Inside Llewyn Davis

            The new Coen Brothers film “Inside Llewyn Davis” stars Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, John Goodman and also Justin Timberlake. It was written and directed by Ethan and Joel Coen. I’m usually not the biggest fan of Coen Brothers movies. I think they are good, but they’re not really my thing. However, I loved this movie. I completely agree with the 94 percent fresh rating it received from the critics on Rotten Tomatoes. I can’t wait to see it again.

            “Inside Llewyn Davis” is about a folk singer trying to making it in the music world on his own in 1961, after losing his singing partner. Llewyn (Isaac) encounters bad luck at every turn. His life is going from bad to worse with no salvation in sight.

            One of the main reasons I love the story of this film is because it’s very unique for a movie. Llewyn doesn’t have a great relationship with any of the people or the cat in the movie. He’s not very nice to any of them, even though they try to help him. He is faced with many challenges, but also many opportunities to help him make his life better. It doesn’t get any better. He learns nothing and accomplishes nothing throughout the movie. There is no change in the character at all. This doesn’t happen in movies. There is always a growth in the main character. I think the Coen Brothers’ choice for this film makes a bigger impact and seems more real.

            Another great part of this movie is the music. It’s one of the main characters of the movie. I was pretty indifferent about folk music before. This movie has changed my mind a little. It really depends on who sings the song and how it is sung though. I like the songs sung by Isaac and a few of the other actors. The acting of the singers and their emotion make the songs more believable and therefore, more enjoyable. I have listened to the music several times since seeing the movie, and I’m planning on getting the soundtrack.

            The acting was also good. I’ve always enjoyed the performances of Carey Mulligan, and this one was no different. I was pleasantly surprised by Timberlake in this movie. He seems to do well in supporting roles. Isaac did a good job in his role as well. His performances of the folk songs were great, and those performances make up a big portion of his role. Even when he wasn’t singing though, he seemed to get the melancholy life of Llewyn.
           Other Coen Brother films I’ve seen include “True Grit,” “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” and “The Hudsucker Proxy.” I really like “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” but I didn’t enjoy the other two movies as much. They were well made with great stories; however, they didn’t keep my attention as well. “Inside Llewyn Davis” is fantastic, and I’m interested to see how I feel about the next Coen Brothers movies I see.         

           

The Wolf of Wall Street

           “The Wolf of Wall Street” is the latest movie directed by Martin Scorsese. The screenplay was written by Terence Winter, and the book was written by Jordan Belfort, who wrote about his own life and is the main character of the story. The stars of the film include Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie and Matthew McConaughey. This movie came out on Christmas, but it’s definitely not the typical family movie.

I really enjoyed this movie, but I think a person needs to have a pretty open mind in order to like it. The f-word was used pretty extensively, although I didn’t notice it was used that much while watching it. There is also a lot of drug use and sexual content. This was the first time that I went to a movie where a group of people actually got up and left about ten minutes into it. Viewers should know what they’re getting into. “The Wolf of Wall Street” has a 76 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. I think it should be higher, but I can see why some critics wouldn’t like it.

The film is about Jordan Belfort’s journey to fulfill his dream of being rich by being a stockbroker. Belfort (DiCaprio) learned from the best on Wall Street (McConaughey) and took what he learned to create his own firm. He did whatever he could to make as much money as possible, even though that involved some serious scams. All of his activity didn’t go unnoticed.

The storyline is as interesting as it is disturbing. It’s thoroughly entertaining though. At one point of the movie, there's almost a "Titanic" moment, which makes me laugh. Even though the movie is three hours long, it kept me engaged. I was never tempted to check my watch, and I think part of the reason for this was the acting.

DiCaprio played the role of Belfort very well. He started off as a tentative young man, just starting to learn the ropes of stocks with a dream of being a millionaire. He became more and more corrupted throughout the film. He did a great job of showing the different dimensions of the character, making the audience love and hate him all at once. Without giving too much away, I think the scene with the lemons was amazing. I have no clue how DiCaprio pulled that off, but I was laughing and horrified at the same time. If he doesn’t win an award for this role, it would be a terrible shame.

I also thought McConaughey played his role very well. It was just for a short time at the beginning, but it made a lasting impression. Hill’s character was in line with the types of roles he has done in the past, so he did a believable performance.

