Normally when I'm really excited for a movie that I know will/want to be awesome, I over hype myself for it. I expect it to be good, so that leaves a lack of surprises. I watch the awesome movie and walk out saying "yea it was good, I knew it would be" and the movie kind of loses its appeal because I already knew what to expect in terms of quality.
With "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo", I already knew what to expect and walked in knowing/hoping it would be awesome to my standards. The second the movie ended and for the next five minutes I kept saying how good the movie was. I loved this movie. I was completely engaged for two hours and forty minutes. Although Trent Reznor's great soundtrack is just ominous tones sound of bleeps, bloops and bass, it helps captures the dark and cold (literally and metaphorically) feel of the movie beautifully.
Naturally the books were better. I think people will like movie adaptations better if they always know that movies can never beat the book. I read (when I say read, I mean listened to the audio books) the unabridged Millennium Trilogy. This time around I actually read a book before seeing the movie, which is always the best way because you get to imagine what the characters look like before the movies tell you. Besides leaving out a couple of things and doing a slight (IMO) acceptable change towards the end of movie, it was pretty true to the books.
Besides the fact that none of the main characters actually sound Swedish, Daniel Craig and (especially) Rooney Mara nails it as Mikael and Lisbeth, respectively. The look and the feel of this film work real well. Fincher's opening credits scene is awesome while the cool cover of Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant" plays. It is somewhat akin to the opening credits of Fight Club but subtly referencing via cool CGI the fucked up world/mind of Lisbeth Salander.
Since it has been a year and halfish since I read the trilogy, the movie was a nice refresher of what happened in the book. The Harriet Vanger story is great and I forgot about how the book/movie concludes with the Wennerström subplot (that wasn't a spoiler, don't worry). That part did definitely feel kind of rushed. If you haven't read the books then it might get a little confusing as to what is going on since they start to speed up things to finish up the movie. I definitely would see this again.
My Dad wants me to see it with him, which will probably be reaalllly awkward. Like the books, this is a not a movie for everyone or to watch with kids or parents. While not as intense as the books, there is a sexually disturbing scene that might not sit well with everyone.
Overall, I am really happy that this movie delivered as I hoped it would. I hate nothing more in movies when you put stock in it and it lets you down. As much as I loved the first book, I thought The Girl Who Played with Fire was a lot better. Since Fincher is doing the trilogy, I will continue to be excited as he continues to add his Fincher-y twist to these adaptations.
Is it too late to review a movie when it has been out for five months? Never! Especially so when Another Earth's DVD release is this Tuesday (11/29). I like how we still call them DVD releases. Yes, DVD media will be around for some time. As far as I'm concerned, it has one foot in the grave next to VHS. Calling it a DVD/Blu-ray release just seems redundant ... but I digress. I promise I am not only going to keep review sci-fi movies revolving around (pun intended) planets and how we react to them with other things going on at the same time. It is just a sheer coincidence I promise! It just seems as of late, I have been enjoying going through a space kick more so than usual.
Perhaps I will show some bias towards this movie in reviewing it. If you know my taste in movies you may know that I am a dork when it comes to good sci-fi movies. You may also know that I am a stupid sap when it comes to (GOOD) romantic films. When you combine the two, you have what I like to call (perhaps others do as well) a sci-fi-rom; Science Fiction Romance. I have been poked and prodded for loving "love in space" movies. And you know what? It's true. My top three of this genre are The Fountain, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Solaris. Also included in no real order are: Science of Sleep, Vanilla Sky, Logan's Run, What Dreams May Come, Forever Young, Midnight in Paris, Never Let Me Go, The Adjustment Bureau, and Meet Joe Black ... just to name a handful off the top of my head.
I have found a new person who can act, write and is a sci-fi dork. I think I am in love. Her name is Brit Marling. After graduating with a degree in economics from Georgetown University, Brit Marling turned down a job with Goldman Sachs for a career as in Artist. Acting for a couple of years turned uneventful when she was type casted as the cute blonde in horror movies. She learned to write and wrote herself into her own scripts. She worked on two movies at the same time. She worked on one in the morning and the other in the afternoon. They both premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this year. They are Sound of My Voice (out next year) and Another Earth.
