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felicityking34. Tower Heist
A timely movie that will will forgotten in 10 years (the comedic hi-jinks rather than the social message). Ben Stiller plays a blue-collar worker working at an elitist, very exclusive, very haute hotel. He's been there for years, and has discovered that boss & owner, Alan Alda, defrauded everybody of their pensions. Events happen that lead the Stiller enlisting Eddie Murphy, and a gang of former hotel misfits, to rob Alda. All in all, it was a good movie. Despite being a comedy, it felt too real at times. It was definitely one of those "only in Hollywood fantasies" movies. For example, with "The Help," it gave real-life solutions: talk, gather the community, record the what the community says, publish it! All of which are real-life examples to overcome classism and racism (see civil rights movements from around the globe). The solution to this movie...well, you feel good for the movie characters, but it doesn't make me feel good about my real life! (If the movie weren't timely, I wouldn't be judging it so, but for a heist comedy it fails to be...escapist, mindless, brainless, entertainment.)
35. The King's Speech
Geoffrey Rush is the most underrated actor! It was Colin Firth's movie, but GR stole the show from him. What struck me most the cinematography. All those greys and blues. I loved the film though! It particularly struck a chord with me because I used to have a stutter--nowhere near as bad as George VI, but it made the movie less feel-good and more painful to watch. Personal history aside, I DO think it rightly won the Oscar for Best Picture. TSN has a preset agenda--and is a story that has been told countless times (elitist sexist white males fighting for power). TKS might not be new either, but it managed to explore class and social differences without altering history to make its point (which is my big nit-pick with TSN: everybody involved with the film basically says it's fictional). I don't think this was the typical feel good movie either because it ends with George rallying the troops to war. Soldier die in war. World War 2 reeked havoc on Britian. It is not a bright and sunny ending. Yes, he overcame his stutter, but he did so surrounded by a family torn apart (Wallis and Edward exiled forever) and with a nation torn asunder. That is not hopeful! Of course, we know everything turned out alright for Great Britain, but....
36. An Education
Val reminded me I've been wanting to see this. I finally did and I can't believe I waited so long. It was perfection! Not a false note from start to finish. It's an enchanting, heartbreaking coming-of-age story. A 16 year old prep school girl trying to get into Oxford is suduced by an older, more glamourous man. This is one of those films where you feel like you're getting a peek into the era rather than a "recreation." I might also add that it's a mini-Jane Austen films reunion: Carey Mulligan & Rosamund Pike (P&P), Dominic Cooper and Emma Thompson (S&S miniseries, movie), Olivia Williams (Miss Austen Regrets, Emma) and Sally Hawkins (Persuasion). Which if you love period dramas and the incestuous British film industry adds an extra layer of fun to the film. (Except I was so caught up in the characters, I had forgotten by the end it was a Jane Austen reunion of sorts.) Although this film is recent, the way it is shot gives it an older feeling. Really, even the acting is flawless, I can't say enough about the score and cinematography. I highly rec! (Definitely in my top 5 films this year.)
37. Bright Star
Another flawless movie! It follows the love affair between poet John Keats and Fanny Brawne. Moreso than most period dramas (even Jane Austen), it really brought home how tragic it must have been to live in those days: when you meet the perfect person but can't marry them because of lack of money or situation. I will confess though I was more entranced by the costumes and cinematography than the love story. The film is like a painting, from start to finish. It's just breathtaking. Certainly one of the most beautiful films ever.
38. Die Hard 2
It's Christmas, so I DLed this rather then watch my usual. (DH 1 &2 take place on Christmas.) I wasn't a fan of the original DH, and I can't say I'm impressed with this one, but it did have a certain charm to it. It contains the same faults as the previous movie, but perhaps because it was based upon a novel (with the DH characters imposed on the author's universe), it felt slightly more believable and not as over-the-top. I don't think a movie like this could be made in the post-9/11 world since it deals with airport security, hijacking, and hostages. One thing I found striking with both movies is how much they reflect the late 80s/early 90s obsession with war-as-bonding for heroes and villians alike, the extreme force, and the careless way of showing bloodshed. It's like watching a video game. Oddly, I don't think actions movies have toned down the violence (certainly horror hasn't) but I don't think ---in light of the fact that so much REAL blood has been shed in the REAL world these past 10 years--that movies are as "LOL! machine gun weapons death!" in their approach to showing violence in fantasy/action/adventure films.
