OK film fans, it's Monday night and I'm pretty wiped out. The weekend was fun but not very relaxing and I could have used another couple of days to refill the tank. As such I think it might be time to whip out another top 5 list. And, just a reminder, this is kind of like a piano bar. I'm open to requests, even if I can't get to them all. With the Oscar hype building (the British version was last night and The Hurt Locker cleaned up) it's a good time to look back at 2009 and give you my Top 5 Underrated Films of 2009. An explanation of the rules for the list can be found here.
I have to admit this list was considerably longer and tougher to pare down than I thought it would be. To give you an idea, here's a few of the films I left out for various reasons. Drag Me to Hell, I Love You Man and The Men Who Stare at Goats are probably too well known and successful for this list. Whip it, World's Greatest Dad and Zombieland I've already gushed about so I thought we'd go with a few new films. Let get this thing rolling.
5. Antichrist The latest exploration of film limitations from gifted and controversial Danish director Lars von Trier. Released at the Cannes film festival to decidedly mixed reviews, this art-house horror film begins with a personal tragedy between the films two characters, He (Willem Dafoe) and She (the wonderfully unique Charlotte Gainsbourg), and devolves into a diatribe about the dark history of women persecuted for Pagan and Wiccan beliefs. There are so many themes occurring and interpretations thereof that you'd be hard pressed to find two reviewers with similar takes on this film. Gorgeous cinematography and meaningful conversations abound, but there is also an explicit sex scene (or rather one shot), genital mutilation and talking animals. If you're feeling brave, get your beret, some wine and be prepared for some (pseudo) lofty concepts.
4. The Girlfriend Experience Let's be honest, haven't you ever wondered about the types of people who become high priced escorts? What kind of person gravitates towards that job? What about their personal relationships, do they even have them? And what about the clients, who drops that kind of dough on a pretense they know exists solely due to the exchanged cash? How do they suspend disbelief? Yeah... me either. But talented director Steven Soderbergh made a film about it just in case you're wondering. And despite the fact it stars a real porn star (Sasha Grey) it's a rather cold look at one woman's struggle with the biz. Throw in some timely commentary on the 2008/2009 market collapse, a contrasting look at men selling their bodies as fitness trainers and you've got an interesting experiment that serves as a nice conversation starter.
3. The Invention of Lying OK, this time be really honest. Haven't you ever wondered what kind of world would this be without lying? To be frank, it would really suck. Conversations would be almost stream of consciousness and devoid of any filter to restrict hurtful thoughts from being spoken aloud. The very funny and talented Ricky Gervais co-wrote and directed this film about a man who makes the leap to become the first person, in an alternate reality version of Earth, to say something that wasn't true. And because no one else has ever even thought of lying everyone takes everything he says as absolute truth. This would have been a huge hit, only problem is its primary target for ridicule is religion, specifically Christianity. That's a big no-no in America, home of the free, land of the brave and one nation under God. And don't forget his Americanized son, the light brown-haired, blue-eyed and light-skinned Jesus.
2. Adventureland If you've been paying attention you knew there was going to be an indie film in here, so here you go. It's 1987 and James Brennan (Zombieland's Jesse Eisenberg) was going to travel Europe before he started grad school at Columbia, but his dad's "setback" at work means he gets to find a summer job instead. In just one summer at a crappy amusement park he learns the truth about work, obligation, and love. And of course all of it is set to a great, 80's inspired soundtrack.
1. Observe and Report If you were like me you saw the commercials for this Seth Green vehicle and thought, "Gee, that looks like a hot mess of crap. If I'm not going to see Paul Blart: Mall Cop I'm sure the hell not going to see this." But I've got news for you, we were wrong. This weird, subversive and dark comedy seems bland at the beginning and then about a third of the way in you realize just how disturbed Green's mall security guard/wanna-be police officer, Ronnie Barnhardt, truly is. If you're lucky and your sense of humor is warped (like mine), you'll laugh as it becomes a film that embraces Ronnie's dark side and takes us on a strange journey of redemption you don't see in studio comedies. This is a comedy told through a Taxi Driver filter; nihilistic, violent and funny as hell.
Showing posts with label Whip It. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Whip It. Show all posts
Monday, February 22, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
day 13 - Whip It
OK film fans, hump day has arrived and we are now coasting downhill towards the weekend. It's much too hard to be insightful and introspective in the middle of a work week, so I've got recent bit fun that disappeared from theaters before you could say grrrl power.
