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This Is It
By Scott Mendelson

There is no getting around the obvious exploitation factor at play. Regardless of how tasteful and respectful this film is, at the end of the day, Sony paid $60 million for the rights to this otherwise private footage because they wanted to cash in on the sudden and shocking death of its star. But if you can dissociate the material from the motive for its production, Kenny Ortega's This Is It works as a low-key farewell to a generational icon. As a Michael Jackson fan in the 80s and early 90s, I had always hoped that he could get his musical act together and go out with a dash of style (truth be told, he hadn't released a truly good album in nearly twenty-years). The underlying tragedy of this documentary is the realization of how close Jackson may have been to getting the comeback that his fans were yearning for.

A token amount of plot - the feature basically spans the last couple months of Jackson's life, detailing the rehearsal sessions for his upcoming 50-concert comeback tour that was to be his probable farewell to live performing. We see about a dozen songs, performed in clips from a few different rehearsals, with token tidbits of behind the scenes footage and previews of what would eventually be the multimedia supplements for each song (i.e. - 3D zombie movies for "Thriller", a mini-movie with Rita Hayworth and Humphrey Bogart for "Smooth Criminal"). What is most impressive is how strictly the film adheres to its business at hand. There are no side-stories, only a few brief testimonials, and nary a hint of the ultimate fate of this concert that everyone was so proud to be a part of. The vast majority of the running time is all about the production and rehearsals that went into the would-be tour itself. The only sentiment comes from Michael Jackson himself, as he occasionally opines about the state of the environment.

However, interesting this stuff is as a time capsule, the fact still remains that this is rehearsal footage, and thus you're not seeing Jackson at his peak, or even giving it his all in any given performance. He mentions several times that he's trying not to tax his voice prior to the actual performances, and his dancing is often half-hearted at best. Intentional or not, there is a disturbing undertone at play, as we wonder whether the forgotten song lyrics, physical hesitations, and sometimes underwhelming performance was merely the product of the rehearsal process, or an accidental glimpse of a 50-year old musician struggling to perform like the 25-year old who changed the world half a lifetime ago.

Still, if the King of Pop is no longer the young man who first moon-walked at the 1984 Grammys, he is certainly willing to cede the occasional spotlight to those around him. Some of the best footage involves the back-up singers and musicians who got to live out their dream of performing with their idol. In fact, since much of the footage is the standard video quality, the core appeal of the IMAX format is getting a chance to really listen to the actual music that inspired a generation of young artists ("Beat It" has a killer guitar solo that's up there with "Johnny Be Good" or "Purple Haze"). And Jackson certainly seems grateful to the talent that he has at his fingertips, and his few attempts to be a stern taskmaster come off as genuinely comical.

Whether or not the motives behind this picture are pure (director Kenny Ortega seems genuinely interested in honoring his friend), This Is It remains an interesting curiosity that avoids both tawdry sensationalism and lionization (no mention is made of either his personal life or his untimely death). But there is also a clear lack of any kind of illumination to who Jackson really was. Even during private rehearsals, he still seems 'on', so don't expect any kind of unguarded moments or epiphanies about this deeply private man. Whether or not This Is It needs to be seen in theaters is an open question, but it's certainly a must-own DVD for the most devoted Michael Jackson fans. Me? I'll stick with my CDs of Off the Wall, Thriller, and Bad, preferring to remember him during the period when he was truly the King of Pop.

Grade: B-

AFI/AFM 2009
By Elizabeth Johnson

American Film Institute (AFI) Fest highlights films of 2009. Together, AFI FEST and AFM provide the only concurrent festival/market event in North America.

Highlights of Screenings:

FANTASTIC MR. FOX
Wes Anderson's handmade stop-motion animation adaptation. Sly Mr. Fox dares to steal poultry from three dim-witted farmers -- and gets his goose.

THE IMAGINARIUM OF DR. PARNASSUS
Heath Ledger in his final role. The story follows the leader of a traveling theater troupe who, having made a deal with the devil, takes the audience through a magical mirror.

PRECIOUS
Received Toronto's much-desired Cadillac People's Choice Award. Set in 1980's Harlem, Precious Jones is an obese and nearly illiterate teen, pregnant for a second time with her father's baby and abused by her vindictive mother. When she enrolls in an alternative school for girls, she is given a chance to change her life.

A SINGLE MAN
Fashion designer Tom Ford's directorial debut. An adaptation of Christopher Isherwood's exceptional novel about a gay British college professor (Colin Firth) in Los Angeles grieving the death of his partner.

