A relationship of the future...

Let's face it, relationships can be messy things. Communication can become stymied, resulting in misunderstanding and irreparable resentment. Fortunately, in this high-tech world, we have so many options for meeting that someone special. The internet offers dating sites for everyone, no matter race, creed, or sexual orientation. Social media brings the world to your fingertips, giving you endless choices for encountering the one. In Her, Spike Jonze suggests yet another method for making that all important connection. What if Windows 8 not only organized everything on your computer, but listened to you like no other human? What if it attended to your every cyber need and offered positive criticism of your life as well? What if Windows 8 made such a connection with you that you couldn't wait to log on and see what it was up to? Ok, maybe Windows 8 couldn't do this, but maybe 10 might. So many of us have become completely dependent upon various operating systems because we spend more time interacting with smartphones, laptops, and tablets than we spend on those around us. We seek so many answers from these devices that it seems completely logical that a person would also find true love within their electronics if, along with answers, we also received understanding and compassion.
Her is the story of Theodore, a man whose pending divorce haunts him; however, this isn't a typical relationship movie. Theodore finds the 'woman' of his dreams in his new operating system. Samantha offers exactly what he needs, despite lacking the physicality of a human. Theodore's new os is more than just a software program, it is touted as the first AI system that has consciousness as well. Jonze has outdone himself, creating a near-future that not only is possible, but highly plausible. Theodore works at a business that provides personal, handwritten letters to subscribers. He is a surrogate writer, composing beautiful correspondences by learning about the 'author' and the 'subject.' Interestingly, he is able to make a strong connection to those he never meets, but lacks the ability to maintain a healthy relationship with his own wife. With Samantha, he feels a strong association to 'someone' again.
I simply loved the premise of this film, recognizing that Jonze identifies the general disunion of people today. Initially, I wondered how others would react to Theodore's new relationship. His ex-wife responds to his confession in the way I assumed most would, with shock and confusion; however, others acknowledge it as something perfectly normal and not uncommon. Theodore's closest friend, Amy, admits that she has formed a very close friendship with her os. It's obvious that this is exactly what many hoped for from the software.
Jonze presents the story as happening in the near future. The audience knows it's location is Los Angeles, but Jonze uses Shanghai for the wide shots of the city; thus, giving a foreign, futuristic look. The colors he uses are gorgeous and the lighting adds to the mood of the narrative. Add a great soundtrack and this movie is well worth watching. Thought-provoking, visually stunning, and well-acted. My only criticism is the casting of Scarlett Johansson as Samantha. The entire film was initially made using Samantha Morton's voice. Jonze felt there was something lacking during editing and, with Morton's ok, re-cast the role with Johansson. Unlike many, I am not a fan of her voice. At first, I wasn't so bothered, but as the movie progressed I grew more agitated when she spoke. Despite my dislike of the lead actress, this film is one of my top 5 movies for 2014. Though mostly overlooked by the Academy, it did garner the Oscar for best screenplay. After watching it, I whole-heartedly agree. This film resonated with me and still does.

I is for Deceiving, F@#king, Wilderness

It's taken me so long to return to my alphabet movie reviews that I barely remember a lot of the movies; however, the few that I've chosen to talk about have resonated with me for many years. The first is the true story of the scientist who revealed the lies and deception of the tobacco industry. His decision to talk to Mike Wallace and 60 Minutes nearly destroys everything he loves. Russell Crowe shows Jeffrey Wigand's turmoil perfectly through silent suffering. Without a word, Crowe draws the audience into the man's anxiety. In my opinion, this performance was much more deserving of an Academy award than his role in Gladiator. Along with stellar offerings from Al Pacino and Christopher Plummer, Michael Mann brings one of the most important news stories of the late 20th century to the big screen. If you know nothing about this tragic tale, this is a must see.

