Category: trh movie

You know, knowing the end of this film brought tears to my eyes just watching the trailer. There’s something that sort of catches in your throat when you see it in a three-dimensional way that even Krakauer’s book, as fascinating as it is, just didn’t manage.

But it makes for an interesting debate: by turning nonfiction into fiction, in a way like this movie, does it diminish the story or heighten it?

I guess I’ll have to go and see it to answer the question.

On Thursday night we went to see a preview screening of The Simpsons Movie. As I’m not the biggest Simpsons fan in my household, that honour goes to the RRHB, who was quite excited that we got passes to a preview screening. It was at the CN Tower, which was a very strange place to see a film, but whatever, a free movie is a free movie.

And I don’t want to give too much away, especially about the funny gags and super-sharp writing, but will say this, if you’re any kind of fan, had seen the show at least once, and, well, don’t live under a rock, you’ll laugh. I mean, it’s basically an extended episode with some hijinks that aren’t suitable for prime time thrown in, and it was totally entertaining in all the right ways.

But if I had to be totally, totally honest, I’m pleased we got to see it for free because I’m not 100% sure that I’d pay full-price at the multiplex for it. Not that it matters as we paid just as much to park as we would have for the tickets anyway, so perhaps that’s a moot point.

Yet another film I had to review for Chart this weekend, I watched a DVD screener of Catch and Release. Starring Jennifer Garner, Timothy Olyphant, Kevin Smith and Juliette Lewis, the film meanders and aimlessly moves around in a far too subtle way to be effective over the course of its almost two hour run time.

Set adrift after the death of her fiancé, Gray (yes, that’s her name, yawn) has to learn to live without Grady, who dies off screen and is never seen in the film with the exception of a few photographs. With her perfect life ruined, oh-so subtly symbolized by the beautiful wedding flowers being turned back at the door and the gorgeous cake rotting away in the fridge, Gray doesn’t quite know where to turn. So she bunks down with Grady’s friends, Sammy (played by director Kevin Smith) and Dennis (newcomer Sam Jaeger). Oh, and let’s not forget Fritz (where did Grant come up with such ridiculous names?), the LA-living bad boy who boffs a waitress in the bathroom during the wake at Grady’s mother’s house, and who becomes Gray’s love interest.

The movie feels so predictable, even though you know it’s trying hard not to be—so of course, problems from Grady’s past surface that she had no idea about (really?) in the form of Maureen (Juliette Lewis), a woman from his good time days when he was out in LA visiting Fritz (I can’t type that name without feeling like it’s just so ridiculous). And it’s hard, because you can see the vibe that Grant is going for, sort of akin to the films of the utterly and always brilliant Allison Anders, where it’s more subtle and sensitive than your typical studio picture. But Catch and Release never truly shows the heart of say a film like Things Behind the Sun or Grace of My Heart.

Essentially, the biggest problem with Catch and Release is that none of it really feels organic, and nothing feels more forced in this picture than the setting. And maybe it’s a problem with the writing or maybe with the performances, although elements of both are truly lovely, so I can’t quite put my finger on why it doesn’t work. The film is wistful when it should have been hard hitting, obscure where it should have been obvious, and derivative when it should have gone in another direction.

(Explaining the worst made-for-TV moment would spoil the middle of the film so I won’t go there but just trust me to say that you’d roll your eyes too).

The trouble with the movie, I think, that in order to see the impact of Grady’s death on Gray’s life, there had to be more than little reminders of the way it used to be. There’s not enough there to understand why she’s so lost, there’s nothing of her previous person there to examine the impact of the tragic moments. In fact, there’s little in terms of motivation for many of the main players, which leaves you wanting more, despite how well Grant tries to set up the situations.

I did, however, listen to the entire commentary track between Grant and Kevin Smith, which was, of course, hilarious and insightful. At one point, he talks about how much he hated the ‘outdoorsy’ aspects of the film, stating that he’d rather sit down and watch four films in a day than spent it fly fishing. At that moment, I felt like writing a fan letter to him that started, “even though we’re both happily married, if you were ever looking for that girl to sit down and watch all those movies with…” Heh. Sigh.

