"Whoever wields this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor." - Odin
As interesting as all of the Norse mythology is, the comic book arc of Thor never stood out to me all that much when I was younger. Especially my first introduction to him: you see, I was bought a package of three videos that featured old cartoons from when my parents were kids. There was Spiderman (which I was largely into at that time), with the old animation and classic theme song. I dug that a lot. The other two cartoons were of Namor The Submariner and Thor, both of whom I was still very uninterested in after viewing. Spiderman was a teenager, not only that but an everyday teenager who suddenly takes on the role of superhero after he makes a tragic mistake. Even as a kid and with such a cheesy cartoon that resonated with me. The stories involving Thor and Namor weren't anything like that. Namor was a king and a bit of an antihero who didn't seem to get involved in heroic affairs unless it immediately affected his people. Thor was a God who only seemed to be hanging out on earth to either court a mortal girl, stop less friendly vacationing deities, or just to amuse himself. Not very relatable. After watching the new Marvel film, Thor, he is still not very relatable, but it was still a good movie and I like the way his character is portrayed here.
This is another in a long list of superheroes I was really convinced couldn't be done. I'm starting to see that in a world where Hollywood is a dominant entity and technology has gone into a realm of real life science fiction, anything is possible moviewise. I realize this because I was very taken with the trailers for Thor in which the character is actually shown to be an arrogant brute of a god, earth is thrown into the mix of a celestial family fued, and Anthony Hopkins plays Odin (I was 8 watching that old cartoon and I knew then it would be him). Natalie Portman is also in the film, so there's a lot more incentive right there. Kat Dennings, too. Even more shocking than my interest in a Thor film is the fact that it is one of the better superhero movies Marvel has spawned. It's in the same class as the first Spiderman and the Iron Man films.
Here's the story (and forgive me, I am not familiar with the comic source material, so I don't know if it is true to that or anything): A long time ago Odin (Anthony Hopkins) and his Asgardian army defeated the warring Frost Giants and pretty much made a deal that he wouldn't kill them all if they would remain in their ice world. That peace is kept until Odin's son and heir to the throne, Thor (Chris Hemsworth), responds to a mysterious threat from the Giants by laying siege on their homeworld. This reignites the war between the Giants and the Asgardians. For this, Odin banishes the ferocious Thor to earth so that he will learn humility. Meanwhile, Loki (Tom Hiddleston), the god of mischief and Thor's younger brother starts making his play for the throne whilst discovering some dark secrets about his father's past and his own. Thor meanwhile must deal with being mortal on earth and becoming involved in the research of a science team led by astrophysicist and resident beauty Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), as well as the subject of interest for recurring SHIELD Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg). While all of this epic family drama is going on upstairs with Loki and his agenda, the real fun of course is watching Thor's fish out of water story play out. He is a God from a world vastly beyond ours, so he is a little perturbed yet slightly amused at how simplistic the mortal world is. It becomes apparent though that with the threat of the Frost Giants, and Loki's dark plans for Asgard and his family, Thor had best work out whatever issues his father had meant for him to work out so that he can redeem himself and save the day.
The mythological aspect is what I really enjoyed about this movie. The special effects used for Asgard, and anything mystical really, were pretty damn cool. Asgard looks like a lush, luxurious, and majestic place that sort of acts like protector of the wellbeing of all dimensions and realms existing. Also the cavalier, Shakespearian quality of the characters there is rather refreshing as opposed to our long line of sad and tragic characters. With those previously mentioned qualities, when something bad happens to these characters it is worse because they are people who are used to being joyous and on top of the world or universe or whevever the hell Asgard is. Plus, I sort of enjoy how family exists even in the most divine mediums. The relationships between Thor, Loki, and Odin are all very well done. They are all gods, but they are still father and sons.
There is also the special effects aspect to the film, which I honestly thought would be terrible. But no, the special effects were pretty cool. I mean, sure, it's obviously CGI, but its a superhero movie; you kind of have to roll with it. Asgard is made to be a sprawling, majestic centerpiece of order in the universe and it looks it in the film. They aren't up in the clouds, but are more at an important pinpoint in the universe. They also guard an interdimensional bridge, that seems to be made of rushing rainbows (trust me, its cool). The world of the Frost Giants, which I am not even gonna try to spell, actually looked more organic, despite being a dark and lifeless place. I think that actually might have been a set too, glossed over with CGI. The Giants themselves looked freaky and intimidating in a way that wasn't really unbelievable. I mean, when there were gonna be Frost Giants, I basically thought we'd get some goofy Abominable Snowman rejects. But these guys are not to be trifled with. There is a sort of guardian of the Asgardians called The Destroyer that comes into play later, that is badass. The best effect for me has to be when Thor travels through the portal/rainbow bridge; it's like light speed for a god.
The acting was also good. Chris Hemsworth plays very well as the god of thunder, Thor. He shows you every reason why to like him, why not to like him, and why he's redeemed in your eyes. Thor here is a confident and charismatic God, but he's a flawed one too. Like the best of Marvel superheroes, Thor has to lose sometimes and grow up as a result. Hemsworth as Thor is also funny as hell; when The Avengers movie comes out I don't doubt that he and Iron Man will get along. An actor I am not familiar with, Tom Hiddleston, is very convincing and even powerful as Loki, even though I thought the god of mischief would be a little more mischievious. Hiddleston shows Loki not as the gleeful deity of chaos but more of a black sheep in his family who wants acceptance. Anthony Hopkins as Odin is freaking awesome. Why? Because he is Anthony Hopkins...as Odin! He's playing the two things we always knew he played best: a man with absolute power, and a dad. Natalie Portman ain't winning any oscars here, but she did well all the same as Jane Foster, because Portman is awesome. I felt Stellen Skarsgard and Kat Dennings were underused as Portman's entourage of scientists, astrological or political, but they were still fun because they are fun actors. Clark Gregg is cool as Coulson, as he was in the last two Iron Man movies. Jeremy Renner shows up for a second as Hawkeye, because we needed to segue him into The Avengers movie somehow. Rene Russo is in the movie as Odin's wife and Thor and Loki's mother, and she doesn't do much. It's sad because Rene Russo is a great actress who I haven't seen in anything in awhile. Idris Elba, even though he could probably be doing better things, is a badass as Heimdell, the keeper of the portal/rainbow bridge thing. I usually am not a fan of sidekicks or buddies that come into play for the hero, but this is an exception. Thor pals around with four other warriors from Asgard, and they work because they feel not only like his best friends, but like his family. They are all badasses too, in case you were wondering. So, I was thorougly impressed with the acting as well.
There is no real magic as to why Thor worked so well for me. Well, actually, this movie was directed by Kenneth Branagh, a literal Shakespearian actor, writer, and director. The kind of extreme drama presented in some Shakespeare is a bit reminiscent to the divine opera presented in this film. So yes, I think the movie worked so well because of Branagh's direction and the actors' performances. It just seems like a bit more effort was put into this one as opposed to superhero movies that rely more heavily on the effects. Effects and acting seemed to be on an even keel in Thor, and that's good. I think most people will enjoy it. It's dramatic, it's action packed, it's funny, it's a fun movie.
This has been a superhero review from Your Modest Guru. It's been awhile. Thanks for reading.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Winter's Bone Review
"Never ask for what oughta be offered." - Ree Dolly
Winter's Bone is probably one of the best films in years. I am still on the fence on whether or not to put it in my top three films of 2010. It would be there with Inception and Black Swan, because, like those films, Winter's Bone is new type of film experience for me. It introduces a kind of place I live around...well, probably worse. My community and the ones neighboring it at least make a huge attempt to look respectable and clean, whereas the existing in this film seems to have merely resigned itself to squalor and darkness. It takes place in a bleak, ragged, small town in the Ozark mountains. Most people are in on the drug trade, meth production in particular. The film introduces a terrific actress who perfectly plays what I think is a true American hero.
The film takes place in this day and age, even if there is a lack of flash and glamour or really modern technology at all (the most technologically advanced thing I saw were the trucks the characters drove in and the guns they carried). It focuses on the impoverished Dolly Family, particularly the eldest daughter. Ree Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence) is 17 years old, apparently a high school drop out, and is taking care of her mentally gone mother and two child siblings. She is told that her missing father, Jessup, was arrested for cooking meth and jumped bail. More importantly, he put up his house as collateral for the bail money. Already a good macguffin, Ree has one week to find her father, dead or alive, and save the only home she or her family has. Jessup, however, went out for long periods before, but this time it is possible he might have been killed during one of his criminal excursions. This does not and cannot phase Ree, though, as she plunges fearlessly into the criminal underworld of her small but shady community. What ensues is a very dark and ominous journey.
This film feels real, and I think that's what it has going for it more than anything. Because the fact that it feels real is pretty disturbing. That strength lies in the harsh and ugly setting, the fascinating characters (which is all of them), and it's portrayal of both. There is almost never a sunny day in this film, as it is late winter. The scenes where Ree is walking down the road looks almost post apocalyptic; like a wasteland. The people inhabiting this wasteland do it justice I suppose. Like The Fighter, Winter's Bone does not have a particular villain. Everyone is a potential villain it seems like. Potential though reluctant. No matter what dangerous game they are a part of, all involved are still ordinary people who want to stay out of trouble as much as possible. This makes it complicated when a tenacious young girl goes willingly looking for it. Someone could get hurt. Maybe someone already has.
It was that mentality that struck me more than anything else. Ree does not have too much trouble hunting down leads, nor difficulty extracting info from them, because they either already know her or talk to her out of respect to her kin. But of course, whether they speak to her or not, no one is really willing to give her any of the gory details she's looking for. We get the feeling that everyone, involved deeply or not at all, is trying not to make any waves. This is apparent in characters such as Merab (Dale Dickie), one of three sisters who are related to and serve under local crime lord Thump Milton. Merab is at first cautious of young but fierce Ree, then she is frightfully warning her (as if for both of their safeties), then is outright threatening her. Yet there is always a sort of respect between them both, a respect Ree will will disregard to get what she wants. It's hard to describe this mentality. There is togetherness, very apparent community among many. But at the same time, all of these people feel like they are constantly on their toes. It's like they are cooly complacent whilst living in fear. It's one of those things that's better seen to be understood, if that makes any sense.
