Brave! Now here's a feminist film for my family! Do you know how excited I was to go see an animated Disney feature with a strong-willed, non-traditional female lead? First the fabulous Tiana and now this? Add to that Merida's curly red mane to match my own daughter's and I just knew this would be the greatest Disney triumph ever.
And yes, Merida bucks tradition by preferring horseback riding, archery and adventure to princess training. She is the hero of her own story, fighting for family, solving mysteries and ultimately saving the day. However, it's only after she causes all of the problems in the first place and exhibits some pretty awful character traits.
She practically sets out to destroy her mother, presumably because her mother represents everything she hates about women's roles. When she nearly succeeds, it takes her an unforgivably long time to feel bad about it. If only Merida felt more Brave! and less Petulant! It certainly made me long for Mulan's heroic sacrifice and scrappy intelligence. Though Merida sets everything right in the end, Brave ends up feeling perilously close to a cautionary tale. "Take it easy, feminists, you still need to respect societal traditions or you could just unravel everything."
The kids were terrified by this film. We sat too close to the front and I ended up buried under two sobbing children.
It was beautiful. We will watch it again. It just couldn't live up to my lofty expectations.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Re-Animating Science with Love
Frankenweenie is the true tale of Tim Burton's childhood in animated form. Anyway, I'm pretty sure I've got that right. My kids and I both preferred this one to ParaNorman as a kids' movie dealing in issues of death and matters of the occult.
It is clever and funny with wonderful nods to all sorts of classic horror films (my favorite being the Birds homage when characters hide in a phone booth from an attacking horde of sea monkeys.) The parents misunderstand Victor at times but they aren't horrible people so I thank you for that, Tim Burton.
It talks about the importance of doing science experiments with love in your heart which kind of blows my mind with its simplistic brilliance and makes me think scientists should listen up. Science harnessed for the wrong reasons yields monsters we will be hard-pressed to defeat (I'm looking at you, Monsanto).
It is clever and funny with wonderful nods to all sorts of classic horror films (my favorite being the Birds homage when characters hide in a phone booth from an attacking horde of sea monkeys.) The parents misunderstand Victor at times but they aren't horrible people so I thank you for that, Tim Burton.
It talks about the importance of doing science experiments with love in your heart which kind of blows my mind with its simplistic brilliance and makes me think scientists should listen up. Science harnessed for the wrong reasons yields monsters we will be hard-pressed to defeat (I'm looking at you, Monsanto).
Sunday, January 27, 2013
"Did they kill the little girl, mommy?"
"Uh...stammer, stammer...well, you see, some people are..."
Crazy! Crazy for making a kids' movie out of a B rate horror film!
Replace ParaNorman's awesome looking updated claymation with live action and now I'm watching The Craft II: Electric Boogaloo with my daughters. Thanks, Sam Fell and Chris Butler!
Ok. Let me take a second to calm down. I do find the lack of trite subject matter refreshing and it's not like I haven't been looking for a way to intro my girls to horror movies anyway, so maybe it wasn't such a bad idea. It did take me by surprise because somehow I thought it would be more of a Hotel Transylvania approach. You know, "Ghosts and monsters, they're just like us!" But, no, the zombies were scary for quite a while and the real world implications for having a paranormal gift were pretty atrocious. Plus, it was a town full of dicks, let's be honest.
But, teaching moments? There were plenty! My four year old went to bed saying, "I like the zombies, they were cute." (They were not.) And my seven year old said she liked the evil witch because she understood her, so I guess that's a win?
Enjoyable, if uncomfortable, viewing with little ones. Can't wait for Frankenweenie.
.
Crazy! Crazy for making a kids' movie out of a B rate horror film!
Replace ParaNorman's awesome looking updated claymation with live action and now I'm watching The Craft II: Electric Boogaloo with my daughters. Thanks, Sam Fell and Chris Butler!
Ok. Let me take a second to calm down. I do find the lack of trite subject matter refreshing and it's not like I haven't been looking for a way to intro my girls to horror movies anyway, so maybe it wasn't such a bad idea. It did take me by surprise because somehow I thought it would be more of a Hotel Transylvania approach. You know, "Ghosts and monsters, they're just like us!" But, no, the zombies were scary for quite a while and the real world implications for having a paranormal gift were pretty atrocious. Plus, it was a town full of dicks, let's be honest.
