Some Films, including Documentaries

"Super Size Me"
starring: Morgan Spurlock
written and directed by: Morgan Spurlock

This is an oldie, but goodie of a film/documentary. I also think it's sort of preaching to the choir and does not necessarily reveal too much enlightening information because we know all fast food is terrible for you, but it's convenient. Should someone consume McDonald's every day? Absolutely not. Do some people do that? Probably.

Here's the thing with this film, Morgan Spurlock (now it's been revealed that he is also "part of the problem" amongst the many men that have been accused of sexual misconduct) decides to pull an A.J. Jacobs type of feat and he lives fast food for 3 meals a day, for 30 days, in order to see the effects on his body, mentally, physically, physiologically, etc.

He is examined by three doctors at the beginning of the month and found to be in good health. They check him again regularly during the filming, as his weight balloons 30 pounds, his blood pressure skyrockets, his cholesterol goes up 65 points, he has symptoms of toxic shock to his liver, his skin begins to look unhealthy, his energy drops, he has chest pains, and his girlfriend complains about their sex life. At one point his doctors advise him to abandon McDonald's before he does permanent damage. The doctors say they have seen similar side-effects from binge drinkers, but never dreamed you could get that way just by eating fast food.

The film is meant as an expose on McDonald's in particular, but I think it does not necessarily point the finger at the appropriate person, either. The self. It kind of claims that McDonald's is responsible for an individual's choices, especially when it comes to food. At best, the nutritionist says, you should never consume fast food, but realistically, if you will, it should only be like once a month. Spurlock had a few rules that he followed- 1) he had to try everything on the meal at least once and 2) when asked to Super Size It, he had to. The film definitely urged McDonald's to change their PR and add some more "healthier" choices (re: salads) but it remains to be seen if people have changed their own choices in how they consume their food.

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"Ukraine is Not a Brothel"
written and directed by: Kitty Green

Here's a film about a country that's clearly been under the thumb of the masculine regime for decades as the filmmaker sort of embeds herself within the small group of Femen women attempting to protest and speak out against the patriarchy that assumes women are not to be heard, and are solely bodies to be admired and used (hence the "brothel" references). All of their protests involve taking their clothes off and exposing their breasts, which have sayings written on them, all in an effort to shock but also prove a point.

Through a mix of interviews, archival material and original footage of the femmes staging bare-breasted protests, Green unfolds the story of how this neo-Situationist group came together originally, aiming in the early days to combat, in particular, the Ukraine’s image as the sex-trafficking and prostitution hub of Europe — hence the pic’s title, one of the slogans they wrote on their naked torsos. Soon Femen’s range of targets expanded to encompass patriarchy in general, the persecution of Russian sisters-in-defiance Pussy Riot, and totalitarian regimes like that of Belarus. It was in this latter country that Green herself was seized by authorities while trying to film a Femen protest in Minsk and subsequently deported; several Femen members, separated from Green at the time, explain how they were arrested, stripped, physically abused, covered in gasoline and forced to flee the country through a freezing cold forest at night.

The involvement of the bizarre Svyatski, likened to Rasputin by a slightly on-the-nose soundtrack choice from Boney M, is really secondary to the story, even if it has generated most of the film’s current publicity. Green cleverly builds up suspense about this figure, making him a shadowy offscreen presence up until the final act, which adds tension but also lets the women themselves rightly take centerstage at first. They are presented with a canny blend of sympathy and honesty, as when one of them sees no real contradiction in her being a Femen member by day and a nude dancer in a strip club by night.

This is a good film that tells a good story, with its own paradoxes.

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"The Last Heist"
starring: Henry Rollins, Torrance Coombs, Victoria Pratt, Mykel Shannon Jenkins, Nick Principe, Mark Kelly, Ken Lyle, Kristina Klebe, Zo Zosack, Courtney Compton
written by: Guy Stevenson
directed by: Mike Mendez

This is a film about a bank heist gone wrong, but for a very bizarre reason, not because of the usual inner group turmoil or turning against each other. It's because the group is being killed off one by one by a serial killer (played by a haunting Henry Rollins) who is creepy indeed, as he stalks each person and spews out religious quotes and is obsessed with taking his victims' eyes.

I thought it was one of the worst films I've seen, in awhile, and I've seen a lot of movies. The acting was subpar from everyone but Rollins, but he also didn't have too much to work on. The dialogue is terrible. You can definitely tell how things are going to turn out for everyone involved, even though the filmmaker attempts to add a few surprises and wrenches in the plans. It's very predictable and you truly do not really empathize or care about any of these characters, which is quite a large flaw to overcome.

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"Vampire Academy"
starring: Zoey Deutch, Lucy Fry, Danila Kozlovsky, Gabriel Byrne, Dominic Sherwood, Olga Kurylenko, Sarah Hyland, Cameron Monaghan, Sami Gayle, Claire Foy, Joely Fischer,
written by: Richelle Mead (novel), Daniel Waters (screenplay)
directed by: Mark Waters

There's no question that vampires had becomes a staple in our pop culture (thanks "Twilight"), but the problem with the teen/tween vampire stories is that they very much tend to gloss over or completely delete the very sexual undertone to the whole vampire mythology.

