Beneath The Outer Shell

Drive is a great film.  i loved it from the start.  it's an effective art film, and also happens to tell a simple yet beautiful story.  Ryan Gosling plays the lead part.  he's a "driver" as he says.  as the title goes, he drives the getaway car at night, and is a stunt driver during the day.  his life is pretty simple when it boils down to it.  he doesn't always have to speed to get away from the cops, but instead fools them on the same roads he knows backwards and forwards.  this is a really cool film.  the lead character has little  emotion and a lack of depth...but the rest of the cast shines as individuals with actual emotion.  the plot evolves when the driver ends up stepping into the life of a young woman and her child.  he feels responsible for them and does what it takes to keep them safe.  this is one of my favorite films from the past few years.  i highly recommend.

Trust is a disturbing movie. with that being said, i feel allowed to continue without hesitation. Trust is about a 14 year old who gets involved with the wrong person she meets online. if there is ever a film that promotes justice towards pedophilia, this is the one. we see complete manipulation of a young girl and the fallout that comes afterwards. the movie is relentless with the subject matter and it doesn't dance around the issue, but instead takes it on head first. it's rather an uncomfortable movie as it deals with victim's family attempt at restoring to a normal life. i feel like i have given enough information about the film, or at least enough to allow you to figure out the rest. i can't imagine seeing this movie again, but it will reassure your beliefs in the pursuit of justice towards these child predators.

Margaret is a nice change of pace film dealing with a tragedy and those who feel or shouldn't feel responsible for it. Anna Paquin (from True Blood) stars as a student who may or may not have been partially to blame for a tragic bus accident in which someone was killed. the movie allows YOU to decide if the main character was partially to blame. the driver of the bus (Mark Ruffalo) is also under pressure trying to assure his innocence in the incident. we follow "Margaret" through her tragic meltdowns of guilt to her pursuit in getting the driver to at least admit he was in the wrong. it was an enjoyable film and easy to watch. i recommend it.

The Descendants stars George Clooney as a wealthy descendant of a white land owning Hawaii family.  in fact Clooney's character is one of the first white land owning descendants in Hawaii.  his life is troubling, for one reason, because his wife is in a coma after a boating accident.  to top off all matters, he must decide whether or not to sell some prime real estate on Kauai, turning acres of beach side beauty into condos and attracting inevitable tourists.  in the middle of all this, he finds out there is a secret his wife was keeping from him and the family.  the film looks at the family, legal, and financial responsibilities of the main character.  the film weighs all of the issues equally and invites the audience to care on numerous levels.  it's one of Clooney's better performances, but overall...unless you are a George Clooney fan, i'm not sure i can recommend it.

Martha Marcy May Marlene is an interesting film about the brain washing that goes on in a cult, and the difficulty of life outside the cult.  the name of the movie relates to the various names the cult members go by, as well as her real name (Martha).  Elizabeth Olson plays the lead and she does so quite effectively.  what i found most interesting, is the difficulty Martha has finding a purpose in the real life living with her sister.  when you are part of cult, you feel like someone important, someone that people need around.  the film almost makes the cult seem like the valid way of life when compared to family "reality".  the film goes back and forth between life in the cult, and life afterwards.  it's such an honest look at both options, you may find it odd that your views have become loose.  for this reason, i would have to recommend it.

 

these are 2 more films i learned about from Roger Ebert's best of 2011 list. interestingly enough, both films are about another planet in the sky. one is a disaster flick and the other is science fiction, (i guess).   i can't help but think, what are the chances of 2 films coming out in the same year about a new planet close to Earth?  the 2 films are vastly different, but still i find it very strange.

Melancholia is a Lars Von Trier film. if you don't know, he is Danish and has done films such as Dancer in the Dark (starring Bjork), Antichrist (starring Willem Dafoe), and well...hmmm...not sure if the average person would have seen any other film by him.  i've only seen a handful of his movies.  Lars Von Trier films are quite unique however. he mixes art, emotion, and realism all in one. he makes you feel as if you were in the film, alongside the characters. the only other director who has done that effectively is Stanley Kubrick. also, Lars Von Trier films do win LOTS of awards. check out his Wiki page here.   Melancholia is the second film in Trier's "Depression Trilogy".  the first film in the trilogy is Antichrist, which is a disturbing film with strong scenes of fear and violence.  the 3rd film in the Depression Trilogy has yet to be made.  if you are wondering if i am ever going to get to the review of Melancholia, here ya go.  the film revolves around the idea that there is a large planet (much larger than Earth) hurling towards Earth.  some experts say the planet will come close, but not hit Earth...others disagree.  some say the impact is inevitable and it will destroy Earth completely.  can anything be done?  well, Bruce Willis isn't around to land on the planet and blow it up.  so sad.  the film is cut into 2 parts.  the first part is about a wedding with Kirsten Dunst.  that's it, no mention of the large planet...just a wedding where there is a LOT of drama.  i'm not sure if anyone in the first part of the film actually get along with anyone else.  everyone's fighting with each other.  everyone despises each other and it gets old very quickly.  my friend Sean called the movie "tiresome"...and he's oh so correct.  the second part of the film focuses more on the potential disaster.  Kiefer Sutherland has a small part in the movie, as his character is convinced that the planet will narrowly miss Earth.  he thinks everyone is worried for nothing.  the film's second part is better than the first, but not by much.  for a lack of better words, the film is just plain boring.  the payoff at the end isn't even worth it.  i suggest skipping this one AND Antichrist.  maybe i just don't like Lars Von Trier films.  i've tried, but it hasn't happened yet.

the second film is Another Earth.  this is a fun independent film about a new planet which has been discovered very close to ours.  apparently it was "hiding" behind the sun...and now it hovers in the sky. it looks a lot like Earth...perhaps too much.  they even call the new planet Earth 2.  the story revolves around a grad student who has too much to drink one night, and while looking at the planet in the night sky slams into a car.  people are killed, and she's at fault.  she spends time in prison and the movie starts when she gets out.  Brit Marling stars as the main character and is brilliant.  she also helped write and produce the movie.  the film doesn't rely on special effects, but rather good performances.  the plot involves the lead character trying to find the sole survivor of the car she slammed into.  she finds him, but finds it difficult to admit she was the one at fault.  also in the story, there is a national essay contest...and the winner gets to travel to Earth 2.  the film doesn't go as far as you are hoping, but it's an independent film...so what do you expect.  the payoff at the end is done well and worth the time investment.  i thoroughly enjoyed the movie and thought it was rather brilliant.  i recommend it.

every once in a while i realize that i haven't seen any worthwhile movies in a long time.  a few weeks ago, i googled Roger Ebert's best movies of 2011.  i hadn't heard of most of them, and i hadn't seen any of the top 20 he wrote about.  time to get busy, i thought to myself.

it's been a long time since my last post. over 2 years ago i stopped writing because my blog was irritating to a few friends. i made some posts that basically pissed off a few people. maybe they had a point. however, i hate to say i am no longer friends with those people. sad because all it is...is just a blog with personal opinions. i even have a disclaimer on the front page of this blog (to the right). these "friends" took it too personally. they had me thinking i should censor my own blog, just to appeal them. well, censor no more. i am going to write what i feel like and when i feel like it. just because you disagree with my politics, doesn't mean you should abandon our friendship all together.  hey, WWJD?

my life has changed dramatically since my last post. i've moved a few more times, had a few more jobs...the usual, if you know me. i'm currently on a movie binge. i found a new website that allows you to stream just about any movie you can think of. it's quick, it's free, it's legal, and it's fun to have at your disposal. the website is www.1channel.ch

i'm glad to be back, and i'm glad you're here.