But, teaching moments? There were plenty! My four year old went to bed saying, "I like the zombies, they were cute." (They were not.) And my seven year old said she liked the evil witch because she understood her, so I guess that's a win?
Enjoyable, if uncomfortable, viewing with little ones. Can't wait for Frankenweenie.
.
Friday, January 25, 2013
I Don't Like Leaving My Bathtub Either
And in the Frozen River/Winter's Bone position this year we have Beasts of the Southern Wild, that Oscar slot reserved for movies about parts of the United States where you didn't know how hard it is to survive/live normally/stay afloat. This time we are in the Bathtub, a terrible (wonderful?) place to be imprisoned, a womb of both magic and rock-bottom despair.
Who could watch this movie and not love the five or six year old with the unpronouncable name? She was fierce and engaged and she terrified us while giving us hope. The imagery of the film was at once bleak and inspiring. The symbolism was powerful, the pacing tight and efficient. This movie has stayed with me for a couple of days after, which I love. I'm surprised to say I firmly believe it belongs in this category.
Who could watch this movie and not love the five or six year old with the unpronouncable name? She was fierce and engaged and she terrified us while giving us hope. The imagery of the film was at once bleak and inspiring. The symbolism was powerful, the pacing tight and efficient. This movie has stayed with me for a couple of days after, which I love. I'm surprised to say I firmly believe it belongs in this category.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Zero Dark Edge of My Seat
This film was important to me. This film is my American history. I marked off the events in this film with the milestones of my life. This terrorist attack happened the year I got married, that one two weeks before my first child was born, etc. I felt firsthand the pain, fear, frustration, confusion, ambivalence and anger, anger, anger that we all experienced. This is my Normady beach moment in film and I wonder if I will linger over it in future viewings. I did not know how badly I needed to see this go down, but I did.
I think Zero Dark Thirty was expertly made. I thought it showed restraint and avoided cliches and stereotypes. I thought it gave the proper heft and seriousness to these events without either minimizing or elevating them. (And I think any time you want me to love a navy seal while he's sorting through adults and children to kill just the right ones, put Chris Pratt in a uniform.) My only complaint was a five to eight minute section of the film where the pacing just seemed to fall right through the floor.
I think nailing this movie down was harder to do than it looked on screen and I do think Kathryn Bigelow was very sadly and mistakenly left off of the nominee list. My assumption has been that they just decided you can't get nominated two years in a row, but they were wrong to leave her off. (Unless, that is, they were simply following the unspoken rule of the cinema: it's not a good film if they don't say the title in the movie!)
I think Zero Dark Thirty was expertly made. I thought it showed restraint and avoided cliches and stereotypes. I thought it gave the proper heft and seriousness to these events without either minimizing or elevating them. (And I think any time you want me to love a navy seal while he's sorting through adults and children to kill just the right ones, put Chris Pratt in a uniform.) My only complaint was a five to eight minute section of the film where the pacing just seemed to fall right through the floor.
I think nailing this movie down was harder to do than it looked on screen and I do think Kathryn Bigelow was very sadly and mistakenly left off of the nominee list. My assumption has been that they just decided you can't get nominated two years in a row, but they were wrong to leave her off. (Unless, that is, they were simply following the unspoken rule of the cinema: it's not a good film if they don't say the title in the movie!)
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Who are The Miserables?
The Miserables are:
1. Those who walk barefoot through the snowy forest, or the rainy streets of Paris. Also, those who go to see this film on the coldest day of the year in a barely heated theatre. My fingers were actually going numb at one point.
2. The citizens of revolutionary Paris, whose plights are too treacherous for speech. Also, the broadway actors who no doubt could have blown some of these roles out of the water given the chance.
3. Jean Valjean who lost so much time to slavery, and the movie goer who glances at their watch thinking, "I bet they are about to wrap this whole thing up," only to find there is another hour of musical left to go.
