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Showing posts with label film. Show all posts
Showing posts with label film. Show all posts
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Friday, April 11, 2014
Draft Day
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Saturday, April 5, 2014
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
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Friday, March 28, 2014
Bad Words
In his film directorial debut, Jason Bateman stars in Bad Words. Guy Trilby (Bateman), a 40 year old degenerate, competes in spelling bees (as he never passed the 8th grade) for reasons undisclosed to anyone but himself. He and online reporter Jenny Widgeon (Kathryn Hahn) continue through all levels of spelling bees exploiting the loophole until they arrive at the national spelling bee.
Guy meets a young Indian boy named Chaitanya (Rohan Chand) on the way to the bee. While this is one of the most unlikely friendships you can have, it seriously worked. Andrew Dodge has written fantastic dialogue for someone of Bateman's timing and style, and kept the audience filled with shock laughter. Anyone can write offensive jokes, but it's rare you see a comedy as well timed as this.
Bateman is lovably, hilariously despicable in this film. We understand from the start that he's a complete asshole, but at least he's a funny asshole. It should also be understood that this man is a genius, whether it's a raunchy quip or a malicious prank. He and Chand have a rare chemistry for a pair of such different ages. Hahn, however, I felt never got closer to Bateman over time as we're supposed to see.
The two contestants bond so naturally through the loss of Chai's innocence, and the entire process is so hysterical that the audience is immediately settled in for the ride. Bateman's first lines set the tone for the film, which is emphasized extra by Guy's behavior towards Chai. The film feels so well paced for something under 90 minutes, I can't say it should have been longer or shorter.
The film's moral, if it has one, is left kind of blurry and weak in the eyes of the audience. The ending scenario may be a tad predictable, but it's played out like a spelling bee episode of Arrested Development or Community. While cleverly written, it didn't feel like the proper climax to a black comedy such as this. Also the arc focusing on Guy's motive felt underwhelming in the end, though that was one of the more drawing aspects to me.
The montages in this film are wonderfully shot with Ken Seng at the head of cinematography. Seng does an excellent job of shooting scenes involving inebriation, and the use of a live broadcast format was played off well in terms of comedy. All of this combined with one of Bateman's best performances makes for a very enjoyable movie.
The problem with black comedies, is that sometimes it forces a conflict within the audience between their empathy for the characters and their nature to laugh. Some scenes were absurdly funny, but were a missed opportunity in terms of increasing the tension between two competitors. Sometimes, it just comes down to the shot they use, and Bateman went for the throat of the comedy gazelle.
Spoilers:
The fact that Chaitanya's father organized the entire friendship in order to force Guy to let Chai win forces a split between the audience. Those who still sympathize with the innocent child and those who want to see Guy exact revenge on his father will butt heads, but that conflict plays well into the climax. But this plot twist made it really hard for me to empathize with the child, as the film's primary focus is Guy. The whole "daddy issues" message feels completely half baked.
Bateman has a strong directorial debut, as he once said he's been acting for the last 20 years in order to start directing. I definitely look forward to his future projects, as he reverse typecasts himself. Bad Words is fairly original as far as spelling bee stories go. It's a whimsical indie film that may be remembered as a classic if Bateman sees more success. I'd recommend it to you as long as you know what you're getting into.
Rating: B+
Saturday, February 8, 2014
The Monuments Men
As subject matter for World War II films has become scarce, this seemed like a refreshing change and a story that should be told. Art being part of history, and that when you destroy it you erase history, should be enough for this film to go on. But where Monuments Men stumbles is the center. It brings focus to a couple key pieces of art that most of its audience will not understand, but an inconsistent tone suggests the whole operation to be a joke.
When I say inconsistent tone, I mean they switch between comedy and historical war drama like a routine light switch check. They give several jokes, but most won't be that funny given the dramatic tone between them. Each Monument Man gets his moment, but the whole movie feels like dramatic sketch comedy with a clip of George Clooney driving a Jeep woven between each bit. And I understand that these were based on true events, but they could have done a better job of writing some of the scenes. Each situation was unaffected by the others, because the group was spread across the continent for a lot of the movie. There were even some scenes that felt like they only existed for one joke, and there's not enough payoff for me not to ask "Why was that scene in the movie?".
I'll give it this, I cared for a couple of these characters thanks to some fantastic performances, particularly Goodman. But character development is rushed through a montage and then each character gets a scene or two. Bill Murray steals the show when he opens his mouth, but the script didn't give him a whole lot to do. And that's kind of what happens with most of them, there are a few things about them that are told to the audience, and then those rich back stories are never brought up again.
Matt Damon spends nearly the entire movie trying to convince Cate Blanchett to trust him with the locations of the art, and then they try to force an almost romance that no one could care less about. Clooney doesn't seem to do anything in this movie except point at maps. Goodman and Dujardin have some great moments, same with Murray and Balaban, but the film really didn't show them growing together, or even spending much time together as a team. It just felt like a historical drama filled with poorly timed jokes.
