Dark Shadows Review

*Poster for the motion picture "Dark Shadows"*

Dark Shadows is a great example of what not to do in just about every way conceivable for a film, including my approach to watching it. First off, it is probably worth noting that this film stemmed more from Johnny Depp's desire to put a contemporary spin on Dark Shadows more so than it was Tim Burton's desire to work on it; also, the film saw multiple writers before being finished, therefore adding to it's unfortunately haphazard nature. But before I go any further, I just want to note quick that I have decided to write my reviews from my perspective now rather than a neutral, more traditional journalism style perspective; this is after all a blog, and it has only just recently made more sense to me that I in fact 'blog' my point of view rather than write as if I have been doing this for years already, or have any formal education in film (some Art History classes yes, but hardly a qualification for film criticism I'm sure).

*WARNING: This review may contain spoilers*

So I approached this movie as a last resort on a Saturday evening indoors, with the night coming to a close; neither me nor my girlfriend decided we wanted to go to bed yet, and just about nothing else available to watch for free on one of our many movie outlets was of any interest to us that we hadn't already seen. I knew someday I would get around to watching this movie, but had been putting it off for as long as possible given how few good things I had heard about it, and to be fair the film does have it's share of humorous moments. However things take an irreversible turn for the worst about a third of the way through the movie, when it quickly becomes realized that it isn't going to A.) make as much sense as one would hope, and B.) be enjoyable beyond a few brief chuckles. It was hard not to laugh at the movie as it went from an interesting tale of a recently unearthed vampire reconnecting with his kin, to a twisted lifetime style movie about a woman who couldn't get the man she wanted. It is riddled with the most over-abused cliches one could imagine a film of it's ilk be riddled with. It doesn't help that given the creature frenzy going on right now in cinema: i.e. The Twilight Saga, Beautiful Creatures, & every Zombie movie of this millennium so far, that Dark Shadow's has zero originality beyond that of what Tim Burton brings to the table through his directing, and even that originality is compromised through the undying ugliness of the 70's culture fused with blues and purples. Yes, I did say ugliness of the 70's. I'm an 80's person when it comes to retro, and not that I dislike the 70's (I actually credit that decade with birthing some of the greatest music ever written), but the fashion hasn't made a strong and lasting comeback for a reason...it's just doesn't mesh well with anything outside it's own decade.

Where the film's most promising lays deep in just what hurt the rest of the movie too much to bare...the beginning, where we are given a path that clearly hints at a love interest in Bella Heathcote's character Victoria, one of the best cast examples of Burton's signature style with her skeletal figure and dark features like that of a Gothic porcelain doll. She enters into the life of the Collins family as a governess, which after finding out how Depp's character Barnabas Collins has been imprisoned in a casket for 200 years, gives you some fantasy love story to bite on, but as most good vampires will see to it, you won't see this fantasy love story down a good road, as the film sucks all the interest of this love affair out of it's run time in favor of putting Depp front and center and casting aside just about every other actor in favor of the bigger names. Michelle Pfiffer is given way more of a role than necessary, and Grace-Moretz, who can be considered an up and coming star for future Hollywood, has screen time which seems to exist merely for that fact alone. Her character not only feels like a jumbled mutation of young angst and the wasted 70s culture, but also a bad example of both, with *spoilers* a slice of werewolf thrown in. I mean literally sliced in, like, the last fifteen minutes of the film this plot twist is thrown in, assuredly to wake up whoever almost fell asleep in the audience. Forget anyone who already has, they had the right idea when it started. *end spoilers*

Perhaps it wouldn't be so easy to pick on parts of this film if it wasn't for it's level of disappointment. The sophistication and even the humor which it put forth at times was burned even worse by the lack of understanding that occurred somewhere during it's development. Someone clearly had the idea that the film itself didn't need to pay homage to the TV show, but rather fit in with the rest of the gang. Like The Lone Ranger, most younger people these days I'm sure have never heard of Dark Shadows before this movie's release, and just like the Lone Ranger I'm sure this film has much more in common with it's contemporaries rather than the source material it was inspired by. That's an easy and depressing way to get some serious heat from critics as well as spread the word fast that your film may not be worth the price of admission; simply for the fact that it has been a time tested mistake since the blockbuster boom of the 80's. Radical remakes only work when everything experiences a great level of TLC, and the film's vision is shared on a whole by all involved. But then again who am I? I'm no critic, just a big movie fan. I've never seen an episode of Dark Shadows and I've never published anything in an official magazine, book, or publication of any sort. Yet, it doesn't take any of those things to figure out that continuity and logic will please any movie goer despite their taste in film merely for making the experience easier to ingest on a whole. Dark Shadows, does not do this, and on top of a rather confusing script, the cherry on top is the pacing, which is all over the place (so it's really more like a cherry on the side, or maybe even just shy of the glass). Sometimes when you feel that the movie should take a little more time to let a moment settle in, it decides to say "Nope, you've seen this cliche before...so let's just rush this one, done! Onto the next scene!", Then other segments in which it just makes sense to switch gears in order to allow for some time to pass more realistically, are completely overlooked (like an angry mob being instigated by the film's antagonist, and then quickly jumping to them arriving at the Collin's mansion only a minute later in the film instead of taking an extra two or three minutes to work on some character development before the mob arrives).

