Brady Hamed – The Stanford Daily https://stanforddaily.com Breaking news from the Farm since 1892 Thu, 02 Aug 2012 05:23:16 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://stanforddaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/cropped-DailyIcon-CardinalRed.png?w=32 Brady Hamed – The Stanford Daily https://stanforddaily.com 32 32 204779320 Foreign movie theaters make political statements https://stanforddaily.com/2012/08/02/foreign-movie-theaters-make-political-statements/ https://stanforddaily.com/2012/08/02/foreign-movie-theaters-make-political-statements/#respond Thu, 02 Aug 2012 07:41:02 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1069214 If you’ve never been to a theater in a foreign country, at the very least the prospect of watching a superhero movie with foreign language subtitles may intrigue you.

The post Foreign movie theaters make political statements appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
If you’ve ever traveled for an extended period of time, you know how difficult it can be to entertain yourself at night. Museums and markets are closed, barhopping every night can get tiring and sometimes you can’t find more creative events, such as performances in parks. In these circumstances, I recommend you go to the movies. If you’ve never been to a theater in a foreign country, at the very least the prospect of watching a superhero movie with foreign language subtitles may intrigue you.

 

This summer, I’ve been traveling in Asia with my twin sister. One night in Bangkok, we had no options–we had gone to the Muay Thai boxing match and the cultural dance show and had no other ideas, so we went to the movie theater. Somehow, the intersection of my independent film taste and her femininity led us to a decision to see a potentially awkward 9:05 p.m. showing of “Magic Mike.” When we went up to the counter to buy our tickets, we were charged about 200 baht, or about six dollars. (For both of us? How did we get away with this?!) Then the worker surprised us by asking us to choose our seats, though we had no idea what the theater was shaped like or where the best seats were. We decided on seats three rows from the back just left of center, and suddenly we’d been bamboozled into a doubled ticket price. Apparently they charge you more for good seats–who knew?

 

The next stop was the concessions stand. We were starved and craving popcorn and sweets and bought the former; however, don’t go to the movies in Thailand expecting to find candy. We searched high and low for Snickers, but all we found were lobster-flavored potato chips. Of course, there were also seaweed, fish-soup, chicken-and-tomato and, my personal favorite, crab-and-corn flavors. Many of these enticing flavors also came in a potato-chip stick variety. We were not brave enough to try any of these, let alone enter the mysterious dried fish meat section–some mysteries are best left unsolved.

 

We entered the silent theater only a couple minutes before the movie started. There were others present, but strangely, no one said a word. There were no annoying advertisements onscreen, which was a nice change from an onslaught of Coca-Cola sponsored previews of previews, and previews began at precisely 9:05 p.m. The adverts were all in incomprehensible Thai but were nevertheless energetic and enjoyable. Fifteen minutes later, the movie screen told us to silence our phones before the start of the film. Without warning, music started playing, but it was not the beginning of our movie. Instead, glorious horns and a magnificent choir filled the theater with the sounds of Thailand’s national anthem. Everyone in the theater stood up, took off their hats and stood in silent respect. The movie screen showed images of Thailand’s late, much-beloved king, Rama VII, performing charity work. We saw him riding a Jeep into the jungle, looking at plans to cross a flooded river and then walking among his people, standing with his wife.

 

The monarchical rule of Thailand had suddenly penetrated my life. I was being confronted with the cultural necessity to respect Thailand’s king when I don’t show that same level of reverence even to my own president. My sister put it best when she said, “I don’t want that at the movies. I go to the movies to not think about politics.”

 

After the anthem ended, everyone sat back down and the movie swiftly began. My sister and I were big fans and laughed our way through the whole thing. The Thai citizens? Not a peep. I don’t know if it’s taboo to laugh or show emotions in public or at the movies, but the theater was dead silent. My sister and I were very comfortable taking on the role of “the loud Americans” and openly loved the movie. We also found humor in the Thai subtitles beneath the movie, which looked like they were copied and pasted onto the film–very low budget.

 

So the next time you find yourself bored in a foreign country, do something comfortable and you just might be surprised.

The post Foreign movie theaters make political statements appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2012/08/02/foreign-movie-theaters-make-political-statements/feed/ 0 1069214
Reviews: ‘The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’ https://stanforddaily.com/2012/05/11/reviews-the-best-exotic-marigold-hotel/ https://stanforddaily.com/2012/05/11/reviews-the-best-exotic-marigold-hotel/#respond Fri, 11 May 2012 07:35:34 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1066084 While I hate to paraphrase Dame Judi Dench at the end of “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” her character notes in her “e-lec-tronic” blog that sometimes success is measured by how you cope with failure. Following her mantra, the audience will surely have to test themselves and succeed admirably.

The post Reviews: ‘The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’ appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
Reviews: 'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel'
Courtesy of Fox Searchlight

While I hate to paraphrase Dame Judi Dench at the end of “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” her character notes in her “e-lec-tronic” blog that sometimes success is measured by how you cope with failure. Following her mantra, the audience will surely have to test themselves and succeed admirably.

 

As “The Avengers” swept through box offices, “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” was served up as the perfect counterprogramming. Instead of a wide, sprawling team of brawny men in shiny spandex suits exploding space monsters, the AARP card-carrying crowd could turn out to see a wide, sprawling team of British acting royalty in dowdy clothes flounce around India. As any new convert to the BBC’s incomparable “Downton Abbey” will tell you, a little Maggie Smith goes a long way, and excitement for this independent British travelogue was at a fever pitch.

 

Reviews: 'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel'
Courtesy of Fox Searchlight

The trailers delineated the flimsy concept pretty well. Seven geriatric Brits, for their own personal and tragic reasons, decide to retire at a hotel in exotic India for “the elderly and beautiful,” run by an over-eager Indian native (Dev Patel of “Slumdog Millionaire”). Dame Judi Dench (“Casino Royale”) plays Evelyn, a widow looking for a change; Tom Wilkinson’s (“Michael Clayton”) character Graham is returning to India to look for a long lost friend; Bill Nighy (“Love Actually”) and Penelope Wilton (“Downton Abbey”) portray the Ainslie couple, constantly dealing with their relationship problems; and the exquisite Maggie Smith (“Harry Potter”) is Muriel, a single woman who is forced to go to India for urgent surgery. With another pair of sexually charged geriatrics who provide for comic relief, they all bravely leave for India.

 

Before they depart, the band of Brits make several comments about how worried they are about interacting with the Indians, eating curry and living in a third world country. These come off as insensitive at times, but as these stories tend to go, surely they will all learn a lot about the culture while learning something about themselves. This seems to be reinforced when they get to the titular Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and it is not as advertised. They are the only guests, but their overeager host certainly comforts them.

 

Unfortunately, what ensues is not the delightful clash of cultures that one expects. Instead, the elderly Brits stick mostly to themselves, have relationship issues and struggle with their issues amongst themselves. They do interact with the locals to some extent, and the hotel owner has some issues with an arranged marriage, but the script seems like it would have been groundbreaking in 1982. For instance, Muriel shows momentary kindness to her maid. We then learn that the maid is an untouchable in the Indian caste system, and this brief acknowledgment is the most meaningful moment of her life. This inaccurate and pedantic showing of the treatment of cultures just feels perfunctory at best and exploitative at worst throughout the entire film.

