Rachel Getting Married

Limited U.S. Release Date 10.3.08


With this single performance Anne Hathaway has transformed from a gum-chewing teen idol into a mature and talented young woman. Even though it has had limited releases within the U.S. I’m sure “Rachel Getting Married” will be at the top of every “must see” list of the Academy voting committee. This small budget project was filmed mostly on hand-cams, giving the audience the feeling of being part of the commotion as a silent member of the family rather than an outside observer who thanks their lucky stars they are not involved. The choppy and sometimes frantic cinematography was the same concept, but much more bearable than the vomit-inducing shots of the disappointing Cloverfield.

The relatively unknown cast, who looked and acted like real people inhabiting this actual home in Stamford, CT, pleasantly surprised me. The multi-racial and multi-cultural hodge-podge that Rachel’s wedding party embodied was no accident by Director Jonathan Demme. The Indian-themed wedding garb and food was accentuated with a local rock band playing the wedding march, guests dancing to Samba at the reception, Carnivale style entertainment, and a mess of W.A.S.P. Connecticutians giving a warm welcome to their new Caribbean in-laws. Not to mention the Asian best friend of the African groom giving a toast during the rehearsal dinner in his neon pink shirt and skinny black tie straight from the 80’s.

At this dinner we listening to a surprising monologue of a mid-20’s Kym (Hathaway) and a glimpse at the reason for her descent into drug and alcohol abuse rooting in her adolescent rebellion and remorse for the loss of a family member. After a brief leave from rehab in order to attend her sister, Rachel’s, wedding, Kym is literally walked through a maze of long-abandoned bedrooms and horrifying memories. She unwittingly meets the Best Man at a local AA meeting, and the two instantly connect, stealing a quick and dirty moment in the basement of her father’s house. Anne Hathaway takes the audience on a rollercoaster of emotions so intense and realistic that one would think she was actually a recovering addict. I found the climax of the film surmounting in a heart-wrenching scene at the mother’s (Debra Winger) house the night before the wedding as Kym confronts her asking why she left a 16 year old high on tranquilizers in charge of her toddler brother, only to have her drive off a bridge, allowing him to drown in the lake before she could get him out of his car seat. It literally comes to blows between the women, invoking a sort of silent physical acceptance and forgiveness of each other’s mistakes.

This sordid drama will leave you with a heavy heart and a new appreciation for your own dysfunctional family.


Rating: A

Twilight

Release Date 11.21.08

First of all I must admit that I am a 27-year old hardcore fan of the Stephenie Meyer series. With that said, even though I know the books are aimed at the tween and teen psyche, I still enjoyed the novels for they project nice old-fashioned morals without being preachy (Meyer is famous for being a Mormon who can write steamy heart-pounding intimate scenes) and they also bring to life a real vulnerability that all girls feel at some point throughout their lives. After having listened to 3 of the 4 audiobooks about 10 times apiece (I could not stand New Moon more than twice, too heart-wrenching) I figured I knew the characters and the stories so well that I believed they were truly a part of my family.

So, this hardcore fan fell into the whirlwind of media hype surrounding the highly anticipated release of the first book-to-movie adaptation of the series, "Twilight". I saw many many many videos and read many many many interviews and articles relating to Twilight the story, the casting, and the author's take on the screenplay. Needless to say there wasn't much of the actual movie left for me to see after my seemingly endless search for new material to obsess over, much to my friends' and family's chagrin.

While breathlessly waiting in line for over 6 hours to see Edward's skin "sparkle like diamonds" and the inevitable apprehensive kiss between vampire and human, I tried to convince myself to see the Thursday midnight showing without high expectations. And of course, the movie was not nearly as enjoyable as the book. I was disappointed by how choppy the flow of the film was, despite already knowing that major scenes would be cut during the final edit. But, I can sympathize with Melissa Rosenberg for trying to trim down a 500-pg novel into a 150-pg script, while keeping it at a 2 hour duration. However, a few feelings stirred within me that I did not expect. For example, during the most key points in the movie I felt awkward as an audience member and embarrassed for the cast; their lines were word-for-word sap straight from the book, or misconstrued in such a way that events seemed out of order or rushed just to get through them to move on to the next.

