Warm Bodies--Romeo & Juliet Meets Apocalypse

"I guess we are all waiting for something"
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I give this film a seven out of ten. A twist on a horror-rom-com this movie tells the tale, through a witty-sarcastic voiceover of a zombie named ‘R’ (Nicholas Hoult) and how he falls in love with a girl, Julie (Teresa Palmer). It was more then halfway through the film when R is standing under Julie’s balcony in the Human Compound that you make the distinct connection that director and writer Jonathon Levine wanted us to see R as Romeo and Julie as Juliet, star-crossed lovers in a world of the last surviving humans verses zombies.

          

         What kept me intrigued with this film was the fact we had the perspective of a young zombie (who frankly looked like a pale, dark haired James Dean) through his voiceovers. It’s only then we understand why they shuffle around, how they communicate especially with his ‘best-friend-zombie’ M, why they eat brains (to get human memories so they feel more alive) and how they try and live. R never tells us how the apocalypse happened to make them zombies because he doesn’t remember himself and acts like it’s not something to worry about so as the audience we don’t worry either. He does make connections through the very dreary and grey world that surrounds him by reflecting what could have been, showing he is still in touch with his human side. There were great open establishing shots of him in the airport where most zombies come to gather. “Guess we are all waiting for something” R remarks, which is true because the airport is a place for interaction and for going places, deep down the zombies just want to go somewhere, to interact, to connect to the world again so it was very symbolic. However, for those zombies who lose the will to hope for a change, they slowly deteriorate and become Bonies, very fast skeletal beings that are very frightening and even the zombies don’t like them.

            

          On an ‘feeding frenzy’ is when the zombies run into the human party, where Julie and her friends Nora (Analeigh Tipton) and Perry (Dave Franco) are there trying to fight them off. One look at Julie and R is smitten and doesn’t dare try to hurt her instead he has the urge to protect her, showing a change in him. However Perry is not so lucky and R eats his brains to retain his memories, and get to know Julie at the same time but he also ‘saves’ Perry because eating his brains allows him to not rise up again as a zombie. These subtle things show the audience how perspective he is, and how there is a spark of a life still within him. Even when he takes Julie back to his airplane, he slowly begins to speak to her and at the end of the night we zoom in to his heart and see it beat once, showing there is an absolute change in him and Julie is the key.  With her he begins to feel again and you are eagerly awaiting each moment of interaction to see if this cold zombie will somehow turn into a warm (and even more lovable) human being.

           

          The cinematography was beautifully done especially with comparing the world of the zombies in the airport to the world of the humans in the Human Compound. For example the dark v. light, death v. life aspects and motifs are done through setting and even through flashbacks, using brighter tints to compare the old world verse the reality of the new world of zombies. The wide shots on the worlds around them are deeply introspective and I felt surrounded in their world, which really brings this movie to life.

Also the acting was amazing as well. Nicholas Hoult stole the show as a struggling to be human again zombie and can be very comical and cute in the various things he does as a zombie, like trying to talk to Julie and saying in his voice over, ‘Don’t be creepy. Don’t be creepy.” Teresa Palmer was marvelous as well, not adhering to the damsel in distress rules but as a tough chick trying to understand R and his ways and ultimately being the key between both worlds. Every time those two sharing the frame you know something magical will spark.

So have a laugh and watch Warm Bodies and enjoy as you get to see a side of a zombie you have never seen before, from his own eyes. 

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters--One Badass Fairy Tale

"Never walk into a house made of candy"
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I give this film an eight out of ten. It was really well done, the performances were believable and at some times funny, reminding the audience this may be an action film but it’s a children’s tale as well. To give everyone a basic understanding of the story, the first few minutes is the story of Hansel and Gretel the children and how their father tries to save their lives and hides them in the forest (for a reason unknown to the audience) and the two stumble on the Gingerbread House where a witch is inside. The pacing is quick but it’s steady enough to give the audience a general background of the story before setting off into the older version of the siblings we have been waiting for. After Hansel and Gretel successfully kill the witch as children, a narration from the adult Hansel comes on and says, “Number One: Never walk into a house made of candy. If you want to kill a witch, set her ass on fire.” This already lets the audience know that fire will play a role in the movie and is a huge weakness for witches.

