Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy Review

"His news is bigger than your news." - tagline

This review, like most of my reviews, will not do the movie any justice.

There are movies that come along that will be watched again and again and again. They will not get old. We can recite nearly every line from them. These movies are legendary for some generations. This movie is called Anchorman. It was one in a slew of Will Ferrell films in which Ferrell had some kind of new weird job. None of the others really held a candle to Anchorman, though. And that's why it's worth talking about. This movie is hilarious in all of the best, in your face and screaming ways.

This is one of those comedies that is stupid in very genius ways, like Napoleon Dynamite or Austin Powers: Goldmember. The world of Anchorman is very clearly fictional, and all of the characters nearing a cartoon level. But that's what's awesome about it.

Set in the mid 1980s or '70s or '60s, I don't know, something retro, Anchorman is the story of San Diego news anchor Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell). Burgundy, despite being an obnoxious douchebag (or rather in spite of being an obnoxious douchebag), is on top of the world. He is seen as something of an icon in his city, because apparently a news anchor is the only thing people in this city care about. Everything changes once Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate) enters his world, secretly jonesing for an anchor job of her own. Ladies man Ron wants the professional Veronica bad, which could spell trouble for him down the road.

This is one where I really need to talk about the characters. First off, Will Ferrell uses his man child routine to great effect here. Ron Burgundy, while passing himself off as a suave, sophisticated badass, is really a childish, delusional, semi-retarded prima donna. To say Ferrell plays it to the bone is an understatement. It's actually kind of amazing. One minute Burgundy is living like a king and acting like one and the next he is a self loathing mass of nothing and acting like one. His news team consists of assholes as colorful as the A-Team. There's lifelong cool kid Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd), the sexually confused party animal Champ Kind (David Koechner), and, most importantly, the mentally retarded and somewhat homicidal meteorologist Brick Tamland (Steve Carell). I think all Anchorman fans would not mind a spinoff featuring all three of these news team idiots, especially Brick and his tridant. There are many other fun celebrity cameos that make the movie even more ridiculous and hilarious. So yeah, the cast is great. You gotta love when everyone plays such a stupid situation as if it were so dire.

The movie's humor meshes absurdity with dark comedy very well. It's the type of comedy that's funny because it's stupid in kind of a genius way. That doesn't make sense, but that's how I describe it. Describing the comedy behind the movie will only come off as artificial and not as good. You just gotta watch it.

What carries the movie more than anything are the cartoonishly ridiculous characters that inhabit it. Ron Burgundy himself is the juice though. The legend built around him in the film sort of bleeds over to the audience. Because by the end of it, he is a legendary character. Of course he's a pretty poor excuse for a human being. He's the freaking anchorman and it's made pretty clear in the movie that he has no idea what he's reading on the teleprompter, but he can read it well. Along with Will Ferrel's famed man child routine, Ron has plenty of other quirks. He is suave and confident but ignorantly insensitive, he claims to be well read but can't pronounce 'jogging', he is a smooth ladies man but is a totally obnoxious simpleton, and he has some sort of weird symbiotic attachment to his dog, Baxter.

The writing by Adam McKay and Ferrel is so stupefyingly goofy. With the performances elevating a script to a level of comic gold, Anchorman is a solid movie. From an all news man street fight to a struggle for life in the bear pit, the movie is comedic gold. Watch it.

This has been a classic review from Your Modest Guru. Thanks for reading. And your welcome, Pugsley.

Clique Clique Boom

"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals. And you know it." - Agent K

As a high school student, I know a thing or two about cliques. I think the term is a bit broader than most people think these days. Fortunately this isn't a movie so members of the 'jock clique' don't harrass the 'nerd clique' with relentless sadism. The 'material girl' doesn't try to walk all over the 'plain girl.' If things like that do happen, it is not done as over the top as movies would portray us. We aren't archetypes, we are people and the way people feel about others is always different. Plus, a lot of regular people don't care enough about what another group is doing to try and go out of their way to do something to them.

