Focus (2015)

Focus is a heist movie, or rather a heists movie.  Unlike a typical movie that culminates in one big heist, this movie has two smaller ones.  As a consequence, there is no climax.  In such a slick movie called Focus, I was expecting a big twist at the end that I would have noticed if I had focused more.  This was not the case.  There is a twist, but it is by no means monumental.  Overall, I was disappointed by the ending.  It felt small for the glamour of the rest of the film.  The final heist was not nearly as clever as the first one. I appreciated the small twist of the first one, but expected more on the last.  The whole movie has a really sleek feel.  Will Smith and Margot Robbie are both very glamorous, kind of funny too.  There are times when I genuinely laughed, but other times when the film takes itself too seriously in contrast.  

Top Five (2014)

In Chris Rock's best and boldest movie to date, he channels comedy master Woody Allen, even naming his protagonist after him.  Like Allen, Rock stars in, writes, and directs Top Five.  It is an indie-type film that stars a big name at the helm and Rock's film is packed with small cameos from a multitude of stars, some who play themselves.  Rock plays a comedian who has found great success in his cheap comedies (as a voice in a bear suit--analogous to his voice-over work as the zebra from the blockbuster series Madagascar?), but has tired of them and wishes to be taken more seriously.  This is very much the same dilemma that Tracy Jordan faces in 30 Rock; Tracy Morgan has a hilarious cameo as well. And much like Birdman, this is a case of art imitating life imitating art, in which Rock plays a version of himself searching for new success.  However, while his in-the-movie film Uprize is panned, Top Five deserves praise.

Chris Rock and Rosario Dawson are excellent.  They walk around New York chatting (as one does in a Woody Allen film) about just about everything. All of the cameos are brilliantly funny.  Rock muses about comedy, his art (as Allen likes to do).  There are a lot of funny moments, but perhaps he is at his best in his natural habitat on stage, doing stand up, as his character fittingly does.  But this is not just a comedy, there is a nice balance of drama and a twist that I didn't see coming.

The opening scene is a fast-paced, hilarious, back-and-forth between them about race.  This is unmistakably a "black movie" (the same way that Allen's films are "white movies"), but it is not explicitly about race.  They talk about race, and Rock penned a guest column in the Hollywood Reporter about blacks in Hollywood when the film was released.   Now for the big question, why is it called Top Five?  In the movie, the characters ask each other to name their top five hip-hop artists, like a party game.  It recurs, but is not central to the movie.  But hip hop is at the core of Rock's generation of black culture.  In an interview in the New York Times, Questlove said the co-star of the is the "hip-hop midlife crisis."  Hip hop is important, and it is an underlying theme that is not primary but constantly in the background.  

The Missing Picture (L'Image Manquante) (2013)

This documentary film, recounting the director's experience in the Cambodian genocide, is inventive, original, innovative, and at the same time, simple.  This movie is Rithy Panh's artistic outlet in his midlife crisis.  At the age of 50, Panh reflects on his childhood experience under the Pol Pot regime.  At its core, this is his love letter to his art, film--it opens in a room full of burned film canisters. The only footage available from the period is propaganda, which was the only permitted use of cameras.  But to tell the real story, the story that Panh lived, Panh has to create his own images to fill in the void of the eponymous Missing Picture.  He does this by sculpting a multitude of carefully crafted clay figures, constructing still dioramas.  The contrast of the innocent, child-like sculptures versus the atrocities of the regime is devastating. These constructed images are imbued with a sense of reality and authority.  The best scenes are those that integrate the figurines into the actual footage. Panh's story is beautifully told through clear first person narration, with well placed pauses for dramatic effect.  Panh brilliantly uses his art to confront this dark time in history.

Two Days, One Night (Deux Jours, Une Nuit) (2014)

The idea is simple and relevant in our time of economic recession. A blue-collar worker suffers a nervous breakdown and takes time off work, after which her management discovers that it doesn't need her.  She is to be laid off unless she can convince her coworkers to forgo their bonuses.  Marion Cotillard plays Sandra, the conflicted woman, desperate to keep her job but ashamed to beg and at times defeatist, balancing hopefulness and hopelessness beautifully. She masterfully gives the audience raw emotion.  These emotions range from tearful elation when she convinces one of her coworkers to vote for her to depressing sleepwalking.  Cotillard is outstanding in any language and was well deserving of her Oscar nomination. The film is engaging throughout.  There is a brilliant twist at the end that both highlights cruelty and humanity, both themes that permeate the whole film.  Finally in the end, one wins out.

