Monday, January 27, 2020

BROTHERS IN ARMS: a review of "1917"

"1917"
Screenplay Written by Sam Mendes & Krysty Wilson-Cairns
Directed by Sam Mendes
**** (four stars)
RATED R

A masterpiece. An absolute masterpiece.

Sam Mendes' "1917" is far and away the finest motion picture of his career to date. No small feat whatsoever as his filmography already includes his masterful debut feature "American Beauty" (1999), the devastating melodrama "Revolutionary Road" (2008) and for me, the finest James Bond feature I have ever seen in "Skyfall" (2012). 

But "1917" is a different beast altogether. It is a titanic achievement. A film that is marvelous to behold in its muscular execution and majestic cinematic storytelling. It is the very kind of movie making that is of such a grand rarity these days as we are constantly bombarded (and some would even offer, bludgeoned) by all manner of the cinematic calamity and cataclysm that is now commonplace and designed to solely be consumed and forgotten as we await the next cinematic calamity to come crashing through our theater walls to numbing effect.

"1917," by superior contrast, is the kind of movie going experience where you can fully lose yourself in the experience while simultaneously wondering the entire time,'"How did they do this???" It is the ecstatic, euphoric glory of the magic of the movies that Sam Mendes has delivered at the absolute peak of his powers making it not only my #1 favorite film of 2019, but also it stands exceedingly tall as one of the best films I have seen within the decade of 2010-2019.

The plot of "1917" is perfectly simple in its conceit. Set on April 6, 1917, during World War I, two young British soldiers--Lance Corporal Tom Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) and Lance Corporal Will Schofield (George MacKay)--are given an especially perilous and seemingly impossible mission.

Blake and Schofield are instructed to hand deliver a message to the Second Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment warning them to not carry out their planned attack the following morning as they are unwittingly being set up for a trap, leading to a potential massacre by the Germans. If Blake and Schofield fail, the lives of 1600 of their fellow soldiers will be lost...including Blake's older brother, who is a member of the Battalion.

This is the plot of Sam Mendes' "1917," and that is all you need as the execution of the story fully encapsulates the epic and the intimate, the mammoth and the minuscule, the personal and the universal in a tale of war, courage, determination, dedication, devastating loss and miraculous survival.

Now certainly, "1917" is not the first war film that you and I have ever experienced and therefore, if you have not yet seen this film, I would not be surprised if you are wondering just what the fuss is all about from my end. Yes, Mendes' film conceptually is essentially a hybrid of past war films  including Steven Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan" (1998) and Christopher Nolan's "Dunkirk" (2017), to note two relatively recent and superlative examples.

Yet, what makes "1917" is not specifically the story itself but precisely how the story is told and with this film, Sam Mendes, working in astonishing collaboration with his full cast and crew, including the clear MVP in the legendary Cinematographer Roger Deakins (who deserves to win every single award in which he is nominated for during this awards season), we are given a film experience that is immersive to a multi-layered degree as the entirely unfolds in reportedly one or two gorgeously fluid, unbroken sequences and the effect is staggering to say the least.

Yes indeed, "1917" is the war film that reveals itself completely in real time and without any edits.  Now, my logical mind tells me that there must have been some editing throughout the film and yet, aside from one obvious point, I was unable to detect any moments where any cuts could have occurred. And the more I looked, and the more I honestly could not see anything regarding traditional film editing, the more my mouth dropped open in amazement and awe as we follow Blake and Schofield on their treacherous journey for every single step with Mendes' film making eye revealing every sight at the moment the two soldiers experience them for themselves. This technique made for a film in which I was as enthralled as I was firmly riveted to my theater seat, at times in breathless rapture, while at other times, I felt as shell shocked as our protagonists.

And still, there has been some criticism that Sam Mendes' "1917" is all technique and no substance, while some even referring to the film as being nothing more than a World War I themed first person video game and to those detractors, I passionately disagree as I found the film's technique and the inner working of the story to being richly intertwined and powerfully inseparable, with each aspect informing the other, sometimes in synergy and others, in full juxtaposition.
 
