DVD--A Single Man

or: Fashion and cinema combine to make this baby.

One word to sum it up: Beautiful.

You have no idea how much I wanted to see A Single Man. The trailer, though not giving away any of the movie, just looked so beautiful and pretty much like the classic films that I love watching. Then came the praise for Colin Firth's performance, who has been one of my favourite actor's for some time. And the fact that fashion designer Tom Ford was directing it made me interested to watch it. I just love it when a film I have been looking forward to for ages exceeds my really high expectations.

George Falconer (Colin Firth) has lost his partner Jim (Matthew Goode) in a car accident. He feels he must go about another day, and when the day comes to an end, he plans to commit suicide. He meets a student, Kenny (Nicholas Hoult), who may just make his life worth living. Also, his friendship with Charley (Julianne Moore) puts things into persepctive. Is George ready to leave and return to Jim, his great love?

I have to get this out of the way first. If you are homophobic, then this is not the movie for you. If you can't sit down and appreciate cinema as an art form, then this isn't for you. However, when you are someone like me, who has watched many films and loves the beauty cinema can make, then this is definitely for you (that's one more thing: I have the brain of about a 40 year old when I watch movies). This movie is jaw-droppingly beautiful. Tom Ford's direction, true to being a fashion designer, is so intricate and basically uses some amazingly set up scenes to tell the story. In some parts it plays out like a perfume ad, but on a whole it truly captures the 1960's. The art direction and of course, the costumes, are impeccable.

This film would have been nothing without Colin Firth. Here he delivers the performance of a lifetime, which I think was much better than Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart. Firth should have one the Oscar. On that topic, this film should have been nominated for a lot more Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actress for Julianne Moore. I have never seen anyone pull off the role of an aging and troubled drama queen so well.

A Single Man broke my heart and I was crying for a little while after watching it. I don't think I have ever been so amazed by a film's beauty. Tom Ford should really be directing more films. If they are like this one, he could reinvent the influence that fashion has on cinema. A Single Man isn't merely a film, it's what I like to call 'true cinema'.

THE VERDICT: Amazing. Well performed by Firth and Moore, with some fantastic direction from Ford. Trust me, you'll think hard about life after seeing this film.

10/10

The Devil Wears Prada

I got a copy of The Devil Wears Prada for my birthday in 2007, and for months, I couldn't stop watching it. The novelty kinda wore off after a while for some reason, and instead of watching it several times a month I probably watch it maybe once or twice a year. Still, each time I watch it, I enjoy it lots. Mainly because of my undying love for Anne Hathaway.
In New York, there is a fashion magazine named Runway, which is where a million girls dream to work. Andy (Anne Hathaway) is an aspiring unfashionable journalist who gets the job of a lifetime: being the second assistant to the Editor-in-Chief Miranda Priestley (Meryl Streep). She is introduced to a world of fashion and models, never being late for anything and moving mountains for her evil boss. All the while trying to keep her personal life intact.
While this isn't ever gonna go down as the best movie ever made, this is a fabulous scathing portrait of the fashion world. Instead of going into absolute detail into why this works so much like that, I'll just give you some of the quotes that most represent it:

Miranda: 'This... stuff'? Oh. Okay. I see. You think this has nothing to do with you. You go to your closet and you select... I don't know... that lumpy blue sweater, for instance because you're trying to tell the world that you take yourself too seriously to care about what you put on your back. But what you don't know is that that sweater is not just blue, it's not turquoise. It's not lapis. It's actually cerulean. And you're also blithely unaware of the fact that in 2002, Oscar de la Renta did a collection of cerulean gowns. And then I think it was Yves Saint Laurent... wasn't it who showed cerulean military jackets? I think we need a jacket here. And then cerulean quickly showed up in the collections of eight different designers. And then it, uh, filtered down through the department stores and then trickled on down into some tragic Casual Corner where you, no doubt, fished it out of some clearance bin. However, that blue represents millions of dollars and countless jobs and it's sort of comical how you think that you've made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when, in fact, you're wearing the sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room from a pile of stuff.

