REVIEW: "Stories We Tell" (2013) Dir. Sarah Polley

Canadian director Sarah Polley's documentary on the mystery of her family is a highly inventive, extremely personal piece of filmmaking, that turns the mystery of the story she's telling on its head, and becomes itself something of a puzzle to be unraveled (although I admit I saw one particular twist coming ahead of time, but maybe that surprise will work better on you than it did me).

The film begins fairly conventionally, using interviews with Polley's family members and home video footage to tell the story of her mother Diane, a Canadian actress who was active in the 1960's and 70's, and the relationship she had with Sarah's father, Michael, her second husband, whom she married and had several children with, including Sarah. The film creatively uses the footage and memories of various relatives and acquaintances, whose place in Diane and Michael's life becomes revealed gradually, as Diane's story begins to get more and more complicated as it progresses through her later years. Diane herself died of cancer when Sarah was 11 years old, and the questions her film asks about her mother begin to show themselves as a part of Sarah's own reckoning with finding out as much as she can about a woman she never really got to know. A woman who turns out to have been hiding life altering secrets that as they come to light, affect and change Sarah forever, which she is candidly and openly revealing about herself on film.

It's hard to describe this movie without giving away several twists, which are crucial to what happens in the story, and one of them I am going to reveal here, so I'll warn you ahead of time with a great big SPOILER ALERT in case you don't want to know: Sarah, the youngest child in her family, ultimately finds out that she was the product of an affair, and that Michael is not her biological father, which until now, no one in the family knew, including her father. The way this revelation affects the family is obviously painful and shocking, and the way Polley herself deals with this life-changing truth is to be incredibly honest about her feelings and to ultimately expose the whole story, using accounts of her mother from other people, and writings from her father, which she intertwines into this spell-binding documentary. The film shifts gears as the layers grow deeper, and it goes from simply being the firsthand account of one life, to the heartbreaking reconciliation and reunion of a daughter and her two fathers, and ultimately a story about stories- how they're told, who they can affect, what forms they can take (several are undertaken to tell just this one alone) and the ways in which all families are probably hiding multiple stories of their own, which could be revealed by doing a little digging and talking to just the right people.

By putting herself out there in this way, Sarah Polley reveals herself as a very ambitious filmmaker who isn't afraid to take chances in the way that she tells stories, and her track record so far is the beginning of what looks to be a career worth following (her other two films as a director are 2007's Away From Her and 2011's Take This Waltz, both worth seeing). Stories We Tell is fascinating, complex and inspiring filmmaking- and one of the year's best and most unique films.

* * * 1/2

TRAILER #2: "The Wind Rises"

The first official US trailer for Miyazaki's The Wind Rises- as usual, no dialogue can be heard in US trailers for foreign-language films. They don't want to scare you off with the prospect of having to read subtitles. But if that idea really is scary, there's going to be a wider release of the movie early next year that's completely dubbed.

The Governor's Awards

Last night the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences handed out their lifetime achievement and honorary Oscars at the special Governor's Awards, where Angelina Jolie, Steve Martin and Angela Lansbury were honored by their peers. Jolie was tributed by George Lucas and Gena Rowlands, Martin was roasted by pals Martin Short and Tom Hanks, and the legendary Angela Lansbury finally received an Oscar after eight decades in Hollywood, and was toasted by Emma Thompson, Geoffrey Rush and Robert Osborne. Italian costume designer Piero Tosi was also honored, but not in attendance.

The speeches were teary, as you can see with Angelina Jolie up first, receiving the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award:

Then it was Steve Martin, who paid tribute to his many friends and colleagues for his  own long comedy career:

Finally, the 88-year-old Angela Lansbury, the most deserving of these winners (in my opinion), gets her long awaited Oscar as the list of names she thanks include Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman:

It's kind of annoying how the lifetime achievement awards are no longer given out during the actual Oscar ceremony, as when you look back over the years, some of the best moments were when people like Charlie Chaplin, Fred Astaire, Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart were all given moving ovations and kudos during past telecasts. They've been removed because of their length, but they really ought to still be included. I don't think it would hurt to take out a dance number or two instead, do you?

BOX OFFICE 11/15-11/17: 'Thor' Tops Again, 'Best Man Holiday' Comes Up Strong

Thor: The Dark World repeated at No. 1 this weekend with $38 million, falling 55% and grossing $147 million total. It will undoubtedly outgross the first Thor's $181 million very soon, and is already a huge success overseas, with $479 million worldwide. But in second place, in an unexpected surprise, The Best Man Holiday, the sequel to the film The Best Man, from 1999, came in with $30 million, which is a huge boost to that film, since the first movie made a total of $34 million when it was released. Audiences loved it, as it earned the very rare "A+" Cinemascore from the crowd, which was 75% female and 87% African-American.

In third was Last Vegas, which is holding up very well with an older crowd, pulling in $9 million for a total of $47 million so far, and Free Birds held up in fourth, with another $8 million as the only family film on the marketplace right now (that will change in a couple of weeks when Frozen comes out). Jackass finished fifth and sits with $90 million, set to become the most popular Jackass movie by the time it leaves theaters.