There's also some strange editing in this film. It's not like there's weird after-effects or anything, and this just might be nit-picky, but the transitions seemed to be chosen randomly. They basically only used a cut or a dissolve, but they'd dissolve mid conversation, and cut between scenes after a soft dramatic scene. It was just something that took me out of the movie is all.
The movie was paced very well. For a two hour movie, it felt like an hour and a half, maybe. That was a benefit of the quick changes in scenery. But part of the ending is so anti climactic (not spoilery), given there's so much tension, that I thought to myself "But what about the- aw nevermind" right as the film begins to wrap itself up.
SPOILER: It's a giant middle finger to the audience when you show the men rushing out of a mine full of art to escape the Russians, you don't think they're going to make it, and then it dissolves to them driving away smiling, and a Russian officer smiling at an American flag. None of that makes sense.
The film fails to make its audience care about art and its place in our society. While yes, there's many scenes involving pieces being rescued or destroyed, they kind of glaze over why they're doing it. Yes, they want it to get it back to its rightful owners, that's understandable. But if Clooney, who also co-wrote the screenplay, had thrown in a lengthy monologue instead of the ten second one he gave at the beginning, he might have gotten the point across better.
This really was not a bad film, simply mediocre. Performances aren't really an issue, thought it feels a little phoned in given the little screen time of each actor. It seems like it was a lot more fun to make than to watch. Had they taken their time with the characters, it might have been worth the wait, but all we got was an artistic remake of "Saving Private Ryan" with a ton of "we're too old and smart to be in the army" humor that you will definitely not remember a week from now.
Rating: C
Sunday, December 29, 2013
47 Ronin
Due to a studio decision to reshoot a lot of the film, it's been heavily criticized. And the way it's being marketed is killing it at the box office. But I'm here to set the record straight. It hasn't completely earned the 12% on rotten tomatoes. Because even with its unfocused plot and a Japanese cast speaking English, its action sequences can be exciting. It does, however, take too long to get off the ground.
Walking out of the theater, my friends and I agreed that it was paced very well, the time goes by pretty fast. However, after the first 20 minutes, it is slow, boring, and unimportant. Everyone yawned at least once in the theater. At the halfway point, it begins to pick up again, but you don't really care anymore because there was a 40 minute period that lost your interest completely.
Oishi was originally supposed to be the main focus of the film. And I think Kai could have been a big part of it too, had the film been an hour longer and written better. Reeves was supposed to have a minor role, but is now splitting the protagonist in two with Asano. Reeves gives such a wooden performance, combined with his appearance, you could compare to Liam Neeson's Qui-Gon Jinn. The rest of the cast did what they could, but it may have just been better letting the Japanese speak their own language, forcing the audience to read subtitles.
Mizuki (Rinko Kikuchi), a witch that serves Lord Kira had a lot of screen time with no real development. A short (anti-)climactic battle with Reeves felt tension-less. She was wrapped in generated images the entire time. Her scenes with Mika (Kou Shibasaki) seemed more sensual than threatening.
Mika and Kai have this forbidden relationship. While Kikuchi is probably the best actress in this, the love story between her character and Reeves' can't be given any craps. Why not? Because you really just forget about it. The film is split into two plot lines, Kai's and Oishi's, each having their own story arcs. The love story, being part of Kai's, has such little attention the over-dramatic ending leaves the audience indifferent towards the two of them.
Outsiders, or people of a different race, were not allowed in feudal Japan. However, because Kai is mixed race (I would assume the other half is white), he is ostracized as a demon. You even see the people he came from at some point in this movie. The feudal Japanese people labeled white people as demons. The more you think about the things depicted, the more ridiculous everything seems.
The film doesn't just have a subtle discrimination toward Caucasians, but it feels generally offensive of Japanese culture in general. It wasn't mocking it (intentionally). But it used plenty of ideas from the culture that forced the audience to laugh when it wasn't intended. It also claims the Ronin were on a journey that would defeat most men, but it was more like "Let's get swords!" and then "Let's kill them!" The simplicity of the poorly re-written plot is astounding.
There is an extensive use of CGI that just explains why this movie went so far over budget besides reshoots. There were so many occurrences that took me out of the movie that made me think "That is completely unnecessary." The film is mostly shown in 3D, but I saw it in 2D, because no one wants to pay for it unless it's critically acclaimed necessary (i.e. Gravity). Because a good third of the movie is so boring, you may need the 3D just to keep your attention.
To clear something up, the marketing for this movie has a poster dedicated to this one character that has roughly 10 seconds of screentime. No joke. This guy has one line. He doesn't even have a name, he's credited as Savage (Rick Genest). This must have been the highest paid one line from an unknown actor in history.
