Review: WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN

Last night, after taking in a screening of Hiromasa Yonebayashi and Hayao Miyazaki’s The Secret World of Arrietty at the Capitol Theater, I sat across from a friend with whom I volunteer at the theater, enjoying a drink and discussing my plans for this week’s film review: not of the lighthearted, animated Arrietty, but of the other film currently being featured––Lynne Ramsay’s dark thriller, We Need to Talk About Kevin.

“Have you seen it?” I asked, leaning towards my friend, anticipating an answer that I hoped would fuel discussion.

“No,” he replied, “but I don’t think I want to. The regular projectionist posted a note begging for someone to cover his shifts for the rest of the week because he claims he can’t sit through another screening and remain sane. As far as I know, that’s a first for him. So, it must be a pretty rough watch.”

I considered the weight of his response, particularly focused on the term “rough.” Maybe not the descriptive word I would use, but still fitting nonetheless.

“Yeah, you could say that,” I said, taking a sip from my water glass.

And then my friend asked the question that is both most difficult and most important to address: “What about it makes it have that effect?”

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We Need to Talk About Kevin, based on Lionel Shriver’s 2003 novel of the same name, follows Eva Katchadourian (played by the doe-eyed, chameleon of an actress, Tilda Swinton), a well-known travel writer who has fallen from grace since her son, Kevin (played by the all-too convincing, up-and-coming actor Ezra Miller), committed a massacre at his high school two years prior. While Eva tried to contend with the aftermath by rebuilding her life, obtaining a day job as a secretary at a travel agency and visiting Kevin in the juvenile detention center to which he is committed, she dwells on the events––via flashback––that could have contributed to Kevin snapping. Eva and Kevin’s cold, tense relationship, riddled with resentment from the start, leaves the audience asking, “Was it nature or nurture that created this troubled kid?”

I have spent a great deal of my academic career trying to get at affect/effect as it pertains to visual texts, specifically cinema and, even more specifically, the horror film. While We Need to Talk About Kevin does not technically fall under this genre, it does read similarly due to the events, themes, and relationships on which the film centers and how these elements more or less paralyze the audience until the closing credits have finished rolling. Everyone will inevitably take something different away from the film (as everyone does with all films, for viewership on a personal level is ultimately a subjective experience), substantiating their opinions with varying cinematic elements. However, what I believe makes We Need to Talk About Kevin so effectively haunting is how the film’s cinematography and sound design (soundtrack included) contribute to the continuously-rising tension between Eva and Kevin in each flashback and establish post-massacre Eva as a character traumatized beyond repair.

Read separately, the cinematography and sound design are hardly innovative or captivating features (at least in comparison to the powerful performances delivered by Swinton and Miller, with an honorable mention given to John C. Reilly as Franklin, the agreeable husband and father of Eva and Kevin, respectively). However, the way in which the two play off of each other––working together in some scenes while contradicting each other in others––creates an unsettling, oftentimes uncanny, cinematic environment. I found myself shifting uncomfortably in my seat as I watched a close-up shot of Kevin savagely biting into a lychee during a flashback of a formal brunch at home, the squishing and squirting of the fruit perfectly enhancing Kevin’s bitterness and hatred towards his mother as he curtly insists that he does not feel responsible for the loss of his younger sister’s eye. My stomach churned as I witnessed Eva reminisce about the massacre on her way to visit Kevin in prison, with the folksy, perhaps even kitschy, Lonnie Donegan song, “Ham N Eggs” blaring over the silent imagery of high school students begging for their lives and parents screaming and sobbing behind crime scene tape. My visceral reactions to both instances assure me that this artful organization is the primary reason for why scenes from the film still project in my memory when I close my eyes.

I can never seem to directly recommend films like We Need to Talk About Kevin to a general readership, for it truly is a piece of work that one struggles to call “enjoyable” when faced with its narrative content. I do insist, though, that it is a film that can be learned from–– both in terms of its cinematic achievements as well as the impressions of human nature with which it leaves the audience––which, in turn, marks it as important.

Rating: 4.5/5

Review: SUPER 8

Ever since I saw the teaser trailer attached to Iron Man 2 over a year ago, I have been anxiously awaiting Super 8, Steven Spielberg and J.J. Abrams’ cinematic lovechild. Would it be Close Encounters of the Third Kind meets Cloverfield like everyone anticipated or would it be something original orchestrated by the two veterans? The answer is neither, but the outcome does not disappoint.

