DavidGHeiser.com » Documentaries

My Winnipeg - Movie Review

David Heiser — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 02:55:00 +0000

I usually like quirky movies. Most of the time, when a film is a little too out there for my friends, I just get more excited to see it. That being said, there is still a point where my attention can be lost. Unfortunately, Guy Maddin’s My Winnipeg was one of those films that lost me.

Though I had never actually seen any of Maddin’s other work (he’s much more popular in Canada than the U.S.), I had gathered that he had a unique style and was some what of an acquired taste. True to the rumors, My Winnipeg was unlike anything I had ever seen.

The film is presented entirely in low-lit black and white. The scenes are divided with shots of falling snow, and they all visually reflect the dream motif that permeates My Winnipeg’s story.

Speaking of the story, Maddin categorizes his film as a “docu-fantasia.” The general premise is that Maddin wants to finally escape Winnipeg’s air-tight grip on its residents, but in order to do that he must first take a deeper look at his past, reimagining how things might have gone differently. The film includes scenes covering everything from the time Maddin’s sister hit a deer (and may have had inappropriate “relations” with a boy) to the bizarre “man pageants” that used to be presided over by the mayor.

Maddin narrates My Winnipeg in a semi-poetic fashion. Some scenes are almost completely lyrical, while others drift more toward traditional documentary narration.

Overall, while the film is definitely visually interesting and creative, I just didn’t find it to be entertaining. Though I don’t need a movie to be action packed, I do need to be engaged in the story in order to give it a positive recommendation. With that said, I can’t recommend My Winnipeg to most viewers. Unless you’re a fan of Maddin’s other work, or are seriously interested in bizarre arthouse cinema, I’d probably leave this one on the shelf.

Religulous - Movie Review

David Heiser — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 05:15:00 +0000

Yes, I’m a registered Democrat, but that doesn’t mean that I’m automatically going to blindly praise whatever video propaganda is released by the world’s left-leaning documentarians. In fact, I rented Religulous, the controversial film from controversial liberal talking head Bill Maher, fully expecting to slam it for being mean spirited and one sided.

So, were my preconceptions confirmed? Yes and no. Like I expected, Maher made sure that he only interviewed people who fall into three categories: 1) Those that disagree with him, but are so ridiculous that they cannot be taken seriously, 2) Those that agree with him and he can use to prove a point, and 3) Those who fit snugly into commonly held stereotypes and are there for us to ridicule. Also as expected, Maher gets in his fair share of caustic remarks. These are usually directed at foreign people who might not fully grasp that they are being insulted or at those who are too stupid/uninformed to stand up for themselves. Still, I can’t bring myself to dismiss Maher’s film completely, because it really has some very funny moments.

The key to enjoying this film is not looking at it as a serious investigation into modern religion. You have to go into it expecting about the same level of journalistic integrity as you would from Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert. Once you are able to view the film in this way, it becomes very difficult not to chuckle during scenes like those in which Bill interviews a Puerto Rican guy from Miami who claims to be the second coming of Christ, or a former member of a ’70s R&B group-turned reverend whose blatant lack of knowledge of the Bible is comical.

However, while there is certainly some gold to be found here, the bulk of the film is really just Maher’s effort to make believers of any religion out to be morons. Even as someone who isn’t religious, I found this to be offensive. Sure, everyone needs to be able to take a joke once in a while, but that doesn’t mean that it’s acceptable to imply that everyone who believes in a particular religion necessarily endorses everything that has ever been in the name of that faith. That is my real issue with the film.

Would I recommend it? I’d only suggest Religulous to people who I know to share Maher’s skeptical view of religion, those that aren’t likely to be offended by his stereotyping and exaggerations. That being said, if you fit that bill, then by all means go check it out; you’re guaranteed to get a few laughs.

(DH’s FYI: The movie’s title is pronounced re-lij-yu-lus, not re-lig-yu-lus. I got this wrong for about two weeks before someone corrected me.)

Seven Mini Movie Reviews

David Heiser — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 04:04:00 +0000

So, I’ve had time to watch a few movies recently. Unfortunately, with exams and the holidays I haven’t been able to write reviews. I’ll use this post to get you all caught up on what I’ve been watching and whether or not it’s worth your time and money.

When Did You Last See Your Father?

This is my favorite of the films that I haven’t had a chance to write about. It’s the story of a son (Colin Firth) dealing with the sudden impending loss of his father (Jim Broadbent). It’s about coming to terms with the fact that you might not have time to answer all of the questions and address all of issues that result from a lifetime of conflict. Director Anand Tucker expertly captures the quirks and struggles of the father-son relationship in a way to which many will be able to relate. Firth and Broadbent are both excellent in this story that is heart wrenching without succumbing to melodrama. I highly recommend checking this out.

