Christopher Faris

Trailer - For Greater Glory

Christopher Faris — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 09:07:01 -0700

Hey friends! Check out a new trailer for the film "For Greater Glory," to be released later this year. In addition, here's a description of the film:

"What price would you pay for freedom? In the exhilarating action epic FOR GREATER GLORY, an impassioned group of men and women each make the decision to risk it all for family, faith and the very future of their country, as the film’s adventure unfolds against the long-hidden, true story of the 1920s Cristero War the daring people’s revolt that rocked 20th Century North America.

Academy Award® nominee Andy Garcia headlines an acclaimed cast as General Gorostieta, the retired military man who at first thinks he has nothing personal at stake as he and his wife (Golden Globe winner Eva Longoria) watch Mexico fall into a violent civil war. Yet the man who hesitates in joining the cause will soon become the resistance’s most inspiring and self-sacrificing leader, as he begins to see the cost of religious persecution on his countrymen…and transforms a rag-tag band of rebels into a heroic force to be reckoned with. The General faces impossible odds against a powerful and ruthless government. Yet it is those he meets on the journey - youthful idealists, feisty renegades and, most of all, one remarkable teenager named Jose who reveal to him how courage and belief are forged even when justice seems lost."

Trailer: http://www.forgreaterglory.com/

Higher Ground Film Review

Christopher Faris — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 01:14:18 -0700

A year or two ago, I had the chance to talk with David D. Sabatino about his film “Frisbee: Life and Death of a Hippie Preacher.” Sabatino is a guy who has a lot of controversy surrounding him thanks to his less than generous accounts of people like Larry Norman and Lonnie Frisbee (just check out our comments sections for a little taste of the point/counterpoints being brought up in our onterview with him and coverage of his films, like this: http://www.conversantlife.com/film/bible-stories-of-broken-people-an-interview-with-david-di-sabatino). Sabatino’s Bible stories are about leaders from the “Jesus People” movement, a counter-cultural revival wave that had a profound impact in the Southern California region. It is credited with sprouting both Calvary Chapel and The Vineyard evangelical church movements.

Sabatino’s stories highlight some of the profound pain and confusion that have come out of this movement, especially so in the case of Lonnie Frisbee. Enter the film “Higher Ground,” a woman’s story of living her life as a dedicated Christian while dealing with doubt, sexuality, friendship, faith, and love. It’s a deeply moving film that is both personal and candid about a woman trying to make sense of her life and relationship with God in times of happiness and times of painful doubt. The film is inspired by the book “This Dark World” by Carolyn S. Briggs.

Growing up in a broken home marked by alcoholism and domestic violence, Corinne Walker still has never been far from God or church. Starting from young elementary school years where she accepts Jesus into her heart, Corinne goes through experiencing a friend community marked by Christianity. But as each stage of life progresses, Corinne’s doubts about God begin to make her confront painful places. She wants an assured faith that others appear to have, but she struggles to find that kind of assurance for herself.

This is a powerful movie that is tender but flawed. Vera Farmiga (The Departed, Up in the Air) took on the movie with what appears to be a bottomless supply of curiosity and passion. She plays the title character as an adult and directed the film. On the bluray’s supplemental features, Farmiga highlights her love of the character and how it mirrors some of her own experience of faith. Farmiga’s passion for the source material is evidenced by the film being made while she was several months pregnant with her own child, all shot on a low budget and brief schedule (which means she wasn’t exactly resting during her real life pregnancy). Farmiga’s love for the character seems to interrupt the film’s flow, but the character is one who I ended up becoming quite drawn to as well.

I wasn’t there when the Jesus People movement happened, and neither was Farmiga. Therefore, I can't say if the setting and behaviors are all true to the era. However, I have been to many home Bible studies and church services in my life time that can speak to the accuracy of what some of those experiences are like. Therein lies the main problem of the film. As earnest as the filmmakers attempted to be with the era, some of the scenes at Bible studies feel a tad too forced with some of the way the characters communicate their love for God and each other. It feels like they are consciously acting the part, not letting themselves be truly in those moments. The film tries its best to look like its era, but the actors recite some of their lines with some woodedness that suggests distance from who the characters are and why they might be drawn to the Jesus People movement.

But the film’s strengths far outweigh these moments of (mild) frustration. Farmiga has a poetic touch as a director. In several scenes, Walker’s mind is given a chance to wonder, such as a humorous moment where she is accused of possibly “stumbling” a male peer at a Bible study due to wearing a long dress that covers her shoulders. In addition, there are brilliant moments of metaphor that Farmiga doesn’t shy away from, such as a little girl walking unsteadily on stilts to emphasize the unsure faith of Corinne Walker when she desperately wants it to be confident and firm or a moment where she walks outside of a church. It’s all very beautiful and creates many scene by scene moments of beauty.

