Not Found

MetaCritic Score: 82

Frozen River won 24 awards and was nominated for 16 others (including two Oscars). Still, I can pretty confidently say that even you — someone who has taken the time out of their day to read a completely unadvertised movie blog — didn’t see it in theaters. I can say this because Courtney Hunt’s brilliant film  had a criminally low domestic gross of $2.5 million.

Frozen River centers on part-time dollar store employee Ray Eddy’s seemingly futile efforts to keep her family’s head above water financially, despite being married to a gambling-addict who continually sabotages her plans. Ray and her two sons live on the New York-Quebec border, where the harsh weather and job market are equally unforgiving. The region is also home to a Mohawk Indian reservation, which happens to be the haven of a thriving human-smuggling operation.

When we meet Ray, her husband has just run off with the family car, as well as the down payment on their brand new double-wide. After finding the car in the possession of a Mohawk woman who claims that she found it next to a bus stop, Ray is coerced into carrying two immigrants over the border. Though she has serious moral qualms with the practice, her initial, involuntary run forces Ray to think seriously about how far she is willing to go to provide for her family.

Frozen River‘s strength lies in the unbelievably honest, Oscar-nominated performance of star Melissa Leo (who has an IMDB resume a mile long, but you’ll likely only remember as Benicio del Toro’s wife in 21 Grams), as well as the directorial prowess of rookie filmmaker Courtney Hunt. Leo gives Eddy a balance and depth that is rarely seen on screen today. She conveys a great deal of emotion without ever crossing the line into caricature. Of course, her work on screen is supported by an exceptionally well written screenplay from Hunt, who does a great job of preventing her characters from feeling static. Each character responds to the crises that are presented in a way that feels very true to life.

I was also impressed with the film’s pacing. Low-budget indie movies have a tendency to drag, but Frozen River manages to avoid that through its taut 98-minute running time. Though this certainly isn’t the first film to discuss illegal immigration, it does present a fresh take on the issue — happily, one that doesn’t push an agenda or place the blame on one particular source.

Though its release was rather small, I do believe that Frozen River will appeal to a wide range of movie goers. If you’re in the mood for a well-acted, socially relevant drama, this film is worth every penny of a rental at Blockbuster.

No related posts.

MetaCritic Score: 80

When Wendy and Lucy showed up on my radar a couple months ago, I was torn over whether or not I should bother renting it. The reviews were solid (80s are few and far between on MetaCritic), but what I had read/heard about the plot lead me to believe that it might be unbearably slow, even by artsy indie movie standards. On the other hand, the film’s star, Michelle Williams, has developed a reputation as one of our generation’s best young actresses over the past few years, so I decided to give it a shot.

Wendy and Lucy is incredibly small in scope. The film captures about a week in the life of Wendy, a seemingly aimless young woman drifting across the country on her way from Indiana to Alaska, with only the vague notion that she wants to spend the summer working in a fish cannery. We meet her as she’s already on her way and leave her before she has much of a chance to get any closer to her destination.  We’re given no real exposition or denouement, but the crazy thing is that it really works wonderfully.

The hosts of one of my favorite podcasts, Filmspotting, are constantly criticizing movies for awkwardly forcing back-story details into places where they don’t fit. One recent – and particularly egregious – example of this took place in Taken, Liam Neeson’s recent ode to badassery. In that film, Neeson sits around a poker table with several of his CIA buddies discussing the highlights of his career and his love for his daughter. Filmspotting’s Adam and Matty were spot on when they said that this sort of spoon feeding shouldn’t be necessary. We don’t need to be told Neeson’s character’s full history in order to understand why he’s so intense in pursuit of his daughter’s captors; we should be able to gather that ourselves through his actions, words, and emotions. This is one of the key reasons why I see Wendy and Lucy as such a success; director Kelly Reichardt doesn’t need to waste any time with flashbacks, because Williams’s incredible acting and Jonathan Raymond’s screenplay give us a deep understanding of the character as we progress through the film.

What’s most impressive about Williams’s performance is how much authentic emotion she is able to convey with such a sparse script. She controls her expressions with incredible skill and reflects a deep sadness, teetering on the edge of hopelessness without overplaying it for a moment. Her stoicism is really beautiful in that regard. The fact that she essentially carries the film by herself, as Wendy is the only character of real significance, is another testament to the quality of her work here.