 

Reviews: 'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel'
Courtesy of Fox Searchlight

This inconsiderate treatment of cultures doesn’t really affect the movie though, as director John Madden (“Shakespeare in Love”) mostly chooses to ignore India and the culture around them. It never creates a new vision, resting comfortably with its dry British wit and the subtleties of any repressed drama. For a decent British independent comedy, it is definitely possible to find worse, though. The film wildly succeeds as an antidote to “The Avengers,” and this is all it needs to do.

The post Reviews: ‘The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’ appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2012/05/11/reviews-the-best-exotic-marigold-hotel/feed/ 0 1066084
Preview: ‘City of Angels’ https://stanforddaily.com/2012/04/13/preview-city-of-angels/ https://stanforddaily.com/2012/04/13/preview-city-of-angels/#comments Fri, 13 Apr 2012 10:00:14 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1063278 Ram’s Head’s spring musical production in recent years has been largely about putting on formidable versions of recognizable shows that everyone can enjoy. This year, the board made a decision to choose something riskier, something less famous: the 1989 musical comedy “City of Angels,” written by Cy Coleman, David Zippel and Larry Gelbart. This risk paid off well for the company.

The post Preview: ‘City of Angels’ appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
Preview: 'City of Angels'
ALISA ROYER/The Stanford Daily

Ram’s Head’s spring musical production in recent years has been largely about putting on formidable versions of recognizable shows that everyone can enjoy. This year, the board made a decision to choose something riskier, something less famous: the 1989 musical comedy “City of Angels,” written by Cy Coleman, David Zippel and Larry Gelbart. This risk paid off well for the company.

 

The musical is divided between two story lines, connected through the double casting of one actor in two parts. In the real world, Stine, played brilliantly by co-terminal student Julian Kusnadi ‘11, is a troubled screenwriter, working in the power-hungry Hollywood system. Along the way, he has to deal with a whole host of alluring and exciting characters. His boss is a successful and boisterous film producer and director named Buddy Fidler, played by Graham Roth ‘12. He is constantly rewriting and claiming ownership over Stine’s story. But more importantly, like in any good Hollywood story, many of his problems arrive as a pair of long legs in a well-cut dress. Stine’s wife Gabby (Anneka Kumli ‘13), his quick-witted secretary (Clare Bruzek ‘12), the director’s wife (Katie Straub ‘14) and a new starlet on the rise (Addy Mendoza ‘13) all complicate Stine’s life in various ways.

 

Preview: 'City of Angels'
ALISA ROYER/The Stanford Daily

What is twice as interesting is the movie that Stine is writing. As the show progresses, the audience watches the movie come to life as Stine projects a taller, cooler version of himself in the movies—Private Detective Stone, keenly portrayed by Weston Gaylord ‘15. Along the way, Stone meets characters that are seemingly ripped right out of writer Stine’s life. Coincidentally, Stone has a capable secretary and an alluring ex-wife, must deal with a family with a powerful wife and, like any film noir, bears a host of secrets.

 

The movie in the mind of screenwriter Stine is where the musical truly succeeds. Director Benno Rosenwald ‘11 draws inspiration from classic films such as “The Maltese Falcon” and “The Big Sleep.” This heightened sense of drama and intrigue bubbles through in the film with the fast and sexy dialogue, which coupled with the elegant black and white set design makes for a compelling directorial vision. The musical itself also draws heavily on the 1940s influence; much of the music is tinged with a jazzy edge that builds on the excitement of the rest of the show. Smooth jazz crooner Jimmy Powers, played by Rob Biedry ‘15, along with the chorus of Angel City all work together to bring the music to the forefront of the ensemble.

 

Preview: 'City of Angels'
ALISA ROYER/The Stanford Daily

Fortunately, all of the singers on stage are able to handle the technical jazz rhythms and melodies pulsing throughout the show. Leads Kusnadi and Gaylord play off of each other well and share some of the most passionate and invigorating songs. However, the show is mostly an ensemble production; each of the supporting players gets a moment to shine and each takes full advantage of his or her time in the spotlight. Highlights include Bruzek’s sultry secretary, Mendoza’s revealing performance and Roth doing pretty much anything on stage—you don’t need to hire a private detective to realize that Roth truly steals the show.

 

Amid the high production values and the talented singers on display, one thing is painfully obvious. Even if the existing show doesn’t always meet lofty expectations, the cast and crew are incredibly passionate and dedicated to the show and this love for the production shines through every scene.

The post Preview: ‘City of Angels’ appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2012/04/13/preview-city-of-angels/feed/ 1 1063278
Billy Crystal Returns for the 84th Academy Awards https://stanforddaily.com/2012/03/02/billy-crystal-returns-for-the-84th-academy-awards/ https://stanforddaily.com/2012/03/02/billy-crystal-returns-for-the-84th-academy-awards/#respond Fri, 02 Mar 2012 08:38:36 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1060112 The highlight of the film year has officially passed. After months of period dramas and auteur-directed, highfalutin movies—not to mention the never-ending parade of meaningless award shows—the big one has come and gone. This year, like always, the Academy Awards wrapped up the year rather predictably, but with a class and panache reserved only for the Oscars.

The post Billy Crystal Returns for the 84th Academy Awards appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
Billy Crystal Returns for the 84th Academy Awards
Courtesy of MCT

The highlight of the film year has officially passed. After months of period dramas and auteur-directed, highfalutin movies—not to mention the never-ending parade of meaningless award shows—the big one has come and gone. This year, like always, the Academy Awards wrapped up the year rather predictably, but with a class and panache reserved only for the Oscars.

 

If you tune in to the Oscars to see who gets which award, there weren’t too many surprises. Martin Scorsese’s children’s movie “Hugo” received five technical awards while the big winner was black-and-white silent French film “The Artist.” It took home many of the biggest prizes of the evening, including Best Picture, Best Director for Frenchman Michel Hazanavicius, Best Actor for the endlessly charming Jean Dujardin and two other technical awards. With those two juggernauts hogging the majority of the awards, no other film received more than two awards.

 

Billy Crystal Returns for the 84th Academy Awards
Courtesy of MCT

 

If the awards bore you and you only watch the Oscars for the spectacle, you were out of luck. After attempting to manufacture spectacle for the past couple of years with flat-lining hosting duos, the Academy responded to the incendiary comments of Brett Ratner with the safest, most conservative show they could put on. Cue Billy Crystal.

 

It was certainly a welcome sight to see him back on stage with light one-liners, and he treated us to his famous videos of inserting himself into the Best Picture-nominated films. However, that’s where the fun really ended. The only moments really worth YouTubing were Jim Rash’s mockery of Angelina Jolie’s infamous right leg and a few of the more touching acceptance speeches from Spencer, Plummer, Streep and Asghar Farhadi, the director of the Iranian Best Foreign Language Winner “A Separation.” Besides that, the ceremony was a classy event that was certainly an improvement over previous failures.

 

But at least a failure is fun to watch—this year was just simple and safe.