THE BAD LIEUTENANT: PORT OF CALL NEW ORLEANS
As a detective determined to solve a massacre, while scoring himself drugs and juggling his prostitute girlfriend, Nicolas Cage makes the role his own.

THE ROAD
This film stars Viggo Mortensen as a father trekking with his young son through a searing and post-apocalyptic world.

BELLAMY, A Parisian investigator is working through a twisted murder case while on vacation with his own family that is falling apart.

THE WHITE RIBBON profiles a remote German farming village just before World War I that is jarred by some mysterious violence. Winner of this year's Palme d'Or Cannes award.

RED RIDING TRILOGY
Crime, revenge, and final redemption, the "Red Riding Trilogy" tells of the Yorkshire Ripper, a serial killer who tormented Yorkshire, England, in the 1970s and 1980s. A television hit in the UK, the interwoven tales stand as their own entities and were adapted by Tony Grisoni.

EVERYBODY'S FINE
This remake of Giuseppe Tornatore's STANNO TUTTI BENE, stars Robert De Niro as a widower who discovers he doesn't know his children at all, and sets out on a spontaneous road trip to rectify the matter.

NORTH BY NORTHWEST
Hitchcock's 1959 thriller with Cary Grant about mistaken identity will have a 50th anniversary screening. Screened along with "Something's Gonna Live" in honor of Oscar-nominated art director Robert Boyle, who celebrated his 100th birthday earlier this month.

POLICE, ADJECTIVE is a Cannes-winner from Romania that tracks a police officer who wrestles with whether or not to bust a pot-smoking teen.

YOUTH IN REVOLT
Finally! Based on C.D. Payne's no-holds-barred novel is the funniest book ever written and Michael Cera plays Nick Twisp, the disgruntled, pyro-enthusiast teen. DIR by Miguel Arleta with Steve Buscemi, Justin Long, Fred Willard.
Halloween fun:
The fest gets a chance for a horror marathon and there are some fun ones:

THE HOLE
This 3-D, family-friendly thriller tells the story of two young brothers who find an unexplained hole in their basement, an evil force that physically manifests their most pitted and bone-chilling fears.

TRASH HUMPERS
Harmony Korine (Kids, Mister Lonely) gives us this mockumentary about a mask-wearing team of octogenarians, up to no good and loving it.

For a complete schedule, go to www.afi.com/afifest

'GENTLEMEN BRONCOS'
TENDER AND QUIRKY
By Sean Chavel

The Hesses in their own small way make movies that try to make a world a better place. Think of all the excess blood-splattering and head-bashing, not to mention crude sexual lingo and fart sounds, in movies in recent months. Frequently good-natured sprinkled with a few loops and obstacles, Gentlemen Broncos is near crude-free if you forget the toxic-poison dart the hero shoots at the dirty old millionaire (it's really toxic, trust me). This is a gentle fable about an amateur teen sci-fi writer with not a lot of self-esteem at first, who finds his creative stride and then is betrayed by his favorite author. This is an over-trusting boy that learns that he can't trust just anybody and learns that he must stand up for his dignity for the things that matter most to him.

Oh the Hesses, by the way, are the ones who made "Napolean Dynamite" and "Nacho Libre." Like those two flicks "Broncos" is about an outsider looking for acceptance. Their comedies have sometimes been criticized with packing in too many oddballs and putting them in your face. Others like me, like the laid-back approach to their comedies finding refreshment in their movies that feel like mellow and mild breezes. Are their movies really that in your face? Their deadpan humor is unfussy - it's moderately measured without the need to throw in forced jokes. The actors are given enough breathing room to the degree that sometimes their reaction shots are funny.

The Utah boy's name is Benjamin (Michael Angarano, "Seabiscuit," "Lords of Dogtown") and he gets a first trip to writer's camp in the opening scenes. He meets a cute girl named Tabatha (Halley Feiffer, "The Squid and the Whale") who is much more mature and aggressive than he is - she takes his allowance money to parcel out bus snacks. Tabatha and a friend Lonnie (Hector Jimenez) are budding filmmakers who get the idea to film a low budget movie based on Benjamin's novel called "The Yeast Lords." Interspersed into the plot are different film variations of Benjamin's creation (cue the unicorns) which is a lá "Dune" meets "Barberella" one minute; flaming Andy Warhol influenced the next. The revelation here is that writers and directors seem to disagree on adaptation liberties.

