The Official Review Thread of 2005

[flipp525]

The chastened underclass can emerge in any form.

Nicely stated.

[Sonic Youth]

"Cache" is probably the best film of 2005. I wonder how Ron Howard is going to ruin it. He'll probably use lots of close-ups and a music score. And it won't be by Steve Reich.

The premise of that entire film is so rooted in the French-Algerian conflict that I'm really wondering, how exactly is Ron Howard going to graft the storyline onto an American sensibility?

That's probably the only thing I'm not worried about. The movie and its themes are more universal than that. There are a number of possible backstories that would serve this story well, regardless of the country or the time period it's set in. The chastened underclass can emerge in any form.

[flipp525]

"Cache" is probably the best film of 2005. I wonder how Ron Howard is going to ruin it. He'll probably use lots of close-ups and a music score. And it won't be by Steve Reich.

The premise of that entire film is so rooted in the French-Algerian conflict that I'm really wondering, how exactly is Ron Howard going to graft the storyline onto an American sensibility? I really shudder to think what he's planning on doing to it. Definitely one of the best films of 2005. Does Juliette Binoche ever turn in a subpar performance? I find her incredible in just about everything she does (even the treacle Chocolat).

[Penelope]

Interesting; despite my love of Peter Sarsgaard (especially with facial hair), I simply couldn't stand The Dying Gaul and gave up about 30-40 minutes in. I found it unbelievably dull and pretentious up to that point and said screw it.

[Sonic Youth]

After getting burned too many times by 2006 duds (most recently "An Inconvenient Truth"), I gave a few 2005's a try. Irony of ironies, the end result was three great movies in a row.

To add to the ironies, one of them was "The Dying Gaul", which flipp525 reviewed directly below this post, albeit nearly a year ago. It's a smashing nine-tenths of a film with a very bad ending. I don't know what happened, but in the final fifteen minutes the dialogue suddenly goes all stilted and pretentious on us, and the characters make utterances no real-life human could ever possibly utter. But until then, I was riveted. I knew writer-director Craig Lucas was also the author of "Longtime Companion" and "Prelude to a Kiss". I didn't know (or else I had forgotten) that he also wrote "The Secret Lives of Dentists". Makes sense. Stylistically, it could be Dentist's twin - the same impossibly crisp images, the same compulsively precise camera movements, the same unflinching, gazing quality. More importantly, both films are uncommonly (for movies) sagacious on the issue of fidelity and spiritual co-dependence, or the lack thereof. Killer cast down the line. Hell, I finally liked Saarsgard in something. And I'm also convinced Campbell Scott is probably the finest American actor working today. Most people wouldn't think so, but that only proves how subtle he is.

And of course there's that soundtrack, comprising entirely of music from my minimalist composer of choice, Steve Reich. (It's not an original score.) However much cam hates Philip Glass, that's how much I love Reich.

As too many filmmakers are trying to capture the Terrence Malick existentialist aesthetic and failing - including Sophia Coppola with "Marie Antoinette", not to mention Malick himself - the Brazilian film "Casa de Areia", directed by Andrucha Waddinton gets the exposition-less contemporary silent film thing down. An intimate drama set against overpowering desert vistas, it has the ensemble cast of the year, with Fernanda Montenegro and her real-life daughter Fernanda Torres playing five of the roles. Or rather, three roles but in several stages of their lives. The movie is about three generations of women unwillingly alienated from society and living amongst the dunes of the Maranhao, though it may as well be on the moon. It's the sort of film that tempts one to scoff "But nothing's happening!" even as the character's undergo complete transformations.

Haneke's "Cache" is the sort of film that plays very well to the successful, well-read classes even as it victimizes said classes. In fact, this demographic probably loved the film because it so accurately pinpointed their nightmares: family in danger, bourgeois well-being in danger, liberal ideals of the privileged class in danger. Essentially, the film operates under the premise of Bradbury's crushed butterfly, in which the actions of the child produce long-term consequences. Oddly enough, the most ambiguous of Haneke's films was declared to be his most accessible. Maybe they just meant his least overtly bruatal. The cinematography's astonishing use of interior space enhances the feeling of paranoia. And you could swear Daniel Auteuil and Juliette Binoche were a married couple. They're outstanding, and "Cache" is probably the best film of 2005. I wonder how Ron Howard is going to ruin it. He'll probably use lots of close-ups and a music score. And it won't be by Steve Reich.