I will say that certain cliques really do embody what it means to be a clique. Because cliques are essentially groups of like minded people who interact with each other more frequently than most classmates. Obviously, similar personalities means they are going to exert a certain tone and mood. It doesn't mean the people in those cliques will keep to themselves and look down upon everyone else. Unless someone's just a major asshole, most people will just judge individuals based on their personalities rather than the company they keep.

A clique is not necessarily a group of one single archetype. Sure there will be similar personalities, but if that's the case it's because people prefer like-minded friends. This isn't always the case either, so I'm not sure how to put it. What I do is try to find people who I am comfortable around. Who don't try to belittle me or piss me off. But you can be friends with anyone you want to be. Cliques don't matter, in my opinion.

This has been my thoughts from Your Modest Guru. Thanks for reading.

Super 8 Review

"Let's find this thing and blow the shit out of it!" - Cary

Super 8 might be the very definition of a summer blockbuster. It is the story of a group of kids, fresh into summer vacation, who begin their adventure by making a movie and then descend into a world of mystery as the hunt for a strange monster begins. It is a bit of a passion project from filmmaker J.J. Abrams, who has worked along side Steven Spielberg to create a homage to some of Spielberg's most classic movies, while also making a simply awesome film.

Taking place in the town of Lillian, Ohio in 1979, Super 8 follows 12 year-old Joe Lamb (Joel Courtney), a boy who is still mourning the loss of his mother who died horribly months prior. His relationship with his father, Sheriff's Deputy Jack Lamb (Kyle Chandler), is estranged, to say the least. As previously mentioned, the story kicks off while Joe is helping his best friend, Charles (Riley Griffiths), shoot a home made zombie movie. With a super 8 camera and a gang of friends in tow, Joe witnesses a destructive train crash while shooting a scene at night. Something breaks out of one of the train cars and disappears into the night. After an ominous warning from the man who caused the crash (Glynn Turman), the mysterious arrival of secretive military forces, and various reports of people, animals, and random objects disappearing all over, Joe and his friends realize things are not looking well for their simple little town.

And I won't spoil what it is that pops out of the train car, since some people haven't managed to put it together. I guess not everyone watched E.T. as a kid, because that's the feel I got from this movie. It has elements of other Spielberg classics as well, such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind and The Goonies, but E.T. was a bit of a composite of both of those films. I won't say the movie was totally original, because it was NOT totally original. It did feel like a J.J. Abrams movie, but with the remembrance and love of the Steven Spielberg movies a lot of us grew up with.

I will tell you only one thing about the 'something': apparently his name is Cooper.

Abrams is a good director. His films are well shot, well acted, and well written. He's one of those very talented filmmakers who can find a balance between a fun action movie and an emotional story with characters you can care about. There can be whimsy and tragedy within the depth of his work, so important elements are not disregarded too often. He's found a lot of praise because of his work in spearheading some of America's most popular shows like Alias, Lost, or Fringe in recent years. Super 8 is only his third movie, and so far it is probably his best.

The special effects are apparent but well done. Cooper is not the most impressive CGI creation I've seen, but he was still interesting to look at and makes some pretty ungodly sounds. The train crash sequence was brilliant, a sort neverending catastrophe that brought to mind the opening plane crash scene of Lost (an episode Abrams wrote and directed). Probably the best moment with the effects is the end sequence, which we've seen before in many other movies like this, but it was still cool and a little bit mesmerizing.

The music was by Michael Giacchino, whose beautiful and haunting compositions were one of Lost's trademarks for years. They also won him an Academy Award for his work on Up. Here he finds that tone again, the kinds that bring peace to the mind in calmer moments while creating a disorienting and horrific atmosphere in danger sequences.

I didn't live in the late '70s or early '80s so I'm not sure if they got everything right. Judging from my dad's reactions watching the movie, I'd say the film had plenty of the details of every day life back then accurate. An older character in the movie has a funny reaction to a teenager's walkman: (paraphrasing) "That's just what we need, everyone walking around with stereos." Oh the irony.

