I sat down to see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with huge expectations. Somehow all the commercials had made me truly believe I was about to see something epic. This is usually a bad thing. Sports teams, movies, local bands or anything else I try to focus my short attention span on usually crash and burn when I expect them to be great. (Or I’m told by others they’re great.) In the glorious, and quite curious case, of this movie, it was all that I expected and then some.
The movie, which tells the entire life story of a man who is born with the body of an 80-year-old and as his mind grows normally his body ages backward, was directed beautifully by David Fincher, whose genius can be explained simply by saying that he pulled off a scene between a man who looked to be a shriveled up 72-year-old and a cute playful, 8-year-old girl and not only made it innocent but almost made it romantic.
The characters were beautifully cast, with Cate Blanchett as the love interest, Daisy, and Thomas Flemying as the biological father who leaves him after birth but catches up later. If you don’t know who plays Benjamin Button, you are obviously not a real person, and this site is not called Real Reviews for Odd Things Living In The Woods. I would just say you’ve been living in a cave, but even Osama bin Laden knows Brad Pitt stars in this movie.
The scene stealer in my shamelessly biased opinion was Taraji P. Henson, who plays Queenie, the woman who finds Benjamin on the doorstep of the retirement home she runs and raises him as her son. Henson has been one of my favorite actresses since I saw her in Baby Boy and is most well-known for playing the pregnant prostitute who reluctantly sings the hook for the song, “It’s Hard Out Here For a Pimp” in Hustle&Flow. Although that movie was a favorite of mine, and deserved the Oscar attention it got, this movie should bring Henson to the mass and, lets be honest, more diverse audience she deserves.
The movie is also littered with other great characters, such as Tylda Swinton’s Elizabeth Abbot, a woman stuck in Russia for reasons she can’t control and stewing over her dashed dream of being the first woman to swim across the English Channel. Captain Mike, played beautifully by Jared Harris, was another character that played a shorter role than others but made such an impact the movie couldn’t have been done without him.
The thing that made this movie such a curious case for me was an ongoing relationship it held in my mind with another movie: Forrest Gump. As I began seeing actual commercials for this movie I had heard about while they were filming , I remember leaning over and telling whatever sad friend was sitting next to me and putting up with my drunken blabber, “That movie looks like it could do to the first half of the 20th century what Forrest Gump did with the second half.” And maybe it was for this reason that I so quickly began picking up the similarities.
The characters were the main sticking point to this argument I began formulating as I watched. From the similarities between watching Daisy and Queenie grow old, just as we watched Jenny and Sally Field’s mother character grow in Forrest Gump, to the long, Southern drawl of the two main characters. Also, the significance of correspondence between the love interests (postcards) and the way in which historic news was broken to the main characters through news broadcasts truly cemented my belief that someone pulling the strings back there had something to do with, “Run, Forrest, RUN!!” And alas, I come to find out that the screenplay was written by Eric Roth, best known for the screenplay for everyone’s favorite movie quote manufacturer.
This is, when all is said and done, not a bad thing. And the similarities are noticeable but it is far from a rehashing of the Gump story thrown in a different era and given a strange plot twist.
The cinematographer of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Claudio Miranda, deserves a shout out for beautiful scenes, most memorable being the scene in which Benjamin Button is brought in a preacher’s tent and “healed” in front of the congregation, and the shuttle lift-off witnessed by Ben and Daisy in Florida, which has been shown in most of the ads.
As much as I would love to sit here and continue to ramble on about the symbolism, used by Fincher purposely or not, throughout the movie, such as the significance of women removing their shoes and the hilarious character who keeps telling Ben the stories of all seven times he’s been struck by lightning, but this review has gotten far too ridiculous. Hopefully, you walk away from this review thinking what I was thinking when I left Benjamin Button, “Man, that was long…..but it had to be.” And David Fincher used every minute perfectly.
Here’s the test of truly good film. If you can sit in the front row of the theater, craning your neck for 2 3/4 hrs .. and still say it was worth it, then it’s a good film! That’s what happened to me last night. My friend and I got the last two seats for a special screening of “Australia”. We weren’t sure if we would stay, but decided to wait and see once the film started. It didn’t take long for the movie to hook us.. and we knew we were in for the long haul.
