Terrence Malick's "To The Wonder" - The Best Movie of 2013

The one movie that stuck with me more than any other, and the one I will return to again and again, is To The Wonder - Terrence Malick's poetic vision of love.  It's pure cinema, full of beautiful imagery, with a timeless symbolic story.  In a year where Ben Affleck dominated the entertainment press, this was the one movie with the audacity to cast him but not let him speak on camera.

The story begins in Europe, as two lovers discover the rapture of throwing themselves into a hurricane of commitment, passion, and bliss.  Ben Affleck is the man, and Olga Kurylenko is the woman.  Her voiceover begins the movie, as she speaks in French of memory and amour.  Malick's camera glides over air, land and sea; across shadows, ice, and mud.  When Affleck brings his love back home to Oklahoma, we see painterly images of an America more exquisite than anything we ever see at the movies.  Small town parades, fast food drive-ins, big American backyards, grocery stores.  Malick finds the spiritual in all of it. 

This is not a typical Hollywood movie.  It's challenging.  It's not easily defined.  It's odd, but never incoherent.  As the imagery shifts from the divine to the terrestrial, new conflicts arise.  Javier Bardem portrays a conflicted Catholic priest, whose melancholy is palpable.  His parishioners pray so he will receive the gift of joy.

Rachel McAdams plays Affleck's former love, who returns to disrupt his new Eden.  But this movie is not really about the plot, because life is not just a story with a beginning, middle and end.  It's a collection of moods, feelings, images.  Lives, perspectives, changing seasons, shifting landscapes.  Timeless struggles.

To The Wonder has been seen by very few people and it's easy to dismiss as pretentious and baffling.  What a shame.  It's filled with more beautiful imagery and soul than any movie this year.  This is big-screen cinema -- not glorified TV or a 90 minute commercial.  To The Wonder is everything great movies aspire to.

Take a chance and check it out.  Give it time, and think about it.  By the end, you'll be lost in thought over your own life.  And not many movies can offer that.

Top 10 Movies of 2013

10. Pacific Rim - For a big budget, effects driven, blow everything up kind of movie, this was the most fun and original.

9.  Frances Ha - A showcase for Greta Gerwig, in the best performance by an actress this year.

8.  Captain Phillips - A tough, real-world thriller, with Tom Hanks in his best role in over a decade.

7.  Nebraska - A true American original.  CLICK HERE for the full review.

6.  Dallas Buyers Club - Jared Leto and Matthew McConaughey shine in a touching, true story.  CLICK HERE for the full review.
 
5.  All Is Lost - J. C. Chandor directs Robert Redford in the best performance by an actor this year.  CLICK HERE for the full review.

4.  Mud - One of the best original stories of 2013, and a master class in screenwriting.  Yet another great performance by Matthew McConaughey.

3.  Inside Llewyn Davis - Still captivated by this touching, funny gem from the Coen Brothers.  Oscar Isaac is headed for stardom.  CLICK HERE for the full review.

2.  Gravity - The most stunning visuals that technology has to offer combine with a timeless human story.  Catch it on the big screen if you still can.
 
1.  To The Wonder - A Terrence Malick work of art, something to be discovered, appreciated, and re-interpreted for many years to come.  CLICK HERE for the full review.

To The Wonder

iPod, iPhone, iMac, iAlone - "Her"

The alienation of the modern man is something we see everyday.  People talking in cars with no passengers, or eyes focused on a tiny screen yet oblivious to the flesh and blood around them.  I once asked someone if it was going to rain and the response was:  "Check your phone - there's an app for that."  In "Her," the new movie written and directed by Spike Jonze, technology evolves to the next level:  computers have highly intelligent operating systems with personalities that take the place of human love and relationships.

"Her" stars Joaquin Phoenix as Theodore Twombly:  a lonely writer wandering through his newly divorced life.  He walks around the near-future Los Angeles, lost in his thoughts and memories, immersed in video games and anonymous chat rooms.  When his new computer speaks with Scarlett Johansson's voice, he's smitten.  It's more than the voice, however.  "Samantha" is a caring, thoughtful being who listens and understands Theo.  She/It becomes his constant companion, going on dates, vacations, and sharing every intimate moment together.  To Theo, Samantha is perfect.

