Showing posts with label Drama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Drama. Show all posts
Water for Elephants
Water for Elephants is Titanic at the circus. The movie is set up exactly the same except with an old man reminiscing about the events that led up to a tragic circus accident rather than an old woman reminiscing about the events leading up to...
All of the players are there the poor homeless boy that shouldn't be there to begin with who then impresses a wealthy woman with his unforeseeable talents. The wealthy woman, controlled by an overbearing, tyrannical man who feels that he owns her, is easily seduced by, and falls in love with the poor penniless sitar player and the two must hide their love for fear of societal pressures and the wrath of her husband.
It's animal torture porn for a bit and then we slowly make our way to the "event" that defined this man's life... that changed everything... the event that brings him to tears from the mere sight of a picture of the old circus.
SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!
Nothing happens. The dangerous animals get loose and scare the crap out of everyone, but as you learn early on, the cats have no teeth. The only person injured in the event is the asshole that was keeping the star-crossed lovers apart. Through narration, we learn that the circus was dismantled as a result and the two lovers have a long fulfilling life together raising children, leading to the eventual death of his wife from natural causes. That's how it ends.
There are several movies that I deem a waste of time because they are poorly made or unnecessary remakes. Water for Elephants is a waste of time because nothing happens in the entire 2 hour and 15 minute running time.
Limitless
When I saw the trailer for Limitless, I thought it looked good, but I didn't think I'd enjoy it as much as I did.
Limitless is one of those stories that plays on your desire. I consider myself to be fairly to very smart. The concept of a drug that would help you to exceed the limits of human intelligence is intriguing to say the least.
Would you take it? I still don't think I would, even though I'd probably consider it long and hard. With the exception trying marijuana twice (the second time only to confirm that it would have little to no effect on me since I felt nothing the first time), I've only ever taken over-the-counter or prescription drugs that were prescribed to me. That doesn't mean that I can't imagine how awesome it would be to have endless knowledge and be able figure anything out. Then again I've seen this movie, so the downside has been made abundantly clear.
Limitless is fun, exciting, energetic, and surprising and you should definitely check it out.
The Adjustment Bureau
I really liked The Adjustment Bureau. I like the concept, story, the actors... almost everything. I didn't like the director, the screenplay and the end... so, almost everything.
I don't know if The Adjustment Bureau was too long or too short, but it definitely wasn't the right length, and then it just kind of ends. The end of the movie (which I won't give away even though it sucks) is really weak. Given the epic nature of the movie's concept, there should have been way more to it than there was.
I loved the whole idea behind the movie though; that we're all on a set path, but that it's possible to stray from that path in order to fight for something/one that we care about. I completely believed the chemistry between the actors and was rooting for them the whole time.
If the director and writer had done a better job, this would be an instant "must-see" recommendation. Alas, I can only recommend a video rental in a few months :-( .
The Dilemma
The Dilemma is sort of a weird film. It's really more of a drama with funny parts than it is a comedy.
The second weekend in January is a weekend of strange marriages between director and material. I thought it was odd from the get go that Ron Howard was attached to direct this movie. I find it hard to believe that, in his right mind, the Academy Award winning director of A Beautiful Mind, Apollo 13, and Frost/Nixon chose to produce this heaping pile of crud. The Dilemma is Ron Howard's version of a Corvette in the driveway and we're the disillusioned spouse who walk out of the theatre, looks at Ronny and asks, "Who's movie is that in the driveway?"
I don't like Vince Vaughn. Let me just take a minute to go over some movies that Vince Vaughn was actually in. Keep in mind that they aren't necessarily good movies, but the do show that he has a little bit more range than he's limited himself to. Here goes: Domestic Disturbance, Swingers, Return to Paradise, Jurassic Park II, Psycho, Made, The Cell, Clay Pigeons. Then he made Old School, which some people apparently liked, and Vince Vaughn's destiny was set. From that day forward, he's played the same fast talking clown in every movie he's made with the occasional acknowledgement of worthy projects like Thumbsucker and Into the Wild.
Kevin James has fallen into the wrong crowd. I hate that he's best friends with the Sandler clan and it's a little off putting. I loved his stand-up routine, but it's been pretty downhill since. Jennifer Connelly was clearly just doing a favor for the director responsible for her Academy Award and apparently Winona Ryder is on some kind of a comeback tour with small roles in Star Trek and Black Swan. She probably thought she'd found her very own version of John Travolta's Pulp Fiction when she landed a major role in a Ron Howard film. Unfortunately, the joke was on her.
