Beginning a new Chapter

Okay, so this blog is primarily for movie reviews, but there are so many other things that might be worth posting about that I am deciding here and now to devote this blog entirely to tossing flowers or throwing eggs at pretty much anything. In short, I am going to be observing my surroundings.

I think this qualifies as an official transfer from my old blog, jpstudent.blogspot.com, to this one.

A brief history, for the record: I am a film maker and watcher. When you see those overpriced editions at the store that say "collectors's edition DVD box set", that's for me. I'm also Catholic. Not one of those Hollywood-hating, Jesus-junk, or generally-poor-story-comprehension Catholics, either. I'm the cool one.

Observing My Surroundings was pretty much the coolest blog nobody knew about 4 years ago. Then I went to JPCU and actually WAS a JP Student, and became so consumed with life & stuff that I accidentally stopped blogging.

While at school I met and became engaged to the female version of myself, so you might be seeing some words of wisdom from this lovely creature as well.

Look out, world. Here we come.

The Proposal

This was a great example of a film that you ignore the reviews, and go see anyways. The reviews basically said it was predictable and not the right part for Sandra Bulloc. But I thought it was really funny. It was riddled with a great genuine humor. Who cares if we've all seen it before. It's funny.

Star Trek

"It's not your parent's Star Trek". That was one of the marketing tag lines. I was never a Trekkie. In fact, the only other Trek film I have seen was the 1979 "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" film. So this whole world was new to me, a long-time Star Wars fan.
That was going into the theater.
Sitting in a dark room for two hours, after having invested a fortune into the film, Abrams better not disappoint me again.

This movie does not disappoint. I have to say, it almost makes me want to go catch up on my Star Trek lore. Simon Pegg's appearance kept me laughing, the story was worth the action, and I have always been a sucker for things like time travel and alternate realities. This movie has plenty of both.

Ok, now for my complaints and disappointments. I am not a big fan of Zachary Quinto as Spock. All I can see is Sylar from Heroes. Annoying. But as the plot develops and characters start arcing, Quinto fades, and Spock appears. Throughout the film, Spock's emotions continue to surface, which I am told is a contradiction to the old, rigid Vulcan our parents knew. But the filmmakers knew what they were doing, and they carefully acknowledge Spock's emotions, explaining them, and making his struggles with them a key part of the film. Well-handled, I do say.
The other thing was that I didn't like the beginning or the end. Frankly, there was too much action. I was expecting a slower, earth-stuck opening, introducing the characters. But instead it opens with a bang, and never really slows down. But you do get used to it. Once your mind catches up to the pace, the film is very entertaining. The only problem, though, is that they max out their accelarometer in the beginning, so by the time the climactic scene comes on, the action and intensity isn't as impressive as it should be.

Even though the film is about Kirk earning his place in the captain's seat, the story is really Spock's. He is the one who learns the film's ultimate lesson, which is that sometimes you have to do what feels right, instead of following logic. Interesting...

But the film is recommended. Abrams doesn't disappoint. (But can't he hold the camera still for a SECOND?? Even during a CONVERSATION scene!!)

4 out of 5 stars.

Santa Clause

Tis the season to be jolly! With Christmas fast approaching, now is the time to revisit all those holiday favorites!  So many to chose from, so very enjoyable.  One of my favorites is Santa Clause with Tim Allen.  

Santa Clause is the story of Scott Calvin (Tim Allen), he lives life for success, he is divorced and has a son, Charlie.  On Christmas Eve, Scott's ex-wife brings Charlie over to spend the night with his dad.  That night there "arose such a clatter," Scott goes outside, with Charlie close behind him to find Santa on the roof.  Not knowing what else to do, Scott yells up to Santa, causing him to fall off the roof.  Scott and Charlie climb up to the sleigh, Scott, reluctantly puts on the suite and the two embark on a journey to fill all the homes with presents from Santa. 

Charlie has the time of his life, while his dad would rather be at home in bed.  When they finished at the last house, Scott expected to go home, but instead they end up at the North Pole only to find that Scott Calvin is the new Santa Clause.  What a night. The rest of the film is the hilarious transformation of Scott Calvin to Santa Clause and the trouble it causes.

This film is a great holiday movie, its great for the family.  14-years later, I am still laughing! 

I give this movie 4 out of 5 stars.

