Little Children (2006)

4 STARS


Directed by Todd Field
Produced by Albert Berger, Todd Field, Ron Yerxa
Written by Todd Field, Tom Perrotta (based on the novel by Tom Perrotta)

Starring Kate Winslet, Patrick Wilson, Jackie Earle Haley

Runtime 2 hours, 10 min.
Worldwide Gross $14,821,658
Genres Drama, Romance

In 2004, Tom Perrotta, writer of the acclaimed 1998 novel Election, releases Little Children, which is subsequently listed on numerous Top Ten lists. Only two years later, Little Children is released for the silver screen. How is a film made in such a short amount of time? Little Children is a very good film. The fact that it was realized, adapted, cast, shot, edited and released in under two years only adds to the film's brilliance.

It's hard to describe the plot of Little Children. It's mainly about two people, Sarah Pierce (Winslet) and Brad Adamson (Wilson) who embark in an extramarital affair. Then there's ex-cop Larry Hedges (Noah Emmerich), who is pissed off about a convicted sex offender living in his neighborhood. The sex offender, Ronald McGorvey (Haley) is having trouble battling his immoral urges while his mother (Phyllis Somerville) is wanting to help him get on with his life. Meanwhile, Sarah's relationship with her husband is falling apart and gossip about her is circulating the neighborhood. On Brad's end, he's having trouble with his wife (Jennifer Connelly), who's pressuring him to pass the bar exam and get a job as a lawyer. Needless to say, a lot is going on.

The strongest element of Little Children is its cast. While Kate Winslet and Patrick Wilson are both decent in their portrayals, its the film's supporting cast that is really notable. Amazing performances come from both Jackie Earle Haley and Phyllis Somerville. Another great performance comes from Tony Award-winner Jane Adams, who plays Sheila, Ronald's date in the dinner scene. Though her performance is less than five minutes in length, it's flawless. Truthfully, its hard to find someone in this film who does a bad job acting. This is the most compelling reason to see the film. It's hard to think of a film that matches Little Children in its quality of acting.

Something else notable is the film's screenplay. With all of its subplots, the script is still coherent enough to be easy enough to understand. It's not a confusing film, which is a great achievement considering the story's complexities. Something that might throw people off is the film's alarmingly slow pace. Though there's many eye grabbing moments, the film is altogether slow. But like my review of The Queen, I don't see this as a bad thing. I don't mind, but others might.

I also really like the score, composed by Thomas Newman. But something that really makes Little Children original is its narration, which is fun and creatively done. However, the best quality of this film is its ending. It's perfect. It almost effortlessly resolves all of the story's conflicts and answers all questions quickly and effectively. But most of all, it's shocking. That's right, shocking. I actually gasped. Be prepared. It's perhaps one of the greatest endings to a film I've ever seen.

The one thing holding the film back for me is its length. When looking back, some scenes seem a bit unneeded. This makes it seems like the film is just rambling on, when this really isn't the case. The film could have been much more fluent if some things were taken out. But that's just my opinion.

Little Children is very well done. Something that astounds me is how underrated it is. It bombed at the box office, taking in $12 million less than it's production budget. It was also shunned at the Academy Awards, earning only three nominations and no Best Picture nod. But it's alright. Little Children is revealing, frightening, controversial, brilliantly acted and in a way, even beautiful. And that's good enough for me.

Little Children is rated R for strong sexuality and nudity, language and some disturbing content.

Jesus Camp (2006)

4 STARS


Directed by Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady
Produced by Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady

Starring Becky Fischer, Mike Papantonio, participating interviewees

Runtime 1 hour, 27 min.
Worldwide Gross $1,013,596
Genres Documentary

Have you ever wondered what the word evangelical actually means? Jesus Camp will certainly give you a good idea. I'm not at all suggesting that this film gives a fair representation of every evangelical Christian on Earth. This is how stereotypes are made. But if anything, this film definitely shows you how devoted some of these people are towards their beliefs.

Jesus Camp follows evangelical leader Becky Fischer and her children's summer camp called the "Kids on Fire School of Ministry". At the camp, the attending children perform many questionable activities, like praying before a cutout of George Bush and breaking cups with words like "government" on them. Is this sane? Is this okay? This isn't for me to answer, but these are the questions that the film presents.

How you view Jesus Camp all depends on your beliefs. If you're a strong Christian, you might see Becky Fischer as a revolutionary and you might think that what she's doing is incredibly noble. If you're anti-religion, you'd probably view Becky Fischer as insane and you might think that what she's doing is harming these kids. This is the beauty of Jesus Camp. Unlike documentaries like Religilous or Fahrenheit 9/11, its stance is not entirely clear. It can easily be interpreted on either side of the spectrum. Good documentaries are like this.

