Branded to Kill (1967)

Let me start off by saying that I am not a big fan of gangster films; I've seen all of the Godfather movies, but couldn't make it through even half of "Scarface." However, I picked up a copy of "Branded to Kill" a few years ago on Criterion, and it blew me away. The movie was made in 1967 by famed director, Seijun Suzuki and starred Joe Shishido, an actor noted for his prominent work in yakuza films of the time. Yakuza films were similar to the Roger Corman films of the 60's and 70's in that they were made quickly and on low budgets in hopes that the bulk turnaround would be profitable if the films were not highly successful.
"Branded to Kill" was unlike other films of it's time, in that Suzuki put a tremendous amount of creative effort into the film to give it artistic appeal (i.e. a sniper inside of a moving billboard and the infamous sink murder scene). Though color was available in the late 60's, Branded was shot in black and white. Suzuki's mastery of shadows and transitioning of color to this medium is astounding. I have yet to see another film that uses jump cuts to the extent and perfection as does Branded. Suzuki trims down the transitions well in the film and the plot is very freeflowing, but does not take away so much as to make it awkward or disjointed.
Branded is a story about number 3 hitman (all hitmen are known by their ranks), Goro Hanada (Shishido) who is working his way up the hitman ladder. Goro's only weakness is the smell of boiling rice, for which he has an odd fetish. Hanada is gainfully employed by the yakuza, until during a mission, a butterfly lands on the barrel of his gun and he misses his intended target. Subsequently, Goro is marked for death and must fight his way through crime bosses and numbers (literally) of hitmen. Furious with his script and inability to make profitable films, the production company fired Suzuki after the completion of Branded.
Today Suzuki's films are credited as a great influence by directors: Jim Jarmusch, Quentin Tarantino, and John Woo. I have seen other Suzuki films, but stylistically, "Branded to Kill" is by far my favorite.

4 out of 4

Inland Empire (2006)

I actually got to see a prescreening of Inland Empire in an old theatre about a year ago and I must say I have mixed feelings about this new Lynch endevor. My feelings are so mixed in fact, that I had to take some time to digest it to put up a fair review. The stroy starts out fairly linear and intense, Laura Dern's character is up for a role in a new film and is visited by a gypsy "neighbor" who tells her prematurely that she has already gotten the part. While filming, she realizes that it is a remake of an old Polish film (named 47) that was never finished due to "horrible incidents" on the set. The film begins to mimic Dern's own life, her infedility, violence, and her background, among its themes.
The first hour is fairly solid, but the remainder soon begins to lose focus, and swirls into repetiton with undefined characters and situations. At first, I was a little angry about sitting through a 3 hour marathon and coming out of the theatre more confused than satisfied, but soon focused on the few moments of brilliance in the film. Empire takes from its predecessors, "Lost Highway" and "Mullholland Drive," in that Lynch uses dreamlike sequeces to bend reality, and juxtaposes charaters, names, and several storylines to mask what one might try to piece together into a coherant plot. I'm not opposed to this type of direction, but it seems that Lynch has gone much further than before, and as a result, really lost me in the fold.
In contrast, the cinematic techniques and the photography of Inland Empire are some of the best that I have ever seen. It is a beautiful film, from its black and white and vivid color sequences, to its overexposed and underfocused portions, Lynch really shows us the future of what filmaking should and hopefully will be. The lighting is phenominal and there are recurring characteristics of previous titles: the red theater curtains and stage and the shots which slowly reveal movement out of the darkness, which mark his earlier efforts, "Blue Velvet," "Fire Walk With Me," "Lost Highway," and "Mullholland Drive."
What Lynch does so well artistically, he gives up in substance, and as a result, I found myself leering at people who clapped at the end--feeling that in some way they had to make others think that in some way they "got" it. It seems that Lynch has reverted back to his earlier film school days, since "Inland Empire" reminds me more of "Eraserhead" (an early artistic venure) than of his later works, which melded the strange with substance and cinematic beauty. It's unfortunate that a second, third, etc. viewing will have to include a notepad so that I can somehow seperate the storylines and determine what parts/characters match, or possibly match with the others. I don't think its wrong for a film to be abstract and thought-provoking, but in my opinion, Lynch has crossed the line a bit too far. It's a film worth seeing if you're a Lynch fan, but if your new to his work, I'd suggest soething a bit more concrete.
Kudos go out to Laura Dern's exceptional performance (though with a bad Southern accent), a prostitute dance sequence using "The Locomotion," and a decent montage of action using Beck's "Black Tamborine."

