Best films of 2013

2013 was an uneven year for films. On one hand there was an absurd amount of sequels, all of which with varying qualitative results. Interestingly enough though, the independent production was very strong, allowing for really great titles to reach wider audiences. It was also a great year for established authors to return to the screens with interesting and daring features. The year presented us with very good films from the likes of Martin Scorsese, Steven Soderbergh and Guillermo Del Toro. Below is the list of my ten favorite and best films from 2013.

The Wolf of Wall Street

Director: Martin Scorsese

Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, Matthew McConaughey, Kyle Chandler, Rob Reiner, Jon Bernthal, Jon Favreau, Jean Dujardin, Joanna Lumley, Cristin Milioti, Shea Whigham, Christine Ebersole, P.J. Byrne, Ethan Suplee, Henry Zebrowski, Jake Hoffman, Stephanie Kurtzuba

Her

Director: Spike Jonze

Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, Olivia Wilde, Chris Pratt, Scarlett Johansson, Laura Kai Chen, Brian Cox

La Vie D'Adele

Director: Abdellatif Kechiche

Stars: Adele Exarchopoulos, Lea Seydoux, Salim Kechiouche, Aurelien Recoing, Catherine Salee, Benjamin Siksou, Mona Walravens, Alma Jodorowsky

Mud

Director: Jeff Nichols

Stars: Tye Sheridan, Jacob Lofland, Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Sam Shepard, Sarah Paulson, Michael Shannon, Ray McKinnon, Paul Sparks, Joe Don Baker, Bonnie Sturdivant, Johnny Cheek

Trance

Director: Danny Boyle

Stars: James McAvoy, Vincent Cassel, Rosario Dawson, Danny Sapani, Matt Cross, Mark Poltimore, Wahab Sheikh, Tuppence Middleton

Short Term 12

Director: Destin Cretton

Stars: Brie Larson, John Gallagher Jr, Kaitlyn Dever, Stephanie Beatriz, Rami Malek, Keith Stanfield, Frantz Turner, Melora Walters, Alex Calloway

12 Years a Slave

Director: Steve McQueen

Stars: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Sarah Paulson, Brad Pitt, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Lupita Nyong'o, Paul Giamatti, Bryan Batt, Scoot McNairy, Adepero Oduye, J.D. Evermore, Alfre Woodard, Garret Dillahunt, Rob Steinberg, Taran Killam

Gravity

Director: Alfonso Cuaron

Stars: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney

Inside Llewyn Davis

Director: Joel and Ethan Coen

Stars: Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Ethan Phillips, John Goodman, Justin Timberlake, Adam Driver, Robin Bartlett, Max Casella, Stark Sands, F. Murray Abraham, Garrett Hedlund, Alex Karpovsky

Blue Jasmine

Director: Woody Allen

Stars: Cate Blanchett, Alec Baldwin, Sally Hawkins, Andrew Dice Clay, Bobby Cannavale, Peter Sarsgaard, Louis C.K., Michael Stuhlbarg, Alden Ehrenreich, Max Casella, Tammy Blanchard, Annie McNamara

Special highlights also go to the following films: Guillermo Del Toro's inventive and visually stunning "Pacific Rim", Wong Kar Wai's "The Grandmaster", James Ponsoldt's "The Spectacular Now", Shane Black's surprisingly solid "Iron Man 3" and Sarah Polley's "Stories we Tell".