What I was most impressed with was the child actors in the movie. I mean, normally, I hate most movie kids. A lot of times they come off as annoying or awkwardly cutesy. These kids are good, and they're believable. Joel Courtney as Joe finds a lot of the charm of an innocent youth, trying to look for the good in the world and standing up for himself and others. Hope he gets more roles and increases his range. Probably the most impressive among them was Elle Fanning as Alice Dainard, a new addition to the film crew and object of Joe's affection. Fanning shows incredible acting ability in this film; if she was in older sister, Dakota's shadow before, she isn't now. Alice is the oldest among the kids. She has a troubled home life and finds comfort in a friendship with Joe. There is conflict in that relationship that is meant to be kept secret but is pretty clear from the get go. Equally impressive are Riley Griffiths as Charles, the ambitious ringleader and aspiring filmmaker. Charles reminded me of Ed Wood with his film zeal, maybe even Orson Welles. The other kids in this gang of unlikely heroes are the over anxious Martin (Gabriel Basso), sarcastic nerd Preston (Zach Mills), and hilarious pyromaniac Carey (Ryan Lee). All of them are awesome characters for this movie, and played better than I ever would have expected.

The adult actors bring it just as well, though they aren't as involved. Kyle Chandler, star of the series Friday Night Lights, is a bit of a standard movie dad. The kind that is too angry, who tries to remain stoic, who cares but doesn't know how to show it. Chandler is a good actor so he plays this role well. A man who makes do by not mentioning what should be mentioned and trying to connect with his son in all the wrong ways. A character like this must have a redemption, and whenever it happens in movies I'm almost never disappointed. Nor was I here. Ron Eldard's character of Louis, Alice's father, was a bit standard too, but played well equally. This man haunted by his demons, hard drinking being his only seeming salvation, letting anger he feels for himself lash out at other people. Both fathers could have had more development, but I felt for both still because of how well they were portrayed in just a few scenes. Noah Emmerich plays shady Col. Nelec, the military man seizing control of the town and hunting whatever got loose. Emmerich always looks like such a nice guy, but he very often plays corrupt or troubled characters. And he does it good. So acting, once again, I'm very cool with.

I highly recommend this movie. It is a very good time. Super 8 is not as original as much as it is refreshing. It has been awhile since I've been so taken with a movie. One of those movies where likable, relatable kids are at the center as the heroes, seeking out adventures under the noses of worried parents. A movie where revelations about the self and about life are found in the search for answers to mysterious, dangerous questions. Where family is shown true as a factor that can be as strong as it can be fragile. Where something different is more complex than what our fearful eyes would have us believe. A movie that feels kind of like an exciting, twisting roller coaster and also tugs at your heart. A damn good movie is what I call it.

This has been another review that comes a bit late from Your Modest Guru. Thanks for reading.

X-Men: First Class Review

Hank: "Are you sure we can't get you to shave your head?"
Charles: "Don't touch my hair."
Hank: "Right."

(SPOILERS, I guess; well, spoilers if you haven't seen the last four movies. You know what, no, shame on you for reading a review of the fifth movie when you haven't seen the last four.)

I loved the first three X-Men movies. Yes, even Last Stand. The Wolverine movie was meh. They are all movies dealing with being different, being repressed, and being yourself. They are also action packed adventures with a whole laundry list of super powered heroes and villains. X-Men was one of the first Marvel films to be released in the last decade and it gave a feeling of what was to come. That Marvel feeling where they take superhero stories and make them a bit more serious. Well, now we are on to X-Men: First Class, our second prequel to the first trilogy and I don't really know about it. I mean I like it but...I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me run down the basics first. First Class is the story of how the whole X-Men concept began, and also how two mutant leaders went from friends as Charles Xavier and Eric Lensherr to enemies as Professor X and Magneto.

A lot happens in this movie. A LOT. It takes place in the 1960s where mutants are just being discovered for the first time by the CIA. This happens when Agent Moira MacTaggert (Rose Byrne) finds out powerful mutant Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon) is manipulating US and Soviet forces into conflict at around the time of the Cuban missle crisis. She seeks help from Charles Xavier (James McAvoy), a recently titled professor of genetic mutation. Xavier, as we know, is a young and powerful mutant himself who can read and control people's minds. He agrees to help the feds, and soon crosses paths with another mutant, Eric Lensherr (Michael Fassbender), who can control metal, of course. Lensherr is out for revenge against Shaw, who wronged him greatly as a child when Shaw was a Nazi scientist in WWII. Charles and Eric soon become friends and recruit other hidden young mutants into their team to stop Shaw and his Hellfire Club of evil mutants. This leads to a series of events that are meant to explain some of the things that happened in the previous films, of course.

