Awakenings (8/10): In which Williams awakens the great De Niro

“People have forgotten what life is all about. They've forgotten what it is to be alive. They need to be reminded.”

       

Following the huge success of her 80’s comedy, Big, director Penny Marshall decided to approach a much more sensitive and serious subject matter in her next film based on Oliver Sacks’ semi-biographical book about his work in a ward with patients in catatonic state. Robin Williams was cast to play Dr. Sacks, although the character’s name was changed to Dr. Malcolm Sayer, a shy doctor who prior to have been hired at the ward had very little experience working with patients. He was obsessed with researching and doing lab work, but those skills came in handy when he began treating the catatonic patients at the ward. He discovered that several of the patients that had been in the ward for decades had one thing in common: they had survived a rare form of encephalitis, but the disease left them in their current catatonic state. Most of the doctors believed there was no treatment for these patients, but he began to discover that some of them responded to certain stimuli. Not giving up on them, he decides to attend a lecture where he discovers a new drug that had been effective on patients suffering from Parkinson’s, and he believes it might just help awake his patients as well. 

Casting Robin Williams for the role and having released this only two years after the commercial success of Big, one could easily have expected this to be a comedy, but casting Robert De Niro as the other lead easily put to rest that assumption. De Niro had also worked on Goodfellas the same year as this and he continued to be at the prime of his career. In Awakenings he plays Leonard Lowe, one of the patients who has remained in the same state for nearly four decades and who is still being cared for by his mother, Mrs. Lowe (Ruth Nelson), at the clinic. With the approval of the other doctors at the ward and Leonard’s mother, he is chosen for a trial run with the drug. It doesn’t take too long for Dr. Sayer to see the results he was expecting as Leonard seems to wake up from his catatonic state. The two begin to form a special bond and the positive results induce Sayer to test the drug on the rest of the patients in the ward in a similar way. As we become witnesses of Leonard’s awakening we also begin to see life through his eyes as someone who feels he has lost so many years and now wants to enjoy life to the fullest. His awakening serves the reclusive Doctor as a reminder to begin living life and enjoying human interaction. There is a sub plot revolving his relationship with a nurse from the ward played by Julie Kavner, but the main theme is Sayer’s relationship with these patients. 

Marshall’s film was nominated for Best Picture, and just like her previous movie it also earned a nomination for the lead actor, De Niro. De Niro does a superb job playing this awakened catatonic patient, and it is evident that he did his homework and studied every single facial and body tic of the real patients. Sacks had filmed his patients in real life during their awakening periods and so there was a lot of material they had to work with. Robin Williams plays a much more restrained character than what we were used to seeing him do, so his performance might not seem as delightful as his other films but he delivers a solid dramatic turn. The third nomination that the film received was for Steven Zaillian’s adapted screenplay which was powerful. He didn’t win the Oscar for this film, but he went on to win it two years later for his work in Schindler’s List. Spielberg said it was his adaptation in Awakenings that earned him the job for his film. This movie is emotional and touching without being manipulative because it sticks to the true story which was definitely one that had to be told in the big screen.         

My Review: Raging Bull (9/10)

"The thing ain't the ring, it's the play. So give me a... stage where this bull here can rage and though I could fight I'd much rather recite... that's entertainment."

In 1976 Martin Scorsese teamed up with Robert De Niro and screenwriter Paul Schrader to deliver what in my opinion is one of his best films: Taxi Driver. That year that complex character study lost out on the Oscar to Stallone's Rocky. So what does Scorsese do next? He directs a real boxing movie with another memorable and complex character played by Robert De Niro making Rocky look like a cartoon character. Don't get me wrong, I loved Rocky, but Jake La Motta is a character that feels much more authentic. He's deeply flawed and unpleasant to be around with, but his violent temper is what made him such a successful boxer on the ring. It was actually Robert De Niro who approached Scorsese to make this film based on Jake La Motta's autobiographical book and despite hesitating to make a sports movie at first, he ended up directing what is considered by many to be the best boxing film of all time. The boxing scenes are violent and bloody, but what was most surprising for me was the way in which De Niro captured the rage and paranoia of his character off the ring. La Motta isn't a very sympathetic character and his anger and jealous outbursts led him to his ultimate downfall, but somehow there is still something redeeming about him and De Niro captured that essence perfectly in this Award winning performance. It's much more a character study than a boxing film, but Scorsese also explores Jake La Motta's bond with his brother Joey turning this into a sibling relationship study as well. Jake tries to channel his rage through boxing, but ultimately it defeats him outside of the ring destroying the relationships he has formed. Near the end there is a nice nod to Brando's On the Waterfront, which was a perfect touch by Scorsese who seems to always be in control of his craft and at the same time honoring other famous films. Raging Bull is an artistic film dealing with a difficult subject matter but it still is considered by many as the best film from the 80's. It's a near masterpiece in my opinion with another outstanding lead performance by De Niro, who was without a doubt the best actor at that time. 

