Movie of the Week – No Country for Old Men

This week’s movie: No Country for Old Men (2007)

Llewelyn Moss comes across a drug deal gone wrong in the Texas desert, discovering a bag full of money. He takes the money, never imagining the evil that will descend upon him to recover it. Sheriff Ed Tom Bell tries to find Moss first before the vicious, murderous Anton Chigurh gets to him.

The film is from auteurs the Coen Brothers (who have also made the brilliant films Miller’s Crossing, Fargo, The Big Lebowski, O Brother, Where Art Thou? and True Grit). No Country for Old Men got them out of a bit of a rut, as their previous two films (Intolerable Cruelty and The Ladykillers) represent the weakest of their career to date. Not only is No Country for Old Men among their very best films, it also won four Oscars, including Best Picture, Directing and Writing. The Coen Brothers worked with their frequent collaborators composer Carter Burwell, cinematographer Roger Deakins and production designer Jess Gonchor on the film.

The cast is excellent as well, and works more as an ensemble. It features Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem (who also won an Oscar for his work in the film), Josh Brolin, Woody Harrelson, Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, and Stephen Root.

No Country for Old Men is the best adaptation of a Cormac McCarthy novel to date (although, I do think McCarthy’s original screenplay also produced a great movie with The Counselor). The film is a modern western dealing with the nature of evil, fate and corruption of the modern world. It is built around wonderful performances (Bardem in particular creates one of the decade’s most iconic villains in Anton Chigurh), beautiful aesthetics and sharp writing. The Coen Brothers’ trademark dialog is just as fantastically witty as ever. The film is graphic and funny, something that few are able to pull off in a serious piece. It is a must-see for fans of the Coen Brothers and westerns. It is among the very best films of the last decade.

Trailer: Here

Available on: Blu-ray and Video On-Demand

Brave (2012) – Review

Review: Brave is an entertaining parable involving fate, focusing on the relationship between a mother and daughter. The film is about Merida, a Scottish princess who does not want to be married off to a lord. So, she runs away, happening upon a witch who offers her a deal to change her fate, and she takes it (but, as we have learned from countless other Disney films like The Little Mermaid, taking a deal to change one’s fate never works out how one hopes it might and there are serious repercussions). Earlier in the life of the film, writer-director Brenda Chapman was bringing the story to the screen, but due to creative differences, she left the project in the hands of writer-director Mark Andrews, and the story and setting changed a lot. Andrews, building on Chapman’s characters, does well with Merida. She, as a character, is probably the strongest aspect of the film in that she is not only Pixar’s first female protagonist but also a character worthy of admiration from young girls (but is not without her flaws as well). Unlike many of the Disney princesses, Merida seems more like normal girl (much like Rapunzel in Disney’s Tangled who is very much happy to be herself and go on her own adventures), as much as a Disney princess can. Notably, Merida does not need a prince charming to be happy – in fact, she does not want one (and there is no love story, which is unheard of in Disney Princess lore). Andrews structures the film as a coming-of-age story for Merida as she struggles with the transition from childhood to becoming a woman, and the pressures her mother (Elinor) puts on her to act more her age and give up childish things and ideas. It is a narrative targeted at young girls – one that addresses their relationships with their mothers, and one that they need. In that way, the film very much works. However, in many ways, the film feels much more like a Disney film than a Pixar film – it is Pixar’s third film to have humans as the primary characters (though, Ratatouille has both animals and humans and could push the number to four) and their first period adventure. Also missing is the adult-directed and more ironic humor, as much of the comedy here is slapstick (involving Bears and Merida’s rascal brothers, who are the funniest thing in the film). It is not as funny as good Pixar films normally are (yes, ‘good’ is a shot at Cars and Cars 2), nor is it as exciting or entertaining. The action seems secondary to the coming-of-age aspects and the relationship between Merida and Elinor. That is fine, but there are almost built-in expectations for Pixar films, two of them being films that are very funny and have great engaging action. Andrews misses the mark a bit on both these aspects. Visually, however, Andrews and the Pixar animators do their usual magic, crafting a grand visual experience. Brave does have good characters, especially Merida, and a good lesson laden story, but falls short of the very high expectations that Pixar films carry with them.

