Doubt

Whenever a film tackles a sensitive or inflammatory subject, one can only hope it’s done with objectivity and it let’s the audience decide for themselves.  I remember working at the best video rental establishment ever, Cinema-Scope, and many customers would complain that a movie they had rented didn’t have a clear answer at the end of the film.  To me, those were always the best films, the ones that left you guessing.   Those are the films you’re talking about for days after you’ve left the theater, not just a few minutes after.  As I left the theater from having seen Doubt, I knew that it was one those films.

In Doubt, it’s 1964 and Father Flynn (a phenomenal Philip Seymour Hoffman) has become the new priest at church/catholic school in the Bronx.  Unfortunately, his want to change some of the long held customs at the church does not sit well with Sister Aloysius (a never better Meryl Streep) and she begins a crusade of sorts to try to defame and remove Father Flynn.

There are two big reasons this film is as good as it is: Philip Seymour Hoffman and Meryl Streep.  These are actors that don’t just act in movies, they inhabit roles and, by all appearances, effortlessly fit in to every character’s shoes.  Such is the case in Doubt.  There’s a scene in this movie where we see Father Flynn in gym class teaching some boys how to play basketball and while it may come off as just a random scene of life at a catholic school, it’s a brilliant example of Hoffman’s ability to become a character.  Streep’s Sister Aloysius is the kind of character you immediately hate within a few minutes of her appearing on screen.  She has an absolute disdain for anyone who disagrees with her views and will not tolerate even the slightest out of line behavior.  But Streep plays her with such conviction, it’s hard to not be impressed with the performance.  Anyone who has seen this film will agree that the highlight, without question, is the final confrontation between Father Flynn and Sister Aloysius.  Hoffman and Streep are without question two of the best actors working today whose individual legacies will be looked upon with admiration by other actors for generations to come.  Watching them go one on one was nothing short of mesmerizing.  I could tell that they both knew that this scene was the cornerstone of the film and they treated it as such.  It was reminiscent of Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino in Heat: two great actors playing off one another and enjoying every minute of it.  The entire film is building towards this moment and it’s a huge payoff.  My only complaint about this film, and it’s a minor one at that, is that pretty much every scene felt like it was a stage play.  This makes sense considering it was directed and written by John Patrick Shanley who also wrote the play on which this film is based.  Again, it’s a minor complaint, but at times it felt distracting and it took me out of the movie a little bit.  Don’t let that stop you from going to see this movie because in addition to watching the excellent performances, it asks some tough questions from the audience that have no easy answers.  In the end, a good movie that features a tough or taboo topic merely holds up a mirror to the issue and asks the audience to decide for themselves.  Doubt definitely achieves this.

Captain Cinema Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

On a side note, I saw this film and Slumdog Millionaire at the Red River Theatres in Concord, NH.  It was my first trip there and it will not be my last.  It’s a fantastic facility that shows indie and art-house movies, one of the few theaters that do this in NH.  They have four auditoriums, stadium seating, and they serve beer!  High five!  Here’s a link to their website:Red River Theatres

Slumdog Millionaire

I don’t think I’m alone when I say that when I first heard the premise of this movie, I thought, “I think I’ll be skipping that one.”  The story of a teenage Indian boy who becomes a contestant on the Hindi version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” in order to try and find the woman he loves?  Eh, not so much, thanks.  But as the reviews started to surface, I couldn’t help but notice that it was becoming a sleeper hit due to the strong word of mouth.  And as it turns out, Slumdog Millionaire is one of the best films I’ve seen all year.

To expound further on the plot, Jamal Malik (played with enthusiasm by the still very green Dev Patel) gets a once in a lifetime to chance to be on a game show that, seemingly, is watched by pretty much every person in India.  After one episode in which he gets within one question of winning 20 million rupees, he’s taken into police custody after he’s thought to be cheating.  During the inquisition, he unravels the story of his life in order to prove that he didn’t cheat and he genuinely knew the answers.  To be honest, I just typed that out and after reading it a few times, that still sounds boring to me but trust me when I tell you that for the full 120 minutes, I was fully engrossed in the story and the intricacy with which it unraveled.

