Duncan Jones

I'm pluggin' the action-thriller sci-fi trailer for Source Code, the second feature film from director Duncan Jones. I have yet to see this film, but so far it has received favorable reviews and I look forward to seeing it and writing a review of my own.

Duncan's first feature film, MOON, is absolutely one of the best and most intriguing movies of the 21st Century science fiction genre. Moon is a mysterious and speculative film about survival and identity, demonstrating genuine craft and story telling. The role of Sam Bell was specifically written for the strangely provocative Sam Rockwell, and played to perfection multiple times over. Kevin Spacey lends his eerie voice to GERTY, an AI-computer robot. The whole movie is incredibly intimate, created as practically as possible with a small crew on just $5 Million dollars and completed in just over a month. The score (composed by Clint Mansell) is downright brilliant, too.

-Moon

Trivia: Duncan Jones was no-one-in-particular before making Moon, except that he has come to this Earth from the loins of David Bowie.

Darren Aronofsky

-Fox Searchlight

It is called a psycho-sexual thriller, so I admit to laughing a little bit when I saw ladies in their 70s coming into the theater, with their husbands in tow, to see "a ballerina movie".

I'm a big fan of Darren Aronofsky, who expertly directed Requiem for a Dream on a budget of just under $5 million, with Jared Leto (American Psycho, Fight Club) as a heroin addict, along with friends played by Jennifer Connelly (Labyrinth, A Beautiful Mind), and Marlon Wayans (Scary Movie, The Lady Killers), with a sweet-toothed Ellen Burstyn (Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood) in one of the most impressive time-lapse photography sequences in film to date. It showcases some incredible film-making styles, portraying long tracking shots, fast cutting montages, and intense close-ups, all of which seem to have been made for telling stories about high-powered drugs in a messed-up world of gangs and pimps.

Aronofsky's film, The Fountain, with ex-girlfriend Rachel Weisz (The Mummy, Brothers Bloom), and Hugh Jackman (The Wolverine, Australia), is one of my favorites. It's a love story that takes place over a thousand years. It's fragile and sweet and it always leaves me yearning. Aronofsky can spin a story well on screen. Contrary to popular opinion, I was not impressed by The Wrestler, but you can still call me a pretty devoted Aronofsky fan.

I was all too excited to see Black Swan, a story that focuses on an innocent ballerina called Nina, magnified by the beautiful Natalie Portman, who unravels at all her seams while competing against not only other dancers, but herself, for the coveted lead role in a modernist production of Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake."

The supporting cast compliments Natalie Portman's extraordinary performance. A striking Barbara Hershey (Beaches, Falling Down) plays Nina's overbearing but supportive mother. Vincent Cassel (Brotherhood of the Wolf) plays the dance company's director, a french prick called Thomas Leroy. And the sultry Mila Kunis, whom I adore in The Book of Eli, shows another deeper side of her acting abilities and commands the screen in her pivotal, career-turning role as Lily. Winona Ryder may have had a small part in this film, but, as always, she is truly, terrifyingly spectacular.

Aronofsky's directing style is often brutal and uncompromising, I love it. His films are often beautiful, dense, and surreal. He is definitely one of the most hypnotic directors and story-tellers of our time. Teaming up yet again with composer Clint Mansell creating another epic score, setting the mood in Black Swan like a tormented ghost. That right there pretty much describes how I felt after seeing the movie.

ReelHard Score: B-

Content Advisory:
Black Swan is Rated R for strong sexual content, disturbing violent images, language and some drug use.

Sex and Nudity:
One masturbation reference
A woman masturbates, twice.
Heavily implied sexual undertones
Several references to oral sex and sex in general
One somewhat graphic, partially clothed lesbian oral sex scene
One heterosexual sex scene

Gore & Violence:
Ballerina foot/toe injuries
Mother/Daughter arguments/physicality
Various stabbing scenes with copious amounts of blood
The words "fuck" and "cock" are used several times

Drugs & Alcohol :
Cigarette smoking
Ecstasy and Alcohol during a club/rave scene

Other Disturbing Scenes:
Psychological issues
Hallucinations

The Adjustment Bureau Review

The Adjustment Bureau is George Nolfi's directorial debut, but it is not the first time you've seen his work take place on the big screen. Nolfi shares writing credits on four other screenplays, The Bourne Ultimatum, Ocean's Twelve, The Sentinel, and Timeline. Fortunately, George Nolfi has sole writing credit for The Adjustment Bureau, which is loosely based on the Philip K. Dick short story, Adjustment Team. It's worth mentioning that Phillip K. Dick made many Hollywood heads stinkin' rich, long after his death in 1982, with his stories that often feature metaphysical themes, authoritarian governments, and altered states. His fiction, often pulled from his own life experiences, have been adapted into movies such as Blade Runner, Minority Report, and A Scanner Darkly

