Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, Slumdog Millionaire), simply put, makes unbelievable movies. 127 Hours is his latest and equally as entertaining.
127 Hours follows the journey of Aron Ralston, a rock climbing fanatic, who goes canyoneering in an area with little people in Utah and finds himself calling for desperate measures - he gets his arm stuck between a large fallen rock and the wall of the canyon he is exploring. Desperate measures is the only way to describe it as towards the end of the film, the audience is exposed to one of the most emotional and visually disturbing scenes. After trying and failing with several attempts of freeing his arm, Ralston is left with no choice and forced to perform amputation on himself.
As the movie progresses, we see the mental instability start to take over James Franco's character. The longer he is stuck, the more insane he goes. He starts hallucinating, random fits of crying, and he gets himself stuck with only a finger of water in his water bottle, so we see him struggle to maintain a reasonable amount of water for himself.
Danny Boyle uses a technique where the audience sees several different angles of the same character doing something on the screen at one time. Sometimes it is too much and visually confusing for the watchers, but accompanied by a great score by A.R. Rahman (who also did the great soundtrack for Slumdog Millionaire), I was able to find these scenes enjoyable. The intensity of everything going on on screen was extremely groovy.
One of my favourite performances by James Franco. No questions asked, this was definitely worth an Academy Award nomination. 8/10.
Thanks for reading everyone! Keep posted!!
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Jack and Jill
It seems that whatever movie Adam Sandler does is simply not funny anymore. Funny People, Grown Ups and Just go with It were far from it, and this month's Jack and Jill is unfortunately the same. Before going to see it, I hoped it would be different from the previous three, but unfortunately it was not.
In this movie, Adam Sandler plays two characters, Jack Sadelstein and his annoying sister Jill. Annoying is the only way to describe her. She is from the New York and this thick accent absolutely rips your ears apart. I found myself hoping she would stop talking for much of the movie because I just couldn't stand it.
Jill comes down to visit Jack and his family for Thanksgiving and the movie commences. Jack is in advertising and Dunkin Donuts, his biggest account, threatens to find other business, so Jack goes on the prowl to get big name Al Pacino to do his commercial for him. Pacino falls in deep love with Jill when he first meets her, so Jack tries to get her to willingly date him so he can use him for the DD commercial.
Rotten Tomatoes gave this movie a morbid 4% and it is very clear as to why. There are no funny parts, except for the little laughter at Sandler's kid in the movie who tapes things to himself. Even then, this joke is stressed far too much and after the fifth time the joke's made, you wish the kid would just go away. Jill is annoying, Jack tries to be funny, and the same jokes are carried out way too often. Pointless plot twists are also too frequent. I honestly cannot see how this film is even worth 4%. It was a waste of time and far different from Adam Sandler's early acting career. It's a shame because he is slowly moulding himself into a terrible, terrible writer. Very unfortunate.
Don't see this one - it's a complete waste of time.
PS. I survived the Breaking Dawn opening weekend. If you had a chance to see it or Jack and Jill, please post in the comments below and let me know what you thought.
Here's an upcoming movie with Stanley Tucci and Woody Harrelson titled The Hunger Games. What do you think?
In this movie, Adam Sandler plays two characters, Jack Sadelstein and his annoying sister Jill. Annoying is the only way to describe her. She is from the New York and this thick accent absolutely rips your ears apart. I found myself hoping she would stop talking for much of the movie because I just couldn't stand it.
Jill comes down to visit Jack and his family for Thanksgiving and the movie commences. Jack is in advertising and Dunkin Donuts, his biggest account, threatens to find other business, so Jack goes on the prowl to get big name Al Pacino to do his commercial for him. Pacino falls in deep love with Jill when he first meets her, so Jack tries to get her to willingly date him so he can use him for the DD commercial.
Rotten Tomatoes gave this movie a morbid 4% and it is very clear as to why. There are no funny parts, except for the little laughter at Sandler's kid in the movie who tapes things to himself. Even then, this joke is stressed far too much and after the fifth time the joke's made, you wish the kid would just go away. Jill is annoying, Jack tries to be funny, and the same jokes are carried out way too often. Pointless plot twists are also too frequent. I honestly cannot see how this film is even worth 4%. It was a waste of time and far different from Adam Sandler's early acting career. It's a shame because he is slowly moulding himself into a terrible, terrible writer. Very unfortunate.
Don't see this one - it's a complete waste of time.
PS. I survived the Breaking Dawn opening weekend. If you had a chance to see it or Jack and Jill, please post in the comments below and let me know what you thought.
