FLIPPED
Rob Reiner. Director of films like Stand By Me, Spinal Tap and When Harry Met Sally. Undeniable classics of the 80’s. Most of us have seen his biggest films. But is this another great classic? I doubt it. Here comes a story about some kid who meets some chick when he moves to a new town. She turns out to be a bit of a bully. Years later, he realises he’s in love with her. Whoop-dee-doo. Talk about a flat catalyst.
There is supposed to be a set of main characters we can all identify with, but we fail to in this case. It might be a gender barrier issue (in my case), it could be the period it’s set in (way before my time). Whatever it is, here is the problem that the trailer makes apparent: the target audience is too narrow. Mr Reiner’s speciality is romantic, lovey-dovey films that are meant to teach us something about ourselves. I have no problem with this, I appreciate the dude’s films, but I have a hard time relating to anything that is going on here.
It’s a celebratory and nostalgic piece, but if the majority of movie-goers (I count myself in this category) are not addressed, the picture will fail. Winning the Heartland’s Truly Moving Award does not help either. It made me cringe a bit, to be frank. It confirms what the trailer exposes the film as: this is a sentimental charade. The film looks like it could be mildly entertaining but purposeless. Period pieces need something new about them. I see none here. It is (probably) sweet but boring.
The structure trailer itself emphasises my point. It is chronological and linear, but the voice over is too broken up and with gaps too wide in between to compensate for the lack of character depth. Paradoxically, this creates an unstructured trailer, meaning you need to watch it a few times before you can assemble the pieces. The snazzy soundtrack does not make up for it either. The bland performances are meaningless, unexciting. I don’t know how many more words I need to describe this film?
Rob Reiner’s nostalgia piece suits no one but himself and his age group.
UK release date: 12/11/10
THE AMERICAN
George Clooney. I am not what you would call a fan. I don’t swoon over him like so many other women; I am not fascinated by his acting. But I can definitely appreciate it when he does good work. This is one of those times.
The American is a thriller about a spy’s last job and happens to get involved with the enemy (put very simply). It is directed by Anton Corbijn, whose debut feature was the critically acclaimed Control about Joy Division’s singer Ian Curtis. A step far away from the narrative of Control, this film looks like it could be a great piece for Clooney. It suits his age, his acting style and is generally a role that comes at a very good time for him as an actor. It is Michael Clayton and Syriana, without the politics. It is a film about making the right choices at a particular time in one’s life.
The trailer is stylish and presents the picture as a big production. The sound design is pitch-perfect and the camera work very suave. The soundtrack is eerie and enjoyable; it avoids the usual sturm and drang effect most thriller soundtracks have, which most certainly sets it apart from the average Hollywood spy movie.
Despite the plot not being incredibly original, it is quite engaging. It has come in many other formats (as have almost all plots). It is straightforward and unorthodox for spy thrillers. The American looks like a film that can pull its own weight and move from screen to viewer with ease. Even to someone like me, i.e. not a middle-aged, silver-haired American fellow, I can still relate to it to a certain extent. I find myself dying to find out how he will cope with his dilemmas, what journey his persona will go through and what the outcome will be. It is a film about loneliness and self-understanding, a character piece that could potentially go deep into this Western man’s psyche. It could be tense, pressurised or sensitive. I hope for a mixture of all three.
Oscar material? I think so.
UK release date: 26/11/10
MARY AND MAX
Once or twice a year, a little, touching and heart-warming film comes along that not only brightens up your day but teaches you or reminds you of important lessons you once learned but forgot in your adult years. I like to think most of these come in the form of animation. Last year’s prime example was Pixar's Up. This year, it’s Mary and Max.
I don’t know a lot about animation. In fact, at film festivals, I opt out of seeing them as live motion is something I hold dearer than (forgive me for the use of the word) cartoons. The fact that this story is based on a true tale and is an animation is an important – if not the major - quality of this movie. Had it been shot in live action, you can only imagine the mushy drama and overwhelming string-based orchestra music triumphantly blazing through the soundtrack. Yuk.
The TV generation (people who were children in the 1960s and onwards) has grown up with animation. Very rarely is it that someone under 30 has not grown up watching cartoons. So it’s comforting to know that plots like MM are still efficient and made (!) in animation form. It avoids a lot of the trouble with acting that can oftentimes ruin a movie like this and destroy its tenderness, reducing to random elements we, the spectators, are supposed to piece together. Animation touches us to the core, as it allows space for emotion. We don’t need to think as much about actors’ performances (not in the same way at least) and it gives us ample opportunity to watch the plot unfold. A simple tale deserves a simple layout.
There isn’t much else to say about this trailer. It presents the characters well and although you might already have an idea where the story is going to end, it is acceptable. The point is the exploration of character and of their relationship, in order to bring back into our lives elements we may have lost. To think that the catalyst derives from a child’s mind (Mary) is fantastic and is something everyone can connect with. It is not naïve, but tender, sweet and hopeful.
It’s a film that is clever and comforting. Get the Kleenexes out everyone.
UK release date: 22/10/10
Louise-Afzal Faerkel
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