Dunkirk and The Big Sick

Whoa. I saw Dunkirk in the new Dolby Cinema theater at AMC with the vibrating recliners.  I'm sure OSHA needs to check the sound level because it was ear splitting.  The recliner seat rattled and vibrated with every sound on screen.  So now I need my butt bumped to understand a cinematic explosion?  It was way too intrusive and too much like an amusement ride.  I had to leave after being tossed into the isle by the bucking bronco recliner.  The film itself seemed absolutely wonderful and I will return to see it on a normal screen with normal sound.  I left the remaining four other victims in the theater to survive the movie without me.

So I was ejected from Dunkirk just in time to wander down the hall and find The Big Sick just starting. My lucky day.  The theater had a big screen and big sound and it was so refreshingly cinematic.  I don't know what to call the Dolby Cinema experience but it isn't cinema.  Anyway The Big Sick was totally refreshing, well written, enjoyable, and had a lot of heart.  It started out kind of too sweet and cute but soon evolved into an adult drama about family, culture, love, illness, and commitment. Yes, tears filled my eyes in several places but my emotional reaction came organically and I didn't feel pointed in that direction by story events.  The complex inter-related themes worked together seamlessly.   Highly recommended for those who like smart character driven comedy dramas with new cultural perspectives.

Nocturnal Animals

I think "Nocturnal Animals", written and directed by Tom Ford (see also "A Single Man"), is a fine film top to bottom, although the opening sequence is a bit jarring and disconnected.  Otherwise "Nocturnal Animals" is a superbly crafted adult drama about real people and their fears, regrets, loves, and ambitions.  The film is a memorable and resonate story because it articulates common experiences in a very personal way.   It uses the full capacity of cinema to tell a visual and emotional story with multiple time frames and multiple story lines.  It mixes facts and fictions - although all of the movie is a 'fiction', inside the logic of this 'fiction' is another fictional world and the two comment and clash.  The overlapping plots are a thoughtful twist on straight line narratives.  I like the demands that a multiple time frame, multiple story line film puts on my intellect.   I want to be challenged by a film.

Pushing Talent Out of Film

This Guardian article (see link) pretty much sums up the situation.  The bland offerings of major studios prove it.  Attendance at movie theaters is at the lowest in 20 years although revenue is only down a few points.  Talent is migrating to scripted series where more freedom and creativity is allowed.  However, if you saw the season premiere of "Girls" you may wonder what happened to this once edgy gritty comedy drama.  The current production values (hair, makeup, costumes, cinematography, lighting) make it look so generic and pretty.  The writing is even generic.  So success leads to money which leads to more hands in the pot which leads to different expectations and demands.  People change.  Some shows evolve into generic prettiness and acceptability. Some keep the edge that made them successful to begin with. Breaking Bad. Seinfeld (weird example I know). It takes courage and wisdom to stay true to early success and not slide into mediocrity.  These are the true artists whether you make a $ 20 million film or a $1,000 out of pocket indie.

Ida

I saw the Polish film "Ida" on Netflix.  Thank goodness I used a Christmas present from my son, a Chromecast, to feed it to our enormous flatscreen TV.  This film has refreshing and challenging cinematography that you have never seen before.  It has a 'punch in the gut' story that is hard to wash away.  The theme of "What the hell is the meaning of life?" makes this a memorable cinematic experience because it makes you question your own existence.  Sound like fun?  It is. Images carry the entire story and they run right into your heart and soul. Highly recommend but don't watch it on a tablet or a phone -- don't, I'm not kidding.

The recommended companion film to "Ida" is "Nebraska".  One is set in 1962 Poland.  One is set in contemporary Nebraska.  Both black and white.  Both have signature cinematography.  Both question the meaning of life but in entirely different ways, cultures, and time periods.  Much can be learned by creating a double feature with these two brilliant films.  Comparative analysis does wonders for the intellect.

Silver Linings Playbook

 I loved a lot of things about this movie like the engaging, tactile performances of Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, and especially Jacki Weaver.  It grounded all the craziness and the hectic tempo and made the whole film watchable.  I laughed.  I was drawn in.  At times I thought it channeled "Always Sunny in Philadelphia", which isn't a bad thing.  Keep Jennifer Lawrence and cast someone else as Pat.  Bradley Cooper didn’t fit.  He did a fine job but the casting wasn’t right.  Blame David O. Russell and all the executives for that one.

 I enjoyed the movie while watching it but I soon forgot about it.  What is it about "Silver Linings Playbook" that I can't swallow?  It won Audience Choice for Best Picture at the Toronto Film Festival so audiences like it.  Is it a, gulp, audience pleaser?  

 It had unusual three-dimensional believable characters that I wanted to listen to and follow around.  I remember all of them.  It felt crowded. 

 There was no intense emotional content.  It followed a classic form and structure so there are no surprises.  It was predictable.  I liked the happy ending and then forgot about it before the credits ended.  There was no impact.  I want impact.  

 I don’t believe or feel deep in my bones that Tiffany and Pat fell in love.  They got together in the end because the screenplay called for it.  It had to be.  Pat wrote a letter to Tiffany to tell her he loved her and that is the only indication that he felt that way.  I never saw it.  I never felt it.    

