Pearl Jam Twenty (Cameron Crowe, 2011)

Pearl Jam, one of the most influential bands of the 90s, turns 20 this year. To mark this occasion director Cameron Crowe, best known for his films Say Anything (1989) and Jerry Maguire (1996), has directed a documentary showcasing the band from their small beginning to the status that they now hold.

Pearl Jam had its start in Seattle, Washington, where the grunge scene was starting to take off. Stone Gossard (guitar) and Jeff Ament (bass) played together as part of a few bands, one in particular being Mother Love Bone. After the passing of their lead vocalist, Andrew Wood, Gossard began playing with Mike McCready (lead guitar). The three joined together and began recording demos to find a vocalist and a drummer. The tape soon landed in the hands of Eddie Vedder (vocals), who recorded lyrics to the songs and sent the tape back to the band. Once Vedder joined the band they soon found their drummer and became Mookie Blaylock, but due to legal issues soon became Pearl Jam.

Pearl Jam Twenty tells this story excellently with the use of over 1,200 hours of behind the scenes footage and personal interviews with the band. The film is seamlessly presented with a mix of the interviews and the footage, giving an understanding of how the band grew over the years. Nothing is held back, the highs and the lows are all included, which makes the band more vulnerable but also, shows them as human. Crowe does this delicately and with respect. Going through the bands most difficult times when they felt like they may be over and showing their legal dispute with Ticketmaster. These instances are shown without being forceful and unnatural. Another great part of this documentary was the humor involved. There were multiple times throughout the film that stirred laughs. One scene, in particular, was showing the on stage antics of a young Vedder as he used the stage as his own personal play set. Overall the film was heartfelt and showed the band in a light that many people have not seen.

Along with the hours of footage shown, this documentary includes many of the songs that made Pearl Jam famous. At times, these songs are woven together with interviews with the band members. These moments help illustrate either what the song is about or that time in the bands life. In one instance, Vedder talks about the song Black while it is shown from the MTV Unplugged stage. He describes how the song stirs deep emotions inside of him and still does to this day. The other band members comment that these emotions are clearly present when he sings because he puts so much behind the notes.  These instances are done very carefully not getting in the way of the song but almost becoming a natural part of it. Another fascinating part of this film is its look at Pearl Jam’s influences. One case shows Pearl Jam on stage with Neil Young singing Rockin’ in the Free World. These moments are great to see such an influential band playing with other performers who are influential to them.

Pearl Jam 20 is a very well crafted documentary. From the very beginning the film draws the audience in and hold them there for the entire two hours of screen time. The footage shown is both entertaining and poignant showing the mega stardom that Pearl Jam has become but also showing them as very human. The music in the film is crisp and clear and many times mixed with interviews to help illustrate a time in the bands life. This is a truly entertaining film. Crowe’s direction makes the film extremely enjoyable to watch. He tells the story of the band clearly and concisely while paying them the respect they deserve. Whether you are or are not a fan of Pearl Jam, this documentary is not one to be put in your rearview mirror.

Pearl Jam Twenty Official Site 

Funny Games (Michael Haneke, 2007)

Funny Games is a shot by shot remake of an Austrian film by the same name and same director. The film begins with a family of three and their dog. The family, played by Naomi Watts, Tim Roth, and Devon Gearhart, is traveling to their upscale cabin on a lake. They are listening to classical music and are quizzing each other on what it is and who wrote it. This slight development shows that these people are, supposedly, highly educated and worth caring about.

The family arrives in their little town and stop by the neighbors to make sure that their golf game is still on for the next day. Upon talking with their neighbor they deduce that he was acting quite strange, only making slight notice to the stranger standing in the yard with him. Once at their cabin the strangers, Paul and Peter played by Michael Pitt and Brady Corbet, are introduced. They appear innocent enough, asking for some eggs and helping launch the sailboat, but soon their stay becomes extended and uncomfortable.

Understanding where the film was headed made these interactions difficult to watch, especially as the strangers became overwhelmingly hostile without becoming violent by allowing themselves uninvited into the home and taking golf clubs with no permission. The family seems to dismiss certain hints that things are not as they seem. Though high classed and educated, they still fail to pick up on the strange and subtle details that lead to their demise. Their ignorance is one thing that makes this film an unpleasant experience. Throughout, the characters are given ample opportunities to either stop the events from even happening or thwarting their attackers in the first place. Even their dog picked up on the fact that these kids were up to no good. This begins a series of violent acts toward the family that tests the audience’s patience and comfort.

One strong part of the film is how much it leaves to the imagination. A majority of the violence in the film is implied, never shown directly on screen. Making it much more or less brutal depending on what the viewer wants. This makes the film more suspenseful making the viewers wonder about what happened, while at the same time making them fear what will happen next.

The film takes an interesting turn when it becomes self-aware. Multiple points in the film has Paul breaking the forth wall and either making eye contact or fully addressing the audience. This takes the film in an entirely different direction all together and takes away from the terror and suspense of the entire film. These scenes distract away from the overall theme of the film. They possibly could be used by the filmmaker to lighten the mood or feel some sort of empathy for the characters of Paul and Peter. Nevertheless this jump feels forced and unnatural, especially in a film that is deep in the waters of suspense.

Almost all of the actors in the film made the terror believable to a point. Naomi Watts was the one-character audiences could find themselves routing for. She truly looked like she was miserable throughout the entirety of the film and it made it much more believable. Tim Roth’s portrayal was also believable, although his character was undeveloped to a point and that he was unable to show his acting to the abilities he has done in previous films. Both Michael Pitt and Brady Corbet did an excellent portrayal of the nice homicidal maniacs. Their aloof actions were brilliantly mixed with an almost sympathetic side. It was interesting to see how they played such games with the family with no remorse. Devon Gearhart who plays the son of the family was fairly good at looking terrified his lines at times felt bit unnatural and forced.

Overall, Funny Games was an okay film to watch. It was good for letting the audience use their imagination and leaving them in suspense and terror; but a lot of that was lost when they began being addressed by Paul. The characters in the film were all well acted and made the audience feel the heightened sense of urgency through the film. Funny Games is not a film for everyone and it definitely has its slow moments; but if someone is into gripping films this might just be one to check out, at least once.

Funny Games IMDB Site