"Enough Said", Is All about Chemistry

Enough Said

You already know of my personal crusade against films "about nothing". So I'll be clear from the very first sentence. Huge thanks to Nicole Holofcener for making movies about "regular people", with credible situations and feelings. The script (in this case written by Holofcener herself), I will always defend is all about the script. And the actors involved in transforming words and ideas into "flesh & bones" characters.  

"Enough Said" might qualify as a romantic comedy, and indeed some little twists here and there, plus its finale, which might be too much of a slight turn into bland, pleasant territory that "mainstream rom-coms" are exploiting ad nauseam. But this is a movie so full of honesty, solid acting and enduring charms the aforementioned little flaws become almost incidental. 

It's all about second chances, real (and therefore complex) people and their emotional fears. It's all about mature love, something that Hollywood tends to either neglect completely or transform into an extremely silly type of film. Holofcener devotes a wonderful amount of time in dissecting her main characters without failing into too narrative ventures, so Eva (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and Albert (James Gandolfini, forever missed) are so well defined their little manias, actions and habits say enough about them. The things that are left unsaid are also there, and any viewer willing to watch the film will recognize them. This idiotic and schizo society tries to make us invulnerable, but we are (fortunately) "fragile things". Because we have feelings, and getting hurt is so frightening. "Enough Said" exposes that ugly truth with a surprising, defiant naturalness. And humour.

It might be true the subplots of the film are somewhat flawed. Marianne (played by infallible Catherine Keener) is too one-dimensional, but I guess it might just serve to counterpoint Eva's attitude towards life and love. Same can be said about Sarah (Toni Collette) and Will (Ben Falcone), Eva's closest friends and a couple always in a quite funny (and surreal) conflict and the daughters subplots (James and Eva have both daughters) might have some more poignancy, as involves some more interesting characters (also a curiosity, Tess, James' daughter, is played by Bono's daughter, Eve Hewson) but they also remain a bit blurred, being there just for the purpose of completing the detailed picture of James and Eva.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus and James Gandolfini are excellent in their performances as Eva and Albert, making every bit of their relationship so credible and endearing. I guess the combination of great script plus great actors still gets the job done (let's hope someone in Hollywood listens). They both carry the weight of their pasts, the failed marriages, the challenges with the growing daughters about to become fully independent (the "empty nest" syndrome) and, foremost, the clash between their life as independent individuals and the chance of being with someone again. The chemistry between the actors is undeniable and every time they share the screen the movie goes way beyond your average, light-hearted comedy. Here's a heart.

And chemistry is precisely the key, the message of the film. You have to risk yourself, defeat your understandable fears, when romance appears. That Holofcener uses a trick (no spoiling) to make Eva decide between the information about James she gathers from an unbeatable source and her own feelings is just a comedic resource. But also an interesting one about perception, misjudgements and excuses: all blatant examples of our human weaknesses. At the end the wise director makes a clear bet, but without a happy ending guarantee. Will it work? Who knows, but it's worth trying. Like Woody Allen would say (check his masterpieces "Annie Hall" and "Manhattan" if you like this film). We (still) need the eggs.

SCORE: 7,25/10

Close-up with Camera Obscura in San Francisco!

Our first gig in the West Coast had to be a very special one!

Camera Obscura (+ Photo Ops). Regency Ballroom, San Francisco, June 19th 

Tracyanne Campbell and her little bird.
Photo: Bloodbuzzed

Walking around San Francisco the whole day was an exciting, but also pretty demanding (oh, these criminal ups & downs, crazy crazy streets) experience, so it's true we arrived to The Regency Ballroom exhausted, probably not in the best mood to attend a gig.

Support act Photo Ops didn't help changing that feeling. Nothing wrong with Terry Price's songs, which we are sure will get a different and richer dimension with his full band, or with his performance, full of intensity and emotion, but the acoustic singer-songwriter approach let us down. Add the terribly disrespectful attitude of the crowd, who couldn't care less about him, and the result was clear: the first gig of the night was ruined for us.

With a slight delay that made us even worry more, Camera Obscura finally took the stage. By then, the venue was completely packed and we soon realise we didn't need to panic at all, as positive surprises were about to come. First, the annoying, never-ending chat of people disappear completely. Is that a trademark of gigs behaviour in America? Or just in San Francisco? It was terribly unfair with the support act, but amazingly respectful and supportive with the main act. The second, of course, was the venue itself. Great sounding.

Camera Obscura in action
Photo: Bloodbuzzed

With these elements and a band like Camera Obscura on stage, the concert was bound to be a good one. And it was. Despite focusing heavily (half of the setlist) on their new material from "Desire Lines" the show didn't have any downs, and tunes like "Troublemaker", the shiny "New Year's Resolution" or "Break It to You Gently" were among the highlights of the night. Even the country-tingled "Desire Lines", not my favourite number, sounded lush and captivating live.  