Perhaps the films strongest weakness though, was in it's choice of villains. Angelique the witch, played by Eva Green couldn't be a sadder -and harder to sympathize with- villain. Perhaps this wouldn't have been a problem had their been so many times in the film were it's alluded to that their romance just might work out...which was nonsensical given earlier plot points. Barnabas could have killed her character many times, instead opting every time to carry on the film much longer than the plot merited. The film tries to make it seem like their is a constant attraction existing between the two, as Angelique is supposedly eternally in love with Barnabas  and Barnabas in return loathes her; yet they make love in perhaps one of the worst and corniest love scenes a movie like this could offer up, after all Angelique put Depp's character through: being buried for over 200 years because he didn't want to be with her. This alone should be reason enough to say no to any intimate encounter. Why would his character have to wrestle so much with such a simple decision? Also, given he was cursed by her into becoming a vampire... oh yeah, and watching his loved one plummet off a cliff under her command; one would see this as a hugely stacked deck against Angelique in the revenge department. It is highly illogical that one would ever, and I mean ever, consider this woman a love interest even after death, even for purely animalistic reasons. Instead the movie makes a chauvinist out of Depp rather than a cat and mouse game of the film between the two. Starting from scratch instead of reworking a script like this one would've clearly been the better route to take at the end of the day, as everything suffers in some way instead, including the audience. 

Lastly, the husband, or whatever he is, of Michelle Pfiffer's character, and Dr. Julia Hoffman, played by Bonam-Carter, really do not need to be in this movie. Burton's wife has an instance in which her character seems necessary to further the plot, but this is quickly undone by taking the burden off her character's murder when Angelique tries to slam the Collins family for every other murder in the movie. Bonam-Carter seems more cast out of favor than necessity in this movie than just about ever other one Burton has placed her in; and the twist at the end with her character after her murder was so strongly hinted at earlier in the film that it's only by pure luck that I almost forgotten about it... actually it was probably due more to bad placement of the twist than for any actual good reason, such as being well written, maybe it was also it's extreme irrelevance that caused me to forget... I don't know. The husband person though, so useless in the film I forget his name, or maybe I never even knew it, was written off from the moment he was placed on screen. He wasn't clued in to Barnabas being a vampire; he cheated on his wife; and lastly when offered an opportunity to either be a good father to his son David, (who character also isn't worth mentioning much in this film), or taking as much money from the family fortune as he wants before leaving forever, he... of course, because this is a bad movie, chooses to leave with little in the way of emotion or care directed at his family, or even at us as the audience.

Basically this movie sucked. Like stated earlier, it's made just about every mistake possible a film could make. It just wasn't a good idea in the first place. A long time ago I used to think that judging a movie based on the poster could tell me whether or not I should see it, fact is, these days that's not a good way to judge. However, I knew from the moment I saw the poster for this movie, given the actors, director, and what I was looking at, the poster said everything I needed to know: mismatched on all levels. Also, Alice Cooper in a Tim Burton film about the Gothic 70's? It feels more like trying to mix Heavy Metal, Austin Powers, and The Nightmare Before Christmas into a musical number with little in the way of consistent direction. Pass on this one if you get the chance, or if you enjoy a bad movie... no, still pass on this one, watch Bogey Creek, or Manos, The Hands of Fate... heck even watch House of Wax if you can, just not this movie.

Check out the Trailer for Dark Shadows Below!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpWvkFlyl4M

Review Score Card:
Storyline:            Understandable, but headache inducing, very cliche, and immature.
Characters:         Dense, selfish, and tormented; but not in an easy to sympathize way.
Pacing:               Horrible, a constant struggle for the film more so than the plot.
Interest Level:    If you're looking for something to hate on, it will definitely keep your attention.

Overall:               3.5 out of 10 - I've seen worse, but not by much, Dark Shadows
                           sets the bar very low, and is a prime example of a good film gone
                           wrong. For anyone looking to understand the difference between
                           a good film and a bad one in today's contemporary fantasy scene,
                           this is a good... well, subjectively good place to start.

Drive Review

*Poster for the Motion Picture "Drive"*

I've avoided reviewing this film for quite some time now. Mainly because I felt it more relivant to review Ryan Goslings most recent film released to DVD, "A Place Beyond the Pines", and also in small part due to not wanting to capitalize on his current popularity. Truth be told, I am on the Gosling bus, he is a bit of a god right now in cinema, but mainly because he represents more of what makes movies good than bad; something I feel even he has picked up on recently. Also, I've been trying to avoid doing any of my reviews in the first person, however, this would be a more dishonest and less intimate/appropriate review if I chose to take a neutral stance on it...in short: Drive is not a movie that you can't have a personal opinion on, which is part of the reason it is so amazing. This film will polarize viewers on so many levels, either for Gosling alone or for it's choice to be so shamelessly art-house, something that hasn't seen Goslings more recent film with Winding-Refn: "Only God Forgives" fair as well.

