Open Letters Monthly: Cloud Atlas

It's the film that launched a thousand differing opinions. If there's one thing people can agree on when it comes to Cloud Atlas, it's that it is something different to everyone who watches it. Based on the similarly-polarizing novel by David Mitchell, the movie uses actors in multiple roles thanks to unhealthy amounts of makeup and prosthetics, telling an expansive story throughout time.

In six different eras of human history (and future), mankind is striving to redefine itself. Cloud Atlas takes us from a sailing vessel in the 1850's to a post apocalyptic future where there are staggeringly few of us left. In each time, we are introduced to amazing people - from a young composer to an investigative reporter to a cloned slave - destined to amazing events, connected in unique ways through the timeline. Do they have the strength to overcome their obstacles? Will they be able to influence the coming era?

Cloud Atlas is directed by Tom Tykwer and Lana and Andy Wachowski, and stars and ensemble cast of Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Sturgess, Bae Doona, Hugo Weaving, Jim Broadbent, Hugh Grant, Ben Whishaw, James D'Arcy, Susan Sarandon, Keith David, Zhou Xun and David Gyasi.

Click here to read the complete review at Open Letters Monthly.

Iron Maiden! Woo!

Wait...this film ISN'T the long awaited documentary of the lives and times of the iconic metal band founded back in 1975? Bummer.

Anyway, Iron Lady is the biopic of Margaret Thatcher, Great Britain's longest-reigning Prime Minister of the twentieth century. The Weinstein Company is obviously hoping that in producing Iron Lady they can repeat recent history in their attempt to portray this controversial British political figure; it was this same company that made the much lauded and Academy Award winning The King's Speech last year. Still, Thatcher presents a much larger challenge than the stuttering monarch did in 2010. While I'm not as up on how that particular nation views it's political figures (does anyone actually have a bad thing to say about King George VI?), I do know that the woman who eventually became known as the "Iron :Lady" was not universally beloved by the people around her, either by the conservatives with whom she worked nor the citizens she led. Another major obstacle would be the woman hired to portray Thatcher. While Meryl Streep is doubtlessly among the best and most talented actresses the world has ever seen, and this film will likely prove to be the fourth movie in the past six years (The Devil Wears Prada, Doubt and Julie & Julia being the previous three) to see her nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress, one wonders whether she can harness the humanity of a woman who is hated by half of her homeland.

Practicing her acceptance speech

In her late years, Margaret Thatcher (Streep) is not doing exceptionally well. While the proud woman is far from infirm, she is fussed over by those in charge of keeping her safe, and is haunted by hallucinatory visions of her husband Denis (Jim Broadbent), who passed away some years ago. Finally bringing herself to get rid of his old things, the elderly Thatcher strolls down memory lane, remembering the path of her life from politician's shopgirl daughter to the only female member of Parliament, to her ambitious and successful bid to become Prime Minister of England, and the peaks and valleys of holding that position through eleven years of strife, economic turbulence and war.

Yes, all the images I could find were of Meryl...

If you're looking for a new King's Speech in this, you might be out of luck, but one thing Iron Lady shares with last year's Oscar winner is the presence of a dominant lead performer. Simply, there is no more perfect actress than Meryl Streep when it comes to this role. The film neither vilifies Thatcher nor unnecessarily praises her, but it DOES celebrate what she was and the difficult road it took to reach her career apex. In carrying this out, Streep can not do just one or two things right to master the part; she must perfect every side to this controversial woman in what is - no surprise here - an emotionally deep, strident character with very real convictions that go along with very real flaws. Her voice is not just some pitch-perfect imitation either; Streep absolutely blew me and most of the audience around me away by melding into this public figure with her absolute essence and spirit radiating not Meryl, but Margaret. While it's easy to focus on Meryl's strengths, Jim Broadbent is a close second in the battle for audience attention. While the flashback scenes tend to keep Denis Thatcher more on the sidelines in lieu of focusing on the film's muse, his appearances as the elderly Thatcher's hallucinatory image are always welcome and often hilarious, sweet and bittersweet all at the same time.

Its a maaaaayan's woooorld!

