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Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Purely Original Bedtime Treasure
You'll find this little gem a bit more cultured than the average kiddie flick. It's an adorable, yet purely original twist on all the classic bedtime legends which makes it uniquely entertaining & satisfying for both the kiddies & adults watching.
The top reasons to watch this movie though, are really all in the hilarious & original characters it collaborates...
Bye bye jolly Saint Nick & hello tattooed, gruff, fur hatted, sword wielding, cookie-eating Russian Santa who's a bit rough around the edges. The Easter bunny has an Australian accent & wields a boomerang ... can you say adorable ?! Also, the Yetis have handlebar mustaches & are the perfectionists who actually make all the toys! It just so happens the elves are just mischievous little hats with goofy faces & feet who's only purpose is to look cute. Lastly, the tooth fairy (only lady Guardian) has mini-fairies as assistants that are tiny little hummingbirds who might just bring back images of the beloved Fern Gully.
As far as voices go....Chris Pine (from Star Trek) adds a bit of a sultry tone to his skinny Jack Frost character, while Jude Law voices of the Boogeyman (I'm sure women watching this will still pickup on his sexy accent & tone though.) Alec Baldwin also doesn't disappoint with his gruff portrayal of a Russian Santa's voice.
All in all, this flick has a non-materialistic, dreamy glow that makes it a special treat for family movie night.
Les Misérables (2012)
Creative parallel to the Original
Delicious performances you can fall in love with, beautiful idiosyncrasies abound, creative cinematography & the heartfelt warmth of live performances ... it's hard not to love it.
There might be the obvious objection to this film from those who dislike musicals, but I have to admit, I usually don't enjoy them myself & this is a work of art that I think most can appreciate. Most musicals start slowly, but the pace of Les Misrables is perfection. This more musical adaptation really is a beautiful parallel to the '98 Liam Neeson version & Jean Valjean was played fairly well by Jackman overall.
There are immediate feelings of religious overcast in the first few minutes of the film; particularly when Jean Valjean is a slave forced to carry the top of a flag mast (metaphorically showing the burden of Christ.) This overtone actually brings semblance to the film overall & is true to the original idea, so no one should take offense.
The real genius is found all in Hooper's directing & the genuine characters though. I'm still blown away that this film crammed Crowe, Jackman, Hathaway, Bonam-Carter in one delicious albeit whimsical performance.
The most mesmerizing performances definitely are won by Hathaway & Crowe by far. The small spotlight of "I Dreamed a Dream" being sang by disheveled Hathaway was INSANE & Crowe was masterful as Javert throughout. It's an extra little treat to see Daniel Huttlestone & Isabelle Allen (the children of the cast) take the stage & make it just that much cuter with their young & spirited performances.
If you're not sure what I mean about 'idiosyncrasies' then you should take note that Sacha Baron Cohen (Yes, the one from Borat) actually plays a mostly serious role & is paired with Bonham-Carter.
The one change I would make would be to switch the more passionate actor Aaron Tveit (Marius) for Eddie Redmayne's character Enjolras. Tveit, in my eyes, is clearly sexier & I felt immediately that Tveit would have played a better lover to Cosette. Redmanyne seems more like side-kick material to me. They did both play the idealistic revolutionaries well though, so I'm sure most audience members didn't care as much.
All in all, I'd recommend this to those seeking a unique experience that you won't find in cinema everyday or even every year. Les Miserables deserved more Oscar-attention.
Apocalypto (2006)
Visceral Gibson Goodness
This definitely has the very vivid & visceral taste of a true Mel Gibson film. As controversial as Gibson may be, his mastery of film-making exudes from Apocalypto. It feels so much like the Patriot, but has an ending that might satisfy some more.
Besides the violence, the other Gibson-isms you have to look forward to with Apocalypto are the rich cinematography & his obvious deep family values. His films are always fueled by the emotion he wraps around the protagonist protecting his family. All the characters are characteristically loyal, passionate, traditional & protective of their way of life.
The part of the film that might be overlooked that I really loved was the portrayal of the deep empowerment you see in the characters. While it may be more realistic to have a flawed main character, it is very satisfying to an idealist when you see (the rare) abounding love of the family, empowerment of a strong wife & protective nature of a husband.
The key to the fascination of this film is that you take a deep look & feel invested into the tribe & characters for some time before you are unceremoniously, visually & emotionally assaulted right along with them by their assailants. To me, it felt like a small ending right in the middle of the movie.
The CONs of Apocalypto are really a few predictable plot elements & the legitimacy of the history behind it.
