Friday, April 27, 2012

Thoughts on 5 Films

1. J. Edgar - It's widely agreed that the makeup is offensive, so I won't even focus on it.  Instead, I will focus on the story, which I felt was incredibly disappointing.  I rarely enjoy biopic films - there are a few exceptions, Milk being one of them.  I was hoping that since Dustin Lance Black was writing the screenplay, I would have another exception.  Unfortunately, the film was very unfocused, confusing and cluttered.  In between all of the history, there is a story of a conflicted man that was never fully developed. As the film came to an end, I realized that the only information that stuck in my head was that J. Edgar was an insecure liar.  I doubt that was the intent (or was it?).  Also, Leo = Fantastic.


 

Don't be Afraid of the Dark - A really shitty horror film.  I kind of new it would be, but I thought since Guillermo del Torro co-wrote it, there would at least be some original content.  It turned out to be a standard horror tale: dysfunctional family moves into a old, haunted mansion and they come to find out the mansion has a dark history.  There were no scares (unless the sound of whispering voices scares you), no interesting dynamic between the characters and very little imagination. 





3. Captain America: The First Avenger - The film starts off promising, but just went nowhere.  It was a perfectly fine superhero film, but it never attempts to push the envelope.  It felt almost like an afterthought as a way to introduce the character.  I was hoping to be swept away by Chris Evans but he bored me to death (still fucking sexy, though).  Hayley Atwell was a misfire, which was not totally her fault - the character was just plain bland and her dialogue was awful.  The only part of the film, where I felt my eyes widen with excitement was the end scene in Times Square.  Even though I saw it coming, it was perfectly executed. 




4. Tyrannosaur - This is one of those rare times when I wish I knew more about the movie, before I started watching it.  I wasn't prepared.  I tend to like films that people would consider "tough to watch", but I admit after the first few minutes, I felt sick.  I paused it, took a few deep breaths, then continued.  I had to do this 2 more times during the movie.  *slight spoilers ahead* Domestic abuse is a sensitive topic for me and honestly, if I knew that was part of the film, I would have avoided it.  As soon as I realized it, I actually yelled out "FUCK!" (Paused the film, took a few deep breaths, continued watching it; I was too invested to stop).  There is a point about 1/2 way through where I knew exactly how the last 20 minutes would play out (I was on point, 100%), which for a film like this isn't necessarily a bad thing.  I tried not to focus on the plot but instead on the relationship between these two lost souls, which was absolutely breathtaking.  The acting was impeccable.  Oscar nominations all around. Oh wait.....nothing? Really?


 
5. A Dangerous Method - I have never been disappointed in a Cronenberg film.  Never, ever.  I've loved everything from The Fly to Eastern Promises and everything in between, especially my favorite Cronenberg film....wait for it....eXistenZ.  And really, to be completely honest, my personal favorite thing Cronenberg has ever done was his brief, but memorable guest spot on Alias as Dr. Brezzel.  Fucking genius.  Anyway, A Dangerous Method is definitely the worst of his films and to say that I was disappointed would be an understatement.  More like horrified.  Never mind the bland performances from otherwise talented guys, Michael Fassbender and Viggo Mortensen as Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud, respectively.  I can't even comprehend Keira Knightley's attempt at Sabina Spielrein.  I read a few reviews of the film (after I watched it), some describe Kiera's performance as "astonishing", while others declared it "embarrassing".  I would say it's so embarrassing that it became quite astonishing.  I would put it right up there with the worst acting performances of all time (squished right between Mark Wahlberg in The Happening and Zooey Deschanel in The Happening).  The film is heavy on the dialogue, heavy on the history of psychoanalysis and mostly heavy on repetitive nonsense. 

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