My Review: 12 Years a Slave (9/10)

"I will not fall into despair till freedom is opportune!"

Steve McQueen is a brilliant filmmaker who makes movies that are sometimes difficult to watch, but at the same time are powerful and engaging. His characters usually are troubled souls who experience some sort of physical, psychological, or emotional torture. They are slaves of their circumstances, and no character literally captures these elements as well as Ejiofor's Solomon Northup as he is chained and sold into slavery. Some people claim that films about slavery and the Holocaust are overdone and exploitive, but I disagree, if made right they can be powerful and sensitive like was the case with 12 Years a Slave. The same people that make these claims are the ones that don't mind going to see five or six superhero or vampire films a year. There are good superhero movies and terrible ones, and it's the same thing with films dealing with these dark historic moments. This film isn't just a movie about slavery, it's a movie focusing on Solomon's story, it's a character study focused on an exceptional man who is determined not to lose hope or fall into despair. I'd even go as far as saying that more than a film about slavery, this is a dramatic and thrilling movie about the lack of human compassion. There are several villains in this film and they aren't only the slave masters, we see several scenes were even slaves turned their backs on each other, and that lack of compassion is what truly captured the essence of this film.

This beautiful screenplay adapted by John Ridley from Solomon Northup's autobiographical book, Twelve Years a Slave, tells the story of Solomon (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free man and New York citizen who was kidnapped, sold into slavery, and forced to work in several New Orleans plantations during the mid 1800's. This is where Solomon's fight for survival begins as he is determined to regain his freedom and return to his wife, Anne (Kelsey Scott) and two children. Once Solomon is sent to New Orleans he is sold by Freeman (Paul Giamatti) to a wealthy slave owner named Ford (Benedict Cumberbatch). Ford is a kind Christian, but ultimately he really wants to look out for himself and when Solomon has trouble with one of the overseers, Tibeats (Paul Dano), he sells him to a ruthless slave owner named Epps (Michael Fassbender). This is where Solomon's soul is really put to the test as Epps cruelty is unbearable. However, Patsey (Lupita Nyong'o) suffers the most from her Master's cruelty as she is raped and despised by Epp's Mistress (Sarah Paulson). We follow Solomon through these tormented 12 years as he experiences all sorts of horrors until he finally finds a compassionate heart.

This superb film benefits from a powerful lead performance from Chiwetel Ejiofor who deserves all the awards he's been receiving. His facial expressions and agony transcend the screen and break our hearts. The same could be said from the supporting performances from Paul Dano, Benedict Cumberbatch (who plays the more complex character and probably the only one that isn't either white or black morally), and Michael Fassbender who is the personification of cruelty. Fassbender, who was also brilliant in McQueen's two previous films, plays one of the most despicable characters in recent film history. McQueen's direction is outstanding and several of his scenes were beautifully shot while at the same time very disturbing. His trademark long takes stand out in this film. The whipping scene is horrifying and the long shot where he is tortured and left hanging while we see everyone else going on with their normal lives is a testament of the central theme of this film which had to do with the lack of human compassion and mercy. This is one of the best films of the year and completely deserves all the hype it's been receiving.

My Review: Prisoners (8/10)

"Pray for the best, but prepare for the worst."

Prisoners is a dark thriller that will have you at the edge of your seat during almost the entirety of the film. It was a very intense experience. It is hard not to compare this film to Mystic River or Gone Baby Gone because those two movies set the landmark for modern thrillers dealing with abduction. Prisoners almost lives up to the standards that those two films set. Canadian director, Denis Villeneuve, follows up his Oscar nominated film, Incendies, with this intense thriller that manages to capture the audiences attention once again. Incendies was one of my favorite films of 2011, and despite Prisoners not living up to the perfection that film achieved, I still thought this film was highly entertaining and satisfying. There were a few minor plot points that didn't work for me, but that didn't take anything away from this great film. It is a more mainstream film, but it manages to follow a similar approach as Fincher reminding us of Se7en or Zodiac thanks to its dark and haunting atmosphere. I am a huge fan of this genre and really had a fun time trying to solve the mystery through the small clues that Villeneuve masterfully presented in the story. Prisoners was without a doubt one of the most gripping and intense experiences I had all year. Unfortunately it is a little too intense and at times I felt the film could have used some moments to release such tension. Anyways Prisoners is a highly recommended film and a must-see. 

Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) is a family man who is always prepared for the worst. He is a survivalist with a basement full of provisions and is teaching his older son, Ralph (Dylan Minnette), how to hunt. He's married to Grace (Maria Bello) and they have a daughter named Anna (Erin Gerasimovich). One afternoon, Keller's worst nightmare comes true while they are hanging out with their friendly neighbors the Birches. Franklin (Terrence Howard) and Nancy Birch (Viola Davis) have two kids about the same age as Ralph and Grace, Eliza (Zoe Borde) and Joy (Kyla Drew Simmons). While the two families are having a lovely time together, Joy and Anna decide to go back to Anna's house, but when the Dover's come back home they are horrified to discover that the kids never made it back. Ralph remembers that they were playing next to a strange RV that was parked up front which is now gone. Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) is appointed as the lead investigator in the case and the first thing he does is locate the RV. The driver is a disturbed young man named Alex Jones (Paul Dano) who has the IQ of a 10 year old and with no evidence to incriminate him Detective Loki has to let him free. His Aunt (Melissa Leo) comes to pick him up and explains how naive and innocent he is. As hours pass, Keller begins to get more desperate and convinced that Alex was involved he decides to take matters into his own hands. From here on the tension begins to escalate as they try to solve the mystery.

Prisoners succeeds as a neo-noir thriller building up a lot of tension with a very dark atmosphere which is perfectly captured by cinematographer Roger Deakins. It adds to the mysterious mood of the story which on its own is already pretty intense. The screenplay, written be Aaron Guzikowski (Contraband), is very well written with a very interesting premise and some great twists. My only complaint with this film has to do with the lack of a strong female character. With such a strong cast, I thought that Maria Bello or Viola Davis could have been given a stronger role, but the film focuses mostly on Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal. They both give very strong and convincing performances, and Gyllenhaal has surprised me over the last three years with very good films (Source Code, End of Watch, and now this one). I guess he has been choosing his roles very wisely lately because his next film also looks interesting (Enemy which is also directed by Denis Villeneuve). Paul Dano also gave a strong performance as his character's motivations were very hard to decipher. The strong cast and the interesting story make this a very entertaining film despite some minor flaws involving character motivations. It is one of the best recent thrillers coming out of Hollywood and I doubt you will be disappointed.

My Review: Looper (8/10)

¨ Time travel has not yet been invented. But thirty years from now, it will have been.¨

Looper is a fantastic sci-fi action film about time travel, that writer-director Rian Johnson manages really well by focusing more on the character development than the actual dilemma that may present itself with a subject like this. If you stop to think about the plot too much you might find some holes, but Johnson doesn’t give you too much time to think about those issues, but rather presents several great action scenes mixed with dynamic characters to change the focus of the film. There is one scene where Bruce Willis`s character talks to Joseph Gordon-Levitt and tells him: ¨I don't want to talk about time travel because if we start talking about it then we're going to be here all day talking about it, making diagrams with straws.¨ That is exactly what Johnson wants to avoid in a film like this. He presents the world he creates in such a way that we just have to enjoy it without questioning things. He doesn’t want the viewer to debate if such a world is possible, but rather simply to play along with him in this futuristic world he has created. His main focus was on the characters and the action, and he did a superb job giving the characters a lot of depth. I really had no idea what direction Looper was heading at times, but I really enjoyed the originality of it. The performances were really great as well. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays a young Bruce Willis to perfection, mimicking his mannerisms all too well. He really steals the show here, although the computer effects on his face to make him more Willis-like physically were a bit distracting for me.

