Movies 2007 Rountable Spectacular

Part VI: Where Nimero begins to talk about that which he does not know

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Colbinski, I like your take on both characters you mention. But only one character and one of those movies has really lingered in my mind. Daniel Day Lewis as Daniel Plainview in Blood is his normally commanding self, so much so that I am probably taking his performance for granted. Day Lewis has the ability to encompass his character fully while making everyone else around him believable too; that all the acting in this movie appears effortless. There were many wonderful scenes. The opener you mention is great but what stands out more fully is the derrick fire after the first big oil strike. The excitement and pandemonium all around. The camera sweeping in and out following Plainview as he runs around and tends to his son. The blaze always in the background like a supporting character. It was exciting and I felt as if I should shield my eyes from the fire’s brightness and grab a pail of water to help out. At this point I was willing to be swept away into the undertow of the story and let it take me over. It never happened. I remained engaged and intrigued. I think it is a powerful, very good film and I highly recommend it. It just didn’t resonate with me much since I left the theatre. I don’t see Plainview as a great character and the film itself hasn’t left me pondering it any further.

Contrawise, I agree with you about Wei Tang’s job as Wong in Lust, Caution. I can still see her ruby red lipstick on the coffee cup, feel the gaze from her smoky eyes as she readies to seduce Tony Leung’s Mr. Lee. I remember her innocence as she bravely joined the theatre group in college and shared her enjoyment upon her surprising success. I was as uncertain as she was concerning her final decision. All this sticks in my mind even though the first thing I said upon exiting the theatre was “It was way too long.” Then over the next couple of days I couldn’t get the story out of my head. After sussing it over I finally understood everything. It all hit me like lightning a few days later. Like lightning, the film left an indelible mark on me. Perhaps, I am confusing my dull-wittedness in taking three days to “get” the movie with said movie being great. Anything is possible. I still think the movie is too long and some of the sex scenes belabored but Lust, Caution is one of the best of the year.

Two other movies that stayed with me after leaving the theatre this year were The Host and In-Between Days. I won’t rehash either one as the linked reviews, ably done by you and me, respectively, can catch everyone up on why we liked those movies. I do want to look at In-Between Days and Juno together and explain why I greatly enjoyed one and was nonplussed about the other.

Now, I realize it is not fair to either film to compare or contrast as they differ vastly on many points. Other than some similarity in content - teenage girls who make certain decisions about sex and face consequences from those decisions - both films are considered “independent.” I begin my review of In-Between Days thusly:
“This small film represents what I enjoyed about independent movies when the word ‘independent’ first came into vogue. The recent change to films that seem to be all zany families, quirky characters or outlandish situations can make one forget how enjoyable indies used to be.”

The beginning of Juno was everything that is terrible about American indies. I suffered through the first fifteen minutes of this movie. Suffered terribly. It started with intrusive, loud, quirky music, continued into a precious water-colored image of Juno walking around town sipping a Big Gulp while the credits rolled, and ended in a mini-mart where the too-cool-for-school Juno cracked wise with a Comic Book Guy wannabe while purchasing a home pregnancy test. My main problem with indie film is that you can always use quirky and precious as an adjective and not be wrong. Thankfully, Juno’s hipness stopped grating on me long enough to actually warm up to her and provide a decent, but not great by any means, movie. I also grant that after seeing this and saying to myself “So what” the underwhelming feeling I have may be a reaction to the exalted status that Juno is currently enjoying. Reviews proclaim how real-life it is and how daring it is to take on teenage pregnancy. I don’t get it. There are good scenes, funny scenes and touching scenes. But nothing earth-shattering and nothing coming close to real. I am probably completely out of touch with what a real 16-year old girl is like these days and therefore talking out of my ass but I don’t think it is Juno. One aspect of the film that has been praised is how she feels like an outcast when pregnant and in school. True. But the entire rest of the film portrays her as an outcast – she’s in a cool band, dresses in raggy t-shirts, and adores 1980’s punk. Sixteen year olds who did this in my high school during the 1980’s stood out and were considered outcasts. Add to Juno a pop-culture awareness that dwarfs most everyone else and I found this character to be false. Having said all this I did warm up to her, regardless of this phoniness, and I was pulling for her by the end of the movie. And a big saving grace for Juno is that the eponymous character is the most quirky one around. I wouldn’t have been able to stomach it, if like all other indie films, she was surrounded by quirky family and friends.

Now, Aimee, the young heroine from In-Between Days, seems more real. I find myself relating more to Aimee than to Juno. On its face this is absurd. Aimee is a teenaged immigrant from Korea living with her mother, dreaming about her absent father, and just trying to fit in with her peers. Maybe the whole feel of In-Between Days won me over. In-Between Days is close and personal while Juno looks like it came right out of a film school mind into a studio’s lap. But the two girls are so different (again I have no idea what I am talking about when it comes to teenage girls). Aimee struggles through her first crush and rejection and ends up with a guy she now might or might not really like. Juno is with a cool band member who digs her like no one else. Aimee just needs to know someone accepts her. Juno doesn’t give a rat’s ass what others think of her (until she’s 9 months). Aimee has trouble communicating with friends and even with her busy mother. Juno has the most supportive family one could hope to have if you are a teenager and pregnant. Aimee ends the movie as confused as she was when it began. Juno learned a nice lesson about herself and love. Mainly, I think it comes down to this between Aimee and Juno. Aimee is who most people were in high school and Juno is who most people like to think they were.

Colbinski, I am lapping you in posts! Get to it!