The Tourist

So, I didn't really want to see this movie but it was showing at the right time for our movie club and hey it's Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie - they never make a bad movie - or more often than not really. It ended up being a little worse than I anticipated. It opened up in the second spot it's opening weekend and brought in about $16 million. It's now doubled that figure in it's second week running but still has a long way to go to surpass it's $100 million budget.

The movie is a classic spy/identity/thriller/romantic comedy and stars Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie in the lead roles. Angelina plays the suave and mysterious leading lady and Depp plays the bumbling average Joe thrown into the mix while on vacation.

The plot turned out to be a bit predictable and one dimensional. It wasn't very probable at all. The sequence of events were very 'Hollywood'. The plot seemed to really drag, especially in the beginning, and there wasn't much action despite it being an 'action movie'. Angelina's character was very one dimensional and her motives didn't make any sense in the movie. Depp was a little more believable, but in the end their interactions didn't make much sense.

The score was ultra sappy and attempted to induce suspense which wasn't there in the different scenes. The film was average but the color correction was very beautiful given the European backdrop. The costume and wardrobe also was nice in the movie.

Depp and Jolie played what you'd expect from these two actors. If they hadn't been the lead role, this would have been a horribly forgettable movie. Depp did a bit better than his counterpart and seemed more genuine in his role. Jolie was herself as she's been in most of her recent roles.

Overall, the movie wasn't that great. I'm not sure if it was even worthy of a rental night. Depp and Jolie weren't bad on the movie, it was just an overly sappy plot and not believable. If they weren't in it, it would have majorly sucked. "You're ravenous.' 'Do you mean ravishing?' 'I do" -- The Tourist.

Black Swan

So I had wanted to see this movie since even before I had heard about it. I'm a big Aronofsky (Darren) fan for his past movies Requiem For a Dream and Pi. I had heard such great things about this movie and even some critics went so far to say this movie surpassed the two I just mentioned. My hopes were inevitably very high for this movie since I didn't think it was possible to exceed one of my top movies of all time (Requiem). Fortunately, I was able to see this movie at the one theater showing it in the entire city during it's initial limited release. It's about to go wide tomorrow and I'm glad a larger section of the public will have access to this movie. It's already grossed over $6 million despite it's limited release and is about halfway to is modest $13 million budget.

The movie is a dark psychological character study set within the New York Ballet Company and it's production of Swan Lake. Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis star as the frenemies the White and Black Swan. The weight of the role start to get to Portman, in a very literal sense and we watch as she struggles while unraveling at the seams.

The plot is dark and suspenseful, which makes for an entertaining ride. It's believable yet surreal - which is a hard thing to pull off. Portman's character is very well written and complex - as are the characters of the mother and the instructor. Kunis' character is very one dimensional, although this was clearly on purpose as her character was symbolic to the plot. There were some also genuine bits of humor thrown in a couple of places in the movie which helped ease up on the mostly constant suspense.

Aronofsky is one of my favorite directors because of the editing style and symbolic cinematography he employs in his films. Requiem is a masterfully edited film. The editing in this film is not quite as stylized however it flows gracefully with the beautiful handheld camera work and unique angles in the movie. The camera is right up there with the actors during the dance sequences, which was just beautiful. Instead of going to the standard wide shots and close ups using body doubles, the camera is right there with the actors. Portman was injured several times in this film and trained extensively throughout so that there were very few shots of body doubles used in the entire film. Once you see how beautiful she dances, you'll be amazed that it's mostly all her up there. He uses a lot of mirrors in the film and plays off those angles really well. Not an easy task to choreograph and stage and I respect the effort behind those shots - not to mention they were quite beautiful as well. Aronofsky also knows how to put the right people in place and get some amazing scores. He brought in Clint Mansell, who had previously scored the oh-so-amazing score for Requiem which was performed by the Kronos Quartet and arguably one of my favorite movie scores ever. Mansell took the original Tchaikovsky's original music for Swan Lake but played it backwards and distorted it. Pure genius. The result sounds very similar to the classic and amazingly, it works with the movie and enhances the suspense. Without seeing the movie, I would expect a classical score to greatly deter from the suspense and believability of the movie. Not only does it work to provide the right feel for the movie, it also is hugely symbolic as well and mimics what is going on with the characters and the plot.

I have heard some say that this is Portman's best role to date. She does an amazing job and I will be shocked if she doesn't get a nomination for this role. I'd put this right up there with V for Vendetta for her. There was more time with her character in this movie and so we got to see more of her raw talent than in V. Mila Kunis does a fine job as well although I'd be a little worried she is starting to become typecast if I was her. Vincent Cassel gives a really dynamic performance with his character. He really treads the line between exploiter and mentor and he leaves it up to the audience to decide for themselves.

Overall I was extremely pleased with this movie. I think that I built it up too much going into the movie. I loved it, don't get me wrong, but I'm not going to go rush out to see it as many times in the theater before it runs out. I was going into this movie positive that I would walk out with a new favorite movie, and that just didn't happen. This was a really great movie and definitely up there, but not at the very top. I wish more movies would be made like this - with obvious passion. I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a good dark thought provoking suspense. "That was me seducing you. It should be the other way around." -- Black Swan.

