Insomnia (2002)

So yeah, I’m doing a Liz Taylor marathon of sorts… but I’m also kinda going through some Chris Nolan movies.  Cuz he’s the mannnn.  After I saw Following I just had to watch Insomnia because I didn’t really remember it and it too was on Netflix.

So Insomnia is probably my least favorite of the Nolan flicks, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t like it or that it’s by any means a bad movie.  (We’re comparing this to Inception, Dark Knight, and Memento here…) It’s got a great cast (Al freaking Pacino is in it for heaven’s sake… along with Hilary Swank and Robin Williams, all Oscar winners) and still some epic Nolan-esque qualities (who freaking well NEEDS an Oscar).

Pacino plays Will Dormer, an acclaimed detective who hops it over with his partner Hap Eckhart (Martin Donovan) to Alaska to aid in an investigation of a murdered girl.  Dormer isn’t so squeaky clean – there’s an Internal Affairs investigation taking place in Los Angeles over one of his cases for potentially falsified evidence.  He ain’t afraid to use any method possible to find out what he wants or to win.  He and his partner aren’t exactly peachy-keen with each other, they argue over methods and Eckhart might even testify against Dormer.

Then there’s Ellie Burr (Swank), a young over-eager police officer fresh from the academy, and Dormer’s biggest fan.  She’s initially assigned to work with Dormer on the Kay Connell case.  Ya know, I like Hilary Swank.  I like girls that actually look fit and healthy rather than anorexically skinny (You know, The Next Karate Kid, Million Dollar Baby type girl).  She’s also a talented actress and I think she gives a pretty great performance in this.  She creates a character who subtly grows from her naïveté, it seems as natural as a real human being.

Alaska in the summer=the land of perpetual daylight.  It drives Dormer insane, how could anyone sleep in the daytime?  Oh wait it’s midnight already…  Have you ever had insomnia?  It’s awful.  I grew up having extreme difficulty falling asleep at night.  It was the worst in high school.  I’d just be there… on the bed… staring at the ceiling… I’d read a book for a few minutes, listen to music, or not listen to music, open the window, turn up the A/C, get a softer blanket, play a game on my phone, whatever.  It SUCKS.  Luckily I can survive with little sleep, and luckily I’d still manage to average around 5 hours.  Better than going straight through, like Dormer.  And I didn’t have a murder investigation on my mind…

Dormer goes crazy.  Light flashes, confusing memories, fuzzy vision, all that good stuff.  He’s also dealing with some heavy anxiety (murder and stuff tend to do that to ya).  He’s blinking away the fatigue whenever you look at him, willing his eyes to breath.  Al Pacino’s a beast.  He’s good in everything.  I don’t know how a man like that can stand to be so good at what he does, seriously.  But like I said, I know how insomnia goes and Al’s got it down.

It should also be noted that Robin Williams might give the best performance of the bunch, if you can believe it.  I won’t say much more about him, he’s a character best discovered by watching the movie.  I ain’t in the business of giving away too much.

But all I’ve really got to say about this movie is that, *cough cough* it’s Christopher Nolan.  Now here’s the real question – how can a guy like NOLAN survive knowing that he has a repertoire of pure genius sans exception.  What would it be like to be that legit?

Insomnia explores some crazy psychological deals.  Right and wrong, guilt, anxiety.  It’s also a good mystery.  Who killed Kay Connell, what’s Dormer’s deal, who’s the crazy guy that keeps calling Dormer (Robin Williams – no, that’s not the answer), etc.  It’s a thriller, not your standard thriller, but a thriller of the mind nonetheless.  It’s claustrophobic, he’s just sooooo tireddddd. I’d love to watch the original Norwegian version – it sounds a little more hardcore than this.  But by its own merits, Insomnia is great.  Another 50 points for team Nolan.  8/10

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)

Oh Elizabeth Taylor.  You were such an icon.  You kind of ruled the movie industry.  And your life was such a soap opera.  But you’re still amazing.  RIP, lady.  Sadly, there are quite a few of her movies that I haven’t seen yet. Nothing like a death to get you rolling, so here I am.

First of all, Paul Newman’s in this movie.  I’m kind of in love with that blue-eyed hunk.  Taylor plays our “cat on a hot tin roof,” Maggie, and is married to Paul (his name is Brick) an alcoholic ex-football player.  I don’t know about you folks, but initially I thought that Maggie was our bad guy character.  She’s sassy, standoffish and rude.  You’re not quite sure if her pleas for affection from Brick are out of sexual selfishness or genuine love.  But then the story slowly unfolds and turns out Brick’s kind of a bum.  And an ignorant jerk.  Maggie’s still sassy and rude and standoffish, but she’s got good intentions.

Their marriage is on the rocks (and childless).  Brick’s father “Big Daddy” (Burl Ives) is dying of cancer.  The house is full of screaming “no-neck” kids.  Brick’s brother Gooper (Jack Carson) and wife (Madeleine Sherwood) are idiots, bickering over who gets what when he dies and trash talking about Brick.  Big Mama (Judith Anderson) is just freaking out.  It’s all a big mess – everyone’s lying to everybody and nobody is getting along.  Except the oblivious kids maybe.

All of this tension is even more eminent transpiring in such close quarters and all in one sitting. Everything takes place in a single evening.  It’s hard to tell how long Brick has been dealing with this crisis of identity and basically how long he’s been completely self centered, wallowing in his problems and reliving “the glory days.”  In some ways, it seems like the story is unveiled almost too organized.  Problem- digging into man’s subconscious- solution-type of deal.  Could all of those deep psychological issues be fixed with one pow-wow with the pops?  Just a thought.

