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Maleficent (2014)
A story with a serious identity crisis
Sleeping Beauty is indeed a very old story, one that was originally created by the Brothers Grimm. This story on the other hand is one that tries to give a new take on the traditional telling of Sleeping Beauty. Does it succeed? You can decide...
I, on the other hand, was left very confused on what this story was trying to accomplish. I completely understand the angle of not needing to have the young prince coming in and saving the day, but to have the villain (or a least the villain from the Disney classic version of the film)be the hero seems kind of odd to me. If she isn't at all bad, which is what this film is trying to say, then what is she. In this fairy tale world, what is her purpose then? This very quickly came off as a female empowerment film in practically every aspect of the story. She doesn't need a man to save her at the end. Maleficent doesn't need the love a man to raise Aurora, this motherless child. All Aurora really needed was the unconditional, love of another women, like Maleficent. Men are the real bad guys right? That's why they're called "Bad guys" not "Bad Women". Anyway, I digress, so is this story trying dismiss the original story of Sleeping Beauty? Was there something wrong with the original story that this new telling needed to correct? Is this the new direction Disney wants to go down? The Wicked Step-mother was really just a product of her husband and she has learned that from seeing Cinderella grow up to become a great. Let's see the perspective of the hunters from Bambi to show the family that they were planning on feeding with the deers.
What I'm trying to say is that I don't know what this story is trying to accomplish by being retold in this manner. The only reason I can figure out is that Disney is doing everything humanly possible to make sure their image is as squeaky clean as possible. By human two POV's of their stories, there is no way that they can be described as dark in any way. This is very problematic to me in a very important way. A film like this makes it seem like, all evil needs to be given a chance explain itself. This is confusing. Their needs to be an evil in the story, especially for a fairy tale such as this one. Evil must exist to realize there is a battle between good and evil. the point is completely taken away when you show that the side that was evil wasn't actually evil at all. I mean she did one evil thing in the movie and immediately regretted it. In this sense, we could say that every villain can be redone as long as they felt really bad about it afterwords.
You might notice that I didn't mention the acting or the visual effects. That's because the story seemed so overwhelmingly problematic that it felt wasted on such an awful story. I'm sure I'll get flack for having these feelings towards the film but whatever. If you enjoyed it then congratulations, you did something I couldn't do.
The Master (2012)
Not for the average film goer.
Like my title suggest, this film is not for the average film goer who will want to see a movie at any of your major movie theaters. That's not to knock those people or anything but this film is different. It's what separates classical music fans from your average Billboard Hot 100 pop radio fan.
Now that, that has been established, I would like to say that this film struck a chord with me. It is an incredibly beautifully shot film, shot in 65mm over broad landscapes makes it even more beautiful. Most people will say that the acting is the best part of the movie and I would like to say that it's not the "best" part of the movie but it is another piece of the film that makes it a modern day classic that will be misunderstood by today's modern film goer that's looking for the Christoper Nolan like entertainment. PTA doesn't aim to entertain you as much as he looks to make art out of moving pictures. There's nothing flashy and no explosions in this film to keep you on the edge of your seat. It's like reading a well written novel. You're going to enjoy the film as long as you are willing to put in the work of getting to understand it. Joaquin Phoenix and Phillip Seymour Hoffman pull off incredible jobs as these two polar opposite of characters. There's a bunch of subtleties in this film that do require you to have to see numerous times but that shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.
In my honest opinion I would have to say that this is my second favorite PTA film only behind the masterpiece that is There Will Be Blood, but it's not by much. It's going to take time for this film to be seen for what it is. It might take a few years for this film to start to get the respect that it deserves but I honestly believe it does deserve it.
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
It Could Have Been One of the Greatest Movie Trilogies Ever
Ladies and gentlemen I knew from the very end of this movie that I was on the fence about whether I liked the movie or not. It wasn't until I watched the movie on the small screen that I was able to sit down and watch the movie without the blaze of sound effects and the giant screen, to see what the movie actually was... a let down.
I don't even really know where to start. I guess it will be with the story. The story was nothing all too groundbreaking. It has all the same stuff as Batman Begins and The Dark Knight but it seems to be a little lack luster. Bane isn't really the menacing character that he could have been. The major dubbing that was done with his voice made him sound over the top Shakespearean and I just couldn't take it. I never really was sold on Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle and was even less impressed with the terrible one liner (Cat got you're tongue?)from her and from every other character(So that's what that feels like?).
I also want to add that the last hour of this movie is just complete crap. The way Bane gets taken out is lame, the bomb being carried off by the Batcopter into the ocean is lame, showing that this character that we had started to like was actually Robin was by far the LAMEST part that Christopher Nolan added. Especially since I thought he said there wasn't going to be a Robin in the movie.
Overall, I felt that the movie wasn't made with the serious frame of mind as The Dark Knight was. The previous two movies in the trilogy were fantastic and while they have their great themes in it I think the 99% that was supposed to be represented in this movie really took a back burner to the complete lunacy of the whole movie. I've often had to compare it to The Avengers this year and I typically say this, " The Avengers is a movie that knows it's not serious and doesn't try to be serious, The Dark Knight Rises was a movie that was supposed to be serious and came out comical. I'm fully prepared to take heat from the haters out there and I just want to say I couldn't care less. Enjoy the movie if you like but I hated this terrible movie.
