Her is a Breathtaking Experience about Relationships, and the role Technology Plays in our Lives

Her (5 out of 5 Stars)

Directed and Written by Spike Jonez (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation)

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, and Scarlett Johansson

As I was staring at my phone this morning, the Grindr application looked me square in the face, and I realized at the moment it's a modern version of the OS (operating system) in the film.  No, our current modern day "dating" applications are not exactly the same thing, but the goal often feels similar.

Her centers around a lonely writer named Theodore Twombly (Phoenix) who has been dealing with his marriage failing.  Theodore finds solace in an OS designed to meet the need the individual.  Theodore's OS names itself Samantha (voiced by Johansson).  Samantha like any computer can edit letters, look up information, but there is something more intimate to the design of this computer system.  As Theodore and Samantha talk more there is a connection which grows, and the relationship between man and machine reaches a new level.

There is brilliance in the work from director/writer Spike Jonez, which not only highlights the difficulty of recovering from a meaningful relationship, while also commenting on the way people use technology as a means to cope with anything.  Jonez is masterful at creating films, which on paper seem  out of this world, but are grounded in the recesses of emotional experiences, like Being John Malkovich, and Where the Wild Things Are.  Her is meant to live within the future of Los Angeles where the style feels like a blend 60s clothing, and modern office layouts.  K. K. Barrett's production design sets the stage so well making you feel as though you do and don't know time and place, adding to the mystique of the film.

With the design set Jonez has one thing in mind, get Theodore over his marriage ending.  Joaquin Phoenix tackles the pain/innocence of someone going through this perfectly.  Phoenix has played all range of characters over the years, last year's The Master was his best, but his acting in Her proves the range of Phoenix as an actor.  Most of this performance is about his eyes, they convey every little moment from the pain as he reminisces to the joy as he starts to find happiness with Samantha.  Johansson's voicing of Samantha is some of the best acting I have seen this year, but yet she's only a voice.  Johansson plays an OS a computer, a machine, but you feel as though she is going through the same emotional journey Theodore experiences.

Jonez is brilliant at building the syntax to connect these bridges; he sets up this great romance between Theodore and Samantha, makes you root for their relationship like any other film.  On the other hand Jonez also conveys the message that in today's society humans fear the rejection from others so much we are willing to cling to machines, in this case an OS named Samantha.  Like with Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, this film has you question the value in an OS.  In Mind you question erasing a past relationship in this you wonder "would I get an OS to get over someone?"

Has society already moved toward using technology as a modern form of the OS, back to Grindr, and then take that further to twitter, porn, and even blogs like this.  We seek sexual release without human contact, we slam a restaurant without even a worry because there is no face to face contact.  Theodore's writing job in the film involves writing letters for other people, whether for a birthday or anniversary.  In Her people are using a professional interface to write something to someone else.  Is a machine less complicated, would an OS solve the problem or is it the human contact?  

One of my favorite parts of the film is when Samantha acts as though she is out of breath, and Theodore questions how a machine can gasp for oxygen.  An argument begins, and poses the question of a machiens evolution, to mimic humanity.  Yet at the end of the film Theodore gasps for air as though its a sigh of his own release, brilliant connection, which gets at understanding how to deal with life.  Jonez's film takes your breath away, this is one of the best films of the year.

LA Film Critics Changes Things Up, Picking Amour for Best Pic, and Many New Acting Winners!

If you thought the critics group winners had become stale and boring, then you thought wrong.  Most of the critics groups have anointed Zero Dark Thirty and helmer Kathryn Bigelow as the winners, but LA went with a different track.

LA picked the French film Amour, which is a favorite in the Best Foreign Language category at this oscars.  The big question on the table is does this film stand a chance in the Best Picture race?  Over the last twelve years (starting in 2000) 9 of the 12 films were nominated for Best Picture.  The films that missed out were About Schmidt (2002), American Splendor (2003), and Wall-E (2008).  Splendor is the only film that did not, or was not ever taken seriously for an Oscar.  Splendor was obviously in consideration, but was not an "Academy" film.  Does this bode well for Amour, or because the Academy sees it as a genre picture will they keep it out of top ten, and give it a bunch of other nominations?  This helps get the film more attention, but does not guarantee a nomination.

