"Dumb Money" -- Movie Review

 

This week at Film at Lincoln Center, I attended a special screening of the new comedy “Dumb Money”, starring Paul Dano and Pete Davidson.

Synopsis

Major Wall Street players panic when an unpromising stock suddenly skyrockets.

Story

In 2021, people all across the country are suffering due to the COVID-19 pandemic – they are suffering due to the sickness and deaths of friends and family directly caused by the virus and they are also suffering economically as an indirect cause of the pandemic when many found themselves out of work.  Despite the struggles of the working class, the wealthy – in particular, those who were Wall Street big shots – have never been living better.  Many of those who found themselves struggling wanted to fight back, but how? 

Enter Keith Gill (Paul Dano).  Working for a stockbrokerage company in Massachusetts, Keith learns how to execute trades on his own and how to read and interpret the performance of individual companies.  He notices that the stock price of one publicly traded company is rather low, and considers Wall Street’s unfavorable evaluation of the company unjust; that company is GameStop, a video game store located in many malls across America.  The experts decide that since most people are playing games by streaming over the Internet, GameStop will soon turn into a dinosaur.  Keith disagrees and invests his life savings in GameStop, driving its stock price higher.

Keith goes on social media under the name Roaring Kitty to share his story and his stock tip with others.  His followers take his advice and begin buying stock in GameStop; some – including Keith – become millionaires (at least on paper).  Others, who could only afford to invest a fraction of the amount, are able to double or even triple their net worth as the price of the stock increases ever higher.  Millionaires and billionaires who are supposed to be the financial experts suddenly find themselves panicking as their corporate assets are dwindling daily.  Will they be able to fight back and regain their foothold on the economic ladder?   

Review

“Dumb Money” is a rollicking new comedy for the Occupy Wall Street crowd.  True, it may seem a little late in the sense that “The Big Short” came out a number of years ago (also, both are based on true life events), but this may also be considered an update since it takes place during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, whereas “The Big Short” was more recession-focused.  Whether you regard that as detrimental to the quality of the film may depend on which side of the political spectrum you lean more towards (this movie tends to lean more to the Bernie Sanders supporters rather than the trickle-down economy theorists). 

Although the screenplay follows multiple characters, it isn’t that terribly difficult to follow the story; part of the reason for that is because the characters are so uniquely drawn, their individuality stands out.  The other reason is likely due to the fact that many of those characters are played by stars familiar to the viewing audience, making it easier to keep track of who’s who and what their piece in this complicated puzzle is in relation to the rest of the story (as well as their relationship to each other). 

This movie makes clear who the good guys and the bad guys are and why it’s so easy to root for the good guys (or at the very least, root against the bad guys).  There are references made to this being the equivalent of The French Revolution, which is a fair comparison since it was about how the middle class held disdain for the high-living aristocracy who forced the lower class to struggle in order to support the ostentatious lifestyle of the despotic ruler Louis XVI.  As the saying goes, history rarely repeats itself, but it does frequently rhyme.         

"Past Lives" -- Movie Review

 

This week at Lincoln Center, I attended an advance screening of the romantic drama "Past Lives".

Synopsis

When a pair of friends geographically separated from each other meet again after 20 years, will it be possible for them to rekindle their romance from long ago?

Story

Early in the 21st century in Seoul, South Korea, adolescents and classmates Nora and Hae Sung were the very best of friends – until at least one fateful day when Nora announced that she and her family were emigrating to The United States.  Hae Sung was blindsided by this news; he didn’t find out until Nora told others – he figured that since they were such close friends, she would have at least given her best friend some kind of advance warning.  Weeks later, Nora and her family arrive in New York City and try to settle in as best they can, especially given their limited English.  Despite many obstacles, Nora not only assimilates but excels. 

Remaining in Korea to study Engineering, Hae Sung performs his obligatory military service but at no point does he ever stop thinking about Nora.  He socializes with his male friends but is deeply aware of the fact that there remains a void in his life.  Twelve years after Nora (Greta Lee) started living in New York City, Hae Sung (Teo Yoo) tries to reach out to her on social media.  Eventually, they connect and despite the substantial time difference, wind up engaging in video calls over the internet where Nora reveals that she is currently pursuing a writing career.  After speaking nearly every night for a substantial period of time, Nora tries to get Hae Sung to visit her in New York; due to his studies, he feels it would be difficult to do so any time soon, so they stop their regular video calls.

