Somewhere: Movie Review

Somewhere is an indescribable place, but a beautiful one.

In the beginning, "Somewhere" is L.A. as Johnny Marco (Stephen Dorff) lives it up with fast cars, easy women, and lots and lots of alcohol. The simplistic shots of the film and minimal dialogue belie the depth to which we get to know him. It's quite amusing when his 11-year-old daughter, Cleo (Elle Fanning), shows up and knows less about his lifestyle than we do.		2010 Directed by: Sofia Coppola Screenplay by: Sofia Coppola Starring: Stephen Dorff and Elle Fanning

Blue Valentine: Movie Review

"Blue Valentine" is tragically real, beautiful, and blue.

Bathed in blue light, intimate romance, and raw emotion, "Blue Valentine" is a beautiful, but harrowing, exploration of one relationship. Cindy (Michelle Williams) wants to find love to get past her parent's hatred for each other; Dean (Ryan Gosling) is a sucker for romance and pretty blond girls. Too bad, as he believes, that the pretty ones are always the crazy ones.		2010 Directed by: Derek Cianfrance Screenplay by: Derek Cianfrance, Cami Delavigne and Joey Curtis Starring: Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling
They rightfully chose to not just show us them falling in love, but also them falling out of love. It is bold in its intentions and with the unromantic route it chose to take. But it really succeeds because of the characters and the actors. These are well written characters that are brought to life and get under your skin because of Williams and Gosling. Undeniably the best performances of their careers. A well-deserved Oscar nomination for Williams and I was completely enraptured with Gosling more than I have ever been with his previous roles. Although I did get emotionally invested in their story, it was structured rather poorly. Timing always seemed off, and developments in their characters were too quick and out-of-the-blue. This does take away from its emotional impact, but I was still completely invested in Cindy and Dean. "Blue Valentine" is a very well made film for its $1 million budget with beautiful shots (particularly the fireworks lighting up the credits at the end), and it was not nearly as risqué and unbearably sad as I was led to believe. Recommended for those that can appreciate the tragic realism of life mixed in with the romance of soul mates falling in love.

Recommended:

Certified Copy (2010) - A relationship about mystery just as much as love.

Rabbit Hole: Movie Review

 

Intelligent subtexts in "Rabbit Hole".

"Rabbit Hole" stars Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart as a married suburban couple. As with all married suburban couples, there is more going on beneath the surface. Here, though, what's beneath the surface are insightful concepts, instead of additional plot lines. Becca and Howie are trying to find solace after their young son dies.		2010 Directed by: John Cameron Mitchell Screenplay by: David Lindsay-Abaire Based on his Pulitzer Prize-winning play Starring: Aaron Eckhart and Nicole Kidman
This is an extremely well written film with smart, quick and funny dialogue, and intelligent subtexts to how and where to find solace. The brilliance of the writing allows these profundities to become the main reflection, rather than just their relationship. It's also a spectacularly acted and beautifully shot film; put together in a way that it wasn't obvious that it was based on a play. Similar to "Revolutionary Road"(2008) but set in modern times. Not very similar to John Cameron Mitchell's previous films ("Shortbus"(2006) and "Hedwig and the Angry Inch"(2001)), but shares the same intelligence just finally more accessible. David Lindsay-Abaire's screenplay rivals Aaron Sorkin's "The Social Network" for Best Adapted Screenplay of the year. Unfortunately, like "Doubt"(2008), which is also based on a play with a multi-layered story, lost to "Slumdog Millionaire"—the more popular film of its year, so will "Rabbit Hole".

Recommended:

Certified Copy (2010) - A relationship story told through mystery and art.

Weather Girl: Movie Review

Absolutely hilarious from beginning to end with just a hint of self-awareness.

Tricia O'Kelley is our sassy weather girl, Sylvia, except she insists she's not sassy, she just has boyfriend problems and now employment problems giving way to the numerous emotional issues which our heroine explores in this romantic comedy.		2009 Directed by: Blayne Weaver Screenplay by: Blayne Weaver Starring: Tricia O'Kelley
Sylvia is a fantastic romantic comedy heroine. Sure, she's slightly desperate for a boyfriend but when her job opportunities disappear, she does the responsible thing and finds a temporary solution, as a waitress. She retains just enough optimism peeking out of the many hysterical breakdowns, that watching her is a joyful experience. We have two leading men, both extremely attractive and even better, their many moments of humour are priceless. Walt (Ryan Devlin) is Sylvia's younger brother and he puts up with all her neuroses because of brotherly love. Byron (Patrick J. Adams) is Walt's best friend, he also puts up with Sylvia's many neuroses, but out of a more carnal love. This film succeeds because young career women can relate to Sylvia's problems unlike the similar "Morning Glory" (2010), and every actor aptly delivers the comedy (unlike most big budget comedies). It's well written and knows its genre well playing up most of the formulaic elements on purpose but without any of the hackneyed details. "Weather Girl" is definitely a great romantic comedy because it's absolutely hilarious from beginning to end with just a hint of self-awareness.