Here's an upcoming movie with Stanley Tucci and Woody Harrelson titled The Hunger Games. What do you think?
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
a Very Harold & Kumar Christmas - 3D!!
Equally as immature as the first two, Harold & Kumar are back, bringing hysterical Christmas joy to everyone. Definitely hysterical, the film follows Harold and Kumar who have been out of touch for several years after the goings-on in Guantanamo Bay. After a gift is dropped off at Kumar's apartment for Harold, who hasn't lived there for several years, Kumar decides to bring it over to his house. Harold is hosting his wife's whole family for Christmas and has been delegated the duty of putting up the hard-ass father's 'special' Christmas tree and decorating it by the time they get back from downtown.
If you have seen Harold and Kumar, you are surely aware of the mayhem and absurdities they get themselves into, and this one is no different. With many references to the first and second movies, A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas kept the whole theater laughing hysterically. Various drugs, nudity, foul-mouthed language and extreme violence settle this one for a solid 18A rating. After seeing it, I am aware of the outrageousness this movie actually is, and why my manager at work is so hard on me ID'ing people at box office. Definitely check this one out if you're a fan of the first two. NPH has a very funny cameo. Don't bring your grandma. 8/10.
So this weekend I have pleasure of dealing with 'Breaking Dawn', the fourth installment of the popular Twilight Saga. Luckily I am working on box office and don't have to deal too much with them as they will have their tickets pre-purchased. They're selling out quick. If you're heavily into this saga, get your tickets soon. Be aware of long line-ups and insane mothers! The second of two trailers:
If you have seen Harold and Kumar, you are surely aware of the mayhem and absurdities they get themselves into, and this one is no different. With many references to the first and second movies, A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas kept the whole theater laughing hysterically. Various drugs, nudity, foul-mouthed language and extreme violence settle this one for a solid 18A rating. After seeing it, I am aware of the outrageousness this movie actually is, and why my manager at work is so hard on me ID'ing people at box office. Definitely check this one out if you're a fan of the first two. NPH has a very funny cameo. Don't bring your grandma. 8/10.
So this weekend I have pleasure of dealing with 'Breaking Dawn', the fourth installment of the popular Twilight Saga. Luckily I am working on box office and don't have to deal too much with them as they will have their tickets pre-purchased. They're selling out quick. If you're heavily into this saga, get your tickets soon. Be aware of long line-ups and insane mothers! The second of two trailers:
Martha Marcy May Marlene
I am aware that last week I tweeted and posted on my Facebook that I was headed downtown to Varsity Cinemas to see an advanced screening of Margin Call with Kevin Spacey. My buddy had won the tickets through a Twitter contest and was emailed two tickets and I was to go with him. We got down there and they had SOMEHOW gave away too many tickets to the film and we were offered tickets to an upcoming film called My Week with Marilyn. Since we were down there, we decided to check out another movie titled Martha Marcy May Marlene.
This gem is the breakout acting career for Elizabeth Olsen, the younger sister of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. Her acting is considerably better than that of her sisters. I feel like if someone heard that Elizabeth was the main actress in this movie, they would expect a lesser performance because of the strong shadowing arm of her old sisters larger career. This was not the case.
M,M,M,M is about Martha, a paranoid and clearly damaged woman who struggles to live with her sister and her husband after recently abandoning an abusive cult that she lived with for two years. 'Abusive' and 'cult' scared the crap out of me before this movie began, and although the film I don't think had intentions of being creepy, it creeped me out. Martha is so clearly damaged by what happened during her stay with this group of people, that she is so oblivious to the textbook way of living with her 'normal' family.
The film jumps back and forth between her time spent with the abusive cult to the present day of staying with her sister. The film skips over from the present day into the past with extremely neat transitions. When something is about to happen, say Martha is about to jump in the water off the end of her sister's dock, she will hit the water and the movie will skip back to her swimming with her apparent friends from the before said cult and focuses on that for some time. The director shows us the way in which she lived before, and how she takes this method of living into the present day, and how the two worlds sort of clash.
Although quite disturbing during some moments, I was blown away. Great plot structure, easily understandable goings-on, fantastic acting, with a little creepiness and a cliff-hanger ending. That spells great movie for me. Only in select theaters though. Be sure to find some showtimes near you.
Here's a disturbing trailer for an upcoming horror film. Connect the cuts, man.
