While it was a little overwhelming at first, I grew to love Rome. Everywhere you look there's roman ruins next door to a gelato place, but this one story perfectly illustrates my 4 day stay in Rome:
On recommendation from dear Ricky, I went to a tiny restaurant for lunch right outside the pantheon. Ricky was sure to note that I should leave the book on the table for some special treatment. That book has to be $11 of the best money I've ever spent. As soon as I sit down the waiter exclaims "you have my book!". Grazie, Ricky. I ordered a sandwich that turned out to be kind of plain, until the waiter brought out this special sauce. God only knows what it was, but it turned that sandwich from a peasant into a roman god. Then about two bites from the end, with my book still in plain view, all of a sudden a large man comes up and puts both his hands on my face and shakes my head from side to side. To say I was a bit taken back would be a conservative statement. He flashes me a huge grin and returns with a small portion of lasagna. "A taste for you, I cook all morning." Real lasagna from a real Italian, Ricky how will I ever repay you? As if that wasn't enough, the waiter brings me a glass of their homemade strawberry "sexy wine". Absolutely divine. I couldn't decide what was better; the wine or the fact that the waiter refilled my glass three times. It's a miracle I remember the pantheon.
The big man who grabbed my face earlier came over to observe my delight. By now he has already pinched my cheeks a second time and showed me his copy of the book, explaining that he is Micky, the owner. He reported that the wine was a huge seller with high school (only in Italy) and college students. Another interesting tid-bit? "Legend has it, you share a bottle with your boy, you fly all night." If I saw this scene in a movie I wouldn't believe it. I couldn't even respond to him, I could only laugh. The waiter looked over as if he knew what Micky just revealed and smiled. All of this only cost me 5 euro, but looking back on it now, it's priceless. Mickey kissed me on the hand as I left to explore the pantheon from my strawberry glaze.
I love Rome.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Florence
So my first stop was Florence. It took 4 connecting trains and one Italian train station bathroom with no sinks, but I finally got there! The most difficult part wasn't catching all the trains, but rather getting my suitcase onto said trains. Since I was stationary for 4 weeks, I opted for a suitcase instead of a backpack. It was fine for a while, but it seems Europe does not believe in elevators. For every train platform there's 2 sets of stairs, not counting the ones you take coming into the station, and there's no telling how many of those there are. I can barely get it up and down stairs, and usually some kind soul helps me onto the train, since there's 4 more steep stairs there. Don't even ask me to lift it over my head for the storage compartment, I will be crushed. Again, a kind soul usually rescues me.
After checking into my hostel, I go out to explore Florence and find it's a very pleasant city to get lost in. The medieval winding roads always lead you to a quaint church or a square, or pickpockets and guys selling toys on the street. Florence is a lot like Barcelona, but with charm. There's a more intimate feel to it. For dinner, I followed Rick's advice(that's Rick Steve's to you) and checked out this restaurant overlooking the arno river. My new boyfriend has yet to lead me astray, and I had the best pasta dish of my life here. To top it off, a man saw that I was alone and sent over a glass of champagne, not strings attached. It was also the best champagne of my life, possibly because I was now sitting in a nice restaurant in Europe drinking champagne. Doesn't get any better than that. Welcome to Italy!
The next day I did the typical Florence shuffle; Uffizi, Academia, Duomo, and every church in between. The reservations I booked for the museums were costly but they let me cut the lines as desperate tourists gave me smoldering looks, which was almost as good a show as the museums themselves. I could prance inside to air conditioning and they still had up to an hour left to wait. I chose time, they chose money. For lunch, Ricky suggested a hole in the wall next to the David, so I investigated and yet again was not disappointed. Refreshingly local, the waiter gave me a warm welcome and a little Italian woman whipped up what I ordered; a simple but divine pesto pasta.
With all the charm that Florence has shown me, it might be hard for Rome to live up to th challenge. Can the eternal city top the center of the renaissance? Stay tuned!
After checking into my hostel, I go out to explore Florence and find it's a very pleasant city to get lost in. The medieval winding roads always lead you to a quaint church or a square, or pickpockets and guys selling toys on the street. Florence is a lot like Barcelona, but with charm. There's a more intimate feel to it. For dinner, I followed Rick's advice(that's Rick Steve's to you) and checked out this restaurant overlooking the arno river. My new boyfriend has yet to lead me astray, and I had the best pasta dish of my life here. To top it off, a man saw that I was alone and sent over a glass of champagne, not strings attached. It was also the best champagne of my life, possibly because I was now sitting in a nice restaurant in Europe drinking champagne. Doesn't get any better than that. Welcome to Italy!