I’ll have to admit that while I had seen the trailers and read a few things about the film, I didn’t know what the actual storyline was going to be. It’s based on the now defunct program carried out by the Australian government to remove children of “mixed race” ( Aboriginal and white) from their homes and separate them from the rest of society. These children have been known in the Aboriginal world as “The Lost Generations”.
The film begins with one such child telling the story. This part of the film has a real Baz Luhrmann feel to it. There is comedy, music and spectacle along with a surreal almost “graphic novel” background. Once the story is begun, it never stops. I am not a fan of “almost” 3 hr films, but I wasn’t constantly looking at my watch during this one. There are no “slow” parts. If there is not some real action, there is spectacular Australian scenery to captivate you.
The acting is strong, especially newcomer, Brandon Walters, as “Nullah”. I had read that Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman were uncomfortable with their love scenes because they are friends in real life, however, it looked to me as if they overcame it. There is chemistry between the two. You believe the love story.
There is a wealth of talent in the supporting cast, including the obligatory appearance of Jack Thompson in a perfect role for him. Other familiar faces are Bryan Brown and David Wenham who both succeed in making you totally dislike their characters. One actor who I’d like to see more from is Ben Mendelsohn who played Captain Dutton. I feel that an actor must really being doing a good job if they make me think “I want to know more about THAT character!”. This can be said about “Capt. Dutton”.
There will be times when you cry tears of joy, tears of sadness, times when you will be holding your breath, times you will want to cheer… all of which makes the 2 3/4 hrs fly by.
Title: Batman - The Dark Knight Director: Christopher Nolan Cast: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman Genre: Action/Crime
Julia’s Verdict: 5/5 (*****)
The first day The Dark Knight played in theatres, everyone was talking about it. Everyone went to see it as soon as they could. I was late, but nonetheless very much interested. Not just because Batman movies are the only superhero movies I can even look at, but also because of Heath Ledger’s notorious performance as The Joker.
When Christian Bale became Batman in Batman Begins, Batman got a huge make-over. No, not the bat suit. But the feel of the movies changed. Where Gotham was once a place where Jim Carry bounced around in tights and Uma Thurman swooned around, pouting, under the name “Mother Nature”… Gotham had turned into an actual city that could actually exist (besides the whole ‘flying bat suit’ thing). Batman Begins was much darker than all previous Batman films, which made it more attractive, more in order. What was out of order, though, was Bale’s ‘Batman voice’ - a phenomenon I will never really get my head around. And I won’t try to, since Batman movies involve a lot more than Bale using the Batman voice.
The Dark Knight’s theme is Batman’s place in Gotham, his place in society as both a criminal and a hero. When a new villain shows up by the name of The Joker, a series of events take place about which I will not say too much. After all; you’ll just have to go and see it, won’t you? If you saw the older Batman films, you will find it interesting that in this film, you see how Two Face is ‘born’.
Besides, the plot is not the star of this film. I was a great admirer of the late Heath Ledger, but I can honestly say that I am subjective when I say that he is the star of The Dark Knight. When an artist deceases, it is easy for people to deify his work and him. I was afraid that this was the case with his role as The Joker, dispite the fact that I knew he was an immensely talented, solid actor. But I can promise anyone, anytime, that Ledger’s performance on its own is worth the entrance fee (”I’m gonna make this pencil… disappear” - you’ll know when you see it). His portrayal of the joker is phenomenal. It is frightening, amusing, and even funny at times. You will notice the whole audience nervously giggling and gasping while you see how Heath Ledger made the Joker into a terrifying psycho. As opposed to villains in the old Batmans who, I repeat, danced around in tights.
But Heath Ledger is not the only cast member who is worth your entrance fee. What makes this movie so strong, is the strong cast. All performances are breathtaking and flawless. Unless of course the Batman voice annoys you too much. Christian Bale is a great actor and a very good Batman - but come on man, the low, crispy, breathy Monster of Loch Ness voice was so unnecessary. But hey, I don’t want to overreact - it doesn’t influence the quality of the film or the performances. Also an honourable mention for Maggy Gyllenhaal, who makes Rachel Dawes a very strong and likable character. The living, breathing proof that superheroes don’t need whingy damsels in distress. Batman looks just as glorious, if not more glorious, with a strong and hot woman conquering his heart.
