Requiem for a Dream

You figure I would have seen Requiem for a Dream before today, I am a huge fan of Darren Aronofsky's earlier movie Pi, and his later Black Swan and The Wrestler.  Requiem for a Dream is no exception to the brilliant work and does not tarnish Aronofsky's great directorial name.  I have not had the chance to read the novel that the movie is adapted from so my critique is entirely based off the film.

The story is simple: the lives of four individuals are destroyed by drugs.  You see their addictions slowly take over their lives and see their downfalls.  The moral that "drugs are bad" are thrown in your face, it's a moral you've heard multiple times and yet seeing it puts the idea into perspective.

The movie is interesting both in its visual aspects and the story itself.  By the end you come to associate the classical music with suspense and horror, the montages of eyes dilating, heroin cooking, and refrigerators coming to kill people (proving that diets are pure evil). After watching this movie, the romanticized idea of appearing on television no longer appeals to me, then again who spends their day watching nothing but infomercials?

The use of dream sequences and montages is especially interesting in this movie as they are not just visually stunning but also used to get an idea across.  The camera techniques are also quite interesting.  During one dream sequence in which Jared Leto is falling, the camera is tied to a bungee cord and dropped (Imdb  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0180093/trivia?item=tr0777079).

The movie has a bunch of dream sequences, split screen frames, moral questions, and mind bending moments.  Most importantly it will leave you with questions and a pit in your stomach.  Whether or not you use/advocate drugs or oppose them, the movie is interesting and worth a watch.

Starring: Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, Marlon Wayans, Ellen Burstyn, and Christopher McDonald

OVERALL REVIEW: Watch.

The World's End

I know I started off this blog claiming to hate going to the movie theater but every once and awhile a movie comes out that you just HAVE to see.  The World's End is such a movie (in fact it was a movie worth seeing opening night and preordering tickets to).  If the fact that The World's End is the conclusion to the Edgar Wright trilogy is not enough to get you to the theater let the fact that you see Simon Pegg and Nick Frost kick some serious robot/blank ass persuade you.

Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz are movies that I believe most, if not everyone, can agree were fabulously written, directed,  and acted out.  The entire series is also interesting, hilarious, and rewatchable, and I believe rewatchability to be perhaps the most important quality of movies.  The World's End followed suit and didn't disappoint one bit.  

It had everything I had come to love about Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright movies: a hilarious likable cast who developed into just as brilliant characters who you can't help but root for and come to love.  Highlights include: robot fighting with blue blood, excessive drinking, Martin Freeman wearing a blue tooth through the entire movie, Nick Frost finally beating the shit out of Simon Pegg, and of course Pegg himself with black hair.

Gary King (Simon Pegg) is on a mission to seize his past and complete the Golden Mile, a pub crawl of 12 bars that end at The World's end.  The group has before attempted the crawl but was unable to continue.  The group has since went their own way since becoming professional adults, except Gary who is stuck in his past.  Andy (Nick Frost), Oliver (Martin Freeman), Peter (Eddie Marsan), and Steven (Paddy Considine) reluctantly follow Gary even tough it may mean the end of the world.

Although I am upset that the trilogy has come to an end I am glad that it ended as strongly as it started.  Certainly one of the DVDs I'll be adding to my collection when it comes out.

Overall Review: MUST WATCH!

Peep World

What would you do if your sibling wrote all your dirty secrets in a bestselling novel?  Hopefully make a movie version as amazing as Peep World.

I love Peep World, I love everything about Peep World, from the Lewis Black narrations, the cast, the stories, the premise in its entirety, and the title (seriously, say the title a couple times and tell me you don't feel amazing afterward).  I love Peep World because everyone is familiar with the concept of a dysfunctional family, and this movie is that concept personified.

The Meyerwitz family is getting together once again for their father's birthday. What goes on behind the close doors of a seemingly normal family is exposed and the family is up in arms. Nathan's (Ben Schwartz) book written in truth about each family member's personal life, as much as they'd like to deny it.  Jack (Michael C Hall) is the oldest Meyerwitz, whose marriage is on the rocks, job in the gutter, and stress level through the roof.  In order to cope Jack frequents porno booths.  Joel (Rainn Wilson) is the black sheep of the family, no job, borrows money, and in debt, a "loser" by most definitions.  Lastly, Cheri (Sarah Silverman), the only Meyerwitz daughter, and only one who actually likes their father.  Cheri is the most angered by Nathan's book for depicting her as spoiled, slutty, and "bitchy," and is in the process of suing her younger brother.  Nathan has issues himself and a erection dance destroys his book reading.  Henry Meyerwitz, the man of the hour, the father of the feuding children, celebrates his birthday and pisses his entire family off.  The characters are all very different, thrown together by only their last name, and their interactions are worth the wait.

Peep World is both comical and witty but has a serious emotional lesson about love, acceptance, and forgiveness.  If the book were a real book I'd read and enjoy that too.  This movie made me appreciate my own family and our minor dysfunctions, yet if Lewis Black would narrate our fights I'd gladly except all the bull-- that comes along with it.

What I took away: my family isn't so bad (considering), and if my dad treated me like Henry does his children, I'd lose my shit too.

Overall Review: MUST WATCH!

Our Idiot Brother (Spoilers)

Story time: According to MPAA standards you must be 17 to see a Rated R movie, if you look under the age of 25 you must be carded.  I went to see Our Idiot Brother September 18th, 2011 in theaters, I am aware of the exact date because that was my 17th birthday and I was not carded to buy tickets to said movie.  It actually made me quite upset.  Having said that, Our Idiot Brother had the opposite effect.

