The Help

OPENING: 08/10/2011

STUDIO: Dreamworks Films

RUN TIME: 103 min

ACCOMPLICES:
Trailer, Official Site

The Charge
Change begins with a whisper

Opening Statement
In 2009, the book The Help was released and spent more then 100 weeks on bestseller lists. It chronicled the fictional stories of Aibileen Clark, a poor African American lady who worked for rich, white families in Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960s. The book was written by Kathryn Stockett, a Caucasian lady who was inspired by an African American maid who worked for her family when she was a child. This, of course, drew lots of controversy. (What would she know about the experiences she’s writing about? Would this book and movie have gotten the same backing if a black person wrote it?) All of which goes to show that questions of racial equality are still alive and well today, and though we have an African American in the White House we still have not only a lot of callous people…but also a lot of exposed nerves.

Facts of the Case
The Help tells the story of three women who build unlikely friendships around a secret writing project which, if found out, would put them all in great danger. The unfortunately named Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan (played by Emma Stone in Shirley Temple curls) wants a career writing. When she lands a job writing a cleaning tips column for the local paper she seeks help from Aibileen (played by Viola Davis in a performance I hope will get her an Oscar nomination) her best friend’s maid. Along with Aibileen’s best friend Minny (Octavia Spencer) they begin to tell Skeeter their stories about what it’s like being a maid in Jackson Mississippi.

The Evidence
As this is a Dreamworks film (and therefore, a Disney film) it has all the spit and polish sheen you would expect, full of morals and morsels of quaint truths lying around for the picking. That’s not to say that it isn’t good, because I think it is. That’s to say that they played it very safe with the material they were given. This isn’t The Color Purple. Heck, this isn’t even Driving Miss Daisy. An incident of spousal abuse is played out off screen and racial fuelled violence is heard over the radio. This is a piece of art finely tuned so that it would not offend anyone.

This film passes the Bechdel Test (look it up)–not something I can type often so I take the chance when I can. Though most of the women in this film are portrayed as gossipy, bitter, shallow minded hens; it makes it that much easier to delineate the goodies from the baddies. The performances are the reason to see this film, especially Viola Davis whose courageous acting–filmed in unflattering ways if it is in favor of the character–anchors this movie and really punches up the film’s most heartfelt moments. Her eyes can convey all the sadness in the world. Emma Stone’s Skeeter is the typical girl ahead of her time; the types put into these kinds of movies so that we can laugh at the backwards thinking of people at that time and pat ourselves on the back because we’ve come so far. What? She doesn’t want to be married? She doesn’t care about having children? Instead she wants a career and finds people of a different race to actually be people and not chattel? Scandal!

Jessica Chastain (most recently seen in Malick’s Tree of Life) is a revelation in this role as Celia Foote, the girl who lives in the outskirts of town and is shunned by all the socialites. She had quite a bit of heavy lifting to do, her character had to take some on-a-dime turns and Jessica more then succeeded. Side Note: Did the casting directors purposefully go after all the redheads (Stone, Howard, Chastain) in Hollywood? If so, Julianne Moore and Amy Adams are still waiting for their auditions.

Closing Statement
There are a couple of storytelling missteps. The film begins in the middle of the story with Aibileen already telling Skeeter her stories though the first act is Skeeter trying to convince Aibileen to tell her stories, which kinda takes the suspenseful wind out of your sails. Then there’s a subplot of Skeeter’s boyfriend which felt a little tacked on and ended very abruptly. That said, what the story did very well is convey the equality of all people. There were, as there are today, people on both sides of the racial divide who are mean and rude and spiteful. Just as there were, and still are today, people whose feelings are hurt because a mean, rude and/or spiteful person, regardless of race, age, creed or conviction, did not understand that hate affects everyone equally.

The Verdict

8/10

Easy A

OPENING: 09/17/2010

STUDIO: Sony Pictures

RUN TIME: 92 mins

ACCOMPLICES:
Trailer, Official Site

The Charge
Let’s not and say we did

Opening Statement
Easy A is a unique high school film in that it is an homage to the ’80s teenage classics while at the same time mildly pointing out how idealistic and unrealistic some of those films were. The writing is filled with clever wit and unexpected turns that proved to be more interesting as the film went on. For the most part, the cast was superb with Emma Stone leading the ensemble and only a few weak characters kept Easy A from scoring an A. I will, however, award the film a B+ along with a gold star (smiley face to be determined).