You want to see this. And after that, you’ll probably want to see it again.
Now I’m not a very big fan of superhero movies………usually. The fact that the last three movies I have attended at a theatre were Iron Man, Hancock and now The Dark Knight is sort of baffling as I look back on it. I guess you could say I have spent my cinematic summer as the most cliche 21 year old male in the market. That being said, and with my opinion of the previous two movies being split between a surprisingly good Hancock and a less than impressive Iron Man, The Dark Knight is the best movie I have seen so far this year. Heath Ledger put together one of the best acting roles ever (at least in my short life) and I just can’t seem to think of any charachter to compare him to. The fact that he took a role previously played by no less than Jack Nicholson and made that performance forgettable speaks of his incredible talent and makes me very upset that it will be the last great role he will play. He has filmed half of another movie that they are going to release with some odd re-writes and different casting, yet this is the role he will be remembered for.
Now I am going to assume if you’re interested enough to read this that you know the deal with Batman. (Even if you live in a cave, in which case you’re interest in Batman might even be higher than the usual person) Anyway, he’s the superhero without any “superpowers”. Just riding around Gotham city in a kick ass car wearing what used to be a suspect costume but what director Christopher Nolan has turned into one intimidating work outfit. His fighting skills, armor and gizmos cooked up by friend Lucius Fox are all he has in the way of crimefighting. Charachters remaining from Nolan’s first Batman effort include Christian Bale as the caped crusader himself, Micheal Caine as Alfred the butler and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, the newly promoted CEO of Wayne Enterprises. All three of these men played great roles as expected and never let you down. Christian Bale plays a Bruce Wayne that fits perfectly somewhere between Tobey Maguire’s nerdy Peter Parker and Robert Downey Jr’s hard partying, wisecracking Tony Starks. Wayne takes the entire Russian ballet for a cruise on his yacht just for the sake of an alibi, yet handles his Batman business while adhering to a strict set of ethical codes.
Maggie Gyllenhaal (why can’t I find one friend to agree with me that she’s hot?) takes Katie Holmes spot as Rachel Dawes, the lawyer slash love interest of Batman. She did just as good a job as Katie Holmes in Batman Begins and the casting switch didn’t really ruin the feel of the role or anything. Dawes is now dating new Gotham City D.A. Harvey Dent. Aaron Eckhart’s Dent pairs up with Batman from the beginning to form a close relationship with some CRAZY twists. Yet it is Ledger’s performance as the Joker, the villain with no agenda but to cause chaos, that it seems everyone is talking about, and for good reason. When you see the “magic pencil” scene near the beginning that shocked me even after hearing about it from a friend first, you will know you’re in for a crazy ride. The fact that you never see his face without makeup except for about 1/1000th of a second adds to the spookiness of the spookiest role I’ve seen in a long time. Just the scene of him speeding through the streets with his head out the window of a police car or climbing out of an 18 wheeler he just flipped is enough to give you goosebumps. This a must see movie for anybody who wants to see, good acting, action and writing all mixed in to one rollercoaster of a plot. I have heard things about castmates and fans alike pushing for a posthumous Oscar bid for Heath Ledger and all I can say is if it happens, it’s not out of sympathy. It’s deserved.
Bruce Banner has experimented on himself and now has a ’slight’ problem. When he get’s too excited he turns into a big green raging monster ( the incredible hulk) He has been laying low for a while in Brazil, doing an unexciting job at a factory, hiding from the American army who considers him a secret weapon. He is doggedly hunted by general Ross who is also the father of his love Betty. A small accident at the factory brings the army in hot pursuit and sure enough the Hulk comes out. Bruce eventually finds himself back in Guatamala and decides to go back to the US. in his quest to rid himself of the creature within. During his Brazil escape he made a new mortal enemy in professional soldier Emile Blonski who is willing to experiment on himself in exchange for a chance to fight the Hulk!
