Friday, November 20, 2009

The Blind Side

“This team is your family.” This line stuck out the most with me, on a personal level. A very close friend and teammate of mine recently conveyed very similar sentiments to me, having not been playing with them or even around much this past fall season. This concept of a team being like your family is the overriding theme of this film. There is much to be said about anything that unifies people from different walks of life and improves upon their very existence. This is the reason I have always loved playing team sports. Very few things in my own life have afforded me the kind of trust in my comrades and belief in my contributions as playing football and rugby. And that is precisely what The Blind Side so auspiciously conveys. Sandra Bullock, who portrays Leigh Anne Tuohy in the film, commented in a recent interview, “A family unit doesn’t work unless everyone’s working together. The Team doesn’t work, if everyone’s not working together… Working as a team or a family advances people faster and better than someone by themselves.”

Quinton Aaron & Sandra Bullock
The Blind Side is a warm-hearted drama that is based on the true story of Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Michael Oher. Director John Lee Hancock (The Rookie and The Alamo) first was inspired to turn Oher’s story into a film after reading Michael Lewis’ 2006 novel, “The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game”. Lewis highlights Oher’s football career prior to the NFL, from his early days in high school and onto college. The book also focuses on the pivotal evolution of the very position of left tackle that revolutionized offensive football strategy during the 1980s. This occurred in large part in response to former New York Giant’s outside linebacker Lawrence Taylor’s significant blind side tackle of Washington Redskins' quarterback Joe Theismann which fractured both his tibia and fibula, ultimately ending his professional football career. Viewers in an ESPN poll voted the NFL’s “Most Shocking Moment in History” the injury, and The Washington Post dubbed the tackle “The Hit That No One Who Saw It Can Ever Forget”.

Quinton Aaron as Michael Oher
The movie itself opens with the very incident where Taylor snapped Theismann's leg. It connects the importance of the tackle position in football to the molding of Michael Oher and his uncanny protective instincts. The position brought unprecedented importance to the offensive lineman tasked with protecting the quarterback’s blind side from the pass rusher and befittingly preventing sacks. For my non-football-privy readers, the offensive tackle essentially became a “bodyguard” for the quarterback, with particular importance placed on the side that he could not see from while attempting a pass. Ultimately, this fostered a new dominance for the quarterback and placed an increased importance on the role of the left tackle.

Bullock with Patrick G. Keenan & Maria Howell
Sandra Bullock’s turn as Michael's vivacious foster mother is nothing short of marvelous. We have come to know Bullock for the numerous romantic comedies and action flicks she frequently stars in. It really wasn’t until Paul Haggis’ Best Picture Academy Award–winning Crash did we first see any glimpse of versatility from Bullock. She has broken the mold with this role and garnered a newfound respect as an actress. Her character, Leigh Anne Tuohy, truly is at the heart of this story. She is a wealthy Memphis interior decorator and socialite whose husband, Sean (Tim McGraw), owns several fast-food franchises. She clearly is the dominant one in her marriage and is somewhat of a control freak. But this doesn’t mean to say that she’s heartless. In fact, we quickly discover that she is actually very compassionate. When she first notices Michael Oher, he is interacting with her son S.J. (Jae Head) after school. She later sees him walking along a road after a school event in the cold. Knowing that he a friend of S.J.’s, she inquires as to whether or not he has a place to stay. “Don’t you dare lie to me.” She takes him home with their family and makes him a bed on their couch for the night. This begins her undertaking to help Michael in everyway she can.

Jae Head & Aaron
Michael Oher (played by Quinton Aaron), reluctantly nicknamed Big Mike, is a quiet recently transferred student on scholarship at Briarcrest Christian School in Memphis. Based on his appearance alone, he is very much out of place among the other suburban kids being driven to and from school in their parent’s luxury cars. According to tests and conventional observers, Michael is a lost cause when he first enters Briarcrest. He is a 6-foot-5-inch, 340-pound giant with zero learning or communication skills, and a profound inability to indicate his own desires. Michael soon meets S.J. who gives Michael some advice on how to make friends, advising him to smile more so that he seems is less intimidating. But it is precisely Michael’s natural intimidation that proves to be an asset to him later on. Naturally, Michael struggles with the adjustment to the new school and his new life, but eventually find his nitch on the football field.

