Ordinary Revelations Need an Extraordinary Character

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) - dir. David Fincher - 4,5 stars

Most films are about ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances.  On the surface, David Fincher's film appears to be the exact opposite of this formula whereby it tells the story of an extraordinary person in ordinary circumstances.  Benjamin Button, born as an old man, is destined to grow younger as he lives his life.  His curious ailment leads to a curious look on life, people and their ambitions.  Even though the film may seem to be only about this central character, it is all the more so about the ordinary people that Button meets and changes forever throughout his life.

Fincher spans Button's life journey with careful speed, neither too slow nor too fast.  The warm colors and smooth camera movements ensure an intimate setting whereby the viewer can almost experience the sensation of meeting Button face-to-face, although I must admit the pace may not be for everyone given the total running time of 159 minutes.  The well-written script is beautifully interpreted by the talented Cate Blanchett and Brad Pitt, who I must say has surprised me with his rendition of the character.  Pitt may not be as bad of an actor as I take him to be.

There are many theories to take away from this film, which in itself is an achievement.  But the one that stood out the most for me is that each and every one of us being special makes us all ordinary in comparison.  But that doesn't matter.  Life is a random, interconnected spiral where we die as we are born and have very little real control over anything.  The one thing that matters and is in our hands is to do what makes us happy given our own cases.  In our globalised world where now individuals are racing against each other to be more 'special' than the other, unfortunately it takes an extraordinary character to remind us of this simple fact. 

Steppenwolf production resparks theatre

August: Osage County by Tracy Letts is the first play in a long time that got me excited about theatre as an art form, so much so that I want to see more plays.  It is the rare American play of a time when large ensembles, big sets and incredible acting made the theatre a more exciting place than the movies.  Well, hail this Steppenwolf production for its cast, acting, drama, comedic one-liners, and overall aplomb.  You just gotta love this play!

Letts' script is an overarching bridge connecting the secrets of a big ol' American family.  As the beans slowly spill over about three hours, the characters have no choice but to learn each other, which they've obviously been avoiding for their whole lives.  It contains multiple threads of discussion, from different forms of escapism to the pompous feeling of our generation over our parents', that are applicable to all of us.  The cast do a wonderful job of tackling these with their true-to-life depictions of their characters over the course of some impressive and unforgettable scenes, the first of which is the dinner scene.  The absolute energy of that scene was not comparable to anything I have seen in a long time, which is kudos to the writer, director and actors.

For a generation who's been bombarded with minimalistic, self-indulgent pieces of prose and verse, this is a breath of fresh air from the past.  It is a grand production that will hold you to it until the last minute and make you wish you hadn't praised that minimalistic bullshit you had seen a few weeks ago as deep.  Everyone, this is theatre.  This is what theatre should be.  Enjoy.

007: Bye-bye Spy, welcome Rambo

Quantum of Solace (2008) - dir. Marc Forster - 3 stars

The James Bond franchise delivers its 22nd iteration, and unfortunately it's a dive from what even Casino Royale was. Director Forster diminishes Bond to a mean muscle machine that can't be stopped at all. Daniel Craig fits the new Bond well with his physical attention to detail, but where is the mysterious, mischievous, and spy Bond? I'm sure Craig can also fit the clever Bond profile who doesn't always solve problems by brute force. This new Bond is just like Rambo moving in to kill whoever stands in his path without much deliberation or thought. Gone are the suspenseful moments where Bond is just a spy, infiltrating enemy compounds, and silently but surely saving the world. I get the feeling that the producers are trying to compete with action films with their new type of Bond for better box office results, but viewers like Bond the way he was and pure action films are not the comparison for Bond films. Only previous Bond films will be the judge of how well the new generations fare.

Forster might defend his new Bond by saying that the story necessitates his rage, which is fueled by revenge for the death of his love, Vesper, in Casino Royale. I do understand that Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace are the pieces in Bond's history explaining how he came to be the Bond we've got accustomed to, but I still can't justify turning our back on Bond's most beloved qualities.

I sure hope that they return to the original idea of Bond soon as there is no need to try and upgrade Bond to the 21st century by phasing him into another indestructible hero. That's just boring. He's good the way he always was and why we keep seeing him on the big screen time and time again.

Ceylan's Cannes-winner recipe needs some spice

Üç Maymun (2008) - dir. Nuri Bilge Ceylan - 4 stars

Since his success with Uzak, Ceylan has assumed a heightened place in European cinema, becoming a favorite of the Cannes film festival. His latest, Üç Maymun (Three Monkeys), returned from Cannes 2008 with a third best director award for Ceylan and was selected to be screened as part of the 2008 London BFI Film Festival. Having attended the screening, the down-to-earth director wasn't shy to admit he hadn't intended part of what the festival crowd could discern from his film, which was honest and unpretentious, instantly winning the hearts of the audience. His appearance also confirmed the root of my one-and-only struggle with his films: the silences.

Ceylan is a man of few words and it reflects in his work. His characters tend to speak only to lie or to hide, not to reveal. His latest is poignant in the fact that it drives home this very point that what's most important is often not said. The family in the film, playing the proverbial three monkeys, is so spread apart despite living in the most cramped space one can imagine. They are so interconnected with the rest of Istanbul by proximity of all kinds of transport and yet so isolated where they can't go anywhere.

This tale of cornered dreamers is perhaps the best material for Ceylan to hone his directorial skills. With a touch of impressionist cinematography, pointed sound effects, and a dash of excellent acting, he has created another fine film that will surely grace the bookshelves of film lovers. However, I do believe that his formula, which defines his oeuvre, is starting to feel a little bit overused. Ceylan needs to strike a fine balance between being an auteur with a visible signature in his films and making the same film over and over again with slightly different stories and characters.

La Binoche dilutes her love stories with unnecessary movement in in-i

The revered Juliette Binoche takes the stage to dance for the first time with choreographer Akram Khan in their collaboration in-i currently premiering at the NFT. The show is a collection of love stories either acted out or danced, and obviously Binoche and Khan shine in different areas. Even though I like the idea of using acting or dancing to represent different kinds of love (according to the ancient Greeks, there are 14 ways of love), I'm not sure if the pair has thought through the show completely and let it brew enough to become more mature. There are segments that are way too long than they should be and the dance routines seem to duplicate itself from story to story as a lot of flailing arms and interchanging aggressive moves tend to dominate the dance portions. Basically, it can't create consistent audience interest and it feels like it repeats itself.

Despite its shortcomings, in-i was still enjoyable, and La Binoche's amazing acting, especially her facial gestures, stand out even when she's dancing. Her intense dance training also shows as she keeps up with Khan rather well. However, her moves don't seem as natural and smooth as Khan's and it shows that she's not a professional dancer. Having said that, I doubt Binoche decided to take on this project to prove to the world that she can dance as well as she can act. I believe she was at the helm of this project because she had something to say about love, and her voice, even though foreign to the world of dance, does bring a certain level of depth to Khan's movements. What I can surmise from the show is that love has a personal definition for all of us and everyone's understanding and expectation of love will be shaped by our past and present.

All in all, a passable try, but I hope her next project will feel more mature and polished.