Facts of the Case
High school student Olive lies to her best friend about losing her virginity and the rumor spreads throughout the school like wildfire. Soon after, Olive’s gay friend Brandon confides in Olive and asks if they can’t have an imaginary fling to help hide his orientation. She agrees and is quickly labeled the school tramp as numerous others begin offering to pay her for their own rumor. Where at one point she was a face in the crowd, Olive is now the center of the school’s attention, even if for a list of untrue events. Olive wises up and begins using this reputation to climb up the social ladder, although the effects eventually take a toll on her emotions.

The Evidence
Many things haven’t changed between the high school flicks of the ’80s and the high school flicks of today–we have twenty-five year olds playing high school students, beautiful people everywhere, and the girl almost always gets the guy (and vice versa). Easy A falls in line with the other genre films, but does so in a way that is refreshing and somehow steers clear of the usual plot points. The film starts with Olive (Emma Stone) making a video on her webcam where she states that “there are two sides to every story”. She wishes her life was like an ’80s movie but unfortunately John Hughes didn’t direct it. From the first scene, we know that Olive is a romantic and loves the ’80s teen films that are now deemed classics in film. Films like The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, and Say Anything are all referenced by Olive and it’s easy to conceive that by the time someone reaches high school, he or she has probably seen those films at one point or another. It isn’t often that a film references other films of the same genre, but Easy A does so brilliantly without feeling hokey or unbelievable.

Easy A works as a film mainly because of the extraordinary work of most the cast as much as the well written screenplay. (I’ll elaborate on the most later.) Emma Stone is rock solid as Olive, the spunky, yet relatively innocent high school student who is clearly self conscious about her lack of sexual endeavors. Even Olive’s best friend Rhiannon (Alyson Michalka) hassles her incessantly about “doing the deed” until Olive finally caves and concocts a story about losing her virginity to a college student over the weekend, only to be overheard in the ladies’ bathroom by religious fanatic Marianne (Amanda Bynes). Gossip abounds and the student body is soon obsessed with a full blown rumor that can’t be stopped. Seeing that not much can be done to remedy the situation, she agrees to another rumor to help her friend Brandon after he tells her of his daily persecution. The next student to ask for a rumor does so in the form of a bribe and Olive quickly realizes this rumor mill could become quite the cash cow. These rumors aren’t without their repercussion and the conflicting emotions of Olive are superbly played by Stone, who does a fantastic job as someone who isn’t quite sure if she’s making the right decisiosn. The part could have easily been played straight, with no depth to the character, but Stone’s uncertainty gives Olive an insecurity that many people can relate to. With lines like “If there’s one thing worse than Chlamydia, it’s Florida”, Easy A has the wit of Bring It On (a film I admittedly love), but is grounded in an emotional substance that sets it apart from other teen films.

Many of the supporting actors are not to be skimmed over, as Patricia Clarkson and Stanley Tucci as Olive’s parents add volumes to the delightfulness of the picture. Clarkson and Tucci work splendidly together and bounce dialogue off each other well, making for some of the funniest scenes in the film. In the same way as Stone, their characters aren’t simply a vehicle for comic relief, as it is evident that they genuinely care for Olive. Like most parents, they are oblivious to the goings on at school, and can only be involved as much as their daughter will allow. Lisa Kudrow and Thomas Haden Church play two of the teachers at the high school, giving performances that are far from the clichéd teachers we’ve seen in teen flicks. The involvement of these characters is more than just filler, as their parts are pivotal in the progression of the story.

Easy A is a film that delivers in quite unexpected ways. For instance, even the title can’t be taken at face value as “easy A” refers not to sliding by with an effortless A grade, but is a reference to embroidered A upon the blouse of Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter, the book that Olive is studying in class and is alluded to throughout the film. After Olive willingly sets loose the barrage of rumors at school, she soon understands how Hester felt as the center of social ostracism. The parallels are a little too real for Olive, but unlike Hester Prynne, she uses the rumors to her advantage, and unlike the ’80s films that Olive loves, the outcome of her decisions aren’t as ideal as expected. The allusions to other movies are beautifully worked into Easy A, showing not only what Olive’s world isn’t, but what she wishes it was.

