Killer of Sheep, Gracie

Killer of Sheep ***
Directed by Charles Burnett
83 Minutes
Not Rated-Nothing Objectable

I finally got the chance to see "Killer of Sheep," the 1977 films which got a release at the IFC in New York City a while back and stuck around due to a massive box office intake. This is my second revival in a week, the other being "Mala Noche," and they have been interesting to watch and are even a bit similar. Both shot in beautiful black and white, telling a minimal story about a group of people. "Killer of Sheep" tells about a black family and the struggle of the patriarch, Stan, to keep them alive and to keep everything together. Charles Burnett shot his film while a student, and while it was hailed as a masterpiece it was on the shelf for years before release, and then returned to the shelf for another thirty years. And while I wasn't floored by it, I was strangely moved by the extremely likable depiction of Stan-a hard man that will clearly do anything for his family. Burnett does not only focus on the family, but he goes on to other aspects of the blacks in the area-the children, the local criminals or little scam artists-as well as white relations with them. Stan has a nice following and reputation with a local store owner while some others do not. Shot in black and white so that every single shot is beautiful, and incorporating music from jazz to blues to R and B, "Killer of Sheep" is a must-see for all serious film fans. It is a little piece of history that has been put away for a while, and is clear influence for current filmmakers like Jim Jarmusch, who could appreciate the minimal style, and Spike Lee, who could appreciate the morals behind it.

Gracie **
Directed by Davis Guggeheim
95 Minutes
Rated PG-13 for brief sexual content.

"Gracie" is the same old story, but tacks on an additional forty five minutes at the start which breaks away from the tone that it tries to get in the second forty five minutes. It is probably the strangest sports film I have seen-one that tries to aim at little children based on the advertisements, but is clearly more mature. Based on the young life of actress Elizabeth Shue, "Gracie" stars Carly Schroeder (who was amazing in "Mean Creek") as the title character. The only girl out of a bunch of boys, Gracie has often stayed on the bench while her soccer-obsessed father gives intense training to his favorite son, Johnny. When Johnny is killed in a car crash, Gracie is torn, and her father is clearly just as bad, even if he doesn't show it. And Gracie decides to try and get over Johnny and give him a memorial by learning to play soccer and beating the team that Johnny could not.

The problems come before she begins playing soccer. To get her fathers attention she begins to flaunt herself in front of boys, lying about wanting sex and sneaking out in the middle of the night. This is where "Gracie's is heavy, and clearly is not aimed at young girls who like soccer. But then the second half becomes this magical sports film-Gracie patches things up with her father, tries to win the big game, someone makes a big speech-the works. It was like Shue's life turned into a big sports cliche. Director Davis Guggeheim is fresh off of his work in the Oscar winning "An Inconvenient Truth," but this is not impressive or really worth seeing at all. The awkward tone shifts tried to make this more edgy and a little different but it distanced the audience who wanted to see a soccer film. The acting was all up to standards, with young Carly Schroeder carrying the film very well, Dermot Mulroney as her father, and Elizabeth Shue herself as Gracie's mother, who is left to just standing outside of the action, often giving thoughtful little glances and knowing looks. "Gracie" is tolerable, but just more of the same, and when it isn't more of the same it is just strange to watch. The scripts tone is all over the place, and it made the film hard to get into.