Insomnia (2002)

So yeah, I’m doing a Liz Taylor marathon of sorts… but I’m also kinda going through some Chris Nolan movies.  Cuz he’s the mannnn.  After I saw Following I just had to watch Insomnia because I didn’t really remember it and it too was on Netflix.

So Insomnia is probably my least favorite of the Nolan flicks, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t like it or that it’s by any means a bad movie.  (We’re comparing this to Inception, Dark Knight, and Memento here…) It’s got a great cast (Al freaking Pacino is in it for heaven’s sake… along with Hilary Swank and Robin Williams, all Oscar winners) and still some epic Nolan-esque qualities (who freaking well NEEDS an Oscar).

Pacino plays Will Dormer, an acclaimed detective who hops it over with his partner Hap Eckhart (Martin Donovan) to Alaska to aid in an investigation of a murdered girl.  Dormer isn’t so squeaky clean – there’s an Internal Affairs investigation taking place in Los Angeles over one of his cases for potentially falsified evidence.  He ain’t afraid to use any method possible to find out what he wants or to win.  He and his partner aren’t exactly peachy-keen with each other, they argue over methods and Eckhart might even testify against Dormer.

Then there’s Ellie Burr (Swank), a young over-eager police officer fresh from the academy, and Dormer’s biggest fan.  She’s initially assigned to work with Dormer on the Kay Connell case.  Ya know, I like Hilary Swank.  I like girls that actually look fit and healthy rather than anorexically skinny (You know, The Next Karate Kid, Million Dollar Baby type girl).  She’s also a talented actress and I think she gives a pretty great performance in this.  She creates a character who subtly grows from her naïveté, it seems as natural as a real human being.

Alaska in the summer=the land of perpetual daylight.  It drives Dormer insane, how could anyone sleep in the daytime?  Oh wait it’s midnight already…  Have you ever had insomnia?  It’s awful.  I grew up having extreme difficulty falling asleep at night.  It was the worst in high school.  I’d just be there… on the bed… staring at the ceiling… I’d read a book for a few minutes, listen to music, or not listen to music, open the window, turn up the A/C, get a softer blanket, play a game on my phone, whatever.  It SUCKS.  Luckily I can survive with little sleep, and luckily I’d still manage to average around 5 hours.  Better than going straight through, like Dormer.  And I didn’t have a murder investigation on my mind…

Dormer goes crazy.  Light flashes, confusing memories, fuzzy vision, all that good stuff.  He’s also dealing with some heavy anxiety (murder and stuff tend to do that to ya).  He’s blinking away the fatigue whenever you look at him, willing his eyes to breath.  Al Pacino’s a beast.  He’s good in everything.  I don’t know how a man like that can stand to be so good at what he does, seriously.  But like I said, I know how insomnia goes and Al’s got it down.

It should also be noted that Robin Williams might give the best performance of the bunch, if you can believe it.  I won’t say much more about him, he’s a character best discovered by watching the movie.  I ain’t in the business of giving away too much.

But all I’ve really got to say about this movie is that, *cough cough* it’s Christopher Nolan.  Now here’s the real question – how can a guy like NOLAN survive knowing that he has a repertoire of pure genius sans exception.  What would it be like to be that legit?

Insomnia explores some crazy psychological deals.  Right and wrong, guilt, anxiety.  It’s also a good mystery.  Who killed Kay Connell, what’s Dormer’s deal, who’s the crazy guy that keeps calling Dormer (Robin Williams – no, that’s not the answer), etc.  It’s a thriller, not your standard thriller, but a thriller of the mind nonetheless.  It’s claustrophobic, he’s just sooooo tireddddd. I’d love to watch the original Norwegian version – it sounds a little more hardcore than this.  But by its own merits, Insomnia is great.  Another 50 points for team Nolan.  8/10

Following (1998)

So I think by this point everybody’s on board that Christopher Nolan is the bad ass of the times.  The best of the best, the leader of the pack, a movie-lover’s dream.  This is everybody’s man’s debut film.  Following is probably the most similar to Memento of any of his other movies, but it is also completely different in its own right.  It’s almost Hitchcock-esque.  Not quite so trippy as Inception, but still as gripping.  It’s a low-budget gem.

Following is, initially, about a man named Bill who follows people to pass the time.  He’s a writer, but has no current job, and wants to learn about human nature from his followees.  He had to set rules for himself though, so as not to become too obsessive or, like, perverted, and his most important rule of all was never to follow the same person twice.  But why set rules unless you can break them, eh?

