The reaction of my older brother to this movie was "Worst Movie Ever." That's an interesting thing to say. I myself thought it was fantastic. Sure on the surface the film seems creepy, and probably pretty disturbing, but the surface is not the point of most films. To bad certain people can't see past it. See An Education is about a 32 year old man who seduces a 16 year old girl in 1961. Ok so fairly odd, but joyous all the same. Passionate all the same. And at the most interesting. I find that when I encounter a film that is rated well by critics I am disappointed. Not in any terrible way the films are still good, and yet they seem to be missing a beating heart. For better or worse An Education has one. This can be found in a spectacular performance by Carey Mulligan. She is naive,but also excited by the entire thing. This actually is enough to distract from the somewhat questionable material that is found in the film. Also what helps probably the most underrated actor of his time Peter Sarsgaard putting on one heck of a performance as well. I don't know what is was, but all of this developed into a very interesting film. I enjoyed it. That's not to say that this is a perfect film. I feel that the ending is a little bit of a cop out as far as the dramatic punch that the film could have thrown,but the one that we got was still impressive if not exactly as deep as it could have been. And of course the elephant in the room that is the whole 32 year old man 16 year old girl thing is somewhat unavoidable as well as my very gullible personality absorbing every bit of that "Worst Movie Ever" talk. But than again that's more personal if anything. I give An Education an 8 out of 10.
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I want to say this. I will not be writing a The Fault in our Stars review. I have seen it, and the reason that I will not write a review is that I don't want to sound like of broken record. Bottom line I looooooved it, and the entire thing made me feel very good as well as quite satisfied. The reason for no review. Well I'm sure you've heard this over and over and over. Other than that I have nothing to write about it. Here's a movie that I do have something to write about. Neighbors is very similar to the movie Filth in many ways. That's not to say that they are the same type of movie they are not, but they share one attribute. They may come off as comedies,but they have a deep, dark core that is not to be messed with. The difference between the two is one of them is actually funny, and the other one is not. Neighbors as you probably have figured is about a couple with a baby who has just settled in. Then a fraternity moves into the house next door. This couple tries to be friendly, but eventually is lead into a serious grudge match with the frat. This builds, and build up to a quite shocking conclusion. Neighbors surprisingly is not that funny of a movie. The comedy is somewhat disposable. I did not come off in a joking mood after this. I came of in a mood of as if I had just watched a complete mind**** movie like Black Swan. I mean sure the gags that include airbags shooting people across the room, and a Heisenberg baby are funny, but much of the comedy material feels as if it is really attempting to mask what is really going on. What is really going on? How far would you go to capture your old life? Well for the couple in the film (Seth Rogan, and Rose Byrne) pretty far. How far would you go to make sure that your life is the best it can be for the time that it will be the best? Well for the president of the frat Delta Sai Teddy (Zac Effron) pretty far. For a moment let me elaborate on Efron's character. The reality is I was surprised just how tragic he turned out to be. This movie tries to show why characters in big stupid comedies actually act the way that they do. Efron's character for example starts off as a frat guy, and then suddenly as the movie continues he realizes that the partying, and such that he has been doing has ultimately doomed him for the time being. That's not to say that the film says that the partying is bad it's just that he has realized that he hasn't studied, and in his future he will not be successful. Deep huh. Yeah. This whole arch culminates in a genuinely touching moment of Efron realizing that he will ultimately fail, and saves his frat brothers who have more promise then him. It sounds trivial, but the reality is that this is the most interesting thing that is in the film. Efron is fantastic in the role, and by the ending you can tell that he is very desperate. I felt sorry for the guy. The couple has a good more decent into madness arch though. These are two people with a baby who just don't want to give up they're lives. But it's just the Efron story connected to me more. I know that this has kind of been scattershot or at least it feels like it has been, but what I'm trying to convey is that oddly Neighbors doesn't survive on it's comedy. It does so on the scary realizations that it's characters encounter. These frankly when one looks at them are encounters that all of us will have to face. Neighbors is not a very funny movie, but the underlining drama that really makes it. I was shocked by the deep levels that this film went. A spectacular performance from Zac Efron. This leads me to give Neighbors a 7 out of 10. The thing that I love about films is the excitement that comes from the whole cast. There are people in movies (even in some bad ones) that you can tell are so excited and passionate to be there. This is part of the pull I get from films. It's an unbelievable rush to see people with passion talk about work they want to do with excitement. I just love it. Luckily for me that is exactly what this documentary is about. Unluckily is the fact that a documentary like this had to be made. I had never heard of Alejandro Jodorowski