I’ve been looking forward to this movie for months, and have tried to keep a lid on my anticipation while the enthusiastic buzz increased to an electric hum the past several weeks. For the next few days I’ll be focusing on Stop Loss as (maybe) the first important release of the year — and hope to see some critics on Thursday who’ll back up my blind optimism. For now, the only reliable assurance comes from Pete Travers at Rolling Stone and his 3-and-a-half star review:
“Here’s the first major movie of the new year that touches greatness, and damn if there isn’t a curse hanging over it. Stop-Loss, directed with ferocity and feeling by Kimberly Peirce (Boys Don’t Cry), is up against the war raging between audiences and films about Iraq.
“…Stop-Loss has the juice to break the jinx. The emotional battlefield on which Peirce paints her canvas strikes a universal chord that transcends politics and preaching. Peirce, who co-wrote the script with Mark Richard, takes us inside the minds and hearts of soldiers who enlisted after 9/11… Using fictional characters, Peirce decided to craft a film about the lives of soldiers and their families living in a ghost world created by questionable government policy.
“…None of this would work if Peirce hadn’t inspired her crew to push the envelope. Cinematographer Chris Menges, a poet of natural light, performs miracles of visual design. All the actors are exceptional. Phillippe (Flags of Our Fathers, Breach) is a dynamo, and indelibly moving when he catches Brandon in the act of discovering himself.”
It’ll be tough for me not to fawn over Kimberly Pierce this week, linking to stories about the challenges she overcame to get this movie made. A summary of the evolution of the project is here in The Washington Post, with an except after the cut. (We featured a preview here a few months ago, but it’s hard to find so I’ll repost the trailer on the next page too.)
While Peirce seems adamant about not criticizing the mission — she uses the word “patriot” to refer to any soldier who enlisted after 9/11, and her younger brother went to Iraq — the message of the movie is not exactly Rummy-esque. “Stop-loss,” originally a financial term, i.e., a brokerage order that keeps one’s account from hemorrhaging money, helps keep the U.S. military from hemorrhaging troops. What it means is extending a soldier’s enlistment beyond the terms of his contract.
” ‘Stop-Loss’ is a movie about guys who signed up after 9/11 for all the right reasons — protect your family, your home, your country,” she says. “And they have this experience that every soldier told me soldiers go through. It’s about protecting the soldier to your left, the soldier to your right, being willing to die for them and being challenged by the nature of this conflict, the nature of urban warfare. So many soldiers said to me, ‘They’re putting us in impossible circumstances.’ “
The WaPo piece touches on the thrill of the success of Boys Don’t Cry, and the subsequent difficulties encountered by a filmmaker who doesn’t fit the boy’s club template — and perhaps derives much of her strength from operating outside the mainstream to circumvent those roadblocks.
Ryan Philippe says Peirce’s personal involvement — the interviews she’d done, the research, the fact that her brother was there [in Iraq] — was essential to the success of the filming.
“Knowing it came from such a personal place for her, and having seen the research she did, and that she was going to these homecomings, and watching hours upon hours of soldier videos, all that passion, that was important to me,” he said.
He found it strange, however, when he realized she was the first female director he’d ever worked with.
“That is shocking,” Phillippe says, “because I’ve made about 30 films, and it’s a strange commentary on this business. We need more female writers and more voices, and that’s one thing I’ve been encouraging Kim about — don’t wait another nine years to make a film. People need to have that kind of inspiration she can provide.”
On the other hand, he says, gender had very little relevance in regards to making the film. “She’s tougher than a lot of the men I’ve worked with,” he says. “Tougher than Eastwood or Altman.”
One thing’s for sure, Eastwood and Pierce have diametrically opposite methods of guiding Hillary Swank to an Oscar winning performance. (And one of them doesn’t need to rely on melodramatic histrionics. The tough old pro vs. the rookie lesbian. Guess which one made the weepy manipulative soap-opera.)
Here’s the Stop Loss trailer, for anybody who’s had their TV unplugged for the past month:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmePzcsegk4&feature=related[/youtube]
22 Responses for "The first great film of 2008?"
Any movie featuring Channing Tatum is a contender in my book. **wink**
I won’t lie: I’m totally stoked for this, but Sign #328 of the Apocaylpse is when we start looking toward Peter Travers as a reliable barometer of anything.
I’m sorry, but to read a line such as: “There’s not an ounce of Hollywood fakery in Cornish — she’s the real deal. So’s the movie. And so is Peirce.” coming from Peter “Quote Whore” Travers makes me a LITTLE BIT skeptical…
I do not want to hate on the movie, I have not seen it. Far from it, actually. It’s Travers’ reviews that I think are awful…
I won’t mention any spoilers but I saw the film last summer a test screening in New York. I liked many of the performances (Channing Tatum, J.G. Levitt, Abbie Cornish)I would say its best of the recent Iraqi / Afghan war drama’s and the most personal of the group.
Tufas, I’ll see your **wink** and raise you a **wOOf**
why is everybody so hard on Peter Travers? He’s maybe not known for swimming in the deep end of the pool, but what hideously embarrassing reviews has he written to attract such wrath?
Check out Travers’ review history on metacritic and let me know.
http://www.metacritic.com/movie/publications/rollingstone/petertravers
His tastes are more in line with my own than those of a certain Pulitzer Prize winner, especially in past few years.