Another big strength is in that underlying mystery. As any of my readers will know, I am in love with mystery and the quest for understanding. This movie has an Apocalypse Now aspect where the hero(heroine) is looking for someone who may very well be six feet under. There's some suspense right there. The funny thing is, Ree doesn't care all too much about her father's well being, but is just fixated on saving the family she has with her at any cost. That kind of quality is what makes her character so damn fascinating. Just by looking at her living conditions (home or town), you can tell she has had a hard life. She's clearly made sacrifices; I mean, most of the seventeen year old girls I know would probably not be up to raising their family alone. One of the few moments she takes time to hang out with an old friend makes it seem like they haven't done it in ages, literally. She teaches her child siblings how to use guns, hunt for food, take care of the house, what kind of manners to have, as if she could die at any moment and they will be left alone. Not a bad idea. It's responsible and brave, but also tragic. It is put on her shoulders to deal with problems that far above her age range, but she does it because she is a survivor more than anything. With a fierce and undaunting resolve, deeply engraved sense of love and duty, and poignant acting ability from Lawrence, Ree Dolly is an awesome female hero. A badass, as a matter of fact. There is a moment where she is asked to decide her own fate and, after quickly sizing up her seemingly hopeless situation, she shrugs and bluntly answers with the only option that seems to be on the table: "kill me, I guess."
The other character in this story who contains a true hidden depth yet very apparent darkness is Ree's uncle, her father's brother, Teardrop (John Hawkes). Teardrop is in some way involved in this rural underworld, and is one of the first people to quickly refuse Ree any help. For the rest of the film (or at least until he can't resist his familial obligations), he exists as a threatening, dark presence that strikes fear into most of the town's population of scum bags and a certain respect is shown to him by the big cheese involved. He's also more evidence that dog-eat-dog fatalism runs in the Dolly family's blood. John Hawkes is an actor who has had small or supporting roles in many movies for the past 30 years. His intense, frightening, and ultimately poetic portrayal of Teardrop is a bit of a revelation, seeing as how I've usually seen him play kind of weasally lowlifes or eccentric motormouth types of characters (kinda like, Steve Buscemi, who is also capable of going deeper). Hawkes received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor against Christian Bale (The Fighter, and winner) and Geoffery Rush (The King's Speech) if that tells you anything.
Other good characters include the enigmatic Merab, played very convincingly by Dale Dickie. The last thing I saw her in was Breaking Bad in which she was a very grimy and pathetic crackwhore, thief, and passive killer. She isn't easy on the eyes, but she owns her roles like a true actress. Sheryl Lee stars as a former flame of Ree's father, though you may not recognize her (as me and my David Lynch fan father did not). She exudes a lot of the same tired and world weariness the other townspeople give off, but her scene is good. Garrett Dillahunt (a character actor who played Tommy Lee Jones' deputy in No Country for Old Men) stars as the Sheriff of the town, who is not as law abiding or enforcing as he seems. He plays this role with a sort of menace mixed with insecurity.
Winter's Bone is a very subtle movie. It is not full of glossy special effects. It has no big real huge moments or messages taht beg for awards and good reviews. It is simply trying to convey an atmosphere, and a story and characters that fit right into it. That it does well. It wasn't well advertised, so I'm sure there a few reading who may have not heard of it. Nevertheless, it has impressed me along with a great many other movies to have come out in 2010. It is dark, bittersweet, interesting, and edgy beyond belief. It's a crime mystery as well as a compelling drama. It also has one of the best scenes involving a chainsaw since Smokin' Aces, maybe even Scarface (no, never mind, not that bad). Still, without giving too much away, it is pretty hardcore. It featured wonderfully shown characters, and performances by actors I had no idea had such power within them. The director is Debra Granik, who captures the film's setting, the characters, all of the little details with such an insightful eye. She also co-wrote the film with writer Anne Rossellini, and the writing is wonderful. The dialogue all feels real, it seemed like real people would talk to each other like this. One thing I had a little trouble with was a scene involving a military recruiter. I think most recruiters, especially these days, don't care about the well-being of the potential recruit; the recruiter in this film seemed a little too helpful in making sure the character second guesses themselves and think real hard about joining the military (possibly because his character was from around the same area). It was nice, but I don't think it would really go down that way. Maybe I'm too jaded. Anyways, this movie was awesome and see it if this review was convincing enough.
Sorry if I meandered, I was more interested in specific things about the movie rather than the overall structure. Tried to fit everything in, as always.
This has been a review from Your Modest Guru. Thanks for reading.
Winter's Bone is probably one of the best films in years. I am still on the fence on whether or not to put it in my top three films of 2010. It would be there with Inception and Black Swan, because, like those films, Winter's Bone is new type of film experience for me. It introduces a kind of place I live around...well, probably worse. My community and the ones neighboring it at least make a huge attempt to look respectable and clean, whereas the existing in this film seems to have merely resigned itself to squalor and darkness. It takes place in a bleak, ragged, small town in the Ozark mountains. Most people are in on the drug trade, meth production in particular. The film introduces a terrific actress who perfectly plays what I think is a true American hero.
The film takes place in this day and age, even if there is a lack of flash and glamour or really modern technology at all (the most technologically advanced thing I saw were the trucks the characters drove in and the guns they carried). It focuses on the impoverished Dolly Family, particularly the eldest daughter. Ree Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence) is 17 years old, apparently a high school drop out, and is taking care of her mentally gone mother and two child siblings. She is told that her missing father, Jessup, was arrested for cooking meth and jumped bail. More importantly, he put up his house as collateral for the bail money. Already a good macguffin, Ree has one week to find her father, dead or alive, and save the only home she or her family has. Jessup, however, went out for long periods before, but this time it is possible he might have been killed during one of his criminal excursions. This does not and cannot phase Ree, though, as she plunges fearlessly into the criminal underworld of her small but shady community. What ensues is a very dark and ominous journey.
This film feels real, and I think that's what it has going for it more than anything. Because the fact that it feels real is pretty disturbing. That strength lies in the harsh and ugly setting, the fascinating characters (which is all of them), and it's portrayal of both. There is almost never a sunny day in this film, as it is late winter. The scenes where Ree is walking down the road looks almost post apocalyptic; like a wasteland. The people inhabiting this wasteland do it justice I suppose. Like The Fighter, Winter's Bone does not have a particular villain. Everyone is a potential villain it seems like. Potential though reluctant. No matter what dangerous game they are a part of, all involved are still ordinary people who want to stay out of trouble as much as possible. This makes it complicated when a tenacious young girl goes willingly looking for it. Someone could get hurt. Maybe someone already has.
It was that mentality that struck me more than anything else. Ree does not have too much trouble hunting down leads, nor difficulty extracting info from them, because they either already know her or talk to her out of respect to her kin. But of course, whether they speak to her or not, no one is really willing to give her any of the gory details she's looking for. We get the feeling that everyone, involved deeply or not at all, is trying not to make any waves. This is apparent in characters such as Merab (Dale Dickie), one of three sisters who are related to and serve under local crime lord Thump Milton. Merab is at first cautious of young but fierce Ree, then she is frightfully warning her (as if for both of their safeties), then is outright threatening her. Yet there is always a sort of respect between them both, a respect Ree will will disregard to get what she wants. It's hard to describe this mentality. There is togetherness, very apparent community among many. But at the same time, all of these people feel like they are constantly on their toes. It's like they are cooly complacent whilst living in fear. It's one of those things that's better seen to be understood, if that makes any sense.
Another big strength is in that underlying mystery. As any of my readers will know, I am in love with mystery and the quest for understanding. This movie has an Apocalypse Now aspect where the hero(heroine) is looking for someone who may very well be six feet under. There's some suspense right there. The funny thing is, Ree doesn't care all too much about her father's well being, but is just fixated on saving the family she has with her at any cost. That kind of quality is what makes her character so damn fascinating. Just by looking at her living conditions (home or town), you can tell she has had a hard life. She's clearly made sacrifices; I mean, most of the seventeen year old girls I know would probably not be up to raising their family alone. One of the few moments she takes time to hang out with an old friend makes it seem like they haven't done it in ages, literally. She teaches her child siblings how to use guns, hunt for food, take care of the house, what kind of manners to have, as if she could die at any moment and they will be left alone. Not a bad idea. It's responsible and brave, but also tragic. It is put on her shoulders to deal with problems that far above her age range, but she does it because she is a survivor more than anything. With a fierce and undaunting resolve, deeply engraved sense of love and duty, and poignant acting ability from Lawrence, Ree Dolly is an awesome female hero. A badass, as a matter of fact. There is a moment where she is asked to decide her own fate and, after quickly sizing up her seemingly hopeless situation, she shrugs and bluntly answers with the only option that seems to be on the table: "kill me, I guess."
The other character in this story who contains a true hidden depth yet very apparent darkness is Ree's uncle, her father's brother, Teardrop (John Hawkes). Teardrop is in some way involved in this rural underworld, and is one of the first people to quickly refuse Ree any help. For the rest of the film (or at least until he can't resist his familial obligations), he exists as a threatening, dark presence that strikes fear into most of the town's population of scum bags and a certain respect is shown to him by the big cheese involved. He's also more evidence that dog-eat-dog fatalism runs in the Dolly family's blood. John Hawkes is an actor who has had small or supporting roles in many movies for the past 30 years. His intense, frightening, and ultimately poetic portrayal of Teardrop is a bit of a revelation, seeing as how I've usually seen him play kind of weasally lowlifes or eccentric motormouth types of characters (kinda like, Steve Buscemi, who is also capable of going deeper). Hawkes received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor against Christian Bale (The Fighter, and winner) and Geoffery Rush (The King's Speech) if that tells you anything.
Other good characters include the enigmatic Merab, played very convincingly by Dale Dickie. The last thing I saw her in was Breaking Bad in which she was a very grimy and pathetic crackwhore, thief, and passive killer. She isn't easy on the eyes, but she owns her roles like a true actress. Sheryl Lee stars as a former flame of Ree's father, though you may not recognize her (as me and my David Lynch fan father did not). She exudes a lot of the same tired and world weariness the other townspeople give off, but her scene is good. Garrett Dillahunt (a character actor who played Tommy Lee Jones' deputy in No Country for Old Men) stars as the Sheriff of the town, who is not as law abiding or enforcing as he seems. He plays this role with a sort of menace mixed with insecurity.
