"August" is a drama about the dot.com bust. Josh Hartnett stars as Tom, the CEO of Landshark. He's the "guy who knows money" behind the business, while his brother Joshua is the technical brains. The movie takes place in August of 2001. Landshark is presented as having an immensely successful IPO, even though the IPO is in early 2001, after the dot.com bubble burst in late 2000. By August, though things have gone sour, and Tom is desperately trying to get the company through their lock up period, so he and his brother can be more than millionaires on paper.
"August" clicks nicely on a couple of levels. The script is fast paced, and features a driving soundtrack that really conveys Tom's desperation as he furiously tries to find some way to keep control of his quickly disintegrating situation. Hartnett (who I've never really been a fan of) is also surprisingly good in this role. At first, it's easy to dismiss Tom as all flash and no substance, but as the movie progresses, you slowly start to see his hidden depths.
Unfortunately, I felt the rest of the cast was fairly uninspiring, and the script had two subplots that were poorly executed. The movie spends a little time exploring Tom's relationship with his parents and his attempt to win an ex-girlfriend back. In both cases, it felt like the movie should have just completely dropped those subplots, or spent more time with them so they could be properly explored.
I'm sure I enjoyed "August" partially because I always see a little bit of my experience at Wizards of the Coast when I see a movie or article about the dot.com craze. If the dot.com bust is a topic that interest you, I think you'll enjoy "August," but if that's not your cup of tea, I'd recommend you skip this one.
Final Grade: B
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
With a Wink and a Smile (2008) (SIFF) - A
"With a Wink and a Smile" is a documentary about the Seattle burlesque scene. The main story arc of the movie follows ten students taking Burlesque 101, taught by Miss Indigo Blue, one of the foremost Seattle burlesque performers. You get to know the students quite well, understanding their fears and hopes about taking the class, and watching quite a few crises in confidence. It's great fun to see the students slowly develop their performances (the class builds up to a graduation recital where all the students perform a show that is open to the public, not just friends and family.) Interspersed through the various interviews and scenes from the class are clips of burlesque performances by notable Seattle burlesque artists, with Miss Indigo Blue giving commentary about what makes each performance notable artistically and from a historical stand point.
Before I continue with the review, I should disclose two factors that probably bias me in favor of the film. First, as part of Jenny Tynes's bachelorette party, I took a short burlesque class with Miss Indigo Blue, so I have a personal connection with the subject. In addition, the screening I attended was the world premiere of the film, and a lot of people in the audience were involved in Seattle's burlesque scene, which meant that the crowd was raucously enthusiastic about the movie.
That being said, I think almost everyone would enjoy this film. Miss Indigo Blue really makes the film. She's a fount of knowledge about the history of burlesque, especially in Seattle, and her commentary on the experiences of her students and the performances of other artists are filled with insight. Also, I'm frankly amazed how well you get to know the students in this film. The class is really diverse in composition, featuring all types of body types, as well as a wide range of ages (early 20's to early 50's). Each one has come to the class for different reasons, but they all share a common desire for empowerment and expression. I felt awed by how open these women were willing to be about issues as personal as sexuality, body image, and family.
Final Grade: A
Before I continue with the review, I should disclose two factors that probably bias me in favor of the film. First, as part of Jenny Tynes's bachelorette party, I took a short burlesque class with Miss Indigo Blue, so I have a personal connection with the subject. In addition, the screening I attended was the world premiere of the film, and a lot of people in the audience were involved in Seattle's burlesque scene, which meant that the crowd was raucously enthusiastic about the movie.
That being said, I think almost everyone would enjoy this film. Miss Indigo Blue really makes the film. She's a fount of knowledge about the history of burlesque, especially in Seattle, and her commentary on the experiences of her students and the performances of other artists are filled with insight. Also, I'm frankly amazed how well you get to know the students in this film. The class is really diverse in composition, featuring all types of body types, as well as a wide range of ages (early 20's to early 50's). Each one has come to the class for different reasons, but they all share a common desire for empowerment and expression. I felt awed by how open these women were willing to be about issues as personal as sexuality, body image, and family.
Final Grade: A
They Killed Sister Dorothy (2008) (SIFF) - A
"The Killed Sister Dorothy" is a documentary about the murder of Sister Dorothy Stang, an American nun who spent 37 years working as a missionary in Brazil, helping poor families and promoting sustainable farming. She was one of the chief advocates for the Project for Sustainable Development (PDS) which granted poor families land if they would use the land for sustainable farming. Unfortunately, loggers and ranchers also coveted that land, and there has been an ongoing battle for the land, with numerous murders of poor farmers, and a lot of illegal logging and ranching taking place on land promised to poor families.