Unfortunately, once you get outside the idea of Streep being amazing, there's just not a whole lot left to look at. Director Phyllida Lloyd does a decent job of objectively looking at Thatcher's political career and not declaring her politics as right or wrong (though she does show the British peoples' objections to Thatcher's hard-line brand of governing), but often times the film itself feels disjointed, especially in the breaks between modern day and flashbacks. Between that and several rushed scenes, it feels as if a lot of important information was glossed over in portraying Margaret Thatcher as anything more than a female politician, albeit an important one. When your only other major theatrical release to date is the musical Mama Mia, such a serious drama might seem like a huge change of gears, and despite not being a bad film at all, it's obvious the gap was a little too large for Lloyd to cross completely. Another major problem is the lack of compelling secondary characters. While everyone was obviously based on real historical figures, almost none of them are explored beyond talking heads, and only a couple are detailed in any way. Nicholas Farrell and Anthony Head play important supporters in Thatcher's political career, but both are sidelined often and shown in passing, playing no legitimate role in the film.

Arched eyebrows will only gain you so many votes...

While as a film it might not hold the same essence that made The King's Speech such an unmitigated hit, Iron Lady at least has it's own bona fide superstar to raise it above the level of a BBC made for television film. If there's any justice, Streep will win her third Academy Award on February 26'th. Disagree? Sure, Thatcher as a role is potentially less popular with Oscar voters than say, Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe, but there's a lot that's in Meryl's favor. For one, she's already won major acclaim and awards for playing this part. Secondly, she's a more respected actress than the talented but young Williams, who was nominated last year for the excellent Blue Valentine. Finally, as a perennially-nominated actress who last won an Oscar in 1983 for Sophie's Choice, Streep's due for a win. She's been passed over in better years, and it's "put up or shut up" time for the Academy. If Hollywood wants to insist that Meryl Streep is one of the most talented actresses to grace the silver screen, they need to recognize it now.

Christmas in December

Usually, when I make a morning to visit the theater, I know exactly what I'm going to see, and do so well before I leave my home. Whether I expect to see an amazing film like Drive or a cringe-worthy one like Red Riding Hood, I generally know exactly what type of experience I'm getting myself into. Sometimes I decide this the morning of. Sometimes it's the day before that I officially make plans. And sometimes I plan days in advance as I figure out my schedule. But on this particular day, I suffered a strange occurrence: I had no idea what I actually wanted to watch. As I've seen most of the current film releases by now, there was very little available that I had not yet caught. Three acceptable options were playing at approximately the same time, and so with a shrug I told myself that I would figure it all out once I'd made the actual trip to the theater. Even when I arrived, it was not an easy decision. Should I see The Descendants, the popular adult drama directed by Alexander Payne and starring a used-looking George Clooney? Should I instead partake of My Week with Marilyn, the semi-biopic starring Michelle Williams as the titular movie star and ingenue? Both came highly recommended, but I found myself honestly lacking in interest for serious dramas, and decided to put them aside for the time being. Now, as for Arthur Christmas... well, an animated family film was JUST what my mood called for. With that in mind, I bought my ticket and gaped at the shockingly-empty theater that housed my morning's excursion, wondering what I was in for.

A "one-horse open sleigh" it ain't

Every Christmas Eve, we are told as children that Santa Claus travels around the planet in a reindeer-driven sled, delivering toys to all the boys and girls of the world. Judging if you're naughty or nice, he crawls down your chimney, fills the stockings with goodies and leaves exactly what you wanted under the Christmas tree. Ah, what we believed when we were young, right? Well, what if it really WAS true? How would it be possible? Arthur Christmas answers these questions, introducing to the audience a new, more updated version of Christmas Eve events. Santa Claus (Jim Broadbent) is still in charge, the latest in a long succession of Santa's, acting more as a figurehead while his legion of elf special forces and a giant futuristic air-ship do most of the heavy lifting. The entire operation is practically and efficiently run by his eldest son Steve (Hugh Laurie), who covets his chance to become Santa once his father retires. Santa's dedicated wife (Imelda Staunton) simply can't wait for him to quit so they can spend their twilight years together. His father, the previous Santa Claus (Bill Nighy) is bored with his own retirement and loves to taunt the newfangled methods Steve has introduced to his former position. And then there is Arthur (James McAvoy), Santa's younger son, whose passion for Christmas cannot be denied. However his bumbling, worrisome ways grate on others, and he is out of his element in a world in which Christmas has become so numbers-oriented that children are identified by serial numbers and addresses than names and what is in their heart. When an error occurs and a child is accidentally missed, Arthur's belief in Christmas spirit drives him to, against all odds, deliver this gift so as not to let a little girl think that Santa doesn't care about her.

