Listen Up Philip

Listen Up Philip - Dir. Alex Ross Perry (2014)

If you're one of those people who can't enjoy a movie with an unsympathetic protagonist, then go ahead and skip Listen Up Philip. Jason Schwartzman once again inhabits the skin of a smarmy hipster douchebag and turns the dial up to 11 in the latest comedy from writer/director Alex Ross Perry. Perry's previous film, The Color Wheel, took audiences on a road trip with a pair of intolerable siblings cut from the same annoying cloth.

In Listen Up Philip, Perry takes us on a journey through the obnoxious underbelly of literate intellectuals in New York City. Our focus is on author Philip Lewis Friedman, a textbook example of narcissism, pretension, and an inflated sense of self-importance. The movie opens with Philip meeting an ex-girlfriend at a quaint corner diner ostensibly to give her an inscribed copy of his second novel, Obidant. When she arrives a few minutes late, Philip berates the former flame for her lack of support and boasts how his life has turned out so much better. Emboldened by his ego trip, Philip calls up a college friend to give him a similar tongue lashing. The kicker? The poor guy is now in a wheelchair. Perry has emphatically established that Philip is nothing short of a world class dick.

Luckily, Perry realizes that Philip can only be taken in small doses. As such, the film is as much about the title character as it is about the damaged people left in his wake. In the second act, Listen Up Philip shifts focus to Philip's long-suffering girlfriend Ashley (Elisabeth Moss), a photographer whose career has been stunted by Philip's jealousy and insecurities. Out of the blue, Philip decides to continue his writing at the upstate cottage of his idol Ike Zimmerman (Jonathan Pryce), a prolific author based on Philip Roth. It turns out to be the best thing to happen to Ashley, who is freed from the suffocating nature of their toxic relationship.

On the flip side is the almost parasitic relationship between Philip and Zimmerman, a prickly misanthrope who is likely to be where Philip's future lies. Zimmerman leeches off Philip's youth in an attempt to jumpstart his own stagnant career while also attracting much younger women. At the same time, Zimmerman allows his already strained relationship with daughter, Melanie (Krysten Ritter), to crumble piece by piece.

With its focus on trendy bourgeois New Yorkers, Listen Up Philip feels like the type of film that could have sprung from the mind of Noah Baumbach, Whit Stillman or Woody Allen. Cinematographer Sean Price Williams utilizes a slightly jittery handheld approach that calls to mind Allen's Husbands and Wives or the early work of John Cassavetes. Perry adds to the literary feel with voiceover narration by Eric Bogosian. Narration is often used as a crutch by less confident filmmakers, a way to spell out what the audience should be able to infer. However, Perry weaves the narration seamlessly into the story to round it all out.

Jason Schwartzman is at his most unctuous best and it almost breaks your heart to think that this might be the fate of Max Fischer. If you can get past the loathsome personalities of the main characters, you'll find Listen Up Philip to be a sharply written comedy.

Rating: *** (*****)

Moonrise Kingdom

Moonrise Kingdom - Dir. Wes Anderson (2012)

Wes Anderson burst onto the scene with his debut film, Bottle Rocket. He avoided the sophomore slump with Rushmore, which many consider to be his best picture though I've always been partial to The Royal Tenenbaums. After his third picture, Anderson seemed to be spinning his wheels with The Life Aquatic and The Darjeeling Limited. They felt less like original works and more like someone trying hard to ape Anderson's idiosyncratic style. If any director's visual approach lent itself to animation, it would be Anderson, which is why The Fantastic Mr. Fox was so…well, fantastic. His foray into stop-motion animation may have rejuvenated Anderson as his return to live-action, Moonrise Kingdom, is a return to form.

Co-written by Anderson and Roman Coppola, the story is set in 1965 on the fictional isle of New Penzance, located off the coast of Rhode Island. 12-year old orphan Sam Shakusky (Jared Gilman) has a hard time fitting in. He's a member of the Khaki Scouts, but none of the other boys like him. His foster parents don't know what to do with him. It's no wonder Sam forges an instant bond with the sullen Suzy Bishop (Kara Hayward). She's constantly getting into trouble at school while her parents, Walt (Bill Murray) and Laura (Frances McDormand), make little effort to understand her. It doesn't help that Laura is having an affair with the island's sole policeman, Captain Sharp (Bruce Willis). When Sam and Suzy run away together, everyone engages in a frantic search for the young lovebirds.

