Swimming With Sharks (1994) May 6, 2007
Posted by gproject in : Recently Viewed , add a commentDirected by: George Huang
This is a dark comedy drama about paying your dues and working your way up in the cutthroat world of Hollywood producing. It features a great performance by Frank Whaley as the nervous intern turned kidnapper, pushed to the limit of his nerve in order to make his way in ‘the business’. It is Kevin Spacey, however, who steals the show and is clearly having the most fun as the ruthless, unforgiving, downright arrogant boss everybody loves to hate. Spacey puts in quite a turn playing all the highs and lows of the character with equal prowess - it’s actually one of his best character performances.
Even as a black comedy it’s extremely dark at times, so don’t go expecting many easy laughs. The script is fun though, especially when detailing the ways in which the character of Guy is constantly downtrodden in his life. Some elements of the story play out a little too quickly, such as the relationship between Guy and female movie producer Dawn which never rings entirely true, while a decidedly mixed ending manages to satisfy, but not enthuse.
The direction is good, although you feel the inexperience of director George Huang at times, this being his feature debut. There’s no real need for fanciful cinematography here, but just because you’re shooting a primarily dialogue-driven movie doesn’t mean you can’t get creative with the camera. The film certainly doesn’t drag though, adequately filling it’s 100-minute running time and not outstaying its welcome.
Swimming with Sharks is an interesting flick, if not a little disjointed. It’s certainly enough to put you off working your way up in Hollywood, although the tense office environment could be overlaid onto any industry, I’m sure. So see it if you like Kevin Spacey, or have a job where the boss takes liberties with his or her power – this film was made for you.
Little Miss Sunshine (2006) May 2, 2007
Posted by gproject in : Recently Viewed , add a commentDirected by: Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris
This sublime character comedy became a regular at award shows and ceremonies last year, which was quite an achievement given that it was made by first-time feature directors Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris, and written by a first-time screenplay writer, Michael Arndt. Apparently, experience means nothing in this game.
The story takes you on a road trip with an idiosyncratic family, travelling to California so that the daughter, Olive, can take part in the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant. On the way careers fall apart, dreams are broken, past-feelings are brought to the surface and a grandfather does cocaine. To say more than that might ruin the journey for you, so I’ll leave it there.
For me, the most positive aspect of the film is highlighted by the way it presents you with such a typical ‘dysfunctional family’ set-up, but then manages to steer clear of being a total cliché. I’m not sure if it’s the human elements introduced by the fantastic script, or the neat nuances that each performer brings to his or her role that help this movie achieve above and beyond the range of most character pieces. The truth is, it’s probably both.
The principal cast is outstanding, so much so that it seems unfair to exclude anybody from the kudos. Greg Kinnear plays the overbearing father figure with great skill, while Toni Collette is a caring mother who wants the best for everyone but struggles to deal with such a bizarre group. Oscar-winning Alan Arkin has a fun character in the drug-taking, foul-mouthed grandfather figure, who plays opposites to Paul Dano as the emotionally confused teenager. The real revelations however are Steve Carrell playing slightly against type as a post-suicide-attempt unappreciated professor, and Abigail Bresline, who brings a lot of warmth and heart to her central role of Olive.
As already mentioned, the script is fantastic, moving from laugh-out-loud funny to surprisingly touching without ever showing the join. The direction too is outstanding, especially for two directors with a music video and television background; they certainly don’t show it. There are some really nice wide-shots, sometimes used for comic effect and sometimes just to give a feeling a space, a welcome change after the confines of the driving scenes. It’s also a very bright movie in terms of colour, which helps give it that sense of light-heartedness and vulnerability that comedies such as this require.
One minor criticism about the piece is that some of the character threads are exposed, but never quite fully resolved or even given nod towards their future direction (Greg Kinnear’s character suffers this fate). But it’s such a nicely structured movie, that in the end you don’t come away feeling like you’ve not reached a fitting conclusion.
If you can’t already tell, I really enjoyed this film. Even with the expectation that was surrounding it, I found the characters interesting, the script funny, and the simple storyline kept my interest throughout. It’s clear why this so-called ‘indie flick’ made an appearance at last years Oscars. While many of these quirky family films will shut the audience out, being a little too bizarre or unrelatable to really make you feel a part of the experience, Little Miss Sunshine never lets go of its characters’ core humanity. There’s an extra seat on that bus just for you, and I suggest you take the ride.