My last blog was harsh on Paul Rudd but Our Idiot Brother more than makes up for that and reminds me why he is amongst my favorite actors.  Our Idiot Brother is another take on a coming of age story.  Ted (Paul Rudd) gets arrested after selling pot to a cop (on duty).  The story picks up after Ted  finally gets out of prison, for good behavior.  This would be nice if it didn't affect the lives of his three sisters.  Ted is a happy go lucky, honest, carefree hippie.  He loves his family but his naive ways cause many problems for them.  Miranda (Elizabeth Banks) is a workaholic whose best friend is Jeremy (Adam Scott), Ted causes problems between the two when he mentions the idea of romance.  Ted also causes work related problems for Miranda when he refuses to divulge information gained from a woman that would allow Miranda to write an article.  Ted involves himself in the life of his other sister Natalie (Zooey Deschanel) and ruins her relationship with girlfriend, Cindy (Rashida Jones) when he lets out that Natalie is pregnant from an affair.  He also ends his sister Liz's (Emily Mortimer) marriage when he implies an affair is taking place between her husband and his client.

Ted is a likable character (unless you're related to him).  Despite their flaws, his honesty and happiness are inspiring.  The story is also tied up in a nice little bow that shows each character has grown from the experience, and rather than the outcomes being negative, they are positive and insightful.  The movie itself makes the viewer feel touched and happy, wishing they had a Ted in their life.

The endings to Diggers and Our Idiot Brother are one and the same, Paul Rudd rides into the distance, dog companion at his side.  And while both movies hold the same morals, I believe Our Idiot Brother teaches it better.

Overall Review: Watch!

Diggers

One thing I love is low budget films, mostly because if I were making a movie that's how it would be. Another thing I love is Paul Rudd, and how could you not, he is a brilliant actor and almost everything he is in is fabulous.  I wish I could say this about Diggers.

I should love Diggers, it quite literally has 2 things I look for in movies.  Yet what it has in acting and production, it lacks in plot and conflict.  The overall conflict is of course present, a company moves in and takes over the area that locals use to catch clams and make a living, yet is under developed and unable to reach a clear solution (other than beating the crap out of the major company's workers).  The real plot is a coming of age story for the protagonist, Hunt (Paul Rudd) and his pursuit of his real dreams rather than becoming his father, whose death is the catalyst for Hunt's character growth.  We see Hunt as he continuously follows through with the same boring routine, if only looking at life through his camera's eye piece.

Hunt's friends also face character issues.  Lozo (Ken Marino) must find work to support a large family that keeps growing, Jack (Ron Eldard) starts dating Hunt's sister, Gina, which further challenges Hunt, and Cons (Josh Hamilton) is the personification of the 70s (not really a conflict but by far the most interesting character). Nothing is actually solved but as is life.  While I do not completely love this movie, it was watchable, if only to laugh at the New York accents the characters had.  I still love Paul Rudd though.

Overall Rating: Okay, Watchable.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

I thought for my first critique I should pick a movie that I believe to be both under appreciated and truly magnificent, this movie is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

It pulls strings in my heart and mind, it puts a science fiction twist on an otherwise romantic story, and it challenges the audiences' morals.  Mainly, "if you could, would you erase the painful memories of someone you used to love?"  Heart break is a challenging endeavor, one we must all face at one point, but with the help of Lacuna Inc. you are able to erase that person from ever have existing in your life.  Joel and Clementine's (Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet) relationship ends and after finding out that Clementine has had the procedure done and no longer remembers Joel, Joel sets out to do the same.  In the middle of the process however, Joel realizes he still loves her and fights to keep the memories (meanwhile Lacuna Inc. sneaks into his house while he's asleep and throws a party as a machine erases his loved one.. Real Invader of the Body Snatches horror, this is of course not actually terrifying just a funny observation).  The result is a movie of love, loss, and regret.  After having watched this movie multiple times I can honestly say it is amongst my favorites.  Certainly not a movie to watch if you want to laugh, but if it's a rainy day or date night, I say give it a go. (Other Cast includes: Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood, and Kristen Dunst)

Biggest hats off belong to writer, Charlie Kaufman (also responsible for Being John Malkovich which will get it's own blog shortly).  The script is complex and sticks with you a long time after actually viewing, I still find myself in constant debate over whether I would do the same as Clementine and Joel.

The acting in this movie is also superb.  Although there are many Jim Carey roles you may be familiar with, Eternal Sunshine is argumentatively his best.  With rest of the cast is amazing as well and they compliment one another perfectly.


Overall Review: MUST WATCH!

Theaters vs. Netflix

Theaters are the reason why I love Netflix so much.  In the course of the week I could watch a hundred movies on Netflix if I wanted, yet at the theater I'd have to pay over $1000 (the price of one movie ticket in New York City is $13).  Over the summer I had a chance to work in a movie theater, worse decision ever. Although my job provided me with the ability to watch any movie for free, the pay as minuscule, the hours long, and management was... lacking.  I quit after a month and was left with nothing better to do then watch as many movies and TV shows as I possibly could on Netflix. I watched the good ones, the bad ones, even the ugly ones.

I am not a professional critic, nor do I claim to be.  I simply love movies and respect the art of film (and I will seriously watch just about anything).  So with nothing better to do, a bag of popcorn and Netflix at my disposal, I've decided to set out giving honest critiques on films I have watched and will soon watch.
Keep in mind I am completely biased when it comes to directors and  actors yet I will try to overlook these conditions in order to give my best critique.  If you do happen to take my word for it let me know what you think.  Any movie inquiries or recommendations are also welcome.

Sit back, silence all cell phones, and enjoy!