DuChamp-3

. . . you know you've got a movie that tried something different. Not NEW, necessarily, as The Yards is paced, structured and shot like it was made before 1976. But you don't see that often these days. The Yards is an entertaining and noble attempt at a tribute to crime films of that era. I have friends who don't have the attention span to sit through The Godfather(on some days neither do I) - I wouldn't recommend this film to them. Reared as our younger generation was on Spielbergian and MTV-cut films, the pacing of both that film and The Yards are slow and deliberate - sometimes hard to take. The Yards could have used a bit of tightening up in editing, just seconds off of a scene here, a scene there to move things along, but still, it's a strong film. The first thing that caught my eye was the sparse dialogue. There's a lot of acting going on here, and not of the scenery-chewing variety (recent Pacino). The actors are given a lot of room to act with their eyes and bodies. You're not hit over the head with 2-D stock characters, although it may appear so at first. The story is genre: ex-con, returning to his New York borough neighborhood falls right into the same circles that got him in trouble in the first place. What follows is a story of corruption, redemption and family; structured almost as a Greek Tragedy. But quietly. There are no "good guys" or "bad guys", as almost everyone is on the make. The overall impression projected is that everyone is protecting their own and trying to succeed in a system that they live in - not one they created or control.

Mark Wahlberg isn't a great actor, but he delivers what the character requires. Charlize Theron isn't in her element playing a Queens-chick, but aside from a faltering accent, she does pretty well. Excellent acting is delivered by Joachin Phoenix, as well as veterans Caan, Dunaway, and Ellen Burstyn. The Yards is a good movie, although admittedly, not for the "average" movie-going audience. It likely won't meet their expectations of what a "good" movie is.

Donnie Darko is the weirdest movie I've seen in a long time. And I mean that as a compliment. Through the first half of the film, the film switches gears back and forth between being a teenage American Beauty-style High School satire - and being a psychological drama that asks the question "what if Kurt Vonnegut re-wrote the classic film/play Harvey (Jimmy Stewart, 1950)? Ultimately, these 2 sensibilities become further intertwined throughout the running time, crashing together in the cataclysm of the end of the story.

Title character Donnie Darko is a horny teenage boy, roughly 17 years old. He has an "intimidating" IQ and appropriately, "emotional problems". Medicated and troubled, one late night, Donnie is drawn sleepwalking onto a golf course green by a mysterious voice and is confronted by Frank, a very scary 6-foot tall Rabbit (suit). Frank tells Donnie that the world will end, and at exactly what moment: in 28 days. . . . etc. Slowly, as this date and time approach, Donnie's tolerance for the hypocracy of polite society dissolves into open hostility for authority, mostly towards his Catholic High School. Appropriately, this dissolution is parallel to that of his apparent sanity, as his visions of Frank become more frequent and vivid, and it begins to appear that Donnie is being controlled by forces beyond him - or perhaps it's the onset of Paranoid Schizophrenia. The satire of this film lies largely in its setting of October, 1988. As such, there are well-written (and well-cast) references to Smurfs, Michael Dukakis, Patrick Swayze, Self-Help videos, Books Banned by the PTA, and Star Search. As well, there are scenes are dramatically scored with the songs of Tears For Fears, Echo and the Bunnymen (heh) and Duran Duran. While this could easily come off as a fetish - a nostalgic hook alone - these elements don't seem tacked-on or parody. This is the "American Beauty" part of Donnie Darko; a social satire of a specific time, age and personal crisis against authority. But that's the sugar to help the surreal and dark Psycho-drama go down. What this movie is really about is up to a lot of interpretation - but such would have to include: faith in God, Time Travel, Reality vs.Sanity, Self-Belief, Fear of Death, and the Apocalypse. Add to that a healthy dose of Religious Parable, and it's one strange, curious trip. Donnie Darko is not a film for people who like their movies to make concrete sense - concluding with a neat red bow on top. There is a lot to interpret, think and argue about here (mostly in the last 15 minutes). The ending is dramatic and undefined, and finally, filled with an sense of kindness, sympathy and resolution. The movie is by no means perfect: There are questionable acting/casting choices (Barrymore), and it can easily argued that the story never really ties up its loose ends. There's a latin phrase used in writing (and this film) - "Deus ex Machina": "God of the Machine". It has come to define what a writer will do when the story seems to have painted itself into a corner; let an "Act of God" sort it all out in the end. There's a bit of that in Donnie Darko. However, sharp writing, elegant and stylized visuals, and solid acting hold all of this together in an effective and intriguing way, helping the audience enjoy the ride while Donnie swirls round and round the drain - only to find that what's on the other side may not be so scary after all. [If you rent the DVD and really like the film, I highly recommend watching the 20 Deleted Scenes. Some are short inconsequential trims, but there are many that change and add imporant elements to the story. Especially if you're a fan of Watership Down.]

asking why this film was made, as another reviewer did, is like asking why "office Space" was made. Both are stories of fearful employees finding transformation spurred by the depths the boredom and de-humanization corporate Ant-dom drove them to. And they are both pretty funny. Other than that, they are very different movies. Whereas "Office" was broad comedy and male-oriented, this movie is small, quiet, subtle and a "chick flick" of sorts. It's about women hanging out and becoming friends and talking about work mostly - life rarely. The acting is good - the writing is sharp - the pace is slow. It feels like a well-done independant film - which it is. Parker Posey is her standard "energetic and neurotic nearly to the point of psychosis" role. And Toni Collette and L. Kudrow are very good as well. The friends of mine who really like this movie - well, they have lived this lifestyle (temp workers). That's probably the best kind of review a film like this can get.