The Skeleton Twins (2014)

Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader play two suicidal siblings and breath comedy into a movie that is otherwise very depressing.  It is a refreshingly dark turn from the Bridesmaids-era Wiig.  The former SNL cast mates are at their best when they are alone on screen, seemingly improvising.  They feed off of each other, and sometimes they are on the verge of breaking--acceptable on SNL but usually not elsewhere, though it undeniably works with these two.  The most fun scene is a straight-forward lip syncing scene to Starship's "Nothings Gonna Stop Us Now."  It's simple, but Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig make it hilarious.  It is best when SNL alumni team up to make comedy...could Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader be the next Amy and Tina?

Into the Woods (2014)

I thoroughly enjoyed Disney's adaptation of this Sondheim classic. The music and lyrics are so complex, and hauntingly beautiful.  My favorite is when the characters sing different lyrics and melodies simultaneously, the counterpoint that Sondheim is so good at.  His characters think out loud in natural rhythmic speech.  The opening sequence (Prologue) introducing all of the characters is masterful with each character passing on the infectious theme to the next.  An extravagant production design realistically recreates a dark and creepy wood.  Along with Colleen Atwood's Oscar-nominated costume design, the audience is transported to a fantasy world.

Meryl Streep finally broke her own rule of never playing a witch to join Into the Woods.  She has a much better platform to show off her singing chops than with ABBA's Mamma Mia.  Streep actually has a very good voice; case in point "Children Will Listen." Emily Blunt also has an excellent singing voice as the Baker's Wife.  They are emotional, comedic, and most of all musical.

The story has depth, an existentialist message that might go over the head of a Disney-aged audience, but the original musical is not intended for children.  There are themes of morality and parental relationships.  The story is cleverly told through a clever combination of classic fairy tales reimagined.  This is what makes a good musical: a clever idea, good music, good acting and a thought-provoking story.

Ida (2013)

This movie is shot in black and white and a 1:33 frame to evoke an old film from the 1960s.  It almost makes it feel like the film was made in the time period it depicts.  This gives the viewer a sense of postwar Poland.  There are such long pauses that the film is almost silent.  It is admittedly a bit slow, but this adds to the dreary, eerie post-war atmosphere.  The awkward, off-center framing makes the viewer feel slightly uncomfortable.

The movie "discusses" a dark time in Polish history.  I say "discusses" because it never mentions the keywords "Holocaust," "Stalin," or "Occupation."  It is not about what is said, but what the film implies.  Agata Kulesza's Wanda does an excellent job at gesturing her statements as opposed to vocalizing them.  And Ida's silences speak as much as her words.  Ida and Wanda are perfect foils, and their time spent together, two unlikely road trip mates, affect them both greatly.   As far as road trip movies go, this one is highly unconventional.  It brings depth, poignancy, and reflection to a serious black eye in Polish history.  

Big Eyes (2014)

Tim Burton's latest is a little out of the norm for him.  Tim Burton's dark and creepy aura is seen only in the paintings of Margaret Keane.  The little children with the big eyes are inherently spooky and yet full of emotion.  There is only one scene that really evokes what we expect from a Tim Burton movie, and that is when Margaret starts seeing real people with her signature big eyes. The other dark element to the movie is Lana Del Rey's haunting songs.  Otherwise, the film is quite bright, certainly not cheery, but bright. The atmosphere captures a genuine sense of 1950s Northern California.

I do think the courtroom scene towards the end is a little awkward. Waltz as his own attorney makes for an unusually comical scene in an otherwise dramatic film.  I cannot be sure if that actually happened in real life, but the point is that it abruptly culminates in the infamous paint-off.Amy Adams is excellent as always as the secretive artist Margaret Keane.  Christoph Waltz as her husband is a fantastic foil.  Amy Adams is one of the best actresses out there, and yet, the perennial bridesmaid, she has zero Oscars to show for it.  Waltz, on the other hand, has two. Both give award worthy performances, but unfortunately the film failed to rack up any nominations.  

Chicago (North American Touring Production) (2014)

I won a raffle to see Chicago yesterday at the Hippodrome.  This is my second Kander and Ebb musical since November, and I have to admit that I liked Cabaret better.  First, Chicago does not have much in the way of plot; it is not nearly as deep as some of the great Broadway musicals.  There is more development in the second act than in the first.  The ending draws conflicting emotions, as it is happy but devastating for Roxie.  The story is very female driven. Though they are not portrayed in a particularly positive light, it is refreshing.