The next day I did the typical Florence shuffle; Uffizi, Academia, Duomo, and every church in between. The reservations I booked for the museums were costly but they let me cut the lines as desperate tourists gave me smoldering looks, which was almost as good a show as the museums themselves. I could prance inside to air conditioning and they still had up to an hour left to wait. I chose time, they chose money. For lunch, Ricky suggested a hole in the wall next to the David, so I investigated and yet again was not disappointed. Refreshingly local, the waiter gave me a warm welcome and a little Italian woman whipped up what I ordered; a simple but divine pesto pasta.
With all the charm that Florence has shown me, it might be hard for Rome to live up to th challenge. Can the eternal city top the center of the renaissance? Stay tuned!
Ashley's extended adventure in Europe continues
After an amazing 4 weeks in the south of France, I'm off to see the rest of Europe. I'll be blogging my adventures so stay tuned!
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Post Festival Blues
I do understand the purpose of a blog is to actively blog, I get that. But on the list of priorities, seeing movies, eating, and sleeping were near the top while blogging was probably dead last. Alas, my pledge to blog was overtaken by my breakneck pace of movie watching, 42 in all. That also includes the red carpet premieres, the movies that sometimes required a longer wait in line than the actual run time, and the meeting we had with various industry execs and directors. It was a whirlwind 12 days, and very much like a dream; I didn't know how great it was until I woke up.
Nowadays, life has a less erratic routine. There's class in the mornings and free time in the afternoons, which I fill with grocery shopping, napping, laundry, or city exploration. It's nice to be in a routine, but even nicer to be taking classes I actually like. Dr. Kohn teaches our film review class, which is basically 2 hours of film discussion. Since I spend most of my time trying to bring up movies in conversations, this class is fantastic. Dr. Smith's class is equally interesting, and I'm learning the fascinating web of film distribution.
Probably my favorite aspect is exploring little cities and towns nearby. The other day we poked around old Cannes, and hiked up to an old church on the hill. The view from the top was amazing, and you can see all of Cannes. It was beautiful and reminded me of hiking up an old volcano in Hawaii. Walking around the shops near by was also fascinating. They're all shoved together on this tiny old street paved with stone. This old world feel is just 10 minutes away from the metropolitan city of Cannes, just yards from the site of the most prestigious film in the world. And yet just up the hill, you can find clothes hang drying out of windows. Industry has just built up around this pocket of history, not corrupting its essence.
Today I'll try out Antibes, the beach town nearby. Then tomorrow is BARCELONA! I can finally speak to foreigners like an intelligent person.
Nowadays, life has a less erratic routine. There's class in the mornings and free time in the afternoons, which I fill with grocery shopping, napping, laundry, or city exploration. It's nice to be in a routine, but even nicer to be taking classes I actually like. Dr. Kohn teaches our film review class, which is basically 2 hours of film discussion. Since I spend most of my time trying to bring up movies in conversations, this class is fantastic. Dr. Smith's class is equally interesting, and I'm learning the fascinating web of film distribution.
Probably my favorite aspect is exploring little cities and towns nearby. The other day we poked around old Cannes, and hiked up to an old church on the hill. The view from the top was amazing, and you can see all of Cannes. It was beautiful and reminded me of hiking up an old volcano in Hawaii. Walking around the shops near by was also fascinating. They're all shoved together on this tiny old street paved with stone. This old world feel is just 10 minutes away from the metropolitan city of Cannes, just yards from the site of the most prestigious film in the world. And yet just up the hill, you can find clothes hang drying out of windows. Industry has just built up around this pocket of history, not corrupting its essence.
Today I'll try out Antibes, the beach town nearby. Then tomorrow is BARCELONA! I can finally speak to foreigners like an intelligent person.
Review "The Angel's Share"
After the premiere of Moonrise Kingdom, the competition films took a dark turn. First the love story between the paraplegic and the homeless fighter, then the dying love story of a couple dealing with a stroke. Lawless provides no relief with its graphic and violent prohibition film, and neither were the dark accusations in The Hunt. Just as I was about to bring Xanax to the next premier, along comes The Angel's Share, Ken Loach's uplifting but grounded answer to the competition films increasingly depressing subject matter. While it does deal with some heavy subjects such as gangs and violent crime, it balances these issues with a sense of humor. A movie about dogged stubbornness an second chances, Loach proves that a movie doesn't have to lower your spirits to earn your admiration.
