Sin #67: All My Dreams

“Don’t Wake Me, I Plan on Sleeping In…”

Sleeping In-The Postal Service

Dreams have fascinated filmmakers ever since the dawn of cinema. This year Christopher Nolan (one of the boldest and most ambitious directors currently working) delivers us “Inception”, his latest mind-bender which might just change our perception of dreams as a narrative entanglement that reveal layers within layers of dreamscape while emasculating a sense of emotional frailty. In “Inception” he takes us on an intellectual ride that doesn’t condescend to the summer blockbuster crowd; it’s an ambitious and incredibly smart movie that works within the structure of a heist movie (or even a Bond action adventure) while introducing complex ideas (there are echoes here of other great sci-fi works like “Blade Runner” or “2001”). Without a doubt, one viewing is not enough to assimilate all of Nolan’s intricate plotting and abstract concepts.

I’ve read several theories on the movie and the cleverly ambiguous ending which is definitely open to several interpretations. If you haven’t seen “Inception” I recommend you save this reading for later, since I don’t want to spoil the experience.

First of all, about that ending; some say Dom Cobb’s cipher is about to collapse as the screen goes dark, others believe it keeps spinning endlessly, revealing that Cobb is still inside his dream. There are several clues that suggest Cobb might have never woken up at all (and that Mal, his wife, might not be dead). My own theory is that she escaped the dream world and failed to convince him to accompany her back to their children (speaking of which, they never seem to age and are always seen in the same position throughout the story). Cobb might be another reinterpretation of Leonard, the hero of “Memento”, who leads a tragic life stuck in an endless loophole of despair (Leonard thinks he is avenging his wife’s death while Cobb thinks he is trying to go back to his children). Both characters are paranoid and refuse to look beyond their own dilemmas. In the climax, Mal ominously tells Cobb about his delusions of worldwide corporate persecution and asks him: how are you certain of your reality?

With this argument we might even ask if the process of inception is even possible. Maybe the true target is not Robert Fischer, the tycoon’s son, but Cobb who is truly lost within his subconscious. Of course this is only one of the many hypothesis “Inception” has inspired and it’s such a complex movie that I believe it will be endlessly discussed for years to come; It’s really an amazing achievement. It also represents the second Leonardo DiCaprio movie in a year that deals with deceptive realities (the other one is Scorsese’s “Shutter Island”. Both movies focus on intense performances by the actor, who has shown great maturity with his choice of roles).

Another movie that drifts within dreams is “Waking Life” from director Richard Linklater. The movie is a series of conversations between professors, poets and philosophers with a young man who suspects he might be dead (or trapped within a very strange dream). The film uses rotoscopic animation to convey several surreal visual styles (that change depending on the conversation).

Even though the movie doesn’t have a traditional storyline, “Waking Life” is hypnotic, intriguing and utterly original.

“Inception” and “Waking Life” are unique cinematic experiences that go where few movies dare to go. They will certainly haunt your dreams.

Sin #66: Third World Poverty

For millions of people in Mexico, poverty is synonymous with way of life; after all, over 20 percent of the country lives in extreme poverty and many are forced to abandon country life for a job in the city with terrible wages. As an alternative they will immigrate to the United States to work as illegal aliens in fast-food chains or janitors for big corporations. It’s a sad state of affairs, but society’s pyramidal structure and capitalist system prevents the government from giving the poor a more worthy lifestyle and an education, since it doesn’t favor the rich minority who control most of the country’s resources.

A couple of years ago, Danny Boyle released “Slumdog Millionaire”, a film that garnered world-wide acclaim and even went to win several Oscars including best picture. The movie might be a feel-good fantasy about a boy that goes from rags to riches but its greatest asset is in its portrayal of poverty in Mumbai. The earlier passages echo “Oliver Twist” in the journey of a boy living in the brutal streets try to survive along with his brother and Boyle’s vibrant vision makes the setting realistic while avoiding the romanticized view we often see in these types of stories (although the movie’s heart is essentially romantic).

The authenticity of the movie is also reflected in the casting process as the children portrayed aren’t professional actors and their real life draws parallels from their characters. There was actually a controversy a while back about their lifestyle after the shooting wrapped, with some claiming they were exploited and were still living in poverty (there were some bizarre rumors about Rubina Ali’s father trying to sell her, she plays young Latika in the film).

While many people applauded “Slumdog Millionaire” (I liked it quite a bit) I wish most of them would notice another movie released the same year called “Chop Shop”, directed by Ramin Bahrani. “Chop” is an American independent production that doesn’t deal with formulas or happy endings but merely observes an immigrant boy living in America and trying to survive while he takes care of his sister.

