200 Movies, 1 Woman, 1 Blog

Man of Steel, 2013, USA

Admittedly, Superman is probably my least-favourite superhero. I’ve never found him to be particularly interesting (the whole “immune to everything but kryptonite” thing is a total bore), but the trailer for this film intrigued me enough to see it opening night.

The planet Krypton is about to be destroyed and Jor-El (Russell Crowe) sends his newborn son, Kal-El to Earth, in the hopes that he will be saved and serve as a beacon of hope to the people of Earth. He’s found by Martha Kent (Diane Lane) and Jonathan Kent (Kevin Costner) who raise them as their own. Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) displays extraordinary powers from a young age, and his father discourages his use of them because he fearss that people will not accept him. When General Zod (Michael Shannon) threatens Earth, Clark, with the help of Lois Lane (Amy Adams), must rise to the occasion and defend his adopted planet.

The origin story itself was excellent, and the best part of the film. I loved the beginning moments of the film on Krypton, and I loved watching Clark grow into his role as Superman. Cavill handled the transformation beautifully and I thought he did a fantastic job in the role. I did feel that he wasn’t given enough space to really take the helm and lead the film, though. Throughout the film, Jor-El overshadowed him, and it was as if he was living in the shadow of his biological father. Perhaps that was the intent; Clark/Kal-El has issues with BOTH of his fathers.

Following the first hour or so, the movie begins to move too fast, which is really saying something for an almost two and a half hour movie. Once Clark learns his origin, things move at a conveniently break-neck speed, which really hurts the film. The pacing issues are easily the biggest problem Man of Steel has. I felt as though fewer plot developments could have been crammed into the second half, and it would have been a more cohesive film with better pacing.

Unfortunately, Man of Steel continues the contemporary tradition of mishandling Lois Lane. She’s a better character than she was in Superman Returns, but in Man of Steel she’s simply whatever she needs to be at any given moment. Do we need a skeptical journalistic sleuth chasing down a rumoured alien being? Great! Do we need a heroic sidekick who happens to be utterly infatuated with Superman? Great, because she can be that too! It just doesn’t work.

What does work magnificently is General Zod. I love Shannon (if you haven’t seen Take Shelter, rent it immediately), and he truly is a force in this film. He commands every scene he’s in, and he’s a ruthless villain. Despite all of this, Shannon manages to generate some audience sympathy for the character, which is a tremendous feat, given what Zod wishes to do to Earth.

I was a big fan of the action sequences too. I have my issues with Zack Snyder as a director, but the one thing he really excels at are action sequences. There’s a fight scene in the air that looks unbelievable – and the 3D was great, too, which is rare praise coming from me! The movie looked very, very good. Some of the action sequences could have been trimmed a bit for time, but overall, they were very well done.

Frankly, Man of Steel doesn’t deserve the critical lashing it has been receiving. While it’s not nearly as good as Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, it’s still a pretty good film. See this film in theatres.

Rushmore, 1998, USA

Wes Anderson is one of my favourite filmmakers, but I hadn’t seen this film, or Bottle Rocket. I’m pretty sure Bottle Rocket is on Netflix so I’ll be getting to it soon!

Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman) is a precocious 15-year-old student at Rushmore, a prep school. He’s at the school on a full scholarship for writing a play, but he’s the school’s worst student and close to expulsion. Max simply prefers extra-curricular activities to schoolwork. When he meets a new teacher, Ms. Cross (Olivia Williams), Max is smitten with the older woman, who is initially tolerant of him, but quickly finds his advances irritating. Unfortunately, Ms. Cross is also being pursued by Herman Blume (Bill Murray), Max’s much-older friend and the parent of children who attend Rushmore.

I really loved the film. Anderson perfectly captures the difficulties of teenage years, particularly when one does not fit in or feels out of place. Max was trapped between boyhood and manhood – he wasn’t taken seriously by his peers or the adults around him. It’s an isolating position to be in, and Schwartzman captures the angst of it beautifully. Max is terribly awkward and he made me cringe a number of times, but I sympathized with him throughout, which is the mark of true talent.

Mr. Blume is a tragic character in a similar sense: despite his wealth and family, he is isolated and lonely. He’s seemingly unable to relate to those around him and ends up hanging out with a teenage boy. They’re an odd pair, but Murray and Schwartzman have excellent chemistry on-screen.

