Hey, folks. Capone in Chicago here, with a couple of films that are making their way into art houses or coming out in limited release around America this week (maybe even taking up one whole screen at a multiplex near you). Do your part to support these films, or at least the good ones…
ATTACK THE BLOCK
I'm not sure there's much I can add to the discussion concerning this impressive debut from writer-director Joe Cornish about a group of British inner-city kids defending themselves and their housing project from invading alien monsters with lots of teeth the like to bite people. Like all great science-fiction, ATTACK THE BLOCK isn't just about aliens; its has a very blatant narrative thread about how these kinds of kids are portrayed in the British press, and how they are a product of broken homes and a lot of time on their hands. But Cornish doesn't glorify these kids; he portrays them as thugs. The film opens with them mugging a woman at knifepoint while wearing masks. Later in the film, when they stumble upon this same woman, it is they who need help, and they must come to grips with what they've done and struggle to make amends. When the kids find out she lives on the block, they say they would never have robbed her if they'd known, a statement that is cold comfort for their victim.
But much like this week's other release COWBOYS & ALIENS, ATTACK THE BLOCK is also a kick-ass monster movie that succeeds in scaring the hell out of you, while you consider the bigger sociological picture. And the aliens in this thing are fucking scary, kind of like huge black dogs crossed with gorillas, almost featureless other than their multiple rows of glowing teeth. And they are relentless in their pursuit as they seem to target these kids for reasons we're not quite sure of for much of the film.
Stand-out performances come from the mugging victim/nurse Jodie Whittaker, who is allowed that rare opportunity to unleash her anger at her attackers; John Boyega as Moses, the leader of the kids and a strong, silent type who is both wise beyond his years and still very much a child; and, of course, Nick Frost as Ron, the building's pot grower and resident voice of reason. One of my favorite elements of ATTACK THE BLOCK is the portrayal of the kids in two distinct lights: one as tough-talking street punks and the other as youngsters who still answer to their parents and grandparents, and still play with toys and sleep in Spider-Man sheets. It adds an air of sadness to their lives to think that these kids don't often get to be kids, but that also gives the film strength and perspective.
ATTACK THE BLOCK succeeds on every level, as comedy, tragedy, and horror story. And I firmly believe that if you don't go and see this film in a theater with crowd full of like-minded sci-fi/horror fans, then you aren't really seeing it at all. No other film that has come out this year has as much unstoppable energy (seriously, the monsters never stop charging forward) or plain, old-fashioned guts as this one. Don't be afraid of the accents; save your fear for the aliens. ATTACK THE BLOCK opens in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Austin, and Toronto this weekend, and hopefully will expand exponentially soon thereafter. Get to it. Trust!
ANOTHER EARTH
Of all of the films opening this week, ANOTHER EARTH might be the toughest to explain, both in terms of the plot and how I felt about it. So I should probably start by saying that of all the films opening this week, this is the one I still think about in terms of big-picture implications and the ideas and concepts put forth in its micro-budget frame. In many ways, it's a simply story of Rhoda (played by the film's co-writer Brit Marling) attempting to somehow right a wrong she committed many years earlier. She knows she can't actually fix what she broke, but she still wants to help the person she most wronged by her recklessness. That person's name is John (William Mapother), and four years earlier Rhoda accidentally killed his pregnant wife and child.
The accident was indirectly caused by the discovery in space of a planet coming closer and closer to earth, a planet that looks like an exact duplicate of earth, and that forces people on this planet to contemplate the idea that there may be life forms on "Earth 2" or perhaps even exact duplicates of us. ANOTHER EARTH certainly begins life with a science-fiction backdrop, but when Rhoda is released from prison, the story turns into a very moving human drama. She takes a job as a school janitor and seems intent on living off the radar, but it turns out she's biding her time to build up the courage to visit John. Since he was in a coma for months after the accident and she went to jail before he came out of it, John doesn't actually know what Rhoda looks like.
Rhoda pretends to be working for a maid service visiting homes in the neighborhood offering free cleanings as a promotion. John allows her to clean and invites her back because he likes her company as a means of breaking out of his depressive cocoon. But as their romance seems to take root, other things are happening regarding Earth 2, and suddenly the very real possibility that versions of ourselves exist. Rhoda become intrigued with the idea of her other self not making the same mistakes she did four years ago, and as a result, she enters a contest to be the first civilian to travel to the newly discovered world.
ANOTHER EARTH, directed by co-writer Mike Cahill, is not a movie that answers nearly as many questions as it posses, and that's perfectly alright. It's film that asks big questions, and demands of us that we contemplate the countless answers. Please be aware that there is nothing wrong with a movie making you think, but ANOTHER EARTH also has a bit of intrigue and mystery to it, making it quite engrossing and often entertaining. On top of that, the love story feels organic and natural; the pair don't connect instantly, and the film allows the relationship to grow at its own pace. But above all else, this movie allows us to wonder what it might be like to meet (or confront) a version of ourselves who may have made different choices and taken a different road.
All of this being said, I think Marling's other new film (as both actress and co-writer), SOUND OF MY VOICE (hopefully coming out later this year), is the better work. And I can't wait for a chance to see that one again. Marling's acting style is very natural; she's not playing to the camera--in fact in the film's crucial final scene, we don't even see her face at a moment when we desperately want to. She's naturally beautiful, sure, but there's something lost and agonizing behind her eyes in ANOTHER EARTH, the same way there's something ruthless and controlling about her in SOUND OF MY VOICE. You will absolutely be seeing her for many years to come, and you can start by seeing her this weekend.
-- Capone
capone@aintitcool.com
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