[flipp525]

THE DYING GAUL (2005)

Cast: Campbell Scott, Peter Saarsgard, Patricia Clarkson; dir: Craig Lucas

The Dying Gaul borrows its title from the ancient Greek statue of the same name and makes a parallel between dying Celts in the Gallic War with gay men dying of AIDS. The film explores the nature of creative license, infidelity, post-modern & post-millennial human interaction through cyberspace and features what is probably the most disastrous “instant message” sessions on film to date (although, it’s really an old-school chat room conversation if you want to get into semantics). Set in 1995, Campbell Scott continues with his recent streak of despicable pigs by playing a Hollywood executive who discovers in Peter Saarsgard’s homosexual/AIDS love story script, the potential for a true hit. The only catch is that Saarsgard must be convinced to change the protagonists to a heterosexual couple to make it more palatable to American audiences. An affair develops between the two men that leads to a dire conclusion. Patricia Clarkson, the film’s true revelation, plays Scott’s wife, a slender, wispy, sardonic cocktail-er who bonds with Saargard before she decides to anonymously befriend him online, a move that sets the tragedy in motion.

Crisp dialogue and imaginative visual representation both make Craig Lucas’ debut directorial outing (based on his own play), a truly unique film experience. The sleek Hollywood offices and executive’s mansion illustrate the separation in values, substance, and wealth between the creative artist and his entrepreneurial Hollywood producer. The swimming pool is incredible. It seems to just sort of drop off into an oblivion and creates a sort of divide, if you will, in between the ordered heterosexual existence taking place in the house behind it and the danger that lurks in the brush (in the form of a plant that is pointed out to the audience very early in the film).

Saargard’s sleepy-eyed sex appeal works very well for this character. His disheveled artistic temperament and deeply-felt emotions are a good compliment to Scott’s more ordered, emotionally-vacant and calculating character. One scene in which Saarsgard breaks down after being jacked off by Scott was almost uncomfortably real. The online interactions between Clarkson and Saargard are surprisingly enveloping and the overall plot of the film advances quickly.

I was also pretty shocked at the way the film ends. Unsettling. This film should’ve been recognized for Saarsgard and Clarkson’s compelling performances in the supporting categories.

One point of contention: Why set the movie in 1995? Was is simply because chatrooms were more "en vouge" and new at that time? Did they want to somehow place the film within an era of AIDS films (Philadelphia, for example, which is, in fact, referenced)?

*** 1/2 out of 5

[Big Magilla]

I finally caught up with King Kong and Memoirs of a Geisha on DVD. Though both should be seen in theatres, they looked just fine on my 47" monitor.

You can see where the money was spent on Kong, but it goes on way too long. Even the New York sequence, so perfectly realized in the original, is stretched beyond endurance.

The performances are OK, but all the actors have done better work elsewhere. I can't for the life of me understand why anyone thought Naomi Watts was deserving of an Oscar nod unless it was the paucity of the competition. ***

I found Geisha to be better than its reviews led me to believe. The cinematography, music, costumes, art direction and set design were justifiably praised, but the performances are good, too. Ziyi Zhang's performance, as befitting her character, is very soulful and the supporting work of Ken Watanabe, Michelle Yeoh, Gong Li, Tsai Chin and the rest of the cast is strong. The story itself is the problem. It's a bit obvious and too melodramatic to be believed. ***

[anonymous1980]

RENT
Cast: Rosario Dawson, Taye Diggs, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Jesse L. Martin, Idina Menzel, Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp, Tracie Thoms.
Dir: Chris Columbus.

I didn't dislike it as much I expected to but that was inspite of, not because of, Columbus's direction. The movie is strongest when Jonathan Larson's music and it's staging filled the screen. It's the moments in between that seem to go on and on and are vapid and painful. Dawson and Menzel are stand-outs.