Rushmore contains the same dry humour that is standard in Anderson’s films. Like all of his films, I get the sense that I’ll have to watch it at least a few more times to really take in all of the brilliant dialogue. Some of my favourite exchanges were between Max and Dr. Flynn (Luke Wilson).

This film was a beautiful reminder of Anderson’s brilliance (as if I needed a reminder!). I feel a sharp desire to watch The Life Aquatic again, which is one of my favourite films. I also need to see The Royal Tenenbaums again, because it has been many years since I last saw it.

Unfortunately, it was a bit of a pain for me to get my hands on a copy of the film, as it’s not available for rental through my usual means (iTunes, Netflix and Video on Demand). However, I did manage to find a copy on Amazon for about $5, which is about the same price as renting it would have been! So, if you’re looking to see the film and can’t find it for rent, check Amazon and purchase a copy!

Say Anything, 1989, USA

No, I hadn’t seen this film before! It was one I wanted to watch during the 80s week I did back when I was watching and reviewing the 200 movies for school, but I was unable to get my hands on a copy of it. I recorded it off AMC the other day so I was happy to finally be able to watch it (and see the iconic boom box scene in context!).

Lloyd (John Cusack) is an average student with no real direction in life, other than his aspirations to be a kickboxer. Diane (Ione Skye) is the high school valedictorian who has won a scholarship to study in England. Lloyd calls her up on a whim and asks her out. Diane, who doesn’t really know Lloyd, accepts his offer because he makes her laugh. As they spend time together and get to know each other, they fall in love. However, Diane’s father (John Mahoney) dislikes the budding relationship because he sees it as a potential distraction for Diane.

I thought the film was lovely – it was very melancholy but it was also very sweet. Lloyd is such an endearing character. I found the contrast between Lloyd and Diane’s father to be very interesting, especially when her father’s legal troubles are revealed. Diane’s divorced father was the only person she could ever count on for much of her life, but her disappointment in him crushes her at a critically important time in her life. In essence, he becomes the distraction he fears so desperately. Her father obsessively planned out her entire life, whereas Lloyd struck me as a floater, content to go with the flow and do whatever feels right at any given time.

The film was surprisingly deep. I suppose I was expecting a lighter romantic comedy instead of the romantic drama it ended up being. But I was very impressed by the depth of the characters, especially Diane’s father. Usually parental figures in films like these are fairly cookie cutter, but his motivations and failings as a human being were stark and painfully honest. And in many respects, this film subverts the stereotypical gender roles within romance films. It can be seen in the film’s most famous scene, which is achingly bittersweet and reduced me to tears. The ending was brilliant. I loved the subtle implication of it.

Say Anything is an, at times, painfully accurate portrayal of young love, and the frantic emotions and confusion that comes along with it. The acting is fantastic and Cameron Crowe’s direction perfectly captured the emotional intensity of falling in love. It was a beautiful film.

Warm Bodies, 2013, USA

There’s no denying that zombies are hot in contemporary pop culture. Warm Bodies deviates from the “standard” zombie story, in an adaptation that is very loosely based on the story of Romeo and Juliet, and based on the novel of the same name by Isaac Marion.

Julie (Teresa Palmer) is a human living with her over-protective father (John Malkovich) in a sort of “gated community” several years after the zombie apocalypse. When a mission goes wrong, Julie is saved by R (Nicholas Hoult), a zombie that is not quite like other zombies. He has some level of self-awareness, and he’s able to communicate on a very basic level. As they get to know each other, R’s personality begins to develop and Julie develops feelings for him.

Of course, there’s the obvious problem: R is a zombie. While the way the film dealt with that inconvenience was charming, it didn’t feel convincing. It just seemed too easy, and it made me wonder why it hadn’t happened a long time ago.

Hoult narrates the film, which is very much from R’s perspective. His narration is awesome – very dry and witty. It’s an interesting narrative technique and it does give the audience insight into the day-to-day zombie life, but it actually made for a dry first half of the film. Prior to this point, R’s ability to communicate is limited, and the story just wasn’t working for me. Luckily the film picks up quite a bit at the halfway point and becomes quite enjoyable.

