Pineapple Express (David Gordon Green, 2008) ***

Dir. David Gordon Green
Starring Seth Rogen, James Franco, Danny McBride, Rosie Perez, Gary Cole

Judd Apatow is certainly the best thing that has happened to adult oriented comedy in a long time. Not only did his previous films (40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up) prove that you could make money without resorting to cutting everything possible to get a PG-13 rating, but he also proved that you could combine lowbrow humor with sharp, observational character development. Many of his protege's have now taken his lead and have been extremely successful, although recent outings have unfortunately amped up the raunchy elements and disposed with much of the strong character work that was evident in films directed by Apatow. Pineapple Express mostly falls into this trap, although it is still an extremely funny film.

The film follows Dale Denton (Seth Rogen), a process server who likes pot very, very much. One day while getting ready to serve someone, he witnesses a murder. He gets spotted by the killer because it's not that easy to make a smooth getaway when you're high. This sends both Dale and his pot dealer Saul (James Franco) on the run. Going to the cops is out of the question, because one of the people involved in the murder was a policewoman (Rosie Perez). Their day gets worse and worse as it goes along, including a double crossing friend, a car that won't start, a furious girlfriend, her even more furious parents, and a warehouse gunfight.

David Gordon Green is an interesting choice to direct this material. He's a well respected indie auteur who made a memorable debut with the small town drama George Washington. At first, he seems like an odd choice for the material, because none of his previous films have had a hint of humor in them. However, those films were all about disaffected people that didn't really fit in with the rest of society, and that's exactly the case with the characters in Pineapple Express. There's never a hint that he doesn't know how mine humor from a situation, and he seems right at home with even the most outlandish comic moments. The part that eludes him is the final warehouse gunfight. It's an elaborate action sequence with three different sets of people all trying to kill one another, but Green doesn't really know how to stage it properly. There are several cuts at awkward moments and he too often relies on the bad guys taking illogical actions.

Still, the lack of an effective action sequence wouldn't really doom a movie like this, which isn't meant to be taken seriously in the first place. However, that's kind of the problem. Seth Rogen and his writing partner Evan Handler wrote this script, and it runs into the same problems as their earlier collaboration in Superbad. Dale and Saul are likable guys and we want to root for them, but their screenplay would rather tell as many (admittedly funny) lowbrow jokes as possible instead of taking some more time to develop the rest of the characters. Almost all of the supporting characters – the policewoman, the killer, the hitmen, the girlfriend, her parents – are decidedly one dimensional.

This is much different than the films directed by Apatow himself. Both Knocked Up and 40 Year Old Virgin contained a deep cast of characters that were both funny and real. For example, Knocked Up had time to develop a realistic marital subplot in the midst of all the craziness and didn't sacrifice the humor one bit. Another Apatow vet, Jason Segel, got into the game earlier this year with the wonderful Forgetting Sarah Marshall. The differences in the approach between Segel and Rogen are very noticeable. Like Apatow, Segel's crazy comic moments co-exist with warm, human moments and a deep cast of fully realized characters.

Of course, it would be wrong to deny that this is a very funny movie. Rogen and Franco are both terrific in their roles and have a wonderful comic chemistry. It's especially refreshing to see Franco back in a comedic role, as his mumbling dramatic performances have become increasingly interminable to watch. Rogen and Handler's screenplay is littered with one hilarious joke after another, but it is simply missing that extra depth that Apatow and Segel have brought to their films.

American Teen (Nanette Burstein, 2008) ***1/2

Dir. Nanette Burstein

Nanette Burstein’s American Teen is an interesting documentary because of the style it uses to tell the story of five real high school teenagers. People view most documentaries as completely detached form their subject, offering an objective view of the events they are documenting. This is very rarely the case. Even in the documentaries that appear to be completely authentic, you can bet that parts of it were manipulated to get to the end result. With American Teen, Nanette Burstein has disposed with any pretensions of authenticity by clearly staging many elements of her documentary. The result is a surprisingly rewarding film that still manages to capture essence of the lives of her subjects.

American Teen specifically focuses on the lives of four teenagers at a midwestern high school. Each of the fills a specific type, although we learn that they are each far more interesting than that. Hannah is the liberal artist who feels out of place in this town and dreams of going to the big city for college. Colin is the popular basketball player, who wants to earn a scholarship so he can get out of town. Megan is the spoiled rich girl, hoping to please her family by getting accepted at Notre Dame. Jake is the band geek who is very awkward in social situations.


