Seven out of ten times, I’m going to come out enjoying a film that operates on its own terms. It’s the first and best thing I can say about Michael Mann, which just adds to my fanboy nature when it comes to his work. As a more recent example, the Coen Brothers’ A Serious Man just acts as its own entity from beginning to end, and never makes any apologies for it. While not as brilliant or as great as that picture, The Men Who Stare at Goats is that kid we all knew in high school. You’re not really sure who he is or what he’s about, but you know that when you spend time with him, you’re going to be entertained.

So why won’t this appeal to the masses? Very simply because of the script, which goes off the rails midway through the picture. Screenwriter Peter Straughan has some interesting ideas at work here, he just doesn’t know where to end it. Nor does he know where to take these ideas to turn them into a coherent story. Straughan likely read the book by Jon Ronson and came away so super excited over the material he decided to use it to write a script. Somewhere along the way someone forgot to tell him to go back and rewrite the film. It strives to be satirical, and many times almost gets to that point.

Director Grant Heslov doesn’t fail in making sure the movie stays entertaining at least during its brief runtime. He’s aided by a goofy-as-can-be George Clooney who acts like a kid on a roller coaster ride. It’s unclear what his Lyn Cassidy was written as, but Clooney takes him for an overconfident buffoon who feels he’s superhuman. The result is pure comedy, and a performance that guides one through the picture when it begins to get too outlandish for its own good. Clooney’s counterbalanced by a moody and glum Ewan McGregor who does a fine job as Bob Wilton, and plays off of his mustached partner elegantly. McGregor needs a film like this to get him back out there and this is a good jumping point.

Both are supported by Jeff Bridges who’s coasting by on his ‘Dude’ persona from The Big Lebowski. Obviously, that’s not a bad thing as he’s particularly great at it but he doesn’t really do anything we haven’t seen before. Kevin Spacey’s Larry Hooper is in a battle with Cassidy but not because they’re rivals like the story tells us. Spacey seems to be trying to one-up Clooney for “Goofiest Person In A Film”. While the edge might go to Spacey by the end, it never feels like Verbal Kint takes it too far. Stephen Lang also pops up, although it’s never clear why he’s there… but no matter. Lang’s always a joy to watch, as is Glenn Morshower, who’s in Transformers mode here. Again, never a bad thing.

Heslov does deserve credit for keeping all of these elements reigned in. He’s daunted with the task of trying to tell a coherent story amongst all the chaos, and he just goes with it. Heslov doesn’t hold anything back and doesn’t let any of his actors feel restrained by their roles. Instead of taking the “how can I save this?” attitude that directors sometimes  leave on their pictures, Heslov’s attitude toward this material is laid-back and fun. He’s perfectly aware things have gone up in smoke once the third act has arrived and does nothing to stop it from doing so. Maybe he’s smiling and laughing along with Cassidy and Hooper as they run rampant through an outpost.

This is what The Men Who Stare At Goats asks you to do. It cares if you like it, but at the same time it’s not afraid to just gleefully throw everything it can at you. Truth is, you’re either with this film from the opening frame, and just accept it in spite of itself when the later acts come, or you’re weary and far gone by the time said acts arrive. With that said, this film is tough to recommend to those on the fence. People interested should definitely give it a try, but the film isn’t for everyone and knows it. And sometimes, we need films like this that play by their own rules and offer up mildly entertaining exploits.

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

Hope my film does well

Paper Heart is the quirky indie film most of its ilk want to be. The flick delivers enough quirkiness only to reel itself back in when it feels overloaded, while maintaining its message. It’s aware when enough is enough, and hopes we accept the gimmick it presents. Even with its gimmick, the filmmakers know they have a voice; keep it in check and don’t necessarily spell the whole thing out for the viewer by the end. Rather, let the interviewees be a piece of the pie. At the same time, the film is a ticking time bomb waiting for Sergeant James to defuse. One false step and all the good will the film has built is destroyed in an instant. While it flirts with disaster, Paper Heart remains a cute, endearing, and at times depressing look into what love is.

The aforementioned gimmick refers to using paper puppets to tell the stories as the interviewees narrate their tale of love. For instance, the most heart-breaking entails a man who had a near-death experience whose heart kept beating because he saw a lost love’s face. Told through puppetry, we’re shown this guy’s journey from its start to where he falls into a river, meets some very over-exaggerated fish and ultimately makes his way back to shore. The creative lengths the filmmakers went to to make these sequences work might not have cost much, but in the end they compliment some truly great stories of love. That’s really where the heart (no pun intended) of the film lies. None of the stories are the same and that helps keep the puppetry from becoming repetitive. The filmmakers also wisely choose to tell us the most heartbreaking of the tales first, to get us on their side. They’re also smart enough to introduce us to the people and environments before laying their love stories on us. Suffice it to say, it works.

Ironically, the only story that rocks the boat too much is Charlene Yi’s faux-documentary interaction with Superbad star and real-life boyfriend Michael Cera. That’s not a slam on either, although Cera continues to prove the actor and the person are one in the same. Some of the moments these two share together are cute, one “date” could even be considered clever, but most of the scenes feel too forced. It’s only partially clear that they want us in on the joke as we see the reactions of the filmmakers after some scenes. The structure of it all is what ultimately lets some water into the perfectly fine ship Paper Heart is. The picture dives into standard romcom fare straight out of any “boy meets girl” adventure. The ship won’t sink, and that’s because Yi and Cera turn in some solid work. Sure, they won’t plug up every hole – some reactions feel unnatural and there’s never real tension between them – but like any strong captain(s), they’re determined to keep it afloat.

That leads us to the message of the film, which proclaims love has no definition. Yi sets out to define this enigma, only to realize by the end of it love takes on too many forms and can’t be defined by one, two, or even ten relationships. Yi admits in the beginning she doesn’t believe in it, and wants to find what it is. Does love need to be defined? Can love really be the “perfect” emotion Hallmark cards claim it is? Yi, and the film, realize together what love is by the end of it, and they seem happy with the answer. It makes one wonder, though, is this why some people have a tough time with the concept of love, because it’s not defined by one particular thing?

One’s enjoyment of Paper Heart might boil down to how one feels about Charlene Yi. She’s an awkward yet cute girl who, to this viewer, operates in her own world. We come to know Charlene and even meet her family. Those who find her endearing will accept Paper Heart for what it is: a sweet, cute, and innocent look into the concept of love and what defines it. For what it’s worth, the film ended up being much better than expected and will hopefully find an audience that embraces it as much as the folks involved embraced this idea.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

The lovely people from Overture Films are reigniting the flame of Shakespeare once again in cinema in the form of Hamlet. This time around, it’ll be a more modern retelling of the classic tale with the help of Thirteen and Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke. Joining the list is Into The Wild & Speed Racer’s Emile Hirsch, playing the tragic Hamlet himself. The story – focusing on a young man burdened with the decision of whether to take revenge on his father’s killer (his own uncle) – would take place in contemporary America.

Emile & others locked in for some Shakespeare

Along with producing is Bruce Cohen and Dan Jinks who both collaborated on Milk & Pushing Daisies just to name a few. “This project was the brainchild of Emile Hirsch, who we had the pleasure of working with on ‘Milk’.  Hamlet was in college when the story takes place, yet there hasn’t been a movie version with an appropriately-aged actor playing the role.  Our goal is to present the story as a suspense thriller.  We want to make it exciting and accessible for an audience today,” Jinks and Cohen said in a joint statement. Start boning up on your Shakespeare reading because from the looks of it, this puppy can flow eloquently out into theaters possibly around 2011.