This gem is the breakout acting career for Elizabeth Olsen, the younger sister of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. Her acting is considerably better than that of her sisters. I feel like if someone heard that Elizabeth was the main actress in this movie, they would expect a lesser performance because of the strong shadowing arm of her old sisters larger career. This was not the case.
M,M,M,M is about Martha, a paranoid and clearly damaged woman who struggles to live with her sister and her husband after recently abandoning an abusive cult that she lived with for two years. 'Abusive' and 'cult' scared the crap out of me before this movie began, and although the film I don't think had intentions of being creepy, it creeped me out. Martha is so clearly damaged by what happened during her stay with this group of people, that she is so oblivious to the textbook way of living with her 'normal' family.
The film jumps back and forth between her time spent with the abusive cult to the present day of staying with her sister. The film skips over from the present day into the past with extremely neat transitions. When something is about to happen, say Martha is about to jump in the water off the end of her sister's dock, she will hit the water and the movie will skip back to her swimming with her apparent friends from the before said cult and focuses on that for some time. The director shows us the way in which she lived before, and how she takes this method of living into the present day, and how the two worlds sort of clash.
Although quite disturbing during some moments, I was blown away. Great plot structure, easily understandable goings-on, fantastic acting, with a little creepiness and a cliff-hanger ending. That spells great movie for me. Only in select theaters though. Be sure to find some showtimes near you.
Here's a disturbing trailer for an upcoming horror film. Connect the cuts, man.
In Time - a waste of time
I have seen Justin Timberlake in many other films and thoroughly enjoyed his performance, but I couldn't get into him during 'In Time'. As well, Vincent Kartheiser (Pete Campbell on AMC's Mad Men), brings forth a mediocre performance, much different from his believable and enjoyable character on Mad Men. He plays Philippe Weis, the rich, greedy father of Amanda Seyfried in this film.
In Time goes as follows: In a future where people stop aging at 25, but are engineered to live only one more year, having the means to buy your way out of the situation is a shot at immortal youth. Here, Will Salas finds himself accused of murder and on the run with a hostage - a connection that becomes an important part of the way against the system.
As mentioned before, I usually admire JT's performance in the films that he does, but I feel as if he could have turned this role down and they could have found someone else. My issue is seeing people who are usually very talented actors trying to do films that are just bad. In Time was exactly that, and this is why I hated him so much in it.
I will give this movie some credit however. The whole idea is extremely interesting, and stands as one of the most unique concepts I have seen in a film. Director Andrew Niccol (Lord of War) has no problem writing an interesting screenplay, but evidently has a hard time bringing it to life. Badly edited car-crash scenes combined with a frequently confusing story line, combined with hysterical one-liners makes for a miserable experience at the theaters. I am surprised at the surprisingly higher rating from IMDB users. They gave it a 6.8. Too high for me. 3/10 for the cool concept and kudos for the attempt. If it's on Netflix check it. Otherwise don't.
Here's a film with Denzel Washington being an absolute boss titled Safe House:
In Time goes as follows: In a future where people stop aging at 25, but are engineered to live only one more year, having the means to buy your way out of the situation is a shot at immortal youth. Here, Will Salas finds himself accused of murder and on the run with a hostage - a connection that becomes an important part of the way against the system.
As mentioned before, I usually admire JT's performance in the films that he does, but I feel as if he could have turned this role down and they could have found someone else. My issue is seeing people who are usually very talented actors trying to do films that are just bad. In Time was exactly that, and this is why I hated him so much in it.
I will give this movie some credit however. The whole idea is extremely interesting, and stands as one of the most unique concepts I have seen in a film. Director Andrew Niccol (Lord of War) has no problem writing an interesting screenplay, but evidently has a hard time bringing it to life. Badly edited car-crash scenes combined with a frequently confusing story line, combined with hysterical one-liners makes for a miserable experience at the theaters. I am surprised at the surprisingly higher rating from IMDB users. They gave it a 6.8. Too high for me. 3/10 for the cool concept and kudos for the attempt. If it's on Netflix check it. Otherwise don't.
Here's a film with Denzel Washington being an absolute boss titled Safe House:
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Real Steel!
I can't say there is a movie that I haven't enjoyed Hugh Jackman's character. Sure, certain X-Men movies are better than others, but I always appreciate the performance Mr. Jackman gives us. Real Steel is no exception. In this he plays a tough guy robot trainer/fighter and ex pro boxer, who is low on money from constant losses in the ring.. In a short period of time, we are aware that Hugh Jackman is a father, who takes custody of his 11 year old son for the summer time after his ex-girlfriend from 10 years ago passes away.
