John Schlesinger followed up his critical and financial success, "Midnight Cowboy" (1969) with this story of a love triangle between three human beings of differing sexual identities and orientations. An older male doctor is in love with a young hippie artist man. This same hippie is the object of affection of a female divorcee of around 35 - 40 years old. This leads to various reactions as the young hippie spends his time with either one, whoever suits his egocentric fancy. This is definitely a great snapshot of how relationships and their dynamics functioned for these individuals in the post Swinging London, post 60's revolution of early 1970's when some people realized that the dreams of the previous decade didn't come to fruition and it was all over. The acting is quite magnificent from Peter Finch as the older gay doctor and Glenda Jackson as the woman. But from Murray Head as the young hippy, you don't get the charisma necessary to reveal why this young man is so passionately the object of two people's affection. This was a controversial film for its time because it featured with all seriousness and respect two men passionately kissing on screen. It is interesting to note that these two actors are actually straight in real life.
At one point in the film the young children of the sister of Glenda Jackson's character who she and the hippie are babysitting for the weekend are seen smoking marijuana. This is a dangerous allusion to the mindset of some post-60's former flower children's allowances as far as child-rearing goes. It is dangerous that a film would condone such an image because we all know how vulnerable children's minds are at that age when they are still developing and growing.
The script is by film critic Penelope Gilliat. It is does not draw attention to itself which is a compliment. It is smoothly written and interesting.
Thoughts and insights on film, television, and other aspects of culture by Matthew J. White.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Bad Grandpa (2013, dir. Jeff Tremaine) ***/****
"Bad Grandpa" is hilarious at times and pretty funny in others. It will offend, sicken, and amuse many viewers. It is basically one Jackass sketch after another. If you liked it on Jackass when Johnny Knoxville dressed up like an old man and pranked unsuspecting people with things that are inappropriate for a 85 year old man to do, this film is for you. There are jokes that involve farts, prosthetic penises, drinking, prostitution and strippers and as much Jackass-related injury humour you can fit into and hour and a half movie.
One of the funniest things about this film is that, supposedly, the people who are being pranked are not actors, but are real, ordinary people who don't suspect a thing. To see the reactions of these people to the ridiculous things Johnny Knoxville and his co-writers, Spike Jonze and Jeff Tremaine come up with is quite a funny experience. I enjoyed the performance of young Jackson Nicholl as Billy, the Grandson of Knoxville's old man, Irving.
Basically, Irving has to bring his grandson across the U.S. to his father because his mother has to serve time in jail. It is basically a road movie and the genre allows for much shenanigans for the actors to play with. Over the course of the trip, the Grandfather and Grandson develop a bond with one another as they get into various misadventures.
If you're a fan of Jackass and reality-based pranking stuff, this film is for you. It is audacious, risque, offensive and funny.
One of the funniest things about this film is that, supposedly, the people who are being pranked are not actors, but are real, ordinary people who don't suspect a thing. To see the reactions of these people to the ridiculous things Johnny Knoxville and his co-writers, Spike Jonze and Jeff Tremaine come up with is quite a funny experience. I enjoyed the performance of young Jackson Nicholl as Billy, the Grandson of Knoxville's old man, Irving.
Basically, Irving has to bring his grandson across the U.S. to his father because his mother has to serve time in jail. It is basically a road movie and the genre allows for much shenanigans for the actors to play with. Over the course of the trip, the Grandfather and Grandson develop a bond with one another as they get into various misadventures.
If you're a fan of Jackass and reality-based pranking stuff, this film is for you. It is audacious, risque, offensive and funny.
The Counselor (2013, dir. Ridley Scott) **.5/****
I was looking forward to Ridley Scott's "The Counselor" because it was written by Cormac McCarthy one of my favourite authors. Films based on books he has written have been phenomenal, including "The Road" and "No Country For Old Men". I even admired the recent James Franco directed film "Child of God". My expectations for "The Counselor" were high seeing that McCarthy wrote and Ridley Scott was directing. But, in the end I felt let down and disappointed by the resulting film.
