Campaigns are hard. They are time consuming and cost tons of money. And you could still lose. That's exactly what happened in 2008 for Arizona Senator John McCain (Ed Harris).
He managed to talk Political Analyst Steve Schmidt (Woody Harrelson) into advising his campaign and things turn around for him. But then it is time for McCain and his team to pick his running mate. He wants Joe Lieberman, but this is immediately nixed as it will lose support for him not gain it. Instead, Schmidt feels that a woman will give him the best chance. He settles on Alaskan governor, Sarah Palin (Julianne Moore). She accepts the offer. Her life has forever changed.
Palin is certainly a Republican and focused mom of five. And she seems average enough, wearing a sweatshirt and blue jeans when she takes her kids to a community fair. She is also staunchly pro-life, never mind if the pregnancy is from rape or incest or will endanger the mother's life. She opposes stem-cell research but promises to put aside her differences to support John McCain's point of view.
Though word didn't leak about this announcement and at first, it seems like Palin is the right choice. She relates well to people and they love her but it quickly becomes clear that she is the wrong pick for Washington. She knows almost nothing about foreign policy, believing the Queen of England is the head of the government, which isn't true. She believes that Hussein was responsible for 9/11 not Al-Qaeda. The background research down on her wasn't enough, not at all. And her husband was a member of the Alaskan Independence Movement, a group with the sole mission of getting Alaska out of the union. Former White House Correspondent Nicholle Wallace (Sarah Paulson) tries, in vain, to prep her for interviews. But Sarah just misses her family, including her son, fighting for his country, pregnant teenage daughter and infant son with Down Syndrome. Her interview with Katie Couric is an epic disaster, turning her into the fodder of Saturday Night Live and the criticism of the nation.
Fortunately, spending some time with her family and husband, Todd (David Barry Gary) gets her back on track. And her debate with Joe Biden is an amazing comeback for her, but something changes. She seems to be advancing her own agenda which severely hurts the campaign. She can't believe that the group has surrendered Michigan to Obama and she refuses to do a commercial about supporting stem-cell research even though she promised to back McCain's viewpoints. She won't make an appearance with someone who is pro-choice and she is furious when she finds out how much the clothes they dressed her in actually cost.
And then, when the inevitable happens, instead of following centuries of tradition, she prepares a speech praising McCain and everything he has done for this country. Fortunately, she doesn't deliver this speech. Schmidt and Wallace take pride that in forty-eight hours, no one will know her name. That's not true, though her popularity has massively died down.
The story has a frame of an interview between Schmidt and Anderson Cooper. Cooper asks if he regrets his decision of asking Palin to be Vice President. He just answers that you can't go back and change things, meaning yes, he made the wrong decision and it cost McCain the campaign.
The film is also pretty darn accurate according to the real Schmidt and Wallace who actually watched the film. McCain and Palin did not. Some of the lines are ones that I remember from the campaign. It is terrifying that a woman like Palin could have been just a heartbeat away from the Presidency.
As for the production, it is fantastic. Moore fully deserved her Emmy and all the other awards she won. Harrelson, Harris and Paulson are also brilliant. Paulson's best scene is where she sobs to Schmidt saying that she didn't vote. She just couldn't.
I can't believe the make-up artists weren't nominated for an Emmy because Moore and Harris are basically unrecognizable, fully and completely looking like their real life counterparts. Moore easily looks a decade older than his actual age while Moore looks several years younger. She even writes with her right hand as Palin is right-handed. (Moore is left-handed in real life.) And she nails the voice.
The film doesn't do any favors to Palin. She thought she made the right decision but she had no clue how cruel people could be and should have thought more before changing her life. It shows how easily the media can eat a person alive and how the education system can fail a person. It also shows that America loves celebrities, but these celebrities need the smarts to back up the position they seek. It shows how devastating taking a risk can be in something so precarious to begin with. And it shows what happens when you regret a decision that you can't change. Grade: A
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Friday, August 29, 2014
Cinema Verite (2011)
This was a great HBO film.
It is about the Loud Family. They were the Kardashians before the Kardashians. America's first reality TV family. They didn't ask for the fame but got it anyway.
Craig Gilbert (James Gandolfini) comes up with the idea and his Santa Barbara friend, Mary (Kathleen Quinlan) recommends the Loud Family and they, somewhat reluctantly at first, agree to the plan.
On the surface, they do seem like the all American family and Gilbert has the picture to prove it. Father Bill (Tim Robbins) is a traveling salesman, brilliant at his job, which gives the family a hefty steady paycheck, sultry mother Pat (Diane Lane), oldest odd son Lance (Thomas Dekker), the bandmate middle sons, Grant (Nick Eversman) and Kevin (Johnny Simmons, always underused), Delilah (Caitlin Custer) and the horse loving baby Michelle (Kaitlyn Dever). However, unfortunately, most of the kids don't get the screen time they deserve, interesting characters in their own right.
