Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist



            This week, I’m taking a look back at the 2008 film “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist.” I just watched it recently for the second time. I remembered liking the movie, but I forgot just how good it is. I had so much fun watching the movie, and I’m looking forward to the next time.
            “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist” was directed by Peter Sollett. Lorene Scafaria wrote the screenplay of the novel by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. The two main stars include Michael Cera and Kat Dennings. This movie has a 73% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which is pretty good. The plot and cast are major reasons for this rating.
            Nick (Cera) is trying everything he can to win back his ex-girlfriend. One night, to his extreme disappointment, she shows up at his band’s gig with another guy. Norah (Dennings) is there too. Nick and Norah become acquainted when Norah walks up to Nick and asks him to be her boyfriend for five minutes. While dealing with issues from their exes, they search through the night to find Norah’s drunken friend and the mysterious concert location for their favorite band.
            I really thought the plot was intriguing. It was exciting, and I was interested in whether they would find the band. The plot took several humorous turns that kept me wanting more. I enjoyed the characters and cheered for them throughout the movie. I had a lot of fun during “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist,” and I wanted to watch it again when I finished.
            It seems to me that Cera plays his typical role of timid and unaware. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing though because he acts that character very well. Also, Dennings is great in this softer role. The other characters all work well together to create the humor aspect to the film, which is a big part of why the movie is so good.
            I found the humor used to be really entertaining. Some of it is a little gross, such as the journey of a piece of gum, but it’s funny. Norah’s drunken friend, Caroline, is probably the most hilarious character I’ve seen in a while.
            Another essential part of the movie is the music. After all, the search for the band is a major plot point. Also, Nick and Norah develop a bond from their music connection. The music did not disappoint. It was great and fit the tone and storyline perfectly.
            This is the only thing I’ve seen by Sollett and Scafaria, but this movie makes me want to see more. I’ve seen Cera in many more things such as a few episodes of “Arrested Development,” “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” “Youth in Revolt,” “Paper Heart,” “Juno,” “Superbad” and an episode of “Veronica Mars.” Other things I’ve seen Dennings in are “2 Broke Girls,” “Thor,” “The House Bunny,” “The 40 Year Old Virgin” and “Raise Your Voice.” I’m excited to see what they do next.
           

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Skyfall



            The new James Bond movie, “Skyfall,” was directed by Sam Mendes and written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, John Logan and Ian Fleming, who is uncredited. Some of the actors include Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes and Naomie Harris. The movie is currently 92% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, which is really good ratings. This is only the third Bond movie I’ve seen, but this one is my favorite.
            Bond (Craig) and an assistant, Eve (Harris), were tasked with finding a computer drive listing the identities of secret agents. Eve shoots Bond in an attempt to recover the list, and he’s thought to be dead. After an explosion at MI6, Bond returns to finish the mission. M (Dench) and Bond have to deal with their pasts to finish the task.
            This storyline was very good. Since I don’t know a lot about the Bond stories, I liked that I learned some background information about Bond and M. It made the characters seem more real. I also liked that there were mini storylines going on around the main one to add more depth to the plot. The opening credits foreshadowed the events of the movie. If you pay really good attention, you could probably guess a good portion of what happens throughout the movie.
            The action scenes were a lot of fun. The filmmakers did many things I hadn’t seen before. There were reptiles, trains, explosions, a chase scene across rooftops on motorcycles, an underwater fight and more. One of my favorite action scenes was at the beginning when Bond was trying to get the computer drive. He uses a crane claw to keep some train cars from separating, runs and jumps inside the train car at the last second and then stops and takes the time to straighten his tie before pursuing the thief.
            The movie included some great classic Bond moments. Throughout the movie, some snippets of the Bond theme song play to give a little extra oomph to a scene. In a casino, Bond gets a martini shaken, not stirred. He doesn’t say the classic line, but the visual alone is enough to create that nostalgic moment. Another great moment is when Bond gets some gadgets from Q, who jokes with Bond about the exploding pen he was given previously. This film includes some of those great moments everyone associates with 007, but uses a more modern take on them.
            Are you wondering about the gadgets Bond gets this time around? Q gives him a gun that only works when he uses it and a tiny radio. He doesn’t get anything over-the-top, but they’re still pretty cool. I was a little disappointed in the way they were used though. The gun is used very quickly into the movie in one scene, and then it’s gone. The radio is also used just once, and it’s very obvious when it comes into play.
            I’ve seen other movies Mendes has been involved in such as “Revolutionary Road,” “Starter for 10,” “Away We Go” and “American Beauty.” Purvis and Wade wrote the other two Bond movies I’ve seen, “Casino Royale” and “Quantum of Solace.” Logan wrote “Hugo” and “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.” I’ve seen other things Craig has been involved in such as “The Adventures of Tintin,” “Quantum of Solace,” “Casino Royale” and “A Kid in King Arthur’s Court.” I’ve seen Dench in “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” “Quantum of Solace,” “Casino Royale,” “Pride & Prejudice,” “Chocolat” and “Shakespeare in Love.” I have also seen Bardem in “Eat Pray Love.” Fiennes is known for his role as Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter films. Other movies I’ve seen him in are “The Duchess,” “In Bruges” and “Maid in Manhattan.” Lastly, I’ve seen Harris in “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” and “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.” This experienced cast made a great movie, and I strongly suggest that you see “Skyfall.”