The plot basically boils down to a drug deal gone horribly awry and everyone involved being put in intense jeopardy by the mishaps that take place. Michael Fassbender is the title character. Penelope Cruz plays his wife. Javier Bardem is a rich man involved in the deal. Cameron Diaz is his sultry girlfriend. Brad Pitt plays another associate who gets in trouble.
I was confused by this story. I had trouble figuring out who was who and what was what. There are some cool individual scenes but they don't add up to a consistent and coherent whole. I enjoyed the performances and the screenplay is razor sharp and intriguing at times, as can be expected from McCarthy. Fassbender's character is seen crying no less than three times in this film and he is a multi-dimensional character. There are just two many questions left unanswered and not enough narrative verisimilitude to recommend this movie.
The plot basically boils down to a drug deal gone horribly awry and everyone involved being put in intense jeopardy by the mishaps that take place. Michael Fassbender is the title character. Penelope Cruz plays his wife. Javier Bardem is a rich man involved in the deal. Cameron Diaz is his sultry girlfriend. Brad Pitt plays another associate who gets in trouble.
I was confused by this story. I had trouble figuring out who was who and what was what. There are some cool individual scenes but they don't add up to a consistent and coherent whole. I enjoyed the performances and the screenplay is razor sharp and intriguing at times, as can be expected from McCarthy. Fassbender's character is seen crying no less than three times in this film and he is a multi-dimensional character. There are just two many questions left unanswered and not enough narrative verisimilitude to recommend this movie.
Runner Runner (2013, dir. Brad Furman) */****
If you want to waste your time with a zero-dimensional, lame-scripted, lacklustre film today, I recommend you see Brad Furman's "Runner Runner". If you don't want to waste your time, then I highly suggest steering clear of this vapid, idiotic movie.
The film stars Justin Timberlake as Richie Furst, a Princeton Graduate student with (the script tells us) brains who has a slight penchant for online gambling. There is a forced montage early in the film to let the audience know just how prevalent and problematic student online gambling is in our modern times: a slew of news items give voice to the widespread predilection. This type of montage sequence that highlight a social problem is such a cinematic cliche that this reviewer almost walked out after the first five minutes. But, I gave the film a chance and continued to do so for the remaining one hour and twenty five minutes but the film never answered that allowance with an entertaining spectacle.
Richie figures out that the online gambling site he just lost nearly $20,000 dollars to has actually cheated him out of his money. He decides to fly to Costa Rica to confront the owner of the site, Ivan Block (Ben Affleck). Soon, Block is apologizing and offering Richie's money back but not before offering him a position with the company which promises millions of dollars in a short amount of time. But, something is fishy about the whole scheme and the FBI is soon bothering Richie about the illegality of the whole operation.
This is a brainless, forgettable film that will soon be on video and on-demand and I wouldn't even recommend you get the film through these avenues: it is a complete waste of time and there are better movies out there that will give you much more satisfaction. The acting is frigid and uninspired, the script lacks any wit or finesse, and there is nothing notable or admirable about any visual aspect of the entire production. One of the worst films I've seen this year.
The film stars Justin Timberlake as Richie Furst, a Princeton Graduate student with (the script tells us) brains who has a slight penchant for online gambling. There is a forced montage early in the film to let the audience know just how prevalent and problematic student online gambling is in our modern times: a slew of news items give voice to the widespread predilection. This type of montage sequence that highlight a social problem is such a cinematic cliche that this reviewer almost walked out after the first five minutes. But, I gave the film a chance and continued to do so for the remaining one hour and twenty five minutes but the film never answered that allowance with an entertaining spectacle.
Richie figures out that the online gambling site he just lost nearly $20,000 dollars to has actually cheated him out of his money. He decides to fly to Costa Rica to confront the owner of the site, Ivan Block (Ben Affleck). Soon, Block is apologizing and offering Richie's money back but not before offering him a position with the company which promises millions of dollars in a short amount of time. But, something is fishy about the whole scheme and the FBI is soon bothering Richie about the illegality of the whole operation.
