Sir, this newspaper looks awfully like a book. What? You mean…Sorry, didn’t realize people still made non e-books.
Rating: 10 out of 10
Every now and again, if you’re lucky, you come across a piece of craftsmanship that lays it all out for you. For architects, it might be walking up to an old gothic cathedral and watching the lines and foundations intersect. For musicians, it might be hearing a song which stirs their hearts, feeling the melodies and meaning intertwine like strands of DNA. For people like me, the writers, it means laying your hands on a book which illustrates so clearly not only the beauty of words, but also how those words can be used to change people. That rush only gets better if those words are pouring forth from a career on a rise to not just stardom, but mythic status. This writer, this moment — this is something to be treasured.
Everyone Loves You When You’re Dead is the latest in a growing list of “must read” books by Neil Strauss. This new tome is a culmination of years of interviews and all those magical moments that fell on the cutting room floor by way of verbal economy, relevance to the time, or the most egregious of reasons, editorial choice by the publisher. These snippets are peephole windows into the real people behind the fame and fortune, showing in possibly the truest form ever that celebrities are indeed normal people too, dealing with the same insecurities and same life choices as we do. That doesn’t mean they are all good people under the glitter, some are just as vain and superficial as we imagine, but at least we can now be sure they aren’t faking that for the creation of their persona.
The cast of characters span the celebrity horizon like a multi-billion dollar rainbow. Everyone is here and no one is spared from the charm and familiarity that Strauss brings into every interview. Snoop Dogg takes him along to get diapers for his kid, Lady Gaga goes to tears by her first question and Jewel snuggles up under the covers like it’s a high school slumber party. This book is filled with astounding moments of clarity from the people who spend most of their days hidden behind a persona, whether it be one of hard-edged aggression (like Marilyn Manson and Slipknot) or unstoppable humor (like Jay Leno or Stephen Colbert). Strauss shows in interview after interview his style of getting the subjects to relax, let down their guard and basically not feel like subjects. From reading these passages you not only learn some amazing factoids about these people, but you can also glean how to interact better with others in your own lives, with a sense of honesty and compassion.
As he did before in The Game and Emergency, Strauss has immersed himself over a period of time into a whole different world and come back with a roadmap to the reality he discovered. His choice of questions and how he allows himself to become part of the moment instead of just someone observing from the outside gives him the access and ability to truly describe and detail where these people are coming from. They are not just subjects or an assignment (although you can tell some he was more personally excited about than others). He gives each interview weight, respect and a sense of purpose often missed by the supermarket tabloid phenomena. You get the distinct impression that each person at one point or another looks over at him and thinks with internal surprise and joy, “Wow, no one has ever asked me that before!” So they get to tell their story in a fresh way and not sound like a broken record on yet another press tour, while we the reader get to see a little more deeply into the lives of these people who inspire, excite and often openly confuse us.
The End of the Page recommendation: Everyone Loves You When You’re Dead is a fantastic read. A true must have for fans of all forms of entertainment and good writing.
What do you think? Fans of Neil Strauss?
Posted 5 months, 3 weeks ago at 7:52 am. Add a comment
“If all that is actually falling from some hole in an airplane’s bathroom, I’m gonna be really concerned. Aliens? Those I’m fine with.”
Rating: 10 out of 10
Attack the Block at its core is two films in one: an alien attack movie with huge ape-like creatures with no eyes and green glowing teeth, while also a redemption tale for a young gang of hoodlums who become the first and only defenders of Earth, or more importantly their housing project, known as The Block. The aliens descend from the sky without warning, but what they find in the rough and tumble part of South London is not part of their master plan.
There are certain teams in the movie industry you just look for – people who all work together, maybe grew up together, and somehow they always manage to create some really wonderful films when they’re all working as one. Judd Apatow has his gang (his wife chief among those), Adam Sandler has his gang (Rob Schneider seemingly holds top cameo in that gang) and, of course, King of the Cult Worship, Kevin Smith (nevermind box office revenues, this dude has an entire posse of creative types on speed dial). Yet, over the last decade or so, one group has knocked it out of the park on virtually every occasion, crossing nearly every genre and making it look nearly effortless (which I am sure it is not). That honor goes to Edgar Wright and the dynamic duo of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. Jumping onto the scene stateside with Shaun of the Dead, then following up with Hot Fuzz and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (which was only Edgar Wright involved there), they piled up an amazing and impressive fan base, much deserved. So my hopes were high for this film with Edgar Wright listed as an Executive Producer and Joe Cornish at the helm (who also had incredibly small roles in Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz) and my expectations were soundly met and beaten.
So many things went right in the making of this movie, but as with every great movie ever made the success of it always begins with an amazingly written script. Coming in at a tight 88 minutes long, the story never felt rushed or over-motivated. The pace is perfect and the sequence of events moves along in balanced time, keeping the believability of the universe intact the entire way. The arrival of the aliens is handled brilliantly basically by not handling it at all. They show up and they’re killing people; deal with it. Then the ending, which I will not at all give away here, is so beautifully simple and ingenious that for once I was completely caught off-guard. I found myself turning to my friend and saying, “Holy shit, that actually makes sense! It’s an alien flick and that f’n made sense!” So my first kudos here goes to Joe Cornish who not only directed this, but wrote it as well (which IMDB quotes the inspiration coming from his own mugging by a group of young kids).
I could go on now and say all the wonderful directing choices Cornish makes throughout the film, but that would take many hours and I’m writing this late in the evening, so I’ll just mention two. Making this movie for an estimated price tag of nine million pounds, this is a low budget flick, but instead of giving into that sensibility and trying to hack bigger and badder special effects, Cornish correctly crafts the story in such a way where he doesn’t need elaborate CGI to tell the story. Most of it is set in one building and the creatures have one unique characteristic (the glowing teeth), but are otherwise dudes in suits. Honestly, not once did I ever feel they looked cheap or did they take me out of the moment. Secondly, some particularly well-shot slow motion moments in the latter stages of the film were spot on and made what could have been a rushed and hectic moment into something tension-filled and exciting.