Nora attends a writers’ retreat in Montauk, Long Island.  While there, she meets Arthur (John Magaro), a fellow writer.  Both hit it off with each other rather quickly and at the end of their stay, continue dating and eventually marry.  After some years of being married – now, twenty years since Nora arrived in New York City -- Hae Sung finally reaches out to Nora again and informs her that he is going to vacation in New York.  With Arthur’s understanding, she agrees to meet with him during his visit. Will Hae Sung find that Nora still has feelings for him or will he have to come to terms that their relationship is over?   

Review

Not unlike many Koreans themselves, the movie “Past Lives” is humble, reserved and perhaps a bit melancholy as well.  If this one plays in a neighborhood theater or shows up on a streaming service to which you subscribe, it’s strongly encouraged to make the time investment in this one.  This is a special experience because even though the story is specific to people from South Korea, it is universally human in its experience of whether it is better to regret things you did as opposed to regretting things you haven’t done in life.  The film is an excellent reminder that romantic love can occasionally be elusive and for some rare. 

According to writer/director Celine Song (who introduced the screening), this movie is deeply personal and is based on actual events from her own life.  Although she has previous writing credits, this is her first directorial effort and it is a powerful one; hopefully, she’ll get a chance to do more in the future, regardless of whether or not the subsequent projects are based on her own screenplay. The down side to all of this of course is that in her debut directing work, she will have quite a bit to live up to given the fact that she has come out of the gate with a real winner here; either equaling or surpassing “Past Lives” will be difficult, but certainly not impossible.

One small criticism has to do with the screenplay.  In this story, Song has written the character of Nora appear superior the two men in her circle, rather than equal to them.  For the men, their flaws are fairly self-evident, but Nora comes across as above all of it for the most part – while it’s good that she remains stalwart throughout the majority of the movie (at least, right up until the very end), Nora (if she is in fact supposed to be a reflection of Song herself), can occasionally come across as emotionally detached; the men are much more emotional.  Perhaps it’s better to write this off as a narcissistic conceit of a first-time director shooting her own script.    

"Beau Is Afraid" -- Movie Review

 

This week at Lincoln Center, I attended a special screening of Ari Aster’s new comedy-horror, “Beau Is Afraid”, starring Joaquin Phoenix. 

Synopsis

When a man tries to attend his mother’s funeral, he sets out on an odyssey that will change his view of the world forever.

Story

Beau (Phoenix) is set to fly to his mother’s for a family get-together – but after a non-stop series off chaotic events, he is forced to cancel his trip.  Shortly thereafter, he learns that his mother has passed away under some rather unusual circumstances; now, he is forced to make the trip to attend her funeral – and as her only son, he must deliver the eulogy as well.  Following yet another unforeseen accident, he is taken in by a surgeon and his wife (Nathan Lane and Amy Ryan) who dedicate themselves to nursing him back to health.  Although the surgeon offers to drive him to his mother’s house, this plan goes awry when some urgent surgeries are scheduled. 

Once he’s meant to feel unwelcome in their home, Beau leaves and tries to see if he can somehow make his way to his mother’s in time for the funeral (which has already been pushed back because of his lateness).  Getting lost in the woods, he’s “adopted” by a group of strangers who live there and put on stage shows on a regular basis.  The stage show that appears this night is one into which Beau is immediately drawn into emotionally; he sees how much different his life would have turned out to be had he only made different choices in his life.  He suddenly has flashbacks to his youth where he is reminded of the warped relationship he had with his mother, not to mention missed opportunities for romance. 

When he’s forced to leave this group, he hitchhikes his way to his mother’s expansive house.  It turns out he’s too late – the funeral is long over and everyone has left quite some time ago.  But all is not lost – coming to pay her respects is Elaine (Parker Posey), Beau’s long-lost love who apparently never forgot Beau and his mother when they met during a vacation.  When their unplanned tryst takes an unfortunate turn, something happens that causes Beau’s perspective of his mother to be altered permanently – and not for the better.  Despite this, can Beau finally resolve these conflicts and move on with his life?

