THE RISE AND FALL OF LEGEND GEORGE VALENTIN!- THE ARTIST MOVIE REVIEW

- THE ARTIST:

‘The niche film of 2011, starring Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo.  Yeah, it’s that black and white silent movie.’

Michel Hazanavicius’s black & white and silent The Artist is undoubtedly one of the most charming and enchanting films about film and its industry.  This is a film that celebrates the immense fun, entertainment, and joyous sense of escapism that is found in movies; it follows a subtle path in climbing into your brain to flip the nostalgia switch and remind you of some of the many reasons why we love movies.  When reviewing a film, I tend to avoid drawing comparisons, but in this case, I think the connection should be made.  Scorsese’s ode to silent films from late 2011, Hugo, took a very similar nostalgic approach, but differs from The Artist in a simple analogy: While Hugo forces its viewers to kneel down as it deep throats them with constant, sappy, and heavy-handed philosophies, The Artist wraps its arm around its viewers and takes them out on a terrific dinner date.

The man of the hour taking everyone out on this date is Jean Dujardin, whose facial expressions and mannerisms are so defined and representative of the 1930s time period his character, silent film star, George Valentin, thrives and struggles in.  Dujardin’s performance, with support of his handsome charm, is magnetic and friendly, while still expressing the powerhouse emotions necessary to carry an entire film, which Jean accomplishes with ease.  His female counterpart, Berenice Bejo, as opposing talkie actress and friend, Peppy Miller, is cute and, well, peppy, who holds her own weight extremely well against the toweringly terrific performance of Dujardin.

The Artist could be easily labeled as a generic Hollywood film with one huge gimmick in its favor, an ignorant and infuriating conclusion that is, in fact, partially true.  Plot-wise, this film is not very original, whatsoever; the story follows the usual rise and demise of a popular silent actor’s career, as “talkies” become the big new thing in Hollywood.  Sounds familiar?  It very well should.  Yet, The Artist is a film that should be observed for the mesmerizing and moving manner in which this story is told.  George’s scene-stealing dog companion, the upliftingly wonderful musical score by Ludovic Bource, and, of course, the refreshing silent aesthetic of The Artist are only a few of its unique story-telling choices and additions.  The silent treatment allows Hazanavicius to manipulate and cleverly toy around with many of the film’s technical aspects, such as sound, filming on actual sets (a staircase sequence with George Valentin exiting his studio’s offices is magnificently old-timey) and dialogue title cards.

The Artist is a truly magical and satisfying film-going experience that will warmly re-introduce film fans to the delights of silent era cinema and treat casual viewers with an expertly told tale of a key chapter in the history of film.  This movie’s emotional core may be a thin one, but the witty, frequent humor, masterful sense of direction, and a wholly impressive ensemble cast more than make up for it:

The Artist is one of the best pictures of 2011.

TIME TO MEET THEM, ONCE AGAIN- THE MUPPETS (2011) MOVIE REVIEW

- THE MUPPETS:

‘The magnificent cinematic and pop culture return of everyone’s favorite felt friends, starring Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, and, brand new Muppet, Walter.’

What do the Muppets mean to us now, in the 21st century? One of the finer pieces of nostalgia created by an imaginative genius that keeps being brought up to sell goods and merchandise to middle-aged fans of the characters in hopes that they’ll buy it only because they’re blinded by the memories of joy they had watching the television programs and films as kids? Well, if you thought something different, unfortunately, your idea is vastly overshadowed by the actual truth I just described. If you were a Muppet not living on Sesame Street for the last few decades or so, you were often misused, violated, and forcefully put on display to whore yourself out for quick, memory-fueled cash out in the hood. I understand this is an introduction far too cynical for a film that doesn’t even know the meaning of the word, but it’s the reality of how the Muppets have been used and abused. It is in that why I must thank Jason Segel, who fought long and hard to preserve the good and magic that is to be found in Jim Henson’s wonderful creations and present it once again to a new generation of fans. Jason Segel wanted to bring back some happiness into the world, and so he enlisted the help of the Muppets. And, golly, did he and the crew succeed, in both creating one of the best films of 2011 and reintroducing the world to one of the happiest things ever in one of the happiest movies to ever be created….. Ever.