Jake La Motta (Robert De Niro) is the raging bull who during the 40's dominated every rival inside the ring. No one could take hits like he did and despite losing a couple fights he took pride in the fact that he never went down.  Jake's brother, Joey (Joe Pesci) is his sparring partner and at the same time he manages his fights so they have a very close relationship. Joey has a few connections with the mob, but Jake refuses to deal with them and wants to get a chance at the title on his own. Joey also introduces him to a fifteen year old girl named Vickie (Cathy Moriarty), whom he later marries. As the years go by, Jake defeats his opponents but the title shot keeps eluding him since he refuses to work with the mob despite Joey's connection with Salvy Batts (Frank Vincent). While Jake's professional boxing career begins to take off, his personal life takes a blow when he allows his jealousy and paranoia to take over as he fears his wife is seeing other men. Despite channeling his rage in the ring, he also takes it out in his home on his wife and brother. What at first served as his inspiration for becoming a boxing champion escalated so much that it also became his downfall and ruin. Raging Bull centers on Jake's self destructive boxing journey and it is a very complex and emotional one. In the midst of it all there is still a redemptive quality to this antihero and he accepts his punishment through personal beatings in the ring.

I don't know if Scorsese would be around making movies today if it weren't for Raging Bull. Just like his lead character Jake, Scorsese was dealing with some personal demons of his own struggling with drug addiction. De Niro convinced him to make this film and somehow he channeled his addictions through his direction. Jake unsuccessfully channeled his rage in the ring, but Marty found redemption for both of them thanks to Raging Bull. The black and white cinematography is gorgeous and the performances were powerful. De Niro gives another physically demanding performance after his work in Taxi Driver and he once again is very impressive. Joe Pesci is also wonderful as he will later become a recurring actor in other Scorsese films. The chemistry between both actors in this film is really strong and they shine together on screen. The boxing scenes were really raw and violent. They are hard to watch at times, and an extreme close up of dripping blood from the rope in the ring really captured the violence that Scorsese was trying to transmit. Raging Bull is a fascinating film which explores the mind of a very emotionally disturbed man who we wouldn't want to be around with, but somehow Scorsese draws us into his mind and he absorbs us. 

My Review: Taxi Driver (10/10)

"You talking to me? Well I'm the only one here."

If you look up the word 'masterpiece' in the dictionary, Taxi Driver is its definition. Not only does it appeal subjectively to audiences but it is a complete film in all the technical aspects as well. It has a stunning cinematography capturing the dark and dirty streets of New York City, a gorgeous and eerie score that accompanies the action perfectly, some amazing camera angles and shots, perfect editing, and some of the greatest ever performances you will see in a film. Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver is a visually stunning film that happens to be one of the greatest character studies of all time. There have been hundreds of films focusing on characters suffering from some sort of traumatic experience from war, but none have captured that complex mental breakdown as well as De Niro's Travis Bickle. Much of the credit has to be given to screenwriter Paul Schrader who suffered a similar mental breakdown and dealt with it by writing this amazing and somewhat autobiographical script, but De Niro and Scorsese took it even further by doing the best work of their careers. There isn't a single scene in this film that feels out of place and De Niro plays every note perfectly. There isn't a better character study about a Vietnam war veteran than Travis Bickle who slowly descends into psychotic behavior as he isolates himself from the rest of society and decides he has to try to do something to clean the filthy streets of New York. 

Imagine a man who has served as a Marine in the Vietnam war only to come home and find that not only does the country he has served not appreciate him, but it has become a filthy and dirty place. That is such the case with Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) who is mentally unstable and suffering from insomnia. He decides that he might as well work as a taxi driver since he spends all night driving around anyway. We don't get any flashbacks about his experience in the war, but he is clearly disturbed by the deteriorated society he lives in. He finds it incredibly difficult to interact with anyone, but in the midst of all the filth and darkness there is one person who shines a ray of hope for him. The only redemptive quality for Travis in this city is Betsy (Cybill Shepherd), who works for the presidential nomination campaign of Senator Charles Palantine (Leonard Harris). He invites Betsy out for a cup of coffee and she accepts. They share some sort of bond, but he messes up when he invites her to the cinema and takes her to a porno movie (he's so disconnected with society that he thinks it's what normal couples do). That is where their relationship ends and he completely breaks down. He becomes fascinated with guns and decides he has to clean the streets of New York. One of the first steps he takes is trying to save a twelve year old prostitute named Iris (Jodie Foster) from her pimp and lover, Sport (Harvey Keitel), but his mind is clearly troubled and there seems to be nothing that will put it at ease.

