MovieNut237 Reviews

Inception (2010)

Christopher Nolan: The Most Overrated Fillmmaker Working Today

[18 July 2010]

It's easy to credit the American movie-going public with having the highest theatrical IQ of anyone in the world. Yet somehow whenever a Christopher Nolan movie hits theaters, that all seems to change. And then all of a sudden, routine movie-goers magically turn into amateur movie critics, declaring films like Inception to be the cinematic equivalent to the messiah. Professional critics themselves search for reasons to boldly resurrect Christopher Nolan in all his glory as the Pied Piper of Hamelin, leading us through the dark annals of Michael Bay's 21st Century Hollywood nightmare.

Nolan is a brilliant illusionist. Chris Nolan's movies (and this discussion can exclude Memento, which I think most can agree is a fantastic and sensible film) have a strange power of turning theater-goers' brains into mush, convincing them that what they have just seen is better than any imaginable vision of heaven. I bet this all sounds pretentious–and to some extent I hope it does. Because taking the stance I'm taking may be the only way to get people to see the same thing that I'm seeing. Which is that post-Memento Nolan is a talentless hack who pulls the same brainwashing gimmicks from film to film.

It really is as if viewers are dreaming under a hypnotic Chris Nolan spell when they watch his movies, disabling the functionality of their brains once the credits start rolling. Equally baffled by this is David Edelstein of NY Magazine who "truly has no idea what so many people are raving about," claiming that "it's as if someone went into their heads while they were sleeping and planted the idea that Inception is a visionary masterpiece." In fact, so many critics are in overwhelming agreement over the greatness of Inception that Roger Ebert questions whether or not anyone is allowed to disagree! Working hard? Or hardly working? Addressing Nolan's struggles at making sense of his own script, Movie Line critic Stephanie Zacharek admits that "Because Nolan can't connect his visuals, he has to use words, and lots of them, to let us know what characters are doing and why we should care." This is why 99% of the film serves an expository purpose. Zacharek further remarks that Nolan's lifelong reliance on Hans Zimmer's score as a means for anchoring our interest into what we're seeing on-screen makes Nolan less fit for "directing" and better suited for "directing traffic." No truer statement.

The musical cues tell us when we should feel anxious or afraid instead of allowing the visuals and emotions of the film to achieve this (which clearly they're incapable of doing). Hans Zimmer's score (which, eyes-closed, pleases the ears) is so heavily relied upon by the incompetent Nolan that the entire film plays a 2.5 hour+ non-stop musical track. The track even plays during exposition. It plays throughout everything. Remove this track and I promise you that each person steps out of the theater complaining how much of a bore Inception was.

Adds Zacharek, "If the career of Christopher Nolan is any indication, we've entered an era in which movies can no longer be great. They can only be awesome, which isn't nearly the same thing." From this I take the following: Special Effects and visual imagery now supersede quality stories with competent scripts and technically-sound directing. Avatar brought new meaning to this. The Coen Brothers, Martin Scorsese and PT Anderson among others are continually working against this.

Inception is a great concept for a movie. But the movie itself serves as little more than a misinformed psychoanalytical instruction manual with little to no story or characters worth investing emotions in. Sure we find it cool. Some of the visuals are candy to the eyes. But I can't help but think about how much of a rip Inception is off The Matrix. If I had to rename Inception, it would be "The Matrix (for dummies)." One false notion is that Inception is confusing because it's "supposed to be"–it is a mind-bender after all. No! Inception is confusing because it makes absolutely no sense! Let's stop giving the director credit for not doing his homework instead of making excuses for him.

Let's talk the whole "Dream within a dream" nonsense. Dream-themed films such as The Matrix, Total Recall, Strange Days, Dreamscape and even the original A Nightmare on Elm Street define the rules of their worlds well enough without relying too much on exposition. Having dreams within dreams within dreams within dreams is not a calculated strategy of Nolan's, but rather a cop-out. The 2010 version of A Nightmare on Elm Street uses the same strategy.

The story-line is laughable and seems to only serve the hollow purpose of making the $160 million + summer psych-thriller into a run-of-the-mill Bourne Identity-like actioner.

