To be honest, even though I did see both Being Elmo and The
Descendants in the past two weeks, I really never had time to write about them.
So instead of offering up some watered-down, halfassed, twice-as-long description of those two
movies that would take about forty-five minutes each to write without any
really saying anything, I’m going to sum them both up:
Who needs feelings when you have a puppet to feel them for you?
Being Elmo was good. A documentary about Kevin Clash, the puppeteer that
created Elmo and acts as his puppeteer to this day. Not a bad movie, but
could’ve been a little more introspective. Unless of course all this man thinks
about is puppets, which is hinted at more than once by the mere subject matter
of this film. You get the impression that while this guy is a puppet genius, he
doesn’t think about much else…
Totally copying off of my userpic...
The Descendants was incredible. Though it boasts a plot line
that could easily be found in any daytime soap opera, this movie is beautifully
subtle and incredibly believable. Dealing with the drama of his wife dying as a
result of a jet ski accident, Matt King then finds out that she was cheating on
him not long beforehand. The frustration and confusion from both Matt King, his
eldest daughter (who would've thought that the girl from Secret Life would turn out to be an actually good actress?), and her aloof friend Sid is completely tangible on the
backdrop of beautiful Hawaii. Lots of Hawaiian shirts. Lots of family drama.
Very cool movie. Very cool.
When I woke up Thursday morning, I was gearing up for another awesome sunshiney beautiful gorgeous day, when I realized that my room had darted back to its February temperature. Fearing the worst, I looked outside and it was all cloudy and not beautiful gorgeous either. Womp womp. So I ended up spending the better half of the morning working on job applications watching a movie called Brassed Off.
Funny story about this movie: I had never heard of it before: I was doing some research on a certain song called Tubthumping by Chumbawumba (god, I feel old). I don't know if any of you have ever heard the intro to the song before, but it starts off with an audio clip spoken by Pete Postlethwaite saying "The truth is I thought it mattered. I thought that music mattered. But does it, bullocks. Not compared to our people, matter." (It makes more sense with his Yorkshire accent).
So I, resident film nerd, took it upon myself to perform the arduous task of googling said audio clip in order to find out its origin. Then I looked up Brassed Off on Netflix, added it to my Netflix, and promptly forgot all about it.
Until I found it as a VHS in Liberty Thrift.
Yes, my VHS haters. For the price of $1.00 I now own Brassed Off.
One funny thing about this movie, though, as it is with most obscure movies, is that the movie's cover did not really advertise the true inner workings of the plot (I know. I was just as shocked as you probably are.). In fact, the movie's cover seemed to suggest that this movie is a romanic comedy, which is pretty much the exact opposite of what it actually is. I mean, the tagline of the movie is "Together Again...And Turning the Town Upside Down!" Ummm...not really, dude.
Contrary to what this cover may have you thinking, this is not the British She's All That.
The movie's plot is actually set on the backdrop of a mining town and what happens when its colliery (that's British for "mine"), the villagers' main source of income, is put under a possible shut-down as a result of the "Tory Party" (doesn't that just sound too British?) trying to modernize England and phase out coal mining or something. But that's just the backdrop. The problems of the villagers to come up with money, the emotional strain of being on strike, and all kinds of other problems are only heightened when they're put in contrast with the small problems and awesome sound of the village's colliery brass band.
Majestic.
The band, which has been running for 100 years, is led by sweet but narrow-minded Danny (Pete Postlethwaite), who refuses to take in the situation going on around him. Despite his son, Phil's (Stephen Tompkinson) various troubles with money and managing his family, Danny seems to focus whole-heartedly on the band. One day, the band is approached by a girl named Gloria (Tara Fitzgerald), who was born in Grimley and wants to practice with the band while she's there "on holiday" (highly suspect...). The band (which is all dudes) welcomes her incredible flugle skills and she is asked to go through the band's next competition playing with them. Entranced by Gloria is Andy (Ewan McGregor, fresh off of Trainspotting), who has had a crush on her since they were little.
The ensuing tangle of a storyline then follows Danny's declining health as a result of all his mining years as he refuses to see what is around him; Phil coming to terms with the reality of his familial and financial situation; and Andy and Gloria's relationship after everyone finds out she is a surveyor for the very company that is trying to shut down the mine.
Haha poverty's the best
It's actually very well put together. Set up as a political commentary film about the underdog of Yorkshire amidst the bigger dogs like Wales and London (I'm going off of Danny's speech at the end), the film actually manages to successfully get their audience rooting for the people of Grimley and, perhaps less importantly, their brass band.
