Winter's Bone

On this past most sunny, yet gloomy Sunday (for me), I decided to sojourn to the local artsy movie theater. I chose a movie with the most interesting movie poster. Blessedly, that movie was "Winter's Bone," and I picked it because there was a beautiful, soulful-looking blonde girl in a boat with what looked like elderly Native American men flanking her on either side. During my viewing I found that the old men were actually leathery, meth-addled women, but wasn't disappointed.

WB tells the story of Ree Dolly, a tough-as-nails 17 year old taking care of a mentally ill mother and two young siblings in the Ozarks. Her father is a career "crack cooker," who's put the family home up as bail bond. This leaves Ree in the most dire of pickles, as dad is nowhere to be found and if he misses his court date, the house will be taken and her family put out into the fields. It's up to Ree to track him down and save her family, penetrating the local drug network and turning to her drug-addicted, browbeaten uncle for help.

Jennifer Lawrence ("The Bill Engvall Show" and upcoming "X-Men: First Class") is a new breed of heroine. In the kind of role any young, serious actress would ache for, she reveals a weary but impressive stoicism as Ree. The sole functioning adult in the Dolly family, she tends her little siblings with the tenderness of both a mother and an older sister, ruffling their hair, cooking them dinner, and teaching them how to shoot a rifle. Forgive my prejudice, but the level of commitment she brings to the character and her obvious understanding of who her character is, was surprising to me for several reasons. One, Jennifer is only 19, has only a few credits under her belt, and is so strikingly beautiful that I relished every moment looking at her face. I'm no lesbian, but the girl is beautiful.

There are so many masterful and excellent nuances to her performance, and I just wish I were more articulate so I could properly explore them here. But Jennifer Lawrence is going to be a big deal. Mark my words.

Two more performances stand out for me. One is John Hawkes ("Deadwood") as Uncle Teardrop. I think I felt for him so much because he reminded me of my great-uncle's son. Looked so much like him, dressed like him... In fact, a lot of these characters brought me back to home. Uncle Teardrop is not especially close to his niece, but he steps in out of loyalty to his mislaid brother and helps Ree suss out the truth. One of the themes of the film is family ties, and at first we are led to believe that blood is weak here, in these barren, trashy fields and lanes, but the moments in which one person reaches out to another or extends himself are heartbreakingly touching. All the more so because the director isn't trying to elicit feelings from the audience; there's no weepy orchestra to cheat us of our tears nor overdue declarations of love from the characters. Things are what they are: pitiful, bare-bones, and difficult for the people who live here. Fawkes is perfect as the drug-dependent, unkempt, rough old bastard who comes through for his niece.

Another great performance comes from Dale Dickey, a fellow Knoxvillian, as Merab, relative of Uncle Teardrop and Ree, and matriarch of a powerful clan of meth-cookers. She was perfect, both because she knows exactly the type of person Merab is and because she, like everyone else I've mentioned, committed. Hardened, tired, and menacing, she's equally horrendous and captivating. She and her family are just, however backwards or callous it may appear to us, and they protect those things which are important to them.

Winter's Bone is a masterful movie. It's not uplifting, it's not pleasant, but it's honest. It has a lot of heart and understanding to it, and I am so glad I had such a bad day and went to escape at the movie theater. It reminded me of exactly why I want to be an actor and that, my friends, is just what I needed.

5/5 stars for Winter's Bone

Movie Review: Fish Tank

"Fish Tank" has won several major awards in the UK and is noteworthy both for the performance of its lead, Kate Jarvis, a non-actor who was cast after being seen screaming at her boyfriend in a train station, and the bleak, soulless atmosphere of an Essex compound. Other reviewers have pointed out that Jarvis never acts during the film, but this is an ungenerous estimation. She is certainly an engaging, unique presence in the film and those who say she never acts have obviously never acted.

Mia is an angry, repressed 15 year old living with an abusive mother and a foul-mouthed little sister. Her life is confined to the concrete premises of her apartment complex and the ugly, barren landscapes surrounding it. Her only means of expression is street dancing, which she breaks into empty apartments to perform. She also steals alcohol and fights with a gang of girls. It's not until her mother's new boyfriend, Connor (played by Michael Fassbender), arrives that her life brightens, however dimly. He's kind-hearted and behaves fatherly towards the girls, but his gaze lingers on Mia for too long and the two begin to experience a strange chemistry.

It's an exceptionally-crafted film. With documentary-style camera work, long shots of the gritty surroundings, and realistic, colorful dialogue, "Fish Tank" certainly deserves its accolades. Mia's life is pitiful and the movie gives us some promise of hope, both in Connor and a dance audition Mia longs for, but these are not the trappings of Hollywood. Other reviewers question why the director never delivers Mia from her horrible reality, but the answer to that is simple. Sometimes, people DON'T make it. The film ends with Mia leaving her home for a different city, but even this feels hollow and empty. What is there ahead for Mia but struggle?

