Behind on reviews again, argh
#58: Epic - A teenager finds herself transported to a deep forest setting where a battle between the forces of good and the forces of evil is taking place. She bands together with a rag-tag group characters in order to save their world -- and ours. [imdb]
The previews for this movie were very pretty, so when the thing I actually wanted to see last weekend turned out not to have opened here yet, this was the alternative both parties could agree to see. It was, indeed, very pretty, and a fun little romp through the forest, but not much more. It was one of th rare films that was much stronger towards the end than the beginning, where I felt the pacing was kind of off. I also didn't like the design of the human faces; something was weird about the noses and brows, not just on the leaf people but on the actual humans.
Anyway, it's not astonishing or mentally taxing, but it's a nice watch.
#59: Stories We Tell - In Stories We Tell, Sarah Polley plays with the documentary format to explore the nature of memory and storytelling, crafting a thoughtful, compelling narrative that unfolds like a mystery. [rottentomatoes]
I was led to this film by my existing fondness for Sarah Polley and some intriguing reviews. It was an interesting experience to watch, knowing a little something about it but not the whole story, and being conscious of the meta-level dialogue (not a hidden theme, it's right there in the text). The more you think about it afterwards, the more parts of the tapestry you see. Still, I get the feeling that more of that could have been explored had the film not been so personal a story -- but then, if it weren't so personal, it wouldn't have the same impact.
Since the summary I chose didn't mention it, this is actually a documentary about Polley's family history and some surprising secrets that came to light. Polley puts the camera on her closest family members, exposing the process as well as the people. Much of the time, she just lets it sit in silence. There's even a debate within the film about the right way to show and tell (must go deeper!). She blends re-creation with family footage and it is not at all obvious which is which. Towards the end, you get to see some of that process, and a lot more was re-enacted than I expected. They found some seriously good dopplegangers.
It's not a must-see in theatres, but I would recommend checking it out if this might be your kind of thing.
#60: Superbad - Two co-dependent high school seniors are forced to deal with separation anxiety after their plan to stage a booze-soaked party goes awry. [imdb]
I always meant to talk more about the stuff I watch on cable in this series. Oh well. This one makes the cut because a) I was catching up on posts anyway, and b) it was so dumb, oh my god, so dumb. This kind of thing is why I don't see a ton of comedies in theatres. I actually spent a lot of this one playing a game on my phone while "watching" (conversely, one reason I prefer go to theatres: they force me to focus).
I flipped to it because I'd never seen it before, it hadn't yet started, and people seem to reference it a lot, so I figured it was about time. Sure, there was amusing dialogue, but I was done with Jonah Hill's character by about ten minutes into the thing. Stupid boy hijinks: not my thing.
#61: The East - An operative for an elite private intelligence firm finds her priorities changing dramatically after she is tasked with infiltrating an anarchist group known for executing covert attacks upon major corporations. [imdb]
You REALLY shouldn't click this cut if you are planning to see the movie, and you should be planning to see the movie!
The East is the latest gem from the creative team that pings all of my happies, Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij. Once again, they've created a film with a thought-provoking story as backdrop to intense character work. In this case, the plot is a bigger part of the picture, more complex and, thankfully, better sewn together. The scope is broader and the cast is bigger. It's a long movie and it feels that way sometimes, but not in a bad way; you want to see it through the touchpoints set up early on.
As you would hope from something with a summary such as above, the situation plays out in a complex way, with depth on both sides of the picture. It's not a simple loyalty-switching game; your sympathies cannot rest so easily with one side or the other, and Marling is so skilled at showing that tension and internal conflict. It stays away from formula and uses audience expectations to advantage. Marling's character is phenomenal.
HERE'S THE SPOILERY PART, LAST CHANCE TO RUN AWAY
I really didn't have much to complain about except for the ending, which is sort of a joke on me. With both Another Earth and Sound of Her Voice, I remember being irritated at the abruptness of the ending. In this movie, I wish it had been left abrupt, with the final shot of Jane and the data card, rather than showing what she did with it. The explanation painted too much of a happy ending gloss over the movie; it changed the tone a lot, and I would have been so mad at not knowing, but really, I would've been happier for it. That is my only real complaint.