Reichardt also deserves a lot of credit for shooting this film in a way that reflects the tone of the story and the atmosphere of the setting. The locations chosen couldn’t have been better, and the muted color scheme that permeates every scene reveals the general malaise that sits over the whole town in which the story takes place.

In whole, Wendy and Lucy is an excellent film. It’s worth seeing for Michelle Williams’s performance by itself, but I really think that it succeeds on a number of levels. It’s not fast paced, and the story isn’t grandiose, but, as Film Threat’s Don Lewis said in his review, “Unless you’re an antsy movie-goer or have a cold heart, by the end of Wendy and Lucy, you’ll be engrossed, hoping for the best possible outcome.” So, check it out; I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

No related posts.

On MetaCritic, Funny Games received seven ratings of 80 or higher (which is really good), and six ratings of 20 or lower (really bad). It’s very rare to see critics as polarized as they were about German writer/director Michael Haneke’s remake of his own 1998 film by the same name. Now, what kind of movie could split critics into such distinctly different camps? How about an incredibly well crafted and suspenseful horror film with brutal violence and an almost unbearably pessimistic message about our society?

Funny Games centers on a young family heading to their vacation home for a quiet week away. Shortly after they arrive a young man (Brady Corbet) shows up at their door claiming that he was sent by the neighbors to borrow a few eggs. What starts out as merely an awkward interaction quickly becomes something much more sinister when the young man’s companion (Michael Pitt) arrives. The pair soon informs the family that they will be participating in a bet, and that their participation isn’t up for debate. The terms of the bet are simple; the young men bet that the family will be dead by 9 a.m. the next day. The family, of course, must bet that they will be alive.

What’s most disturbing about the mayhem that follows isn’t gore (there really isn’t much of that at all). No, what will stick with you after watching this film is the cold calmness with which the two assailants carry out the night’s festivities. They very rarely seem to ever lose their airtight grip on the situation. We’re never given a real reason for why they’re doing this, and that’s partly why Funny Games is so difficult for some people to stomach.

Outside of the moral criticisms Haneke is trying to make of our society, this film is a whole lot like Bryan Bertino’s 2008 film, The Strangers. What I mean is that both films primarily serve as an exercise in creating and sustaining suspense. In both cases, it won’t take long before you’ll have a pretty clear picture of the plot’s final outcome, but that doesn’t make them any less effective. The tone of both works lets you know that nothing positive could come out of these situations and it is simply something the viewer must accept. Thankfully, another similarity is that both films are tremendously successful at creating that suspense and sense of impending dread that they set out to. In Funny Games, Haneke accomplishes this by using a lot of long, sustained shots. You often feel certain something is about to happen, but Haneke doesn’t always follow through on those expectations, which will just leave you feeling even more antsy.

While the direction is fabulous, Funny Games biggest strengths are the performances delivered by almost every member of the cast. I can’t say enough about how perfect the choices of Pitt and Corbet were. Pitt especially is fantastic. He is so eerily self-assured that everything he does on screen is frightening. When he occasionally breaks the fourth wall and addresses the audience directly it is truly chilling. On the other team, Tim Roth (the husband) and Naomi Watts (his wife) are both excellent as well.

While I really enjoyed Funny Games, it certainly isn’t for everyone. It is unflinchingly dark and depressing throughout. Haneke offers a criticism of American audiences’ thirst for violence in a way that may be difficult for some viewers to take. On the other hand, I found the way he goes about delivering his criticism to be intriguing, and the story kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. If you like horror movies or suspense driven thrillers, then you NEED to see this film. It’s definitely one of 2008′s best in the genre.

No related posts.

Towelhead

I don’t remember hearing about this film when it was in theaters, but I recently saw a preview for it on another DVD and was intrigued. Towelhead is the story of Jasira, a 13-year old Lebanese-American girl who is just beginning to discover her sexuality. Jasira’s combination of a physical appearance beyond her years and an age-appropriate level of naivety make her a frequent target for the sexual advances of men of all ages. Her father’s judgmental, disciplinary nature and mother’s absence leave her without anyone to talk to and, as a consequence, without the guidance or knowledge necessary to safely navigate the situations she will face. Summer Bishil (who is actually 19) is fantastic job as Jasira, and Aaron Eckhart, who I have trouble picturing as anything other than a clean-cut good guy, is surprisingly effective as the pedophile neighbor. Perhaps a bit more subtlety could have helped, because sometimes writer Alan Ball (American Beauty, Six Feet Under) can be a heavy handed with his themes, but overall Towelhead is still worth renting.