The film opts to focus on the actual filming the reactions of the family. Alan (Patrick Fugit) and Susan (Shanna Collins), newlyweds themselves are the main filmmakers though they sometimes feel that this whole thing is an invasion of privacy. But Craig thrives on the moments when they forget the cameras are always following them and let their guard down.
It is also about the eroding marriage of Bill and Pat. Pat has suspected but ignored all the business trips Bill took, but can no longer turn a blind eye to his affairs and when she discovers his file folder full of photos decides she must end it. And she wants to dump him on camera, but tell her children and brother in private. At first, Craig is on board with her plan, but talks her into letting them film her breaking the news to her brother. Furious, she snaps at Craig that that was her best scene. But she decides, secretly, to hatch a plan where either Bill's secretary or son Grant will tell Bill about the whole thing before he comes home to the cameras. She doesn't want to embarrass him. But he doesn't call his secretary and Grant loses the nerve to tell him, in a task that should never have to fall to a teenage boy. So the whole thing enfolds on camera.
Then, the film jumps ahead one year to the debut of the film which is popular but the family is criticized for their actions. And they decide to fight back, appearing on all sorts of talk shows trying to justify their actions and apologizing for having to ever agreed to something like that in the first place.
The film flies by, ninety minutes have never seen so short, and the scenery and set is fantastic, looking just like 1971 Santa Barbara would actually look like. Even the casting is brilliant, of course the actors are better looking than the Loud family but still, there are strong resemblances. The cinematography, alternating between a small screen of the documentary cameras filming and the bigger screen of the real cameras. And the acting is flawless, Dekker manages to match the intonation of the real Lance Loud.
I do have problems with the film, one of which I mentioned above, the kids don't have a big enough role and at first, it seems like Lance's homosexuality will play a big role in the film. It doesn't. Who knows how exactly Bill takes that news. Still, this is a must watch showing a glimpse at reality TV before it was overdone but it also shows how easily something can be staged and manipulated to get the desired affect. This should have won more Emmys than it did. Grade: A-
It is about the Loud Family. They were the Kardashians before the Kardashians. America's first reality TV family. They didn't ask for the fame but got it anyway.
Craig Gilbert (James Gandolfini) comes up with the idea and his Santa Barbara friend, Mary (Kathleen Quinlan) recommends the Loud Family and they, somewhat reluctantly at first, agree to the plan.
On the surface, they do seem like the all American family and Gilbert has the picture to prove it. Father Bill (Tim Robbins) is a traveling salesman, brilliant at his job, which gives the family a hefty steady paycheck, sultry mother Pat (Diane Lane), oldest odd son Lance (Thomas Dekker), the bandmate middle sons, Grant (Nick Eversman) and Kevin (Johnny Simmons, always underused), Delilah (Caitlin Custer) and the horse loving baby Michelle (Kaitlyn Dever). However, unfortunately, most of the kids don't get the screen time they deserve, interesting characters in their own right.
The film opts to focus on the actual filming the reactions of the family. Alan (Patrick Fugit) and Susan (Shanna Collins), newlyweds themselves are the main filmmakers though they sometimes feel that this whole thing is an invasion of privacy. But Craig thrives on the moments when they forget the cameras are always following them and let their guard down.
It is also about the eroding marriage of Bill and Pat. Pat has suspected but ignored all the business trips Bill took, but can no longer turn a blind eye to his affairs and when she discovers his file folder full of photos decides she must end it. And she wants to dump him on camera, but tell her children and brother in private. At first, Craig is on board with her plan, but talks her into letting them film her breaking the news to her brother. Furious, she snaps at Craig that that was her best scene. But she decides, secretly, to hatch a plan where either Bill's secretary or son Grant will tell Bill about the whole thing before he comes home to the cameras. She doesn't want to embarrass him. But he doesn't call his secretary and Grant loses the nerve to tell him, in a task that should never have to fall to a teenage boy. So the whole thing enfolds on camera.
Then, the film jumps ahead one year to the debut of the film which is popular but the family is criticized for their actions. And they decide to fight back, appearing on all sorts of talk shows trying to justify their actions and apologizing for having to ever agreed to something like that in the first place.
The film flies by, ninety minutes have never seen so short, and the scenery and set is fantastic, looking just like 1971 Santa Barbara would actually look like. Even the casting is brilliant, of course the actors are better looking than the Loud family but still, there are strong resemblances. The cinematography, alternating between a small screen of the documentary cameras filming and the bigger screen of the real cameras. And the acting is flawless, Dekker manages to match the intonation of the real Lance Loud.
I do have problems with the film, one of which I mentioned above, the kids don't have a big enough role and at first, it seems like Lance's homosexuality will play a big role in the film. It doesn't. Who knows how exactly Bill takes that news. Still, this is a must watch showing a glimpse at reality TV before it was overdone but it also shows how easily something can be staged and manipulated to get the desired affect. This should have won more Emmys than it did. Grade: A-
Sunday, August 24, 2014
The Spectacular Now (2013)
This was a good film, but I didn't like it.
