The Other Boleyn Girl

Tonight I saw The Other Boleyn Girl. I felt left out, everyone I knew wanted to see it and I just didn't think it looked that great; reluctantly I went to check it out. This film chronicles the lives the the Boleyn sisters and Boleyn family in regards to their dealings with Henry VIII. The film is based on a book of the same name, and I'm not sure how much is research and how much is dramatic conjection.
Hits:
Mark Rylance- Let me say, amazing. He didn't have much of a part, but, in stark contrast to all of the other actors, he was quiet, took his time, and had several emotional colors/shading interwoven throughout. He was able to do what the other actors in the film weren't which I not sure speaks better for his training and past work or down upon typical Hollywood acting.
Kristin Scott Thomas- Again, a great actor, and stood out just like Mark Rylance. But in addition to all that, her character was likable.
Ann Boleyn's return image- There are dozens of pictures of English people returning from France around this period, and while this particular image wasn't astounding, it was striking.
Misses:
Script- Being based on a book, the scope of the story is very large and encompassing, but in pruning the original text down to a movie, the final product can handle or convey much less. The script seemed to gloss over alot of the personal, emotional moments to push the story forward which, I feel, is the opposite of what the purpose of a movie is, to breath life into a story.
Acting Styles- While Mark Rylance and Kristen Scott Thomas were great, they were so very different from the younger members of the cast that is brought out the lesser training and experience of the ladder.
Score- While it was descent throughout, at the climax of Anne's trial, the score changed to synth, like in Scarface.

While I really went in trying to enjoy the film, I didn't. I feel it left out the very things I like to see when I go to movies and accentuated what has been performed or written about the Tudor dynasty in the past few years many, many times. Furthermore, while I usually really enjoy great acting, the variation of the acting styles made the main actors (the Boleyn Girls and Henry VIII) look unschooled and cheap, and made it harder to watch.

Elizabethtown

I've watched alot of movies lately and most of them more current, but Elizabethtown is what I think is worth writing about. It's not that I like this movie. It's that I feel kin to this movie.
Hits:
Director- Before the movie begins, it has three big wins, and they all stem from Cameron Crow's directorial style. He always chooses real life stories, backs them with phenomenal music, and ties it all together with smart and true dialogue. Cameron Crow is one of my favorite directors and all his talents are throughly used in this film.
Music- Sometimes I want to watch the movie, and sometimes I just want to play it in the background. It's different from a mix tape or soundtrack because it all ties together, and never reaches that note that gets held out because the songs over. I love the music because the songs are more unusual and have more age and soul to them then most movies these days. I also want to point out here that Cameron Crow uses an Elton John song twice in the piece to drive his point home, I think it is a very strong use of music, which I cannot think of another time it was used in this way.
Setting- For some reason, very few films are set in the South, my South. There are a bunch that stereotype the place and there are a bunch that over-dramatize it, but few films tell a story that I can directly relate to; infact, I can only think of one other Junebug right now, if you can think of any more, send me an e-mail or write a comment.
Actors/Casting- I didn't think Orlando Bloom was bad, but he didn't shine because everyone else did such a good job creating this complex but fake world. The character of Jesse (played by Paul Schneider) is one of my favoite parts of the film.
Kristen Dunst- She plays both the broken-hearted angel/lover and the witty sidekick. She is so versitile in this role, and deftly able to move back and forth from hurt to expressive. Furthermore, in this film, she portrays everything I love about girls, and people in general.
Susan Sarandon- Susan Sarandon is my Mom. By this I mean, her and my mother share so many similar atributes, that when I think of my mom in movies and putting her in scrips, Susan Sarandon immediately comes to mind.
Misses:
Orlando Bloom- Not a huge miss here, but he wasn't quite in the swing of it like everyone else was.
Use of Tom Petty Music- This movie uses Tom Petty music to set several scenes, and it works beautifully. But, it build false hope because not one of Tom Petty's CD is good all the way through.
I like alot of movies, and of course I have a top ten list. Elizabethtown is not on it. But I find that I rarely re-watch the films on my top ten list, in fact, I've only watched Godfather four or five times. Whenever I watched Elizabethtown, I end up watching it three or four more times before I put it back on the shelf. This movie really connects with me, and is well worth watching, once with a group of friends/family and once by yourself

