Hector and the Search for Happiness (4/10): Not such a happy experience at all

“How many of us I wonder can recall that childhood moment when we experienced happiness as a state of being”

In Hector and the Search for Happiness, you’re more likely to leave the theater with too sweet of a taste in your mouth than actually happy because the comedy is schmaltzy and generic. The dialogue is corny at times, which I can’t say for sure if it’s the screenplay’s fault or the popular novel it was adapted from written by Francois Lelord because I’m unfamiliar with it. I just felt that most of the characters introduced in the film were stereotypical and only served the purpose of developing the story. The plot is pretty simple and straightforward: Hector (Simon Pegg) is a middle aged psychiatrist who gets tired of his routine life and decides to travel in search for happiness. He leaves his girlfriend, Clara (Rosamund Pike), and tells her he can’t help his patients to be happy if he doesn’t feel happy. This is where his adventures begin as he travels across Asia, Africa, and North America meeting different characters who give him different versions of how to find happiness. The first of course takes place in China where he meets a wealthy businessman named Edward (Stellan Skarsgard) who tells him that happiness can be bought with money. He later searches for happiness in a one night stand with a girl he meets at a nightclub. The film practically takes us around the globe introducing us to new characters who play typical roles (a rich businessman, a monk, a family woman, a drug dealer, a volunteer doctor, and an old flame). Along the way he writes the different approaches these people have towards happiness, and I just found it a bit too simple and corny. The film does move along at an interesting pace thanks to the lead performance from Simon Pegg who is always a delight on screen. He has charisma and a sharp sense of humor, but this time he was held back by the script.   

It is no secret that Simon Pegg has done his best work in Edgar Wright films alongside Nick Frost. Despite being charismatic there isn’t much he can do when given a weak script. The film at times feels offensive in the way they portray some of these foreign characters (especially the scenes in Africa). I also felt the relationship between his character and Rosamund Pike’s a bit uneven. At first Pike is portrayed as the perfectly neat girlfriend who is always helping Hector in keeping his routine. She’s kind of like the cool girl from her Gone Girl speech and does everything that she thinks is expected from her. This somehow isn’t working for Hector because he feels unhappy and that apparent chemistry disappears. Stellan Skarsgard, Jean Reno, Christopher Plummer, and Toni Collette are some of the familiar faces that have supporting roles in this movie, but not much is done with their characters. They are only introduced in Hector’s life as a way to give him a different approach of how one can find happiness in life. Some audiences might find the sweet story approachable, but I just found it way too schmaltzy and false. The comedy didn’t work very well, although i did like some of the animated scenes that were included in the film. There is nothing fresh or original about this film and it takes a similar approach as other recent films like Eat, Pray, Love and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.

My Review: Twelve Monkeys (7/10)

"I am mentally divergent, in that I am escaping certain unnamed realities that plague my life here. When I stop going there, I will be well. Are you also divergent, friend?"

That is the question that the audience has to ask itself during this sci-fi mentally ill time traveling futuristic movie. Is the lead character mentally ill or is he really on a mission traveling through time in order to find a cure to a deadly virus that has wiped off nearly all the population and forced the few survivors to live underground? Director Terry Gilliam has created a memorable sci-fi flick that like all time traveling films has a few in-congruencies but still manages to hold the audience's attention. Gilliam is better known for his work in Monty Python, but he's also directed different types of genre films like The Fisher King (dramedy), Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (adventure), and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (Fantasy). He has a pretty respectable filmography as a director, although I still think he did his best work in the 90's. This film has a strong screenplay, but it will be remembered for the strong performances from Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt. Twelve Monkeys is a dark futuristic film similar in some ways to Blade Runner although it kind of diverges all over the place with so many ideas. This is an inventive film but I don't know how many ideas were taken from Chris Marker's 1962 short film, La jetee, which inspired this movie. The screenplay was adapted by David Webb Peoples (Blade Runner, Unforgiven) and Janet Peoples. His influence from Blade Runner seems to be mixed in the screenplay here as well. This is a very fun sci-fi film although full of really weird moments.