So no people. I will not see Inception an additional time to have my "mind blown" or to try and see if I actually "get it." I get it completely and I hate it. I got The Book of Eli and I hated that as well. Films which we need to see more than once are more often than not failures from the get-go. Inception is no exception. If you care to see Memento more than once then I encourage it. The movie makes sense and the story is told purposefully and brilliantly. But come on now. It's about time to start lambasting Chris Nolan and seeing the rest of his movies for what they really are: garbage in disguise.

The Loved Ones (2009)

Blood-Soaked Tale a Winner At Toronto

[6 January 2010]

It's no surprise that Sean Byrne's relentlessly blood-soaked The Loved Ones won the Cadillac People's Choice Award at TIFF's midnight screening. The young Australian writer/director has since been hard-pressed for free time as many in Hollywood have been vying for his attention.

Since the film's premiere in Toronto, Byrne has been making frequent trips to LA and has been invited to speak with top execs. On this particular trip, Byrne's schedule has been tightly booked from morning until night on every single day thus far, including weekends.

For those who haven't seen The Loved Ones, it is an indie-horror treat. Let's just say, if Carrie from "Carrie" and Jigsaw from "Saw" "wanted to play a game," this film would be the perfect compromise between their approaches. What results is an anti-John-Hughes film that offers a cynical, frightening re-imagining of a high-school prom. The Loved Ones

The film benefits from a cast which is in full-tune with its director. And unlike many horror films today, Byrne's even has something to say. The film's bizarre title provokes us to think about the consequences of unrequited love and, more importantly, the real victims. Of course life would be easier if anyone we fell in love with immediately felt the same way. But in The Loved Ones, love is played as more of a cruel game for all characters.

It may be a bit unusual for American moviegoers to see a horror film carried by actors who speak with Australian accents. Although Peter Jackson was able to earn instant cult-status with his blood-splasher Dead Alive through similar New Zealand accents. Jackson and Byrne already share some in common.

Like Jackson, Byrne seems to be fascinated with shock-horror, fantasy, and even the supernatural. There is also an indie feel to Byrne's work reminiscent of Jackson's earlier low-budget films. So long as the young and talented Byrne is making movies, he just might have to get used to spending more time in Hollywood than at home.

www.filmcrusade.com

Youth in Revolt (2009)

Versatile Cera and Newcomer Doubleday Shine in Clever Comedy

[19 November 2009]

Cera, Doubleday Shine in Clever Comedy Aside from the usual onslaught of sappy romantic drivel, the sad milkings of former SNL cast members, and the Friedberg/Seltzer travesties, the past few years really have been golden ones for smaller, underdog comedies: Juno, Be Kind Rewind, The Wackness, Adventureland, (500) Days of Summer, and The Hangover to name a few.

Youth In Revolt, a new comedy directed by Miguel Arteta, earns a well-deserved spot on that list.

Michael Cera and Portia Doubleday in "Youth in Revolt." Michael Cera and Portia Doubleday in "Youth in Revolt." The film tells the story of a lonely and neglected teenage virgin named Nick Twisp (Michael Cera), who unexpectedly falls for a free-spirited trailer park girl named Sheeni Saunders (Portia Doubleday). When their summer fling ends and Nick has to move back home, he realizes that she is the one, and must keep her in his life in order to be happy. His passive, nice-guy temperament won't suffice, however, so he creates a bad-boy alter ago – a Tyler Durden, if you will – in order to get Sheeni back. So what begins with a rather cliché set-up quickly turns into a hilarious and unpredictable series of exploits that will leave you laughing and guessing until the end.

It's refreshing to see Michael Cera, who I've referred to as the Anthony Michael Hall of this generation, break out of the shy, soft-spoken mold he's created for himself and venture into more challenging territory. This new role tests his range as an actor, and it suffices to say he passes with flying colors, even if he has to alternate screen time with his usual, soft-spoken self (in this way, the dual-performance becomes almost a self-parody). It's easily his best-acted film yet, and may ultimately serve as a turning point in his career, opening the door to a more diverse melody of roles. Or maybe not.

