Cannes Film Review: The Mission (dir by Roland Joffe)

Posted on May 19, 2018 by Lisa Marie Bowman

(With this year’s Cannes Film Festival coming to a close, I figured that I would start of today by looking at some previous winners of the Palme d’Or. We start things off with 1986’s The Mission.)

The Mission opens with a man stoically plunging over a waterfall. That man is a priest who, in the 1740s, has been sent to convert the natives of the Paraguayan jungle to Christianity. The natives’ reaction to the priest’s arrival was to tie him to a wooden cross and send him over the falls. It’s an opening that perfectly captures one of the main themes of The Mission: the contrast between the beauty of nature and the savagery of man.

The majority of the film deals with two men. Father Gabriel (Jeremy Irons) is the Spanish Jesuit who replaces the martyred priest. Father Gabriel is a pacifist who manages to win the trust of the natives through a shared love of music. Gabriel plays the oboe and, when it is snatched away from him, reacts not with anger but with acceptance. With the help of Father John Fielding (Liam Neeson), Father Gabriel builds a mission and works to educate the natives. This brings him into conflict with the local plantation owners, the majority of whom just see the natives as being potential slaves.

That’s where Mendoza (Robert De Niro) comes in. A brutish and violent man, Mendoza makes his living kidnapping natives and selling them into slavery. When Mendoza discovers that his fiancée, Carlotta (Cherie Lunghi), has fallen in love with his younger brother, Felipe (Aidan Quinn), Mendoza snaps and, in a moment of anger, kills his brother. Seeking forgiveness for his violent past, Mendoza travels to Father Gabriel’s mission, dragging all of his armor and weaponry in a bundle behind him. When Mendoza finally reaches the mission, he is not only forgiven by the natives but he also eventually ends up becoming a Jesuit himself.

And, for a while, everything is perfect. That is until the Spanish turn over their land in South America to the Portuguese and the new colonials decide that having a mission around will make it a little bit too difficult to enslave the natives. When Father Gabriel is ordered to close the mission, he refuses to do so. He says that he will stay and that he is willing to be martyred if the Portuguese forces attack. Gabriel believes that violence is a sin against God. Mendoza, on the other hand, announces that he will stay and he is prepared to once again pick up weapons to defend the mission…

Dramatically, The Mission is uneven. While Jeremy Irons and Liam Neeson are both believable and sympathetic as Father Gabriel and Father Fielding and fit right in with the film’s period setting, Robert De Niro seems miscast and out-of-place. As good an actor as De Niro is, he just doesn’t belong in the jungles of South America. Whenever he shows up or speaks, your mind immediately goes to New York City. The film tries to juggle so many theological and political issues that it can get a bit exhausting trying to keep up with it all. Watching the film, it was hard not to wish for a chance to see what a director like Werner Herzog or Terrence Malick would have done with the same material.

That said, The Mission is a visually impressive film, one that captures the beauty, the innocence, and the danger of the jungle. The scenes of both Gabriel and Mendoza climbing the waterfall are stunning to watch and, in the end, the film does have a sincere message about the ongoing fight for the rights of indigenous people. That counts for something.

The Mission received an Oscar nomination for Best Picture, though it lost to Platoon. It also won the Palme d’Or, beating out such films as After Hours, Down by Law, Mona Lisa, Runaway Train, and The Sacrifice.

Music Video Of The Day: Chloroform by Phoenix (2013, dir by Sofia Coppola)

Posted on May 19, 2018 by Lisa Marie Bowman

To date, this is the last music video to have been directed by Sofia Coppola. Sofia, of course, is married to the lead singer of Phoenix, Thomas Mars.

Enjoy!

Sofia Coppola Music Videos:

Film Review: Anonymous 616 (dir by Mike Boss)

Posted on May 18, 2018 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Anonymous 616 opens with the camera panning over a fairly upscale living room. It’s tastefully decorated, with a nice white couch and a coffee table and even a painting of the house’s owner. Unfortunately, all of the furniture and decorations are now splattered with blood.

It doesn’t take long to realize that we’re looking at the aftermath of something terrible. There are four people in the room. One is lying naked on the couch. One is slumped in a chair. Another has literally been nailed to the wall. One person wanders through the scene, in an apparent daze. Is that person a survivor or was that person the perpetrator?

The film flashes back to the hours before the massacre happened. The room is now clean and happy. Four friends are having a reunion. The owner of the house is Eric (David Abramsky), who is very proud of his possessions and his money. (The fact that Eric is so open and honest about his materialism makes him far more likable than you might originally expect.) Eric’s girlfriend is an artist named Monica (Lena Roma). She’s the one who painted the picture of Eric that decorates the living room. And then there’s Jason (Daniel Felix de Weldon) and his girlfriend, Jenna (Jessica Boss). Jason is in the Army and will soon be going to Iraq for his third tour of duty. Jason is proud of his service. He also proudly states that, unlike so many others, he’s never suffered from PTSD.