I will say that it has some impressive action sequences, though cut short. The ending feels predictable, but it actually is fairly original. Because when it gets to the point where you're thinking "I know what's going to happen" it twists into something completely different. It is still less satisfying than what you expected of it.
Overall, you may not remember this movie two days after you watch it. I'm already starting to fade. Dialogue is an issue with practically the entire cast. Visual effects are dazzling, but quickly grow tiresome. A split plot may as well split scores in half. This movie would be bearable had a third of it been more memorable, but with all of its problems, you will probably leave disappointed in 47 Ronin.
Rating: C-
Friday, December 27, 2013
The Wolf of Wall Street
To get a point across quickly, DiCaprio should get an Oscar for this. End of story. Hill should be nominated. Scorsese will be nominated, could win. So now that the Oscar talk is out of the way, let's get started.
This movie has easily the best written dialogue in any film this year. DiCaprio's monologues are all bullshit, but they're inspiring at the same time. Belfort feels like a man in control of his own destiny. He feels like a representation of the American dream if that dream were to fuck bitches, get money, and do enough drugs to sedate New York for a month. He's a man that makes you feel like anything is possible as long as you have money. And for the most part, he's right.
Matthew McConaughey is in this movie for about 10 minutes. He gives one lengthy monologue, but everyone is so invested. He'll have you beating your chest and humming in that rhythm as you walk out of the theater. Jonah Hill is clearly at his best, comically and dramatically. You can tell he's still getting used to dramatic roles, but this was about 95% comedy for his character.
Like in most of Scorsese's films, everything comes together and is wrapped up nicely. The narrating lead character goes through changes and eventually deals with them. Belfort is a criminal that you can sympathize with. He may be victimizing less fortunate people, but he also helps people to whom he is the closest. He has troubles at home with his wife (Margot Robbie), and he has the worst drug problem depicted since Scarface, while there are better examples this one comes to mind.
If I had to describe this movie in terms of other movies, I would put it this way. It has the structure of Goodfellas, the quotability of Pulp Fiction, the setting of Wall Street, and the drug depiction of Scarface (maybe worse). I had a smile on my face for the first two hours of the movie.
It slows down in the last hour or so, because Belfort has built his empire, and he now has to sustain it. It doesn't get boring or tedious to watch, but it's significantly different from the first two thirds of the film. For some of my reviews, I take notes on what I like, dislike etc. But this film was gripping my attention so tightly for its entirety, that I couldn't bother to look down.
Many things are over-the-top and just louder about this movie. The trailer captures it fairly well. It's like The Great Gatsby except it probably deserves an NC-17 rating. Between the drugs, the language, and the amount of softcore porn, this film barely squeaked by the MPAA and it will make many couples uncomfortable. When you see DiCaprio blowing cocaine into the asshole of a prostitute, you know you're getting into something you weren't expecting.
Scorsese has mastered pacing long movies over the course of his career. This is a three hour movie that feels like two or two-and-a-half. He keeps you invested by keeping everything upbeat and fun to watch. Even in the film's darkest moments, you're still enjoying it. Jordan Belfort is the man that men should aspire to be in terms of attitude and ambition. This film will be winning Oscars come February. I suggest you go see it, just don't bring a date.
Rating: A+
Sunday, December 22, 2013
About Time
This review is several weeks late, because of its limited release. But I caught it at my local dollar theater just today, and I'm glad I waited. This was easily one of the most underrated, enjoyable films of the year.
Tim meets Mary (Rachel McAdams) at a restaurant, but his path changes when he decides to help his roommate after his play has a disastrous opening night. Tim and Mary meet for the first time multiple times. It's delightfully awkward to watch Tim interact with someone he knows, but he's never met before. The two have incredible chemistry, making their relationship seem so sincere. That and the dialogue is so realistic and comparable to everyday life.
This film has characters that feel refreshing, original even. Tim's little sister "Kit Kat" (Lydia Wilson) is lovably eccentric, and the sadly forgetful Uncle Desmond (Richard Cordery), while not remotely important or original, still brings laughs to the screen. Even Tim's coworker Rory (Joshua McGuire) can be remembered and loved after such a small amount of screen time.
Tom Hollander plays Harry, the playwright roommate of Tim. Everything he does is so over the top and theatrical, but it's perfectly timed comedy wise. His lines are just so specialized, that you could never pull off quoting them in real life.
The film relies heavily on cringe humor. The sustained awkwardness of the conversations are just so real, that the audience is forced to react. Because we've all been there. Tim may be an introverted social outcast, but when he gains the confidence to speak, he really is quite charming.
About Time doesn't just focus on Tim trying to get a girlfriend. It shows the life after he gets the girl. Gleeson and McAdams play the couple that everyone likes. They don't show off their love, and they don't fight all of the time either. They might just be one of the most easily likable couples Hollywood has produced.