The post Billy Crystal Returns for the 84th Academy Awards appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2012/03/02/billy-crystal-returns-for-the-84th-academy-awards/feed/ 0 1060112
Review: ‘We Need to Talk About Kevin’ https://stanforddaily.com/2012/01/20/review-we-need-to-talk-about-kevin/ https://stanforddaily.com/2012/01/20/review-we-need-to-talk-about-kevin/#respond Fri, 20 Jan 2012 08:35:03 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1054676 The controversial movie “We Need to Talk About Kevin” has been kicking around the circuit since the Cannes Film Festival in May but is only just getting its American release.

The post Review: ‘We Need to Talk About Kevin’ appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
Review: 'We Need to Talk About Kevin'
Courtesy of Oscilloscope Laboratories

The controversial movie “We Need to Talk About Kevin” has been kicking around the circuit since the Cannes Film Festival in May but is only just getting its American release. This is not because it is a bad film–on the contrary, it’s bold and compelling–but because it is an extremely challenging film that enters a very dark place. Based on the novel of the same name by female author Lionel Shriver, the film looks at the mother of one of the worst children in cinema, Kevin. The mother, Eva, played by the always-engaging and expressive Tilda Swinton, spends the time soul-searching and evaluating her role in raising her son. Was she too strict? Did she not love him enough? Did her husband love him too much?

 

As these questions swirl through her head, the audience sees how her relationship with Kevin forms over his childhood. To put it delicately, it is not a spoiler to say that Kevin ends up committing a horrific crime for which he is ultimately put in prison. The hyper, non-chronological narrative of the film shows this early on, but obscures his abhorrent actions until the end. This non-linear timeline of the movie smartly places the most exciting and exhilarating events at its end and also does very well in establishing a nightmare-tinged chaos, but it certainly does not help the audience through the tricky narrative. It takes about 30 minutes to discern exactly where in the narrative the action takes place.

 

Perhaps the main reason to see “Kevin” is for Tilda Swinton’s breathtaking performance. As an actress who never disappoints, Swinton fully realizes the inner turmoil of this guilt-ridden mother. Every emotion is seen on her face as she navigates the frustration, anguish, brief joys and damaging lows of motherhood. Her tremendous ability to show the subtle line between exasperation and fear elevates this film from ordinary to extraordinary. She has been racking up nominations from the Screen Actors Guild to the Golden Globes and is primed to receive a deserved Best Actress Academy Award nomination come next week. The young Ezra Miller delivers a chilling performance, as does John C. Reilly–another welcome addition to the film.

 

Review: 'We Need to Talk About Kevin'
Courtesy of Oscilloscope Laboratories

British director Lynne Ramsay creates a truly bizarre and interesting film that is entirely her vision. She uses a vast amount of vivid imagery and incongruous set-pieces to show the detached and tortured state of the protagonists. While all very effective, it can also be startling, often difficult to follow or digest. “Kevin” not only wears its arthouse affectations on its sleeve, but it throws them at the viewer boldly and with total abandon. However, getting lost in this film is okay, even encouraged. Ramsay is working harder to create a tone than a narrative, and she succeeds in accomplishing her goals. Ultimately, the performances make this horrific and introspective story compelling to watch. “Kevin” is a must-see for fans of Swinton’s work–and everyone should be a fan of her work.

The post Review: ‘We Need to Talk About Kevin’ appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2012/01/20/review-we-need-to-talk-about-kevin/feed/ 0 1054676
Networks debut midseason lineups https://stanforddaily.com/2012/01/13/midseason-tv/ https://stanforddaily.com/2012/01/13/midseason-tv/#respond Fri, 13 Jan 2012 08:34:18 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1054242 As 2012 kicks off, we are presented with the gift of midseason premieres. Just a couple of years ago, the midseason was a wasteland for awful TV shows that networks were forced to air in place of their other awful cancelled shows. However, with several midseason successes each year, running from “Seinfeld” to last year’s hidden gem “Happy Endings,” there are always a couple of diamonds in the rough that turn out to be truly wonderful shows worth watching.

The post Networks debut midseason lineups appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
Networks debut midseason lineups
Courtesy of Showtime

As 2012 kicks off, we are presented with the gift of midseason premieres. Just a couple of years ago, the midseason was a wasteland for awful TV shows that networks were forced to air in place of their other awful cancelled shows. However, with several midseason successes each year, running from “Seinfeld” to last year’s hidden gem “Happy Endings,” there are always a couple of diamonds in the rough that turn out to be truly wonderful shows worth watching. Whether they’re on cable channels like Showtime or HBO that fly in the face of conventional program schedules and air incredible shows whenever they like, or underpublicized network shows that just need a few more viewers, the midseason is a time for new surprises and a few old favorites to return.

 

Just this past week, Showtime’s new half-hour comedy “House of Lies” premiered. While advertised to be a fun and sexy show starring Don Cheadle and Kristen Bell as high-profile consultants, it more or less turned out to be a program about people having fun and telling the audience it was sexy while Don Cheadle was a high-profile consultant and Kristen Bell tagged along. It is perhaps a little too unorganized to be compelling, but the show isn’t without its charms. The consulting team has lots of fun banter, and there seem to be a lot of shifting roles. If the best of them get pulled to the forefront, it could be something worth watching.

 

While there are several new network comedies that have already tanked, such as “Work It” and “I Hate My Teenage Daughter,” and a few that appear to be just awful, like “¡Rob!,” one actually looks like it could succeed. Based on the hit book by Chelsea Handler, the sitcom “Are You There, Chelsea?” spins off of the comedienne’s wild tales of sex and debauchery. Laura Prepon, (Donna from “That ‘70’s Show”) stars as the main character with Handler in the supporting cast. Premiering Jan. 11, it should be interesting to see if this new sitcom can succeed.

 

Networks debut midseason lineups
Courtesy of NBC

The television show most likely to succeed or burn wildly in flames is NBC’s “Smash.” While it is most likely a response to the infatuation with “Glee,” this new show promises to at least start with a higher pedigree. Former “American Idol” runner-up Katharine McPhee plays the young ingenue auditioning for a new Marilyn Monroe musical on Broadway. She faces a whole glut of challengers and obstacles in Megan Hilty’s rival theatre actress, a snide and catty Debra Messing and a whole cast of other actors and actresses who are all famous on the Great White Way but little-known to the television viewing audience. The tidal wave of singing and dancing should be immense, but it should likely be more theatrical and authentic than that of its rival, “Glee,” and an ultimately more rewarding experience for theatre fans in search of a TV show. However, we have to wait until Feb. 6 for this premiere.

 

There are also some returning shows that were on hiatus for autumn that will be returning to our TV screens in the coming months. The long-awaited return of “30 Rock” will come with the start of its full 22-episode run on Jan. 12. This means Liz Lemon, Jenna Maroney and the whole gang should be with us every week from now until summer with their zany antics and absurd humor. Animated cult favorite “Archer” roars back after its three-part “Heart of Archness” teaser in the fall; our favorite gang of crass spies will be back on Jan. 19. And sadly, without premiere dates but with network assurances that they will return are fantasy epic “Game of Thrones,” the boozy and stylish period drama “Mad Men,” the quirky “Community” and the underrated but vastly hilarious “Cougar Town.” What is certain is that this midseason should bring just as much exciting television as any other time of the year.

