Closing off my recent bout of violence voyeurism is Mean Creek and it is clearly the superior choice to the previous two reviews.
Do you remember your lurid school-age fantasies about the cruel and embarrassing come-uppance of the classroom bully (boy and/or girl)? Mean Creek takes a very realistic approach to a topic that everyone, regardless of generation or location, can relate to and remember (except perhaps, if you spent your childhood being home-schooled on a deserted island). The acting and script is spot on – the kids behave like real kids, the dialog is realistic, and it seems like the writer actually knew something about adolescent psychology.
George, played by Josh Peck, is truly screwed up and obnoxious. He’s a big fat kid with a big fat mouth and attitude to match. It’s also pretty clear that he has some major psychological issues but he never exhibits a minimum level of humanity to anyone that would lead to empathizing with his condition. Simply put: it’s easy not to like him. Rory Culkin is Sam, the small skinny kid who gets the piss beat out of him by George. Sam’s revenge fantasy is taken up by his older brother’s group of friends and a plan is hatched is teach George a lesson. True to Robert Burns, “The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry” and everyone involved starts to make some very foolish choices. Definitely worth a watch.
29 May 2007
21 May 2007
The United States of Leland
I think there are two ways you can see the world. You either see the sadness that's behind everything or you choose to keep it all out.
I unwittingly followed the reading of The Taste of a Man with watching The United States of Leland. What a great combination for inducing mild depression… Like Man, Matthew Ryan Hoge’s Leland illustrates the everyday grim lives of five reasonably well off teenagers and their normally abnormal families. Absent fathers, controlling mothers, alcoholism, drug addiction, and various forms of escapism and passive aggression ripple beneath every scene. The violent behavior that each character engages in is all so unsettlingly familiar and commonplace – which makes you realize how dysfunctional we’ve become as a society. In some ways Leland’s form of destruction is the most humane and empathetic, while the exploitation (under the guise of therapeutic counseling) by Pearl, rivals the black hole of apathy exhibited by Leland’s father for most loathsome character. Ryan Gosling is haunting in the role of Leland – his slow and dreamy cadence initially comes across as disengaged but later reveals a depth of thought and emotion that is heartbreaking.
I unwittingly followed the reading of The Taste of a Man with watching The United States of Leland. What a great combination for inducing mild depression… Like Man, Matthew Ryan Hoge’s Leland illustrates the everyday grim lives of five reasonably well off teenagers and their normally abnormal families. Absent fathers, controlling mothers, alcoholism, drug addiction, and various forms of escapism and passive aggression ripple beneath every scene. The violent behavior that each character engages in is all so unsettlingly familiar and commonplace – which makes you realize how dysfunctional we’ve become as a society. In some ways Leland’s form of destruction is the most humane and empathetic, while the exploitation (under the guise of therapeutic counseling) by Pearl, rivals the black hole of apathy exhibited by Leland’s father for most loathsome character. Ryan Gosling is haunting in the role of Leland – his slow and dreamy cadence initially comes across as disengaged but later reveals a depth of thought and emotion that is heartbreaking.
16 May 2007
The Taste of a Man
By Slavenka Drakulic
“…before leaving I had to decide what to do with two black-and-white enlarged photographs of Jose. I hesitated to destroy them, because they were all I had left of my lover.”
In 212 pages Drakulic takes us on a three month odyssey through the most intimate thoughts of Tereza, a foreign graduate student on a fellowship in New York City, about her relationship with her married lover, and fellow foreign student, Jose. Together the two create a bond of almost inescapable psychological proportions - cemented in food, drink, sex, and their respective limitations with the English language. This detailed portrait of obsession and isolation is painted in such a way that the reader can almost empathize with Tereza’s quest to possess Jose. Tereza justifies her actions so calmly and logically that you never doubt her sanity – even when she brings Jose’s decomposing, frozen head to the airport and kisses his rotting lips before dumping it in a trash can. Sorry for the mini-spoiler, but this is insanity at its finest.
“…before leaving I had to decide what to do with two black-and-white enlarged photographs of Jose. I hesitated to destroy them, because they were all I had left of my lover.”
In 212 pages Drakulic takes us on a three month odyssey through the most intimate thoughts of Tereza, a foreign graduate student on a fellowship in New York City, about her relationship with her married lover, and fellow foreign student, Jose. Together the two create a bond of almost inescapable psychological proportions - cemented in food, drink, sex, and their respective limitations with the English language. This detailed portrait of obsession and isolation is painted in such a way that the reader can almost empathize with Tereza’s quest to possess Jose. Tereza justifies her actions so calmly and logically that you never doubt her sanity – even when she brings Jose’s decomposing, frozen head to the airport and kisses his rotting lips before dumping it in a trash can. Sorry for the mini-spoiler, but this is insanity at its finest.
09 May 2007
Dying Young
Dying Young is a prime example of late 80s/early 90s drama.