There is a bit of a question about whether this is about the Mayans really. It's true that the Spanish conquistadors first came in contact with Mayans, but the more brutal, less intellectual & short lived reign of the Aztecs seems to more accurately fit this movie's portrayal of the civilization.
All in all, it's worth a one-time watch.
Midnight in Paris (2011)
A Vapid Snooze-fest with only mildly interesting characters
***Disclaimer*** Even in Woody Allen's more interesting movies, I still find him vapid as a writer & director, so if you're a fan then this review won't interest you.
.....SO....
This movie walks, talks & acts like "To Rome with Love" with the exception that it is in Paris and not Rome. {Both are written AND directed by Woody Allen btw... }
The cinematography of the city (comparable with "to Rome with Love") was very beautiful & among the actors chosen, many were talented.....but a boring story wrought with ridiculous Woody-Allen-isms is all you are really left with in the end. The film opens with a 3 + minute montage of Paris with absolutely nothing else going on, which gives a huge hint to the lackluster content to follow.
The performances worth mentioning are Salvatore Dali (Adrien Brody) who is amusing & didn't have nearly enough screen time, Adrianna (Cotillard) who is a convincingly sexy french woman, & perhaps Hemmingways character. Owen Wilson is pretty much the same-old, same old. Although, Wilson didn't have much of a chance to "shine" as a lead in a romantic movie simply because, every Woody Allen flick is exactly like every other Woody Allen flick... dabbled with meaningless political remarks & torturing the audience with awkwardness & dull sarcasm. I somewhat agree with the reviewer that said they were "insufferably shallow characters" but I don't think it's the actors fault at all. Woody's ideas aren't really all that magical, so the actors & gorgeous city couldn't turn the film into much unfortunately.
The only high ratings given to this flick were presumably Woody Allen fans or perhaps those captivated by the overall idea of re- visiting the Parisian streets in the 1920's. I am a romantic as much as the next person (if not more so) but this movie is just dull as a doorknob; mostly plot-wise with its vapid portrayal of a few love triangles that we've all seen before. Overall the pseudo- intellectualism (one of Woody's favorite words to put in scripts lately) is rubbed in the viewers face quite a bit.
Overall, it's pointless morally as you can guess the boring moral based in nostalgia 20 mins into the movie, but I'd still take the time to compliment the cinematographer, the soundtrack creators (although Not Original Scores) & a few of the actors. A shame it had to be written by Allen.
Candy (2006)
Gritty with intimate intensity
Intense moments in this film really can shake an absorbed viewer to their core. "Candy" drags the viewer into the down & dirty life of heroine-addicts-in-love who are truly at the mercy of the drug, day in & day out, to the point that they resort to prostitution.
If you can handle it, you'll get a fairly accurate & intimate glimpse of addiction at its worst ...full of nasty needles, self- destruction, co-dependency, death, withdrawals, poverty & the like.
Heath & Abbie are devastatingly genuine & will definitely appeal to the bohemian/indie flick lovers. You can practically eat up their flaming chemistry.
Some mainstream watchers with an understanding (or experience) in the subject matter will likely find this to be a moving cinematic piece as well. I would say the acting & intimacy of it all makes it stand apart from just being another "druggie movie."
The ending is not necessarily "satisfying" to most, so don't see this expecting generic Hollywood entertainment.
*** On Another Note *** SO sad to see this film compared to Blue Valentine!! "Blue Valentine" leads the viewer to believe in the common fallacy that one should/can get married to change or "train" their spouse instead of loving them for who they are, unconditionally. Overall the shallow & heartless tale pales in comparison to the film Candy, because Heath's character actually makes the sacrifice of love for the well-being of his wife (unlike BV.) Disappointing to see that a story about a heroine addict can be used to portray love better & truer than a shallow story about a supposedly *matured* mother.
Before Sunset (2004)
Epically Mundane
Must have missed how an hour and a half of meaningless banter & whining about life circumstances is somehow a plot?
There is literally no "doing" or "movie" to be seen here.... merely two lovers who run into each other and start babbling with endless... "woulda, coulda, shouldas" for almost 2 hours.
The couple tours less-than-interesting areas of Paris & reminisces nicely, but they do nothing whatsoever about it. They are given the chance of a lifetime to rekindle their once-in- a-lifetime love, but they talk about how miserable their lives are instead. (?!?!)
Overall.... waste of life to watch this.
3 stars were given, because although Hawke & Delpys' characters are downright depressing & boring, they are still heartfelt.
A Knight's Tale (2001)
Original Feel-Good Flick with a Genius Cast
Seriously one of my all time favorite feel-good flicks! And just so we're on the same page... a legitimate feel-good flick makes you Love the main characters so much that you laugh, cry, hug & cheer along with them, while giving you a satisfyingly good ending.