Introductions of the cast begin as they each stand before a judge and plead their case, each guilty of a different crime. Especially desperate in his pleading is Robbie, played by Paul Brannigan, who despite his history of violence wants to start fresh for his unborn son. Sentenced to 300 hours of community service, he meets a burly but sensitive Harry, played by John Hennshaw. Harry's job chaperoning the convicts' service hours expands when Robbie's girlfriend goes into labor and he offers to drive him to the hospital. While waiting to see his new baby, his girlfriend's disapproving uncles take him into a back staircase and beat him to a pulp. Seeing the hard life that Robbie leads and how desperate he is to break the cycle, Harry takes pity and invites Robbie to stay with him for a while. This will be the first of several second chances that Robbie recieves. Harry also has the idea to take Robbie and the other convicts to tour a local distillery. Here, Robbie discovers he has an expert ability to dissect the favors of liquor and soon finds another second chance. When a very old cask of whiskey, worth almost a million pounds, is found and sent to auction, Robbie takes a risk and takes luck into his own hands as he and his fellow convicts attempt to steal and sell bottles of the luxurious whiskey.
No stranger to the Cannes film festival, Ken Loach's hilarious and touching film about second chances breaks the mold and gives the competition a breath of fresh air. The realistic but not indulgently gritty portrayal of the vicious cycle of crime gives humanity to Robbie's story. Robbie's life, much like the whiskey he is so in tune with, echoes the life of a bottle of whiskey. The liquor is made from material that was once used for another purpose. After it is put through a long and arduous cooking process, it is given a second life as a fine liquor. This process serves as a beautiful yet quirky metaphor for Robbie's life, which has certainly been a process, but one that results in a new life and a second chance.
Though it is sometimes a tragic story, humor can always be found, much like in life. Alone at a train station, the film opens with a drunk man arguing with the train station employee over the intercom who is trying to tell him to back away from the edge of the platform. Though he is speaking English, his accent is so heavy that there are English subtitles underneath, an aspect that makes the exchange all the more hilarious. The tone for the movie is set when the man misunderstands the employee's directions and instead falls onto the tracks, as the theater roars with laughter. Though not jovial the entire time, moments of seriousness are punctuated with elements of humor, keeping the story light and accessible.
Through no fault of the actors, the script does not allow for many dynamic roles. Robbie has already had his life changing event and realizes he must change his ways. Unfortunately for Paul Brannigan, this does not give him a lot of room to play with the character of Robbie. He has to resort to two speeds; cool ambition and animal like aggression. The roles of the convicts are especially sparse and resort to extreme archetypes. Their crimes appear to be a result of their character and not their situation in life. Unlike Robbie, their struggles are rarely acknowledged. Instead, they are jesters and used for comic relief. While Robbie's criminal friends are not lacking in humanity, a little more depth would give them a greater purpose and effect in the film.
The Angel's Share is a valentine to second chances. Though he yearns to change his ways, the circumstances of his life, his criminal record, gang vendettas, and loathing from his in-laws prevents him from starting fresh. A new outlook on life propels him to take fate into his own hands, with a little help from Harry and the liquor that he has so much in common with.
Directed by Ken Loach; Written by Paul Laverty ; Produced by Rebecca O'Brian; With Paul Brannigan, John Henshaw, William Ruane, Gary Maitlant, Jasmin Riggins, Siobhan Reilly, Roger Allam; Run time 101 minutes.
Introductions of the cast begin as they each stand before a judge and plead their case, each guilty of a different crime. Especially desperate in his pleading is Robbie, played by Paul Brannigan, who despite his history of violence wants to start fresh for his unborn son. Sentenced to 300 hours of community service, he meets a burly but sensitive Harry, played by John Hennshaw. Harry's job chaperoning the convicts' service hours expands when Robbie's girlfriend goes into labor and he offers to drive him to the hospital. While waiting to see his new baby, his girlfriend's disapproving uncles take him into a back staircase and beat him to a pulp. Seeing the hard life that Robbie leads and how desperate he is to break the cycle, Harry takes pity and invites Robbie to stay with him for a while. This will be the first of several second chances that Robbie recieves. Harry also has the idea to take Robbie and the other convicts to tour a local distillery. Here, Robbie discovers he has an expert ability to dissect the favors of liquor and soon finds another second chance. When a very old cask of whiskey, worth almost a million pounds, is found and sent to auction, Robbie takes a risk and takes luck into his own hands as he and his fellow convicts attempt to steal and sell bottles of the luxurious whiskey.