The film takes place sometime in the future after a deadly virus wiped out over 5 billion people and the few survivors were forced to live underground. James Cole (Bruce Willis) is a convict who is sent by a group of scientists to the past in order to gather information about the virus. The scientists want to study the virus so they can create a cure and live in the outside world once again. Cole is mistakenly sent to 1990 instead of 1996 which was the year in which the virus began spreading, and he ends up in a mental hospital after attacking several police officers. At the mental hospital he is treated by Dr. Railly (Madeleine Stowe) and he also meets another patient named Jeffrey Goines (Brad Pitt) who happens to be the son of a famous scientist (Christopher Plummer). Cole at first begins to search desperately for the "Army of the Twelve Monkeys" because they are believed to be the group responsible for spreading the virus, but later he begins to question himself and believe that he might actually be insane himself. This is a puzzle that he will have to piece together with the help of Railly. 

This is the puzzle that Gilliam invites the audience to solve along the way and keeps us guessing as the plot unfolds before our eyes. I'm not a huge fan of futuristic films, but Gilliam's vision here is pretty hypnotic and poetic. Most of the film actually takes place in the past, but there are several elements introduced that keep us guessing what will happen next. There were a few stand out scenes like the one in which Cole and Railly are at a movie theater and begin commenting on how despite having seen the movie before the perception of it changes every time, similar to what is happening with Cole through his time traveling. Does his presence in the past change things in the future? Can he find the virus on time in order to save the people in the future? These are a few questions that the film raises. The more you think about things the more flaws you will find, but that doesn't take away anything from this sci-fi film. I really liked Brad Pitt's performance here for which he received an Academy nomination, although he lost to Kevin Spacey (The Usual Suspects). The film runs a bit long, but it never ceases to entertain.

Rating: 7,1/10

My Review: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (9/10)

¨You will be investigating thieves, misers, bullies. The most detestable collection of people that you will ever meet - my family.¨

The American version of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo has finally arrived and it was as good as I expected it to be considering David Fincher was at the helm of the project. Fincher has made some excellent movies and this one will rank among my favorites along with Seven, Zodiac, The Social Network and Fight Club. I really wasn’t a big fan of having this movie remade since I considered the Swedish version was great, but when I heard Fincher was going to direct it, I didn’t doubt going to see it. I was hooked from the beginning although I expected this movie was probably not going to be as dark as the original. I was surprised this Hollywood production actually went to those dark places the original one did and that the Lisbeth Salander character was played so well by Rooney Mara. The best thing about the Swedish version was Noomi Rapace`s performance as the girl with the dragon tattoo, but in this film Rooney Mara really performs at the same level and reaches that same intensity bringing to life once again one of the most memorable female roles I`ve seen. The movie is not easy to watch, it has some dark and raw scenes, but the story is so well written and Fincher`s direction is just brilliant that it makes the film worth seeing all over again despite haven seen the original films or read the Millennium novels by Larsson. Despite knowing what was going to happen I really enjoyed the performances, the scenery, and the sound editing of this film. It might not be better than the Swedish film, but it does live up to it and perhaps now a broader American audience will actually become familiar with this bestselling novel. I still recommend the three original Swedish versions as well. 

Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) is a journalist who works for Millennium magazine in Sweden and has recently been sued by a business tycoon named Hans-Erik Wennerstrom (Ulf Friberg) for libel against him. The truth is that Blomkvist has been framed and the proof he had against Wennerstrom was false so he loses a lot of money in the lawsuit. It`s during this time that he receives a job proposition from Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer), a former CEO of the Vanger group, who lives in an isolated island along with the rest of the members of the wealthy family. Henrik has hired Mikael because he wants him to investigate what happened to his disappeared niece, Harriet, who he believes has been murdered by someone in his family forty years ago, although police officers haven`t been able to find any clues over the years. The reason Henrik hasn`t given up looking for the killer is that every year on his birthday he receives a portrait with a flower as a gift from different parts of the world that he presumes is from the killer. He says that the killer has to be someone from the family because there was an accident on the bridge the day Harriet disappeared and no one could get in or out of the island on that day so it couldn`t be an outsider. Henrik`s brothers were all Nazi sympathizers during the War and he suspects any of them could be the killer. Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara) is a computer hacker who is pretty good at what she does, but is a very troublesome teenager who has very poor social skills. She dresses like a punk, has several piercings, and a dragon tattoo on her back. She was hired by Henrik to follow Mikael during the trial and make sure he was clean. When Mikael asks for an investigator to help him solve the mystery, they recommend her to him and they begin working together forming an unlikely alliance. They soon discover however that digging up the past could bring them trouble.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo has several good things going for it beginning with the excellent story written by Larson. It has a lot of suspense and thrills, it works better than most mystery films. Zaillian really does a great job with the adaptation of the novel. The second thing it has going for it are excellent characters and good actors playing them. Rooney Mara, Daniel Craig, Christopher Plummer and Stellan Skarsgard are all excellent in this film and they have rich and memorable characters to interpret. Lisbeth Salander has to be one of the best female characters I`ve seen in an action film in a long time. Her side story is a nice compliment to the murder investigation, and in the next two sequels the film shifts its focus mainly back to her. I still think this first novel is better than the next two so I don`t expect the next movies to be as good as this one (at least that’s how they played out in the Swedish films). The cinematography in this film is also great, setting the dark tone of the film. The film has recently been nominated for 5 Oscars including Best Cinematography and a Best Actress nod for Rooney Mara. I think it got snubbed for a Best Picture nomination (it was better than some of the movies nominated). This isn’t a movie for everyone: it is dark, it has some strong scenes (a difficult to watch rape scene), but it is a well made thriller and among the best films of the year.

