A History of Violence

Adapted from the graphic novel by John Wagner and Vince Locke, A History of Violence tells the story of a man in a small town family man who kills two men attempting to rob his diner.  The story makes him a local hero and grabs national attention.  Soon, mafia men from Philadelphia start appearing in town, believing to know this man and claiming he has ties to the mafia.

Viggo Mortensen plays Tom Stall, the local hero.  He and his family are loving, kind and gentle.  Their small town lifestyle feels nearly perfect, with Tom as the steady center that keeps the family stable.  The way he and his teenage son, Jack (Ashton Holmes), are able to talk over breakfast so calm and openly is what every parent should strive for.

After the incident, everything changes.  Local reporters cannot get enough from him, but Tom is a shy hero.  At first, he tries to let everything go back to normal, but there is no denying the new light shed upon him.  When the allegations from the mafia arise, they seem ridiculous.  But their presence is so constant and threatening, the whole family is put on edge.  It’s clear to see that Tom has a very real fear of these men.

To really experience A History of Violence, avoid spoilers.  Stop reading here if you have yet to see the film.

When Tom’s past is revealed, the family’s foundation is shaken.  To his wife, Edie (Maria Bello), Tom is suddenly a new person, built up from an early life of crime and shapen for her by nothing but lies.  Jack mixes his bitterness with teenage rebellion and violence at school.  He knows a hallway fight is nothing compared to his father’s hidden past.  Tom seems to understand their newfound disgust towards him, but still seems very hurt by it.  There was probably a part of Tom that truly believed he was the small town man he created.  He played the part flawlessly for years.

If we had to boil the film down to one main theme, it would have to be survival of the fittest.  Darwinism is precisely what has kept Tom going strong.  Not only has he survived all his issues in Philadelphia, but removed himself from it and adapted to a new land and lifestyle.  He has evolved, blended in and even procreated, but kept his ability to be a ruthless killer buried deep inside.  The action scenes show he hasn’t lost that keen skill.

At the Academy Awards, A History of Violence was only up for two awards.  Their nomination for best adapted screenplay lost out to Brokeback Mountain.  Perhaps those who were more familiar with the graphic novel didn’t approve of the entire second half of the film taking so many liberties.  The second nomination was for William Hurt’s performance in a supporting role.  He has one main scene towards the end of the film, and he is spectacular.  He makes a hug feel menacing, keeps calm when he’s ruthless and sent me into an unexpected explosion of laughter with one shrug.  Well done again, Mr. Hurt.

A History of Violence is not for everyone.  With violence clearly in the title, there is a good amount of it, with a touch of gore.  The sex scenes can be too much for some viewers, and can feel uncomfortably drawn out.  But the acting is spot on and the story is more than compelling.  It falls somewhere between a drama and a thriller, with a quiet characters that create so much tension.  This really is a great and unique film.

“In this family, we do not solve problems by hitting people!”

Children of a Lesser God

Through high school, I volunteered in my little brother’s Sunday school classroom, specifically helping a young boy who was partially deaf.  Every week from his first grade through fourth grade, I sat by his side helping him with his work so that he could complete his sacraments of Eucharist and Reconciliation with the rest of the class.  I didn’t have any training for this, we just had to wing it and learn naturally from each other.  That first year felt like a struggle nearly every week, I don’t think he liked me, or the thought of someone helping him, for a while.  By the end of fourth grade there was a connection and gratitude between the two of us.   I remember moments where he felt so different from the rest of his class and others where he surprised all of us, including himself.

In Children of a Lesser God, William Hurt plays James, a new speech teacher for a small group of teenagers in a school for the deaf.  With his excellent credentials and energetic teaching methods, he quickly becomes a hit with both his students and the staff.  He starts to notice the one person who doesn’t want anything to do with him, Sarah (Marlee Matlin).  She is a custodian who was once a very bright pupil at the school.  Sarah does not speak and refuses to learn when James offers to teach.  James tries to just be friendly with Sarah, and he eventually falls in love with her.  As their relationship progresses, things turn into an emotional power struggle where James does not realize how he is trying to change Sarah and hold her back from the world at the same time.

There are two main themes of this film, love story and deaf issues.  It isn’t long into James and Sarah’s relationship that we realize James does not know how to deal with both themes at once.  Living with a deaf woman makes him feel guilty listening to his Bach records with her around.  His job is to teach the deaf to speak, but Sarah becomes quickly offended when James accidentally tries to get her to read his lips.  It’s hard for James and Sarah to be equals with James feeling like he has to walk on eggshells and Sarah feeling like she isn’t equipped to be her own person.

The deafness becomes a barrier between the two, and James is just trying to bluntly force his way though.  It does not work like that.  They have to find a common ground, as James puts it, “Do you think there’s someplace where we can meet that’s not in silence and not in sound?”

This was Marlee Matlin’s film debut and she became the youngest person to receive an Oscar for Best Actress.  Her portrayal of Sarah is so intelligent and insightful, yet very raw and honest.  Though Hurt’s character is casually interpreting her sign language for us, we see the emotion before the words and immediately understand.  There is so much intelligence behind Matlin’s expressions and her eyes show a much deeper soul than I have come to expect from films in the 1980s.  And when she dances, she feels the same drum, but shows us a new smoother step.