So now you have a great script and a visionary director manning the helm, but you still need a talented cast to bring the whole thing to life and this film shoots the moon. Nick Frost has a charming and welcome side character as the front man for the main drug dealer in The Block, but he really is there to provide a safety net to the humor of the film. The lead ensemble of gang kids and the young woman they mug in the opening scene are exceptional. I honestly was fully prepared to read an article about how these kids were literally ripped right off the streets and put in front of a camera, alaEdward Furlong for Terminator 2: Judgment Day (although he was ripped from a mall arcade, but same difference). John Boyega anchors the cast as Moses, the gang leader, and he delivers such honesty and truth to the part, it’s shocking to see this listed as his debut project. While the strength and comedic moments he brings are huge in the film, it’s the heart he puts out there, hidden on his sleeve underneath the puffy coat, that’s what brings everything together into a meaningful and enjoyable experience for the viewer.
Walking out of the theater, I felt really happy not only that I had seen the movie, but also that I had paid full price for my ticket. These are the ones you want to support. These are the movies we need more of out there and the only way that will happen is by getting butts in the seats in numbers great enough to warrant greenlighting another project from this crew of people. So if it’s playing nearby you, I think you know what I’m telling you to do.
The End of the Page recommendation: Attack the Block tears it up on screen and shows all those big budget alien movies how it’s really done. Take that, bruv!
What did you think? Did Attack the Block beat your expectations?
I’m fairly sure there is something more than lead in the water here.
Rating: 10 out of 10
One is a legend in the movie industry, the other is the current hot ticket with a winning streak not seen in a long, long time. Sometimes when teams like this are paired up, the expectations can be unbearable and completely fantastical, but J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg are not ones to break under the pressure of expectations. The stage was set perfectly for them and they delivered brilliantly with an homage to each other’s previous works and the simple storytelling styles of film classics gone by.
Super 8 surrounds a group of movie loving misfits who find their town the unwilling center of a government takeover after a terrible and deadly train accident. While filming their own Super 8 movie for a local festival, they bear witness to the escape of something unexplainable, setting up a quest the kids must all rise to complete or watch their friends, families and entire town get erased from the map.
“I just saw Super 8. Wanna know the guarded “secret” behind it? Abrams uses plenty of screen time to develop characters you’ll care about. (@yogoldsmith)”
As usual, Jeff nailed it on the head. Above and beyond all the other things that done right in the making of this film, it is the writing and careful execution of creating characters that are human, real and inherently lovable. Super 8 brings back the youthful purity of classics like E.T., The Goonies and Stand by Me, something the movie industry has been woefully lacking in the last few years. The story gently reels you in until you almost look at their story as your own, a memory being perfectly played out they way you wish it happened to you.
Then comes the picture perfect casting, where I was compelled instantly by the innocence of Joel Courtney (as Joe Lamb), who is the first young actor since Patrick Fugit in Almost Famous to truly capture that wide-eyed stare into the possible purity of the future. Another factor connecting the audience to Courtney was our shared need to care for and protect the young damsel in distress, Elle Fanning (playing Alice Dainard). Fanning is the epitome of the first girl we all fell in love with in elementary school and she holds the audience in the palm of her hand throughout every scene. Not to be outdone, Riley Griffiths (playing Charles, the young film director), taps into the other side of the coin, the best friend who always wanted to be the hero, but never quite made it to center stage.
Behind the camera, Abrams and Spielberg may have just cemented themselves as the ultimate dynamic duo. Spielberg is still a legend in Hollywood and has incredibly well tuned story senses, but some of his recent efforts (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, War of the Worlds) have been slightly off from his previous greatness. Abrams, on the other hand, is still a relative newcomer to the big screen (only directing Mission Impossible III and Star Trek), but has proven himself a near master of the current form, grown on the sensibilities of a changing and ever adapting crowd. Abrams took this story and crafted it into a beautiful homage to the man sitting right next to him. Super 8 is a throwback to Spielberg’s younger days, giving a whole new generation of movie watchers a glimpse into what others grew up with in the late 70′s and early 80′s. The balance of character development, action sequences and well-paced comedy beats really gives this film a perfect blend for nearly every audience member.
The End of the Page recommendation: Super 8 is a perfectly crafted summer blockbuster. It just doesn’t get better, at least not this year.
Posted 7 months, 3 weeks ago at 9:28 am. 1 comment
Why do I keep eating at those damn sidewalk taco stands?
Rating: 7 out of 10
A new age is coming, or maybe just returning to its once proud form. The age of the action hero who isn’t ripping through his tank top in post-pubescent fury, but instead seething with a controlled rage only found in those with a few years to their name. Faces grizzled by battles both won and lost, voices scratched by the screams of sorrow and victory and hands that know the feeling of breaking a nose, not just the squeeze of a trigger. We had it once with John Wayne in the west, but then it moved into the city and we found our urban cowboys in Charles Bronson and Clint Eastwood. Now, a new maturity is reigns with one man sitting firmly on the throne, Liam Neeson, and he’s back on a somewhat familiar ride, but he makes it enjoyable nonetheless.
Unknown is the fractured story of Dr. Martin Harris (played by Neeson), on his way to a Biotechnology summit in Berlin when his car careens off the road and into the icy waters of a German river. Awakening four days later in a hospital, he embarks on a fervent attempt to reconnect with his wife, who not only doesn’t recognize him upon their reunion, but has another man next to her claiming to be the very same man. Trying to tie the loose ends of his spindling memory, our original Dr. Harris finds himself embroiled in a plot much larger than he could ever imagine, winding around a foreign prince, an immigrant taxi driver and a secret many people are willing to kill to control.
Last time we saw Neeson running through the streets fighting with people it was in the freight-train momentum film, Taken. Neeson drove through the movie with an unwavering determination that in other cases might have made the character seem one-sided, but he was able to make the single-point laser focus still seem layered and interesting. Neeson didn’t miss a beat as he walked onto the set of Unknown, he still carries the mack truck mindset of barreling through anyone and everyone to get what he needs, but here the layering is more upfront since his character is dealing with fractured memories and a wife who won’t even acknowledge him anymore. On the writing front, the script is well done, but seems to miss out on some key moments that would have helped to deepen the motivations in a few scenes later in the film.
