Director and Screenwriter Nacho Vigalondo
Starring Anne Hathaway; Jason Sudeikis; and Austin Stowell
I saw this last week and then waited to review to give this film some thought.
Maybe I missed something.
Maybe it is just so deep I have to give it some time.
I gave it some time.....and.....this film is just odd.
Hathaway (Gloria) finds out that the Godzilla like monster in Seoul mirrors her moves. All this is happening after she moved back to her town.
Then we soon find out Sudeikis (Oscar) has the same power as a robot. Oscar is Gloria's childhood friend. We later learn he is an angry asshole.
Then we find out this all manifest from a childhood lightning bolt and a school project.
Points:
-Well points awarded for Vigalondo, just for trying something different. It is nothing you have never seen before that is for sure.
-Points for Hathaway for jumping in to this low budget film which makes no sense. And she give a very good performance. Walking a line between confusion/anger/fear/and kindness.
Negatives?
-I cannot figure out what the heck this was all about. I am going with a M Knight theory they have had these powers since the lightning bolt. But all in all I am just confused.
It is interesting ...I guess...I would give it 1 1/2 stars out of 5 for Colossal...I almost want to see it again for understanding. It may be worth a worth a look when made available for home viewing, just to see if you can figure it out. I will throw in another theory....maybe they are not alive and are ghost!!! Still, like I said. it is a mess, my movies need to be cleaner...cleaner endings.
Well from the shadows as always thanks for your time
In 2010 we has a few good movies:
-The Town
-The emotional Toy Story 3
-Underrated Robin Hood
-Great western True Grit
My number 2 film that year was 5 out of 5 stars Disney's Tangled. So underrated!!!
But my number one film this year:
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (The Swedish Version)
Based on the books by Stieg Larsson
Screenplay by Nikolaj Arcel: Rasmus Heisterburg; Jonas Frykberg; and Ulf Ryberg
Starring Noomi Rapace and Michael Nyqvist
The movie starts with a 40 year old mystery asking to be solved. A journalist, Mikael Blomkvist, who needs to disappear for awhile. And a brilliant computer hacker, Lisbeth Salender, who is socially awkward with a photogenic memory. Together they attempt to solve the mysterious disappearance of Harriet Vanger.
I will go as far as saying Lisbeth Salender may be one of the most interesting female characters in movie history. We have not seen many female leads like her. A rebel. Brilliant. A little sensitive. Sexual. Socially awkward but at the same time socially aware. The great Roger Ebert said of Lisbeth after watching the Swedish version of Dragon: "Lisbeth is as compelling as any movie character in recent memory".
Rapace is fantastic. She tears up the screen. If you look at her pictures from other movies she has done you will be shocked by how she really looks.
Now for the big warning about this film. A sexually violent scene like you may have not seen before on the screen. This was shown in the American version (I will touch on the American version in a bit) with MPAA screening. Here it is made in Sweden, so...no MPAA. It is a turn your eyes away moment. In fact if streaming you may just want to fast forward through that part, you will see it coming. I hate telling you to fast forward through parts of a film but I understand why. Now ten minutes after that, there is revenge, which is also violent in another way. I do think these scenes are important because it shows a lot about Lisbeth. Why she is the way she is. How strong she is. Also how street smart she is.
Now you can stream the three hour version on Netflix. Which leads to the Swedish version of Girl Who Played With Fire which I gave 4 stars out of 5 in 2010. The The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets Nest which I gave 4 1/2 out of 5 in 2010. Known in Sweden as The Millennium Series.
The American version of Dragon Tattoo which I liked also, I would give it 4 out of 5 stars (and it looks sadly they will not make the other two films), clocks in at 2 1/2 hours. What the Swedish versions does well is look into the Millennium Magazine and show there are other mysteries going on and it sets up a little bit of the next two films. Also the Swedish version has a different ending, than the American version.
