5 Films #5: Scarlett Johansson

For the fifth installment of my critically acclaimed series (just roll with it), I've chosen an actress for whom my admiration is widely known. Yes, the star of this entry is the Golden Globe nominated, Tony and BAFTA award winning actress/singer, Ms. Scarlett Johansson. When I think about her career as a whole and what her persona might be, I can't really put my finger on it. Johansson's had some diverse roles and her career has gone through many stages. She was teen actress then indie darling, then sexpot. Now she's at a stage where she can be a little choosier and adventurous and also play to the Hollywood system. Let's take a look at the various eras of Scarlett Johansson's career.

1. Ghost World (2001; Terry Zwigoff)
Johansson co-stars along with Thora Birch in this comedy (or rather "comedy") as two high school misfits who found friendship in their mutual disregard for anything mainstream. The two friends drift apart after graduation as Johansson's Rebecca starts to develop more mainstream interests and friendships, leaving Birch's Enid to find friendship with another outcast (Steve Buscemi). Ghost World has gained a cult following since its release 12 years ago though now the movie seems cynical and dated (particularly because nerd culture has since become more mainstream). Johansson, as the more popular and conventionally beautiful of the pair, foreshadows her later career as seductress and also her self-deprecating wit. This movie didn't exactly put her on the map but it did lead to her getting cast in bigger movies.

2. Lost in Translation (2003; Sofia Coppola)
Sofia Coppola's wandering, elusive dramedy about two lost Americans in Tokyo is really the film that brought Johansson to the limelight. Golden Globe nominated and BAFTA winning, her performance is subdued but eccentric. Her performance here as Charlotte is still one of her most critically acclaimed roles and it holds up even after all these years. Though I'm not really a fan of the movie as a whole (or of Coppola's for that matter), the subtlety of Johansson's performance is really striking. She's sexy and charismatic but also vulnerable and conflicted. It's a delicate balance she won't hit again until her Woody Allen years.

3. Scoop (2006; Woody Allen)
From 2005-2008, Johansson starred in three almost consecutive Woody Allen films, each different than the last. Johansson's Woody Allen trilogy had such an amazing impact on her career and skills as an actor because each film plays to a different aspect of her screen persona. (the seductress in Match Point, the existential wanderer in Vicky Cristina Barcelona and the self-deprecating charmer in Scoop). I highlighted Scoop because it's such an underrated goofy comedy, with Johansson being the funniest she's ever been in her career. It's such a loose, charming performance and a sweet contrast to her more serious-minded films. Her on-screen chemistry with Allen is fun and probably true to life if interviews and the PBS Woody Allen documentary are to be believed.

4. The Other Boleyn Girl (2008; Justin Chadwick)
One thing about Johansson that does not get much attention is her accent work. And it really shines in The Other Boleyn Girl, a historical (well, "historical") costume drama about the ill-fated romances between King Henry VIII and the sisters Anne and Mary Boleyn. Johansson plays Mary, the more demure of the two. Unusual for Johansson at this time in her career, Johansson doesn't play the sexpot seductress--that role goes to Natalie Portman as Anne. Johansson plays Mary as pure and kindhearted, who seduces the King by not seducing him. She eventually gets tossed aside for the more alluring Anne. Johansson is coy but tragic and vulnerable. This melodrama isn't exactly a perfect film but I find it one of Johansson's most intriguing and different roles.

5. The Avengers (2012; Joss Whedon)
Johansson entered the Marvel Comics universe with Iron Man 2, an overstuffed action movie that had no room for her (even though she looked hotter than ever). But when she returned in The Avengers, her character and performance improved by miles. As Natasha Romanoff, Johansson was cool and collected and she smartly downplayed while her male co-stars (Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, the Hulk, Hawkeye and even villain Loki) forgot the word restraint. Johansson can never be unsexy but the movie never sexualizes or objectifies Romanoff. And it's nice to see Johansson in such a big movie, running and jumping like a true action star.

Other remarkable movies starring Scarlett Johansson
1. Vicky Cristina Barcelona
2. A Love Song for Bobby Long
3. Girl with a Pearl Earring
4. Match Point
5. The Horse Whisperer

Hope you enjoyed part 5 of my 5 Films blog series about the wonderful and awesome Scarlett Johansson. Look out for part 6 starring the brilliant Brad Pitt (I think). Leave your comments below!

