The Critics Speak

Endless Summer

Critic: Steph Lewis
On a scale of 0 to Awesome, I rate this: Good!
Released: June 15, 1966
Director: Bruce Brown
MPAA RATING: Not Rated (my guess is PG for minor scantily clad women)

Bruce Brown's narration is hilarious. His style of humor reminded me so much of my brothers that it was uncanny. This documentary follows the concept of an "endless summer," or continuing to move around the world staying only in areas that are having a summer. No winters! Coming from Minnesota, that sounds like a pretty slick deal to me.

Surfers Mike Hunson and Robert August, two hard-bodied guys who are full of the easy-going aloha spirit, travel the globe to live out their endless summer and seek out awesome waves. We watch these two awesome surfers hit beaches in California, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, and Hawaii. They find what they deem to be the perfect wave (15+ minutes on one ride), are some of the first people to surf some smooth waves in Northern Africa, and hook up with some crazy characters as they hitchhike their way around to seek out super surf spots.

The footage of the surfing is sweet, and the narration is informative and hilarious. I found it fascinating that on the outset Hunson & August are seeking their endless summer and perfect waves...but you start to wonder if they are really searching for more than that. They find a kind of peace with nature and with the waves. They realize a greater respect for the ocean and the life surrounding it. They develop fast friendships with people and the faith that they'll be able to catch a ride with someone if they just wait long enough. It made me look at myself and wonder why I'm so timid to have faith in people and build relationships wherever God takes me. Their love for other human beings is incredible. These guys are not the typical surfer stereotype of "stupid dudes," but appear to be intelligent, fun-loving, easy-going, respectable guys.

I totally dug the soundtrack. It was this chilled out jazz by the Sandals. It was memorable, unique, and totally added to the go-with-the-flow attitude of the movie.

Dirty Pretty Things

Critic: Steph Lewis
On a scale of 0 to Awesome, I rate this: Solid & Thoughtful
Released: July 18, 2003
Director: Stephen Frears
MPAA RATING: R, sexual content, disturbing images and language

Wow, was this a powerful movie. I totally didn't expect it to be this powerful, so it kind of set me back a bit. Chiwetel Ejiofor stars as Okwe, a Nigerian guy who lives in England trying to have a new life. He is restless, and sleepless, and works day & night (hotel front desk, taxi driver). While cleaning a restroom at the hotel, he discovers a human heart stuck in a toilet. He wants to go to the police, but cannot because he is an illegal alien and has a questionable past. This puts him in a sticky situation as we find out what is really going on at the hotel. He is very protective of his Turkish friend Senay (Audrey Tautou), who is living in England, but is not allowed to get a job. Because she needs to make a living she works, but is constantly being sought out by the govenment to catch her. Together, the two struggle for survival, but are constantly pulled in by the seedy underground of people who exploit illegals for personal benefit.

The plot unfolds steadily (and creepily) as it raises questions, gives clues, and seeks poignant answers. Will Okwe and Senay be able to rise above their pasts and the difficult living situation in England? Will they be able to maintain their sense of pride and morality? Or will they get sucked in and become lost, forgotten people? As Okwe says to a doctor in the film, "...we are the people you do not see. We are the ones who drive your cabs. We clean your rooms. And suck your cocks." In other words, they do everything that no one else in the country wants to do because they are so easy to exploit. Because they have nothing (including rights), they are left with detestable jobs as their only option for survival.

Stephen Frears handles his direction with a smooth, calculated approach. He keeps the movie going steadily, but is patient and keeps the audience guessing throughout. Ejiofor and Tautou are thoughtful and act from the gut. I also enjoyed performances by Sophie Okonedo as Juliette, Benedict Wong as Guo Yi, and Sergi López as the creepy Juan.

Vanity Fair

Critic: Steph Lewis
On a scale of 0 to Awesome, I rate this: "CREATIVE" or "UNIQUE"
Released: September 1, 2004
Director: Mira Nair
MPAA RATING: PG-13, for some sensuality/partial nudity and a brief violent image

I was pretty excited to see this one because I love Reese Witherspoon, and I have really enjoyed some of Mira Nair's directing (mainly Monsoon Wedding). So, I thought this would be a beautiful movie where Reese could really spread her wings as a starring actress in a drama. It was a good movie...well...sort of.

Vanity Fair tells the story of Becky (Witherspoon), a young orphan with a low social status. She wants to be accepted by higher, much higher, levels of society, and begins her social climb upward through sheer determination. She marries Rawdon Crawley (played beautifully by James Purefoy), which brings her yet closer to her goal. Her new mother-in-law, however, casts the newlyweds out of any inheritance or financial support & they are forced to make it on their own. Becky gets pregnant and is left when her husband goes off to fight against Napoleon's European invasion. Her friend Amelia is also pregnant and her husband does not survive the battle. The movie is good up to this point.

Then it gets weird. Becky & Rawdon can barely afford to live. There are a few bizarre scenes from India (which made the whole audience laugh, not because it was funny but because it was so out of place) and some strange scene cuts. I saw people in the theater turning to each other trying to figure out what happened several times because the quick cuts made it difficult to follow. Becky wants to be higher in society so she takes to the Marquess of Steyne (Gabriel Byrne) and works through him in hopes of actualizing her dreams. There are some weird scenes that feel out of the period, kind of modern-stylized, which threw me for a loop because I did't expect it.

I have another issue with Becky's character in that I'd like to see more of her intentions, or reasoning behind risking everything. Why does she insist on risking everything time after time? Is she that dumb? I know she's not dumb...but don't fully understand why she keeps taking these risks. She ends up risking everything she has and...well...it just ends bizarre.

This movie felt to me like it was very well thought out, but that it ended up being way too long. So, the director had to keep cutting and cutting and cutting until it didn't flow anymore. That's just a guess though.

Kudos to Witherspoon for a great acting job. The strongest acting, however, came from James Purefoy. He handled his character with wry smiles and subtlety. The scene before he goes off to war is beautiful and heartbreaking. I loved this movie, and I hated this movie. The actors pulled through, but the editing and directing left a bit to be desired.