The post Networks debut midseason lineups appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2012/01/13/midseason-tv/feed/ 0 1054242
Second opinion: Best movies of 2011 https://stanforddaily.com/2011/12/07/second-opinion-best-movies-of-2011/ https://stanforddaily.com/2011/12/07/second-opinion-best-movies-of-2011/#respond Wed, 07 Dec 2011 08:41:25 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1052994 This has been a year for daring movies, and the best of them have all been movies that I feel like I’ve never seen before. If someone had told me the best films this year would include a Martin Scorsese children’s movie and a comedy about cancer, I wouldn’t have believed either could even get made. Fortunately my instincts were wrong, and we have some new movies to treasure for years to come.

The post Second opinion: Best movies of 2011 appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
Second opinion: Best movies of 2011
Coutesy of Merie Wallace

This has been a year for daring movies, and the best of them have all been movies that I feel like I’ve never seen before. If someone had told me the best films this year would include a Martin Scorsese children’s movie and a comedy about cancer, I wouldn’t have believed either could even get made. Fortunately my instincts were wrong, and we have some new movies to treasure for years to come.

 

The Tree of Life”

This year’s most bold and evocative movie comes from one of my favorite filmmakers of all time. Terrence Malick composes a beautiful epic poem that is as daring as it is touching, as elegant as it is piercing and provocative. It is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before, and this challenging film will remain at the top of my list for years to come.

 

“The Artist”

This movie just hit theatres at CinéArts, and it is not one to be missed. Beyond the fact that it is going to win a bucket of Oscars, it is also the most charming and joyous movie I have seen all year. It’s a black-and-white silent movie that follows a movie star during the silent film era, when talkies started to become popular. Don’t be afraid of the premise–it’s guaranteed to be the most magical night at the movies this year.

 

“50/50”

You will laugh, you will cry and you will love “50/50.” Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character is diagnosed with cancer, and he must negotiate life with his best friend (Seth Rogen), his extremely young therapist (Anna Kendrick), his obsessive mother (Anjelica Huston) and his wet-blanket girlfriend (Bryce Dallas Howard). Everyone gives a touching performance, and I challenge you not to cry during this hilarious and heart-warming tale.

 

Second opinion: Best movies of 2011
Coutesy of Merie Wallace

“Super 8”

This alien monster movie was made on a relatively small budget, but it certainly packs the largest punch of any blockbuster I saw this year. A group of kids in a small town in the ‘70s stumbles across a train wreck while filming a student movie. The suspense and action are exhilarating, leaving you nostalgic for monster movies and pleasantly surprised at this charming yet thrilling film.

 

“Hugo”

This movie is just too difficult to put into a box. It’s a Martin Scorsese-directed children’s movie about a clock-fixing orphan in a train station, the limping train station security officer played by Sacha Baron Cohen, the disgruntled toy maker and his granddaughter. The train station is rendered with extravagant tones of gold and blue, and it will transport you to this foreign world where a love of going to the movies is all you need to join the club.

 

Honorable Mentions: “Horrible Bosses,” “Martha Marcy May Marlene,” “Midnight in Paris,” “The Muppets,” “Source Code”

 

 

Dishonorable Mentions:

 

“The Green Hornet”

Even though Seth Rogen lost all of that weight, he is unconvincing as a super hero, Chinese pop sensation Jay Chou is less interesting than cardboard and the once-terrifying Christoph Waltz looks like a clown. You know it’s truly a terrible movie when the best part about it is Cameron Diaz.

 

“Hop”

I was genuinely excited for this movie about the Easter Bunny’s son who just wants to be a rock-and-roll drummer. It was reductive and juvenile (although I should’ve guessed that), it forced un-cute animated chicks down your throat and the Easter Bunny world (on Easter Island, naturally) was so vile and tacky it made my eyes bleed.

The post Second opinion: Best movies of 2011 appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2011/12/07/second-opinion-best-movies-of-2011/feed/ 0 1052994
Review: ‘The Muppets’ https://stanforddaily.com/2011/12/02/review-the-muppets/ https://stanforddaily.com/2011/12/02/review-the-muppets/#respond Fri, 02 Dec 2011 08:41:14 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1052788 If you hate smiling, laughing, giggling, singing, dancing and all around joy, then maybe you should avoid “The Muppets.” However, if you want to smile, spend some time with everyone’s favorite puppets and sing along.

The post Review: ‘The Muppets’ appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
Review: 'The Muppets'
Courtesy of MCT

If you hate smiling, laughing, giggling, singing, dancing and all around joy, then maybe you should avoid “The Muppets.” However, if you want to smile, spend some time with everyone’s favorite puppets and sing along. Jason Segel finds this joy everywhere in this new addition to the Muppet universe. A well-known Muppet super fan, Segel took great care and reverence in adapting a new Muppets movie, and it shows in every frame.

 

The film follows two brothers, Gary (Segel) and Walter (Peter Linz), who happens to be a Muppet–don’t ask questions, just go with it. Walter joins Gary and his fiancée Mary (Amy Adams) on their trip to Los Angeles, where they fulfill one of Walter’s dreams and visit the Muppet Studios in Hollywood. They soon discover that the studio is run down and all but abandoned. Even worse, Walter uncovers a plot by the evilly named oil baron Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) to buy the Muppet Studios and drill for oil. Gary, Walter and Mary take it upon themselves to reunite the Muppet gang and help them raise the money to rescue the studio.

 

The fun begins as the gang slowly begins to come back together. We start to see a disillusioned Kermit, a rock-bottom Fozzie Bear and a successful-but-forlorn Miss Piggy out in the real world. Once together, they must figure out how to raise the money to stop Tex Richman from buying the studio. Fortunately, the Muppets begin performing again, and the movie comes full circle. The largest hurdle they face in trying to raise money is obsolescence–no one cares about the Muppets any more. Perhaps it is true that our society has left the Muppets behind, but with this movie about nostalgia and a respect for the entertainment that formed our personalities during childhood, the Muppets are truly back.

 

Each scene is filled with a wealth of small pleasures and delights. All of the characters are acutely aware that they are in a Muppet movie, which leads to a series of in-jokes and references that are refreshing and fun. There is also a string of cameos that are enjoyable if only to see Jack Black get kidnapped by Muppets. However, the movie’s standouts are definitely the toe-tapping songs. Equal parts catchy and playful, the slate of original songs and throwbacks to old favorites are bubbly and fun diversions that enliven each scene. Adams and Segel get sidelined to let the Muppets shine as the real stars, who perform so sincerely in each song that it’s hard not to be entirely enthralled by them.

 

While it is definitely a movie for kids, it is not a kiddie movie. “The Muppets” proves that there is room in the world for a movie with both complex themes and poignant messages, but also puppets wearing fart shoes.

The post Review: ‘The Muppets’ appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2011/12/02/review-the-muppets/feed/ 0 1052788
Review: “Dream House” https://stanforddaily.com/2011/10/07/review-dream-house/ https://stanforddaily.com/2011/10/07/review-dream-house/#respond Fri, 07 Oct 2011 07:54:46 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1050457 As the Halloween season begins, the time has come to cozy up in the movie theater with a big box of popcorn and a hand to hold during the scary parts of the thrillers that have become a seasonal treat. Fortunately, there is a new horror movie each weekend to frighten and delight. Sadly, "Dream House" is not one of those delightful flicks

The post Review: “Dream House” appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
Review: "Dream House"
Courtesy of Universal Pictures

As the Halloween season begins, the time has come to cozy up in the movie theater with a big box of popcorn and a hand to hold during the scary parts of the thrillers that have become a seasonal treat. Fortunately, there is a new horror movie each weekend to frighten and delight. Sadly, “Dream House” is not one of those delightful flicks.

