Friday, May 22, 2009
The Soloist
The Columbus Film Guild attended the Soloist at the Lennox this week. An interesting film with insights on mental health, homelessness, character transformation, etc. I particularly enjoyed the cinemagraphic queues such as the tangled LA freeways that seemed to parallel the tangled voices in Nathaniel's head. Laura and Juan thought the movie ran a little slow in parts, and others tended to agree. We got into discussion about rights of public figures like Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (Marcos De Silvas) and the effects of showing police mercilessly arresting homeless people for stolen shopping carts. In hindsight, I feel like the movie straddled the line between a full fledged documentary and a Hollywood blockbuster, which left it wanting. Both Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey, Jr. played their characters fully, Foxx being frighteningly good.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
The Betrayal
Written and Directed by Ellen Kuras and Thavi Phrasavath
Cinematography by Ellen Kuras
A couple of Guild members were able to view the documentary The Betrayal, by Ellen Kuras. Amazingly, the making of this movie spans 23 years as the life of a Laotian refugee family evolves. Their story is one of betrayal by the American government, and then further betrayals within the family itself. But the cinematography and direction, by the very talented Kuras, is truly what makes this documentary exceptional. Her ability to capture the feel of complete abandonment with gritty, bumpy shots of planes flying away, (much like crows flying south for the winter), was riveting. And a beautiful shot of children herding animals in much simpler times was offset by the possibility that the large beasts may flee at any moment, creating mayhem, much like the US leaving Laos. Phrasavath has done an amazing editing job, one that I imagine was difficult as well as fulfilling as he examined his family's pain. Kuras, through her unique filming and layering of the story is able to pull us into Thavi’s story, feeling the family’s emotions, and compelling us to ensure that as a country, we do not let this happen again.
Cinematography by Ellen Kuras
A couple of Guild members were able to view the documentary The Betrayal, by Ellen Kuras. Amazingly, the making of this movie spans 23 years as the life of a Laotian refugee family evolves. Their story is one of betrayal by the American government, and then further betrayals within the family itself. But the cinematography and direction, by the very talented Kuras, is truly what makes this documentary exceptional. Her ability to capture the feel of complete abandonment with gritty, bumpy shots of planes flying away, (much like crows flying south for the winter), was riveting. And a beautiful shot of children herding animals in much simpler times was offset by the possibility that the large beasts may flee at any moment, creating mayhem, much like the US leaving Laos. Phrasavath has done an amazing editing job, one that I imagine was difficult as well as fulfilling as he examined his family's pain. Kuras, through her unique filming and layering of the story is able to pull us into Thavi’s story, feeling the family’s emotions, and compelling us to ensure that as a country, we do not let this happen again.
Slumdog Millionaire
Slumdog Millionaire
Director: Danny Boyle
What can we say, it was great. And the discussion afterwards by the Guild left me mulling over the film for weeks. Given the many Oscars/nominations, though, expectations were high. It was a hard way to learn about slums in Mumbai, but it truly showed the viewer the gaps between the very wealthy and the very, very poor.
In retrospect, I thought the script might have been more powerful if it contained fewer detailed torture scenes. Not to say that they did not happen with the frequency shown in the film, but a little went a long way, and unfortunately the torture rather than the story is what I remember in great detail. Perhaps the amount was an attempt to pull in specific audience segments. Or maybe the frequency was to ensure lasting impressions on viewers who can effect change in Mumbai slums.
It was easy to see how a childhood of atrocities manifested itself in Samil. Amazingly Jamal and Latika evolved despite the torture. I would have liked to have seen, though, more about how such a past influences daily struggles and decisions in these characters. Slumdog Millionaire was truly a triumphant story of the spirit over unimaginable circumstances.
Director: Danny Boyle
What can we say, it was great. And the discussion afterwards by the Guild left me mulling over the film for weeks. Given the many Oscars/nominations, though, expectations were high. It was a hard way to learn about slums in Mumbai, but it truly showed the viewer the gaps between the very wealthy and the very, very poor.
In retrospect, I thought the script might have been more powerful if it contained fewer detailed torture scenes. Not to say that they did not happen with the frequency shown in the film, but a little went a long way, and unfortunately the torture rather than the story is what I remember in great detail. Perhaps the amount was an attempt to pull in specific audience segments. Or maybe the frequency was to ensure lasting impressions on viewers who can effect change in Mumbai slums.
It was easy to see how a childhood of atrocities manifested itself in Samil. Amazingly Jamal and Latika evolved despite the torture. I would have liked to have seen, though, more about how such a past influences daily struggles and decisions in these characters. Slumdog Millionaire was truly a triumphant story of the spirit over unimaginable circumstances.
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