The plot for The Muppets is simple: The gang is coming back together for one more show, with some help form a huge fan of the Muppet Show, Walter. Here’s all my praise for 2011’s The Muppets in one sentence: It is pure joy, playfulness, and silliness captured on film. There you have it. The Muppets has a lively, self-aware exuberance about itself that allows it to transcend beyond just being another kid show movie revival, to being a clever, fun-loving family film classic. The film is hysterical, with most muppets having their own moments to shine, all the while backed by an upbeat and Oscar-worthy musical score by Brett McKenzie from Flight of the Conchords. Seriously… “Life’s a Happy Song” is one that I have not been able to get out of my head. Nor do I think should it ever be.
I’ve made The Muppets out to be a perfect film, but it really isn’t. The several plots of the film can get a little sloppy at times, not enough Muppets are properly incorporated nor have jokes that coordinate with their personalities, and Amy Adams’ character, Mary, could’ve been far more developed, but these are all problems that showed themselves weeks after initially watching the film. During the actual viewing experience, I was completely hooked, enchanted by the meta-humor and inviting allure of The Muppets. Okay, maybe not completely: The constant, useless, and distracting cameos, that, had they not been inserted into the film, would’ve made absolutely no difference to the ultimate outcome irked me to no end. Please, if you use such talents as Donald Glover and Neil Patrick Harris, give them something to work with and not just walk in front of the camera to utter an extra’s throwaway lines.
But that’s the extent of my complaints with The Muppets. Honestly, go watch it. It’s one of the most enjoyable and vibrant times at the theaters you’ll have all year. It’s not only perfect family fare, but also perfect comedy and happiness fare.

End of Summer Allergies- CONTAGION MOVIE REVIEW

- CONTAGION:

‘A viral outbreak film by Steven Soderbergh starring an ensemble cast of a ton of famous, talented folk.’

 

Contagion is a film that tackles the overdone epidemic subplot and transforms it into an entire film.  It follows roughly around 8 different, mostly unrelated characters’ struggles and actions when a deadly, rapidly spreading disease hits the world hard.  Now, it is important that no one misinterprets that synopsis; Contagion is certainly not the Magnolia of disaster movies.  Nor is it even the Love, Actually.

Contagion is the type of film where the viewer can tell that they are watching actors deliver lines, not characters emoting their true feelings and responses.  It is the type of film where the myriad of plot holes are actually steep chasms and cares more about its style than the substance it is presenting.  While the fantastic version of Contagion would create tension that could be sliced with a honed blade and create a fearful, paranoia-ridden atmosphere, the realistic version only achieves at creating a mild riot where the looters have the sniffles.

Fortunately, there are some redeeming factors in Contagion, most notably the fact that this is a very entertaining film.  Sure, there is absolutely no sympathy or connections felt with any of the characters, but Soderbergh really makes the virus’s personal sub-plot stand out, in how he chooses to leave lingering shots of the objects the characters touch and all of the ways that this mystery disease spreads.  The cinematography is terrific and any second of the film can be picked out and framed as a beautiful piece of photography and the imagery is made all the better by a bizarre, yet pleasing Hitchcockian-techno score.

In fact, Contagion as a whole gives off a very bizarre vibe.  There are some aspects of it that just feel….  Off.  Several exchanges of dialogue, especially one between Matt Damon and a doctor delivering some tragic news, are very awkward and blunt, while others are very derivative, cliché discussions of conspiracy and medicine.  Contagion does try very hard to root itself into reality as much as it can, but whenever it even lightly dips its toes into the realm of unrealism, the result is a glaringly obvious head-scratcher.  For example, a character in this film is immune to the killer virus.  No research is done to find out why or how, the films just states that fact and expects not only everyone in this character’s community to with it, but for the viewer to just go with it.  That’s just lazy.  Contagion has an appealing style and is entertaining, but is a very vanilla, ordinary autumn thriller that lacks in thrills.  Expect it to be on HBO twice a day in two years.

 

EGO, RED ALERT! – RED STATE MOVIE REVIEW

- RED STATE:

‘Kevin Smith’s latest and perhaps most anticipated film that marks his much buzzed about departure from bodily-fluid comedy and into the horror/thriller genre.’

Red State is a catastrophic failure of a film.  It is an awfully ambitious experiment by an attention-seeking director so caught up in his blind aspirations to depart from a certain genre and shock his viewers with horrific imagery that he forgets to actually provide an emotional or rewarding film experience.  This is a film that attempts to vilify both religious fundamentalists and those against them, but never sets down its foot on a certain side; it simply throws ideas at its viewers furiously and messily, but never quite understands which ones it actually wants to stick.  Red State is a film that, by the time it ends, forces you to ponder as to why you took the time and patience to pay any heed to it.

But, before I continue, I suppose it would be of help if I explain the plot for this three-act film.  Red State follows a trio of desperate teenagers plotting to have a threesome with a woman they’ve contacted on the Internet, but are held hostage in the town’s church by a group of over-zealous, religious fanatics, akin to members of the Westboro Baptist Church.  What goes down is a frustrating 80 minutes in which inane, unlikable characters make the most illogical of decisions to the rhythm of awful comedic beats that irritate rather than relieve.