"They Killed Sister Dorothy" follows the trial of Sister Dorothy's killers. The big question on everyone's mind is whether or not the ranchers that ordered her killing would be put on trial, or only the actual gunmen. For reasons I can't fathom, the defense team gave the filmmakers immense access to their pretrial efforts. This allows the documentary to paint a clear picture of just how corrupt the Brazilian judicial and penal system is, as well as make it clear that these ranchers are used to being above the law.
The movie ends on a fairly hopeful note. Unfortunately, at the Q&A with the director after the SIFF screening, it was revealed that since the movie wrapped, things have taken a dramatic turn for the worse. One of the men convicted in her death was just freed in early May, and after a couple years where the rate of destruction of the rain forest went down, it has started to go up again in 2008.
I found "They Killed Sister Dorothy" to be highly informative and entertaining. I'd recommend it to anyone with even a remote interest in the subject.
Final Grade: A
"They Killed Sister Dorothy" follows the trial of Sister Dorothy's killers. The big question on everyone's mind is whether or not the ranchers that ordered her killing would be put on trial, or only the actual gunmen. For reasons I can't fathom, the defense team gave the filmmakers immense access to their pretrial efforts. This allows the documentary to paint a clear picture of just how corrupt the Brazilian judicial and penal system is, as well as make it clear that these ranchers are used to being above the law.
The movie ends on a fairly hopeful note. Unfortunately, at the Q&A with the director after the SIFF screening, it was revealed that since the movie wrapped, things have taken a dramatic turn for the worse. One of the men convicted in her death was just freed in early May, and after a couple years where the rate of destruction of the rain forest went down, it has started to go up again in 2008.
I found "They Killed Sister Dorothy" to be highly informative and entertaining. I'd recommend it to anyone with even a remote interest in the subject.
Final Grade: A
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Blood Brothers (2007) (SIFF) - B
"Blood Brothers" is a Taiwanese gangster epic set in Shanghai. Feng lives in a small village where his best friends are two brotehrs, Hu and Gang, who treat him like a third brother. He's in love with the lovely Su, but Hu and Gang convince him to go to Shanghai with them to make their fortune by working as waiters in fancy restaurants. When the three arrive in Shanghai, though, the night club they get jobs at turns out to be run by Boss Hong, a gangster, and they soon become enforcers rather than waiters. Feng is fascinated by Boss Hong's mistress, the lovely singer Lulu. Naturally things don't go well for the three and tragedy and drama follow.
While the script for "Blood Brothers" is fairly standard and predictable, the strong cast keep the movie enjoyable. Qi Shu (she was the cargo in "The Transporter") has great chemistry with Feng and the relationship between the three friends is fun to watch. The movie is solid enough that fans of this genre will enjoy it, but there's nothing special enough in it to recommend it to a more general audience.
Final Grade: B
While the script for "Blood Brothers" is fairly standard and predictable, the strong cast keep the movie enjoyable. Qi Shu (she was the cargo in "The Transporter") has great chemistry with Feng and the relationship between the three friends is fun to watch. The movie is solid enough that fans of this genre will enjoy it, but there's nothing special enough in it to recommend it to a more general audience.
Final Grade: B
Mongol (2007) (SIFF) - B
"Mongol" is an epic Russian film about the early life of Genghis Khan. It chronicles Temudjin's (Genghis is a title rather than a name) difficult early life, suffering through multiple periods of captivity and slavery, as well as having his wife kidnapped and taken as another man's wife. As with most films of this type, the historical accuracy is fairly questionable, with lots of simplifications, combining of characters, etc. but most of the major incidents are based in reality, and the film is accurate in portraying the idea that Temudjin's life before he became Genghis Khan is a remarkable rags to riches story.
Interestingly enough, the movie is really framed as a love story between Temudjin and his wife Borte. It is historically accurate that Borte was kidnapped soon after they were married and taken as a wife by someone else. Temudjin was able to eventually rescue her, and he accepted the son that she bore in captivity as his own, although questions of whether or not his eldest son was really his would plague Genghis Khan all during his life. The movie portrays Temudjin's primary motivation as protecting Borte and his family. His desire to unite the Mongol clans is driven primarily by the desire to keep them safe and provide stability in their lives.
While I found this conceit that Genghis Khan did it all for love pretty hard to swallow, the movie was still quite enjoyable. The acting is good, and there's a really strong connection between Temudjin and Borte on screen. The movie did feel a bit long, though. I'd recommend "Mongol" to fans of epic war/love stories, but it's not quite good enough to recommend to those not especially interested in that genre.
