On the Road

     Jack Kerouac’s original novel/biography On the Road helped speak to and define a generation. Unfortunately, Walter Salles film version can’t be expected to do the same.

    Set in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s, On the Road follows the cross-country adventures of Sal Paradise (Sam Riley) and the encounters with friends and strangers along the way that help shape him as a writer and as a human being. One of the friends who travels often with him is Dean Moriarty (Garrett Hedlund), who seems to live without rules or morals. Though there are other members in their Beatnik group, the movie focuses mainly of the friendship between these two men.

    It’s hard to describe the plot of the movie when there really isn’t one. Much of the film is little vignettes and glimpses into some of the adventures Sal has on the road, but there is no constructed narrative, no beginning, middle, end, and no true climax or satisfying ending.

    Part of the publicity for the film included highlighting all the big-name actors and actresses who were in the film, but many audience members were disappointed these roles consisted of only a few lines and little action. Viggo Mortensen is on one of the main posters for the film, but has a very minor part in the film. Other actors, like Amy Adams and Steve Buscemi, also have small, almost insignificant parts. However, Kristen Stewart’s, who plays Mary Lou, Dean’s first wife and lover, part in the film was written to make her a more major character than she was the original book. Perhaps this is based on the marketability and current attraction of Stewart (trying to reel in Twilight fans, perhaps?), but her character seemed dry and boring and did little to enhance the film.

    The two main, relatively unknown actors – Garrett Hedlund and Sam Riley – carried the majority of the film and their performances were remarked on and complemented for days after the film premiered. Many of the larger female roles, however, were criticized by the press and audiences. Kristen Stewart plays a vulgar and trashier version of the same expressionless character she plays in almost every movie, and Kirsten Dunst (who plays Dean’s second wife Camille) comes across as whiny and bitter. This can be partially blamed on the screenwriter Jose Rivera, who tried to rewrite the women’s parts in the movie, but the casting choices also felt unnatural.

    Terrence Howard has a small part in the film as a jazz saxophonist whom Sal and Dean listen to in a small, primarily African-American club. Though he has few lines and short scenes, Howard’s small character stands out because of the inspiration he incites in Sal. Sal and Dean often find a comfortable place among people on the edge of society and spend much of their time in jazz clubs. Sal finds other fringe groups during his travels, such as Mexican cotton pickers and Mid-Western farmers, and tries to find his place among them despite his apparent New Yorker demeanor and attitude.

    The original book explores more of Sal’s independence as he travels across the country and as he tries his hand at many different jobs, but the film tries to focus more on the relationship between Sal and Dean. Many scenes show Sal’s frustration and disbelief at some of Dean’s actions, such as his sleeping with the driver (Steve Buscemi) for a couple dollars or his inability to commit to either marriage or his kids. This tension builds up and seems to escalate in Mexico, where Sal gets very sick and Dean leaves him behind, without a car, to return home. Many audiences, including myself, expected a confrontation between the two men or at least a reality check for Dean, who has hurt so many other people in his impulsive actions, but Sal quietly returns home and just doesn’t see Dean for a while.

    The ending, it seems, tries to give the audience some closure with the relationship between the two men – Sal, on the way to a concert, runs into a ragged Dean on the snowy sidewalk. Dean asks him to help him out and to come along with him on another adventure, but Sal says he can’t anymore (which is the first time he’s ever really turned Dean down). As Sal gets into the limo with a shivering Dean watching, the audience is given the idea that this friendships has been fractured and perhaps Sal has decided to mature beyond Dean’s destructive and childish impulses, but I felt like the movie ducked out of a true ending or a true character arc for Sal. The book has more definite closure between the two as Sal finally decides to settle down with a girl and Dean continues to bounce from wife to wife, lover to lover. In that, there is a clearer break in the friendship – Sal chooses to mature and commit, while fondly remembering his adventures on the road, and fully separates from Dean.

    Overall, the film does a decent job of capturing much of the emotion and excitement of the adventures between Dean and Sal on the road, but fails to include the important character transitions and growth (or lack of growth on Dean’s part) that make the evolution and conclusion of the friendship more understandable and complete. 