Wanted

I had high hopes for Wanted. The previews looked awesome, leading me to believe that it would be like a more substantive version of 2007′s Shoot Em Up. Unfortunately, Wanted‘s absurdity was equal to just about anything in recent memory. The plot is weak, the dialogue is campy, and it’s not a stretch to say that this film may have featured the worst performances I have ever seen from Morgan Freeman and James McAvoy (both of whom I really like). On the positive side, the special effects are pretty cool; although, the bullet-bending trick does get a bit repetitive after a while. If you’re into mindless action and special effects, then by all means give Wanted a shot. Just don’t rent it hoping for an Oscar caliber story. Also, this movie loses extra points for making Freeman drop the F-bomb twice. Freeman seems way too classy and intelligent to ever do that.

Snow Angels

I’ve never been a fan of Sam Rockwell, and I usually don’t like Kate Beckinsale much either. Snow Angels has, at least temporarily, changed my opinion of both actors. Focusing on the lives of a woman, her estranged alcoholic husband, and a high school student she used to babysit, the film examines how, especially in a small town, the lives of individuals can be inextricably intertwined. What makes Snow Angels so great is the authenticity of the characters. Even in the film’s most extreme moments each character’s actions remain believable. The script is excellent and the performances are all exceptional. Be sure to move this one near the top of your “must-see” list.

No related posts.

I think Ben Kingsley deserves some sort of an award. Yea, I know, he already has an Oscar, but this is different. According to my research, Kingsley has now played a character of every ethnicity in the world except for African-American and Japanese.

Okay, I made that up, but seriously, his range is really impressive.

Transsiberian is the latest film from writer/director Brad Anderson, whose previous work includes the eerie Christian Bale film, The Machinist, and a variety of TV shows, most notably two episodes of the greatest series of all time (The Wire).

The story follows a young American couple as they take the Transsiberian Express from Beijing to Moscow, an eight day voyage through one of the world’s harshest landscapes. Roy (Woody Harrelson) is a caring but naive train enthusiast and his wife, Jessie (Emily Mortimer), is a reformed bad girl working hard to keep her life in order.

While on the train they meet another young couple. Abby (Kate Mara) is also an American; she’s a 20-year-old with sort of an Avril Lavigne look going on who hit the road early to escape a bad home life. Her boyfriend Carlos (Eduardo Noriega) is a well-traveled Spaniard with a good 15 years on his girlfriend. Being the typical passionate Spaniard that he is, Carlos immediately makes his interest in Jessie almost blatantly obvious through a series of awkward, prolonged stares. Still, Abby and Roy somehow manage to not notice.

Tension begins to build as it becomes clear that something is a little off with Carlos. That tension comes to the first of several crescendos when Jessie realizes Roy didn’t make it back to the train after going for a walk with Carlos at the previous stop. Panicked, Jessie decides to get off at the next town to try and track down Roy. Abby and Carlos are concerned for her safety, so they decide to wait with her. Roy eventually reappears, but by this point Anderson has thoroughly established a grip on his audience, one which he refuses to relinquish for the rest of the film. From this point forward, a heavy feeling of dread hangs over the characters. The audience knows that the other shoe is going to drop, but Anderson never lets you become too confident of when that will be.

When Jessie and Roy reboard the train (without Abby and Carlos, which is all I will say), Roy introduces Jessie to a new acquaintance he met while trying to meet back up with her. Grinko (Kingsley) is an affable and outgoing Russian narcotics detective. While their initial interactions are friendly, Grinko becomes suspicious when Jessie fails to sufficiently answer some basic questions about her interactions with Carlos and Abby. From there, a web of poorly told lies digs Jessie–and Roy by association–into a hole from which they may not be able to escape.

From a directorial standpoint, Transsiberian is a success on nearly every level. Anderson uses setting and location masterfully. Bleak, wide open Siberian landscapes are contrasted with the closed, almost claustrophobic feel of the train, each lending its unique characteristics to help build the suspense. The film’s pacing is also spot on. Anderson makes sure that there is just enough time between each twist that the audience isn’t ever quite able to fully relax.