Aaron
Newcomer Quinton Aaron brings a subtle innocence to the role of Michael. Although Aaron has very few lines in the film, he still conveys an immense amount of emotion. Michael is curiously blank character despite this new opportunity for him to at Briarcrest. Hancock doesn’t really elaborate upon his past with the exception of a few menial flashbacks, which very well may have been a wise choice. Even when Leigh Anne is exploring his roots by visiting his former urban neighborhood and speaking with Michael’s drug addicted mother, the exposure is limited. This approach forces the audience to appreciate Michael as he makes his strides to improve himself and focus less on his former life of despair. Watching Michael go from this otherwise hopeless teenager to an all-around football star is quite endearing. We witness how Leigh Anne and the entire Tuohy family come to his aid and give him everything that he didn’t have before: a home, a family, love. One of Leigh Anne’s girlfriends eventually commends her, “You’re changing that boys life.” And she quickly responds, “No, he’s changing mine.”

Tim McGraw, Aaron & Bullock
This isn't a sports movie, any more than Friday Night Lights is a sports television show. As with that series, the emphasis is on the human story behind the game, and in particular on the selflessness and decency exhibited by the Tuohys and their new family member. From the beginning, Hancock viewed the The Blind Side as more than just another story of the underdog becoming top dog. While Lewis had used Oher’s story as a backdrop in his book to create a personal relation to the evolution of football, Hancock does exact the opposite and translates that secondary story into a feel good tale about human relationships. He saw Lewis' unconventional plot structure not as an obstacle but as an opportunity, “To me, it was all about the same thing: How did the stars align to shine so brightly on this one kid in the projects in Memphis?”

Quinton Aaron & Sandra Bullock
Hancock set his sights high by addressing the emotional journey of Michael and constructs a film that is so much more than just a sports movie. Sandra Bullock's performance is both devout and revolutionary and I expect will garnish her an Oscar nomination. There is a real life story here and that alone makes it endearing. This is a warmhearted drama that doesn't suffer too much from the emotional manipulation and trite platitudes that often plague such films about real people. True to Lewis' subtitle, "Evolution of a Game," the film highlights how even the most unconventional practices can evolve and develop given the right circumstance—just as Michael Oher did.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Bottom Line: Even if you're not a fan of football, you will appreciate the message behind this film. It's the feel good movie of the year!


Five for Fighting: "Chances"

Friday, November 6, 2009

The Men Who Stare at Goats

“More of this is true than you would believe.” is the opening statement for this film that sets a pretext for an astonishing tale. At least, that is what one would assume. Such isn’t the case, however. We all know George Clooney to be the kind of ambitious actor/director/producer who seeks out good stories and challenges greatness in his projects. He teams up again with Grant Heslov, who he had previously collaborated with on Good Night, and Good Luck. Although they have swapped productions roles here (Clooney produces while Heslov directs), you would think that they would have come up with the same kind of brilliance that they concocted in 2005. Perhaps the major difference with this film is that it was NOT co-written by the two. Regardless of this, the story just doesn’t execute.

Peter Straughan, whose work spans over numerous genres including radio sitcoms and stage plays, is the screenwriter. This movie is based directly upon Jon Ronson’s nonfiction novel, of the same name, which reveals the details behind a secret government unit called the First Earth Battalion (renamed the New Earth Army in the film). Ronson is probably best known for his documentary film work and distinctive self-deprecating reporting style, which incorporates aspects of Gonzo journalism. Unfortunately, Straughan does not execute the same treatment of expression in his script. But aside from the actual literary approach, the story doesn’t even grasp this so-called veritable world of military intelligence. I do realize that this is a comedy, however so much more could have been brought to the storyline, particularly some of the actual tactics used by the US Army. Instead, the story becomes cliché and doesn’t actually seem believable, or humorous for that matter.

