Davina wrote:

I finally managed to watch The Usual Suspects the other day. Really liked this movie. I am a big Spacey fan anyway and Gabriel Byrne is just great. Loved pretty much everything about the film. Clever, brilliantly acted, well-written, great camera work, good use of music etc. Well worth watching if you have never done so.

Oh god yes, "The Usual Suspects" is one of my all-time Top Ten favourite movies...! I'll never forget how this film blew me away at the cinema, I loved - and still love - every single moment of it. The cast is brilliant, the screenplay is a masterpiece - and not just because of the mind-boggling last three minutes. Director Bryan Singer did something really special here, definitely the best film he ever did.
 

The Third Man was one of the very first properly adult-themed films that I ever saw. It is pretty much a masterpiece.

On a completely different note I went to see The Avengers: Age of Ultron. Not at all bad for a Superhero/action movie thing. Hopefully this is a spoiler-free revue. Very noisy. Bit confusing with the whole Hawkeye/Black Widow storyline. I am not usually impressed much by FX but they are really good in this film, especially one bullet-time sequence. The straight, good old-fashioned stunts were very, very impressive (and far too easily taken for granted with so much CGI nowadays). Sadly, the film lacked any real emotional punch with two good story lines which should/could have had this impact (they tried but failed to achieve it) although another unexpected turn of events worked quite well. Leading an audience on until they think they now what is going to happen and are already miffed about it only to pull the carpet from under them is effectively used here. Humour was used to good effect and the cast generally seemed to be having a blast. Very pleased to see Paul Bettany which almost made up for a lack of Tom Hiddleston.

We watched a very interesting movie last night with Colin Firth in it called Genova released in 2008.

It also starred Catherine Keener, an actress who I have followed for some time now and seems to always choose quirky roles (I know her best from her work with Steven Soderbergh's Full Frontal, but she is probably better known for Being John Malkovich).

It was a very small project and not released in the US in theatres (only in DVD in 2011 after The King's Speech's Oscars) and I can't find any records on the internet of how it did in non-domestic North American markets (it was released theatrically in foreign markets but seemed just to mainly do the film festival circuits rather than do a wider release).  

It isn't a commercial film that's for sure.  Shot in an almost pure hand-held, "home movie" style it has a rough quality about it that just wouldn't go down big with a wide audience (it reminds me of Full Frontal in this way).  That isn't to say it is amateurish - not at all!  It has great depth and care in every shot.  The director, Michael Winterbottom (who also co-wrote the screenplay), is a veteran of being nominated for a Palme d'Or at Cannes and is responsible for a couple of very fine films including Welcome to Sarajevo, The Shock Doctrine and A Mighty Heart).  

This film tells the story of a teacher (Firth) whose wife dies in a car accident while driving on an icy road with her two children.  We find out very quickly that the youngest daughter was responsible for the accident (which is the first unconventional aspect of this film - there are many more) but it wasn't malicious - just a immature 9 year old being impulsively silly and willful.  This tragic event has tremendous ripples of effect on everyone in the film in many different ways.  The father is not privy (nor does he ever become) to the secret of what the younger daughter actually did (cause the death of her mother) - he thinks her behaviour after the accident is just survivour guilt and tries his best to help her cope with the loss of her mother (he is very sympathetic and understanding and even has sought professional help for her in the form of counselling).

The older sister, while not betraying the younger one's secret, makes sure her sibling knows that she ruined the family (and her in particular) and acts resentful and sullen about the all-encompassing sympathy that the nine year old receives from the father. 

Firth's character is lonely, sorrowful, and searching for some normalcy in his life. 

He accepts a teaching position in Genova Italy and moves his family there.  He meets up with an old lover/colleague from Harvard (Keener) who is eager to get closer to him and his family.  But the tensions within and outside the family (from being in a totally foreign environment) bring about obstacles throughout the film. 

I loved how the acting was so natural and the eerie atmosphere (achieved through unusual camera angles and a super clear sound track that exaggerated even the slightest of sounds).  Firth was perfect as the dedicated father trying desperately to keep his daughters close to him and protect them from any dangers.  The two girls were spot on as his daughters - Willa Holland as the sometimes snotty, resentful teen who is pushing the boundaries of her father's love and understanding and Perla Haney-Jardine as the haunted, precocious younger daughter.  

Keener also shines as the pal who pushes too much and too fast to worm her way into this troubled family's life. 

