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Nic_Dread_Wolf_Marling
My DVDs: http://unborn-dreams.dvdaf.com/owned
http://www.youtube.com/user/derrickcomedy
Go. Watch. Laugh. Love.
Age: 30
Name: Nic
Height: 6'1ft
Sex: Male
Nationality: Caucasian. Irish, English & German mainly. Scottish and Welsh are kinda abundant as well.
Human
Aspiring Writer & Film Director
Caution: I am awesome.
Some Of My Favorite Film Quotes:
I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore! - Howard Beale in Network
Together we will live forever. - Isabel in The FountainAll these years, all these memories, there was you. You pull me through time. - Tom Verde in The Fountain
You were the one, you were the only one, and you were amazing. - Gia Carangi in Gia
There is an idea of a Patrick Bateman; some kind of abstraction. But there is no real me: only an entity, something illusory. And though I can hide my cold gaze, and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable... I simply am not there. - Patrick Bateman in American Psycho
I'm sweating like a f-cking rapist. - Bateman in London
You're aware you're having a conversation with a decapitated dead, right? - Ben in The SignalThis calls for a radical reassesment of all the facts. - Lewis Denton in The Signal
Julien Jeanvier: You know... there were lots of things I was game for that you never said. Sophie Kowalski: Like? Julien Jeanvier: Eating ants... insulting the unemployed... loving you like crazy. in Jeux D' Enfants (Love Me If You Dare)
Here is the deepest secret nobody knows. Here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows higher than soul can hope or mind can hide. And this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart... I carry your heart, I carry it in my heart. - Dan in Candy
If you have a milkshake, and I have a milkshake, and I have a straw- There it is, that's a straw, you see- my straw reaches across the room, and starts to drink your milkshake, I drink your... milkshake! I drink it up! - Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood
What's the most you've ever lost on a coin toss? - Anton Chigurh in No Country For Old Men
I'm a pimp... and pimps don't commit suicide. - Boxer Santaros in Southland Tales
These days, they want to be criminals more than they want to commit crime. - Mr. Longbaugh in The Way Of The Gun
Laugh and the world laughs with you. Weep and you weep alone. - Oh Dae-su in Oldboy
You're money, baby! - Trent in Swingers
People call me the Bry man; I'm the stylish one of the group. I know what you're asking yourself and the answer is yes. I have a nick name for my penis. It's called the Octagon, but I also nick named my testes - my left one is James Westfall and my right one is Doctor Kenneth Noisewater. You ladies play your cards right you just might get to meet the whole gang. - Brain Fantana in Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burguny
I thought that Mr. Clutter was a very nice gentleman. I thought so right up to the moment that I cut his throat. Perry Smith in Capote
Some Of My Favorite Scenes:
I'm Gonna Die - The Fountain
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVlx6mco7XY
Why Wont You Work For NASA? - Good Will Hunting
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOtVg05JLPc
Bar Scene - Good Will Hunting
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4PiVMasO6s&feature=related
The Dare Of Dares - Jeux D' Enfants(Love Me If You Dare)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yn3shdL0kqM
Those We Don't Speak Of - The Village
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbJpJBKUf4k
Do You Bite Your Thumb At Us, Sir? - William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-IcF82J-eY
Sales Motivation - Glengarry Glen Ross
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-AXTx4PcKI
Group Interview - Boiler Room
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqDtf1aw818
*beep* You - 25th Hour
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Za2k5wA3sk
