Yes, No, Maybe So: "Extremely Loud..."

A full disclosure before we begin with this one, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. It's the supposedly Oscar Baity story of a precocious young boy in the wake of the 9/11 tragedy, reeling from the loss of his father and roaming the streets of New York City. I have not read the novel that it's based on so the only story I know is what the trailer gives me. In fact, I've never read anything by Jonathan Safron Foer though I really meant to read Everything is Illuminated back when it was the only book I ever saw people reading on the subway. (I miss the days where you had eyeball proof what books were hot; everyone just reads Kindles or IPads on the subway now so the visual hive mind is no longer illuminated. Sigh). 

Introducing... Thomas Horn

Finally, I am generally emotionally resistant to 9/11 narratives because most of them cheapen the actual memories of that day or 'reduce them to anecdotes' as Ouisa Kittredge might say.  To me ... I should add, even though it's implicit in all opinion-pieces, because I get that we all respond to button-pushing shared histories differently.

So take the following for what it's worthy as we break down the trailer in our usual "do we want a ticket?" way:

YES -reasons the trailer illuminates for wanting to see it right now.
NO - things the trailer makes us nervous about.
MAYBE SO - things that leave us uncertain or seem like they could go either way.

HERE WE GO...

Click to read more ...

TIFF: Shedding Light on "Urbanized."

The best way for a film audience's eyes to light up is to produce vivid images on the screen. Gary Hustwit, director of documentaries like Helvetica and Objecitified now brings us Urbanized about urban planning around the world. It has an opening montage, despite being at least four shots long, that absolutely rivals or even betters the ones in Woody Allen's movies, because it depicts different and more rustic angles on certain landmarks. The Kremlin as seen on the background from a nearby bridge, the foreground populated by young people including one wearing an I ♥ NY shirt. A close-up of the St. Louis Gateway Arch, as silver and white as the rising moon. Unlike Allen, these visions are devoid of tourist-y romantic schmaltz.

The movie took me on a grand tour. It concentrates less on the touristy areas and more towards where the residents live and move around, these spaces depicted more magnificently than any monument. It brought out my nerd-like fascination of watching how Bogota has chosen buses over subways and trains or where Copenhagen has arranged the city's old streets to accommodate certain types of vehicles. It also shows how the depopulation and devastation of certain American cities can break the audience's heart more than the squalor in third world slums like those in Rio. This film isn't just composed of shots of city streets and the structures that line them, as the camera shows interviews of mayors, urban planners and advocated who are candid about their predecessors and each other.

Too bad it doesn't keep this momentum throughout the film but it does stick to its mission. Like most documentaries about worldwide trends, it inevitably has to show statistics about populations flocking to different cities throughout history and its effects on those areas with this kind of alarmingly increasing density.

The movie can also be criticized with heavy-handed leftist leanings. I saw it with an insufferably liberal audience that clapped whenever bikes or Jane Jacobs were mentioned. It tries to be more fair and balanced by including the voices that advocate 'unpopular' city building like the neglect in Mumbai, Niemeyer's 'spacious' method that he used in Brasilia, the sprawl in Phoenix and the anti-environmental renovations in Stuttgart. The film runs the risk of preaching to the choir, despite its beautiful realism.

Stars... They're Just Like Us!

They also have to deal with obnoxious people walking backwards or stopping suddenly when everyone else is moving forwards!

This post is brought to you by Nathaniel's hatred of tourists in Times Square where he unfortunately found himself once this weekend. Tourists can magically transform a breezy 8 minute walk to a subway to a 35 minute nightmarish ordeal of erratic human movement. Turning 8 minutes to 35 is a feat as miraculous as feeding thousands with five loaves of bread ...only way less altruistic.

P.S. This amusing gif comes to us via my friend Matt's blog where he runs to Madonna's defense (as he do) about the gleeful takedowns of W.E. in Venice. Matt also shared an incredible video of previously unseen "Vogue" video footage. Lots of blooper-like stuff after the two minute mark. It's always so fun (though rarer than it used to be) to see Madonna laugh at herself / her surroundings.

Two Beauties

Yesterday morning, before that evening's NYC premiere of Vera Farmiga's Higher Ground (pictured below) I had the opportunity to sit down for a chat with these two knockouts, Dagmara Dominczyk and Vera Farmiga. I somehow ended up seated between them so my head was ping-ponging back and forth and dizzy from beauty. Beauty to the left. Beauty to the right. 

You all know Vera, only one of the screen's very best working actresses. If you're unfamiliar with Dagmara, her main claim to fame was back in 2002 (The Count of Monte Cristo, female lead opposite Jim Caviezel and Guy Pearce) but she essentially took a really long break from career-ing to have Patrick Wilson's babies. (Wouldn't you?) She's terrific as Vera's best friend in the film. They're adorably chummy in real life, too.

That interview is coming soon. Here's another premiere photo of the cast. Yes, Donna Murphy is in the movie; Vera has good taste.

Tony nominee Nina Arianda, Two time Tony winner Donna Murphy, Oscar Nominee Vera Farmiga and Mrs Patrick Wilson Dagmara Dominczyk.

NYFF "My Week With Marilyn" as Centerfold. Er.... Centerpiece!

News continues to trickle in about this year's New York Film Festival, the 49th (September 30th through October 16th). So, yes, expect 2012's festival to pull out all the stops to honor its own 50th birthday. We always cover this festival since its the easiest for The Film Experience, being NYC based, but this year we're aiming to do thrice the amount of our usual coverage. Stay tuned.

Here's what we know so far.

Opening Night ~ Roman Polanski's CARNAGE
Centerpiece ~ Simon Curtis's  MY WEEK WITH MARILYN (World Premiere)
Closing Night & Lineup In General ~ TBA... though it's usually selections that previously debuted at Cannes or Toronto. THE SKIN I LIVE IN is frequently rumored.

The Burmese Harp (1956)Masterworks ~ This is the section where they show old films, rare prints and retrospectives.

This year they'll be screening a restored and aspect-ratio corrected print of William Wyler's much-Oscar'ed Epic BEN-HUR (1959) which is a MUST for big screen viewing. I've had the opportunity once and the chariot race has to be seen blown up for maximum effect. There will be a rare screening of Nicholas Ray's experimental WE CAN'T GO HOME AGAIN (1973) which he tinkered with until his death in 1979. And the bulk of this section is a Centennial celebration of Japan's chameleonic Nikkatsu Corporation. They're showing over 30 of their films including the Oscar Best Foreign Language Film nominees THE BURMESE HARP (1956). More on that sidebar event here.

Tickets go on sale on September 12th unless you're a Film Society member in which case you can purchase early. Among the older films, I'm definitely taking in The Burmese Harp which I've never seen.