Review – The King’s Speech (2010)

The King’s Speech [2010]

Starring: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce, Michael Gambon, Claire Bloom, Orlando Wells, Derek Jacobi, Jennifer Ehle, Eve Best, Timothy Spall, Anthony Andrews
Director: Tom Hooper
Screenwriter: David Seidler

I can’t imagine what it must be like to be born into royalty. That kind of life, for all the material wealth it provides, must be in so many ways devoid of any real human interaction. It’s a world that is so distant from “commoners” that imagining the rigidity of daily life is almost incomprehensible. Even more so are the expectations put upon each individual within that family. It is with this in mind that The King’s Speech develops itself. It is, as many have said, a rousing crowd pleaser. But to dismiss it as just that misses the point entirely. The film, acted with perfection and deftly scripted and directed, slowly reveals itself as a beautifully observant story of friendship between two unlikely men.

Review – Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World [2010]

Starring: Michael Cera, Kieran Culkin, Ellen Wong, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Anna Kendrick
Director: Edgar Wright
Screenwriter: Michael Bacall, Edgar Wright

Scott Pilgrim is, in many regards, the movie of this generation; of my generation. The cultural references are to video games, comic books and new media. Its outlook on life is one that feels uniquely in touch with many of the sensibilities I feel myself and my peers hold. It’s also a movie that I can imagine people saying, “maybe I have to read the comic to fully understand it”. Although I agree that it’s difficult not to think of an adaptation in how it relates to its source, I also believe that adaptations should stand on their own and not rely on an understanding of the source to get the most out of them. Fortunately for Scott Pilgrim, it does stand on its own.

Review – Nosferatu: The Vampyre (1979)

Nosferatu: The Vampyre [1979]

Starring: Klaus Kinski, Isabelle Adjani, Bruno Ganz
Director: Werner Herzog
Screenwriter: Werner Herzog

I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a more beautiful vampire film, and I’ve seen quite a few. Writing this review when I’m writing it, with the onslaught of tween-themed vampire franchises like Twilight, and even more enjoyable fare like HBO’s True Blood, I think makes me appreciate Herzog’s film more than I might have ever been able to appreciate it in a time when vampires were not the “in” thing. Now, it seems so fresh.

Review – Kick-Ass (2010)

Kick-Ass [2010] 

Starring: Aaron Johnson, Nicolas Cage, Chloe Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Screenwriter: Matthew Vaughn, Jane Goldman

Here is a movie that begins with promise and ends with disappointment. It’s a movie that tries so hard to be different, and to find a niche that separates itself from other so-called “comic book movies”. Its premise relies on that very idea. Unfortunately, it’s a premise that doesn’t carry through to the end, and along the way quickly unravels.

My Thoughts On The 82nd Oscar Telecast

Well, my predictions were pretty decent. If you look at the ones on this site, there’s a slight difference: I ended up going with The Hurt Locker for Best Original Screenplay. My computer has been down the past few days and didn’t think to change it. At my school every year they project the Oscars in the multi-purpose room, and have a contest for prizes. The people who can guess the most correct winners get the prize. I ended up with second place, correctly guessing 17/24 categories in total. The ones I missed:

A Response To My “Hurt Locker” Inquiry

Note: This post contains spoilers about The Hurt Locker. If you haven’t seen the film and don’t like spoilers, I recommend not reading the post. But it’s up to you.

Tokyo Tom Baker partially answers an inquiry I had earlier concerning the use of Gears of War in The Hurt Locker, which can be found on my blog, but also over at Roger Ebert’s website here. He writes on his blog, and in his review of the film,

“The theme of seeking order amid chaos is also apparent in a scene in which a soldier named Eldridge (Brian Geraghty) tries to lose himself in a violent video game after making a shoot/don’t-shoot decision that cost a friend his life. In a video game, you get a second chance to shoot, and you can do it over and over until you get it right.”

My response after the jump.

One Of The Reasons I Love Scorsese’s Movies

I don’t really remember exactly when I “discovered” Scorsese, so to speak. One would think that I would immediately know the first Scorsese movie I saw, but I honestly can’t say. My only explanation is that since that initial viewing, whatever it was, Scorsese’s films have captivated me in a way no other filmmaker’s resume has. After recently seeing Shutter Island, my love of Scorsese has once again been vindicated. He’s truly one of the greatest living filmmakers of all time. Arguably, he is the greatest living filmmaker. To me, it’s no argument.

Review – Antichrist

Antichrist [2009]

Starring: Willem Dafoe, Charlotte Gainsbourg
Director: Lars von Trier
Screenwriter: Lars von Trier

I tend to be the kind of person who likes to judge a piece of art (and remember: bad art is still art) without taking into account the artist himself. A work should be able to stand apart from its creator. Lars von Trier is a filmmaker that I’ve found makes that an extremely hard rule to follow. Antichrist is a film in which von Trier makes damn sure you know he’s the filmmaker, and the presumptuousness of such a thing makes the film difficult to swallow. The film has been plagued by controversy. People at Toronto and Cannes walked out of screenings. I, like I believe most people who pick up this film will do, watched it “to see what all the fuss is about.” I wish I had read more about it beforehand.

Review – Shutter Island

Shutter Island [2010]

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Michelle Williams, Ben Kingsley, Max von Sydow
Director: Martin Scorsese
Screenwriter: Laeta Kalogridis

Note: There are inevitably going to be some spoilers in reviewing and discussing this film. It’s impossible. I’d rather just review it honestly than try not to reveal its secrets. If you haven’t seen the movie, don’t read this review (unless you’re a masochist and like spoilers). You have been warned.

Review – The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert [1994]

Starring: Hugo Weaving, Terence Stamp, Guy Pearce
Director: Stephan Elliott
Screenwriter: Stephan Elliott

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is gay, in both definitions of the word, and that’s precisely what makes its charm almost irresistible. It’s a fun romp through the desert of Australia. It has a kinetic energy that almost never lets up, and it has characters that are as unpredictable and eccentric as its costumes (for which it won an Oscar). One thing that makes it as enjoyable as it is are the three leads, all typically “macho” men, or at least actors who play roles associated with more masculine character traits: Hugo Weaving, Terence Stamp and Guy Pearce. The fact that they play three musical drag queens is something that starts out seeming like a gimmick, and as the film progresses, becoming a more and more pleasing choice.