I case you haven't figured it out yet, there's little to nothing that I can say I liked about The Dilemma... but that's just because it's a terrible movie.
The King's Speech
Being British and set in the 1920's the film is rather dry. Even the quirky nature of Rush's character, while seemingly defiant, is still very proper, but when paired with the stern, strict, royal Duke of York, Rush's character comes off as a circus clown. This is a testament to both performances.
The King's Speech really is a "buddy cop" movie at it's core. When I see a movie that has two distinctly different personalities reluctantly trying to work together for a common goal, that movie automatically gets places in the "buddy cop" genre. I hate "buddy cop" movies, but this one is classy, heartfelt, and, well true, which helps a little too.
While The King's Speech may not be for everyone, the story is wonderful and the relationship between Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush is what propels the movie forward. The ability of the film makers to elevate one of my least favorite film genres and make a british period piece is what ultimately lands The King's Speech in my top 20 films of the year.
Winter's Bone
There is so little plot in Winter's Bone that it can be summed up in one sentence: An unflinching Ozark Mountain girl hacks through dangerous social terrain as she hunts down her drug-dealing father while trying to keep her family intact. With this little amount story, the film relies heavily on the performances of it's cast. This cast delivers.
This movie belongs to actors Jennifer Lawrence and John Hawkes. Lawrence is able to convey hope in a world that seems to have none and Hawkes embodies exactly how I would envision what a mountain man drug dealer would be.
Winter's Bone brought me into a world that I'd heard about, but then quickly dismissed as an exaggeration of how it used to be. This is an eye opening film about poverty in our country. Anyone affected by the Bush tax cuts should be required to move to this region and see how people in the United States of America are being forced o live, or, at a minimum, see Winter's Bone.
The Fighter
The Fighter is a success because of Christian Bale with really strong support from Amy Adams and Melissa Leo. The movie was well made, but the writing and direction were just average and Mark Wahlberg was only at his best (which isn't necessarily a compliment), but Bale, Adams, and Leo were exceptional.
The story, which I thought would be the same typical underdog sports story, actually has a little something extra with the unintentional sabotage of Mickey Ward's career by his immediate family (specifically his mother and brother). Some of the worst things have been done with the best intentions and Dickie Ecklund and Alice Ward were just too self-involved to really be on Mickey Wards side.
The Fighter is a remarkable film and is sure to make a few appearances this awards season.
Black Swan
Beautiful and haunting, Black Swan is a powerful film that explores the physical, emotional and mental sacrifices an artist will make for his/her art.
Natalie Portman is amazing in this. I honestly never thought I'd see the day when I'd hear someone refer to her as Academy Award winner Natalie Portman, but not only will she definitely be nominated, she is almost certain to win. Her character's (Nina) obsession with perfection slowly destroys her and Portman's portrayal of Nina's downfall is absolutely breathtaking. Add to that her apparent background in ballet and you get the most memorable performance of the year.
Black Swan is a horror movie for snobs. It's very slowly paced, but is sufficiently creepy. The entire cast is perfect and Darren Aronofsky's direction is spot on. If dark psychological thrillers that mess with your head as much as it messes with the characters is your thing, do not wait another day to see Black Swan.
The Kids Are Alright
The Kids Are Alright was released in theatres on 7/30/10 and on DVD and Blu-ray on 11/16/10.
I really liked The Kids Are Alright. Besides the stellar performances from he entire cast, it has an original storyline, great dialogue and an intriguing look into the concept of family without ever exploiting its subject matter.
The Kids Are Alright is a perfect fit for the "dramedy" genre. As long as you have an open mind, this fresh look at contemporary family unit has the perfect mixture of wit, charm, intelligence and earnest. Highly recommended.
The Tourist
Really? A Golden Globe nomination for Best Picture... what a joke. There is nothing "best" about The Tourist. The only explanation for the nomination is that the movie was just released so it was fresh in the mind's of the Hollywood Foreign Press nominating committee.
That being said, I didn't absolutely HATE The Tourist. There was just nothing there to really like. The story was silly and we just arrived in the middle of it. There was so much going on before the cameras started rolling that they could have made a better movie just from what was left out. There was very little chemistry between Jolie and Depp, however, there was a very strange dynamic between Jolie and Paul Bettany; certainly there was a history (seemingly romantic, based on the tension) between the two of them that the writers failed to explore.
The action wasn't all that intense and the jokes weren't all that funny. I wouldn't even know what genre to classify The Tourist as. While I don't feel like I wasted 2 hours, if I had paid for a ticket, I would have been pissed.
