Serendipity (2001)

4/5

Serendipity is a surprisingly tender and gripping romantic comedy. The plot follows two people in two separate, seemingly happy relationships. They find each other serendipitously when shopping at Bloomingdale's and enjoy a wonderful night together over coffee and ice skating in downtown New York City. Sara (Beckinsale) believes that if they are meant to be together then fate will bring them back together. So she asks John (Cusack) to write his name and phone number on a $5 bill; then uses it to pay for a pack of gum. She writes her name and number on the inside cover of her favorite book, Love in the Time of Cholera, and sells it to a used bookstore. Will they find each others' names and numbers or were they never destined to be together?

The premise of the story is very compelling. There is something utterly romantic about fate pulling two people together, something entirely desirable about having a soul mate that was meant just for you. And this movie uses that to its full advantage to suck you in and keep you under its spell. Every time they are pulled apart, you just want to yell out, "NOOO!" and push them together. The acting by the leads (and by Shannon and Piven as their best friends) are convincing, heartfelt, and memorable. The writing, the cinematography, and the editing are all fairly predictable and bland, but they don't detract from the overall experience. All in all, this is one of the better romantic comedies I've seen and it definitely gets a recommendation from me.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0240890/

Brigham City (2001)

4/5

Richard Dutcher's Brigham City is a somewhat religious whodunit about more than what's on the surface. In a sleepy Mormon town called Brigham City, the local sheriff (Dutcher) and his deputy (Brown) come upon a car with a California license plate and a dead woman in a nearby shed. They try to protect the rest of the community by handing it over to the FBI, but no one can ignore it when the local townspeople start getting murdered.

To call it a sleepy town is an understatement. It feels stoic and muted and boring, and all of the characters within the town are just as stoic and muted and boring. For the first half hour or so, this slowness makes the whole movie unappealing in a cheesy 1990's style. But it works surprisingly well at building tension during the rest of the movie. And even thought it's predictable (you almost always know when the movie is trying to throw you off track), it still works. It works because you never really know who the killer is until the end. You may have guessed that person while running through all the potential suspects in your head, but I doubt you would have been confident enough to settle on that person before it was revealed.

The cinematic qualities in this film are subpar (the low-cost film Mystery Team had better acting, writing, and filmmaking), but that's not the movie's strong suit. The great part about this movie is that you think about it after you finish it. You wonder about all the unspoken workings of the movie, both an impeccably well thought out reflection and homage to the silence of God. This movie is very openly Mormon, in a lot of aspects, but there are also a lot of subtle religious overtones and comments that make it far more intriguing than one might think after an initial viewing without giving it some extra thought. The choice of killer is extremely interesting, and the unsaid motivations and truths paint an even more fascinating picture when you look beyond the film. The story is much stronger than its component parts (from dialogue to characters to acting), but the story is a compelling one. Watch it if you like a good mystery movie, or if you've entertained conversations on God's presence or absence in our lives. It will get you talking about it again.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0268200/

Zoolander (2001)

2/5

Zoolander is not my kind of film. The plot follows male model Derek Zoolander (Stiller) after losing model of the year to Hansel (Wilson) and after losing his three roommates and close friends in a freak accident. He is being brainwashed by fashion designer Mugatu (Ferrell) to assassinate the Malaysian prime minister, who is implementing changes in his country that will ruin Mugatu's sweatshops. What frustrated me the most about the movie was the way all the characters spoke their lines--or maybe it was just Ben Stiller, who does most of the talking in the film anyway. He overly articulates every single word as if every one of his lines is a punchline, except only about 1 in 50 are. It's frustrating on my ear and my brain to keep expecting a punchline and not getting one, and it particularly hurts the weak jokes. The comedy itself is fair--although not always to my tastes--although I felt that the movie got a lot funnier over time (I especially loved the X-Files and Godfather references). Anyway, Zoolander may be your kind of film, but I am not a huge fan.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0196229/

Monsoon Wedding (2001)

4/5

Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding is a touching movie about the somewhat rushed marriage of an Indian family's only daughter and the numerous other intricately connected subplots on the days leading up to the wedding ceremony. New love blossoms as old secrets are revealed. The story is poignant, the filmmaking is active, and the costume and set design are colorful and vibrant. The acting feels natural and real, and I especially liked the integration of English and Hindi. Nair paints a very convincing portrait of modern Indian culture, right down to the earthy hues, and she does it in a way that doesn't alienate people like me who aren't fans of Bollywood cinema.