The reunion starts out friendly enough, though there’s an undercurrent of tension from the beginning. Whenever a group of characters all claim to be happy with their lives, you know that something bad is going to happen. While Monica’s 12 year-old daughter (Bella Shepard) relaxes in her room, the four adults talk. There are hints of dark secrets lurking in the past and flashes of paranoia. After passing around a joint, Eric explains that there’s a new drug, one that’s described as being like DMT with “an extra kick.” Everyone gives it a try.

And the reunion continues. One person steps into an office and finds an anonymous message waiting on a computer. “i’m the one who knows everything about u,” the message reads before suggesting that it’s time for the person to finally do what they truly want to do. “B like God!” the message reads. “Don’t deny your impulses for the next 4 minutes.”

Anoynmous 616 is a low-budget but effective horror film, one that will keep you guessing whether the messages are real or fake, supernatural or just a reflection of a drug-addled psychosis. The violence is bloody and disturbing but, at the same time, it’s not just violence for the sake of violence. There’s a lot of going on underneath the surface, much of which I can’t reveal without running the risk of spoiling the film. In the end, Anonymous 616 is about more than just blood. It’s about guilt, anger, repression, and betrayal. It’s a film that invites you to wonder how well you know your best friends. Well-directed and acted, It’s not always easy to watch (I had to avert my eyes during a scene involving a mallet) but it definitely makes an impression.

Anoynmous 616 is currently available from Amazon.

Music Video Of The Day: City Girl (2003, dir by Sofia Coppola)

Posted on May 18, 2018 by Lisa Marie Bowman

From Lost in Translation.

Enjoy!

Sofia Coppola Music Videos:

Music Video of the Day: I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself by The White Stripes (2003, dir by Sofia Coppola)

Posted on May 17, 2018 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today’s music video of the day is the fourth video to be directed by Sofia Coppola. Distinguished by the black-and-white cinematography of Lance Acord (who was also the cinematographer for Lost In Translation) and the choreography of Robin Conrad, this video may be best known for Kate Moss pole dancing but it’s atmosphere of romanticized ennui will be familiar to anyone who has seen any of Coppola’s films.

(As well, pole dancing would also be prominently featured in Coppola’s later film, Somewhere.)

As for the song, it actually has a pretty long history. It was originally written in the early 60s by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. It was first recorded in 1962 by Tommy Hunt but the first performer to actually find success with the song was Dusty Springfield in 1964. It was subsequently covered by Dionne Warwick and Marcia Hines before The White Stripes released their version in 2003.

Enjoy!

Sofia Coppola Music Videos:

Music Video of the Day: Playground Love by AIR (2000, dir by Sofia Coppola and Roman Coppola)

Posted on May 16, 2018 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today’s music video is the video for AIR’s Playground Love.

This song was recorded as a part of AIR’s score for Sofia Coppola’s The Virgin Suicides. The video, which is largely made up of footage from the film, along with singing wad of chewing gum, is credited as having been directed by both Sofia and Roman Coppola.

(While not as well-known as his sister, Roman Coppola is a frequent collaborator with Wes Anderson and he also directed an excellent film called CQ.)

Enjoy!

Sofia Coppola Music Videos:

Music Video of the Day: This Here Giraffe by The Flaming Lips (1996, dir by Sofia Coppola)

Posted on May 15, 2018 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Since yesterday’s music video of the day was the first music video to be directed by Sofia Coppola, it only makes sense that today’s video should be the second music video directed by Sofia Coppola.

This video features a giraffe, a pickup truck, and Wayne Coyne. What more could you want!?

Enjoy!

Music Video of the Day: Shine by Walt Mink (1993, dir by Sofia Coppola)

Posted on May 14, 2018 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Happy birthday, Sofia Coppola!

Today’s music video of the day is the first music video to have been directed by Sofia Coppola. In fact, this may be her first directorial credit. While the song itself is a bit generic, the video is pure Sofia Coppola. Watching it, it’s hard not to see the same vision that, a few years later, would give us The Virgin Suicides, Somewhere, and The Bling Ring. This video was filmed at the Coppola vineyard in Rutherford, California.

Interesting to note that the film’s editor was Spike Jonze, who would later marry Coppola in 1999 (they would get divorced in 2003) and who is thought to have been the inspiration for Giovanni Ribisi’s character in Lost In Translation.

Enjoy!

Cleaning Out The DVR: Party Mom (dir by Michael Feifer)

Posted on May 12, 2018 by Lisa Marie Bowman

(I recorded Party Mom off of the Lifetime Movie Network on March 30th.)

Party Mom tells the story of two moms who live in Los Angeles.

Jackie (Krista Allen) is a party mom! She has a nice house in Beverly Hills, where the party never ends. She’s always quick to point out that she looks young enough that she could pass for being Ashley’s sister instead of her mother. For her part, Ashley (Amber Frank) kinda wishes that her mother would be a little more traditional. Of course, Jackie’s usually too busy trying to get Ashley’s friends drunk to really worry about what her daughter wants.

