"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" (***1/2)

Last year Darren Aronofsky did it with "The Fountain," as well as Alfonso Cuaron with "Children to Men." These are filmmakers that test the boundaries of film, creating instant masterpieces that demand to be watched. Julian Schnabel has joined that elite group of filmmakers with "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," creating an original, visually intoxicating masterpiece.

The true story follows Jean-Dominique Bauby, the editor of Elle France, who suffered a stroke in 1995 that left his whole body paralyzed except for his left eye. Using a system of dictating his thoughts by blinking his eye, he is able to translate his inner thoughts into a memoir about the torment that his situation is putting him through (the diving bell) and the imagined places he sees in his mind to help cope with his predicament (the butterflies). Ten days after the publication of his memoir, Bauby would pass away. It is really a fascinating story of a man overcoming adversity. It does drag in parts, but it's hard for the viewer to take his or her eyes away from the screen.

The performances in the film are good. Mathieu Amalric is good as Bauby, but the film is seen mostly from his perspective, so it is hard to gauge his performance. Marie-Josse Croze is engaging as Bauby's speech therapist, Henriette. She is determined to help Bauby overcome insurmountable odds. Even though he is only on screen for two scenes, Max von Sydow delivers the most emotional performance as Bauby's father who has to cope with his own situation as well as his son's. He is unable to leave his apartment and dearly misses his son who is locked in his own body. The agony of this utter remoteness takes a great toll on him, and the scene in which he calls Bauby is very powerful.

While the story and performances may be good, the film excels visually. Most of the film is seen from Bauby's perspective. The viewer's view is limited to that one eye. When Bauby blinks, the camera shutters. The viewer is also able to hear Bauby's inner thoughts, creating a wonderful, poetic narration. Janusz Kaminski, in my opinion, should win Best Cinematography at this year's Academy Awards (still haven't seen The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, however), but I haven't even seen him on people's prediction pages. Julian Schnabel also should be nominated for Best Director, creating an riveting, emotional experience like no other film before.

"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" is a modern masterpiece by a truly gifted filmmaker. The story, even though it may drag in parts, is engaging. The film's biggest strength is in telling a story by actually simulating one man's experience. It is a film that should be seen as one of the visually cinematic masterpieces of the decade.

"Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" (***)

Before seeing Sidney Lumet's "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead," I had mixed feelings; I didn't know what to expect. I like heist movies, but I don't find them that intoxicating. Then again, this is Sidney Lumet.

Andy and Hank are two brothers in desperate need of money, so they hatch a plan to rob their parent's jewelry store. This is the basic premise of "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead." The film begins with the robbery. Hank is responsible for executing the robbery, but things go astray when he enlists the help of an accomplice to do the actual heist. No weapons were supposed to be involved, but his friend brings a gun in the store. One thing leads to another, and the accomplice ends up dead and the mother (who is not even supposed to be working that shift) is left in critical condition. From here, the film chronicles the days leading up to and after the heist, focusing on the lives of Hank, Andy, and their father, Charles.

The story is nothing original, but it works more as a morality tale. Essentially, the film is about family and how the ones that are closest to you can turn out to be your worst enemies. The film is about searching for love. Andy does not feel like he belongs to his family. He was always pushed to the background, his brother receiving all the attention. He even goes as far to ask his father if he was adopted. Andy is the mastermind behind the heist, and it doesn't seem so much as a scheme to get money, but as payback to the those who were supposed to love him. Andy's wife, Gina, is also searching for love. Unable to find it in her husband anymore, she begins an affair with his brother who is struggling to pay child support to his ex-wife.

The storyline may seem simple enough, but the film works because of its intricately developed characters. Philip Seymour Hoffman is quite good as Andy. He gives a fiery, intense portrayal of a man whose life is going downhill. His marriage is crumbling, work sucks, his mother is in the hospital because of the heist, and he may not even get away with it. His world begins to close in on him, and he eventually explodes. Ethan Hawke deftly plays his brother, Hank, who is in similar, dire circumstances. It's a good performance from Hawke, but he is overshadowed by Hoffman. Marisa Tomei plays Andy's wife. Her character is cliched and for the most part she just walks around naked. The best of the bunch is Albert Finney, who plays Andy and Hank's father and the husband to their mother. He perfectly portrays a husband intent on finding his wife's murderer. His performance is similar to that of Tommy Lee Jones' in "In the Valley of Elah."

