Interstellar (2014)

Interstellar (2014)

Director: Christopher Nolan

Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Michael Cain, Jessica Chastain, Wes Bentley, John Lithgow, Ellen Burstyn 

I’ve always been interested in the far reaches of space, because to me, it’s out there where the greatest mysteries lie. Where does the universe end and what is out there in the vastness of space? And of course, the big one is: are we alone in the universe? I can go on and on formulating questions about space, because that’s all it is, one big question, one gigantic mystery. Which is why I love movies like Interstellar; they play with the idea that the universe begs to be explored. Why the hell isn’t an effort being made to truly explore the universe? Why isn’t a huge spaceship being built for humans to travel through space for long periods of time like in Star Trek or The Black Hole (1979)? I mean, I don’t think that idea is that farfetched. Instead, as of 2014, funding has been cut for NASA, so there’s less of an interest in space exploration, at least from the government’s point of view. Their logic is being that we have more pressing problems to deal with down here on earth; space exploration isn’t really a priority for the United States right now. Sigh. But anyways, at least we can toy with the idea through films like Interstellar.

On this film earth is being ravaged by dust, huge dust storms are engulfing the earth and its becoming mighty hard for humans to live here, everyone is getting sick, coughing, dying. But worry not! The scientists at NASA have discovered a black hole near Saturn. They've sent astronauts through it and discovered that said black hole can lead us to another part of the universe with 12 possibly habitable planets.  But all connection with these astronauts has been lost, and so NASA has decided to send a second mission to see if they can reconnect with these lost astronauts and at the same time explore the planets, to see if it is at all possible to start life in them. Their ultimate goal is to save the human race from extinction. Is this mission a one way ticket to hell? Or will the astronauts get to come back home to their families? Is humanity destined to disappear?

I’m a huge science fiction buff, and while watching Interstellar, I couldn’t help and notice how much the filmmakers borrowed from Arthur C. Clarke’s novels. You see, it just so happens that I’m a devout Arthur C. Clarke reader, I’ve read a lot of his work and well, I just couldn’t help seeing how the guys responsible for Interstellar borrowed heavily from Arthur C. Clarke’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, 2010: Odyssey Two, 2061: Odyssey Three and 3001: The Final Odyssey. They even borrowed a bit from the ‘Rendezvous with Rama’ novels, especially when it comes to a cylindrical spaceship that has an artificial sun and an entire community living in it. Landing on a planet made up of a gigantic ocean was seen in 2061: A Space Odyssey, the idea of a man from another era waking up years later to encounter an evolved humanity was swiped from 3001: The Final Odyssey. The robots in the film, which look like walking, talking monoliths are a big wink to fans of 2001; but this was all done purposely, it is quite obvious that Nolan has a hard on for Arthur C. Clarke and his works, so when you watch Interstellar, expect a film with Arthur C. Clarke’s DNA engraved deeply into it.

And it’s not just from Arthur C. Clarke’s books that Nolan borrowed heavily from, he also took a bit from  Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (1969), both films are similar in structure. We have super intelligent computers able to think for themselves, we have astronauts going up into space to explore a mystery, we have that whole idea that we are going to be entering and exploring a place never before seen by humanity, “boldly going where no man has gone before”. We even get a scene like the scene in 2001 in which David Bowman goes inside The Monolith and the film turns into this visual trip. So yeah, both of these films share many similarities, there’s even some visual references to Kubrick’s film, but I’ll let you guys spot those.

The biggest mystery in Interstellar is of course, the black hole which the astronauts must traverse. Black holes have always been a mystery to me as well; at one point I started to ask myself, are these things real? I mean, sure we've all heard about black holes, and most of us believe they exist, but has anyone actually ever seen an actual black hole? No, we haven’t. We simply have an idea of what it could be. Much like in 2001: A Space Odyssey, where we have this strange and mysterious monolith floating up in space, we also have a strange space anomaly in Interstellar: the Black Hole. From what I hear, Nolan enlisted on the help of a physicist in order to get the whole concept of black holes and worm holes as accurate and scientifically correct as possible. From a visual angle, the whole black hole/worm hole thing looks fantastic, it is obviously a highlight of the film. On the other hand, when the film starts talking about fourth and fifth dimensions, relativity theory and multiverses, things might get a bit convoluted for some, but you won’t be able to deny that visually, it’s stunning. I did manage to hear an “I don’t get it” from the audience.