The story is not really that important in a movie like this! During the opening sequence we quickly find out why Banner is where he is when the story starts. It has, like Iron Man a very good actor in the lead, namely Edward Norton. He’s not as funny ( or as hot) as Robert Downey jr. but he is excellent for the role. He looks like the nerdy scientist he plays and he is totally believable. Rumor has it the actor was not too pleased with the end result. That’s a shame because this is nothing more or less that a very decent action flick which keeps the attention going for the duration. True the characters are sketchy and it could have done with a bit more humor! But the action sequences are actually cooler than those in Superman. Especially the final fight between the Hulk and the Abomination is great! Liv Tyler, William Hurt and Tim Roth are all believable in their roles! ( although I was slightly detracted by Tyler’s upperlip, what’s with that? )
All in all a nice tribute to the old tv series with Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno! Cheesy, but fun! And in the end mr Tony Stark himself steps in for a short cameo!
I have never been a big comic-movie fan. Superman, Spiderman, Batman, X-men, they’re just not my sort of movies! Comics are not that big in Europe anyway! But I saw the trailer for this one by accident and somehow I thought this one might be a movie I would enjoy! I was right! Tony Stark is a billionaire! So rich it’s ridicilous. And worse he’s made his money designing weapons! He is a playboy, but he’s also a genius! On a mission to showcase his latest weapon the Jericho in Afganistan he gets kidnapped. He’s mortally wounded but his life is saved by a kind doctor who’s also taken hostage! When Tony sees that the terrorists have access to his weapons he has a change of heart. He decides to use his talent to protect the people he put in harm’s way. The terrorists want him to make the Jericho, instead he makes a Iron-man suit to escape the mountain-hide-out! Back home he declares that his company will no longer make weapons. Naturally this doesn’t go down well with some other shareholders. In the end he will have to fight one of his closest friends turned mortal enemy! So what makes this movie better than other super-hero movies? Simple, it’s got Robert Downey jr! Not someone you’d expect in a movie like this. But he is Tony Stark. He gives it his all and he is the reason why Iron Man is so great! Yes it got the special effects and the fights. It’s also got plenty of funny one-liners! This is not dark like Batman! Yes Tony Stark is a troubled soul, but Downey jr makes him human. There is great chemistry between Downey jr and Gwyneth Paltrow as his assistent Pepper Potts! Jeff Bridges ( bald with a beard) is good as Obediah Stane! Terrence Howard is a great actor but he’s fairly underused as sidekick!
I highly reccomend this movie. It’s funny and good if a bit silly entertainment! And here’s hoping we’ll see much more of Downey jr. who is very talented and dare I say it? HOT!!
I am in Robert Downey jr mode after watching Iron Man. That’s why I watched this movie! It’s doubtful I would have seen it otherwise! Dan Dark is hospitalized with a debilitating skin-disease! He terrorizes the hospital-staff, he is a very angry bitter person. He’s also on the verge of losing his mind. He can’t tell what is real and what isn’t. In his dreams he relives a detective he wrote years ago! Near the end we find out that that book was really about himself! Now this movie mixes 2 story-lines. The detective in Dark’s dreams and the story of Dark in the hospital eventually helped by a psychotherapist! This movie is a mix between classic film noir, drama and musical. At all times people can burst out in classic tunes like “how much is that doggy in the window” “mr. Sandman” or “let’s go to the hop” . At times the movie is hilarious, for instance when Dark ( Downey jr) desperately tries not to embarass himself in front of a beautiful and sweet nurse ( Katie Holmes) The scenes with the psychotherapist ( Mel Gibson) are also fantastic. In fact everybody is great in this movie! Downey, as the increasingly confused Dark and his alter ego the singing detective! Mel Gibson as therapist, Robin Wright-Penn as Dark’s wife and muse! And most of all Jon Polito and Adrien Brody as a couple of “hoods without a clue” , who in the end take on the writer who put them in constant misery!
If you like your story logical than this isn’t a movie for you! I suggest watching it with an open mind. You might find, as I did, that it is really a great little movie! A true hidden gem!
