Review: Inherent Vice

by Trevor Kirkendall

★★★

One word to describe “Inherent Vice” would be outlandish. But to sum up a Paul Thomas Anderson movie in just one word would be doing a disservice to the sheer size and scope of the movie he’s put together. All of his films are larger than life representations of a widespread group of people. (Except maybe for his underrated classic “Punch Drunk Love.”) With “Inherent Vice,” Anderson turns his attention on a 1970s Los Angeles, filled with deception, sex and drugs.

Larry “Doc” Sportello (Joaquin Phoenix) is a perpetually stoned private investigator. One evening, his former lover Shasta Fay (Katherine Waterson) pays him a visit to tell him of a plan to kidnap the man she’s currently seeing, millionaire real estate mogul Mickey Wolfmann (Eric Roberts), and have him committed to a mental institution. The plan is being cooked up by Mickey’s wife Sloane (Serena Scott Thomas) and her lover Riggs Warbling (Andrew Simpson). Shasta asks Doc to help stop it from happening.

Meanwhile, Doc is asked by two more people to help track down others. The first is Tariq Khalil (Michael Kenneth Williams), who wants Doc to find one of Mickey’s bodyguards, whom he says owes him money from when they were in prison. The second is housewife Hope Harlingen (Jena Malone) who is looking for her husband Coy (Owen Wilson). She’s been told he’s dead, but she doesn’t believe it.

All three people are connected. And all three investigations turn into one giant investigation for Doc. Throughout his journey, Doc encounters some of the weirdest people Los Angeles has to offer, including his arch nemesis at the LAPD, Lt. Detective Christian F. Bjornsen (Josh Brolin), also known as Bigfoot, his lawyer friend Sauncho Smilax (Benicio Del Toro), who is more seasoned in maritime law than criminal law, and dentist Rudy Blatnoyd (Martin Short), who may or may not have key information for Doc if only he could keep his nose out of the cocaine.

With its overly dense plot and its diverse cast of characters, “Inherent Vice” has all the makings of a cult a film. And the more people who see it, the more likely it’ll become a cult classic, standing alongside the great stoner films such as “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” and “The Big Lebowski.” I tend to think of “Inherent Vice” in the same vein as “Lebowski” especially the main characters, probably because they’re both high as a kite throughout the entire film. Both characters are pulled into a convoluted crime plot against their will and continue to follow the clues as it leads them into more and more absurd situations. Both Doc and The Dude have no idea what’s going on, but they’re both stoned so what does it matter to them?

“Inherent Vice” is director Anderson like we’ve never seen him before. This isn’t the dark and brooding filmmaker we’ve seen recently with “There Will Be Blood” and “The Master.” This is a much more lighthearted affair. It still feels very much like an Anderson film with the brilliant use of music, the long takes and the bright vibrant colors. But it is also long and drawn out, much like Anderson’s other films. I’m not saying that’s necessarily a bad thing. “There Will Be Blood” was nearly three hours and could be considered a masterpiece. It is something that should be known before going into it. It is long and, at times, feels like it.

But Anderson has such a great grasp on the source material. The tone of the film is a bright and vibrant as what I assume would be found in the Thomas Pynchon novel. I’ve not read the novel, but judging from the narration provided by Joanna Newsome, I can imagine what the writing must be like.

He’s done this before, matching the ominous and gloomy tone of an Upton Sinclair novel in “There Will Be Blood.” Anderson has such a great eye for stories that will work well within his style of filmmaking. This is such a great marriage of director and source material.

Phoenix continues to impress as he always does. Since his faux retirement from acting to embark on rap career (which was documented in “I’m Still Here” and later revealed to be a complete farce), Phoenix has turned in one award worthy role after another. As Doc in “Inherent Vice,” Phoenix continues his streak. He plays the stoner role so convincingly, but he’s at his best when the camera turns to him for reaction shots. The movie is so offbeat and weird that even Doc can’t believe what’s happening half the time. Phoenix perfectly sums up the audience’s reaction with his own reaction every time.

Elsewhere, the rest of the film is full of an ensemble of great actors and actresses. Many play small roles and will only appear in about two or three scenes each. The best member of the ensemble is Brolin as Doc’s nemesis in the LAPD. The character is written to be a comical antagonist to Doc, but not to the story. Brolin is larger than life in every scene he’s in. He outshines even Phoenix in the many scenes the two actors share. Brolin and his character were my favorite parts of this film.

“Inherent Vice” won’t be for everyone and I don’t think there will be too many people who will say it’s mediocre. Those who can fully grasp the ludicrous plot, Anderson’s unique style and the long running time will probably be thoroughly entertained throughout the entire film. They will also embrace the future cult status this film will no doubt receive. Then there will be those who are bored for the entire time and hate every single minute. As for me, I did enjoy it immensely. Yet this is the first time I have watched a film by Anderson and felt that it was too long. By comparison, it is shorter for him but it feels like the plot could have been paced a little better. Still, it is well done and will be well received but cult fans and stoners alike for years to come.

