Gangs of New York

Gangs of New York (2002) is a Historical Crime Drama which begins when Amsterdam Vallon (Leonardo DiCaprio) witnesses a great battle over American freedom between several gangs- one of which, his father, “Priest” Vallon (Liam Neeson) is the head, the “Dead Rabbits,” with the belief that immigrants own the land just as much as the ‘natives.’ The head of the opposing force is Bill “The Butcher” Cutting (Daniel Day-Lewis), who feels that the Irish crawl into New York to steal the jobs and he wants them out. In the battle, Priest is slain by Cutting, and the story jumps 16 years into the future, where Amsterdam moves from a home for boys just outside New York back into The Five Points of New York where he was born. The Butcher is in charge of the district, and even has wealthy politicians eating out of his hands. Amsterdam reunites with a childhood acquaintance, Johnny Sirocco (Henry Thomas) who shows him the gang runnings in the town as they stand, now. He also introduces him to Jenny Everdeane who Johnny is hopelessly enchanted with, though she’s a devilish pick-pocket who doesn’t exclude him from her line of work. Amsterdam quickly sees the influence that The Butcher has over Five Points, and he embarks on a mission to move up in the district, even though that means getting closer to The Butcher, himself. His goal to avenge his father is just under the surface, however, and the question of American Freedom hangs in the air in a time of gang wars, and the fast approaching draft in The Civil War.

Martin Scorsese, the director of this picture, grew up around the setting of this story. He noticed early on in local graveyards how many layers the city had under its belt. His interest in the city’s history only increased when he read The Gangs of New York by Herbert Ashbury, written in 1928. Scorsese was enthralled with the idea of American Freedom between Americans, themselves, during the time of the Civil War. In the mid 70s, he decided to produce a film on the subject. He laid out a cast he would choose and everything, but he was an early director, and mostly penniless so he put the idea on hold. Later, in the early 80s, he had the fame and ability to produce this epic. He bought the rights to the story and with the help of writers Steven Zaillian, and Kenneth Lonergan, he wrote the script. It was not for 20 more years, however, that the story gained the financial ability, perfect cast, and flawless writing to begin production. To make sure his historical facts were correct, Martin Scorsese contacted Tyler Anbinder, the author of “Five Points,” and a professor of history at George Washington University. The film was given a budget of $83 million dollars on first serve, and DiCaprio and Scorsese both took approved cuts on their salary to make it work. The entire set was built by hand, overseas in Cinecitta, Rome. It was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis), Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Sound, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, and Best Original Screenplay at the Academy Awards that year.

By far the most striking things about this film are the costumes and sets, and there are hundreds of costumes. The set is enormous and well-crafted. It’s incredible what $83 million dollars will get you… perfection. The colors are alive and vivid. If you’re going to make a Civil War epic, this is the way to do it. Aesthetically, this is what every period piece dreams of being.

The second most striking thing is the character portrayed by Daniel Day-Lewis of “The Butcher,” who is based on the real character William Poole of the same period, also called “The Butcher,” but who died about a decade before the climax of this film takes place. I had never seen this actor in anything before his work in this film, and I found his performance unique amongst the other actors, and very moving. He truly captures the essence of the New Yorker’s Civil War attitude against the union. His character was the most interesting, and his performance was the most engaging. Scorsese went to great lengths to learn the official “New Yok” accent of the times, citing recorded works by William Blake, and reading phonetically spelled dialogue in plays from the era. Day-Lewis was so committed to learning the speech that he’s reported to have spoken in the accent even out of character on the set for the duration of shooting.

 As far as directing goes, Martin Scorsese is one of the most committed, awe-inspiring directors I know of. Scorsese is nothing of not dedicated and precise. He goes to great lengths to produce a piece of art worth watching. In an era for film in which craftiness becomes more and more computer dependant, and characters more one-dimensional, Scorsese is a lingering breath of fresh air. He even hired an Italian man called, “The Magician,” who was infamous as a 30-year pick-pocket, to teach Cameron Diaz to do as he had. Scorsese is one of the giants of 20th century film making, and he continues into the 21st century as the same. I would recommend anything he touches, for it’s sure to have admirable qualities.

My general opinion of this movie is that it’s not the most unique thing I’ve ever seen. It’s not going to be my favorite film. It’s not the most well-acted, and it’s not the most well-written. That being said, it’s a fantastic film, and one that I openly recommend to anyone who enjoys epics, or Martin Scorsese’s touch as a director. This is a film that makes you want to learn the true story because it’s so horrific that it couldn’t be true… but a large part of it is. I don’t ever recommend learning fact from fiction because it’s backward and uneducated, but when a work of fiction inspires an audience to seek the true story, it’s doing something right, and that’s being done in this story. Like Titanic, it leaves a lingering impression and a want to see it again.