Top 5

1. Thor: The Dark World- $38.5 million
2. The Best Man Holiday- $30.6 million
3. Last Vegas- $8.9 million
4. Free Birds- $8.3 million
5. Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa- $7.7 million

In limited release, Dallas Buyers Club expanded again, and has earned a nice $3 million so far, which bodes well for its further expansion in the coming weeks, while Nebraska also did very well in its opening weekend, making a hefty $140,000 from just 4 screens. Next week it's going to be a pretty massive weekend when a little movie called The Hunger Games: Catching Fire comes out and looks to break some records (and it probably will). Until then.

FEATURETTE: "Nebraska"

Alexander Payne's Nebraska is finally coming out this weekend (in limited release) and the reviews have mostly been stellar, especially for 77-year-old Bruce Dern in the lead role, who says in this video that's he's never had a role this great in his career. He's expected to get nominated for an Oscar, but as we'll see when I round it up next week, that category is really crowded. June Squibb, as his wife in the film, is also said to be terrific.

Hollywood Reporter Roundtable: The Directors

This is a fairly long video, but you may get sucked into watching the whole thing, as I did. A lot of the major directors of this year are involved in a really interesting conversation about movies, their creative process and losing their way and finding it again. THR talks to Steve McQueen, Alfonso Cuaron, David O. Russell, Lee Daniels, Paul Greengrass and Ben Stiller (even though Ben seems like the odd man out in that group, he's actually pretty good here).

REVIEW: "Frances Ha" (2013) Greta Gerwig, Mickey Sumner. Dir. Noah Baumbach

Noah Baumbach's Frances Ha is a stylish, loving, impossibly cute tribute to a twentysomething Bridget Jones in the title character. Greta Gerwig (who co-wrote the screenplay with Baumbach) plays Frances Halladay, a down on her luck post college girl who lives on her own in New York, struggling to make it as a modern dancer while scraping together enough money to pay the rent and dabble in dating, hitting disasters at every turn, but with a goofy, weird, lovable quirkiness that endears us to her no matter how many cringeworthy mistakes she makes. It's everything Lena Dunham's HBO series Girls wishes it could do right.

That comparison is pretty apt, actually, because the whole concept of college grads living in New York is directly comparable with Girls (Adam Driver's even in this movie!), but the difference here is that Frances actually does struggle (she's not a rich girl living off inheritance), and she also resembles something of a human being, which is more than I can say for the unbearable Hannah on Lena Dunham's show. But let's not get dragged into my everlasting hatred of Girls (I'll save that for another day). Frances Ha is filmed by cinematographer Sam Levy in gorgeous black and white brush strokes and set to an ongoing soundtrack of sometimes classical music and 80's pop songs (the familiar jazz score from The 400 Blows even makes an appearance), which gives the whole film a neat retro feel, like a classic movie about a very modern heroine.

The movie unfolds in episodic structure, wandering through Frances's life as we follow her job, her friends, and her stumbling and clumsy interactions with people whose lives are more together than hers. Greta Gerwig anchors the whole film with a wonderfully natural and vibrant performance as Frances, who isn't quite ready to grow up and wants to remain girlfriends trotting about the city with her college best friend Sophie (Mickey Sumner). But Sophie is ready to move on and appears to be passing Frances by, along with her other friends who all seem to be getting married or settling down. By contrast, Frances might be turning out a disappointment, but she never begins to wallow in that misery, instead facing the roadblocks as haplessly as she can, never quite realizing her embarrassment even though we might be cringing for her.

Frances Ha is a wonderful, minor comedy that speaks true to one specific life, the heroine of which tries valiantly hard to iron out the wrinkles that get tossed in her path, and somehow we get the feeling that she'll turn out all right in the end, despite the mishaps and misadventures along the way. It's a lovely little movie worth seeking out, most of all for Greta Gerwig, who deserves to be recognized for this (an Indie Spirit nomination, perhaps?) and who we'll hopefully be seeing again very soon.

* * *

Good Early Reviews for 'The Hunger Games'

Good news for fans of Katniss Everdeen, as the Hunger Games sequel, Catching Fire, is off to a great start with the critics ahead of its release on November 22nd. In fact, it's sitting pretty at 95% on Rotten Tomatoes at the moment, with a decent number of reviews stating that the change in directors from Gary Ross to Francis Lawrence has made for a big improvement on the first film. I'm definitely happy to hear that, as my biggest complaint with that movie was the murky, unnecessarily dark camera work and annoying shakicam (not everyone can be Paul Greengrass). Although, there are some who note that the sequel is still more "safe and serviceable" than it is anything else. Honestly, my wish is for a studio to take a risk with these YA adaptations and hand one over to an imaginative and creative visionary, the way WB did with the third (and best) Harry Potter movie, Prisoner of Azkaban, by giving it to Alfonso Cuaron, who actually did inventive and cinematic things with it. If these movies are guaranteed to make so much money anyway, doesn't that free them up to at least try to make it more than just "safe and serviceable" for the fans?

