I'll admit, part of my reviving Micro Reviews is basically because I need something to focus on before my flight to New York City leaves tonight! But I've also watched some interesting films recently that I do wanna talk about, but, since I'm going on vacation for a week, I don't wanna go through the pitching/revising/etc. process for Looper/Collider/SlashFilm, etc. So you all get to read my ramblings here! Yay for you! Below are abbreviated reviews for six movies I've watched in the last week, all from different years and an assortment of genres.
Miami Vice
Oh what I wouldn't give to see the faces of the Universal Pictures executives the moment the lights came on from the first screening of the final cut of Michael Mann's Miami Vice. Everyone who financed this thing was probably salivating at another big-screen adaptation of a famous TV show chock full of fan service and conventional thrills. Instead, Mann delivered something totally unorthodox. This is a feature that inhabits a world of unyielding despair straight out of Robert Bresson and is packed with experiential touches from the get-go, as seen by how the movie starts in media res. Mann's vision for Miami Vice is relentlessly dour, from the constant presence of thunder to central romance between Colin Farrell and Gong Li that's so innately doomed even the characters themselves comment on how it can't last forever. The cinema verite style of shooting only enhances the tangibility of the proceedings, and by proxy, the palpable tragedy that permeates the entire production.
These kinds of film adaptations usually leave you walking away talking about callbacks to the past, not an evocative sense of dread rooted in the here and now. Granted, not everything in Miami Vice hits a bullseye like that tone or its cinematography. For one thing, women characters, despite committed performances from Li and Naomie Harris, do end up fulfilling ultra-familiar archetypes, a frustrating development for a crime thriller that so often throws convention to the wind. Largely, though, this is a compelling piece of cinema that works especially well in terms of atmosphere and imagery that's practically shackled to the hardships of reality. Even better, this is a $135 million movie that was supposed to function as a summer blockbuster. Who doesn't love seeing something that was meant to just exploit a brand name get twisted into something more idiosyncratic and daring?
His Motorbike, Her Island
Though His Motorbike, Her Island is drastically different from director Nobuhiko Obayashi's 1977 film House in tone and genre, both share an instantly endearing affinity for subverting viewer expectations visually. Here in Her Island, that manifests through constant shifts from a monochromatic color scheme to vibrantly colored shots and even alterations in what aspect ratios images are viewed through. The visual fluidity often reminded me of walking through a dream, where there are no rules and seemingly concrete rules of reality can change on a whim. These details work magnificently in making viewers of His Motorbike, Her Island feel like they're wandering inside actual memories of yesteryear, a sensation enhanced by the tender melancholy of the entire film. A visual feat, His Motorbike, Her Island is also a sterling accomplishment in capturing romantic longing. Once the credits start rolling, you'll be pining for more movies this good as much as His Motorbike, Her Island's protagonist longs for the girl of his dreams.
The Phantom of the Open
The true story of Maurice Flitcroft (Mark Rylance), a middle-aged man who tried to play in the British Open despite being terrible at golf, is the centerpiece of The Phantom of the Open. Director Craig Roberts and screenwriter Simon Farnaby realize this yarn with wall-to-wall feel-good vibes occasionally punctuated by some dark humor (like Flitcroft's stepson getting called nasty names at school...but by his teachers). Farnaby's script, which spans well over a decade, can't help but be overstuffed, with some emotional beats and characters, namely the dynamic between Filcroft and his stepson, getting lost in the shuffle. Luckily, there's a lot of effective instances of heartwarming storytelling in here, particularly in the irresistible relationship between our hero and his wife, Jean (Sally Hawkins). Nothing in The Phantom of the Open is life-changing, but it's charming more often than not. Sometimes, it's enough to watch talented actors deliver pleasant material.
Sinister
Sinister is a good movie that I could easily see being great. Among the virtues that exist in the film as it stands are plenty of memorable visual touches, like the controlled camerawork or constant use of largely darkened backgrounds by director Scott Derrickson and cinematographer Christopher Norr. Plus, Ethan Hawke's lead performance is nicely measured to fit right into a grounded drama rather than a conventional mainstream scary movie. I just wish Sinister had the commitment to not handhold the audience so much in what are supposed to be its most spine-tingling sections. Specifically, any sequence involving old home video footage of families being brutally murdered would work so much better devoid of any music or sound beyond the flickering of a projector. Christopher Young's score often just hammers home the obvious terror of these sequences. More restraint would've made the scares in Sinister as potent as possible. As it stands, it's a perfectly acceptable horror feature with some real highlights, though it's easy to see how Sinister could've been something truly special if it trusted its audience more.
The Daytrippers
I had no clue The Daytrippers existed before I stumbled on it on The Criterion Channel last week. Don't know how this one slipped through the cracks for me, especially given that I'm a big fan of Adventureland, a 2009 film from Daytrippers director Greg Mottola. Even if it took me a while to discover this feature, though, I'm so glad I finally caught up with The Daytrippers. The story of a large family traveling out to New York to try and catch the family's daughter's husband being a cheater, Daytrippers primarily functions as a way for a bunch of actors to show their chops in handling subdued comedy and turning potentially broad characters into discernible human beings. Liev Schrieber and Parker Posey especially excel at these tasks, with both constantly finding new ways to surprise the viewer. It's all perfectly low-key but engaging and gets capped off with my favorite kind of bittersweet movie ending, one built on the concept that the world is a rough place but also a bearable one provided you're experiencing it with the right person (see also: Tangerine). Even if it took me decades to even hear about it, The Daytrippers already feels like it's been with me forever.
Hustle
Adam Sandler's still doing dramas, yes! Please let Hustle be a sign that he's doing these regularly now because, once again, the man behind You Don't Mess with the Zohan has proved his superb talents for dramatic fare. An inspirational basketball story, Sandler stars as a down-on-his-luck coach who ends up championing an unknown basketball player from Spain as a potential new NBA champion. You've seen this story before in plenty of other feel-good sports titles, but who says familiar ingredients still can't make up a tasty dish? Really leaning into Sandler's character's middle-aged ennui ("Guys my age don't have dreams," he remarks. "They have nightmares and eczema.") lends a distinct personality to Hustle's rendition of enjoyably recognizable sports movie hallmarks. Plus, the heartfelt rapport between coach and player is heavily endearing while director Jeremiah Zagar imbues the basketball-heavy sequences with extremely distinctive camerawork. It's always good to see Sandler stretching himself with dramatic performances, but it's especially nifty to see that when it involves movies as good as Hustle.
No comments:
Post a Comment