Directed by Walter Salles

Written by Jack Kerouac (book) and Jose Rivera (screenplay)

Produced by Patrick Batteux, Francis Ford Coppola, Jerry Leider, Peter Cavaney

WITH Sam Riley, Garrett Hedlund, Kristen Stewart, Tom Sturridge, Amy Adams, Viggo Mortensen, Kirsten Dunst, Elizabeth Moss, Terrence Howard

Running time – 137 mins

The End of Love MINI REVIEW

(The End of Love, 90 mins) The End of Love offers audiences glimpses into the life of a struggling actor trying to care for his young son after his wife dies. The film is directed, written, stars, and produced by Mark Webber, whose real life baby plays his child in the movie. The film blurs the line between documentary and drama – actors and friends of Webber’s play versions of  themselves and go by their actual names, but the interactions between the characters are scripted and fictionalized. The father-son relationship in the film feels authentic because, well, it is, yet a huge component has been altered – the role of the mother, who in real life is still alive. This detail was confusing and unsettling for me and I couldn’t get fully immersed in the film because I couldn’t figure out what it was trying to be. 

Lessons in Love on the Mississippi River

     Can love really be depended on? This is one of the main questions Mud’s lead character Ellis (Tye Sheridan) tries to figure out in this Huck Finn-meets-Stand By Me, coming-of-age film. The story begins with two young boys living in Arkansas along the Mississippi River and their chance encounter with fugitive Mud (Matthew McConaughey) on a remote island in the middle of the big river. Right away, Ellis and Neckbone (Jacob Lofland) are curious about this strange man with crosses on the heels of his boots. They agree to help him if, when he leaves, he gives them the boat in a tree he’s been living in.

    Ellis’ friendship with Mud is propelled in some sense because of the tension he is facing at home with his parents impending separation. He doesn’t understand why his mother (Sarah Paulson) and his father (Ray McKinnon) can’t just work things out. They’re married, so they must love each other, he argues. Mud’s tale of his love Juniper (Reese Witherspoon) immediately grips Ellis and he decides to help Mud and Juniper run away together because he believes in their true love. Mud is on the run because of Juniper – he killed the man that Juniper had been with because he hurt her – and this romantic story is just the thing Ellis needs to depend on because he can’t rely on the certainty of his parents’ love for each other.

    While Ellis watches the relationships between his parents and between Mud and Juniper from the sidelines, he soon begins to fall in love with a girl from his town named May Pearl (Bonnie Sturdivant). She thinks Ellis is cute after he defends her from another guy by punching him in the face and she agrees to be his girlfriend while giving him a small peck on the lips. Even though their interactions are short and simple, Ellis believes this newfound “love” is true and worth fighting for, just like Mud and Juniper’s love is.

    As Ellis starts to learn more about Mud and Juniper’s past and realizes their relationship isn’t something out of a fairytale, he begins to question everything he thought he knew about love. His relationship with May Pearl begins to resemble Mud and Juniper’s relationship – always defending the girl, beating up guys that hurt her, and getting left behind when the girl moves on. Mud, Ellis begins to see, has spent his whole life chasing Juniper and for what? Does Juniper even really love him like he loves her?

     The story of Mud is neither unrealistically optimistic, nor painfully pessimistic. As Ellis tries to figure out what love is, he is forced to grow and learn certain difficult truths about life. But the story isn’t bleak or unhopeful. Ellis’ journey is honest and authentic, which resonates with audiences and allows them to connect with the characters.

     Much of the story takes place along the Mississippi River and the scenery is beautiful. The small island where Mud hides out is lush and overgrown, like it’s in a world of its own. Much of the beauty of nature is contrasted with the plainness of the small Arkansas town. Mud’s island is an escape from the real world for Ellis, both physically and mentally.

     The casting for the film is well done. Matthew McConaughey captures the tenderness and toughness of the lovesick Mud; he’s dirty and sweaty for most of the film, but holds onto a compassionate and gentle aspect of his character that contrasts his outer appearance. Ellis and Neckbone are played by two young relatively unknown actors, but they feel authentically Southern and fit perfectly into roles that seem written just for them.