Honestly though, there is not a lot of synchronicity between the prequels and the trilogy. Things happen in First Class, important and very mentionable things, that are never mentioned in the trilogy. It's like Sabretooh being Wolverine's brother in the prequel when they didn't even know each other in the first film. Still, the things that we did know about and are now shown were executed pretty well. The whole movie is well done. It's just not as good as I was hoping.

I did get what I was hoping for with the entire concept of prequels to this series: a film about Professor X and Magneto. They were probably my favorite characters in the first trilogy and I wanted to see how they got to the point where we first met them. And we got that. I won't do any comparisons between how James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender play the characters as opposed to the awesome Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen, because they are different people between films. Both younger actors convey the older men's fundamental personalities. But this is back in the day when Magneto was a bit more reasonable (a bit!) and the Professor was the life of the party. But how they become friends and enemies was the best part of this movie for me. It was just as fun seeing the dynamic being established as it was seeing it being resolved. McAvoy and Fassbender carry this film, they are both very good actors.

The other mutants I wasn't all too impressed with. They are fun I will give them that. New characters for the movies include Havor (Lucas Till), Cyclops' older brother, I guess, who can absorb energy and project it lethally. An Americanized Banshee (Caleb Landry Jones), whose vocals are ultrasonic. An Angel (Zoe Kravits; Lenny's daughter?) before Angel, who has insectoid wings and acidic saliva. And Darwin (Eli Gathegi, from Twilight fame), who can adapt; it's hard to explain, but it's cool. I liked most of these characters, except that there was no real introduction to their team status. They just sort of are friends who would die for each other in the span of one weekend it seemed.
I felt about the same for the Hellfire Club. I guess I got as much as I expected out of Emma Frost (played by an underwhelming but stimulating January Jones), because Frost has always been a devious little sexpot. So I wasn't disappointed entirely on that end. Riptide (Alex Gonzales) can create cyclones from his palms, and that is probably the stupidest ability I've seen so far; I mean that is Heroes caliber of stupid ability. Nightcrawler's long lost father it would seem, Azazel (Jason Flemyng) was probably the most badass. Not only can he teleport, but he uses a sword. Not only that, but he uses his tail to stab people. He's basically classic Nightcrawler, just evil. Kevin Bacon as Sebastian Shaw is in his badass vilain element, I must say. Shaw probably has the most destructive power I've seen since Phoenix from Last Stand: he can absorb literally anything he is attacked with and give it back with devastating results. Bacon also gets to do a lot of different languages in this movie, all of which he spoke very fluently. He also plays probably one of the best Nazis I've seen in years.
There are other familiar faces as well. Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) is on the side of good this time as Charles' childhood best friend and initial team member. This was a fun element as well, seeing a very young and confused Mystique trying to decide between living with intolerance and fighting for peace alongside the Professor or accepting who she is and seeking dominance with the more ambitious and accepting Magneto. Jennifer Lawrence, fresh from the Ozarks and in all her beauty, is pretty good in this role. She brings depth to the sexy blue femme fatale we know. Also Hank McCoy (Nicholas Hoult) appears as a young scientist working with the CIA who also has ape-like feet and incredible agility. He tries to discover a cure for physical mutations while leaving the powers intact. Can you see where this is going? Hoult is good as a young and nerdy Beast, even though his role in some of the story's elements contradicts the first films, but nevermind.
You know that scene you always think would be cool to see where the heroes sit down and brainstorm on what their hero names will be? It's in this movie, and it was probably my least favorite moment.
What sells this movie for me, honestly, is one cameo in the middle. Anyone who is a fan of the X-Men movies will probably agree when it happens.

I can say much about the action or effects. There isn't much I thought stood out. Shaw and the Hellfire Club lay seige to a CIA compound, which leads to some pretty sweet destruction. The last battle is like a small war, and is well directed.