Is it a puppy? I bet it's a puppy!

It's amazing that the concept itself is presented so soundly. In just the opening ten minutes, Arthur Christmas does all it can to halt any arguments you might have against its feasibility in their tracks. Everything is covered. How Santa avoids detection? Check. Homes without chimneys? Check. Large toy delivery? Check. What Santa needs with all those cookies and glasses of milk? Check. Every detail was planned out and properly answered here, even going so far as to cover what happens when kids wake up at inopportune times. Brilliantly planned down to the last detail and with military precision, there is not a moment in the opening sequence (or for that matter, anywhere in the film) that feels any less magical than when you ran downstairs on Christmas Day.

Obviously they took it literally when I declared this film "the bomb"

Of course, what makes Arthur Christmas truly magical are the characters we meet along the way. Arthur himself is such a perfectly-realized blend of comedic neuroses and good-natured innocence that you forget that he's played by an actor best known for his serious, dramatic roles. James McAvoy impressed me with his ability to mold himself into the part, and his character never gets dull or overly-righteous with the message he carries. I've never heard Hugh Laurie do voice work in an animated film, but just the fact that a skinny, older Brit can pass for a cocksure, buff and brilliant (okay, that part I can believe) young man with his vocal prowess is impressive indeed. Right from the start we can tell that Steve is lacking in the empathy needed to be the next Santa, and yet we can't outright dislike him, as the character refuses to be completely irredeemable. Jim Broadbent plays the elderly Santa extremely well, his pitch-perfect portrayal of a past-his-prime legend who doesn't know when to hang up the hat a well-thought-out fit between his polar opposite sons. Bill Nighy is of course wonderful as Grandsanta, quick to judge the newer implementations used for Christmas while pining for his glory days. Grandsanta's a few ornaments short of a Christmas tree, and Nighy plays up that irreverence as he so often does in comedic roles. Best of the cast though might be Emmy nominee (for her role in the BBC/HBO series Extras) Ashley Jensen as Bryony, an elf obsessed with gift-wrapping who follows Arthur on his quest. Not only is each character great, but the way in which they come together by the film's end (of course they do, it's a family film) feels special, as each family member learns to overcome their mental locks to see the story through to the correct conclusion.

Oof, if that was Santa, I'm glad I never woke up early

And it doesn't hurt that the animation (a joint venture of Aardman Animations and Sony Pictures Animation) is a clear winner in keeping the audience entranced. While not as amazing visually as, say, Rango, Arthur Christmas engages in a more cartoonish look that expresses its comedic elements nicely. When it DOES step up the animation a notch however, its one of the prettiest movies this year. Lately I've been seeing far more competent use of 3D technology in films, especially animated ones. Arthur continues this trend, as the immersion that 3D provides actually serves to draw you in more, as opposed to jarring you with obvious flaws. The great visuals also help the multitude of physical jokes appear more natural, as if they were being performed by live actors instead of being generated on a computer.

Never... Ever... wear that sweater again

In fact, the only real complaint I have about Arthur Christmas is that I was forced to watch a stupid music video featuring Justin Bieber singing what seemed to be a mix of Christmas caroling and Michael Jackson. It was situated before the actual film began, and what would normally be a throwaway in the Special Features options on a DVD release was instead the first instance in memory of being punished for actually showing up to a movie on time. Bad decisions aside, I am more than happy that I decided to make Arthur Christmas my eventual choice for movie mirth on this particular day. Director Sarah Smith knew the tale she wanted to tell, and despite inexperience making feature films this was arguably the best time I've had in a movie theater this year. Arthur Christmas has a wonderful story, exquisite pacing, and more than enough emotion to moisten the lenses of my 3D glasses. You might not guess going in (I certainly didn't), but Arthur Christmas ends up as my #5 Film for 2011. Even if you don't have kids yourself, you've got to go out and see this release, as even as a full-grown adult you will find yourself remembering what made Christmas so special when you were the little one chomping at the bit hoping to catch Santa making his yearly visit. Arthur Christmas makes you want to believe again.