FRANCES HA

Greta Gerwig, Adam Driver,

Mickey Sumner, Michael Esper

Frances (Greta Gerwig) is in a league of her own. She works at a dance studio but is not really a dancer. Merely one of the many alternates to the lead. Yet most of the time, she never gets her chance to take over the lead dancer. 

She lives in New York with her best friend Sophie (Mickey Sumner) and she describes their friendship as two girls who are basically the same but have different hair. Soon enough, Sophie moves out of their shared apartment to live in with her boyfriend which basically leaves Frances, homeless. Until she finds an apartment which she shares with two guys but is mostly too broke to pay the full rent. And perhaps to add on to the mysticism of Frances, director Noah Baumbach presents her story in black and white mode. 

But the truth is there is nothing mysterious or mystical about Frances. She is pretty ordinary yet it is admirable how she just never quits whenever the tough gets going. In her case, the situation is mostly tough going yet she just carries on in her insouciance ways. Other lesser beings in her shoes would certainly have quit or who knows gone into some deep depression but not Frances. 

In between her 'dance' gigs, she goes home to visit her parents and relatives in some suburban town. Once there, it seems that she is just one of the guys and fits perfectly well in her surroundings. She meets up with friends and relatives, goes to Church. Everything is just so ordinary. Even her parents are laid back. They don't hound her with questions about her job or her life in New York. She is there just for a visit and after a few days, she returns to her non-life in the Big Apple.

At another instance, at the drop of a hat, she decides to go to Paris just for ONE weekend. Never mind that she just got downsized in her job at the dance studio. Never mind that she has no itinerary. She just hops on a plane, charges it to a credit card which was sent in the mail by some telemarketer. But luckily she was able to stay at the Parisian flat of a friend of friend she just met who offered their place. She is mostly jet lagged, can't seem to get hold of a former classmate who lives in Paris and mostly just roams the streets of Paris without doing any touristy stuff. After all, she was just there for 2 days because she had a meeting on Monday at the dance studio.  Only TWO days in Paris??? Gosh who does that??? 

I guess in some ways, it is interesting to see how the present generation adapt to life. While, most of them are ambitious and very driven, Frances is the complete opposite. But in the end what really matters is that she is not a quitter because as the end credits roll by, you can't help but smile as things are finally picking up for dear old Frances. That somehow. one doesn't really have to worry for her well being as she is quite capable of coping with life and everything it entails. 

Good solid acting from Greta Gerwig in her typical subdued, subtle style. Most of the time, she looks like she doesn't know what she is doing but it is quite suitable for her role as Frances.  By the way, Frances Ha is the abbreviated form of her full name.  It didn't fit in the mail box of her new apartment so she merely shortened it to Frances Ha. An attitude which perfectly describes her personality!

IL CAPITALE UMANO (HUMAN CAPITAL)

MovieMov 4: Italian Cinema Now
Cinema 2, Shang Cineplex

A compelling drama set in contemporary Italy which opens with a night scene of a lone bicyclist being swiped off a road. He is in a coma. We are only shown a SUV but not who was driving and caused the unfortunate accident.

3 chapters follow, each telling different parts of the story before and after the accident from the viewpoint of 3 vital characters. Each chapter offers new information that deepens our understanding of the main characters and how they reacted over the accident. Meanwhile, the victim of the accident remains in the background of these 3 stories.

The first chapter follows Dino whose daughter Serena is dating the son of a rich venture capitalist. Dino owns a small real estate company but then finds himself investing way too much in the 'dubious' often flaky business of the venture capitalist. Basically a social climber, Dino soon finds himself in debt as his initial investment tanks.

The second chapter presents Celia, the lonely trophy wife of the venture capitalist. A former stage actress who has lost her self worth after years of pleasing her imperial husband and looking after their bratty rich son. Valeria Bruni Tedeschi gives a brilliant performance putting a lot of heart into her role.

The final chapter is shown through the eyes of Serena, Dino's daughter. Most revealing of all the chapters, we discover a young sensitive and sensible strong willed girl who is secretly dealing with a far more serious problem. This part of the story weaves together the truth of who drove the SUV and what was her role in covering up the cause of the accident.

All the characters are multi-dimensional as their overlapping stories unfolds with time shifting narrative. Both a contrast as well as a comparison of related tales that shows how people can get so caught up in their own private dramas. They tend to overlook or misinterpret the people around them - especially those who have less power or less clout, whether because of their gender, their class or their age or some combination of the three.

By the way, the human capital is a legal term that refers to the amount that a responsible party pays the family of the victim. A lengthy formula that takes into account the salary the deceased would have earned if he continued working less the expenses that the family incurs without the said 'salary'.  A rather complicated process but the main thing is that the family of the victim is well compensated for their loss.