Miranda: Do you know why I hired you? I always hire the same girl- stylish, slender, of course... worships the magazine. But so often, they turn out to be- I don't know- disappointing and, um... stupid. So you, with that impressive résumé and the big speech about your so-called work ethic- I, um- I thought you would be different. I said to myself, go ahead. Take a chance. Hire the smart, fat girl. I had hope. My God. I live on it. Anyway, you ended up disappointing me more than, um- more than any of the other silly girls.

Andy: I don't think I'm like that. I couldn't do what you did to Nigel, Miranda. I couldn't do something like that.
Miranda: You already did. To Emily.
Andy: That's not what I... no, that was different. I didn't have a choice.
Miranda: No, no, you chose. You chose to get ahead. You want this life. Those choices are necessary.
Andy: But what if this isn't what I want? I mean what if I don't wanna live the way you live?
Miranda: Oh, don't be ridiculous. Andrea. Everybody wants this. Everybody wants to be us.

Emily: One time an assistant left the desk, because she, I don't know, sliced her hand open with a letter opener. Miranda missed Lagerfeld just before he boarded a seventeen hour flight to Australia. She now works at TV Guide.
Andy: Man the desk at all times. Got it.

Nigel: Andy, be serious. You are not trying. You are whining. What is it that you want me to say to you, huh? Do you want me to say, "Poor you. Miranda's picking on you. Poor you. Poor Andy"? Hmm? Wake up, six. She's just doing her job. Don't you know that you are working at the place that published some of the greatest artists of the century? Halston, Lagerfeld, de la Renta. And what they did, what they created was greater than art because you live your life in it. Well, not you, obviously, but some people. You think this is just a magazine, hmm? This is not just a magazine. This is a shining beacon of hope for... oh, I don't know... let's say a young boy growing up in Rhode Island with six brothers pretending to go to soccer practice when he was really going to sewing class and reading Runway under the covers at night with a flashlight. You have no idea how many legends have walked these halls. And what's worse, you don't care. Because this place, where so many people would die to work you only deign to work. And you want to know why she doesn't kiss you on the forehead and give you a gold star on your homework at the end of the day. Wake up, sweetheart.

Got the message? This movie is so wonderfully scripted and makes us believe in this superficial world. Oh, and the film itself has some amazing performances, especially from Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci. With outfits that literally make me die everytime I watch it.

10/10

Crazy Heart

Date: 20/07/10. Just another day at school. With more homework than ever before.

Like The Blind Side, Crazy Heart is made worthwile thanks to an amazing performance from it's Oscar winning lead, in this case Jeff Bridges. Sandra Bullock lifted the drivel of The Blind Side and Jeff Bridges did exactly the same for Crazy Heart. Had Jeff Bridges not been so great in this movie, it would have fallen flat on it's face, literally.

Bad Blake (Jeff Bridges) was once a prized country singer, but has faded into the world oof working so hard for money but never getting very far. He meets a young single mother journalist, Jean Craddock (Maggie Gyllenhaal), who causes Blake to reassess what he wants to do with his life, while also inspiring him to reincarnate his career.

This movie is a hard one to describe. I can see why it is so critically acclaimed, but for the more mainstream audience this is extremely American because of it's country music themes and also is very flat in the way of story. No to say that is a bad thing, because right from the very start I could tell this was mainly an acting showcase for Jeff Bridges and maybe also Maggie Gyllenhaal, who delivers a fantastic Oscar nominated performance.

I admire it for it's beauty and slow pace which makes for quite an easy viewing. Also it's use of music which I guess will make country music fans smile. But, despite my best efforts, I became a little bored with it. Had it not been for Jeff Bridges who was captivating from start to finish, I may have been tempted to turn the movie off.

A perfect Oscar film, with a fantastic performance from Bridges, but unfortunately lacks the magic factor.

6/10

REWATCH: Up in the Air

Check out my original review here.

