50/50 was released on September 30, 2011. It was written by Will Reiser, directed by Jonathan Levine, and stars Joseph-Gordon Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, and Bryce Dallas-Howard.
Cancer is a horrible thing. You, and everyone you know has been affected by cancer. Will Reiser, the film's writer, is very unfortunate, in that he suffered from cancer. He decided to write about his experiences, adapting them to film. That's this film. It's poignant, powerful, and very eye-opening, showing us how cancer patients live with their disease, until they get rid of it, or it kills them. Also, this film is a comedy.
I mean, come on, Seth Rogen's in it, you know it's gonna be a comedy. He does a superhero film, it'll be a comedy (a bad one at that). Now, to be fair, this film technically is a dramedy, favouring the comedy side. When this film wants to be dramatic, that's where you get the poignant, the powerful, and the eye-opening.
The film is about Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a young man who works at a radio station, who is diagnosed with a rare type of spinal cancer. He begins treatment, receiving support from his best friend Kyle (Seth Rogen), his girlfriend (Bryce Dallas Howard), and his mother (Angelica Houston), who is also supporting Adam's father, (Serge Houde) an Alzheimer's patient. He also begins seeing a therapist assigned to him by the hospital, young Dr. Katie McKay (Anna Kendrick), as well as making friends with two older, wise-cracking cancer patients (Philip Baker Hall and Matt Frewer).
Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a good actor, and here, he's still good. Something I've always noticed about him is that he rarely does angry, but when he does, he's great. He is angry here, as he is suffering from cancer. It's really interesting to see. The only other film I recall him doing angry was (500) Days of Summer, and he wasn't terribly angry in that, whereas in this film, he does full out angry. And when he isn't angry? He's still great. Quite frankly, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is one of the best actors of this generation. Bogart, Nicholson, De Niro, Gordon-Levitt.
The other actors are great as well, Seth Rogen in particular. He's doing his typical comedy routine, which he is very good at. You see that his character does care for his friend, while still being hilarious. Anna Kendrick, I find, is great at being giddy, naive, and way under her head, but trying to keep her cool. That perfectly describes her role in this film. She's a young doctor, who deals with cancer patients. Not an easy job. It's a great role for her, as it seems like that;s the kind of person she is in real life. Her performance reminded me of her character in Up in the Air, very naive and young, in a tough situation. Bryce Dallas Howard also did a good job, playing Adam's artsy girlfriend. You'd believe that she's an artsy chick, and I do.
The writing of this film, based on writer Will Reiser's life, is very heartfelt, and funny at the same time. The comedy is absolutely hilarious (you don't realize how many funny situations you can get involved in with cancer and weed), but the film is also beautifully heartfelt. Admittedly, by the end of the film, it becomes a bit cliched, but it does keep a good amount of tension as we head into the end of the film. The directing is also good, suiting the film perfectly.
Overall, this was a nice little heartfelt film that a lot of people can enjoy. While it can be a bit cliche, the films needs this to keep audiences hopeful. Overall, I give this film an 8.5/10. Check it out if you want. It's an Oscar season comedy, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen. It can't be that bad.
P.S. This was filmed in Vancouver, Seth Rogen's hometown, and my new town. Awesome.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Monday, September 19, 2011
Drive
Drive premiered at Cannes Film Festival on May 20, 2011, before being released on September 16, 2011, in the United States and Canada. It was written by Hossein Amini, based on the book Drive, by James Sallis, directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, and stars Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Christina Hendricks, Ron Perlman, Oscar Isaac, and Albert Brooks.
WARNING: While there will be no spoilers in this review, I will be talking about the end of the film in detail, without spoiling anything.
Goddamn, I love Oscar season. Even the films that don't get nominated are good (which, unfortunately, is probably the case with this film). You've got art on one side, highly intelligent films on another, excellent biographies, and then the bad films. But no one cares about those films, simply because you've got all these other films to choose from. I love Oscar season.
And this film is sheer proof of that. Warrior was a very good film, and the first of Oscar season I saw. This is 10 times better. Not only is this a damn good film, but it's the best film I've seen this year. Seriously.
Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan are actors, that while very good, I've never really cared about. To be honest, I haven't seen a lot of what they done, and I'm not really intrigued with the majority of their work, mostly Carey Mulligan. Recently, I have been showing more interest in Ryan Gosling, but the majority of his work is indie films, that are hard to find. I will find more of his films though, and I have decided to now pay attention to Carey Mulligan as well, as she is now doing films I do find interesting. If you can't tell, this film changed my opinion of them. Both of them were TREMENDOUS, working with so little too. No, the writing was not bad, it was actually very enjoyable. But these two characters don't have a lot of lines throughout the course of the film, Ryan Gosling's character (we'll call him Driver, as he has no name) has, supposedly, less than 20 lines in the entire film. Carey Mulligan has what seems to be a bit over 20 lines in the entire film. Every other character (aside from Christina Hendricks, but we'll get to that later) has more lines then them.
Driver is very reminiscent of film noir characters, Clint Eastwood's Man With No Name, and Steve McQueen, at just how cool he can be at some points. He plays a stunt driver by day, and a getaway driver by night. He meets Irene (played by Carey Mulligan), a young mother, with a husband in jail. They start to fall in love, but eventually, the husband is released. He intends to go straight, but has to pay protection money to people he knew in jail, and they want him to do a job for him. Driver offers to do the job with him, telling the people they're doing the job for that after this, his debt is over. The reason why Driver is doing this is because he genuinely cares for this family. Not just Irene, but her husband and child as well. He's a very quiet character, which contributes to his performance greatly. He should be nominated for an Oscar, but probably won't be, like many other parts about this film. Irene is also very quiet, but a different kind of quiet. Her quiet is calm, and trusting. It's a great performance from her as well.
The rest of the cast does good as well, Bryan Cranston and Ron Perlman being the other stand out performers. Ron Perlman, unfortunately, has a small role, so he isn't seen much. However, whenever he is on scene, he steals the scene. Bryan Cranston, famous for his Emmy-winning role on Breaking Bad, does a great job here as Shannon, Driver's boss/mentor/friend. He evokes this sympathy of sorts, so that every time we see him, we feel sorry for him, without really knowing why. It's quite chilling. Now, you may be wondering with my earlier remark about Christina Hendricks. She is fourth in the cast list, which she shouldn't be, due to her extremely small role in this film. Was she important? That's arguable. Overall, I'd say that her role could almost be cut out of the film entirely. She is fourth in the cast list because she's a very famous actress, who was used extensively in the trailers. Also, she is extremely attractive, which I'll admit, for the entire 4 minutes she was on screen, was enjoyable.
Speaking of Christina Hendricks, this film was violent (spoilers?). Damn violent. There wasn't a lot of violence, but when there was, my god, it was violent. But I must commend this, because not only was it violent, it was realistic. People get a shotgun to the head, they fly to the ground. A man gets his head kicked in repeatedly. There is skull and brain everywhere. I know, I just turned some people off of this film. But I just had to talk about the violence.
One of my favourite things about the film was the script. It didn't use a lot of dialogue with the two main characters, using silence a lot. I like this. Silence isn't used a lot in film nowadays. Did it work all the time in the film? No, but for the majority of the film, it worked superbly. It was very good writing, and definitely deserves an Oscar nomination, and I do believe that this film will get a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. The directing was also good. I love the choice to make this film look like a modern day film noir. It works greatly to the film's advantage, making it one of the better thrillers today.
This is the bit about the ending. The ending is both ambiguous, and yet, reminds me of the ending of Thelma & Louise. That film, despite being in all actuality, depressing, was very uplifting, and left us cheering for the two characters, despite of what was to come. This film does the same, but much more ambiguously. We see a certain fate for Driver, but he just keeps on going. It's hopeful, but realistically depressing, like Thelma & Louise, and yet ambiguous. Damn good ending.
Overall, this film was superb. The best film of the year so far, and leaves me excited for The Ides of March, Ryan Gosling's other film this year. I give this film a 9.5/10. If you want to check it out, check it out. But, be wary of the violence.
P.S. My only real problem with this film, the reason why it isn't a perfect 10/10, there weren't enough driving action sequences. I can think of 2, when they're should've been at least 4. My only major problem with this film.
P.P.S. I saw a trailer for a film starring Johnny Depp, about him being a journalist in Puerto Rico. I think Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. His character takes a copious amount of alcohol, and starts to see things. Fear and Loathing. I see that it's based off of a book written by Hunter S. Thompson. I think sequel. (In all actuality, no, it's not a sequel to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, but I'm gonna think of it as a spiritual sequel.)
WARNING: While there will be no spoilers in this review, I will be talking about the end of the film in detail, without spoiling anything.
