Midnight in Paris

Anyone who has ever read this blog should know that I am a huge Woody Allen fan. Probably the biggest Woody Allen fan who wasn't actually alive during his heyday. I will never not recommend a Woody Allen movie unless it starts with the words "The Case of the" and ends with "Jade Scorpion." But, seriously speaking, Midnight in Paris is probably Woody's best movie in years. And this is coming from someone who really, really enjoyed Match Point and Vicky Cristina Barcelona. But Midnight in Paris is just so much fun, and so imaginative. It has the sort of whimsical loveliness of The Purple Rose of Cairo mixed with Woody's new found love of foreign countries.

Midnight in Paris stars Owen Wilson (who is, arguably, the strangest actor Woody has ever chosen to stand in for him, although it all sort of works somehow) as Gil, a man who writes brainless Hollywood scripts but longs to follow his dreams and become an important literary voice. You see, he idolizes the likes of Hemingway and Fitzgerald and wants so badly to live in the romanticized period of 1920s Paris. He's engaged to a terribly annoying spoiled rich brat named Inez (Rachel McAdams) and the two are in Paris with her terribly annoying spoiled rich parents (Mimi Kennedy and Kurt Fuller). While in Paris, the young couple begins spending time with knowitall Paul (Michael Sheen) and his adorable girlfriend Carol (Nina Arianda). However, Gil isn't really feeling their company and begins taking walks by himself late at night. Well, when the clock strikes midnight something very... strange happens. And I'm not going to say what it is. I'm sure you can find out if you really wanted to but, honestly, I had no idea what the plot really was going into the film which is probably why I loved it so damn much. It was such a creative and pleasant surprise for me that I will not ruin it.

Woody has written and directed a great little film, one that truly encompasses the magic of movies. The cinematography definitely matches Gil's love of Paris. This is a love letter to Paris the way Manhattan was a love letter to Allen's hometown. The performances here are all pretty top notch. Wilson is fantastic as Gil, romantic and idealistic, longing for a time gone by and entranced with his new found adventures. He's a refreshing change of pace for the usual neurotic Allen leads. I guess if you like McAdams then you would be impressed with her performance and they way she manages to grate on your every nerve. I, however, am not a fan so I wanted to punch her in the face for an hour and a half. And while none of the supporting performances will win an Oscar the way Penelope Cruz did for Vicky Cristina Barcelona, they are still pretty spectacular. Sheen is hilarious although he doesn't have enough screen time. Marion Cotillard is absolutely breath taking as an artist's muse. Adrien Brody is laugh out loud funny in his role, which is little more than a cameo. But best in show has got to go to Alison Pill and Corey Stoll, two character actors that manage to steal every single scene in which they are a part.

All in all, this is, by far, Woody's best movie in the last few years. It's clever and intelligent, interesting and entertaining, hilarious and heartfelt. Midnight in Paris is a very surprising, and very good movie.

Grade: A-

The Brothers Bloom and Where the Wild Things Are

The Brothers Bloom - Rian Johnson had a lot to live up to for me. His debut film, the unbelievably brilliant Brick, is one of my favorite movies of all time. How can one person possibly surpass that or even live up to it? I don't think The Brothers Bloom surpasses Brick, but it sure doesn't disappoint. Johnson's second film - still clever, still smart as hell, still funny and strange and unique - follows two brothers (Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo) who are con men about to embark on their final mark. Said mark is Penelope Stamp (Rachel Weisz), an eccentric multi-millionaire hermit who collects hobbies and can do everything from break dance to ride a unicycle while juggling chainsaws. Penelope's entrance in the film is probably one of the best character entrances in recent memory. Along for the ride is Bang Bang (Rinko Kikuchi) who barely says a word but conveys so much with so little dialogue. This movie is spectacular and not at all disappointing to Brick fans (check out cameos from Brick stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Noah Segan and Nora Zehetner). Johnson has so many great shots in this movie and style too spare. One of my very few complaints may be that the movie almost has too much style but that's hardly something I'm going to dwell on. It's definitely not a case of style over substance, that's too be sure. The substance is most definitely there as well. There are so many con-man movie plot twists and you can tell Johnson is paying homage to the classics. While doing this, and creating a completely original, unique film, he makes his own instant classic. The characters are charming, the actors are all superb, the sets and locations are beautiful and most importantly? Johnson doesn't look down at his audience. He respects the intelligence of the audience and while doing so makes a classy, well told story that manages to entertain from beginning to end. Kudos to Johnson, one of the most interesting and exciting young directors around today.
Grade: A-