No stranger to the Cannes film festival, Ken Loach's hilarious and touching film about second chances breaks the mold and gives the competition a breath of fresh air. The realistic but not indulgently gritty portrayal of the vicious cycle of crime gives humanity to Robbie's story. Robbie's life, much like the whiskey he is so in tune with, echoes the life of a bottle of whiskey. The liquor is made from material that was once used for another purpose. After it is put through a long and arduous cooking process, it is given a second life as a fine liquor. This process serves as a beautiful yet quirky metaphor for Robbie's life, which has certainly been a process, but one that results in a new life and a second chance.
Though it is sometimes a tragic story, humor can always be found, much like in life. Alone at a train station, the film opens with a drunk man arguing with the train station employee over the intercom who is trying to tell him to back away from the edge of the platform. Though he is speaking English, his accent is so heavy that there are English subtitles underneath, an aspect that makes the exchange all the more hilarious. The tone for the movie is set when the man misunderstands the employee's directions and instead falls onto the tracks, as the theater roars with laughter. Though not jovial the entire time, moments of seriousness are punctuated with elements of humor, keeping the story light and accessible.
Through no fault of the actors, the script does not allow for many dynamic roles. Robbie has already had his life changing event and realizes he must change his ways. Unfortunately for Paul Brannigan, this does not give him a lot of room to play with the character of Robbie. He has to resort to two speeds; cool ambition and animal like aggression. The roles of the convicts are especially sparse and resort to extreme archetypes. Their crimes appear to be a result of their character and not their situation in life. Unlike Robbie, their struggles are rarely acknowledged. Instead, they are jesters and used for comic relief. While Robbie's criminal friends are not lacking in humanity, a little more depth would give them a greater purpose and effect in the film.
The Angel's Share is a valentine to second chances. Though he yearns to change his ways, the circumstances of his life, his criminal record, gang vendettas, and loathing from his in-laws prevents him from starting fresh. A new outlook on life propels him to take fate into his own hands, with a little help from Harry and the liquor that he has so much in common with.
Directed by Ken Loach; Written by Paul Laverty ; Produced by Rebecca O'Brian; With Paul Brannigan, John Henshaw, William Ruane, Gary Maitlant, Jasmin Riggins, Siobhan Reilly, Roger Allam; Run time 101 minutes.
Review "The Hunt"
There may be no greater crime than to take a child's innocence, so when accusations are made, they often turn from speculation to blind belief. The Hunt explores the perspective of a man falsely accused of sexually molesting a young child. Though innocent, he must learn to live as a moving target for the townspeople, who have spiraled out of control and cannot contain their disgust. The Hunt, directed by Thomas Vinterberg, proves to be a dramatic and terrifying lesson in group psychology.
Mads Mikkelsen plays Lucas, a young divorced kindergarten teacher. Right away we see how much of an average-joe life he leads. He squabbles with his ex-wife over the visitation hours of his son, he hunts with his best friends, he pursues a woman, and all the children at his school adore him. Maybe some adore him a little too much. Klara, Annika Wedderkop, has a crush on her teacher and has to be taken aside by him after she gives him a toy heart and kisses him on the mouth. Embarrassed and humiliated, Klara lashes out by telling another teacher that she hates Lucas, and that he exposed himself to her. While these accusations may have been fueled by her brother showing Klara pornographic images a few days earlier, Klara's accusations are swiftly investigated and soon every parent at the school knows that there is a sexual predator on the lose before Lucas can give his side of the story. In a heartbreaking example of dramatic irony, the audience must watch Lucas suffer through the hell that the townspeople put him through, as their actions escalade from acidic name calling to violent boycotting. The result is a story that grips you until the end, and even then will not let you go.