Set in the summer of 1979 in the small town of Lillian, Ohio, Super 8 follows a group of middle school-aged friends making a zombie detective film together. Joe (Joel Courtney), the son of sheriff deputy Jackson (Kyle Chandler), is still recovering from the tragic loss of his mother in an industrial accident four months prior. Despite his father’s wishes for him to attend baseball camp and make some new friends, Joe stays in town to help writer/director Charles (Riley Griffiths) finish the film. Along with Carey (Ryan Lee), Preston (Zach Mills), Martin (Gabriel Basso), and the recent addition of Alice (Elle Fanning), the kids head out to an old train depot one night to film a pivotal scene and end up capturing the collision of a pick-up truck and an Air Force freight train. The wreckage reveals to the kids the train’s bizarre cargo and the truck’s driver, an honor’s biology teacher at the middle school, warns them not to speak of the incident. However, as the Air Force moves in to secure the situation and the residents of Lillian become tormented by supernatural occurrences, the young friends take it upon themselves to figure out what exactly the military is working to hide.

Super 8 perfectly captures the youthful wonderment inherent, but by no means exclusive, to the time in which it takes place, making me nostalgic for a childhood reminiscent of Joe and his friends’. The aesthetics of the time period paired with the universal theme of friendship––which is undoubtedly guided by Spielberg’s hand in the film (ET, anyone?)––keeps the story grounded in a relatable reality as the sci-fi aspects of the plot unfold. On the whole, Super 8 maintains a nice balance between action and heart and is well-paced from start to finish. However, for a film that clocks in at almost two hours long, many of the relationships and key plot points are surprisingly left underdeveloped and underexplained in the end. For example, Jackson and Joe go from being at odds to bonding as father and son, but I cannot seem to buy how the change in their relationship occurs. Likewise, the resolution to the film’s overarching conflict happens far too easily and winks at the audience far too blatantly, even for a film as digestible as this one. I wish I could have earned the moral of the story, but instead Abrams handed it me on a silver platter.

As a sci-fi film that delivers the thrills of the genre but remains deeply rooted in the importance of family and friendship, Super 8 is an entertaining summer blockbuster for all audiences.

Rating: 4/5

Review: BLACK SWAN

In 2008, Darren Aronofsky told the compelling story of an aging professional wrestler fighting to keep his career alive. Now, in 2010, he tells the story of a young ballerina fighting to rise to stardom with her only obstacle being herself.

Black Swan centers on Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman), a 20-something year-old professional ballerina living in New York City with her overbearing mother (Barbara Hershey). Because of her timid, perfectionist nature, Nina has never been a featured dancer in any of her company’s performances. However, with prima ballerina Beth MacIntyre (Winona Ryder) being asked to retire, the part of the Swan Queen in the company’s production of Swan Lake is given to Nina, despite director Thomas Leroy’s (Vincent Cassel) hesitation. As Nina struggles to channel the dark, uninhibited Black Swan, she develops a strange, rivalrous friendship with Lily (Mila Kunis), a free-spirited dancer who is new to the company and much more fit for the role of the Swan Queen. The pressure Nina puts on herself, fueled by Thomas and her mother, causes her to completely lose touch with reality by the opening night of the show.

This film proves itself to be a compelling, highly stylized psychological thriller driven by Aronofsky’s direction and Portman and Kunis’s performances. Aronofsky’s vision is daring yet timeless, a balance achieved through a mixture of classic symbolisms and manic plot movements. The way he shadows Nina with his lens rather than watching her from afar puts the audience in the thick of her downward spiral, setting the film’s suspenseful tone. In addition, Portman’s turn as the disturbed ballerina is nothing less than enthralling from beginning to end and her chemistry with Kunis exudes raw, organic emotion. I cannot give enough credit to these three major players because they all faced the challenge of a script lacking in passion. Much of the dialog, especially in the film’s opening scenes, is far too cut-and-dry and worn thin by cliché. Portman and Kunis succeed in overcoming this problem, however, Hershey and Cassel struggle to even get their performances off the ground. Though Black Swan as a whole manages to rise above this hiccup, I cannot help but wish that the script had been as strong as the rest of the film’s components.

In my opinion, Aronofsky’s commentary on the dangers of striving for control and perfection makes Black Swan 2010’s most haunting film. You cannot help but fall victim to its tantalizing grip.