But this is still a great movie.  Based off the Pulitzer prize winning play by Tennessee Williams, the script is still good though apparently deviating dramatically from the original (like a prominent homosexual theme?)  The acting is also great and I’m ASTONISHED that Burl Ives wasn’t nominated. He was my favorite part (well, except for looking at Paul Newman that is…) Elizabeth Taylor is a fiery spirit as always and she’s perfect for the role.  Newman is also excellent – proof that he has range as an actor.  It’s one of those movies where every single person is perfect in their role.  I also enjoyed Judith Anderson’s performance as Big Mama.

The selling point is the ever-present tension.  It literally fogs your screen it’s so heavy.  And man, who wouldn’t feel stressed with all of that bickering and chaotic children.  It’s excellently directed by Richard Brooks.  The climax between Brick and Big Daddy is the explosion after a ticking bomb.  It’s perfectly set and the ending is dang satisfactory.  Full of sizzle.  Yes, I just used the word sizzle.

And did I mention that I love Paul Newman’s blue eyes? 7/10

V for Vendetta (2006)

“Remember, remember the fifth of November, the gunpowder, treason and plot.  I know of no reason the gunpowder treason should ever be forgot.”

Geek fest geek fest geek fest…  I can think of a few movies that I’ve seen in my lifetime where I come home from the theater, or turn off the TV and just sit back and think.  Memento falls under this category as does Inception or actually The Prestige… k so any Christopher Nolan movie AT ALL, but I’ve also had this feeling with On the Waterfront, The Truman Show, Psycho, and The Man in the Moon.  It doesn’t have to be trippy like Nolan’s movies to get me thinking.  These movies all made an impression on me in some way or another, whether it’s crazy good acting, a revealing twist, trippy cinematography, a great script or simply a wonderful story.  V for Vendetta made an impression on me.  I’m not sure exactly what it was, but this movie is freaking amazing.

So there’s this terrorist dude.  He’s got a white mask, a deep impressionable voice, and goes by the name “V.”  (Hugo Weaving, so awesome even without a face).  Dystopian London is a wreck, and he thinks he can set it straight by finishing what Guy Fawkes and co. started in 1605… blow up Parliament.  On the 5th of November, of course.  Though he dons the Fawkes mask as his symbol, V has his own personal vendetta against the government, beginning with his imprisonment at a British concentration camp for homosexuals, blacks, Jews, Muslims, etc.  His face was disfigured in an explosion (also on November 5th) and he seeks revenge over all responsible at the camp.

There’s also a girl named Evey Hammond (played brilliantly and very British-like by Natalie Portman).  She’s a twenty-somethin’ orphan working at the British Television Network.  She crosses paths with V (well, he saved her life or somethin’) and invites her to watch him blow up the Old Bailey.  The government steals his thunder by covering to the public what really happened, so he makes a personal appearance on the TV Network Evey works at, appealing to the people to unite with him the following 5th of November against Parliament.  Evey saves his life… he takes her to his freaking awesome lair where she’s supposed to chill for a year.  And later she shows off her awesome head shape  - very few women could pull off a shaved head like she can.  (“Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head” anyone?)

Okay, so the British government is pretty messed up.  This is dystopian GB, the US is basically destroyed, and totalitarian gov of the fascist Norsefire party led by Adam Sutler (John Hurt) tries to fix the environmental mess that England is in post some war involving biological weapons.  They basically came to power by creating a deadly virus, killing thousands, and then producing a cure.  And they, like, had psycho concentration camps like Nazis.  Sketchy kinda?  So the public might actually pay attention to this “V” man, no one likes the controlled situation they’re under.

Another character of note is Inspector Finch (Stephen Rea) who is investigating the murders of several government officials, all killed by V.

First of all, V is freaking awesome.  His opening V-alliterated monologue along with Evey’s “Are you, like, a crazy person?” is kind of great. V kinda has a knife obsession, loves The Count of Monte Cristo, and all things beautiful.  He’s a jack of all trades master at EVERYTHING kind of a guy.  Too bad we only hear Weaving’s voice, but it’s still a good performance balancing brilliance with insanity.

I, personally, think that Natalie Portman is good as well.  Some argue that her accent sucks and that she’s just white noise behind better performances.  But I disagree, I think she’s a very talented actress and her accent is actually quite good.  I enjoyed her performance.

But I’ll be honest, though the acting, cinematography, directing, writing, costumes, technical aspects (freaking sweet in its own right – visually exciting and better than The Matrix in some aspects) and what else have you are all great ‘n’ all… the story makes the movie.  And I’m a sucker for dystopian plot lines.  It’s gotta be my consistently most favorite genre.  I can’t believe I haven’t gotten ahold of the graphic novels yet (it’s on my to-do list now), because just the film itself has sparked a bug in me and I want to know everything I can about this crazy, unfamiliar world.  It’s complex and nuanced, heartbreaking and gripping.  It’s also a kick-A action movie, if you dig that.

I’m sure the Wachowski bros and James McTeigue don’t do Alan Moore justice, but on a strictly movie standpoint – this is hardcore. 9/10

Following (1998)

So I think by this point everybody’s on board that Christopher Nolan is the bad ass of the times.  The best of the best, the leader of the pack, a movie-lover’s dream.  This is everybody’s man’s debut film.  Following is probably the most similar to Memento of any of his other movies, but it is also completely different in its own right.  It’s almost Hitchcock-esque.  Not quite so trippy as Inception, but still as gripping.  It’s a low-budget gem.

Following is, initially, about a man named Bill who follows people to pass the time.  He’s a writer, but has no current job, and wants to learn about human nature from his followees.  He had to set rules for himself though, so as not to become too obsessive or, like, perverted, and his most important rule of all was never to follow the same person twice.  But why set rules unless you can break them, eh?

He follows a man named Cobb.  (More than once).  But this mysterious, handsome man in a dark suit knows that our guy’s up to something and confronts him.  They talk, and share their stories.  Turns out Cobb’s a serial burglar, and he invites our man to go on some jobs with him.  These ain’t your run-of-the-mill-steal-the-jewelry-burglars, though.  Cobb’s more interested in the personal items of their victims.  ”Everyone has a box.”  He drinks their wine, rummages through photos, takes a few things here and there.  His intention is that “you take it away, show them what they had.”

