Movies I've Seen...
I tasked myself to see "Lincoln", "Skyfall" and "The Man with the Iron Fists" this weekend. I more or less achieved my goal! #TeamNoLife!
Lincoln
Definitely Oscar bait material: Spielberg, Day-Lewis, a end of the year release date so that Academy voters can have the film fresh in their minds come Oscar season. But unlike most Oscar courting fare this one, especially those from Spielberg (ahem, "War Horse") "Lincoln" isn't soley a dry historical retelling. There's a thread of humor running through the film thanks to a sharp script by playwright Tony Kushner ("Angels in America") who based the script off of the Doris Kearns-Goodwin Lincoln biography Lincoln, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln. Spielgberg chose to focus on the time period where Lincoln fought to end slavery and the Civil War. Populated with a treasure trove of actors (Hal Holbrook, Tommy Lee Jones, Sally Fields, Tim Blake Nelson, Julie White, James Spader, Dakin Matthews, David Straithairn, Jackie Earle Haley, Lee Pace, Bruce McGill, John Hawkes, Jared Harris, Gloria Rueben, Walton Goggins, Michael Stuhlbarg) who give strong, bravura performances that bring a real human quality to the film so that the audience doesn't feel as if they're just sitting in a Civics class.
The cast of "Lincoln"
Sally and Tommy
JGL, Joseph Cross and David Oyelowo
Joe and his movie brother
*I don't know if Joe looks like Robert Lincoln but doesn't he look like this Slavi woman?
The film opens with Lincoln on the battlfield two months (IIRC) after giving the Gettysburg Address and is face to face with the soldiers who are mired in the Civil War: some who are just in awe of him (Dane DeHaan and Lukas Haas-and how much did I love that? Lukas and Leo's lovechild in a scene together!!) and the Black soldier who is grateful to the President but wants to know when Black soldiers will get equality (David Oleyowo). This drives home immediately the battle Lincoln is waging : to bring peace to theNation even though to bring true peace in ending the Civil War cannot happen, in his opinion without the final abolishing of slavery. To garner the votes he needs in the House of Representatives, Lincoln must undertake methods that worries his camp his assistant, (Joseph Cross who use to just like like Aaron and Shawn Ashmore but with his film mustache he looks like John C. Reilly in "Talladega Nights") and Secretary of State (David Straithairn), Meanwhile his home life is unstable due to his wife Mary's emotional problems brought on by the death of their son three years earlier; and the return of his son Robert (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who wants to abandon college for the military.
Daniel Day-Lewis, as usual, is superb. He sounds like Mr. Burns from "The Simpsons", yes, but his total commitment to the role is outstanding. I love the way he moved in the film. There's a scene where he's examining something and instead of bringing it to his face the way that other actors would, he hunched over to examine it. He moved naturally. And I know just the basics about Lincoln: lawyer, shot by John Wilkes Booth, vampire hunter but I have never heard about his personality. And I'm unsure if this is from this bio, but in the film he's a man with an easy going charm: a joke teller, unflappable, a true man of the people but not as honest as history has dubbed him to be.
The Man with the Iron Firsts
I had an hour break in between "Lincoln" and "Skyfall", so I ducked into "The Man With the Iron Fists" (as I was waiting in the lobby Larry King and his wife was at the concessions stand. It's the second time I've seen his wife at the movies: the first time was at another theater and she had their sons and her assistant as the boys ran wild in the lobby. This time she and he hubby were seeing "Lincoln". As she walked past to go to the theater she said "hi" to me and the others sitting there as if we recognized her. I mean, I did, but I thought it was weird. As if she was greeting her public.
Anyhoo, "The Man with the Iron Fists" the screenwriting (Eli Roth was a co-writer) and directing film debut of Wu Tang Clan's RZA. RZA, a lifelong fan of martial arts film
And honorary Asian thanks to "The Chappelle Show"s racial draft
Comedy Central
brings to the screen a film that seems more heavily influenced by Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill" and "Inglorious Basterds" with a little bit of "Big Trouble in Little China" thrown in.
