Contemporary Analysis: Shattered Glass

Throughout the mid to late 90's, the world saw the rise of the young person. People were rising and holding jobs that seemed to mature for their age. Most cases it turned out fine, but other turned out the opposite, much the case of on Stephen Glass. He rose to prominence in the 90's writing for esteemed magazine's such as Rolling Stone, George, and most notably The New Republic. His fall is far more notable than his rise or any of his works. In 2003 Billy Ray directed a film about the rise and fall of Stephen Glass entitled "Shattered Glass". What Billy Ray showed us was two things; the anatomy of a liar, and the portrait of a sick man.


Shattered Glass follows the story of Stephen Glass, a twenty something journalist who has risen to a prominent position at the 'In flight magazine of Air Force One' The New Republic. He electrifies his colleagues at weekly table reads with his fascinating and humours stories. As it turns out, he's lying...about everything he has ever told, probably lying about school too. He is such a pathological liar that he even convinces his former Chief Editor to back him so much that it gets him fired. Glass didn't stop there, in fact it hardly seemed to phase him. The only reason he reconnects with Micheal Kelly is because Chuck Lane, his current editor, is hot on his tail of lies. It also implied that he lies to Kelly further by A) trying to sneakily sleazeball his way into a job at Kelly's new magazine, and B) telling Kelly he didn't 'cook' any stories while he was editor, particularly the 'Spring Breakdown' piece which got Kelly fired. Director Billy Ray paints a portrait of a man torn in two. And it's not the stereotypical two halves one good one bad, BOTH sides of Stephen Glass are bad and despicable. His lies convince his co-workers their work needs to be more like his. He directly effects so many people negatively, misleads them so atrociously that even at the very end they can't be live anything bad he has done. Stephen Glass is both a liar, and a mentally disturbed man at the same time, but given his track record, who's to say he isn't just a liar and a liar only?


The other piece that pulls Shattered Glass from the depths of other Independent films of its kind is the acting. Yes Hayden Christensen is a terrible, terrible actor, but even in this you see glimpses of his best work and Shattered Glass (next to Star Wars only for its name sake) is on the top if Christensen's resume. The true brilliance in this film though is Peter Sarsgaard as Chuck Lane. Sarsgaard launched an incredibly critically acclaimed decade with Shattered Glass. He won numerous awards for his performance, was nominated for among others a Golden Globe and an Independent Spirit Award, and is noted by many film critics as one of the worst Oscar snubs in recent memory. His performance in this film garnered roles in critically acclaimed films such as Jarhead, Garden State, and An Education. The other supporting roles in this film are brilliantly delivered by Chloe Sevingy, Hank Azaria, Steve Zahn and Rosario Dawson. The film beautifully shifts points of view from Stephen, to Chuck to the two Forbes reporters. The film never reached a massive popular following, but has maintained over the years that it is a solid film not only on Stephen Glass, but the high stakes, high stress environment of political journalism. This ranks Shattered Glass among one of today's great Independent movies.

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Documentary Milestone: Nirvana! Live! Tonight! Sold Out!

What do you get when you combine a poet, a Croatian bassist and a jock drummer: Nirvana. They defined the 90's. They defined an entire generation. But it always seemed Nirvana were misunderstood, particularly their lead singer Kurt Cobain. Throughout the 90's Nirvana and Cobain were a safe haven for disenchanted youth across the world. He was unwillingly a voice and prophet to a generation which in the end proved to be too much to handle when mixed with manic depression and a serious heroin addiction. But 'Live! Tonight! Sold Out!', which was released a mere months after his suicide, shows a different side a Nirvana: the TRUE Nirvana.


