"Finality is not the language of politics." --Benjamin Disraeli

On that note, a couple of quick, relevant reviews from this week's viewing schedule:

Carnage (2011) --76/100--

Director: Roman Polanski

I'm guessing Ina Garten makes a better
one than Jodie Foster, so if you have an oven...

I'll admit I didn't get a chance to see the play "Le Dieu du Carnage/God of Carnage" in any of its incarnations, so as a cold reading of a wonderful piece of writing I really enjoyed it. The performances are all excellent and John C. Reilly is a bit of a surprise in that regard, he comports himself extremely well among the Oscar winners, Foster, Winslet, Waltz and Polanski. It is tight, hilarious and thoroughly enjoyable. That said, as a film it suffers slightly being boxed in by the theatrical constraints, of which Polanski never really seeks to break out. It's a single setting, so forgivable. As the ebb and flow of agreements and arguments spiral into a whirlpool of upper-middle-crust anarchy, it is clear that the adults are no more mature than their children, reminding me at times of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. It falls short of that; it's not quite a classic, but well worth a look.

Politics, n. A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage. -- Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary

The Ides of March (2011) --78/100--
Director: George Clooney

This took for. ev. ver. getting to my mailbox (thanks for the throttling, Netflix!). Another one based on a play that I never saw. Yay! Works on many levels, riffing from Shakespeare to Fox News, most of which remind me how soul-sucking politics can be. As the story develops, I really appreciate that the political arguments made are given strong counter-arguments, so it balances into more of a morality play than a political soapbox. While every character spouts their own brand of idealism, their words and actions inevitably reveal their characters as flawed human beings.

It's just so damned difficult to hate Clooney, the guy is incredibly talented and could charm the pants off a one-legged ostrich. Here he takes the helm and though he is cast as the Governor/primary candidate, the part is relatively minor. He's like a king on a chessboard as other pieces machinate around him. Ryan Gosling has had meatier roles, but he's serviceable in the lead. The real juice is in the shining supporting cast: Evan Rachel Wood, Marisa Tomei, and (as always) Paul Giamatti and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

As a side note, I'm considering doing a stretch sometime this year listing some of the best political films of all time. Countdown/Top 10, whatevs. It's an election year, but I'm avoiding the cable news as much as possible, so I hope that'll help distract ya, too.

Mysterious Skin (2004) --78/100--

Director: Gregg Araki

My movie watching has been finding odd connections lately. As part of my continuing effort to catch up on the missed films from the A.V. Club's "New Cult Canon," (I've seen 83 out of 145) and Mendik and Mathijs's book, "100 Cult Films," (61 of 107, counting trilogies & whatnot as separate films), and after last week’s viewing/post on Shame, I’ve been compelled to reconsider something I saw a month or so ago. Mysterious Skin, based on the novel by Scott Heim, is a similar example of brave indie filmmaking, willing to tackle not just casual sex and homosexuality but also the really tough end of the taboo spectrum: child sexuality and pedophilia. Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as Neil McCormick, a young hustler in a dead-end middle-America town picking up any anonymous middle-aged guy he can get his hands on. On the other end of the spectrum is Brian (Brady Corbet) a nerdy teen who is bottled up by his belief that he was abducted by aliens as a child. Neil’s hunt for sex and Neil’s search for the truth are invariably connected in their past and take the film to some dark places, and it makes for an unsettling experience in the vein of Todd Solondz’s work (Welcome to the Dollhouse, Happiness).

Yeah ladies, this isn’t your heartthrob dancing down the street to Hall & Oates. He’s playing completely against expectations and while it starts a little crass and over the top, he handles the part with depth, dexterity, and apparent ease considering he was all of 23 and not too far removed from “3rd Rock from the Sun” when this was released. Apart from Elisabeth Shue as Neil’s mom, the rest of the cast is not as compelling. I didn’t particularly care for Corbet as much, but he handles the moments of catharsis effectively. In terms of structure, I understand it is necessary to build the link between the two of them by switching back and forth between Neil and Brian, but it gets a bit muddled and lacks a deft touch that might potentially deliver better forward momentum. Too much is revealed early on to make the ending truly shocking, though it is gut-wrenching, nonetheless.