Kate Jarvis is natural and understated in her role. She did a magnificent job in her first acting job with absolutely no prior training or experience. Michael Fassbender brings the most humanity to the film and while it would be easy to peg his Connor as a sexual predator, taking advantage of an underage girl, you simply can't hold him at fault. Life is, as they say, complicated and people are subject to the laws of karma. Good people do less than stellar things, and he's no exception. He's also really sexy.

Avatar

Avatar is a truly awesome film.

James Cameron's latest film starring Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana is a visually stunning masterpiece that campaigns both for tolerating the differences of others and treating nature with respect. Both messages are important and speak to viewers, largely because we've made such a mess of our relationships with each other and our planet. The world of Pandora is beautiful, vibrant, and healthy. It is occupied by majestic natives who thank animals for their meat, communicate with trees, and generally do everything that we in the real world do not and have not done for centuries.

In America, we slaughtered Native Americans and stole their land, wielding technology and materialistic greed like clubs to pound forests and decimate whole populations of animals. We kill ancient trees to make way for homes and shopping malls. Smoke from our machines permeates the sky. We take urine from over-bred mares, then slaughter their foals. Amphibians are deformed from chemicals we pour into their environment. Foxes and chinchillas are clubbed to death, or anally-electrocuted for their pelts. Girls menstruate at alarmingly young ages, and more and more women suffer from PCOS, all because our food and environment is contaminated with chemicals and growth hormones.

If there's a way to utilize and manipulate, then by God human beings will find it.

A number of people find themselves depressed after viewing "Avatar," a reaction that the media and even members of the psychological community have scoffed at. They tell these people to plug into the real world and find real meaning there. But how, I ask, can they expect people to do anything but ache for a world in which humanoids live in perfect health and harmony with their bodies and the world around them? In which they have no desire to destroy and waste resources? In which their bodies are strong, healthy, and limber, not fat and corrupted by chemicals and processed foods?

There is an epidemic of depression in this country. The majority of people's lives are empty and filled with work and worry. To escape, they turn to drugs, alcohol, and unhealthy foods. They do anything to not feel like themselves, anything to enliven their perception of reality for a few moments. Our lives feel meaningless because we fill them with meaninglessness: fleeting, shallow indulgences and joyless tasks. A lucky few have the courage to hoist themselves out of the mud. These are the people who pursue their dreams, who read, write, sculpt, paint, create beautiful music, travel, and act. These are the people from whom we can learn a great lesson.

To those who are depressed, hopeless, and downtrodden, you are the only people capable of transforming yourselves and the planet. You can do that by keeping your dreams and ideals alive. Take care of your body, let its maintenance become an art to you. Exercise and eat clean. Processed foods will not bring you to your ideal. Pursue your interests and read, read, read, read. Listen to beautiful or passionate music until your heart beats in resonance with it. Be kind to other people. Don't listen to others who tell you your dreams are stupid or unrealistic. If you are capable of the dreaming, then it becomes part of a higher reality. God doesn't give you these abilities to taunt you. The presence of God and Imagination is an indication of endless possibility.

Films like "Avatar" are a gift. Don't misconstrue their meaning to your own detriment. The time to act is now.


"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back-- Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth that ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now."

-Goethe

Sunday's Movie: Martyrs

Yes, this is Sunday's Movie on Tuesday. Get over it.

"Martyrs" is a French film that came out in 2008... What can I say about it? It's not for sensitive people. You'd have to be a strange person to enjoy it. However, it had an impact on me (however unpleasant) and I admire it for being original and unapologetic. It's the definition of "horror," when so many crappy, cliched, unimaginative, and unscary movies belong to the genre.

The movie begins with a young girl, nearly naked and bruised, hair shorn closely to her head, running down a slummy street. She is fleeing from someone and in incomprehendible terror. Her name is Lucie and she is taken to an orphanage, where she meets another little girl named Anna. They become the closest of friends. Anna has her own troubled past, but it pales in comparison with what Lucie has experienced... Though we never learn the true nature of that experience until much later. The two cling to one another.

15 years later. A family sits down to breakfast. Mom, Dad, Brother, Sister. They eat breakfast, laugh, chat about school activities. Their house is richly-furnished and filled with light. Someone rings the doorbell. Dad goes to answer...

I won't say any more. "Martyrs" is a highly original and disturbing film. When I say disturbing, I mean it's reached a level people like Eli Roth and Quentin Tarantino have only dreamed of, and then wake up screaming for their mommies. "Hostel" is Saturday cartoons compared to this movie. If you choose to watch this movie, I highly recommend you don't eat or watch it with anyone else in the room. I have watched, read, and heard horrible, disgusting, and unpardonable materials. This film knocked me on my ass. It's the most disturbing movie I've seen, bar none.