The documentary is made up of interviews with Nirvana or its individual members, interspersed with live performances which was largely put together by Cobain prior to his death. Never before has a documentary captured the very essence of its subject better than 'Live! Tonight! Sold Out!' does. Throughout their history, and even today, when Nirvana is mentioned two things come to mind: Kurt Cobain's suicide and teenage angst. They get coupled together quite unfairly. Revisionist history has painted Cobain to be this dark, tortured soul (clearly exploiting his manic depression) who never wanted to be a rock star. This documentary puts this theory to rest. Nirvana clearly wanted to be rock stars and were actually quite happy and content being massive superstars. It's the media attention they would have rather done without. At one point Cobain says "We write songs and we sing. I'm sure what more people want. I can juggle, and do somersaults, I'm not sure what they want." Instead of showing Nirvana as deep artists, 'Live! Tonight! Sold Out!' shows them as they really were; three friends who loved to goof around and be silly (Cobain is seen in one interview in massive Buddy Holly glasses and a rain coat and in another all three use funny voices to answer all questions). They were all clearly very close and this is proven even further when at one point when Cobain crowd surfs and accidentally rams his guitar into a bouncer's head. The bouncer gets up on stage and punched Cobain in the back of the head to which drummer Dave Grohl leaps up faster than I've ever seen a human move, and tackles the guy.


The documentary says it covers the band from its beginning up to the tours for Nevermind, but the beginning it means is the start of their massive popularity. The live performances are electric. Cobain is shown as a true genius as he deliberately tries to sabotage his own songs in concert (much to the enjoyment of bassist Krist Noveselic and drummer Dave Grohl). Numerous times are we shown clips of Nirvana destroying their equipment on stage, many times setting up make-shift improv contraptions with drum sets and amps, only so they can toss either a guitar or themselves into it. They banter with the crows in between songs, and ask for requests only to play an insanely (and intentionally) bad version of some poppy 60's song before blowing into one of their classics. Another interesting note which sets Nirvana aside is their reluctance to play their 'chart' songs, most notably "Smells Like Teen Spirit". Many times the band will play the first few chords then stop and simply reply "We don't wanna play that one". Pure brilliance.

Live! Tonight! Sold Out! shows an entirely different side if Nirvana, one that I hadn't ever seen before. It turns out that Nirvana is simply three best friends who just want to goof around and play music. The music is genius and the way that Cobain goes about making Punk/Pop tracks is brilliant. He tells of how the studio's wanted clean versions of songs, but the band refused, sticking by their rough cut, watery garage band sound (in the liner booklet the band is quoted as saying their favorite album was In Utero, not Nevermind). We know all about Kurt Cobain's troubles and his ultimate fate which makes seeing him energetic and happy that mush more special. Whether he liked it or not though, he did embody an entire generation. At one point he kicks over an amplifier and pretends to surf. That single image sums up not only Nirvana, but Generation X and the 90's.

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Cult Classic: Eraserhead

Truly bizarre. These words just about sum up David Lynch's 1977 film Eraserhead which is by far the most disturbing and strange film I have ever seen. The film is not disturbing in terms of gore or violence. It is disturbing because it eeks along like an extremely slow moving train which seems to never end, yet you can't take your eyes off of. The film never reached any popular success, but has since been classified as a cult classic.


In 1977 David Lynch released Eraserhead, a film which he had been tediously working on for some time. The film, shot entirely in black and white, follows Henry Spencer (Jack Nance) who is a printer on vacation for the duration of the film. He lives in a run down, highly industrial part of what is implied to be a larger city. He visits his estranged girlfriend, Mary X for dinner. The dinner consists of a miniature roasted chicken which kicks its thighs and oozes at the touch of a fork. The conversation is awkward (Dialogue is very, very scarce and few and far in between) and ends with Mary's mother telling Henry (after many aburt and emotional outbursts) that Mary has just had a child after an abnormally short pregnancy and he must now Marry Mary. The baby is sick, fits in the palm of Henry's hand and resembles a prehistoric creature. They live in Henry's small, shoty apartment and soon after Mary leaves him. Henry has to tend to the baby by himself and is soon seeing visions of a man in a planet pulling levers and a woman with chipmunk cheeks creepily singing "In Heaven everything is fine/ You've got good things and I've got mine/ In Heaven everything is fine." In a dream, Henry's head pops off and is found by a boy who take it to a pencil factory to which Henry's brains are turned into an eraser. The film ends with Henry taking off the baby's bandage, and accidentally exposing its vital organs. As it screams in pain, Henry stabs it with the scissors which causes the apartments electricity to overload. The baby's head soon turns into a planet which soon explodes. We last see the man with the levers struggling to control everything and Henry, with eraser shavings billowing from his head, walking into a bright light and white noise builds and builds up to a crescendo then stops. The screen goes black and the credits silently roll.


