Jaws (Full Review)

Classic. Timeless. Suspenseful.

Those are three of the first words to pop into my mind when I reminisce about the 1975 film, Jaws. Yeah it's 38 years old. Yeah it's special effects nowhere near rival that of today. But it's a classic. You can overlook those things as you look back at yester-year. So I put on my hypothetical 1975 movie glasses to help me and looked into a world that was. I found myself more engrossed than expected.

So it begins how most later horror films do (I mean, copy). There are two good-looking young people running off on their own. Except the setting is a beach and not the woods. Movies like Jaws and Halloween (1978) were writing horror movie rules before anyone fathomed the idea. And the big one being broken here, and I'm paraphrasing, is DON'T BE STUPID. The young girl, Chrissie, wants to go skinny-dipping with her boyfriend. Nothing can go wrong right? Well if you're in JAWS, then yes something will go horribly wrong. Before you know it, that now well-known suspenseful and unrelenting musical score bombards your senses as something draws nearer and nearer to Chrissie. Meanwhile the guy is, well I'm not exactly sure what he's doing as there was a lot of heavy breathing and innuendos with "I'm coming! I'm coming!", still on the beach freaking out over going skinny dipping with the hot-and-soon-to-be-ripped-to-shreds girl. And OMG, something comes up out of the dark water and starts twirling Chrissie around like a bloody rag doll. It's gruesome, terrifying and a cold open that ultimately does its job. With that Chrissie is gone and the guy that came with her is still on the beach, oblivious. 

Enter Police Chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider). He later finds Chrissie' s remains and it is discovered she was killed by a shark. If anyone watching is surprised by this, refer back to the title and all the movie posters. Anyways, Chief Brody wants to have the beaches closed because of the shark threat. But it's the summer and of course greedy lawmakers and the like only see money and not impending danger and doom. The beaches stay open and Brody keeps a watchful eye over the beach. When a young boy is killed, everyone goes on a frenzy as a bounty is put on the shark. Unfortunately, the townspeople are idiots and again reach the wrong conclusion. How in the world would a little old tiger shark be able to kill three people? I mean really. The town returns to normal and it becomes a case of "the boy who cried wolf." But at least Speilberg and team really executed that tired trope well. And this is where I leave the summary stage: can Brody convince the town that there's a blood-thirsty shark on the loose still? Can they stop it? Maybe, but I can't and won't tell you.

As Steven Speilberg's first huge film as a director, you can tell he's going places. And hey, he did. And went. And went. The suspense he was able to create, the terror he was able to capture was great. You really get a sense of the horror in the opening scene with Chrissie and later when the young boy is killed among the mass of tourists. The editing in these scenes was great. And don't even get me started on that score. John Williams was incredible as always. The dark, menacing and of course unrelenting dread his musical talents created in a rather simple tune help encapsulate this movie into what it has become. Everyone knows the Jaws theme because it was masterfully created and put to terrifying use. You know something bad is coming, you know Jaws is coming once that music begins. You know the scene won't end well. That music is just as horrifying and haunting today as it was then. Granted, everyone hears it and knows it, but it works. End of story. The movie would've been really good without this music, but it would not be anywhere near as great without it. I mentioned Halloween earlier, and I'm going to mention it again. Without films like Jaws and Halloween, I don't think the horror genre would have been anything like it was and is without them. They set the standards and they set the bar very high. And Jaws is up with the greats in film history.

Do I really want to do my scoring thing on this film as well? No. You can't do Jaws justice in a few short sentences and number grades. It is what it is and it is great. No doubt about it, this film is a timeless classic that is still scaring 38 years later. 

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Full Review)

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

So yeah, I was running around trying to find a good movie to watch, and lo and behold I find this unexpected gem chilling out in the Red Box. I had heard of it before and wanted to see it mostly because of who was in it. Little did I know that I had just stumbled upon what I know consider one of my favorite movies of all time.

