No Country for Old Men

William was kind enough to accompany me to see this movie. He is a good gory/scary movie companion, because he tells me when I can watch and he holds my hand.

So this movie was good when it finally started to move. I still don't quite understand the set-up, but it kinda doesn't matter. The whole story is about this crazy guy:
Listen, when I say crazy, I mean like real crazy. I don't mean loud, speaking from the devil crazy, and I don't mean stoic dumb monster crazy. This guy is just living in absolutes and likes to shoot things. Now, let's talk about how this guy (left) is actually this guy (right) in real life:












He really looks almost deformed in the movie, like a huge ogre. In real life he is very good looking and is playing Guido in Nine... perhaps the sexiest male character ever written for the stage.

Okay back to the movie. I liked how there isn't too much suspension of disbelief or at least it doesn't seem like it at the time. When someone can be shot at, they are shot at. When someone couldn't possibly have gotten out without being injured, they are injured and that stays with them into the next scene! Who would of thought of that! Anyway, I won't be seeing this movie again, but I'm glad I did.

A to the S grade: A-
Teacher Comments: Coen brothers, nice teamwork as always. What a creative adaptation! This is a great addition to your already fantastic body of work. I can't wait to see what you do next. Hopefully there will be less bone breaking.

ChiTown Fun

I had a fun audition on Saturday at Actor's Equity. It was about 4 degrees outside, but I found parking right in front of the building. The audition went well, and everyone was very nice. So, nothing too much to complain about.

After the audition, I met up with this dude for dinner and a movie. We ate at this kitschy noodles place in Wrigelyville that had pretty decent food, and a bathroom wallpapered in peez dispensers. After buying him a CD for his birthday at Best Buy, and looking through books at Borders, we saw this French flick (review below) at the Landmark Theatre. Everything ended up being sold out that night, but we were early enough to get tickets and good seats.
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Persepolis
This movie was based on a woman's life which she made into some epic comics. She was born in Iran and moved in her teenage years to Germany and France and back and forth from Iran. The style of the movie is beautiful, and the stories are really interesting. I wish it had been fleshed out or edited even more to make the flow of the movie more cohesive.

A to the S grade: B
Teacher Comments: Beautiful animation, and heart-warming stories. It was an excellent rough draft, so let's do some good editing before turning it in as your final.
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After the movie, I droppped Wes off at home to go do an improv show and headed to the South Loop. I met up with a friend and we went grocery shopping, and then to his friend's place. Their place was awesome. We baked some brie, made a cake, and played some guitar hero. I stayed out til 9AM and then went straight to work. Partying like a rock star... or a nerd... dunno which.

Waitress

I have been wanting to see this movie since it came out, but it had one thing I don't do in movies: pregnancy. I hate watching movies were someone is pregnant since it's one of my biggest fears. However, I forged ahead and order it On Demand.

This movie should be every cliché, but it somehow misses all of them. It moves fast, and the style is bold and fun, and Keri Russell is great. I cried in it, and after it. I may or may not have been on my period, and I may or may have not have had a difficult day, but I think the movie was just that good. I will have to re-watch to tell.

A to the S grade: A
Teacher Comments: Great job bringing a cliché story to life again in this fresh new movie. You made me cry... I think.

The Science of Sleep

Gael Garcia Bernal (Motorcycle Diaries) stars as an inventor who had trouble keeping his subconscious out of his everyday reality. The visuals of this movie were interesting:

However, the movie is really boring. Stephane (Bernal) is not likable... besides that fact that he is so good looking... because he is so selfish. You never really want him to "get the girl." The whole movie I found myself wanting the story to get out of the way so we could just watch the visual stuff the director was doing. There was one point at which I thought we were going to switch over into his subconscious totally, and that would have been interesting, but that didn't happen. Ah well. I don't recommend seeing this.

A to the S grade: D
Teacher Comments: The only thing that is keeping you from failing, is your innovative style. Either commit to making the movie all about the visuals, or fill out the characters and work on the plot. I am very disappointed in your work because I think you can do better. See me after class.

