How to make it in ...

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I’ve been thinking of this film so much and it’s been tough. While it is easy to say why this film is good, how do I convey why this film is my favorite of the year especially with so many good films this year. So i’m going to start small: the soundtrack. For years, I’ve been one of those people who doesn’t think that modern place should be in period pieces. It takes you out of the era, taking you out of the film and achieving the opposite of what you wanted. Then Rick Ross starts playing in Django and everything just fits. It helps bring you closer to the characters and tells part of the story with the song. That’s why so many of his scenes have no dialogue because Quentin uses the song to tell the story. And I think that’s why this film and Tarantino are so amazing in general. Because he takes genres, actors, music and tropes that we have long forgotten about or brushed away to the bargin bin and he makes you care about them. Every film is met with some kind of media buzz or attention because he brings up things that maybe we didnt’ want to talk about. That’s why I like Django so much. Because Tarantino isn’t politically correct, and he doesn’t want to be. He’s bringing you both above all of that without becoming blind to it. And I for one salute him for it.

5:

6: Magic Mike is a tough one because everyone has made their mind up on seeing it or not. And I think it’s not what anyone thinks. More than just a stripper movie, Mike is the best after-coming of age movie. That weird time (which is where I am now) where you may have a job but its not your dream. Mike doesn’t hate his life, in fact he actually likes it but its not all he can be and he has to decide whether its worth. Also super hot guys 24/7 365… Alright, alright, alright

movieisaw:

Plot: After a sniper kills a bunch of random civilians, loner Jack Reacher comes to find out what happen and punish who ever is responsible.

Review: Disclaimer: I have not read any of the books and therefore was not affected and do not care about the description of Reacher in the books. I did not expect to like this movie as much as I did. Director by Christopher McQuarrie, writer of the Usual Suspects and writer/director of Way of the Gun, has made a thrilling call back to old action films. Not in a call back way, but in the fact that it is fun of stunts and the action is real. There is a car chase halfway through and you feel every crash and dent. Tom Cruise plays Jack Reacher, an ex-military cop, who comes out of self-imposed exile after a veteran is arrested for going on a rampage. You see this veteran has a history of killing people but got away with it and when Reacher investigated him told him if he ever did it again, Jack would kill him. He wants to make good on his promise but as he digs deeper, he finds that everything is not what it seems. Once again, I don’t wanna give too much away as this is a mystery and it’s good to go in as blind as possible. What I will say is that Cruise is on display here. This is one of his best roles in years and I think my favorite character that he has played. He is funny, strong and a true bad ass. Every one is on display here and McQuarrie keeps the film funny and entertaining. Robert Duvall shows up near the end to give Cruise a partner and the banter between the two is great. If the film has any problems, I couldn’t see it. Check this film out and have a great time during the holidays.

Trivia: Tom Cruise did all of his own stunt driving.

movieisaw:

Plot: A documentary that started as an examination of America’s biggest house becomes a look into the rich after the economy crashes.

Review: This is an interesting documentary. It’s effectiveness comes from the fact it did not begin as a look at the economic crisis. It was a story of excess that BECAME a cautionary tale. David and Jackie Seigel are very rich. David runs the world’s largest time sharing company and Jackie is a trophy wife. They have 8 children, 2 drives, 27 maids and a handful of pets. When the story begins they are building the largest house in America including an ice rink, a baseball field, and everything you could want. We are also given a glimpse into the company and it shows how truly terrible time sharing is. They pray on people that are too naive or uncomfortable to know the difference. Taking money upfront without worrying about how they will pay later. David comes off as quite unlikable. Then the economy crashes and his time sharing company is the perfect victim of this. Almost over night not only do they lose all new prospective business but now the people that they double downed on are not able to pay for their time shares. They are slowly going broke. This is when true colors come out. Jackie’s claims that she is still a small town girl ring false as she rents a car and asks who her driver will be. David’s happy demeanor turns into an angry overworked old man as his world comes down around him. Their children are shown to be as spoiled as they promised they weren’t. Once the maids are dwindled down to one, the house crashes goes into disarray as dog poop and dirty dishes start to pile up. And their “new” house looms over everything. Never complete and unable to sell, it becomes a symbol of their failures. As the movie draws to a close the family claims to have a new understanding of life and of money. They have been given a glimpse of how “normal” families or in their minds “poor” families live and you hope that they have been taught a lesson. They aren’t bad people and the hope is that they learned. In real life, I heard that David is building again and hasn’t learned but in the film we see a changed man that is trying to save his family and has learned a lesson. If anything else, it shows how the crisis can hint anyone and it wasn’t just something that might go away. A cautionary tale indeed.

Trivia: Recently, David sent an email to his employees saying that if Obama beat Mitt Romney they would all be fired.

movieisaw:

Plot: A bounty hunter teams up with a freed slave to rescue the slave’s wife at the vicious CandyLand.

