Movies we love... Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

"Captain America" is a wonderful film based on the comic book hero who originated in the 1940's. That's why it was the perfect decision to set this origin story in that time period. The costumes, art direction, and music bring the World War II setting to life, as we follow the story of Steve Rogers, a 90 lb. asthmatic (thanks to the magic of CGI and some cinematic trickery), who desperately wants to enlist to fight Hitler and the Axis powers, because as he puts it, "I don't like bullies." 

Chris Evans is perfectly cast as the stalwart Rogers who, when turned down as being physically unfit for service, persists in trying until he's spotted by a the head of a secret government program whose goal is to grow the perfect soldier through the injection of a secret formula. This being comic book land, it works with amazing results, and Steve emerges from the lab twice his size, heavily muscled and ready to take on the enemies of his country and the forces of evil. 

Dubbed "Captain America" and fitted out with a patriotic uniform by a government notorious for misusing its greatest assets, he is at first sent on tour with a chorus of Rockette type singers and dancers for the purpose of selling War Bonds, but our hero's real opportunity soon arrives with the rise of Red Skull and the Hydra Organization which, being born out of Hitler's occult-obsessed elite, quickly becomes a greater threat than Hitler himself. We knew with the casting of Hugo Weaving and Toby Jones as Red Skull and his dastardly henchman that we were in good hands, and director Joe Johnston seems to have a firm hand on the reins as he goes on to deliver a rousing good adventure yarn full of action, humor, and even some heartache. 

Tommy Lee Jones gives superb support as the Army officer in charge of Captain America and his small band of multi-cultural bravehearts, and Hayley Atwell as the British liasson who shepherds "Cap" along and becomes his staunchest defender is jaw-droppingly good in her role, while also providing visual assets and romantic interest. We know from the moment she coyly touches the super-hero's bulging pecs that true love cannot be stifled.  

This is a movie highly anticipated, and we deem it well worth the wait. The visual style is amazing, the dialog snappy with just the right amount of humor, and a delightful adherence to the old-style virtues that have always given Captain America his appeal. Ranking right alongside "Thor" and "X Men: First Class" in quality, we're glad to see Hollywood is finally getting this genre just right. There is hope for the future.

Movies we love... "Still Walking" (2008)

Still Walking (Aruitemo aruitemo) (2008)

In a small coastal town, the Yokoyama family has gathered to commemorate the death of their oldest son, Junpei, who drowned in an act of heroism several years earlier. In the events of a twenty-four hour period, we are shown what seem at first to be just mundane family activities and rituals... the things any family does... cooking, eating, talking, walking, staying the night with grandparents... but something is afoot here. Old tensions and resentments are simmering, and it becomes clear to us as we gradually get to know them well, that the Yokoyamas are a deeply wounded family, with intense heartache never far from the surface of the things they do and say. 

Dr. Yokoyama, the patriarch, is a retired doctor whose sense of worth seems to have been tied to his profession, so much so that he resents that his surviving son, Ryota, has not chosen the same line of work. Ryota, feeling little love from his autocratic father, has grown to hate these family gatherings and tries to limit them to once a year. But he dutifully comes a good distance to stay over, bringing along his new bride, a widow, and her young son whose love for his own deceased father causes him to be reticent in fully embracing his new one. Trying to hide the fact too that he's currently unemployed doesn't allow Ryota to feel any more at ease, while his new wife senses that she is very much "on view" as she struggles to make a good impression. The Yokoyama daughter, Chinami, has also come with her two youngsters and her affable husband who, while showing an apparent ease of relationship in his dealings with his in-laws, is secretly viewed as a bit of a slacker... perhaps not worthy of having married their only girl. Mrs. Yokoyama, the doctor's wife presides over the gathering from her kitchen, and it is there that we experience how much food and eating together bonds a family. In some of the loveliest scenes, the director lingers over the preparation and sharing of simple meals - the communal chore of chopping vegetables together, cooking corn tempura, snacking on carry-in sushi, busting open a watermelon ( a task left to the children)... and it is often in these scenes when the family is shown most at ease that we become aware of the tense dynamic that rules and sometimes separates them. 

In a visit to the missing son's grave, high above the town, we experience through the actions of common rituals, placing flowers, the Japanese custom of cooling the stone with water, brief prayer, how much the little things we retain and cherish through repeated action define us and give our lives meaning. The simple act of a family walking together, the mysterious appearance of a yellow butterfly after the family returns home, the visit of the boy, now a young man, whom the missing son saved from drowning that day, so long ago... all are presented with an unusual delicacy and we find ourselves deeply moved at odd moments. Elements of hope and longing and loss resonate within each of us, as this small masterpiece so touchingly illustrates. 