They become partners, and Cobb shows the young man what’s up.  The young man starts some burglary projects of his own, changes his appearance, starts a relationship with a blonde femme-fatale.  Things spin out of control soon enough however.  Never follow someone twice, kids.

The chronology is similar to Memento.  Awesome.  It’s not as systematic as that, however (color real-time scenes, black & white backwards scenes, etc.)  But it’s still out of order, and possibly even awesome-r in this modern film noir.  Who would have thought that this method of storytelling would be so epic?  It can so effectively reveal the "what's-up" of a mystery.  This remains true for Following.  The big end wouldn’t be half as cool were it not for the messed up timeline.  Hats off to you, Chris.

Its length (just over an hour) and detached feel are strengths as well.  The only character credited with a name is Cobb.  This also felt like something Hitchcock would do (and did).  It’s very straightforward, and lacks strong emotion.  You learn the facts about the characters, you learn about the victims.  You can’t always feel what the young man is feeling, however.  It’s hard to describe, because it’s a character story, or study rather, but it still has this edgy, detached feel.

The incomprehensible small budget of just $6,000 is put to perfect use in the gritty underbelly of London.  Everything feels dirty, creepy, and mysterious.  The excellent photography combined with the scenery contributes to the suspense and ambiance.  The no-name cast is also excellent, Jeremy Theobald, Alex Haw, and Lucy Russell.  It’s a surprise to me that they did nothing else, they’re quite good in this – especially Alex Haw as Cobb.. and he doesn’t even have a Wikipedia page!

If you’re just hopping on the Chris Nolan bandwagon, I’d check this one out.  If you loved Memento, this is his father.  Following is another excellent film that credits Nolan as good as any other mainstream effort of his. 9/10

The Swan Princess (1994)

Prince Derrick and Princess Odette (arguably the best princess name EVER) of neighboring kingdoms in some whatever-land are basically hooked up from birth by their parents.  They spend several summers together as kids, fighting and hating each other and singing about it.  Then one day Odette (voiced by Michelle Nicastro) becomes an irresistible babe and Derrick (voiced by Howard McGillin) suddenly’s all, “Oh hey, she’s no ugly duckling anymore she’s actually HOTT.” and then they decide to get married but Odette’s thinkin’ “Hey, are you interested in anything but my looks?” and Derrick’s a little confused and can’t understand what other things could possibly be more important than beauty… So they, like, don’t get married right then.

But then this evil sorcerer man, Rothbart (Jack Palance), kidnaps Odette and puts her under a spell so that she turns into a swan during the day and then back to her sexy female-self with perfect hair at night.  So… that he can make her his queen and regain power or something. Derrick is convinced she’s alive but no one seems to believe him.  Odette befriends Speed the turtle, Jean Bob the french frog, and Puffin the puffin bird during her captivity.  She and Puffin come up with a plan to reunite her with Derrick (because she couldn’t care LESS now if he only loves her for her beauty…) But that Rothbart is difficult to double cross.

It ain’t Disney, but this movie spells pure nostalgia for me.  It wasn’t a favorite like Star Wars or Mulan, but I did frequently watch it as a kid and remember its awesomeness. The animation isn’t great: my friends and I kept remarking on the obvious racial identity crisis the producers were having by changing the main characters from African Americans to to fake-bakes to Snow-whites.  The lines are jagged and the colors are, as duly noted, inconsistent and faded.  But despite these flaws, The Swan Princess is far better than any other Richard Rich attempt (I could write an entire post on how much I hate The Black Cauldron and how BADLY someone needs to do a remake of that series and make it legit.  Best books ever).

The songs are nothing too memorable either, it’s funny how quickly I’m turned off by musicals without Menken or Ashman on the credits.  The side characters are as awesome as they possibly could be, Speed being my very favorite. “Do you want a kiss too?” “Aw, I’m fine being a turtle…” Though Jean Bob is also awesome… because he’s John Cleese, let’s be honest.

The oozing cheese and overwhelming cliché is more endearing than it is stupid.  You know, the sky definitely ALWAYS turns orange while fighting the great-animal version of a d-bag… and vows of everlasting love must consistently be proclaimed for the world to hear and more binding than, well, just about anything.  But the dialogue is entertaining.  The songs are entertaining.  The plot is entertaining. I dunno, I’d watch it again and laugh.

And let’s face it, folks.  Nostalgia trumps ALL. 5/10

Unstoppable (2010)

Speed. The sequel… or rather the re-imagining of a cliché action flick, minus Dennis Hopper.  Tony Scott’s adaptation of a real-life incident in Ohio features Frank (Denzel Washington), and Will (Trekky Chris Pine), veteran engineer & newbie conductor, chasing after an unmanned runaway freight train carrying – you guessed it – toxic chemicals.  The clock is ticking though until the train will inevitably derail on a curve in Stanton, PA.  (Not Ohio).

The fresh – the “one” thing that makes this a little bit different is the lack of sabotage.  Sure, I’d still take Dennis Hopper over this, but it was a fresh approach.  Along those same lines, THANK you for leaving the kids out of it.  Just sayin’.

The good – Rosario Dawson.  Sure, she’s a typical no nonsense female executive, but I like her.  Denzel Washington’s also good, as is Chris Pine.  The script is surprisingly not terrible – Denzel’s got a few pretty good lines that (for the most part) don’t seem forced.  It’s ordinary characters performing extraordinary heroic acts – you know, gives us all the feel goods.  It’s also relentlessly exciting, and keeps you gripped and on your toes – very well paced.

