The Cast/Crew:
Directed by Lasse Hallstrom (the Cider House Rules)
Written by Peter Hedges (Source Writer)
Starring: Johnny Depp (Gilbert Grape,) Leonardo DiCaprio (Arnie Grape,) Juliette Lewis (Becky)
The Basic Synopsis:
Gilbert Grape lives a horrible life. He is poor and lives on a farm with his mentally ill brother (DiCaprio,) his morbidly obese mother (Darlene Cates,) and other siblings who only try to ruin his life more. Gilbert's brother Arnie likes to climb the water-tower. Arnie is about to turn 18 and cannot live without the help of Gilbert. All this time, Gilbert works at a grocery store and when he is making a delivery, one of the desperate housewives seduces him right as her husband is coming home. Bottom line: his life sucks. He's about to reach his breaking point which is sort of what this movie is trying to be about. It's kinda hard to tell by the time the film finishes.
How it Turned Out:
Not all bad, but definitely no where near all good. Leonardo DiCaprio gives the performance of a lifetime as does Johnny Depp. But when you get down to it, the script for this film was painfully bad. Hallstrom (as usual) brings the incredible shots one after another. Overall (time to use a critic term,) if this film found out what it wants to be when it grows up, it would be an incredible one. It doesn't succeed on any of the darker themes it tries to bring out. It could be interpreted that Gilbert has duties, and he must do them (as we all do.) It could be interpreted that Gilbert has to suffer for other people (as we all do.) It could be about how Gilbert has to take care of himself (as we all do.) It tries very hard to succeed in all of these, yet (in the end) fails at all of them very miserably.
What's incredible about it:
There is not a single bad performance in this film. Everyone is incredible (even the much younger actors.)
What's even more incredible about it:
That Roger Ebert gave it 4 stars out of 4 (I guess that's not really about it but still incredibly strange.)
Bottom Line:
See it only if you want to. It is very missable. The script is bad, performances are incredible the directing is incredible. 2½/4 Stars
Monday, June 30, 2008
Sunday, June 29, 2008
The Top Ten Films
Many people ask, "Why would you care about the best ten? It's just an opinion." Other people say you shouldn't compare art. For everyone else, here's my top 10 films of all time.
1. Citizen Kane (1941)
In case you didn't get the memo, Citizen Kane deserves to be the best film ever because not only is it the most influential directing, but Welles delivers a flawless performance and an even better script. I won't dwell on why this is here because people have written entire novels on why Citizen Kane is so incredible. However, here are a handful of things it started: showing the ceilings of buildings, inventing deep focus, having people talk over each other, and finally, popularized the non-linear plot.
2. Vertigo (1958)
No surprise here because Vertigo is one of the few films that makes you live it. Although you could argue that the performances, directing and script are the best part of this film, I think the best aspect of Vertigo is it's incredible score. As a musician, I not only find it brilliant, I find it to be absolutely perfect for the film it underlines. Do not let what I just said take away from the directing, the performances or the script. Hitchcock takes us into "Scottie's" world especially during the scenes in absolute silence. He slowly brings us into the obsession of Scottie and we eventually feel as if we are a friend of his watching him suffer. James Stewart is haunting and makes his performance in The Philadelphia Story seem like something Ashton Kutcher would be able to pull off. The script brings us in twisting around every corner and never letting us have a peek of whats around that corner. All of these aspects (when put together) creates an incredible film that makes the bravest people afraid of hights.
3. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
I don't think anyone is surprised by this being here either, but I will still give you my 2 cents about it. 2001: A Space Odyssey truly brought film (pun intended) to the final frontier. It let filmmakers do what they want and just give it a shot. This strange film let them not be held back by the "rules of film making." Kubrick took a shot and it came out as one of the best cinematic experiences ever. From the beautiful images to the inventive script, 2001 delivers a mostly silent, never-boring, odyssey into Kubrick's mind.
