THE BUCKET LIST - SHELTER - THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL - PERSEPOLIS - THE DARK KNIGHT - MAMMA MIA - DAS LEBEN DER ANDEREN -

Reviews on Mariner
A = Outstanding ****½ *****
B = Very Good ***½ ****
C = Satisfactory **½ ***
D = Marginal * *½ **
F = Failure ½ *

THE BUCKET LIST – 2007 – *** B-/C+
By Rob Reiner; With Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman

Morgan Freeman is a brilliant narrator whether his voice soothes us whilst (he would use whilst) orating documentaries or whenever introducing dramatic narratives as if, faceless, he owns the screen no matter the remaining star wattage of the film. His recognizable voice is both majestic yet cosy. He simply sounds intelligent.

It’s a treat then that he does open up THE BUCKET LIST with his commanding words, if not presence, some of the best combinations of words this film has to offer from scribe Justin Zackham. These and more significant, spiritual words of wisdom are strewn like fairy dust throughout the film and form the basis of this adult wish-fulfilment film about two elderly men living their last months by doing all they’ve ever wanted. Naturally, they also happen to have the big bucks, a private jet and support to do so.

While THE BUCKET LIST does not hold it together from start to finish it does benefit from not only the voice but also the performance of a humble Morgan Freeman who side by side with Nicholson more than holds his own.

If there’s any form of disappointment here - and that would really be a stretch - it is that considering he’s got Freeman to work with, it almost seems as if Nicholson called in his performance relying on his persona rather than building on a role; which is a real shame as he could have scaled the movie a long way upwards. He’s never bad, mind you, but he’s always just Jack (no pun intended even in the presence of WILL & GRACE’s Sean Hayes appearing here as Nicholson’s loyal assistant).

While THE BUCKET LIST at time deviates from the empathic tone it aims to deliver it does have enough cohesiveness as a whole to make the story not only appealing but also thoroughly moving and even meaningful.

Rob Reiner is a safe director and perhaps because, through reputation, he has been responsible for some very popular films in the last twenty years, he has no intention to step on anyone’s toes or pursue more than the superficial essentials the film allows. He knows that the secret and successful ingredient of LIST is in fact in the script and the narrative that holds everything together. From experience, he allows the story to dominate; its blueprint surely cemented from contemporary television sitcoms written by smart, sassy and pop-culturally informed men and women of our generation.


Finally, the movie does not skimp on what it considers sentimental and cutesy moments even by its own standards. It in fact reinforces its honey-dripped morale through various snippets showing the bonding men having their special moments travelling all around the world. If that is in fact the case then I think that all mankind should buy a copy of the popular 1001 PLACES TO SEE BEFORE YOU DIE or at least make their own personalized bucket list narrowing it down to an essential ten. Until then this movie – by generating tears from its audience – shall suffice.

SHELTER – 2007 – *** C+/B-
By Jonah Markowitz; With Trevor Wright, Brad Rowe and Tina Holmes

The Afterschool Special has gotten an upgrade in the last several years, with what once were hot topics becoming merely food for thought. SHELTER fits the bill of topical drama aimed at a market of gay youths, taking on the responsibility of educating, alienated, even troubled young men that homosexuality is not a sin. Taking its cue from the formidable docudramas that were once the norm of handling sensitive subject matters, SHELTER, produced by HERE! Films (an offshoot of the gay & lesbian cable network) offers a tender if not an altogether tame look at a boy coming to term with his sexuality.

While the film is never unsuccessful at sending its message or selling its mores, as a feature film it is really up to star Trevor Wright to connect with his audience in order to hook them onto this gentle tale, with which, I can surely attest, he succeeds in doing so by establishing an empathic, thoughtful yet complex Character named Zach.

Zach lives with his struggling, unreliable older sister Jeanne, mother to five-year old Cody who, fatherless, connects with the college bound Zach and brands him his wannabe dad. The two bond unconditionally if simply by the fact that Zach is always taking care of the little tyke. Zach’s also an artist who has somewhat given up hope of pursuing his passion mainly because of his loyalty to family and his fear of moving away to college.