*WARNING: There will most likely be spoilers ahead.*

Drive is for all intents and purposes a movie that glorifies every nuance of being an indie film, and it knows it's audience. It relishes in being retro-savvy and sports perhaps one of the best minimalist soundtracks to an overtly minimalist film that any self proclaimed art connoisseur can appreciate with little effort. It strikes a gritty balance between high-brow and low-brow favoring cinematography and hyper violence all at once; splicing shades of blood and gore throughout it's all too short length.  At times this may seem to derail the film, but it adds to the unsettling nature of it's presentation. It is a slick package, almost asking one to forget the film they are watching is for just about every reason: a film about a hero. Few men would take the chance on their love interests main squeeze being recently released from the pen not ending their life for almost starting an affair with her, yet alone befriending this nameless driver to help cure all debts, all in the name of doing the right thing for someone who you can't explain your unrivaled attraction towards. The film even acknowledges the extreme of this; something that shouldn't even be an extreme. We live in a society where if you try and take someones girl, or fall in love with her, you are the enemy, there are no qualms about that, but Drive decides that two men can unite against the tides to do what needs to be done, regardless how grim the cost. By the end of the ordeal, the only justification is death, and our main character, nameless as ever, in some way, whether intended or not, worked out a short in the wires, leveling the field and introducing the tone of the film.

There isn't really much to talk about in terms of plot for Drive, boy meets girl, boy wants to help girl, boy gets mixed up in a bunch of hoopla trying to help the girl, and so on. Don't watch Drive for the story, it really isn't the point. It's not a bad story by any measure, but the movie is meant to be felt, and although I'm not one for any radical style over substance type film that masks imperfections by bombarding the viewer with eye candy, Drive does everything so eloquently, it could've done just that and I would be a willing a victim of it's agenda. Thankfully, Drive is a film that chooses style as a preference merely for the sake of telling the thinly drawn out story more effectively rather than compensating for it's surely short on paper narrative.

Carry Mulligan who plays Gosling's lead's love interest is not without her merritt in this film, and although her character's background is nothing relatively unheard of, the relation she forges with our verbally reserved lead is worth more than just a passing glance. Their relationship is very reliant on physical queues and requires knowledge of social opinion and moral decency. The line they straddle constantly shines a light on the sexual innuendos in their eyes, however they remain blind to the notion as they commit to their own common decencies. This is all the more evident throughout the film as it begins to turn down the dark roads of no return, and we watch supporting cast members "Brian Cranston", "Albert Brooks" and "Ron Pearlmen" moonlight and keep the flavor alive on screen when our challenged protagonists take momentary leave. I can't help but write as if I'm keeping my fingers limber for some unnamed inspired screenplay, but a movie like Drive just brings out your inner poet, and despite some strong opinions against the film, I'm hard pressed to have any coarse words towards it...except for the following:

Drive can feel very forced if you don't know what to expect going into it, or if you're not a film buff (thanks in part to an aggressive anti-artsy DVD marketing period). The movie underwent some serious personality change when it came to getting people to see it in theater or on home video, through both trailers and home video release (something I have very strong feelings towards). I understand that there are expectations placed on sales, and that a films reviews when they are raved weigh heavy on how it's pushed towards the masses, however it has never rested easy with me how Drive was handled upon release for DVD. The box art looks very blatantly action movie fan oriented. This is something I saw with the marketing of Adventureland and one of it's trailers making it seem like another Superbad; a classic case of trying to grab an audience that doesn't exist because no one knows how to market such films to a larger audience, so they gravitate towards the largest common denominator. Case and point: Drive doesn't demand a large audience, and the fortune from it's fame will come through time rather than a three day box office tally or home video release. Much like how I've watched "In Bruges" (one of the greatest films of the last ten years) slowly reach cult status, my expectations of Drive are no different. The movie already has established an amazing impact among the underground for those who revel in it's mission statement, and everyone else who stands a chance of watching it in the future will no doubt discover it in due time. There is no reason to so blatantly exploit it's appeal by trying to lure in viewers who don't have an interest in it to begin with. 
But I digress.

Honestly, another reason I have avoided reviewing this movie is because the politics behind it's appeal overshadow the film itself, which by no means makes it a bad movie, it's just a much better film to experience than talk about. The first five minutes of the film, along with every water cooler moment will give you every indication needed regarding just how amazing the film will be, followed by what is perhaps one of the most unexpectedly memorable introduction sequences set to Kavisky's "Nightcall"; which in my opinion, sets the standard for how all opening credit roll/mood setting intro pieces should be portrayed in all films to follow. There is no doubt in  my mind that every other moment that will stick with you long after the film's end will revolve around the violence that it encapsulates it,  however, it resonates on a whole as an uncompromising experience that anything short of 'aww' should be considered an inappropriate response, if for any reason than because the standard for counter-culture and artsy-fartsy presentation in film has just widened the gap between majestic and malevolent in terms of tech-noir, neo-punk, retro-revival, whatever you want to call it. It's all irrelevant at the end of the day. I know people half my age that have found this movie twice as appealing as me, and it's not through ignorance  it's because it helps to represent where cinema needs to go more than anything else. It's not perfect, but it's not far from it, and my apologies for this not being more of a review as much as a praise session; I think we all have our movies we feel the need to help solider on, and I never want to see the art, music, heart, force, overwhelming style, and inspiration fade that has been provided by such a film as "Drive".