The best documentaries capture real life events that are more interesting than what we'd see in a fictional film on the same subject. For example, Jeffrey Blitz's wonderful Spellbound followed eight students as they competed in the national spelling bee. It was far more exciting and interesting than the fictional Akeelah and the Bee, which was mired in cliche's that had nothing to do with real life. American Teen is an interesting case, because it arrived at the Atlanta Film Festival with an ad campaign comparing itself directly to the popular 80s film The Breakfast Club (although that has curiously been dropped for the theatrical release). The clever poster even shows each of the characters in the same poses as the well known poster from the earlier film. It’s easy to see why Burstein chose this comparison as the underlying themes are similar, particularly the exploration of stereotypes and their effect on high school life.

It’s clear that many of the sequences are manufactured. For example, Burstein will have a shot of someone staring out a window, and it’s doubtful that she just sat there waiting all day for that moment to come up. A relationship between Jake and a cute girl that he likes seems to have been pushed along by Burstein. Colin’s basketball skills seem to have been exaggerated. He’s presented as a big star, but there is little evidence on film to support that fact. A fifth character, popular basketball player Mitch, seems to have been added as a main character after the fact and we never really get to know him well.

However, none of this really hurts the film. Despite all of the interference by the director, American Teen still captures an authentic look at high school life. It’s hard not to root for Hannah as she navigates some major highs and lows throughout the school year. She’s a winning personality, and it’s easy to see why she becomes the emotional center of the documentary. It says a lot about how things have changed since the 80s that the Molly Ringwald character was the central focus of The Breakfast Club, and now it’s the Ally Sheedy character that takes center stage.

Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of American Teen are the very real moments that it manages to capture amidst all the staged situations. At one point, a character treats his girlfriend so poorly at a party, and breaks up with her in such a humiliatingly mean fashion that he must have forgot the cameras were there. However, what will stay with me for a long time is the startlingly cruel behavior displayed by Megan throughout the film. I think only Daniel Waters could conceive (screenwriter of Heathers) could dream up a character so mean. Burstein may have staged many of her shots, but her film manages to capture a truth that few other documentaries have been able to approach.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (Rob Cohen, 2008) *

Dir. Rob Cohen
Starring Brendan Fraser, Maria Bello, Jet Li, Michelle Yeoh, Luke Ford, Isabelle Leong

The first Mummy film was hardly great cinema, but it was easy to see what people liked about it. It told a classic adventure story right out of Hollywood's golden age. Leads Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz knew not to take things seriously and delivered fun, tongue in cheek performances. Now here we are with the third film in the series. We have a new director and a new leading lady and it's a complete disaster in almost every possible way.

Rick and Evelyn O'Connell (Brendan Fraser, Maria Bello) are taking a peaceful break from mummy killing. However, their son Alex (Luke Ford) decides he wants to follow in his father's footsteps and starts exploring himself. Unfortunately, he manages to awaken China's Dragon Emperor (Jet Li), who calls forth his terra cotta army to bring destruction upon the world. This brings his parents back into the game, and they are aided by the ageless sorceress Zi Juan (Michelle Yeoh) who had originally cursed the Emperor, and her daughter Lin (Isabella Leong), who has been the guardian of the Emperor's tomb.

The plot is of course extremely silly and doesn't even bother to pretend to attempt anything remotely resembling historical accuracy. That certainly doesn't matter in a movie like this. The back story is good enough to set up an exciting adventure for our characters. The problem is that the rest of the story was very poorly developed, featuring an unnecessary romantic subplot and mostly unimaginative action scenes that fail to liven things up.

One of the biggest mistakes was recasting the character of Evelyn. Maria Bello is a very talented actress, and if you don't believe me, then see her performances in A History of Violence and The Cooler. Unfortunately, she was all wrong for this role. She spends the whole movie seemingly distracted by trying to imitate Rachel Weisz, and her attempts to play things for laughs make her seem heavily medicated more than anything else. It's a disastrous performance that hampers the film throughout the entire running time. If they couldn't get Weisz back, then they should have created a new character instead of trying to force another actress into a role she clearly wasn't prepared to inhabit.

Another serious error is the attempt to draw a romance between Alex and Lin. There is never any chemistry established, and when Alex's mom talks to him about his feelings for the girl, it feels like it comes out of nowhere. There is little evidence of chemistry or attraction between the two characters, and the dialogue written for the pair is just abysmal. This is a badly forced story point and is not helped by the screenwriter's constant stream of unfunny old age jokes directed at Lin.