           

The director and editors establish forwarding in time with old medieval newspaper graphics of Hansel and Gretel killing witches (sometimes in a cartoony but graphic way) until we come up on present day, where a town is condemning a young woman as a witch. Sheriff Berringer (Peter Stormare) is doing the condemning when a gun is pointed at his head, at first we don’t see the one holding the gun but a quick turn and we see it’s Gretel (Emma Arterton)! When I saw this is how the director chose to introduce Gretel made me want to scream out ‘FEMINISM!’ I was so happy to see Gretel come off as the badass sister, who is tough as nails and fights like a warrior.  Hansel (Jeremy Renner) is the quiet one but still knows how to kick some ass, and rightfully so. But we find out Hansel has a weakness, the Sugar Sickness (aka modern day Diabetes) from when he was forced to eat candy all the time as a child held captive in the witch’s house.

Automatically I loved what the director and writer, Tommy Wirkola did to the characters. He gave them distinct personalities of course, but he made the male counterpart weaker then the female. Isn’t that mostly the other way around in movies?  Especially siblings, wouldn’t the brother feel the need to constantly protect his sister? So seeing Gretel take over in certain scenes and become a major part of the storyline was intriguing and not something I expected at all sitting down in the theatre. Hansel of course has his own story line where he learns a valuable lesson that changes his outlook on life while Gretel is figuring out certain mysteries from the past while trying to concur the Dark Witch Muriel (Famke Janssen).

 Portraying the witches were not easy as from the constant face changes and using intense graphics to make their powers seem real and dangerous was well done. Their face makeup had deep cracks saturated eyes or lips, which really pronounced how ugly they were. Also the creation of Edward the Troll was impeccable and watching him come to life on screen was always enjoyable. The graphics showed off the witches intense powers which were using super speed, springing up trees out of no where during chase scenes, power to move objects, changing their faces, flying and exploding people. It allowed the movie to live up to its ‘action’ theme. Especially when there were some gruesome deaths there was definitely a hint of what I call, ‘Quentin Tarantino’ gore but not nearly as much, it looked fake enough for children to watch and not have nightmares over it.

           

  Overall, it was a fun movie to watch with some plot twists that you probably could see from a mile away if you are paying attention. The writing helped the story along especially adding little jibes at the story and other storylines. There was a shout out to Goldilocks when Ben (Thomas Mann) a Hansel and Gretel super fan gives Gretel some porridge and says “Not too hot, not too cold, but just right.” Also the storyline was easy to follow and every little thing ties together in the end, which wraps up the movie perfectly. The acting especially well done not only thanks to the talented duo but for their chemistry on screen as well. Renner and Arterton nailed is as brother and sister bounty hunters and I couldn’t ask for a better portrayal of the two.  It’s definitely worth seeing if you want to see a childhood fairy tale come to life in a kickass way., enjoyable for all audiences from 9 to 90.  

Anna Karenina--Where the F**K am I?

"Forgive me"
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            I would give this film a six out of ten. This film is all about chaos and trying to wrap the audience’s head around setting, storyline and symbolism. Originally a novel by Leo Tolstoy and made into a screenplay by Tom Stoppard and directed by Joe Wright displays the tragic story of Anna Karenina. Anna (Knightley) is married to Alexi Karenin (Jude Law) a statesman and they have a son together. She a socialite of St. Petersburg but rushes to Moscow on a train to save her brother’s marriage (he was caught cheating) at the playhouse he owns and tries to tell his wife Dolly (Kelly Macdonald) to forgive her brother, which she does but not without letting Anna reflect on her own marriage. Most likely a not very happy one, she seems to be the more involved and lavish trophy wife while Karenin, a Russian statesman is quiet even with his demands, and a man of power and of God. Anna always wears dark colors around her husband, dark blues and reds. She shows a more reserved side being a statesman’s wife. Also their home is full of dark furniture and dark colored walls, even his statesmen outfit was black. He holds the duty of husband and wife to be sacred so when Anna’s scandal comes to life we see a quiet demanding side of Karenin that we as an audience know we don’t want to mess with him.

