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JayDee 02-13-16 06:05 PM

One Movie, Two Movie, Three Movie, Four... - JayDee's Movie Diary
 

One Movie, Two Movie, Three Movie, Four!
Five Movie, Six Movie, Seven Movie, More!!!


These movie diaries/logs seem to be all the rage just now and I've never been one to pass up jumping on a bandwagon! :D

Now as some of you may have noticed I've recently started my Movie Musings thread back up. So why start this new thread as well? Well as I mentioned in my Musings thread I've got loads of reviews built up over the last year or two to post, and during that time my ratings have become a good deal tighter. So reviews from back in the summer of 2014 may well not been rated in a similar way to reviews from early 2016. And as it turns out I've actually written quite a few of late. I didn't particularly intend to write them but I just can't help myself! Though I've not been writing to the same length and in the same exhaustive detail

So while I sort out my old reviews thread I thought I'd start up this thread just for newer write-ups, particularly as several of them are for films competing at the Oscars and I thought it'd be nice to get them out there before the ceremony itself.

Whether I'll keep this thread going when my old thread is sorted out I don't know but let's just see what happens

Swan 02-13-16 06:08 PM

Re: One Movie, Two Movie, Three Movie, Four... - JayDee's Movie Diary
 
What a conformist! :p

JayDee 02-13-16 06:08 PM

mirror
mirror

Year of release
2015

Directed by
Duke Johnson
Charlie Kaufman

Written by
Charlie Kaufman

Starring
David Thewlis
Jennifer Jason Leigh
Tom Noonan


Anomalisa

+


For about the first 30 minutes of Charlie Kaufman's latest oddity I was completely flummoxed. Now that's not an uncommon sensation to feel when it comes to one of his films. However on this occasion it had nothing to do with whatever bizareness was unfolding before me. No this time I was flummoxed by how exactly this film was accruing the level of praise that it has. As we follow a remarkably unremarkable man (self-help guru Michael Stone) dealing with the mundanities of life I felt like I was on course for just about the dullest film I'd ever seen. Yes the stop motion animation was wonderful but that wasn't going to be anywhere near enough to save the film

And then all of a sudden, almost from out of nowhere, I found that it was starting to draw me in. All of a sudden I cared about that unremarkable man and the pain he was clearly in. That pain is a crushing sense of loneliness, a life of regrets and some form of mental illness that is fraying the edges of his mind. With its focus on loneliness and a disconnect from people the film sort of feels like Lost in Translation or Up in the Air done in a fashion that only Charlie Kaufman could conceive of. It's quite a tragic little tale of a character being suffocated by life and pestered by romantic/sexual frustrations. As I got more and more engaged by the film I certainly found that it moved beyond any suggestion of gimmickery in regards to its use of puppets.

So how exactly did the film pull off this dramatic turn around? Well there were several factors at play. Chief amongst them would have to be Kaufman's script which crafts dialogue, scenes and characters that are tenderly written and beautifully observed. The film's chief protagonist is the aforemenionted Michael Stone, a guru of customer service who is visiting Cincinnati to give a speech promoting his new book. He is seen as a god in the world of customer service. However a life of faux happiness and of wishing people insincere greetings of “have a nice day” seem to have killed his ability to connect with people or feel anything at all. So unstimulated by life has he become that everyone around him both looks and sounds the same; indeed Tom Noonan voices every single character in the film except for two. His profession has taken over his life; individuality has disappeared, everything is phoney, it's all about the masks of fakeness that people wear. This is until he meets Lisa; a woman with a face and a voice distinctive from everyone else. Which is why he finds himself so attracted to a woman he meets the night before his presentation. With her unique voice and scarred face she stands out from the crowd. He finds beauty in her imperfections.

A large portion of the film is dedicated to the one night stand/relationship that develops between Michael and Lisa. Their scenes together are beautiful and frequently heart-breaking. The character of Lisa in particular just made my heart ache. I loved her so much and just wanted to give her a hug; so endearing. She's awkward and clumsy, and not exactly the smartest or most learned of individuals. But she's also got a really good heart and a sweet nature with her own particular charm. How ironic that a film whose characters are made of clay presents some of the most human characters I've seen in a long time.

These characters come to life and feel fully formed as a result of not just the writing and the animation, but as a result of two great vocal performances from David Thewlis and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Leigh in particular I thought was excellent, expressing so much pain and sadness in her voice but at the same time a real warmth. I know that she picked up an Oscar nomination for her entertaining turn in The Hateful Eight but I personally found her efforts here to actually be more impressive. It was also at around the 30 minute point that the film really started to drop in little touches of Kaufman's trademark surrealism which helped to draw me in.

Also very impressive is the combination of the animation and direction that creates some miniscule but terrific little touches; a character fondling the stem of his wine glass to show his nervousness or a woman covering her hands with the sleeves of her cardigan in a sign of her discomfort and shyness for example. And some of the images they come up with are beautiful, utilising elements such as lighting better than I've ever seen from a stop-motion film. The level of detail in general that is afforded to the animation is extraordinary. You can tell that a great deal of attention and passion has gone in to crafting this world.

