Little Manhattan
Once in a while a movie comes along that really captivates.
It can be because of the story, the acting, the production
values, the direction or the photography. Or a combination
of all these things. But, whatever it is, the movie contains
‘cinema magic’. A certain something that is impossible
to define. If a movie has that ‘magic’ then the
movie becomes unforgettable. Such is the case with Mark Levin’s
‘Little Manhattan’. This movie is pure enchantment.
When 10-year-old Gabe falls in love with his 11-year-old karate-class
sparring partner, the early-maturing Rosemary, he endures
all the agony and ecstasy that a First Love can bring. Gabe
only has two weeks to tell Rosemary how he feels, then she
is off to summer camp and boarding school, and out of his
life forever. As Gabe romances Rosemary we suffer with him
all the pangs and anxieties that torment his fragile ego and
shaky self-esteem. With-in this budding romance we can recognize
the insecurities and exhilarating raptures of our own, long-ago,
experiences of childhood love. Director Mark Levin handles
this movie with complete sensitivity. Much of the narrative
is told in an extended voice-over that allows us to fully
understand the thoughts of the love-smitten Gabe. Levin also
indulges in some captivating visual fantasy sequences that
depict Gabe’s inner-turmoils and inner-joys. In one
remarkable scene New York’s Central Park becomes awash
with fleecy white lambs, as a skyscraper transforms into a
pirate ship and sails off. Such are the delusions of love.
Not only is this movie a paean to Young Love, but it is also
a homage to the City of New York. Gabe and Rosemary’s
New York has never looked more sumptuous. Central Park, Fifth
Avenue, Riverside Drive and The Village are all Gabe and Rosemary’s
romantic playground, and as their love blossoms so too does
the City of New York, into an abundant, sparkling, glorious
summer. Yes, the movie is sentimental and touching, and if
you do get a lump in your throat at the bitter-sweet conclusion,
don’t worry. It is a pleasurable pain!
The Cave
When a team of divers and biologists descend over a mile below
the earth’s surface, to explore and chart a newly discovered
subterranean cave system, they encounter more than they expected.
What awaits them is a very strange monster indeed. It is a
kind of cross between a demon and an alien, or, it could be
an entirely new species, which has developed independently
within its unique subterranean eco-system. Nobody is quite
sure what it is, but it is very nasty! As movies go, Bruce
Hunt’s action/horror thriller, ‘The Cave’,
is pretty standard stuff. The plot follows the normal course
of ‘bumping-off’ one by one the cast of completely
unknown actors. Nothing unexpected to be found there! But,
what is totally unexpected is the extremely large amount of
tension that Hunt is able to extract from this fairly predictable
scenario. This tension is created through some superb underwater
cinema-photography that is spellbinding, and will have you
on the edge of your seat throughout the entire movie. Also,
the production values of the movie are very high. The elaborate
sets, depicting huge caverns twinkling with stalactites and
stalagmites, tranquil underground lakes and torrential subterranean
rivers, are a work of art in themselves. Combine these with
some seamless state-of-the-art computer effects, and you are
not quite sure what is reality and what is subterfuge. The
movie rattles along at an accelerated pace, enhanced by some
very snappy editing, so it doesn’t really give you much
time to think about things. Don’t even try. This movie
has been an enormous success just about everywhere it’s
played, and it is not hard to see why. It is first-rate escapist
entertainment, which demands nothing from you except a readiness
to dispense with belief, and a willingness to just go with
the flow. Literally!
Hostel
Quentin Tarantino has directed and produced some very confrontational
movies in his relatively short career. He is well-known for
pushing the boundaries of what can be accepted as General
Public subject-matter. Particularly in the area of Cinematic
Violence. But, by producing and ‘Presenting’ this
horrific movie, ‘Hostel’, by new director Eli
Roth, Tarantino has more-or-less hit rock bottom. Three young
male tourists, backpacking their way through Europe, are enticed
to a small Slovakian town by promises of uninhibited sex.
On arriving they check-in at a local hostel and connect with
some luscious and willing young ladies. But, as they get down
to business, one by one the backpackers start to disappear.
Pretty soon there is only one of them left, and it is up to
him to discover what has happened to his traveling companions.
What follows is one of the most goriest and explicit bloodbaths
I have yet to see depicted on the screen. I watched the movie
with two Balinese friends of mine. Both gave up after about
45 minutes. Putu went off to make some bakso. Saying he needed
something to settle his stomach. While, Ketut said he felt
dirty and indulged himself in a very long shower. I sat through
it to the bitter end, and I was appalled. Please, don’t
try to sell me some intellectual babble that the movie is
an exercise in de-sensitivity, or that it is ‘black’
comedy highlighting the economic restraints of Eastern
Europe, or any other such rubbish. The movie is out and out
exploitation of the lowest possible kind, appealing to the
worst impulses in the human psyche. The movie is cheap and
nasty. Even the film stock it is shot on is scratched and
grainy. I could find no redeeming features in the film. Tarantino
has gone way too far with this one!
Failure to Launch
Matthew McConaughey is a thirty-five- year old (Oh, yeah!)
bachelor who likes the convenience of living at home with
his parents. Sarah Jessica Parker is a thirty-ish (Big, Oh,
yeah!) professional interventionist hired by Mathew’s
parents to lure him out of the nest. Tom Dey’s romantic-comedy,
‘Failure to Launch’, fails to do anything of any
interest. The plot is stupid, the direction insipid, and nothing
much is happening between Matthew and Sarah Jessica. Don’t
bother, unless you need something to put you to sleep.