Despite this, the entire film has enough against-the-grain boldness to make it unforgettable. I must also mention that it contains the simple phrase “Here we go...” in such an important, twisted way that I cannot see a Bud Light commercial without it immediately bringing this movie to mind, and it makes me wonder how many other people associate that terrible, unsavory beverage with pederasty.

Shame (2011) --82/100--

Director: Steve McQueen 

It's been a little slow on the movie front lately, what with the hoops tourney and it becoming all summery practically overnight, but since I had to work Saturday morning and couldn't partake in the the all-day St. Patty's day destroy yourself-athon, I decided to take it easy on Friday night and dropped into the State Theater to soak in another of the most talked-about films of 2011.

It’s impossible to review a film as brazen as Shame without #smh at the bias built into the MPAA rating system. If you haven’t yet, I highly recommend checking out the documentary This Film is Not Yet Rated for a better understanding of the unseen machinations behind what audiences are allowed/directed to see, and especially as a call to action for those who prefer art to be an unfiltered product of artists, not corporate interests. Shame is a reminder of how American culture glamorizes violence but pushes sex into closets, and even though the film is set in New York, it takes a European film headed by a German (Michael Fassbender as the oversexed-yet-deeply-repressed Irish-Catholic Brandon Sullivan) and two Brits (Carey Mulligan as Brandon’s sister, Sissy, and director Steve McQueen) to drive this issue home once again.

An NC-17 rating is like an automatic blackballing and only the artiest of art theaters will show films that have been slapped with one, though sometimes the buzz surrounding it will give it more of a box office push than it might have had otherwise. It's odd when you to compare the content of Shame to another 2011 film, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, which I’m sure shocked many but it must have taken hold in many minds as well, given the box office and critical success. Fincher has established edgy cred in the industry with Fight Club, Seven, Zodiac, and managed to garner an R rating despite instances of rape and deviant sexuality, and a flash or two of female frontal nudity. It can’t hurt that Stieg Larsson’s series was a bestselling juggernaut and there was a lot of money on the line. On the other hand, Shame is a bit fleshy, but is miles away from broaching porno territory. All of us have seen one or the other and hopefully both, so why should it illicit shock to see flaccid male frontal blown up on the the big screen? #NoHomo, but get over it already America.

This is a little bit hilarious to me, because Shame is a big middle finger to the whole idea of censorship. The thematic focus is on Brandon’s struggle with his sexual addiction, but he can only act on his constant urges either through masturbation or sex with total strangers. As soon as he connects with someone face-to-face he cannot bring himself to follow through with the act, and he goes to sometimes shocking ends to fulfill that need. The surprise lies not at the ambiguous ending, but in the whole usurping of this expectation of a film about a sex addict. We see plenty of nudity and animalistic urges, but they are turned on their head and are not “sex scenes” and are surprisingly not as explicit as I thought they would be. They are set pieces, not meant to titillate but to shape and define the character and his descent into an intense mental breakdown, and to a lesser extent to set up the oncoming dramatic twist. The fact that there is some flesh in your face is secondary to what is going on in his mind, and we worry about what might be going on offscreen while all of this is happening.

The outstanding soundtrack and haunting score carry things along, and there are shades of American Psycho in the delivery, although the underlying social commentary is more focused and not nearly as humorous or biting. There are a few minuses: some character things are completely hidden from the audience for far too long, or completely unexplained even by the end. The past between Brandon and Sissy is palpable, hinted at, but never fully developed, and some of the scenes stretch long long long past the point of a standard western comfort zone, something I can appreciate but I fear most will find distractingly boring. Case in point is the “New York New York” torch scene, which is an agonizingly frozen moment in time, with no camera movement and only a couple of cuts through its lengthy performance. It fuels the theme of stagnant loneliness that pervades the lives of Brandon and Sissy, and this works as a stark counterpoint to the lyrics of the song, so typically belted out in a hopeful, upbeat blaze of bravado. 