Check out the trailer for Drive below!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWX34ShfcsE

Review Score Card:
Storyline:            Thin, but unnecessary.
Characters:         More emotion than logic, playing up the hero angle... but triumphantly.
Pacing:               Minimaistic, slow, and thriving on atmosphere.
Interest Level:    Captiviating, a must watch for any film major or movie buff. No exceptions.

Overall:               9.5 out of 10  - It's a staple of everything our times are made of
                           right now in terms of indie flare, and Ryan Goslings finest hour outside
                           a comedy or romance. Watch for sheer inspiration, good or bad.

Seven Psychopaths Review

*Promotional Poster for Seven Psychopaths*

For what it's worth, a film like Seven Psychopaths should be cult status guaranteed in a few years time; however, while an entertaining entry into another world of dark and twisted personas, the movie seems more like a collection of odd and interesting moments held together by a grim plot than a classic title worthy of a second viewing.

*WARNING: There may be spoilers ahead.

Seven Psychopaths is about Marty and his friend Billy. Marty is working on a screenplay, or at least attempting to flesh out the final narrative for a screen play, and his friend Billy spends his time stealing dogs with his partner in crime, Hans. Marty played by Colin Farrell can be seen as the gear that keeps the clock turning in this film, his character anchor's every other events and his inspiration, which should come from everything occurring around him, seems poised to traumatize or even ruin his life more than double as a muse for his writings. The screen play he is currently working on is even more compromised when about half way through the film it is revealed that Hans, a quirky character played by Christopher Walken discloses that Marty's character his screenplay focuses on is in fact based upon his life experiences, as Marty had borrowed the idea from his friend Billy who told him said story in the first place. This takes away all writing credibility from Farrells character, and places the movies interest on the shoulders of it's resident lunatic "Billy" played by Sam Rockwell. 

What should've been the best role Rockwell has ever done in a film, feels like more of a forced and goofy version of every other crazy psychopathic killer to come out of a major Hollywood production; lowering the seriousness of his characters convictions into a raving mad parody for writers of all kinds to indulge in. To say Rockwell's character, and the movie on a whole is aimed towards critics and movie buffs is an understatement. It doesn't sell itself short on originality because of it though, it just does the job in too many different ways. Throw in Woody Harrison as Charlie Costello, the mad man whose dog Billy steals to set the whole films tone, along with Tom Waits being as crazy-eccentric as usual, and you have a full plate that more than needs to shave off some of it's servings.

What hurts this film the worst is the inability to feel any pity for the characters involved, and the screenplay Marty works on is hands down more interesting than the film itself. Christopher Walken puts on one of the best roles he's had in years, only to see it undersold by the rest of the movies gimmick driven story. If you want to laugh at everyone involved, or have a dark and twisted enough sense of humor, the movie would probably be more than an enjoyable watch for you, otherwise, sympathy is hard to come by as virtually no one in the cast has done or does anything that gives you any reason to care, aside from Myra, Han's lover, being killed; which may provide just a shred of sympathy for Hans character, despite his bad deeds and checkered past.

All in all Seven Psychopaths is a decent watch that falls short of many higher expectations set in place by it's great cast and unique premise. Writing a review for this movie isn't easy given it's a complicated, dark, gritty, goofy, twisted, stylistic, almost noir like feature with a broad range of actors, but again, that didn't end up equaling greatness and rather caused the movie itself to buckle under the weight of both expectation and exceptional storytelling. It falls into a newly growing abyss of dark cult comedies and stylish pieces that miss the mark by just enough to be forgotten, yet just loud enough to stick around for a bit. Watch if you like movies of it's nature, otherwise avoid.

Check out the trailer for Seven Psychopaths below!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOsd5d8IVoA

Review Score Card:

Storyline:            Aggressive, complicated yet simple, drawn out and not very

                           interesting more often than not.

Characters:         Quirky, the driving force behind the film, very hit or miss.

Pacing:               Not good, not bad, too much a mix of too many different ideas.

Interest Level:    Worth a watch if you're into bizarre and unique character driven

                           films; avoid if you don't want to be flabbergasted. 

Overall:               6 out of 10 - Doesn't live up to expectations despite strong buzz,

                           strong performances, but characters can be less likable than 

                           needed given what this unique dark comedy demands.

The Place Beyond the Pines Review

*Promotional Poster for The Place Beyond the Pines*

The Place Beyond the Pines is an interesting character study; the film itself is about how one man's mistakes impact the lives of everyone else's around him. This butterfly effect goes multi-generational and although not preachy in it's message, it's hard not to know where the place need be placed, and in a world full of many grey shades, it's never too obvious who to root for. As far as smaller independent projects go, this one is at the pinnacle of  presentation, taking note of how to best stylize Gosling from other indie productions, and utilize the supporting cast to maximum effect.