before watching this film, but I can clearly see that he is a very interesting person to talk to. He has a vision for what he wants to do. It's wildly entertaining to watch him talk which is what most of the film is. Sure some of what he does is a little odd, but it's the mind of a truly visionary person. There's a passion to the man that just is fused into the film. Even more interesting is how this man rounded up a bunch off people to create what would be the greatest science fiction movie of all time. The ways that the charisma of this guy brought together the team that he did. Dan O' Bannion, H.R. Giger, and even Orson Welles. I love watching this stuff. The main pull of the entire movie is just how interesting it is to watch Jodowarsky talk about how he got some of these people to get into his movie. And yet that is also where a problem arises. The majority of film is made up of building this whole movie which is so exciting, and out of nowhere just drops the entire thing. That's not to say that the reason for it failing is not understandable, it's just that the movie spends only a very small amount of time with this. It's like build up and oh wait where'd it go. However that really is the only problem. It just has a dissatisfying ending. Other than that what we have here is a very good film about a passion project that never panned out. Jodorowsky's Dune gets a 9 out of 10. The Illusionist: Directed and Written by Neil Burger, Starring: Edward Norton, and Paul Giamatti.9/22/2014 In the other Neil Burger work that I have seen there sadly has been a really large laziness. Limitless just failed to use a compelling story to make anything interesting. Even worse was Divergent. Oh boy that wasn't good. Which makes me wonder how he could have made this. That's not to say that this is a great movie,but at least The Illusionist has a freshness to it mainly in it's very performances, and decent twists. Edward Norton plays Eisenheim a fantastic illusionist who eventually is reunited with his young love (Jessica Biel). However she is engaged to the prince and he still loves her and inspector (Paul Giamatti) and blah blah blah. That's not what makes the movie. The story is not that interesting. The thing that makes the movie good is the fact that it has a mystical style to it. On the surface the story is a paper thin story (with a very easy to guess twist). What keeps you there is the illusion. The whole thing really is an illusion, but what I'm saying is the style and performances. Also the illusions are great. The work that can be done with CGI making all of this look real this is just fantastic. This is really all I can say. Plot's not that interesting, but performances are good, and so are the effects. Solid, and creative piece of work. I give The Illusionist a 7 out of 10. Filth is one of those great films that is also too strange for the advertising. If you had seen it you would have thought of this as a very kinky messed up hilarious but not for the faint of heart British comedy. On the surface you would be right. But once this movie gets going, and you realize what's going on it's to late to escape. Why? The entire film is wildly engaging. It starts off as a splendid exercise in bad taste, and than rips this to shreds in the best way possible. The thing that keeps Filth in the state of being just as good as it is (other than a fantastic screenplay) is James McAvoy. Now he's already proven his acting in the X-MEN films as well as the surprisingly great Wanted, but here he is given the reigns of a much deeper and full blooded performance. McAvoy is not McAvoy here he's detective Bruce Robertson and he is here is drink, snort, and screw his way into a promotion. Oh yeah that's what he's trying to do. Get a promotion, and win his family back, and deal with crippling bipolar disorder, and make sure he doesn't get caught for all the shit he does. If there really is a problem with Filth it's that it is overcomplicated, and doesn't always succeed in conveying all of this. Filth is a fast-paced decent into madness, and I didn't even know till the last 20 minutes. The crazy antics of the main character are so entertaining that often the little details fall through. However if you are paying attention you'll get through the film just fine. The supporting cast of this film is good, but this is McAvoy's show. I must mention though that it's quite odd that some of them appear, and then disappear really fast. Some notable people would be Jamie Bell who is playing a cocaine obsessed rookie cop, and Jim Broadbent Bruce's psychiatrist who usually appears in the form of dream sequences that take place in Bruce's head. Let me get this out of the way as well. Filth is in no way for people insulted by drugs, sex or violence. This is not an easy movie, but it's a great one. Filth succeeds more in it's wonderfully twisted humor than it does at really conveying what is going on, but it's all held together by hilarious, and solid work delivered by the cast especially James McAvoy in the main role . I give Filth a 9 out of 10. A FILM HAS TO HAVE CONVINCING CHARACTERS!!!!!. IT ALSO HAS TO HAVE RELATABLE CHARACTERS!!!!!. IT ALSO NEEDS TO HAVE JOKES THAT DON'T GO OUT OF BOUNDS OF THE MOVIE!!! Oh dear my friends who are girls are gonna kill me for this one. This movie has a lot of problems. The entire thing has that nagging sensation that comes with a GOOD High School Musical movie. Plus it expects itself to be taken seriously. First the characters are not believable. Kids are not like this. They don't act all obsessed with singing. That is just not how people are. These people are doing fake activities with so much enthusiasm. That enthusiasm is good. Very good actually. Somewhat redeems the movie, but the rest of this kind of junk. The actors are also doing a good job,but the script is horrible. The lines are cringeworthy, and