Martin McDonagh: One of the Coen Brothers' Pseudonyms?

Last night, I watched the Golden Globe winning comedy "In Bruges". Directed by Martin McDonagh, the film stars Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson as hitmen hiding in the town of Bruges, Belgium. After watching it, I noticed many similarities to the Coen Bros. films.
One thing I noticed (and the most coincidental of them) was the music, composed by Carter Burwell. Coincidentally, he has composed the music for every Coen Bros. movie besides "O Brother, Where Art Thou?". Another similarity between "In Bruges" and their films was the themes explored. In "In Bruges", one major theme is keeping your word, shown when Henry (Ralph Fiennes) shoots himself after killing a person, haven said earlier that he would do that. This is a lot like "No Country....", where Chigurh keeps his word on who he vows to kill.
A third similarity is the tone. Much like "Fargo", "In Bruges" featured a self-mocking sense of humor which eventually morphs into a bloody (though never gratuitous) ending. This dark comedy is a staple of the Coen Bros. that is also featured here.
So, was "In Bruges" really directed by the Coen Bros. and not Martin McDonagh? Of course not. While there were many similarities, "In Bruges" lacked the Coen Bros. very dry, witty, sense of humor and instead relied on Ray's angst and hate for the town of Bruges for the majority of the humor.

Who Watches the Country Singers?

Despite my affection for The Player and its cynical view of hollywood behind the scenes drama, I was not impressed by my second dip into Altman's filmography. I found Nashville overlong, unengaging becuase of its attempts to create a panorama view of society through twenty-four different main characters.
Sounds familiar. It reminds me of a certain superhero film I saw recently. Watchmen! Just like Nashville, it features an ensemble cast so large that each character is only allowed one characteristic. He's lazy. She's pessimistic. He's a naked and blue scientist. There are so many intertwining plot lines that you can't keep track of anyone's motives and it may be thirty minutes before a main character is seen again onscreen.
However, the most shocking similarity between Watchmen and Nashville is that they both contain blasphemous content. While one contains superheros without actual superpowers (only Batman can pull that off!), the other contains something even worse: country music!

*Let it be known that I actually did enjoy Watchmen, but because of its action scenes, cinematography and special effects, not because of the reasons above.

Sweeney Todd

Tim Burton's most recent film follows the story of a murderous barber named Sweeney Todd (Johnny Depp) who slices the throats of his customers. Wanting revenge for his wife and daughter being taken away from his by the evil Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman), Todd works with Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter) to turn his victims into meat pies and lure the Judge to his death.
As seen in the above synopsis, this is definetly Burton's darkest film. The darkness is intensified even more through haunting musical numbers by Stephen Sondheim and a very desaturated color pallete. Despite this, Sweeney Todd still has very much in common with Burton's other films; it features very detailed production design (it won an oscar for its art direction), and its characters are reminiscent of those in his other films. One such character is Sweeney Todd, who's self-isolation is very similar to that of Edward Scissorhand (also played by Depp). Much like Edward, Todd pushes those who love him away in order to protect them.
Another similar aspect of the film that is characteristic with other Tim Burton films is its over-exaggeration of reality. This is shown not only in the killing scenes, where victims lose gallons of blood from a slit throat, but also during a scene where Mrs. Lovett fantasizes about her future with Sweeney Todd. Instead of the usual dull colors, their would-be life is shown in colors that are more luminescent than in real life. It looks like a picture in a story book.


This scene pretty much sums up the whole move: fancy costumes and set, amazing performances by all of the actors and actresses and sick, twisted humor, all topped with a helping of blood.

