TWILIGHT (2008)

(November 2008, U.S.)

Just a quick note that I intentionally identify the year of this film as 2008 so as not to confuse it with the 1998 Robert Benton film of the same name with Paul Newman and Susan Sarandon.

By all accounts, there's no reason in the world for me to like a movie like TWILIGHT.  To begin with, I'm not a young adult in high school, and with the exception of the Harry Potter series, I have little-to-no interest in popular series of fiction that's very popular with young adults (including my son) like THE HUNGER GAMES or DIVERGENT series.  Second, vampire films are about a dime a dozen ever since the first adaptation of Bram Stoker's DRACULA, and after a while, if you've seen one, you've seen nearly all of them.

So why the attraction to a movie like TWILIGHT?  I mean, it's not like Kristen Stewart is naked in this movie (unfortunately).  I'm also not a young woman with a crush on  a guy like Robert Pattinson.  So there must be something I deem worthy behind this introductory film to what eventually becomes a series of its own.  Let's see if we can't figure it out together.

Stewart plays Bella Swan, a seventeen year-old outcast from Phoenix, Arizona who's just moved to the small town of Forks in the state of Washington to live with her father, the town's chief of police.  She manages to make friends at her new high school easily, but is surprised to find that the school's heartthrob Edward Cullen is practically physically repulsed by her.  Angered, yet intrigued, she seeks to learn why Cullen is keeping his distance from her, even as he repeatedly tries to talk to her.  Days later, Bella is nearly hit by a skidding van in the school parking lot when Edward instantaneously covers the distance between her and his own car and saves her by stopping the van with just his hand.  Refusing to explain how he did that, he warns her against befriending her.  Of  course, she doesn't listen.  Her native American friend Jacob tells her a tale of a long-standing animosity between the Cullen family and his own, citing that the Cullens are not permitted on his reservation.

After some stubborn research, Bella concluded that Edward's mysterious powers are identical to that of the traditional vampire.  He doesn't deny this when confronted by her, buy says that he and his family are like vampire "vegetarians" who only consume animal blood, and not people's.  However, there are three other nomadic vampires out there who aren't so kind, having already eaten two of the local town folks.  Of course Edward and Bella fall in love, and it's now his obligation to keep her safe from those who would eat her for dinner, while keeping the secret of his own identity and his family's.  In the film's climax at an old ballet studio, Bella is attacked and infected with vampire venom.  After a ferocious battle, Edward saves her from becoming a vampire herself by sucking out the venom, but has to control his impulsive nature to devour her completely.  The film ends rather sweetly with the high school prom, but the door is already open for what will continue in four more films.

So, my not being a reader of the TWILIGHT series of books, it's important to note my reasons for being attracted to the first as a stand-alone film.  The reason is simple in that the film in its own way is simple.  Rather than overplay the card in which most fans would demand a whole lot of overblown action and special effects, the film recognizes the style of taking its time to not only introduce us to a series of mysterious characters, but to carefully explore the mystery of who Edward Cullen is (we already know, of course), what makes him exist the way he is, and what the dangers inherently are of him falling in love with a mortal young woman like Bella.  The film doesn't pretend to be an action thriller, but rather a troubled romance, and I think I'm able to totally appreciate and understand that.  It conveys the magic and the miracle of meeting that one special person you've been waiting for who truly moves you.  Some of us never see that sort of magic in real life.  Or if we do, it doesn't always last forever (amazing how a movie about vampires can teach a life lesson or two).

Favorite line or dialogue:

Bella Swan: "About three things I was absolutely certain.  First, Edward was a vampire.  Second, there was a part of him, and I didn't know how potent that part might be, that thirsted for my blood.  And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him."

21 GRAMS

(November 2003, U.S.)

Ever since PULP FICTION in 1994, I've become a big fan of films with stories told in a non-linear manner: in other words, where events are portrayed out of chronological order or in other ways where the traditional narrative doesn't necessarily follow the direct pattern of movie events.  But for the purposes of this blog post, it's probably best that I describe things in the chronological order.

Ex-convict Jack Jordan (played by Benicio del Toro) has found a new religious faith in order to recover from alcoholism and drug addiction, although his family has little understanding and patience for his newfound faith in Jesus Christ.  In another part of the same city, Paul Rivers (played by Sean Penn) is a mathematics professor with a fatal heart condition, and unless he receives a new heart from an organ donor, he'll be dead within a month.  Paul's dedicated wife wants him to donate his sperm so she can have his baby if he dies.  And in yet another part of that same city, Christina Peck (played by Naomi Watts) is a recovering drug addict (another one?) living a traditional suburban life with her husband and two daughters.  The lives and stories of these three people become linked together when Jack kills Christina's husband and daughters in a hit-and-run accident, and her husband's heart is donated to Paul.

The loss of her family turns Christina back to drugs, and she comes into contact with Paul, who has deliberately sought her out to find out more about his heart donor.  Stricken with guilt over the accident, Jack turns to drugs again and eventually decides to turn himself in, citing his "duty to God."  While incarcerated, he renounces God and even attempt suicide.  He's, nonetheless, released from prison after Christina declines to press charges, though she will eventually decides she wants Jack dead instead.  When she and Paul finally meet and develop their own romantic relationship, (oh yeah, Naomi Watts is naked, by the way)...