2 out of 4

The Wrestler (2008)

I went to see "The Wrestler" last night and was very impressed with the film. I haven't seen an Aronofsky film since my utter disappointment in "Requiem for a Dream, "which followed one of my favorite films, "Pi." I must say I was a little hesitant to go see this film, but the overall subject matter won me over. Growing up as a child near Charlotte, NC you can't deny your wrestling roots and the years of curling up on the couch in your good clothes after a midday sermon to watch some male on male brutality.
Aronofsky's direction is superb in this film and he doesn't rely on gimmicky edits as he does in some of his previous films. One particular scene, which I found very creative, was when Rourke (The Ram) had dressed for his new job in the deli and was making his way to the counter. The camera follows him down the hallways and through a maze of butchering equipment into the depths of what is his own personal hell. There is moment where his silhouette stops just in front of a shredded, industrial plastic curtain and you begin to hear the faint wresting announcement in the background just as he breaks through...a mimicry of his former life. I also thought the wresting choreography was well done, just the right amount of imperfections to make it seem "real."
Rourke's performance was by far the best acting I have seen all year and I will definitely be "in his corner" on Oscar night. I don't know that I would call it type casting, but Rourke's demeanor and physical appearance certainly parallels the years of self-inflicted abuse portrayed by his character. I can only assume that some of the script was improvised, but to me, that's where Rourke stole the show. The scenes with him behind the deli counter and in the dollar store are especially great and keep the film lighthearted and from turning too grim. Even though it's evident that Rourke is having fun with his role, he never steps out of character while improving and it really makes for some creative and endearing scenes. The more serious scenes are touching and well done and the even the wrestling is spot on. Rourke truly runs through an acting gauntlet and comes out the other side triumphant.
Rourke's love interest, Marisa Tomei (who plays the stripper, Cassidy) was stellar in the film and it's nice to see her in another career-resurrecting film following "When the Devil Knows You're Dead." I was initially put off at first by the amount of nudity in the film in terms of it's necessity (since sometimes it makes me feel uneasy for the actress and can sometimes break my suspension of disbelief), but I can sincerely say that Aronofsky’s portrayal of that seedy slice of society is dead on accurate and that Cassidy's meetings with Ram outside of that environment are more powerful and realistic as a result of this decision.
Though "The Wrester" was a very sincere and often humorous film, I found that the film's plot was a bit generic and ultimately, fairly predictable--the terminally ill father who has never been there, the reluctant reconciliation, and the tragic denouement (not really a spoiler, the trailer details it all). However, after some careful consideration, I think the film separates itself from others based on its ability to portray such a difficult and often belittled subject matter and it stands tall on its own merits (acting, editing, and directing).

4 out of 4

Synecdouche, New York (2008)

I went to see Synecdouche a few weeks ago and was quite impressed. I wouldn't say that I liked it better than Adaptation, the humor is definately more deadpan and witty. I was the kind of humor where you find yourself the only one laughing sometimes, where I think the obsessive and frantic nature of Cage makes Adaptation a little more accessible in regards to humor. It's a fairly straight-forward plot at first and it slowly gets more fragmented. I liked this as opposed to something like Lynch's "Inland Empire," which just immediately smashes into the weird wall and never gets any more translucent. The oddness of Synecdouche builds and is fairly easy, yet somewhat challenging to follow until around the last 10-15 minutes of the film. Even the last segment of the film is nice beacuse it allows you to leave the theatre trying to wrap your mind around what you just saw and is certainly a film that will be on my mind for days. I think a friend said it best when we got back to the car and he stated, "You know I really want to see that again," which is probably the best immediate comment you can make about a movie. It's full of layers, "literally," but it's simply brilliant. It reminds me a bit of "8 1/2," since it too is a movie about directing. By the end, you may even wonder if somehow you are in one of the many "Las Meninas-esque"/Matryoshka doll warehouses portrayed throughout the film. I am dumbfounded by the script and how Kaufman could accurately write and direct such a piece; I would have loved to have been on that set and imagine it mimics the set of the play portrayed in the actual film. Hoffman is as brilliant as ever and the cast of female characters do a phenominal job of "supporting" him.

3.5 out of 4

Vicky Christina Barcelona (2008)

The wife and I went out last night and saw the new Woody Allen film, "Vicky Christina Barcelona." It was pretty much what I expected, the "fleetingness of love" type films that Allen tends to do. It's about these two American friends who are staying in Barcelona for two months. Vicky (played by relative newcomer, Rebecca Hall) is the engaged, dark haired, good girl who values more conservative relationship ideals and Christina (Johansson) is the more sensuous and adventurous, fair haired, girl who is never satisfied in any relationship. Though Allen reverses the physiognomy of the dark and light heroine roles, as the movie progresses, these roles begin to unravel and we begin to see glimpes of the values associated with each girl in the other. Javier Bardem is great in the film as a Spanish artist who was married and found love in fellow Spaniard, Penelope Cruz (also very good). Their artistically flourishing relationship faulters and ultimately tilts toward depression and violence, because they are "missing something" in their relationship. The lovers and fellow artists are too much alike, and it is in the two American tourists that they seek to find it. The movie is well acted and I think any accolades that any of the actors in this film receive are well-deserved. The acting is by far the strongest part of this film. However, the film lacks depth and there are moments that are so predicable. At times, I found myself wondering if I were watching some sort of avant-garde soap opera. Though Allen is ultimately trying to get us to look back on the "what ifs" of our lives and evaluate our traditional values, in the end, we are left with the notion that only we are able to decide what type of lifestyle is right and wrong for ourselves. For me, this film was the typical self-reflective Allen film--you will never find true love, it does not exist.*

2.5 out of 4.0

(*see "Annie Hall," "Manhattan," "Matchpoint," etc.)