Lars and the Real Girl

Lars (Ryan Gosling) is a withdrawn young man who lives in the garage of his brother Gus and sister-in-law Karin's house. He pulls his own weight and keeps a job, but Karin worries about him. He is terrified to speak to people, doesn't like to be touched, and has never had a girlfriend. That's why she's surprised and relieved when Lars announces that he's seeing someone. Until she actually meets her.

Lars' new 'girlfriend' is a life sized sex doll he ordered of the internet. "Her name is Bianca," he says. "She's very religious, so we aren't spending the night together." Needless to say, Gus and Karin are baffled. Lars, however, is undeterred. He feeds Bianca, helps her bathe, and has heart-to-heart conversations with her. He tells them that she's paraplegic, which would explain why she is confined to a wheelchair. Gus tries to explain to him that Bianca is made out of plastic, but lovestruck Lars turns a deaf ear.

Lars is sent to a psychiatrist, who tries to get to the root of his problems. The psychiatrist tells Gus and Karin to treat Bianca as a real person, and hope that Lars reaches the point where he doesn't need her anymore. Though reluctant, they allow him to take Bianca around with him to different places and introduce her to people.

Meanwhile, a female coworker is attracted to Lars, but he remains faithful to Bian. Finally, however, he starts to feel a need for a living companion, and although Bianca has helped him open up, he wants to move on.

This is probably the ultimate case of bad-idea-makes-good-movie. It's actually more of a drama then a comedy, and surprisingly effective. Is Lars mentally ill? Autistic? Lars and the Real Girl doesn't stoop to simple psychological labels, but instead paints an interesting portrait of a painfully shy man and the levels he will reach to get intimacy. I recommend it. (Rated PG-13)

Firefly

500 years in the future, Earth has been deserted and mankind has colonized other planets. Captain Malcom Reynolds helped fight in a war against the oppressive Alliance and was defeated. Now forced to journey through space in the ship Serenity, he and his crew take jobs to keep the gas tank filled and food on the table. However, one day they pick up Simon Tam, a young doctor, not knowing that he is stowing his sister away with him. River Tam is a seventeen-year-old prodigy who became a goverment experiment. Simon freed her from the lab and now they are both fugitives. Mal, though reluctant, keeps the two, and Serenity, already wanted, becomes relentlessly pursued by men who want River back.

Simply put, this is the best science fiction I have ever seen. I know a lot of Star Wars fans would argue this point, but Star Wars is, though entertaining, a special effects extravaganza. Firefly is everything a sci-fi show should be, exciting, interesting, and funny, and featuring good characters. In fact, the only 'aliens' on the show are the flesh-eating reavers, which very rarely appear. It's not that I don't like aliens, or that I completely deny the possibility of their existence, but without the presence of nonstop action or expensive special effects, the show concentrates on relationships between the human characters. Plus an occasional gun fight.

I recommend this TV show to almost anybody, including people who aren't into the Fantasy/Sci-fi genre. It's a shame that Fox canceled "Firefly" after only almost one season. After seeing this, you might also want to get the movie follow-up, Serenity, which I will most likely review shortly. In the meantime, I urge you to rent this show and give it a try (Rated NR.)

The Living and the Dead

This bizarre, disturbing film stars Leo Bill as James, a seriously unstable young man who lives with his parents in a sprawling English mansion. When his father, Lord Brocklebank, has to go away on business, he leaves his son with his terminally ill wife Nancy and hires a nurse to look after both of them. James, however, wants to prove to his parents that he's capable of taking care of his mum, so he locks Nurse Mary out. With James off his meds and alone with Nancy, he begins to lose control and things fall apart.

Watching James degenerate is like watching a train wreck- it's more sad than funny, but you can't look away. This movie has a great premise, but it feels like Simon Rumley had to stuff one hour thirty minutes running time into a fairly small (though interesting) idea, so he added unnecessary schizophrenic dream sequences to fill the gap.