Aaahh Bruges. Ray hates Bruges and he has no reservations using his favorite expletive to remind the audience of this fact. In fact, this film has so many cuss words that I have to tell my mother, 'I'm warning you now.' For everyone else, this is a fun buddy film. Colin Farrell (Ray) and Brendan Gleeson (Ken) are awaiting orders from their boss, Ralph Fiennes (Harry). Despite Ken's valiant efforts, Ray is resolved to have an absolutely horrible time. On the other hand, Ken falls in love with Bruges. And so did I. Although it is available to stream on Netflix, I highly recommend getting the DVD. Along with a hilarious gag reel, there is an extra that allows you to go on a video tour of Bruges via it's canal system, revealing why it's known as "the Venice of the North." You'd have to be as uptight as Ray not to love the city. But you may find yourself falling in love with Ray, Ken, and even Harry. This film is flat-out f@#king FUN!

This film is based upon the true story of Christopher McCandless, a young man who sets out after graduating college to live in the wilds of Alaska. The story comes from the book of the same name by Jon Krakauer. I tried to read the book; however, I found that Krakauer enjoys putting himself in the center of the story. I wanted to know about McCandless' own journey. When I heard that this film was coming out and that Sean Penn had directed it, I had high hopes. I was not disappointed. This movie tells Chris' story thoroughly and beautifully. The cinematography was stunning. The acting was solid. And the soundtrack by Eddie Vedder was wonderful. Both inspiring and tragic, McCandless' life is celebrated in well-earned grandeur on the big screen.

I was pleasantly surprised at how many 'I' movies I had given at least 4 stars. Along with these three, there is Inside Man, an action-packed bank heist with an all-star cast. It is, by far, my favorite Spike Lee joint. In America tells of an Irish family who immigrates to America to try to put their lives together after a tragedy. Il Postino is a beautiful love story between a woman and a postman who woos her with poetry. And Iron Giant is an animated family film about a boy and his enormous robot friend. I could go on, but I think I've given enough homework for now. Enjoy!

and my award goes to...

After Wes Anderson's big win at the Golden Globes, I feel compelled to do a movie review. But not of The Grand Budapest Hotel. Don't get me wrong, I watched it a few days ago and it was very, very good; however, as I watched it, I kept remembering another Wes Anderson film that I absolutely loved, Fantastic Mr. Fox. There were several techniques Anderson used that made me think I was watching that film instead. On several occasions, he used wide shots showing people running across the scene in the distance. He also used sets that, if they weren't miniatures, definitely looked like they were. Grand Budapest was a good movie, filled with all the beautiful sets and costumes, quirky characters, and catchy music that has become Anderson's trademark, but I just didn't enjoy it as thoroughly as I did Mr. Fox.
Wes Anderson inhabits a rare class of director, those who see movies not just as a source of entertainment, but also as art. Stanley Kubrick, Ridley Scott, and Peter Weir have raised the bar for every other director. Their films not only contain well-developed characters and stories, they also create a world so vivid and beautiful that the audience is swept into their 'reality' completely. Wes Anderson has an amazing eye for detail and an uncompromising vision that, when applied to a movie that uses stop-motion animation, can only mean perfection.
Fantastic Mr. Fox is a children's story written by Roald Dahl, the first book Wes Anderson was given as a child that remains on his bookshelf to this day. His love of the story is reflected in the movie. He assembled a wonderful cast filled with old friends, Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman, and Owen Wilson and adds some great 'new' talent with George Clooney and Meryl Streep as Mr. and Mrs. Fox. But what truly endeared this film to me was the use of a kind of animation that is fast going the way of the dinosaur, stop-motion. The animal dolls are made with real animal hair, which moved with every movement of the dolls, thus creating a rippling effect that is quite fun. As is necessary for stop-motion, every day materials are substituted for substances impossible to manipulate manually: saran wrap for water, cotton for smoke, bars of soap carved to look like flames. And this film has a choppy look to the movement that is an homage to such holiday tv specials as Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town. That may be the reason why it captured my heart, it reminded me of my youth. Just like a child, I can watch this movie over and over, marveling at all the time and effort put into creating such amazing sets. One thing is obvious, Wes Anderson poured his heart into this film. It is fun for everyone, young and old alike.

