Sunday, July 26, 2009

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Reprinted courtesy of Sean C. At the Movies

Sweeney Todd marks the 6th collaboration between Tim Burton and Johnny Depp (see Edwad Scissorhands, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory). Based on a Stephen Sondheim musical, Burton's version is dark and brooding. The songs amplify this mood and make the bloody imagery even more unsettling.

Sweeney Todd's quest for revenge against those who wronged him and his family is understandable and the final irony (you need to watch this Romeo & Julietesque moment for yourself) leaves you speechless. This serves as a ying to the yang of the love story between Anthony and Johanna. This formula creates a film that leaves you cheering for both the lovers and the murderer.

In this modern age of vigilante justice, Sweeney Todd can serve as a warning to others, that while perceived justice may be served, but karma is a bitch.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Annie Hall

Love him or hate him, Woody Allen is an institution of the American cinema. His 1978 Academy Award winning film Annie Hall is among the most influential of all his works. This very simple film about a middle age New York comedian recounting the failure of his relationship with Annie Hall solidified the many now commonly used narrative device, most notably characters directly addressing the viewer mid-scene.

During the course of the movie we see its protagonist Alvy Singer, played by Woody Allen, exemplify the stereotypical neurotic New Yorker, who engages in continuous comical self-reflection and categorical summarizing of people he meets and sees. This narrative technique is one that would later be used extensively by the television hit Seinfeld.

At the end of the day, and after trying a number of times, Alvy and Annie could not make their relationship work no matter how much they loved each other. This is a powerful message that will always resonate with viewers that love is not enough to keep two people together. But the memories will always make for a wonderful story.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Julie & Julia

Have you ever had a hero who inspired you to make a major change in your life? If so, then Julie & Julia is your story as much as it is of Julie Powell and Julia Child. Julie & Julia is an innovative film which follows the lives of both women as they discover the that the joy of cooking has surpassed simply a hobby and has become a means for defining their lives.

Through its very well balanced 50/50 division of time, Julie & Julia effectively conveys both Julia Child's training and rise to fame and Julie Powell's progressing through Mastering the Art of French Cooking, one recipe at a time.

The film offers a very subtle, but significant message: that our heroes can and very likely will disappoint, for their inability to live up to our expectations. This proves very true for Julie Powell when she learns that Julia Child is not supportive of The Julie/Julia Project and on fact has a very strong and negative opinion about it.

Amy Adams portrays Julie Powell's devastation in a most empathetic fashion that you cannot help but remember your own individual experiences in the same situation. It this moment in the film which gives the film its authenticity and reason enough for it to be watched by everyone.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Moon

WARNING: Spoiler Alert!
On the surface, Moon is the classic story of corporate greed, albeit in this case in the name of environmental responsibility. But as it progresses, it raises the very uncomfortable issue of what it means to be human in an ever changing and more scientifically advanced world. However, in the end, Moon simply leaves open the question and does not offer an answer.

The film opens with Sam Bell nearing the end of his 3 year contract managing a new mining operation on the moon which has provided the entire planet an unlimited and environmentally friendly energy source. Sam's only companion is a computer/robotic system named GERTY, a friendly version of HAL 9000, who also acts as a gatekeeper between Sam and life outside of the mining base. GERTY's secondary function is to protect Sam at all costs. Unfortunately, GERTY can no longer protect Sam after he has an accident while doing routine maintenance of the mining equipment.

Sam's disturbing revelation begin after he wakes up after the accident and GERTY insists that he not leave the base until the clean up crew arrives. Sam's curiosity gets the better of him and he returns to the site of the accident to find a second person on the moon he had never seen before. However, the person looks exactly like Sam. In fact, after the second man regains consciousness, he claims he is Sam and that the 'Sam' who he rescued is a clone.

The two Sams begin a struggle to determine the truth behind their current situation. Due to a genetic variation, the first Sam is aware that he is a clone, while the second Sam is not. So begins the two Sam's journey to discover how the corporation has kept the lie going for so long and planning how to return to Earth and the loved ones they believe have been left behind.

The most painful moment in the film is not when second Sam forces GERTY to confirm he is a clone, but when he contacts his home on Earth and discovers that his baby daughter he has been longing to see for 3 years is actually 15 years old now and that his wife whose recorded video messages have kept him going, has been dead for several years. But even worse, is when the second Sam hears the original Sam's voice on the video message. In spite of knowing that he is a clones, and one who is running 15 years behind the original Sam, second Sam still feels the loss of his wife and the lost years with his daughter.

But how can a clone with only implanted memories have genuine feelings about something that he has no first hand knowledge or experience in? Can science supersede the core tenants of the human experience? These are the questions that Moon does not answer, but simply throws in your face for your own individual digestion.

This is the type of story that the Filmfreak Mafia is all about. Stories that do not preach, but instead force individual reflection, so that we each can find the meaning within for ourselves.