RZA plays a blacksmith who fights to protect his village from the various clans (the Lion Clan, Geminis, Hyenas and Wolves) who are fighting for dominance and over an incoming shipment of gold into the blacksmith's village. When he runs afoul of Silver Lion (a definite homage to those overly dramatic villains of kung fu films) Blacksmith teams up with Jack Knife (Russell Crowe) to Clans and get the gold.
All I can do is compare it to other movies of its ilk. It's not as grand as "Kill Bill" (though there is a big sequence that is a lot like Oshi Ren's tale in "Kill Bill" and it also stars Lucy Liu who plays brothel owner Madame Blossom), but the action is definitely more intense than "Ninja Assassin". If you love old kung-fu films you would probably enjoy this. I definitely love that RZA achieved his dream of making this film because this is truly his passion.
The film also stars Pam Grier, Jamie Chung, Rick Yune, Byron Mann (who is currently on "Arrow" as Oliver's island mentor), wrestler/actor Dave Batista
Remember him from SV?
and another CW actor Oscric Chau who plays Kevin on "Supernatural"!
He's so wee. He reminds me of Elijah Wood.
Lij
*The last full episode of SPN that I watched was the one with Lauren Tom. I specifically watched for her. She rarely is seen on-screen since she's primarily does voice work (Amy on "Futurama", Minh on "King of the Hill")
Skyfall
I don't know why I was so excited to see this because I am not a Bond fan. I've seen the other Daniel Craig as Bond films but I didn't rush out to see them, but I was set to see this.
A decidedly marked improvement from "Quantum of Solace". This 23rd Bond outing is a rejiggering of the franchise but instead of solely facing forward it reaches into the past to honor the 50 years of Bond.
Daniel Craig, director Sam Mendes and writers John Logan ("The Last Samaurai", "Any Given Sunday", "Hugo") and Neal Purvis and Robert Wade ("Die Another Day", "Casino Royale", "Quantum of Solace") all agreed that it was time to inject humor back into the films. "Skyfall" still features a steel-willed Bond in Craig, but he smiles more and is very quippy.
"Skyfall" by all accounts is a labor of love, which is normally not what a big franchise film would be called but due to MGM's financial problems and subsequent bankruptcy, "Skyfall" almost didn't happen (the Bond films are pretty much the only thing MGM didn't give up since it is its rainy day fund). Postponed due to lack of funding, the studio scrambled to find ways to cut costs and find financing . They even changed Bond's standard drink: he doesn't request a martini, shaken, not stirred (though you still see him with one), instead he and others in the film are chugging Heiniken in exchange for Heiniken's financial support. But crisis averted, "Skyfall" lived to see The Living Ddaylights.
When MI6's secrets are threatened to be exposed Bond must find out who is behind the leak which threatens the lives of agents and M's (Dame Judi Dench) career.
Again, not a big Bond fan here. I've only seen all of the Craig films, maybe two Moore's and that's it, but the iconography of Bond looms so large that I picked up on some of the nods in the film. I can only imagine if I was a die-hard Bond fan I would've been geeking out.
Display at the Arclight L.A of Bond posters
The film amassed some great new additions to the film includeing Naomie Harris as a new field agent working with Bond on the mission, Ralph Fiennes as Mallory, the official who is trying to save MI6's reputation and Ben Whishaw as the new Q (I know so little about Bond that I didn't know that Q stood for quartermaster).
Naomie, I just don't know…
This dame here is hardcore
The locations were great, but the clothing was exquisite!
Craig wore Tom Ford and there were some impeccable pieces like a white textured dress shirt and the blue suit in the one-sheet. The one-buttoned affair with the black press lapels and the black piping on the pockets. SO HOT.
~Since I watched two full movies that means I watched a bevy of trailers.
Hitch your wagon to these trailers
The new extended "Django Unchained" trailer
*I'm really excited for this because it's been so long (IMO) since Leo has had a chance to really let loose in a role. I like that he's giving himself the opportunity to go big I a way he hasn't done since he was a teen.
A Good Day to Die Hard
Zero Dark Thirty
*AKA Seven Degrees of Tom Hardy separation. It stars "Lawless" costars Jessica Chastain and Jason Clarke and Tom's "Warrior" costar Joel Edgerton. As well as Kyle Chandler playing his 20th government official in a film.