Ewan McGregor plays the lead character of Bob Wilton, who is based on Ronson himself. Wilton is a recently divorced journalist who lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan (this is a bad omen to begin with). In an attempt to redeem himself to his wife and in his professional career, he ventures to Iraq at the height of the war in the Middle East in hopes to find some revolutionary story. This is idealistic and hopeless on his part. Wilton is vastly pathetic, insecurely emotional and needlessly irrational. How could anyone possibly respect such a bloke? McGregor manages to be likeable here, despite his deplorable character. But it is not the same kind of allure that he has had in such films as Moulin Rouge! and Trainspotting.

The irony that this film is about these so-called Jedi Warriors and that Ewan McGregor is the main character is humorous in itself. They make references to Star Wars throughout the entire movie. Since McGregor played Obi-Wan Kenobi in Episodes 1 through 3 of the Star Wars saga, it adds an element of strangeness to his character here. Wilton is someone who is trying to coop with his wife leaving him for his one-armed boss and his own mediocrity in his professional life. His solution is to go to Iraq and write a groundbreaking story that would give him a career boost and personal redemption. Seems simple enough right? Not really. He inadvertently finds himself chasing a story about so-called psychic warriors, enter George Clooney.

In Kuwait City, Wilton inadvertently meets Lyn Cassady (Clooney) at a hotel while waiting for his chance to cross into Iraq. After an accidental interrogation, Wilton unveils that Cassady was once a member of the New Earth Army and is currently on a top-secret mission for the government. Cassady goes onto to explain his role and exactly how he came to be a part of this select group of psychic spies trained to use paranormal powers against the country's enemies known as the Jedi. It is around this point in the film where you start to roll your eyes. It’s not even that the scenario is so inconceivable, but that the reproach is utterly ridiculous. Clooney’s character is supposed to be this psychic guru, the most talented of all the Jedi. But all he really accomplishes throughout the story is extreme exasperation.

If there is anything or anyone to commend in this film it is Jeff Bridges. His performance as Bill Django, a Vietnam War vet turned hippie, is ridiculously charismatic. The character himself is based on real combat commander Jim Channon, who sought ways to make war dramatically less violent by using methods based around advanced human performance and the human potential movement. Channon spent two years in the 1970s investigating new age movements that subsequently resulted in an illustrated 150-page field manual entitled “Evolutionary Tactics” published by the U.S. Army in 1978. Bill Django, however, is less contemplative than Channon and finds foolheaded methods to train his so-called Jedi to be “warrior monks”. Through a series of flashbacks, we come to learn about Django’s initial endeavors and experiments, some wildly insane but all entertaining, all thanks to Bridges. As this flower toting-peace loving-weed smoking-Army officer, Bridges put forth his best performance since The Dude from the Coen Brother’s classic cult film, The Big Lebowski.

Kevin Spacy also headlines the supporting cast as the self-absorbed despicable sergeant Larry Hooper. Spacy isn’t anything special in this film. But that rests upon the fact that his character isn’t much himself. Hooper is an ambitious newcomer to the New Earth Army who eventually takes over the Team after he gets Django kicked out in disgrace. Hooper makes it very easy to hate him, and really only is looking out for number one. This self-preservation theme is reminiscent of The Italian Job, but without the big financial motive.

As things progressively go wrong for Wilton and Cassady during their mission, Wilton understandably starts to wonder if Cassady really is a Jedi Warrior with paranormal abilities or if he’s just plain crazy. Cassady blames it all on a "curse" he inadvertently acquired during an experiment in which he stared at a goat until its heart stopped beating. "The dark side took the dream and twisted it." "None of it was real," sites Wilton at one point. With material like this, one would have liked a more incisive comedy to materialize around the decline and fall of the New Age movement. The New Earth Army bears some historical significance because of the context for which it is based. Did our government allocate funds towards the development of a psychic team of soldiers? This question itself poses much intrigue for not only those who are supernatural zealots, but for the tax paying public on the whole. This story could easily have been converted onto the screen in a different way. A psychological thriller that breeds from the mystery of The X-Files and the human turmoil during wartime of Apocalypse Now, could have been a great screen epic. This film farce that plays upon the stupidity of its characters is mediocre at best.

