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Showing posts with label Films 2012. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Films 2012. Show all posts
Here's my review of Zero Dark Thirty. I was hoping that when I went to this screening at the DGA that Kathryn Bigelow and Jessica Chastain would be there but sadly, they weren't. But I'm hoping I can catch another Q&A with them this month! *fingers crossed. Zero Dark Thirty was incredibly powerful and probably my second favorite film of 2012 below Amour. It opens everywhere January 11th so please go see it.
going to be updating this post. but js wanted to get my top ten out before 2013!*
1. Amour
2. Zero Dark Thirty
3. The Invisible War
4. Wreak it Ralph
5. Chronicle
Chronicle is one of those indie gems that only comes every few years or so that has the capacity to mesmerize and stun the audience by the sheer force of a simple yet powerful story. When there is a character within the film that needs a reason to shoot everything with a camera, the concept can get old but integrating a story of self-discovery and self-disintegration can be a deadly combination that needs to be recognized. Newcomer Dane DeHaan's sinister look pierces hearts as he takes full and unrelenting advantage of his newfound power. A
6. The Grey
7. Jiro Dreams of Sushi
8. 21 Jump Street
9. The Master
10. Beast of Southern Wild
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1. Amour
See my review of Amour here.
2. Zero Dark Thirty
3. The Invisible War
Check out my review of The Invisible War here.
4. Wreak it Ralph
I knew immediately after watching the trailer that I had to see this. The concept was so fantastical and fresh. This is Rich Moore's first animated feature film since working on Futurama and The Simpsons and what a way to start off in the film business. I honestly never had so much fun in the theaters, BY MYSELF. A
5. Chronicle
Chronicle is one of those indie gems that only comes every few years or so that has the capacity to mesmerize and stun the audience by the sheer force of a simple yet powerful story. When there is a character within the film that needs a reason to shoot everything with a camera, the concept can get old but integrating a story of self-discovery and self-disintegration can be a deadly combination that needs to be recognized. Newcomer Dane DeHaan's sinister look pierces hearts as he takes full and unrelenting advantage of his newfound power. A
6. The Grey
The Grey was advertised as an intense action flick starring the unstoppable Liam Neeson. What the audience got was definitely more than they bargained for. A intelligent and emotional journey of the aftermath of a plane crash in Alaska. The survivors have to fend for themselves as wild wolves are on the hunt. The Grey was the most underrated film of 2012. And the very few people that did see it were blown away. My friend called me immediately to discuss the film's ending and the possible alternative ending. IT WAS THAT INTENSE! A
7. Jiro Dreams of Sushi
8. 21 Jump Street
9. The Master
10. Beast of Southern Wild
Unlike last year top ten list, I'm more proud to say that this year was a smashing year for film! 2012 was a tough year to beat and so, I'm even more excited, yet skeptical to see what 2013 will bring. Other runner ups were Life of Pi, Silver Lining Playbook, Anna Karenina, Skyfall, The Avengers. Sadly, I haven't seen Holy Motors, The Sessions, Cosmopolis, Killer Joe, Arbitrage, Rust and Bone, This is Not a Film, to say the least that have been inundating some 2012 lists.
Year: 2012
Director: Michael Haneke
Cast: Jean-Louis Trintignant, Emmanuelle Riva, Isabelle Huppert
Country of Origin: France, Austria, Germany
Rating: PG-13
Time: 127 mins
When I hear about a Michael Haneke's film, thought bubbles of only evil acts, bad children, and violence comes to mind. But in his new film, Amour, he delivers a poignant and devastating portrait of love when confronted with the notion of death. An intimate look into the life of an old couple provides insight and reflection to love at an old age and life's end. The heart-wrenching performance by French veterans Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva's relationship shows delicacy and intimacy that brings a level of maturity in Haneke's work amongst his previous mentally disturbing collection.