Winter's Bone is a very subtle movie. It is not full of glossy special effects. It has no big real huge moments or messages taht beg for awards and good reviews. It is simply trying to convey an atmosphere, and a story and characters that fit right into it. That it does well. It wasn't well advertised, so I'm sure there a few reading who may have not heard of it. Nevertheless, it has impressed me along with a great many other movies to have come out in 2010. It is dark, bittersweet, interesting, and edgy beyond belief. It's a crime mystery as well as a compelling drama. It also has one of the best scenes involving a chainsaw since Smokin' Aces, maybe even Scarface (no, never mind, not that bad). Still, without giving too much away, it is pretty hardcore. It featured wonderfully shown characters, and performances by actors I had no idea had such power within them. The director is Debra Granik, who captures the film's setting, the characters, all of the little details with such an insightful eye. She also co-wrote the film with writer Anne Rossellini, and the writing is wonderful. The dialogue all feels real, it seemed like real people would talk to each other like this. One thing I had a little trouble with was a scene involving a military recruiter. I think most recruiters, especially these days, don't care about the well-being of the potential recruit; the recruiter in this film seemed a little too helpful in making sure the character second guesses themselves and think real hard about joining the military (possibly because his character was from around the same area). It was nice, but I don't think it would really go down that way. Maybe I'm too jaded. Anyways, this movie was awesome and see it if this review was convincing enough.
Sorry if I meandered, I was more interested in specific things about the movie rather than the overall structure. Tried to fit everything in, as always.
This has been a review from Your Modest Guru. Thanks for reading.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
The Fighter Review
"BOO BOO, WHERE'D YOU PARK THE FUCKIN' CAR?" - Dickie Eklund, I think it's my favorite line in the movie.
Movies are so impressive these days that its hard for me to decide which ones I think will be up for awards. The Fighter immediately looked good to me from the trailers. It looked like a good part for Mark Wahlberg, and Christian Bale definitely seemed intriguing. I guess I just wasn't expecting it to be Oscar caliber. I've watched it now, and I can say that it was. Totally.
Like every proud American, I watched The Rocky movies quite a few times as a kid. Those were always great flicks, and I guess as a result I've always been endeared toward boxing movies. Now, I'm no sports fan, but I imagine if I were to watch a sport it would be boxing. That being said, The Fighter is as good as Rocky in terms of a boxing movie. Because it does what Rocky did, and Ali and Raging Bull: it was about the boxer, not his fights necessarily. And it did it well.
The film follows Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg), a welterweight boxer from Lowell, Massachusetts. Micky has not had many big fights, has lost most of the ones he has had, and is considered a 'stepping stone' for better fighters by most people. He has a lot of reputation to back up being a fighter, seeing as how his brother, Dickie Ecklund (Christian Bale) was a former boxer who once knocked down 'Sugar Ray' Leonard in a televised fight; an event which the people of Lowell, and Mickey's family, remember highly and proudly. With those kind of expectations on his shoulders, Micky feels the heat and is considering giving up the sport. And why shouldn't he? His mother (Melissa Leo) is a controlling self proclaimed manager who probably sees Micky's fighting career as a way to jump start the burned out Dickie's comeback career. Dickie Ecklund has his own subplot in which his attempts to help his brother are sabotaged by his drug addiction and self destructive behavior. Micky's only silver lining seems to be Charlene (Amy Adams), a fiercely tough bartender and his new love interest who encourages him to break away from his family and set out on his boxing career himself. With this combination of underdog story and the amazing family drama at the center of it, The Fighter is solid.
I will get the behind the camera stuff out of the way quickly, as I really want to get into the story and characters. This film is directed by David O. Russell, a very cool director who has previously directed the awesome Three Kings, as well as I Heart Huckabees (both starring Wahlberg). This may be his best film yet, though I still love Three Kings. He creates an atmosphere here that is hard to deny. All of these people seem real, and their situations are never really implausible. The writing by Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, and Eric Johnson is witty, endearing, and sharp. The camerawork during the fight scenes is really cool too. Also, I will say there aren't many fights in the movie, but when they are they too feel real. This movie has an '80s training montage that training montages from the '80s would envy and that is something. With that in mind, I will end off by saying this film has a badass soundtrack. Just badass.
Now the fun part.
2010 was like a freaking explosion of some of the best characters to grace cinema in awhile. And all of these characters had actors that could back them up and back them up well. Let's start off with our hero, Micky. Micky is an immediately relatable character, especially if you are a little brother (like I am). Every little brother gets the feeling sometimes that they aren't as good or as greatly appreciated as their older brother. Usually that is just feeling. In Micky's case, it is the truth. Though he is strong and kind, he is also repressed and downtrodden. He fights to spend time with a daughter in his ex's custody, loses just about every fight he is in, and his family prefers a crackhead over him; so yeah, he doesn't have a lot to be happy about. Mark Wahlberg, a good actor who does not ever get enough credit, plays this kind of role convincingly and sincerely. Either through quiet subtleties or angered venting, Wahlberg puts Micky's emotions on the sleeve.
Now for the big show, Christian Bale as Dickie. Bale is famous for being a method actor, a chameleon who can just kind of become a role physically and mentally. He does it again here. Dickie at first seemed like a total goofy, darkly comic relief character (like a buddy in an Adam Sandler movie); see line at the top. From right off, you can see why people like Dickie so much. He's a likable guy, funny, light hearted, tries to be respectful. And, hey, he did knock down Sugar Ray Leonard, which is more than anyone else from Lowell can say, I suppose. He is also sadly and morosely portrayed as a total drugged out screw up who coasts through life on charm and reputation. Even if he is a pretty pathetic junkie, he's not a bad person and he cares for his family. Bale also does that weird thing where he changes his body for the role. When we first see Dickie (because he is the first thing we see) he looks like some freak they found on the street: wild eyed, rotten teeth, balding, very animated and hyper, and with an almost unintelligable Massachusetts accent. Needless to say, Christian Bale had earned his oscar and is one of the greatest actors working right now.
The other powerhouse in this film is Melissa Leo as Alice Ward, the boys controlling mother. Leo is an actress who has been working for awhile in a lot of independent films or highly raved dramas (21 Grams, for example.) She has always been an effective and honest actress, but here is a really touching and exciting role. Alice is a bitch for the majority of the film. She is often domineering, untrusting, paranoid, and selfish. But no one is really a villain in this film. Alice isn't a bad person, it's just the way she's always been and clearly needs someone to tell her what's what. She's a mother who cares for her children, wants her family to be a team, but goes apeshit if she thinks someone's trying to mess with whatever idea she has about her family. Leo is awesome in this, and yes, her oscar was also well earned. I also think I might be one of the few people in the world who liked her oscar speech; it was kind of cute.
Amy Adams was also surprising in the role of Charlene. This is because Charlene is a foul mouthed badass of a woman who knows what she wants, sees what others want, and tries to help them but knows when to help herself. Adams usually plays sweet, wholesome, almost mousy characters. So this was very fun. She's still Amy Adams, and being that she is, she was terrific in this role. If there was ever a great woman behind a great man in movies, it's Charlene.
Other cast members I enjoyed included veteran actor Jack McGee as Micky and Dickie's father, who is probably the most stable person in this movie. Mickey O'Keefe, a Lowell policeman and Micky Ward's real life trainer, acts really well as himself in this movie, a caring figure who is insulted constantly throughout the film. 'Sugar Ray' Leonard also has a brief scene as himself in the film.
So yes, characters are ace.
The heart of this film comes from the brothers. The end credits show real footage of Micky and Dickie, and it was surprising how accurate they were portrayed in the film. Real Micky Ward has a thicker accent and isn't as soft spoken, but then again anyone can be considered soft spoken next to Dickie. The struggles these two go through, their relationship and whatever family history is behind it is what I was most interested in. How they would resolve such delicate issues was some inspiring shit.
This whole freaking movie is inspiring. It shows people at their worst and how they rise up from that. That's some American Dream storytelling for you, people. Plus, it's been awhile since we've had a good boxing movie. I mean there was Cinderella Man a few years back (which I need to see), and the first part of Black Dahlia (which you should not see; or do, because it's almost so stupid it's funny). So I'm saying this is it. A great boxing movie, a great movie in general. Now all we have to do is wait for Warrior, the UFC knockoff to come out and bury this film in a sea of hardcore assholes. I'm kidding, of course, UFC is cool too. But that movie looks lame.
This is that review I told you I'd write months ago right here on Your Modest Guru. Thanks for reading.
Movies are so impressive these days that its hard for me to decide which ones I think will be up for awards. The Fighter immediately looked good to me from the trailers. It looked like a good part for Mark Wahlberg, and Christian Bale definitely seemed intriguing. I guess I just wasn't expecting it to be Oscar caliber. I've watched it now, and I can say that it was. Totally.
Like every proud American, I watched The Rocky movies quite a few times as a kid. Those were always great flicks, and I guess as a result I've always been endeared toward boxing movies. Now, I'm no sports fan, but I imagine if I were to watch a sport it would be boxing. That being said, The Fighter is as good as Rocky in terms of a boxing movie. Because it does what Rocky did, and Ali and Raging Bull: it was about the boxer, not his fights necessarily. And it did it well.
The film follows Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg), a welterweight boxer from Lowell, Massachusetts. Micky has not had many big fights, has lost most of the ones he has had, and is considered a 'stepping stone' for better fighters by most people. He has a lot of reputation to back up being a fighter, seeing as how his brother, Dickie Ecklund (Christian Bale) was a former boxer who once knocked down 'Sugar Ray' Leonard in a televised fight; an event which the people of Lowell, and Mickey's family, remember highly and proudly. With those kind of expectations on his shoulders, Micky feels the heat and is considering giving up the sport. And why shouldn't he? His mother (Melissa Leo) is a controlling self proclaimed manager who probably sees Micky's fighting career as a way to jump start the burned out Dickie's comeback career. Dickie Ecklund has his own subplot in which his attempts to help his brother are sabotaged by his drug addiction and self destructive behavior. Micky's only silver lining seems to be Charlene (Amy Adams), a fiercely tough bartender and his new love interest who encourages him to break away from his family and set out on his boxing career himself. With this combination of underdog story and the amazing family drama at the center of it, The Fighter is solid.