This isn't a "thriller" in the normal sense.  There isn't the usual frantic pace you would expect in a Hollywood movie.  But this film is rife with tension and intense moments that almost leave you breathless at times.  When Firth is charging through a darkening woods screaming out his missing youngster's name, straining to see if she is there - you can't help but feel terror in your heart that he will never find his lost little girl.  When Mary (the youngest daughter) wakes up crying in a night terror with the hidden guilt from causing her mother's death - you know she is truly a haunted child. 

Anger, loss, guilt and loneliness is clearly on display and evident on screen in the story and in the acting in this film.

It isn't a tidy story but it isn't a complete tragedy either.  It probably is one of Firth's finest performances.  Yes, I think I have seen enough of his work to say it is definitely the best work he has ever done.  Not that you will even find it on Box Office Mojo in the list of his movies.  Pity... more people should have seen this.

Highly recommended by me.

-Val


 

So my friend and I decided to go through a few weeks of catching up on recent historical films one or both of us hadn't seen yet, to just 'delve' into that period mindset for a bit and see them all at once.  Side note - hard to do for too long before feeling heavy from all the (in general) oppressive stories!    Important/true/needed stories from past, but regardless still a bit much after a while.  All of them good though… starting earlier with 'Belle', then forward to '12 Years a Slave' and 'Lincoln', then 'The Imitation Game' (goodness, it was great seeing that one again), then convinced him to let me continue the 'historical/Benedict' theme with the copy of 'Parade's End' I finally got.      About halfway through, now, and it's… interesting.  Love Ben in those period roles, though.  Heck, if we hadn't already seen 'Amazing Grace' ages ago, would have fit in well, too!

Since most of those have their own threads and already know how incredible they were (although I didn't count on, despite hearing all the chatter about, HOW good yet emotionally disconcerting '12 Years' was…   or how impressive Daniel Day-Lewis was as Lincoln…) I just wanted instead to give a moment of praise to 'Belle'.

Probably not as 'big'/well-known a movie as the others, and certainly not its story in history, which is fascinating.  It wasn't atypical in the 1700/1800's for a mixed-race child to be born of a slave and a white partner, but it was different that Dido Elizabeth Belle's father found her and took her in to be raised and live with his well-off family - who had also taken in her orphaned white 'cousin'.  It's fascinating she was treated mostly as an educated equal than a maid, yet still struggled with barriers her cousin didn't, and especially interesting happenstance of influence that her great-uncle was the Chief Justice who ruled negatively on a few cases relating to slavery.  Fantastic acting, beautiful, and well-told… but Ah-chie already wrote a great review on all that a few pages back that I don't have much to add to. 

It's just such interesting circumstances of her life for the times, and treated like family to the point where she was included in a portrait with her cousin, which is what inspired the movie.  Imagine coming across this painting, and wondering what on earth the story was behind it:


It is unusual… not only two girls of different race, but of equal positioning, although Belle is behind, and almost darting out of the picture with more action than usual, and struck by her differently playful pose?  But her cousin has the more typical sedate formality, and extending hand on in equal affection.  Just a really neat piece of history.  Highly recommend it, too.

Aww.. thanks Val..  sometimes think I ramble too much, sorry, and you already brought up/reviewed the movie, so just wanted to mention basics and a couple cool extras about having seen it, and some other good movies saw lately, to chime in.  Really, I'm not that big of a history buff… I like some of those films, and periods, but some are hard to watch, like I said.  I'm just lucky to have a good movie friend who's really into that, and sometimes we just so happen to get in a certain 'phase' of films.  We had been talking Game of Thrones, and the similarities of medieval history and political/royalty power plays, and he found out I had somehow never caught the 'Elizabeth' movies.  Said I simply had to (and that part of history and the movies were really neat), and that kind of started our recent 'phase', since we had both been curious about Belle and it was a logical jump, then to go on from there to 'hey, there's several other recent historical flicks hadn't seen yet, we might as well just go in order'.  Since it kind of innocently veered towards 'Benedict historical flicks' (hey, he IS great at those, and my friend agrees! ;D), I may see if there's any interest to get him to see 'Hawking' next! 

I don't really watch movies twice either (too much else to watch!) except in the case of some time going by and loving it enough and watching with a friend who hadn't gotten to see it yet (such as some of the above examples).  Man, I certainly agree about DDL, and Gugu, though!  I could watch that one again, just to re-absorb everything, but I'm not so sure about '12 Years', as huge as it felt, and it's entire cast.  I agree that the cast in Belle was great as well, although the young male suitors just didn't have as much depth.  Did you recognize Tom Felton as one of them, though?  I was so amusedly surprised to see his name in the credits, having only remembered him as a boy from Harry Potter, and not grown up!