Review

“Beau Is Afraid” is a very controversial motion picture – and deservedly so.  Perhaps the best way to begin a review would be to share with you the following reaction to it which recently appeared on Twitter: 

Just left a screening of “Beau Is Afraid.” Before credits started rolling 1 guy in audience stood up and yelled “I better not hear a single person f***ing clap.” Another dude screamed “that’s the worst movie I’ve ever seen.” A girl yelled “total piece of shit”#BeauIsAfraid

— The Noise FM (@thenoisefm) April 14, 2023

If you are on Twitter (despite its recent credibility meltdown), it might be a good idea to read that entire thread; it’s rather interesting to see the strong reactions some people are having to this movie.

Aster has gone on record as saying that with “Beau Is Afraid”, he may have created a new genre of film called The Nightmare Comedy.  After seeing this movie, it seems clear that it’s a nightmare, but you’d really have to dig hard to find the comedy parts.  This was screened in a theater that was nearly packed and to be sure, there was a section of audience members that were laughing hard at portions of the motion picture – the only thing is that it seemed to be a group from the same area of seats and they were mostly all sitting together.  Make of that what you will.  To be sure, “Beau Is Afraid” is most definitely not for everyone.

Many of the criticisms that have been voiced include the fact that at three hours the movie is too long.  No argument here.  It has also been accused of being self-indulgent, which partially accounts for the length.  Again, agree with this observation.  In the post-screening interview, Aster seems to encounter immense difficulty explaining the film or his choices or himself, for that matter.  When you hear such hesitancy from the filmmaker, it suggests that he’s not well thought-out on the project.  Having said that, there does appear to be a staunch community of cinephiles that laud “Beau Is Afraid” as a great work of art and they look forward to a second viewing. 

Writer/Director Ari Aster was brave enough to participate in an interview following the screening.  Aster said that he wanted to create a world in which the protagonist felt as if he was trapped in a hall of mirrors, seeing reflections that were occasionally distorted.  The director kept wanting to move the story from humor to horror and back again, while keeping Beau a relatable character.  He intended for Beau’s mother to be THE mother – in other words, he wanted her to be seen like a God (at least to Beau).  Aster wanted this character to be about either the fear of who your mother might be or what she might turn into. 

"Little Richard: I Am Everything" -- Movie Review

 

At a special screening from Lincoln Center, I saw the new documentary, “Little Richard:  I Am Everything”. 

Synopsis

The personal and professional life of the man whom many consider the progenitor of rock and roll music.

Story

In 1932, a force of nature was brought into this world when Richard Penniman was born in Macon, Georgia.  Of course, it wasn’t until years later that people would know him by his stage name of Little Richard.  Although he would go on to record for Specialty Records and acquired local notoriety, it wasn’t until he recorded a song called "Tutti-Frutti” that he earned nationwide recognition.  But the song almost wasn’t recorded because the executives at the record company knew that the sexually explicit lyrics would never be permitted play on any radio station.  As a result, they had someone else rewrite the lyrics, which would be the version Richard recorded.

The problem came when white recording artists gained more fame (and money) than Richard when they recorded their own version of the same song – most notably Elvis Presley and Pat Boone.  It also didn’t help when the deal that Richard signed with his record label was such that he didn’t make much money on the records that were sold.  As a result, Richard had to work harder and harder, realizing that what would set him apart would be his live performance style in addition to catchy songs.  In the mid-1950’s, his unique style started to catch on and he finally started to make the kind of money he deserved. 

In 1962, the Beatles opened for him in Hamburg, Germany and the band treated him like royalty.  In 1963, he toured Europe where his opening act was The Rolling Stones, who were a cover band at that time; Mick Jagger said that he learned how to work the stage by watching what Richard did during his concert performances throughout the tour.  Later on, Richard’s homosexuality came in conflict with his religious background and he quit music in favor of preaching – but when that didn’t earn him much money, he went back to music.  However, reconciling his sexual feelings with his religious beliefs would haunt him for the rest of his life.   

Review

“Little Richard:  I Am Everything”, while enjoyable during the star’s performances, is a very complex story – and rightly so, because Richard himself was a very complicated man. Conflicted about his homosexuality because of the time in which he was raised as well as his religious upbringing, he would vacillate between preaching and music – and much of that preaching was in denial of his admitted homosexuality.  Despite his success, his life was not a happy one, partly because he could not be his true self but also because he was bitter about not receiving the recognition he felt he deserved. 