I will get the behind the camera stuff out of the way quickly, as I really want to get into the story and characters. This film is directed by David O. Russell, a very cool director who has previously directed the awesome Three Kings, as well as I Heart Huckabees (both starring Wahlberg). This may be his best film yet, though I still love Three Kings. He creates an atmosphere here that is hard to deny. All of these people seem real, and their situations are never really implausible. The writing by Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, and Eric Johnson is witty, endearing, and sharp. The camerawork during the fight scenes is really cool too. Also, I will say there aren't many fights in the movie, but when they are they too feel real. This movie has an '80s training montage that training montages from the '80s would envy and that is something. With that in mind, I will end off by saying this film has a badass soundtrack. Just badass.
Now the fun part.
2010 was like a freaking explosion of some of the best characters to grace cinema in awhile. And all of these characters had actors that could back them up and back them up well. Let's start off with our hero, Micky. Micky is an immediately relatable character, especially if you are a little brother (like I am). Every little brother gets the feeling sometimes that they aren't as good or as greatly appreciated as their older brother. Usually that is just feeling. In Micky's case, it is the truth. Though he is strong and kind, he is also repressed and downtrodden. He fights to spend time with a daughter in his ex's custody, loses just about every fight he is in, and his family prefers a crackhead over him; so yeah, he doesn't have a lot to be happy about. Mark Wahlberg, a good actor who does not ever get enough credit, plays this kind of role convincingly and sincerely. Either through quiet subtleties or angered venting, Wahlberg puts Micky's emotions on the sleeve.
Now for the big show, Christian Bale as Dickie. Bale is famous for being a method actor, a chameleon who can just kind of become a role physically and mentally. He does it again here. Dickie at first seemed like a total goofy, darkly comic relief character (like a buddy in an Adam Sandler movie); see line at the top. From right off, you can see why people like Dickie so much. He's a likable guy, funny, light hearted, tries to be respectful. And, hey, he did knock down Sugar Ray Leonard, which is more than anyone else from Lowell can say, I suppose. He is also sadly and morosely portrayed as a total drugged out screw up who coasts through life on charm and reputation. Even if he is a pretty pathetic junkie, he's not a bad person and he cares for his family. Bale also does that weird thing where he changes his body for the role. When we first see Dickie (because he is the first thing we see) he looks like some freak they found on the street: wild eyed, rotten teeth, balding, very animated and hyper, and with an almost unintelligable Massachusetts accent. Needless to say, Christian Bale had earned his oscar and is one of the greatest actors working right now.
The other powerhouse in this film is Melissa Leo as Alice Ward, the boys controlling mother. Leo is an actress who has been working for awhile in a lot of independent films or highly raved dramas (21 Grams, for example.) She has always been an effective and honest actress, but here is a really touching and exciting role. Alice is a bitch for the majority of the film. She is often domineering, untrusting, paranoid, and selfish. But no one is really a villain in this film. Alice isn't a bad person, it's just the way she's always been and clearly needs someone to tell her what's what. She's a mother who cares for her children, wants her family to be a team, but goes apeshit if she thinks someone's trying to mess with whatever idea she has about her family. Leo is awesome in this, and yes, her oscar was also well earned. I also think I might be one of the few people in the world who liked her oscar speech; it was kind of cute.
Amy Adams was also surprising in the role of Charlene. This is because Charlene is a foul mouthed badass of a woman who knows what she wants, sees what others want, and tries to help them but knows when to help herself. Adams usually plays sweet, wholesome, almost mousy characters. So this was very fun. She's still Amy Adams, and being that she is, she was terrific in this role. If there was ever a great woman behind a great man in movies, it's Charlene.
Other cast members I enjoyed included veteran actor Jack McGee as Micky and Dickie's father, who is probably the most stable person in this movie. Mickey O'Keefe, a Lowell policeman and Micky Ward's real life trainer, acts really well as himself in this movie, a caring figure who is insulted constantly throughout the film. 'Sugar Ray' Leonard also has a brief scene as himself in the film.
So yes, characters are ace.
The heart of this film comes from the brothers. The end credits show real footage of Micky and Dickie, and it was surprising how accurate they were portrayed in the film. Real Micky Ward has a thicker accent and isn't as soft spoken, but then again anyone can be considered soft spoken next to Dickie. The struggles these two go through, their relationship and whatever family history is behind it is what I was most interested in. How they would resolve such delicate issues was some inspiring shit.
This whole freaking movie is inspiring. It shows people at their worst and how they rise up from that. That's some American Dream storytelling for you, people. Plus, it's been awhile since we've had a good boxing movie. I mean there was Cinderella Man a few years back (which I need to see), and the first part of Black Dahlia (which you should not see; or do, because it's almost so stupid it's funny). So I'm saying this is it. A great boxing movie, a great movie in general. Now all we have to do is wait for Warrior, the UFC knockoff to come out and bury this film in a sea of hardcore assholes. I'm kidding, of course, UFC is cool too. But that movie looks lame.
This is that review I told you I'd write months ago right here on Your Modest Guru. Thanks for reading.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Black Swan Review
"The truth is when I look at you all I see is the white swan. Yes, you are beautiful, fearful, and fragile. Ideal casting. But the black swan? It's a hard fucking job to dance with both." - Thomas Leroy
(POSSIBLE SPOILERS; seriously I can never really tell what counts as a spoiler anymore)
Here's an Oscar movie I was really, really looking forward to. Black Swan is a psychological thriller for the books. It showed me that movies can still break new grounds and show you things you haven't quite seen before, along with a bunch of other movies in 2010. The movie features an outstanding, career making peformance of an already amazing actress, the ever growing power of a young talented actress, the intricate nature of the screenwriters, and the sheer brilliance of one of the most interesting American directors.
Black Swan is the story of Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman), a ballet dancer whose discipline and skill is almost completely unmatched. She performs in a company, whose most recent production is that of the famous Swan Lake. Nina's biggest ambition in the movie is to earn the role of Swan Queen, in which she must perform an elegant and serene dance as The White Swan personality of the Queen as well as The Black Swan, whose dance is exotic and invigorating. The company director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassell) knows Nina is perfect for the White, but is aware she doesn't have enough passion to be the Black. This brings conflict as Nina tries to find a tone in herself to dance as the black swan, while fellow dancer Lily (Mila Kunis) is perfect the role. In her relationships with the exciting and friendly Lily, the seductive and inspiring Thomas, and Nina's own obsessive but worrisome mother (Barbara Hershey), Nina begins to change. She begins to uncover the layers of her personality. She starts to gradually veer from her innocent nature to a darker one; to transform herself from the White Swan to the Black Swan. And I don't use the word "transform" figuratively either. But while this change could be exactly what Nina needs to be perfect, it could also mean her undoing.
The movie is art, in my opinion. Cinema at its finest. It has untraditional and exciting action, wonderful and powerful performances, and technical precision that is just amazing. I've never seen any ballet in my life, and I've seen even fewer movies about it. But Black Swan not only makes ballet look incredible and beautiful, it makes it look freaking brutal. Most men may write off ballet as something, I don't know, "girly." Those men should watch this movie. The dancing these people have to train for makes some sports athletes I've seen look like pussies. It's a lot of keeping your body conditioned, repetitive practice, careful timing, and elegance if anything. It also appears to be very competitive. Maybe they aren't racing a ball down a court or bludgeoning body against body on a field but what they do is very difficult. So difficult that I imagine it was a bitch for Portman and Kunis to prepare for their roles. At times I'm sure they used doubles, but for the most part it is pretty clear that no one else but them could be dancing. I'm all about getting cultured, maybe I should try to see one of these productions. You never know.
Director Darren Aronofsky is one of the most brilliant directors around. He chooses projects he gives a damn about, and cares even more about making them perfect. They flow together almost as well as the ballet in this picture. Movies like Pi and The Fountain are haunting films that make you question reality, while films like The Wrestler and Requiem for a Dream (which I honestly have not seen all of; I know, it's his most popular but still...) are films that show human beings down on their luck in ways we can't even imagine. Black Swan has all of those qualities, and then some. Aronofsky's filming during the dancing is jaw dropping, making it so that it moves effortlessly, rhythmically with Natalie Portman as if the camera was being guided by her every move. The writers Mark Heyman, Andres Heins, and John McLaughlin are also invaluable as they weave together a plot that twists and turns, makes you second guess yourself again and again as to what you are seeing. In that sense, they make Nina a filter for the audience; neither of you knows exactly what's going on. Though the special effects in the film are at times a little over the top, the dark mood of the film makes it mesh well and you don't really mind. Plus, there's not a lot of the special effects so don't worry. And how could I forget the always awesome Clint Mansell's score for the film, which is just as haunting and effective as his other music compositions.
