Savages (Oliver Stone, 2012)

In the late 80’s and early 90’s Oliver Stone made some great films like Wall Street, Platoon, Natural Born Killers and The Doors. These movies were very decent and influential. Unfortunately Stone never managed to impress me with his more recent work like Alexander or Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps or one of the many president-biographies. You can imagine I was a bit sceptical about Savages, a film about two Californian pot growers whose services are wanted by a Mexican drug cartel. But luckily it seems Stone found his roots again and delivered his best film in years.

Chon (Taylor Kitsch) and Ben (Aaron Johnson) have a secret recipe to grow the best weed in the world and they have a really successful business. They share their girlfriend O (Blake Lively) in what appears to be a functional love triangle. When a Mexican drug boss Elena (Salma Hayek!) gets affected by competition and the financial crisis she wants cooperation with the two friends, who prefer to stay independent. When they turn down Elena’s non-negotiable offer her crew decides to kidnap their shared love-interest.

The synopsis above sounds a bit lame and unoriginal and I guess it is. But there are a few fantastic roles like John Travolta as a corrupt DEA officer and Benicio del Toro as Elena’s ruthless number two. Their acting is awesome, the dialogue is fast, witty and the action is brutal and effective. Hayek is very believable as a merciless drug boss but caring mother. The leads by for instance Lively (who is the narrator as well) are a bit disappointing but still good enough to get you through 131 minutes of fun and excitement.

Of course everything is somewhat predictable and done before a thousand times (the usual twists and turns), but Stone managed to execute everything really well and even impressed me now and then with his style. It almost looks as if he was inspired by Tony Scott’s Domino, except that Savages is somewhat slower and easier on the eye (luckily).

Yes, I believe that Stone is back. Savages is very entertaining and despite its slight predictably it is suspenseful and entertaining, very well done by the director.

7.5/10

Zerkalo (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1975)

"Tarkovsky is God"
- Lars von Trier -

As a moviefreak you’re always waiting for that moment when you find a pearl, a masterpiece, a movie that takes your breath away and is approaching your idea of a perfect film. With this in mind I made a shortlist of potential films that might be perfect. To prevent overkill I am spreading these candidates over time and it was about time to watch Andrei Tarkovsky’s Zerkalo or The Mirror. Let me tell you that this film is amongst the few films you watch in a year that really hit you and become a personal favourite, for me at least.

So far I watched Tarkovsky’s Stalker and Solyaris, both great films, but somehow I never considered them brilliant like some other filmlovers do. I was aware of the (lack of) narrative structure in Zerkalo and read somewhere how it has similarities with Terrence Malick’s beautiful Tree of Life (which was a unique film experience as well). After I found a good discount DVD version (as a real Dutchman) I decided it was about time to stop postponing and watch this poetic masterpiece.

Unlike almost every other movie I watch it is impossible to explain what is so great about this film. It is plotless, the story is about a man’s memories and fragments that are linked to him and his memories, and doesn’t create any puzzle or suspense-element what usually really draws me in a good film (perhaps the meaning of the film is a puzzle, but the director claimed otherwise at the time). This one is just (which is enough!) beautiful! Every shot is a painting and all these paintings are edited in a way that it creates a dreamlike rhythm and makes it a visual poem. The film builds around history and memories (just like Tree of Life), and for me created a nostalgic feeling that grew and grew during its length. It is a unique film (just like for instance my favourites Persona and L’année dernière a Marienbad) in the sense that there is none other like it (at least not that I am aware of, if there is, let me know!).

Zerkalo instantly entered my list of best films ever. It is aesthetic perfection, one of the reasons why I watch films, to be overwhelmed and experience poetic beauty. I will not spend more words, just watch, no, experience this perfect movie!

10/10

The Long Goodbye (Robert Altman, 1973)

My previous investigation of the 70's Altman movies has already led me to McCabe and Mrs. Miller, a movie that can be classified as anti-western (as in the western movie genre). Two years later Altman made what is known to be his view on film noir called The Long Goodbye, from Raymond Chandler’s novel and again with protagonist Philip Marlowe (Elliot Gould). Our private eye hero had a bit of a transformation and unlike the cool and hard-boiled Philip Marlowe we know from for instance Howard Hawks his The Big Sleep, this one is a bit different.

The movie kicks off with Marlowe trying to feed his cat. He even goes to the supermarket in the middle of the night to get the right brand of cat food. When it turns out to be out of stock he tries to trick the little creature by replacing the food with a different brand. Unfortunately for him the cat doesn’t buy it and runs off. This scene, which is quite funny, is typical for the Philip Marlowe of the seventies and Altman’s universe. When I tell you that he is more interested in the wellbeing of his cat than the four topless neighbour girls practising yoga on their balcony you’ll get the idea.

The main story revolves around two interwoven plotlines. Firstly and old friend who is in trouble shows up on Marlowe’s door and asks him to give him a lift to Mexico. No questions asked Marlowe helps him. When he returns home the cops are waiting for him and he spends a couple of nights in jail and he finds out his friend apparently killed his wife and committed suicide in Mexico. Secondly a woman, living next to his friend, hires Marlowe to find her husband, a writer who has some mental- and drinking issues.

Just like the 1946 adaptation of the Marlowe story The Big Sleep, starring Humphrey Bogart, The Long Goodbye has quite a complex story, but this is about the only common element it has with the classic noir film. Philip Marlowe is portrayed by Altman as someone who still lives in the 50’s, he smokes, wears a suit and tries some wisecrack remarks on cops and crooks, but somehow they don’t have the desired impact (anymore). Furthermore there seems to be no interest in women and the private detective cannot even manage to trick and later find his own cat. All of this smells like another anti-genre movie from the director who did this before, as I mentioned, and would do it again in the nineties with The Player.

And again he does a great job. Forget about the plot, it is not at all why you should watch this one. This picture contains some memorable scenes that are alone worth it and are illustrative for the satirical tone Altman chose for. We see how Marlowe arrives at a party (in a suit) and gets chased out of the house by a dog, how he has to strip together with a group of criminals (including a silent Arnold Schwarzenegger!) and how almost every genre cliché is successfully reversed by Altman. A classic!

"Well, that's you Marlowe. You'll never learn, you're a born loser."

8.5/10