Reviews

September 16, 2010: Film Review: The Town

There was plenty of pomp and circumstance at Fenway Park last night, and it had nothing to do with the Boston Red Sox. On a colossal screen under the moonlight, Ben Affleck premiered his new film The Town. All the stars made it to the event, in the sky and in the seats. Ben was most gracious as all the normal movie frills were complimentary, including a special Town blanket in case the Fenway wind acted up. I am not surprised by Mr. Affleck’s graciousness. I did spend ten weeks with him filming his new action yarn, and I can tell you he was a gentleman and professional throughout the entire production.

This was Ben’s sophomore project in the director’s chair; he also played the lead opposite of Rebecca Hall. She played Claire his love interest, and was absolutely phenomenal. Doug, (Affleck) a Charlestown bank robber has fallen in love with Claire, (Hall) the bank manager at the first heist. This does make for a sticky situation that does not sit well with one of his cohorts played by Jeremy Renner.

It is always difficult to date an eyewitness, who can send you to jail for life. Doug does his best to balance this relationship, keep her safe and still manage to stay one step ahead of FBI Agent Frawley (Jon Hamm). While working on this film I questioned the heist movie and the love story coming together, but in the final edit Ben delivers a solid product, with good drama that is blended with a nice dose of humor and several well directed, slick, fast moving action scenes.

The Town was filmed all over Massachusetts, from Charlestown to Walpole and many points in between. I enjoyed this movie and I suspect the box office will back me up. I believe Ben has a winner here. This one is definitely worth checking out in the theater.

September 29, 2010: Film review: The Marriage of Maria Braun (1979)

The Marriage of Maria Braun is one of the greatest films of the 20th century. Rainer Werner Fassbinder directed this classic film, which easily stands the test of time. The movie is set in Germany and opens at the end of World War II, where we find Maria (Hanna Schygulla) and Hermann (Klaus Löwitsch) tying the knot under enemy attack.

Fassbinder is a master craftsman, every nuance, camera move, piece of wardrobe, prop and beam of light is calculated. He uses all the tools at his disposal to tell and move the story. At the center of the film are the estranged couple, who were separated right after their marriage. Herman was assumed dead somewhere on the Russian front and Maria is forced to move on. Of course Hermann is not dead and comes back.

This is not just a story of Maria and Herman. This is a story of postwar Germany, its attempt to move on, to deal with, or forget the past and adapt to the present. It is heavily layered with symbolism of postwar Germany and Fassbinder’s own life, who is born in 1945 and pushed into a crumbling society.

Hanna Schygulla’s performance is nothing less than stellar, an excellent actress, who commands the screen with her beauty and grace. Maria Braun goes through many hardships, but is determined to survive and somehow hold her marriage together given the most bizarre circumstances. Ms. Schygulla does a great job taking the character through her many changes.

I found the ending most interesting because it is left somewhat ambiguous. When every frame and sound is measured to the utmost degree there can only be a reason for such ambiguity. Fassbinder wants us to have some thought about it ourselves. If you haven’t seen The Marriage of Maria Braun, it’s about time.