I could go on but my point is simply that this movie made me a bit miserable. I'm not panning it, it wasn't the worst thing ever, but I couldn't get lost in it or swept away by it or something. Some of the performances were really great. Anne Hathaway's gut-wrenching song is quite an achievement and made the viewing worthwhile, but there was also a good bit of boredom involved.
There seems to be a musical number-to-emotional-impact ratio that works for me. In some cases, a song can get right to the heart of your feelings on a subject so much faster than dialog, visuals or explanations. However, this style of musical numbs me to song and I am far less moved by a sing-song expository scene about parole than I would be a nice bit of acting realism.
I'm glad people enjoy this film. It wasn't for me. And I can't see how it has a shot at best picture.
1. Those who walk barefoot through the snowy forest, or the rainy streets of Paris. Also, those who go to see this film on the coldest day of the year in a barely heated theatre. My fingers were actually going numb at one point.
2. The citizens of revolutionary Paris, whose plights are too treacherous for speech. Also, the broadway actors who no doubt could have blown some of these roles out of the water given the chance.
3. Jean Valjean who lost so much time to slavery, and the movie goer who glances at their watch thinking, "I bet they are about to wrap this whole thing up," only to find there is another hour of musical left to go.
I could go on but my point is simply that this movie made me a bit miserable. I'm not panning it, it wasn't the worst thing ever, but I couldn't get lost in it or swept away by it or something. Some of the performances were really great. Anne Hathaway's gut-wrenching song is quite an achievement and made the viewing worthwhile, but there was also a good bit of boredom involved.
There seems to be a musical number-to-emotional-impact ratio that works for me. In some cases, a song can get right to the heart of your feelings on a subject so much faster than dialog, visuals or explanations. However, this style of musical numbs me to song and I am far less moved by a sing-song expository scene about parole than I would be a nice bit of acting realism.
I'm glad people enjoy this film. It wasn't for me. And I can't see how it has a shot at best picture.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Another Oscar for the Mantel
Honestly, who is going to sneak up and snatch the Oscar away from Daniel Day-Lewis for his portrayal of Lincoln? It's going to be super exciting if a contender emerges, but I just don't see it happening. And what a blow to all those other good acting performances this year. "Great, I just had to get my film released the same year as Daniel's!" This could have been the only real shot for some of the other nominees this year, but nope, not going to happen now.
The acting was so compelling that I didn't even sort-of fall asleep. And it was the second movie I saw that day. And it was a late showing! I was captivated by it and it had been a long time since I said that about a Spielberg film. A favorite moment of mine is when some politician runs from the room in a panic to avoid hearing another of Lincoln's stories. Because you know that's right.
The acting was so compelling that I didn't even sort-of fall asleep. And it was the second movie I saw that day. And it was a late showing! I was captivated by it and it had been a long time since I said that about a Spielberg film. A favorite moment of mine is when some politician runs from the room in a panic to avoid hearing another of Lincoln's stories. Because you know that's right.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Yes! And, oh, gods, no!
Oh, Django Unchained! How can you be so whimsical and satisfying one moment and boringly brutal the next, all in a setting which does not lend itself to trivial meandering? Oh, Tarantino, how I have loved thee, while also thinking you are much too full of yourself. Where the hell do I go from here in reviewing this film?
When I could stomach this film, I enjoyed it. Christoph Waltz and Jamie Foxx are awesome. I love violence and revenge and come-uppance perhaps more than the average movie-goer, so we're all good there.
However, some of the lighthearted moments, while effectively funny, seem to compromise the structural integrity of the film. Also, for my taste, gratuitous violence needs to be in a correct proportion to either meaningful catharsis or deep social commentary, and Tarantino's math is fuzzy on this point. (And, truly, I love violence!) It's as if the valid points he makes about humanity are negated by the gleeful exploitation vibe.
I am willing to concede that perhaps Tarantino's film making genius has eclipsed my ability to comprehend it, but I think he just missed the mark a bit. Gone is the restraint of Reservoir Dogs and the tight control of a complicated narrative from Pulp Fiction. Instead, a sort of filmic ADD is unchecked in Django Unchanied and the frenzy does not engage me but prevents me from letting go and taking the journey. Glad to see this film here, but I'll be perplexed if it wins.
