I started looking through the list of nominees and decided to check up on which of them had come to DVD to put them on my netflix... I haven't done extremely well with this endeavor. Okay, I suck. BUT here are the two that I will have been able to watch before the big night.
1. THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD
Whew. What a title. Can you imagine walking up to the ticket counter and requesting THAT one? lol. My verdict- I liked it, but didn't LOVE it. It's definitely worth a watch, if only for its cinematography. And SURPRISE, when I looked back at the nominee's list to see what this film had been nominated for, I saw Achievement in Cinematography and Best Actor in a Supporting Role. There were moments that I really loved Casey Affleck's performance. Robert Ford goes from a clueless kid idolizing his hero to a young man trying to prove himself greater by betraying his hero. The movie's pace is slow, but this is largely due to the long takes and long periods without dialog. If the cinematography hadn't been so fantastic, it would have been unbearable. I loved the shots that looked like they were done with a fish eye lens. It added visual interest, and was also mirrored a few other times when a shot is looking through a thick, wavy glass window. It makes the scenes look slightly ethereal and added to the sense of fantasy that is associated with the legend of Jesse James. The legend is larger than life, but this movie depicts the man much different from the romanticized stories we are familiar with. The colors are cold, the scenery vast and empty, the tone bleak. There were some really interesting choices made in this film. My favorite things: Cinematography and the periods of narration. The narration is absolutely beautiful prose. The ending narration is the most moving part of the film. It highlights the end of Ford's life in comparison to the end of James' life... so poignant and heavy with irony.
2. 3:10 TO YUMA
I LOVED THIS MOVIE! It was so entertaining from beginning to end. The music was really distinctive, and I found myself humming it as the credits began to roll. Once again, I looked to see what it had been nominated for as I came here to write.... and.... Original Score and Sound Mixing. =) No wonder!
This is a movie that anyone would like. There are some films that get Oscar nods that most people just don't get. This is not one of them. It kept me on the edge of my seat, introduced characters in a way that keeps you interested and caring about them... and every once in a while throws something unexpected at you. Just enough to keep you stressed about what's going to happen!!
Christian Bale can really do no wrong, if you ask me. (He had two dialogs that brought a little tear to my eye, sniffle) He is great in this movie, as is Russell Crowe. I was surprised to find myself laughing as often as I did in this one. There are some great one-liners and sharp exchanges between characters. This is a great throw-back to the hey-day of Westerns, though with a bit more language and violence than in those days, and I enjoyed every second of it.
I don't have anything too deep to say about it, but it's an all-around entertainer. SEE IT!!
I have to say that the fact that I noticed the things that each these movies were nominated for really boosted my confidence in my understanding of film. Haha. I didn't intend to have an outlaw movie week, but it worked out! It's so interesting that the movies have so much in common as far as subject matter (and even a slight plot similarity- one man bringing an outlaw to justice), and yet are so different. This is what makes movies great. Just think how we as an audience can be manipulated by the choices of the filmmaker. All of those choices do so much to make each of us have a unique experience with the film; we come away from each of these with a completely different emotional response. Think about why. Color is a huge part. One is gray, cold, and dark. The other is full of dusty browns and gold light, heat, and extremely bright light. Both have moments in the script that depend on banter between characters, but again it's completely different. In both films you begin to care for the outlaw. In both films you feel for the man bringing with the mission to bring him to justice. So similar and SO DIFFERENT. It's amazing how one can bring together some of the same elements to create a completely distinct film.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Saturday, February 9, 2008
THE NAMESAKE
The story centers around an Indian family in the American Northeast. Ashima comes to Boston as Ashoke's bride and has both of her children in America. Their oldest son has an interesting name, Gogol, one that was never meant to be his "good name" but a nickname. Ashoke has a special affinity for Nikolai Gogol, which is one of the mysteries that Gogol never understands. Gogol's issue with his name reflect his issues with his conflicted identity.
An interesting movie. I absolutely loved Irrfan Khan and Tabu, though Kal Penn didn't sit well with me in some parts. I know he was supposed to be an awkward teenager, but it was just... He looked too old and it was a bit creepy, to tell the truth.
Having already read the novel, I felt that this film remained as true as was possible and did a fine job of capturing the feeling of the novel. Maybe I shouldn't have read the book first, as I am ALWAYS of the opinion that the book is better. However, having read the book might have allowed me to understand the movie better. So much about the characters happens internally. Kal Penn doesn't have as much scope in this respect as Tabu and Irrfan Khan. These two transmit their emotions without words with the apparent ease that is the mark of a great actor. Kal Penn has his moments, but I don't feel that he was on the same level as these two.
Overall, it is worth a watch. It is visually rich and sets up the dichotomy between the American and Indian influences driving the film in a beautiful way. That said, do yourself a favor and read the book. Jhumpa Lahiri is one of the best contemporary novelists I have had the good fortune to read!!
An interesting movie. I absolutely loved Irrfan Khan and Tabu, though Kal Penn didn't sit well with me in some parts. I know he was supposed to be an awkward teenager, but it was just... He looked too old and it was a bit creepy, to tell the truth.