Since our knee jerk reaction is to believe the child, as is pointed out in the movie, the perspective of the wrongly accused is fascinating. Movies such as Doubt have explored accusations of child sexual abuse, but from a perspective of speculation. Vinterberg is quick to assert Lucas's innocence, but does that make the story less complex? During the film I rooted for Lucas and loathed those who persecuted him. Afterwards a question tried to disturb my satisfaction; what if we didn't know he was innocent? What if we only found out at the end that the accusations were false, or what if we never found out? Vinterberg instead chooses to save the audience from a moral dilemma, creating what some would call a weaker story. While at first I agreed with this, I soon realized the other valuable perspective that Vinterberg was aiming for. By presenting Lucas as an innocent character, the audience is able to focus on the reaction of the townspeople. Viewers can focus on the alternate dilemma of how they would react in a similar situation. Would you participate in the witch hunt? Cut your old friend out of your life? Vinterberg opens the floor up to a new and different type of moral question.
When considering the powerful impact The Hunt has on viewers, it is impossible to discount Mads Mikkelsen's gut-wrenching performance as the falsely accused who suffers in silence. Mikkelsen masters the many sides to Lucas, from the sensitive kindergarten teacher to the man who confronts his best friend in church with a quiet fury. The real skill comes in his pacing of the character. With Mads at the controls, Lucas shows a gradual yet subtle change as he takes on all the town can throw at him. The result is a well timed deterioration that evokes sympathy and support from the audience.
The cinematography of the film follows the content, as it changes from upbeat to the darkest of times. Changes in seasons illustrate this turn, starting in early fall and hitting the dead of winter when Lucas is at his lowest point. Camera shots progress from mostly day shots at the beginning to mostly twilight and night shots of a wintry overcast. This depicts the draining of life that happens both to the seasons and to Lucas and is also effective at illustrating the emotionally draining aspect of the movie, as it becomes harder and harder to watch Lucas suffer at the hands of the townspeople.
Throughout the film, Lucas and his friends take part in hunting trips where they shoot deer for sport. At first Lucas participates in the festivities whole heartily, but after his experience he finds it impossible to shoot the innocent deer. Vinterberg draws a parallel between the hunt of the deer and the hunt of Lucas, one of the least original aspects of the movie. While the message is clear, the comparison is canned and a bit trite. Still, it is accurate, as Lucas is the target of a different type of hunt, one that is perhaps even more vicious. Vinterberg's alternate portrait of a falsely accused man will stay with you long after the film has ended.
Directed by Thomas Vinterberg; Written by Thomas Vinterberg and Tobias Lindholm; Produced by Sisse Graum Jorgenson, Morten Kaufmann, Martin Persson; With Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larson, Annika Wedderkop
Mads Mikkelsen plays Lucas, a young divorced kindergarten teacher. Right away we see how much of an average-joe life he leads. He squabbles with his ex-wife over the visitation hours of his son, he hunts with his best friends, he pursues a woman, and all the children at his school adore him. Maybe some adore him a little too much. Klara, Annika Wedderkop, has a crush on her teacher and has to be taken aside by him after she gives him a toy heart and kisses him on the mouth. Embarrassed and humiliated, Klara lashes out by telling another teacher that she hates Lucas, and that he exposed himself to her. While these accusations may have been fueled by her brother showing Klara pornographic images a few days earlier, Klara's accusations are swiftly investigated and soon every parent at the school knows that there is a sexual predator on the lose before Lucas can give his side of the story. In a heartbreaking example of dramatic irony, the audience must watch Lucas suffer through the hell that the townspeople put him through, as their actions escalade from acidic name calling to violent boycotting. The result is a story that grips you until the end, and even then will not let you go.
Since our knee jerk reaction is to believe the child, as is pointed out in the movie, the perspective of the wrongly accused is fascinating. Movies such as Doubt have explored accusations of child sexual abuse, but from a perspective of speculation. Vinterberg is quick to assert Lucas's innocence, but does that make the story less complex? During the film I rooted for Lucas and loathed those who persecuted him. Afterwards a question tried to disturb my satisfaction; what if we didn't know he was innocent? What if we only found out at the end that the accusations were false, or what if we never found out? Vinterberg instead chooses to save the audience from a moral dilemma, creating what some would call a weaker story. While at first I agreed with this, I soon realized the other valuable perspective that Vinterberg was aiming for. By presenting Lucas as an innocent character, the audience is able to focus on the reaction of the townspeople. Viewers can focus on the alternate dilemma of how they would react in a similar situation. Would you participate in the witch hunt? Cut your old friend out of your life? Vinterberg opens the floor up to a new and different type of moral question.
