Julianne Moore

Still Alice (PG-13)

8 Stars

“Movies are mechanisms of empathy,” Roger Ebert didn’t quite say.

But this reviewer prefers the misquoted diction (provided by Anderson Cowan of The Film Vault.)

When one asks, “Why watch Still Alice when it’s only going to depress me?”

There’s only one legitimate response.

“It’s a mechanism of empathy, dawg.”

Channeling an experiential river flow, the narrative spins the neurological waterwheel.

Did I want to watch Still Al? No.

Am I a smarter/better person following the experience? Absolutely.

The purely objective form of personal growth? The viewer’s exponentially more fluent in the Alzheimer’s realm of modern medicine.

The subjective forms? For one: The priceless merit of seeing a well-crafted, timely motion picture.

Two: If your torso’s peppered with shurikens, I’d hope it wouldn’t come as a complete surprise.

Likewise, if my demise arrives on a tidal wave of death stars, what’s to stop me from running around in a circle and screaming obscenities until the official end?

Maximizing (rather than minimizing) the agony of my unexpected affliction.

Catch my drift, proverbial reader?

Still Alice is profoundly sad, but not ‘depressing.’

‘Depressing’ connotes a residual effect; a lasting (potentially irrevocable) alteration of your emotional state.

I discourage this aversion toward cinematic tragedy. My top three films of all time (Platoon, Raging Bull and Schindler’s List) belong in the downer category.

Tragedy often spotlights hidden profundities.

Still Alice is a heartwarming narrative obscured by the haze of Early Onset Alzheimer’s, a rare form of the disease. Symptoms typically begin showing in the early fifties.

At that precise moment, the viewer meets Alice and her family.

It’s tough, folks.

No sugarcoating it.

Expect to weep. More than once.

On a high note, it’s well shot, directed and edited. The writing’s crisp; the drama’s chilly and real.

Lead by an outstanding performance from one of the best actresses ever, Julianne Moore, the entire cast is fantastic.

Alec Baldwin’s excellence in a major supporting role comes as no surprise.

What (perhaps) defies expectation is an equally terrific piece of acting from Kristen Stewart.

This reviewer hopped aboard Kristen’s locomotive after Snow White and The Huntsman. That gal’s gotten a bum rap, despite some serious acting chops.

Anyhow. For an educational and moving experience, check out Still Alice.

It’s a top quality flick, featuring adept performances from a tight (but stellar) cast.

Should one find oneself sobbing mid-theater, cursing a favorite film reviewer’s name, try to remind oneself:

“It’s a mechanism of empathy, dawg.”

Feel that cognitive waterwheel aturnin’.

Don Jon (R)

9 Stars

Generally speaking, Sundance is not my gig.

Call me shallow, but I incline toward major motion pictures, or feature films.

I rarely watch documentaries or independents.

And I thought a movie about a guy addicted to pornography sounded gross and off-putting. But I should have known; Jo-Go would never let me down.

Don Jon’s a winner.

The narrative is timely, stylish and thought-provoking. It moves along at a brisk, enjoyable pace with a cast of relatable and compelling characters. Starring, written and directed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt (who’s been one of my favorites for years) this movie depicts a regular guy, dealing with regular issues. And it’s great!

This is not the type of movie you watch with your girlfriend, your parents or your grandparents. Or your grandkids, for that matter.

It’s almost cheating with the casting choices made for this film. Scarlett Johansson’s one of the top actresses working today, Tony Danza was such a radical (but perfect) choice to play his father, and Julianne Moore is great as always.

First of all, Scarlett’s role as Barbara Sugarman, is nothing short of fantastic. It really explores the mindset of a certain type of woman. She’s so aware of her sexiness that she truly believes she inhabits a higher class of humanity.

It’s been a helluva year for Scarlett. Let’s hope she keeps it up!

The stylistic touches are probably what make the movie soar. Each shot adds to the story, and it keeps the pacing crisp as well.

If you haven’t seen Don Jon, it’s worth the watch. It explores a lot of truths that some may interpret as a misogynistic tone. I applaud Joseph Gordon-Levitt for writing such an honest, cutting edge screenplay.

Now, watch out for spoilers below.

There is one point in the movie that he’s watching porn and is narrating his actions through voiceover. What’s fascinating is it breaks the fourth wall in a subtle way, because Scarlett catches him at that moment. She interrupts the voice-over narration of himself!

It’s a bit of a time paradox if you think about it.

There are bursts of joy at times, when certain events occur in the manner you hope they will. When the stylistic fireworks go off, and pieces start to fall into the right places, you feel a swelling of happiness. And I think that’s noteworthy, given the limited storytelling that’s going on in Don Jon.

I love Acts I and II but didn’t adore the ending.

I’m not sure why. The whole movie skips along at such a brisk pace, but I never really enjoy the time he spends with Julianne Moore. It’s all just so sad and pathetic. But it’s not terrible!

I just found it underwhelming.

That being said,  Don Jon’s enormously insightful, brilliantly shot, masterfully edited, well-acted and just a good story all around.

Good on ya, Joseph Gordon!