(500) Days of Summer

The problem with romantic comedies today is that there's too much comedy and not enough romance (or sometimes vice versa). Thankfully, there are some that break the barrier.

An unconventional love story about Summer Finn (Zooey Deschanel), a woman who doesn't believe in true love, and Tom Hansen (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), the man who falls for her.

(500) Days of Summer is different from the romantic comedy of today becuase it doesn't rely on bad jokes and sex (or bad sex jokes); it relies on actual emotions. Gordon-Levitt and Deschanel make a really cute couple. The movie is really sweet. It's now one of my favorite romantic comedies (along with The Apartment). It's not one to be avoided.

My Rating: *****

Movie Pitch

For the past couple of weeks over at Anomalous Material, there has been a Hollywood Fantasy Draft. Basically you choose actors and a director you want for your fictional movie. Now I gotta pitch the movie. The rules/requirements for the pitch are:

~You should immediately develop the basic idea, the logline for your movie: The logline is one or two sentence that summarize the concept of your movie. For example: “Are you interested in a story about a man who lives in the Statue of Liberty?” (A real and successful logline)
~You should have a firm grasp of your main characters and their roles in the story.

~You should be able to explain why so and so is going to play so and so.
~You should begin to develop some basic outline or treatment for your story.

Here I go. This is the pitch for my fictictious film Truth and Lies (which, I may add, is directed by Martin Scorsese).

The Logline

What if everything you thought you knew about someone was a lie?

The Characters

• Meryl Streep is Patricia Malloy, a woman who comes home one night to discover her husband has been murdered.
• Sean Penn is Malcolm Hyde, the private investigator Malloy hires to infiltrate the mob family she believes was responsible for her husband's murder. After some smooth talking, he becomes an associate for the family.
• Marisa Tomei is Connie Hyde, Malcolm's wife. She has supported his previous work, ranging from drug trafficking to political scandals. But this job is more dangerous than what he has done before.
• Ralph Fiennes is Sammy Giardano, the boss of the family Hyde infiltrates. His personality is charming, but behind closed doors he's a different man.
• Stanley Tucci is Mick Lombardi, Giardano's consigliere. He has a hidden hatred for Giardano since he was to take over the business when the former boss stepped down, but he hides it with an admiration for him.
• Emile Hirsch is Louie, Giardano's son. He is deeply suspicious of the new associate for his father. He tries to convinces Giordano that something's up, but he and his suspicions are shrugged off.
• Jake Gyllenhaal is Joey Sullivan, Giardano's top hitman. He has a sadistic streak once he starts a hit; it disappears when his victim is truly dead.
• Peter Sarsgaard is Bruno Contielle, Giardano's underboss. He is likeable throughout the family due to his good looks and friendly personality.

The Outline

Theme: The main theme is deception. I'll explain more once I get to the outline of the movie.

Prologue: Patricia comes home after a long day of work to find her husband beaten and shot to death. Absolutely stunned, she wants answers and she wants them now. She finds out her husband has been borrowing money from Giardano.

Act One: Appalled by the shoddy police investigation, Patricia hires Malcolm. He agrees to help her, since he is curious on the workings of Giardano's business. Upon first arrival, Malcolm is welcomed by Giordano and Bruno. Malcolm wins over Giardano and becomes an associate. Malcolm also gets acquainted with Mick.

Act Two: Here we are introduced to Louie. He appears to be a nice kid, but he is very suspicious of Malcolm. Since no one else will listen to him, he confides in Joey about it. Joey is like an older brother to Louie, so he thinks that Louie might be right.

Act Three: Malcolm is getting close to booking Giardano. Louie's suspicions on him has only intenstified. He orders Joey to kill Malcolm, which he gladly agrees to do. Joey manages to beat Malcolm up, but it's Joey who gets killed. Shocked by Joey's death, Louie decides to take matters into his own hands. He shoots Malcolm in the back several times before Bruno shows up and subdues him.

Epilogue: Malcolm survives, but is left paralyzed. When he's recovering in the hospital, Bruno visits him and explains everything. Like Malcolm, he is a cop who has infiltrated Giardano's business to try to take him down. Giardano had bribed the police to not thoroughly investigate Patricia's husband's murder (he was killed for not paying back Giardano the thousands of dollars he had borrowed). Giardano, Louie and Mick get arrested for numerous charges. Mick agrees to testify against Giardano, which shocks him. At his sentencing, Giardano says that he never would've suspected that Malcolm and Bruno were involved with the police.

So what do you think? Would you pay to see this?

The French Connection

Movies from the 1970's are renown for their edginess. Their content has stuff that ten years earlier would've have had audiences going "Whoa!" Basically, stuff like drugs, blood-soaked crimes and all that good stuff in between.

Alain Charnier (Fernando Rey) is a dapper businessman from Marseilles, Frances, who is in reality a drug lord working on a big score to sell $32 million worth of 89% pure heroin to New York City. But his potential buyer, small-time hood Salvatore Boca (Tony Lo Bianco), is being tailed by undercover cops Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle (Gene Hackman) and Buddy "Cloudy" Russo (Roy Scheider).

