Movie Review - Catfish

Director: Ariel Schulman
Starring: Yaniv Schulman, Angela Wesselman 
Year: 2010

Here's a riddle; when is a documentary not a documentary? The answer may be too simple to explain Catfish, a twisted documentary that follows none of the standard rules. There is an ongoing debate as to the authenticity of this unique film, but no evidence exists to disprove the creators' claim that everything we see is reality, even when it's too unreal to accept.

Two young filmmakers, Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost, created this documentary in order to comment on the growing world of social networks, online dating, and identity dysmorphia. They followed Ariel's brother, Yaniv, a talented photographer, as he began a relationship with a family of talented women who were fans of his work. With most of their communication via Facebook, Yaniv grows close to eight-year-old Abby and her older sister Megan. But when he attempts to learn more about this family, oddities begin to appear and doubts begin to surface.

It might not matter whether or not Catfish is real. A definite answer to that question wouldn't change its content, only its genre. It it still a gripping, interesting, and well-made film no matter how it is labeled. 'Nev' Schulman is an excellence actor and/or subject. He is believable, attractive, and easy to relate to. The film itself keeps the audience guessing while keeping it captivated as well. At the very least, it is one of the least boring documentaries that I have ever seen, even if it is not actually a documentary.

Perhaps these young movie buffs are on to something. Amateur film-making always comes off as so amateur. But this film, with its unique style, avoids this trap and somehow seems modern, edgy, and professional. So, when is a documentary not a documentary? When it is Catfish.

My rating: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰

Trailer - New Year's Eve

Director: Garry Marshall
Starring: Ashton Kutcher, Katherine Heigl, Zac Efron,
Jessica Biel, Hilary Swank, Josh Duhamel, Lea Michele,
Robert De Niro, Abigail Breslin, Alyssa Milano,
Michelle Pfeiffer, Sarah Jessica Parker, Halle Berry
Year: 2011

Adding eighty-seven B-list celebrities to your crappy movie will not make it better. Throwing in one or two washed-up A-listers in order to add a little credit to your crappy movie will, also, not make it better. Nothing could possibly make this hour and a half of cinematic vomit even remotely watchable.

Movie Review - Midnight in Paris

Director: Woody Allen
Starring: Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard
Year: 2011

Woody Allen is the ultimate one-man-band; his films work best when he directs himself. As shown in Annie Hall, Manhattan, and Hollywood Ending, he has the ability to make any scene brilliant, even when working alongside someone like Tea Leoni, one of the worst actresses in movie history. Unfortunately, Owen Wilson does not have that same ability. In Wedding Crashers, it was Vince Vaughn who made the movie funny. In Marley & Me, it was the golden retriever who made the movie touching. In Midnight in Paris, Wilson was left to his own devices, and, subsequently, was in over his head.

In modern day Paris, a wealthy, young couple, Wilson and McAdams (Mean Girls, The Notebook) are planning their upcoming marriage and enjoying the beautiful city. Fed up with his wife's stuffy parents, her pedantic friends, and his own writer's block, Wilson begins nightly forays through the streets of Paris, searching for inspiration for his first novel. What he finds there will both surprise and change him; as a writer, as a fiancee, and as a man.

Out of necessity, any summary of this movie must be both short and empty. Woody Allen has incorporated a surprise within the plot that, I for one, never saw coming. Not that there was an M. Night Shyamalan twist, but a surprise nonetheless. After adjusting to the change, I was finally able to critique what I was seeing, and I found it lacking. Allen lacked a directable star; Wilson just wasn't good enough to carry a fairly heavy emotional load. Wilson lacked a co-star; McAdams is a horrible actress and was never really called upon to do anything but look good and act bitchy. And the film itself lacked any believability; plot twist or no, there needed to be something real to relate to or to grasp onto to, and it just wasn't there.

There were a few positives. The beginning of the film was both beautiful and very funny. The music made the audience feel as if they were actually there in Paris. And Marion Cotillard and Adrien Brody, in a show-stealing cameo, were both quite good. However, the film as a whole felt incomplete. Woody Allen might be too old to star in his own movies anymore, but Owen Wilson was a very poor choice for a role that was obviously written for either Allen himself or a near clone. Casting Wilson and McAdams together had the sour taste of a Hollywood sell-out, and that's not what Woody Allen fans want. After Match Point, Scoop, Vicky Christina Barcelona, and now Midnight in Paris, we just want a good movie. But, hey, at least it was an improvement in one area; Scarlett Johansson wasn't in it.

My rating: ✰ ✰