4
STAR WARS THE FORCE AWAKENS
Director J J Abrams
Screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan; J J Abrams; and Michael Arndt
Based On The Characters by George Lucas
Starring Daisy Ridley; John Boyega; Oscar Isaac; Domhnall Gleason; Adam Driver; Harrison Ford; Carrie Fisher
30 years after the defeat of the Galactic Empire, a new threat rises. The First Order attempts to rule the galaxy and only a ragtag group of Heroes can stop them, along with the help of the Resistance.
"Real sets. Practical effects. You have been here before but you do not know this story. Everything has changed but nothing has changed". As the above video noted that was viewed at Comic-Con.
Yes you knew there would be a backlash. It is so popular you knew people were going try to be different by being critical.Yes it is similar to the New Hope. Still.....It brought magic back to the movie theatres!!
It all starts and ends with J.J. Abrams. He is the master here and it works.
His casting. Was just spot on:
From Names from past Star Wars films: Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher.
To people we know from other movies:
Adam Driver (Girls)....Deliciously evil as Kylo Ren
Oscar Isaac (Ex Machina).... as the brave fighter Poe Dameron. Who plays the dry straight man here very well.
Domhnall Gleason (Harry Potter films/Brooklyn/ExMachina) Is soooo well cast as the evil General Hux. It is against type because we are so use to seeing him as a stuttering, bumbeling kind of character.
To casting faces we never have seen before:
John Boyega as Finn is fantastic as the every man hero played with dry humor. He becomes us. Tackling certain situations with a hold your breath...I have to do this...with fear and lack of enthusiasm.
Then we come to Daisy Ridley. She is the film. She is the star. This Kierra Knightly look alike carries this film (with BB-8--the cutest thing in movies this year). She is strong. She is funny. She is a ball of emotions. I can not note enough how amazing she is. It is a credit to J.J. by just finding her.
The look.
This film is beautiful. Some scenes are breathtaking. So again credit goes to J.J. for bringing in Cinematogropher Daniel Mindel. There were a couple times in this film where I thought..."Oh that will make a great poster!" Just watch the scene as Daisy rides down the sand hill.
The music:
He brought back John Williams!!!!!!!!!!!! I mean you get chills from the start when the score plays and he sets the tone throughout the film.
My big negative which is a common complaint of mine, and kept this from getting a higher ranking: When dealing with films that are set up for future episodes, every film should have a clean ending. There are some loose strings here that left me wondering who is alive and who is not. I always feel you pay your money you should get a clear ending for a film that you paid to see. You should not have to pay for another film to see what happens. Each film should be go clearly from beginning to end on it's own.
It is amazing that it actually lives up to its hype. Great for the whole family. The torch has been passed. Starts with J.J. Abrams...did I mention that before?
3
BROOKLYN
Directed by John Crowley
Screenplay by Nick Hornby
Based on the book by Colm Toibin
Starring Saoirse Ronan; Domhnall Gleeson; Emory Cohen; Jim Broadbent; and Julie Walters
An Irish immigrant (Ronan) lands in 1950s Brooklyn, where she quickly falls into a new romance. When her past catches up with her, however, she must choose between two countries and the lives that exist within.
It grows in popularity in the theatres. It is just so simple. Basic movie making. No agenda. Just a nice little story. It is sweet. It is funny. It is romantic.
Ronan as Ellis gives an Oscar worthy performance as a confident and brave yet scared Irish girl establishing a new life in Brooklyn. Ronan says so much by just a look.....just wonderful.
I love a good dinner table scene and in this film there are many highlighted by another an ignored Oscar worthy performance by Julie Walters, who is hilarious as the house mother for all the girls.
Now the real stars in this film are Yves Belanger the cinematographer and Odile Dicks-Mireaux as the costume designer. This film looks beautiful, every seen is perfectly shot. The look almost steals the film away from the great acting and screenplay.
Acting....screenplay...look...altogether a wonderful film.
And note: Domhnall Gleeson is in three films in my top ten: Star Wars The Force Awakens; Brooklyn; and Ex Machina.
2
INSIDE OUT
Directed by Peter Doctor
Screenplay by Peter Doctor; Ronaldo del Carmen; Meg LeFauve; and Josh Cooley
Starring the voices of: Amu Poehler; Phylliss Smith; Richard Kind; Bill Hader; Lewis Black; and Mindy Kaling.
After 11 year old Riley is uprooted from her life in Minnesota (in fact she plays ice hockey which I love about her) and moves with her parents to San Francisco, Joy (Poehler), Fear (Hader), Anger(Black), Disgust(Kaling) and Sadness(Smith) - conflict on how best to navigate her new surroundings and her brain/emotions.
It is a Pixar classic. It should have received an Oscar nomination for best picture. Just watch the Joy and Riley ice skating dream scene a couple of times. It is a thing of beauty! It is perfection. Should have been a best picture nominee.
This film can be heavy. Riley is sad through about 75% of the film. You feel her sadness. You feel the parents sadness. At times it is so real it is heartbreaking. This does not make the film bad, just different. I think the film is not for young children, not that there is anything bad for them to see, they just may not get it. Riley is 11, and I think the film may be for 11/ 12/teenagers/and parents.
It starts with a very good screenplay. Then comes the look, in fact it is like nothing you have seen from Pixar. There are layers of colors muted and also very bright, it takes a bit to get use to.
A quick note of maybe two unsung people: Richard Kind as Riley's imaginary friend Bing Bong is just ...words cant say (no spoiler)!! Kaitlyn Dias is Riley and this film relies on us loving Riley, so her voice makes it work.
We see there is no joy without sadness and no sadness without joy. We also see that memories and time can be sadly fleeting, but new and better memories are on the horizon. Please note: watch the credits, you see in the mind of teachers, dogs, cats and so on. Very close to perfect (It gets a little to wacky at the end).
Tomorrow Number 1
From the shadows a always thanks for your time
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