Review by-Jarrett Leahy
Based on a true story, Kill Your Darlings tells of early beginnings of the Beat Generation and the dramatic events surrounding famed writer/poet Allen Ginsberg’s time spent at Columbia University. After being accepted into Columbia’s English program in the fall of 1943, Ginsberg quickly becomes frustrated with the department’s traditional conformist instruction. His increasing dissatisfaction leads to his openly questioning a professor’s conventional teachings during class. This verbal confrontation captures the attention of Lucien Carr, a brash, charismatic student who is full of his own grand anti-establishment ideas. The two instantly connect, and through Lucien, Allen is introduced to fellow rebellious writers William Burroughs and Jack Kerouac. As the four begin sharing their beatnik ideas for the future of writing and literature, they decide to create a self-proclaimed movement called The New Vision, with each pushing the other to think and write more unconventionally and imaginatively. This of course angers the university establishment which only fuels their newly formed beliefs. Drama arises however when David Kammerar, an eccentric and secretive companion from Lucien’s past life re-emerges. As Lucien and David’s capricious friendship begins to further splinter, an inevitable boiling point threatens not only the future of the group but each member in it.
Kill Your Darlings is a confident piece of cinema from a first time director, John Krokidas, who was also the co-writer of the screenplay. Visually portraying a writer’s inspiration and creative arousal can be a burdensome task for even the most veteran of filmmakers. If done inadequately, scenes meant to beguile the audience can instead feel dull and lackluster. Krokidas’ shrewd use of flashbacks and drug induced hallucinations keep us fully engaged in this turbulent true story while helping us better understand how obsessively committed these ingenious writers were to their craft.
Anytime Daniel Radcliffe of Harry Potter fame appears in a film it becomes fodder for those looking to see if he will succeed or fail as an adult actor. Kill Your Darlings should prove to any doubters that Radcliffe truly has the acting talents to move beyond his Harry Potter persona. Since the billion dollar franchise ended three years ago, Radcliffe has made a concerted effort to choose parts, both in film and on stage, that are both mature and risk taking. His role of Allen Ginsberg, a closeted homosexual who is just beginning to discover his true self, would certainly fall under both of those categories. Radcliffe captures the true essence of Ginsberg, emanating the exuberance of a gifted, wide-eyed young writer on the verge of greatness and the anguish of a man whose romantic feelings aren’t reciprocated.
As pleasantly impressed as I was with Radcliffe, the film’s standout performance comes from Dane DeHaan’s fervid portrayal of Lucien Carr. DeHaan’s recent rise in acclaim (he is starring in this year’s latest Spider Man effort) was brought about by his noteworthy supporting performance in last year’s outstanding crime drama, The Place Beyond the Pines. DeHaan’s Lucien is a tormented soul, blessed with an almost manic gift for outside-the-box ideas, but also haunted by a past that he can’t seem to fully run away from. Together on screen, Radcliffe and DeHaan flawlessly portray the uncomfortable sexual tension created by Ginsberg’s conspicuous infatuation for Lucien.
Taking advantage of a gifted cast that includes not just Radcliffe and DeHaan, but also Michael C. Hall (Dexter, Six Feet Under), Ben Foster (Lone Survivor, The Messenger), Jennifer Jason Leigh (Road To Perdition, Fast Times at Ridgemont High), and Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene, Liberal Arts), Krokidas’ account of this dramatic true story is an entertaining nail-biter from start to finish. With such a strong directorial debut effort, Krokidas is definitely a filmmaker that will be worth keeping an eye out for in the near future.-JL
Review by-Jarrett Leahy
Ahmad, an Iranian man who four years prior had left his French wife Maria and her two children from a previous marriage, has now come back to Paris to finalize their divorce. During his return, Ahmad discovers that in his absence Maria has started a relationship with another man, Samir, who along with his son Fouad, has recently moved into Maria’s house. To make matters even more convoluted, Samir is still married to a woman who has been hospitalized for the last eight months in a coma, a situation that infuriates Maria’s oldest daughter Lucie. Though residual sentiments between Ahmad and Maria are clearly evident, it is the many untold secrets surrounding Maria and Samir’s love affair that creates a tension filled atmosphere that only becomes more agitated by the effects it has on the children involved.