Being John Malkovich

Being John Malkovich (1999) is a Satirical Fantasy Drama in which Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) dreams of being a world famous puppeteer… or, at least, a working one. Instead, he performs on the street portraying adult themes in an otherwise childish medium because no one will give him the time of day. His wife, Lotte (Cameron Diaz), urges him to get a day job while he waits for his puppetry career to kick off, and after being slugged by a girl’s father who witnesses his presentation of Abelard and Heloise on the street, he ends up at Lester Corp for a job interview. The firm is located on the 7-½ floor of the building, which cuts the ceiling so low that the employees must duck to walk the halls. Dr. Lester (Orson Bean) likes Craig and he gives him a job as a filer in the firm. At his New Hire Orientation, Craig meets Maxine (Catherine Keener) who he falls instantly in love with. But, as she tells him, if he ever got her, he wouldn’t have a clue what to do with her. Between a house full of his wife’s animals, Dr. Lester’s obscene fantasies about the secretary, Floris (Mary Kay Place), and Maxine’s adamant rejections for Craig’s flirtations- though she has no qualms about teasing him- Craig stumbles upon a hidden tunnel within Lester Corp that leads directly into John Malkovich’s brain.

This film was written by Charlie Kaufman, who later directed Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. He wrote the script originally on the idea that it was about a man who fell in love with someone other than his wife... needless to say, the film branched out considerably from there, mostly on ideas that Kaufman just found entertaining. The concept of Malkovich was, in fact, one of the last details to come into the script. He showed it to Francis Ford Coppola to direct, but it was passed down to his son-in-law, Spike Jonze, who agreed. They pitched it to multiple companies where it was continuously shot down. Eventually, Propaganda Films bought the piece to produce it with Single Cell Pictures, and pitched it to numerous studios including New Line Cinema, who famously asked, "Why the fuck can't it be called Being Tom Cruise?!" They did not take the project. The film was given a budget of $10 million, and it kicked off into production with John Malkovich as planned, and certainly not with Tom Cruise.

The writing in this movie is spectacular. The plot is so well developed, and the characters so put together that it’s one of the most humorous and seamless satires I have ever seen. There isn’t a single moment that makes you feel like “Oh yeah, this is reality,” and yet, there’s nothing quite so underwritten as to suggest that there’s no WAY it could be reality. The writers were incredibly dedicated to treating this story- preposterous as it was- as a real situation, and they covered all the bases of, “What would happen if?” The concept itself is also completely original, interesting, engaging, and easy to work with. This film could have been TERRIBLE, but the writing was precise and deliberate and provided an excellent spine.

The actors in this movie couldn’t have been more well chosen. This is an atypical role for John Cusack, who did a tremendous job as a pathetic, naïve little man. This is the first role of Cameron Diaz’s that I’ve gotten to thoroughly enjoy. Let’s not forget about Malkovich himself… he is the PERFECT person to have this movie be about! John Malkovich really is one of the great American actors of the 21st century, and he really is someone who the general public has no idea about! There are not many actors you can say that about and have it be so true as with John Malkovich… he’s also so wonderfully eloquent and vocally demanding, that his lines, character, and even his delivery of “Craig” when Craig is supposedly controlling Malkovich are perfect. The scene of Craig enacting his puppetry through Malkovich in “The Dance,” is phenomenal and unforgettable.

The sound and cinematography of this film borders on the experimental due to the subject matter. It’s not every day you see a film like this- or any day, unless this is the film you happen to be watching. When inside Malkovich, the sound is both louder and muffled. The shots are bordered by black to form a circle- which I wouldn’t say I agree with. I understand the choice, because it does distinguish between what is an objective shot in the film and what is supposedly seen by Malkovich, however the human eye has such wide range that I felt as though being shot that way made me feel LESS like I was inside of John Malkovich than a regular shot would have. Perhaps a fish eye lens- or something in that family that’s not as distorting- would have been a better idea? I felt that the shots combined with the audio made me feel as though I was in a box looking out when inside Malkovich, which is not what the characters claim to feel when in his brain, but I did think it was an interesting effect.

I think EVERYONE going into film or writing or acting or philosophy should see this movie. It’s very amusing, very creative, shot well, well acted, and even though it’s over two hours long, there is no point in which it is boring. One the film is set up (and it’s set up well) as a satire, you can’t go wrong with it because it’s just unpredictable. There are many things that are displayed in this movie that can and should be learned by filmmakers before they try to put something out there. Even if you don’t like the film, I still think it’s influential enough that it should be viewed, because there really isn’t anything quite like this.