I’ve never been Woody Harrelson’s biggest fan, but with his work in this film and No Country for Old Men he’s gained my respect. His portrayal of the Roy’s naiveity felt authentic, when it would have been easy for his character to become a static exemplification of that trait. Mortimer does a fantastic job with Jessie, giving her depth throughout the film, even before we learn her past. It’s quite an accomplishment for an actress whose characters are usually more of the “delicate flower” variety. Kingsley, as expected, was also excellent, delivering the goods as a stone cold Russian with the same brilliance as he has as an Iranian and Indian.

Overall, Transsiberian is an excellent film that I wish would have received more national recognition. I would recommend pushing this film up near the top of your “must-see” list. Check it out next time you have an opportunity.

No related posts.

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.

No related posts.

The Visitor is the second movie from Thomas McCarthy, the writer/director of the critically acclaimed film The Station Agent. You may also recognize McCarthy’s name from some of his various low-profile acting roles, including a stint on the final season of the greatest TV show ever made (The Wire).

Much like The Station Agent, The Visitor is a subdued, but profoundly human drama (I tried to think of another way to say this because that’s how several of the other reviews put it, but sometimes there’s really only one way to accurately describe something). The story focuses on Walter Vale, a downtrodden college professor who has spent the last several years in a rut, teaching the same class and doing just enough work to keep his job. Walter, a widower, lives alone, eats alone, and generally doesn’t engage in anything more than the minimum required human contact.

He gets displaced from his comfort zone when he is forced to go to New York City to present a paper he co-authored at a conference. Upon arriving at the apartment he owns–but hasn’t been to in years–in the city, he discovers that a young African-Islamic couple has been living there for months, paying rent to some guy who isn’t Walter.

After initially kicking the couple out, Walter has a change of heart and invites them to stay as long as they need after realizing they have nowhere to go. What follows is a moving story of the power of human connection that doesn’t rely on cliches or convenient plot devices.

The film’s writing and acting is superb on all accounts. Richard Jenkins, who plays Walter, gives depth to a character who could have ended up being stagnant and exceedingly unlikable in less capable hands. Haaz Sleiman delivers a breakthrough performance as Tarek, the djembe playing male half of the young Islamic couple. One might imagine that it would be difficult for an actor to generate sympathy for a character who is an illegal Islamic immigrant in NYC in today’s society, but Sleiman really does excellent work.

Perhaps The Visitor‘s best scenes, however, come toward the end of the film, as Walter slowly but surely forges a bond with Mouna, Tarek’s mother. The two characters couldn’t possibly have less in common, but some of the moments they share literally almost brought me to tears (something that never happens to me in movies).

Overall, I have to give The Visitor my highest of recommendations. It isn’t something to watch if you’re looking for an action-packed thrill ride, but if you simply love movies and are looking for something a little under the radar that may truly blow you away, this is the film for you. So check it out and thank me later.

No related posts.

I’ve been a bit hesitant to rent many independently released foreign language films recently. After my debacles with 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 days and Bamako, I started to second guess the festival awards and excessive critical praise that adorns the boxes of many of the movies I’ve never heard of at my local video store.

The Band’s Visit stood the risk of falling victim to my recent bias, sitting idly in the depths of my online Blockbuster queue, watching inferior movies pass it by and make their way to my mailbox. Thankfully for me, I was at the East Bay Blockbuster a few days ago, rushing to make an exchange because I had other errands to run, and grabbed this tremendous film because it was the first title I came across that was on my “must-watch” list.

The Band’s Visit chronicles an Egyptian police orchestra’s trip to Israel to play at the opening of an Arab cultural center. This trip is of particular importance because the word around the water cooler back in Alexandria is that the band may be the next casualty of the department’s tightening budget. Upon their arrival (in full uniform of course), a combination of language barriers, cultural misunderstandings, and general miscommunication sends them on a bus to the outskirts of a small desert town that is clearly not where they are supposed to be. The band’s leader, Tewfiq, tries to appear unfazed by the situation and is determined to get the band to its show without calling home for help.

When the band makes it into town, they come across a small cafe where they manage to procure a meal, despite a shortage of Israeli money. After their meal, Dina, the cafe’s free spirited and sharp witted owner, informs them that there are no more buses leaving that day, so they will be stuck there until morning. Dina and the cafe’s other two employees agree to house the band for the night. What follows is a wonderfully crafted study of culture and communication.

