Monday, October 31, 2011
In Time
Film: In time
Starring: Justin Timberlake (Friends with Benefits) and Amanda Seyfried (Red Riding Hood)
Director: Andrew Niccol (Lord of War)
U.S. Release: October 28th, 2011 (Rated PG-13)
Genre: Action/Thriller
Runtime: 109 minutes
Justin Timberlake's transition from the music industry to the big screen has been as smooth as possible. He showed excellent ability in early work like Alpha Dog and Black Snake Moan, and then he was a big contributor in the awards season juggernaut The Social Network. Finally, he followed all of his previous supporting roles with a solid leading debut in the romantic comedy Friends with Benefits. There was nothing Timberlake couldn't do, that is, until now. With director Andrew Niccol and his latest science fiction action/thriller In Time, Timberlake shows us all that he is, in fact, human.
In Time is set in the distant future where time has become the new currency. No one ages past 25 years of age, and on your 25th birthday the clock on your arm begins to start counting. You have one year of time to live unless you earn more time (just like you would money). People are also forced to spend their accumulated time on everyday things like food and other types of bills. So in a world where the poor move quickly and the rich leisurely enjoy their everlasting time, Will Salas (played by Timberlake) is given a century of time by a wealthy man tired of living. While being investigated by law enforcement known as "timekeepers", Will kidnaps the wealthy Sylvia Weis (played by Seyfried) to escape incarceration. Together, Will and Sylvia embark on a quest to overthrow this corrupt division of social classes.
Director Andrew Niccol is by no means a newcomer to the science fiction genre. In his late 90's work Gattaca, Niccol brilliantly creates a futuristic world consumed by a desire for genetic perfection. Similar to Gattaca, In time focuses on a specific idea and elaborates on it for great lengths. Unlike Gattaca, Niccol's latest feature fails at successfully doing so. In Time feels forced and over exaggerated, so much so that the film loses its flare. The core ideas behind the picture are undeniably clever, yet the movie's execution falls well short of its potential. As a result, the blame lies solely on the shoulders of its director.
The film's inability to resonate with the audience is, in large part, due to its ineffective cast. Lead by Justin Timberlake and his forgettable co-star Amanda Seyfried, the movie's acting seems superficial and insincere. The star's performance is spotty and overly inconsistent. Despite a few scenes where you can recognize the actor's uncanny ability, Timberlake spends most of his screen time engaging in poor dialogue which only complements his shortcomings. In addition to Justin Timberlake's lackluster delivery, his co-stars Amanda Seyfriend and Cillian Murphy manage to set the bar even lower. Filled with poor acting and a pedestrian script, In Time is far from the creative sci-fi thriller it should be.
To the film's advantage, however, In Time does flow naturally and entertain the audience to some degree. As a viewer you'll never get bored, instead you will feel unconvinced and unimpressed. It happens in Hollywood all of the time, great ideas fall flat of their potential over and over again. In Time is just another example of this unfortunate reality.
Stars: 1 star out of 4
Grade: D+
Philadelphia Film Festival UPDATE 10/31
The winterlike conditions in the Philadelphia region couldn't keep the crowds away from this weekend's festival line-up. Saturday boasted two of the most talked about films at the festival this year, My Week with Marilyn and The Descendants. From the loud cheers heard throughout the theatres, it's obvious that neither film disappointed. And although movies will continue to show through Wednesday evening, I've seen just about everything I could. 13 movies all together, and my festival wrap up (which will include my ratings for each movie, and lots more) will be posted shortly. Here are brief summaries for Saturday's big features:
My Week with Marilyn stars Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe. The remarkable true story follows the third assistant director Colin Clark (brilliantly played by Eddie Redmayne) as he falls in love with Marilyn Monroe during the production of Laurence Olivier's The Prince and the Showgirl.
The Descendants stars George Clooney as Matt King, a backup parent who's forced to take the reins when his wife ends up comatose after a boating accident. King also discovers that his wife's been unfaithful, and the unfortunate situation turns into a bonding experience between the father and his two daughters.Even though there were only a handful of movies that I missed out on during the festival, I still had a great time. In the upcoming days I'll be giving my star ratings for each of the films I watched, as well as my own personal awards for the 6 major categories. Stay tuned!
