Phoebe in Wonderland

Do you think that something's going on with Phoebe?"

Phoebe Lichen (Elle Fanning) is aware the troubles her behavior causes on her family. Unfortunately, 'aware' is no match for the constant stream of compulsions the wreaks havoc on her mind. She is intelligent, but upsets her school with spitting, verbal outbursts, and loneliness. She's like that kid in class that you were irritated by but never considered there may be more to her actions then just trying to upset your life.

Her mother and father want to help her out but are distracted by their work. Her precocious little sister considers her a burden to 'look after.' The only time she winds down is when she is cast as the lead in her school's production of "Alice in Wonderland."

Her oddball teacher, who perhaps sees a bit of herself in the girl, is impressed by her dedication to her part, and realizes that theater is most likely a good outlet for her. Although Phoebe is by no means bad as Alice, it is possible that the part had less to do with talent as the telling, soap-rawed marks all over her palms.

Phoebe is befriended by Jamie, a mildly effeminate fellow student. She clearly wants to be a part of "Alice in Wonderland," but motivation is not enough to control her unintentional behavior problems. The suspicious principal is tempted to pull her from the play, and the other girls seem to have it out for her.

Elle Fanning, who is probably being nudged toward her older sister Dakota Fanning's success, is impressive as the main character. It is strange and fascinating how a seemingly normal young actress could consistently portray Phoebes premature sadness and hopelessness at her emotional disconnect from friends and family. There is a painful scene where she is in bed and her distracted mother discovers bruises all over her knees, caused by performing compulsions hopping up and down the stairs repeatedly.

Unfortunately, "Wonderland" is hindered by cliche' characters that that could have been put together more thoughtfully, for instance- high-strung principal, extremely smart kid sister, manipulative little bullies, and even the unorthodox teacher. Also the dream sequences featuring Wonderland characters, while visually beautiful, seem somewhat out of place, as if added to put extra interest into the narrative.

"Pheobe in Wonderland" is of interest to people concerned with depressed, misfit children, and may well be helpful in advancing the younger Fanning's career. Despite the eventual Tourette's diagnosis, it is really a ode to kids whose differences set them apart, making them wish they had a 'wonderland' to slip into when things got out of hand (Rated PG-13.)

Recommendation- For a similar film about a troubled kid who finds an outlet through theater, watch The Tic Code

Film Geek

The cover of "Film Geek," you may notice, proclaims "This year's Napoleon Dynamite!" Depending on your tolerance for the 'quirky nerd' shtick, this may entice you or make you run the other way. Comparison to "Napoleon Dynamite" aside, "Film Geek" is more human, lower budget, and with a melancholy edge. Unlike Napoleon, who had a small group of friends orbiting his planet of nerddom, This movies protagonist, Scotty Pelk (Melik Malikson), repels practically everyone he come comes in contact with.

Scotty is a twenty-something young man with no life to speak of, who spends his time inevertedly harassing people at the video store that he works at. If they aren't driven off by his voice (which sounds like he's been inhaling helium) or his generally aggravating demeanor, it's probably the fact that he relentlessly badgers people on his knowledge of movies. He has so much trivia it might put half the "Film Threat" reviewers to shame.

Scotty appears to be clueless about his effect on others, although often they aren't exactly subtle about their disdain for him. He could quite possibly be diagnosed with Asperger's, but then viewers with Asperger's and their friends may be angered. He is so intensely annoying, in fact, that his boss finally takes him aside and tells him that his "expertise might be better appreciated elsewhere."

Unable to get any other film-related jobs, Scotty starts working at a car parts factory. It is around this time that he meets Nika, a free-spirited artist who is first seen by him reading a book on the films of David Cronenberg. Scotty decides that Nika is his chance for a romantic relationship, but she is, understandably, not so sure. As they go to events and she encourages him to "expand his horizons," this odd semi-dating status is invaded by Nika's obnoxious, egotistical, but less geeky ex-boyfriend.

Scotty is such a sad individual that he most likely will be either hated or pitied- in my case, pitied. Spurting movie jargon and attempting to relate to other people, he is a far cry from Napoleon, who spent most of his film acting purposefully gawky and being a self-satisfied object of laughter, less capable of normal human response. So, by saying that I sympathized with the loser, does this mean I recommend the film?

Not really. Despite their differences, "Film Geek" and "Napoleon Dynamite" reach the same pitfall. They're not funny. Sure, they're quirky, but watching a oddball, nerdy person live their isolated life and act like an uber-dork is not the same, for me at least, as being entertained. In this case, you feel more uncomfortable then amused. Even though "Film Geek" slightly overcomes this by being almost thought-provoking in it's presentation, I found myself becoming distracted and concentrating on the many movies in the background. 'Is that Todd Solondz's "Happiness" over there?'

