Waltz with Bashir

Waltz with Bashir used animation in a way I have never seen before, and after viewing it, I can’t imagine seeing that film any other way. Animation was an excellent choice for the medium of this film, it allowed the subject-matter to wander, perfectly depicting men’s terrified faces in battle and the realistic etchings of war. The film’s animation gave it a quality of surrealism that made these hallucinations and recounts by the characters plausible and mesmerizing. Waltz with Bashir deals with the psychological repercussions of war in a very distinct and unique way.

Of course we have seen many well-revered war films, which are fully stocked with gratuitous scenes of gore and combat. During which the main character has a moment where they have become psychologically damaged, and then there always flashbacks where they remember what happened. These remembrances can often be used to tell part of the story, but in Waltz with Bashir this method is not some Hollywood method of storytelling, it is used to help audiences see the horrors of what truly happened in Beirut, Lebanon in 1982. The whole story unravels, recounting everything that happened during the Sabra and Shatila massacre. The main character, is trying to find out what happened during the war because it seems he has forgotten his part. He is haunted by a vision that he is not sure even happened, so he tries to find others who were with him, who might be able to help him remember. The sequences in which the characters describe their memories are animated with deep grays and polluted yellows that make the memory so defined and vivid. The coloring is completely different than when the main character is just speaking with his friends in reality, but when they flashback it is very visually stimulating and hard to forget. Which is exactly how the men feel about the memories as they are narrating, so we the audience are there on the beaches of Beirut right alongside them. This was not just a story, this really happened and some of the film had deliberate camera movement resulting in a documentary style, including real interviews.

We are used to seeing animation with little puppies that can’t find their way home, and often animation is taken lightly and no deeper meaning or thought provoking is necessary, but in Waltz with Bashir that is changed completely and you become immersed in the plight of these people in a very confusing time in Lebanon. Not only the color and animation, but also the music is breathtakingly beautiful. Softly in the background a piano plays while people are being shot, hunted or chased. This accompaniment down plays the action so it is more emotional than frightening.

The end is surprising and will make you evaluate the film as a part of history, with the eyes of a human being, not just a voyer. I highly recommend this film as a wonderful look into the injustices of war and it’s repercussions on those involved. I also regard this film with much respect as one of the best war films of our time. You won’t need popcorn for this one, just observe thoughtfully.

Waitress

A large percentage of men and women wait tables at some point in their lives. Either to make enough money to get themselves through college, or transitionally while they wait for something better to come along. However, what about those unfortunate, brave souls who choose this as their career and find themselves day and after day in a restaurant. For Jenna Hunterson, Keri Russell's character in Waitress, her life is a nightmare. The film finds Jenna at the time in her life when everything is going wrong and life has got her down, yet we experience her kindness and creativity through the eyes of her friends and regulars.

This film was written and directed by Adrianne Shelley who plays Dawn, a soft-spoken lonely-heart. She was known for working with another independent film director named Hal Hartley, known for Trust, which starred Adrianne. Waitress came out in May of 2007, but she was killed on November 1, 2006 in her apartment in New York. It was unfortunately her last work, but it was magnificent. Her little girl Sophie played the toddler at the end of the film and the cast went on Oprah to promote her work and honor her, but otherwise this film had little to no press.

It is a very small independent film, but Adrianne did an excellent job getting the most out of her actor’s comedic timing, by putting the camera in just the right spot. The camera would sometimes slowly zoom into a shot where Jenna had a comedic expression and it made that moment all the more hilarious. There are also elements of hilarity and surprise, which are interspersed through the three main characters’ conversations at the restaurant. With topics like uneven saggy boobs and an elfish stalker, there is always something to talk about.

Waitress is incredibly heartwarming, in a way that has you whimpering at the end, but the most unique aspect of the film, is that Jenna has these daydreams when she is alone. Her imagination adds an almost magical aspect to the film, in these moments in which she makes up a new combination. The ingredients pour in slowly and we watch the new creation unfold. We see the pie being made, accompanied by dreamlike chords and then she names it depending on her mood, like I Hate My Husband Pie...

This is a film that helps you appreciate life and its many surprises and misfortunes. It also presents some words of wisdom, advice everybody should take at least once in their life...Sometimes you just need to start fresh. Life doesn't always turn out the way you plan it, so you reprioritize and change it! Instead surround yourself with what makes you happy. This film is the best restaurant comedy I have ever seen. So butter your popcorn, and surround yourself with happiness.

