Never Let Me Go

What if you mixed a merchant ivory film with a sci-fi film? What if Jane Austin had written Logan’s Run? Never Let Me Go is what you would probably get. Based on the popular novel, Never Let Me Go explores topics of love, life and the importance of both.

Writing this review roughly 30 minutes before turning 30 makes me appreciate the fact that I live in the real world and not the world presented in this film. Starring Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield and Keira Knightley this film follows three students of the Hailshem School through the three phases of their short lives.  The world they live in is much like our own with the exception that it  has followed a different scientific route. I am trying to keep as much of the film secret as possible as I feel it works better not knowing exactly where it is going on, however you will know within a few minutes of starting it the direction it is taking.

Never Let Me Go is mostly focused on the love triangle involving the three main characters as they battle for not just their hearts but their very survival. The film is beautiful, haunting, sad and incredibly acute in it’s analysis of our life.

The strongest aspect of the film (other than an amazingly tight script) is the performances of its three central leads. Carey Mulligan is perfectly vulnerable, wise and honest in the main role. Andrew Garfield who I had only previously seen in The Social Network is outstanding in this movie. After seeing him in the Fincher film I thought he was an adequate actor. After this, I think he is going to be a serious player in the future of film. Some of the emotions he hits are very raw and real and done with seeming ease. Rounding out the threesome is Keira Knightley, an actress I previously thought of as cute and serviceable in easy roles. I was very impressed by her work this time .She revealed range I previously thought unreachable for her.

This movie is moving and thought provoking. Director Mark Romanek has crafted a movie I look forward to revisiting very soon.  It is perfect for a couple who wants a little romance and a little something different.

Check out this great MSN video: 'Never Let Me Go' Trailer

Cyrus

 

Cyrus is the pretty entertaining indie comedy from the Duplass Brothers. It is the story of John (played by John C Reilly), a man who has spent the last seven years since his divorce in a tailspin of depression. He is constantly around his ex-wife (Catherine Keener) and her fiancé. At her urging he goes to a party and meets Molly (Marisa Tomei). The two hit it off and start a relationship. Everything is going well until John meets Molly's son Cyrus. Cyrus is a 22 year old unsuccessful musician that lives at home and completely controls his mothers life. Cyrus is played in a more understated performance by Jonah Hill. This is the first time I have seen much potential for growth in Hill's acting ability. He does well going between, funny, sad and completely creepy.

 

The movie works really well because it avoids a lot of the standard romantic comedy clichés. Some of it feels like a Meet The Parents type comedy where everything that can go wrong does and the tension builds and builds. However being from the Duplass brothers the formula is a little skewed and plays out more painfully realistic than painfully over the top. A large portion of the script was improvised. Reilly has a history of being an incredible improviser and does well. It only hurts the film occasionally when some of the scenes can seem to go on just a bit too long. Overall the acting is very strong. The characters though weird are likeable (with the exception of Cyrus). If you are a fan of offbeat comedies this film works well.

The Fighter

David O Russell’s The Fighter is a very well made conventional feel good sports film. I will admit initially I was hesitant to see it. I am not the biggest sports film fan as I feel like they are all pretty much the same. Boxing movies are no exception. I feel like after Rocky 1 and 2, we saw the two ways a boxing movie could end and we have been on repeat ever since. (The obvious exception is Million Dollar Baby and I would have been really surprised if this movie ended the same way.)

The good; the acting is very strong. Christian Bale was exceptional as the drug addled Dicky, brother of Mark Wahlberg’s Mickey Ward. Bale is always like a chameleon in film and this is no exception. The tole this guys body must take jumping between roles Is insane. I was a hug fan of John Hawke’s understated performance as Teardrop in Winters Bone, but I can see why the Academy voted for Bale as he has much showier performance. Melissa Leo is outstanding as Mickey and Dickey’s overbearing terrible mother. The only drawback to her part is she is so despicable it was painful every time she was on screen. Amy Adams plays Mickey’s headstrong girlfriend and is a perfect foil to Mickey’s family. I am starting to think it is impossible for Amy Adams to not be charming and wonderful in every role she takes on.

With all these great performances we get to one bad point. All of these supporting roles are incredibly strong and scene stealing. They make it easy to forget about Mark Wahlberg in the title role of The Fighter, Mickey Ward. He plays his part well and I understand his performance. But when the protagonist of the film is so passive and easily manipulated it can be frustrating. Especially in the midst of all these powerhouses.

The movie is fairly conventional as a sports film. It hits all of the notes you would expect. But it does do it quite well and the ending worked for me big time. Some of the drug abuse storyline with Bale is pretty tame, but it is ok since it is not the main focus of what this movie is. It’s about family and it is most importantly about believing in yourself. While not perfect, you would have to be pretty damn cynical to not be moved by the finale.

Buried

Buried is a movie that could have been a masterpiece of suspense. It definitely had things about it that I admired but I think it failed as a whole to live up to its potential. Instead of a classic, I think it is a fairly solid film that will not be for everyone.

