first look: tree of life

Gasp!

The only thing you need to know about this movie:
Pitt.
Penn.
Malick.
Lubezki.
Fisk.

Dare I say more?

first look: the curious case of benjamin button

"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
directed by David Fincher
December 19, 2008

This looks way more surreal than I could have imagined it.

it comes down to a tie

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
and Sam Riley at the 61st Cannes Film Festival

Classic glamour versus modern. Who wins?

first look: burn before reading

What a melange of faces in the upcoming Coen Brother's film, "Burn Before Reading." The film will debut at the Venice Film Festival in August and be released stateside in September.

the sartorialists: five best dressed men of 2007

When I think about what I wore versus what I wanted to wear in 2007, I'll think of the men I looked to for reliable inspiration and a dashing simplicity. All of these men exhibit a singular and defined personality in how they dress as well as embody the timeless trends of this past year--neutrals, slim cuts, and stripes. We can also hope that candy colored denim, Wayfrarers (I must admit I picked up a knock off pair at Old Navy over the summer), ethnic inspired scarves, and the Slim Slack at American Apparel will die a slow death before the next big thing in 2008.

In no particular order:

Mark Ronson, musician, dj, producerInspired by the lean lines of the Rat Pack, Ronson managed to make the mid-century lounge lizard look cool again without being too retro or costumey. This is the kind of look that necessitates a martini and Amy Winehouse playing in the background.

Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough, fashion designersA controversial choice indeed, due to the restrictive number that constitutes this list, but I think of Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough as two complementary minds with one shared vision. I'm curious as to what a men's line would look like under the relaxed but effortlessly stylish eye of design duo behind Proenza Schouler. Their womenswear collections combine a soft and hard edge that's at once youthful and very of the moment but classic and clean. Essentially that's how they dress and I can't think of a better way of looking young and comfortable minus slovenly and unkempt.

Jack, played by Adam Goldberg in Julie Delpy's "2 Days in Paris"It's easy to slip into the tall white socks, cargo shorts, fannypack, and college t-shirt routine when traveling abroad but Jack brings an incredible black velvet blazer, sunglasses fit for Godard, and a hot French girlfriend. Adam Goldberg's character is ready for any occasion, whether it be a late night soiree or shopping at the market in the morning. His style is pragmatic but with a flair and wit.

Kanye West during Paris Fashion WeekWhen in Paris and attending fashion shows ranging from Yves Saint Laurent to Vivienne Westwood, the standard is a little higher than an award show or television appearance. Gone are the distracting shades of day-glo, funky glasses, and Gucci backpacks from Kanye West's early sartorial repertoire during his many appearance during the collections. West's style has evolved leaps and bounds since his brazen debut into a more grown-up sensibility, favoring less flash over an overt and heavy-handed way of wearing luxury. Those navy Common Projects and tailored suit are remarkably modern and undeniably hip-hop.

Brad Pitt, parent, philanthropist, budding architect,
movie star extraordinaireWhat to do when attending the most glamorous film festival in the world? Call Tom Ford and get him to costume design and tailor a tuxedo and daytime suit for you and nature will take its course. When he's not too busy adopting children, providing new homes for Katrina survivors, or making sensational movies, Brad Pitt makes such daringly perfect choices for his public appearances. Who else wears a scalloped vest with parted hair and not look like a Jay Gatsby rip off? Mr. Pitt, you are quite simply the man.

Honorable mention:
The cast of "The Darjeeling Limited"
George Clooney
Milo Ventimiglia

Worst dressed:
Tom Cruise
Gareth Pugh
Timbaland

a shot in the dark

Within the first few frames of Andrew Dominik's "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" it is certain that this not a generic western, but instead something a little more audacious and poetically of the times. It's an inspired and visually sumptuous meditation on celebrity, compulsion, and identity. The west in this film is not black and white and full of good natured farmers and evil doers that come to pillage and infiltrate the utopian bubble of the range, but a murky world of mythos, troubled and complicated men, and shades of gray where motivations are clear and present and eventually dangerous. This could be the flawed master work of art that everyone forgets this year because of its inventive celebration of cinema and intelligent themes