WARNING: There may be spoilers ahead!

The movie starts off about Ryan Goslings character,  a man named Luke, who happens to be a motorcycle stuntman touring through New York state. An encounter with a former love interest played by Eva Mendes (currently his real life girlfriend) sets off a series of events in which he attempts to cope with her news of him having a son, as well as how he provides for him in the immediate future.  Luke decides to give up the circus life and instead turns to manual labor for a nearby auto-shop owner. His wadges prove too small to suffice and the two turn to robbing banks in order to provide a sustainable income for his son.  Gosling is known for playing likable characters

and while there is a degree of sympathy for Luke, his characters decisions are too obvious in how wrong they are to not fault him for choosing a life of crime to just to go the distance. His desire to be in his sons life is commendable, but no matter who you are this is something that's hard not to understand. However, as Goslings part in the movie winds down, his actions take a turn for the irredeemable worst as he is eventually killed by Avery, a cop played by Bradly Cooper, who shoots and kills Luke in an unfortunate turn of events. 

This at first can come as quite a shock, as more often then not most main characters do not fade from the film in the first 45 minutes, but Goslings part plays the most integral role, as every other event in the film stems from most of his wicked actions.  Avery opts to be smart and doesn't confess the confusing nature of the event, painting Luke to be just another bad guy who was served justice. Surrounded by crooked friends and attempts to repent for his decision, his character constantly straddles the line between a man just trying to move on, and a hero finding his way. Eventually the film settles into a third act in which any current Hollywood A-listers are all but absent, leaving Luke and Avery's sons to take the helm and play out the end of the film. This is perhaps when the film tries it's hardest to tie in all the events and all the ramifications of the earlier two acts, and fortunately it isn't botched up. The decision however to leave the film in the hands of such newcomers does have it's downside in that their stories are perhaps the least most interesting, and the movie expects you to forgive them based on their age and inherit naivety towards their parents past. Luke's son Jason, deals with his mothers hush-hush attitude towards his father and who he really was, mostly one can assume due to Luke's last request to never tell him about his checkered lifestyle, and his budding friendship with AJ, Avery's sun is never a comfortable mix that always feels like a bully befriending the victim. This cast an aura of discomfort around the final act, in which it is fairly obvious the movie weighs itself in it's morals; hoping to make this unsafe present a more harsh reality through the films tormented past.

It's not a weakness of the film though, and it may be a downer for most viewers, but the message it sends, and it's themes of love, truth, moral decency, and heroes is perhaps it's strongest feature. If for any reason, these themes are brilliant in that they toy with each other, constantly asking you to question if a hero can be a hero today in the traditional sense; if moral decency is displayed through actions more so than words, if truth can be better than lies even if it can hurt the ones you love most, and if that love is stronger through loyalty and silent commitments, or letting the past rest and leave behind everything that once hurt you. These questions burn consistently and The Place Beyond the Pines is nary a shred away from giving a solid answer to any of them, and perhaps better off for it. These are problems that remain best bathed in shades of grey rather than turned black or white due to the need for some closure or straight forward resolve. 

Choosing to tell a story like this in three acts is a huge gamble, if for any reason because it casts out Ryan Gosling in the first 45 minutes, during a time where he is perhaps best noted for making movies like this one successful. Instead the movie relies on the talent of Bradly Cooper, and the consistency of Eva Mendes throughout all three acts, mainly the first two, to help see the rest of the events to fruition. But it doesn't seem like any other narrative would've worked so powerfully, so compellingly, and in such a way that challenges us to really look at the amount of lives the actions of one man truly impacted. As stated early, it is nice that none of this feels particularly preachy, and rather than flat out telling you not to peruse a lifestyle like Luke, it all feels very organic; like Luke was just the sort of person who was never going to accomplish anything any other way, and that circumstances pushed him to a life of crime. It may not be something you want to agree with, but the film makes sure that it delivers it's message of consequences without feeling like an after school special. 

The acting is stellar, the atmosphere is the typical indie feel, and being a native of New York, it's hard to not appreciate the care put into making sure that an area outside of New York City actually gets the beautiful spot light it deserves. Contrary to what most people may or may not know, the bulk of New York's population actually consists outside of New York City, although it is fairly close to 50%. There are some seriously beautiful places in this state, the Adirondacks for one thing, and The Place Beyond the Pines (which is a rough translation from a Mohawk word adopted as the meaning of Schencetaty, New York; also where the film takes place) does a great job of making you feel as if you're in this world of North Eaterners. However, it is a dreary walk, and an even harder ride for those who aren't used to weighty films about life. It could have even been titled 'Consequences' and felt just as appropriate.; but perhaps more original and easier to cement it's spot as a classic with a much less generic title. 

