DARK HORSE (2012)

September 11, 2012

 Greetings again from the darkness. Director Todd Solondz is the master of film uncomfortableness. If you have seen his Happiness or Welcome to the Dollhouse, you won’t debate whether that’s a real word or not. Mr. Solondz has a way of finding the worst in his characters and then taking it even darker and more negative. And yet, somehow, his latest (and maybe his simplest film to date) could be called a comedy.

We are first introduced to Abe (Jordan Gelber) and Miranda (Selma Blair) as they share a table at a wedding, though obviously aren’t remotely together. He is oblivious to her near silent attempts to nicely avoid providing her phone number to him. The film moves quickly to provide proof that Abe is the epitome of arrested development. A mid-thirties something who not only “works” for his dad, but still lives with his parents (Mia Farrow, Christopher Walken) in a bedroom decorated with action figures. It’s difficult to look at someone who takes up as much space as Abe and categorize them as a kid, so I believe the better term is “not an adult”. He stalks Miranda and doesn’t seem to mind/notice that she is a heavily medicated depressed individual who looks at him like he’s a circus act.

Abe’s work environment is no better than his personal life. He brings nothing of value to his dad’s company, yet somehow thinks he is always being mistreated. This carries over to his feelings toward his brother Richard (Justin Bartha), who is a doctor. Abe, who dropped out of college, believes the only difference is that Richard was the favorite son and received special privileges. It’s very easy to label Abe a “loser”, but somehow Solondz manages to maintain our interest with small sparks of hope (very small).

 The hope quickly fades and Abe’s life heads on a fast downward spiral. There are some bizarre fantasy/dream sequences that involve the quiet, much older co-worker Marie (Donna Murphy), and a conversation in the car with his mother and brother that plays like something directly out of a Woody Allen movie (made even creepier with the presence of Mia Farrow), plus another odd sequence featuring Miranda’s ex (Aasif Mandvi) and the source of her Hep B.

There are some funny moments, but as Mr. Solondz would prefer, the laughs are tainted with guilt. We can’t help but wonder why we laugh at a guy for whom we have such little respect … actually bordering on disgust. I must admit to being pretty tired of Abe by the end of the movie, and couldn’t help wondering if it might have been more effective as a short film. Still, the acting was superb, and unfortunately Abe isn’t that much of a stretch from someone you probably know in real life.

SEE THIS MOVIE IF: you don’t mind a dose of guilt mixed with some humor

SKIP THIS MOVIE IF: you prefer to avoid the depressed and the losers amongst us.

watch the trailer:

 

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Posted by David Ferguson

WOODY ALLEN – HAPPY 75th!

December 1, 2010

Woody Allen turned 75 today.  Some have already stopped reading.  Others can’t wait to read the rest.  Such is the life of one of the most prolific filmmakers in cinematic history.  Some of us love his films.  Others express such sentiments as “not another Woody Allen movie”!  Many from both camps have little regard for how his personal life has played out.  Here, I only want to talk about movies.

He began writing jokes for the newspaper and talk shows when he was 15, but it wasn’t until the early 1960’s that his career really began to take hold … as a stand-up comedian.  His first foray into movie directing was in 1966 with What’s Up Tiger Lily?  In reality, that was the first “Mystery Science Theatre” because he took a Japanese spy film and re-wrote the dialog for comedic effect.  Since 1966, Woody Allen the director, has consistently cranked out an average of almost one movie every year.  43 films total, not counting the one he is currently working on.

 The first phase of his filmmaking is now known as “the early, funny ones”.  I am a little fuzzy on exactly how long this phase lasted, but I assume it concluded about the same time as his relationship with Diane Keaton.  History leads us to believe things changed for him in 1977 with the instant classic Annie Hall.  Adored by critics and filmgoers, the film won him his first and only (so far) Academy Award.  In 1979, he released my personal favorite, and he claims, his least favorite, Manhattan.

During the “Mia Farrow” phase, his pace of one per year continued with some more successful than others.  Hannah and Her Sisters, Crimes and Misdemeanors and Bullets Over Broadway all performed well enough at the box office, while also achieving the critical success he claimed to care so little about.

Many of his harshest critics claimed his movies always centered around the same three themes:

  1. God.  Specifically the questioning of his existence.
  2. Life After Death.
  3. Love and/or The Meaning of Life

The rebuttal from his supporters stated these topics were fascinating when Mr. Allen explored them through his writing and filmmaking.  What is extremely clear is that he was one of the few filmmakers who had control and the power to make the films he wanted to make, despite the fact that none were blockbusters and a few never turned a profit.

His current phase began with the startlingly good Match Point, which was also the first Woody Allen film not based in his beloved New York.  He states the financial restrictions of Hollywood forced him to film overseas.  He has worked overseas since and his 2008 gem Vicky Cristina Barcelona even included some Spanish dialogue.

So while I have no intention of changing anyone’s mind about the films of Woody Allen, his 75th birthday seemed the perfect time to stop and take notice of a remarkable career.  So many films from a man who cared so little for a headline or compliment, yet the line of high-profile actors wanting to work with him was never-ending.  He could actually be considered a blue-collar artist – a guy who spends his work hours writing and filming, and consistently meets his deadlines and produces solid work … sometimes even brilliant work.  Do that for 44 years in the movie world, and they tend to remember you.

 Which leads me to my favorite Woody Allen quote:  “I don’t want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve it by not dying”.

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Posted by David Ferguson