Big Eyes:
Tim Burton is often best known for his gothic style films
such as Edward Scissorhands and Sleepy Hollow, but every once in a while, he’ll
break out of his comfort zone with an against type film such as Ed Wood or Big
Fish. This seemed to be the type of film he desperately needed to make again,
as his last decade has produced lackluster results for many. It’s because of
this that I was excited for Big Eyes, a biopic detailing the marriage, and eventual
divorce of Margaret and Walter Keane, the former a painter of waif paintings
that the latter would shamefully claim all credit for. It’s a potentially
fantastic film for Burton, but one where that change of pace actually risks to
work against him.
Big Eyes is something of a straightforward biopic, where
Burton severely tones down his usual stylistics, and allows for a more
naturalistic and less fantastical tone. Burton tends to stand by unnoticed, and
let all the actors in front of the camera have the attention. Even his usual
craftspeople tone themselves down, with composer Danny Elfman channeling his
inner Thomas Newman, and costume designer Colleen Atwood just nailing the style
and detail of the film’s setting. However, as inspired as Burton’s direction
may be, it ultimately proves to be both a blessing and a curse. While it’s nice
to see Burton make something less oddball than he usually does, it also
threatens to rob him of everything that makes him a fascinating filmmaker.
Oddly enough, it’s those segments where he embraces his inner quirk and
fascination with the grotesque that mark the most unique personality, while the
rest of the film feels like it could have been directed by anyone else.
Ultimately, it’s the acting that lifts this movie from the
ground. An eclectic and fabulous supporting cast aside, the lead performances
from Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz are superb. Waltz is as crazed and larger
than life as he’s ever been, and while it threatens to feel hammy, it actually
serves a purpose in showcasing Walter Keane’s unhealthy obsession with being
the topic of discussion, making him into a spectacle with a desire to stay
relevant. This works wonderful contrast against Amy Adams’ more subdued, lived
in Margaret Keane, an introvert who’s more humble about her accomplishments,
but still has enough self-respect and strength to not be manipulated when lines
are crossed. It’s thanks to these two in particular that the film is as
engaging as it is.
***1/2 / *****
The Imitation Game:
You may not know who Alan Turing is, but you have him to
thank for everything in the modern computer age. A technological pioneer of the
20th century, were it not for his research, you wouldn’t be reading
this review on your computer (or your phone) right now. The man’s experiences
seem perfect for a feature film treatment, and with The Imitation Game, this
year’s recipient of the Toronto International Film Festival’s People’s Choice
Award, we receive exactly that. Ever since seeing the film a few days ago, it’s
a film that I’ve not been able to stop thinking about, and with good reason,
for this is one of the best films of the year.
In the film, Alan Turing is a mathematician recruited as a
cryptanalyst in the early days of World War 2, working in the base of Bletchley
Park with a team of fellow logistics experts and linguists to break the code of
the Enigma machine used by the Nazis, which resets its own code every 24 hours.
Turing would eventually succeed in doing just that, but in the days following
the war, his own country would disgracefully issue him the ultimate injustice.
The best thing about this film is its spectacular
screenwriting by Graham Moore. For my money, it’s the best script of the year.
The Imitation Game has such timelessness to its core issues of social
isolation, the very nature of Turing not a generally popular one. Turing finds
himself frustrated by the very nature of human beings, and whereas he feels
much more at home in his daily crossword puzzles because they are grounded in
specific guidelines and rules, human DNA is much more unpredictable and much
harder to have a firm understanding of. This is something that’s refreshingly
relatable about the character, including and especially down to his closeted
homosexuality. This whole ordeal was at a time when to be gay was essentially a
death sentence, persecuted by law, leading many men to suppress their true
identities. Even with the massive strides in progress for such an issue today,
there’s still such timeliness to this, because even if legal action isn’t as
extreme, this desire to hide who we really are because of what people will
think of us (especially our own families) is just as much an issue that demands
attention as ever.
The film does well at balancing its various elements across
the board, and while the group of characters may be far away from the actual
war, the film never lets us forget that this is still a very life and death
race against time. Also, while the war may not be physically there, there’s
still numerous wars going on within each of the group of characters, with
questionable morals at play, and the exploitation of secrets. Secrets are power
here, and especially in Turing’s case, can be fatal to one’s livelihood. It
also helps that dialogue is snappy and stellar, with witty exchanges
occasionally being tossed around, and interplay and discussion that only gets
more interesting with every minute that passes. This is the type of
screenwriting I’m actually quite jealous of. This is the kind of script I could
only dream I was talented enough to write, and deserves all the awards
attention it will receive.
The acting is fantastic in all areas, with a wonderful batch
of actors that includes the likes of Matthew Goode, Charles Dance, and Mark
Strong. Front and center of the entire ensemble is Benedict Cumberbatch in a
career best turn, embodying every nuance and mannerism of Turing seamlessly, but
also humanizing Turing by not putting him on too high a pedestal. Turing may be
a brilliant man, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be as frustrating to others as
he finds others to be, tapping into his prickly obsession and sense of
superiority. As fantastic as Cumberbatch is, it’s Keira Knightley who turns out
to be MVP of the film. Knightley has undoubtedly had a banner year, and The Imitation
Game is the best of her most recent efforts. In many ways, it’s exactly what a
proper supporting performance is. She leaves a huge impact whenever she’s
onscreen, but doesn’t draw too much attention away from the lead. She just has
an effortless connection with Cumberbatch, her own character a misfit in this
world, and it’s this kindred spirit that creates the most engaging relationship
in the film, but still showing an intensity and wisdom to put Turing in his
place when need be.
Adding to this the spectacular direction of Morten Tyldum,
seamless editing by William Goldenberg, and one of Alexandre Desplat’s best
scores to date, The Imitation Game is a film that demands to be seen, and
that’s something I will gladly do once again in due time.
***** / *****
No comments:
Post a Comment