The documentary could be used as a useful teaching moment to not only provide young people with a sense of history about 20^th century popular music trends but also about the African-American experience during that time as well as how closeted and underground the gay and trans community needed to be in order to merely survive.  This shared experience greatly explains how and why they formed such closely-knit friendships and served as each others’ support systems when no one else would.  As time evolved, so did society’s view of such things – but this did not happen overnight; instead, it took decades.    

Post-screening, Rolling Stone movie critic David Fear interviewed the documentary’s director Lisa Cortes.  She said that she deliberately chose archival footage of Little Richard to in a sense “narrate” the movie because she wanted an immersive experience for the viewer without being a hagiography – as borne out by various people who knew him on either a professional or personal level throughout his life.  One scene that Cortes had to cut was one between Sir Lady Java and Lee Angel where they were both recounting entertaining stories about Richard while getting drunk on beer.

 

"Mutt" -- Movie Review

 

On the Closing Night of the New Directors/New Films Festival, I attended a screening of the new drama “Mutt”. 

Synopsis

When a young trans person confronts people from their past, is there any hope for these relationships to be reconciled?

Story

Despite being anxious about their father visiting from Chile, Feña (Lío Mehiel) is nevertheless looking forward to have him see how they are flourishing in New York City.  Feña’s anxiety largely comes from the family’s shock that Feña came out as trans a while back, transitioning from female to male.  This has caused a strain on Feña’s relationship with her mother, from whom she’s estranged, despite the fact that she lives in New York City, too; she has not only kicked Feña  out of her house, but she has also forbidden any contact with her or Feña’s younger sister Zoe (MiMi Ryder). 

One night while out with friends, Feña runs into John (Cole Doman), an ex-boyfriend.  When Feña was a female, they were together; her transition to male is what caused them to break-up.  Later that evening, they spend some time with together; clearly, they are still drawn to each other, despite the fact that the break-up was over a year and a half ago.  After revealing Feña’s top surgery (i.e., breast removal), they wind up, perhaps unwisely, spending the night together.  The next day, Zoe finds Feña, who’s now also on the outs with their mother over school.  They haven’t been in touch with each other for a long time and it’s clear both wish to reconnect.

Just when Feña has to drive to the airport to pick-up their father, a series of calamities occur.  First, she gets locked out of her apartment and is also without her cell phone.  Second, the person who was going to loan Feña a car has reneged, so Feña is awkwardly forced to ask John to borrow his car.  Ultimately, Feña gets their father (albeit late) and brings him back to the apartment.  But when old wounds suddenly resurface during the ride home, will the two still be able to resolve their conflicts or will they discover that they can no longer have any kind of relationship with each other?   

Review

One of the problems with “Mutt” is that while we are clearly supposed to be sympathizing with and rooting for Feña, the character is written in such a way that obstacles are constantly thrown in the way that make it difficult for the audience to do so.  Specifically, Feña seems to be obsessed with constantly making bad life choices or having poor judgement.  While it’s true that fate is being particularly cruel to Feña and one may feel that the character has suffered enough, you get the impression that Feña brings about some of their own bad luck by going out of their way to do so. 

There is one scene late in the movie between Feña and John where this seems to be brought out; they get into an argument at one point and he blasts Feña for being a jerk both in the way the transition occurred and in the way Feña treats people once they began the transition.  Understandably, John still feels hurt, embarrassment and abandonment; although Feña attempts to apologize, it is clearly far too late.  One gets the sense that Feña might have found more allies in their life had the transition been handled more deftly.  Some relationships may be repaired, others not. 

An interview with writer/director Vuk Lungulov-Klotz took place after the screening; he was joined by cast members Lío Mehiel, Cole Doman & MiMi Ryder.  Lungulov-Klotz said that the casting process took about two years because it was difficult to find young trans actors that could carry off the role.  He and Mehiel spent quite a bit of time with each other prior to shooting the film in order to become familiar with each other.  Likewise, when Doman was cast, he also spent an evening with Mehiel for the same reason.  Lungulov-Klotz believes that New York City is the perfect setting for this movie because so many trans people flock here because they feel accepted and comfortable. 

