2011 Movies: Part 2

Since my last post reviewing movies I'd seen from this year, I've seen a bunch of other films as April has been shockingly full of interesting movies, although there appears to still be plenty of crap too. Let's go over the movies I've seen to see where the last month or so in film has taken me.

First off, we have Limitless, an action movie starring Bradley Cooper. From reading that description, it sounds like something to stay away from. However, this movie was shockingly decent. It had an interesting concept about being able to use your full brain capacity and although the ways it used this gimmick were somewhat limited and typical, it did a decent job of keeping me interested. Cooper was decent in his first real leading role after years of being a comedy and romance sidekick and this film will probably lead to more lead roles in his future. If you have the chance to see it, go for it but personally, I'd never try to seek it out.

Next, I saw what is probably my favorite movie of the year so far, Cary Fukunaga's adaptation of the classic Jane Eyre. Starring Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender, this movie is acted perfectly and looks beautiful the entire time. Having been only slightly familiar with the original tale, I felt this film was a perfect introduction to the story and helped to present it as one of the most beautiful love stories that exists. Wasikowska has so much potential that is put to work in this movie that I'm excited to see where she goes with her career and the same for Fassbender and Fukunaga. Definitely see this movie when you get the chance.

Source Code was the next movie I saw and I will admit that my only motivation to see it was to witness Jake Gyllenhaal all over the big screen. Luckily, the movie had a lot more to offer than his beauty. It was a very interesting story, even though I don't tend to go for science fiction films. It was a lot smarter than you'd expect a movie in the genre to be although at times, it could have delved deeper into the issues presented. However, its approach to the concept was much more profound than Limitless. Vera Farmiga gave a great supporting performance and Jake was fantastic as always. I definitely recommend this one too.

I was very excited to see my next movie from this year, Hanna. I am a huge fan of Atonement although I had not seen any of Joe Wright's other films and I was excited to see what else he has to offer. Luckily, he, Saoirse Ronan and Cate Blanchett did not disappoint in the slightest. This movie is both action packed and slowly paced but the quick changing of pace is exciting and not tiring. The script is very good at examining the character of Hanna and still offering witty banter and intense action sequences. It's a lot smarter and much better made than your typical action movie and for that reason, I have to recommend it instead of any other action movie.

Scream 4 was by far my most anticipated movie of the bunch as I love the franchise and had faith that they could bring another fantastic edition to the series and they didn't disappoint. The script is just as witty and self-aware as the first three movies and it offers enough scares and laughs to keep the audience continually entertained throughout the movie. All of the new actors gave good performances and helped to bring this franchise to a new generation. I definitely recommend watching the other movies first and then seeing this one for the best possible experience with it.

Since I dragged my dad to see Scream 4 with me, he took me to see Arthur. I had really low expectations and while it kind of was better than I expected, it really wasn't anything special. For a comedy, I barely laughed but then neither did my dad. I guess Russell Brand's style of comedy isn't so much making jokes but just his general attitude is supposed to be comedic. Personally, it didn't do much for me. Overall, the movie was just dull, clichéd and pretty boring. It's probably my least favorite of this bunch of movies.

Finally, I saw Water For Elephants which I was very excited to see. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations. It wasn't really too bad but there was definitely something lacking. A lot of the script felt clunky and the dialogue didn't work well. Robert Pattinson proved that he really can't act as he just barely gave a performance at all and was just basically there for Reese Witherspoon, in one of her weaker performances and Christoph Waltz, in a performance proving why he is an Oscar winner, to act circles around him. Besides the beautiful visuals and the two good supporting performances, the film didn't really offer much. If you are interested, check it out but otherwise, it's not really worth your time.

Heavenly Creatures

When the general public think of Peter Jackson, you can almost guarantee they will think of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. They were such massive films that took over the imagination of the world that their presence in people's minds is inevitable. However, I'm not discussing those movies. Today, I'm talking about what is truly the high point of Jackson's career, Heavenly Creatures. Never heard of it? I hadn't really either and that's a big issue.

Heavenly Creatures is based off a true story but don't allow that to let you think this movie is average. It stars Kate Winslet, in her big screen debut, and Melanie Lynskey as Juliet and Pauline, two teenage girls who find friendship and romance in each other and escape from their daily lives to a world of fantasy in their minds that allows them the freedom they desire. They also murder Pauline's mother because they are not permitted to be together and other teenage rebellion issues.

I'll admit that personally, I didn't completely connect with this movie. At parts, it was a tad too strange and the characters were so spastic and crazed that they were difficult to connect with. However, I also found the movie to connect in a special way through it's hidden meaning.

For me, the movie is not about two teenage girls who murder their mother. It's a metaphor for the oppression that is experienced by gay people, which is clearly visible by the 1950's setting of the film. Pauline is presented as young, timid girl who appears trapped in her life. She doesn't seem too visibly unhappy but we see a sense of emptiness in her life. On the other hand, Juliet is portrayed as confident in herself and her abilities from her first scene where she corrects the lesson of a teacher on her first day.