Setting wise, we start off in a playhouse (which belongs to Anna’s brother, Oblonsky played by Matthew Macfayden). As we zoom in on the stage, which states it is ‘Imperial Russia 1874’ we are then caught in the whirlwind of play to movie to play to movie then play then finally to movie where Anna says she must leave to Moscow to visit her brother. At first the setting seems intriguing but then it gets rather lost. You go in a circle where the work place and workers becomes a restaurant and waiters and it takes you out of the moment. If it was a play made into a movie I could appreciate the compliments of trying to make it look like one but it was a novel, therefore I found the changes in scenery and sets distracting. Also, sometimes the scenes would change like a normal movie then back into a play like set change, which made me go ‘what the f…where am I?’  There are certain more symbolic moments where it turns from play to movie to play like the horseracing and the train scenes. However, one of the most stunning moments on screen was the dance of the Count Vronsky (Aaron Johnson) and Anna.

Symbolically, she is dressed all in black and the Count in all white. To me is screamed, he will be the beginning of her end. They immediately take to the floor where at first all the dancers freeze as they gracefully waltz by, then the dancers disappear and the world is only of Anna and the Count. It is then we know Anna’s fate is sealed and the rest of the movie is going to be a chaotic dance between Anna and the Count and the world around them they wish to ignore. With the Count (who is always seen in white or white and pale blue) she is always wearing white as well, as if she is pure and new again with this new love. It is only at the end where she is caught between the world of her husband and her love the Count she wears red, for she will commit the ultimate sacrifice of her love.  The symbolism of the train is rather strong too. On trains does Anna go between Moscow and St. Petersburg, from one love/life to another and ultimately becomes her demise.

Besides Anna Karenina’s storyline we have one with Konstatin Dimitrivich Levin (Dornhnall Gleeson) and Kitty Shcherbatsky (Alicia Vikander) who at first start off on a bad note, when Kitty rejects his wedding offer because she secretly loves the Count. I didn’t care much for this storyline but the end through a rather touching scene of using children’s spelling blocks the characters rekindle the flame that was dying and their storyline of love flourishes and blooms, while Anna’s storyline slowly spirals out of control. Thankfully with that one couple, even though it takes away from the major characters and storyline (hello, the movie is called Anna Karenina for a reason) it gave the audience something and someone to root for when Anna’s love life was beyond repair.

Overall, the acting was superb. Jude Law is barely recognizable as Alexi Karenin with how silent but deadly his character could be. Keira Knightley as Anna was very well done; she plays the part of a slowly detraining woman very well and knows how to captivate the audience in her life and struggles. The rest of the cast wasn’t all too memberable for me, besides Anna’s brother who clearly was a sarcastic, comedic relief of the story in a way. The storylines were intricate and very well developed and I never was lost, which is a plus for such a heavy loaded cast such as this one. Setting, I did enjoy the ornate and elaborate scenes of the playhouse, opera, home of Anna and Alexi and the home of Anna and the Count, the dance hall, trains and the meadows but starting off the movie as a play was confusing and jutting back to the ‘play within a movie’ style was distracting and didn’t strike me as intriguing. 

Silver Lining Playbook--A Special Kind of Crazy

“One incident can change a lifetime.”
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 Silver Lining Playbook is a masterpiece. For anyone who ever doubted anything in their life, had mistakes or regrets, this movie makes you look at everything in perspective, it did for me. This was a smart, captivating, funny and sarcastically upbeat movie. David O. Russell, the director AND screenwriter had a vision and it never faltered for a second, he executed it perfectly. The pacing, editing, scene set up, characters and dialogue was flawless, truly an amazing film and will be one of my favorites for a long time.

The movie starts in a psych ward the first image we see of Bradley Cooper (Patrick) is of his back as he talks to no one, yet he is starting to unravel his inner thoughts on life, and ‘excelsior’ and his quest to get in shape, and do whatever it takes to make his wife Nikki fall back in love with him. Since it was the ‘incident’ with the history teacher that drove him to spend eight months in the psych ward. I automatically fall in love with Bradley’s character because of his fast pace ramblings about changing his life for the better is good and sincere.

Coming home to his father Patrick Senior (Robert De Niro) was a surprise since the mother Dolores (Jacki Weaver) picked him up in secret. At first it has the typical family awkwardness, the set up of the scene is Bradley in the doorframe while his family is framed on the other side of the family room. This isn’t your typical ‘crazy people’ kind of movie where everyone makes a big deal about that person being crazy; it’s about acceptance and adapting again to life. We also see it’s not only Patrick that has his own demons to fight. We see the quirks of Patrick Senior with his OCD compulsions and anger management problems, his friend Danny (Chris Tucker) giving his life a second chance after his hospital stay and Ronnie; (John Ortiz) Patrick’s only friend in the neighborhood is struggling with his marriage to Veronica (Julia Stiles) and their new baby.  Patrick is only put to the test when Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), Veronica’s sister comes into the picture.