Recommended:

Kissing Jessica Stein (2001) - Well written and funny, Jessica doesn't know what she wants and that's the best kind of romantic comedy.

The King's Speech: Movie Review

"The King's Speech" is fit to wear the crown.

"The King's Speech" gave us the story of a man who shouldn't have been King but staunchly rose to the position. Colin Firth was King George VI who had a deeply-rooted, severe stuttering problem. Geoffrey Rush had the perfect touch as his speech therapist.		2010 Directed by: Tom Hooper Screenplay by: David Seidler Starring: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush

The Town: Movie Review

Thoughtful, character-driven crime drama thriller.

Take a crime-ridden community with gritty streets but with young men trying to get to a better life and the hopefulness of a possible romance, and you get "The Town", a thoughtful and discerning dramatic thriller.		2010 Directed by: Ben Affleck Screenplay by: Peter Craig, Ben Affleck and Aaron Stockard Starring: Ben Affleck

The Social Network: Movie Review

A film not about Facebook, but the face of the guys behind the book.

The Social Network is a great film and it does deserve all the credit it's getting. The key is in how Sorkin crafted the story and the characters and then how the actors ably portrayed those characters. This isn't about Facebook, but more the guys, or guy, who invented it. And the way Sorkin presented these characters was perfect.		2010 Directed by: David Fincher Screenplay by: Aaron Sorkin Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield

The Disappearance of Alice Creed: Movie Review

Stark and brutal and phenomenal filmmaking.

In The Disappearance of Alice Creed, Alice (Gemma Arterton) is kidnapped. Danny (Martin Compston) and Vic (Eddie Marsan) are careful criminals and think they know what it takes to get what they want and not get caught. What follows is a well written, unconventional and startling exploration of the relationships of everyone involved and their plans to get to a better life.		2009 Directed by: J. Blakeson Screenplay by: J. Blakeson Starring: Gemma Arterton, Eddie Marsan and Martin Compston
Everything in this film is thoughtful, intelligent, and only slightly dark. This is a well thought-out, incredibly well written, and a rather unique character drama disguised as a thriller. There are some stark and brute acts of selfishness to withstand, but the rewards are remarkable. The Disappearance of Alice Creed is the paramount of independent filmmaking. Writer and director J Blakeson has crafted a truly impressive film giving both the perpetrators and the victim interesting but realistic character traits that translate into an original and astute plot about kidnapping. I recommend this as a must-see for the dominating and masterful performances by Arterton, Compston and Marsan, for the perceptive, engrossing and bewitching story-telling and direction, and for capturing the true art of independent filmmaking.

Recommended:

The Town (2010) - A thriller that is driven by characters and their relationships just as much as plot. The American (2010) - A character study disguised as a thriller with an impressive visual telling. Best Laid Plans (1997) - An interesting, twisted story of committing crimes. Dark Matter (2007) - Hauntingly real story when academic drive turns dark and dangerous.

127 Hours: Movie Review

More of a bold adventure film, less soulful drama.

Based on the true, survival-against-all-odds story "Between a Rock and a Hard Place", James Franco is Aron Ralston, and he is literally stuck between a rock and a hard place—a canyon wall in the Utah desert to be more exact. "127 Hours" records the time from when Aron finds himself stranded and trapped alone in a canyon, and has to use everything that he is mentally and physically capable of to try and get himself free.		2010 Directed by: Danny Boyle Screenplay by: Danny Boyle, Simon Beaufoy Starring: James Franco

Tamara Drewe: Movie Review

 

A comedy of affairs.