But what affected me most deeply was how feminine the story felt. There is very much a woman’s journey, told honesty and with what feels like real vulnerability. The film doesn’t shy away from straight forward, humorous moments of sexuality, friendship, family conflict, and God. The result is frankly refreshing. In one sequence, the men sit around at a Bible study and learn about oral sex from an instructional cassette tape, and in another sequence Walker and her best friend draw their husband’s genitalia as a means of trying to spice up the love life in their marriages. But it’s not for sake of crassness or to get a cheap laugh. It all works exceedingly well in helping us understand Corinne’s journey.

Walker’s story involves pain from the events in her life and her struggle to understand things like speaking in tongues or why her voice must be quiet. Seeing her struggle and break through her confinements is poetic, beautiful, and affirming to those moments where I know I can feel overwhelmed with questions about God. This is the kind of movie that will appeal to Christian audiences, particularly those who have felt burned by their experience in church communities or even by God Himself. But it’s not an angry or spiteful movie. It’s always honest, and it doesn’t preach at the viewer to believe any certain doctrine. It gives us a character who asks questions through difficult experiences you and I have probably asked or at least thought of. That being said, the film’s reach outside of Christian circles may be limited, save for its story from a woman’s eyes. It’s a movie that I’ve recommended to multiple people who have had their own stories and experiences of faith and one I am happy to recommend to you as well.

Check out the trailer if you’re curious (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRpFKwJHQ7g), and give this one a shot.

Take Shelter Film Review

Christopher Faris — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 23:53:12 -0700

Schizophrenia is a frequently misunderstood mental health diagnosis. It gets confused with Multiple Personality Disorder, where one assumes multiple identities. But symptomatically, schizophrenia is more accurately characterized by visual and aural hallucinations, delusions, or the belief that there are people and objects in places where they actually aren’t. “Take Shelter” is framed around this diagnosis, delivering what was one of the best films I have ever seen. Rife with tension, brilliantly acted, and technically masterful, it deserves a place in your home theater line-up.

“Take Shelter” is a film about a family. The Father, Curtis (Michael Shannon) and his wife Samantha (Jessica Chastain) live in a rural part of Ohio with their daughter Hannah (Tova Stewart). One day, Curtis walks outside into the rain, only to notice it is a dark yellow color. From here, Curtis begins to have visions, hear sounds of thunder, and have nightmares which leave him frightened to his core. Some of the visions are in dreams, others are while awake, but all of them feel real to Curtis. To make matters more scary, be seems to be alone in his experiences.

“Take Shelter” makes me believe in actors. What I witnessed in the film is acting as an art form. Too often, I get frustrated when others proclaim they are seeing “so and so’s” new movie, when really – the only reason that actor looks and acts decent enough is because someone wrote them good things to say and the director made a convincing way of communicating those words. Actors are doing what they are told. But “Take Shelter” has a central performance from Michael Shannon that is so tense and haunting, that it absorbed every part of me in watching the film. In one scene, he extends out his hand to his wife after trust has been tested, and the response between the couple is magnetic. In several others, Shannon’s interpretation of the character is so perfect, that every element of his nightmares become real. That Shannon didn’t receive an Oscar is frustrating, as I think it’s among the best performances of the past several years.

That Shannon communicates such tension in a slight move of his eyes, or the stuttering of his lips kept me on my toes for the entire 2 hour running time. There aren’t scary monsters or major jump scares. This is a movie that tonally is spot on. Part of this is due to 2 major factors – the music and cinematography. Every shot is framed intentionally in capturing the Ohio sky or where characters stand or sit on screen. Musically, the minimalist soundtrack keeps us on edge, perking up during a climactic scene at the end that introduces pronounced strings that create a haunting and rousing mood. It’s all so fantastic. Of course, none of this would be so without Jeff Nichols directing. Here, his choices all feel so tightly constructed, so well thought out that it makes the film waste no breath or have room for any un-intentionality. I am now eager to go see his previous film "Shotgun Stories."

On reading a bit about the film and spending time with the supplemental features on the bluray (speaking of which, the transfer on the bluray is gorgeous), my appreciation of the film only deepened. The ending has left the internet buzzing about various interpretations, and it reminded me of the Coen Brothers brilliant film “A Serious Man.” But where the focus of the film deepens is in the relationship between Curtis and Hannah. Hannah’s response to Curtis’s descent is nothing short of beautiful. My heart broke at how she coped with everything. Feelings of anger, empathy, confusion and grace abound in a way where the vow of “for better or worse” is supremely tested. What if one day you woke up and your spouse was standing by the window telling you that 30 men were standing on your front lawn, only to realize there is actually no one there? Then imagine things keep getting worse. What would you do? The way Hannah responds gives a certain strength in what a good marriage can produce. The directors take on the ending only further deepened my love of the film.