** For any who have already seen this movie and were also unlucky enough to see The Piano Teacher, did anyone pick up on the similarities in the plot as I did? While I did not like The Piano Teacher one bit or even have a shred of respect for that movie, I found these plots quite similar. It's almost as if Black Swan did the right way this type of prodigal mentally unstable character study should be done.Well just wondering. And for those who haven't seen The Piano Teacher, don't. **

Black Swan

So I had wanted to see this movie since even before I had heard about it. I'm a big Aronofsky (Darren) fan for his past movies Requiem For a Dream and Pi. I had heard such great things about this movie and even some critics went so far to say this movie surpassed the two I just mentioned. My hopes were inevitably very high for this movie since I didn't think it was possible to exceed one of my top movies of all time (Requiem). Fortunately, I was able to see this movie at the one theater showing it in the entire city during it's initial limited release. It's about to go wide tomorrow and I'm glad a larger section of the public will have access to this movie. It's already grossed over $6 million despite it's limited release and is about halfway to is modest $13 million budget.

The movie is a dark psychological character study set within the New York Ballet Company and it's production of Swan Lake. Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis star as the frenemies the White and Black Swan. The weight of the role start to get to Portman, in a very literal sense and we watch as she struggles while unraveling at the seams.

The plot is dark and suspenseful, which makes for an entertaining ride. It's believable yet surreal - which is a hard thing to pull off. Portman's character is very well written and complex - as are the characters of the mother and the instructor. Kunis' character is very one dimensional, although this was clearly on purpose as her character was symbolic to the plot. There were some also genuine bits of humor thrown in a couple of places in the movie which helped ease up on the mostly constant suspense.

Aronofsky is one of my favorite directors because of the editing style and symbolic cinematography he employs in his films. Requiem is a masterfully edited film. The editing in this film is not quite as stylized however it flows gracefully with the beautiful handheld camera work and unique angles in the movie. The camera is right up there with the actors during the dance sequences, which was just beautiful. Instead of going to the standard wide shots and close ups using body doubles, the camera is right there with the actors. Portman was injured several times in this film and trained extensively throughout so that there were very few shots of body doubles used in the entire film. Once you see how beautiful she dances, you'll be amazed that it's mostly all her up there. He uses a lot of mirrors in the film and plays off those angles really well. Not an easy task to choreograph and stage and I respect the effort behind those shots - not to mention they were quite beautiful as well. Aronofsky also knows how to put the right people in place and get some amazing scores. He brought in Clint Mansell, who had previously scored the oh-so-amazing score for Requiem which was performed by the Kronos Quartet and arguably one of my favorite movie scores ever. Mansell took the original Tchaikovsky's original music for Swan Lake but played it backwards and distorted it. Pure genius. The result sounds very similar to the classic and amazingly, it works with the movie and enhances the suspense. Without seeing the movie, I would expect a classical score to greatly deter from the suspense and believability of the movie. Not only does it work to provide the right feel for the movie, it also is hugely symbolic as well and mimics what is going on with the characters and the plot.

I have heard some say that this is Portman's best role to date. She does an amazing job and I will be shocked if she doesn't get a nomination for this role. I'd put this right up there with V for Vendetta for her. There was more time with her character in this movie and so we got to see more of her raw talent than in V. Mila Kunis does a fine job as well although I'd be a little worried she is starting to become typecast if I was her. Vincent Cassel gives a really dynamic performance with his character. He really treads the line between exploiter and mentor and he leaves it up to the audience to decide for themselves.

Overall I was extremely pleased with this movie. I think that I built it up too much going into the movie. I loved it, don't get me wrong, but I'm not going to go rush out to see it as many times in the theater before it runs out. I was going into this movie positive that I would walk out with a new favorite movie, and that just didn't happen. This was a really great movie and definitely up there, but not at the very top. I wish more movies would be made like this - with obvious passion. I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a good dark thought provoking suspense. "That was me seducing you. It should be the other way around." -- Black Swan.

** For any who have already seen this movie and were also unlucky enough to see The Piano Teacher, did anyone pick up on the similarities in the plot as I did? While I did not like The Piano Teacher one bit or even have a shred of respect for that movie, I found these plots quite similar. It's almost as if Black Swan did the right way this type of prodigal mentally unstable character study should be done.Well just wondering. And for those who haven't seen The Piano Teacher, don't. **

Love and Other Drugs

So I had wanted to see this movie since I saw the trailer because I usually like Jake Gyllenhaal (except Prince of Persia ) and the movie's premise looked quite promising. I also looked forward to seeing Anne Hathaway in another mature role. The movie opened up in the number 6 slot and has made over $23 million which is a nice chunk of the $30 million budget.

The movie is about an extremely charming ladies' man turned pharmaceutical sales rep during the big drug boom. He is the man who can't be tied down and meets the woman who wants anything but to tie him down. They start an unusual relationship and we are taken along for the ride.

The plot is very believable and the two main characters are surprisingly multi-dimensional. The story arches and their timing, are a little bit improbable, but hey it is a movie afterall. The dialogue was great in the movie and very witty. There was some great unexpected humor. The supporting characters were a little bit stereotypical and cliched, but the two main characters made up for it. There was tons of sex in this movie. I found it very realistic and it didn't shy away from what it's really like to be in a relationship of that nature.

The movie was filmed nicely and - of course - there was a great soundtrack. The costumes and sets were in keeping with the time period and was very flattering on the two leads.

