Monday, June 18, 2012

Thoughts on 4 Films

1. The Grey - Things I knew about this movie before I saw it: Liam Neeson punches a wolf. The end. So, I was pleasantly surprised that there was an actual plot and even more surprised that it was incredibly tense and suspenseful. On the surface it's about a group of guys who survived a plane crash only to face a pack of wolves in the icy cold Alaskan terrain. But, it's much deeper than that and can be felt from the very first scene with Ottway (Neeson) uttering the words "I want to see your face, feel your hands in mine, feel you against me...but I know that will never be". This, coming from an actor who dealt with the sudden loss off his wife a few years ago and has drown himself in work ever since, hit me pretty hard. The film became more about dealing with loss, fighting to survive and accepting death rather than the whole "wolf punching" bit and it was quite beautiful and poetic.


2. Coriolanus - If you are a huge fan of Ralph Fiennes and/or a huge fan of Shakespeare then you will probably enjoy this, if you're not I would say skip it. It's an impressive debut for Ralph's first time behind the camera - the modernization of the play works really beautifully and the film is visually exciting. However, I did feel like it was a bit of a vanity piece for Fiennes, overacting through it's entirety. The other actors were considerably dialed back, which, to me, felt awkward. The film could have definitely used more Gerard Butler (sexy man).  The story isn't that interesting (to me anyway),  and far from memorable.  I don't actually remember reading the Shakespeare play but I know that I did at some point.   Overall, I was left feeling a bit disappointed. 



3. Chronicle - Totally awesome superhero origin film. It's everything expected from this genre - clever, original, fun and compelling. I was skeptical of the found footage gimmick, but it is used really well and provides for some awesome shots, especially when the camera is operated via telekinesis. And that shot of the spider!! Wow. So fucking cool. The 3 young actors were also very impressive (Dane Dehaan reminds me of a young Leo - like The Basketball Diaries young). If you like the show Misfits then you will like this (and if you haven't seen the show Misfits stop everything and watch it).



4. Terri - Extremely boring. I am utterly baffled at reviews that call it "funny" because it isn't in the least bit humorous. It's really just another high school outcast tale, offering nothing new to a story that's been told a million times. The only bit of credit I can give it is for casting a realistic "outcast" actor for the part (instead of casting an adorable Michael Cera type actor). He was painfully awkward to watch, which I think was the goal. The film, however, was just painful - specifically the scene with Terri, Chad and the girl. The scene was just over-the-top ridiculous and it lasted FOREVER.

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