The most shocking aspect of the film is its location in New York, since it isn’t the same New York we often see in Woody Allen or Martin Scorsese movies because it almost feels like a third world country slum. The morality lines begin to fizzle in this setting and we realize that sometimes one finds shelter in illegal activities. “Chop Shop” might be slow for some but it is a riveting slice-of-life work of cinema that delivers a startling reality.

In many ways Bahrani’s film reminded me of “Los Olvidados” (its English title is “The Young and the Damned”), one of Luis Buñuel’s best films. In it we meet several boys living in the slums of Mexico City during the fifties. “Los Olvidados” had a rather controversial opening in Mexico as the movie was deemed to be brutal and unapologetic in its depiction of poverty. Buñuel’s vision was pretty hard to embrace in this country although the film got plenty of acclaim in other places (Buñuel has never been shy to controversy, especially with the shocking “Un Chien Andalou”, a short film in which he collaborated with the great Salvador Dali. It is said they put stones in their pockets in case the audiences attacked them).

While poverty is still a huge problematic pretty much everywhere, these films do a good job in not letting us forget those who need a hand the most. They’re the kind of films that change our views and can potentially make a difference.

Sin #65: The Story of a Girl

Every time there’s an author writing a potential bestseller there’s a producer behind trying to turn it into a movie, mainly because the success of it is pretty much guaranteed. Of course, it’s always tough adapting a book and we’ve seen countless adaptation that have failed miserably either because they are way too faithful to the original source or not close enough. Most of the best passages in a book work better in our imaginations than on the movie screen so it’s always a tricky business.

Take something like “The Da Vinci Code” for example, a movie which I hated. First of all I must confess that I’ve never read anything written by Dan Brown so I can’t judge the quality of the adaptation; all I know is that the movie is bland, tiresome and tedious, with characters who never come alive (not even with the skill of some very fine actors like Tom Hanks or Audrey Tatou). People who love the book call it a real page-turner, dynamic, exciting and very entertaining. So, what went wrong?

Then there’s “The Twilight Saga”, Stephanie Meyer’s love story between a girl and a vampire (merely the remnants of the concept really since Meyer ignores almost every convention from the vampire mythology. If its real vampires you seek go read an Anne Rice novel). So far, there has been three movies based on the books and it’s astounding to witness its popularity among female fans (I guess there are some men in there, but they are among the minority for sure). Some twilight enthusiasts (or twi-hards) criticize screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg (who has some obvious talent since she writes for the TV show “Dexter”) for tweaking several details from the book but I certainly don’t envy the task of adapting those awful books (although the fourth one presents outrageously contrived developments that might result in some laugh-out-loud moments).

So, is there a recent example of a good bestseller adaptation? Fortunately yes, there is; case in point, the first adaptation of the Swedish bestselling novel titled “The Men Who Hate Women” by author Stieg Larsson (who unfortunately passed away after completing his trilogy of books). The title of the movie version is “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and it’s one of the most involving detective stories I have ever seen.

Its greatest strength isn’t in its murder mystery spanning several decades (although it’s a fantastic whodunit filled with suspense) but more on the creation of extraordinary and unique characters who command our attention from the get-go. On one side we’ve got Mikael Blomkvist, a journalist facing jail time who accepts the proposal of a rich man (who can’t move past the disappearance of his niece some decades ago), on his last months as a free man. Then there’s Lisbeth Salander, a tattooed Goth chick, who begins investigating Blomkist and ends joining him in solving the case. A relationship develops between them, although Lisbeth remains a mystery (I can imagine she will be further developed in the next installments).

The performances in “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” are brilliant (Noomi Raspace definitely deserves an Oscar nomination) and the film is a haunting thriller, not to mention one of the best films of the year. The movie is the first in the Millennium trilogy (since the other two movies were filmed back-to-back they are already available as well). Without a doubt the movie is a prime example of a successful adaptation of a bestseller, Robert Landon could learn a thing or two from Lisbeth.

Sin #64: The Giants on the Windmills

“Don Quixote de la Mancha”, written by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, remains one of the most influential books ever written (it is considered the first modern European novel). For decades it has been the ambition of filmmakers to adapt its story to the screen but there seems to be a curse attached to the legend of Quixote; Orson Welles spend his entire career filming pieces but died before he could finish the movie and in 2000 Terry Gilliam failed spectacularly to shoot his own surrealistic take.

