The Fall

The Fall made its way through the film festival circuit during 2006 and 2007. It finally recieved a limited US release in the spring of 08. There was very little buzz about this film and it recieved very modest accolades. However, when my good friend and highly respected movie critic, Justin Newsome named The Fall his top film of 2008, I had to see it.

Acting: (7) An unknown Lee Pace was an interesting choice for the lead. While he handled emotional hospital scenes quite well, the fantasy action sequences were really a stretch. Whether it was an artistic choice or folly, he appeared almost comical as the "Blue Bandit." The little girl added a great deal of depth and reality to the film. She obviously struggled with English and her lines. However, Pace played off her so naturally that her stutters and repeats flowed like natural conversation.

Audio / Visual: (9) There can be no debate that the film's visuals are astonishing. During the fantasy sequences, the screen is filled with wide landscapes, elaborate sets, and choreograhped movements that are quite enchanting. Tarsem's vision and imagination are the stars of this film. In fact, the film's visuals could actually be criticized for overpowering both the characters and the complex story. The only complaint I would raise involves the costumes of the bandits. Again, I'm not sure whether this was intentional or not, but the costumes reminded me of a low budget community theatre play.

Plot: (8.5) There is really a lot going on in this film. There are so many stories within the story. Tarsem skillfully weaves the story of the stunt man and the young girl together through the telling of the epic revenge saga. The film runs the risk of becoming muddled and confusing when it attempts to fuse storylines occuring in both the fantasy and real world simultaneously. By the end of the film the stories have all been told fairly well. If you're able to avoid being distracted by the events happening on the screen, you may actually be able to follow each of them.

Entertainment: (8) This film would have been engaging as a silent movie. The visuals are that powerful. The stories (all of them) are worth a listen. I always tend to give extra credit to original, bind benders, as is the case with The Fall.

Overall: (8) - Very Good

Rachel Getting Married

Rachel Getting Married (2008)
Directed By: Jonathon Demme
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Rosemarie DeWitt, Debra Winger, Bill Irwin

Well as stated in my previous post it has been tough getting the time to watch movies lately, but the fact that a Red Box just opened in the local grocery store will hopefully help things out.

Acting: (9.5) It is funny how quickly someone can become a favorite. All it took was The Devil Wears Prada and Anne Hathaway jumped to the top of my list of favorite actresses, and this performance gives credence to that view. The movie truly shines through the acting displayed by the entire cast. This is probably one of the best ensemble performances I have ever seen. Everyone for the most part nails their parts and as a whole it doesn't get much better. My favorite aside from Anne was actually Mather Zickel, who I thought stole most of the scenes he was featured in.

Effects / Cinematography: (7) Camera shots for the most part were great, but I have to complain about the length of the wedding scenes. I thought it was a poor choice of editing and it dragged on....and on....and on. They could have easily cut 10 minutes out of the post wedding without impacting the overall movie in any way. Its my opinion that every scene should have a purpose and there was just way too much filler. I hear Derek say that it was to bring a balance of joy to all the sorrow of the film, but it was just too much for me.

Plot: (8.5) A modern day adaptation of the prodigal son, or in this case the prodigal daughter. I thought the script was well written and flowed effortlessly.

Entertainment: (7.5) The unending wedding scenes really brought the movie down a notch for me on an entertainment level. I thought the feeling portrayed of actually being a part of the festivities was done pretty well, but both the rehearsal dinner and the post vows parts were extremely tedious.

Cumulative: (8.125) Overall a solid movie and one that should be studied in film classes across the country. The acting was phenomenal, but editing choices brought the overall score down a bit for me. I haven't gotten through all of the 2008 movies that Derek has, but I would place this near the top of my list as well.

10 Movies for 2009

It has been a while since I have posted any updates and its about time I rejoin the action. My movie watching days have dwindled with the arrival of a daughter in September so movies happen few and far between nowadays. That said I have scanned a few lists and here is a of ten movies that, like my cohort, I don't necessarily anticipate being award winning or even potentially good, but the actors involved, the story told, or a peak at the trailer has gotten me interested.





In order of release:



10. The Brothers Bloom - limited release May 15th. Despite the wide variety and quality of roles Rachel Weisz is still one of my favorite actresses. Add in Adrien Brody and this being Rian Johnson's follow up to Brick and I am intrigued.