If those two could just keep making movies together, that would be really great for me. :-D
The previews for this movie were very pretty, so when the thing I actually wanted to see last weekend turned out not to have opened here yet, this was the alternative both parties could agree to see. It was, indeed, very pretty, and a fun little romp through the forest, but not much more. It was one of th rare films that was much stronger towards the end than the beginning, where I felt the pacing was kind of off. I also didn't like the design of the human faces; something was weird about the noses and brows, not just on the leaf people but on the actual humans.
Anyway, it's not astonishing or mentally taxing, but it's a nice watch.
#59: Stories We Tell - In Stories We Tell, Sarah Polley plays with the documentary format to explore the nature of memory and storytelling, crafting a thoughtful, compelling narrative that unfolds like a mystery. [rottentomatoes]
I was led to this film by my existing fondness for Sarah Polley and some intriguing reviews. It was an interesting experience to watch, knowing a little something about it but not the whole story, and being conscious of the meta-level dialogue (not a hidden theme, it's right there in the text). The more you think about it afterwards, the more parts of the tapestry you see. Still, I get the feeling that more of that could have been explored had the film not been so personal a story -- but then, if it weren't so personal, it wouldn't have the same impact.
Since the summary I chose didn't mention it, this is actually a documentary about Polley's family history and some surprising secrets that came to light. Polley puts the camera on her closest family members, exposing the process as well as the people. Much of the time, she just lets it sit in silence. There's even a debate within the film about the right way to show and tell (must go deeper!). She blends re-creation with family footage and it is not at all obvious which is which. Towards the end, you get to see some of that process, and a lot more was re-enacted than I expected. They found some seriously good dopplegangers.
It's not a must-see in theatres, but I would recommend checking it out if this might be your kind of thing.
#60: Superbad - Two co-dependent high school seniors are forced to deal with separation anxiety after their plan to stage a booze-soaked party goes awry. [imdb]
I always meant to talk more about the stuff I watch on cable in this series. Oh well. This one makes the cut because a) I was catching up on posts anyway, and b) it was so dumb, oh my god, so dumb. This kind of thing is why I don't see a ton of comedies in theatres. I actually spent a lot of this one playing a game on my phone while "watching" (conversely, one reason I prefer go to theatres: they force me to focus).
I flipped to it because I'd never seen it before, it hadn't yet started, and people seem to reference it a lot, so I figured it was about time. Sure, there was amusing dialogue, but I was done with Jonah Hill's character by about ten minutes into the thing. Stupid boy hijinks: not my thing.
#61: The East - An operative for an elite private intelligence firm finds her priorities changing dramatically after she is tasked with infiltrating an anarchist group known for executing covert attacks upon major corporations. [imdb]
You REALLY shouldn't click this cut if you are planning to see the movie, and you should be planning to see the movie!
The East is the latest gem from the creative team that pings all of my happies, Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij. Once again, they've created a film with a thought-provoking story as backdrop to intense character work. In this case, the plot is a bigger part of the picture, more complex and, thankfully, better sewn together. The scope is broader and the cast is bigger. It's a long movie and it feels that way sometimes, but not in a bad way; you want to see it through the touchpoints set up early on.
As you would hope from something with a summary such as above, the situation plays out in a complex way, with depth on both sides of the picture. It's not a simple loyalty-switching game; your sympathies cannot rest so easily with one side or the other, and Marling is so skilled at showing that tension and internal conflict. It stays away from formula and uses audience expectations to advantage. Marling's character is phenomenal.
HERE'S THE SPOILERY PART, LAST CHANCE TO RUN AWAY
I really didn't have much to complain about except for the ending, which is sort of a joke on me. With both Another Earth and Sound of Her Voice, I remember being irritated at the abruptness of the ending. In this movie, I wish it had been left abrupt, with the final shot of Jane and the data card, rather than showing what she did with it. The explanation painted too much of a happy ending gloss over the movie; it changed the tone a lot, and I would have been so mad at not knowing, but really, I would've been happier for it. That is my only real complaint.
If those two could just keep making movies together, that would be really great for me. :-D