Film: Top Picks for Summer 2011

Super 8
Best original movie of the summer. This is what fun, blockbuster summer movies were supposed to be all about, and unless you detest Spielberg hits of the 70's and 80's, you know exactly why it works. When I say original I mean not tied to a franchise, a book, tv show, or some other source material or regurgitated series. Because while the story and characters are original, this movie is filled with so many allusions, plot devices, and general cliche story mechanisms that you can't help but know its self-aware. But who cares? That doesn't mean you know exactly how everything is going to happen, and even if you do, it doesn't mean you won't love it--cause you will.

And I have to say these teenage actors are great.The spirit of the characters, your connection to them and their relationships, is the heart of your enjoyment. Like so many books are about writing, this is in part a film about film-making, but from the perspective of a group of teenagers in love with 8mm, home-made/indie zombie films. When Elle Fanning's character starts her scene as the wife of a detective and the train rumbles by and she surprises everybody with her ability and skill to play a sincere, deep character, you are smitten with her greatness right along with Joe and the other kids. It's a beautiful moment and there are a few more like it in the film.

Midnight in Paris
With a total US box office gross of $48.8M (as of this posting), many complain that Midnight in Paris has become Woody Allen's top grossing film only because it is his least Allen-esque film. So I ask, is that a bad thing? I haven't seen most of Allen's 40+ films (at 81 years old he still makes one a year) so I can't attest to the true level of his standard style in Midnight, but I can tell you it is a great movie. Like so many of the big comedy stars of the past 15 years or so,  Owen Wilson is at his best when he is furthest from his element. While not so monumentally typecast-breaking as Will Ferrell in Stranger than Fiction or Jim Carrey in The Truman Show, Wilson's character is void of some of the raunch and immaturity I would normally associate with him.

For a fan of 20's era art and literature, the mystical forays into the past are delightful. Don't fret if you're not an expert of the era. Although you won't quite follow all the references, anyone who has at least heard of Hemingway, Fitzgerald, or Picasso will get the idea. Paris is beautiful and is a tool for helping Wilson's character learn to be honest with himself. Normally with Woody Allen films I know when and why a joke should be funny but I'm still not laughing. With Midnight in Paris I belted out plenty of hearty chuckles, quiet giggles, and amused grins to convince me the guy can do comedy. For a light and enjoyable experience see this movie.

Honorable Mention: Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 2
I suppose the main reason this is just an honourable mention (honourable spelled the Brit-way in honour of Harry's homeland) is that it Exceeded Expectations (a pretty good grade on the O.W.L.S). Granted, expectations were not all that high for me. I wouldn't consider it a great movie by any means, but as a fan of Harry Potter I am thankful they didn't royally screw it up.

• Scenes I liked: Those most important to the emotional story, anything with Alan Rickman, especially the younger and/or more sentimental Snape, the Snape memory sequence (despite all the complaints that it was too short), appearance of friends and parents with the resurrection stone, King's Cross with Dumbledore

• Scenes I didn't like: Final showdown with Voldemort (why flying? why is no one else around to watch? why does he disintegrate?), Gringott's (I know it was just like the book but why wasn't I engaged and excited like in the book?)

Movies I still want to see:
Tree of Life - Director Terrence Mallick's highly regarded film that is apparently about life, the universe, and everything.

Another Earth - If there were a duplicate earth with another you, could you go there and leave behind your mistakes?
 
You'll notice I didn't mention any comic book movies (Thor, Green Lantern, Captain America, X-Men: First Class). I haven't seen any of them. They don't excite me. They aren't original. I may enjoy them when I eventually watch them when I am the minority in a group situation and I'm too polite to criticize the group's choice or they are streaming on Netflix and I want to watch something brainless, but I just can't justify going out of my way to see them.

Update:  I did get dragged to Captain America: The First Avenger and was pleasantly surprised. This may mean I'll end up watching the other pre-Avengers films leading up to that orgiastic comic-book spectacular hitting theaters next year.

Film: Departures

Death is just a gateway, taking us somewhere else.

What is it that makes a man feel content with himself? While most other film critics talk about Departures as an exploration of what death means and how we deal with it (and most of their reviews are extremely positive) I think the underlying issue with this film is how we find fulfillment in life. Death is only one of the factors Kobayashi Daigo, the main character, must deal with to reach this fulfillment, others include his professional identity and family relationships with his wife and father.

A concert cellist in Tokyo, Daigo learns that the symphony he plays for is being disbanded. With a young wife and a lot of debt due on his uber-expensive cello, they decide to move back to the boyhood home left to him by his mother and start again in his small home town. Following a job posting labeled 'Departures' requiring no experience, Kobayashi's luck looks like it may change. He thinks it's a travel agency. In reality, its a funeral home. His job: to perform a traditional Japanese cleaning and dressing service for the deceased at the funeral in front of the family. We learn this job, usually the family's responsibility, is seen as low-station in Japan. Because of this he hides the truth from his wife and others.

While much of the tension in the film comes from marital problems resulting from his dishonesty and the fear of others' reactions, the key relationship used to show the growth of Daigo is that with his boss and mentor, the pithy Mr. Sasaki. As owner of the business he is looking for someone to be his protege and Daigo gets the job because he is the only one that applies. What begins as comical misunderstanding between an uncaring boss and his exasperated employee becomes a source of wisdom and learning for Daigo. He starts to understand Mr. Sasaki's unapologetic wisdom and learns to share his passion for the job. He finds meaning in helping families pay respect to their lost loved ones. His wife doesn't share his enthusiasm and decides to leave him.

It seems Daigo has never had to choose between personal fulfillment and social acceptance. His career as a musician, his move to the city, and his choice of wife were all things that were equally personally meaningful and socially applauded. Once he learns to love his job and starts respecting Mr. Sasaki and his profession, he faces a situation that requires either deception or courage. He opts first for the former and works towards the latter. Daigo isn't the only one who grows along the way as both his wife and Mr. Sasaki respond to Daigo's growth. Death is a gateway for those that die, but for Daigo and those around him it is also a gateway to personal fulfillment and growth.

So the movie is great. It is not especially innovative or original, but the relationships between Daigo and his boss, his wife, and his deceased father all make the film interesting. A few amusing situations and the dry Mr. Sasaki keep it from becoming a darker drama. It won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, although some criticize its selection over more innovative, less-traditional films.