Sutter Keely (Miles Teller) has charm and charisma is leaps and bounds. What he doesn't have is the drive to succeed. He has a job he likes, selling suits, but deep down, he has issues.
His girlfriend, Cassidy (Brie Larsen) has just broken up with him and he wants her back, but she can't. Sure, she really likes him, but she needs to move on and think about her future, not just live in the moment. But he will always be her favorite ex-boyfriend, a title I wouldn't really want to have.
Sutter is also an alcoholic, albeit a pretty functional one, but an alcoholic nevertheless. He drinks constantly and even carries a flask around with him at work. And then, one morning, he wakes up in someone else's yard. Aimee (Shailene Woodley) discovers him. She knows who he is, but he has no clue that she exists. Ricky (Masam Holden), Sutter's best friend, doesn't think Aimee will be a good rebound and Sutter proclaims that he doesn't have a future with her, but we all know how the movie will end, sort of.
The problem is, Aimee is much too good for him, as her friend from French Club, Kristal (Kaitlyn Dever), declares. She's right of course. Aimee is smart and even got into college in Philadelphia, though her mother won't let her go. Sutter tells her that isn't right and urges her to stand up for herself. Which she does. And she wants him to come with her. Though he says yes, the audience knows that there is reluctance behind it.
Sutter has his own problems. His parents are divorced and his mother won't let him have contact with his father. Fortunately, his sister, Holly (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) takes pity on him and gives Sutter the dad's address. Sutter is basically a younger version of his father. Dad (Kyle Chandler) is an alcoholic, broke and cares little about his son, blowing off a visit, preferring a quickie over visiting with his only son whom he hasn't seen in years. Sutter is furious and when Aimee says that she loves him, he wants her out of his car, because he knows that he is no good for her. So she gets out of his car, and is hit by another car. This is after Sutter nearly got into an accident but all she can ask is if he's okay. Aimee doesn't press charges and isn't even that mad at him, not wishing to even talk about the incident.
Sutter graduates by the skin of his teeth but doesn't follow her to Philadelphia. A broken-hearted Aimee boards the bus by herself. Sutter celebrates by getting drunk and nearly getting into another car accident. He sobs to his mother (Jennifer Jason Leigh, wasted in a small role) that he is just like his father. She says that's not true. His father only cared about himself while he always spent his whole like worrying about others. And he realizes that he's worried so much about others that he hasn't worried about himself. He can no longer live in the moment, the now, but fortunately, tomorrow also has one of those. So, he goes to Philadelphia and the film ends with Sutter and Aimee just looking at each other. You know she will forgive him. Because she's that kind of person. She's far too good for him.
That's my main problem. She knows that he is no good. She is blind to his huge problem of drinking constantly and loves him too much. Sure, he is the one who goes after and fortunately, she is strong enough to go without him, but she is in too deep. She gives her virginity to this guy (in a surprisingly tasteful sex scene) and this is how he repays her without a phone call, and she will just take him back, without any explanation. Actually, there probably will be some sort of conversation, Aimee can't just let him get away with that crap.
Despite my huge problems with the film, the acting is still great. This is Miles Teller's breakthrough role and Woodley is great. I liked her better here than in The Descendants. And the dialogue is real, very accurate. But the film wasn't as deep as I wanted it to be, but at least Sutter turned his life around, and for that, I'm very grateful. Grade: B+
Sutter Keely (Miles Teller) has charm and charisma is leaps and bounds. What he doesn't have is the drive to succeed. He has a job he likes, selling suits, but deep down, he has issues.
His girlfriend, Cassidy (Brie Larsen) has just broken up with him and he wants her back, but she can't. Sure, she really likes him, but she needs to move on and think about her future, not just live in the moment. But he will always be her favorite ex-boyfriend, a title I wouldn't really want to have.
Sutter is also an alcoholic, albeit a pretty functional one, but an alcoholic nevertheless. He drinks constantly and even carries a flask around with him at work. And then, one morning, he wakes up in someone else's yard. Aimee (Shailene Woodley) discovers him. She knows who he is, but he has no clue that she exists. Ricky (Masam Holden), Sutter's best friend, doesn't think Aimee will be a good rebound and Sutter proclaims that he doesn't have a future with her, but we all know how the movie will end, sort of.
The problem is, Aimee is much too good for him, as her friend from French Club, Kristal (Kaitlyn Dever), declares. She's right of course. Aimee is smart and even got into college in Philadelphia, though her mother won't let her go. Sutter tells her that isn't right and urges her to stand up for herself. Which she does. And she wants him to come with her. Though he says yes, the audience knows that there is reluctance behind it.
Sutter has his own problems. His parents are divorced and his mother won't let him have contact with his father. Fortunately, his sister, Holly (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) takes pity on him and gives Sutter the dad's address. Sutter is basically a younger version of his father. Dad (Kyle Chandler) is an alcoholic, broke and cares little about his son, blowing off a visit, preferring a quickie over visiting with his only son whom he hasn't seen in years. Sutter is furious and when Aimee says that she loves him, he wants her out of his car, because he knows that he is no good for her. So she gets out of his car, and is hit by another car. This is after Sutter nearly got into an accident but all she can ask is if he's okay. Aimee doesn't press charges and isn't even that mad at him, not wishing to even talk about the incident.
