Miss You Already (7/10): Girl Power!

“You kind of look like a superhero.”

Catherine Hardwicke may not be a director who has consistently delivered strong work, but I tend to enjoy her more personal and female centered films. Many probably know her for her direction in the first Twilight film, which I actually enjoyed quite a bit despite the critical hate. Red Riding Hood I can agree with everyone was a huge failure, but her debut film, Thirteen, still remains one of her best films to date. I found some similarities between that film and Miss You Already, Hardwicke's latest movie. Although Thirteen centered on two young teenagers, it was basically a movie about female characters. In Miss  You Already the characters are in their late 30’s but the film also centers on a strong female friendship. It is not every day you get to see a film where the two protagonists are females and both the director and the screenplay writer are also women. The film has a voice of its own and despite being melodramatic at times it does feel authentic. It deserves to be seen. 

I know that there will be many comparisons between this film and The Fault in Our Stars because it centers on a character battling with cancer, but this film deals with the subject matter in a much more authentic tone. It is not aimed towards teens by introducing a charismatic character, but it tries to deal with the subject matter in an honest way by showing how cancer affects not only the individual but the family and friends around them. The friendship between Drew Barrymore’s Jess and Toni Collette’s Milly is at center and we get to see how this new struggle alters the course of their own personal family lives. The men playing their husbands (Dominic Cooper and Paddy Considine) are relegated because this is a film centering on female characters, but they each add emotional value to the film. I enjoyed the family dynamics here and was touched by the more emotional moments. I never felt them manipulative because the film has a voice of its own. Hardwicke seems to be in a much more comfortable position when she centers on dramatic stories and stays away from science fiction.

The performances from both Collette and Barrymore are solid and I believe they are the reason why the film works as well as it does. Collette especially gets to shine since she has some of the most difficult and emotional scenes in the movie, but Barrymore knows how to stand her ground and the chemistry between both actresses was solid. Cooper and Considine also get to have their moments although they don’t get much screen time. The cast is great and the film benefits from their charismatic performances. Miss You Already might not be an original or groundbreaking film, but it is a sincere family drama that manages to deliver authentic emotions. 

Dracula Untold (3/10): There is nothing untold about it.

“My father was a great man, a hero, so they say. But sometimes the world doesn't need another hero, sometimes what it needs is a monster.”

If you are going to make a film about the origins of one of Hollywood’s most fearful monsters then you better have a solid script that focuses on the character development of Dracula rather than overstuff the film with special effects and action scenes. Director Gary Shore may have tried to give us an origin story, and he even gave it the title Dracula Untold, but what he really does is deliver another cliched and familiar action film. We really don’t learn anything new about this classic character in the film other than the fact that he was a good fighter and a loving family man who sacrificed himself to protect the people he cared for. I would argue there isn’t much of a unique idea in that premise and that the title untold is a bit deceiving. There just isn’t anything unique or appealing about this character to claim that you are delivering an origin story. The only thing Shore tries to do here is humanize the monster and make him seem engaging. Instead of trying to focus on the character however, Dracula Untold delivers one action scene after another relying on its computer generated special effects. The film might captivate some audiences who are looking for a fun time, but there is nothing memorable or legendary about it. I can imagine a documentarian making a film about Hollywood’s portrayal of Dracula and mentioning all the films that have centered on this monster but leaving this unremarkable film out of the list simply because it is easy to forget and it never seems to be a film about Dracula really. You can add Dracula Untold to the never ending list of tiresome and uninterestingly generic vampire films. The only pleasure I got from Dracula Untold was that it made me feel good about my decision of not having seen I Frankenstein.  

The script for Dracula Untold is probably responsible for the failure of the film because the cast did a pretty decent job. I thought Luke Evans delivered an interesting performance. He has some entertaining action sequences and looks the part as well. Dominic Cooper might not be menacing in this film but he gave a decent performance. Sarah Gadon was beautiful as Dracula’s wife and inspiration. I did’t have an issue with the performances at all, but it was mostly the overload of action scenes that didn’t manage to keep me interested. They seldom do (Hercules might be the only exception this year and it wasn’t a film I was crazy about either). I didn’t care too much for the CGI either so there was really very little this film had to offer me. I was just disengaged with the story and found it overly generic and too familiar. If you are going to give your film the title of Dracula Untold, you might as well give us something original and unique that hasn’t actually been told before. 

My Review: Dead Man Down (5/10)

¨We're not meant to be alone. You know what she said to me? She said that even the most damaged heart can be mended. Even the most damaged heart.¨

Dead Man Down isn`t your typical revenge film; despite using a common plot device, the way the story is told makes it stand out from other familiar revenge plots. This is Niels Arden Oplev`s first english language film, but it is nothing compared to his wonderful Swedish film, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It might not be a fair comparison because that film was adapted from a great Swedish novel so the story was much more engaging than this one. In Dead Man Down, Oplev reunites with Noomi Rapace who gives another solid performance here despite not having such a powerful character. The film slowly builds up until the climatic final 20 minutes combining action with a decent -albeit strange- love story. Dead Man Down could`ve been so much more entertaining, but the pressure from Hollywood producers got to Oplev who had to rush the shooting and the editing. The major problem this film has is really the editing considering there are a lot of pacing issues going on. It takes too much time to build up and certain scenes felt out of place. I still think that the chemistry between Farrell and Rapace as two tortured souls drawn to each other is what makes this movie more bearable. The screenplay was written by J.H. Wyman (from the Fringe TV series and The Mexican). There were several twists here that caught me by surprise, and others which didn`t work too well. The trailer for Dead Man Down made us think we were going to get an action thriller, but in reality it is more of a neo-noir film mixing romance with action. This isn`t a bad movie, I really liked the final 20 minutes, but I felt several things were forced at times which didn`t help the overall pacing of the movie. The less you know about this film going into it, the better.