Up in the Air is quite possibly one of the best films to come out this year in New Zealand, but ultimately the best movie to come out last year. I don't care how great The Hurt Locker was, this should have won Oscar for Best Picture, or at least an Oscar. Upon rewatching it, for the third time in a week, I realised that Up in the Air has a rare quality that has seemed to be lost in the film industry of today: the ability to give people something to relate to.
The movie was released just at the right time, when America was in an economic crisis and people were losing their jobs left right and center. Jason Reitman, the director, obviously saw an opportunity in this, and used real people to tell their stories of being fired in the current economic climate. These people thought they were part of a documentary on the matter, but they saw themselves in a fictional movie starring George Clooney. Some claim to fame, huh?
It's hard to point out what makes Up in the Air so great. I can watch this movie over and over again and still fall in love with it. What I bring it all down to is the amazing performances from the Cloon and the two female leads: rising stars Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick.

Firstly, George Clooney makes Ryan Bingham, who isn't a very pleasurable character, somehow likeable. On the surface, he is a very cold and mean person, which is pretty much a characteristic you need when being in the line of work he is in: firing people for bosses who can't do it themselves. But with the Cloon's charasmatic approacch to the character, he makes this Bingham easy to relate to, and by the end, you will really feel for him (I'm not going to spoil the end for you if you haven't seen it).

Then there is Vera Farmiga, who has been a favourite of mine since her amazing support performance as Madolyn in The Departed. Alex Goran was her break through character, and I really hope that people start noticing what a fantastic actress she really is and GIVE HER AN OSCAR! (okay, I admit Mo'Nique deserved it more, but, you know...) I cannot explain how much I fell in love with Alex throughout the movie. She's just a really beautiful person, but a smartass, which is kinda cool. She was one of the biggest reasons I loved this movie.

Lastly, there is Anna Kendrick. Who? Well, you unfortunately may remember her from the Twilight 'Saga', but you won't even know its the same person. Here she plays Natalie Keener, a young college grad who is set to change the world of coporate downsizing by webcam-firing people. I think that pretty much sums her character up. She's a modern girl who's ready to teach the Cloon a few lessons.

Favourite scenes??

Well, one I will always admire for its, um, pure comedy gold, is when Natalie breaks down because her boyfriend has dumped her. And also the one where they crash the AlphaTech party and Natalie chooses a fantastic nametag: Jennifer Chu.

Favourite quotes??

Alex: "He broke up with you by text message?"

Ryan: "Wow, that's kinda like firing someone over the internet."

This is one of those movies that was far better than it's book, which is actually the story of Ryan Bingham, who still wants his 10million Frequent Flyer miles, but is going on a sort of road trip with his disturbed younger sister Julie. The book was quite popular in its heyday, but once 9/11 happened everyone went off the idea of flying, and this book. Which makes me wonder, what would Ryan Bingham have done about that situation?
I've probably said it, and I'll say it again, Up in the Air is by far one of the best movies of last year, and really should have won an Oscar, at least for it's terrific screenplay. But, in the year of Blue People and Bomb disposal in Iraq, did it ever really have a chance? This is Jason Reitman's best film, yes, even better than Juno, which will clearly stick around for a while.
10/10

Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire

Since Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire was released, I had wanted to see it. I guess it was because reviewers kept saying it was pretty depressing, and strangely, I quite like depressing movies. But on the depress-o-meter, this movie falls behind the likes of Once were Warriors and Revolutionary Road. Keeping in mind that I have not yet seen Requiem for a Dream.

In Harlem, 1987, a sixteen year old girl Precious (Gabourey Sidibe) who is pregnant with her second child by her father, is abused by her mother (Mo'Nique). She just wants to learn how to read, but has been kicked out of her school because of her pregnancy. So she goes to an alternative school, where she meets a caring teacher Ms. Rain (Paula Patton) who wants to make a change in her life, for better or for worse.

Despite it's evident emotional inconsistency, this movie's spirit comes from the amazing performances from Gabourey Sidibe, Mo'Nique (who fully deserved the Oscar; if she hadn't got it then that would have been one of the worst mistakes in history), Paula Patton and a surprise Mariah Carey, who I think looks better without make-up and glittery outfits.

As many people have said, even the toughest cynics will be touched by this story. And I am sure, everyone who watches this will cry at some point, or feel pretty sad for these characters. Aside from the emotional inconsistency, the direction is a little crazy in the beginning...it's like the cameraman is trying to figure out how to zoom and move around the camera, which is unnecessary to the particular shot. Overall, this movie is fantastic and a true Oscar-winning film, though it's unfortunate this film couldn't get more awards in the year of The Hurt Locker, Avatar and other critically acclaimed nominees.

