kaliama Reviews

4 Little Girls (1997)

An extremely powerful story told without flash.

[18 June 1999]

This is a stirring documentary that reflects back on the afternoon of September 15, 1963 when four young black girls were killed in the terrorist bombing of a church in Birmingham, Alabama. With Spike Lee behind the camera and conducting the interviews, one might expect a lot of flash and experimentation in the documentary form, but Spike has decided to stay true to conventional non-fiction storytelling techniques, letting the emotional power of the incident itself stand on its own. This is a wise choice, as the testimonies of parents, siblings, friends, community leaders, and civil rights activists of all stripes are extremely moving as well as clarifying. Lee's most impressive feat is his ability to evoke the responses he gets from these interviewees. That and his decision to film this story in the first place- this is a story that needs telling. Lee has in the past emphasized style with varying degrees of success. In this film, he emphasizes the substance, and it pays off.

Things Change (1988)

Regrettable

[16 June 1999]

"Things Change" is the weakest of acclaimed playwright/screenwriter David Mamet's film directing efforts. It tells the story of an immigrant shoe-polisher (Don Amiche) who agrees to be framed for murder by the Chicago Mafia in exchange for fulfillment of his dreams once he's freed from prison. But before his arraignment he gets a three-day madcap weekend adventure at a mob-controlled Lake Tahoe casino, courtesy of an on-the-outs flunky played by Joe Mantegna. The two have a difficult relationship but form a friendship which is finally tested by film's end. It's nice to see Mantegna and other Mamet regulars (including Ricky Jay and William H. Macy) in a movie that's essentially a comedy, but they and their dialogue seem really awkward in such a silly film. Amiche fares better, and at times is the only saving grace for the film, which lacks the paranoia and psychological wrestling found in most of Mamet's films, yet is still too hard-edged and leisurely paced to get many laughs as a comedy. The late Shel Silverstein was a collaborator with Mamet on the script, which contains clever ideas but is weakly executed. The music by Alaric Jans is unremarkable; not nearly as good as the jazz-noir he contributed to House of Games or his orchestral themes for the Winslow Boy. In short, the film is an interesting comparison piece for other Mamet films, but falls well short of the high standard the others are able to maintain.

Calendar (1993)

Egoyan's experiment in story structure is fascinating and poignant.

[2 June 1999]

This is a wonderful little film that I recently saw on a friend's recommendation, knowing virtually nothing about it except that I'd immensely enjoyed Atom Egoyan's "Exotica" and "the Sweet Hereafter". "Calendar" is not nearly as tragic as those two films; it concerns itself with the sadness of the disintegration of a relationship, but there is a subtle comedy to the film as well. The film is an experiment with a very specific, rigid, yet somehow apt structure: the film has twelve segments, one for each page of a beautiful calendar hanging by its photographer's phone. Laced into this structure is the story of the photographer and his wife's trip to Armenia, and the conflict that arises out of their different reactions to being in the land of their ancestry. It's all very well-told, and even though there is an element of inevitability, reinforced by the structure, the film never really strays into the realm of predictability. Finally, there are moments when the film seems to toy with breaking the sanctity of the fourth wall. This goes beyond the fact that the photographer and his wife are actually played by Mr. Egoyan and his wife. It's impossible to describe briefly and without spoiling the humor, though. If you're intrigued, check it out! You'll be glad.