Now on for the really fun part. The acting department was ace in this film, of course. I will start off by saying that Natalie Portman has been doing nothing but leaving her mark in cinema history lately. I'm sure a few decades from now, she will be regarded as one of the greatest actresses of all time. I'd make that claim already after watching this movie. Like Firth did for The King's Speech, Portman embodies her role to the point where you're sure no one else could play it. Though you feel for Nina for a lot of the movie, as I expected, you also dislike her a lot. I did at least. She is obsessive and vicious at times, believing any misstep to not only be someone else's fault but an action against her. What I was most intrigued with was her personality, as any gentleman would be. But seriously, Nina's mind is the most intense thing in this movie. It is clear as day that she is still a child. She lives with her mother, sleeps in a little girl's pink princess room, she is deeply hurt easily, I could keep going. Somehow, Portman portrays this unique trait so convincingly that it is shocking when she begins seeking out her darker or perhaps more mature self. You wonder what will happen to her when she reaches that point, if she reaches that point. The point is, Portman deserved that Oscar and I don't care what anybody thinks. But if Portman has left behind her days as Padme from Star Wars (it's actually kinda funny looking back now), Mila Kunis has left behind her days as Jackie from That '70s Show (also funny). Kunis conveys a lot of mystery and even more power in her role as Lily. She presents herself as a chipper, welcoming confidante who may just be a bit too reckless for Nina, but of course not everything is as it seems. With the roles she's been getting lately and how she's played them, Kunis is an actress I am really hoping to see more and in more movies like this. Besides, how can you not love Jackie? Vincent Cassell is an actor I enjoy seeing. He's always effective and convincing. I say this because I usually see him play cold blooded assholes (Ocean's 12, Derailed). I thought that might be what he was gonna play in this movie. It's pretty clear that Thomas cares about his play and his dancers, but is determined to get such a legendary production right, understandably. He has a tendacy to prefer some dancers over others, and an even bigger tendacy to sleep with them. His interactions with Natalie Portman were actually some of my favorite moments in the film. He knows her personality just by how she dances and encourages her to break free of herself (in hindsight, maybe not the best advice, but how could he know). The funny thing is that even when there are hot and heavy moments between them, they still appear to have a student-teacher relationship and I liked that. Barbara Hershey is Nina's mother, who I was sure would be domineering and Joan Crawford-esque. Well, actually, she might be. I saw her as very worried for her daughter, but maybe you will see something else. She was good regardless. A very bizarre performance is turned in by Winona Ryder (that's right) as Thomas' former star dancer and lover. She is a forgotten, tragic figure who was once great. This performance, with one scene in particular, might have been the creepiest. So if you can't tell I'm in love with this cast.
For those with the faint of heart, this movie is unbelievably dark and moody. But hey, I enjoy dark and moody. I AM DARK AND MOODY! Sorry about that. But for real, this is a visceral experience for the new generation. You'll know what I mean. Now it's not to say there aren't other things to be said about this movie. It does have it's moments of true beauty. The actual dancing, especially the last, is jaw dropping and just plain gold (take some fucking notes, Sucker Punch). The kind that makes you go "wow." Oh yeah, the infamous-even-before-release Natalie Portman/Mila Kunis sex scene was, well it was...eerie. Sure, it's sexy but at the same time it is very ominous. In fact, sexuality in general is one of the more ominous and even alien things going on with Nina throughout the movie. Her moments with Leroy felt almost pedophilic given the way Portman portrayed the character (not saying that's bad, just interesting). The movie also steals Fast Times at Ridgemont High's crown of most embarrassing masturbation moment. So kudos to you, Black Swan, kudos to you.
Aronofsky apparently meant this to be a companion piece to his last film, The Wrestler. I can see that. Both films have to do with masters of their medium in the biggest moments of their lives. Two people giving it their all for their passion at the expense of their body, their minds, their friends, maybe even their lives. But where The Wrestler was about Mickey Rourke searching helplessly for redemption, Black Swan is about Natalie Portman searching painstakingly for darkness. Aside from the dancing, there isn't a whole lot to Nina's situation. Nina is the one who sensationalizes everything, which in turn makes the movie sensational. Her perspective on things morphs from a simple company's rendition of a classic to that of a massive conspiracy to destroy her. In her mind, (possibly in reality too) it's not her style that must change but the way she views herself. But how must the Black Swan role appear to a girl as virginal and controlled as Nina: probably not just something sexy, but maybe violent, reckless, animalistic. Or maybe something a bit more haunting is happening. Maybe everything she sees is what is happening. But that would be crazy, wouldn't it?
Five out of five swans. This has been a quickly written review from Your Modest Guru. Thanks for reading.
(POSSIBLE SPOILERS; seriously I can never really tell what counts as a spoiler anymore)
Here's an Oscar movie I was really, really looking forward to. Black Swan is a psychological thriller for the books. It showed me that movies can still break new grounds and show you things you haven't quite seen before, along with a bunch of other movies in 2010. The movie features an outstanding, career making peformance of an already amazing actress, the ever growing power of a young talented actress, the intricate nature of the screenwriters, and the sheer brilliance of one of the most interesting American directors.
Black Swan is the story of Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman), a ballet dancer whose discipline and skill is almost completely unmatched. She performs in a company, whose most recent production is that of the famous Swan Lake. Nina's biggest ambition in the movie is to earn the role of Swan Queen, in which she must perform an elegant and serene dance as The White Swan personality of the Queen as well as The Black Swan, whose dance is exotic and invigorating. The company director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassell) knows Nina is perfect for the White, but is aware she doesn't have enough passion to be the Black. This brings conflict as Nina tries to find a tone in herself to dance as the black swan, while fellow dancer Lily (Mila Kunis) is perfect the role. In her relationships with the exciting and friendly Lily, the seductive and inspiring Thomas, and Nina's own obsessive but worrisome mother (Barbara Hershey), Nina begins to change. She begins to uncover the layers of her personality. She starts to gradually veer from her innocent nature to a darker one; to transform herself from the White Swan to the Black Swan. And I don't use the word "transform" figuratively either. But while this change could be exactly what Nina needs to be perfect, it could also mean her undoing.
The movie is art, in my opinion. Cinema at its finest. It has untraditional and exciting action, wonderful and powerful performances, and technical precision that is just amazing. I've never seen any ballet in my life, and I've seen even fewer movies about it. But Black Swan not only makes ballet look incredible and beautiful, it makes it look freaking brutal. Most men may write off ballet as something, I don't know, "girly." Those men should watch this movie. The dancing these people have to train for makes some sports athletes I've seen look like pussies. It's a lot of keeping your body conditioned, repetitive practice, careful timing, and elegance if anything. It also appears to be very competitive. Maybe they aren't racing a ball down a court or bludgeoning body against body on a field but what they do is very difficult. So difficult that I imagine it was a bitch for Portman and Kunis to prepare for their roles. At times I'm sure they used doubles, but for the most part it is pretty clear that no one else but them could be dancing. I'm all about getting cultured, maybe I should try to see one of these productions. You never know.
Director Darren Aronofsky is one of the most brilliant directors around. He chooses projects he gives a damn about, and cares even more about making them perfect. They flow together almost as well as the ballet in this picture. Movies like Pi and The Fountain are haunting films that make you question reality, while films like The Wrestler and Requiem for a Dream (which I honestly have not seen all of; I know, it's his most popular but still...) are films that show human beings down on their luck in ways we can't even imagine. Black Swan has all of those qualities, and then some. Aronofsky's filming during the dancing is jaw dropping, making it so that it moves effortlessly, rhythmically with Natalie Portman as if the camera was being guided by her every move. The writers Mark Heyman, Andres Heins, and John McLaughlin are also invaluable as they weave together a plot that twists and turns, makes you second guess yourself again and again as to what you are seeing. In that sense, they make Nina a filter for the audience; neither of you knows exactly what's going on. Though the special effects in the film are at times a little over the top, the dark mood of the film makes it mesh well and you don't really mind. Plus, there's not a lot of the special effects so don't worry. And how could I forget the always awesome Clint Mansell's score for the film, which is just as haunting and effective as his other music compositions.
Now on for the really fun part. The acting department was ace in this film, of course. I will start off by saying that Natalie Portman has been doing nothing but leaving her mark in cinema history lately. I'm sure a few decades from now, she will be regarded as one of the greatest actresses of all time. I'd make that claim already after watching this movie. Like Firth did for The King's Speech, Portman embodies her role to the point where you're sure no one else could play it. Though you feel for Nina for a lot of the movie, as I expected, you also dislike her a lot. I did at least. She is obsessive and vicious at times, believing any misstep to not only be someone else's fault but an action against her. What I was most intrigued with was her personality, as any gentleman would be. But seriously, Nina's mind is the most intense thing in this movie. It is clear as day that she is still a child. She lives with her mother, sleeps in a little girl's pink princess room, she is deeply hurt easily, I could keep going. Somehow, Portman portrays this unique trait so convincingly that it is shocking when she begins seeking out her darker or perhaps more mature self. You wonder what will happen to her when she reaches that point, if she reaches that point. The point is, Portman deserved that Oscar and I don't care what anybody thinks. But if Portman has left behind her days as Padme from Star Wars (it's actually kinda funny looking back now), Mila Kunis has left behind her days as Jackie from That '70s Show (also funny). Kunis conveys a lot of mystery and even more power in her role as Lily. She presents herself as a chipper, welcoming confidante who may just be a bit too reckless for Nina, but of course not everything is as it seems. With the roles she's been getting lately and how she's played them, Kunis is an actress I am really hoping to see more and in more movies like this. Besides, how can you not love Jackie? Vincent Cassell is an actor I enjoy seeing. He's always effective and convincing. I say this because I usually see him play cold blooded assholes (Ocean's 12, Derailed). I thought that might be what he was gonna play in this movie. It's pretty clear that Thomas cares about his play and his dancers, but is determined to get such a legendary production right, understandably. He has a tendacy to prefer some dancers over others, and an even bigger tendacy to sleep with them. His interactions with Natalie Portman were actually some of my favorite moments in the film. He knows her personality just by how she dances and encourages her to break free of herself (in hindsight, maybe not the best advice, but how could he know). The funny thing is that even when there are hot and heavy moments between them, they still appear to have a student-teacher relationship and I liked that. Barbara Hershey is Nina's mother, who I was sure would be domineering and Joan Crawford-esque. Well, actually, she might be. I saw her as very worried for her daughter, but maybe you will see something else. She was good regardless. A very bizarre performance is turned in by Winona Ryder (that's right) as Thomas' former star dancer and lover. She is a forgotten, tragic figure who was once great. This performance, with one scene in particular, might have been the creepiest. So if you can't tell I'm in love with this cast.
For those with the faint of heart, this movie is unbelievably dark and moody. But hey, I enjoy dark and moody. I AM DARK AND MOODY! Sorry about that. But for real, this is a visceral experience for the new generation. You'll know what I mean. Now it's not to say there aren't other things to be said about this movie. It does have it's moments of true beauty. The actual dancing, especially the last, is jaw dropping and just plain gold (take some fucking notes, Sucker Punch). The kind that makes you go "wow." Oh yeah, the infamous-even-before-release Natalie Portman/Mila Kunis sex scene was, well it was...eerie. Sure, it's sexy but at the same time it is very ominous. In fact, sexuality in general is one of the more ominous and even alien things going on with Nina throughout the movie. Her moments with Leroy felt almost pedophilic given the way Portman portrayed the character (not saying that's bad, just interesting). The movie also steals Fast Times at Ridgemont High's crown of most embarrassing masturbation moment. So kudos to you, Black Swan, kudos to you.
