Cyrus

OPENING: 06/18/2010 (limited)

STUDIO: Fox Searchlight Pictures

RUN TIME:91 min

ACCOMPLICES:
Trailer, Official Site

The Charge
John met the woman of his dreams. Then he met her son.

Opening Statement
The film sub-genre of mumblecore has been around since 2002. It is characterized by improvised scripts spoken by un-proven actors on shoestring budgets. The plots are simplistic, people talking about what people talk about as they would normally talk. Nothing particularly spectacular happens and it’s okay. Slowly, the directors of these films have been getting noticed and given acclaim. Last year, the film Humpday was a huge critical success for writer/director/producer Lynn Shelton. Now, mumblecore has come to a theater near you with actors you have probably heard of. The brothers Duplass, Mark and Jay, were given the go ahead to work the magic they brought to their previous works, The Puffy Chair and Baghead, into something with a bigger budget. What they have given us is Cyrus - a comedy that keeps its independent vibe and does not skimp on the quirk; yet by the end, if you stay with it, will surprise and charm you.

Facts of the Case
John’s (John C. Reilly) life is a wreck and has been for quite some time now. As his ex-wife, Jaime (Catherine Keener), is about to remarry, he has all but given up on love, but at her urging John grudgingly agrees to join her and her fiancé Tim (Matt Walsh) at a party. To his, and everyone else’s surprise, he actually manages to meet someone; the gorgeous Molly (Marisa Tormei). Their chemistry is immediate, if not somewhat shocking. The relationship takes off but Molly is strangley reluctant to take the relationship beyond John’s house. Confused, he follows her home and discovers the other man in Molly’s life; her son Cyrus (Jonah Hill). A 21-year-old new age musician, Cyrus is his mom’s best friend and shares an unconventional relationship with her. The quote from Ferris Bueller, “So that’s how it is in thier family.” comes to mind. Cyrus will go to any lengths to protect Molly and is definitely not ready to share her with anyone, especially John. Before long, the two are locked in a battle of wits for the woman they both love. It’s a new twist on the old love triangle plot.

The Evidence
This film was made in an unconventional way. Instead of blocking the scenes – preplanning where the actors would stand when they say their lines so that they can be lit properly – the Duplass brothers lit the entire set so that their actors could move about freely and spontaneously thus encouraging the natural feel of their mumblecore entrees. Unfortunately, what it also does is confuse the cameraman. Since they do not know where the actors are going to be at any particular time, the camera work becomes shoddy, zooming in and out wildly, going out of focus when the actors get too close or too far from the camera. It almost looks like they are shooting a documentary. It was this unrefined style that initially turned me off to the whole mumblecore genre. It just isn’t something I dig. To me it comes off as being sloppy and uncaring. I also can’t stand slice-of-life type of films. If I want to see natural (read: boring) people do regular (read: extremely boring) things, I could stay at home and save my $12 and my two hours. That said, I really wasn’t looking forward to this film. On top of that, the trailers didn’t really sell this film properly. It was pushing an all out comedy, but I knew enough to know not to expect it. So I came into this film with all that prejudice of mine, and yet the acting and how delicately the directors handled the situations quickly pulled me out of my funk. It became just a change in style, neither good nor bad, just different.

John C. Reilly is a master actor and a joy to watch in anything he does. His relationship with Catherine Keener is interesting to say the least. As exes, they act far more friendly and supportive then any separated couples I’ve ever met. John takes advantage of his ex’s friendship and, as Cyrus starts butting his way into Molly and John’s relationship, John starts becoming the Cyrus in Jaime and Tim’s relationship. Seeing him in this film as a lead actor was an inspired choice, however he was shown up in the improvising area by Marisa Tomei. His delivery is short and choppy, he stammers constantly. Her delivery is smooth and polished and feels far more professional then either of her male counterparts. She lifts the entire film into a higher caliber. Jonah Hill has, with the Apatow troupe, gotten a lot of improv training in comedy and most of the all out gut-busting moments belong to him.

Closing Statement
There are three moments in the film that really brought everything together for me, where the emotions completely congealed and I seriously fell in love with the characters and this movie. The scenes start ontwo people talking to each other, and as we continue to hear them talking, it cuts away to the same two people in other, disparate but related, scenarios and back again; all of this over a great piece of heartfelt music. It was in these times I could see glimpses of how the directors really had a grasp on manipulating the cinematic art to do their bidding. I hope to see them continue to grow.

The Verdict

8/10

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant

OPENING: 10/23/2009

STUDIO: Universal

RUN TIME: 109 min

ACCOMPLICES:
Trailer, Official Site

The Charge
Meet Darren. He’s sixteen going on immortal.

