Django Unchained

Quentin Tarantino’s foray into the western genre, Django Unchained is not your average Hollywood theater experience.  This movie takes place in America two years before the civil war.  A German dentist-turned-bounty-hunter named Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) needs the help of a black slave named Django (Jamie Fox) in order to identify his next bounty.  The two strike a bargain and begin working together.  They hatch a risky plan to save Django’s wife from a plantation owner Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio).  Will they succeed in rescuing the damsel in distress?

The Tarantino style is recognizable her, or at least the “Neo-tino” style that we have come to recognize.  The budget is bigger and the dialog is shorter, but the comically graphic violence is still there along with the classically seventies sounding music and sociopathic villains.  The patented style of dark humor is present throughout.  The film is extremely well-made.  The production value is at the same level as Inglorious basterds which was markedly higher than his previous films.  The sets and costumes set a rich backdrop for the characters to move through.

I enjoyed this movie but when it was over, I felt a little disappointed like something was missing.  It took me a long time to realize, but it is because there are only three characters in this movie.  Schultz is a fantastic, verbally dexterous character and Candie is a fabulously loathe-able villain with distinct flair.  I didn’t actually like the character of Django, and found myself not caring what happened to him.  His wife was a non-character and did nothing but caused the duo problems during the escape attempt, and scream an awful lot.  I was particularly disappointed by this because Tarantino typically provides some pretty interesting female roles.  Also, because there is only one set of characters, there is only one storyline.  That storyline is followed in a linear way that is also atypical of the classic Tarantino film. 

This won’t eek into the realm of a favorite, but I really had fun on this movie.  It is nearly three hours long, but I didn’t feel the length and was entertained the entire time.  I laughed the whole way through.  Waltz and DiCaprio are nominated against each other for Golden Globes for their performances and they deserve it.  The film itself is also nominated for best Drama, Best Screenplay, and Best Director, which I don’t think it deserves.  The film is extremely violent and the language is very strong, so if you are sensitive to these things, please stay away from this movie.  But if you are a fan of dark humor, Waltz or DiCaprio, or are following the award circuit then this is a must-see.  If you are a Tarantino fan, or plan to watch the Golden Globes, go see this before it leaves the theater, but otherwise I would suggest waiting for Red Box. 

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Les Mis

This adaptation of Victor Hugo’s novel of epic suffering has long been a favorite of the stage audiences worldwide.  The haunting music of Claude-Michel Schonberg and Alain Boublil has made its way to the big screen.  Les Miserables can boast some of the biggest names in Hollywood, has already pulled four Golden Globe nominations, and will undoubtedly earn a couple Oscar nominations.  The story is set in 19^th century France and focuses on a man named Valjean (Hugh Jackman) who breaks parole and is hunted for decades by a ruthless officer named Javert (Russell Crowe).  Valjean is obliged to save and care for the daughter of a woman named Fantine (Anne Hathaway), a decision which changes his life forever.

The music will be familiar to those fans of the stage production, but has a few surprises in that several scenes are added to fill certain logistical gaps in the story.  I am a little disturbed with the idea of adding music to this show, but the added portions are brief and necessary to move the story from A to B without confusion.  One thing that makes this film different from other film musicals is that all the songs are recorded as they perform them during filming.  We are hearing the actors’ performances at that moment rather than being recorded in a studio months prior and then have the actors lip-sync to their own voices.  The result of this is rather interesting.  The voices are not perfect and the emotional performance is more evident in the songs themselves.  Since this story is nothing if not emotional, I liked how the effect works.

The performances in this movie are breathtaking.  Both Anne Hathaway and Hugh Jackman earned Golden Globe nominations for their performances .  Personally I have never been a fan of Anne Hathaway, but I must begrudgingly admit that she most definitely earned this nomination and did my favorite character a credit by her amazing performance.  Russell Crowe is the embodiment of the villain Javert; and although his singing didn’t carry the emotionally gritty punch I was hoping from that character, I was pleased with the performance. 

The most impressive aspect of this film for me was the visual element.  Because the dialog is all song and very condensed, the costumes, sets and cinematography must be utilized intelligently in order to flesh out characters, setting and mood.  I felt that all visual elements were brilliantly used in this film.  The filmmakers were not afraid to show the actors in a less-than-flattering light and you really do feel like these people are living on the streets of 19^th century Paris. 

