Even if documentaries aren't your thing, if you like sports films or if you always find yourself rooting for the little guy, Undefeated is the film for you.
A high school football team in the heart of Memphis, the Manassas Tigers have never won a playoff game. In 2009, their coach, Bill Courtney, after 6 years volunteering with the program is determined to have his guys win a playoff game.
The documentary focuses on four main characters. Courtney is a family man who owns a business but has a passion for football and coaching. He sees a need, being a man who grew up without a father, to step up and teach the teenagers of Manassas how to overcome their circumstances. His three star players have chances for scholarships and college (or maybe even college football). Courtney and another coach go so far as to help O.C. Brown by giving him a place to stay during the week so that he can have a tutor.
There are a lot of anger issues among the teens, and one star player has a lot of his season taken from him in a surprise injury. Most of them live in poverty and with only one parent. Courtney teaches again and again that you play with character--if you play for the team instead of yourself--winning will follow. He teaches leadership and humility, although not necessarily patience.
I thought the film was very well done. The pacing was good, the cinematography had a raw darkness to it that gave it a great mood, and the narrative was great. It isn't necessarily an uplifting story, but it held my attention all the same. The selflessness of the couches is touching and the team meetings are very revealing. I hope that what Courtney could do for the Manassas Tigers spread through the rest of the school and continued once he left.
If you enjoy a good sport film or documentary, I would definitely recommend Undefeated.
Whether or not technical jargon or finical speak is your thing, your forte, your niche--Margin Call is a thriller without ghosts and guns but with speech, money, and meetings. What The Ides of March is to politics, Margin Call is to banking, but with a twist.
It is 2008, roughly 24 hours before the entire US financial system went in the tank. It opens upon an amazing cast playing bankers within an institution roughly based on Lehman Brothers. Over eighty percent of the employees are let go in one day, including head of the risk department, Stanley Tucci. As he enters an elevator with a box of his possessions, he hands his employee Peter (Zachary Quinto) a flash drive with the words "Be careful."
Peter, who is essentially a rocket scientist but got into finance for the paychecks, takes to the task immediately and discovers something that causes the entire upper management to panic and hold meeting after meeting in the wee hours of the morning.
I wasn't able to understand the technical jargon all that much, which is why I appreciate that the CEOs don't really comprehend it either, and therefore as Peter continually has to explain himself on more and more simple levels, I came to understand what was happening slowly as the movie went on. Their stock was essentially worthless. The entire system was going to come crashing down, and if they did not act, they would lose everything.
It is a battle between money and morality. Do you risk losing all of your customers or do you sit by and watch everything fall away? It is a quick, simple decision that affects the entire economy.
There was a lot about this film that I loved, and not very much that I disliked. The cast is out of this world, including appearances by Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, and Demi Moore. Even though the lowest representative on the totem pole makes a quarter of a million dollars a year, his character represent the every man--obsessed with money, how to make it and continue gaining it--and how the crashing economy results in him bawling in a toilet stall because he has lost everything. Those with higher positions make big bucks and earn promotions, while those on the selling floor are let go the minute they get rid of most of their stocks.
Besides some quiet audio and perhaps a rather complicated subject for those with no background in finance, there are very few weak points in this film. I found it interesting, sad, and although I already knew what the outcome must be, it was still nail biting.
If you have the patience for well written films with zero explosions, I recommend this one be moved to the top of your list. I really enjoyed it.
Skyfall (2012) 85th Academy Awards 2013 5/5 Stars Nominated for 5 awards, of which it won 2. Nominated for Cinematography (Roger Deakins), Music-Original Score (Thomas Newman), and Sound Mixing (Scott Millan, Greg P. Russell, Stuart Wilson). Won Music-Original Song "Skyfall" (Adele Adkins, Paul Epworth) and Sound Editing (Per Hallberg, Karen Baker Landers). Watched September 3, 2013.
After 50 years and 23 Bond films, I was mildly surprised by this latest installment in the franchise. I saw it last November in theaters and the film was so far off from what I had come to expect from 007 that I didn't quite like it. However, after watching it a second time I have come to appreciate it much more as a stand alone film.
What is great about Bond is that if you have seen none of the films before, you can jump right in and know what is going on. It doesn't generally have a complex plot that stretches through the years of films, but each installment focuses on its one story alone, with perhaps a little bit of carry over that isn't too hard to figure out. What makes Skyfall so unique is its story, its ending, and the fact that it dwells on characters that we don't usually get to spend this much time with.
