As a newlywed the one question I always get is “so how is married life treating you?” To which I usually respond “good so far, just taking it one day at a time.” The latter part of my response always seems to evoke a peculiar look from the person who initially asked the question. I guess they expect me to be wearing the same rose colour glasses that many wear just after the “big day”. Yet that has never been my style, I have always taken a more realistic approach to relationships. I am fully aware that relationships take a lot to maintain and it only gets harder as the years go by.
It is this understanding that makes Lisa Cholodenko’s film, The Kids Are All Right, flow so well. Nic (Annette Benning) and Jules (Julianne Moore) have been in a committed relationship for 18 years. Living with their two teenage children, Joni (Mia Wasikowska) Laser (Josh Hutcherson), the couple appear to have the perfect life. The cracks in their relationships only begin to surface when their kids decide to seek out their biological father, Paul (Mark Ruffalo). The presence of Paul comes as a huge shock to Nic and Jules, and forces them to re-evaluate the dynamics of their relationship.
The Kids Are All Right examines how easily people fall into particular roles in relationships. These roles often become a prison of sorts as they inadvertently serve as the thing that defines them most in their relationships. Nic has always been the assertive one in the union. She is the bread winner who strives for excellence. These traits have been passed down to Joni, who Nic gave birth to. Jules on the other hand is the free spirit who never follows through with things. Her passions are often fleeting which makes it hard to for Nic to truly get behind Jules’ latest plan to start a landscaping business.
In many ways, Paul represents the sides of Nic and Jules that they have lost during their lengthy relationship. Paul has managed to turn his lack of formal education into a successful restaurant business, while still maintaining that passion for the finer things in life. In Paul’s case this includes music, wine and women. This is why Nic and Jules find themselves in such a tailspin around Paul. Jules sees everything she fell in love with about Nic in Paul. Paul also serves as a reminder to Nic of what her life was before everything became so serious.
Although there are several levels at play, Cholodenko’s film is able to express them all well through her wonderfully written script. While Benning, Moore, and Ruffalo will receive praise for their great performances, and rightfully so, it is the screenplay that makes this film a must-see in my opinion. Similar to her work in both High Art and Laural Canyon, Lisa Cholodenko has a way with words that is not appreciated the way it should be. There is rarely a moment where the plot or the situation feels forced. There are many moments in The Kids Are All Right where you can identify with the elements of their relationships. The excellent script coupled with the great performances allows The Kids Are All Right to standout above other recent films that have tried to show just how complicated relationships really are.
Last month I did a top 5 post on the best and worst Martin Scorsese films. Needless to say the post received a lot of passionate feedback. Andrew at Encore’s World of Film and TV even labelled me a heretic, a badge I wear proudly mind you, for even suggesting that Scorsese has ever made a bad film. Having stirred the pot once already, the sensible thing would be ease off Scorsese for a while; luckily common sense was never one of my strong points.
The year is 1954, U.S. Marshall Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) are sent to the notorious Shutter Island institution to investigate the disappearance of a patient. Stranded on the island, due to a terrible storm, Teddy begins to get headaches as he drifts in and out of hallucinations. As Teddy struggles with his sanity, he begins to question what type of experiments Dr. Cawley (Ben Kingsley) and Dr. Naehring (Max von Sydow) are conducting on the Shutter Island.
Let me just get this out of the way first, the last act of this film is ridiculous. Actually, it is more the aspects of the “reveal” rather than the cause it. I do not want to give away any spoilers so I will try to keep my annoyances brief. I will merely say that I found it highly unlikely that a facility like Shutter Island, which is home to some of the most dangerous and damaged patients, would allow such a free roaming environment. This is especially preposterous when you factor in the violent nature of certain patients.
The “reveal” aside, I must say that I was pleasantly surprised by the majority of Shutter Island. Martin Scorsese did a great job of maintaining the atmosphere, the best part of the film, and the overall suspense for the first 2/3 of the picture. The eeriness of the art direction kept me hooked the entire way through. The film could have used a little tighter editing, as it does run a bit long, but this is a minor quibble. Especially when you look at how wonderful the performances are during the course of the film.
The standout performances for me are those of Leonardo DiCaprio and Michelle Williams. There scenes together were fantastic, only Dicaprio’s scene during the war came close to rivalling their husband and wife moments. I also thought the large supporting cast, which included Emily Mortimer, Patricia Clarkson, Jackie Earle Haley, and Elias Koteas, did a terrific job of maintaining the level of tension. Normally I find it a bit distracting when I film such as this has so many high profile cameos. Yet none of the cameos felt out of place. Again, if it was not for the silly explanation that Martin Scorsese offers up in the last act, Shutter Island could have been a great movie. Still, the film is worth seeing for the first two acts alone.