The Lone Ranger
~Old Review
Cloud Atlas
I think every review will use the word "ambitious" "brilliant" and a "masterpiece", to describe this film. Also "polarizing", "confusing", "pretentious" and just plain "terrible" as critics and audiences' reactions are vastly divided.
"Cloud Atlas" was adapted from David Mitchell's 500 page tome of the same name by writer/director siblings Andy and Lana Warschowski (directors of "The Matrix" and "Speed Racer") and Tom Tykwer ("Run, Lola Run"). Almost like the novel/film's theme of everything being connected: Lana was turned on to the book by Natalie Portman during the shooting of "V for Vendetta". Lana fell in love with it and convinced Tom to read it. (So taken with it during holiday, Tykwer had his wife pull over to the side of the ride so that he could finish a chapter undisturbed).
"Cloud Atlas" portrays the interconnectedness of souls whether in the metaphysical sense or the literal sense of individuals. It's literally of story for the ages with characters set in 1849 (where a lawyer named Ewings, played by Jim Sturgess, encounters a stowaway slave (David Guyasi) on his return trip home, 1936 (when rakish composer Frobisher, played by whippet thin Ben Whishaw apprentices under an ailing master composer-played by Jim Broadbent), 1973 (where journalist Luisa Rey played by Halle Berry is tipped off about the shady goings-on at a power plant) 2012 (when publisher Cavendish played by Jim Broadbent-past deeds come back to bite him) 2144 (Neo-Seoul where Somni, played by Doona Bae,as a replicant finds awareness)
and 2321 (where Zachry played by Tom Hanks distrusts scientist Meronym's foray into his village as he and his family and community are living under the fear of their brutal attackers. Connections are made and lost and the film shows the ripple effects of these meetings, however how fleeting.
I haven't read the book (but a friend e-booked it and she acted as if it was a transformative experience) but I was sold on the extended trailer introduced by the Warchowskis and Twyker enough to want to see it.
By watching their pitch and the extended trailer I thought I would be taken on a beautiful journey filled with pathos and poignancy and it fell quite short IMO.
There were high points; most notably the storylines of Somni and Cavendish due to the outstanding performances by Bae and Broadbent. I felt those were the two most complete stories.
Though, overall, it was a great cast
On the other end of the spectrum there's the far flung future story with Hanks and Berry speaking in an almost incomprehensible pidgin dialect that made me wonder if I had suffered an aneurysm (walking out the theater someone said, "I need to see this again." And their friend said, "I need to see it with subtitles.").
You are the weakest links, Goodbye.
I'm glad I saw it. Even without Vulture's guide to the characters to guide me. http://www.vulture.com/2012/10/guide-to-the-characters-and-connections-of-cloud-atlas-confused.html
*I went to the premiere.
The very first people I spotted when I came into the theater was Keanu Reeves and Lana Wachowski talking up against a pillar by the concession stand. Only one person came up to approach them and it was a woman who just wanted to shake Keanu's hand and tell him how much she adored him. He sounded really surprised and said "Thank you" and gve a little bow. But while talking to Lana he was just cracking up. So the sad Keanu meme isn't very accurate. Even inside in his row he was chit-chatting and laughing it up with people. Of the cast I only saw Jim Sturridge and James Darcy as they were rushing out to the after-party because the movie was so damn long that the theater was rushing everyone out. And James Darcy---I've never seen him in anything besides "Cloud Atlas" where he didn't wow me, but in real life he's quite dashing. Quite.
I saw Hank's wife Rita Wilson and Keith David who, from what I can tell, was the only cast member who stayed for any length of time afterwards to sign autographs and take pictures. I saw comedian Barry Sobel and I regret not talking to him because if it was oh...1989 or something I would've been right there. I LOVED Barry Sobel. I started watching "227" again because he joined the cast. I only love "Revenger of the Nerd 2: Nerds in Paradise" because of him! But it's 2012 and I thought I was too cool for school and I didn't approach him even though he was just hanging around. I loved Barry so much that I know he was there because he was the one who coached Tom Hanks in stand-up comedy for "Punchline". They've been friends ever since.