"Astrakan" -- Movie Review

 

On the first weekend of the New Directors/New Films festival, I attended the U.S. Premiere of the new French drama “Astrakan” by director David Depesseville. 

Synopsis

When an orphaned boy is taken in by foster parents, will he be able to fit in with his new family?

Story

Samuel, a boy in early adolescence, suddenly finds himself in an unfamiliar circumstance.  With his father dead at the hands of the police and his mother – well, that’s something of a mystery – he has no one to take care of him.  After living in a government-run facility, he’s taken in by foster parents Marie and Clement, who live in a rural area of France.  They take him in not because they wanted another son (they already have two boys) but because they are poor and need the money the government pays them to care for Samuel.  Neither one of them keep it a secret from Samuel that they resent having to take him in and he’s reminded daily that he’s unwelcome in their home.

At school, Samuel isn’t faring much better – it doesn’t seem like he has many friends.  However, one day, Hélène shows up at his door – she’s a classmate of Samuel’s and asks permission for him to come over to her house to play.  Samuel goes home with her, but it soon becomes evident that Hélène has romantic designs on him.  This is a new experience for him – feeling a bit uncomfortable, he heads home.  Eventually, they become more comfortable with each other and he sees her as his girlfriend – at least until he discovers her being particularly friendly with another boy in their class. 

Marie and Clement are feeling a bit overwhelmed taking care of Samuel and decide to drop him off at her parents’ house for a while so they can take a break; Luc, Marie’s brother, also lives there.  It seems that he may have sexual feelings toward Samuel, which he is also careful to elude.  After Samuel returns home, he finds out that Luc has died in a car accident.  At the funeral, Samuel does something unforgivably outrageous.  By now, Marie and Clement are at their wits’ end.  If they return Samuel to social services, they won’t have to deal with anymore headaches – but if they do so, they won’t be able to collect the money they’re taking for foster care.  What will they decide? 

Review

No doubt about it, “Astrakan” is a difficult film to watch for a number of reasons.  For one thing, seeing this boy physically abused by his foster father is tough to witness.  But there are other things that are of a more technical nature that add to the difficulty.  There’s very little in the way of backstory here and it can take the viewer a while to get one’s footing in the story.  Who is Samuel?  Why is he here?  How did he manage to get here?  Additionally, Samuel’s behavior is so weird that it’s quite a challenge to root for him, although clearly that’s precisely what the audience is supposed to be doing. 

Speaking of for whom the audience should be getting behind, sometimes you feel as though it’s the foster parents, despite how egregious their own behavior towards Samuel may be.  Why?  Because Samuel is so hard to deal with (especially when compared to their own sons) that you can certainly understand their frustration.  Other reasons why this film is challenging (in a bad way) is that there are a great many tonal shifts throughout the story, especially at the end.  This can be incredibly disconcerting and doesn’t serve the movie well at all.  It is not only a rollercoaster ride that takes you up and down, but also side-to-side. 

In a post-screening interview, director David Depesseville said that the Director of Photography, a friend who worked on previous films, suggested early on that for his first feature film, Depesseville should shoot on film.  Specifically, they settled on 16mm because its blurriness had something of a soft, gentle quality to it while HD digital video would’ve been just too raw. Depesseville decided to make the viewer an active participant in the film, which is one of the reasons many people describe it as elliptical.  He prefers to have the viewers make up their mind about what’s going on in the movie, particularly in its last sequence.   

 

"Earth Mama" -- Movie Review

 

On the opening night of the New Directors/New Films Festival, I attended a screening of the new drama, “Earth Mama”, written and directed by Savanah Leaf. 

Synopsis

When a single mother with children in foster care becomes pregnant, will she choose to keep the baby?

Story

Gia (Tia Nomore) is struggling.  She’s a young single mother whose history of substance abuse and inability to maintain a sufficient job has resulted in her son and daughter in foster care.  Further complicating matters is the fact that she’s in the third trimester of her pregnancy and given her history, Child Protective Services may want to take the baby away from her.  The system demands that she work as well as take classes that she must pass in order to even be considered for returning her children to her.  Unfortunately, taking classes means that she can’t work enough hours to make a subsistence living, so it’s a vicious circle. 