Speaking of their brass band, I've got to say (even though it's fairly obvious that none of the actors bothered really learning their instruments. Yes I'm talking to you, Tara Fitzgerald) the soundtrack is pretty great. I don't know about you, but when I hear "brass band", the only songs that come to mind are John Philip Sousa marches. Despite this, the film managed to pull off some pretty gorgeous songs that I had never heard before, or at least never played by a brass band (look up their clips of Danny Boy and Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez. Dayum.). Well done on the soundtrack, kids.
In terms of the film again, though, I will warn you there is quite a lot about this film that ends up being dark (which is really why I couldn't understand them calling it a romantic comedy?) and even though it ends on a high note, there is still a good portion of it that leaves you kind of crestfallen. The miners are so let down by everyone around them and there is such a large number of people that end up being screwed over by the government that it makes you think. Probably what they were going for.
I will say that the only point that they didn't have me sold on, in terms of shutting down mines being a bad thing, was the health risks. I was a little surprised that they put Danny having the black lung when their agenda was so clearly to persuade people that mining is a lucrative and profitable industry. Sorry folks. Not buyin' it.
'Nuff said.
Pretty good for a political movie. And just funny enough to keep you going.
6.5 outa 10
THis is the only trailer I could find, guys, sorry for the horrific lag:
P.S.:
To make up for that awful trailer video...
(I know you guys wanted an excuse to jam to this oldie)
So I don't know how this keeps happening, but each weekend I keep finding myself back in Jersey. This past weekend I just went home to decompress and take a frolic on the beach in this awesome weather. Too bad it was 37 degrees outside.
You can't see the cold...but it's there.
So bypassing my own plans to prance around the beach, I opted instead for (wait for it) a movie. Except this time Billiam and I sneaked out of the house and left Mama at home (sorry, Cath).
This round we went and saw Safe House starring Ryan Reynolds and Denzel Washington (swoonfest).
Niemand ist sicher, indeed.
The movie start off with Matt Weston (Ryan Reynolds) and his girlfriend (Nora Arnezeder) in South Africa and chatting about all the different places that they'd like to move. Come to find out about five to ten minutes after that that he has made a cover for himself and has lied about his actual job to his girlfriend. He is, in fact, a "housekeeper" for the CIA. Housekeepers, you come to find out, are the people that run safe houses for the government, housing high profile criminals while the government tries to get information from them or decides what to do with them. Matt sees close to no action, though, spending his days throwing a tennis ball against the wall.
Enter Tobin Frost (Washington), a high-profile criminal who has been on the run from the US government for years. After meeting Matt, the scene then switches to Frost meeting a friend of his and getting a valuable file (we don't know what's on it). Soon after there is gunfire, a killer chase scene, his friend is killed in transit, and Frost, seeing no other option, surrenders to the American Embassy (this all also takes place in South Africa, fyi). Soon after, our two heroes are smooshed together, Tobin being led to Matt's safe house so that the CIA can question him on same random stuff.
All hell breaks loose when the security of the safe house is compromised and the team that has led Frost there is all left for dead, leaving poor Matt to deal with this terrifying mind-messer-wither.
He is, in fact, reading his mind.
As the plot unfolds, however, it becomes increasingly (and then decreasingly) difficult to figure out if Frost is a good guy or a bad guy, giving Matt tips and eventually even helping him with his own demise.
This movie was actually pretty interesting. While I have got to say I'm not sure about how I feel about Matt crying through, like, 2/3 of the entire film, it brings some realism into a genre that is usually reserved for badass, emotionless secret agents. Matt's dewey eyes are maybe a little over the top, but they also make you realize how terrifying it actually is to be a spy, what the level of trust is in that secret of a branch of government, and the self-searching problems that you would have with that kind of a job. While he is no Jason Bourne, Matt Weston is almost more believable (if less entertaining to watch) as the only character in the film with any kind of moral fiber.
Am I holding this gun right?
Denzel is also totally his usual badass self as Tobin Frost. In the beginning you are somewhat convinced he is a sociopath, but as he helps Matt Weston question the duties of his job and the trust that he has wholly put into the American government, you being to realize that he is the exact opposite of a sociopath, and just a jaded ex-agent who is trying to bring sense to Matt. Very well acted.
A cool commentary about patriotism, corruption in government, "the system" and who you can and cannot trust. Not bad.
Good lord. I guess you're teetering dangerously on hipster territory when you find yourself using the VHS half of your dual player more than the DVD half. But in my defense, when I first got a TV for Christmas and didn't have anything to hook it up to, my friend Steve (bet you're feelin pretty popular at this point, Steve) gave me his roommate's dual player out of the kindness of his heart. Only we discovered shortly after plugging it in that it was more of a VCR than a dual player.
Disclaimer: Does not actually play DVDs. We were just kidding.