Goddamn, I love Oscar season. Even the films that don't get nominated are good (which, unfortunately, is probably the case with this film). You've got art on one side, highly intelligent films on another, excellent biographies, and then the bad films. But no one cares about those films, simply because you've got all these other films to choose from. I love Oscar season.
And this film is sheer proof of that. Warrior was a very good film, and the first of Oscar season I saw. This is 10 times better. Not only is this a damn good film, but it's the best film I've seen this year. Seriously.
Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan are actors, that while very good, I've never really cared about. To be honest, I haven't seen a lot of what they done, and I'm not really intrigued with the majority of their work, mostly Carey Mulligan. Recently, I have been showing more interest in Ryan Gosling, but the majority of his work is indie films, that are hard to find. I will find more of his films though, and I have decided to now pay attention to Carey Mulligan as well, as she is now doing films I do find interesting. If you can't tell, this film changed my opinion of them. Both of them were TREMENDOUS, working with so little too. No, the writing was not bad, it was actually very enjoyable. But these two characters don't have a lot of lines throughout the course of the film, Ryan Gosling's character (we'll call him Driver, as he has no name) has, supposedly, less than 20 lines in the entire film. Carey Mulligan has what seems to be a bit over 20 lines in the entire film. Every other character (aside from Christina Hendricks, but we'll get to that later) has more lines then them.
Driver is very reminiscent of film noir characters, Clint Eastwood's Man With No Name, and Steve McQueen, at just how cool he can be at some points. He plays a stunt driver by day, and a getaway driver by night. He meets Irene (played by Carey Mulligan), a young mother, with a husband in jail. They start to fall in love, but eventually, the husband is released. He intends to go straight, but has to pay protection money to people he knew in jail, and they want him to do a job for him. Driver offers to do the job with him, telling the people they're doing the job for that after this, his debt is over. The reason why Driver is doing this is because he genuinely cares for this family. Not just Irene, but her husband and child as well. He's a very quiet character, which contributes to his performance greatly. He should be nominated for an Oscar, but probably won't be, like many other parts about this film. Irene is also very quiet, but a different kind of quiet. Her quiet is calm, and trusting. It's a great performance from her as well.
The rest of the cast does good as well, Bryan Cranston and Ron Perlman being the other stand out performers. Ron Perlman, unfortunately, has a small role, so he isn't seen much. However, whenever he is on scene, he steals the scene. Bryan Cranston, famous for his Emmy-winning role on Breaking Bad, does a great job here as Shannon, Driver's boss/mentor/friend. He evokes this sympathy of sorts, so that every time we see him, we feel sorry for him, without really knowing why. It's quite chilling. Now, you may be wondering with my earlier remark about Christina Hendricks. She is fourth in the cast list, which she shouldn't be, due to her extremely small role in this film. Was she important? That's arguable. Overall, I'd say that her role could almost be cut out of the film entirely. She is fourth in the cast list because she's a very famous actress, who was used extensively in the trailers. Also, she is extremely attractive, which I'll admit, for the entire 4 minutes she was on screen, was enjoyable.
Speaking of Christina Hendricks, this film was violent (spoilers?). Damn violent. There wasn't a lot of violence, but when there was, my god, it was violent. But I must commend this, because not only was it violent, it was realistic. People get a shotgun to the head, they fly to the ground. A man gets his head kicked in repeatedly. There is skull and brain everywhere. I know, I just turned some people off of this film. But I just had to talk about the violence.
One of my favourite things about the film was the script. It didn't use a lot of dialogue with the two main characters, using silence a lot. I like this. Silence isn't used a lot in film nowadays. Did it work all the time in the film? No, but for the majority of the film, it worked superbly. It was very good writing, and definitely deserves an Oscar nomination, and I do believe that this film will get a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. The directing was also good. I love the choice to make this film look like a modern day film noir. It works greatly to the film's advantage, making it one of the better thrillers today.
This is the bit about the ending. The ending is both ambiguous, and yet, reminds me of the ending of Thelma & Louise. That film, despite being in all actuality, depressing, was very uplifting, and left us cheering for the two characters, despite of what was to come. This film does the same, but much more ambiguously. We see a certain fate for Driver, but he just keeps on going. It's hopeful, but realistically depressing, like Thelma & Louise, and yet ambiguous. Damn good ending.
Overall, this film was superb. The best film of the year so far, and leaves me excited for The Ides of March, Ryan Gosling's other film this year. I give this film a 9.5/10. If you want to check it out, check it out. But, be wary of the violence.
