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Directors of the Decade: Darren Aronofsky

post from Film Experience Blog on 05 November 2009 04:30:00 PM. © Film Experience Blog

Robert here, continuing my series of the directors that shaped the past 10 years. Last week I wrote about a ?love him? or ?hate him? director that turned out to be mostly loved. So having promised such a man I feel like I let you down. I think I can do better with this week?s subject: Darren Aronofsky

Number of Films: Three.
Modern Masterpieces: Two. Requiem for a Dream and The Fountain (this is called baiting the hook.)
Total Disasters: None.
Better than you remember: Requiem for a Dream and The Fountain if applicable.
Awards: Requiem and The Wrestler receive Oscar Nominations for acting. The Wrestler gets the Spirit Award for Best Picture. The Fountain goes mostly overlooked (because The Academy has no idea what a good movie score sounds like).
Box Office: The Wrestler is tops with over 23 mil. The Fountain tops 10 mil. Requiem in very limited release (thank you NC-17) does 2 and a half mil.
Critical Consensus: The Wrestler is clearly his most praised film. Requiem gets mostly good notices though some critics are split. The Fountain confuses everyone.
Favorite Actor: Mark Margolis, who you might recognize as the pawn shop owner, the priest, and the landlord (respectively)

Let?s talk about:
Desperate obsession. Though I suppose you can make an argument that most great films are about desperate obsession. Isn?t Dorothy desperately obsessed with getting home? Isn?t Charles Kane desperately obsessed with being loved? Isn?t Rick desperately obsessed with Ilsa? Maybe? it depends on your definition of ?desperate? and ?obsessed.? For the sake of Darren Aronofsky?s films, we can agree that the desperate obsession of his characters is defined at the highest extreme possible. And perhaps that?s his biggest shortcoming (I feel the need to level a criticism early since the rest of this post will be complimentary, and a bit defensive). His films? insights don?t seem to extend much further than: ?desperate obsession leads to very bad things.? And thematically, each successive film doesn?t seem to tread any ground beyond this.

Darren Aronofsky is, however, a great director of actors. I mention this now because it's largely the performances by his actors that successfully counter-balance any troubles had by his films. Another criticism of Aronofsky?s films (though not by me) is that they posses a sense of stylistic overkill. ?Style over substance? they say. To which I often respond that those criticizing a piece of art would be wise not to employ a phrase that?s cliché (please also refrain from describing a film as ?the emperor has no clothes? thank you). There is no doubt that the director?s films are stylishly bold and often aggressive. But how does one make a film about mental collapse such as Requiem for a Dream without utilizing such an uncompromising subjective camera? And how can one suggest that the style and storytelling of The Fountain isn?t absolutely necessary to explore the minds of its characters (depending on your interpretation of course). Aronofsky?s films are certainly high style but they don?t suffer from it. They are, in fact, among the most inventive movies being made today.

Aronofsky and Rourke. Blurry.
And still it all comes back to the acting. Even if Aronofsky?s films are stylistically excessive (including brilliant contributions from talent such as Matthew Libatique and Clint Mansell) they are always saved by the acting. After all, these movies are really about people and how their inability to find joy in the mundane, mediocre world around them fuels their desperate obsessions for that which is ultimately unattainable; whether it be respect, love, saving a spouse or fitting into a red dress. And the portrayals of actors such as Ellen Burstyn, Jennifer Connelly, Hugh Jackman and Mickey Rourke are not just human and moving but often crushing. These are performances that easily counteract any possible stylistic distraction and become the emotional heart of each film. It takes great actors to steal the spotlight from Aronofsky?s audacious aesthetics. Yet they do, every time.