The film does an exceptional job capturing the subtleties of human interaction as pairs of almost polar opposites are forced to spend the night side by side. Tewfiq, a proper and emotionally restrained man, agrees (out of politeness) to go for a night on the town with Dina, who seems determined to make Tewfiq feel awkward with her blatant lack of decorum. Haled, the band’s resident ladies’ man, uncomfortably positions himself as the fifth wheel on a double date with one of Dina’s employees who lacks any sense of how to interact with women.

The Band’s Visit has many awkward moments, but everything feels very true to life. There is a quiet humor in the movie that has been applied with an incredibly delicate touch. The best thing I can say about The Band’s Visit is that it feels more authentic than just about any movie I’ve seen in recent memory. The actors all do a terrific job of capturing the essence of their characters and their emotions all come across with stunning realism. The Band’s Visit isn’t something to watch if you’re looking for fast paced entertainment or cheap laughs, but if you’re interested in seeing an exceedingly well crafted movie, I can’t recommend it highly enough.

No related posts.

An Inconvenient Truth won two Oscars. Some people may even have found the implications of its message to be frightening. Even still, the consequences of our actions that are outlined in Gore’s film seem abstract because they don’t threaten our immediate future and may not necessarily affect each of us individually. The Last Winter asks why we shouldn’t expect the Earth to defend itself, to fight for its own survival like any other living thing. What takes place in the movie is filmmaker Larry Fessenden‘s interpretation of one way Earth could fight back, and it is like nothing you’d expect.

The plot of Last Winter centers on a proposed oil well in a previously protected area of Alaska. A team, made up of employees of the oil company and environmental inspectors from the government, has been sent to get the rig up and running and make sure that the operation will meet environmental standards. Tensions begin to rise as it becomes apparent that the opinions about the projects viability of the lead representative of the oil company, played by Hellboy star Ron Perlman, are vastly different from that of the head environmental inspector, portrayed by James LeGros, whose report will likely decide if the plan moves forward. The inspector begins to notice wild temperature swings that threaten to melt the permafrost which has been frozen for several thousand years, and, without the permafrost, the ice roads necessary to bring in the oil company’s equipment cannot be safely built.

The rest of the team doesn’t really begin to notice that anything is wrong, however, until one night when a young member of the team heads out on a routine job, only to end up wandering 30 miles away, on foot, and returns obviously shaken and without a clear explanation for what exactly happened. While the others originally attribute this to his lack of experience in the fierce Alaskan landscape, a series of grisly and unexplainable events gradually make it apparent that some other force is at work.

The best aspect of The Last Winter is writer/director Fessenden’s ability to create suspense. He takes his time creating a palpable weight that hangs over the film, leaving the viewer constantly aware that something bad is going to happen, but unable to predict when. The suspense is aided by the bleak Alaskan landscape in which the film is set. The fact that we don’t expect our characters to encounter much of anything when they head out into the snow makes it that much more surprising when they do. Once the real drama does begin unfolding, the film manages to keep the tension level high as Fessenden expertly mixes action and information, firmly placing us on the edge of our seats as we begin to understand what is causing the chaos that has enveloped the crew.

While the acting isn’t the film’s selling point, there are a few solid performances. The best of these is issued by Friday Night Lights star Zach Gilford, who convincingly portrays the shell shocked newbie who first encounters the mysterious force. LeGros, who has an astoundingly long but largely unremarkable resume, also delivers a quality performance in a role that may just gain him a few more roles where his name will make the poster. Gilford’s Friday Night Lights co-star Connie Britton carries her weight as the ambiguously aligned love interest of the environmental inspector, who also happens to be one of the oil company’s main representatives on the project. On the other hand, I wasn’t impressed by Perlman, who seemed to be more of a charicature of a “big oil” company man than a real person.

My only other real issue is with the very end of the film. I don’t want to give anything away, but I’ll just say that we get a taste of denouement without getting anywhere near enough. I suggest watching the last scene either with your TV’s volume cranked to the maximum or with the subtitles on, because that is the only way you’re really going to have any idea why the things that are taking place on screen are happening or what they mean in the bigger picture. I really wish Fessenden would have either given us a little bit more here or given us a different ending that didn’t try to imply so much.

Overall, The Last Winter is definitely one of my favorite horror movies to be released to DVD this year. The film is anything but predictable and may be the first film in a new branch of the “eco-horror” genre that blends themes from environmental disaster movies with familiar elements of horror. I’d definitely recommend this to any fan of horror/suspense and to most people in general. If you have a weak stomach for gore, do be aware, however, that there are a few scenes where you’re going to want to look away.