Ru Paul's Drag Race

RuPaul's Drag Race (2009-2011) is a reality television series in which Drag Queens from all over the world are selected by Miss RuPaul herself to compete to become America's Next Drag Superstar- for the period of one year, until another is chosen- based on their Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve, and Talent. The third season just wrapped up, 13 candidates arrived in the work room on day one to get acquainted, knowing full well that one of them would not be returning the next day, every day, until only one would remain: the winner. Like all reality TV, the show offers its viewers an element of drama- and when you're dealing with Drag Queens, that element is usually primed and perfected- in a counterpart called, "Untucked," which follows the girls off the main stage during critiques and into the Lounge, where they dish on each other's wardrobes, potential, and personalities.

The show is directed by Nick Murray, who has done work in the past on Dr. Phil, and Ian Stevenson, who's track record is a little longer, with names like The Mole and the reality series The Biggest Loser. RuPaul himself acts as a counselor and role model to the younger Queens, giving advice and help as needed, whereas RuPaul the Queen Bee serves as Head Judge during Runway challenges in the climax of every episode.  In the seasons, there have been multiple different judges. As of Season three, the staples were Santino Rice of Project Runway and Michelle Visage, a former R&B Artist, as well as the occasional join in by Billy B, make up artist extraordinaire. The show features a guest judge weekly, sometimes relating to the challenge itself. Examples from the third season include Latoya Jackson, Eliza Dushku, Amber Rose, Aisha Tyler, and Wayne Brady, to name a few.

As far as Reality TV goes, the show has a great concept. Competition shows generally do very well because America loves a competition, and to watch one involving something you love is always good. This emerged as really the first televised Drag show in the US, setting a standard and opening people up as far as the idea of Drag Queens go. To the general public, Drag Queens are still something of a spectacular, rather than a person, or even something seen as disturbing. This is not the case. Drag can be compared to acting, make up artistry, performance art, and sometimes stand up comedy.
This show brings Drag Queens right into your living room, and gets you into their heads. In my opinion, this is one of the most successful reality shows I have ever seen, for many reasons, and the GLAAD Media Awards agree, awarding the series with, "Outstanding Reality TV Show" for the year.

I will not discuss certain eliminations or who won the Drag Race in any of the seasons, but- focusing soully on season 3- I will go into some of my favorite characters. The first of which is Shangela LaQuifa Wadley. Miss "LaQuifa... I said WHAT?!?!" Wadley. Shangela was the first to be eliminated on season two of RuPaul's Drag Race and surprised the cast with her last minute entry into season three. When she appeared on season two, she was only a baby in the art of drag, having only done it for a couple of months... it's truly amazing that she made it onto the show, at all. Come season three, she had a little over a year under her belt, and she had made quite a stir in the LA Drag scene. She's known for her stand up, singing and dancing, and wit. Unfortunately, what Shangela is NOT known for is her skill at beating face. Many a girl gives the baby queen a hard time in the show for not knowing how to blend properly, using a bad wig, or a wrong color. But, rest assured, "If Shangela's got somethin' to say about you, she gun say it TO you," as she likes to say. This Southern Lady has a few things to prove this time around.

Raja, otherwise known as Sutan Amrull, is a make up artist in the truest sense of the word, and a runway girl, tall, thin and tan. She also hails from LA, where she does make up work with big name celebrities like Adam Lambert- a close friend- and also worked for several seasons on America's Next Top Model alongside Tyra Banks as lead makeup artist. She's one of the oldest contestant, in her thirties, but doesn't look her age, and it certainly doesn't slow her down. She takes a perfect picture, and she pumps down the runway with power that no other girl displays, but she comes up short in moving footage, making her appear over-thought and jittery, as well as choreographed dancing. She's gone one Hell of a spirit, though, fashion, fashion, fashion, and a killer sense of humor. The judges might just be in love.

Delta Work is a plus size queen, and my favorite one I've seen thus far. Big queens in the past haven't quite been able to represent. This queen has it all. With one of the most genuinely sarcastic and blunt personalities the show has seen, she's hilarious, clever, and very hard working. She also beats the Hell out of her face. Such beauty in a big girl is not always easy to come by (simply because of a lack of confidence) and that is where Delta sometimes loses herself. She tends to fall back on being big- probably because she too is from LA, where body type plays such an essential role in one's life (LA is bullshit, no one should take them seriously :P) and it tears her down, a little. Her nerves may get the best of her at times, but Delta is gorgeous, fabulous, and certainly fierce. Might I just add... I want that dress.

