The Kid’s Got Character
The perfect recipe for a great tasting film:
2 cups of a solid and engaging, original story
5 ½ cups of a well-written script
5 cups of strong characters, played by even stronger character actors
3 ¼ cups of a fantastic crew
5 cups of a director with her/his own unique, personal vision
3 ¾ cups of thoughtful and luscious cinematography
5 cups of a brilliant editor, an editor who can make an inept filmmaker look talented
10 overflowing cups of passion and creativity
1 pinch of something special that sets your film apart
Take your ingredients and add them in order of appearance into a large mixing bowl (use only fresh, organic ingredients whenever possible). With a large spatula: stir, stir, stir. Don’t forget to taste your mixture before putting it in the oven, to make sure it tastes just right. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Pour the mixture into a large glass oven dish and bake for 8 hours or until slightly brown on top. Let your creation cool for 5 minutes before diving in. When you’re ready, take a sharp knife and slice a portion of it off, one layer at a time. Enjoy.
Tasting tips: a great tasting movie pairs nicely with a fruit-forward, full-bodied bottle of Shiraz. |
One ingredient: character. Just one ingredient in the many necessary for a movie to make my 'great movie list.' Great actors lose themselves in their roles, but an even greater actor suspends your disbelief so far that as a viewer you forget who you are watching.
Many mediocre films have been made noteworthy by a lasting performance by a talented actor. How many times have you seen a film someone raved about because of an actor’s performance, only to find that the film was lacking in all its other, important ingredients?
But we're not talking about mediocre movies here. For me, a notable performance is made that much greater when it’s housed inside a film worthy of containing it. Like any great relationship, ingredients are everything. When the right ingredients are carefully mixed together you know you’re witnessing the amalgamation of something brilliant. If you don’t know what I mean check out some of the films below. They are all excellent examples of why the development of character is so important in filmmaking.
The Dark Knight (2008 - Christopher Nolan) |
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 I don't often get the opportunity to watch an American film on American soil, but a recent road trip offered me the chance to do just that, and in no other state than the home state to many blockbuster movies, California. The experience couldn't have been more perfect.
Now of course, we're not talking about the character of Batman here—let's just get that straight—we're talking about the joker. If you have a TV than you've likely heard the incessant hype about Heath Ledger's last performance.
'So Kiki,' (I hear you asking), 'was it any good?' Not good, bloody brilliant. That's all I'm saying because as I've stated in a previous article, I hate hype.
And because I don't feel it necessary to waste your time sending you off to the theatre to watch a less than great movie I should also say, The Dark Knight is absolutely one of the best films adapted from a comic book. Okay? Will you go see it now?
Capote (2005 - Bennett Miller) |
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I've heard a few comments about this movie from people who have watched it. Comment one: "I think I fell asleep during it." Comment two: "it was too slow." Comment three: "it wasn't my cup of tea." Comment four: "holy crap, wasn't Capote amazing?"
To the person who drinks tea: I'm not sure what the hell kind of tea you drink but I'll say right now that if you're a standard Earl Grey kind of drinker, you need to branch out and try some more flavours.
Capote is an intelligent, brilliant, masterpiece of a film. It has all the ingredients required of a great film: the editing is superb, the cinematography is succulent, the timing is pitch perfect (no, it's not too slow, it's purposeful. The rhythm of the film plays out the way it does for a reason), first time director Bennett Miller's direction is powerful, and the acting by everyone in the cast including Philip Seymour Hoffman is outstanding.
Even the movie trailer doesn't disappoint. Watch it.
The Hours (2002 - Stephen Daldry) |
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 The Hours is possibly one of the best movies I've ever seen. Show me a movie with such attention to detail (if I was this good of a film editor I'd most likely pee my pants with glee), so subtly and well acted, so thoughtful, and careful with it's audience.
I've mentioned in passing before that I have a bit of a thing for Nicole Kidman, that 'thing' came from watching this movie. Kidman is superb, Juilan Moore is heartbreaking and Meryl Streep pulls off a fine performance of being her Meryl-self.
If you watch this film and you don't like it let me know why. Better yet send me your feedback with your top five character films and I'll put your name in a hat for two free movie passes at a theatre in town.
My Other Picks:
Monster (2003 - Patty Jenkins) |
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Boys Don't Cry (1999 - Kimberly Peirce) |
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The Elephant Man (1980 - David Lynch) |
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Want more movie reviews? Check out Kiki's previous picks:
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