I don't dislike this movie, but I was just kind of floored with how unbelievably silly it was. I know, most superhero movies are silly, but this was almost like it was outright admitting it while also trying to be serious. The director is Matthew Vaughn (director of Layer Cake and Kick Ass), so I suppose he might have brought a bit of a sense of humor to it. It's set in the 60s, so it plays kind of like an early James Bond movie. There is a large amount of half naked women in the film, for no real reason. I mean I didn't mind, but it felt almost exploitive while not being complete exploitation. The first thing we see Rose Byrne do as Moira is strip down to go undercover, which sounds like an oxymoron, but oh well. It was Rose Byrne, though, so I was very grateful, instead. The politics, military and how the Cuban Missile Crisis comes into play was all a bit much. It was like a weird version of Dr. Strangelove. When you get Michael Ironside and James Remar as military commanders in just bit roles, you are trying to be funny. I seriously think Remar was playing the same guy from the beginning of Pineapple Express. But being it is Matthew Vaughn, this film can be hardcore and emotional as well as witty. There are some majorly messed up deaths and injuries in this movie, usually involving Magneto.

So yeah, First Class was uh... a little weird. It was fun, though, I enjoyed it despite of its glaring chronological flaws and in spite of its parody-like abandon. I got what I wanted and a bit more. I'm sure audiences who don't knit-pick the shit out of movies like I do will have a pretty good time. Probably an even better time then I did.

This has been an uncanny review from Your Modest Guru. And no one got that.

Thor Review

"Whoever wields this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor." - Odin

As interesting as all of the Norse mythology is, the comic book arc of Thor never stood out to me all that much when I was younger. Especially my first introduction to him: you see, I was bought a package of three videos that featured old cartoons from when my parents were kids. There was Spiderman (which I was largely into at that time), with the old animation and classic theme song. I dug that a lot. The other two cartoons were of Namor The Submariner and Thor, both of whom I was still very uninterested in after viewing. Spiderman was a teenager, not only that but an everyday teenager who suddenly takes on the role of superhero after he makes a tragic mistake. Even as a kid and with such a cheesy cartoon that resonated with me. The stories involving Thor and Namor weren't anything like that. Namor was a king and a bit of an antihero who didn't seem to get involved in heroic affairs unless it immediately affected his people. Thor was a God who only seemed to be hanging out on earth to either court a mortal girl, stop less friendly vacationing deities, or just to amuse himself. Not very relatable. After watching the new Marvel film, Thor, he is still not very relatable, but it was still a good movie and I like the way his character is portrayed here.

This is another in a long list of superheroes I was really convinced couldn't be done. I'm starting to see that in a world where Hollywood is a dominant entity and technology has gone into a realm of real life science fiction, anything is possible moviewise. I realize this because I was very taken with the trailers for Thor in which the character is actually shown to be an arrogant brute of a god, earth is thrown into the mix of a celestial family fued, and Anthony Hopkins plays Odin (I was 8 watching that old cartoon and I knew then it would be him). Natalie Portman is also in the film, so there's a lot more incentive right there. Kat Dennings, too. Even more shocking than my interest in a Thor film is the fact that it is one of the better superhero movies Marvel has spawned. It's in the same class as the first Spiderman and the Iron Man films.

Here's the story (and forgive me, I am not familiar with the comic source material, so I don't know if it is true to that or anything): A long time ago Odin (Anthony Hopkins) and his Asgardian army defeated the warring Frost Giants and pretty much made a deal that he wouldn't kill them all if they would remain in their ice world. That peace is kept until Odin's son and heir to the throne, Thor (Chris Hemsworth), responds to a mysterious threat from the Giants by laying siege on their homeworld. This reignites the war between the Giants and the Asgardians. For this, Odin banishes the ferocious Thor to earth so that he will learn humility. Meanwhile, Loki (Tom Hiddleston), the god of mischief and Thor's younger brother starts making his play for the throne whilst discovering some dark secrets about his father's past and his own. Thor meanwhile must deal with being mortal on earth and becoming involved in the research of a science team led by astrophysicist and resident beauty Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), as well as the subject of interest for recurring SHIELD Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg). While all of this epic family drama is going on upstairs with Loki and his agenda, the real fun of course is watching Thor's fish out of water story play out. He is a God from a world vastly beyond ours, so he is a little perturbed yet slightly amused at how simplistic the mortal world is. It becomes apparent though that with the threat of the Frost Giants, and Loki's dark plans for Asgard and his family, Thor had best work out whatever issues his father had meant for him to work out so that he can redeem himself and save the day.

