Review: A Serious Man

The Coen brothers craft another unique and wonderful tale. Set in a Minnesota Jewish community, A Serious Man, is the story of Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg). Larry is a middle-aged Physics professor who is facing all sorts of life obstacles. The story follows Larry and his son Danny (Aaron Wolff) through their normal, everyday lives. But both characters are at an age where their lives are at a crossroads. Larry is waiting to see if he is going to be awarded tenure. Danny is preparing for his bar mitzvah.

While these major events worry Larry, there are many other things that get in the way. His wife wants a divorce, his family doesn’t respect him, and his life is starting to come to an important crossroads. Michael Stuhlbarg does an amazing job of unraveling throughout the movie. He slowly loses his grip as he is continually bombarded with the trials and tribulations of daily life. His acting genius is in his subtlety, and because Stuhlbarg is a relative unknown audiences will be more willing to buy into the character. Nearly all of the cast are relative unknowns, nothing the Coens’ can’t handle. They managed to get some great performances out of these actors. Most of the actors are very characterized and seem much like caricatures. Their appearances are a key part of their performances. The realistic environment they created feels so legitimate because all the characters are so authentic and genuine.

The story starts a little slowly. Larry and his situations take a little while to unravel and reveal. And once everything comes to fruition it moves rather quickly. Which is not a major flaw, but it feels like a bit of a shock after the slow beginning but that helps to add to the emotion. The events are very normal, they are very conceivable, and they happen to normal people. Watching a purely middle of the road, normal person go through these events can be riveting. Stuhlbarg does a fantastic job of navigating through these events. Sailing through unsteady seas and trying his best to hold himself together.

With a simple story, a wonderfully bland cast, and authentic retro-Americana settings, A Serious Man is another masterfully crafted Coen Brothers’ American epic.

4/5

Avatar and the Sequel Problem

Contains spoilers from Avatar.

Avatar is most assuredly headed for franchise status, but it's going to take some effort. James Cameron said he wanted to make it a trilogy if it did well, … it did well. We’ll have to see about the sequels. They are going to definitely sell, but are they going to be good is the real question.

Most sci-fi franchises do well because they have such a large scope. They have such a large setting that the possibilities are seemingly endless, and the creators are able to expand exponentially.

Star Wars is all about Luke breaking out and exploring what’s beyond his home planet. The series starts in space and throughout the first movie they mention and visit multiple planets. This makes for a very open universe, making for many possibilities. There are innumerable storylines in the Star Wars universe; book series, cartoon series, etc.

Star Trek is entirely based on a voyage of exploration. The very first words on the show are “Space, the final frontier”. The mission of any and every crew is to “explore strange, new worlds”. This left the original series very open ended, an essential for TV. This was a huge help to the franchise because it allowed them to make 6 TV series and 11 movies, with more movies on the way.

The problem is that Avatar is smaller, it focused just on the planet of Pandora. Not that they can’t expand (because they will), but the more room to roam the better.

One of my favorite parts about science fiction movies that Avatar did well was to not overly explain the situation. Children of Men did this well also. There is a lot of interesting future technology; machines, computers, vehicles. But they don’t spend any time to explain or dwell on these advancements. The audience is forced to piece everything together, make the connections and find their own explanations. I love this in movies. It moves everything along, doesn’t slow the movie down to explain fictional scientific processes.

Avatar still has plenty of options with the storyline they have set up now. They can make prequel movies about Jake as a Marine. Perhaps he was injured in a great battle on Earth, or even on another alien planet. They can explore Pandora more, but that could be too similar to the original and end up feeling too recycled.

If it were me, I would have filmed a scene or added some lines to potentially make room for a sequel. Give the Colonel a line about how what Jake is doing on Pandora doesn’t stop humans on other planets. Have Parker mutter something about being able to harvest other planets when he is being marched away. Even though those seem a little cliché and cheesy, they allow for an obvious sequel.

There is no doubt that James Cameron and his crew will be making more Avatar movies, but they will need to really work hard on a solid storyline to take it from a single movie sensation to a potential franchise.

Review: Up in the Air

Up in the Air is the story of Ryan Bingham (George Clooney), a middle-aged man whose job requires him to travel all across the country and fire people for their bosses. His company also helps to find new jobs for these people. Since he travels so much, he has very few ties to hold him down. He feels at ease when he’s traveling. When traveling he meets Alex (Vera Farmiga), another frequent traveler just like him, and they start a casual relationship. Then at work, Ryan gets called back to headquarters where he is introduced to Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick) and her cost cutting plans for the company. She wants to make all the firings happen over video, meaning no need to travel. Ryan and Natalie argue and their boss decides to have Natalie follow Ryan on the road. Along the way Ryan begins to soften on his loner philosophies.

Jason Reitman as a director has a huge advantage. With such a famous father, but he is earning respect through his work. His first two films (Thank you for Smoking and Juno) were funny, poignant, and charming. Up in the Air makes it three in a row for Reitman. This movie was great. George Clooney is refined as always. He brings respectability and a charm to all of his roles. He seems so stoic through every changing situation his character faces. Considering his job is to fire people he has to remain calm and consoling even if people are devastated. He is in such a routine that his confidence is sky high and blaringly noticeable. But he is a very sympathetic character when his world and his views begin changing. He develops by unfolding only a little, visibly he remains the same, even though below the surface he is facing great changes. The only way to notice this inner-dilemma is through his eyes.

