> Harry,
>
> It's Mr. Classy, Uncle Bukkake, reporting from Sundance 2011.
>
> First, at the outset, I am glad to read that you are on the road to recovery.
>
> Second, and this aside has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the movie I am about to review, but as I sit here at Doolan's in Park City with a rather wicked "snow" sunburn, I would like to collectively punch in the face (or other undefined sections of the human anatomy) every rat fink conservative fellow who opines that there is no global warming problem. I have not seen one hint of snow since my arrival on Tuesday morning. Park City, at the moment, feels like Burbank, except with a minor breeze and lots of people wearing ridiculous headwear. Oh, and movie patrons here throw around the words "visually stunning" and "aesthetically pleasing" more frequently than at the Burbank AMC.
>
> But, I digress. Let's turn to Mark Pellington's "I Melt With You," which I took in last night at the Eccles Theater. Mr. Pellington's movie is cinematic napalm, a divisive, flashy, in-your-face disaster of a movie that crashes and burns well before its troubling and puzzling final act.
>
> I really wanted to love this film. The first forty-five minutes suggests that Mr. Pellington, an accomplished music video director and somewhat successful filmmaker, might well craft a story which details the excruciating aftermath of youthful promise that is unfulfilled. The movie initiates with awe-inspiring camera work and a promising set-up. Four lifetime friends in their forties, played memorably by Rob Lowe, Jeremy Piven, Thomas Jane, and Christian McKay, meet every year in a different location (this time, Big Sur) for a "lost weekend" in which memories of a "better time" are revisited and recounted in the course of a drug orgy that would make Hunter S. Thompson, in his prime, take pause. Each of these actors are first-rate, particularly during the first act, in which their emotional scars are carefully dissected with nuanced performances. Mr. Lowe is plagued by professional and personal failures. Mr. Piven is facing indictment for his financial investments. Mr. Jane "settles" on teaching after a perceived failure at a writing career when his novel "only" remained on the New York Times Best Seller List for two weeks. In particular, Mr. Jane's backstory is perhaps the most realized and his performance is mesmerizing and worthy of recognition.
>
> I left Mr. McKay's surprise "reveal" for the end, because it ignites a second half of the movie that is completely unexpected and will surely polarize audiences. Unfortunately, after initially being blown away from the visuals and outstanding performances, this reveal and the subsequent fallout left me emotionally detached from the finale and ultimately unsatisfied. At the outset, Mr. McKay's performance is rather solid and I look forward to watching this gentleman's career more carefully than before. Regardless, his "reveal" (which I will not ruin), although poignant, sets into motion a chain of events which inexplicably mutates this movie from the traditional guy "road trip" flick into some kind of unsuccessful, horrific, and nightmarish denouement.
>
> I will not reveal the "turn," only to say that the decisions these characters make are not rational, completely out of character, and not earned. It is puzzling to me why Mr. Pellington, who is obviously super talented, would helm a script that becomes completely illogical and contrary to the meaningful set-up. I wanted this movie to be a reflection of the emotions that many of us feel in our 30's and 40's when our unrealized professional and social dreams slowly fade from reality to distant reminders of our former selves who we no longer recognize. Instead, Mr. Pellington relies upon a distant "pact" amongst the friends as some sort of statement on our "doomed" generation.
> Despite my reaction to the second half, I still have to recommend the movie because it takes extraordinary chances (sometimes to its detriment), will facilitate extensive discussions between its supporters and detractors, and if nothing else, allows for some gifted actors to chew the scenery and display their extensive talents. Oh, and did I mention that Sasha Grey is naked in the movie? This alone is worth the price of admission (at least, if you do not own a computer and can watch her "emote" for free). And, I note that Ms. Grey is actually effective in her scenes with Mr. McKay.
>
> If you use this review - and you MUST - you know how to identify this fella.
>
> Uncle B.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
I melt with You
Margin Call
Margin Call is a thriller that revolves around the key people at a investment bank over a 24-hour period during the early stages of the financial crisis. That is the description direct from IMDB. It really is about Lehman Brothers and the chain of command dramatics that took place after the Yale equation that all trading was based on was found to fail in projections - and that the problem had already started two weeks prior. The acting from Kevin Spacey really stood out - he delivers subtle expression and fierce delivery when his character is pressed on "doing the right thing" - which is up for interpretation and ultimately up to the audience to decide what that means. Paul Bettany plays Spacey's boss with a slick persona - you will find these higher ups do not really understand the markets and rely on mid-levels to interpret the numbers. One of the most memorable scenes is when Jeremy Irons character - the head of the institution - tells Zachary Quinto's analyst character to "explain it to me like you would a young girl or a golden retriever". The whole movie played out really well and kept the audience engaged with strong acting. To relieve the dramatic tension there are humorous moments sprinkled in that I believe were not meant to elicit laughs, but as history has played out appealed humorously to this audience as retrospect was factored in. I enjoyed this movie more than I did Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps - the acting in Margin Call paired with a good script really made it for me. I highly recommend this film!
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line for Margin Call
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
welcome subscribers!
Welcome Amy and Roger to the best Sundance review blog on the internetz!
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Drinks prior to boarding!
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