My Life At The Movies

After looking over the previous posts, this blog has inadvertently become 'my thoughts on...movies!' And that's great, but I thought it would be prudent to reveal why I have so many thoughts about the cinema. That tale begins at my beginning. When I think back to my childhood, many of my most vivid and beloved memories surround movies that I saw. All the Disney films seen with my sisters at The State Theatre. Going to The Strand Theater with the whole family to watch Picnic, giggling with my sisters while our mother sighed in remembrance. Watching Superman with my dad and Picnic at Hanging Rock with my mom. Movies were what brought us together. I can't begin to list all the movies I've seen with my kin. But I do remember one of the first films I saw. Conrack, starring John Voight as a young, white teacher who is sent to a small island in a river delta in South Carolina to teach African American children, was an extremely powerful movie for me to watch. I couldn't believe that there were children who went to school, but didn't know how to read or write. These children seemed to come more from a third world country than from the South. I was mesmerized by the lives portrayed and by this wonderful teacher who came to mean so much more to his students. Several years later, I myself would have the pleasure of being taught by an educator very similar to the one I marveled at on the big screen. In his classroom, I was encouraged to nurture an already hyper imagination. I learned to put pen to paper, paint to canvas, and truly see the world around me. Perhaps that's why this film still resonates with me. And yet it is nowhere near the most important film in my life.
I was 10 years old and excited for the coming summer vacation. Leafing through our weekly issue of Time magazine, I came across this article and everything I thought I was looking forward to was forgotten. Star Wars was a movie unlike any other I had ever heard of before. I couldn't wait to see it. I wasn't disappointed. In two brief hours, new worlds came to life inhabited by weird creatures, swashbuckling heroes, and comical robots. I still remember how I felt when the credits began to roll. I couldn't wait to see it again...and again and again. In fact, I saw it thirteen times that summer alone. I've seen it so many times since then that I've lost count. I knew immediately that this was revolutionary film-making. I had never been so immersed in a story before and it was entirely due to the special effects, sets, makeup and costumes. Everything pieced together to transport me to that galaxy far, far away. And it stayed with me. I wanted to know more about Tatooine, Alderaan, and the Death Star. My imagination stole me away to those fantasy places where I fought alongside Luke, Leia, and Han against the evil Empire. Many Star Wars fans rank the next installment, The Empire Strikes Back, as the best of the original three. And it does have a more complex, stronger narrative and equally terrific effects, but Star Wars will always be my favorite. It awakened a curiosity about making movies. I had never given movies a second thought before this. I watched what was on the screen like the rest of the audience. With Star Wars, I realized there was a whole world devoted to creating what is captured on celluloid. And I wanted to be a part of it. I wanted to know everything from sound effects editing to costume design. This movie changed how I watched films forever. I started seeing more of the illusions created and asked how they did what they put on the big screen. This interest has continued throughout my life. I never saw my dream of getting into the film industry come to fruition; however, I continue to enjoy movies on a whole new level. I see them both as a complete creation and as the parts that go into making them. Although I don't know that I would call Star Wars my all-time favorite movie, it has definitely had a direct effect on my love of all movies. And for that, I say "thank the maker!"

 H is for animated, suicidal, journalists

I am madly in love with anything Hayao Miyazaki does. And Howl's is probably my favorite. It is the wonderful story of a young woman who's mundane life is turned upside-down after a fateful encounter with the Witch of the Waste. This is a rare production by Miyazaki because it is adapted from a novel by Diana Wynne Jones. Typically he writes his own screenplays, but the book follows a similar theme used often in his films: a heroine who must overcome adversity to save something. This time Sophie must find a way to break the spell cast upon her by seeking the aid of Howl, a wizard who, legend says, steals young girl's souls. This film is visually stunning. It's so wonderful to watch traditional animation. Miyazaki is a master of creating beautiful landscapes with wind blowing through tall grassy fields and clouds floating in the sky. This is yet another movie my mother and I enjoyed together. What I love most is, whenever I feel sad, I just watch any of his films and they magically lift my spirits and take my cares away. That is exactly what movies should do.