Review: Her

by Trevor Kirkendall
★★★★

As a society, we’ve become completely dependent on technology to keep us connected to the world. Some would even suggest that we’ve become too dependent on it to the point that we’re missing out on life and everything that comes with it. Reading social networking sites when we should be enjoying the company of others around us. Taking pictures of things we’ll never look at again rather than just enjoying the moment as it happens. We all know we do it, and we all continue to do it. If it’s not socially acceptable at this moment in time, it will probably become that way one day. And every year, we’re given new enhancements to technology that could catch up to our level of intelligence at some point. This is what Spike Jonze looks at in his latest film “Her”.

“Her” is set sometime in the future when technology has completely taken over our daily lives. Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix) is a slightly introverted man who works for a company that writes beautiful handwritten letters for people who can’t put their own expressions and emotions into words. He’s separated from his wife Catherine (Rooney Mara) but has not signed the divorce papers yet. It’s not a divorce he really wants either; it’s more her idea.

He’s not a total introvert, however. He has decent people skills, just not very good at handling relationships. He’s got a great friend at his work, receptionist Paul (Chris Pratt). His oldest friend is Amy (Amy Adams) who he sees quite often. She’s married to Charles (Matt Letscher) and all three get along well. That’s about it for everyone in this futuristic world. Everyone has become so dependent on technology that no one communicates face-to-face with people when they’re out in public. If you think it’s bad now, the vision that’s displayed here is almost unthinkable. People talk to themselves while they walk around during the day, but what they’re talking to is a much more polished version of Siri.

That is until one tech company comes out with a piece of software called OS One. This operating system uses artificial intelligence that’s so powerful and intuitive, it will almost seem like you’re talking with another human being. Theodore decides to try it out, not because he’s lonely and needs a new friend, but because he’s curious. The computer creates a female voice for him that calls itself Samantha (Scarlett Johansson). She’s smart, funny and has a very sensuous and fun loving voice. She learns all she can about Theodore from the contents of his computer and just listening to everything he says. Eventually, Theodore begins to develop feelings for her. Samantha even develops artificial emotions for him as well, and the two seemingly begin to fall in love with one another.

“Her” is definitely a unique take on the romance drama genre. Why would anyone expect anything less than unique given director Spike Jonze’s involvement? The man has built his enormously successful career on making things different than anyone else. “Being John Malkovich” was one of the most memorable films of the 1990s. Its follow up “Adaptation” was just as great. And who could ever forget Christopher Walken dancing around the lobby of the formerly known Marriott Hotel in the music video for Fatboy Slim’s “Weapon of Choice”? Yes, Spike Jonze has done many memorable and unique works in his career, but “Her” is his masterpiece.

This is one of the most polished and perfectly crafted screenplays of the year. Even with the little bizarre antics and strange scenes that occur throughout the movie, this film is a full on romance story. It shouldn’t matter that one doesn’t really exist in a human form. The voice on the other end is very real and the emotional bond that’s formed is genuine. Jonze has crafted one of the most real film relationships of the year with “Her” and you only ever see one person in that relationship.

Furthermore, the social subtext he explores is worth noting. We can walk around any public venue these days and constantly watch people walk around with their heads down staring into the screen of their smartphones. We can sit at a restaurant and watch a group of friends hang out or a couple on a date. What are they doing? Heads down, phones out. This is becoming prevalent in the highly connected society in which we live. Jonze explores the idea of this turning into a social norm at some point in the not-so-distant future. He doesn’t render judgment on whether or not this is acceptable; he’s just there to show you the vision he sees taking place.

Jonze’s vision includes people communicating to their smartphone devices via a Bluetooth-like ear piece. They communicate with a much more polished and much more helpful version of Siri. Theodore walks through the city listening to his emails. “Next. Next. Reply later,” he says. He stands on the subway as his phone reads the day’s news headlines. “Next. Next,” he continues until he hears one they piques his interest. And he’s not the only one. Everyone else is doing the exact same thing. No one is capable of having a human interaction in public.

Joaquin Phoenix is sensational in this role. He is one of the best actors working today and receives very little recognition (thanks to his little actor-turned-bearded-rapper gag a few years ago). Once again, he completely embodies this role and truly losses himself in it. He’s fascinating to watch. And since almost all of us have been in a relationship at one point or another, the stages are easily identifiable and relatable (even if you never dated your computer, which some of you reading this review probably do and don’t realize it).

But the most fascinating performance in this film comes from Scarlett Johansson. She was a late addition to this film and didn’t take part in any of the actual filming. Her role is never delivered in physical form, only in voice. Using only her voice, she is able to convey so much emotion and give this character a vast amount of depth that it’s easy to forget she’s never physically with Phoenix in this film. Even though you never see her, she delivers one of the finest performances of the year.

“Her” is nothing short of a masterpiece. It’s a creative gem delivered from one of the most visionary thinkers in Hollywood. Jonze delivers this film to us with a powerful story full of emotional depth, and is able to make an entertaining futuristic science-fiction film without hitting the overkill button on the visual effects. This is about as solid as filmmaking gets from all aspects. It’s films like this that should serve as a reminder to what movies used to be before technology killed the human interactions between the story and the audience.