http://estebueno10.blogspot.com

My Review: Beginners (8/10)

¨Well, let's say that since you were little, you always dreamed of getting a lion. And you wait, and you wait, and you wait, and you wait but the lion doesn't come. And along comes a giraffe. You can be alone, or you can be with the giraffe.¨

Beginners is one of those movies that stands out due to the strong performance from the cast. The actors tell the story, and sometimes a look can say more than actual words. Ewan McGregor has this look in his eyes that constantly reminds us in this film that his character is a very sad and lonesome guy. There is no need for him to tell us, we just know it by the way he acts. From the opening scene you will also notice this isn`t your typical Hollywood romantic movie; it`s different and actually rings true to life. Beginners is a romantic drama with a strong and special chemistry between the two lead roles played by McGregor and Melanie Laurent (from Inglorious Basterds fame). In order for a romantic movie to work it`s a must for the two lead characters to have a strong chemistry between them, and these two have it from the start, from the very first moment they meet. Ironically when they first meet she can`t talk, but they say so much to each other with their eyes. That is true in life sometimes. From that moment I knew this film was going to be good, and it was. Their relationship is the center of the story although the movie is non-linear as we get to see McGregor`s relationship with his now dead mother and father. Those interactions with them shaped him and made him the man he is today. He witnessed how his parents respected one another, but lacked real love for each other. He doesn`t want to make the same mistake.

Oliver (Ewan McGregor) is the narrator of the movie in which he is telling the story of his life. It`s 2003 and his father, Hal (Christopher Plummer) has recently passed away. We get several flashbacks dealing with their relationship together. His mother, Georgia (Mary Page Keller), who he was closer with had died five years ago. After this, Oliver grew closer to his father who opened up to him and let him know he has been gay all his life. Hal really begins living after he comes out of the closet and has a relationship with a much younger man named Andy (Goran Visnjic). Oliver begins to see a version of his father that he never knew. At the same time he realizes his father has terminal cancer and therefore has to take care of him, but in a way they form a stronger bond with each other. Oliver is now on his own, working as a graphic artist who keeps to himself most of the time and spends time with his father`s dog, Arthur, but one day his co-workers invite him to a party and insist on him joining them. There Oliver meets a young French actress named Anna (Melanie Laurent) and despite the fact that she can`t speak at first due to laryngitis they spend the night together and the relationship grows from there. The two seem perfect for each other, neither of them is in a relationship, but Oliver is afraid they won`t last. The movie jumps back and forth from Oliver`s relationship with his father and his present relationship with Anna. We get to see how some things of the past have affected him and shaped him in the present.  

Beginners is not a movie for everyone; some might find it slow-paced, but it is a very smart film with a good script written by Mike Mills himself (this is his first film since the 2005 movie Thumbsucker) and it has some great performances. I already mentioned how strong McGregor and Laurent were together, but who really has been getting all the praise is Christopher Plummer for his supporting role. He plays an openly gay seventy five year old man who is enjoying life after trying to repress his feelings for so many years. Just when his life begins to look good he is diagnosed with cancer and has to deal with this as well without telling his young lover that he`s dying. He gives a terrific performance and will probably get nominated for the Oscars. I however found Laurent`s performance to be the true heart of the film. She is just so natural on screen and was so believable; she was just amazing. McGregor is a terrific actor as well and we`ve grown used to seeing him give strong performances. Beginners is a movie for film lovers, they won`t be disappointed. I recently saw New Year`s Eve and that movie had so many romantic stories going on that none of them really rang true, but this one is really authentic and worth seeing. The characters are really complex and you can tell it just by looking into their eyes. Great film.

http://estebueno10.blogspot.com/