Jackson Sees Bold, But Can't Pull Off Sebold

The Lovely Bones

*1/2 out of ****

Directed by: Peter Jackson

Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Mark Wahlberg, Stanley Tucci, Rachel Weisz and Susan Sarandon

Running time: 134 minutes

Alice Sebold’s 2002 smash bestseller gets its title from the connections made by various characters as they deal with the death of 14-year-old Susie Salmon, the novel's protagonist.

However, in bringing Sebold’s beloved tale to the big screen, director Peter Jackson and co-writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens (who also penned the Lord of the Rings film series) have extracted these “lovely bones.”

Instead, the trio scribed an emotionally blank and jarringly unfocused adaptation – one that ignores the chilling power and imagination that made the original novel such a success.

Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan, from Atonement) is a wise and charming teen, on the cusp of young love with an amorous Indian boy named Ray Singh (newcomer Reece Ritchie).

Growing up in mid-1970s Pennsylvania to a stern bookworm mother (Rachel Weisz) and hard-working father (Mark Wahlberg), Susie dreams of becoming a famous photographer.

Her floozy grandmother, Lynn (Susan Sarandon), tries to focus Susie’s attention off this passion, and on another - her high school crush, Ray. Soon enough, he approaches Susie’s locker and asks her out.

Unfortunately, this joyous day will never arrive for Susie. On the way home from school that day, she runs into her neighbour, George Harvey (Stanley Tucci). He coaxes Susie into checking out an underground clubhouse he’s made for the children of the neighbourhood.

Susie is eager to leave, but Harvey resists her attempts. He ends up raping her, dismembering her body and putting it into a safe. Susie’s spirit flees into a place called “The In-Between,” a splendorous and personal vision of heaven.

Instead of focusing on the ensemble of characters – Susie's mother, father, sister, little brother, and circle of friends – and how their lives shift after her death, the film ignores these vital threads that gave the original novel its title.

Many of the characters make their mark early on, have a few moments onscreen, and then disappear completely from the story. Eerily, the film focuses more on the deranged murderer than any of the other characters.

How does Jackson and Co. want us to feel the pain of these sorrowful characters if we spend almost no time with them? These major characters become minor, and thus an investment with the story and conflict entirely diminishes.

It also doesn’t help matters that director Peter Jackson mistakes visual flair for imagination. The In-Between is a kaleidoscopic environment of endless, digitally impressive landscapes – full of glacier-like mountains, mystical oceans and glorious blue skies.

This heaven looks like a desktop wallpaper. It is so boldly colourful, it entirely drowns out the story - one that’s (oh yeah) about grieving with a brutal murder.

The visuals look fine (and could have been better had the CGI been more convincing) but are entirely inappropriate for such grave subject matter.

It’s too bad the creative forces behind The Lovely Bones make so many missteps, since the cast is quite excellent. Ronan is enchanting as Susie, and her voice-over to Sebold’s evocative prose is as moving as the film gets. Tucci is also chilling (and almost unrecognizable) as the murderous George Harvey.

This adaptation, moved from a March release date to late 2009 to correspond with awards season, could have been a serious contender if it focused primarily on the titular fragments and less on digital wizardry.

But the characters don’t develop. The conflict becomes restricted. The story doesn’t move. We just end up feeling as disconnected from the events as the protagonist. In trying to mend this page-to-screen adaptation, Jackson and his Oscar-winning team of writers just ended up breaking its bones.

Arrested Development

Youth in Revolt

*1/2 out of ****

Directed by: Miguel Arteta

Starring: Michael Cera, Portia Doubleday, Jean Smart, Steve Buscemi and Zach Galifianakis

Running time: 90 minutes

There are two ways you can tell it’s January. Either walk outside or check out what new releases are being rounded up at your local cinema.

One of those disposable options features the reliable teen actor Michael Cera. Unfortunately, the Brampton native, who’s milked his sweet teenage vulnerability and awkward deadpan comedy abilities to perfection, has finally run dry.