This is not typically the kind of film I would go see to begin with. I am not someone who typically revels in the comedy of human situations. But that isn’t even why I disliked this movie. It’s supposed to be about psychic soldiers, super heroes if you will, and more interestingly, how our military has tried to use such people as weapons. Believable? Not really. Entertaining? Only somewhat. For me personally, The Men Who Stare at Goats just does not come together. There are ridiculous characters that seemingly have metaphysical abilities but aside from the dream sequences and flashbacks, you almost never see any of them performed. It basically just implies that these Jedi have extra ordinary talents. And it seems like you’re watching a version of the X-Men where they are all stoned and mental half-wits. “We’re Jedi. We don’t fight with guns, we fight with our minds.” Mind war indeed; I have been mentally trying to beat-up Clooney and Heslov since I left the theater.

Rating: ★ ★
Bottom Line: They showed every good funny scene in the 3-minute preview. Save yourself the grief & disappointment, and stay home.

Precious

With all the hype surrounding this movie, I had expected an extremely moving film about the hard knocks of life. That was a huge underestimation on my part. This film relinquishes any preconceived inner-city stereotypes that one might have, and exposes a down right horrific world of destitution and misfortune. To call Precious merely a social statement is like saying that Titanic was about a sinking boat. Director Lee Daniels has created a disarming film that doesn’t force false empathy or emotion from its viewers. The story line alone pushes the audience to feel for these characters without seeming constructed or imposing. With each scene there is a new revelation, some are hopeful but most are disarming. It is a rare occurrence for a movie to entice such a deplorable emotional reaction.

You cannot discuss this movie without considering the book that it was based upon. Not knowing anything about the book itself or having never read it won’t hinder your impression of this film. But it might just make you appreciate the film that much more. Geoffrey S. Fletcher adapted the novel “Push” by Sapphire in a way that maintains the overall sense of the story, right down to the dialog. Much in the same way that Sapphire did, Fletcher purposely implores a dialect that reiterates the main character’s illiteracy. Because the script was written in the first person, told from Precious’ point of view, the choice to spell words phonetically, such as "nuffin'," "git," "borned" and "wif", fiercely adds to the realism of the story. Despite the fact that you don’t actually see the words spelled out on screen. When Precious was first screened at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, it was listed under its original title “Push: Based On The Novel By Sapphire”. But because there was another film entitled “Push” being featured at the same time, Daniels changed it to Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire.

Gabourey Sidibe as Precious
Claireece "Precious" Jones, played by newcomer Gabourey Sidibe, is possibly the most unfortunate of characters ever to appear on the silver screen. The hardships she faces in her everyday life are unparalleled and it only seems to get worse. Her parents verbally, sexually and physically abuse her and is an illiterate overweight teenager expecting her second child from her own father. In the opening scene, we find Precious sitting in class, dreamily trying to engage in the lesson, proclaiming, “I like math. I don’t open the book. I just sit there.” So begins a series of voice-overs throughout the film that provide insight into Precious’ random thoughts and explains how she copes with her problems. Sidibe’s breakout performance has been rightfully hailed as one of the most moving performances of the year. Her physical appearance alone resonates this forsaken girl, and not just the fact that she is so morbidly obese. Her weight overburdens her eyes, but nonetheless resonates of someone who been through much hardship. Sidibe consumes the character of Precious so believably that we begin to see them, not as an actress playing a role, but as one in the same.

There are several dream sequences throughout the film of Precious fantasizing about the life she wants. One is of her onstage at the Apollo, acting out a scene from Vittorio De Sica's Two Women and receiving a scarf as a talisman from a red-clad fairy godmother (played by former Essence magazine editor Susan L. Taylor). Another is of her being photographed in paparazzi –like fashion for the cover of a magazine, adorning flashy ensembles and over the top outfits. These scenes transferred much of what Precious envisioned in her mind for the audience. Daniels’ choice to include these sequences takes a bit away from the story itself, but presents an aspect of Precious that simply couldn’t have been done in the book. While I do understand the motives for including these soliloquies, they present a certain level of confusion in the story as to what is real and what is imagined.