Once Upon A Time... - Candy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QW_8J2Exxs&feature=related
All These Things That I've Done - Southland Tales
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9v9utOMX4hU
A Dance Of Defiance - Billy Elliot
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2FKPWiYvGs
Corridor Fight - Oldboy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CKxDMOF4EI
The Orange Man - Unbreakable
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-waJsBs0eBQ
Top Ten Of Each Decade:
70's:
1. A Clockwork Orange (1971, Kubrick)
2. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (1975, Forman)
3. Network (1976, Lumet)
4. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974, Hooper)
5. Alien (1979, Scott)
6. Star Wars (1977, Lucas)
7. Lenny (1974, Fosse)
8. Rocky (1976, Avildsen)
9. Jaws (1975, Spielberg)
10. Halloween (1978, Carpenter)
80's:
1. Raging Bull (1980, Scorsese)
2. The Shining (1980, Kubrick
3. Star Wars - Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980, Kershner)
4. The Color Of Money (1986, Scorsese)
5. The Princess Bride (1987, Reiner)
6. Full Metal Jacket (1987, Kubrick)
7. Aliens (1986, Cameron)
8. The King Of Comedy (1983, Scorsese)
9. Akira (1988, Ohtomo)
10. The Goonies (1985, Donner)
90's:
1. Pulp Fiction (1994, Tarantino)
2. Reservoir Dogs (1992, Tarantino)
3. Before Sunset (1995, Linklater)
4. Good Will Hunting (1997, Van Sant)
5. Swingers (1996, Liman)
6. William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet (1996, Luhrmann)
7. Fight Club (1999, Fincher)
8. Clean, Shaven (1995, Kerrigan)
- 9. Gia (1998, Cristofer) (TV) -
10. Leon: The Professional (1994, Besson)
2000's:
1. The Fountain (2006, Aronofsky)
2. Jeux d' enfants/Love Me If You Dare (2003, Samuell)
3. The Departed (2006, Scorsese)
4. Black Swan (2010, Aronofsky)
5. Oldboy (2005, Park)
6. There Will Be Blood (2007, Anderson)
7. Before Sunset (2004, Linklater)
8. The Dark Knight (2008, Nolan)
9. The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford (2007, Dominik)
10. Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy (2004, McKay)
Top 10 Current Favorite TV Shows:
1. The Newsroom
2. Game Of Thrones
3. Veep
4. Community
5. The Walking Dead
6. Happy Endings
7. Shameless
8. Homeland
9. The Office (US)
10. Parks And Recreation
Top 10 Favorite TV Shows All Time:
1. Friends
2. Lost
3. Firefly
4. The Office (US)
5. Arrested Development
6. Community
7. Dollhouse
8. Game Of Thrones
9. Saturday Night Live
10. X-Men: The Animated Series
Favorite Actors:
Jack Nicholson
Brad Pitt
Ryan Gosling
Heath Ledger
Leonardo DiCaprio
Dustin Hoffman
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Robert De Niro
Christian Bale
George Clooney
Ben Foster
Benicio Del Toro
Giovanni Ribisi
Karl Roden
Karl Urban
Sean Penn
Ethan Hawke
Matt Damon
Joaquin Phoenix
Steve Buscemi
Denzel Washington
Daniel Day-Lewis
Casey Affleck
Clive Owen
Will Smith
Guillaume Canet
Jean Reno
Matthew Lillard
Hugh Jackman
Adrien Brody
Anthony Mackie
Sam Rockwell
Barry Pepper
Michael Pena
Vince Vaughn
Will Ferrell
Jim Carrey
Chris Evans
Guy Pearce
Cillian Murphy
Jeremy Davies
Gene Hackman
Bill Murray
Don Cheadle
Jeff Bridges
Kevin Spacey
Chris Cooper
Favorite Actresses:
Angelina Jolie
Natalie Portman
Jodie Foster
Michelle Williams
Kate Winslet
Jennfier Connelly
Christina Ricci
Kelli Garner
Ellen Page
Rachel Weisz
Abbie Cornish
Faye Dunaway
Gwyneth Paltrow
Naomi Watts
Cate Blanchett
Marion Cotillard
Scarlett Johansson
Nicole Kidman
Piper Perabo
Rose Byrne
Evan Rachel Wood
Claire Danes
Carla Gugino
Adrianne Palicki
Laura Linney
Julianne Moore
Toni Collette
Charlotte Gainsbourg
Summer Glau
Keira Knightley
Amy Adams
Olivia Thirlby
Maggie Gyllenhaal
Rachel Leigh Cook
Ashley Judd
Kirsten Dunst
Winona Ryder
Olga Kurylenko
Eliza Dushku
Monica Bellucci
Anne Hathaway
Jessica Chastain
Brie Larson
Emmy Rossum
Lists
An error has ocurred. Please try againOne through five being the nominees with number one being the winner, and six through ten just rounding out the Top Ten.
