94. THE DEPARTED (2006, MARTIN SCORSESE)
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Vera Farmiga, Mark Wahlberg, Alec Baldwin, Ray Winstone and Martin Sheen
We begin with the first Scorsese entry on the list (trust me, there are at least a couple more of these babies). Now, I'm not one who normally likes to put movies from the last couple of years on my lists, but as I've recently realized, 2006 isn't really "a couple of years ago" any more. Thus, I give you the most recent entry in my Top 100 (so far).
The Departed is a very intriguing movie. It doesn't quite feel like a Scorsese movie, yet at the same time it fits right in with the best of his repertoire. There is this universality to the film, something that doesn't really come along with one of his pictures. Usually, there is a sense that only a select group of people who really understand what they are watching will get a film that Martin Scorsese directs. This movie though, that's not really the case. It breaks that barrier, and it becomes a general audience type of experience instead. And it completely works on that other level.
When this movie first came out, I saw it at theaters twice. If you know me, you know that it takes a very special movie to make me see it twice at theaters, so The Departed falls into that select group of films. I believe the original appeal of the movie for me was to see Jack Nicholson being directed by Scorsese. I mean, this was really the last great director that Happy Jack had to work with (he'd done Kubrick, Antonioni, Huston, Polanksi, Nichols, Kazan, Burton...) so having these two involved in the same project was something that I couldn't miss. Why weren't DiCaprio or Damon or Wahlberg a draw for me at this point?? Good question. To tell you the truth, I didn't start to have any such fondness for any of those actors until I saw this movie actually (Wahlberg has actually lost my fond feelings... I'm confident this movie was a fluke for how good he was). But yeah. Going into the movie, it was all about Nicholson taking on a role that was really DeNiro's (in a strange sense anyway).
So, after that first screening (with my brother actually) I was well aware that what I had just watched was something special. It was only the second Scorsese movie that I had ever had the pleasure of seeing in theaters, the way it was meant to be seen. The first time, was Gangs of New York and, yes, it was a definite treat to be able to see that movie at theaters, but it just was lacking a little bit of... something. Maybe it was pacing?? Well, whatever it was, there was no denying that The Departed had something that Gangs was lacking. And I knew it right from the gritty get go, in that silhouette shot of Nicholson that this was going to be something to behold.
I mentioned before that this was the first real time that I had taken notice of both Leo and Damon, and that's actually not a lie. I mean, I had lasted through movies like Titanic, The Basketball Diaries and DiCaprio's other Scorsese roles up until this point, while on the other side of the coin, Dogma, Good Will Hunting and Saving Private Ryan, but I had never seen anything by either actor that made me really sit up and take notice. The Departed acted as that trigger which made me start to see each guy as an actual adult talent. Leo, as Billy Costigan, shed the whole pretty boy thing and shrunk down to the little rodent that he needed to be. I still believe that, had he been nominated for The Departed instead of Blood Diamond (which is actually a pretty damn decent performance as well) he would have given Forest Whitaker a run for his money.
Vera Farmiga is really something to talk about as well. Not only was it a phenomenal "take-notice" performance, the entire idea behind her character is just fantastic. Having the connection between the two "rats" be their relationship with this woman is just fantastic, and a bloody challenge for ANYONE to play, let alone a relatively unknown actress. But she does it. And she somehow does it with dignity. She's sleeping with two guys, and yet we actually care for her as a person. Best. Psychiatrist. Ever (in this movie).
Of course, all of these points cower in the shadow of the best thing this movie has going for it, and that is "the elevator scene". So very rarely does a movie culminate and boil so well that the final, inevitable confrontation has played out so fantastically causing me jaw to literally drop from the shock factor. After this particular scene (y'all know what I'm talkin' 'bout!!) I was simply floored. I couldn't believe what I had just seen. And, still, the movie kept going. It wasn't as though this particular shock happened, and then BAM, ending. No, no. We get, BAM, shock and then... BAM, second shock. That final appearance by that certain someone is just... well, if it were a steak it would probably cost $300 (right Vlad??), let's just put it that way.
All in all, the movie is fantastic. I have actually made myself want to go and watch it right now, but I don't have my copy on me at this second. Shoot (right Mark Wahlberg??)