The mythological aspect is what I really enjoyed about this movie. The special effects used for Asgard, and anything mystical really, were pretty damn cool. Asgard looks like a lush, luxurious, and majestic place that sort of acts like protector of the wellbeing of all dimensions and realms existing. Also the cavalier, Shakespearian quality of the characters there is rather refreshing as opposed to our long line of sad and tragic characters. With those previously mentioned qualities, when something bad happens to these characters it is worse because they are people who are used to being joyous and on top of the world or universe or whevever the hell Asgard is. Plus, I sort of enjoy how family exists even in the most divine mediums. The relationships between Thor, Loki, and Odin are all very well done. They are all gods, but they are still father and sons.

There is also the special effects aspect to the film, which I honestly thought would be terrible. But no, the special effects were pretty cool. I mean, sure, it's obviously CGI, but its a superhero movie; you kind of have to roll with it. Asgard is made to be a sprawling, majestic centerpiece of order in the universe and it looks it in the film. They aren't up in the clouds, but are more at an important pinpoint in the universe. They also guard an interdimensional bridge, that seems to be made of rushing rainbows (trust me, its cool). The world of the Frost Giants, which I am not even gonna try to spell, actually looked more organic, despite being a dark and lifeless place. I think that actually might have been a set too, glossed over with CGI. The Giants themselves looked freaky and intimidating in a way that wasn't really unbelievable. I mean, when there were gonna be Frost Giants, I basically thought we'd get some goofy Abominable Snowman rejects. But these guys are not to be trifled with. There is a sort of guardian of the Asgardians called The Destroyer that comes into play later, that is badass. The best effect for me has to be when Thor travels through the portal/rainbow bridge; it's like light speed for a god.

The acting was also good. Chris Hemsworth plays very well as the god of thunder, Thor. He shows you every reason why to like him, why not to like him, and why he's redeemed in your eyes. Thor here is a confident and charismatic God, but he's a flawed one too. Like the best of Marvel superheroes, Thor has to lose sometimes and grow up as a result. Hemsworth as Thor is also funny as hell; when The Avengers movie comes out I don't doubt that he and Iron Man will get along. An actor I am not familiar with, Tom Hiddleston, is very convincing and even powerful as Loki, even though I thought the god of mischief would be a little more mischievious. Hiddleston shows Loki not as the gleeful deity of chaos but more of a black sheep in his family who wants acceptance. Anthony Hopkins as Odin is freaking awesome. Why? Because he is Anthony Hopkins...as Odin! He's playing the two things we always knew he played best: a man with absolute power, and a dad. Natalie Portman ain't winning any oscars here, but she did well all the same as Jane Foster, because Portman is awesome. I felt Stellen Skarsgard and Kat Dennings were underused as Portman's entourage of scientists, astrological or political, but they were still fun because they are fun actors. Clark Gregg is cool as Coulson, as he was in the last two Iron Man movies. Jeremy Renner shows up for a second as Hawkeye, because we needed to segue him into The Avengers movie somehow. Rene Russo is in the movie as Odin's wife and Thor and Loki's mother, and she doesn't do much. It's sad because Rene Russo is a great actress who I haven't seen in anything in awhile. Idris Elba, even though he could probably be doing better things, is a badass as Heimdell, the keeper of the portal/rainbow bridge thing. I usually am not a fan of sidekicks or buddies that come into play for the hero, but this is an exception. Thor pals around with four other warriors from Asgard, and they work because they feel not only like his best friends, but like his family. They are all badasses too, in case you were wondering. So, I was thorougly impressed with the acting as well.

