I like a whole lot of films that come out of China these days, and my latest viewing kept that streak alive. Angels Wear White, from director Vivian Qu, is an extremely uncomfortable film to watch, but it is equally as powerful as it is disturbing. The film begins with 2 very young (12 year old) girls being led to a hotel by a scummy man. The only witness to the abuse is Mia, a teenager not much older than the girls, who was working the late shift that night. As the next couple weeks unfold, the girls and their families try to get help from the police, but it turns out the man is a powerful politician, and his connections continue to keep him safe. A pro-bono lawyer tries to help, but Mia isn’t cooperating either; she’s there working illegally, and fears for her own job. To make matters worse, one of the girls, Wen, comes from an abusive family background, and is afraid to speak up for herself, after years of not having a voice in her family. It’s a fantastic picture: strongly empowering for women while also painting a stark picture of the power wielded by society’s elite. None of the violence is shown on camera (or even heard, it takes place behind closed doors), but that doesn’t make it any less painful of a movie; I wanted to scream at the TV for justice for those poor girls. ★★★★½
As much as I loved Angels Wear White, I loathed Get Duked. Couldn’t be more different of a film. This English movie follows a trio of adolescent delinquents and a goody-two-shoes who are out for a 2 day wilderness survival experience in the Scottish Highlands. Meant to be a learning experience for the bad boys, and college application fodder for the nerd, the four boys get more than they bargained for when a mysterious man with a rifle starts hunting them. Filmed in a dizzying fast-paced, short-scene way that is perfect for today’s youtube teen, there’s no thoughtful introspection here: it’s just a dumb “comedy thriller” that doesn’t go anywhere. Or at least, I assume it goes nowhere. I gave up 36 minutes into it* when the killer showed up again after a break, and the boys, yet again, starting running for the hills. Dumb, dumb, dumb. (*I did try to finish the next day with fresh eyes, but only got another 15 minutes in before stopping for good.) ½
Holy (literally!) cow, what a great film that I was not expecting! Incitement is an Israeli picture (in Hebrew) about the true story of the lead-up to the assassination of Israel’s Prime Minister Yithak Rabin in 1995. The film follows the murderer, Yigal Amir, a college student obsessed with Rabin’s participation in the Oslo Accords (championed by Bill Clinton) in dealing with Palestine’s Yasser Arafat. Yigal sees Rabin as giving away lands (the Gaza Strip, etc) that are rightfully Israel’s, making Rabin a traitor to his people. The film does an amazing job of depicting the tension in the country between the secular Jewish people and its religious followers, who are on very opposite sides of the political spectrum. I was in middle school/early high school when these events went down, and not up on my world politics at the time, so the events depicted were all new to me, and absolutely enthralling to watch. The film uses a lot of stock video footage from these events, such as speeches by Rabin, Clinton, and Benjamin Netanyahu), making it feel very real and lending to the overall suspense of the moment. It is a fantastic picture for film-lovers and history buffs alike. ★★★★½
I didn’t get Benjamin, it seems like a movie that doesn’t know what it wants to be. Based on writer/director Simon Amstell’s own experiences, it is about a young director, Ben, as he’s getting ready to put out his second film. His first was a surprise indie hit, and he’s feeling the pressure to followup with another success. At the same time, Ben is struggling to find a meaningful relationship, as he is really socially awkward, to the point of uncomfortable to watch. And here’s the crux of the problem: the awkwardness is so bad that you don’t know if you should squirm or laugh or both, and it is borderline unbelievable for a real-life experience. The comedy is forced too and doesn’t come off as natural, as normal people talk to each other, because the other characters in the film are just as ridiculous in their own ways; it seems like everyone is a caricature. When Ben does meet someone he likes, a French singer named Noah (can you get more cliche?), Noah leaves inexplicably just to further the story, with no reason for his coming in suddenly, and leaving just as quickly. Now, if you can get past the silly characters and the oftentimes inane dialogue, there is a decent plot about a man searching for some kind of human connection in this zany world, but I wish the whole of it would have been done better. ★½
The King of Staten Island is the newest comedy from director Judd Apatow. I don’t watch a lot of comedies, and tend to rate them poorly, because I’m usually let down by them (I’m more of a drama film guru). But I laughed hard and often in this film. It stars Pete Davidson as Scott, a 24-year-old man without a sense of direction in his life. He dropped out of high school, still lives at home with his mom Margie (Marisa Tomei), and just sits around smoking weed with his friends all day. He dreams of opening a tattoo parlor restaurant, which his friends and family deride as a terrible idea. Scott’s younger sister is graduating high school and going to college, making Scott feel like even more of a failure. His life goes from bad to worse when his mom meets a new man and starts dating for the first time since her first husband, the kid’s father, died as a firefighter 17 years prior. The new guy comes in wanting Scott to start growing up. The film was co-written by Apatow and Davidson, who has said the film could be a biography of his own life if he had not gotten into comedy. Pete too has suffered from depression, and lost his firefighter father at the same age as Scott in the film, 7, in the September 11 attacks. The dialogue is very funny, and Davidson is (surprisingly?) very good in the lead. I liked his previous film, Big Time Adolescence, and he shows more range in this one. ★★★½
Jons Movie Takes 