The tradition in the last three Bond films, which feature Daniel Craig as said hero, has been to go a bit more deeply into 007's emotions and past than is normal. The 20 films preceding them generally followed the same formula while having similar elements--ie. the Bond girl, the bad guy, and the gadgets. These recents films, instead, have focused more on Bond himself and have only brought in the other three factors when prudent.
In Skyfall, MI6 itself is under attack, both from the Prime Minister and from a super genius computer hacker by the name of Silva (Javier Bardem) who has been slighted in the past by MI6 and M. Having been attacked on their home turf, the secret service shows a remorse for loss of life that has rarely been seen from the franchise. We see more from the home front than we do on location and the opening sequence, which of course includes a car chase, guns, and a fist fight atop a moving train, are punctured here an there by tense moments with M at headquarters helping her agents make tough decisions.
Bond's loyalties are put to the test in this thriller, and although Bardem's villain as well as performance has been compared to the late Heath Ledger as the Joker in The Dark Knight, his psychological and physical attacks are much more direct. Having been an agent and a favourite of M's in the past, he is bitter that he was not considered more important and determines that one person is to blame. It becomes Bond's task to stop Silva at all costs. These attacks and action sequences are much more personal than normal, and as such, we get to know Bond and his past a lot more than we have before.
Judy Dench as M has always been a wonderful pairing, and being one of the greatest actresses of our time, she finally gets to show her incredible skill in Skyfall. While the special effects, editing, cinematography, directing, and over all vision of the film are exquisite, the acting sets it over the top. While one might expect the Bond films to merely be guy flicks with guns, explosions, and hot women, this 2012 favourite has taken the franchise to another level.
As I mentioned before, it follows a slightly different formula than normal, which is why I did not care for it very much at first. I had expected some light hearted entertainment, whereas I got something much deeper. Without spoiling it, I didn't much care for the ending and felt the entire film unnecessary because of it. However, disregarding the outcomes of Silva's rampage, the entire film was pieced together so well that you can't even see the stitches. Sam Mendes' first action film is a success.
I would certainly recommend Skyfall, not just as a James Bond flick, or a 50th anniversary celebration, but as an excellent film that deserves some attention.
Life of Pi (2012) 85th Academy Awards 2013 5/5 Stars Nominated for 11 awards, of which it won 4. Nominated for Best Picture (Ang Lee, David Womark, Gil Netter), Best Adapted Screenplay (David Magee), Best Music, Song "Pi's Lullaby" (Bombay Jayashri, Mychael Danna), Best Sound Editing (Eugene Gearty, Philip Stockton), Best Sound Mixing (D. M. Hemphill, Drew Kunin, Ron Bartlett), Best Production Design (Anna Pinnock, David Gropman), and Best Film Editing (Tim Squyres). Won Best Director (Ang Lee), Best Original Score (Mychael Danna), Best Cinematography (Claudio Miranda), and Best Visual Effects (Bill Westenhofer, Donald R. Elliott, Erik-Jan De Boer, Guillaume Rocheron). Watched April 12, 2013.
Life of Pi is based off the award winning book by Yann Martel. I have loved the book for years and was ecstatic when I heard about the film, but when the movie actually came out, other lovers of the book told me that they were really disappointed in it, so I decided not to see it in theaters. Low and behold, I should NOT have listened to them! Opinions about the film vary, which is understandable, from both those who have read the book and those who have not. From my perspective, not only does the film follow the book incredibly well, but its execution stands up to Martel's vision and I would love to watch it as often as I read the book… which is very often.
Life of Pi can be broken into three parts. Pi Patel (Irrfan Khan) is living in Toronto when an author (Rafe Spall) comes to him in search of a story--a story that is said to make you believe in God. With a knowing smile, Pi begins at the beginning. He was raised in Pondicherry as a zookeeper's son. The beginning is very family friendly--with silly humor including an overly buff and disproportionate swim instructor and Pi's exploration of many religions. The beginning almost feels disconnected with the rest of the film, but it is also necessary in order to set up the rest of the story.
Encountering some difficulties, Pi's family decides to move to Canada where they will sell the animals and begin a new life. Their Japanese ship never sees shore again because during a terrific storm, it sinks to the deepest part of the sea and Pi finds himself alone in the ocean, apart from the giant tiger Richard Parker. This is when the story picks up and things get good. Pi must find the strength to fight for his life, as it is being attacked from all angles. His faith is challenged, and because he spends over 270 days at sea, he is left with nothing but faith by the end.