The film is a cleverly told tale that ends with enough ambiguity for the characters that we the audience are left to form our own conclusions.

LA GRANDE BELLEZZA(THE GREAT BEAUTY)

MovieMov 4: Italian Cinema Now

Cinema 2, Shang Cineplex

This 2013 Oscar award winner for Best Foreign Language film takes off upon the 65th birthday of Jep Gambardella. He is an aging journalist/socialite who is still coasting on a novel he wrote over 40 years ago. He parties all night in the presence of pretty odd characters who are all just as superficial as Jep.

But he is also at his wits end over his hedonistic lifestyle and says out loud in a voice over to nobody in particular "The most important thing I discovered a few days after turning 65 is that I can't waste any more time doing things I don't want to do."

Yet his life of endless partying and his meaningless relationships with the people in his life continues on a daily basis. He is quite a proud person mindful of his immortality yet at the same time he knows he needs to alter and change his life for the better. Despite his fanciful life of leisure, he is always in search for 'the great beauty' which may come in the form of an inspiration for his second novel or also in the guise of a great love affair which unfortunately has eluded him for so long.  

Director Paolo Sorrentino who co-wrote the script regales us with a very artistically and technically beautiful film. Showing us stunningly angled shots of ruins and iconic landmarks from ancient Rome to the modern decadence that exist behind the closed doors of the gated mansions where most of the characters live. It is a perfect blend of layers after layers of eye opening images - a visual tapestry and certainly of 'great beauty'.

But deep within all the layers is Jep Gambardella who is quite a complex character. Actor Toni Servillo is excellently cast as Jep. His facial expressions, his gait and his debonair demeanour is spot on.

Although Jep may live a frivolous existence and does his best to show off as enjoying it, he reveals in voice-overs a deeper awareness of his flaws and those of his society friends. While others treat him as a celebrated literary author because of his single novel (like some one hit wonder singer), he also knows he is not working on a second book and he feels he has nothing more to say that can truly make an impact.

Running at almost 3 hours, the film isn't just about a world of hedonism and whathaveyous. It has quite a reflective tone as Jep can personify anyone in this world. Anyone who is at the crossroads of one's life. Who is trying to find answers to pondering questions. Answers which some may not want to hear or choose to simply ignore as we are too busy living the life we think we are suppose to live. Even though at the back of our minds, we all know life could be much better if only we were brave enough to take the first step towards a better future. 

As for Jep, you would have to stick till the end to find out if he did find his great beauty.

Despite the odd bunch of characters, the sometimes bizarre and absurd side plots thrown at you from all sides, the film is in itself a work of exceptional beauty (for lack of a better word) and that alone is worth all the contemplative mood swings one experiences while watching "La Grande Bellezza". 

ALLACCIATE LE CINTURE(FASTEN YOUR SEATBELTS)

MovieMov 4: Italian Cinema Now

Cinema 2, Shang Cineplex

A film about a couple whose opposite personalities at first vehemently clash against each other; yet find their attraction for each other is too powerful to resist. The first 20 minutes or so of the movie establishes the background as well as the milieu for Elena and Antonio to meet each other. From the get go, something about Antonio's brutally frank demeanour repels Elena who works at an open air bar/cafe.  Although they are both involved with other partners, something draws them closer to each other.  You might call it lust or blind obsession but it happens.

Then the plot jumps to 13 years later when Elena and Antonio are now married with two kids. Antonio hasn't changed he is still carefree and laid back while Elena is still the hard working and clearly a woman with many ambitions for herself, for her business as well as for her family. Naturally, you would say that despite their individual shortcomings and their contrasting personalities, they have a fairly successful marriage. Never mind that Elena is fully aware of Antonio's philandering ways.

Until they are thrown a curve ball by way of a health crisis. During her routine check up, Elena discovers she has breast cancer. Even though the film's title translates to "Fasten your Seatbelts" the ride is not as rough as one would expect. The second part primarily deals with Elena's time in the hospital as she undergoes chemotherapy for her cancer. With the full support of her family (Antonio, her mom, her aunt) and her friends (her best friend the gay Fabio) she is able to handle the chemo sessions even as she takes on a solemnly reflective mood. Quite understandably so as anyone battling a serious illness would be quite pensive about one's future.

For far beyond the daily grind of her thriving business, the constant worry about her husband's infidelity issues - the film basically shows us that the bond between Elena and Antonio remain intact throughout their marriage. That a difference in personalities and in their outlook in life and about life isn't a deterrent in making the marriage work. 

