Away From Her Review

It seems to be an incredibly rare thing, to deliver a cinematic love story that actually feels authentic and genuine. Over the course of each year, week after week, films are released that are supposed to convey the emotional power of love starring two gorgeous individuals between the ages of 18 - 35. In these 94 minute shit storms, we see these quirky characters deliver a clunky, predictable script with various pop songs playing and at some point during the story they will break up, only to find each other again at the end, probably in Times Square at night when it's snowing. If these films demonstrate true expectations for romance, it's no wonder why every god damn couple gets divorced.

A word like "sad" doesn't begin to do a film like Away from Her justice. Directed with a steady confidence by Sarah Polley, despite it being her first feature length picture, this is a work of brilliant, insightful devastation. Why? Because it is real. These people, these characters, these performances all feel like they could be a part of a documentary rather than a fictional narrative because the film doesn't attempt to present a glamorous, picture perfect tale of lovers.  This is what love really is, haunted minds due to past indiscretions, the uncertainty of each day due to the all too real acceptance of mortality. Two people spending their lives together is a wonderful and romantic notion, but in order to make it work you must be prepared to deal with difficult times and emotional pain. 

Gordon Pinsent plays Grant Anderson, a man who is madly in love with his wife of 44 years yet is forced to accept the unfortunate truth that her mind is slipping away due to Alzheimer's disease. Julie Christie plays Fiona, wife of Grant, a woman who learned to move past Grant's infidelity and instead of harboring anger, she feels gratitude that a man loves her so much he is willing to stick by her as the bad times start to get even worse. Their lives and their love feel remarkably real, and sadly so too does her illness. I can think of few things more heartbreaking than the idea that a person can wake up in the morning and not recognize the face they have shared a majority of their lives with. 

So touching and tender, Polley handles the material with class and realism, as if I could feel the loneliness of Grant as he comes and goes to visit his one true love despite her confusion regarding his identity. I was filled with sadness as I watched the story unfold, both because of the events taking place on screen but also because I always knew in the back of my mind that this was really happening to far too many people each and every day.

Away from Her isn't flashy or exciting, and I can't imagine wanting to revisit it over and over, but it is powerful and important. The type of film that is ingrained in your mind after only one viewing.

4.5/5

Cinema Paradiso Review

When I was growing up, my family owned a small cottage in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. I hated staying in it, it had no running water, you couldn't keep bugs out, and there was no air conditioning so if we went during the summer, sleeping was pretty much impossible due to the heat. I have no nostalgic memories of that place specifically, and the fact that we sold it a few years back doesn't really bother me.

However, when I was much younger there was a movie theater in downtown Rhinelander owned by a husband and wife, and the only employees of the place were themselves and a couple of teenage kids to clean up and help out. One screen, whatever big movie was playing at that time would be on it, so when you bought your tickets you didn't have to scan a big board above you to pick what movie and what time and whether or not you wanted to wear glasses while you watched it. You would just say "Two please". The husband owner would rip the ticket for you and then hand you the stub, and you would walk through to the concession stand, which was being run by his wife making fresh popcorn.

The last film I ever saw there was Saving Private Ryan. I remember walking out of the theater still in awe over the film I had saw, not looking back at the quaint little theater that had given me so much joy for years. By the next time we visited, a giant 20 screen multiplex was up and running across town and that wonderful little theater was closed. I miss that place. I wish I could go back and experience that last screening again so I could take it all in and appreciate the moment.

Cinema Paradiso brings these type of stories out of me. It is a wonderful tribute to friendship, memories, nostalgia, love, and film itself. Every single time I watch Cinema Paradiso, I still feel the same level of warmth and comfort that I did the first time back in a film class senior year of high school. Every single time I see Toto riding on the front of Alfredo's bicycle, I smile. 

Some films are fun and entertaining but they leave you cold and lack any real importance. Cinema Paradiso pushes all the right buttons to make me feel something significant, even after it is over.

