Movies Spotlight – Underrated and Under Seen in 2010 – February 2011

Film: Let Me In

Director: Matt Reeves

Stars: Chloe Grace Moretz, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Richard Jenkins, Elias Koteas

Plot Summary: It is a horror/romance film about a young boy who is bullied at school and has no friends. One day he meets a girl in the playground of his apartment complex, but she has a dark secret. She is a vampire. They develop a deep and twisted friendship that is threatened when a police detective hunts for her after a series of murders.

Why You Need to See It: The film had a lot of initial bad buzz because it is a remake of the revered Swedish film Let the Right One In. However upon its release, critics and fans soon realized that the film is just as good, if not better than the original and has something different to offer. It has fantastic performances from its young cast (including one of my favorite leading performances of the year) and a wonderful score from Michael Giacchino (also one of my favorites of the year). If you are a horror or vampire fan, you need to see this film because it was the best of its genre hands down. Check out the trailer.

Available On: Blu-ray, DVD and to Rent

Film: Never Let Me Go

Director: Mark Romanek

Stars: Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield, Keira Knightley, Charlotte Rampling, and Sally Hawkins

Plot Summary: The drama is about three children who grow up at a boarding school in England. They are restricted to the grounds. Once they become teens, they move out into the world and find love. However, their purpose in the world is to be harvested for their organs. Now, they are faced with their duty, ingrained in them since birth, impeding their lives and love for one and other.

Why You Need to See It: The film is the most aesthetically brilliant of the year with outstanding directing, cinematography and a haunting but hopeful score from Rachel Portman. Of all the new films I saw in 2010 (something around 150), Never Let Me Go affected me the most emotionally and left me in thought for days. It is both a beautiful and hopefully story yet utterly tragic and heartbreaking. It is too bad that the film, which is far more nuanced than most of the acclaimed films of the year, was overlooked completely, aside from the few who actually saw it. Check out the trailer.

Available On: Blu-ray, DVD and to Rent

Film: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Director: Edgar Wright

Stars: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ellen Wong, Kieran Culkin, and Jason Schwartzman.

Plot Summary: The action adventure comedy follows the journey of Scott Pilgrim, a shy bass player who must battle the seven evil exes to be with the girl he believes to be the love of his life.

Why You Need to See It: If you are a video game fan or grew up with them (you have probably already seen this), this is a film made just for you. It is hysterically funny with great running gags, has awesome music from composer Nigel Godrich and Beck and features amazing editing from Jonathan Amos and Paul Machliss. Plus, the cast is very good, especially Ellen Wong and Kieran Culkin. Yes it is based on a comic book, but it is not a super hero film. It plays a bit like High Fidelity (for a younger generation) mixed with a Kung-Fu movie. If you liked Wright’s other films (Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz), you are going to like this one too. Check out the trailer.

Available On: Blu-ray, DVD and to Rent

Stars to Watch: Part 1 – Movies Spotlight – October 2010

Cinema constantly has new talent each and every year, making good films and opening audiences’ eyes to new characters, stories and worlds. Six such newcomers in particular are having a breakthrough year – Chloe Grace Moretz, Andrew Garfield, Rooney Mara (Part 1), Emma Roberts, Aaron Johnson, and Gemma Arterton (Part 2), each with a new film coming out in October.

Chloe Grace Moretz:

What She’s Been In:

Moretz, 13, got her start when her family moved to LA in 2003 and she was cast in a role in the series The Guardian, appearing in two episodes. Her first film role came in Heart of the Beholder. In 2005 she got her next film role in The Amityville Horror remake earning her first Young Artist Award nod (of four). She continued to appear in TV shows and films for the next few years before her first breakthrough role, highlighted by Desperate Housewives, My Name is Earl, Bolt, Dirty Sexy Money, and My Friends Tigger & Pooh.

Breakthrough:

In 2009 Moretz had her first breakthrough performance as Rachel Hansen in (500) Days of Summer, a role in which she seemed to be wise beyond her years offering advice and reconciliation to heartbroken Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Then in 2010, she burst onto the scene as Hit-Girl in Kick-Ass, garnering the attention of cinema goers and practically stealing the show. Her performance is wonderfully comedic and perfectly charismatic, oh yeah and subversive. As the credits play, everyone in the theater knew a star had been born.

October Film:

Moretz follows up Kick-Ass with this month’s Let Me In, a film in which she gives another fantastic performance. The film tells the story of a young lonely boy, Owen, who is bullied at school and ignored at home. He befriends a young girl, Abby, who has just moved into his apartment complex (Moretz) – and she also happens to be a vampire. It is a great horror/romance/coming-of-age film. Go see it.