Having already read the novel, I felt that this film remained as true as was possible and did a fine job of capturing the feeling of the novel. Maybe I shouldn't have read the book first, as I am ALWAYS of the opinion that the book is better. However, having read the book might have allowed me to understand the movie better. So much about the characters happens internally. Kal Penn doesn't have as much scope in this respect as Tabu and Irrfan Khan. These two transmit their emotions without words with the apparent ease that is the mark of a great actor. Kal Penn has his moments, but I don't feel that he was on the same level as these two.
Overall, it is worth a watch. It is visually rich and sets up the dichotomy between the American and Indian influences driving the film in a beautiful way. That said, do yourself a favor and read the book. Jhumpa Lahiri is one of the best contemporary novelists I have had the good fortune to read!!
Friday, February 8, 2008
CLOVERFIELD ... contains spoilers
I went to see Cloverfield, despite my initial skepticism. After seeing a preview, I was not sure I could make it through a feature-length film shot in this manner without coming away with little more than motion sickness. I also had a feeling that a movie that depended so heavily on the hype and mystery surrounding the plot was kind of a cop-out. I'll admit it. I was wrong. :)
It wasn't the best movie I've ever seen, but there were some really interesting things going on. The effects were great, it was pretty terrifying, and the camera-wielding Hud was hysterical. The beginning was great, you were entertained and got really interested in the characters so that when you finally hear the first signs that the destruction is about to begin, you think "oh no." I felt like the movie should have ended before it did though. It drew out just a little too long. And I know that a monster movie isn't ever supposed to be realistic, but there were a few escapes from death that were just too unrealistic even for this type of a movie... (e.g. Beth is still alive and able to run around without bleeding to death after having been impaled by a metal rod... or that the 3 remaining main characters survive a horrific helicopter crash only to be further terrorized by the monster.)
What other friends that I went with hated the most about it, however, was what I liked: The fact that there isn't any resolution. The film doesn't even have opening credits, rather it opens with a screen with US Military codename "Cloverfield." It tells us that this is evidence discovered at a region formerly known as Central Park. This was an interesting way to begin and really supports the illusion of realism. Going into the home video feel from typical film credits would not have felt the same. I loved this choice. I thought it was brilliant.
The plot was short of stellar (for some of the reasons I stated above), but as I was watching, there was an interesting 9/11 subtext at the beginning. Off camera you can hear people saying "do you think it's another attack?" and when there is an explosion in the distance, you get more of the same sentiment. I thought this highlighted a vague fear in our country that has come about since 9/11. There are tons of visual references! Scenes in the street at times echoed some of the handcam footage of clouds of dust and rubble rushing down between buildings as people were lost in the cloud that we saw on the news that day. The idea of the first-hand account as it's happening via this video camera is reminiscent of this footage as well. As people fled Manhattan, they attempted to go across the Brooklyn Bridge. The movie showed this mass crossing the bridge, and I, once again, could not help but think of 9/11. My cousin who worked at #7 World Trade fled Manhattan by the same route that day. As the film continues, it becomes evident that there is an actual monster attacking the city. We never know where the monster came from and we never know an ending. We don't know if the monster died and the military eventually prevailed or if it and it's crazy little insect-like offspring are still ravaging the country. That very mystery also adds to the 9/11 subtext-- We do not know the outcomes, we do not know what happened to our enemy. I think this is what made this movie a success: it exploits the pervasive and elusive fear that we live with.
I only wish that someone had asked my opinion in the editing process! haha. There were just moments that became so thin, the movie would have been far better with their omission. For example, I feel that a much more effective ending would have been for the movie to have ended after the helicopter crash with the camera just directed at the ripped seat of the chopper. The idea of the 3 main characters making it out of the helicopter not only ALIVE but able to run from the monster is absolutely ridiculous. And then for the monster to somehow have "snuck up" on Hud.... yeah... the enormous monster surprises and kills Hud as he is picking up the camera. Wow. It could be just me, but I felt it should have ended at the crash. The final scene with Beth and Rob under the bridge was weird for me... But on second thought, I understood why the filmmakers did it. Interspersed throughout the movie are moments of what Hud is filming over, Rob and Beth's romantic tryst that forms the whole basis for why he is so determined to go and find her. The last scene is the end of that tape when they are summing up their day together saying "Great day" and smiling into the camera. Ooh, feel the irony. It was effective. I just wish they had taken a slightly different path to get there.
The scariest moment: Malena. If you've seen it, I need say no more.
Having a pretty intense hatred for spiders, camel crickets, roaches, etc, the little (excuse me, enormous) insect-like things were TERRIFYING. I have not been able to walk down my hallway in the dark since seeing this movie. Too like a subway tunnel. haha. Malena is totally hardcore and beats the crap out of one of them, saving Hud. I was cheering for her, and she was my favorite character in the movie. But in the madness, she is bitten. She begins to feel sick and gets really pale. When they come to a military medical station, she suddenly says "I don't feel good." and when Hud brings the camera onto her, she is bleeding from the nose and eye, a la ebola. A nurse screams "We've got a bite!" and they drag her off screaming into a quarantine, where we only see her silhouette through opaque plastic as she explodes. This sequence of events is the most terrifying in the movie.
