Movie Review: Paranormal Activity (2009, Directed by Oren Peli)

I am afraid of things that go bump in the night. Graphic violence, bizarre creatures, and visible physical threats have no real psychological impact on me as a filmgoer. However, I cry like a baby at the thought of those threats I cannot see.

Paranormal Activity, the new ultra low-budget blockbuster horror pic, worked its magic on me. I trembled through the dark semi-dark streets after the screening, keeping diligent track of every stray sound and movement in the shadows on my way to the subway. At home, I woke up in the night three times, even getting out of bed to check on some bizarre noises in the hallway. Sure, that banging noise overhead was probably some twigs falling on the roof in the windy night. Yes, the high-pitched screeching noise was probably the infant in the apartment next door. But … logical explanations do not always grip the rational mind in the dead of night.

Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat play a young suburban San Diego couple with a paranormal problem. Katie has had strange noises and movements following her for a good part of her life. It seems to be getting worse lately. Who can logically explain the slamming of a door in the night or shrieking sounds downstairs? Micah decides to start filming some of the paranormal activity. If only the young couple can create a visual record of the weirdness, they might be better able to fix the problem. However, Micah’s use of the technology seems to tick off these unknown forces even more.

Supposedly, the audience of Paranormal Activity is watching the “found footage” the couple makes, in the manner of Blair Witch Project. There are no opening or closing credits to remind the viewer that it’s indeed “only a movie.” For the most part, the film’s central gimmick works. The picture’s pretense of reality raises the fright factor quite a bit.

One’s reaction to a film like Paranormal Activity is completely subjective. About half the people I have talked to who have seen the picture admit to being genuinely terrified. The other half feel that the film is phony and fails miserably at its intent to truly frighten the audience. All I can say is it worked for me. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I heard a slamming door in the bedroom. In the words of Robert DeNiro in Taxi Driver, “I’m the only one here.” Hmm …

Movie Review: A Serious Man (2009, Directed by the Coen Brothers)

The Coen Brothers have accomplished something extraordinary. They have now, in my estimation, created not one, not two, but three nearly flawless films. The cinematic perfection of Fargo and No Country for Old Men is matched by the brothers’ (post-?) modern reinvention of the story of Job, A Serious Man.

Let me begin by pointing out that I laughed more at this film than I have at any other movie the Coens have made, including such deliberately funny offerings as The Big Lebowski and Raising Arizona. My laughter at A Serious Man, however, was of the nervous variety most of the time. Our protagonist Larry Gopkin, played, in one of the best performances of the year, by veteran stage actor Michael Stuhlbarg, is on the brink of disaster. Gopkin is a Jewish physics professor in suburban Minneapolis in the late 1960s. His wife is leaving him for their next-door neighbor (Fred Melamed), his son is smoking pot at his own bar mitzvah, his deadbeat brother is living at his home and constantly taking up all the bathroom time, his academic committee is threatening not to grant him tenure, a student is bribing him monetarily to give him a passing grade, and the stupid Columbian record company won’t stop calling to demand payment for records poor Gopkin hasn’t even listened to. Oy vey … what a day!

Gopkin wants to know just exactly what he has done wrong. He has tried to be a serious man, attending the synagogue, raising his children to be moral, committing himself fully to his job, being a good husband, etc. etc. etc. Why, then, must he suffer? Is this God’s way of “rewarding” him for being such a devout human being?

The answer to these questions is never fully revealed in the film. Gopkin seeks guidance from three rabbis and one attorney. Just when he thinks life is on the upswing, things fall apart and all his hope comes crashing violently to the ground. Did I mention, by the way, that this is a comedy?

The fact that the Coens can make such a funny and profound film out of such weighty material is evidence of their superb artistic abilities. From the opening seconds of A Serious Man, featuring a Yiddish prologue and one of the more brilliant credit sequences I’ve seen in some time, to the baffling, yet intriguing, ending, I felt that I was in masterful hands. Never do the Coens take a misstep in this picture.

Watching filmmakers as sure-footed as the Coens at the top of their game is almost a spiritual experience. Yes, they have made some less-than-stellar films over the years (last year’s Burn After Reading being one of them, in my opinion). But, even when they make films that don’t succeed on every level, they are never boring. When they do make films that work throughout (like A Serious Man), they are an absolute joy.