One through five being the nominees with number one being the winner, and six through ten just rounding out the Top Ten and the Top Twenty after that.
One through five being the nominees with number one being the winner.
Reviews
Barbie (2023)
Barbie or: A Wonderful Romp About Agency and Self-Realization
The surface-level: Barbie is vibrant, fun, and immensely enjoyable. Robbie and Gosling are stellar, and Gerwig's camera has never been in better focus.
What I really want to talk about is the idea of perfection and that flaws are not deterrents; flaws are what make us who we are.
Barbie is perfect. But what is perfection? Beauty? Endless dance parties? A world where everyone gets along? A world without worry? No; those are hollow. Perfection is an illusion. There is no happiness or self-worth in perfection. Perfection is a lie that hides the real joy of life.
Owning who you are, finding joy with yourself, being brave enough to face the conflicts each rising sun brings, and combating the fear that you aren't good enough is where real, true experiences are found.
Barbie is perfect, and she wants to maintain her perfection. But as her journey unfolds, she discovers something better-self-realization.
Ken lacks agency, and Barbie cannot give that to Ken. He must find it himself. Barbie is about empowerment, discovery, and owning the person you are. No one defines you; you define you.
Barbie and Ken's first experience in the real world is an all-too-expected scene. Unfortunately, the likely reaction to it from some will also be expected.
Barbie is an object, something to obtain. Ken is a person, someone to converse with or admire. The difference in experience is drastic, and-sadly-one that will surely be looked over and taken at face value.
The point of the scene is not "it's hard to be a woman." The point is that Ken is oblivious to the difference. He's so wrapped up in his own experience that he can't see Barbie's. He doesn't question why their experiences are different; he doesn't care. He just wants his experience to be enjoyable. He wants his life to be more, even at the expense of others.
Too many will see it as surface level. And too many will refuse to dig deeper. Instead, they'll be content to be outraged or faux-offended. "My life is hard too!" they'll say. And that's the point. Her life is hard, his life is hard, everyone's life is hard. Consideration is all it takes to better both.
Barbie has a lot to say about agency and self-realization, and really, the film is quite meta in the best way.
Student for Pay (2020)
Anchored by Homberg's performance and well balanced direction.
Firstly, I want to start the with the biggest positive of this film, and that is Amy Homberg's performance. Student For Pay is low budget, so it's expected that the lighting will not be professional standards, the sound editing will be choppy, and that the film editing will be lacking. However, Student For Pay overcomes these issues with an engaging story, great dialogue, and a rock solid performance by writer/director/star Amy Homberg. I also want to mention that the opening credits and the title screen play out in a creative and imaginative way.
While the sound editing is spotty at times, be it by abruptly cutting in too loudly, or fading into another song oddly, the selection of music is great and fits the mood of nearly every scenes that the music accompanies. The framing is well selected, for the most part, but there is the odd choice here and there. Still, the structure and arrangement of scenes largely compliments the film and composes the action on screen is a pleasing way. The scenery is gorgeous, and the cinematography is well designed and executed; both big highlights for me.
The dialogue is also another aspect that this film does well. Conversations feel natural and flow well, and are generally well performed by all the actors involved. Homberg structures the interactions in a deft and confident manner.
There's a scene where Rose talks with Sarah, and the message of the film is laid out in their conversation. This scene could've easily come off as overbearing and too obvious, but Homberg handles it with tact and grace, leading the moment to play out as a sweet interaction. A good example of Homberg's ability to create engaging dialogue that adds to the film and keeps the viewer interested.
As a side note, the way that Homberg plays the interaction between Matthew and Rose, frames the altercation outside the car, and subsequently shoots the walk home, leads me to believe that Homberg could direct one hell of a horror film. This section of the film stood out to me and shone as a bright spot. These sequences were well paced, edited smoothly, and composed with care and attention.
The green screen pictures at the end are a bit odd and do not fit particularly well with the structure of the film that precedes them, but they are amusing, so some points for that. The film as a whole is a bit long and could stand to have some scenes tightened up. There are a few scenes that linger for a bit too long after dialogue has ended or are just a little bloated and could've been edited down more. This isn't something that derails the film, and Homberg will certainly nail this down as time goes on.