This also contrasts the snappy, wordless opening jumping quickly from encounter to encounter as we learn most of what we need to know about Brandon within a few short beats. In my opinion, the opening also contains the most erotic scene of the entire film, which exists completely between the eyes of Brandon and an anonymous woman on the subway. We can read their minds as they trade glances and eventually passionate gazes, and it’s a potent reminder that the most sensitive sexual organ is the brain, the greatest erogenous zone is the imagination.

William Murray, Thespian. Part 1: Army Training, Sir!

Dipping my pen in many inks, er...as it were. Here's another new little corner of the blog. A tribute to one of the greatest actors of the last 50 years...nay, Ever! Join me as I revisit the films of Bill Murray. Tonight we're taking a freebloggin' approach (Drunk Movie Time-style) to the War Comedy, Stripes. Future entries might get more in-depth academically as I examine the multifaceted career of this singular genius.


Year: 1981

Director: Ivan Reitman

I think his son Jason is doing well in the family tradition.

John Winger’s Mantra: $100 shine on a $3 pair of boots.

My Mantra: Jai guru dava. Om.
Also: It is better to look good than to feel good. 

If I’m gonna do this I have to hold myself back from the urge to just regurgitate one liners. SO MANY!! 

“Madam, perhaps you’d like to eat your luggage.”

Okay, original content, GO!

When Cash Cab goes bad.

I love multi-lingualism generally (and cute latin and asian girls, specifically), but I just feel like this picture should be widely available on the interwebs for use by all of the grammar nazis out there. #justdoin’mypart.

I appreciate that Ramis had a couple solid acting credits. He’s not a great actor, but he lends a certain nerdy cred.

"Son of beach. Sheet!!" Best non-swear ever.

The bridge scene reminds me of the episode of "The Simpsons" when Marge goes crazy and NOT the end of Rise of The Planet of the Apes.

Possibly the best thing any English speaker can learn 


#well,maybemotownwouldbebetter

The music is an interesting mix. First we get this little raggy thing, then later the solid military riff.

Yay boobs.

There was a couple standing behind me at the bar the other night having this break-up convo. But they were even more terrible because he was the anti-Murray. Complete doucheapoid.

THAT BITCH!! NOBODY CALLS TITO PUENTE “STUPID” AND LIVES!!

I really do have Tito LPs that I play on the reg. Not because of this movie...because Tito is really THAT amazing. I often used to use the “one of these days Tito Puente’s gonna be dead” line...until he actually died.

Favorite missed line: “It’s a little cute...I’m part of a lost and restless generation. What do you want me to do...run for the Senate?”

Winger may be a bum, but he has a pretty solid little apartment. 

Love the take with Murray dunking, throwing the ball straight thru the window, Ramis tossing his coat on the rack, then taking the last beer out of the fridge. I try for perfect little random moments like that all the time, but usually my coat falls on the ground

A little awkward hearing Murray say “I gotta dry out or I’m gonna be dead before I’m 30.”

I had a similar moment a few years back. And I made it without joining the Army.


And it turns out Murray was 31 when he made this.

 My pushup form is slightly better than this, but I can do about 50.

The “are you homosexual?” question during their recruitment interview is quaint and hilarious. Even 30 years ago (geez) they were ahead of the curve of how ridiculous that was:

“No, we’re not homosexual...but we are willing to learn.”
“Yeah, will they send us somewhere special?”

Mmmmm lady in uniform. That is NTS.

I’m pretty sure she’s a replicant.

CANDY! 

"Orange whip? Orange whip?... Three orange whips!"

Really underrated and solid movie score by the "other" Bernstein. (Elmer, not Leonard.)