And I did not find the chemistry between Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart heart-melting and gooey as it has been played up to be by the media. There were long awkward pauses as if they stars forgot their lines. Or such lines as, "and so the lion fell in love with the lamb" were forced out in a vomit-inducing deluge just to please the fans. The line was delivered by Pattinson with a matter-of-fact tone, rather than the aw-shucks nothing we can do now feeling you get when reading about the meadow scene. Ah, the meadow scene, don't even get me started on that befuddled mess.

Like I aforementioned, I am a Twilighter and of course purchased the movie companion as soon as it hit the shelves. Within in it, many secrets to the movie's look and appeal were spilled by Director Catherine Hardwicke (and others). She explains how the beloved meadow scene does not actually take place in a meadow, but in a small lighter-than-usual-wooded area outside of Forks HS because of weather and scheduling conflicts. However, there is a quick meadow glimpse with long sweeping camera shots that try to portray the sexual tension felt between a vampire and his victim-soul mate. It was just incongruous and a bit confusing, especially for someone who has read the book and envisioned the little white and yellow flowers in a small encircled field that Bella so aptly describes. And the "confessions" and revealing of each others' feelings was quick and dirty, not languid and syrupy as one would expect after reading the pages.

Despite my obvious distaste for some of the modifications to the plot, I will give the film Twilight a second chance now that I am aware of significant differences from the book and try to view it objectively for what it is. However, if you have not read the book and intend on seeing the movie fresh without any prior knowledge of the plot, DON'T. It will ruin any desires you may have had to pick up the 500-page novel, which I think is by far the best way to experience the Twilight world.


Rating: D+

Zack and Miri Make A....Love Story?

Release Date 10.31.08


The newest progeny from the astounding mind of Kevin Smith is a raunchy sex comedy that features Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks, Jay, that warehouse guy from ‘The Office” (you know, ‘Darrell’), hockey jock Jeff Anderson, porn greats Traci Lords and Katie Morgan guest star, with special appearances by Brandon Routh as gorgeous football stud Bobby Long (innuendo for something?) and Justin Long as his gay lover.

Roomates Zack (Rogen) and Miri (Banks), best friends since the 1st grade, work their tedious lives at the mall and a generic coffee shop. In the dead of winter, in Pittsburg no less, the pair lose their water, then their electric, and ultimately their heating. On the night of their 10th high school reunion, miserable and broke, they drink away their sorrows on the last couple of bucks between them, and brainstorm the possibility of making a cheap porno to distribute themselves, in the hopes of reaping all the benefits and just being able to pay rent.

After recruiting co-workers and friends as cast members, ‘Star Whores’ is born and destroyed all within the same breath. Having lost all their funding and equipment they resort to using the Bean And Gone as the platform for the plotless plot as well as the set. Zack and Miri having never been intimate are deathly nervous of their one scene together. All seems hopeless as the two attempt to convince each other it’s just sex, but then lose themselves in the moment realizing their love for one another while the camera rolls. Of course mixed emotions result, and this is the point where Kevin Smith seems to have lost his focus.

The dialogue follows the Appatow formula for honest ramblings and modern diction, and the on-screen chemistry amongst the entire cast was fantastic, superb even, but once the story turned mushy I felt Smith was out of his element. Miscommunication results after the tender love scene, fueling the last quarter of the film with ‘he said she said’ grumblings and I was confused as to what the actual problem was. Obviously they loved each other but couldn’t tell each other – why? Fear of ruining the friendship? But the couple knew every embarrassing detail about each other, so why would three little worlds throw all of that out the window?

Smith tries to both rub our faces in the tawdriness and to erase it altogether at the same time. The movie campaigns that pornography is a jolly, mild pastime, but also takes refuge with a sincere, romantic traditional quality that is antithetical to the cynical, often playful sexual culture of pornography itself. Kevin Smith intends to make a love story, which is contradictory to the film Zack and Miri set out to produce. All in all I would say the film was excellent, but not for those with innocent ears or anyone over 30.


Rating: A-