Gleeson gives a fantastic breakthrough performance, and I can't wait to see what other work he gets out of this. McAdams plays the average girl so well, I think it would be hard to find a woman who couldn't relate to the character. The two of them form this perfect couple, that you everyone wishes they could become.
Bill Nighy's character surprised me. It's not often in film these days, that you see a father and son have this strong of a relationship without conflict. He comes off as a wonderful father and a loving husband. But it's as if there's nothing wrong with him. He is just so likable, there's no reason you could hate this guy.
Being a time travel movie, About Time is riddled with plot holes that no other movie of its sort can avoid. But it lays its rules out simply. You cannot travel back before your birth (i.e. you can't go back and kill Hitler), and you can't travel forward in time. The butterfly effect still applies, it just never had made that big of a ripple. All Tim has to do is stand in a dark place, clench his fists, and think of the moment he's traveling to. But he can't be in two places at once. So even for a time traveller, there may not be enough time in the world.
The thing about this movie, is that it's advertised as a romance. But it's not just for dates. It's for fathers and sons, newlyweds, our elders, and our young (but not too young). It's about life. I'd like to think this is a movie that everyone needs to see at some point. With spectacular dialogue (maybe some adlibbing), brilliant performances, original characters, and a message that can be applied to everyone, About Time makes you want to live every day as if it were to be your last.
Rating: A
I realize I'm starting off this blog by giving everything a high rating, but December is fantastic time of year for film.
Saving Mr. Banks
Academy Award winning actors Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson come together to tell the story of how Mary Poppins found its way into the hearts of families everywhere in Saving Mr. Banks. Walt Disney (Hanks) has been trying to acquire the rights to make Mary Poppins into a movie from P.L. Travers (Thompson). As they meet to negotiate the details of the film, Disney begins to learn how difficult it will be to make Travers happy.
Travers is an unhappy person in general. She doesn't understand the pleasantries of social interaction, and she believes children should be taught how awful the world really is before being tossed into it blind. Also, she abhors the idea of Mary Poppins having any animation or musicality to it at all.
The film flashes between 1906 Australia, during Travers' childhood, and the negotiations with Disney. Colin Farrell plays Traver's loving father whose image is slowly tarnished throughout the flashbacks through his alcohol abuse. Farrell gives a heartbreaking performance to say the least. The whole back story behind the idea of Mary Poppins is so interesting, considering how different from the book it turned out to be. Much like the original versions of fairy tales, Disney took something somewhat demented and turned it into something appropriate and lovable for children.
Tom Hanks had sold me as Walt Disney from the beginning. I know Disney was probably not nearly as nice as he was portrayed in the film, but Hanks just sells the warmth and kindness that comes with the character. There's a monologue he gives near the end of the movie that just makes you think "I'm not watching a movie, Walt Disney is telling me a story." I don't know if he'll get a nomination for this, but you can tell he wants one.
Emma Thompson warms hearts in this movie. She can be funny when she's being mean, but she can make you shed tears of joy when she succumbs to the musical temptation. I am not afraid to say that I teared up as they presented Travers with "Let's Go Fly a Kite." It was a beautiful moment to behold.
Travers and Disney clash together so perfectly. Disney is energetic, caring, and prefers to be called Walt. Travers wishes to be called Mrs. Travers, and can be rather stuck-up in relation to most Americans. The story of these two opposites slowly connecting and bonding makes this such a heartwarming film.
Paul Giamatti plays Travers' driver for the duration of her stay in California, and you don't even know his name. He and Thompson had a development similar to Driving Miss Daisy without the racism. That's just how great it felt when the two of them finally connected.
B.J. Novak and Jason Schwartzman are composers of the music for the movie, and they're just entertaining. It's fun to watch Novak get upset and mouth off occasionally, and Schwartzman's piano skills were a great medium for emotion through the characters. Bradley Whitford plays Don DaGradi, co-writer of the Mary Poppins movie, being as friendly and careful as a Disney employee should be.
SPOILERS: The following paragraph may cover some sensitive plot details. Proceed with caution.
The "real" Mary Poppins, which I guess is Traver's aunt, has so little time on the screen, that you don't see her importance in the inspiration for Mary Poppins. All we understand are the appearance and the bags. There are several parts of these flashbacks that we don't completely understand. A suicide attempt and the inspiration for Mary Poppins in particular, however there are so many small things that Travers does in the beginning of the film that are slowly explained, keeping the audience's interest in the story.
SPOILERS END HERE
Saving Mr. Banks is the heartwarming story we never heard about the story that we all loved. It's certainly carried on the actors' shoulders, but this will make you want to watch Mary Poppins the second you walk out of the theater.
Rating: A+
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