He follows a man named Cobb.  (More than once).  But this mysterious, handsome man in a dark suit knows that our guy’s up to something and confronts him.  They talk, and share their stories.  Turns out Cobb’s a serial burglar, and he invites our man to go on some jobs with him.  These ain’t your run-of-the-mill-steal-the-jewelry-burglars, though.  Cobb’s more interested in the personal items of their victims.  ”Everyone has a box.”  He drinks their wine, rummages through photos, takes a few things here and there.  His intention is that “you take it away, show them what they had.”

They become partners, and Cobb shows the young man what’s up.  The young man starts some burglary projects of his own, changes his appearance, starts a relationship with a blonde femme-fatale.  Things spin out of control soon enough however.  Never follow someone twice, kids.

The chronology is similar to Memento.  Awesome.  It’s not as systematic as that, however (color real-time scenes, black & white backwards scenes, etc.)  But it’s still out of order, and possibly even awesome-r in this modern film noir.  Who would have thought that this method of storytelling would be so epic?  It can so effectively reveal the "what's-up" of a mystery.  This remains true for Following.  The big end wouldn’t be half as cool were it not for the messed up timeline.  Hats off to you, Chris.

Its length (just over an hour) and detached feel are strengths as well.  The only character credited with a name is Cobb.  This also felt like something Hitchcock would do (and did).  It’s very straightforward, and lacks strong emotion.  You learn the facts about the characters, you learn about the victims.  You can’t always feel what the young man is feeling, however.  It’s hard to describe, because it’s a character story, or study rather, but it still has this edgy, detached feel.

The incomprehensible small budget of just $6,000 is put to perfect use in the gritty underbelly of London.  Everything feels dirty, creepy, and mysterious.  The excellent photography combined with the scenery contributes to the suspense and ambiance.  The no-name cast is also excellent, Jeremy Theobald, Alex Haw, and Lucy Russell.  It’s a surprise to me that they did nothing else, they’re quite good in this – especially Alex Haw as Cobb.. and he doesn’t even have a Wikipedia page!

If you’re just hopping on the Chris Nolan bandwagon, I’d check this one out.  If you loved Memento, this is his father.  Following is another excellent film that credits Nolan as good as any other mainstream effort of his. 9/10

12 Angry Men (1957)

Basic murder case.  Troubled kid.  Murdered father.  Easy math.  He was labeled guilty before the trial ever started.  That’s what the jury thought also, until Juror #8 (Henry Fonda) voiced his opinion.  “I’m not sure,” he said.  “Well, there were eleven votes for guilty. It’s not easy to raise my hand and send a boy off to die without talking about it first.”

A man’s life is important enough for some time and consideration.  It’s not that Juror #8 is some saint or savior but just that he has the humanity to take his role seriously.  “I’m not saying he’s innocent, I’m saying it’s possible.”  From the very beginning there was apathy.  Take the judge: “Premeditated murder is the most serious charge tried in our criminal courts… …The death sentence is mandatory in this case…”  He speaks with a yawn in his throat.  I remember thinking, is this for real?  Then, when #8 suggests, “let’s talk about it, give him an hour at least.”  “Sure, we can do that.” everybody says, and they begin “stalling” time so they can at least say they considered “for an hour.”  Don’t they get it?

My favorite is Juror #4 (E.G. Marshall).  Unlike most of the others, he intelligently processed the details and carefully thought through the situation to come to the conclusion that he was guilty.  He wasn’t motivated by baseball tickets, animosity, prejudice, indifference, fatigue, or a stuffy room.  He calmly presented his reasons and argued his point in a civilized manner.

Then, of course, there’s Juror #3 (Lee J.  Cobb).  He’s the “Yeah, what he said!” man of the bunch.  It’s going to take some tough prodding to convince him.  Man, what excellent acting though.

Have you ever witnessed an argument amongst friends or colleagues and just plain enjoyed it?  Whether friendly or not, arguing can be very amusing and entertaining.  You wish, “Gee, why can’t I think that quick?”  This movie is for you. Essentially, it’s nothing but a bunch of old men arguing.  There are plenty of satisfactory shutdowns e.g. “I beg pardon…” “‘I beg pardon?’ What are you so polite about?”  “For the same reason you aren’t.  It’s the way I was brought up.”  or  “Anyone in his right mind would blow his stack.  He was just trying to bait me…”  “He did an excellent job.”  The dialogue is the best part. “You keep coming up with these great sayings!  Why don’t you send ‘em in to a paper – they pay three dollars apiece!”  Okay, I’m done quoting now.