It wasn’t filmed yesterday, but worth one last review nonetheless. “Six Shooter” is the short film that won writer/director Martin McDonagh his Academy Award for “Best Short Film”. I dare say that dispite its Academy Award and it having been released over two years ago, relatively few people have seen Six Shooter. Simply because not everybody has access to it. Which is why I want to bring it to your attention.
Should you watch Six Shooter if you’re not into violence and strong language? Probably not. Unlike its recently well received bigger brother “In Bruges” (McDonagh’s first feature film), Six Shooter does not give the viewer the time to back up the in-your-face honesty and brutality of McDonagh’s work with true deep sentiment. In Bruges’ langage and violence (which, by the way, in my opinion was really not the big deal people have made it out to be) is more forgivable because it holds characters you get attached to and a storyline you have to respect. Six Shooter is too short for that - too short to make up for the brutality. But nonetheless if you think you can handle it, watch it, because it clearly holds Martin McDonagh’s writing and directing spirit as much as its big brother. I refer to these films as siblings for a reason - I found it difficult not to see them as two plants in the same McDonagh garden. Just as Tarantinos will always be Tarantinos. But McDonagh, unlike claimed by most reviewers, is not Tarantino. He’s more sophisticated and moving.
Six Shooter is the story of Donnelly (Brendan Gleeson) whose wife has just deceased as he takes the train to Dublin across Ireland. He runs into a young man, which will cause a chain reaction of bizarre, cruel, shocking and black-humour-filled events. I won’t give away too much, it will only spoil it for you.
The humour McDonagh uses is perhaps even more sophisticated than the humour in In Bruges, though I want to avoid constantly comparing the two. Six Shooter’s sense of humour is such a deep and dark shade of black that you end up asking yourself wether or not you should be laughing at what just happened. Not everyone will appreciate Six Shooter as a comedy, as McDonagh does like to balance on the fine line between comedy and tragedy.
The acting is solid, the story surprising and intriguing and the ending is all of those things combined. The film did not win the Academy Award for nothing, as it simply is a brilliant piece of work. There has been some speculation about the title of the film; does it simply refer to ‘a six shooter’ (a gun) or does it refer to 6 deaths? Discussions are going on as we speak and will go on for much longer, which I am sure amuses Martin McDonagh very much. Watch Six Shooter and see for yourself; gun or victims?
Title: Disturbia
Tagline: Every killer lives next door to someone.
Year: 2007
Genre: Thriller
Director: D.J. Caruso
Cast: Carrie-Anne Moss, Sarah Roemer, Shia LeBoeuf, David Morse
Rated: PG-13 for terror, violence and some sensuality
It has been debated many times what is thriller and what is horror. Horror is supernatural, thriller has suspense, horror is just guts and blood, thriller has a storyline. I think I’ll stick with the: horror is supernatural and sometimes groosome, thriller is suspense and based on reality. In that context, “Disturbia” is a thriller, but it’s better and more exciting than many flicks who call themselves horror. Thriller sounds almost too tame for Disturbia.
After Kale’s father dies in a car crash that he ended up surviving, his conscience suffers to an extent where he beats up a teacher for mentioning “wether his father would be proud”. He gets the legal consequences and is put under house arrest with ankle bracelet and all. As he sits at home he gets bored and starts to observe all his neighbours more closely for lack of other things to do. This is how he gets to know the beautiful girl next door Ashley, but they together also learn a thing or two about their mutual neighbour Robert Turner. Is he the killer the cops have been looking for?
Disturbia’s greatest strength is not giving you a scare like “The Grudge” does, it’s not in blood and guts like in Tarantino’s “Planet Terror”, and it’s not in supernatural suggestiveness like in “The Gathering”. With “Disturbia” it is all suspense. I can tell you now, the majority of the film is anything but scary. But the writer weaves a thread of terror through it so subtly, as you are waiting for something to happen. He even manages to make you believe nothing is going to happen at all, while you still need to find out for sure. The only weak point is the weak point that every thriller/horror has; the pointlessly nekkid women. I generally do not complain about nekkid women. But sexism gets old, and I hope someday a woman will make a fantastic thriller with lots of randomly gorgeous men walking around passively being sexy.