This is a brainless, forgettable film that will soon be on video and on-demand and I wouldn't even recommend you get the film through these avenues: it is a complete waste of time and there are better movies out there that will give you much more satisfaction. The acting is frigid and uninspired, the script lacks any wit or finesse, and there is nothing notable or admirable about any visual aspect of the entire production. One of the worst films I've seen this year.
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Captain Phillips (2013, dir. Paul Greengrass) ***/****
"Captain Phillips" tells the tale of a U.S. cargo ship that was hijacked in 2009 by four armed Somali pirates. It is tense and provocative. Tom Hanks stars as Captain Richard Phillips and his unarmed crew who do what they can under enormously pressure-filled circumstances to survive in the face of anger, hostility, violence and confusion.
The films plot is straightforward and fairly simplistic but it is in the quality of the content that makes this film stand-up to scrutiny. The Somali pirates are portrayed as victims of there own dire circumstances who are just trying to get by and make ends meet back in Somalia. They see the open seas around their country as a gold-mine of money-carrying ships and we are sympathetic to their plight because we know how hard life is for them back home. They have a chance to get away with $30,000 early in the film but decide to escalate the situation in their quest to get more. What makes "Captain Phillips" a different and noble venture is the fact that the four Somali pirates are not made into stereotypes or cookie-cutter villains but real, living, breathing individuals who are under pressure to bring home the bacon.
Tom Hanks does a great job in the lead role of making Captain Phillips into an authentic everyman who is responding under pressure in human ways that any audience member can identify with. He turns Phillips into a admirable, three-dimensional victim who relies on his own resourceful intelligence and calm to get him through the dangerous situation he's in.
The final scenes involving a lifeboat and the U.S. Navy are nail-biting and the actions of some of the characters will surprise you. What makes this film enjoyable is that it doesn't adhere to expectations and despite its straightforward structure does not get bogged down by stereotypes and cliches.
The films plot is straightforward and fairly simplistic but it is in the quality of the content that makes this film stand-up to scrutiny. The Somali pirates are portrayed as victims of there own dire circumstances who are just trying to get by and make ends meet back in Somalia. They see the open seas around their country as a gold-mine of money-carrying ships and we are sympathetic to their plight because we know how hard life is for them back home. They have a chance to get away with $30,000 early in the film but decide to escalate the situation in their quest to get more. What makes "Captain Phillips" a different and noble venture is the fact that the four Somali pirates are not made into stereotypes or cookie-cutter villains but real, living, breathing individuals who are under pressure to bring home the bacon.
Tom Hanks does a great job in the lead role of making Captain Phillips into an authentic everyman who is responding under pressure in human ways that any audience member can identify with. He turns Phillips into a admirable, three-dimensional victim who relies on his own resourceful intelligence and calm to get him through the dangerous situation he's in.
The final scenes involving a lifeboat and the U.S. Navy are nail-biting and the actions of some of the characters will surprise you. What makes this film enjoyable is that it doesn't adhere to expectations and despite its straightforward structure does not get bogged down by stereotypes and cliches.
The Fifth Estate (2013, dir. Bill Condon) ***.5/****
"The Fifth Estate" is a thrilling, kinetic film which gives the viewer a (fairly one-sided) glimpse into the mind of one the most internet- and tech-savvy hacker/geniuses of the past decade, Julian Assange (Benedict Cumberbatch). Using the revolutionary website that he founded, Wikileaks, Assange, with the help of a few others, including Daniel Berg (Daniel Bruhl), was able to expose classified, top-secret information to the general public. Whistleblowers would send in the information and Wikileaks would post it so the world could see. As the film portrays, major corporations like banks as well as government officials were brought down with the release of the secret info. The main question the film asks is at what expense can such data be released and how far is Assange willing to go to keep the mandate of the website alive when lives could easily be in jeopardy.
The film presents Assange as an egocentric, domineering, and reckless revolutionary who will do anything to get the information out there. Those around him are alarmed at his forceful nature and are often hesitant to perform the tasks that he masterminds. Cumberbatch does a terrific job as Assange and turns him into a multidimensional and surprisingly sympathetic character despite the flaws in his personality.