5/5

Grave of the Fireflies Review

Until my daughter was born, my own death was the scariest thing in the world. 

It's a surreal and almost unacceptable concept, the idea of ones own mortality, and until that life changing day back in October of 2007 it was the most haunting and unsettling thought I could have. When I heard her first cry, when I saw her tiny face and hands and feet, when I held her for the first time, nothing was more beautiful and yet terrifying at the same time. She was a person that would live her life in the same world I had occupied for 23 years at that point, a world full of hate and anger and judgement and bigotry and violence. A world where a day doesn't go by without someone committing unthinkable actions to an innocent life simply trying to go about their day, a final breathe taken but unappreciated because in a just world there would be millions more to follow.

I had only known her for minutes, and yet I was more in love than I had ever been before. Any selfish concerns I had quickly melted away, but what replaced them was even more troubling than before. I was literally holding her precious life in my hands and from that moment forward I have been petrified to let my guard down, to let go and leave her vulnerable to an unforgiving world.

Grave of the Fireflies is one of the greatest efforts in the rich history of Studio Ghibli, and that is saying something. Drop the word animated, it's irrelevant and demeans what I am about to say as it is often times looked upon as inferior to live action cinema. Grave of the Fireflies is one of the greatest war films ever crafted, a true masterpiece in every sense. 

Despite the backdrop of war and the fact that its impact on an entire region is central to the story, at the heart of this film is an intimate tale about two kids trying like hell to survive at a time when doing so is challenging to say the least. Hardly a day goes by without the warning sirens echoing through every corner of town, a harrowing sound that forces innocent people to flee their homes in a desperate search for safety. Surrounded by death and dealing with a shortage of food, teenager Seita and his young sister Setsuko may initially just be fictional animated characters but as the story develops they feel more and more human before our very eyes. 

I believe the reason for this is because while they may be a work of fiction, what they represent is unfortunately not. When war is declared, bombs are dropped on general areas taking with them far too many lives undeserving of such devastation. Even if they survive the attacks, the normalcy of their lives and their means to continue on are destroyed. For every bad guy that perishes, the hope and purity of a child is taken from this world and I can't think of anything more heartbreaking. It literally makes me hurt inside, to think of a little girl like Setsuko wondering where her mother is, forced to find any form of shelter to protect her from the outside world. The body of a child falling apart with each passing day without food.

As tears fell from my eyes, I imagined my own daughter under such circumstances, crying out for help with no one there to provide it. The thought destroyed me. I wanted to reach through the television and help Seita and Setsuko as if they were my own. I wanted to remind them just how beautiful the fireflies are to take their minds off of the anguish of reality. Grave of the Fireflies is such a powerful achievement I couldn't even fall asleep for a while after it was over. I was still mourning the loss of fictional characters because somewhere behind their hand drawn artistry stands real people struggling to stay alive.

"Why must fireflies die so young?"

My heart is broken, but my eyes are wide open. Grave of the Fireflies is extraordinary.

5/5

Life of Pi Review

"He said you had a story that would make me believe in God."

I have no idea whether a God exists. I have no evidence to either prove or disprove the possibility of a benevolent force whose guiding hand plays a role in the events of humanity, and I am a man who needs that evidence in order to truly believe. I never mean to disrespect either side of the aisle, as anyone is entitled to find comfort in their faith in a higher power or disregard faith entirely as a fallacy, but I simply cannot head down either path without proof.

When I say things like evidence or proof, I don't even necessarily mean indisputable mathematics or scientific fact that practically reveals either a God or a absence of one in front of my very eyes. I don't have such things to hammer out the absolute existence of love, but I know it is real because I can feel it in every fiber of my being. If someone asks me what love is, how would I verbally describe it? I'm not sure I could to be honest, but no one can tell me it doesn't exist because I know the way I feel when I come home every day and see my wife and daughter. I know that I love them because they made me realize that the delicacy of my own life, the importance of my own safety are no longer what keeps me up at night. I know that I love them because I would step out in front of traffic right now if it guaranteed they would be okay.