In an age when we sit down to watch a film at home we have our phones and laptops. We look away from the screens and just listen while we look at other things. With subtitles it is hard to do that. And for three hours over time it is a lot.
Still I highly recommend it. And it is up to you if you want to tackle it.
Any negatives? You can get lost a bit with all the suspects in Dragon. Just stay with it...it will come.
Now it is time for fun or not so fun facts:
-Rapace got her motorcyle driving license for this film
-The score for this film was done in just 4 days by Jacob Groth
-Lisbeth's mother Agneta is played by Nina Noren, Rapace's real mom.
-Rapace had her eyebrow and nose pierced for the film
-The film ran in Sweden on TV before 2010, but it was released in the US in 2010
Well I am going long here....5 out of 5 stars for the Swedish version of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. This film is in my top 5 of all time. Again it is streaming on Netflix.
Again from the shadows as always thanks for your time.
Directed by James Foley
Screenplay by Nial Leonard
Based on the book by E.L. James
Starring Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan
Well we return to the odd relationship between Anastasia Steele (Johnson) and Christian Grey (Dornan).
The good news is this was better than Shades of Grey.
How?
-Bringing in a new directer James Foley helped change the feel, the bounce , the look of the film which was needed. Clean lines of the set are gone...less sterile. The two leads seem less miserable...there is fun in this film.
-Grey in this movie has a personality he smiles.
-Steele is more assertive. Less.....passive and weak. She seems smarter. Wiser.
-Some critics say this is boring. I don't think it is boring I think you are following a story of a relationship building.
-They added a couple story lines involving Jack Hynes....which is interesting....however we are suppose to hate him (which we do). But if you stop to think.....he is kind of doing the same thing Christian did.
They also brought in Kim Bassinger as someone from Christian's past. These two story lines involving them both will clearly spill over to part three (Which was filmed at the same time as this film).
Yet there are problems still:
-The lines sometimes are cringe worthy. Okay often cringe worthy.
-Steele still comes across as more of a stalker. Plus I still do not see what Anastasia sees in him. His wallet? She does not come across as a person who is in a relationship for money. It is just that their relationship seems to lack chemistry (Though it is getting a little better).
-The timing of the sex scenes were odd. Like they would be having a discussion and then make out. It is hard to explain unless you actually see the film but it felt like they threw some sex scenes in because.....that is what the movie calls for or people came to see. It is not fluid.
\-Plot holes!! Like the worst security for a Billionaire ever!!! Or a helicopter crash and a character get from point A to B in record time.....after a \Helicopter crash!!!!!
You go to this movie for a relationship film....sexy scenes...I guess in that it delivers, and my mind is open to that. So 3 out of 5 for Shades Darker. Ugh The Lines!!!
From the shadows as always thanks for your time.
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THE CIRCLE
Director James Ponsoldt
Screenplay by James Ponsoldt and Dave Eggers
Based on the books by Dave Eggers
Starring Emma Watson; Elar Coltrane; Glenne Hendry; Bill Paxton; and Tom Hanks
Emma Watson plays Mae, she gets hired at a big Google like company called The Circle. While being excited about this wonderful new job she begins to realize there are some irregularities at this company.
Well how fast can one fall???!!
Riding the high of Beauty And The Beast's success The Circle come to theaters. And well..it is bad.
There are a lot of problems with this movie:
-The film basically tries to create drama about Big Brother watching and the dangers it can create as Big Brother expands its grasp on your own life. When in reality it is already happening. Which makes the film seem dated, and with absolutely no drama, They try to make Bailey (Tom Hanks-Who is only in this film for like 10 minutes) and Stenton (Patton Oswalt) as the bad guys. However in reality they are just running a business that everyone else is doing already. They are just expanding. Yes there are ramifications from what their company is doing. But that is a slippery slope. Like blaming Facebook for that Facebook murder. Then it is up to the public to make that decision of how much they want a company to poke in to their personal business, by not being part of the company. So in reality...aren't we the bad guys? Again it is dated.
