Begin Again (2013)

4/5

John Carney's Begin Again is a touching musical drama. Keira Knightley plays a songwriter who discovers her boyfriend, celebrity singer Dave Kohl (Levine), has cheated on her. Alone in New York, she meets up with an old friend (Corden) and they sing at an open mic night. The simple, unvarnished ballad she delivers grabs the attention of a music producer (Ruffalo) who was just fired from the studio he founded. They form an unlikely partnership and work together on a bold idea for a new album, in which every song is recorded live in the streets of New York.

If it sounds familiar, it's because it's written and directed by the same person who made Once: John Carney. The songs are tender and soulful, well-made and heartfelt. With indie filmmaking and an indie spirit, the movie as a whole absolutely delights. The big problem is that Begin Again feels so much like Carney's previous musical. That doesn't make it bad, just tired and old. The only reason I like this more than Once is that it takes place in New York and is targeted more toward American sensibilities. But redoing the same type of story filled with the same type of songs for a different time and place isn't enough. I want to see new stuff from this brilliant musical director. I want to know what else he's capable of.

The acting was fantastic. Knightley delivers another stellar performance, filled with small looks and movements that carry enormous weight to them. Her singing voice isn't bad either. Adam Levine is like her opposite, with awesome singing but mediocre acting. The rest of the cast is fantastic, somehow bringing a vivacity to the movie that gives it an instant nostalgia, like you're watching a once-in-a-lifetime event unfold before your very eyes. I think that's Carney's strongest aspect as a director, creating an urgency to his movies and compelling you to watch them. I can't wait for his next one; I just hope he brings more to the table that we haven't seen before.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1980929/

Captain Phillips (2013)

4.9/5

Paul Greengrass's Captain Phillips is a superbly-crafted thriller. Based on a true story (similar to his previous work United 93), it somehow manages to keep you in suspense, on the edge of your seat in anticipation, uncertain of its conclusion. The movie follows the titular character, in a stellar turn by Tom Hanks, as his boat gets attacked by Somali pirates. I won't give away any more details in the hopes that you get to enjoy all the surprises from the very beginning, but suffice it to say the entire 2 hours are enthralling. You will exit the theater with white knuckles from gripping the armrests so hard.

Owning the Shakicam documentary-style footage (which I tend not to be a fan of in general), Greengrass provides an authentic texture to his film. It put us in the action without making us nauseated. And nothing feels staged or scripted (except for the car ride in the first 5 minutes of the movie). We are swept along, in seeming real-time, as the terrifying, bewildering events unfold. Hanks gives a spectacular performance, running the gamut of emotions, allowing us insight into his ingenuity, courage, and humanity. Although we only see his character for several hours, we understand his whole being, every aspect of what makes him the man that he is. That is no small feat, but Hanks makes it seem natural, expected, easy.

I watched the closing credits still reeling, vividly aware of the magic that had been created on screen and shared with the world. I was awash with sundry sensations: relief, pride, anger, hope. It took me several minutes for my pulse to normalize, to digest everything I had just witnessed. And I remained in awe even after that, because it is simply that good. Captain Phillips is a stunning example of why we go to the movies.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1535109/

Where The Wild Things Are (2009)

3/5

Spike Jonze's Where The Wild Things Are is a technical marvel but an emotional disappointment. The plot follows a young, lonely Max (Records) who is unable to express all the feelings he experiences as he grows up. After an argument with his mother, he runs away into the woods and finds himself in the land of the Wild Things. For those who have never read the book (or seen the trailers), the Wild Things are 8 foot tall monsters with gigantic heads. They are without a doubt the stars of the show, with phenomenal costuming and superb computer graphics. They seem so real in every sense of the word; it is an incredible feat of filmmaking prowess.

But the rest of the movie makes very little sense. The lack of a plot makes the 90 minute runtime exhausting and boring instead of engaging and exciting. Most of the characters are relatively unlikable and possess very few redeeming qualities. And what were we supposed to take from the movie? What I did like was how the film was able to conjure up the point of view of a young child who doesn't always get what he wants and doesn't understand why. The sadness on his face when other kids destroy his igloo is genuine and palpable. The way he plays with his mother's stockings when she's working effuses the loneliness he feels. Emotionally, there is much potential but it is never fully explored or satisfactorily concluded. If you like Spike Jonze and don't much care for the content then you will like this movie much more than if you love the book and don't know who Spike Jonze is. Enjoy at your own risk.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0386117/

Synecdoche, New York (2008)

2/5

Synecdoche, New York follows Philip Seymour Hoffman as a theatre director who receives a "genius" scholarship that allows him the freedom to realize his lifelong theatrical vision without any financial distractions. He decides to makes a play with a universal message; he wants it to be about everything and everyone. He replicates New York City in a gigantic warehouse with millions of extras. Eventually, he starts casting actors to play the people in his own life, including himself, as he watches them. And it just gets weirder and weirder from there. Helming this bizarre, surreal pic is Charlie Kaufman himself, the brilliant writer behind Being John Malkovich, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Adaptation. I don't know what goes on in Kaufman's head, but I want nothing more to do with it unless a skilled director is tempering it to something comprehensible. Because this whole production was just a confusing mess.