Sutter graduates by the skin of his teeth but doesn't follow her to Philadelphia. A broken-hearted Aimee boards the bus by herself. Sutter celebrates by getting drunk and nearly getting into another car accident. He sobs to his mother (Jennifer Jason Leigh, wasted in a small role) that he is just like his father. She says that's not true. His father only cared about himself while he always spent his whole like worrying about others. And he realizes that he's worried so much about others that he hasn't worried about himself. He can no longer live in the moment, the now, but fortunately, tomorrow also has one of those. So, he goes to Philadelphia and the film ends with Sutter and Aimee just looking at each other. You know she will forgive him. Because she's that kind of person. She's far too good for him.
That's my main problem. She knows that he is no good. She is blind to his huge problem of drinking constantly and loves him too much. Sure, he is the one who goes after and fortunately, she is strong enough to go without him, but she is in too deep. She gives her virginity to this guy (in a surprisingly tasteful sex scene) and this is how he repays her without a phone call, and she will just take him back, without any explanation. Actually, there probably will be some sort of conversation, Aimee can't just let him get away with that crap.
Despite my huge problems with the film, the acting is still great. This is Miles Teller's breakthrough role and Woodley is great. I liked her better here than in The Descendants. And the dialogue is real, very accurate. But the film wasn't as deep as I wanted it to be, but at least Sutter turned his life around, and for that, I'm very grateful. Grade: B+
Saturday, August 23, 2014
Short Term 12 (2013)
You haven't seen this film yet. But you should.
It is about the foster care system in America and its fatal flaws. Grace (Brie Larson) is a line worker at a group home which deals with troubled teens. Her past is horrid but she doesn't talk about it, not even to her wonderful boyfriend Mason (John Gallagher, Jr.). Mason's past isn't spectacular either, but he lucked out and got an amazing set of foster parents with whom he's still close to after all these years.
Grace seems to be keeping it together but two events suddenly change that. She is pregnant and isn't sure about the whole thing. When she finally tells Mason, after the initial shock wears off, he's actually pretty thrilled and thinks that they will make great parents. And then there's Jayden (Kaitlyn Dever) who reminds Grace tons about herself.
At the group home there is also Marcus (Keith Stanfield), who is about to turn eighteen and will age out of the system, Sammy (Alex Calloway), who hangs on to his dead sister's dolls and doesn't say anything, and Luis (Kevin Hernandez) who is probably one of the normal kids there.
Marcus has been abused and fears that shaving the hair off his head will show the marks of his past. It doesn't. Jayden's father misses picking her up for his scheduled weekend visit and she massively freaks out. She is a former cutter after all. That scene proves that Dever is probably one of the best young actresses working in Hollywood today. She is equally great in the heart-wrenching scene where she delivers a heart-breaking story featuring an octopus who sacrifices all her arms to a shark who just wants to be her friend. Grace files a report but Jack (Frantz Turner), the head of the home, but Jayden's father has already collected her. After all, he is a friend of a friend and entitled to his weekend visits. And Jayden won't admit that he beats her but only Grace understands why. Jayden's father is always looking over her shoulder. Between this and Marcus's suicide attempt over losing his pet beta fish, Grace is sent around the bend, deciding to go through with the abortion, ignoring Mason's tears and heartbreak and goes into Jayden's house. Jayden is fine, I guess, but she finally admits that her father beats her sometimes and we learn (though I had mostly predicted this) the truth behind Grace's past. Her father did beat her and rape her, resulting in her first pregnancy. And now, that man is up for parole. In fact, it was Grace's testimony that sent her father to prison. Jayden also tells the police on her father. Grace's story lent her strength and Jayden's message to Grace that she will be a great mom likewise gives Grace the strength to go through with her pregnancy.
Marcus will be fine and Grace believes that she will be too.
The film ends a month later, with Grace seeing a therapist (though she believes they don't know jack), her and Mason sobbing over the ultrasound and their baby's heartbeat. Marcus is also doing well, working at the aquarium and getting back together with a girl he first met years ago at the group home.
Now while it is called a group home, it is not a home. The kids' belongings are sorted through with gloves like in a psychiatric ward, and freedom of speech isn't really allowed. And though Grace, Mason and the others genuinely do care about the kids, they aren't parents. These kids have been dealt a raw deal, through no fault of their own. Grace is also correct, proving that she knows the kids better than any court appointed therapist. Yet, it is more about her personal journey than the flaws in the system.