Ewedown is an idyllic, little English countryside village where writers retreat to seek inspiration, and peace and quiet. Or at least it was idyllic until Tamara Drewe returned home. The stunningly beautiful Gemma Arterton plays Tamara Drewe. Her presence immediately sparks the interest of the local men, and the bored, local teenage girls who are looking for excitement to spice up their mundane town life.		2010 Directed by: Stephen Frears Screenplay by: Moira Buffini Starring: Gemma Arterton
She is so sexy that she has her choice of affairs, but as usual, it's always the asshole who gets the girl.. It almost doesn’t matter which character I’m referring to as this is one of those films where almost every character is flawed and still likable, or at least entertaining. Here’s the thing about the comedy style of Tamara Drewe: you just have to accept the thought processes of these (let’s call them socially-inept) people, but once you do it is pretty funny, even if you just find it odd at first. You see, when Tamara left home as a teemage girl in search of success in the big city, she was not hot. She had a big nose and was thus undesirable like everybody else. In London, she worked her way up as a successful rock journalist and got a nose job. Now, back in Ewedown, the head writer of the retreat, philandering husband, semi-famous crime novelist Nicholas (Roger Allam) is lusting after Tamara; former teen flame Andy (Luke Evans), now a handsome handy-man, is not into Tamara – but would be after he settles a grudge. Meanwhile, American writer Glen (Bill Camp) is attracted to Nicholas’s wife Beth (Tamsin Greig); and two very entertaining teenage girls (Jessica Barden and Charlotte Christie) are going to snoop all of this out. Just as it looks like Tamara is going to settle down with the rock and roll drummer Ben (Dominic Cooper) to interrupt the reserved lifestyle of the village, life gets complicated for everybody who wants something with Tamara. Tamara Drewe is a comedy of affairs, complete with foul language, quirky characters and the irreverent British humour. Arterton sparkles as Tamara, but it's less about the characters and more about who will bed who and what will the consequences be? It sometimes seems to forget the age of its audience when it goes for the comedy of teenage girls getting into mischief, but it's also exactly what you would expect for an odd British comedy about a group of writers and one hot girl.

Conviction: Movie Review

A simple, dramatic story told well through emotional performances.

"Conviction" is a simple, dramatic story, told well. Betty Anne (Hilary Swank) puts herself through law school for the sole effort of freeing her innocent brother Kenny (Sam Rockwell) from a life-sentence in prison for murder. Swank and Rockwell both carry this emotional film on their very strong shoulders.		2010 Directed by: Tony Goldwyn Screenplay by: Pamela Gray Starring: Hilary Swank and Sam Rockwell
There are very few courtroom scenes, very few law school scenes, but it is filled with emotional connections between brother and sister as she visits him in prison, and as she tries living her own life. The characters dominate the beginning of the film, and the steps Swank has to take to free Rockwell keeps the film going towards the end. It is shot well, as this is clearly Massachusetts and it set the right feelings for the film without overpowering it. The highlights are Swank and Rockwell as they both play characters with elements that we have seen before that have given Swank Oscar wins and have given Rockwell popularity. Here, he has toned down his comic antics just enough for his performance to remain popular but should also give him his first Oscar nomination. The story may be missing a few elements that would have given it more substance to make it more interesting, but it seems to me, that's because the film-makers had a few restrictions in keeping to the true story. This may actually be a true story and not just based on one. I recommend "Conviction" for its emotional performances and for telling its simple story well.

Recommended:

The Company Men (2010) - The down-sizing of three men in a simple, effective drama. The Conspirator (2010) - Historical telling of the trial of Mary Surrat.

Never Let Me Go: Movie Review

An interesting, high-quality film that crosses over into most genres.

"Never Let Me Go" is an interesting, haunting and affecting story of love and jealousy. The story that we see occurring on the surface is fairly commonplace of friends growing up together and falling in love. But the backdrop of this film, which eventually takes over the main story, is science fiction like. It's dark and tragic and thought-provoking.		2010 Directed by: Mark Romanek Screenplay by: Alex Garland Based on the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro Starring: Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley and Andrew Garfield
The time and place is 1980s England and it looks very similar to the real world. But this is not the real world. The dystopic aspect is clearly touched upon at the beginning, but it most definitely gets worse. Let’s start at that time when life should be an adventure that you can’t wait to experience and in your childhood fervor you pick your friends to accompany you on that future adventure. Here I am describing a reality that should exist in this film, but doesn’t, because everything is just slightly off. Kathy, Tommy and Ruth (Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield and Keira Knightley as the older version of the trio and Isobel Meikle-Small, Charlie Rowe and Ella Purnell as the younger version) start life at a prim-and-proper boarding school. They bond together, share puppy love, and if only they could embrace the innocence of a childhood, but that innocence is lost. It can be difficult to fully realize all the characterizations for characters in a world that is this far-removed from the real world, but this is a fascinating story. Dark and tragic to be sure, but it also had my interest piqued. The film was incredibly well shot, making dreary England look spectacular but still getting the feeling of damp and cold across. The film works so well because as much as it is science fiction, those are not the themes it plays up. The innocence and loss of innocence of childhood, how to reflect on a life lived, how to give meaning to those lives, and how lies and rumours told to children can shape their lives, and how bonds formed in the face of tragic confusion can shape the rest of your life. I recommend "Never Let Me Go" because of the high quality of filmmaking. The science fiction elements are rather subtle so it's more for fans of romantic dramas, but it's an interesting enough film that it can cross into most genres. .