Match Point

Upper class British drama. takes itself too seriously, and makes Woody Allen look bad. His new found obsession with Scarlett Johansson shows here, where she plays "the other woman" in a rich young tennis-player's life.
Chris Wilton (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) is a tennis player, climbing the ladder of success fast. He falls in love with two women at the same time; Chloe and Nola. But Nola (Johansson) is engaged. So he marries Chloe (Emily Mortimer). But then Nola breaks up with her fiancé, who happens to be Chloe's brother. Upset at his lost chance, Chris has an affair with her. For most of the movie, he does a pretty successful job at lying to cover it up. He is getting the best of both worlds, but complicates it for himself by impregnating Nola. He reassures her that he will break up with his wife, who seems unable to bear child, and seems more like a baby-wanting robot to him than a lover. But each time he tries, he is unable to tell her.
The story continues to spiral downhill, ending in desperation, claustrophobic relationship drama, and murder. There is no redemption, there is no justice. Evil triumphs.
I do not recommend this movie. Woody Allen completely disappoints. And the only thing keeping it going is the shock value every half hour, and waiting vainly for the happy ending. The dialogue, though believable, is very dry.
1 out of 5 stars.

Quarantine

A good way to start the Halloween season. Full of thrilling scares and creepy moments that make it all worth it.

The filming style is very similar to that of Cloverfield. The entire movie is from a news camera perspective. It is presented as discovered footage. But compared to Cloverfield, the camera is slightly less shaky, and the story is easier to follow. The thrills are scarier, and I think it was overall more enjoyable.

On the downside, the scary moments were pretty repetitive and predictable, and the camera was still pretty dizzying. (I don't mind it, but many do). It is very artistic in its own way, starting out with lighter sets, then moving indoors, then being darker, then the power goes out, then they move into the basement, and eventually they have to switch the camera to night vision mode. And somehow, in the crazy, jerky camera movements, there is some very clever and well-thought-out cinematography; some very expressive shots.

Not much can be said for the story or moral premise, as with any horror flick. But it definitely delivers on the expected entertainment value.

With zombie movies I expect zombies. I want zombies to literally be the "Living Dead" or "Undead". It always bothers me when it's really just an infection. In Quarantine, for most of the movie it is diagnosed as something like an extreme case of rabies. Therefore in my mind the killings are only justified because they are in self defense. But at the end of the movie, when the characters who were pretty much definitely dead come back to life, then we have the good old ZOMBIES.

3 out of 5 stars.

Appaloosa

A typical western, there are the bad guys, the good guys, and your leading lady. There is the pub bar fights, the showdowns, the horses, and the amazing scenery.

Appaloosa is the story of two men, the Sheriff, Virgil Cole (Ed Harris) and his Deputy, Everett Hitch (Viggo Mortensen). They come into the small, quiet, seemingly peaceful town of Appaloosa to replace the Sheriff and his Deputy who had been murdered. This seemingly peaceful town is actually a town run through fear of Braggs gang of rugged cowboys. Virgil and Everett are strong, knowledgeble leader-like men. The first thing they do as the sheriff and Debuty of Appaloosa is to go into the pub and take care of a few of Braggs drunk, roudy men. Right then and there we know that Virgil and Everett are not only good at what they do, but they mean business.

Not long into the movie we meet our western's leading lady, Allison French (Renee' Zellweger). She instantly falls in "love" with Virgil Cole, but sadly enough falls in lust with nearly every other man who gives her attention. She constantly needs to be "with" a man. Eventually Virgil becomes ok with this, meaning he is not going to be the one to leave her.

This movie is about friendship, about what is right, about rules, about trust, but mostly about the wild west.

Of course, as in every western, it ends with the cowboy riding off into the sunset.

3 out of 5 stars.

The Shining

Classic horror. Stanley Kubrick stars Jack Nicholson in this thrilling masterpiece. It is a Stephen King book adaptation, with all the usual differences a movie adaptation typically has, and still carries with it Kubrick's unmistakable style; very artistic, very slow, very deliberate and eerie. There is not a lot of blood and guts, but more suspense.