-Emma Watson is just bad here. I do not know if she is just miscast or a victim of a dated and ridiculous script. She is breaking by constantly shifting from a British twang to an American twang, I often thought...Where is she from??!! At one point she goes kayaking because that is what she does. However it looks like she has never rowed a kayak before. In fact she looks silly.
Speaking of silly, the script has her in the middle of the night stealing a kayak and going kayaking without a life vest...I have no idea why!!! Of course she runs into a storm...just odd and silly...because we are being sold that she is intelligent.
-Karen Gilan plays Annie, Mae's best friend, who helps Mae get a job at The Circle. We watch her slowly have a breakdown. And only Mae seems to care. Annie looks like a mess, no one helps but they help Mae with her parents medical condition. Really? This girl looks like a mess and no one is reaching out??!!
I can keep going on but this film is just an odd dated mess. I know the book was popular, so I imagine a lot of the book subplots were left out of the movie. 1 star out of 5 for The Circle. The one star was for Bill Paxton in one of his final roles...still proving he shined until the end.
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL 2
Directed by James Gunn
Screenplay by James Gunn
Starring Chris Pratt; Zoe Saldana; Dave Bautista; Karen Gillan; and Kurt Russell
Voice work by Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel
Well they are back. As you already know...they are now guns for hire...using their reputation as Guardians to cash in. However there are a bunch of story lines involving stolen batteries and a long lost father.
Positives:
-The chemistry between all the leads is spot on. This is the type of chemistry that DC is praying for as they finish up Justice League. They are so quick with each other here. So good you forget that Rocket is not really there. This chemistry really has us as viewers care about all of them
-Saldana and Bautista as Gamora and Drax shine in this one as Pratt kind of takes a backseat and lets them shine often.
-This film may be funnier than the first one, and definitely is the funniest movie of the year so far. Highlighted by a Groot dance scene in the beginning.
Negatives:
-This film was riding high for the first hour and a half and then it crashed and burned. Fast. It was no longer funny. There were confusing plot lines. There was confusing scenes, due to the darkness of the screen. The last 45 minutes seemed to be on green screen and ...for some reason I never felt like it was real enough that I did not feel anyone was in jeopardy.
-After all the talk about Kurt Russell being the father of Peter Quill it was a big disappointment. Russell just stood and lectured. He really did not have much to do.
-Then there was ending after ending after ending. It needed an editor for the last fight/battle scenes. Then they tried to throw in a tear jerk of an emotional scene at the end that fell real flat.
How bad was the end of this film? I been to many prescreenings with a lot of excitement wrapped around it...every time the crowd at the prescreening will clap. Here it was silence. Almost like they were exhausted from the confusing never ending last half hour. 3 1/2 stars out of 5 for the first wonderful hour and a half of Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2. Stay through the credits. Also...this film really borderlines a PG13 rating. The language is questionable for little ones...for sure.
2009 was a really good year for films:
-Avatar was a 3D wonder!!
-The Hangover was hilarious (They should have stopped there)
-Paranormal Activities scared us all
-Taken was just excitment (They should have stopped at the first one)
-Hurt Locker took us into the heart of the war
-Star Trek returned
-Plus there were three really good small films An Education; Zombieland; and 500 Days Of Summer...all three were in my top 10.
However it was a tough call that year but UP from Pixar was my number one film:
UP
Directed and Screenplay by Pete Docter and Bob Peterson
Voice work by Ed Asner; Christopher Plummer; and Jordan Nagai
One of the problems this film has is its first 5 minutes. It's first 5 minutes is soooo good that the rest of the film has to fight to keep the story at that level. At least in Toy Story 3 the best 5 minutes came at the end, so the film does not have to fight that level of perfection (The beginning of Up, the end of Toy Story 3, and the breaking down of Riley in Inside Out the best three scenes in PIXAR films}. Still it is a great story filled with humor, DUG, and sadness. Love it. Squirrel!!!