One of my favorite scenes in the film is the class’s performance during the school’s open house.  Think about ‘80s music, it was an image that teenagers could all find common ground with.  While these kids are deaf, we learn that music isn’t completely lost to them.  James teaches the kids the words and they find the beat.  Their performance isn’t about musicality, but the ability to express and be a part of music, where most people would count these kids out.  The confidence James instills in the kids just radiates out of them and we celebrate the performance with them.

While Children of a Lesser God is mainly a love story about balance and acceptance, I found myself most connected with Hurt’s character while in his classroom.  Sadly, I have not seen my old pupil in over five years.  He would now be about the same age as James’s students in the film.  While I taught him about our Catholic rituals, he taught me about patience, acceptance and communication.  And I think today he would love to sing and dance to Boomarang.

“That’s the first sign I ever learned!”

Broadcast News

Today, our news shows can be comprised of stories that aren’t news at all, depending on the events of the day.  Just look at the Today show.  The local news usually gets the big stories out first.  A crash on the highway, a building on fire, a robbery, then a segment about the local YouTube star or someones pet raccoon.  This trend in news becoming cheap entertainment, rather than facts on important events, is exactly what the serious reporters in Broadcast News had feared.

We first meet your three main characters as young teens.  Jane is obsessively writing at her typewriter and freaks out at her father when interrupted.  Aaron is the fifteen year old valedictorian high school graduate who just keeps getting beat up for being smart.  And Tom is the good looking boy who tries hard, but just isn’t good at school.  “What can you do with yourself if all you can do is look good?”  They all end up working together in a television news program and form a love triangle.

From their teenage introductions, we understand where each of them will end up.  Jane (Holly Hunter) is the workaholic writer and producer who loves it when everything is in her control.  Aaron (Albert Brooks) is the dedicated, educated corespondent who doesn’t have the looks to hold the world’s attention on TV.  And Tom (William Hurt) just keeps moving up the ladder because he is handsome and a voice that can sell the news.  Tom knows he’s unqualified for his job, sometimes he doesn’t even understand the news he’s reading.  He openly admits these faults, but still runs stories that aren’t real news and gets promoted, leaving Jane and Aaron perplexed and unhappy.  And when the station has to cut the budget, it’s surprising who gets the ax and who is promoted.

On a personal level, Tom is a good guy, and wants to do better at his job, so he tries to learn from Jane and Aaron.  The more Jane and Tom work together, the closer they become.  But Aaron has always had feelings for Jane, yet the two are just very good friends.  As the film progresses, Jane is pulled more and more between the two men and the stress of her job.

The most memorable scene from this film has to be when Aaron gets the chance to anchor the Saturday evening news.  After gaining some confidence using some tips from Tom on how to look good and sounds good, there is one thing Aaron didn’t see coming.  Sweat.  Once the camera goes live, he begins sweating in huge thick drips from his curly haired head.  What’s more hilarious is that every moment the camera is cut away from Aaron, a swarm of people run in to dab his head and have to run off before the camera is back on Aaron.  With all the mayhem, someone bumps into the big hanging map behind the desk, and it’s swinging in the background on live TV.  The whole scene is perfectly hilarious, one of the best moments in the entire film.

You may find Broadcast News under the romantic comedy genera, but it doesn’t feel like one.  It is a surprisingly intelligent film full of witty dialogue and complex characters.  The performances from all three leads are wonderful and worthy of their Oscar nominations, even though Albert Brooks was nominated under supporting actor.  There’s even Jack Nicholson who has a small role as the station’s head anchor who won’t reduce his salary, where in the film he requested not to be paid for the role.  This is the last film James L. Brooks made before The Simpsons started up and it feels like a smart springboard straight into his animated franchise.  At the least, this film was some fuel behind the character, Kent Brockman.

“A lot of alliteration from anxious anchors placed in powerful posts!”

Kiss of the Spider Woman

In a South American prison, Luis and Valentin are cellmates.  Luis (William Hurt) is a flamboyant homosexual, incarcerated for immoral behavior who finds escape in retelling romantic tales he saw in old movies.  Valentin (Raul Julia) is a restless political prisoner who believes he’s still alive only because he hasn’t given the guards any information yet.  While Valentin is focused on his present situation, he is annoyed by Luis constantly off in the fantasy world of his movies, but after Valentin experiences the kindness Luis is capable of the two connect more.  But there are huge twists in this web.

