At the end of last year I decided that the Spike Jonze movie Her was my favorite movie of 2013. Since then, I’ve caught up on a few movies from last year, including the quite good (Saving Mister Banks, Short Term 12), the surprisingly funny (We’re the Millers), and the overrated (Captain Philips). But despite watching some decent movies, I still stick by my decision. Now that the Blu-ray is being released, I think it’s an excellent opportunity to revisit this movie. The movie by Spike Jonze unsurprisingly holds up to repeat viewings, with different themes and motifs emerging just like you can notice new little things from background rewatching it. And it’s not like people have gotten any less attached to their mobile devices since December, or less confused about human interactions.

I still strongly recommend this movie as an extremely well-acted character piece, a funny and poignant romance, and one of the best harder sci-fi films in years. Some people I’ve talked to have had quibbles about the ending, but I personally think it still works. The movie isn’t perfect, but then again no piece of art has that distinction. I prefer supporting these sorts of radical ideas, approaching universal themes and large ideas from the perspective of one individual that’s just one small piece of a very big puzzle. It’s not a family film, as there are scenes and themes too advanced and adult for children, but I think most people may surprise themselves by actually liking this one. There are always going to be haters, but I think there are far better targets for that sort of thing.

The movie looks and sounds great on the Blu-Ray, with an excellent transfer from the big screen. Some of the specific sweeping visuals can’t be replicated the same way, of course, but this is mostly a film in small spaces. The Blu-Ray comes with a few special features but no director’s commentary, although that’s typical for Spike Jonze. Here is what’s been included:

• A Short Film by Lance Bangs: The Untitled Rick Howard Project: Creating Her (24:19) — This a short behind the scenes documentary about the making of the movie, which which was originally called “The Untitled Rick Howard Project.” It’s a fascinating look at movie-making in general and this film in particular. The documentary is done in a pretty artsy way, but I found it quite compelling.
• Love in the Modern Age: Intimate Conversations About Love and Relationships in Our Time (15:10) — This piece was released online as part of the promotion for the movie, and includes various people, including artists, musicians, producers, psychologists, actors, and comedians (like Marc Maron, Moshe Kasher, and Charylne Yi). It consists of a series of fairly personal interviews where people talk about relationships and their personal experiences with love and heartbreak. The difficulty of love in the modern era is touched on, while the use of technology is explored as perhaps a hindrance or problem. A bit overlong in my opinion, and a touch light on anything truly dynamic, but it’s interesting to see people trying to speak honestly.
• How Do You Share Your Life with Someone? (3:56) — This is just a short, evocative trailer for the movie that had also been released as part of the film’s promotion.

Her is available on home video May 6. A Blu-ray was generously provided by Warner Home Video for review.

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CliqueClack has partnered with Warner Brothers and Allied Integrated Marketing to offer readers in the Baltimore area an opportunity to attend an advance screening of the critically acclaimed new film Her. Set in Los Angeles, in the near future, Her follows Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix), a complex, soulful man who makes his living writing touching, personal letters for other people. Heartbroken after the end of a long relationship, he becomes intrigued with a new, advanced operating system, which promises to be an intuitive and unique entity in its own right. Upon initiating it, he is delighted to meet “Samantha,” a bright, female voice (Scarlett Johansson) who is insightful, sensitive and surprisingly funny. As her needs and desires grow in tandem with his own, their friendship deepens into an eventual love for each other.

A limited number of passes are available for the screening which will take place on Tuesday, January 7, 7:00 PM at AMC White Marsh. To get your passes, simply leave a comment on this post telling us that you want to see this movie. Unique GoFoBo codes will be distributed by email on a first-come, first-served basis. Codes are good for up to two Admit One passes. To be eligible, please read the following rules. YOU MUST FOLLOW ALL OF THE INSTRUCTIONS TO BE ELIGIBLE!

• ONE comment per person/per email address. Any duplicates will be discarded. CliqueClack reserves the right to disqualify any entries that appear to be duplicates.
• YOUR FULL NAME (first and last!) and correct email address is required in the appropriate boxes on the comment form. Do not include any personal information in the comment box. Spell check your email address!
• The offer will be valid until noon on January 7, 2014, or when all codes have been distributed. This offer could end at any time.
• Passes do not guarantee you seats. Seating is first-come, first-served so plan to arrive early. CliqueClack has no control over the total number of passes distributed for this screening, and is not responsible for seating arrangements at the theater.
• The film is rated R. No one under 17 will be admitted with a parent or guardian.