Also great casting of the great Ed Asner as Carl. It seems like a part that is above him...but he is all in and is just perfect.
Now for fun and not so fun facts:
-At the end of the film Carl and Russell are sitting on the curb counting red and blue cars. Dug calls one as "gray" which is correct since dogs cannot see color.
-When Carl and Ellie go picnicking, their destination is a spot under the same tree from A Bug's Life.
-Carl wears the same grape soda pin that was in the Buzz Lightyear commercial in Toy Story
-Dug's voice was done (wonderfully) by director and writer Bob Peterson
Well my favorite film of 2009 UP...it was not just for kids......4 1/2 out of 5 stars.
Well only two films for home viewing this week to note. One is better than okay, the other is just okay.
A DOGS PURPOSE
Directed by Lase Hallstrom
Screenplay by W Bruce Cameron; Catheryn Michon; Audrey Wells; Maya Forbes; and Wally Wolodorsky
Based on the book by W Bruce Cameron
Starring Denis Quaid; Peggy Lipton; Kj Apa; John Ortiz; and Britt Robertson
Voice by Josh Gad
A dog comes back and back and back as different dogs.
This film had a lot going against it. An awful trailer. It showed a dog dying and a sad teenager. Really? It gives the impression we will see scenes like this over and over, which is not true. That happens one time and it is like 30 seconds, but that little scene in the trailer can turn people off.
Then throw in the animal cruelty allegations that were proved false.
I am here to let you know the film is kinda cute and pleasant. I think the film taps on the sadness of when you lose a pet. Not only do you miss the pet, but at that time you realize how much the pet has witnessed from deaths, too moving, too other pets, too births.
It is a cute film. Very light with a sweet ending.
What really makes it work is the wonderful performances:
The big name is Dennis Quaid. He is good but only in the film for 10 minutes maybe.
The highlight is a wonderful performance by KJ Apa as the teen Ethan. He owns this part and it is not easy playing against a dog. He has you cheering for him and you also hurt for him. He is the all-American boy.
Then throw in one of my favorites Britt Robertson who never gives a bad performance. Here she shines as Hannah, Ethan's girlfriend. When they are together you almost forget the dog.
A sweet film that maybe a little too soft. Just...not much development, I think because the story jumps time so often that it is difficult to have time for development. Like I wanted to know more about Ethan but...we jumped time.
Still it is harmless and kind of sweet and silly so 3 stars out of 5 for A Dogs Purpose.
GOLD
Directed by Stephen Gaghan
Screenplay by Patrick Bassett and John Zinman
Starring Matthew McConaughy; Bryce Dallas Howard; and Edgar Ramirez
Well the trailer tells you everything, so then let me get to the review.
This film notes this is based on a true story. No it is not. Not even close. It had to do with penny stock mining.... not gold. And there was not one bit of excitement around that story. It is just odd.
Then you get to the McConaughy character who is not real. The weight and hair???!! Why??
I do not know...it throws you off because...I mean WHY?? Why everything. It feels like a lie.
If it stands alone and does not mention that it was based on a real story you feel like okay it is just a story. If that makes sense.
The odd thing is it is a fun story to watch. You kind of like the characters. They are underdogs. You cheer for them (however Kenny Wells is kind of a jerk often). He almost reminds you of Ray Kroc in The Founder film. You cheer but feel bad for others around him.
Howard gives a wonderful performance as Kay, Well's partner in life. You loooove her but when she is not in the film you miss her, which is too often. And that is a problem.
Now Ramirez steals the film here as Acosta Wells business partner. He is calm and bright opposite of the sloppy and unfocused Wells.
So...well acted. Interesting story with kind of a lazy twist and then a lazy ending...SINCE IT WAS NOT TRUE they could have gone anywhere with it. So right down the middle 2 1/2 stars out of 5 for Gold. Good...wanted great.
From the shadows as always thanks for your time as always.