Review: For the last film of the year and Tarantino knocks it out of the park and makes me rethink my whole top ten lists! Damn you Quentin! Now anyone who knows me knows I wasn’t a fan of Inglorious Basterds. After much thought, my main problem was that it didn’t mention the holocaust or concentration camps in more than a passing fashion. I thought that was disrespectful and made me not have fun at all. Which is why I loved this film so much. Django is the complete opposite of Basterds. It faces slavery head on! I loved Tarantino for that. It’s his version of a western that has fun but never lets you forget the terrible things that happened. He manages to make a self aware fun western, which I never thought was possible. It’s something that I think only Tarantino could do as he brings the western into the modern area. It’s not a throwback or a modernisation but yet both at the same time. So let’s get to the plot. The plot is also typical Tarantino and even though it doesn’t have the “chapter” titles, you can feel the episodic tone. As they rescue Django from his slavers, then the killing of the Brittle Brothers, then the bounty hunting and finally Candyland. Candyland actually has two chapters but it ruins it a bit if I explain so I’ll just state it. I feel that a lot of people are having problems with the episodic tone as they feel that Django becomes somewhat of a side character in the film but that’s also typical of Tarantino films. It also feels better in this film as they are all connected. Jamie Foxx and Christoph Waltz have great chemistry and bring unique perfect characters. Kerry Washington also does a fantastic job as Django’s wife and it’s great to see Tarantino tackle a real love story. It’s his first time really diving into this territory and it gives Django more depth than usual. Plus they really seem to care about each other and you want to see them win. Leonardo Dicaprio turns in his first “Fun” role and it’s one of his best. As the sadistic slave owner, Candie, he is truly a villain and you can tell he loves playing such a out there character. Everyone is really on their A game and I don’t want to ruin the fun cameos. I’ll have more to say in my Top Ten but I will say everyone should see this film. Just make sure that you are okay with rated R films. Also there are a lot of slavery jokes and inappropriate humor that seems to be too much to some. But Tarantino is never one to shy away from controversy and I love him for it.

Trivia: Will Smith was originally cast as Django but then had to turn it down.

My last review of the year and it’s a doozy!

movieisaw:

Plot: Alice finds herself trapped in an Umbrella research facility and must escape. Also zombies and clones.

Review: So you don’t review the Resident Evil film on how good they are. Because they are not good, you review them on how much fun you had. They are always the same plot: Alice meets a bunch of game characters and zombie food, and must escape from an Umbrella something-or-other. It’s not a complicated plot and it doesn’t want to be. So let’s look at this film as it wants to be judged. I found this film both the best and worst film of series. I can judge a film by it’s own merits and every film doesn’t have to be “The Godfather” but come’on Resident Evil at least try a bit on the story.  This film only accomplishes one thing, and that is to retcon the retcon that they retconned in the last film. By the end, Alice is given the powers that the director, Paul W.S. Anderson, tried so hard to get rid of in the last movie. (They are both directed by Anderson, making this more infuriating.) Also the film wants you to remember and forget other films in the series. The main selling point of this film was to bring back your favorite characters from the series but the movie also doesn’t care about their characterizations or why you liked them so much. Also the way the Umbrella corporation works never makes sense. I could go on and on about the things that contradict other things but that would mean putting more work in to the film than they did. I will say that the action is tight and it’s fun watching the characters fight in recreations of Moscow, Tokyo, and New York, even if they are recreations. One of the best things I enjoyed was that this one feels the most like a video game. At the beginning the main “boss” shows up to tell Alice what to do, what she will get in reward, and how to do it. They even show us different maps like all video games. It’s a fun little touch. Overall the Resident Evil isn’t going to win any new fans but it’s doing what it does and it can be fun at times. It’s up to you whether you want that or not.

Trivia: This is the first film to not feature zombie dogs.

movieisaw:

Plot: The story of how the CIA found and ultimately killed Osama Bin Ladin.

