LENNONYC

OPENING: 2010

STUDIO: Two Lefts Don’t Make A Right Productions, Dakota Group

RUN TIME: 115m

The Charge
He was an artist. Why would you want to kill an artist?

Opening Statement
LENNONYC is a remarkably personal film, giving viewers a candid glimpse into Lennon’s life, from his struggle with drugs and alcohol to his adoration for Yoko and his son Sean. Fans of John Lennon will be very happy with the film’s portrayal of John as it paints him as a humorous and deeply passionate individual.

Facts of the Case
LENNONYC follows the life of legendary ex-Beatle John Lennon from his move to New York City until his untimely death in 1980. We are treated to large amounts of unseen films, photography and unheard audio recordings that have not been shown until this film. We also see numerous interviews with Yoko Ono and the countless musicians who spent time with Lennon during his last years. Lennon arrived in New York City in 1971 where he immediately began rallying for peace alongside the well known activists of the time. Lennon’s ability to engage the population against the government caught the nervous eye of the FBI, who spent a great deal of time trying to get Lennon deported. In 1976, Lennon was granted a green card on the same day Sean was born. Both of these occurrences brought him much joy, starting a new chapter of his life.

The Evidence
I was given the opportunity to view LENNONYC at the Santa Fe Film Festival and I am very pleased to have seen it. As a lifelong Beatles fan, I have always regarded John Lennon as an extremely clever person, with a sense of humor few possess. Not only do we see Lennon as the funny man he is, but this documentary shows us his dark side as well. Never before had I heard the story of John and Yoko’s separation, a time of deep despair for John in which his days were filled with drugs and alcohol until their reunion in New York over a year later. This separation began the night of the re-election of Richard Nixon in 1972, something which John took very personally after his endless work urging 18-year olds to vote. On the night of Nixon’s victory, John slept with another woman, thus humiliating Yoko and causing a break in their relationship. Upon their separation, John moved to Los Angeles, where his life seemed to be spiraling downward because of his unwanted time away from Yoko. I had never heard of this period of John’s life before this film and my admiration for John has grown because of it. The admiration stems not from his life of decadence, but from the remorse and healing that came afterwards. This healing stimulated change, a change which eventually took John to the place in life where he was the happiest.

It’s easy for people to revere the artists that we appreciate without a real clue of who the person really is, because we usually only know them by their art or what is presented by the media. Sure, a person’s art can be a reflection of who that person is, but merely on an impersonal level. Someone can write dark songs or sad poetry, but we can still look to that person as flawless because we so much love what they do. LENNONYC breaks down that wall of idolatry because while the music was an important part of the film, John Lennon the man was the focus. John struggled and this film lets us in on that struggle. Although LENNONYC touches on the albums produced during his time in NYC, they were only included because of how they played into his life at the time. John saw the injustices of the world and put it to music, often causing much controversy. In 1972, John Lennon wrote “Woman is the N*gg*r of the World”, a song speaking out against the inequality between men and women across all cultures. (For the record, I did censor the above word myself.) The controversy surrounding this song led to an appearance on the Dick Cavett show, where John and Yoko were given the opportunity to explain the context of the tune. This song speaks to the heart of John’s essence. He sees something wrong in the world and knows that change is possible in some form. Change may not have always occurred the way he wanted, but it never stopped him from doing his part. In fact, much of the film is devoted to John’s dedication to the beliefs he held and even though has last few years were in the role of a family man, he still cared deeply about the events in the world.

Closing Statement
LENNONYC is a must see for fans of John Lennon or anyone who wants a glimpse of the United States during a period of political unrest. This documentary presents Lennon not only as the rock star he was, but as a very personal human being who at times was very insecure and had intense struggles. Lennon loved people and wanted nothing more than to make people laugh and enjoy great music. In the end, he was loved by those close to him and adored by millions around the world.

The Verdict

8/10

Jackass 3D

OPENING: 10/14/2010

STUDIO: MTV Films

RUN TIME: 94m

ACCOMPLICES:
Trailer, Official Site

The Charge
Schadenfreude – noun.
(pronounced [shahd-n-froi-duh],)
satisfaction or pleasure felt at someone else’s misfortune.

Opening Statement
Johnny Knoxville and his band of heroes are back for the third big screen installment of the Jackass franchise. Those familiar with the series know exactly what to expect: a collection of bits including crude jokes, moronic stunts and plenty of potty humor. Jackass 3D takes the 3D experience to new heights, or should I say, new depths, showing us images few can stomach in 2D, and like earlier films as well as the television series, Jackass 3D is full of great bits and not-so-funny bits. That being said, if the previous adventures put you in stitches, this will very likely do the same.