Her

Movie Name: Her
Year of Release: 2013

Director: Spike Jonze

Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, Olivia Wilde, Chris Pratt, Scarlett Johansson, Laura Kai Chen, Brian Cox

Genre: Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 9

Synopsis:

Director Spike Jonze is back after his adaptation of "Where the Wild Things Are", from 2009. "Her" is his first original screenplay, which takes place in the near future and focuses on the story of Theodore Twombly, a gifted and sensitive writer. Theodore is going through a breakup/divorce, and is having difficulties coping with his loneliness and relating to others. Theodore decides to buy a new operating system for his computer, one that learns and adapts to reality (an artificial intelligence one). This OS, aptly named Samantha, starts learning more about Theodore, and slowly an amorous relationship builds between these two seemingly different personas.
"Her" is a delicate and nuanced film that touches on many of the topics that are relevant to today's lives and relationships. The film ponders the way technology impacts our lives and how we as individuals relate to each other, in terms of communication and in terms of emotions. Theodore, the main focus of the story, is an every day man, sensitive and caring, going through the process of dissolving a relationship, and much to his sadness, realizes that technology may be a good partner, until he realizes that the emotional resonance simply isn't there. For all that technology potentiates, human contact and emotional warmth and presence, are still eminently humane. The film is beautifully shot by Hoyte Van Hoytema, and has a phenomenal cast, starting with the stupendous Joaquin Phoenix, the always great Amy Adams, and featuring a striking performance from Scarlett Johansson, as the voice of Samantha. This is a beautifully rendered film, one that is prescient of times to come, that is simultaneously tender, caring and humorous. Worth watching!

Music with an Impact - 2013

2013 saw the release of some truly stunning albums from a diversified array of artists. It also allowed for newcomers to come forth and share their interesting musical universes with a bigger audience. Overall, 2013 was a fantastic year for music. Below are my favorite albums released in 2013.

Bonobo - The North Borders
Moderat - II
Washed Out - Paracosm
Cut Copy - Free Your Mind
Baths - Obsidian
Boards of Canada - Tomorrow's Harvest
Arcade Fire - Reflektor
Jon Hopkins - Immunity
Lapalux - Nostalchic
Ochre - National Ignition

The Wolf of Wall Street

Movie Name: The Wolf of Wall Street
Year of Release: 2013

Director: Martin Scorsese

Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, Matthew McConaughey, Kyle Chandler, Rob Reiner, Jon Bernthal, Jon Favreau, Jean Dujardin, Joanna Lumley, Cristin Milioti, Shea Whigham, Christine Ebersole, P.J. Byrne, Ethan Suplee, Henry Zebrowski, Jake Hoffman, Stephanie Kurtzuba

Genre: Comedy, Crime, Biography

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 9

Synopsis:

Following the beautiful "Hugo", Martin Scorsese is back, with a dark comedy detailing the greedy and moral corruption of stockbrokers on Wall Street in the late 1980s. The film follows the true story of Jordan Belfort, a young ambitious stockbroker who at 22 is launched into the high finance world in Wall Street. After the collapse of the market, Jordan loses his job, and decides to start his own firm, with some less than reputable tactics he gained knowledge of. Alongside him is his friend Donnie Azoff, and they both soon start expanding their operations and the number of people working for them. In parallel with the business growth, the lavish parties, drug usage and general insanity keeps escalating, until the FBI starts investigating their practices.
"The Wolf of Wall Street" is one of the more visceral and funny comedies that is part of Martin Scorsese's body of work. The film does not try to endorse the corruption of morals nor the criminal behaviors on display - it functions more like a snapshot of a certain time in a specific segment of society. In a way, this film is a portrait of the 80s in the vein of Tom Wolfe's "The Bonfire of the Vanities", but in a more excessive way, for all the extreme behaviors that it displays. The egocentric, hedonistic behaviors of the characters, mixed with this sense of urgency and simultaneously of being unpunished, creates in this microcosms of relationships, a distorted sense of reality. The film succeeds in creating a bubble of luxury and corruption, that slowly destroys everything it touches. The acting is uniformly fantastic, but the show belongs to Leonardo DiCaprio, who is sensational in every single frame. The cinematography from Rodrigo Prieto is beautiful, as is the eclectic soundtrack. A fantastic film worth watching!

