A basterd's work is never done.
I can't believe it's almost a month since my last post... I'm such a lazy git about updating. I will blame the summer, I actually go out more while I tend to hibernate during the winter.
I guess I'll start with the coolest thing I did this weekend, I went to see Quentin Tarantino at Times Talks on Friday and it was fabulous! His love of film is so all-encompassing that it is always a joy to just listen to him talk about movies, he's like Scorsese in that sense. He's so exuberant at times that he loses his train of thought but it's part of his charm, there's nothing blase or jaded about him when he discusses movies. You can read a short rundown of the talk here courtesy of the Panel Nerds at Mediaite.
The whole talk was rather interesting, I particularly liked his reasons for wanting to hire actors from the particular country they were supposed to be from for Inglorious Basterds. I also liked hearing him speak of he comes up with his characters, he really is a writer first and foremost. The most exciting news was hearing that Kill Bill the Whole Bloody Affair (or something to that effect) would be released on DVD as well as in theaters for a limited time, I can't wait!
I've also seen a couple of movies as well...
HP and the Half-Blood Prince - Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson (July 17) 4 out of 5
It's Harry Potter so I'm bound to always love it. I still think that Prisoner of Azkaban has been the best adaptation so far (I know many disagree) but this is definitely amongst the top three.
I enjoyed the Ron/Hermione stuff (that's a big duh as I'm a big bore and totally ship them) and the girl playing Lavender was freaking insane... totally loved her! Rupert can always be counted on to be a riot as well, lovesick Ron was precisely what I envisioned. I was glad that Emma dialed it down a bit this time around. She's grown quite beautiful and while I think she's a good actress I find that she tends to overdue it at times which makes her seem as if she's in a different movie from everyone else... with the exception of a couple of scenes she managed to avoid that this time around.
I loved seeing all of the kids again, that's always great fun. I was a little distracted at how tall Tom Felton had grown (and he seemed so much older than the rest for some reason) but I think he handled his part quite nicely. As for Harry himself... I adore Daniel and he's improved quite nicely through the years. Heas great in the comic scenes but I still don't completely buy his emotional scenes, I'll give him props for trying though.
Alan Rickman is brilliant as usual, the man is pure gold as Snape. I also loved Gambon this time around once more, there was something off about his Dumbledore in the last movie but he was right on mark this time. Jim Broadbent was fabulous as Slughorn and totally what I imagined. The whole cast of adults is sublime... you only wish they all had more time to shine.
I was pleased with the script overall although I did find myself remembering everything that was left out which was weird because I didn't recall there being much plot in the book going into the movie. I thought the Inferi scene was particularly well handled but it a mistake to not do that final battle, it just makes the whole plot rather silly in retrospect... what's the point of the Deatheaters coming through the cabinet? I also wish they'd done the funeral as well, it just felt so unfinished.
(500) Days of Summer - Joseph Gordon Levitt, Zooey Deschanel (Jul 26) 4 out of 5
A wonderful little movie about love that isn't precisely what you expect. Joseph Gordon Levitt is a revelation as the lovesick Tom and Zooey's ethereal charms really make you understand why Tom would fall so hopelessly for her. The script is pretty sharp and I loved how the story is told out of sequence, most of all I love how it manages to be realistic and hopeful about love. Kudos to the costume people as well, Summer's wardrobe is to die for!
Julie & Julia - Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stanley Tucci (Aug 7) 4 out of 5 stars
It basically comes down to this, the Julia part of the movie... superb! The Julie part... not so much. Meryl is absolutely sublime and the Julia section of the movie is sweet, funny, heartwarming and full of vitality, all of this is in large part because of Meryl's exuberant performance. This section features a nice supporting turn from Stanley Tucci as Julia's beloved husband Paul Child and the fantastic Jane Lynch also pops up for a bit as Julia's sister Dorothy. This part of the film is so good that it's worth sitting through the Julie section which is just a big fat dud. It's a real shame too because having just read the book I know that it was much better, I'm afraid the rewrites simply killed her side of the story and no amount of adorable Amy Adams could save it.
Ponyo - Cate Blanchette, Liam Neeson, Tina Fey (Aug 16) 5 out of 5 stars
I absolutely loved it! I would say it's Miyazaki's take on The Little Mermaid. The animation is beautiful and the actual translation was quite good, sweet and funny... my favorite Miyazaki film since Howl's Moving Castle.
Next up will be Inglorious Basterds of course but I'll also try to get The Hurt Locker, In the Loop and It Might Get Loud before the month is out.
