2011: The Year in Film: "The Descendants" Review

Only a solid week late with this review, too. Go me! So it's a miniature Brenner family tradition that we see a movie Christmas eve. Despite my pushing for "Hugo", the 3D scared away the elders, so we settled on the safe choice of an award-baiting George Clooney's collaboration with Alexander Payne. I had (rather) affectionately been referring to this one as "white people problems" due to the setting and subject matter (Hawaii, rich people, really?), but there's no denying the talent of Mr. Clooney, and who doesn't like "Sideways"?, so here we are. It's one of the appeals of film, I suppose, that the setting can psychologically have so much bearing on your viewing experience. During "Girl With The Dragon Tattoo", for instance, I found myself somewhat chilled by the frigid and harsh conditions. During this one, despite seeing it on a 30 degree NW Ohio day, I felt the need to thrown on linen pants and boat shoes, and the setting really is a character all its own.

Movies come in all shapes and sizes, and there's certainly something to be said for the family dramedy, an American institution in and of itself. This flick focuses on a man, Matt King, who happens to be heir (along with his numerous cousins) to the largest untouched part of Hawaii due to an inheritance from the royal family and his two daughters, Scottie and Alex as they deal with the aftermath of a horrible accident involving his wife and their mother. Due to the Rule Against Perpetuities (law school shout out) the trust that has governed the land grant for more than a century is due to expire, and Matt as sole trustee has the final say over what will be done with the pristine coastline worth hundreds of millions.

So let me say that going into this one I was very, very skeptical. Not that I doubted the talent of the people involved, quite the contrary actually, just that I wasn't sure how much dramatic heft a bunch of rich people could possibly pack. And for the first 30 minutes or so, I was convinced that my cynical snarkiness would win the day.. with all of this talk about "land sales" and "boating accidents" and traipsing about law offices and wealthy Honolulu neighborhoods I was prepared to write this one off as one of the root causes of the "Occupy Honolulu" movement. But as the entirety of what this particular family was facing began to set in and the utter humanity of the characters shone through the high-dollar veneer, my cynicism began to fade and that handsome bastard Clooney charmed the pants off of me the way he has countless cocktail waitresses and starlets for the better part of two decades now.



A flick like this simply can't work without a cast that's at once likable and believable. Movie stars can't simply waltz around acting movie-starry if you're going to pull off a small, human drama. Clooney, as the narrator/protagonist, deserves all the hype. He's likable, charming, flawed, funny and above all human as a dad, husband and trustee who's simply in over his head. I've ragged on Clooney for always playing Clooney in the past, and there's a lot of that here, but he brings a certain weariness and vulnerability to the role that really makes Matt a likable and utterly human "hero". The kids are the real stars of this flick though. Amara Miller, who plays 10 year old Scottie, is funny, quirky and most of all completely convincing as a kid reconnecting with dad. Shailene Woodley brings a worldliness (is that a word?) to the elder daughter, forced to grow up far too fast by circumstances, and acting out as a result. You really believe that these people are a family, and that's crucial. Alex's "friend", Sid, is a treat and provides much-needed comic relief in parts.

This is a sweet little flick, at times funny, sad, charming and moving, but it tells a completely human story that just happens to take place in paradise. Is it #richpeopleproblems? Sure, but sometimes people are people, man. These are people with flaws but also charms, and sometimes tough times are just what we need to bring us together.

7.8/10. A good indie family dramedy that ends strong after some early struggles.

2011: The Year in Film: "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" Review

Wow. I suck guys. More than a month with no posts? Well, I saw this one a healthy week ago and intended on getting it up right away but damn things like "Holidays" and "responsibilities" got in the way and RUINED EVERYTHING. But here I am, and for all outward appearances, one could reasonably conclude that I'm a groupie for these stories, I've read all three books, seen the Swedish flicks, and now here I am seeing the American version. Steig Larsson's "millenium trilogy" has more or less swept the world, but I promise I don't like the story THAT much. With that being said, I don't know that there's been a better combination of director and material than David Fincher and Steig Larsson's novels. The books are bleak, twisted, violent and dark, and Fincher often flashes a nihilistic, gritty, violent streak in his work. While Fincher is undoubtedly a strong director with a striking visual style and unquestionable artistic skill, his flicks are often hit or miss for me, missing as often as not for a variety of reasons. We have Alien3 (miss, but not his fault), Se7en (hit), The Game (hit-ish), Fight Club (hit), Panic Room (miss), Zodiac (miss-ish), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (miss) and The Social Network (hit) - so Fincher is 4-4 going into this one. This is no easy task, making this flick. The books are widely beloved, and the Swedish flicks are strong to quite strong, the first installment especially, and probably better cast, at least upon first glance. So let's review this thing, shall we?