I am a fan of cinematic eye-candy Alicia Vikander and was happy to see her appearing in this film in a minor role as Berg's girlfriend. She adds a much needed sex-appeal to this film.
The story is somewhat confusing for the uninitiated and all the technological jargon and banter will leave some film-goers scratching there heads at times. But it is best to just sit-back and enjoy the ride as the fast-paced, energetic cinematography and screenplay will entertain you for the duration. There are multiple locales, mostly around Europe and the art-direction is murky, overcast and dark which seems appropriate for the subject matter.
This is a somewhat one-sided view of Assange coming from a couple books (one by Berg). There maybe more to his character than the film alludes to. Assange was one of the most controversial and contradictory individuals to be given the media's spotlight in the last decade. This is an entertaining spectacle that reveals the type of big personality that goes into the big ideas of our times.
The film presents Assange as an egocentric, domineering, and reckless revolutionary who will do anything to get the information out there. Those around him are alarmed at his forceful nature and are often hesitant to perform the tasks that he masterminds. Cumberbatch does a terrific job as Assange and turns him into a multidimensional and surprisingly sympathetic character despite the flaws in his personality.
I am a fan of cinematic eye-candy Alicia Vikander and was happy to see her appearing in this film in a minor role as Berg's girlfriend. She adds a much needed sex-appeal to this film.
The story is somewhat confusing for the uninitiated and all the technological jargon and banter will leave some film-goers scratching there heads at times. But it is best to just sit-back and enjoy the ride as the fast-paced, energetic cinematography and screenplay will entertain you for the duration. There are multiple locales, mostly around Europe and the art-direction is murky, overcast and dark which seems appropriate for the subject matter.
This is a somewhat one-sided view of Assange coming from a couple books (one by Berg). There maybe more to his character than the film alludes to. Assange was one of the most controversial and contradictory individuals to be given the media's spotlight in the last decade. This is an entertaining spectacle that reveals the type of big personality that goes into the big ideas of our times.
Thursday, October 17, 2013
From Up On Poppy Hill (2011, dir. Goro Miyazaki) ***/****
Goro Miyazaki, the son of famed Japanese animation master Hayao Miyazaki, has large shoes to fill. After the eventual retirement of his father he may be forced to live up to the dazzling reputation that his father has set forth in many anime classics. With "From Up On Poppy Hill" Goro takes the reigns once again (he has directed anime before) and offers a whimsical, delightful tale that, though not living up to the best of his father's work, is an entertaining spectacle.
The film centres around a young teenage girl, Umi, who helps run a boarding house in the time when she is not attending high school and is busy with homework. There is an old, run-down clubhouse that the boys of the school attend that is under the risk of being demolished to make way for the 1984 Summer Olympics to be held in Tokyo. There is a platonic relationship the develops between Umi and one of the boys who, over the course of the story, learn things about their past that brings to light unexpected surprises about their own histories and family pasts. Meanwhile, Umi and her fellow female classmates along with the males do what they can to prevent the eventual destruction of their beloved clubhouse.
The story is simple but elegant, the characters are interesting, and the visuals are quite stunning. This is a winning contribution to the Studio Ghibli pantheon and sets Goro up as an adequate heir to the Hayao legacy. I liked "From Up On Poppy Hill" and if you are looking for a good anime film to divert you from the drudgery of modern life I suggest you watch this nice little animated feature.
The film centres around a young teenage girl, Umi, who helps run a boarding house in the time when she is not attending high school and is busy with homework. There is an old, run-down clubhouse that the boys of the school attend that is under the risk of being demolished to make way for the 1984 Summer Olympics to be held in Tokyo. There is a platonic relationship the develops between Umi and one of the boys who, over the course of the story, learn things about their past that brings to light unexpected surprises about their own histories and family pasts. Meanwhile, Umi and her fellow female classmates along with the males do what they can to prevent the eventual destruction of their beloved clubhouse.