Manilla Luzon was always my second choice for winner, even from the start. She's start, quirky and cute- even though the other queens tend to call her annoying. She acts at the drop of a hat to perfection and always looks stunning in a seamless blend between glamor and camp that some of the lesser contestants simply cannot accomplish. From the parody of a pineapple, to the Philippine First Lady, to the sexiest Big Bird you've ever seen, Manilla is one crazy chick. She's also in a relationship with season two contestant, Sahara Davenport, known for her ballet dancing and thin frame. Even when the pressure cooks, Manilla looks flawless, and she does her best. Her queeny attitude is infectious and adorable. But, unfortunately, for me, she was always runner up.....

Yara Sofia was always my favorite queen, right from the start. I loved her aesthetic, a mixture of strong, dark, wickedness with a cooky zany personality and a perfect body. She too is simply fabulous at knowing her own face, and creates some of the most insane headpieces I have ever seen. To quote Aisha Tyler, "that face-make up was, 'What, what,"." From Puerto Rico, she often struggles with her English, and on speaking challenges, she falls shorter than she'd like to-- or into the "Charo stereotype" that angers some of the other girls. One thing I absolutely adored about Yara was her ability to make friends without taking sides. Through all the backstage cat fights and drama drama drama, Yara pulled a poker face. She never said a bad word about anyone when things got heated, unless she herself was PERSONALLY offended by that person. Yara is a sweetheart, and provided us with the most emotional lip sync I have ever seen. Yara is a thing of beauty, and is my favorite queen of seasons past and all put together. Latina!!

The show has finished now, but it can be viewed at logotv.com to see the first, second, or the third season. The show is currently casting again for season four, which will air in 2012! Remember... if you can't love yourself... how in the Hell you gonna love somebody else, can I get an amen?

Looking for Something to Make You Melt?

Traditionally, I write film blogs for all you nutcases who can't bear to see a movie first, yourself... but, as my avid viewers have seen in the past, every now and then I break from that trend to show you something outside of my box that I find worth looking at. This is one of those times. PREPARE YOURSELVES!

City Shade/Country Sun (2010) is an Indie/Folk Rock album produced in July. The music has elements of Regina Spektor to me, as well as that delightful honesty that often accompanies acoustic musicians. It's easy to listen to, and works as a film soundtrack- even though it isn't. Many of the tracks are strong enough to bring about visual metaphors without being accompanied by any video that I've seen. They're relatable, and emotional-- not sad. They make me emote.

The album was created by local Philadelphia artist, Jesse Gimbel. He writes, performs, records, and mixes the music himself- not unlike Trent Reznor of NIN-- what's not to like about a one-man-band? Self-taught on all of the various instruments he plays, he started when he was about 14 and has worked himself up to where he's at now. A Graphic Design major, he also designed the cover for the album, seen below.

I'd have to say my favorite songs on the album are Illinois, Outburst, and Circles, though this is a really easy album to just play straight through- which I don't do often. I'm an individual song person, no real loyalty to most bands, save The Grateful Dead.

Here's the url to where you can listen to and download songs off of City Shade/Country Sun.

City Shade/Country Sun

This is Jesse Gimbel's Youtube Page for other fun things not found on the album site. :)

Youtube: Jesse Gimbel

I really like this album and I know you guys are going to give it the change it deserves.

The Fighter

The film The Fighter (2010) is a Biographical Sports Drama about Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) and his work as a stepping-stone boxer, paired up against other boxers so that he may lose and strengthen their climb to the top. Symoltaneously, he's trained by his older half-brother, Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale)- a has been boxer, who's crowning moment was taking down Sugar Ray Leonard on an HBO special, and has since fallen prey to the abuse of crack-cocaine- is being filmed by HBO for a documentary which he believes will be his "comeback." Micky's career is a family matter, and his mother, Alice Ward (Melissa Leo), is his manager. He has a gaggle of sisters who support him, but he meets a former college-athete turned bartender, Charlene Fleming (Amy Adams), who he finds himself very attracted to and he takes her out. Micky is offered by his father's friend to train in Las Vegas for the year to become a better fighter. He grapples with the idea, his family largely blaming Charlene for not immediatley saying no. His brother, frequently bailing out of windows of crack houses to spare his mother seeing him there, is arrested when he poses his girlfriend as a prostitute to get money from a stranger, and then busts the man in the act, pretending to be a cop. Micky attempts to help him, running to the arrest, but the police break his hand and arrest him as well. In trial, Micky gets off, but Dicky is sent to prison. Micky washes his hands of his brother, and with Charlene's blessing, takes the training in Las Vegas, wanting only to drift away from the life his family started for him. But, his family is not so easy to let go... and what kind of a boxer can this second-rate stepping stone amount to?