However, I am not one to turn up my nose at any movie, no matter how grainy the picture is and no matter how silly looking those tapes appear (hehe tapes...).
No, my friends. For someone who will literally watch the movies of mini vans on the Garden State Parkway trying to figure out if it's a movie she knows and where they are in the plot, this VHS tape nonsense was no blow. Actually took me on a pretty fun journey to the past (Anastasia? Anyone?).
So I raided everything, guys. Goodwill, thrift stores, my parents' house, the cabinets, the attic, my roommates' movies, everywhere. And now I have the most kickass movie collection from ten years ago that anyone would ever wish to have.
Some might call this excessive. I would call it having options.
Speed, Jurassic Park, The Others, Indian in the Cupboard, The Mask of Zorro, The Matrix, Moulin Rouge, Monster's Inc, The Wedding Singer, Cape Fear. You'd be jealous of me in 2002, man. So jealous.
But honestly it was the non-blockbusters that really had me giggling when I was hunting down these babies. Movies like Mars Attacks, Troop Beverly Hills, Smoke Signals, The Prince of Egypt, Muppet Treasure Island, and (omg) The Haunting.
So I popped The Haunting into my new used ($35 at Goodwill, fools) dual player the other day and holy crap. What an inexplicable display of whole-hearted movie attempt. Honestly I don't even know where to begin, so I guess I'll begin with the plot (plot?).
The movie starts off with Eleanor (Lilli Taylor), who has just been told by some sort of relative that they are taking her dead mother's house, where she has lived as her mother's caretaker for what I can only assume has been her entire life. Then Eleanor, left with no place to go, gets a phone call and checks out this insomnia study that some doctor is conducting. Only the audience finds out seconds later that the insomnia study is a ruse, and that Dr. Marrow (Liam Neeson) is doing a study on fear and is trying to create an incredibly suggestive environment in which to do it. Other co-testers include Theo (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and Luke (Owen Wilson). After their arrival they hear a brief story about who built the house that they're staying in, a house which looks like some sort of baroque castle.
Shmancy.
Apparently some dude named Hugh Crane got rich off his textile mills and wanted a bunch of kids, but his wife kept having stillborn babies. Then eventually she killed herself, he threw himself into the construction of his home, and people in the village kept getting creeped out cuz they'd hear kids coming from the house. Standard.
Right off the bat weird stuff starts happening (of course). When they're having dinner the first night some chick's eye gets cut by a wire off of the piano and she has to get taken into town. The rest of the film is filled with ghost children asking Eleanor to help them for some reason, the house attacking the various occupants, and Hugh Crane's ghost personally messing with all of the main characters.
So I know this movie is supposed to be scary but honestly it just ends up hilarious. First and foremost, Eleanor's character makes no sense. She keeps getting personalized messages from these ghost children complete with bloody footprints and is just kind of like "Huh, that's weird. Boy I love this house. Guess I should help these creepy ghost children since they like talking to me so much." A reaction completely contrary to anyone in a sound state of mind.
"Oh don't mind me. Come find me later. I might be alive, I might not, no big deal."
And since Eleanor is the only character that the audience really gets to see for most of the movie, it gets pretty funny watching her run around the castle house trying to make sense of what has happened to these children. Of course she finds out that Hugh Crane kept kidnapping kids from the mills and killing them for some reason and no one believes her. And then the movie gets totally carried away with itself and it involves part of the house being her mom's old room, her being related to Hugh Crane, and the children somehow being sent to heaven by her getting sucked into a door for five minutes.
Um...what?
Dat shit cray.
It also doesn't help that looking at CGI effects from 1999 is a laugh riot. They make the film lose any credibility that it might've had otherwise. If you're trying to ease your way into watching scary movies, this is your ticket!
Headed home two days ago to see my youngest brother starring in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (mouthful) at the Middle Township High School on Thursday (great job, Bill!) and got the chance to hang out with the fam yesterday afternoon. Cape May County really does not have that much goin on in the off-season, being completely devoid of tourists and leaving the locals with few options.
So should we go bowling or...uh...go bowling?
But being the crazy cinephiles that we are, we decided to go see one of the newest movies produced by Hayao Miyzaki, The Secret World of Arrietty, which is an anime version of the kid classic novel The Borrowers by Mary Norton.
Now, ok haters. At this point you're probably like "Anime is gross, I hated Pokemon" but I assure you, that is not what is in store for you. If you've seen Studio Ghibli's other movies (Howl's Moving Castle, Ponyo, or My Neighbor Totoro to name a few) you know that you're always in for a gorgeous (GORGEOUS) movie.
My brain just blew up.