Overall, I have to say that Student For Pay contains more than enough positives to make it a worthwhile viewing. Homberg delivers a great performance, the cinematography is lovely, the dialogue feels real and lived in, and for a low budget film, the technical aspects add to the mood far more than they distract. Homberg shows some great promise, and I do hope the filmmaker decides to venture into making a horror film, as I believe Homberg could do very well in that genre.
Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (2019)
A walk down memory lane.
Kevin Smith does not make movies for everyone, so naturally, this movie will be divisive, as all the View Askewniverse entries have been. Watching this film is, in a sense, like watching Endgame, or more appropriately the Arrowverses' Crisis on Infinite Earths. Sure, a good time can be had, and it can be enjoyed by those not familiar with this universe, but the true weight and heft of it will be lost. I say more like Crisis than Endgame, because, like Crisis this film knows what it is, it knows what it's universe is, and it knows what it's fans expect. It's a bit campy, and it happily plays into that role. This is what we're here for.
For long time Smith fans this film hits all the right notes. It's a nostalgia filled walk down memory lane. Just about every View Askniverse character makes an appearance, including the best, for my money, characters Kevin ever created, Alyssa Jones and Holden McNeil. Smith has said that the Chasing Amy reunion scene feels like the scene that ties it all together, and it does, and not just the Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, it ties this entire universe together, past and present. It's possibly the most heartfelt scene Smith's ever written, and probably the second best he's ever written and filmed, after the rain scene in Chasing Amy, in my opinion.
Jason Mewes truly outdoes himself here. It's easy to see that this project is a true labor of love for him and Smith. Mewes plays the classic Jay, brash, outspoken, crude, ignorant, and generally offensive, but this go around he also gets to add a layer of depth, and some complexity, not present in the character before. The father/daughter angle to this story is brilliantly written, and Mewes absolutely nails the big moments he's given. I'd go as far as to argue that he's award worthy here.
Speaking of performances, the shining, scene stealing performance here is from Harley Quinn Smith, Kevin Smith's daughter, who plays Jay's daughter. She mirrors Jay, and her mother Justice, to great effect, while being exactly what a good reboot is supposed to be, all the best bits of the original with added flavor and appeal for a new generation. She's a riot and, just as Mewes, completely knocks her big emotional scenes out of the park, and turns in one of the most memorable performances of 2019.
In a way this film is nothing new, or groundbreaking, it's what fans of Kevin Smith, and the View Askniverse, have come to love and expect, and there's nothing wrong with that. It's a film made by a self professed fan, for fans, while being a reboot and sequel of a cult classic universe, within that cult classic universe, and one that adds more than enough to be worthy of it's place in this pantheon.
Smith has written what is clearly the film that is closest to his heart, and I couldn't be happier with the result.
Oh, and Smith gives a very sweet tribute to Stan Lee and a nice nod to Marvel, something he's a notorious fan of, with his own after credits scene, and it's probably the funniest bit he's ever written. Kudos to Smith for the nuance and layers that this one closing line contains, and it's ability to be funny for those not very familiar with this universe, and the perfect closing note to the characters of Jay and Silent Bob for his longtime fans.
Marriage Story (2019)
A remarkable achievement!
It's rare that a film's characters feel so lived in, so authentic, so possible. All their flaws are just that, flaws. We all have them, and most of us in excess. This is a fundamental truth which Marriage Story not only understands but embraces. It's refreshing to venture into a story about such a difficult issue that deals with characters who are likable and unlikable simultaneously. A story that places characters at it's center who are conflicted, yet good people at heart.
Nicole and Charlie hate each other. They also love each other. They get along in a manageable way, neither one wanting to overstep or make the other feel out of place. Their boundaries are clear yet flexible. These two know each other in the most intimate of ways, something that goes beyond love and romance. They know who the other really is, where their true self resides.
Nicole can order a meal or Charlie as if she's ordering for herself, her understanding of who is has become second nature. Charlie will drop what he's doing to fix Nicole's gate, which has been rendered inoperable during a blackout, because he knows it makes her uneasy, it's not even a question of whether he should or not-he knows it's needed. They can do these things for each other even despite being in the middle of a divorce settlement.
