Movie Mondays: A Single Man (2009)

Starring: Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Matthew Goode, Nicholas Hoult

Directed by: Tom Ford

A Single Man, based on the novel by Christopher Isherwood, tells the story of George Falconer (Firth), a gay English professor who is struggling to move on after the unexpected death of Jim (Goode), his partner and love of sixteen years.  The film shows a single day in George's life in which he prepares to kill himself.  He goes to teach his last class, he empties his safety deposit box at the bank, buys bullets for his gun, writes letters to his friends, and picks out which suit he's going to wear at his funeral.  Along the way, things get in the way of George's impending suicide, some of them even comical.  Among these are a student (Hoult) who becomes fixated with him, a meeting with a Spanish hustler, a drunken visit with his friend Charley (Moore), and recurring memories of his time with Jim.

This film is a very strong debut by fashion designer Tom Ford.  Considering Ford's background, it's no surprise that the overall design and visuals of the film are fantastic.  The story takes place in 1962, right after the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the set and the costumes really evoke that era.  If you like the look of Mad Men (which I do), then you'll probably love this movie.  It's easy to get hung up on the lush and meticulous visual aesthetic of this film.  As Firth's character goes through what he assumes will be his last day on Earth, everyday occurrences become more meaningful and poignant to him.  Colors turn from dull to blooming and saturated as George experiences things that touch him.  A memory of George and Jim on the beach is shown in gorgeous black and white.  Everyone frame is filled with a kind of heartbreaking poignancy.  However despite the emphasis on the visual aspect and design of this film, A Single Man is not an exercise in style over substance.  The movie is an exquisitely told story of a man dealing with grief, trying to live in a world which he no longer feels worth living in. The fact that he's a gay man in 1962 doesn't help matters much.  With the cultural atmosphere at the time, he is never really allowed to show his grief and what he's feeling.  Everything about him feels buttoned-down, contained, and his whole existence feels like nothing but a mask.  Colin Firth gives a revelatory performance.  I had written him off as a serious actor (particularly after the Bridget Jones sequel...yikes), but he's really amazing in this movie.  Julianne Moore is also great as his lush of a best friend who has been in love with him for years. 

Overall, I highly recommend this movie.  It has an intriguing story, lush visuals, a beautiful score by Abel Korzeniowski and Shigeru Umebayashi, and great performances all around.

Grade: A-

Movie Mondays: The Girlfriend Experience (2009)

Starring: Sasha Grey, Chris Santos, Timothy Davis, Mark Jacobson

Directed By: Steven Soderbergh

Soderbergh's The Girlfriend Experience tells the story of Chelsea (played by porn star Sasha Grey), a high-class New York City escort who gives her clients "the girlfriend experience".  Essentially this means that her clients are paying for her companionship more than anything else, for her to act like a date or girlfriend, and sex may or may not be involved at all.

The story is told in a non-linear fashion and jumps from event to event, leaving the viewer to piece together what's happening.  It takes place close to the time of the presidential elections of 2008 and approaching the impending financial crisis.  There are many scenes of Chelsea's clients griping to her about the worsening economy and financial woes.  This comes up in other areas of the story as well - Chelsea's trying to find ways to expand her business while her boyfriend, Chris (Santos) is a personal trainer who is struggling with money and his career.  Things start to get a little interesting after Chelsea clicks with a client (Davis) and decides to go away with him for a weekend.

I found The Girlfriend Experience to be an intriguing film, but I'm undecided as to whether or not it was a successful one.  The aesthetics of the film are great (and impressive considering it was shot on a low budget with an inexpensive Red One camera) and I liked its sleek, yet naturalistic visual style.  And while there have been mixed reviews on Sasha Grey's performance, I thought she did a good job with presenting Chelsea as someone who is somewhat shallow, yet very guarded and detached.  Most of her scenes are with her clients and she projects a perfect, idealized image of herself for them.  As she tells an interviewer (Jacobson), the clients are not paying for the real her.  They're paying for her to listen, to talk with them, to be sympathetic with them, but not more invovled than she has to be.   

My main issue with the film is that it doesn't really try to connect with the viewer beyond a surface level.  It gives us a window into its characters' worlds, but doesn't take the time to explore their deeper desires and motivations.  Perhaps this is Soderbergh's intent, to remain detached, but seeing as how I took this movie as a sort of character study, I'm surprised he didn't go more in depth with some of the questions that he raised.  I also found Chelsea's relationship with her boyfriend problematic.  Chelsea treats him with the same sort of detachment that she does with her clients and I really wanted to know how exactly he felt about what she does for a living. 

Also, considering how much of the time the characters spent talking about money, not having enough of it, trying to find ways to earn more, this doesn't disguise the fact that Chelsea is a high-class escort and charges likely thousands upon thousands of dollars for her services.  She also has an insanely nice, spacious Manhattan apartment with what looks to be original art on the walls.  On top of that, to keep up with her high-class image and high-class clientele, Chelsea has an expensive, designer wardrobe (she chronicles what she wears to meet every client, piece by piece).  Just a small gripe, but I found the disconnect between all the talk of the failing economy with Chelsea's expensive lifestyle problematic. 

