Movies have no real boundaries, but they are too
often limited by the lowest common denominator. Movies must appeal to a
mass audience. When a true cinematic mind-bender breaks free of the rigid
Hollywood standards it is cause for celebration, but last year offered
three movie wonders that managed to shine through in a mediocre year for
film.
Several weeks ago, I quipped that director David O.
Russell (Flirting with Disaster, Three Kings) may have committed career suicide with his latest release, I Heart Huckabees. Here’s
why. Huckabees is
the story of an activist (Jason Schwartzman) who hires a pair of
“existential detectives” (Dustin Hoffman, Lily Tomlin) to
investigate an odd coincidence in his life by following him around. How can
you sell that idea to the public? Apparently you can’t. Sure,
existentialism is a hidden theme in some films, but I don’t recall
its use as the primary storyline in any major American movie. Those who
dared to see it walked away baffled, but I found it hilarious. Russell is
one of the best comedy writer/directors working today.
Charlie Kaufman just won the Academy Award for his
twisted relationship comedy Eternal Sunshine of
the Spotless Mind, and it is the best film he
has penned to date. Joel (Jim Carrey) subjects himself to a radical
treatment that will erase all memory of a bad relationship from his mind.
Clementine (Kate Winslet) is the woman he is hoping to forget because she
has already gone through the process herself. Much of the film takes place
within Joel’s mind as he undergoes the process, but, halfway through,
he changes his mind. Eternal is startlingly original, and former music-video director
Michel Gondry perfectly visualizes Kaufman’s crazy ideas. I hope this
treatment becomes a reality soon, because in January 2009 I’ll have
an eight-year relationship that will need to be forgotten.
The Butterfly Effect may
be the most unfairly maligned film of last year. I am convinced that people
viewed this challenging and daring film about time travel in the wrong
frame of mind. Perhaps the presence of Ashton Kutcher in the lead role
created expectations of another Bill and
Ted’s Excellent Adventure. Nothing could
be further from the truth, and Kutcher proves that he can handle a dramatic
role. His character projects his mind into the past to alter terrible
events, but his attempts to improve things cause others to go horribly
wrong. Ignore the negative reviews, and see The
Butterfly Effect with an open mind. It
might even induce you to re-examine events in your own life.
Now that these movies are on DVD, they may expand
their audiences considerably. People seem to be more daring in their
home-video choices. There is nothing wrong with pure escapism, but it
isn’t unreasonable to expect more from an art form.
DVDs scheduled for release Tuesday (March 29):Vera Drake, Closer,
After the Sunset, and National Lampoon’s
Gold Diggers.
This article appears in Mar 24-30, 2005.
