Jellyfish Eyes

                  

Takashi Murakami's Jellyfish Eyes is a second rate oddity and I mean that fondly. I've read a few commentators being bent out of shape that Criterion has released it, namely that it is not up to their standards, has amateurish acting, etc., etc., but I found it visually exciting and expressive; especially Murakami's use of color. The children of the cast (and some of the adults) are amateurish, but, within the context of the film's mix of genres (it is a mashup of Pokémon, Power Rangers, Mario Brawl, and Sci-Fi), I found it endearing. Murakami wants Jellyfish Eyes to be a family film and his broad strokes keep it from resembling a darker, more adult work.

Not that it doesn't have an adult theme, like a good chunk of Japanese Science Fiction, Jellyfish Eyes is an ecological protest film; albeit one with cuter monsters than usual. The film also functions as a meta critique/celebration of video gaming. I thought the creatures were fabulous and think gamers of any age would enjoy the film. (2/13/16)

Every Man for Himself

Isabelle Huppert and other wonders of nature in Every Man for Himself

Jean-Luc Godard's Every Man for Himself, from 1980, is one of the most curdled and self-disgusted art objects I have ever encountered. It's well constructed and shot, but soul deadening. Godard's return to commercial filmmaking is one of his least celebratory works: he is so intent on his thesis that capitalism reduces all human exchange to prostitution that he cannot derive any pleasure from framing Isabelle Huppert's gorgeous ass or other wonders of nature.

Jacques Dutronc plays 'Godard' as a sleazy dude on the make and it is an entertaining stunt. Nathalie Baye also gives her all as a woman searching for meaning in an existence that is devoid of one. Godard has since proven that he was not washed up as a filmmaker. However, despite widespread acclaim, I feel this is one of his least rewarding features. (2/16/16)
 

Trainwreck, Munna Bhai M. B. B. S.

Bill Hader and Amy Schumer in Trainwreck

Judd Apatow's movies entertain me reasonably, but always leave me unsatisfied. He is gifted with performers, but pedestrian visually. As for ideas, thematic issues and the like, I suppose he grapples with issues of maturation and responsibility in Caucasians as they navigate sex and work, but comic directors like Nancy Meyers, David Wain, and Frank Oz strike me as more rewarding. That juggling of career and love that has been at the crux of American Romantic Comedies since the Depression. Like a lot of comic creators of his generation, Apatow's platonic ideal seems to be The Mary Tyler Moore on which single gal Mary entertained a host of hunky suitors while being nurtured by the alternative families in her apartment building and workplace. 

This is pretty much the premise of Trainwreck, Amy Schumer's cinematic coming out party. Of course, times change and our girl's travails are now leavened with an extra dollop of schtick and vulgarity. These are Schumer's strengths. Apatow draws appealing performances out of Brie Larson, Vanessa Bayer, Colin Quinn and Bill Hader, who has nice chemistry with Schumer.

However, Schumer's script is conformist and predictable. She resorts to dime novel Freudianism to explain her character's unwillingness to embrace monogamy. When she finally commits to the nice doctor who loves her, she is the one who compromises by foreswearing demon rum and weed. There are more laughs in, say, Neighbors, and more cinematic chops and feminist acuity in Tiny Furniture. Like most of Apatow's films, I was reasonably entertained by Trainwreck, but it left me hungering for more.

My daughter had enjoyed a Bollywood film in class, so, to have a family movie night, we viewed its prequel Munna Bhai M. B. B. S., from 2003. Despite being a Bollywood virgin, I pretty much knew what to expect: a few colorful musical numbers, a hackneyed plot based on mistaken identity and honoring one's Mom and Dad. Boy meets Girl, but doesn't get to kiss her. Etc.

Sanjay Dutt in Munna Bhai M. B. B. S.

And this is pretty much what you get, albeit with a visual dynamism that puts Apatow to shame. The cast was entertaining, though Sanjay Dutt appeared to be the same age as the actress playing his mother. (I suppose Bollywood is not all that different than Hollywood) A nice family movie that spans at least three genres. (2/9/16)