These books are popular for a reason, especially this first installment, combining the brutal violence of a crime drama with computer hacking technobabble, political and family intrigue and a healthy dose of sex. In addition, the titular "girl" with said tattoo, Lisbeth Salander, is a unique and compelling protagonist. She's somewhere on the spectrum with a past of emotional, physical and sexual abuse and manipulation, but is also an uber badass, so it combines to create some sort of hacker antiheroine who you can't help but find yourself drawn to. The other protagonist, Mikael Blomkvist, is basically a fantasy version of the author of the series. He's a crusading journalist who brings down whole institutions through his quest for truth and justice, and who all the ladies can't help but bed. It's infantile when it comes down to it, but it's all in good fun.

So here's the set-up, Blomkvist has just been found guilty in a libel trial in Sweden for certain unprovable allegations made against a titan of Swedish industry. His magazine is floundering and he finds himself broke and facing the prospect of jail time. He is approached by a mysterious potential employer, an aging Swedish patriarch whose family owns one of the largest firms in the country, and who finds himself obsessed by a haunting and peculiar mystery that is now more than 40 years old. Meanwhile, Salander uses her hacking skills to be the star investigator at a security firm, while she faces difficulty (to say the least) with her state appointed guardian (she was declared insane as a youth after a horrible act of violence that will be elaborated on in later installments). Eventually Blomkvist seeks help investigating his murder mystery, and is led to Salander, who did a very thorough investigation on him for his new employers. The two join forces, and that, folks, is the basic skeletal outline of your story.

Fincher and the screenwriters made a very good decision in choosing to keep the story set in Sweden. It very easily could have been bastardized and transplanted to the US for American audiences, but this is one case where the setting and rather unique nuances of the Swedish climate and past enrich and assist with the action of the story. When it's boiled down, this story is basically your classic Agatha Christie-style murder mystery dressed up for our modern day and age, and the harsh, dark, cold climate and characters only add to the sense of tension and dread. This flick looks great.. and that's always been Fincher's strong suit, but he certainly does not disappoint here. Most of the flick was shot on location in Sweden, and the sense of pervading cold and isolation is really enhanced through Fincher's visuals and the often haunting and dark score (Fincher brought back NIN's Trent Reznor for another collaboration after last year's Social Network).

But when it comes down to it, this is a flick and a story drawn by characters. A disproportionate amount of time is spent watching characters obsess over books or diaries or pictures or computer screen, and the actors have to be compelling for that to work, or else it ends up looking preposterous. I must admit I had reservations on both main characters, for a number of reasons. First, Blomkvist is a journalist who never displays overly physical characteristics and as a matter of fact is overwhelmed a number of times throughout the books. In addition, he's a 40-something journalist. Daniel Craig is James Bond.. and he's absolutely jacked. I don't think bookish journalists have 10-packs. So I was concerned that Craig wouldn't be able to tone down his machismo for the role. Likewise, Mara, in her first major role, had to slip on some major shoes here, and do a lot of the heavy lifting without much dialogue. It didn't help that the actors who played the characters in the Swedish flicks were damn great. But, both were very, very good and completely demolished all of my concerns, especially Rooney Mara. She brings a smoldering rage and determination to the character, completely making you forget that she's actually an adorable little heiress. Craig dials down the confidence and masculinity enough to make the whole thing believable. I felt like he should have gained 20 lbs and put on a paunch just to add to the authenticity but oh well. Chris Plummer is great as Henrik Vanger and (Swedish!) Stellan Skarsgard is very good as the current President of Vanger industries.


All in all, this flick worked for me. It's often rather intense (one scene of violence in particular), dark and twisted, making it right up Fincher's alley. Fincher's visuals give the flick an often haunting quality, which fit the subject matter beautifully. The cast doesn't get overwhelmed by the intricacies of the plot or the showy visuals, and you never forget that these characters are people first and foremost, with fears and relationships. Even having read the book and seen the Swedish version, I thoroughly enjoyed this one.. I'd think that having NO familiarity with the story and the characters would probably make it even better.

8.5/10