Rating: 5/5

Review: WAITING FOR "SUPERMAN"

Sometimes movies are not meant to entertain. Sometimes they are meant to open eyes. Such is the case for Waiting For “Superman,” recipient of the Best Documentary award at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.

Waiting For “Superman” dedicates itself to the sad state of public education in America, following five young students as they struggle to earn the education they deserve in the face of hardship. Director and narrator Davis Guggenheim takes his audience through the students’ rough streets of Harlem, Washington D.C., and Los Angeles and asks, “do our country’s ongoing social and economical problems stem from our educational system?” With interviews from social activist/educator Geoffrey Canada and former chancellor of D.C. public schools Michelle Rhee fueling the film, Guggenheim is able to present facts and figures that seek to answer this question.

If ever there was a subject to deeply upset me, this is the one. As a student who was fortunate enough to attend decent public schools in decent settings, I never really had to worry about being let down by my teachers the way the kids featured in this documentary do. Throughout most of the film, Guggenheim does well to inform the audience without playing the violin too loudly, a balance that is difficult to find when discussing something so heartbreaking. The statistics he offers, often accompanied by creative animations, are used to keep up momentum while serving as a breather from the depressing interviews given by the students and their parents. However, the balance falls off by the final 30 minutes of the film when the only content invading the screen is shot after shot of (the majority of) the students being denied entry into better schools. This addition plays on the audience’s emotions and detracts from the rest of the documentary, making Guggenheim come off as a less angry, more sympathetic Michael Moore. In the end, I felt like I could have learned more if I hadn’t been so distracted by the film’s final notes.

I wouldn’t recommend rushing out to the theater to catch this documentary, but it is a definite must-rent. The subject may be grave, especially when shown through Guggenheim’s lens, but it is one that must be addressed.

Rating: 4/5

Review: PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2

It’s a pretty typical Hollywood story: low budget, independent film becomes a surprise success; big name studio buys the rights for dirt cheap; franchise is born. Such is the case for Paranormal Activity, 2009’s small “found footage” horror flick that is powered by two unknown actors and a video camera. Now, a year later, Paramount has given birth to Paranormal Activity 2, assigning a new director and a more bloated budget to the task of producing quiet, resonating terror.

Paranormal Activity 2 is both a prequel and a sequel, its plot working in conjunction with last year’s sleeper hit. This time around, home movies and surveillance footage follow Kristi Rey (Sprague Grayden) and her family as they experience-yep, you guessed it-paranormal activity in their home. So, how does this follow-up coincide with its predecessor? Kristi is both neighbor and sister to Katie (Katie Featherston), the victim of demonic torment in the original film. However, Katie has yet to fall victim to evil because Paranormal Activity 2 begins a few weeks before the first film...and she was never meant to fall victim in the first place.

I’ll admit it: this film unnerved me, but it wasn’t because of its relentless jump scares or its run-of-the-mill central storyline. The way it answers questions I never even thought I wanted answers to (despite the “winking” exposition it uses to get from point A to point B) is what left me chilled as I walked out of the theater. That being said, it was the only thing that left me chilled. The rest of Paranormal Activity 2 plays out far too predictably, with two-dimensional stock characters who only serve to move the plot along and constant spooks that become more annoying than frightening half way through. Paramount hardly lets this quickly produced follow-up remain subtle like Paranormal Activity proved itself to be and because of that, it suffers immensely.

Do the terrors outweigh the yawns? In my opinion, yes. If you are a fan of the first film, at the very least you will probably somewhat appreciate how this one intertwines with it. But be warned: it’s muddled with plenty of throwaway content and, though it goes without saying, it hardly breaks any new ground.

Rating: 2.5/5

Review: CATFISH

The new documentary, Catfish, has caused a near uproar regarding its validity. Is it really a documentary or is it just masquerading as one? Is it really “the best Hitchcock film that Hitchcock never directed” or will it deliver a lackluster outcome? Before you get too tangled up in hesitation, let me ask you this: does the story’s authenticity really even matter if the subject still rings true?

