Michael Collins

In preparation for my trip to England/Scotland/Dublin in 3 weeks (!!!Counting down the days!!!), I watched this Neil Jordan directed bio-pic about Michael Collins, the man who near single handedly got England to recognize the need to give Ireland their independence, helped negotiate the treaty and set up the first free democracy in Ireland. Liam Neeson in the lead was fantastic as Collins.

It was, however, a bit of a bloated film. There was just too much politics to put in, and the first half an hour was so full of names/places/Irish lingo that I felt exhausted and confounded. It got much better in the next two hours, and I wasn't confused at all by the end, but I think Jordan bit off more than he could chew. The love story with Julia Roberts seemed to be there out of necessity to have some romance, and though she surprisingly looked very nice in the 1920's fashion (it hid her giant man shoulders quite well), it was pretty blah, no real sparks between them.

As I'm sure the relationships with figures like the president of the de facto country (played by Alan Rickman, who I will watch anything for) and people inside the British govt were really complex and confusing, they were boiled down to simple movie relationships here. It's a shame, I think it made complex important events into black and white (Collins being the good side clearly). It was enjoyable, but it was a bloated epic. A nice, pretty Irish countryside bloated epic, with charismatic Liam Neeson, but still, it wasn't great. It's a big job to portray the single greatest hero of a country when it was recent enough to still be remembered (well, by REALLY old people), I think a narrower view of one aspect of his life would have served better.

Movies about Nazis

What movie do you show high school students to teach them about Nazi's? I was posed this question recently, and it really made me rack my brain. So, I present to you my list of best films about Nazi's:

1) Indiana Jones and Raiders of the Lost Ark/Last Crusade: Two of my all time favorite movies. More importantly, it shows that Nazi's are so crazy they are willing to use hundreds of troops to find either the Ark of the Covenant or the cup of Christ. Fictitious, but it gives you a sense of their character.

2) The Great Dictator: This Charlie Chaplin movie came out in 1940, and was written during Hitler's rise to power. What better way to learn about Hitler than to see how people AT THE TIME decided to satirize him. It's light hearted, but as anyone who has seen "City Lights" knows, Chaplin can be dead serious when it counts.

3) Schindler's List: Ok, we're getting serious now. While this is a harrowing film, and its f-ing scary, it is also a Spielberg film, and that means it has a very strong heart in it. You will leave feeling uplifted and that the darkest night of the world has passed.

4) Sophies Choice: This shows the ugly, soul destroying part of the Holocaust framed by a post-WW2 story, making it easier to swallow. Both Kevin Kline and Meryl Streep are phenomenal, though I felt like the revelation of what the 'choice' was was anti-climactic, I had guessed it long before and thought the film made it obvious.

5) Downfall: A scary scary movie about the last days of Hitlers regime. Certain scenes definitely haunted me, but I think it was an important portrayal of the absolute madness of him and his followers. Not for the weak of heart.

6) The Good German: A great homage to, well mostly to "Casablanca", about postwar Berlin during the Potsdam negotiations. George Clooney and Cate Blanchett nail their roles, and the film is really about how miserable it was to be in Germany during and after the war. Great film.

7) Good: I haven't seen this yet! But, its about a professor in Germany who must grapple with his beliefs vs. saving his life by joining the Nazi party. Viggo Mortensen and the incomparable Jason Isaacs as a Jewish Professor he is friends with.

8) Life is Beautiful: Get ready to cry. Father-son story with a Chaplin-esque humor in it alongside the grim realities of war.

I made this list about Nazi's not WWII in general, because then I have a whole other list of great films ("Saving Private Ryan" and "Empire of the Sun" at the top!)

Let the Right One In

The plot of this film is very simple, and not because it's difficult to explain but because very little happens: A young boy in a drab suburb of Oslo, Sweden is bothered by bullies. He meets a mysterious young girl who turns out to be a vampire. The girl has to kill people to drink their blood. They become friends, but she is a vampire so its a little strange.

A few people die (actually, it is rather bloody), and there are lots of disturbing close ups of the girls white white face with blood on it, but mostly it is about the young boy, Oskar, who is confused and lost and whose face is relatively emotionless but seems to hide a lot of pain. I had read rave reviews about this film, and though I liked it and appreciated it as a worthy addition to the field of vampire film, I don't think I'd want to watch it again. It was very slow, very creepy at times (and I'm not sure if I think it was for the right reasons or at the right times), and just unlikable.