4. Singin' in the Rain (1952)
Many people ask me why this film is incredible. The only answer I can say is that it is absolutely flawless and the most fun a film has ever delivered. From the now-classic music to the magnificent dance-numbers, this is a wild ride. There is absolutely nothing wrong with anything in this film. Gene Kelly directs and choreographs this as well as doing a magnificent performance as a musician gone stunt-man gone blockbuster actor. The plot-line seems like common sense now as well. Above all of these reasons I just mentioned, the most amazing thing is that you can watch this film twenty times in a row and never get bored! It is all fun, all the time, each and every time.
5. The Godfather Part I and II (1972 and 1974)
I especially like the scene in Godfather Part II where Michael is talking to his wife about Fredo. It's slow, it's natural and above all, it is nearly pitch black. Every single moment in both parts of The Godfather was incredible as far as cinematography go. But what was revolutionary about the Godfather series was that, for the first time, we are told the story of the mafia from the inside out. We never hear about what the general population thinks about the Corleone family, we don't even know if the general population know they exist! Although I said it was revolutionary, the best aspect of the Godfather is the fact that it trusts its audience's intelligence more than almost any film I have ever seen. It tells the story from the anti-hero's view and we only know what he knows. If he thinks something is implied, Al Pacino never says something is implied, we just see it in his face. This is both incredible as an acting performance and as a directing performance.
6. Amarcord (1973)
Here is where controversy is sparked. Very few people appreciate Amarcord as much as I do. What I love about Amarcord is not just Fellini's incredible, strange, brilliant and beautiful directing, but his Fellini's off-beat, ahead of its time screenplay. Amarcord is one of the few films that can draw in audience of all ages. It climaxes more effectively than any other film and builds on its caricature style characters. Overall, this film succeeds on a few levels: as a comedy, as a romance, as a coming of age drama and as a religion drama. The characters are purposely a bit over-the-top and Fellini stays close to their personalities. What's often overlooked in Amarcord are the incredible performances delivered by mostly unknown actors. The bottom line is that this is a must-see film that has, in my opinion, the best script ever written.
7. The Graduate (1967)
Here comes more controversy because a lot of people (including critic Roger Ebert) find it to be "a good topical movie whose time has passed." I clearly could not disagree more. Mike Nichols directs one of the best directorial performances in cinematic history as the incredible star power of Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft, and Katharine Ross let this film flow through us. The often copied and parodied script is legendary while every single frame of this film was thought out and acted flawlessly. On the whole, it is not easy to find a single thing wrong with this film.
8. Psycho (1960)
"I'm not even gonna swat that fly..." We all know the script, some of us word for word. Psycho is a chilling film with quite possibly the best performances I've ever seen. Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh make the motel scenes the tightest, most tense scenes in any film. Each time we see it, we know what it going to happen in the end, and yet each time, we are surprised. Is this Hitchcock's directing? Is it the superb acting? Is it the script? We can never truly know, but it is effective, to say the least. My personal favorite shot in Psycho is when Norman leans over to look at the registration book and we see only the bottom of his chin. Did Hitchcock do this to make the scene awkward? Did he do it show that Norman is controlling all the characters who are present? Is Hitchcock trying to tell us that we are getting to know every aspect of him? I personally like to feel that Hitchcock had all of these in mind when filming, and it somehow managed to come out beautiful; even in black and white.
9. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
Bear with me. You are probably thinking that A Clockwork Orange is just a stupid little thriller that no one really cares about. I usually like to think that everyone is entitled to an opinion and no opinion can be wrong, but in this case, if you cannot see into the symbolism, you are wrong in calling it stupid. I'll tell you a few things you probably didn't know about A Clockwork Orange. First, the title comes from the author Burgess's trip to Malaysia. The Cockney saying goes, "as queer as a clockwork orange." This can be taken for face value, or, if you look into it, you will be told that orang (in Malay) means human. Burgess thought this would be a perfect pun to say that Alex is strange and has become clockwork. Second, think about every little detail. Think about why it is milk he drinks. It is obviously to symbolize his youth. If you didn't notice this when you watched it, see it again and look for the details.