Jake and Anne did just a superb job with these roles. Jake is at his most charming in this movie, and also pulls off some genuine vulnerability. His character's motives and actions may have been sitting on the fence between believable and hollywood endings, but for the most part he was completely genuine. Anne did a stellar job. She not only had to deal with the physical performance of a character with early onset Parkinson's disease, she had to break out the big dramatics and constant nudity. Easy tasks by no means. She definitely went all out with this character and it shows. Her actions and motives were more believable than Jake's and she was given more material to pull off a more dramatic performance. I don't think she necessarily outshined him though. They had great chemistry and were perfect in these roles.

The movie was believable - especially in the beginning and middle - and turned out to be quite sweet. The ending may have been a little bit cliched, but hey I won't count off for it. There was a whole bunch of sex in this movie, but I guess it's obvious from the title. It was almost a little too much for my taste to see in the theater - or at least should've been a date movie. It would make a great rental ;) If you're a Jake Gyllenhaal fan, then I'd definitely recommend this film or perhaps if you'd like to see Anne Hathaway shatter her Princess Diaries image. It was a mature look at a relationship and the complexities of modern life. It was cute and I'm glad I saw it. "I bet pfizer is swelling with pride with it's new drug to beat this hard problem American men are facing" -- Love and Other Drugs

Tangled

So I didn't really want to see this movie but caved after my girls asked me for about the 100th time. I thought it looked much too childish for me, but fortunately I was wrong. The movie - somehow - bumped Harry Potter from it's reign at the top and became number 1 this past weekend. The movie opened up in the number two spot and brought in $28 million. It's already grossed over an impressive $144 million worldwide, but it has a way to go to surpass it's amazing $240 million dollar budget.

The movie is a spin on the classic Rapunzel story and pairs up a lovable criminal with Rapunzel who's spent the last 18 years inside her tower and ready for an outdoor adventure.

The plot was fresh and innovative. The dialogue was quite humorous as were many of the plot points. It was entertaining enough and exciting enough to keep me - and the girls - interested until the end.

Some of the sequences were extremely beautiful. A lot of the humor was situational comedy and the animals especially were extremely funny, i.e. the lizard and the horse. I'm a little bit amazed at the size of the budget. Up only had a budget of $175 million and I wouldn't consider this near as beautiful. There were several songs in this film and there were recognizable actors, which may attribute for some of the inflated budget. Perhaps, promotional expenditures are being included in this budget and if that's the case I can easily understand why as this movie was being promoted every 5 seconds by Disney.

Mandy Moore did a really great job. She's so sweet and sings so nicely. Chuck, who plays the likable criminal, has a really great voice and did well also.

In the end, I found myself laughing out loud several times. This movie was quite humorous and totally cute. I wouldn't mind watching this over and over when it comes out on DVD, as I'm sure we will - right along with Toy Story 3. "Skip the drama, stay with mama" - Tangled

Burlesque

So I had wanted to see this particular movie ever since I saw those four little letters in that perfect sequence; C-H-E-R. I'm a self admitted huge Cher fan - heck I was there at her farewell tour back in 2003! I'm also a pretty big musical fan and needless to say was super excited for this movie. It opened up in the number four spot it's opening weekend, and wasn't even close to knocking out the Potter phenomenon. The movie to date has grossed over $28 million worldwide and is on it's way to surpassing it's $55 million budget.

The movie stars the highly talented musical sensations, Cher and Christina Aguilera. Christina is a small town waitress who moves to LA and ends up working in a burlesque club ran by Cher.

The plot wasn't anything fancy or anything we haven't seen before, think Coyote Ugly. All of the musical numbers were mostly believable and done on stage, so it wasn't one of those movies where people randomly break into song. The characters were pretty one-dimensional and the story was predictable. But what do you really expect from a musical besides entertainment? With out all the jazz added by the musical and choreography, the plot wouldn't have held any weight on it's own.

The musical numbers in this movie were quite amazing and man can Christina sing. I love Cher and she totally owned the stage during her solo near the end, but as Kristen Bell's character summed it up, that girl (Christina) has 'mutant lungs'. Her voice is crazy powerful and she is crazy tiny and pretty. The choreography was great and comical at the same time. It's amazing, but there was really only about 5 or 6 different sets in the entire movie. Most of the effort, and budget, went towards the club scenes, and rightly so. I really enjoyed the songs. Most were pretty whimsical, but I did download a few. And as previously mentioned, Cher does an amazing job with her heartfelt slower solo piece near the end. She actually did that whole performance live and it just shows how amazing she can be.

If Christina and Cher weren't in the movie, it would've been pretty bland. Christina was the perfect person for this role and I really don't think anyone else could've pulled it off. She had a great acting debut and was genuine throughout. Cher was amazing as always. Stanley Tucci really added a lot of value and humor to the film. Cam Gigandet and Mcsteamy were oh so pleasing to look at and did their jobs well.

So, overall I really enjoyed it. I think anyone who enjoys musicals, such as Chicago, would enjoy this as well. Definitely not as surreal as Moulin Rouge but more believable than Chicago. "It takes a legend to make a star" -- Burleque

Pure

So I decided to work down my Netflix list and this one had been on there for some time. I'm a Keira Knightley fan and this movie looked promising. Unfortunately, I was wrong. The movie actually won three awards at the Berlin and Emden film festivals.

