8/18/2013

Paper Man (2009)


Age Is Just a Number



Richard is a failed writer. He keeps in touch with his childhood imaginary friend, Captain Excellent, on a daily basis. To overcome his writer's block, his wife makes him move to Long Island for the winter. That's where he meets Abby, a misfit teenager, who soon becomes his first real friend. Paper Man is a sympathetic tale on coping with loss, relationship struggles, and making sense of unusual friendships. This movie is a cute take on ordinary issues. I find the Juno-ish artwork and soundtrack from the opening credits very appealing and the solitude core topic to be familiar. Anyone can relate to Richard and his inspiration loss whether they're writers or not. We've all experienced what it feels like to be judged by others. The friendship between two individuals from different generations portrayed here will speak to you if you've lived this kind of situation. The soothing Long Island quietness makes the plot a bit slow but the high weirdness dosage balances it. Paper Man lacks this little something I find in unforgettable movies but it still is a nice moment of entertainment with a special mention for Emma Stone's performance.

1 reason to watch: it speaks to your inner insecurity



8/10/2013

Jurassic Park (1993)


The Ultimate Proof that Man Shouldn't Play God


 

Each time I watch Jurassic Park, the same first-timer feelings come rushing back. Goose bumps while hearing John Williams' majestic tune to the helicopter landing on the island off the Costa Rican coast. The T-Rex's haunting stare. My fascination for the paradoxically sexy chaos theorist played by Jeff Goldblum. I'm this kid with a sudden obsession for shaving cream cans all over again. Everyone is familiar with the plot: a panel of experts is taken to a secretive park to endorse it before its opening. The island accomodating cloned dinosaurs quickly turns into the deadliest zoo. As kids, only a few of us were spared a certain passion for dinosaurs and Jurassic Park mastered the dream we had to make mankind encounter those extinct creatures. 20 years later, this movie hasn't aged. The special effects are still impressive. Weirdly enough, the unbelievable part of the storyline - you know, the whole thing about man cloning dinosaurs - looks better than the computer operating system of the time. The appearance of Samuel L. Jackson as a deadpan engineer adds badassness to the film. Let's not forget the awesome electric SUVs. But the most important feature of the movie remains Laura Dern rocking the mini-shorts paleobotanist-style. And the limp she pulls off still is the hottest limp in the history of cinematic limps. Of course, this movie doesn't make sense. The intrigue basically revolves around scientists who can create dinosaurs but cannot take care of a simple power outage. But Jurassic Park is a timeless classic that should be part of your kids' education. Please forget about the bad sequels though.

1 reason to watch: JP is an inherent part of what growing up in the 90's meant



8/08/2013

Manhattan (1979)


Defining NYC Since '79



Gershwin's jazzy tunes fade in a black and white majestic skyline. Welcome to New York City. Enter the lifestyle of Isaac (Woody Allen), a disillusioned writer. You witness his odd attempts at getting over his failed marriage. This old Allen classic is a masterpiece of witty comedy and an ode to the Big Apple. If you adore this city and are a sucker for clever lines, sarcasm and black humor, this movie should be on your must-see list. I find this film to be very avant-gardist for the time. More than 30 years later, Manhattan is still a sincere and accurate portrait of contemporary relationships. It deals with very modern-love topics. Cheats, underage sex, homoparental families, divorce, hate at first sight... those are among the plot's core themes. I can't get enough of Meryl Streep's interpretation of Isaac's deadpan emasculating ex-wife. Diane Keaton depicts an exquisite and impossible know-it-all. Her performance of this pain in the ass who can never be happy in a relationship is flawless. Even after so many years, the brilliant direction of Woody Allen has a very modern feel. The black and white commitment and the still-like shots make of Manhattan a surprising first-person-style comedy that didn't age.

1 reason to watch: Fun Fact - Woody Allen looked older in 1979 than he does now



8/06/2013

No Strings Attached (2011)


Breaking News
 Long-Term Non-Affectionate Sex Relationships Are Myths.
Who Would Have Thought?



I have refused to watch No Strings Attached for a long time until I finally gave in last week. I really didn't understand why Natalie Portman would choose such a pointless role right after she scored the Academy Award for Best Actress in Black Swan. I felt like it was an insult to her fans and her talent. Then again, she's the one reading the screenplays and choosing her movies. Add this to the fact that I am not a fan of Ashton Kutcher or Hollywoodian Rom-Coms and you get why I did not watch it. But last week I needed a light movie to watch and after reviewing Frances Ha and Black Swan and figuring out that Greta Gerwig and Natalie Portman were both in No Strings Attached, I thought "what the hell, let's watch this." After all, only idiots don't change their minds. This movie is a typical textbook romantic blockbuster. It covers all the symptoms. Attractive and successful leading duo in total love denial, nice friends you can't help but feel sorry for, and a happy ending that you see coming from miles away. You see it coming even before it begins as the trailer already gives too much. There is one thing I liked about the movie though; the plot goes against convention and reverses typical Rom-Com roles in presenting the man as the helpless romantic who wants to settle down and the woman as the player who only wants to use him for sex. This movie fits Kutcher or Jake Johnson but I expect much more from Portman and Gerwig. I can only hope this won't happen again in their career. No Strings Attached is an entertaining comedy with funny lines but it won't make history.

1 reason to watch it: Natalie Portman & Greta Gerwig are in it. That's something, I suppose.
1 reason NOT to watch it: it won't make your day.



8/01/2013

Black Swan (2010)


This Is Not a Dance Movie




Yes, Black Swan is set on a ballet background. Yes, the plot revolves around the upcoming season of the NYC ballet. But dance is not the central topic of this film. This Darren Aronofsky picture focuses on rivalry and the danger of pushing yourself too hard. Black Swan underscores the role of a challenging environment on mental issues. And what is more challenging than being the prima ballerina of a dance company with an international reputation? To say that the professional ballet world is cruel and that the dancers have a fearless sense of competition would be understating the truth. I find the accuracy of this universe to be brilliantly depicted by the writers. Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel) is casting the perfect soloist to dance both the white and the black swans for his new adaptation of Swan Lake. In Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) he finds the perfect white swan. Lily (Mila Kunis), a new dancer in the company, will help Nina's liberated personality emerge. The way the cinematography is handled is a sublime illustration of what's going on in Nina's mind. It isn't a black and white picture but black and white are the main colors on screen. A few touches of pale pink surrounds Nina when she is in an innocent frame of mind. But when her darkest side rises, the colors get more brutal and intense. I really think the colors of this movie are important to the storyline and act as actual characters. Natalie Portman has been an excellent actress since she started at the age of 12. Black Swan confirms it again and allows her to win the Best Actress Academy Award for this demanding role. She plays the two opposite ends of the emotional spectrum with a dexterity that leaves me stunned. Mila Kunis, her counterpart, is a sexy badass ballerina who seduces Nina's hidden evil side and helps it take over her childlike innocence. The fall of the former star of the company (Winona Ryder) and the complex and disturbing relationship between Nina and her mother (Barbara Hershey) are main pieces of this psychological thriller puzzle. Black Swan is a bundle of amazing techniques covering all of the aspects of filmmaking.

1 reason to watch: you thought it would be swell if your daughter started ballet? Think again.