Where the Wild Things Are - I had my doubts. How can you possibly take, arguably, the greatest children's book of all time, something that has only a handful of sentences and turn it into a feature length film that can stand on its own while still staying true to the Maurice Sendak book? Well if anyone can do it, it's Spike Jonze. And he pulls it off. The whole movie is pretty damn great but the first five minutes (leading up to the title card) are damn near perfection. We're introduced to our protagonist Max (Max Records, who sets some kind of new bar for child actors with his incredibly moving performance) wearing the wolf costume chasing his dog with a fork. It's chaotic, it's hilarious, it's perfectly done. Max is lonely, of course. He has no friends, no one to play with. After having a fight with his mom (the always enchanting Catherine Keener), he runs away (there are some differences from the book here, but I enjoyed the changes), finds a boat and sails to a far away island inhabited by the wild things. The wild things are voiced by James Gandolfini (temperamental Carol), Catherine O'Hara (sassy Judith), Lauren Ambrose (sweet loner KW), Paul Dano (hilarious Alexander), Forest Whitaker (Judith's love Ira) and Chris Cooper (dependable Douglas) and all of those actors do wonders with the job they have to do. Max becomes king of the wild things and thinks all of his problems are fixed. They aren't, of course, because Where the Wild Things Are is largely a story about being independent and finding a way to fix your faults and grow up. The film is just plain beautiful and a joy to watch. It's funny and touching and fun and sweet and just great. The locations are gorgeous, the hand held camera work is fantastic, the songs from Karen O are just right for the film. Jonze does a great job creating the complex relationships between these people and wild things and that's no small task when half of your cast are nine foot tall muppets. It's refreshing to see a movie that doesn't condescend to children but instead is intelligent and witty. I highly recommend the film and in the words of Max, "Let the wild rumpus start!"
Grade: B+

The Darjeeling Limited, Paris je t'aime, Top Ten List

The Darjeeling Limited - Ah, Wes Anderson. The poster boy for quirky, indie, intellectual, hipster comedy-drama. My love for him knows no limits. I admit, he may not be for everyone. I mean, after all, not much really ever happens in his movies. But, I for one, love him. And The Darjeelinig Limited? Well, it's just the next in what I consider to be a stellar directing career. Sure, it's not as good as The Royal Tenenbaums or (especially) Rushmore. But it's slightly better than the superb Bottle Rocket and way better than the slightly (I said, slightly) disappointing The Life Aquatic. The Darjeeling Limited is a film occupied with moments. It's not so much concerned with, how should I put this, plot but for me (and probably for most Anderson fans) that doesn't ever get dull. These moments that fill up the movie are wonderful moments. They are well crafted and who just how much Anderson has matured over the years. The film is essentially about a spiritual journey. Three brothers who haven't spoken in a year (since their fathers hilariously tragic funeral) reunite on a trainride through India. Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman and Anderson newcomer Adrien Brody (who fits quite perfectly in Wes-world) star as the three brothers. The film is great from the very start with a hilarious and memorable cameo from the great Bill Murray, trying to catch the Darjeeling Limited train in slow motion. Still, he's outrun by Brody's Peter all to the tune of The Kinks' 'This Time Tomorrow' (oh, the music! Isn't music always another character in Anderson movies? Love the music). The film also features a small role from the great Anjelica Huston and a tiny cameo from Natalie Portman (who plays heavily in the short film prelude Hotel Chevalier which is highly recommended viewing before the film). In the end, this movie is just great fun. It's a fun ride through a world occupied by colorful characters and memorable incidents. The film is quite simply bright, random, happy, sad, funny, stupid, silly and wise.

