HER - Review

Her

Sci-Fi/Romantic Comedy/Drama, 2013
2 hours, 5 minutes
Written and Directed by Spike Jonze
Rated R for "language, sexual content and brief graphic nudity"

Starring
Joaquin Phoenix
Scarlett Johansson
Amy Adams
Rooney Mara

"I've never loved anyone the way I love you."

Let's be real, most romantic movies are marketed towards women. Always a hot girl falling for a nerdy guy, or a hot guy falling for a nerdy girl, or two stupidly attractive people having stupid first world problems and they're all mostly dumb. When looking at romance movies, there are only three that come to mind as being perfect. Lost In Translation, a funny, quiet, and simple romance, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, a bizarre, bittersweet, and unusually clever look at an ordinary couple's relationship. The third would be Her. 

Okay, now the premise is really weird. A lonely guy falls in love with his AI operating system... yeah, it's pretty strange. That being said, it's actually rather sweet. The film stars Joaquin Phoenix as a lonely, recently divorced man named Theodore. Theodore is a writer, a man of simple taste. One day, Theodore picks up a new operating system for his computer, simply named OS 1. The OS is an artificial intelligence that grows and learns over time after getting to know the user. Theodore's OS (voiced by Johansson) names herself Samantha. Theodore is a little uncomfortable at first, but quickly warms up to the idea. Soon, Samantha starts asking questions because she is learning how to "feel" emotions. So... they start dating. Each other. And it goes without saying that it's strange and a little uncomfortable at times, but you get used to it. And crazier still, you start to believe that what they have is, well, real. And like most relationship dramas, things get out of hand, which gets into some pretty strange territory.

It's strange premise aside, Her is very impressive visually. The world is made up of a sleek, yet warm and muted color palette. The year is never defined, but one can assume that it's in the near future. Everything has a futuristic vibe to it, even the fashion. And I suppose a lot of the technology in the film exists already. For example, Theodore's first OS before Samantha is the equivalent of Apple's Siri. He has a tiny, wireless earpiece, a phone, and a computer, but it's all connected to one another.

The performances are equally impressive. Phoenix is a very sympathetic character. He's just an ordinary guy with some problems, and his ability to act without another person in the room is very natural. Johansson's voice work is very impressive as well. She doesn't feel like just a voice, she feels like a real character. You can pick up on the smallest of nuances in her voice. It's one of her best performances to date.

As unusual as it may seem, Her is probably one of my favorite movies of the year. It's a different kind of sci-fi, the kind of sci-fi that doesn't need an incredibly high concept. It's a low concept character drama that uses a high concept world to tell it's story and it pays off in spades. And on top of that, it's truthful especially in today's age. It will make you think a lot more than you'll expect.

I think if there's just one movie that I remember from this year, it's going to be this one.

9.8/10

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET - Review

The Wolf of Wall Street

Biographical Black Comedy, 2013
3 hours
Screenplay by Terence Winter
Based on the book The Wolf of Wall Street by Jordan Belfort
Directed by Martin Scorsese

Starring
Leonardo DiCaprio
Jonah Hill
Margot Robbie
PJ Byrne
Kenneth Choi
Jon Bernthal
Kyle Chandler
Rob Reiner
Matthew McConaughey
Jean Dujardin
Brian Sacca
Henry Zebrowski

"You have my money taped to your tits. Technically you do work for me."

I've been so excited about The Wolf of Wall Street since the trailer premiered a few months back. The trailer is funny, exciting, and insane. It's so perfect, I've watched it probably 100 times. Thank God it lived up to the hype.

I can't remember the last time I sat in a movie theater for 3 hours. Sadly, the one real criticism I hear is that it's too long. And it might be. A few minutes of fat could've been trimmed down. But whatever. Haters gonna hate, taters gonna tate... whatever the fuck that means.

The Wolf of Wall Street is based on the true story of Jordan Belfort, a stock broker who starts his own company and makes a ton of money... I can't really say a ton about the plot mostly because the main plot stuff is all about the stock market and I'm not about to explain how that shit works. Mostly because I only understand a little bit of how it works. I'm not a damned economist, get off my back. In a nutshell, Belfort gets his first job on Wall Street, but after a short time there, the company closes down, and he sells penny stocks out of a tiny building in a strip mall. Turns out, his experience with the big leagues helps out quite a bit, and he manages to make a killing off of selling practically nothing. So he takes the next natural step and starts his own company. And they're pretty successful. And then he and his insane buddies do a shit-ton of coke and fuck a ton of hookers. It's part drug addiction, part sex addiction, and all money addiction.