Skyfall: Old Age and Oedipal Rage

Warning: massive spoilers for Skyfall below.

Skyfall has emerged as one of the best outings for the iconic British spy James Bond (Daniel Craig). It ranks along with From Russia with Love, On Her Majesty's Secret Service and The Spy Who Loved Me. But Skyfall is a unique Bond film in that the diabolical plan from Bond villain Raoul Silva (Oscar winner Javier Bardem) doesn't involve world domination or destruction. It is in fact a very personal revenge plan to humiliate and kill M (Oscar winner Judi Dench) years after she leaves Silva, an ex-MI6 agent, for dead after a mission goes wrong. His rage against M is Oedipal in nature; he calls her Mother mockingly and he plays the Prodigal Son to Bond's Good Son.

Silva's revenge plot represents the general theme of disposability that runs through Skyfall. In this world of dangerous, shadowy espionage people are easily dispensed with once their job is done or once their usefulness is compromised. The film begins with James Bond finding Ronson (MI6 agent, double-O number unknown) fatally wounded. M orders Bond to leave and continue pursuing Ronson's attacker Patrice (Ola Rapace) who stole important information from him regarding undercover agents. Bond does so after a moment's hesitation. The job must be done.

This scenario happens many times in the film. Agents and other people are rendered dispensable when the time comes. This affects almost all the characters including Bond himself. The catalyst to the plot has M forcing MI6 agent Eve (Naomie Harris) to shoot at Patrice even though she could hit Bond. She misses and sends Bond falling to his possible death.

Bond and M are threatened with forced retirement because of their old age and past mistakes. Bond fails his physical exam and M lets him continue his mission, which then nearly costs her job. There is always someone younger and healthier to take your place in this world. In M's case, Gareth Mallory (Oscar nominee Ralph Fiennes) is standing at the wings and waiting for M to make the mistake that will end her career.

Silva forces M to take a long, hard look at her choices. Her whole career is being flashed before her eyes as Mallory and Clair Dowar (Helen McCrory) investigate her choices and mistakes. Being under their eye as well as being Silva's target unravel and unnerve M. The end of her career is looming and she starts to feel the same sting of disposability which her agents and Silva feel.

And that's why the climax had to take place at Bond's ancestral home Skyfall. There, Bond wasn't disposable and had people who loved and cared for him as himself, not just as a servant to Mother England. The battle between Silva and Bond and M isn't just another nondescript world domination plot that we've seen in countless other 007 films. To quote the Jaws sequel poster: this time, it's personal.  This battle actually has personal meaning for Bond and M, thus raising the stakes even more than usual. Sure, in the next 007 movie, there will be another villain with another goal but Silva has had an actual effect on Bond, M and MI6.

Even outside MI6, the threat of being disposed of and dispensable hovers over the characters. This especially holds true for poor Severine (Berenice Marlohe), the tragic lamb of Skyfall. In general there are three types of Bond Girls: the Moneypenny type (flirtations but nothing more), the "bed and dead" type (dies or disappears after giving Bond info and sleeping with him) and the "endgame" type (survives through the end, helping Bond with the mission). Skyfall contains all three except M is the endgame Bond Girl (or Lady I guess, since calling Dame Judi Dench a girl is stupid), Severine is the bed and dead type and Eve is literally the Moneypenny type.

As the bed and dead type of Bond Girl, Severine, possibly named for the equally tragic protagonist in Belle de Jour, highlights this theme of dispensability that runs through Skyfall. She has 20 minutes or so of screentime and exists mainly to deliver Bond to Silva. This is nothing new for the 007 series. There usually is some femme fatale that has her uses and then is killed off.

The difference is that the filmmakers and Marlohe worked hard to create a genuinely interesting and mysterious character. Severine is a troubled woman whose past horrors are hinted at but never explored. There's just enough of a mystery behind Severine so that she doesn't remain just another pretty face for Bond to conquer. It's a credit to both the script and Marlohe's neurotic, complex performance that Severine's inevitable death is surprising, effective and tragic. Severine may be dispensable within the world of Skyfall but Marlohe is not. Severine's death actually means something now; she is yet another unfortunate casualty like Ronson, an additional motivation for Bond to defeat Silva.