The story is simple but elegant, the characters are interesting, and the visuals are quite stunning. This is a winning contribution to the Studio Ghibli pantheon and sets Goro up as an adequate heir to the Hayao legacy. I liked "From Up On Poppy Hill" and if you are looking for a good anime film to divert you from the drudgery of modern life I suggest you watch this nice little animated feature.
To The Wonder (2013, dir. Terrence Malick) ***.5/****
In a recent Cineaste article the question is posed "What the hell happened with Terrence Malick?" alluding to the fact that in his recent films ("To The Wonder", "Tree of Life) he has fallen off the track of the genius he displayed in earlier titles such as "Badlands", "Days of Heaven", and "The Thin Red Line". I can't agree with this argument however and found much to be admired in "To The Wonder". It is a mysterious, lyrical, hypnotic piece that further demonstrates that Malick is one of the greatest, most consistent directors of all time.
The film stars Ben Affleck and Olga Kurylenko as Neil and Marina, two souls who meet and fall in love in Paris, Marina's home (Neil is visiting from the U.S.) The scenes in Paris at the beginning of the film are understated, simple and evocative. Marina's voice-over (in French) gives philosophical outlooks and statements on the theme of the initial wonderment and excitement of two people falling in love while we are shown images of the couple and Marina's young daughter wandering the streets of Paris and enjoying each other's company. The three of them move to Oklahoma in the United States. Their relationship starts to cool-off and Marina finds solace under the guidance of a local priest played by Javier Bardem. Bardem's character and his own voice-over provides interesting comments on Catholicism and religion in general. He is a conflicted, haunted soul who questions his own divinity. He brings to mind the existential angst demonstrated in the main character in Robert Bresson's "Diary of a Country Priest".
When Marina's Visa expires, she returns to France with her daughter. During this estrangement, Neil starts a relationship with an old high-school flame named Jane (Rachel McAdams). Their love for each other is passionate but also short-lived. Marina returns to the U.S. and to Neil where they are soon married but things get complicated once again.
I can see why many would be put-off or bored by this film. Not a lot happens. It requires patience and perseverance but it is a rewarding experience for fans of Malick and lovers of poetic, lyrical cinema with beautiful cinematography. It is not Malick's best film but it continues with his major ideas and themes and adds a lot to his identification as a true cinematic auteur.
The film stars Ben Affleck and Olga Kurylenko as Neil and Marina, two souls who meet and fall in love in Paris, Marina's home (Neil is visiting from the U.S.) The scenes in Paris at the beginning of the film are understated, simple and evocative. Marina's voice-over (in French) gives philosophical outlooks and statements on the theme of the initial wonderment and excitement of two people falling in love while we are shown images of the couple and Marina's young daughter wandering the streets of Paris and enjoying each other's company. The three of them move to Oklahoma in the United States. Their relationship starts to cool-off and Marina finds solace under the guidance of a local priest played by Javier Bardem. Bardem's character and his own voice-over provides interesting comments on Catholicism and religion in general. He is a conflicted, haunted soul who questions his own divinity. He brings to mind the existential angst demonstrated in the main character in Robert Bresson's "Diary of a Country Priest".
When Marina's Visa expires, she returns to France with her daughter. During this estrangement, Neil starts a relationship with an old high-school flame named Jane (Rachel McAdams). Their love for each other is passionate but also short-lived. Marina returns to the U.S. and to Neil where they are soon married but things get complicated once again.
I can see why many would be put-off or bored by this film. Not a lot happens. It requires patience and perseverance but it is a rewarding experience for fans of Malick and lovers of poetic, lyrical cinema with beautiful cinematography. It is not Malick's best film but it continues with his major ideas and themes and adds a lot to his identification as a true cinematic auteur.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Rush (2013, dir. Ron Howard) ***/****
I should start off this review by iterating the fact that I am not and never have been a fan of Formula One or any other kind of car racing. Cars zipping around a track at 200 miles per hour continuously for 80 laps could not be more boring to me. That being said, I liked Ron Howard's "Rush" despite its subject matter. The car races are filmed in such a way as to garner much excitement and adrenaline-pumping visual splendour to the effect that it doesn't matter if you're a fan or not: "Rush" transcends its subject matter. But, such is the machinations of all Hollywood fiction films in that they can turn even the most boring pro-filmic events into something beyond our imagination and expectation.
