Let me
be the first to say that Marvel Studios has really been keeping their a-game
going! After the MASSIVE disappointment that was “Iron Man 3” (sorry guys), the
films after have been getting better and better. I’ve already mentioned that
“Winter Soldier” was my new favorite of the “Avengers” series, but now that
moment has changed. Ladies and gentleman of Planet Earth and movie goers alike;
I give to you…“The Guardians of the Galaxy.”
Space
outlaw and ravager, Peter Jason Quill (aka Star Lord), acquires an orb to sell
off the markets of Xandar. When he encounters Gamora, an alien servant of
Thanos; Rocket and Groot, two bounty hunters; they are arrested and meet up
with Drax the Destroyer. Now the unlikely group of misfits have to find out the mysteries of
the orb and stop Ronan the Accuser from getting it, and destroying the galaxy. This film
has just about everything that makes a film pure enjoyment. I don’t think I can
recall having this much fun with a film like this, to where I felt like a kid
again, watching a comic book film in the theater for the first time. And for a
film about a team coming together to stop an evil force, this film not only
surpasses “The Avengers” and “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” but puts those films
TO SHAME!
Chris
Pratt delivers the performance of his career as Peter Quill; after his work on
“Parks and Recreation,” he has managed to go from the chubby side character, to
a full blown action star in a comic book film. Hell, even the producers were
impressed with his performance, since they fully admitted that whether he was
in shape or not, he was awesome. His chemistry with the other Guardians really
adds to the moment, whether it’d be funny or serious, he’s got it strong. Zoe
Saldana also manages to rival with Pratt, in terms of performance; if “Star
Trek” and “Columbiana” proved anything, it’s that she’s got the chops for an
action lady of this generation. The interactions she has with Quill are really
investing, as they work off of each other, since both have parallels amongst
their lives. Dave Bautista as Drax also adds some greatness to the film,
despite him being my least favorite of the Guardians; not that he was bad, far
from it, but just that everyone else was better than him. But hey, that’s just
my opinion though.
Lee
Pace as Ronan was just an excellent villain, and he manages to give off the
strong intimidation of the tyrant that the character is. His presence and his
actions really give off the feeling of chaos brewing in his eyes, like he’s
just ready to step up from right-hand-man and crack at any moment. Other big
name stars like Benicio del Toro, Glenn Close, John C. Reilly, Karen Gillian,
Josh Brolin, Michael Rooker from “Slither,” and Djimon Hounsou also give off
great supporting work, adding to what was already a great cast, making it even
better.
The
film was written and directed by James Gunn, who is best known for “Slither,” a
film which I still consider to be one of the best effects films of the past
decade. While he hasn’t had the best track record in terms of writing, aside
from one or two projects, this film manages to put him back on the green for
me. And I have to talk about the action scenes in this film, which are some of
the best I’ve seen this year, and the climax adds so much more to it. For a
film I had below-average expectations for, it still manages to surprise me.
Overall,
“Guardians of the Galaxy” is a must see film, and I can’t wait for it to come
out on Blu-Ray. I’m sorry, but I don’t think we’re going to top this film for
Phase 2, unless “Age of Ultron” pulls a miracle. It’s the best film of the
“Avengers” series, and I don’t think I could recommend it higher than what I’ve
said. I mean, after seeing some of the mediocre blockbusters released this
summer, this one feels like a breath of fresh air.
Three
years ago, I, and many others, have hailed the film “Super 8” as this
generation's “E.T.” And why not? It was an exciting film that really did pay
homage to movies of that time period and generation, all while being its own
story. People complained on how the film wasn’t really about the alien, as it
was about these kids, and others have complained about why the alien was there
to begin with. To those I say…fuck off. The film was successful, and is a film
that defines a modern day classic. How that film didn’t get a single Oscar
nomination (fuck you, “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close”) is beyond me. Now
where as that film was fantastic, let’s talk about its mentally challenged
cousin, “Earth to Echo.”