The most well-known moments of the film are really the only ones that make the movie worth the two and a half hours: "Here's Johnny!", says Jack, the hotel keeper who is going insane, due to his long seclusion. "REDRUM!", says the little voice posessing the family's child. And the twin girls that haunt the hotel keep showing up... I lived for those moments when that tricycle would round the corner and see the ghosts standing there.

Some people say it's "funny". I think it's worth it, but I like the weird, artistic style, and I have a soft spot for suspense and classic horror. It's not an intelligent film, but it's entertaining in it's own way. An aquired taste.

3 out of 5 stars.

Martian Child

“Is it okay to be like other people?”

This is the story about a little boy who just doesn’t fit in. But the question is, should he? Which is worse; trying to fit in, or being your bizarre little self? So many times people say, “just be yourself”.

Dennis is a little boy who thinks he’s from mars. He lives in a box to avoid the sunlight. He will eat nothing but Lucky Charms. He takes photos of everything, and steals passports, keys, odds and ends from strangers, because, he claims, he is doing research on our planet so he can take it back to Mars.
The story goes, a writer is brought into the situation. John Cusack writes Science Fiction. Someone thought he would be a good choice to adopt the boy and try to help him, because he can more easily touch upon the sci-fi mind of the child. He adopts the boy, and grows to love him.

At one point, Cusack is speaking to the boy, and voices aloud one of the film’s central points: In this huge, crazy universe, with the planets all rotating around the sun, and the forces of nature at work, and being such small, insignificant beings, it’s amazing to think that any two of us reach out to try to help each other. Why on earth do you need to be from Mars?
Children come to the earth, and it’s so new, it’s like they’re aliens. This is never clearer than this story of a child trying to discover the world in a way that we never thought of before. And it’s a way I believe we should all witness.

There are also a couple instances where they tease your imagination, and pull you into the alien world of Dennis’s imagination. For instance, he says he can taste color; Cusack tests him with some M&M’s, and it appears to be true. It is a very clever way of teasing our fancies, and it really adds a special dimension to the film.

It is a story about the adopting father trying to help the boy, and slowly becoming almost his playmate, but at the same time, learning more than he bargained for. If you watch the movie, I believe you will find yourself in the same fix.
Fascinating, funny, quirky, sweet… this movie is all these.

4 out of 5 stars.

The Prestige

Are you watching closely?

The Pledge:
Many magicians open their shows by letting two birds fly forth from their sleeves, out over the audience. This film is about two theatrical magicians. (Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale) They worked together, but eventually competed against each other, and end up working across the street from each other, each trying to learn the others secrets, and put the other down. A fairly simple story.

The Turn:
But like any magic trick, it is not that simple. In fact, the film is riddled with twists and turns that leave your head spinning, and most people I see walk away from it are not sure if they liked it or not. It has a dark, treacherous taste to it. You feel like you are walking backwards; the more the movie progresses, the more lies are unveiled. Soon you are not sure you know what is going on. True, it is riddled with all the anticipated magic tricks, but they are almost too complex; not unlike the movie. There are tricks involving giant apparatuses and complex machines, there are several emotional relationship issues at stake, being threatened by the magician's competition.
One of the strongest issues addressed is that of obsession. Christian Bale plays a cheating, aggressive, more unlikeable character, who accidentally murders Jackman's wife in a magic trick, but ducks out of it, and forgets "which knot he tied". Jackman loses his wife, his success, his name, and his friends. Bale loses his fingers and his family. But when given the choice, each reveals himself to be concerned more with his work than his life. Scarlett Johansson's character is helping Jackman get the diary of his rival, and he lets slip the line, "I don't care about my wife, I just care about the secret!" She stops in her tracks and stares at him, dumbfounded. He gathers his hat and leaves. (She becomes the "other woman" with Bale's character, later.) It builds to the point where one is willing to kill anyone, even himself, just to win. As Jackman says, "There's nothing like seeing the faces".

The Prestige:
You can't just make something disappear; that's not a trick. That's annoying. You have to bring it back. But you have to keep your audience guessing. When Michael Caine's character brings home what he claims to be "real magic", the show owner says, "you have to give the audience something to doubt it. You can't just show them magic." The film successfully delivers, but it's delivery is in a style that somehow rubs the wrong way. It doesn't feel right. It is a great film, brilliantly written. But be careful; it's not afraid to get its hands dirty. It tends to sneak up behind you.

Watch closely.

3 out of 5 stars.