The garbage - Oh the bureaucracy… Seriously? Does there always need to be a hard-nosed top boss who won’t listen to the old doctor, scientist, or engineer?  Don’t THEY watch movies?  A rogue train is scary enough, people disagreeing over it is not really scarier, it’s just dumber.  And based on a true story it may be, but it’s still the same ol’ same ol’: cheesy, forced, and predictable.  Also, could there have been more shaky cam?  I don’t know about anyone else, but I was incredibly sick of it by the end.  Lastly, though back story generally adds depth to characters, this time I couldn’t care less about Chris Pine’s troubles with the wife (though he and Denzel bickering about it was enjoyable).

It was a good night at the movies.  Plenty of my girlfriends were drooling over Chris Pine.  People were gasping with the explosions and close calls, fist pumping over the epic conclusion.  I had a good time, it was solidly entertaining.  Heck, it ain’t meant to be a work of art, I’ll take it for what it is.  And it’s a whole lot better than The Next Three Days… 6/10

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)

Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) is a twenty-something bass guitarist for the pretty awesome garage band, “Sex-Bob-Omb.”  He’s recently been dumped big time by his longtime girl and is having difficulty recovering.  So he goes for something more attainable I guess, and starts dating Knives Chau (Ellen Wong)… a high schooler.  She’s cute, uncomplicated, and slightly obsessed with his band.  Then Scott discovers the girl of his dreams (literally): Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). Think Kate Winslet in Eternal Sunshine: quirky, changes hair color every week, kind of confusing and complicated. When Scott pursues her, he finds out that he will need to defeat her seven evil exes who are set on complete control of Ramona’s love life.  If he wants to keep dating her that is.

First of all, I was hooked when I first saw the trailer.  Comic book awesomeness in a movie?  Oh man I’m there.  Frankly, I did expect it to be one of those movies that wastes all of its good jokes in the trailer, “Time to break out the ‘L’ word.” “Lesbian?” “The other ‘L’ word.” “LesbianS?” I am pleased to report that it defeat the odds, and the entire movie was endlessly hilarious.

“When I’m around you, I kind of feel like I’m on drugs. Not that I do drugs. Unless you do drugs, in which case I do them all the time. All of them.” The dialogue’s great.  Just sayin’

Second, I am totally digging the cast! I’m a big Michael Cera fan from Arrested Development and Juno, so I was obviously excited for him to break out with something different and allow him to shine a little bit.  No more George Michael for this dude.  On that note, how about Mae Whitman, ANN of all people, showin’ up as the weirdo lesbian ex? (Okay, they’re ALL weirdos, but it being Ann makes it that much more weirdified).  Yeah, wasn’t expectin’ that one.  But besides Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead is pretty good as our quirky lady Ramona, Kieran Culkin is entertaining as Scott’s gay roommate, Ellen Wong as Knives, Alison Pill (yay Dan in Real Life!), Anna Kendrick, Brandon Routh, and Jason Schwartzman, Chris Evans, Aubrey Plaza and basically any other minor character are all freaking awesome.

I also wasn’t expecting to enjoy the music of Sex-Bob-Omb quite so much as I did.  But I’m still listenin’ to it!  ”We are Sex Bob-omb. We are here to sell out and make money and stuff.”

I guess my favorite thing about Scott Pilgrim is that it never gets boring.  Think about it, seven epic fights – and I never got tired of watching them battle it out, video game power-ups and all (LOVE the coins!!)  The pacing is perfect: fast but not too fast.  It’s stylistic, it’s edgy, it’s quirky, it’s lovable! More times the one I’d laugh to myself, “What on earth am I watching?”  I’ve heard multiple arguments that it’s trying too hard to be hipster cool and not spending enough time in the real world.  I disagree, I think it’s totally hipster cool, but strangely grounded.  And I, for one, loved the Seinfeld scene.

It’s visually electrifying – all of the bright colors and VG embellishments.  Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) created something fresh and stellar that brightens our decade.  Granted, it ain’t everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s freaking awesome, man.  8/10

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love The Bomb (1964)

I love it when I don’t know too much about a movie.  Of course I’d heard of Dr. Strangelove (what movie-lover hasn’t) but I can honestly say that I was unfamiliar with the premise.  All I knew were images of Peter Sellers looking like a mad scientist who was undoubtably Strangelove, a crazy.  Maybe if I paid more attention to the title I’d gain some sort of intuition that a nuclear war might be involved.

Peter Sellers stars times 3 alongside George C. Scott in this Stanley Kubrick dark-comedy classic.  Psychotic General Ripper (Sterling Hayden) of the US Air Force issues a nuclear attack on Russian soil as part of “Plan R,” an emergency war plan meant to surpass the President’s authority in case of his death in an attack by the Soviets. Meanwhile a team of politicians and President Merkin Muffley, alive and well, (Sellers 1) meet with General Buck Turgidson (Scott) in the war room (no fighting in there) to frantically bring it under control.  As part of “Plan R” already airborne B-52s, however, have no means of being reached without a three digit pass code to recall the bombers.  Oh yeah, and the Rooskies have a super-secret “doomsday machine” that will blow up the whole world if they’re attacked.

Captain Lionel Mandrake (Sellers 2), executive officer to General Ripper, learns through pop-music on the radio that we are not, in fact, at war and attempts to convince Ripper to recall the bombers.  When he doesn’t, Ripper locks Mandrake in his office.  They have good times chatting about fluoridation and purifying bodily fluids and commies and women and how politicians can’t be in charge of war.

Also in the War Room is Dr. Strangelove (Sellers 3), an ex-nazi weapons man in a wheel chair with hand problems – but it’s cool because no one in the room finds it abnormal that he attempts to strangle himself every few minutes.  He addresses the President as Mein Führer several times and seems to know a thing or two about doomsday-ness.

