Diversity may be the one word to best summarize the movies released in
the Year 2005. Never before have so many movies been released and
recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences®
(A.M.P.A.S.) exploring such a diverse collection of
bold, eclectic and independent visions.
Back in 1977, when the original first installment of STAR WARS
was released, many film critics predicted that the huge success of the
epic space opera would sign the death knell for the independent
filmmaker. Prior to the release of director George Lucas’ special
effects extravaganza, Hollywood had enjoyed a decade when the ruggedly
independent filmmakers ruled supreme. During that time, we saw releases
of many (now legendary) independent features such as EASY RIDER,
FIVE EASY PIECES, MEAN STREETS, and A WOMAN UNDER THE
INFLUENCE. But those halcyon days of American cinema came to an
abrupt end when studios decided to make far fewer films, limiting
productions to those of bigger budgets –
with such massive amounts of money on the line that there was no longer
room for gambling on projects centered on the personal vision of the
auteur.
So it is with some irony that in 2005, with the release of the final
installment of STAR WARS: EPISODE III REVENGE OF THE SITH, the
independents have come back with a vengeance. Of course fans of
blockbusters have nothing to fear: Thanks to the miracles of computer
graphic imaging (CGI), the future holds promise for bigger, better and
more mind-blowing blockbusters, like the upcoming SPIDERMAN III.
Only now the diminutive projects of the mavericks will not be crowded
off the sets.
Granted, with the re-emergence of independent filmmaking, there is also
a growing concern among moviegoers about the controversy of the subject
matter of some of the current releases. Yet this critic welcomes that
controversy as a breath of fresh air. Movies had become too safe and
predictable. It’s a good thing that moviegoers now need to look before
they leap into the local multiplex – and have something to discuss (and
sometimes debate) after the house lights have come up.
Unfortunately, only a select few will walk away with the Hollywood Gold
on Oscar® Night (Sunday, March
5), when it's the entire diverse collection of this
years independent projects that have re-established the claim that "Film
is the Liveliest Art."
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN Certainly the most
talked about (if not the most controversial) movie of the year,
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN boasts eight Oscar®
nominations (more than any other movie) and has made more money at the
box office than any of the other four dramatic features nominated for
Best Picture. In case you have been living under a rock, BROKEBACK
MOUNTAIN
is a highly unconventional love story
spanning two decades (1963 – 1983) detailing the turbulent relationship
of two cowboys enthralled by passion so forbidden and dangerous in their
unenlightened times that they are tragically driven to live in fear and
shame. The furtive lovers must keep their desires and true natures a
secret – at times forcing them into tortured self-denial. It's set in
the sprawling mountain ranges of Wyoming, where the open landscape
ironically seems to symbolize the spirit of American freedom. It can be
no coincidence that it was in Wyoming in 1998 that a young gay man,
Matthew Shepard, was tortured and beaten to death by homophobic
rednecks. That a movie covering such subject matter could become such a
hit, certainly says something about the changing (and maturing) tastes
and attitudes of movie theatre audiences as well as within the American
psyche.
CAPOTE The
man is often remembered from his latter years as the comical,
squeaky-voiced, and often inebriated, elfin figure, who was a frequent
guest on TV talk shows; but it must not be forgotten that Truman Capote,
who wrote the non-fiction best-seller “In Cold Blood,” (arguably the
greatest novel of its generation) was also the most controversial
literary figure of his time. In a movie year dominated by fact-based
biographical films, the feature CAPOTE (dominated by a brilliant
performance by Philip Seymour Hoffman, who is arguably the greatest
actor of his generation) meticulously dissects its subject in a manner
that would have likely simultaneously delighted and horrified Truman
Capote, himself. Far from a hagiography, as most biopics tend to become,
CAPOTE, is both a sympathetic and scathing portrait. The story
focuses on the writer’s investigation into the terrible night of
November 14, 1959, when a family of four in Holcomb Kansas was
mercilessly and senselessly slaughtered by knife and shotgun wielding
burglars, who netted less than $50 from their bloody caper. Nominated
for five Oscars®, CAPOTE portrays an ambitious author, who
in pursuit of creating the great American novel, becomes as cold blooded
as the condemned killers he interviews and exploits – and to whom he
becomes emotionally attached.
CRASH
A feature film directorial debut from veteran screenwriter Paul Haggis,
who penned MILLION DOLLAR BABY, last year’s Best Picture Oscar®
winner, CRASH boasts an amazingly intricate and labyrinthine
script. Featuring an outstanding ensemble cast of over fifty veteran
performers (including Sandra Bullock, Matt Dillon, Don Cheadle, Thandie
Newton, Brendan Frasier, Tony Danza, Terrence Dashon Howard, and Chris
“Ludacris” Bridges) that shatter the expectations of their fans,
CRASH ingeniously interweaves over a dozen separate parables into
one epic examination of all sides of the issues of prejudice and
discrimination in America. Set in contemporary Los Angeles, in a car
culture where everyone is insulated behind metal and glass, CRASH
ponders the notion that people living in such an environment miss the
sense of touch so much that they crash into each other just so they can
feel something. With such a variegated collection of characters and
scenarios, it is likely that every audience member, regardless of race,
creed or color, will certainly see something similar to themselves at
some point in the story. What makes CRASH, which is nominated
for five Oscars®,
so great is that in illustrating how our thinking in stereotypes is
destructive, Haggis never resorts to constructing stereotypical
characters or situations.
GOOD NIGHT, AND
GOOD LUCK
Shot in crisp and beautiful black-and-white (with stylized
cinematography redolent of CITIZEN KANE), the historical biopic
GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK tells the story of TV newsman Edward R.