The plot follows a ten year old boy, Paul, who's father died leaving him to care for his heroin-addicted mother and younger brother. He finds solace in a waitress in similar circumstances, played by Knightley.

The plot is obviously sad and decadent. The story was believable, in my opinion although I have no idea how heroin addiction really is nor how the ghettos of England are really like. The central character was extremely likable and you couldn't help but empathize with him, but who wouldn't empathize with a ten year old boy dealing with the situation like a man? Knightley's character was an enigma and had different motivations going on. The drug dealer character was not very believable, as his personality kept switching around and I'm not sure that he would've treated this family that way if he was the father's long time best friend. Overall, it was a plot that you would expect when dealing with this situation. Nothing exceptionally interesting except for the fact that the main character is only ten. The story arch was also very unbelievable and the 'hollywood ending' should've been scrapped.

The cinematography was also nothing special. There was one nice long rolling shot in a subway station of two of the characters riding bicycles, but that was really the only nice shot. The rest was regular/bland close to mid to long shots. The score was horrible. It was so overly trite and sappy, and very closely resembled an after school special. This movie may have popped better with an edgy score, which this type of plot warranted.

The actor who played Paul, Harry Eden, was amazing. He was so darn cute - and so darn good - that I couldn't turn this movie off, even though I really did want to. The mother also gives a really good performance, with lots of emotion. Knightley does a good job as well, playing a younger character than we've seen her do recently. These performances couldn't overcome the shortcomings in the plot and that score just made the movie feel so horrible.

I was disappointed in this movie. I was expecting something very different. If that boy hadn't been such a cute little kid, I most definitely would've stopped watching this movie. Perhaps if I was British, I would feel a connection to this movie? In any event I really wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone. "I'll feed you, but I'm not giving you any of my stash" -- Pure.

After Sex

So I decided to watch this movie as Netflix touted is as Eric Amadio's witty directorial debut - and it's about sex and modern relationships. I was in the mood for something lighter so I thought, 'why not?'.

The movie is about eight different couples and each scene takes place immediately after having sex. There's casual friends, a newly gay couple, two college female roommates, a highschool couple, a gay rockstar couple, an older hippie couple, two exes, and a couple that just met a club. I thinks that's all of them? The most notable stars are Jane Seymore, Mila Kunis, Zoe Saldana, and Taryn Manning.

So the plot does a nice job of encompassing all different types of couples - obviously. The first scene had some really great witty dialogue and was my favorite couple of the movie. The rest were good as well with believable diaglogue - except the older couple. It's hard to believe that a couple that had been together for 40 years would conveniently reminisce on their past as though they don't talk ever. The rest of the scenes were fine, I guess. I'm not sure all of these conversations happen after sex - where was the couple that just went to sleep after?

The cinematography was nothing special. Each scene was place one after the other until the end of the movie. I would have liked to see something to connect them, or perhaps come back to the first one at the end to have a definitive ending. The ending was a nice wrap up however with 'the gunshot'.

I really liked the first couple/scene the most. Those two actors had great chemistry and their dialogue was the best, plus it was a sweet story. I really thought the older couple were horrible, even thought I loved the mom from her work in The Cake Eaters. Their chemistry was forced, this may have been a product of the trite dialogue, but I personally would've scrapped this scene. Kunis and Saldana were funny and did a good job at being believable.

Overall, it was a cute movie - for the most part. I'd maybe recommend watching the first scene, the Kunis/Saldana scene, and the last scene. The rest were forgettable. The movie was short however, so it was a good timekiller. "Love is like diving into a pond and not knowing if it's going to be shallow or deep." - After Sex

All the Days Before Tomorrow

So I had put this movie onto my Netflix list the moment I read quirky independent romantic comedy - much like myself? I finally got around to watching it last night and I'm quite glad I did. The movie took home the top award for best feature film in both the Brooklyn and New Jersey film festivals in 2007. It also picked up a few others in other festivals. It is also the first feature from director/editor Francois Dompierre.

The movie follows two friends who should be lovers; Wes and Allison. The timing is never right for them. The plot is episodic and jumps back in forth through several different years of their friendship as well as Wes' subconscious.

The plot was written very well and quite easy to follow despite the jumping scenes. The dialogue was also very witty, which is always a plus. I almost feel smarter when I listen to witty dialogue. The characters were likable and very believable. The subconscious scenes with Wes' guardian angel were comically avant garde and I was actually able to pick up on the connection between those scenes and the main plot - or so I think. It was exactly what Netflix promised it would be; a quirky indie. The plot was basically about two characters who want, or should, be together but life keeps them apart. Probably because I'm a girl, I love these stories (think Pride & Prejudice, Definitely Maybe, 500 Days of Summer). This plot wasn't as quite overly sappy as some of those I just mentioned. It was a fun ride and the characters were interesting enough to keep my interest up the entire time.

What's the one thing that a good indie movie must have in it nowadays to make it good? A great indie soundtrack. Yes, the soundtrack was really great in this movie. I've downloaded a few of the songs myself already. It completed the tone of the movie in the right places, and especially the slow motion club scene, was a favorite of mine. The cinematography was beautiful. We open up to long running shots of a canyon setting as they are driving, and the warm orange colors were just extremely awesome. Set against the black titles, just made it better. The subconscious scenes filmed in black and white in a dessert-type setting, were also especially beautiful. The coloring and wardrobe/makeup in scenes were different enough to automatically distinguish which time period were were in as the plot jumped back in forth. There weren't any lags in the movie although the pace was laid back and easy.