Grade: B+

Paris, je t'aime - The tagline here is 'stories of love from the city of love.' Indeed. Paris, je t'aime is a collection of 18 short films by acclaimed directors and starring great actors (some well known, some not at all). It's a sometime bizzare, sometimes stupid, sometimes beautiful look at the language of love. A friend of mine described the film as being frustrating because it was like watching the first five minutes of 18 different movies. I disagree. I've always loved the short film as an art form and I think this collection is a great way to express 18 different ideas on one subject. It's terribly interesting. It's a creative and unique look at different directors each lending their own unique vision and interpreting love in the City of Lights. When you are dealing with 18 short films, obviously, there are going to be some films that are better than others. You have it all here, really. There is one short in particular that was just almost painful to watch. It was entitled Porte de Choisy and it was just strange and weird and stupid. It follows some sort of shampoo salesman who arrives in a Chinatown-looking place in Paris. I think perhaps the story was about inner beauty but I could be completely wrong. Of course, there are those shorts that are mediocre. There are quite a few of those. A few that are dull and forgettable. But, for the most part, the collection is mostly hits with only a few misses. There are quite a few memorable shorts. Of course, the short that stands out as being most different is the noir-esque vampire love story starring Elijah Wood called Quartier de la Madeleine. While that looked and felt the most different and was quite strong, it wasn't in my top 5 favorites among the shorts. The five I want you to pay most attention to when you watch this film (because you should) are (in the order they appear): 1) Tuileries - Directed by the Coen Brothers and starring Steve Buscemi, he's absolutely mesmerizing without ever saying one single word. The entire sequence is just hilarious. It kept me hooked through until the very end of the sequence. 2) Bastille - Probably my favorite among the shorts. A man meets his wife at a restaurant where he plans on telling her he's leaving her for his mistress. However, he soon gets some rather devastating news from his wife and he changes his mind. It's sad and simple and beautiful. 3) Tour Eiffel - Two mimes fall in love while spending the night in jail together. Plus, the kid is super adorable. 4) Faubour Saint-Denis - Tom Twyker's short film is the most beautifully done. It's stunning and lovely. A blind man picks up the phone and hears from his girlfriend (a beautiful Natalie Portman) that she is breaking up with him. He reflects on their relationship. It's short and stunning and it stays with you - everything a short film should do. 5) 14th Arrondissement - The final sequence is just hilarious and heartbreaking at the same time. An American woman tells her French class about her trip to Paris. Her French is terrible, but by the end of the segment, she realizes what Paris is really all about. A lovely final way to sum up a great collection of shorts. Check it out.

Grade: B

Top Ten List - Best Movie Endings

Spoiler Alert! Obviously, I'm probably going to spoil some stuff if you haven't seen these movies. You've been warned. This is inspired by the fact that I am currently watching Se7en. So, here's my list (what's yours?):

10. Hard Candy - You can argue that adding this to my list is just an excuse to talk about this movie that I love so much and to talk about Ellen Page who I love so much. Valid point. Talk about an ending, though. Ellen Page gives a master class acting performance (and she was, like, 18 when she made this move!). When Hayley reveals that she's known the truth all along, try not to let your skin crawl. Plus, you just know she's not getting rid of any evidence. Ellen Page - I love you.

09. The Village - You can take your 'The Sixth Sense' ending anytime you want. I will always prefer 'The Village.' Although, I'm not necessarily a fan of M. Night Shyamalan, this is my favorite of his films. The end is fantastic and intellegent and just plain surprising. Unlike The Sixth Sense which you could, seriously, see coming a mile away.

08. Closer - This is a movie filled with liars. All of the characters do is lie and lie and lie some more. Except Alice (Natalie Portman). It seems Alice may be the only emotionally honest person in the entire film. But, when we finally see her passport, we find out she's the biggest liar of all. Her name really is Jane. Thank you.

07. The Birds - First of all: Here's a little bit of a confession. This movie scares me to death! It just simply terrifies me. In the end it seems that our lovebirds (ha) are headed to safety. But then the camera pans out. And guess what? There are birds, birds, crazy I'll peck your eyeballs out birds EVERYWHERE. How far do you really think our heroes are going to get in that soft top convertible?

06. The Silence of the Lambs - I can't possibly think of a more perfect way to part ways with our dear old friend Hannibal Lector. The ever intelligent, witty and clever man has a little phone conversation with Clarice. His parting words? "I'm having an old friend for dinner." Perfection.

05. Planet of the Apes - An astronaut is in a strange, strange world filled with apes. But, in the end when Charelton Heston grabs his lady love and tries to run, guess what he finds? Lady Liberty buried in the sand. What have we done to our country? Social commentary at its best.

04. Fight Club - The destrction of capitalism all set to the beautiful music of The Pixies. Plus, the whole, I am Tyler Durden thing. Well, I'm sure you've seen it. You know.

03. Chinatown - Chinatown is everything and nothing all at once. In the end, (after the whole, 'She's my sister. She's my daughter. She's my sister. She's my daughter' fiasco - best. scene. ever.), Jake (my ultimate movie star boyfriend Jack Nicholson) solves the crime. And then he's told, "Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown." God, I love this movie.

02. Se7en - Watching it again, I'm finding it a little hard to take seriously and I blame Andy Samberg for that. All I can hear is, "Step One: Cut a hole in the box. Step Two: Put Gwennie's head in a box. Step Three: Make Pitt open the box." But, still, this movie is simply great. Kevin Spacey always has the upper hand...

01. The Usual Suspects - Told you so! You think Chazz Palminteri is leading Spacey's Verbal Kint to the slaughter house. You think you've got it all figured out. But with the simple breaking of a coffee cup and the shaking off of a limb, everything you thought you knew completely changes. It's everything a movie ending should be.