2010. Dir: Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. Starring: Keir Gilchrist, Zach Galifiankis, Emma Roberts, Lauren Graham and Viola Davis. 4/5 
Auteur theory posits that the director is the primary author of a film and therefore the style reflects his or her personal creative vision. Following the theory to it's natural conclusions you can identify the director from the choices within the film and any film they make should be reviewed as part of an ongoing series of productions. I'm not sure whether Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck hold to the auteur theory, or even if they're output is consistent with it (you can check my review on Sugar using the labels below) however they're certainly willing to push the boundaries of the theory with their third feature It's a Kind of Funny Story.
Half Nelson tackled drug culture in public schools, Sugar was a baseball biopic in Spanish, so it's surprisingly been followed up with an adpatation of a young adult novel by Ned Vizzini about teenage mental health issues with shades of whimsy.
Keir Gilchrist stars as Craig, a confused high schooler with suicidal fantasies, who, having kicked his meds prematurely, opts to check into a mental health institution in order to get back on them. Unfortunately he then finds himself housed in the adult ward and he's committed (sorry) for a minumum of five day. During his stay he connects with the other patients including Zach Galifiankis's Bobby and self-harmer Noelle played by Emma Roberts.
Like Boden and Fleck's previous collaborations the dialogue feels real and observed rather than scripted, even the stylised ramblings of the patients and the gentle realism of Viola Davis's therapist has a geniuine feel to it. The growth of the relationship between Craig and Noelle particulary plays well with both of them feeling the limits of their capacity to be hurt in both playful and angered exchanges.
On a number of occasions this realism is memorably interrupted with flights of fantasy, including a hilarious opening dream scene and the music therapy sessions which segues into a glam rock concert version of Under Pressure with Gilchrist as Mercury and Galifiankis as Bowie. That scene alone is worth the ticket price alone.
Gilchrist himself isn't a very memorable lead, but that works well in context to his feelings of alienation and low self worth and with that in mind it's small wonder that Galifiankis (who doesn't do much we haven't seen before but he does it very well) and Roberts stand out with their respectively manic and understated presences.
It's difficult to review this film without questioning it's (and our own) attitudes to mental health issues. On the one hand Craig's short spell within the institution is not just long enough for him to reassess his life and reorganise his priorites - actually that makes sense - but he's also gifted with the ability to partially heal an agoraphobic roommate. On the other hand another patient, who confesses to Craig his seven suicide attempts, simply disappears from the film with all of his storylines unresolved; a painful reminder to Craig and to us that depression often does not just go away and that we can never really set about understanding what's in anyone else's thought process.
Overall I would say this film works, it doesn't pander to the preconceptions of it's primary audience and nor does it completely shy away from it's responsibilities. Sure it's no Cuckoo's Nest, but then it almost certainly didn't want to be, the institution isn't the villian here there is no villian. It's strength lies in the small things, and once again it's a reason to rejoice for Boden and Fleck. I can't wait to see what they work on next.
Thursday, 13 January 2011
It's a Kind of Funny Story
Saturday, 8 January 2011
The Voice of the Nation (Out this week - 07/01/11)
Suddenly we've stumbled into 2011, into the thick of the prestige awards season and naturally the quality of the films has increased. Whilst there is no doubt which of this weeks movies seems to be the most interesting you could easily see 5 of them and not be really disappointed. You may notice as the weeks go on that I have slightly changed my scoring mechanism - this should aid films that previous would have got between 1 and 5 blobs, although this week you can't tell because the overall quality is excellent and we also have a one blob that couldn't get anything more! I went to the cinema last night and the biggest queues and consequently the box office champ (I just love anecdotal evidence) is set to be Danny Boyle's latest but my top pick would be 
The King's Speech
It's been winning audience awards at festival after festival and is hotly tipped to be among the top performing films at this years Academy Awards. It's also a fascinating look at the relationship between George VI (Colin Firth) and his speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). Helena Bonham Carter completes the acting trio headlining the movie.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●●●●●○
The Next Three Days
Russel Crowe can't cope with his wife behind bars so decides to break her out in this English language remake of the French thriller Pour Elle. Almost certainly hokum but will it be enjoyable hokum?