Anne (Riva) and Georges (Trin) are a Parisian retired music teachers in their 80's living in a nicely furnished place in Paris. They are affectionate, active, and content as they live in the simplistic accompaniment of music and each other. But their lives take a tragic turning point when Anne suffers from a series of strokes, leaving the left side of her body paralyzed. Georges dedication and love for Anne is put to the ultimate test as he becomes her care taker to help her get up, walk, go to the bathroom, and eventually eat. Anne and Georges' different perspective to the now heart-breaking struggle of day to day life has isolating effects on both of them. Anne now paralyzed, cannot do the activities she once was able to do like play the piano or attend concerts. She feels the burden of being the helpless vegetable and wants to opt out. But the love for Anne is too great for Georges to let her die and he continues to provide her the relentless care she needs day in, day out.
The film mostly takes place in their lavish home, creating intimacy between the two couple while facing the challenges of growing old and nearing death. Although, the mood of the film is more emotionally powerfully than Haneke's usually mental draining, his filmic style persist with his long and static takes that let our emotions unravel with the characters. We witness Anne's excruistating pain of statically living that juxtaposes Georges' unrelenting love and commitment to Anne and her every need. The White Ribbon won the Palme d'Or at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival and then his second win with Amour this year, putting him in an elite club of only seven other people who won the award twice including Francis Ford Coppola. There is no doubt in my mind that Amour won't sweep up Best Foreign Film at this year's Academy Awards. Indeed the title of the film is love but with the honest and beautiful display of love comes at a consequence of a harsh reality that cuts like a knife and leaves us to bleeding dry. A
Adapted from Leo Tolstoy's epic love story novel of the same name, comes another Joe Wright period piece film, Anna Karenina. What is tongue twister! Amazingly, NO ONE in the film ever said Anna Karenina's whole name (or i dont think) so I hope I pronounced it right. Enjoy!
Year: 2012
Director: Kirby Dick
Cast: Helen Benedict, Kori Cioca, Elle Helmer
Country of Origin: U.S.
Rating: NR
Time: 93 mins.
The Invisible War is an engrossingly potent film about America's most shameful and best kept secret about the widespread of rape within the military. Kirby Dick, the prolific documentarian behind This Film is Not Yet Rated (2006) and Outrage (2009) strings the pieces of this cryptic puzzle with sherlock holmes keenness to reveal the gruesomely fractured military system when dealing with rapes cases. With sickening nonchalance, the military dismisses raped victims by stating that in agreeing to be part of the military, rape is simply an "occupational hazard" of the job and cannot be used against them in court. Dick shows testimonies from women and men from all ages and ethnicities from the military who entered the army with the mentality that as citizens they would be honored to give back to their country, only to be mentally, physically, emotionally brutalized. Rape in the military is twice as common than in civilian life which appalingly suggest that almost every woman who has ever been in the military has been raped.
The act of rape in civilian life is traumatizing enough but changing the scenario to an military base that promotes nationalism, group bonding, and protection of their soldiers, that idealism of the "army" is broken when an incident of betrayal such as rape is taken place. The recruitment motto of the army has been "army strong" that radiates the perception of an honorary breed of soliders that serves and protect it's citizens and with that in mind, reporting a rape is considered to show weakness or worse, deem the victim as a traitor which jeopardizes their position in the company. Most of the occurrences go unreported due to the backlash and to the fact that 25 percent of women do not report the incident because their commander was their rapist. The first half of the film will leave the audience in harrowing grief that soon ignites into uninhibited rage by the second half. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta saw this film in April and two days later, he quickly changed the reporting policy in hopes of saving face. But will that really help change the military culture? I doubt it.
#notforever
Year: 2012
Director: Bill Condon
Country of Origin: U.S.
Rating: PG-13
Time: 115 mins.
The fifth and final installment of The Twilight Saga has arrived and I guess it never too soon to say, thank god that's over! I'm not a hardcore fan but have watched all the films on opening weekend to witness the hype and commotion behind the series. Least to say, I get the "hype" especially, when it's targeted at the female demographics which is a saddening reality when teens are fed to think that all guys should be like Edward Cullen. But blame Stephanie Meyers that ignited and reinforced gender roles to this generation's emerging yet thwarted feminists with the irresistible first installment of Twilight (I totally get it). New Moon quenched my thirst for depressing films that serenaded the inner emo girl in me with the outstanding soundtrack by Thom Yorke, Grizzly Bear, and Lykke Li to name a few. The others I forget and disregard in the trash bins of my mind.