This film is based on the real-life story of Irish Boxer Micky Ward. The rights were purchased by the writers, Eric Johnson and Paul Tamasy, in 2003. When Walberg came on the project, he wanted to show the film a great deal of dignity, loving boxing movies, himself. He showed the screenplay to Martin Scorses, hoping for him as director after his work on Raging Bull many years ago. Scorses had no wish to direct another Massachusettes picture after just finishing The Departed, and was equally disinterested with directing another boxing feature. Wahlberg passed the script to Darren Aronofsky.  Aronofsky accepted, but later traded it in to work on the Robocop remake, followed by Black Swan. Wahlberg and Bale chose David O. Russel to direct, bumping Aronofsky's credit to Executive Producer. It was filmed on location in Ward's true hometown, Lowell, Massachusettes. Some interesting cinematic contributions came out of Russel's work: he elected to use the cameras of the time in the film, giving it a certain realistic quality, and he also hired the team of cameramen who did the actual HBO shooting from the fights to replace the shot-by-shot work to produce a very nice likeness.

The Fighter was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Two counts for Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Film Editing. It received the Oscars for Best Supporting Actor, and Melissa Leo (not Amy Adams) received the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. The two also took home Golden Globes, Broadcast Film Critics Awards, and Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Acting. As one might notice, a great deal of the acclaim following this film is in the selection of the actors and the work they produced. I would have to agree. I think that Christian Bale's performance especially was quite notable- and I am NO fan of the wife-abusing yahoo himself- but his work remains distinguished in this piece. The mother, Melissa Leo, is completely nauseating and so easy to dislike, but at the same time, so essential to the conflict of the story. Many of the roles- even those portayed by the gaggle of foul-mouthed sisters- stick with the audience. These are roles written for actors to want to play, and Wahlberg especially was completely invested in this piece... that being said, to me his performance was the most lack-luster of the bunch, but I want to credit him respectfully with his work in director selection, as I completely understand and agree with his lineup of choices for first, second, and third pick. This seems to be a film largely made by the actors, for the actors, and for the actors to explore. I think they did it.

Writing. The writing in this film was not really my favorite, but I didn't think it was bad, either. I'm not a huge fan of sports movies in general, and boxing is no exception, so the A story of the protagonist was not that interesting to me; I was much more attracted to the character of Dicky, and HIS story. This, in many ways, is a Family Drama piece, and Dicky's story is a large chunk of the conflict jigsaw mess, but the writers still chose to place the emphasis on Ward. I'm not sure I would have done such a thing if I had been the party adapting this story. To make this story about Ward is a clear and direct attempt to make another "boxing movie." But, one could argue that to make the story about Dicky is to clearly attempt to make another movie about a drug addict.

Cinematography. I did notice that there were some very interesting shots in this film, and only researching it later did I see that Russel paid such attention to his camera work. I think that's great, because in many contemporary films, the camerawork is always commercial and passable, but not necessarily interesting. This was an artistic decision and it worked really well for the subject matter.

Set design. Loved it-- very white trash; very appropriate. One thing I will note- which is really interesting- is that when I looked this film up after viewing it... this family is supposed to be Irish... but they all seem to be portraying themselves as Italians. They have the accept, and the million children- specifically daughters- and the fighting, and the set design reminds me of The Italian Bronx... it's very interesting, and I think that perhaps this has something to do with Wahlberg's great interest in Raging Bull which happens to center around Italian Boxer, Jake LaMada. The film is very much Italian, and boxers get kind of stereotyped with this "Italian-ness." Perhaps that's why the film took such a direction-- and perhaps the family, though Irishborn, really DOES talk like they're Italian- that may be natural to the piece. Whatever the reason, the design was very Massachusettes, and very realistic. Artistic.

My general opinion of this movie is, "Not bad," with a few really good scenes here and there. Would I have chosen it for Best Film of the Year? Definitely not- not even a nominee, but I can still detect the very moving nature of the film that bumped it up to such a status, and for someone who enjoys boxing movies, I'm sure this film would have been a home run.