The two lead actors were quite good in this movie. A little above what you normally get in a small indie such as this. They were very appealing to the eye and very genuine on screen. They matched each other step for step and had great chemistry. The cinematography would've made this a good movie if it had bad acting in it, but their performances made it very close to great. There's not any major emotional or dramatic scenes, just a genuine friendship between these two played out. The main point is that they were believable and you ended up liking these characters.

I was very pleased with this movie and happy that I finally sat down to watch it. I love quirk witty movies such as these and so it was right up my alley. I'd recommend to anyone else who enjoys those types of movies. I'd say it was similar in some aspects to 500 Days of Summer, just not as upbeat. It was an easy laid back ride to the end. "I think you should think about watermelons when you think about having a cigarette. - That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard, you should win an award" -- All the Days Before Tomorrow.

Welcome to the Rileys

So I had wanted to see this movie since it debuted back at Sundance earlier this year and finally got the chance thanks to a very limited release, with only ten theaters participating. I’m biased as a Kristen Stewart fan which was the driving factor behind seeing this film but it looked to be one of her toughest roles to date, possibly second only to playing Joan Jett, as she was playing a 15 year old runaway stripper/prostitute in good ole’ New Orleans. The movie is an independent character study, which is always appealing to me and the movie actually debuted at Sundance along with Stewart’s portrayal of Jett in The Runaways. The movie has grossed over $115,000.00 domestically, which is not horrible considering it’s only been showing in ten theaters for about 4 weeks. It’s grossed over $240,000.00 worldwide, so it’s interesting to note it’s brining in more revenue overseas.

The movie follows three characters, played by James Gandolfini, Melissa Leo, and Kristen Stewart. Gandolfini and Leo are a married couple, Doug and Lois, dealing with the tragic death of their only daughter in a car accident ten years ago and dealing with a disintegrating marriage. Doug owns a plumbing company and takes the chance to go to a convention in New Orleans where he meets Kristen Stewart’s character, Mallory, at a run down strip club where she offers him a lap dance. Doug and Mallory soon embark on an unusual relationship where they try and mend each other’s wounds, or what they perceive those to be.

The characters in this movie are written very well in my opinion. They are real, unique, and open. Doug and Lois are what seem to be a normal married couple which is sharply contrasted by Mallory, a teenage runaway working at a stripclub and turning tricks to make ends meet. I think it’s difficult to write such a tragic character and still keep a resonance of truth inside that character without coming out with clichéd stereotypes. Mallory somehow comes off as someone much more experienced in the ways of the world than most of us ever will be, but at the same time she is still a child who had no one to teach her the simplicities of life. Doug and Lois, on the other hand, appear to be a happy couple coping with the death of their only child – from the outside. When we are let into their lives, we see it’s only a shell of a marriage left hanging on by a string. Now the plot is believable however implausible at the same time. While in New Orleans , Doug decides to stay for awhile and pays Mallory to stay at her place. I wouldn’t recommend anyone jumping out there to go live with a teenage stripper to find healing. And so obviously some elements of the plot are what I would call implausible, but not necessarily unbelievable. There wouldn’t have been a story without these plot points. I also felt that Lois’ leaving was too rushed and not enough time was spent with all three of these characters together when they were in New Orleans . I believe this is due to the runtime of 110 minutes, and not a fault of the plot. Although it’s hard to tell if it was cut down for time or not.

This movie got right out there and filmed the characters on the streets of New Orleans . It’s not a set built to resemble the city, or even another city with an area that can look similar from certain angles. When Doug arrives, the camera pans out to reveal the entire skyline of modern New Orleans – beautiful. The cinematography in this movie was just that, beautiful. They filmed out there in the rundown ghettos where the movie is set. I think it’s awesome to show that a beautiful story can be set in an environment most of us would look down on. Beauty can be found anywhere, and that’s exactly what the theme of the cinematography shows us in the angles and shots used in this movie. This was a raw movie and the camerawork and score mimicked that tone. We are often left with natural sounds and dialogue instead of an ominous score. The score is subtle and used when necessary to glue the different scenes together. There was a particular scene where Lois was walking out into a field and being outside for the first time in years and the piano keystrokes matched the rhythm of her footsteps. It was a subtle touch, but made this particular sequence very beautiful in my opinion. The actors also look their parts, and I’m mostly talking about Stewart. There weren’t any gobs of makeup or perfect hair making her line of work look glamorous (think Pretty Woman). She looked like she belonged there – bruises and dirty hair included. I’m actually going to attribute this to her performance instead of wardrobe/makeup, but it was great to let these actors be seen in the raw, as it is in real life.