The end of the movie seems to be taken in a few different ways. Some see it as a cautionary tale, some see it as triumph over challenges, and others see it the way I do. I see the ending as a combination of the two. It clearly shows punishment for severe wrong doings, but it also shows how it’s possible to come out of it on the other side. I don’t think there is an incorrect way to look at the movie. It just depends on personal opinions. However, I believe this a great movie, no matter how you feel about outcome.

Citizen Kane

            This was the first time I saw this 1941 Orson Welles film. Herman J. Mankiewicz and Orson Welles are the credited screenplay writers, and the three uncredited writers are Roger Q. Denny, John Houseman and Mollie Kent. Three of the movie’s stars are Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten and Dorothy Comingore. I had always heard it’s a great movie, and Rotten Tomatoes has it at 100 percent fresh. After watching it, I agree that it is a fantastic movie. I was really interested in the life of the main character, especially since I studied journalism in college. The one thing that hindered the experience was knowing the big spoiler of the whole film. It was interesting knowing the big secret all along while the characters of the film never found it out.

             "Citizen Kane" starts with the death of Charles Foster Kane (Welles), a newspaper tycoon. His dying word, “Rosebud,” sparks intrigue for the reporters of his newspaper, leading to an investigation of Kane’s life. They interview people who knew him to figure out “Rosebud,” and flashbacks are used often to show Kane’s life through the years. The audience is shown Rosebud at the very end.

            The main story of the movie is so simple, finding out about Rosebud. However, it’s handled in a very interesting way. The flashbacks are very important in finding out about the kind of person Kane was, even if they didn’t provide many clues about Rosebud. At the beginning of the film, the reporters talked about how Kane’s last words might have said a lot about who he was. By the end, after not finding Rosebud, they decided maybe it wasn’t that important. It turns out, it was very important to understanding Kane as a person. I’m a little torn about the characters not learning the truth. I think it’s a shame Kane didn’t get that resolution. However, it says a lot that even in death, he was misunderstood.

            I usually find it a little more difficult to get into older films and thoroughly enjoy them like I should. The poorer quality of the film at that time makes it less realistic looking than more recent films do, thus, making it harder for me to get engrossed in them. I didn’t have that problem with this movie though. The format of story telling was excellent, and the mystery of Rosebud kept me interested.

            I think the acting was quite good as well. It was slightly over-dramatic for my taste, but from what I have seen, that is just how people acted back then. Kane’s second wife (Comingore) was probably the hardest one for me to take seriously. For the most part, I believed the characters though, and that is a key part to a good movie.

            The sets throughout the movie were great. I think they captured the scenes well and added to the accounts told of Kane’s life. The music also matched well with the tone and rhythm of the story.

            It would have been nice to see this movie when it was first made. Since it’s still great today, it must have been even better at that time. The mystery of Rosebud has become a huge spoiler. I wish I had seen this without knowing about Rosebud, so the experience would have been even better. I agree with the high praise for this movie and advise every movie fan to watch it.

Django Unchained

            The new Quentin Tarantino movie came out on Christmas last year, which I find a little ironic because of the type of movie it is. The stars of the movie include Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz and Leonardo DiCaprio. The film was nominated for four Oscars, and they are definitely deserved. “Django Unchained” currently has an 89 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. I really enjoyed this movie as well.

            In “Django Unchained,” Dr. King Schultz (Waltz) buys a slave and teaches him to be a bounty hunter. Django (Foxx) is very happy about the idea of killing white men. They become great partners, and Dr. King Schultz agrees to go on a journey with Django to get Django’s wife back from a terrible slave owner Calvin Candie (DiCaprio).

            As a typical Tarantino film, the movie was funny and extremely violent. The characters created by Tarantino are quite humorous. Also, the juxtaposition of funny and good events for the main characters and the terrible, deathly events for others cause more humor. The funny tone makes it seem like the violence isn’t that bad, even though it’s horrible. It really makes an impact though, and shows the seriousness of the subject matter.

            The violence is taken to an extreme throughout the movie. There isn’t really a sense of sadness or remorse for all the death either. The extreme and over-the-top situations make the violence seem a little less horrible. People know that something like that wouldn’t happen in real life to that extent, so they don’t feel as uncomfortable with the violent behavior.

            The acting throughout the film was great. I completely agree with Waltz winning best supporting actor this year. Waltz really brought the character to life and is one of the most memorable things about the movie. DiCaprio is also really good. It was such a fun character. He was this happy, evil person. DiCaprio was completely convincing. The other actors were good as well. With all the cast working together, the plot really comes to life.