I was quite impressed by the performances. Hoult did a fantastic job adding some heart to his character – a truly excellent feat given that his character is dead and eats the flesh of humans, which can be a bit of a buzz kill, as one might imagine. And Palmer avoids the pitfall of just being the love interest: she has personality and backbone. I really liked Julie.

One major blunder is the fact that the visual effects just aren’t very good. “Bonies” are zombies that have “given up”, and look pretty much how the name suggests. Unfortunately, the CGI is really bad so their movements are unnatural, and they look terrible. I’m assuming that the CGI budget was pretty limited, but why not see what they could have done with make-up, and folks in costumes? The “normal” zombies looked great, and I’m sure it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to have done the “Bonies” with actors in costumes and make up instead of CGI motion-capture effects.

I ended up enjoying Warm Bodies, but I’m glad I didn’t shell out the cash to see it in theatres. Give it a rental!

Beyond Belief, 2007, USA/Afghanistan

Beyond Belief is a documentary about two women, Susan Retik and Patti Quigley, who lost their husbands on 9/11. Both were pregnant at the time. After meeting, the two women decided to turn their monumental losses into something positive by helping out Afghan widows. They started Beyond the 11th, and this documentary focuses on the beginnings of the organization and their trip to Afghanistan to meet the widows they’re helping.

These women are so inspiring. I was blown away by their strength and their ability to take a life-changing loss and make something so beautiful out of it. They’ve changed the lives of hundreds – even thousands of women. They could have spent the rest of their lives hiding away out of the spotlight, but instead they stepped up and made a difference in the world. Their compassion is astounding and they’re inspiring women.

I wish the documentary spent a bit more time on their trip to Afghanistan. The documentary is split into three sections – the first third covers 9/11, their reasons for starting the organization and their first major fundraiser, the second third focuses on planning to travel to Afghanistan and the last third focuses on the trip itself. The second third goes on for far too long and a good 15 minutes could have been cut from it. I would have loved to see half of the film devoted to their trip to Afghanistan, instead of a third of it.

The entire documentary was very moving, but the portion of it set in Afghanistan was particularly moving. It was heart wrenching to see Afghan widows speak about how they’ve never had happiness in their lives, and the struggles they’ve faced by the loss of their loved ones. It really made me realize just how privileged my existence is here in Canada. I’ve never gone hungry, I’ve never been terribly ill from a preventable disease, and my home has never been hit by a rocket. Seeing Patti and Susan speak with the widows was immensely moving. Despite all of the differences between them, the focus was on their commonalities: they were all women, they had children to support, and they all lost their husbands.

Beyond Belief is available on Netflix.

Bad Teacher, 2011, USA

Ah, Bad Teacher. It reminded me of Young Adult, because both films feature truly unlikable protagonists who are completely out of touch with reality.

After being dumped by her rich fiancée, Elizabeth (Cameron Diaz) must return to teaching. She shows movies in class, doesn’t learn the names of her young students, and smokes marijuana during the lunch hour. But when Scott (Justin Timberlake) starts teaching at the school, Elizabeth is instantly smitten. He’s rich, attractive and just got out of a relationship. In order to woo Scott, Elizabeth must raise the money for breast implants, while proving to Scott and the rest of the faculty that she’s a good teacher.

I have to give credit to Diaz – she’s playing a role completely different from anything I’ve seen her do. I’ve never paid much attention to her work, but she was really good in this film. Jason Siegel is also charming as Russell, the gym teacher who has a crush on Elizabeth. Timberlake was a total non-factor for me. His character was such a dope and Timberlake does nothing to make himself noticeable in the role. What should have been done with Timberlake’s character is make his dopiness into more of a joke. They tried to make it a joke at times, but it just didn’t work.

One of the conundrums in films like this one is that the “protagonist” is actually the antagonist when one really thinks about it. Young Adult dealt with this issue far more effectively, whereas Bad Teacher ended up being quite mean-spirited. Lucy Punch plays Amy, a fellow teacher and rival for Scott’s affections. Punch was fantastic at making Amy a genuinely irritating person, but, really, she wasn’t a “bad” person. It was for this reason that I had problems with the final act of the film. I just couldn’t root for Elizabeth, and the ending ultimately wasn’t satisfying at all.