As far as entertainment value goes, well, there’s lots of spectacle here, but let me tell it to you straight, this films emphasis is on teasing your brain, it’s more of a cerebral picture, it likes to explore ideas hardly explored, it likes to go places we haven’t been before. I mean, sure we’ve seen movies that depict black holes before, for example The Black Hole (1979) andEvent Horizon (1997), but none of these movies have shown us a scientifically accurate portrayal of one, and here we got Interstellar to do that. The movie is a love letter to Arthur C. Clarke, and really there’s no better sci-fi author that Nolan could be ripping off from. What I would like for Christopher Nolan to do, because it seems to me after seeing Interstellar that he’s one of the most qualified to do it, is direct a film based on Clarke’s Rama novels. Now those movies really do tackle the mysteries of the universe! A movie based on ‘Rendezvous with Rama’ has been planned for years now, but as I type this, it’s still in development hell. So anyhow, what we got here my friends is one of the best films of the year, if you enjoy films that dabble in philosophy and the mysteries of the universe. Me? I’m a sucker for the mysteries of the universe because if you ask me, it’s those big mysteries we should always aim to know more about. 

Rating: 5 out of 5

Take Shelter (2011)

Title: Take Shelter (2012)

Director: Jeff Nichols

Cast: Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain, Tova Stewart

Review:

The final frames in the Coen Brother’s A Serious Man (2009) are composed of a young man wearing his headphones, listening to his music as he looks up at the stormy sky, at the unrelenting storm that is undoubtedly on its way. The symbolism attached to these scenes comment on how ugly times are awaiting humanity in the near future. That things are going to get a hell of a lot worse before they get better, and that its something palpable, something we can see coming with our own eyes, just ahead in the near future. Taking in consideration the political, social and economical climate that’s growing in the world, one can’t help but agree with the visual metaphors on A Serious Man. I sometimes feel like humanity is headed towards some kind of cataclysmic socio political event that will affect us all. Take Shelter takes that idea of “the coming storm” and explores it by focusing on the typical middle class American family; the middle class being one of the few things that’s presently under attack by the ever growing economical woes of our world. It seems we are headed towards a world in which you will either be rich or poor. There’s no space for in between. Will all things continue getting bleaker in the world? Is there a light at the end of this dark tunnel? Will the storm ever fade away?

The film focuses on Curtis; your every day common man. He has his job, a house in the country, a loving wife and a beautiful daughter, basically Curtis is living “the good life”. But Curtis is having these nightmares that he takes as premonitions, nightmares about the end of the world. In his dreams, storm clouds form, thunder cracks the skies violently, and everything seems dreadful, sad and ominous; an overall aura of dread is felt in his dreamscapes. Are his dreams going to become a reality? Curtis fears he is going crazy because his mother suffers from schizophrenia, but is he really going crazy? Or are things looking bleaker and bleaker in the world?

So this is the kind of filmmaking I love, the kind that speaks about the world we live in. The kind that speaks for us and materializes feelings that are often times left unspoken. I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that over the last decade or so we have seen the world shift violently. Suddenly, everything is three times more expensive, suddenly; it’s not so easy to live your life. Filling up the gas tank on your car used to be a 20 dollar affair, now it’s a 50 dollar one. And let’s not even go into medical bills! A trip to the pharmacy can be a nightmare if you have no medical insurance. I personally know some people who don’t bother going to the doctor even though they have serious physical illness just because they cant afford it! Is this the kind of world we are living in? I remember the day I noticed everything was going to the crapper. I was at the mall and this little girl walked up to me and asked me for some money to eat, her mother just a few feet away with her other two kids, who were probably hungry as well. Yeah the world has gone to hell…true, and Take Shelter is a film that captures that feeling perfectly, subtly. Curtis can’t visit a doctor because it’s too far and too expensive; when he goes to the pharmacy he is surprised at how much he has to pay for pills even though he is insured! I mean, these situations will feel all too familiar to anyone living in our modern world.  

