When it comes to movies, disturbing ones have never been my thing. In a genre of their own, most of these "shock" movies try to be more disturbing than the last, forgetting about simple cinematic needs, like plot and dialogue. What intrigued me about Dogtooth, was that it was apparently a very good movie, that so happened to be disturbing, so i decided to give it a watch.
Having no background information on the movie, I quickly realized that Dogtooth was a foreign film, with english subtitles. While I don't mind reading subtitles, this may be off putting for some viewers. Not as off putting as the movie itself.
The movie starts off with a very awkward sex scene. Not a dramatized, strategically shot hollywood sex scene, but a vey realistic (may actually be real) sex scene. The movie then proceeds to get weirder and weirder. Near the beginning, I was wondering if I would be able to make it through this movie.
We find out that the movie is centered around a very different family. The parents keep their 3 children (2 girls, 1 boy) completely isolated from the outside world. They are kept in a combine with no outsiders allowed, and no signs of the outside world. While this may sound like a pretty overdone premise, no film interpreted this isolation the way that Dogtooth has done. Dogtooth looked at the sacrifice that the parents go through in order to keep their children away from the outside world, and how the children do not behave in any socially normal ways.
Dogtooth is gripping. There are scenes that will make you cringe, laugh, or even be shaken by the families behaviour, but these scenes will keep you thinking. I you can overcome the disturbing subject matter, then there is quite a good movie lying underneath
4/5
Sunday 14 April 2013
Friday 12 April 2013
Midnight in Paris
Throughout my life, my parents had warned me about Woody Allen movies. When they were young, they went and saw "The Purple Rose of Cairo", and walked out because it was so awful. This disdain for Woody Allen movies had been passed down to me at a young age, even though I had never watch one of his movies. During the 2011 Academy Awards, I tried to watch all of the best picture nominations, and Midnight in Paris was one of them. It was time to watch my first Woody Allen movie.
From the opening credits, i could tell this movie was going to be special. The film starts with 4 minutes of beautiful shots of Paris, set to a wonderful Parisian soundtrack that plays for most of the movie. Allen is known to bring out the best in cities, such as New York and Spain, and you can tell his admiration for Paris by the shots he chose for his openning credits. Another thing I noticed very early in the movie was that Woody Allen attracts great actors. Midnight in Paris had Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard, Cathy Bates, and Adrian Brody. This movie was shaping up well.
As the movie progressed, I kept falling deeply, deeply in love with Paris. The scene that sticks in my mind the most was a very philosophical conversation while exploring the grounds of Versailles. This conversation centered around the concept of golden age thinking, which is as stated in the movie as "the erroneous notion that a different time period is better than the one ones living in". This thought leads in perfectly when the movie takes a very interesting plot twist.
While on a bit of a drunk expedition around Paris, Gil (Wilson), gets lost and takes a a break. When the clock stikes midnight, he is approached by a very old car, and the people inside ask him to come drink with them. He soon realizes that these people are idols of his, from the 1920's. Throughout his adventures, he meets the Fitzgeralds, Ernest Hemingway, and Gertrude Stein among others.
After returning to his dream period of history, Gil is faced with a decision: live his life in the past and escape reality, or return to his life and live it the best he can.
Midnight in Paris is a wonderful movie. Enjoyable from beginning to end, witty, funny, and even thoughtful. A movie that you can watch numerous times and still laugh, and that people will enjoy no matter what kinds of movies they like. I now understand why Woody Allen is so famous.
5/5
From the opening credits, i could tell this movie was going to be special. The film starts with 4 minutes of beautiful shots of Paris, set to a wonderful Parisian soundtrack that plays for most of the movie. Allen is known to bring out the best in cities, such as New York and Spain, and you can tell his admiration for Paris by the shots he chose for his openning credits. Another thing I noticed very early in the movie was that Woody Allen attracts great actors. Midnight in Paris had Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard, Cathy Bates, and Adrian Brody. This movie was shaping up well.
As the movie progressed, I kept falling deeply, deeply in love with Paris. The scene that sticks in my mind the most was a very philosophical conversation while exploring the grounds of Versailles. This conversation centered around the concept of golden age thinking, which is as stated in the movie as "the erroneous notion that a different time period is better than the one ones living in". This thought leads in perfectly when the movie takes a very interesting plot twist.
While on a bit of a drunk expedition around Paris, Gil (Wilson), gets lost and takes a a break. When the clock stikes midnight, he is approached by a very old car, and the people inside ask him to come drink with them. He soon realizes that these people are idols of his, from the 1920's. Throughout his adventures, he meets the Fitzgeralds, Ernest Hemingway, and Gertrude Stein among others.
After returning to his dream period of history, Gil is faced with a decision: live his life in the past and escape reality, or return to his life and live it the best he can.
Midnight in Paris is a wonderful movie. Enjoyable from beginning to end, witty, funny, and even thoughtful. A movie that you can watch numerous times and still laugh, and that people will enjoy no matter what kinds of movies they like. I now understand why Woody Allen is so famous.