"Rush" tells the tale of the 1976 Formula One, year-long competition between British racer James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Austrian Niki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl). The two men's personalities could not be different: Hunt is a cocky, womanizing, hedonistic, throw-caution-to-the-wind, charismatic, trash-talking speedster, while Lauda is a cautious, rat-faced, technically-inclined, well-behaved racer. The clashing personas add an interesting dynamic to the picture. The races are all about risking your life in the pursuit of personal honour and glory. There is a 20 percent chance of losing your life in any given race. In certain races in the film the percentage goes up because of dangerous weather and road conditions. At one point Lauda wants to cancel a race because of the rain and the risks involved but those in favour of going ahead with the race outnumber the ones in favour of cancelling. So the race goes on and Lauda, in a horrific accident, almost loses his life. He was leading the year-long competition at that time in total points and for about a month, all he can do is watch the television from his hospital bed while the physicians vacuum his filthy lungs and he recovers.
It all comes down to the final race of the year in Japan once again in the pouring rain. Hunt must finish third to win the championship and the actions of both men in the race are compelling. I won't give away the end result but if you were a fan of Formula One racing in the seventies perhaps you already know.
Some have said this is the greatest of all Sports films. It is definitely not that but it is a good film and worth seeing. The performances are good and the cinematography of the races are excellent and exciting to watch. I probably still won't watch any car racing in the near future but this film has opened my eyes to the wonder and risky drama of the world of Formula one racing.
"Rush" tells the tale of the 1976 Formula One, year-long competition between British racer James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Austrian Niki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl). The two men's personalities could not be different: Hunt is a cocky, womanizing, hedonistic, throw-caution-to-the-wind, charismatic, trash-talking speedster, while Lauda is a cautious, rat-faced, technically-inclined, well-behaved racer. The clashing personas add an interesting dynamic to the picture. The races are all about risking your life in the pursuit of personal honour and glory. There is a 20 percent chance of losing your life in any given race. In certain races in the film the percentage goes up because of dangerous weather and road conditions. At one point Lauda wants to cancel a race because of the rain and the risks involved but those in favour of going ahead with the race outnumber the ones in favour of cancelling. So the race goes on and Lauda, in a horrific accident, almost loses his life. He was leading the year-long competition at that time in total points and for about a month, all he can do is watch the television from his hospital bed while the physicians vacuum his filthy lungs and he recovers.
It all comes down to the final race of the year in Japan once again in the pouring rain. Hunt must finish third to win the championship and the actions of both men in the race are compelling. I won't give away the end result but if you were a fan of Formula One racing in the seventies perhaps you already know.
Some have said this is the greatest of all Sports films. It is definitely not that but it is a good film and worth seeing. The performances are good and the cinematography of the races are excellent and exciting to watch. I probably still won't watch any car racing in the near future but this film has opened my eyes to the wonder and risky drama of the world of Formula one racing.
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Don Jon (2013, dir. Joseph Gordon-Levitt) ****/****
Internet pornography addiction, as presented in Joseph Gordon-Levitt's "Don Jon" is a hell of a thing: like any addiction it consumes the user's entire life and acts as a substitute for reality, including real sex, forcing the addict to resort to it as an emotional balm for insecurities and spiritual emptiness.
Levitt directs, writes and stars in an electrifying directorial debut that probably speaks to millions of twentysomethings who look at porn on the internet for masturbational purposes frequently if not daily. It is no mistake that "Don Jon" sounds and looks an awful like "Don Juan": Levitt's character Jon is a slick, smooth-talking lady's man who frequents nightclubs every weekend with his buddies to score with susceptible female "10's" who are lured in by his sleazy, guido charms. But, as we are soon made aware, the sex that he enjoys with these women he picks up at night clubs are no substitute for the satisfaction he garners from his constant internet porn vice. But, "all guys look at porn", as Jon iterates at one point in the film and it wouldn't be surprising if many young viewers can identify with Jon's habit.
