Trailerz
Doubt (2008) – Dir: John Patrick Shanley. Principals: Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Viola Davis
Shortly after the release of Doubt, friend and one-time blog contributor Mike Keefe said that the film worked so well because it requires something from the audience. I’d agree that this feeling is the key reason why this film is so good. Doubt’s plot revolves around accusations of inappropriate behavior between a priest and a student at a Catholic school in New York. Philip Seymour Hoffman, as the accused Father Flynn, staunchly defends himself against the allegations, but can never quite fully articulate his innocence. Streep, as school principal Sister Aloysius, presents a strong case against him, yet cannot support her position with any hard facts. It’s this battle of wills that drives the film.
Doubt is a very powerful film about conviction and fairness, and, well, doubt, all taking place under the supposed eyes of God, which brings even more weight to the actions of the characters. With its conclusion, the film isn’t trying to have us answer the question of whether Flynn actually committed the offense, rather showing us weakness and humanity in the most unshakable of characters. A-. (Doubt was nominated for five Academy Awards last year, including Actress (Streep), Supporting Actor (Hoffman), Supporting Actress (Adams), Supporting Actress (Davis), and Adapted Screenplay.)
Flight of the Conchords: Season 2 (2009) – Principals: Jemaine Clement, Bret McKenzie, Rhys Darby, Kristen Schaal, Arj Barker
Part of the reason that it’s taken me so long to write a Dailies column since the last edition is that I took in the entire second season of Flight of the Conchords, which I originally missed when it aired earlier this year on HBO. Friends of mine had told me that this season was far inferior to the first, but I was delighted to find that this isn’t the case. Some of the songs may be a bit less inspired, but there’s not a clunker in this group of ten episodes.
I won’t go into too much detail; if you liked the first season, you’ll like the second. The ninth episode of the bunch, “Wingmen”, features one of the funniest moments I’ve seen on the show. Bret attempts to ask the clerk of a local pet store on a date with the help of Jemaine and their pawn shop owning friend Dave (Barker). Bret enters the store with a walkie-talkie, through which Jemaine and Dave communicate with him right in front of the girl. They have him say a variety of stupid things, and when she notices the walkie-talkie, Jemaine tells Bret to explain (over the walkie-talkie, within hearing distance of the girl) that it’s just an “old iPod”. The zaniness of this scene and these episodes in general make for a strong season and foster hope that there will be at least one more season to follow. A-.
Feature Presentation
The Informant! (2009)
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Principal Actors: Matt Damon, Scott Bakula, Joel McHale, Melanie Lynskey
I think a lot of people, including myself, might have been fooled by the ads for The Informant! The film is technically a comedy, because it contains many moments of levity and displays many eccentricities. But at its heart, it really isn’t very funny. Its protagonist, Mark Whitacre (Damon) is a pathological liar who can’t get out of his own way. He, too, has quirks and traits that create chuckles. While wearing a wire to his office, he creates a narration, explaining into his sport coat lapel everything he does and everyone he encounters. He carries himself with a goofy Midwestern charm. His voiceovers during the movie are essentially non-sequiturs, with very little relevance to the action at hand. His tics do lighten up the proceedings along the way, but they also provide us with insight into the character that we only fully comprehend when the film is over and we can look back on everything. The Informant! is an incredibly deliberate film, with each scene adding a new layer on what came before it to paint a picture of a desperate and pathetic man with hardly a sense of who he is or what he’s doing.
Mark Whitacre is a rising star at ADM, a company that processed cereal grains and oilseeds into products used in food, beverages, and other materials worldwide (courtesy Wikipedia). Mark, however, has a problem. There’s a virus in the lysine, a food additive vital to the creation of the company’s products. This virus is setting the company back millions per month, and Mark is charged with fixing the issue. Whitacre gets the idea (unbeknownst to the audience at the time) to concoct an extortion scheme, telling his higher-ups that a Japanese businessman can solve their problems with the virus for ten million dollars. The film soon veers into price-fixing allegations against ADM and everything rapidly spins out of control, with Mark’s continual lying providing for plot points and pushing the storyline to its next stop. Mark is helped in trying to catch his superiors engaging in market price-fixing by two erstwhile FBI agents, strongly played by Scott Bakula and the always hilarious Joel McHale.
The plot isn’t quite as confusing while actually watching the film as I’m making it out to be, which helps our understanding of the film and its characters. We see and follow Mark’s web of lies collapsing on him and his control of the situation loosening. He maintains his “you-betcha” grin and tries to cover himself by lying further, until the film reaches a point of lunacy with everyone (Mark included) trying to unravel everything. There are laughs here, like an exasperated and incredulous Tony Hale (Buster from Arrested Development) acting as Mark’s legal counsel. No one can make heads or tails of this guy and his stories.
There’s a scene towards the conclusion of the film where Bakula’s FBI agent, who has befriended Mark, confronts him on his lying and tells him that the ride is over. This scene shows Whitacre realizing his actions have been foolish and delusional, and recognizing himself for what he is. The film suffers for it, however, because it’s hitting us over the head with what we’ve been able to deduce all along. We’ve been following Mark’s actions and witnessing his inevitable decline; we really didn’t need to be told this, and we’re not even sure Mark himself learns anything, so it doesn’t work on that level either.
The Informant! definitely drags at points, but it’s a very strong character study with some decent laughs that generally makes the audience think and decode everything for themselves. Overall, it’s an interesting and enjoyable experience.
B
John Lacey
No comments:
Post a Comment