Tiffany (played by Jennifer Lawrence who deserves to win Best Actress for this performance) is just as quirky, sarcastic and loveable with her inappropriate behaviors and ‘no-filter’ way about how she talks to people. At first she comes off to Patrick as an annoying girl but has great sex appeal. As much as they bicker and banter to start with the connection grows with each scene and it makes you hungry for the next time the pair are on the screen together. The characters challenged each other on screen and they were the most vibrant and expressive performers. The way they not only interacted physically with one another, but their dialogue was impeccable, sarcastic and quick, yet clear and entertaining. Automatically, the audience is okay with their inappropriate behaviors because they are a little ‘messed up’ in the head. Patrick and bi-polar dysfunctional man whom works out in trash bags and Tiffany, a young, depressed, reformed-slut widow are just sane enough for us to root for them to find solace and hope in each other.

My favorite moment with the two was the techniques they used to show Patrick having a break down. We see it first in the psychiatrist office when his trigger song, My Cheri Amor comes on. There are flashbacks and spinning camera angles that get you inside Patrick’s head and you see his ‘illness’ in a whole new light. So when his break down comes on outside a movie theatre with Tiffany and a group of kids we see again the camera angles swirling, showing distortion and madness. The music and sounds around him are fading and echoing, but a face sticks out and is calm and steady like the camera frame that holds her face, Tiffany. She breaks through the chaos of his mind and calms him down. It is right then and there you know she is his saving grace for normalcy and sanity.  And of course while you watch the movie, you see he is her medicated saving grace as well.

There are more beautiful and pure moments throughout the movie, especially when giant revelations happen that move the plot that make you sometimes want to gasp out loud, (which, not going to lie I did a few times.) From the entertaining and funny jogs Tiffany and Patrick do together, the dance scenes/montages, Tiffany’s big monologue after the Eagles game and the psychologist visits, these scenes leave you with information to reveal more about the characters and who they are as the story progresses. If you feel you learned something from a character or was moved by a certain character’s action or scene, then David O. Russell has done his job. I believe you can still be able to love the book and love the movie adaptation as a separate piece of art.  

Les Miserables: Just Keep Singing...

"Do You Hear The People Sing"
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On a scale from one to ten I give Les Miserables an eight.  The cinematography was amazing, thank you Danny Cohen. I truly believed and felt I was living in the time period and understood the nature of the world around me. Film editors Chris Dickens and Melanie Ann Oliver did a spectacular job as well (especially in some of the larger, more moving ensemble cast numbers) their work drove me to chills. Piecing together camera angles to display hte truth and meaning behind a dramatic song is tough, especially when not on a Broadway stage and these two pulled it off. A lot of intense close ups and characters reactions off one another made these songs a lot more powerful and I enjoyed them because of that. However, there were just certain cuts that disrupted the pacing a little that distracted me a bit. Like sometimes after a song was done it would immediately cut to another character or another location and I would go, "Woah, that was quick" and felt like I was just sucked out of a moment but overall, bravo.  Director Tom Hooper clearly wanted the symbolism of the movie’s hardships and sacrifices to be known; you can see it in the style it was edited (I’ll talk about his extreme close ups later) but also throughout the movie in very subtle ways. Showing policeman Javier (Crowe) as standing on tall ledges/walls and always from low camera angles shows authority and power and how we should feel small compared to him. In the opening scene with the cast of prisoners singing Look Down we have to look up at Javier in all his glory, and automatically I knew I was going to hate his character. Especially when he makes Jean Valjean carry the broken mast of a ship that had the French flag on it. It’s symbolic because Valjean shows that his strength could unfortunately be his weakness, which we will see later on in the film. It is only when outside his factory eight years later Valjean lifts a broken cart off of a man, in the presence of Javier, which causes him to start to recognize Valjean as the escaped prisoner.