A film of unusual beauty, well-acted by all the principals, "Still Walking" is poetic in it's depictions of the love and missed opportunity for love that can make our lives tragic and yet transcendently heroic, full of lost dreams and secret desires and a hope that motivates us to keep on. The title refers to an old pop song that Grandma listens to in her private moments. At one point she asks her son to play it on the phonograph. Someone points out that we all have a secret song that we remember at odd moments and play when we're alone. Nostalgia for remembered days, the lost past, can be a strong emotion, one that can be as binding as a silk rope, one that keeps us perhaps from moving forward, a weight we must carry, or perhaps the hidden light that keeps away the encompassing darkness and allows us to hold on. We are after all still alive, still chasing butterflies, still walking...

Movies we love... "The Tree of Life" (2011)

Terence Malick's new epic motion picture, "The Tree of Life," is a mind blower, and perhaps the most intriguing and puzzling film since Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey." The scale is both grand in scope and intimate in its perception of family relationships. Virtually indescribable, it speaks with a pure cinematic language. Images and sound overlap and are juxtaposed in free flowing compositions, so that the meaning of what we see at any one moment may not become clear until later, if at all. We distill a thought or idea, or perhaps an emotion, only after a series of competing and contrasting images have passed before our eyes. Echoes and reflections contrast with, yet complement each other. 

There is not a clear narrative, but the film is centered on several incidents in the life of a family living in Waco, Texas in the 1950's. Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain are the O'Briens, a couple with three young sons, living what is in many ways an idyllic small town life. They love their children deeply, although the father's authoritarian attitude toward raising the boys creates conflict, especially with the oldest boy, Jack. We are also shown scenes of Jack as a middle aged man (Sean Penn) who seems to be haunted by a tragedy that struck the family years ago, and by the oedipal conflict with his father. Is the movie taking place in his mind? Are the images and sounds we experience his memories and thoughts? This is not clear, and perhaps is not meant to be so simply interpreted. 

Early in "The Tree of Life" we are shown a wordless sequence of about twenty minutes, which seems to be a visual history of the universe. Stars and galaxies swirl across the screen; boiling volcanoes and turbulent oceans disturb the surface of a planet (our own?) as ages and aeons pass before our eyes; strange life forms move through primordial seas, dinosaurs make an appearance, but even this is not gratuitous as it gives added meaning to the themes of struggle and release, dominance and subjection that play heavily in the later family scenes. This chronicle of life culminates in scenes of the O'Brien courtship and the births of their children... we have come from the universal to the personal in a smooth and flawless panorama. 

A Malick trademark is present throughout... the whispered voiceovers... Whose voice do we hear? Are they speaking to themselves, to us, or to God? Early on we are given a theme which may be the key to understanding "Tree of LIfe." We are told that each of us must follow one of two paths - the way of nature or the way of grace. Religion is part of the O'Briens story, and the presence of God is ever apparent in tumbling patterns of images and music. Jack's struggle is the human story. Do his shortcomings and his father's flaws represent the fallen state of man? Is his mother with the face of an angel meant to represent the innocence of Eden? She is shown in one remarkable scene in apparent levitation. Time and again the viewer may be moved to tears by the beauty presented on the screen: a flock of starlings dipping and swirling in the twilight, the simple act of a father and son planting and watering a tree, a field of surreal sunflowers standing in rapt attention, as if they were contemplating the face of God, a mother tracing the contours of her child's body. 

Some may say this mystical film is too long, yet we cannot think of a single image or sound we would have wanted to miss. A memorable scene toward the end of the film finds all our characters transported to what could be interpreted as the shores of eternity. All of time seems telescoped into a single moment. Have we reached the portals of heaven? We think this movie will speak differently to different people. But in any case we promise you will be deeply moved. Malick's embrace is broad. It takes in all of life. Somewhere in this movie, each of us will find himself, and after all one feels as though, no matter what course of nature we may follow, none of us will be left untouched by grace.

Movies we love... The Illusionist (2011)

                                                The Illusionist (2010)


Sylvain Chomet is the genius behind "The Triplets of Belleville" and he has returned to delight us, this time working from a script by Jacques Tati. Chomet's films are animation for adults, and we can report that with "The Illusionist" (L'Illusionniste) he may have topped his previous effort. "Triplets" was a delight... kinky, surprising and humorous, and much of that remains, but this film, perhaps because of the superb script, has a depth of emotion that will take you off guard. It a wise little story that will leave you feeling enlightened, and more perceptive of the complexities of the human heart.