From a purely aesthetic level, and for a film that is housed in carnage, death and destruction, "1917," as a film experience, is overflowing with enormous vitality and life, with superior flow and movement that is bountiful in its cinematic tapestry. Just think of what it takes to even stage a film of this sort in order for it to progress in unedited sequences. If even one element is out of place, if an actor flubs a line, if one person misses their mark at the precisely right time, then then entire process falls apart like a house of cards and has to be staged from the beginning all over again.

We have indeed seen this technique before from filmmakers and works such as Alfonso Cuaron's "Children Of Men" (2006) and "Gravity" (2013) as well as Alejandro G. Inarritu's brilliant "Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance)" (2014), situations where both filmmakers (and friends) felt to be in a healthy competition with each other, seeing how the technique could be utilized creatively and successfully. It was as if each  film was a building block for the subsequent film.

With "1917," Mendes takes up the mantle of this creative challenge and runs with it from beginning to end with towering confidence, inventiveness, skill and artistry. Again, there are sections where I  found myself awestruck with the technique for its gorgeously flabbergasting choreography and how the technique played into the actual storytelling and our connection to Blake and Schofield's odyssey.

Returning to Christopher Nolan's "Dunkirk" for a moment, I loved how that film utilized war as a more philosophical tool while also remaining blisteringly visceral as it depicted the Dunkirk evacuation from three differing perspectives of land, sea and air and all within three different time frames of one hour, one day and one week. In that film, Nolan eschewed character development  and rather played with the concept of time itself--one of his primary themes within his filmography--showing us what war most likely feels like, especially when submerged in conflict.

With "1917," Sam Mendes's single, long take aesthetic does Nolan one better. For me, Mendes ensures his film works as an existential statement about the randomness of war regarding life, death and all manner of wartime circumstances--itself juxtaposed with Mendes' fierce meticulousness with the nature of the production itself--while also existing as a visceral experience that firmly connects us to the characters of Blake and Schofield.

Whether we regard the twosome regarding a dogfight only to find themselves racing from a downed aircraft, finding themselves trapped within a rat infested German bunker filled with trip wires, crossing No Man's Land on foot, evading snipers and even more, "1917" is filled with knife's edge intensity. That being said, Mendes' film is a graceful one, complete with poetic motifs (the cherry blossoms, for instance) and a fragile poignancy with its cyclical presentation, using imagery that connects the opening to its conclusion, creating a loop that ultimately gathers a picture of every war of every time period and conflict.

Both of the film's leading performances are excellent as they, like the film itself, uses just enough to forge a simple connection between these brothers in arms as well as the characters to us in the audience while also delivering tremendous depth. It just strikes me in particular with how George MacKay was fully ignored this awards season as his performance is shattering.

As Schofield, MacKay, with his long, gaunt face and hollowed eyes, is haunting and devastating, eliciting a full  performance (albeit with scant dialogue almost suggesting the skills of a silent film actor) that builds in its purpose, drive and commitment the further the film travels. Again the cumulative effect of MacKay's performance is fully tied into the single take aesthetic which goes beyond the "you are there" effect and becomes something else entirely as we experience the mission in real time directly with him, almost becoming him as we are his eyes, his body, his heart and his spirit in the extraordinary realms of fear of dying in battle and the resolve of meeting his commitment. Just outstanding!!

Sam Mendes' "1917" is magnificent, marvelous and majestic. It is artfully skilled filmmaking, the very type that makes the act of going to the movies a joy and frankly, is in rarer supply in our franchise driven cinematic culture. To be transported to this exceedingly high level is something that should be embraced, celebrated and encouraged as we move forwards into the 21 century and ponder and even debate over what we would like for our movie going landscape to become.

For me, I simply wish for what I have always wished for regarding the movies. To just be told a story to the very best of a filmmaker's abilities, one where, at its absolute finest,  I can nearly forget that I am sitting within a movie theater merely watching and become so immersed that the film can become something akin to an out of body experience.