Paul Thomas Anderson won his first critics award this year (although Bigelow was the runner up).  Anderson's The Master, which was seen as early threat at the critics awards, finally made it to the big show.  The film won for Best Actor (Joaquin Phoenix), Best Supporting Actress (Amy Adams), and Best Production Design.  The film was a runner up in many other categories including Best Picture.  Phillip Seymour Hoffman being left off the proves that many critics may not be fooled into thinking he is a supporting player.  

jennifer Lawrence finally won her first award this year, for Best Actress.  I am a bit surprised she bested Emmanuelle Riva, who starred in the Best Picture winner Amour, but this win proves how disjointed opinions are within this category this year.  The critics are all over the map with this category, proving that this award can go to anyone, although my money is on Jessica Chastain.

Beasts of the Souther Wild did quite well her also, winning three prizes including Best Supporting Actor (Dwight Henry), Best Score, and the New Generation Award for director/composer Benh Zeitlin.

Skyfall's win in Cinematography can't be ignored, and shows Roger Deakins may finally get that unattainable Oscar win, which I hope he does.

Three things to take stock of Zero Dark Thirty only had one win, Best Editing, Lincoln was nowhere to be found, and Argo claimed its first victory at critics awards with Best Screenplay.  LA certainly shook things up and made this race a little more interesting.

Best Film: Amour
(runner-up:  The Master )
Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson, The Master
(runner-up: Kathryn Bigelow)
Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
(runner-up: Emmanuelle Riva)
Best Actor: Joaquin Phoenix, The Master
(runner-up: Denis Lavant, Holy Motors
Best Supporting Actor: Dwight Henry, Beasts of the Southern Wild
(runner-up: Christof Waltz, Django Unchained)
Best Supporting Actress:  Amy Adams, The Master
(runner-up: Anne Hathaway, The Dark Knight Rises and Les Miserables)
Best Editing: Dylan Tichenor and William Goldenberg, Zero Dark Thirty
(runner-up: William Goldenberg, Argo)
Best Cinematography: Roger Deakins, Skyfall
(runner-up: Mihai Malaimare Jr., The Master)
Best Score:  Benh Zeitlin & Dan Romer, Beasts of the Southern Wild
(runner-up: Jonny Greenwood, The Master)
Best Screenplay: Chris Terrio, Argo
(runner-up: David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook)
Best Production Design: Jack Fisk, The Master
(runner-up: Adam Stockhausen, Moonrise Kingdom)
Best Animated Film: Frankenweenie
(runner-up: It’s Such a Beautiful Day)
Best Documentary: The Gatekeepers
(runner-up: Searching for Sugar Man)
Best Foreign Language Film: Holy Motors
(runner-up:  Footnote)
New Generation Award: Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild

The Master Should be Worshipped as Quality Film Making at its Best

The Master (4 1/2 out of 5 Stars)

Directed and Written by Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood, Magnolia, Boogie Nights)

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and Amy Adams

I may have found a new spiritual film God in Paul Thomas Anderson.  All jokes aside, the concepts of self-worth and faith are at the center of The Master.  This film will get a lot of attention because of the comparisons to Scientology, and its found L. Ron Hubbard, and there are numerous similarities.  This film is more than just a comparison to the modern day cult with followers like Tom Cruise, and Kirstie Alley. This film is about the journey of a lost soul and his master.

The film centers on the tragic and disturbed Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix), a navy vet from World War II who is looking to find his own place in society.  Quell attempts to find solace in making his "hooch," with numerous jobs, and in the hope that "his girl" will wait for him.  As Freddie stumbles onto this boat party one night he finds himself getting lost in the world Lancaster Dodd (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) the master of the group called the Cause.  Dodd and his wife Peggy (Amy Adams) travel around with their family to the homes of their followers helping folks find the connection to things like the cure or Lukemia through the science of exploring their past lives.

Sounds like a cult right?  There are numerous connections between the progression of Scientology by Hubbard, especially the way his work was an outgrowth a book he wrote Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health.  Yet there is something brilliant about the way Anderson constructs this film to not be a bio-pic of Hubbard, or an expose on this real life cult.  Although some of the practices are apparently similar.  Anderson uses his incredible screenplay and direction to make this a film about so much more.