“Earth
to Echo” is a children’s found footage film (if you’re still reading after that
part, enjoy the fun), about a group of kids who live in a smalltown in Nevada,
that’s soon going to become a freeway. When their phones go out of whack, they
realize it’s a map, and try to follow it before the night is over. What they
find is an alien robot, and that the map leads to parts of a key to Echo’s
spaceship. Now they have to assemble the key, find the spaceship, and return
Echo home, before the men building the freeway find him and destroy the ship.
Now,
disregarding the fact that this is a found footage film, it still wouldn’t have
made a difference on what is already a cheap knock-off of much better films,
just without any heart. Throughout the course of this film, it rips off “E.T.”
without question, as you can count the scenes that are directly from the film.
Bike chase? Check. Shady big bad authority figures? Check. A girl tagging along
the adventure? You get the picture. Hell, there’s even a scene where they
capture the alien, and start to dissect it. Movie, I’ve seen “E.T!” Stop trying
to pretend you are! And to make matters worse, the ending of this film, I’m not
even kidding, rips off “Super 8” as well, by showing the alien ship being built by metallic
crap around the neighborhood…just no. Now, I’ve said before that rip-off films
can work, as long as they manage to be enjoyable in its own way, as well as
have a personal image to itself. However, much like “R.I.P.D.” and “Vampire
Academy” (which we’ll touch on the latter this October), it doesn’t do any of
those things, and just comes off as some guy’s poor excuse to make a quick
buck, without any effort put into it.
This film was also done COMPLETELY
by first timers; actors, writers, editors, etc. The only experience person
working on this film was Joseph Trapanese, who wrote the music to this film;
and yes, there is music in this film. Now, it would have worked okay, if the
music was done when someone was playing it off his or her MP3, but no…music
comes out of no-where in a found footage movie…Uh, can I ask why? Why does
there need to be music in a found footage film out of the blue? “Chronicle”
didn’t do that; hell, NONE of the found-footage movies have ever done that,
because it shows that this film just doesn’t know what it wants to be.
The acting is just lousy from…pretty
much the entire cast. Throughout the film, I never felt like I was watching
actual kids, as opposed to kids trying to act. They don’t do some of the things
that kids normally do, and all I saw was them just playing cardboard cutouts of
what characters are suppose to be. We got the mopey hero, the girlfriend, the
one who can’t keep a promise, the compulsive geek, the bad guy, and top it all
off with adults who are really stupid; seriously, who lets kids into a bar or
even order them drinks? Surprisingly enough, the only one I actually liked was
the geek, Munch, who I swear looked like the kid version of Chris Farley; did
anyone else notice that, or is that just me? As for the alien, Echo…there
really isn’t much to say about him at all. For a film about kids helping an
alien, the alien really isn’t that memorable, despite its name being in the damn
title!
If you just look at a preview for
this film, with the idea in your head that it’s a found footage kids movie,
then you know exactly how it’ll turn out. If you want a film to take
your kids to go see, take them to “How to Train Your Dragon 2.” If they’ve
already seen it, go see it again. Or better yet, wait for “Guardians of the
Galaxy,” because I’m sure kids will have a blast with that as well.
Luc
Besson is one of the most…intriguing director/writers I’ve seen in Hollywood.
Not that he’s a bad film maker, although films like “Lockout,” “From Paris With
Love,” and the “Arthur and the Invisibles Trilogy” could prove me otherwise,
but tends to have many ideas he wants to put in films, yet has a hard time
keeping it in check. Thankfully, he has plenty of films that have worked like “The
Fifth Element,” “Taken,” “The Family,” and “Leon: The Professional” showcasing that he is capable of making it work. And today, we take a look at
Besson’s newest film, “Lucy.”
The
film tells of a young woman named Lucy, who is tricked into delivering a new
type of drug that allows the human mind to access 100% of their brain, as
opposed to the usually 10% we normally use. The deliveries are made by
surgically inserting the bag into her body, but the bag soon gets opened from
an injury, resulting in the drugs entering her bloodstream. Now with her mind absorbing
knowledge and all kinds of new abilities, she has only 24 hours to get the remaining
drugs back, and get her knowledge to the people who are studying this phenomenon.
