Soooo many options today! Trying to decide which ones to post when was a process I never really considered before. Learn as you go, I suppose.
The Social Network
Director- David Fincher
Writers- Aaron Sorkin (Screenplay) & Ben Mezrich (Book)
Top Billed Cast- Jesse Eisenburg, Andrew Garfield, & Justin Timberlake
The story of Facebook. Honestly, I waited a while to see this movie and really wasn't sure if I was going to like it. There was a LOT of hype (still is!) and by such a wide range of people. If you haven't heard of this movie...not really sure how you even stumbled upon this blog but, in short, it's about the founder of Facebook (that website with all the people's faces and random excerpts from their day) and his struggle to create the site he felt should be created.
PROS-
* Writing! I loved the speed of this script, I loved the dialogue, and I loved the delivery. It felt a little bit like the quick-wit and split-second humor Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel delivered in Gilmore Girls, it was good.
* Cinematography (finally spelled that right the first time I typed it!) was really neat. Great usage of the crane; why don't more directors/cinematographers utilize this piece of equipment? The shots were really to scale of the scenes. Well done.
* The score was really fitting. At first I wasn't sure if I was going to like it but it grew on me...so much so, that by the time I watched the Golden Globes, every time they played it, I got a little excited.
* Andrew Garfield is British? Exactly. Well, maybe technically, he was born here but he most definitely has a British accent and I give him MAJOR props for keeping his natural accent at bay!
* Props to Armie Hammer for adequately portraying both of his characters and giving them such individual traits that one almost had to look the movie up to be able to tell if the roles were really played by two people rather than just one.
CONS-
* At first, I was really impressed with Jesse Eisenburg's acting, but then I heard several interviews and discovered that his natural manner of speaking is almost identical to his portrayal. It's not necessarily a "con" but I found it interesting in a negative way.
* In order to really enjoy this movie, you need to be able to keep up with a VERY fast moving plot with lots of flash-forwards/flash-backs. I liked the way they were done but for the average movie-goer, it might have been too fast paced.
* I found it interesting how the Winklevoss' were pushed into suing by their friend and yet...he wasn't involved in the suit? Fine friend...
Now Mother..
This movie is rated PG-13 and has several scenes involving alcohol consumption (excessive) and drug use. There is some "minor" cursing and some sexual situations but, over all, this movie is on the milder side. Viewer beware..
This movie left me glad that I had watched it. I'm not sure that it should've beat The King's Speech for "Best Picture" at The Globes (actually, I KNOW it shouldn't have), but it was one of the better movies I've seen lately. 3.5/5 stars on this one, I'm not feeling very generous at the moment.
Flipped
Director-Rob Reiner
Writers- Rob Reiner, Andrew Scheinman, & Wendelin Van Draanen (novel)
Top Billed Cast- Madeline Carroll, Callan McAuliffe, & John Mahoney
Never heard of this movie? Yeah, I hadn't either until the other day and I was pleasantly surprised. It's the story of Juli Baker & Bryce Loski: two young (8th graders), across-the-street neighbors, who have completely opposite view points on life but, somehow, develop strong feelings for one another.
The movie is set in the mid 1900s (I'm not sure if the exact year is ever stated) and is really a sweet story. On to the Ps & Cs!
PROS-
* Consistency in character. If there's one thing I hate, it's when the casting agencies pick younger-versions of characters/actors that look/act/sound NOTHING like their older counter parts -cough-TrueGrit-cough-. But that wasn't the case here! Loved the younger versions and the older versions just the same.
* Madeline Carroll, who you might know from Swing Vote, did a really good job of giving her character a real range of emotions and depth. This story is barely a step up from a made for TV movie, don't get me wrong, but they definitely didn't skimp on this aspect.
* They had a well planned script and very little "down-time" story-wise. I appreciated that.
CONS-
* I don't care how many ER episodes you've done, Anthony Edwards, you WAY overacted in this movie. His performance probably would've been great on a stage....but this wasn't on stage. This was in a movie. With cameras that can ZOOM. Utilize it.
* Fake leaves in close-ups are not cool. I just don't get how people can "okay" fake foliage in scenes where the foliage is the entire POINT of the scene! Here I am, supposed to feel sorry for this character and the loss of "her" tree and all I can stare at, all I can think about, is how fake that plastic leaf looks blowing in the "breeze". Kind of loses you, doesn't it?
* I wasn't a huge fan of the voice over stuff...I'm pretty sure there was at least one time when they forgot to "flip" before changing voice overs which was confusing.
Now Mother..
This movie is rated PG. There's one scene where one could say that Mr. Loski had had too many drinks...but that's pretty much the only thing in there. Each set of parents do have at least on yelling match but it's really well handled and explained. Mr. Baker's brother is mentally challenged and there are a few "tense" sequences involving him, but, again, it's really well handled. Viewer beware..
Despite it not being the typical "best movie I've ever seen!", I really did enjoy it. Very cute and a very sweet story line with nice, fresh actors playing the leads. 3/5 stars.
On Thursday I'll be reviewing True Grit & The Dilemma
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