Cloverfield; A monster tale

Though I was apprehensive at first, I became very excited about this film. In the end, it did break alot of movie conventions and redefined the concept of how a big monster movie can be made, but it got bogged down where classic monster movies excel. I would say, in the end, I was disappointed by Cloverfield. It is going to be difficult discussing this movie without giving away too much.
Hits:
Opening- This movie began by throwing the audience off the route movie track. It was interesting and intriguing, while still developing the plot.
Monster- Though its origin can be thought out, at least in part, this monster was terrifying, but still believable. I could see this monster walking out of the sea, or sky, and I'd be terrified, but first I'd think, "Dang it, are you telling me no one saw this coming!"
Multiple Attack Patterns- This movie did to monster movies what House of 1,000 Corpses did to slasher films, it kept inventing new ways for passer byes to get hurt. It would have been awesome to see more of the varied attacks instead of focusing so much on the huge lumbering beast.
Military Might- So many films make the military the stone wall that must be overcome. Here, I feel that the military operated in a much more human pattern, wanting to help in what ever way help might be defined.
Camera Motivation- The cinematographer was able to find reasons to shoot a certain angle of an event where the camera move didn't feel forced to move there and told more about the experience of being there that a picture would be able.
Misses:
Film Style- Although innovative, painful at times. The angles and vantage points the hand-held field allowed gave this film an edge over the classics, but ultimately was nearly if not definitely painful to watch.
Acting- The acting in this movie can be compared to the acting found in Saw I. Many may not feel this way, but to me it was distracting and stilted.
Emotional Connection- If a monster is attacking a city, and I know the characters' relationships, I'm good to go for the film. I don't need to see long passages of characters being upset or crying; it gives me no new insight, as my imagination has already compensated and created the grief they feel, and it slows down the motion of the piece, the monster's aren't attacking.
Plot Holes- There are several items in the story which seem to not quite follow the logic of the established guidelines. First off, a monster can destroy Manhattan, but, presumably, cannot cross the water. A rain of small monsters can fall from the big monster, but there are only a handful running in the city. Etc.
Up-Close shot of the Monster's Face- Through the entire movie, the filmmakers were able to avoid directly showing the monster, though it was seen from enough angles to know what it looked like. Then, in the end, there is a close-up of a face that looks like the most simple cross between the things from I am Legend and the Shriekers from Tremors III.

Cloverfield was over-hyped and the production staff spent too much time trying to recreate a genre and ignoring what informed the genre in the first place. I feel that Cloverfield will do to monster films what 28 Days did to zombie films, so for that reason I am very excited about the next crop of monster movies, but what would really excite me would be the entirety of Cloverfield being about a fifteen to thirty minute intro to another film which focused on the aftermath. This film would begin when the monster retreated or died, but now Manhattan is flooded with little monsters, and zombies/exploding people. This way Cloverfield could truly finish the what it started by opening the door to so many attack patterns.
*Additionally*The picture I have posted for this film came from a fan posting on The unofficial Cloverfield Blog