So all in all, this was a great movie! I don't even typically go for this genre and I am really glad that I gave it a chance. I have not been as stressed out while watching a movie in a really long time. As soon as Lady Liberty's head comes rocketing down the street, you don't have a moment that you're not waiting for something awful to happen. And let me also just say in closing that not only does this film have a great driving vision, nice effects, good cast.... there are some breathtakingly perfect shots with the coolest camera angles... How they managed it while preserving the believability of the camcorder is beyond me.
It wasn't the best movie I've ever seen, but there were some really interesting things going on. The effects were great, it was pretty terrifying, and the camera-wielding Hud was hysterical. The beginning was great, you were entertained and got really interested in the characters so that when you finally hear the first signs that the destruction is about to begin, you think "oh no." I felt like the movie should have ended before it did though. It drew out just a little too long. And I know that a monster movie isn't ever supposed to be realistic, but there were a few escapes from death that were just too unrealistic even for this type of a movie... (e.g. Beth is still alive and able to run around without bleeding to death after having been impaled by a metal rod... or that the 3 remaining main characters survive a horrific helicopter crash only to be further terrorized by the monster.)
What other friends that I went with hated the most about it, however, was what I liked: The fact that there isn't any resolution. The film doesn't even have opening credits, rather it opens with a screen with US Military codename "Cloverfield." It tells us that this is evidence discovered at a region formerly known as Central Park. This was an interesting way to begin and really supports the illusion of realism. Going into the home video feel from typical film credits would not have felt the same. I loved this choice. I thought it was brilliant.
The plot was short of stellar (for some of the reasons I stated above), but as I was watching, there was an interesting 9/11 subtext at the beginning. Off camera you can hear people saying "do you think it's another attack?" and when there is an explosion in the distance, you get more of the same sentiment. I thought this highlighted a vague fear in our country that has come about since 9/11. There are tons of visual references! Scenes in the street at times echoed some of the handcam footage of clouds of dust and rubble rushing down between buildings as people were lost in the cloud that we saw on the news that day. The idea of the first-hand account as it's happening via this video camera is reminiscent of this footage as well. As people fled Manhattan, they attempted to go across the Brooklyn Bridge. The movie showed this mass crossing the bridge, and I, once again, could not help but think of 9/11. My cousin who worked at #7 World Trade fled Manhattan by the same route that day. As the film continues, it becomes evident that there is an actual monster attacking the city. We never know where the monster came from and we never know an ending. We don't know if the monster died and the military eventually prevailed or if it and it's crazy little insect-like offspring are still ravaging the country. That very mystery also adds to the 9/11 subtext-- We do not know the outcomes, we do not know what happened to our enemy. I think this is what made this movie a success: it exploits the pervasive and elusive fear that we live with.
I only wish that someone had asked my opinion in the editing process! haha. There were just moments that became so thin, the movie would have been far better with their omission. For example, I feel that a much more effective ending would have been for the movie to have ended after the helicopter crash with the camera just directed at the ripped seat of the chopper. The idea of the 3 main characters making it out of the helicopter not only ALIVE but able to run from the monster is absolutely ridiculous. And then for the monster to somehow have "snuck up" on Hud.... yeah... the enormous monster surprises and kills Hud as he is picking up the camera. Wow. It could be just me, but I felt it should have ended at the crash. The final scene with Beth and Rob under the bridge was weird for me... But on second thought, I understood why the filmmakers did it. Interspersed throughout the movie are moments of what Hud is filming over, Rob and Beth's romantic tryst that forms the whole basis for why he is so determined to go and find her. The last scene is the end of that tape when they are summing up their day together saying "Great day" and smiling into the camera. Ooh, feel the irony. It was effective. I just wish they had taken a slightly different path to get there.
The scariest moment: Malena. If you've seen it, I need say no more.
Having a pretty intense hatred for spiders, camel crickets, roaches, etc, the little (excuse me, enormous) insect-like things were TERRIFYING. I have not been able to walk down my hallway in the dark since seeing this movie. Too like a subway tunnel. haha. Malena is totally hardcore and beats the crap out of one of them, saving Hud. I was cheering for her, and she was my favorite character in the movie. But in the madness, she is bitten. She begins to feel sick and gets really pale. When they come to a military medical station, she suddenly says "I don't feel good." and when Hud brings the camera onto her, she is bleeding from the nose and eye, a la ebola. A nurse screams "We've got a bite!" and they drag her off screaming into a quarantine, where we only see her silhouette through opaque plastic as she explodes. This sequence of events is the most terrifying in the movie.
So all in all, this was a great movie! I don't even typically go for this genre and I am really glad that I gave it a chance. I have not been as stressed out while watching a movie in a really long time. As soon as Lady Liberty's head comes rocketing down the street, you don't have a moment that you're not waiting for something awful to happen. And let me also just say in closing that not only does this film have a great driving vision, nice effects, good cast.... there are some breathtakingly perfect shots with the coolest camera angles... How they managed it while preserving the believability of the camcorder is beyond me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)