So The Secret World of Arrietty is based on a book about small people leaving in a country home and "borrowing" everything that they need to survive. But their lives are disrupted with the addition of a boy named Shawn (voiced in the US version by David Henrie) to the house that they live under. The very first day that he arrives at the house, he glimpses Arrietty hiding in a bush. Arrietty disregards the possible sighting and go home to prepare for her first "borrowing". But things take a turn when she's spotted once more while trying to take a sheet of kleenex from Shawn's room. Things escalate even further when the housekeeper (voiced by Carol Burnett) discovers evidence of the tiny people herself.
This movie was adorable. I mean, kid's movies have to be versatile, appealing to both the children's attention spans and the parents that take them to the theater. But this was such a sweet and beautifully crafted film that even though there's not a whole lot of action, it dazzles you immediately.
Bootiful.
Studio Ghibli (which is also the studio that produced Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro, Howl's Moving Castle, and all the other Miyazaki movies I talked about five seconds ago) always does a fantastic job of vividly capturing what real life is like and enhancing it through cartoon form the same way a painting does. Arrietty is no exception. The colors, sounds, and movements are so realistic that the movie turns into a work of art. Hiromasa Yonebayashi, the film's director, really triumphs in his vision of what the borrowers' world looks like. You can tell that he is no mere film-maker, he is a craftsman. The noises of the cicadas in the summer time, how a water drop would form coming out of a quarter inch size tea kettle, what light looks like coming through trees, he's thought of it all.
!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!!??!
Plot-wise, the film was a little slow. There could've been a little more action. You're never really wondering whether the borrowers will be killed by the "beans" (human beings, duh) so there's not a whole lot of suspense. Additionally, the characters are so calm throughout the entire movie (except for Arrietty and her mother, voiced by Amy Poehler. Hilarious.) that I sometimes found myself focusing more on the various makeshift object around their house instead of the dialogue.
Hehe, bottle caps are too small to store things for regular sized people...
A really good family film and a really great artisan film for those of you who (like me) are starved for beautiful cartoons in the current 3D animation nonsense trend that seems to be taking everyone by storm. It also far surpasses The Borrowers of 1997.
Gum on his toe? Why does he have gum on his toe? What the...ugh..even the poster sucks..
Go see it!
7 outa 10 woot woot!
PS Try clicking on the pictures in this post to get the full effect, they turned out a little smaller than I liked after I posted them!
Not having a lot of known neighbors in our immediate area, my one roommate and I were overjoyed to learn that a few people that we knew from school were living near us. So one of them (Steve. Hi Steve.) had leant me this movie that he assured me was something along the lines of Monty Python, kind of ridiculous, and really thought-provoking.
The movie was called Brazil. I did not really understand why for about 9/10 of the movie, and then they kind of appease you in the credits. But suffice it to say, it is certainly not about the country of Brazil.
Get out of here, I told you we weren't talking about you
This movie is actually set in a retro-futuristic (it makes sense when you see the movie) dystopia in which everything is determined by paperwork. The driving force of the plot is centered around Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce), a person working in data entry who finds himself in hot water after trying to right a clerical error. It's also somewhat of a love story, following him as he searches for the girl from his dreams (literally).
I really don't know how else to explain the plot without giving too much away, but I gotta say...I didn't really love it. I would like it to write a film paper on maybe, because it is so very different from anything that I've really seen before, but to watch for fun I had some trouble connecting with the characters. Sam Lowry is such a nervous nelly that it's hard to see him as a guy going against the system for both the girl that he loves (Kim Greist) and for the man who suffered because of a typo. Additionally, I feel like I waited for half of the movie to really start up and even twenty minutes before it ended I was waiting for something better to happen. I agree with its commentary on human beings and the importance of not neglecting our own humanity by getting caught up in petty rules and paperwork, but the message was delivered by someone I would probably never vote for in leading a revolution and that made the message less effective.
I like you better as Governor Swann.
I will say that the set was pretty damn cool. Although it is set in the future, Brazil has the strong feel of the 1950's, complete with primitive computers, ductwork everywhere, and gadgets that look like they came out of Mon Oncle. In fact, even the media there seems old. For instance, the only movies that they watch are vintage classics (Casablanca, Greta Garbo films, etc.) and even though they have computers they still rely almost absolutely on paperwork. It gives a kind of Super Mario Bros (the movie, not the game), mixed with Blade Runner, mixed with Mon Oncle kind of feel to it, if you can imagine that (I know it's hard. I'm sorry. I'm highly associative.).
The other thing that stuck out about this movie was the usage of highly surreal dream sequences. These sequences kind of kept the movie alive when I started to get really bored of Sam poorly executing his plans against the government. And it really brightens up the incredibly bleak society that the film portrays.