Aronofsky apparently meant this to be a companion piece to his last film, The Wrestler. I can see that. Both films have to do with masters of their medium in the biggest moments of their lives. Two people giving it their all for their passion at the expense of their body, their minds, their friends, maybe even their lives. But where The Wrestler was about Mickey Rourke searching helplessly for redemption, Black Swan is about Natalie Portman searching painstakingly for darkness. Aside from the dancing, there isn't a whole lot to Nina's situation. Nina is the one who sensationalizes everything, which in turn makes the movie sensational. Her perspective on things morphs from a simple company's rendition of a classic to that of a massive conspiracy to destroy her. In her mind, (possibly in reality too) it's not her style that must change but the way she views herself. But how must the Black Swan role appear to a girl as virginal and controlled as Nina: probably not just something sexy, but maybe violent, reckless, animalistic. Or maybe something a bit more haunting is happening. Maybe everything she sees is what is happening. But that would be crazy, wouldn't it?
Five out of five swans. This has been a quickly written review from Your Modest Guru. Thanks for reading.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
The King's Speech Review
"I BLOODY WELL STAMMER!" - Prince Albert
Speech impediments are extremely frustrating. For a long time I couldn't pronounce my "g"s and still have a little trouble with "s"s. The King's Speech focuses on England's Royal family and the ancension of a son to his father's place as voice and face of a nation, during a time when we were on the brink of our second World War. All of this is happening, yet this film, which walked away with the major awards at the 2010 Academy Awards, focuses not on Albert's reign and how he finds an enemy in Adolf Hitler, but on his crippling and embarrassing stammer that threatened his family's image, and perhaps even the country's image. The film works through precise directing, intelligent writing, a superb cast, and a lead performance that brings it forth into greatness.
The film is set in a time when speech impediments were seen as physically curable. Perhaps some were, but the physicians of this time failed to see the problem stemmed from something deep rooted into a person's psyche. Such is the case of Albert, the man who would come to be called King George VI. When the frankly retarded methods of Royal doctors prove ineffective, Albert's wife, Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter), goes around her husband's back to find one who is effective. She finds Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), an Australian family man, Shakespearian actor, and full time speech therapist. Lionel is the more therapuetic one, who tries to find and overcome that deep root. His relationship with Albert is at first rocky, as Albert is very sensitive to criticism and humiliation. Lionel, however, encourages the prince to keep at it as they slowly make progress. At the same time, it seems with an ailing father (Michael Gambon) and irresponsible brother (Guy Pearce), the throne will soon be going to Albert. Having already failed numerous times when speaking publically, Albert and Lionel must work together and persevere if he is to bring any hope to his nation.
The movie is pretty clearly genius. It is masterfully directed, extraordinarily acted, with great dialogue and characters, as well as production designs that are very cool. Watching the 2010 Oscars, I was a little skeptical of Tom Hooper receiving the award for Best Directing (it was out of guys like Danny Boyle and David Fincher, and for some reason not Christopher Nolan). After watching the movie, however, I don't think they made the wrong choice. When he is not displaying the amazing set pieces and locations, his direction of the actors, especially Firth and Rush, is remarkable. My favorite moments involved the unique camera angles he shot to symbolize Albert's struggles. It's kind of weird but there is a training montage scene in this that was, even though it was about speech therapy, on par with those montages you see in sports movies like Rocky. David Siedler's writing creates a compelling story with even more compelling characters. It is very nuanced and perceptive, which I suppose it would have to be with a psychological story like this. Music, editing, and cinematography are also worked to perfection.
Now for the cast, and The King's Speech has a great cast. I seem to be very drawn toward British ensembles (watch Gosford Park). I will start right off saying that if anyone has ever earned a Best Actor Oscar it is Colin Firth. I was, again, a little skeptical about all of the awards the film received before seeing it, but after seeing it I knew they were well deserved. Firth manages to do something fascinating here. He performs a role involving a horrible speech impediment, and convinces us 100% that he actually has it. It isn't just public speaking either, it's all the time. There are moments when he's stammering and you just are wincing because it seems so humiliating and sad. We have all mumbled, we have all gotten tongue tied, we've screwed up our speech in some way before, but what Prince Albert had was literally something off in his subconscious. Being a great actor, Firth doesn't let his mastered stammer carry the film or his role, because Albert is more complex than that. He feels shame, bitterness, embarrassment, all leading to wounded pride. All he really wants is to be better, is to overcome his issues not so much for family and country (though both are crucial to him), but really to help himself. Colin Firth conveys all of this, so bravo. But where we had a perfectly convincing portrayal of a man whose speech was broken, we needed a perfectly convincing portrayal of a man who specializes in fixing speech. Geoffrey Rush reestablishes himself as a powerful actor, because, let's face it, most of us younger viewers first knew him as Captain Barbossa. Rush gives a superlative yet very entertaining performance as Lionel. He is great at showing someone who is very passionate about one thing (Shakespearian acting) despite being infinitely more talented at something else (speech therapy). Rush portrays Lionel as everything he needs to be and more: Intelligent, understanding, even loving but regretful and unaccomplished. Helena Bonham Carter was, well, Helena Bonham Carter. I'm kidding, but she does do what she does well and that's not really a bad thing. She portrays Princess and later Queen Elizabeth as a clever, articulate, and compassionate woman of action who loves her man and tries to help and support him to the best of her ability, even when he wishes she'd leave him be. In playing this, Carter is very good. Besides, I don't think I've ever disliked her in a movie, so she already has a plus. Starring as Prince Albert's father and brother, Michael Gambon and Guy Pearce perform very well as very douchy guys (surprise, surprise). When he's not a gay head wizard, Gambon often plays cold men. In his few scenes here, we get an idea of what Albert's life of Royalty has been like. Pearce doesn't play the brother as stupid but just afraid. He falls back on being the dick older brother when frustrated at his own situation. Other cast members such as Jennifer Ehle as Donal Logue's wife, Derek Jacobi as Cosmo Gordon Lang (The Archbishop of Canterbury), and Timothy Spall as Winston Churchill. I must say, out of all of the performances, Spall as Churchill may have been the one I enjoyed the most. So yes, as you can imagine, they brought it in the acting department.
Overall, The King's Speech is very much an Oscar Film. By that I mean that it was pretty clear that this was the kind of movie that would immediately make those leading Academy members and movie loving celebrities all hot around the award season. Having great reviews also helps. But an Oscar Film is such because it is spectacular. The King's Speech is such a movie. It's a unique and very thoughtful idea brought to the big screen, or small screens now, I guess. I enjoyed every second of it and knew walking out why it had gained such praise. It earned what it got, that cannot be denied.
Five out of five Royal Weddings. This has been a long awaited (I'm sure (:) review from Your Modest Guru. Thanks for reading.
Speech impediments are extremely frustrating. For a long time I couldn't pronounce my "g"s and still have a little trouble with "s"s. The King's Speech focuses on England's Royal family and the ancension of a son to his father's place as voice and face of a nation, during a time when we were on the brink of our second World War. All of this is happening, yet this film, which walked away with the major awards at the 2010 Academy Awards, focuses not on Albert's reign and how he finds an enemy in Adolf Hitler, but on his crippling and embarrassing stammer that threatened his family's image, and perhaps even the country's image. The film works through precise directing, intelligent writing, a superb cast, and a lead performance that brings it forth into greatness.
The film is set in a time when speech impediments were seen as physically curable. Perhaps some were, but the physicians of this time failed to see the problem stemmed from something deep rooted into a person's psyche. Such is the case of Albert, the man who would come to be called King George VI. When the frankly retarded methods of Royal doctors prove ineffective, Albert's wife, Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter), goes around her husband's back to find one who is effective. She finds Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), an Australian family man, Shakespearian actor, and full time speech therapist. Lionel is the more therapuetic one, who tries to find and overcome that deep root. His relationship with Albert is at first rocky, as Albert is very sensitive to criticism and humiliation. Lionel, however, encourages the prince to keep at it as they slowly make progress. At the same time, it seems with an ailing father (Michael Gambon) and irresponsible brother (Guy Pearce), the throne will soon be going to Albert. Having already failed numerous times when speaking publically, Albert and Lionel must work together and persevere if he is to bring any hope to his nation.
The movie is pretty clearly genius. It is masterfully directed, extraordinarily acted, with great dialogue and characters, as well as production designs that are very cool. Watching the 2010 Oscars, I was a little skeptical of Tom Hooper receiving the award for Best Directing (it was out of guys like Danny Boyle and David Fincher, and for some reason not Christopher Nolan). After watching the movie, however, I don't think they made the wrong choice. When he is not displaying the amazing set pieces and locations, his direction of the actors, especially Firth and Rush, is remarkable. My favorite moments involved the unique camera angles he shot to symbolize Albert's struggles. It's kind of weird but there is a training montage scene in this that was, even though it was about speech therapy, on par with those montages you see in sports movies like Rocky. David Siedler's writing creates a compelling story with even more compelling characters. It is very nuanced and perceptive, which I suppose it would have to be with a psychological story like this. Music, editing, and cinematography are also worked to perfection.