I was more engaged by A Serious Man than any other film this year, and that includes both Inglorious Basterds and The Hurt Locker, two other pictures I was ecstatic about. 2009 is turning out to be a good year for film indeed.

Movie Review: Zombieland (Directed by Ruben Fleischer, 2009)

I absolutely love laughing at the sight of zombies being shot in the head, hit with a baseball bat, or taken out by a swift hit from a Hummer door. Therefore, I had a great time with Zombieland, the new comedy staring Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson.

Eisenberg plays a loner college student who has survived the ultimate Zombie apocalypse. America has been reduced, a la Cormac McCarthy, to a sad series of burned-out buildings, abandoned vehicles, and flesh-hungry former-humans running around like … well … zombies. Eisenberg has survived the zombie apocalypse by following a few simple rules. Along the way, he meets professional redneck-turned-zombie-killer Tallahassee (Harrelson). The two team up to not only kill as many zombies as possible, but also hopefully find some semblance of a home. Along the way, they meet twentyish Wichita (Emma Stone) and her 12-year old sister Little Rock (Abigail Breslin). Their mission, if they choose to accept it, is to make it to L.A., where the two sisters will visit an amusement park they remember from their childhoods. Heck, at least they won’t have to wait in line very long to ride the wild rollercoaster.

If the above premise leaves you shrugging your shoulders and saying “why would I want to see a movie about killing zombies?” then this film is probably not for you. It is nothing but old-fashioned zombie fun. However, the filmmakers and actors do show more creativity and craft then you might initially expect from such exploitation fare. Yes, there’s a lot of zombie blood and gore, but not throughout the entire film. A good portion of the movie is simply a great “four people on a mission” story. The actors portray these characters sympathetically enough that we actually care about them by the end of the story. At the film’s conclusion, I was really hoping they didn’t get eaten by flesh-eating zombies.

I should also note that Zombieland contains one of the funniest cameo appearances by a major actor in any motion picture I have seen. I won’t ruin the surprise for you, or explain how the filmmakers set up the appearance. Let’s just say it’s worth the price of admission alone.

My recommendation is to see Zombieland. At the very least, you’ll be better prepared for the oncoming apocalypse. You might even want to take notes on Eisenberg’s “rules of zombie survival.” You never know when they might come in handy.

Movie Review: Bright Star (2009, Directed by Jane Campion)

Jane Campion’s Bright Star visually embodies the core principles of Romanticism. As an audience, we relish each scrumptious piece of eye-candy Campion puts before us, from the field of purple flowers, to the bubbling English brook, to the soft fall of rain in the countryside. Campion avoids making the easy mistakes that befall many creators of literary biopics. She understands that, although we are watching the story of a brilliant man of letters, the image must match the word in grace and beauty.

Bright Star tells the story of John Keats, the most brilliant of all the English Romantic poets to emerge as the 18th century gave way to the 19th century. Keats’ story is one of unfulfilled dreams and desires, much like the young lovers in his brilliant poem “Ode on a Grecian Urn.” The only love of his life is his neighbor Fanny Brawne. The relationship, excluding a few quick kisses, is kept entirely platonic. The possibility of a more intimate liaison looms over the narrative. However, the relationship is cut tragically short by Keats’ untimely death at the age of 25 from tuberculosis.

I’ve been mulling over the question of why I connected with this movie so much. Normally, I am not a fan of literary adaptations or biopics, even though (or, perhaps, because) I teach literature for a living. Perhaps I was drawn deeply into the story because John Keats is one of my favorite poets. I simply admire Campion greatly for not “messing up” this story. She avoids the temptation of “modernizing” the story. She doesn’t transform proto-Victorian restraint into unrelenting passion. Campion strikes the right balance between focusing on Keats the man and focusing on Keats the poet. Indeed, she doesn’t overuse excerpts from Keats’ poetry, but rather peppers the already interesting story with tiny bits of verse. The use of such classic poems as “When I Have Fears” and “Ode to Melancholy” never feels contrived. Campion only uses the lines from Keats’ oeuvre when doing so organically serves the story.

Although Bright Star is an engaging and beautiful film, it is by no means perfect. The ending, in particular, dragged on a bit too long for my taste. The film labored over Keats’ deadly ailment to an excessive degree. However, the stunning images, natural dialogue, and subtle performances by actors Ben Whishaw and Abbie Cornish more than make up for the flaws. To quote Mr. Keats himself, “a thing of beauty is a joy forever.”