Love and Other Drugs
A good rule of thumb when writing a movie is that you should either put ordinary people in an extraordinary situation, or put extraordinary people in an ordinary situation. When you put ordinary people in ordinary situations, there isn't a whole lot to keep the audience engaged. A drug rep falling in love with someone with Parkinson's disease is a very specific version of an ordinary situation that could happen to anyone. Maybe he won't be a drug rep and maybe she has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Are they gonna make a movie about that, too?
Love and Other Drugs isn't unbearable, but it's definitely not worth the price of a ticket.
127 Hours
When I heard about this movie a few months ago, I thought it was going to be terrible. I don't like James Franco, so a movie about him being trapped, alone, in the middle of the desert seemed like a red flag. I went to see it anyway and... well, 127 Hours is, possibly my favorite movie of the year.
While there's nothing spectacular about the writing, there is this constant electricity from the very beginning of the movie thanks to director Danny Boyle and an amazing performance by Franco. Franco's character has an infectious energy, a spirit that seems impossible to break. To see that spirit slowly deteriorate into fear, desperation and depression was absolutely heartbreaking. It's not until he's verging on insanity that he's able to do what needs to be done to survive.
For those of you who don't know how he escapes, you need to stop reading now. This is based on a true story, so I have no qualms talking about the end of the movie.
This is my version of a horror movie. Supernatural shit doesn't scare me; it may make me jump, but rarely frightens me to my core. What happens in 127 Hours represents one of my biggest fears. I'm claustrophobic, but there's more to it than just being in a confined space. It's being stuck and being alone. It's hopelessness that scares me. Nobody can say with absolute certainty how they would handle a situation like that on the day. I'd like to say that I'd have the strength to break my own arm and cut it off using only a dull leatherman. I honestly don't think I could. The scene in which Franco's character frees himself is one of the most gruesome visuals ever filmed.
Come Oscar season, I honestly think James Franco has a serious shot at winning. I think Boyle has a shot at taking home his second award for directing and I'm pretty sure 127 Hours will win best picture.
The Social Network
The Social Network Deserves the 97% "Fresh" rating it's earned on RottenTomatoes.com. It's a very good, well crafted film. I learned, however, that just because I movie rates high on RT doesn't mean it's the best movie ever. It simply means that several critics thought it was a very good movie.
When this movie was first in development, my initial reaction to the thought of a Facebook movie was the same as my reaction to the thought of a Monopoly movie... which is real and being directed by Ridley Scott. Once i learned that it was about the creation of the website and not just some romantic comedy set in some Facebook world, and that David Fincher was at the helm, I was immediately onboard.
After a single viewing of The Social Network, my one complaint is that it lacks emotion. The characters are all intelligent fast talking and quirky, specifically Zuckerberg who seems mildly autistic in the way he's portrayed. When I watch it again, I have a feeling that I'm going to notice some things that I didn't see the first time around.
What's absolutely mind-boggling to me is why Senior Citizens are flocking to see this. There is a significant amount of dialogue about code writing and computer hacking that even I, a computer savvy thirty-something with a blog, couldn't understand. I feel like a lot of older folk are seeing this because they heard it was good, and then are saying things like "It was wonderful" so as not to come across as irrelevant.
The Social Network is essentially a Rock n Roll movie for a nerds. It's stylish, clever, and well written, directed and acted. If you haven't already, go check out The Social Network.
Let Me In
Let Me In is a dark, brooding fairy tale. It's a remake of 2008 Swedish film Let the Right One In in which a "young" girl moves into an apartment complex and befriends a boy who's parents are going through a divorce and who is constantly bullied at school. As their friendship blossoms, the boy comes to realize that the young girl is a actually a vampire.
Now I know what you're thinking... Twilight... but not even close. This movie follows all of the Vampire rules while telling an interesting story with complex characters. Let Me In is virtually a "frame for frame" remake except that since it's in English, I was able to follow the story more and pick up on some plot points that I didn't get while watching the original.
This is an atypical horror movie, more of a horror/drama/romance/fairy tale hybrid and it works. Check it out.
The American
Welcome to Snorefest 2010 with special guest George Clooney. I'm pretty sure nothing actually happened in this movie... nothing.
DO NOT SEE THE AMERICAN.
Chloe
Chloe was released in theatres on 3/26/10 and on DVD and Blu-ray on 7/13/10.
Chloe was full of great performances, but you'll definitely be able to predict excactly what happens throughout. No surprises here except for the soft core porn scene with Julianne Moore and Amanda Seyfried. Still, a well made, well acted movie.
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