Eventually, Jon runs into Barbara (Scarlett Johansson) in a club and is immediately attracted. But Barb is not like the other girls: she is not that easy, is smart, sassy and she's even better looking than most of the other "10's" that he's used to. Soon, the two are dating and in a relationship. Things go awry when the nasty porn addiction is discovered despite the fact that Barbara has her own superficial quasi-addiction to romance movies.
The movie is funny and has witty dialogue. It is also explicitly frank about sexuality and insightful about modern day relationship dynamics. There are funny moments at Jon's parent's house where Tony Danza, in a hilarious performance, plays Jon's hot-headed father. Jon also frequents church every Sunday where he confesses to his previous week's sins. There is critical commentary on modern Catholicism in the confessionals. Julianne Moore has a welcome appearance as an older woman Jon meets at an adult education class who teaches him about the importance of "losing yourself" in your sexual partner, the importance of close emotional involvement with your lover, and the downside of porn in that it makes real sex somewhat one-sided and egocentric.
This is one of the best comedies of the year and a clear-sighted, efficient directorial job by first time director Levitt. I look forward to his future work and so should you.
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Gravity (2013, dir. Alfonso Cuaron) ****/****
"Gravity" has jaw-dropping special effects and a suspenseful, engrossing story. Sandra Bullock and George Clooney play astronauts on a space station 600 km above the Earth. Things go horribly wrong when an explosion sends flying debris from a Russian missile towards their space station and does horrible damage and destruction. The rest of the movie depicts how some of the astronauts must do what they can under extreme duress to find safety and return to Earth. It is a simplistic plot but director Cuaron does a masterful job of creating a distressful, chaotic environment that is never quite free of impending doom and danger. The 3D effects are amazing and will captivate the viewer. At one point, Bullock's character sheds tears in zero-gravity and we are given a looming shot of a lone tear as it appears in 3D in the foreground hovering slowly and then vanishing off-screen. The shots of Earth from above are a marvel and exquisitely beautiful. At one hour and thirty minutes it is a short film and you are barely given time to breathe. It is an action-packed sci-fi film that won't disappoint.
Blue Jasmine (2013, dir. Woody Allen) ****/****
I have seen the best film so far of 2013 and that film is "Blue Jasmine". This is also one of Woody Allen's best which is saying a lot. No film has entertained this reviewer this much so far this year. Cate Blanchett will probably be nominated and possibly win best actress for a performance that is intricate, complex, funny, and captivating. She plays Jasmine, a woman we learn about through flashbacks and present day events who comes from New York to San Francisco penniless, divorced and unhappy to live with and impose upon her sister, Ginger (Sally Hawkins). The flashbacks tell a troubled tale in which she goes from a happy, rich, and fulfilled young woman married to Hal (Alec Baldwin) to a poor, destitute, now older woman who's husband is now dead from suicide after a Ponzi-scheme that was foiled. The present day portions of the film tells how Jasmine is adjusting to her new life in menial work and a desire to better herself.
The film is often funny in the vein of typical Woody Allen films but it is more dramatic than anything. Jasmine is such a complex, troubled and eccentric character that it is impossible not to love her. Cate Blanchett hits the nail on the head with a gutsy, bravado performance but all the other actors in this film are performing at the top of their game as well. I especially liked Bobby Cannavale and Andrew Dice Clay as Ginger's former and current boyfriends. This is the best Woody Allen film in years and deserves awards when the time comes.
The film is often funny in the vein of typical Woody Allen films but it is more dramatic than anything. Jasmine is such a complex, troubled and eccentric character that it is impossible not to love her. Cate Blanchett hits the nail on the head with a gutsy, bravado performance but all the other actors in this film are performing at the top of their game as well. I especially liked Bobby Cannavale and Andrew Dice Clay as Ginger's former and current boyfriends. This is the best Woody Allen film in years and deserves awards when the time comes.
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