You might like "Film Geek." You might hate it. If you like the 'nerd' genre and find the general tone of oddities such as "Napoleon Dynamite" to be amusing, go for it. This is not bad, like another low-budgeter "Imagination," just sort of pointless (Rated R.) **1/2

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Let the Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in)

Bleak love story between two lonely twelve-year-olds, one who has been 'twelve for a long time,' is undoubtedly categorized as horror. but is it? Tomas Alfredson's film debut, based on an international bestseller, seems like a provocative drama, with elements of horror throughout. In the days of tongue-in-cheek 'scary movies' ("Shaun of the Dead") and pulpy formula pictures ("Prom Night,") "Let the Right One In" stands out- a story about isolation meant to be taken seriously and absorbed.

Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant) is an introverted, pale pre-adolescent relentlessly tormented and humiliated at school by classmates. We don't know what's ahead for him, but what we see doesn't look good- he spends his time imagining his revenge with a knife he keeps in his pocket, and collecting newspaper articles about recent killings, putting them in a scrapbook like baseball cards.

One night, outside his apartment where he lives with his single mother, he meets Eli (Lea Leandersson.) "Aren't you cold?" he asks, noting her bare feet against the white snow. "No." After that night, Oskar continues to meet Eli, fascinated by her. The two strike a furtive romance, although Eli several times warns him, "I'm not a girl." When Oskar discovers Eli's secret, he turns a blind eye, even as the vicious killings persist.

Eli is a vampire. We see her several times hunting down and feeding off neighbors, as well as forcing her human roommate to be an accomplice and help keep her alive. Eli hardly seems happy about the life forced upon her- she treats it as something that simply needs to be done, which it basically is. Oskar, suppressing violence himself, cares for Eli regardless of her dietary habits. And it is Eli who teaches Oskar to stand up to the boys who torment him, and finally, in her own twisted way, saves him.

After the closing credits, I sat there for a while and simply thought about the film. The more I considered 'the meaning,' the grimmer it became. This is the kind of movie where you sit for an hour or so, watching the story unfold, and then the plot's implications hit you. It is intelligent and original, and I should have spent my time reading the novel version of this, instead of the awe-inspiringly overrated twaddle "Twilight."

This is, make no mistake, a good film, but I found a couple aspects that dampered it. First of all, there was a part involving obviously animatronic cats that I suppose was meant to be scary, but came off just laughable. It was not nearly as bad as the infamous 'drugged-dog scene' in "There's Something About Mary," but that was comedy, and it's difficult to be scared by a scene when it's obviously staged and using fake animals that came out of one of those "Air Buddies"-esque slapstick kiddie flicks.

Secondly, what was with the partial child nudity? This was hardly offensive, as it was, as a whole, non-exploitive, but the majority didn't seem to aid the plot. I read that one scene in particular was a significant point in the book (vampire lore?) but other bits seemed sprinkled around. I am neither disgusted nor truly questioning the director's motives, but am simply puzzled by their place in the movie. Why add them? Because you can?

"Let the Right One In," however, is mostly a unique and rewarding film experience. If you see and like it, you might want to order the book. Sooner or later, I probably will (Rated R.)

Volver

Talk about issues! Raimunda (Penelope Cruz) find more trouble than she might be able to handle in this offbeat drama. Her Aunt Paula (Chus Lampreave) has just died, and her sister, Sole (Lola Duenas) claims to be seeing the spirit of their mom, Irene (Carmen Maura,) who died in a fire years ago.

To add to her misfortunes, a terminally ill family friend (Bianca Portillo) is asking for Raimunda to discover the whereabouts of her mother. Lastly, there's one big problem- her scummy boyfriend Paco (Antonio de la Torre) tried to sexually assault his adolescent stepdaughter (Yohana Cobo,) and is found by Raimunda in a puddle of blood and a knife in his chest. Now all she needs is that empty freezer...

What first appear to be disconnected events slowly come together. Sole feels betrayed believing that Raimunda is selfishly avoiding her aunt's funeral, after being on not-so-close terms with Irene. Raimunda avoids telling her the truth, that she's very busy trying to dispose of Paco's body with the help of a hooker friend, and comforting her daughter after the event.

Meanwhile, a group of filmmakers are trying to get her to fix them a meal from her restaurant (don't worry, Paco does not come into use.) Eventually, family secrets surface and the sister's begin to understand the complexity of the events surrounding her mother's death.

This is the the first film I've seen by director Pedro Almodovar, with "All About My Mother" next on my list. From this film and information about his movies, I take it that he likes women. Not in a sexual way, I hear he's openly gay, but in a way that he likes to focus his screen time on them. "Volver" may quite possibly have a feminist slant, but I think he is probably just used to the female perspective. Could he make a movie about guys if he wanted to? Quite possibly, but the question is irrelevant.