**ACTUAL SPOILER WARNING – HERE COMES THE GOOD STUFF**
I can’t really talk about the missing moments without mentioning the plot details surrounding those particular scenes. Once it is revealed that Neeson actually is a secret agent and the people trying to kill him are actually members of his old team, the story does ring a little close to the Bourne franchise, but that actually didn’t bother me too much. What falls a little flat is the emotional connections between Neeson and his old team, specifically with January Jones‘ character (who we originally believe to be his wife) and Aidan Quinn (who originally is touted as the “real” Martin Harris). There is an interesting layer that is never explored about how January Jones really feels about turning on her undercover partner and also how Aidan Quinn feels about stepping into his shoes. The final fight between Neeson and Quinn could’ve inserted some nice interplay, but just went for the action, while Jones never got to have a final meeting with Neeson because she went out in a somewhat unclimactic explosion. I’ve said it before, you can win or lose your audience in the last five minutes and this came dangerously close to losing me.
While those story points did leave the ending slightly under par, the rest of the film holds up the overall experience and Neeson just continues to prove his dominance in the action/thriller genre. Also, not to be forgotten, Bruno Ganz turns in an excellent performance as the old ex-German secret service friend who comes to Neeson’s aid. It culminates in a truly magnificent scene between Ganz and Frank Langella, who is in the film for a woefully short time.
The End of the Page recommendation: Unknown is an enjoyable romp through the spy-ridden streets of Berlin.
Posted 11 months, 1 week ago at 4:19 pm. Add a comment
What do you mean I’m just like all the others? I’m unique! I’m a beautiful snowflake!
Here’s what it all comes down to. Here’s where all the hard work, press tours and hour after hour of standing around on set while the lighting guys get exactly the right shadows to fall across the wall in background. This is the stage that everyone in the industry wants to walk across holding a tiny statue that never fails to surprise the new owner by how heavy it really is. To those people out there who say “Pish Posh” or “The Oscars are all politics and mainstream hype, I don’t need one.”, well, you’re lying. This year there are some categories which feel somewhat locked, a true front-runner eclipsing the poor remaining nominees in the glorious shadow of critical acclaim, but there are many still up in the air and the ceremony still promises to cause many baited breaths, sweaty fists and screams of joy and pain (and that’s just for the people in my Oscar pool). So before the sun sets on that fateful night, I will offer a few choice thoughts on the nominations this year: (I will mark the ones I have not seen with “*”)
Best Picture:
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right *
The King’s Speech
127 Hours *
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter’s Bone *
Originally I was a big fan of opening the Best Picture field up to 10 films and I would say at this moment in time I am still a fan, but maybe not as strong as before. Let’s be honest, the major push for opening the field was The Dark Knight being overlooked, but what it really did was open people’s eyes to the fact that the Academy needs to follow in the shoes of the Hollywood Foreign Press and create Best Drama and Best Comedy/Musical, but that’s for a much longer conversation. As to this year’s crop of fine films, the two heavyweights battling in the center of the ring are The King’s Speech and The Social Network. While many will claim The King’s Speech is much more attuned to the Oscar voting crowd (which they would absolutely correct in thinking), The Social Network was a tremendous achievement in making something extraordinary out of what most people previously wrote off as “that movie coming out about Facebook”. Fincher and Sorkin created a devastating and scathing pair behind the screen and it is that sheer power and talent which could very well push The Social Network across the big stage that night. Personally, I loved both films and I don’t care which one wins, but if I was a betting man, I would give the slight edge to The Social Network.
Best Director:
Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan
David O’Russell for The Fighter
Tom Hooper for The King’s Speech
David Fincher for The Social Network
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen for True Grit
I was honestly not the biggest fan of True Grit. I found it to be a really well done film, but not to the tune of twelve Academy nominations. No Country for Old Men was far superior and the Coen brothers have possibly in my eyes become a victim to their own talent in previous works. All of these movies did feature amazing performances and I always give that credit equally to the actor and the director, because the director is truly the one to pull those performances forward. I think this could honestly be the free-for-all battle of the night, even a dark horse shot for the Coen brothers. I wouldn’t be really mad either way it went (maybe if the Coen’s got it I would be slightly miffed). If I need to cast a vote one way or the other, I am going to go back to Fincher and The Social Network.
Best Actor in a Leading Role:
Javier Bardem in Biutiful *
Jeff Bridges in True Grit
Jesse Eisenberg in The Social Network
Colin Firth in The King’s Speech
James Franco in 127 Hours *
This is where The Social Network will lose its steam. In the acting realm, although still quite good, The Social Network gets beaten in each round. Colin Firth is the clear leader in this category and for very good reason. The man is the consummate technician and makes everything look simple, clean and honest (and as Jon Stewart points out, “can really wear a sweater.”) Much praise has been handed out to Franco and Bridges, while extremely strong and glowing remarks from people like Julia Roberts have surrounded the performance of Bardem, but the statue will likely be going home with the King of Britain that night.
Best Actress in a Leading Role:
Annette Bening in The Kids Are All Right *
Nicole Kidman in Rabbit Hole *
Jennifer Lawrence in Winter’s Bone *
Natalie Portman in Black Swan
Michelle Williams in Blue Valentine *
While I have heard many wonderful things about all of these performances and not actually witnessed any of the others myself, Portman will undoubtedly climb the stage with grace, humility and probably a good deal of care, since she is incredibly pregnant. The swan princess will bathe in the light of what her character strove for in the film, perfection.
Best Actor in a Supporting Role:
Christian Bale in The Fighter
John Hawkes in Winter’s Bone *
Jeremy Renner in The Town *
Mark Ruffalo in The Kids Are All Right *
Geoffrey Rush in The King’s Speech
Once again going above and beyond pure emotional transformation, Bale put his body in harm’s way and mutated into the stringy, wiry crack addicted former boxing hopeful, Dicky Eklund. Rush was also quite excellent as the comic foil to Firth’s stammering rage, but I imagine we will not be seeing him share the stage with his regal co-star. Bale will deliver the knockout blow (hopefully, not for real).