The special effects are good enough on a technical sense, but not much is done with them to create excitement. The only memorable scene from the movie involves two Yetis who are actually called to protect the heroes. Everything else is pretty much a complete misfire. You'd think a movie where Michelle Yeoh battles Jet Li, it'd be hard to make it dull, but director Rob Cohen has achieved the seemingly impossible. The inevitable fight scene between the two at the end is a disappointingly pedestrian affair.

The problem with a movie like this is when it fails to deliver on its promise to create excitement or campy humor, there's nothing left to fall back on. It becomes an interminable exercise in waiting for the end credits to roll. The film is only 112 minutes long, but as the events of this story slowly worked their way to the conclusion, I couldn't help but think that mummification seemed like a pretty good idea.

The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008) ****

Dir. Christopher Nolan
Starring Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Gary Oldman, Maggie Gyllenhaal

This has been a good year for superhero movies. Films like Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk were solid examples of the genre, and even Hancock was a fun, if not entirely successful, departure from the standard formula. However, nothing prepared us for what Christopher Nolan had in store for The Dark Knight. Even Batman Begins feels like it was made in a different decade, much less the same film series. Christopher Nolan's complex examination of morality in the world of Gotham city is a stunningly original achievement, and qualifies as one of the best big budget films ever made.

In the year since the events of Batman Begins took place, crime is still rampant in Gotham City. Batman (Christian Bale) is determined to finally take out organized crime for good, and his faithful ally Lt. Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) is there to help him. Also arriving on the scene is new District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), who makes a splash by putting hundreds of criminals in jail by linking them all to one person. Meanwhile, a new criminal called the Joker (Heath Ledger) is starting to make a name for himself, and is soon hired by the mob to kill Batman.

What's so fascinating about The Dark Knight is how Nolan directs it without the slightest hint that he knows he's supposed to be making a superhero movie. This is a bleak and moody story of what a criminal mastermind can do to a city, and it bears more relation to a Martin Scorcese crime pic than the Batman films directed by Tim Burton. This is quickly evident during the opening sequence, which features a precisely edited bank heist that devolves into a classic gunfight. This scene sets the mood so well that you almost expect James Cagney to show up at some point.

Of all the superheroes, it does make sense that this style would work so well with Batman. After all, he doesn't really have any powers. He's just an ordinary guy with superb physical skills and superior technological gadgets, so he's a natural fit for a movie set under more realistic circumstances. The most surprising thing is that Nolan was able to get away with it. There's not one minute of this film that hints of studio interference, particularly in a key sequence midway through the film where a brutally uncompromising plot development occurs that becomes a major turning point for each of the characters.

By setting the movie under these circumstances, Nolan is able to fully explore the complex ethical questions that he raises. Harvey Dent's ability to strike a blow against the criminal underworld becomes an inspiration to the people of Gotham City, and provides hope to Batman that he may no longer be needed. However, the Joker's machinations put a quick end to that, and Batman and his allies are forced to pull out all the stops in an effort to stop him. This includes the use of a high tech surveillance system and an interrogation scene that definitely fits the description of torture.

There have been attempts to link these events to supporting a conservative political message. However, a careful examination of the events shows that such discussion is clearly misguided. If anything, the eventual result of the interrogation scene proves the opposite point. Also, it is a complete disservice to the film to frame the events in such a simplistic manner. This is a movie where difficult decisions are made and easy answers are not found. Batman goes down paths that he would rather not take, and his ultimate goal is not to invade privacy or beat suspects, but it is to protect the image of Harvey Dent, who he feels is Gotham's true hero because he doesn't have to resort to the same tactics.

The only way Nolan could pose such difficult moral questions was to have a villain so terrifying that he forced our heroes to ask them. In Heath Ledger, he found an actor that was on top of his game (having just turned in a brilliant performance in Brokeback Mountain) and completely willing to throw everything he had into his portrayal of the Joker. What we come away with is an inspired take on the Joker as an absolutely demented sociopath devoted to nothing more than causing pain and chaos at every turn. It's a landmark portrayal that will not be forgotten for a long time.

The other key piece to the puzzle is Aaron Eckhart's portrayal of Harvey Dent. Eckhart is an actor that has been around the block, turning in a memorable performance as a cruel chauvinist in Neil LaBute's In the Company of Men. He's turned in solid work since then, but has usually been limited by poorly written roles in bigger budget films. This is where he finally gets to shine, delivering a nuanced portrayal of Gotham's righteous legal crusader. He completely sells the idea that the public would begin to revere him, which is very crucial for Nolan's story to work. As played by Eckhart with an ingratiating eagerness to do the right thing, it is impossible to not believe in Harvey Dent.