Today's Feature:
When I was doing my annual NY visit to see my friend Matt, among other friends, we planned to go see Another Earth. It had been out for some time and I had not gotten around to checking it out. So I was excited to see it, especially in New York. We had checked the times for the day before and assumed the same times for the following. Well of course the next day it had left theaters. That sucked. Life goes on. Three months later I decided to watch it on a whim.
Rhoda Williams (Brit Marling), a bright young woman accepted into MIT's astrophysics program, aspires to explore the cosmos. A brilliant composer, John Burroughs (William Mapother – LOST), has just reached the pinnacle of his profession and is about to have a second child with his loving wife. On the eve of the discovery of a duplicate Earth, tragedy strikes and the lives of these strangers become irrevocably intertwined. Estranged from the world and the selves they once knew, the two outsiders begin an unlikely love affair and reawaken to life. But when one is presented with the chance of a lifetime opportunity to travel to the other Earth and embrace an alternative reality, which new life will they choose? -- (C) Fox Searchlight (RT)
Let me start with the bad first. The bad being … umm … there really isn’t anything bad about it. Probably my only complaint about this movie is the camera work. I don’t mind the natural hand cam, no tripod, camera shake. It wasn’t that bad in this movie, but Jesus was the quick zoom-ins (pretty sure that’s not the technical term) distracting and annoying. There were a lot of them. I felt like I was watching an episode of the Office.
The soundtrack was exceptional. I immediately got it after the film ended. It was scored by Fall on Your Sword. It was the perfect sound for this movie. It had the perfect amount of electronic, space-sounding, airy type of music for this film’s score. There is a Scene where John (Mapother) uses a bow to play an old-fashioned handsaw! Apparently this is actually done and I have never heard of that. It is hands down the best on-screen musical performance, that I can recall, I have seen ever in a film. It really is beautiful. Unfortunately that actual piece is not on the soundtrack. It is by Scott Munson and performed by Natalia ‘Saw Lady’ Paruz. I could link you to a sample of it but I would prefer you listen to it in context of the film while watching it. It is truly an amazing piece.
To be honest, going into this movie and a reason why I didn't see it right away was because it kind of looked like a sleeper. Boy was I wrong. A lot of movies can have a lot of pretty flair and have zero substance (COUGH - Tarsem Singh as of late - COUGH). This film nailed it on the head for me. I did not see the ending coming at all and it kind of made me jump out of my seat … and not in a “I’m scared” kind of way. You’ll see.
When Another Earth delivered its final blow, I was putty in this film's hands. It satisfied so many different things that a film of this genre should. Being a low budget film, it pulled off a lot. Soundtrack: check. Cinematography: check. Constantly showing beautiful shots of the moon and Earth 2: Check. Acting: Check. Plot and Story: check ... I could go on.
Rhoda (Marling) is plagued and haunted with what she did to John (Mapother). She looses her nerve when she tries to confront him about what she did. She befriends him to try to make his life a little bit better. She wants it to be for him and is scared when she thinks when it also can be for her. Their relationship feeds off each other so in some way they can better than themselves, somehow feel normal again and so that Rhoda can bear her guilt and shame. By her entering in a chance to go to Earth 2, she can just disappear or perhaps she can make things better in some way.
Some complaints of this movie are that it lacks scientific plausibility in a number of ways. They are right, it does. If you are expecting a General to be explaining to the President about the where, why, when and how a planet appeared, then you are going to miss the entire point of this film. Another Earth is about forgiveness, redemption and second chances.