P.S. My only real problem with this film, the reason why it isn't a perfect 10/10, there weren't enough driving action sequences. I can think of 2, when they're should've been at least 4. My only major problem with this film.
P.P.S. I saw a trailer for a film starring Johnny Depp, about him being a journalist in Puerto Rico. I think Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. His character takes a copious amount of alcohol, and starts to see things. Fear and Loathing. I see that it's based off of a book written by Hunter S. Thompson. I think sequel. (In all actuality, no, it's not a sequel to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, but I'm gonna think of it as a spiritual sequel.)
Monday, September 12, 2011
Warrior
Warrior was released on September 9, 2011. It was written by Gavin O'Connor, Cliff Dorfman, and Anthony Tambakis, with story by Gavin O'Connor and Cliff Dorfman, directed by Gavin O'Connor, and stars Joel Edgerton, Tom Hardy, Jennifer Morrison, Frank Grillo, Nick Nolte.
Since Rocky Balboa was released in 2006, a new sub-genre has been forming in sports movies, the fighting film. The Wrestler, The Fighter, and now this, Warrior, are some of these films that have come out of this. They're all about different types of fighting. Rocky Balboa and the Fighter concerns boxing, the Wrestler concerns wrestling, and Warrior concerns MMA (mixed martial arts). This is the first film I've seen, in this sub-genre, or film in general, about MMA. I don't know much about MMA, and I've never found it particularly interesting. I intended to skip this film, until I learned that Tom Hardy was one of the stars, alongside Joel Edgerton, an actor who I have never heard of. (Upon doing some research, I learned that the only film I know him from is Star Wars Episode II and III, where he played the young version of Luke's uncle.) Tom Hardy is one of my favorite actors, and I'll watch anything he does. Including this.
In this film, we meet brothers Brendan and Tommy Conlon, played by Joel Edgerton and Tom Hardy, respectively. They are both the children of an abusive and alcoholic father, (Nick Nolte), and a dead mother. They were both trained as fighters by their father, Tommy being the favorite. When the family split up, Tommy went with his mother, and Brendan stayed with his father. The mother died, and Tommy joined the Marines, serving in the Middle East. Brendan stayed, got married, became a UFC fighter, had two children, and became a high school physics teacher. When Tommy comes back home, he goes to his father, looking for training. Brendan is 3 months from losing his home, and decides fighting could bring money into his home. They both (separately) hear about an MMA tournament called Sparta, destined to find the best MMA fighter in the world. It's in Atlantic City, is only two nights long, and the winner takes home $5 million. They both get in, not knowing the other is in, with Tommy being the favorite to win, and Brendan being considered the underdog.
The interesting thing about this film is we have two protagonists, we like both of them, we want both to win, and the film doesn't have a favorite either. That's what makes this film so amazing, and makes it stand out in the fighting sub-genre. It was an incredibly smart move, and makes this one of the best films I have seen this year. Without a doubt, this film will be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture next year.
The acting was terrific, with Tom Hardy being singled out as the best performance in this film, and the best I have seen this year. While it is too early to say if he will win Best Actor at the Academy Awards, he will certainly be nominated. Joel Edgerton also does a tremendous job, but he is more subdued than Tom Hardy, who just goes all out. I'm not sure if Joel Edgerton will be nominated for Best Actor, but he could be. We'll just have to wait and see. Another actor that also does a great job is Nick Nolte, playing the recovering alcoholic father. He's got this real desperation about him. All he wants are for his two sons to accept him, and he conveys it perfectly. I think he could be nominated for Best Supporting Actor.
Gavin O'Connor is a director I have never heard of. Upon doing some research, I realized I know none of his films. I have never heard of any of them, let alone seen or review them. So, this was my first experience with Gavin O'Connor. It was a good experience. He is a great director, and an even better writer. How he was able to make us care for not one, but two people is phenomenal, especially when they're so different. He did a terrific job, and he better get a nomination for Best Director next year. Also, his choreography for the fight scenes was terrific. Like I mentioned earlier, I know nothing about MMA, so for all I know, this may have been the fakest looking fight choreography ever put on film. But to me, it looked absolutely brilliant. The moves these actors had to go through, the punches, the kicks, the strangleholds. Brilliant, absolutely brilliant.