The Dark Knight is a long movie, but not one moment of it feels unnecessary. There are several superb action set pieces, including an extended chase sequence involving helicopters and a semi, and numerous fascinating plot developments that keep the movie alive throughout the 152 minute running time. This is an incredible achievement in film making, and should serve as a shining example to all directors and studio heads that dedication to providing original, uncompromising storytelling does not scare audiences away.

Wanted (Timur Bekmambetov, 2008) **

Dir. Timur Bekmambetov
Starring James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman, Terrence Stamp, Common


Wanted is a movie with outrageous action scenes that defy any sense of logic or understanding of physics. The filmmakers are clearly interested in freeing themselves from such constraints when devising these sequences. There's certainly nothing wrong with this. At it's best, Wanted is an exhilerating ride, filled with so many spectacular feats that go so far over the top, you're not sure whether to laugh or applaud. That's why it's so strange that the film takes a big detour in the second act and focuses on a series of sequences filled with nothing but unpleasant brutality.

James McAvoy's main character is named Wesley, but he might as well have been named CC Baxter. Not only is he stuck in a dead end cubicle job, but the only sex going on in his apartment is between his girlfriend and best friend. Things change instantly when he meets a beautiful woman who goes by the name of Fox (Angelina Jolie). Suddenly he finds himself in the middle of a gunfight, as Fox tries to protect him from a would be assassin. The extended gunfight and frenetic car chase is an exciting action set piece and gets the movie off to a promising start. Unfortunately, that promise would quickly dissipate.

Wesley learns that his father was a member of a team of assassins with special abilities like bending a bullet. Sensing that he has similar abilities as his father, they have recruited him to join their ranks. Wesley decides that his humdrum life is not worth living and takes up the challenge. The bulk of the second act focuses on Wesley's training and it is here where the film seriously falls apart. What was an exciting, if ridiculous action movie, now became a dark exercise in brutal training sequences. It's as if director Timur Bekmambetov wanted to turn a stylish action pic into his own version of Fight Club. A few moments of this would have worked for the necessary, but it was a colossal mistake to spend so much time on it and to do it in an annoyingly repetitive fashion.

That being said, the film does wake up for a fairly exciting conclusion. The promise of the beginning is finally realized with a series of creative action scenes. Particularly fascinating is an extended cat and mouse game on a passenger train that turns deadlier than you might expect. Unfortunately, there was little reason to care about the ridiculous story at this point, so what we end up with was a nice technical display of cinematic skill, but it was hard to truly care about the fate of the characters, and the hopelessly banal resolution didn't help matters.

It should be noted that the strong cast does what they can with the material. Angelina Jolie's Fox remains a mystery throughout the film, but her stunning screen presence more than makes up for that. Morgan Freeman shows up as the leader of the assassin group, and this is the kind of role that he could sleepwalk through. It's not going to be one of his most memorable performances, but he lends a certain credibility to the story that would have seemed even more ridiculous in the hands of a lesser actor.

Wanted was based on a comic book miniseries of the same name, so it's possible that some of storytelling problems remain from the original source material. That still does not excuse the filmmakers from their poor decisions. If you pick a bad story for your source material and make a film out of it, then your film still has a bad story. Whatever the reasoning, Bekmambetov took what could have been a fun, original action movie and ruined it with a thoroughly unpleasant middle section.

Movies Seen - 2008

Here is a listing of releases from 2008 that I saw, sorted by rating...

****

The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan)
WALL-E (Andrew Stanton)


***1/2

American Teen (Nanette Burstein)
The Edge of Heaven (Fatih Akin)
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Nicholas Stoller)


***

At the Death House Door (Peter Gilbert, Steve James)
Bama Girl (Rachel Goslins)
Hancock (Peter Berg)
Iron Man (Jon Favreau)
Nerdcore Rising (Negin Farsad)

Pineapple Express (David Gordon Green)

Tropic Thunder (Ben Stiller)


**1/2

Dance of the Dead (Gregg Bishop)
Get Smart (Peter Segal)
The Incredible Hulk (Louis Leterrier)

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Steven Spielberg)
Make Out With Violence (Deagol Bros.)
Monster Camp (Cukken Hoback)
Towelhead (Alan Ball)


**

Cloverfield (Matt Reeves)
Wanted (Timur Bekmambetov)
Water Lilies (Céline Sciamma)


*1/2

Bohica (DJ Paul)


*

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (Rob Cohen)