REVIEW: W. (O. Stone, 2008) and Coraline (H. Selick, 2009)

REVIEW: W. (O. Stone, 2008) and Coraline (H. Selick, 2009)

W.- *½/****

A Toneless Mess

Oliver Stone’s W. is an oddity. There’s no other word for it. In attempting to provide psychological commentary on the presidency of George W. Bush, it forgets the simple cinematic basics of story, structure and character. The tone of the film is nearly non existent, leaving its admirable cast of actors on shaky ground without a leg to stand on.

Stone juxtaposes the rise of “Dubya” (played by Josh Brolin) with his decision to begin the current Iraq War. In displaying Bush’s journey from frat boy to drunk to born again AA member to leader of the free world, Stone has enough material to create a wicked absurdist satire, or compelling political theater. However, Stone seems hell-bent on making a film that remains neutral toward the forty- third President, giving him the ability to say things like, “It will contain surprises for Bush supporters and his detractors.”

Well, yes, I was surprised indeed. Surprised that the man who’s made films as vibrant and lively as JFK and Natural Born Killers, as somber and emotional as Platoon or Born on the Fourth of July has rendered this film completely dull and lifeless.

Perhaps Stone isn’t completely to blame. Stanley Weiser’s script, bland and talky in the worst possible way, contains figures instead of characters, and when put into scenes these figure say exactly what should be shown in outlets other than dialog removing any hope for subtlety.

I do know this, the film’s failure is certainly not the fault of the cast which includes actors as esteemed as Richard Dreyfuss and Ellen Burstyn. By and large (with the exception of Thandie Newton’s dreadful aping of Condoleezza Rice) the cast excels at inhabiting the situation. This is especially true for Brolin who’s performance is so complete and convincing that it overshadows the entire film and underlines the numerous flaws. Beyond physical inhabitation and imitation, Brolin’s performance shows a deep understanding of Dubya as a man, I wish I could say the same about the film.

Coraline- ****/****

A Wonderous Visual Feat!

It is ironic that I found a more satisfying experience in terms of pure storytelling craft in a (supposed) children’s film, than I did in W. Henry Selick’s Coraline is a dark, stop motion fantasia. The film’s roots can be traced back to the fairy tales of the brothers Grimm and the works of Lewis Carroll (as a reconstruction of the fairy tale it recalls the wonderful Pan‘s Labyrinth), fine company indeed. By essentially reworking Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the film begins with a predictable premise, but creates two separate worlds that are presented in enchanting 3-D.

Coraline Jones is a young girl who has recently moved to the Pink Palace, an apartment house inhabited by wild characters. However, Coraline is a bitter little girl, who is constantly feeling ignored by her workaholic parents. While exploring her new house, Coraline encounters a mysterious door leading to an alternate world, where everyone Coraline knows is changed to fit Coraline’s image of what they should be. However this quasi- Utopia is revealed to be a much more sinister place than Coraline first thought.

Make no mistake, this film belongs to director Henry Selick, who has wrought not one, but two fascinatingly designed worlds, and as the film drives forward Selick continually ups the visual ante, making even the most tired clichés breathe with vibrant, rich life. This is a film with visual wonders to nourish the eye, visuals that follow the story all the way with its darkest implications.

Some have taken the film’s script to task. Indeed, Coraline may have benefited from the touch of a writer strong enough to match Selick’s visual artistry, but as it stands Coraline is competently written, or at least written well enough to render the script a non-issue.

When it comes down to it, this is a visual film, as most animated features are. In its own plucky way Coraline is as great an achievement as Pixar’s Wall-E. Some have complained that the film could lose ten to fifteen minutes, but I disagree. This is a film that I wish was lengthened, allowing this world to be presented without the machinations of plot. I want to be immersed in these worlds, even as the darkness inches closer.