Enter (or is it re-enter) Shaun, older brother of Zach’s best friend. The two have known each other throughout their lives but years have passed and Shaun had since moved away and became a published novelist. Now back for a short-term visit in his empty posh beachside home he is the primary lure for surfer Zach’s coming out. You see, the town’s deep dark secret (not much of a secret though) is that Shaun is openly gay and - depending who you talk to – he should be kept away from those way too vulnerable to be influenced.

Well conflict arises when the selfish Jeanne does not approve of her brother newfound friendship with Shaun. Zach himself is conflicted when Shaun sneaks a heartfelt kiss and the entire film unfolds as Zach comes to terms of his feelings and then shares his self-discovery with those around him.

The characters around Zach, basically two-dimensional, are either ignorant and reactionary (though only for a moment) or supportive and very accepting of Zach (each given a scene to pronounce their understanding). In this sense there is not enough dramatic conflict to really elevate the film to much more than a simple cautionary tale. At eighty-eight minutes there is no such room for elaboration.

Thus, the film merely skims over the sensitive topic, touching base with the various aspects of acceptance and its insight into homosexuality but it rarely truly challenges the topic. That it is sweet natured and well intentioned is noble yet not quite sufficient to rise above its poignancy. For a film filled with secrets, its main revelation is such that everybody already knows about Zach and, funny enough, Zach is the last to discover his own sexuality for himself. Similarly, and most likely, anyone catching this film will already be considerably attuned to the subject matter, as if the makers of SHELTER were the last to discover homosexuality and the many steps towards coming out.

THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL – 2008 – ***½ B/B-
By Justin Chadwick; With Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Eric Bana & Kristin Scott Thomas

The tumultuous courtship between King Henry VIII and his second wife Anne Boleyn, Mother of Elizabeth I, is given the glossy Hollywood makeover. This melodramatic treatment follows five years in the heels of an earlier British take that came out to middling success. Based on a highly controversial novel that is considered by many to be an overly fictionalized account, Peter Morgan, hot scripter of the moment (THE QUEEN, THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND, FROST/NIXON), takes a stab in recounting the fabled tale of Anne and her virtuous and loyal sister Mary at a crucial time in Henry Tudor’s life. As expected, Morgan’s rich dialogue, as expressed by the more-than-capable Portman, Johansson and Bana, is appealingly delicious. Naturally, as an enticing visual page-turner, it is difficult to tell fact from fiction but nonetheless the film is always exciting to follow.

King Henry’s first and most beloved wife, Catherine of Aragon, cannot conceive him a male heir. Ashamed, Henry turns his cheek on her after twenty years of marriage and begins a mad affair with lusty and naively ambitious Anne. At the same time, he is emotionally and affectionately smitten by her innocent and compassionate sister Mary. At the mercy of their spineless dad and ruthless uncle, the two become prey to Henry’s desires and get caught up in a scandal that historically, as we know it, led the King to eventually cede ties with the Catholic Church and create his own Church of England in order to grant himself a divorce from his first wife. To historians in the know, there’s also the gloomy awareness that Anne – his wife of one thousand days – would ultimately - and literally – be the first of his wives to lose her head.

From first glance of Anne & Mary as innocent girls running through the meadows and until the glaring denouement of Anne’s infamous beheading, the film has a hold on its viewers, more so as a bodice ripper with a historical backdrop than as an in-depth chronicle, which is what actually pits the tale’s legitimacy into question. Regardless, it all somehow works as pure sudsy entertainment, never mind that it takes liberty at educating some of us who haven’t a clue. But then again, it was five hundred years ago, after all, so does anybody really care.
Brilliantly Drawn

PERSEPOLIS – 2007 – ****½ A-/B+
By Marjane Satrapi & Vincent Paronnaud
With the voices of Chiara Mastroianni & Catherine Deneuve

Per-sep-o-lis noun [per-sep-uh-lis] An ancient capital of Persia; its imposing ruins are in S. Iran26.30 ml. (48km) NE of Shiraz.

Unlike most animated films, this insightful, decidedly adult, look at a girl growing up during the Iranian revolution of 1978, and its aftermath, offers a smart and sassy study at the personal struggles of a family affected by a domineering regime during difficult times. Meaning that it manages a sensitive subject matter with both equal parts pathos and humour

Using the voices of mother-and-daughter team, Catherine Deneuve and Chiara Mastroianni, to tell the autobiographical tale of young Marjane and how fundamentalism had such an impact on her very own life, not to mention her entire family, this French language film now arrives on DVD with an English soundtrack that not only retains the famous French duo dubbing their own voices but also adds the impressive vocal talents of Sean Penn (as papa), Gena Rowlands (grandmaman) and even Iggy Pop, not to mention serving up a wonderfully sharp & pithy English dubbing that loses none of its charm, meaning or significance.