Recommended:

An Education (2009) - Coming-of-age drama with a real story. Conviction (2010) - Brotherly love with striking shots of nature.

The Kids Are All Right: Movie Review

Comedy was great, drama slowed things down a bit, but still a well done film.

Lesbian mothers, one a hippie chick (Julianne Moore) the other more of an alpha male (Annette Bening) have raised two kids, Joni and Laser. "The Kids Are All Right" begins with the teenage kids contacting their sperm donor biological father (Mark Ruffalo). We follow the interactions between all of the characters.		2010 Directed by: Lisa Cholodenko Screenplay by: Lisa Cholodenko, Stuart Blumberg Starring: Annette Bening and Julianne Moore

It's Kind of a Funny Story: Movie Review

A well written, light-hearted teen drama.

It's Kind of a Funny Story is an aptly titled film. It's just a story, and it's kind of funny. It's more drama than comedy, and although it was slow, they really did drag me into the story. Keir Gilchrist stars as Craig, a teenager who thinks about killing himself and seeks help. He finds help at an adult psychiatric ward.		2011 Directed and Screenplay by: Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck Starring: Keir Gilchrist

You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger: Movie Review

 

Lacks most of Allen's intelligent wit, but still has his subtle jabs at society.

In "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger" we are swiftly introduced to the complicated plot with who is married to whom, who is cheating with whom, and who is in love with whom. I found that the slowest part. I wasn't able to find much of Allen's underlying comedy in all of the criss-crossing relationships.		2010 Directed by: Woody Allen Screenplay by: Woody Allen Starring: Anthony Hopkins and Naomi Watts

The American: Movie Review

Interesting mix between character study and thriller.

George Clooney is "The American", an assassin, hiding out in Italy. That, and his love of prostitutes, are pretty much all we know about him. It turns out to be an interesting mix between a character study and a thriller.		2010 Directed by: Anton Corbijn Screenplay by: Rowan Joffe Starring: George Clooney

$5 a Day: Movie Review

An original, funny and entertaining road trip with some touching honesty in the father-son relationship story.

$5 a Day is a father-son road trip movie. You may think you've seen that done way too many times before, but this plays out as if it's completely original. This is, quite simply, a smart, entertaining independent film. It also doesn't hurt that it has an all-star cast behind it. The handsome and completely endearing Alessandro Nivola is Flynn, the son, who is just trying to live a normal life.		2008 Directed by: Nigel Cole Screenplay by: Neal H. Dobrofsky and Tippi Dobrofsky Starring: Christopher Walken and Alessandro Nivola
Christopher Walken, still on top of his game, is Nat, the father, who schemes and lies his way into living and travelling on just 5 dollars a day. Flynn has a job as a health inspector – a job he takes seriously, but struggles with. A lot of these restaurant owners and employers are just good, honest people trying to make a living, and if he writes them up for a small violation, he could be responsible for ruining their lives. The character of Flynn is loaded with these moral conflicts. The brilliant character writing and bringing these richly-defined characters to life like Nivola and Walken have, make $5 a Day seem original despite a predictable plot. After Flynn loses his job and Nat insists he's dying, Flynn agrees to drive his father across the country for treatment. There are plenty of hilarious cons and schemes, but also some touching honesty, along the way. "$5 a Day" is a fantastic dramedy. It is billed as a comedy and it does have some low-key humour and many laughs. But by just calling it a comedy, that doesn't seem to give the film full credit for the brilliant character writing. There is a lot of intelligent undertones in the actions of the characters as they each mature in the journey. And the writer did that with subtlety and humour, no melodrama here. This film was done better than I ever thought a relationship road trip movie could be done. I laughed all of the way, just enjoying the characters, and I didn't find all of the subtle lessons on relationships until after it was over. Walken and Nivola had great chemistry and completely won me over. I now expect them to play father and son in all of their future movies.

