Filmcap: The week of Mar 13-20

For some reason during spring break I had less time to watch movies. Actually it's because there's just way more to do in the Seattle area in my spare time. Anyway, I only have three movies in this post to talk about. One is a great documentary, and the other two are new movies that just came out into theaters. Also, a bit about Portlandia. Hopefully next week will see me get back to my regular programming.




Aside from very few movies I watched this week, I also got to finish up IFC's sketch comedy Portlandia. I really liked the focus of the show, and how a lot of the sketches were inter-related through theme, something not evident in most sketch shows because they have so much to work with they just become random. I like the structure of the episodes and even though there were some sketches and moments that fell flat, I still liked the execution. Obviously a large part of my enjoyment of the show was due to the subject matter: the type people of in Portland. It works because Portland is just a proxy for the rest of the alternative and hipster world and this is all a very new thing and Portlandia just happened to be the first one out of the gate in making of fun of this culture. It's a really funny show that is sometimes really smart as well and always has great guest stars. Can't wait for season 2.

Capturing The Friedmans (Andrew Jarecki, 2003): Because we're living in the Information Age -- a time when we can get any information on anything that ever happened in a few seconds -- we expect all the answers. That's the reason this documentary can be so frustrating to watch, because in the film examines a question so deeply, and we know that there is an answer, but we never get it. It's not because the filmmaker chose not to give it to us, we can't ask him in interviews after the movie what happened, this is real life and there just is no answer. The question the film examines is whether or not Arthur Friedman and one of his sons Jesse Friedman molested children. Andrew Jarecki gives us evidence for yes and no, but that's it. It's a harsh reality that sometimes you just will never know what happened. There have been many recent scripted films that gave us ambiguous endings ("Inception," "Cache") but those were not real stories. In this film the story is real, and it shows us that sometimes the world does not give you the information you want to know. In todays Information Age this is a very important notion. Aside from the elusiveness of truth the film also shows us the disintegration of this film over these accusations via home video. The video is very shocking and perhaps voyeuristic in how fascinating it is to us. Above all, this is just a very real film that serves as a great reality check in a time when we have such a hard time with what's real and what is fake in the world.
Grade: A-

Win Win (Tom McCarthy, 2011): I saw this movie at a early preview screening in Seattle this past week, and what it happened to be was one of those low-key character driven dramas that works pretty well. The characters in the film are what stand out as strong and real. They drive the films plot as the main character, played by Paul Giamatti, struggles with ethical and moral issues in his life. The film is definitely worth the way if you enjoy "Sundance" type American independent films that aren't too flashy, but have a good dose of emotion. The film is good, but not great because the story doesn't really do anything unexpected. The supporting characters are just that, supporting, aside from maybe Amy Ryan's character, they don't do a lot to be their own person. They just serve the two main characters, Paul Giamatti and the kid. Even with those things though the movie is solid and enjoyable. It's also frequently really funny and the light hearted nature makes it all the more watchable.
Grade: B-

Paul (Greg Motolla, 2011): My full review of the movie is here. I had a good time with the film, but it's not for everyone. If you read the review you'll know if its for you or not.
Grade: B-