Whip It, is Drew Barrymore's directorial debut, filled with an infectious, bubbly spirit like Barrymore herself. It's essentially a third-wave feminist, coming of age indie style film that follows the classic sports motif. Bliss Cavendar (Ellen Page) is a small town Texan teenager on the verge of self-discovery, if only she can escape from the stifling presence of her beauty pageant stage mother Brooke (Marcia Gay Harden). When she sees a flyer for a women's roller derby league in Austin she grabs her best friend, who has a car, and heads out in search of something new. Instantly hooked just from the atmosphere alone, Bliss informs one of the Hurl Scouts, Maggie Mahyem (Kristen Wiig), that they are her new heroes. Maggie lets her know that they are having try-outs the next week, invites her to come and to "be your own hero."
And that's really the subtext of the film. No matter what the obstacles are, the resistance you get from your family and friends or the people you encounter who will try to undermine you, you should be true to your heart and always follow your desires. Bliss, in true sports film fashion, becomes the star of her team and in the process begins to inhabit her track name, Babe Ruthless. And, in true coming of age film fashion, becomes the rebellious teen who tells her parents off and begins to try and live a life different from what was planned for her. Only later does she learn that when you venture into the world and find the friends who will make up your new family, you don't discard the family you left behind.
If only in fleeting memories that appear when viciously jogged loose, I can still remember being 17. The rush attained every so often by escaping the burbs and heading out into the night, driving to empty warehouses on the outskirts of Denver to drink cheap beer and mosh in frenzied pits to horribly bad punk cover bands playing songs from the Dead Kennedys, 7 Seconds, the Germs and Suicidal Tendencies. The rush of making out with girls who already had a slew of tattoos and stories to go with each one. Of course, the next week I would be back in school, playing football, getting good grades and going to keggers in Cul-de-sacs. The lessons learned on the fringes of the city are still with me, below the surface, even as a grown man in a button down world. But I do remember the nights and how it felt to belong to a crowd that enjoyed being different, despite any drawbacks that might be perceived by those in the "real" world.
This film is surprisingly fun and for the first time I actually understand how a roller derby works. Between the quirky indie soundtrack (hey, any film with .38 Special on the soundtrack earns bonus points from me!) and an unexpectedly deft touch by Barrymore, both in the comic and heartfelt scenes, I couldn't help but enjoy this film. Ellen Page truly is an exceptional and fearless actress. Despite the Juno backlash, between these two films and the amazing Hard Candy, she has shown tremendous range and command of her art for a 22 year old. I look forward to the work each will bring us in the future.
Whip It, is Drew Barrymore's directorial debut, filled with an infectious, bubbly spirit like Barrymore herself. It's essentially a third-wave feminist, coming of age indie style film that follows the classic sports motif. Bliss Cavendar (Ellen Page) is a small town Texan teenager on the verge of self-discovery, if only she can escape from the stifling presence of her beauty pageant stage mother Brooke (Marcia Gay Harden). When she sees a flyer for a women's roller derby league in Austin she grabs her best friend, who has a car, and heads out in search of something new. Instantly hooked just from the atmosphere alone, Bliss informs one of the Hurl Scouts, Maggie Mahyem (Kristen Wiig), that they are her new heroes. Maggie lets her know that they are having try-outs the next week, invites her to come and to "be your own hero."
And that's really the subtext of the film. No matter what the obstacles are, the resistance you get from your family and friends or the people you encounter who will try to undermine you, you should be true to your heart and always follow your desires. Bliss, in true sports film fashion, becomes the star of her team and in the process begins to inhabit her track name, Babe Ruthless. And, in true coming of age film fashion, becomes the rebellious teen who tells her parents off and begins to try and live a life different from what was planned for her. Only later does she learn that when you venture into the world and find the friends who will make up your new family, you don't discard the family you left behind.
If only in fleeting memories that appear when viciously jogged loose, I can still remember being 17. The rush attained every so often by escaping the burbs and heading out into the night, driving to empty warehouses on the outskirts of Denver to drink cheap beer and mosh in frenzied pits to horribly bad punk cover bands playing songs from the Dead Kennedys, 7 Seconds, the Germs and Suicidal Tendencies. The rush of making out with girls who already had a slew of tattoos and stories to go with each one. Of course, the next week I would be back in school, playing football, getting good grades and going to keggers in Cul-de-sacs. The lessons learned on the fringes of the city are still with me, below the surface, even as a grown man in a button down world. But I do remember the nights and how it felt to belong to a crowd that enjoyed being different, despite any drawbacks that might be perceived by those in the "real" world.
This film is surprisingly fun and for the first time I actually understand how a roller derby works. Between the quirky indie soundtrack (hey, any film with .38 Special on the soundtrack earns bonus points from me!) and an unexpectedly deft touch by Barrymore, both in the comic and heartfelt scenes, I couldn't help but enjoy this film. Ellen Page truly is an exceptional and fearless actress. Despite the Juno backlash, between these two films and the amazing Hard Candy, she has shown tremendous range and command of her art for a 22 year old. I look forward to the work each will bring us in the future.
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