So is it a surprise to hear that Breaking Dawn Pt. II is the most brain-numbingly dumb fun you'll have with any of the series? Probably. Bella Swan is finally a vampire who is a quick learner on how to control her thirst for human blood and voila, she even acquires some magical powers. Maybe it is the vampire touch but Kristen Stewart looks the best she's ever looked in all the other four films combined. When it seems like the Cullen clan has everything under control, the presence of Bella and Edward's newborn, Renesmee, causes the Volturi to think that the child was bitten which is a sin in the vampire world and plans to rage war on the Cullens. Oh, these vampires are so dramatic. Time for the Cullens' to gather their friends from the corners of the continents, represented to stereotype perfection to help and convince the Volturi that Renesmee is actually a half-breed. Naturally, the epic climatic fight scene is my favorite scene out of the ENTIRE Twilight Saga. And it is much debated if the shocking "twist" ending is an act of genius or just plain laziness. It does have a bittersweet finale like most series do, But I'm sure I'll get over it sooner than I did with the Harry Potter series. B-
I got a chance to watch a pre-screening of Life of Pi with a Q&A with Ang Lee, lead actor Suraj Sharma, and screenwriter David Magee (Finding Neverland). It was an incredible experience! Ang Lee was extremely humorous especially considering how dramatic and serious most of his films are. Life of Pi comes out November 21.
I went to go see Kim Ki-Duk's most recent film, Pieta (2012) at AFI-FEST this year. He even came and did a Q&A and sang for us! Please go to my youtube channel to be directed to the video of Kim singing! And subscribe!
Year: 2012
Director: Matteo Garrone
Country of Origin: Italy
Rating: Not Rated
Time: 115 mins
Matteo Garrone is an emerging Italian filmmaker who won the 2008 Cannes Grand Prix with Gomorrah (2008) and is back with a neo-realistic film that is reminiscent of Federico Fellini called Reality. Reality showcases not only Italy's but the world's obsession with reality television that has become a form of escapism and an easy route to fame and money. In the opening scene, we are looking down with a bird eyes' view of a little town and eventually narrowed down to a cinderella-like carriage that leads to a wedding, where we meet Luciano, a fishmonger who is obsessed with getting on Il Grande Fratello (Big Brother). Garrone is the fairy godmother who sprinkles his little stardust and puts us under his spell from the very beginning to the end with the accompaniment of the trance-like soundtrack.
With glossy round eyes, we are introduced to Luciano (Aniello Arena), who auditions for Big Brother to please himself along with his family and friends who's been egging him on. After two callbacks and no further notices, he becomes fixated that people are spying on him as an additional procedure to the audition process. Luciano's own perception of reality starts to alter and unravel from the actualities of his trivial yet content life with his family in Naples. Garrone captivates and continues to glaze our eyes glued to the screen as we witness the wretched and dangerous reality of the obsession of desiring fame and money. In real life, Arena is in jail in Italy but joined the prison theatre company in 2001. Amazingly, he was authorized to leave prison for the duration of filming and to return as soon as it wrapped which he did. For an amateur, Arena's performance will leave you aching in the corners of your heart as his mind and soul start to disintegrate before your very eyes. Reality is a special gem that is based on the fairytale of dreams and the false expectations of our altered reality. A
With glossy round eyes, we are introduced to Luciano (Aniello Arena), who auditions for Big Brother to please himself along with his family and friends who's been egging him on. After two callbacks and no further notices, he becomes fixated that people are spying on him as an additional procedure to the audition process. Luciano's own perception of reality starts to alter and unravel from the actualities of his trivial yet content life with his family in Naples. Garrone captivates and continues to glaze our eyes glued to the screen as we witness the wretched and dangerous reality of the obsession of desiring fame and money. In real life, Arena is in jail in Italy but joined the prison theatre company in 2001. Amazingly, he was authorized to leave prison for the duration of filming and to return as soon as it wrapped which he did. For an amateur, Arena's performance will leave you aching in the corners of your heart as his mind and soul start to disintegrate before your very eyes. Reality is a special gem that is based on the fairytale of dreams and the false expectations of our altered reality. A
Year: 2012
Director: RZA
Cast: Russell Crowe, Lucy Liu, Rick Yune, Bryon Mann
Country of Origin: U.S.