Is it similar to believe in and to love a God? I would assume so, but I just do not feel it. At least I normally do not feel it, but every so often a moment in reality or a piece of art captures my attention in a way that fills me with a warmth that is indescribable, like perhaps existence is bigger than you and I, perhaps the meaning of our lives extends beyond what our minds are able to understand. I know it sounds silly or hyperbolic, but I sometimes find this warmth in really special and uniquely beautiful works of cinema. The film Life of Pi by Ang Lee is one of those films.

The story of Pi and his journey across the Pacific Ocean, just a 16 year old boy on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker, is one I connected to very quickly and on a deep level the first time I saw this film, and nothing has changed as I viewed it for roughly the third or fourth time today. The storytelling is profound on multiple levels, as I feel true heartbreak for the loss Pi goes through. I feel true joy for the small victories he experiences along the way. The two main characters, one a human being and the other an animal, share a level of chemistry on screen that most films are unable to establish between two people both speaking dialogue. What Ang Lee achieved here is truly remarkable, as a story is promised that would make me believe in God, and at least during the two hour journey this film takes me on, I do.

When the film ends, you can either choose to believe the rather unbelievable story told by Pi throughout or you may prefer to side with logic and reason and the more grounded and realistic version of events.

I may not always feel the existence of a God, but I believe in Pi.




5/5

Interstellar Review

My adoration for Christopher Nolan as a filmmaker does not manifest blindly, despite what many people may assume as all I see around the internet is the term "fanboy" thrown out any time a rave Nolan review pops up. My eyes are open while I experience his films and if the time shall come in which his work truly disappoints, I will feel it and accept it. It just hasn't happened yet, and Interstellar certainly isn't the one to let me down. In fact, after my revisit yesterday, this time in front of a majestic IMAX screen, I am confident that this is not only the most ambitious work of his career, it is also his best.

Christopher Nolan does not make flawless films, let's make that clear. I do not believe he is a one man masterpiece machine or that he walks on water, but I love his filmography and the power it has over me because the man is a grand, ambitious entertainer. He is a man of big ideas and big execution, and any flaws that may pop up during films like Interstellar or Inception are easily forgivable because I admire the desire to dream big and present a grand vision at the expense of perceived perfection.

I realized long ago that I am a man who embraces the all important second viewing of a film, because for whatever reason my brain seems to process more of the details once I already know what is coming, once I am allowed to just sit back and lose myself in the ride rather than try to guess what happens next. I had minor issues with aspects of Interstellar initially after one watch, as I found parts of the film to feel rushed despite its nearly three hour running time, wishing we could have had an additional 15 or so minutes on Earth with Coop's family to really let the power of the relationships resonate. I didn't seem to notice this as being an issue this time around, and perhaps it was because I had already taken this journey once before, but I was emotionally invested quickly and the tears of Murph knowing her father may never return home broke my heart.

My other key issue with the film was the tonal shift of their time on the second planet they land on, the Hoth-like beast of a world that feels more like a nightmare than salvation the second we lay eyes on it. I found the direction the film takes while on that planet to be jarring after one viewing, and perhaps it was because I didn't see it coming and I didn't expect it, because now I felt that sequence flowed just as beautifully as the rest of the work, and I understand the significance of what occurred there thematically more than before. The editing that is showcased here, as we follow both the drive of Coop to save himself and humanity and also the similar passion of his daughter back on earth as she cannot give up the fight to rescue both her loved ones and the world, is completely enthralling and beautifully handled. These two worlds are vastly different but the circumstances on them are familiar, both feeling desolate and potentially hopeless, and despite being millions of miles apart from each other, a father and his daughter simply will not give up.