Murrow (brilliantly underplayed by David Strathairn) and his on-the-air
mortal combat in 1953 with the communist “witch hunting” Senator Joseph
McCarthy –
amazingly terrifyingly
overplayed by
the late Senator McCarthy himself! Director George Clooney’s choice in
film stock not only achieves Zeitgeist, but also affords the
filmmaker the opportunity of seamlessly intercutting historical archival
film with currently shot footage to achieve an important end result: It
portrays the truth. If an actor had been hired to play McCarthy and had
delivered the senator’s exact lines and precise mannerisms it would have
seemed too over-the-top for audience members too young to have
personally witnessed the history while it was in the making. The
monster, McCarthy, was an act that has to be seen to be believed. And
what is harder to believe, but what Clooney so deftly illustrates, is
how McCarthy succeeded in getting people to believe him. An important
and relevant history lesson, GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK, which is
nominated for six Oscars®,
is also a delight for anyone appreciative of original and innovative
film craftsmanship.
MUNICH
The controversial and provocative MUNICH (nominated for five
Oscars®)
has generated far less press than its Best Picture competitors. The
only explanation is that the subject matter is too hot to handle.
Directed by Stephen Spielberg (arguably the world’s greatest and
certainly the most successful working filmmaker), MUNICH recounts
the horrors of the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany, where eleven
Israeli athletes were kidnapped and murdered by the Palestinian
terrorist group, Black September. Following the tragedy,
speculating on the details of the known facts of the top secret actions
of Mossad (Israel’s version of the C.I.A.) the film follows a team of
secret agents assigned to track down and assassinate the leaders of the
terrorist organization in an act of justice and vengeance. Spielberg
has attempted to give both sides of this difficult issue a fair shake –
and critical of the unending and escalating maelstrom of violence and
retribution has one of his conscience-ridden characters conclude, “There
is no peace at the end of this.” For his attempt at an unbiased
approach, the director has taken flak from both sides. It's courageous,
heartbreaking, at times morally ambiguous and unnerving – as the extreme
violence is at times almost impossible to watch. Steven Spielberg called
the film his "prayer for peace." MUNICH
is undeniably the most important film of the year.
Diversity may be the one word to best summarize the movies released in
the Year 2005. Never before have so many movies been released and
recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
spanning two decades (1963 – 1983) detailing the turbulent relationship
of two cowboys enthralled by passion so forbidden and dangerous in their
unenlightened times that they are tragically driven to live in fear and
shame. The furtive lovers must keep their desires and true natures a
secret – at times forcing them into tortured self-denial. It's set in
the sprawling mountain ranges of Wyoming, where the open landscape
ironically seems to symbolize the spirit of American freedom. It can be
no coincidence that it was in Wyoming in 1998 that a young gay man,
Matthew Shepard, was tortured and beaten to death by homophobic
rednecks. That a movie covering such subject matter could become such a
hit, certainly says something about the changing (and maturing) tastes
and attitudes of movie theatre audiences as well as within the American
psyche.
The
man is often remembered from his latter years as the comical,
squeaky-voiced, and often inebriated, elfin figure, who was a frequent
guest on TV talk shows; but it must not be forgotten that Truman Capote,
who wrote the non-fiction best-seller “In Cold Blood,” (arguably the
greatest novel of its generation) was also the most controversial
literary figure of his time. In a movie year dominated by fact-based
biographical films, the feature CAPOTE (dominated by a brilliant
performance by Philip Seymour Hoffman, who is arguably the greatest
actor of his generation) meticulously dissects its subject in a manner
that would have likely simultaneously delighted and horrified Truman
Capote, himself. Far from a hagiography, as most biopics tend to become,
CAPOTE, is both a sympathetic and scathing portrait. The story
focuses on the writer’s investigation into the terrible night of
November 14, 1959, when a family of four in Holcomb Kansas was
mercilessly and senselessly slaughtered by knife and shotgun wielding
burglars, who netted less than $50 from their bloody caper. Nominated
for five Oscars
A feature film directorial debut from veteran screenwriter Paul Haggis,
who penned MILLION DOLLAR BABY, last year’s Best Picture Oscar
the late Senator McCarthy himself! Director George Clooney’s choice in
film stock not only achieves Zeitgeist, but also affords the
filmmaker the opportunity of seamlessly intercutting historical archival
film with currently shot footage to achieve an important end result: It
portrays the truth. If an actor had been hired to play McCarthy and had
delivered the senator’s exact lines and precise mannerisms it would have
seemed too over-the-top for audience members too young to have
personally witnessed the history while it was in the making. The
monster, McCarthy, was an act that has to be seen to be believed. And
what is harder to believe, but what Clooney so deftly illustrates, is
how McCarthy succeeded in getting people to believe him. An important
and relevant history lesson, GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK, which is
nominated for six Oscars
speculating on the details of the known facts of the top secret actions
of Mossad (Israel’s version of the C.I.A.) the film follows a team of
secret agents assigned to track down and assassinate the leaders of the
terrorist organization in an act of justice and vengeance. Spielberg
has attempted to give both sides of this difficult issue a fair shake –
and critical of the unending and escalating maelstrom of violence and
retribution has one of his conscience-ridden characters conclude, “There
is no peace at the end of this.” For his attempt at an unbiased
approach, the director has taken flak from both sides. It's courageous,
heartbreaking, at times morally ambiguous and unnerving – as the extreme
violence is at times almost impossible to watch. Steven Spielberg called
the film his "prayer for peace." MUNICH