Caroline (Megan Ward) is definitely not a party mom. Instead, she’s a hard-working, no-nonsense mom who lives in the Valley with her husband, Gary (Brian Krause), and her two daughters, Brittany (Elise Luthman) and Emma (Savannah Judy). Caroline just can’t understand today’s teenagers, with their social media and their iPhones and their lack of interest in hanging out with their boring parents. In Caroline’s day, teens would have loved a chance to spend a night watching TV and eating popcorn with mom and dad! Now, they just want to sneak out of the house and take selfies.

Brittany thinks that Jackie is the best, though Caroline isn’t quite sure that she wants her daughter hanging out in a mansion where all of the adults are just as stoned and drunk as the kids. Caroline even attempts to put her foot down and ground her daughter. Of course, that doesn’t really work. Instead, Brittany simply sneaks out of her bedroom window and heads for Beverly Hills!

Of course, since this is a Lifetime film, it all leads to the usual combination of underage drinking and tragedy. When Brittany and a group of drunk friends leave the mansion, a terrible car accident leaves only one survivor. Jackie finds herself on trial for involuntary manslaughter. Caroline and Gary are determined to see Jackie pay for being a party mom but Jackie’s rich enough to afford a slick attorney. In fact, Jackie doesn’t even seem to feel that bad about the car accident or almost anything that happens afterward. As she explains it, all of the tragedy is due to people from the Valley coming into Beverly Hills, where they don’t belong. It all leads to murder, arrests, and one final confrontation.

I liked Party Mom, largely because, in high school, my best friend’s mom was a party mom and watching this movie brought back a lot of memories. At the time, it was always fun going over to my friend’s house and literally getting to do anything that I wanted to do. Looking back now, of course, it’s easy to say that my friend’s mom was incredibly irresponsible and probably should have been forced to go on Dr. Phil or something. But, at the time, I was a lot like Brittany. I just thought it was cool that there was an adult around who refused to care what was being done in her house.

Krista Allen does a really good job in the role of Jackie, tearing through the film like an irresponsible, perpetually drunk tornado. She especially does well towards the end of the film, when Jackie really goes off the deep end. Like all good Lifetime film, the melodrama in Party Mom is over-the-top and we’re all the better for it.

What Lisa Watched Last Night #180: Mommy Be Mine (dir by Sean Olson)

Posted on May 12, 2018 by Lisa Marie Bowman

On Friday night, I watched the latest Lifetime premiere, Mommy Be Mine!

Why Was I Watching It?

Finally, I’m healthy again! After spending two freaking weeks getting my ass kicked by allergy season, I finally feel as if I can start writing about and reviewing movies again. Obviously, after being knocked out for two weeks, I’ve got a lot to get caught up on so I decided what better way to start than to watch the Friday premiere of the latest Lifetime film, Mommy Be Mine?

What Was It About?

It’s Cara’s (Sierra Pond) first day at school and she already has a friend! In fact, Cara has decided that Summer (Ava Locklear) is her best friend, despite the fact that 1) Cara has only known her for a day and 2) Summer already has a best friend, the wonderfully sarcastic Tori (Megan McGown).

Still, Cara is determined to not only make Summer like her but to also become a surrogate daughter to Cara’s mother, Lianne (Arianne Zucker). In fact, Cara even starts to call Lianne “mom.” Everyone agrees that’s kind of creepy but Cara seems like such a nice girl. I mean, it’s not like she’s actually a psychotic killer who has killed in the past and who is planning on killing again…

Or is she!?

What Worked?

Sierra Pond did a good job as the scheming psycho. It was obvious that she was having fun playing the role and, as a result, it was fun to watch her perform. As well, Arianne Zucker was sympathetic as the overprotective mother. When she finally snapped and told off Cara, it was a great moment.

What Did Not Work?

Usually, I have little trouble suspending my disbelief when it comes to a Lifetime film. Lifetime films are specifically designed to be melodramatic and just a little bit silly. That’s what makes them so much fun. If the characters didn’t always do the stupidest possible thing, the viewer would miss out on the fun of yelling, “Oh my God, you’re so stupid!”

That said, even by the standards of Lifetime, Cara was a bit too obviously insane. That’s not to say that Seirra Pond didn’t do a good job playing the role. She appeared to be having a lot of fun with the role. But, as a character, Cara was so obviously messed up that it was hard to sympathize with anyone who would actually be stupid enough to allow her into their house. The minute she started calling Lianne “mom” should have been the minute that both Lianne and Summer announced, “Okay, time for you to go away now!”

As good as the rest of the cast was, Ava Locklear sometimes seemed to be lost in the role of Summer. This was her first leading role and, in some scenes, her inexperience definitely showed.

“Oh my God! Just like me!” Moments

As always, I totally related to the sarcastic (if obviously doomed) best friend. From the minute that she first met Cara, Tori not only knew that she was up to no good but she had no hesitation about sharing that opinion. Unfortunately, characters in Lifetime films never seem to listen to their sarcastic best friend until it’s too late. Sarcastic best friends always end up dying a little after the one hour mark and it’s a shame.

Lessons Learned

Seriously, if your oldest friend in the world says your newest friend is a psycho bitch, don’t question the conclusion. Trust the voice of experience.