The illusionist of the title, M. Tatischeff, is a magician, working on the continent to dwindling audiences. The time is perhaps the 1950's. His type of entertainment has seen its day, so he crosses the English Channel to take a gig at a coastal Scottish inn. The innkeeper is coincidentally installing electricity the same night the magician performs. Alice, an immigrant servant girl working there, is so poor she doesn't have a decent pair of shoes. She is delighted by the magician's tricks, and he is taken by her innocence and kindness. He "conjures" up a pair of red shoes for her and they become friends. When he takes a train to look for work in Edinburgh, she follows him, expecting him to magically produce a ticket for her. He accepts Alice as his companion although they don't speak a common language. In the city, they take a room, living as father and daughter. Their adventures in Edinburgh make up the bulk of the film. These episodes involve his growing economic struggle, including the need to take a series of odd jobs; her desire to experience the fullness of life, her growing sophistication and the attentions of a young suitor; and their humorous interaction with many characters one of which is an unruly pet, the magician's "magic" white rabbit. The hotel they inhabit is full of colorful vaudeville types... bizarrely energetic acrobats, a ventriloquist and his dummy, and the saddest clown you could imagine. Every one of these is wonderfully written and drawn.

All is shown with the gentlest and most nostalgic of animation palettes. Sound and music are masterfully edited to match every mood. The movie is told cinematically, frequently cutting to long shots of the city, the sky, passersby... we literally "see" the passage of time with changing light and shadow, weather and scenery. Amazing angles and points of view! There is one unforgettable shot, for example, of Alice at the window, in the glass of which we see the reflections of passing birds. People wander into and out of a frame, all with the naturalness of a live action shot. Nothing is rushed or hurried, but neither does anything linger too long.

We hope we have not overwritten this review, but the experience of watching "The Illusionist" is a bit overwhelming. We hope to experience that pleasure again and again through the years. Nominated for an Academy award as best animation feature, this is a movie we would recommend without reservation. Enjoy it soon.

(Note to film buffs: At one point, one of the characters wanders into a movie theater in the city, and we are shown a snippet of Jacques Tati's classic, "Mon Oncle.")

Movies we love... Thor (2011)

We're all flushed with excitement from having just seen "Thor" in 3D this evening. We had heard good things about it, but we can't get over how impressed we were by the quality of the production, and Kenneth Branagh's direction. This is a movie that should not have worked... because if you think about the plot it might seem to be a lot of silliness; but we can report that everything about it is well done. 

Not sure if we should bother to relate the story since anyone familiar with the Thor comic books will know about the big blond Norse god, with red cape and mighty hammer. Through some foolishness involving Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and his fighting buddies taking on the Frost Giants, a hideous and frightening race, Thor's father, Odin (Anthony Hopkins), banishes him to earth. Thor's adventures on earth are the most entertaining part of the movie. They take place in a small town in New Mexico, where Thor and his mystical hammer have fallen like meteors in the midst of what look like magnetic storms. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and her team of scientific investigators have been investigating these phenomena in an outfitted camper, and they literally run into the the fallen god. Through their subsequent adventures together, his reactions to them and theirs to him are cleverly written and very entertaining. 

The story is intercut with scenes set back in Asgard where Thor's brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston), seeks to usurp the throne since the All-Father Odin has fallen into a deep sleep, and brother Thor, the real heir is trapped on earth. Loki's treachery seems to have the upper hand, but we know all is building to a final cosmic confrontation. 

As we said, this should not have worked, but work it does. The script is well-written, the acting all around is superb, music and special effects top level, and we thought the 3D was better than average, since it's done to serve the story, rather than try to be "in your face" impressive. We think "Thor" does for the "comic book to movie genre," what "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" did for martial arts films, raising the standard to a whole new level. Hemsworth is quite a find. He fits the role physically (Wow!) and his acting chops are there too, especially in his scenes with Hopkins, and the growing tenderness he exhibits for Jane and her friends. 

If the rest of the crop of "summer films" are as good as "Thor," or even close, we're in for a mighty fine season.

Movies We love... Hanna (2011)

                                    "Hanna" a film by Joe Wright  (2011)


Hanna" is a movie that may end up on our list of best films of 2011. The director Joe Wright is a film maker we're beginning to respect more and more. Other films of his you may know are "Atonement" (also with Saoirse Ronan) and the Keira Knightly version of "Pride and Prejudice."

