Documentary Double Feature

I still have no friends and I still have not been able to start my screenplay, so this weekend I sat down to watch 2 documentaries produced through HBO, Spike Lee's When the Levess Broke and Gang Wars: Bangin' in Little Rock. I don't typically watch documentaries unless the subject matter particularly interests me or they come highly recommended, but the Lee one I have been wanting to see since I heard about it, and Bangin' is actually a childhood favorite of mine that I recently discovered is available on DVD.

The full title of Spike Lee's film is When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts. What a fitting title to a movie filled with sadness, heartache, anger, and an overall lament over the death of New Orleans. Having seen so much about Hurricane Katrina and the aftermath in the news, I wasn't quite sure that the film would be compelling enough to hold my attention for the just over 4 hour runtime, but it was. Lee Puts together a nicely crafted, never boring documentary focusing on the human tragedy, the government's unpreparedness, and how various government agencies seemed to ignore not only a great deal of the victims of the hurricane and ensuing flood but also the unbelievable amount of debris left behind.

Terence Blanchard's score from Inside Man perfectly fit with all of the footage of people wading neck-deep through flood water, corpses bloated to 4 times their normal size, and ruins of peoples homes. The editing team did an amazing job, often cutting together victims stories with the officials responsible for these peoples struggles.

The way the entire ordeal played out was insane. The fact that New Orleans suffered a hurricane of a similar magnitude in 1965 and the levees were never brought up to be able to withstand the force of Katrina after Federal, State and Local governments had 40 years to make improvements. I really don't think you can blame a lot of the chaos and looting and shit like that on the nature of the people because it seemed as though they were simply going crazy from being abandoned. They had to do what they had to do. We all know it took like 5 or 6 days before people began to be evacuated from the Superdome and the Convention Center, and it wasn't until this time as well that a full scale search and rescue operation was launched. For chrissake, fucking Sean Penn was out there in a motorboat saving people before Federal aid was sent.

Among much of the other shit the film focuses on is the lack of support from FEMA, the inability(or unwillingness) of the Army Corps of Engineers to repair the levees in time for the following years hurricane seasons, seemingly heartless insurance agencies, etc. etc. etc. It all made me at once ashamed to be an American, but also afraid that if I should face hardship that is even a fraction of what happened in the Gulf Coast that I too might be offered little to no help by my government. I know it sounds dramatic and maybe cliched but I don't care that's what movies such as this bring out in me.

The second half of my double feature could perhaps be considered lighter fare. Originally aired in 1994 as apart of HBO's series America Undercover, Bangin in Little Rock examines the proliferation of gangs and gang related homicides during the early 90s in the hometown of our former president. Marc Levin, a rather experienced social documentarian directed this movie and most recently and perhaps most famously directed the 9/11 documentary, Protocols of Zion.

I watched this movie probably 4 or 5 times when it aired on HBO in the early 90s. It went hand in hand with the rise of gangsta rap and my brother and I loved it. As I watched it this time around I found it rather disgusting just thinking about the amazing stupidity of gangs and gang members. There is still apart of me though that finds gangs, like drugs, extremely glamorous. Sometimes I think if I were a girl, that I would be the good catholic girl who screws the baddest guy in school and gets knocked up at 16 and everyone wonders how it all happened because my parents are such upstanding citizens. At any rate, the film not only serves to remind you how pointless gangs are, but it struck at such an early time during the gangsta era that it also educates the viewer as to all the lingo, inserting inter-titles with words like "gat", "OG", "Down for mine" with their definitions. Perhaps not as relevant as it once was but entertaining nonetheless.

I wish I could recommend a documentary that involved some sort of heartwarming or non-depressing subject matter, but as of this second I can't. In the meantime, if you're up for it and you have 4 hours or so, check out Spike Lee's When the Levees Broke.

What about BARRY LYNDON?

When people are having discussions about Stanley Kubrick movies why don't more of them mention Barry Lyndon? Oh course there are many out there that love this film but more often then not Kubrick's other films get mentioned when people discuss their faves. Dr. Strangelove as one of the most brilliant satires, The Shining as a classic thriller/horror(although I hate it when people insist it's a horror movie), 2001 for it's epic scope and amazing music and art direction, A Clockwork Orange for its shocking imagery, and (especially with younger intelligent film fans) Eyes Wide Shut for its...well, because it's a fucking masterpiece. And the reasons go on. I have also noticed that if there is one or several of Kubrick's movies that people haven't seen, one of them is inevitably Barry Lyndon. I am here tonight to tell you, "GODDAMMIT! See this freakin' movie!"

In brief, Barry Lyndon is a mediocre human being who through a single tragedy finds himself experiencing numerous events of good fortune quite luckily and ultimately leading to his marriage to the very rich widow Lady Lyndon. You'll notice I don't mention the story or acting because it just doesn't matter. The movie is that good.