Great performances from a talented cast, a compelling drama.

8/10

Schindler's List

What can I say about Schindler's List? Is it really a film? Because while watching it I couldn't believe my eyes. I was so involved in it and compelled by it. Now I see why they say that this is essential viewing.

In the thick of World War II, a member of the Nazi Party, Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson) hires hundreds of Jews to work for him in his manafacturing business. While doing this, he is saving their lives, but does this at a cost: how long can he prevent them from meeting their demise at a concentration camp?

In one of my classes, I heard someone complaining because this movie was made in Black and White. What I have to say to them is: get over it. There is no way this movie would have been as good if it wasn't filmed in Black and White. I will never forget that breath taking scene where the camera is on Oskar smoking a cigarette in a bar, it was more beautiful than anything I had ever seen before (call me weird, but that was on really good shot).

I really can't say a lot about this movie in the fear that I might say too much, or risking sounding like a film school tryhard. I loved the performances: Liam Neeson was amazing beyond words and should have definitely got the Oscar; Ralph Fiennes surprised me, was rather good looking (besides the muffintop) in Black and White, but I have to say Leonardo DiCaprio deserved the Oscar more that year for What's Eating Gilbert Grape, which he never got; and Ben Kingsley, with hair! What can I say?

Steven Spielberg did an amazing job with this movie, because everything about it really worked. I really can't describe it in any other way but to say: this movie changed my life.

Essential movie...as they all say. One of the best movies I have ever seen.

10/10

The Blind Side (post #200!!)

I just about started crying during the trailer of The Blind Side. What a freak. So I guess you could say that I was looking forward to this movie. You know, because it was the one that Sandra Bullock won an Oscar for (not The Hurt Locker, which was what some of my friends thought). And it looked like one of those heart warming tales which, well, warm your heart.

This is the story of Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron), who in the future would become a famous All American football player, thanks to the help of a caring woman and her family. This caring woman was Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock), who had the heart to take him in because he had no home, and gave him a new life in a private school and in the high society.

I really wanted to like this movie. And, don't get me wrong, I loved it...in parts. To me, it was very much like all of those other heart warming films, but was somewhat lifted by the amazing performance from Sandra Bullock. Trust me, you will forget everything else she has been in when you see her in this movie, which is a good thing because this is a far cry from All About Steve. However, as I said, the movie falls behind her. Maybe, if Quinton Aaron put more effort into his performance, then it could have been better. Maybe if the run-time was cut back at least 20 minutes, then it could have been better. Maybe if it didn't become a football movie then it could have been better.

Americans, I guess, will soak this up, because they love football and actually have a clue about what's going on. They could probably relate to this movie on a whole different level then little old me down here in New Zealand. If anything, I was immensely disappointed by this movie, though I have to give it some brownie points because I did enjoy some parts, my heart was warmed (or was that just the fire in the lounge?? haha!) and I loved Sandra Bullock's performace. So I'll just take this opportunity to say this: Jesse James, you're a major a**hole.

Disappointing, mediocre, but quite enjoyable. The performance of a lifetime for Sandra Bullock.
6/10

Invictus

A film about rugby and political issues in South Africa? *sarcastic tone* Oh count me in. I honestly couldn't think of two subjects that bore me more. But somehow, even though Invictus (2009) is about rugby and political issues in South Africa, I still liked it. I never thought I would see the day.
In his first term as president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman, who I used to think WAS Mandela) thinks of a way to ease the apartheid: set his rugby team out on a mission to win the Rugby World Cup. At first, this seems like an impossible task, but with the determination from player Francois (Matt Damon), the team might just get there.
So yeah, this film was like a Social Studies lesson, and the first half an hour was slow and boring. But it picked up, and for once I was interested in rugby. And to the dismay of many, I actually felt kind of happy about how this story ended. The film is carried by the inspired performances from Freeman and Damon, who really embody their characters in every possible way. Clint Eastwood, again, gets his hands dirty with another fantastic film...he seems to be manafacturing them by the minute these days. Unfortunately, the film is dragged down by the some of the lacklustre and boring scenes throughout, and it will probably be most likely remembered as a rugby film instead of a biopic.
7/10