What I loved about the film is how it explores the psyche of the “regular Joe” and how it is affected by the ever growing bleakness of the world. Curtis cant sleep, his performance at work is affected because he has all these worries on his mind. I take the bus to work everyday because I save a lot of money by doing so; I don’t have to worry about gas money or paying huge amounts of money to park my car. On my travels through the city, I see so many things that make me feel the same way Curtis feels on this film. Sad little tell tale signs, sad little details I see in everyday life. These observations accumulate, until finally, a dreadful aura is felt in everyday life. Suddenly you’re afraid, and you don’t know if “everything is going to be all right”.  This feeling of despair is what takes over Curtis’s mind until he feels he is going crazy. But is he? The idea in this film is that maybe he isn’t. Maybe the world is going to hell in a hand basket and we are not even remotely prepared for what is coming! It’s no surprise that a film dealing with this subject matter ends up being so frightening and bleak. The scariest movies are those that show us a future that might very well be. The feeling you get when you watch a film like Take Shelter is the same feeling you get when you watch films like 1984. Take Shelter will make you feel identified with many of the feelings and situations presented in it.

Michael Shannon proves once again that he is one of the finest actors of his generation. His intense performances have attracted some of the best directors in the field. Directors like Werner Herzog who used him in My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done? (2006); a film that also focuses on the American family. Sam Mendez also used him on Revolutionary Road (2008), yet another film that explored family dynamics. On that one he portrayed an extremely anti-social character, which it seems is the kind of character Shannon excels at playing; the kind of character that freaks you out just by looking at you. A look into those eyes let’s you know something terrible is going on behind them!  The family showcased in Take Shelter is a middle class one, a family that lives with just enough money to survive and maybe escape once in a while on vacation, but for this family things are getting so bad that even their planned dream vacation is fading away. Shannon portrays a psychologically vulnerable and fragile man; tittering on the border of insanity. In reality all he cares about is the welfare and safety of his family. His wife, his daughter, these are the two things he truly cares about and the increasingly negative aura of his life is threatening their happiness, what’s the head of a family to do when his families happiness and safety is in peril? This is why I loved this film; at its heart it portrays a man who wants the best for his family. Jessica Chastain plays the supportive wife who is trying to cope as best as she can with her husbands troubled mind. Jessica Chastain continues to amass an impressive resume of films, like Shannon, she's also worked with some of the best directors in the field, most recently she was in Terrence Malicks masterpiece, and one of my favorite films of 2011, The Tree of Life (2011). 

For Curtis, the world outside is so scary that at one point he refuses to face it. There are some powerful symbolisms in this film; of course the impending storm that is perpetually coming in the film is the big symbolism for the growing problems in the world. The film adeptly identifies one of the main problems in the world: GREED. It is no surprise that in the film, the rain drops that fall from the sky look and feel like oil, like gasoline; this feels completely appropriate considering how we live in a society that depends so much on it. Have you ever stopped to think just how much oil is consumed in the United States on a daily basis? Let alone the world? Oil and gasoline have become scarce and the countries that have it are being invaded, hell, whole wars have been started simply because of it. I’m glad this film addresses this matter directly. There is a pivotal moment in which Curtis goes berserk and blows up telling everyone that they have no idea what awaits them, that no one is ready for what’s coming and I have to say that I agree. Like that young dude at the end of A Serious Man, everyone seems distracted by movies, music and video games. Take Shelter asks the following questions: does anyone realize the terrible things going on in the world? Does anyone realize how much worse it could get? Should we ignore the world situation? Make believe everything will improve on its own eventually without us taking charge and doing something about it?

This is a power house film that comes to us from a new voice in filmmaking, director Jeff Nichols and this was his sophomore effort. His first film is one called Shotgun Stories (2007), a film I intend on watching soon, it also starts Michael Shannon so Take Shelter actually marks their second collaboration.  I am looking forward to this directors future films and the themes he will tackle in them. If they are going to be as powerful and as relevant as Take Shelter is, then we’re talking about a very promising director here. Highly recommend this film, it speaks about us; now. Don’t miss it.