The movie is really Fuckin'-A, number #1 mise-en-scene to the utmost detail. The two most clearly striking elements of the film are its' art direction and costume design. Many period dramas do an excellent job at recreating the place and time which they are portraying but the exquisite detail of the costumes(all the powdered wigs and Lady Lyndon's awesomely huge hair), props, sets, etc. in Barry Lyndon are enough to make you want to puke at the thought of watching another film with CG elements.

Cinematography and lighting of course play a huge role in making this movie totally cool. All in all Barry Lyndon is a dark movie, literally. Very little artificial light is used. Often, most indoor scenes are lit using candle light or shafts of light shine through windows. A special 50mm lens was used while shooting the candle light scenes. I think the darkness of the film is just another piece of the mise-en-scene brilliantly serving to create the mood of the period drama.

Even the outdoor scenes are very dark. I really love all of the transition shots Kubrick used. They where usually long shots of whatever building the characters where occupying in the next scene and it was almost always partly cloudy or overcast. I don't recall any exterior shots, with the exception of the first part of the first act, that were sunny.

So much talk about lighting I forgot to mention the zooms. Throughout the film there were these great zooms in and out. The camera would frame these grand establishing shots, then begin slowly zoom in. They were so slow and perfect that for a second I thought, are these crane shots, but then I realized that there was no way any piece of equipment could reach as far as this camera zoomed. It was truly amazing, and beautiful. And the movie has tons of shots like this.

This is one of the standards for period movies in my opinion. You really have to see it. On a side note: I recently watched Sophia Coppola's Marie Antoinette and I really liked it. The first half was a filled with perfectly balanced shots followed by a bunch of party scenes. It all looked very amazing. A friend of mine once said that she cheated with Lost in Translation because it was easy to make Tokyo look awesome, and the same thing is sort of true with Marie Antoinette. For however good it was it just seemed like anyone could have gotten the same kick ass shots that Coppola did. She of course, does not even begin to approach the level of filmmaking Kubrick has achieved. The level of skill involved in Barry Lyndon is unbelievable. I just watched it going, "Oh my god!" So if you like any of Stanley Kubrick's and you haven't already seen it, make sure to watch Barry Lyndon.

A thought, a personal digression, a rambling, then a short review of Half Nelson and Sherrybaby.

I probably have too much on my mind right now to successfully write with any sort of a focus but I'm gonna give it a whirl. What I wanted to talk about anyhow, was if or if not movies serve as an adjunct to peer pressure.

Personally as a teen and even in my very early twenties I would say movies absolutely did make drugs seem enticing. Even if a movie didn't necessarily "glamorize" or "glorify" drug use it had me wishing i could get my hands on some weed, coke, speed, or whatever. Movies like Pulp Fiction, Dazed and Confused, The Basketball Diaries , Trainspotting, and a whole shit load of others had me clamoring for a taste of the stuff my parents and everyone else said was so goddamn bad for me.

For the most part my peers weren't "pressuring" me, they wanted it as much as me and 99% of them couldn't score anything. As I hit around 17 or 18 the ease of getting drugs became a joke you know? If I wanted it I could get it and I did try it, with the exception of the real crazy shit like heroine. Oh, and the fear going absolutely insane scared me enough to never try anything psychedelic.

But to get back to my thought...Movies that depicted drug use took me to a world that was far more interesting and cool than mine, no matter how fucked up they were. I mean I made these people my heroes. The characters, the actors that portrayed them, the filmmakers, and the musicians that influenced them. Of course I am not talking about blaming anyone or anything. These same people still are my heroes. I don't know I guess it was just great to me how something so bad could look so fucking awesome. That is want makes any movie good I suppose, that is the ability of the filmmaker to transport you to another place and time. To forget about how lame you are for an hour or two.

Today, it's a completely different story. In case you didn't know, I don't do drugs or drink. It's not for me okay?! I don't know when to say when and when I was doing it I could feel it taking a rapid toll on my body. I just recognized a problem and i nipped it in the butt, of course it did take a while though. Maybe movies only adjunct peer pressure if you are young and impressionable. Probably so. As I watch movies today, a picture that has drug related themes that may have once fascinated me, now scares me off even thinking of using drugs or drinking.

Especially right now, when I am at an all-time social low and thoughts of drinking have entered my mind more than once in the past couple of weeks. Don't kid yourself and don't accuse me of self pity either, but it's a lonely fucking place for the non-drinker. You stop drinking as a young person today and you can pretty much count on at least half of your friends either not calling you or giving you constant shit over it. People don't get it, they're either in denial themselves or they're in complete control of their drinking and drug use. Whether it be films depicting abusive drug users or just the escapism that movies provide me, I am able to stay off alcohol and drugs today.

