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Something fishy in the Middle East

The Squid and the Whale (R)

Despite steep competition, The Squid and the Whale, written and directed by Noah Baumbach (writer for The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou), is easily one of the most interesting, effective and enjoyable films I saw in theaters last year. Writing largely from his own childhood experiences, Baumbach tells the story of a family divided by divorce. In telling this story, the film succeeds excellently in every aspect and effectively entertains, amuses, disturbs and provokes the viewer.

While the family depicted is far from normal, even by modern standards, the characterizations and situations characters find themselves feel very real, as well as being very funny. Though the film's interactions frequently border on being painfully awkward, they succeed at creating empathy with characters while simultaneously laughing at them. These situations range from simple dating uneasiness to smearing ejaculate on the spines of library books. Because it avoids the common formulas of a family tragedy or feel-good comedy, the film's characters experience growth without redeeming their flaws or finding real solutions to their crises. As a result, the characters seem to be far more real than other characters found on screen.

Although the acting is superb in every role (even that of Billy Baldwin), Jeff Daniels and his impressive beard deliver a surprisingly strong performance. As the once lauded author and now failing father, Daniels is arrogant, pathetic, loathsome and sympathetic. While these words could just as easily describe his character from Dumb and Dumber, the contrast between performances is astounding. And fortunately, the rest of the cast easily matches him.

Equally effective is the overall visual style. The film has a warm, grainy quality, and is shot in a subtle naturalistic style. Combined with run-down, Brooklyn locations, this helps to bring an overall level of gritty realism to the film which helps to reinforce the sense of this being a real family, maybe like the family your best friend had growing up.

Overall, this ideosynchratic "comedy" is one of the best films released last year.

- reviewed by Morgan Wajda-Levie

Syriana (R)

As the credits roll on Syriana, you may feel the need to turn to the nearest friend, acquaintance, or total stranger and unleash a barrage of interrogatives like "Why did they -" "Who was the -" "How did he -" "What the f-" ... you get the point. Writer/director Steven Gaghan won an Oscar with his screenplay of the massively popular Traffic, which wove a myriad of viewpoints on the drug trade into one interconnected political thriller. In Syriana he applies this formula to the oil trade but loses much of the emotional impact in a veritable firehose of information, proving that more of a good thing is not always better.

The story loosely focuses on an unidentified Arab country whose aging Emir must decide which of his two sons will replace him, and a proposed merger by American oil giants that comes under fire from the Justice Department.

What looks to be a promising tale of political intrigue is soon lost in a muddle of names and faces as we are jerked from one subplot to the next. What makes this more frustrating is the obvious dramatic potential of some of the storylines, propelled by an outstanding ensemble cast. George Clooney, who infamously gained 35 pounds for the role, puts in a solid performance as Bob Barnes, a seasoned CIA operative who finds himself a pawn of forces he barely understands. Wasim Ahmed Khan (Mazhar Munir) is especially poignant as a disillusioned oil worker who begins attending a radical Muslim madrassa, where he is befriended by a manipulative Egyptian. But at the breakneck speed that every story unfolds, we never get the chance to delve beyond the surface of any character.

Syriana doesn't provide any easy answers, but the real problem is that we've barely had a chance to figure out the questions. If you like political intrigue or enjoy good acting for the sake of good acting, it's worth watching. Just bring a friend who doesn't mind questions.

- reviewed by Ian Young

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