There are four scenes in 12 Angry Men:  Outside the courthouse, the courtroom, the jury room, and the wash room.  That’s it.  And the first two hardly count.  It isn’t easy to pull off a full length feature film in one room but this doesn’t miss a beat.  You can feel their sweat, you sense their rising tempers and their growing fatigue.  The claustrophia settles in on the audience themselves.  I give Sidney Lumet a big gold star for directing, he knew how to set a mood.

This movie has aged well and remains influential to modern-day filmmaking.  Like I said, watch this if you enjoy a good debate. 10/10

On the Waterfront (1954)

“You don’t understand, I coulda had class!  I coulda been a contender, I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am.”

Everyone’s heard this quote before.  Everyone.  It’s been torn apart and parodied endlessly, and much of its magic has been lost by over use.  This scene, however, between Charlie and Terry Malloy is magical.  It’s one of the most finely crafted scenes in all the movies.  Everyone also knows that Marlon Brando is an excellent actor but he is not just an actor.  He was a person, a creator, an artist.  His spontaneity and sincerity are so genuine and truly unique for the time.  This scene (and movie) proves just why he is one the greatest actors to ever grace the screen.

On the Waterfront is one of “those movies.”  Like Casablanca, The Godfather, or Gone with the Wind… it’s a critically acclaimed classic that everyone “should” see.  Blah blah blah.  My initial thought was more like, “Okay, let’s get this over with so I can say I’ve seen it” which is really how many treat classic movies.  But is it REALLY worth it?  The answer is yes, yes, yes!

I love On the Waterfront because when I’m watching I am somewhere else.  Even though it’s nearly 60-years-old it still feels fresh.  I turn off the TV and I lean back and think to myself “wow, that was a good story” and then I want to tell everyone about my experience.  It’s a very emotional story, beginning with a death only 5 minutes in.  Terry Malloy (Brando) plays an ex-fighter who now tends pigeons and runs errands for big-bad Johnny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb).  After receiving a subpoena, he is faced with the choice of whether or not to stand up to his union bosses.  It’s a story about hope, fear, redemption, love, dissapointment, anger, and courage.

This movie is my precious gem.  It’s a film that most people from my generation have (sadly) never seen but anyone over 40 has seen it 10 to 30 times.  I love when people ask me what my favorite movie is and I respond “On the Waterfront” and they go, “Ohh yeah… I think I’ve heard of that one, yeah.”  (I’m speaking to kids my age, here.  If you are a fellow movie blogger, yeah I know.  You’ve most likely seen this movie).  But anyway, if I have no other cinematic influence on my friends I hope that I can share this must-see classic with them.  I’ve loved Star Wars and other movies since birth but this was the film that really opened my eyes to the possibilities of an actor, and to all that a classic movie could offer to a kid.  You could say it turned me from a movie goer to a true movie lover; turned movies from sheer entertainment to pieces of art.

Terry Malloy is a hero.  Think about the scene where Terry decides to tell Edie (Eva Marie Saint) that it was he who set her brother up to be killed (albeit unknowingly).  9/10 rom coms/drams today would have done it differently.  Edie would have found out in some way that didn’t disclose the entire story painting Terry in a bad light, hate him for being dishonest and then somehow make-up because she was overreacting.  Kiss and all is better.  What I love here is his complete honesty.  He knew, with the help of Father Barry (Karl Malden), that he needed to tell her.  He knew that she needed to know.  So what does he do?  He runs immediately down the hill and he tells her the truth!  This is not famous like the contender scene or the end but it is beautiful.  We hear no dialogue, just the train speeding by echoing the screaming in Edie’s head.  She’s upset (duhh), then runs away in horror and Terry’s left standing there alone and hurt.  It is the epitome of consequences for our actions, even unknowing actions.

Each and every character is excellent, and the acting superb.  Terry is a hero.  Edie is kind and loyal.  Their relationship is one of the best in cinema, they are definitely in my top best screen couples.  Father Coogan is faithful and serviceable: “If you think Christ is not on the Waterfront…” Johnny Friendly is a powerful, angry pawn.  Charlie (Rod Steiger) is a good brother, it’s just that no one knew it yet.

Elia Kazan gives us exactly what he wanted.  Loosely based off his own experience, he paints a picture of what it’s like to stand up.  His directing decisions create something wonderful.  I must also credit Leonard Bernstein’s score – the music is moving and perfectly set.  It’s odd that I rarely compliment the musical score in my reviews since I truly believe that music and sound is absolutely essential to the tone and theme of the movie.  Leonard Bernstein is a master and this film wouldn’t be the same without his emotional contribution.

On the Waterfront is just another story, just another movie.  But this movie changed me.  10/10