After viewing this film, I felt violated. My first exact words when I looked at my dad were "What the hell did I just watch?" I had never felt so uncomfortable watching a movie before until Eraserhead. The main reason involves the question "What is this about?" Is it about God and vengeance? Is it about the cruelty of man? Is it a giant anti-industry ad? Or is it simply about how a mundane life can drive a sane man insane? It's so difficult to watch because you feel as though you're trapped and can't get out. Everything is so bizarre and twisted, you feel unsafe. A lot of people can make a movie about nothing and it would be a horrible mess, but David Lynch somehow crafted a masterpiece of intense strangeness. It defines his career for every film he makes is some what off the norm. He himself is a bit off the norm and is a true dark poet's artist making everything pretentiously long and tedious yet it works. Eraserhead screws with your mind in ways you never thought possible and for this, it is truly a cult cinema classic.

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British Masterpiece: Trainspotting

Drugs. Thick accents. Raves. Iggy Pop. These are the words that come to mind when Danny Boyle's 1996 film Trainspotting is mentioned. The film launched the careers of Ewan McGregor, Danny Boyle and ushered in a wave of pop culture which is referred to as the second British Invasion or simply "Cool Britannia". The film is the British version of Pulp Fiction, with cool dialogue, and classic scenes fueled by massive pop tracks of the years past. But what makes Trainspotting a classic is its subject matter and how it is dealt with by director Danny Boyle.


The film follows Mark "Rent Boy" Renton (Ewan McGregor) who, along with his friends, are twenty something heroin addicts in mid-eighties Edinburgh, Scotland. They aren't like the stereotypical heroin addicts in TV ads. Renton and his friends, as he states at one point, are full functioning drug addicts. They steal to get money for their addiction, steal prescriptions and live off welfare. The film dives right in, showing the gang shooting up at Mother Superior's. Renton says he is kicking the junk, which sets off the plot. Renton's journey to get clean. His friend Sick Boy, says he'll kick the junk too just to prove to Renton he can do it too. Renton barricades himself in a room but breaks out to get one final hit(a common theme in this film).



Critics who were opposed to the film claimed the film glorified heroin and it's users because the film features a great deal of humor (see Renton's surreal experience climbing into the toilet while in the "worst Toilet in Scotland"). This is simply false. The film shows Renton and his friends in a bright light because that is how they feel on heroin. The only friend who doesn't use is their jock friend Tommy. They even go as far as to keep a baby in the room with them as they shoot up. This is very important. We see the baby at the beginning of the film, but then (much like the characters) forget about it until we discover it dead from being neglected. At this point, the film flips from being a fun movie where you feel good for the characters, into a film where you despise the characters and their flaws become more apparent. Sick Boy has kicked heroin, he now deals it along with pimping women. Spuz gets arrested for shoplifting along with Renton and goes to prison. Renton gets out of it by saying he'll detox, but he shortly thereafter overdoses. Renton attempted to get clean his way, now he'll do it the hard way: cold turkey. Renton up to this point was the guy you were rooting for but now his actions are clearly disgusting. He steals a sex tape from Tommy who's girlfriend thinks he returned it to the video store so she leaves him. Tommy asks Renton to shoot him up with heroin. Renton agrees but only when he sees Tommy has money. While Renton gets clean, Tommy becomes a reclusive addict, contracts AIDS and dies. Renton moves to London and starts to get a good life going, only to have his psychotic friend Begbie (Robert Carlyle) and Sick Boy visits and proceed to mooch off him. They get him into a massive 'skag' deal to which they deal 9 pounds of heroin to Russian drug dealers. While his friends sleep, Renton steals the money and the film ends.