This is a thriller suitable for anyone who doesn’t like dead bodies and ghosts, but still wants a decent scare. They rarely make thrillers this decent anymore, and in my opinion little has lived up to the brilliance of the Hannibal Lector thrillers - all four of them. This one is not pure brilliance, but definitely a good watch. Though I could recommend you to not watch this when you are home alone or worse; house-sitting. Every killer has a neighbour… how well do you know your neighbours?
Title: Cassandra’s Dream
Director: Woody Allen
Cast: Colin Farrell, Ewan McGregor, Sally Hawkins, Hayley Atwell
Year: 2007/2008
Genre: Crime drama
I knew very little about Cassandra’s Dream before I saw it. For some reason, Woody Allen has a way of making me uninterested in a film. This is more my own flaw than anything else - one might say I’m a Martin McDonagh girl, and I like small and artsy-fartsy but only if it has balls. For some reason, stories about Allen’s films never struck me as my kind of thing. Especially after Woody contributed to the short but intense hyping of Scarlet Johansson. Actors who are being hyped rarely catch my eye, I am shallow like that. I liked Johnny Depp most before everyone decided he was the king of acting. I was anything but interested in Colin Farrell during the time he was being hyped. And Scarlet, a good actress and beautiful woman, was hyped by Allen as the next big thing - this turned me off.
Because I knew nothing about Woody Allen and Cassandra’s Dream, I was happily surprised by this film, and also just generally surprised. Personally I think it is weak journalism and lazy writing to base a film’s quality on another film, but I couldn’t help but see the similarities with In Bruges - dispite the fact that these films have nothing to do with eachother and if they have anything in common it is a brilliantly talented Colin Farrell giving a touching performance.
Ian and Terry are two London brothers (includes Cockney accents) with their own financial problems and dreams. Terry (Colin Farrell) has a serious gambling problem, going from being very rich to being in debt 90.000 from one day to the next. Ian is a restaurant manager with big dreams. Like proper working class lads their focus is on financially bettering themselves. Dispite their two very different personalities, both have a somewhat odd relationship with money. When one day Terry gets himself into gambling debts so deep that his physical health is actually at danger, Ian gives him all his savings and the brothers end up in a critical financial situation. Thankfully they have a very rich uncle. But the very rich uncle this time expects a favour in return, one that will work their consciences and show that murder can turn people into both wrecks and monsters.
Dispite some reviews claiming that McGregor’s and Farrell’s accent wasn’t entirely believable, I found their accents to be very good. Possibly because I am not from London, but nonetheless I couldn’t help but carefully listen if the Irishman and Scot ever slipped in their accent, and they never did. Besides their accents, their acting is solid and moving. Farrell has the advantage in this film, playing the very vulnerable Terry. Surely there will be very few girls in the audience who wouldn’t want to comfort Terry when he is upset once more. But Farrell’s strength is not in his comfortability or his cute face, and you have to give him credit for this. This, along with In Bruges, is the proof that he is no longer the so called bad boy he once was hyped to be. He is simply a very good actor who holds his own with the likes of very serious and critically acclaimed directors and actors.
McGregor as well as the ladies in their supporting roles really deliver as well. This film never lacks credibility in my eyes and that is what makes it a good ride regardless.
Allen, however, does show weakness. Mainly in the cinematography department. There are plenty of times when you might think he could have made the shot more beautiful or attractive. Either way he does right by the actors, giving them all plenty of time to become three-dimensional characters that end up moving you more than you expect during the first half hour. The film’s similarity with In Bruges may be striking to some, but it is simply not reason enough to hold anything against anyone. Beside the fact that Allen’s and McDonagh’s (In Bruges) style are completely different, Colin Farrell’s two characters may be in similar situations but are very different. Ray in In Bruges being more comic, Terry in Cassandra’s Dream making you pitty him rather than laugh at him. Both are very touching characters in their very own right and it was about time that Farrell got his chance to show off his talent.
Overall, Cassandra’s Dream will not be for everyone, but will be worth the gamble. Just make sure the stakes aren’t too high - not everyone will be able to stomach Allen’s style and writing, and this film deserves better than to be money lost in a bet.