Oh man, this is branded "guy movie" big time. I mean, really. The famed car chase scene alone proves that. Hackman's character of "Popeye" Doyle shows those the hard way he's a cop you shouldn't mess with (much like his other Oscar-winning performance in Unforgiven). Most Best Picture winners lose their edge as the years go on. Not The French Connection.

My Rating: *****

Se7en

I have seen several horror movies and numerous Alfred Hitchcock movies, all of which only scared me a little bit. But the one movie that truly scared the hell out of me was Se7en.

Days from his retirement, veteran detective William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) is teamed up with his replacement David Mills (Brad Pitt) to solve a series of murders based on the seven deadly sins. Will they find the killer before his demented plan is complete?

As I was watching this, I felt parts of my back go numb. At first, I thought it was nothing. Then I realized what it was: I was literally paralyzed with fear.

This is definitely not a movie to toy with. The opening credits along prove that. The Howard Shore music just make every scene creepier. The murder scenes are unsettling and the suspense almost puts Hitchcock to shame. Kevin Spacey, in my opinion, was practically primed to play a villian, mainly because his supposedly calming voice is actually really unnerving in this. If you're looking for a movie that's guranteed to scare the fuck out of you, your search is over.

My Rating: *****

Hud

(sigh) Paul Newman. He was such a good actor. Makes me bummed that he's no longer with us.

Hud Bannon (Newman) is a ruthless young man who tarnishes everything and everyone he touches. Hud represents the perfect embodiment of alienated youth, out for kicks with no regards for the consequences. There is bitter conflict between him and his stern and highly principled father Homer (Melvyn Douglas). Hud's nephew Lon (Brandon De Wilde) admires Hud's cheating ways, though he soon becomes aware of Hud's reckless amorality to bear him anymore. In the world of the takers and the taken, Hud is a winner.

This is one of Newman's best performances. He portrays a character you're supposed to dislike, but his charm keeps you from doing that. The performances from Melvyn Douglas and Patricia Neal are also especially good, mainly Neal. The cinematography by Jame Wong Howe is breathtaking and the movie is a fine piece of filmmaking.

My Rating: *****

Babel

Usually when I choose a movie to watch, the plot has to be appealing to me. That's the main requirement.

Richard (Brad Pitt) and Susan (Cate Blanchett) are a troubled married couple on vacation in Morocco trying to work out their differences. While on a tour bus, Susan is shot by an unseen assailant. Their story is connected with Mexican nanny Amelia (Adriana Barraza), the two boys responsible for the shooting and a Japanese businessman whose deaf daughter Chieko (Rinko Kikuchi) longs for affection.

Hmm, another movie focusing on people with different lives but they're somehow connected. Apologies if I sound negative, but the "interwoven storyline" seems a little...cliched. But that doesn't make Babel a bad movie. In my humble opinion, Kikuchi gives the best performance. The movie definitely has a gritty feel to it. Babel also captures the struggles on each individual nationality.

My Rating: ****1/2

Big Fish

If you've been reading this blog long enough, you know that I'm a fan of Tim Burton. Having seen all but three of his works, you could say I'm somewhat of an expert. Anyway, onto the review.

Big Fish follows the incredible life of Edward Bloom (Albert Finney), through a series of flashbacks that begin when his son Will (Billy Crudup) visits him for the last time. Edward is dying of cancer, and Will hasn't spoken to him for years because Will believes him to be a liar that never really cared for his family. As Edward's story unfolds once again, Will tries to finally understand the truth about who his father really was...

You gotta give Burton credit. He directed this in response to his parents' deaths, so the feeling of losing a parent is pretty strong. It's definitely a far cry from his earlier work, which are more dark and gloomy. Big Fish, meanwhile, is more bright and cheerful. It's one of those movies that makes for good discussion.

My Rating: ****

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

The main reason that Steven Spielberg made Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was "to apologize for the second one". I don't blame him; Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was pushing it for violence. Last Crusade, however, didn't.

Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) discovers the history of a biblical artifact called "the Holy Grail". He is also informed that his father Henry Jones (Sean Connery), who was also looking for the Holy Grail, is missing. Indy has to find his father. However, he will become involved in the search of the Holy Grail along with his father, as well as fighting the Nazis to reach it.

There's something on the levels of awesome and brilliance with the casting of Connery as Indy's dad. I mean, you got the original James Bond, for crying out loud. Anyway, back to what I was saying. Last Crusade has the same amount of action Raiders of the Lost Ark has and none of the violence Temple of Doom has. I'm sure you're of the "threequel curse" (notable entries include The Godfather Part III and Spider-Man 3). Thankfully, Last Crusade doesn't fall victim to it.

My Rating: ****1/2

31 Day Movie Meme

So there's this meme floating around the interwebs. I feel like doing it, just not in a 31 day period. I'm not the only who did the whole meme in one day.