Now for the cast, and The King's Speech has a great cast. I seem to be very drawn toward British ensembles (watch Gosford Park). I will start right off saying that if anyone has ever earned a Best Actor Oscar it is Colin Firth. I was, again, a little skeptical about all of the awards the film received before seeing it, but after seeing it I knew they were well deserved. Firth manages to do something fascinating here. He performs a role involving a horrible speech impediment, and convinces us 100% that he actually has it. It isn't just public speaking either, it's all the time. There are moments when he's stammering and you just are wincing because it seems so humiliating and sad. We have all mumbled, we have all gotten tongue tied, we've screwed up our speech in some way before, but what Prince Albert had was literally something off in his subconscious. Being a great actor, Firth doesn't let his mastered stammer carry the film or his role, because Albert is more complex than that. He feels shame, bitterness, embarrassment, all leading to wounded pride. All he really wants is to be better, is to overcome his issues not so much for family and country (though both are crucial to him), but really to help himself. Colin Firth conveys all of this, so bravo. But where we had a perfectly convincing portrayal of a man whose speech was broken, we needed a perfectly convincing portrayal of a man who specializes in fixing speech. Geoffrey Rush reestablishes himself as a powerful actor, because, let's face it, most of us younger viewers first knew him as Captain Barbossa. Rush gives a superlative yet very entertaining performance as Lionel. He is great at showing someone who is very passionate about one thing (Shakespearian acting) despite being infinitely more talented at something else (speech therapy). Rush portrays Lionel as everything he needs to be and more: Intelligent, understanding, even loving but regretful and unaccomplished. Helena Bonham Carter was, well, Helena Bonham Carter. I'm kidding, but she does do what she does well and that's not really a bad thing. She portrays Princess and later Queen Elizabeth as a clever, articulate, and compassionate woman of action who loves her man and tries to help and support him to the best of her ability, even when he wishes she'd leave him be. In playing this, Carter is very good. Besides, I don't think I've ever disliked her in a movie, so she already has a plus. Starring as Prince Albert's father and brother, Michael Gambon and Guy Pearce perform very well as very douchy guys (surprise, surprise). When he's not a gay head wizard, Gambon often plays cold men. In his few scenes here, we get an idea of what Albert's life of Royalty has been like. Pearce doesn't play the brother as stupid but just afraid. He falls back on being the dick older brother when frustrated at his own situation. Other cast members such as Jennifer Ehle as Donal Logue's wife, Derek Jacobi as Cosmo Gordon Lang (The Archbishop of Canterbury), and Timothy Spall as Winston Churchill. I must say, out of all of the performances, Spall as Churchill may have been the one I enjoyed the most. So yes, as you can imagine, they brought it in the acting department.
Overall, The King's Speech is very much an Oscar Film. By that I mean that it was pretty clear that this was the kind of movie that would immediately make those leading Academy members and movie loving celebrities all hot around the award season. Having great reviews also helps. But an Oscar Film is such because it is spectacular. The King's Speech is such a movie. It's a unique and very thoughtful idea brought to the big screen, or small screens now, I guess. I enjoyed every second of it and knew walking out why it had gained such praise. It earned what it got, that cannot be denied.
Five out of five Royal Weddings. This has been a long awaited (I'm sure (:) review from Your Modest Guru. Thanks for reading.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Sucker Punch Review
"For those who fight for it, life has a flavor the sheltered will never know." - The Wiseman
The promos for Sucker Punch made me think two things, "it would be the ultimate adolescent nerd boy fan fiction on the silver screen" and "it looks totally ridiculous." I really don't know what people were expecting. It was clearly promoted as big dumb fun. Did you notice that Zach Snyder's descriptions of the film before release were utterly vague and confusing, most of the trailers gave not the slightest inkling as to what the story was but plenty of TA&A. It's a prime example of modern day over hyping of films, which happens on a very broad level. If you watched the theatrical trailer for Sucker Punch and expected anything more than a sub-par plot layered under a face fucking of CGI and fine figures, you watched the wrong trailer.
Well, first thing's first. I will give the premise, so bare with me. Sucker Punch's story is told through the fractured point of view of Baby Doll (Emily Browning), a young woman who is set up by her malicious step father and imprisoned inside of a shady mental institution. As she waits for a lobotomy, Baby Doll retreats into 'Inception-esque levels' where she will work through her traumas to save herself and fellow tormented patients. Okay, so she mainly sees her mental institution setting as an even shadier gentleman's club, where her and the other patients are dancers forbidden to leave. The level below this one is what we came for, a series of nonsensical scenarios meant to symbolize the far less exciting mechanics of her gentleman's club level escape. And it's around this time, I stopped waiting for something more and just let every last firework fly high and fizzle out until it was over.
Don't get me wrong, I don't think this is an absolutely horrible movie. It had a lot of potential, but Snyder didn't have a clear idea about what he was doing. I would complain a little about the rather lack-luster special effects, but to be honest Snyder's CGI is always pretty lack luster. But being an apparant expert on that kind of thing, he is able to use it very well even if it isn't that good. The same can't be said of his script (which he co-wrote). Fundamentally, the story has its heart in the right place, but it is very, very, very, very poorly executed. I will end mine and everyone else's excessive bitching about the story only existing as a weak linking of all of the action scenes. The dialogue was pretty universally cheesy or flat. The movie attempts again and again to try to make itself character driven, but it doesn't quite pan out when, for the most part, the characters are just barely above cardboard and we are unable to compel any emotion toward them. I suppose when a movie goes balls out with insanity for 70%, the other 30% that attempts to be serious just feels kind of awkward. As for the levels of consciousness, the order of importance seemed disorganized. We cut away from the very gothic mental institution like five seconds after we get there and are introduced to the very bland misogyny club section. I wouldn't be surprised if Snyder chose to include the club section more solely because the set was more colorful. The single transition from the institution to the club was very abrupt almost like it was a next scene and not a transition, but all transitions from the club to the Snyderverse occur when the Baby Doll character prepares to perform an intoxicatingly magnificent dance that brings all, even the villain, to tears. An intoxicatingly magnificent dance that we never see; I assume Snyder wanted to include something in his director's cut. What he really fails on is this female empowerment theme that is constantly addressed while being contradicted at the same time by poor examples of empowered women (whose wardrobe screams jail bait). I will try to cease from describing what I think the director should have done now.
Now for the acting. This is a rare occasion where I have little to rave about. Like I said, whether or not the cast was extremely talented or not, the characters were weak and the story they were placed gave them very little to do other than shoot digitally polished cartoons and look sad. Emily Browning, an actress who hopefully will be getting bigger and better roles, plays the messianic Baby Doll character in a sort of lovely way, but, again, she mostly just looks at the camera with a bit of a pout. Thanks to Hollywood magic, Browning does manage to come off as a very appealing image for the modern action heroine. Abbie Cornish no doubt brings the most acting chops out of the female leads; though the situations were almost hilarious, she still managed to convey emotion. Jena Malone plays the fierce yet innocent girl of the group, to which she is portrayed as sweet yet damaged. Malone has played this kind of role many a time, and has done it much better. Vanessa Hudgens, who is looking better and better to me as time goes by, seemed to be doing well acting-wise and even had me feeling for her at the end of her arc. She was however little more than an additional teammate. Jamie Chung was pretty, but the attempts to give her character an arc were pretty empty so she ended up being additional teammate 2. Carla Gugino does not appear with her usual charisma here because I had no idea what to make of her character. Oscar Isaac plays the main villain, Blue, a head orderly in asylum level and a ruthless gangster in club level. Isaac's performance is one of the movie's highlights. He is so unapologetically, seriously over the top that he should smoke a filtered cigarette and twirl his moustache. Scott Glenn comes out of nowhere as the Obi Wan Kenobi of the girl's action adventure scenarios; I enjoyed this thoroughly. Even more out of nowhere is Jon Hamm, who I think got lost on his way to the set of Mad Men and just decided to be this movie's looming threat.
The action scenes, I will say, are fun as hell. I knew they would be. It's pretty much why we all went to this thing. As he is prone to do, Zach Snyder gets lost in his own little world of nonstop slow motion, epileptic rushes of color and motion, and plenty of Michael Bay degree explosions. Still the settings were cool, the effects cartoonish yet exciting, and the action was pretty damn awesome. The shogun scene was really cool. The Nazi Zombies scenario was especially interesting to watch, with a lot of fast paced martial arts and gun fu. The dragon and train scenarios, however? There's excessive, then there's EXCESSIVE, then there's Sucker Punch's action scenes. Still, if you just turn your brain off and watch a bunch of shit get rocked than you won't be entirely disappointed. Where he fails at storytelling, Snyder succeeds in atmosphere. With the use of a unique soundtrack and very crystal clear visuals, he creates a dark and rebellious mood. Emily Browning's vocals and Snyder's visual style in the opening sequences are haunting. New versions of songs such as Pixies "Where is My Mind" and Bjork's "Army of Me" are employed carefully well. This combination, though particularly amazing, makes the movie seem more like a music video, however.
Will you like Sucker Punch? It's hard to say. I will say don't expect too much from it. Well, a better answer is don't expect more than what you see from the trailers. Overall I saw the film as admittance from the director that he is a one trick pony, especially if this is supposed to be his passion project. It's the same magician doing the same tricks with a few tweaks instead of a new act. There is very little real passion within this movie. It is merely an engine for a series of blood pumping video game cut scenes and vivid soundtrack bits. Good editing, action, and visuals cannot save a movie, though. Sucker Punch was no 'experience' like, say, Inception or Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, which I would never compare it to. My mind was fully prepared and not at all blown away. It is a meh movie. Just "meh." I'm sure if you are tripping or drunk it will be far greater than it actually is, but I was neither so...
Two and a half out of five dragon eggs. This is a pretty underwhelmed review from Your Modest Guru. Thanks for reading.
The promos for Sucker Punch made me think two things, "it would be the ultimate adolescent nerd boy fan fiction on the silver screen" and "it looks totally ridiculous." I really don't know what people were expecting. It was clearly promoted as big dumb fun. Did you notice that Zach Snyder's descriptions of the film before release were utterly vague and confusing, most of the trailers gave not the slightest inkling as to what the story was but plenty of TA&A. It's a prime example of modern day over hyping of films, which happens on a very broad level. If you watched the theatrical trailer for Sucker Punch and expected anything more than a sub-par plot layered under a face fucking of CGI and fine figures, you watched the wrong trailer.
