1993

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June 16, 2009

Manhattan Murder Mystery

Posted by Jordan Richardson under 1993, comedy, crime, entertainment, movies, mystery | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |
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Woody Allen’s 1993 film Manhattan Murder Mystery is a fun sort of gumshoe detective movie with a nice twist about marital bliss and showing interest in your significant other’s, well, interests. The screenplay for Manhattan Murder Mystery started out as the screenplay to Annie Hall. Woody felt the piece was a little too lightweight, however, and wound up shelving it for a few years.

Allen’s life was in turmoil during this period, as he was engaged in the stuff of tabloids on an almost daily basis. This comedic mystery was a way for him to unwind and concentrate on something less serious. It is a light comedy, for certain, with plenty of laughs and quick-witted lines and even a touch of physical comedy. It is also very sweet, especially towards the conclusion of the film, as the characters begin to find their places in life again.

Diane Keaton stars as Carol Lipton and Allen is her husband Larry. They meet their neighbours, Paul (Jerry Adler) and Lillian (Lynn Cohen) House. Paul bores Larry with his stamp collection, while Carol is happy to meet some new people in the building. After a night out on the town, Larry and Carol come back to find that Lillian has suffered a heart attack and died.

Through a series of prompts and pushes thanks to their friend Ted (Alan Alda), Carol becomes obsessed with the idea that Paul killed his wife. She soon drags Larry into it as well and they take to solving the mystery themselves. This leads them into some interesting situations and sheds light on the reality of their relationship, especially illuminating Ted’s interest in Carol and Larry’s interest in Marcia Fox (Anjelica Huston).

Keaton and Allen are essentially reprising their roles from Annie Hall, which works to an extent. Allen is still neurotic and paranoid, while Keaton is still holding it down in the balance and brimming with energy and pluck. They work well off of one another, thanks in large part due to their natural chemistry, and the movie soon becomes a game of egging one another on to seek out the eerie results of this murder mystery.

Manhattan Murder Mystery works as a nice return to comedy for Allen after doing a string of dramatic pieces. Allen’s work shooting Manhattan is impeccable, as usual, and the city streets become characters of their own. It is interesting how he utilizes the concept of space and proximity to drive the story, as the Lipton’s propinquity to their neighbours sets up a sort of “window to the soul” that makes Carol all the more curious as to what happens.

Along with being a film about neighbours and late night suspicions, this is a movie about marriage. Allen’s Larry joins with Carol in her suspicion only after he determines he is losing her to Ted. He loves her and she loves him, but they haven’t done anything exciting in years and Carol fears that they are drifting apart and into a pair of “old shoes.” This turns out to be the driving force behind Larry’s involvement with her in solving the mystery.

Manhattan Murder Mystery is fun stuff, that’s for sure. It’s an enjoyable romp and, while it seems to escape Allen’s grasp during some sequences and bends a little too much to solve the “mystery,” it’s still a great time and far better than most modern comedies. The performances are top-notch, the chemistry between Allen and Keaton can’t be beat, and the shots of Manhattan are beautiful.

7.9/10

 

May 9, 2009

The Scent of Green Papaya

Posted by Jordan Richardson under 1993, drama, entertainment, foreign, movies, trailers | Tags: , , , , , , , , |
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French-Vietnamese director Tran Anh Hung is quickly becoming one of my favourites with his marvellously-detailed and calming meditations on life in Vietnam. That’s why I was thrilled to find out that he has a new project on the horizon after an extended sabbatical. I Come With the Rain, featuring Josh Hartnett, puts Tran Anh Hung at the helm of a thriller and should be a extraordinary change. Release details are sketchy for North America, sadly, and it seems a bit of a mystery as to when it will come out here.

Nevertheless, Tran Anh Hung’s debut continues to satisfy with each viewing. The Scent of Green Papaya, from 1993, is a remarkable motion picture with an elegant Tôn-Thât Tiêt score. This is a film that requires a patient, peaceful attitude. It takes its time, seeps in, and settles gently. Tran Anh Hung’s The Vertical Ray of the Sun follows a similar pattern, setting up a surprisingly tumultuous set of characters and storylines in a peaceful, lush environment.

I daresay that lovers of conventional movies need not apply, but my love of this film is so deep that I’d rather not deny it to anyone. True lovers of film, music, or art prefer not to remain in the shadows alone with their “obscure” musical acts or pictures. Instead, the desire to share and to shout from the mountaintops of this love and this infatuation should be at the fore. Conventional moviegoers will need to learn to calm down and breathe when experiencing Tran Anh Hung’s film, doubtlessly, but the final experience will be gratifying and comforting.

The Scent of Green Papaya tells a story based in Vietnam between the late 1940s and early 1960s. We are given access to the story through the eyes of a servant girl, Mui (Man San Lu), as she takes up with a family at the age of ten. She is simple and wise beyond her years. Happily, we notice what she notices as she observes the plants in the green garden of her employers or checks out a frog playing in a puddle. It is a peaceful existence, to be sure, and Mui goes about her work good-naturedly and gladly.

