Was interested in seeing this movie not so much because I was actually interested in it, but more for the awards side of things. What a waste of time...
Slow. Boring. Predictable. Uninteresting.
I understand that a lot of people are pulling for Annette Bening because it's just time she actually won, but I sincerely hope it's not for this movie. She did a perfectly adequate job, as did all the actors in the movie. It was not badly acted at all, but the movie itself lacked just about everything that makes a movie worth while. If you really want to see Annette Bening show off her great acting skills and in a movie that's actually worth watching, go back to 1999 and watch 'American Beauty'.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Black Swan
Awards season is just around the corner -- one of my favorite parts of the year. And I try my best to see as many of the nominations as possible. Black Swan, however, I not only wanted to see before the awards shows, but also because I just thought it looked like a great movie.
Great movie might be an overstatement, and good movie might be more appropriate. It is somewhat difficult to find great movies these days, although I still have my hopes up for 'Blue Valentine' (which I plan on seeing this weekend).
One thing that is truly great about 'Black Swan' is Natalie Portman's performance. She embodied the innocence and darkness of the character perfectly, and I truly believe that if it weren't for her the movie would have been dull and slow. One reason her character was so great was thanks to the playing off of Mila Kunis' performance. While not quite at the same level of Natalie Portman, Mila's role was very surprising and refreshing when compared to roles she has been attached to in the past.
As far as the movie in general goes, it is definitely not for everyone. It is not just a movie about dance like Center Stage, for example, but it is a movie about how dance can truly affect some people. It can take over their lives, both physically and mentally, and essentially turn them into a dark person that lets nothing get in their way of gaining recognition and moving up in the company. The line between reality and fantasy becomes blurred, and in this case the fantasy, albeit a very dark fantasy, takes over.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
The Last Song
Again, not much to say about this one. Partly because I'm just not really in the mood to post anything, but I might as well.
The only reason I saw this movie is because I read the book. And just in case you were wondering, all Nicholas Sparks books are pretty much the same. While reading a few of them I kept noticing certain plot points and details that seemed to be duplicates of each other.
As far as the movie goes, it was okay. Of course it strayed a little bit from the book -- some character development was greatly shortened and the general emotion in the book just didn't present itself in the movie. And let's face it, Miley Cyrus is a much better actress when she doesn't speak. Sad, but very true.
Also, this book/movie seems like a total rip-off of Life as a House. Before Garden State existed, Life as a House was my favorite movie. Phenomenal acting by the entire cast. While that will be reviewed in another post at some point, I'll still say here that Hayden Christensen was amazing in his early days. Not too crazy about his movie choices as of late, but give Life as a House a go and you'll know that Hayden does have some serious credibility.
The only reason I saw this movie is because I read the book. And just in case you were wondering, all Nicholas Sparks books are pretty much the same. While reading a few of them I kept noticing certain plot points and details that seemed to be duplicates of each other.
As far as the movie goes, it was okay. Of course it strayed a little bit from the book -- some character development was greatly shortened and the general emotion in the book just didn't present itself in the movie. And let's face it, Miley Cyrus is a much better actress when she doesn't speak. Sad, but very true.
Also, this book/movie seems like a total rip-off of Life as a House. Before Garden State existed, Life as a House was my favorite movie. Phenomenal acting by the entire cast. While that will be reviewed in another post at some point, I'll still say here that Hayden Christensen was amazing in his early days. Not too crazy about his movie choices as of late, but give Life as a House a go and you'll know that Hayden does have some serious credibility.
The Hangover
I don't really have much to post about this movie.
Was it funny? Yes.
Was it funny enough for all the hype and claims about how awesome it is? No.
Was it funny? Yes.
Was it funny enough for all the hype and claims about how awesome it is? No.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
I was so excited to see this movie in part because the book was great and in part because so many people on Netflix gave it 4 and 5 stars, praising how great of an adaptation it was. Remind me to never again base my expectations on such comments.
Yes, it was a good movie and a decent adaptation. However, this movie bothered me more than I enjoyed it. There were so many pieces that they changed in some way or completely left out, and some of the plot points that were left out were important. I realize that things have to be altered and cut in order to get a long book to fit into a normal movie length – this movie was still 2 ½ hours even with the plot changes. They also added a few things though, which didn’t seem necessary to me when you consider what they cut out. Maybe what they added has more to do with foreshadowing the next movie? I couldn’t say because I haven’t read the next book yet.
The actors did a good job – but again some of their parts were drastically cut down. I’m curious to see how the American version of the movie will turn out, where Daniel Craig is said to be the lead character, Mikael Blomkvist. I’m not sure why the Swedish version isn’t good enough and we have to go and make our own… Who am I kidding; of course I know why. Our country loves to make money and capitalize on other people’s accomplishments.
Anyways, overall it’s an okay movie. Not amazing and not horrible. But as usual, the book is far better.
Yes, it was a good movie and a decent adaptation. However, this movie bothered me more than I enjoyed it. There were so many pieces that they changed in some way or completely left out, and some of the plot points that were left out were important. I realize that things have to be altered and cut in order to get a long book to fit into a normal movie length – this movie was still 2 ½ hours even with the plot changes. They also added a few things though, which didn’t seem necessary to me when you consider what they cut out. Maybe what they added has more to do with foreshadowing the next movie? I couldn’t say because I haven’t read the next book yet.
The actors did a good job – but again some of their parts were drastically cut down. I’m curious to see how the American version of the movie will turn out, where Daniel Craig is said to be the lead character, Mikael Blomkvist. I’m not sure why the Swedish version isn’t good enough and we have to go and make our own… Who am I kidding; of course I know why. Our country loves to make money and capitalize on other people’s accomplishments.
Anyways, overall it’s an okay movie. Not amazing and not horrible. But as usual, the book is far better.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)