The part that bothered me the most was the unreality of their lives. I feel like this is hard to explain because 'unreality' can mean so many things. I don't mean it was too fantasy like (like a Terry Gilliam film, which doesn't even pretend to be realistic), or that it was 'hyper real' (like say "There Will Be Blood", "The Puffy Chair" or Herzog's stuff at times, where a film wants to siphon off excess parts of life to focus very intensely on something specific). This film was unreal because I didn't understand anyone's motivations or didn't believe them, and I'm pretty sure I was supposed to. I have no idea why Oskar was so upset, it seems like they left a lot of things confusing. One scene at his dad's house was just weird- his dad's friend comes over, interrupt a board game and they sit around and talk w/ Oskar. They didn't abandon Oskar, they were engaging him, but it seemed like the film was trying to say there was something horribly wrong with this or there was something they weren't telling us.

I realize some of this feeling might have come from the fact that it is a Swedish film and I know nothing about life in a Swedish suburb. Yeah, ok, but I never feel confused watching a Bergman film. Their lives just felt weird.

Hey, but maybe that's what they were going for. Maybe they wanted me to feel slightly uncomfortable with the reality in the film. If so, they succeeded. I don't want to blast the film, because it was well made, beautifully filmed, and had a satisfying ending. But I can't help but feel a little lost and unable to connect with anything that happened in it.

17 Again

I will not pretend that this is an original movie. This expertly crafted vehicle for Zac Efron combines "Back to the Future" and "Freaky Friday" in a way that is 1) Less creepy than having your mom fall in love with you like the former and 2) Have a less complicated story because only one person is switching as in the latter (well maybe that's a stretch...).

Gentlemen, I don't recommend this movie for you. This 90 minute soon-to-be-classic was 90 minutes of Zac Efron playing basketball, charming the camera, and wearing a wide variety of amazing outfits. Perhaps Michelle Trachtenberg (who has been in movie high school for at least 10 years) was put in as his daughter in good faith for the poor boyfriends that got dragged to this movie, but I think not. No, this was just an amazing Zac Efron being amazing movie, and I loved it. I am no High School Musical fan (heard that soundtrack on repeat too much at work), but I love Zac Efron.

Alright, enough said about him. Other parts of the movie? Well, Matthew Perry as old Zac Efron looks pretty old. Like it looks like he aged 20 years since Friends ended. Even at the end when he's all happy and turned back into his normal self, he looked horrible. I hope you get a better agent soon. There was a very funny side story with the main character's best friend who is a massive nerd who falls in love with the school principal (the amazing Melora Hardin who played Jan on the "The Office"), and it provided a couple funny geeky jokes. But seriously, this movie is about Zac Efron. Don't get confused about that. It's shameless at times, but I'm OK with that. Go out and enjoy.

Summer Movies I'm Most Excited For

Alright, time to get geeky and talk about all those over budget summer blockbusters (and a few smaller films) that I'm excited for:

• Wolverine: Yeah, I'm pretty much a 12 year old boy. I wasn't that excited until I found out that both Ryan Reynolds AND DOMINIC MONAGHAN are in this!!! I think all the hype for Hugh has drowned out any mention of other actors, but now I am psyched.
• Drag Me to Hell: A woman gets a curse put on her for foreclosing on a witches house! By Evil Dead creator Sam Raimi, this is a horror movie that actually looks good.
• Night at the Museuem 2: I loved the first one (again, I think I'm 12), it was one of the best kid's movie I've seen in years. It makes museums cool again!
• Easy Virtue: This looks really entertaining. Jessica Biel marries into a stuffy English family and when her hubby brings her home to stuffy mom Kirsten Scott Thomas, hilarity ensues. Set in the 30's, looks really fun.
• Little Ashes: In a possibly ingenious casting choice, Robert Pattison (of Twilight) plays Salvador Dali!
• Transformers 2: More Shia Labouf= a better life.
• The Hangover: Go watch this trailer on iTunes, it looks HILARIOUS. Three guys wake up in Vegas after a bachelor party with a baby (not theirs), a chicken, and a missing groom. Ed Helms is one of the three and test shows have gone so well they've picked up a sequel already.
• Away We Go: I'm hoping this is the "Juno" of this summer. John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph are preggers, and they are trying to figure out their life. Angsty, funny, awkward, I can't wait.
• Cheri: Finally, Michelle Pfeiffer doing what she does best- playing an alluring retired courtesan in beautiful period costumes. Shes great.
• Moon: Sam Rockwell, alone on the moon in the future, flips out and goes "Solaris". Should be fun.
• Harry Potter 6: You know who (but not that you-know-who) kicks the bucket, and Snape finally gets to shine.
• (500) Days of Summer: Adorable looking, it looks like the "Garden State" of happy romantic comedies of sorts. Joseph Gordon Levitt and Zooey Deschenel, what a perfect couple. I'm very excited for this pairing.
• Inglorious Basterds: I am so interested to see what Brad Pitt will be like in this Tarantino gore fest about Jewish mercenaries going after Nazis. I think it will push some buttons, but I'm excited.
• Ponyo: A new Hayao Miyazaki ("Spirited Away"). Doesn't matter what its about.