Mo'Nique as Mary
The root of Precious’ problems can be attributed to her heinous home life. She lives with her drug addict father Carl and her unemployed dysfunctional mother Mary, played by comedian and talk show host Mo’Nique. From a very early age, Precious is continuously abused by both of her parents. Carl began to sexual molest and rape Precious from a very early age, and as a result Mary develops a severe resentment towards her and is threatened that he prefers their daughter to her. In reaction, Mary abuses Precious, physically, mentally, emotionally, and on a smaller scale, even sexually. Precious’ first child Mongo (short for Mongoloid) lives with Precious’ grandmother, but Mary still claims the baby as a dependant and receives welfare benefits accordingly. Mo’Nique is absolutely astonishing as Mary. She steals every scene she is in with her poignant and terrifying portrayal of this absolute monster of a human being, “You’re a dummy! Ain't no body want you, ain’t no body need you!” There is a riveting scene with Mary, Precious and Ms. Weiss, a social worker played by a makeup-free Mariah Carey, which is as emotionally powerful as anything else we’ve seen this year from anyone. It is quite surprising to see Mo’nique in such a highly dramatic role because audiences know her mainly as a standup comic. It is highly probable that she will take home an Academy Award next March for her performance.

Sidibe with Paula Patton as Ms. Rain
Early in the story, Precious finds herself being interrogated by her school principal Mrs. Lichenstein (Nealla Gordon) about the circumstances surrounding her second pregnancy. This administrator has very little compassion for her and does nothing to discover how she became pregnant again, what her home life dictates upon her, or why she is still in middle school at the age of sixteen. This lousy excuse of an educator’s solution for Precious is to expel her and pass her onto someone else by referring her to an alternative school called Each One, Teach One where she can get her GED. It is here that Precious meets Ms. Blu Rain, played by Paula Patton, a former school teacher who believes that everyone has a future, no matter how dysfunctional their past may be. The character seems to be directly derived from Sapphire herself, who used to be a literacy teacher in Harlem and the Bronx. When Precious first begins classes there, she is almost completely illiterate and understands very little. But over time, Ms. Rain teaches her to read and write and Precious slowly develops both as a student and a person. Ms. Rain is the first person to ever take an active interest in Precious and push her in a positive direction. She instills a sense of self-belief in Precious that never existed on any level. This is a huge contrast to Mrs. Lichenstein and we witness how the influence of a teacher can indeed impact a child.

Sidibe with Mariah Carey as Ms. Weiss
At the 62nd Cannes Film Festival, the film received a fifteen-minute standing ovation from the audience after the film was screened. Daniels responded that he was “embarrassed” and weary of showing his film there because he did not want to “exploit black people”. This has been an underlying issue for the film since its release. Certain critics have reprimanded Daniels for “demeaning the idea of black American life” to the world. There is indeed a constant bombardment of social issues throughout the film: incest, rape, teen pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, illiteracy. Which almost makes the story seem unrealistic and borderline cliché. We begin to wonder if anything else could possibly happen to this poor unfortunate girl. Dana Stevens felt that the film drags the audience “through the lower depths of the human experience” and “leaves no space to be able to come to their own conclusions.” Although the predicaments Precious finds herself in are no doubt horrendous and shocking, the film presents a subject matter that is not well known to the general public. And such awareness cannot be shunned upon, regardless of how demoralizing the story may be.

Lee Daniels directs Sidibe and Xosha Roquemore
Daniels’ film exposes a world that most people never knew existed or if they did, they pretend it doesn’t. I always speak about how certain directors foster a strong concept of realism into their films, but Daniels takes that reproach to another level. This film addresses the hard issue up front without sugar coating anything. It forces us to accept the fact that we do not live in a perfect world, not by a long shot. No matter how bad you may think your own life is, it is seemingly guaranteed that someone else is worse off. But that is not the message behind this movie. Precious is about cherishing what you do have, no matter how miniscule or depreciated it may seem. And instills a belief that there is always hope no matter how bad things may get. “The longest journey begins with a single step.”

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Bottom Line: A heart-wrenching story about the hardships of an abused and seemingly hopeless teenager in Harlem. Masterful acting performances take this film to a whole other level.


Mary J. Blige: "Destiny"