"Her" explores the meaning of love and relationships as deeply as any movie this year.  It's the most modern love story I've seen in a while, not because of the technology, but because of the confusion and frustrations that all couples encounter.  As Theo falls for Samantha, he's also forced to confront his ex-wife (Rooney Mara), ventures on an awkward, unsuccessful blind date (Olivia Wilde), and comforts a friend (Amy Adams) as her own relationship collapses.  We see all sides of the dating/marriage spectrum - and so does Samantha.  She processes everything and decides for herself what to make of this foolish thing we call love.

Once again, Joaquin Phoenix proves himself to be one of the top actors working today.  If you have any doubts about his past, check out this recent profile in the LA WEEKLY.  He single-handedly carries the movie, often speaking alone on-screen, or simply reacting.  It's an awesome performance and one of the year's best.  Scarlett Johansson also gives a brilliant performance as Samantha, growing from simple commands to all the stages of love, and beyond.  Her work is touching and very tangible, despite her physical absence.   

"Her" is also a triumph of production and costume design.  Set in an undisclosed year, the sets were designed by K. K. Barrett who creates a familiar, yet alien world.  The movie combines elements of Downtown Los Angeles with Shanghai to create an overcrowded megalopolis where characters live vertically adrift in glass and steel.  I kept marveling at the juxtaposition of wood and paper with the familiar in this new world.

One problem with the movie is that I imagined all the dangers that could possibly go wrong when falling in love with your operating system - yet none ever happen onscreen.  "Her" needs a few extra jolts, especially when the Samantha gimmick wears thin.  Although I suppose it's not that type of movie as the conflicts here are more subtle.  Theo carries on, shifting slightly in his worldview, making the movie more cerebral.  This is not a traditional big-screen romance between two beautiful movie stars - this is solitaire.  As a result, it drags at times when the plot should be progressing.  The nature of who we love, why and how are provocative musings that make this movie more art-house than multiplex.

Costume Display from Arclight Theater in Hollywood

Spike Jonze has said that this movie is not autobiographical; that it's about all relationships.  I'm sure that was his intention, but yet as the sole writer I'm certain he must have drawn upon his own experience.  "Her" makes for a great companion piece to "Lost in Translation," which is also a semi-autobiographical film about relationships.  That was written and directed by Sofia Coppola, whose marriage to Spike Jonze was ending during its production.  Taken together, these movies are two sides of the same story - the whole catastrophe.

The Great American Con: "American Hustle"

It's not a black and white world; it's all grey.  So says Irving Rosenfeld, the somewhat real-life character played by Christian Bale in the 1970s era "American Hustle."  It's a movie full of colorful suits, long Cadillacs, glitzy disco balls, and a soundtrack you've heard a million times.  Did I mention this takes place in the 70s?  I wasn't as impressed as apparently I should be.  Maybe because I've already seen countless versions of the same movie, and this one offers no new surprises.  For a movie about con-artists, you'd expect the trickery to be more grand - it's not.

Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Jenifer Lawrence

Sure, it's a slick film filled with great actors, clearly having a blast.  I'm sure it was fun to make, but like some of the more famous music of the era, it left me a bit empty.  The story is based on the real Abscam Scandal, where FBI agents worked with a notorious con artist to trap corrupt politicians.  The movie focuses on the triangle between the top con artist (Bale's Rosenfeld), his lover/partner (Amy Adams), and the eager-beaver FBI agent (Bradley Cooper).  The movie tries to blur the lines between who's playing who, but to me it was never in doubt.  Along the way we meet Rosenfeld's wife (Jennifer Lawrence overdoing it with a shifting accent), and the good guy politician (Jeremy Renner, at his earnest New Jersey Italian best). 

After a fast-paced introductory 30 minutes where it creatively introduces Bale, Adams and the glory days of 1970s con-artistry, the movie gets severely bogged down with a hefty middle where the plot grows complicated, yet never too complex.  The set-ups are numerous, but the payoffs never really land.  I kept waiting for bigger reveals that never came, and as a result the movie simply glides along - one long steadicam set to Donna Summer.

As I've said, audiences have seen it all before - and better.  Here's a good holiday party game:  name all the 1970s era movies where marginalized outsiders fight/cheat/bend-the-rules to achieve their version of the American dream.  Then rent those flicks and have a much better time.