I would recommend this movie to anyone who loves musicals or follows the award seasons.  This movie has a solid presence in the big categories at the Golden Globes and will be a contender at the Oscars, so don’t miss your chance to see this movie if you plan to watch the award shows.  If you prefer lighter, more fun movies, this is not for you!  Be prepared to shed a tear or two, this story is about misery.   I actually would recommend spending the extra to see this in the theater.  It would be a shame to miss any of the stunning work that went into the visuals on this film.

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Enjoy!

The Hobbit

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

The time has come my friends!  I can now stop avoiding TV in fear of seeing a commercial and my panicked sprints from the theater when a preview came on are at an end.  The long-awaited The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey comes out today.  Ten years after The Fellowship of the Ring caused a Middle Earth mania we return once again to see how it all started.  In this prequel a young Bilbo Baggins is suddenly and unwillingly thrust into the middle of a century-old quest to free the legendary Dwarf kingdom of Erebor in the Lonely Mountain from a dragon named Smaug. 

Many beloved characters have returned with Bilbo, although the younger version is played by Martin Freeman and Gandalf the wizard (Ian McKellan) who orchestrates the mission.  A visit to Rivendell brings with it an appearance of Elrond, played again by Hugo Weaving, as well as a few other familiar faces.  Gollum steals an entire scene to himselves as Andy Serkis re-dons the motion capture suit as no one else ever could.   New characters include 13 dwarves, the leader of whom is Thorin Oakenshield, the last of the line of Durin, the rightful king of Erebor.  Thorin is played by Richard Armitage and somehow manages to display his chiseled profile to the camera as he stares into the middle distance nearly every time we see him ( not that I’m complaining…).

We also meet another wizard, Radagast the Brown portrayed by Sylvester McCoy.  I found his part of the story odd as none of his scenes actually appear in the book.  These scenes are alluded to or mentioned in various appendices here and there but adding them to the movie gives the writers a chance to do whatever they want with it. 

The entire tone of this film is very different from that of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.  The trilogy had a tone of heavy, dark beauty and a certain majesty which translated well form the books to the films.  This movie on the other hand takes the light, silly more comical tone from its corresponding book.  I was hoping for a darker movie with Guillermo Del Toro involved in the writing process, but I was not disappointed with the lighter version.  That being said, Director Peter Jackson has never shied away from  a good fight scene.  The trilogy was greatly lacking in Dwarf characters and culture.  This film makes up for any dwarf fans that felt forgotten with the trilogy.  A nice balance is struck  between the comical nature of the dwarves and the strength and dignity of their culture. 

The music is again amazing, although I did notice that all the musical themes were recycled from the trilogy with the exception of one added theme that represents the Dwarves and their mission.  As expected, the cinematography is rich and stunning  with lots of wide, panning shots of the company marching through the breathtaking beauty of Middle Earth.  The cast is well chosen and everyone played their parts well. 

I only really have two reasons for disappointment:

1.       It was evident that there was less money spent on this film.  The special effects were good, but not the painstaking, nearly flawless examples from the previous films.  The sets and costumes are visually stunning but do not draw you in as completely as before.  Other subtle cues like this keep the viewer from being as completely immersed as they might be expecting.  I just do not see this movie racking in the award noms that Lord of the Rings did.

2.       I was not completely happy with the writing of this movie.  I felt that some scenes that were important for story and character development were rushed while too much time was spent on things that don’t matter as much for example,  I didn’t like how Radagast was handled.  I thought it was a little too silly.  The dignity of the character was completely stripped away in favor of laughs, of which there are many involving this character.

All things considered, the wait for the midnight show was completely worth it and I thoroughly enjoyed this movie.  If you are a huge Lord of the Rings fan, please keep in mind that this is not meant to be a continuation of the last set of movies and must be taken as its own entity and you will like it better.  If you have never seen Lord of the Rings but want to enjoy a few laughs and some good fight scenes then definitely go to this one!  The theater is a must for this film as the visuals really are stunning.  I f however, you think all this fantasy stuff is stupid and annoying, this film will do nothing to change your mind and you can save the extra ten dollars for something else.  I don't expect it to bring any nominations this year.