Hurt portrays Luis right on the thin blurry boarder of absolutely creepy and completely wonderful.  Luis is the kind of homosexual completely in touch with his feminine side, so much that in frustration he admits to wishing to be female.  He takes the descriptions in his movie so such great heights Valentin asks him, “Is this propaganda or porn?”  When Valentin is so sick and in pain that he loses all control of his bodily functions, Luis shows only kindness and compassion.  He helps Valentin clean up while never letting his tone show anything negative.  That level of compassion is astounding and makes Hurt’s performance worthy of Best Actor

The movie world that Luis creates is a breath of fresh air from the gritty prison cell.  The whole film world is rose colored with a foggy, airbrushed nostalgia feel.  The ladies are fair, beautiful and dressed in the finest fashions, which Luis narrates in detail.  The transitions from prison cell to classic movie are very well done.  Often times, it cuts back into the cell, showing Luis narrating and acting or Valentin chiming in, but it never feels choppy.  The flow between the settings feels natural and never jarring.  And the audience needs that escape as well as Luis, rather than having the whole movie were to take place in a tiny prison cell.

I must recommend Kiss of the Spider Woman to everyone, though I understand it is not everyone’s taste in film.  The themes are harsh or controversial to some, the reality of the situation is grim and depressing.  But for two vastly different people to come together under these dire circumstances is wonderful and the tangent film story plays along bringing beauty to the film.

“The nicest thing about feeling happy is that you think you’ll never be unhappy again.”

 

The Big Chill

After Alex commits suicide, his old friends from college get together for a weekend after his funeral.  They discuss the past few years, what they do, what they wish they did and where they wish they could be.  Some have families, others prestigious careers and some haven’t amounted to much.  They discover that what they really need is just each other.

Yes, that is so vague and yet it seems like I’ve given away the ending.  This film is so full of rich characters and ideas that I’ve given away nothing.  At times it’s like the Breakfast Club’s twenty year reunion, but there’s more to it than that.

Most people have a group of old friends that try to get together now and then but slowly drift apart.  This one includes Jeff Goldblum as a journalist for Time Magazine, Tom Berenger as an actor in an action television show, Mary Kay Place as a disenchanted lawyer, Glenn Close and Kevin Kline are a happily married couple and William Hurt as a former talk radio personality.  Like a whole fruit basket from one college.  Throughout the weekend, new motives are revealed and old histories spark new life.

The topic of their late friend is touchy.  There are slight images of how each of them grieves their friend, whether crying alone or making a joke they immediately regret.  Eventually, they’re able to talk about him and bring new life on to themselves at the same time.

The soundtrack to this movie is wonderful.  Just a few artists featured are The Temptations, Three Dog Night and Aretha Franklin.  Maybe I’m going on about the music since I’ve been watching films from the ‘30’s lately.  Still, I don’t know anyone who hates good old classic rock from the ‘60’s.

On the surface, you could think this would be a great movie for when old friends get together, but you might just end up questioning which of your group will off themselves first.  No, it’s hard to suggest a good setting for The Big Chill, but I encourage you to give it a try.  Sorry to keep it so brief, but this is a difficult to review without revealing too much or getting all over analytical.

“Amazing tradition. They throw a great party for you on the one day they know you can’t come.”

The Accidental Tourist

Sometimes when you’re grieving, you just need a little vacation.  A change in scenery, whether you really want it or accidentally land in it.  Hell, you might just decide to stay.

Macon (William Hurt) and his wife Sarah (Kathleen Turner) tragically lost their twelve year old son, Ethan, a year ago and it’s been wedging them apart.  After Macon arrives home from one of his travels for work, Sarah tells him that she wants to divorce.  That’s a change in scenery.  Macon meets Muriel (Geena Davis), a dog trainer who shows strange interest in him.  He ignores her and tries to get along by himself in their house, but when the dog causes him to break his leg, he moves in with his siblings for a while.  Now we’re in a whole new place.  Macon calls Muriel to help him train his dog and his publisher comes looking for him, not knowing about the accident.  Soon, his publisher is dating his sister and he’s spending more and more time with Muriel, not always with the dog.  Things keep progressing and Macon has moved in with Muriel and taken an interest in her son’s education, but when he sees Sarah again, he has second thoughts.

Macon’s job is to travel around the world and write books on how to travel without feeling out of place in strange places.  Perfect for an unemotional guy who doesn’t seem to connect with anyone around him.  No matter who he’s talking to Macon keeps a detached, explanatory tone, as if he’s typing out the next chapter in his book. Even when he’s on the verge of tears being held by Muriel he’s still explaining calmly about his son and why he’s so withdrawn.

By contrast, the only reason Macon ever gets together with Muriel is her over-eagerness to be with him.  At first there’s a push and pull between them, and Muriel overthrows Macon into phone calls, personal obedience lessons, dinner and keeps progressing.  She’s so friendly it bubbles and calls him off the cuff just to talk after they’ve barely met.  It’s a genuine and flawless performance by Davis and she takes the Oscar for it.

Now, it’s hard to tell if the story is muddled around the idea or the idea gets muddled into the story.  The whole metaphor of becoming an accidental tourist and traveling without touching a culture is brilliantly portrayed in Macon finding Muriel.  But towards the end the story goes too back and forth and doesn’t let the idea shine through as brilliantly.  At some points it shines through beautifully and perfect, and then stuff happens that fogs it over, like throwing mud on freshly cleaned stained glass.  The wonderful idea is here, I swear, it just feels like we have to dig through a story that needlessly changes directions.