...she convinces Paul to help carry out her obsession with extracting revenge on Jack.  Paul and Christina check into the same motel where Jack is living now, and their plan eventually takes shape when Paul grabs Jack and leads him to an isolated clearing, intent on killing him at gunpoint.  However, Paul is unable to kill, and orders him to just disappear.  This plan backfires, however, and the three of them are inevitably brought together in a moment of gun violence in the motel room, resulting in Jack and Christina rushing Paul to the hospital.  Jack attempts to tell the police that he was the one who shot Paul, but is released when his story doesn't confirm with the actual events of what happened.  Paul dies (spoiler), and the conflict between Jack and Christina remains unresolved.

The filming style of 21 GRAMS is very distinctive in that it involves rather gritty, hand-held camera shots and the use of unique color photographic images to distinguish each character's storyline and their developments.  Jack's story appears to use warm colors, Paul's story appears to use cool colors, and Christina's appear to be more neutral.  While the narrative of the story remains structured to a degree, it's non-linear form provides a very stylish, if not haunting drama of three lives lost, and destined to crash into each other at some point.  The outstanding performances by its three principles are gripping and able to move and astonish us with it's unique (and even satisfying) story of what is supposed to be a look at ordinary life...in its most extraordinary vision.

Favorite line or dialogue:

Paul Rivers (to his wife Mary): "We've been a fraud for a long time."

25TH HOUR

(December 2002, U.S.)

Spike Lee is a director I've tried to follow closely ever since his triumphant DO THE RIGHT THING (1989), a film I consider to the best of the 1980s.  Like so many other directors, he's had his hits and misses with me, but I've often been very curious when he decides to make a film that doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the struggle of his people.  His film 25TH HOUR was one of the earliest films to directly deal with the tragedy of September 11, 2001, and it's well integrated into the life of of Montgomery Brogan (played by Edward Norton) as he prepares to begin serving a seven-year prison sentence for drug dealing.  He plans to spend his last night of freedom with childhood friends Frank and Jacob (Barry Pepper and the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman, respectively) at a Manhattan nightclub, as well as his girlfriend Naturelle (played by Rosario Dawson).  Frank is a hotshot, loudmouth Wall Street trader and Jacob is an introverted high school teach with a forbidden crush on his seventeen year-old (underage) student Mary (played by a very sexy Anna Paquin).  His father is a retired firefighter and recovering alcoholic who owns a bar (yeah, I'm sure that helps matters) and plans to drive his son to prison in the morning.

Through the use of flashbacks, we see just how Monty came to be arrested and how his Russian contacts try to convince him that it was Naturelle who turned him in to the Feds.  We see how he met Naturelle in the first place, she being just an eighteen year-old high school girl sitting in the park.  Their love is meant to be genuine and true, but somehow I can never get past the idea that it was simply a horny young man who wanted to get laid by a high school girl fantasy.  The fantasy does turn to love though, but it's hard for others not to suspect the girlfriend of not only living high on Monty's money, but not caring enough to get him to stop dealing drugs.

Back at the nightclub, Jacob is on the verge of turning into a pedophile, and Mary's sexually-motivated interests in him aren't helping matters.  He finally finds the courage to kiss Mary in the bathroom, but both of them appear to be in shock afterwards, going their separate ways and not saying a word about it.  Upstairs at the club, the Russian mob reveals that it was one of their own who betrayed Monty and turned him in.  Refusing the opportunity to extract revenge on his own, he walks away leaving the informant to be killed by the Russian mobsters. 

In the morning, Monty shocks his friends (and us) by demanding that Frank beat his face in so that he won't be such an attractive target of rape when he gets to prison.  An insane request, yes, but it somehow makes sense when you consider the fear Monty is facing and that going in ugly may be his only chance of survival.  On the road trip with his father to the prison, Monty is suddenly faced with the option (and the fantasy) of driving west into hiding, where he could begin a new life and start a family with Naturelle.  This unfortunately is just a fantasy, because when it's over, Monty is still just a beaten man on his way to prison.  Still, we couldn't help but imagine the possibilities of freedom along with him.

As an actor, Edward Norton has often surprised me with his dramatic abilities.  That doesn't necessarily mean I can forgive him for his pointless portrayal of Will Graham in RED DRAGON (2002) and Bruce Banner in THE INCREDIBLE HULK (2008).  But what's most unforgettable about him in 25TH HOUR is his personal lashing out at himself in the nightclub bathroom mirror, as he proceeds to angrily rant against all the New York City stereotypes he can think of, from the cab drivers to the corner grocers, to the mobsters, to the terrorists, declaring that he hates them all with an ongoing "Fuck you!"  This act of stereotypical targeting is, of course, very unpolitically correct, but in the wake of 9/11, we all couldn't help but feel a little (or a lot) of Ed's anger toward those who made this country more of a difficult place to live in.