There’s something endearing in Quixote and his madness; after all, he represents the dreamer and idealist, slaying dragons and seeing giants instead of windmills and pursuing the love of the lovely Dulcinea (a sweet maiden in his heart but really just a hardworking maid). The story of Quixote seems to be a perfect match for the imagination of director Terry Gilliam (one of the most uneven but creative forces working today) but the production was a catastrophe waiting to happen. “Lost in La Mancha” documents the making of “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote” (the title of Gilliam’s film) starring Jean Rochefort as Quixote and Johnny Depp as his loyal partner Sancho Panza. The story is about an advertising agent who travels through time to 17^th century Spain and meets Quixote who mistakes him for Panza.

Gilliam is no stranger to chaotic productions; he went way over budget on his ambitious “The Adventures of Baron Munchhausen” and had to fight with the studio for his cut on “Brazil”, but nothing could prepare him for the disaster of Quixote. First of all, the funding for the film was significantly less than he anticipated (even though it was a small budget for his vision, it was a considerable budget for European standards), then came the terrible floods that destroyed several sets and changed the terrain that was already shot. If that wasn’t enough, his actor Jean Rochefort had to be hospitalized and no longer could ride a horse (there are some scenes shot where they show him in great pain). At this point every element whether natural or man-made was against the filmmakers.

After firing a producer and with the impatience of dozens of investors, the production was finally shut down to the grief of everyone involved. Gilliam moved on (his next two movies, “The Brothers Grimm” and “Tideland” were atrocious but he bounced back with the quirky and inventive “The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus”, Heath Ledger’s final film). After the release of “Lost in La Mancha” Gilliam was bombarded with questions about the film and the hope about it ever getting made; he seemed defeated and pessimistic about its chances of reaching the screen. After finishing “Parnassus” however, Gilliam admitted that he had the rights for “Quixote” back and was definitely moving forward with the production (it’s now confirmed that Ewan McGregor will substitute Depp, who can’t commit to the project because of his hectic schedule, and that Robert Duvall will play Quixote. Filming starts in September). It now seems that in 2011 we will finally get to see “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote”, 10 years after its disastrous first attempt. Hopefully it will be worth it.

Sin #63: Art in Transformation

We’ve all been warned on documentaries like “An Inconvenient Truth” or “Collapse”; the world, as we know it, will undergo a serious transformation thanks to our process of industrialization fueled by greed. The most serious problem is currently happening on our gulf as the oil spill has quickly started to fill the pacific ocean and will eventually cover every single ocean; there seems to be no solution to the continuous spillage and, as usual, politicians keep passing on the blame (hell, even the CEO of BP refuses to take responsibility on the matter). Only time will tell how much damage it will really do to the marine ecosystem.

As technology continues to offer us breakthroughs in the areas of science, art, health and entertainment I can’t help but wonder if we’ve to finally pay for our decades of excess. Few movies seem as prophetic to me as Godfrey Regio’s “qatsi” trilogy which may be seen as a profound statement on mankind, its evolution and the consequences of its supposed “growth” or just merely as an elongated and rather pretentious series of music videos.

“Koyaanisqatsi” (or “Life out of Balance”) is the first movie in the trilogy and is all about industrial tyranny, consumerism, militarism and exploitation. It’s a breathtakingly beautiful work of images and sound whose power continues to haunt audiences more than 25 years after its original theatrical release (its influence can be seen in dozens of commercials that use the same filmmaking techniques).

“Powaqqatsi” (“Life in Transformation”), the middle film, is not as effective as “Koyaanisqatsi” for the fact that it feels a bit more repetitious and monotonous. The film is more about the delicate nature between man and nature but even though is isn’t as powerful, one can’t deny the visual wonders Regio displays on screen.

“Naqoyqatsi” (“Life as War”) is different from the previous installments. First of all, its images are all seen through digital filters which give the film a haunting and eerie look and its themes seem to evoke technological engineering and artificial intelligence. Even though “Koyaanisqatsi” is the most memorable of this unique trilogy, “Naqoyqatsi” is the one that most deeply resonates, especially in today’s society.

The thing that is most striking in these films, besides their visual wonder, is the score from composer Phillip Glass. Although he’s made a number of movie scores, he’s never been better than working on the “qatsi” trilogy (some movies even recycle some of the tunes). On “Naqoyqatsi” he got work with the great Yo Yo Ma and together they deliver a phenomenal emotional symphony.

These movies are meant to provoke a strong reaction from the viewer who will either find them hypnotic and profound or will simply dismiss them as yet pseudo intellectual dreck. Watching them I find myself glued to the images and moved by the music and thinking about mankind, his actions and, specially, the consequences.