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Reviews
Syriana (2005)
Insightful and thought-provoking
"Syriana", writer/ director Stephen Gaghan's follow-up to his Oscar winning screenplay for "Traffic", is an involving, complicated look at the oil industry. It is a very good film, but you are going to have to work at it, paying attention to every moment, in order to keep track of all of the characters, events and manipulation being depicted.
Bob (George Clooney), an undercover agent, sells two missiles to a contact in Iran. One of the missiles is promptly taken away by an unknown second party., the other weapon explodes as the man who purchased it, drives away. Bryan Woodman (Matt Damon) works for a small investment firm in Geneva, Switzerland. His firm is trying to become the advisors for the aging, ready to retire Emir and his two ambitious sons. Bryan, his wife, Julie (Amanda Peet) and their two sons are invited to the Emir's birthday party in Mallorca, Spain. After tragedy befalls his family, Bryan's company wins the coveted contract advising the Emir's oldest son. Bennett Holliday (Jeffrey Wright), a lawyer with a Washington, DC firm, is put in charge of scrutinizing the impending merger of two large oil firms, one of which is owned by Jimmy Pope (Chris Cooper), a good old Texas boy who doesn't seem to really want the merger. Dean Whiting (Christopher Plummer), a high level adviser in the government, quietly pulls strings to make sure the "right" son becomes the new Emir.
All of these characters are involved in seemingly different story lines, and they don't really interact for a significant portion of the film. As you watch a few moments with Clooney in Iran, Beirut or Baltimore or a few moments with Damon in Geneva, Mallorca or the desert, Gaghan helps us to learn a little about these characters and their involvement in a story with a huge scope, spanning many countries around the globe. Towards the end when the story lines begin to overlap, and all of the machinations begin to make sense, you get the sense that the director has prepared us well, or as well as anyone could, to understand how all of these different people, all of these different factors, are involved in the story.
Gaghan, whose debut directorial effort was the rightfully ignored thriller "Abandoned" starring Benjamin Bratt and Katie Holmes, follows that up with this epic about the oil industry. Gaghan works very hard to keep the audience in the loop, helping them keep track of characters, the locations and the action. In many ways, it is very similar to "Traffic"; multiple characters, multiple locations, story lines that don't necessarily overlap. Gaghan seems to have adopted the style of Steven Soderbergh, the director of "Traffic". There is a lot of hand-held camera work, to create a sense of immediacy and closeness to all of the action. Thankfully, as Gaghan introduces the various characters, type appears on screen identifying their location, helping us stay grounded in the action, helping us keep track. If you liked "Traffic", you should also appreciate this new film. If not, stay away. I know that a lot of hand-held camera work can drive some people batty, but in this case, it really works well in service of the story.
If even half of the manipulations presented in this film are based on actual truth, it is no wonder the oil industry is so filled with corruption. The people who control this industry are wealthy beyond our comprehension and they want to make sure we stay that way and are willing to do anything, including changing the course of another country's government, covering up covert arm sales, hiding bribes, etc.
As the film moves from one character to the next, one location to another across the globe, and introduces more and more people, we begin to recognize there is a common thread throughout; everyone is greedy. Some of the people don't necessarily start out that way, but they are soon corrupted. The greedier they are in the beginning, the richer they are in the end. The most interesting moments, for me, are when a couple of characters give in to their greed, and the audience realizes this for the first time. The way they give in to this temptation is quite shocking and memorable.
With such a large ensemble, and each of the major stars on screen for less than thirty minutes or so, it is difficult for them to create a performance that is anything more than serviceable to the story. This isn't a bad thing, but people who are expecting George Clooney and Matt Damon to share a lot of screen time, will be disappointed. Clearly, each of the actors was interested in getting this film made and didn't want to be the "star". The supporting cast is more successful, simply because they have less baggage accompanying them. If you see Clooney or Damon, you expect them to carry the film. When they don't, it is a little bit of a let down. Chris Cooper, Tim Blake Nelson, Christopher Plummer and Alexander Siddig as Prince Nasir Al-Subaai, the Emir's older son, all leave a memorable impression in a very short period of time.