The two movies I watched recently that brought on this total personal digression are Laurie Collyer's Sherrybaby starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and Ryan Fleck's Half Nelson starring Ryan Gosling, the first feature length narrative for both directors. Both movies survive on stunning performances from the lead actors.

In Sherrybaby, Maggie Gyllenhaal plays a young woman just released from prison who struggles to meet the conditions of her parole, re-enter society, and earn the confidence of her brother and show him that she is fit to care for the daughter that she left in his care. MG awesomely portrays a woman who is amazingly immature and who was completely fucked by the penal system, drugs, and her apparently sexually abusive dad. The great thing is that it is all done to subtle effect, not glamorizing drug use, or casting an uglied-up Hollywood It-Girl, just good ole fashion talented acting.

Simply because the lead character was played by a male and therefore easier to relate to, I found Half Nelson and Ryan Gosling's performance even more emotionally powerful. Gosling's character Daniel Dunne is a drug addicted teacher struggling to cope. On top of that, a student discovers his drug use. It explores the inherent contradictions that Dunne faces in using and knowing no good can come from it but also realizing the power of education and trying to steer one of his troubled students in the right direction. Again subtlety reigns in this film as Gosling continues to grow into one of my favorite actors of my generation.

In a scene where Dunne goes to dinner at his parents house the viewer sees tight shots of a stoic Dunne watching as his parents getting progressively drunk. They are speaking but essentially saying nothing and being obnoxious. The scene is uncomfortable and it's clear that he just wants to get the fuck out of there and get high but it's also as if he is looking around at the both of them and at once realizing how he became who he is. In that sense it was a moment i could relate to having had an alcoholic mother, it(the scene) also inspired me to write this blog post. Still he isn't free from drugs. It's then that Dunne's student faces a jarring situation that causes both her and Dunne to make a decision about the directions in which their lives are going. All of this culminating in one half of a double feature that serves to show me how NOW movies have to power to keep me sober and clear headed. And if they can't do that, then at least I don't have to think about anything for 2 hours.

"The Departed" and "Infernal Affairs"

I just noticed that Martin Scorsese received best director for The Departed from the Directors Guild. Coincidentally just before coming on the internet I finished watching Infernal Affairs which I happened upon yesterday at the library. So then I figured, 'What the hell, why not talk about them together.' I'm not really gonna talk about plot, cop infiltrating the mob, gangster infiltrating the cops, you all probably know it.

I finally went to see The Departed about 2 weeks ago. This was a movie that I was seriously depressed about not having seen when it first came out. So with all of the Oscar buzz I was given a second chance to view it on the big screen. I have to admit, I was a little disappointed. I don't know, I guess I was expecting something really special but as it turned out, I was not impressed. Now don't get me wrong, I did like the movie, but I just wasn't as taken with it as I expected to be. Of course the acting was excellent all the way around, I would say the biggest thing was that it was a little too pulpy for me. Sure that's what was intended, but whatever. Anyhow, it beats the hell out of any other crime film full of twists that's come out recently.

As I watched Infernal Affairs(I don't think the DVD copy I had was the one released for American distribution. Anyways there where 2 versions and I chose to watch the Hong Kong theatrical version just so you know), it became clear that William Monahan didn't put much of his own signature on the American adaptation. The films of course have the same story but are also filled with essentially the same scenes and in some cases the same dialogue. There are however some differences that are plain to see. Infernal Affairs is shorter, much more succinct(in a way, too succinct) , if you have A.D.D. I would recommend it over The Departed. Every scene may not be action packed but the story is constantly moving forward, the movie never lags at any point. The only downside is sometimes it jumps so far ahead in such a short amount of time that it takes a second to figure out what the hell is happening, but having seen The Departed first and knowing the story helped out a lot.

If you are a big fan of Martin Scorsese or the mob/crime genre of films then by all means, go see The Departed, otherwise I assure you there is really no rush. Infernal Affairs truly does have the Hong Kong action movie stamp all over it, so unless you can't stand this type of film, it's quick, entertaining and a good movie to rent.

There's no way! No No No no way, you should see Dreamgirls in the theater.

I've had a browser open ready to write a review but I really don't feel like it. I'm obviously doing it anyway so... I convinced my girlfriend to see Dreamgirls last night instead of Catch and Release the new Jennifer Garner romantic comedy, but now I sort of wish I hadn't. I still don't wanna see Catch and Release in the theater but Dreamgirls was sort of a let down. The music was great of course, but it ran much too long spanning way too many years in the lives of the characters. Eddie Murphy was good but i don't understand what the fuss is about. Jamie Foxx was just as good as Eddie. Beyonce is really a horrible actress. I don't think there is any hope for her. The American Idol chick did, in fact, give a pretty good performance...for a first timer. Music aside, it just doesn't stand up to the other modern day musicals like Moulan Rouge and Chicago, which themselves don't hold a candle to the musicals from Hollywood's golden age. If there is nothing better, check it out when it hits video.