Taxi Driver is my favorite Scorsese film so far and I can't believe it took me so long to watch it. I can see how this film clearly resonated at a time where American society was clearly disturbed after the events of Vietnam and the Watergate scandal, but the film has transcended the test of time and it continues to be a disturbing portrait of a mentally ill man dealing with isolation. It's a wonderful film that somehow speaks to audiences differently. It has all the qualities of an art house film but somehow it has found a mainstream audience (probably thanks to Robert De Niro's stunning performance). After having seen several clips of this film I always imagined it focused on this taxi driver following around Iris, but that was actually only a small part of the film. Jodie Foster is so great in those short but memorable scenes that she is in almost every highlight of Taxi Driver. The real star however is Robert De Niro who gives such a believable and natural performance of a troubled and complex man. Taxi Driver is one of the most powerful and groundbreaking films that I've seen and so much has been written about it already. It's a unique experience and one that everyone should go through!

My Review: Grudge Match (4/10)

"You are planning on embarrassing yourself, Kid. A great performer knows when to leave the stage."

It's ironic that the characters Robert De Niro and Sylvester Stallone play in this film resemble pretty much their current careers. Both had a great run in the 80's, but they have made some poor career choices over the past decade (with the exception of De Niro's supporting roles in David O. Russell's movies), and this was another painful choice they made. I feel sorry for young audiences that never got to experience these two great actors in the peek of their careers, Robert De Niro's work with Scorsese being the true definition of greatness. It's rather unfortunate that their most iconic characters, Stallone as Rocky and De Niro as La Motta, are the actual ones that are being made fun of here. If made with grace I wouldn't have a problem with it, but there is no substance to this film and everything felt pointless. They banked the entire success of the film on marketing it solely on these legendary characters, but they didn't give it any substance. Grudge Match is lazy film making at its fullest and the talented cast is completely misused.

The premise of this film is pretty simple as it follows the general conventions of most sport comedies. A huge boxing rivalry took place during the 80's involving two fighters that hated each other. The first time these two men were in the ring together the victory went to Billy "The Kid" (Robert De Niro) after a long hard battle, but the rematch was easily won by Razor Sharp (Sylvester Stallone). The fans along with The Kid demanded one final fight, but Razor decided to quit boxing after his girlfriend Sally (Kim Basinger) had an affair with Billy that left her pregnant. Now 30 years later after a youtube video of a grudge between the two retired boxers goes viral, a promoter named Dante Slate (Kevin Hart) convinces the two to give the fans what they want. Razor finally accepts because he needs the money to help his trainer, Lightning (Alan Arkin), who in exchange also promises to train him for the fight. The Kid on the other hand decides to train with his son, B.J. (Jon Bernthal), who he just met. Sally also shows up asking Razor to forgive her for what she did. The stage is finally set for the grand finale between these two aging boxers.

There were very few genuinely funny moments in Grudge Match, but I wouldn't blame the performances. I still consider De Niro and Stallone to be great actors, it's just the material they choose to work with what I have a problem with. Director, Peter Segal, who is known mostly for his collaborations with Adam Sandler, doesn't seem to add anything to this film other than trying to capitalize on the two iconic films I've mentioned. The buildup for the final fight doesn't work either and the dull jokes don't help the pacing of the film either. Arkin and Hart have some funny lines, but they are just too spread out and way to few for such an overlong film. The film targets a senior audience, but I don't think they will be too pleased to see their beloved iconic films treated like this in such a poorly written screenplay.

My Review: The King of Comedy (8/10)

''Better to be king for a night than schmuck for a lifetime.'' 

Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro successfully teamed up once again in what probably was their most different and unique collaboration together. It is a wonderful and unsettling film with a great performance from Robert De Niro. I feel sorry for younger audiences who have only seen his recent work, because they are missing out on one of the best actors during the 80's and 90's. Here, De Niro plays a mentally unstable  character who is obsessed with becoming famous. I don't know if our culture was so obsessed with celebrity and fame during the 80's as they are now, but The King of Comedy is very much prescient today and that is one of the reasons why it still speaks to its audience more than 30 years after its release. It isn't an easy watch, especially if you are expecting a Scorsese film like Goodfellas, but it is equally effective. The King of Comedy plays out as an edgy cultural satire and despite feeling unsettled by some of the characters motivations I still was engaged with the story. This is a unique dark comedy because it is much more restrained than others, and it isn't a comedy that will have you laughing throughout the movie, but it works in a creepy and unsettling way thanks to Scorsese's direction and De Niro's inspired performance.

This satire of our celebrity obsessed society was written by Paul D. Zimmerman and it stars Robert De Niro as an aspiring comedian who is obsessed with becoming famous. We first see Rupert Pupkin hanging around a crowd of fans outside a local TV studio where Jerry Langford's (Jerry Lewis) comedy show is taped. Jerry is greeted by his fans as he exits the show and heads for his limo, but an obsessed stalker named Masha (Sandra Bernhard) awaits for him hidden in his car. In the midst of all the turmoil, Rupert separates Jerry from Masha and the rest of the crowd. He then seizes his opportunity and ends up alone with Jerry in his limo distancing himself from the rest of the crowd who in his opinion are simply autograph hounds. Rupert then introduces himself and tells Jerry that he is an aspiring comedian and wants him to invite him to his show because he believes he has potential. In order to get rid of him Jerry politely gives him some advice and tells Rupert to send a tape of his jokes to his assistant, Cathy Long (Shelley Hack), but he recommends he start at the bottom and begin performing in small local shows. Rupert is so fixated with himself and his desire to become famous that he has a difficult time trying to separate what is real and what is fantasy. Back home he begins fantasizing about his conversation with Jerry, and now that he has gotten this far he won't stop until he gets his shot at fame.

Rupert isn't an easy character to root for considering he only cares about himself and can't take no for an answer. His presence unsettles everyone around him just like it does with us as we watch him invite himself to Jerry's country home or as he insists on meeting with him in his studio. Scorsese does a great job with this film creating this unsettling and disturbing atmosphere. Jerry Lewis gives a much more restrained performance and it is very different from the quirky roles we've seen him play before. In a way he's just playing himself and that is why he is so believable in his Johnny Carson like role. Sandra Bernhard's performance divided critics as some considered it to be over the top, but I thought she was great considering this is a satire of our culture's obsession with celebrities and fame. I thought the ending of this film was also perfect and very poignant. There are two ways you can read into the ending (since Rupert fantasizes so much it is hard to separate that from reality) but if it really played out the way it's presented at the end I thought it was a powerful critique of how we as a culture value success and fame over morality. It was a very satisfying ending and I really enjoyed this film.

My Review: Last Vegas (6/10)

"We were 17, you now, five minutes ago. It was just yesterday. I just don't know where it all went, you know? My brain cannot conceive how old this body is."

Last Vegas is one of those movies that you get exactly what you were expecting from it. There are no surprises, it's predictable, but since it has four monster actors you know it will be charming and fun. It's not every day that you get a chance to see Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro, Kevin Kline, and Morgan Freeman star together in a comedy. They're isn't anything groundbreaking or fresh about their performance, but it's just fun to see them interact with each other and make fun about their old age. Last Vegas is a forgettable film, but one that you will enjoy during its 100 minute run. It has very light humor and doesn't take any risks, but it's also heartwarming and charming. It's a genuinely warm and delightful movie with some funny moments. I'm not going to criticize the film for not taking any risks because I got exactly what I was expecting from it. My father enjoyed it much more than I did, but that's reasonable considering he's more this film's target audience. There's nothing about Last Vegas that's worth recommending, but if you're bored this is an entertaining way to spend it.

The film begins by introducing us to four childhood friends from Brooklyn during the 50's. They were like a good old gang that called themselves the Flatbush Four. 58 years later we see what has happened to each one of them. Billy (Michael Douglas) has remained single all these years and is living the good life in Malibu with his young 31 year old girlfriend. Paddy (Robert De Niro) is still living in Brooklyn and has barely left his apartment since his wife passed away an year ago. Sam (Kevin Kline) and his wife are retired and living in sunny Florida. Archie (Morgan Freeman) is now living in New Jersey with his son who is making sure his father doesn't move around much after he suffered a minor stroke. When Archie and Sam receive a call from Billy telling them that he's getting married they don't hesitate on insisting they have to throw a Bachelor party for him in Vegas. They also convince Paddy to come along and the four get ready to relive their glory days from their youth. 