Besides the importance of the plot, the acting is wonderful and it has a realism that you don't see much in films. Everyone is utterly brilliant in this film and deserve more fantastic roles in Hollywood. Don't miss Stephanie Beatriz (also appearing as the nasty Rosa in Brooklyn Nine-Nine) as another worker at the home. This is an independent film you shouldn't miss. Grade: A
It is about the foster care system in America and its fatal flaws. Grace (Brie Larson) is a line worker at a group home which deals with troubled teens. Her past is horrid but she doesn't talk about it, not even to her wonderful boyfriend Mason (John Gallagher, Jr.). Mason's past isn't spectacular either, but he lucked out and got an amazing set of foster parents with whom he's still close to after all these years.
Grace seems to be keeping it together but two events suddenly change that. She is pregnant and isn't sure about the whole thing. When she finally tells Mason, after the initial shock wears off, he's actually pretty thrilled and thinks that they will make great parents. And then there's Jayden (Kaitlyn Dever) who reminds Grace tons about herself.
At the group home there is also Marcus (Keith Stanfield), who is about to turn eighteen and will age out of the system, Sammy (Alex Calloway), who hangs on to his dead sister's dolls and doesn't say anything, and Luis (Kevin Hernandez) who is probably one of the normal kids there.
Marcus has been abused and fears that shaving the hair off his head will show the marks of his past. It doesn't. Jayden's father misses picking her up for his scheduled weekend visit and she massively freaks out. She is a former cutter after all. That scene proves that Dever is probably one of the best young actresses working in Hollywood today. She is equally great in the heart-wrenching scene where she delivers a heart-breaking story featuring an octopus who sacrifices all her arms to a shark who just wants to be her friend. Grace files a report but Jack (Frantz Turner), the head of the home, but Jayden's father has already collected her. After all, he is a friend of a friend and entitled to his weekend visits. And Jayden won't admit that he beats her but only Grace understands why. Jayden's father is always looking over her shoulder. Between this and Marcus's suicide attempt over losing his pet beta fish, Grace is sent around the bend, deciding to go through with the abortion, ignoring Mason's tears and heartbreak and goes into Jayden's house. Jayden is fine, I guess, but she finally admits that her father beats her sometimes and we learn (though I had mostly predicted this) the truth behind Grace's past. Her father did beat her and rape her, resulting in her first pregnancy. And now, that man is up for parole. In fact, it was Grace's testimony that sent her father to prison. Jayden also tells the police on her father. Grace's story lent her strength and Jayden's message to Grace that she will be a great mom likewise gives Grace the strength to go through with her pregnancy.
Marcus will be fine and Grace believes that she will be too.
The film ends a month later, with Grace seeing a therapist (though she believes they don't know jack), her and Mason sobbing over the ultrasound and their baby's heartbeat. Marcus is also doing well, working at the aquarium and getting back together with a girl he first met years ago at the group home.
Now while it is called a group home, it is not a home. The kids' belongings are sorted through with gloves like in a psychiatric ward, and freedom of speech isn't really allowed. And though Grace, Mason and the others genuinely do care about the kids, they aren't parents. These kids have been dealt a raw deal, through no fault of their own. Grace is also correct, proving that she knows the kids better than any court appointed therapist. Yet, it is more about her personal journey than the flaws in the system.
Besides the importance of the plot, the acting is wonderful and it has a realism that you don't see much in films. Everyone is utterly brilliant in this film and deserve more fantastic roles in Hollywood. Don't miss Stephanie Beatriz (also appearing as the nasty Rosa in Brooklyn Nine-Nine) as another worker at the home. This is an independent film you shouldn't miss. Grade: A
Sunday, August 17, 2014
Good Will Hunting (1997)
Yes, I ashamed to say that I've never seen this film before today and yes, I watched it because of Robin Williams. But he is not the lead, though he is certainly the heart and soul of the film.
Will Hunting (Matt Damon) is a young thug from Southie in Boston. He works as a janitor at MIT which is where he gets discovered by solving extremely difficult equations. But his talent goes unnoticed until Dr. Gerald Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgard) gets him out of prison as Will's rap sheet is long and his past is troubled. Lambeau works with him on this great mathematical skills but Will also must see a therapist, something that he doesn't take kindly and his first five therapists don't pan out. Luckily, Lambeau uses his trump card, his old college roommate, Sean Maguire (Robin Williams) who is also from Southie. Though Will undoubtedly knows how to push Sean's buttons, Sean sticks with him and eventually starts getting through. But there is still the issue on what Will is going to do with his beautiful mind and the job offers certainly keep pouring in. Lambeau wants him to get a great job while Sean wants Will to follow his heart and the two get into an argument about the whole thing. Lambeau also believes that Sean wasted his talent, working at a lowly community college and writing a book that no one's read, but Sean regrets nothing, not even watching his wife's body waste away to cancer.