the jokes aren't very funny. There is a running joke on vomit that doesn't even work. The singing is good really good I liked it,but the rest is just not good. I sound like a broken record, but what choice do I have. Now I am not going to just end the review. There is a lot wrong here, and a film just can't survive. I don't hate anyone in the movie or the performances or singing. But you can't run a movie on this. Pitch Perfect gets a 4 out of 10. Guys this is awesome. I know most have you have seen this, but this is awesome. Guys this movie is a mess. The story is overly complex, the leads have no chemistry, and the whole thing is really dark. But. But I like this movie. Not to insult anybody,but I won't even mention the stupid over analyzing (Oh dear this seems not to fit) that everyone does on this film. Who cares about if they destroy the city? I don't. Zach Snyder is one of the most earnest directors of these days. No matter what he makes no matter how good it is you can always tell that there is someone that know what he is doing behind it. He holds up his end of this movie. He's a film maker. He makes sure all the effects look good, and takes the story and puts it up on screen. That's not just saying the that the story is good oh boy there are some problems, but the "movie" chunk of this movie is really fun. I mean the action. Come on guys. As much as I know you guys enjoy to hate on the fact that he was destroying Metropolis, and Smallville. Yes he does. But what about the action (other than if you were in a IMAX theatre that was so loud it was uncomfortable) was actually appealing? It was a lot of fun. The camera moving around as these titans fight onscreen. There is a moment during the Smallville battle where the large Kryptonion trooper has Superman on the ground, and Superman tries to fly away. The guy grabs his cape, and slams him on the ground again. During this time the fantastic score is pumping, and bringing everything up. This is great stuff. It's very exciting. Also the sheer scale of jet planes flying toward a large enemy ship, and than just bouncing off of it. That's awesome. The way the camera follows it and almost makes it seems like you are falling with that plane. This brings in the fact that the film is shot well. The sweeping flight sequences are something to behold. Especially the moments on Krypton. That also leads me to say that I really enjoyed Russell Crowe's performance in this film. Jor-El was implemented perfectly. The performance from Michael Shannon is also surprisingly fantastic. The guy looks like he wants to murder you. Actually I'm gonna take all the actors in this movie, and put them off to the side for the bad stuff because they tried their best. Now I said at the beginning that the film was a mess. That's partially true. I mean I just said that the action was fantastic, and the performances were put in the right place for this movie. However the story is at moments complex. David S. Goyer with this film added an element called the codex. Not exactly needed, but the film handles somewhat well. It does kind of get forced upon the plot, and adds an unneeded element to the origin, but it's acceptable. The flash backs are actually good. However here's the big problem. The dialogue written for the characters is not great. The actors are really good as I said, but the dialogue falls short. It seems a little bit blocky, but again kind of fits the story. However the fact that Lois Lane does not have very much chemistry with Superman is a crime. But that's true. Also guys did we have to choose such a drab color tone. Really. Man of Steel is one of the best "action" movies I have seen. The action is fantastic, but it has some problems that comes from the dialogue, and story. Anyway still good. Man of Steel gets an 8 out of 10. I have always had trouble finding what to make of a Stanley Kubrick film while I watch it. Frankly on the occasion that I do watch Kubrick I just allow my self to soak in the images, on reflection see what happens. On reflection of this film I found some confusion. I mean I realize the the surreal imagery is good, but couldn't the story have been told without them or would it not just have been as unforgettable? I don't know. Why are parts of it so different from others? I'm still trying to figure this out. See there's a lot that this film does right. The performance by Malcom Mcdowell as Alex has some energy to it, and the narration helps tie stuff together. All of his dialogue pops. It's just an engaging performance. The film also has touches of humor. There is a particularly funny scene when a guard is having a doctor sign some transfer papers. It wasn't even the writing that interested me in the scene. It was the fact that this actor playing the guard was so funny. Also the camera work, and direction are fantastic.They flow smoothly over the screen at all the right angles. And yet I come out of the film confused. I wondered why? Why is the entire thing so jarring? Well there is a rape scene so that's jarring. There is a beating, and that is too. There's a lot of jarring stuff to be found, and yet the most jarring thing about the entire film is the way that it changes. The first let's say 45 minutes is a drastically different film compared to the rest of it. This portion is made up of the crimes of our hero (raping, killing, and beating). Then we get to the prison part of the film which is not for long,and then we get to the reformation part of the film. This is where we find the biggest change of them all. We go through a part where they are programing him to be sick at the action of sex and violence. Then we go to him being messed with outside of prison by the people he hurt. I mean that's all well and good, but we have just gotten a tone change that comes off wildly uneven. It just does not work. Also I know that the surreal