The themes are very important and apparent. Trainspotting not only tackles drugs, but personalities, AIDS and morals. Renton is a repulsive character, yet you root for him. This can give the viewer a direct port into the character's world. Trust no one you're surrounded by, but use them for their drugs. Even Mother Superior, who is with Renton at the time of his overdose and seems sensible, doesn't call an ambulance for him, merely a taxi cab to the hospital. We see an ambulance drive by before we see the taxi, tricking we the viewers into thinking that someone in this world has actually done something right. This is how Renton feels. He is trapped in this desolate world and his only solace is more heroin. He is so tricked by the heroin, that it makes him care so little about the people around him that he gets Tommy addicted to heroin, and more importantly steals the money from Begbie and Sick Boy at the end. The film is somehow transformed by Boyle into a human story, where we care about what happens to Renton despite his lack of good will at the beginning. Renton is not only trying stop using heroin, but to stop surrounding himself with addicts or as he puts it his "so called friends".

Trainspotting is like a pop video on speed with a message. It speaks to everyone and in no way glorifies heroin or its users. After watching Trainspotting if you feel like you want to use heroin, you watched the wrong movie.Trainspotting will always be relevant and speaks greatly to the heroin trend of the 90's. All of this and more makes Trainspotting an instant British cinema classic from now until the end of time.

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Misunderstood Cinema: Batman Returns

Following the success of the 1989, birth of the summer blockbuster film Batman, Warner Bros and director Tim Burton suited up for the much anticipated sequel. Fans young and old filed into the theaters to experience the magic they felt in the first film. What happened next was not expected. The film was panned by critics and some fans upon its 1992 release. The terms 'too dark' and 'terrifying' have been commonly attached to the film since then. Unfortunately this held most people back from enjoying a really good film.


The film follows Bruce Wayne/Batman after the events of the first film. He is now Batman, the savior of Gotham having won the city over by saving it from the clutches of The Joker. But where this film differs from the first is it actually follows three characters as if they are the title characters. Oswalt Cobblepot is show as a child being kept in a cage, and then proceeds to eater the family cat. His parents put him in a basket and throw him in the sewer. Some years later, amid rumors that there is a mysterious Penguin man living in the sewers, he emerges from hiding in the form of saving a baby he had one of his goons kidnap. The story is actually quite uplifting at this point. This freakish, anti-social man is warmly accepted into the world who over look his physical deformities to see the man inside. Where it goes awry is the character of Max Schrek who manipulates everyone so he can open a power plant that will drain the city's energy and make him rich. In the process, his assistant Selina Kyle, finds some files that would expose him. He subsequently finds her and shoves her out a window. She is revived (in very creepy fashion) by cats, and thus Catwoman is born. She plays the in between, going from being on The Penguin's side, to Batman's and then back again. Her main motivation is the empowerment of the female and the ruin of their oppressors (In this particular case, Max Schrek). All the while Batman is trying to figure out what is going on. Mysterious carnival characters have been attacking Gotham and Batman is failing repeatedly. In response, Max has Oswalt run for Mayor of Gotham so he can have his own puppet in office, essentially making him mayor. In a final blow to Batman, they frame him to have killed a teen pageant winner by throwing her off a roof just before Batman can grab her so he is looking over the edge while she plummets to her death. Batman manages to foil Max's plan by exposing him, but only after Oswalt discovers he has been used, kidnaps him and Catwoman kills him (and it is implied she kills herself too). His reputation isn't fully repaired but the city is safe once again and that is all Batman is concerned with.


Where this film went wrong in the eyes of many is it's tone. Although Burton has said in interviews that the film is no darker than the first; it is. It features very mature themes, very dark and gloomy set pieces and a story that is as Gothic, and well Tim Burton-y as it gets. The film is also dark, as Burton utilized shadows and bleached the film in a blueish hue. Scary clown like figures attack the citizens with machine guns and bombs, just about everything Michelle Pfifer does as Catwoman is about as creepy as it gets, and Oswalt's death isn't violent but is still gruesome (Black blood dripping out of his mouth as he can't handle the warmth). This film is a good film, but it never had a chance due to the audience it was marketed to; young kids. I couldn't imagine being a parent bringing my child to this film and seeing what I saw. It is NOT a kids film, yet the mugs, shirts, bedsheets, underwear and McDonald's toys implied this. Audiences wanted their Batman dark and brooding, but not that quick, not two films quick. This dark formula worked 16 years later with the release of The Dark Knight (which I also couldn't imagine bringing my little kid to), but the audience of 1992 simply wasn't ready to see Batman go that dark, that fast. Never has the term 'ahead of it's time' ever been so true.