I'm Not There

I'm Not There a.k.a Cate Blanchett plays a drunk/drugged Bob Dylan with other famous actors delivering the odd line and a black boy. This movie reminds me of every reason I want to be a huge celebrity and how much it sucks to have to not be the main event. This movie would have been much better had it been truncated about thirty minutes. I didn't understand the chronology of the film nor did I understand the intended effect on the audience. I do however understand that, if I was 45 or 50, had idolized Bob Dylan as a developing artist, and was slightly pretentious, I would have eaten this film up like some people do Mama Mia. Looking at photos from the film and listening to Bob Dylan as I write this, I get more excited about the possibility of the film than I ever did during the film. None of this is to say that I didn't like the film, there were parts which I did enjoy and I heard several new Bob Dylan songs and renditions that I will listen to for several years to come. Overall, a descent film; better if you are a big Dylan fan or see with a big Dylan fan.
Hits:
The Actors- Each of the actors, except possibly Marcus Franklin, did an amazing job. I'm going to mention my two favorites in greater detail, but they each did a great job.
Cate Blanchett- Although her part of the film had very little arc, Cate Blanchett created an interesting character. Once I got past the fact that it was her, I was able to forget is was cross gender casting, but more than that, or aside from that, she was intreging to watch made great choices.
Christian Bale- A small part with, again, no arc, but Christian Bale was able to create a very interesting character as well. His character choices hindered him, at times, caused him to be locked away from the audience with a difficulty opening up.
Wardrobe- Within the movie there is a scene that takes places in a town where all the citizens are dressed for Halloween. The costumes used in this segment were amazing, especially on child dressed as a tumble weed.
Editing- There were a handful of times throughout the film in which a sound was begun at the end of one scene and then would transform into something else in the next scene or objects would blur to reveal another object. It's a kind of editing that takes more creativity and I enjoy.
Jesus Scene-Despite the entire rest of the film, there is one amazing scene in which Dylan and Allen Ginsberg yell at a statue of Jesus on a Cross. It's short, but says more than is in the text. I wish all scene could be as versatile and yet brief as this scene.
Misses:
Story- What exactly did I watch. Although well acted, I'm not sure what the meaning or plot was. It's an artsy film, where I can create reasons for what happened, but I have no idea what it was supposed to be.
Forced Music-There were several points in this film in which I felt the writer forcing a scene into the script or adding lines into a scene in order to make a certain Dylan song relevant to be played in the scene.
Gender- Cate Blanchett is referred to as both a man and a woman. Make a choice.
Like I mentioned earlier, if I was a bigger Dylan fan or if I went with a big Dylan fan I would have understood and appreciated this film more. I also wish the film hadn't been hyped up to me before I saw it. It's a nice artsy indy film, end of story.

Into the Wild

To begin; I read the book before seeing the movie, so I lacked the anticipation and unknown expectation while watching the film that someone who doesn't know the story might feel. I put off seeing this film because, reading the book, I was off-put by the character of Chris/Supertramp. I will say, although I still don't love Supertramp, the film painted a softer picture of the person than I had read in the book. However, much of this softening can be attributed to less emphasis on those characteristic which are unattractive.
It is hard to comment on this because I left with such a luke-warm feeling about the film as a whole; there were parts of interest and parts of thought, but very few parts of personal/emotional connection. It is worth seeing this film for some of the cinematography and to have the challenges and goals of one's personal life questioned.
Hits
Story- While I don't like the main character and don't agree with most of his choices, for someone to chase their dreams/demons at the cost of their own life and in opposition to the standard/normal way of getting through life, it calls into question the essence of society. Movies with a question for the audience are always worth seeing and thinking about.
Emile Hirsch- While his acting didn't blow me away. He put his body through alot to make this picture. There is one story that when the crew went to shoot the rapids scene they drove past the class 3 rapids he had been prepared and trained to film and stopped at class 5 which he was told they would film him shooting without any dry-runs.
Misses
Character Development- I didn't hate Supertramp, but I didn't really care for anyone in the movie. I felt I was watching dominos fall; interesting to watch, but ultimately a non-spiritual event.

*Additionally* Vince Vaughn is no longer an actor. He has become a personality who is funny, likable, and charming no matter what the role. I cannot see him ever playing Norman Bates again.