“Lucy”
is a strange case of a film, as it has so many inventive ideas and structure
going on, yet in the end it doesn't seem to find a proper footing for itself. It makes
it difficult for me to talk about whether the film’s good or bad, without
sounding like I’m just rambling. The best way I can describe this movie, is it’s
a lot like how “Transcendence” turned out, having a good premise and ideas, but
with an execution that isn’t up to par; hell, both films even have Morgan
Freeman in them.
Scarlett
Johansson as the titular character, when the film was starting out, had shown
the shift in tone from a ditzy blond to one so smart that she can’t feel pain
or any kind of emotion; and to the film’s credit, this really did start to get
me invested in her arc in the first act. Hell, that scene of her talking to her mother,
saying how she’s suddenly remembering everything that happened in her life from
the day she was a fetus, was actually quite touching. However, what ruins the tension is the fact that when they’re on this pursuit for the remaining
drugs and facing the dealers, it isn't much of a struggle due to one detail: using more than 30%
apparently gives you telekinesis. That means that Lucy is practically a superhero,
so it’s hard to have that much sympathy for her, especially when they confirmed
that she’ll be dead within 24 hours of the drug entering her system. The best
way I can describe this is…Neo in “The Matrix,” going into the sequels
afterwards. You see him in this a weaker state, only for him to become like
this super being that can basically do almost anything. Hell, there’s even a
scene in the film where her cop friend, played by Amr Waked, asked why she
should bother keeping him with her, since she’s capable of doing pretty much
everything on her own. Her response is “you’re a reminder.” A reminder for what?
Humanity? If that was it, then why didn’t you just say that?
Choi
Min-sik, the guy from the original “Oldboy,” plays the drug-lord, Jang. And to
his credit, he’s good with what he’s given…but that’s all he is in the film, a
drug lord. Hell, we don’t even know what his backstory is, or how he was able
to get such a drug like this. Was it an experimental drug that he was finally
going to release to the public? How did he acquire such a drug? Question like
these are never answered throughout this film.
With
all the ideas and questions behind it all, it’s hard for me to recommend this
film, because of all the bat-shit insane executions that Besson gives them,
which was the opposite effect that “Transcendence” had. I felt like if a
different director had handled Besson’s script, it could have turned out to be
a really calculative gem. However, that’s not the case. Is “Lucy” the worst
film of the year? No, I’ve seen FAR worse. Is it the best? Not by a long-shot.
Maybe if you can catch the film at a discount, Netflix,
Redbox, or TV, then I’d say check it out. Maybe you might get a different
response.
You know…I
know there are films that can piss people off to a major extent. Hell, I myself
have had moments like that, where I’ve lost my shit over a few films, a couple
of which happened this year…but this one managed to bring me to an overwhelming
amount of hatred…and it’s called “Sex Tape.”
“Sex
Tape” is about a couple, who have both lost their sex drive, so their solution
to fixing that is to make a porno, which soon gets uploaded to multiple devices
that their friends, family, and mailman own; so they pursue in a chase to get
them back before anybody views it.
Does
this premise sound funny to you? If it doesn’t, then thankfully you still have
some brain cells left in you. Now if you think the premise is stupid and
retarded already, then you have no idea, because this film is the bane of
film-making. And for a premise revolving around a porno, it just makes you wish
you stayed home and watched ACTUAL porn instead. Not a single damn joke in this
film made me laugh, nor did any of these actors feel genuine; and I say actors,
because these where not characters, they were actors being in this film just to
make a quick pay check. This whole entire film…excuse me, THING, was just
nothing but a dated concept, filled with hammered in product placement, non-existent
acting, and tasteless jokes that make even Paulie Shore cringe at. Hell, this
whole thing feels like a bad cheap episode of a sitcom, like it was a scrapped
idea for an episode of “Seinfeld” that someone found in
a trash can and decided “Hmm, well it’s crap, but people will eat it up anyway.”