Jon Turteltaub is a studio director who is better known for his National Treasure films. You know exactly what you are going to get from his movies and know that he isn't looking to win any awards. He is a director who always looks to please major studio producers. The script written by Dan Fogelman (Crazy Stupid Love) is light and fun. It has some charming moments. The film explores rather lightly the themes of friendships and how life seems to pass by faster than what we expect. Last Vegas is a standard film that does exactly what it intended.

My Review: The Family (7/10)

"I didn't kill him, I took him to the hospital."

Luc Besson is a director whose work I respect and tend to enjoy. The Family doesn't rank amongst his best efforts, but I still had a great time with this dark comedy. It isn't a film for everyone because it mixes some violent action scenes with comedy and has some major shifts of tone, but it worked really well for me. The Family counts with a very strong cast including lead performances from Robert de Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer, and supporting performances from Tommy Lee Jones, Dianna Agron, and John D'Leo. They were all great in this film and I especially enjoyed the small scenes between Tommy Lee Jones and Robert de Niro. The Family isn't exactly innovative, we've seen this sort of film before, and De Niro even starred in another similar movie: Analyze This. We've seen him make fun of the vary roles that made him such a huge star (Goodfellas and The Godfather II) and here he does it once again. Even Michelle Pfeiffer agreed to play the wife of a mobster once again. It was fun to see these Hollywood stars make fun of their stereotypical roles even though they'd done it before. Luc Besson did a great job adapting Tonino Benacquista's novel, and some of his classic trademarks can be found in The Family. Next to Leon and The Fifth Element, The Family really doesn't live up to its predecessors, but it still is an entertaining watch. The film is hit and miss and superficial at times, but it's still worth a watch thanks to some very exciting and funny scenes. Besson also pays homage to Scorsese's gangster films in his own satirical way. The cast makes this worthwhile, especially the beautiful Dianna Agron who is just menacing here. 

The Family focuses on the Manzoni's, a former Mafia family that has been relocated to the small french town of Normandy under the witness protection program. Fred (Robert de Niro) and his wife Maggie (MIchelle Pfeiffer) along with their two children Belle (Dianna Agron) and Warren (John D'Leo) have had trouble in the past adapting to these new locations due to the fact that bad habits die hard. They always end up trying to solve the problems around them on their own and that makes CIA Agent Stansfield's (Tommy Lee Jones) job more difficult as he continuously has to relocate the family. They are under the witness protection program after snitching on the mob and therefore have many gangsters searching for them so they will have to be on their best behavior in this new town  if they don't want to attract attention their way.

The Family doesn't add anything new to the film genre and will probably not be mentioned in any of the actors' resume, but I still had a fun time and was entertained. The film never aspires to be an artistic one, it just puts its strength on the cast and lets them entertain us by playing with their stereotypes and tonal shifts. Besson relies heavily on the performance from the cast and in my opinion they make this film an entertaining one. They just bring so much energy into their roles that it comes through in the film. I even enjoyed the climatic final scene which most have criticized, and the film was energetic enough to make me care for these characters and their outcome. 

My Review: The Big Wedding (2/10)

"Would somebody just punch me in the face again?"

The best thing I can say about The Big Wedding is that it is only 80 minutes long. If it were 10 minutes longer I don't think I could've made it through the entire thing because it is such a forceful mess with cliches thrown all over the place. At least in other mainstream romantic comedies you have a main story that reaches its conclusion nicely wrapped up with a beautiful ribbon on top, but here you have like five different conflictive stories that magically reach their resolution in less than 10 minutes. Not even Houdini could pull off a trick like that. The entire film focuses on this one messed up family where each member is going through some difficult moment in their relationship and after hearing them ramble for 70 minutes they all peacefully find their resolution and live happily ever after. The Big Wedding is class 101 in Introduction to Mainstream Movie Cliches. What made things even worse is that director Justin Zackham (whose major film credit is writing the screenplay for The Bucket List) had an all-star cast to work with here and none of the characters felt like a real human being. Everyone played a one dimensional and stereotypical character. This is one of the laziest and most shameful movies of the year and I doubt many people will enjoy this "comedy."

