Apr 20
In an age where many of us have taken to social networking to find out what’s happened to those we grew up with and spent our formative years with, Jason Reitman’s Young Adult is a near-perfect capsule of what it feels like to look down on someone – and fall flat on our faces. Written by Diablo Cody, this film marks the first time since Juno that the writer and Reitman have worked together.
The Artist is a risky film not because it is a silent film but because it potentially could’ve been overrun by its gimmick. There was word of walkouts because it was a silent film and some didn’t have the patience to sit through roughly 100 minutes of French-made romance with little-to-no dialogue to speak of. That certainly says more about today’s mostly spoon-fed audiences, of course, but it was a mountain Michel Hazanavicius’ picture had to climb nevertheless.
Every so often, Disney puts out a film that reveals that there’s still some magic left in the tank. Winnie the Pooh is one such film, with just the right touches of nostalgia and modernity to continue the legacy of the lovable characters from A. A. Milne. The movie is the fifth theatrical Winnie the Pooh release and the 51st entry overall in Disney’s Animated Classics canon.
First off, full disclosure: I was raised on The Muppet Show. The song-and-dance variety program was a staple in my home growing up and the Muppets, created by Jim Henson back in the mid-50s, never really fell out of favour with me. If there was a moment that came close to ringing the death knell for Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, it was when Disney finally made good on their designs to buy the Muppets property in 2004.
Louis Malle’s Vanya on 42nd Street is a fascinating piece of work that blurs the lines between film, the theatre, and the human experience while captivating every step of the way. Malle’s last motion picture is handsomely minimalistic as it strips away many familiar storytelling elements to get to the fundamental truth of its characters.