DAY 1: Sequel that should not have been made
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I was so looking foward to this and was left disappointed. I want a refund, Spielberg.

DAY 2: Movie you think more people should see
Quiz Show. One of the underrated gems from the year dominated by Pulp Fiction, Forrest Gump and The Shawshank Redemption.

DAY 3: Favorite Oscar-nominated movie from most recent ballot
Up in the Air. I'm starting to like Jason Reitman's work. I can't wait to see his next movie.

DAY 4: Movie that makes you laugh every time
The Apartment. It has the right mix of sincerity, sweetness and humor.

DAY 5: Movie you loathe
The Benchwarmers. I pratically felt my brain cells getting killed while watching it, it was so stupid.

DAY 6: Movie that makes you cry every time
WALL-E. No explanation needed if you saw it.

DAY 7: Least favorite movie by a favorite actor/actress
Jack Lemmon in Save the Tiger. He was good, the movie...not so much.

DAY 8: Movie that should be required high school viewing
Kinsey. This has everything you wanted to know about sex, but were afraid to ask.

DAY 9: Best scene ever
The taxi cab scene from On the Waterfront. It just sums up why it's been a classic for years.

DAY 10: A movie you thought you wouldn't like but ended up loving
High Fidelity. Since I had read the book beforehand, I was thinking it was gonna be the same. Not true. The movie has its own charm that's different from the book.

DAY 11: A movie that disappointed you
Public Enemies. My review alone sums up why I was left underwhelmed.

DAY 12: Best soundtrack/background music in a scene
"Married Life" from Up. It gave the montage an emotional wallop.

DAY 13: Favorite animated movie
The Nightmare Before Christmas. Who said animated movies are for kids? Apparently not Tim Burton.

DAY 14: Favorite movie in black and white
Ed Wood. Since it's set in the 1950's, it seems appropriate it's in black and white becuase it gives the movie a nogalistic feel to it.

DAY 15: Best musical
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. I'm not really a fan of musicals, so I went with this.

DAY 16: Your guilty pleasure movie
In Bruges. Like I stated in the review, I nearly barfed from the violence towards the end of the movie. And yet, I liked it.

DAY 17: Favorite series of related movies
Batman. Not the Joel Schmacher-directed ones, just the ones directed by Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan. They made the comic book genre gritty; Schmacher not so much.

DAY 18: Favorite title sequence
Catch Me If You Can and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. They would make Saul Bass proud.

DAY 19: Best movie cast
Inception. Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page, as well as several Nolan alums. Need I say more?

DAY 20: Favorite kiss
The kiss of death in The Godfather Part II and the reuniting kiss in Brokeback Mountain. One full of love, one full of hate.

DAY 21: Favorite romantic couple
Jack and Ennis from Brokeback Mountain. The relationship has sort of a Shakespeare feel to it: a forbidden romance that ends in tragedy.

DAY 22: Favorite final scene/line
Some Like It Hot. "Daphne" is trying everything to get out of her engagement to Osgood and ultimately ending with the revealation that she's a he. That leads to the funniest closing line in movie history.

DAY 23: Best explosion or action scene
The Death Star blowing up in Star Wars. 'Nuff said.

DAY 24: Quote you use most often
"Well, nobody's perfect" from Some Like It Hot. It fits into my daily life, so there.

DAY 25: A movie you plan on watching (old or new)
Saving Private Ryan. I want to see it, but I don't have enough time to watch it.

DAY 26: Freakishly weird movie ending
The Prestige. Was tempted to go with Inception, but this is a million times freakier.

DAY 27: Best villian
Amon Goeth from Schindler's List. Truly one of the scariest performances I've seen in a long, long time.

DAY 28: Most over-hyped movie
Citizen Kane. Sorry, movie buffs, I'm not crazy about it as you are.

DAY 29: Movie you have watched more than ten times
50 First Dates. This was before I became a movie snob, mind you.

DAY 30: Saddest death scene
George from A Single Man. It left me depressed throughout the rest of the day.

DAY 31: Scene that made you stand up and cheer
Andy's escape in The Shawshank Redemption. What else?

Boy, that was annoying.

Fahrenheit 451

Dystopia is a common setting in science fiction. Some notable examples among literature are Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange, George Orwell's 1984 and Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. Another good example is Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451.

"It was a pleasure to burn" is what the novel opens with. Guy Montag is a fireman who doesn't put out fires but starts them; he is to burn books and the houses that contained them. He doesn't question his job until his new neighbor, a seventeen-year-old by the name of Clarisse McClellan, opens him to a past when people weren't afraid.

I found the thought of books being illegal somewhat scary (being the avid reader that I am). And having read a few of Ray Bradbury's short stories prior to reading Fahrenheit 451, I knew that the tone in his writing is anti-technology. The descriptions are vivid and the plot is easy flowing. But overall, it's a very impressive novel.

My Rating: ****