Lincoln
Definitely Oscar bait material: Spielberg, Day-Lewis, a end of the year release date so that Academy voters can have the film fresh in their minds come Oscar season. But unlike most Oscar courting fare this one, especially those from Spielberg (ahem, "War Horse") "Lincoln" isn't soley a dry historical retelling. There's a thread of humor running through the film thanks to a sharp script by playwright Tony Kushner ("Angels in America") who based the script off of the Doris Kearns-Goodwin Lincoln biography Lincoln, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln. Spielgberg chose to focus on the time period where Lincoln fought to end slavery and the Civil War. Populated with a treasure trove of actors (Hal Holbrook, Tommy Lee Jones, Sally Fields, Tim Blake Nelson, Julie White, James Spader, Dakin Matthews, David Straithairn, Jackie Earle Haley, Lee Pace, Bruce McGill, John Hawkes, Jared Harris, Gloria Rueben, Walton Goggins, Michael Stuhlbarg) who give strong, bravura performances that bring a real human quality to the film so that the audience doesn't feel as if they're just sitting in a Civics class.
The cast of "Lincoln"
Sally and Tommy
JGL, Joseph Cross and David Oyelowo
Joe and his movie brother
*I don't know if Joe looks like Robert Lincoln but doesn't he look like this Slavi woman?
The film opens with Lincoln on the battlfield two months (IIRC) after giving the Gettysburg Address and is face to face with the soldiers who are mired in the Civil War: some who are just in awe of him (Dane DeHaan and Lukas Haas-and how much did I love that? Lukas and Leo's lovechild in a scene together!!) and the Black soldier who is grateful to the President but wants to know when Black soldiers will get equality (David Oleyowo). This drives home immediately the battle Lincoln is waging : to bring peace to theNation even though to bring true peace in ending the Civil War cannot happen, in his opinion without the final abolishing of slavery. To garner the votes he needs in the House of Representatives, Lincoln must undertake methods that worries his camp his assistant, (Joseph Cross who use to just like like Aaron and Shawn Ashmore but with his film mustache he looks like John C. Reilly in "Talladega Nights") and Secretary of State (David Straithairn), Meanwhile his home life is unstable due to his wife Mary's emotional problems brought on by the death of their son three years earlier; and the return of his son Robert (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who wants to abandon college for the military.
Daniel Day-Lewis, as usual, is superb. He sounds like Mr. Burns from "The Simpsons", yes, but his total commitment to the role is outstanding. I love the way he moved in the film. There's a scene where he's examining something and instead of bringing it to his face the way that other actors would, he hunched over to examine it. He moved naturally. And I know just the basics about Lincoln: lawyer, shot by John Wilkes Booth, vampire hunter but I have never heard about his personality. And I'm unsure if this is from this bio, but in the film he's a man with an easy going charm: a joke teller, unflappable, a true man of the people but not as honest as history has dubbed him to be.
The Man with the Iron Firsts
I had an hour break in between "Lincoln" and "Skyfall", so I ducked into "The Man With the Iron Fists" (as I was waiting in the lobby Larry King and his wife was at the concessions stand. It's the second time I've seen his wife at the movies: the first time was at another theater and she had their sons and her assistant as the boys ran wild in the lobby. This time she and he hubby were seeing "Lincoln". As she walked past to go to the theater she said "hi" to me and the others sitting there as if we recognized her. I mean, I did, but I thought it was weird. As if she was greeting her public.
Anyhoo, "The Man with the Iron Fists" the screenwriting (Eli Roth was a co-writer) and directing film debut of Wu Tang Clan's RZA. RZA, a lifelong fan of martial arts film
And honorary Asian thanks to "The Chappelle Show"s racial draft
Comedy Central
brings to the screen a film that seems more heavily influenced by Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill" and "Inglorious Basterds" with a little bit of "Big Trouble in Little China" thrown in.