Alejandro (Ben Barnes) and Missy (Amanda Seyfried) are a young couple preparing for their big wedding, which means that Alejandro's dysfunctional family has to come together for this special occasion. Alejandro was adopted and raised by Don (Robert de Niro) and Ellie (Diane Keaton) until they were divorced and Don's mistress, Bebe (Susan Surandon), moved in. Don and Ellie had two other children prior to adopting Alejandro: Lyla (Katherine Heigl) and Jared (Topher Grace). Apparently after their divorce Ellie abandoned the country and Lyla broke ties with her father. Now 10 years later everyone gets together for Alejandro's marriage. The only problem is that Alejandro has always kept close ties with his real mother from Colombia, Madonna (Patricia Rae), a devout Catholic who disapproves of divorce and therefor he has never told her anything about his adoptive parents separation. He asks Ellie and Don to act like a married couple and that pretty much leaves Bebe out of the picture thus creating a bit of chaos and building tension along the way. 

There isn't anything nice I can say about this movie so I will keep my review short. There are several other stories and things going on in this film that barely get touched on the surface or are simply used as a gag and not dealt with. Robin Williams plays the priest who is going to marry the couple (we've seen him play this same role in the past). Alejandro is not a catholic and doesn't want to lie to the priest about his beliefs because he doesn't think it would be right, but on the other hand he is capable of lying to his mother about his adoptive parents. I had an issue accepting this and I guess it was a main concern because at one point this is addressed in the film, but it is resolved rather lazily like pretty much every conflict that arose in the film. Everything just felt so fake that it was hard to really identify with any of the characters because none of them played a real human being. This isn't the way conflicts are resolved. Nothing about this film is recommendable, and what makes matters even worse is that such a talented cast was put to waste with this terrible screenplay. The Big Wedding is one of the worst films of 2013.

My Rating: 2,7/10

My Review: Silver Linings Playbook (9/10)

¨The only way to beat my crazy was by doing something even crazier. Thank you. I love you. I knew it from the moment I saw you. I’m sorry it took me so long to catch up. ¨

Silver Linings Playbook is director David O. Russell’s second straight Oscar nominated film for Best Picture after the his critically acclaimed The Fighter. This film is very different from his previous work although it also has to do with family relationships in some sort of way. It is based on Matthew Quick’s novel of the same name and the screenplay was adapted by Russell himself which resulted in a really quirky but sharp script. There are plenty of hilarious moments in the movie and Russell has really raised the bar for rom-coms by mixing it with some realistic drama. These romantic comedies are very hard to come across these days, but Russell manages to deliver a nearly perfect one thanks to his sensitive direction. He did take a huge risk with this film considering its thematic was a bit tricky since the main character does require some patience and forgiveness from the viewer. He is not a very likeable character at the beginning, but if you stick with him and give him a second chance he will win you over. It is not easy to make a romantic film when you have two main characters suffering from bipolar and OCD disorders, and on top of that mix it with comedy, but Russell was very sensitive about the subject. I really love Russell’s style of direction, and you either love his movies or hate them. I really found this movie to be easy to connect with as it is a heartwarming and funny story despite the complications and tricky subject matter. Critics are calling this film crazy good, and I agree with them because it is deeply romantic despite being strange and neurotic. Besides we are all a little crazy, and I think Russell was pointing that out through every character in this film.

We are introduced to Pat (Bradley Cooper) in the very first scene of the movie, who is being discharged from a mental institution by his mother Dolores (Jacki Weaver) against medical advice. Apparently Pat was diagnosed with bipolar disorder after finding his wife, Nikki (Brea Bee), having an affair with a fellow co-worker and nearly beating him to death. He was sentenced to be institutionalized for eight months, and after doing so his mother was free to take him back to Philadelphia as long as he live with his parents and stayed away from his wife who had placed a restraining order on him. Pat is received with some surprise by his father, Pat Sr. (Robert De Niro), who had no idea he was coming home, but Is happy to have his son back who he considers a lucky charm for the Eagles’ games. Pat Sr. is a very superstitious guy and after losing his job he’s been making a living through sports gambling. Pat’s life changes when he meets another troubled woman named Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence) who has recently become a widow and a sex addict. Pat desperately wants to get back with Nikki and will do what it takes to win her back despite not being able to get near her. Tiffany offers to give Nikki a letter from him if he agrees to enter a dance competition with her for which they will have to rehearse extensively. Both characters suffer several meltdowns and seem to have some sort of shared neuroses, but in some odd way they end up helping one another and struggle together to rebuild their lives.