Now if there's a drawback to the Hesses' film it's that Benjamin is such a shy and passive character for an extended amount of time that you don't get zingy one-liners out of him like you would from Napolean or Nacho Libre. Benjamin, who doesn't want to say anything that would offend anybody, turns out to be quietly endearing. Yet at the same time his character is inevitably going to be upstaged. He is supported by other characters played by Jennifer Coolidge (mom) and Mike White (Big Brother program).

Then there is actor Jemaine Clement as the famous writer Dr. Ronald Chevalier (he is the author of "Cyborg Harpies" and other novels obsessed with women's' areolas as a sci-fi weapon), who is the best comedy creation in quite sometime, and I mean that. The movie finishes and you already can't wait for the future DVD outtakes that will feature his character. His clothes are pretentious nobility and wild west chic at the same time, his chain necklaces propose faux toughness, and have a blue tooth that he never seems to use. But that doesn't even begin to say how priceless the words are that come out of his mouth. Allow me to share this: Funny names in movies are not that funny but this is different because here is a snob-elitist who believes they are the apex of importance. Dr. Chevalier is obsessed with teaching his students how to construct suffixes at the end of their characters names in order to make them more interesting. When in doubt add "Orphous" or "Ivorious" to the end of any character name that sounds boring. Ahh, how I wanted more Dr. Chevalier!

The Hesses gaze long enough at the characters that you know their expressional faces by the end, and their tics. Their movies are quirky, awkward, gentle, endearing and sometimes way too awkward but damn if they don't generate a few smiles. A good reason to go to the movies is to have a few smiles. And in this case, to meet Dr. Ronald Chevalier, a "masterpiece" author turned plagiarist. For technical purposes, Jarod Hess is the writer and director, and his wife Jerusha is his co-writer and fellow producer. Salt of the earth people as they self-proclaim (or did I proclaim them?), they are known both to sit at their computer together and co-write with each other in the development process. Having met them myself following the screening of the movie, I found them to be very nice people. And quirky, and nerdy - the kind of nerdy that is uniquely cool.

'A SERIOUS MAN'
COEN PRIVATE UNIVERSE
By Sean Chavel

A Serious Man is not going to be considered a traditional entry in the Joel and Ethan Coen canon by some, and for certain there will be fans that are going to consider that a problem. Many followers dig them for their comedies that register rollicking surrealism, offbeat humor, and screwball nuttiness. If you're one of those people that like the Coen Brothers for that, and nothing but that, you're probably not going to like their latest work. There, it has been said so don't say I didn't tell you so. But if you're one of these cinema connoisseurs always curious about the personal depths of idiosyncratic filmmakers (please read on), you might be the choice audience for this very peculiar film, which can be described as a very rare acquired taste.

The opening pre-credit prologue set a hundred years or something prior, which is disconnected from the rest of the film, is awful and nonsensical - the worst scene the Coens' have ever directed. Once the film finds a clean slate, the Coens' are up to their necks in honoring, and satirizing, Jewish heritage in 1967 Midwest suburbs. Adults are thriving orthodox followers or moral cowards, but the indifferent neighborhood of kids just wanna have fun. At Hebrew school, a boy's transistor radio with Jefferson Airplane rock music is taken away from a school authority. This is the real start of the movie. It is soon followed by a student foreigner who tries to bribe his professor, only to supersede the situation with blackmail.

None of the actors are recognizable, as never has a Coen Brothers feature been so absent of stars (even their debut film "Blood Simple" had M. Emmet Walsh and Dan Hedaya). Theater actors and rarely seen character actors fill out the entire cast. Lead actor Michael Stuhlbarg, as professor Larry Gopnik, is a dull spineless mope until it dawns on you what a revelation the actor is to the part - he's dull and spineless, but he's a man who is desperate enough to want to ascend his failures. He is a serious, but brilliant man who wants to taste something from life that he can't reach.

Throughout the movie, Larry is pitted against a litany of terrible plights and misfortunes: the agony of X-ray results, infringement of property lines, an upcoming tenure hearing that rings of looming disappointment, a car accident, an uncooperative TV antennae, and worst, news that his wife is leaving him for a neighbor Sy Ableman (Fred Melamed, a show-stopping ballsy performance). Sy is astonishingly ingratiating, barging into Larry's home and offering his wisdom.