I mean I didn't love this movie, but how cool is this flying suit?
The surreal parts of the movie were kind of what kept it interesting. Also if you're watching this and you think the dream sequences are Jim Henson-esque and creepy, wait til the ending, my friends. Wait til the ending. Cuz I was confused for about the last 20 minutes, until the thirty seconds right before the credits. And then the movie makes sense. But really, I gotta tell you guys, I just don't have that much patience. And in hindsight, the film was really interesting but I didn't really enjoy it.
Sorry Steve, the best thing I loved about this movie was probably the movie poster that I found when I was looking up the trivia on IMDB.
Seriously, I wanna wheatpaste like 20 of these onto a city building somewhere...
I'm gonna say this movie gets a 5 outa 10 from me. A+ for creativity, but really just wasn't my flavor.
Also this trailer probably gives away a little much, but basically outlines the entire movie if you're interested.
So, dear readers (yes, all twelve of you), it has been brought to my attention that perhaps my ratings are a bit uniform seeing as how they are based on a five-star system. To make things a little more interesting (and a little more accurate) I'm going to amp up the full star count to ten. How d'ya like them apples?
But! Movin right along...
This week's movie was brought to the good people of Philadelphia through the Pearl Theatre right near North Philly's own Temple University. I had forgotten what it was like to be surrounded by masses of people two years younger than me carrying books and looking at illegal copies of something obscure like "Arial's Two Fins: Femininism in The Little Mermaid" (anyone else have to read that? No? Guess that's what I get for writing a senior paper on The Swan Princess...).
The myth. The legend. The Pearl.
Well in any case, I ended up seeing Chronicle, which ended up being pretty darn cool. After seeing the trailers for weeks I was kind of wondering how they could do long shots if the entire thing was filmed by a handheld camera a la Cloverfield. In fact, the cinematography was about 50% of why this film was really cool. The other 50% was a conglomeration of the characters and how they deal with having (wait for it...) super powers.
So Chronicle starts off with Matt and Andrew(I confess, I missed the first ten minutes of the movie cuz I couldn't find the theatre, oops). Matt (Alex Russell) is the stereotypical normal teenager, trying to party and go out and meet people and such, but he is hampered by his antisocial cousin, Andrew (Dane DeHaan). Now, it's not all Andrew's fault. His mom's got some kind of extremely painful condition and they can never pay for her pain meds because his dad is an old fireman collecting on some injury insurance money (Dad's also an alcoholic. Go figure.). Therefore, Andrew is really sensitive to bullying, having to deal with it at home all the time. But, lucky for him, after a crappy evening at a night club with Matt, he's approached by Steve (Michael B. Jordan), jock and nice guy extraordinaire.
And they're the three best friends that anyone could have.
Steve and Matt found something in the middle of a field and make Andrew come with them so he can film it. Long story short (I'll spare you the details, cuz it's a pretty cool scene), they end up getting crazy mental powers which enable them to move objects with their minds.
Typical of a super hero-esque plot, these guys end up being tested on how to manage their powers wisely. Some better than others. If you get what I mean. I'll leave it there.
Spoiler alert.
Probably the coolest thing about Chronicle is the liberties that they allow themselves to take with the camera work. Since the characters can move objects with their minds, and since Andrew is, from the beginning, obsessed with recording everything, the camera follows them around. But it's not always in someone's hand. The camera is floated at ceiling level, at skyscraper level, in the sky, in a closeup, and countless other kinds of shots that would require a crane or a helicopter but are simply done by the power of Andrew's mind.
No way you could film this without super powers.
They found a way to break outside of the tripoddy Paranormal Activity kinds of shots and broaden the horizons. I think that was one of the coolest things that I found about this movie. That and its ever-changing perspective. Even though the camera is by and large operated by Andrew, there are also other cameras recording at the same time he is for a few scenes, allowing the perspective to switch back and forth without compromising the handheld camera angle. Towards the end, as tensions rise and things heat up, the different perspectives get even more interesting.
Another cool thing about this movie was the kind of fusion of genres that it seemed to master. Teen movie, superhero movie, handheld movie. Really, a smart triple play of all the hot genres right now, but it tweaked each of them in such a way that they didn't get old fast. In fact the movie could be interpreted as any number of things. A fake documentary about how a superhero (and supervillain...?) have come to be, a lesson about bullying and the dangers of extreme power, a story about the valors of being a decent human being, or even just an amateur sci-fi thriller.
All in all, very cool movie. I hope they don't ruin it with a sequel.
Six out of ten. (See that? That's my new scoring method. I know you're shocked. It'll be okay.)
