The Ballad of Jack and Rose / A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints (DVD)

The Ballad of Jack and Rose - Daniel Day-Lewis has never been better as an idealized hippie who lives with his tween daughter Rose (bewitching Camilla Belle) in their abandoned commune he created with her mother (who left them when Rose was very young) on a small remote island off the East Coast of the United States. These two share a very close bond (very close) and have kept pretty much to themselves for years and years... except that Jack has been sneaking into town to see a woman named Kathleen (Catherine Keener). When Jack learns he has a serious heart condition, he invites Kathleen and her two sons from previous relationships - bad boy Thaddius (Paul Dano) and introverted Rodney (Ryan McDonald) - to move in with him and Rose. Naturally, this sudden invite causes some alarm for all involved, shaking up the ecosystem he has preserved and rattling the fragile yet rebellious Rose to no end (she pulls a shotgun on the sleeping bodies of her father and his new lover, for example). Written and directed by Rebecca Miller (daughter of Arthur), the film has a leisurely pace and is lovely to look at (sun dappling water, twinkling of an electric storm in a blue-violet twilight, dazzling full moon on a clear night). There is also a literate outlook on her characters and their interlocking, both sutble (a painful look by Day-Lewis to his daughter's deliberate display of losing her viriginty to Thaddius) and not-so (a snake slithering loose under the bed during the deflowering representing a loss of innocence). While this is well-acted across the board - including a small role by the usually laid-back Jason Lee - it is a showcase for Belle whose got dark quasi-exotic/girl next door/angelic looks who walks a tightrope of madness and a desire for normalcy. There is a magical sort of charm that works between her and Day-Lewis that is both tragic and inspiring. The weakness? A tad self-righteous, a bit tedious at times, a bit preaching of a message. But it's still a wonderful, gorgeous and tender film.
Grade: B+

A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints - This movie goes to show that you can keep everything inside and think you will never have to think about it again... but the truth of the matter is that no matter what, your past is something you just can't escape. You almost have to see the movie to understand it in the least. This is a staggering, powerfully moving film with performances that are nothing short of brilliant. It's the sort of drama that explodes off the screen. All the elements are at such full potential that you have no choice but to become fully immersed in the story. It's so visually stunning that it reminds us what cinema is all about. You can easily compare this film to the best films from John Cassavetes and even compare it to Larry Clark's brilliant Kids, but this is the sort of movie that will challenge you relentlessy and honestly. It has an aesthetic creativity that is not manipulated or affected in any way. Plot? Dito Montiel (who also wrote and directed) is a poor Italian kid growing up in Queens. He meets a new kid from Scotland (Ireland, whatever) and the more he hangs out with him, the more he realizes how much he needs to get out of Queens. This is told mostly through flashbacks as the older Dito prepares to return home to visit his ill father who refuses to go to the hospital. The cast is nothing less than brilliant. Robert Downey Jr. and Shia LeBeouf (as the older and younger Dito) are stunning with the right amount of dangerous swagger, charm and innocence. Chazz Palminteri, Dianne Wiest, Eric Roberts (in a very, very small part), Rosario Dawson - everyone is wonderful. But the biggest surprise for me was Channing Tatum. I always thought he was a pretty face and a bad actor. Well, I was wrong and I will freely admit that after seeing what he's truly capable of with his angry tough guy work in this movie. He easily steals the movie from everyone else with his charimsa and talent. Watching this film is rewarding for anyone who craves more depth and complexity than is found in the typical Hollywood movie.

Grade: A-