            I also really liked the music. It had a retro feel, but I thought it was also a little corny. That was perfect, though because it fit the tone of the movie. It was another aspect that helped to bring that world to life and get the audience into the right mood throughout the film.

            I had a fun experience watching this movie. It feels kind of weird to enjoy watching so much pain and death. I think it says a lot about the practice of owning slaves, though. I think more people need to see it.

            “Django Unchained” has the typical Tarantino feel. It definitely has a similar style to his other films. I’ve seen a couple other movies by Tarantino including “Inglorious Basterds” and “Pulp Fiction. I’ve also seen Foxx in “Rio,” “Valentine’s Day,” “The Soloist” and “Dreamgirls.” Others movies I’ve seen Waltz in are “Water for Elephants” and “The Green Hornet.” Lastly, I’ve seen DiCaprio in many other movies including “Inception,” “Shutter Island,” “Revolutionary Road,” “Blood Diamond,” “Catch Me If You Can,” “Titanic” and “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape.”

Les Misérables

The newest re-creation of “Les Misérables” was directed by Tom Hooper. The screenplay was written by William Nicholson, Alain Boublil, Claude-Michel Schönberg and Herbert Kretzmer. The stage musical was written by Boublil and Schönberg. These were written based on the book by Victor Hugo. This movie stars Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried and several others.

I saw a high school musical production of “Les Misérables” about eight years ago. This was the first time I saw the story. I later saw a different movie version in my high school French class. Therefore, I was pretty familiar with the story when I saw this film. I was very happy with this movie and the actors. Rotten Tomatoes has the film at a 70 percent fresh rating, but I think it was better than that.

The film is about a man named Jean Valjean (Jackman), who stole some bread for his sister’s child. Many years later, he is released from prison and starts a new life, thanks to some kindness and mercy. However, he must spend his life running away from Inspector Javert. He raises the daughter of a woman he feels responsible for to give her a better life, which he tries to provide for many others. The way of life for the low class French society leads to a rebellion.

The acting in the movie was very good. Jackman was great as the lead, and that’s a hard task when playing a character as beloved as Jean Valjean. However, Hathaway stole the show as people say. Even though her character wasn’t on screen for most of the movie, her presence was still felt. During her performance of “I Dreamed a Dream,” I was blown away. I could really feel her anguish from her horrible life. I think Seyfried did a very respectable job and sang quite well. On the other hand, Crowe’s singing was not that great. I was disappointed with his portrayal of Javert.

The costumes and sets were amazing. The way Valjean was transformed throughout the movie was fantastic. The story takes place over many years requiring the difference of appearance during the character’s life. The settings were instrumental in showing the terrible living conditions of the lower class to show the necessity of a rebellion.

The music was great of course. That doesn’t change in a musical of this magnitude. I thought it was interesting that a new song was created and added to the movie. It was very good and is nominated for an Oscar. To get the nomination, the film needed an original song. I’m still not sure if I like that a new song was put in a story that has been around for a long time. I am happy that the actors sang live on stage for the movie though. It makes the songs seem more real and true.

The only other movie I’ve seen by Hooper is “The King’s Speech.” Other movies of Jackman I’ve seen are the “X-Men” movies, “Australia,” “Happy Feet,” “The Prestige” and “Kate & Leopold.” I’ve also seen Crowe in “State of Play.” Other films with Hathaway I’ve seen include “The Dark Knight Rises,” “Rio,” “Love and Other Drugs,” “Valentine’s Day,” “Bride Wars,” “Becoming Jane,” “The Devil Wears Prada,” “Ella Enchanted” and the “Princess Diaries” movies. I’ve seen Seyfried in “Letters to Juliet,” “Dear John,” “Mamma Mia!,” “Veronica Mars,” “Wildfire” and “Mean Girls.”

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

            Peter Jackson directed the new addition to the “Lord of the Rings” series. The screenplay for “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” was written by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro. This film stars Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen and Richard Armitage. The movie is the first of three and is based off the book “The Hobbit” by J.R.R. Tolkien.

I didn’t like reading the book. It was very long and slow moving. Since the pace was slow, it was hard for me to get into it and stay interested. I wanted to see the movie though because I really liked the “Lord of the Rings” movies. Rotten Tomatoes has “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” at a 65% fresh rating right now. I also thought it was pretty good.