On Daniel Day-Lewis

Following my viewing of There Will Be Blood , I was sitting at work and Gangs of New York came on the television. Thus began my research on Daniel Day-Lewis. I still have several movies to see in which he stars, but I'm listing listing below those I have seen and my reaction to them.
I will list them in the order in which I saw them, since seeing There Will Be Blood .
Gangs of New York:
This movie is great. When I first saw it, when I was a senior in High School, I thought it was too drawn out and unfocused. However, Since I have matured, I appreciate the creation of this new world and the time it takes to live in this world. There are very few films in which the director and writer take time, instead of ramming the story down a persons throat before they have a chance to leave. Daniel Day-Lewis branches out in this film and separates himself from any other role I have seen him portray; he portrays both great fear and loneliness while hunted by anger and resentment. There is a direct correlation between Bill the Butcher and Daniel Plainview, there are differences in the character, but watching Gangs a person can see a line from which Daniel Plainview grew.
The Ballad of Jack and Rose:
Although on first watch this film came off as disjointed and more of an authors mouthpiece than a story, it has stayed with me. I find this as a result from most films that try and capture life with very little story or intense plot device. There is always something itchy about watching people being wrung through emotional situations which I can relate directly too. In comparison to all the other films I've seen with Daniel Day-Lewis, in this film he doesn't seem to be acting or putting on a character. That is not to say he comes off as over-acting or consciously acting in the other films, but there is something much more subdued and revealing about this character. I feel that this is the movie to watch in order to see him move about space encountering obstacles as a normal person, not a person facing any outward aggression or obstacles. This is not a great film, but it has moments of humanity that stay with me and might resonate in everyone.

NoteI first watched this film because Paul Dano was in this with Daniel Day-Lewis and, I've heard, this is the reason he was given the opportunity to replace one of the leads in There Will Be Blood when the actor playing the part backed out.
The Boxer:
There Will Be Blood is the first movie I saw knowing Daniel Day-Lewis as an established actor. Although I had seen him in Gangs before, I hadn't known him as someone worth watching. Though I had only seen one film featuring him at the time, I knew Daniel Day-Lewis had done My Left Foot and shortly afterwards found out he was in In the Name of the Father; the first of which he won the Oscar, the ladder he got nominated for the Oscar. Both of these films were directed by Jim Sheridan, he also directed The Boxer.
This film is worth watching commercial free. It's a very Irish tale about a very Irish topic, which the director states 'Americans don't get'. It feels confused, a small real life tale trapped in an action/political film. This is not confused though if the viewer understands that, in Belfast during the dates of the film, real life was part action/political film.
As for his part, Daniel Day-Lewis spent years in training for this part. In my opinion, he took an interesting take on the character. He stated that, before he took the part, he had to try boxing to see if he loved the sport, and if he didn't love the sport he shouldn't tell the story. This is interesting to me because, were it I who had been offered the part, I probably would have looked to see if I liked the travel of the character before I accepted the part. There is one scene which should not be missed. Danny Flynn (Day-Lewis) is approached by his love interest and asked to leave. The writing of this scene is great for a part which poses that the two lovers are doing nothing wrong and won't let others believe they are. Excellent. The acting is great because Day-Lewis almost underplays the scene. It could be a very angry scene, but the suppression/control of the anger is more human. I know alot more people who think than do yell. I really enjoyed seeing Day-Lewis let the scene progress rather than explode.
A Room with a View:
Yes, Daniel Day-Lewis is in this film as well; though I might not have noticed had I not had fore knowledge. This is another film in which Daniel Day-Lewis becomes a completely different character, with its own mannerisms and personality quirks. I watched this movie because I was told it was Helena Bonham-Carter's best work. It's very old, 1985, and she is good in it, but I think she has grown along with her craft. The high point I take away for this film is much like what I took away from The Boxer. I watched these back to back. There is a scene in which Lucy (Bonham-Carter) decides to break her engagement with Cecil (Day-Lewis), thought it was later pointed out to me that much of this can be attributed to the script, Day-Lewis again underplays this scene. Some might attempt a cry or some kind of show of sadness, it almost feels like Day-Lewis expects his audience to identify the emotion without any sign from the actor. Like, "We all know it hurts to have someone you love tell you they don't love you; I'm not in a place to cry, what good would it do anyway; so lets get on with it and feel this together." I like understatement, it works if the rest of the story is strong enough that the viewer is attached to and believes in the character.

Re-post of Top Past Reviews

I moved some of my favorite movie reviews to this new blog extension just in case people missed them they can look over them here. The reviews themselves may or may not be great, but the films are definitely worth checking out.