There's palpable animosity between them, but there is also a deep connection that has formed over a decade of spending their lives together that isn't easily erased. At times, most times, it seems as though neither of them wants this connection to fade, even if they both want their lives to be separate.
Nicole feels lost, alone, defeated. She doesn't think of herself as an individual any longer. She's become a nomad in her own head, wandering an unfamiliar landscape that should be intricate and weaved with emotional self awareness. Scarlett Johansson breezes through Marriage Story with a tender grace, a loving touch, the soothing nature of a mother, a woman who has the ability to nurture others yet has forgotten, not only who she is, but how to be a person unto herself.
There wasn't a single frame of this film where I felt I was watching Scarlett Johansson playing a character. I was certain I was witnessing some new undiscovered talent named Nicole catching her big break. Her words surge with feeling, her face bares the emotions nakedly and without concern for what others may think. She's captured the essence of a person so fully realized it's difficult to believe she's playing a role of fiction.
Charlie feels confused, distraught, guilty. He's captured by his own life and work to the point of not being able to see when others around him are drowning. He, too, has become a wander in a land that is alien, but one he also knows he's visited before. His and Nicole's lives are worked out, set to a schedule and standard he was comfortable with-one he hadn't considered to be prone to disarray. To him, their each good at different things and these opposite qualities balance not just their lives but their entire worlds.
He's a man uncomfortable with change, someone who had to struggle greatly to achieve the goals he set for himself. Adam Driver is raw and affecting every second he's on screen. When he hurts we feel his pain, when he cries that emotion wells within us the same. There is no doubt we're watching a documentary about this person's life coming undone.
Noah Baumbach allows his lens to linger just as long as is needed to hit us with the punch he's aiming for. He moves in close when his performers are bearing their souls, keeping us near the action so we know it's real. He's talented enough to allow the range of his collaborators to reach their limits, and conscious enough to know when to pull back and move on. His instinctual ability to capture the essence of a character is the mark of an actor's director. His screenplay pops with energy when needed and allows us to feel a deep brooding undercurrent of a forthcoming boiling point.
He's not content to just make a film about two people falling away from each other. No, he's striving for something far more complex. He set his sights on telling a story where the characters don't have to be loved or hated for their points of view to make sense or be felt, and yet he still manages to make us feel both of those emotions throughout the film.
Marriage Story is crafted with the utmost care. The technique of it's creator is working at the highest level of this craft. Baumbach's performers grab us by the face, staring intently into our eyes, and scream at us that this is a story worth telling, worth experiencing, and it's alright to swept up in it. This isn't an easy topic to discuss. Divorces often become messy and those involved lose sight of the fact that the person opposite them was someone they had a real closeness to at one time. Handling a film like this in such a fresh way would be a challenge for anyone to direct, write, or perform, and lucky for us this one was taken on by three supremely capable talents.
10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
Intense and uncomfortable. A must see.
You know that uneasy feeling you get when driving alone at night? Particularly down a street you're not familiar with or through a neighborhood that is foreign to you? Something just feels off. Usually it's all in your head. You're just getting a bit paranoid for no reason. Have you ever felt like someone was watching you? The hair on your arms stands up, the slow churning queasy feeling in the pit of your stomach suddenly becomes apparent, you have to keep looking behind you even though there is never anything there you just have to because what if? Those feelings are 10 Cloverfield Lane.
10 Cloverfield Lane is about the end of the world, or so that is the perception John Goodman's Howard gives us. He has built a doomsday bunker stockpiled with enough supplies to last for years. After Mary Elizabeth Winstead's Michelle is involved in an automobile accident he brings her to his bunker. This is all you need to know plot wise. Do yourself a favor and see this with knowing as little as possible about it.
10 Cloverfield Lane takes it's viewers on an uneasy and wholly uncomfortable journey. It slithers along at a rather brisk pace while getting darker, grimmer, and more unnerving with each passing moment. Every time you think you have it figured out it throws a new seedy wrench into your theory. John Goodman's Howard conspiracy theorist who doesn't seem right in the head. You know the term a few screws loose? This guy never had those screws to begin with. Goodman's remarkable turn as Howard is another excellent proof of his immense talent. He's paranoid, terrifying, likable, and completely unsettling. This is not a man you would ever want to meet.