In the film, Gandolf (McKellen) convinces Bilbo Baggins (Freeman) to accompany a group of dwarves led by Thorin (Armitage). The goal of the journey is to win back the dwarves’ home, which was taken by a dragon, Smaug. The group faces many challenges along the way. This is where Bilbo first meets Gollum and finds “the ring.”

The plot was good, but because the book is being split into three movies, the storyline was a little slow and stretched out. There were a lot of scenes showing the characters traveling through the wilderness. They are beautiful shots, but it gets a little old. The movie did seem more interesting to me than the book did though because it focused on the challenges and less on the little things.

“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” is a beautiful film. All the scenes look amazing, which helps take away some of the mundane from the movie. The 3D used was very effective to create the world. I think it really added to the experience and made the big moments even better. Another good thing about this 3D is that it didn’t give me a headache.

The acting in the film is pretty good. I really like McKellen’s Gandolf. Of course he had more time with this character from three earlier movies. He really seems to grasp the wise and sly man. Bilbo had some time in the other “Lord of the Rings” movies, but he didn’t play a very large part of them. Bilbo plays a much bigger part of this movie, and I thought Freeman’s acting in this role was believable.

One of my favorite things about this movie was the music. The song the dwarves sing in the beginning is so great. It really sets the mood for the rest of the film, and it does a lot to get the audience emotionally involved in what’s happening on the screen. The music fits the fantasy world and the adventures involved.

I’ve seen other things Jackson has been involved in such as “The Adventures of Tintin,” “The Lovely Bones,” “District 9” and the “Lord of the Rings” movies. Walsh and Boyens worked on “The Lovely Bones” and the “Lord of the Rings” movies with Jackson, along with several other movies. Other movies I’ve seen that del Toro worked on are “Puss in Boots,” “Kung Fu Panda 2” and “Pan’s Labyrinth.” I’ve seen McKellen in the “Lord of the Rings” movies, the “X-Men” movies and “The Da Vinci Code.” Other movies I’ve seen Freeman in are “What’s Your Number,” “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” and “Love Actually.” I’ve also seen Armitage in “Captain America: The First Avenger.”

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2

            “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2” is the fourth and final movie of this series. It was directed by Bill Condon. Melissa Rosenberg wrote the screenplay based on Stephenie Meyer’s book.  The main stars include Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner. It currently has a 48% rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes. I would have to agree with that. I admit I really liked the books, but the movies aren’t good.

            Bella (Stewart) and Edward (Pattinson) are enjoying their lives together after their daughter, Renesmee, was born. Unfortunately, Irina thinks she is an immortal child and tells the crime to the Volturi. The Cullens and Jacob (Lautner) gather up witnesses to support them against the Volturi to protect Renesmee.

            The plot was a little dull for most of the movie, but this is based on the book. Since this movie has only the last part of the book, not much happens just during this part. Some liberties were taken with the film though. A twist was put in towards the end of the movie, and this was my favorite part. Since I had come to love the characters from the books, I was devastated by some of the things added in. At the same time, I loved it because it was something I had wanted to be in the books. I would watch this movie again just so I could see that one scene one more time. I was happy that it ended the same way as the book did though.

            I really liked the ending of this film. It is the only time I actually believed the characters meant and felt anything that was going on. It was also nice to see all the characters from the other movies again, even if it was just their pictures. It brought the whole saga to an end nicely.

            The acting wasn’t very good. This didn’t surprise me because it wasn’t very good in the other ones either. I never cared about the characters or what they did in these movies, unlike the books. It even seemed like the actors didn’t care about what they were doing. The actors actually made me like the characters less.

            I didn’t even think the music was as good in this movie. The other movies had great moments that involved great music. The soundtracks were great for the other movies. The only music scene I remember in this last film is the ending with Christina Perri’s “A Thousand Years.”

            I knew this movie wouldn’t be good because of the last three movies in the saga. I have liked other movies involving the same people though. The other Condon movie I’ve seen is “Dreamgirls.” Other movies I’ve seen that Rosenberg has written are the other “Twilight” movies and “Step Up.” I’ve also seen Stewart in the other “Twilight” films, “Adventureland,” “Jumper,” “The Yellow Handkerchief,” “Into the Wild,” “Catch That Kid” and “Speak.” I’ve seen Pattinson in the other “Twilight” films, “Water for Elephants,” “Remember Me” and “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.” The only other things I’ve seen Lautner in are the “Twilight” films, “Valentine’s Day” and “Cheaper by the Dozen 2.” Hopefully, they will be involved in other good movies.