In 2074 time machines will have been invented although there use will be illegal. They are used only by mobsters to get rid of the people they want eliminated. These mobsters send these people blindfolded thirty years back in the past (2044) where killers named ¨loopers¨ await for them to kill them. Although time machines haven’t been invented in 2044 these loopers are hired by one of the mobsters from the future named Abe (Jeff Daniels) who has gone back to live in the past and assure the loopers do their job. The loopers also know that if the mob finds one of them in the future (2074) they will send them back and have them killed to close the loop. It is sort of like a retirement plan because the looper is guaranteed he will live for 30 years and will get paid really well. One of these loopers is Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who is young and always delivers despite being a junkie. He has a romantic relationship with Suzie (Piper Perabo), a hooker, and his best friend is also a looper, Seth (Paul Dano). When Seth isn’t able to close the loop and kill his old self, Abe goes looking for him and kills him. Joe knows what he has to do when his old self is called, but fails to close the loop as well when old Joe (Bruce Willis) knocks him out. Thus the race begins to find his old self and kill him before Abe and his men find him. Old Joe on the other hand wants to find a key target who in the future will be responsible for the death of his loved one in order to prevent her loss. The entire plot becomes more and more complicated as we move on, because like Abe says ¨This time travel crap, just fries your brain like an egg, ¨ but it does make for one entertaining movie.

This was Rian Johnson´s third feature film after his successful 2005 debut, Brick, and his follow up The Brothers Bloom. This is probably his most successful film considering the budget he had to work with, and he is making a name for himself by creating these original and character driven films. His stories are really interesting and despite all the action and futuristic scenes he also creates memorable characters. The child actor in this film, Pierce Gagnon, is also really remarkable. He was a delight to watch on screen. Emily Blunt also has an important role in the second half of the movie and delivers as always. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is perhaps one of the most underrated actors of our days. He is excellent in this film, and Bruce Willis well he is simply Bruce Willis, one of the best action stars of out time. The film starts out a bit slow with the introduction, but once Bruce Willis shows up the action begins and the characters begin to develop before our eyes (especially Joseph Gordon-Levitt`s character). This is a unique and original film, and I recommend it.

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My Review: Knight and Day (5/10)

¨They'll tell you I'm mentally unstable and violent and dangerous and it will all sound very convincing. ¨

That is probably the best way to describe Tom Cruise`s character in this movie, which is also unstable in trying to be an action thriller, comedy, and romantic flick all at the same time. Knight and Day mostly succeeds as a comedy because of the performance from Cruise and Diaz, but as an action thriller it is pretty ridiculous, and the romance isn`t all that believable. The action relies too heavily on poor CGI effects; the story is poorly developed and has too many plot holes.  However, Cruise does give a comedic performance and his character is very likeable so if you go into this movie expecting a satire of Mission Impossible then you might just enjoy Knight and Day, but don`t expect a smart thriller with great action sequences because you will leave the theater disappointed. Mr. and Mrs. Smith began this trend of genre films that combine spy thrillers with comedy and romance, but it has gone downhill from that point. James Mangold has taken a huge step backwards with this movie after directing such great films as the 3:10 To Yuma remake and the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line, and Patrick O`Neill`s debut as a screenwriter didn`t begin very promising either, but you can`t blame him only because the script was rewritten by at least 5 other people, including Mangold himself.

I don`t want to give too much of the plot away because the most intriguing part of the movie is wondering who Roy Miller (played by Tom Cruise) really is. You wonder if he is a good guy or a bad guy for the first minutes and that is probably one of the best things about Knight and Day. He really gives a good performance and is very funny on screen. He seems a little paranoid, but at the same time he looks relaxed and cool. At the beginning of the film Roy runs into June Havens (Cameron Diaz) in the airport before getting into the plane and uses her without her knowledge to get across customs. June is a mechanic who enjoys restoring classic sport cars and happens to be buying pieces for the vehicle she is assembling to give to her sister as a wedding present. Roy and June share the same flight and seem to click immediately, but everyone else in the plane seems to be trying to kill Roy (including the flight attendants and pilots). Fitzgerald (Peter Sarsgaard from An education) is a CIA agent that is also trying to kill Roy who apparently has something valuable that everyone wants. Even an arms dealer named Antonio (Jordi Molla) is after Roy. June gets involved in all the mess and together with Roy end up all over the States, Jamaica, Austria, and Spain running for their lives. Paul Dano also has a supporting role as a nerdy scientist named Simon Feck that Roy is also trying to protect.