Lars and the Real Girl

I was tempted to see this movie, from the get-go. It was hard to tell the style of the movie from the previews, so I knew it would either be 100% great or 100% mediocre. Luckily for me, it was the former.

The acting and story telling are full and rich. It moves fast enough to stay a step ahead of you, but allows enough time to develop the characters. You care for everyone in movie, even Bianca (the life-sized doll).

What's nice about this movie is it allows you to laugh at the situation and not feel bad about it. You are encouraged to laugh with the characters and not at them which makes them even more endearing. It's not a shallow plot, but one with deep family and self-worth issues at its heart. I don't want to give too much away, but the ending is satisfying and the doll isn't just a gimmick for a movie. I would encourage you to see this.

A to the S grade: A
Teacher Comments: You excelled in story telling and creating lovable characters in your movie. The mood of the piece is just right. You can laugh and cry and you never take yourself too seriously. I feel that the movie would have failed without that delicate balance. Great work.

Slightly-Less-Than-New Movies

I Want Someone To Eat Cheese With

I recently saw this movie at the Music Box and Jeff Garlin was there to give it an introduction. On my way to the ladies room he actually stopped me and said hello, and although I sorta started giggling like a sixth grade girl, it was pretty cool. So the movie...

The movie was all shot in Chicago, there were lots of great people in it, and it was pretty funny. Definitely worth seeing if it comes out on video or to movie theatres again. The plot is simple enough: Follow Jeff Garlin (James) around and see him deal with being an overweight actor in Chicago, living at home with his mom. All of the people he meets are fun and quirky, and although some of the jokes are generic the movie is not. Check out the trailer:

A to the S grade: B+
Teacher Comments: You've captured the charm of Chicago, and Chicago theatre. You did a great job creating interesting characters, and specific intereactions between them that gave this movie heart

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

This movie was recommended to me a while back, and I finally caught it on TV. I thought this movie was so clever and funny. Has anyone else seen it? Why haven't we all talked about how great it was?

Val Kilmer and Robert Downey Jr. are perfectly cast. The style is witty and self-mocking. The plot is complex, over-the-top, and tons of fun. It's a detective, action, mystery type genre with cliché yet unique twists throughout.

A to the S grade: A-
Teacher Comments: Congratulations! What a fun little movie you've made. I'm sorry more of your peers didn't support you.

Across the Universe

This movie made me mad. It made me mad because it had all the right elements to make a great epic movie (The Beatles, Julie Taymor, and young new actors with distinct voices and looks) and yet it didn't work. So here is the list of what didn't work:

1.) There was no focus. What was was the story about, whose story was it, and why should we care? Also, the concept was also all over the place in style.
2.) There was no character development. We get snippets of the different main characters for the first ten minutes of the movie cutting into each other and then we are into the movie. So when things happen to all the characters, we don't care. We don't know anything about them. We are still waiting for our introduction.
3.) The cinematography was boring. I expected every shot to be beautiful or interesting. A lot of it was just boring realistic looking medium shots. Why would you do this in a musical? Musicals have an inherited sense of fantasy, which was ignored by the filming of this.
4.) The tone of the piece was confusing. Was it supposed to be funny? Was it kitchy? Was it making a serious point? Who knows.
5.) Julie Taymor reused lots of things she has done before. She used music from Titus, masks from other shows, and that deer image and dog head from Titus too. It was as if someone else made the movie and decided to throw in some Taymor style just for the hell of it.

There were some scenes where fantasy was explored. Those were more successful and could have been even more crazy. It seemed like the purpose of this movie was to somehow fit Beatles' songs into a plot, however awkwardly, just to do it. It wasn't done with purpose or style. The whole thing reminded me of a horrible ripoff of High School Musical meets Moulin Rouge thrown in with some Titus aesthetics. In fact Baz Luhrmann, would have really made this story sing. I think he has a better understanding of pop music and it's purpose.

The main character is an artist. Only once did his art get used in a song sequence. Why didn't they tie into his drawings, and show how the world around him influenced his art which influenced the songs?