Final Grade: B
Interestingly enough, the movie is really framed as a love story between Temudjin and his wife Borte. It is historically accurate that Borte was kidnapped soon after they were married and taken as a wife by someone else. Temudjin was able to eventually rescue her, and he accepted the son that she bore in captivity as his own, although questions of whether or not his eldest son was really his would plague Genghis Khan all during his life. The movie portrays Temudjin's primary motivation as protecting Borte and his family. His desire to unite the Mongol clans is driven primarily by the desire to keep them safe and provide stability in their lives.
While I found this conceit that Genghis Khan did it all for love pretty hard to swallow, the movie was still quite enjoyable. The acting is good, and there's a really strong connection between Temudjin and Borte on screen. The movie did feel a bit long, though. I'd recommend "Mongol" to fans of epic war/love stories, but it's not quite good enough to recommend to those not especially interested in that genre.
Final Grade: B
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
The Greening of Southie (2008) (SIFF) - A
"The Greening of Southie" is an excellent documentary about the construction of The Macallen Building in South Boston. The Macallan Building was the first "green" building project in the Boston area, and sought a Gold rating under the LEED (Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design) standard. The movie does an excellent job of making you understand LEED certification. Essentially, you get points for doing a bunch of things in 5 different areas: Sustainable Sites, Materials and Resources, Water Efficiency, Energy & Atmosphere, and Indoor Air Quality. Depending on how many points you earn you will get a Platinum, Gold, Silver, or Certified rating.
"The Greening of Southie" gives a lot of detail about the strengths and weaknesses of the LEED certification process. For example, using bamboo flooring earns you points because bamboo grows really fast (only about a year to achieve the desired size) and is considered a renewable wood source. As the process went on, though, the builders began to wonder whether it had really been a great decision to go with bamboo flooring because this involved shipping wood from China, and after there were some problems, it involved shipping wood from China three times. One of the claims made in the movie is that in a typical building project, the energy used to ship building materials to the site is greater than all the energy consumed by the building during it's lifetime. The film also doesn't shy away from presenting some of the problems with "green" building. Many of the materials are relatively new and untested, and you see the various hiccups this causes during construction.
Probably the best decision the filmmakers made was to spend a lot of time on the reactions and thoughts of the construction crew at the Macallan building. It was fascinating to see the various reactions of the crew members to the idea of environmentally friendly building. The focus on the crew also allowed for some interesting side explorations into issues such as the impact of gentrification of the Southie area on families living in the area, and the fact that this kind of construction is quite expensive, and none of the construction crew could ever hope to live in a building like that.
Great story telling, fantastic educational value, and some excellent time lapse camera work to show the progress of the building make this a documentary that I highly recommend.
Final Grade: A
"The Greening of Southie" gives a lot of detail about the strengths and weaknesses of the LEED certification process. For example, using bamboo flooring earns you points because bamboo grows really fast (only about a year to achieve the desired size) and is considered a renewable wood source. As the process went on, though, the builders began to wonder whether it had really been a great decision to go with bamboo flooring because this involved shipping wood from China, and after there were some problems, it involved shipping wood from China three times. One of the claims made in the movie is that in a typical building project, the energy used to ship building materials to the site is greater than all the energy consumed by the building during it's lifetime. The film also doesn't shy away from presenting some of the problems with "green" building. Many of the materials are relatively new and untested, and you see the various hiccups this causes during construction.
Probably the best decision the filmmakers made was to spend a lot of time on the reactions and thoughts of the construction crew at the Macallan building. It was fascinating to see the various reactions of the crew members to the idea of environmentally friendly building. The focus on the crew also allowed for some interesting side explorations into issues such as the impact of gentrification of the Southie area on families living in the area, and the fact that this kind of construction is quite expensive, and none of the construction crew could ever hope to live in a building like that.
Great story telling, fantastic educational value, and some excellent time lapse camera work to show the progress of the building make this a documentary that I highly recommend.
Final Grade: A
Hair, Let the Sun Shine In (2007) (SIFF) - C
"Hair, Let the Sun Shine In" is a documentary about the musical "Hair" and it's influence. The movie is a mixture of clips from performances in the 70's and interviews with surviving cast members and producers. Now I've never seen "Hair" as a whole, although I'm familiar with some famous scenes and music from the musical. This may have contributed to my feeling that the documentary was fairly light. You had lots of people talking about how important and influential they felt "Hair" was, but their reasons seemed fuzzy to me, and they were all people intimately involved in the musical, so that section felt like a puff piece to me. It wasn't until the second half of the documentary that my interest was piqued a little when the movie started exploring the darker side of "Hair." Quite a few people involved with the musical died very young (usually from AIDS,) and there was some nasty incidents with people being given "B-12" shots that turned out to be laced with amphetamines. There was enough interesting stuff that I can't say I though the movie sucked, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, except for a die hard fan of "Hair."
Final Grade: C
Final Grade: C
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