 

This is another movie I grew up watching. I love telling the premise to those who've never seen it:

Harold, a teenager who attends funerals and commits suicide as a hobby meets and falls in love with Maude, an eighty year-old woman who is full of life. This is the most mismatched couple in film history, but their love affair is heartwarming, humorous and wonderful. I have to warn you, this is a very black comedy. The opening scene is at the same time somber and absolutely hilarious. After watching the introduction of Harold and his family, one has to wonder, 'who is the crazy one here, Harold and is death obsession or his mother, who is obsessed with appearance and status?' This movie is a must for anyone who has forgotten what life is truly about. Ruth Gordon's spot on performance envelopes the viewer in Maude's love of life. Pure joy.

 

You may have noticed that I have quite a few older films on this list. There's one reason for that: Hollywood used to make really great films. There was a time when it wasn't all about the money. In fact, there are many movies considered 'classic' that did horribly at the box office. I don't know how this film did. What I do know is this is truly a great film. Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell are flawless as ex-spouses, one of which pines for 'the good ole days' with his ex/newspaper buddy and the other is trying her best to break away from her ex's charms. This film is also a perfect example of another nearly extinct creature in Hollywood, the great script. This film is one of the first, if not the first, to use overlapping dialogue. And when it's Grant and Russell delivering those lines, it's pure genius. Loads of laughs and who doesn't need to laugh a lot these days.

Unlike the last letter where I struggled to find enough films, 'H' has a plethora of really good ones. There's Hope and Glory, the semi-autobiographical story of a boy's life in London during the blitz. And The Hitcher, a truly creepy tale with an equally creepy performance by Rutger Hauer (by the way, there's a remake of this that I haven't seen because you shouldn't remake perfection). Hero and House Of Flying Daggers are two more films I have to mention. They are visually stunning and full of lots of great martial arts. Let's not forget The Host, the best damn Korean horror film with the quirkiest family and the coolest monster...ever! Last but in no way least is the Oscar winning The Hurt Locker. This Best Oscar winner was one of the hardest movies I've ever watched and I may never watch it again, but I highly recommend that everyone watch it once to gain a little understanding of the horrors our soldiers go through for 'freedom'.

   

 G is for peaceful, prison, friendship

Included in many film industry top ten lists, Gandhi truly is a great film about one of history's most important figures. Ben Kingsley is superb as the Indian lawyer who takes it upon himself to rid his country of British colonialism. In fact, Dustin Hoffman considered trying for the roll, but starred in Tootsie instead. He lost the Best Actor Oscar to Kingsley. This film, directed by Richard Attenborough nearly 30 years ago, holds such resonance today with all the conflict that is occurring in the region. In a day and age where hatred and violence seem so prevalent everywhere in the world, it would behoove society to take another look at how a small man with nothing but love and peace in his heart can lead a nation toward freedom through nonviolence. 

I came upon this story first as a serial novel by Stephen King. Although he is known best as a horror writer, King has also written some very good 'normal' stories and this is a perfect example. Set in Louisiana in the mid-1930s, the film tells the story of John Coffey, a convicted murderer with a special gift. Directed by Frank Darabont and starring Tom Hanks, Michael Clark Duncan, and Michael Jeter, this is the closest adaption of a King novel that exists. I can vividly remember watching the movie and crying because I knew what was about to happen. Basically, I cried through the whole movie. So if you are not in the mood to have your heart strings tugged, steer away from this movie. But I would beg you not to do so for long. This is a wonderful film and I would also recommend you read the novel. 