Controversial opinions aside, the film itself is very well made. For one, it's refreshing to see directors who aren't afraid to artistically use cinematography, done by cinematographers Mira Chang and Jenna Rosher. There's some scenes in the film that are made a lot stronger by straying away from the traditional wide-angle shot. The film's editing by Enat Sidi is good as well, with each thought running fluently to the next. I also applaud Camp's directors for staying on the film's topic. Other directors could have have taken this topic and ran all over the place with it, trying to do too much. Thankfully, the directors of this film are smarter than that.

One thing that detracts from the film are the scenes with Mike Papantonio. Scenes are filmed in the radio host's recording studio during one of his shows. While they do offer an alternate opinion, it doesn't stop the scenes from seeming very unnecessary. The film's about a group of kids at a bible camp. Why should we care about what Mike Papantonio thinks? Also uneven is the film's soundtrack. While well done, it sometimes seems
unneeded and over dramatic.

Those scenes aside, to me, Jesus Camp is everything a documentary should be. It's fair, evenly presented, gripping, thought-provoking and artistic. What more could you want? Jesus Camp is a great film. If you haven't seen it, do so when the opportunity presents itself. You won't regret it.

Jesus Camp is rated PG-13 for some discussions of mature subject matter.

The Queen (2006)

4 STARS

Directed by Stephen Frears
Produced by Andy Harries, Christine Langan, Tracey Seaward
Written by Peter Morgan (based on real life events)

Starring Helen Mirren, Michael Sheen, James Cromwell

Runtime 1 hour, 37 mins.
Worldwide Gross $123,384,128
Genres Drama, Historical, Biography

As the ruler of one of the world's most prosperous countries for 57 years, Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain has earned the respect of her nation and the revere of other world leaders. However, as an important figurehead of modern ideals, her private life is often kept under lock and key. This is what The Queen bases itself on.

Following the death of Princess Diana of Wales, Elizabeth (Mirren) shrouds herself and her family from the press and refuses to make a statement, with the belief that the death of Diana is a "private affair". For five days, against the warnings of newly elected Prime Minster Tony Blair (Sheen), Elizabeth decides to keep her family in the comfort of their private estate in Scotland. In doing this, the press begins to write nasty things about her and she begins to lose the respect of her people.

Throughout the film, screenwriter Peter Morgan subtly examines many things. How much privacy is too much? Why did Elizabeth stay in Balmoral? Did the throne's rocky relationship with Diana affect Elizabeth's decisions? Is it always crucial to keep traditions if they harm the feelings of others? Is it always right to succumb to the wishes of the people? Though many questions are pondered during the film's hour and a half running time, the script never seems too confusing. This is because Morgan makes the right decision to explore only one idea at a time.

However, where the script succeeds it in a way also fails. Though the film's slow pace adds to its quality, it also gives the story a lagging feeling. If you want an exciting film, this isn't it. But I recognize this as a simple fact, not a negative quality. The truth is, if you want a fair, accurate portrayal of the Queen of England, you couldn't get any more spot on.

This is no doubt in part because of the stupendous acting by Helen Mirren. She plays the role with an ease so fluid, you could think she were the queen herself. Remarkably, she performs just the perfect amount of drama without being over the top, something some actors these days have problems with. Her portrayal makes you interested in the film and attached to her character. She also gives off just the perfect amount emotions to make you not only question the character's motives, but to sympathize with her as well.

One thing I don't quite like is the performance by Michael Sheen. His main problem is that his mannerisms seem over the top. It's almost as though he's trying too hard. However, I can very much understand how hard it would be to portray a living person. But while Mirren strives to achieve excellency, Sheen's performance as Tony Blair could've been so much better. His performance wasn't altogether terrible, but it no doubt has much room for growth. This role is one that if played right could do great things for you. Sadly, this just wasn't the case for Sheen.

Another thing I don't quite like is that we don't seem to get a lot of background information on the film's many characters. As I'm not a resident of Great Britain, many of the characters introduced I was unfamiliar with. Morgan sometimes throws in some background about the queen, revealing in conversations that she was young during the abdication of the throne and that she was a mechanic in World War II. When this information was given, I felt like I could appreciate the character more. So why didn't Morgan do this more often? This is after all a historical drama.

If you love history, if you love drama or if you love effective, intimate Hollywood biographies, The Queen is your film. There's great things to be seen here. Helen Mirren's acting is a must see, Peter Morgan's screenplay is, with reservations, well-written and Stephen Frears' directing is smooth and effective. Though it might be altogether forgotten five years down the line, The Queen is a sparkling diamond in the rough.

The Queen is rated PG-13 for brief strong language.