Friday, November 16, 2012

Seven Psychopaths



            The new Martin McDonagh movie, “Seven Psychopaths,” is a violent comedy. Some of the stars include Colin Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell and Christopher Walken. It resembles Quentin Tarantino’s films. This movie was what I expected it would be considering the people involved. Rotten Tomatoes currently has the movie at 84% fresh, meaning good reviews. “Seven Psychopaths” isn’t the movie for everyone, but I enjoyed it.
            Marty (Ferrell) is writing a movie about seven psychopaths. He takes some ideas from his strange friends Billy (Rockwell) and Hans (Walken), who kidnap dogs and return them for the rewards. Billy takes a gangster’s Shih Tzu. The gangster, Charlie (Harrelson), goes on a violent search to get his darling dog back.
            McDonagh came up with a very creative plot. The characters actually say what’s going to happen in the end of the movie ahead of time while discussing a possible ending for Marty’s movie. His seven psychopaths commit terrible, violent crimes, but they are deeply sensitive in a way. He makes you care for all of them, but yet still be upset about the violence. It’s amazing how he can give the characters two different personality traits that are complete opposites, but make them work together. This strange combination really helps the comedy.
            One of the main reasons this movie works well is the comedy. There are several laugh-out-loud moments as well as funny or surprising situations the characters get involved in. The comedy is used extensively throughout the movie, which is a good reminder not to take the movie too seriously. If you do take it seriously, you won’t experience the movie the way it was meant to be experienced. Humor also helps take your mind off how violent the characters truly are.
            Another thing that helps the violence shown is the exaggeration used. The violent acts are blown way out of proportion, some of them literally. The level of violence really helps drive the fact that the people are criminals and really are psychopaths. The movie wouldn’t have such a big impact without so much bloodshed.
            The actors played their characters very well. They were fun, sentimental, awful and likable. All of the interesting characters were brought to life. I became very invested in them and how everything was going to end. The actors really understood the tone and the purpose of the movie.
            I knew what I was getting into with this movie because I had seen McDonagh’s “In Bruges,” which Ferrell was also in. I’ve seen Ferrell in “Minority Report” as well. I’ve seen Harrelson in “The Hunger Games,” “Zombieland” and “Seven Pounds.” I’ve seen Rockwell in “Iron Man 2,” “Moon,” “Frost/Nixon,” “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” “Matchstick Men” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Other movies I’ve seen Walken in are “Balls of Fury,” “Hairspray,” “Wedding Crashers,” “Kangaroo Jack,” “Catch Me If You Can,” “Poolhall Junkies,” “Pulp Fiction,” and “Annie Hall.” With this cast, how could it not be good?