In an unlikely twist towards the end, the director uses a trick to take us back to the beach where it all began. A juxtaposed scene of Elena and Antonio on a bike (13 years ago) and them together in a SUV after he fetches her from the hospital.  I'm not sure this trick worked in the natural flow of the story of Elena and Antonio and neither do I know for sure just what Ferzan Ozpetek (Turkish director who now lives in Italy and has penned many Italian films) wanted to achieve in inserting this flash to the past sequence. 

All I can say and know is that Elena and Antonio's love will surely endure and last a long time and I guess in a love story and life in general ... that is all that truly matters!

NON-STOP

Liam Nesson, Julianne Moore,

Michelle Dockery,  Scoot McNairy

"The Hijacking was just the Beginning"

They say that "Non-Stop" is "Taken" on a plane. Given that it stars Liam Nesson whose career was 'revived' after he was cast in the above mentioned film and it propelled his new career path as an action star. Not that he needed any reviving since Liam Neeson has always been a talented and quite steady character actor. But I like his new action star persona and it suits him well.

In this film, he is Bill Marks, an Air Marshall who is taken to task on a flight from London to New York. Someone has hacked his 'secure network' pager and sends him threatening messages that warn one passenger will be killed within 20 minutes if his demands are not met. The person sending the texts is also quite familiar with Marks personal background and also appears to be on the plane since he mentions things that Marks is doing.

Soon enough, it turns into a whodunit suspense mystery as we try to guess who among the passengers is the 'mastermind' of this sick plot. The tables are also turned when Marks begins to realize that whoever is texting him evidently wants people on the plane to think that Marks is somehow also involved in the plot.

Since the whole film has only one setting - the transatlantic flight - it is easier to navigate through the story. The director also has a way of tricking the audience into thinking that certain characters are suspicious by dropping clues that eventually lead nowhere. It is a good ploy to keep the audience guessing and tuned to the ongoing hijacking but it also makes you lose the bigger picture. Eventually when the real culprit(s) are revealed and their motives are exposed, it does not really make any fair sense because it got too murky in all the action sequences and the plot twists that are thrown at you. 

Thankfully, the mere presence of Liam Nesson can do wonders and he is the true and only reason this averagely predictable film is worth watching. His advancing age does not hinder him. On the contrary it has only cemented his action star cinematic strength. It does not suggest a dwindling of power but rather an experienced weariness that makes his determination all the more dynamic.

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON

EIGA SAI 2014

Japanese Film Festival

Cinema 2, Shang Cineplex

Little Keita is six years old when his parents find out he is not their biological son. The hospital where he was born made a mistake when the nurse switched babies. It turns out his real family lives in the countryside and they are not as well off as his 'current' family.

This is the premise of this solemn family drama that unfolds flawlessly on screen. The emotions and feelings of all concerned parties are valid and realistically essayed by the ensemble cast. Although it involves a total nightmare situation for the kids who were switched at birth, it seems though they are still quite young to truly comprehend the real situation. It is mostly their distraught parents who bear the grim truth as any parent who are faced with such a likelihood would naturally experience a whole gamut of emotions. Pain, anger, learning to let go even though you have loved the child as your own for 6 long years.

Yet the revelation of the switch also helps clarify some buried questions that have nagged them. Why doesn't their child look like them? How come the mother didn't know from the get go that the baby wasn't her own flesh and blood? How come Keita is not as ambitious or strong willed as his father?  Their inner frustrations are brought to the forefront as the story progresses.

It was disturbingly painful to watch this film. As we are shown the vast difference between the two families, their parenting styles and the contrasting personalities of the kids, we find ourselves taking sides in this complicated conflict. But the manner in how the conflict is manifested through the characters different reactions adds to the poignancy factor of this heartbreaking film.

I also like how the director presented the contrast between both families. How despite being 'poor' and living in the countryside, the shop owner is a very hands on father to his children. His words of wisdom on parenting hit a raw nerve with the rich and ambitious architect who is clearly motivated by his career to the point that he hardly spends any quality time with his growing son. Admittedly, the characterizations of the upper class as being cold and the lower class as warm and loving is a bit of a cliche.

Yet the film never feels gimmicky as director Hirokazu Koreeda uses the situation to examine both the nature and the nurture while dealing with ties that simply cannot be broken and he reflects on the true essence of being a family.

THERE BE DRAGONS

Charlie Cox, Wes Bentley, Dougray Scott

Rodrigo Santoro, Olga Kurylenko

"Even Saints have a Past"

Renowned British director Roland Joffe (The Killing Fields, The Mission, City of Joy) tackles with keen precision the Spanish Civil War which he used as a backdrop to the story of two childhood friends who veer off into different paths. 