The movie's one saving grace was its humor. It was ubiquitous and off the charts. Even when I was frustrated and annoyed by the film's seeming impenetrable complexity and nebulous thematics, Kaufman's writing could still make me laugh. And that's really the ony positive thing I have to say about this movie. I do not ever want to see another movie that Charlie Kaufman both writes and directs. Ever.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0383028/

The Interpreter (2005)

3/5

Sydney Pollack's The Interpreter is a skillfully-made political thriller. The plot follows Nicole Kidman as a translator of African tongues. One night after hours she hears about an assassination threat. The next day she reports it and Sean Penn from the Secret Service is assigned to protect her. The only problem is he doesn't believe her, because she may be closely involved in the situation. I really liked the plot and how it unfolded; the mystery consistently intrigued me while the suspense kept me on my toes. The tense atmosphere is without a doubt the best part about the movie. I could feel my pulse racing through almost the entire second half of the movie. Unfortunately, the pieces relating to the politics were pretty generic, made more worthless by being completely fictitious.

I actually liked the acting, although I found the characters a bit cookie cutter. The writing and dialogue were poor, whereas the cinematography was adequate and the editing was excellent. The music melded perfectly with the editing to create the appropriate energy and excitement. As far as thrillers go, this is top notch. It's just the rest of the stuff that's under par. If you were interested in seeing this when it came out, I don't think you'll be disappointed. But I won't be recommending it to anyone who hasn't heard of it before.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0373926/

Into the Wild (2007)

3/5

Sean Penn's Into the Wild is a touching story poorly told. Penn recounts, with a reckless abandonment of cinematic intelligence, young Chris McCandless's own reckless attempt to abandon society and live on his wits in the wild. The emotions he feels, the adventures he experiences, the people he encounters--all are striking and make this film as moving as it is. The rest is overlong dreck. The whole thing feels like one long montage, with little backbone to ground and support the story. While the cinematography was breathtaking, the editing was so rapid and hectic that it was hard to fully comprehend what was going on. Scenes extend for far too long or have no point. The music, excellent in its own right, often ruins the mood by coming in and out at times it shouldn't have. It always, and I mean always, seems out of place. Oh, and the acting was really good for the most part.

There is an extraordinary amount of inane voice-over narration that tries to make some sense out of the mess that is this movie, but it fails at that and simply pains the ears. Penn clearly does not know how to adapt, because its literary roots show in the frequent uncinematic moments that might work in a book but clearly fail in this movie. Still, it was enjoyable every now and again, and had the potential to really move an involved viewer, but it should have been 90 minutes instead of 150 and written (and directed) by someone who knows how to. Watch it if you're already interested, but I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend it to someone.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0758758/

The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005)

4/5

The 40-Year-Old Virgin is an atypically smart take on a typically dumb comedy. It succeeds not because it generates more laughs, but because it generates more empathy. While I actually found most of the characters shallow and stereotypical, the titular role is surprisingly fleshed out. Carell's perfectly nuanced performance was amazing. I was blown away by a simple yet necessary line of dialogue he utters near the end that belies the simplicity and stupidity of the plot: "I got this when I was in second grade! Do you know how hard it is for a kid to not open that?" It is by far my favorite line in the movie. A close second comes from Seth Rogen's character: "You wait for it to grow into a plant... and then you fuck the plant."

The movie works well throughout. It is funny and it has heart, but it also has problems. Many scenes were side stories thrown in for comedic effect. And though it didn't usually happen, some jokes fell absolutely flat. The flashback/montages were stylistically jarring. And the story jumped around a lot. Because of this, the runtime was a bit long, which made the obligatory "discovery to argument to hatred to realization of true love" at the end seem tedious instead of tender. But again, being a huge Office fan, I love seeing the actors cameo in minor roles. I saw Knocked Up and enjoyed it; I think I may have enjoyed this movie more though, so I highly recommend it.

IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0405422/