No related posts.

“No one is ever really ready for Paranoid Park” – These words are spoken to Alex, the film’s main character just before his first trip to Portland’s famed haven for skateboarders, street kids, and punks. This warning, though seeming innocent enough, ends up vastly understating Alex’s unpreparedness for, not only the events surrounding his experiences in the park, but the next stage of adolescence as a whole.

Paranoid Park is directed by Gus Van Sant, the critically acclaimed filmmaker behind one of my all-time favorite movies, Good Will Hunting. Van Sant has developed a sterling reputation for his ability to capture the turmoils of youth, and Paranoid Park continues that tradition.

The film’s disjointed and somewhat circular plot structure centers around the events and consequences of one of the protagonist’s first experiences at the skate park for which the film is titled. Shortly after we meet Alex, played capably by newcomer Gabe Nevins, he is pulled out of class and called to an empty classroom and questioned by a police detective. The detective informs Alex that the body of a security guard has been found on the train tracks that run past the skate park. The police recovered a skate board from the nearby river with DNA evidence linking it to the crime. Alex tells the police officer that he didn’t go to the park that night and the officer lets him on his way. The “real” story of Paranoid is occasionally narrated by Alex as he is apparently describing them to a friend through a letter, which the friend claims will make Alex feel better because he is getting the truth off his chest. Alex explains the fractured nature of the story by stating that he, “was never good at creative writing anyway.”

As the film progresses, it alternates between the real story of that evening at Paranoid Park and the other dilemmas in Alex’s life. The only one of these side plots that receives a significant amount of attention is Alex’s relationship with his girlfriend. Alex seems to only want to be with his girlfriend so he can say that he has one, he never really seems to care about her and spending time with her seems to be a burden. He even says that he is considering breaking up with her because she is a virgin and he believes that she will probably want to have sex soon, which will inevitably mean more commitment than he is interested in. Perhaps it is this lack of interest in women, and his desire to spend his time at the skate park with the boys, that lead film critic Amy Taubin to declare the subtext of the film to be a “gay initiation.” I didn’t pick up on it while I was watching the film, but after looking back and reading Van Sant’s response (he didn’t deny it) I can see where she’s coming from.

For me the strengths of the film really center around Van Sant’s directing. Much like his 2003 release, Elephant, Van Sant uses lots of long, continuous, dream like shots. There are moments where Alex is struggling with the burden of his situation and the camera will follow him walking with the rest of the world sort of fading into the background, creating a very cool effect. To further the dream like nature of the film, Van Sant repeats a variety of his shots, when the story loops back around, it is not uncommon for Van Sant to show us the same image from a different perspective or to show an image again, but in slow motion. The pacing of Paranoid was very well done as well; for a movie that clocks in at just under an hour-and-a-half, it is impressive to not have things seem rushed.

Paranoid‘s weaknesses had much more to do with the people in front of the camera than the man behind it. While Nevins proved capable in playing Alex, I found several of the supporting actors to be really weak. The most notable of these was Alex’s friend Macy, played by Lauren McKinney. Her performance was simply terrible. Not only did all of her lines seem forced and awkward, but on more than one occasion she looks directly at the camera before realizing what she was doing and then darting her eyes away. I’ve seen high school plays with significantly better acting than this. His girlfriend, who apparently is from the TV show Gossip Girl (which I’ve gathered is like The O.C. for middle school girls), isn’t as comically bad as McKinney, but bad enough that I’m curious how she managed to land a recurring role on TV.

Even with these flaws, Paranoid Park is still a successful film. Van Sant creates suspense and makes Alex genuinely feel like a real person which makes his actions seem realistic given the personality that we are shown. It is stylishly filmed and features a solid soundtrack, even if it is a little heavy on the Elliot Smith. If you’re at all a fan of Van Sant’s other work then you’re in for a treat with this movie. Even if you’re unfamiliar with his style, you’ll appreciate Paranoid for its achievement in capturing a snapshot of youth culture, even if the member of that culture that it focuses on is thrust into a totally foreign situation. I wouldn’t put Paranoid into the must rent category, but, if there is nothing at the video store that you’re absolutely dying to watch, it is definitely worth checking out.

No related posts.