Plot: Victor (Colin Farrell) is working for a kingpin named Alphonse (Terrence Howard) in New York City. Alphonse has been receiving threats and strange messages so Victor and the rest of the crew have been on the lookout. One of their own appears dead with another message for the kingpin. Surprisingly, Victor is the one responsible for these threats. His family was murdered a couple of years ago when they arrived from Hungary by Alphonse's men. After leaving him for dead, Victor quietly climbed up the ranks and has become Alphonse's right hand man. None of these men actually know anything about his past as he has changed his identity but he is waiting for the perfect moment to have his revenge. In the midst of his revenge plan he meets a troubled neighbor, Beatrice (Noomi Rapace), who he begins going out with. At first they each have a hidden agenda, but they will realize that they may have more things in common than they thought they had.  

I think this film could have had much more potential if Oplev had worked with his European crew, but things are more difficult in Hollywood and the producers usually have the last say (as they did with the trailer which completely marketed this film for a different target audience). Farrell and Rapace had great chemistry together and this isn't your usual romantic action flick. The romance here slowly builds in a rather realistic fashion as they both find a connection through their hurtful and resentful pasts. The action scenes are nothing out of the ordinary, but Farrell has an onscreen persona as an action star. Dominic Cooper has a supporting role and is probably the stand out in that category since so much is centered on Farrell, Rapace, and Howard. Dead Man Down had a decent story somewhere down the line, but the messy editing and weak pacing hurt this movie and makes it feel too fragmented. 

My Review: An Education (7/10)

¨If people die the moment that they graduate, then surely it`s the things we do before hand that count. If you never do anything, you never become anyone.¨

(7/10) An Education is one of the ten nominated movies for best picture in the Oscars this year and it is the last one I got around to watching because I thought it would be the less interesting one. I remember seeing the trailer and thinking: not again, another movie about an underage girl having a relationship with an older man. Well, when I finally got around to seeing An Education I was really surprised at how the story caught my attention and captivated me. The performance from the entire cast was excellent, but Carey Mulligan stands out in the lead role. It will be a difficult task for her to overcome heavy favorites Sandra Bullock and Meryl Streep in the Oscar race for best performance by a leading actress. An Education might end up empty handed in the Oscar race, but that doesn`t mean you shouldn`t get around to seeing this movie. Female Danish director, Lone Sherfig, does a great job directing this film with an almost entirely English cast. Nick Hornby, known mostly for writing novels such as High Fidelity, Fever Pitch, and About a Boy, writes the screenplay for An Education which is based on the memoir from Lynn Barber. Surprisingly the main issue that An Education deals with isn`t the relationship between an older man and a girl; but the conflict between deciding to have a good education or marrying a wealthy man and living a good life. Mulligan`s character is so mature that it makes it difficult for the audience to see her as a little girl.

The story takes place around 1960 in a London suburb. Jenny Mellor (Carey Mulligan from Public Enemies and Pride and Prejudice) is a very talented sixteen year old who is studying really hard in order to be accepted to the prestigious Oxford University. She loves art, speaking French, and playing the cello. Her father, Jack (Alfred Molina from Spider Man 2) pushes her really hard because he wants her to have a better life than him and recognizes that she is extremely gifted and smart. Miss Stubbs (Olivia Williams who I recognized from The Sixth Sense) is her English teacher who also recognizes her talent and encourages her to take the exam in order to be accepted. Graham (Matthew Beard) is a young Jewish boy who is interested in Jenny, but her father disapproves because he has no aspirations in life. Jenny`s life will change dramatically when she meets a much older man named David (Peter Sarsgaard from Boys Don`t Cry and Jarhead). He seems to be a wealthy man who drives a nice car and is always inviting her to cultural events along with his friends Danny (Dominic Cooper from The Duchess) and Helen (Rosamund Pike who played Miranda Frost in the Bond film Die Another Day). Together they have a great time, and Jenny gets to know the world she has been reading in books for so long. She even goes to Paris with David because he is so goo d at winning her parents acceptance. Jack really likes David and everything he has to offer for his daughter and Jenny seems happy living the life she always dreamt about, but not everything is what it seems and money doesn`t grow around in trees. Emma Thompson has a small role as the Headmistress of Jenny`s school and she disapproves of her new relationship. Jenny is at risk of losing her education at Oxford and she doesn`t seem to mind because she finds out life is such more fun living it than actually studying.

I already said that Carey Mulligan was great in this film as the very smart and gifted Jenny, but Rosamund Pike has to get some credit for playing the stupid blonde and contributing in some of the funniest lines of the movie. Peter Sarsgaard is also great as David as he not only wins over Jenny and her parent`s hearts, but the audience`s as well. The performances in the movie are great and the story is very interesting. The dilemma that the film presents between getting a good education or getting married with a wealthy person is also a great debate. It is funny that Emma Thompson played a character that was so in favor of education, when she herself has said in real life that ¨the best education there can be for an actor is to walk up the street and observe human nature.¨ Jenny seemed to be the one using similar lines in this movie to prove her point. She was having the time of her life and learning so many things by attending these high class society events. The scenes between her and the headmistress, or with Miss Stubs are perhaps the best in the movie. Another touching moment was Alfred Molina´s monologue to Jenny while she was locked in her room. I really enjoyed the performances and the story as well.