So you have Charlie (Logan Lerman). He's just starting high school and he's already counting down the days until graduation. Over a thousand. He doesn't have any friends and spends the beginning of his high school career being bullied around and used for homework copying. It's depressing and you can't help but already root for this kid. And you're only ten minutes into the movie. That's an incredible story-writing feat. But then meets a senior, Patrick, (or "Nothing" as many have begun to call him) in his freshman shop class. Patrick doesn't want to pick on the freshman; he instead pokes fun at the shop teacher. Charlie really appreciates this. At a home football game later on, he chooses to sit with the very enthusiastic Patrick (played by the newcomer Ezra Miller). And in this fateful night, Patrick's step-sister, Sam (played the the ever-stunning Emma Watson), joins them. Charlie is immediately blown away by her presence and her personality. This duo introduces him to the "island of misfit toys" and thus begins Charlie's road to adulthood and maturity. He is now able to navigate the trials of adolescence with a group of loyal and supportive friends. But don't think that the happy ending of this movie happens twenty minutes in. Ever trying to suppress memories of a dark and emotional past, Charlie's mental and emotional well-being are constantly in threat as he takes on the emotional weight of the past and the troubles his friends and sister (played the also-newcomer Nina Dobrev) are going through. It's something that would be too much for anyone to bear. But don't worry, fellow viewers and readers, there are perks to being a wallflower.

Seriously, sitting down and trying to critique this film was no easy task. Where some people and critics have found flaws, I've understood the route that writer/director, Steven Chbosky, took with this adaptation of his novel. There are confusing flashes of memories, but that is all explained later on. The last fifteen minutes almost fly by in a sort of montage, but for reasons that I dare not spoil, it makes sense considering we're in Charlie's point of view the entire film. You'd think a plot point and relationship was just glossed over and passed by, but it's something Charlie probably doesn't want to fully remember anyway. It all makes sense once you think about it. 

There are many areas that Chbosky did right and executed masterfully. The way it was shot and how close were to everything that was going on made it feel really personal. The emotions were palpable in some scenes and at times very relatable. It was easy to fall into the narrative of the film because of how realistically it was written. Chbosky was able to capture the very essence of high school without every getting too cliche. This made the entire film feel real. And that's honestly the best word I can think of to describe it: real. The characters themselves also felt this way. I could picture all of them: Charlie, Sam, Patrick, Mary Elisabeth (played by the talented Mae Whitman)...like they were real people. Chbosky is an excellent writer and that's why his film (and novel) worked. His directing perfectly portrayed what it's like inside Charlie's head and his life. We are able to understand the flashes and the troubles without too much confusion. Chobsky also allowed time for the supporting characters to really grow and develop. I mean the adults were are really flat characters, but it's not their story. It's the teens' story. I can't really fault this movie for neglecting the adult characters. 

And now, if you want my honest and to-the-point opinion: go see this movie like now! The writing, the production, the acting of this film was incredible. Everything worked, everything clicked: from the cast to the story to the plot twists...it's all there. This was one of the best films I've seen in recent years. 

I don't even want to my scoring thing because everything is going to get a 10 out of 10 with this film. A+

Review #2

I thought it fitting that I'd write Harold & Maude as my second review. As they are a pair, this blog joins my first full review (The Princess Bride) to become a pair as well. So without further adieu:

Harold & Maude (1971)

Upon initial viewing, and I've had many since then to grasp the subtle intricacies of this film, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. It opens with an apparent suicide of a young man. I was completely shocked, I didn't expect a comedy to be so dark. Then his mother walks into the room, seemingly aware of the situation, and reacts nonchalantly as she glides over to the phone and makes a call. The young man, I correctly assumed to be Harold, begins to feign choking and sticks his tongue out at the camera as his mother leaves the room like nothing had occurred. Flabbergasted at the events that had transpired in the opening scene, I realized this is one of those movies where you must expect the unexpected, and even then you'll be pleasantly surprised at the outcome. 