This film really deserves all the buzz that it received first from TIFF way back in September, and then from its recent eight Oscar nominations, including the big five (Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, and Screenplay) which hadn’t happened since 2004 (Million Dollar Baby), and it also received Oscar nominations in all four acting categories, which hadn’t happened since 1981 (Reds). The cast is truly wonderful in this film, everyone gives such great performances. Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence both expanded their range in this film and went way out of their usual comfort zone creating some unique characters. Lawrence especially surprised me with her quirky performance, and her entrance in the film truly shifts the momentum of the movie. I was really not sold with Silver Lining Playbook until she appeared giving Cooper´s character a lot more likeability. I loved her in two scenes; the first being the one she has a meltdown in the restaurant and goes off on Cooper and the second being the confrontation she had with Pat Sr. For those two scenes alone, Lawrence could win the Oscar. Cooper, De Niro, and Weaver were all outstanding as well. These characters were all well drawn and the actors took advantage of that delivering solid performances. The film has such a great pacing building the momentum up to the very climactic ballroom dance routine. It was something special. The message had a pretty positive outlook as Russell seemed to be reminding us that we should all look for a partner that can coexist with our craziness and not try to find one that will lead us out of it as we usually do. This was a great and optimistic film that deserves all the buzz it has been receiving.

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My Review: New Year`s Eve (5/10)

¨It only happens once a year: New Year`s Eve. It`s a time where the hopeless can be romantic.¨

New Year`s Eve is director Garry Marshall`s follow up to Valentine`s Day. It has a very similar premise where you have a series of romantic stories that over the course of the film intertwine with each other, although this time the story takes place in New York instead of Los Angeles. Marshall worked once again with screenwriter Katherine Fugate and also teamed up with Ashton Kutcher, Jessica Biel, and Hector Elizondo who also worked with him in the previous film along with several other A-list actors such as Robert de Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Zac Efron, Halle Berry, Seth Meyers, Katherine Heigl, Sofia Vergara, John Lithgow, Sarah Jessica Parker, Abigail Breslin, Hillary Swank, Josh Duhamel, and rock star Jon Bon Jovi among others. It`s probably easier to mention who isn`t in this movie. Despite having so many great actors the story falls flat because it`s just impossible to follow all the different stories in such a short period of time. It`s like if Marshall was trying to jam in several romantic movies all into one and we never get to fully relate with any of the characters. There is no time to get inside any of the character`s skin and know what they are thinking, they are all one dimensional. There were just too many stories and things going on, that the movie really lacks depth. There are some strong emotional moments and good dialogue scenes, but they are just too far spread out in a multi storyline. Some of the stories are interesting and would`ve been a much better movie on their own, but instead Marshall seems to take us from one story to another right when we were getting interested in the first one. It`s too bad because there is a whole lot of talent involved in this project.

  

It`s the last day of the year in New York and everybody`s eyes are on the NY Times square ball which will drop at midnight to announce the arrival of the new year. Hillary Swank plays Claire Morgan, the vice president of the event and she`s in charge of making sure the ball falls on time. She is a little nervous, but very excited because she always looks forward to this night. Her good friend Brendan (Ludicrous) is by her side making sure she remains calm as head of the police security personnel. They do experience some setbacks however when the ball gets jammed halfway up the pole. The only person who can help is Kominsky (Hector Elizondo), who they recently fired a few weeks ago. There are seven other stories going around that in some way or another connect with each other. There is Ingrid (Michelle Pfeiffer) who decides to quit her job in order to fulfill her New Year`s resolution. She enlists the help of a messenger named Paul (Zac Efron) who decides to help her in exchange for exclusive tickets for a special party. Then there is Paul`s roommate, Randy (Ashton Kutcher) who could care less about all the hype of New Year`s, but ends up getting stuck in the elevator with his new neighbor Elise (Lea Michele) who has to rush to work because she`s a backup singer for pop star sensation Jensen (Jon Bon Jovi). Jensen has a gig that night and is trying to make amends with an ex fiancée who he ran away from: Laura (Katherine Heigl) who happens to be in charge of the food catering in that same party. There are several other stories as well involving a couple expecting at a hospital (Seth Meyers and Jessica Biel), a man lying in his deathbed wishing he can see the ball drop one last time (Robert de Niro), another trying to make it in time to New York for a speech he has to give and a girl he might meet (Josh Duhamel), and a single mother (Sarah Jessica Parker) who wants to spend the night with her 15 year old daughter (Abigail Breslin) when all she wants is to go out with a boy from school she`s interested in.