Rating: 5 out of 5

The Tree of Life (2011)

Title: The Tree of Life (2011)

Director: Terrence Malick

Cast: Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, Jessica Chastain

Review:

A big thank you goes out directly to Terrence Malick, the director of The Tree of Life for making this amazing film. This is the kind of cinema that rekindles my love for film. You know how sometimes you burn out from watching bad films? How sometimes so many bad films make their way into your mind that you kind of loose hope of ever watching a film that really truly matters? A film that really truly gets to you? Well, The Tree of Life fixed all that for me. Here’s a film that is so truthful, so genuine, so full of love for life that anyone who watches it will be moved by it somehow, someway. The Tree of Life felt as if Terrence Malick took all his life experiences, everything he has ever lived and experienced, thought, and wondered and siphoned it into this one film. This is the brainchild of a lifetime of accumulated experiences. You can tell this film comes from a mature, intelligent mind that’s pondered deeply into the great mysteries of life and returned with this amazing film.

The Tree of Life doesn’t have that rushed quality that most commercial films posses. You know, where you can tell the film was made quickly in order to meet a Summer Blockbuster Season deadline. Nope, this is a film that has been festering in the mind of its creators for a while. Actually, if we’re going to be getting down to specifics, this film has been in Malick’s mind for the longest time, since way back in the days where the project was called 'Q'. Because of the risky nature of a film of this caliber, unsure producers caused the project to continually change actors and distributors since its very beginning. But filming finally started in 2008 and kept on going through the years, until recently when it was finally released in 2011! It certainly has that feel of a film that was well thought out and planned. Terrence Malick obviously took special care on this one. You can tell it was a film made with true love, true devotion for film and what you can say and transmit through it. This film comes from a filmmaker who fully recognizes the power of films. David Lynch wrote a book called “Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness and Creativity” in which among other things he talks about how ideas are like fish in a pond. The deeper you dive into the pond, the more exotic the fish you will find. It seems to me like Terrence Malick dove really deep into his pond of ideas and returned with a really exotic, moving, emotional film.

The Tree of Life is brimming with such tender moments, moments that you can just tell came from a personal childhood memory, or some true life experience that the filmmaker had. This is the kind of film where as you watch it you will constantly say things like “I remember that”, “I remember going through that” or “That happened to me when I was a kid!” I know I did. It will have you remembering beautiful moments from your childhood that you had completely forgotten about. But at the same time, like in life, it has bittersweet moments. As all of us who are alive can testify, life can change from happy to sad in the blink of an eye. I loved how the film portrayed that aspect of life in a realistic way, not as a fairytale. Let’s face it, film can sometimes be guilty of overusing happiness. Sadness and tragedy are just as much a part of the experience as everything else. The Tree of Life covers all these aspects of life, the happy and the sad. It goes from being born, to seeing your baby brother arrive for the first time from the hospital. From holding your son for the first time in your hands, to showing him how to take his first steps. To all these moments you have when you are a kid, like playing hide and go seek or being mischievous with your friends, daring each other to do “bad things”. Sibling rivalries, hatred towards parents…simply put, this is a film that encompasses a very wide range of themes.

Family life gets its fare share of screen time because at its core this is a film that explores family dynamics and it explores them from all angles. From the angle of the father, the son, the mother, the brothers, they all get their say in this picture. The portrayal of the American family in this film is very 1950’s, meaning the father is the bread winner, the mother is the housekeeper. And they all go to church on Sundays and pray before they go to bed. The dynamic between husband and wife reminded me a lot of the type of situation we saw in Sam Mendez’s Revolutionary Road (2008), a film that also explored that conundrum of the housewife with no say so. In The Tree of Life, the housewife is played by Jessica Chastain in the role of Mrs. O’Brien. She says very little in the film during the scenes that take place in the household, yet it’s her thoughts we hear most of the time. The loving nature of the female, the nurturer, the mother is what we hear the most. Rarely do we hear Mr. O’Brien’s thoughts. Mr. O’Brien, played by Brad Pitt is portrayed as half harsh man, half loving father/husband. He is a man carved the old fashioned way where men have the last and only say so in matters and the woman children are there to follow the father/husband’s lead in life. I found it interesting that it’s the love of the mother which shines through most of the film; from beginning to the very end, it is her voice that guides us through. 