When I could stomach this film, I enjoyed it. Christoph Waltz and Jamie Foxx are awesome. I love violence and revenge and come-uppance perhaps more than the average movie-goer, so we're all good there.
However, some of the lighthearted moments, while effectively funny, seem to compromise the structural integrity of the film. Also, for my taste, gratuitous violence needs to be in a correct proportion to either meaningful catharsis or deep social commentary, and Tarantino's math is fuzzy on this point. (And, truly, I love violence!) It's as if the valid points he makes about humanity are negated by the gleeful exploitation vibe.
I am willing to concede that perhaps Tarantino's film making genius has eclipsed my ability to comprehend it, but I think he just missed the mark a bit. Gone is the restraint of Reservoir Dogs and the tight control of a complicated narrative from Pulp Fiction. Instead, a sort of filmic ADD is unchecked in Django Unchanied and the frenzy does not engage me but prevents me from letting go and taking the journey. Glad to see this film here, but I'll be perplexed if it wins.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
I'm Afraid of Tigers
I read Life of Pi years ago and think the movie served it well. This is a visual stunner though I'm sure I'm not the first to tell you that. This a great journey to take, a great character to accompany and a great place to end up. This movie left me with a powerful reminder that we are the creators of our own personal story; a perspective much more satisfying than the feeling that life just happens to us.
But I couldn't get over that freaking tiger! I jumped a foot out of my seat every blasted time he was on the screen. Seriously, it was getting embarrassing. I had no idea so many people in society (i.e., film goers) were so nonchalant about tigers. It is clear that they felt I was "screaming too much" or "grossly over-reacting" but, come on people! We have instincts for a reason. Tigers are supposed to be scary.
But I couldn't get over that freaking tiger! I jumped a foot out of my seat every blasted time he was on the screen. Seriously, it was getting embarrassing. I had no idea so many people in society (i.e., film goers) were so nonchalant about tigers. It is clear that they felt I was "screaming too much" or "grossly over-reacting" but, come on people! We have instincts for a reason. Tigers are supposed to be scary.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Argo was Xena's Horse
And that's the first reason I like this movie. It brings back great memories of the Warrior Princess, herself.
Also, Argo is solid, competent, non-flashy movie-making. My favorite kind, actually. The script and the acting were free to shine and the build and pacing were expert enough that you couldn't relax watching it, despite knowing the outcome. It told me a story I hadn't heard before and poked fun at both Hollywood and D.C.
What more could you ask of future Senator Affleck? Which is why there's a bit of a controversy over him not getting a nomination. Perhaps Affleck lacks the flair of auteurism, but then, so does Russell for Silver Linings Playbook and so does Clint Eastwood for that matter. Maybe the academy thinks he spent so much time on screen that he must have had a lot of help with the directorial duties? Who knows. But I've learned that someone always gets snubbed. I'm still not over Baz Luhrman getting passed over for Moulin Rouge.
That being said, kudos to Argo for really being one of the best pictures of the year.
(I named a car Argo.)
Also, Argo is solid, competent, non-flashy movie-making. My favorite kind, actually. The script and the acting were free to shine and the build and pacing were expert enough that you couldn't relax watching it, despite knowing the outcome. It told me a story I hadn't heard before and poked fun at both Hollywood and D.C.
What more could you ask of future Senator Affleck? Which is why there's a bit of a controversy over him not getting a nomination. Perhaps Affleck lacks the flair of auteurism, but then, so does Russell for Silver Linings Playbook and so does Clint Eastwood for that matter. Maybe the academy thinks he spent so much time on screen that he must have had a lot of help with the directorial duties? Who knows. But I've learned that someone always gets snubbed. I'm still not over Baz Luhrman getting passed over for Moulin Rouge.
That being said, kudos to Argo for really being one of the best pictures of the year.
(I named a car Argo.)