Their escape is more than just about finding their place in the world. It's also about escaping from the cynicism and loneliness they observe in the adults around them. Despite the possibilities of doom and gloom, Anderson approaches the story with a playful nature and his trademark dry sense of humor. The romance between Sam and Suzy is imbued with a sweet-natured innocence that is accentuated by sequences that veer into cartoon territory. At one point, Sam is struck by lightning, but survives with nothing more than a face full of soot. A tightly edited sequence of written correspondence effectively sets up the romance and adventure to come.

Visually, Moonrise Kingdom is everything you expect from Wes Anderson, gorgeously photographed on Super 16 by cinematographer Robert Yeoman. There's an aura of timelessness to the film thanks to its vintage look. Anderson meticulously composes every one of his shots as if he were painting a tableau. The sets open up as if they were a doll house as the camera tracks from left to right. One of the best scenes takes place at the Khaki Scouts' headquarters as the camera follows the characters while boys in the background zipline, shoot arrows, and light firecrackers.

Music has always been an integral component of Anderson's pictures and the soundtrack to Moonrise Kingdom is an eclectic compliment to the love story. In addition to original compositions by Alexandre Desplat, there are tracks by Hank Williams and Francoise Hardy. The film opens with a selection from The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra by British composer Benjamin Britten, which works as a child's introduction to classical music. The piece symbolically represents the kids' first steps into maturity.

The leads are wonderfully played by newcomers Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward. As Suzy, Hayward looks like she stepped right out of a French New Wave film with her chic pink dress, thick eyes shadow, and pouty demeanor. Bill Murray is back in yet another understated role while another Anderson vet Jason Schwartzman appears briefly as an older scout. Collaborating with Anderson for the first time are Ed Norton, who does a splendid job as an "aww, shucks" scoutmaster, and Bruce Willis. It's refreshing to see Willis in this type of role because you forget he can really act when not trapped in another dumb action flick. His Captain Sharp is a cop that is the polar opposite of John McClane. Willis isn't afraid to look a little pathetic from time to time, especially when he's trudging around with pant legs that are too short. But, if there was any actor ever born to star in a Wes Anderson movie, it is Tilda Swinton. She takes on the antagonistic role of a character referred to only as Social Services, a looming specter of the Dickensian dread that awaits Sam should he be found.

Moonrise Kingdom was one of my favorite films from the first half of the year. It will doubtlessly find its way onto my year-end list as well. This is a tender and humorous love story that exemplifies Wes Anderson at his best.

Rating: *** ½ (*****)

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World - Dir. Edgar Wright (2010)


I’ve liked you for a thousand years, a thousand years.
I’ve liked you for a thousand years, a thousand years.
- “Scott Pilgrim” by Plumtree

Hollywood loves scouring the comic book and video game worlds for hot properties to turn into films. Usually these adaptations involve translating the fantastical elements of the source material into a real world setting. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World doesn’t even attempt to tone down the craziness. The result is a hyper-stylized picture that is one of the most visually dynamic films in recent memory.

Scott Pilgrim was originally created by Toronto-based artist Bryan O’Malley as a six volume series of graphic novels. O’Malley combined autobiographical elements with his love of manga, video games, and indie rock music. The comics were filled with pop culture references wrapped within pop culture references. Who better to adapt the books than Edgar Wright the filmmaker who has embraced geek culture with Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and the similarly themed TV show, Spaced.

The eponymous Scott Pilgrim is played by Michael Cera, an unlikely lead for such an action-packed movie. Like most of Cera’s characters, Scott is an awkward, stammering slacker. He has no job and plays bass in a three-piece garage band called Sex Bob-Omb. Pilgrim isn’t as hip as he makes himself out to be. He doesn’t own a cell phone, still uses AOL to check his email, and honestly believes people are impressed by his knowledge of obscure Pac-Man trivia. He’s a self-centered boy raised on a steady diet of Nintendo and pop culture detritus. As such, Scott casts himself as the hero in his own little world. He seems to treat girls as prizes to be won after completing various levels of his life. Nearly everything he does is a huge production. Even when he goes to the bathroom an energy bar appears to indicate when he’s finished.