The movie plays out similarly to Goodfellas, in more ways than one. There are tons of structural parallels. For example, the film starts out with a flash-forward, and then after about 5 minutes, the movie jumps into a flashback where we're taken through the events of how Belfort got to where he is in the first scene of the film. And it catches up maybe 40 minutes or so into the movie, and it all feels very natural. Sound like Goodfellas yet? There are a lot more parallels, and if you pregame with Goodfellas before you see this, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. Even at three hours, this structure works to it's advantage. There are a few moments that were stretched a bit thin, but for the most part, it works very very well. The movie also reeks of Scorsese. His definitive style is so remarkable and vibrant, he's the perfect man for this script.

But it's the characters that steal the show. A lot of people complained that nobody in the movie is likable, but I disagree. The character's decisions are unlikable. They're all self absorbed coke addicts that make awful decisions. And yet, they're all so charismatic that you just have to keep watching. Some films might tiptoe around their characters, but with Wolf, you're right there the whole time. You know everything about these guys that you feel like you're best friends with them. And all of this goes the same for Goodfellas. See? Parallels!

And it's no doubt that the performances are all excellent. DiCaprio is at his finest, probably his most memorable role since Django Unchained. He's fucking insane in this, from start to finish. So is Jonah Hill, who plays something totally unlike Jonah Hill. Even in Moneyball, you look at him and think "Oh, Jonah Hill," but in this, he's something completely different. I think it's his best role to date. And he's still hilarious. Even Rob Reiner, who doesn't do a lot of acting, his hilarious in his brief time on screen. And everyone is so damned charismatic and hilarious that it's impossible to dislike anyone. And I should definitely mention Matt McConaughey's brief, yet scene stealing performance.

I don't know if The Wolf of Wall Street is the best movie of the year, but it's most likely clinched a top 10 spot on the list. It is, without question, the best stock market movie you'll ever see. Watch Wall Street or Margin Call? Nah. Skip those. Wolf is the best damned movie in the genre.

Also, quaaludes. If you don't know what a quaalude is, don't bother looking it up, just wait to see it in the movie. Oh my good gracious, this movie would be nothing without quaaludes. Quaaludes make up a couple of the funniest scenes in the entire movie. Hell, one of the funniest scenes in 2013.

9.5/10

AMERICAN HUSTLE - Review

American Hustle

Drama/Comedy, 2013
2 hours, 9 minutes
Written by Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell
Directed by David O. Russell
Rated R for "pervasive language, some sexual content and brief violence"

Starring
Christian Bale
Amy Adams
Bradley Cooper
Jeremy Renner
Jennifer Lawrence
Louis CK
Jack Huston
Michael Peña
Robert DeNiro

"We were so successful for so long because we kept it just small enough."

I love David O. Russell. He doesn't go for spectacle or anything explosive. He just makes good, straight-shooting movies. He makes great romance movies. He made a great boxing movie. I've never seen anything bad from him, even his earlier work is pretty solid. Russell really knows how to work with actors, and he's great at choosing actors with natural talent.

This time around for American Hustle, he took the best parts of his last 2 movies, Silver Lining's Playbook and The Fighter, these parts being actors from these films. Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence from Silver Linings Playbook, and Amy Adams and Christian Bale from The Fighter. The performances in this movie are all around stellar. STELLAR. Each and every character is so vibrant and distinct and watching them all interact with each other is great. Everyone has fantastic chemistry, impressive for something with a good-sized cast of very talented A-listers. It also has Louis CK as an FBI director, who pretty much just acts like Louis CK. But that's ok, because it's fuckin' Louis CK.
The movie is definitely a lot funnier than you'd expect. I don't think I would exactly call it a comedy, but it does have a few fantastic moments of subtle hilarity. Even Christian Bale's hair is fucking hysterical.

Strangely enough, the story is the weakest link. It's not that it's even a bad story. It just moves at such an incredibly breakneck ADHD speed that you might get lost at a couple of key points in the film. It's a little complex and could be clearer, but it's still good for the most part. The overall plot is easy to track, but the subtleties are easy to overlook.

Russell definitely has another hit with American Hustle. For its missteps in it's plot, it's characters and performances more than make up for what will most likely be called one of the best movies of the year.

9.3/10

OLDBOY (2013) - Review

Oldboy (2013)

Action/Mystery, 2013
1 hour, 45 minutes
Based on the Korean film Oldboy, directed by Chan-wook Park
Screenplay adapted by Mark Protosevich
Directed by Spike Lee
Rated R for "strong brutal violence, disturbing images, some graphic sexuality and nudity, and language"

Starring
Josh Brolin
Elizabeth Olsen
Sharlto Copley
Samuel L. Jackson
Michael Imperioli


"I've been thinking about it for twenty years."


Well I don't know what I was expecting.

The original Oldboy, a gritty Korean revenge film, is nothing short of spectacular. I could go on for hours about it. Unfortunately, I'm not here to talk about Chan-wook Park's movie. I'm here to talk about Spike Lee's American remake.