Advertised as a psychological horror thriller in the paranormal identity footsteps of “Shutter Island,” “Dream House” investigates the story of Will Atenton (played by the ever-shirtless Daniel Craig) and his family. Will decides to quit his unimportant, cosmopolitan job to spend more time in the suburbs with his family. After moving into his new dream home, which looks like every other home in the world because Will apparently dreams of mediocrity, he begins to notice strange things: his neighbors won’t speak to his family, his daughter sees a man outside and a cliched group of misguided punk teenagers clandestinely hold a seance in his basement. When Will and his wife Libby (Rachel Weisz) learn that the previous father of the house gruesomely murdered his entire family, they finally decide that maybe Will should ask around.

Throughout the first half of the movie, paranoia lingers over the house with just a wisp of mysticism. Will’s detective work takes him from a neighboring house all the way to the insane asylum. There, he learns the shocking twist (one that was given away in the trailer, but mind the spoiler alert, just in case): Will is not really Will–he is the murdering father and has just been paroled from the asylum. His family exists only as his hallucinations, and he has been imagining the house in its former state of glory. The “dream” house is now revealed to be a decrepit shell, and Will has either suddenly aged five years or instantaneously developed a receding hairline, whichever seems more plausible.

The latter half devolves from a sub-standard hallucinatory horror film to a Lifetime criminal investigation movie. The melodrama is both overbearing and unexciting; a lecherous husband is brought into the fray, and the character of Libby just hangs around in the background (because even though Will hasn’t admitted she’s fictitious, the movie certainly has accepted her ghostly state) while Will talks with the mostly unnecessary neighbor Ann (Naomi Watts).

The lazy candor of the film is finally relinquished in the last 15 minutes. This is not for the better. Director Jim Sheridan, famous for helming ambitious Daniel Day-Lewis projects circa 1993, abandons his typical style of restrained melodrama for a frenzied melange of nonsense that results in the most perplexing and unemotional climax seen in theaters this year.

While the film is by no means a success, it isn’t a total failure. There are brief moments of legitimate–albeit completely cliche–tension in the first half: small children singing normal songs meant to seem scary, shots of people at the top of basement stairs, car attacks from an unseen driver, etc. Unfortunately, Daniel Craig’s hulky and capable presence, Rachel Weisz’s constantly watery eyes and the ephemeral moments of horror are nowhere near enough to save this misguided movie from its uneven tone and all-around lack of thrills, chills and blood spills.

Here’s looking forward to this coming weekend’s selection of horror: “The Human Centipede 2.”

The post Review: “Dream House” appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2011/10/07/review-dream-house/feed/ 0 1050457
Cannes: ‘The Artist’ review https://stanforddaily.com/2011/05/27/cannes-the-artist-review/ https://stanforddaily.com/2011/05/27/cannes-the-artist-review/#respond Fri, 27 May 2011 07:39:56 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1048927 "The Artist" is a silent breath of fresh air in a landscape of loud, grating movies and a hilarious respite from unoriginal comedies.

The post Cannes: ‘The Artist’ review appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>

Cannes: 'The Artist' review
Courtesy of Warner Bros. France

The idea of sitting in a movie theater for a modern, black and white, silent movie that isn’t for class and doesn’t star Charlie Chaplin could easily come off as daunting and overly pretentious. “The Artist,” however, avoids both those labels. It’s a silent breath of fresh air in a landscape of loud, grating movies and a hilarious respite from unoriginal comedies.

The film opens in 1927 at the height of famous silent actor George Valentin’s (Jean Dujardin) career. While he may not be the most sensitive person, he certainly is the most charming, using his extremely well-trained pet Jack Russell terrier to wow the crowds and impress everyone. Through a chance encounter, a trope that seems to happen only in the realm of old Hollywood movies, George gives ingénue Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo) her big break. The two are smitten with each other, but their love comes with a hitch, namely George’s wife. He’s happily married and has far too much honor to do anything. Two years later, the fictitious but all-powerful Kinograph Film Studio head (John Goodman) cancels all silent films. George, for reasons of his own, refuses to work in a world of talking cinema, and the inexorable wave of modernity sweeps him by.

With each moment, “The Artist” establishes itself as one of the smartest films out there. It’s made by expert parody director Michel Hazanavicius, famous for French spy films “OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies” and “OSS 117: Lost in Rio.” Here, he flexes his muscles in a completely different genre, approaching an antiquated idea with a modern perspective. He plays upon audience expectations of sound, creating tension and breaking it with incredible pacing.

The two leads, both famous in their own right in France, are relatively new to American audiences but destined for stateside stardom. Dujardin, who won best actor for this role at Cannes, is bursting with charisma, from the comedy with his dog to his Cary Grant tap dancing to even his comically thin mustache. He captures your heart, and you can’t help but sympathize, as he becomes a forgotten memory in an ever-changing world. Bejo shows off her own tap talents and makes you believe the turn from unknown nobody to radiant star all in a few scenes.

However, the award for best in show, pun certainly intended, goes to Uggy the dog. Not since Shadow from “Homeward Bound” has there been a dog so instantly loveable, and not since Dug from “Up” has there been a canine with such biting comedic wit, and not since Lassie has there been a dog so capably heroic. This pooch will leave you begging for more.

Since “The Artist” is about the relentless push toward modernity and the gems that get lost in its wake, it makes a really interesting reflexive statement as well. Here is a film that is so successful in using a past medium that it makes the audience feel a bit of nostalgia or at least a reverence for a long-forgotten art. Compared to the latest 3-D sequel and its various explosions and trendy rock soundtracks, “The Artist” will seem pretty out of place, but it’s so pristine in its presentation that it’s impossible to resist. Expect to see “The Artist” in theaters come awards season. It’ll certainly get people talking, even if its characters stay silent.

The post Cannes: ‘The Artist’ review appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2011/05/27/cannes-the-artist-review/feed/ 0 1048927
Cannes: ‘Martha Marcy May Marlene’ review https://stanforddaily.com/2011/05/27/cannes-martha-marcy-may-marlene-review/ https://stanforddaily.com/2011/05/27/cannes-martha-marcy-may-marlene-review/#respond Fri, 27 May 2011 07:37:12 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1048926 The construction of the movie, constantly jumping back and forth between the cult family and her real life family is meticulously written. Each scene informs the next, as the audience gets drawn deeper down into the emotional rabbit hole of Martha's psyche in one of the most thrilling and unexpected movies of the year.

The post Cannes: ‘Martha Marcy May Marlene’ review appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
Martha Marcy May Marlene” isn’t some adorable story about a family with an obsession with first names that start with the letter M. It’s a story of one girl who goes by different names when necessary. Elizabeth Olsen plays Martha, also known as Marcy May or Marlene, a young girl who escapes life at a modern cult. During the film, we watch her try to adjust to a normal life with her sister and her sister’s husband after living in such strange conditions.

Olsen, whose most famous role until now was just being the younger sister of the infamous Mary Kate and Ashley, carries the film with an incredibly brave and emotional performance. She draws the viewer into her character’s frailty and damage right from the moment she first seeks rescue from the cult. She easily produces the most talented performance we’ve seen from any Olsen sibling.