The film is also about Will's relationships with his old friends, Chuckie (Ben Affleck), Morgan (Casey Affleck) and Billy (Cole Hauser). Though they are certainly rough around the edges, they do care about him and want him to do something better with his life. And they are loyal to him, something that the former foster child undeniably needs. For his twenty first birthday, they even piece together a clunker car so he can drive himself to work because Chuckie isn't going to do it. Then there is Skyler (Minnie Driver). Will meets her at a bar near Harvard and impresses her with everything he knows. Though he truly likes her, he keeps her at arm's length because he fears that his past will frighten her. To be fair, if I were Skyler, his past run ins with the law would terrify me and the fight scene they have borderlines on physical abuse. Skyler wants him to let her in because he loves him but he can't tell her that back, even though he does.
Fortunately, in the end, he follows Sean's advice and steals his line and goes after the girl, even after he finally accepted a great job and opportunity for him. Instead, he dumps all of that and drives his clunker out to Stanford where Skyler has just started medical school.
Sure, the plot is basic and, on the whole, rather predictable but it was still quite enjoyable, mainly because of the relationship between Sean and Will which is the heart of the film. I thought the relationship between Skyler and Will wasn't as strong as it could have been, though they did have some great scenes together, including the one where Skyler begs Will not to do her homework for her as she needs to learn that stuff herself.
The best scene of the film is where Will turns down a job working for NSA, showing the domino effects of him solving some classified code could be and how something so simple could have such a ripple effect.
Williams' greatest scene is where he tells Will that feelings matter more than just spitting back information and his role is vastly effective.
I do have some problems with the film, mainly the odd camera angles and Driver's performance. She is miscast, to begin with and I feel that her role is underwritten (not her fault). No offense to Driver, she did not deserve the Oscar nomination.
Though I will certainly watch this film again, it falls just short of greatness and that makes me sad. Grade: A-
Will Hunting (Matt Damon) is a young thug from Southie in Boston. He works as a janitor at MIT which is where he gets discovered by solving extremely difficult equations. But his talent goes unnoticed until Dr. Gerald Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgard) gets him out of prison as Will's rap sheet is long and his past is troubled. Lambeau works with him on this great mathematical skills but Will also must see a therapist, something that he doesn't take kindly and his first five therapists don't pan out. Luckily, Lambeau uses his trump card, his old college roommate, Sean Maguire (Robin Williams) who is also from Southie. Though Will undoubtedly knows how to push Sean's buttons, Sean sticks with him and eventually starts getting through. But there is still the issue on what Will is going to do with his beautiful mind and the job offers certainly keep pouring in. Lambeau wants him to get a great job while Sean wants Will to follow his heart and the two get into an argument about the whole thing. Lambeau also believes that Sean wasted his talent, working at a lowly community college and writing a book that no one's read, but Sean regrets nothing, not even watching his wife's body waste away to cancer.
The film is also about Will's relationships with his old friends, Chuckie (Ben Affleck), Morgan (Casey Affleck) and Billy (Cole Hauser). Though they are certainly rough around the edges, they do care about him and want him to do something better with his life. And they are loyal to him, something that the former foster child undeniably needs. For his twenty first birthday, they even piece together a clunker car so he can drive himself to work because Chuckie isn't going to do it. Then there is Skyler (Minnie Driver). Will meets her at a bar near Harvard and impresses her with everything he knows. Though he truly likes her, he keeps her at arm's length because he fears that his past will frighten her. To be fair, if I were Skyler, his past run ins with the law would terrify me and the fight scene they have borderlines on physical abuse. Skyler wants him to let her in because he loves him but he can't tell her that back, even though he does.
Fortunately, in the end, he follows Sean's advice and steals his line and goes after the girl, even after he finally accepted a great job and opportunity for him. Instead, he dumps all of that and drives his clunker out to Stanford where Skyler has just started medical school.
Sure, the plot is basic and, on the whole, rather predictable but it was still quite enjoyable, mainly because of the relationship between Sean and Will which is the heart of the film. I thought the relationship between Skyler and Will wasn't as strong as it could have been, though they did have some great scenes together, including the one where Skyler begs Will not to do her homework for her as she needs to learn that stuff herself.
The best scene of the film is where Will turns down a job working for NSA, showing the domino effects of him solving some classified code could be and how something so simple could have such a ripple effect.
Williams' greatest scene is where he tells Will that feelings matter more than just spitting back information and his role is vastly effective.
I do have some problems with the film, mainly the odd camera angles and Driver's performance. She is miscast, to begin with and I feel that her role is underwritten (not her fault). No offense to Driver, she did not deserve the Oscar nomination.
Though I will certainly watch this film again, it falls just short of greatness and that makes me sad. Grade: A-
Sunday, August 10, 2014
The Hundred-Foot Journey
Don't let Helen Mirren's above the title billing fool you, she's not the star. The film belongs to Manish Dayal who is Hassan Kadam, an Indian transplanted to a small village in southern France. His Papa (Om Puri), buys a restaurant across from the famous Madame Mallory's (Helen Mirren's). Hers has been here for decades and she is desperate for more stars, which grade restaurants in France.
Papa and Madame Mallory get along horribly at first, buying out of certain foods so the other restaurant will fail; only after one of Madame Mallory's chef burns part of the Kadam restaurant does she finally soften and fire the evildoer amongst her staff. Eventually, she and Papa form an interesting relationship, to say the least.
