2008 Woodie Awards
Proof that good direction matters
Christopher Erat
Issue date: 1/29/07 Section: Entertainment
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Chris Erat
Managing Editor
Finally! One of the most acclaimed movies of the year has at last made its way up to the North Country, and boy has it been worth the wait! Director Alfonso Cuarón (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Y Tu Mamá También) has succeeded in crafting a multi-genre masterpiece that frightens, entertains, and cautions.
Children of Men is a not-so-futuristic look at a world similar to our own where women are infertile. With the population dying out, the world has become torn by war and violence. As the film opens, we're introduced to Theo (Clive Owen), a regular joe who eventually gets caught in an attempt to transport a young woman to safety-but for what reason? Theo soon finds out the young woman's pregnant, meaning the fate of mankind rests in his hands.
The film could have easily felt like a offshoot of 1984, but Cuarón's brilliant direction takes it to another level entirely. We have a love story between Theo and his estranged wife (Julianne Moore). We have a tense race against time as Theo desperately tries to help the pregnant woman to safety. We have a warning to our generation about the terror and mass hysteria that could result from such a terrible situation. And it all comes to together so seamlessly-it's easily one of the best movies to come out in years. It's not the best, but it's up there.
Every scene in Children of Men is shot with remarkable care; every detail is worth focusing on. For instance, in one scene Theo gets on a bus with the young pregnant woman. He takes a window seat, out of which you can see people lined up by police with hoods over their heads. Theo's tired expression seems hauntingly indifferent towards the events going on around him, like a man who's seen so much terror that nothing can faze him anymore. As the bus pulls away, you can see more people being lined up by police out the window; a few seconds later you see people on their knees with guns pointed at them; before the scene cuts away, you see bodies laying prostrate on the ground. The whole time you're asking yourself, "Do I watch Theo and the young woman on the bus, or do I focus on the events taking place out the window?" The answer is simple-you focus on both.
Films don't get much more enjoyable than this. The camerawork is smart-really smart. Cuarón utilizes long takes to make you feel like you're right there in the thick of the ruined world. It's intense-really intense. Sometimes main characters get shot without any warning as riots break out and chaos ensues. You hardly have enough time to register what happened before another crisis arises. Everything about Children of Men succeeds in making you feel how you're supposed to feel, and that's what good filmmaking is all about.
Catch this one quick before garbage like Catch and Release, Blood and Chocolate, and Epic Movie push it out of its slot at the American. It came out too late to receive an Oscar nod, but mark my words, you'll be hearing about Children of Men around this time next year.
Managing Editor
Finally! One of the most acclaimed movies of the year has at last made its way up to the North Country, and boy has it been worth the wait! Director Alfonso Cuarón (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Y Tu Mamá También) has succeeded in crafting a multi-genre masterpiece that frightens, entertains, and cautions.
Children of Men is a not-so-futuristic look at a world similar to our own where women are infertile. With the population dying out, the world has become torn by war and violence. As the film opens, we're introduced to Theo (Clive Owen), a regular joe who eventually gets caught in an attempt to transport a young woman to safety-but for what reason? Theo soon finds out the young woman's pregnant, meaning the fate of mankind rests in his hands.
The film could have easily felt like a offshoot of 1984, but Cuarón's brilliant direction takes it to another level entirely. We have a love story between Theo and his estranged wife (Julianne Moore). We have a tense race against time as Theo desperately tries to help the pregnant woman to safety. We have a warning to our generation about the terror and mass hysteria that could result from such a terrible situation. And it all comes to together so seamlessly-it's easily one of the best movies to come out in years. It's not the best, but it's up there.
Every scene in Children of Men is shot with remarkable care; every detail is worth focusing on. For instance, in one scene Theo gets on a bus with the young pregnant woman. He takes a window seat, out of which you can see people lined up by police with hoods over their heads. Theo's tired expression seems hauntingly indifferent towards the events going on around him, like a man who's seen so much terror that nothing can faze him anymore. As the bus pulls away, you can see more people being lined up by police out the window; a few seconds later you see people on their knees with guns pointed at them; before the scene cuts away, you see bodies laying prostrate on the ground. The whole time you're asking yourself, "Do I watch Theo and the young woman on the bus, or do I focus on the events taking place out the window?" The answer is simple-you focus on both.
Films don't get much more enjoyable than this. The camerawork is smart-really smart. Cuarón utilizes long takes to make you feel like you're right there in the thick of the ruined world. It's intense-really intense. Sometimes main characters get shot without any warning as riots break out and chaos ensues. You hardly have enough time to register what happened before another crisis arises. Everything about Children of Men succeeds in making you feel how you're supposed to feel, and that's what good filmmaking is all about.
Catch this one quick before garbage like Catch and Release, Blood and Chocolate, and Epic Movie push it out of its slot at the American. It came out too late to receive an Oscar nod, but mark my words, you'll be hearing about Children of Men around this time next year.
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