Last time I went to an indie movie (The Artist, ahem, ahem) I saw the preview for Albert Nobbs and was immediately intrigued. First of all, period drama is one of my favorite genres (see Sense and Sensibility, Emma, the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, and the BBC series Downton Abbey. You won't be disappointed.) and I was really intrigued to see one set in Ireland, a country which is usually overlooked. But let's not, of course, also overlook the fact that the film is centered around Glenn Close as playing Albert Nobbs himself.
The man(?) himself
Yes, children. But don't misunderstand, either. Glenn Close isn't merely playing a pants role, where the audience is supposed to overlook the fact that the man on screen is in fact a woman (see Mary Martin in 1960's Peter Pan). Rather, the movie investigates the "what-if" scenario of a woman passing as a man in late 19th century Dublin.
When the movie begins, Albert Nobbs is a waiter at a high-end hotel in the middle of Dublin. He is an odd man, but not overly so. He is quiet, courteous, and obliging but seems somewhat clueless as to his own humanity. The first time the audience sees him speak is only about matters of money, and he seems somewhat isolated from the rest of the staff. As the movie moves on, it becomes wrapped up in how lives like Albert's may have indeed happened and the possibility of him reconciling his secret with the joys of a somewhat normal life.
Honestly, this film was fascinating. Albert Nobbs is a character with a brilliant sort of androgyny that doesn't make you think of him as a woman in drag, but nor does it allow you to fully embrace the character as a man. This seems to be a direct result of Albert himself not really knowing (or seeming to care, other than of course being found out) whether he is acting as either sex. In fact, the circumstances surrounding Albert's initial choice make it so that he almost chooses the androgyny of being neither male nor female. Whereas being a woman was extremely dangerous (especially if you were alone), being a man was safe in any number of ways.
In fact, I would argue that this film is almost equally about the hardships of the lower class in the 19th century as it is about the complexities of gender-bending. Both characters masquerading as men (yes I said both, keep your eyes open for the second one!) only come about doing it as a result of their lower class situations. Mr. Page (I guess the jig is up) becomes a man as a result of losing the ability to have children and Albert (SPOILER ALERT) becomes a man after first being gang raped and then needing money.
The other two main characters, Helen (Mia Wasikowska) and Joe (Aaron Johnson), also seem to be direct victims of their class. Being basically deprived of most comforts, they seem to reach out to each other without really caring what the consequences are (and boy oh boy are there consequences).
What do you mean "kiss"?
I haven’t seen such a unique movie in a while, and for that reason I would recommend seeing it. Also, if for nothing else, please see it for Janet McTeer’s portrayal of Hubert Page, which is one of the most brilliant performances I have ever seen on screen (in fact, I would even go as far as to say that she outshines Glenn Close’s Albert Nobbs).
Four outa five.
Also, the music in this is to die for. Check out the theme song, sung by Sinead O'Conner and the trailer:
Ah, home for the holidays. Nothing like spending one awesome day with your entire family and then collapsing into that whole "well...what do we do now?" period after Christmas and before New Year's Day. What did my family do, you ask? One guess.
Hint: it begins with an 'M'...
In my family, my mother, youngest brother, and I have a tendency to go to the movies when we don't know what to do with ourselves. It's like the supercalifragilisticexpialidocious of actions, if you will; the something to do when you have nothing to do at all. So our family-friendly trio opted to go see Hugo for this year's round of post-Christmas dead time.
Judging from what I had of the preview I was mostly going on the ideas of "this looks really pretty" and "omigod this is a kid's movie directed by Scorsese!" Admittedly, I was a little skeptical about how good it would be as the well-known director's first attempt at a different audience, but I was pleasantly surprised at the end result.
The film begins with the story of a young boy named Hugo (Asa Butterfield) who lives in a Parisian train station. As we learn early-on, Hugo's father died in a museum fire and he was left to his uncle to help keep the clocks of the station in working order. But Hugo's uncle has since disappeared and he continues to work the clocks in order to keep himself off the radar of the bumbling station inspector (Sacha Baron Cohen). After getting caught stealing parts from the booth of a toymaker (Ben Kingsley) the boy's cherished notebook, filled with pictures of parts for an automaton that he and his father were repairing, is taken away from him. Hugo is extremely distraught, even following the old man back to his house to try and get it back. In an attempt to win back this notebook, he befriends the toymaker's foster daughter, Isabelle (Chloe Grace Moretz). Armed with a taste for adventure from her many books, Isabelle urges him to embark with her on an adventure to fix Hugo's broken "automaton" (robot, to you and I). During this journey, they find out a message that the automaton's been hiding, and with it Papa George's secret past.
Beautiful cinematography: ready, set, go!