Now, of course, there is more. There is Marguerite (Charlotte Le Bon), an aspiring chef for Madame Mallory. She is delightful and extremely helpful to Hassan, who wants to be more than just a cook in his father's restaurant. Marguerite lends him books and encourages him in his endeavor, until Madame Mallory offers him a job. Then she instantly becomes threatened. He is a threat to her rise in their same career path. It takes time but eventually she returns to liking him but he also forgives her way too easily.
Then, Madame Mallory's restaurant earns its second star. Marguerite knows that it is because of Hassan and the differences he has made to classic recipes. And this is when the film sort of falls apart. Hassan goes to Paris where he has a great job in an experimental kitchen, creating all sorts of odd food combinations. Here, he is nearly a celebrity, people recognize him and want to take pictures with him. But Hassan slowly loses his passion and turns to drinking more alcohol.
Everything comes together in the end, with Hassan returning to the small village and taking over Madame Mallory's restaurant but it is his idea to have Marguerite as a business partner and, naturally, they get back together as a couple too because this is Hollywood and a happy ending all around is needed.
If I wanted to get nit picky with this film, I could and did find things wrong with the film. For example, the film starts with Hassan telling someone in immigration his past and about his passion for cooking which is odd and an immigration officer wouldn't have the time to listen to all of that. Still, the audience needed to know his upsetting past. (His mother was burned to death in a fire set by followers of a political enemy.) Also, Hassan's hands heal far too well and quickly in the nasty fire. And the romance between Papa and Madame Mallory is just odd. Also, the other siblings of the Kadam family are underdeveloped and the youngest two are almost unnecessary, though they do provide some genuinely funny laughs throughout.
But the cooking looks authentic and there is some great camera work. The sets are also fabulous and the acting is also great. And, yes, I truly liked the film, it was enjoyable. It also wasn't entirely predictable, with a few curve balls, some bigger than others, along the way. Hopefully, Dayal will be offered more roles after this because he is a good actor. This film may not change lives or even massively change how you think, but something enjoyable is needed. Grade: B+
Papa and Madame Mallory get along horribly at first, buying out of certain foods so the other restaurant will fail; only after one of Madame Mallory's chef burns part of the Kadam restaurant does she finally soften and fire the evildoer amongst her staff. Eventually, she and Papa form an interesting relationship, to say the least.
Now, of course, there is more. There is Marguerite (Charlotte Le Bon), an aspiring chef for Madame Mallory. She is delightful and extremely helpful to Hassan, who wants to be more than just a cook in his father's restaurant. Marguerite lends him books and encourages him in his endeavor, until Madame Mallory offers him a job. Then she instantly becomes threatened. He is a threat to her rise in their same career path. It takes time but eventually she returns to liking him but he also forgives her way too easily.
Then, Madame Mallory's restaurant earns its second star. Marguerite knows that it is because of Hassan and the differences he has made to classic recipes. And this is when the film sort of falls apart. Hassan goes to Paris where he has a great job in an experimental kitchen, creating all sorts of odd food combinations. Here, he is nearly a celebrity, people recognize him and want to take pictures with him. But Hassan slowly loses his passion and turns to drinking more alcohol.
Everything comes together in the end, with Hassan returning to the small village and taking over Madame Mallory's restaurant but it is his idea to have Marguerite as a business partner and, naturally, they get back together as a couple too because this is Hollywood and a happy ending all around is needed.
If I wanted to get nit picky with this film, I could and did find things wrong with the film. For example, the film starts with Hassan telling someone in immigration his past and about his passion for cooking which is odd and an immigration officer wouldn't have the time to listen to all of that. Still, the audience needed to know his upsetting past. (His mother was burned to death in a fire set by followers of a political enemy.) Also, Hassan's hands heal far too well and quickly in the nasty fire. And the romance between Papa and Madame Mallory is just odd. Also, the other siblings of the Kadam family are underdeveloped and the youngest two are almost unnecessary, though they do provide some genuinely funny laughs throughout.
But the cooking looks authentic and there is some great camera work. The sets are also fabulous and the acting is also great. And, yes, I truly liked the film, it was enjoyable. It also wasn't entirely predictable, with a few curve balls, some bigger than others, along the way. Hopefully, Dayal will be offered more roles after this because he is a good actor. This film may not change lives or even massively change how you think, but something enjoyable is needed. Grade: B+
Monday, August 4, 2014
Get On Up
This film was a disappointment.
James Brown (Chadwick Boseman) had an interesting life, from his humble and cruel beginnings as a child abandoned by both of his parents and forced to live in a brothel to his rise to fame and insistence that he knows the business when he, in fact, only received a seventh grade education. The film covers it all, but it misses the mark, failing to make a huge impact on its audience.