Matt Damon (True Grit, Invictus) stars as David Norris, a young and dynamic political figure running for the U.S. Senate. His sincere working-man charms have practically won every vote, but his impulsive past becomes front page news, crushing his campaign. As he prepares a defeat speech while in the men's washroom of a ritzy hotel, he is surprised to find himself in the company of a vivacious woman (Emily Blunt of The Wolfman, and Sunshine Cleaning) named Elise, who just happened to be hiding out. Elise, a dancer, is so alluring and reactive to David that they end up in quick-witted conversation and almost immediately share a kiss, but are interrupted by David's PR sidekick, Charlie Traynor (played by Michael Kelly of Unbreakable, Dawn of the Dead) and never exchanged phone numbers before departing. But as fate wouldn't have it any other way, things begin to turn strange and intriguing. Because fate wears fedora hats.

David and Elise were never supposed to meet the first time. And since David was going to spill his coffee at 7:05am in order to miss the bus in which Elise was sitting, they would never meet again. But the adjustment was mistakenly never made, so he and Elise were once again reunited.

David is then chased down by Security working for the Adjustment Bureau and placed within a classified industrial crypt where he is confronted by a group of serious-faced men in fedora hats and tailored suits. He is warned that any relationship he wished to have with Elise is, and has always been, totally off-limits. To make matters worse, if he ever takes the secret of the Bureau out into the 'real world', his memory will be erased, and devoid of any personality.

-Universal

The plot really takes off from here and throws you into very robust twists and turns, but it does not make you go stupid trying to keep up. Throughout the story, David is like a rat in a maze in search of a prized golden cheese, but it never becomes boring to watch. The future, according the Bureau, can be either very dismal or full of wonderful achievements for both David and Elise, each outcome depending on if they stay together, or live separate lives.

The Adjustment Bureau is a thriller and a romance with doorways that lead into science fiction and the supernatural. The drama plays out very well on-screen, however, besides a lot of running around, don't expect a whole lot of action. Still, it is very entertaining because of its originality, and is propelled by the awesome chemistry between Damon and Blunt.

Anthony Mackie (The Hurt Locker, Million Dollar Baby) plays Harry Mitchell as a member of the Adjustment Bureau responsible for manipulating David's free-will, and he plays the part well. Though his portrayal is a bit too solemn at times, by the third act he begins to ease into his role as a more reflective and compassionate confidant than his Bureau buddies. John Slattery (Iron Man 2, Mad Men) and Terrance Stamp (Valkyrie, Yes Man) both stimulate the film and fill the screen with their exceptional performances as two big heads that help maintain the design of the Adjustment Bureau.

The Adjustment Bureau is a memorable film, and so far one of 2011's best, with solid performances by all involved. First-time director George Nolfi deserves a round of applause, and a standing ovation for his writing. Oscar -winning Cinematographer John Toll (Braveheart, Tropic Thunder, The Last Samurai) has once again shown immense skill in beautifying the look and feel of a film, as well as renowned editor Jay Rabinowitz (The Fountain, Requiem for a Dream, The Stepford Wives).

It's a movie that reinvents the romance flick, with a refreshing dose of originality that is all very well executed. It will make you laugh, put you on the edge of your seat, leave you feeling rather curious and in the end, quite satisfied. I expect it to have high replay value when the DVD is released.

ReelHard Score: A-



Content Advisory:
The Adjustment Bureau is  PG-13 for brief strong language, some sexuality and a violent image. 

Sex and Nudity:
A woman wears a variety of cleavage-exposing dresses and short skirts.
One sex scene with implied nudity; bare backs, passionate kissing.
One scene where a woman dancing in a recital that shows cover-up 'dance' panties.

Gore & Violence:
A car crash with a little blood spatter.
A few physical punching scenes.
1 or 2 F-words, a dozen S-words, and a few usages of the word "ass".

Drugs & Alcohol :
A club scene with drinking

The Oscars 2011 Review

The Big 4: Oscar Winners of 2011

Some say the Oscars are rigged. I don't know about that, but I've read enough psychology essays and Dominick Dunne books, and countless issues of Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair (the only pop-culture magazines that matter, if you ask me) that I can make some pretty accurate judgment calls. Even without all that jive, I've got a pretty good idea about the people that make Hollywood so magical. And here's the truth: You never work alone, ever. Always have someone else to blame, anyone. And you never ever take credit for something, unless it's an award.

