Friveday Sept 26, 2008

Lars and the Real Girl

Lars (Ryan Gosling) is sweet and innocent but an introvert. He lives in the garage of the house he jointly owns with his brother, possibly to get as far away as possible from his brother's wife. One day he asks his brother if he could bring his girlfriend to dinner but, to his brother's surprise, the girlfriend is a doll. Soon, the story is spread across the small town that they live in. Lars' brother and wife asks the town to be understanding and play along with his delusions. The movie follows the relationship between Lars and his imaginary girlfriend and the effect the two have on this charming small town.

Persepolis

From a child with wild fantasies of revolutions to angsty teen to a young woman in search for love, Persepolis follows the story of Marjane. The story begins in Iran where Marjane listens to honorable stories told by her uncle about revolutionaries. As the civil revolutions come to an end in the 1970s, Marjane's parents are worried how society will react to her anti-establishment behaviours and sends her to Vienna for her teen years. The movie follows Marjane as she grows up dealing with personal issues like finding love to larger issues like the culture shock she experiences. 

King of Kong

Steve Wiebe is a gifted individual but has never been gifted enough to be the best of the best. At every turn, when he nears success he somehow falters. This seems to change as he takes on the challenge of conquering Donkey Kong. As he approaches surpassing the currently held highest score for the arcade game Steve is confronted with controversy and drama from the current high score holder Billy Mitchell and the power of his reputation. 

The Savages

The Savages is yet another dysfunctional family. The father loses the support from his girlfriend's family after she dies and at the same time his delusional tendencies become prevalent. Left with no other choice, the children are forced to come and take care of their father. Finding it difficult to love and care for a father that never looked after them, brother and sister Wendy and Jon (Philip Seymour Hoffman) Savage learn to support each other.

Schindler's List 

Oskar Schindler is an opportunist. He knows how to use money to buy friends and earn himself favours. That is exactly how he used the money of Jewish investors and bought himself a factory to make wares. The Jews that work there are protected from beatings since they are a part of the war effort and for this Oskar's factory quickly becomes a haven for Jews looking for a glimpse of normal life in Nazi Germany. The movie follows the worsening of conditions for the Jews and how Oskar's factory somehow follows them and continues to be a refuge.

And the winner is ...

This week is such a lobsided contest. Obviously the best movie of the week is Schindler's List. The movie is moving and powerful. The rawness of the scenes of violence and brutality that were forced upon the Jews are simply captivating. As the movie progresses, you soften to the character of Oskar Schindler and you cannot help but be touched in the closing scene when he laments how he could have saved more Jews. This is one of those classic movies and it stands the test of time. It is highly recommended.

That's not to say, the other movies aren't enjoyable. Lars and the Real Girl is a very charming film. Ryan Gosling is one of those actors that I believe cannot do any wrong. He does a very good job portraying a person who truly struggles being around others. He holds the movie together even if it is slow in parts and is aimless in the beginning. 

Persepolis touches on so many topics in a short period of time. Quite simply put, the movie is about change. From the personal changes that Marjane experiences through her surroundings or her inner growth to societal changes from the civil revolution. Marjane's life never stands still. This could be the movie's biggest criticism, the movie changes direction when Marjane moves to Vienna and suddenly the audience is on a different track. The movie finds some resolution at the end as she returns to Iran when she's older but it's not quite what is expected from the beginning.

King of Kong is a well done documentary but, in all honesty, will not appeal to anyone unless they are a gamer. And there's a chance they'll get bored even if they are a gamer. It's just funny to see stereotypes come true as some of the gamers are total dicks. The Savages received a bit of critical acclaim, which made it horribly disappointng. The movie is slow and boring and, at the very end, the characters don't change much. I can't really recommend The Savages to anyone.

Next Week:

• National Treasure 2
• End of Suburbia
• Music and Lyrics
• Loose Change: The Final Cut
• Monty Python and the Holy Grail