Heading into this decade, Aronofsky was the hot new thing, coming off the indie success of Pi. Requiem for a Dream was something of a companion piece, continuing the (as Aronofsky calls it) ?hip hop montage? device of its predecessor. Seemingly a continuation of his winning streak, the film had few detractors (not including stoned college dorm-mates who dismissed it as a mere modern Reefer Madness). But eight years later when The Wrestler opened to much acclaim, more voices than I expected invoked memory of the director?s ?last two disasters.? That second disaster was The Fountain, a passion project that collapsed and had to be completely re-thought with a smaller cast and budget. Too many critics savaged it as incomprehensible. Yet I couldn?t understand why reviewers could praise the opaque work of Lynch or Buñuel but find nothing worthwhile in this powerful film (which, quite frankly shouldn't require 100% comprehension to be enjoyed). Thankfully, the critical and commercial failure of The Fountain did not slow down Aronofsky.

I'm happy to see that, thanks to The Wrestler, Aronofsky has regained a place of high cinematic respect (though it?s no small shame that his least demanding picture should be his most highly praised). Hopefully he will not take it as a sign to shrug off his audaciousness moving into the future (which soon includes the ballerina picture Black Swan and a possible RoboCop remake). To quote Nathaniel: ?Auteurs should all go for broke.? To quote myself: ?If great movies always show us something we?ve never seen before, then it's awfully hard to make a case against Darren Aronofsky.?

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J.J. Abrams to Produce Hasbro’s Micronauts
Movie

post from Film School Rejects on 05 November 2009 04:12:00 PM. © Film School Rejects

micronauts-header

The Wall Street Journal (via Coming Soon) is reporting today that J.J. Abrams, whom you may know as the director of Star Trek and producer of Lost, is in talks to produce a movie about the Japanese interchangable toys Micronauts — 3.75-inch tall toys which were used in an inter-connected design.

The rights to the project were acquired by Hasbro, who will base the film on the Micronauts comic series published by Marvel Comics, Image Comics and Devil’s Due Publishing. The series was first published in 1979.

In a curious quote, J.J. Abrams speaks about those who doubt whether a board game or science fiction toy should be accorded star status: “Sometimes, when someone is not a celebrity and you are casting them in a role, everyone who is in a seat of authority voices questions about that actor’s talent, sex appeal, looks, ability — their everything,” he says. “But then they get the role, and suddenly they are on the cover of every magazine, and nobody questions those things again. In retrospect, everyone says, ‘Of course that person is a star.’”

Essentially, what we believe him to be saying is that once the Micronauts film is done and released, we will not be surprised (nor will we question) their ultimate star status. At least, that’s what I get from that quote. Alas, he is also working on the Cloverfield-esque thriller 500 Rads, among other things.

TEH CRAZIES New Image

post from Rama's Screen on 05 November 2009 04:03:16 PM. © Rama's Screen

Overture Films has sent me the newest still image from the upcoming remake THE CRAZIES. It’s a photo of Radha Mitchell being taken away on a gurney as seen in the movie’s trailer. Click on the image to enlargeCheck out the official synopsis after the jump… Imagine living in a small town where everything is [...]

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Walt Disney Treasures: Zorro, The Complete First
Season and Second Season DVD Review

post from Inside Pulse Movies on 05 November 2009 04:02:57 PM. © Inside Pulse Movies

Walt Disney Treasures: Zorro restores the luster to Guy Williams? dashing heroics.

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Ashley Greene Joins Todd Lincolns The Apparition

post from /Film on 05 November 2009 04:00:44 PM. © /Film

In May we told you that Todd Lincoln had signed on to will write and direct The Apparition for Joel Silver's genre label Dark Castle Entertainment. But at the time, details about the project were being kept under wraps. The only thing we knew was that the story is said to be based on true events and involve a haunted house. The project is picking up steam now that Twilight star Ashley Greene is in talks to star, and Variety has some new detail... Apparently the story "centers on a young couple haunted by a supernatural presence unleashed during a college experiment." And the project is being fast tracked, and will go into production in February 2010.Lincoln's short films Honey Pot and Xavier played to acclaim at film festicals, gaining the attention of a Los Angeles commercial and music video production company called Public Works. He has been directing commercials, music videos, ...