For what it's worth, The Place Beyond the Pines is a hard film not to recommend for anyone to check out. It may not be suitable for anyone looking for big action or comedy, but any serious movie goer would be hard pressed to find a better indie outing this year with so many great start powered performances before the blockbuster season started. Walking away from this movie will grant some greater insight into the complexity of life, the turn it all can take at any moment, and the waves that can crash upon a shore relentlessly. If you're game for the heavy handed subject matter, or even just want to enjoy Gosling doing what he does best, then by all means find this one as fast as you can and enjoy! 

Check out the trailer for The Place Beyond the Pines below!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G07pSbHLXgg

Review Score Card:
Storyline:            Great, involved, deep, weighted, and passionate.
Characters:         Driving, inspired performances, and well thought out.
Pacing:               Done in three acts, this could be a problem for some, but never drags.
Interest Level:    Totally engrossing, captivating at times, requires your full attention
                           to truly enjoy and appreciate.

Overall:               9 out of 10 - A must see for any fan of Indie films, Gosling, or just good
                           movies in general.

Hesher Review

*Promotional Poster for the movie Hesher*

When the news breaks that an indie film starring Joseph Gordon -Levitt and Natalie Portman is announced, and Gordon-Levitt just happens to also be playing an antisocial metalhead, nothing much should keep you from being interested at the least. Then the reality of the film hits you, when it's turn out the story in fact about a family, primarily a less than fortunate kid, whose deceased mother leaves all involved helpless at the notion of life having meaning beyond her passing. This makes it all the more difficult to stomach the message and dark nature of the film, and what exactly it is that anyone is suppose to take from it by the end.

WARNING: This review may contain some spoilers, as they may be essential to giving a good review on this film.

Let's just get this out of the way right now, the soundtrack has some Metallica in it, and anything with Metallica in it is

should be awesome enough right? Nope, Metallica is about the only think aside from Gordon-Levitt's performance in this

film that keeps it from being any more boring and contrived. The story manly revolves around T.J,  a kid whose mother has recently passed on. His life becomes a pit of depression for both him and his father as they cope with having a life without her. Now in all seriousness, given the way the film acts towards both these characters  it doesn't make it seem like they had much outside of her love to hold onto in the film before her departure.  So one can understand why their grieving could be so immense, as can the loss of any loved one be, but this movie makes it seem almost like the characters themselves have died in exchange, and somehow the only person who can help them come back to life is a totally devoid of emotion and care himself squatter and total delinquent Hesher, played by Gordon-Levitt.

In terms of a character, Hesher is perhaps the most enjoyable component of this film if not merely for his juxtaposition  He imposes on T.J and his father, he messes up T.J friendship with Natalie Portman, he burns, he destroys, and he saves the day, all at the expense of not T.J, or his father, but in fact T.J's grandmother Madeleine, for whom is probably the only charatcer he has any real respect for him the film. Madeleine seems the one most inherent of problems in the film, in which she has taken on both the greif of T.J's mother passing, and the grief of both him and his father, played by Reinn Wilson. She also manages to be the only one who takes a liking somewhat to Hesher's squatting at their place. This is made all the more difficult by her apparent ignorance to his nature, and causes any affection thrown towards Hesher's film seem like a decision that could only be made from a negative or compromised place; therefore damaging any of the few redeemable traits he has. It's almost like the film enjoys shooting itself in the foot any chance it gets. It keeps reminding you that Hesher is not suppose to be a good person, yet by the films end you are suppose to believe that without him, everyone involved would be worse off, or not learn to appreciate what they have, when in reality, it just makes what is already clearly very grim, only seem plan grim, and still some pretty horrible cards to be dealt.

Natalie Portman's character shows the beginning of her affection towards characters that are both inherently complicated and weak, making poor decisions in exchange for relevance. Sometimes an indie film is good when it makes a character like Nicole (the one she plays) lost in a more artistic and consequential world, but in this world, she just seems like an afterthought and a persona better left out after any rough draft. Not to mention, anyone who would hook up with a man like Hesher is just asking to be confused and have low self-esteem, which is central to the overall themes of this film: depression, loss of hope, etc. These aren't always things that are translated well on screen, and Hesher manages to be a film that reminds us of what its like to witness something sad that isn't entertaining or at least interesting in all it tries to convey.

There is an ugly truth to just about everything the film tries to do, from letting a young actor take the lead, to making an inherently bad person out to be a savior, it's message is lost through trying to do too much where it needed to cut back, and doing too little with what it did best. Hesher is about the best the movie get's as mentioned before, yet he is perhaps the only character that doesn't see some kind of lesson learned, or life revelation occur. Towards the end when he crashes Madeleine's funeral, his speech is both obscene, shocking, and face palm worthy for it just seeming in such bad taste, that it's saddening that it's the film's most memorable sequence. It was very hard to feel any sympathy for anyone but Madeleine in this film and it's almost worth questioning if the movie was made to be enjoyed or as a wake up call to how some people's trauma can only be saved by the most unexpected of life changing occurrences  It's a very old story dressed up as a very contemporary labor of love that doesn't hit it's mark more than it misses.