47 Ronin

Movie Name: 47 Ronin
Year of Release: 2013

Director: Carl Rinsch

Stars: Keanu Reeves, Hiroyuki Sanada, Ko Shibasaki, Rinko Kikuchi, Tadanobu Asano, Min Tanaka, Jin Akanishi

Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5

Synopsis:

Carl Rinsch's debut feature, "47 Ronin" comes a year after it's original date of release and surrounded by news of additional reshoots and editorial control struggles between the studio and the director. The film follows the story of Kai, a young boy who is found by a Master Samurai in Japan. Kai is of a mixed race and is believed to possess supernatural powers, so he's raised as an outcast (except for the daughter of his Master who loves him). When his Master is killed through treachery of a rival lord, Kai now an adult, is sold to slavery, whereas all the Samurai from that clan are declared Ronin (samurais without a master). It's up to these men to avenge the honor of their Master and restore the peaceful life their village had.
"47 Ronin" is a well known (and true story) in Japan, and has in fact been tackled before by other directors. Carl Rinsch, who made his name with commercials (for Nexus for instance), works with a script that combines the more authentic attempt at capturing the samurai traditions and code of honor, with the more fantastical elements of the supernatural. This hybrid take on the story aims to create a more entertaining and palatable experience for audiences who are not familiar with certain cultural references. However the main issue with the film, ends up being the script itself, which fails to create much depth for any of the characters, including the central love couple of Kai and Mika. The actors try their best to bring these cliches to life, but there's only so much they can effectively create from such limited material. Visually the film is stunning, with fantastic work from production designer Jan Roelfs (who worked on Sally Potter's "Orlando" for instance), the beautiful cinematography from John Mathieson (who has worked extensively with Ridley Scott) and impressive visual effects. The film has nonetheless a fair entertaining momentum to it, despite the flaws.

Nebraska

Movie Name: Nebraska
Year of Release: 2013

Director: Alexander Payne

Stars: Bruce Dern, Will Forte, June Squibb, Bob Odenkirk, Stacy Keach, Mary Louise Wilson, Rance Howard, Devin Ratray, Angela McEwan, Tim Driscoll, Elizabeth Moore

Genre: Drama

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7

Synopsis:

"Nebraska" follows the story of Woody Grant and his son David, both of whom embark on a trip from Billings, Montana, to Lincoln, Nebraska to claim a sweepstakes prize of 1 million dollars. Woody, a chronic alcoholic with a heart of gold, whom their sons don't know very well, is desperately trying to leave something for his family as he sees his death looming, while his son David, mostly wants to find a way to connect with his father. Both David and Woody embark on this trip, visiting Woody's family in the process, unearthing some family history unknown to David.
Director Alexander Payne, has followed his award winning "The Descendants" with another interesting insight into the dynamics of a family. "Nebraska" delves deep into the lives of a Midwestern family, one where the dreams have long been buried by the triviality of every day life, and where a man who has numbed himself with alcohol all his life, finally decides to pursue a dream of his own, when he sees death looming. The film falls trap of certain elements that are almost taken from a Coen brothers film (which makes the film at a certain point feel almost cliche driven), but the humanity and insight that has always been present in Alexander Payne's films is always felt. Bruce Dern and Will Forte create characters that have a mix of melancholia and compassion, with a sadness in their eyes which makes them humane and not just regular archetypes. June Squibb for all her spark, ends up being the comic relief in an otherwise more one note type of performance. The cinematography from Phedon Papamichael is stunning while the score from Mark Orton tries to create the "Midwestern" vibe (a la "Fargo"), and becomes almost too intrusive in the story. A good film worth watching.