As such, the workings of the household are shown only through her eyes. Mui doesn’t understand the complexity behind the domestic struggles, but she (and we) can piece together some details. The father is a drinker and leaves the home with all of the family’s money periodically. The mother works hard to raise her children. The family has lost a daughter and Mui begins to take the place of their deceased child. The cycles of blame, betrayal, anger, and so forth are not the focus of Mui’s observances, however. Instead, she is more concerned with the bugs, the fruit, and the natural world around her.

Of course, Mui grows older and things become more complicated in her life. She leaves her original employers in a tearful sequence and, at age 20, becomes a servant for a young man who is a friend of her original employers. There are hints of romance, even sex, but Tran Anh Hung’s simple and peaceful approach creates a film more dedicated to the poetry of love and humanity and less dedicated to the anger and traditional dramatic effects we might be used to in North American cinema.

Roger Ebert, when discussing The Scent of Green Papaya, compares the film to a piece of soothing music. This is certainly true. There is visual perfection here, of course, and the pace of life given to the movie’s characters is engrossing. There is value in the simplicity and magic in the work that Mui does. She takes joy in preparing a lovely meal for her employers, takes pride in doing her tasks correctly and efficiently, and doesn’t look back or wonder how or why she is just a servant girl. In her mind and in the minds of all observers, this is a non-issue. Mui is a woman who has learned to really, really enjoy life. We should be so lucky.

9.6/10

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December 22, 2007

Dazed and Confused

Posted by Jordan Richardson under 1993, comedy, drama, entertainment, trailers | Tags: , , , , , , |
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Dazed and Confused

Dazed and Confused is the quintessential high school film. Richard Linklater (Before Sunrise, Slacker) wrote and directed this 1993 film about a wandering and rambling day and night on the last day of school in 1976. Known for being one of the most famous high school films of all time and often cited as being the starting point for many young careers with its large ensemble cast. Dazed and Confused did not do overly well at the box office when it first opened, but has since achieved cult status and consistently ranks on top lists of high school films. It is my favourite of the high school film genre and captures the impulsive and roving mood of one night in the lives of many like no other film I’ve seen.

The film stars Jason London as Randall “Pink” Floyd, the star football player at Lee High School in Austin, Texas. He’s struggling with signing a contract with his coach that promises to have a drug-free summer. Meanwhile, the seniors of participating in the annual hazing process of the freshmen kids. The seniors run around town terrorizing freshmen throughout the film as a part of one of many overlapping and interacting tales. Floyd and his friends ramble about in the evening after school, driving around in cars with friends, smoking pot, and trying to track down a decent party. The film meanders through the various characters, allowing us to get to know their motivations and interact with their lives as they interact with one another.

The film also stars Ben Affleck, Parker Posey, Rory Cochrane, Wiley Wiggins, Michelle Burke, Adam Goldberg, and Matthew McConaughey to name a few. Its large ensemble cast is a big part of the selling feature of Dazed and Confused, as the performers really capture the nature of the roles they play. McConaughey, for example, plays a man who has long since graduated, but still hangs around high schoolers looking for some action. His role is both poignant and creepy, as we aren’t shown much behind Wooderson, his character, but we are shown the heart he has for the high school life and his desire to continue to participate in it.

Dazed and Confused takes on coming of age, authority issues, and angst with a freedom that few other films attempt. The film relies on its dialogue, for the most part, to drive the action and steers clear of hackneyed sexual archetypes with its gleeful energy and self-awareness. The characters are real, rich, and textured. The obnoxiousness of other genre films, like American Pie, is thankfully lacking in Linklater’s film and, instead, these kids are treated with dignity regardless of their role in the film. It is a film that bristles with an energy that many films lack.

Some characters are experiencing anxiety because of the transition from middle school to high school, such as Mitch (Wiggins) and Sabrina (Christin Hinojosa). These characters work with the transition easily, as both make romantic connections with other older characters. Other characters resist peer pressure in certain ways, such as Floyd as he refuses to sign the pledge and go along with the requests of authority. Others have conversations about the direction of their lives or about the changing times, such as a particularly enlightening and compelling conversation about the “every other decade” theory. Other characters reject adult culture at large, such as Wooderson, and instead choose to “live” in their own reality while rejecting the confines of other realities. This freedom is the focal point of Dazed and Confused and represents a bright spirit within that dazzles with its optimism for life. It is a life-affirming film in a neglected genre of insipidness.

The soundtrack is also tremendous, here, with many nostalgic tunes guiding the way. Linklater uses Foghat, Alice Cooper, ZZ Top, Black Oak Arkansas, Ted Nugent, and other giants of classic rock to propel his characters through the situations. The music helps the film on so many levels, giving it a legitimate energy and giving its characters richness. There are two Dazed and Confused soundtracks, one released in 1993 and one released a year later. Both are anthologies of classic rock and reflections of a more impactful time in music.

Dazed and Confused works on so many levels because of its energy, its heart, and its power. It is a film that feels free, limitless, and exciting. Without the use of standard setups or plot devices, Dazed and Confused is among the best of teen films for a reason. Its spirit, its intelligence, its wit, its focus, and its reality help create a film classic for all generations. It’s a commendable look back and a praiseworthy anthropological vision of better daze.

9/10

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