RZA plays a blacksmith who fights to protect his village from the various clans (the Lion Clan, Geminis, Hyenas and Wolves) who are fighting for dominance and over an incoming shipment of gold into the blacksmith's village. When he runs afoul of Silver Lion (a definite homage to those overly dramatic villains of kung fu films) Blacksmith teams up with Jack Knife (Russell Crowe) to Clans and get the gold.
All I can do is compare it to other movies of its ilk. It's not as grand as "Kill Bill" (though there is a big sequence that is a lot like Oshi Ren's tale in "Kill Bill" and it also stars Lucy Liu who plays brothel owner Madame Blossom), but the action is definitely more intense than "Ninja Assassin". If you love old kung-fu films you would probably enjoy this. I definitely love that RZA achieved his dream of making this film because this is truly his passion.
The film also stars Pam Grier, Jamie Chung, Rick Yune, Byron Mann (who is currently on "Arrow" as Oliver's island mentor), wrestler/actor Dave Batista
Remember him from SV?
and another CW actor Oscric Chau who plays Kevin on "Supernatural"!
He's so wee. He reminds me of Elijah Wood.
Lij
*The last full episode of SPN that I watched was the one with Lauren Tom. I specifically watched for her. She rarely is seen on-screen since she's primarily does voice work (Amy on "Futurama", Minh on "King of the Hill")
Skyfall
I don't know why I was so excited to see this because I am not a Bond fan. I've seen the other Daniel Craig as Bond films but I didn't rush out to see them, but I was set to see this.
A decidedly marked improvement from "Quantum of Solace". This 23rd Bond outing is a rejiggering of the franchise but instead of solely facing forward it reaches into the past to honor the 50 years of Bond.
Daniel Craig, director Sam Mendes and writers John Logan ("The Last Samaurai", "Any Given Sunday", "Hugo") and Neal Purvis and Robert Wade ("Die Another Day", "Casino Royale", "Quantum of Solace") all agreed that it was time to inject humor back into the films. "Skyfall" still features a steel-willed Bond in Craig, but he smiles more and is very quippy.
"Skyfall" by all accounts is a labor of love, which is normally not what a big franchise film would be called but due to MGM's financial problems and subsequent bankruptcy, "Skyfall" almost didn't happen (the Bond films are pretty much the only thing MGM didn't give up since it is its rainy day fund). Postponed due to lack of funding, the studio scrambled to find ways to cut costs and find financing . They even changed Bond's standard drink: he doesn't request a martini, shaken, not stirred (though you still see him with one), instead he and others in the film are chugging Heiniken in exchange for Heiniken's financial support. But crisis averted, "Skyfall" lived to see The Living Ddaylights.
When MI6's secrets are threatened to be exposed Bond must find out who is behind the leak which threatens the lives of agents and M's (Dame Judi Dench) career.
Again, not a big Bond fan here. I've only seen all of the Craig films, maybe two Moore's and that's it, but the iconography of Bond looms so large that I picked up on some of the nods in the film. I can only imagine if I was a die-hard Bond fan I would've been geeking out.
Display at the Arclight L.A of Bond posters
The film amassed some great new additions to the film includeing Naomie Harris as a new field agent working with Bond on the mission, Ralph Fiennes as Mallory, the official who is trying to save MI6's reputation and Ben Whishaw as the new Q (I know so little about Bond that I didn't know that Q stood for quartermaster).
Naomie, I just don't know…
This dame here is hardcore
The locations were great, but the clothing was exquisite!
Craig wore Tom Ford and there were some impeccable pieces like a white textured dress shirt and the blue suit in the one-sheet. The one-buttoned affair with the black press lapels and the black piping on the pockets. SO HOT.
~Since I watched two full movies that means I watched a bevy of trailers.
Hitch your wagon to these trailers
The new extended "Django Unchained" trailer
Click to view
*I'm really excited for this because it's been so long (IMO) since Leo has had a chance to really let loose in a role. I like that he's giving himself the opportunity to go big I a way he hasn't done since he was a teen.
A Good Day to Die Hard
Zero Dark Thirty
*AKA Seven Degrees of Tom Hardy separation. It stars "Lawless" costars Jessica Chastain and Jason Clarke and Tom's "Warrior" costar Joel Edgerton. As well as Kyle Chandler playing his 20th government official in a film.