Kevin Smith seems to believe that randomly killing off characters makes for good twists in a story.  He also seems to believe that every character should have a sub-plot totally unrelated to the main story of the film and that each of those character arcs reaches no resolve.  Oh, you know, because that obviously shows off the vulnerability in humanity and how we all leave loose ends.  Sure.   Kevin Smith’s clumsily handled and phenomenally confused retarded brainchild of a film jumps from being an unfunny, raunchy comedy concerned with only delivering its one-liners to an ultra-violent, CGI blood heavy action film to a philosophical commentary, almost surrealist type of a movie.  Despite some great cinematography, a disgustingly grimy mood and setting, and the fact that Smith really does reel his viewers in during the first half of the film, Red State is the result of when the adjectives “pretentious” and “meandering” vomit profusely into each others mouths while holed up inside a church confessional.

And here’s the part that makes me the most upset: I am a huge Kevin Smith fan.  Clerks is in my top 50 favorite films of all time and a majority of his other films hold a very special place in my film-loving heart.  But after watching Red State and recalling all the actions Kevin Smith took to distribute the film and how he praised himself for making the film, my respect for him has degenerated significantly.  Red State doesn’t make you think about society or even religion.  It simply angers you by how haphazardly assembled it is.  The final spoken line of Red State perfectly encompasses my thoughts whilst watching it….

Wait, forget I said that.  Don’t watch this movie.

Dead Franchise Risen – RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES MOVIE REVIEW

- RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES:

‘Or, Rise of the Apes, or, my personal favorite, the acronym ROTPOTA, starring Andy Serkis, James Franco, and gangs and hordes of apes courtesy of Weta Digital.’

ROTPOTA is the official 21st century revival of the classic science fiction franchise Planet of the Apes; this installment isn’t a remake of any of the original films, but rather a reworking and retelling of the entire Apes lore. The film follows the growth of Caesar, a chimpanzee under the care of James Franco’s Will Rodman, a scientist working on the cure for Alzheimer’s by testing the potential treatment on apes. After an incident in the San Francisco suburbs that lands Caesar in an ape penitentiary, Caesar’s mass intellect leads him to become the captain of an ape uprising. BAAAAAAAM.
Very few films have as excellent set-up and exposition as this one does; the tight and mostly superb script for Rise of the Apes transforms a preposterous premise of monkeys attacking a city into one that contains genuine emotional weight and power, in which apes stand up against the unjust treatment against them and vie for widespread respect in the modern era urban jungle. Sure, it can be conceived as quite silly, but no idea is far-fetched: in fact, every single new idea that Rise of the Apes conjures is an intriguing plot point or precursor for a development later on in the film. It’s extremely calculated, almost to a fault, since every scene in the movie can be separated into its own video game level; the storytelling in this film is very linear and includes only the essential details that will keep the story moving. This is not a film that allows itself to breathe. This is a film that’s running and pulls off the occasional sprint, but because it is so physically fit, it keeps up its pace beautifully and never begins to breathe heavily or slow down.
Andy Serkis delivers a powerhouse, motion-capture performance as Caesar and, much like his playing as King Kong in 2005, Serkis’s facial expressions and subtle mannerisms shine through wonderfully and form an intricately layered character. The stunning CGI of the film transforms animated primates into living, breathing mammals and the viewers’ sympathies lie in these computer-generated creations; no empathy is shown for the human characters. James Franco, Freida Pinto, and John Lithgow properly and sufficiently play out their characters, but are so stale and uninteresting when in comparison with the apes. There are a few scenes in this film between Casesar and Franco where emotions are supposed to run high, but the relationship between the two is not fleshed out enough for those beats to hit home.
In fact, besides the narrow path the story is told, the film’s major problem is that a majority of the characters in Rise of the Planet of the Apes can be described in three words or less, with the sole exception of Caesar. It isn’t that the supporting characters are stereotypes, it’s just that they are such simple, too easily understandable humans and apes; the main character and plot of ROTPOTA contain a surprising amount of depth, but the same cannot be said for the other players in the film.
While I have been praising this film as an excellent study and character piece, it’s imperative for me to note that this is as much an unrealistic, action-frenzied summer blockbuster. Rise of the Planet of the Apes is fun, it keeps you on the edge of your seat, enthralls, and continues the trend of its franchise of supplying an interesting view on a parallel universe of apes taking over man. This is what summer entertainment is all about.

Bring on the sequels.