Saving Mr. Banks

Movie Name: Saving Mr. Banks
Year of Release: 2013

Director: John Lee Hancock

Stars: Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Colin Farrell, Paul Giamatti, Ruth Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, B.J. Novak, Bradley Whitford, Lily Bigham, Kathy Baker, Rachel Griffiths, Annie Rose Buckley

Genre: Drama

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6

Synopsis:

Director John Lee Hancock follows the massive success of "The Blind Side" with another truthful story, this one detailing the "battle" of bringing the character Mary Poppins to the big screen. The film introduces us to P.L. Travers, the British author of the series of books about Mary Poppins, who in 1960 was finally courted by Walt Disney to come to America, in order to sign the rights to the character, so the film adaptation could be worked on. Mrs. Travers turns out to be quite an opinionated author, filled with impositions and barriers to every single suggestion coming from the screenwriters and composers, battling even Walt Disney himself. Mary Poppins as it turns out, is a figure dear to the writer, who created that character from her own childhood experiences. The perseverance from the writers and from Walt Disney himself, ultimately win over Mrs. Travers doubts and qualms about handing over the rights of her character to the Disney studio.
John Lee Hancock is a director whose films are very loose adaptations of truthful events, where the screenplays usually sidestep edgier or possibly controversial subject matters. "Saving Mr. Banks" sidesteps any information on the personal life of the author, and focuses solely on her trip to Los Angeles to work on the adaptation of her stories for the big screen. Emma Thompson in that regard excels, creating a character who is simultaneously irritating and ultimately endearing. Her possessiveness of the character Mary Poppins stems from her childhood, which is presented in a series of picture perfect flashbacks (with Colin Farrell and Ruth Wilson playing the parents), which are ridden with cliches and ultimately add nothing much to the story itself. Tom Hanks has little to do, but his performance as Walt Disney is subdued and adds the necessary backdrop for Emma Thompson's character friction and conflict. The remaining talented group of actors have little to do, but they bring the story to life with enthusiasm, particularly Jason Schwartzman, B.J. Novak and the stupendous Paul Giamatti. A film worth watching for the brief insight it provides about the process of bringing an iconic character to the screen.

Inside Llewyn Davis

Movie Name: Inside Llewyn Davis
Year of Release: 2013

Director: Joel and Ethan Coen

Stars: Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Ethan Phillips, John Goodman, Justin Timberlake, Adam Driver, Robin Bartlett, Max Casella, Stark Sands, F. Murray Abraham, Garrett Hedlund, Alex Karpovsky

Genre: Drama

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 8

Synopsis:

After the successful remake of "True Grit", the Coen brothers return with one of their original screenplays. "Inside Llewyn Davis" follows the story of a folk singer, aptly named Llewyn Davis, who upon the demise of his folk duo, decides to embark on a solo career. His career isn't going well and Llewyn resorts to small gigs as a session musician to get some money, while crashing at his friends couches in order to have a place to sleep. Most of his personal relationships are deeply strained, amongst them with his sister and also with a friend whom he slept with and who is now possibly pregnant with his child. Llewyn is desperately trying to make his career gain momentum, but the obstacles and difficulties just seem to constantly pop up out of nowhere.
The Coen brothers continue to chronicle and expand on their universe, filled with offbeat characters who struggle to achieve their goals, while the entire universe seems to be throwing obstacles their way (which was the case for example of the characters played by Nicolas Cage in "Raising Arizona" or Tim Robbins in "The Hudsucker Proxy"). "Inside Llewyn Davis" follows the story of a young folk artist, fantastically well played by the talented Oscar Isaac, who though desperately trying to catch his big opportunity, is always a shy moment away of living in the gutter. The film perfectly depicts his attempts at getting his life on track, though all these attempts go nowhere. Much like "A Serious Man", the events that surround Llewyn Davis, always seem to topple his ambitions and goals. The film has a good balance of humor and drama, and the music is definitely in tone with the period and the artists of the era. There's a melancholic tone that comes from the film, but it's a film that rewards the viewer upon it's first initial impact. Carey Mulligan and John Goodman create interesting supporting characters and the cinematography from Bruno Delbonnel is stunning. A film worth watching.