I think I was right about assuming that American audiences weren't ready for an adaptation of Oldboy. For those who have seen the original, you know what I'm talking about, don't pretend you don't. I mean, it's a pretty fucked up movie. Like, really, beyond fucked up. But in a totally awesome and entertaining way. While Lee's adaptation follows closely in it's footsteps, it often missteps and falls flat on its face.

The story is pretty much identical to the original: A man is captured and imprisoned in a hotel room for 20 (15 in the original) years without an explanation. He kind of loses his mind. His only company is a television set. One day he is released from captivity without explanation, and is given some money and a cellphone. He sets out to find who imprisoned him. So he goes and does stuff. I don't want to give anything away.

So, what's wrong with this remake? Lots of shit. The only redeemable quality is Josh Brolin as the lead character. Also, Samuel L. Jackson is in it and he does say "motherfucker" a few times. He's basically Jackson in every Jackson movie ever. So that's fun. But otherwise, it's just all wrong. The writing is really weird. Characters do shit that makes literally no sense at all just to advance the story. There are a few moments that build drama that are then just completely ignored, and the story moves forward. The editing is sloppy. There are a few cuts that just take you from one scene to the next without any kind of tension, it just happens and it's weird and I don't like it. They also re-created the hallway fight scene. I shit you not. If you've seen the Korean version, you know what I'm talking about. I mean, they actually did a decent job, but for the most part, I'm just a little peeved that they had the balls to go through with it. Sharlito Copley's performance is way too overdone to the point where it's just annoying as fuck. Some of the twists are a little different, and not in a good way. Finally, the remake's ending is far too Hollywood for my taste. Korea did it better.

From what I understand, the producers took a few liberties with the cut of the movie, taking out a significant amount of footage that apparently made it better. I doubt it. Although I would certainly like to see this director's cut, I doubt it will even compare to the original.

But seriously, there's no reason for this movie to exist. I can only hope that this will turn people to watch the Korean Oldboy. Because it's really, really good.

4/10

FROZEN - Review

Frozen

Animated Musical, 2013
1 hour, 25 minutes
Written by Jennifer Lee
Directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee
Rated PG for "some action and mild rude humor"

Starring
Kristen Bell
Idina Menzel
Jonathan Groff
Josh Gad
Santino Fontana
Alan Tudyk
Chris Williams
Maurice LaMarche

"You want to talk about a problem? I sell ice for a living."

Frozen is the latest in Disney's princess/musical lineup, and for the most part, it's good. It didn't blow my mind or anything, but it's still enjoyable. The animation is pretty much identical to Tangled, with solid character design and vibrant colors. The songs are pretty good, but only a couple really stand out. The movie kicks off feeling very much like an old school Renaissance era movie, which made me pretty excited. Unfortunately, the feeling disappeared quickly. There are maybe two or three musical numbers that really made me feel like I was watching a classic Disney movie.

However, Frozen does a lot of new stuff that I wasn't expecting. The movie, in a nutshell, is about two sisters named Anna and Elsa. Anna is a carefree, but lonely princess. Her older sister, Elsa, has powers that let her freeze stuff. Why does she have these powers? Don't bother looking for an explanation. There isn't any, but it's kind of hard to look past simply because of how important it is to the film. So basically, some shit happens and Elsa runs off and kinda sorta causes an eternal winter in the kingdom. So Anna goes off to find her. She teams up with a little comic-relief snowman named Olaf and a guy named Kristoff and Kristoff's moose named Sven. So they go on adventures and they sing and stuff.

The best thing about Frozen is the characters. Excellent voice work gives the characters a tremendous amount of depth. This isn't just Anna and Kristoff, the main characters. This also applies greatly to Elsa, who is probably the most sympathetic villain in Disney history. She's more of a victim than anything else. Anna and Kristoff have great chemistry and a surprisingly believable relationship. Olaf, the little snowman dude, is really just there for comic relief, which isn't really needed. Some of his stuff falls flat, but when he's funny, he's funny.

There are a few story beats that felt really rushed, mostly in the beginning and end of the movie. There's a lot of exposition that is mostly effective, even if it is short. Once the movie hits its main story beats, then it really takes off and gets good. And yet, the ending, while not entirely predictable, still felt like it was tying up its loose ends at a breakneck pace.

I definitely don't think that Frozen is the best Disney musical out there, but it's probably the one we need right now. It's not amazing, but I'm happy that Disney is trying out some new stuff with its storytelling. Some of it pays off, some of it doesn't. I don't think it even compares to the Disney Renaissance films, but some may argue otherwise. I personally prefer hand-drawn animation instead of 3D animation, but hey, that's just my opinion.

7.4/10