Paris Je'Taime
A charming collection of shorts (18 to be exact), each centered around love and Paris, Paris Je'Taime is up and down at times but leaves you on such a high note that its difficult to leave upset. Not all the shorts work (I found Vincenzo Natali's "Quartier de la Madeleine" to be one of the more disappointing portions) but if they don't, they're only on screen for 5 short minutes or so before they are swept away for the next entry. The ones that do work (the Coen Brothers, Alfonso Cuaron, Alexander Payne, Wes Craven (!), Tom Twyker and Walter Salles all contribute great moments) are splendid, quick meditations on the nature of love in the City of Lights. By the end of the film, a portrait of the city has been formed subtlety before your eyes, leaving one not only with a strong feeling in their heart but a desire to get to France as quickly as possible.
****
Rescue Dawn
Werner Herzog's re-telling of his documentary Little Dieter Needs to Fly is a war epic that lacks a war, but thankfully has Christian Bale. Based on the true story of Dieter Dengler (played by Bale), Herzog tells the story of an American Pilot shot down and captured in Vietnam. What follows is an epic journey of escape and survival but, oddly, the film never felt truly gripping. As always, Bale is electric, carrying Rescue Dawn, but the true surprise comes from Steve Zahn, who contributes a moving and measured performance. Unfortunately, Bale's performance is wasted on a character that quite frankly doesn't come to life, instead feels too contrived. For such an optimist, whom Dengler supposedly is, I had trouble finding much reason to care about the characters involved. While the story is impressive, all the more so for
being true, its flaws are too much to keep this from going into Herzog's catalog of classics.
***
A Mighty Heart
Angelina Jolie turns in surprisingly effective work in Michael Winterbottom's examination of the Daniel Pearl kidnapping and execution. The film works best as a seat of its pants thriller, smartly eschewing the larger politics of the situation and focusing on the human element involved. Through its use of digital cameras, A Mighty Heart jumps off the screen with a you-are-there realism that pops. *SPOILERS* The performances are strong all around but Jolie's work is especially worth noting, never overacting except for the scene following her discovery of Daniel's death. Up until that point, Jolie keeps everything in check but her explosion here feels too over the top and planned, which breaks the realistic feel of the film. Winterbottom's direction is excellent, pushing the film forward with quick pacing and tightly constructed narrative. At times, the film is reminiscent of some of Paul Greengrass' best work in Bloody Sunday and United 93 and while it never quite peaks like those do, there is a complete absence of valleys that make it all worthwhile.
****
Hairspray
The critical surprise of the summer is an overrated musical send up of race integration in
1960's Baltimore. An adaptation the stage musical which was adapted from the 1988 John Water's film, Hairspray never feels like a fully formed cinematic musical. Where as the classic musicals of the past (even up to 2002's Chicago and last year's Dreamgirls) have utilized the space allotted to them by the medium of film, Hairspray too often feels like a stage show being filmed. On top of it, there is no real show stopping number until the finale, which feels too late to salvage the rest. There are some good performances in here (first timer Nikki Blonsky and Christopher Walken are great) but there is nothing to distinguish itself from the rest of the Hollywood musicals of the past. Had this been released 50 years ago, it would be nothing more than a B rate production but with the minimal number of musicals being released nowadays, this is what passes. A disappointing entry into the genre.
**
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