Without giving too much away (or at least trying not to..), what they find out is strongly attached to the early history of film itself, making the film largely a love letter to cinema. Showcasing clips from early films such as Train Entering a Station, The Kiss, The Great Train Robbery, and A Trip to the Moon, Scorsese takes a young audience's attention and directs it to a subject that most children do not learn until they are college-bound. This movie sneakily incorporates a good deal of film history into a children's adventure plot, which of course makes crazy cinephiles like me absolutely delighted. It manages to capture the majority of film's modest beginnings without seeming like it's going off on a tangent, and thus keeps the mystery of the plot intact while teaching history.
In terms of the feel of the movie, I've got to say, it's beautifully shot. Everything is in crystal-clear high definition and the lighting in every shot is gorgeous. Each frame could be placed on a wall as art. The movie is also shot somewhat idealistically and romantically, reflecting in itself glamorous films of the 20s, and giving a nod to Oscar glam in the end scene.
What's the Great Depression?
That being said, perhaps the reflexive nature of the film is a bit much for a children's movie. Everything was just slightly heavier than most kid's movies are, which is a somewhat common mistake that directors make, in my own humble opinion (anyone else hate The Polar Express? Bleh.). For example, while I would say that all of the acting was very well done by the young actors Butterfield and Moretz (who I love. Please see Let Me In), there was a certain maturity to it that left them seeming a little unrealistic to some degree. Although that was probably on purpose (I imagine most children that live in train stations by themselves are slightly more mature than their peers), I had a hard time viewing them as regular children, and thus had trouble empathizing a little. Hugo has some moments that seem overly sentimental, which I feel is a little weird for a boy. Perhaps I'm being picky, but I should also admit that I have a low tolerance for sap (unless it's hilariously overdone. As in every Lifetime movie I've ever seen) and I have two extremely non-emotional little brothers who seem to foil Hugo.
Another qualm that I certainly have with the film is the creepy robot kid. In the days of such movies as Child's Play, I, Robot, and Surrogates, I was waiting for the damn thing to come alive and kill people for the entire movie. Also he keeps on staring at Hugo in, like, every scene. Dear Martin Scorsese: Why in God's name would you place a message from a poor boy's dead father in such a freakin' creepy "automaton"? Yeesh...
After a string of murders the children regretted ever fixing the damaged robot.
But besides Creepy Robot Child, the movie is actually quite a pleasure to watch. For those of you with a passion for film without much knowledge of how it came to be, I certainly hope that you will check this out and that it will pique your interest in learning the history of film (as I'm sure Sir Scorsese planned...sneaky man...).
Touche Scorsese, and well done.
Four outa five stars.
PS Sacha Baron Cohen is the funniest person in this movie. If for no other reason, see it to see his performance.
Also, here's the preview in case you need more persuasion to see how pretty it is.
Literally just got back from seeing Contagion and, wow, if there are two things on my mind right now they are "Lysol" and "gun". But, to be fair, obviously this was designed to be a "what-if?" kind of movie and it certainly served its purpose well. Yikes!
The film is a theoretical look at what would happen today if there were and outbreak of a new virus, much like the Spanish Influenza Epidemic of the early 20th century. The result that they confront their audience with is frighteningly realistic.
The beginning character, Beth (Gwyneth Paltrow), is shown talking on her cell phone to an unidentified man in the beginning shot and doesn't look very well. Over the next two days she goes from looking like she has a bad cold to dying, leaving her husband (Matt Damon) in confusion and with a terrified phone call from the babysitter, learning that his son has now suffered from the illness as well.
It then goes on to form a spiderweb sort of plot in which one subplot revolves around Matt Damon and his surviving daughter trying to live in a condemned neighborhood; another in which scientists are looking for a cure; another in which the government has to decide what to do with the people; another in which Jude Law blogs about possible cures; another in which a French woman is held hostage for a village vaccination; and a few others. It really looks at this issue from every angle, from the defenseless public to the frantic government who can't seem to get the situation under control.
The epidemic occurring in the movie appears to be like a modern-day Black Death. The virus has an incubation period of about two or three days, showing symptoms such as coughing and lung congestion, and after that the body goes into seizures after which death is imminent. Bodies are not allowed to be buried, being a liability for the gravediggers, and funerals are out of the question. Bodies are put into bags, sealing off the disease, and put into mass graves which are dug and covered by people in full bodied protective suits. Cities are quarantined, buildings are broken into, people are killed, taken hostage and robbed.