Mary Elizabeth Winstead follows up her unbelievable all-time level performance in Faults with yet another simply brilliant performance here. With those two along with Smashed and Alex Of Venice she is quickly becoming one of the most versatile young actresses around. She plays Michelle with a fierce tenderness. Two descriptions that should not go hand in hand, but she accomplishes this feat in outstanding fashion. She creates a fully realized person here. At times it is easy to forget she is even playing a character. Her pain, sorrow, fear, conviction are all expressed amazingly and easily believed. She lives in this film and this film breathes life because of her.
John Gallagher Jr. delivers quite the beauty of a performance himself, however I'm not going to speak much on his character. I feel it's better that way.
Dan Trachtenberg has already shown is technical prowess with his Portal short. Here he expands himself to glorious results. There is no doubt he was the right man for this job. He lets his actors grow, and he aptly builds a very intense and very horrifying world around them. He keeps the pace smooth while keeping a frantic feel to it all. The mood he constructs here is an edge of your seat, close your eyes, and don't look down thrill. I am already eagerly anticipating his next work.
2016 has it's first must see of the year. This taut and mysterious thriller manages to keep the tension at an all time high and it's viewers guessing for it's duration. Even despite the obvious alluding it's title lends this film will keep your mind turning. The final 15 minutes are guaranteed to lead to very different feelings, but for me they couldn't have been done better. It is those last moments that truly solidified this as an absolute masterwork. Do not miss this one.
10/10
Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter (2014)
Bizarre, haunting, darkly comedic, and powerful.
Kumiko is a droll and often disengaged work. Taking it's central idea from a media misstep on a true story Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter takes a path of solitude and contemplation. It's not often that a film is so rudimentary in it's storytelling while being so proficient in setting it's world and reeling you into it. Kumiko is anchored by a great performance from Rinko Kikuchi. One that often treads the line of stoicism while being peppered with flashes of perfect comedic timing and emotional unrest. A difficult performance to hold down, and Kikuchi does so, at times, masterfully.
In Kumiko we are shown time and time again how mundane and unfulfilled her life has become. Kumiko needs something. Some sense of purpose. An adventure. She finds this in her belief that she can recover the buried money, or treasure, from the film Fargo. A truly preposterous starting off point for a story and one that could only be from a misunderstood quote from a real life event. Yes, the basis for this film is indeed rooted in reality. Albeit a misconstrued footnote from the tragic life of Takako Konishi.
Director David Zellner leads this film with great aplomb. His pacing is painstakingly slow though it is very much so deliberate. He lulls the viewer into a state of near boredom to drive home the mundane life Kumiko is enduring. His pairing with cinematographer Sean Porter could very well result in a masterwork in the near future. The two of them lens this film to perfection. Every shot is a gorgeous wonder to look at. Kumiko is often center frame on full display for all to see. This is important as she is a nobody in her life, yet here on this journey of her's she is the subject of interest. Their positioning of her here is quite brilliant. The snow riddled landscapes of Minnesota and North Dakota are beautifully majestic as the backdrop of Kumiko's treasure hunt.
Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter is a bizarre, haunting, darkly comedic, and powerful journey of a troubled individual looking to up the ante on the flop out of a poor hand having been dealt by life. Gorgeously shot and brilliantly performed by it's lead this sure to be polarizing film is an experience to behold. It's creeping pace will offset some, but ultimately there is more than enough here to make it's duration worth your while. 8/10.
Spring (2014)
A visual beauty with equally beautiful performances.
Playing with tropes and flirting with genres Spring dances around the edges of it's own definition. Blending elements of mystery, thriller, horror, coming-of-age, and romance Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead weave a fantastical tale of love and the mysteries in life. Giving the viewer just enough to hook us in they slowly reveal a beautiful and oddly charming relationship while keeping a brooding and sinister undertone throughout. Gorgeously shot Spring pops with vibrance showcasing it's alluring location in the sun. When the light dims in the night Spring comes alive. In these darkened morbid hours the central relationship of the story comes through.
