My Favorite Collection: Good Will Hunting (10/10)

“I'd ask you about love, you'd probably quote me a sonnet. But you've never looked at a woman and been totally vulnerable. Known someone that could level you with her eyes, feeling like God put an angel on earth just for you.”

The scene where Robin Williams’ Sean Maguire sits on a park bench with Matt Damon’s Will Hunting to have their little shrink session about life, love, and identity is perhaps my favorite cinematic moment ever. More than a conversation, it is a monologue that Robin Williams delivers with incredible passion and it gives me goosebumps every time I watch this scene. It’s the reason why he won an Academy Award for best supporting actor and why the film works as well as it does. This is just one fantastic moment, but I can think of many more scenes that left me completely in love with the movie. Like the scene where Sean Maguire and Stellan Skarsgard’s Prof. Lambeau have their long awaited discussion about ego and missed opportunities (“You think I'm a failure. I know who I am, and I'm proud of what I do. I was a conscientious choice, I didn't ef up! And you and your cronies think I'm some sort of pity case. You and your kiss-ass chorus following you around going, "The Fields Medal! The Fields Medal!" Why are you still so efin' afraid of failure?”), the scene where Sean narrates Game 6 of the World Series to Will, which he passed on for the opportunity to meet his future wife (I just slid my ticket across the table, and I said, "Sorry, guys; I gotta see about a girl.”), and of course the final scene between Will And Sean which I don’t want to spoil. There are just so many great moments in this film thanks to the strong performances and the amazing screenplay from Matt Damon and Ben Affleck which is one of my favorites. Even the scenes between Matt Damon and Ben Affleck and between Damon and Minnie Driver are incredible and I still have to leave them out of my top five favorite scenes in this movie because there are just so many. And I even left out Will’s amazing monologue about why he shouldn’t work for the N.S.A. It’s simply one of the best written movies ever and it has Robin Williams best performance (that is saying a lot considering how much I loved his work in Dead Poet’s Society, Good Morning Vietnam, and The Fisher King).            

“You're not perfect, sport, and let me save you the suspense: this girl you've met, she's not perfect either. But the question is whether or not you're perfect for each other.” 

I don’t know if Good Will Hunting is a perfect film, but I know it is perfect for me and for that reason it will always be included as one of my all time favorite films up there with The Sixth Sense and The Dark Knight. I have plenty of other favorites which I sometimes include in my top ten, but those three are always at the very top of my list, and I don’t even worry about having to discuss it with anyone else.

Cinderella (8/10): A refreshingly faithful adaptation by Kenneth Branagh that never loses its magic.

“I’ll have to tell you a secret that will see you through all the trials that life can offer: Have courage and be kind.”

 

Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella isn’t much of a re-imagination of the classic Disney animated film as much as it is a straightforward live action retelling of the tale. In a time where we’ve seen several of Disney’s beloved classic stories being reimagined and told through a much darker light, Cinderella’s faithfulness to the familiar tale feels like a fresh of breath air. In papers it shouldn’t work, but surprisingly I found it way more engaging than Snow White and the Huntsman, Alice in Wonderland, and even Maleficent (which I actually ended up enjoying), all films which were told through new perspectives. Branagh is known for adapting well known literary works (specifically from Shakespeare) and once again he delivers through breathtaking and colorful visuals and surprisingly engaging characters. Sometimes it isn’t just about the story that is being told, but how you tell it, and Branagh is an excellent storyteller. He was able to take this very familiar tale and without introducing anything new to it, he still kept the audience magically engaged with the story. A lot of credit must be given to the fantastic cast and the astonishing visuals which turned this fairytale into a classical period piece. At times I felt like I was watching an adaptation of a Jane Austen novel with so much attention to the period details and wonderful costume designs. I’m sure this film will receive a couple of Oscar nominations in the production and costume design department because it is visually inspiring. I’ve only seen a dozen films released this year, but so far this is the best and I’m not ashamed to admit that I was emotionally engaged with the film. It is better than the beloved animated classic, which I wasn’t really a huge fan of.