American Hustle

Movie Name: American Hustle
Year of Release: 2013

Director: David O. Russell

Stars: Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Jennifer Lawrence, Louis C.K., Jack Huston, Michael Pena, Shea Whigham, Alessandro Nivola, Elisabeth Rohm, Paul Herman, Robert De Niro, Colleen Camp, Anthony Zerbe

Genre: Drama, Crime

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7

Synopsis:

David O. Russell continues his recent prolific output, with another interesting film, featuring a fantastic cast from his previous features. "American Hustle" follows the story of Irving Rosenfeld and his beautiful associate Sydney Prosser, both con artists, who are finally caught by an ambitious FBI agent by the name of Richie DiMaso. In exchange for not going to jail, this team of con artists is tasked with bringing in 4 major arrests, the first one of which involves a series of politicians and connections to the mafia. This plan that is deployed, is somehow jeopardized when Irving's wife comes into play with her unusual and explosive behavior.
Most of David O. Russell films have thus far always ventured into offbeat heroes, or people who are placed in extreme situations and yet somehow find their own sense of humanity (always punctuated with a dark sense of humor). That was the case with "Three Kings", "Flirting with Disaster" and the more recents "The Fighter" and "Silver Linings Playbook". "American Hustle" is deeply rooted in the 70s, with the sense of decor and the production design almost swallowing the entire film itself, but yet, the performers and the sense of an experienced film-maker is present, which makes the feature flow to an expected grand finale. Though not as finely tuned as "Silver Linings Playbook", since "American Hustle" has a sense of rhythm that falters midway through the film, this is nonetheless an engaging feature that allows Christian Bale, Amy Adams and Jennifer Lawrence to create interesting characters. The cinematography from Linus Sandgren is beautiful as is the soundtrack from Danny Elfman. A good film worth watching.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Movie Name: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Year of Release: 2013

Director: Peter Jackson

Stars: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Ken Stott, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace, Orlando Bloom, Cate Blanchett, Benedict Cumberbatch, Luke Evans, Stephen Fry, Ryan Gage, James Nesbitt, Stephen Hunter, Graham McTavish, Dean O'Gorman, Aidan Turner, John Callen, Peter Hambleton, Jed Brophy, Mark Hadlow, Adam Brown

Genre: Adventure, Fantasy

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7

Synopsis:

A year has passed, and Peter Jackson returns with his second feature in the epic three part that is "The Hobbit". Whereas the first film introduced us to the main characters of the story, the second one follows them as their quest becomes filled with additional menace and new accomplices and foes reveal themselves. Bilbo and the group of dwarves continue their quest to reach the mountain, and they are aware that they have a powerful enemy on their pursuit. This enemy, Sauron, who commands the legions of Orcs, wants them all killed. It ends up being the elves who saves this crew, who ultimately make their way to the mountain, where they have to face the monstrous Smaug, the dragon.
Peter Jackson is an extremely talented storyteller. As usual in his features, a lot of references from classic films that shaped his vision as a filmmaker, permeates through the frames on screen (that was apparent in his adaptation of "King Kong"). The world of the Hobbit is of course one that he knows from his previous adaptations of Tolkien books. Where this film showcases his talent, is not only in the incredible sophistication of the special effects (that are stunning), but how seamlessly the bigger action set pieces co-exist with the more intimate ones where the actors get to breathe life into these fantastical creatures. The film is beautifully shot, and it's an overall exciting venture through a universe the director knows better than anyone. Though one can say this feels like an exhausted theme and universe, what Peter Jackson puts on screen is stunning and superbly well crafted. Worth watching.