Now THIS is the right attitude to have about the end of the world.  Let’s welcome that apocalypse with yee-haws.  The main thought floating through my head while watching was “what CAN’T Kubrick do?”  He’s no man of consistency.  I’d never guess he’d throw a comedy into his repertoire though, and it’s kind of crazy how good it is.  The script combined with the spontaneity and perfect delivery of the actors is hilarious satire.

First of all, Peter Sellers rocks this show.  The Pink Panther can do it all and some. Three (could have been FOUR) roles for the man and he’s just as hilarious in each part.  Conversing with the President of Russia (“Now, I’m just as sorry as you are!”) or blasting off Coke machines (If you don’t get the President of the United States on that phone you know what’s going to happen to you? You’ll have to answer to the Coca-Cola Company.”) or that iconic last scene as Dr. Strangelove… Sellers is genius.

George C. Scott, however, hardly pales next to him.  He, too, is hilarious as General Buck Turgidson. Absurd, and over the top, he embodies that part.  Watching him and Sellers (as the President that is) go at it is a bundle of laughs. Slim Pickens as ‘King’ Kong (would you get a handle of these names?) is also a highlight as the Texan Major in one of the B-52s, and though Sellers would have been good in this role, Pickens is awesome.  ”Two pairs a nylon stockin’s. Two pair a prophylactics. Shoot, a fella could have a good time on this in Vegas.”

It’s a comedy in its own way, but it isn’t comedic.  It’s impeccably relevant with the Cold War fear.  It’s a dark subject, but it makes us laugh at that fear of all things.  It does what political satire does best.  It’s all about laughing at the people who don’t know that there is something funny about them.  It’s subtle, but outrageous.  I love that it can get us ROFLing and be a piece of art at the same time.  It’s got Kubrick’s touch in the camerawork and film-noir elements.

This accompanies 2001 as some of the best freaking amazingness that ever came out of Stanley Kubrick. Though I love My Fair Lady I do wonder at which is better suited for the Best Picture title… One of the greatest WTF endings in the business, “Mein Führer, I can WALK!” and this classic will always be just that, a classic.  9/10

The Graduate (1967)

And here’s to you, Mrs. Robinson.

Dustin Hoffman stars as Benjamin Braddock, who recently completed his undergrad and is deciding what to do with his life.  The film begins at the Braddock’s home in California where his parents are throwing him a graduation party.  Embarrassed, frustrated, uncomfortable, he escapes and stares at his fish.  Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft) – wife of Ben’s father’s law partner and family friend, she also doesn’t have a first name apparently – finds Ben hiding.  Asks him for a ride home… asks him in the house… offers him a drink… turns on music… starts taking off her clothes…. “Mrs. Robinson, you’re trying to seduce me.”  Ben’s a little taken aback by these advances of a 40 somethin’ year old woman and panics his way out of the house.  But with no direction, he doesn’t stay horrified for long.  He soon arranges their first rendez-vous at a hotel and their affair awkwardly begins.

He’s basically living the life.  Sun bathing and piña coladas in the pool by day… meeting the woman at night.  In one of their rare discussions, Mrs. Robinson forbids Ben to ever date her college-aged daughter, Elaine.  Ben’s reluctant to promise anything but doesn’t care much for the Robinson daughter so he agrees.  Too bad his parents do care.  They coerce him  into taking her out when she returns from Berkley.  With his affair between Mrs. R completely over, and despite his initial efforts to ruin their date, he starts to fall for the cute, full of life Elaine.  I’ll let you imagine where that might lead.

The great thing about The Graduate is that it takes its time.  One of the best scenes in the movie is a simple conversation between Mrs. Robinson and Ben.  The scene is quite long with many pauses, but it is one of the greatest crafted scenes I have ever seen.  Ben is flustered with their exclusively physical relationship, and starts asking Mrs. Robinson questions.  We glimpse his eyes grow with wonder, we watch her eyes fill with pain.  There’s so much sadness and so much growth.  Needless to say the script is impeccable.  Witty, satirical, but deep.

The rest of the movie is developed in a similar fashion.  The pacing is greatly due to the music of good ol’ Paul and Art.  ”The Sounds of Silence” is so perfect for the movie (as, of course, is “Mrs. Robinson”) and there are many scenes with nothing but.  It miraculously never drags.  Ben drives to see Elaine…. Ben slowly sinks in his pool, full of apprehension (great moment)… Ben lying in his pool… very little action.  I grew up listening to Simon and Garfunkel, but I never knew they were this cool.  The sounds of silence can speak so much louder than dialogue.

The Graduate is primarily a comedy – the script is evidence of that.

Ben: “Where’d you do it?”
Mrs. Robinson: “In his car.”
Ben: “What kind of car was it?”
Mrs. Robinson: “Come on now.”
Ben: “No, I really want to know.”
Mrs. Robinson: “A Ford.”
Ben: [laughs] “That’s great.  So Elaine Robinson got started in a Ford…”

It’s a funny movie, but it’s not just funny.  It’s a character study.  It makes you laugh, but I’d mostly say that it makes you smile at the realism.  The second half of the movie is greatly different from the first, its dynamic changes as Benjamin changes.  His and our attentions shift to Elaine, and his pursuit to win her over.  (Some great scenes there too… man I could rave about this whole movie scene by scene if I really wanted to).

Good acting? Check.  For me, it’s weird to think that Dustin Hoffman hasn’t always been the top dawg in his business.  I mean, this is the guy that did Rain Man, Kramer vs. Kramer, Tootsie, All the President’s Men… He’s been “the man” my whole life.  But nobody knew Dustin then.  Everyone knew Dustin after Benjamin Braddock.  Even without D. Hoffman, though, Anne Bancroft is sensational.  You hate her, you feel sorry for her.  The rest of the acting is solid as well, mainly Katherine Ross.

This film was one of the few to win the Best Director Oscar and not Best Picture.  Mike Nichols is the man.  It was nominated for basically everything else, though, including Cinematography (excellent – a constant visual treat) and Screenplay (also excellent).

