Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989)

4/5

Steven Soderbergh's Sex, Lies, and Videotape is the quintessential independent film of the late 80's/early 90's, and it undoubtedly set the bar for independent film for the next decade. It focuses on the characters more than the plot, their motivations more than their actions, and their relationships more than their promiscuity. It is appropriately patient, awkwardly humorous, and sensually descriptive. It is emotionally explosive and subtly fascinating. But it is also maddeningly unclear sometimes.

The movie is basically a four-person character study. But it never feels as if the writer created the characters and manipulated them to his whims like voodoo dolls. Instead, the characters were real people, and the writer simply watched them interact in his mind, and faithfully transcribed the events. This is an expertly-written film that feels impossibly realistic and true. And contains interesting thematic elements. It examines the ubiquity of sex and lies, through the eyes of each character. It uses videotape and asks what it means to watch, to point the camera at someone, and to have it pointed at yourself.

The movie is certainly dated, and shows its age from hairstyles to clothing to slang, but that never takes away from the experience. What does take away is the somewhat deflated ending; and the feeling that I never got a satisfying explanation of what exactly happened in the characters' pasts and why. Part of me enjoys that, knowing that real life is never so tidy, but the rest of me is annoyed. Still, the movie is a great watch and asks intriguing questions. Highly recommended.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098724/

Burlesque (2010)

4/5

Burlesque is a pretty spectacular musical. (I guess technically it's not a musical because the characters never really break into song and dance; it's just part of their performance.) The movie stars Christina Aguilera as Ali, a small-town girl who wants to hit it big in LA. She discovers a burlesque lounge owned and operated by Tess (Cher) and is instantly mesmerized by it. She tries everything to get on stage and dance with them, but settles for waitressing there just so she can watch. She befriends the bartender (Gigandet) and, after her apartment gets broken into, becomes his roommate. She finally gets her chance to show everyone what she has when they hold auditions. They find it impossible to take their eyes off her. And you will too.

The songs are a mix of old-school show tunes and more modern, upbeat songs. Both are excellent, although I definitely preferred the newer songs. Cher's "Welcome to Burlesque" had me stunned from the very beginning of the movie. Christina Aguilera's "Show Me How You Burlesque" closes the film off with the same flair. Both will leave you in awe. The dancing is fantastic all around, but none of the numbers impressed me as much as those two songs did on their own. None of the other songs did either, even though several of them stood out ("Express," "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me"). If you're looking for a movie with great singing and dancing, then this is the movie to watch.

The rest of the technical aspects were a mixed bag. The cinematography and editing were better than I expected them to be, but there were some noticeable areas where it could have been improved. The acting was pretty good for the most part--especially the side characters--but there is this one scene between Aguilera and Gigandet that was laughably bad. I was actually laughing during it, to the point where my girlfriend got mad at me for it. That scene alone made me consider dropping it down to 3 stars. Overall, definitely recommended for any musical fan. And for any fan of Cher or Christina, this is a must-see.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1126591/

Conviction (2010)

3/5

Conviction follows the true story of Betty Anne Waters (Swank) and her brother Kenny (Rockwell). After Kenny is sentenced to life without parole for a brutal murder, Betty Anne goes back to school to get her GED, BA, and JD so that she can exonerate him. Although the audience may still have their doubts, Betty Anne is unswaying in her belief of her brother's innocence. As she devotes more and more of her life to this case, we become more and more apprehensive that it may have all just been a waste. The story itself is remarkable and inspiring; we would not be able to suspend our disbelief had this movie been fictitious. But it serves to show us the dedication family members have for each other, no matter how unlikely the odds are. This is true not only in the main plot architecture, but also in the side stories: a number of characters' motivations for doing seemingly despicable acts stem from the fact that they don't want to lose their children.

