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Reviews
Suing the Devil (2011)
Ignore the rating
OK, my take. Just saw the film! I knew I was in trouble when I saw a 4.4 for this film, however I wanted to give it a chance.
I know I would love this film. I knew that I would take much flack for loving this film. I know that I would not care. I did, I did and I don't. People who complain about religious films like this should spend more time at the library and less time at the cinema, and even less time telling everyone else how smart they are and how silly films like this are beneath them. Cut it out. Film is an art form about light, the lack of light and the bending of light, I thought the light was marvelous. What do you want from a film about God? I know what I wanted and this film delivered. It was stylish, amusing and well paced. This film was a testament to people who know priorities, no big money star vehicles, just fine actors like Malcolm Mcdowell, young and old, wonderfully silly duologue, played straight, appropriate screeching metal music and lots of shooting and many scenes of Malcolm doing his thing, marvelous. I adore Mr. McDowell and this film almost allowed me to see his true talents manifest.
It's Kind of a Funny Story (2010)
Good story about a funny story!!!!!
The Good: The film follows its genre as a dramatic comedy very well and isn't over sentimental or Hollywoodized at all. Instead it is everything you would want a film with the title "It's Kind of a Funny Story" to be. It really is kind of a funny story and a very good story with some very serious undertones. Overall, the acting in the film is very fulfilling and the variety of different character personas' of the patients mesh very well in a perfect comedic melody. However, Zach Galifianakis is the biggest name actor in the film and steals the spotlight whenever the camera is on him. He plays a character that is very hard to describe. He is both troubled and enlightened, dramatic and comedic, and optimistic and pessimistic. What ever he is, all of the other characters feed off of his energy and look up to him on screen. Galifianekis is joined by Keir Gilchrist (Craig) Lauren Grahm (Craig's Mother), Jim Gaffigan (Craig's Father), Emma Roberts (Noelle), Thomas Mann (Aaron) and Zoe Kravitz (Nia). The cast is supported by a very well written adapted screenplay by Anna Fleck and Anna Boden that will make you laugh and cry.
The Bad: The actress, Zoe Kravitz, does not do a very good job playing Nia, Craig's love interest from before he meets Noelle in the psychiatric hospital. She is a very annoying, stereotypical, stuck up girl that just isn't very believable. It is very hard to believe that Craig would actually like her especially because she is his best friend, Aaron's girlfriend. It is also hard to believe that Aaron is his best friend because he does not seem to treat Craig very good and does not act as a very good friend towards him. This makes both of these relationships to be very unimportant to the overall story.
Final Thought: We all could use a five day break from our lives so we can just enjoy the moment and relax without following a strict schedule that forces us to rush around. We all need contemplate the quotation that Craig's doctor Eden Minerva states at the beginning of the film, "Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. The courage to change the things I can. And the wisdom to know the difference." Go to the theater and See It Now, the film that avoids the typical clichés of the psychiatric hospital comedy and it may just inspire you too.
Little Children (2006)
Great Winslet!
Upon talking about raising children and busy schedules, the women of the neighborhood are delighted with the return of Brad a.k.a. "The Prom King," who indulges their erotic fantasies. The attraction between Sarah and Brad isn't as obvious from the beginning but a small bet will change that. The two acquire at first, a friendship in the interest of simple companionship, a get away from their spouses, where they could feel support. After the sexual tension is ignited, it remains there through trips to the park, pool and Sarah's infamous laundry room.
Todd Field's brutal honesty of adulthood in Suburbia is strikingly palpable and he never leaves the mind of the characters. Unfortunately Field and Perrotta often bring many questions about morality and judgment to the table and leave the subjects murky. The adaptation is great but there are so many points and features to make in this narrative, the two writers couldn't tackle each task. The dialogue is always engaging and inviting for the viewer; I always felt the need to listen to every word.
The performances for the most part are remarkable. Patrick Wilson's "Brad" is extremely character-flawed. His immaturity is evident in every scene and Wilson does an impressive job of portraying that. Brad is stuck in a world, a world somewhere in between high school graduation and yesterday's pasta dinner. His identity seeking is never exposed until the meeting of Sarah and his immaturity is never more manifested until the finale. The underdeveloped character of Kathy is sometimes bothersome but with the flow of the story it fits the aura of the picture. Jennifer Connelly does well with her minimal screen time but it isn't the marvel of the film that stands out like other low-screen time performances have been in the past. Also, the great Noah Emmerich and Phyllis Somerville are great in their respective roles.
The two standouts lay in the unknown comeback of Jackie Earle Haley, who plays Ronald McGovern, a recently released pedophile searching for a new beginning in a town unkind to the power of forgiveness and profound origination. In Haley, the viewer finds the most sympathy of all the players and this viewer was delighted to find it. In no way are people accepting of pedophilia, but we can start to sympathize with anyone who yearns for the restart of any kind and becomes bewildered and astray in the process. Haley's "Ronnie" is so tortured in his soul but does find security and contentment in his loving mother. She offers solace and guidance in Ronnie's rebuilding of life that adds to the atmosphere and provides a beautiful emotional center to the "Children." The other standout could be no other than the most talented young actress working today, Kate Winslet. Her "Sarah," like "Ronnie" has a tortured persona along with a yearn for happiness that is missing in her life. The symbolism of trains in the film gave amazing insight to what Sarah and Brad were really about. Winslet falls inside of "Sarah" and never comes to the surface. At 31, Winslet is still thinking of different ways to enchant the audience and give us something new every time. The vivacity of "Sarah" is sometimes hard to swallow because of her priorities with her child and Brad but in the finale you will feel comfort in the choice of her character. But this is not by any means, the best performance of her career but a definite contender nonetheless in the competitive Actress race.