Overall, I loved this film. It genuinely surprised me with how good it was, and I am glad to say this was my first film of Oscar season. I am truly happy with this film, and I recommend it to anyone. I give it a 9/10.
P.S. It's Oscar season. Time for the good films.
P.P.S. For any followers of the list, I apologize for my lack of updating it. I am now at university, and I am finding I have no time to watch these films. I will continue the list, but my output will become much slower. Also, my due date, August 5, 2015, is probably a bit short for me, considering my new limitations, so I'm getting rid of that limit, and will finish this list whenever it is finished. Keep reading people. :)
Since Rocky Balboa was released in 2006, a new sub-genre has been forming in sports movies, the fighting film. The Wrestler, The Fighter, and now this, Warrior, are some of these films that have come out of this. They're all about different types of fighting. Rocky Balboa and the Fighter concerns boxing, the Wrestler concerns wrestling, and Warrior concerns MMA (mixed martial arts). This is the first film I've seen, in this sub-genre, or film in general, about MMA. I don't know much about MMA, and I've never found it particularly interesting. I intended to skip this film, until I learned that Tom Hardy was one of the stars, alongside Joel Edgerton, an actor who I have never heard of. (Upon doing some research, I learned that the only film I know him from is Star Wars Episode II and III, where he played the young version of Luke's uncle.) Tom Hardy is one of my favorite actors, and I'll watch anything he does. Including this.
In this film, we meet brothers Brendan and Tommy Conlon, played by Joel Edgerton and Tom Hardy, respectively. They are both the children of an abusive and alcoholic father, (Nick Nolte), and a dead mother. They were both trained as fighters by their father, Tommy being the favorite. When the family split up, Tommy went with his mother, and Brendan stayed with his father. The mother died, and Tommy joined the Marines, serving in the Middle East. Brendan stayed, got married, became a UFC fighter, had two children, and became a high school physics teacher. When Tommy comes back home, he goes to his father, looking for training. Brendan is 3 months from losing his home, and decides fighting could bring money into his home. They both (separately) hear about an MMA tournament called Sparta, destined to find the best MMA fighter in the world. It's in Atlantic City, is only two nights long, and the winner takes home $5 million. They both get in, not knowing the other is in, with Tommy being the favorite to win, and Brendan being considered the underdog.
The interesting thing about this film is we have two protagonists, we like both of them, we want both to win, and the film doesn't have a favorite either. That's what makes this film so amazing, and makes it stand out in the fighting sub-genre. It was an incredibly smart move, and makes this one of the best films I have seen this year. Without a doubt, this film will be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture next year.
The acting was terrific, with Tom Hardy being singled out as the best performance in this film, and the best I have seen this year. While it is too early to say if he will win Best Actor at the Academy Awards, he will certainly be nominated. Joel Edgerton also does a tremendous job, but he is more subdued than Tom Hardy, who just goes all out. I'm not sure if Joel Edgerton will be nominated for Best Actor, but he could be. We'll just have to wait and see. Another actor that also does a great job is Nick Nolte, playing the recovering alcoholic father. He's got this real desperation about him. All he wants are for his two sons to accept him, and he conveys it perfectly. I think he could be nominated for Best Supporting Actor.
Gavin O'Connor is a director I have never heard of. Upon doing some research, I realized I know none of his films. I have never heard of any of them, let alone seen or review them. So, this was my first experience with Gavin O'Connor. It was a good experience. He is a great director, and an even better writer. How he was able to make us care for not one, but two people is phenomenal, especially when they're so different. He did a terrific job, and he better get a nomination for Best Director next year. Also, his choreography for the fight scenes was terrific. Like I mentioned earlier, I know nothing about MMA, so for all I know, this may have been the fakest looking fight choreography ever put on film. But to me, it looked absolutely brilliant. The moves these actors had to go through, the punches, the kicks, the strangleholds. Brilliant, absolutely brilliant.
Overall, I loved this film. It genuinely surprised me with how good it was, and I am glad to say this was my first film of Oscar season. I am truly happy with this film, and I recommend it to anyone. I give it a 9/10.
P.S. It's Oscar season. Time for the good films.
P.P.S. For any followers of the list, I apologize for my lack of updating it. I am now at university, and I am finding I have no time to watch these films. I will continue the list, but my output will become much slower. Also, my due date, August 5, 2015, is probably a bit short for me, considering my new limitations, so I'm getting rid of that limit, and will finish this list whenever it is finished. Keep reading people. :)
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