It's difficult not to wonder if it's master cinematographer Roger Deakins or the inspired direction of Dominik with whom can be credited with the genius and lush camera work in the film. Deakins expertly and effortlessly lights scenes, shoots through unusual looking lenses that blur the edge of the frame, and looks to the abandoned skies for his visual touchstones. The clouds are always moving and the wheat fields constantly bristle against each other in what could very easily be described as Terrence Malick-esque, but where Malick connects spiritually with nature, Dominik/Deakin look at it as a way to mythologize the personage of Jesse James. He's not saintly but there is something about him that separates him from everyone else. The light hits his haggard and worried eyes a little bit differently, the plains are on fire in his very presence, and the fading sun is a little more melancholy than usual as we see our glorious anti-hero stuck in his own iconography and discontent. He is nothing more than a myth, a dime store novella, a caricature that is fleeting but fearsome and famous. Brad Pitt's clever and soulful performance resonates in a way he's never performed before. In some scenes there is the sense that maybe this is a way for Pitt, an icon and fodder for gossip and pop culture intrigue himself, to come to terms with his own bouts with fame and media attention. He is essentially a product to be bought and sold at the cinemas and checkout aisles in the tabloid section of the neighborhood grocery store, but he's also a human being. The line is greatly indistinct to most and that is the downfall of Jesse James. He too is self-aware of his own brand but the film suggests that he didn't resent it or question it but embraced it and knew the only way to truly solidify his mythic status is by dying for his public. Who is the true coward then? The man burdened by fame or the man desperate for it but too confused of his own identity to truly realize it? The film never says it explicitly, nor should it and that's what makes it such a provocative piece of work. The characters, the cinematography, the portrayal of the west, it's all somewhat lonely and elusive, never proclaiming too much but what's there is smart and immensely watchable.

There's quite a bit to feast on throughout the film on a sensory level but one subtextual point that is explored more obviously in some scenes more than others is the ambiguous sexuality of many of the characters. Robert Ford's intense desire for Jesse James could easily be labeled a repressed homosexual love for his hero, but Casey Affleck's dangerous altar boy looks and awkward ticks and gestures imply that Ford was a confused kid wrapped up in pop adulation and ragingly insecure in his own skin. There is one scene in particular that is reminiscent of a very similar moment in Anthony Minghella's "The Talented Mr. Ripley", an equally stirring take on identity and sexually/morally indeterminate denizens, when Tom Ripley (Matt Damon) lovingly and uncomfortably watches Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law) bathe. Ford cowers behind a corner watching a steaming and dripping wet James bathe in solitude. He utters something schoolgirlish like, "I've never seen Jesse James without his guns." The equation between guns and the phallus immediately come to mind, giving scene in an interesting tension. You think for a minute Ford wants to jump in with James but he would probably go into convulsions at the sight of a naked and unmasked James. It's that naivete that doesn't make him entirely definable in terms of his sexuality but instead an obsessive fan creepily viewing his idol in a time of vulnerability and repose. However, James allows him to watch, implicating himself in the equation. Who wants and or needs the other more?

The phallus in fact is rampant throughout the film in the form of the name of one of James's gang members, the sizing up of Ford's "pecker", and the gleaming beauty of the nickel plated gun/penis substitute James gives Ford in the last act of the film. In this regard the film is a true western. Men are defined by the size of their gun and what they can do with it. Ford's meek appearance may suggest weakness or performance anxiety but he's involved with several murders in the film, exacting his prowess where ever he goes. The men in the film come across as more concerned with their own guns, literally and symbolically, and less about the women in their lives. The women are relegated to set pieces and are never given proper screen time, except Zooey Deschanel who makes the most of her near cameo role. The most egregious error in the film is the woefully underused Mary-Louise Parker as the doting wife of James. Her part feels edited down as if there were some great scene she had but was content with smiling and preparing meals for the rest of the film. Elements of the film such as this almost detract from how contemporary the film feels.

For a film where the ending is known in the title, there is more than enough to chew on and derive infinite pleasure from the 160 minutes the film commands. A train robbery scene at Blue Cut that opens the film is something worth going back to the theater to observe and Mr. Pitt done up like John McCabe in a bulky fur in the winter portion of the film is something to behold as well. There is something very original and daring about this film that makes it so special that you feel the studio dropped the ball with the slow release (it opened in larger markets almost a month ago and it's still only playing in 163 theaters nationwide) and almost non-existent marketing. This is an art film that recognizes its cinematic exuberance and cultural relevance. The old west has never looked so alien and sad and perhaps the same could be said for how we live now.