Jason
Segel has officially proven to me that he’s no longer funny when he’s writing
his own crap, because he doesn’t even give a damn about it. The fact that he
keeps writing himself as the main lead and love interest, has gotten completely
stale, especially when he’s constantly writing himself getting naked in too many
scenes to count. When is he going to learn that being naked is not funny? If “Forgetting
Sarah Marshall” and “The Five-Year Engagement” have proven one thing, it’s that
nudity isn’t comedy; it’s just awkward and gross, especially when it’s
constantly shoved in our faces; John Turturro in “Transformers 2” had more
dignity than this. Look, I really don’t want to harp on Jason Segel this much, but
the only time his writing worked well was with “The Muppets.” Everything else
has just been complete and utter cow-shit. Not only that, but the character he
wrote for himself is an absolute dumbass. For a guy who has had multiple iPads
and has had them drop into his lap for years, how is it he doesn’t know how to
remotely wipe stuff, until some douchebag kid tells him that? I have siblings Segel’s age, and even THEY know how this shit works! Fuck you, movie, I’m not stupid!
Cameron Diaz in this film is just a
complete bitch in this movie. And by that, I mean she gets mad at her husband
for not deleting a simple video of them having sex, despite the fact that it
was HER idea to begin with! But here’s an idea: why not just use an actual
video camera, instead of a fucking iPad, so you can actually make it a sex
tape? You know, because IT’S CALLED “SEX TAPE!” Or how about the scene where
she does blow with her boss, Rob Lowe, while Jason Segel is looking for his
iPad, when it was CLEARLY by the front door? And then, she gets mad at him,
after he gets mad at her when he was being mauled by a dog, in which she blames
him for?! Diaz has really let her career go down shit-creek, since she hasn’t
done a good movie, aside from voice-acting, in over a decade. Hell, I think the
last film that I liked her in was “Gangs of New York,” which came out in 2002!
I think that should be a sign for her to fire her agent, and/or kick his/her
ass, since she’s in a film, playing a bitch to her husband. But then again, I’m
not surprised, since we’re talking about a man who asks Siri for help on how to
help a dog breathe.
Which brings me to my next point:
the product placement. To anyone who was constantly bitching and moaning about
the product placement in “Man of Steel,” you don’t know what the fuck you’re
talking about. There is constant product placement, everywhere you look in this
movie, even from the trailers along; Adam Sandler movies have more subtly in
their product placement than this filth! And the product placement is a central
part in this film, since the ““““sex tape”””” was uploaded to “the cloud.”
Hell, there’s even a scene where Jason Segel sees the thing uploaded on each of
his devices, from smallest to biggest. Gee, it’s like all those devices are
connected somehow…UUUUGGGGGHHH!!! Fuck...YOU, movie! I'm not STUPID!!
The children in this movie are also
made out to be some of the most obnoxious and unlikable pieces of shit I have
seen in film. You know those lousy archetypes that film makers have represent
children that I was talking about in my “Begin Again” review? THIS is exactly
what I’m talking about, only much worse. The kids in the first “Purge” movie
were more likable than any kid in this film! Oh, and did I mention that the
neighbor’s kid is the villain? Yeah, Rob Corddry and Ellie Kemper’s kid, is the
one who saw the porno and blackmails the two by threatening to upload it to the
internet, for twenty-five grand, so he can buy a horse…okay Segel, AND Nicholas
Stoller…I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but…NOBODY IN THIS ECONOMY IS THAT
FUCKING RICH IN THE SUBARBS!! And I don’t care if you give out the argument
about “oh he’s just a kid,” because no kid would be this much of a fucking
asshole or even know about porn, at the age he is, unless his parents were just
as douchey. Then again, Corddry and Kemper are lousy parents in this film,
since they don’t bother to trust their friend, by simply checking their son’s
computer, despite the fact that he acts evil right in front of him; that, and the fact that Corddry and Kemper have sex AND watch the porno in Segel and Diaz's car. So not only
does this film represent children in a hateful way, it also represents
PARENTING and friendship in a terrible way. FUCK…YOU…MOVIE!
Oh, and did I mention that Jack
Black is in the movie? Yeah, Jack Black plays the CEO of YouPorn, which is only
an excuse to namedrop other big name porn industries and websites. Okay, first
of all, YouPorn only makes this idea seem more dated, since there are other and
better websites to check out porn; second, here we go with more product
placement…fuck you, movie. Third, instead of just going to the headquarters of
YouPorn, why the fuck didn’t they just call the damn cops?! Or even better,
punch the kid and then delete it off his computer! It worked for Mark Wahlberg
in “Ted.”