Hesher is not a bad movie, it's just not a good movie. It's sad, it's not really that well done, or at least made interestingly enough to keep it's sadness from destroying any desire to watch it again. It suffers from what no movie wants to suffer from, and that's a boring middle ground where everything that happens can only resonate with such a select group of people that it fades into obscurity; and in turn becomes cool because it's 'that' film. Now I like a quality indie film just as much as the next person, but this happens sometimes, not every movie that takes a shot at being ugly, realistic, mundane, and complex can end up being a work of art worth remembering. The acting isn't the problem, neither is the story, it's just the film itself and all the pieces involved as they attempt to merge together.

Check out the trailer for Hesher at the link below!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXKRKpvv3SU

Review Score Card:

Stoyline:           Not very interesting; Sympathy feels very forced on audience.

Characters:       Hard to feel sorry for, not as deep as the film would like them to be.

Pacing:             Not bad, but also not really a factor since the movie is too boring at times to

                        judge correctly.

Interest Level:    Should be much better given the films promise, but very dark, ugly, and too 

                        reliant on Joseph Gordon Levitt to stand remembering for any other reason.

Overall:            5 out of 10 - An average, yet boring movie that's hard to recommend to

                        anyone.

Killing Them Softly Review

*Promotional Poster for Killing Them Softly*

Don't believe much of what you watch in terms of trailers and teasers for Killing Them Softly; this is an art-house romp if their ever could be one for the action genre. Honestly, calling this movie an action film isn't really a good decision either, it's basically a drama film with guns and violence, but a pretty good one at that. Despite being completely overlooked last year during it's prestige season release, this is probably one of Brad Pitt's most alluring outings in years.

WARNING: This review may contain spoilers.

Right from the onset of the film it's clear that this movie is not looking to fall in line with any other film; it seeks to be a unique experience revolving around crime and punishment. The films themes and story are simple, and it's rooted in straight forward character progression and consequences for ones actions. The movie centers around a robbery that capitalizes on a bookies decisions a while back to rob his own poker games. In doing so, all involved would assume that Markie, the bookie (played by Ray Liotta), decided to rob from his own people yet again, and pin the crime on him, leaving the real culprits to get away.

Jackie, played by Brad Pitt is a hitman brought in to dissect the situation and restore order. His character is a man of logic and reason whose experiences aid him in decisions to kill his victims softly, which basically means he allows them little to no time to know they are about to be killed. Jackie does this so throughout the film that it unfortunetly becomes predictable as to when it is going to happen, but the good thing about the movie is in how it chooses to portray these events with good cinematography and dialogue that keeps the characters feeling authentic and easy to sympathize with, even at there least most redeemable moments.  The films most complicated character perhaps is Mickey Fallon, played by the late James Gandolfini. His character is remorseless and bitter in his opinions towards others and the world, a loose cannon that Jackie soon learns upon calling for his assistance that he may need to let go. Gandolfini's character is given a few moments here and there on screen to flex his acting skills, but enough to portray a life hardened by the decisions of a less than commendable career choice; polarizing in comparison to Gandolfini's own list of amazing accomplishments.

The stark bleak nature of this film makes it a very gritty, very talky film that rarely says enough to lose interest, and is

further aided by a very short and much appreciated film length. This makes the deliberately slow pacing a perfect match for the small but powerful amount of content story wise. It doesn't seek to flesh out a plot heavy narrative, but rather combine intriguing camera work, stellar acting, and an uncompromisingly dark tone to fill in any time where the movie may seem to be running it's scene too long. One that comes to mind is when Markie is being robbed. The scene goes through the entire robbery, and every time it is about to feel as if it's overstaying its welcome, something happens within context to keep your interest. Markie's character is such a sad case before his demise in the film, that given the overall tone and the events that take place, he almost seems a victim rather than an instigator; but still a perpetrator in his own death.

While Killing Them Softly is not an easy watch for it's dark narrative, it is evident from the get go that it has reason to remain so. The film has it's own set of politics in which it portrays America as a business, and this theme is central to the stories progression as it showcases the necessity of order and balance once business is disturbed  The weight of all the issues tackled by the movie justifies the thin plot, since the atmosphere is primarily responsible for conveying the appropriate feelings that one should experience while watching the movie: lose, regret, sympathy, sadness, anger, disdain. It could have easily been a trigger-happy action-centric winter release, but it would've been much harder to take the film serious had this been the road chosen.

In the end, great acting and a reasonable length are the strongest assets behind this being a great movie; Killing Them Softly is not a recommended film for everyone, but it's a much appreciated short journey into the gritty underbelly of a world frequently visited in cinema, but never to such an cinematography art-house friendly degree. It's hard not to like a movie that takes an idea one could summarize in a sentence and make it last 90 minutes with both style and substance to spare. While not perfect, finding it's equal in our times is an exercise in futility, but one can only hope this movie will somehow set a future standard for how action movies can be subtle and aggressive at the same time if one works the direction well enough.

Check out the trailer for Killing Them Softly below!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDyaNnrgdp4

Review Score Card:                                                                                                           

Storyline:                  Basic, Thin, but thoroughly entertaining to watch unfold.