Ack, but don't tell me too much about Parade's End, yet!    We're halfway through… hopefully finish our upcoming movie night.  I like it a lot, but also find the flow of the story and feel of it strange at times, for lack of better word.  Think I need to wait and just see after it all plays out, although the actors are certainly something else.
Thanks for the banter about all those, though!

Aw, thanks.  I know it's not a bad trait, just sometimes think there's a balance with that, and getting to the point. 
Tom Felton was the rude young suitor, I believe.  I don't know about the 'super fan' thing?  I only watched a couple of the movies, back when, enough to catch his name as the blond slick-haired boy antagonist to Harry.  Just one of those neat things not rightaway noticing a child actor all grown up.  I agree though, Gugu pretty much dominated her scenes.  It was so neat seeing her again after my first brush with her in 'Touch' with Keifer Sutherland, which was part of the reason I wanted to see it.

Gah… and that is some serious re-watching!    What in the world movie was that?  I love seeing a favorite again with a friend, but even with tv shows I like, can only see the same thing over again so much.  If it's the kind of movie that's really twisty or puzzling the first time around, though……  'Cloud Atlas' was one of those.  Oh, and this other crazy different, beautifully artsy film 'Upside Down' - need to watch that one again with a friend after seeing it a week ago, to get it better.  Anyone who likes something really artistically different, and a love story based in a fantastical sci-fi world, might like it.


'Upside Down' is one of those beautiful but weird movies that presents you with a love story and social statement wrapped in a completely different than usual world, and is just so darn earnest about it, regardless of whether you can put scientific logic aside and just enjoy the visual ride.  I was trying to think too much with it, in between being 'wow' at what they were doing, that a second viewing would help to just enjoy the story.  Basically, there are these twin planets caught in each other's gravity and orbit the sun together, but have their own gravity, and whichever side you're born on, you're stuck there (with some other rules and physics explained in movie).  The spot where they are closest (that doesn't rotate, apparently) is notable for the huge (and only) skyscraper that houses TransWorld corporation, built up from both sides (which are called Up Top and Down Below, very original), and meets in the middle.  Of course, one side's city has flourished, while the other side is exploited and in poverty (thanks to TransWorld!). 
Thus starts with our Romeo and Juliet (played by a great Jim Sturgess and Kirsten Dunst), who happen to meet while wandering at the top of mirrored mountain peaks on opposite sides, and start to fall for each other, trying to figure out ways to be together.  Cue various gravity experiments, danger, TransWorld difficulties, and as you can guess, a ton of amazing dual gravity/dual world visual effects.  Really, a big part of the movie is just the awesome looking dual world thing, and the message of 'opposites' in world and love conquering.  Timothy Spall also stars, perfectly curmudgeonly, but Jim and Kirsten really carry it.  Different, but a fun little film.

Last night we watched Whiplash on Netflix.  I can certainly see why J.K. Simmons won for BSA at the Oscars!  A real standout of a performance. 

I loved the overall feel of the movie and the director, Damien Chazelle, had a very delicate hand with all the performers - especially the younger ones. 

I also loved how the movie didn't end when I thought it was going to - the final scenes of the film were what made it something out of the ordinary.  Both Dan and I puzzled over the final scenes for quite a while and finally I went to the internet to seek out any analysis I could to see what others had to say about it.

I found one unusual article about it, from The Atlantic - here's the link -

http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/10/the-ethics-of-whiplash/381636/

I am not sure I agree fully with the writer's critique but I can certainly say there are a lot of valid points contained within it for me.  Which didn't make me like the movie any less - just gave me more admiration for the director who took a stand and presented it in the best, most entertaining way he could.

I don't need to agree with everything about the philosophy behind a film to admire it. 

I highly recommend this film.

-Val

Everyone must see Inside Out.
Take tissues and a blankie.
Trust me on this one.

tonnaree wrote:

Everyone must see Inside Out.
Take tissues and a blankie.
Trust me on this one.

 
Oh, I saw a trailer for this one yesterday. Looks very promising , definitively going to watch it when it starts here in October.
I saw the Minton movie yesterday. It was... well... OK, but overall disappointing by comparision to Despicable Me. But at least the cinema was air-conditioned  .

stoertebeker wrote:

I saw the Minton movie yesterday. It was... well... OK, but overall disappointing by comparision to Despicable Me.

Well, what could ever compete with this: