The Exploding Girl

So this was a netflix recommendation that I sat down and watched. I find that the largest selection of movies I view nowadays depend on whether or not they are available instantly. In any event, this movie was an independent character study, for which the female lead won the award for best actress at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2009. The movie was produced with only a budget of $40,000.00 and has made over half of that to date.

The movie stars Zoe Kazan as Ivy, an epileptic college student who returns to her mother's city apartment during one summer in college. She deals with an absent boyfriend while another childhood friend crashes on their couch as his parents rented out his room for the summer without informing him.

The plot is very simple and believable. There's not a lot of action or plot arcs. It's simply about this character at this time in her life. She is written very well. She is complex, fragile, and strong at the same time. The other characters are a bit static and one dimensional, but they serve their purpose. On the other hand, the plot was very simple and there weren't any real arcs, besides the beginning and ending of a summer. It was a double edged sword; it was believable because there wasn't a plot but then it was pretty anti-climactic because there wasn't a plot.

The movie is filmed quite nicely. There were some great steady smooth shots. The cinematography was laid back and in keeping with the movie. There was a sequence on a rooftop with a flock of birds flying in close proximity in the background which was probably my favorite in the movie.

Zoe Kanan absolutely did a great job with this character. It was a perfect fit. I felt as though she was the character. Mark Rendall, who plays her childhood friend, also did a nice job. He was the quiet loyal friend and was believable. His character wasn't explained very well, but at least he was believable.

Overall, this is exactly what an independent character study should feel like. It was genuine and didn't have any over the top quirkiness. It wasn't hip just for the sake of being hip, which can become annoying in some independent movies such as this. It was subdued and didn't try to be anything other than what it was. This will definitely be for a select audience who likes these kinds of small quiet movies. I found it fairly enjoyable, it wasn't anything extremely special or memorable. It didn't have much of a purpose but just was.

Trucker

So I had this movie on my Netflix queue forever and after finding some coveted free time, was finally able to sit down and watch it. It's a little indie film about a woman big rig driver and it's won plenty of awards. It's also the directorial debut for James Mottern, who also wrote the script. I was sold. It only opened in a modest 13 theaters early last year and made about $55,000.00. 

The film follows a young female big rig truck driver, played by Michelle Monaghan. She's a tough hard working woman who suddenly must bring her 11 year old son back into her life which she left with her ex-husband some ten years prior. 

What attracted me to the film was first the plot. It was refreshing and a unique take on normal feminist roles. I think it's hard given the nature of the plot to not have any stereotyping in the movie and I'll admit there is some. There's some cliches that popped up here in there through the course of the movie, but nothing that detracted much from the genuine-ness. We're dealing with a rough grungy mother who's abandoned  her only son for ten years with little-to-no contact. There isn't some big scene where she realizes the error of her ways and breaks down with a revelation, thank goodness. The characters were well written and borderline complex. Especially the kid. His character had great dynamics with each of the parental figures in his life. Monaghan's character was fragile and tough at the same time, but not unbelievably so. The dialogue was a little bit bland and predictable, but it wasn't too bad. 

The shots in the movie were beautiful. There were some great wide landscape shots with great color in them. There was also a particularly awesome moving shot which went along with Monaghan's character while she was driving the rig and then panned backwards while rolling to show that she was really driving the rig herself. It was beautiful. They could've easily got a shot of her 'driving' while being pulled  on a trailer and cut to a shot from behind to 'show' she was driving, but they did it the hard way and the result was much better. I'm obviously a big fan of those shots that don't take the easy way out. 

This was definitely a make or break role for Monaghan and she had her work cut out for her. It's hard to imagine such a beautiful and personable actress becoming this raw foul-mouthed truck driver and somehow pull of a vulnerability as well. Somehow she did it. In the beginning of the film, it feels a bit shaky but you can't take your eyes off her. By the end, she was the character. Throughout, she seemed genuine - more or less. She did a good job. The kid was excellent. Very precocious. Nathan Fillion really seems to be typecast as the go to guy for the good looking male part. He did a nice job, as he always does. Bejamin Bratt was unnecessary in the movie, aside from one emotional scene with the kid. His role was vital and had enough time dedicated to him, I think they could've gone with a no-name actor just as easily though. 

Overall, this became one of those movies that just sticks with you. I ended up watching it a second time to see what I had missed the first. It was a low key different movie. Yes, it pulls at your heart strings but it feels genuine most of the time. There's bits and pieces of stereotypes and cliche's thrown in there but it doesn't ruin the movie like you'd expect. This was a nicely made movie and very impressive for a directorial debut. "there's only a couple of reasons to get a hotel room on the road and this ain't one of them" -- Trucker. 

Blue Valentine

So I was more than excited to finally get to see this movie when it went wide in my city finally. I had been hearing nothing but rave reviews, the trailer looked amazing (and was edited quite nicely I must say), and these two actors have been doing so well recently that I was in abundant anticipation for this film. The movie took a long time for the director to pull off, around 13 years. It was a labor of love and that's exactly what kind of films deserve this type of attention. It's grossed over $4 million worldwide in it's short run so far and has now quadrupled it's $1 million budget. That's pretty impressive considering it's only opened up in 230 theaters domestically and these are two household name actors.

The film is billed as a contemporary love two between a young married couple, played by Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams. It tracks their relationship throughout it's different stages.

This movie has been called many things; 'anti-love', 'real love', 'what happens after happily ever after'. In any case, it is exactly what it claims to be; a contemporary love story. There are no Hollywood cliche's found in this movie. There's no sugar coating any of the subject matter. Heck, it was slapped with an NC-17 rating which they had to appeal to get it knocked down to rated R. These characters were written very well. They were dynamic and had their own personalities. They evolved throughout the story, which is quite rare and hard to do in two hours. The story was written well, with arcs and climaxes without being cliched and predictable. It felt real. Very real. This felt like a true story about these two people being reenacted on screen. The dialogue was written well and kept pace with the movie. There wasn't a lot of action but the pace still flowed smoothly and didn't drag.

The movie was filmed quite beautifully. The color correction in the movie was breathtaking and the lenses were perfect. The color themes of the different scenes matched the mood and helped to keep the movie consistent while weaving through time in the plot. It shows you that you don't need millions of dollars to film a beautiful movie. The wardrobe and makeup was also quite nice and fitting with this movie. They truly made Ryan Gosling look old and middle-aged. Although I'm not convinced that his hair would have receded so far in only about 5-6 year, give or take.

The amazing thing about the movie, besides the plot, was the fantastic acting. Ryan Gosling has really done quite well with his roles in his book of work. He really became this character and you could see how he was feeling and where his motives lay. He was able to play this character at different stages of his life and still be the same person but different, affected by time and experience. You'd think that they actually filmed this at different stages in his life if you didn't know better. Michelle Williams proves she's so much more than Dawson's Creek. She's also been doing great roles recently. They actually pushed the filming of this movie back from 2008 due to Heath Ledger's death so they could keep her in this role. Great decision. She had a wonderful dynamic with Gosling and you could see both of these characters in each other.

Overall, it was a fantastic movie. With this much media attention, you might find yourself expecting some sort of gut-wrenching emotional raw drama - but that's not the case. This is real acting. It feels real. Life is subdued and anti-climatic. You might also expect some fast paced type of plot that just pops on screen, but that's also not the case. It's not some crazy far-fetched plot that will have you talking for days. Again, it's simply a real plot. It's as if these characters weren't fiction. The acting also makes the movie superb. It proves that cliches, millions of dollars, and crazy plot twists aren't necessary for a great movie. If you're looking for a real movie about a real relationship, then it's for you. As for the R rating, I didn't find this movie any more explicit that any other R movies. Where the NC17 came from, I'm not sure. "I like how you can compliment and insult somebody at the same time, in equal measure" -- Blue Valentine

Blue Valentine

So I was more than excited to finally get to see this movie when it went wide in my city finally. I had been hearing nothing but rave reviews, the trailer looked amazing (and was edited quite nicely I must say), and these two actors have been doing so well recently that I was in abundant anticipation for this film. The movie took a long time for the director to pull off, around 13 years. It was a labor of love and that's exactly what kind of films deserve this type of attention. It's grossed over $4 million worldwide in it's short run so far and has now quadrupled it's $1 million budget. That's pretty impressive considering it's only opened up in 230 theaters domestically and these are two household name actors.

The film is billed as a contemporary love two between a young married couple, played by Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams. It tracks their relationship throughout it's different stages.

This movie has been called many things; 'anti-love', 'real love', 'what happens after happily ever after'. In any case, it is exactly what it claims to be; a contemporary love story. There are no Hollywood cliche's found in this movie. There's no sugar coating any of the subject matter. Heck, it was slapped with an NC-17 rating which they had to appeal to get it knocked down to rated R. These characters were written very well. They were dynamic and had their own personalities. They evolved throughout the story, which is quite rare and hard to do in two hours. The story was written well, with arcs and climaxes without being cliched and predictable. It felt real. Very real. This felt like a true story about these two people being reenacted on screen. The dialogue was written well and kept pace with the movie. There wasn't a lot of action but the pace still flowed smoothly and didn't drag.

The movie was filmed quite beautifully. The color correction in the movie was breathtaking and the lenses were perfect. The color themes of the different scenes matched the mood and helped to keep the movie consistent while weaving through time in the plot. It shows you that you don't need millions of dollars to film a beautiful movie. The wardrobe and makeup was also quite nice and fitting with this movie. They truly made Ryan Gosling look old and middle-aged. Although I'm not convinced that his hair would have receded so far in only about 5-6 year, give or take.

The amazing thing about the movie, besides the plot, was the fantastic acting. Ryan Gosling has really done quite well with his roles in his book of work. He really became this character and you could see how he was feeling and where his motives lay. He was able to play this character at different stages of his life and still be the same person but different, affected by time and experience. You'd think that they actually filmed this at different stages in his life if you didn't know better. Michelle Williams proves she's so much more than Dawson's Creek. She's also been doing great roles recently. They actually pushed the filming of this movie back from 2008 due to Heath Ledger's death so they could keep her in this role. Great decision. She had a wonderful dynamic with Gosling and you could see both of these characters in each other.

Overall, it was a fantastic movie. With this much media attention, you might find yourself expecting some sort of gut-wrenching emotional raw drama - but that's not the case. This is real acting. It feels real. Life is subdued and anti-climatic. You might also expect some fast paced type of plot that just pops on screen, but that's also not the case. It's not some crazy far-fetched plot that will have you talking for days. Again, it's simply a real plot. It's as if these characters weren't fiction. The acting also makes the movie superb. It proves that cliches, millions of dollars, and crazy plot twists aren't necessary for a great movie. If you're looking for a real movie about a real relationship, then it's for you. As for the R rating, I didn't find this movie any more explicit that any other R movies. Where the NC17 came from, I'm not sure. "I like how you can compliment and insult somebody at the same time, in equal measure" -- Blue Valentine

The Dilemma

So I had thought this movie looked semi-entertaining. Heck it boasted a nicely rounded cast of three good actors. It's also Ron Howard's first comedy in over ten years. This movie had great potential. It opened in the number #2 spot this past weekend and has taken in over $20 million, with a budget of $70 million.

The movie follows the lives of two couples, played by Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Connelly and Kevin James and Winona Ryder. Vaughn's character catches Ryder's character cheating with another man, Channing Tatum. Now he deals with his 'dilemma' of whether or not to tell his best friend about his wife's infidelity.

This movie was a hit or miss, and unfortunately was a big miss. The plot didn't seem to make up it's mind on whether it wanted to be a comedy or a drama. Vaughn's character has a monologue with God where he starts crying but then wraps it up with some un-funny jokes. It just went back and forth searching for what it wanted to do with these characters. Pile that on to a horrible predictable and cliche'd plot arch, and you've got a seriously unfunny comedy movie. If a movie is going to be grossly predictable, it better be laugh out loud funny. This was not the case. There were several little bits that produced a little chuckle here and there, but nothing I couldn't do without. The women's character were extremely undeveloped and there was no need to have such great names as Winona Ryder and Jennifer Connelly fill those shoes. These minor characters could've easily gotten the job done with no-name actors. Oh, I forgot to mention Queen Latifah was in the movie, which is probably how the conversation went between the producer and screen writer went. It was as if they wrote her character in at the last minute - an extremely unnecessary character at that. She didn't progress the story and her lines were not funny. There was no point in her character. Overall, this plot was a major bust on many levels.

There were some great songs in this movie. Oh and the cars were very pretty. That's about it on the technical side.