Enter Harold (Bud Cort), a young man obsessed with death. He attends funerals of people he does not know as a hobby, something that leaves his therapist speechless, and drives a black hearse. Morbid indeed. He must then contend with his overbearing and controlling mother (Vivian Pickles) who now sees his faked suicide attempts as the norm, well for him. They only ever bother her if he makes a mess of her house. Sad, I know. She seems to have giving up helping him as therapy and the military don't seem to dissuade or help him. She then resorts to setting up Harold on dates with women she approves of and Harold just won't have it, only adding to his mother's ire. 

Enter Maude (Ruth Gordon), a chance encounter at a funeral introduces Harold to Maude, a woman who's 80th birthday is nearing. She's completely opposite of Harold as she has a zest for life. She's vivacious and courageous and this interests Harold. Soon they strike up a friendship and she changes his life forever. He opens up to her in ways his mother, his military uncle (Charles Tyner) and prospective girlfriends never could get him to. It's a humorous and charming coming of age story told like no other. 

I'm not sure if it was the screenplay or the directing (Hal Ashby) or both of them combined, but I was hooked early on and just couldn't be disinterested in where the plot was heading. The development of Harold as character and as an adult was so intriguing and humorous. He became a little repetitive in the middle, but with good reason. He had people to scare off. And in the end, he wasn't the same man he started off as. His mother's character was a little on the flat side, but the writing, directing and great acting by Pickles contributed to a memorable, sort of caricature performance. Gordon's Maude was impeccable and exciting as she stole cars, ran from the police and liberated trees. This created a paradox with her character. This eighty year old woman was living her life to the fullest as well as interesting binary with Harold. She was the elder one who lived her life fully and Harold is the young one obsessed with death. The combination of the two sparked a wild and freeing relationship that propelled the narrative forward reaching philosophical and commentative  heights that few comedies dare or ever reach. Commentary and satire on modern society is always welcome in my book. And the battle of wits between Harold and his mother really personified this. Harold refused to become what society and his mother viewed as normal, and he stuck to this moral throughout. Not to mention Maude, who literally fought societal rules during the film. 

The film and narrative was a little shaky and jumpy (pardon the pun--see end of film) towards the end, but to reach an emotional and satisfying conclusion I suppose you have to take some risks--even if that means alienating your audience. I applaud the writers and director for taking on such an unique project and risky plot twists. Subverting societal norms even in writing and production! Overall, a great and classic film.

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Scoring Breakdown:

10/10 for the acting, why this film didn't win any Golden Globe or Oscar acting awards, I'll never know

9/10 for unique, interesting and inventive writing (by Colin Higgins)

9/10 for great directing, cinematography, etc. and the emotions they created

8/10 for hilarious and sometimes risky humor, it worked most of the time

9/10 for character development, for the most part the actors and writers did a great job in the department

Final Score:

45/50 or 90 A-

Full Review #1 (with scoring)

                                                 

Wuv, true wuv…

Attempting to do an objective review of a beloved, iconic classic comedy is difficult at best. Picking a part the elements that make up the film, from the characters to the acting to the writing to the direction, it seems a bit harrowing. You already know what you love about it, and you struggle to mention anything you had any inkling of a problem with. But,

As you wish…

The Princess Bride is a fantastic (and comedic) tale of a kidnap of a beautiful princess. The story blends together several genres at once. You have the fantasy adventure together with the clever, often slapstick comedy. The film is even meta, as the entire story of the princess, her captors, her beloved, and the not-so-charming prince is told by a grandfather via a novel to his sick grandson. With these aspects, it makes for a unique tale of love, peril and adventure, complete with many humorous, classic moments.

You keep using that word. I do not think you know what it means.