Is it really necessary to check on the spoiler warning box for a straightforward adaptation of this classic tale? There aren’t any surprises in this screenplay adaptation from Charles Perrault’s fairy tale written by Chris Weitz (About a Boy). It basically follows a similar structure from Disney’s animated adaptation with perhaps a little more background on Cinderella’s parents (played by Ben Chaplin and Hayley Attwell). Cinderella is wonderfully and beautifully played by Lily James (who plays Lady Rose in Downtown Abbey) while her stepmother is brilliantly portrayed by Cate Blanchett. Her character may have seemed a bit cartoonish at times, but Blanchett sure knows how to wear fashion dresses. We do get some explanation as to why she behaves in such a cruel way so she does have some depth. The stepsisters however are completely cartoonish and deliver most of the laughs for young audiences. Drisella and Anastasia are played by Sophie McShera and Holliday Grainger. The heart of the story however centers around the fantastic chemistry between Lily James’s Cinderella and the Prince played by Richard Madden (Rob Stark from Game of Thrones). The pair actually share a scene together before the ball that is really engaging and helps sell the love story. In order for the film to work it needs to have a believable love story and it does. Helena Bonham Carter also has a wonderful short scene as the Fairy Godmother, and Derek Jacobi does a convincing job as the King. Nonso Anozie is the Captain of the Palace, while Stellan Skarsgard plays the Grand Duke. Despite our familiarity with the story, the entire cast delivers and that allows the story to flow in a magical way.

My only complaint is that the message of the film “have courage and be kind” was repeated throughout the entire movie. We constantly were beaten over the head with it, but since this is a film geared towards a younger audience I understood why they did it. In a time where a lot of emphasis has been placed on being brave it is refreshing to be reminded about the power of kindness. Cinderella is given a strong female role here and it requires a lot of strength to be kind in the midst of such difficult trials. We may not have needed to hear the message so many times because we could see it through her actions. James portrayed this character in such a beautiful way and she is an actress with a bright future ahead of her. Cinderella is a much stronger character here than in the animated film; she’s not simply waiting for a prince to come and rescue her. She is strong and determined and when we finally see her first encounter with the Prince, it is she who has a greater influence in him than he does in her. The ball room scene is also magical and despite knowing every beat of the film I couldn’t help but feel invested and thrilled by the magical spell this warm film left me with. Cinderella is living proof that remaining faithful to a classic story isn’t such a bad idea after all.  

   

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: The Railway Man (6/10)

"-You are a soldier, Lomax. You never surrendered." "-I'm still at war."

The Railway Man is one of those films that I find difficult to review because I find the underlying message to be a powerful and redeeming one, while I also find a lot of flaws with the pacing and time lapse of the story. I guess despite never having read the bestselling autobiography by Eric Lomax I would recommend reading it over watching this film. The theme of forgiveness that this film deals with is inspiring, but I think that the book would probably move me more than this film did. I had a hard time engaging with the characters despite the fact that I loved the cast. The flashbacks during the War worked much better than the scenes back home where we see Eric tormented by his past. I felt like the film was rushing things to get to the important climactic scene near the end, but we never got much of a character arc for Eric's present and how he fell in love with Patti (played by Nicole Kidman). As much as I like Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman I really never felt that connection between them considering his character, Eric, was always so disconnected from everything. The story should be an engaging one, but I found myself detached for the majority of the film. It did however succeed in engaging me during the flashbacks with the atrocities Eric had to endure as a prisoner of war, and the final climactic scene also left me interested enough in the story to want to read the book, but it didn't really move me the way it should've.

Lomax's autobiography was adapted by Andy Paterson and Frank Boyce. The film opens by introducing us to Eric Lomax (Colin Firth), as he is boarding a train he sits next to the lovely Patti (Nicole Kidman) and they have a very friendly conversation. The chemistry between them is evident. They eventually marry, but Patti realizes that Eric is still haunted by his past. He loses touch with reality and suffers from recurring nightmares. In order to help him, Patti contacts one of Eric's friends who happened to serve with him in Singapore during the Second World War. Finlay (Stellan Skarsgård) at first refuses to talk about their past, but he gives in and tells her what happened. We see what he tells her through flashbacks. The young Finlay (Sam Reid) and Eric (Jeremy Irvine) have been imprisoned by the Japanese Army and are forced to work on the construction of the Thai/Burma railway. Since they are engineers they aren't forced to do the hard work, but when they discover that Eric has built a radio and been informing the rest of the prisoners about the events that have been going on, they torture him. Takeshi Nagase (Tanroh Ishida) is the Japanese translator who actually tortured Eric and left him traumatized for life. Things take an unexpected turn in the present when Finlay tells Patti that he knows where Nagase is. She has to decide whether it is wise for him to know this so he can confront him, or wether this will affect Eric even more. She decides to tell him and Eric embarks on a journey to confront his past. 