In Youth in Revolt, he once again plays a lankily built, socially uncomfortable nice guy with a crush. His name is Nick Twisp, he lives in Oakland with his boozy mom (Jean Smart) and her boyfriend, Jerry (an even more hungover Zach Galifianakis), and he’s a virgin.

While on vacation at a trailer park, Nick meets a beautiful girl named Sheeni Saunders (newcomer Portia Doubleday) who adores French culture.

Nick’s equal in discussing foreign art-house cinema and Frank Sinatra records, he falls for her. Unfortunately, she isn’t nuts about him, although Nick’s a well-needed escape from her religious-fanatic parents (Mary Kay Place and M. Emmet Walsh).

Meanwhile, the vacation ends and Nick still hasn’t done the deed. Out of sexual frustration, he invents an alter ego named Francois Dillinger, a deep-voiced, cigarette-puffing bad boy with a penciled moustache.

Francois helps our young protagonist break out from the humdrum of simple life and pursue the girl of his dreams.

There’s a rule in narrative comedy that the story comes first, and the jokes later. In Youth in Revolt, adapted from a journal-type novel by C.D. Payne by director Miguel Arteta (The Good Girl), that order is reversed. Too bad very little ends up being all that funny.

Cera can be excellent when given a sharp script (Juno, Superbad). The material he receives here is tired, and thus his performance feels stale.

Even the quest-to-climax doesn’t have much in the “rising action” department. Cera sulks from one scene to the next, without developing very much – even as an alter ego tempts his desires.

The comedy ends up becoming merely situational – sneaking into Sheeni’s dorm at an all-French institution or befriending her drug-rattled brother before consuming a bagful of mushrooms. Even then, not much progresses in either the story, the protagonist's development, or even the jokes department. At the end of each try, Nick is essentially back at square one.

Not only does Youth in Revolt seem to be stuck in neutral for much of the running time, there are no redeeming characters or moments that keep our attentions occupied.

Nick’s dad is bitter and irresponsible. His mom is trash, disposing of boyfriends faster than bottles. His stepmom (Ari Graynor), a bodacious trophy-wife, doesn’t step up to be anything more than her description. Moreover, Sheeni’s parents are poor ultra-Orthodox stereotypes.

These people are despicable and unpleasant to be around, and furthermore, enter and exit without making much of a dent on Nick’s journey.

It's a shame, since Cera and Doubleday are immensely enjoyable together. The opening third, focusing on Nick and Sheeni's blossoming relationship, is the film’s only saving grace. They are smart characters with charming personalities, and their banter is lively and sharp.

If only the rest of the film had the effortless likability of those opening scenes, Youth in Revolt could have been something we would remember once all the snow has melted. Instead, it's a film about revolting that is revolting.

A Scrapbook of Memories: My 10 Best of 2009

Below are my picks for the top 10 best films of 2009. Enjoy, and please feel free to comment with what you think of the list, what your favourite movies were this year, etc.

Honourable Mentions (that just missed my list):

Capitalism: A Love Story; Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince; The Hurt Locker; I Love You, Man; Polytechnique; Star Trek; Sugar

10) The Brothers Bloom

(Director: Rian Johnson)

Finally, a con man movie with more than just tricks up its sleeve. This gem from red hot writer/director Rian Johnson (Brick), about the last grand scam of two con-artist brothers (Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo) as they try to cheat an eccentric hobby-collecting heiress (Rachel Weisz), is a thrilling and hilarious caper picture. With equal parts of wit, heart, charm and tomfoolery, Brothers blooms with enough quirky ideas, sly jokes and inventive (albeit relatable) characters to make the “one last big job” idea seem bracingly new. The cast is sublime – especially Rachel Weisz in a role of comedy gold – and the postmodern look is exquisite. But what surprised me most was how remarkably fresh the comedy was; in fact, for the deft, surprising barrage of deadpan, slapstick and bizarre twists of humour, this may be the funniest film of the year. Largely ignored at the box office, let’s hope it blooms on DVD.

