Miwa Nishikawa

Have a critical supplement, okay?

Klimt (2006)

"Klimt" is a biopic that brandishes its creative license somewhat proudly. Whether the general public is pleased by an imposition of drama that substitutes historical accuracy and artistic legacy for syphilis, and instability is questionable. Raul Ruiz's depiction of Klimt (John Malkovich) is that of the crazy, sexually relentless artist - a portrait of artists that has been popularized through cinema for quite sometime now. Whether this depiction is reverent seems to be the big concern regarding "Klimt."

The debates of art, function, design, and necessity were stimulating in the early 20th century, but modern audiences may find them "boring" or that Ruiz has made a film that consists of "Talk, talk, talk" as several IMDB commentors have complained.

"Klimt" starts out with the artist hospitalized due to syphilis. He gets a visit from the young Egon Schiele (Nikolai Kinski) who catapults Klimt into a hodgepodge of insecurities, and triumphs, some of which are fantasy and others reality. The first act comes off as overacted, and redundant. The images were somewhat sophomoric featuring broken mirrors, and cake in the face.

Then, oddly, the film becomes fairly inaccessible. Perhaps this is because the version I saw was the 91 minute rendition, and not the original which was about 30 minutes longer. Fist fights breakout without explaination, and the Sekretar (Stephen Dillane) turns out to be a figment of Klimt's imagination. We know of illegitimate children, affairs, and love. The "plot" is as dizzying as Ruiz's style of "circular cinema," which consists of him slowly rotating his subjects so that they make full-circle. At times it makes for a nice image, but at other moments it seems a bit unnecessary.

This film definitely shouldn't serve as an "Introduction to Klimt" for anyone - young or old. It's just too embedded in certain conventions that are ultimately characterless pretentions that leave one confused, and maybe a little annoyed too.

Directed by Raoul Ruiz

Opened in New York on Wednesday, October 17th, 2007.

Lars and The Real Girl (2007)

Lars' (Ryan Gosling) is a distraught yet functional man who lives in the garage of his inherited home that he shares with his brother Gus (Paul Schneider), and sister-in-law Karin (Emily Mortimer.) Lars is able to go to work, and church; he is able to wake up in the morning and get dressed, but he's unable to interact with people that truly care about him.

Margo (Kelli Garner), a co-worker who desperately wants to be with Lars, can't seem to get under his skin. After some relentless persistence, she finally decides to give it a break. His loving sister-in-law Karin repeatedly attempts to have him over for breakfast or dinner - or whenever, but he just can't seem to walk across the yard and into their back door. Gus is clearly less sensitive than both his wife, Karin, and his brother, Lars. He doesn't seem to think that Lars should be of much concern to anyone; he's just a man who wants to keep to himself.

When Bianca arrives in a crate, and then at Gus' and Karin's dinner table, Gus realizes he underestimated the situation at hand. They decide to seek medical attention from Dagmar (Patricia Clarkson), a medical practitioner and psychologist, who convinces Lars that Bianca is in need of weekly treatments due to a serious "illness." She takes the opportunity to unleash some of the mysteries behind Lars' delusion while Bianca "rests" from her treatment. Slowly we find out the reasoning behind his neurosis. Though Dagmar is of great assistance, the rest of Lars' community is equally eager to cater Lars' delusion, and assist in "keeping the dream alive."

This story succeeds through great acting, and semi-serious writing. Writer, Nancy Oliver, throws in the occasional gag, but generally opts for the high-road. Lars' even has religious beliefs as does Bianca. Despite the fact that she is a plastic sex-doll, she is treated with the utmost respect thoughout most of the film. Though suspension of disbelief is successful throughout most of the film, it's still a bit much to really believe when thought about logically. You can't help but wonder why anyone besides his immediate family would bother to "go along" with Lars' delusion. Nonetheless, the humanity is part of the film's success; without the emotional journey, "Lars and The Real Girl", wouldn't have a breath of life to it. But what would have made it more interesting is had the emotional journey revolved around Lars rather than the community's love of an alleged sex-toy, then maybe the suspension of disbelief would have never been interrupted...

The Good Night (2007)

Jake Paltrow's directorial debut, "The Good Night," is a film about reality versus fantasy, specifically relationships versus infatuations. At times, it poignantly relates Gary's (Martin Freeman) unfulfilling life and eventually unfulfilling dreamscape to certain universal truths that are worth thinking about.

Gary, a former pop-star turned commercial jingle-maker, finds his job to be unfulfilling, and somewhat demeaning. His relationship with live-in girlfriend Dora (Gwyneth Paltrow) also provides him with similar feelings. Gary's defeated disposition is only amplified by Paul (Simon Pegg), former band-mate, friend, and current boss, who rides a wave of nonstop success. He finds that his dreams of a mysterious, and elegantly dressed woman named Anna (Penelope Cruz) enthrall him in a way his waking life doesn't. And so, he ultimately does whatever it takes to dream about Anna. This is where sage/mentor Mel (Danny Devito) comes in. He teaches Gary the ways of severe, life-damaging escapism while managing to be somewhat likeable and interesting.

Much like dreams - though not the lucid dreams featured in this film - the overall structure and flow of the picture is murky. Paltrow's character is pretty one-dimensional; she merely nags Gary at every possible opportunity. Her treatment of him could also be loosely categorized as abusive. It makes one wonder why Gary would bother to save such a relationship that has apparently been in a rut for three straight years. Her incredibly undesirable presence makes his willingness to dream utterly understandable, but doesn't make much sense when the arc comes into play.