What saves The Living and the Dead from being a failure, though, is the study of James' psyche. By this I don't mean the acid trip parts. Rather, James is a fascinating, tragic (though occasionally over-the-top) character. Throughout the film, he wants to be treated as an adult, not a needy burdensome man-child. It's painful to watch him administering to Mummy, trying to help her recover and make his dad 'proud of him.'

Unfortunately, though well-intentioned, James is nevertheless deranged, and the sequence of disasters leads to a depressing finale. This movie could have been a lot better, but it was worthwhile. I can see both why Jeremy Knox on Film Threat called it 'One of the best films I've ever seen' and why it was disliked by much of the general public. It was so disturbing I may never see it again. Maybe, though, I'll watch it sometime, as long as I have access to a lot of bright lights and laughter afterward. I recommend it to less sensitive viewers and people who like to 'stay off the beaten trail,' so to speak. (Rated NR)

Note about the Ending- After seeing this film, I interpreted the story in the most obvious way. When I saw a different take on Imdb, I e-mailed Simon Rumley and asked what he had meant by it. He promptly wrote back and told me he had never really decided and it was ambiguous. Both sort of make sense. If you view it, check out the response to the Imdb post "The Son" and decide for yourself.

Movie Recommendation- For another surrealistic, disturbing look into a young man in a dysfunctional environment's descent into insanity and the violent repercussions, watch The Butcher Boy.

Brokeback Mountain

Set in the 1960s, Ang Lee's Academy Award-winning adaptation of E. Annie Proulx's short story of the same title, Brokeback Mountain records the relationship between two male cowboys, Ennis De Mar and Jack Twist. They meet each other one day when the both take a sheep-herding job, and even though Ennis is engaged to get married, they eventually have sex. Afterwards, they leave each other and start families, but their lives intertwine throughout the years. This movie has lovely cinematography and good acting. The main problem most people seem to have about it is that Ennis and Jack didn't 'love' each other enough. It's true that their relationship was conflicted and sometimes downright weird, but that's the way some romances are. Did they care about each other? Yes. Did they love each other? That's up to you to decide. Some people claim that it's a bad model of gay love; others say that it just shows what a immoral thing homosexuality is. Well, you know what? In real life, people's feelings towards each other aren't clear cut. If Ennis and Jack were real and not just characters, they wouldn't be sitting there saying "Uh-oh! We better work on our love life so people know we really love each other and are not just acting out of homosexual lust!" The fact that their relationship was ambiguous made it more believable, in my opinion. All in all, a well-done film. Obviously don't see it if you're homophobic or dislike downers. (Rated R)

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Tim Burton directs this artfully-made but grisly musical, set in 19th-century England,. A corrupt judge (Alan Rickman) falsely imprisons a barber named Benjamin Barker (Johnny Depp) out of lust for his wife, Lucy.

Years later, Barker escapes, is rescued at sea by a young sailor, Anthony, and returns to London. There he finds Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter), who owns a failing meat pie shop. He is told by her that his wife, after rejecting Judge Turpin's advances, was raped and later killed herself. Not only that, but Judge Turpin has his teenage daughter, Johanna, and is raising her as his own child.

Vowing to get revenge, he changes his name to Sweeney Todd and reopens his barber shop, with violent intentions. Well done in every respect, Sweeney Todd is totally Tim Burton- dark sets, macabre story, and miserable, bitter lead characters. All makeup and set designs are pale and bleak, except for the bright, dreamlike flashbacks. In one scene, Mrs. Lovett sings a number about her hopes and dreams for the future. In the fantasy sequence that follows, the background becomes more brightly colored and optimistic, but the characters' makeup remains the same, perhaps reflecting the futility of her fantasies.

Definitely not for every taste, this film is highly recommended for anyone looking for something a little different or who has an interest in sick and twisted cinema. Do not watch this if you are squeamish. When my family watched it, my mom had her head down her shirt for a good amount of the movie. If you are turned off by substantial amounts of blood and violence in movie, it's a fair bet that you won't enjoy it. (Rated R)