Blow Out is about a sound recorder, Jack (John Travolta) who’s trying to unravel the murder of a presidential candidate.
Brian De Palma knits together an effective thriller filled with murder, conspiracy, and mystery. There’s a large emphasis on sound that’s used effectively both to tell the story and drive the story forward. There’s a particularly interesting shot where the camera spins while Jack runs around the room playing different reels. It’s one continuous take that’s borderline nauseating but works.
Looking back on the 25+ years since it was made, it’s interesting to see the dramatic progression of technology. We still use tapes, but not reels. Video and phones are now pervasive. It’d be interesting to see if you’d be able to do a modern remake that’s just as effective. Although dated, it doesn’t take you out of the film at all.
Once is about an aspiring musician (Glen Hansard) who meets a girl (Markéta Irglová) while performing on the street. The narrative is unique in the sense that most of the story unfolds with very little dialogue. Instead, we have a lot of heart felt songs by the musician.
Since there’s so much music, the film really pivots on the quality of it. Luckily, the music is good. There are times where it feels like certain songs may go on for a little too long, but it’s acceptable because it’s delivered with so much honesty. And that’s what makes the film shine. The characters are simple, but they’re not one dimensional. They’ve been damaged in previous relationship and you really want them someone to connect to. Whether it be to each other or to their exs.
The only problem with the film is that it sometimes looks like a series of music videos strung together. Granted, the music is good, but the videos them selves aren’t particularly interesting. Thus, you get a little bored towards the half-way point. Luckily, the movie comes in at 86 minutes, so it doesn’t get as irritating as it could be.
The movie definitely looks indie. There are times when it’s obviously shot on DV, but that’s ok.
Bottom line: If you like the music, you’ll enjoy the movie.
Enchanted is about a cartoon girl, Giselle (Amy Adams) who gets sent to the real world.
The movie opens with some Disney cell animation. As much as I love Pixar, the host of CG animated movies has worn thin. There’s just something warm and inviting of traditional animation. This is not to say Enchanted’s animation style is perfect, but for that brief moment, you’re reminded of all the Disney classics and how it’s been ages since a huge Disney production has graced the screen.
The best parts of Enchanted happen where traditional animated elements crash with reality. Like when people just start breaking into song. Enchanted deals with this by having one of the main characters ask, “does everyone know this song?”. Even Giselle’s mannerisms are reminiscent of the way a Disney character would move and position their hands.
This is not to say that the movie is perfect. Prince Edward (James Marsden, probably best known as Cyclops from X-Men) plays the slapsticky comic relief. Although not terrible, most of his scenes are throw aways. Giselle has that fairy tale voice that starts to get a little annoying by the end of the movie. And the end, where Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon) turns into a dragon is just so pointless. Yes, I understand the reference to all the other Disney movies, but it could’ve been done better.
Despite its flaws, Enchanted is a fun romantic comedy. It definitely makes you reminisce about your favourite Disney movie.
Saw spawned a franchise which is as regular as Halloween. It’s one of the few franchises where each iteration makes more than the previous one. You should watch it for no other reason than it being culturally significant.
It’s also a testament to how powerful strong concepts are. And even though the premise seems like it would lend itself to a lot of gore, there is surprisingly little blood. And I would like to say that I really enjoyed it, but there were parts that were kind of boring. You would think a movie that’s supposed to be tense and thrilling, just kind of plods along. Maybe Ninja’s right, I’m just too desensitized.
THX 1138 is the feature-length directorial debut of George Lucas. With it, we see a very different writer / director than from either Star Wars or Indiana Jones, both focused much more on narrative. With THX 1138, we see how much potential Lucas had. Not to say that Star Wars or Indiana Jones weren’t good, they just were good in a different way.
The movie is about 3 residents in a highly controlled dystopian future. Emptions are suppressed and laws are enforced by android police.
When watching THX 1138, one wonders where Lucas’s directorial talent went to. His choice of camera angles, sense of pacing, story telling, all stand in stark contrast to the rest of his work. In a good way.
If you don’t know anything about Blade Runner, you’ve been living under a rock for the last 20 years. As plodding (read: boring) as it may be at times, it is probably the most influential scifi movies ever. The cityscapes, the hover cars, the advertisements, the lights, all spectacular.
It’s amazing to see how well the film has held up for 25 years. The cities still look futuristic and the film doesn’t look like it’s ages a day. The only element that places it in the 80s are the flamboyant shirts Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) wears and the huge shoulder pads Rachael (Sean Young) wear. Aside from that, Blade Runner looks like it could’ve been made today and still be making a believable look into the future.
At last, the issue of whether Deckard is a replicant or not is answered. Short answer, he is.
No Country for Old Men is the new film by the Coen brothers. It’s about Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin, Gone Baby Gone) who finds a ton of money who is hunted by Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), a sociopath.
In typical Coen Bros. fair, the pacing is deliberate with large sections of little to no dialogue. It’s easy to get lost in the beautiful landscapes and forget that there’s a psychotic murderer about. So if you’re looking for action flick, you’re not going to get it. There’s a high body count and there’s plenty of blood, but the tension doesn’t come from gun fights, rather, from the chase. The Coen Bros. are masterful at this.
I’d like to say I loved it, but it took me a little bit to fully understand the film. I wasn’t the only one either. Ninja, her brother, and many others in the theatre were like “huh?” as the credits rolled. But once you start thinking about it and the way everything pieces together, it’s brilliant.
Right at Your Door is a thriller about dirty bombs going off in LA. The first third of the film is gripping and scary as Brad (Rory Cochrane) tries to get downtown to find his wife Lexi (Mary McCormack). The second act is a little slow, but it’s hard to beat the tension and frantic pacing in the first act. It picks up again in the third act, but it switches to a more dramatic feel. Which works.
During the process, you really get to care for the relationship between Brad and Lexi and you want them to pull through.
Watch it for the first and last acts. It’s definitely worth it.
I finally watched Scream. Yeah, yeah, I know. It’s hard going into it cold considering everything that has built off of it in the last 10 years or so. Still, I managed to still be thrilled and a little surprised.
I could really tell the influence this film had on the horror industry. I really enjoyed the in-jokes and references to the conventions of the genre. It’s smart and self-aware without being too much so to the point of being annoying.
My favourite part where Randy (Jamie Kennedy) was yelling at Jamie Lee Curtis to look behind her. Only because I knew that it was Jamie Kennedy.
If you haven’t yet, you should definitely watch Scream. Oh, and Drew Barrymore is only in it for like five seconds.
Go is a film about young kids, drugs, alcohol, and the stuff that happens to them. It’s a crazy romp and there are moments where you almost can’t bear to see things happen to them. Even though things happen out of order, it’s not particularly heady. Everything eventually comes together.
They do a fine job of telling the story from 4 different perspectives, each one giving a little bit more light to the one that came before. In some ways, it’s almost like watching 4 different stories, which is fine. Each story is interesting and engaging, and the ride doesn’t slow until it tries to pull it all together.
Katie Holmes does a decint job. Probably because she’s not in it that much. I still can’t stand that half smile that she does.
