2008. Dir: Courtney Hunt. Starring: Melissa Leo, Misty Upham, Charlie McDermott, Michael O'Keefe and Mark Boone Junior. ●●●○○
I look up at the rating and I now feel like I'm being unduly harsh. That the performances and the set design and the editing and even the script were so full of realistic and beautiful nuances that it deserves a 4 blob score. However I have marke dit down because as a thriller, which is what Courtney Hunt has stated it is, I feel it failed.
The story follows an unlikely alliance between two women struggling to make ends meet in upstate New York. Ray's (Leo) husband has left her and taken the deposit for a new trailer days before Christmas, Lila (Upham) is living on the margins of the Mohawk reservation desperately hoping to see her daughter again. Thrown together by circumstances the women transport illegal immigrants through the reservation from Canada to the US.
They learn to trust each other (against their own judgements) as they build up the capital to change their lives forever. The theme of what it means to be a mother and the strength of that bond is repeated during the film, including a touching moment towards the end of the second act when they help another woman look for her daughter.
Unfortunately that's not enough to stop the plot from derailing. A desperate last job, bullets whizzing, car chases over the eponymous waterways and a stand off at the edges of the reservation all feel like they've been forced into the screenplay. The tension from the relationship alone would have been enough to make it work without the levels of excess displayed.
The acting is excellent throughout, especially from the two leads who both create very believable three dimensional women. James Reilly as Ray's youngest son was also a lot of fun, performing at just the right level (many child actors would have over egged it).
The depiction of the level of income Ray has was also deftly handled, means of popcorn and Tang seemed real, the bathroom was suitably grotty and nothing within her trailer of their limited possesions seemed out of place.
Writer-director Courtney Hunt has done a good job for a first feature, and if she tightens up the next script and focuses on making a character piece rather than a thriller with characters then I expect it will be excellent.
Wednesday, 22 July 2009
Frozen River
Friday, 17 July 2009
Out this week (17/07/09)
What an amazing week. Honestly I don't we've had such a good selection of films since January and the "prestige" season, there are 5 films that could in other weeks have come out as pick of the week. Including this weeks big cinematic release (something to do with a boy wizard), however I'm going for Frozen River as the top choice.
Frozen River
We've waited a year for this kitchen sink drama to make it over to the UK cinemas. Starring Melissa Leo and Misty Upham as two women forced to get involved with illegal immigration in order to support their families, it had lots of critical support back in 2008. Spain is the only other major territory to have waited so long to see it.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●●●●○○
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
I expect you've heard about this one. Jim Broadbent joins the cast of outstanding Brit thesps in episode 6 of the Harry Potter franchise. Expect it to be both darker and funnier as our heroes struggle with their hormones and another major character bites the dust.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●●○○○○
The Informers
It disappeared in a limited release in the states, but this multi charcter drama from the pen of Bret Easton Ellis (American Psycho) looks quite interesting. With characters as diverse as Newscasters, ex-cons, party girls and vampires it could be a fascinating mix.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●○○○○○
Jashnn
There's laughs a-plenty in this romantic comedy from India about a young singer finding his distinctive voice, falling in love and rescuing his sister's honour. What a man.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○
Kissan
The second of this weeks Bollywood releases is harder to find a synopsis. Essentially it's about two brothers who grow up following very different paths. And it stars Jackie Shroff (presumably as their father) who also had a major role in the massively popular Devdas.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○
Kisses
Irish drama about two teenagers running away from home and finding magic and terror in the streets of Dublin with the margins of society. Bizarrely it's set during Christmas so I'm not completely sure why it's being released in July.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●○○○○○
Moon
Duncan Jones reinvigorates the sci-fi format with this thinkpiece set on the Moon. Sam Rockwell gives a bravura performance as the lone astronaut/miner on the base slowly getting to grips with issues such as isolation, cloning and what it is to be human.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●●○○○○
Wide Open Spaces
If you had ever wondered what had happened to Ardal O'Hanlon (Father Dougal in the superb Channel 4 comedy Father Ted) then look no further than this comedy about two slackers building a potato famine theme park in a remote part of Ireland. Of course it's possible that this is a documentary showing how low some actors have to go when the parts dry up.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
Tuesday, 9 June 2009
Tuesday Trailers - Frozen River
The wait has been indeterminable. This weeks trailer comes form a film that premiered at Sundance in 2008, opened in the States last May, and then led to Melissa Leo's first oscar nomination at the beginning of the year.
Of course over here we only get it in July. Really depressing that we have to wait so long for intelligent indie fare like this.
Frozen River comes out on 17 July 2009.