The set is nonexistent.  I am not sure whether that is because it is a touring production or if that is simply how the production plays. Instead, the pit orchestra is front and center on stage.  The conductor actually gets a lot of attention from the actors, playing a character of sorts.  The company sits in chairs lining the sides of stage instead of going backstage.  Another stylistic choice, they wait in the shadows until it is their time to act.  The production attempts to make up for a lack of set by introducing some fancy lighting.  The lighting creates the illusion of prison cell bars.  Further there are no costume changes at all, not even between acts.  They are dressed not in prison uniforms but as if they are in a Cabaret.  This makes for an awkward courtroom scene, in which the prosecuting attorney is quite unconvincing.

The dancing is very Fosse-style.  The opening number, "All That Jazz" and the classic "Cell Block Tango" are the best scenes in my opinion.  They are stylish, catchy and flashy.

Also, the ventilation in the Hippodrome is awful.  I could hardly breathe throughout the entire second act.  It was so hot and the air was just not circulating.  Kudos to the dancers on stage--I don't know how they did it.

Parks and Recreation (2009-15)

There may never be another show like it. Lovable, quirky, subtle, and downright high-quality comedy.  It never really caught on with mainstream America.  It's really a miracle that it lasted this long--we could thank NBC for not canceling the critical darling despite its low ratings.  With 30 Rock, Community and The Office gone, Parks and Rec was the last show of the former Thursday comedy bloc.

At first glance, the idea is mundane.  Pawnee, Indiana in the middle of nowhere.  The Parks and Recreation department in the local government.  A show about small-town bureaucrats; this is what government is really like.  What made it work was its diverse cast of characters led by the talented Amy Poehler playing a crazy, detail-oriented, ambitious, obsessive Leslie Knope.  This show has had an indelible impact on our culture: from the stoic, outdoorsy, anti-government Ron Swanson and his mustache to Donna and Tom's yearly "Treat Yo Self" and the immortal Lil Sebastian.  This show has created stars out of Aziz Ansari, Aubrey Plaza, and recently Chris Pratt has exploded.  And it managed to get huge guest stars, including Michelle Obama, Joe Biden, and Madeline Albright.  Whenever the show took a trip to Washington, you could be sure to see a slew of Congressmen make appearances.

The sixth season finale made a time jump into the future showing us how Leslie and co are doing.  It brings back everyone and ties up their stories.  You get a sense that the producers weren't sure if they were going to get renewed.  I would've been totally satisfied it it ended right there, but I am so glad it had one final hurrah.  The final season was very emotional and continues with the time jump.  It hilariously makes up technologies and history that no one could disprove because it's in the future.  I watched the last four episodes in a row and I teared twice.  The first time was when Leslie throws one last celebration, banners and all, for the newly appointed mayor of Pawnee (a familiar face).  The second time was at the end, when the gang has a reunion, and best friend Ann Perkins returns.  The series finale is fitting.  At every moment of physical contact, we get a time jump, seeing how each character fares in the future.  It's very creative, well edited, and a perfect close to a brilliant show.     

Chronicle of a Summer (Chronique d'un ete) (1960)

In this experimental documentary, Jean Rouch and Edgar Morin pioneer cinema verite style film, taking a snapshot of Parisian life in the age of consumerism.  Known for creating an ethnography of African culture, the camera is turned inward on postwar France. They pose a simple question: "Are you happy?"  The directors appear in the film as interviewers.  It opens with them questioning whether people will be able to open up and be authentic on camera. As a result, the camera tends to act as a catalyst, despite its spying nature.  The camera stays out of the scene, but at the same time it intrudes on these very private conversations.  The cameraman is able to navigate thanks to a new small, quiet, portable, lightweight camera.

This film is one of the first to talk openly about the Holocaust.  Made just 15 years after the end of WWII, Marceline talks sincerely about her experience in the concentration camp.  We first learn of her suffering through a peek at her tattoo, containing a number and a triangle (half of a Star of David).  The war in Algeria is another point of concern.  Students openly criticize the war and are censored in return.  But some of their opinions get through, and this is the first such case of open criticism.

The film ends with a screening of the film by its subjects. They immediately turn on each other, criticizing each other for being too truthful or not being truthful enough.  The directors reflect on their reactions, questioning their judgment of sincerity and phoniness.  Worried about how an audience might perceive their subjects, they directly ask the audience to believe that they are not acting are completely authentic.  Perhaps it is the nature of documentary film that we have no choice but to believe them.