Whether in its original French language or in its newly dubbed format, the film offers a riveting portrayal of Ms. Satrapi and her family’s travails during a turbulent time of change. This personal yet universal account may deceivingly seem less ambitious to some. As intelligent as it is in content, do not be fooled. PERSEPOLIS also contains innovative animation, true to its source material and can easily be remarked for its cinematic creativity as much as for its storyline.

Based on her autobiographical graphic first person account, Marjane’s life changes drastically just as she is about to enter her enduring puberty stages. And as we all know, her and any child’s view of the world often differs from an adult’s perception in that even hardships can come across as far more exciting and at oft times surreal than we actually get to experience.

Banned in Lebanon for broaching an incendiary topic, the film provides an outstanding script that serves up both as a history lesson and coming of age tale. Through creative animation it recounts life through Marjane’s imaginative eyes, in way that only animation can do it justice.

Marjane’s idealism and influences obviously taint her discontent with a new Iran. As an affected teen, she rebels against Islamic extremists and is forced to relocate to Austria while only in her teens. As she settles into a new country that advocates freedom of thought, she realizes the need to also adapt to a lifestyle that comes with its very own sets of radical prejudice. Marjane pays a hefty price in order to gain introspection about belonging.

The brilliantly conceived film has won many nominations worldwide but had to contend being the second most renowned animated film of 2007 thanks to another witty yet easier to digest film that took the world by storm. Yes, sad to say, to some, it is truly too bad about RATATOUILLE. In an ideal world their acclaim should be a shared one.

Manic-Depressive In Overdrive

THE DARK KNIGHT– 2008 – **** B+
By Christopher Nolan
With Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Heckart, Gary Oldman, Maggie Gylenhall, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman & Eric Roberts.

Batman’s been served inside out. Following a successful revival of the Cape Crusader’s fight for justice, with BATMAN BEGINS, mastermind Director Christopher Nolan [MEMENTO] returns to form with what is yet the darkest and bleakest of the Superhero movies. Based on the twisted graphic novels that resurrected the Batman series to begin with, THE DARK KNIGHT offers brooding introspection and a gloomy perception of Gotham City and its denizens. Ever more depressing now, the forecast this time out is a decidedly painful glee.

Christian Bale returns as the conflicted Bruce Wayne. In many ways, strong as his characterization is, Bale’s spot-on interpretation as both the millionaire and his criminal fighting alias gets overshadowed by the insane and beyond, supremely frightening performance of the late Heath Ledger as the knife carving Joker. Here Nolan and Ledger opt for a psychologically disturbing profile and one agitating performance of a man losing form of any rhyme or reason. To what has already been dubbed an iconic part played to agitating perfection, this Joker, in no uncertain terms, is amoral, lacking ia single virtue and, to the end, an insane sociopath with no redeeming values whatsoever.

Topped with an impressive, mostly returning, supporting cast ranging from Michael Caine as loyal manservant Alfred, Morgan Freeman as the Q-ish Lucius Fox, Maggie Gyllenhaal (upgrading Katie Holmes by providing a little more kick) as Rachel Dawes and Gary Oldman as police lieutenant James Gordon, the casting coup alone immediately places this entry into a prestige class of its own.

Nonetheless, shining alongside Ledger, is Aaron Eckhart who does a commendable job as District Attorney Harvey Dent aiding Batman in the fight for justice by placing criminals behind bars but later, in a shocking twist, becomes Batman’s arch nemesis Two-Face. Under normal circumstances, his take on the overtly troubled DA would be an instant classic.

However, as we all know, due to Ledger’s unexpected demise, nothing here is normal; neither the circumstances nor Ledger’s eerie performance. In fact, as good as anyone is in this sequel – and they all are terrific in every way – by fate and design, nobody and nothing gets close to the bone as Ledger’s chilling posthumous take on the infamous villain.