And how ’bout that end?  The wedding crash to top all wedding crashes.  ”It’s too late.” “Not for me!” (Granted, that IS a relationship I’d love to see in the future… how could YOU handle being with someone that had slept with your mother?)

I can’t rave enough.  With these acclaimed classics that I’d never seen, it’s difficult sometimes to figure out if you love it because you know you should love it, or if you actually love it.  I didn’t want to hand out a 10 just to conform.  But the more I thought about it, the fewer things I disliked.  This movie is excellent on all fronts, and truly should be considered a classic.  10/10

oscars to the 83rd

It’s that time again guys.  I don’t know why I don’t get so excited for these.  But I do.  So don’t judge.

Some People Predict 2011. Go.

PICTURE: The Social Network

So King’s Speech has been getting the buzz lately, it took the SAG awards.  But I’m still sticking with the Facebook movie.  It’ll be close – this the toughest competition of the bunch.  Well, this and Director.

DIRECTOR: David Fincher – The Social Network.

And oh why wasn’t Christopher Nolan nominated for this??? Didn’t they add ten slots basically because of The Dark Knight’s omission in 2009? Sheesh.  That man better get his someday.

ACTOR: Colin Firth – The King’s Speech

I’m not as Mr. Darcy sick as many of my female friends… but I still love this man.  This is a crazy-great category though – I’d pull for Jessie Eisenberg, James Franco, Firth, AND Jeff Bridges if I could. I don’t know much about Biutiful, but Javier Bardem is always good too.

ACTRESS: Natalie Portman – Black Swan

Yeah, I don’t have anything to say about this category. Go Natalie.

SUPPORTING ACTOR: Christian Bale – The Fighter

Love this guy, glad he’s getting some recognition.  I’m also glad Mark Ruffalo got a nom, I’ve liked him for a while.  I wish Andrew Garfield got somethin’ though!

SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Melissa Leo – The Fighter

I’m probably plugging for Amy Adams, though I’m stoked Hailee Steinfeld got a nod even if it should have been Best Actress.

ANIMATED FEATURE: Toy Story 3
I wish Tangled had been nominated.  But this deserves it no doubt.

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: David Seidler - The King’s Speech
I’m still plugging for Chris Nolan with Inception…
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Aaron Sorkin – The Social Network
I already obsess over Aaron Sorkin with his work on The West Wing.  That guy can write.
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Inception
This is a tough one.  It’s this or True Grit.
ART DIRECTION: Alice in Wonderland
Yeah, I just said Alice in Wonderland. Though the night before the Oscars I may change that to King’s Speech.
COSTUME DESIGN: The King’s Speech
They always go for the period pieces.
DOCUMENTARY (feature): Inside Job
DOCUMENTARY (short): No freaking idea.  Killing in the Name?Because I’ve heard of it?  This also may change.  Because I just don’t know.
FILM EDITING: Social Network
I would have said Inception, sealed deal but oh wait it’s not nominated…
FOREIGN PICTURE: Incendies
This is another tough category because these guys never get famous until after they win.  Maybe I should be better and pay attention to foreign films all the way along but eh, not worth it.
MAKEUP: Barney’s Version
I guess? Anything but Wolfman right?
MUSICAL SCORE: The Social Network – Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
I’m for Hans Zimmer with Inception. And I think it’d take second.
ORIGINAL SONG: “Coming Home” – Country Song
Because it’s a country song… But it should be Randy Newman for Toy Story 3
SHORT ANIMATED: Day and Night
I’m saying no contest?
SHORT LIVE ACTION: God of Love
Because I’ve heard of it?
SOUND EDITING: Inception
It. has. to. be.
SOUND MIXING: Inception
VISUAL EFFECTS: Inception

Looking forward to the 27th folks. See ya then.

Disturbia (2007)

“…It’s too close for comfort ahhhh put on your break lights, you’re in the city of wonder… “
What, this isn’t the Rihanna song? Oh.

An ornery troubled teen (Shia LaBoeuf) on house arrest gets a little bit bored, turns into the nosey neighbor, goes all lewd/perverted over the new girl with the hot bod and the pool, and suspects someone to be a serial killer.  All in a day of boredom and people-watching.

This story is loosely based off of one of my all-time favorite Hitchcock’s: Rear Window.  I never realized just how perverted that show was until now…. but no.  It’s Jimmy Stewart.  And Grace Kelly was not such a deadbeat bikini chick.  Hitchcock was so crazy, how could you possibly make a movie that intense without the camera ever leaving one room…? Oh wait, was this review about that Shia LaBoeuf movie?  Shoot, I’d much rather talk about Jimmy Stewart.

LaBeef isn’t such a bad actor.  I love him in Holes.  Lately I’ve just been disappointed in the films he’s been in.  Transformers? Eagle Eye? Oh jeez.  Anyway, he ain’t bad in this either.  A little annoying, but I attribute that more to the script than the acting.  Basically it’s a lot of teenage puppy dog CRAP, with a little suspense thrown in there.  The amazing thing about Rear Window is its ability to allude to the obvious temptation Jimmy Stewart has of staring at the half-naked girl across the way without being overbearing.  In Disturbia: Here’s the girl doing yoga.  Ooh, here’s here walking slo-mo into the pool, oh NOW she’s tossing her hair back, and how cute – she’s reading a book on her roof while sunbathing in booty shorts.  It didn’t make it much better that I watched this with a group of immature guys who were loving all the skin they could get.  I’m not a boy.  I don’t care.