This is one of those pieces where you just want to take all the good ideas of it and remake it yourself. Maybe in ten years I will.

A to the S grade: C
Teacher Comments: This was average in every way. The only things that saved this were the actors and the music.

A Late Night 2 for 1

No Reservations (for the girls)

This movie looked about as cliché as they come. I decided to see this movie with a female friend of mine, who ended up going to the wrong theatre. So there I sat at 10:30PM alone watching a chick flick. I quite enjoy seeing movies alone, so it was not so bad.

Once again, stupid movie trailers don't give you any idea about the mood or plot of the movie. The trailer made me think: antics in the kitchen, powder sugar and kisses flying everywhere. The movie is was more sad than anything else. It really focuses on Catherine Zeta-Jones and her niece.

The plot points have all been done before, but the dialogue is fresh, and Catherine Zeta-Jones is also quite simple. Not a bad little movie, with a fairy book ending, and lots of crying to get you there.

A to the S grade: B
Teacher Comments: Slightly above average. Needed some more laughs.

Superbad (for the guys)

Guy movie. Funniest/best parts were when the guys just talked to each other. Too much dramatic irony for me... it makes me anxious. Great acting and pictures of penises.

A to the S grade: B+
Teacher Comments: Interesting characters and relationships. Just not my cup of tea.

Dreamgirls

I watched this movie again tonight. It made me cry - again. I get chills when the girls get their solos, and that ending... anyway, I am going to get the soundtrack. This movie makes you dance and sing and cry. What more do you need?

A to the S grade: A-
Teacher Comments: Excellent story, and passionate singing from everyone. Stronger acting and some better editing could have made this epic.

The Woodsman

Kevin Bacon stars in this dark, shocking, and uncomfortable movie. Kevin Bacon is really creepy in this role and also really good. I was so glad they picked a well-known actor to play this because I needed to keep reminding myself to calm down because it was "just that guy from Footloose." He seriously does a full transformation. One very notable scene is where he is remembering his past. He isn't speaking and they just have a very long take in close-up on his face. It's pretty intense because you can see everything that he is thinking about.

The way the movie is edited, acted and scripted doesn't make this pedophile likable at all. We see his temper, his lust for little girls, and his social/sexual strangeness. However, the fact that it is shot and told from his perspective make the viewer sympathize with him. We want him to change, no matter how impossible it seems. You almost feel bad when the cop checks in on him everyday and berates him. It's odd to find yourself cheering on the pedophile just because he decided not to molest a little girl this time.

Also, I love any story that can tie in a fairy tale, and this one does it beautifully. It's really like a "Little Red Riding Hood" for a modern generation.

So it has good acting, and gives the viewer a new perspective. Rent it sometime.

A to the S grade: A
Teacher Comments: This would be a good movie to study for acting.

Movie Time

Paris, je t'aime

This movie was sweet, pretty, fun, and touching. It was at least 30 minutes too long, and there were definitely some stories that could have been cut (a.k.a. the vampire scene).

A to the S grade: B+
Teacher Comments: Great work, but you need to know when enough is enough.


Me and You and Everyone We Know

Surprisingly a very captivating movie. Lots of interesting quirky characters, some great young actors, and an almost non-existent plot. The ending and beginning were a bit abrupt for my taste and I wish we had more time with everyone.

A to the S grade: B+
Teacher Comments: Fantastic start! Now just expand the the whole thing.

Everything is Illuminated

Let me begin by saying that I did not read the book, but that I bet the book is better.

This movie was beautiful. The visual style reminded me of Big Fish only more realistic.

(Everything is Illuminated)

(Big Fish)

The characters were endearing and complex. The movie starts of in a completely different way from how it ends, yet somehow it all works. Every shot was clearly thought-out and every frame was a beautiful picture. The movie deals with WWII and finding your past in a non-melodramatic way that still has a great impact. It's a little slow, but you almost need the extra time to process everything.

The only thing about this movie that bothered me was how much Elijah Wood's character reminded me of his character from Sin City.


(Everything is Illuminated)

(Sin City)

Yeah... creeeepy.