A Little Trivia: To portray the eclectic Penelope, Weisz learned how to do the following: play piano, violin, banjo and accordion, break-dance, juggle, do Karate, play Ping-Pong, ride a skateboard and even how to unicycle. She also spent a month practicing an advanced card trick, which was eventually shot in one long take.

9) Precious

(Director: Lee Daniels)

A blisteringly powerful and undeniably courageous film about an overweight, illiterate, 16-year-old African-American teenager named Claireece “Precious” Jones, who (oh, yeah) is also pregnant with her second child. It sounds squalid, and it is. Some may find the subject matter to be simply unendurable. But this film festival favourite (re: Sundance, Toronto), adapted from a novel by Sapphire, contains staggering performances, especially from newcomer Gabourey Sidibe as the title character, and Mo’Nique (electrifying as the abusive mother). Moreover, director Lee Daniels manages to inject a fierce dose of inspiration into this feature. He looks past the trauma by showing us her fantasies and helping us understand the fiery elements behind Precious’ stern expression that drive her character – intelligence, an endurance to work hard and an everlasting commitment to her children. What makes this film so precious is that by the end, there’s a diamond sparkling from within the mud.

A Little Trivia: Gabourey Sidibe’s mother, singer Alice Tan Ridley, was approached to play the role of Mary (Precious’ mother) in an earlier production that never came to fruition. Also, Mo’Nique appeared in Lee Daniels’ earlier film, Shadowboxer, as a character named… Precious.

8) Coraline

(Director: Henry Selick)

Enchanting, beautifully designed, and downright petrifying, Henry Selick’s adaptation of the beloved Neil Gaiman novel is a triumph of animated cinema. It follows a precocious girl named Coraline (voiced by Dakota Fanning) as she retreats from her oblivious parents to a parallel universe through a hidden door in her new townhouse. However, once she adventures to this intoxicating world, her experience turns awry and our feisty protagonist has to escape back to her real home. The stop-motion animation is wondrously captured with no-holds-barred imagination. The look is dreamlike, even if young children are almost guaranteed to have nightmares from the film’s spookier set-pieces. But this is not just a visual splendor. Coraline is one of the shrewdest and bravest, but also one of the most imperfect, heroines in modern animated cinema. The spunky protagonist - more Juno than Alice in Wonderland – is the crown jewel of a film with its fair share of spooky, yet fantastical treasures.

A Little Trivia: At 100 minutes in length, it is the longest stop-motion film to date. It is also the first stop-motion animated picture to be shot entirely in 3D.

7) Up in the Air

(Director: Jason Reitman)

The 3rd feature from Canadian writer/director Jason Reitman is a smooth-sailing satire for our turbulent times. George Clooney is Ryan Bingham, a debonair corporate executioner who is hired to fire employees for numerous companies. The perks include spending much of his time in first-class armchairs and airport terminals, which Bingham relishes. He’s a cold smart-aleck who puts his aspirations for collecting frequent flyer miles ahead of his family, but it would be hard to root for him if not for the polished charm and everyman quality of George Clooney. He’s perfect as Bingham, and his supporting ladies – Vera Farmiga as a suave business-lady he romances, and Anna Kendrick as the keen, determined protégé who’s developed a system that fires people through a computer screen – are equally impressive. Reitman and Sheldon Turner’s tightly wound script balances snappy cynicism with tender compassion. But the film’s greatest asset is that it keeps itself grounded in our Western civilization at this current moment of technological over-reliance and economic downfall.

A Little Trivia: With the exception of the famous actors, every person we see fired in the film is a real-life recently laid off person. The filmmakers put out ads in St. Louis and Detroit posing as a documentary crew looking to document the effect of the recession. When people showed up, they were instructed to treat the camera like the person who fired them and respond as they did or use the opportunity to say what they wished they had.