Batman Returns may not have been welcomed with open arms upon it's release, and may never be fully welcomed ever, But it's still a quality film. Once one realizes the type of film they are about to view, Batman Returns will be thoroughly enjoyed. Until then, Batman Returns will be a case of a misunderstood piece of cinema.

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Documentary Milestone: Waltz With Bashir

Documentaries are like home videos, they give viewers a direct port into a person place or thing. It's analyzed and presented almost like an essay in school. This series will take a look at documentaries that have impacted both the documentary world and the cinema world. The first subject is the 2008 Academy Award nominated Israeli documentary Waltz With Bashir.


Some people find documentaries boring, for they feature a person sitting in a chair, talking about some subject they have never heard of before. Right out of the gate, Waltz With Bashir shatters that cliche. The film is animated, and animated in an edgy, grungey style that immediately sets it apart. The subject is the various stories about the 1982 Lebanon War as told by the soldiers who were there. Waltz With Bashir doesn't follow the typical documentary style of sit, point shoot. It has a beginning, middle and end. I had not previous knowledge of the film upon viewing it and was stunned to find out that it was a documentary. The film follows director Ari Folman, who in 1982 was a 19 year old infantry soldier in the IDF (Israeli Defense Force). Now in 2006, a 46 year old Ari meets up in a bar with an old army friend who tells him of the nightmares he's having about what he saw and did in 1982. Ari reveals he has no memory of that time, but as he leaves he has a vision of him and a fellow soldier bathing at night in the seaside in Beirut as the city burned. Folman then visits another army friend who tells him he should get in contact with the other men they were with during the war and discuss what they saw to better his memory. This sets up the rest of the film which is a series of flashbacks as told by the various men he interviews. In total, 8 men were interviewed, each telling a detailed recollection of what they did, where they were and what they saw during the war. Some are slightly humorous while other are sickening as the brutality of reality is disturbing. The title comes from one of the stories, told by Shmuel Frenkel who during a fire fight in the middle of Beirut street, grabs a large machine gun and precedes to dance an insane waltz in the middle of the street amid heavy gun fire. The buildings are covered with large posters of Bachir Gemeyal, the president-elect, and militia commander of Lebanon at the time. The film ends with Ari remembering his unit approaching and entering a Shatila Refugee Camp, where they have to bear witness to the aftermath of the Sabra and Shatila Massacre at which point the film dissolves from animation to real life footage of the massacre.


Waltz With Bashir not only hit on a serious topic of history that many have overlooked or simply not been educated on, but it breaks down film making barriers. The style of the documentary is unlike any that have been done before it. With the exception of the final moments of real footage, the film is entirely animated. We never see real footage of Folman or any of his interviewees. The music is a mix of classical music, and 80's Israeli pop music. Never before have i felt such a grasp of the times then I did with Waltz With Bashir. Stylistically it is a stunning picture. The animation is sharp, edgy and realistic. Even though you are aware that you are viewing an animated film, at times you are so lost in the story that the animation seems appropriate, it works and gels so well that you forget its animated. The concept of his memories being this dreamy trip into the past serves the animation better than anything else could have. You are experiencing his memories how he remembers them, a trippy, hazy flashback that seems so real yet the animation gives it a distant feeling; the memory. Not often do I get this excited over a documentary but Waltz With Bashir is amazing, the words do not yet exist to describe the feeling it leaves you with. Watching it, you feel lost and entranced and as soon as it's over you will be changed. You will remember the time and place you were when you finished watching this film and you won't soon forget it.