Friday, January 11, 2013
Flawed, but Trying
I loved Silver Linings Playbook. (It's the characters my title refers to, not the film.) First of all, I got to see this one with my mom. When is the last time the two of us saw a film together in a theatre? Maybe never? Anyway, I think it was a bad call for all the family members who declined to join us. The movie had great performances, admirable writing and delightful surprises within a semi-predictable format. A favorite moment of mine was Bradley Cooper's stunning reaction to Hemingway. You could argue that there are films with more heft, more artfulness, more originality or grander intentions, but so far, this one was the most enjoyable for me.
I can't wait to see it again! Excelsior!
I can't wait to see it again! Excelsior!
Thursday, January 10, 2013
My Mission...
It's only 38 films! Why is that?
Well, first of all, I used to make my total count by nomination, so for example, Lincoln would count as 13 films, but I'm not doing that anymore because it is too confusing.
Secondly, I got ahead of the game and saw a bunch of these films over the holidays because I knew the crunch was coming!
Finally, it seems like a lot of films were nominated in several categories this year. Usually, the Sound Editing and Sound Design categories are peppered with sweet gems like Transformers and Robot Boxing (or whatever that dreadful Hugh Jackman flick was called.) This time those categories are filled with the same films that are nominated for film and acting, etc.
This list includes short films. I can hopefully catch a Laemmle screening that covers those categories. The list is pretty much what I expected with the fun little addition of Snow White and the Huntsman and Mirror Mirror! I've already notified my husband to schedule some work travel because I feel a Snow White double feature coming on!
Here's my full list:
5
Broken Cameras
A
Royal Affair
Adam
and Dog
Amour
Anna
Karenina
Asad
Beasts
of the Southern Wild
Buzkashi
Boys
Chasing
Ice
Curfew
Death
of A Shadow
Flight
Frankenweenie
Fresh
Guacamole
Head
Over Heels
Henry
Hitchcock
How
to Survive a Plague
Inocente
Kings
Pointe
Kon-Tiki
Les
Miserables
Mirror
Mirror
Mondays
at Racine
No
Open
Heart
ParaNorman
Prometheus
Redemption
Searching
for Sugar Man
Snow
White and the Huntsman
The
Gatekeepers
The
Impossible
The
Invisible War
The
Master
The
Sessions
War
Witch
Zero
Dark Thirty
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
You Know What I'm Good At?
Overdoing things!
I like movies, so I should watch the Oscars, right? YES! I like watching the Oscars, so I should see the movies, right? ABSOLUTELY! So here is what I'm going to do:
Watch. Them. All.
"What?" you say, "All ten nominees for Best Picture? That's cool."
NO! All the nominees in every stinking category (technical awards night excluded...for now.)
It usually amounts to between 150 and 200 nominations. I've come close the last two years to getting all of them, but often there are foreign titles that are not available in the U.S. (or, you know, Pasadena, where I live.) This is probably not a herculean task for the average cinephile, but in the years that have elapsed between me and my film school days I've started a little side project called motherhood. Gone are the days of my once weekly movie outing and the ability to leave the house without hiring someone. However, once a year, I indulge in a little OCD fest of Academy Award consumption.
The nominations are announced tomorrow morning. I can't wait to pour over the list and cross off the ones I've already seen. Then I'll scour Netflix and Amazon Prime to see which titles I can pick up there. And then it's off to the movies!
Care to join me?
I like movies, so I should watch the Oscars, right? YES! I like watching the Oscars, so I should see the movies, right? ABSOLUTELY! So here is what I'm going to do:
Watch. Them. All.
"What?" you say, "All ten nominees for Best Picture? That's cool."
NO! All the nominees in every stinking category (technical awards night excluded...for now.)
It usually amounts to between 150 and 200 nominations. I've come close the last two years to getting all of them, but often there are foreign titles that are not available in the U.S. (or, you know, Pasadena, where I live.) This is probably not a herculean task for the average cinephile, but in the years that have elapsed between me and my film school days I've started a little side project called motherhood. Gone are the days of my once weekly movie outing and the ability to leave the house without hiring someone. However, once a year, I indulge in a little OCD fest of Academy Award consumption.
The nominations are announced tomorrow morning. I can't wait to pour over the list and cross off the ones I've already seen. Then I'll scour Netflix and Amazon Prime to see which titles I can pick up there. And then it's off to the movies!
Care to join me?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)