This is quite simply a must see movie, and may have even squeaked its way into my top 10 of all time. It is earnest, tense, frightening, and beautiful in the most unconventional of ways. Try not to read much about it ahead of time, and be prepared for a master class in acting, a brilliant interpretation of a complex mental health disorder, and an affirmation of marriage in the most difficult of circumstances.

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen Review

Christopher Faris — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 09:05:49 -0800

On paper, “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen” has every ingredient to be a movie I’d love. The screenplay comes from Simon Beaufoy, who gave us amazing collaborations with Danny Boyle in “127 Hours” and “Slumdog Millionare” (for which he won an Oscar). It is directed by Lasse Hallstrom, a Swedish filmmaker who is very adept at filmmaking as evidenced by films like “Chocolat,” "My Life As A Dog" and “The Hoax” (which I really enjoyed). To top it off, the film has a wonderfully quirky sensibility and stars 3 very likeable and talented actors. Still, as much as I enjoyed many pieces of the film, it left me sour on the whole. This is a well-crafted movie that has great satire and perfect pitch humor that unfortunately gets sabotaged with a hard to believe love story, thin concept of faith, and an extremely frustrating moral resolution.

Sheikh Muhammed (Amr Waked) has a dream – to bring the experience of fly-fishing to his fellow countrymen of Yemen. The Sheikh has more money than any of us will ever dream, and he is willing to use as much of it as is needed to bring an activity which he finds tranquil, spiritual, and uniting to his people. Harriet (Emily Blunt) is the Sheikh’s main line of contact, who works as a consultant. She catches wind of Dr. Alfred Jones (Ewan McGregor), a fisheries expert who can scientifically oversee what is needed to make the project a reality.

On the other side of the coin is Patricia Maxwell (Kristin Scott Thomas), a tough as nails PR spinster for the British government. Her job is to make the government and its leaders look good. After a bombing happens, she needs a goodwill story to show the English people just how good the government can get along with the middle east.

The film is frequently hilarious, thanks in equal measure to the cast and filmmakers. The screenplay is adapted from a book comprised of e-mails, text messages, and other non-human interactions. That Simon Beaufoy could take that information and make these characters work is impressive. Some of the dialogue is rich – Just when the tone shifts from one style to the next, the film catches you off guard with an effective dry wit. Ewan McGregor’s straight-laced Dr. Jones is fantastically against type and humorously portrayed with whip smart dialogue delivered in perfect pitch. But the biggest laughs come from Kristin Scott Thomas, who in one scene with her kids steals the whole show. She is sharp, hard-edged, easy to dislike (in the most likeable way), never missing a single beat. I loved her character.

Yet for as much as I wanted to love the film, its deeper emotions didn’t ring true to me. The following remarks will spoil the film, but I felt it necessary to point out these observations as they directly affected my feeling towards it. Go down to the last paragraph if you want to see the film without any spoilers…otherwise: One character experiences a significant loss in the film. They are dating a character for less than a month, when said character must leave. Only, this character is believed to be dead after a short time away. Upon learning this, the character that we know is still alive begins the mourning process, which seems hugely disproportionate to their love story. I never bought it and thought it was completely overdone, existing for the purpose of a plot device.

Then, there is the idea that the film is somehow about finding faith in something when life is scientifically impossible. The Sheikh is the main spiritual energy of the film, but the faith as portrayed in “Salmon Fishing…” is nothing more than an over generalized message of “just have a little faith and watch what can happen!” It’s not that I expected an entire theology or worldview pitch, but the faith element is so remarkably shallow, it may as well not even be a part of the film.

To make matters worse, there is a clear scientific reason for why the project can work and Dr. Jones character verbalizes this nearly every step of the way – from the rocks in the ground which would make for great places for fish eggs, to the fish’s DNA which tells it to swim upstream. To make matters worse, the fact that the Sheikh has endless supplies of oil money sort of wipe out the worry for any of the crazy ideas to work. They can afford the biggest planes to transport the fish. How much faith exactly does that require? None – You just need a very large checkbook and a couple of able pilots.

But none of this ruined the film for me quite as much as what one character resolves as the right decision, which involves leaving his wife. After this decision is made, the film completely disregards her character. I get it – two pretty actors in a romantic film, they have to hook up at some point. But leaving your marriage because you have had some sort of new realization about life is rarely a decision I can get behind (save of course for when those being abused feel empowered to leave). I didn’t find joy when the romantic leads inevitably ended up together by the time the credits rolled. Sure - Dr. Jones had a joyless marriage (humorously portrayed in what has to be one of the funniest sex scenes ever). But the film essentially says that if your marriage is joyless, go find the younger, zestier partner and that will solve your woes. It frankly angers me that this sort of choice can be praised in any way. If your marriage sucks, it is up to you to look at why, and it is up to you to begin the hard work of restoring it. Restoring broken things takes a greater act of faith than fly-fishing in the desert with endless amounts of money.