"Vampire Academy" is another teen fiction book series that was turned into a film (with the intention of having sequels, but because this original, debut film in the series did not perform well and is subpar), the film studio decided not to push any other films in the series.

The major problem with this film in particular is that it very clearly wears its influences on its sleeve and in essence tries to be so much in so little time, packing the film with too much fluff and awful dialogue. At times it is very clear that Zoey Deutsch's character is trying to be like Buffy, with a hint of Percy Jackson and Mean Girls, as well as the wildly succesful Harry Potter within this vampire universe. And because of all this, the film really fails, but full disclosure, I still kind of liked it.

The story has enough expositional background to fill two Underworld outings, but the gist of it lies in a war between the Moroi and the Strigoi. The former is a race of pseudo-Nosferatu who feed off willing partners when they’re not dealing with typical teenage issues (boys, blood, and bonding), and are led by the half-human/half-vampire Rose (Deutch) and Lissa (Fry), a Moroi princess. In an interesting twist, the fanged Moroi are mortal, whereas the Strigoi are the more traditional creatures of the night, complete with glowing peepers and pallid demeanors. Vampire Academy kicks off with these two besties fleeing the titular academy for reasons unknown. They’re quickly spirited back to the academy (in Montana, no less), where a PG-13, girl-on-girl attraction between Rose and Lissa is less than fully explored, Rose gets all hot and bothered by her muscular fisticuffs tutor Dimitri (Kozlovsky), and the living death that is high school is reimagined as, well, pretty much as you probably remember it – with the addition of some mild bloodletting and far too much “witty” sass.

If this hadn't been PG-13 and in effect been geared towards teenage girls, I think it could've done far more with the story, but unfortunately it was also trying to stay within the confines of its original story (the novel from whence it comes).

I'd much rather watch the first couple of seasons of "True Blood" and get my fill of vampires. But that's me, and I'm a 36 year old man.

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"Korengal"
written and directed by: Sebastian Junger

Stephen Junger is an amazing journalist/documentarian. His first film, Restrepo really exposes a piece of the Iraq War, in an isolated area with one specific battalion of soldiers. He is embedded within their crew, talks to them throughout the war action, interviews them after the fact, and just shows the audience what it means to be on a front-lines of war and the psychological impact of this band of brothers. Instead of making one extended/long film, Junger decided to split his story of this brotherhood into two different documentaries. Korengal picks up where Restrpo left off, and although they are still immersed in a turf war, this film has a different tone to it.

Junger does a very good job keeping his own political bias out of the story and relies on the soldiers to simply tell their sides of it.

The films center on the fighting in Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley, which was so intense and deadly (42 Americans killed) the Army ended up pulling out. The first film was during the heyday of the conflict; this one is a more thoughtful contemplation afterwards.

There is a sense of purpose and camaraderie to war that transcends moral judgments or theoretical abstracts. They create often crushing dilemmas in those sent to fight. For some it was the best time of their lives, which is one of the brave notions this enthralling and troubling film advances.

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"Nightcrawler"
starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Bill Paxton, Rene Russo
written and directed by: Dan Gilroy

Holy shit! Excuse me for a minute, but this film was intense and riveting enough for me to actually say "Holy shit!" out loud at the film's third act and climax while it played out. And Jake G. delivered such an amazing performance as this creep that I actually hated him the entire time.

He plays Lou Bloom in an Oscar-worthy performance. He lost out to Matthew McConaughey from Dallas Buyers Blub, but still.
A petty thief unable to land a real job, Lou’s gaunt appearance makes his perpetual grin appear all the less trustworthy, his overly rehearsed rhetoric only ringing more hollow with each passing encounter. However, in due time, Lou is drawn like a moth to the very real flame of a car wreck on the L.A. interstate, not helping the paramedics or police, but rather observing the parasitic cameramen out to get juicy footage for local news stations to air.

From that moment on, Lou is gifted with glorious purpose, set on finding himself a camera and a police scanner, then a news producer Nina (Russo) interested in buying his better clips, then an intern Rick (Ahmed, delivering a wonderfully wary supporting turn) who’s eager to work the GPS and watch the car once at the crime scene. Lou doesn’t seem to sleep, getting the goods at night and staying up to capture their subsequent broadcast. Furthermore, Lou doesn’t seem to care about anything or anyone else, not if it means getting the best of angles on the worst of situations.

This film is less about the bloodthirsty media and more of a darkly satirical look at the tenacity and self-delusionally rise through the ranks to amass fame and fortune as a cameramen and in effect a paparazzi for the news (and not necessarily the celebrities) as he films the aftermath of accidents and crimes. It reminded me very much of the whole Princess Diana car accident/death.

We’re given no tragic backstory for our antihero, and Gyllenhaal’s terrifically fierce performance leaves us with no need to wonder. The evident byproduct of self-actualization seminars and good old-fashioned amorality, Lou epitomizes all-American ambition left to curdle in the media spotlight, the extent to which he is willing to endanger others coming to a head in a nerve-wracking finale.