Berenice Bejo’s portrayal of Maria is the standout of three very distinguished performances. Bejo, who earned an Oscar nomination for her performance in the 2011 surprise hit, The Artist, is able to further display her adroit acting range with this emotionally complex character who is being torn between a man she can’t fully have and a daughter whose instigative comments and actions only make the situation worse. Through Bejos’ outward display of Maria’s inner strife, we empathize with this woman even in spite of her conspicuous flaws.
5. Me And Orson Welles (2008) Right before famed actor/filmmaker Orson Welles set the world on fire with his now legendary directorial debut Citizen Kane, he was the brazen and extremely gifted young leader of the Mercury Theatre in New York City. Me And Orson Welles is a fictional retelling of the stage production of Julius Caesar and the high school student and aspiring actor who manages to impress with an impromptu audition to land a part in the play. Thanks in large part to Christian McKay’s perfectly spot-on braggadocio portrayal of Orson Welles and a surprisingly adept performance by Zac Efron as the young high schooler Richard Samuels, Linklater was able to so delightfully capture the chaotic and fascinating behind the scenes action of a theater company .
4. Slacker (1991) The low-budget indie hit that started it all, Linklater’s directorial debut is not a movie in the traditional sense of a plot driven story, but a multi-character experimental film filled with random dialogue and observational humor as the camera follows around dozens of uniquely peculiar “Austinites” as they walk and talk around the city of Austin, TX. A movie that captures how entertainingly weird Austin is before it became cool to admit, Slacker is a film you’ll enjoy if you can pick up on the unconventional offbeat vibe.
3. Waking Life (2001) While in a type of lucid dream state, a man meets an assorted array of people and has wonderfully intellective discussions about the meanings and purposes of the universe. Another avant-garde film from Linklater, Waking Life utilized the animation technique of rotoscoping or animating over live action footage. But instead of doing it by hand, Linklater’s team of artists used computer graphic software, a process that reportedly took up to 250 hours to make one minute of animation. But it was worth the time spent when you see the amazingly kaleidoscopic and hallucinatory visual depictions of this lucid dream world. Waking Life is a thought provoking piece of cinema that focuses on heady topics like dreams, consciousness, and existentialism, which I know sounds a bit depressing, but is in fact wildly fascinating and stimulating. I wish more people would see this great film.
2. Dazed and Confused (1993) On the last day at a small Texas high school in May of 1976 the new seniors celebrate the end of another school year while continuing the town’s tradition of hazing the new crop of incoming freshmen. Chock-full of young future stars including Ben Affleck and Matthew McConaughey who was making his first screen appearance, Dazed and Confused adeptly captures the boredom, fears, and crazy antics that most teenagers experience as they try to survive their formative years. Dazed is a type of comedy that gets better with each viewing, and that’s all you can ask for in a great movie.
1. The Before Trilogy (1995, ’04, ’13) Could there be another number 1 on this list? I’ve gushed over these films enough on this site, so what I’ll simply say is Richard, Ethan Hawke, and Julie Delpy have created one of the most exceptional and unprecedented love stories ever captured on screen.-JL
Domhnall Gleeson, the Irish actor who plays Tim is a gifted star in the making. Originally known for playing Bill Weasley in the final two installments of the Harry Potter series, Domhnall continued to cut his acting teeth with notable supporting performances in films like the Coen Brothers’ remake of True Grit and Joe Wright’s adaptation of Anna Karenina. In About Time, Gleeson is asked to do the near impossible, make the audience believe he can actually travel through time. Not only does Domhnall capably convince us, he’s able to perfectly capture the lovably awkward charm that is Tim Lake.
AmateurCinephile.com 