I could go on – like the fact that this Sheikh was willing to spend as much as he did to make fly-fishing happen when the whole time I was wondering why he didn't use the money to feed his hungry countrymen. But I admittenly know that this wouldn’t have made for as interesting a story. I appreciate “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen” for its humor, satire, and commentary on politics and journalism. But I couldn’t get pulled in emotionally to an extremely difficult to believe element of the love story, thin idea of faith, and frustrating moral resolution. It’s not that I feel everyone needs to see the world the way I do. But I don’t enjoy seeing films praise things that are untruthful. Someone once told me that the two criteria for rating art are truth and beauty. This film struggles with both, no matter how funny it is.

Ewan MacGregor, Emily Blunt, and Simon Beaufoy Talk With Us About Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

Christopher Faris — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 16:12:33 -0800

Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire, The Full Monty) just broke one of his personal screenwriting rules: He wrote with an actor in mind. “It’s the only time in my life I’ve actually written for somebody. I learned early on in my life if you write this for ‘Robert DeNiro,’ guess what? He’s busy and he doesn’t want to come to Yorkshire for 3 weeks on no money.” But thankfully, Kristin Scott Thomas was game. In her hilarious turn in the film “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen” (coming out in limited release tomorrow) she plays a hard edged British press spinster on behalf of the government who is looking for a good will story in the middle east that still involves the Brits.

The film finds her pursuing this goal when she learns of a rich Sheik who wants to hire the right people to help him transport non-native fish to the desert so he can share his passion for fly-fishing. No bombs, no threats, just rods, nylon wire and plenty of salmon. Aiding in the Sheik’s quest is Harriet (Emily Blunt), a personal financial consultant to the Sheik, who befriends a fisheries expert by the name of Dr. Alfred Jones (Played wonderfully by an atypically straight laced Ewan McGregor).

The film aims to be funny, yet romantic. However, it’s a screenplay adapted from a book comprised mostly of e-mails and text messages. There are no traditional dialogue moments in the original narrative. The book also revels in a harsh satire, which left Beaufoy with a thin wire to balance so many dynamics on. He said, “The tone of satire is very unforgiving, whereas the tone of a romantic comedy is obviously quite soft edged. It was quite hard for me to work out the tone and the only way I could see doing it was to lessen the satire, really. Otherwise it just kills a romantic comedy off dead.”

While that may cause doubt, consider who is doing the writing. Beaufoy is rightly regarded as a master at writing adaptations for the screen (he also happens to be adapting the second book in the “Hunger Games” series). Beaufoy explained his method saying, “The main thing to keep is the tone and the spirit of the book – the heart of it…That’s the bit I feel is absolutely my duty to keep. Everything else I’m afraid is up for grabs because it is such a different medium that you have to be quite brutal with the things that happen.”

But Beaufoy’s script is what actress Emily Blunt credits as her main desire to be a part of the film. “I just loved it in the first 10 pages” she said. “I thought it was so funny and had such wit, there was something whimsical about it that felt different.” It would seem then that Beaufoy succeeded.

Though the film aims to keep the heart of the book, Beaufoy wasn’t the only one to change what was originally written. For example, Kristin Scott Thomas role was originally a male charcter in the book, and Ewan McGregor’s character was not from Scotland. But the editing choices the filmmakers made were meant to service the heart of the story. McGregor made his stamp on the film by making his character from Scotland. “I felt very strongly when I read the script that he could be (from Scotland) and that it would help if he was. Then when I met Simon (Beaufoy), he encouraged me to use this Morningside accent, which is this very uptight Edinborough accent, kind of a little bit ‘faux posh.’ I wasn’t sure about it. Then when I first met Emily, we met in the rehearsal room with Lasse (Hallstrom, the film’s director), and I was telling her that I didn’t know if I wanted to use the accent or not. She said ‘Let me hear it.’” Blunt laughed out loud when describing the moment, stating, “It’s so funny and it changed you completely, it was instant.” Indeed, McGregor’s character is as believably uptight as they come.

The filmmakers got involved in fly fishing, and had various experiences with it. In addition to calling it a “spiritual” experience, McGregor said, “It’s a lovely thing to learn to do, and it really is the top notch of fishing. It’s particular – you’re trying to catch fish that only feed from the surface. Generally you do it in very beautiful places – Norway, Russia, Scotland - cold-water places. Fly fisherman end up traveling a lot and traveling to very beautiful, remote places. I think it’s very good for the soul.”