Best Actress in a Supporting Role:
Amy Adams in The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter in The King’s Speech
Melissa Leo in The Fighter
Hailee Steinfeld in True Grit
Jacki Weaver in Animal Kingdom
How could I avoid calling this anything but apt when you have two amazing performances by two amazing women battling it out inside a film called The Fighter. Hell, it practically writes itself. Steinfeld gave a good shot, but she’s young and has a great career ahead of her and I have no doubt we will see her name on this list again. Yet, back in the ring, Leo has been taking the kudos so far and while Adams was surprisingly raw, I believe Leo will continue her reign as champion of this category.
Best Animated Feature:
How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist *
Toy Story 3
Right now my main issue here is that Toy Story 3 is listed in both Best Animated Feature and the Best Picture category and I thought you had to choose which one you wanted to be eligible for. Even though they have no shot at Best Picture this year, I find it a little unfair if the film were to take the top spot and then still claim Best Animated Feature as well. Seems like a touch of overkill. Yet, beyond that pettiness on my part, I enjoyed Toy Story 3 a lot, but it didn’t actually move me to the extent of many of my cinema-addicted brethren. I would like to see it go to How to Train Your Dragon, which actually just swept through the animation awards as well. Still holding great love for Pixar, but I have to give it to the other guys this year.
Best Art Direction:
Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1
Inception
The King’s Speech
True Grit
Once again, I kinda fell off the majority bandwagon this year in the praise for Potter Part 1. I am eagerly anticipating part two, partially because I know the big fight that is coming for our well-loved and well-worn characters, but also because I am hoping it will be better than the first half. As for this year, I’m a little torn between Inception and Alice in Wonderland, but I will have to toss my vote in with the more colorful and boisterous Tim Burton, the director of Alice (words that are rarely used to describe him).
Best Cinematography:
Black Swan
Inception
The King’s Speech
The Social Network
True Grit
This comes down to the battle of characters with fractured minds and how well that was imagined and displayed out to us. Black Swan and Inception are my two favorites in this category. Beyond the similarities in the main characters, what we also have is a battle of the go-to cinematographers. Darren Aronofsky, director of Black Swan, went to his trusty friend Matthew Libatique, who also created the amazing visuals for Requiem for a Dream and The Fountain, while the director of Inception, Christopher Nolan, pulled in his top gun, Wally Pfister, who brought us the amazing sights of Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and even Nolan’s big breakout Memento. Tough choice here…slight edge…Inception.
Best Costume Design:
Alice in Wonderland
I Am Love *
The King’s Speech
The Tempest *
True Grit
The most outwardly obvious choice is Alice in Wonderland, due to the flamboyant and fantastical nature of the setting, but you can never see the silent killer coming from the subtle dressings of WWII England (The King’s Speech) or the roughness of the wild west (True Grit). I’ll stick with Alice, but I’m quite prepared to be wrong here.
Best Documentary Feature:
Exit Through the Gift Shop
Gasland *
Inside Job *
Restrepo *
Waste Land *
Having only seen one of these at the moment, it’s obviously hard for me to really vote. On top of that, the one that I did see, Exit Through the Gift Shop, is widely debated as to whether it is even really a documentary or a piece of street art in itself, created by the mysterious Banksy. If that rumor is true, i don’t think it should be allowed to be in this category, but by answering the question it also loses all the power behind the film. Catch-22, there you have it. Words on the wind though put this between Exit Through the Gift Shop and Gasland.
Best Documentary Short Subject:
Killing in the Name *
Poster Girl *
Strangers No More *
Sun Come Up *
The Warriors of Qiugang *
I am going to try to find a way to see any of these because every year I feel bad for not even making the effort after the filmmakers have obviously done such a good job in creating these pieces. Plus, one of them mentions “warriors” and I am hoping for some real life Kung-Fu stuff.
Best Film Editing:
Black Swan
The Fighter
The King’s Speech
127 Hours *
The Social Network
I am going to run with Black Swan here because I felt that the editing here was incredibly important to giving the story its power and persuasion. Badly cut together we would never have followed the fragile ballerina into her fractured world. The editing mirrored her mindset and created the perfect environment for the character to morph and change along the way.
Best Foreign Film:
Biutiful (from Mexico) *
Dogtooth (from Greece) *
In a Better World (from Denmark) *
Incendies (from Canada) *
Outside the Law (aka: Hors-la-loi from Algeria) *
Yep, not a good sense of anything here either except for Javier Bardem’s supposed masterpiece of a performance in Biutiful. Dogtooth has also gotten a lot of buzz around the indie houses, but it really hasn’t given me a sense of overpowering Bardem, who might end up the one man show this year.
Best Original Score:
How to Train Your Dragon
Inception
The King’s Speech
127 Hours *
The Social Network
OK, I give credit to Hanz Zimmer and his illustrious career in musical scores, but that damn tone from the Inception score just was played over and over and eventually played out. I found the Inception score to be overtly heavy and overbearing, at times, not all the way through. While three of the others are all well known names in the field, I think this year will go to the new kid on the scoring block, Trent Reznor and Atticus Rose for their work on The Social Network. It was subtle and discreet, but intensely valuable to the overall mood of the film.
Best Makeup:
Barney’s Vision
The Way Back
The Wolfman
Here’s where you start to find those movies that no one saw or very few liked, but had something special going on that the audiences might have missed while thinking, “This is a terrible film.” So, in that mindset, congrats to The Wolfman for scoring the nomination. Yet, since I have only seen one of these at the moment, I can only say that the wear and tear created on the weary travelers of The Way Back was truly exceptional and would make a deserving trophy winner that night.