I know Skyfall has its detractors because of its fantastical action scenes and highly personal plot. But for me Skyfall remains a singular achievement in the Bond franchise,. It's a continuation of the hard work done by Casino Royale to extend the series beyond mindless fun and give it some emotional weight. Skyfall explores the themes of human disposability through its focus on old age and Silva's revenge plot against M. I hope you enjoyed my thoughts on Skyfall. Feel free to leave your comments below.

5 Films #4: Channing Tatum

For part 4 of my blog series highlighting notable or infamous films in an actor's career, I've chosen Mr. Channing Tatum alias The ChanMan. He went from someone I didn't really care for to someone I sort of liked to one of my favorite movie stars. Public and critical reception too has grown favorably in the last few years.

Channing Tatum became one of the biggest box office draws of 2012, releasing three varied films all grossing over $100 million at the box office. Why has he become so popular? Tatum has developed himself a really unique screen persona but one that took a long time and a few misfires before he perfected it.

1. She's the Man (2006; Andy Fickman)
Channing Tatum's big breakout movie was the Shakespeare-inspired comedy She's the Man, where he plays Amanda Bynes' love interest Duke Orsino (named after Twelfth Night's Duke of Orsino). Back when this movie first came out, I thought Tatum's performance was really weak. Looking back on it now, it's clear he was starting to cultivate his own persona: the slightly jockish nice guy who never gets the credit for being smarter than he looks. But Tatum was too young to pull off a persona like that. So he just comes across as a dumb sexy airhead. His comic chops are there but not as refined as they will later become. She's the Man is an enjoyable comedy but Tatum had a lot of tweaking to do regarding his screen persona.

2. Step Up (2006; Anne Fletcher)
I gotta be honest. It's been a while since I saw Step Up but from what I remember it's a typical inner-city Romeo and Juliet type love story set against the world of dance. If I recall correctly, the main attractions here are the dance numbers and that this is the movie where Tatum met his wife and producing partner Jenna Dawan. Tatum's dancing ability is really important to his likability. It sets him apart from other buff leading men. When you're talented at something other people aren't, I think audiences are more likely to find you interesting. And that happened with Tatum following Step Up. He still had work to do with acting but at least he was starting to become more than a handsome face and toned body like so many of his contemporaries.

3. Fighting (2009; Dilo Montiel)
In terms of building his persona as a lovable, slightly more intelligent than one would expect jock, Tatum does quite well in Fighting, another generic movie that has long list of "inspired-by" movies. But Tatum was pretty good in it as Shawn MacArthur, converting stony expressions into existenial confusion. The thoughts behind his blank stares are starting to become clear. Fighting also gave Tatum to exploit his intense physical presence. He owns the movie so much that his rough dialogue delivery doesn't even matter. He's on his way to becoming the star he is today.
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4. 21 Jump Street (2012; Phil Lord and Chris Miller)
It took Tatum about 3 years to truly master his screen presence. After wooing Rachel McAdams and just about everyone else in The Vow, Tatum released this comedy based on the popular 80s drama series. But 21 Jump Street showed yet another side of Tatum. He's funny! And self-aware! As Jenko, he plays the exact kind of dumb, arrogant jock the world thought he was. Except he was clearly spoofing that perception and his performance was smart enough to let everyone know he was  in on the joke. Aside from the physical presence and good looks, the Tatum persona is starting to get a soul and that was the major hurdle blocking the other roles from really clicking.

5. Magic Mike (2012; Steven Soderbergh)
And this brings me to Magic Mike. It's definitely Channing Tatum's best performance and the role which probably would have gotten some awards attention if Magic Mike weren't a movie about male strippers marketed as some zany, sexy girls night out comedy. But Magic Mike is a tragicomic  look at the late 20s existential crisis when young adults start to chase bigger dreams than being rich and partying. Michael Lane alias Magic Mike presents himself as some hunky doof who takes his clothes off for a living in Tampa. But in reality he's a quiet soul full of hopes and dreams on the verge of being realized or destroyed by one wrong decision. All of the elements of Tatum's persona come into play with Magic Mike: the dancing, the intense screen presence, the stammering uncertainty, the hidden intelligence and self-awareness. And they all blend together to make a textured, complex performance.

Other Remarkable Films Starring Channing Tatum
1. Dear John
2. 10 Years
3. Haywire
4. Side Effects
5. The Vow

I know it's a little late but I hope you enjoyed Part 4 of "5 Films." Next up: the beautiful and talented Ms. Scarlett Johansson. Stay tuned.