When "There be Dragons" was first released in 2011, the CBCP (Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines) publicly endorsed it because it featured the life story of Saint Jose Maria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei. 

In this film, his story is unearthed by a journalist named Roberto Torres (Dougray Scott) who was assigned to write about Jose Maria Escriva, who was then still a candidate for canonization to sainthood. It turns out his estranged father, Judge Manolo Torres (Wes Bentley) was a childhood friend of the founder of Opus Dei. Although Manolo is reluctant at first to recount his past as it still haunts him, he gives in and records it through audio tapes.

This is told in haunting flashbacks as the dying Manolo Torres confesses to his son his crimes and misdeeds circa 1936 when he was a spy working for the Fascist government and he was able to embed himself among the Communist rebels who were led by its leader, Oriol (Rodrigo Santoro). The tale also revolves around the saga of courageous Catholic priest Jose Maria Escriva (Charlie Cox), as well as an ambitious Hungarian volunteer fighter Ildiko (Olga Kurylenko).

So although we are led to believe that this is a biopic of Escriva, the more the film unfolded the more it looked like Manolo Torres had a more pivotal role. Never mind that Manolo Torres is a fictional character and that he was just born out of the figment of Joffe's imagination.  Other than a brief childhood friendship, nothing really connects Manolo and Jose Maria, together. Their stories move forward on parallel tracks that never really intersect or even reflect one another in any meaningful way. 

It also left me wondering how come Jose Maria Escriva's tale was left stranded in the 1930s after he was able to escape and make it safely across the Andorra mountains?  What happened after his escape? How did the Opus Dei flourish? Was his life really 'saintly'?

Perhaps Joffe who is a confessed agnostic didn't want his film to take an overtly religious tone. Perhaps he merely wanted to examine both the goodness and the evil that dwelt in these two men's souls. I can only assume and speculate at this point and form my opinion on merely what was presented in this film.

Having said that, I believe that "There be Dragons" is a good movie, worth seeing. And it should appeal to a wide range of audience regardless of their religious beliefs. The portrayal of the Spanish Civil War is even handed and the action sequences were competent. The cast do their best to flesh out their characters although some of the dialogue can be a tad 'corny' for lack of a better word. It also dealt with redemption, remorse and forgiveness on a wide broad spectrum as essayed by the lives of Manolo Torres and St. Jose Maria Escriva.

Robert Torres said in the film "I think it was Oscar Wilde who said: Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future."

Oscar Wilde was right!

LABOR DAY

Kate Winslet, Josh Brolin

Gattlin Griffith

A coming of age tale set in 1987 (although it seems more like the mid 1970s) unfolds during Labor Day holiday. An unexpected visitor holds a single mother and her son hostage in their own home. It turns out he is an escaped convict although he insists the crime he committed was an accident. 

Josh Brolin plays the mysterious stranger Frank who is quite menacing, physically but eventually turns out he has a heart of gold. I mean anyone who would come across the hunky figure of Josh Brolin would naturally run the other way. Frank's back story is glimpsed through dreamy like flashback sequences sans dialogue. And as his past is revealed interspersed with the ongoing drama, you slowly form an entirely different opinion about his true character.

Once we establish that there is nothing threatening nor menacing about Frank, we feel comfortable about his getting close to Adele (Kate Winslet). After all it really isn't difficult to 'like' Frank, he repairs the house, cooks for them, teaches them to bake a delicious peach pie and he even teaches her son to play baseball.

They are both lonely, lost souls trapped in an unforgiving world who find comfort in each other's company. As expected, Kate Winslet is brilliant in her role. You feel a lot of empathy for Adele as it is revealed that in her distant past she was a fun loving and carefree person, who sadly lost her joie de vivre due to a painful episode in her life. 

Together, Frank and Adele exude a palpable chemistry with an implied underlying sexual tension that is enough to heat the screen yet it isn't laid bare for the audience to feast on. In this case, it is a good element as it doesn't cheapen or vulgarize what Frank and Adele share.

Yet at the same time, it seems that is the only main draw of the film. Aside from the very few minutes of threat and tension of imminent danger as the authorities close in on their search for Frank, the movie pretty much falls flat. 

Since I like and tend to focus on the positive, I'd say "Labor Day" is a tender, nostalgic family drama that is a tense yet powerful dramatization of a deep relationship that blossoms between Frank and Adele. 

ENOUGH SAID

James Gandolfini, Julia Louis-Dreyfus,

Catherine Keener, Toni Collette

I thought that this was James Gandolfini's last film before he died of a massive heart attack in 2013. But it turns out he was able to complete one more before his untimely demise.