Everyone else can talk about fashion on the red carpet, but I'm going to talk about the movies, damn it. And I'm going to get drunk and spit when I talk so this can be somewhat entertaining. But first and foremost, I'm gonna keep this short.

First up, The King's Speech won Best Picture. Tom Hooper won Best Director. David Seidler won for Original Screenplay. And Colin Firth bored us to bits with his speech when he took one for the team as Best Lead Actor. If they based these awards on previews only, I have no doubt in my mind that Colin Firth would have lost! The crying scene was rubbish, much too forced.

Natalie Portman absolutely deserved the award she received as Best Lead Actress for her role in Black Swan. I didn't feel the movie itself was that great, that maybe Darren Aronofsky went for shock and nothing more. But whenever I have seen Natalie's performance as a delicately ripped-up ballerina, she literally made me hold my breath.

He may be arrogant, but Christian Bale is a really devoted actor that earns Awards. Christian Bale turned his first Academy Nomination into an Award for Best Supporting Actor in The Fighter. He joked about not dropping F-bombs in his speech, and when Melissa Leo won Best Supporting Actress for her bit in The Fighter, she let the F-bomb loose on his behalf. And speaking of Melissa Leo. Her speech was so dramatic. I mean, she already won the award.

I have made terrible fun of Aron Sorkin, and I haven't even met the guy. He was born privileged, need I say more? But he truthfully is a fantastic writer, especially when it comes to dialogue. Couldn't you tell during his speech when accepting the award for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Social Network?

Everyone knows when non-Pixar animated films go up against a Pixar animated film, Pixar wins. Toy Story 3 won Best Animated Feature Film. Now, who's going to step up their game? Probably Pixar. They truly are the best.

One of the biggest let downs for me was the award for Best Cinematography going to Wally Pfister for Inception rather than to Roger Deacon for True Grit. Roger Deacon has worked on many award winning films with Joel and Ethan Coen. Deacon was nominated for Best Cinematography in the internationally praised film The Shawshank Redemption, but lost to John Toll with Legends of the Falls. Roger Deacon was also nominated for his work in No Country for Old Men but lost to the incredible (and personal favorite) film There Will Be Blood with Cinematographer Robert Elswit of Boogie Nights. And Roger Deacon was also a visual consultant for Pixar's Wall-E which won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Where's Roger Deacon's award?!? Roger Deacon deserves an award!! He does damn good work, and the guy has been nominated for nine Academy Awards, yet he has never won.

Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland won two outstanding achievements, accepted by Robert Stromberg and Karen O’Hara for Best Art Direction, and three-time Oscar winner Colleen Atwood for Best Costume Design.

Nine Inch Nails front-man Trent Reznor takes home his first Academy Award along with fellow collaborator, Atticus Ross, for best Original Score in The Social Network.

Best Editor is the third and final award for The Social Network, earned by both Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall. The pair were also nominated in 2008 for Best Editing in David Fincher's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, but lost to Chris Dickens with Slumdog Millionaire directed by Danny Boyle.

Inception took three more Academy Awards, one each for Sound Editing and Sound Mixing, which are different contrary to popular belief, as well as Visual Effects.

Other Winners:
Foreign-Language Film: In a Better World (Denmark)
Documentary Feature: Inside Job
Original Song: "We Belong Together" (Toy Story 3), music and lyrics by Randy Newman
Animated Short: The Lost Thing
Documentary Short: Strangers No More
Live Action Short: God of Love
Makeup: The Wolfman

127 Hours

-Fox Searchlight

127 Hours is an intense and captivating film directed by Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire) based on the true story about a confident young mountain climber, Aron Ralston, who got himself into a tight situation. It all came crashing down when a boulder he used for leverage became dislodged and trapped his arm against a canyon wall buried in the steep, narrow slots of Utah. Due to his hubris, he never told anyone where he would be, and because he assumed this was just a routine trip, Ralston had very little remaining food, water, and minimal supplies.

Ralston is played by the very popular James Franco  in a loud performance pulled straight from the heart. Throughout the duration of the movie, there are soft tears in Franco's eyes that explode with excitement in the beginning act while he flirtatiously shows off for a couple of bubbly party girls, to holding a solemn expression of remorse and pure desire for the now unattainable, a bottle of beer or a kiss, that we all take for granted one time or another.