Sam Mendes' "1917" delivers on all counts.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

IT'S GONNA GET LOUD!!: a review of "Uncut Gems"

"UNCUT GEMS"
Screenplay Written by Ronald Bronstein & Josh Safdie & Benny Safdie
Directed by Josh & Benny Safdie
*** (three stars)
RATED R

There are often times when I go to the movies when I am just in need of something visceral.

Sometimes it is indeed some kind of shoot-'em-up but usually, when I think of something visceral, I tend to envision some sort of adult drama where the audio/visual/emotional content are all equally firing on all cylinders, reaching peaks that could be considered to being either operatic or even feral in nature. I don't mean a slow burn of a film and I definitely do not mean cerebral. I mean...visceral!!!! Where your nerves are on a knife edge and everything feels like a gut punch.

And even so, there is indeed an art to achieving success with that sort of a film as you need a cinematic storyteller who possesses a sense of rhythm, timing, and nuance to augment and then, enhance the drama thus creating that apex of intensity. With Directors Josh and Benny Safdie's "Uncut Gems," I have to give credit when it is due as the twosome do indeed have the filmmaking and storytelling chops to pull off an experience that can elicit a dramatic effect that is borderline anxiety inducing.

And still, the film did not completely deliver the full effect I think the Safdie brothers wished to accomplish, quite possibly due to their relative filmmaking inexperience when compared to someone with the mountainous legacy of Martin Scorsese, clearly a MAJOR influence. But that being said, "Uncut Gems" is indeed visceral, yet one that is relentlessly pummeling. So much so that you may wish to bring some Tylenol along for the ride. 

Set in the year 2012, "Uncut Gems" stars a volcanic Adam Sandler as Howard Ratner, a Jewish-American jewelry store owner in New York's Diamond District, who is also a gambling addict feverishly trying to pay back escalating debts as well as involved in juggling two volatile relationships: one with his soon to be ex-wife Dinah (Idina Menzel) and Julia (Julia Fox), his mistress and employee.

Around Passover, Howard receives a rock containing a rare Ethiopian black opal (i.e. an "uncut gem") hidden inside of a crate of fish. Estimating its value at $1,000,000,  Howard plans to auction the stone and eliminate his debts, which are growing increasingly dire as loan shark Arno (Eric Bogosian) and his quick tempered goons Phil (Keith Williams Richards) and Nico (Tommy Kominik) are rapidly losing patience.

Howard's plans immediately begin to unravel when his friend and associate Demany (Lakeith Stanfield) brings the Boston Celtics' Kevin Garnett (playing himself in a surprising, electrifying performance) into the store and Garnett becomes entranced with the rock and opal, imploring that he borrow it for one night to inspire himself for that nights' basketball game.

And with this one moment, Howard Ratner's descent into his voluminous downward spiral only is just beginning...

The Safdie brothers' "Uncut Gems" is indeed strong stuff but not great stuff. That is certainly not for any lack of trying because they are unquestionably swinging for the fences. But that being said, I just felt that these are extremely talented filmmakers who still have much to learn as their film exists as one with considerable force but without a stitch of nuance and dimension.

As previously stated, it is clear that Martin Scorsese is a major influence for the Safdie brothers but more correctly, it felt as if the final third of Scorsese's now iconic "Goodfellas" (1990), the extended sequence where Ray Liotta is strung out on cocaine and insomnia, trying to evade either real or imagined surveillance while also attempting to master that pasta sauce, is the influence.

Much like that section, and even combined with essentially the entirety of Scorsese's "The Wolf Of Wall Street" (2013), it truly felt like that was the inspiring engine of "Uncut Gems" and while appropriately exhausting, the film (aside from a truly terrific final third) as a whole lacked the rhythm, the music of stress inducing cinematic cacophony that can make the most turbulent, nerve wracking sequences just sing and therefore, become exhilarating cinema to behold. 

