New Releases:
Day Night Day Night
2 1/2 stars out of 5
Novice writer/director Julia Loktev's debut work, "Day Night Day Night," is an enticing yet frustrating story following the final days of a 19-year-old girl preparing to execute a suicide bombing in Times Square. Yet, feeling more like a documentary, or even a dramatization, than an actual movie, the film is very unconventional, bearing almost nothing but exposition with a mild, yet intense anti-climax.
Despite being all exposition, very little story is ever developed and even less information about the girl is divulged. We don't know her name, who she's doing this for or why she's doing it. It's a double-edged ploy, because its elusiveness frustrates us just as much as it piques our curiosity. Inexperienced film lead Luisa Williams plays the methodical, reticent role surprisingly well, as if she were looking for something to devote herself to as much as her confused character.
But almost oozing minimalism, the score-less, nearly dialogue-less "Day Night Day Night" feels empty at times, as if coasting without any fuel. Loktev's vision is clear, but her planning and execution is not — "Day Night Day Night" should have been a short film, never exceeding 60 minutes, because a minimalist, anti-climactic "exposé" into the baffling, unexplored world of a suicide bomber cannot sustain itself for 94 minutes on intentionally unsatisfied curiosity alone.
Animated:
Anastasia (1997)
4 stars out of 5
"Anastasia" is proof of at least two things: That quality animated feature-length films could be made by production companies other than Disney, but also that the Disney name alone is likely a large factor in the success of their movies. "Anastasia" tells the pseudo-historical tale of the fall of the Romanov dynasty, and Anastasia the missing czarina heir who falls into the plan of two conmen trying to get the reward money for finding the princess. Directed and produced by former Disney animators Don Bluth and Gary Goldman ("Titan A.E.," "The Land Before Time"), "Anastasia" is definitely on par, or above, the Disney classics of the ’90s. However, the film is starkly different, with less of a bright, childish feel.
The script, though still G-rated, is more adult than most animated films of that time, and is wittily written and executed by an impressive voice acting cast, including Meg Ryan, John Cusack, Christopher Lloyd and Kelsey Grammer. "Anastasia" is also significantly less musically driven than most Disney films, which matches the darker feel, though it does have a few good numbers. Rather, the animation is where the film truly excels, painting gorgeously detailed scenes of cities and landscapes, and utilizing "camera" techniques rarely seen in animated films.
The character animation is a little bothersome, but it's very forgivably offset by the elegant grandiloquence of the rest of the animation. As far as American animated films go, "Anastasia" is one of the most impressive, but without the words "Disney Presents," the film passed by rather unnoticed, and the film will likely fade from memory that way too.
Classics:
Who''s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
4 stars out of 5
Heavily Academy-Award nominated classic "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" was the start of the long directing career of Mike Nichols ("The Birdcage," "Closer"). While he's definitely met success several times throughout his career, it would have been difficult to start off badly with a film adaptation of the play of the same name by Edward Albee.
"Who's Afraid" takes us to the house of Martha (Elizabeth Taylor) and George (Richard Burton) for a night of cocktails with a young couple, which they exploit to channel their bitterness and banter toward each other.
As the night continues, so do the drinking and the sadistic invectives, until moods erupt in bedlams of rage and contempt. The film is undoubtedly excellent, but a very large portion of that is owed to the clever script, almost identically borrowed from the play. Granted, a great script is nothing without good acting, which Taylor delivers with a terrifying force. Nichols didn't have to do too much other than let the script lead the actors. Though perhaps a bit on the lengthy side, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" drags us to the dregs of dysfunction, deceit, scorn and lies, all the while misleading the viewer as well. Nichols may be less deserving of the accolades than Albee, but "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" is a dark, vulgar, hilarious classic regardless.
Also out this week: Suspense thriller set in a haunted hotel, "1408"; yet another marvel comics movie adaptation, no better than the last: "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer"; and Australian drama "Jindabyne."
Coming out 10/9: Zombie movie sequel "28 Weeks Later"; New Zealand horror comedy "Black Sheep"; comedy sequel to "Bruce Almighty," "Evan Almighty";and another intolerable addition to the slew of animated movies with talking animals, "Surf's Up."