Beaufoy also felt it was critical to get out and fly fish to better understand the character of the Sheik. His experience ended up being an incredibly positive one. “It never looked relaxing to me. But when I went fly fishing, I understood why it is a sort of metaphor for deep thinking and calm - almost a faith in itself. It’s so simple – a very bendy rod, and a bit of nylon and a fly, that’s it. There is no more gear…You have to think like the fish, you have to predict exactly where its going to be in the water, and exactly when its going to come up and take a bite.”

Blunt also went fishing, but didn’t have quite the same experience McGregor and Beaufoy did. “He (Ewan) has this lovely little dog ‘Sid’ who is just our friend – I love that dog so much." Blunt, convinced by Ewan and others in their company to just give it a go, ended up catching something. But the animal she caught was not native to the water...it was Ewan's dog. She continued, "He was just scampering around behind me and I hooked him – first cast.” McGregor, leaning back calmly in his chair made sure to note, “It just got caught in his fur – he was alright.” Not quite the spiritual experience, but the verbal exchange is one that was humorous and casual, evidencing an easygoing camaraderie that felt unforced and relaxed.

The film opens Friday, March 9^th in limited release, then is set for wide release March 16^th. You can check out a short clip of the film here, and view the trailer here. Check back tomorrow for our full review!

The Way Movie Review and DVD Giveaway!

Christopher Faris — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 23:36:44 -0800

I have always appreciated that God gave us metaphor. If we only had literal, non-poetic interpretations of the deeds of the soul, we would lose sight of the beauty of grief, forgiveness, and little graces. “The Way” aims to give us those little graces in its story, and for the most part it succeeds. In the film, Martin Sheen plays the role of Tom, a man who learns early in the film that his son Daniel (played by his real life son Emilio Estevez, who also produced, wrote and directed the film) died tragically while walking the Camino Del Santiago. The Camino Del Santiago is a pilgrimage that takes a couple months to complete by foot, and is experienced by many travelers for a variety of reasons.

Tom walks to grieve the loss of his son Daniel, whom the film alludes to as being a man whom Tom has difficulty understanding. While Tom attempts to walk the road in some solitude, he meets 3 additional travelers from around the world who eventually join him on his pilgrimage. Their interactions along the journey comprise the bulk of the film as each deal with pain, artistic droughts, and addiction.

“The Way” is quietly beautiful, even powerful at times. It looks and feels like an independent foreign film that the Criterion Collection might distribute. At times, it felt like an early 90’s film, and in this case I mean that as a compliment. It is not too pristine and cleaned up. Additionally, the acting is strong and the chemistry amongst the leads has a degree of believability that is of note. I left the film thinking that each of these individuals needs to continue traveling for the rest of their lives getting to know one another.

But for its praise, the film is really uneven. The cinematography should be brilliant but it’s too plain, lacking any real sense of style or identity. In a poetic film like "The Way," the lack of great cinematography is really noticeable. To add insult, the DVD transfer doesn’t really do the images any service. The transfer is often muddy and weak, an unfortunate slight on a film that really needs a stylistic and visual identity. The script likewise is mediocre, lacking much in the way of clever dialogue in spite of rich characters with diverse multi-cultural perspectives – from gypsy’s and Dutch pot smokers to bull fighting innkeepers and chain smoking Canadians.

But as much as I liked the characters, it must be noted that Sarah (played by Deborah Kara Unger) sticks out in a frustrating way. Her acting is of no fault, but she looks uncomfortably thin with a face that appears to have undergone multiple plastic surgery operations and Botox injections. She looks distractingly like a stock Hollywood actress who resides in Malibu. Meanwhile the fellas are fat, hairy, and more world weary in their appearance. She seriously detracts from the authentic, down home feel of the film.

Emilio Estevez has his name and face throughout the film, which indicates to me that his heart is very much a part of this project. But like the rest of my complaints, his direction feels uneven. Some scenes feel wonderfully played and acted, whereas others have unnatural responses and some poorly cut edits. The film’s pacing is also uneven, dragging too much in the middle before picking up at the end. Sonically, “The Way” is frustrating as the soundtrack goes between hipster bands like The Shins and Nick Drake, to an original score that feels tonally like it’s 10 years too late.

But lest you perceive my criticisms as reasons not to see the film, I cite them merely as observations. The movie is perfect in its simplicity and heart. It feels honest in every way, and even had me choking back tears a little bit. It finds places of quiet beauty and left me wanting to go out and begin my own 2 month pilgrimage down El Camino Del Santiago. Its strengths certainly edge out its weaknesses.

In many ways, the film reminded me of “The Station Agent,” which is one of my favorite films of all time. Though “The Station Agent” has a better script and more focused story, its themes are remarkably similar. Death ignites grief and isolation, only to reach the conclusion that grief is part of the road we are collectively journeying down. We never know who God is going to have walking alongside us, even if we perceive those individuals as being annoying, clumsy, or a poor match to what we think we need. Films like “The Way” make me grateful that quiet, gem filled films still exist in a world of sequels and explosions. Most importantly, it is a reminder that there are still filmmakers willing to expose more of themselves in their work. I hope you’ll check out the film for a meaningful time at the home theater.