The science aspect of it all is very much in the background. Throughout the film a scientist, they met while filming, speaks in a narrative about the philosophical implications of Earth 2. An interesting theory is talked about; the broken mirror theory in relation to Earth 2. “If there is any small that variation arises; they look this way, you look that way. Suddenly everything changes and you begin to wonder what else is different. One might say you have an exact mirror image that is suddenly shattered and there is a new reality. Therein lays the opportunity and the mystery. What else? What new? What now?”
It’s fascinating because it asks you a lot of questions that you probably have asked yourself at some point ... I know I have. In the film, Rhoda asks "If you met yourself, what would you say?" Then later on, a narrative expands on that question: “What would we say to ourselves? What would we learn from ourselves? What would we really like to see if we could stand outside ourselves and look at us?”
I was a little disappointed at the time I missed seeing it in New York. I am glad now that I didn't. It was twice as rewarding because I didn't expect it to be this damn good and also because it was an amazing movie that almost fell through the cracks. Mike Cahill, the director and co-writer, perfectly describes this movie as a “minimalist, science fiction, romantic, dramatic thriller”. In its simplest form, Another Earth is a really cool Twilight Zone episode.
A month and a half blows by real quick. It seems I don't have as much time as I thought I did to do a blog. Here I am now, though! It feels like I haven't really done that much in the past month and a half. While putting this post together, I was pleasantly surprised to see that my life isn't as dull as I thought. Thanksgiving is in a couple days. Another Christmas and New Year's are right around the corner. Semester is almost over. One more to go.
Tonight's Features:
I. Things done in a month and a half
II. Movies you should see
III. Melancholia Review - My first attempt at reviewing a movie ... be kind.
I.
As odd as it may seem, this was my first skins game. It was a lot of fun. Doesn't matter who they played. You know how Skins' games go.
Voilà! Haters don't hate but here is the amazing result of my Halloween costume I made mention of in my last post. I had a lot of fun putting this together. I had even a lot more fun struttin' it around Richmond.
This was a lot of (drunk) fun. Did a Virginian wine tour. Considering it was my first, it was a good experience.
Isn't a great photo?! I love this one! I had the CD of images but I have failed to get them into my possession. ... I will soon. Well let me use my words to explain. This is me in the same attire as above but holding William, my Godson in his Ghostbuster onsie (Say what?! You have a Godson?! details below)! It is pretty badass. It will be even more badass when I have the pic. While I'm at it, I'll just toss the pic of us wearing our Thundercats clothing together.
This is also part of the photos I need to get. I'll use some more words. Not sure what my pic selection is like but this will be me at William's christening. This definitely has to be one of the main highlights of my year. I was extremely honored and flattered to be asked to be the Godfather of my friends' son, William. You know how people are always like, oh your kid is a cute baby ... oh they are so cute. It disgusting how true that statement is. You have to see him and you'll understand. He isn't even 1 yet and he's a lady killer. You should also see their daughter. She just kills you. All around they just make some damn good looking children.
Back to Richmond for Scott's sister's birthday. It was a Mad Men 60's double birthday party and it was a damn good time. I'm starting to really like it down there. I was kind of going for a cross between Harry Crane and Paul Kinsey. Please admire the bow tie ... because I tied it myself! That's right! I'm authentic! None of that already tied for you crap!
II.
I'm really loving the movie fall season so far this year. I've seen a lot of great movies in a short amount of time. That doesn't happen that often. Not just like meh movies, but actually good movies. In no real order (RT rating of course): Martha Marcy May Marlene 88%, Moneyball 95%, 50/50 93% (hands down my favorite movie this year with The Beginners 84% in second), Take Shelter 94%, Melancholia 79% and Drive 92%.
As I mentioned earlier, it's crazy to me how time passes so quickly. There about a 5 weeks left in 2011 and there are seven movies I'm looking forward to seeing. That's a lot in a months time. I would like to go into more detail with each one later on but no promises. The first four come out this week so go see one or all of them with the lady/guy/family/friends/etc.
To enlarge each trailer: click once to start it, then click on it again to open in a new window.