Overall, "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" is a better than average heist film that boasts some strong performances. It's a good story, but I felt like I had seen it before. I guess all heist movies just kind of seem the same to me. This film should be seen as a return to form, however, for the legendary Sidney Lumet. It's definitely a movie worth checking out.

Tired

My eyelids keep closing but I'm willing them to stay open. My body wants to sleep but my mind tells me that I cannot. All I want to do is fall asleep in my bed, even if it is a crappy dorm bed. Right now I am frantically trying to get all my work done so I can leave tomorrow night (technically tonight).

I've been eagerly anticipating going home, and I want to leave early, but as the minutes fly by that dream does not look like a reality. There is just too much that I have to do. I just finished studying for an Introduction to Film midterm; I still have to finish the paper in that class. I also had some readings to do in Humanities. I don't even feel like typing this journal, but I need one more entry before I can turn it in.

I'm going to try to wake up early in the morning to get some extra work done. I just feel like I have this neverending, insurmountable amount of work, and all I want to do is go home.

I really don't feel like it, but over my fall break, I am going to have to play catch up to get on top of all my work. Fall break is supposed to be a break, but apparently some people don't understand that concept. I live in Louisiana so when I go home I want to actually enjoy my trip. I have people to see and things to do.

Well I think I am going to go to bed finally. I still have to wake up early to try to get some of this work done. I wish I could go into hibernation and never wake up. Just chill in sleep, permament nap time. That would be amazing. But I guess if that happened I would be dead, so that kind of sucks. I'll just manage this work load, and it better pay off in the future.

"We Own the Night" (***)

I did not know much about "We Own the Night" when I walked into the auditorium. I was not expecting anything special, but the film caught me off gaurd and really surprised me.

Bobby Green is the manager of El Caribe, a club owned by a Russian family. These Russians are Bobby's new family. He has turned his back on his family. His father and brother are cops, and Bobby disassociates himself with them, even going as far as using his mother's maiden name so no one will connect him with his real family. Bobby is running a life of nonstop partying and drugs. Bobby's life, however, will change forever when his brother bust into the club in search of a Russian drugdealer.

When I saw the preview to this film I said to myself that this did not look like the type of film that I would enjoy, but the story is interesting, making many unconventional choices that I did not expect. The story played out differently than I believed. Some of the dialogue was cheesy, but it was easy to overlook. The script is a refreshing ray of light in an age where every film sounds the same. I think the reason I enjoyed the story is because I went in expecting this formulaic action thriller, but the film is neither. At its heart it is a character driven story.

Joaquin Phoenix gives another tour-de-force performance as Bobby Green. At times I forgot it was Joaquin Phoenix on the screen. He WAS Bobby Green. In today's celebrity-obsessed society it is hard for a character to so completely dissolve into his character that the viewer forgets who he is; he embodies Bobby. Right now this is my favorite performance of the year, but the awards season is just beginning. The rest of the cast do good jobs, but this is Joaquin's film. Eva Mendes gives her best performance to date as Bobby's girlfriend, Amanda. The pathetic thing about this is that her performance is just good. She does a good job with the source material and has some good scenes, but she is the most cliched character of the film, the suffering girlfriend. Also noteworthy are Mark Wahlberg and Robert Duvall as Bobby's brother and father. Both give good performances, but neither can match the screen presence of Joaquin Phoenix.

The film is also skillfully directed by James Grey. He does a good job in directing his actors and make some interesting choices. There isn't much music in the film. Instead, the film relies on sounds to create tension; for example, the sound of windshield wipers echo in the viewers' heads during a car chase sequence. The cinematography was also well done. When Bobby is about to walk down the hall and into this "drug factory" of sorts the camera does not move. Bobby walks ahead and is soon enveloped in the darkeness, symbolizing the ensuing troubles that are about to occur.

Overall, "We Own the Night" is a well-done film that I really enjoyed. If you go into the theatre with no high expectations like I did, then you should walk out pleasantly surprised. It may not be a perfect film, but it is better than most of what is out now.

"The Kingdom" (**)

What starts out as an interesting political thriller, winds up being nothing more that a formulaic film that tries to convey to its audience how high and mighty America is.