Sure, there are great scenes, like the one where Mr. Brown (he insists on the formality of last names throughout) tells the audience not to come up and dance on the stage. These are his own people and they have disappointed him, badly. And the one where his friend, Mr. Bobby Byrd (Nelsan Ellis) tells him that he's always only taken care of himself, which is true, because if he didn't do it, then no one else would have.
And the scene where his mother arrives to see him after the Apollo, he tells her firmly not to tell anyone that she's proud of her baby because she is not his mother, they both know that that isn't true. That is actually the only time he seems vulnerable in the whole film.
Now, Brown doesn't really know what true loyalty is. He is in prison when he meets Mr. Byrd while he's still in prison, in for five to thirteen years for stealing a suit. But luckily Mr. Byrd takes pity on him and invites him to stay at his mother's house and join his gospel group. Mr. Brown repays him by banging his sister and abandoning the band when they hit it big time. Sure, that actually wasn't his idea, it was the record company's and the band would remain as background at his insistence but that just won't do. But, at some point, Mr. Brown and Mr. Byrd make up, but that is left unclear in the film, leaving a huge plot hole that needs filling. Then when Mr. Byrd decides to break away from Brown for good and create his own record, Mr. Brown proclaims that he will not have his support, believing that his fame is a birthright for him and him alone.
Mr. Brown is also cruel to his second wife, Deedee (Jill Scott) by smacking her around when she wears something low cut around other men and he is furious when she doesn't answer the phone when he calls her. Yet, she is still attracted to him. But his personal life isn't the focus of this film. He fines his employees if they do something wrong and despite earning tons of money, he still manages to owe the government back taxes. He hints that after everything he has done, sell millions of records and settle a riot, he shouldn't have to pay the government anything.
And Brown continues having trouble with the law, angry at his one employee when she uses the bathroom and has a police chase in his car and spends some in jail before returning to his career.
As I've said, there is more than enough material in his life to create a good film, but this one falls flat, jumping around too much, trying to cover too much ground. That is a shame because Boseman is fantastic, dancing his heart out, nailing every line and scene that he is in and his performance is wasted on this film. He owns the film. Everyone else is fine, but the film belongs to him, certainly delivering one of the best performances I've seen this year on film, so far. Also, the aging make-up is considerably better in this film than in Jersey Boys. And the music is also good. This film has all the ingredients to make a great film but it doesn't mix them properly. Grade: B
James Brown (Chadwick Boseman) had an interesting life, from his humble and cruel beginnings as a child abandoned by both of his parents and forced to live in a brothel to his rise to fame and insistence that he knows the business when he, in fact, only received a seventh grade education. The film covers it all, but it misses the mark, failing to make a huge impact on its audience.
Sure, there are great scenes, like the one where Mr. Brown (he insists on the formality of last names throughout) tells the audience not to come up and dance on the stage. These are his own people and they have disappointed him, badly. And the one where his friend, Mr. Bobby Byrd (Nelsan Ellis) tells him that he's always only taken care of himself, which is true, because if he didn't do it, then no one else would have.
And the scene where his mother arrives to see him after the Apollo, he tells her firmly not to tell anyone that she's proud of her baby because she is not his mother, they both know that that isn't true. That is actually the only time he seems vulnerable in the whole film.
Now, Brown doesn't really know what true loyalty is. He is in prison when he meets Mr. Byrd while he's still in prison, in for five to thirteen years for stealing a suit. But luckily Mr. Byrd takes pity on him and invites him to stay at his mother's house and join his gospel group. Mr. Brown repays him by banging his sister and abandoning the band when they hit it big time. Sure, that actually wasn't his idea, it was the record company's and the band would remain as background at his insistence but that just won't do. But, at some point, Mr. Brown and Mr. Byrd make up, but that is left unclear in the film, leaving a huge plot hole that needs filling. Then when Mr. Byrd decides to break away from Brown for good and create his own record, Mr. Brown proclaims that he will not have his support, believing that his fame is a birthright for him and him alone.
Mr. Brown is also cruel to his second wife, Deedee (Jill Scott) by smacking her around when she wears something low cut around other men and he is furious when she doesn't answer the phone when he calls her. Yet, she is still attracted to him. But his personal life isn't the focus of this film. He fines his employees if they do something wrong and despite earning tons of money, he still manages to owe the government back taxes. He hints that after everything he has done, sell millions of records and settle a riot, he shouldn't have to pay the government anything.
And Brown continues having trouble with the law, angry at his one employee when she uses the bathroom and has a police chase in his car and spends some in jail before returning to his career.
As I've said, there is more than enough material in his life to create a good film, but this one falls flat, jumping around too much, trying to cover too much ground. That is a shame because Boseman is fantastic, dancing his heart out, nailing every line and scene that he is in and his performance is wasted on this film. He owns the film. Everyone else is fine, but the film belongs to him, certainly delivering one of the best performances I've seen this year on film, so far. Also, the aging make-up is considerably better in this film than in Jersey Boys. And the music is also good. This film has all the ingredients to make a great film but it doesn't mix them properly. Grade: B
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