10. Pulp Fiction (1994)
This is when most people call me crazy. Pulp Fiction is personally my number one favorite film. I don't enjoy any other film as much as this. You could say that I let my emotions take over, but I can truly say that there is no better gangster/comedy/religious drama/romantic comedy/dehumanization/growing old film ever created. After you see this for the first time, you're thinking, "what the hell?" You see it a second time and you say, "wow that was really funny." You see it a third time and say, "Whoa..." That is the best way to describe Pulp Fiction. Above all, the mise en scéne of this film is pure genius. One example is when they take Uma Therman to the drug dealer's house to revive her and off to the side of the screen are two boardgames; Operation, and The Game of Life. That's all I'm gonna say about it...
1. Citizen Kane (1941)
In case you didn't get the memo, Citizen Kane deserves to be the best film ever because not only is it the most influential directing, but Welles delivers a flawless performance and an even better script. I won't dwell on why this is here because people have written entire novels on why Citizen Kane is so incredible. However, here are a handful of things it started: showing the ceilings of buildings, inventing deep focus, having people talk over each other, and finally, popularized the non-linear plot.
2. Vertigo (1958)
No surprise here because Vertigo is one of the few films that makes you live it. Although you could argue that the performances, directing and script are the best part of this film, I think the best aspect of Vertigo is it's incredible score. As a musician, I not only find it brilliant, I find it to be absolutely perfect for the film it underlines. Do not let what I just said take away from the directing, the performances or the script. Hitchcock takes us into "Scottie's" world especially during the scenes in absolute silence. He slowly brings us into the obsession of Scottie and we eventually feel as if we are a friend of his watching him suffer. James Stewart is haunting and makes his performance in The Philadelphia Story seem like something Ashton Kutcher would be able to pull off. The script brings us in twisting around every corner and never letting us have a peek of whats around that corner. All of these aspects (when put together) creates an incredible film that makes the bravest people afraid of hights.
3. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
I don't think anyone is surprised by this being here either, but I will still give you my 2 cents about it. 2001: A Space Odyssey truly brought film (pun intended) to the final frontier. It let filmmakers do what they want and just give it a shot. This strange film let them not be held back by the "rules of film making." Kubrick took a shot and it came out as one of the best cinematic experiences ever. From the beautiful images to the inventive script, 2001 delivers a mostly silent, never-boring, odyssey into Kubrick's mind.
4. Singin' in the Rain (1952)
Many people ask me why this film is incredible. The only answer I can say is that it is absolutely flawless and the most fun a film has ever delivered. From the now-classic music to the magnificent dance-numbers, this is a wild ride. There is absolutely nothing wrong with anything in this film. Gene Kelly directs and choreographs this as well as doing a magnificent performance as a musician gone stunt-man gone blockbuster actor. The plot-line seems like common sense now as well. Above all of these reasons I just mentioned, the most amazing thing is that you can watch this film twenty times in a row and never get bored! It is all fun, all the time, each and every time.
5. The Godfather Part I and II (1972 and 1974)
I especially like the scene in Godfather Part II where Michael is talking to his wife about Fredo. It's slow, it's natural and above all, it is nearly pitch black. Every single moment in both parts of The Godfather was incredible as far as cinematography go. But what was revolutionary about the Godfather series was that, for the first time, we are told the story of the mafia from the inside out. We never hear about what the general population thinks about the Corleone family, we don't even know if the general population know they exist! Although I said it was revolutionary, the best aspect of the Godfather is the fact that it trusts its audience's intelligence more than almost any film I have ever seen. It tells the story from the anti-hero's view and we only know what he knows. If he thinks something is implied, Al Pacino never says something is implied, we just see it in his face. This is both incredible as an acting performance and as a directing performance.