There is no real magic as to why Thor worked so well for me. Well, actually, this movie was directed by Kenneth Branagh, a literal Shakespearian actor, writer, and director. The kind of extreme drama presented in some Shakespeare is a bit reminiscent to the divine opera presented in this film. So yes, I think the movie worked so well because of Branagh's direction and the actors' performances. It just seems like a bit more effort was put into this one as opposed to superhero movies that rely more heavily on the effects. Effects and acting seemed to be on an even keel in Thor, and that's good. I think most people will enjoy it. It's dramatic, it's action packed, it's funny, it's a fun movie.

This has been a superhero review from Your Modest Guru. It's been awhile. Thanks for reading.

Winter's Bone Review

"Never ask for what oughta be offered." - Ree Dolly

Winter's Bone is probably one of the best films in years. I am still on the fence on whether or not to put it in my top three films of 2010. It would be there with Inception and Black Swan, because, like those films, Winter's Bone is new type of film experience for me. It introduces a kind of place I live around...well, probably worse. My community and the ones neighboring it at least make a huge attempt to look respectable and clean, whereas the existing in this film seems to have merely resigned itself to squalor and darkness. It takes place in a bleak, ragged, small town in the Ozark mountains. Most people are in on the drug trade, meth production in particular. The film introduces a terrific actress who perfectly plays what I think is a true American hero.

The film takes place in this day and age, even if there is a lack of flash and glamour or really modern technology at all (the most technologically advanced thing I saw were the trucks the characters drove in and the guns they carried). It focuses on the impoverished Dolly Family, particularly the eldest daughter. Ree Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence) is 17 years old, apparently a high school drop out, and is taking care of her mentally gone mother and two child siblings. She is told that her missing father, Jessup, was arrested for cooking meth and jumped bail. More importantly, he put up his house as collateral for the bail money. Already a good macguffin, Ree has one week to find her father, dead or alive, and save the only home she or her family has. Jessup, however, went out for long periods before, but this time it is possible he might have been killed during one of his criminal excursions. This does not and cannot phase Ree, though, as she plunges fearlessly into the criminal underworld of her small but shady community. What ensues is a very dark and ominous journey.

This film feels real, and I think that's what it has going for it more than anything. Because the fact that it feels real is pretty disturbing. That strength lies in the harsh and ugly setting, the fascinating characters (which is all of them), and it's portrayal of both. There is almost never a sunny day in this film, as it is late winter. The scenes where Ree is walking down the road looks almost post apocalyptic; like a wasteland. The people inhabiting this wasteland do it justice I suppose. Like The Fighter, Winter's Bone does not have a particular villain. Everyone is a potential villain it seems like. Potential though reluctant. No matter what dangerous game they are a part of, all involved are still ordinary people who want to stay out of trouble as much as possible. This makes it complicated when a tenacious young girl goes willingly looking for it. Someone could get hurt. Maybe someone already has.

It was that mentality that struck me more than anything else. Ree does not have too much trouble hunting down leads, nor difficulty extracting info from them, because they either already know her or talk to her out of respect to her kin. But of course, whether they speak to her or not, no one is really willing to give her any of the gory details she's looking for. We get the feeling that everyone, involved deeply or not at all, is trying not to make any waves. This is apparent in characters such as Merab (Dale Dickie), one of three sisters who are related to and serve under local crime lord Thump Milton. Merab is at first cautious of young but fierce Ree, then she is frightfully warning her (as if for both of their safeties), then is outright threatening her. Yet there is always a sort of respect between them both, a respect Ree will will disregard to get what she wants. It's hard to describe this mentality. There is togetherness, very apparent community among many. But at the same time, all of these people feel like they are constantly on their toes. It's like they are cooly complacent whilst living in fear. It's one of those things that's better seen to be understood, if that makes any sense.