Every scene is emotionally charged, every character is fraught with underlying, but far from hidden, pain and confusion, and every musical selection sounds like Kenny G. It’s not a bad film, far from it, but it does require a bit of suspended reality (as when Campbell Scott’s hair grown back almost immediately after his chemotherapy treatments). Julia Roberts looks lovely – so natural and feminine – unlike her current overly trimmed and narrow physique. Considering the high drama of the script, the acting is quite good and there are even a few scenes that are quite sad – but in true fairy tale fashion, they aren’t the final one.
Every scene is emotionally charged, every character is fraught with underlying, but far from hidden, pain and confusion, and every musical selection sounds like Kenny G. It’s not a bad film, far from it, but it does require a bit of suspended reality (as when Campbell Scott’s hair grown back almost immediately after his chemotherapy treatments). Julia Roberts looks lovely – so natural and feminine – unlike her current overly trimmed and narrow physique. Considering the high drama of the script, the acting is quite good and there are even a few scenes that are quite sad – but in true fairy tale fashion, they aren’t the final one.
06 May 2007
The Geographer's Library
by Jon Fasman
I really wanted to love this book - but after finishing it I'm left with the comparison of going on a date with a person who you believe is going to be truly amazing but in the end, doesn’t quite make the grade.
To start with the positives, the short vignettes about alchemical instruments and their histories were super entertaining and left me wanting to know more. The characters, main and supporting, were generally very well defined - stereotypically or not. The central character, Paul Tomm, is an earnest, 23 year old Ivy League grad who is more than occasionally irritating in that 23 year old earnest Ivy League graduate way.
Half way through my "date" in the Geographer's Library, the plot lost steam and both author and reader find themselves rushing to get everything over and done with as quickly as possible. That such promise should be so unsatisfying was a great disappointment.
Much of the story's action is centered in Providence, RI at Brown University. But instead of referring to places as they truly exist, the author engaged in the highly disconcerting practice of "lightly" swapping names (e.g., Brown is referred to as Wickenden - which in the real world is a well known street right near Brown; Federal Hill became Carroll Hill) This wouldn't pose a problem to readers unfamiliar with the area, but for those of us who know it, mixing familiar with familiar to create something *new* (like we're not going to be able to figure it out?) is just plain irritating.
I really wanted to love this book - but after finishing it I'm left with the comparison of going on a date with a person who you believe is going to be truly amazing but in the end, doesn’t quite make the grade.
To start with the positives, the short vignettes about alchemical instruments and their histories were super entertaining and left me wanting to know more. The characters, main and supporting, were generally very well defined - stereotypically or not. The central character, Paul Tomm, is an earnest, 23 year old Ivy League grad who is more than occasionally irritating in that 23 year old earnest Ivy League graduate way.
Half way through my "date" in the Geographer's Library, the plot lost steam and both author and reader find themselves rushing to get everything over and done with as quickly as possible. That such promise should be so unsatisfying was a great disappointment.
Much of the story's action is centered in Providence, RI at Brown University. But instead of referring to places as they truly exist, the author engaged in the highly disconcerting practice of "lightly" swapping names (e.g., Brown is referred to as Wickenden - which in the real world is a well known street right near Brown; Federal Hill became Carroll Hill) This wouldn't pose a problem to readers unfamiliar with the area, but for those of us who know it, mixing familiar with familiar to create something *new* (like we're not going to be able to figure it out?) is just plain irritating.
02 May 2007
Coal Miner's Daughter
I'm not a big fan of country music, but I must admit that country musicians have some pretty interesting biographies. This is certainly true with Coal Miner's Daughter. Sissy Spacek is sassy, "ignorant" (as she refers to herself), and nervously determined as Loretta Lynn - the hillbilly child bride who became the reigning queen of the Grand Ole Opry following the death of Patsy Cline.
The film shows it's age (1980) and it's reverence for Lynn in that it's an overwhelmingly positive, uplifting story. This is decades removed from true-to-life exposes like Walk the Line. The issues of abuse (drug, alcohol, physical, emotional) are minimized - although the viewer is left with the impression that what little is shown is just the tip of the iceberg.
Regardless of how sanitized the story is, you can't help but be drawn to Spacek's portrayal of a seemly simple, yet psychologically complex, woman.
The film shows it's age (1980) and it's reverence for Lynn in that it's an overwhelmingly positive, uplifting story. This is decades removed from true-to-life exposes like Walk the Line. The issues of abuse (drug, alcohol, physical, emotional) are minimized - although the viewer is left with the impression that what little is shown is just the tip of the iceberg.
Regardless of how sanitized the story is, you can't help but be drawn to Spacek's portrayal of a seemly simple, yet psychologically complex, woman.
01 May 2007
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
I really enjoyed the first PoC but was sorely disappointed with this follow-up. Sure, the film won all sorts of awards for special effects and whatnot, but I just didn't find them that amazingly spectacular. The characters of Jack Sparrow, Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann have become so stereotypical and one dimensional that they border on annoying and a captivating plot line, IMHO, requires more than jungle chases and sea monsters. However, the third installment is in the works, so it's clear that some people think this qualifies as excellent entertainment...
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