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●●○○○○
127 Hours
Danny Boyle dares to bring the true story of Aron Ralston to the big screen complete with (spoiler alert) graphic scenes of bone sawing. James Franco spends almost the entire film alone as the clock ticks for our trapped hero.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●●○○○○
Abel
Diego Luna's directorial debut broke Mexican opening weekend records back in 2010 when it opened to universal praise. With it's tale of shifting family dynamics in modern Mexico and it's focus on the young boy in the family this could be one to watch.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●○○○○○
It's a Kind of Funny Story
Keir Gilchrist is the teenager who checks himself into a mental institution following a bout of suicidal thoughts. With Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck directing and Zach Galifrankias and Viola Davis offering support it's difficult to know where this teen One flew over the Cuckoo's Nest is heading.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●○○○○○
Amer
Not to be confused with Abel above this is a French movie about three key sensual moments in our heroine's life, it almost looks like arthouse porn as "her carnal search sways between reality and fantasies becoming more oppressive".
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●○○○○○○
No One Killed Jessica
In our first Bollywood release of 2011 I'm guessing that Jessica is already dead but the provenance of her departure is in question. It's a thriller not an inquest by the way.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
Season of the Witch
On the flipside to January seeing the release of award fodder we also get some prime turkeys that the studios struggle to find the best time to release them. Nicolas Cage is outacted by his wig in this 14th Century action horror.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
Midgets vs. Mascots
Dire looking sub-Jackass mockumentary about two teams (Midgets and Mascots, natch) competing for a place in the will of a millionaire porn star dwarf. Probably not how Gary Coleman would like to be remembered.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●○○○○○○○○○
Tuesday, 14 December 2010
Tuesday Trailers - It's a Kind of Funny Story
We interrupt the flow of trailers for 21 January (with it only having just started) with the news of a schedule change that has moved another film ahead. Anna Boden's and Ryan Fleck's follow up to their baseball drama Sugar surprised everyone by being a left of field comedy with "it" star Zach Galifianakis and whilst reviews haven't been glowing I'm very curious to see how they cope with this sort of story.
It's a Kind of Funny Story is released on 07 January 2011.
Saturday, 31 October 2009
Film News (31/10/2009)
I may have mentioned that I've been on tour and not been able to get to a computer recently. Or at least not enough to be able to read up on the news and report back. I am therefore writing this in the middle of half term with over three pages of notes regarding news stories that have come and gone over the last month and a half. I'm binning all updates on stories we've already reported on and just looking at the completely original incidents. With no further ado let's get on...
Gucci Biopic
There are few families from the 20th century which seem to be ripped out of a soap opera more than the fashion giants Gucci. There have been boardroom fist fights, celebrity hangers on, tax evasion claims and even murder. It's such a mad story it's going to need a barmy cast to bring it off... Anjelina Jolie as Patrizia Reggiano and Leonardo DiCaprio as her superflous husband Maurizio Gucci. Never mind the Dallas picture bring on the Gucci's.
Shoes are apparently not related to this post in any way...
American Rust
Described as a modern retelling of the underclass stories written by John Steinbeck in the pre-war years American Rust concerns two agricultural workers who leave their home town to find better jobs only to be caught in a maelstrom of violence and misunderstanding. Walter Salles has signed on to direct.
The Fly
I won't link to the 1986 version of the classic sci-fi about a scientist finding his DNA altered irreperably. Although perhaps I should because although there have rumours about a remake David Cronenberg has publicly stated that he will be behind the camera for any remakes. With advances in technology over the last 25 years the body horror elements will almost certainly be digusting beyond belief.
It's a Kind of Funny Story
Apparently it's a well-loved young adult story by Ned Vizzini about a suicidal teenager checking into an adult mental health facility. I don't know if the book is any good but I love the concept, and with Viola Davis signing up for a pivotal role you can count me in.
Melancholia
Lars von Trier is fed up with making deep arthouse pictures that divide audiences, so he's decided to make a blockbuster - a sci-fi disaster movie no less. Early plot details indicate another planet collides with the Earth. Don't expect a happy ending.