THE DARK KNIGHT is a stressful two hours and thirty minutes, spinning an intrinsic study of madness and defying the genre by highlighting characters that seem to lack morals, leaving no unscrupulous ways unturned. True to its bleak graphic novel but amplified tenfold in angst, THE DARK KNIGHT creeps up on its audiences in the form of a darkly intensifying yet oddly satisfying hybrid; a mutation that is meant only to partly entertain but mostly to mesmerize its audiences through its hypnotic viciousness. As a psychoanalytical study of good versus evil, whereby the virtues becomes rather questionable, and coming right behind its predecessor that reinvented the franchise and genre, KNIGHT carves and shades in what were initially but mere grey tones into the finest strokes of black.

Fun stuff? Not really. In fact the entire film is void of much entertainment (save for the masochistic type) and yet none of this makes it neither a less than brilliant take on the superhero movie nor a bad film. Truth be told, THE DARK KNIGHT is a very well made movie on the exact same disturbing level as David Lynch’s BLUE VELVET or even Tarantino’s PULP FICTION, except that its intended audience has paid the big bucks and bought the large buttered popcorn in hopes that its crime-fighter offers a slightly frothier justice and a bit more light-hearted fun. What they don’t expect yet most certainly do get is a savvy, controlled take on menace & madness. And for those who can stomach it, they’re in for one hell of a ride. Mind you, a joy ride it isn’t.

I’ve Been Cheated by Meryl Streep and Co.

MAMMA MIA – 2008 – ** ½ C-/C
By Phyllida Lloyd
With Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgard, Dominic Cooper, Christine Baranski & Julie Walters.

Admittedly, I am a big ABBA fan and I have waited a long time for anything ABBA on the silver screen, at least since ABBA- THE MOVIE first came out in 1977 and made a household name of its director Lasse Halstrom. Therefore, I can honestly say that I was sorely disappointed by the poorly directed, cruelly choreographed and incoherently cast film version of the popular stage musical that culls selected songs from the ABBA catalogue to tell a threadbare story set to the gorgeous backdrop of a Greek island.

I have seen the stage production on a few occasions and know it to be a merely decent, mostly fun take on the musical genre. Never a critic’s show but always a sure-fire crowd pleaser, MAMMA MIA was a cardboard cut-out of a sing-along show that through its inventively minimal staging left a lot to the imagination – and perhaps, as such, succeeded in appeasing its worldwide audiences.

Perhaps I was anticipating way too much, but the opened-up, on location, filmed version recreated by the same exact team that staged the fun in London, New York and practically every other city in the world, seems to have been clueless when it came to understanding how to best utilize the film medium to their advantage. The dull proceedings end up ringing false and the outcome is rather blasé.

It is apparent that while director Lloyd has seen many a musicals in the past, she perhaps neglected to pay attention to and follow in the path of the better screen adaptations of musicals in the recent years. Her pulse of the visceral experience has her most probably focused on the wrong musical influences, the ones that never work. As MAMMA MIA unfolds, it starts to resemble some of the more mediocre moments in film musical history; a painful realization for someone who has been waiting this long.

Even then, with a wonderfully promising performance from Amanda Seyfried as Sophie, a beautiful young woman in the process of getting married, it should be shocking to imagine that this single most endearing role comes from a relatively unknown, while major stars of the silver screen- not simply mere mortals - and an Oscar legend in the lead, would fare far worse. Alas, that is very much the case with MAMMA MIA.

I, for one, did not expect Meryl Streep to embarrass herself into submission through her rollicking and humiliating dances & numbers. For one, at fifty-eight, she is way too old for this sort of thing. Her Donna Sheridan should be a woman in her early forties. Yet in order to accommodate the generous superstar – who has been dying to throw in a musical into a resume since she was evicted from EVITA in its initial pre-production stages – the producers and director have made unreasonable allowances that have her uncomfortably choreographed and, no numerous occasions, unreasonably so.

For one, Streep is overly emotive and her physical movements are awkward as much as her facial expressions are unappealing at times. While her singing is top notch karaoke for much of the short but long-in-the-tooth 98 minutes, it truly is not much more than that. Her bests number, SLIPPING THROUGH MY FINGERS, sang to and with Seyfried, as her daughter, displays a hint of what the rest of the musical numbers could have been had her take on Donna Sheridan be toned down a notch and had director Lloyd chose a classier route.

