Seen for the first time in August 2013.
"Synecdoche, New York" may be the most depressing film I've ever seen. This is because it by and large succeeds at meeting its ambitions ruminating on life and death and loneliness and love. It's big and grand and I love its ambition. Even when it's funny, in its low key way, it's nonetheless kind of sad and miserable, and there's also something kind of funny in its sadness and misery.
It maybe devolves into some kind of platitude toward the end, but nonetheless, it's an enviable powerful movie. Put it alongside Magnolia as big ambitious movies, that risk ponderousness, but succeed with their grand graveness. Grade A.
Monday, August 19, 2013
The Seven Year Itch - Billy Wilder
Seen for the first time in August 2013.
I'm extremely disappointed with this film. You would think Billy Wilder, one of the all time greats, would deliver with one of his better known works. But this really has nothing going for it. Perhaps all that talking to himself the main character does would work on a stage, but it doesn't work in a film. Marilyn Monroe was in some good movies. But she is no reason to watch a movie. Sorry Billy. Grade D.
I'm extremely disappointed with this film. You would think Billy Wilder, one of the all time greats, would deliver with one of his better known works. But this really has nothing going for it. Perhaps all that talking to himself the main character does would work on a stage, but it doesn't work in a film. Marilyn Monroe was in some good movies. But she is no reason to watch a movie. Sorry Billy. Grade D.
We're the Millers
Seen in the theater for the first time in August 2013.
"We're the Millers" is not a good movie. Most of the humor is exceptionally lazy, saved only by solid performances and miraculous line readings. It's not as funny as the third Hangover film, which though incredibly flawed, was nonetheless incredibly funny in parts. I should think that asking a film to be better than the second sequel to a reasonably funny movie is a reasonable hurdle for any movie to clear.
Jason Sudeikis's character has some parallels with Cary Grant's character in the great "His Girl Friday." And yet Cary Grant's character never changed or was redeemed in that movie. He basically stayed the same selfish, self-involved narcissist he was at the beginning of the film. But "His Girl Friday" never asked us to dislike Cary Grant despite all his schemes to get in the way of his ex-wife and her fiance's happiness. So we never needed a moment where Cary Grant apologizes. Instead, Cary Grant wins, because his ex-wife would never be happy living the conventional life with her conventional groom, and she comes to realize this.
I'm not sure that "We're the Millers" really succeeds in getting us to the point where Sudeikis needs to apologize for who he is, but it gives us that redemptive moment anyway. I'm not sure if politically or morally "We're the Millers" is better for bowing to a pandering, conventional sensibility, it might be. But this pandering obeisance to formula certainly makes for inferior art.
But failing to be as good as "His Girl Friday," is no unforgivable sin. This movie was conceived well enough and it was executed well enough. The terrible flaw is that it's extremely poorly written. There is one exception: The character of the daughter was not well conceived, nor was she well executed, by anyone. But ultimately, this film is forgettably mediocre. No that's too generous. I like forgettably mediocre comedies. This film is bad. Grade D.
"We're the Millers" is not a good movie. Most of the humor is exceptionally lazy, saved only by solid performances and miraculous line readings. It's not as funny as the third Hangover film, which though incredibly flawed, was nonetheless incredibly funny in parts. I should think that asking a film to be better than the second sequel to a reasonably funny movie is a reasonable hurdle for any movie to clear.
Jason Sudeikis's character has some parallels with Cary Grant's character in the great "His Girl Friday." And yet Cary Grant's character never changed or was redeemed in that movie. He basically stayed the same selfish, self-involved narcissist he was at the beginning of the film. But "His Girl Friday" never asked us to dislike Cary Grant despite all his schemes to get in the way of his ex-wife and her fiance's happiness. So we never needed a moment where Cary Grant apologizes. Instead, Cary Grant wins, because his ex-wife would never be happy living the conventional life with her conventional groom, and she comes to realize this.
I'm not sure that "We're the Millers" really succeeds in getting us to the point where Sudeikis needs to apologize for who he is, but it gives us that redemptive moment anyway. I'm not sure if politically or morally "We're the Millers" is better for bowing to a pandering, conventional sensibility, it might be. But this pandering obeisance to formula certainly makes for inferior art.
But failing to be as good as "His Girl Friday," is no unforgivable sin. This movie was conceived well enough and it was executed well enough. The terrible flaw is that it's extremely poorly written. There is one exception: The character of the daughter was not well conceived, nor was she well executed, by anyone. But ultimately, this film is forgettably mediocre. No that's too generous. I like forgettably mediocre comedies. This film is bad. Grade D.
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