City of Men

The sequel to the critically acclaimed Brazilian film City of God had a tough act to follow. While it didn’t impress me as much as its predecessor, City of Men was still very enjoyable. The story, which follows two of the younger characters from the first film (with the same actors), is energetic and action packed. The themes of fatherhood and friendship within this impoverished, gang-ridden landscape are explored in a way that delivers more emotional resonance than you might suspect. It’s stylishly shot and draws added realism from true-to-life shooting locations in the slums of Rio de Janiero. If you enjoyed HBO’s excellent series “The Wire,” then this is going to be right up your alley.

Married Life

I went into this film with mixed expectations. I really like Chris Cooper, but Pierce Brosnin has never done much for me (with the exception of The Matador). In the end, however, the story just wasn’t enough to keep me interested. Almost everything unfolds precisely as you would expect, with the exception of the very end, which struck me as totally implausible. Cooper’s performance was solid, but none of the other characters seemed particularly authentic. It’s not awful, but there are much better options currently occupying your local video store’s “New Releases” shelves.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army

I never saw the first Hellboy, but after seeing Pan’s Labyrinth and loving what Guillermo del Toro did with that film, I decided to give The Golden Army a chance. Like Pan’s Labyrinth, this film is visually very cool. The creatures are interesting and the action sequences are entertaining. Unfortunately, the film stars Ron Perlman and Selma Blair, neither of whom are likely to ever draw much attention from the Academy. It’s based on a comic book, however, so I guess a bit of campiness has to be expected. Overall, it’s certainly a better film than Hancock or any of the new Spiderman movies, so if you’re looking for 90 minutes of somewhat low-brow entertainment, go ahead and give it a shot.

Taxi to the Dark Side

If you weren’t already fed up with the current regime, then this stirring documentary is sure to put you over the edge. Taxi to the Dark Side draws its title from the story of a young Afghan man who was wrongfully arrested, without any evidence, and sent to an American prison. There, the young man, who was never charged with a crime, was interrogated for hours, tortured, and eventually dies. The documentary delves into the culprits and causes behind America’s current policy of torture. It’s especially disheartening once you realize that if any other country was doing to Americans what we are doing to Iraqis and Afghanis, we would have charged them with war crimes long ago.

Tropic Thunder

Back when Tropic Thunder was nearing its theatrical release, I really couldn’t see what the big deal was. Ben Stiller has never been one of my favorites. I feel like he plays essentially the same character in almost every movie he does. Jack Black can be funny (e.g., Orange County) but he can be pretty awful too (e.g., Envy). Robert Downey Jr. has talent, but I’m more than a little skeptical of any modern movie that includes the use of black face. Still, it received generally positive reviews so I decided to give it a chance once it was released to DVD. Stiller and Black were as ridiculous as I expected them to be, but the movie is saved by the mind-bogglingly hilarious performance of Tom Cruise. Cruise steals every scene that he’s a part of and single-handedly saves Tropic Thunder from mediocrity. Rent it without too high expectations and you’re in for a treat.

You Don’t Mess with the Zohan

Yes, I actually rented You Don’t Mess with the Zohan. No, I don’t really have a defense for why I did it. Actually, I was lured in by the fact that it received a 75 percent or above from Roger Ebert and seven other critics on MetaCritic. I should have trusted my better judgement, but I can’t say I didn’t laugh. There are some scenes that are so ridiculous that you won’t be able to help yourself. Even still, if I could have the hour and a half of my life that I spent watching Zohan back, you can bet I’d jump at the opportunity. Pass on this one.

Four Mini Movie Reviews

David Heiser — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 22:37:00 +0000

So, I’ve seen several movies recently, but have been way too busy to do reviews of all of them. Here are four brief reviews of films from four different genres, there is something for everyone in this post so be sure to keep reading after the jump.

The Strangers

I, along with most other moderately serious movie goers, have grown very tired with the whole slasher / torture porn genre of horror movies that have littered theaters for the past several years. While The Strangers looks like it may fall into that genre if you just judged it from the trailer, writer/director Bryan Bertino thankfully didn’t go that route. The film’s plot is simple and straightforward, a young couple at an extremely difficult time in their relationship are terrorized by a group of, of course, strangers. The surprising thing is that it really didn’t need much of a plot. The Strangers is essentially an exercise in creating suspense, and at that it excels. Bertino gradually builds an overwhelming sense of dread around his characters before anything really goes down, making sure that you’re never too relaxed. Once things do start to happen, however, you won’t leave the edge of your seat. If you’re a fan of horror movies and appreciate the art of creating suspense, then The Strangers is definitely worth your while.