Also in Peter Travers defense, a few years ago, when every movie critic on the planet was compiling his “100 Best of the 20th Century” lists, Travers was the only critic I know who included Bertolucci’s Il Conformista — one of my all-time favorite films.
http://www.filmsite.org/rstone2.html
His 20 foreign titles really set his list apart, and helped earn my loyalty.
Although this may be a fine film, I’d be surprised if it does well at the box office or in terms of awards recognition. It’s the Iraq war thing — again. If anything, it may receive indie awards recognition.
Years down the road, films like this may be valued more highly. I don’t mean to sound negative, just realistic.
Why are we so eager to call the movie great? Can’t wait to see it, but I suspect it won’t be a “great” movie. However, it may be interesting & perhaps a movie that will hold us. Maybe one we want to TALK BACK TO….perhaps one we develop an affection for….and so fourth. Then again perhaps not. Greatness….does not often happen.
I loved Boys Don’t Cry, and I’ve been anticipating Peirce’s next film for quite some time. The trailers are fantastic and the cast is top notch and the subject matter is unique (in the context of a “war” film, anyway), so I will give this one a shot, for sure. I’m always looking for potential female directing nominees for the oscar, too, and I always thought that Pierce was one of those with the best chances.
You know what would have helped the marketing for this movie? Not having that bloody let the bodies hit the floor song in the trailer. Not only is it an awful song, but it’s borderline offensive in the context of the Iraq War. And it made the trailer itself terrible as well.
It’s a delicate balance of trying to boycott Ms. Cornish/Mr. Philippe and trying to see Mr. Channing another promising performance.
Reese, what should I do?
The only bad thing is the date of release but I think with good luck and strong campaign could be a contender in the next Award Season. It’s time for Joseph Gordon-Levitt recognition, Chaning Tatum and Abbie Cornish consolidation and Ryan Phillippe independence from Witherspoon’s image
“It’s time for Joseph Gordon-Levitt recognition”
Totally agree with you Xavi. When will that guy get some recognition? He is so underrated. He was awesome in Brick and Mysterious Skin, and he’ll probably be awesome in this. How many more films does the man need to do to get some appreciation?
“why is everybody so hard on Peter Travers? He’s maybe not known for swimming in the deep end of the pool, but what hideously embarrassing reviews has he written to attract such wrath?” I don’t mind where he swims in the pool, so long as he doesn’t pee in it.
Like you Ryan, I regard Travers as a class above the worst quote whore hacks.
i like Travers. hell of a lot better than some of the internet wannabes.
as for the greatest of 2008 so far. not 10,000 BC?
just kidding, but that one (which i saw last night) was the latest big-budget period piece epic that follows a sad trend…specifically, wonderful sets, beautiful cinematography, amazing special effects and no compelling story in sight. it was the same depressing experience with KINGDOM OF HEAVEN and ALEXANDER. this, the 100th birthday of David Lean, is a sad day for epic filmmaking.
Seattle, nonsense. Ever seen the Director’s Cut for KINGDOM OF HEAVEN?
As for this “American Eagle goes to Iraq War” movie….meh.
I dunno… I thought In Bruges – from an Academy Award winning McDonough – was certainly a good contender for that “first good (and possibly awardworthy) movie of the year” title.
Poor Peter Travers, he has never been able to overcome the shroud that his greedy magazine editors put over him. After requesting that he whore it up a bit Travers has never heard the end of it from an unforgiving public.
Regarding Stop-Loss, the film is decent and rises to greatness in a very weak time of the year for movies. To answer Crawford’s question: The eagerness to call this movie great comes from a need to have material to write about during a very weak time of the year.
IN BRUGES was the first great film of 2008, followed by THE BANK JOB. I hope this is decent, but I’ve already read reviews to make me wonder.
I agree with Rollerboy (Ryan Adams) on Travers. His thoughts on a film are usually close to my own (save for Ed Zwick films, which he doesn’t like).
I’ll definitely check out Stop-Loss when it comes out. However, I don’t think we’ll get a great (or near-great) Iraq-related film until BODY OF LIES comes out in October. Monohan’s screenplay is excellent, and I’m sure Leo, Russ, and Sir Ridley will make the most out of it. Still, BOL might not qualify because it’s more of a spy thriller than a war drama (which boosts its financial prospects). If that’s the case, Greengrass’ GREEN ZONE would be the next best bet.
Sasha and Ryan have touched on this earlier, but I think the reason none of the Iraq-related films have been able to make back their budgets (none of them were designed to be blockbusters) is due to the fact that none of them have been all that good. I read the withering reviews they received, I saw them, and I’m not surprised they didn’t go over well. They were more interested in pushing a message than telling a good story. The BOL script did just that, so that’s why I’m optimistic.
This can’t be the first great film of 08, because In Bruges already came out.
Interesting report here, and a promising prospect for sure. Typically, most of the best films so far this year are foreign: hence THE BAND’S VISIT, THE DUTCHESS OF LANGAEIS, THE COUNTERFEITORS and THE YEAR MY PARENTS WENT ON VACATION along with the English language PARANOID PARK and CHOP SHOP and the documentaries THE UNFORSEEN and THE SILENCE OF BACH are the most distinguished entries I’ve seen so far………..THE BANK JOB and IN BRUGES were fairly good………
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