Man On Wire

This documentary directed by James Marsh tells the story of Phillipe Petit's illegal but elegant high wire adventure between the twin towers of the World Trade Center. I never knew that this happened, and I certainly wouldn't have guessed that it would be possible with or without approval from whatever authority would decide something like that.


The film sets up "the coup" and progressed through the actions of the grand stunt while referring back to Phillipe's life and his other illicit tightrope endeavors, which include some stunning locales. Phillipe refers to his walking as a kind of visual poem, which sounds kind of hokey, but the footage of what he does really is spectacular. I was shocked at how beautiful and graceful it was.

I don't watch many documentaries, but had heard so much about this one I decided to check it out so I could at least have an opinion about one of the Oscar nominees, and I'm glad I did. It's slow and informative, but as interesting and well-developed as a fictional narrative film.

Slumdog Millionaire

Danny Boyle's adaptation of Vikus Swarup's novel Q & A begins when young Jamal is one question away from winning the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. This intensely likable character has come so far in the game as a result of the difficult and tragic circumstances in his life, which are shown episodically as flashbacks through each answered question.


The events of Jamal's life are rough. Born as a Slumdog it's not a steady ride up the social ladder. Boyle portrays Jamal's India in vibrant colors reminiscent of City of God. The slums are alive and exciting rather than dull and bleak, but they are also not glamorized. The world of poverty must have vibrancy and life to also portray the pain of being so confined by circumstance.

After all, Slumdog Millionaire is not a harsh picture of the terrible conditions in India, though that is certainly a part of the story. Instead, it is a refreshing love story--a fairy tale--of fate, devotion, and undying hope. To enjoy the film one must feel the connection between the lead characters, but any lacking chemistry between the two child actors is made up for by the perseverance of the love story in the midst of all the other darker plot elements.

No other relationships in the film are romanticized; for example, Jamal's brother often goes out on a limb to save Jamal, but he is also his greatest enemy. Because everything else in the film is portrayed with some ambiguity and duality, the singularity of Jamal's love for Latika manages to appeal to the audience for its simplicity rather than just as an overly romanticized escape.

Just in case you don't buy into the love story Boyle still sends you out with a smile inspired by the Bollywood-like dance number that relives the pressure of the pain of the film and celebrates one last aspect of Indian culture before the credits roll.

A Scanner Darkly

This is the strangest movie I think I've ever seen. Filmed digitally, a computer process was used to change it to animation. It's a really unique effect that is worth the ridiculous amount of time it took to create it. Based on a novel written in the 70's, the story is set 7 years in the future in the dystopia that America has become under the devastating effects of an unstoppable outbreak of addiction to a drug called Substance D.


Even though it stars Keanu Reeves, this film works as one thoroughly disorienting drug trip. Bob Arctor (Reeves) works under a conciled identity as a scanner to watch survaillence to discover himself--suspected to be high-up in the Substance D trade. As he watches himself he realizes how messed up he has become as he goes back and forth between sharing in long drug-induced conversations wtih his buddies and observing the videos he's taken of himself.

It takes a long time to figure out what is going on in this movie, and the only way to follow it is to accept that the audience is forced into the same turmoil as the lead character. Nothing is clear or believable, and the innovative animation only enhances the surreal quality of the film.

A Scanner Darkly was never intended for mainstream audiences--and for good reason--but for anyone who likes experimental films, this is a really fascinating one with a sad streak of realism and just the right amount of comedy.

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang

Harry is a second rate thief before he comes to L.A., but within a few days he is reunited with his high school dream girl, learns to be a detective, and has bodies begin to pile around him as he tries to discover the truth behind a series of murders before the bad guys can get to him. I say "bad guys" because this film does not take itself too seriously. It consciously unfolds like a cheap spy novel. Everything means something and all the pieces fall together in just the right way, but because the film recognizes this unrealistic element--primarily through Robert Downey Jr.'s clever narration--it all works.


Because the film doesn't try too hard for all the twists and turns to catch you off guard, you forget to anticipate too closely, and most of the punches land hard. It's not entirely cheesy either. The story is actually interesting and the characters are intriguing. To quote the back of the DVD box because it's just too good to pass up: "Kiss kiss, bang bang--watch watch."

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Benjamin Button begins his life with the infirmities of old age and his body ages backwards as he grows up. This fascinating cross between Forrest Gump and Big Fish creatively isolates the aging of the body and mind. The premise of the story is interesting and weird enough to carry the film without particularly likable leads. The audience looks on Benjamin as a Curiosity, just as the title suggests, rather than as a real person. His story will carry pull you in and break your heart, but from a step back, his life is only marginally remakable aside from his aging reversal.

Benjamin falls in love with a girl, the granddaughter of one of the women residing in the home where he is raised by his adopted mother, and their lives continue to intertwine until their ages can actually meet in the middle. In the meantime, however, Benjamin encounters a number of fascinating characters who impact his life. As the film makes the passage of time unreliable, place and relationships take the foreground of story.


The tearjerker of a story reminds audiences of the brevity of life and of all good things in this world. Despite this depressing theme, however, the film also takes care to remind characters not to wait for life to begin or to catch up, but rather to recognize the need to take each day with purposeful initiative. Fate seems to play a major role in this film, but only in circumstance. The characters have a profound influence on the paths of their own lives. Their reactions to the situations brought upon them by fate are what truly affect the outcomes of their lives.

Though this fantasy drama is a new frontier for director David Fincher, he comes at it gracefully and with a careful eye. The same irreverent humor--the kind you're not sure you should laugh at--that followers of Fincher love does sneak in, particularly in the first half of the film. It looks a little self-important, but there's not really a way to tackle a serious film based on manipulation of time without a confident and bold attitude. And, for what it's worth, the aging effects are incredible. Brad Pitt's role does not require a lifechanging performance, but he looks as great at 70 as he does at 25 and just as believable as 40.