Lou Taylor Pucci and Nadia Hilker own the screen with ease. If you were to tell me that they were a real life couple I would believe it. Their chemistry is electric and they play as if they have known each other their whole lives. Spring lives and dies by their relationship and they do not disappoint. Pucci plays Evan with a reserved edge. A man who is suffering, but has no one to confide in. His internal pain is easily felt and aptly conveyed through Pucci's eyes. He embodies the role of a wounded man seeking comfort. Hilker's mysterious and enticing Louise, seemingly, a dream woman. Striking beauty met with excellent wit and high intelligence made all the more enchanting by the mystery that surrounds her. Hilker makes it very easy for the view to quickly fall for Louise just as Pucci's Evan does. Just as much as he wants to experience more of her, we do as well. Louise is likewise intrigued by Evan and his apparent impulsiveness to up and leave his own country on a moments notice. Just as she wants to find out what it is he is seeking, we do as well.
The special effects fit the tone of Spring well. Creative and original while still being a bit of a throwback to classic horror. By being used only sporadically their effectiveness is even stronger. Spring's is edited brilliantly. While flowing along at a rather slow pace Spring never feels as though it wanders or strays. Rather it takes a second to watch the beauty of the story as it unfolds. Benson and Moorhead crafted quite the film in Spring. A mesmerizing and haunting portrait.
9/10
Puncture (2011)
The fomula pays off.
Sometimes the formula pays off. This is one of those times. A true story of two struggling attorneys set out to change the medical world. Gripping until the final moments. Despite being a bit predictable I found myself sitting up right in my recliner for it's duration. At it's core it is a powerful story of greed and corruption. One that should not be missed.
Chris Evans delivers what is his most moving performance to date. He stars as Mike Weiss a high performing drug addict. Despite his flaws I found myself smiling during his drug fueled rants and rooting for him as he fell deeper into his addictions. He lights up the screen every time he's on it and I never once wanted him to be in the background. Thankfully, he is not there often. Being someone who grew up around drugs and that sort of lifestyle I found his representation to be quite accurate of a driven man who just can't kick the habit. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Chris Evans has it.
Everything about this film, from top to bottom, excelled for me. The direction and screenplay are both tight, but make no mistake about it this is the Chris Evans show and he delivers in a major way.
10/10
Beginners (2010)
A sweet journey.
Beginners is a very sweet story about wanting love, finding love then not really knowing what to do once you find it. McGregor stars as Oliver a co-dependent man who's just recently lost his father and his mother not long before him. He spends his days with his best friend Author, his dog, and his art. Through his art he tries to display how he's feeling and how to cope with his loss. Right after his mother's death his father, Plummer as Hal in a joyous and lovely performance, comes out. It seems as though for once Hal is able to enjoy his life to it's fullest extent. Something that Oliver is not familiar with. Hal enjoys them to his last. We see flashbacks to Oliver's childhood one that was mostly spent with his mother. She is an odd woman who likes to stand out. She wants to be noticed and felt and often does so in an unusual manner.
Anna, in a scene stealing portrayal by Laurent, enters into Oliver's life during a party. At once he doesn't know how to react to her but for some reason he is extremely drawn to her. She is odd and out of place. Just as his mother was. Though unlike his mother she does not make herself that way for attention. She simply just is. She is very reminiscent of his mother, but in a way that more suits him. I was at once in love with Laurent's Anna and in love with the chemistry Anna and Oliver share. It is what drives the film and makes you want more of it. Do yourself a favor and have a great time with these characters. A very sweet and moving story.
8.5/10.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
A remake worth watching.
I sat down to write a review about this film and I couldn't. Even as I sit here now, hours later, I still can't. I could write up six paragraphs gushing over the film but that's all it would be. No matter what angle I try to come at the review at all I can think about is just how amazing the film was. I've written plenty of reviews for films I consider masterpieces wherein the only thing I do is praise the film, but for some reason it's not happening. I mean, I just can't. That's how good this film is. It's so good, and I loved it so much, that I can't put it into words. 2011 is the first year where I want to have my number one of the year be a tie. I didn't think anything could touch Drive, but this does. I loved everything about it. When I first watched the Swedish version all I could think after it was over was that David Fincher would've been the perfect man to direct it. Low and behold my wish was granted and did he ever deliver. It's not just him either everyone delivers. From the acting to the screenplay to the editing to the score to the sound mixing to the art direction to the cinematography everything. Just everything is exactly how it should be. The best part though? Rooney Mara. She gives what is my favorite performance of the year. Like it or not this one will be iconic.