 A twenty-year age difference can put a damper on that kind of chemistry.  Why can't they be just a few years apart?  I can't make the leap.   Why can't they be the coolest odd couple in the world?  They aren’t. 

 This is a romantic comedy.  It has to express that the couple on the screen are passionate about each other, in some way.  It should be unrequited love, forbidden love, or love of two ships passing in the night.  It can't be a love that is expressed in a letter with two minutes left in the film. Surprise, Pat fell in love with Tiffany.

 If you saw the film do you remember Pat and Tiffany as a couple?  I don’t.  I think they had a few dates after the ending and broke up.  This is what disappoints me the most about "Silver Linings Playbook".  I can't jump on the Toronto band wagon yet.  I can recommend it as a crowd pleaser, and I guess that isn’t such a bad thing. 
 I will reserve judgment until I see it a second time.  The theater was full when I saw it the first time and I hate sitting next to people at a movie.  I like about 20 people max, all evenly spread out.  I need an empty row in front of me and behind me.  I need empty seats on either side of me.  I need room for my coffee thermos, my notebook, backpack, and coat.  I like it the most when there is no one else in the theater.  Then if I fall asleep during the movie it's no big deal.

Criteria for Judging Artistic Excellence in Film

A criterion is a standard or a benchmark by which something can be judged.  It usually includes a value that the subject is striving to attain.  For instance, a captivating plot of a movie could be a criterion.  A plot, by itself, is not a criterion, it is an element of film.

Consider these examples of criteria for judging a film and apply them to a recent film you have seen.  Try to be indifferent to the existence or the non-existence of the film you are judging.  And be sure to see the film twice before you even dare to analyze it.  Ignore all industry marketing campaigns.

Long lasting emotional impact

Narrative cohesion

Ability to sustain the cinematic illusion of a reality

Effective story structure

Expression of universal truths through the personal

Astonishing cinematography that contributes to the narrative whole

Passes the test of time

Meaningful themes

The 'wow that was a good movie' factor

Positive intangibles

Transformative acting

High context dialog

These are some, not all, of the criteria one might use to judge the artistic merit of a film and build an arguably true case that such and such a film is a good film.

2012 Contemporary Cinema Awards

"The Perks of Being a Wallflower", written and directed by Stephen Chbosky,
is the HANDS DOWN THE BEST FILM award winner of the 2012 Contemporary Cinema Awards just announced by the Screenwriting Program at Metropolitan State University, St. Paul, MN.  Criteria for this award include well written screenplay, astonishing cinematography, use of the personal to express universal truths, and most likely to pass the test of time.   There is a 'wow that's a good film' factor too.

 The 2012 Contemporary Cinema Awards (copyright and trademark) are a precursor to all the other award programs coming in the next several months.  It comes at a time when we can still think clearly about the artistic merit of contemporary cinema before shopping takes over our minds as well as the parking lots surrounding our favorite theaters.  The jury is made up of twenty four highly sophisticated and advanced critical thinkers whose lives are immersed in viewing and analyzing contemporary cinema.

 The MOST INCREDIBLY WELL WRITTEN SCREENPLAY goes to Stephen Chbosky, for his screenplay "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" adapted from his novel of the same name.  This award factors in high context dialog, coherent story structure, meaningful themes, believable characters, and unforgettable story.

"This Must Be the Place", written and directed by Paolo Sorrentino wins BEST POST MODERN FILM OF THE YEAR.  Post modern films are highly unique artistic visions not dependent on emotional content or spectacle, and usually made by a European director but not always.  What happened to all our good post modern film makers here in the USA like Hal Hartley, Nicole Holofcener, and Miranda July?

 MOST EASILY FORGOTTEN FILM goes to "2 Days in New York" , although I think Julie Delpy is a wonderful director and I personally love this film -- but the voters have spoken.

 Jennifer Lawrence wins BEST ACTRESS for her role of Tiffany in "Silver Linings Playbook"

 Ben Affleck wins BEST ACTOR for his role of Tony Mendez in "Argo".

 FABULOUS CINEMATOGRAPHY goes to director of photography Umberto Contrello for "This Must Be the Place".  This award has to do with unity and rigor of photographic composition and lighting that contributes significantly and subtly to the content of the film and is just plain astonishing to watch.  "The Master" came in a close second but tended to go off on tangents to photograph Joaquin Phoenix doing whatever.  When he drove off into the desert on the motorcycle I though this would be a good place to end the movie.  Where did he go to by the way?   What happened next?

 Which leads us to the NEARLY OUT OF CONTROL PERFORMANCE award which goes to Joaquin Phoenix, as Freddie Quell,  for his nearly out of control performance in "The Master".  Credit the brave visionary director Paul Thomas Anderson for saying yes to whatever Joaquin wanted to do.  I feel sorry for the actors who played across from him, especially the ones he beat up on the set.

 Go see all these movies.

James Byrne -- award winning filmmaker, professor of screenwriting, blogger time waster, owner of several crew neck sweaters.  byrnefilms@gmail.com