Tuesday, January 19, 2010

yours always, tongue tied.

ive seen a lot of films lately but i cannot express in detail what was so good or bad about each film. i think i can begin to explain but i certainly dont think i can finish. after an exhausting week of production and work, i cant do anything but stare at the emptiness of the cold air. i cant find the right words to say. but hopefully the stills of each film can tell you more than my short tongue can.

the young victoria (2009)

The Young Victoria is based around the rise to the throne and early reign of queen victoria of the united kingdom and her marriage to prince albert. this martin scorsese produced film radiantly glows with eye popping shots and lighting that will make any cinematographer wooing and oooing with every shot.

i first saw emily blunt in the devil wears prada back as the fiesty and appropriately named, emily. three years later, she takes her jimmy choos off and steps into the couture of the victorian era. she has made the most exquisite leap from the indie drama, sunshine cleaning to the blockbuster, wolfman. with her endless range of acting credentials and vareity, it is no wonder why emily blunt has been nominated for best female actress in the golden globes. even though she did not win, just the fact of being nominated should prove the talent that she possesses. B+

the book of eli (2010)

the book of eli is a hyper stylized post-apocalyptic movie that will certainly quench the thirst of action lovers. the hughes brothers who have done menace II society and from hell is back for more suspense and thrill with the book of eli.

although the film has the always phenomenal denzel washington, gary oldman, and still amateur mila kunis, the film lacks. no doubt are we highly entertained by the badass sword fights and interaction from the two thespian veterans, but the climax or "twist" is not much of a twist. it seems like the hughes bros were torn trying to please both the critics and audience with their swift actions scenes and religious messages. C+

the lovely bones (2009)

alice sebold's 2002 critically acclaimed novel, the lovely bones is about a teenage girl who after she is murdered, looks down upon her family and friends as they go on with their lives. peter jackson who is best known for directing the lord of the rings trilogy set out to capture susie salmon's life and what came after it.

peter jackson's adaptation of the lord of the ring received many praises and awards and it would seem that adapting any novel would be a piece of cake to him by now. we were surely wrong but we were close. a peek into salmon's world between earth and heaven is a magical paradise as we run with her through seas of flowers and rainbow dipped waterfalls. but the audience is easily distracted by her fantasy world whenever the real world's problems start to intervene.

instead of a story of acceptance, the film turns the plot into a revenge story that keeps circling around and around till the audience is dizzy as well as the characters. marky mark commonly known as mark walhberg bring forth his hidden obsessive side to uncover the truth about his daughter's murder. the suspense can be well compared to alfred hitchcock's level of intensity.

and with that level of intensity, some scenes will surely be a hair grabber. dont be surprised to find that you've lost some of your hair after watching the unbearably intense, even penetrating climax scene. the extent of jackson's direction is uncanny but salmon continuously becomes torn in a tug of war game between her past life and future life. B-