Scott is still reeling from a bad breakup with former girlfriend, Envy Adams (Brie Larson), who has gone on to become the famous lead singer for The Clash at Demonhead, named after an old NES game. On the rebound, Scott is dating Knives Chau (Ellen Wong), an overly exuberant and charmingly naïve schoolgirl. But, poor Knives is kicked to the curb when Scott falls madly in love with Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). The alternative dream girl, Ramona has bright magenta hair and zips along on roller skates through a convenient subspace portal inside Scott’s head.

Before the romance can even begin, Scott finds himself under assault from The League of Evil Exes, Ramona’s former flames who have banded together to snuff out any chance of happiness for the young couple. The first Evil Ex is Matthew Patel (Satya Bhabha), an angry Emo clad in military surplus chic who summons a horde of demon hipster chicks for a Bollywood dance number. The remaining Evil Exes include: Lucas Lee (Chris Evans), pro skateboarder turned movie star; Todd Ingram (Brandon Routh), a bassist who has gained psychic powers due to his strict vegan diet; Roxy Richter (Mae Whitman) who dated Ramona during her brief bi-curious “sexy phase;” and the electronica playing DJs the Katayanagi Twins (Shota & Keita Saito). As you’d expect from any good game, each showdown becomes progressively more difficult until they confront the mastermind behind this guild of jilted lovers is record producer Gideon Graves (Jason Schwartzman).

Not since Ang Lee’s Hulk has there been a film that has managed to cinematically capture the comic book experience like Scott Pilgrim. Wright utilizes techniques such as split-screens and varying aspect ratios to energize his scenes. Flashbacks are told in panels with artwork by O’Malley. Adding to the cartoonish atmosphere are sound effect bubbles and little doodles that remind you of the things a junior high schooler would sketch in his notebook. Scott Pilgrim is also heavy in video game tropes. Wright sets you up immediately with an 8-bit version of the studio logo complete with a MIDI of the Universal theme. Vanquished enemies burst into coins and combatants charge each other until the background blurs into anime-style speed lines. Wright also samples sound effects from games such as The Legend of Zelda, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Street Fighter Alpha 3, among others. But, you don’t need to be a hardcore gamer to enjoy the movie. Less talented directors will use visual trickery with no true purpose, sometimes to cover up their own deficiencies. In contrast, the visuals of Scott Pilgrim are always in service to the story and help to build the unique world. If the Jets and the Sharks can engage in elaborately choreographed dance numbers before battle, surely Scott Pilgrim can pull a flaming sword from his chest.

The gaming symbolism provides a sense of nerd wish fulfillment. Haven’t we all wished we could get a do-over or wanted to believe a girl dumped you because she was being mind-controlled by a computer chip?

Just as the film is a scrumptious feast for the eyes, the soundtrack is an aural treat for the ears. Music was a huge component of the original comics so much so that O’Malley provided a recommended playlist for each volume. Likewise, music has been a vital part of Wright’s films. Need anyone be reminded of the zombie beatdown set to Queen’s “Don’t Stop Now” from Shaun of the Dead?

The score for Scott Pilgrim was largely composed by record producer Nigel Godrich who has worked with acts such as U2, Paul McCartney, and Radiohead. The music of Sex Bob-Omb is provided by Beck who gives them a fuzzy, distortion-laden sound befitting of a slapdash garage band. The character of Envy Adams was inspired by Emily Haines, lead singer of the Toronto band, Metric, who double for Clash at Demonhead. Wright also throws in some clever musical cues that include “Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl” by Broken Social Scene for Knives Chau and The Rolling Stones’ “Under My Thumb” for Gideon Graves.