   Though this is only Jeff Nichol’s third film that he’s written and directed, he’s already making a place for himself among some of the current film industry’s most beloved directors. He manages to write characters that the audience can sympathize with and relate to, but these characters are also complex and frustrating at times. Mud himself is neither a good guy nor a bad guy. He’s a little of both and so much more. He’s a complex man with much baggage, including a childhood without parental guidance. Jeff captures Mud’s fierce independence coupled with his desperate attachment to Juniper, the love of his life. There’s no clear-cut answer to Mud or Juniper’s problems, but that’s authentic to real life and something very relatable. 

Directed by Jeff Nichols

Written by Jeff Nichols

Produced by Glen Basner, Michael Flynn, Tom Heller, Gareth Smith

WITH Reese Witherspoon, Matthew McConaughey, Michael Shannon, Sarah Paulson, Sam Shepard, Tye Sheridan

Running time – 135 mins

Killing Them Softly MINI REVIEW

(Killing Them Softly, 1 hr. 40 mins) Killing Them Softly has everything a good gangster movie needs nowadays – guns, violence, sex, drugs – but it lacks one important element – good character development. Brad Pitt does a good job of carrying the film and shows some dimension to his character, such as his kindness to strangers contrasted with his murdering of old friends, but his role alone isn’t enough to save this film. The acting is decent, the cinematography is gritty, and many of the more artistic scenes, such as the slow-motion shooting of Markie (Ray Liotta), are very unique, but lack of complex characters and solid plot structure ultimately make the story forgettable. 

The Last Will and Testament of Rosalind Leigh MINI REVIEW

(The Last Will and Testament of Rosalind Leigh, 90 mins) Though not a slasher film or traditional horror film, The Last Will and Testament of Rosalind Leigh is terrifying in its subtle creepiness and its unpredictable and startling moments. The camera itself becomes a character in the film as it slowly pans through the rooms and hovers behind the main character Leon’s (Aaron Poole) head. Though not going down in history as the greatest horror movie ever made, the film serves its purpose of luring the audience in and leaving them with frightening images, such as the slight eye movements of the statues or a ghostly hand slowly emerging from behind a door, that will surely come back to haunt them. 

Transcending the Cancer Cliche

      When I heard Dakota Fanning was going to be in a film at Cannes, I got really excited because I admire her work as a young actress. Then I heard it was going to be another one of those girl-gets-cancer, tries-to-live-life-to-the-fullest kind of movies and my expectations sank really low. Somehow, though, Now is Good escapes those clichés that other similar movies often get stuck in and the end product is actually a good film.

      The film is based on the novel Before I Die by Jenny Downham. In the story, Tessa is a seventeen year old girl who has recently decided to give up trying to cure her leukemia with chemotherapy because the treatments aren’t working and she feels sick all the time. She decides if these are her last few months alive, she wants to feel as well as she can for them. Tessa makes a list of things she wants to accomplish or experience before she passes away and many things on the list are either illegal or taboo, such as shoplifting and trying drugs.

      Her relationships with each parent are very different – her mother (Olivia Williams) tries to stay back, away from the hospitals and away from the reality of pain that cancer causes. Perhaps she thinks if she avoids the terrible situation her daughter is in, it will just go away. Tessa’s father (Paddy Considine), on the other hand, is very involved with Tessa’s treatments, hospital visits, diagnoses, etc. He spends hours researching alternative treatment methods on the internet, trying to find a new way to cure Tessa that they haven’t yet tried. Though both of Tessa’s parents are in some sort of denial, Tessa herself faces the reality of her impending death and tries to conquer life head-on with her new bucket list.

      Tessa loves her family, but she often comes across as hard or uncaring, especially when she blatantly uses statements like, “When I die…”, which make her father cringe and her mother back off even more. Her brother (Edgar Canham) is the only member of the family that seems to accept what’s happening. He asks Tessa point blank if he can do certain things, like travel, when she dies and she seems to be amused by his unabashed honesty.