Rating: R
Time: 96 mins
The Man with the Iron Fists is a deliciously bad homage to the martial art films of Bruce Lee and others whom RZA watched and idolized while growing up. After he collaborated with Quentin Tarantino on the Kill Bill soundtrack, they discussed their passion and love for martial arts films. And with Tarantino's guidance, it is no surprise that RZA is finally making his directorial and leading man debut. Although The Man with the Iron Fists is a rehashed and remixed version of the original martial art films, it is no less an exhilaratingly guilty pleasure that will guarantee some amusement.
RZA stars along Russell Crowe, Lucy Liu, and Rick Yune as the local Blacksmith in nineteenth century China, who is forced to make weapons for the opposing clans lead by Silver Lion (Bryon Mann). He complies to make the weapons knowing that the payoff will allow him and his lover, Lady Silk, (Jamie Chung) a prostitute of the Pink Blossom Brothel owned by Madam Blossom (Lucy Liu), to run away from the dangerously burdened place. But they are thwarted when they encounter a wounded Zen Yi aka X-Blade (Rick Yune) who is trying to avenge his father's death by killing Silver Lion. Russell Crowe has his share of bloody fun as the British emissary, Jack Knife.
The real pleasure is watching Lucy Liu and Bryon Man capture and vitalize the story every scene they are in. Working with the cliche of old kung-fu of asian women in brothels, Liu embraces her role as the supreme mother hen of her prostituing chicks in her eye-blinding embellished robe and bejeweled head piece every step of the way. Although it is sickening to see the reinstatement of the old stereotypical roles for asian women, RZA decided to add a twist to these fair skinned ladies that make it worth the $12.50 admissions ticket. Their fight scenes were one of the most entertaining and intoxicatingly charged scenes out of the entire film especially with Liu and her knife rimmed fan (what a lady!). And then there is Bryon Mann as the embarrassingly self-assured and comical buffoon Silver Lion. At first, I shielded my eyes ashamed as soon as I saw him as nothing more than a confirmation that there is a serious lack of good Asian actors but as it progressed, that belief slowly shed away to reveal that his behavior was merely part of his "act!" With his head raised high with his cocky stance, Mann was outrageously humorous that makes you feel mortified that you didn't know about him sooner (besides being in 1994's Street Fighter)!
At the end of the film, you realize that The Man with the Iron Fist is like that favorite meal you've been clawing for and even though it is a little too salty and barely ripe, you savor every lasting bite because you don't know when you're going to have it again. How will we get our martial art fix ever again without revisiting tattered VHS' of Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee? A poorly formulated homage is better that no homage at all. At least they revisit the classic recipe in banal vision of sixteenth century China with the clansman, brothels, and warriors. But with RZA's own modern hip-hop soundtrack streaming in the background, adds an additional off-beat and inconsistent tone to the underdeveloped story. The concepts of The Man with the Iron Fist is well thought out and brilliant but it's execution is concocted with unrefined action shots, minimal fight scenes (to my standards), and partially cooked story lines. But it's ok RZA, at least you still have music. C+
Year: 2012
Country of Origin: U.S.
Rating: R
Time: 172 mins.
The film is not hard to follow but contemplating the stories relations to one another may cause a few mind-numbing headaches. Individually, the stories could've been their own films considering they are told in various genres from mystery to comedy to adventure. But in mushing them together to create a cohesive message, not only creates a mezmerizing outlook to the connection of everyone and events from generation to generation but also, handicaps the film by minimizing the emotional connection with the audience. I heard the soundtrack before I saw the film and thought I would be emotionally moved to tears. But ironically, the enormity of the film caused me to feel disconnected from the powerful and endearing message of the movie. Maybe the boundaries to my suspense of disbelief was fractured when certain actors transformed and transcended races, ages, and gender to an astounding outcome that simply didn't resonant with me. But that is probably the best and worst thing about the film as it gives typecast actors a chance to play around and prove their worth. Like underrated actor, Hugh Grant made multifarious appearances and the most memorable one of him is as the Kona Chief living in the far future in a post-apocalyptic Hawaii, who terrorizes Tom Hank's village people. And then there is the most shocking transformational role for Tom Hanks as Dermot Hoggins, the writer of "Knuckle Sandwich" as a DGAF gangster who will shut you down if he has to. It sounds inconceivable trying to imagine Hanks as anything but a castaway yelling "Wilson" or talking about Jenny. But he picks the wild cards and pulls it off effortlessly.