What is truth and how powerful is the rumor mill? These are questions that Easy A asks and critiques, while also commenting on the superficiality of teenage life. Church’s character comments on the urge of the younger generation to broadcast their lives online (Facebook, etc) and how that may not be a good thing. I mentioned in my opening statement that most of the characters were superb. My only real critique stems from the phoned-in characterizations of the religious fanatics, led by Amanda Bynes. This is par for the course for Hollywood films and is no fault of Bynes or the other actors, but moreso a lack of effort by the writer to find a personified source of conflict for Olive. For a film commenting on the power of rumor and truth, the haphazardly written religious students worked against the meaningful commentary the film was providing. To further fall into the Hollywood cliché, Olive seeks guidance at the church over the regret of her previous choices, but even those characters were written off, with the clergy being painted as the enemy. Eventually, Olive gets the answers from her formerly promiscous mother, since only those who have tried everything can provide the truth in some form. I guess. Easy A was a great film, but leaned on the crutch of stereotyped religious fanatics as the “bad guy”, unfortunate characterizations that it did so well to avoid much of the way.

Closing Statement
I thoroughly enjoyed Easy A. The screenplay worked in references to old films without being campy and provided a brief look at the world portrayed in those films versus the world portrayed in this one. Strong performances and well thought out characters–aside from a few–made for a surprisingly good film.

The Verdict
8/10

Zombieland

OPENING: 10/02/2009

STUDIO: Columbia Pictures

RUN TIME: 80 min

ACCOMPLICES:
Trailer, Official Site

The Charge
This place is so dead.

Opening Statement
Veering into comedy much less philosophical and far more visceral is the entertaining zombie comedy (zom-com?) Zombieland, which takes place in a world more or less overrun by zombies.

The Case
There are only a few humans surviving in this wasteland, including the obsessive-compulsive Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), the rough-and-tumble Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), the smart and savvy Wichita (Emma Stone), and spunky Little Rock (Abigail Breslin). This unlikely foursome teams up, fights zombies, and works out their personal issues to very amusing and slightly touching effect. It’s an offbeat, fun little movie that makes a nice companion piece to Edgar Wright’s similarly enjoyable Shaun of the Dead.

One of the odd things about Zombieland is the way it’s constructed. It opens with a series of very violent scenes (including a particularly gross, blood-soaked opening credits) and slowly works its way towards good-natured sweetness. The film accomplishes what it needs to, by providing the requisite levels of laughs and gore, but goes the extra mile by actually making us care about the characters involved. Beneath the seemingly tough-as-nails, R-rated exterior is a movie that really loves these eccentric survivors. Too many horror films (even comedically-inclined ones) encourage the audience to speculate on who will be the first to die and eagerly await their inventive deaths. It’s hard to imagine many people watching Zombieland and not wanting all four of the primary characters to make it to the end credits. Let the zombies do all the dying. Toss in a hilarious cameo, a handful of priceless lines, and a nutso-action-packed finale worthy of the word "payoff" and you’ve got a fun flick worth checking out.


The Verdict
8/10

Paper Man

OPENING: 06/18/2009

STUDIO: Artfire Films

ACCOMPLICES: N/A

SOUNDTRACK: N/A

The Charge
What happens when life stalls but the world keeps moving forward?

Opening Statement
Opening night of the 2009 Los Angeles Film Festival showed much less glam and glitz than years past, focusing more on the art than the Hollywood. The heart of Westwood was almost serene tonight. Broxton Street, once host to lavish after parties, remained open and quiet; Lindbrook Avenue wasn’t lined with fans hoping to catch a glimpse of celebrity royalty, as there were none to be found; and the Mann Village Theatre was full, but not bursting, requiring no overflow theatre to accommodate the crowds. While some might point to the economic downturn as the main reason for the change, looking up and down this year’s 200+ film schedule, you’ll quickly see a conscious choice by festival director Rebecca Yeldham (Anvil! The Story of Anvil) and her team to present a more introspective palate. Kieran and Michele Mulroney’s Paper Man was a most appropriate choice to establish the tone.

Facts of the Case
Richard (Jeff Daniels) is suffering from a most debilitating affliction: writer’s block. His wife Claire (Lisa Kudrow), a successful surgeon, gets him out of NYC and rents a house on the Long Island seashore, hoping to reawaken the creative process. Despite his first novel being somewhat of a commercial flop, Richard’s publisher has him under the gun to complete a second, which isn’t doing anything to dispell his disillusionment. Even his childhood imaginary friend, Captain Excellent (Ryan Reynolds), can’t seem to break Richard out of this downward spiral. Yet, just when things seem most bleak, along comes Abby (Emma Stone), a local high schooler and kindred spirit. Immediately drawn to her own obvious angst, the two form a unique bond, setting their individual worlds on a collision course whose ripple effects will impact everyone around them.