The plot is a bit ridiculous and the action is unfulfilling, but there is enough comedy thanks to Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz who are two likeable actors who pull off decent performances although they are far from their best work. They`ve worked together in the past in Vanilla Sky, which is a clear reminder of how much better they can be, but in Knight and Day the issue wasn`t their performance, it was the material. Mangold has also proven he can do much better and maybe next time he will stick to more serious material. I´m not saying this movie was terrible or a complete waste of time, but it is far from being a good film. It will satisfy those in need of some good laughs, but this isn`t a movie you will want to watch over and over again because the more you think about the plot the more ridiculous you realize it becomes. This is an average film which could be enjoyed if taken lightly and viewed one time only. Cruise fans will definitely enjoy his performance. Not a good movie, but not terrible either.

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My Review: Where The Wild Things Are (4/10)

¨It's going to be a place where only the things you want to happen, would happen. ¨

The only thing I wanted to happen while watching the highly appraised Where the Wild Things Are was for the movie to get over with. I found this film very boring and couldn`t identify with the characters. I understood the melancholic point the director was trying to get across, but I guess my childhood was nothing like that. I remember enjoying my childhood a lot and never feeling so philosophical and sad towards life like the main character felt. The first twenty minutes of the film you just feel so sorry for Max because he feels so ignored and misunderstood. I think this movie is a little too dark for kids to enjoy and a bit too imaginative for grownups to endure. Perhaps it is just me, but I found it very difficult to identify with Max. This film was directed by Spike Jonze, who is famous for directing several videos for musical bands, directing Adaptation and Being John Malkovich, and working as a writer for the Jackass series. This time he adapted Maurice Sendak`s classic children`s story. I haven`t read the story so I can`t say if it is faithful to the original material, but after watching this movie I am not even remotely interested in reading the story. The movie has a very sad and pessimistic feel to it, but at the same time it does feel artistic as well. The main problem I had with it is that I wasn`t being entertained and felt the movie was taking forever.

Where the Wild Things Are is a movie about a kid named Max who feels misunderstood and lonely. He doesn`t have many friends and spends most part of the day playing with his wolf suit and his dog. Max is played very well by the young Max Records (from The Brothers Bloom); he is very mature on screen and gives the best performance in this movie. His sister is a little older than him and she is going through the stage of dating boys and doesn`t pay too much attention to him. His mom (played by Catherine Keener from 40 Year Old Virgin fame) is a single mother who has to make time for work and the children. One night Max gets upset while his mother is downstairs with her boyfriend (Mark Ruffalo from Zodiac) and he throws a tantrum because he doesn`t get what he wants and ends up bighting her. After this Max runs away from home and ends up imaginatively crossing an ocean and reaching an island full of strange creatures. Here he finds a group of them who are arguing with one because he is throwing a fit and destroying their homes because someone has left the group. Max decides to assist Carol, the creature who is destroying everything, because he identifies with him (Carol and Max are very similar in nature). The creatures at first want to eat Max, but he tells them he is a king and that he has special powers so the creatures decide to crown him king of the island as long as he takes away the sadness. He says he has a sadness shield that will keep sadness away from everyone so they all accept him. All the creatures have different emotions, one feels like no one ever listens to him, another is always upset and wants to eat people, and Carol who is the most similar to Max always has to get what he wants. In this new world, Max feels accepted and listened to, but he will soon find out that it isn`t easy to be king and will learn an important lesson in the process. The creatures are voiced by James Gandolfini, Paul Dano, Catherine O`Hara, Forest Whitaker, Chris Cooper, Michael Berry Jr., and Lauren Ambrose.

I think this movie is too dark for kids to enjoy. Max Records does a great job of expressing these wide ranges of emotions a ten year old kid goes through, but the material is a bit too complicated for children. At least I couldn`t identify with what Max was going through as I remember my childhood more enjoyable and less philosophical. I think that Up is a movie that expresses these issues in a better light and that kids and grownups will enjoy much more. This film is very artistic, but you really feel sad for the kid right from the opening scene and the movie just feels too nostalgic and doesn`t seem to focus enough in the good moments we all have had in our childhood. When the movie began I was hoping it would get to the moment we were introduced to the creatures because I felt it was dragging too much, but then when we get to the creatures I was just waiting for the movie to end because I was bored and felt it was taking forever. I wouldn`t recommend this movie, although most people I have talked to have enjoyed it so you might want to check it out because it could have a different effect on you than it did on me.