It’s hard to shine in a scene with George Clooney, but some of these actors manage to stand equal. Vera Farmiga (Orphan, The Departed) is elegant. She is a wonderful parallel to Clooney’s character. They play off each other so well. Their chemistry is nonchalant but still determinedly flirty. Then there are the scenes with Clooney and Anna Kendrick (Twilight series). They fight and bicker brilliantly. They take quick shots at each other, and at some points the dialogue is hilarious (my favorite bit is about men putting their names on buildings). Nearly all the minor characters shine. Jason Bateman is great at the sarcastic boss. Sam Elliott makes an appearance as a pilot; just having Sam Elliott dole out advice is enough to count as a good cameo (see: The Big Lebowski). J.K. Simmons and Zack Galifianakis make great cameos as victims of Clooney’s firing. I wish there was some more of Zach Galifianakis, his scene moves a little too quickly. Danny McBride does a great job as a future brother-in-law who gets cold feet. He is simple, sincere, and full of heart. Very much unlike his usual man-child persona.

The movie looks slick. The visuals are mostly great, there are a few camera moves that took away from the crispness of the look, but those were rare. As with his previous efforts, Reitman’s movies have soundtracks that match the quaint feeling of his movies. The opening credit song was, for the third time, a perfect start to the movie.

Up in the Air is another great movie from Reitman. Clooney shines, and the supporting cast holds their own. The music and the visuals mesh together to make this a pristine and shiny presentation. It’s won a lot of critical praise for a good reason. It’ll get some Oscar attention for the cast, but I don’t think anyone will win. It wouldn’t be shameful to wait and see this one on DVD, it’s worth a watch, but there are some better pure theater experiences right now.

Rating: 4/5

Review: Avatar

Avatar is the story of Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) who is a paraplegic ex-Marine whose twin brother was a scientist destined for the alien planet of Pandora to do research. Jake takes his place in the Avatar Program. The Avatar Program puts scientists and researchers in bodies of native creatures, the Na’vi, that have been created for the scientists so they can survive on the planet. Jake takes over his brother’s avatar and the head scientist Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver) assigns him as security. While in the forest Jake gets lost and is assisted by Neytiri (Zoe Saldana). The humans are on Pandora to mine an energy source called unobtanium. Head of the mining program Parker Selfridge (Giovanni Ribisi) and military commander Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) have sinister plans to move the Na’vi and destroy the landscape for mining.

Avatar has already grossed $1,137,846,909, according to Box Office Mojo, so my opinion on this movie will not change its commercial success. No matter what I have to say people will still stream into the theater and pay good money to watch it.

Let’s get some of my negatives out of the way first. I am not nearly as cynical and embittered towards big-budget movies as I used to be, but there are a lot of things about Avatar that don’t sit right with me. All the legal issues and questions surrounding the originality of the movie bothered me. The animated films Delgo and Battle for Terra both have threatened legal action. Neither really have much legal merit. However, the film Call me Joe might have a case. If you want to learn more about it Cinema Blend has the story. Plus, James Cameron is responsible for Titanic. So, with all of that I went into the theater very skeptical and guarded, but the movie surprised me.

The experience was amazing. I went to see Avatar in Digital 3-D at Regal Cinemas. The visuals are stupendous, and in 3-D there is another added level to the experience. The special effects take it to another level. James Cameron promised that this would revolutionize filmmaking and usher in a new era, and he may not be wrong. There are several examples of all digital filmmaking, Beowulf and The Polar Express among them, none of which have been overly successful. Even though Avatar isn’t entirely digital, its digital scenes stand head and shoulders above any of those movies. The experience is entirely new and wonderful. The landscapes are magical, the floating mountains are majestic, and the forests are beautiful and alive with unique plant life. It is clear that a lot of imagination went into creating this world. And these visuals prop up the rest of the movie. It is easy to get lost in how beautiful the world is.

The alien creatures are interesting, but they don’t seem entirely original. Most of the creatures seem very similar to creatures in other movies, they reminded me of creatures from Star Wars II and III. The Na’vi were very well made. They moved very fluidly. Zoe Saldana (Star Trek) did an amazing job. Her moves and mannerisms were consistent, which is very important. There was some good acting all around. Sigourney Weaver (Alien, Ghostbusters) is no stranger to Science Fiction. Sam Worthington (Terminator: Salvation) is shaping up to a promising action hero. Giovanni Ribisi (Saving Private Ryan) did a great job as a scheming executive and was surprisingly evil.

In the end, it's definitely a benchmark film. It will be remembered as a great movie for the way it advanced effects. Few movies can have a great script and a great look. It doesn’t break any new ground with its story. At any given point it can seem like (or look like) Pocahontas, Dances with Wolves, or Star Wars. But even Star Wars is a cowboy-samurai space movie at its core. It will get some obligatory Oscar attention. James Cameron, Zoe Saldana, and the visual effects crew will most likely get nomination. It's going to spark a lot of other filmmakers to be more adventurous and arduous with special effects. But it's probably going to be overshadowed in the movies that follow up. It is always a tougher road for the pioneers. It was enjoyable and really cool in 3D. It’s definitely worth a watch in theaters.

Rating: 3.5/5