The creative team behind The Princess Bride did a great job melding two storylines together, as well as handling all the characters in between. The editing here helped as the film cut between the main story of the titular princess and the grandfather and grandson. At times, the grandson’s lines would interrupt the flow of main story while the grandfather narrated it (or major plot points that shocked him) which ironically made it work. It the context of the grandfather/grandson storyline, it felt real because that’s how a kid, listener or viewer might react to a story. When something shocks them, they might actually question what is going on. (For some reason I got a flashback to the David After Dentist video. Is this real life?) This made the character of the grandson both believable and relatable. You could argue that his interruptions hindered the main storyline, but honestly, it never did. I would argue it helps keep up the tension as you might be on the edge of your seat waiting to see what happens next.

Inconceivable!

Honestly I feel that using that word here. Inconceivable! I found something that is critique-able. While most of the performances and solid and the actors have great comedic timing, at times some of them were a little less than solid. You can’t really fault them though, because it was never glaringly obvious to the point it hurt the movie in any way. Although, and in no fault on her part, there’s one scene (and no it’s not too spoiler-y) where the Princess Buttercup, played by the always beautiful and talented Robin Wright, is subjected to an awkward and laughable moment. Her leap from the castle window is a little drawn out and obnoxiously dream-like. The light, sparkly music score behind it didn’t help either. It was unnecessary. Fortunately, virtually every other scene she had, she was amazing. Another on the plus side of acting though, Mandy Patinkin’s turn as the avenger Inigo Montoya, was a strong point for the film. He did a great job here, and some of the most memorable lines in movie history. I would love to write them here, but just reading them doesn’t do them any justice. You have to hear him to really get the full effect.

Watch out for R.O.U.S.s

It’s not a perfect film, but it’s a film that does its job right. It had the thrills and laughs you look for in both an adventure and a comedy. While some jokes do fall flat—no comedy can escape that fact—there’s plenty to pick up the slack. From 80s nostalgia (see video game played by grandson) to a thrilling, star-crossed lovers romance to castle sieges, this film has everything and more as it can appeal to many different audiences. It all comes together to make a timeless classic.

Now for the scoring:

(Let’s Not Get) Technical
8/10 for pretty solid acting
9/10 an intriguing, clever script by William Goldman
8/10 direction that works by Rob Reiner
9/10 a slew of hilarious jokes from the comedy aspect
10/10 for locations and sets (they all looked pretty great and believable in my opinion)

(Let’s Not Get) Technical score
44/50 or 88%

As You Wish Bonus Points

+5 for hilarious cameos by Billy Crystal and Carol Kane
+10 for Inigo’s quotable quotes (and for that matter, all of the iconic quotes)
+5 for exciting plot twists
+5 for rhyming Fezzik
+5 for repeated use of “Inconceivable!”

Lightning Sand Penalties

-10 for overly drawn out, dream-like tower leap
-5 for repeated use of “Inconceivable!”
-10 for confusing torture device
-1 for conveniently timed full recovery

Final Score
48/50 or 96% (or in other words, if I was RottenTomatoes this movie would be certified fresh!)

2012: A Year in Review

(Originally Posted to Facebook 12/23/12)

A random recap rating of the films of 2012 (well the one's I saw)

I'm trying to keep is spoiler free, but I may slip up so: SPOILER ALERT just in case