Although, it gave many actors the freedom to play unconventional characters, for others it failed to convince and consume us into their role. Like Jim Sturgess' role in Neo-Seoul, who was morphed into a mutant of some sort with overly slanted eyes and ghoulish skin as if he's been barfing all day. But it turns out that he is suppose to look Korean considering his name is Hae-Joo Chang. Is yellow-facing so bad when the whole film consists of white-facing, brown-facing, and ______ facing? Oh but of course, no black facing. They can't handle that kind of criticism, not today anyways. I've had a crush on Doona Bae since her Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002) years and was quite surprised with amount of power she possessed in this film as Somni-451. Maybe because I've been conditioned by the media to think that most Asians would have the least amount of screen time, but I was moved by her prominent role as a slave labor who searches for freedom and eventually starts a revolution.
Although, it gave many actors the freedom to play unconventional characters, for others it failed to convince and consume us into their role. Like Jim Sturgess' role in Neo-Seoul, who was morphed into a mutant of some sort with overly slanted eyes and ghoulish skin as if he's been barfing all day. But it turns out that he is suppose to look Korean considering his name is Hae-Joo Chang. Is yellow-facing so bad when the whole film consists of white-facing, brown-facing, and ______ facing? Oh but of course, no black facing. They can't handle that kind of criticism, not today anyways. I've had a crush on Doona Bae since her Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002) years and was quite surprised with amount of power she possessed in this film as Somni-451. Maybe because I've been conditioned by the media to think that most Asians would have the least amount of screen time, but I was moved by her prominent role as a slave labor who searches for freedom and eventually starts a revolution.
Whether you've heard good or bad things about Cloud Atlas, it is something that you must decide and experience for yourself. This is the first wholly unique Blockbuster that has come out in god knows how long. The echoes of reincarnation and spirituality that reverberate throughout the film might not be your cup of tea but if it is a spectacle you want to see, it is a spectacle you will get! Even though the film met up to my non-existent expectations, any film that requires me to solve the film's puzzle in my head well after the film is done and over with, is always good in my book. If you think you were thinking hard about the ins and outs of Inception (2010), wait till you see Cloud Atlas! B+
I've been very hesitant since the beginning of the youtube boom to start doing vlogs cause it seemed like a cop out to actually becoming a film critic the old fashion way: actually writing. But the more I contemplated the idea, the more futile the thought of just wondering it became. My friend just told me to go for it and here I am, all awkward and stuff in front of the camera. I start a new chapter of this blog with Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master. Enjoy! (please change quality to 480p)
Year: 2012
Director: Martin McDonough
Cast: Christopher Walken, Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell
Rating: R
Time: 109 mins
Seven Psychopaths has three main key points that make up a terrific comedy: a versatile cast, witty one-liners, and a very "meta" story. But instead of executing a perfectly humorous picture, the lackluster story tries to cover up it's faults by making us laugh till we forget. Marty (Colin Farrell), an alcoholic writer is having a hard time writing his screenplay Seven Psychopaths (how meta). He has a couples of ideas and characters in mind about a vietnamese buddhist monk and ruthless quaker killer who's seeking redemption, but other than that, he's got squat. His tip-top loopy friend, Billy (Sam Rockwell) has his hands full dognapping with Hans (Christopher Walken) in hopes of receiving a reward when the dog is returned. But one day, when Billy kidnaps the wrong dog owned by high ranking gangster boss, Charlie (Woody Harrelson), their seemingly normal lives get flipped upside down.