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

'If ever a movie demanded your full attention...' was what the review read in the TV Guide. I couldn't agree more. Another film I was ashamed to say I had never watched...another film I wished that I had watched sooner. And, I guess, another film which I will be watching again. I really don't know how Charlie Kaufman could have dreamt this up.
Joel Barish (Jim Carrey) is having another depressing day, but he meets a fun-loving girl Clementine (Kate Winslet) on a train. He falls in love with her, but one day she disppears from his life. He finds out that she has had him erased from her memory. Angry, he decides to erase her from his memory too. But can he really forget about her?
Amazingly, this movie stays very realistic and you can actually relate to the people in it. If only Jim Carrey could make more movies like this, or maybe even resurrect his film career. But the real star of this show is probably Kate Winslet, who turns out her best performance in this movie. Who cares about The Reader? She was great in this movie, wacky hair colours and all.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is funny, heart-breaking and totally breathtaking. See it, you won't be disappointed.
10/10

Fight Club

You have no idea how excited I was that Fight Club (1999) would be on television over the weekend. It was just one of those movies that I was ashamed to say I have never seen (I really need to make a list of those). And you know you what? Fight Club was bloody awesome (ha, no pun intended).
An office employee (known as 'The Narrator', played by Edward Norton) meets Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt), a soap salesman, on a plane. The two are brought back together under unusual circumstances, and as they become closer, they decide to open up an organization which vents male agression. The first rule of Fight Club: you don't talk about Fight Club.
This film has all the violence I have ever wanted in a movie. Then it packs another punch with it's powerhouse performances from Edward Norton, Brad Pitt and Helena Bonham Carter. And at the end, there is my favourite music moment in film history...'Where is My Mind?' totally narrates the rest of the scene. David Fincher has joined my ever-growing list of 'geniuses', it's actuallly hard to believe that he ever directed The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
You know what? I'm going to bump the rating of this film up a little.
10/10

La Vie En Rose

I cannot begin to even try to describe how wonderful Marion Cotillard is. I loved her in Public Enemies. I loved her in Nine. But I astronomically LOVED her in La Vie En Rose (2007). Honestly, if you have not seen this film, and/or a great performance, then La Vie En Rose is for you.
La Vie En Rose looks at important parts of the life of French singer Edith Piaf (Marion Cotillard). It follows her story from when she was a young child living in the slums of France, to when she was a fading woman close to her death, with the songs that made her famous packed in between.
This movie is by no means perfect. It excels in the cinematography and set design area, but the script and story is a little lop-sided. While at times it seems boring, there is one thing to get you through--Marion Cotillard. When she is on screen, nothing else matters. She is Edith Piaf...it is exactly like seeing the real thing on screen. Okay, so you may think I am going a little over the top on how great Marion Cotillard is, but you have to see it for yourself. Her performance in this is probably one of the best performances I have ever seen. Thank goodness she won that Oscar.
My advice to you is: please go get this film, it is a revelation. I have nothing more to say but that.
8/10

Babel

Hmmmmm, Babel (2006) was a film which was on television last year but I kind of forgot about it. Then my sister got it on DVD so I stole it. Really, another film with Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett in it? They are like the odd star coupling in Hollywood.
Babel is a multi-plot story, following several different people of different races, bound by one event: an American tourist (Cate Blanchett) being shot in Morocco. This event tears apart these different worlds in tragic, confusing and often strange ways.
Brad Pitt and even Blanchett feel like a minor part compared to the foreign stars of this film. Most notably Rinko Kikuchi, who plays Chieko, a deaf mute Japanese teenager desperate to be loved. She handles the role with such intensity but treats it with the right amount of fragility, making her the stand out of the film. The other stand out performance was from older actress Adriana Barraza who plays Amelia, the nanny for Susan and Richard's (Blanchett and Pitt) children. She crosses the line (literally), and every time Adriana appears on screen you can tell she is over-ridden with guilt. It takes quite a bit to oout perform Pitt and Blanchett, but these two fine actresses did.
Babel is quite a powerful film, and you can tell that it takes a definite look at something that Hollywood rarely looks at: immigration, terrorism and criminality. All in the same film. An interesting, yet flawed film.
7/10