The film begins with a timeline showcasing major events between America and Saudi Arabia concerning oil. It is really a fantastic sequence, but too bad the rest of the film cannot live up to it. The film then cuts to a baseball game taking place inside a Western housing compound in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. During the game terrorists attack the area killing many. Soon after the impending mayhem an explosion occurs, creating a major international incident. A special FBI team led by Ronald Fleury is assembled to go to Saudi Arabia to find out who is behind the attacks. This is the point where the film begins to drag. When men talk about pursuing a girl, most of the fun is in the chase. Well, the chase to find out who is behind the attacks in this film is not that exciting. The middle, turns out to be formulaic and dull.

The film tries to relay a political message to its audience about how superior America is to foreign countries. When the special forces are told to take the backseat in the investigation, Jamie Foxx's character tells the man, "Just let us Americans do what we're good at." Americanism unfortunately plays a major role in the film. In my Humanities class at the University of Memphis, we are told to look at America, among other things, from a different perspective. How do people in other countries view America? We are told to transcend borders in order to gain a wider knowledge of the world around us. I don't like it when America boasts its greatness. Many times when America does this, it inadvertently shows its ignorance as well.

The movie does work, however, when it illustrates universal parallels between the two nations. One example would be the theme of the importance of family. Jamie Foxx plays a father who wants to go to Saudi Arabia to exterminate the bad guys. He tells his son that he is trying to rid the world of these bad guys. Some of the films most tender moments occur between Fleury and his son whether it be in the classroom or over the phone. Al Ghazi is a Saudi Colonel who is assigned to the Americans to aid them in their investigation. He has two daughters and a son and could be considered a family man. There are a few scenes that show his family. To me, this was important because it made parallels between the two nations. Another example, would be at the end of the film. It goes back and forth between a Saudi mother asking her son what his grandfather whispered to him and Jason Bateman asking Jamie Foxx what he whispered to Jennifer Garner. Both responses were, "Don't worry. We're going to kill them all." It shows that no matter what nationality a person is from they all share certain similarities and emotions, they are all humans. This is when the film works the best.

Thoughts about Memphis and Fall Break.

I really like the University of Memphis and the people here. As of now, I definitely plan on staying here for my four years in college. My dad told my brother that he did not think that I would last a semester. He said that he believed I would end up homesick, come back home, and go to the University of Southern Mississippi. Even if I hated the campus I would at least stick it out two semesters just to prove him wrong.

With my distance from home and the recent on campus tragedy, my mom has also stated that I have to call her everday. I do not really have to say much. I just have to call, say, "Hey Mom, I'm alive," and hang up.

Next weekend, however, is fall break, and I'm going home! I could not be more excited. I have not gone home once since arriving on campus, and I am eagerly anticipating seeing my other friends again. While I am home I will be attending the New Orleans Film Festival. I went last year and cannot wait to go back. I will be seeing "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead," "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," and "Grace is Gone."

I also am excited to see my nephew. I babysat him a lot during the summer, and we became very close. He will turn one on December 8. He is the epitome of a perfect kid.

Other random things that I want to do are go back to my high school to see some of my teachers and go to Southern Miss. I have a really good friend that goes there, and her fall break is directly after mine. I will probably also end up going to LSU where many of my friends go, but I think their fall break is the same as mine so hopefully they will be home.

Textual Analysis

I just turned in the final draft of my textual analysis today, and hopefully I will get a decent grade on it. For my paper, I chose to analyze the word assisted suicide in numerous texts. It is an interesting topic to discuss because many people have different perspectives on the issue depending on their morals.

On Wednesday Professor Duncan handed back our rough drafts of the paper. He said that my rough draft was a solid start, but he gave me a few suggestions. First off, he asked me how the term is used politically. I found a few politicians' views on the issue, but I could not find a way tp incorporate them into my paper. When I tried to add a senator's quote in my paper, it sounded out of place, so I decided to just leave it out. I was also asked where the term originated. Now, I did not find where the term assisted suicide originated, but I did find out how the broader concept of euthanasia was first used. It used to be referred to as a pleasant state of mind, and I added this information to my paper when I talked about how euthanasia and assisted suicide was perceived before the Hippocratic Oath. Mr. Duncan also stated that I should find an article that states if the government tries to intentionally miseducate the general population by having them believe that euthanasia and assisted suicide are the same thing. Unfortunately, I was unable to find this information. The articles that I found for my paper distinguished assisted suicide from euthanasia. This theory, however, is interesting, and I would like to pursue it.

Overall, I believe that my paper did an adequate job of defining assisted suicide through the use of several sources. Now, I get to look forward to that wonderful synthesis paper (Did you notice the sarcasm?).