The Descendants 90% 11/18/11 Limited Release
People hate on Clooney, not sure why, but I love everything he does. It is getting A LOT of attention and probably will be one of the top movies of the year.
My Week with Marilyn 82% 11/23/11
Ladies quote her like it's their job. The story looks good and filled with a decent amount of good actors (Michelle Williams, Kenneth Branagh, Judi Dench).
A Dangerous Method 83% 11/23/11
I've mentioned before how Michael Fassbender is one of my favorite up-and-coming actors. I mean hell ... he's in two of the seven movies I have listed here. Keira Knightley (being generous) and Viggo Mortensen are the added bonuses to this film.
The Artist 96%!!! 11/25/11
Just read my earlier blog post about my joygasm for this movie!
Shame 86% 12/2/11
I think it was on facebook that I said Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan were both my favorite up-and-coming actors. Umm ... then they star in the same movie together?! SOLD!
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy 97% 12/9/11
I mean it's Gary Oldman for God's sake. It's kind of like when Daniel Day-Lewis finally decides to do a movie; you pay attention to what the hell is going on. I love me some DDL, but he's no Gary Oldman. Seriously, when was the last time he actually starred in a movie?! This is going to be pure magic. Also starring Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, John Hurt, Toby Jones, Mark Strong and Ciarán Hinds. This looks really, really good.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo 12/21/11
I really liked the trilogy. I did NOT like the Swedish movies. David Fincher's version I do like very much. The trailer just blows me away. Very excited for this one.
I just totally hyped the hell out of myself right now by watching all these trailers back to back! I'm so freaking excited for all of these!!
III.
Melancholia is not your typical end of the world film. People are not running around panicked, news reports aren't being aired and entire cities aren't being shown completely destroyed. Instead, it is replaced with an intimate setting of how to come to terms with your impending doom. What else can you do when a planet the size of Neptune is going to slam into Earth? Where can you run and hide? Nowhere.
I'm not familiar with Lars von Trier nor can I say I've ever seen any of his movies. I am definitely interested in seeing more of his films now. The opening scene is beautifully shot with the prelude to Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde" playing in the background and offers as, not all, but most of the eye candy in the film. I love me some good soundtrack in a movie but Wagner's song is the only one played throughout the movie. It is a little redundant but works well I think. It is the kind of movie that doesn't need a soundtrack to help carry it. You are too focused on what you are looking at and what is being said.
Melancholia is about "two sisters who find their already strained relationship challenged as a mysterious new planet (named Melancholia) threatens to collide into the Earth." While it mainly revolves around Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourga and Kiefer Sutherland, there are a ton of great cameos in the first half of the film (Alexander Skarsgård, Charlotte Rampling, Jesper Christensen, John Hurt, Stellan Skarsgård and Udo Kier).
The movie is broken up into two parts between the two sisters; Part I: Justine (Kirsten Dunst) and Part II: Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourga). Kirsten Dunst does a good job but plays as more of an emotion than as an actual character, as she delivers her acting through how she looks and feels visually, as opposed to delivering any real dialogue (Marie Antoinette). In the second half of the movie, she is more of a supporting character, which I felt worked better for her.
In an artsy movie like this there are numerous messages/symbologies throughout the film; many I'm sure I missed. Justine's horse's name is Abraham, which is no doubt a biblical reference to the book of Genesis (God creates/destroys the world) where a nomadic man begs God not to destroy cities but they are anyway because man is evil. Interestingly enough, Justine mentions how the world is evil and that Melancholia deserves to hit the Earth.
Although compared to man's most extreme worst case scenario, the film does a good job of showing how we are caught up in the trivial bullshit in our lives and how a lot of it really does not matter at all; grossly over the top extravagant weddings, materialism, money/wealth, your career is your life and just no matter what you have, you are generally unhappy.
Melancholia has the opposite tone of Tree of Life. Tree of Life played heavily on Genesis' creation. This movie uses Genesis' destruction as a theme. Melancholia isn't like Tree of Life where you walk out of the theater wondering what the eff you just watched. At the same time though, everything isn't spelled out for you, as it shouldn't be. It is not a totally out there movie like Tree of Life was, but it isn't grounded either.