When considering the powerful impact The Hunt has on viewers, it is impossible to discount Mads Mikkelsen's gut-wrenching performance as the falsely accused who suffers in silence. Mikkelsen masters the many sides to Lucas, from the sensitive kindergarten teacher to the man who confronts his best friend in church with a quiet fury. The real skill comes in his pacing of the character. With Mads at the controls, Lucas shows a gradual yet subtle change as he takes on all the town can throw at him. The result is a well timed deterioration that evokes sympathy and support from the audience.
The cinematography of the film follows the content, as it changes from upbeat to the darkest of times. Changes in seasons illustrate this turn, starting in early fall and hitting the dead of winter when Lucas is at his lowest point. Camera shots progress from mostly day shots at the beginning to mostly twilight and night shots of a wintry overcast. This depicts the draining of life that happens both to the seasons and to Lucas and is also effective at illustrating the emotionally draining aspect of the movie, as it becomes harder and harder to watch Lucas suffer at the hands of the townspeople.
Throughout the film, Lucas and his friends take part in hunting trips where they shoot deer for sport. At first Lucas participates in the festivities whole heartily, but after his experience he finds it impossible to shoot the innocent deer. Vinterberg draws a parallel between the hunt of the deer and the hunt of Lucas, one of the least original aspects of the movie. While the message is clear, the comparison is canned and a bit trite. Still, it is accurate, as Lucas is the target of a different type of hunt, one that is perhaps even more vicious. Vinterberg's alternate portrait of a falsely accused man will stay with you long after the film has ended.
Directed by Thomas Vinterberg; Written by Thomas Vinterberg and Tobias Lindholm; Produced by Sisse Graum Jorgenson, Morten Kaufmann, Martin Persson; With Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larson, Annika Wedderkop
Monday, May 28, 2012
"Killing Them Softly" Review
Even Hollywood has noticed the recession. Killing Them Softly features some money conscious gangsters who, much like the United States government, cannot seem to take much decisive action to help themselves. Andrew Dominik's metaphor of criminal society may not be subtle or elegant, but it tells the story of the financial crisis in an insightful way and through an ironic comparison.
Just out of prison and looking to make some extra cash, Frankie, Scoot McNair, takes some advice from his local crime lord and holds up a poker game. According to his boss, no one will ever suspect him because there is already a man for whom the crime can be easily blamed. Recruiting a friend, they hold up the card game and make tens of thousands of dollars, but they may not get off scott-free. The poker players bring in Jackie Cogan, played by Brad Pitt, to get to the bottom of this mess and "take care" of the people responsible. However, the crime lords are indecisive and clumsy, and Jackie finds himself filling in for their own lack of foresight.
Killing Them Softly starts out as a simple story; a hold up. The criminals' own indecisiveness and greed befuddles the simplicity and further complicates things for poor Jackie, who is resigned to cleaning up these types of messes. The story serves as a metaphor for our own crisis of greed and indecision, one that we are still feeling the impact of today. Right away there is evidence of big promises with no delivery. The film opens with sound bites of President Obama's 2008 election campaign, with pledges of hope and change. These clips are heard over the bleak image of an empty parking lot full of trash blowing in the wind and a silhouette of a raggedy looking man smoking a cigarette. The message is clear.
According to the film, both our nation's situation and the gangsters' situation were created not just through indecisiveness and empty promises, but by mixing the interests of all with greed and emotions. There is no better example of this than Mickey, played by James Gandolfini. Brought in by Jackie to take care of one of the robbers, Mickey is crippled by his emotions. His alcoholism only fuels the pity and nostalgia he feels and Jackie finds him completely unreliable. He spends a solid three days holed up in his hotel room with nothing but booze and hookers, trying to fill the void of his recent divorce and an infatuation with another hooker. Mickey is too caught up in his lust and emotions to be of any use to Jackie. Gandolfini's performance as the wallowing has-been gangster is right on target, a gem in the film. Pitt and Gandolfini create the dynamic of a pair with a worn-in friendship, and the scene where Jackie tries to coax Mickey out of his slump is one of the most organic scenes in the film.
The film continues peppered with political speeches from both President Bush and President Obama, political commentators, and news about the situation on Wall Street, drawing parallels between the gangsters' dilemma and the current political and financial crisis. Jackie is called in to protect a group of criminal poker players, people who are unlawful and already putting their money on the line for sport. When he tries to fix the situation, they only complicate things with their lack of indecisiveness, and it seems the people that robbed the game in the first place were just acting out of greed. The parallel to the government bail out of Wall Street is uncanny, even if the story gets a little preachy at times.