The Laroquette salute is an amazing little touch.

Ok, so Apocalypse Now it is not, but it’s still fantastic in its own way.

In the back of my mind I want to believe that Kubrick based the 2-halves of Full Metal Jacket on Stripes. I mean, Ziskey is Private Joker, and Winger is...Private Snowball? Maybe.

Poll: Who’s the more badass drill sergeant? 

Sgt. Hulka?

Or

Gunnery Sgt. Hartman?

Let the masses decide.

Love how pissed Psycho Soyer looks when he’s getting shaved. It's always seemed his character was loosely based on John Cassavetes' role in The Dirty Dozen, but I never bothered to look it up and still cannot confirm this.

Now that’s the closely-cropped John Candy we all know and love from Summer Rental.

Boxer or jockey? ”Got something in a low-rise bikini...mesh if possible?”

Top of his game.

“I thought I’d better join before I got drafted...”

A little odd that they can make fun of that. This was only like 6 years after the end of the Vietnam and still knee deep in the Cold War. Rebuilding trust in the military? A seriously different vibe than WarGames.

One of my favorite character statements is Ziskey’s: “I’ve always been kind of a pacifist. When I was a kid my father told me, “never hit anyone in anger, unless you’re absolutely sure you can get away with it.”


As much as I wish I were Murray, I’m probably closer to Ramis.

Another snap that should live more on the internet. Maybe too subtle?

There’s not a lot to say about the training section except: Montage!! Even Rocky had a montage.

Yay 80s voyeurism scene and gratuitous nudity!

Subtle things I catch but didn’t really get: Why does Winger put his dogtags in his shirt when he and Hulka go into “the office?” Is it just because he’s expecting a confrontation? Or is this a military thing? Just curious.

"No..don’t stop...I’ll still respect you...I’ll respect you even more...just use more whipped cream..." Definitely adding that to the repertoire.

It’s very convenient that the 2 hot female MPs from the bus station were also on duty the night that Ziskey and Winger had their little spat...otterwise the whole second half might have played out differently. (And yes I said "otterwise.")


Timothy Busfield (whom I almost called Gary Busey) ...Not quite thirtysomething. and it’s kinda depressing that you’d have to be at least thirtysomething to even know what I’m talking about. Because he’s now sixtysomething.

Worst thing he ever did was try to blow up that baseball diamond.

The Pom Pom is a testament to the ebbing of sexuality from the 70s into the 80s.

The Gary Templeton poster is a nice touch.

Soundtrack: The Spinners - Rubberband Man. Ow!

The MC is Dave Thomas. Not the Wendy's guy, the Great White North guy.

"We’ve been kickin’ ass for 200 years. We’re 10 and 1!"

I need to get me a "Death Before Disco" shirt. Reinhold is way underutilized in this movie.

They were still asleep in the motorcade at 1400 hours? dubious.

Also, they keep saying “graduation is at 2 o’clock.” Super dubious. Military time fail. Or maybe they really are just turrrrible soldiers.

I'm sure we've all seen the graduation scene. Just great stuff.

 I just want to note that if I ever hear anyone say "Razzle Dazzle!" they had better be talking about Stripes and not that god-awful episode of "LOST" with Billy Dee Williams.

When the news got out that the battalion was going to Italy, immediately the MPs knew they were in for the time of their lives? Is that why they gave each other that look?

Do they typically send Drill Sergeants anywhere in the world just to be with their prize platoons? Or did Hulka get promoted due to his injuries?

The Italian barracks looks an awful lot like the barracks from earlier. There’s just a sign that says they’re in Italy. Or maybe joining Police Academy.

Poll: Which would you rather have in a fight: 

The EM50 Urban Assault Vehicle or

 or Pee Wee’s X-1?

I'm not trying to influence your vote, but I will remind you that only the X-1 has a vicious lion mounted on the handlebars. 