      As one might predict, Tessa’s last goals and wishes change from being completely self-focused to actually cherishing and spending times with the ones she loves. This includes her new boyfriend, next-door neighbor Adam (Jeremy Irvine), who falls for Tessa’s unique and fearless outlook on life. This new relationship isn’t good news for her father, who feels like he’s already losing Tessa before she even dies. He tries to scare Adam off, but Adam’s love for Tessa eventually convinces her father to include him in the last days of Tessa’s life.

      Dakota Fanning is, of course, wonderful in her role, as is Jeremy Irvine. Visually, the film is very unique. The opening sequence is animated and many scenes throughout the film use beautiful cinematography and lighting to reflect the mood of the characters. The script is honest and natural and it doesn’t get bogged down in cheesy cliché expressions.  

      Tessa isn’t a perfect angel, like many lead characters in similar films are, and no one thinks she is. Her father even finds her list and knows all along that kind of things Tessa is getting involved with. One of the biggest struggles in the film is her father trying to balance his desire to keep Tessa to himself, as his little girl, for the remainder of her life verses his desire for her to live out the rest of her life in happy independence. At one point, Tessa even indignantly asks him if he wants her to spend the rest of her life huddled in a blanket on the couch with her head on his shoulder and he answers with a quiet, “Yes”. He sees Tessa for exactly who she is, even the parts of her he isn’t completely comfortable with, like the sex and drugs, but not one thing on her list makes him love her less. It takes Tessa time to see this, or perhaps she’s knows this all along and is scared of her family’s love because she knows they will have to say goodbye to her soon.

      Though the story has been used before, Now is Good uses a fresh perspective and bravely turns parts of the narrative around, at times making Tessa a sort of “anti-hero”. When facing the subject of mortality, the film uses humor, compassion, harsh reality, and tender love to draw the viewer into the story and connect them to the characters. 

Directed by Ol Parker

Written by Jenny Downham (novel), Ol Parker (screenplay)

Produced by Peter Hampden, Adam Kulick, Christine Langan
Starring – Dakota Fanning, Olivia Williams, Jeremy Irvine, Paddy Considine

Running time - 1 hr and 39 mins

Your Sister's Sister MINI REVIEW

“Your Sister’s Sister” (90 mins) A lot can happen in just a few days. This is the message Your Sister’s Sister tells as it follows the journey of Jack’s (Mark Duplass) “relaxing” weekend getaway to his best friend Iris’ (Emily Blunt) cabin, where he meets her sister Hannah (Rosemarie DeWitt) and has a drunken one-night-stand with her. Trouble ensues when Iris shows up the next morning ready to win Jack over and profess her love to him. Director Lynn Shelton explores the complexities of love, sex, and sibling relationships in this slow, but humorous drama.

Love in a "Lawless" Land

     Though violence is a prevalent theme in John Hillcoat’s Lawless, the audience’s connection to and compassion for the characters seems to be the most talked about aspect of the film from viewers who have just seen it. The film tells the story of the Bondurant brothers who have gone down in history as some of the most successful and memorable moonshiners in the United States. The story begins a ways into the Bondurant’s success and continues through their rivalries and struggles as they try to maintain and grow their small moonshine empire.

      It’s clear from the beginning that the Bondurants have done and will do anything to keep their reputation in their business and have had succeeded in the past in making a name for themselves in producing quality moonshine. The title “Lawless” truly applies to Franklin County, Virginia, where the Bondurant brothers live and work. Everyone in the town is involved in the business of moonshine, whether as buyers, sellers, or producers. This includes the police, who are supposed to enforce the laws of Prohibition, but have just as heavy a hand in helping the business grow and thrive as anyone else.

    The lead character in the story is Jack Bondurant, played by Shia LaBeouf, and he narrates much of the story as well. Jack is the youngest of three brothers and a sort of apprentice in the family business. His older brothers are Forrest (Tom Hardy) and Howard (Jason Clarke) and they’ve apparently been in charge for a while. The three brothers are very close and self reliant; their parents aren’t around and seem to have been out of the picture for some time. They stick close together and have each other’s backs and, though they often are hard on one another and sometimes violent, do not tolerate anyone else hurting any Bondurant.