Unknown filmmakers Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman center Catfish on Nev Schulman, a 24-year-old photographer living in New York City, and his blossoming internet friendship with a family from Michigan. The correspondence begins when Abby, an eight-year-old artist, sends Nev a package containing an oil painting of hers based on a recently published photo of his. Nev gets in touch with Abby’s mother, Angela, on Facebook and starts to learn about their family, all the while sending his pictures to Abby for her to paint for him. He becomes friends with Abby’s father and brother as well and even strikes up a courtship with her older sister, Megan. However, Nev discovers inconsistencies in some of the family members’ stories and decides to step back from the situation and do some investigating, which ultimately leads him to Michigan and forces him to face the truth.

The controversy surrounding this film’s authenticity proves to be completely irrelevant because, whether or not it is actually a documentary,Catfish speaks volumes about how we as a culture so often blur the line between internet and reality. In a way, Nev takes a risk by placing himself in the in-between for the sake of mass revelation. The sole purpose of this film is to get its audience to ask questions and seek out answers, which I believe it does masterfully. Everything else that I love about the film-from its use of Google Maps as an aesthetic touch to its concentration on even characters’ most minor reactions-is merely a bonus.

Though I think Catfish has a shot at holding quite a bit of cultural value, if only temporarily, it will no doubt leave some viewers feeling less than satisfied. The marketing campaign behind this film indicates that it will be this year’s Paranormal Activity, however, it does not deliver any horrific scares and the “Hitchcockian twist” it boasts is only a plot development. Unfortunately, the film’s misleading insinuations will ultimately overshadow its true nature and keep it from resonating with disappointed moviegoers.

If you are interested in films that have something valuable to say, I highly recommend Catfish. It may not completely embody the tone it appears to upon first glance, but it still haunts, if only in the unusual sense of the term.

Rating: 4/5

Review: IT'S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY

Ever since the success of 2007’s Juno, Hollywood has been rapidly spitting out mainstream indie films in hopes of attracting the same praise. However, a pattern has appeared: only one film in the genre stands out each year. Last year it was 500 Days of Summer, a film that benefitted from its incessant commercial spots and likable stars. Attempting to follow in suit, will It’s Kind of a Funny Story garner similar praise?

It’s Kind of a Funny Story opens with 16-year-old Craig (Keir Gilchrist) biking to a New York City emergency room at five in the morning after waking up from a dream in which he commits suicide. The overwhelmed teen convinces the on-call doctor to help him out, thinking that a quick fix is available to him. However, he soon finds out that his stay in the third floor psychiatric ward will be a minimum of five days, setting him behind on schoolwork and tying him up in fibs to his friends. Though Craig feels out of place at first, he finds a confidant in Bobby (Zach Galifianakis), a love interest in Noelle (Emma Roberts), and a new appreciation for everything he has.

Every problem that I have with this film stems from its poorly written screenplay, which is essentially a mishmash of stale characters whose problems are given all-too-convenient resolutions. Craig comes off as a cliche, devoid of any unique traits that would at least make him a somewhat sympathetic character. In fact, all of the teenagers featured suffer from the same fate. Their dialog feels unnatural and makes clear to the audience that they are really actors playing teenagers who are trying so hard to be typical teenagers. With the exception of Bobby, who is allowed the chance to develop a distinct personality, the adults in the film are no better off than their younger co-stars. So much time is spent on these bland characters that the film’s central topic, depression, becomes a lighthearted afterthought and, in the end, gets treated like a fleeting speed bump standing in the way of a perfect life. If these elements would have been considered more thoroughly, It’s Kind of a Funny Story would have had a chance at being something fresh, but sadly, they were not.

Though I took issue with most of this 100 minute public service announcement, I cannot dislike it because it is just too nice. The mainstream indie style will have mass appeal, as will Galifianakis’s performance. My advice? See a matinee showing with your mom and little sister, but don’t be fooled: the story isn’t really as funny as you want it to be.

Rating: 2.5/5

Review: THE SOCIAL NETWORK

What do you get when you create a film based on the rise of one of the most popular websites in Internet history? A box office success. And if that film is the brainchild of David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin? A critical success. “The Facebook movie,” as it has been dubbed, has received acclaim from all directions, and for good reason.

The Social Network, as it is formally entitled, chronicles the rise of Facebook and how it affected its founders. Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg), a sophomore at Harvard looking to be accepted into one of the prestigious clubs on campus, makes his mark by masterfully hacking into the school’s computer system and creating a prank website with its content. His actions garner the attention of twin brothers Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss (both played by Armie Hammer), who offer him the task of programing a website they have been working on launching. Mark accepts the offer but deflects the brothers’ attempts at getting together to begin construction, all the while building on their idea and creating “the facebook.” With the financial help of his best friend, Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield), Mark starts the phenomenon that earns him both followers and enemies.