The acting was exquisite. I truly enjoyed the superb performances by Rockwell, Leo, and Lewis, but I found Swank's character to be extremely similar to that in her previous Oscar winner Million Dollar Baby. Jomarie and I got the chance to listen to a Q&A with the real Betty Anne Waters, and it was a real treat to hear her talk about the experiences and elaborate on a number of items the movie only glossed over. The woman is strong and resilient; it shows in everything she does. Quite frankly, I don't think Hilary Swank did her justice. Other than that, the technical aspects are not particularly noteworthy. The script serves the purpose of telling the story and doesn't attempt anything further. The directing is acceptable, the cinematography is mediocre, and the editing is rather bland. There are rarely any textual descriptors of time and place, despite the fact that the story bounces around in those two dimensions quite frequently. But it works here. It is able to maintain the mood of the piece across all those varying scenes. And the mood is really the movie's strongest aspect. It is able to twist your heartstrings, alternating between repeated injustices and hope for redemption before its ultimate conclusion. This is an incredible story wrapped up in a simple film, but it is definitely worth watching.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1244754/

While You Were Sleeping (1995)

4/5

While You Were Sleeping is a wonderfully light romantic comedy with just the right amount of emotion at the end to warm your heart. Sandra Bullock stars as the awkward fare lady for the Chicago (!) commuter rail. Peter Gallagher is the guy of her dreams who she sees take the train every day but has never talked to. One fateful morning, he falls on the tracks and she rescues him from an oncoming train. As he lies in a coma at Northwestern Memorial Hospital (!), she gets mistaken as his fiancée by the staff and by his charmingly dysfunctional family. Through a series of very unrealistic but incredibly funny twists, she is forced to maintain her guise until he wakes up. But that is not the only twist! After spending Christmas with the family, she meets coma guy's brother, Bill Pullman, and soon falls in love with him.

Shot extensively (if not entirely) in Chicago, the cinematography is an absolute treasure for Chicago lovers. The shot compositions themselves aren't that great, but they do have an amazing backdrop at which I stared joyfully in every scene. But what is really awesome about this movie is seeing the hospital in which I'm going to be doing rotations come July. (Well, I guess that's not entirely true--Passavant Pavilion no longer exists and all the buildings I'm going to actually be working in were erected post-1999--but still!) The acting by all was pitch perfect, the characters were quirky before it was hip to be quirky, and the writing was fun while the dialogue was funny. This movie comes with a lot of twists and turns and explores the topics of love and family expertly. Despite my overly enthusiastic praise for movies set in Chicago, While You Were Sleeping is a true treasure for any movie fan and a really enjoyable movie. You won't be disappointed.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114924/

Short Cuts (1993)

5/5

Robert Altman's Short Cuts is a virtuoso masterpiece, pure and simple. The movie follows five or so LA couples and their chance interactions over the course of a few days. At turns horrifying and heart-wrenching, the vignettes are immediately captivating and always engrossing. You watch in breathless anticipation for the entire running time. Clocking in at three hours, it may seem daunting at first, but once you start watching, you cherish every minute of it. From the humorous to the grotesque, from innocence to cruelty, this movie examines the gamut of humanity in all its glory and all its shame. It reminds us what kind souls look like in the presence of mean spirits. And in the end we somehow feel closure without getting any resolution; we know what will happen without having to see it on screen. This is the mark of a true storytelling master.

The acting by the huge cast is complete and all-encompassing; they succeed at fully embracing and transforming into their characters after even the deepest and most detailed scrutiny. Whether it is an old man getting years and years of guilt off his chest or a young couple dealing with the grief of a lost child, they are wholly believable and real. The performances are absolutely impeccable, making the already powerful script that much more potent. Coupled with stellar directing, the thematics feel wide open and inviting. The movie encourages us to really think about our place in life, to genuinely contemplate what we would do if we were given the lots these people are given. We come out of the theater reminding ourselves about how lucky we are. Short Cuts is a truly magnificent film and a truly stunning achievement. I don't think anyone could watch this movie and be unmoved; it is everything we expect of the movies and more.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108122/