Stray Dog (1949)

It’s 1949, Japan. The United States is still occupying the country and enforcing a censorship over the film industry that literally abolishes the samurai movie as a genre. A large amount of American films flood the industry and it is here that filmmakers such as Frank Capra and Orson Welles impact a new generation of directors such as Akira Kurosawa. In 1949 he debuts Stray Dog, a detective crime drama. The story follows young rookie detective Murakami (Toshirō Mifune) whose gun is stolen from him on a bus. Ashamed and humiliated, he begins his search to find his missing gun by immersing himself in the criminal underworld, exposing a gun racket. Unable to locate his specific gun, he is assigned to a homicide case involving the very gun that was stolen from him, causing him to feel the full responsibility of the crime. He is teamed with veteran detective Sato (Takashi Shimura) and together they attempt to find the suspect and recover the lost gun. The acting in this film is superb and the two stars are both among Kurosawa’s favorite actors (one or both of them is in nearly every single one of his films). Toshirō Mifune as the headstrong rookie is intense and believable. It is easy to sympathize with his character. The more crimes that are committed with his gun, the more he shows his pain and guilt. He believes everything that happens is the result of his own carelessness that one day on a bus. Takashi Shimura is, as always, excellent as the aged detective. He has a definite mastery of the part of the experienced warrior. He doesn’t take everything quite as seriously as his partner, but knows how to handle every situation that comes their way. There is a great dynamic between the two actors that is brought the foreground in one particular scene in which Sato invites Murakami over for dinner.

This is an earlier masterpiece for Kurosawa and in a few ways it almost seems as if it was an experimental film for him. There are a number of unique shots and scenes that may have seemed different at the time, for instance, during the extensive montage of Murakami scouring the underworld, there a variety of juxtapositions of his eyes on crowds as well as a number of interesting tracking shots. There is also a tracking shot of the sun through a matted roof, similar to a shot of the sun while the camera moves through a forest from Rashōmon, a film that would later give Kurosawa international recognition. This montage sequence goes on for quite some time and seems to serve as a showcase of what happened to a lot of people after the war. One of the main themes of the film is the direction the vets take after they come home. The suspect and Murakami were both vets and they both had their knapcacks stolen from them on the train as they returned from service. While one became a cop, the other became a criminal. The duality of the two characters is something that is diplayed visually towards the end of the film, resulting in a mesmorizing shot at the end of the climax. One of the reasons this film doesn’t feel quite as dated is because of the way it is shot. Nearly every scene is shot on location and is in deep focus. Everything is in focus, be it in the background or the foreground. This makes the picture quality seem crisp and clear. Kurosawa proves that he can master suspense as well as any director in one of the most memorable scenes in the film. Murakami realizes that in the train station one of the passengers is the suspect. At this point, the viewer has no idea what the suspect looks like, as his face has not yet been revealed revealed. Murakami frantically looks around at all the passengers as his voice over narration is constantly telling him not to panic and be calm. His guess is as good as the viewers and the tension builds to a nearly crippling level. Only after the scene is over do you realize that you haven’t breathed. Stray Dog is an excellent crime drama that is a perfect example of another Akira Kurosawa masterpiece.

Sergei Prokofiev's Peter & the Wolf (2006)

Sergei Prokofiev's Peter & the Wolf is a thirty minute stop motion animated short film from British director Suzie Templeton who worked in collaboration with the Polish animation studio Se-ma-for. Peter and the Wolf is the story of a young boy and his animal friends (a duck, a bird, and a cat) who encounter and attempt to capture a dangerous wolf outside his grandfather’s cabin in the woods. The film is a remake of the famous story and music Sergei Prokofiev wrote in 1936. Each character is represented (or played since there is no voice acting) by a musical instrumental accompaniment such as a flute to represent the bird and an oboe to represent the duck. The combination of each character’s theme plays off each other together to make one memorable (and highly recognizable) composition.