One of the brilliant aspects of this film is the way Anderson focuses on Phoenix's Quell and the disillusionment he faces in a post World War II society.  Most people always painted the 50s as this golden era of family values, the husbands/men came home from the war they got their plot of land in Levitttown, settled with their "girl" and led a happy life.  Anderson uses the concept of this lost soul and the newly developed "religion" which takes advantage of those people had no place when they came back from the War.  The one flaw is that film has a bit of a slow start, and while it does not take off right away, the film sets an intense pace once the three leads take the stage.

Anderson and his casting team created one hell of a trio.  Phoenix who plays this shell of a disturbed man makes you lose yourself in his character; he is effortless, which is almost frightening.  Freddie is someone who has always been repelled from the establishment yet he joined the Navy; he has gone from place to place, and abandoned all institutions, but he is drawn into the world of the Cause, but as Lancaster and Peggy both question, is this man beyond help.  Phoenix needs no help, he all but disappears within this role, and gives one of the best performances of his career; he is a true chameleon.

I could go on and one about the performances in this film, namely because they add such great depth to the script.  While Phoenix disappears, Hoffman as usual is another frighteningly believe able actor.  Is Dodd a villain, no because Hoffman never takes him to that place.  Even as Lancaster Dodd steals from his members of the Cause, goes to jail, you still believe in almost as though you are a member of the cult.  This proves just how talented Hoffman's acting skills are, and if there were a ever a year where there could be a tie in the Best Actor race at the Oscars I would it to be for these two men.

The ambition of the performances from these two men, and the supporting work of Amy Adams proves to be on of the films strongest aspects, but the film is also a technical marvel.  Anderson shot this film with the larger 70 mm technique, and hats off to the beautiful cinematography done by Mihai Malaimari Jr.  The visuals of the camera are so gorgeous you can find yourself getting lost in the visual imagery.  The visual marvel combined with outstanding score from Johnny Greenwood makes this film one of the best films of the year.

I was hypnotized by this film as though I was sitting on the couch hoping Lancaster Dodd would help me connect my past lives in order to make sense of it all. Paul Thomas Anderson has created a film that explores the concept of of religion/spirituality/faith/cults without being heavy handed; he never shoves his message on the audiences, and in a post Summer haze it's nice to go to the movies and be shown a film that does not intend to brain wash me, or did it?

The Oscar Season Begins with an Almost Masterful Sweep at the Venice Film Festival

The Paul Thomas Anderson film The Master almost had a clean sweep at this year's Venice Film Festival, the only reason the film lost Best Picture was because of a technicality stating no film can sweep the major awards.  The eventual Golden Lion award for Best Picture went to Kim-ki Duk for The Pieta.  Imagine winning this prize on a technicality.

The Master did quite well at the festival, Paul Thomas Anderson took home the prize for Best Director, and Joaquin Phoenix, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman tied for the Best Actor prize.  Some will argue that this hurts Hoffman's supporting actor nomination chances, but I think this helps him, after all there is no supporting actor category at Venice.

What does this mean for this early contender?  How has the Venice Film Festival impacted the Oscar races the past couple of years?  Last year Michael Fassbender won the Best Actor award last year for Shame; he did not get an Oscar nomination (robbery).  In 2010 the Golden Lion went to Sofia Coppola's Somewhere, but that film was nowhere to found after this festival.  In 2009 Collin Firth won the prize for Best Actor playing A Single Man; he was nominated for an Oscar but did not win until one year later.  2008 proved a strong comeback for Mickey Rourke, his film The Wrestler took home The Golden Lion.  The Wrestler did not grab a Best Picture nomination, but the film grabbed two acting nominations.

The most traction a film got was in 2005 when Brokeback Mountain won The Golden Lion, the film should have won the Best Picture Oscar, and was favored to win throughout the entire award season, but lost to Crash.  Helen Mirren is the biggest success story; she won the Best Actress prize in 2006, and she has been one of the few people in recent history to go on to win the Oscar.

Venice has launched some successful starting off points, but has never been a real launching point for major winners.  I think The Master has a great shot at taking home some major wins this year, especially within the acting, writing, and directing categories.  The film feels a bit dark to be a Best Picture winner, the most recent winners are hug-able films like The King's Speech and The Artist. Only time will tell.

The other two major winners from the festival were as follows: the Grand Jury Prize went to Paradise:Love, and the Best Actress award went to Hadas Yaron for Fill the Void.  Let the festival season continue!