Review: Don’t be tricked by the trailers, this isn’t really the story of Seal Team Six or an action movie.  What is it is a thriller about all the trials and time it took to take down one of the biggest terrorists in the world. The whole movie is from the view point of Maya, a CIA agent played by Jessica Chastain, as she tries for ten years to locate Bin Laden. Her search begins as just another assignment but turns into an obsession and as one character puts it later in the film, “What else have you done? Do you have friends?” The sacrifices are full on display as Maya becomes more isolated and the toll of hunting terrorists takes her colleagues. Some are killed while others are just burned out to the point of retirement. Even Maya starts off fresh and is broken down. One of the best scenes is with Kyle Chandler, playing one of Maya’s bosses, as he explains to her that capturing Bin Laden isn’t even that important now that he is hiding in a hole. But as Americans, we do know how important it was so we stick to Maya’s side. There is also the effects of torture and director Kathryn Bigelow makes the scenes dark which has come with controversy. The thing is that Bigelow is not taking sides, she shows the torture objectively, stated as a fact, and that makes it show much harder to watch. These things happened and as much as politicians want to push it under the rug, it doesn’t change the facts. So I applaud Bigelow for taking that chance. There are no sides to take in this story even as we cross over two presidents and policy changes. There is only Maya. Maya who has to wait for her superiors to weave around policies and “risk-management” to get things done, even when they know it for a fact. Maya who watches her friends die or leave her. No one wants to be holding the “leash” if it goes wrong. In Maya, there is the best and worst part of the films. If there are any problems, it’s that we follow Maya too much. Jessica Chastain turns in a great performance worthy of an Oscar and putting her in the ranks of great heroes like Ellen Ripley and John Rambo; she shares qualities of both. Finally, you get to see why Hollywood has fallen in love with Chastain and I look forward to what she does next. But we never see anyone else or dig into their lives. It may be true but it rang false to me that Maya single handedly found Bin Laden herself. It’s all her and no one else ever has any characterization other than how they relate to her. This worked so well in the Hurt Locker, but since this is a true story I wish we had spent some time with some of the other real characters. Especially Mark Strong’s director as he is strong and surprises in the few scenes he has. It’s not the worst problem to have and once the seals come in, we see more of the work of others. When Seal Team Six does come in, it does become exciting. In fact, the siege of Bin Laden’s bunker is one of the most thrilling, action packed sequences that I have seen all year. Once again there is a certain respect. Chris Pratt, the funny Andy on Parks and Rec, shows up here looking buff as we have never seen him before. He was one of my favorite characters and it is strange and fun to see Pratt so strong and big. He can carry any action film. We never see Bin Laden’s face clear as Bigelow always obscures it. I found this one of the best choices of the film. Bigelow isn’t here to glorify his death but to show the story of the costs and sacrifices that people made to protect America. Every performance is amazing and Bigelow knows how to frame a shot. Every scene looks better than the last but I always found myself wanting more. I did enjoy myself and want to watch it again. It may not be the best film of the year but it is one worth watch.

Trivia: “0 dark 30” is a term commonly used by the military to refer to a non specific time when it is dark outside, either very late or very early.

movieisaw:

Plot:. Bilbo Baggins must team up with some Dwarves to stop a dragon. This prequel to Lord of The Rings is 1 of 3.     

Review:  Now I was not a huge fan of the Lord of the Rings. I did enjoy the Hobbit as a book when I read it in 7th grade and I revisited it as this movie was coming out. As that is the case, I will mention a lot of the things that the book and movie did different. Also at the end I will mention the 48 fps. I have read a lot of complaints from fans saying this film was too long or the three hours didn’t work. I personally loved the film and did not think it dragged as much as the Lord of the Rings. Granted a lot of the stuff that was added I did not know about, as I don’t read any of the Lord of the Rings history or know any of the characters, so it kept me entertained as I watched it. I was constantly learning and Jackson moves the movie along at a surprisingly brisk pace. I was never bored and the humor really helped. I also think that it depends on how excited you are by Jackson’s action scenes as much of the movie is taken up with them. I find them exciting and felt that they helped to show more of the world and the story. The best part was the Gollum scene and they managed to make him scary and threatening, something the original films didn’t pull off. Also in the books, the characters kind of just get in trouble and wait for someone to help them. It makes them somewhat boring characters, which is fine since we are following Bilbo. But the film manages to make them a bit more proactive and even if they get saved or captured, they still fight until the end. It makes them more proactive and more of the heroes that the characters keeps describing themselves as. Also they include a physical enemy for Thorin in the Goblin guy and he is both threatening and a welcome addition. This makes some of the random events have more weight to them and brings some threatening elements to the film. In the book, the Goblins sort of just attack for no rhyme or reason but if they have a reason to be chasing them, revenge against Thorin, then it makes you more invested. The only time I felt the movie felt flat was when they tried to include characters from the original but it may be just that I didn’t know who they were or what there purpose was. Martin Freeman does a great job as Bilbo Baggins and you get the inner monologue that the book tells us hinted at on his face. Overall the film looks amazing and as a film geared more towards children I had a great time. Now for the 48 fps! It doesn’t work. I want to say it did but I hated it. It’s meant to make the effects seem more realistic and flow easier, which it does. The effects in this are very impressive, especially with the Goblin who hates Thorin as I couldn’t tell whether he was CGI or makeup. That’s all fine. The problem is when the actors aren’t CGI. It makes the regular actors and actions seem off. When they walk it feels as they are in fast forward and they are moving just too fast that it becomes distracting. It does get less noticeable but it takes about an hour for that to happen. The question is why? CGI is fine now and I feel like they didn’t need it to look a bit more realistic. You can still tell what is CGI and it takes way too long to get used to it. So overall for 48 fps: when it works it’s not that much better than when it doesn’t work so why bother. Either way go check out the Hobbit especially if you have a family! 

Trivia: Look out for Bret Clement, from Flight of the Conchords fame, as he has a brief part.