Boardwalk Empire (2010)
Another amazing addition to Mobster works
So I started this show last year after finding out about all the awards it had won. I'm usually not somebody who likes TV shows but this show stopped me in my tracks. The aspect of the show that I most appreciate is the fact that Steve Buscemi is finally put into a role that he is made to do. No more stupid Adam Sandler type casting for this guy. The rest of the cast is top of the line and do fabulous jobs, not a single weak character for me. From Michael Pitt to Michael Kenneth Williams do amazing jobs. The story that is being told is one of the best that I've ever seen. Mobsters have always been subject that is incredibly interesting to me and I believe that this show not only revives this dying genre but I think it pushes it to a whole new level.
Check it out whenever you can because it is really worth it.
Serenity (2005)
Amazing!!!!
I decided that I was going to watch this movie after I watched all the episodes of the show Firefly first. This payed off but it didn't change my view of the story. What it really do is get me that much more informed about the characters of the movie and their backgrounds.
This film is really one of the better science fiction films of the past decade and really should be recognized as that. It's hard to make a science fiction film already and to throw it on top of that it's even harder to make a film that is based on a TV series that was canceled after one season. I really have to hand it to Joss Whedon with this film though. Absolutely stunning in all aspects. This film really is exciting right from the get go and never lets up through the end of the movie. I truly recommend this film to anyone who is interested in Science Fiction and in Westerns for that matter. Serenity truly is a winner.
The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer (1970)
Completely underrated Comedy
As the title suggests this film is highly underrated. This was really the beginning of Monty Python what with the comedic attacks on virtually everything. It's easy to see why this movie isn't shown that much anymore due to it's extremely strong political message it contains. This film is basically an attack on everything from race to the media to religion and politics. Even better, is that this film is so effective in all aspects.
Peter Cook does an absolutely great job of being the crowd pleasing do whatever he wants, political figure who does just that, whatever he wants. The cast of this movie is great all around.
I highly recommend this film to everyone who loves political satires or just loves comedy in general.
Children of Men (2006)
A Call to Action
This film affected me in a very profound way once I saw the first time. Now that I've seen it numerous times it very hard for me to look at this film and not get choked up while watching it. It truly is a work of art. The cinematography for this film is absolutely stunningly beautiful and captures the disgusting state of the world.
For me the film is so politically charged that I don't even know where to start. It really is a call to action for the world to open it's eyes and look at the world that we are becoming and move towards a peaceful change. The film feels like it is a mixture of A Nous la Liberte and Blade Runner. It is probably the best contemporary film that I can think of that really does have deep meaning and will always hold a very special place to me. This film is a must see for anybody who is a fan of cinema at it's finest.
Animal Kingdom (2010)
Top five best of 2010
Now I know for most film critics around the choice for best picture would most likely be either King's Speech or The Social Network but for me, this movie needs to be at least a strong contender. Technically speaking, the movie has a very shaky camera motion which normally wouldn't work but it does here. Everything about this movie is unstable and very polarizing. At times you wonder, how can Jay be dealing with all of these events like he is. It's just a very brutal look at this young man's life and his family very quickly spiraling out of control.
The thing about this movie that cannot be overlooked is that this is an actor's movie not so much a technical achievement. Jackie Weaver is absolutely incredible and is deserving of an Oscar for this movie. The real glue that holds this story together is "Pope". This is such a conflicted character and is stunningly self aware of how much damage he is doing and what he still can do. His final line of the movie is pretty fitting for his character and the reaction from Jay is equally fitting.
In a nutshell,this movie is one of those very rare films that come around and leave the audience breathless much like "Training Day". It's a very dark and sometimes haunting look at the dark side of a criminal family. This is a movie that is certain to please audiences.
Les quatre cents coups (1959)
French cinema at it's finest
Francois Truffaut's masterpiece that is The 400 Blows is just that. The movie for me picks up after the past film "La Maternelle" leaves off. The film is also a much less optimistic portrayal of the youth of France and the end is just amazing. The movie sadly won't be seen by everyone and isn't for everyone. I highly recommend this film for anyone who is interested in a full fledged foreign cinematic experience.
Everything in this movie ranging from the cinematography to the acting is superb and is on a whole other level from the rest of the world's pictures.
Black Swan (2010)
Masterpiece!!!!!!!!!!
Darren Aronofsky completely blew me away with this fine piece of cinema. I thought that his previous work was very impressive. This movie, for me, just pushed him into another stratosphere of film making. The only thing about this movie that kinda bothers me is that it ends, depending on how you viewed "The Wrestler," the same way. That is only a very small detail though. Overall, I was left virtually speechless after leaving the big screen. If this doesn't win Best Picture and Natalie Portman doesn't win best Actress then I think they really misjudged it. Everything thing about this movie was beautiful. The camera angles were signature Aronofsky with little tweaking in actual technique. The mood is nothing that I wouldn't expect from an Aronofsky film, dark and disturbing with a hint of borderline, Horror elements to it. It's truly not a Ballet film for the faint of heart. I suggest watching this movie and simply, be amazed.