The performances were what drove this movie. Lower caliber actors most definitely could not have pulled this off. It seems most critics out there are in agreement with Leo’s and Gandolfini’s superb performances and then its about split on Stewart’s performance. I’d actually venture to say that Leo and Stewart were at the front and Gandolfini a strong second. Leo becomes this character and we can see her emotions and how she uses her composure to hide them. Her character also deals with an extreme phobia of leaving her house, which she hasn’t done in years. I didn’t feel as thought I was watching Melissa Leo anymore, however that this is truly how she was. Even her posture when she was sitting mimicked her character’s persona. She’s an Oscar nominee for a reason and she proves it here. Gandolfini definitely has the potential to become typecast and that was working against him here. He was able to pull off confidence with his character from the outside, however also a believable vulnerability when he was alone and through his interactions with Mallory. Almost instantly, his locked up fatherly instincts overtake his confident façade and drive his actions with Mallory. The chemistry between Gandolfini and Stewart was believable and could see these two characters leaning on each other. I felt that Lois’ character was thrown in there too soon, but the dynamic becomes palpable between the three and you can almost feel the underlying tension. I wish more time would have been dedicated to showing the three of them together.  So on to Stewart's performance. I'm very aware there are people out there who don't agree with my preferential bias of her as an actor, but I think some props should be given for taking on such a hard role. She had to completely submerse herself in this role. She went with director Jake Scott to an actual strip club to research the atmosphere, which was the right thing to do. Funny, she recalls in an interview that in preparation for the role, she hadn't washed her hair for several weeks and was looking as grungy as ever and they actually offered her a job when they walked in. I think without this 'research' the sincerity of the character wouldn't have been there. She became this person and had everything out there on display, figuratively and literally. She physically submitted herself to this role as well. Not many top paid female actors out there would let themselves be filmed close up in the raw with unwashed hair, bruises, and blemishes galore. The character was raw and gritty, but her performance brought out the subtle beauty within her character's eroded shell. It wasn't just Kristen Stewart spewing fbomb after fbomb and parading around in fishnets, she brought out the emotional side of her character and chemistry with Doug's character, and it felt like there was a genuine bond. I have yet to write something negative about her performances and I really think this role may convince some out there who hold a different opinion than mine on her acting. I still think you can't deny the effort she put into this role and it automatically earns my respect. Well in any event, I'll put this performance right up there with The Runaways. 

So yes obviously I enjoyed this film. I knew I would and I wasn't disappointed in the least. I got everything I want in an indie drama - beautiful simple cinematography and passionate actors. The passion put forth by all those involved in this film, is very evident in the outcome. Obviously, the audience is going to be narrow based on the subject matter. There is a heavy amount of profanity and sexual material, however its not a glamorous look at a stripper's life nor is it one of those stories where she realizes at the end that she wants a different life and enrolls in medical school. It's a real raw look into these characters and how, if only for a short period of time, they are able to help each other emotionally. Who would I recommend this movie to? If you enjoyed The Runaways, this is right up there, however a lot more subtle. Anyone who enjoys a good raw emotional drama set right in the heart of real-life. "Will you please just listen to my proposition? Yes, but the answer is no" -- Welcome to the Rileys. 

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 1

So I had wanted to see this ever since seeing the awe-inspiring trailer many months ago, even though I wasn’t really a Harry Potter fan in the past. I should note that I have not read any of the books, however in preparation for this movie, I did watch the 6 previous films to get caught up. Well, I could write a whole review detailing the numerous records it holds and where it stands on the charts, but I don’t want to bore those few readers of mine more than the review itself will do. So just some basics: This movie broke its own franchise opening record and is the highest grossing opening HP movie of the series with $125 million for this past weekend. It now stands as the second biggest November opener,  6^th biggest opener of all time, and 3^rd biggest midnight opener of all time. So yeah, it did pretty well. I went into this movie with very high expectations from what I’d been hearing.

This movie is part 1 of the adaptation from the last Harry Potter book, and is number 7 in the series. The movie follows the three lead characters, Harry, Ron, and Hermoine, as they leave Hogwarts and are now embarking on their quest to find the remaining Horcruxes in order to defeat the evil Lord Voldemort, as he has now basically resumed power over all of the wizardly governing bodies.

Now, I really have no clue how accurate this movie is to the book or not. Basically, I got to view this film as a movie, instead of an adaptation, with no idea what was going to happen next. The plot had a nice arch and a great finishing point. It felt like a complete movie yet at the same time a part of a larger plot. So the segment this movie covers, felt complete – yet of course leaving you wanting more but still satisfied. It wasn’t a glorified exposition as I was afraid would be the case since there is a Part 2 to follow. There was more time spent on the three leads and their relationship with each other, which is a welcomed difference from the past 6 movies. The plot was not terribly confusing and did a great job of summing up the necessary information without being overtly redundant for those who have viewed the past films. I really enjoyed the humorous moments in the movie as well, and especially the Polyjuice Potion bits. There is a scene which I had already heard words floating around such as, ‘inappropriate’ and ‘unnecessary’ etc. This movie is rated PG-13 and revolves around death and murder, so I don’t think that ‘images of sensuality’ are that far off. This was something a lot different that the romantic subtleties found in the other movies. I believe that this franchise grew up with it’s audience. Was the nakedness necessary? Probably not. They could have easily have been clothed or wrapped in sheets or something of that nature. It’s a little hard to shock me however. On the whole, the plot was more grown up than the rest and much different from the structure of the last movies with a game/main objective to overcome. There are these different things they are searching for in this movie, however it feels more like a journey to the ultimate battle.