is Kubrick's thing,but this film's seem a little out of place. The entire thing is so grounded in a dark violent nightmare that it's just difficult to find where this all fits. The film is supposed to span a chunk of Alex's life, and yet it just doesn't have the connecting tissues. Sure the combination of music, and images is compelling, but what does it really leave us with? A Clockwork Orange is a fantastic film, when you look at the way that it is played. To bad all of that suffers because of the jarring changes in tone that come with it's progressing story. So of all things maybe one day I'll figure out what's it was really trying to do. But for now I'm giving A Clockwork Orange a 6 out of 10. The Sessions seem almost like a rite of passage for myself. Not it any big way just in the way of confirming that the very self obsessed image I have very meticulously crafted for myself. This image is that I am more mature than anyone else in my grade, and could handle stuff better than them. The "R" rated gorefests don't confirm this image because they are not supposed taken maturely, but what about a film about a man in an iron lung who wants to lose his virginity. Hmm that might just do. See The Sessions unlike many dramadies with a premise like this makes a very down to earth human story. Mark O' Brien is 37 in an iron lung, and wants to lose his virginity. He hire a therapist (Not a prostitute there is a difference) to help do so. This is the films biggest hurdle. You the viewer must accept this type of story as just human nature, and life. It's quite difficult, but you really can do it. I could. If you can you will find something incredibly well acted, and filmed under the surface. I'm saying the whole deal. Fleshed out characters, funny dialogue, and really a radiance to the entire thing. John Hawkes is just marvelous in the center role as Mark. His optimism shines through out the entire movie. Also it's really human to see his nervousness with the whole situation. He's not sure about what he has gotten himself into, and is afraid of hurting another person. He doesn't want anything to be wrong. Helen Hunt also puts on a great performance as the therapist. This is a really tough role to tackle. I mean trying to make people enjoy a women who meets the certain needs of the handicapped is tough. Yet it all gets pulled off. This is a very funny movie as well. William H. Macy (Fargo) plays Marks preacher whom he talks to about the sessions. Macy's very frank reactions are very funny to watch, and he adds some needed laughs to the film. The actors have a lot to work with really. The screenplay written by director Ben Lewin has a sweetness to it much like the therapist. It gives us something allows us to get comfortable with it, and than allows us to take in a little bit more. That's really all there is to say. This a simple heartwarming film that has helped me at least look at films in a new light. Okay guys watch this. The Sessions gets a 9 out of 10. Yeah this movie caters right to me. I am a teenager check, I'm straight check and I like raucous humor check. And this movie is just great. Oh it's not perfect, but this movie really made my day. It's really fun. See this movie works because it allows it self to be embarrassing. The embarrassing stuff that happens to the characters allows them to first become identifiable, and second allows the film always to be funny on multiple viewings. I have seen this movie 3 times in 2 days and it has been great every time. See American Pie is about a group of friends who make a pact to get laid by the time high school ends. They all will eventually, and it's a lot of fun to see them get there. Again one thing that helps make the film work is the fact that it allows Murphy's Law to jump in during certain situations. Everything that could go wrong does go wrong (especially in a particularly hilarious sequence involving a girl, and a web-cam). Yeah bad stuff goes down. And it is great. Sure the characters are cliche and they fit archetypes, but the actors are great, and they do their best. Jason Biggs is really funny and the strip scene is great. However the best performance comes from Eugene Levy who tries to teach his son about sex. The whole "What if your dad tried to talk about you masturbation" thing never got old for me and I just found it so funny. Oh what also helps the film. It has some heart. The people aren't just sleazy assholes. The guys are nice guys who are just really want to have sex, and will do what it takes to do that. All of them at the end become quite sensitive. It's nice. The movie has surprising heart in this way. You fell good for the guys at the end, and you have liked the ride. And yet here I am at the paragraph where I tell you what's wrong. Not that a lot was it's just that there is some glaring things. The story has some problems which mainly come from funny plot points that turn up than re forgotten. There is a book in this movie. It pretty much is a guide on how to get a women into bed, and yet only one person see's it and it disappears very quickly. I was just kind of odd that something that is set up as a large part of the plot just goes away. It decreases from the experience. They really at the very least could have done what they did with Stifler's mom. They set her up and then deliver on her. Not till the ending, but still that is a really funny scene. American Pie is great because it has heart and genuine embarrassment fueling it's humor. This is broken ever so slightly by the some glaring plot problems. However still just as good as "warm apple pie." American Pie gets a 9 out of 10. |
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December 2017
CategoriesAuthorHello welcome to FilmAnalyst. My name is Stephen Tronicek, and I really like movies. This is a way to get my opinions out to people. Thank you for visiting. |