10/10
We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)
Experience the journey on your own.
This one is a little more difficult to write about. I don't want to say too much, I don't want to say anything really, because going through the journey with Swinton's Eva is what it's all about. A visceral drama that teeters on being a psychological thriller with the tones of a horror film. Everything about it feels so surreal but at once so honest. It's not an easy experience, but one that should definitely be had. Swinton deserves all of the praise she's gotten so far and so much more. It will be a travesty if the Academy passes on this. It ended almost an hour ago and it's still flooding my mind. One that stays with you for sure. Just watch it, then we'll talk.
9/10
Up in the Air (2009)
One of the best of the year.
Up In The Air My Rating: 10/10.
Up In The Air is a film that celebrates life, the joys it brings and the happiness that can be achieved at the oddest times from the oddest of events. A rare film that evaluates life from different view points and the struggles it brings. George Clooney stars as Ryan Bingham a man, no one with a career, wants to ever meet. His job? He works for a company that hires him out to other companies to fire their employees. No ones dream job except maybe for Ryan Bingham himself. He is on road, so the speak, two hundred and fifty days a year. He enjoys his non-committal life. No strings attached for Mr. Bingham. That is until he encounters a woman, Vera Farmiga, who travels just as much as he and could possibly be the woman of his dreams. He experiences feelings and times with her that he hasn't in quite some time. Along the way he also meets a new employee of his company, Anna Kendrick, who is looking to revolutionize the way his business works.
Anna Kendrick plays Natalie Keener with the elegance of a veteran actress. It is nothing less than a star making performance which steps her out from her Twilight shadow, and shows that she can in fact play the game. Her stern, hard nosed and focused portrayal of Natalie is highlight of the supporting cast. There will be great things in this actresses future provided she makes the right choices.
Vera Farmiga shows through her character, Alex Goran, what a true talent she is as well. She shines in her scenes and has chemistry to die for with Clooney. She is perhaps the most mysterious character of all leaving everything about her to the imagination, and leaving the viewer always wanting more of her. It isn't until the third act that we find out who she truly is and why she lives the same kind of life as Clooney's Bingham.
Which brings us to Ryan Bingham. Clooney's range of emotions and depth is something yet seen in his illustrious career. Make no mistake about it, this is the highlight of his career thus far. His eyes tell the story of a lost man who has no clue how lost he really is. In the end it is his journey we don't want to see end. He is the reason we keep watching and hoping for a running time that never ceases.
Jason Reitman's direction shows his true promise and the maturity he is developing as an artist. He never comes in too close nor does he stray too far back. His lens is always at just the right angle. His visual style is really coming into it's own here. I wait, excitedly, at what his future endeavors hold.
Up In The Air is a film that can not be missed by anyone. A bright star in a wonderful year for film. Everything about it excels with brilliance. The entire supporting cast is spot on and it shows to be one of the best ensembles of the decade. A fitting film in this years Oscar race that deserves every bit of acclaim and all the accolades it is sure to see.
The Cove (2009)
This one goes to eleven.
The Cove (2009, Psihoyos) Rating: 10/10.
Never before has a film shown as much heart and soul as "The Cove". A visceral journey of emotions that transcends the human depth. The most important film of the year, and possibly, of the decade. I have never been as moved as I was during my viewing, nay my experience, that is "The Cove". If there was ever an instance where I would rate a film an eleven this is it. This one goes to eleven. There are so many things to be said and expressed about this film, but only one of them rings true enough to be muttered: See this film now, with everyone you know. Spread it like a plague of truth. The only infection I willingly received. Nothing will change unless you stop it. No review or rating justifies the experience of this film. Do yourself and the world a favor and watch it.