Technical, aesthetic & acting achievements: Mark Andrews (and his co-director Steve Purcell) are part of the new guard rising the ranks at Pixar, as proven directors like Andrew Stanton and Brad Bird have moved on to live action. Stanton, Bird, Pete Doctor and John Lasseter (though, he is responsible for Cars one and two) are the master directors behind Pixar’s wonderful films. Andrews has shown that he can make a good film, but Brave is not quite there among the best Pixar films (though it is certainly better than Cars and Cars 2, and is probably better than A Bug’s Life as well). Patrick Doyle, being Scottish, was a good choice to score the film, as his music captures the flavor of Scotland (where the film takes place) and its traditions. That said, I did miss Michael Giacchino, whose Pixar scores are always wonderful. The voice-acting cast is very good, also made up mostly of Scots. Craig Ferguson, Kevin McKidd, Robbie Coltrane, and Billy Connolly all provide festive voice-work. Emma Thompson (only non-Scottish principal voice-actor) is good as Elinor. Her more refined voice and tone, match her character of the Queen well, and she also brought a lot of authority to her role as well (again matching the character). Kelly Macdonald is wonderful voicing Merida. She gets the angst and annoyance of the age perfectly.

Summary & score: Brave may be average in terms of Pixar standards, but it is still a great animated adventure and good addition to the Disney Princesses line (with a more feminist approach for once). 7/10

TV Series of the Month – State of Play

This month’s TV series is State of Play (2003).

The six-part crime drama is about a London newspaper that investigates the murder of a local politician’s research assistant, uncovering a mystery that they never could have expected. Airing on the BBC, the miniseries is by writer Paul Abbott (who also created the British Shameless) and director David Yates (who directed the last five Harry Potter films). It has a brilliant cast (featuring a few actors who have since become well known in the States) with John Simm, Kelly Macdonald, Bill Nighy (Macdonald and Nighy also starred in Yates’s TV movie The Girl in the Café and each had a small role in one of the Deathly Hallow films), Philip Glenister, David Morrissey, James McAvoy, Amelia Bullmore, Benedict Wong, Marc Warren, Rebekah Staton, and Polly Walker. In 2009, Kevin Macdonald adapted the series into a Hollywood film (also called State of Play with Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck) but it is nowhere near as good. The series really draws the viewer in as the mystery unravels, taking its time allowing for wonderful character development. The supporting players are great (lead by Nighy, Macdonald and McAvoy), but the leads (Simm and Morrissey) are phenomenal, driving the narrative forward (AMC’s The Killing reminds me a little of this series). State of Play is often considered the best British TV Drama of the last decade and is a must-see for fans of crime dramas. Check out the trailer.

Available on DVD

Movie of the Week - Trainspotting

This week’s movie is Trainspotting (1996).

The film is a comedy/drama based on Irvine Welsh’s novel about a young man deeply immersed in the Edinburgh drug scene who tries to get out and get clean despite the allure of that around him, his friends, drugs, social situation. The film was the breakout hit for Danny Boyle (who won a best director Oscar for Slumdog Millionaire), which got him a deal with Fox and international exposure. Boyle worked with many of his early frequent collaborators on the film including: actor Ewan McGregor, writer John Hodge, producer Andrew Macdonald, cinematographer Brian Tufano, editor Masahiro Hirakubo, production designer Kave Quinn, and music by Underworld. This team helped shape the look and feel of most of Boyle’s work. The film has a great cast in addition to McGregor, especially Ewen Bremmer, Jonny Lee Miller, Kevin McKidd, Robert Carlyle, and then newcomer Kelly Macdonald. What makes the film great is its characters, its soundtrack, the dialogue – the experience of watching the film, being engrossed in the culture that the film portrays. Check out the trailer.

Trainspotting [Blu-ray/DVD]