Characters:               Brad Pitt is at his best, everyone else is A-list, great characters overall.

Pacing:                     Very slow, but a short movie, never overstays it's welcome.

Interest level:             Done so well that it's easy to appreciate everything it does, both good

                                and not as good.

Overall:                   8.5 out of 10 - Artsy, gritty, aggressive yet subtle. A unique action-drama

                                experience.

Melancholia Review

*Promotional Poster for the film Melancholia*

Some films you really want to like, other's make it easy for you to dislike them. Melancholia is a film that will make you question what you like. On the surface it is a beautiful film about depression and how one uses depression to cope with the end of the world, and on the other hand it is a depressing watch that makes you hope you never have to deal with the end of the world yourself. How you'll feel about everything by the films end will all depend on how much you're willing to accept what you as the viewer have just seen, and if everything you've experienced along the way is worth it.

Warning: This review may contain some spoilers as they may be essential to giving a good opinion on this film.

Right away the film opens with an artsy montage that climaxes with the end of the world. Depending on how you feel about such an abstract way to start things off, it will either rub you as truly unique, or very pretentious. From there the

story in a nutshell revolves around the main character  Justine, played by Kirsten Dunst in the first half of the film marrying a man who is more or less forgettable, and even harder to feel sorry for seeing as the world to our knowledge is soon to end. No information from what I can recall was given to how they had met, and how long they had been together, and by the end of the evening their marriage having just started ends just as quickly as Justine's mental health completely fails her. This is just as confusing as it sounds, since again, nothing much is done to explain to you why this is happening, as you are just left to assume that the point of the film is 'not to know'.

As the movie progresses and leads to the second half, we see Charlotte Gainbourg's character Claire, Justine's sister, take the lead and see us through to the end. The more reasonable and able sibling, she takes care of Justine, which leads to many awkward sequences of extreme depression and self loathing which see Justine deprived and defeated in her

opinions of the world towards her sister. Yet by the films end she aids in her sister and her sister's son Leo deal with the planet as it slams into Earth. Kiefer Southerland plays Claire's husband who perhaps is the most aware and outspoken of the insanity that is Claire and Justine's family. This is most understandable given the amount of money everyone seems to have, that being so selfishly depressive as Justine is, is just uncalled for and makes it very difficult to sympathize with her character. Justine feels very authentic in her pain and her desire for freedom since Dunst plays the part so well, but given the world they lived in before Melancholia's collision and everything building up to the end, gratefulness should have been on display rather than a complacent and melancholy acceptable that Justine played up so selfishly to. It just seems a hard sell, and the movie could've done more with a more heroic lead, rather than the reluctant and spoiled one. 

Now having seen other works of Lars Von Trier's such as "Europa" I knew to expect a film that goes very against the grain of contemporary cinema, and Melancholia achieves it goal in that department, but the lacking of characters to truly feel any care for just hindered this experience too much. Much like Natalie Portman's character in Black Swan, feeling sorry for people who have already succeeded beyond most others or been given the gift of the world yet still feel weak and controlled by their torment are hard for me to enjoy. We all have our weakness yes, and Dunst's character uses

those weakness and her depression to cope with the extreme nature of the movie's ending, but it feels like a very sour and hopeless ride up until that point, and renders every weakness lost moot. Why would one want to feel helpless? This question is not meant to be asked by the film, yet it seems to be what's left behind after viewing it. Nothing will make me return a film quicker and never want to watch it again more than a film that leaves me with a feeling of emptiness and regret for the world I watched die, or the people I was given a chance to watch grow either go nowhere or be destroyed for the sake of forced story progression. True, Melancholia let's you know from the get go that the world 'will' in fact end, but it doesn't cushion the blow at all when it's so doomed to relentlessly fall apart. It was my major complaint for me regarding *spoiler* The Cabin in the Woods ending *end spoiler*, and it's my biggest complaint for this film. Hopelessness is not something fun to watch if it's the note that the whole film ends on, in my opinion at least.

So, Melancholia is a hard film to recommend. It is beautiful yes, but it is a bittersweet watch for it's visuals and it's unique approach to telling a story given it's about the end of the world. But the world ends so many times these days for so many reasons, that aside from this being an arty outing, and offering up some great acting, the story itself is very tired and thin, and the character's are hard to like or feel sorry for, and overall the whole experience is depressing and no fun. For a movie that I had such high hopes for, I would recommend watching "Europa" instead. It's not a feel good film either, but it's perhaps the best I've seen from Trier and would have a hard time not recommending to anyone desiring to see a film of his.

Check out the trailer for Melancholia below!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzD0U841LRM


Review Score Card:                                                                                                                      

Storyline:                  Thin, depressing, and hard to enjoy beyond it's concept.

Characters:               Southerland's character is likable, everyone else is frustrating to watch.

Pacing:                     Slow, but fitting given the unique structure of the film.

Interest Level:            It's engaging, but for all the wrong reasons; hard to watch a second time.

Overall:                   4 out of 10, not a film I'd recommend; unique, but just too depressing.