"Volver" is lively and emotional, with so many twists it would put "The Sixth Sense" to shame. Never mind that they're are completely implausible- they're so superbly crafted, and cleverly carried out by the lead actresses, that you are sucked into the film's universe and take them as truth. A couple of the revalations I saw coming, others took me by surprise. This is about women, and may very well be a 'chick-flick,' but it is most likely unlike any chick flick you've ever seen before (Rated R.)

The Triplets of Belleville

Hey, you've got to give it points for originality. "The Triplets of Bellesville," a strikingly one-of-a-kind, 80-minute acid trip, is most likely unlike anything you've ever seen before. Oh, and it's animated. I watched it quietly, not riveted, but rarely bored at the menagerie of weirdness unfolding before me.

The film's protagonist is an Madame Sousa, an elderly, squat French woman with a hairy upper lip. When she is put in charge of her little grandson, Champion (who are his parents? I don't know,) she is unable to do anything to make the unsmiling kid happy.

She gets him a rotund, stick-legged puppy named Bruno, but after a brief period of interest Champion becomes bored with his friend. Finally, in a desperate attempt to please him, she buys him a small bike. Champion immediately takes a liking to it, and rides it around the kitchen. At this point, Granny become motivated to to give her grandson training.

Fast forward some years later, and Champion's a young man and still living with his Grandma, his bike, and his dog. And guess what? He's still relentlessly solemn. This doesn't stop Grandma from training him up, as she ties a rope to the exhausted guy and drags him on his bicycle around the city. You can tell she's fond of him, though- just clueless at separating what she wants and what he likes.

But disaster lurks just ahead, When Champion enters the Tour de France, he and several other contestants are kidnapped by a duo of black-coated men. As soon as Grandma finds out he's been taken for unknown purposes, she and Bruno embark on a rescue mission, being taken in by The Triplets of Belleville, a group of aging, very eccentric has-been lounge singers.

That's the plot. But really, it doesn't seem to be so much the plot the directer, Sylvain Chomet, seems less concerned with as the sights along the way. Abandoning nearly every connection to reality, she creates a bleakly beautiful, grim, nearly wordless landscape where saying 'strange' is a waste of time because you can apply it as an understatement to every character and situation in the movie.

I didn't love this movie. I'm really even sure I liked it, all that much. However, I can assure you it's, without a doubt, unique. I'd compare it to Tim Burton, but- not quite. Besides the fact that it's not claymation like "Corpse Bride" or "The Nightmare Before Christmas," I guess this film seems less self-conscious in attempts to create dark atmosphere. No skeletons, zombies, or completely gray settings- just kind of a satisfied, macabre touch (Rated PG-13.)

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Benny & Joon

First of all, this movie is most likely not a believable portrayal of mental illness. Hopefully, it's not meant to be. Don't take it too seriously, and you'll probably be amused. Look into it too hard, and you'll be offended by the easy dismissal of Joon's problems (schizophrenia?) For a more somber portrayal of the same topic, watch the australian biopic of pianist David Helfgott, "Shine," or to a lesser degree, see Simon Rumley's "The Living and the Dead." Anyway. Back to the point.

Get rid of Johnny Depp, and you've got a well-acted, bland, fairly impausible tale of siblings and mental illness. Add Johnny Depp, and you've got a quirky, highly entertaining... comedy? Drama? Romance? Like Amy Adams in "Junebug," he makes the movie. Don't get me wrong, Depp's character, Sam, doesn't have near the depth that Adams' did, but he's very funny, awfully strange, and likable.

The plot- Benny (Quinn,) a mechanic, has spent his whole life caring for his mentally ill younger sister Joon (Masterson.) He's encouraged by a co-worker to 'go out and enjoy life,' but wants to leave Joon alone as little as possible. A psychiatrist pressures Benny to put her in a group home, but Benny is set on keeping his sister with him. Joon doesn't want to go to a home either, as she's fond of her brother and doesn't enjoy the company of her 'peers.' However, she's a trial to care for, because she has fits, hears voices, and every now and again sets something on fire.

One day Benny's playing some poker with his friends, betting small objects, when Joon joins in. While Benny leaves for a bit, Joon loses a bet and the two of them are forced to take in the winner's cousin. Obviously, Benny's not pleased, and Joon plays the 'poor exploited girl' in order to take back her loss. However, Benny finally agrees and Sam (Depp) joins the household.

With Joon, Benny probably thought he had enough weirdness for a lifetime, but with the arrival of Sam he gets even more than he bargained for. Sam is mentally stable, though- sort of. Besides, wearing a top hat and carrying a cane wherever he goes, he prepares grilled cheese with an iron, knows a grade-B horror movie's quotes by heart, and does tricks with his hat, forks, bread, etc., etc.