Speaking of Seth MacFarlene, I have
to bring this up: there was an episode of “Family Guy,” which I’m sure some of
you know about, where Lois did a porno back in her college days, and it’s
rediscovered and told to the public. And at the end, she basically shows it to
the town, embracing the fact that she did something stupid, but isn’t ashamed
of it anymore, which is the message of that episode. What’s the message of “Sex
Tape?” Don’t be an idiot, or else hijinks! If an episode of “Family Guy” has
more meaning and laughs, than a $43 million comedy starring some of Hollywood’s
funniest actors…that’s just depressing.
It makes me even sadder, because
there are millions of people out there, like myself that have really engaging
ideas for films, and have to resort to doing them independently, so they can keep
their visions true. They actually want to challenge viewers and show them a
story that is meaningful to them, and CAN BE for audiences who take the time to
view them. However, their dreams won’t get the recognition because of crap like
this! And I know, films are subjective…but if THIS is what’s passing for films,
then I’m getting old!
Jake Kasdan, who directed “Walk Hard:
The Dewey Cox Story,” isn’t the best comedic director, but he at least knows
how to give a decent enough film! But I don’t blame him for this film, since no
one could possibly make this hack screenplay work in any way. Let’s just hope
that his next film is nothing like this abomination to film making!
You know, “Movie 43” was a disgrace
to Hollywood, and is undoubtedly a prime example on how to NOT make a film…however,
I think “Sex Tape” may have surpassed how bad comedy can go! Because even
though “Movie 43” had more talent behind it, as far as casting goes, it was
dead from the start, due to it being penned by a bunch of hacks who have no
talent, so there was no question it was bad; “Sex Tape” HAD talent, or at least
what was left of it, and it fucking sucked every drop out of each and every one
of the people it was able to snatch, and straight up waste it on cheapness and
selling out. That’s right people…I said “Sex
Tape” was worse than “Movie 43,” by a LONGSHOT!
FUCK THIS MOVIE, AND ANYBODY WHO HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH
IT!!
Rating: 1/10
GODDDDDDDDDDD!!!!!!!
If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go watch "(500) Days of Summer" and listen to "Jersey Boys," to try and revive my faith in film making.
Melissa
McCarthy in recent years has gained recognition as one of the funniest female
comedians in Hollywood. While she may have started out on “Gilmore Girls,” it
wasn’t until her Oscar nominated performance in “Bridesmaids” that she started
to get into the spotlight. Since then, she’s worked on “The Heat,” and “Identity
Thief,” which were also very funny films, and they show she has great chemistry
when it comes to other big name stars. Hell, I still think she was the only funny
thing in “The Hangover Part III.” Today, we take a look at her newest film which
she produced, wrote, and starred in, “Tammy.”
In this
film, McCarthy plays Tammy; an overweight woman-child who loses her job at a
fast-food joint, and finds out her husband is cheating on her. In response to
this, she decides to finally get out of town with her grandmother, played by
Susan Sarandon, and from there on out, it’s shenanigans throughout the way.
Was this
as good as McCarthy’s other films? Sadly, it isn’t, and it comes from one
major, MAJOR problem in the film…the setup for this film is just plain lazy.
And what I mean is, the conflict of Tammy finding out that her husband is
cheating on her isn’t put as much focus on as it should have; instead, it’s
just an excuse for Tammy to just throw a fit and go crying to her mom about it,
who just happens to live next door. I know that’s the main setup with the
character, that she’s basically a big child, and that’s what a good amount of
the jokes set upon, but I felt like it could have worked better if it had a
director that was best known for doing characters that way, like Jon Favreau or
even Adam McKay, who produced this film with Will Ferrell, the king of playing
man-childs. Instead, McCarthy’s husband, Ben Falcone, has the beginning
directed like it was tacked on at the last minute, just to give a reason for
the film to REALLY start.