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Philadelphia Film Festival UPDATE 10/29
I'm sitting here staring out the window as the rain pummels the ground and thinking to myself, "What a perfect day for a movie". Before I take a stroll into the city to see two of the most talked about films at the festival, allow me to recap what I've seen over the course of the past two nights. On Thursday evening, what was suppose to be a double feature ended up being a night solely dedicated to the best film I've seen at the festival so far. The Artist managed to capture the hearts of everyone at the Cannes Festival in France this year, and nothing was different at its showing in Philadelphia. The credits rolled to a roaring applause from an extremely satisfied audience. I'd be shocked if The Artist doesn't win the Amtrak Audience Award at tonight's ceremonies.
Last night while many people tuned into Game 7 of the World Series, I spent the evening being immensely entertained by two very surprising films. First, there was the British movie Perfect Sense starring Ewan McGregor. This piece of work proved to be extremely original and beautifully artistic. It was a delightful combination of entertaining and emotional work. Shortly after, I was once again entertained by a hockey comedy called Goon. The film was ridiculously funny and it also managed to be an excellent sports film. Goon displayed tons of heart and reminded us all about the strength of team. All of these movies provided a great start to what should be a spectacular weekend of cinema. Here's a brief synopsis of each picture:
Perfect Sense tells the story of two people who meet and fall in love, all while the world experiences an unknown illness that slowly destroys the human senses. A strange but magnificent blend of romance and apocalytic thriller, Perfect Sense reminds us that Love is the greatest sense of all.
Goon, which is loosely based on a true story, follows Doug Glatt (played by Seann William Scott), an unintelligent bouncer looking for his place in the world. When a fist fight lands him in a semi-pro hockey league, Doug helps rally a team of misfits into the playoffs.
Slated for today are two movies with some serious Oscar potential. I'll be checking out My Week with Marilyn starring Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe, and The Descendants starring George Clooney. As always, I'll keep you posted.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Anonymous
Film: Anonymous
Starring: Rhys Ifans (Pirate Radio) and Vanessa Redgrave (Letters to Juliet)
Director: Roland Emmerich (Independence Day)
U.S. Release: October 28th, 2011 (Rated PG-13)
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 130 minutes
Director Roland Emmerich has built a reputation as being the master of destruction movies. Having been at the helm of films like Independence Day, 2012, and The Day After Tomorrow, who could argue that sentiment? Now, excluding Independence Day (who doesn't love Will Smith?), I'm not a particular fan of Emmerich's past work. Needless to say, I was very skeptical prior to viewing his latest piece Anonymous, which is far from the director's comfort zone of catastrophe.
Anonymous tackles the somewhat far fetched notion that the renowned playwright William Shakespeare was not the true scribe of his work. During the late 16th century, Anonymous insinuates that Edward De Vere (AKA the Earl of Oxford, played by Ifans) actually penned the timeless masterpieces. And as a nobleman of the time, Edward could not attach his name to the work. Therefore, he indirectly found William Shakespeare to pose as the author to some of the greatest plays the world has ever seen.
Although many historians would refute this claim to their deaths, Anonymous proves to be an intriguing story and a thought provoking movie. Undoubtedly entertaining, the film is well crafted by Emmerich and perfectly paced. The director does a superb job of developing his characters and interweaving his story against the backdrop of Queen Elizabeth I and the Essex rebellion. Although Rhys Ifans is excellent as the unquestionable star of the film, perhaps Jamie Campbell Bower steals the show. As the young Edward De Vere, Bower's magnificent performance enables the audience to truly buy into the story. It's clear that Bower, who has also found a recurring role in the Twilight series as Caius, has a brilliant career ahead of himself.
Even though the film's two hour plus runtime zips by and its cast does a fantastic job, Anonymous does have a noticeable downfall. When you're redefining history, it takes molding together numerous stories. As a result, Emmerich introduces an abundance of characters and subplots to account for some sense of historical accuracy. This cluster of ideas may lead to some confusion as it's difficult to properly piece the puzzle together.