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The Killer Inside Me Sales Trailer: Michael
Winterbottom Does Sex and Violence and Desperation

post from /Film on 05 November 2009 04:00:09 PM. © /Film

I've really been looking forward to footage from Michael Winterbottom's adaptation of the Jim Thompson novel The Killer Inside Me. I'm a massive Thompson fan, and adaptations of his novels have about a .500 average. (I'm the guy that doesn't like The Grifters much; I infinitely prefer a movie like Tavernier's Coup de Torchon.)The cast here seems to be on the money -- Casey Affleck as the duplicitous small-town sheriff deputy Lou Ford, Jessica Alba and Kate Hudson as the women in his life, and supporting work from Ned Beatty, Bill Pullman and Elias Koteas. Now there's a rough long-form sales trailer that makes the concoction look fairly potent. See it after the jump.Give a big hand to The Playlist for digging up this trailer. Now, if you don't know the story you might not want to watch this one. It's about five minutes long and gives away most of ...

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J.J. Abrams To Produce MICRONAUTS

post from Rama's Screen on 05 November 2009 03:53:51 PM. © Rama's Screen

J.J. Abrams is on the headlines again. This time, according to Wall Street Journal, via Superherohype.com, he’s in talks to produce the movie Micronuts… ehm, sorry, I meant..MICRONAUTS, which Hasbro acquired, based Japanese series of interchangeable space toys (figures, vehicles, and playsets) produced by the Mego Corporation between 1976 and 1980. The line consisted [...]

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Milla Jovovich Joins Twitter; Updates from
Resident Evil: Afterlife Set

jovovich-residentevil

Earlier this week, Dr. Cole Abaius and I were having a discussion about a new brand of director — the super-accessible kind who are now connecting with us, and their audience through the social media site Twitter. Whereas they were previously just the folks behind the camera and in the hot seat during junket weekend prior to their release, directors like Up in the Air’s Jason Reitman (@JasonReitman), The Brothers Bloom director Rian Johnson (@rcjohnso) and even that Clerks guy Kevin Smith (@ThatKevinSmith) are now just a tweet away. It is interesting to see them so connected, so close to the folks who buy tickets that pay their salaries.

Then, there are the on-set tweeters. The publicist for The Expendables has been tweeting like crazy about Sly Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger and everyone else who’s come to that set. And Overture Films has someone on set with Breck Eisner’s The Crazies (@TheCraziesFilm), tweeting live from the Georgia set.

But that’s not all.. Today, we got word that Milla Jovovich has been tweeting from the set of her upcoming movie Resident Evil: Afterlife. The series, from producer/director Paul W.S. Anderson, has a solid following and to her credit, Milla is actually saying a few interesting things here and there. Fans of the series might want to give her a follow: @MillaJovovich.

Here’s an example, in which she tweets about her character Alice’s sweet hardware in the fourth film.

so, for anyone interested in the guns i use in this movie, here is the list:

2 smith&wesson 460 revolvers, 2 sawed off double barrel shotguns,1MPSK submachine gun,2MP9 submachine guns and 1 M4 assault rifle. phew!

Not the most interesting thing you’re going to read today, but still pretty cool. Beats working at your cubicle.

Oh, and while you’re at it, you should head over at follow the FSR staff here: @rejects/team

The Killer Inside Me Promo

Already a contender for the top ten list of 2010? At the very least maybe it turns out Jessica[...]

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Final Sherlock Holmes Trailer

A final trailer for the upcoming “Sherlock Holmes” movie directed by Guy Ritchie has been released.Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock Holmes in “Sherlock Holmes”Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law play Holmes and Dr. Watson and they try to stop a conspiracy that could destroy Britain, opening with Holmes apprehending cult leader ?Lord Blackwood? (Mark Strong), [...]

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