Anchorman 2

Movie Name: Anchorman 2
Year of Release: 2013

Director: Adam McKay

Stars: Will Ferrell, Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, David Koechner, Christina Applegate, Meagan Good, James Marsden, Dylan Baker, Kristen Wiig, Judah Nelson, Josh Lawson

Genre: Comedy

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6

Synopsis:

The creative team of director Adam McKay and actor Will Ferrell is back, with a sequel to their 2004 film, "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy". This team has created other features together, namely "Talladega Nights", "Step Brothers" and "The Other Guys", but this one is a direct sequel to one of their most popular characters, Ron Burgundy. The film follows Ron Burgundy as he falls from grace in the early 80s. He's fired from his news anchor position in detriment of his wife who gets promoted. Ron is somehow revived when a new tv channel starts, GNN, one that features news 24 hours a day. Ron goes in pursuit of his old friends/news team, and they all move back to NY, where the team is faced with a new management and Ron's somewhat new concepts of what news are. Ron has also to deal with his new family life and trying to be a part of his son's life.
Adam McKay's features with Will Ferrell are traditionally a bit of an uneven ride: for every inspired joke, there are quite a few that don't work, but that somehow is part of the show that they put on display. "Anchorman 2" tries to tackle the traditional underdog/triumphant hero story, with the irreverence that is traditional with Will Ferrell, and that usually works quite successfully. Some of the supporting characters are not quite equally interesting, namely Steve Carell's Brick Tamland, who is painful to watch (and so sad to waste the talent of the fantastic Kristen Wiig in their scenes together). Though the supporting cast is uniformly there for the ride, this is Will Ferrell's show, and for the most part, it's a funny one to enjoy.

Digital Illustrations.

My digital illustrations have been updated. You can check the series of them here and here.

Trois Couleurs: Bleu/Three Colors: Blue

Movie Name: Trois Couleurs: Bleu
Year of Release: 1993

Director: Krzyztof Kieslowski

Stars: Juliette Binoche, Benoit Regent, Florence Pernel, Charlotte Very, Helene Vincent, Phillipe Volter

Genre: Drama

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 10

Synopsis:

“Three Colors: Blue” introduced to a vaster audience the universe of Krzysztof Kieslowski, always dominated by the search of meaning and the need of connection in a world where contact is often non-existent.

“Trois Couleurs:Bleu” premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 1993 and came preceded by the critical acclaim that Kieslowski had had in the Cannes Film Festival with “La Double Vie de Véronique”(1991) and the TV Series “Dekalog” (that spawned the renowned “A Short Film About Love” and “A Short Film about Killing”).

The film was shot under the concept of a trilogy dedicated to the ideals upheld by the French revolution, namely liberty, equality and fraternity (these last two would be the central themes in the following films, respectively “Trois Couleurs:Blanc” and “Trois Couleurs:Rouge”).

“Bleu” centers it’s story on Julie, a woman we see in the beginning of the film being involved in a car crash, where she eventually loses her husband and daughter. Julie becomes aware of her tragedy while in the hospital, and the audience realizes that her husband was a world renowned composer. His latest project was a hymn for the European Union. Julie starts to become haunted by the music that was being composed, and we realize that is was she the one responsible for the creation of the music, not her husband. Once out of the hospital Julie goes through her belongings and arranges everything in order to distance herself of the life she once had – her goal is to lead a life with no connections, detached as much as possible – visiting her mother in the asylum she mentions – “les sentiments sont des pièges” (the feelings are traps). As the story unwraps Julie starts creating new relationships and becoming aware of old ones that had always been there, but not of her knowledge.

This short summary of the story of “Trois Couleurs: Bleu” serves to showcase some of the themes that were always part of the work of K. Kieslowski. In it we have the individual that has been somewhat damaged, and that tries to distance himself/herself from what surrounds him/her, and ultimately finds redemption/salvation. In this case, the story focuses on a woman (played with a sad intensity by the radiant Juliette Binoche) that has lost her family. Her pain doesn’t come through in tears or emotional outbursts – instead she tries to create a distance between herself and what she once was. She tries to “erase” that former person, that life. She takes with herself nothing but a windshime, composed of blue stones that used to be in her daughter’s room. In her effort to silence her pain, Julie tries to create a life where she has no relationships with anyone – something that proves impossible, since everywhere she goes, she seems to touch someone’s existence, from the prostitute that lives in her building, to her husband’s former music collaborator (who has always loved her). And even though she tries to silence it, the music still echoes through her, which is something that always haunts her, and ultimately something that will be cathartic for her final realization and liberation. The peace that she finds, is extended to the sense of closure she tries to bring to all the matters that were part of her previous life – very much like a closure of a circle. 