The
film is a supposed buddy road movie, but why was that so hard to market? The film’s
trailers started out setting up some sort of fast-food heist film, like Tammy
was going to get back at the business for firing her, and she does it on the
run…but no, all we get is a film that’s just Melissa McCarthy and Susan
Sarandon on the road, making jokes. And don’t get me wrong, the jokes themselves
are funny, but you get my point. Oh, and did I mention that Dan Aykroyd’s in this
movie? Yeah, he plays Tammy’s father, but he’s really underused in this film,
and I was hoping for so much more.
What
was weird for me was that some of the cast members in this film were all from “The
Way Way Back,” which was my favorite film of 2013. Nat Faxon plays Tammy’s
cheating husband, Toni Collette plays the girl Faxon’s cheating with, and Allison
Janney is playing Tammy’s mother; with how they got these people back together
in another film, I kept expecting a big joke to come at the end, like Steve Carrell popping up in a cameo or something.
I’ll
give the film credit; the acting is actually pretty good. Nothing special, but
it did show that these people did care about being in the film. Hell, I’d even
say Susan Sarandon manages to bring out some of the funniest lines in the film,
even if her character did seem to get a little too overboard. Kathy Bates and
Sandra Oh also appear in the film, playing Sarandon’s lesbian cousin and
cousin-in-law, and they manage to do a good enough job. I’ll even admit, I did
like the touching moments between Tammy and her love interest, Bobby, played by
Mark Duplass; granted, he was just playing the average schmoe, but he did
alright.
Overall,
“Tammy” is a film that I can’t necessarily recommend as much as I could. The
script needed some polishing, and a director who was a bit more experienced. If
you like Melissa McCarthy, I’m sure you’ll like this film fine; but for those
looking for a much more consistent comedy, I’d probably say go watch “The Lego
Movie,” which you can rent at your local Redbox. It’s not that good, but I wasn’t
mad at it…you want to know what DOES make me mad though? It’s the fact that
people on IMDB think this film was worse than “Sex Tape”…we’ll be going over THAT one next time.
Last
year, Platinum Dunes gave us the first film in their filmography that wasn’t a
remake or prequel. It was a new film that was, gasp, an original concept: “The
Purge.” In that film, they set up this world about America’s new government,
ten years from now, setting up a holiday where all crime is legal for twelve hours;
meaning, people could kill and beat the ever loving shit out of anyone they so
please. The one big problem with the film? This world was wasted for a stupid
home invasion movie, and having kid characters that make Leonardo DiCaprio’s
character in “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?” have a higher I.Q. level. It was
just boring, lazily paced, and made it seem like two-and-a-half hours, when the
film didn’t even reach the ninety-minute mark. Waste of an idea, wasted
potential, and waste of Ethan Hawke’s time.
When a
sequel was announced to come out the following year, I wasn’t too excited…however,
when the trailer for the film started coming out, it looked like it was doing
what we were asking for, and expand on this world and what it does. And that’s
exactly what the film does, after I viewed it. No home invasions, no stupid
kids (sort of), and no potential wasted.
In “The
Purge: Anarchy,” we see the people of Los Angeles prepare for whatever chaos
may approach this year. It follows a cop, a mother with her daughter, and a
young couple, being dragged out into the Purge, by groups of black-ops and
bounty-hunters gathering up locals who are trying to stay out of the fray. That’s
pretty much how I can describe the plot to you, because if I went any further,
it’d pretty much spoil the rest of the film.
Throughout
the whole film, it actually felt like the film makers heard about the harsh
comments said about the first film, and (in a rare occurrence from Hollywood)
actually listened to the suggestions given out. The people in this film do
question this day that goes on; they show the brutality that happens on the
streets; they show us what changes have been made after a few years; they show
what happens to the people who refuse to purge, or who have had enough. There’s
even a rebellion that goes against the NFFA (New Founding Fathers of America)
about the consequences of the events, which opens up to the many possibilities that
can come about.
While
they do expand on this world and concept, I can’t say the same, completely,
about the characters in the film. The characters in this film are basically
playing archetypes of what they’re supposed to be, and don’t quite have an
identity to them, making it hard to sympathize with them when tragedy is
brought up or happens. Also, for a horror film, it isn’t that scary…but I
digress.