The idea of a crime story about psychopaths based solely on the incidence of a wrong dognapping sounds outlandish and ridiculous. But with a vomit of absurdity spilling from these acutely pitched personalities especially Sam Rockwell, the descending storyline doesn't seem so bad. Rockwell steals the show as the bouncy, borderline psychotic, wacky friend that's crazy enough to write dognapping in his resume. He's like Flubber without the green jello, his words and actions bounce from wall to wall, which makes it strenuous to keep up with him. But it is his unnatural energy that pulls the rug from under you so you can bow down to his glory, making him the star of this film. Christopher Walken never ceases to please whether he is playing an amiable and compassionate man or a merciless assassin. Either way, he doesn't have to do much to keep us entertained but be his old offbeat self. On the other hand, Colin Farrell has a lot to prove after this year's remake of Total Recall (how could you do this to me?). At first he didn't seem credible as a "Hollywood screenwriter", but as the film progressed his one dimensional trait of being an alcoholic because it's in his Irish blood was the only thing that helped him stay relevant in the story.
The 'story within a story' stories can be interesting if presented in the right manner. Marty desires to write a story about psychopaths but have the ending not be about the violence but about peace. As Billy points out that, that is the most unappealing basis of a psychpath film and I couldn't agree more. But what Marty wanted to express in his story is that revenge and redemption is a cyclical movement that cannot suddenly be resolved even with time. His story about the quaker killer which was shown as a montage came off as too comical to be considered seriously. But his second story about a Vietnamese monk who once was a vietcong, out seeking revenge against the U.S. Army after his family got slaughter at My Lai, was one of the highlights to the film. That and Sam Rockwell. Billy takes a crack at helping Marty elaborate on the story which foreshadows the films ending. And like Marty, McDonough seems like he's still trying to find the best way to end this film even half way through it. A lot of people enjoyed the humor and the thrills that came with it, but it just did not resonant with me as much as I wanted it to. I mean, the opening scene had Michael Pitt (surprise!) so, I thought it would be good. The blunt sexism and racism wasn't even what threw me over the edge but the unsatisfactory unending. Regardless of what I say, go see it and have a good time because I'm sure you will. Plus, the Shih Tzu is super cute. B-
Director: Tod Browning
Cast: Bela Lugosi, Helen Chandler, Dwight Frye
Country of Origin: U.S.
Rating: "Approved"
Time: 75 Mins
When people think of classic horror films, two things come to mind: Dracula and Bela Lugosi. Horror films wouldn't be what it is today without these two crucial elements that forever changed the era and genre. Living in this kind of digital age where music is used to create suspense and the accompaniment of CGI is wholly prevalent and a necessity, Dracula comes off as bleak and minimalistic. But in this simplicity, the film does something that most horror films attempt and fail to do today, which is ignite tension and anxiety with just a glare. Bela Lugosi is Count Dracula, he lives in a remote castle in Translyvania with his three wives. Renfield (Dwight Frye) is an English real estate agent that visits Transylvania and desperate enough to make a sale, disregards the rumors the townspeople have told him about Count Dracula. Renfield is greeted with uneasy hospitality which ends with him passing out from the "wine." Aboard the boat route to England, Renfield is now a raving lunatic and a slave to Dracula. When the ship arrives, Renfield is discovered to be the only living person in it, where he is then sent to Dr. Seward's sanatorium. Meanwhile, Dracula begins to prey upon a young women name Mina.
Dracula is based on the stage play of the same name by Hamilton Deane and John L. Balderston, which is based on the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker. Tod Browning had a solid reputation as a silent film director and never totally felt confortable with sound films. Even though Dracula was filmed with sound, the shots and style of the film stream along like a silent film, employing shots of extended period of silence, intertitles, and dramatic close-ups. Dracula had a major influence by it's predecessor F.W. Murnau's Nosferatu (1922). It is Lugosi's uncanny and powerful presence as Dracula that leaves a lasting impression on it's audience. And what I mean by an lasting impression is as in more than a hundred years! His momentary stares and glances prolong and persist long enough that forces you to lose the staring contest due to sheer uneasiness. It doesn't hurt that he didn't know how to speak English during the filming of Dracula that contributed to his ghoulish speech pattern. The film floats on in an eternal eerie atmosphere that creeps it's hands around your neck and stays there to forever haunt you. The classic naturally has flaws but as a milestone of horror films, those minor errors are permissible.