A timely movie that will will forgotten in 10 years (the comedic hi-jinks rather than the social message). Ben Stiller plays a blue-collar worker working at an elitist, very exclusive, very haute hotel. He's been there for years, and has discovered that boss & owner, Alan Alda, defrauded everybody of their pensions. Events happen that lead the Stiller enlisting Eddie Murphy, and a gang of former hotel misfits, to rob Alda. All in all, it was a good movie. Despite being a comedy, it felt too real at times. It was definitely one of those "only in Hollywood fantasies" movies. For example, with "The Help," it gave real-life solutions: talk, gather the community, record the what the community says, publish it! All of which are real-life examples to overcome classism and racism (see civil rights movements from around the globe). The solution to this movie...well, you feel good for the movie characters, but it doesn't make me feel good about my real life! (If the movie weren't timely, I wouldn't be judging it so, but for a heist comedy it fails to be...escapist, mindless, brainless, entertainment.)
35. The King's Speech
Geoffrey Rush is the most underrated actor! It was Colin Firth's movie, but GR stole the show from him. What struck me most the cinematography. All those greys and blues. I loved the film though! It particularly struck a chord with me because I used to have a stutter--nowhere near as bad as George VI, but it made the movie less feel-good and more painful to watch. Personal history aside, I DO think it rightly won the Oscar for Best Picture. TSN has a preset agenda--and is a story that has been told countless times (elitist sexist white males fighting for power). TKS might not be new either, but it managed to explore class and social differences without altering history to make its point (which is my big nit-pick with TSN: everybody involved with the film basically says it's fictional). I don't think this was the typical feel good movie either because it ends with George rallying the troops to war. Soldier die in war. World War 2 reeked havoc on Britian. It is not a bright and sunny ending. Yes, he overcame his stutter, but he did so surrounded by a family torn apart (Wallis and Edward exiled forever) and with a nation torn asunder. That is not hopeful! Of course, we know everything turned out alright for Great Britain, but....
36. An Education
Val reminded me I've been wanting to see this. I finally did and I can't believe I waited so long. It was perfection! Not a false note from start to finish. It's an enchanting, heartbreaking coming-of-age story. A 16 year old prep school girl trying to get into Oxford is suduced by an older, more glamourous man. This is one of those films where you feel like you're getting a peek into the era rather than a "recreation." I might also add that it's a mini-Jane Austen films reunion: Carey Mulligan & Rosamund Pike (P&P), Dominic Cooper and Emma Thompson (S&S miniseries, movie), Olivia Williams (Miss Austen Regrets, Emma) and Sally Hawkins (Persuasion). Which if you love period dramas and the incestuous British film industry adds an extra layer of fun to the film. (Except I was so caught up in the characters, I had forgotten by the end it was a Jane Austen reunion of sorts.) Although this film is recent, the way it is shot gives it an older feeling. Really, even the acting is flawless, I can't say enough about the score and cinematography. I highly rec! (Definitely in my top 5 films this year.)
37. Bright Star
Another flawless movie! It follows the love affair between poet John Keats and Fanny Brawne. Moreso than most period dramas (even Jane Austen), it really brought home how tragic it must have been to live in those days: when you meet the perfect person but can't marry them because of lack of money or situation. I will confess though I was more entranced by the costumes and cinematography than the love story. The film is like a painting, from start to finish. It's just breathtaking. Certainly one of the most beautiful films ever.
38. Die Hard 2
It's Christmas, so I DLed this rather then watch my usual. (DH 1 &2 take place on Christmas.) I wasn't a fan of the original DH, and I can't say I'm impressed with this one, but it did have a certain charm to it. It contains the same faults as the previous movie, but perhaps because it was based upon a novel (with the DH characters imposed on the author's universe), it felt slightly more believable and not as over-the-top. I don't think a movie like this could be made in the post-9/11 world since it deals with airport security, hijacking, and hostages. One thing I found striking with both movies is how much they reflect the late 80s/early 90s obsession with war-as-bonding for heroes and villians alike, the extreme force, and the careless way of showing bloodshed. It's like watching a video game. Oddly, I don't think actions movies have toned down the violence (certainly horror hasn't) but I don't think ---in light of the fact that so much REAL blood has been shed in the REAL world these past 10 years--that movies are as "LOL! machine gun weapons death!" in their approach to showing violence in fantasy/action/adventure films.