Anyway in "Enough Said" he is Albert, a single father who meets Eva (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), a freelance masseuse. They are both single parents to daughters who are about to go off to college. They start dating but soon enough problems crop up (like in any normal relationship) and things don't work out between them.

But that was merely a quick summary of their relationship because the film isn't that simple nor was it too complicated to comprehend. It is an adult romantic comedy that explores the nuances as well as the emotions that each character brings to the relationship. By adult, I mean it is mature given that both Eva and Albert have gone through divorces and heartaches in their past. And not adult in the sense that there is nudity involved. Heh!

I'd say that a large part why this film succeeds is due to the chemistry between its lead characters. And given that they are portrayed by well known TV actors whose acting repertoire include playing mob boss Tony Soprano and Elaine from Seinfeld is a an added bonus.  

There has always been something endearing about Gandolfini even though he portrayed a tough no nonsense mobster in one of the most iconic roles ever created for TV. Perhaps it is his 'smiley' face and gentle facial features despite his giant frame that somehow puts people at ease.

Here as Albert, he is adorable as an ordinary guy just trying to live his life after a messy divorce by being a devoted father to his daughter. He is averagely ordinary and I mean that as a compliment. Albert's embedded confidence and his sense of humour exudes warmth and compassion. Excellent acting from Gandolfini, as expected.

On the other hand, Julia Louis-Dreyfus can sometimes be quite annoying and irritating in general in most of her roles. Hehe.  But this only means she is an effective actress as her annoyance can really get on my nerves.  As Eva, she is a woman with a lot of valid anxieties which is quite normal for any woman about to embark on a new relationship. It makes sense that Eva would be indecisive and insecure and always question herself before she commits to another long term relationship. 

What makes "Enough Said" distinctive is how the director treats the plot devoid of any gimmick. What you see is what you get.  There isn't the sickening mushy factor that is standard in most romantic comedies. The approach is direct and treated in a realistically mature way.  

It is a movie about knowing what you want and pursuing it yet at the same time, it's also about knowing your limitations or what I call your 'non negotiables' well enough that you can wake up in the mornings ... yes, alone but you still have your self respect, intact. 

PRISONERS

Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal,
Terrence Howard, Viola Davis, Maria Bello, 

Melissa Leo, Paul Dano

"A Hidden Truth. A Desperate Search"

This intense drama focuses on every parent's worst nightmare. It is Thanksgiving, the Dovers are spending it with their good friends/neighbors, the Birch family. Soon enough, both of their youngest daughters have gone missing after they went off to get a whistle from the Dover residence.  

Highly dramatic moments ensue as a frantic search is launched for the missing girls by the local police headed by a dedicated and methodical detective named Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal). An unlikely suspect named Alex Jones (played by the ever creepy Paul Dano) is held for questioning as he was the driver of a parked RV near where the two girls had played earlier.  I say unlikely because Alex although a grown man has the mind of a 10 year old boy.  So he is released after the mandatory 48 hours of detention without an arrest warrant has lapsed.

This triggers Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) to take matters into his own hands as he kidnaps Alex Jones and under extreme circumstances proceeds to question him. Chained and hidden in the decrepit bathroom of Dover's late father's house, Alex is constantly beaten, slapped and tortured by Keller as time is running out for the missing girls. Some of the torture scenes are simply implied (which is even worse, in my opinion) but you can tell from his screams the punishment were quite extremely vicious.

This line of 'questioning' runs parallel with the official investigation by Detective Loki as he hunts for other 'usual' suspects and the plot takes on an even darker tone.  Set in a seemingly quiet and small American town overcast with bleak weather, the disturbing story tackles vigilantism, vengeance, guilt and innocence as well as the very thin line between victim and perpetrator.

The movie runs at over two and half hours with a slow yet powerful approach. It gets tough as we watch the villain (Alex Jones) turn into a victim himself as the tables are turned and the hero (Keller Dover) transforms in a subtle yet quite effectively forceful manner into for lack of a better word, a monster.  All in the name of finding his beloved daughter but it is quite difficult to justify the punishment/torture he inflicts on the suspect/victim.

The whole narrative leads towards a gritty and open ended conclusion that will leave a lump in your throat. As well as give you a chance to take in oxygen since somewhere between all the high octane dramatic scenes you stop breathing from all the fervent and cringe-worthy action. This even as you contemplate if the end does justify the means and if the methods applied to attain those means are legitimate and humane.

A great cast led by Hugh Jackman, Melissa Leo and Jake Gyllenhaal heralds this thriller into one of the best crime stories ever filmed for the screen.  Just be sure you are in the right frame of mind to stomach it.