laraemeadows Blog

Under discussion:

Wondrous Oblivion  (2003)

Wondrous Oblivion proves my long held belief that most movies generally should not have a writer-slash-director.   While it attempts to tell us a story about love, race, intolerance and desperation; the real attempt was in Wondrous Oblivion was telling a story at all.

Little David Wiseman (Sam Smith) wants nothing more than to be a great cricket player.  As holocaust survivors, his parents desire something different from their son.  Luck presents itself when a Jamaican family moves in next door.  Dennis (Delroy Lindo), the father of the family, installs a cricket net.  David doesn’t see the color of his Dennis’ skin, but his parents do.  Their neighbors, who just barely tolerate the Wiseman’s jewishness, have open distain for Dennis and his family.  Things get interesting when David goes over to play with Dennis and his mother, Ruth (Emily Woof), finds much needed companionship by their new neighbor.

Wondrous Oblivion is a frustrating movie because it has such an interesting story to tell but they way they told it left me to physically hold my eyelids up.  There are dozens of unnecessary scenes that clog the pacing and stretch the story too thin.  Paul Morrison, the writer and director, is mind-blowingly wrong about the amount of elementary school level cricket games any one person can sit through before suicide becomes a perfectly rational option.    I actually had to stand up and move around during the movie to keep from committing a movie faux pas (snoring).  I beg of you, Paul Morrison, re-release this with a better editor.  The pacing is a shame because it destroys a movie with an important story and delightful acting.

Delroy Lindo makes Dennis subtle, complex and mysterious.  He surprised me with his ability to relate to children and still be a little creepy.  You get the feeling that he has some kind of past; one sprinkled with darkness, but not a horrifying one.  The quality of his acting really shines in the relationship he has with Ruth.  Their relationship is complicated and you can tell he is thinking about everything when she is around; race, class, their spouses and children.   He doesn’t have to say anything but you know exactly what is on his mind when she’s around. 

Ruth is my favorite character.  Emily Woof is tragic and sad as Ruth.  Ruth married too young and now is unsure about the path of her life but feels trapped by her religious traditions and the circumstances of her family.  She adores her son but the audience gets the feeling that she has no adoration for her husband.  Woof gives Ruth such an undercurrent of fear that even when she is happy, Woof restrains Ruth’s joy.  Every smile is natural but more complex than just an expression of joy.  It is the overcoming of an invisible restraint.  When she is interacting with her son, you can tell she feels soft and a little more open.

David is a rumpus youngster with cricket fame dreams.  Sam Smith gives David such a youthful ideology and ignorance.  David doesn’t cognitively know that his grandparents were killed by Hitler.  He says they were killed in the war.  Smith plays the scenes about his grandparents with the emotional significance of a grain of sand, which gives the character such an innocence.

One of my frustrations with this movie is the story could have been powerful.  While the Wisemans are experiencing painful acts of racism from their neighbors, they perform acts of racism against their neighbors.  The words “those people” often stream from the mouths of the Wiseman parents.  David can’t understand why it matters and he just wants to play cricket.  David is the white background to which, each shade of gray is compared.  His ignorance to race relations, history or religion shows the adults’ intolerance with blinding clarity.  I think we need more stories about how “minorities” discriminate against each other because it opens a door to a truth that people have been ignoring for years.  Racism is not a white versus minority thing.  Racism can be committed by people who have been victims of it, it lives on through those who were oppressed and may be more than just a social circumstance.

Wondrous Oblivion made me feel like the mother a genius who became a drug addict.  It had all the elements of success and yet failed dreadfully.  If you have a high tolerance for boredom or a very long attention span, Wondrous Oblivion may be the movie for you.

Under discussion:

Hairspray  (2007)

Hairspray is the toe-tappiest, finger snappiest, butt wiggilyist experience the studios have offered up in years. 

Indomitably spirited fat girl Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) wants nothing more than to be a dancer on the local Corney Collins Show.  When she learns of open auditions, she ignores the nay-sayers and throws her hat in the ring.  Even a downright smack-down couldn’t kill her spirits and after some persistence and “Negro Day” influence, Nikki finds her place on the show.   Little does she know that the station manager Velma Von Tussle(Michelle Pfeiffer) is an era appropriate racist and painful narcissist.  The station manager’s daughter Amber (Brittany Snow) is a younger version of her mother in every way.  Tracy’s progressive view on “afro-tastic” dancing, integration and image pits her against the station manager and her daughter. 

It is extremely difficult to make me laugh out loud during a movie.  I’m a tough nut to crack.  On top of my general lack of a funny bone, I was having a terrible day when I went to see Hairspray.   Within five minutes, I was disarmed and suffering from a wicked case of Hairspray Stockholm Syndrome.   I gave up any attempts at playing cool, abandoned my pride and succumbed to the unrelenting laughter Hairspray demanded of me.   The humor couldn’t be undone after Wilbur (Christopher Walken), Tracy’s father, says, “If we can’t put a smile on your face, your skin is too tight.”  Even those trained to resist the pains of torture would break down and chuckle during Hairspray.

Nikki Blonsky is a star who must’ve been locked in the darkest box, in the most remote cellar, on the highest shelf until now.  She is radiant, charming, uplifting and adorable.  Even if you aren’t fat, I’m sure you’ll be able to find something about her character that makes you feel like she is talking to you or about you.  The reliability is part good-writing and part actress-who-knows-how-to-be-sweet-with-sincerity.  In order to pull off a teenager unwilling to be put down because she is heavy, she had to be fearless about her own weight.  Any insecurity would have killed the character.  Nikki Blonsky is shame and fear-free as she dances and sings her heart out.  She steals the spotlight from the more experienced actors every time she graces the screen.

