The Imposter

The Imposter (2012)

SPOILERS APLENTY

A 13-year-old boy disappears. Three years later a 23-year-old (Frédéric Bourdin) assumes his identity, despite looking nothing like him (and having a French accent!), and the boy’s family seems to buy the ruse.

The director does a good job of manipulating the audience, skillfully weaving in re-enactments, and the people involved are undeniably intriguing.

However, this feels as though the filmmakers came upon a great story, but realized it wouldn’t take long to tell, so they padded it out to feature length. The movie spins its wheels for the first half, diluting its narrative by dealing with unnecessary minutia. It’s important for the audience to spend some time with the subjects in order to have a better understanding of their unusual behaviour, but quite a bit could have been cut out of the film.

Near the end, the movie raises the possibility that the missing boy was killed by his family. This is an especially unseemly accusation coming from Bourdin, a sociopath – and habitual liar – who was welcomed by said family and who took advantage of their grief. An FBI agent and a local investigator have similar suspicions. The main reason for this conjecture is that they see it as the only reason the family would accept Bourdin as their son. This is, to put it mildly, a weak basis for such allegations, especially after the film has built such a strong case that the reason they believed he was their son was because they very badly wanted to believe it. Considering this thread ends up leading nowhere, why does the movie grant it so much weight? The most likely answer is that the filmmakers were motivated by a desire to artificially inject some sensationalism into the proceedings, reality show-style, and to appropriate the ambiguity of other, far superior documentaries such as Capturing the Friedmans. While it was important to include this aspect of the case, the way it’s presented takes away from the central subject of the film, which remains a fascinating case of confirmation bias.

 

Drive

Drive (2011)

A professional driver who uses his skills both for movie stunts and as a getaway driver falls in love with his neighbour and subsequently becomes entangled with some dangerous characters. Atmospheric, very stylish thriller is as minimalist, cool, and calculated as its protagonist’s demeanor.

Chronicle

Chronicle (2012)

Three high school seniors gain superpowers after being exposed to a strange object from space. The script is heavy-handed and the plot somewhat predictible, but the premise is a compelling one, and the movie is well-made and entertaining from start to finish. The characters’ powers allow the filmmakers to add some style to the usual found-footage visuals.

Melancholia

Melancholia (2011)

an accurate visualization of depression

A woman’s depression threatens to ruin her wedding reception. A planet is on a collision course with Earth. Writer-director Lars von Trier uses the second of these two apparently unconnected plotlines to illuminate the first, sketching a vivid, insightful, at times wrenching portrait of the titular ailment along the way. He is abetted by the actors’ heartfelt performances. The whole movie is beautiful to look at, especially the stunning opening montage of painterly super-slow motion images.

The Apple

The Apple (1980)

A devilish impressario tries to tempt a singing duo in the far future of 1994. The plot is boilerplate but it nonetheless carries you through this insane, imaginative parade of camp. The elaborate musical numbers and outlandish costumes and decor will keep you entertained right up to the loony ending.

L’avventura

L’avventura (1960)

A woman mysteriously disappears, and her friend and her boyfriend have an affair while looking for her. Intriguing at first, but starts to drag about halfway through as the narrative meanders. The images are artfully composed.

coin nirvana

Cash in your coins here. And have an orgasm, apparently.

Black Christmas (1974)

Black Christmas (1974)

Someone is hiding in a sorority house over the Christmas break and killing its inhabitants. This suspenseful, sometimes rudely funny movie is unusually substantial for the slasher genre (which it more or less kicked off). The filmmakers obviously put care and thought into the performances, cinematography, and atmosphere, and the movie gains power by leaving things unexplained. The murderer is disturbingly tortured, as evidenced by his very creepy phone calls. The only real misstep is the half-hearted, unconvincing attempt to pin the murders on one of the main characters.

Skyfall

Skyfall (2012)

Someone is targetting James Bond’s secret service agency, and seems to have a personal grudge against M. This 007 film provides the expected thrills and suspense, but it also benefits from an unpredictible plot and stylish cinematography. Javier Bardem makes a believably unhinged villain. In honour of the 50th anniversary of the first Bond movie, Skyfall features several fun moments meant to pay homage to the older installments, such as a henchman reminiscent of Oddjob, and a gadget-outfitted Aston Martin (accompanied by the classic Bond theme on the soundtrack). However, the dialogue, perhaps attempting to recall the double-entendres of the Connery/Moore-era films, comes off as clunky when it tries to be clever.

Exit Through the Gift Shop

Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010)

This documentary by street artist Banksy follows Thierry Guetta as he evolves from obsessive videographer to artistic sell-out. The film captivates by gradually unfurling its subject’s transformation in a way that feels natural, mimics the unpredictibility of life, and at the same time illustrates the pitfalls of confusing art with the trappings of popularity.