6. Amarcord (1973)
Here is where controversy is sparked. Very few people appreciate Amarcord as much as I do. What I love about Amarcord is not just Fellini's incredible, strange, brilliant and beautiful directing, but his Fellini's off-beat, ahead of its time screenplay. Amarcord is one of the few films that can draw in audience of all ages. It climaxes more effectively than any other film and builds on its caricature style characters. Overall, this film succeeds on a few levels: as a comedy, as a romance, as a coming of age drama and as a religion drama. The characters are purposely a bit over-the-top and Fellini stays close to their personalities. What's often overlooked in Amarcord are the incredible performances delivered by mostly unknown actors. The bottom line is that this is a must-see film that has, in my opinion, the best script ever written.
7. The Graduate (1967)
Here comes more controversy because a lot of people (including critic Roger Ebert) find it to be "a good topical movie whose time has passed." I clearly could not disagree more. Mike Nichols directs one of the best directorial performances in cinematic history as the incredible star power of Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft, and Katharine Ross let this film flow through us. The often copied and parodied script is legendary while every single frame of this film was thought out and acted flawlessly. On the whole, it is not easy to find a single thing wrong with this film.
8. Psycho (1960)
"I'm not even gonna swat that fly..." We all know the script, some of us word for word. Psycho is a chilling film with quite possibly the best performances I've ever seen. Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh make the motel scenes the tightest, most tense scenes in any film. Each time we see it, we know what it going to happen in the end, and yet each time, we are surprised. Is this Hitchcock's directing? Is it the superb acting? Is it the script? We can never truly know, but it is effective, to say the least. My personal favorite shot in Psycho is when Norman leans over to look at the registration book and we see only the bottom of his chin. Did Hitchcock do this to make the scene awkward? Did he do it show that Norman is controlling all the characters who are present? Is Hitchcock trying to tell us that we are getting to know every aspect of him? I personally like to feel that Hitchcock had all of these in mind when filming, and it somehow managed to come out beautiful; even in black and white.
9. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
Bear with me. You are probably thinking that A Clockwork Orange is just a stupid little thriller that no one really cares about. I usually like to think that everyone is entitled to an opinion and no opinion can be wrong, but in this case, if you cannot see into the symbolism, you are wrong in calling it stupid. I'll tell you a few things you probably didn't know about A Clockwork Orange. First, the title comes from the author Burgess's trip to Malaysia. The Cockney saying goes, "as queer as a clockwork orange." This can be taken for face value, or, if you look into it, you will be told that orang (in Malay) means human. Burgess thought this would be a perfect pun to say that Alex is strange and has become clockwork. Second, think about every little detail. Think about why it is milk he drinks. It is obviously to symbolize his youth. If you didn't notice this when you watched it, see it again and look for the details.
10. Pulp Fiction (1994)
This is when most people call me crazy. Pulp Fiction is personally my number one favorite film. I don't enjoy any other film as much as this. You could say that I let my emotions take over, but I can truly say that there is no better gangster/comedy/religious drama/romantic comedy/dehumanization/growing old film ever created. After you see this for the first time, you're thinking, "what the hell?" You see it a second time and you say, "wow that was really funny." You see it a third time and say, "Whoa..." That is the best way to describe Pulp Fiction. Above all, the mise en scéne of this film is pure genius. One example is when they take Uma Therman to the drug dealer's house to revive her and off to the side of the screen are two boardgames; Operation, and The Game of Life. That's all I'm gonna say about it...
