The Graduate

Hoffman makes very real the apathy-overpowering-ambition feelings of just graduating and having to jump-start your life.  They worked well to define the interests that begin to take up his time--the stir-of-the-moment decisions, the desires that we all either indulge or fight to keep at bay.  Visually stimulating eccentric shots and angles add to the uncomfortableness-yet-delight in the new.  The end was a severe case of cutting the apron strings, which in a way gives the audience the freedom to do the same in less extreme measures...  This film classic was one of few that I've seen so far that I've been able to both appreciate the filmic elements that made it famous AND fall in love with it as a piece of art. 

Oh, and I totally forgot how much I love Simon & Garfunkel.

Five.

Amelie

Who couldn't love this movie?  The quick narrative intros give worth to the most mundane interests, and the characters are so idiosyncratic that I fell instantly in love with all of them.  The film brought out all the big guns to make this a feel-good movie--the warm, soft lighting combined with the bright colors made it a visual playground.  The random-acts of kindness for the most absurd people, the reinforcement of love in all forms, the quirky habits that make this a wild-yet-relatable world we wish we could be a part of--they all render the movie an insta-hit in the hearts of anyone who believes in hope and love (and most likely those who don't, either).

Maybe I'm raving a bit too much.  I don't know if everyone would love it--but I certainly did.  I was completely strung along with the narrative twists, letting myself get lost in the operational aesthetic.  It's full of charm and strange-yet-familiar story-telling techniques that were all-around delightful.

five.

Twilight

First, I feel like I need to give a disclaimer as to why I even watched this film: 

You're most likely aware already that the Twilight saga has skyrocketed on the pop culture lists--especially among teeny-boppers.  Well, apparently it's also spread to the early college-aged students, I think because we're on the fringe of the adult transition and can still, in some ways, relate to the intense high school emotions that Bella experiences. 

At first I scorned the thought of reading Twilight.  I had no intentions of doing so, and therefore had no intentions of seeing the film (because I generally like to do things in that order). 

However, with its rise in popularity (and my recollection of when the same thing had happened with Harry Potter--and how I had finally succumbed and loved the series more than the ones who pushed me to read it), I decided to look down my nose and sneer no longer.  I borrowed the books, and dove in with only a smidgeon of distaste. 

The books are not fabulous--but they are addicting.  The first two are the most difficult: Stephanie Meyer has an obsession with set-up and pay-off (as do I, no fault there), but she lays it on way too thickly and doesn't allow much guessing room. 

The turn over to the third book also came with the first surprise for me as the reader--and then I was hooked.  I obsessively finished the last two in the series, and then felt oddly satisfied and even--shudder--protective of the books.  I acknowledge that it's still cheesy-as-hell, and that the end is all cop-out, happy-ending for all, but I'm a sucker for "happily ever after"--even if it does involve vampires and all other ssorts of mythological folklore.  Don't they deserve a happy ending, too?  ;)

It was decided--while I was still in the remnants of obsessive phase, I needed to see the film.  I went by myself--partly because I couldn't find anyone to go with, and partly because I wanted to experience it alone (for a little bit of the embarrassment is still there).

I give the director a lot of credit--she almost exclusively used close ups, using the intimacy of it to string the viewer along with heightened emotional involvement--mirroring the intensity of Bella and Edward's relational pulls and escalated, end-of-the-world feelings.  She sometimes employed strange, circling shots that dipped and swerved and zoomed to extend a scene, but also to give us the same uncomfortableness that Bella feels when she discovers Edward is a vampire.

The special effects could have been better handled, but I think overall they were rather pleasing.  The climactic fight scene was surprisingly well done--my major complaint being that the entire film employed cuts galore, usually reserved for action sequences.  The unorthodox nature of all the cuts to and from close ups made want to scream STOP! so I could just look for a while. 

The narrative...well, it was based on a 500 paged book, so undoubtedly it couldn't be perfect.  But the "main" events were packed together so quickly that it was hard for me to believe the two lovers when they delivered their melodramatic lines.  They  didn't show the relationship enough for me to be convinced.  And the lines themselves look better on paper than they sound spoken aloud.

I shudder to think that they plan on making the other three movies--not that I didn't enjoy those books more (because I definitely did), but they get so unbelievably complex and...weird, that I think it would be nigh impossible for the films to be taken seriously.

For now, I am content to have seen movie magic bring some of the elements of Twilight to life, and feel more satisfied overall than with some other movie adaptations, but it still fell short.

three.