Waltz With Bashir is more than a documentary. It is more than a war picture and more than an animated film. It is a bonified classic. It's nominations for various top end awards only cements it status as a masterpiece. This little animated war documentary from Israel made the top ten list of critics from The Los Angeles Times, Hollywood Weekly, Entertainment Weekly, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post and was honored with award nominations by the BAFTA's, Academy Wards and went as far as winning a Golden Globe. It's safe to say that Waltz With Bashir is not only a documentary milestone, but a world cinema masterpiece.

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Classic Bergman: The Seventh Seal

When one thinks of the term "Art house Cinema", one is hard pressed to not think of Igmar Bergman. The Swedish director was a master of the camera and using the screen as if it were a canvas and he was the painter. This is part one of a continuing series of analytical posts about the films of Igmar Bergman.


In 1957, Swedish filmmaker Igmar Bergman released his 18th film, Det sjunde inseglet (The Seventh Seal). The film follows a medieval knight, Antonius Block(Max von Sydow) as he travels across the plague-ridden Sweden. He encounters a figure, Death(Bengt Ekerot), who has come to collect his life. Antonius challenges Death to a game of Chess, the wager being his life. They start their game, but Death is called upon and must resume the game at a later time. Antonius and his squire Jons(Gunnar Bjornstrand) travel across the country side and soon after their encounter with Death, discover a dead man who appeared to be sleeping. They enter a stone church. Jons talks with a painter as Antonius enters the confession booth. He explains how his life has been a "futile pursuit, a wandering, a great deal of talk without meaning. I feel no bitterness or self-reproach because the lives of most people are very much like this. But I will use my reprieve for one meaningful deed." He then explains how he is in a chess match with Death and reveals his strategy on the perfect victory. The priest opens the wall and Antonius finds that the priest is actually Death. Soon after, Jons saves a girl from being raped and is joined by two others who are tormented by the man as well.


There is a subplot in The Seventh Seal. It follows an actor named Jof. He is introduced to the audience by waking up and claiming he saw the Virgin Mary in the distance. He rejoins his wife and kids and as they are traveling across the countryside, they enc outer Antonius, who is in the middle of his match against Death. He warns them of the plague that is spreading through the land. Death leaves again and Antonius joins the family. Antonius finds peace as he eats with the family in a field. He explains how he loved his wife before he left for the Crusades as much as Jof loves his wife. He invites them to his castle so they can be safe from the plague. As they travel they encounter a young girl, marked a witch, who is to be burned at the stake. As she is being tied, Antonius asks her to summon Satan so he can "Ask the Devil about God". As they rest, Death returns to continue his match with Antonius. Antonius knocks over a chess piece, distracting Death long enough for Jof and his family to escape. Death checkmates Antonius and declares the next time they meet, his time will be up. Antonius and his party return to Antonius' castle where his wife is waiting for him. They eat a "last supper" before Death comes for them. A storm hits as Death arrives. Antonius pleads to God to have mercy on them. In one final famous scene, as Death collects them, one of the girls smiles and simply states, "It's finished." The final shot is of Jof and his family waking up on a beach where he sees a vision of his friends dancing in a line with Death.


Bergman tackles so many themes in this classic. The contrasts of life and death, the questions we have about religion (the title is a reference to a passage in the Book Of Revelation). Bergman masterfully uses mythic overtones but grounds them in reality. Antonius is a man who has led a life he is not proud of and is desperately trying to redeem himself in his 11th hour. He does this by befriending Jof and his family, and then rescuing them from Death by sacrificing himself. Bergman tackles both spiritual belief and spiritual denial in the characters of Antonius and Jof. Jof is a family man who believes anything is possible even in a world ravaged by the plague. Antonius is man who has lost his faith in God and in man. They meet and contrast and it appears at one point that Antonius feels that although Jof is less successful than him, he is a better man with better values. Antonius is a generous, good human being at his core, he has just been hardened by the world around him.

Bergman's Seventh Seal will forever be a classic piece of cinematic history. It won the Cannes Jury Special Prize, and has been praised since it's release as a masterpiece of Cinematography. It is truly a film that is overlooked by many noted film organizations, most notably the American Film Institute, yet still this film resonates. It a piece of dark poetic storytelling done better than perfect by the master himself, Igmar Bergman.

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