Because Pi is telling his story to the author, we know the outcome, and for those who have not read the book, this is perhaps a let down. However, the book reads the same way and therefore Ang Lee, who directed, took no liberties in that regard. Although there are a few weak links in the production, as a whole, the entire cast performs very well, and one could argue that the three who carried the film were Ang Lee, Claudio Miranda (the cinematographer), and Suraj Sharma, who plays Pi for the majority of the film.
Ang Lee has directed many award winning films in his time. His wins with Life of Pi are well deserved. Miranda's work is exquisite, and combined with the visual effects, the screen becomes candy to the eyes. When the heavens reflect so perfectly in the waters that it seems Pi and his raft are floating in midair, I wasn't sure where to look because I wanted to look at everything at once. Richard Parker, the tiger, is 100% animated and there is very little within the film that indicates this. Sharma does a magnificent job acting and reacting to his tiger-less circumstances and I am pretty shocked the Academy gave him no recognition.
There is love, humor, sadness, and fear. The end delivers the best moment of the film by Sharma and although many reviewers dislike the conclusion, feeling as if it is a bit tacked on, I found it wrapped everything up nicely. It is a film that causes one to think rather than just something that entertains. Although I'm not sure if Pi's story would cause one to believe in God, I really enjoyed it.
I would definitely recommend this film. Hands down, no arguments against it. It can be slow at times and the three parts of the film can feel a bit disjointed, but as a whole it is a beautiful film and one that I would love to own.
Even though foreign films, different languages, and subtitles are not my thing, I was pleasantly surprised to find out how amazing A Separation is. It is starkly honest in conveying its own culture's weaknesses, as well as its strengths, and the subtlety of its delivery is very moving.
The film opens in a courtroom. A man and a woman, husband and wife, stare directly into the camera as the woman tries desperately to prove that she has grounds for a divorce. Simin (Leila Hatami) wants to take her daughter somewhere out of the country, and she will go with or without her husband. Nader (Payman Maadi), on the other hand, will not leave because his father has alzheimers and he has to care for him. He will give her permission for a divorce, but won't let her take their daughter.
Because Simin moves out, Nader hires a woman to take care of both the house and his father. Razieh (Sareh Bayat) has to bring her young daughter to work every day, as well as commute ninety minutes each way. Although it is clear from the beginning, the arrangement is more to Nader's liking than Razieh's, things soon get more serious as Nader's father's health takes a drastic downturn and Razieh feels as if her morals have been compromised.
Although the beginning is slow, and at first I wasn't quite sure where the story was going, things eventually took a drastic turn. I won't reveal what that is, except that the family suddenly finds themselves in the courts again, but this time for a much more serious reason than divorce.
The acting is exquisite and almost all of the characters have such a depth and likability that it is hard to root for just one of them. The plot takes some unexpected turns, but also shows a side of Iran that many in the states don't get to see, which I quite enjoyed. The cultural differences are interesting but are not the driving force behind the film. The story, production design, cinematography, and acting are all forces to be reckoned with, and when it comes down to it, this just might be a foreign film to top the charts.
Even if foreign films aren't your thing (like me!), I would definitely recommend A Separation for you! You should be aware that it is a drama full of a lot of dialogue (and therefore a lot of subtitles), but I found it completely worthwhile. There is an interesting clash between honesty, religious beliefs, family, and manipulation that pull the whole story together into something great.
Saving Face is about 40 minutes long, which is a bit more than I had bargained for when I originally sat down to watch it. Don't worry husband, I said. It's only a short, I said. We can watch something else when I'm done, I said. But after waiting for it to load and then watching through it, our night was spent, poor guy. Not poor me, on the other hand.
First of all, I will refresh your memory and say that documentaries are my passion. I am a videographer by trade and am pursuing a career in documentary editing. Instead of being more critical of documentaries, however, I can find little fault so far in the nominated films I have watched, Saving Face being among them, and very deserving of its win.
It was created by Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and is about the ever growing pool of victims in Pakistan who suffer burn scars resulting from acid attacks. About 100 acid attacks are reported every year, and even more go unreported. Usually it is women who are attacked, and usually by someone they know, such as a father, uncle, husband, brother, or even, as one woman reported, a man who was refused her hand in marriage. Some women are attacked when they are children, many women are attacked while they are sleeping, and some are even attacked by their mother-in-law. They all have to live with scars that not only disfigure their faces, but "ruin their lives." The longer the scars go untreated, the more painful and debilitating they can become.
Saving Face follows two main women, Zakia and Rukhsana. Zakia was being abused by her husband and when she went to seek a divorce from him, he stopped her outside the building and threw acid on her. The entire left side of her face, including her eye, is destroyed. She was so ashamed by it that she would not leave the house without covering her head and face completely--sunglasses and all. She had her husband sent to jail and took him to court.