State of Play

Eh, this was alright. I mean, look at the poster. It just shows the actors turning their heads in different ways with squinting eyes. It is sad.

It was another political/journalism thriller in the strain of "All the Presidents Men" meets something like "The Pelican Brief", with some great actors but that collapsed under its ego. Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Robin Wright-Penn, Rachel McAdams, Jeff Daniels and Helen Mirren- fantastic cast. All of them were pretty good, except while I really enjoy watching Russell Crowe, I think he could have tried a wee bit harder at playing his character, he was a bit vapid. Ben Affleck, though, fit surprisingly well into the role of sleazy congressman. His face is so oddly chiseled and wax-like that he stepped into that role effortlessly.

Well, I guess I should mention the plot, but then again why should I? The whole movie is about the plot, so telling you anything would ruin a good 10 minutes of action for you. But I must say something. An aide in Affleck's office falls in front of a subway and it turns out they were involved. Crowe is his old college roommate, and a 'seasoned' reporter (in the most cliche way), so he gets involved looking into the event. Things unfold and get twisted and get revealed and then unrevealed the whole time. It looked as though it was going to end nice and tidy, but then they throw a curve ball from the land of stupid that just makes the whole movie worthless. It wasn't a bad ending, it didn't feel wrong, it was just....lame and unnecessary. Like the writer felt the need to throw out one last twist so he opened the book of lame twists and picked one. Rent it, don't go see it. You'll be entertained but then immediately forget most of it. And it was over 2 hours long.

And, for the second time in a week, I've watched a movie with a title that has little to do with anything (the amazing/wonderful "Man From Earth" was the other). State of Play?? Are we living in a nation full of playfulness? Or we are stuck in a permanent state of playground games? No silly screenwriters, you need to pick a better title. Though, to be fair, its the name of the BBC miniseries that its based on, which I've read is much better.

Into the Wild

I just rewatched this movie for the first time since it came out, and I really really enjoyed it. I have to say that I HATED the book, I disliked how Krakauer made him seem like a hero and just was bored and annoyed by it (we read it in high school). So, I was pleasantly surprised by the movie the first time I saw it. I think Sean Penn (who wrote/directed it, randomly) did an excellent job of making it clear that this kid made bad decisions, but had a very strong sense of what he wanted for the right reasons.

The cinematography in this movie was what sold me. Better than I could in a written description, I understood the awe inspiring beauty that can come from camping wherever you please and living alone in the Alaskan wilderness. It even made the desert look alluring. The editing of the film, which spliced bits of Alex's time in Alaska against everything leading up to, kept the film grounded, reminding us where he ended up and why he tried to get there. And Bravo Emile Hirsch, you finally don't annoy me. You have used your cockiness in a constructive manner, I think this was the perfect role for you (though I bet he could be a good Peter Pan too, randomly).

Do I want to give away my money and become a leather tramp and meet crazy hippies? No definitely not, but I better understand why people see the glamour or the appeal in such a life. I do want to go hiking and look at trees though, so I think Penn made his point.

The Man From Earth

This low budget sci-fi poses and answers a very simple question: What would someone be like who never aged or died and had been alive since the cavemen time? In an honest, genuine, and exciting manner, this film sets up that premise.

A young professor has suddenly quit and decided to move away, so his friends and colleagues gather at his home to wish him farewell and find out why he's leaving so suddenly. Deciding to trust his friends, he starts to ask them this question, what would someone who couldn't die be like? Eventually, they realize he means himself and the majority of the film is filled with their disbelieving questions, their honest hope that he may just be crazy, and the mans heartbreaking story. Would you remember everything since birth? Would you know everything? Would you have any children? Have you ever gotten sick? They ask these questions, ones that I would ask too, and he answers them as best he can.