This film proves to be nearly flawless in all aspects, the main reason being the collaboration between Fincher and Sorkin. Fincher knows how to capture tone with his camera, paying careful attention to the characters’ facial expressions and interactions with their settings. Sorkin’s snappy dialog never quits. In fact, the screenplay is so well written that it serves as its own outstanding performance, though it never once overshadows the actors’ achievements. Eisenberg delivers an especially memorable performance as Zuckerberg and is in good company alongside Garfield, Hammer, and Justin Timberlake (who plays the conniving founder of Napster, Sean Parker). To complete the package, the film’s score (developed by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails fame) compliments the overarching theme of deceit with its ominous inflections, thus bringing Fincher’s vision full circle.

Despite being two hours of pure dialog, The Social Network stands as a compelling, relevant testament to this day and age. Its commentary on technology as it relates to social standing and human connection resonates long after the closing credits.

Rating: 5/5

Review: THE TOWN

A crime drama must be handled delicately. An overabundance of action can cheapen it; too many lines of dialog can make it drag. A balance must be found in order for it to satisfy. And if balance can’t be found, are nuns with machine guns enough?

After 2007‘s Gone Baby Gone, Ben Affleck is back with his sophomore venture, The Town. Affleck steps in front of the camera this time, playing Doug, a career bank robber from the rough neighborhood of Charlestown in Boston. He and his long-time friends-Jem (Jeremy Renner), Dez (Owen Burke), and Gloansy (Slaine)-hit a Cambridge bank and end up taking the manager, Claire (Rebecca Hall), hostage. Though they free her unscathed, Jem confiscates her driver’s license and employs Doug to follow her, making sure she doesn’t remember any details that will compromise their life of crime. Doug and Claire begin dating and Claire divulges her memories of the robbery to him, along with the fact that she has been in contact with the FBI agent handling the case, Frawley (Jon Hamm). With Jem planning more robberies, Frawley hot on his trail, and his feelings for Claire progressing, Doug finds himself caught in a game of cat and mouse when all he wants is a fresh start in a new place.

The tone of The Town is set by its well-paced plot and suspenseful action sequences. Affleck fluidly introduces characters and situations that let his audience know just what kind of hell Charlestown is, why anyone would want to flee but few feel like they can. Scenes packed with rapid gunfire are balanced by ones that are more dialog-heavy, keeping this crime drama on point with its genre. As for performances, Jeremy Renner takes the top prize with his turn as Jem. He clearly commits himself to the role, never losing sight of Jem’s motivations and desires. These natural, effortless elements give this film its edge.

Despite its strong, compelling beginning, The Town fizzle out due to how muddled it becomes. The plot is on point, but the writing leaves much to be desired. Seemingly important characters introduced in the first half-hour, most namely Krista (Blake Lively) and Fergie (Pete Postlethwaite), do not reappear in any meaningful way until the final 45 minutes, leaving them underdeveloped. An excessive amount of time is spent focusing on the relationship between Doug and Claire, a relationship that never really proves itself to be genuine. Doug spews out hokey line after hokey line trying to win over his damsel in distress, leading the film to a weak, sour ending. The audience is left questioning far too much.

The Town managed to win me over with its thrilling robberies and the men behind them, however, it left me wishing for a consistent script and believable bonds between characters. The flaws are apparent, but it still succeeds.

Rating: 3.5/5

Review: THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

In light of the current state of gay rights in America, it is no wonder that Hollywood has boldly chosen to explore same-sex relationships. The Kids Are All Right takes on the topic by wrapping it in a pretty, indie package and delivering it to audiences in hopes of striking an emotional chord.

The Kids Are All Right aims to dissect an unconventional family as they come to terms with changing circumstances. Nic (Annette Benning) and Jules (Julianne Moore) are a lesbian couple with two children, Joni (Mia Wasikowska) and Laser (Josh Hutcherson), from the same sperm donor. At her brother’s request, when Joni turns 18, she contacts the sperm bank in order to find their biological father. The man in question is Paul (Mark Ruffalo), a laid-back restauranteur happily living the single life. After their initial meeting, Joni and Laser decide to involve Paul in their lives, thus introducing him to their mothers and upsetting the family dynamic.