Best Original Song:
“Coming Home” from Country Strong *
“I See the Light” from Tangled *
“If I Rise” from 127 Hours *
“We Belong Together” from Toy Story 3
Glad we have the yearly toss to Randy Newman (he would be the Toy Story 3 nomination). The man could write a song about an ant basking in a misty ray of sunlight next to a puddle on the sidewalk and it would still delight the voters throughout the Academy (and honestly, I might hum along to it as well). A.R. Rahman was the big music maker of last year with the music from Slumdog Millionaire, which might give him some buzz this time around, but I think everyone, whether they admit it or not, is deep down a country fan and that’s why my money falls under the dulcet tones of “Coming Home”.
Best Animated Short Film:
Day & Night
The Gruffalo *
Let’s Pollute *
The Lost Thing *
Madagascar, a Journey Diary (Madagascar, carnet de voyage) *
Admittedly I have only seen one of these, but the one I saw was made by Pixar (Day & Night), so really, that’s all you need. Plus, as usual, it was incredibly well thought out, executed and overall brought pure enjoyment to everyone in the theater.
Best Live Action Short Film:
The Confession *
The Crush *
God of Love *
Na Wewe *
Wish 143 *
If The Crush from the list above was actually just the trailer from the Alicia Silverstone movie from the early 90′s, I would pick that by a mile, but since I highly doubt that is the case, this is a complete crap shoot for me. I’m going to put my mark on Na Wewe, just because the title gives me absolutely nothing to go on. Mystery makes it intriguing.
Best Sound Editing:
Inception
Toy Story 3
Tron: Legacy
True Grit
Unstoppable *
Yes, that’s right, it can now officially be called “Academy Award Nominated – Tron: Legacy“. Nerds around the world, please continue rejoicing at your leisure (or between episodes of The IT Crowd). I actually believe Tron might have a shot here, right next to Inception. Those two really did have a beautifully intricate and expansive soundscape, which without those the movies would certainly fall many, many notches down the totem pole. I’m leaning towards Inception, but the geek in me hopes Tron pulls through.
Best Sound Mixing:
Inception
The King’s Speech
Salt
The Social Network
True Grit
Following nicely on the heels of my last commentary, I slightly shudder at the idea of “Academy Award Nominated – Salt“. Never saw that coming in a million years. Inception will likely take this jewel home.
Best Visual Effects:
Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1
Hereafter *
Inception
Iron Man 2
There was noting more exciting about the effects in Iron Man 2 over the original Iron Man, so I feel it kind of cancels itself out. Hereafter is too awkwardly mild in scope to break through the intensity of the rest of the crowd. As for Potter, well, I kind of find a movie mostly about kids in a tent a little light on visual effects. Once again Inception finds itself battling for supremacy against a strong opponent, once again the incredibly imaginative Burton and crew. In Alice the effects were actually the thing that impressed me most coming out of the film, the world, the characters mis-sized heads, everything down to the acid-trip induced minutiae. I think Alice deserves it, but Inception will likely take it.
My feelings are torn between The King’s Speech, which was terribly beautiful, subtle and moving, and The Fighter, which surprised and enthralled me with its raw energy and depth. If either one wins, I am happy. Otherwise, sad, sad me.
There you have it. As you can see, my beliefs on who should win are heavily dependent on whether or not I got a chance to even see the film, which is really how it should be. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on who you hope for or just who you think will win.
Posted 11 months, 4 weeks ago at 10:13 pm. Add a comment
When someone mentions they are excited about going to see movies during the “holiday season”, you probably get visions in your head of chipper families around festive dining room tables, playfully bickering and sharing memories of holiday hi-jinx, eventually collapsing into a montage of lessons learned and hugs received. But it is specifically during seasons like that where it is really beneficial to read a synopsis of the movie you are about to see, because not only could the holiday joy be mysteriously missing from the film, but you could leave a lot more disturbed than you ever intended. Happy Holidays!
Black Swan is the tempestuous tale of a young ballerina named Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) who yearns more than ever to star in her troupe’s upcoming revision of the classic Swan Lake, where the Swan Queen and her nemesis will be danced by the same person. Pushed and tested by her tyrannical director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel), Nina is an example of elegance as the White Swan, but must reach deep inside her prim and proper casing and find the darkness and desire necessary to fully inhabit the Black Swan. The pressure only increases with the introduction of Lily (Mila Kunis), a young sultry transfer from the San Francisco ballet, who seems to only want her friendship, but Nina fears she is after so much more.
Before seeing the film, many imagined it to fall securely under the category of drama, but little did they know indie-film aficionado, director Darren Aronofsky, was unleashing on them one of the most dark and disturbing psychological thrillers, possibly even horror films, of this year. Returning to true form, after a touching turn with The Wrestler, Aronofsky brings back what we have come to expect of him through multiple viewings of Pi and Requiem for a Dream. Beautiful imagery is seamlessly intertwined with horrific context, resulting in scenes that remain nearly unforgettable for weeks afterwards. Relying on much simpler tactics than the ones he employed in Requiem, Black Swan creates a tension-filled reality where the audience bears witness to a sad and terrible descent into madness. Credit also must be given to the writers (which are currently shown as Mark Heyman and John J. McLaughlin for the screenplay, with Andres Heinz for screenplay and story), who all helped to weave a poignant portrayal of the tenuous balance between passion and perdition.
I’ll add my name to the bandwagon cheers for the performances of nearly every main character in this film. Natalie Portman is a gold mine, once again stepping humbly into the spotlight of young Hollywood royalty. She seems to refuse to be nailed down into any pigeon hole (proven by her immediate upcoming release of the romantic sex comedy, No Strings Attached), preferring to prove to audiences that actors can still successfully live on both sides of the comedy/drama fence. Portman brings a raw timidness to her portrayal of the damaged ballerina girl, living breath by breath under the weight of her own expectations and those of her kind, but painfully overbearing mother (played tremendously by Barbara Hershey), a former dancer herself. Her final frightening and sensual transformation into the Black Swan brings an amazing close to an already stellar performance. But not to be outdone, and many will argue the more surprising in quality, is Mila Kunis. Mostly known for her long running role on the stoner-inspired comedy, That 70′s Show, and also for currently voicing the persistently and hilariously abused Meg on Family Guy, Kunis rarely steps into the darkly psychological sphere; while the character of Lily was much more suited to her ability to play with dangerous sexuality, the tone and gravitas with which Kunis displayed it was wildly unexpected. Kunis held her ground passionately while sharing the screen with Portman and I proved many of her detractors wrong. Acting as the engine behind this derailing train to purgatory is Vincent Cassel, the brutally honest (or possibly just brutal) ballet director. The charm Cassel wielded in some of his previous films was turned on its head here as he displayed the darkness and seediness behind the beauty of the ballet world. Rounding out the mounting pressure on our fragile lead dancer was the legendary Barbara Hershey. The layers and depth of Hershey’s performance grants each audience member the gift of choosing to at once agree and despise the actions of the desperate and frantic parent. One of the more common discussions I heard after the film was, “What would you do if that was your daughter?” and people were passionately on all sides of this delicate issue.
