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| George Clooney |
Welcome to Alternative to What: a weekly column that tries to find a great alternative to driving to the multiplexes. Based on releases of that week, the selections will either be thematically related or feature recurring cast and crew. The goal is to help you better understand the diversity of cinema and hopefully find you some favorites while saving a few bucks. At worse, this column will save you money. Expect each installment to come out on Fridays, unless specified.
THIS WEEK:
Hail, Caesar! (2016)
- Alternative To -
Cafe Society (2016)
There are a lot of rich themes in 2016 in cinema. For most, there's an overtly political bent to everything, from the over-patriotic Independence Day: Resurgence to even our kids cartoons with Zootopia. However, there is one trend that is a tale as old as time, and somehow is going to crop up a few times this year: the Holllywood system. There's a certain admiration for how cinema used to be made that has sparked filmmakers to tackle the system that made them what they are. In the case of this weekend's Cafe Society, director Woody Allen turns to early Hollywood through the eyes of a quirky writer who is mesmerized by the glitz and glamour. However, there's another film that has done a whole lot similar from someone of an almost equal caliber: The Coen Brothers.
A few months back, Hail Caesar! was released and marked Joel and Ethan Coen's latest film with George Clooney. However, it was more of an ensemble film that featured intertwining stories, a couple choreographed dance routines, and constant jumping through genres. Lead by Josh Brolin, it was a film that managed to literally turn the studio system into a religion, with Brolin basically playing an addict Jesus who veers through publicity and scandal with a certain ease. The story takes place through only a day, and its exploration of ideals are vast and impressive considering that there's no deliberate reference to familiar pop culture icons despite being a very familiar cast of characters.
The one issue that came with the film was that many mistook its nature as a farce. With trailers highlighting the straightforward madcap nature, most were disappointed that it wasn't more zany. It's a bit of a baffling statement when you realize that the film's comedy works on a far more subversive and intellectual level than Clooney's dimmed bulb character would have you believe. Yes, he is playing an archetype that we've seen before in O Brother Where Art Thou? and Burn After Reading. However, he's only a smaller piece to a bigger puzzle that also manages to feature future Han Solo actor Alden Ehrenreich in a breakout role that sees him doing rope tricks and trying to be a cowboy in a prestigious drama. The depth of the interlocking stories is in some respects incredible simply because of how intentionally disjointed scenes often feel.
It also helps that it's a deconstruction of the Hollywood system at its core. There's constant angles that reflect the line between fact (the studio set) and fiction (the film). It always challenges the viewer, and is done so with a confidence that can be misleading. The Coen Brothers have tackled Hollywood before with Barton Fink, but rarely have they been able to do it this intricately. It may not be their greatest film in some respects, but to see the subtexts clash together is a marvel and reflects why they're two of the greatest living filmmakers still out there. They even make bad line readings memorable.
It's hard to really judge Cafe Society, as I haven't seen it. However, there is this deja vu effect when watching the trailer, even if the cast is different. There's the prestigious director whose career is lengthy and impressive. He's making a film about a time long forgotten. It's a witty comedy. There's so much that's similar that one could be forgiven for mistaking the two on surface level for being the same film. True, this isn't the end of the "legends love Hollywood" style of cinema for 2016. Warren Beatty is coming from an 18 year hiatus to make a Howard Hughes comedy Results May Vary later this year. Maybe by that point it'll be time to compare to Allen's film and continue the cycle of self-appreciation. Still, they have a high bar to pass if they want to do it as well as Hail, Caesar!.
A few months back, Hail Caesar! was released and marked Joel and Ethan Coen's latest film with George Clooney. However, it was more of an ensemble film that featured intertwining stories, a couple choreographed dance routines, and constant jumping through genres. Lead by Josh Brolin, it was a film that managed to literally turn the studio system into a religion, with Brolin basically playing an addict Jesus who veers through publicity and scandal with a certain ease. The story takes place through only a day, and its exploration of ideals are vast and impressive considering that there's no deliberate reference to familiar pop culture icons despite being a very familiar cast of characters.
The one issue that came with the film was that many mistook its nature as a farce. With trailers highlighting the straightforward madcap nature, most were disappointed that it wasn't more zany. It's a bit of a baffling statement when you realize that the film's comedy works on a far more subversive and intellectual level than Clooney's dimmed bulb character would have you believe. Yes, he is playing an archetype that we've seen before in O Brother Where Art Thou? and Burn After Reading. However, he's only a smaller piece to a bigger puzzle that also manages to feature future Han Solo actor Alden Ehrenreich in a breakout role that sees him doing rope tricks and trying to be a cowboy in a prestigious drama. The depth of the interlocking stories is in some respects incredible simply because of how intentionally disjointed scenes often feel.
It also helps that it's a deconstruction of the Hollywood system at its core. There's constant angles that reflect the line between fact (the studio set) and fiction (the film). It always challenges the viewer, and is done so with a confidence that can be misleading. The Coen Brothers have tackled Hollywood before with Barton Fink, but rarely have they been able to do it this intricately. It may not be their greatest film in some respects, but to see the subtexts clash together is a marvel and reflects why they're two of the greatest living filmmakers still out there. They even make bad line readings memorable.
It's hard to really judge Cafe Society, as I haven't seen it. However, there is this deja vu effect when watching the trailer, even if the cast is different. There's the prestigious director whose career is lengthy and impressive. He's making a film about a time long forgotten. It's a witty comedy. There's so much that's similar that one could be forgiven for mistaking the two on surface level for being the same film. True, this isn't the end of the "legends love Hollywood" style of cinema for 2016. Warren Beatty is coming from an 18 year hiatus to make a Howard Hughes comedy Results May Vary later this year. Maybe by that point it'll be time to compare to Allen's film and continue the cycle of self-appreciation. Still, they have a high bar to pass if they want to do it as well as Hail, Caesar!.
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