The plot was paper thin and I could see the ending from a mile away. The premise itself was very good, but nothing was done to add depth to the story or even give plausible explanations for the actions of the characters.

I did laugh – quite a bit, actually. There are many very funny scenes, but with all of the problems with the plot, it ended up ringing a little bit hollow. Bad Teacher is available on Netflix.

Now You See Me, 2013, USA

Now You See Me is quite an inventive take on the caper genre. Instead of run-of-the-mill criminals, the police are chasing magicians, who happen to be able to rob banks. I was lucky enough to win advance passes to see the film thanks to Empire Theatres, so I saw it a week and a half before its theatrical release date! The film opens this Friday.

Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), Merritt Osbourne (Woody Harrelson), Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher) and Jack Wilder (Dave Franco) are all magicians with different specialties. They’ve collaborated on an elaborate stage show with an impressive finale: they rob a bank and give the money to the audience. Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) and Interpol agent Alma Vargas (Mélanie Laurent) are assigned to the case, but at every turn, seem to realize that the four magicians are steps ahead of them.

I liked the film, for the most part, but there were some issues. I got the sense that the filmmakers felt that the film was far smarter than it actually was. I was able to figure out what was going to happen next all throughout the film, so it was a little irritating when the cops were unable to deduce what was happening. I think most people will be able to figure out what’s going to happen next as long as they pay close attention.

I also hated the ending, which was nonsensical, especially compared to the rest of the film, which was fairly logic-driven and precise. I won’t say any more about it, but it really took the movie down a notch. Had they done something different with the ending, the film would have worked a lot better than it did.

The performances themselves were very good. The four magicians were fleshed out as best as they could be, and the actors had great moments of banter between them. Eisenberg and Harrelson in particular seemed like they were having a good time. I loved Ruffalo – at times he was delightfully over-the-top and he was tremendous fun to watch. There are some good laughs throughout the film. The actors did have good chemistry!

Honestly, this movie probably isn’t worth seeing in theatres unless you get your hands on some free passes like I did. Just wait until it’s available for rent.

EPIC, 2013, USA

EPIC is a decent film. The animation is gorgeous, and the story is interesting enough to be engaging, but the characters are lacking. I got the sense that this would be the case going in, and, frankly, thought about just renting the movie. However, Christoph Waltz plays Mandrake, the leader of the villainous Boggans. Waltz is one of the VERY few actors whose mere appearance in a film is enough to get me interested in it. To put it simply: I’ll watch any movie he’s in.

After the death of her mother, M.K. (Amanda Seyfried) moves in with her father (Jason Sudeikis), an absent father who is obsessively studying the mysterious Leafmen in the nearby forest. This obsession cost him his marriage and his daughter. Frustrated by her father’s ongoing obsession, M.K. leaves, only to be shrunk by the queen of the forest (Beyoncé Knowles). Given responsibility over a flower bud that is the future of the forest, M.K., along with Ronin (Colin Farrell), leader of the leaf warriors, and Nod (Josh Hutcherson), must protect the bud from the Boggans until it can bloom.

I really enjoyed the story – I thought it was fun, and at times it was quite humorous. Unfortunately, the writers of the film did not develop the characters enough. Each of the main characters were essentially different stock characters. The actors did the best they could with the material they were given, and Farrell and Waltz stand out from the pack. Both were charismatic and their characters were easily the most interesting ones. It’s just too bad they weren’t given more material to work with, because it would have been quite easy to develop both characters further with only a few additional minutes of screen time. I didn’t find anything interesting about Seyfried or Hutcherson’s characters. Frankly, I would have been happy to see Farrell play the sole lead character, but I imagine his tough, stoic character wouldn’t have appealed to children!

I saw the film in 2D, which was possible since I went early in the day, when theatres tend to hold the 2D screenings here in Winnipeg. I can’t comment on the quality of the 3D, but I didn’t feel I was missing anything in 2D. The animation is gorgeous – I loved the contrasts between the lush forest and the dead forest inhabited by the Boggans.

I don’t imagine EPIC will end up being particularly memorable, but it was fun, and, at times very touching. The lush animation makes it worth seeing in theatres!