Nair's later film The Namesake is not nearly as good, in my eyes. It sprawls too much. Monsoon Wedding is contained to a few days, which helps for the narrative's structure and the audience's expectations of where they are in the movie and when it's going to end. All in all, this movie is an excellent example of non-Bollywood Indian cinema and is a fun--but not shallow--movie on the ties that bind us together, whether through love, family, or culture. Highly recommended.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0265343/

No Man's Land (2001)

4/5

Danis Tanovic's No Man's Land injects satirical black humor into the dramatic war genre (think Dr. Strangelove meets Saving Private Ryan). Through a series of unlikely circumstances, three wounded soldiers (two Bosnians and one Serb) end up in a trench together in no man's land and fight to survive. Eventually, the UN and the press catch wind of this bizarre phenomenon and stick themselves right in the middle of it all. I'll leave the rest of this uniquely-envisioned piece for you to discover on your own.

From all technical aspects, the movie was pitch-perfect. Striking images, believable acting, an intelligent and wickedly delightful script. While I liked the anti-war message, much of the movie seemed too set in a specific time and place. The message may be universal, but I can't see the movie standing the test of time. Had it depicted a fictional war, it might still be watched decades down the road. Instead, the movie goes out of its way to give you a history lesson. (For several minutes in the middle of the movie, a man watches a news report on the background of the war.)

The biggest problem I had with the movie was its mood. Tanovic did a magnificent job of mixing dramatic tension with preposterous actions--as best he could anyway. Unfortunately, I feel that the efficacy of absurdist humor relies on an abandonment of the serious. It is impossible to use both the real and the preposterous without the preposterous trumping the real (and therefore making it moot). I think Tanovic understands this, but he still tries to get his message across in literal, dramatic terms. The final piece of dialogue attempts to makes a serious point, only to be outweighed seconds later by the final image: an unbearably ridiculous portrait of the casualties of war. Because of this back and forth, it can be quite a confusing viewing experience. We never know how we are supposed to feel about a given event. Still, it was as good as it could have been considering the circumstances. And I suppose you could at least quote the dramatic punches to end your review.

Cameraman: You sure you don't want me to film the trench?
Reporter: No. A trench is a trench. They're all the same.

IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0283509/

Kandahar (2001)

3/5

Kandahar's "plot" follows the Afghan-born Nafas on her journey to Kandahar to save her sister before she commits suicide. Yet it is not really a narrative piece of fiction, nor is it a documentary. Instead, it is a nontraditional combination of the two, for better or for worse. It overlays a fictitious plot on top of striking documentary visuals. There was no real acting to speak of; people seemed to just read scripts, unaware of the meaning behind the words they were saying. More than half the film depicts the tragic Afghan situation and not the "plot." The "plot" seems to have been constructed for the sole purpose of exposing such terrible conditions in Afghanistan. We see people robbed on the highway, women treated by doctors through a cloth and a "translator," and legless mine victims in Red Cross camps running on crutches to get first choice on parachuted prosthetics. That is where the power is, and that is where it should stay. This movie should be a documentary, not a fake docudrama. It's an informative, eye-opening movie that should be seen, but the narrative storyline was unwelcome and hurt the movie overall.

IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0283431/

Y tu mamá también (2001)

4/5

Alfonso Cuarón's Y tu mamá también tells the stunning, unforgettable emotional journey of two young Mexicans on a road trip with a sexy older woman. It is both a tender, funny coming-of-age drama and an exploratory character study of a woman who chooses to join these boys and teach them to mature--both sexually and as human beings--for reasons of her own. Suffice it to say, there are some secrets that are revealed during the journey that explore the characters and their motivations, adding unexpected layers to already complex characters.

As in Children of Men, this movie contains several evocative long tracking shots. Here they are used often during sex scenes and, in my opinion, serve the purpose of deglamorizing the kind of pornographic sex we see in Hollywood movies. They add to the reality and rawness inherent in life that is often lost during filming and editing. Other directorial choices make strong impressions on me as well. There is voice-over narration, but not the lazy, plot point-revealing narration that pisses me off. The choice of what information is and is not revealed through narration fascinates me. It seems to tell a completely different story, about the new, poverty-stricken Mexico that many remain unexposed to.

The performances by all parties are incredible, more than believable, and the other technical aspects are more than competent (although not in any way exceptional). And yet, despite all these positive aspects I find while analyzing the movie, it just didn't fully affect me. I was touched, but not moved. I was impressed, but not awestruck. How universal are the themes? Am I just watching a technically-adequate movie, or does it apply to my life in some way? How does it change me? I can't say it does, but to the sexually confused and/or Mexicans who can get more out of this work of art than I can, I highly recommend it.

IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0245574/

Read My Lips (2001)

4/5

Read My Lips is a nail-biting, character-based French crime thriller. In it, we see a painfully real portrait of an average woman wanting to be more attractive, more successful, but above all more normal. As the movie progresses, these layers are revealed in a subtle, nuanced performance by Emmanuelle Devos. It reminded me very much of the protagonist in Walter Salles's Central Station--imperfect, making mistakes, and changing ever so slowly. The other characters are somewhat less developed in my opinion, but her partner in crime is played pitch-perfectly by Vincent Cassel. I wasn't as impressed with his performance here as I have been in other movies he's been in, but it was still remarkably spot-on.