When Jackie finally finishes his work, the liaison tries to short him and claims his superiors are cash strapped from the recession. Without any sympathy, Jackie replies that this is America, and it's a business. While we may not all be equal as the constitutions claims, we must all abide by the laws of business. Ironically, Jackie is a hit man with his own moral code, one dictated by the rules of money and its exchange. Perhaps the point Dominik is trying to make is that even a moral code based on money is better than no code at all. The criminals who had no sense of honor had no limits, nothing to keep them from stealing from themselves. Their lack of code kept them from making decisions and allowed them to be crippled by their desires. Dominik paints a cynical portrait of the lawless who lack moral maturity and presents an unapologetic juxtaposition of government and criminals.
Directed by Andrew Dominik; Produced by Dede Gardener, Brad Pitt, Paula Mae Schwartz, Steve Schwartz; Written by Andrew Dominik ; With Brad Pitt, Scoot McNairy, Ben Mendelsohn, James Gandolfini, Ray Liotta ; Running time 100 min
Just out of prison and looking to make some extra cash, Frankie, Scoot McNair, takes some advice from his local crime lord and holds up a poker game. According to his boss, no one will ever suspect him because there is already a man for whom the crime can be easily blamed. Recruiting a friend, they hold up the card game and make tens of thousands of dollars, but they may not get off scott-free. The poker players bring in Jackie Cogan, played by Brad Pitt, to get to the bottom of this mess and "take care" of the people responsible. However, the crime lords are indecisive and clumsy, and Jackie finds himself filling in for their own lack of foresight.
Killing Them Softly starts out as a simple story; a hold up. The criminals' own indecisiveness and greed befuddles the simplicity and further complicates things for poor Jackie, who is resigned to cleaning up these types of messes. The story serves as a metaphor for our own crisis of greed and indecision, one that we are still feeling the impact of today. Right away there is evidence of big promises with no delivery. The film opens with sound bites of President Obama's 2008 election campaign, with pledges of hope and change. These clips are heard over the bleak image of an empty parking lot full of trash blowing in the wind and a silhouette of a raggedy looking man smoking a cigarette. The message is clear.
According to the film, both our nation's situation and the gangsters' situation were created not just through indecisiveness and empty promises, but by mixing the interests of all with greed and emotions. There is no better example of this than Mickey, played by James Gandolfini. Brought in by Jackie to take care of one of the robbers, Mickey is crippled by his emotions. His alcoholism only fuels the pity and nostalgia he feels and Jackie finds him completely unreliable. He spends a solid three days holed up in his hotel room with nothing but booze and hookers, trying to fill the void of his recent divorce and an infatuation with another hooker. Mickey is too caught up in his lust and emotions to be of any use to Jackie. Gandolfini's performance as the wallowing has-been gangster is right on target, a gem in the film. Pitt and Gandolfini create the dynamic of a pair with a worn-in friendship, and the scene where Jackie tries to coax Mickey out of his slump is one of the most organic scenes in the film.
The film continues peppered with political speeches from both President Bush and President Obama, political commentators, and news about the situation on Wall Street, drawing parallels between the gangsters' dilemma and the current political and financial crisis. Jackie is called in to protect a group of criminal poker players, people who are unlawful and already putting their money on the line for sport. When he tries to fix the situation, they only complicate things with their lack of indecisiveness, and it seems the people that robbed the game in the first place were just acting out of greed. The parallel to the government bail out of Wall Street is uncanny, even if the story gets a little preachy at times.
When Jackie finally finishes his work, the liaison tries to short him and claims his superiors are cash strapped from the recession. Without any sympathy, Jackie replies that this is America, and it's a business. While we may not all be equal as the constitutions claims, we must all abide by the laws of business. Ironically, Jackie is a hit man with his own moral code, one dictated by the rules of money and its exchange. Perhaps the point Dominik is trying to make is that even a moral code based on money is better than no code at all. The criminals who had no sense of honor had no limits, nothing to keep them from stealing from themselves. Their lack of code kept them from making decisions and allowed them to be crippled by their desires. Dominik paints a cynical portrait of the lawless who lack moral maturity and presents an unapologetic juxtaposition of government and criminals.
Directed by Andrew Dominik; Produced by Dede Gardener, Brad Pitt, Paula Mae Schwartz, Steve Schwartz; Written by Andrew Dominik ; With Brad Pitt, Scoot McNairy, Ben Mendelsohn, James Gandolfini, Ray Liotta ; Running time 100 min
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