One of the veteran actors who is constantly outshined by Blonsky is Christopher Walken.  Surprising as it might sound, Walken does not play his typical role in Hairspray.  Abandoned is the gruff smooth talker.  Embraced is the awkward yet encouraging father and husband.  This may be a departure for Walken but a fantastic one.

I was also extremely fond of Motormouth Maybelle played by the outstanding Queen Latifah.  If there were such a thing as sassy-sauce, Queen Latifah would be the manufacturer.  Even though she is down-right silly sometimes, she also has one of the most serious roles in the film.  Her portrayal of an oppressed African American woman during this time of change is surprisingly controlled and heart touching.   It is also nice that there is one professional singer in the bunch.

It isn’t often I leave a movie wanting to buy the soundtrack.  The movie wasn’t half over before I wanted to rewind and listen to just the songs again.  There are no offensive voices, daring for a choking.  Even the worst singer, Walken, didn’t shame himself.   Again, leave it to Nikki Blonsky to sing her siren song and draw you right into the Hairspray rocks!

A sweet musical twist on a tart subject makes a cinematic tongue tingler.  To modify a quote from the movie a little; If you don’t laugh during Hairspray, your skin is on too tight!

Under discussion:

Rescue Dawn  (2006)

Rescue Dawn is the only inspiring war movie I have ever seen.   Its phenomenal script, beautiful visuals and outstanding acting confused my sensibilities, but in a way that caused me to re-examine my views of war survivors.

American fighter pilot and German immigrant Dieter Dengler (Christian Bale), crashes when he is sent out on his first mission as a pilot in the Vietnam War.  The American military had sent him on an illegal mission to Laos, so when he is captured by Laotian fighters, the prospects of rescue were very grim.  Even so, Dieter’s hopes and spirit could not be dimmed.  As he is being brought through town as a captive, he smiles at everyone as he goes by.  What he doesn’t know is he is being brought to a camp where several other American soldiers have been held hostage for various lengths of time, up to two years.  The other characters have given up on their chances of being rescued when Dieter arrives.  He convinces them there is always a chance.  Often, he seems dim-witted, but then you realize it is honest to goodness unshakable optimism.   As time goes by, the decision to stay or try to escape becomes unavoidable. 

Rescue Dawn’s writing is first rate.  The movie does not use computer generated graphics, huge explosions or potential looming of snipers to define its drama.  It doesn’t cheapen the mental anguish of the characters by breaking it up with a drummed up action scene.  Don’t get me wrong, there is tons of action, and it is evident that the soldiers are being tortured but the movie so flawlessly lets you know with subtle inference.  The real drama is the fear of what will happen, and their in-fighting about whether or not they should attempt an escape.

Christian Bale’s performance makes optimism bone-chillingly uplifting, bone-shakingly disturbing and bone-exposingly painful.   It is often hard to tell if Dengler has gone crazy and his optimism is a symptom or if he is just that upbeat.  Bale does an exceptional job of making the cheeriness believable.  Dengler also has to try to deal with the different levels of insanity the other characters have been cursed with.   Bale is so delicate, so charming, so warm and sweet, that you sometimes forget they aren’t in a comfortable loony bin but that they are in a prison camp. 

There is a series of scenes at the end of the movie where Dengler has to nurture Duane (Steve Zahn) through his insanity by both playing into it and trying to talk him out of it.  It is a heart wrenching series of scenes.  You can see Dengler slipping into Duane’s insanity, desperately trying to find the healthy part of their minds and bring them to the light.  Through all that, Bale never loses Dengler, he never over acts and his remarkably touching portrayal depressed and uplifted me.   Bale’s performance is memorable, emotional and surprising.

Steve Zahn’s performance is just as stunning as Bale.  He plays Duane, the meek soldier who has been trapped for so long he has given up any dreams of rescue and hopes only for survival.  He believes he must keep his head down.  Zahn must make Duane’s mental status ambiguous without making him scary.  Zahn completely slips into a controlled insanity.   Duane is Dengler’s opposite but Zahn is Bale’s equal.

Jeremy Davies, who plays Gene, is stunning.  Gene, the perfect example of post traumatic stress disorder, is gut stabbing and tragic.    Davies should be commended for a supporting role that will be a highlight on his resume for the rest of his life.

The rest of the supporting cast is equally amazing.  The other prisoners, the guards and the other soldiers are all exceptional.

Rescue Dawn also has mind blowing visuals.  Sometimes it is grainy, sometimes clear but always dazzling.  Peter Zeitlinger’s visual portrayal of this true story is exquisite.  He has a strong understanding of how light and angle can be used for mood and to emphasis the plot points in a story. 

Director and writer Werner Herzog should be credited with making such a touching and unique story.  I can’t remember the last time I saw a war movie that didn’t rely on bombs or death for drama.

Rescue Dawn is based on the astonishing true story of German immigrant Dieter Dengler.   Dengler has several movies made about his life.  At first he hesitated to even talk about this experience in his life because he didn’t want to besmirch the men in the camp with him or the guards who guarded him.  In the end, he did agree to tell this story and I am grateful he did.

I loathed seeing another war movie when I went into the theater for this one.  Boy, was I surprised.  Such a good movie.  Yup.