So there you had the extensive plot which deals with so many storylines that it seems a lifetime just to get to introduce each one. That is my major complaint about this movie which could have been better if dealing with two or three less storylines. Some of the performances were alright, but nothing memorable. I had a decent time with this movie, sometimes it`s just fun to see all these stars together but with so many things going on it wasn`t really worth it. The ending wasn`t really what I was expecting either. Whereas in Valentine`s Day I was surprised at the end with who one of the main characters was expecting to hook up with, in this one it just didn`t really make much sense who Josh Duhamel`s character was waiting all along for. Marshall should not get too preoccupied about enlisting so many actors for his next film, and just worry about recreating a good, strong story. It`s too bad because I actually found some of the lines in the film quite heartwarming, like when Hillary Swank gives her televised speech. A forgettable movie, but perhaps the ladies will enjoy it since there are so many great actors involved.

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My Review: Limitless (7/10)

¨You know how they say we can only access 20% of our brain? This lets you access all of it.¨

When Limitless begins you might confuse this film with another Hangover sequel, but unlike in those movies Bradley Cooper takes a pill to enhance his life not forget about what happened last night. This pill has the opposite effect on his life, instead of getting hungover, he gets smarter. This action thriller has a very interesting premise: a drug has been discovered that allows you to use your brain to a hundred percent of its capacity. Not many people know about the existence of this pill, but Cooper`s character has been fortunate enough to get his hands on it and therefore takes advantage of the situation. The advantages don’t come without risks however and that is how the plot develops and traps us. The film is narrated in first person in order to let us know everything that is going on. The movie isn’t flawless either, the first minutes of the film are very self explanatory and leave no room for us to wonder and figure out what is happening. The beginning serves as a fifteen minute introduction to the story and we can`t help but notice this is taken from a novel.  Leslie Dixon (Mrs. Doubtfire) actually adapted the film from Alan Glynn`s novel ¨The Dark Fields.¨ The beginning seems taken straight out from the novel and it doesn’t really work in the film, but once we get past the introduction the action and thrills begin. I´m not a huge fan of having a narrator letting us know everything that is going on with the story, and in this film the opening sequence suffers from this. Neil Burger (The Illusionist and The Lucky Ones) however brings the movie back to the right direction and lets the rest of the plot play out nicely.

Bradley Cooper is Eddie Morra, a writer who has just worked out a deal with a publisher but can`t come out with the inspiration to write his novel. He has long hair, a hippy style, his apartment is a mess, and his life seems to be going nowhere. Eddie Morra is the sort of person no one expects anything from. Even his girlfriend, Lindy (Abbie Cornish), gives him the keys to his apartment back and decides to end their relationship. Eddie is a mess, but his life is about to change when he accidently runs into his ex brother in law, Vernon (Johnny Whitworth), who happens to have a pill that will change his life. Eddie is reluctant at first, but he doesn’t have anything to lose so he decides to try it. The effects of the NZT pill are almost immediate; Eddie begins to remember things that have been locked up in his unconsciousness. He can remember anything he`s ever read, heard about, or seen. Suddenly he gets inspired to write, fix his room, and tighten up, his whole life changes in one day thanks to the pill. The next morning he is back to his old self but he decides to contact Vernon in order to buy more NZT`s. Once he gets to his apartment he finds Vernon dead and the entire room is a mess. He discovers where the pills are and takes them. Now with the pills, Eddie`s life takes a drastic change. He becomes successful and begins making a lot of money in the financial industry. An important businessman, Carl Van Loon (Robert de Niro), takes an interest in him and wants his services. However, Eddie discovers there are some side effects to NZT, and some very dangerous people are also after the pill.

Limitless has plenty of action and thrills to keep you hooked. Bradley Cooper is also great as the lead role. Andrew Howard and Tomas Arana play the villains who are mysteriously after the NZT pills. The movie has a sort of strange feel to it at times; for moments it seems as if we the viewer have taken the pills as we experience everything in shaky bright and fuzzy colors. There is plenty of suspense and at times it`s hard to know where the movie is going, but it really works well and ties nicely at the end. Limitless does present a moral dilemma as we see how the pill enhances Eddie`s life, but at the same time it barely kills him due to the strong side effects. As a society we have grown to rely on different kinds of pills that enhance our mind and bodies without even considering the side effects and dependence these pharmaceutical drugs are having on us. I think that Neil Burger presents these issues very well in this story that serves as a parable for what our society is turning into in its strive for perfection. I really enjoyed this thriller although it has a couple of flaws here and there, but it still is worth watching thanks to Bradley Cooper`s leading performance.

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