Upcoming:

With great performances in Kick-Ass and Let Me In this year, Moretz is in high demand (she has seven films currently on her slate). Next up she has a role in Untitled Comedy, a feature film composed of short comedy segments. Then she is in Martin Scorsese’s first 3-D film (really, even Scorsese is buying into this) Hugo Cabret about an orphan living in 1930s Paris in a train station trying to solve a mystery involving his late father and a robot. She has another four films scheduled for 2011 and then Kick-Ass 2: Balls to the Wall in 2012. If anything, she certainly has a bright future and some cool films coming up.

Career Highlights:

1.) (500) Days of Summer (2009) – supporting [Blu-ray/DVD/Rent]

2.) Kick-Ass (2010) – supporting* [Blu-ray/DVD/Rent]
3.) Let Me In (2010) – lead* [Blu-ray/DVD/Rent]

*Editor’s picks

Andrew Garfield:

What He’s Been In:

Garfield, 27, got his start after graduating from England’s Central School of Speech and Drama in 2004 appearing in local youth theatre productions. He won the MEN Theatre Award for his performance in Kes and later the Evening Standard Theatre Award for outstanding newcomer in 2006. Having made a name for himself on the stage, he changed his focus to film. He first appeared in a number of British TV series, including Doctor Who, before getting his first big roles in Boy A and Lions for Lambs. Boy A in particular was well received by critics and his performance was noted as being very good. He also had a brief cameo in The Other Boleyn Girl.

Breakthrough:

Garfield’s first breakthrough performance came in 2009’s the Red Riding Trilogy. He stars in the first part – Red Riding: In the Year of the Lord 1974. The film is the best of the series and Garfield’s performance is one of the best of the year. He also got a role in Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (featuring Heath Ledger’s last performance) and the co-lead in the critically acclaimed festival favorite Never Let Me Go also starring Keira Knightley and Carey Mulligan. These two films being distributed in the U.S. along with the Red Riding Trilogy’s release on DVD and streaming on Netflix.com garnered him exposure with American audiences leading to him landing the lead in Sony’s flagship franchise (to be discussed below).

October Film:

This month Garfield co-stars in The Social Network about the founders of Facebook. This film is excellent, directed by David Fincher and written by Aaron Sorkin. It is certainly one of the best of the year and a must see for those a part of the online social experience as the film is about you, in a sense. Garfield’s performance in the film is great, and probably the best of the film, again further establishing him as one of the best young actors today.

Upcoming:

Earlier in the year with Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 4 falling apart, Sony Entertainment announced they would be rebooting the franchise with a new director and cast. The new Spider-Man film will be directed by Marc Webb, hot off the success of last year’s (500) Days of Summer, based on the script by Zodiac writer James Vanderbilt. Garfield won the lead role of Spider-Man and now Emma Stone has been announced as Gwen Stacy. With a number of very good performances under his belt, Garfield can now look forward to worldwide fame with the release of the film in 2012.

Career Highlights:

1.) Boy A (2007) – lead [DVD/Rent]

2.) Red Riging Trilogy – lead* [Blu-ray/DVD/Rent]

3.) The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus – supporting [Blu-ray/DVD/Rent]
4.) Never Let Me Go – lead* [Blu-ray/DVD/Rent]
5.) The Social Network – supporting* [Blu-ray/DVD/Rent]

*Editor’s picks

Rooney Mara:

What She’s Been In:

Mara, 25, started her career with a small role in the direct-to-video horror sequel Urban Legends: Bloody Mary in 2005. She was inspired to get into acting looking up to her older sister and actress Kate Mara. She then got bit roles in a number of TV shows including Law & Order: SVU, Women’s Murder Club, The Cleaner, and ER. In 2008 she was cast in her first feature to be distributed, Dream Boy, following it up in 2009 with small roles in indy films Dare and Friends (With Benefits). She got some more mainstream exposure with roles in 2010’s Youth in Revolt and The Winning Season, though still only being cast in small parts.

Breakthrough:

Mara got her first leading role in 2009’s Tanner Hall, though it only received very limited distribution. Her first breakthrough came with this year’s remake A Nightmare on Elm Street. She played a co-lead among a few better known TV actors all being hunted and terrified by Freddy Krueger (Jackie Earle Haley). While critics were not overly impressed with the film, many listed the performances of Mara and Haley as the highlight. It was also her first film to receive a wide release finally getting her name and face out there.

October Film:

She also stars in this month’s The Social Network – though in a limited by very important role. She is incredible in her scene opposite Jesse Eisenberg that opens and sets up the whole film. The film really serves as her second breakthrough as not only is she fantastic and memorable, but also it will likely be an Oscar Best Picture contender which will only bring more acclaim and awareness her way. 

Upcoming:

Up next for Mara, and what should really serve as her coming out party, is David Fincher’s remake of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo in 2011. She plays co-lead Lisbeth Salander, a computer hacker who helps Mikael Blomkvist investigate a mystery involving a missing girl. Mara stars opposite Daniel Craig as Blomkvist. She won the role, which was highly coveted among many of Hollywood’s best young actresses, due to her great work with Fincher in The Social Network. He obviously saw something special in her, and if you see The Social Network (and you should) so will you.