     The theme of brotherhood and unity is a strong one in the film, especially after Special Agent Charlie Rakes (Guy Pearce) comes to Franklin Country to try to get his foot in the moonshine industry. Rakes is a dirty cop and doesn’t accept the Bondurant’s refusal to give him a cut of their profits. Much of the movie is about this rivalry and the growing hatred and competition between Rakes and the Bondurants. In Franklin Country, the saying “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” is all too clear. Each act of violence is met with an even worse and more harmful response, building up until the film’s dramatic climax on the bridge.

    The violence in Lawless isn’t cheesy or weak, and it isn’t overly done or gratuitous either. Violence is just a part of the lifestyle and code of the Bondurants and becomes the tool used to maintain control in the dirty business of bootlegging moonshine in Franklin County. The Bondurants are living legends in their community and are able to bounce back and retaliate after facing almost certain death.

     Forrest’s drive to live and ability to survive becomes almost humorous – nothing can kill this guy, not even someone slicing his throat open. Tom Hardy plays Forrest with a quiet intensity and almost irrational calmness and, despite the horrific violence he inflicts on others in revenge, the audience grows to love and root for his character. Forrest is the leader of the Bondurants and their business; he doesn’t just have the ability to survive, his brothers NEED for him to survive. His steady leadership and refusal to give in to Rakes’s proposal sets an example that his brothers try to emulate. In following Forrest’s stance, the Bondurants are able to maintain their independent and enigmatic bootlegger lifestyle.

      Contrasted with the brothers’ use and knack for violence is their naivety and uncertainty when it comes to women. Jessica Chastain plays Maggie, who is strong and self-reliant and the only thing that softens Forrest’s tough exterior. While remaining stoic and almost expressionless, Tom Hardy subtly shows Forrest’s adoration and protectiveness as he falls for Maggie, at first from afar, but then in a real relationship after Maggie makes the first move.

     The Bondurant brothers are deviants, no doubt, but they are not entirely cruel and unloving. They are fiercely defensive of one another and show their love in unusual ways, such as killing the men that try to kill one of the brothers. If it weren’t for this aspect of the Bondurant brothers, they would become forgettable in their similarity to every other villain in gangster movies. Their love, commitment, and protection of one another and of those they love is coupled with the violence they depend on to keep their name and their dignity in the deceitful and corrupt business of making and bootlegging moonshine.

Directed by John Hillcoat

Written by Nick Cave (screenplay) and Matt Bondurant (novel)

Produced by Annapurna Pictures, Red Wagon Productions, The Weinstein Company

Running time – 1hr and 55 mins

WITH Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, Jessica Chastain, Guy Pearce, Gary Oldman, Mia Wasikowska

Really Late Cannes Update!

Holy cow, is this real!? Today is my eighth day in France. I think. I have no concept of time right now. I've already done so much and have so much more to do. It is both exhausting and exhilarating. I've seen some really cool people in person (Diane Kruger, Ewan MacGregor, David Schwimmer, Sean Penn, Alec Baldwin) and have many more I'm still scouting around for (Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf). Just to be in the presence and same theaters with so many amazing actors/directors/producers/writers is overwhelming and so exciting!
The first day of the festival was last Wednesday and the only film I saw was Moonrise Kingdom (which was absolutely fantastic, by the way) and I was SO close to the cast and director Wes Anderson.
The next day I saw Your Sister's Sister (I loved it but was apparently the only one haha), Eden, and Love and Honor (terrible). On Friday, I watched Struck By Lightning (written by the super talented Chris Colfer), No Tell Motel (you can tell how awful it was just by the title), Goats, and Electrick Children (favorite of the day). Saturday began with The Virgin, the Copts, and Me (meh.), Lawless (AMAZING!), The Imposter, and The Words.
This morning I saw Darling Companion (kind of a mom-ish movie) and tried to get into Safety Not Guaranteed because I missed it at Sundance earlier this year, but apparently I needed a ticket and wasn't able to get in. Boo.
Kara and I went through the film descriptions and schedule before the festival even started and, over the course of many hours, made a rough map of the movies we wanted to see the most. So far, we've semi-stuck to it, though everyday we hear about another great movie we need to see (or a terrible one we should avoid at all costs), so revisions are being constantly made.
Some of the films I'm still hoping to see include Now is Good, Detachment, Pablo, Room 237, Beasts of the Southern Wild (heard it's a must see), Killing Them Softly, On the Road, Bachelorette, The Paperboy, Cosmopolis, and Mud. We shall see if I get to them all.
Overall this so far has been an amazing and unique experiences. There have been some inevitable frustrations along the way (train schedules, getting lost in the middle of the night in Antibes), but such things make for great stories in the future. :)
I feel so blessed to have this opportunity and I know this will change my life when I get back home. Heck, who knows, one day I might premiere my own film here. Stranger things have happened.  :)