In comparison to the other Audiard movie I've seen (The Beat That My Heart Skipped), this one is more plot-oriented and less of a character study. That being said, it still has incredibly strong and believable characters. And a tense, engaging plot from the very beginning. I knew nothing about the story going in, but was pulled in and couldn't escape its grasp until released at its finale. This is in large part due to unerring editing and pacing, matched by beautiful cinematography and evocative aural and visual post-production choices. Still, some plot elements at the end didn't make much sense. And I didn't understand the side story with the parole officer looking for his wife. It was just bizarre. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys tense crime thrillers and/or Jacques Audiard.

IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0274117/

Ghost World (2001)

3/5

Ghost World is a bizarre, angst-filled, social-outcast teen comedy starring Thora Birch and Scarlett Johansson. After finally graduating high school, they decide to play a mean prank on Steve Buscemi, quite the middle-aged loser, after which Birch forms a strong bond with him. Their relationship forms the backbone of the story. Overall, it's a very fun and enjoyable movie. Most of the cinematography, shot compositions, and editing were spot-on and quite a joy to watch. I loved the blunt, comedic dialogue, the quirky attitude of the three main eccentrics, and the subtle jabs at "normalcy." The script is great except for some minor pacing and progression issues. I found the emotional aspects touching, although not particularly groundbreaking or new. All the acting, however, was amazing; I especially loved Steve Buscemi and Bob Balaban. There was one great scene with Birch in art class that I found flawless; she just deflates for a couple frames when her teacher dismisses her drawings as simple, light-hearted entertainment. Actually, that reminds me: every single scene in the art studio was absolutely hilarious. Also, I really liked the ending, even though it was predictable.

Thora Birch has a face that makes her look twelve and boobs the size of Greenland; it's really quite a striking and not altogether normal physique that distracts from her acting. She's really whiny in this movie, all the characters are, and their emo-ness is funny to laugh at at first, but after a while it just gets a bit old. Scarlett is really young, but still really hot, which almost makes me feel like a pedophile, but not quite. The unique story is not for everyone, and the Harold and Maude relationship between Birch and Buscemi stumbles into real pedophilia, although a romantic kind and not really a disgusting kind. There are a lot of minor characters that have greater meaning like Norman, but also a lot of worthless, throwaway ones like Josh. Same with side stories and events. And I'm not really sure what the time period was supposed to be. Anyway, check out this movie if you want a little smarter comedy about misfits.

IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0162346/

Ali (2001)

4/5

I knew nothing about Muhammad Ali's life story going in, so this movie was a very eye-opening experience for me. I like how the movie wasn't simply a boxing movie, but really dug into all aspects of his character, including the social and political realms he affected. His motto, "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee," could describe this movie as well. It flows naturally from scene to scene buoyantly and then strikes the viewer hard when the fight scenes occur. Technically, this movie matches Mann's other works. The crisp and beautiful cinematography by Lubezki is exceptional in this piece, bringing a visceral realism to the fights and ethereal fluidity to the rest. The music was spot-on, although sometimes a bit too prevalent. The acting by all parties was outstanding, although I think Smith's acting in the title role was slightly too weak to carry the entire picture (although quite strong overall). But it was really fun to hear Ali trash-talk.

It did have quite a few problems as well, I thought. It was too long. It meandered in meaningless areas that I never really cared for (although more knowledgeable fans might have found them interesting) and unexplained subplots. A firm sense of time and place was never really achieved. There were no dates or locations to inform the audience; the only markers were social events like Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.'s deaths. The problem with the amazing cinematography was that Mann got too enamored of it, unable to cut parts out to keep the piece tight. The editing was competent for the most part, but failed to impress. Other than these minor squabbles, though, I really liked the film.

IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0248667/

The Hire: Powder Keg (2001)

5/5

My favorite short film of all time. Iñárritu, always a master of emotions and tensions, shines in this short. The script is mind-blowing, and the actors delivering the lines are equally spectacular. Every word that is uttered is essential, every sentence integral, growing more depth the further into the film you go. It seems as if every extraneous word was stripped from the script and put on the film as an image, which is exactly the point of cinema.

--"So why are you a photographer?"
--"I don't know, I don't know. Because my mother taught me to see."

When you reach the end, the words have taken on a new meaning completely. The film covers so many topics in so little time so flawlessly that we feel so fulfilled when the credits roll after only ten minutes. The choice of cinematography, editing, and music was precise and necessary to evoke the proper mood; and they were carried out with just as much precision.
IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0285930/