It should come as no surprise that Benning and Moore steal the show. Both actresses get what it is to be these two very different women in a long term relationship, struggling to retain their individualities without losing sight of their love for one another. They are inarguably the heart of this film. Central female performances aside, the overall aesthetic of The Kids Are All Right is captivating, marked by vivid colors and lush scenery. Los Angeles is virtually transformed by the cinematographer’s vision. Wide shots from Paul’s organic garden overlooking a smog-free city are hopeful but no doubt enhance the hip, modern tone of the film, therefore achieving their purpose.

For as rich and fleshed out as the roles of Nic and Jules are, the supporting cast isn’t given much to do in front of the camera. Wasikowska, Hutcherson, and Ruffalo all do the best that they can under the circumstances, but the fact of the matter is that all three are merely props aiding in the development of the film’s true stars. Joni and Laser dip in and out and Paul essentially falls off after causing conflict. Though I ate up every last minute of screen time given to Benning and Moore, I ultimately felt somewhat mislead.

See this one for the show-stopping women at the heart of it (especially Benning, who has received enough Oscar buzz to practically ensure her a nomination), but don’t be surprised if you find it a bit overconfident.

Rating: 4/5

Review: CYRUS

Very few film experiences will compare to the one I had when I first watched The Puffy Chair. One of the mumblecore movement’s most seminal texts, it introduced me to Jay and Mark Duplass, two brothers who set out to make real movies about real people, budget or no budget. In the case of Cyrus, their latest endeavor, budget is involved for the first time but the film does not fail to deliver heart.

In typical mumblecore fashion, Cyrus takes a painfully realistic look at relationships and their complications. Specifically, the film tells the story of John (John C. Reilly), a divorcee of seven years, as he begins a romance with Molly (Marisa Tomei). After a couple of hot and heavy dates, John decides to follow Molly home to see why she will not stay the night with him. The reason? Cyrus (Jonah Hill), her 21-year-old son who hasn’t yet flown the coop or seen his mom date. What ensues is a humorous rivalry between John and Cyrus and a sweet account of what it takes to accept people as they are.

Jay and Mark Duplass know how to write characters in true-to-life situations and Cyrus is no exception. With a small cast and tight focus, Rielly, Tomei, and Hill are given ample room to bring their own touches to their characters while still remaining true to the vision at hand. Rielly’s inflections, Tomei’s facial expressions, and Hill’s comedic presence have all been seen and heard before, but under the Duplass brothers’ supervision, they feel new again.

As Jay and Mark’s first bigger budget film, Cyrus does a fairly good job at finding a balance between mumblecore and mainstream. However, no matter how much I respect the integrity brought forth in the performances, I can’t help but believe that this film would have shined more brightly with at least one unknown actor in it. One of my favorite elements of mumblecore is the use of unfamiliar faces. That divide between movie star and moviegoer ceases to exist; the experience feels more authentic. My ultimate worry is that the more well-known the Duplass brothers become, the less present their style will be. I suppose only time will tell.

Cyrus ultimately proves itself to be a warm story with relatable characters. Despite my concerns for future Duplass films, I know that heart will always be palpable.

Rating: 4/5

Review: MACHETE

To me, nothing says a good time at the movies like gory camp. I need explosions, decapitation, and sexually exploited hot chicks just as much as I need Oscar-worthy monologues. So, when I heard of Robert Rodriguez’s plan to turn his trailer for Machete into a feature-length film, I knew I would be in for a treat.

Machete is a revenge story that follows its title character (Danny Trejo), a former Federale, from Mexico to Texas after he runs into some trouble with a drug lord (Steven Seagal). As an illegal immigrant, he has very few opportunities to make money until he is hired by a man named Michael Booth (Jeff Fahey) to assassinate Senator McLaughlin (Robert De Niro), an ultra conservative politician whose campaign rests on the promise to keep immigrants from crossing the border by building an electric fence. Machete accepts the $150,000 job and gifts the money to Luz (Michelle Rodriguez), a taco truck owner working to secure illegal immigrants in Texas. When the time comes to off McLaughlin, another sniper hits the senator instead, framing Machete. With the help of Luz, Agent Sartana Rivera (Jessica Alba), Padre (Cheech Marin), and a slew of immigrants, Machete sets out on a mission to take down Booth and his conspirators. What I appreciate most about this film is that it is completely self-aware, hitting the mark with its trashy costumes, slapstick violence, and pulpy score. Never once does it try to take itself seriously. Rodriguez and co-director Ethan Maniquis nail it with their cast as well (Lindsey Lohan as a promiscuous lush seeking vengeance in a nun costume, anyone?), which only adds to Rodriguez’s trademark stylized vision.