She misses her children and they miss her – or at least her son does.  He tends to be more affectionate towards Gia than his sister, who grows increasingly distant, especially when her mother shows up late for their supervised visits.  Gia’s sister can only provide emotional support for her (and sometimes barely that); other than that, there’s no family on which she can rely.  The relationship she’s had with friends up until that point are frayed to say the least.  Finding herself at the end of her rope – and attempting to work within a system that’s trying to defeat her at every turn – Gia finally has to rely on her caseworker for help.

The caseworker presents the option of putting the baby up for adoption.  Reluctantly, Gia makes the difficult decision to do so, even though she would rather keep the baby.  Once the caseworker introduces Gia to a middle-class family that has been looking to adopt for the past few years, she decides they are the right fit for her child.  Also, letting another family who’s economically better equipped to care for the baby will come across as a responsible decision when she petitions the court for the return of her son and daughter.  But when Gia’s daughter is born and tests find that she has illicit drugs in her system, will Gia still be able to get her children out of foster care?

Review

Writer/Director Savanah Leaf certainly proves her talents in “Earth Mama”.  Clearly, she has an eye for how to visually tell a story and her screenwriting capabilities put on display her skill for telling a narrative story in the long form.  However, with this being based on a documentary short she directed previously, it definitely remains to be seen if or how she will be able to tell a feature-length film that is an original fictional story, whether or not it is from her own screenplay.  Hopefully, she will get a shot and doing so before too long and if “Earth Mama” is any indication, she will knock it out of the park. 

Although Leaf takes an unflinching look at the systemic racism in society’s treatment of single mothers and those recovering from substance abuse, her non-judgmental approach appears to fall short after a while when we see the character of Gia making the same mistakes and bad choices over and over again.  She only succeeds in digging a hole deeper for herself until the point where it is almost – if not completely – impossible for her to realistically climb her way out.  Gia seems to have passing moments of responsibility but in the end, remains too immature to take care of herself, much less her children.

Gia seems to get beaten down by the system rather constantly, which contributes to the audience wanting to root for her.  However, the fact that she seems to consistently get in her own way makes it quite the challenge for the viewer to do so.  After a while, one wonders at what point does this young woman learn a lesson and realize that the way she’s been living her life isn’t working for her or anyone else close to her?  What detracts from the film somewhat is there is very little in the way of a character arc for Gia.  We want to see her go from a bad place to a good place, but in order to do so, she has to make an effort – whether she does or not by the end is up for grabs. 

"A Good Person" -- Movie Review

 

This week at Lincoln Center, I attended an advance screening of the new drama by writer/director Zach Braff, “A Good Person”, starring Florence Pugh and Morgan Freeman.

Synopsis

When a tragic accident seriously disrupts a young woman’s life, will she be able to kick the drug habit she developed during her recovery?

Story

Allison (Pugh) and Nathan (Chinaza Uche) seem headed for a bright future together – following their engagement party, they begin planning their wedding; Nathan’s sister Molly (Nichelle Hines) and her husband are helping – but their estranged father Daniel (Freeman) is being completely left out.  On the way to try on wedding gowns, Allison gets into a disastrous traffic accident.  She is seriously injured and her passengers – Molly and her husband – are killed, leaving their teenage daughter Ryan (Celeste O'Connor) orphaned.  As an elderly widower, Daniel finds himself trying to raise her by himself.

After spending an extended period in the hospital followed by physical therapy, Allison now finds her life turned upside down.  She has broken things off with Nathan and to make matters worse, she is now addicted to Oxycontin – an opioid prescribed to her by her physicians in order to help her deal with the physical pain she was forced to endure during her recovery from the accident.  With her doctors refusing to renew her prescription, Allison becomes desperate and tries to score the pills any way she possibly can.  As a result, she winds up ruining a great many of her personal relationships over time. 

When Allison finally relents and tries to seek help through a 12-step program, she runs into Daniel, who himself is a recovering alcoholic.  Despite blaming Allison for the loss of his daughter, the two eventually wind up forming something of a kinship in order to help each other get over their grief as well as their individual addictions.  Over time, Allison meets Ryan; while Ryan initially harbors hard feelings towards Allison for causing the death of her parents, she eventually softens and they become friends.  When the two spend a night on the town together, a series of events cause things to spiral out of control for all involved – but will they be able to prevent any further tragedies or will things go too far? 