Thursday, November 8, 2012

The Perks of Being a Wallflower



I went to see “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” in theaters on Oct. 27. It was directed and written by Stephen Chbosky, who also wrote the book the movie came from. This movie stars Logan Lerman, Emma Watson and Ezra Miller. I was expecting this to be a good movie, and it was even better than I was imagining it to be.
Charlie (Lerman) is a freshman in high school. He’s trying to make friends while also dealing with his mental illness and his best friend’s suicide. Two seniors, Sam (Watson) and Patrick (Miller), befriend him and guide him through a difficult life, something they all have in common.
The plot of this movie was really good. It was so much more interesting than the trailers showed. I haven’t read the book either, so I didn’t know much of the storyline before seeing the movie. The movie takes you on a journey through Charlie’s life as it happens during this period. It doesn’t provide much background information until it comes up in his current life situation. It feels a lot like meeting a new person. The person doesn’t tell you his or her important background information right away; you learn about it as it becomes important to what is going on at the time. I think having the writer as the director helped the story develop in the way Chbosky saw it, and presented the movie as he wanted it to be conveyed to an audience. Since Chbosky wrote it, he understands it more than anyone else could have, and that’s why the movie is so effective.
Another great part of the movie is the excellent acting. I believed that the actors had experienced the difficult things their characters had to deal with in their lives. They are really horrific things, and the actors completely immersed themselves in the roles. I felt for each one of them. Something that pulls the audience in and makes it feel something is a great way to determine the success of a movie.
There were also some interesting visuals throughout. Hazy flashback scenes are shown as Charlie sees intense memories as part of his mental illness. When he blacks out, the scene builds, goes black and instantly picks up at a different moment after the episode passed. It’s so realistic to what you would actually see if that happened to you. More effects are used to show his experience on drugs.
“The Perks of Being a Wallflower” has some great music too. Music plays an important part in the story and therefore, plays a big role in the movie. The music is really good and is used effectively to add to the tone in the scenes.
I didn’t know many of the people involved in this movie very well except for Watson, who I saw in “Ballet Shoes” and everyone knows as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films. This is the only thing I’ve seen Miller in. The only other thing I have seen that Chbosky was involved in is “Rent”, which he wrote the screenplay for. I had only seen Lerman in “Gamer” before this movie. Even though the main people involved in this movie haven’t done a lot of things, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” is great, and you should see it.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Moonrise Kingdom



            The new Wes Anderson movie, “Moonrise Kingdom,” is a romantic drama. Anderson co-wrote it with Roman Coppola, and the movie includes many stars like Bruce Willis, Edward Norton and Bill Murray. However, the main characters in the movie are acted by Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward. I think all these people came together to make a great movie.
            The movie takes place in the 1960s. Sam (Gilman) and Suzy (Hayward) fall in love, and the young couple decides to run away together. Several groups of people in the town go searching for them. The chaos that ensues turns the town on its head.
            It’s obvious from the very start that this is an Anderson movie. The rich, warm colors are a common theme throughout his movies. The villain, however, is seen in the cooler color blue. The warm and cool colors, which are at the opposite ends of the spectrum, are used very effectively to show the difference of good and bad. Not only are the colors distinctive, but the whole look of the movie shows the quirkiness of Anderson’s style. It looks realistic, but it feels a little off somehow, like something just isn’t quite normal in that world. The general appearance of the movie seems to be from a children’s book.
            The acting is well done throughout “Moonrise Kingdom.” This is especially important to note since this was the first movie the two main actors have been in. They understood the quirkiness and embraced it. Gilman and Hayward acted as if the unusual things they were doing were just normal parts of their characters’ lives.  The other actors were also great. They played the secondary characters as if their unique characteristics were their own.
            Another important thing to note is the music. The orchestral score fits the movie so well. It had a unique quality infused with the classical elements. Music was used very effectively to set the tone of the movie, which is often important to getting the people involved in the world on the screen.
            The distinctive elements of Anderson movies are something to be experienced. Other movies I have seen by him are “Rushmore,” “The Royal Tenenbaums” and “Fantastic Mr. Fox.” Out of these, “Moonrise Kingdom” is my favorite.
These films might not be your thing if all you want from movies are comedy or action. They are very artistic and stylized, and you need to go into them with the right mind set. Despite the type of movies you like, “Moonrise Kingdom” is a movie everyone should see at some point.