The film was amazingly well thought out and written a number of years ago by one of the original writers on the original"Twilight Zone", it has just a handful of actors, one set, and yet it never slowed or seemed dull. Their weren't long philosophical monologues on life (though they definitely addressed many serious questions), and it moved along at a very exciting and thrilling clip though the actors were mostly sitting around talking. It could easily become a play. There are a few good twists (did he know anyone famous...?) that seem a little far fetched, but the rest of it is so believable that I'll go with. You are left with a clear answer, and yet, you always wonder how you would be able to prove such a story. I'm not sure but I am so glad this film delved into it. Sit back and relax for a serious, but easy listening story about a caveman who grew up...

PS, horrible title, I don't think it works. And weird poster, ignore it if you can, I include so you can find it at the movie store!

Prince of Egypt

I rewatched this classic animated musical from my childhood with a friend this week in honor of Passover, she had never seen it (gasp!), and I remembered how good it is! Watching a movie from your childhood always gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling, but to have it actually hold up as a quality movie is even better.

The songs are really well written, I would see an actual stage musical of this. A bunch of them have stuck in my head for a long time, and I was thankful to be reminded how what they were from. The songs weren't gimmicky (for the most part), they feel authentic, and truly spoke to the feelings of the characters in the film. I was most blown away by how they directly and unabashedly addressed the religious issues. You can't tiptoe and be PC around them in a Moses story. I'm a religious studies/film minor, so I'm always interested in seeing how its dealt with on film, and I was impressed. The burning bush scene was fantastic! So much more believable than silly stuff in "Ten Commandments" etc. (animation kinda helped on that) And having the voice of God be the same voice as the one for Moses solves the dilemma of having to case someone for God (though Morgan Freeman will always be my choice....). Instead, it suggests that God just echoes ones own voice (or is it that God sounds like Moses? Glad he didn't for Charlton Heston, that would be frightening). And having Jeff Goldbloom voice Aaron? GENIUS. I'd follow that guy through any desert.

Great kids movie. Great musical. Great Hebrew epic. Except for the Michelle Pfeiffer voicing Zipporah part, but I'll forgive them that.

The Nines

Let me say this first- I googled this movie to read other reviews of it and see if there were any good articles on it, and none of them said much beyond "I can't tell you what this movie is about, but its awesome and you should see it.". So, I'll try and do a better job of it.

This sci-fi movie (ooh, that's a clue) starring Ryan Reynolds, a critically underrated actor who can play both comedic and serious roles, is a mind-bending, thought-inducing, trippy in the best way indie flick. You will be confused for most of the movie. You won't really understand it all until the end, and you will still have to think about it after that. You have to pay attention, and you'll either love it or hate it. For me, it was a definite love it, this was a fantastic film in the vein of classic "Twilight Zones" that had an amazing cast, good setup, and a satisfying end.

Of the plot, I will say this: The film involves three parallel stories of three men, all played by Ryan Reynolds. And it's definitely a fantasy/sci-fi.

Sorry, that's all I'm going to say. It's really really worth it if I don't ruin it for you. But if you like your mind getting bent, and if you like a serious sci-fi movie that doesn't rely on cheap tricks or special effects (not too many in here), then please go see this. In the name of Rod Serling, prepare to enter a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of the imagination, the twilight zone.

My Kid Could Paint That

The real question in this documentary is What Is Art?? Not in a cheesy sort of way, argued by art critics. This is a legit, anyone can question it argument. That's because the art in question is made by a four year old girl. Does finger painting a beautiful design count as a $10,000 art piece? If a little girl is splashing paint for fun and it looks the same as a Jackson Pollock, does it really count as the same?

This documentary followed the story of a four year old girl, her younger brother, and her parents right after her first gallery show (yeah, i know), her second even larger and more successful show ($50,000 for some paintings!) and during their intense media scrutiny after a 60 minutes show that claimed the dad was helping her paint and directing her. The filmmaker himself called the legitimacy of the painting into question, and while he obviously felt for the family his doubts were honest and clear. But what I questioned was this- how much help is wrong? Don't normal artists consult friends, spouses etc and say 'hey, how does this look?'. That's asking for help. Is that different from this girls dad saying 'no, i think it looks done now don't you?'. Difficult questions. I'm not sure.