A to the S grade: A
Teacher Comments: Beautiful work - artful and simple. An original way of telling an old story.

Spiderman 3

I was excited to see this movie. I liked the first one, and the second was pretty good too. This one looked so awesome... evil Spiderman! Get out, too cool. I was so sad to hear people really didn't like it. Even my friend Zach (on the right) who worked on the movie wasn't a huge fan. Regardless, I wanted to see it.

So, I liked it. It was everything you would expect from a Spiderman movie. I can see where people didn't like it, though. The beginning is slow with lots of "character development." Now this stuff would have been great if the script didn't suck, and if the actors (look at 2:20 or so into it) actually wanted to be making a third Spiderman movie.

The ending was a bit lame, and the dancing and singing could have been cut for sure, but overall I got what they were going for with it. Anyway, if you like Spiderman it's worth a home rental one night.

A to the S grade: B-
Teacher Comments: More effort would have made this work better.

Hot Fuzz

I didn't think I would like it, 'cause I thought Shaun of the Dead (see above) was mediocre, but I liked it. A lot. Go see it.

A to the S grade: A
Teacher Comments: Very creative and fun! Keep up the good work.

History Boys

The best moments in reading are when you come across something - a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things - which you had thought special and particular to you. Now here it is, set down by someone else, a person you have never met, someone who is even long dead. And it is as if a hand has come out and taken yours.

-Alan Bennett's The History Boys

I just saw the movie version. I don't know if I liked it all that much. It's a bit of Dead Poet's Society meets Doubt. Anyway, it is a very quotable script none-the-less.

A to the S grade: B
Teacher Comments: Decent work, but please speak more clearly in the future.

An Illusion of a Good Movie...(hehe, i'm clever)

Yeah, so I just watched The Illusionist. Not good.

A to the S grade: C-
Teacher Comments: I expected more from you.

The Prestige

Since I received a comment about The Prestige, I will catch-up on my posting by starting with that movie. I will speak generally about the movie making it safe to read if you haven't seen it.



Let's first start by listing the cast: Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Piper Perabo, Scarlett Johansson, and David Bowie to name a few. This was the magic movie I wanted to see... not the Jessica Biel Illustionist one. Anyway, I just rented The Illunionist and I will report back which is actually the better magic movie.

Director Christopher Nolan of Memento and Batman Begins (great films) adds his crazy non-linear touch to this movie. This lead to my confusion and intense interest in solving the first half of the movie. There are many turns with-in turns, and reveals through time and flashbacks. My advice: Do not get discouraged! Wait out the journal sequences as it all makes sense later on in the movie. I need to watch it at least one more time to appreciate the hints given from the journals.

Although the movie is about magic, it is really about pure passion. Sacrificing your entire life for your passion, to leave a legacy, or to feel loved in your lifetime. Two men struggle to be the best, giving-up their family, lovers, money, and even their own identity. This reminds me of my post about giving up your personality to become great. Only they give-up their entire person to do achieve greatness.

What is so interesting about this movie is it doesn't comment on the fact that these two men have become obsessed with their trade. They both took similar routes to be great, but both men had an entirely different outlook on life and what "greatness" meant. I switched sides constantly during the movie, and was left liking both of the men in the end. It was hard to tell if their lives were actually sad, pathetic ones or if they had truly made the most of their time here on earth. I think by the last scene, I ended up feeling that they hadn't made a mistake sacrificing what they did. (Audience participation: What did you think?)

What is so intriguing about this movie is nothing is ever fully explained, shown, or answered. The audience has the same knowledge or less than the characters for the entire movie, which completely destroys any dramatic irony and replaces it with surprise and intrigue.

The machine at the end is a bit far fetched, but the outcome is a very dark and fitting solution. Anyway, I thought about this movie after it was over for quite some time, and want to watch it again. The acting is pretty good, and cinematography is beautiful (especially the morgue, and the mountain scenes).

So what did you think about it?

A to the S grade: A-
Teacher Comments: Interesting ideas! Next time make sure someone proof reads your work.