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Enjoy!

Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2

We return once again to Forks and the supernatural drama we have all come to know and love.  That drama comes here to a tumultuous end.  In this final chapter of the Twilight saga, BellEdward and company must save their miracle child Renesmee from the Volturi, a vampire government of sorts that is half Vatican and half fascist military regime.  The Volturi think that Renesmee is an immortal child which is strictly forbidden and none are allowed to live.  The Cullens gather all of their friends from all over the world to help them protect the remarkable child of Bella and Edward.

The cast of characters is a little different this time.  We have all the staples with Bella and Charlie, the Cullens and Jacob’s wolf pack, but now we have Arabic vampires, Amazon warrior women, revolutionists and Transylvanian counts among many others.  The influx of new characters and new special abilities gives the movie more of a fun factor and makes it more bearable.  Nothing actually occurs in this movie until the final showdown with the Volturi, but that is no different than the other stories.  That being said, the final battle is pretty epic.  If you have seen a preview for this movie, 90% of the clips are from that scene.  It is exciting and well-filmed as well as having a few surprises for fans of the book.

I found this film a little tiresome.  It took a long time to get to the story and the majority of the dialog was tedious.  Add to that the fact that so many interesting characters were crammed in that nothing ended up happening with them.  Some of them seemed to have more to do with the story but we just never saw it.  I have always found the secondary characters in this saga much more interesting than the love triangle that is Edward, Bella and Jacob, and now we have even more interesting characters and they are more overshadowed by the main characters than before!

I think the bottom line here is that if you are a Twilight fan you will love this movie.  It has romance and danger and perpetual teenage angst along with the cheesy one-line comedy.  However, if you don’t like Twilight, this movie will do nothing to sway your allegiance.  I will say that I felt the ending worthy of the epic nature of this craze and that final battle does redeem the overall movie to be enjoyable even for me, so if a friend of girlfriend drags you to this movie, don’t despair; just hold out until the end!

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Lincoln

Lincoln

                The plot of this film revolves around President Abraham Lincoln during the specific time near the end of the civil war.  We experience the stress and personal hardships or one of our country’s biggest historical figures as he fights to pass the 13^th amendment.   Personal, political and moral objections rise to hinder the constitutional amendment to free America’s slaves and Lincoln must personally address and conquer each.

                President Lincoln in portrayed by the incomparable Daniel Day-Lewis, and he is likely to gain another Oscar nomination this year.  His voice, demeanor and carriage match that of Lincoln with the subtlety and artistry we have come to expect from the two-time Oscar winner.  We also see Sally Field as Lincoln’s wife, Mary, David Straithairn as his Secretary of State, William Seward, and Tommy Lee Jones as the Senator Thaddeus Stevens.  The cast of supporting characters will reveal dozens of familiar faces as well.

                Because the film is directed by Steven Spielberg, it is spectacularly well made and emotionally powerful.  Also the viewer can be assured that it is very historically accurate.  Many of the dialogs in this film are real documented quotes from the characters that speak them.  If you are a fan of biopics, period/historical drama, Lincoln the man, or Performance-driven films then this is the movie for you.  Spielberg will likely pull lots more Oscar noms this year with Lincoln and if you like to watch the awards, this film will get you well on your way to having a vested interest in the outcomes.

                Personally, while I enjoyed this movie, and thought it was incredibly well-made, I am not super excited by it.  This film possesses the characteristic flawlessness of a Spielberg film and will likely reveal a lot of longevity.  I can see kids in high school watching this when they learn about Lincoln, the 13tha amendment or the civil war.  However, this film does not bring anything new to the world of film as art and does not challenge the viewer as much as I prefer.  That being said, this is a well-made entertaining film and I do recommend it.  If you are interested in it for Oscar season, you will likely have to see it in the theater since it is not likely to be out on DVD in time, if not then it would be just as enjoyable sitting on your couch as a noisy theater, so I would suggest waiting for RedBox.