First the good; Ryan Reynolds actually shows some pretty impressive acting chops. I have never disliked the guy; he has been funny in his movies and is always likeable. He has just never been a draw for me to see a movie. Considering 100% of Buried features Reynolds in a coffin, his performance is important. He portrays very well the claustrophobia and terror of his predicament. I commend Reynolds and the director Rodrigo Cortes for taking a film that is simply a guy buried alive and turning it into a very intense movie that is never ever boring. The camera work inside that coffin is very inventive and used effectively to ratchet up the tension.

While the movie is all about Reynolds, there are supporting actors whom we hear on the phone. They are all pretty effective in their various roles, especially considering we never even see them.

The bad; while Reynolds does a very good job acting, the script does him a major disservice. He’s a pretty big jerk. Now I am not going to fault a guy for having a bad attitude when he has been buried alive, but there were many moments in the first 30 minutes of the movie where he frustrated the hell out of me with the way he was talking to people on the phone. I just kept thinking if you would stop screaming at people you may get better help. I have two other complaints. First off, there is a scene involving a snake that pops up in the second act that really strained believability for an otherwise reality based thriller. The last complaint, the film is incredibly cynical. Every possible way a person could screw him over, they do. Every possible way a corporation or the government could be evil it does. I didn’t think the political stuff was completely necessary in this story. None of the politics in the film offended me, I just felt like it made the entire world other than Reynolds character Paul the enemy. It felt like there was no possibility for a light at the end of this dark tunnel.

I would suggest checking this out if you are interested in seeing a Cortes and Reynolds take a risk and do something very different. Just remember the tone is unrelenting (not a bad thing) and desperate. But the pacing and acting are very impressive. The last line of the film is haunting and effective and wraps up the movie very well.

Jack Ass 3D

Sometimes a movie comes along that causes a shift in cinema. Citizen Cane, Pulp Fiction, Toy Story, Easy Rider. These come along at just the right moment with a bold new vision or new way of doing something old. In 2010 Johnny Knoxville and Dickhouse productions released the movie Jack Ass 3D and it was not one of those films.

 

Obviously.

 

However, it was a very funny albeit disturbing experience. I am not sure why I like these movies or what it says about me, but I have to admit, I think they are pretty hilarious. I don't think they are lasting movies and not something I want to watch over and over but, when the credits rolled my cheeks were sore from laughing. That is cheeks on my face by the way, I am just throwing that out there considering the movie I am talking about.

 

Jack Ass 3D does not really need a review. You either think these guys are funny or you don't. I cant imagine someone who doesn't enjoy them at all being convinced by a review that they should spend time watching these dudes embarrass, humiliate, injure and prank one another. I didn't see the film in 3D because I can not stand the 3D trend going on right now and don't feel like anything was really lost for me.

 

If you liked the other two movies this one was on par with them. If you didn't like them or even see them, this one is no different. There is a lot of people getting hit in the crotch, a lot of poop flying, people being injured by animals, ingesting bodily fluids, urinating on each other and a large amount of male nudity. Pretty much it is all very highbrow sophisticated stuff.

127 Hours

127 Hours opens and closes with montages of people in mass. People on the street, people in stadiums, at worship, people interacting and living amidst each other. It is a great contrast to the life of the central character in the film, Aron Ralston. He is a man that is mainly concerned with one thing, himself. Ralston is played brilliantly by James Franco in an Oscar nominated performance. Out of the performances I have seen so far this year, it should have won in my book. The progression his character goes through in this film is brought ot life perfectly. For a movie mainly concerned with a man stuck in a crevice it is amazingly fast paced and engaging.

 

Going into the movie I was excited to see how well the it would work because I was a big fan of James Franco and Director Danny Boyle. This was Boyles follow up to his Best Picture winner Slumdog Millionaire. I had been intrigued by Ralstan's story back in 2003 when it first happened. I was impressed by this man's ability to do the unthinkable to survive, but also always thought he was just kind of an idiot for having gone out there by himself without telling anyone where he was. Franco's portrayal of him really makes the audience connect with Ralstan. As the days go by, Ralstan's struggle to survive becomes more precarious, his hallucinations become more severe, his memories flood into the film and his confessions to his video camera become more and more candid. These devices allow a window into Ralstan's mental and physical life.

 

Boyle and screenwriter Simon Beaufoy do a wonderful job of showing the importance of community and connections with each other by showing a man completely alone. It comments on the effect that selfishness and carelessness with the way we relate to each other can have on our lives. The film does build to the climax that everyone is expecting and possibly dreading. It is shocking and uncomfortable but done in a way that is not sensationalist or just for shock. Most of it is only heard and done just off screen.

 

I highly recommend seeing this film for Boyle's direction, Franco's tour de force performance and a story that is surprisingly emotional and inspiring.

How Long Were The Speeches at the Oscars?

Steve Murray at the National Post put together this infographic regarding the speeches at the Oscars this year. I thought it was interesting, especially the sections in red where the speakers were talking while the band was trying to usher them off of the stage.



Here is a link to the full article:
http://arts.nationalpost.com/2011/02/28/graphic-oscar-speeches-dissected/