Knowing Roland Emmerich's history, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't somewhat skeptical prior to viewing Anonymous. However, he does a solid job here and the director adequately creates a clever story that never once feels dull. If you pay close enough attention, the film will surely entertain you from start to finish. If you enjoy a good time piece, I'd suggest checking out Anonymous. You may find yourself pleasantly surprised.
Stars: 2 and a half stars out of 4
Grade: B-
Like Crazy
Film: Like Crazy
Starring: Anton Yelchin (The Beaver) and Felicity Jones (The Tempest)
Director: Drake Doremus
U.S. Release: October 28th, 2011 (Limited - Rated PG-13)
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 90 minutes
Every year, the Sundance Film Festival is the premier spot for independent filmmakers to unleash their final products to the world. If they're lucky, a production company will make an offer for their movie, and perhaps millions of viewers will get to the film. Unfortunately, most of the time these little independent gems become forgotten and spend decades collecting dust somewhere. Director Drake Doremus and his film Like Crazy won't be collecting dust, at least not any time soon. When Sundance speaks, audiences listen. And in January of 2011, Sundance spoke loud and clear for Like Crazy.
Like Crazy tells the story of first love between two young college students named Jacob (played by Yelchin) and Anna (played by Jones). While attending school in California, the couple begin a blossoming relationship that they will unknowingly spend years fighting to save. When Anna is set to return home to London because her visa is expiring, she violates its terms in order to continue spending the Summer months with Jacob. At Summer's end she finds her way back to London for a wedding, but Anna quickly flies back to California to be with her man. However, Anna's violation of her visa prohibits her from reentering the United States, and these two young lovers must overcome some mighty obstacles in order to be together again.
As this year's Grand Jury Prize winner at Sundance, Like Crazy is an authentic and genuine film. It boasts a lot of heart in its mere 90 minutes of screen time. Carried mostly by the powerful performances of its two leads, Like Crazy is an honest depiction of first love. And in many ways, the film draws a strong parallel to last year's independent film Blue Valentine. In similar fashion, the movie shows their relationship evolve by using specific memories and moments the lovers share. Unlike Blue Valentine, however, Like Crazy offers a more gentle and reserved delivery.
What helps make Doremus' picture so memorable and transcending is the film's ability to allow each audience member to project their own memories onto the main characters. By keeping scenes simple and vague, Doremus perfectly creates an intimate experience with his viewers. On the contrary, Like Crazy loses its effectiveness for anyone who may not have strong recollections of first love.
I thoroughly enjoyed the opening act of the film, because Jones and Yelchin's onscreen chemistry was sincere and convincing. However, as Like Crazy progresses, its appeal surely dwindles. The film's second act is extremely cyclic, and after a while I was bored of watching these two individuals sort through their problems. And finally, I was slightly unsatisfied by the movie's closing scenes. Its ending left a sour taste in my mouth and I felt unfulfilled by what transpires.
Like I previously said, if you're someone with fond memories of young love, then you will be able to get something out of Like Crazy. If not, I'd shy away from this film. It's a poor man's Blue Valentine.
Stars: 2 stars out of 4
Grade: C+
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Philadelphia Film Festival UPDATE 10/27
After taking Tuesday off from the festival, I returned for one feature on Wednesday evening. At the Ritz East I caught a screening of Orlando Bloom in The Good Doctor. I thoroughly enjoyed the film and was quite shocked by what transpired on screen. Bloom was excellent in the leading role. Here's a brief synopsis of the film:
The Good Doctor revolves around Martin (played by Bloom), a young man early in his medical career. When being a doctor turns out to be far from what he had imagined, a young patient named Diane helps to keep Martin motivated. As time progresses, the friendly doctor-patient relationship transforms into an obsession. Martin begins to the the unthinkable, and it results in a shocking 90 minutes of cinema.
On the slate for tonight (Thursday) are The Artist and Snowtown. The Artist is a black and white, silent film which intends to bring the audience back to the early days of cinema. On the other hand, Snowtown is an Australian film centered around a young boy who unknowingly befriends one of Australia's most notorious serial killers.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)