The End of the Page Recommendation: If you want to be moved, possibly not in the most pleasant of ways, absolutely do not miss Black Swan. It is a valiant return to form for Aronofsky and a welcome reminder of the power of Portman.
p.s. For those who read my tweet earlier about Black Swan feeling like American Psycho in dancing shoes, another trivia-minded connection does exist between these two films: Mila Kunis played the villain in the direct-to-video sequel, American Psycho II: All American Girl.
You’re serious? She’s going to write more of these books? But, I got other stuff to do, like, umm…food shopping!
Rating: 6 out of 10
Let’s hit this head on, since a ten year run on any film franchise deserves the respect of not beating around the bush.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 begins the final chapter of our lightning-branded fated friend and his cadre of dedicated compatriots. His arch-enemy, Voldemort, is out in the open and gathering his armies and weapons together, while the Potter team is trying to ready themselves for the inevitable battle to come. The stress of staring death directly in the face threatens to break our heroic trio apart at the very time where their bond needs to be the strongest.
Sure, the description above is a decent hook to get you interested, but it’s a terrible summary of a film because it doesn’t relate a complete story, which of course is because this movie is not a complete story either. After shuffling shoulder-to-shoulder out of the theater on opening weekend my first impression was that of resentment and anger against Warner Brothers splitting this final book into two films. I am a huge fan of the original books and I understand how much material there is in the final book (757 pages worth, to be exact), but in their effort to cover every little detail from the source material, they failed to take into account that some of the book might not be worth filming. It feels like the decision to split into two movies was made more about profits for WB and not for the enhancement of the overall experience for the fans. Honestly, I wish they would have ended this series with a much bigger bang, going out with a Lawrence of Arabia-styled epic 3 1/2 – 4 hour marathon movie (intermission included). Sure, they would sell less tickets because you could only screen it a few times a day, but it would go down in history as one of the most successful epics in film history and that should’ve been enough to make the studios proud. Alas, pride in the finished product is mostly less important than profits.
*Mild Spoilers ahead – but if you haven’t already read the book, do yourself a favor and do it now, I’ll wait right here… *
Friends of mine can corroborate this: when I finished reading this book seventeen hours after buying it on day one of release, I said, “When they make this movie, please let them drop the damn tent section!” Yes, in the book it is more needed to show the strains in our famous trio of young heroes, but even in those hallowed pages the section read very slowly and drawn out, which I knew would only be exacerbated by filming it. The little light-hearted moment of Harry and Hermione dancing in the tent felt incredibly forced and only there because they needed to break up the morose, moody whining that had already gone on too long. It was a weak attempt at solving a much bigger problem.
As for the overall structure of this offering, it suffers much more than the previous filmed chapters because it literally holds onto the ‘Part One of Two’ description to a fault. Even if you are making a film that is a piece of a bigger whole, each piece must be able to encapsulate an enjoyable movie experience on its own, which this film fails to do. I knew it would end in a cliffhanger, setting up the final battle in Part Two, but I at least hoped we would feel something had happened in the first part to whet the appetite. This turned out to feel more like a 2 1/2 hour trailer, teasing us for the end of the Potter road.
Now, after taking a breath and calming down, let me recount some of the quality points on display here. Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson, all grown up and matured, felt oddly stagnant in their roles, but Rupert Grint got to stretch his acting chops a little here and prove that he was more than just a comedic foil for tension-breaking asides. There is a sad lacking of Alan Rickman, as the supremely calm Professor Snape, but again, we can expect a lot more of him in the final piece. Rhys Ifans makes a nice addition to the cast as Xenophilius Lovegood (loopy Luna’s father), but he also gets a disappointingly small two scenes to play in. Although I was disappointed in his small number of scenes, it was during one of those scenes we were treated to a really interesting animated mini-movie while Hermione recounted the story of the Three Brothers, which finally announced what the Deathly Hallows were (nearly two hours into the movie).
The artistic tone and visuals continue to hold up the world and don’t fail to make you feel like you could walk out and lift cars in the parking lot by pointing at them and waving your hand around. With all the jumping tent sequences, there were many incredibly picturesque locations, which assisted in really blending the real world together with the fantastical wizard palaces and ornate decorating of the Ministry of Magic. Yet, trying to think forward into the final piece of this decade-plus-more puzzle, I imagine we will get less pretty locations and much more crazy spell-casting visuals and magical monsters, mostly centered around the much-loved Hogwarts School of Wizardry (C’mon, who wouldn’t want to go there?)
The End of the Page Recommendation: If you haven’t read the books or at least seen all the previous movies, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part One will do nothing for you. Yet for those devoted fans who know every inch of the back story, this is mainly a teaser for a finale that I hope will live up to expectations.
Posted 1 year, 2 months ago at 8:00 am. Add a comment
Action movies, like many genre films, have one big thing going against them – we’ve seen it before. So the first thought when writing an action film is how do you make it something the popcorn-buying crowds nationwide have never laid eyes on? Then, once you realize that all the writers before you have thought the same question, and inevitably come to the same brilliant idea you just did, you have to ask a more specific question like, “What twist can I put on an old tale?” Sometimes the result still reeks of a dozen or more previous cinematic exploits, but every now and again the similarities can be easily forgiven when the finished product is just done so damn well, like the case we have here.