Anna's brief real-life presence is awkward nor is it used wisely; furthermore, her role in Gary's dream-life seems highly unrealistic given the circumstances of their pre-dream relationship, and post-dream revelation. One would guess that this "twist" is a directorial stint at making a larger-than-life impact on the audience, but it's a twist that is unnecessary nor terribly moving. If director Paltrow had stuck with something that made more sense then maybe the movie would actually be good. Its strongest point is the four or five moments that are genuinely funny. Interestingly enough, director Paltrow makes a "Royal Tenenbaums" reference to actor Paltrow's "Margo" character by having her involved in another "in the bathroom and depressed" situation.

The trailer of "The Good Night" has more structure than the actual film itself. Unfortunately, the trailer is not only misleading, but also god-awful. The film starts out with a series of psuedo-documentary "talking heads" interviews that are both terribly uninformative, and confusing. I guess it's worth watching on DVD if you can't leave your house due to horrible weather conditions or a crippling health issue, but other than that, not so much...

The Great World of Sound (2007)

When Martin (Pat Healy), an eager twenty or thirty-something in search of a cool career, answers an ad to train as a music producer, he becomes scam-artist and victim. Naivete serves as a distant cousin to self-delusion when Clarence (Kene Holiday), a chatty co-worker, and Martin get sent out on the road to "song shark."

The Great World of Sound record label will assist you in obtaining your dreams by recording your record in a state-of-the-art studio, print cds, and distribute them all for a small fee. This is exactly what Martin and Clarence tell people they audition in various hotels throughout the country. At first the power of helping people obtain their goals is so alluring that it blinds Martin and Clarence from realizing that they're scam artists. They go through the routine with great vigor and hope.

The myriad of desperate subjects in the film is obviously depressing, but also rather telling. At the bottom of the pyramid is the musicians. They are a motley crew of young, old, delusional, and occasionally talented. But most interestingly, they are real people who responded to real ads placed in an actual newspaper in their hometown. Think of American Idol, but with a candid camera, and no money...or traumatic criticisms. The responses to promises of fame and fortune from two men who (at first) want to believe just as badly as you do in a dream, viewed from two different angles, is so engrossing to some while others have enough sense to listen to the small, but confident voice in their head. Pat Healy and Ken Holiday both play along flawlessly.

A curious mix of documentary and comedy, The Great World of Sound will have you questioning your own ability to remain logical under the influence of heartfelt promises by two hoodwinkers who've been duped themselves. It is a brilliant blend of fact and fiction; thus, creating a most complete study of the overwhelming desire to become an overnight superstar hoarded by so many yet acheived by so few. The raw element of the hidden cameras and non-actors emphasizes the vulnerability of its' subjects in a way story alone could not. The transition from fact to fiction isn't as seamless as it could be at times, but nor is it terrbibly disruptive. Definitely a must-see.

Directed by Craig Zobel.

Buah, Ha- (The Bubble) 2006

Noam (Ohan Knoller), a gay Israeli soldier on reserve duty at a checkpoint in Isreal, loses his ID just before being relieved from duty. Ashraf (Yousef 'Joe' Sweild), a gay Palestinian, finds it during one of his many crossings at the checkpoint and dutifully returns it to Noam's apartment in Tel Aviv.

Upon Ashraf's arrival to Noam's home (whom he shares with two roomates, a straight woman named Lulu (Daniela Virtzer) and a gay man named Yelli (Alon Friedman,) romance immediately begins. Ashraf's arrival to Noam's flat is not the first they've seen of each other. They first met at the checkpoint under a tense situation involving the miscarriage of a Palestinian child.

Then comes the morning after...The harsh reality of Politics comes into play. Ashraf doesn't have an Israeli Work Permit...Ashraf's name isn't Hebrew...Ashraf is ultimately "the enemy" - at least in the eyes of Yelli. After Noam partakes in some dilluted political debate with Yelli, it is decided that Ashraf can stay in the apartment. Yelli even gets him a job as a waiter at a restaurant he manages - though there he goes by the name "Shimi"- in an effort to hide his Arabic roots.

Of course, all of this "pops" over time. Eventually Ashraf's roots are found out by a magazine editor that Lulu briefly dated then hated. Ashraf flees home, to Nablus, for his safety as well as his sister's wedding. Out of love, Noam (with a plan devised by Lulu) goes to Nablus, but ultimately only makes things worse for Ashraf - turmoil of nearly every kind follows.

The film's storyline is interesting and naturally filled with conflict, but the dilluted politics, and the writers' ability to break the suspension of disbelief in several instances negates from the film being all that it can be. The dilluted politics are somewhat intentional. It emphasizes the bubble that these urban twentysomethings live in, but the credibility is just spread too thin leading to a contrived ending that is meant to shock, but ultimately disappoints...

Directed by Eytan Fox.

Exiled (2006)

Wo (Nick Cheung), a jovial man with a newborn baby and wife, has hardly settled in Macau - after years of being of the road - before some old skeletons find themselves patiently awaiting his arrival in a nearby courtyard. They are simultaneously hitmen, gang members of the same clan, childhood friends, and ruthless killers. A contradictory (almost unbelievably so) meshing of relations to Wo and his wife, Jin (Josie Ho).

"Exiled" has frenzied showdowns at every point; thus, satisfying the needs of the repeat action-film goer. But it also succeeds in those more interested in the softer, drama genre. Due to the complexiity of the relationships, this film is able to portray a truly difficult decision through men that are usually fleshed out solely through the use of sunglasses, trenchcoats, and guns. At first, it seems that Blaze (Anthony Won Chau Sang) and company are a result of this method of character development, but before the first act ends, we're well aware that there's more than meets the eye - though how much more is hard to say.

"Exiled" is a ultimately an action-packed test of what prevails above all others? Friendship? Money? Security? It answers the question superficially but, overall, it takes a decent stab at revealing the softer side to these Chinese gangsters - all while managing to have them, you know, keep it cool.