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Monday, December 04, 2006
The Fountain
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Possum’s Grade: C+
As I was leaving the theatre after viewing The Fountain I heard one teenager ask another if they got the movie. The second teenager responded, “There was nothing to get.” Now, I’m not ready to write-off the film quite so easily, but I was left wondering what the point was.
The Fountain jumps back and forth between three stories involving the same characters one set in 1500s Spain, another set in present day America and the third set somewhere in the future in space. All the stories connect in their quest for eternal life and I was intrigued by their interconnection through the Spanish conquistador’s quest for the Tree of Life.
Watching The Fountain is like putting together a puzzle, and in that sense I enjoyed trying to keep up with it. Yet in the end I didn’t feel any sense of accomplishment for hanging with it. It is a love story between Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz, and while Weisz’s present day character seems worth fighting for, Jackman’s character is impossible to empathize with. He is loathsome and selfish, and having picked Death has his antagonist, is impossible to rationally root for him. This is apparent in the futuristic setting as he insists on prolonging his immortality though he is left with only regrets to keep him company.
Aronofsky’s (Pi, Requiem for a Dream) imagery is beautiful and he does a great job keeping the story flowing while seamlessly moving between settings. But ultimately his conclusions on life and death cannot match the spectacle with which they were presented.
Bobby
Director: Emilio Estevez
Possum’s Grade: A-
Bobby takes place at the Ambassador hotel in Los Angeles and follows the stories of a number of people that were present the day that Senator Robert Kennedy was assassinated during the California primary. In trying to tell the stories of 22 people almost all played by notable Hollywood stars (Anthony Hopkins, Harry Belafonte, Lindsay Lohan, Laurence Fishburne, Demi Moore, Martin Sheen, William H. Macy, Christian Slater and Elijah Wood just to name a few) much of the movie comes off like Jim Jarmusch’s Coffee and Cigarettes. And while the cavalcade of celebrities is at first a distraction from the real star of the movie, eventually they fade into their roles as we see the admiration for Bobby in their eyes.
Just like Coffee and Cigarettes some of the vignettes work better than others, and Estevez does a credible job of letting us spend time with the most compelling characters. Most notably, the majority of time is given to the kitchen staff where the movie explores the tensions between an African-American community that is beginning to be recognized more equally yet still stinging from the assassination of Dr. King and a burgeoning Latino community that is being quietly exploited. Perhaps the most profound concept in the movie is how the promise of what Bobby could bring to America seems to encourage people to treat each other better, as well as offer promise to those who have been mistreated.
Another storyline that is given significant time involves a pair of teenagers who skip out of volunteering for the campaign opting to drop acid with a hippie (Ashton Kutcher) over driving elderly citizens to their polling cites. And just like these teens seem to be escaping the world around them, these scenes provide a few instances of brevity and some much needed humor for the audience. Many of the other characters and storylines are a bit shallow and we are not allowed enough time to invest in them. However, Estevez brings it all together well for the final scene as Bobby arrives at the hotel and addresses the audience before marching through the crowd to his final fate.
The soundtrack behind the final few minutes of the movie is perfect and heightens already powerful moments. It is impossible not to be moved as Bobby’s words give way to Simon and Garfunkel’s Sound of Silence with the foreboding sense of what is so soon to come. Even more haunting are his own words played over the chaos that ensues as everyone sorts through what has happened and he is rushed to the hospital. I am not sure when that speech is from, but it sounds like it could be just after his brother’s assassination. However, it comes off as a chilling eulogy for himself.
The most meaningful moments of the movie are when it leaves the actors and we see real footage of Kennedy on the campaign trail and hear his voice. My only complaint with the movie is that we don’t get enough of this. We often go lengthy periods without seeing or hearing Bobby. Yet there is a hope in everyone’s eyes at all times no matter a person’s race or economic situation. And that, as a person too young to have experienced it, is what impressed me the most. Here was an individual who was a source of hope for all Americans in a time that was not so different from today. And to have that taken away in an instant it is easy to empathize with the desperation that followed.
So while perhaps not a movie that is academically well done, that is not the point. Bobby is one of the most powerful movies I have seen in a long time.