It is one of those movies that leaves you thinking about it and that you need some time for it to sink it. It is definitely thought provoking. This is probably not a movie for everyone but I would recommend it because it is a pretty movie and the film leaves it so that it could be interpreted in many different ways.
It's weird how they are doing this now but this movie may be hard to find in theaters. It can be found On Demand and on iTunes. Which it makes it sound like a bad thing, but for this movie I can assure you it is not.
Where does the time go? It's coming up on three weeks since my last post. School, work and going out to play keeps you busy I suppose. I guess you don't have as much incentive to do blogs when you are tired and/or not getting paid to do it. I really should try to keep up with it though. At the same time, if there is nothing to report or if there isn't a movie I want to praise or bash then I suppose it will be all quiet on the western front. I do have several yays and nays lined up. So stay TUNED!
Like I said, where the hell does the time go? We are three months from 2012. It really does blow my mind all the time. It is quite scary, actually. I always say how it feels like yesterday when I'd come home from elementary school, toss my backpack into the house and book it outside to play. BOOM! Here I am. I guess just live it up the best you can, right? I'm trying...
So here we are in October, and this year feels more exciting than the other ones before it. Fall is here, haunted forests and all those random Maryland events. There are so many fun activities to do. Who gives a shit about the candy. As I get older I love it for something totally different than I did as a kid. Perfect excuse to talk ALL month long about scary movies, scary scores and bad ass costumes. I mean that's what I LOVE about movies. If a movie can capture my emotion then it did its job. The movie score is the icing on the cake. Of all the genres, I feel like it is the hardest to actually get me scared. There are a handful that have, but not a lot.
In a way I feel like Phil from Modern Family. Come Halloween night, I've always wanted to have scary music playing out my window and do something scary at my house. The opportunity just hasn't presented itself yet. It will though, it will. So in celebration of this month. Each day I will feature a scary movie and a song from it's score on Facebook. Not in any real order. I mean come on, people. You have to watch a least a couple scary movies this month.
I suppose you could always talk about scary movies all year round if you really wanted to. We really know what the REAL deal with Halloween is; the costumes. The time for people to dress in almost nothing, get creative or not give a shit. In 2006, I chose the second option.
I was very proud of this one. I reused it again last year. The Braveheart 42 inch long sword sits in the corner of the room now as I type this. You can only use the same BAMF costume so many times. So what do you do? Make another BAMF costume. So that is why I am again choosing the second option. I won't ruin the surprise, but I am quite excited to say the least about my costume this year. It's not something original. People have done it before, but not to the extent I've ever seen anyone do in person. So in about a month you'll see what I am talking about. I'm sure you are just as excited as I am about it.
On with the show!
Yes. Yes. I know. This came out last Friday. I think I am going to start to incorporate actual movie reviews. Only ones worth mentioning of course. Fortunately, I don't have to try to make a disastrous attempt at reviewing a movie. I feel like I'd be terrible at it, but it never hurts to try. I have never done one and I would like to at some point. For now though, my good friend Scott has been so gracious as to let me feature his reviews here at Pass the Popcorn. I wouldn't be surprised if he came along and stole the show, if that's what you want to call this.
If you know me, then you probably know my good friend Scott. Scott came back a year ago after living in Thailand for a year and a half. Besides all the amazing Thailand things you can do over there, he wrote movie reviews for Phuket Gazette, the local English paper. He actually continues to work for them. That must tell you something if they kept him even after he came back here. I'm not gonna sit here and kiss his ass BUT his reviews are pretty good. They are very well written and captures the movie perfectly on paper...so to speak. Unfortunately he really is not good at Xbox. Seriously. We let him play with us nonetheless.