Overall, it was a very well constructed and edited film. Huge moral questions hung over it (like is this major exploitation on the parents part), but it maintained a good balance. And the little girl was just so darn cute. I recommend it for a fun documentary, especially if you get pissed off by some modern art like I do.

After Last Season- Hoax?

Prepare to be blown away by the next big thing:
http://www.justpressplay.net/movies/movie-news/5106-help-me-understand-qafter-last-seasonq.html http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/afterlastseason/

This film, which is set to 'release' in June, defies ALL LOGIC OF FILMS. The scene in the 'doctors office' with the MRI machine is literally made out of cardboard boxes. The final line of dialogue in the trailer is "I think there are some printers in the basement". What? Have they ever seen a movie in their life? Do they understand what a trailer is? A supposed $5 million dollar budget?????

Because I quickly became obsessed with this, here are some more helpful links so you can become obsessed too:
Official Website- www.afterlastseason.com/

Interview with the writer/director- http://www.knoxroad.com/2009/03/27/knox-road-exclusive-writerdirector-mark-region-talks-about-after-last-season/

Article about it- http://www.justpressplay.net/movies/movie-news/5106-help-me-understand-qafter-last-seasonq.html

Adventureland

Wow, this felt like my life. This movie was about recently graduated or almost graduated college students who can't find a summer job at home, so they end up working at the crappy amusement park nearby. They live with their parents and have lofty dreams of where to go next, travelling to do, and what amazing lives they will have. This was not the next "Garden State", but I think it spoke to me and my peers in a way I haven't seen recently.

"Adventureland" was marketed as a comedy, and while it was funny, it was more heavily a love story, coming-of-age type deal. The protagonist is a dorky, adorable guy who just graduated from Oberlin with a BA in comparative lit and wants to be a journalist. Jesse Eisenberg seems set to be the next Michael Cera (and yeah, I think Cera is awesome enough to have proteges) the way he has perfected the awkward speech and mannerisms that seem familiar and real. As the love interest, Kristin Stewart is pretty good, she plays a bad girl (sorta), which I think suits her better than a straight edge kind of character (like in "Twilight").

Best parts? Ryan Reynolds as the uber-cool douchebag who is really a jerk to everyone in the film, but is just so darn cool that you like him anyway. I mean, he dresses like he could go out to dinner at work as a maintenance man. Bill Hader and Kristin Wiig from SNL were both hilarious as the bizarro owners of the theme park and brought laughs in between the tender moments. AND, It's set in 1987 though, so bizarre outfits abound. The things people wear at the club in one scene would have made anyone proud at Smiley 80's.

Malcolm McDowell

A recent article in Entertainment Weekly (my guilty pleasure movie/celebrity weekly subscription) had a photo shoot of some of the best 'villains' of all time. It was a fluff article, and a lot of them are cartoon (Mr Burns of Simpsons) or dead :( (I'm pretty sure the Wicked Witch of the West is), so it was slim pickings for the photo shoot. Of the four featured, the CREEPIEST was Malcolm McDowell, for his role in "A Clockwork Orange". This is one of my favorite movies (though its so hard to watch), and I was pondering Malcolm McDowell. If I hadn't watched a movie with him last week, I might not have been able to name a single other film he has been in. What happened to him?

Well, unfortunately, his amazingness in "A Clockwork Orange" was just too good and he got typecast for that role. I scanned through his whole bio on imdb.com that lists over 150 roles, all but about 10 of which are after "Clockwork" and they are mostly just crap. The movie "Time After Time", which is the one I just saw him in is the only half decent film. Well, I'd say more than half decent, I'd say pretty darn solid. He played a vastly different character- a romantic and geeky version of author H.G. Wells who travels with his time machine to the 1980s. He was great! He had that some sort of cockiness, but in a way that personified nerdy genius rather than diabolicalness, that really worked! And with a beard and glasses, he looked vastly different. He was a downright gentleman!

It's a shame, really, that this happened to him. He had so much presence, and after seeing "Time after Time" he could play other roles convincingly. He is sadly now confined to voicing the role of the villain cat in Disney's "Bolt" (with ugh, Miley Cyrus too). His photo shoot with the Entertainment Weekly just made me miss him and wish he could go back in time and film less crap. His eyes are still pretty freaky.