Coming Reviews:
Babel, For Your Consideration, Apocalypto, The Good German, and a guest review of Happy Feet
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Possum’s Grade: C+
As I was leaving the theatre after viewing The Fountain I heard one teenager ask another if they got the movie. The second teenager responded, “There was nothing to get.” Now, I’m not ready to write-off the film quite so easily, but I was left wondering what the point was.
The Fountain jumps back and forth between three stories involving the same characters one set in 1500s Spain, another set in present day America and the third set somewhere in the future in space. All the stories connect in their quest for eternal life and I was intrigued by their interconnection through the Spanish conquistador’s quest for the Tree of Life.
Watching The Fountain is like putting together a puzzle, and in that sense I enjoyed trying to keep up with it. Yet in the end I didn’t feel any sense of accomplishment for hanging with it. It is a love story between Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz, and while Weisz’s present day character seems worth fighting for, Jackman’s character is impossible to empathize with. He is loathsome and selfish, and having picked Death has his antagonist, is impossible to rationally root for him. This is apparent in the futuristic setting as he insists on prolonging his immortality though he is left with only regrets to keep him company.
Aronofsky’s (Pi, Requiem for a Dream) imagery is beautiful and he does a great job keeping the story flowing while seamlessly moving between settings. But ultimately his conclusions on life and death cannot match the spectacle with which they were presented.
Bobby
Director: Emilio Estevez
Possum’s Grade: A-
Bobby takes place at the Ambassador hotel in Los Angeles and follows the stories of a number of people that were present the day that Senator Robert Kennedy was assassinated during the California primary. In trying to tell the stories of 22 people almost all played by notable Hollywood stars (Anthony Hopkins, Harry Belafonte, Lindsay Lohan, Laurence Fishburne, Demi Moore, Martin Sheen, William H. Macy, Christian Slater and Elijah Wood just to name a few) much of the movie comes off like Jim Jarmusch’s Coffee and Cigarettes. And while the cavalcade of celebrities is at first a distraction from the real star of the movie, eventually they fade into their roles as we see the admiration for Bobby in their eyes.
Just like Coffee and Cigarettes some of the vignettes work better than others, and Estevez does a credible job of letting us spend time with the most compelling characters. Most notably, the majority of time is given to the kitchen staff where the movie explores the tensions between an African-American community that is beginning to be recognized more equally yet still stinging from the assassination of Dr. King and a burgeoning Latino community that is being quietly exploited. Perhaps the most profound concept in the movie is how the promise of what Bobby could bring to America seems to encourage people to treat each other better, as well as offer promise to those who have been mistreated.
Another storyline that is given significant time involves a pair of teenagers who skip out of volunteering for the campaign opting to drop acid with a hippie (Ashton Kutcher) over driving elderly citizens to their polling cites. And just like these teens seem to be escaping the world around them, these scenes provide a few instances of brevity and some much needed humor for the audience. Many of the other characters and storylines are a bit shallow and we are not allowed enough time to invest in them. However, Estevez brings it all together well for the final scene as Bobby arrives at the hotel and addresses the audience before marching through the crowd to his final fate.
The soundtrack behind the final few minutes of the movie is perfect and heightens already powerful moments. It is impossible not to be moved as Bobby’s words give way to Simon and Garfunkel’s Sound of Silence with the foreboding sense of what is so soon to come. Even more haunting are his own words played over the chaos that ensues as everyone sorts through what has happened and he is rushed to the hospital. I am not sure when that speech is from, but it sounds like it could be just after his brother’s assassination. However, it comes off as a chilling eulogy for himself.
The most meaningful moments of the movie are when it leaves the actors and we see real footage of Kennedy on the campaign trail and hear his voice. My only complaint with the movie is that we don’t get enough of this. We often go lengthy periods without seeing or hearing Bobby. Yet there is a hope in everyone’s eyes at all times no matter a person’s race or economic situation. And that, as a person too young to have experienced it, is what impressed me the most. Here was an individual who was a source of hope for all Americans in a time that was not so different from today. And to have that taken away in an instant it is easy to empathize with the desperation that followed.
So while perhaps not a movie that is academically well done, that is not the point. Bobby is one of the most powerful movies I have seen in a long time.
Coming Reviews:
Babel, For Your Consideration, Apocalypto, The Good German, and a guest review of Happy Feet
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