Hanna

The film Hanna (2011) is an Action Adventure piece in which a 16-year-old girl, Hanna (Saoirse Ronan) has been raised by Erik Heller (Eric Bana), former CIA agent, to be the world's most perfect assassin. He has taught her to be strong, to kill for her food, to hunt, to be stealthy, and above all, to think on her feet, "even when I'm sleeping." He has done this so that when she flips the switch on his signal radio, and Marissa Vilders (Cate Blanchette) learns of where Erik has been hiding all these years, they will find Hanna instead of Erik, and take her into the belly of the beast. What Erik doesn't expect is that Marissa is clever enough to send another woman in her place to meet the young Hanna, and Hanna believes she has killed the "witch." She flees from capture by the CIA and embarks on an almost Road-film-esc journey to return to her father in Grimm's Fairytale Castle, Berlin Germany, but something isn't right. The DNA analysis they did on her reflects information that is making the CIA uneasy. Hanna cannot read the paper, but she takes it with her on her journey to find someone or something that can. "I also have a dog called Trudy."

The story was developed by Seth Lochhead, who also wrote the screenplay with David Farr. This is Lochhead's first feature-length screenplay, to date, and Farr's first as well, though he's currently part of another project, Paani, which is in pre-production. It was directed by Joe Wright, who also directed Pride and Prejudice and Atonement. This is the only his fourth film in directing, though he has several television series, or mini-series under his belt at this point. The scenes of Hanna and Erik's life in Finland were actually shot in or around Finland, sometimes in Germany, where temperatures could and did reach anywhere to -33 degrees. The actors comment however that despite the chill, it really helped to capture the fantasy, fairytale feel of the modern day motion picture.

Cinematography. The shooting in this film is really nice, and semi-unique. At this point there's not a lot a cinematographer can do that we've NEVER seen before, but they took some non-commerical risks in this film and in my opnion, it paid off. There are certain shots I remember, such as the upside down spinning scene of Hanna running through the CIA base, and it's remarkably similar to Sherlock Holmes, where you don't need the fancy camera work to get into the picture, but you have it anyway, and it's surprising and satisfying.

Acting. The acting in this film was really spot on, and it's important to be that way in a character piece. The most memorable performance was undoubtedly Ronan's portrayal of Hanna, which is no surprise to those who have seen The Lovely Bones because she may be young, but she's very talented. Her characters are easy to get into and explore, and she has a very memorable face.

The Score. The Chemical Brothers are responsible for this awesomesauce. The score is thumping and grinding, electric, funky, and creative, and it PERFECTLY fits the tone of the film. I'm already a fan of The Chemical Brothers, personally, so this is just one more reason to love them. This is a soundtrack I will most likely spend money on.

In general, I was very surprised to learn that most of the dominant contributing forces in this film are pretty new to the experience, not having a lot to say for themselves yet. Hanna does NOT watch like an amateur piece, it watches very well. It's smooth and easy to look and and listen to. The story itself isn't the most unique thing you've ever heard of, but the CHARACTERS are great. I would definitely reccomend this film to a friend, and I think more people should go see it! Especially since it's main opponent at this point is Arthur, which is TANKING the box office. Save yourself $11 and go see Hanna! (PS: What's up with all the first name pieces?!)

Look

Look (2007) is a Thriller/Drama juxtaposition of the lives of a teenage girl and her quest for male domination (Spencer Redfield), a high school teacher caught in her line of fire (Jamie McShane), a retail manager who can't keep his hands off his female employees (Hayes MacArthur), a cubicle worker who's the butt of the joke (Ben Weber), a closeted homosexual lawyer with a wife and two children (Paul Schackman), a gritty teenage boy who works at a mini mart planning to make it big singing, and two psychopaths on a killing spree (Sebastian Feldman & Rhys Coiro). The story is told to us through security/hidden cameras located in the lifes of the characters, and as each of their individual stories unfolds, we come to see how they've been connected all along at the end.

The film both written and directed by Adam Rifkin, who has infamously written childhood films of mine such as Mousehunt and Small Soldiers. It's shot entirely on CineAlta cameras placed where a hidden camera already existed to give it the realistic feel of characters being caught unaware in their daily lives. Hopefully the viewers have already figured out that this is not a "reality" film. The characters in the film are scripted and played by actors. The film recieved relatively mized views on many different film review websites, but interestingly enough, the concept was picked up by Showtime as a realilty TV show in January of 2010, released in October, 2010, which aired every Sunday. There was a bit of scandal surrounding advertising for the film, as they asked the post office to distribute a photograph of a mail room with a man screwing a girl with his pants conveniently around his ankles. The nudity was not the issue. The issue was the caption, which read: "It is LEGAL for your company to get permission to install HIDDEN CAMERAS IN THE WORKPLACE!"