Even if I also liked Streep’s rendition of the WINNER TAKES IT ALL (and I somewhat did), it is yet another scene displaying what is inherently wrong with the film. In this case it lacks choreography and is overly compensated by forced physical expressions & gestures.

In many other cases, the film is simply choreographed poorly, almost at the level of the Justin & Kelly movie that once dominated the year-end bottom-of-the-barrel film lists. When not punishing Streep and company into forced hand and leg gestures of the manic variety, the film uses an ineffective cast of backup singers and dancers to suggest a Greek chorus, a conceit that is nowhere to be found on the stage and one that does not work in the film’s favour whatsoever.

While Christine Baranski does not look cosmetically much better than Streep, at least when she performs her DOES YOUR MOTHER KNOW number she shows us what the film could have been in the hands of a real super trouper of a stage actress. Shame, ‘cause I had high hopes and was truly let down. Still, as a biased ABBA fan I can only be discouraged enough to concede this film as mediocre and nothing less.

The Cold war From Within

DAS LEBEN DER ANDEREN THE LIVES OF OTHERS – 2006 – **** B+/A-
By Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
With Ulrich Muhe, Sebastian Koch & Martina Gedeck.

Picture this: It is 1984 [shades of Orwell, perhaps], East Berlin, you are loyal to your state, to its strict socialist ideologies and to its governing secret police, the Stasi. In fact, you are one of 90,000 men employed by the Stasi, in a country with one goal in mind: to know everything about everyone. Your occupation: interrogation Captain in a department cruelly renowned for the destruction of the human spirit; its victims are artists, liberals and free thinkers.

Now imagine this to be all too real. What if in the process of an investigation you’ve become compelled with your subjects, involved in their private lives and begin to realize that the mission that’s been forced upon you is all but a sham? Too late, you‘ve been drawn in and the decisions you’ve made thus far may change your very own life forever.

Such is the case in this taut, suspenseful thriller that weaves human drama with a socio-political agenda. An overly long yet involving first feature from director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, numerous award-winner, THE LIVES OF OTHERS offers a glimpse into an ugly era in European history not too long ago.

Ulrich Muehe gives a reserved, sadly nuanced performance as Captain Gerd Wiesler, whose beliefs (and loneliness) are compromised when he is forced to tap into the lives of “neutral” playwright Georg Dreyman (as capably portrayed by Sebastian Koch) and his lover, popular stage actress Christa-Maria Sieland (a sullen Martina Gedeck). You see, Dreyman is unfortunately very close to writers whose opinions may differ from that of the socialist state. The Stasi may have every reason to watch his every move.

Enter Wiesler. Through his captivated eavesdropping, we are ourselves become voyeurs to the daily secret investigations subjected to Dreyman & Sieland. Slowly, as Wiesler gets emotionally involved in the lives of the celebrated strangers, he starts to re-examine his own ideology. Suspicions between state and the persecuted thinkers become skewered. Wiesler’s handling of his findings take on a delicate turn as he begins to risk is own sense of security.

Shady dealings between government officials and the Stasi become evident and the truth behind the investigation gets clearer as the fallout nears. Wiesler puts his job and life on the line to protect those he is meant to crucify. As such, this “fictionalized” account of the human condition in such difficult and compromised times merely implies oppressive life during the Cold War. As such the flm is simply the tip of a far more impacting iceberg.

Gripping from the start, to the point of being hypnotic, THE LIVES OF OTHERS is absorbing drama, at once, offering a study of the Stasi, mostly known for its wire-tapping and interrogation techniques, as well as a personal drama of the interconnected lives of strangers due to the subversive methods and ploys of the socialist regime during difficult times. The beautiful rendering of sad & unfortunate circumstances and their tragic outcome is told to compelling results.

Mostly set less than five years prior to the monumental fall of the Berlin Wall, the film’s de coda evolves years later with slight changes in the affected lives of these acquainted men. There’s a profound beauty to the storyline and a build up that leads to a moving climax. Yet the filmmaker just doesn’t settle right then and there. Unexpectedly the drama continues with some precious rendering of the aftermath.

People affected by the results are given a glimpse of understanding and hope and the film somewhat concedes to unify the differences of men who may have once been enemies of conviction but allies in thought and mostly in passion. THE LIVES OF OTHERS resonates with us in its efforts to tell a universal theme of individuals fighting a system for a cause they believe in.