Well, first thing's first. I will give the premise, so bare with me. Sucker Punch's story is told through the fractured point of view of Baby Doll (Emily Browning), a young woman who is set up by her malicious step father and imprisoned inside of a shady mental institution. As she waits for a lobotomy, Baby Doll retreats into 'Inception-esque levels' where she will work through her traumas to save herself and fellow tormented patients. Okay, so she mainly sees her mental institution setting as an even shadier gentleman's club, where her and the other patients are dancers forbidden to leave. The level below this one is what we came for, a series of nonsensical scenarios meant to symbolize the far less exciting mechanics of her gentleman's club level escape. And it's around this time, I stopped waiting for something more and just let every last firework fly high and fizzle out until it was over.
Don't get me wrong, I don't think this is an absolutely horrible movie. It had a lot of potential, but Snyder didn't have a clear idea about what he was doing. I would complain a little about the rather lack-luster special effects, but to be honest Snyder's CGI is always pretty lack luster. But being an apparant expert on that kind of thing, he is able to use it very well even if it isn't that good. The same can't be said of his script (which he co-wrote). Fundamentally, the story has its heart in the right place, but it is very, very, very, very poorly executed. I will end mine and everyone else's excessive bitching about the story only existing as a weak linking of all of the action scenes. The dialogue was pretty universally cheesy or flat. The movie attempts again and again to try to make itself character driven, but it doesn't quite pan out when, for the most part, the characters are just barely above cardboard and we are unable to compel any emotion toward them. I suppose when a movie goes balls out with insanity for 70%, the other 30% that attempts to be serious just feels kind of awkward. As for the levels of consciousness, the order of importance seemed disorganized. We cut away from the very gothic mental institution like five seconds after we get there and are introduced to the very bland misogyny club section. I wouldn't be surprised if Snyder chose to include the club section more solely because the set was more colorful. The single transition from the institution to the club was very abrupt almost like it was a next scene and not a transition, but all transitions from the club to the Snyderverse occur when the Baby Doll character prepares to perform an intoxicatingly magnificent dance that brings all, even the villain, to tears. An intoxicatingly magnificent dance that we never see; I assume Snyder wanted to include something in his director's cut. What he really fails on is this female empowerment theme that is constantly addressed while being contradicted at the same time by poor examples of empowered women (whose wardrobe screams jail bait). I will try to cease from describing what I think the director should have done now.
Now for the acting. This is a rare occasion where I have little to rave about. Like I said, whether or not the cast was extremely talented or not, the characters were weak and the story they were placed gave them very little to do other than shoot digitally polished cartoons and look sad. Emily Browning, an actress who hopefully will be getting bigger and better roles, plays the messianic Baby Doll character in a sort of lovely way, but, again, she mostly just looks at the camera with a bit of a pout. Thanks to Hollywood magic, Browning does manage to come off as a very appealing image for the modern action heroine. Abbie Cornish no doubt brings the most acting chops out of the female leads; though the situations were almost hilarious, she still managed to convey emotion. Jena Malone plays the fierce yet innocent girl of the group, to which she is portrayed as sweet yet damaged. Malone has played this kind of role many a time, and has done it much better. Vanessa Hudgens, who is looking better and better to me as time goes by, seemed to be doing well acting-wise and even had me feeling for her at the end of her arc. She was however little more than an additional teammate. Jamie Chung was pretty, but the attempts to give her character an arc were pretty empty so she ended up being additional teammate 2. Carla Gugino does not appear with her usual charisma here because I had no idea what to make of her character. Oscar Isaac plays the main villain, Blue, a head orderly in asylum level and a ruthless gangster in club level. Isaac's performance is one of the movie's highlights. He is so unapologetically, seriously over the top that he should smoke a filtered cigarette and twirl his moustache. Scott Glenn comes out of nowhere as the Obi Wan Kenobi of the girl's action adventure scenarios; I enjoyed this thoroughly. Even more out of nowhere is Jon Hamm, who I think got lost on his way to the set of Mad Men and just decided to be this movie's looming threat.
The action scenes, I will say, are fun as hell. I knew they would be. It's pretty much why we all went to this thing. As he is prone to do, Zach Snyder gets lost in his own little world of nonstop slow motion, epileptic rushes of color and motion, and plenty of Michael Bay degree explosions. Still the settings were cool, the effects cartoonish yet exciting, and the action was pretty damn awesome. The shogun scene was really cool. The Nazi Zombies scenario was especially interesting to watch, with a lot of fast paced martial arts and gun fu. The dragon and train scenarios, however? There's excessive, then there's EXCESSIVE, then there's Sucker Punch's action scenes. Still, if you just turn your brain off and watch a bunch of shit get rocked than you won't be entirely disappointed. Where he fails at storytelling, Snyder succeeds in atmosphere. With the use of a unique soundtrack and very crystal clear visuals, he creates a dark and rebellious mood. Emily Browning's vocals and Snyder's visual style in the opening sequences are haunting. New versions of songs such as Pixies "Where is My Mind" and Bjork's "Army of Me" are employed carefully well. This combination, though particularly amazing, makes the movie seem more like a music video, however.
Will you like Sucker Punch? It's hard to say. I will say don't expect too much from it. Well, a better answer is don't expect more than what you see from the trailers. Overall I saw the film as admittance from the director that he is a one trick pony, especially if this is supposed to be his passion project. It's the same magician doing the same tricks with a few tweaks instead of a new act. There is very little real passion within this movie. It is merely an engine for a series of blood pumping video game cut scenes and vivid soundtrack bits. Good editing, action, and visuals cannot save a movie, though. Sucker Punch was no 'experience' like, say, Inception or Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, which I would never compare it to. My mind was fully prepared and not at all blown away. It is a meh movie. Just "meh." I'm sure if you are tripping or drunk it will be far greater than it actually is, but I was neither so...
Two and a half out of five dragon eggs. This is a pretty underwhelmed review from Your Modest Guru. Thanks for reading.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Limitless Review
"What would you do?" - Eddie Morra
Limitless presents a very unique idea. A drug that can alter you into a perfect person. A pill that drastically enhances your recall and consumption of knowledge, as well as your focus and motivation. You are intelligent, suave, and tactical on an almost superhuman level. How would you use such power?
Eddie Morra is first seen standing atop the balcony of his fortress apartment, preparing to jump as armed men try to break in. We see a few months earlier that he was a struggling writer, but more easily recognizable as a loser. While lamenting his writer's block and recent break up, he meets his former brother in law from a past marriage who offers him a drug that he claims will soon be on the market. He takes it, because when your life is shit you might as well get high, right? After experiencing the overwhelmingly positive effects, Eddie manages to get well stocked on the drug and soon goes about taking the world by storm. Soon Eddie is writing brilliantly and quickly, he tidies up, gets cultured, starts befriending the right people, masters mathematics and soon the stock market. With the drug, he knows all the right things to say, every angle to play, and can think his way through any situation. Of course, when your on top in a thriller you are sure to run into trouble. Eddie runs into a lot of trouble. He is stalked by a mysterious man, a ruthless Russian loan shark soon wants more than Eddie's money, and his new and powerful business partner (Robert DeNiro) in the brokerage firm is doubling as a formidable rival. Worst of all, the repeated use of the pills has fatal side effects that may be the end of Eddie. The movie soon becomes a man's fight to survive.
Limitless is a gloriously entertaining movie. With Neil Burger's unique directing style, Leslie Dixon's well crafted screenplay, and a top notch performance by Bradley Cooper, it rarely misses. Sure it could have gone further into the deeper possibilities of the drug, but it works just as well as a thriller in my opinion. The idea of science used to benefit the human mind is not as new an idea as people excited about the movie think; I was repeatedly reminded of that story Flowers for Algernon when watching it. It's like that story meets The Game. I love when a story starts off fairly simple and then, little by little, descends into the extraordinary territory. I knew I was in for a bit of a ride, but this movie does some hardcore things I wasn't expecting. One in particular near the end involving the main character's desperate need for the drug.
The drug (called NZT-48) itself is a character in the movie, the most pivotal in fact. Once the trailer went viral, a thing with commenting users was discussing whether or not they would take the drug and if they did what they would do. The drug has its downsides, that is very apparent in the movie, but then again it REALLY does open you up to limitless possibilties. Early on Eddie wonders if it was made for the anal retentive. In that case, I definitely would take it. The drug is a subtle, fascinating, and simple science fiction element. The drug doesn't really "access all of your brain" as it is said in the movie (because I guess we have access to all of our brain all the time but at different instances). The drug more accurately allows a person to perfectly recall all past memories and integrate them into your bank of knowledge, as well as increase your comprehension and consumption of new knowledge. By the end of the movie, NZT is looking pretty freaking good to the audience.
Acting time. First off, Bradley Cooper, who I liked as an actor before, nails his lead performance here and proves that he is a very talented actor who deserves the roles he's getting. He pulls off playing Eddie Morra as a procrastinating step above a bum (kinda like me), as well as the ultra smooth and sophisticated NZT version of himself (kinda like the guy everybody wants to be). Along with the drug, he sells this movie and firmly establishes himself as a leading actor. Abbie Cornish stars as Eddie's loyal and caring ex-girlfriend. Cornish is naturally good in movies it seems; as you recall, she was the only actress I really thought gave it her all in Sucker Punch. Robert DeNiro's roll is small in the movie, but he's Robert freaking DeNiro and we love seeing him in movies. I disagree with critics I admire who claim DeNiro is sleep walking through this movie, because I really enjoyed his character here. Those who are familiar with DeNiro's filmography will find it amusing when the articulate and cold-calculating Robert DeNiro we have known for decades starts looking poorly matched against the bi-winning Bradley Cooper. Andrew Howard as the loan shark Gennady was a very snake-like villain, one who goes through an intriguing evolution as the film progresses. He is always a gleefully vicious bastard. Anna Friel performs well in the small role of Eddie's tragic ex-wife, as does Johnny Whitworth as the smooth talking brother in law who introduces him to the drug. So, all around, no one is winning an academy award bu the acting was enjoyable.
I definitely urge all to see Limitless. It is just a cool as hell movie. And its smart. That was refreshing after Sucker Punch. It has suspense, drama, action, smart dialogue, cool characters, and the one drug they didn't include in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. I'm definitely gonna see it again. It might be one of those fun movies that I'll have to come back to often every now and then. I like to think that I don't steer you guys wrong. So go see it.
Five out of five NZT tablets. This has been a fun movie review from Your Modest Guru. Thanks for reading.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)