The two adults in the movie were decent, David Morse and Carrie-Anne Moss.  The girl (Sarah Roemer) sucked.  A Megan Fox wannabe, and I don’t even like Megan Fox.  LaBeef’s friend (Aaron Yoo) was pretty funny though.  There were some enjoyable things too, (twinkie towers?) and LaBeef’s restraining anklet made for an interesting turn.  It IS a pretty okay-crafted thriller for a teen movie, I’ll give that to D.J. Caruso.  It did get pretty intense late in the climax, I’ll admit that as well.  But it wasn’t enough to convince me to enjoy this ridiculously cliché, terribly written, knock off of a classic. 3/10

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

Oh Jack.  Why do you have to be so awesome?

Randle Patrick McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) is a lazy-wise-A criminal.  So in order to avoid a sentence of hard labor and frustration, he claims insanity and hopes to live out the rest of his sentence in the more relaxed environment of a mental institution.  There we are introduced to fellow crazies, Martini (Danny DeVito), Billy Bibbit (Brad Dourif), Max Taber (Christopher Lloyd), Charlie Cheswick (Sydney Lassick), Dale Harding (William Redfield), and Chief (Will Sampson) – the deaf and dumb 7 foot tall Indian.  The coop is run by Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher) and she’s something.  She humiliates, she degrades, she makes McMurphy’s life a living hell.

So guys.  What makes this movie great?  Let’s talk about all of the “before-i-saw-the-actual-movie” bits.  First, it won the big 5 Oscars (directoractoractressscreenplaypicture).  It’s ranked #20 on AFI’s top 100 movies.  Jack Nicholson is IN it and he gets to be in a mental institution.  An iconic classic of the ’70s.  Everyone’s heard of the title even if you haven’t heard of the movie.  So walking into this, my expectations were high.  And, luckily, I actually knew a lot less about the plot than I thought I did.  Except, naturally, that Nurse Ratched is a nazi-woman who is far crazier than her patients. (Seriously… AFI’s Heroes and Villains list really screwed up some things about movies for me… Maybe I should just stop looking at anything about movies until I watch every movie ever made.  Eh, not worth it).

Everyone knows that Jacky boy is bad-A.  He’s as hard core as they come.  (And I just watched The Shining not too long ago…)  Man is he great in this.  He’s loud.  He’s a leader of the pack.  He’s an unrelenting optimist, refusing to succumb to the lows of the nuthouse.  He frustrates Nurse Ratched enough to put a flicker in those calculating eyes.  He embodies that role with more enthus than I thought possible and few are as good at wreaking havoc as he.  What a guy.

What I didn’t expect was how attached I was going to become to every single other nut job.  It’s so easy to connect with their childlike mannerisms and you have hope for their futures.  Martini’s ever present grin, Billy Bibbit’s stutter, Chief’s admiration for McMurphy.  You’re cursing Ratched’s name and you’re cheering for any small triumph they may have over her (and her name sounds like a cuss).  At first, I couldn’t decide if all the buzz for Fletcher was legit, but her acting performance will always remain a triumph for she’ll forever be remembered as one of the sickest villains in history.  Subtle and malicious.

I feel like the overall greatness is built up of small scenes of genius.  Stealing the van… teaching Chief to play basketball…. McMurphy petitioning for the World Series to be displayed and consequently monologuing an imaginary play-by-play to show his inmates how to stick it to the man and stray from the norm… all brilliant.  They, of course, build upon one another towards an ending but they also stand out as individual moments in which the audience could connect to the action.  The penultimate scene with Billy and Nurse Ratched is particularly moving as heart breaking as it may be.  Each scene is so perfectly constructed, and on emotional overload.

The music is solid, Milos Forman’s  directing is without fault, the script is unforgettable, the cinematography is bleak, morbid, and stunning.  The tone is an interesting mix between humor and misery, with tragic undertones to comedic exchanges; it’s barbaric how mental institutions actually used to be like that – electroshock therapy and lobotomy to boot.  But in the end it’s about character growth.  At first I wasn’t sure what to think of the ending but after thinking (like I usually do for hours after a movie as pivotal as this…) I recognize its poetic and beautiful wonder.  But no matter what – the journey was worth it for these guys.  And worth it for Chief. 9/10

Basketball Diaries (1995)

Basketball Diaries is basically about basketball star Jim (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his going off the deep end. He loses his best friend to leukemia, but loses himself to drugs.  He also writes.  He’s a charmer, for sure.  Especially when screaming his guts out in pain for a fix.  That’s a turn on if I ever saw one.  It was... painful.  But basically if I didn’t know anything about drugs before I certainly do now.  On the whole, this true story based on the life of Jim Carroll is very harrowing, and agonizing.

It’s also, you know, overdone?  Not to bag on people with terrible drug addictions who think their story is just as awful and heart-wrenching as any other (and it probably is…) but we’ve seen this before.  Drugs are bad, don’t drop out of school, the end.  Plus I am not a drug addict.  It looks pretty awful, no lies, but I couldn’t relate.

On another note, it’s ugly.  Yeah, it paints a picture and in some ways it contributes to what’s going on but hey.  It’s still ugly.

I didn’t totally hate it though.  I’m a Leo fan, and this is one of his earliest (he looks like he’s nine…).  Though even with his age he’s far from untalented.  I like the guy, and he’s basically why I saw this in the first place.  He’s showin’ through some realistic teenage angst.  Believable is the word I’m looking for, I think.  Some argue that he was over the top, but I didn’t think that for the most part.  In fact, this performance is one of the best I've seen of someone fighting an addiction. The other acting is pretty good too (Mark Wahlberg, Bruno Kerby, and Lorraine Brocco).  The soundtrack is awesome, the title is fitting.  And yeah, it’s memorable.  I won’t be forgetting all that drugness anytime soon.  Its outline is also effective with a very poetic feel.  Oh, and my favorite scene is when they play basketball in the rain.  Gotta love it.