Acting. In a film that's set to mimic or mock reality, acting is one of the most fundamental tools available to the filmmakers. In this case, I would say it achieved a 7/10. The beginning of the movie was a little hard to swallow- the scene of the young girls talking to one another. It was heavy-handed, hoakey, and not good. Several of the actors however were natural as could be, such as Mr. Crabbs (Jamie McShane) and Marty (Ben Weber). After the first 15 minutes of the 95 minute movie, the actors seemed much more into their roles and playing them slightly above the B Movie line, so it was easier to fall into and watch more pleasurably. An interesting fact about the film is that during the climax of the movie- which I will not detail for spoiler purposes- the filmmakers shut down the Santa Monica Freeway for exactly 1 hour to film the entire climax. 20 minutes from time running out and they still didn't have the crucial shots. They raced around like chickens with their heads cut off, in the traditional sense of an ACTUAL climax and managed to scrap together something climax-worthy just in time for the cops to tell them to pack up and get out to reopen the freeway.

Cinematography. Again, in a film directly immitating reality TV this is an essential part to get DOWN. I think they had it. It's hard to write a shot plan for a movie that's going to look like reality TV, and we've all seen an episode of reality television, regardless of what your stance on it is. There's not a lot of shot variation. It's tempting for a cinematographer to add more shots than its really possible to have so that the movie flows with more entertainment value. In my opinion, the cinematographers did that very little in this piece, so 9/10 there. Based soley on the shot plan, it definitely felt like "reality" filmmaking.

Writing. We all knew I was going to talk about the writing, of course. At first glance, I thought the writing for this film was going to be an interesting thing to take in. After the film started, I was like, "Oh... God, no." There are moments- especially in the beginning when the writer is trying to define a character for you when things are simply too obvious; characters don't say exactly what they feel CERTAINLY not in real life. There are moments when the young girls aren't believable, or the retail manager. Aside from that, the story itself genuinely surprised me. I knew it was of the thriller genre, but I sortof forgot that when I was watching the characters go about their lives, so the many twists and turns that come out suddenly felt great to me. The ending of the movie was really nice- and the ending SCENE was fucking hilarious, given what you've learned about the character. Priceless.

Soundtrack... in the film, you're made to believe that the mini-mart worker Ben was the person writing the soundtrack to the film, as when the music ends, he's always conveniently putting away his electric keyboard- and I thought that was wicked funny. In truth, the sountrack was done by BT, a well-known soundtrack composer who has also worked on Zoolander, Go, The Fast and the Furious, Mortal Combat, and American Pie 2.

All in all, I liked watching this movie. It's not my favorite film I've ever seen and it's certainly not for everyone. I would say that it's for a person who can get past the "this isn't reality but I'm meant to think it is" barrier. Also, I'm not sure how exactly this happened, but this film has a very Cabin Fever feel to it. It's not a horror movie, it's not gorey, and it's not by Eli Roth, but somehow it reminds. It has moments of humor, shock, and definitely entertainment. It's not perfect, but it's not bad.

Sucker Punch

The film Sucker Punch (2011) is an Action/Fantasy/Thriller following a young girl, nicknamed Baby Doll (Emily Browning). Her mother has recently passed away, and she and her younger sister fear for their lives knowing their stepfather is in control. When he discovers the inheritence is left to the children, he attacks Baby Doll- getting nowhere- and turns on her younger sister, killing her. Step daddy blames Baby Doll and sends her away to Lennox House for the Mentally Insane. In the asylum, he bribes Blue Jones (Oscar Isaac), who operates the establishment, to have her lobotomized. It'll take five days for the Doctor to arrive, but Jones will forge the on-staff doctor, Vera Gorski's (Carla Gugino) signature, for the procedure. In the asylum, Baby Doll witnesses an act in "The Theatre" in which Gorski tells another girl to relax, and surrendor to a safe place in her head. Watching, Baby Doll does just that, and finds herself in a fantasy world in which she's been taken to an underground Brothel, very much like the asylum, with all the same girls, but instead, her virginity has been sold to the high ruler, and she must learn to dance to gain his notice and money. Blue serves as pimp for the girls, and Gorski is their instructor. The girls, Baby Doll comes to know, as the friendly Rocket (Jena Malone), her older sister- and not so friendly- Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish), Asian-American Amber (Jamie Chung), and black-haired, sex kitten, Blondie (Vanessa Hudgens). When Gorski tells her to dance, the music sends her reeling into a deeper fantasy realm, where Gorski tells her she has all the weapons she needs; so fight. A man narrates her quest for destiny, giving her a sword and guns to use, and the battle against three giant, robot Samaris begins. But within all these fantasies, there really is a Baby Doll in some form of peril... and how far can those bounds of reality be pushed before real pain breaks the surface of the imagined?