Regardless, I read a few reviews that really criticized Smith’s performance, but I didn’t feel that way at all. I thought all the actors, including the normally over-“acting” Jennifer Garner, did a really good job with the material. I just felt like the script would have worked so much better as a novel, where Grant, as a writer, could have had more time to explore the absent back story, and could have filled in some of the missing pieces.

Anyway, I didn’t get much of my own writing done this weekend for the watching of all these films and the writing of the subsequent reviews. And now this week is just so busy that I’m afraid another week will pass before I actually get to send anything to my mentor at Humber. I’m not so happy about that. I’m feeling the pressure actually.

Well, I went to Georgia Rule for Chart this past week, and my ‘official’ review is here in case you’re a little bit curious. As I hated this film, there might be spoilers in this review, so if you’re going to go and see it, then don’t read this. Okay? That should be sufficient warning, no?

Annnywaaay. While everyone else in the theatre laughed at the ridiculous jokes and silly situations, Tara and I sat there stone-faced and serious. In addition to not finding a single part of the film remotely funny, I also felt disgusted that films like this, films that must obviously hate women, actually still get made in this day and age.

And it’s not like Garry Marshall, the director, or Mark Andrus, the screenwriter, has ever met a woman that lives outside the deep-seeded stereotypes tossed into this picture. Lindsay Lohan, who plays Rachel, the main character, is a mixed up teenager whose been sexually assaulted by her stepfather. So she’s jaded, confused, and forms attachments to men based on the wrong sorts of emotions. Right, but it’s not like the film actually explores any of the more serious implications of Rachel’s abuse to her life, oh no, instead it’s all one big joke—and when she finally confesses the abuse, a ‘did she or didn’t she’ back and forth forms the central “plot” for the film.

The two people caught in the middle of Rachel’s confessions: her grandmother Georgia (Jane Fonda) and mother Lilly (Felicity Huffman) either believe her without a doubt (the former) or think she’s just lying again, like she has all of her life (the latter). There’s multi-generational breakdown happening here because Lilly has rebelled all of her life against Georgia, and has become a serious alcoholic in the years that saw her flee from her mother’s house and into the arms of her successful divorce attorney (natch) of an evil husband, played by Cary Elwes.

As the stereotypes pile up, Rachel finds herself dumped in Hull, Idaho, where Georgia, alongside her infamous “rules” (dinner’s at six, no exceptions; if you live with her you need to work, no exceptions; don’t take the Lord’s name in vain, if so, wash your mouth out with soap, no exceptions). These same rules caused Lilly’s own rebellion but Rachel finds some sort of solace with her grandmother, but not that this is even explored in the film, as anything approaching an emotional connection is glossed over by sitcom-inspired comedy and unfunny one-liners.

All of the women in this film make bad decisions with no explanations really for their actions. There are no consequences necessarily either, in fact, very little actually happens in this film. In a vain attempt to get the audience on side, every single situation that should have some sort of emotional impact is maligned by some sort of pale attempt at a joke. Lohan changes skimpy outfits and screams a lot. Huffman falls down drunk a lot. Fonda pinches up her face a lot. In short, it’s embarrassing for all of them.

And I can’t help but think that feminism hasn’t really advanced in any way if multi-million dollar studios are still branding dreck like this as a ‘chick flick’ and expecting women to flock in droves into the theatres. These are not real women. Nothing about them feels authentic. The PG-rating betrays the serious issues in the film; you can’t feel anything for Rachel except exhaustion. She’s tired, the film’s tired, the comedy is tired, the direction is tired, I could go on, but I’m sure you get the point.

I get the feeling that both the director and the screenwriter are out of touch with a modern world. I get the feeling that the actors tried, with the exception of Lohan, to make the most out of the substandard material. But I also feel that if a filmmaker is going to take on serious subjects, like sexual molestation, there should be a level of commitment to the material that goes beyond wanting to create conflict. There’s none of that here, and even when the ending comes around, despite the saccharine nature of the scene, you’re left feeling dirty for sitting through this picture in the first place.