Review

Writer/director Zach Braff has set out on an ambitious effort with “A Good Person” (although the title is a bit nondescript and may not attract people to see it in a theatrical release, which is planned before moving to Amazon’s streaming service).  Part of the problem, however, is that the movie is a bit of a slog – even though it’s only a little over two hours, it feels much longer because of the intensity of the story being told.  The infrequent attempts at humor aren’t terribly funny and quite often feel misplaced.  While Morgan Freeman gives his usual steady performance, it is not worth recommending this film. 

Another issue here is that the conclusion of “A Good Person” stretches the concept of deus ex machina beyond its reasonable limits, requiring the viewer to substantially suspend disbelief.  There arise far too many coincidences as the movie attempts to drive towards a dramatic climax, to the point where you feel like you’ve been hoodwinked into watching a completely different film.  Ultimately, the emotional response we’re supposed to have is somewhat tempered by virtue of the fact that there have already been too many demands on the audience by this point and you are simply left exhausted. 

A post-screening interview was conducted with co-producer Pamela Koffler from Killer Films.  After discussing the history of her production company and her association with it, Koffler talked about the movie itself.  She was originally emailed a copy of the script, being informed that both Pugh and Freeman were attached to the project and that it had already been financed.  The entire production was shot in Braff’s home of New Jersey, which provided considerable tax credits for the project.  Koffler then went on to explain in detail exactly how these tax credits work in that for every dollar that is spent, the state gives it back in the form of a tax credit. 

"Smoking Causes Coughing" -- Movie Review

 

As Lincoln Center’s French Film Festival winds down, I attended a screening of the comedy, “Smoking Causes Coughing”.

Synopsis

When an alien attempts a plan to destroy the planet, can a team of super-heroes prevent the apocalypse?

Story

The Tobacco Force – a collection of super-heroes assembled to stop smoking – is now facing a difficult foe:  a giant tortoise who’s able to fight them off one-by-one.  Unable to beat him individually they team-up against him to release various chemicals that will induce cancer.  It works!  The tortoise is blown to smithereens and a nearby family on vacation who witnessed the battle asks if this famous group will take a photo with them.  Tobacco Force is like rock stars with the common folks.  But despite their seeming success, it turns out that all is not well with this team, at least according to their boss, Didier – a rat-like being that constantly drools some kind of green goo whenever he speaks.

Didier conducts a video call with the team in their mini-van to discuss their overall performance.  It turns out that they have been behaving in a way that is too individualistic; they are lacking in cohesion as a unit.  As a result, Didier informs them that they will be taking some time off to go on a retreat – basically, this will serve as something of a team-building exercise that should help them learn how to better work together.  Off they travel deep into the woods near a lake where their trusty robot, Norbert, is soon replaced with an updated model that will better address their needs. 

Tobacco Force gets comfortably ensconced in an underground bunker that has been updated with not only personal space but also a fully-equipped kitchen that has a store for their various dietary needs and desires.  Enjoying all the comforts of home, the Force proceeds to re-acquaint themselves with each other instead of conducting the expected team-building exercises.  This takes the form of sitting around a campfire and telling a variety of scary stories – which quickly turns competitive as they each try to outspook each other.  Just then, Didier warns the team that an evil-doer from another planet has enacted a plan to destroy earth – but can Tobacco Force react in time to thwart the worst from happening?

Review

If you are a fan of absurdist comedies, then “Smoking Causes Coughing” should prove to be a deeply satisfying experience.  It sometimes seems that the entire movie is something of a non-sequitur.  “Smoking Causes Coughing” not only is a parody of the super-hero genre, it is also somewhat of a critique on society in terms of how smoking has become rather politicized and a cultural quagmire.  Yet the film seems to move away from that rather quickly as the focus of The Tobacco Force shifts rather abruptly from an anti-smoking squad to fighting causes of a much broader scope. 