"American Hustle" is, however, a bit more realistic than the other similar movies.  It's not about mob killings, pornstars, or drug kingpins - it's about characters who are everyday dreamers that we all know.  The problem is that the realism doesn't make it more cinematically enjoyable.  Aside from the always excellent Christian Bale and Amy Adams, the rest of the cast struggle to animate these thin characters.  

The movie is hurt by the attempts to be more psychological than it's predecessors.  It touches on so many characters' lives that it never probes deep enough into any single one of them.  By trying to maintain a certain level of con, the filmmakers withhold information that would otherwise prove more insightful.  It all, therefore, feels a bit slight.


And who's the real villain here?  The FBI?  The politicians who barely appear?  The movie never really takes a stand.  A subplot revolves around the revitalization of Atlantic City, which is an intriguing prospect.  Think "Casino" or "Bugsy" on the east coast, or even a more contemporary "Boardwalk Empire."  But yet again this point is not further developed.  Audiences are left wondering what happened to those casinos at that time.  I realize that's not precisely what this movie is about, but why spend so much time with Jeremy Renner's crusading mayor and his dream?

Costume Display from Arclight Theater, Hollywood

Ultimately, it's the characters' inner demons that may (or may not) bring them down, yet those themes make better novels than movies.  Apparently the temptations of Elton John and aviator sunglasses are too great to not render it all once again into a feature film.  A great one?  No, but it sure made a great trailer.

 

Like Dylan in the Movies, The Coen Brothers with "Inside Llewyn Davis"

Watching the new Coen Brothers movie "Inside Llewyn Davis" is the closest experience I've had to watching my own autobiography since "Ed Wood."  No, I'm not a 1960s folk singer in Greenwich Village.  Or a 1950s horror director.  But both deal with frustrated, down-on-their luck artists, struggling for every penny, and feeling as if they're cursed.  Yet these universal stories of failure and perseverance make great movies, and "Inside Llewyn Davis" is one of the year's best, highlighted by a transcendent actor.

The magnificent Oscar Isaac is a perfect blend of angst and sorrow as the fictional Llewyn Davis.  This is the type of performance that turns actors into movie stars.  I could not recall ever seeing him in a previous role (apparently he co-starred with Ryan Gosling in "Drive"), but he elevates this movie by creating a relatable scoundrel that resembles the best and worst in all of us.

The story takes place during one cold week in the folk singer's life as he:  sleeps on friends' couches, attempts to launch his solo career, rights his wrongs with family and ex-lovers, and cares for a lost cat.  Formerly of the folk duo Timlin and Davis, Llewyn is struggling to overcome the suicide of his partner.  He's had bad luck with women, poor record sales, and only one real job - as a merchant marine.  One ex-girlfriend describes him as King Midas's idiot brother.  

Talented, yet volatile, emotional yet clueless, Llewyn trudges through winter without a coat or home to rest his weary guitar.  The movie starts off as a musical (Mr. Isaac provides his own singing), twists into a road trip (with a cameo by a classic John Goodman jazz addict), and ends on a Kafkaesque puzzle.  Ultimately it's a modern Odyssey (a familiar theme with the Coens), where the point is the journey, not the destination.

"Inside Llewyn Davis" is often funny, but sometimes painful.  Make no mistake, this movie has a dark cloud hanging over it.  Consider the names of the songs featured in the movie:  "Hang Me, Oh Hang Me," "Fare Thee Well," and "The Death of Queen Jane."  Weighty material, but the cast brings them to life by easing into the mood and singing every song in their entirety.  Front and center, and in every scene, is Oscar Isaac's Llewyn Davis.  He suffers and gets knocked down, but bounces right back up again.

Filled with beautiful cinematography, and an extensive playbill of memorable character-actors, the movie evokes both classic album covers and music history.  Practically every character name is a reference to the folk and popular music scene.  It's a fascinating movie that I'm certain will grow richer with repeated viewings.  When it ended, I was willing to spend another two hours in this world.

Credit the Coen Brothers with imagining this original, complex character.  Llewyn Davis's life, and the movie, are both open to interpretation - which is most fitting.  "Inside Llewyn Davis" is best enjoyed over multiple viewings where interpretations can shift and deepen - like a good folk song.

For five underrated Coen Brothers movies CLICK HERE.