6) A Serious Man

(Directors: Joel and Ethan Coen)

The Coen Brothers’ exploration of a Jewish middle-aged physics professor – a modern-day Job played brilliantly by Broadway vet Michael Stuhlbarg – as he looks for peace and love, but mostly understanding, may be their most intriguing work since Barton Fink. Our cursed protagonist, Larry Gopnik, has a series of unfortunate events (divorce, death, professional sabotage) plague his life. He wants a reason for all the "tsuris" and seeks to become a righteous, serious man, hoping that clarity will come to him. It’s richly textured with Biblical allusions, and the closest thing to an auto-biography the Coens have ever released (they were raised in the apathetic, acculturated Minnesota suburbs where the film is set). Its comedy is as fiercely bitter as vegetables on a seder plate, and the existential aspects are engrossing and wildly original – done through psychedelic rock lyrics and a masterful sequence involving a Jewish dentist, for instance. Some may be turned off by the seemingly abrupt ending, but it's one that ensures that we will keep figuring out the perplexing philosophical drama – and it’s a dandy. Seriously.

A Little Trivia: The names of the characters who ride the school bus with Danny Gopnik, the protagonist’s son, are the names of children that the Coen Brothers grew up with.

5) The Cove

(Director: Louie Psihoyos)

A little-seen documentary, The Cove is both an astonishing piece of eco-advocacy filmmaking and an unflinching thriller: think Michael Moore meets Michael Mann. It follows a team of ecologists and deep-sea divers in a mission to penetrate a hidden cove in the lakeside town of Taiji, Japan. Unbeknown to the town’s citizens, the tightly surveilled cul-de-sac lures in hundreds of dolphins a year by sonar (to confuse the mammals, whose hearing is remarkably acute), only to have them slaughtered. Not only is this doc packed with information regarding the mistreatment of dolphins (and their subsequent mispackaging on grocery store shelves), but it has the breathless excitement of a thriller. We root for Psihoyos and his crew - carrying state-of-the-art cameras and underwater microphones - to uncover the truth. The results are unnervingly powerful and quite grisly. Even more memorable is the fascinating story of Richard O’Barry, a member of the undercover troupe in the film, and the dolphin trainer for the original Flipper TV series. The Cove focuses on his shift from being a success through popularizing the image of dolphins to a full-fledged advocate of dolphins held in captivity around the world. His story is unforgettable. The film is, too.

A Little Trivia: It won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival last year, a rarity for a non-fiction film.

4) (500) Days of Summer

(Director: Marc Webb)

Marc Webb’s film debut is (95) Minutes of Pure Cinematic Bliss. Joseph Gordon-Levitt – the best actor under 30 working in Hollywood today – is Tom, a charming greeting-card writer who falls for an alluring young girl named Summer (the entrancing Zooey Deschanel). That’s day 1. Flipping through time in an out-of-order fashion (we’ll be at, say, tumultuous day 290 and then skip backward to glorious day #50), Webb captures the moments in their relationship that are wondrous, bittersweet, and everything-in-between. It’s a romance that’s done with an impeccable amount of intelligence, hilarity, and verve. One sequence – my favourite of any movie this year – evolves from Tom joyfully strutting to Hall and Oates’ “You Make My Dreams” into an orchestrated song-and-dance number with dozens of extras. Another scene uses a split-screen to show how a pivotal reconciliation scene works out: Tom’s Expectations are on one side, while Tom’s Actual Experience is on the other. But this is not just a stylistic tour-de-force. The writing, while lively and smart, nails the disappointments of lost romance and the pitfalls of human relationships (major props to screenwriters Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber). The opening voice-over warns: this is a story of boy meets girl, but you should know up front, this is not a love story. Regardless, it’ll be hard not to fall in love with (500) Days of Summer, Generation Y’s answer to Annie Hall.

A Little Trivia: In the DVD commentary, writer Michael H. Weber explained that roughly 75% of the events in the film actually happened to him.