Though Machete accomplishes what it sets out to, it is held back by its frivolous subplots. I found myself wanting less story and more bloody dismemberment to enhance the inherently campy nature. By the final showdown, the film’s flare turns stale and feels forced, causing the audience to start checking the time. Machete ultimately exhausts itself.

If you’ve been looking forward to checking out Rodriguez’s newest, don’t hesitate. However, if watching human intestines be used as a rope to rappel down a building isn’t your idea of fun, you’re better off staying home.

Rating: 3/5

Review: WINTER'S BONE

Sometimes a film comes along that is so highly praised that it can’t be ignored. Such is the case with Winter’s Bone, a independent drama that is being called “graceful” and “chilling” by critics across the country.

Winter’s Bone centers on Ree Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence), a 17-year-old Ozark girl who is the sole caretaker for her two younger siblings due to a mother with disabling depression and an absentee father who is in and out of jail because of his involvement with Methamphetamine. Already struggling to make ends meet, she is informed by the town sheriff that her father has offered up their house for his bond and if doesn’t show up to his court date the following week, the family will be forced to leave. Ree sets off to find him, meeting up with bad company along the way. To say that Lawrence’s performance is good would be an insult and an understatement. Lawrence knocks it out of the park as Ree, using strong facial expressions and silence to define her character. John Hawkes also does an amazing job playing Ree’s uncle, Teardrop, a crank addict like his brother whose relationship with his family proves to be complicated. The film’s Ozark setting is breathtaking as well, displayed beautifully by the cinematography.

The biggest problem I have with Winter’s Bone is that its emotional core isn’t necessarily all there. By that I mean that I struggle to feel much empathy for Ree because the director, Debra Granik, puts so much effort into trying to make her audience feel sorry for Ree’s rough conditions. It ultimately feels far too forced. Granik should have focused more on her protagonist’s transformation, which fell flat. Teardrop’s transformation was much more palpable, making him the more interesting character in the end.

To be blunt, Winter’s Bone is this year’s Precious. Its main goal is to garner acclaim and be nominated for awards come January. You should see it for Lawrence and Hawkes’ performances, but wait for the DVD. I’ll be interested to see if Granik succeeds in hooking the Academy with this bait.

Rating: 3/5

Review: GREENBERG

In an age where big budget blockbusters dominate the box office and 3D is the norm, it’s hard to believe that less can still be more. However, there still exists a subculture of movie lovers that firmly believe just that and Noah Baumbach’s newest film, Greenberg, proves it to be true.

Greenberg is a slice of life film about Rodger Greenberg (Ben Stiller), a 40-year-old looking to “do nothing for a while” while he housesits for his brother in Los Angeles. He reunites with old band members and an ex-girlfriend, but the core of the film is the awkward relationship he begins with his brother’s 26-year-old assistant, Florence (Greta Gerwig). The performances are outstanding across the board. Stiller takes on Greenberg with such finesse, interacting with the people around him in real, meaningful ways and Gerwig gives Florence a sweet optimism, despite her hardships. Together, they shine. Rhys Ifans and Jennifer Jason Leigh are also notable as Ivan, Rodger’s old bandmate, and Beth, Rodger’s ex-girlfriend, respectively. The performances behind the scenes are just as excellent as the ones on screen. Noah Baumbach and Jennifer Jason Leigh’s screenplay is nearly flawless and the cinematography brings it to life in a way that allows the audience to experience the film on a deeper level. The richness of each shot, especially during moments of silence, is tangible.

Though I am absolutely taken with Greenberg, I do not believe that it’s a film for everyone. Rodger Greenberg isn’t exactly the most likable character and though that makes for a more beautiful transformation, plenty of viewers will not be sympathetic. I also cannot guarantee that this film will entertain everyone with a tone that is so quiet and restrained.

Greenberg is my favorite of Baumbach’s work to date and one of the best films I have seen this year. If you enjoy films with the depth of a rich novel, I highly recommend you see this gem. Better yet, experience it.

Rating: 5/5