Before I let Scott have at it, I just wanted to say real quick how much I loved this movie. I loved Joseph Gordon-Levitt in 500 Days of Summer. This is hands down his best movie. No question. I loved Drive and I Moneyball was really good. 50/50 though, was a PHENOMINAL movie. One second I'm laughing my ass off, the next I'm just about to lose it. Perfect in my opinion. It really would be a shame if some had no desire to see this movie. I think the Fall season of movies is off to a great start. This is without a doubt my movie of 2011. Take it away, Scott...
Leave it to writer/producer Evan Goldberg (Superbad, Pineapple Express) and actor Seth Rogan (of the same films) to make a movie about cancer that is full of hilarious raunchy comedy and still manages to possess heartfelt sincerity.
50/50 is a rare kind of film. Its themes of comedy and cancer play out much like a sickness does – calming yet anxious, funny yet heartbreaking. It’s an ambivalent experience to watch 50/50 and its steady back-and-forth exchange of these elements; yet it is perfectly paced and expertly filmed.
For anyone who has ever had to battle a life-threatening disease – either alongside a loved one or being diagnosed themselves – there is an honesty to 50/50 that makes it one of the best comedy-dramas of the year.
One gets the feeling that only a person who has actually lived through cancer could pull this off so successfully, which is indeed the case. The film is inspired by the true story of Will Reiser, who wrote the screenplay and is a survivor of the kind of cancer that the main character is diagnosed with. The dialogue between his characters flows effortlessly with the acting talents of Gordon-Levitt and Rogen and is the core of both the film’s wit and emotional punch.
In a scene that perfectly defines the film’s unique appeal, Kyle (Rogen) tells his just-diagnosed friend Adam (Gordon-Levitt) that his 50/50 chances of surviving cancer are actually quite favorable casino odds. He proceeds to name a number of celebrities who have survived cancer, and then unknowingly names one that died from the disease. When Adam calls him out, Kyle tells him to forget he mentioned the name.
Scenes like these drive 50/50 from a potentially awkward state of misplaced humor to an original and moving film for a younger generation. Adam is 27-years-old in the film; an age that treats a diagnosis of cancer like an impossibility at first. His best friend Kyle is more equipped to give advice on how to pick up girls for one-night stands than he is to handle his buddy’s serious illness.
But just as it often does in real life – the illness becomes both the central conflict and the means by which each character will reveal their true nature.
While the film focuses on Adam, it is full of colorful characters – both equipped and ill-equipped – who must confront the grim realities of cancer. Like most mothers of single twenty-somethings, Adam’s mom is so preoccupied with being worried that she forgets to see if there is anything she can actually do to help. His girlfriend (Dallas-Howard) is from the start not quite the right girl for anyone, let alone a guy diagnosed with cancer. His fresh-out-of-school therapist (Kendrick) means well but struggles to grant Adam the honesty he needs to cope with the illness.
Some will go to see the film of sheer curiosity of how a movie about cancer can actually be funny. Indeed, it is an achievement in its own to make a movie about cancer that is full of hilarious moments – and make no mistake; 50/50 has a lot of them.
Despite playing virtually the same character in just about every role, Seth Rogen is one of the few comedic actors who can actually pull off the type of humor needed for this role. His zero-restraint banter and signature deep-gut chuckle help give the film its exceptional tone.
Reiser drives Adam’s story forward with a hodgepodge of interactions with the people affected by his illness; some who alienate him and some who embrace him. The film belongs to the latter, though, as they subtly reveal the reasons people choose to endure a long struggle to overcome disease.
What makes it so entertaining is how unconventional these characters end up being. The two old men who share a chemotherapy treatment room with Adam (played by Matt Frewer and Philip Baker Hall) – smoking pot and giving the enlightened wisdom of old people who are done with formality but not a sense of humor – steal every scene they’re in.
At its worst, 50/50 is the latest Judd Apatow-esque raunchy comedy about life and love in the city. At its best, it is a thoughtful meditation on what it is to be faced with the possibility of dying too young – and how the worst things in life have a way of revealing the best things from the most unlikely places.
