Prepare yourselves emotionally before diving into the “F.I.L.M. of the Week,” Clint Eastwood’s true-life story “Changeling.” You might remember the movie as a blip on your radar in 2008 for one of two reasons: Angelina Jolie or the Best Actress nomination that Angelina Jolie received for this movie. If you are one of Angelina’s detractors who argue that she’s good only for adopting babies and saving the world, you need to see this movie. I have yet to see “A Mighty Heart,” so I’m not in a position to classify it as her best work since “Girl, Interrupted.” However, it’s a reminder of why she has an Oscar sitting on her mantle.
Jolie takes on the persona of Christine Collins, a woman pushed to the brink in late 1920s Los Angeles. After the kidnapping of her son, the LAPD returns a boy who is supposedly her child in order to produce a positive headline for the department that had been marred by corruption. Christine knows instantly that the boy is not her son, and she demands that the investigation into her son’s disappearance continue. The police, not wanting to admit an error, dismisses her as crazy. She obtains credible letters supporting her story, but the police won’t tolerate her vocal criticism. They find a silencing method that evokes anger from people in high places, particularly a radio preacher, Gustav Briegleb (John Malkovich).
In the meantime, the police also uncover a series of horrifying acts committed by Gordon Northcott (Jason Butler Harner). The Northcott storyline may seem like a tangent at first, but it ties into Christine’s story in unexpected and brilliant ways. It also helps that Harner gives a startling and disturbing performance as the deranged criminal, one that has hauntingly remained with me since I have seen the movie. It’s unforgettable the way he mixes the calm surface with a tumultuous and unstable mind.
Jolie’s forceful and commanding presence is a major part of the success of “Changeling.” But it’s also director Clint Eastwood, who portrays these horrifying events with realism mixed with a comforting sensitivity. A very delicate balance had to be struck to be able to really digest this movie, and Eastwood found it. However, even with this approach, it doesn’t change the fact that this is an absolutely brutal and heavy movie. It may not be for you if you cannot handle disturbing depiction of atrocities, including ones committed on children.
Fun fact: this movie isn’t based on a true story. It is a true story. Screenwriter J. Michael Straczynski took all of the movie based on evidence that can be corroborated by documents. Thus, what we see on the screen is as close to what actually happened in “the strange case of Christine Collins” (an original title of the movie) is as close as Hollywood can ever show us.
I’ve heard from many smart movie speculators that “Changeling” is a film that was met with a mild reception but will eventually be embraced as a truly great movie. I wholeheartedly espouse this belief, and I have been convinced that this is one of the most emotionally powerful movies that I have ever seen since I first saw it in 2008. As for you, why wait until the rest of the world discovers it? See it now and say you knew about it before it became so popular.
Opening today in theaters is the latest “A Nightmare on Elm Street” movie, which will surely provide the same old horror movie shenanigans. But why settle? You want to see a movie that can scare you in new and unexpected ways. Michael Haneke’s “Funny Games” is a different kind of horror, and it proves to be absolutely terrifying.
The “F.I.L.M. of the Week” exposé of some unconventional animated movies wraps up this week with a look at “Persepolis,” the film adaptation of Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel of the same name. It’s a very different kind of coming-of-age story, mainly because the struggles of growing up are only magnified by the struggle of a country to find stability.
For the first time in its illustrious 33 week history, the “F.I.L.M. of the Week” column will have a two-part thematic series! In other words, this week is the first of two “F.I.L.M. of the Week” articles that ties into a common theme.
Those of you who read this blog in December and January know that I’m kind of obsessed with the work of director Jason Reitman. While doing some research on him, I came across some of his cinematic influences. One of the filmmakers he lists is Alexander Payne. I had seen one of Payne’s movies, “Election,” but I decided that I needed to further explore. “Sideways” was good, but it’s not something people my age are supposed to get. The movie that really struck me was “About Schmidt,” so much in fact that I even decided to call it my “F.I.L.M. of the Week.” (And just for the sake of the occasional refresher, the acronym stands for First-Class, Independent Little-Known Movie.)
I remember waking up the morning after the Oscars in 2003 and looking at the winners in the paper (because at that point, my parents wouldn’t let me stay up to watch the whole show) and wondering what on earth “Talk to Her” was. Pedro Almodóvar’s Spanish-language film had taken the Best Original Screenplay category away from a movie that I loved very dearly at the time, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.” Seven years later, I finally found out what it was that I had been missing – and now it is my “F.I.L.M. of the Week.”
It’s been a long time since I have been so enthusiastic about presenting a movie as the “F.I.L.M. of the Week.”
I set a lofty goal to see every Academy Award-nominated performance of the ’00s by the final ceremony of the decade. I’m not going to reach this goal, but along the way, I have seen some great movies and great acting. This week’s “F.I.L.M.” (First-Class, Independent Little-Known Movie – refresher on the acronym), “The Contender,” is one of those movies.
The “F.I.L.M of the Week” is not independent, just to get that out of the way. “North Country” is, however, first-rate. The movie’s critics will probably say, “Haven’t I seen this movie before? Oh, right, every two hours on Lifetime and Hallmark channels!” To them, I say – yeah, maybe a little bit. Sure, it doesn’t stray too far from the stock story of courage in the face of terrible circumstances. But it has a tremendous power which can make you forgive the formulaic nature of the movie.
The “F.I.L.M. of the Week” series has been on hiatus for two weeks, and I want it to return with a big bang. Thus, I chose a movie that ranks among the most well-executed dramas I have ever seen. Even though it was recognized at the Oscars for its excellence, you probably haven’t seen it just because it isn’t in the English language. This movie is “The Lives of Others,” and don’t let the subtitles scare you.
Marshall and the Movies 
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