Favorite line or dialogue:

Monty Brogan (staring at himself in the mirror): "Fuck the Wall Street brokers!  Self-styled masters of the universe!  Michael Douglas, Gordon Gekko wannabe motherfuckers, figuring out new ways to rob hard working people blind!  Send those Enron assholes to jail for fucking life!  You think Bush and Cheney didn't know about this shit?  Give me a fucking break!"

12 MONKEYS

(December 1995, U.S.)

Lately my son is really into watching downloadable TV and movies about time travel. It's no wonder the possibilities of such a concept have been popular in our media culture ever since H.G. Wells first told us story of THE TIME MACHINE. For my generation, we had reruns of THE TWILIGHT ZONE on late night TV, PLANET OF THE APES sequels, and the entire BACK TO THE FUTURE trilogy, just to name some examples. By today's standards, I can barely keep up with all the stories out there, on screen and in print, that involve time travel. Really, it's all too much to keep up with, which is why I suppose for the last several decades, I've been very selective about what sort of time travel stories I enjoy.

12 MONKEYS by Terry Gilliam (of Monty Python fame) takes the concept and points out that it can be terribly flawed. Despite its flaws, though, time travel is responsible for attempting to control a deadly virus which was released in the year 1996, wiping out most of humanity. Survivors like James Cole (played by Bruce Willis) in the year 2035 are forced to live underground in the ruins of Philadelphia, and in his time, a group known as the Army of the Twelve Monkeys is believed to have been the ones responsible for releasing the deadly virus. Cole is selected for training and sent back in time to locate the original virus in order to aid scientists in developing a cure. He's haunted by reoccurring dreams involving a foot chase and shooting at an airport.

Time traveling back to Baltimore, he mistakenly arrives in the year 1990 instead of 1996, as intended. He's arrested and thrown into a mental hospital with a sea of crazies. He's diagnosed by Dr. Kathryn Railly (played by Madeline Stowe) and determined to have fanatical environmental and anti-corporatist views (whatever the hell that means). Despite his best explanation of his mission regarding the virus outbreak and the fact that it cannot be changed, he's deemed just another psychotic. He manages to escape through his own time portal, and ends up back in 2035. He's interrogated by the scientists who play for him a distorted voicemail message asserting the connection between the Army of the Twelve Monkeys and the virus. Cole is given another chance to complete his mission and he's sent back in time again, but he accidentally arrives in the middle of a World War I battlefield, and is shot in the leg before being sent back to 1996 again.

During a book signing for her new publication, Dr. Railly meets Dr. Peters (played by David Morse) who speaks of apocalyptic alarmists who represent sane visions while the true lunacy is humanity's gradual destruction of the environment. When Cole and Dr. Railly are eventually reunited, he forces her to drive him to Philadelphia when they learn of the Army's leader Jeffrey Goines (played by Brad Pitt), who was also once in the mental hospital with Cole in 1996, is also the founder, though he denies any involvement and cites that the virus was originated by his virologist father. Meanwhile Dr. Railly discovers evidence of his time travel which she shows him, believing him to be sane. They decide to depart for the Florida Keys before the onset of the plague begins. They soon learn the Army is not the source of the epidemic, but rather an animal rights group whose major act is to release all the animals from the local zoo to create havoc in the streets.

At the airport, Cole leaves a final message with the scientists of 2035, declaring the Army is the wrong direction for the virus and that he won't be returning. Dr. Railly also spots Dr. Peters at the airport, and he's preparing a tour of several cities of the world that match the locations and sequence of the viral outbreaks (in other words, he's the bad guy carrying the virus). Cole's airport dream is now a reality, as he's fatally shot by police while trying to stop Dr. Peters with his own gun. As Cole dies in Dr. Railly's arms, his death is witnessed by a small boy who turns out to be James Cole himself (as a boy).

Because the concept of time travel is so vast with possibilities, it's almost impossible to keep up with all of its theories and conspiracies. 12 MONKEYS takes time travel and explores the nature of memories and their impact on our perceptions of what reality is. Cole's false memories and dreams of the airport shooting are altered every time he dreams it, and it's a complete mental case like Brad Pitt who actually has the false memories. And for ourselves as viewers, our own memories are challenged in not only keeping up with mind-blowing twists and turns, but in completely absorbing what is ultimately an effective and thought-provoking film experience. Like BLADE RUNNER, it's a cold and dark vision of doom and madness, with a hero like Bruce Willis who tries to prevail against the odds of chaos and his own depleted physical condition. Rather than attempting to change the past, as many time travel tales embark on, he instead observes it in order to try and improve the future.

You know, I can't help but wonder if such time travel were possible in real life, what attempts could we make to alter our bleak world today which is currently drowning in its own pandemic fears and chaos of COVID-19? In 12 MONKEYS, there is no hope because the future cannot be changed. I hope we can do better.

Favorite line or dialogue:

James Cole: "It's just like what's happening with us, like the past. The movie never changes. It can't change, but every time you see it, it seems different because you're different. You see different things."