Newcomer Portia Doubleday is as flawless as she is adorable playing Cera's love interest; her future certainly looks bright. Jean Smart and the always-amazing Steve Buscemi nail their roles as his conceited parents, while the familiar faces of Zach Galifianakis, Ray Liotta, and Justin Long round out the pitch-perfect cast. Michael Cera in "Youth in Revolt." Michael Cera in "Youth in Revolt." What gives this film its edge, ultimately, is its unconventionality. It takes place very much within its own world, and yet, at the same time, the thoughts and feelings emoted on screen are sure to strike a familiar cord with anyone whose road through adolescence had its share of potholes. The smart, snappy dialogue is reminiscent of Diablo Cody's Juno script, sans the annoyance, and a handful of animated sequences interspersed throughout the narrative adds to its overall uniqueness. It tries hard to stand apart from other coming-of-age films, and manages to succeed without being either unoriginal or pretentious.

Best of all, it's funny. Some comedies marketed as nonstop laugh-a-thons can turn out to be dramas in disguise, but with this gem, there is something to enjoy in every scene.

Youth In Revolt opens everywhere on January 8, and you'll be hard-pressed to find something better to do that day.

Zach Copeland is a Senior Writer for The Film Crusade.

The Road (I) (2009)

"The Road" a Fresh Approach to Tired Post-Apocalyptic Genre

[19 November 2009]

By Zach Copeland "The Road" Takes Fresh Approach to Post-Apocalyptic Genre Ever since God flooded out the entire human race in the early pages of Genesis, literature has abounded with stories of the apocalypse. For generation after generation, from The Book of Revelations to The Stand, we have obsessed over the end of the world, how it will come to pass, and what, if anything, we can do to stop it. Now that humankind has reached a point where the End could conceivably happen in an afternoon, our glimpses into this theoretical future are all the more intriguing. And they've never been more important.

The Road, directed by John Hillcoat (The Proposition) and based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy (No Country For Old Men), is a dark, poignant story of a father and son journeying through a post-apocalyptic wasteland, withstanding harsh weather, malnutrition, and under the constant threat of marauders, thieves and cannibals. Their goal is simple: to carry on.

Those looking to sink their teeth into mindless disaster-porn (not that there's anything wrong with that) can get their fix elsewhere. The Road is a smaller, more penetrating film that draws strength from its intimacy and its ability to do so much with so little.

Viggo Mortensen gives an emotional tour de force as the embattled father; look for him on the red carpet come March. Watching children act is oftentimes painful for me, but I thought Kodi Smit-McPhee was impressive and genuine as the son, and takes on the task of being in literally every scene with rare fearlessness. Charlize Theron, Robert Duvall, and Guy Pearce give small but highly memorable performances, Duvall in particular, whose portrayal of a withered old man journeying all alone will haunt you.

The desolate environment in which the story takes place is itself a character, foreign yet eerily familiar, and so perfectly conceptualized that it matches – heck, surpasses the standard of realism set by films such as 28 Days Later and Children of Men. Shot throughout four states, including at the site of the Mount St. Helens eruption, Hillcoat and cinematographer Javier Aguirresarobe (The Others, The Sea Inside) paint a backdrop that is altogether beautiful and devastating.

They say that every generation since the dawn of man has feared the End, and while this may be true, not every generation has seen what our modern technology is capable of. The Road is a dark looking glass into our future, and what it is likely to become if our primal nature is left unchecked.

Early in the film, the son looks at his father and asks him, "We're the good guys, right?" The father's response is in the affirmative, but as their situation become increasingly desperate, that sense of morality we think to be ingrained is put to the test. Hillcoat does a masterful job of portraying human beings as what we are and always have been. He holds up a mirror to the world and hypnotizes you with it.

As far as post-apocalyptic movies go, The Road is hands-down one of the best ever made. Despite its raw, gritty facade, which will understandably be a turn-off for many theatergoers, the story underneath has a sense of serenity that everyone can relate to.

The Road opens everywhere on November 25. Need I say more? *The Film Crusade* www.filmcrusade.com/survive-and-advance/