The Women

 The movie covered all the margins within the marginalized standpoint of women—the working mother, the independent can’t-hold-a-man-because-they-fear-her-success, the black lesbian, and the educated woman who is in an “equal” marriage that quickly falls apart in an affair (with the trashy gold digger).

The film was supposed to be an invitation to women everywhere to share inside jokes and knowledge about what it means to be a woman—going as far as to completely exclude men from the cast. That is, until the very last scene where the newborn baby boy is held up—a la Lion King—and floats through the cloudy background as if he’s a gift from heaven.

I admit there were a few moments where I fell into the story and felt the smugness that was (I assume) supposed to be present through the whole film, no doubt because there were countless women working on the film, so inevitably there would be some things that would ring true.

The potential that I felt develop about an hour into the film turned more into a make-over for the suffering woman and a not-so-subtle message that a woman looks and dresses well in order to do well. Heels, hose, and plastic surgery give women the strength they need to move forward, get over a man—and find another.

The dialectical tension that plagues some women (like me) between being successful and independent, and being domestic and a mother, came to a melodramatic climax that lifted up both sides and revealed that, essentially, both sides have to be present to feel whole. The scene was handled poorly, and mostly made it all seem as if it was a joke and not necessarily the point of the film.

Halfway into the film I started to feel bored, because as much as I love being a woman, and as much as I believe that women deserve more than we generally receive, and as independent as I am, I still have to acknowledge that we are only half of the human race. Despite my belief that women can do it all, I felt myself missing the male presence in this film. (On principle, though I can do it on my own, it doesn’t mean that I necessarily want to do everything without a man).

With the ending, however, I felt smarmy and disgusting as I realized that WANTING the man’s presence is EXACTLY what the film was trying to create—and that the baby boy at the end is the culmination of the entire film’s pent up frustration. It’s secretly saying, “C’mon, girls—really? Look at your lives—forgive the cheating husband, settle down with a man, have another baby—because that’s the joy of being a woman! Do we really need all this fighting and raging for women’s rights? We have everything we need right here! Men really are our gift from heaven.”

Overall, the film was not empowering—and actually made me believe that we are in a backlash against feminism because we clearly live in a post-feminist utopia.

Disappointing. Frustrating. I think it had great potential, but failed miserably to meet it.

I really wanted to like the film, but just couldn’t.

three.

Festen

I watched this at four a.m. the night before a massive final--which may have escalated my reaction from mild attachment to deep emotional bereavement, but I doubt it. This film was delightfully horrible to watch. The emotional bombshell was a shock, but not as shocking as the family's response--which was to generally ignore the comment ad continue the party as if life were normal and not laden with dark life-ruining secrets. The experience was aching, painful, disgusting, vengeful, liberating...and unfortunately all too real.

five

Tyttonen

I know it's been forever since I last updated. It's okay, though. I haven't abandoned the film world--or film critiques. I'm building my film literacy, and my ability to critique it. I still plan to write in here more often. But i'm not promising.

Anyways:

Tyttonen

This short film was AMAZING. It was heart-felt enough to be hopeful, but it was serious enough to know that the hope is ever twinged with sadness. The framing was lovely and consistent, but what really made me fall in love was the ever-so-subtle accent of tyttonen's red sweater, drawing the parallel, but also reinforcing her love and her youth.

five.

Watch it.

Nim's Island

two and a half

This film was delightfully engaging, though a tad unrealistic. I think it's a shame that they felt the need to make the story so overly-ridiculous just to create adventure. I think the concept could have held its own without the "screaming at the heavens in vain" scene or the outrageous survival tactics. The adventure-film-turned-romance was another unfortunate twist.

Of course, the filmograhpy was lovely and creative, no doubt made easy by the beautiful and exotic location.

The Big Break

Okay, I admit it: I've watched many movies since February...and no, I have not blogged about them. It's partly because I'm lazy. It's partly because I've watched more movies than I could keep track of. And it's partly because I don't feel qualified to write film critiques.

But now I'm determined to start again.

Sliding Doors

four.

Fantasizing about destiny, the film plays with the question, "what if?" While "what if" statements are generally discouraged because "nothing can be done now," Sliding Doors helps us realize the unexpected impact that every minuscule choice and action has on our lives. I just wish that the intriguing plot wouldn't have turned into two separate love stories.

This strange and unique story raises serious questions and plot holes, but it was definitely fun to watch.

