Children of Men (2006)

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!

And I thought Borat made my head spin.

At this stage in my movie-viewing life, the only comparison I have the sense of confusion, suspense and shock laid on by Children of Men is the storming of Normandy sequence in Saving Private Ryan. This movie is simply unrelenting. Just when you think things are working themselves out and order will be restored, director Alfonso Cuarón throws another monkey wrench into the works.

The film takes place 20 years in the future, where mankind has been subject to nearly two decades of infertility. No one knows how or why this came about, but it has wreaked havoc on the stability of nations and the global community itself. England has become a central destination for refugees from various nations, but is deporting as many illegal immigrants as possible in order to preserve the stability of their own faltering nation.

Clive Owen stars as Theo, who works a boring government job. He is approached by his activist ex-wife, played by Julianne Moore, who needs him to secure traveling papers for a young immigrant girl named Kee. Turns out she’s pregnant. The activist/revolutionary group Moore is involved with wants to get the girl to a group called the Human Project, who has been working to solve the infertility problem. They exist in secret and only communicate through a chain of messengers so complicated that no one is even sure if the group really exists, or where.

A few snags hit our merry band of wanderers along the way- they can’t trust the government because they’ll take Kee and use her for government propaganda purposes; the revolutionaries turn out to be just as bad, seeking to use Kee for pro-revolution propaganda; and then there’s the barrage of ambushes, murders, paranoia and fear jumping out from behind every corner and shadow.

Taking place in the future lends a slight science-fiction element to the story, but Cuarón doesn’t overdo it. All of the advanced technology is relatively believable, based on how quickly technology is changing and improving now. Apart from this, Children of Men is eerie because it feels so realistic, following its characters around with documentary style camerawork.

The visuals and sound are simply stunning. Everything is grimy and depressed where it needs to be, yet crisp and clean where appropriate. Cuarón really shows a mastery of filmmaking technique here and he is certainly one to watch out for in the future. Above all else that stands out in this film are the long, single-shot sequences. In case you’re not familiar with the term, it means an extended take where the camera does not cut away for over a minute or more. Children of Men features three distinct single-shot sequences- one is just over 3 minutes long, another lasts over 4 and the longest is nearly 8 minutes long!

Using these long takes adds to the suspense, because we don’t get to cut away and retreat to a safe-distanced long shot or jump ahead to the end of the situation. We are forced to follow Theo through the danger. We experience it with him, making us feel just as vulnerable as he does. It’s a very nerve-racking experience and helps make Children of Men a stunning piece of cinema.

I highly recommend that you see this film. It’s brutal and not for the faint of heart, but it is one I guarantee you will remember. I wanted to watch this film a second time before rating it, but I wasn’t able to. So for now, my rating is a temporary one until I can see it again, because I think that this film may deserve better.

RATING: 3.75 out of 5

Boogie Nights (1997)

Wildly weird, shamelessly indulgent and intentionally vulgar, Boogie Nights is director Paul Thomas Anderson’s second major motion picture, the first of his films he was truly happy with, and much, much more.

It seems as if it is a combination swan song and memoir for the “glory days” of pornographic films, while also being a dramatic, complex character study. Boogie Nights is first and foremost an ensemble film. Though his next film, Magnolia, would divvy up screen time more evenly among its cast, Boogie Nights remains largely focused on Eddie Adams (played by Mark Wahlberg) and his path in and out and back into the porno scene.

It’s the 70’s and Eddie wants desperately to become a porn star and he knows just the man to see. Burt Reynolds plays a deliciously shifty porn producer in what may be his best acting since Deliverance. In fact, the entire cast turns out tremendous performances. Each character really has depth to them (a testament to Anderson’s craft), experiencing joy, sorrow and anger. The only way to do this for all the major players in an ensemble film though is to make it long. Ticking in at just over 2 and a half hours, Boogie Nights may be more than some people can handle.

The film runs through Eddie’s foray into porn, the creation of his alter ego (Dirk Diggler) and his rise and fall through porn stardom in the 70’s and 80’s. The sleeze of the industry and the indulgence of the time period are expertly crafted and captured, leaving you feeling a little overwhelmed and unsure as to whether or not it’s okay to like the film.

But it is okay to like. A bit heavy handed and providing more detail than you would probably want, but it is certainly okay to like Boogie Nights.

(I will warn those who are on the prudish side that this film, being about porn, contains lots of sex and nudity and a healthy dose of language and violence- not for the faint at heart)

RATING: 3.5 out of 5