Adam

I only really heard of Adam (2009) when it was released on DVD two weeks ago. Then I heard that Hugh Dancy would be playing a man with Asperger's syndrome. Which would definitely strike a cord with me.
A lonely man in an apartment whose father has just died, Adam (Hugh Dancy), is finding it hard to live day to day life normally. He meets a new neighbour, Beth (Rose Byrne), who wants to help him along in life. But sometimes his Asperger's syndrome problem gets in the way of their relationship, and is arguably hard to stay together.
I've always liked films with mental illness as a major factor, and this was no exception. Asperger's is a truly sad syndrome, but then again, some of the greatest geniuses come out of it. Hugh Dancy does an admirable job as Adam, and it is quite hard to believe that he was Luke Brandon in Confessions of a Shopaholic. He is definitely an actor to watch, especially if he gets more roles along the same lines. Rose Byrne is quite good, and she is also one to watch, but will get more fame on television thanks to her role in Damages. Adam is a wonderful film, and it is beyond me why it was released straight to DVD, because more people deserve to see it.
You can't miss Adam, it is one of the most under-rated films of last year.
8/10

The Aviator

I watched The Aviator (2004) for the first time around two years ago, when I had my infatuation with everything Golden Age of Hollywood. Then I watched it again last year andd fell in love with it, mainly because of the brilliant performance by Leonardo DiCaprio. Everytime I watch this it's like watching a new movie...it's like something has changed, but it hasn't really changed at all. I guess the more mature I get, the more I understand this movie.
The Aviator follows the life of aviator, film director/producer and millionaire Howard Hughes (Leonardo DiCaprio) between the 1920's and 40's. He was a man obsessed with perfection, liked evrything to be clean and was a tad wee deaf. He also knew how to spend his money. Through this period of his life he had turbulent love affairs with Katharine Hepburn (Cate Blanchett) and Ava Gardner (Kate Beckinsale), which ended without marriage. And theen there was the court case of his over spending...
Well, this movie is a masterpiece. I mean, it is directed by Martin Scorsese, so what would you expect? Everything about this movie is perfect, it's like Howard Hughes himself might have made it. The performances by Leo and Cate Blanchett are the real shiners here. They both take their roles and transform them into something of their own, while being true to the people they are playing. This is what you call cinema: mental problems, film-making, flying, everything.
10/10

The Hours

Nicole Kidman. Julianne Moore. Meryl Streep. Come on, these three in the same film? It's gotta be great, right? Yes, well it pretty much is.
The Hours (2002) is based on Virginia Woolf's book 'Mrs. Dalloway', and how it connects three different women in three different periods of time. First there is Clarissa Vaughn (Streep), a modern-day Mrs. Dalloway who is in love with her friend Richard (Ed Harris), who had AIDS. Then there is Laura Brown (Moore), a women living in 1951 Los Angeles with her son and husband. Though she has everything she wants, she is unhappy with her life, and draws many similarities to Mrs. Dalloway herself. And then there is the actual Virginia Woolf (Kidman), who is writing the novel. She is struggling with her life in 1920's countryside London, and also trying to resist the urge to commit suicide.
Basically, a movie with great actresses in it always makes me happy. Hell, this was a near perfect movie. Thanks to the performance. Yes, Streep was great, like always. Julianne Moore was my favourite, because everytime she was on screen was like seeing a revelation happening before your eyes. She handled her role with the right amount of fragility, but then held her own like her character tried so hard to do, but inevitably failed. Nicole Kidman won an Oscar for her performance, which I thought was well deserved, despite what people say. I didn't even think her prosthetic nose was a problem, and I thought it was Virginia Woolf on the screen.
This movie was beautifully constructed, and a true hall-mark in cinema. This is the way films should always be: glimmering with fantastic performances and closing in on matters of the heart.
9/10