Rukhsana's story is devastating. Her husband threw acid on her, her sister-in-law threw gasoline on her, and her mother-in-law lit a match and set her on fire. When she left them, she could not support her children, and thus she was forced to make amends with them. In tears, she shows us how her family has built a brick wall (literally) between her and her children and she cannot see them any more.
Another plot line of the documentary follows Dr. Mohammad Jawad, a Pakistani plastic surgeon who practices in London, but comes back regularly after hearing about the acid attacks. He is equally devastated by the stories he hears from the women, and after speaking with Rukhsana he removes his glasses and covers his eyes. He is very literally saving the faces of these women by spending hours in the operating rooms helping restore a bit of what they once had so that they can continue to heal emotionally.
Their stories are terrifying as well as infuriating. Zakia is a strong example for her son and daughter, both of whom wear their love and respect for their mother clearly on their faces. Her son is grown and he walks with her almost everywhere she goes, and is with her as she prosecutes her ex-husband, who denies ever having thrown the acid.
There is justice and there is sadness in this documentary. It is very touching, and shows a glimpse into a culture you might not know much about. This of course does not define all of the Pakistani people, but it is an awful part of it that their government is working to correct.
I would definitely recommend that you watch this film. If you want to see some women kicking butt and being a strong example for their children, this is the documentary to watch.
I think that everyone has a bit of a conspiracy theorist inside of them, and this film certainly delves unabashedly into the theory that William Shakespeare was not the author of his famed plays and sonnets, but that it was actually an Earl who wrote them.
Shakespeare is probably the most famous English playwright in existence. His works spread light on his time in history, as well as contributed immensely to the expansion of the English language. His brilliance, however, is a source of discontent among those who believe that a son of an illiterate man in the time of hierarchies could not possibly possess the wit to create such masterpieces. The Shakespeare (Rafe Spall) in Anonymous plays this part quite well--he is an actor who is portrayed as being a few cards short of a full deck, if you know what I mean.
There are all sorts of things we could say about this. Whether Shakespeare was the author or it was the 17th Earl of Oxford (Rhys Ifans), that is not the purpose of this blog. If you are able to lay aside all preconceptions and watch the film for what it is, I would highly encourage you to see it.
It is exceedingly dark in everything--lighting, art design, and story. The Queen (Vanessa Redgrave and Joely Richardson) is a fascinating character, with a trail of lovers and heirs that amuse her almost as much as her plays. There are plots twists, deaths, and best of all, the performances of Shakespeare's plays in their natural habitat. The costume design is flawless and deserved more than just a nomination, in my opinion.
Whether or not the film is historically accurate, I could not say. It is exceedingly fascinating and entertaining. It makes you believe in its theory, if only for the time you are viewing it. Its execution, acting, characterization, and realness is all you can ask for in a period piece and I would gladly add it to my ever growing personal library.
God Is The Bigger Elvis (2011) 84th Academy Awards 2012 5/5 Stars Nominated for 1 award. Nominated for Best Documentary Short (Rebecca Cammisa, Julie Anderson). Watched November 11, 2012.
The only information I ever had about nuns is what I have seen in the movies. Thank you, Whoopi Goldberg for your contributions to my worldview! I have never known a nun personally, and since seeing this documentary short, I have gained an enormous amount of respect for the lovely ladies who choose to completely give their lives over to serving God.
There are many different ways to serve God, and being a nun is not for everyone, but it was for Hollywood actress Dolores Hart. Some of you may know her as Elvis Presley's famous first on screen kiss in "Loving You," as well as from several other films from 1957 - 1963. She was living the dream, both in films, broadway, and love. She stared along big names and was engaged to an architect, but still felt unfulfilled. A few years into her career she visited a monastery in Bethlehem, Connecticut to rest and meditate after a draining stint on Broadway. She was fascinated, but was sent away at the end of her rest with promises that being a nun was not for her.
The documentary jumps back and forth from the present, showing Dolores, now Mother Prioress as a 73 year old nun who still radiates the same beauty that she did as a 19 year old woman. She talks about the blessings of her life, as well as the difficulties. She discusses her Hollywood life with extreme transparency and it is almost as if it is the most normal life one could live. She now mentors novice nuns and helps them adjust to their new life.
There are a few plot turns, including her ex-fiancé, but as Mother Prioress says, "The abbey was like a grace of God that just entered my life in a way that was totally unexpected. And God was the vehicle. He was the bigger Elvis."
I found the documentary completely fascinating and inspiring and would encourage it to everyone, no matter your religious opinions.