Hugh Jackman is barely recognizable as the prisoner Jean Valjean in the opening scene and completely transforms himself throughout the movie. At first, when he leaves prison after nineteen years serving time for stealing a loaf of bread he finds himself at a church where a kind hearted priest takes him in. He shows Jean Valjean the way of God by giving him a set of pillar church candles and sings, ‘use this precious silver to become an honest man.’ It’s a symbol that Jean Valjean will use religion to become a good and disciplined man, and become righteous. When he rips his parole papers into the wind it is the end of the prisoner Jean Valjean and a rebirth to the wealthy businessman and mayor he becomes. Another symbol was Fantine (Hathaway) is first shown in a pink dress to show her innocence and youth but causes her to stand out in a factory full of bland blue and grey dressed older women. And as you will see, when she stands out bad things is going to follow.

Apart from my deeper levels of thinking on Les Miserables, let’s dive into the (mostly) good stuff that makes up 98% of this movie, which is the singing. Yes. They sing ALL the time and sometimes the jarring moments when they break in and out of song makes me just want to yell out JUST TALK! IT WILL BE MUCH FASTER THIS WAY! Already you are sitting through a 157-minute movie, the least they can do is speed up some of the singing that’s not needed.  Not only were there certain singing parts not necessary but also the camera angles it was shot in killed me as a theatregoer. I know Hooper was trying to keep these tight close ups on the actors while they sang so the audience can really listen to what the lyrics were and the messages behind them but it sometimes made me uncomfortable since I felt like I was staring into someone’s mouth or up their nose. Enter here: Anne Hathaway as Fantine. Who knew she had a set of pipes! Her monumental song I Dreamed A Dream was full of emotion, tears, passion and cries of despair (shot from the neck up) you know she is singing at rock bottom, she will never get out of this hole she is in and with her extreme close up singing and sobbing, it was the only time I was okay with feeling uncomfortable. I’m watching someone vulnerably sing her swan song and she even says before the song ‘making love to one already dead,’ which reinforces me, she knows she will die but she will die trying to keep her daughter Cosette alive.  I would of appreciated a little more change ups in the camera angles so I can see the actor’s body language and really take in everything, including the setting in which the actor is singing their heart out in, which doesn’t happen too often.

But of course there were some moments of singing that brought me to tears, Thank you Eponine. Her rendition of the tragic love song, On My Own in the rain is heart breaking, vulnerable, moving and beautiful. If any girl has ever experienced loving a guy who doesn’t notice how much she love him will truly connect with the piece and Samantha Barks as Eponine does the job. She also has the skinniest waist I’ve ever seen in my life! She would do anything for love, especially her secret love Marius (who loves Cosette), including risking her life in the barricade for Marius and dying in the rain with him holding her in his arms. Samantha steals the scene as Eponine and her performance was Oscar worthy to me.

Now to the man who impressed me the most: Hugh Jackman. His voice and expression of emotions truly hit home and I believe he was a man who suffered such sadness in his life, and thankfully he is also Broadway trained and really could work with the material and make the lyrics just as important as any dialogue in the story.  But Russell Crowe, to me he always seemed like he was bellowing his songs like a horn and not having any attachment to the lyrics at all. I thought he was a good Javert when he wasn’t singing. The scene where he is at the bloodied barricade after the fight and has a touching moment with the dead boys was purely silent but truly magical and moving.  Crowe’s subtle touches as Javier were much more powerful then any words he sang. Eddie Redmayne as Marius was good. He has a very powerful voice too, in the song Empty Chairs At Empty Tables it was truly moving to see him work the scene alone and I was moved and I felt I lost friends as well as he did after the battle at the barricade. The woman who changes his world though is Cosette, played by Amanda Seyfried and frankly folks I wasn’t that impressed. After seeing her in ABBA’s musical MAMMA MIA! I thought she would hit the nail on the head here but when she sang All My Life her voice to me was way too high for enjoyment and vibrated more then a typical singing bird. It got kind of annoying and I found myself cringing when she started to sing. She could of done a lot better, but she did connect to the scenes and material very well I have to say.

Last but not least, my favorite comedy relief pair: the Innkeepers. Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter play husband and wife and are the most ridiculous couple. Greedy, manipulating and basically common thieves they run an inn but it are definitely not worth your money and some precious possessions. Their song Master of the House totally distracted the audience from the death of Fantine with the playful upbeat and choreographed song throughout the movie they make their presence known and somehow manage to help the plot along it’s course when it is due. Overall the songs One Day More and Do You Hear The People Sing, made my heart start pumping and blow me away with the production quality. Even if you are not a musical person (even though I am) the story line is very interesting and easy to follow and you will still be able to appreciate the music and all that went into creating such an extraordinary film. It will definitely receive some Oscars for sure!