As a bonus, we are thrilled to be giving away 5 copies of the film on DVD to our readers, courtesy of Grace Hill Media! Just reply below with your favorite road movie, and check back – we’ll reply with instructions on how to get your copy of the film!

Act Of Valor Preview

Christopher Faris — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 20:01:14 -0800

A lot of films have been made about the military ranging from artful and thought provoking, to pure entertainment and spectacle. Enter "Act of Valor," a film which features unheard of cooperation from active-duty Navy Seals.

To see behind the scenes footage, click here

To see more about the involvement of the Navy Seals, click here

Below is a synopsis on the film:

"An unprecedented blend of real-life heroism and original filmmaking, ACT OF VALOR stars a group of active-duty U.S. Navy SEALs in a film like no other in Hollywood’s history. A fictionalized account of real life Navy SEAL operations, ACT OF VALOR features a gripping story that depicts the courage and sacrifice undertaken by these men as they protect our country from a terrorist threat. The movie takes audiences on an adrenaline-fueled, edge-of-their-seat journey."

Did you see the film? Share your thoughts below!

"The Vow" Movie Review

Christopher Faris — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:08:58 -0800

Imagine waking up tomorrow in a hospital bed, unsure of how you got there. As you look up around the room, you notice several unfamiliar faces that are looking empathetically at you. In the midst of your aching head and confusion, one of those persons says they're your spouse. But you don’t recognize them, and you have no idea how you got there. You just want to go back to your life as you know it and wake up from this bizarre dream.

Suppose in that old familiar life you were already engaged or even married to someone else. Suppose you had a career in law but in your newly awoken life you were a renowned visual artist. The amount of disorientation – a rebirth and change in your life that was unforeseen and now unrecognizable – would be staggering. Yet, it would be true.

That’s the basic set up of “The Vow,” where Rachel McAdams is the car crash victim who has head trauma that manages to erase several formative years of her adult life. Elements of her family history, love life, and career get erased. The story especially works on the strength of what the 20’s are as a stage of development. The early 20’s are generally a time of going from uncertainty and dreaming to actualizing those dreams and cementing them in a career or owning ones purpose in life. Major life questions begin to get answered like; who do I want to spend my life with, what do I want to spend my life doing, and how do I grow into an independent adult? Only in this case, imagine having no say or recollection of how you grew and what you learned about yourself – you just woke and were there.

“The Vow” focuses on the marriage and relationship between Leo and Paige (Played by Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams). The movie spends its time asking some great questions: What if you had to woo your spouse all over again? Would you do it? How? Could you do it? Implicit in this question is a central truth about marriage, which is that the wooing doesn’t stop at the altar. Rather, the wooing keeps going all marriage long. You commit to loving one another based on the relationship, not based on the feelings alone. It is challenging and difficult, and any marriage can be faced with any degree of hardships and struggle.

The film is inspired by the lives of Kim and Krickitt Carpenter, a real life couple who wrote a book about their experience where Krickitt woke up from a severe accident and didn’t recognize the man calling her his wife. In the real story, the couple cites their faith in God as a major reason for their ability to overcome their circumstances. In the film, this is mentioned nowhere, which for some viewers will be disheartening. In fact, the film is careful to tell us that it is “inspired by” not “based on” true events. The Carpenter’s lives were not utilized as a blueprint for the script (The screenwriters informed us at a press event that only a month or two before the film released did they learn that the Carpenters wrote a book about their true experience).

The story plays out like something of a mash up between “Memento” and “The Notebook.” We learn about the couple’s history for the first time as Paige does, leading to some shocking revelations about her family history and an interesting reason to be compelled to the plot's changes. But it plays like other familiar love stories in its style and tone. Two of the prettiest actors were chosen as the leads, and the surrounding cast looks like they were plucked from a modeling agency.

The film certainly tries to fight this stereotype. The soundtrack is laden with indie rock superstars like The National and Lykke Li, McAdams character has a hipster haircut (which is a very obvious and silly looking wig) to show her “artsy” side, and Tatum’s character owns a recording studio where he produces indie rock bands in the heart of Chicago. Therein lies the films greatest frustration, which is Channing Tatum himself. He is not a strong actor, and in this film there are a few moments where he seems to struggle (such as when he nearly breaks a stereo because he is angry). In addition, it is really hard for me to buy into him being a hip music producer. Channing is too “pretty” to look like a guy who spends his time in cowboy boots and skinny jeans while going through 80 cartons of cigarettes telling bands to run one more take of a song. Also, the film features requisite bare butt and shirtless moments of Channing that I’m sure the ladies will see as a treat. I thought it might be humorous if Jack Black was in the lead role instead. At least he knows music.