All About Eve vs. All About Steve

You wouldn't believe how much the "st" matters when deciphering the differences between these two films. All About Eve is a film everyone should see. One of the top 100 greatest American films of all time, with Betty Davis, as an aging starlet and Anne Baxter, as an eager conniving assistant desperate to get to the top, but All About Steve is a charming film about an innocent woman with good intentions that unfolds a lesson, which every young woman should learn. The message is that being accepted for who you are is more important than trying to fit into the normal mold. I understand that this lesson has seen many forms in hundreds of films, from Titanic to Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, however in the romantic comedy genre, we usually see a girl/woman who is individual and wonderful, but somehow is always made better by meeting her other half. But Sandra Bullock's character in all About Steve discovers that she is better off being herself.

A romantic comedy usually follows the formula Boy meets girl, Boy falls for girl, Boy gets girl, Boy loses girl, Boy gets girl back, but in All About Steve it uniquely reverses itself and ends with Girl finding herself. This fresh perspective on how a lover is supposed to make you feel about yourself is touching and empowering. Although most of the film you are made uncomfortable by Sandra Bullock's character, Mary, because of her insanely energetic actions and antics, there are also brief moments that you, the audience, feel like you might want to be a better person. There were also a few wildly funny moments, however, on a whole, I think this film was trying to accomplish too much. It was all about Mary, not Steve and while trying to market to the Friday night date audience, this film lost sight of what it truly should have been about... the journey of a very unique woman becoming comfortable in her own skin. Although Bradley Cooper is a very attractive and otherwise crowd pleasing romantic comedy actor, this film didn't need him, just like Mary.

Many good films use parallels to illustrate a lesson or deeper meaning. That is what helps a film connect and touch audiences in theaters and homes everywhere. All About Steve used the pastime of crosswords to explain life’s challenges; this was a very original idea and poignant message that made Sandra Bullock's character more dynamic and lovable. This film was enjoyable, however I would wait to see it when it makes its way into blockbuster... Butter your popcorn and enjoy being yourself!

Far From Heaven

Red leaves tumble through the air landing softly on green grass, landing in front of a charming brick home located in a normal suburban neighborhood in Hartford Connecticut. Although the exterior is perfectly kept and innocent, the contents of the household are in turmoil. This is not the first time in film history, that we the audience view a film where there is something more going on under the surface.

This set-up was reminiscent of films in the 40's and 50's by Douglas Sirk, who was fascinated with unearthing the issues of the heart. His dramas reeked with tension and deep yearning for something that, due to societal restrictions, was out of reach for the main character. Far From Heaven's director, Todd Haynes, undoubtedly stepped in this great director's shadow as he made this film. It follows a family in which, Julianne Moore, a mother of two and an all around wonderful housewife and member of society, discovers that her husband has secrets, which will change their life and reputation forever. Starved for true friends and affection, she becomes friendly with the Gardner, who is African American. This relationship, although beneficial for her, is detrimental to her family and she must part from him. This story is very touching and portrays the unfairness of life and it's limitations.

Douglas Sirk tackled these issues in most of his films, but in particular, All That Heaven Allows, was a film very similar to this one, where a widower falls in love with her Gardener and must choose society's ways and her children's happiness, over her own passions. Not only the story, but also the colors, dialogue and usage of mirrors are directly related to the style Sirk used in his melodramas. Sirk loved using mirrors to show the audience the duplicity of his characters. He also used mirrors so that the character could look deeply and truly evaluate themselves as people. This tactic, I believe, helped to reveal the main character to the audience, in the moment of their contemplation, as if we were making the decision too. In Far From Heaven there are a few instances where Julianne Moore's character looks into the mirror at her self. One in particular is when she decides to go see the Gardener, Raymond, one last time. Douglas Sirk was not an activist, but in a way he brought these deeply imbedded prejudices in the American culture to the surface through his films and Todd Haynes has succeeded in doing so again in Far From Heaven.

This film is not one you rent from red box for a dollar and watch with your loved one cuddled on the couch, or with your buddies on a Friday night while eating your eighth slice of pizza, however it brings something to the art of filmmaking that is peculiar and beautiful, and shouldn't be any less appreciated. So I would say pop a bag of popcorn with extra butter (to help ease the pain) and enjoy not just Far From Heaven, but also any of Douglas Sirk's masterpieces such as Imitation of Life, All That Heaven Allows or There's Always Tomorrow.