The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)

4/5

Julian Schnabel's The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is a remarkably moving piece. It details the true story of Elle editor Jean-Dominique Bauby, who suffered a stroke at 42 that resulted in locked-in syndrome. Fully conscious but only able to blink his left eye, he dictated a book that forms the basis for this movie.

The acting by all parties was stellar. The emotions Bauby goes through during the movie are fully realized, even though most of the movie is shown in first-person view and he cannot move or talk. Schnabel uses internal monologue to depict grief, anger, and even happiness at times. Though a somewhat depressing topic by nature, the consistent humor helps evolve Bauby's character and generate empathy. The cinematography was consistently crisp and beautiful and the editing allowed for a precise and measured pacing of events. The script was phenomenal as well, extremely touching and poignant.

However, there were some things about the movie I didn't really like. For example, there were a lot of random shots of nature. Though evocative, it made the movie seem more like a creative endeavor than a story about a man's incredible journey dealing with a terrible disease and for some reason I feel it does less justice to his struggle. Additionally, being told mostly in first-person made some parts both tedious and annoying. We were forced to go through the same things he went through, which can be quite taxing on an audience. (I was not a big fan of him waking up slightly drugged up.) Though it probably took him a lot longer than two minutes to form a sentence, having it exist as two minutes of the movie created boredom and disinterest in the audience instead of the frustration he must have experienced by being unable to speak. While I commend the idea of putting us in his shoes, I don't think it translated as well from concept to execution. Still, despite these minor hang-ups, the film is exceptional and well worth watching.

IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0401383/

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007)

3/5

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead is a flawlessly realized melodrama thriller, but the technical mastery Sidney Lumet has over the medium does not save the movie from its absolutely ridiculous story. It is about two brothers who need money; naturally they plot a robbery of their own parents' jewelry store. Something goes wrong, and the rest of the movie deals with the aftereffects of their grievous error in judgment. By the end of the movie, when everyone's life had spiraled wildly out of control and every character has made irreversible mistakes, I got up and left the theater in a hurry. Why? Because it was so spectacularly unbelievable. And I mean Snakes on a Plane unbelievable, accentuated even more so by the relative normalcy that preceded it. The characters morph from seemingly intelligent men to brainless psychopaths. These characters are not real; they are preposterous caricatures. I cannot fathom their thought processes or their motivations. But apparently other people could.

If you can deal with the single hang-up that I had about the movie (namely the poppycock masquerading as characters and plot), you will probably fall in love with it. Because the movie is technically brilliant. Sidney Lumet really is at a high point cinematically (albeit an extreme low point fictionally). The nonlinear storytelling was powerful, adding depth and tension to a rather simple story. It tantalizes you by giving you what you want in measured amounts, like a calculating drug dealer. I guess that's not a great analogy, but it works. The acting is awesome. They really make the insane characters seem insane. But seriously, the emotions on display were raw and real, and props go out to all the actors. I hope you see it if you find it interesting, because it seems I'm in the minority regarding my disbelief of characters and plot. Be your own judge.

IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0292963/