Wall•E (2008)
The Cast/Crew:
Directed by Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo)
Written by Andrew Stanton and Jim Capobianco (co-writer of Ratatouille)
Starring: Ben Burtt (Wall•E,) Ellissa Knight (EVE,) Jeff Garlin (Captain,) Fred Willard (Shelby Forthright)
The Basic Synopsis:
Wall•E is a robot on destroyed planet Earth. Wall•E condenses the mass amounts of garbage into little cubes with only the company of a cockroach. Life for Wall•E is very ordinary until he finds a plant and puts it in his collection of interesting items which he keeps in a garage-like structure. EVE comes to the Earth and, in short, Wall•E falls in love with EVE. EVE at first doesn't love Wall•E but eventually she warms up to him. Almost immediately after they fall in love, EVE finds Wall•E's plant and then stores in herself because her mission was to find plant-life on earth. EVE takes it to where she came from and Wall•E accidentally follows.
How it Turned Out:
It was, as a whole, incredible. Although approximately the first thirty minutes have little to no dialog, it was never boring and kept on bringing incredible imagery similar to that of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Speaking of how it is similar to 2001: A Space Odyssey, you should also know that the beginning segment with no dialog steals a good amount from City Lights. Don't let the fact that it steals from two of the best films ever stop you from seeing it. Go see it. You will not be disappointed.
What annoys me:
A decent amount of people out there are saying that this is the best animated film since Finding Nemo. I could not disagree more. There were a few films in between that were significantly better. Ratatouille kicks this in the butt and The Incredibles beats Wall•E out because young kids (the target audience) will definitely be bored of this very quickly.
What's incredible about it:
How it manages to maintain a very serious underlining theme without overdoing it. It doesn't hit you over the head with it either, it just lets you think what you want to think without forcing you to think it (I mean come on, it's not Crash.)
What's even more incredible about it:
Not talking about the animation here, but it looks incredible. During the scenes on earth, there are images that are will leave your mouth agape for almost the whole film. The director must have worked his butt off with the animators to create a beautiful, slightly frightening and oddly charming world.
The Bottom Line:
Check it out for the animation and the imagery. Besides the fact that it steals from classics, it's still fresh and great. 3½/4 Stars
Directed by Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo)
Written by Andrew Stanton and Jim Capobianco (co-writer of Ratatouille)
Starring: Ben Burtt (Wall•E,) Ellissa Knight (EVE,) Jeff Garlin (Captain,) Fred Willard (Shelby Forthright)
The Basic Synopsis:
Wall•E is a robot on destroyed planet Earth. Wall•E condenses the mass amounts of garbage into little cubes with only the company of a cockroach. Life for Wall•E is very ordinary until he finds a plant and puts it in his collection of interesting items which he keeps in a garage-like structure. EVE comes to the Earth and, in short, Wall•E falls in love with EVE. EVE at first doesn't love Wall•E but eventually she warms up to him. Almost immediately after they fall in love, EVE finds Wall•E's plant and then stores in herself because her mission was to find plant-life on earth. EVE takes it to where she came from and Wall•E accidentally follows.
How it Turned Out:
It was, as a whole, incredible. Although approximately the first thirty minutes have little to no dialog, it was never boring and kept on bringing incredible imagery similar to that of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Speaking of how it is similar to 2001: A Space Odyssey, you should also know that the beginning segment with no dialog steals a good amount from City Lights. Don't let the fact that it steals from two of the best films ever stop you from seeing it. Go see it. You will not be disappointed.
What annoys me:
A decent amount of people out there are saying that this is the best animated film since Finding Nemo. I could not disagree more. There were a few films in between that were significantly better. Ratatouille kicks this in the butt and The Incredibles beats Wall•E out because young kids (the target audience) will definitely be bored of this very quickly.
What's incredible about it:
How it manages to maintain a very serious underlining theme without overdoing it. It doesn't hit you over the head with it either, it just lets you think what you want to think without forcing you to think it (I mean come on, it's not Crash.)
What's even more incredible about it:
Not talking about the animation here, but it looks incredible. During the scenes on earth, there are images that are will leave your mouth agape for almost the whole film. The director must have worked his butt off with the animators to create a beautiful, slightly frightening and oddly charming world.
The Bottom Line:
Check it out for the animation and the imagery. Besides the fact that it steals from classics, it's still fresh and great. 3½/4 Stars
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