Also problematic is McAdams road to recovery. We see the accident scene (which is brilliantly done visually and aurally) and then McAdams is in the hospital. However, after what appears to be a few days her scars are basically gone. In spite of having major head trauma, she still has all her hair and goes through almost no physical therapy on the road to a remarkable recovery. I recognize my bias – my Mom was nearly killed in a car accident where there was major head trauma over 10 years ago. To this day she still has the physical affects of the accident plaguing her life. I get why it is for film and story sake – the film is about the questions the couple faces emotionally and relationally, not the reality of the accident’s physical effects. Still, it was notably distracting.

Overall, "The Vow" is a good love story that finds its strength based on its premise. I wasn't sure I'd like the film at all. I was prepared to mock it, but I came away pleasantly surprised. In my eyes, the questions are so good that the film really can’t lose. It’s confidently directed, looks good, and is acted well enough. I went in expecting “The Notebook” all over again (which also shares amnesia in its plot), and to some degree it feels really similar. But to another degree, “The Vow” has better questions at its core: Does your vow to love your spouse for better or for worse really hold true? How do you continue to love your spouse even after the big day? They are questions that challenge us even when trauma does not play a role in our married and romantic lives. I left the film thinking about what I could do to show my wife I loved her. I really can't fault any film that provokes that sort of response from me.

Check out our interview with the cast and filmmakers of "The Vow" for more on the story and the experience making the film:

http://www.conversantlife.com/film/the-cast-and-filmmakers-of-the-vow-talk-with-conversant-life

The Cast and Filmmakers of "The Vow" Talk With Conversant Life!

Christopher Faris — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:01:42 -0800

When a Hollywood studio options the rights of a book to make into a movie, fans of said book get nervous. And rightly so – how many adaptations have we seen in the past where things go from grand and glorious, to botched and reworked?

So, when I had the chance to learn more about the film “The Vow” (due out this Friday), I learned that fans of couple Kim and Krickitt Carpenter, whose lives and book inspired the film, will be in for a potentially unpleasant surprise: Screenwriters Marc Silverstein and Abby Kohn have never read the book. They just got some ambiguous direction. “They (the studio) really said ‘a couple, they’re married, a crash, she doesn’t remember him.’” So naturally, we are in for rough waters, right?

But for “The Vow,” the filmmakers were intent on making a compelling narrative inspired by true events, not based on true events. Said Kohn, “I’d prefer that. It leaves us free to create whatever we think would make the most of that dramatic situation. Whatever characters we want to create, whatever past we want to have for them, we can invent. I think that left us free to create something that we felt best served that.” After all, there are some book adaptations that are so faithful that they lose sight of the possibilities given the medium of film.

Instead of utilizing the book as a go to framework for the script, Silverstein and Kohn played with a DVR of the human life while skipping through various stages of development. It creates an interesting idea and dilemma, partly because it can actually happen. Says Silverstein, “We were more interested in – if I looked at myself at 29, and I was transported to my 22 year old self…what would I be thinking? How would I function in this world with how different I was in those 2 time periods?” But what if you woke up and completely missed out on one of life’s biggest questions – Who you’ll be spending it with?

Director Michael Sucsy seemed to appreciate the degree of flexibility as a filmmaker. Coming off of an award winning machine with his directorial debut in the HBO film “Grey Gardens,” Sucsy had the chance to make the film more personalized, with multiple moments that Sucsy stated were either his own real life experience or allowing Channing Tatum to interject some of his interpretation of the character, whom Sucsy insists really is Leo. “He had some questions about Leo and the character arc and he was like, ‘I would take more action, I wouldn’t do this, he’s sort of too passive, I’d get really angry if this was happening.’” Sucsy allowed Tatum's interpretation to influence the film. This kind of flexibility is part of what helped Tatum join the project, after initially turning it down.

Sucsy is also quite aware that his film shares characteristics of modern romantic films, but was happy to be able to put his own spin on things. The characters journey’s, the stunning crash sequence, or his choice to record a soundtrack that was lighter on the stringed instruments to try and avoid manipulating his audience. “We had the budget for a 250 person orchestra. I think we only had 7 or 10 instruments.”

With so much distance from the real life couple, one would think they might be glad to distance themselves from the set. But the filmmakers and cast insist otherwise, talking about set visits from the Carpenter’s and their interactions with the filmmakers and cast. Of the Carpenter’s, Tatum stated they are “One of the most lovely couples I’ve ever come across.”

There seems to be an easygoing relationship between the true-life events and the desire for a good narrative fostered in a creative environment. Said Tatum, “Specifically, Michael didn’t push me to read the book because Leo was really different. I wanted to experience Leo in this situation anew. I didn’t want to have these experiences and these stories from the real couple that I could expect something and go into every scene being like, okay I’m not sure what she is going to do and I don’t know how to deal with this and deal with it in the best way I could.”