Red stands for “Retired, Extremely Dangerous” and when you work for the CIA and achieve a glorious marking such as that, things don’t tend to go so well for you. Frank Moses was trying to build some semblance of a life after years of working in the shadows as one of the best government agents around, but his name gets dropped on a list and the number of people still breathing on that list is growing increasingly small. Frank only has one choice, bring together the best of his old contacts and find out who marked him, then erase the person or the list — whichever feels right at the moment.
The first murmur I heard from the crowd as I walked through the hallways of the theater was surprise at how funny the movie was, to which I definitely agree. Most films of this ilk show one or two of the great lines in the trailer but the movie as a whole fails to keep up the punchiness of the original teaser. Yet with Red, the creative minds behind it decided not to just try and balance the action and violence with the humor and brevity, they chose a much more dangerous route, to keep laughter throughout by making the violence funny. From the mounted mega-cannon in the parking lot to the rocket launcher inside of a stuffed pig, the gunplay never took over from the just-plain-play. This inter-weaving of moods kept the momentum going from beginning to end and allowed a nearly two-hour film to feel much, much shorter.
Now we can mention one of the main reasons the humor is there, the cast of brilliant, talented, and, um…’well seasoned’ actors. The casting here is incredible and I will just touch on this, since I could write another thousand words on each cast member. Bruce Willis, at the head of the pack, proves once more that he is still the king of solemn action movie leading men. Soft spoken and hard hitting, he has lost almost none of his true grit from Die Hard all the way through Sin City. Red also proves how to use someone like him (being his age) and still allow it to be believable, unlike the last chapter of the Die Hard franchise. Then there’s Morgan Freeman, who often is not the big shooter out front, but the silent, stoic killer behind the big gun. Just like in Seven and Unforgiven, Freeman lends his particular gift for wisdom and depth to each scene, making it more than just a shoot ‘em up flick. Next, what can be said about John Malkovich other than very few people play crazy better. Just getting to see him charge down a street with numerous explosives strapped to his chest, screaming like a madman, should be enough to get you into those comfy theater seats. Rounding out the senior staff, saving the best for last, the one most people are talking about when they mention this film is Helen Mirren. A paragon of grace, beauty and skill, nothing could prepare an audience for how amazing it is to see her firing off hundreds of rounds from a fully-automatic death dealing cannon. She somehow manages to handle high powered weaponry in this film the same way she handled her crown in The Queen, with the utmost class. Not to be left behind, Brian Cox, Mary Louise Parker and Karl Urban all hold their own around this top-billed cast and their decades of talent.
Bonus Movie Geek reference: I’m not 100% on this, but I swear the swamp shack set for John Malkovich was the villain’s hideout in the John Cena masterpiece, The Marine. Anyone who could verify that would be greatly appreciated.
The End of the Page Recommendation:Red is one of the most surprisingly enjoyable movies for almost every type of audience member. Comedy, action, even a couple love story angles, all mix together in a magically light-hearted way.
Posted 1 year, 3 months ago at 10:23 am. Add a comment
Tell me one more time how I violate the dress code of this “white” party.
Rating: 5 out of 10
From the moment of inception each film runs the gamut of a seemingly endless series of choices before the final product shines its way onto the silver screen. One choice in that clamoring multitude is whether to attempt an overall balance of effort through each aspect of the film or puts all your eggs in one basket and let the rest fall where they may. Most people might think the clear answer is to go for the balanced approach, maybe reach a broader audience and critical support – that is a very logical suggestion, yet for certain films with a pre-built fan base they find their needs are much more specific. In the video game adaptation realm, in most cases the number one desire is to bring to life the video game essence, which these days means incredible visual elements. Crank that knob to eleven, drown out the rest and you just might find yourself the number one movie of the weekend, like the subject of this review. Will it gain lasting cinematic glory, not likely, but why glow forever when you can burn big and burn out? Sometimes the money is exactly the same.
Resident Evil: Afterlife continues the revenge fantasy of Alice against the evil Umbrella Corporation. This time she follows an emergency beacon to the long sought after safe haven of Arcadia, supposedly a city in Alaska where the deadly T-Virus has not yet reached. Once there, Alice finds the pieces of civilization she expected are not so easy to put together. She finds her way to a prison in the middle of Los Angeles, where she leads a small group of survivors to what she hopes is the real promised land.
It has been said that if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all, but as any editorial reviewer would tell you, that would make our job all but moot. Yet, I will say I find it sets up a nicer flow to begin with the good before delving in to the muck, so let me explain where nearly all five points in this rating came from…the visuals! Afterlife put all its money and talent into this one facet of the movie and it really did pay off. Bright colors that pop right off the screen and 3D effects that never make you second guess paying the ridiculous extra price for those glasses, specifically in the scene halfway through the movie featuring my personal favorite character, crazy-sack-head-super-duper-axe-pounding-stick-guy. The possibly overused, but perpetually enjoyed, mixture of 3D with bullet-time technology really painted this picture with a slick glossy coating that was hypnotizing to say the least. Even the set design was expertly crafted to shine, ranging from the picturesque outdoor landscapes to the stark white rooms of the secret Umbrella hangars, brought together a visual experience worth talking about after the final credits disappeared.
But every campfire rendition of “Kumbaya” must come to an end, and so I must bring in some of the downsides to the continuing adventures of our incredibly limber video game heroine. First off, the entire movie leaves you with the impression that director and writer, Paul W.S. Anderson, the video game adaption king, watched The Matrix one day and thought, “Man, I wish I’d made that. Oh wait, I can just do it again and name it something else!” Sure, the deep philosophical monologues about reality are missing here, but the opening action scene bore more than just a passing resemblance to Neo and Trinity storming the building. Even more of an homage was made with the character of Albert Wesker, played by Shawn Roberts, but could’ve easily been a digital photocopy of Hugo Weaving as Agent Smith, even down to the bullet dodging in the final fight sequence. So much of the action rang unoriginal that it dissolved some of the magic from the highly powerful visuals. I’ve got nothing against picking up a technology or style where one film leaves off, but you have to show us something new. It’s even worse when the audience begins to feel the original film did it better, even eleven years ago.