The Evidence
I love films that are unapologetic for what they have to offer. Despite fronting an all-star cast and opening a major film festival, Paper Man is not destined to become a mainstream success… and that’s okay. This is a film for people who love film, one which can’t be spoon-fed to the masses as anything other than what it is: a slow but beautifully unfolding character study, deliberate in chewing on every element of its own existence. Its two-hour runtime may make the art house uninitiated squirm — as evidenced by tonight’s increasing amount of aisle traffic in the second and third acts — but those willing to take the journey will have their investment pay off in spades.

Much like Sophia Coppola’s Lost in Translation, Paper Man centers on an unconventional relationship between two lost souls. Richard and Abby are doing penance for injustices in their lives, but somewhere along the way that solitude defined them. They no longer know themselves outside of their pain and it takes seeing that in each other to truly recognize and deal with it. While some people’s brains will immediately turn to Woody Allen or Mary Kay Letourneau, this is not that type of relationship, and yet everyone in these characters lives make that same leap in judgment. This then begs the question: Can two people, vastly different in every way, make a deep connection that transcends conventional labels?

The Mulroneys show us they can and do so in style. Known more for their writing and producing efforts, this directorial turn is quite impressive. After a Juno-esque opening title sequence, the overly indie earmarks take a backseat to more conventional filmmaking. While there are some interesting setups, transitions, and focus pulls, Kieran and Michele let their characters drive the aesthetic. The stark winter setting echoes the bleakness in the characters lives, hinting at potential new life gestating beneath the surface. Anyone who has spent time living in a home not their own will sympathize with the uncomfortableness of one’s foreign surroundings. And those who are writers will immediately identify with Richard’s myriad distractions that keep him from facing the cruelty of a blank page. Paper Man is an excellent companion piece to Sam Mendes’ Away We Go (which also features Jeff Daniels). The two films share a similar tone, in that life can very easily be lived outside of the margins defined by modern society. We only have to choose to believe it can and give ourselves the power to do so.

While words on a page are one thing, once put into the hands of gifted actors they give life to characters who will echo in your subconscious. This may well be Jeff Daniels finest role. It’s easy to play crazy for laughs, but to pull off a 50 year old man with an imaginary friend and make you believe it, that’s Jimmy Stewart caliber work. The authenticity he brings to Richard demands the attention of audiences, critics, and peers… and he’s not alone. I’ve been a fan of Emma Stone since her work on the short-lived Tim Minear series Drive and she keeps getting better with each outing. Holding her own opposite Jeff and co-star Kieran Culkin (who looks like 10 miles of bad road) is accomplishment enough, but when the time comes for Abby to dig deep and confront her own demons, Emma generates a light all her own. Together they make this story sing.

Lisa Kudrow continues to do well for herself and this is another solid performance. The same goes for Ryan Reynolds, well on his way to becoming the next Bruce Willis, milking that wry comic charm and making it look effortless. Speaking of looks, the boy spends the entire film in wholly unforgiving spandex without a hint of imperfection (aside from that obnoxious peroxide job), and that ain’t easy.

Closing Statement
Life has no easy answers or clear cut happy endings, something that Hollywood works hard to make us forget, and yet we often grow the most from seeing ourselves in that truth. Paper Man helps us see, even in deepest despair, there is wonder to behold and adventure to pursue. More importantly, it reminds us all that even the smallest films can pack one heck of a punch.

The Verdict
9/10

The Rocker

OPENING: 08/20/2008

STUDIO: Fox

TRAILER: Trailer

ACCOMPLICES: Official Site

The Charge
He always knew he was going to be huge.

Opening Statement
As a fan of The Office, I was looking forward to seeing Rainn Wilson headline his own comedy. Sadly, the role doesn’t seem to be written for him, as evidenced by Wilson doing a Jack Black impersonation for the vast majority of the movie.

The Evidence
Listen in as Judge Clark Douglas discusses the film on the Aug 25 episode of DVD Verdict’s The Sounds and Sights of Cinema…

Download

The Verdict

5/10