Michael Cera doesn’t depart too far from his dweeb-ish on-screen persona. He’s not the versatile actor, but he fits seamlessly into the role. As Scott Pilgrim, he must overcome his own innate inertia to defeat the League. Wright superbly casts the supporting players with a wealth of talented young actors. Schwartzman is the perfect actor to convey the hipster smarminess of Gideon Graves. However, it is Chris Evans and Brandon Routh, neither strangers to comic book films, who truly shine in their villainous roles. Evans is a member of the Fantastic Four, the Losers, the Avengers, and now the League of Evil Exes. He gives Lucas Lee the gravelly voice and scowl of Clint Eastwood along with a cocky swagger. Routh is equally funny imbuing the smug self-righteousness befitting of someone who is both a rock star and a vegan. Kieran Culkan (as gay roommate Wallace), Alison Pill (as freckle faced drummer Kim Pine), Anna Kendrick (as younger sister Stacey Pilgrim), and Aubrey Plaza (sometimes nemesis Julie Powers) act as a sardonic Greek chorus providing the film with a dry wit as they comment on the lunacy that is Scott Pilgrim’s life. The biggest surprise has to be newcomer Ellen Wong whose infectious enthusiasm as Knives Chau fully exhibits the unbridled joy that comes from the film. There’s a wonderful innocence about her not to mention the naturally expressive eyes of an anime character.

Also, look out for uncredited cameos from Thomas Jane and Clifton Collins Jr. as vegan police officers.

If Scott Pilgrim has a weakness, it is that the movie tends to feel overstuffed from time to time. Wright and co-writer Michael Bacall streamlined the six part series into a 110 minute film. Some characters, like the Katayanagi Twins, get short changed in screen time and some relationships, like the one between Scott and Pill’s Kim Pine, are only alluded to.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World limped to a meager $10 million opening at the box office this past weekend. Perhaps, it aimed too heavily at a niche audience. Causal viewers may be baffled by the subculture the film revolves around, but it shouldn’t stop you from seeing it. Edgar Wright somehow manages to blend comic books, video games, and the physical humor of Looney Tunes with martial arts action and the youthful angst of John Hughes. The result is the exciting and inventive picture known as Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.

Rating: *** ½

Funny People

Funny People - Dir. Judd Apatow (2009)


Judd Apatow is the reigning king of comedy. He has a knack for portraying modern day relationships from the perspective of the overgrown man-child in desperate need of maturity. There’s also a healthy dose of raunchy, low-brow humor thrown in for good measure. Though Apatow has only written and directed two previous films (The 40-Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up), he’s stamped his name on numerous others, some successful (Superbad, Pineapple Express) and some not so much (Drillbit Taylor).

For Apatow’s third film, Funny People, Adam Sandler lampoons his own on and off-screen persona as George Simmons, a former stand-up comic turned A-list movie star. His juvenile movies usually involve him turning into a baby or a merman. George is the Charles Foster Kane of comedians. He lives in his own personal Xanadu surrounded by expensive cars and posters adorned with his face, but he is all alone. George’s life doesn’t improve when he’s diagnosed with leukemia. Along the way, he hires Ira Wright (Seth Rogen), a struggling stand-up, to be his personal assistant and joke writer. Ira becomes George’s de facto confidant and the closest thing he has to a friend. When his leukemia goes into remission, George attempts to reconnect with a former flame, Laura (Leslie Mann), now married to an adulterous Australian (Eric Bana).

Funny People is Apatow’s most polished looking film thanks to bringing on Spielberg’s long-time cinematographer, Janusz Kaminski, as DP. It’s also his most ambitious and mature picture to date. Apatow balances the story of Ira’s rising star with George reflecting on his own narcissism and self-pity. He manages to stray from a formulaic plot with a loose narrative that is both the film’s strongest and weakest point.

Funny People isn’t the lighter fare that audiences are used to from Apatow, but those light moments are some of the film’s best. The movie drifts off on humorous asides such as Ira and George riffing on each other or comparing a German doctor to a Die Hard villain. Apatow also gives us a unique, inside look at the world of stand-up comedy. Littered throughout the film are a series of cameos from various comics like Sarah Silverman, Paul Reiser, and Andy Dick. However, Eminem outdoes them all with a profanity-laced rant directed at Ray Romano.

Yet, Apatow is unable to prevent his film from collapsing underneath the weight of its nearly two and a half hour runtime. At 146 minutes, Funny People is about 30 minutes too long. While engaging for the first two acts, the final act sputters towards a contrived and overly sentimental resolution.

Commenting on his past obnoxious and immature characters, Sandler gives a well-rounded performance, one that is less self-conscious than his most publicized dramatic turn in P.T. Anderson’s Punch-Drunk Love. Shining in supporting roles are Jason Schwartzman as a smarmy roommate who stars in a cheesy Saved by the Bell-esque sitcom and Aubrey Plaza as a sardonic female comic.