9. Away We Go - limited release June 5th. I am usually a fan of Sam Mendes and I am a big fan of The Office so I am hoping this will be a decent movie for John Krasinski who gets a chance to finally break out after being stuck with roles in License to Wed and Leatherheads. I am worried about the casting of Maya Rudolph, who I typically deem as one of the least funny people on SNL, but the trailer has me hoping this might be worth seeing.



8. Public Enemies - release July 1st. I love Johnny Depp and I love gangster movies. The trailer has me worried a little bit about the quality of this film. I tend to like my gangster movies dark (think Road to Perdition) and this seems like it may be a little lite but we shall see.



7. Bruno - release July 10th. Don't know if it will be the hit that Borat was, but it is guaranteed to offend and entertain.



6. The Cove - release July 31st. Big praise from Sundance has me intrigued about exposing the dolphin trade in Japan.



5. Inglorious Basterds - release August 21st. While I dislike most everything Quentin Tarantino the inclusion of Brad Pitt in this film has me hoping that I may enjoy this, despite his ridiculous mustache in the movie. Sure to be a big money maker with Tarantino's cult following.



4. This Side of Truth - release September 25th. Huge fan of Ricky Gervais and after being pleasantly surprised by Ghost Town I am excited for this arrival.



3. Shutter Island - release October 2nd. I think Derek explained this one well enough and I was going to avoid any overlap in our lists, but this has too much potential.



2. Amelia - release October 23rd. Though I despise Hillary Swank I am excited about the return of Ewan McGregor to the main screen. This has early Oscar buzz and imdb.com properly describes it as "The Aviatrix" as it follows the life of Amelia Earhart.



1. All right I am running out of slots and two movies I just discovered both have me intrigued. Despite the subject matter, The Wolf Man - release November 6th, has me intrigued by the inclusion of Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt, and Benicio Del Toro. Also Nine - release November 25th has Daniel Day-Lewis and Penelope Cruz.



There, 11 movies to choose from and I am most excited about the fact that none of them include Seth Rogen and am most disappointed that, with the exception of Bride Wars (which I won't see), my life will have no Anne Hathaway in 2009.



I also can't complete this list without mentioning that I am excited, curious, and baffled that two of my favorite childhood books (Where the Wild Things Are and Cloudy with A Chance of Meatballs) are supposed to be released as movies this year. Considering you can read both in less than 10 minutes, how they will be able to stretch the stories into a feature length film is beyond me.

Gattaca (1997)

Directed by: Andrew Niccol

Starring: Jude Law, Ethan Hawke, and Uma Thurman

Acting (7.5): This is where the film surprised me most. Outside of Alan Arkin, who has a small role in the film, I am not a fan of any actor in this cast. In this film, however, each actor seemed to fit their given role quite well. For the first time ever, I actually found Uma Thurman attractive. She has somewhat of a futuristic android look to her that fall right in line with her character.

Plot (9): This is one of the most intelligent and socially relevant Sci Fi movies I've ever seen. It doesn't take a giant leap with it's dipiction of DNA alteration. Medical ethics and "playing God" are examined closely and criticized subtley. The story, though set in the future, also holds up a critical mirror to today's society regarding discrimination. This is where I think the casting of someone like Ethan Hawke was crucial. As the all American white kid with a heart condition, Hawke makes for a sympathetic protagonist. The fact that he's discriminated against for a lack of perfect DNA feels completely unjust and shows just how ridiculous discrimination in our own society is.

The movie shows a future in which perfection is strived for in every person. Even the slightest "defect" can make one an exile. The fact that an "Invalid" or "God child" was able to outsmart everyone and excel in this dystopia creates great drama and real inspiration. Hawke's character is an underdog in every sense; and one we root for.

Audio / Visual (8): Unlike many futuristic thrillers, this film used much more subtle methods for defining it's futuristic environment. The technology was advanced, but not over the top. Much of the mood in this film was created from the lighting. The outdoors always seemed to have yellowish tint acting as an ever present reminder of the sun and space while the inside of buildings were sleak, metallic, and sterile.

Entertainment (8): The story is very fascinating and engaging. It challenges the view intellectually while still managing to stimulate with excitement. As the plot unfolds and nears it's climax there is true suspense. It's really a fun, intellectual picture.

Overall (8) = Very Good