A Knight's Tale really takes a new approach to "medieval" that makes it quite original in many aspects, while still sticking to the expected- happy-ending so you don't leave it feeling heartbroken.
Positives: --- Sossoman, Ledger, Sewell, Purefoy & Bettany are all in the same movie !!! *whew* Thank you genius casting director! --- Soundtrack with Queen & Bowie mixed with medieval sports is just a lovely & quirky combo --- Has a genuinely happy ending that leaves everybody satisfied with no loose ends --- Unexpectedly original, but still rom-com type banter --- R. Sewell plays such an awesome bad guy --- Heath Ledger gets to be a pretty boy again! *sniff* --- Heath & Shannyn have a legitimate chemistry throughout --- Proof that chivalry is still sexy --- Paul Bettany is seriously at his best; adore his character! He finally gets a chance to show off his superb acting skills instead of being just a voice (like he is with Jarvis in Iron Man...) He is seriously underrated. --- Has a moral basis that leaves a viewer with warm fuzzies (just to reiterate it's feel-good-ness!)
No Negatives really! It's hard not to love.
****************** SPOILER BELOW **********************
Favorite Heart-warming scene:
When the blind father gets to see hug his son again! Christopher Cazenove's performance was so believable & overall heartwarming. It's hard to believe that in reality Heath (William) and Chris (Father/John) are both dead within 2 years of each other!
40 Days and 40 Nights (2002)
Lovely Acting overshadowed by "illegitimate" Rape
I'm SO glad to see that other reviewers weren't blindfolded to the ugly truth of this movie... ! Proof our culture still has a brain. :D So...gender equality = treating both genders with respect & not violating their rights (in a nut shell.) So why then, do we allow raping a man chained to a bed??? ...Really people?
This movie tries to make us believe that: a) Men cannot control their sexual urges b) Forcing yourself sexually on a drunk, sleeping person tied to a bed (against their will) is OK (as long as it's a man!) Rape is only legitimate if a man rapes a woman apparently... (!?!?) c) Abstinence is torture / Life without sex is meaningless ... blah blah blah d) Respecting people's bodies is overrated
Literally everybody should re-watch the ending if they didn't find it disgusting. Men, women, virgins, individuals with healthy sexual lives..... ALL OF US ... should be upset with how blatantly ignorant the ending of this movie is! He's raped 3 minutes before midnight?? That's your idea of an ENDING?!? This seemingly humorous rom-com kills the basic idea of respect & basic human dignity. Instead it aims to.... demonize celibacy, make men into brainless & sexualized pigs, make women into pretty/sexualized objects, & ignore rape.
So a more objective rating would go like this....
(Positives) -- Main actors are talented --- Humor is consistently good -- Original date ideas & non-cliché type characters --- Plot isn't TOO predictable --- Refreshing to see Sossamon's edgy style as the lead role --- Male protagonist respects women --- All the apartment decor looks like a sexy bohemian Pinterest board
(Negatives) --- Male rape is basically deemed illegitimate. The climax of this film occurs when the ex-girlfriend sneaks into his house when he (main character) is trying to remain abstinent & she forces him to have sex with her while he's DRUNK, SLEEPING & CHAINED TO A BED. (He says NO!) The writer's cover it up by letting him "get the good girl in the end" & never recognizing that the ex she-beast raped him. Apparently male rape does Not exist in the planet of these scene writers?!
--- Excessive use of boobs. I didn't know it was possible to allow that many pointless boobs in one scene.
--- There just HAD to be the cliché "priest-who-has-excessive-sexual-urges" character. Seriously? When is Hollywood going to get bored of saying that celibate people can't be celibate if they want to? A priest is statistically less likely to have sex/ rape / molest a person than a child's teacher or parents!! ... Hollywood needs to stop rubbing this false holy- clergy-sex-fantasy stereotype in our faces.
Movies like this are why male rape is under-reported & under-punished. Our culture needs to stop saying that only women can be raped. The idea that being raped somehow makes you "more feminine" or "not tough enough to fight them off" is ridiculous. The reality is that the crime of Rape is a violent act committed against a person (against their will)...regardless of the victim's gender! Women rapists (or men raping men) shouldn't be getting away with this!!!!!
Seriously...
--- OK... End Rant! loll ---
Gave it 4 stars because the movie COULD have easily been a 7 or 8 star "edgy sexualized Rom-com" if it hadn't been for the writer's making rape illegitimate & the random stereotyping.