The short won the Oscar for best animated short film in 2006 and it was well deserved. The characters are all incredibly detailed and fluid in their movements as well as providing a real sense of emotion in their facial expressions and mannerisms. Peter in particular, with his large eyes, displays a wide range of feeling with a simple glance or gesture. It is easy to understand everything that he is thinking from a simple close-up. Even a character like the grandfather, with his short amount of on screen time, has a personality and his own specific feelings. Almost overshadowing the characters are the sets and locations in the film. It’s obvious that each set was painstakingly build and sculpted to perfection. The forest is lush and extremely detailed. Every pebble and blade of grass seems carefully placed and realistic. The grandfather’s cabin in particular is full of intricate little details like small trinkets being tipped over or dust on furniture and worn wood. The environments are very realistic, but maintain their fantasy quality through their use of colors. Every location seems to have a different color palate making each one feel very unique from the next. The town is very realistic and detailed; full of life and texture as well as being very dark and gray while the forest outside the cabin is full of green and yellow making it seem like a paradise by comparison.

The character models are also incredibly detailed. Every wrinkle in the grandfather’s hands can be seen and the fur on the wolf is amazingly lifelike as it reacts to his own movement and the wind in the forest. This is a film that demands repeated viewing in order to fully take in all of the details and visuals. The music serves as the only form of dialogue and it is all that is truly necessary as the characters’ actions alone make the plot move along at an easy to follow pace. Each instrument feels unique to each character and with the perfect synchronization it is impossible not to become engrossed in the story. Well worth a recommendation, this is a film that everyone should take the short amount of time to see.

In Bruges (2008)

In Bruges is the story of two hit men forced to lay low in Bruges after a botched job. Their orders are to enjoy the scenery and sightseeing while awaiting further instructions from their employer. Ray (Colin Farrell) is suffering from extreme guilt as a result of the last job and is less than impressed with their surroundings, while Ken (Brendan Gleeson) takes a real interest in being a tourist. While in Bruges, the two men encounter a variety of characters and locations including an attractive young criminal/film production assistant named Chloë (Clémence Poésy), and an actor named Jimmy (Jordan Prentice), who prefers to be called a dwarf instead of a midget and is a bit racist when he’s on drugs. When Ken is ordered to take out Ray, who is suicidal anyway, he finds that he is unable to bring himself to kill his friend. This leads their employer to come to Bruges himself and deal with the matter.

The majority of the film is dominated by banter between the characters and it comes as no surprise that Martin McDonagh (the writer and director) has had a career as a playwright. Luckily, the dialogue is fiercely witty and fascinating; with a use of language that almost matches the graphic display of violence. The two hit men trade humorous barbs and even delve into deeper topics about life, death, and the possibility of redemption. The dialogue only becomes more outrageous when their employer Harry Waters (Ralph Fiennes) appears and exchanges conversation with literally anyone. With his unwavering cockney accent, Ralph Fiennes steals all of his scenes (even his first couple of scenes in which he is simply a disembodied voice over the phone or in a letter) and is as twisted as he is hilarious. Ralph Fiennes seems to genuinely enjoy playing his psychopath and his enjoyment is contagious. The fourth major character in this film would have to be the city of Bruges itself. Despite all the negative comments that Ray makes about it, it is clear that the film was shot in a way to show off the locales. Every scene puts on display a different part of the city and the city itself changes drastically depending on the time of day or tone of the scene. The city can be haunting and dangerous, medieval fairy tale-esque, and, in the fog or snow, even dreamlike.

The two leads are both very good and besides displaying a knack for delivering the witty dialogue, they both have the range to give each of their characters a depth that makes them very sympathetic and easy to root for. Colin Farrell shows great comedic timing as well as a surprising amount of vulnerability as Ray. Brendan Gleeson is, as always, convincing as an aged hit man with a sense of morality. This film marks the feature length directorial debut of Martin McDonagh (he made a short film in 2004 called Six Shooter) and he shows promise as a talented director. The shots of the city alone merit some attention to his skill. In Bruges is an entertaining film that deserves a strong recommendation; it’s funny, interesting, and memorable.

Le Samouraï (1967)

Le Samouraï is a highly stylized French film noir from director Jean-Pierre Melville. It is about a professional hitman named Jef Costello (played stoically by Alain Delon) who is betrayed after a job and then must elude both the police and his former employers while trying to figure out who set him up and why. This is a film about solitude. The opening credits are shown in a long take of Jef in his room smoking while lying down on his bed. He can barely be seen and there is no sound beside the ambience of the outside world. The room is filled with his smoke circling over him and every aspect of the room is visible; all meticulously placed. There is a quote from Bushido the book of the Samurai that sets up the character, comparing the solitude of a samurai to that of a tiger in the jungle. As it turns out, this quote is entirely made up by Jean-Pierre Melville, but it sets up the tone regardless. Jef is a professional killer, and he is professional in every sense of the word. His dedication to his mission is comparable to that of a samurai’s duty to his honor.

