L'Herisson (The Hedgehog)

The Hedgehog is a French film with two storylines that eventually intersect.  The first story follows a very intelligent and very melancholy 11 year old girl named Paloma.   Paloma has a secret plan to do herself in on her twelfth birthday because she can't take the absurdity of the world.  She uses her father's videocamera to film the world being absurd and wants to make a movie before her twelfth birthday.

The second storyline involves Renee Michel, the superintendent of the building where Paloma lives.  Renee thinks very little of herself and tends to hide away in her hidden library.   A new tenant moves in and notices that she quotes a passage from literature, and that sparks his interest in her.  They begin to see each other more often, but she has to get past her own insecurities and low self-esteem.

This movie really had me going for a while, especially the second storyline.  Josiane Balasko gives a moving performance as Renee, as she plays Renee as someone who keeps everything in.  Paloma suspects that there's something beneath the gruff exterior, hence the film's title, and Renee does indeed let down her guard, which isn't easy for her.

I say the movie had me going for a while, because after a suspenseful set-up, the ending is totally infuriating.  I'm going to give this one a 7 out of 10 because of the ending and the fact that Paloma's storyline is weaker and less interesting.  I'm not entirely clear why Paloma is miserable to the point of being suicidal.  Her family life doesn't seem all that unhappy, and she goes out of her way to make them miserable (at one point, she kills her sister's goldfish with one of her mom's pills).  Overall, there's enough to recommend seeing The Hedgehog, but the ending takes some of the steam out of the recommendation.

Music I'm Allergic To

Is it possible to be allergic to music?  There are several songs on the radio whose opening notes get my fingers reaching for another channel.  These songs have always existed, really, and for various reasons.  Some were decent songs that were overplayed the day after they came out (and might be played on four different radio stations, so there's always the chance that they could be heard at any given moment).   Others are just plain annoying.  Here are some of my music allergies.

1.  "Some Nights" by fun.

Some nights I think you couldn't find a more melodramatic band.

2.  "Ho Hey" by The Lumineers

Ho!  Hey!  Another song that's overplayed but worms your way into your brain until you're singing it even when it's not on the radio.  After hearing it several hundred times, the "ho!  hey!" part is like a jab in the eardrum with a sharp q-tip.

3. "I Knew You Were Trouble" by Taylor Swift

Another insanely catchy song, my "trouble" is with her "trouble".  I don't really have too much of a problem with the rest of the song, but the way she says the word trouble sounds bratty and petulant instead of heartbroken.  I do, however, love the YouTube "goat screaming" version of this song.

4. "Don't You Worry Child" by Swedish House Mafia

I'm not worried.  I just wish the chorus didn't sound like it was yelling at me.

5.  "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)

I don't normally find P!nk to be shrill, but when she's had a __________ day and I've had a _________ day, I just want to change the channel.



 

The Place Beyond The Pines

The Place Beyond The Pines

Director:  Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine)

Stars:  Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes, Ray Liotta

The Place Beyond The Pines is a film in three parts.  The first part centers on Luke Glanton (Gosling), a circus stunt motorcycle rider.  After one of his races in Schenectady, he is visited by Romina (Mendes) and discovers that she has an infant son named Jason, and Jason is his son.  Romina has moved on and is with another man.  Luke wants to take care of Romina and Jason, or at the very least do the best he can for Jason.  He finds work as an auto mechanic, and the garage's owner suggests robbing banks as a way of making money.

Luke winds up in trouble with the law, and part two centers around the police officer involved with the aftermath of one of Luke's bank robberies.  Bradley Cooper plays Avery Cross, and Avery is hailed as a hero for his actions after a bank robbery, but Avery turns from being a hero to being party to police corruption.  During this time and during the third part of the film, Avery has difficulty connecting with his son AJ.  The third part is set 15 years in the future, and Avery and his wife have divorced, and he has political aspirations, which leads to him still not being much of a part of AJ's life.

Meanwhile, Luke's son is also having identity issues, as he never really got to know Luke, and his mom never told him much about him.  Luke and AJ become acquainted in high school, and their identity issues are explored and come to a crescendo in the film's third part.

The first two parts of The Place Beyond The Pines are first rate in terms of story, performance, and overall mood.  Gosling's performance is a stellar portrayal of persistence and then desperation and despair.  Ben Mendelsohn is the film's only comic relief as the garage owner/accomplice.  Bradley Cooper's character is a blank slate, a hero (especially in comparison to Luke), but Cooper is excellent as an ambitious policeman who falls in with the wrong crowd in the police force and tries to do the right thing.  It's also good to see a very menacing Ray Liotta, who is a squirmy presence throughout the second part.

The third part is the weak link, as more time is spent with Luke and Avery's sons.  Emory Cohen plays a high school stoner, and Cohen's performance is kind of distracting.  He plays AJ with a permanent sneer and mumble, and when he and Jason (Dane DeHaan) get together, the film becomes pretty monosyllabic and a little tedious.

Overall, The Place Beyond The Pines is worth recommending.  Cianfrance does an excellent job of storytelling for most of the film.  The film is suspenseful and unpredictable, and the mood is set with deft use of light and sound.

Rating:  8 out of 10 (worth checking out in the theater)

Thoughts on Up In The Air (2009)

Up In The Air (2009)

Director:  Jason Reitman

Stars:  George Clooney, Anna Kendrick, Vera Farmiga


Ryan Bingham (Clooney) may have one of the most uncomfortable jobs out there.  He flies around the country to fire workers on behalf of companies who don't want to face the final conflict with their soon-to-be former employees.  He seeks to perform this most sensitive task with a sense of dignity, and for him, the job comes with an enormous perk:  air travel.

Air travel is easy for Ryan, as he has racked up more frequent flier miles than most people would know what to do with.  He loves the amenities, the first-class treatment he receives, and the overall experience of being on the move.  His way of life is about to be challenged, as his company introduces software that will ground all the road warriors and allow them to perform this most sensitive task via computer. This will save the company money, but Ryan resists, not only because of his love for flying, but because it depersonalizes the whole event.

Up In The Air is based on the novel by Walter Kirn, and I liked the film much better than the novel.  The film is much tighter, more efficient, and director Jason Reitman effectively portrays the struggle between technology and the human touch, and between the isolation of the road and the challenges of committing to one place or one person.  

Clooney and Kendrick are the standouts in Up In The Air, and their first meeting brings immediate conflict, as Kendrick's character Natalie comes up with the tele-termination idea that Clooney vehemently opposes, and they are paired up on the road so that Natalie can get a taste for the company's work and mission.  They have great chemistry, and Kendrick portrays Natalie as over-confident in some aspects and rawly naive in others.  Ryan gets involved in a relationship of a mysterious nature with Alex (Farmiga), who reveals precious little information about herself.

I highly recommend Up In The Air for the performances and the themes of the film, and the outstanding way that Reitman and the cast deliver those themes.