Opening Statement
There are a number of promising elements at work in Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant: a story based on a well-regarded series of young adult novels, a top-shelf cast, lots of colorful characters, and a screenplay by the savvy Paul Weitz and old pro Brian Helgeland. Alas, the movie is much, much less than the sum of its parts.

Facts of the Case
The film begins by introducing us to two teenage boys. Newcomer Chris Massoglia plays Darren Shan, a sweet guy who gets good grades in school and plays by the rules. Darren’s best friend is the obnoxious Steve (Josh Hutcherson, Journey to the Center of the Earth), who likes to kill living creatures and break things. One day, Darren and Steve sneak out in the middle of the night to attend a disreputable freak show called "Cirque du Freak." There they encounter Madame Truska the Bearded Woman (Salma Hayek, Desperado), the disfigured Alexander Ribs (Orlando Jones, Evolution), the mysterious Mr. Tall (Ken Wanatebe, Letters from Iwo Jima), and other colorful characters. The ringleader is Larten Crepsley (John C. Reilly, Boogie Nights), a fast-moving fellow who is secretly a vampire.

Well, it’s not a secret to Steve, who recognizes Larten from one of his books at home (Steve has a massive collection on the subject of vampires). This leads to a series of contrived events that would take far too much time to explain. Suffice to say that both boys are turned into vampires, though Darren sticks with the friendly Larten, while Steve joins the violent and barbarous Vampanese tribe. The decent and non-violent vampires are slowly being drawn into an epic war with the Vampanese, and the two best friends will eventually be forced to confront one another.

The Evidence
The Vampire’s Assistant shoots itself in the foot from the opening simply, by introducing us to the two lead teenagers, both of whom are remarkably uninteresting in their own way. Massoglia is dull and terribly uncharismatic, failing to give his scenes any sense of credibility or intrigue. Mostly, he just stands around looking somewhat confused and bewildered. Meanwhile, Josh Hutcherson hams it up in his one-note role as the film’s villain. When you start with killing harmless spiders and smashing school property, you’re bound to end up somewhere way over the top by the time your story concludes. Any time the film focuses on either of these two characters, it doesn’t work. Unfortunately, we spend a pretty good chunk of time with them.

Not that these guys are the movie’s only problem. Far from it. This tonally awkward mess veers unnaturally from gritty PG-13 violence and serious faux-Shakespearean drama, to breezy whimsy and hip comedy. Having such shifts within the same film isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but you have to find a way to make these elements co-exist comfortably. The Vampire’s Assistant never even tries, changing tone at will as if it were being controlled by a light switch. In the hands of someone like Tim Burton (an admittedly stereotypical choice for this sort of thing), the movie might have been creepy, exciting, and funny. Instead it’s just clunky, confusing, and irritatingly odd. In the past, Paul Weitz has excelled in dealing with character-driven comedy/dramas like About a Boy and In Good Company, but he’s juggling too many elements here and drops most of them as a result.

You would think a film featuring vampires, bearded women, sword swallowers, snake-boys, and self-healing mutants would be quite colorful, but it’s surprisingly dour and flat. The energetic circus sequences are few and far between, as the film spends most of it’s time contemplating the dull emotional journey of the two teenagers, and setting up potentially big events that never actually come to fruition. It’s a shame, because this film hardly seems strong enough to launch a successful franchise. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Cirque du Freak go the way of The Golden Compass… which, interestingly enough, was directed by Paul’s brother Chris. Franchise false starts must run in the family.

Though there are more than enough problems to classify The Vampire’s Assistant as a waste of time, it’s not a complete loss. I particularly enjoyed the performance of John C. Reilly, who drops the broad goofball persona he has been playing lately in favor of a straightforward dramatic part with just the right dosage of dry wit. The theatrical trailers play up Reilly’s punch lines, but this character isn’t a joke. There’s also a strong supporting turn for Willem Dafoe, who provides a chipper variation on his turn in Shadow of the Vampire — he’s also the only other multi-dimensional character, as none of the other freaks receive enough screen time to make us believe there’s anything more to them than their obvious gimmick. Individual moments work here and there, and there are some occasional nifty effects, but these are merely worm-free bites of a worm-infested apple.

Closing Statement
I suppose there is potential for the series to get better. There are some intriguing storylines I would like to see play out in another film, if only to have this one not feel like a pointless exercise. Regardless, Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant doesn’t deserve a franchise on the basis of this film. Save your money and wait for the next Harry Potter installment.

The Verdict
4/10