Throughout the film there seems to be an obsession with items and little details. Jef, for example, does absolutely nothing without reason; everything he does is exact and with a specific purpose. When his room is bugged, it takes him no time to figure out where the bug was placed. There are also many extreme close ups of little objects such as Jef’s massive collection of keys. When stealing a car, he cycles through each one until he finds the one that matches. This object is seen later, but in use of the policemen bugging his apartment. Alain Delon does a great job expressing any of the character’s thoughts with his eyes, as there is very little dialogue from his character throughout the film. Jef only speaks when necessary, and in the first 8 or so minutes of the film, there is virtually no dialogue whatsoever.

The entire film is set to dark shadows of the night or gray skies in the day that almost feel as if the film was shot in black and white. There are no vivid colors outside of the nightclub and the tone of the film is consistent. Jean-Pierre Melville’s attention to detail and unique direction make this film both memorable and stand out in the film noir genre. One particular sequence that stands out is the scene in which Jef meets the man who is to pay him for a completed job on an overpass. Both characters face directly at the camera and instantly the audience is given the perspectives of both men. This subtle exchange builds the tension and leads into a surprising moment that begins Jef’s journey to find out why he is being hunted. There are moments of genuine suspense and the ending will leave you thinking about it for hours. Le Samouraï is a film about the solitude that goes along with being a professional killer and it is portrayed beautifully.

Watchmen (2009)

Based on the famous graphic novel by Alan Moore, Watchmen is set in 1985 in an alternate universe where Nixon is still president, super heroes are common, and the world is on the brink of nuclear annihilation with Russia. The story follows a group of heroes after the death of one of their own known as The Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). The psychotic vigilante known as Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) sees the death as the sign of costumed heroes being targeted and begins his hunt for the truth. The film opens with the brutal murder of The Comedian and the opening credits, showing the older generation of heroes and the effects of these heroes on their world set to the Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changin’.” This opening sequence is memorable and stands out as one of the better segments of the film. There is enough in the opening credits that those unfamiliar with the book will find new meaning in the second time it is seen.

The opening of the film also stands out because it works better than most of the sequences set to popular music. There are other scenes in which the music is played less to compliment the scene, but to dominate it. An example being Nite Owl II and Sally Jupiter (played stiffly, to say the least, by Malin Akerman) meeting for dinner. The scene is in slow motion and the song “99 Red Balloons” by Nena is played in the background, blocking out all other sounds. In the scene before this one, characters had been discussing the possibility of nuclear war. This over emphasis of certain themes through the music is pretty consistent throughout the film such as in The Comedian’s funeral in which the scene is, again in slow motion, set to “The Sounds of Silence” by Simon and Garfunkel. Yet another example is the Nite Owl II and Sally Jupiter sex scene in his aircraft. This is set to “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen because in an earlier scene he was unable to get an erection. These scenes lose their dramatic impact and instead become flat or, in the case of the sex scene, humorous. The use of the score, outside of Dr. Mannhatten's flashback, is also used to achieve similar ends. It would almost seem that Zack Snyder doesn't trust his own ability to establish tone without forcing it through the use of music.

The acting in this film is a bit of a mixed bag. Jackie Earle Haley stands out the most, making his psychotic character one of the more interesting aspects of the film. The scenes featuring Rorschach are by far the most engaging and entertaining to watch. Filmed like a noir, the gruff narration provides several memorable sequences that are among the highlights of this film. He was meant to play this character. Billy Crudup as the glowing, God-like Dr. Mannhatten is also convincing. Even though being practically entirely animated (and well animated), Crudup adds a very human quality to the character mainly through his voice. Patrick Wilson, playing Nite Owl II, is notably believable as a retired super hero who needs the costume in order feel good about himself. Jeffery Dean Morgan is good as the comedian, and his life is covered through a series of flashbacks from other characters points of view. It would have been nice if there were more of these, as the character is more interesting than the amount of screen time that he is given. Sally Jupiter is played by Malin Akerman who acts as if she were literally reading the lines straight out of the script. This isn’t as noticeable in the scenes where emotion isn’t really required, but when she is forced to display feelings or a range of acting ability, the result is ultimately painful. In other words, the problem with Mailn Akerman's performance is that she can't act. Matthew Goode also leaves something to be desired as Ozzymandias, the hero who retired early and sold his image into toys, making an empire out of his image. His character should have been one of the more complex and interesting in the story, but Goode plays him so sinister from nearly the first moment he is shown on screen. If the character was intended to be a straightforward villain, then Goode does a good job of playing him. While there is nothing particularly wrong with his acting ability, it seems that this character should have been handled differently. Granted, this could also be the fault of the director. Everything from his mannerisms (looking out of a window while talking to someone) to the way he speaks and carries himself scream out at the audience that he is the bad guy of this movie, even though the story insists that his motives are good.