Well I enjoyed this cinematography the most out of all the movies. I’m aware that this is most likely resultant of the blue filter employed here as its probably one of my favorite effects. The camera work was smooth and the graphics were really perfectly done. As I’ve mentioned before, the ‘sensuatlity’ scene was riding a thin line, however that was obviously a script decision. The graphic of the two characters was quite pretty and pulled off the intended effect. There was a scene which I wasn’t pleased with how it was presented in the movie; the beach scene with Dobby the elf. It was off pace with the rest of the movie and a lot of time was spent in this scene. It was the only scene without the blue filter and was abundant with warm colors and a different tone than the rest of the movie. The acting and dialogue was fine in this scene, I just thought it was way off pace with the rest of the movie and looked out of place to me. Other than that aspect, this was definitely the most beautiful of the rest of the movies.

I felt like this was the first movie where the director really let the three leads act. Especially in the first few movies, they were just physical representations of their characters and the action and direction didn’t allow them to become their characters. I’ll come out and say that Emma Watson’s performance outshined her two companions. She was genuine and it was a really nice performance to watch. She did an especially great job in the torture scene and when Ron returns. It was interesting that the ‘mudblood’ cut wasn’t originally in the script and something Helena Bonham Carter and Emma Watson worked out. That’s not to say the boys weren’t good. Rupert Grint especially came out of his shell for this movie and was actually emotional, instead of the comic relief. Daniel Radcliffe also was able to break free and show some emotion, and his part was pretty difficult considering the opening Polyjuic Potion scene. I’ve felt that in the last couple of movies, the romantic connections felt very forced in the movies – and it still does unfortunately in my opinion. Harry’s connection feels completely unnatural. The Ronmoine doesn’t feel as artificial, but you can really only see it from Emma Watson’s performance, it’s definitely one-sided there. I’m not sure how important these romances are in the books, but they came off as very unnatural in the movies, in my opinion. Helena Bonham Carter was one of my favorite actors in the movie. She gets completely into character and really shines in the scenes she was in.

So, wow. Being such a high grossing movie, it warranted a long review right? Overall, I really enjoyed this film. I was expecting something just sensational because of the hype and I wasn’t that disappointed. I could see this movie again. It had a great (almost)constant beautiful tone and was an exciting story leading up to what should be a fantastic series end. There are a few things that I may have changed myself, but everything else was done so nicely, that it doesn’t really matter. I may have even now jumped onto the nerd wagon and am contemplating reading the books. So this review comes from a non-HP lover/nerd and I still thought it was a great movie. It wasn’t childish and was unique when compared to the other films. “These are dark times, there is no denying.” – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1.

You Again

So this movie looked semi-cute possibly but I really had no intention of seeing in the theater. Thanks to the horrible movie releases just prior to Halloween, I literally had no choice but this movie for our Movie Mondays club. I think Kristen Bell is just the cutest and if they could get Sigourney Weaver and Jamie Lee Curtis, it couldn't be that bad right? The movie opened at number 5 and brought in more than $8 million it's opening weekend. To date, it's already surpassed it's meager $20 million budget and has grossed over $29 million worldwide. Gotta love the tagline, 'what doesn't kill you . . . is going to marry your brother'.

The movie centers around Kristen Bell, a former high school nerd, who comes home to find out that the girl who bullied her is now going to marry her brother. She then plots to reveal his fiance's true character. Sigourney Weaver and Jamie Lee Curtis play the future in-laws and also former high school rivals. Betty White is thrown in there as well to add to the mix.

The plot is what you would expect from a bland generic romantic comedy of this nature. The laughs aren't anything extraordinary and there is a lot of situational comedy, some that don't pan out (i.e. the rehearsal dinner song/speech) and some that are humorous. The characters are obviously one-dimensional and highly cliched. The plot isn't very realistic however it's believable enough for what it is.

The movie was filmed on par with this genre. The soundtrack was upbeat and energetic, but nothing stylized or download worthy. Everything was executed nicely, but again nothing special here to talk about.

Kristen Bell does a nice job, and is mostly humorous in all of her scenes. Sigourney and Jamie Lee are naturals and they play well off each other. Betty White is Betty White. They are some fine actors, it's just hard to overcome generic writing. The actress who played the fiance' was pretty horrible, I must say. It seems as though she is a model doing her first acting gig? She's very pretty, but she delivers her lines in the way one would expect to see in a commercial or maybe a school play. I wouldn't be surprised if this was her first acting job ever. I don't want to sound too judgmental, but she was not even close to these other actors.

I remember seeing this movie, back when it was called When in Rome. It is pretty much the same movie with some details changed. All kidding aside, overall, it was a semi cute movie. Perhaps it would make a good rental, if there's nothing else out. I would not run to the theaters to see it. So for those out there who enjoyed When in Rome, I would recommend this movie. "Two scoops of crazy with a side of coo-coo-cashoo" -- You Again.

Legend of the Guardians

So I actually can't write a full review for this movie and I will explain why. I had zero desire to see this movie at all. It was a horrible time for movies for a horrormoviephobe such as myself, and I decided it would be nice to take the kiddos to see this movie. Its an animated PG movie about owls. Perfect, right?

Well it did not capture the interest of the kids, nor did it capture mine. We ended up leaving the movie pretty early on. 

Now, from what I did see of this movie, I'm a little perplexed as to who the target audience was. There were elements of violence, slavery, death, captivity, and war, among other things, I picked up in the first several minutes of the movie alone. This was in no way appropriate for a child audience and it was not fun enough to keep their attention - obviously. 

As an adult, it did not seem to keep my attention, it was about owls for goodness sakes. I didn't see any humor in the movie, which is what is expected nowadays it seems from an animated movie. 