At any rate, it was a very interesting movie and I would recommend The Girlfriend Experience.  At least if you're looking for something more serious and a bit more introspective than an episode of Secret Diary of a Call Girl.  However, considering that Soderbergh is a more-than-capable director, I wish it had taken more time to flesh out its story and characters.

Rating: B-

5 Movies That You Probably Haven't Seen (And Probably Should)

I'm glad that lately I've gotten back into my habit of going out of my way to see interesting films The new Netflix account also helps. Seriously, why have I been against Netflix all these years? It's such an amazing invention! Here I give you five movies that I've seen recently that I think you should check out. Some of these are out on DVD already, some should still be in theaters. Checkee out.

Sin Nombre

Starring: Edgar Flores, Kristyan Ferrer, Tenoch Huerta Mejía, Paulina Gaitán

Synopsis (courtesy of Flixter): "After murdering his gang's leader, a teenager joins a family of Honduran immigrants making the dangerous journey across Mexico to the United States, avoiding a fellow gang member who has been sent to kill him along the way. "

This is the debut feature from director Cary Joji Fukunaga and, based on this, I'd be really excited to see what he does in the future. Sin Nombre ("Without Name") concerns people who are on the edges of society (i.e. gang members and illegal immigrants). It also teaches you not to mess with MS13. Like, seriously. The cinematography is amazing, with some hard-to-watch scenes inside the dens of gang leaders, and wide shots of trains zipping up the countryside of Central America, with dozens of people crowded on top, desperately trying to escape to a better life. This is a gritty drama that'll stick with you long after you're done watching. Still in theaters, I think. Watch trailer here.

Romance

Starring: Caroline Ducey, Rocco Siffredi, Sagamore Stévenin, François Berléand

Synopsis: "Although deeply in love with her boyfriend - and indeed sleeping in the same bed with him - a schoolteacher cannot handle the almost complete lack of intimacy he will allow. Increasingly frustrated, she gradually finds her sexual appetites leading her into ever more risky situations, including a developing one with the headmaster".

I've been trying to get into the work of director Catherine Breillat and this is the third film I've seen of hers so far (along with The Last Mistress and Fat Girl) and so far the one I like the most. However, I would say her films are difficult to like and she's certainly not subtle in terms of her agenda. Even still, I'm not exactly sure how much I like this film, but I definitely think it's worth checking out, if only because of the questions it raises and the buttons it pushes. I'd also have to say that Breillat's films, this one especially, have some of the most explicit sex I've ever seen on film...and also the least erotic. It's hard to explain. But worth a gander.

(Probably not work-safe) Trailer here.

Let the Right One In

Starring: Kåre Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson

Synopsis: A bullied Swedish boy develops a friendship with the girl next door...who happens to be a vampire.

Rarely will you see such bloody carnage in a movie and go "Awwww, it's so cute!" But seriously, the relationship between Oskar and his cute lil' vampire girlfriend Eli is simultaneously morbid, touching, and utterly adoreable. The young girl who plays Eli has a precociousness and an odd charisma that reminded me a lot of the girl who played Miette in City of Lost Children (what happened to that girl anyway? Does anyone know?). Even if you're not into vampire lore or vampire cinema, this Swedish export is still captivating, odd, and very well-crafted.

Trailer here

Gegen die Wand (Head-On)

Starring: Birol Ünel, Sibel Kikelli

Synopsis: "40-year-old Cahit is brought to German psychiatric clinic after attempting suicide and sets out to start a new life, even as he longs for drugs and alcohol to numb his pain. There he meets Sibel, who is young, pretty and like Cahit, Turkish-German. She lives a lifestyle that is a bit too wild for her devout, conservative Muslim family and fakes a suicide attempt to try and escape them. But the incident brings shame upon her family, who insist that only marriage can save her. Sibel begs Cahit to marry her and he reluctantly agrees, perhaps in an effort to save her and to find meaning in his own life. Gradually, however, Cahit begins to fall in love with Sibel and she, in turn, comes to realize that she loves him - but not before an incident of jealous violence tests this fledgling romance."

I loved, loved, LOVED this movie. I only saw it a little over a month ago and I would already put it in my top five favorite films ever. Here we are presented with two very damaged people who you are compelled to like and root for despite a number of unlikeable traits and habits. And despite the fact that their relationship seems ultimately doomed from the start, you just really want these crazy kids to make it! This film just has an amazing rush of energy to it and takes you on a rollercoaster ride that keeps your heart racing until the very end. Seriously, cannot recommend this highly enough. Watch it.

Trailer here.

Goodbye Solo

Starring: Red West, Souleymane Sy Savane

Synopsis: Goodbye Solo is the story of Solo, a kindhearted 34-year-old Senegalese taxi driver in North Carolina. He is hired by William, a tough 70-year-old white southerner, to drive him in two weeks time to a mountaintop from which William plans to jump to his death. Solo decides to charm his way into becoming William's friend, and this odd couple's unexpected friendship grows. Now all Solo has to do is change the old man's mind before the two weeks are up.

This movie reminded me a little bit of Thomas McCarthy's movies The Station Agent and The Visitor, which both dealt with unlikely friendships. This movie quietly takes you to some unexpected places and ultimately leaves you uncertain about the fate of its characters. But I think that's what I liked best about it.

Trailer here

Still in theaters.

Now get watching!