Taken 2, 2012, France

My parents hadn’t seen either Taken or Taken 2 so over the weekend we rented both. I saw Taken in theatres and thought it was a fun and surprisingly compelling action film. It’s also the film responsible for giving Liam Neeson his current action film career.

In Taken 2, Bryan (Neeson), his daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) and his ex-wife, Lenore (Famke Janssen) are recovering from the ordeal of the last film. Kim has a boyfriend, much to Bryan’s chagrin. When Bryan goes to Istanbul for work, he invites Kim and Lenore, but the family members of the people Bryan killed in the first film want revenge and kidnap Bryan and Lenore. Will Kim be able to rescue them, with only the instructions of her father via mobile?

As one can tell from the summary, it’s remarkably similar to the first film. Essentially the film is about Liam Neeson kicking the crap out of evil Albanian folks who think sex trafficking and kidnapping are cool. If we’re thinking logically – what are the odds of the family getting into the exact same situation again? And – wouldn’t Kim have some pretty severe PTSD symptoms, especially since the events of this film are happening maybe six months after the events of the first film?

But – wait: it’s an action movie. Logic escapes action movies. No, it’s not great, but it managed to entertain me. I wanted to see Liam Neeson act like a complete and utter badass and that’s what I got. The story itself is rife with plot holes, and inconsistencies.

Frankly, I’d just stick to watching the first Taken, which is a pretty fun movie. The second one is still fun, but it ventures a bit too far into the realm of ridiculous. But I was entertained, so it wasn’t all terrible!

Apparently there’s talk of another sequel, which is a stupid idea. Why can’t we just have one-off films anymore? Yes, the first one was a surprise success, but why did they have to go and make a sequel in the first place? I firmly believe that a sequel should only be made if it adds to the first film and/or improves on it. Don’t rehash the first film in order to make easy money! And don’t even think about rehashing it twice. Will we ever see a situation where a film is a surprise success and the filmmakers and producers decide not to make a sequel because they don’t want to jeopardize the integrity of what they created? Maybe I’m just being cynical, but I don’t know if that would happen anymore. And if it did, perhaps the studio would just fire everyone involved and craft a sequel using a new writer/director. It’s a shame, really.

Star Trek Into Darkness, 2013, USA

Star Trek Into Darkness is, without a doubt, the best film of the year so far. It’s fun, thrilling and features some truly great moments between members of its incredibly talented cast. J.J. Abrams did an awesome job directing it and replicating the success of its 2009 predecessor.

After an attack on Starfleet in London, it is determined that John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch), a former Starfleet member, is responsible. Admiral Alexander Marcus (Peter Weller) sends Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and his First Officer, Spock (Zachary Quinto) out to get justice on behalf of those who were murdered. Kirk, Spock and the rest of the Enterprise crew quickly realize that they are very much in over their heads. What must be done to defeat John Harrison?

I’m repeating the advice that I seem to be giving a lot these days: go in blind. I wanted to know as little as possible about the film, but, I did manage to have one of the surprises spoiled for me. One of the downsides of social media, I suppose. Luckily, it was a very minor spoiler, but do what you can to see it as Abrams intended: knowing as little as possible.

While the film did technically open on the 16th, I saw it on the 17th, and it felt like opening night. The IMAX theatre was full, and the audience cheered and clapped at certain moments during the film. I love going to films on opening night because of the pure enthusiasm involved. There’s always a great energy in the theatre.

Star Trek Into Darkness is certainly darker than its predecessor (as evidenced by the title), but the humour that made the last film so delightful is retained. There are many moments that are uproariously funny. The cast has such great chemistry and play so well off each other – especially Pine and Quinto. I loved the way the film explored their friendship. Cumberbatch was brilliant in his role. He’s charismatic, bonechillingly cold and menacing. He was perfectly casted. I’ve been aware of his talent as an actor for a number of years now, so I was thrilled to see him in this film.

I saw the film in 3D, but actually completely forgot that it was 3D after the first sequence in the film (which was fantastically shot). So I guess it goes without saying that the 3D failed to impress me. See it in 2D if you are able to. Aside from the lackluster 3D, the visual effects are beautiful. There’s one sequence that takes place in space that is extraordinary.

I left the theatre feeling the great rush and enthusiasm that comes from seeing a fantastic summer blockbuster. I can’t wait to see Star Trek Into Darkness again.