Another theme that the film constantly addresses is the proverbial big question: is god real? Does he exist? If he exists, then where is he? Is he really out there? And if he is out there, then why does he allow bad things to happen? Characters say things like “I want to know what you know, see what you see” while questioning the existence of God. It’s not every movie that dares to ask these questions so openly; it is a delicate theme after all. But Malick addresses these themes with such sincerity and humility, that it doesn’t feel like slandering, or even preaching. These are just logical questions that pop up in all our minds at one point or another. I liked how when characters ask these questions, they do so in the privacy of their minds, in their private thoughts. And even when these questions are being asked inside of their heads; we hear the questions in a whisper. I guess that’s Malick’s way of letting the viewer know the reverence given to these ideas of a superior being who watches over all of us.

But ultimately, I felt as if Malick was portraying nature as the ultimate creative force in the universe, nature as God. And this was yet another reason why I loved this movie so much. I personally feel that the thing that’s worthiest of our worship or adoration is life itself. Nature is an awe inspiring thing, and Malick shows us that in this movie. At times, it felt like I was watching one of those BBC’s ‘Planet Earth’ documentaries which I love so much. These documentaries (much like Malick’s film) show us things about nature we thought we’d never see. Like Herzog in some of his films (Fitzcarraldo for example) Malick shows us places of earth that look alien to those of us who’ve never seen them. Those of us living in concrete jungles. This is yet another theme that the film puts in juxtaposition: that of nature vs. civilization or how I like to call it: Trees vs. Buildings. In the film, Sean Penn’s character looks down at the concrete jungle as he remembers fondly those days of he’s youth where he played in the backwoods of his suburban home. He looks at the buildings as if they were engulfing him, suffocating him. I loved this part of the film. Sean Penn represents the modern man who remembers being in contact with nature, who remembers a simpler life. Not a life filled with concrete, steal and glass. During these thoughtful moments he realizes that the world has gone to the greedy.

I couldn’t end this review without talking about the more “spaced out” moments of this film which are some of the most beautiful ones. Not a line of dialog is spoken during most of these scenes; the images are the ones that do most of the talking. During these scenes, visuals and music completely take over. I loved Malick’s exploration of the universe, trying to demonstrate how beautiful and vast and unexplored it is. How small we are in comparison the vastness of the universe. Its no wonder the film starts out with a text from the bible. The text is Job 38:4 in which God asks Job the following: “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? When the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for Joy?” I personally have a fascination with all things cosmic, for me, it is out there where the great mysteries of life lie and so I love films that talk about these things. It is inevitable that a film that “spaces out” the way this one does will be compared to Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (1969) the mother of all spaced out movies. Same as Kubrick, Malick plays these scenes out with a feeling of grandeur and spectacle. Be ready for sequences that are composed of visuals and music alone for long periods of time. Some might find this boring, but in all honesty, I was mesmerized by them.

Ultimately, this is a very polarizing film. When I watched this one in theaters, the crowd watched the whole film in silence, and when it was over, some applauded (myself included) and some chuckled and laugh, as if they’ve just seen the stupidest movie they had ever seen. Whoever finds this movie to be a joke has to be made of stone. This is one of the most profound movie experiences you will have. It explores life and the meaning behind it, it’s a film that says that nature, and life and all its bitter sweetness are all here to be experienced and embraced by us all, and that in the end, the only thing that matters is love. How can you go wrong with that? The Tree of Life is a masterpiece, a visual tour de force meant to be experienced with someone you love by your side, be it a friend, family or the love of your life. As one of the characters says in the film: “The only way to be happy is to love. Unless you love, your life will flash by” What a lovely message to give. 

Rating: 5 out of 5