On Cinema by University of Florida Journalism/Film student Nathan Deen

Movie to Rent: The Truce (1997, dir. Francesco Rosi)

ndeen — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:23:51 +0000

John Turturro gives a stunningly powerful performance as the protagonist, Primo Levi, in Francesco Rosi’s “The Truce,” but that is about the only thing that makes the film worth seeing. What we’ve discussed so far in my Italian Cinema class is how true of an account of the Holocaust can we receive through cinema. The answer is we will never know the true horrors of the Holocaust. There is a smell we cannot sense as well as the feeling of starving and being filthy all the time.

There is also the argument of what make’s one man’s account of the Holocaust, such as Levi’s, any better (or worse) than another man’s account? At the end of the film, Primo is told that “God chose for him to survive so he could tell his tale, but Primo questions if he is really that special. So do I.

Really, this film is about how Auschwitz survivors fought to eat and survive even after they were released from the Jewish prison camp. The problem is how the film plays like an ugly fairy tale and hence Primo’s story is far-fetched and filled with unbelievable coincidences (I do realize it was based on autobiography). The Russian military seems to be glorified in the film and they almost seem like a fantastic tribe or group that our protagonist in a fairy tale would meet. And then there is The Greek (not given an actual name, which is another fairy tale coincidence) who starts out as Levi’s friend and guide. He later shows up again late in the film out of the blue. The odds of that actually happening are astronomical, but the way things were going I assumed the rendezvous was inevitable. The Holocaust is an almost impossible subject to tackle, and trying to make a story set within it aesthetic and beautiful, which is what the film tries to do, isn’t the wisest of approaches.

Ratin: 6/10

John Turturro in Francesco Rosi's "The Truce"

Movies to See: A Serious Man (2009, dir. Joel Coen, Ethan Coen)

ndeen — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 18:12:27 +0000

If I were teaching a course on films by the Coen Brothers, I would analyze beginnings and endings. Not many filmmakers make audiences aware so early on that they’re in for a film like none other.

The beginning of their new movie (one of their best) “A Serious Man” begins about as far away from what you would expect as possible. We expect the setting is somewhere in Russia, maybe a couple of hundred years ago, but where is unknown except that it is very, very cold. The scene is about a dybbuk (a ghostly spirit out of Jewish folklore) who visits a couple in their home. The dybbuk had helped the husband with his cart that had broken down in the middle of a blizzard and the husband, thinking he was a real person, invites him to his home for hot soup. But the wife knows this particular person to be dead.

The next sequence is set in 1967 Minnesota as we meet our protagonist Larry Gopnik (played by Michael Stuhlbarg), who is getting a routine check up and x-ray at a doctor’s office. This is cross-cutted with a sequence featuring Gopnik’s son, Danny (Aaron Wolff) sitting in class listening to a radio headset given to him by a friend.

And the ending…well let’s just say it gives “No Country for Old Men” a run for its money in terms of curiosity, sudden abruptness and brilliance. The Coen Bros. are masters of the beginning and ending. The ending of “A Serious Man” loops back to that parallel cross cutting at the beginning of the film.

The film is being marketed as a comedy but I would say if it is a comedy, it is a very dark one. Yes, it’s funny, but mostly the film is a look at life lessons. The ground is slowly falling out from underneath Larry as he goes through a divorce, moves in with his headcase brother at a motel room and worries about gaining tenure at the University he teaches for. The film is also always about uncertainty and how life can seem like a cruel joke at times.

Rating: 10/10

Michael Stuhlbarg in the Coen Bros.' "A Serious Man"

Decade in Review (Masterpiece): Minority Report (2002, dir. Steven Spielberg)

ndeen — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:22:10 +0000

There are several films that could be considered Steven Spielberg’s best film. “Jaws”, “E.T.”, “Raiders of the Lost Ark”, “Schindler’s List”, etc. If you want my two cents, 2002′s “Minority Report” is his greatest achievement. I consider it to be the “Blade Runner” of it’s time.

Shot in a beautiful monochrome style by Janusz Kaminiski, the film blends science fiction with film-noir and is one of few movies that works best as an action blockbuster. In fact, it’s probably the best summer movie ever made. Understandably, it was made that way to appeal to a wider audience. Those who enjoy special effects and pulse-pounding action will be satisfied as will those who look for a layered story and masterful direction. If you look beneath the surface, you’ll find powerful themes and storytelling that’s on a level with “Blade Runner.” The film creates a believable futuristic world in which crime is becoming obsolete but at the expense of total privacy. It ask the question, “At what cost would we as a society give up in order to prevent murder from happening?”

Tom Cruise in Spielberg's "Minority Report"

Decade in Review: Influential Filmmakers- Darren Aronofsky

ndeen — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:54:56 +0000

Here is the first entry into this blog’s retrospective exploration of the first decade in the 21st century. For better or worse, but mostly for worse, cinema is changing. When Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is the year’s box office champion, you know something is wrong with the state of cinema. Hollywood studios favor action over art, but there are still directors out there with vision and talent who want to make a name for themselves in cinema.

This entry recognizes Darren Aronofsky as one of the decades most accomplished directors with his future classics, “Requiem for a Dream,” and “The Wrestler.”

With “Requiem for a Dream,” Aronofsky introduced a film that was unlike any of it’s competitors. It’s a devastating look, almost difficult to watch at times, at drugs and the effects they have on the film’s central characters. Aronofsky’s unusual editing style, that at times plays like a montage, and the most epic music score ever composed by Clint Mansell make this one of the best films of 2000.

Jared Leto and Jennifer Connelly in Aronofsky's "Requiem for a Dream"

The plot to “The Wrestler” is as simplistic by it’s title, yet audiences will be split open by the time the film fades to black. Mickey Rourke, was criminally passed over for the 2008 Best Actor Academy Award, plays the role he was born to play as Randy “The Ram” Robinson. The performance is flat out one of the best I’ve ever seen.

Aronofsky goes for a realistic style approach with his film, shooting much of it from steady cam, using long takes and interesting angles. For anyone who appreciates the art of making movies, this is one you want to watch over and over again. The film is simple but beautiful.

Mickey Rourke in Aronofsky's "The Wrestler"