Through her friendship with Juliet, Pauline finds a sense of freedom and discovers her true feelings. It's not a stretch to consider this relationship her liberation as the two girls do participate in homosexual activity. Pauline's homosexuality is most easily found through a comparison of the two sex scenes she participates in. The first is with a boy that she knows and throughout it, she escapes to her fantasy world of creepy clay people, where violence is enthralling the people and she stares off longingly at Juliet, displaying her true desires. Later when Juliet and Pauline engage in sexual activity, Pauline's escape to her fantasy world involves their alter egos engaging in sexual activity and joy is found throughout this universe.

However, with the time period of the film comes the less progressive attitudes that were present at the time. After a doctor warns that the girls' relationship might have become more than friendship, their parents prevent them from seeing each other and place this heavy restriction on their sexuality. The inability of the girls to be together and realize their true nature is severely damaging and creates a deep rage within Pauline. By the time they go to kill her mother, you can see that they are not committing a murder. To them, this is their freedom from their oppressor and a way to truly experience their love without the restrictions of society which is represented by her mother.

The most interesting part of the film is that Jackson starts it off beautifully with the two girls running to Juliet's house after the murder to inform her parents of the death. Both are clearly upset and distraught at what has just occurred although we are supposed to believe this is an act. Despite this fascinating deeper meaning that Jackson has placed within the movie, he does not forget that no matter how freeing this killing was, it was a still an act of violence and a death was involved. It was horrific, bloody and altogether wrong. Overall, Jackson appears to not take a stance on whether the murder was alright. He spends the film showing us their motives and giving us reasons to sympathize with the characters yet the horrific opening and the clear hesitation found within the girls, especially Juliet, displays the knowledge that there is a moral issue with Juliet and Pauline's actions.

This is why I consider this movie much more important that Jackson's famous trilogy. It offers a fascinating take on morality and is an important story of identity, especially within homosexuals that is rarely found with such a mainstream director. It is a daring film and I applaud Jackson for making such an important movie.

Classic Hollywood - A tribute to Elizabeth Taylor and Tennessee Williams

Last week, I began a voyage into classic cinema in honor of what would be Tennessee Williams' hundredth birthday. However, the week took a turn for the worst when it also had to be a look back at the fantastic career of Elizabeth Taylor after her passing. Strangely enough, the two coincided well considering Taylor's frequent collaborations with the great playwright.

The most famous adaptation of Williams' work is the 1951 adaptation of A Streetcar Named Desire starring Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh. It involves all the typical features of a Tennessee Williams play including a souther setting, hints of homosexuality that have been sadly repressed by the censorship of the time and some sort of love story although never a pleasant one. The southern belle in this story comes to visit her sister and somehow goes crazy and lusts after her sister's husband, who happens to be abusive, all before being sent off in the end. Sounds like a typical melodrama, right? I understand that many classify the film as a masterpiece however, I found a disconnect between reality and Vivien Leigh's character. Of course, a person who is insane would not have much of a touch with reality but her character seemed to lack all reason for insanity and her over-dramatic style of acting, while common at the time, did nothing to bring true sympathy to the role. Despite this, I still enjoyed the film but found that Marlon Brando and even Kim Hunter outshone Vivien Leigh and overall, the story lacked part of the spark that makes Tennessee Williams' work so special.

Any of these flaws that could be identified in Streetcar are easily remedied in the other Williams' adaptation I viewed, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, this time starring the late Elizabeth Taylor. As with most plays of Williams, the central focus is both on family and sexuality in a way that easily demonstrates the friction between the two. Paul Newman's character shows signs of both repressed homosexuality and a longing for his past glory, which can also be found in Williams' other play, The Glass Menagerie. This has caused great strain in his marriage to Elizabeth Taylor's character because their lack of sex has led them to be without an heir to the family fortune, which angers Taylor's character. This story felt much more like a Williams classic and was fantastically supported by the performances of the leads. While the story dragged a bit, it beautifully addressed all the issues you expect to find within Williams' work yet does not feel like a retread at all. 

The final film I watched had nothing to do with Tennessee Williams however it was still a film adaptation of a play and it also has the Elizabeth Taylor, therefore it's a worthy addition to this post. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is the story of a married couple who invite a young couple to their house for drinks which quickly turns into a night of shouting, swearing and lots of drinking. This is one of those plays(and films) that is such an excuse for great actors to act that it helps to demonstrate just how talented the actors are. The fact that Elizabeth Taylor gives a world class performance in this movie displays not only the strength of the script but her true talent as an actress and elevates her above the media status that is sometimes all she is remembered for. There are lots of amazing things about Elizabeth Taylor but it can take a truly fantastic film like Woolf to remind us that she is, first and foremost, an actress. If you ever have doubts about the talent of this legend, watch this movie and you'll instantly realize why she is considered the last great Hollywood star.