The film is a stunning creation from K. Kieslowski, starting with the beautiful way it was shot (from the director of photography Slawomir Idziak), to the music from his usual collaborator Zbigniew Preisner, who creates in this film a truly operatic and almost transcendental score (adjusting itself to the fact that the main character is a composer). The actors are wonderful, with all the applause going rightfully to Juliette Binoche – she creates a muted pain that is extremely visible and heartfelt. Julie is a “walking wound” trying to heal the best way possible, trying to rebuild an existence with small details, with small gestures, in an effort to fill a huge emotional gap. 

This is a film that will continue to surprise and touch audiences – it’s filled with beauty and melancholy but in a way, there’s an underlying sense of joy and of the celebration of life, that you can’t help being surrendered by it.

sex, lies and videotape

Movie Name: sex, lies and videotape
Year of Release: 1989

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Stars: James Spader, Andie MacDowell, Laura San Giacomo, Peter Gallagher, Ron Vawter

Genre: Drama

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 9

Synopsis:

“sex, lies and videotape” marked the start of an era for Hollywood – the era dominated by Miramax, Sundance and the emergence of independent filmmakers as a powerful voice to be heard – all backed by significant gains at the box office.

When “sex, lies and videotape” premiered in Sundance in January of 1989, Steven Soderbergh was a professional with some credit in the editing area, but other than that, a virtual unknown. Though today Steven Soderbergh is one of the big names among the directors of Hollywood, matching up his more mainstream efforts as “Erin Brockovich” and “Ocean’s 11”, with more personal and experimental films as “Full Frontal” and “The Limey”, when “sex, lies and videotape” premiered in 1989, the odds that something would come out of that were very small. He had a relatively obscure cast, headed by James Spader, who was more known for John Hughes’ film “Pretty in Pink” and Oliver Stone’s “Wall Street”, all in supporting roles, Andie MacDowell, then more known as a model and for a credit in Hugh Hudson’s “Greystoke” (where her voice was dubbed by Glenn Close’s), Peter Gallagher had done mostly television and for Laura San Giacomo, this was the beginning of it all. “sex, lies and videotape” ended up winning the Audience Award at the Sundance Festival and the Palm D’Or at Cannes, the same year, edging out “Do the Right Thing” from Spike Lee, one of the main contenders for the award. The film went on to collect accolades and awards, and had a very respectable box-office (pushed by a strong marketing campaign from Miramax), introducing everyone to the concept of independent film – something that John Cassavetes had done throughout his career, but that in the late 80’s early 90’s would be blown to a whole new level (for more details about this whole process it’s best to read the wonderful book – Down and Dirty Pictures by Peter Biskind). The film itself is a wonder, overshadowing some more recent efforts of the director. Through a very tight structure Soderbergh analyzed relationships between couples, man and women, and showed intimacy and connection between people in a way that not many directors had done and have done since. The wonderful screenplay managed to confront sexual intimacies without being titillating, all through the wonderful lens of Walt Lloyd, the director of photography (and some of the plans that were captured give that sense of something private, intimate and delicate). The audience ended up being drawn to the journey of those characters, where there was no “villain”, only credible characters, filled with their own frailties, insecurities, needs and longings. Soderbergh used the booming video technology extremely well, creating a gritty sense of reality within film, and making us, the audience, feel as voyeurs to a reality that was being shown in front of our very eyes.

