Filmmaking

There are fewer and fewer reasons to go to the movies these days especially in terms of good cinema stories that when a film like DRIVE comes out, it’s an event.   But this is a good thing.  It makes movie going become rare and special.

Again it’s no secret how much I love minimalism in terms of story telling and characters that reveal themselves through action. The hero story is played out and we know it.  But as Joseph Campbell notes, the hero has a thousand faces.  And sometimes there is a very thin line that separates the hero from the villain. Both are human but only one has real humanity.  It’s in action that real character is revealed and the subtext is exposed.

In terms of story telling, Drive does something I always look for in great films:  You can’t wait to see what will happen next.   It has such an simple screen story it could have easily been boring and trite (and over written) without the care of a good film maker (in this case, the talented Nicolas Winding Refn).  Because a majority of film making today is plot driven, it suffers from a plot generated cycle of patching up holes while creating new ones.  The result are scenes that only answer themselves and not to a greater theme.  No turns in the story lead to characters explaining rather than acting.

Like the nameless George Clooney character in The American.  The kid in Drive is someone who is at a crossroads.  Someone who is ready to walk the straight and narrow.  But like anything there are repercussions and consequences for our actions.  And as the movie’s slogan denotes, “there are no clean getaways”.

The heroism isn’t in what the kid actually does (in such a brutally beautiful way) It’s the fact that he is willing to selflessly give up so much in pursuit of  freedom which in a sense, is as vital to happiness as life itself.

What’s good storytelling to me? Simple: It unfolds in front of you and told in one character’s point of view. No tricks. No gimmicks. And if you’ve read previous posts of mine you already know my gravitation towards minimalism.

The book is finished (for now) so I finally have a chance to catch up on some films I missed, starting with A Serious Man written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. I often rave about their work here on this blog because whether you agree with their point of view or not, their films are studies in character, setting and story telling.

As I’ve said before, their films are pseudo-cartoons inhabited by people that are not only real but hyper real, all seamlessly blended in a melting pot of genres.

On the surface, A Serious Man is about a slice of American Judiaca. Set in 1967, it’s about a series of life altering events that befall an urbane college professor which all culminate around his son’s Bar-Mitzvah. But save all the jewish tradition and culture and one still gets to the big question of the film: What is life really about? It’s as philosophical and basic as you can get.

As with any Coen Brothers film, the characters a superbly constructed and developed. Their characterizations are entertaining and amusing and most of all, the storytelling is unbridled and profound. Visually, Roger Deakins shows us once again why he is one of the modern masters of composition and lighting.

The meaning of life is what we individually derive from it. We either answer our own questions or we dont. We make choices based on the limits of our conscience and from what we know is true. The rest is pretty much out of our control.

Dear prospective director/producer/re-booter of movie franchises:

Please remember that we didn’t get stuck in suspended animation. We got older too just like you. Ghostbusters, Alien, TRON, The Thing, Predator. All good films which should be left alone. There are exceptions of course but for the most part, it’s an exercise in futility.

But you say that these are really aimed at us devoted fans from the old times… The ones that branded these films as modern classics….Frankly, a lot of us have kids and mortgages and are increasingly getting dubious about spending 20 bucks at the movies to watch lame facsimiles of the originals.

I‘ve already given my two cents about this film back in January so I won’t be redundant. I did mention then how impressed I was at the way this movie was shot. It’s a true study of composition and a great example of how films can achieve an the extra level of richness by adding a visual subtext to the narrative. Overall the look of this movie is reminiscent of the late eighties Polish mini-series called The Decalogue by acclaimed director Krzysztof Kieslowski

Isolation, desolation and the dark side of humanity are at the heart of this film. It is enhanced further visually in a photography and production design sense. It is set in the early 1980′s just outside of Stockholm, Sweden during winter. The cold weather, the desaturated winter colors give out a very foreboding and bleak essence. The sharpness of the intersecting horizontal and vertical lines exude feelings of imprisonment and captivity. All of these intelligently designed elements help make this genre-busting film elevate itself from the glut of vampire films that have come before and after it. (I think you know which ones I am talking about)

And at it’s core is a story that features simplicity in setting and complexity in character. It is more about people and less about vampirism. Which is why i’ll be watching this one over and over for years to come.

(A word about about subtitles: If you click on the comments section, you can follow the discussion about the rather mediocre dub and english subtitles on the DVD. This was something that I was aware of beforehand but was rather negligent to point out. So to make things clear, the North American release of LTROI does not contain the original english theatrical subtitles, which follows closely the swedish dialogue in the film. And for reasons unknown, Magnet and Magnolia films decided to go with a totally newer set of subtitles in the North American version.

But let not the clamour of the natives be under-estimated! Apparently the folks at Magnet and Magnolia Pictures are responding to the public backlash and will be releasing a new version with the original english subtitles. The full subtitle thread and update is HERE

Having seen both the theatrical and North American DVD versions, I have to admit that a considerable amount of subtlety is lost. But in my opinion, the film can still be enjoyed and appreciated viewing the DVD version so the choice is up to you. Either way…… don’t watch it dubbed!

Thanks to artist Benton Jew for the help!)

Copyright 2008 Magnolia Pictures

Running time: 115 minutes – Country: Sweden

Director: Tomas Alfredson – Cinematographer: Hoyte Van Hoytema

Production Design: Eva’ Noren

Here’s the trailer for the NEILL BLOMKAMP‘s new film DISTRICT 9.  The film is produced by PETER JACKSON and is based on Blomkamp’s 2005 short film called ALIVE IN JOBURG.  After seeing Joburg a few years ago, it really left me wanting to see more and apparently, Peter Jackson did too and the result is District 9.    

Very few in Hollywood can write and shoot enigmatic films like Joel and Ethan Coen. Each of their films are a unique journey in every sense. Story, setting, production design and especially character.

Their films have the feel of stage plays where characters are real but in a novel sense. It’s as if they create worlds and characters that exist in a bubble so the audience gets enough detachment to reflect from. The Coen brothers are also quite adept at blending genres and their conventions just enough to make things interesting, but not overbearing. They’re neither dramas, comedies, musicals or farce perhaps because reality is not that cut and dried.

A great actor and director has died. Sydney Pollack passed away from cancer in Los Angeles today surrounded by his family. His amazing career as a director was highlighted by receiving the best director Oscar for the sweeping epic “Out of Africa” in 1985.

His other directing credits include Jeremiah Johnson (1972), The Way we Were (1973), The Firm (1993) and the wickedly funny, gender-bending comedy Tootsie (1982).

As much as I admire him as a director, I will remember Mr. Pollack more for his unique presence as an actor where he had an uncanny ability to bring credibility to any role he portrayed. He exuded strength, wisdom and grit just by being there. Something very few actors possess.

In this memorable scene from Tootsie, Michael Dorsey (Dustin Hoffman) storms in to the office of his agent George Fields (Sydney Pollack) demanding an explanation on why he was passed up for a part. Dustin Hoffman is brilliant here but notice how Mr. Pollack’s incredible sense of delivery and timing made this the amazing scene that it is.

A tremendous talent and by all accounts, a wonderful man. He will be missed.

UPDATE: Film Critic ROGER EBERT writes a short but meaningful eulogy via his website.