"As 'The Empire Strikes Back' of young adult adaptations, 'Catching Fire' is a monumental achievement, a massively entertaining crowd-pleaser that is thought-provoking and personally inspiring in all the ways that it aspires to be." (The Playlist)

"In director Francis Lawrence's steady hands (gone are the previous film's needlessly spastic camera moves) 'Catching Fire' makes for rousing entertainment in its own right, leaving fans riled and ready to storm the castle." (Variety)

"Across the board, the new film boasts a noticeably spiffier, more confident feel than the first, even as the overriding impression is one of methodical responsibility to the source material." (Hollywood Reporter)

"On her way to becoming one of the greatest sci-fi heroines since Ripley, the avenger of District 12 is as undefined by her vulnerability as she is by her inner strength; anchoring the series with an emotional realism that upstages everyone else." (Total Film)

FEATURETTE #2: "Saving Mr. Banks"

The second featurette for the film, this time focusing on Emma Thompson's performance as P.L. Travers, which has garnered rave reviews and Oscar buzz.

TRAILER: "Noah"

The trailer for Darren Aronofsky's biblical epic Noah, starring Russell Crowe in the lead role. It looks surprisingly conventional for an Aronofsky movie (he did Black Swan and Requiem for a Dream, remember) but hopefully that's more a function of the trailer and he still has some tricks up his sleeve for this. Coming out next March.

TRAILER #2: "Divergent"

The latest trailer for the new sci-fi film based on a YA novel, Divergent, coming out March 21st. Looks a bit like The Hunger Games to me, but at least this new trend of action sci-fi flicks starring girls in the lead role is kind of refreshing.

Oscar Roundup: Best Director

Today, it's time to take a look at the candidates for Best Director, which is a very fluid race at the moment, with lots of possible names floating around. It's also worth keeping in mind the the director's branch often goes out of their way to nominate people whose films aren't necessarily in the running for best picture (back when there were just five best picture nominees, the directors would often not line up exactly with them, now that there are five to ten nominees it usually does, but not always).

I think the first lock is Steve McQueen, who's also the frontrunner to win. 12 Years a Slave is an incredible cinematic achievement, the importance of which cannot be denied, not to mention the fact that no black director has ever won before. At the moment I really don't see who could beat him out for this honor, actually. It looks pretty unequivocal, even if the film somehow doesn't land Best Picture. Splits are not uncommon, especially if the voters like another movie better but feel obligated to reward the film in a big category. Alfonso Cuaron would be the second lock for Gravity, another directorial achievement the likes of which cannot be overstated. What he pulled off with Gravity was nothing less than amazing, the kind of directing job that blows people away, as everyone knows by now. There's no way he's not getting nominated, and he would be a likely contender for the win, the only challenge being Steve McQueen of course.

And after those two it gets murky, with many potential candidates. I think Paul Greengrass is very likely for Captain Phillips, which was an impressively made, claustrophobic thriller that pretty much took place in just one setting, and he's respected by the director's branch, having been nominated before for United 93. He seems the third most likely to me, and after him there are several possibilities. Alexander Payne is one for Nebraska, which is getting good reviews, and he's a two-time previous nominee (for Sideways and The Descendants), having not won yet, and possibly starting to look overdue (although so many great directors have never won an Oscar that that statistic is fairly meaningless).

The Coen Brothers are always in the mix when they have a film out, and this year it's Inside Llewyn Davis, which is a smaller, more personal film of theirs. It's gotten great reception as well, but we'll have to see how it does when it's officially released in December. I think that Peter Berg has an outside shot for Lone Survivor, which is now reported to be a harrowing, butal war film whose battle scenes are drawing comparisons to Black Hawk Down and Saving Private Ryan (both of which were touted for their direction of course, with Ridley Scott a lone director nominee for the former and Spielberg winning for the latter).

Other names floating around are Lee Daniels for The Butler (a former nominee for Precious), Stephen Frears for Philomena (beloved veteran nominee in the past) and JC Chandor for All is Lost (a feat of filmmaking with just one actor on screen for the whole film). And finally, there are two major contenders whose movies haven't been seen yet, and that's Martin Scorsese for The Wolf of Wall Street and David O. Russell for American Hustle.

Russell's been on a major hot streak lately, with nominations for his last two films, The Fighter and Silver Linings Playbook- he's another one who's beginning to look overdue and if American Hustle lives up to the hype he could easily take a slot. And you never, ever count out Scorsese, one of the greats, whose last film Hugo was showered with 11 nominations, and The Wolf of Wall Street looks like it's going to be great as well. Either one of these two, or both, could fill out that list of five. Last year this category provided the biggest upset in nominees, with the director's branch snubbing heavy frontrunners Kathryn Bigelow and Ben Affleck for lesser known names Michael Haneke and Benh Zeitlin, and then Ang Lee won the big prize on Oscar night. You never know what could happen with this group.

My current predictions:

1. Steve McQueen
2. Alfonso Cuaron
3. Paul Greengrass
4. Martin Scorsese
5. Peter Berg

It could all change and probably will, but this is my shot in the dark for now. I feel that the director's branch usually recognizes someone outside the box and this year I think it could be Peter Berg, but we'll see. Next week we'll look at Best Actor, where at least ten people are trying to crowd into a five slot list.