The cult aspect of this film is definitely the creepiest but most interesting. John Hawkes, fresh from an Oscar nomination for last year’s “Winter’s Bone,” plays the charismatic “family” father as he watches over a group of younger boys and girls who have joined this unique lifestyle.

The construction of the movie, constantly jumping back and forth between the cult family and her real life family is meticulously written. Each scene informs the next, as the audience gets drawn deeper down into the emotional rabbit hole of Martha’s psyche in one of the most thrilling and unexpected movies of the year.

The post Cannes: ‘Martha Marcy May Marlene’ review appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2011/05/27/cannes-martha-marcy-may-marlene-review/feed/ 0 1048926
Cannes: ‘The Skin I Live In’ review https://stanforddaily.com/2011/05/27/cannes-the-skin-i-live-in-review/ https://stanforddaily.com/2011/05/27/cannes-the-skin-i-live-in-review/#respond Fri, 27 May 2011 07:36:43 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1048925 Almodóvar has created a triumph of tone and tension in this erotic thriller, and it's more than a little terrifying too.

The post Cannes: ‘The Skin I Live In’ review appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
Cannes: 'The Skin I Live In' review
Courtesy of El Deseo

A man shows up on a doorstep completely out of the blue and manages to get into the house, tie up the housekeeper and sexually assault the patient living upstairs — all while, naturally, dressed as a tiger. This tension pitted against absurdist comedy is exactly the type of thing to expect in a Pedro Almodóvar movie.

In “The Skin I Live In“, Antonio Banderas plays Robert Ledgard, a doctor who houses his own patients and has been working on a top secret, highly influential project — how to artificially grow new skin. However, the audience knows this just doesn’t add up. The patient he keeps in his house, Vera (Elena Anaya), seems perfectly healthy, but wears only a nylon body suit and is locked in her stark room at all times. Her kidnapping is just the beginning of a tightly woven tale of family and revenge.

The perfectly titled film focuses mostly on the contradiction between outer appearances and the inner soul. Almodóvar creates a scenario where the addition of new skin represents a larger physical change and contrasts with the emotional frailties that are left behind. This is demonstrated best in plot points too macabre and gruesome to mention, but also in smaller details such as spotlights on tattoos and wrinkles. The meticulous absurdity of each moment unspools as if in a Spanish soap opera, which doesn’t seem too implausible considering that it is a Spanish movie. There are fantastic character revelations slipped so seamlessly into the plot that the absurdity just works.

Almodóvar has created a triumph of tone and tension in this erotic thriller, and it’s more than a little terrifying too — the doctor is menacing in a subtle and calculating way.

For those not familiar with Spanish cinema or Almodóvar’s work, this is an excellent point of entry. The tension is so tightly wound that you forget you’re watching a film. It seems, instead, as though you’re living the story with the characters in this highly stylized nightmare.

The post Cannes: ‘The Skin I Live In’ review appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2011/05/27/cannes-the-skin-i-live-in-review/feed/ 0 1048925
Cannes: ‘Drive’ review https://stanforddaily.com/2011/05/27/cannes-drive-review/ https://stanforddaily.com/2011/05/27/cannes-drive-review/#respond Fri, 27 May 2011 07:35:39 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1048924 This summer, when all of the big, action-packed movies are released, don’t be the one to miss “Drive” for the biggest adrenaline rush all year.

The post Cannes: ‘Drive’ review appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
This summer, when all of the big, action-packed movies are released, don’t be the one to miss “Drive” for the biggest adrenaline rush all year. It might seem like the indie-film version of “The Fast and the Furious,” and maybe it is, but the payoff is just so much greater. The action bites harder, the romance is more sincere and the car chases are top gear.

Ryan Gosling is the hero in this “modern fairy tale,” playing a professional stunt driver by day and a criminal getaway driver by night. We first meet him on a job — the fun kind. He doesn’t talk much, sets strict rules and promises success to his clients. His first mission here is one of the most harrowing car chases put to screen in recent movies, and it’s only the first one.

There’s also some romance to this fairy tale. Carey Mulligan plays Irene, a young mother with a husband in jail who happens to be next-door neighbors with Gosling’s nameless driver. Their romance happens quickly, quietly and sincerely. However, the romantic moments don’t last long. The driver tosses his hat into the ring for another job, and things don’t go as planned. He soon becomes entangled in a deeper crime ring as a bounty is placed on his head. This is where things get violent. Director Nicolas Winding Refn has been a master of gore, and he doesn’t hold back. Nothing is ever unnecessary, but it certainly is never polite or subtle. The action comes in quick, unadulterated bursts that could remind the viewer of Scorsese’s early cathartic violence.

Gosling and Mulligan have never turned in less than perfect performances, and “Drive” is no exception. They both create incredibly charming and complex characters with very little dialogue. The supporting cast is equally great. Bryan Cranston (Walter White from “Breaking Bad” to hipsters and the dad from “Malcolm in the Middle” to plebeians) plays Gosling’s boss, a man who harbors some dark secrets of his own. Christina Hendricks, from “Mad Men,” has her moment as one of the criminals Gosling has to drive. Perhaps the most surprising performance is comedian Albert Brooks as a shady mob character. He brings a well-mannered menace and elevates a small role into something brilliant.

The action is slick and the car chases slicker, but there is a certain grit that coats this whole movie in an ‘80s-throwback light. The soundtrack is equally important in creating this homage, and at times it almost feels like a John Hughes movie. “Drive” is going to be one of the biggest events of the summer, and it’s not to be missed, even if you have to cover your eyes a little during the elevator scene. You’ve been warned.

The post Cannes: ‘Drive’ review appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2011/05/27/cannes-drive-review/feed/ 0 1048924
The glitz, the glamour and, oh yeah, the movies https://stanforddaily.com/2011/05/20/the-glitz-the-glamour-and-oh-yeah-the-movies/ https://stanforddaily.com/2011/05/20/the-glitz-the-glamour-and-oh-yeah-the-movies/#respond Fri, 20 May 2011 10:00:05 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1048690 I'm currently at the prestigious, if pretentious, Cannes Film Festival which runs for 10 days in a tiny town on the French Riviera. This year's movie lineup has been its most extravagant in years, from Cannes favorites like Terrence Malick, Lars von Trier, Pedro Almodóvar and Woody Allen peppered throughout the week.

The post The glitz, the glamour and, oh yeah, the movies appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
The glitz, the glamour and, oh yeah, the movies
Courtesy of MCT

As I sit on the beach in the south of France, looking at the craggy hills that surround the bay filled with expensive yachts and cruise ships, I realize just how unique the Cannes experience is. I’m currently at the prestigious, if pretentious, Cannes Film Festival which runs for 10 days in a tiny town on the French Riviera. This year’s movie lineup has been its most extravagant in years, from Cannes favorites like Terrence Malick, Lars von Trier, Pedro Almodóvar and Woody Allen peppered throughout the week. The famous celebrities are also making the trek across the globe like it’s the Oscars plus MTV Movie Awards on steroids with A-listers ranging from Kanye West to Johnny Depp to teen favorites like Vanessa Hudgens.

