'Noah' & 'Finding Vivian Maier' Reviews

Noah is a biblical epic by Darren Aronofsky based on the Genesis tale. The film begins with a depiction of Adam and Eve, how they were cast out of paradise, and how their off spring inhabited the world. Some ten generations later Cain's descendants have used up the world's resources and rule each other with violence. Noah and his family(the only descendants of Seth) are the only ones still beholden to the Creator and the welfare of the planet. Noah receives a cryptic dream about the coming rains which will purge the Earth of man.

The film follows Noah(Russell Crowe) and his family across this desolate world and their construction of an arc to save the innocent animals. Overall the performances are compelling somewhat hamstrung by some underwritten roles, inapproriate casting(Logan Lerman as Noah's second son Ham is terribly out of his depth and unwatchable) and lengthy cliched monologues by Crow and Ray Winstone's villainous Tubal-cain. The most interesting and seemingly the most comfortable is Anthony Hopkins as Methuselah. The allegory of the film is blunt and unsophisticated so the point has little finesse but visually it is striking.

Noah seems to have undergone a lot of compromises. It is not wholly an Aronosky film and not a conventional biblical epic but some weird amalgamation of the two. The most interesting moments are those where the director seems to get his head- fallen angel-rockmonsters, a brief time lapsed sequence on the creation of the world melding the bible story with evolution, and Noah's disturbing violent dreams rich with imagery. The film falters when it relies more on conventional narrative devices and overwrought emotional outbursts.

An entertaining and interesting watch but ultimately too long and unfulfilling of its potential.

Rent It.

Finding Vivian Maier is a documentary about reclusive and previously undiscovered street photographer Vivian Maier. The film follows it's creator John Maloof who discovered Maier's work in an auction as he uncovers her striking photographs then delves into her past. The film paints an interesting and compelling portrait of an artist with a complicated relationship with her work. Through her photographs and interviews with her friends, former employers, and former wards(she was a nanny) we discover that Ms. Maier was very precious of her work and her personal life. She did not show anyone her photographs and for the most part took no steps to have them released. She was a hoarder, collecting so many newspapers her floor began to sag, she had a temper at times abusing the children she cared for in various ways.

What is revealed is a woman with an amazing eye and a perspective limited, almost cripplingly so, by various compulsions and a dark past. The interview subjects repeatedly voice their belief that Ms. Maier would not like, condone, or permit the way the film maker Maloof is releasing her work or delving into her past. Maloof however is on a mission to inject Maier's work into the photographic pantheon and uncover who this woman was.

The film raises interesting questions about the relationship between the artist and the art. The Maier that is revealed isn't particularly flattering but ultimately what does her personal life have to do with her work or its importance. It also raises interesting questions about the ownership of her work. Maloof is the sole owner of over 150,000 of Maier's photographs presumably reaping the entire financial benefit with no intention to set up a fund or charity. It is obvious that Maloof has taken it upon himself to make Maier known, he is obsessed, but there is a sense of opportunism about his actions. There is a telling scene where he signs one of her prints to authenticate it.

A mysterious portrait of a tortured and isolated artist. Some of the more intriguing questions however are hardly asked. The film feels, at points, like an extended ploy for Maloof to sell prints.

Rent It.