This film was written and directed by Zach Snyder, who's infamous for such works as Watchmen and 300. Snyder came up with the original story himself before he made Watchmen, actually, but postponed the project to work on Watchmen first. Later, he took writing help from Steve Shibuya, who's first writing credit is Sucker Punch. Most of the same team used in Watchmen was used in Sucker Punch for their work in Visual Effects. Warner Bros took the script from Snyder with open arms, declaring that they were completely supportive- despite the R-feeling of a PG-13 movie- after the success they had gained from Snyder for Watchmen. Boy were they in for a surprise.

Let me begin by saying that this film was ripe with stunning visuals- not just the effects, but the make up, the costumes, the set design and pieces, and of course the effects themselves, explosions, jumps, choreographed action and dance, etc. This film was visually A material. My critique toward the visuals? Too many slow motion scenes. The movie is 120 minutes long exactly... probably would have been 90 without all the slow motion walking, jumping, looking, realizing, etc. We get it. Some things look good in real time too, guys. Let's go. The soundtrack was the second most notably great thing about Sucker Punch. I love listening to a classic in a new way (as long as it isn't filled with suck). The soundtrack had me at the opening with "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)," owned by The Eurythmics, but sung by Emily Browning herself, and not badly I might add. It continued to grab me through its remix of Bjork's "Army of Me," Jefferson Airplane's classic, "White Rabbit," and the mashup of "I Want It All/We Will Rock You." The soundtrack was nearly perfect, and I think you could only cut it up if you were really trying to.

Unfortunately, not to piss on the parade, that is where the good abruptly stops and turns into a carnal wasteland of, "What the fuck did I just watch?" For a while afterward, I wasn't even sure whether or not I liked it. The soundtrack and visual appeal were so good and strong, and everything else was SO bad that I was truly conflicted. How could it be that those groups of people never met and TALKED? It's like being a beautiful, gorgeous woman with face face face, body-yoddy-oddy, a BEAUTIFUL singing voice... and no brain, in complete bitchmode, and a case of "Wait, where was I going with this?" Yeah. That about sums it up.

The writing was ABYSMAL. Snyder, why would you consult a man with no writing credits on a film with themes like THIS?! Should've tried to reach Christopher Nolan, maybe? With themes like Mental Illness, the existance of multiple realities and the effects of those realities on ourselves and others, combined with Innocence and Lust, Honor and Action, and Self-Awareness... how the fuck could you let that fall so far behind??!?!?!? This film had POTENTIAL as a paragraph idea. And Snyder, you blew it, dude. I see where this could and should have gone. But it seems almost as if he wanted it to be this really intricate, detailed, mindfuck of a movie... and then saw this beautiful set and said, "Ya know, it's not really working the way I thought, but damn. Isn't it pretty?" Okay, Snyder? The beauty of Avatar is forever remembered. BECAUSE WE COULD UNDERSTAND THE MOVIE. All of the emotion in the movie made sense- it was cliche... but it made sense. I never questioned motives, or the "realness" of what was happening within the fantasy world-- probably because it was Disney's Pocahontas goes Blue Man Group in the Jungle. But it's a fucking Award Winner. I bet Sucker Punch won't be. BUT IT COULD HAVE BEEN. Way to make the Original Screenplays look bad.

I've heard that some reviews are blaming the believability fail on emotion on the actors? I disagree. I feel that there was only so much they COULD have done with what was on the page. They can't make up action or dialogue that simply isn't there, in large part. I don't blame the actors, I blame the writer/director, himself. This script has plot holes, and pot holes, and explosion holes, and holes in the neck of a dragon-- and oh look, crystals! It's very, very hard to stay into this film. I watched the entire thing as if I was in a dream, and that's not what films generally do for me. But I HAD to watch it that way, otherwise all the broken plot lines and missing threads pulled away too much to enjoy what I was looking at. But, dreams frequently take a wrong turn and we stick with it. So to me, it was a $12.50 dream. Usually mine are free?

Would I recommend this to a friend... yeah. Depends on the friend, but I went with three other people, and the spectrum of reactions was alarmingly different. One person completely hated, would never watch it again. My friend and I were on the fence, and the fourth person loved it. My boyfriend's seeing it tonight, and I think he'll probably love it as well. I think with a film like Sucker Punch the audience it appealed to COULD have been huge... but now it's only really going to be enjoyed by followers of this type of film, instead of many. I don't think I'll be purchasing this film when it comes out (I mean, possibly for the beauty of it) but I'll probably acquire the soundtrack, one way or the other, because it was really well-done.