More Ms. Campbell live
Photo: Bloodbuzzed

There was time for some classics too, of course, to much delight of the enthusiastic audience. "Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken", "Let's Get Out of This Country", the wonderful rescue of "Teenager" or "Come Back Margaret", chosen to close the gig before the encore after 14 tunes. But even the more upbeat and recognisable numbers weren't enough to change the dreamy, laid-back, intimate mood the night had.

As a matter of fact, even the encore started with an odd one, "James", a choice made as the band's particular homage to the superb actor James Gandolfini, sadly deceased that day. It's somber tone created an unexpected link with final tune "Razzle Dazzle Rose", mournful and epic. Not even the irresistible "French Navy", a cheerful indiepop masterpiece, was capable to ignite the room the way gigs are supposed to do. Not that Camera Obscura was looking to do that.

Close-up with Tracyanne
Photo: Bloodbuzzed

I understand that a night like Wednesday, a casual fan, or someone without much knowledge on the Scottish group could have left the venue a bit disappointed. In that sense I admit that, for example, May's gig at Primavera Sound 2013 could had been more engaging. But all I can say is that the night was a genuine pleasure for devoted fans (like me). Tracyanne Campbell might not be the most crowd-pleasing, energetic frontwoman my eyes have ever seen. But what a singer-performer she is. Camera Obscura tunes are subtle pills of indiepop perfection, performed brilliantly by a band always looking to offer these little moments of (a trumpet, a triangle, a quirky percussion, an unforgettable keyboard chord) uniqueness. But is Campbell's voice who propels them to another level. What a delight to hear her at the very front row with an immaculate sound all show. What a blessing enjoying Camera Obscura's music that close.

"Killing Them Softly", capitalism or death

Killing Them Softly

Yeah, I know, the title of the post is pretty bizarre for what it looks like another neo-noir thriller. Noir thrillers are not odd, they usually use (overuse I dare to say) some very determined and classical pattern with slight or more radical ("state-of-the-art", "cool" are also words that come to my mind) visual variations, putting style ahead of substance. But "Kiling Them Softly" is different. Is the first "capitalist thriller" I have ever seen. You must be thinking, what the hell is a capitalist thriller? Let me try to explain myself.

"Killing Them Softly" is, on the surface, a pure thriller dealing with the criminal world. An using a recurrent topic/premise: what in the mafia jargon is called a "contract".  Jackie Cogan is an enforcer recruited to solve a situation (meaning killing the responsible) created by three guys who robbed at a mob protected card game. But the unsurprising, common ground of the premise quickly reveals much more.

It is obvious, since almost the beginning the movie is not really interested on the robbers. They are amateurs and pretty dumb (one of them just a scum), therefore fated to a dramatic end. But director Andrew Dominik adapting George V.Higgins' novel "Cogan's Trade", want to talk about something much more bigger than a crazy robbery. They use that scenario as a metaphor of capitalism, with the United States as the evident background. Well, maybe I should rephrase this paragraph, maybe this is about a crazy robbery after all. The biggest, most despicable and crazy robbery mankind is suffering.

What Jackie Cogan is paid to do is not eliminating three stupid guys, but restore the collapsed local criminal economy. Cogan and the unnamed driver with whom he has the arrangements discuss about murders, but mostly about economy (every dollar counts, more in this choking economic crisis context) and the "public image" that has to be rebuilt. Their capitalist structure, the status quo, has to be preserved by all means. Does it sound familiar to you? It does.

In that context, violence is just a tool, another mean to reach the desired end. Cogan, portrayed with a disarming naturalness by Brad Pitt, could be a gangster, but also the perfect public relations. The film has some violent  scenes, not many, but is mostly a movie about conversations. Criminals wearing suits and ties talking about the needed steps to be taken. Did I hear bankers and politicians? The driver, played by the always perfect Richard Jenkins is an accountant, that's for sure, and you'll see Obama too many times on the screen to just think is a coincidence. Remember than words can also be weapons.

Unfortunately, "Killing Them Softly" somewhat fails as a movie. It has a peculiar, off-beat pace that harms its dynamism. Without it, some scenes seem to be there to make fun, a peculiar, deadpan humour that is, but they don't mix that well as a whole. And to my understanding, director Andrew Dominik makes terrible mistakes of presenting several relevant elements in its narration to abandon them later on. Mickey's character (another great performance by James Gandolfini) and Dillon's ghostly role are the two most blatant examples. It was just a (bad) editing choice? It might be the first film in ages in which I have the feeling the movie is too short... for what it wants to say.

Capitalism or death. But let's try your murder to be as delicate as possible.... Damn it again, doesn't sound familiar to you? Failed movie, but brave, risky, smart, well acted and thought-provoking.

SCORE: 6,5/10