Out of all the short films I have seen so far from this year, this one is by far my favourite. Humor, wit, and machine guns--what more can you ask for?
In a short film, you have to get to the point pretty quickly--something that Oskar (Edvard Hægstad) and his doctor (Terje Ranes) seem to understand. Oskar has precisely six days to live. "Would you like to die at the hospital or at home?" the doctor asks. Being a stubborn old man stuck in his Norwegian old ways, he refuses all help and returns home where he counts out his last days on the calendar.
The next morning, his appointed "death angel" shows up--a young girl who is trying to earn her wings by helping the dying cope with their untimely demise. Oskar, however, is not someone she had bargained for. He seamlessly processes through her stages of dying--denial and anger being the first two--but what she didn't expect was his extracurricular activities.
He is waging a war against the seagulls. Yes, seagulls. With machine guns, explosives, and even his own two feet. Although his promise of death has not dulled his hate for the birds, it has softened his heart toward his brother, to whom he hasn't spoken in a good thirty years.
If you aren't a fan of short films, you will be a fan of this one. If you are a fan of short films, you will be a fan of this one. It is perfection, although once I tell you that it features a giant electric tuba built to reach all the way across the Atlantic you might not trust my judgment any more. The acting is spot on, the timing of the humor is perfect, and despite the possibility of animal activists being incredibly put off by Oskar's pastime hobbies, I hope that they can see the humor in the completely absurd old man.
The ending has just enough cheese with the continued pattern of perfect timing that the 25-minute short is rounded out nicely, with all loose ends tied and fewer seagulls soaring the skies. If you have never listened to any of my suggestions before, you should definitely start now by watching Tuba Atlantic.
We have all seen them. The sports films with the predictable story lines, drama, epic montages, and inevitable endings. Why do we keep watching them, and why do we still love them? Because they work. Many belittle the fact that someone, one day, discovered a formula that works. When you watch a movie with an ending you already know, it changes how you watch the film, but it doesn't take away the juicy center. We all know when we sit down to watch a sports movie that there will be family drama, injuries, and the little guy pretty much always comes out on top. As long as the little guy is likable, we root for him, and somehow become invested in the story that we complain is "too predictable." Ever since Rocky, or maybe even before then, filmmakers have been churning out their own recipes while using the same cookie cutter, but we like the shape so we keep coming back for more.
Warrior is no different. There is family drama, untold histories, mystery, money, and a lot of really good fighting. Less than a year after the favourite The Fightercame out, Warrior hit the screens, making a modest $13.7 million while receiving mixed reviews. The only thing that makes it not typical is that it's a mixed martial arts fight, something we don't see a lot of on the big screen.
It opens with Tommy Conlon (Tom Hardy) showing up at his dad's door, asking for help training again. There is clearly a lot of baggage between them. All we know is that Tommy and his mom left his dad (Nick Nolte) after his alcoholism and abuse clearly took things too far. What we don't know right away is that there was a brother, Brendan (Joel Edgerton), who didn't leave as planned, but instead stayed behind with his girlfriend and now wife, Tess (Jennifer Morrison).
Tommy is a ball of pent-up emotion that comes out in a fury when you put him in the ring. He's an ex-marine and it shows. Brendan, on the other hand, has given up fighting to be an MVP of a different sort--in the classroom teaching science and trying to earn enough to provide for his little family. But when he finds out they might lose the house and have to declare bankruptcy, he jumps back in the ring and makes his way through parking lot fights just to keep the lights on.
Inevitably, the two brothers find out about the same massive tournament--the acclaimed olympics of MMA--Sparta. The prize is five million dollars. Both have their own reasons for wanting the money, and they will risk everything, even their lives to try and get it. Their stinging resentments toward each other and their father continues to boil and finally explodes in one of the most touching endings in a sports film I have ever seen.
Personally, I loved it. It's the same formula, but I'm always a sucker for the sports films, especially for the epic montages. Tommy is a beast and a mystery which somehow makes him likable. Brendan is the underdog with a loving wife and a need to prove himself. It's hard not to love them. Everyone, even the alcoholic father, is pathetic enough to jerk some tears. There is not a single performance that lets this film down, and the execution of the story telling is flawless. The camera work is fantastic, the lighting is consistently mood appropriate, and the editing is more than just the icing on the cake.
If you liked The Fighter, you should definitely give Warrior a try. I greatly appreciated that there was no preoccupation with drugs in this film. Although it was a little watered down with the family drama, I enjoyed that the drama was in the relationships and not in the substances, except for a little bit of alcohol abuse. I felt it left more time for the fighting and the really good stuff.
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