Rating: **

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Fantastic Mr. Fox - Dir. Wes Anderson (2009)


I count myself as a big Wes Anderson fan. Though most folks will immediately list Rushmore as his best film, it’s a distant second, in my opinion, to The Royal Tenenbaums. His debut film, Bottle Rocket, was a funny and touching combination of the slacker film and heist picture. However, Anderson’s unique visual style and storytelling methods grew stale following The Life Aquatic and The Darjeeling Limited. It seemed as if he was just spinning his wheels, revisiting the exact same themes he had already explored. When I learned Anderson was adapting Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr. Fox, I had hoped he would stretch himself as a filmmaker. A movie based on someone else’s material and done with stop-motion animation seemed like the way to go. I was disappointed after viewing the trailer since Fantastic Mr. Fox looked exactly like every other Wes Anderson film. After catching the actual film, I found my apprehension to be unfounded. He has succeeded beyond expectations in creating one of the most unique and enjoyable movies of the year.

George Clooney provides the voice for Mr. Fox, a charmer who gets his kicks from stealing chickens. He vows to give it up after he and his pregnant wife, Felicity (Meryl Streep), narrowly escape a fox trap. Years pass and Fox now lives in a hole with wife and son, Ash (Jason Schwartzman), and works as a newspaper columnist. He’s lived up to his promise, but feels stifled by what his life has become. Fox moves his family into a tree near the farms of Boggis (Robin Hurlstone), Bunce (Hugo Guinness), and Bean (Michael Gambon), the meanest and nastiest farmers in the valley. Yet, it’s still not enough. In Fox’s own words, he is a “wild animal,” and the call is too much to resist. When Fox robs them of their chickens, smoked meats, and apple cider, the farmers attempt to dig their adversary out of his hole, endangering every animal in the valley.

Anderson and co-writer Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale, Margot at the Wedding) step beyond the original story by adding a subplot revolving around family dysfunction and the father-son dynamics which both are so fond of exploring. Ash is insecure about his size and lack of athletic ability. His self-esteem only plummets when cousin Kristofferson (Eric Chase Anderson) comes to stay while his uncle recovers from triple pneumonia. Kristofferson is tall, smart, practices yoga, and a martial arts expert. Everybody flocks to Kristofferson. He has more Fox in him than Ash does leading to a jealous rivalry.

Anderson fills out the rest of the supporting cast with his usual repertoire of players like Bill Murray as Fox’s lawyer Badger, Brian Cox as a news reporter, Willem Dafoe as Bean’s security guard Rat, and Owen Wilson in a cute aside as a coach explaining the Byzantine rules of Whackbat. The director also completes the soundtrack with his always eclectic choices. This time around we get The Beach Boys, The Bobby Fuller Four, Burl Ives, “The Ballad of Davy Crockett” (which opens the picture), and, of course, The Rolling Stones. No David Bowie?

Working in a new medium has reinvigorated Anderson’s idiosyncratic trademarks. Nobody has tried to make an animated film the way Anderson has. Mr. Fox stands head and shoulders above the majority of its cookie cutter peers because it doesn’t look like anything else. Anderson has created a whimsical and timeless world. The puppets were created using actual hair and animal fur giving them a textured feel that can’t be replicated by any software. The cross-section tableaus, the bold yellow chapter headings, the straight-on medium and close-up shots, and the dry quirky humor are on full display in Mr. Fox. In particular, Schwartzman’s deadpan delivery and a running gag where characters cuss by actually saying, “Cuss,” are some of the funniest bits.

2009 should definitely be considered a watershed year for what would be labeled as “family friendly entertainment.” I consider Mr. Fox, Where the Wild Things Are, Coraline, and Up as some of the best films of the year. None of those movies attempt to dumb things down or pander to the audience. They don’t aim for one particular demographic yet appeal to all age groups. Throughout Mr. Fox, there’s an underlying theme about individualism and a subtle commentary about our current economic climate and the trappings of materialism. Kids probably won’t get a lot of that or understand some of the irreverent humor, but there’s more than enough imagination and visual wonder to keep them (and their parents) enthralled.

Rating: *** ½