Moving beyond the lack of originality in action, the rules created by the universe seemed tossed away from five minutes in. After Alice, played once more by Milla Jovovich, goes through what should be a physical and existential change to her character, she proceeds through the movie as if nothing is different about her. It would have exponentially more interesting to see her try and deal with those changes while still attempting to be the superhero and save everyone, but that idea was not even hinted at. Ali Larter, continuing in the role of Claire Redfield, also undergoes significant emotional and mental shifts throughout the movie, but the script never gives her an opportunity to fully explore that side of her character. The same problem existed for Wentworth Miller, who is new to the revolving cast, but failed to find a single place in the movie to change the one, single expression on his face. Also, I don’t know if anyone else will find the irony, but I liked the idea of the character found locked inside of a portable prison cell is the same actor who starred in the TV show Prison Break. The only moments in interesting character development were between Jovovich and Boris Kodjoe, who played basketball star Luther West. Some may find the romantic sparks unnecessary and trite, but I actually felt they were played well and provided a good break from the monotone being pushed up to that point.
The End of the Page Recommendation: Resident Evil: Afterlife already brought in enough money to greenlight another sequel, but the franchise is now finding itself relegated to the video game version of the Friday the 13th series. People will watch, but mostly out of novelty and a gross curiosity to see if it got any worse.
Posted 1 year, 4 months ago at 3:26 pm. Add a comment
I don’t understand why using the dryer to dry the cat was so wrong. It’s called a DRYER!
Rating: 5 out of 10
Anytime you change the game, those who follow you will be forever compared to your moment of brilliance. How brilliant that moment was is completely objective, but it really doesn’t matter if it was the best or worst decision you ever made, just that you made it before anyone else did. The same goes for movies and when a film comes along and surprises a global audience with a new take on a classic genre. It is not only bound to make a mark, but it is bound to make some copies as well. If one person strikes gold, dig where they dig, or so it goes. Many people are comparing The Last Exorcism with The Blair Witch Project and the connection between the two is quick and easy to notice. While Blair Witch was not the first film to use the method of hand-held filmmaking and inclusion of the cameraman into the cast, it was the first to do it in quite a long time to such an incredible effect. Did The Last Exorcism recreate some of that power and fright? Let’s see…
The Last Exorcism plays out as a documentary starring Cotton Marcus, once a poster boy for the Evangelical market and a wunderkind who performed his first exorcism before 10 years old. Now Cotton fights against the whole idea of exorcism and has devoted his life to debunking the practice. A small film crew decides to go with him on a trip into the backwoods of nowhere in order to watch him prove how easily the idea of possession can be explained away. Yet Nell, the afflicted little girl, proves to be more than Cotton has ever encountered before.
***SPOILER ALERT – IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THE END OF THE FILM, STOP READING NOW***
OK, had to get that out of the way because the only way to tell you why this film only gets a 5 out of 10 is to talk about the ending, but let us build our way there. Choosing to shoot this film as a fake documentary gives certain benefits right away. The doc style has a subconscious effect on the viewer, making them believe what they are seeing is real. We are so attuned to flashy editing and that filmic look that when we see home styled video camera images, which are more common to documentaries, they bring us directly into the doc mindset. We instantly feel we are there to learn or be shown something incredibly unique, so this works perfectly in favor of the director because his audience is just a little more down that rabbit hole. With that being said, there is one big caveat to this method and that is you instantly have to make the camera operator a member of the cast and you must justify why the audience gets to see anything and everything on screen.
This is where we run into a problem.
In Blair Witch this was handled with amazing creativity because there was more than one camera, so the POV could change whenever they feel they needed to, but in The Last Exorcism there was only one camera, therefore only one point of view for the entire film. That’s not always a bad thing since it can increase the audience feeling that they are indeed one of the characters (personally I felt this worked quite well in Cloverfield also), but one thing the others did was think all the way through to the very end before hitting ‘Record’ for the first time. The Last Exorcism feels like they painted themselves into a corner and their big twist ending, which truly wasn’t even needed, was further ruined by the continued justification of where the camera was.
***LAST WARNING – HERE COMES THE BIG TWIST***
The big demon birthing ritual was wholly unnecessary and actually devalued what up to that point was an interesting and creepy pic, but if they felt the need to go down that route, I want to see the big fight at the finish. Here we spent a whole movie watching the hero try and debunk the existence of real demons, but now that he is standing right in front of one, choosing to fight, trying to earn the evangelical praise that was heaped on him his whole life, at that critical cinematic climax, all we get is a bouncy running camera shot because there was no way to logically keep the camera there, since the guy holding it was surrounded by crazy cultists. As much as I am a stickler for following the rules of logic set up in the world of the film, this is one case where that rule bites you in the ass. The running, panting and eventual collapse of our viewpoint in that world (also done before and done better by Blair Witch) left the audience reeling in disbelief that all the time they had put in came to nothing but a split second CGI-creation of a fire demon. On top of that, there also seemed to be no need to add Nell’s brother, Caleb, into the cult. It just came off as another random twist in an already convoluted ending.
The real shame of the poor delivery at the end of the film is it washed away some really great moments earlier on. Ashley Bell did a commendable job portraying the home-schooled Nell, balancing her wondrous innocence with the truly eerie possessed nature she developed throughout the film. The shot of her last second terrible smile as the door closed in front of her gained the highest creep factor out of the entire experience. Patrick Fabian also showed some real range as Cotton, the preacher caught in between his fictional religious beliefs and the seemingly real demon possession standing in front of him. I actually wanted to see more of his struggle between what he believed and the stories he relegated to nothing but hocus-pocus from his dad’s old books. There was a really nice world created here, but in the end it faded into a ridiculous genre pic that leaves viewers wondering if they paid too much.
The End of the Page Recommendation: The Last Exorcism had potential, but they failed to scare up anything in the end.
Posted 1 year, 5 months ago at 8:28 am. Add a comment
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