'Chico & Rita,' 'Detachment' films worth viewing
Looking for a movie to rent? Four new releases hit stores and movie kiosks this week, including "The Cabin in the Woods," a meta comedy/thriller; "Chico & Rita," a Spanish animated film following the love between a musician and a singer; "Detachment," a drama about the failing American education system; and "Oslo, August 31st," a sobering look at a day in the life of a recovering drug addict. Here's why you should either check them out or avoid them.
'The Cabin in the Woods"
"The Cabin in the Woods" is not a horror movie but rather a comedy/thriller about horror movies. While I love horror movies, they rarely scare me. I highly doubt anyone would have nightmares after watching this movie, and that's one of the reasons I was disappointed with it. Joss Whedon (creator of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Firefly") co-wrote the film with director Drew Goddard (Whedon's co-writer on "Buffy" and writer of "Cloverfield"). The movie's purposely worn-out plot has a group of five attractive 20-somethings driving to a cabin in the woods. From the very beginning, the audience knows the characters are being viewed and manipulated by a "Truman Show"-esque control center led by Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford. All manner of horror can be unleashed within the cabin; different objects are possessed or haunted, and the young folks unwittingly choose their own method of demise (e.g., zombies, masked serial killer). Toward the end of the movie, a larger reason is given for their fates and the barbaric events.
The movie has gotten good reviews by many critics, but I felt that "Scream" had done this sort of thing in a wittier and scarier manner 15 years ago. The movie is also clearly influenced by the wonderful "Evil Dead" films and the horrible "Friday the 13th" flicks. Those two series are low-budget affairs. "Cabin" suffers because it's big and loud and doesn't even deliver much of the good ol' blood and guts. While "Scream" was a satire, it was clearly a horror movie, too. The emphasis on laughs over scares and blood makes "Cabin" seem almost disrespectful to the horror genre its makers seemingly love. Everyone — especially horror fans — knows that slasher and cabin-in-the-woods movies are inherently cliched, but what's the point of this movie? The whole surveillance aspect adds nothing. I just found the basic premise rather stupid and felt it ultimately fails because it's clever for the sake of being clever.
"Chico & Rita"
"Chico & Rita" is a beautifully animated Spanish film that follows the lives of Chico, a pianist and songwriter, and Rita, a singer, around the world through the 1940s and '50s, starting in Havana, Cuba, and traveling to New York City, Paris and Hollywood. The animation captures the times and cities in a magical way, and the music fills the film with life and energy that accentuates the passion the lead characters have for each other. This love story is more human and sensual than many recent live action films. Although it's animated, this film is not appropriate for young children. It features nudity and some mild adult language.
"Detachment"
"Detachment" is only the second dramatic feature released by director Tony Kaye ("American History X"). Like his first film, "Detachment" is full-on and deadly serious. Adrien Brody stars as a substitute teacher who intentionally goes from school to school, not wanting to stay in one place very long. At the beginning of the film, he lands a job at a rundown high school full of teachers and administrators who have given up trying due to budget cuts, the students' behavior and the overall state of the education system. The stellar cast members (Marcia Gay Harden, James Caan, Christina Hendricks, Lucy Liu, Blythe Danner and Tim Blake Nelson) spend much of the film screaming their frustration and anger in impassioned speeches. This isn't a feel-good, teacher-comes-to-inspire-his-students film. The film might not have the answers to its problems, but the actors make a stirring plea for improvement.
"Oslo, August 31st"
"Oslo, August 31st" is a small, powerful Norwegian drama. It's not flashy or didactic, but rather assured and contemplative. It follows one day in the life of Anders, a recovering drug addict who has just been released from a rehabilitation clinic, as he visits friends and family and goes to a job interview. The film is very loosely based on Pierre Drieu La Rochelle's short novel "Le Feu Follet" about an alcoholic, which was made into a 1963 film by Louis Malle. Like "The Kid with a Bike," also one of the best films so far this year, "Oslo" is about people and everyday life, not plot. Both films simply show the characters' actions and choices and leave it up to the audience to make meaning of them. So many films these days have a lot happening in them plotwise and actionwise, but, in the end, say nothing. In some ways, "Oslo" does not have a lot happening in it, but in the ways that matter, it says more than most films.