More catching up

2/7/09

There's a good documentary coming into our homes this Tuesday, February 10th, as part of the PBS series Independent Lens:

Tulia, Texas, directed by Cassandra Herrman and Kelly Whalen, is worth turning on the TV for. In the late 1990's and early 2000's, the War on Drugs came to Tulia, a small town in the Texas panhandle. An undercover police officer, paid for by DEA funds, came to town and when he was through, 46 people were arrested on drug charges, 39 of them African American. As the cases went through the courts, defendants pleaded guilty or, if they did go to trial, were convicted and given very long prison sentences, some up to 90 years. Then some of the citizens of Tulia started to wonder about things. The filmmakers talk to all the parties, from the undercover cop to the sheriff to the townspeople to the defendants to the attorneys to the press. A fascinating film, about race and justice and drugs and federal policy and probably some other things too.

If you're willing to step away from the television, here are a couple of good things to see in a theater:

Waltz With Bashir
This Israeli film is an animated documentary about the experiences of director Ari Folman and others as young Israeli soldiers during that country's early 1980's war with Lebanon. In other words, it's a strange animal. An animated documentary? A film about a war most Americans are only dimly if at all aware of? And not so much about the war but of young soldiers' memories of it? How does that all work? Beautifully, actually. Folman's (real) interviews with his fellow former soldiers are animated, as are the memories, dreams, and hallucinations of those soldiers. The film is beautiful and difficult to watch.

Cherry Blossoms
German director Doris Doerrie's film Cherry Blossoms: Hanami (which now seems to be called just Cherry Blossoms) was one of TVOR's favorites at SIFF 2008. It's finally getting a bit of a regular run, starting in the big cities on the edges of the country, and then heading into the hinterlands. Wherever you live, don't dilly-dally, because it's unlikely to play for long. It's the story of aging parents from a small town visiting their busy urban-dwelling adult children, who have little time for them. The film is about families, death, grief, Japan, and butoh dancing. And it's not depressing. It's kind of hard to explain but it's definitely worth seeing.

On video:

Tokyo Story--Cherry Blossoms is an homage (or at least makes reference) to Yasujiro Ozu's 1953 film Tokyo Story. This is no secret, but TVOR somehow missed this tidbit of information, and only made the connection a couple of weeks ago when she saw the older film as part of an Ozu kick she is currently on. Older couple from the country, children living in the city who are too busy for them...hmmm...something is familiar here...oh, yeah! Tokyo Story is a wonderful film, and it's interesting to see it paired with the Cherry Blossoms. Ozu has a very particular style-- his camera is still and low to the ground, there are no quick cuts, people walk in and out of scenes, and things unfold as they might in real life.

Other Ozu titles TVOR has really enjoyed are Equinox Flower and Late Autumn, both made late in his career. The subject matter is very human--that of families and friends and relationships, and the move from tradition to modernity. He continues to use a low and still camera, and adds color in these later films. Every shot is a thing of beauty. Although the films are about the stuff of normal life, they are not dull. People are complicated and interesting, and Ozu shows us that. If you're not familiar with him (and most of us aren't) you could do a lot worse than spend some time with his work. TVOR will be doing some more of that herself in the very near future.

Now for some more recent video releases:

Shotgun Stories--this film got some good press at film festivals last year and had a small run in theaters. You had to be in the right place and act quickly, though, or you missed it. First-time filmmaker Jeff Nichols made this story about two groups of half brothers who have very different experiences and relationships with their recently deceased, alcoholic father. After abandoning his first family, he got sober, found God, and started a new one. The film is a beautifully shot, well-acted (especially by Michael Shannon in the central role) story of revenge (the shotgun does get some use, although not as much as TVOR feared) and heroism and nobility. Sort of. It's hard to describe, but worth watching.

Married Life--this film came and went pretty quickly last year, but it's actually a pretty decent dark comedy. The time is 1949, the place, we assume, is New York and environs. Chris Cooper plays a guy who falls for a young lovely and decides that rather than cause his wife pain by leaving her, he'll do the compassionate thing and kill her. Patricia Clarkson is the wife, Pierce Brosnan is the best friend, and Rachel McAdams is the young lovely. None of these people behave exactly the way he (or we) might expect them to.

Burn After Reading--Joel and Ethan Coen lite. It's sort of a comedy, but although it has its moments, it's not consistently funny. Much of this lack of humor is due to the complete idiocy and unlikeability of the vast majority of the characters. It's not funny if a stupid loser creep slips on a banana peel, it's simply appropriate. And these people slip on some major banana peels. Some of the acting is pretty good, especially that of Frances McDormand and Brad Pitt's hair.

My Brother is an Only Child--this Italian film tells the story of a working-class family in the 1960's. The two sons of the family are drawn in opposite directions politically, yet toward the same woman. It's entertaining, and full of interesting characters.

Pineapple Express--this product of the Judd Apatow machine is sort of a stoner buddy comedy and sort of an action movie. They should have skipped the second part. (FYI, stoners aren't the most reliable people to have around when action is needed.) Seth Rogen is the stoner, the wonderful James Franco is the sweetest drug dealer ever, and Danny McBride is perfect as a courteous, upwardly mobile middle man. Most of the plot and the rest of the characters are forgettable, but if you're feeling shallow, you can have some fun with this one.