5/5
Monday 8 April 2013
Lost in Translation
The daughter of Francis Ford Coppola, director Sofia Coppola had some very big shoes to fill. During the early stages of her directing career, Sofia Coppola didn't get much respect for her directing skills, mostly due to her father funding her projects. This changed in 2003 when she came out with Lost in Translation.
Lost in Translation centers around an over the hill actor, Bob Harris (Bill Murray), and a newlywed, Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), who are both visiting Japan. Bob is getting paid 2 million dollars to endorse a whisky, and Charlotte is following her husband who is there to do a photo shoot with a band. Bob and Charlotte are both lost in their respective lives, searching for something that will point them in the right direction. They meet each other in the hotel bar, and develop a very interesting emotional relationship.
Both Murray and Johansson play such full bodied characters that it is tough for me to see them playing other roles. Murray adds a bit of well timed, subtle comedy while Johansson plays the perfect blend of ditsy, yet endearing. They have such amazing chemistry together, that you forget that they had over 30 years in age difference. Throughout their short stay in Japan, Bob and Charlotte learn so much about themselves while being together, and they will benefit from their brief encounter for the rest of their lives.
This film is meant to be personal. My interpretation of this movie will be different than anyone else's, and I think that is what I enjoy most about it. Lost in Translation is my movie, and nobody can take that away from me. One of the last scenes is Bob saying goodbye to Charlotte in a busy market, and Bob whispers something inaudible to Charlotte that deeply effects them. This scene is what makes this movie. You can make up whatever you feel appropriate to end this movie. It is your personal film.
From the cinematography, to the dialogue, to the acting, Lost in Translation is perfect, however, my version of Lost in Translation will be different than yours. My favourite movie, and I hope you can enjoy it as much as I do.
5/5
Lost in Translation centers around an over the hill actor, Bob Harris (Bill Murray), and a newlywed, Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), who are both visiting Japan. Bob is getting paid 2 million dollars to endorse a whisky, and Charlotte is following her husband who is there to do a photo shoot with a band. Bob and Charlotte are both lost in their respective lives, searching for something that will point them in the right direction. They meet each other in the hotel bar, and develop a very interesting emotional relationship.
Both Murray and Johansson play such full bodied characters that it is tough for me to see them playing other roles. Murray adds a bit of well timed, subtle comedy while Johansson plays the perfect blend of ditsy, yet endearing. They have such amazing chemistry together, that you forget that they had over 30 years in age difference. Throughout their short stay in Japan, Bob and Charlotte learn so much about themselves while being together, and they will benefit from their brief encounter for the rest of their lives.
This film is meant to be personal. My interpretation of this movie will be different than anyone else's, and I think that is what I enjoy most about it. Lost in Translation is my movie, and nobody can take that away from me. One of the last scenes is Bob saying goodbye to Charlotte in a busy market, and Bob whispers something inaudible to Charlotte that deeply effects them. This scene is what makes this movie. You can make up whatever you feel appropriate to end this movie. It is your personal film.
From the cinematography, to the dialogue, to the acting, Lost in Translation is perfect, however, my version of Lost in Translation will be different than yours. My favourite movie, and I hope you can enjoy it as much as I do.
5/5
Wednesday 3 April 2013
The Watch
Despite having a promising cast and a great premise, The Watch turned out be a flop. Even with having a pre conceived notion about the movie, after finishing my viewing, I couldn't help but wonder what everyone disliked about it.
Sure The Watch wasn't as funny as it could have been, and sure it was thematically erratic, but the purpose of the movie was to entertain and I for one, was entertain.
The Watch had the stars Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Johah Hill, and newcomer Richard Ayoade, who all seemed to have good chemistry. The problem about having a lot of stars in this movie is that there was not enough dialogue for each character to really develop. Jonah Hill, probably the best actor of the bunch, was barely even noticeable throughout the movie.
If I were to find a comparable movie, I would have to say it is a less polished version of KickAss. Both films try to balance comedy with intense action, I just feel like The Watch missed the balance just a little bit.
The Watch was not a perfect movie, but I laughed at quite a few parts, and actually enjoyed the story as well. Entertaining movie.
3.5/5
Sure The Watch wasn't as funny as it could have been, and sure it was thematically erratic, but the purpose of the movie was to entertain and I for one, was entertain.
The Watch had the stars Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Johah Hill, and newcomer Richard Ayoade, who all seemed to have good chemistry. The problem about having a lot of stars in this movie is that there was not enough dialogue for each character to really develop. Jonah Hill, probably the best actor of the bunch, was barely even noticeable throughout the movie.
If I were to find a comparable movie, I would have to say it is a less polished version of KickAss. Both films try to balance comedy with intense action, I just feel like The Watch missed the balance just a little bit.
The Watch was not a perfect movie, but I laughed at quite a few parts, and actually enjoyed the story as well. Entertaining movie.
3.5/5
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