"Syriana" is a film that is trying to educate us through the medium of drama. It isn't a documentary, but a lot of what is depicted probably has happened or will happen. Because of this, you will probably be more informed, more skeptical the next time you hear a story about an oil company receiving exclusive drilling rights in some far off country, the next time you hear a President from Texas inform the public about the rational behind increasing oil prices or the rational behind going to war in a small country in the Middle East.
"Syriana" is a film worthy of your attention and interest.
Precious (2009)
gritty, powerful and poignant--with ferociously committed actors,
Twenty minutes into this film, I wasn't sure if I was going to like it at all. It was setting itself up as the "teacher helps an inner city kid" type of film, which has been overdone. I was very wrong. This is a film about a young girl with big dreams, and little else, as well as the ability to find and help yourself.
Gabourey "Gabbie" Sidibe portrays Claireece "Precious" Jones, a teenager growing up in Harlem with an abusive mother, no father, learning disabilities, one child of her own, and one on the way. The viewer learns early on that this is NOT the feel-good movie of the year.
Siddons is more than adequate in her role, but this movie, acting-wise, belongs to Monique. Her portrayal of Precious' mother invokes a wide range of emotions from the audience, and she was arguably the most memorable part of this movie.
Gritty yet realistic, 'Precious' is a film that I think could be enjoyed by most adults. Despite its unnecessarily long title, I believe this movie has begun to find its audience, and I hope that it continues to do so.
Shutter Island (2010)
A must see!
Master filmmaker Martin Scorsese has returned to the big screen with his first full-length feature film in four years (2006's The Departed-winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture). Shutter Island tells the story of U.S. Marshall Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his partner Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo). The two Marshalls are called upon to investigate the mysterious escape and disappearance of a dangerous patient (Emily Mortimer) at Ashecliffe Hospital, an isolated and stark facility saturated with dark secrets, and run by the ominous Dr. Cawley (played magnificently by Ben Kingsley), and his associate, Dr Nehring (Max von Sydow). Everyone on the island seems to be hiding something, including the patients, who are mostly there for horrific and violent crimes.
Daniels and his partner begin to suspect that Cawley and his institution have hidden agendas, and as they dig deeper and deeper into the island's secrets, their investigation takes strange and startling turns, which lead them to wonder if they will ever be able to leave. The story is set in 1954, which allows Scorsese to skillfully play around with genre, and to tie in post WWII themes and looming Cold War fears and conspiracies. Daniels' traumatic experiences at concentration camps weave in and out of his dreams, as do visions of his deceased wife, Delores (Michelle Williams).
A great admirer of Scorsese's films, it's no surprise to me that his newest work has managed to seep deep into my thoughts, and to lurk there long after I've exited the theatre. Notice the words "seep" and "lurk". The diction I've decided on here is no accident, but rather a fluid way of describing the means by which the film works on our senses. It slowly and meticulously grinds its rusty gears toward the fascinating climax, and the foreboding hurricane approaching the island heightens the stakes and greatly enhances the atmosphere that Scorsese and veteran cinematographer, Robert Richardson, immerse us in. This will inevitable be compared to Scorsese's remake of Cape Fear in 1991, as well it should be. They are both exercises in pure style, and I myself went into this with Cape Fear in mind. It's better to examine this as a separate entity, and to appreciate the stylish elements by which the characters come to realizations and revelations.
Dennis Lehane, whose previous novels Mystic River and Gone Baby Gone were also made into excellent films, wrote the source novel. His material seems to translate very well from page to screen, and I look forward to reading the novel in the future. This may not be the best adaptation of his work, but it is certainly the most prominent of the three films, and that has everything to do with Scorsese's ferocity and craftsmanship. He doesn't make wimpy movies, and this is no exception. It's a B Movie, but its one made by a director who knows exactly what he's doing every step of the way. It's fragmented, sure, but maybe it needs to be that way.
Leonardo DiCaprio manages to deliver one of his finest performances as the tortured and hard-edged Teddy Daniels, and Mark Ruffalo does some excellent work here as his timid partner. Scorsese plays off of Hitchcock a lot in this film, and like in any Hitchcock movie, everyone is suspicious, and the truth is buried beneath layers of deceit. As more and more layers are peeled away from their surroundings, they become part of something much grander and enigmatic that they were sent for. The facility is a fortress, surrounded by electric fences and treacherous cliffs, which stormy waves slosh and grind against, corroding away the rocks below. It's a long way down.