The Lone Ranger
~Old Review
Cloud Atlas
I think every review will use the word "ambitious" "brilliant" and a "masterpiece", to describe this film. Also "polarizing", "confusing", "pretentious" and just plain "terrible" as critics and audiences' reactions are vastly divided.
"Cloud Atlas" was adapted from David Mitchell's 500 page tome of the same name by writer/director siblings Andy and Lana Warschowski (directors of "The Matrix" and "Speed Racer") and Tom Tykwer ("Run, Lola Run"). Almost like the novel/film's theme of everything being connected: Lana was turned on to the book by Natalie Portman during the shooting of "V for Vendetta". Lana fell in love with it and convinced Tom to read it. (So taken with it during holiday, Tykwer had his wife pull over to the side of the ride so that he could finish a chapter undisturbed).
"Cloud Atlas" portrays the interconnectedness of souls whether in the metaphysical sense or the literal sense of individuals. It's literally of story for the ages with characters set in 1849 (where a lawyer named Ewings, played by Jim Sturgess, encounters a stowaway slave (David Guyasi) on his return trip home, 1936 (when rakish composer Frobisher, played by whippet thin Ben Whishaw apprentices under an ailing master composer-played by Jim Broadbent), 1973 (where journalist Luisa Rey played by Halle Berry is tipped off about the shady goings-on at a power plant) 2012 (when publisher Cavendish played by Jim Broadbent-past deeds come back to bite him) 2144 (Neo-Seoul where Somni, played by Doona Bae,as a replicant finds awareness)
and 2321 (where Zachry played by Tom Hanks distrusts scientist Meronym's foray into his village as he and his family and community are living under the fear of their brutal attackers. Connections are made and lost and the film shows the ripple effects of these meetings, however how fleeting.
I haven't read the book (but a friend e-booked it and she acted as if it was a transformative experience) but I was sold on the extended trailer introduced by the Warchowskis and Twyker enough to want to see it.
By watching their pitch and the extended trailer I thought I would be taken on a beautiful journey filled with pathos and poignancy and it fell quite short IMO.
There were high points; most notably the storylines of Somni and Cavendish due to the outstanding performances by Bae and Broadbent. I felt those were the two most complete stories.
Though, overall, it was a great cast
On the other end of the spectrum there's the far flung future story with Hanks and Berry speaking in an almost incomprehensible pidgin dialect that made me wonder if I had suffered an aneurysm (walking out the theater someone said, "I need to see this again." And their friend said, "I need to see it with subtitles.").
You are the weakest links, Goodbye.
I'm glad I saw it. Even without Vulture's guide to the characters to guide me. http://www.vulture.com/2012/10/guide-to-the-characters-and-connections-of-cloud-atlas-confused.html
*I went to the premiere.
The very first people I spotted when I came into the theater was Keanu Reeves and Lana Wachowski talking up against a pillar by the concession stand. Only one person came up to approach them and it was a woman who just wanted to shake Keanu's hand and tell him how much she adored him. He sounded really surprised and said "Thank you" and gve a little bow. But while talking to Lana he was just cracking up. So the sad Keanu meme isn't very accurate. Even inside in his row he was chit-chatting and laughing it up with people. Of the cast I only saw Jim Sturridge and James Darcy as they were rushing out to the after-party because the movie was so damn long that the theater was rushing everyone out. And James Darcy---I've never seen him in anything besides "Cloud Atlas" where he didn't wow me, but in real life he's quite dashing. Quite.
I saw Hank's wife Rita Wilson and Keith David who, from what I can tell, was the only cast member who stayed for any length of time afterwards to sign autographs and take pictures. I saw comedian Barry Sobel and I regret not talking to him because if it was oh...1989 or something I would've been right there. I LOVED Barry Sobel. I started watching "227" again because he joined the cast. I only love "Revenger of the Nerd 2: Nerds in Paradise" because of him! But it's 2012 and I thought I was too cool for school and I didn't approach him even though he was just hanging around. I loved Barry so much that I know he was there because he was the one who coached Tom Hanks in stand-up comedy for "Punchline". They've been friends ever since.