Even further than the obvious human nature questions, though, Contagion goes on to question many other facets of the social impact of an epidemic with attention to what the internet is capable of, what people are capable of doing in order to preserve themselves, and the complicated question of vaccines. In short: don't see this movie if you're depressed. While every question is intelligently answered and examined, the background for the film is one of terror. Where did the virus come from? Who is immune? What about transportation? Quarantines? Vaccinations? Food? Protection? Healthcare? The panic that befalls the general public is portrayed with what seems like a sickening accuracy.
Despite the desperate nature of the movie, though, I would still recommend it. Steven Soderburgh does wonders with his attention to human emotion, durability, and fear. Albeit a bit of a downer, there are glimpses into the good that men can do as well as the bad. Where there are lootings and rushes for any possible food, there is also human love and perseverance. Soderburgh creates a horrifying yet comforting portrayal of a horrible situation.
In terms of acting quality and the aesthetic of the film, going a bit outside the realm of analysis (as usual), I was shocked at how many stars I saw in this film. Kate Winslet, Lawrence Fishburne, Gwyneth Paltrow, Matt Damon, Jude Law (with REALLY bad teeth, woah!), Marion Cotillard, Demetri Martin, Jennifer Ehle, and a LOT of others. In addition, the cinematography seems to be very somber but realistic. The camera never stays still for very long, giving an element of unease to the film as a whole. Overall very beautiful, very scary movie.
So went and saw The Other Guys with the good ole Mom and broseph after eating an incredible amount of sushi last night and I've gotta say, it wasn't too bad. The Other Guys is a classic Will Ferrell vehicle that knows it's silly and embraces it. While it's no Step-brothers, The Other Guys starts off in a way that has the audience cracking up. Samuel L Jackson and Dwayne Johnson (aka The Rock) are hilarious as two over-blown caricatures of action heroes. When their luck takes a turn for the worse, it is up to the "Other Guys", Allen Gamble (Ferrell) and Terry Hoitz, in a typical odd-couple set-up. Allen, the quiet and reasonable (and ridiculous like only Ferrell can be) cop who drives a Prius, and Terry, the ex-detective who is convinced everything leads to drugs, are pretty damn funny as the movie's main characters. Ferrell, as always, delivers what can only be ad-libbedly hilarious dialogue (more notable in my memory is a certain Irish folk song he sings in a bar) and basically carries the movie in a way similar to that of his lesser films, like Semi-Pro (2008) or Kicking and Screaming (2005). unfortunately, Ferrell's one-liners have a tendency to outshine any type of rehearsed dialogue that the rest of the cast seems to be going on. However, Wahlberg (and a lot of the other more minore characters) are not to be slighted. While Ferrell has a lot of the one-liners, Wahlberg's ignorance at how to become heroes can be downright funny, and he really puts in a job well done as an actor who doesn't normally play comedic roles. Overall, the film had me chuckling at the characters' horrible interaction and their countless mishaps, but nothing really stood out and the overall plot dragged a little. Despite car chases and such, my attention span wained a little towards the end. Though I remember a lot of the hilarious one-liners, the plot was mapped out among so many jokes it was a little hard to pick up on, but this movie is mostly fun anyway. And if you don't understand the plot, wait until the credits. I would recommend this movie to any Will Ferrell fan, but if you only go to the movies three times a year, I'd save this one on your Netflix queue. (Also look for outstanding bit parts played by Michael Keaton as the police captain and Eva Mendes as Ferrell's wife!)
While it seems silly and obscure to be writing my first movie critique on a blog and on top of that to have the movie be Knight and Day (2010), you must think I'm silly. Well, kids, this might be true, but you gotta start somewhere right? So here goes nothin'.
To have an action movie that doubles as a romantic comedy is hard to do. Mr and Mrs Smith (2005) was one of the few current successes (and I should say attempts too, since not that many are even attempted). That being said, I wouldn't walk into this movie with high expectations. The plot revolves around Roy Miller (Tom Cruise) protecting June (Cameron Diaz) from these crazy people who want to steal the "Zephyr", a continuous power source about the size of a battery (go figure it's portable). Well, Cameron Diaz is definitely starting to look her age, but is likable enough as the ditzy mechanic although there were a fair few moments when i wanted to jump into the movie and tell her to stop being so stupid. She does redeem herself in the end though as a true badass. Tom Cruise is a nice surprise though! After steering away from him after reading too many articles in People magazine, I've got to say the old boy's still got it. Flashy smile and blue eyes may have a lot to do with that...but his comedic timing is pretty good! Though if you're anything like me or my mom you'll be wondering through a good half of the movie why he's trying to protect such a dumb-ass. Hilarious cameos by Paul Dano as the funny and geeky Simon Feck and Marc Blucas as the mustached firefighter Rodney.
PS I can't really figure out why the heck they picked that title. It literally had nothing to do with the movie.