This is a very dry comedy, and you haven't a clue on what dry comedy is, then you can see "A Serious Man" and learn as to what that's like. Around the edges, a buzz of new problems always perpetuates, often with Larry adopting new problems against his willing. Sometimes the new problems come via external forces and sometimes it is family. Larry has a very loafish brother played by Richard Kind, likely the most recognizable face in the cast where you might think aloud "Where have I seen him?" Larry, on top of all his misery, has to cater to his unfortunate brother's embarrassing secret that's worthy of social ostracizing. In-between are visits to his lawyer and visits to his rabbi. It is part of the Coen deadpan humor that when he gets his rabbi counseling, it's of a futile nature.

Even an erudite critic like me sometimes forgets about the Coens' "The Man Who Wasn't There," which was their previous entry on the theme of the little man who gets stomped on. The Coens' put you through the grinder, along with Larry, with their newest work, which arrives at what initially feels like a frustrating and detached final punch line. That's until you step back and consider that it's Mother Nature intervening and dictating Larry's destiny, a destiny where there is no way out but just to accept the fate that has been put in front of him. The black joke is that Larry will go down as the guy who gave way more than he ever received.

Food for thought is heavy in "A Serious Man," and if you're perceptive you can appreciate that it is personal for the Coens' who have decorated their film with memories of their childhood atmosphere put right up on the screen. But I admit that I wouldn't mind a light meal next time from the Coens'.

Saw VI
By Scott Mendelson

With Saw VI, we see the surprising sight of a long-running franchise trying to dig itself out of its own grave. Clearly intended to be either the final Saw film or at least a finale to the second three-film arc, the picture goes out of its way to tie up loose ends, retroactively explain awkward story points, and sweep away dead weight. By once again returning the focus to its core dilemma ('how much blood would you shed to save yourself or others?') and its key character (John Kramer once again takes center stage), this sixth chapter inexplicably works as a solid horror film and a skewed morality tale. Most tellingly, Saw VI is actually almost good enough to make you glad that the series didn't end after Saw III.

There will be no plot synopsis, other than to say that the film again picks up right at the end of the previous film, and that the surviving characters all return. What makes this film work better than the previous entries is that both of its narratives are compelling and genuinely suspenseful. That's right, for the first time in history; a Saw picture actually has tension and suspense. The reason for this is two-fold. First of all, the lingering plot threads from the previous series are dealt with in a subplot that has Jigsaw accomplice Detective Hoffman desperately attempting to cover his tracks following his murderous actions in the last two pictures. While Costas Manylor is not the world's most engaging screen presence, the plot does place him in the always-entertaining position of a lawman being forced to investigate crimes that he actually committed. Second of all, the trap-related portion of the film takes the franchise in a whole new direction. Unlike previous films, where Jigsaw targeted drug addicts, general lowlifes, and police officers who just plain cared too much, this time John Kramer targets a specific industry (health insurance) and the film lays out a specific philosophy (let's just say I wouldn't be surprised if someone snuck Harry Reid a copy of the film over the weekend). While John Kramer never explicitly endorses single-payer health care in the several flashbacks, the film certainly stands against the bureaucracy that is our current system. While the film's moral world is as fuzzy as ever (the film does not believe that all innocent bystanders are equal), it's genuinely disturbing to catch yourself actually rooting for Jigsaw purely because of political and moral agreement.

Best of all, for the first time in the series, pretty much every trap has the distinct possibility of survival for at least one participant, creating palpable suspense over who will live and who will die. By putting multiple people in peril each time around, the picture gets to have its cake (characters are truly forced to make choices) and eat it too (traps do go off so you get your cup o' gore). And like the superior Saw II, the threat from most traps is a quick and brutal death, rather than slow and painful violence. There is plenty of gore (more than Saw V, but less than Saw IV) and a token amount of suffering, but the film never lingers on the carnage longer than it has to. And the film benefits by once again putting John Kramer (the invaluably classy Tobin Bell) at the heart of the narrative. By making this set of traps uniquely personal and mainly keeping Hoffman in a different subplot, the film amazingly creates the illusion that you're once again watching Kramer running the traps. That's no mean feat for a character that died three films ago.

Saw VI still has many of the problems that have plagued the series from the get-go. The moral worldview of the franchise has always been completely absurd (characters are supposed to learn lessons from their experiences, but many are either killed or traumatized beyond repair) and the film spends too much time flashing back to previously unseen moments from the prior sequels. If you're not a fan of the Saw franchise, this film probably won't make you one (it's impossible to follow if you haven't seen every prior film). But it's a breath of fresh air for those who had followed the series since the beginning, a return to the series basics of insidiously clever traps and solid character actors squaring off. If this is to be the last chapter, it's nice to see the game ending on a high note.

Grade: B

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