Writer/director
James DeMonaco has shown some sensibility in doing something that most people
in Hollywood don’t normally do, and that’s LISTEN! While it wasn’t really that
perfect, I’m at least thankful that he took note of what the people were saying
and was able to grant at least 75% of it. If anything, maybe this is going the
path of an anthology series, which would lead into what else goes around the
world during these dark hours.
Overall,
“The Purge: Anarchy” is an example of a sequel that took note of what the viewers
had said, and did just that. In all honesty, I’d say it’s even Platinum Dunes
best film to date. It’s not great, far from it…but it’s still good.
Music
is one of the key things in life that are subjective; there could be certain
songs or genres in general that one may like that others don’t, and vice-versa.
There’s always going to be an audience for at least every song, no matter how
bad of a press it gets. I’m no musical enthusiast, but I can tell when I can
tell when I like a song or not after a couple listens. With that being said,
let’s talk about the new Mark Ruffalo and Kiera Knightley film, “Begin Again.”
The
film tells the story of Dan Mulligan, a music producer who has been struggling
through life and trying to maintain a connection with his daughter after a
divorce. When he loses his job, he goes to a bar and meets Gretta, the
ex-girlfriend of a popular musician, and wants to publish her music. After
being turned down for her song, the two decide to gather other street musicians
and make an outdoor album band, with the help of Gretta’s friend, Steve, and
Dan’s old-friend and rap-producer, Trouble-Gum.
Needless
to say, this film starting out wasn’t really anything special…however, as the film went on, I ended up liking the
development and chemistry between Dan and Gretta. So after watching it a second
time, I ended up actually loving the story and these characters, because
of how real it all felt. The raw emotion and charisma of each of these
characters share when they’re onscreen is some of the most heartfelt I’ve seen
this year.
Mark
Ruffalo and Kiera Knightley give the best performances they have ever given,
showing us real people with problems that come into life; separation, broken
hearts, loss of faith, trying to find that light of happiness, all of those
struggles are what’s shown in this film simply by these two alone. If anything,
they deserve to at least be nominated for Best Actor and Actress, that’s all I
ask. And it’s not just them; James Corden, better known as Smithy on “Gavin
& Stacy,” showed a lot of personality in the film as Steve. He actually
cares about what happens with Gretta, and he always manages to be a charming
guy when he needs to be. Corden has really been starting to become one of my
favorite actors as of late, and I hope he can bring that same charm in the “Into
the Woods” movie.
Hailee
Steinfeld plays Dan’s daughter, Violet, and she also manages to bring out a
very realistic performance, as the modern day teenage girl who tries to dress
slutty just for attention. She actually is a person, and not just some
cardboard cut-out of what one is supposed to be; for those hack writers who
have been writing teenagers or kids like bible-camp graduates, like in “Diary
of a Wimpy Kid,” watch this film and take notes on what REAL characters are.
Adam Levine of Maroon 5 plays Dave, Gretta’s ex and popular musician, and he
actually did pretty damn well. He’s basically playing a character that’s a take
on most ego-musicians, but the big difference is Dave’s sense of humanity.
Yeah, he’s a douche, but he actually has feelings and does feel guilty about
what his actions, unlike talentless hacks like Justin Buttfuck and Miley
Sucksit. We also get an appearance by CeeLo Green as TroubleGum, the rap
producer that Dan helped get to fame and fortune. I’ve been kind of mild on
CeeLo in terms of music, but as an actor he actually is pretty decent; I think
it was easy for him, due to the character just basically being him in a way. There’re
also appearances by Mos Def and Catherine Keener, who play Dan’s boss and
ex-wife, and they manage to be memorable as well, and I hope to see more of
their work in the future.
The songs in the film are also
really good too, and the people singing them, mostly Knightley and Corden, are
really damn good. The film was written and directed by John Carney, the man who
brought us the film “Once.” While I wasn’t too crazy about that film, this one
manages to hit a home run really well. It’s a film that pokes fun at most music
of today being total shit, and acknowledges the work of struggling musicians
trying to bring out something that actually has meaning.
Overall, “Begin Again” is a strong
contender for my favorite film of the year, and I really hope the Academy shows
some recognition for this film, and not just in the technical aspects. I want
this to get nominated in the big four acting categories, along with Best
Picture.