My Fair Lady
I love the original My Fair Lady, as a kid I was sat in front of it on almost every visit to my Grandparents. As such it is with trepidation that I approach the remake with Keira Knightly. The good news is that Emma Thompson is working on a script, which could make it very humourous. In unlikely casting Daniel Craig is being mooted for Henry Higgins.
Red Riding
To recap David Pearce wrote a quadrilogy of novels about corruption in the Yorkshire police forces during the late 70's and early 80's. Looking at the investigation into some teenagers murdered against the rise and fall of the trade unions. This was made into a TV miniseries, which was released in the states as 3 films - can anyone verify this, please? It looks like Columbia and Scott Free entertainment have picked it up to create one big movie. Could be a horrible mess.
Robert Capa Biopic
Michael Mann will be returning to the biopic arena for his next film, by looking at the famed photographer Robert Capa. The film wil focus on his early romances during the Spanish Civil War, so expect plenty of opportunity for Mann's sound editors to shine.
Securitas Robbery picture
Here in the UK we're just coming to the end of reports about the Tonbridge Securitas robbery. In essence it's a common story where the robbers kidnap the managers family and use that a leverage to get into the bank or, in this case depot. Only this time it's the largest haul in a robbery of all time with over 50m sterling taken. To make the story even more bizarre the ring leaders were mostly high profile cage fighters. It hasn't taken long for the studios to take an interest and I'm sure they're be parts for Danny Dyer in it.
X-Movies
The future of the X-Men franchise rumbles on. Like many of you I refused to cough up a fiver to see Wolverine, however lots of people did so expect a second installement of that offshoot as well as individual films for Magneto and Deadpool. Pruducer Lauren Schuler-Donner has also blurted out that we're likely to see an X-Men early years movie, like a mutant One Tree Hill. Can't wait? Personally I think the whole X franchise may have had it's day but we'll see. At what point do falling returns mean you stop production...
Box Office News
Release Date News
Taking Woodstock - Making November slightly easier to manage Ang Lee's 1960s set homocomedy has been moved back a week. Trip out with the flower generation on 13 November 2009.
The Girlfriend Experience - Steven Soderbergh's lo-fi experiment about the escort industry has slipped back another week into December. You can see the trailer this week. Pay over the odds on 04 December 2009.
The Boys are Back - Clive Owen's Oscar bid, based on Simon Carr's true story will still be showing in January next year but it is now a dirrent week. Learn to say yes on 22 January 2010.
Dear John - If the idea of watching a Nicolas Saprks novel adapted by Lasse Hallstrom makes you gag then you should seriously consider taking May as holiday. On the other hand we see an awful lot of Channing Tatum in the trailer. Write a love letter to Channing on 07 May 2010.
The Green Hornet - I'm hoping this is the last time Michel Gondry's comic book tome will be shifted back as the talent involved really intrigues me. Crime fight using a mysterious identity on 31 December 2010.
Untitled James L. Brooks Movie - It may be called How do you Know, it might not, but Brooks' return to the silver screen with Reese Witherspoon and lucky charm Jack Nicholson has chosen a prime date for the 2010 Oscar season. Have two men fight over you on 14 January 2011.
Straw Dogs - Two months ago I was concerned that the release date for Rod Lurie's retelling of the classic revenge thriller had disappeared into the ether, well it's back. Execute your wife's rapists on 11 March 2011.
Rango - It's not often I get interested in animated movies, however this reunites the Pirates trilogy director Gore Verbinski with star Johnny Depp. Plus it's about dogs. Fetch a bone on 08 April 2011.
Town Creek - They shifted it back further and further until ti completed disappeared. I can't say I'm sorry that I probably won't see the latest film from Joel Schumacher, but I'll keep an eye out in case it makes a limited release before it's inevitable appearance in DVD bargain bins.
Box Office Report
August and September both minor shocks in the top of the box office statistics, with a horror sequel conquering August and a South African actioners the champ in September. Although with the general lack of quality around in the late summer perhaps these two were positioned well.
August
1. The Final Destination
2. The Proposal
3. Inglorious Basterds
4. The Time Traveler's Wife
5. Aliens in the Attic
September
1. District 9
2. Fame
3. Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs
4. (500) Days of Summer
5. Surrogates
I thought I'd end this post with a picture of a prawn. Well done for persevering.
