Thursday, October 24, 2013

The Counselor - A Beautiful Ride through a Dark, Dark Place


While I love almost any movie,  it has to be something spectacular to peak My Beloved's Interest.  A few things I learned at the screening for The Counselor:
  • My Beloved  really REALLY likes Cameron Diaz.  God help me if I catch him searching craigslist for yellow convertibles
  • The Drug Cartel is very bad.  DO NOT PISS OFF THE DC
  • Cheetahs can be tamed and kept as pets
  • Michael Fassbender is a very sexy man
 

 A sneak peak of "The Counselor":



My definition of a great movie is one that sticks in your mind for days.  It's the topic of discussion for hours; not only about the movie itself, but about your own life & ways they may seem parallel or shockingly different.  If we use this definition as our measuring stick, then The Counselor is a great movie.  We did talk about it for hours after it ended.  I did think about my own life, my own "moral dilemmas", my own love. The problem is though, no matter how much we talked about, no matter how many times we tried to go from Point A to Point B, we could never get there.  

The Counselor is breathtakingly beautiful.  The opening desert scene drips of leather and wealth beyond your wildest dreams. The homes, the cars, the people, THE STARS - no question.  Spot On.  Over the top opulence.


 

There is GREAT acting - Fassbender is incredibly sexy and very believable.  Brad Pitt, as usual, is perfect in his role.  Penelope is lovable in her innocence and Carmen Diaz is very, very good.  But it is Javier Bardem who steals the spotlight:





As uaual, he knocks it out the park.  I loved his portrayal of  "Reiner"  I love his voice.  He is fantastic.


I also loved the script.  Such poetry:

"Life is being in bed with you - everything else is just waiting."

"If you pursue this road that you have embarked upon, you will eventually come to moral decisions that will take you completely by surprise."

"You're in trouble.  When the axe comes through the door, I'll already be gone"

"You are the world you have created.  When you cease to exist,  this world you have created will also cease to exist."

The music is INCREDIBLE:




As beautiful as all of this is, please be assured. this is a VERY, VERY ugly movie.  The greed and filth which fuels these beautiful lives is paraded around for us all to see.  The violence sneaks up on you, literally.  It is beyond my comprehension and I could not even watch.  As it turns out, neither could My Beloved.  When I asked him if it was horrific, he said "I don't know - I couldn't watch."  

It's a dark ride - this movie.  It's wierd, when I first left the theatre I was not too excited about it.  But the more I thought about it, and asked questions of others who attended the screening, the more it grew on me.  It's worth the $10 ticket - I will say that.  Just pay attention folks.  You must pay attention.  And be prepared to look at yourself in the mirror and think about your own moral dilemmas.  Because you will. I promise you will.












Friday, October 11, 2013

Captain Phillips - A MUST SEE


The true story of Captain Richard Phillips and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years.  

Rated PG-13   - 134 minutes 

 
 I screened Captain Phillips on Wednesday night, and I have been thinking about ever since.  That is the true measure of a great movie.  It sticks with you.  You want to learn more.  Research, research, research.  But whatever you do, wait until AFTER you see the movie to do your own research.  I knew the story, yet was still so riveted that I destroyed at least two theater napkins into tiny little shreds of paper.  I can't imagine watching it through the eyes of someone who has never heard of Captain Phillips.


Because I don't want you to know the story, it's hard to write a review.   Trust me on this.  The less you know the better.  But here is what I will tell you:
 
I am not a scary movie fan, but because of my gig as a movie critic for KQTV, I must see a few. I have seen The Conjuring.  I have seen The Purge.  And nothing in either of those two scary movies compared to the sheer terror you feel when looking into the eyes of the Somali Pirates in this film.
 


 
The self appointed "captain" of the pirates, Muse, is played almost effortlessly by a young man named Barkhad Abdi. (second from left).  I will be very disappointed if he does not get a Best Supporting Actor nod. 

Abdi fled Somalia with his parents when he was 7 years old.  Last year he was working in his brother's mobile phone store in Minneapolis when he heard about a casting call for Somali-American men for this movie. He was chosed out of 700 other men - and he had absolutely no acting experience.   He speaks about a conversation with the film's director, Paul Greengrass, which resonated with him and helped him get into character::
 Greengrass "took me aside and said, 'You know the similarities between you and the real Muse?'"
Abdi said Greengrass' question caught him off guard.
"I'm thinking that this guy (Muse) is a criminal. Why did you compare me to him?,"' Abdi said he asked Greengrass.
The director's message to Abdi was succinct: Muse took a risk in being a pirate and failed. Abdi took a risk in wanting to become a film actor, and if he didn't do it well, he was going to fail too.
The risk the director alludes to is the possible backlash Abdi might experience in his close-knit Somali community in Minneapolis.  Many Somalian-Americans did not support this movie happen,  fearing it would bring criticism to their community.  Abdi said it is this exact reason he wanted to try out for the part.  He felt rather than trust someone else to do a good job, he knew he could trust himself the most.

Paul Greenglass also directed United Flight 93, the plane that crashed on 9/11.  He brings that same intensity to this film.  Tom Hanks tells he met the four Somali actors for the first time on the day they filmed the "ship takeover" scene.  Greenglass made sure of it.  Having Hanks never see these men until they were screaming at him and pointing automatic weapons in his face; well you can imagine.  Hanks himself says he was terrified.

About Hanks - well of course he is fantastic.  He does the job we all expect him to do.  One of the greatest actors of our time.

There is a scene in the movie when Phillips (Hanks) is being told to "breathe".  I could actually hear the other movie goers - my sister and I included - letting out breath.  

This film totally sucks you in and it is a hell of a ride.  One of the best movies I have seen in a long time.  

Oscar Buzz:  

Best Picture
Director - Paul Greengrass
Actor - Tom Hanks
Supporting Actor - Barkhad Abdi

 

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Gravity - An Oscar Front-runner

I am a movie lover, but I have very specific tastes.  I want to either fall in love with the idea of falling in love, or I want to be so touched by a movie that I can't catch my breath.  So this movie wasn't anything I was particularly excited about seeing. 

That being said, Gravity isn't a movie you "see".  It feels more like a ride.  The special effects are out of this world (no pun intended)!  For 90 minutes, you can imagine what it must feel like to be in outer space.  You can imagine yourself if put in that situation - would you be able to keep it together?  Not panic?  The loneliness and fear Ryan Stone (Bullock) must have been feeling - it's hard to comprehend:




I was lucky enough to see this in IMAX 3D before it was released to the public.  The movie goes extremely fast and keeps your heart racing the entire time.   I especailly loved the audio - one minute so loud you could barely stand it and then deathly silence.  Exactly how I imagine space to be.  

I watched the movie through the eyes of a filmmaker and I was completely in awe.  I have no idea how they were able to make everything seem so real.  I left wanting desperately to talk to an astronaut who had seeen the movie to get their take on it.  Thanks to Eric Melin for forwarding a few articles to read - articles that interviewed astronauts who had seen the movie.  And they were impressed.  I am going to say that again:  Actual astronauts were impressed.  That seals the deal.

Sandra Bullock obviously carries the movie with just a touch of Clooney.  You have to be an amazing actor to pull something like this off.

My prediction:  Oscar nominations for Cuaron for Director.   I fully expect Gravity to take home the win in Visual Effects and it is sure to be a front runner for Best Picture.  I am leaning heavily towards Bullock for another Best Actress nod as well.

While it wasn't my favorite story, there is no denying it was a spectacular piece of work.  No doubt about it. I would encourage everyone to go see it.  In IMAX or 3D.