The actors excelled at their roles – Andie MacDowell was stunning, earning a Golden Globe nomination in the process, and starting out an illustrious career. This is still her best role by far. James Spader won the best actor award at Cannes, and has had a career divided between interesting supporting roles in blockbusters (Mike Nichols “Wolf” is a good example) and more starring roles in other independent efforts (Steven Shainberg’s “Secretary”). Laura San Giacomo has gone to other supporting roles (Garry Marshall’s “Pretty Woman”) and to television stardom with the show “Just shoot me”, the same that has happened with Peter Gallagher (respectively with Jon Turteltaub’s “While you were Sleeping” and “The OC”), just to highlight a few.

“sex, lies and videotape” has managed to become a classic in more ways than one, but for it’s sheer cinematic essence, it’s an incredibly accomplished film.

La Mala Educacion/Bad Education

Movie Name: La Mala Educacion
Year of Release: 2000

Director: Pedro Almodovar

Stars: Gael Garcia Bernal, Fele Martinez, Daniel Gimenez Cacho, Lluis Homar, Francisco Boira, Francisco Maestre, Javier Camara, Raul Garcia Forneiro, Nacho Perez

Genre: Drama

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 8

Synopsis:

“La Mala Educación” continues to further explore Pedro Almodóval’s universe, filled with larger than life characters, always bordering the risible, but always heartfelt, emotional, humorous and ultimately rewarding. 

After the highly successful films “Todo Sobre Mi Madre” (All About My Mother) and “Hable Con Ella” (Talk to Her), Pedro Almodovar announced that “Bad Education” would focus on his upbringing in a catholic school and mention the sexual scandals in it (pedophilia for that matter). When the film premiered in Cannes’ 2004 opening night, the audience and critics alike were surprised to see that Almodóvar made a beautiful film that didn’t seek shock value, instead went for an extremely intelligent narrative and great performances from his well chosen cast. Unlike his previous films, this was a story populated by men, where the connections between all of them apparently obvious, turned out to be quite surprisingly complex. 

The film starts with Enrique, Fele Martinez’s character, a film director having a creativity crisis, that ends up meeting a childhood friend, who gives him a screenplay based on their shared memories of growing up in a catholic school. As Enrique reads the screenplay, his own story unfolds before his and our eyes, all served with plenty of humor (something that the character of Javier Cámara – Paquito, provides in abundance, a bit like Agrado, Antonia San Juan’s character from “Todo sobre mi madre”). Enrique’s friend, excellently played by Gael Garcia Bernal, turns out to be an actor that sees the screenplay as an excellent way to move on to bigger roles and have a career in the movie industry. However, as the screenplay requires a male actor that can also play a feminine character named Zahara, Enrique refuses his claim, after which the movie is put on hold. The story unfolds from there, like a Russian doll, with further connections between characters and what is the film within the film and what is reality. Almodóvar manages to create these balances in the story surprisingly well, never once leaving the audience confused, and that only comes to prove his artistry in the universe that he has created. Some of the audience may like to relate this film to his previous work, namely “La Ley El Deseo” (Law of Desire), where the main character was also a film director, involved with a man that wasn’t what he seemed to be (Antonio Banderas’ character in that film went from slightly homophobic to jealous gay lover). However, Bad Education refines the concepts that Law of Desire placed in motion – the main character, the film director (which ends up being a autobiographical mention to Almodóvar’s own career), navigates through a reality that is at times too seedy and degrading, persevering in his quest for artistic liberty and personal happiness. Where Law of Desire was mostly a journey into one man’s life and the way it connected everyone around him, Bad Education is a journey about a man that through the relationships that he has, learns to reconcile with his past, and set a path for his present and future. Whereas Law of Desire ended in tragedy, Bad Education ends on a more optimistic tone – as the credits roll we learn the fate of the main characters, where we learn that the director continues to work, and that only confirms that Almodóvar’s career has never been better.