Lou’s wrong-headed convictions lead to a pair of show-stopping monologues amid countless uncomfortable exchanges between him and his direct competition Joe (Paxton), intern Rick, and producer Nina, who tests the boundaries of news ethics as much as Lou does without leaving the comfort of her control room. Much as Robert Elswit’s sharp cinematography captures the concurrent danger and appeal of after-hours Los Angeles, James Newton Howard’s score wavers brilliantly between serving as ominous accompaniment to Lou’s nocturnal scavenging and providing a counterposing sense of uplift worthy of his deranged aspirations.

Lou Bloom is a modern-day sociopath, a new kind of spook. The entire build-up to the final scene(s) and then the actual ending are so nerve-wrecking and edge-of-your-seat that you will definitely find yourself gripping something, white-knuckling it in the process. And then, perhaps, you might also find yourself yelling "Holy Shit!" like I did.

This film hits you hard. Right. In the face.
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"Phoenix"
starring: Nina Hoss, Ronald Zehrfeld, Nina Kunzendorf, Trystan Putter, Michael Maertens
written and directed by: Christian Petzold

This is a German film told in the aftermath of WWII.

This is an amazing piece of work that transcends historical document to become art. Using the filmic language of noir, Petzold crafts a story of a culture caught in the aftermath of horror. Moving through the rubble of Berlin just after the end of World War II, the characters of “Phoenix” are ghosts, denying past betrayals and putting up a façade to keep the pain repressed.

Hoss plays Nelly Lenz, a woman who has escaped from a concentration camp, but suffered severe facial injuries in the process. Her whole face will have to be rebuilt, leaving a shadow of her old self, a version of Nelly but not exactly the same one that existed before the war. Despite protestations from the one woman who knows the truth about her, Nelly decides to seek out her husband, Johnny (Ronald Zehrfeld, who also appeared in “Barbara”), even though there’s evidence to suggest that it was he who turned Nelly into the SS. Johnny was arrested on October 4th and released on October 6th, the same day Nelly was arrested. He sold her out for his own safety.

When Nelly crosses paths with Johannes, he notices the resemblance, but has completely convinced himself that his wife must be dead. "She's dead. I know she's dead." It’s a trick of denial, pushing such a horrendous act to history instead of realizing that it may be still there in the present. However, his wife has an unclaimed fortune, and Johannes convinces Nelly to pretend to be who she actually is to claim it. He trains her to be Nelly again, dressing her in the right clothes, working on her handwriting, and coordinating “Nelly’s return” to civilization. She goes along with it, frightened to reveal the truth, and hopeful that this will allow her some semblance of the life she once she had, even as she refuses to believe that it is her husband’s betrayal that destroyed her in the first place.

This is an amazing piece of screenwriting as it ultimately deals with how people cope in the aftermath of such a horrendous tragedy. It is also about denial, in the aspect of Johnny. He is in denial that his wife is potentially dead and it was ultimately because of his own actions. He is the complete opposite type of character that Oskar Schindler was, if we can go there.

The film's emotional impact relies solely on Nina Hoss, though, and she carries that burden perfectly and executes her role nearly to perfection.

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"Flutter"
starring: Joe Anderson, Ricky Tomlinson, Laura Fraser, Autumn Federici, Billy Zane, Richard Alan Reid, Max Brown, Luke Evans, Anna Schafer
written by: Stephen Leslie
directed by: Giles Borg

This is a British indie film about the underbelly world of gambling. Joe Anderson (last I saw of him was in the Beatles-inspired film "Across the Universe") plays a down-and-out gambler who will literally do anything for some cash.

While watching this film, I couldn't help but think that the filmmaker was trying way too hard to be like his filmmaking countryman Guy Ritchie, but where Ritchie succeeds, Giles Borg really and completely fails. Ritchie's films are usually about these great, interesting characters the the world within which they find themselves. Ritchie is great at writing dialogue, too. And this film just never quite held my interest from one turn to another.

Borg’s film opens with a man named John (Joe Anderson) and a moral dilemma – can John kill a hospitalized man for undisclosed reasons? We don’t yet know why or how the gambler found himself in such a precarious situation, but it’s not long before we’re brought to the beginning of it all.

John is a “professional” gambler who dismisses luck in favor of science, wasting nights at the local greyhound track with his buddies Adrian (Luke Evans) and Wagner (Max Brown). His bookie, a woman named Stan (Anna Anissimova), reveals that if John ever wants to play for higher stakes, she takes more interesting bets on the side. Intrigued, John follows up on the request, and ends up extracting his own tooth for a few thousands British pounds. This is where John’s spiral into more eventful wagers begins, as we come full-circle to the same moment where John’s fate is introduced after weaker bets evolve into one life-changing decision.

Joe Anderson’s performance is solid, but his character’s composition never becomes more than a jumbled mess. Billy Zane pops up as a sketchy dentist, Luke Evans plays the jilted friend, and Anna Anissimova tries to act mysterious (with little intrigue), but it seems like Stephen Leslie is bluffing his way through this seedy thriller based on underground gambling.