Hairspray

three and a half.

The performances were surprisingly authentic in this B-movie-turned-pop-culture-classic that made fun, yet serious, statements about race and size.

I'll have to admit, though, that John Travolta as a woman really creeped me out.

Stranger Than Fiction

four.

I knew I would love this movie as soon as I saw the previews. I thought the idea was creative and unique, making us step outside our own stories and wonder if we should fight how it's currently being written.

Brokeback Mountain

four.

I finally got over my embarrassment about renting this film and spent Friday evening watching this incredibly emotional flick.

I didn't believe the relationship between Ledger and Gyllenhaal (not of their characters, but in their performance), but the performances of the wives and the parents were disturbingly authentic.

I think what was most uncomfortable was realizing that our own desires (whether forbidden or not) have the potential to destroy our lives and, even more disturbing, the lives of those closest to us and whom we love.

Cloverfield

three

I tried to go into this movie without any expectations, but the constant bickering over what this movie was or wasn't between two close friends made that impossible.

I think the idea was unique, daring, and unusual, but I'm not sure it was executed well. The film attempts to make a statement about those involved in media (devout followers will surely know leagues more about this film than the average movie-goer because of the extra information offered online unavailable to those just watching the movie). It was different to watch in a first-person type narrative rather than a third-person omniscient (if that parallel to literature can be made), but the constant shaky movement of the camera made me nauseous.

Props for an incredibly different spin on the age-old Giant Monster movie, focusing on the individual humanity as opposed to epic tragedy.

No props for a movie that literally made me want to vomit.

Girl With A Pearl Earing

three and a half.

I can't say that this movie was fulfilling to watch, but I enjoyed the experience. I'm generally against watching a film adaptation without first reading the book, and I know still that the book is probably a lot better, but I haven't finished it yet and a suite-mate rented it, blah blah blah. However, I think having a basic understanding of the plot and seeing another's vision and interpretation will be really helpful for my own reflection.

The movie production was bizarre, but I liked the artistic vision it created. At first it was disconcerting to watch the transition shots, expect them to move a certain way, and have them go entirely against the status quo. After a while I really appreciated it because the camera movements shed light--literally--on the world and works of Vermeer.

My Girl

four.

I'm a bit biased about this movie, as I grew up watching it almost everyday.

Vada Sultenfuss grows up in a funeral home with her widowed father and grandmother. She is very confused about death, continually coming up with new ailments that she believes she has contracted. Her best friend is Thomas J., and his death is something she struggles to both understand and cope with. It's a great story of first love and loss and the adolescent understanding of reality.

The film is direct, which is what makes it so easy to connect with. Vada, while eccentric, still forces [not unpleasantly] us to empathize and view the world with her. Her troubles to express her soul in creative writing doesn't translate into the actual film -- we embark on her journey with her and are fully immersed.

The Namesake

four.

First off: I love Indian culture. I've always been fascinated - ever since I studied India in fourth grade. I think the people are beautifully unique.

This film was a wonderful glimpse into the difficult adjustments that immigrants have to make to make a successful existence. Their children, born and raised in a different culture, struggle to find a balance between who they are and who they want to be. Their son, Gogol (Nikhil), named after the Russian author his father reveres, spends most of his life rebelling against his parents and his heritage. It takes a family tragedy to give Gogol a sense of self and his namesake.

While I think that the director attempted to fit too much into a two hour movie, the sincerity of emotion keeps us enthralled.

War (Rouge's Assassin)

one and a half.

I'm not much of an action movie buff, but I can usually at least stay attentive. This film failed to hold interest, I found myself wishing for it to be over - twenty minutes in! The script was badly written, the plot twist was so outrageous as to not be believable, the transitions were repetitive, and the action scenes were overdone.

The film failed to capitalize the talents of Jason Statham and Jet Li, with unfortunate results.

Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium

three.

Molly Mahoney is the insecure store manager of Mr. Magorium's magical toy store. The eccentric store owner decides it's time for him to depart and gives the store to Mahoney. The cast is diverse and unique, and like most children's movies the film is intent on teaching the magical power of imagination and letting the playful nature in oneself flourish.

Overall, I really enjoyed the movie. The story was unique, and the not-so-subtle symbolism was still effective. The emphasis on tapping into inner-strength teaches us how life -- and art, and creativity, and music -- are critical to fulfillment of potential and finding happiness.

Meant for the child in all of us.