Career Highlights:

1.) The Social Network – supporting* [Blu-ray/DVD/Rent]

*Editor’s picks

Let Me In (2010) – Review

Let Me In is a tonally rewarding experience encompassing elements of romance and horror (and let me just get this out of the way now: yes, I know it is a remake of Let the Right One In, and yes I have also seen that film, but no this review will not be about which is better or comparing the two – each is its own thing). This film succeeds mainly due to two key decisions that director Matt Reeves makes – 1) he does not shy away from the true nature of what Abby is (a vampire) and 2) he is not afraid to play scenes to be lighthearted and fun in what most would consider a horror film. Overall, the tone of the film is utterly bleak, and yet despite the fact that she is a killer, a monster or whatever scary thing that can be applied, the audience roots for her and the relationship that develops between Owen and her. In society she surely should be an antagonist, but she is not due to Reeves structuring the narrative to play like a romance film with terror, rather than a horror film that happens to also have some romance in it. The relationship between Owen and Abby is what the audience ultimately cares about and what makes everything in the film more powerful and meaningful to them, as they care about these characters and the outcome. The scenes in which Abby and Owen are just two kids experiencing young love are really what sets this film aparts and makes the viewer take a deeper more rooted interest in these characters. These scenes allow them to become real, as the audience can relate. Plus the genius of this is that the viewer forgets for a moment that Abby is a killer and that their relationship is doomed. The film is very violent and is not bashful about it. The juxtaposition between the romance scenes (especially those just referenced) between Abby and Owen and the scenes of Abby feeding and killing is intense and emotionally striking. But something sort of interesting happens in the film – the abuse that Owen receives at school from the bully becomes more personal and extreme for the viewer than the stylized vampire violence. The truly scary part of the film is watching how mean and brutal these kids are to one and other. Abby does not seem evil to Owen, because he is alone in the world and the bullies are really his true perception of evil. He is traumatized by them, and not by her or what he sees her do. Abby takes an interest in him when no one else does. His parents are disconnected from him, he has no friends; he is completely detached from humanity, craving connection. Thus, it only makes sense that he would be attracted to Abby, she talks to him, cares about him – and this translates directly to why the audience roots for them and why the film works overall. The most blaring issue with the film is that the effects are not that great. They were probably stylized by Reeves to look the way they do – disjointed and strange. However, they are too odd and thus pull the viewer out of the narrative for a moment. But the rest of the film is solid and thus this is a minor complaint (at least for me). Let Me In is seemingly a tragic love story, but even so it  draws us in and makes us care about these two characters despite the malice that surrounds them, making for an enthralling cinema experience full of tension (and I also love the fact that it is set in the 80’s and all the goodness that comes from that).

Technical achievements: Matt Reeves proves himself a fine writer-director with this film, as he is able to structure and pace the film in such a way to fully affect the audience and engross them in the story. Director of photography Greig Fraser does a good job matching the look of the film to the tone – it is cold and comfortless. All the color seems to be gone from the world, and yet the scenes between Abby and Owen seem brighter. Ford Wheeler’s production design is also a contributing factor to the feel of the film as well (I love his set for Abby’s apartment). But it is Michael Giacchino’s excellent score (one of my favorites of the year) that gives the film the perfect emotional backdrop to fully engage the audience. Reeves also did a fantastic job of casting the film. Adults were very much secondary – and it is clear that this was conscious choice made. Richard Jenkins (as usual) was good but in limited work – which could be said for all the adult actors. The young cast was also quite good, but three stood out: Dylan Minnette’s school bully was maybe the most terrifying thing in a movie about a vampire. Kodi Smit-McPhee is able to utterly capture Owen and portray his sadness and loneliness. And, Chloe Grace Moretz is perfect as Abby (her second great performance of the year), a monster but sweet and caring (and also scary). This film easily could have just been another unneeded remake or shoddy horror film that pollute Hollywood cinema, but due to the skill and care of the cast and crew the film is a well made horror romance that is among the best of the year.