This film is set in the near future where robot fighting is the top sport. Training and fighting them in smaller leagues for small portions of money is where the inexperienced begin, whereas well-trained, well-known and experienced fighters fight in a championship league. This league is dominated by the all-mighty "Zeus", a strong and popular robot. Jackman's son, Max, discovers a small robot in a metal scrapyard, who adopts the robot and trains it to be a popular, metal smashin' machine.
Real Steel was a very cute movie. Like other films, the son and father who can't get along are brought together by something, and in the end express their love to one another. Not once in the movie do we hear Max call Charlie (Jackman) his dad, and after the final fight he calls it at him. The outcome of the final fight was disappointing, but at the same time, it sets Real Steel apart from movies similar to it and sets a more realistic feel to the film. The relationships amongst the characters in the film are very predictable, everyone we see who has tension with another character in the film end up loving one another. This is the norm in most other movies and these types of plot structures are what many people enjoy in a movie. I am the same way. I give this movie a 7.5/10.
Thanks for reading! Here's an upcoming from the director of The Hangover, Todd Phillips: 'Project X' Looks interesting!
This film is set in the near future where robot fighting is the top sport. Training and fighting them in smaller leagues for small portions of money is where the inexperienced begin, whereas well-trained, well-known and experienced fighters fight in a championship league. This league is dominated by the all-mighty "Zeus", a strong and popular robot. Jackman's son, Max, discovers a small robot in a metal scrapyard, who adopts the robot and trains it to be a popular, metal smashin' machine.
Real Steel was a very cute movie. Like other films, the son and father who can't get along are brought together by something, and in the end express their love to one another. Not once in the movie do we hear Max call Charlie (Jackman) his dad, and after the final fight he calls it at him. The outcome of the final fight was disappointing, but at the same time, it sets Real Steel apart from movies similar to it and sets a more realistic feel to the film. The relationships amongst the characters in the film are very predictable, everyone we see who has tension with another character in the film end up loving one another. This is the norm in most other movies and these types of plot structures are what many people enjoy in a movie. I am the same way. I give this movie a 7.5/10.
Thanks for reading! Here's an upcoming from the director of The Hangover, Todd Phillips: 'Project X' Looks interesting!
Sunday, October 30, 2011
The Rum Diary
Spawning from one of my favourite books by one of my top authors, Hunter S. Thompson, The Rum Diary follows American journalist Paul Kemp who takes a job at a local newspaper in Puerto Rico. Johnny Depp plays Mr. Kemp and does it in slightly similar fashion to the character he played in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Fear and Loathing is based on an actual trip Hunter Thompson took to Las Vegas and the movie is sort of a mirror image of the goings on on the vacation, and the Rum Diary is loosely based on Thompson's life in Puerto Rico.
This film is certainly entertaining and it has its share of hysterical moments, but the movie never really did anything. By this I mean the director, Bruce Robinson just kept introducing new story plots you could say, before the previous story line could wrap up. It seemed as if the screenwriter just tried cramming an entire novel into a two hour production, but clearly did not have any sense of doing so clearly. If they had focused on one story plot at a time and not jump around all over the place, I would have left this movie more satisfied. Unfortunately because of this, I am only crediting this film a measly 5/10. Check out the book, it's a quick read and true to the famous Gonzo style of Hunter Thompson's writing before you feel you should watch this movie.
If you had a chance to see Rum Diary this past weekend, feel free to leave a comment about what you thought!
Here's a trailer for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, featuring Gary Oldman (JFK, Harry Potter) and Colin Firth (The King's Speech, Pride and Prejudice), amongst others, set to release in theaters early December. What do you think?
This film is certainly entertaining and it has its share of hysterical moments, but the movie never really did anything. By this I mean the director, Bruce Robinson just kept introducing new story plots you could say, before the previous story line could wrap up. It seemed as if the screenwriter just tried cramming an entire novel into a two hour production, but clearly did not have any sense of doing so clearly. If they had focused on one story plot at a time and not jump around all over the place, I would have left this movie more satisfied. Unfortunately because of this, I am only crediting this film a measly 5/10. Check out the book, it's a quick read and true to the famous Gonzo style of Hunter Thompson's writing before you feel you should watch this movie.
If you had a chance to see Rum Diary this past weekend, feel free to leave a comment about what you thought!
Here's a trailer for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, featuring Gary Oldman (JFK, Harry Potter) and Colin Firth (The King's Speech, Pride and Prejudice), amongst others, set to release in theaters early December. What do you think?
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