I will say the graphics were beautiful. A lot of time and effort were spent on the details. Unfortunately, the plot seemed a little too heavy and dark and really missed the target in my opinion. 

Granted I didn't see the movie and this is all based on a little slice of the movie that I did partake in. However, it literally failed to keep this audience entertained in the slightest. 

That aside the movie has already grossed over $129 million with a budget of only $80 million, so it obviously found an audience somewhere. How? I'm at a loss. Perhaps, the movie really picked up and did a 180 exactly after the part we walked out on.

Red

So I had actually been wanting to see this movie since I heard about it mainly because of the oh so impressive cast. I was also hoping it would be a success for Summit . I ended up seeing it as part of the Movie Mondays Film Club. It opened up on October 15 and made over $21 million on it’s opening weekend.

The plot is about a rag-tag team of retired special ops agents consisting of Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, John Malkovich, and Morgan Freeman. Also rounding out the impressive cast are Mary-Louise Parker, Richard Dreyfuss, and Brian Cox. The team reassembles to save Bruce Willis when he becomes a target on a hit list for super deadly assassins.

I’m always concerned when an action movie is only PG-13 and needless to say I had reservations going into this movie as well. Somehow they were able to pull off believable action and violence, more or less, in this movie. The plot was interesting enough to keep you entertained throughout, although there were several cliché’s strewn about. The plot was basically character driven and they were what kept my attention. The characters were unique and plausible. They were quirky enough to remain likeable although I suspect this outcome was more a result of the actor’s abilities rather than the script and dialogue.

The editing in this movie was nicely done and right on pace with the plot. There really weren’t any lags in action and nothing felt out of sequence. There were some pretty awesome action sequences that were done very well in this movie, in particular there was a shot were Bruce simply stands up from a moving car. It was seamless. I liked the director’s attention to the cinematography in this movie, while it was nothing extremely special, it was thoughtful. There was one shot in the car with Bruce Willis and Mary-Louise Parker than pans from the back of the car to the front and turns around to face the actors, all in one continuous shot! So instead of just cutting from a shot in the back of the car to the front, he had a camera run along a track on the ceiling of the car ( I must assume ) in order to get this shot. I always love it when they don’t choose the easy way out in regards to cinematography. While I’m certain, this shot will go unnoticed to almost everyone, I really enjoyed it.

Like I’ve already mentioned, the entertainment factor came from the actors in this movie. It was just a delight to watch these highly experienced actors work with each other. Even though this cast has achieved a cumulative number of three Oscar wins and at least nine nominations, they all have a priceless aptitude for comedy as well. I wouldn’t call this a laugh out loud comedy, but it was quite humorous. I really enjoyed Helen Mirren and John Malkovich in this movie. I’d read that they originally wanted to get Meryl Streep for her part, and while who doesn’t love Streep, I’m so glad they went the other direction.

Overall, I was a little surprised that this movie was as well done as it was. I was a little scared coming into the movie but somehow they were able to pull off a humorous yet believable PG13 action movie. What’s even more surprising is they pulled it off with a budget of only $58 million. I was thoroughly entertained with this movie. “Time to open up the pig” – Red

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

So I had finally submitted to watching The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo earlier this year and really loved it. I also loved the second movie in this trilogy, The Girl Who Played with Fire. Naturally, I was ecstatic that I was getting the chance to see this third one in the theater. I was excited for this film and went in with high expectations. I should note that I haven’t read any of the books these films are based on.

This movie finds the infamous Lisbeth Salander while she is recovering in the hospital following her injuries sustained in the last film. She also finds herself charged for the ‘crimes’ she committed in the second film as well. Michael Blomvkist works diligently with his magazine, Millenium, to uncover government secrets and prove Salander’s innocence in the film.

Now, I haven’t read the books and this may have been an extremely exciting story on paper, however in film, I found it quite boring. To me, it felt like a glorified ending of the second film. I was expecting a new and interesting story, as in the first two films. The plot spent a lot of time on the details of the conspiracy aspect of the story, which I found a little excessive. I would have much rather seen the plot focus on Michael and Lisbeth’s characters, however Lisbeth was in only a handful of scenes. There were some great revenge aspects of the movie which felt in keeping with the first two movies, but again this plot was just overall lackluster and the ending was very anticlimactic.  

The cinematography was on par with the first two and I especially liked the wardrobe/makeup of Lisbeth in the court scenes. The use of Apple computers was also awesome in my opinion, and in keeping with the first two.

The actors did a good job in this movie despite the boring plot, and especially Noomi Rapace and Michael Nyqvist. They were in keeping with their characters. Rapace was a little more subdued in this movie than the other two, possibly from the things her character had recently gone through? However, her character has been through the ringer in the past and I wouldn’t see her losing any of her spunk over the recent events. I actually didn’t find that the actor (Georgi Staykov) playing Zalachenko pulled off that character, he was not believable to me as having as much power as he supposedly had.

Overall, I think that the reason I was disappointed in this movie is I was expecting a new plot instead of a continuation of the last one. I was entertained and my interest was held, although I believe partly because I was waiting for the big action parts to occur. I guess if I remove myself from my disappointment, it wasn’t a terrible movie and was probably entertaining as a court drama, but in comparison to the other two it just wasn’t as unique and ‘badass’.  “I’m willing to answer your questions. You didn’t ask a question.” – The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest.