Smashed

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So, I had wanted to see this movie since seeing trailers for it earlier this year on pretty much ever indie movie that's come out. Learning that Nick Offerman AND Megan Mullally were both in it was the nail in the coffin for me and I was uber excited when it finally arrived at my local Redbox. This was a little indie film that made it's way to 50 theaters last year and brought in about $350k.

The movie centers around Mary Elizabeth Winstead (think 'Ramona' from Scott Pilgrim) who is a young married schoolteacher who also happens to be an alcoholic. She is married to Aaron Paul (who I believe is from Breaking Bad? Not an expert on television shows). As she realizes that her drinking has become a problem and things start getting scary instead of just embarassing, she enlists the help of Nick Offerman and Octavia Spencer and enters a program to get sober. She soon realizes that things aren't as black and white as she hoped once  sober.

I've seen plenty of movies dealing with alcoholism, but I enjoyed how this story played to the
younger audience. It also didn't romanticize sobriety like most movies do. Everything wasn't magically better once sobriety was attained, and in fact, things were harder for this character. There wasn't as much comedy as I expected, but the humor that was there was worth it.

This movie was shot as I would expect for an indie movie on this scale. Lots of shallow depth of field shots and hand-held camera movements. I was a little surprised by the wardrobe choices employed with Winstead's character. It definitely was unique. The use of the acoustic guitar for the score was also as I would expect to find.

I've only ever seen Winstead in Scott Pilgrim and her performance in this movie only increased my respect for her talent. She brought it in this movie. You could see her emotions on her face and almost feel her pain. I will say that her and Aaron Paul both play drunk pretty darn well. He also did a stand-up job with his role. You felt annoyed with him at times but couldn't help also empathize with him. Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally were subtly great. I expected that they would have been brought in for the comedic relief but this was not the case. They were actually really great character actors in this film. It was also nice to see Octavia Spencer do something nice and subtle as
well.

I think 'subtle' is a great way to surmize this movie. It wasn't riddled with over-the-top dramatics sometimes paried with substance abuse stories nor was it a romanticized cautionary tale. It was about how there are no 'easy fixes' when it comes to life's problems, be it alcohol or other problems. It was quite enjoyable. I would recommend it to other who enjoy subtle character-driven indie dramas. "Is that pot? Ew no, what do I look like, a hippie? It's crack". - Smashed

On the Road

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So, I had been waiting for a very long time to see this film before I was finally able to view it on vide-on-demand, as Austin was not included in the very limited release it finally got after being picked up by IFC. It has found it's way to only 107 theaters and has brought in about $9 million, but about 90% of that has been from foreign revenue. Despite it's star-studded cast and being an official selection at Cannes, it's only made about $720,000.00 domestically.

As you've probably guessed, the movie is based ont the book of the same name; On the Road by Jack Kerouac. Here's some of the amazing actors in the film; Amy Adams, Steve Buscemi, Kirsten Dunst, Garrett Hedlund, Terrence Howard, Kristen Stewart, and Viggo Mortensen. For those not familar with the book, it is a wildly popular book written on a long continuous scroll by Kerouac about his travels in the late 1940's as he hitch-hiked back and forth across America with his friend. All of the characters were based on real-life people. It was quite the sensation and had a very big impact on it's generation. Since it's launch, it has been regarded as the defining novel of the beatnik generation. (Beatnik? Think jazz, poetry, drugs, sex, black clothes, dancing.)

Years ago, I, myself, attempted to read On the Road. I was unsuccesful in finishing it. I made it about
halfway through. Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood. Or, perhaps, it's more of a generational thing, but I know tons of people my age that love the book. This movie had been in talks about being produced in some shape or form for decades. It took the director, Walter Salles, about ten years to actually get the movie to materialize. The book has a rambling plot, which is the core of the essence, and is so widely loved that the adaptation was tricky to say the least. A lot hindered on getting the right tone to the movie and not necessary getting the right plot points. From the parts of the book I did read, the movie seemed to follow along somewhat accurately. The plot was definitely rambling and more about the connection and tone, rather than storylines.

I thoroughly enjoyed the cinematography in this film. Interesting camera angles were often used over the conventional ones, just like a beatnik would have wanted. The lighting was superb. It gave it that smoky grainy look that fit perfectly with the period being portrayed. The wardrobe, makeup, and hair were perfect without being stereotypical. It was very easy to forget this wasn't really filmed in the 1940's.

I should preface this section by saying that I am a big Kristen Stewart fan and have yet seen a performance of hers that I have not liked, nay, loved. That being said, I have even more respect for her after this performance. This character was quite different than others she has done and it required her to be extremely vulnerable, physically and emotionally. For those critics she has, I think they will enjoy seeing her playing a more extroverted character. She also agreed to a salary lower than $200,000.00 in order to get the movie made. The highest paid actress last year agreed to 'pocket change' because she believed in this film. Awesome. Garrett Hedlund was completely charismatic and vulnerable in his role. As I didn't have any preconceived ideas of these characters, he really made a great Dean Moriarity for me. After reading the book, I actually didn't care much for Kerouac's character much but after seeing Sam Riley's performance, I changed my mind. He brought compassion and character to the role that I didn't see in the book, personally. Amy adams was simply a delight as a frazzled crazy mother. Terrence Howard and Viggo Mortensen both transformed into their characters and seemed as though they had been transported through time. Kirsten Dunst was the perfect choice, in my humble opinion, as her character needed to have the perfect balance of strength
and vulnerability, which she pulled off.

I really enjoyed this movie and I felt the rambling rebellious overtones that, I believe, were the core of the source novel. Being such a highly regarded book however, it is bound to have it's critics I'm sure. I didn't have any preconceived ideas about these characters so I was able to be fully invested in each actor as a believable portrayal. I would definitely recommend this film for fans of the book, to at least see it come to life in a way that has not been done before. For those not familiar with the book, I would recommend for anyone who enjoys character-driven pieces about the spirit of the youth and living outside the confines of society or anyone who enjoys beautifully framed scenes about the American past. "Help me get out of here, all of these people are mad". On the Road.

Les Miserables

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So, I hadn't actually ever gotten into the mood to sit down and watch this movie but I felt compelled simply because of the legit effort put into the making of this film. This is a remake of a 19th century novel turned Broadway hit turned movie. It did it's job and has made $437 million worldwide to date, far surpassing it's meager $61 million budget. Oh, and it won three of the eight Oscars it was nominated for (supporting actress, makeup, and sound). I should preface my review with the admission that I have neither read the book, seen the play, nor viewed any of the previous movies.

Here's a list of the star-studded cast in this film: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne, Helena Bonham Carter, Sacha Baron Cohen. I'm sure I'm forgetting some people, but it's late and I'm tired. The movie is set in 19th century France during a period of political turmoil. It spans many years and follows the lives of several different characters with intertwined lives. Basically, it starts with Anne Hathaway's character, mother-turned-whore-to-support-her-daughter. Then it follows the daughter and her guardian, Jackman and Seyfried, while they're hunted by Russell Crowe. Then Eddie Redmayne comes along and jumps into the mix while trying to fight for the revolutionaries. There you have it, the worst Les Mis synopsis on paper.

I had quite literally no idea what the plot of the movie was other than it involved someone stealing a loaf of bread at some point. There's really not much I can say about the plot since it's just a huge and successful play. Without a doubt, Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter's characters were my favorites.

The effort that went into making this film deserves legitimate respect. I was blown away with the amount of work they put into recording the soundtrack live! Yes, live! They also spared no expense with their sets, wardrobe, makeup, etc. They made this really look like 19th centure France. I really did feel as though I needed a shower after seeing all these dirty characters on my television screen for so long. That being said, I did lose interest in the musical numbers, with one exception. I'm a fan of melody and tune, and this was more of the actors singing their lines. There was maybe one or two numbers that felt like musical numbers. My favorite musical is Singin' in the Rain, so I was underwhelmed with the unsynronised/unchoreographed numbers.

This is my humble opinion: The ten hours I spent watching this movie (slight exaggeration) were
worth it to see Anne Hathaway's two minute song she did after she became a 'lady of the night'. Wow. Crazy. Raw. And, that was her 4th take. The amount of raw emotion in that scene is almost unparalleled, and she was singing. Cohen and Carter were ridiculously entertaining with their comic relief. Jackman literally transformed his body for his role as a famished slave, and he gave an extraordinary performance with crazy amounts of raw emotion as well. I'm a big Redmayne fan, and i thought he was superb, and dreamy. Seyfried and Crowe were also top notch.

I have huge amounts of respect for this film and the actors in it. Did I enjoy it?  Meh. In all honesty, I was a little bored. Perhaps, if I was a fan of the previous incarnations, I would have enjoyed it more. This just wasn't my style of musical movie, and it was a bit lengthy, and a little hard to follow (*this could be attributed to my sleep deprivation). I am a better person for having seen it and will never forget Hathaway's performance. I'd probably recommend this to fans of the broadway versions or people who enjoy lengthy, gritty, period dramas with lots of characters. "I had a dream my life would be so different from this hell I'm living". Les Miserables.