husband of a Haitian cleaning lady serves as the best example.

                This idea of off-the-wall humor and ludicrousness is perfectly portrayed by its all-star ensemble of actors. Dane DeHaan, known for his breakout role in Chronicle and more recently The Amazing Spider-Man 2, plays the heart-broken protagonist Zach Orfman. DeHann’s portrayal of Zach is subtle but extremely emotive. Slight facial twitches combined with an always quivering voice make Zach truly seem like an emo teen of the new millennium. John C. Reilly puts in his usual strong comedic performance while also showing some restraint. This creates a very different kind of comedic effect when compared to some of his other roles. If I had to choose a weak link amongst the cast it would be Anna Kendrick. Her inclusion in the film seems a bit unnecessary which can probably be attributed more with her character and not the actress herself, but her short screen time does nothing to derail the otherwise perfect chemistry of the cast. 

                On the flip-side, if I were to choose a standout performance from this film it would undoubtedly go to Aubrey Plaza. The Parks and Recreation star’s performance rides along the entire gamut of emotions, going from sweet to sinister in an instant. Usually known for her deadpan delivery, Aubrey Plaza is finally starting to show off the other side of her acting chops first portrayed in the film Safety Not Guaranteed. The actress literally steals the show whenever she is on screen, continuously providing us with laughs that kept the theater rolling.

                As previously stated, this film offers nothing in the form of universal themes or existential truths. What the film does offer though is a comedy that is not lacking in style. Baena’s creative use of tracking shots should be commended. This in conjunction with a fast paced editing rhythm keeps this film from never feeling stale. A scene early on in the film involving Zach frantically trying to “break into” Beth’s (Aubrey Plaza) house is fun and frantic. Baena decides to furiously shake the camera while maintaining an extreme close-up on Zach’s face to create a scene with tension that very cleverly upholds its comedic integrity. It also does not hurt that the movie has a pretty smooth soundtrack that is integral to the plot.

Life After Beth is in no way shape or form a game changer like Shaun of the Dead was in 2004, but it is a very refreshing take on the comedy horror genre that has gone stale. It takes everything the film Warm Bodies wanted to do and just does it better. There is more style in the cinematography, there is more chemistry amongst the actors, and there is more zing in the dialogue. Aubrey Plaza gives the performance of her career as she continues to become a force in the industry. The film also does a good job of never drifting into the too profane or crude territory. Quotes such as the one I used to start this review do appear throughout the film but when compared to films like Jennifer’s Body or Teeth, Life After Beth is pretty clean. While not all filmgoers will jive with the form of dark comedy presented, Life After Beth is a great indication that there are in fact signs of life for the comedy horror genre.

Under The Skin Review

Scrumptious Skin Scalping

                Jonathan Glazer’s new science-fiction flick Under the Skin, based on the Michel Faber novel of the same name, has finally graced movie theaters in the United States after premiering at the Telluride Film Festival. Music fans may know Glazer from his work with artists such as Massive Attack and Radiohead, while film enthusiasts may be familiar with his previous directorial outings on British crime film Sexy Beasts and the follow-up Birth. Whether you are familiar with Jonathan Glazer or not, Under the Skin is sure to be very divisive among viewers; new or old.

Starring Scarlett Johansson, one of cinema’s hottest commodities right now, the film follows a female alien’s journey on Earth as she continually preys on men in Scotland. Male victims to Johansson’s exploits begin to pile up as scenes intercut each other, weaving a narrative that feels quite disturbing. It’s like having a first-hand account of abduction, but you as the observer have no way of alerting the victim of the impending danger. Johansson herself describes it as “a lioness on the prowl, hunting.”

Eventually though, this lioness undergoes a change of heart and begins to show pity for the species she has been hunting. She also becomes more cognizant of her human body, one that she steals earlier in the film. After some soul searching, attempts are made at starting a relationship with a helpful male figure she meets on a train. This inevitably fails and the hunter goes out for some solitude in the Scottish country side. This vacation does not go as planned though when she has a physical encounter with a park ranger resulting in a revelation that allows the film to live up to its name.

The simple story arc of the hunter becoming the hunted really only lays the foundation for the film’s more prominent theme of isolation. The protagonist must deal with being in an unfamiliar world where relying on instinct is the only means of survival. We feel equally sympathetic and fearful throughout the journey culminating in a very polarizing experience. It’s like being awed by a spider slowly sucking the life out of another insect.

Subdued and minimalistic would be the adjectives I would use to describe everything about this film. Dialogue, which is few and far between, is replaced by various long takes that make the film seem a little longer than its 108 minute running time would suggest. In fact, the second half of the film slows down to crawl, offsetting any momentum presented in the first couple of acts. The slow pace does provide us though with a gaze-like effect that mirrors the idea of viewing the world from an outsider’s perspective.  When there is dialogue, it is usually nihilistic in nature reflecting everyday chit-chat. It has to be noted though that Scarlett Johansson’s accent is one of the worst attempts at sounding European I can think of in recent memory. I couldn’t even tell you which country she was trying to imitate, but lucky for her she is an alien, so I guess in the context of the narrative it makes sense.

Outside of her awful accent, Scarlett Johansson’s acting is phenomenal throughout. Her facial expressions portray a full spectrum of emotions without seeming campy. The mercurial actress reminds us of her otherworldly presence while still extracting a very “human” response from us. She seductively asks men for directions before leading them into her “chamber”. The eroticism only escalates from there as pitch black backgrounds landscape the male victim’s final moments of freedom. It is the sexiest alien abduction you will ever see.

Lighting, another minimalistic aspect of the film, is only present when necessary. There is a very distracting JJ Abrams-esque lens flare in one scene, but other than that the film is pretty dark and gritty throughout. The lighting coupled with the slow pace of the film does create a very sleepy effect, which is in no way helped by the soundtrack. Distortion and the constant plucking of violin strings has the desired alien feel to it, but it is not at all pleasing to listen to; especially when there is no true variation throughout. It’s like being forced to listen to some new wave band your hip friend swears is cool.

Snow falls onto the camera lens as Jonathan Glazer ends the film on a very somber note. We are left both sympathetic and relieved at the story’s conclusion. Some plot holes do remain, such as the role of the motorcycle riding male alien, but they do little to detract from the impact of the ending. Some will leave the theaters deeply moved by what was presented. Others, such as myself, will only feel the effects skin deep.