Overall the film generally seems to lack a subtle quality that could have really been a benefit to the more dramatic scenes. Zack Snyder, director of 300, proves once again that he loves slow motion. The appeal to use slow motion in a comic book adaptation makes sense as certain scenes slow down enough to literally mirror the panel of the comics but, as in 300, it is used in this film to a point that borders on abuse. With very few exceptions, the action sequences (and there aren’t that many) in this film are almost entirely shot in slow motion. Interestingly enough, the action scenes that don’t rely on it are much more interesting to watch as the fights become more brutal and fast paced instead of drawing attention to every little motion that is made by those fighting. The slow motion seems to glorify the violence and show off the blood and bones that become exposed in them. The slow motion used in the flashbacks however, in particular Dr. Manhattan’s, are much more effective as his flashback sequences are very dream like and told from the perspective of one who is detached from time itself.

Despite all of the short comings, this is not a bad film. There is still enough here to warrant a very mild recommendation as the characters are all interesting, the animation and special effects are impressive, and the story does pose some thought provoking questions and themes. While it is certainly not perfect, if you have close to three hours of free time, it might be worth a viewing.

Revolutionary Road (2009)

Revolutionary Road is the latest film from director Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Road to Perdition). Based on the Richard Yates novel of the same title, the story is about a married couple living in the 1950s suburbs with their two children. Frank Wheeler (Leonardo DiCaprio) works long hours at a company he hates while April Wheeler (Kate Winslet) stays at home as the typical housewife. They are both miserable in each of their roles in life and marriage. Both had dreams of being greater than where they have ended up and their current situation becomes more of a prison than an ideal way of living.

This film is incredibly well written and acted. Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio have great onscreen chemistry that makes the audience really buy into their marriage. It also makes their fights that much more realistic and unsettling. Leonardo DiCaprio as Frank does a great job of capturing the hopelessness and fear of a man who is forced to settle for a life he hates, but is too secure in it to really change. He gives a great performance that never feels awkward or forced. His character is one who wants out of his boring unimportant life, but fears the change and uncertainty that comes with it. He is afraid to even start thinking about what he wants to do with his life. Kate Winslet has a flawless accent as usual and her performance as April is both convincing and memorable. Her character is forced to live in an inescapable routine of being a loving housewife who is satisfied with having a husband and children, while not being able to do anything she really wants in life. Whether or not moving to Europe like they planned would have saved their marriage is hard to say. They may have been miserable anywhere they went. This movie is not about a marriage that works. The arguments and interactions between the couple are so natural and realistic that it can be painful to watch at times; almost as if you are intruding on a real argument in someone’s home. There is very little shown in flashback of their life together before they were married. More of these scenes would have been nice in order to help build on their current relationship, but instead the audience is only given a view into how far their relationship has fallen. Another notable performance in this film is that of Michael Shannon (who was nominated for supporting actor for this role). He plays a mathematician who is residing in a mental facility and meets with the wheelers on two occasions with his parents. He can’t help but ask personal questions and makes accusatory and blunt statements. Of course he is right about everything he says, but he’s unstable. At first the Wheelers kind of like him because he understands their desire to get away, but when things change, his honesty becomes more painful than refreshing. Michael Shannon’s performance is fascinating to watch.

The costumes and sets are pretty to look at, believable, and low key. It never feels like the film is demanding attention to the fact that it is set in the 50s, but instead merely uses it as the backdrop for the two lead performances, which really carry the film. The direction is also worthy of mention and Sam Mendes seems to know how to film in a suburban setting. The scenes in the house are very closed in and give off a slight feeling of claustrophobia, making the audience literally trapped in the house with the two characters. The shots of Frank walking to work in a sea of suits and hats give off the feeling of his loss of individuality and monotony. Revolutionary Road is a very good film with acting that keeps your eyes hooked to the screen from start to finish.