Basically if you want to teach how awful life with drugs can be, here’s your movie.  Though I probably wouldn’t show it to your kids unless, you know, they’re already overboard. 4/10

Despicable Me (2010)

Nothing really appealed to me about this movie.  I hate to label, but honestly I’m a little bit turned off  when it’s animated and it ain’t Pixar.  Plus the trailer had a fart joke in there.  I hate fart jokes.  They are the epitome of childish.  I don’t care how many stars you’ve got piled in there.  It didn’t work for Shark Tale.

But then something happens when you go to college and you and your roommate decide to go to a dollar movie at 12:30 am and you laugh your head off in spite of yourself.  True story.  A few days after the fact, you kick back and realize that some of those jokes were actually stupid but man was it epic at 2 am.  Then you go to another buddy’s house and you watch it again… – laughing just as hard as before (okay, maybe not just as hard – that might not be possible.  I wouldn’t know though, I don’t think you’re ever fully conscious when laughing late at night.  Let’s be honest).

So anyway.  I think it’s hard to really review and critique movies like this.  Because I had a blast at the movie theater.  I laughed oh-so-hard.  But hey, it’s not that great of a movie.  It’s cute, it does what it does, it gives you a few feel-goods, and tells dumb jokes.  The end.

Gru (Steve Carell) is a villain has-been.  He’s old, but still wants to be the meanest, toughest bully out there.  Sadly, there are new hot-shot dudes who are meaner, tougher, and badder.  One such younger dude, Vector (Jason Segel) (whutt up HIMYM!), who succeeds because of all of his toys and traps in his cooler than cool super-villain lair – is Gru’s competition, and pulls off things like stealing pyramids in Egypt.  Gru is sick of people one-upping him, so he decides to pull off the biggest heist of the century and steal the moon.  Oh yeah, he also turns Daddy Warbucks and adopts three little orphans from the evil orphanage lady who looks like Dolores Umbridge (Kristen Wiig) along the way (box of shame? really?)

It’s predictable.  The story tries to be all feel-goody and get you teared up but it doesn’t have the emotional touch of Pixar.  It ends up just being cheesy.  But it is funny.  (Did anyone else laugh at the whole “Formerly Lehman Brothers” sign?)  There are a few side characters to spice it up – Will Arnett as Mr. Perkins speaking all GOB-like and Jack McBrayer as that evil carnival dude trying NOT to sound like Kenneth but still totally does being the best.  Julie Andrews also represents as Gru’s messed up mother.  The two youngest little girls were adorable, but the oldest was just annoying.  And typical.  An overdone character.

The minions were also entertaining.  I’ll be honest, I was taken with the cute lil’ midgets.  And it’s got a catchy theme song.  Always key.  Not to mention a random Wilhelm scream! K, done mentioning all the random tidbits. Think what you  may, but I for one was entertained.  6/10

An Education (2009)

Man am I thrilled that this isn’t just some other movie about getting knocked up.  Oh wait, did I just ruin it for you?  My bad.

The darling Carey Mulligan stars as Jenny, a bright student in ’60s London with high hopes to get into Oxford.  She loves reading, French culture and music, is an accomplished cellist, and basically just wants to learn all there is to learn.  Then one day, the tall, charming, and suave David (Peter Sarsgaard) helps her get home in the rain.  Yes, in the rain.  He impresses her with his knowledge and cultured lifestyle, and she’s darn well swept off her feet.  Jenny’s parents (Alfred Molina, and Cara Seymour) are strict, but naive.  Even they are taken with David’s sophistication and wit.  David cultures Jenny by taking her to plays, concerts, fancy restaurants, and even Paris.  Jenny may or may not be falling for the middle-aged man, and his intentions may or may not be sinister.

First thing’s first: I’m a sucker for coming of age stories.  I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned this on here yet or not.  But it’s true.  When I started hearing about this movie around award’s season last year I was so pumped to watch it.  I must admit, I wasn’t disappointed and I might even say it exceeded my expectations.

It’s enchanting, really.  Actually scratch that.  Carey Mulligan is enchanting.  I know I’m probably majorly influenced by the media but the thought couldn’t escape me how much she reminds me of Audrey Hepburn.  Oh she’s darling.  She makes the movie from some random teenage tragedy to something real.  We are all surrounded by Jennys, or perhaps we ARE a Jenny, and she transforms this character into someone relatable and strong.  She’s a strong, sharp heroine.  Her love of life radiates in her eyes and her joy is contagious – even through the screen.

David too is an interesting character and well portrayed by Peter Sarsgaard, that sly dog.  In many ways, he reminds me of the character Willoughby in Sense and Sensibility. There are moments where he seems genuinely interested in Jenny and enjoys her company.  Then there are times where all he seems to want is some action.  The two together make a good acting team and their relationship seemed plausible, albeit unfortunate.

The rest of the cast is solid too, featuring Olivia Williams, Rosamund Pike, Dominic Cooper, and Emma Thompson. The script by Nick Hornby (About a Boy) is also excellent and moving.  A fine directing job by Lone Scherfig.

What sold me on this movie, though Mulligan is definitely the highlight, were the parents  - Molina and Seymour.  I love that they actually, what’s the word, exist? Too often are there stories where the parents play no factor into the ruin of teenage lives, but I love that these parents are obviously trying their best for their daughter and that they love her.  They are a perfect example of concern, and love.  The story (based off Lynn Barber’s memoir of the same name) seemed fresh and true.  I mean, 16-year-olds make mistakes all the time.  This is a great example to young girls that there is still potential to grow, even if something crazy happens to mess things up.  The future awaits.  I love that about this.

Another highlight is the music.  It’s beautiful.  The end.

Okay, so maybe this story isn’t so new.  Maybe it IS just the same ol’ same ol’ that you get in any teen coming of age story.  Maybe we HAVE heard this story a thousand times.  But to me it felt different.  It actually felt special.  Maybe it just hit me in a certain way.  I can’t really tell.  But something touched me in this movie.  It’s worth the watch anyway.    9/10