I like the mishmash of random “European” clothing that the squad is wearing for their undercover mission.

Hulka’s gonna take things into his own damn hands. I hope someday someone designs a Stripes video game, Hulka’s Assault. Czechoslovakia never knew what hit em.

“C’mon, it’s Czechoslovakia, it’s like going into Wisconsin!

"Don’t order the schnitzel; they’re using schnauser!"

Aaahhh 80’s socialist stereotypes! What a country!

Gotta love the 80s video game graphics, too.

Ok, so they do the “Ox runs through the door to open it” bit, but I’d have to imagine that a door would be hard to flatten top to bottom like that. The hinges would break unevenly, so it would probably swing wildly out of whack. Someone call up Mythbusters.


A little shout-out to Joe Flaherty and his buddy: 

I’ve felt like that on many a Sunday morning.

Another meme in the waiting...?

Wait, so the rest of the company is already back in the States? I thought the whole mission was going to be denied by the DOD? Why do Winger and Ziskey get a parade?

The "News Update" ending is old hat now, but these are all pretty good. My faves:

Of course.

And:

The story reads: "After 27 years in the Army, local hero Sgt. Joe Hulka has announced his intentions to ‘turn in his fatigues.’ Well known for his courageous actions in Czechoslovakia, Sgt. Hulka has told the Examiner, ‘There’s big bucks in burgers and Springfield’s the...(cont. on page 3).” Classic.

Hmmm. Bill Paxton was a random soldier in this, too. He was on his way to a fine career.

I would also like to thank the James P. Beam Distilling Company for their fine work.

And I would like to thank you for following along. I'll be checking out another work of Murraypiece theater soon. Tune in!

A Separation (2011) --92/100--

Director: Asghar Farhadi

I’d been waiting not-so-patiently for this to finally get a local release and when it finally came along this weekend I’m happy to say that it did not disappoint. It is a master course in artfully unraveling the mystery of events that occur just out of frame or just beyond a carefully chosen cut in the scene. Piecing together the snippets of heated testimony, sorting out the lies, half-truths, and shadings of memory until the truth is finally confessed. It truly does bring to mind the best of Hitchcock in that sense (namely Rear Window, The Wrong Man), but it is working around a completely different set of circumstances.

The separation in question is a split between Iranian couple Nader (a superb Peyman Moadi) and Simin (Leila Hatami; absolutely breathtaking), who love each other but cannot reconcile a rift in their obligations: she wants to take their daughter, Termeh, out of the country to have better opportunities for success and happiness; he would go if he could, but he cannot leave behind his father, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s and requires daily care. When she moves out, a caretaker with her own daughter is brought in to help, and the difficulties begin to twist out of control.

These are people striving for happiness, to raise their children with a sense of decency and responsibility, and the film shows them in a very human light, emotions laid bare. The story has universal appeal, but is colored by some very specific issues dealing with religion, reconciliation, righteousness, justice, and guilt, that not only deepen the story on the screen but also work as commentary to broader cultural issues.

I often found myself utterly lost in supremely skilled, subtle artistic composition, though it must be easy when starting with such a strikingly beautiful face as Hatami’s. The shock of red hair peeking out from under her hijab gives her a unique, memorable dash, and makes a provocative statement about the ever-evolving role of women in the Arabic world.


Farhadi makes wonderful use of compressed space and architecture, dividing with walls and doors, peeking around corners, and utilizing windows in a number of creative ways (look for a repeating broken-glass motif.) It is not just a matter of cleverly blocking a scene and shaping the manner in which the story is told, but also serves as an outward manifestation of emotional resonance for the characters. A Separation also contains of the most stunning two-shot/close-ups I’ve seen since I was going through my Bergman phase, enhanced by the movement of a descending elevator.

This is not an “anytime” picture; it takes a certain frame of mind to experience a film like this that requires attention to detail and puts you through an emotional wringer,
but it is without a doubt one of the best films of the year and more than worthy of that level of attention.