So my recommendation is to watch it, but only if you like having every particle of regard for humanity sucked from your veins. And then drunk by a demon and urinated out onto a heap of rotting heads.

Heathers: Morbid Movie, Morbid Realities

I was shocked to discover that Kim Walker, who played Heather Chandler in the delightful "Heathers," died in 2001. She was just 32.

"Did you have a brain tumor for breakfast?"

This was one of her fiestiest lines in the film.

Imagine my further shock when I found out that Kim Walker died from a brain tumor...

Another actor from the film named Jeremy Applegate, who played the yearbook editor, committed suicide with a shotgun several years ago. He was just 35. He never did much else apart from "Heathers." His biggest role was in a movie that dealt with suicide...

I find all of this information to be highly depressing.

Sunday's Movie: Beyond the Valley of the Dolls

I first chanced upon this gem one night on IFC. This movie follows the formula of "The Valley of the Dolls": young women thrown into sex, drugs, violence, and emotional turmoil. However, this is not a "sequel" and unlike the aforementioned film, it's not all very serious. In fact, it's bizarre and comical.

Interestingly, Robert Ebert wrote the script. He was partly inspired by the Manson Family murders. "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" follows Kelly, Casey, and Petronella, three ass-kicking musicians, and their rise to fame. They are chaperoned into success by a weird music producer who changes the band's named from The Kelly Affair to The Carrie Nations.

This movie is weird. Delightfully so. For one, you get a whole shebang of flamboyant druggies set against the 60's culture. That's fun stuff. The party scenes are awesome. The camera cuts from one freak to the next, all talking in oftentimes cryptic 60's speech ("I'd like to strap you on sometime!" or "Hey, don't boggart the joint!") Somehow, this never gets boring. It's a colorfully crafted collage of everything that made the 60's so "revolutionary."

For another, the soundtrack rocks. Real life band, The Strawberry Alarm Clock, cameoed and contributed to the music. If you don't know who they are, they did "Incense, Peppermints." However, the real star here is Lynn Carey, who provided the vocals for The Carrie Nations, and she can BELT it. I love this soundtrack, I own it.

Alas, there are elements of horror and drama. Z-Man, the band's producer, loses it and ends up going on a murderous rampage (during which "Deutschland Uber Alles" plays), and the girls all endure personal crises, such as adultery and abortion. I'm not sure if I approve of some of the film's messages. For example, the only female murder victims are lesbian lovers. In fact, they have just been intimate and are in a state of undress when they are murdered. While this might not necessarily indicate any judgement of homosexuals on Ebert's part, the environment and tone of the final scenes suggests otherwise. For another, a main character is guilted into entering into a relationship with a man she feels sorry for, which is validated as "being right" during a preachy voiceover.

The film has its flaws (probably like this review, as I'm extremely tired), but it remains one of my favorites. I've never seen anything like it.

Sunday's Movie: Freeway

"Freeway" is a delightful gem from 1996 starring Reese Witherspoon, Keifer Sutherland, Amanda Plummer, Dan Hedaya, and Brooke Shields. Director and writer Matthew Bright, who also helmed "Ted Bundy" in 2002, gives us a twisted fairy tale based on Little Red Riding Hood.

Vanessa Lutz is an illiterate 15 year old. Her mother and step-father are arrested for solicitation and possession, which leaves her in a tight spot. Desperate to avoid foster care, her last hope is finding her maternal grandmother in Los Angeles. As she embarks on her journey, dressed in a red vinyl jacket and carrying her belongings in a basket, she encounters Bob Wolverton, a serial killer.

The movie has been a favorite of mine since the age of 15. It's clever, darkly humorous, and shot in a very interesting, atmospheric way. Matthew Bright is obviously fascinated with violence (check out his resume), but it never comes across as unnecessary or sadistic in this film. There's definitely graphic violence, as well as crude language, but there are no helpless victims here.

Vanessa is a foul-mouthed spitfire, but she's strong and resourceful. She admirably turns the tables on her attacker and while she IS a criminal, you can't help but be on her side. Sometimes, as painful as it is for us to recognize, people can't be faulted for bad behavior. Vanessa is kick ass. Reese Witherspoon is one of my favorite people in Hollywood. She has had an interesting career and this movie is definitely an accomplishment.

Keifer Sutherland is, as always, masterful in his role. He projects both fatherly kindness and cruel menace.

Matthew Bright has a unique, surreal style and I am thankful to him for this movie. If only he'd hemmed out the script for "Ted Bundy" a little more and perhaps been a bit more discriminating during casting, the movie would have been better.

"Freeway" is his best work. I highly recommend it!