The Devil Inside - 1/5, it has some scares, but it's a frustratingly muddled mess with a lack of a true climax/end.
Chronicle - 4/5, unique and highly entertaining, the first film in a while to expand upon and truly utilize the found footage genre.
Safe House - 3/5, it has the right stuff for a decent action flick, but it falters in the clunky execution of exposition.
21 Jump Street - 4/5, funny, fun but at times a little too over the top, it functions well as both a comedy and an action movie.
The Hunger Games - 4.5/5, a flawed but still engaging adaptation, it follows its source material well including the very welcome social and political commentary and themes.
American Reunion - 3.5/5, mostly hilarious but the franchise is showing its age (and repetition).
The Cabin in the Woods - 4.5/5, a wild ride into the deconstruction of the horror genre, making it easily one of the MOST intelligent horror films in years (and I must note that majority of critics LOVE it with a 91% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_cabin_in_the_woods/reviews/ and a 72 on the much tougher Metacritic; very few horror films can boast an A rating from critics)
The Avengers - 4.5/5, one of the best superhero films ever made, Joss Whedon and company made a terrific movie and were able to do what many doubted: a near-perfect ensemble superhero film.
Dark Shadows - 2.5/5, what should've been another television series, this film crams too much into too little time making it feel at times very rushed and at times very boring.
Chernobyl Diaries - 3/5, a found footage horror film that looks great and really captures Chernobyl visually very well, but the film kind of falls a part by the end.
Men in Black 3 - 3.5/5, a movie that's very well acted and looks stunning, but it seems like there were problems at the script level that caused it to feel like several movies in one.
Snow White and the Huntsman - 3/5, weak plot, weak acting on the part of Kristen Stewart but great elsewhere (the best part of the film is Charlize Theron), it aspires for Lord of the Rings greatness but falls very short.
Prometheus - 3.5/5, a visually stunning film with superb acting, it falters on the script level where characters act out of character, and too much is left unanswered which makes it feel unfulfilled.
Safety Not Guaranteed - 5/5, well-written, great acting, and the only critique I can think of is wanting more from the story and a longer run time.
The Amazing Spider-man - 4/5, better than its three predecessors combined, it's a movie that delves into its characters and doesn't rely on cliched and overused superhero story lines (well the wanted vigilante plot is there, but its executed well).
The Dark Knight Rises - 4.5/5, a satisfying conclusion to a well-written and well-acted, instead of infinitely "blowing up the balloon" like the last series, it reached an emotional and spectacular finale. Bruce Wayne LIVES.
The Campaign - 4/5, hilarious, enough said.
Paranormal Activity 4 - 3/5, a film made just for the fans (and the money) which in this case is a fatal flaw not a plus.
Skyfall - 4.5/5, an amazing return to form, but also unique and refreshing take on 007, it delves into its characters and sets up sequels to come (which hopefully do not suck).
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2, 3/5, easily the best and most entertaining of the series, the last half hour makes up for the blah journey to it. It's unfortunate that the last entry is the first to interest non-fans.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - 4.5/5, the writers and filmmakers have an apparent and endearing love for the source material and the world of stories that surround it, which proves an asset as they plan expand a rather short novel into a trilogy of films.
Jack Reacher - 3.5/5, a pretty decent action flick that would have been better with someone besides Tom Cruise, other flaws lie in what comes from biased, nit-picking fans of the book.

Mini-Review #1

(Originally Posted to Facebook - 11/21/12)
Here's a taste of something I've done on Facebook before. I'll probably do it again here. It's just like a quick, for fun review that just highlights interesting (or not so interesting) elements of the movies I see.


Skyfall (My own mini-review...no spoilers)

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Positives:
+20 for letting M (Dame Judi Dench) get in on the action again
+10 for surprising character misdirection (Naomie Harris & Berenice Marlohe)
+10 for bringing Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes as Mallory) to the Bond franchise
+20 for finally having a threatening, terrifying and humorous villain all at the same time (Javier Bardem), an element Quantum of Solace lacked
+10 for a nice balancing act between action and exposition
+10 for getting to the heart of the protagonist, and even M
+10 for actually raising the stakes and forcing Bond to do more than just point and shoot
+10 bringing Q back!!!
+5 for a cameo by Draco Malfoy's mom
+5 for the villain's secret island lair
+15 for not being a soulless, mindless, pointless blockbuster (ahem, Michael Bay...learn from the Bond production and writing team)
+5 for getting fans excited for Bond movies
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Negatives (and I'm struggling with this part, so these may just be opinions)
-20 for annoying misuse of Bond Girls, the two major ones could've brought more to the story
-15 for making this particular fan want more...it wasn't nearly long enough lol

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Final Score:
95 or A

A step up from Quantum of Solace and a step forward for the franchise.