I was amazed at how calm he appeared when discovering his right arm stuck between two forces of nature. He had so much confidence that it seemed he believed it would only take a shove or two to get the rock out of his way. But as he slammed his body against the rock, twenty, thirty times, the bewilderment and desperation began to sink in. He examines his backpack full of supplies and realizing a lack of preparedness, begins to frantically chip away a section of rock using nothing but a cheap-o utility knife. As the day wears on, he is mentally worn out, his muscles are sore from holding himself up, and his hand is rotting away under the pressure of the rock. If only he had an ounce of water for every foot of rope he carried.

The days pass by insanely slow. Death is imminent. Water is running out, even the idea of urine is hard to swallow. On his digital video camera, Ralston chronicles sweet goodbyes to his family and friends. He pays sarcastic homage to his former self, slips into and out of hallucinations, and is plagued by dream sequences that are too good to be true. He waits until the last of the water is completely gone before deciding to hack off his own arm in a final attempt to survive, using the same cheap-o utility knife with the super dull blade.

The camerawork in this film is simply amazing, creating a great sense of action despite the main character being stuck in one position. The music and sound effects are spot on throughout the movie. The sound is especially captivating during the amputation sequence. With the help of A.R. Rahman, music is becoming part of Danny Boyle's magnetic movie charm.

There are many moments in the film that made me squirm, cringe, and recognize small victories with sudden laughter. I wish that I was not just one of three people in the theater on a Wednesday night to experience this inspiring survival story. But then again, the last ten minutes of the movie had me in uncontrollable tears.

If you get a chance, go see 127 Hours before it leaves theaters. It is easily one of the best movies of 2010.

ReelHard Score: A-

Awards:
The film has many deserved nominations in 2010's Oscar race, including Best Motion Picture of the Year, and Best Adapted Screenplay (the movie is based on the autobiography by Aron Ralston, Between a Rock and a Hard Place). Jon Harris is nominated for Best Achievement in Editing, while Composer A.R Rahman is nominated for Best Original Score and Best Original Song.

Not only will James Franco host the Academy Awards along with Anne Hathaway, he has an Oscar nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role. He was nominated for Best Lead Actor in the Golden Globes, British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), and the Screen Actors Guild Awards.


Content Advisory:
127 Hours is Rated R. There are a lot of warranted F-bombs. There is no nudity, but there are sexually suggestive themes. There is a party scene with beer drinking. The amputation scene is realistic, extremely graphic, and bloody.

People are Movies

E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial

The first movie I saw on the big screen as a kid was a re-release of Steven Spielberg's E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial in 1985, when I was just four years old. It was not typical of my single-mom to spend her Meat Factory wages on anything outside of what was necessary. But on that particularly exciting summer day, we ate fast food and ice-cream and munched on popcorn while plopped down in two chairs before a big, huge movie screen and amazing, awesome sound. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced.

Nearly seven more years went by before I saw another movie on the big screen. I was going to see it with a friend this time. There wasn't much to choose from at that age, but for a week I thought about the movies playing and which one I wanted to see most. I kept it to myself because in the end it was my friend who would pick the movie, and she picked The Mighty Ducks. I must have liked the movie because afterward I told my mom I wanted to learn ice-hockey. I was so pumped and inspired by those kids. Not long after that, I told my mom I wanted to be an actress, and finish my career as a writer when I retired at a young age.

Life of Brian

I began to watch every movie I could. Late at night, when my mom drank and played the piano, I'd steal away to my room with the very titles my mother mistakenly told me not to watch. Movies like Dune and Monty Python's Life of Brian, and Full Metal Jacket.

Full Metal Jacket

I started saving my allowance money and when I wanted to see a movie, my mom would tell me to save it for a VHS. That way I got my money's worth. The first VHS I purchased was The Addams Family. Many more followed after that, Jurassic Park, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and the little gem Death Becomes Her that began my admiration for actress Meryl Streep.

Death Becomes Her

I remember getting into huge fights with my mom about which movies I could and could not see, the most explosive being Interview with a Vampire, when I was thirteen. She said it was "too racy". But I had already read the book and that infuriated her even more. She then told me I could only see the movie if I would write a horror story that included a love-scene, and let her read it while I sat there in front of her. I wrote the story that night until way past my bedtime. I not only shocked and appalled my mother, but I also made her cry. In all honesty, she was probably drinking that night. I got the results I wanted and saw Interview with the Vampire.

Interview with the Vampire

Summary:
People discover new things every day and they have to express by action these feelings of new discoveries. It's impossible not to. Movies are essentially people and both can be predictable and irrational and full of emotional whirlwinds, some you want to see and others you may prefer not to. As long as people are changing, movies will never be the same.

While life did not make me a famous actress, I have always been a capable writer. I hope to share in many ways my interpretation of stories told, good, bad and in between. Here is where I start. Enjoy!