Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Where were you in '62?



As fashion designer Tom Ford's directorial debut, A Single Man is slowly but surely gathering attention. The film is a somewhat loose adaptation of Christopher Isherwood's novel of the same name, following what is intended to be the last day in the life of George (Colin Firth) after the sudden death of his longtime partner Jim (Matthew Goode). The day is November 30, 1962, and George, a middle-aged English professor in Los Angeles, seemingly has no reason to continue to live. It is a day to clean up his office, empty his safety deposit box, and, most importantly, buy bullets.

Ford takes various liberties with the source material, injecting it with dark humor. The woefully underused Lee Pace features in a memorable scene used to establish the threat of the Cuban missile crisis. Both comedy and tension build in a sequence where George fruitlessly struggles to find a position to shoot himself in that will not produce too much of a mess. Eventually wrapped in a sleeping bag, he is about to pull the trigger when his friend Charlotte (Julianne Moore) calls to remind him that they are supposed to meet. It is a reminder of the absurdity of events that keeps him alive.

While the ever-reliable Firth delivers a subtle portrait of grief, Nicholas Hoult stands out as Kenny, one of George's students. Kenny is fascinated by his enigmatic professor and is determined to learn more about what he is like outside of the classroom. Hoult, most recently known for his role on British series Skins as a power-crazed teen sociopath, provides a contrasting youthfulness that is simultaneously innocent and world-weary; it may be inferred that he is intended to embody the same sort of lust for life that George remembers in Jim. The film reaches its climax when Kenny spontaneously asks George to take a swim in the ocean with him, providing a bizarre and violent sort of rebirth for the mourning man.

Like any designer, Ford focuses on the details. Cigarette smoke is exhaled in dense clouds, teeth look whiter against red lipstick, and eyelashes flutter with pre-Quant amounts of mascara. Particularly notable is a scene in which George sets aside the clothing he wishes to be buried in, including cuff links, leaving a note indicated that the necktie absolutely must be done up with a Windsor knot. On the opposite coast, it is more heavily stylized than Mad Men. Vivid colors burst and fade at key points in George's narrative, while a flashback to a trip to the beach with Jim is completely desaturated. Aesthetics seem to be a priority over emotion; while the cast clearly has excellent chemistry, including model Jon Kortajarena's first attempt at acting, the audience is constantly held at arm's length. Still, there is more than enough fulfillment for the eye, and it feels ungrateful to complain when the attention to detail is otherwise flawless.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Youth In Revolt red band trailer



Congratulations, Michael Cera, you might just contain multitudes.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Fantastic Mr. Fox in review



Wes Anderson knows who he is. That's more than can be said for many filmmakers. Over the past 15 years, Anderson has established himself as a director with an exceptionally distinct style, not only with his meticulous attention to detail, but with an assortment of signature elements. With Fantastic Mr. Fox, the auteur both embraces and divorces his trademarks.

This is the first time that Anderson has adapted another writer's work. The beloved Roald Dahl book tells the story of a fox, voiced by George Clooney in the film, who steals food from three farmers. The farmers proceed go to extravagant lengths to eradicate the thief, leveling the hill that Mr. Fox and his family call home before laying siege to the entire forest. The Fox family and their animal compatriots must fight back or starve to death. This is a departure from Anderson's typical fare of dysfunctional family journeys, but his trademark dry humor matches well with Dahl's classic British comedy. The original story is widely embellished, most notably to include the characters of Kylie, Mr. Fox's opossum building superintendent (Wallace Wolodarsky); Ash, Mr. and Mrs. Fox's son (Jason Schwartzman); and Kristofferson, Ash's visiting cousin (Anderson's brother Eric). The differences between the naturally athletic Kristofferson and the socially awkward Ash provide one of the storyline's subplots. The additional characters supplement the original story to great effect.

Unlike Anderson's previous work, Fantastic Mr. Fox was filmed using stop-motion animation, a fitting vehicle for his stylistic precision. The hand-made puppets appear to move with remarkable fluidity, yet maintain a D.I.Y. aesthetic. Sets and costumes show the amount of time and effort required to make this film. True to form, Anderson features an oddly-dressed underdog hero, in this case the cape-wearing Ash. The director's stamp is also seen in Bill Murray's role as a badger lawyer, extensive smoking, the use of bright colors, and symmetrical shots; however, it is Meryl Streep that takes on the mother role, rather than usual choice Anjelica Huston. This time around, Anderson's 60s band of choice is the Beach Boys. California surf rock may clash with the English countryside, but the sunny songs reflect the joie de vivre of being a wild animal. In contrast, a schoolyard chant about the malevolent farmers is eerily repeated during points of tension. Ex-Britpopper Jarvis Cocker, whose last film work was for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, provided the bizarre original "Petey's Song." Other vocal cameos include Adrien Brody, Owen Wilson, and Mario Batali.

While Anderson's previous work had been veering towards self-indulgence (see: slow-motion running sequence set to the Kinks' "Powerman" in The Darjeeling Limited), Fantastic Mr. Fox is a return to the refreshing charm of The Royal Tenenbaums.