As I regard "Uncut Gems," I am instantly reminded not only of Scorsese's aforementioned work, but also recent films like Damien Chazelle's "Whiplash" (2014) and Craig Gillespie's "I, Tonya" (2017) plus older films like Paul Thomas Anderson's "Boogie Nights" (1997) and "Magnolia" (1999), and even some of Spike Lee's films from "Do The Right Thing" (1989), "Jungle Fever" (1991), "Crooklyn" (1993), "Clockers" (1995) and even more, as they all resoundingly sing with the music contained in the noise of large, over-the-top, passionate lives being lived, fought over and fought for.

All of those films contained a specific ebb and flow in the chaos of their respective stories and styles that gave form, escalation and therefore, truth to the proceedings, allowing the inherent power within each film to rise and grow in intensity and cumulative effects.

The Safdie brothers' "Uncut Gems," however, is a headache inducing barrage of dazzling cinematography courtesy of Darius Khondji, a propulsive electronic pseudo Tangerine Dream score from Composer Daniel Lopatin and furious performances, complete with an endless stream of F bombs and racial epithets and as good as it is, it didn't truly signify much beyond the sheer noise of it all.

Whether through creative intent or by way of the design via sound mixing, "Uncut Gems" is one LOUD movie. So much so that by film's end, I felt as if I had been screamed at continuously for 2 hours and 15 minutes, and no, that is not a good thing. I do deeply appreciate a good "in your face" experience but for this film, there was no ebb and flow as seemingly every single moment within the film functioned at the exact same fever pitch and volume that ultimately kept me at a bit of a distance from fully engaging.

Now, of course, I do have to turn my attention to Adam Sandler, who exactly like the Safdie brothers, has swung for the fences as his performance is truly a grand slam and more than deserving of any attention he receives during awards season. Just as the late, great Roger Ebert once expressed, I also really like Adam Sadler when he is not making "Adam Sandler movies" as he has proven himself to being a skilled dramatic actor in a series of compelling performances in varied films like James L. Brooks' "Spanglish" (2004), Mike Binder's "Reign Over Me" (2007) and of course, Paul Thomas Anderson's "Punch-Drunk Love" (2001).

For "Uncut Gems," the character of Howard Ratner is, at long last, an opportunity for Sandler to flex his creative muscles and he proves himself to being more than up to the task as he unleashes a cauldron of feral energy that is undeniably riveting to watch and wholly magnetic as you are unable to take your eyes away from him regardless of whatever and whomever is around him.

The film's final third, which I have already alluded to, is downright remarkable. Conceptually, the Safdie brothers' story has reached a certain pivotal apex involving the mistress, the loan shark and his goons, a crucial basketball game and there's Adam Sandler delivering a true tour de force of a performance that honestly served as a multi-layered running commentary of the story's events as well as his on-going existential crisis. That was exhilarating as well as brilliantly stress inducing as I also seriously wondered just how many takes did Sandler perform to make this sequence what it is...and furthermore, how did he not spontaneously combust while performing it!

Adam Sandler is absolutely sensational creating one of those larger-than-life, miscreant characters who should not be able to survive even one minute in the world but somehow, by the skin of their teeth or the skill of their rapid fire mouths, somehow lives to scrape through another day...by the skin of their teeth or the skill of their rapid fire mouths. He more than lives up to everything the Safdie brothers throw at him and for that, I do hope the trio will join forced for another film and perhaps, the entire proceedings can be that elusive masterpiece.

The Safide brothers' "Uncut Gems" is a good film. No question. Just one that didn't entirely involve me yet rather, exhausted me from its harshly persistent rancor.

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

SAVAGE CINEMA'S COMING ATTRACTIONS FOR JANUARY 2020

HAPPY NEW YEAR and of course, now that we are officially in the year 2020, HAPPY NEW DECADE as well!

I will keep this short and sweet for all of you at this time. For January, this will be a month of catch up and some compiling. To catch up, there are some more 2019 films that will go into wide release this month and I would like to see those before I make my official Savage Scorecard series ready for you.

And even then, it is time for me to begin compiling and writing my new Time Capsule series as I pour through my favorite films of the decade between 2010-2019.

That is more than enough to keep me busy, so as always, I simply ask for your well wishes and again, as always, I will see you when the house lights go down!!!!!!