3) Where the Wild Things Are

(Director: Spike Jonze)

It’s rare for a mainstream to have such a bitterly divided response from audiences: either you were roused to applause or bored to submission. I take the former position on Spike Jonze’s adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s 338-word classic – although it took time. The more I think about the film, the more I’m floored by its intricate emotional textures, its invigorating sense of imagination, and its sensitive but honest exploration of childhood. Its protagonist, the young Max (Max Records), is manic but misunderstood (kind of like the film). He escapes to an island, populated by a small team of tall, furry creatures known as Wild Things who crown Max as their king. The parallels between Max’s world and the island of the Wild Things are numerous – a much-needed second viewing uncovered more depth than I originally inspected. And Max Records gives a mesmerizing, complex performance – his very first – handily grasping his character’s joy, pain, anguish and pride with ease. It’s raw and quite frustrating at times, but that’s a tribute to how Jonze (and writer Dave Eggers) follow their unconventional visions and take risks to deliver a deeply personal message. It’s certainly more arthouse fare than Nickelodeon fodder, but it is also whimsical and tender. To paraphrase one of the Wild Things: I eat it up, I love it so.

A Little Trivia: Initially, Warner Bros. was so unhappy with Spike Jonze’s final movie, they wanted to re-shoot the whole $75 milion project in early 2008. Jonze was eventually given some more time and money by the studio in order to make the final product satisfying to both, the studio and himself.

2) Fantastic Mr. Fox

(Director: Wes Anderson)

From one independent director tackling a mainstream adaptation of a beloved children’s book to another… Wes Anderson’s foray into the world of stop-motion animation made me realize how much better the zany personalities and offbeat eccentricities common in his other films would be if they were drawn as cartoons instead. Ranking among the upper pantheon of Pixar’s modern classics, Fantastic Mr. Fox tells the story of a sly fox (voiced by George Clooney) who sneaks into three nearby estates and steals produce to feed him and his family (including his wife, Meryl Streep, and son, Jason Schwartzman). At a brisk 87 minutes, Fox is as endearing as it sublimely dazzling. The stop-motion animation is simply groundbreaking, full of scruffy stop-and-start motions that are delightful. The voice cast is simply delicious (Bill Murray as a badger and Willem Dafoe as a pesky rat round off an exceptional ensemble). But while there’s a lot of stop-motion wizardry at work, the story never lags beneath it. Anderson’s quick-witted dry humour and wacky energy mix effortlessly with family-friendly morals as warm and fuzzy as our clan of forest creatures. It’s Anderson’s most gleefully enchanting and raucously entertaining film to date.

A Little Trivia: The film was shot at a rate of 12 frames per second rather than the more fluid 24, so that viewers would notice the medium of stop-motion itself.

1) Up

(Directors: Pete Docter, Bob Peterson)

Several films I saw this year made me laugh. But Up did something that only one film – Disney’s The Lion King – has ever made me do: cry. And I’m proud to say it came from a feature by Pixar Animation Studios, who have done to computer-generated animation what Shakespeare did to theatre. It chronicles the adventure of 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen (voiced by Ed Asner), who sets off on his lifelong dream to visit an oasis called Paradise Falls as a tribute to his late wife Ellie. After lifting off – oh yeah, for the two of you who didn’t know, he travels by tying thousands of balloons to his house - he’s joined by a young Asian-American wilderness explorer named Russell (Jordan Nagai provides the voice). The adventure that drives the second half of the film is spectacularly thrilling, and the oddball set of supporting characters – a lovable talking canine named Dug who’s petrified by squirrels and a colourful squawker named Kevin – are downright hilarious. But there’s one thing that makes Up one of the best films Pixar (or any animation company) has ever released: the relationship between Carl and Ellie, shown in the film’s shattering prologue. Set to a simple yet sensationally moving score by Michael Giacchino, the introductory scenes show the couple meeting as kids, getting married, growing up through triumph and turmoil, and eventually getting old. As effortlessly buoyant and exhilarating Up is, it’s mere entertainment without that lovely, wordless, profoundly moving opening. The “Married Life” sequence may be the most poignant scene to ever be featured in an animated film. Cross my heart.

A Little Trivia: In June 2009, 10-year-old Colby Curtin from Huntington Beach, California, was suffering from the final stages of terminal vascular cancer. Her dying wish was to live long enough to see "Up." Unfortunately, Colby was too sick to leave home and her family feared she would die without seeing the film. A family friend contacted Pixar, and a private screening was arranged for Colby. The company flew an employee with a DVD copy of "Up," along with some tie-in merchandise from the film. Colby couldn't see the screen because the pain kept her eyes closed, so her mother gave her a play-by-play of the film. Seven hours after viewing the film, Colby passed away.