Josh Radnor's Liberal Arts

 

One of the most refreshing things about Josh Radnor’s Liberal Arts is that it explores the difficulties of learning to grow up without the cynicism that many other films of the same type seem to use. Liberal Arts is Radnor’s second film and it premiered at Sundance in January 2012. The audience’s overall opinion of the film was very positive, especially amid the many other independent films of the festival that explore the topic of growing up with such painful honesty that they become no longer enjoyable to watch. Radnor’s directorial debut, happythankyoumoreplease, also premiered at Sundance last year and, since then, audiences have been expectantly awaiting another Radnor film because of the uniqueness he brings to the table. He’s been compared to director/actor Zach Braff, though he escapes the brooding introspection and melancholy that seem to drown many of Braff’s films.

     Though Josh Radnor directed Liberal Arts, he also wrote, produced, and starred in it as well. Often directors that star in their own films end up turning their films into self-promoting pieces that lose much believability; their overall themes sometimes become lost amid their egocentric storylines. Radnor escapes this in his film; though he stars in it as the main character Jesse, his portrayal of the character isn’t an ode to himself. Jesse is a lost, thirty-something year old who suddenly finds himself in the strange middle ground of no longer feeling like a complete adult, yet knowing he isn’t as young as he still feels he is.

    When he is invited back to his alma mater by his favorite professor, Jesse jumps on the opportunity to revisit the place where he believes he lived out the best years of his life. The short visit evolves into a journey for Jesse in trying to relive his past and learning to accept that he isn’t the same kid he was a decade ago when he attended the university. He befriends Zibby, played by Elizabeth Olsen, an old soul whom Jesse immediately identifies with. They share all the same interests, especially in literature, and he begins to fall for this seemingly perfect woman for him. The only problem is she is only 19 and still in college. Jesse tries to ignore the age difference, but it becomes too obvious and apparent that Jesse and Zibby are in two very different places in life. In realizing this, Jesse must also come to terms with where he is in his own life, despite his longing to relive his glory days as a young college student when he felt like all the potential in the world lay in front of him.

     Though in the film Jesse is forced to grow up through his eye-opening relationship with Zibby, Radnor plays the character with such kindness, humor, and gentleness that, even in Jesse’s most immature moments, the audience can’t help but root for him. Radnor, in his writing, directing, and acting, escapes any tones of cynicism or bitterness; instead, he leaves the audience feeling hopeful and encouraged, even though Jesse’s journey isn’t easy and the answers aren’t completely black-or-white. Many Sundance films have the tendency to drag audiences along an emotional rollercoaster, leaving them left with unresolved feelings and questions. Liberal Arts isn’t just a silly comedy or predictable love story; it too allows the audience to feel emotions ranging from frustration to happiness and compassion. It’s a funny film, but has tender moments as well; sad at times, but has an encouraging message; sweet, but presents the audience with truths about growing up that many people struggle with. Overall, the film isn’t scared to lead the audience into feeling multiple emotions, but it comes full circle, leaving viewers feeling satisfied and inspired with its sincere and authentic conclusion for the characters.

Written, directed, and produced by Josh Radnor

Starring John Radnor, Elizabeth Olsen, Richard Jenkins, Allison Janney