Monday, March 31, 2008

Gone Baby Gone

A couple of days ago I watched this film that was known as Ben Affleck's directorial debut: Gone Baby Gone, a movie about two Boston area detectives investigating the kidnapping of a little girl. Trailer is posted below:



The only notable thing I really found of this movie is its plot, which conludes quite controversially. What is eventually revealed is that the kidnapping is in fact a conspiracy--that the Chief of Police himself (played by Morgan Freeman) kidnapped the little girl to save her from living a life with a neglectful and drug-addicted mother. But when the young detective Patrick (played by Casey Affleck) finds out, he turns in Morgan Freeman's character, thus having the girl returned back to her mother.

People have argued over whether what Patrcik did was morally right--is it ok to report a crime even if its end result is good? Patrick decided that it was the right thing to do, even if that meant having the girl grow up in a bad environment, but I am not so sure...I saw this as a lose-lose situation. The mother seemed so incredibly unfit to raise her daughter, but at the same time, Morgan Freeman's character broke the law as well as put so many lives in jeopardy by arranging this kidnapping that it makes you ask why on earth could he not have just simply requested to adopt the child? Because it makes for a good story? Not a good enough reason, in my view.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence

"This is the west, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend." An editor of a newspaper speaks one of the last lines in the 1962 John Ford directed movie, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence, a film considered to be one of the last examples of the classic Western genre, and one of John Wayne's last films as well. Trailer is posted below:



I watched this film the other day for a class of mine, expecting that I wouldn't find it too interesting considering it was a Western, which isn't one of my favorite genres in general. But I was a bit surprised...The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence is essentially about the death of the Western, and even the death of John Wayne's rugged character, both literally and figuratively: as the movie begins with a senator named Ransom Stoddard (played by James Stewart) who returns to the western town Shinbone to attend the funeral of Tom Doniphon (played by John Wayne), a local rancher whom he considered to be an old friend.

Ransom Stoddard is introduced to the audience as someone who has risen to fame and prestige in politics ever since he established his lasting legacy of being the man to shoot and kill Liberty Valence, an outlaw who used to terrorize the town of Shinbone...which is why the editor of the Shinbone newspaper is so curious to find out why Stoddard has returned to town. Finally after man requests, Stoddard agrees to tell the editor the true story of his past and of his now deceased friend Tom Doniphon.

What is finally revealed at the end of the movie is the truth to how Liberty Valence was actually defeated, and it was not by Stoddard's hand but instead by Doniphon, who allowed Stoddard to receive the credit and fame. What's interesting is how the town is affected by their perception of who killed Liberty Valence: Stoddard representing modern civilization with his background in the study of law as a testament to victory over the "lawlessness" of the Wild West as represented by Tom Doniphon's character...when in fact it was Doniphon who saved Stoddard's life.

In many ways, this film concludes that the cowboy has no place in modern society and that it must give over to civilization and progress. Regardless of what really unfolded, that is the consensus that stands as of today...and is perhaps why the editor of the Shinbone newspaper, after learning the truth, uttered the words "This is the west, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend."

The Bicycle Thieves

A few days ago I watched this Italian movie made in 1948 called The Bicycle Thieves. A film that embodies the Italian Neorealist movement, The Bicycle Thieves tells the story of a poverty-stricken man, Antonio Ricci, who finally gets a job and thus an opportunity to save his family from financial struggle. Only, the catch is he has to have a bicycle in order to work, and so his wife sells their belongings to afford one. On the first day of the job, Ricci's bicycle is stolen by a young man who's part of an organized mob...and Antonio and his young son Bruno try desperately to find and retrieve it. Trailer is shown below:



Sadly, the ending of this movie is not so uplifting, and what we essentially learn is the hopelessness of those who are victims: that they are disorganized whereas criminals are organized and have the upper hand. At the climax of this film, as Antonio finally confronts the boy who stole his bicycle, he and his son both reach out to the policeman in the neighborhood and attempt to have him make an arrest. Only, the boy's family and community all lie for him, leaving the conclusion that it's Antonio's word against the rest.

The performances are great in this film, despite the fact that the director DeSica casted the leading roles with non-professional, unknown actors, as was characteristic of the Italian Neorealist movement. The boy that plays Bruno is perhaps one of the best child actors I've seen so far, plus he is adorable. And if you decide to see this film, notice how often Bruno looks up at his dad--how often he asks for attention and doesn't receive it. At the same time, we the audience see that the boy is the only one who comes to the aid of his father and his only saving grace.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

The Promises Film Project

Last night I watched a heartwarming and bittersweet documentary about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict told from the perspective of seven Israeli and Palestinian children. Promises is a 2001 Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning documentary film produced and directed by B.Z. Goldberg, Justine Shapiro, and Carlos Bolado. The trailer is posted below here:



In the film, B.Z. Goldberg interviews these seven children between the ages of nine and thirteen--with a tagline stating they live no more than 20 minutes from each other, but nonetheless live in separate worlds. And very simply, but powerfully, we the audience are given a chance to hear them explain the situation, to hear their voices (instead of those of politicians and statesmen).

I, personally, was very touched by this film, and I would recommend it for everyone to see. What struck me most was the development of the bonds between these children, even in spite of the prejudice that exists in their environment...it makes you wonder how much could be resolved if people simply try to get to know each other.

Making Movies that Make Change...

As I mentioned before, The Kite Runner was produced by a media company named Participant Productions. Its founder, Jeff Skoll, is also credited with the creation of the Skoll Foundation, an organization that supports social entrepreneurship by seeking out and facilitating individuals and programs that are already bring positive change to their communities and the world. The video below is a talk given by Jeff Skoll at a TED (technology entertainment and design) conference about his decision to create Participant Productions.



As a result of some of the efforts to make social change through film and documentary, Participant Productions has developed active, working relationships with 83 non-profit organizations reaching over 20 million people. Other accomplishments include: social action campaigns that spread information about how to reduce oil dependence, nine countries incorporating the documentary An Inconvenient Truth in their high school curriculum, four bills on climate change, and the re-authorization of the Violence Against Women Act.

Monday, March 10, 2008

The Kite Runner

Last night I watched a movie called The Kite Runner, produced by Participant Productions, a media company that was created to fund feature films and documentaries that promote social values and address social issues while still being commercially viable. The Kite Runner is about a young man named Amir who is asked to go back to his homeland of Kabul, Afghanistan to help the son of his old childhood friend, Hassan.



The film is based on the National Bestseller novel by Khalid Hosseini, and although it received Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations, in my opinion the movie was not up to par because of the acting (with exception to the main child actors). Plot was great, cinematography at some points very beautiful, but the actors playing Amir and his wife made it feel less genuine.

But the children playing young boys Amir and Hassan were wonderful--sadly, I recently discovered that after the film was done, their families were concerned about their security (the fear of kidnapping). Fortunately, Paramount relocated the main boy actors to United Arab Emirates and agreed to pay for their living expenses until they reach adulthood.

And as nice as that is, it's ironically sad that the conclusion of the film reflects reality: one or a few boys are rescued from their surroundings while the rest are abandoned to live in a war-torn country. I really hope it doesn't remain that way...