Last but not least... join period_rumble!
I guess I'll start with the coolest thing I did this weekend, I went to see Quentin Tarantino at Times Talks on Friday and it was fabulous! His love of film is so all-encompassing that it is always a joy to just listen to him talk about movies, he's like Scorsese in that sense. He's so exuberant at times that he loses his train of thought but it's part of his charm, there's nothing blase or jaded about him when he discusses movies. You can read a short rundown of the talk here courtesy of the Panel Nerds at Mediaite.
The whole talk was rather interesting, I particularly liked his reasons for wanting to hire actors from the particular country they were supposed to be from for Inglorious Basterds. I also liked hearing him speak of he comes up with his characters, he really is a writer first and foremost. The most exciting news was hearing that Kill Bill the Whole Bloody Affair (or something to that effect) would be released on DVD as well as in theaters for a limited time, I can't wait!
I've also seen a couple of movies as well...
HP and the Half-Blood Prince - Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson (July 17) 4 out of 5
It's Harry Potter so I'm bound to always love it. I still think that Prisoner of Azkaban has been the best adaptation so far (I know many disagree) but this is definitely amongst the top three.
I enjoyed the Ron/Hermione stuff (that's a big duh as I'm a big bore and totally ship them) and the girl playing Lavender was freaking insane... totally loved her! Rupert can always be counted on to be a riot as well, lovesick Ron was precisely what I envisioned. I was glad that Emma dialed it down a bit this time around. She's grown quite beautiful and while I think she's a good actress I find that she tends to overdue it at times which makes her seem as if she's in a different movie from everyone else... with the exception of a couple of scenes she managed to avoid that this time around.
I loved seeing all of the kids again, that's always great fun. I was a little distracted at how tall Tom Felton had grown (and he seemed so much older than the rest for some reason) but I think he handled his part quite nicely. As for Harry himself... I adore Daniel and he's improved quite nicely through the years. Heas great in the comic scenes but I still don't completely buy his emotional scenes, I'll give him props for trying though.
Alan Rickman is brilliant as usual, the man is pure gold as Snape. I also loved Gambon this time around once more, there was something off about his Dumbledore in the last movie but he was right on mark this time. Jim Broadbent was fabulous as Slughorn and totally what I imagined. The whole cast of adults is sublime... you only wish they all had more time to shine.
I was pleased with the script overall although I did find myself remembering everything that was left out which was weird because I didn't recall there being much plot in the book going into the movie. I thought the Inferi scene was particularly well handled but it a mistake to not do that final battle, it just makes the whole plot rather silly in retrospect... what's the point of the Deatheaters coming through the cabinet? I also wish they'd done the funeral as well, it just felt so unfinished.
(500) Days of Summer - Joseph Gordon Levitt, Zooey Deschanel (Jul 26) 4 out of 5
A wonderful little movie about love that isn't precisely what you expect. Joseph Gordon Levitt is a revelation as the lovesick Tom and Zooey's ethereal charms really make you understand why Tom would fall so hopelessly for her. The script is pretty sharp and I loved how the story is told out of sequence, most of all I love how it manages to be realistic and hopeful about love. Kudos to the costume people as well, Summer's wardrobe is to die for!
Julie & Julia - Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stanley Tucci (Aug 7) 4 out of 5 stars
It basically comes down to this, the Julia part of the movie... superb! The Julie part... not so much. Meryl is absolutely sublime and the Julia section of the movie is sweet, funny, heartwarming and full of vitality, all of this is in large part because of Meryl's exuberant performance. This section features a nice supporting turn from Stanley Tucci as Julia's beloved husband Paul Child and the fantastic Jane Lynch also pops up for a bit as Julia's sister Dorothy. This part of the film is so good that it's worth sitting through the Julie section which is just a big fat dud. It's a real shame too because having just read the book I know that it was much better, I'm afraid the rewrites simply killed her side of the story and no amount of adorable Amy Adams could save it.
Ponyo - Cate Blanchette, Liam Neeson, Tina Fey (Aug 16) 5 out of 5 stars
I absolutely loved it! I would say it's Miyazaki's take on The Little Mermaid. The animation is beautiful and the actual translation was quite good, sweet and funny... my favorite Miyazaki film since Howl's Moving Castle.
Next up will be Inglorious Basterds of course but I'll also try to get The Hurt Locker, In the Loop and It Might Get Loud before the month is out.
Last but not least... join period_rumble!