However, the life of a student-journalist here is a little less glamorous. The first barrier is the intense hierarchy within the system. As with most everywhere, it’s more about who you know, so stars and wealthy producers have free reign of the festival. Next comes the press with its own separate hierarchy of colored badges ranging from the “Roger Ebert” white to your unknown-blog-photographer orange. At the lowest of the low are the film students, struggling film producers and plain old tourists. I was lucky enough to get a yellow press pass, a step above orange, three below white. Still pretty dismal, but I can attend any screening I please… except the fancy tuxedo-required galas. For those below me, they stand outside the Palais de Festival, the ugliest and most important building to Cannes, for hours on end, in tuxes and ball gowns holding tiny signs that beg for a ticket to anything. Those less curious about foreign films and more intent on the stars set up camp at the sidelines of the red carpet for as long as four hours.

The glitz, the glamour and, oh yeah, the movies
Courtesy of Getty

I, instead, wait in long lines of up to a mere hour for an obscure Israeli comedy, watching the entire higher-level press saunter through in front of me before finally getting a seat in the back row next to a group of chatty Italian web journalists. I actually liked the film and am actually lucky to have gotten in at all, but the experience is a bit absurd and tiring. Also, to see the bigger films, all press must attend 8:30 a.m. screenings. Try watching a Spanish serial killer movie or a black and white silent film at the crack of dawn on three hours of sleep — it’s a character-building experience, regardless of how enjoyable the movie is. Fortunately, all of the journalists are in it together. We wait in the long lines, we complain about the ingratiating Korean documentaries, we praise the gutsy niche films and we all trade stories and recommendations freely.

There is also the ever-present chance that you’ll see a celebrity. You’re watching a movie when suddenly Adrien Brody is a few rows behind you. I even had a friend that had her toe stepped on by Robert DeNiro — like any self-respecting Canadian, she apologized to him. It’s also definitely possible to break into these parties. This is probably an appropriate time to thank the editors of Indiewire and Variety, who I have never met, but bouncers and security will tell you that “I am with” them. The stories from the even more exclusive parties get increasingly absurd, ranging from impromptu Jamie Foxx concerts to free horse rides around the villa. And while the drinks are always free, no one is dancing because they’re all talking. This is a place where producers and talent come together to meet and greet, rub shoulders and make deals.

The glitz, the glamour and, oh yeah, the movies
Courtesy of Getty

Without connections, I’m usually left on the beach watching the parties happen on exclusive yachts in the harbor or in a lavish villa up in the hills. However, I’m perfectly happy lounging on the beach, catching a glimpse of Penelope Cruz or Meredith Vieira, discovering tiny films months before they get released in America and dressing up to get into B-list (or C-list or D-list) party. Tonight, I’ll be watching a classic film the festival shows on the beach under the stars along with a few of my new journalist friends. Don’t worry; you’re allowed to be jealous. I am too.

The post The glitz, the glamour and, oh yeah, the movies appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2011/05/20/the-glitz-the-glamour-and-oh-yeah-the-movies/feed/ 0 1048690
Cannes: ‘The Tree of Life’ review https://stanforddaily.com/2011/05/20/cannes-the-tree-of-life-review/ https://stanforddaily.com/2011/05/20/cannes-the-tree-of-life-review/#respond Fri, 20 May 2011 07:48:21 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1048699 For a film with imagery this powerful and a message so elusive, it deserves to be seen in a theater with a long coffee break afterward to discuss and digest the scenes.

The post Cannes: ‘The Tree of Life’ review appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
Cannes: 'The Tree of Life' review
Courtesy of Fox Searchlight

For cinephiles everywhere, Terrence Malick’s “The Tree of Life” has been an event too long in the making. After the torturous wait, as the film’s release was delayed year after year, we finally live in a world where “The Tree of Life” is a reality.

Featuring Brad Pitt and the soon-to-be-ubiquitous Jessica Chastain as parents during the 1950s, “The Tree of Life” loosely charts the influence of each parent on their children and the effect that takes. This result is reflected as one of their sons grows up and is played by Sean Penn in present day. These two narratives are intensely juxtaposed with a larger macro vision of influence on life — the creation of earth. If this sounds like it might be disparate, confusing or just plain weird, then you’re only just starting to understand the unique complexity of this film. With this, it becomes quickly evident that there is no way to discuss or watch this without opening up to the larger philosophical discussions at hand, for that is all there really is.

Malick leads the audience through a thoroughly visual story, reading more as a cinematic essay, or dare I say a “text in conversation,” than a traditional film. Wondrous and powerful images of space, nature and, most intriguingly, dinosaurs, are not only sprinkled throughout the conventional narrative, but are woven into a 15-minute visual opera of the creation of the universe. A spiritual if not entirely religious overtone is carried throughout, as the inexorable forces of nature are pitted against the passive yet ever powerful notions of grace and mercy.

This tension is a repetitive theme, as Pitt becomes the overbearing and relentless father and the serene Chastain the embodiment of grace. Fortunately, both actors are extremely capable and manage to create dynamic characters while also working within this more holistic framework. Their partnership is a magical experience, imbued with a certain spontaneity from the director.

Much of the absolutely gorgeous film is captured as if it were a series of memories from a childhood — possibly your own. The children play kick-the-can in the street, they chase their mother with a lizard throughout the house, and it always feels as if you knew them, were them. The memories float ephemerally by, and each is exploding with energy. The same fleeting instances find a connection with nature. The trees, flowers, lizards, frogs and, yes, even the dinosaurs are as much characters in the film as Sean Penn, all contributing to a larger, grander message that always seems just out of reach, like a dream remembered too late in the morning.

Here at the Cannes Film Festival, “The Tree of Life” has sparked a bit of a controversy after a series of boos at the first screening. Some have hated it, calling it pretentious and saying it values style over substance. There is truly more to this film than that, but it is so visually new and different that it’s bound to cause a discussion about the religion, philosophy and purpose of cinema as a whole. For a fun Friday night out with friends, this may not be the best choice. But for a film with imagery this powerful and a message so elusive, it deserves to be seen in a theater with a long coffee break afterward to discuss and digest the scenes. Most importantly, it deserves to be seen, for better or for worse.

The post Cannes: ‘The Tree of Life’ review appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2011/05/20/cannes-the-tree-of-life-review/feed/ 0 1048699
Cannes: ‘Pirates of the Caribbean 4’ Review https://stanforddaily.com/2011/05/20/cannes-pirates-of-the-caribbean-4-review/ https://stanforddaily.com/2011/05/20/cannes-pirates-of-the-caribbean-4-review/#respond Fri, 20 May 2011 07:40:38 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1048696 If you are a fan of the other "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies, then you will certainly fall for this one as well. It definitely is an adequate successor; however, it might not be worth the price of the 3-D glasses.

The post Cannes: ‘Pirates of the Caribbean 4’ Review appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
There are three certainties when dealing with this swashbuckling family-fun film. Firstly, the film is going to plunder enough pockets this weekend to have the option for a fifth film. The “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise has grossed over $2.5 billion worldwide. Secondly, Johnny Depp is going to be delivering the same hilarious and fun-drunken swagger of a performance. (It’s not a complaint, just inevitability.) And thirdly, this quasi-reboot will never live up to the first film.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides sends Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow on a quest for the fountain of youth. Along the way, he runs into the dread pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane) and his daughter Angelica (Penelope Cruz). Capt. Jack and Angelica meet under less than ideal circumstances, as former lovers now thrown together by circumstance. Cruz holds her own in a sexy, confident and extremely physically demanding role. While she planned on doing most of her own stunt work, due to her pregnancy, her sister filled in for some of the shoot.