Here he's crafted a first-rate action/adventure film about a young girl, Hanna (Ronan), who has been raised somewhere just south of the Arctic Circle by her father (Eric Bana), with no other human contact, no electricity, in almost a "survivalist" environment. We first see her tracking a reindeer/caribou(?) with a bow and arrow. She kills the majestic animal (almost a clean shot), guts it, and hauls the carcass back to their shelter on a travois. Meanwhile Dad sneaks up and attacks her, because periodic assaults are his way of honing her hand to hand defensive techniques. He also teaches her fluency in several languages, all sorts of survival skills, and fighting techniques that are obviously more than defensive. Why are they there? For what is he preparing her?

One day he retrieves a mysterious electronic radio beacon from a hiding place in the frozen tundra, and tells her she's just about ready. For what? If she flips the switch on top, he tells her, "Marissa Wiegler" will come find her, and it is Hanna's job then to assassinate her. It doesn't take long for Hanna to flip that switch since she's a youth grown restless in her limited world, although Dad seems regretful of finally sending his daughter off on the task for which he has obviously been raising her. As mysterious unmarked planes, and armed commandos descend on the snowy forest retreat, Dad takes off, saying they will reunite at a specific place in Berlin. Hanna is soon picked up by the organization so interested in finding her, not without her taking a few of the men down first.

We next see her waking up in an underground holding cell in a vast bunker under the Moroccan desert, where she is being monitored on multiple video screens by the afore-mentioned Marissa Wiegler (Cate Blanchett), looking suave and icy, with something of the attitude of "bitch-woman in charge." Hanna acts vulnerable and lost and asks for Marissa, who wisely sends in a surrogate, and that's when all hell breaks loose. Hanna employs her deadly skills, then makes a break for it, with the real Marissa and her minions in hot pursuit.

This is the set-up for a great mystery-adventure, with echoes of a Bourne-type conspiracy film. The plotting is intricate but can be easily followed, due to Wright's masterful direction.
It's a chase film, a conspiracy film, a mystery with a little sci-fi thrown in, and a bit of a road comedy too when Hanna hooks up with a eccentric and colorful British family traveling through the desert on family vacation.

Close escapes, misadventures, Hanna's budding awareness of human relationships... all follow, while we witness Hanna's rapid adaptation to the real world. Meanwhile Dad is shown moving ever closer to their German rendezvous. And through it all we begin to assemble, bit by bit, Hanna's remarkable history and the reason for all that we're seeing. You won't regret following this exciting tale to it's perfectly balanced conclusion.

We loved very minute of it. The acting all around is superb, the locals are exotic and intriguing, some of the final scenes take place, for instance, In a deserted Berlin amusement park full of menace. The pacing is fluid, and the action more than satisfying. And always there is Saoirse Ronan's blue-eyed, expressively open face, which the camera seems to love.  Our only misgiving is with the electronic score by The Chemical Brothers, but who knows... you may like that too.

When it was over, a friend of ours turned to us and said, "Well that was good, but what was the point?" It took a while, but we think we have it figured out.  And yes, we already want to see this one again. And we consider that to be the sign of a really good movie.

                                  

Movies we love... Blindsight (2006)

Inspired by the exploits of blind mountain climber, Eric Weihenmayer, six students from the Tibetan School for the Blind undertake an expedition to the Lhakpa-Ri summit of Mt. Everest. One of the most engaging documentaries of recent years, this film is beautiful and awe-inspiring. Filmed against the backdrop of the world' tallest mountain, you will find the prerequisite thrills of a mountain climbing saga, but this wise little film is really about something more awe-inspiring... the human spirit. 

Since reading "Into Thin Air," we've watched a lot of films about Everest and read the books too, but here's something different. An expedition organized to get six blind Tibetan teenagers to the Lhakpa-Ri peak of the mountain, becomes the backstory to some even greater challenges for these brave youngsters. One by one, their life stories are revealed to be as inspirational as anything they encounter on the windswept glaciers of the world's tallest mountain. In a country where blindness is considered a curse, we find these young men and women to be closer to greatness in their courage and humility, than any fainter glory that reaching a mountain summit could bring them. 

Interesting interplay among the adult sponsors of the trip, rugged mountain guides who see things in the western spirit of individual achievement, and the teachers from the school, one of them blind herself, who simply want their young friends to experience the joy and comradeship of which they have had so little in their lives. Time and again, while watching, we were overwhelmed by emotion, but this is not a film of cheap sentimentality. It's about the darkness that surrounds anyone who feels cut off and outcast, and the light that suddenly penetrates to the heart of those who experience something resembling family and acceptance for the first time in their lives.