Grade: B-

[anonymous1980]

THE THREE BURIALS OF MELQUIADES ESTRADA
Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Barry Pepper, Julio Cesar Cedillo, Dwight Yoakam, January Jones, Melissa Leo, Vanessa Bauche.
Dir: Tommy Lee Jones

Officially, the most underrated film of the year. Tommy Lee Jones shows genuine directorial talent with this absorbing, rather quirky drama about a guy who gets buried three times. Great performances by Jones and Pepper.

Grade: A-

[Franz Ferdinand]

Thanks, flipp! With my part-time job at Barnes & Noble, I've definitely taken advantage of the employee discount--I bought some 20 odd books that I'd long wanted to read, including ........Achebe's Things Fall Apart,

It's been years since someone's mentioned this great book. I read it for my O'Levels in High school in 1978.

The Roots' 1999 album was named after Achebe's novel. They're a "great hip-hop" / "decent overall" band.

[kaytodd]

The Three Burials Of Melquiades Estrada (Dir.: Tommy Lee Jones)

Not nearly as good as two other films for which Guillermo Arriarga wrote the script (21 Grams and Amores Perros). The story is just not as strong or interesting as those earlier films. With the slender story line, Arriaga's habit of suddenly jumping back and forth in time and non-linear story telling made me roll my eyes. The gimmick seemed to work better and have more of a purpose with the more complex earlier films.

Also, the script is heavy-handed in its portrayal of almost all of the Anglo characters as ignorant, bigoted and violent in their disdain of their Latino neighbors. And it was not necessary to have almost all of the Anglo characters be so negative. By doing so, Arriaga and Jones missed a chance to improve the slender film by saying something substantial about the issues between the Anglos and Latinos in this border town. And this would have added to the film without distracting from the main narrative of the story.

But I am raising the film a letter grade because I think all of the performances are outstanding, from the leads down to the cameos. The performances made me care about all of the characters and give a sense of real community and depth to this border town. Kudos to Tommy Lee Jones for the performances, including his own.

The cinematography is beautiful and not only the beautiful desert locations. The scenes of the town itself help you feel what a desolate place this must be to live, especially if you are unmotivated and uneducated. The overall feel of the place where this story is set helps me understand the attitudes of some of the characters.

On a side note, you will note Levon Helm's name in the opening credits. I defy you to pick him out in the cast (and no cheating by checking out imdb.com).

I recommend you see this one for the performances (This could be a breakout role for Barry Pepper) and the look of the film.

Grade: B-

[Reza]

Thanks, flipp! With my part-time job at Barnes & Noble, I've definitely taken advantage of the employee discount--I bought some 20 odd books that I'd long wanted to read, including ........Achebe's Things Fall Apart,

It's been years since someone's mentioned this great book. I read it for my O'Levels in High school in 1978.

[anonymous1980]

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
Cast: Keira Knightley, Matthew MacFadyen, Brenda Blethyn, Donald Sutherland, Judi Dench, Jena Malone, Tom Hollander, Rosamund Pike.
Dir: Joe Wright

A solid, superbly acted and positively delightful cinematic adaptation of Jane Austen's famous novel. Knightley, in particular, is a revelation. Clearly, she's better than what a lot of people give her credit for. Props to the supporting cast as well.

Grade: A-

[anonymous1980]

CAPOTE
Cast: Phillipp Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, Chris Cooper, Clifton Collins Jr., Bruce Greenwood, Mark Pellegrino, Marshall Bell.
Dir: Bennett Miller

Fascinating but a bit flawed look into a specific chapter in the life of eccentric writer Truman Capote in his writing of In Cold Blood. Hoffman and Keener may be getting all the awards attention though I feel they deserve it, I think special mention should be made to Clifton Collins Jr. who simply blew me away as killer Perry Smith. I left the theater wondering why this guy isn't up fo rmore awards.

Grade: B+

[anonymous1980]

SYRIANA
Cast: George Clooney, Matt Damon, Jeffrey Wright, Chris Cooper, Christopher Plummer, Amanda Peet, Tim Blake Nelson, Alexander Siddig, Mahzar Munir, William Hurt.
Dir: Stephen Gaghan

Not entirely successful but still fascinating and intriguing look into the dirty world of greedy oil executives, corrupt government and terrorism. Great performances with Damon and Siddig as standouts. Clooney may have gotten the Oscar nod but Damon and Siddig deserved it more.

Grade: B