Recommended:

The Joneses (2009) - A hilarious, original and inventive twist on "keeping up with the Joneses". Blue State (2007) - The road trip genre taken to political and hilarious extremes.

The Joneses: Movie Review

 

A thoughtful and original twist on keeping up with the Joneses. 

"The Joneses" asks, can you keep up with the Joneses (David Duchovny and Demi Moore)? And the answer is yes. The plot has enough original twists and turns to keep it interesting, but not so many that you can still notice the few levels of nuance and intelligence that they added. A very original take on the "keeping up with the Joneses" idea - everybody wants what the Joneses have.		2009 Directed by: Derrick Borte Screenplay by: Derrick Borte and Randy T. Dinzler Starring: David Duchovny and Demi Moore
It may sound like any other film where we watch rich people live their selfish lives, but they quickly turn that on its head. It's much more clever and interesting. The creative premise can seem a bit far-fetched but it was immediately brought back down to Earth with the realism of the characters. I was completely intrigued by these characters, and particularly impressed with the emotion that was shining from beneath Duchovny's handsome surface. I had no idea what to expect from "The Joneses". And, well, that's exactly what I got - something that I never could have expected. And it was great. This film is original and intelligent, especially with some of their perceptions of society. It can be a bit cynical at times but that just adds some dark humour which all the best films have. I highly recommend "The Joneses", especially for people who like a little bit of thought and originality in films.

The Box: Movie Review

Intelligent science fiction thriller.

"The Box" is not what you're expecting, and that will hold true no matter what you are expecting. I had assumed it was going to be a moral and philosophical exploration of a couple's choice between money or an unknown death. There are moral and philosophical ideas presented, but in such a way that you don't yet understand.		2009 Directed by: Richard Kelly Screenplay by: Richard Kelly Starring: Cameron Diaz, Frank Langella and James Marsden
Set in Virginia in 1976, this is meant to be personal. An all-American family with expected financial woes, jobs that keep them busy and parenting dilemmas. These are people we can get behind. And yes it helps that mom Norma is played by Cameron Diaz and dad Arthur is played by James Marsden. Their lives are up-rooted, and this is not partially up-rooted, but more bizarrely and insanely changed by forces not possibly predicted type of up-rooted. A strange man (Frank Langella) offers them a simple choice: push the button inside the box and receive a million dollars, but in return someone, somewhere will die. This is the premise of Richard Matheson’s short story “Button, Button”. A moral dilemma, with questions of what would you do? In a move which might very well be the cause of the box office disaster and lack of appreciation, writer and director Richard Kelly frames that philosophical approach as a sci-fi thriller. A gut-wrenching thriller with paranoia and supernatural experiences around every turn in the action. And that is made very personal. We feel for Norma and Arthur and we feel what Norma and Arthur are feeling. They don’t know what is going on and neither do we. And like the moral question, what would you do? All I know is that I wanted to get to the resolution. On the surface, it's a thriller, science fiction and creepy in nature. But the word "surface" should not be used because there is nothing superficial about this film. It is not simple or straight-forward. It is a heart-wrenching, suspenseful thriller, told with creepy and supernatural, other-worldly experiences and illustrations. But it's also not an action film, it's closer to a philosophical discussion than action. To watch "The Box" you must be open to watching a movie that can't be explained, won't make any sense in most interpretations of it, and is slow-moving but thrilling and suspenseful at the same time. Intelligent, science fiction thriller would be the closest categorization. Fans of that genre should definitely watch; also recommended for fans of "Solaris" (2002).

Recommended:

Moon (2009) - Alone in space with so much to think about. Solaris (2002) - Thoughtful romance and mystery working its way into science fiction.

Me and Orson Welles: Movie Review

The perfect blend of coming-of-age and theatre.

The "me" in Me and Orson Welles is Richard (Zac Efron) a high school student who gets himself a part in Orson Welles' production of Julius Caesar at the Mercury Theatre in 1937. He's the kind of kid that loves everything creative in the world, is romantic, and is confident and sure of himself. Well, that is until he's alongside Orson Welles. Christian McKay plays Welles as the cocky and out-spoken man that he surely was.		2008 Directed by: Richard Linklater Screenplay by: Richard Linklater Starring: Christian McKay, Zac Efron