Marmaduke is an unfunny comic strip that I routinely avoid on a daily basis. So I guess it is fitting that I plan to avoid the movie adaptation as well. Speaking of adaptations, is there really no books left for Hollywood to adapt? Does this mean a Family Circus movie is coming down the pipeline?
The Kids Are Alright
Finally a new film from Lisa Cholodenko! This looks to be her most mainstream film to date. The fact that Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo are in the film is an added bonus.
I attended the 1st Annual Autumn Harvest Short Film Festival this past weekend. Orchestrated by Damien Dornford, the festival not only showcased up-and-coming filmmakers but also raised money for The Children’s Aid Foundation charity as well. 15 short films, ranging from almost every genre you can think of, were screened for a very lively audience. Be sure to keep an eye of for future installments of this festival as it should not be missed.
Where the Wild Things Are
By the time the ending credits started to role on Spike Jonze’s latest work, Where the Wild Things Are, I was not sure how to process what I had just witnessed. The film was the complete opposite of what I had expected. After reflecting on the film over the last couple of days, it became very apparent that it has been quiet sometime since a live action children’s film really stuck with me like this did.
Adapted from Maurice Sendak's classic children's story, Where the Wild Things Are follows a young boy on a fantastical journey of self-discovery. Feeling isolated from his older sister, Max (Max Records) only has his mother (Catherine Keener) to cling to. Yet when Max’s mom invites her new boyfriend (Mark Ruffalo) over for dinner, Max fears that even she has giving up on him. After running away from home, Max comes across a small sailboat at a local dock. The boat eventually leads Max to a mysterious island where monstrous Wild Things roam. After tricking the Wild Things, most notably Carol (James Gandolfini), into believing he posses magical powers, Max is crowned king of the group. Max soon realizes that even on a mysterious island you cannot runaway from your problems.
While Sendak’s children’s story is considered to be a classic by many, do not go into this film expecting a standard children’s flick. One of the brilliant aspects to this film is that it defies many of the conventions you are use to seeing in most kid’s films nowadays. Hollywood has pushed so many traditional children’s pictures, especially of the animated and/or talking animal kind, down our throats over the last few years that it actually takes a bit of time to truly adjust to the different tone and rhythm of this film. Which is one reason I think this film will catch many off guard in several sections. Where the Wild Things Are is far darker than you initially think it will be. Even the wonderfully dark film, Coraline, seems downright sunny in comparison. Jonze not only captures the dark tones of the source material but he actually engulfs himself in it. Despite the fun Max seems to have with his new found friends, you always feel that Max is walking a very fine line. There is a constant uneasiness that, at any moment, either Judith or Carol will make good on their threats of eating Max.
Jonze is able to create this world that both horrifying and invigorating for a child, through the use of life size puppets and subtle special effects. Despite the fantastical aspect of the Wild Things mere existence the bulk of their world, and of Max’s imagination, is grounded in reality. In many ways the use of full size puppets and realism reminded me of some of beloved childhood films of my youth (e.g. The Neverending Story, Dark Crystal, etc). In an era where children are mainly marketed animated movies in 3D, it is nice to see a filmmaker not afraid to buck the trend. What makes Jonze’s accomplishment even bolder is the fact that all of the Wild Things have their own identifiable qualities. Although not all get equal screen time, you still get a strong understanding of both their unique personalities; and the overall role each plays in the group. Spike Jonze skillfully shows us how each one is a reflection of the different stages of Max’s current life. Although big and fearsome at times, the Wild Things are struggling with issues of family, loneliness, love, having their voices heard, etc. Max naively thinks that by being in charge he can fix in them everything that he fears in himself. Yet as the Wild Things world seemingly get worse it becomes clear to Max that life in general was never simple to begin with. It is this realization in Max, and the audience, that allows the abrupt ending to make perfect sense. Jonze does care about wrapping things up perfectly because that is not how life works.
There are times when Spike Jonze's unique voice makes the film a little too stylized for its own good. Certain freeze frames and camera tricks take you out of the picture momentarily instead of pulling you in further. Personally I think such techniques will probably play much smoother on repeat viewings. Regardless, I am willing to let these moments slide though as the majority of the film both engaging and visually stunning. Although this is one of the better children’s films released this year, parents should note that the film is too disturbing for really young children. Older kids should not have any problems with the material as Where the Wild Things Are perfectly captures the complexities of childhood without talking down to its audience. Jonze has made yet another good film that, similar to Sendak’s original work, will probably be analyzed for generations to come.