Take a look at the film’s trailer, and let us know if you want to attend this screening! Her opens on January 10th.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=ne6p6MfLBxc

Technology has often been accused of putting barriers between people, holding back social interactions, and the terrifying possibility that we’ve lost control. That perhaps it is the machines that control us. People walk around constantly with their faces in their phones and electronic devices, holding conversations with staccatos of texts and mostly prosaic and abstract online interactions. Everyone searches for integrity and honesty in every crazy video on YouTube, while simultaneously suspecting them all to be hoaxes. Certainly people still interact in person, of course, but it’s become easier and easier to interact through your computer.

Barring societal collapse, it does seem plausible that we will only become more immersed and more jaded. Humanity still seeks beauty and safety while fearing the unknown and the false. But we still want things to be easier and easier still. One of the interesting pursuits of research is in the field of Artificial Intelligence, that being intelligence, probably on a computer, that can think for itself unbound by the necessities of organic matter to hold them back. Science fiction has come up with all sorts of names for such beings, whether called Machine Intelligent, Post-Organic, Non-Organic, etc. But there will always be the sneaking suspicion that an AI is “not human’ like us. Whatever that means.

Her is the latest movie from director/writer Spike Jonze, of such mind bending films as Adaptation and Being John Malkovich. In the not too distant future, Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) is lonely after being separated from his wife (Rooney Mara) as his divorce papers lay nearby, unsigned and ignored. He has an interesting but repetitive job as a writer of personalized greeting cards, where it is clear he has some talent but no drive. It is just happenstance that a new operating system has just become available and is the latest thing to buy: an OS that can treat you like a real person, not just vaguely advanced voice recognition software. Immediately Theodore finds himself drawn to the OS (played by the voice of Scarlett Johansson) who decides to call herself Samantha. And despite himself, Theodore becomes increasingly attached to an OS that for all intents and purposes seems like a real person. Maybe he’s even falling in love. Maybe she is beginning to feel the same way. But as a newly “born” OS, she has only begun to experience the vast range of experiences, which include not only happy emotions, but dark ones like sadness, pain, and jealousy. Theodore’s ex might be dismissive and his friend (Amy Adams) or boss (Chris Pratt) might be supportive, but he himself is confused. Because in the end, can he really have a relationship with something that exists digitally but not physically?

The end of the year often brings great movies, often prestige pictures aiming for the awards season. Sometimes these films are overblown and overwrought, cherry picked to target critics and ignore mainstream audiences and ultimately be just as cold and calculated as any mega-blockbuster. But sometimes you get lucky. As it stands here near the end of December, Her is one my favorite movies of the year. True, not too much in the way of greatness has been out in the first half of the year, but usually it’s not quite this clear. There is something about the message of loneliness and technological growth that very specifically speaks to me, but those messages can reach many others as well.

This movie can be funny and charming in one scene, then suddenly heart-breaking and intense in the next. With so much going on and to discuss, I don’t want to spoil things for the potential watcher. But there are things I can certainly discuss. The script is light in comparison to some others, but the acting here is some of the best you’ll see this year. Joaquin Phoenix, no surprise, carries this movie visually, showcasing subtlety and heavy emotion in a way like few other actors today. And yet, Scarlett Johansson plays the perfect auditory contrast, perhaps some of the best voice acting in a while for a non-animated feature. It is shockingly easy to imagine Samantha as just as real as any human being, which I suppose is the point. Some of the smaller parts are fine, with Amy Adams doing the third extremely different role (after Man of Steel and American Hustle) showcasing an absurd level of talent for someone that good-looking.

I love the way this movie looks and moves, moving along briskly even though it’s a hair over two hours long. When the credits roll, you may find yourself simultaneously thinking it couldn’t end any better but that you desperately want to know what might happen next. That’s a pretty great way for any movie to conclude. I found myself completely immersed in the evolving relationship of Theodore and Samantha, which perhaps mirrored the possible evolution of humans alongside machines. Or perhaps not … there are a lot of ways to look at it. There’s so much to love about this movie, and I often say that if something can make me laugh and cry, it’s automatically a favorite. And that certainly applies for Her.

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