As the film rollicks along, nothing feels new or exciting. Even with new and flashier director Rob Marshall at the helm, the movie falls back into an eerily comfortable familiarity. The bombastic and inspiring Hans Zimmer score feels like you never stopped hearing it, and the lavish sets and Jack Sparrow’s witty one-liners are absolutely everywhere.

Where the film actually feels a little empty is the lack of Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley. They grounded the film with their outsiders’ perspectives, not having been fully indoctrinated into the pirate life until the third installment. In this film, the romance is more of an afterthought, and there’s a hole where Bloom and Knightley used to be.

Perhaps the biggest problem with the film is the use of 3-D. When a film requires oversized glasses to make cannonballs burst out of the screen at the audience, everything always seems about two shades darker. This isn’t a huge problem in most movies, where the action is taking place in broad daylight against vibrant colors. However, the majority of the action in “On Stranger Tides” takes place at night. Suddenly, all of the fun action is masked in a haze of darkness. Not to mention, the 3-D also seems to be the product of marketing necessity, rather than any original, creative impulses. There is never a moment where viewers are actually excited by the effect.

Aside from a couple of ridiculous action sequences and a few too many swings from a chandelier, the action is constantly engaging and thrilling. If you are a fan of the other “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies, then you will certainly fall for this one as well. It definitely is an adequate successor; however, it might not be worth the price of the 3-D glasses.

And for those hardcore Johnny Depp/Jack Sparrow fans, the last line is one you’ve been waiting for since the first movie and feels like the perfect ending.

The post Cannes: ‘Pirates of the Caribbean 4’ Review appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2011/05/20/cannes-pirates-of-the-caribbean-4-review/feed/ 0 1048696
Cannes: ‘We Need to Talk About Kevin’ review https://stanforddaily.com/2011/05/20/cannes-we-need-to-talk-about-kevin-review/ https://stanforddaily.com/2011/05/20/cannes-we-need-to-talk-about-kevin-review/#respond Fri, 20 May 2011 07:40:14 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1048697 "We Need to Talk About Kevin" is a win for fans of the original Lionel Shriver novel of the same name.

The post Cannes: ‘We Need to Talk About Kevin’ review appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
Cannes: 'We Need to Talk About Kevin' review
Courtesy of BBC Films

We Need to Talk About Kevin” is a win for fans of the original Lionel Shriver novel of the same name. The film is great, but if you haven’t yet read the book, you might be left a little bit in the dark. Lynne Ramsay, one of four female directors here at the festival, creates a highly stylized universe around the film’s horrific events, which distances the viewer while allowing the true emotional psychosis of her protagonist to fill the screen.

“Kevin” follows Eva (the always-phenomenal Tilda Swinton) in the events leading up to and right after her son Kevin (Ezra Miller) commits a Columbine-style high-school mass murder. The puzzle pieces are laid out all through the movie, allowing you to peer directly into Kevin’s ghastly plans, completely unbeknownst to the other characters. The movie weaves the past and present together in an unsettling way, accentuating the rise and fall of Eva’s emotions.

The film dives right into a first act filled with lots of imagery, style and tone, but not enough coherency. There’s a window, then a tomato fight, then Eva alone in a house, then Eva with her family in a different house. It’s all too easy to get lost in, and it makes the audience work to follow her. Ramsay also uses a lot of red throughout the film, obviously to indicate the upcoming catastrophe. The color finds itself everywhere in the film as things go splat — tomatoes, paint, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches — you name it.

I was drawn away from the deeper emotions in this movie much too often by its endless song cues — specifically, scenes that didn’t add to the narrative except perhaps, “Oh, the main character is still feeling unsettled, but now in a scared way” — and also by the over-the-top acting of the actors portraying Kevin at different ages. They weren’t necessarily bad actors; rather, it seemed to be a stylistic choice to have them play every scene with the same one sinister emotion. There is never a redeeming moment; we cannot side with anyone in this movie. You just want to shake all the characters in the film and tell them to stop it.

Maybe that’s part of the inevitability of the whole thing. Sometimes we know what’s going to happen, and we are powerless to stop it. That’s a bummer.

The post Cannes: ‘We Need to Talk About Kevin’ review appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2011/05/20/cannes-we-need-to-talk-about-kevin-review/feed/ 0 1048697
Cannes: ‘Restless’ review https://stanforddaily.com/2011/05/20/cannes-restless-review/ https://stanforddaily.com/2011/05/20/cannes-restless-review/#respond Fri, 20 May 2011 07:33:30 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1048700 One good performance cannot save this movie from its vintage-painted emptiness.

The post Cannes: ‘Restless’ review appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
Cannes: 'Restless' review
Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Let’s get the ridiculout plot of “Restless” right out of the way. Enoch, played by Henry Hopper, a newcomer (also Dennis Hopper’s son), has recently lost his parents, dropped out of school, found an obsession with death and started hanging out at strangers’ funerals. He also now has an invisible friend named Hiroshi who is the ghost of a Japanese Kamikaze pilot from World War II. He is the very definition of indie movie quirk. At one of these funerals, he meets the terminally ill Annabel, played by Mia Wasikowska, better known as Alice in last year’s “Alice in Wonderland.” The film is directed by well-known auteur Gus Van Sant (“Good Will Hunting,” “Milk”) who won the Palme d’Or in 2003 for “Elephant.”

If you haven’t heard the term before, Annabel is Enoch’s manic-pixie dream girl — the girl who has her own set of undeniable quirks all under an unfailingly positive attitude, who falls in love with the troubled male lead and, through the powers of love, cures his depression. The movie never takes any dramatic or unexpected turns; it ends just how it has to end, and you are left wondering most of the time why the ghost is a Japanese fighter pilot — so consider that plotline spoiled.

Fortunately, the movie is saved in the style category. It’s a pretty movie made with pretty people. Everyone’s clothing looks like it came right out of a Calvin Klein ad as they run through the forest and discover run-down, vintage houses. The two leads are breathtakingly attractive even though Wasikowska sports a masculine haircut. The music is probably the most distinct aspect of the film, as its indie guitar melodies carry the whole movie in this twee dream-like space where the leads’ relationship seems destined to work.

The majority of the movie, however, is simply comprised of pretty people doing nothing. They play games with each other and with dead people, they trace their outlines in chalk as if they have died, and the parallels between her dying and his dying inside are made all too obvious. Van Sant’s film hovers far too much on the clean and polished surface to incite any real emotions at all. And then, of course, there’s the kamikaze pilot. What’s he doing there?

The promise of this movie is that Wasikowska elevates her given material into something almost real. She delivers a finely nuanced performance and makes her screen partner seem a thousand times better, which still isn’t saying much for Henry Hopper. Sadly, one good performance cannot save this movie from its vintage-painted emptiness.

The post Cannes: ‘Restless’ review appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

]]>
https://stanforddaily.com/2011/05/20/cannes-restless-review/feed/ 0 1048700