Now, to go back to what was mentioned about the plot, that's not to say that the actors did a horrible job. Vaughn was Vaughn. The same character he's played in all of his recent movies. Connelly and Ryder were genuine in their small parts. Kevin James was what you'd expect as well. Unfortunately, their comedic timing couldn't help the dialogue. There were several instances where I literally cringed when a bit just dropped silent where there was obviously a spot for the audience to respond.

I'd say that Ron forgot he was doing a comedy movie halfway into the movie and just pieced what he had together. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this movie. The elements just didn't come together like he planned I'm sure. "you killed my fish" -- The Dilemma

The King's Speech

So I was overly excited to see this movie. History + Colin Firth + Helena Bonham Carter = something awesome. From the trailer alone it's obvious there's going to be some great acting within, and not to mention it was already garnering Oscar buzz. The movie's already grossed almost $80 million, almost surpassing it's $15 million budget sixfold.

The movie is a period piece set around the early part of the last century and follow's England's King George VI's ascension to the throne mirrored by his progress towards overcoming a speech impediment he's had since youth. Firth plays the King and Carter the Queen. Geoffery Rush his speech therapist and Guy Pearce his brother.

I enjoyed how the plot was encompassing of his ascension to the throne and beginning of WWII however it was also focused on his journey to overcome his stammer. The historical facts were not the main focus of the movie, however a backdrop and used to correlate with his progress in his therapy. The characters were well written and unique, instead of being historically idyllic as in many period pieces. It really felt as though we were watching a normal man struggle to overcome adversity, and yeah by the way he also becomes king to a nation in trouble and helps brings a nation together in the face of despair.

The cinematography was done quite nicely. There was some very interesting long wide angle shots and close up wide angle shots, which I found peculiar. I'm not sure it was something I would have utilized however I believe it was so that these characters, and more importantly their flaws, were right up there - full frame - for the audience to see. There wasn't just a sort of mumbling stammer you can hear but not see in long shots of Firth's character, it was a full blown out shot to see every detail. I did like the way those shots were used. The set design was especially spot on. It wasn't cliche'd and grandiose as one would expect from a period piece about the royal family.

The thing that stood out in this movie was obviously the acting. Most often than not, there is an element that drives a movie, and in this case it was the superb acting. Firth deserved that Golden Globe for best actor that he received, and dare I say the Oscar as well. It's never easy to physically take on a role with a speech impediment and not only did he nail it, he gave his character conviction. He was genuine and became a different person on screen. He was King George. Helene Bonham Carter also did a fantastic job, but goodness when has she not? She was exactly what I was expecting and just commands your attention and respect. I found Guy Pearce's portrayal of King Edward VIII very entertaining. Something that I hadn't seen him do before and he did it really great. Geoffery Rush also was excellent in his role. He worked really well with Firth and gave his character realness to him.

Overall, I was extremely satisfied with this movie. And I actually got exactly what I was expecting, er hoping, from my preconceived ideas. It is a must for a history lover or a Firth fan. I think it should prove entertaining even for those who run from history since the history part of the movie really sneaks it's way in there so you don't realize it until the end. Best movie of the year? Quite possibly, much better than The Social Network anyways, in my opinion. "Timing isn't my strong suit" -- The King's Speech

The Fighter

So I had wanted to see this movie ever since I reluctantly watched the trailer from being prompted by my movie site. The premise did not sound like something I wanted to see, however after watching the trailer, I knew it would be something different than the normal rags to riches heartwarming sports story - there was going to be actual dramatic performances in this movie. Not to mention how much I respect Christian Bale, Melissa Leo, and Amy Adams as actors. When the movie went wide, it opened up in the number 4 spot and has already earned almost $50 million domestically which about doubles it's $25 million budget. 

The plot follows the real life story of two brothers who rose to fame with their boxing careers in the early 90's. Bale plays the older brother turned trainer dealing with addiction who helps his younger brother, played by Wahlberg, rise up and ultimately get a shot at becoming the world welterweight champion. Melissa Leo plays the mother of the two brothers and Amy Adams plays Wahlberg's girlfriend. 

The plot is based off actual events and I suppose it fairly accurate, given the family was involved with the making of the movie. I really enjoyed how the plot was more about the relationships within instead of being a historical recount of events. The characters were flawed, but endearing. They were complex with different dynamic and motives throughout. 