Young@Heart

Young@Heart is a documentary about a senior citizen’s choir who perform famous rock songs, including hits from The Ramones, Sonic Youth, Coldplay, etc. The film manages to be both heart wrenching and inspirational as the choir struggles to overcome the deaths of two members in the weeks leading up to their show. You can’t help but be impressed by, and feel connected to this group who is defying stereotypes and doing what they love during their golden years. Be prepared to grab some Kleenex during the last couple scenes of Young@Heart as one of the choir’s members performs an absolutely stirring rendition of Coldplay’s “Fix You.” It hit me much in the same way that Johnny Cash’s cover of “Hurt” did the first time I saw the video.

The Counterfeiters

Wow, what a movie. After I saw the outstanding animated French film Persepolis, I was about 90% sure that the Academy had chosen the wrong movie for last year’s “Best Foreign Language Film” Oscar, even though I hadn’t seen all the nominees. Let’s just say I spoke too soon. The Counterfeiters is the true story of Salomon Sorowitsch, a famous Jewish-German counterfeiter who was forced by the Nazis to lead a team of concentration camp prisoners ordered to produce fraudulent British currency to finance Hitler’s war effort. There have been tons of World War II movies, but this is a fresh, interesting story that we’ve never seen played out on film. Karl Markovics is excellent as Sorowitsch and director Stefan Ruzowitzky shows some serious skill behind the camera. If you at all enjoy foreign films, The Counterfeiters comes highly recommended.

The Incredible Hulk

As I mentioned in my review of Pride and Glory, I’m a huge Edward Norton fan and will see just about anything he’s in. After being disappointed by Pride and Glory, however, I was prepared for Hulk not to be very good. Thankfully, I was proven wrong. Hulk isn’t an Oscar caliber film, but it’s still a pretty good time. Norton gives a characteristically strong performance and the story is fast paced and action packed. I didn’t see Ang Lee’s 2003 version, but from what I’ve gathered Lee tried to take the franchise in the King Kong / Frankenstein sensitive beast tragedy direction, and it just didn’t click with viewers (it was a giant box office flop for those of you who didn’t know). It appears that writer Zak Penn and director Louis Leterrier took the criticisms of the last Hulk to heart and went out to address them one by one. If you’re in the mood for an entertaining big budget blockbuster, you could do much worse than The Incredible Hulk.

Street Stars: Game Over - Movie Review

David Heiser — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 20:43:00 +0000

Game Over is supposed to be a documentary about three drug dealers (AZ, Richard Porter, and Alpo) who dominated the Harlem narcotics scene in the mid-late 1980s. The three guys who the movie focused on were the inspiration for the 2002 Mekhi Phifer / Wood Harris (The Wire, Remember The Titans) movie, Paid In Full. I liked Paid, so I was interested to see the non-fiction version of the story. Unfortunately, the original movie was about 10 times more informative and complete than the documentary, a pretty rare occurrence.

This “documentary” was terrible. There is really no other word for it. It was only 45 minutes long and looked like somebody made it for a high school level video editing class. The camera work was ridiculous. Sometimes, during an interview, the cameraman would seem to get bored and would start zooming in and out on random things in the background.

The film is narrated by Jadakiss (yea, the rapper), and that is our first sign that things aren’t going to be pretty. Game Over is a compilation of interviews with mostly random people that either knew or simply knew of AZ, Alpo, or Rich. It doesn’t seem to be too illogical that some of the people who are interviewed would be narcotics users themselves, given the subject matter of the film, but there was one guy, who was never really identified, who was missing half of his front teeth and really looked like they had just pulled him out of a crack house. It made me question his reliability just a tad. A lot of the interviews seemed to be comprised of people just recalling neighborhood gossip and tall tales they heard 20 years ago. I thought about including an example of this ridiculousness, but this movie was riddled with so many N-bombs that it would be more than a little inappropriate for a white guy to post it on his blog.

One of the lone strengths of the film is the series of interviews done with AZ, the only one of the three who isn’t in prison or dead. It is interesting to get his perspective on what went down, even though he really just focuses on a couple of events rather than a broader spectrum of their era of control, which I think would have helped the film’s depth and organization tremendously. Also, I think they missed on a really good opportunity in their interviews with Rich Porter’s sister. About a third of the movie is footage of an interview with her, where she recalls the kidnapping of her little brother (Donnell) and the death of her older brother (Rich). She spends about 10-12 minutes talking about her little brothers kidnapping, then just throws in at the end about 30 seconds on Rich’s (one of the three focuses of the movie), death. The story about her little brother was an important anecdote to include, because it shows the danger that the jealousy of those close you can pose to people of power, but it really took up WAAAYYY too much of the movie.

All in all, if you’re interested in this sort of thing, go rent Paid In Full. Even if you like Paid, stay away from Game Over. I felt like I wasted 45 minutes of my life and one of my rentals from Blockbuster.