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to see what I now consider to be one of the best movies ever made: "Slumdog Millionaire". Directed by Danny Boyle (28 Days Later, Trainspotting), the film follows the story of Jamal Malik (Dev Patel), an orphan who gets a spot on the Indian version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?". However, right before he has a chance to answer the last question, he is apprehended by authorities on charge of suspicion for fraud; they think he has cheated. Here the film begins to tell three stories at once. It shows Jamal being asked a question on the show. Before he answers each question, it cuts to his childhood and shows how he knows the answers to these rediculous trivia question. After an especially difficult question, it cuts again to Jamal being interrogated and tortured by the authorities.
Despite its "comedy" label on many websites (IMDB, box office mojo), the film tackles heavy-handed social issues. Poverty, child abuse, and religious warfare are all depicted in a realistic, and often disturbing, way. That isn't to say that the movie isn't funny. It is. But there were moments that impacted me so much that I came out of the movie with to different emotions simultaneously. The first was the heart-warming Shawshank Redemption feeling that can only be described by warm and fuzzy (the ending is stunning). The second was the same I got after watching "Atonement," that the world is a terrible, corrupt place where not even those with the best of intentions can redeem.

Together We Will Live Forever

This weekend I decided to re-alphabetize my DVD collection (yes, that is how I spend my free time). Stuffed inbetween two other movies a found a surprise. It was a copy of the movie "The Fountain" that I thought that I had lost months ago. Since I have no life, I decided to watch it. I had forgotten how much I loved this movie; its millenium-spanding plot, stunning visual elements, and Clint Mansell's minimalistic score continued to give me the chills. The story follows three seperate (but not really) timelines that all focus on one man's search for the tree of life. Hugh Jackman plays Tom (and Tommy and Tomas) who is determined to save his wife, Rachel Weisz, from her imminent death.

If you're confused at all by now, you should be. The plot is incredibly confusing, but that only adds to the impact that the film's final frames have to offer, and the mind-bending conclusion makes you think even more. But that's what so wonderful about this movie. Even though I first saw it two years ago, I try to piece together what really happened at the end.

What makes this more engaging than other science-fiction movies is its focus on character and thematic development instead of special effects and violence. Even though "The Fountain" contains both, neither of them are the focus of the story. Instead, they help directory Darren Aronofsky to tell the story. Here is a link to the film's trailer. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YM_NF8ZpqyE&feature=related

Twist Endings

I love twist endings. I love having my expectations for a film twisted in on themselves to reveal unseen truths about the characters and their previous actions. However, a twist ending is only good when the viewer is not expecting it.

Take for instance Frank Darabont's 1994 prison drama "The Shawshank Redemption". During its finale, the warden (and the viewer) discover that Andy (Tim Robbins) has not only escaped but that he had been digging a tunnel to get out for over twenty years, during which the film takes place. When I first saw the film, I had no idea that this would happen. Andy seemed very indifferent, spending his time reading books and making a chess set out of rocks from the prison courtyard. What he did and who he talked to seemed of no consequence. However, on repeat viewing I noticed how every word he said, everywhere he went, was to get himself closer to his goal: freedom. That's what is so wonderful about twists. They make viewing a movie for the second time even more enjoyable than the first.

Not all twist ending work out as planned. This is the case in "Wanted", a blood-laced and adrenaline-induced comic book adaptation with James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman. Despite director Timur Bekmambetov's attempts to surprise the audience with McAvoy's sudden revalation that the man he was hired to kill is, this twist never took me. It seemed to me that in an already convulted plot, this twist seemed too routine to make an impact.

Film Scores

I'm obsessed with film scores. There, I said it. I am officially out of the film score closet. The reason I love them so much is that they give a film its of the emotion and pathos. If you have ever watched a movie on mute with subtitles on, you know what I mean. Without it, a film would be dull and boring.
Take, for example, M. Night Shyamalan's most recent film, The Happening. It was a marginal film with a really cool presence (plants are scheming to exterminate us!), and was very boring, sloppy (you could see the microphone dip down into the shot a few times). But worst of all, it was a suspense flick without the suspense! The reason, I propose to why this was is because of the score. Composed by James Newton Howard (King Kong, The Dark Knight) it lacks any moods whatsoever, turning instead to ambient noise that adds nothing to the drama onscreen. Even when the characters are in grave danger, Howard does nothing to try and increase the excitement and tension.
I am also secretly obsessed with disney movies.