Let Me In has the violence, the scares and the mood of a great horror movie, but its structure and performances distinguish it as a fine film. 8/10

At the Movies – October 2010 – Part 3: Best of the Month

Part 1: Art-House Films

Part 2: Hollywood Films

Best of the Month:

Must See of the Month:

The Social Network (David Fincher) – Drama – Oct 1

The film is about the founders of the social networking site Facebook, primarily Mark Zuckerberg. With director David Fincher and writer Aaron Sorkin, the film pretty much has the best of both worlds. Fincher is a top ten directing talent (currently working directors) and Sorkin has an outstanding track record with hits on TV and film. Not to mention that the film is being produced by Scott Rudin (one of the best). If you thought it could not get better…You were wrong – Atticus Ross (whose work on The Book of Eli was very good) and Trent Reznor are scoring the film, very talents DP Jeff Cronenweth is shooting it (he did Fight Club and One Hour Photo) and Donald Graham Burt is doing the production design (which is great because he did Zodiac and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button too). The film also has a great young cast with Jesse Eisenberg, Rooney Mara (star of Fincher’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo remake) and Andrew Garfield (who was fabulous in Red Riding: 1974, and he is the new Spider-Man). This film is not only a Oscar best picture contender, it is also a must see for its cultural relevance. How often do we see art directly integrate with present real life social trends? And, Justin Timberlake is getting best supporting actor buzz (as is Garfield, with Eisenberg getting best leading actor praise) out of the festival screenings (this must be good right?). It is a Fincher film, so of course critic love it and cannot be fully trusted – but even so, this is the must see film of the month (and likely will be one of the ten best of the year). Check out the trailer.

Worth Checking Out (if not in theatres then at home):

Let Me In (Matt Reeves) – Horror – Oct 1

The film is a remake of the Swedish hit Let the Right One In about a young boy, Owen, who is bullied at school. He meets a young girl who moves into his apartment complex with her guardian, Abby, and the two become friends. But Abby has a secret. She is a vampire. Writer-director Matt Reeves came up through the J.J. Abrams system working on Felicity and directing Cloverfield. And a great benefit of that relationship is getting fantastic composer Michael Giacchino to score the film (he generally does all Abrams’ TV shows and films, and Pixar stuff too). Reeves also made savvy decisions bringing in cinematographer Greig Fraser (who masterfully shot last year’s Bright Star) and production designer Ford Wheeler, both of whose work is very naturalistic and organic feeling – which should fit the tone of this film beautifully. The film also has a fantastic cast with Kodi Smit-McPhee (from The Road), Chloe Grace Moretz (who we all love from Kick-Ass) and the very good Richard Jenkins. First, I just want to say: yes Hollywood, we get it, vampires are in. Second, the original is so good; did we really need this remake? But wait a minute; buzz has been very good from the festival circuit. Now, of course, there are those that dismiss the film out of hand, having not seen it, merely as it is a remake of a cult classic, one that came out last year in the U.S. no less, but critics are calling this just as good, some even calling it better. On thing is for sure, if you like vampires or thrillers this is a must see. Check out the trailer.

Stone (John Curran) – Drama – Oct 8

The film is about a convicted arsonist, Stone, who in an effort to gain parole early puts his beautiful wife on a path to intersect with his parole office. Director John Curran is coming off a very good film The Painted Veil, as is screenwriter Angus MacLachlan with the indy-hit Junebug. The film’s cinematographer Maryse Alberti was a judge at Sundance and has done fine work in the past (highlights include: Taxi to the Dark Side and The Wrestler), while production designer Tim Grimes is just getting into bigger films (he worked on many major films as art director; his first higher profile film as a production designer was The Wrester, so he has a good working relationship with the DP). The cast is very good on the film with the three co-leads being Edward Norton (who also starred in Curran’s last film), Robert De Niro and Milla Jovovich. Six Feet Under’s Frances Conroy has a supporting role as well as Enver Gjokaj (who was brilliant on Dollhouse; it is nice to see him get a film role in a good movie). While the film does not have much Oscar buzz, it has received great reviews out of the festivals. It looks to be a great character power-play drama. Check out the trailer.

Hereafter (Clint Eastwood) – Drama – Oct 22

The film is about a retired psychic, George, who is pulled back into the profession he left after three people are touched by death in different ways and come to him for answers. While director Clint Eastwood’s last feature was a bit flat, his track-record over the last decade has been really good (highlights include: Gran Torino, Million Dollar Baby and Mystic River) cementing him as one of America’s top directors (though, his work in the Western genre probably already did that). To compliment Eastwood’s directing skill, the script is by Peter Morgan (who is probably the most sought after writer in Hollywood). Eastwood has the same team he had on his last four films with Tom Stern shooting it, James J. Murakami doing the production design and Eastwood scoring the film himself. Along with Morgan and himself, the film has a superstar production team with producer Kathleen Kennedy and executive producers Frank Marshall and Steven Spielberg. The film stars Matt Damon and co-stars Bryce Dallas Howard, Cecile De France, Jay Mohr, Richard Kind, Jenifer Lewis, and Steve Schirripa (Bobby from The Sopranos). It is a pretty good cast. The film looks to be visually interesting and emotionally intense. The buzz is very good from early screenings. Damon’s name is being tossed around in best actor consideration (though not among the top), and it is a Clint Eastwood film – aside form the mystery of why Gran Torino was overlooked, his films are usually there on Oscar night. Check out the trailer.