Of course Joon likes him. Almost everyone seems to like him (except his cousin,) though they treat him with quizzical disbelief. Sam tries to get a job at a video store, but leaves when he's unable to fill out a sheet. It seems that he has a learning disability, since his childlike attempts at writing seem odd with his obvious intelligence.

Time passes, and Joon and Sam fall in love. After consummating their relationship, they feel the need to tell Benny. Bad idea. Benny, who feels his sister's been taken advantage of, throws Sam out of the house (literally, not figuratively) and screams in Joon's face telling her she's crazy, as well as revealing the doctor's professional opinion to put her away. Under the obvious stress, Joon has a mental breakdown and is sent to a mental hospital. Together, Sam and Benny come up with a highly outrageous plan to break her free.

Joon's issues veer between serious (Schizophrenic breakdowns) and wacky (making a peanut butter and cereal smoothie or walking through the streets with a scuba mask.) Could Joon actually live on her own without freaking out and becoming delusional? Probably not. Obviously, buckets of belief must be suspended to enjoy the movie. However, the acting is very good and Sam's seriously weird impressions are nothing short of hilarious. (Rated PG)

The School of Rock

Dewey Finn (Jack Black)'s prospects are quickly sinking. His meek former bandmember/ roommate, Ned Schneebly (Mike White) is hesitant to make him pay his long-due rent, but Ned's more controlling girlfriend (Sarah Silverman) is understandably eager to have him out of the picture. He's just been kicked out by his rock-n-roll band, so now he jobless and on the verge of being forced to leave his residence. What's a narcissistic, immature, quasi-talented musician to do?

Well, Dewey's first strategy is to sleep, waking occasionally to halfheartedly attempt to recruit new bandmembers and throw insults in Ned's girlfriend's direction. Suddenly, however, he has an idea. Ned wants to become a substitute on his way to be a full-fledged educator, and may get a call if the main teacher falls ill. When that call comes, Dewey says he's Ned Schneebly and fails to mention the message to the real Ned.

The first day, "Ned" comes to school with a hangover and allows the class to do what they want while he catches up on some sleep. Unfortunately, he has the luck to get Summer, a precocious teacher's pet who is the only one in the class who has an eager desire to learn. Finally, he grabs a collection of instruments from his van and decides to teach the youngsters some rock, partially because it's the only thing he's good at and to staunch the kids' boredom.

Apparently the rocking and rolling sounds aren't loud enough to make the uptight principal (Joan Cusack) become sure that something other than math and reading are going on in the classroom, but she is clever enough to make several tries to check on them. Luckily Dewey and the kids manage to hide the instruments and fake other studies (except the guitar incident.) However, the real Ned Scheebly is bound to figure out his buddy's up to something, and Dewey's foil may be detected before he gets to his goal, entering the kids in the battle of the bands competition in a desperate effort to become financially secure.

I guess that maybe many people won't see this because they dislike Jack Black, or have not gotten over some of his stupider roles in the past. Luckily, I rented the movie with a kinder predisposition, because a friend had enjoyed it and I had read some good reviews (plus I really didn't have an opinion on Jack Black.) To my pleasure, I found that I was massively entertained. Sure, it's predictable, implausible, and scattered with bits where Dewey chews up the scenery. But it was funny. It had clever dialogue, entertaining characters, and I personally found it more enjoyable than a slightly similar, older unorthodox-teacher movie, "Kindergarten Cop."

For one thing, it genuinely manages to be halfway family-friendly and please different audiences. Aside from some language, drinking, and a potentially disturbing double-entendre, it can probably be considered in ways cleaner than many Dreamworks productions. Don't get me wrong, I'm no war-mongering 'keep the children innocent' idealist, but I'm sure, that for some families, little sexual content and no violence will be a relief.

Also, the movie doesn't take itself too seriously. Sure, Dewey's going to become nicer, more responsible, and feel bad for using the kids, but it never gets really sappy. One of the students has a tough relationship with his dad, but "The School of Rock" never tries to dabble in more serious issues such as child abuse. Kids get bullied, the principal is depressed, but this movie tries to keep tongue firmly in cheek.

The problem with reviewing is that you don't know how to rate a film. For instance some of the movies I've seen, such "The Living and the Dead," are flawed but fearlessly original productions that play with genres and challenge the brain. Original they may be, but that doesn't mean they're much fun going down. Than we have "The School of Rock." Cliched, mainstream- but it's purpose is to entertain, ultimately, it's a fun, funny crowd-pleaser. Originality is great, but sometimes you need something that's enjoyable to watch. If your idea of a good movie is one that keeps you laughing throughout, is placed somewhere outside reality, and begins and ends with a rock-n-roll number, I highly recommend this (Rated PG-13.)

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