Post your favourite movies of the year, and thoughts of the above list, below.

Downey Disappoints in Extreme Makeover: Holmes Edition

Sherlock Holmes

** out of ****

Directed by: Guy Ritchie

Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong and Eddie Marsan

Running time: 128 minutes

Warner Bros. has attempted to capitalize on the recent wave of reboots – revamping staling franchises and characters a la Batman, James Bond and Star Trek – with their latest release, Sherlock Holmes.

The film remains true to Arthur Conan Doyle’s original stories. However, director Guy Ritchie, leading man Robert Downey Jr., and the screenwriting quadrant make mistakes that are, well, quite elementary.

We go to the grimy streets of 19th century Victorian London, where a powerful mystic named Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong) has killed five women by sacrificial rituals.

Thankfully, before a sixth falls victim, Blackwood is thwarted by detective Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr., pipe and deerstalker included) and his sidekick, Dr. John Watson (Jude Law). Blackwood is then arrested by the police, led by Inspector Lestrade (Eddie Marsan).

Months later, Holmes is bored by the lack of cases headed his way. A crafty pickpocket – and old flame – named Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams) offers him a sum to investigate a missing red-haired midget.

Meanwhile, on the day of Lord Blackwood’s execution, Holmes is summoned by the dark-arts master. Blackwood warns the detective that more deaths will occur after his hanging.

But, even though Watson declares him dead post-execution, Blackwood escapes from his tomb and an eyewitness reports his reincarnated body walking out of the cemetery. The case is on for Holmes and Watson.

Guy Ritchie, responsible for the ultra-violent Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, seems an odd choice to helm the adaptation of a film focusing on a literary legend. Still, he nails the dark, muddy design of Victorian London and clouds the screen – highly appropriately – with dim grays and blacks (menacing blackbirds, too).

He also pays tribute to Holmes’s origins. Audiences may be surprised to see their sleuth kicking butt in bare-chested brawls. In fact, Doyle’s original character was composed of both mental and physical muscle. The film also touches upon Holmes’s drug use and vulgar behaviour, keeping true to Doyle’s detective in his earlier short stories.

However, the hyperkinetic feel of Ritchie’s action sequences disservices Holmes. There is little coherence or rhythm to the editing. The opening fight scene involving Holmes, Watson and a clan of Blackwood’s henchmen is especially messy and confusing.

Moreover, the computerized effects seem unfinished and out-of-place, which don’t help the film’s more exciting sequences.

Robert Downey Jr. has recently enjoyed a healthy career boost. While he’s given some formidable work – his role in Tropic Thunder was that film’s saving grace – he is less than suitable to fit the shoes of the classic sleuth.

Downey Jr. mumbles and fidgets his way through the film, as if he’s portraying Jack Sparrow playing Sherlock Holmes. He never seems to delve into Holmes the “person,” but manages to nail only the loony “character” aspects.

Law, on the other hand, is quite excellent as Sherlock’s stern second-hand man. He has good chemistry with Downey Jr., although he’s never allowed to rise above sidekick status. McAdams, on the other hand, does not spark much chemistry with Downey Jr. Regardless, she also could have gotten more time to flesh out her character.

The script is quite a mess (and not just with the character development). It took four screenwriters to tackle this reboot, and unfortunately, the film seems like the result of many quite-different drafts collided together.

There is some buddy-comedy banter between Holmes and Watson, alongside more serious action fare, not to mention the central mystery story. This juggling of elements ensures that the film remains inconsistent in tone until two-thirds of the way through, when it finally finds its groove.

Perhaps the writers should have focused more on creating a strong film than kick-starting a franchise.

Sherlock Holmes certainly has the potential for a fantastic revamp – from a hip director to an excellent pair of lead actors to the authentic, gothic look. But it’s no mystery where this film goes wrong: the evidence is all around.