In addition to this kind of creative approach to the story, Tatum and co-star Rachel McAdams seemed to genuinely enjoy one others company on set – something well communicated in the films expression of the character’s relationship. In one scene, the two are tasked with eating a large box of chocolates. Leading up to the scene, McAdams seemed to take pleasure in egging Tatum on by frequently eating junk food in front of him while Tatum worked out to look good on camera. “We were looking so forward to that, we were running everyday, doing sit ups, but then she got so, so sick.” Says McAdams, “I felt like the kid who eats their whole advent calendar.” The fun the two seemed to have on set comes through on screen.

But with so much flexibility and distance from the Carpenter’s book and life experience, a freshly created story, and the chemistry fought for by the films leads, is “The Vow” any good? You’ll have to check back on Friday for the full review!

In the meantime, check out the trailer.

The Artist

Christopher Faris — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 19:54:34 -0800

Let’s face it: movies have been pretty underwhelming this year. There has been an explosion of comic book movies adapted from nearly every angle – from dark and gritty, to lighthearted action. There have been silly dramas, requisite attempts at an Oscar grab, and a couple of underwhelming features from the giants of filmmaking (“War Horse” and “Hugo” while good, were far from as great as they could have been).

Enter “The Artist.” It’s the film people are talking about with overwhelming praise, as well as a few angry detractors (which I suspect will only grow as the film gains more and more momentum). My expectations were high going in after seeing the trailer, which floored me in communicating its emotion and charm. Added to that is the amount of critical praise the film has received so far, making me excited for what appeared to be a breath of fresh air in the theater. For the most part, “The Artists” delivers.

“The Artist” is a silent film that tells the story of one movie star who falls from riches to rags, while a young starlet embraces stardom on the rise to fame. “The Artist” utilizes its adherence to the silent film genre with devotion and care, but there are some slight variations on the theme for surrealist effect. No lines of spoken dialogue drive the narrative forward, and at times characters mouths will move and we have no idea what they are saying because the title cards are absent. While this devotion is exciting, one element of it was aesthetically lacking. While the picture was stylized to its era, (even featuring a 4:3 aspect ratio instead of widescreen) the score sounded as that it were recorded on modern equipment. A more “lo-fi” approach to the score may have been a neat option in sucking us into the world of late 20’s filmmaking.

The story is plain and simple enough, but “The Artist” strength is the means of in its telling. The film unfolds in sequence after dazzling sequence framed beautifully on camera with intent and precision. Each moment of the film features something interesting visually or sonically to the point where it feels like a group of brilliantly conceived short films melted into a perfectly coherent story. Whether it’s a flat shot of a group of stairs, a dance, a dog’s movements, or many other beautiful moments, “The Artist” is always interesting to look at and frequently beautiful to listen to.

Acting wise, Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo head a cast with some surprisingly familiar faces. But of all the faces, it is Dujardin’s whose expressiveness which comes out in every wink, smile, and nod. His face is never at fault if you don’t know what’s happening. No less charming is Bejo, whose dance moves and winks accompany the empathic moods which grow deeper as the film progresses. In addition, John Goodman is a great choice as the film studio head, and other familiar faces appear. Most unfortunate of these choices is James Cromwell, an actor so closely associated with his famous role in “L.A. Confidential” that his lowly servant role here is a bit hard to swallow. And I'm not sure where to mention this other than here, but the dog in the movie is freaking awesome.

Michael Hazanavicius is to be credited for the huge vision that comes to life on screen and for his command of talent. But as much as I loved the movie, it wasn’t quite the earth shattering experience I had expected. There are a couple of artistic choices that I don’t think paid off very well, which are experienced in the end. Saying more would be to spoil it. In addition, one has to wonder if the film is so widely celebrated thanks to its style as a silent film that its deeper themes will be largely lost. Will we see this on an Oscar reel years from now and remember it as a great film, or remember it as an affectionate homage to its nostalgic roots that managed to hoodwink its audience because people don’t talk in the movie?

For the time being, the heart wrenching theme that plagues us all – out with the old, in with the new – is one every artist can cling to. While at one time we may have been on the cutting edge of what is cool with music, art, film (or whatever), those coming after us might stare in confusion as to why we are drawn to that “old school” band or hipster lingo that is no longer relevant. And relevance is painful – when we feel it, it means inclusion. When we lose it, it means we are on the outside. Dealing with change and holding onto systems of the past is a constant question every human must be flexible to in order to survive and adapt to the system of how things work in the world. Seeing oneself at the center of progress, only to be moved to its frayed edges looking in at the new star in the spotlight in whatever field or medium is a heartbreaking reminder of what was. It’s brilliant then that “The Artist” can look on the silent era, returning it again to its place in front of the crowd.