The Evidence
Jackass debuted on MTV a whopping ten years ago and Johnny Knoxville is, by some strange act of fate, a household name. Thanks to the tomfoolery of the Jackass series, Knoxville’s charismatic presence landed him leading roles in The Dukes of Hazzard and The Ringer, neither of which are remotely entertaining, but I’m sure he received a respectable paycheck for each. Other members of the Jackass crew have had successful spin-offs of their own, including Viva La Bam and Wildboyz, both of which aired for at least two seasons on MTV. I have no trouble admitting my love for the Jackass series as I tuned in weekly to the MTV show and have somewhat followed the boys ever since. I even hunted down the Big Brother and CKY videos to get more footage of these knuckleheads before the creation of Jackass. My fascination with the series stems from the fact that many of us as kids did the same kinds of stunts as these guys, although maybe not quite to the same degree. Every male remembers building ramps that were sure to fail, tying firecrackers to every imaginable object, or playing endless pranks on our own friends. The difference is that Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera and the others videotaped their acts of foolishness and proceeded to sell those tapes for millions of dollars. People can call these guys idiots, but at the same time, they are in a way geniuses.

Jackass 3D will be satisfying to those who have followed the show, because like it the film is filled with good skits, bad skits, and downright disgusting skits. Most of the latter I can do without, but I knew what I was getting into when I entered the theater. The allure of Jackass will boil down to whether or not you enjoy watching others hurt themselves. Schadenfreude is the term for that errr…condition, and Jackass plays into that mindset without fail. When we see Ryan Dunn revving the engine on a tiny motorcycle before a jump, we know that it can’t possibly end well. When we see Steve-O entering a pen with a full grown ram to see if a trumpet will “soothe the savage beast” through music, we know that also cannot end well. The question is whether this sounds hilarious or like a complete waste of twelve bucks. The answer really depends on what tickles your funny bone, and your response to those short descriptions will answer that question. More than likely, you are familiar with the show, but for those who aren’t, be warned, Jackass 3D is not a date movie. Bits like Lamborghini Tooth Pull and Poo Cocktail Supreme aren’t going to win over any hearts as they are nothing short of stomach churning.

Jackass 3D isn’t all about people getting hurt. In the film are some genuinely clever skits and Midget Bar Fight instantly comes to mind as one of the movie’s funniest skits. Wee Man takes his midget lady friend to a bar, only to be confronted by her midget boyfriend. From out of nowhere, several other midgets get involved and a fully staged public bar fight goes down. Other skits are flat out cruel and those who have followed the show are probably familiar with Bam Margera’s fear of snakes. In one scene, the boys trick Bam into falling into an eleven foot pit filled with rubber snakes, instantly sending Bam into panic mode. Within seconds, the pranksters begin pouring buckets of real snakes into the pit leaving Bam no way of getting out. Interestingly, this bit is very reflective of the late Jackass era skits as after the MTV show reached its full success, the anonymity of the boys quickly disappeared and rarely could they stage pranks in public without being recognized. Consequently, the humor turned toward the cast playing jokes on each other and thus losing some of the public Candid Camera-type charm of the previous seasons. Like a comedian who won’t curse, this early anonymity forced the boys to concoct bits that were genuinely clever, simply to have enough footage to fill an episode. However, when that was taken away, the films took a huge turn toward the pure disgusting, consisting of well…anything goes. Even during the filming of the first film, Jackass: The Movie (2002), the stars were relatively unknown enough to stage public stunts and some of those bits are the best in the film. Jackass: Number 2 and Jackass 3D both lack the innocence of the early series, partially because of super stardom of the cast, but also because of the unending inclusion of fecal matter. Still, Jackass 3D contains enough good bits to keep the fans laughing, if you are into that sort of thing.

Closing Statement
There isn’t really anything deep to discuss here as Jackass 3D is exactly what you would expect. If you have been pleased with the previous work of Johnny Knoxville and his crew, you will find much in this film to laugh at, but unlike the TV series, there is much reason to close your eyes as well.

The Verdict

7/10

Winter’s Bone

OPENING: 07/11/2010

STUDIO: Anonymous Content

RUN TIME: 100 min

ACCOMPLICES:
Trailer, Official Site

The Charge
Bred and buttered.