Eric's story is really inspiring and uplifting, but at times the film didn't feel that way. My major concerns had to do with the way everything felt rushed in the present in order to get to the final confrontation. There were a lot of things that were missing and that affected my overall appreciation of the film. The ending was uplifting and powerful, but the journey was not so much. I really liked the cinematography, especially the scenes in the flashback in the beautiful Thai region. Hiroyuki Sanada also gives a strong performance and plays a key role in the final third of the film. The direction by Jonathan Teplitzky was a bit uneven at times, but I still had a decent time with this film. The cast alone is worth giving this film a shot and the story of forgiveness and redemption is always something I find uplifting and inspiring. As long as you go into this film with low expectations you can take something positive out of it. 

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.

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My Review: Melancholia (5/10)

¨Life is only on Earth. And not for long. ¨

Melancholia as its name suggests is a very depressing movie starring Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg as two troubled sisters. Danish director Lars von Trier (Antichrist and Dogville) suffered from depression himself and decided to use his personal experience and share his emotions with the viewer in this melancholic film. The story is interesting at some points and the visuals are really stylish, but I am not a big fan of these dark, depressing movies so I didn’t have a pleasant experience. Lars von Trier wrote the screenplay himself as he usually does with his work and filmed the movie in Sweden so the scenery is actually quite beautiful, but the story and characters are too dark for my personal taste. The film is really slow and consists of two parts, one focusing on each sister. The long opening scene set the mood for the entire movie with music from Wagner`s ¨Tristan and Isolde.¨ You can fall asleep with how slow the pace is. This is definitely not a movie for everyone, but those of you who enjoy these depressing movies might have a good time it thanks to the great visual style and the psychological study of the characters. I understood the message that the director was trying to get across, and I actually enjoyed his work in Dogville, but I just wasn’t entertained with Melancholia and found time moving so slowly that the film seemed like it was never going to end. A much better film dealing with depression that I recommend and also came out this year is The Beaver starring Mel Gibson. His performance is much more deserving of recognition than Kirsten Dunst`s work in this film for which she won the best actress award in the Cannes Festival.

The movie opens with a long eight minute scene where we are introduced to some of the scenes that occur during the movie in a very artistic style, like if we were viewing a live painting. We also see how a planet (which we later learn is called Melancholia) is headed towards Earth and collides with it. Then the movie begins with the first part called Justine and it focuses on her (Kirsten Dunst) wedding reception. She seems happy at first as she kisses her new husband Michael (Alexander Skarsgard), but we can tell there is something off about her. She is trying to hide her depression with fake smiles, but she can`t take it for long. Her sister, Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg), and her brother-in-law, John (Kiefer Sutherland), have spent a lot of money on the wedding reception and are a bit disappointed with the way things are turning out. Their parents, Dexter (John Hurt) and Gaby (Charlotte Rampling), who are divorced have a discussion in front of everyone, so that doesn’t help either. Justine can`t keep on pretending to be happy and all of a sudden tells her boss, Jack (Stellan Skarsgard) that he is a selfish person, she ignores Michael, and ends up having sex with Jack`s nephew, Tim (Brady Corbet). The second part of the story is titled Claire and it takes place at their residence a couple of months after the disastrous wedding. Everyone is aware now that a planet seems to be heading towards Earth, although John (as the scientist he is) assures them that it will just pass by. Justine`s depression is getting worse and worse, but she seems to not care much about the possible collision. It`s Claire`s turn now to suffer anxiety and panic attacks as she fears for the worst.

It`s interesting to see how von Trier plays out this film, making us see how unbalanced Justine is at her wedding. Kirsten Dunst captures her depression really well (although I don’t think it is Oscar worthy if you ask me). Then in the second part of the film we see how all of a sudden the table turns and Justine seems to be the stronger of the two. Justine goes from needing to being taken care of to caring for her sister Claire when she can`t deal with the issue. Even John who seemed to be always in control ends up taking the easy way out. Lars von Trier knew exactly what he was doing because suffering from depression himself he knew that melancholic people tend to deal better under pressure. Kirsten Dunst really transmits this idea through her character, but I still think there have been better and more deserving works this year. I really wasn’t entertained with this movie, and I don’t plan on ever seeing it again. I couldn`t recommend it, although I understand all the buzz it is receiving with the critics. The movie was melancholic, it did its job, but I am just not the kind of guy who is interested in these movies. I was plain and simply bored with Melancholia.

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