Skyfall

Here we have the latest installment of the James Bond franchise.  Not really too many surprises, M gives Bond an impossible mission and without a second thought, he’s off to save England from yet another insane evil genius.  Daniel Craig returns as Bond and Judi Dench is again M, this film also features Ralf Feinnes, Javier Bardem and Albert Finney.  The addition of Ben Winshaw as Q was a pleasant surprise, taking the character into the boy-genius character instead of snarky-labcoat-guy. 

The Good

            I really liked the way this film took a lot of the favorite retro element of the series and highlighted them while at the same time updating and modernizing the logistical elements.  This way there are plenty of things for the diehard Bond fan as well as a first time Bond watcher.  The Action is next to non-stop and even though I am not one for chase scenes, there are some very innovative chases in this movie.  The thing I liked the most is that this film takes James Bond as a character and really looks at who he is, and where he came from and where he might be going.  What happens when 007 starts to get old?  What makes him so different from the other agents in MI6?  I like that the film makers tried exploring some of these ideas and I think that kind of writing is what is going to keep the franchise alive in the future.

The Bad

            I am not going to sugar coat it.  The Bond girl was awful.  Bérénice Lim Marlohe as the femme fatale looked the part for sure but she overacted it terribly and I found it distracting because everyone else was wonderful.  She was in 4 scenes and only served as a devise to get from A to B in the story.  She seemed like an afterthought to the writing as if they suddenly thought, “Oh yeah! There is supposed to be a hot lady!” and shoe-horned her into the plot.

The Oscar-Worthy

OK, we need to talk a little about Javier Bardem.  Bardem fist chilled the spines of American audiences when he played the sociopathic villain in 2007s No Country for Old Men.  If possible, his portrayal of this Bond villain is more disturbing and eeks close to Heath Ledger’s Joker.  I am sucker for a good villain and this does not disappoint.  The character is well written and Bardem steals every scene he is in.

I would definitely recommend this for all you action lovers and Bond fans out there.  Seeing it on the big screen was worth it, but not necessary, so if you want to wait for Red Box, go ahead!

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Enjoy!

Cloud Atlas

                It is difficult to say exactly what this movie is about.  The general premise is based on six separate storylines that span the globe and 472 years of time.  The first taking place in the South Pacific in 1849, and the last taking place in a post-apocalyptic reality in the Hawaiian Islands in the year 2321.  Although all of these storylines are seemingly unrelated, the actors recur as very different characters in each story, sometimes playing a large part, sometimes a small one; sometimes a hero, sometimes a villain; sometimes a man, sometimes a woman.  The stories all become related to each other by the end and a theme of love and integrity is a cord that runs through the entire film.

                 Cloud Atlas stars Tom Hanks, Halle Berry and Jim Broadbent.  You might also recognize Hugo Weaving, Hugh Grant and Jim Sturgess among others.  Three of the storylines are directed by The Wachowskis, best known for The Matrix trilogy, and the other three are directed by Tom Tykwer, a German director best known for Run, Lola, Run.  Both of their distinct directing styles are rich and distinct, making for a beautiful and visually impressive film.

                I happened to really love this movie.  There is a little something for everyone here.  Each of the stories does have a romantic element to it, though only one makes it the focus of the story.  There is lots of action and some of the stories are very funny.  It is really interesting to see Tom hanks play a hero and a villain in the same movie and Halle Berry is a male character in one story.  The Visuals are breathtaking and the music is stunning without taking focus from the scene. 

                There are three drawbacks to my recommending this to everyone:

1)      This film is not for children.  It is rated R for quite a bit of swearing and a little nudity.

2)      This movie is long.  I was not aware until I got out of the theatre, but it is nearly 3 hours, so if you don’t like to sit for long periods or can’t focus for that long, this might not be the movie for you.

3)      It can be confusing if you are not paying strict attention.  The stories don’t go in order and the film jumps back and forth among them.  If you are more of a linear story fan, this might not be the movie for you.

Over all this is a wonderful movie that is well-made as well as being highly entertaining.  It might not be for everyone, but please give it a chance even if you are not sure what it might be about, it is definitely worth it! 

Entertainment:   8

Award-Worthy:  8     One of the few that does both well!