Don’t look for “Smoking Causes Coughing” to make much sense because it’s not designed to do that; instead, it is merely reflects the nonsense in a world that is clearly based on the premise of nonsense – so in that regard, perhaps it makes perfect sense.  Sit back and prepare to be entertained by a delightfully wacky non-story, the point of which seems to be that the people who are in charge haven’t got a clue as to what they are doing and we shouldn’t depend on them to be able to help us.  Watching this, one might wonder if the filmmaker was high when he initially conceived of the story – it really does have that look and feel.

As goofy as “Smoking Causes Coughing” may be, its trip into weirdness is miraculously tied together by all of the stories that are told throughout the movie.  It would not be unreasonable to expect that such detours would slow down the film or take you away from the main plot; it does not slow it down at all, in fact it just expands on the absurd premise.  Also, as far as being distracted from the main plot … well, really there isn’t one.  Or at least there isn’t one that is essential to the greater point of the motion picture.  It is truly rare that you see a French movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously, but this one truly hits the spot.

 

 

 

 

"Revoir Paris" -- Movie Review

 

On the opening night of Lincoln Center’s French Film Festival, I attended the screening of “Revoir Paris” (AKA, “Paris Memories”), starring César Award winner for Best Actress Virginie Efira. 

Synopsis

When a woman survives a terrorist attack, will she also be able to survive the post-trauma stress?

Story

Unmarried and childless, Mia and Vincent have been living together for quite some time; since both are career-centered – she as a translator, he as a physician – it’s been a full and rewarding life.  One night, when he has to work at the hospital, she goes out to a restaurant near their Paris home.  The relaxing night is interrupted by a terrorist attack – a gunman bursts into the dining room and opens fire on both customers and employees alike.  Almost everyone is shot and many die before the shooter finally leaves.  Although injured, Mia survives, but remains seriously psychologically scarred by the incident in its aftermath. 

In the months after the shooting, Mia still hasn’t returned to work and she’s been growing increasingly distant from Vincent to the point that their relationship is starting to fray.  He notices that she’s not the same person anymore and that she is having considerable difficulty turning the page, quite possibly due to survivor’s guilt.  Upon learning of a support group that meets weekly at the restaurant, she attends but doesn’t find it entirely healing – one teenage girl is now orphaned because both her parents were murdered and one woman accuses Mia of hiding out in the bathroom during the shooting and selfishly locking the door so no one else could escape.    

One good thing that comes of this support group is Mia meeting Thomas, a man who was severely injured at the restaurant and still requires hospitalization for continued surgery and physical therapy for his damaged legs.  Together, they discuss the night in question and try to help each other.  But in recalling the events of that night, Mia remembers someone holding her hand during the shooting – a mysterious stranger with a tattoo on his wrist.  Who was this man?  Where is he?  Is he or was he a restaurant employee?  Did he survive the evening?  Mia becomes obsessed with finding this man in order to thank him for providing emotional support during their mutual travail – but can she find this needle in the haystack that is Paris?

Review

Perhaps the best part of “Revoir Paris” is Virginie Efira’s portrayal of Mia.  A sensitive, intelligent woman, Mia struggles to hold herself together after this incident and Efira makes this evident in many of her acting choices throughout the movie; Mia's dedication to self-care is seen as selfish by some, but is a necessary part of her recovery process.  The challenges she faces not only include resolving open issues after the attack but also dealing with the relationships she had before.  From the outset, she is obviously a sympathetic character and that never changes for the remainder of the film. 

While the central focus of the movie is Mia dealing with her grief so she can effectively move on with the rest of her life, it morphs into something of a mystery or detective story.  If there’s one criticism of the film, it is that there’s very little if any reference to the attack itself insofar as who did it, why and if the guilty were ever brought to justice.  Perhaps this is because filmmaker Alice Winocour made a choice that doing so might turn this into something of a crime drama and take the story into a different direction; that said, allusions to the follow-up by the police probably would have been helpful. 

One annoyance – albeit slight – is the fact that Mia easily finds herself in a new romantic situation when the relationship with her long-time partner seems to be winding down, largely because of the result of the assault.  Although somewhat complicated by virtue of Thomas being married, the romance with Mia is telegraphed almost from the beginning – and the reveal of his wife is deliberately held off until late in the game. In all likelihood, he probably doesn’t bring it up because it’s not relevant to any of the discussions they have been having – and of equal convenience, Mia never bothers to ask.