If you read my previous review of Interstellar, you may be surprised to see me mention any flaws at all considering how head over heels in love I was with the film then. I had these minor reservations but I still never questioned how I felt about the complete journey Christopher Nolan took me on in the cinema that night. My love for film cannot be broken down simply with X's and O's like a play design in football, it is a far richer and deeper experience than just pointing to a flaw and deducting points off my final grade of the movie. If you were to look at the trend of my favorite films over the past three years, The Tree of Life in 2011, Cloud Atlas in 2012 and then Gravity in 2013, you will find that I connected with these works on such a deep, profound level that whether or not a performance was a little off or the script could have been tweaked and so on, these issues cannot diminish what I feel internally as I let the experience wash over me.

To me, cinema and art in general is all about a personal connection. You can break down every minute of a film and analyze it to death, and sometimes I am guilty of doing this myself, but for the most part I know whether or not a film worked because I can feel it in my soul. As I sit here and reflect on my second Interstellar trip, I would not be able to find a single moment that left me troubled or baffled or simply feeling off. Does that mean it is a perfect film? Hardly. For me though, for what I am looking for when I take my seat inside that theater, for what whets my appetite when appreciating the medium that has stole my heart, Interstellar is a grand, sweeping work that feels like a dream I might have that I would hope to let play out before I must wake. The incredible imagery of a ship attempting to dock in the depths of space combined with an eerie score by Hans Zimmer that seemed to always match exactly what was needed in that moment, that for me is science fiction. I have always craved exploration, a curiosity resides inside me that wants to know what can be found in every nook and cranny of not only our world, but our universe and beyond, and while no film could ever completely satisfy my desires, at the very least Christopher Nolan certainly tried. His vision lifted me out of my seat and brought me to places far beyond my field of vision, and for that I thank him.

Interstellar is a film about love, and the central relationship is the bond of a father and his daughter. As I absorbed the movie into every pore, I remember thinking that I would do anything and everything, I would travel anywhere and face any danger if it meant saving the little girl that I brought into this world. Try and tell me why I shouldn't love this film, go ahead, your case might be incredibly valid and well reasoned, but in the end it will not work. When cinema speaks to me, I listen. Interstellar has spoken.


5/5

Before Midnight Review

I feel weird referring to Before Midnight as the final film of the amazing love story because no one has actually ruled out the possibility of returning to do it again in 2022, when the characters will be 50 years old. If this does indeed conclude the wonderful romance of Jesse and Celine, at least they went out on top. All three films are beautiful, inspired works, but Before Midnight is just a step ahead of the others, the perfect conclusion to a trilogy of masterpieces.

The film falls into a bit darker territory than the first two, but that is to be expected. Before Sunrise and Before Sunset were about falling head over heels in love at a young age, and then reconnecting after years apart, both of which are scenarios that are typically associated with happy thoughts. Before Midnight is our first glimpse at these characters experiencing a true relationship, now nine years actually together and raising twin daughters while Jesse deals with the pain that comes from being away from his son from his previous marriage. These are real problems people face and the love shared between our two leads has never felt more believable because let's be honest, life isn't perfect. Sure, it may be easier to watch two people smile and kiss and say absolutely the greatest thing at the greatest time, but I prefer the realism of how raw and painful love can be.

The entire film has the similar sublime flow of the first two, except something about the setting of the outdoor sequences makes them feel even more vibrant and alive this time around. The real shining moment of Before Midnight is ironically when it is at its darkest and most heartbreaking, the sequence that takes place in their hotel room. There is an energy and a passion during that scene that is so believable that it literally makes me uncomfortable, like I am watching something I shouldn't. The dialogue is so on point and the emotion seeps out of every single second we sit there and continue to watch something that was once so beautiful slowly unravel.

The amazing thing Linklater achieves though is that from this ugly feeling of sadness that felt like a punch to the gut, he manages to charm us all over again with a final scene that is impossible not to extract a smile. While some of the film may be hard to watch, when the camera drifts back and we live that final frame, I know I am left wanting more. As long as this level of quality and care went into making these films, I never want to completely say goodbye.


5/5