In my last review of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, I mentioned that the director, David Fincher, is synonymous with excellent filmmaking and the same can now be said of the director of Slumdog Millionaire, Danny Boyle.  Ever since his breakout film Trainspotting, he’s only done a handful of movies but they’ve all been diverse and interesting choices.  Trainspotting is about drug addiction, 28 Days Later is about zombies, and Sunshine is a sci-fi flick, to name the highlights.  Though each of these films are very diverse in theme, he handles each one like a seasoned director but also manages to bring a fresh and exciting feel to each project.  And I think the same can be said of this film because when it’s all said and done, it’s really just a love story.  Another reason I loved this movie so much is it proves you don’t need much to make a good movie.  For example, my first review on this blog was for a film entitled The Day the Earth Stood Still, which was a giant steaming pile and it cost $80 million to make and had actors everyone has heard of.  Slumdog Millionaire only cost $15 million, had no marquee names and when you watch it, you aren’t thinking to yourself, “I wonder if it would be worth it to gouge my eyes instead of waiting another hour and a half for this movie to be over” or “I wonder if the theater can give me back my time in addition to my money.”  This movie proves that at the center of every good movie is a compelling plot and character development; everything else should only be used to serve those two things.

Captain Cinema Rating: 5 out of 5 stars.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

For me, this movie had everything going for it when I first read about it.  David Fincher directed it (he also directed Fight Club, Seven, and The Game to name my favorites by him.)  It starred Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, who are two of the best actors working today and who always seem to choose daring and intriguing roles.  But, being slightly cynical and constantly disappointed on many trips to the local cineplex, I’ve learned not to get my hopes up.  Still, each trailer and commercial that I saw made me want to see this movie more and more.  Well, dear readers, I’m happy to report that my fears were alleviated and I can easily say that this was one of the best films of the year.

The film follows Benjamin (Pitt) as he lives his life while aging in reverse.  In a strange way, this film reminded me of Forrest Gump, except without all the cheekiness and winking at the audience which frankly made this film more enjoyable.  It’s not that I don’t like Forrest Gump, it’s a great movie, but after repeated viewings, it starts getting a little hammy.  But I digress; as Benjamin lives his life, he fights in the second world war, witnesses the first rocket blasting into space, and watches the Beatles appear on Ed Sullivan, amongst other things.  At least he didn’t inadvertently show Henry Ford how to build the Model T because I would’ve checked out at that point or at the very least given that scene a dismissive wanking motion.

This is a long movie, coming in at just under three hours, but it didn’t bother me in the slightest as I was watching it.  I attribute most of that to the director, David Fincher.  The man just knows how to craft a movie.  Each scene was visually arresting and it felt like the cinematography was another star in the film.  This really wasn’t a surprise either, as he’s been making stunningly gorgeous movies for several years now.  His work in Seven inspired many carbon copy thrillers that really had no chance of being anywhere near as good as the source material.  Go back and watch it, it stands the test of time and then some.  Fincher’s name is synonymous excellent filmmaking, it’s as simple as that.  The other factor I attribute to this film working as well as it did is Brad Pitt.  I was having a discussion with a good friend of mine and I said that when Brad Pitt first started gaining stardom after Interview with the Vampire, I wanted to dislike him because everyone was fawning over him as the next big movie star.  But then he went and starred in Seven, Twelve Monkeys, Sleepers, Fight Club, and Snatch to name a few.  By that point, it was clear the man knew how to pick a script and each performance was better than the last.  This movie is no exception and he delivers a stellar performance with effortless grace.  To state the obvious, the film would not have worked if you didn’t believe he was Benjamin Button in every scene.  Of course, he had some help with that in the form of phenomenal visual F/X.  There wasn’t a single moment in the film that I thought, “oh come on, you can totally tell they used computers to make him look like that!”  And on a personal note, I fell in love with Cate Blanchett in this movie.  She was heart-breakingly beautiful as Daisy, Benjamin’s love interest.

So in case you couldn’t tell by my effusive remarks above, I thoroughly enjoyed this film and it hit me in the heart.  I definitely plan on adding this to my DVD collection.

Captain Cinema Rating: 5 out of 5 stars.