Opening Statement
Winter’s Bone is a chilling tale set in rural Missouri which couldn’t have been cast any better. Jennifer Lawrence brilliantly leads the ensemble as a seventeen year old looking for her miscreant father in a small community of people, many of which are blood related. With a budget of only $2 million dollars, director Debra Granik has assembled a film more powerful than anything I have seen this year.

Facts of the Case
Seventeen year old Ree Dolly cares for her little brother, sister and emotionally ill mother in their rural Missouri home. The sheriff comes by the house looking for the father, who is due in court within days, but has since disappeared from town. A bail bondsman comes by the house to let the family know that their deadbeat dad has put the house up as part of the bond and if he doesn’t show in court, they will be soon become homeless. Ree begins her search for her father in the obvious places, but soon realizes that to get the information she needs, she will need to talk to the shady people with whom he has had dealings. In this part of the Ozarks, almost everyone is related, but few are willing to help.

The Evidence
It is strange how the films that I look forward to the most often disappoint, like when Indiana Jones was running from the spaceship or when Batman had a case of laryngitis that wouldn’t go away. In both of these instances, I knew something was terribly wrong. In recent years, the films that leave the most lasting impressions are the ones out of left field. In 2007, it was No Country For Old Men and in 2008, it was Let The Right One In. In 2009, that film was Drag Me To Hell, and this year the film that has blown me away is Winter’s Bone. After a string of mediocre films, I am once again reminded of why I love going to the movies.

I know different types of films appeal to different types of people, but I seem to have an affinity for either cold, depressing dramas or psychological horror films. Winter’s Bone falls into the former category, but has several scenes that will get under your skin without question. In the same way as John Boorman’s Deliverance, we meet the type of mountain people that those who read online film reviews should never meet in a dark alley—or anywhere for that matter. Ree’s family is poor, squirrel-eatin’ poor to be exact, but Ree does her best to bring up her little brother and sister responsibly. She teaches them to cook for themselves and quizzes them on various math and spelling words. Ree has to fend for herself since her mother is depressed and hasn’t said a word in years. While Ree and her siblings are kind-hearted individuals, her kinfolk are indeed a scary bunch, the kind of people who keep several tireless cars on the lawn and a pet ferret in the corner of the living room. (No offense to our lesser distinguished readers of Cinema Verdict who might own a ferret or two. I hear those footlong rats taste wonderful.)

Jennifer Lawrence plays Ree, the teenager searching for her missing father who is also one of the many local manufacturers of crystal meth. To keep the house, Ree must track down her father and make sure he gets back to court in time. She starts by talking to her uncle Teardrop (John Hawkes), the first of many men with whom direct eye contact is not recommended. When we first meet Teardrop, he is nonchalantly loading his pistol at the kitchen table we can sense instantly that this is a tightly wound individual. Teardrop sports a small tattooed cross under his left eye and repeatedly pulls a bag of cocaine from his pocket for a quickie. John Hawkes is just one of the outstanding performers in the film, and Teardrop is the kind of guy who can become completely unhinged at any moment. Ree knows that too, probably from past experience, and Lawrence exhibits that fear to a T.

Aside from a “doobie for your walk home”, Ree gets little to no help from Teardrop. She then seeks help from Little Arthur, another crank dealer in the area. With no support from him, she moves on to Thump Milton, a distant relative who runs the town and won’t speak a word about the information he clearly knows. All of the people she deals with along the way feel unbelievably real, and moreso, look like true hill folk. Everyone in the film is dirty and has a dishevelled look about them. Merab, daughter of Thump, is played by Dale Dickey and looks every bit the part of a mountain woman who has felt the effects of a very hard life, possibly one with frequent meth use. Dickey is frightening and a pivotal scene involving Merab near the end of the film is bone chilling.

Winter’s Bone is a film about blood ties and how much those really mean. Will feuding families of the same bloodline willingly watch a seventeen year old and family lose the house because of the iniquities of her father? In the end, it is a question of which people are truly heartless and at what cost. Debra Granik has done a masterful job at exploring this subject in a rural part of Missouri most of us will thankfully never see. Granik’s effective use of gray and blue tones perfectly bring out the nature of both the bleak, winter setting, but also the coldness of the story’s characters. This is a film that you won’t forget for some time and although it won’t have the mass appeal of Inception, it has far more complex characters and believable situations…if you are into that sort of thing.

Closing Statement
Winter’s Bone is an unforgettable film and ranks up with Deliverance in the creepy-hillbilly genre. The gritty acting combined with great dialogue make for one of the most realistic dramas I have seen in years. We see characters in various levels of depravity and get a view of an inpoverished world completely foreign to most of us.

The Verdict
10/10