93. BRING IT ON (2000, PEYTON REED)
Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Eliza Dushku, Jesse Bradford and Gabrielle Union
Umm, so, this one is kind of a cheat. You see, it was actually on TV today, and I never really miss a chance to watch it, and I really just love it so very much, and was going to write about it anyway... so screw it, I'm adding it to me list. Deal with it.
Some may classify this entry under the "guilty pleasure" category of movie watching, yet, I continually find myself seeing the actual, amazing cinematic value of the cheerleading teen dream that is Bring It On. But actually, it's such a good screenplay. It takes the best elements of the teen sub-genre (the best of Heathers, the best of Better Off Dead, etc.) and flips it to meet the standards of the correct era. I actually believe that it is a fantastic movie because of this.
Now, technically, I wasn't a teen when the movie was released. But I was in that group of tweens that always love to love those teen movies that all the older kids love. Make sense?? Well, it SHOULD!! But I remember seeing this movie at theaters, and I remember knowing that it was in fact considered a "girly" movie, and yet I left feeling like I didn't care. I knew it was a good movie then, and I have been increasingly convinced of this fact ever since.
Besides such amazing witticisms as "She puts the 'itch' in 'bitch'" and "Missy's the poo, so take a big wiff" the movie also boasts an actually solid storyline. Yeah, it might be viewed as little bit cliché, but all in all, the "high-class valley dolls" vs. the "straight outta Compton anti-Barbies" works. And it works well. In fact, in the end, when the Rancho Carney Toros come in second place and the East Compton Clovers wind up winning Nationals (a decision that was totally bogus by the way... watch the final routines. The Toros got ripped off) it justifies the entire "cliché" that's had to be endured during the first hour and a half anyway. Come on!! How many movies can actually get away with awarding the final trophy to the competition and still have you be okay with it?? Not many. Not many at all. Especially as far as sports movies go. So they pull off an almost impossible film feat, and that cannot be overlooked.
Another factor that we have in Jessica Bendinger's amazing script is a series of character names that I can't help but applaud and love every time I watch this movie. I'm a person who loves a good character name. I get kind of annoyed when we're subject to a series of "Marks" and "Jacks" and "Jennifers" and "Marys". I think that if you can make an uncommon name work, use it when you can!! In this movie alone, we have Torrance, Missy, Cliff, Isis, Courtney, Whitney, Darcy, Carver, Casey, Les and Jan (the last two are, of course, dudes). So major kudos is due to Ms. Bendinger for taking a chance on naming her characters and actually having them work in the favour of a making the movie better. They sound natural, and they add a level of sophistication to the whole storyline. That's my feeling anyway.
What else this movie accomplishes though, is that it
actually makes Kirsten Dunst seem like a legitimate actress. As difficult as that task is, she is completely capable as head Toros cheerleader Torrance Shipman (again, GREAT name). Then of course you have my childhood mega-crush, Ms. Eliza Dushku. Missy Pantone was, for me, the epitome of babe-liscious. Because of this, I still find her to be really gorgeous, but I will always know that my love of her began with this movie. "I transfered from Los Angeles. Your school has no gymnastics team. This is a last resort..." (my favourite cheer of all-time... well, that one, or one of the ones from the cheerleader tryouts in The Replacements. It's close though). I think that the undisputed best part of this movie though falls onto the shoulders of one man though. That man of course, is the cheer choreographer, Sparky Polastri. "Cheerleaders are dancers, that have gone retarded." I don't think I need to say anything more than that.
Basically, I think I will always have a huge soft-spot for Bring It On. It gets a bad rap amongst a lot of people because of its association with being a chick flick and the four (how there are FOUR sequels, I will never know) . But, I assure you, it is worth the price of admission. Or the price of a rental. Or more likely than both of those, it is worth the price of the time you will need to spend to watch it. Trust me. It is a lovely gateway to one of the only other decent teen movie of the naughts, and that is Mean Girls. It doesn't have the cult appeal, but you watch it, and tell me there isn't the same intelligence involved in both of these movies. (Although, I think I'll still throw the edge to Tina Fey).
No comments:
Post a Comment