The cinematography was nicely done. The sets and wardrobe were spot on with the 90's setting. I enjoyed how the boxing scenes were shown through the low quality broadcast video. There hasn't been many, if any, sports movies that actually had me waiting in suspense for the outcome of a game - or match in this instance. But by the final match, I found myself actually rooting for this character. 

The thing that made this movie great was definitely the performances, which is evident from the trailer. Obviously Bale submitted himself to this role and completely takes on this character. Physically and emotionally. From the moment you lay eyes on him, you understand what he's living through at this time of his life. He was able to bring a performance to the character and actually earn some sympathy instead of just playing a cliched crack addict. His was a poignant performance for his career. I thought that right up there with him was Melissa Leo. She's an Oscar nominated actress and it shows in this role. She becomes a character completely different than herself. I felt like I was watching a real life nosey Jersey mother, and forgot this was a highly distinguished actress. She also became this character. Bale and Leo were definitely at the top of their games in this one. Amy Adams was really great as well. She was believable and submitted herself for the role. They had her gain weight for this, which I don't think was necessary. She still looked and acted great. Wahlberg was a little static, but then again his character was the stable one in the movie so that sort of made sense. Other than the physical aspect of the movie, this wasn't really anything we haven't seen him do before. He's definitely easy on the eyes, but he unfortunately didn't come close to touching his coworkers in this one. 

I came out really enjoying this film, despite my apparent disdain for most inspirational sports stories. This was about the characters and their relationships - the boxing was secondary. Aronofsky dropped out of directing this film to make Back Swan, which is very interesting. This could have been a much darker movie. I'd recommend this film for anyone looking for a dramatic non-action movie that still had genuine suspense and entertainment. "I've heard a lot about you.' 'I've heard a lot about you too'. 'What's that supposed to mean?'. 'Same thing you meant' -- The Fighter.

True Grit

So I had wanted to see this movie despite my severe negative reaction to the last Coen Brothers project, A Serious Man. This movie looked like it had great potential to have some great performances. I'm not a Western aficionado or anything and really have no expertise on that area of movies. The movie opened up in the number two spot and has already earned more than $91 million, just domestically. It's already more than doubled it's $38 million budget. 

The movie follows the character of the rough-around-the-edges U.S. Marshall, Rooster Cogburn - made famous by the late John Wayne. Cogburn is hired by a teenage girl to help track down the murderer of her father and unknowingly also enlists the help of the quirky Texas Ranger, played by Matt Damon. Josh Brolin and Barry Pepper help round out the cast. 

I don't know how this plot compares to the original movie. I enjoyed the different dynamics between the characters, which were more or less believable overall. The line between good and bad was not as clearly delineated in most other movies, which I preferred. The plot was not too complex with the different dynamics going on around. It was a fairly simple plot when you think about it, but doesn't seem mundane when watching it. The characters were well written and unique. There were some cliched flaws within the characters and they weren't very complex other than most not being clearly good or bad in nature. 

The cinematography was done nicely. There were only a few instances of the cliched dissolves of horseback riding across the plains that I could have done without. The locations were very beautiful with the film used. The score was a little sappy for my taste, however is almost a requirement for a western movie. I also wasn't a fan of the narration in the movie. Narration is a hard thing to pull off without becoming trite, and I don't think they were successful. 

Jeff Bridges was Jeff Bridges. I've never seen John Wayne as Rooster Cogburn, so I don't know if this was an impersonation, or if Bridges added anything to this character. He does as good as job as one would expect from Jeff Bridges. Matt Damon didn't bring the movie down, which I was afraid of. He did an okay job. The girl was obviously very precocious and did amazing considering her age. I'm a big Barry Pepper fan and really loved his role, he gave it some personality and spunk. Josh Brolin was quite different than what I'm used to seeing him as. I respected the unique speech and physical approach he used with his character. 

Overall, I came in with reservations because of the last Coen movie I'd seen plus the fact that it was a Western movie, which I'm not the biggest fan of. I was entertained with this movie. I don't think it was a cinematic masterpiece, but the characters were interesting enough to capture my attention for the span of the movie, and there was actually some genuinely funny parts to the movie. I'd recommend to anyone who enjoys Western films, otherwise it might make a good rental movie, if you're in the right mood. "If them men wanted a decent burial, they should've gotten themselves killed in summer" -- True Grit