 

I would like to say that this last film is a bright, sunny, happy movie, but I would be lying. Gallipoli is set in several bright, sunny places like the Australian outback, Egypt, and the west coast Turkish peninsula from which the title comes. It tells the story of two runners whose friendship takes them on a journey that ends half way around the world in a horrific battle at Gallipoli. It features a young Mel Gibson as Frank Dunne, a womanizing layabout who follows his friend, Archy Hamilton, to war because he doesn't have anything else in his life. Little does he know it will change his life forever. I love this film. It's such a wonderful tale of the endurance of friendship and it is directed by one of my favorite directors, Peter Weir. Weir doesn't make films very often, but when he does, they are absolute magic. With a resume that includes such films as The Year of Living Dangerously, Witness, Dead Poet's Society, Fearless, The Truman Show, and Master and Commander, Weir's name alone will make me go see a film. And this one is masterful.

'G' was a hard letter to do. I'd like to say that's why there was such a long gap between postings, but that would be a lie. I could only find a few films to write about, but they were all very good. Another great film would have to be Gladiator, starring Russell Crowe as a brave general who loses everything and is forced to become a fighter in the Roman arena. He then takes the opportunity to seek both revenge and peace of mind. This achievement is only possible in 'Hollywoodland'. This is one of those films that has a musical score that sweeps me away. And Mr. Crowe in a skirt is easy on the eyes, of course.

My last entry is the only comedy for this letter, Galaxy Quest. This quirky, fun film stars Tim Allen as a has-been tv star who finds himself and his former cast mates in a world that mirrors the show that has haunted him for years. Lots of laughs can be had by all. So watch the heavy ones and save this one for last. Even Gandhi would agree, laughter is a much needed ingredient in life.

 F is for eternal, fantasy, zombies

As I've said before, my favorite movies often evoke certain memories. This movie will always remind me of my mother and the brief, but wonderful time we spent living together when I moved back to Michigan. I feel so fortunate that many of my favorite movie memories include her. In fact, I have watched over half of the reviewed films so far with her. Coincidence? Not at all. But let's get back to what makes this movie so special. Where should I start? Is it the wonderful story of a boy's imagination awakened? Or the heart-wrenching performance of young Freddie Highmore whose huge, hazel eyes reduce me to a blubbering idiot? Or is it just one more wonderful Johnny Depp film. I think it's a combination of all those things and so much more. I love the theme that imagination must be encouraged, nurtured, and kept from ever growing up. (thanks, Mom, for being there)

  

Beautiful, exotic locations. Amazing costumes. And a wonderful little girl who will both endear you and wrench your heart out. These are but a few reasons why this film exists on this list. It is the amazing expression of one director's love of movies. This is a wonderful fairy tale filled with tragedy, adventure, and love. It's one of those movies that I watch when I need to be reminded of all the fantasy and wonder there is in the world. My favorite films often do one thing-arouse specific, strong, emotional reactions that linger long after the end credits stop. The scene that does it in this film (actually there are a few, but this is the strongest) is the wonderful montage of great stuntmen. Yep, you guessed it. I become a blubbering idiot, yet again.

 

And now for something completely different. In fact, this is a complete 180 degree turn from the two previous entries. But I love it just the same. Actually it is a heart-warming tale like the other two. It's the story of a boy and his zombie. Yes, I said zombie. What I love about this film is the originality of the story. It takes true talent to make a zombie flick that completely breaks from the genre and gives a fresh, new voice to the undead. Combining the archetypal 50s with flesh-eating creatures, this is a hilarious romp of a movie. Billy Connolly is wonderful as man's best friend.

F is a good letter for great movies. I had to struggle to narrow my reviews to only three. I could have just as easily chosen Fantastic Mr. Fox, the Roald Dahl story told with great, traditional, stop-motion animation. Or The Fisher King, yet another fairy tale set in New York and starring Robin Williams as a tragic hero haunted by a horrific past. Perhaps you'd prefer Full Metal Jacket, Stanley Kubrick's jaunt into Vietnam via the harsh, dehumanizing journey through basic training with the amazing performances of Vincent D'Onofrio and R. Lee Ermey. And there's always Darren Aronofsky's time traveling love story, The Fountain. This is one of those films you either love or hate and I love it. Here's a little known fact-the backgrounds that appear to be CGed are actually micro-photography of chemical reactions.