Another big strength is in that underlying mystery. As any of my readers will know, I am in love with mystery and the quest for understanding. This movie has an Apocalypse Now aspect where the hero(heroine) is looking for someone who may very well be six feet under. There's some suspense right there. The funny thing is, Ree doesn't care all too much about her father's well being, but is just fixated on saving the family she has with her at any cost. That kind of quality is what makes her character so damn fascinating. Just by looking at her living conditions (home or town), you can tell she has had a hard life. She's clearly made sacrifices; I mean, most of the seventeen year old girls I know would probably not be up to raising their family alone. One of the few moments she takes time to hang out with an old friend makes it seem like they haven't done it in ages, literally. She teaches her child siblings how to use guns, hunt for food, take care of the house, what kind of manners to have, as if she could die at any moment and they will be left alone. Not a bad idea. It's responsible and brave, but also tragic. It is put on her shoulders to deal with problems that far above her age range, but she does it because she is a survivor more than anything. With a fierce and undaunting resolve, deeply engraved sense of love and duty, and poignant acting ability from Lawrence, Ree Dolly is an awesome female hero. A badass, as a matter of fact. There is a moment where she is asked to decide her own fate and, after quickly sizing up her seemingly hopeless situation, she shrugs and bluntly answers with the only option that seems to be on the table: "kill me, I guess."

The other character in this story who contains a true hidden depth yet very apparent darkness is Ree's uncle, her father's brother, Teardrop (John Hawkes). Teardrop is in some way involved in this rural underworld, and is one of the first people to quickly refuse Ree any help. For the rest of the film (or at least until he can't resist his familial obligations), he exists as a threatening, dark presence that strikes fear into most of the town's population of scum bags and a certain respect is shown to him by the big cheese involved. He's also more evidence that dog-eat-dog fatalism runs in the Dolly family's blood. John Hawkes is an actor who has had small or supporting roles in many movies for the past 30 years. His intense, frightening, and ultimately poetic portrayal of Teardrop is a bit of a revelation, seeing as how I've usually seen him play kind of weasally lowlifes or eccentric motormouth types of characters (kinda like, Steve Buscemi, who is also capable of going deeper). Hawkes received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor against Christian Bale (The Fighter, and winner) and Geoffery Rush (The King's Speech) if that tells you anything.

Other good characters include the enigmatic Merab, played very convincingly by Dale Dickie. The last thing I saw her in was Breaking Bad in which she was a very grimy and pathetic crackwhore, thief, and passive killer. She isn't easy on the eyes, but she owns her roles like a true actress. Sheryl Lee stars as a former flame of Ree's father, though you may not recognize her (as me and my David Lynch fan father did not). She exudes a lot of the same tired and world weariness the other townspeople give off, but her scene is good. Garrett Dillahunt (a character actor who played Tommy Lee Jones' deputy in No Country for Old Men) stars as the Sheriff of the town, who is not as law abiding or enforcing as he seems. He plays this role with a sort of menace mixed with insecurity.

Winter's Bone is a very subtle movie. It is not full of glossy special effects. It has no big real huge moments or messages taht beg for awards and good reviews. It is simply trying to convey an atmosphere, and a story and characters that fit right into it. That it does well. It wasn't well advertised, so I'm sure there a few reading who may have not heard of it. Nevertheless, it has impressed me along with a great many other movies to have come out in 2010. It is dark, bittersweet, interesting, and edgy beyond belief. It's a crime mystery as well as a compelling drama. It also has one of the best scenes involving a chainsaw since Smokin' Aces, maybe even Scarface (no, never mind, not that bad). Still, without giving too much away, it is pretty hardcore. It featured wonderfully shown characters, and performances by actors I had no idea had such power within them. The director is Debra Granik, who captures the film's setting, the characters, all of the little details with such an insightful eye. She also co-wrote the film with writer Anne Rossellini, and the writing is wonderful. The dialogue all feels real, it seemed like real people would talk to each other like this. One thing I had a little trouble with was a scene involving a military recruiter. I think most recruiters, especially these days, don't care about the well-being of the potential recruit; the recruiter in this film seemed a little too helpful in making sure the character second guesses themselves and think real hard about joining the military (possibly because his character was from around the same area). It was nice, but I don't think it would really go down that way. Maybe I'm too jaded. Anyways, this movie was awesome and see it if this review was convincing enough.

Sorry if I meandered, I was more interested in specific things about the movie rather than the overall structure. Tried to fit everything in, as always.

This has been a review from Your Modest Guru. Thanks for reading.