Lot 47 Films Newcomers Tony Donnelly (left),
James Costa (center) and Paul Franklin
Dano star in Michael Cuesta’s controversial new film,
"L.I.E."
“L.I.E.”
Starring Paul Franklin Dano, Billy Kay and Brian Cox
Directed by Michael Cuesta “L.I.E.” is a movie
that is difficult to watch at times, not just because of its
treatment of sensitive social issues, but because it purposely
makes those issues gray. When people hear it involves a pedophile,
they may be turned off completely, which is understandable. The
intriguing thing behind “L.I.E.” is that, while it
certainly does not glorify pedophilia nor put it in a positive
light in any sense, it does keep the audience’s attention,
daring them to look away but pulling them in for a closer look.
Viewers who see the film with an open mind will experience a
well-crafted piece of cinematic art. Ignore the issue of pedophilia
for a moment. “L.I.E.” is really about a 15-year-old
suburban kid, Howie (Paul Franklin Dano), who is forced to deal
with events beyond his control that push him from all sides
emotionally and thrust him into adulthood before he is ready. Howie
goes through a week of intense personal loss: already before the
movie starts he has lost his mother in a car crash on the Long
Island Expressway (hence the title, an acronym), and in a
week’s time his best friend Gary (Billy Kay) runs away from
home and his father Marty is arrested. Howie and his friends spend
their time robbing houses for fun. During this time, Gary secretly
sells his body for money to older men, one of them a pedophile
named Big John (Brian Cox). One of the houses Howie and his friends
rob is Big John’s. The older man later finds Howie and tries
to start a sexual relationship with the teenager. As Big John gets
to know Howie, he changes from trying to get a sexual liaison with
Howie to being more of a father figure to him. There is a fine line
separating the two sides of Big John’s behavior. Part of the
film’s genius is how it blurs those lines between Big
John’s monstrous nature and his human, paternal side. The
acting performances are excellent and the cinematography is well
done. Brian Cox plays Big John with multiple layers of complexity
and emotion, and the teenage actors, especially Paul Franklin Dano
and Billy Kay, show maturity beyond their years. Cuesta’s
sweeping views of suburbia are full of contrast and rich in detail.
The worlds of Big John and Howie are depicted with great contrast:
the former is dark and eccentric while the latter is a sterile,
upper-middle-class environment. While L.I.E. does address a
sensitive issue, viewers should ignore the connotations of its
NC-17 rating and watch it with an open mind.
Chris Young
“Serendipity”
Starring John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale Directed by Peter
Chelsom Audiences are destined to fall in love with this
movie. After two hours of darling performances by John Cusack and
Kate Beckinsale in the new movie “Serendipity,” even
the staunchest defenders of free will will believe in the existence
of destiny, at least for a little while. The movie, however, does
start off somewhat clichéd as a Cinderella-esque encounter
between two strangers. Of course these two strangers, Sarah Thomas
(Beckinsale) and Jonathan Trager (Cusack) hit it off beautifully.
The twist, however, is the reason for Sarah’s ultimate
disappearance. She performs a few tests to see whether or not this
unbelievable man is her true soul mate. And by a freak accident,
she is nearly convinced that it wasn’t meant to be. Just to
be sure, she sends a couple more tests out into the world and lets
fate take care of the rest. And according to this movie, fate can
take some pretty enjoyable turns. As the two disappear from each
other’s lives, they begin to grow as people, but neither one
forgets about that first amazing encounter. While Cusack has become
associated with quirky films like “High Fidelity” and
“Grosse Pointe Blank,” which he co-wrote, this is not
the Cusack audiences will be seeing in “Serendipity.”
Instead, expect a movie more along the lines of his recent
“America’s Sweethearts.” Fortunately it’s
not as predictable as you might think. There are definitely a few
twists, but “Serendipity” is a romantic comedy and
predictability is practically a prerequisite for the genre. The
movie’s only downfall was the lack of comic relief. It almost
becomes too preachy in the sense that it takes itself too
seriously. And that could be a reason to make stomachs turn,
especially for individuals with high levels of testosterone.
Nevertheless, most will leave this movie happier about their own
lives with the belief that they could be seconds away from meeting
their own soul mate. Who knows? Maybe that soul mate will be at the
movie theater. Go see it.
Suneal Kolluri