That Fellow

O Come All Ye Faithful

Film Review: Take This Waltz (Sarah Polley)

Leave a Comment Posted by on June 1, 2012

“You’re always making chicken” cries Michelle William’s character, Margot to her husband played by Seth Rogen. When he seems to resist her, she blurs out crying. Is it the hot weather in Toronto that makes people so sensitive or is there something wrong with Margot who has married him for five years? Whatever it is Margot has found an escape when she meets a charming aspiring artist lives across the street.

This is like the third time where Oscar-nominated actress Michelle Williams plays in a film about crumbling marriage after Brokeback Mountain and Blue Valentine. But why complains when she can get the most out of these characters? Beside it’s always fascinating to watch how she expresses those raw emotions. Directed by Sarah Polley, Williams seems to really enjoy playing Margot who keeps constantly looking for new things that keeps her happy.

Take This Waltz is full of great moments and Williams is greatly supported by her two male opponents, Seth Rogen and Luke Kirby. Maybe some will remember the scene where Margot laughs in the pool and she pees herself followed by an all nude conversation in the shower room. But watch for her reaction when Kirby tells his sexual imagination. Then when both of them ride a spinning attraction (with a background music by The Buggles’ Video Killed The Radio Star) which then ends abruptly to show us the attraction is not so attractive after all.

Even with Margot’s flaws, Williams still able to make her look sympathetic and Polley’s script seems to aim for us to understand her with all the consequences that come after her action. I can’t really make out what that last scene between her and Kirby means at first. But then we see her riding the ride alone by herself with the same song again. She looks awkward at first but the she really enjoys that moment. Whatever that means, either she learns her mistake or not, Take This Waltz is a super film that touches all the sweet and painful possibility in marriage. B+

2012, Film, Review , , , ,

“Shark Night 3D” Is A Cinematic Triumph!

Leave a Comment Posted by on June 1, 2012

Not really.

But here’s how the movie works summed up in four pictures:

1. Get some hot guys and girls. Preferably more than five persons where one dies every ten to fifteen minutes, in this case the film has seven. We know the sharks are the killer, but put the antagonist in disguise so you can reveal your stupid twist later. In this case one is a hottie and the other one is a psycho. Put the expense for the 3D and cut the budget for the wardrobe.

2. First victim cuts the deepest. Don’t kill the first victim. Torture him/her to cause some panic. That way the other survivors won’t think rationally and will do stupid things. And remember, they are in panic therefore they forget to put on more clothes while one of their friends is dying.

3. Sexual seduction. So one by one is dying. Then it’s time for your antagonist to torture the main character aka the hero. Doesn’t matter if it’s a he or she, make them look desirable even in their worst situation. Show a lot of skin. That way the audience won’t notice how this hero escapes. In this case, the hero wakes up after being put to sleep and somehow he has a match in his hands.

4. Die! Die! Die! Blood! Blood! Save the final conclusion in the last five minutes. Doesn’t matter how the hero finds the lover as long as he gets there quietly and appears suddenly. Remember he’s the hero and he survives while the others have died so anything is possible for him. Put some revenge. In the final shot tell the actors to flex more and then make them stare into the distance blankly. The end.

2012, Film, Viewing , ,

“Les Misérables” Trailer

2 Comments Posted by on May 30, 2012

The new trailer for Tom Hooper’s Les Misérables reminds me of the trailer for The Master. Why? Both put the supporting characters in front and center. This time it’s Anne Hathaway as Fantine. Some say this is the role that can bring her to the stage at the Oscar. Looking from the short trailer, we can see how committed she is to the role, from shedding weight and cutting her hair off.

As Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe look good, but we can’t tell anything much since this trailer is all about Anne Hathaway’s performance and singing ability. The trailer features some shots of another supporting characters like Amanda Seyfried and Eddie Redmayne.

The trailer looks pretty gorgeous. From strong period production design to the costumes. I’m betting for this movie to get nominated a lot in technical categories and this trailer seems to support my prediction. The trailer is below and enjoy some shots from the trailer.

Read more of this post

2012, Film, Movie Trailer , , , , , ,

IMDB’s Top 250: Life of Brian

Leave a Comment Posted by on May 30, 2012

Directed by Terry Jones, the Monty Python team this time takes a look at a life of a man who was born on the same day with Jesus and next door to him, Brian Cohen. With his hatred toward the Romans and crush on a girl, he joins a rebellion group. After a series of misconduct, some people mistakenly believe he’s the Messiah. Now he must face the consequences.

While I think Holy Grail is still a funnier film, this one still offers a great amount of laugh. From the scene where all women dressed up as men to stone a man to the scene where Pontius Pilate is being mocked by the crowd. The film was deemed controversial during its initial release and was banned in several countries. The film was accused for blasphemy for its religious satire content. But honestly I don’t see anything wrong in this film. Yes they show a scene of Jesus once and that’s it. Other than that Brian’s life is almost like Jesus’, but just in a worse way.

When it comes to the ending, I thought it would end in a decent way, but it didn’t. It’s a very nice touch how they close the movie and the life of Brian. This is a great effort from them although its jokes rely on biblical references. But then it feels silly to criticize the movie because this film is there to entertain without taking itself too seriously. B

2012, Film, Top 250 , ,

IMDB’s Top 250: Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi

Leave a Comment Posted by on May 29, 2012

Directed by Richard Marquand, this third film in the original Star Wars trilogy is supposed to conclude the father-son conflict between Luke Skywalker and Lord Darth Vader. Running for more than two hours, this film could use some cut and be a lot shorter and effective without the unnecessary dance and music scenes.

If we really deconstruct this movie, there are only several parts that run really long for on and on. The opening is C-3PO and R2-D2 come to rescue Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt. When they get captured, Princess Leia in disguise comes with Chewbacca. When they get captured, Luke comes to the rescue, only to get captured again. Then the aliens play music and dance to celebrate. Next thing we know Luke has a plan to escape in the last minute.

This is an example how this movie feels so dragged. The synopsis tells us that the evil Galactic Empire, with the help of the villainous Darth Vader, is building a second Death Star in order to crush the Rebel Alliance. When in fact the only that matters and interesting is how Luke confronts his father for the last time.

I’ve never seen any good performance in a Star Wars movie and among the original trilogy this is probably the one with the thinnest script and weakest acting. There is a scene between Luke and Leia and the dialogue in that scene feels like coming from a teenager TV show writer. It’s bad and laughable. But of course the highlight is when Luke meets the Emperor and Darth Vader. During the last critical minutes, the audience can finally see what happens between these two and the only thing I’m gonna say is that scene is pretty sad.

Then comes the dull ending. More party, music, and dance as if the film maker wants to thank the audience for sticking this long for years. To be honest, parts for Leia and Han Solo are pretty disposable in this film. They don’t serve anything important except to be involved in over the top and overlong action scenes. It’s unfortunate that the original trilogy ends with a very decent final film. B-

2012, Film, Top 250 , ,

Top 250 Mission

Leave a Comment Posted by on May 29, 2012

Actually I’ve been doing this for quite a while, but I thought to share it and keep it separated from regular viewing or reviewing new films. There is a new page on the menu above where you can see all the films. I have graded all films that I’ve seen and will link it to the reviews if available.

Those films are not permanent, especially the ones on the bottom because they often change on daily basis. But according to the one I have now I only have 91 films left to watch. There are some classic film that are more than two and a half hours long and I will watch them later because one thing that turns me off before watching a movie is lengthy running time. So for the meantime I’ll start with the shorter ones. You can recommend some films from the list that you think I must immediately see, that’d be cool with me.

2012

← Older posts