Now do I know what exactly Anomalisa is about? No. I got the basic gist of the film but I'll admit that there is a fair deal that I'm not sure of. I may have some theories about certain facets and what they mean but they are far from concrete. And some of these theories are quite bizarre and twisted. It's one of those films that makes you look at every character and object for a deeper meaning. It's also one of those films that leaves you questioning its reality at every turn. Which scenes are real, which are delusions within the real world and which are full blown dreams? I'd say that the odds of someone coming away with a fully formed summation of the film that they're confident with on just one viewing would be pretty low.

It may only just have been released but already I've seen Anomalisa referred to as a masterpiece on numerous occasions. And you know what, in its own peculiar way it may well be. However I'd certainly need a repeat viewing or two before I'd be anywhere close to sure. But that's alright because I definitely do want to see it again. While there are films of 2015 that I enjoyed more I don't know that there were any more intriguing or thought-provoking than this one. And on that repeat viewing I can certainly envisage the film growing on me, with issues like the slow start making sense in the realm of the entire story.

Miss Vicky 02-13-16 08:17 PM

Re: One Movie, Two Movie, Three Movie, Four... - JayDee's Movie Diary
 
Great review. :up:

I haven't had a chance to see Animolisa yet, but as an admirer of his previous work and a lover of animation, I'm eagerly anticipating it.

Gatsby 02-13-16 08:19 PM

Re: One Movie, Two Movie, Three Movie, Four... - JayDee's Movie Diary
 
Looks like everyone has a film diary now. :lol:

Looking forward to this thread JayDee. Haven't seen Anomalisa but the name Charlie Kaufman has my interest. :)

christine 02-13-16 08:20 PM

Re: One Movie, Two Movie, Three Movie, Four... - JayDee's Movie Diary
 
Sounds interesting. I'm going to try and find it now

seanc 02-13-16 08:34 PM

Re: One Movie, Two Movie, Three Movie, Four... - JayDee's Movie Diary
 
Cannot wait to see Anomalisa. I was so disappointed it came nowhere near me. Happy to see you back on the wagon Jaydee.

JayDee 02-13-16 09:32 PM

Originally Posted by Miss Vicky (Post 1458482)
Great review. :up:

I haven't had a chance to see Animolisa yet, but as an admirer of his previous work and a lover of animation, I'm eagerly anticipating it.
Why thank you Victoria.

And yeah as soon as I started watching Anomalisa I began to think of you (as I frequently do anyway ;)) and how you may well love it. Between the involvement of Kaufman and the animation I thought it seemed pretty much perfect for you; a new Mary & Max for you perhaps. From what I remember I think it even shares similar themes and issues as that film. Will certainly be interested to see what you make of it

I just want to reiterate btw about my stricter ways when it comes to rating films. 3+ may not seem like a great score but I certainly did like Anomalisa, on the verge of really liking it. In fact I almost raised the score to either a 3.5 - or just a straight 3.5. The more I thought about the film and the more it stuck with me the more positive I felt about it. However I decided to stick with my initial gut reaction for now. As I said I can certainly see it growing on me with future viewings and I can adjust the score then.

cricket 02-13-16 09:36 PM

Never heard of that movie before. It's got a pretty interesting cast though.

MovieMeditation 02-14-16 01:54 PM

Re: One Movie, Two Movie, Three Movie, Four... - JayDee's Movie Diary
 
I really want to see that one, but my expectations are high as hell...

Will read when watched. :up:

JayDee 02-15-16 09:26 PM

mirror
mirror

Year of release
2015

Directed by
Tom McCarthy

Written by
Tom McCarthy
Josh Singer

Starring
Michael Keaton
Mark Ruffalo
Rachel McAdams
Liev Schreiber
Stanley Tucci
John Slattery

Spotlight




In the words of Keanu Reeves in The Matrix, “woah....deja vu.” 1976 saw the release of Alan J. Pakula's All the President's Men, a film that detailed a newspaper investigation into the infamous Watergate scandal. And now 40 years later we have Spotlight; another film that details a newspaper investigation into another large entity that was surely beyond such corruption, or so you'd hope. Throughout the film I found it impossible not to be reminded of Pakula's classic. For all of the technical advances in cinema (CGI, digital cameras, motion capture etc) Spotlight just goes to show that the same thing that worked forty years ago can still work today.

Not only do the films share similar storylines, but their approach to the material is also very much alike. Just as Pakula's film did four decades earlier, Spotlight treats its story in a restrained fashion. There is nothing flashy about the film. From its storytelling to its performances, this is actually a very understated and reserved film. It lends the film a real sense of realism and I think it's also the appropriate approach to take with such horrifying, lurid material; particularly with so many victims still alive. Though I do wonder if the subdued nature will hurt the chances of its cast when it comes to picking up nominations and awards at the big shows. All the President's Men was nominated for eight Oscars (winning four) but neither of its leading men, Dustin Hoffman or Robert Redford, were nominated. And I wouldn't be surprised if something similar happened with Spotlight.

You know how at awards ceremonies they will show a video compilation of the nominees with a clip of each of them in action, usually in a scene of high drama that allows them to really 'act'. Well only Mark Ruffalo is really given the chance to 'go big' at any stage, and does so in style. He is the one who is really allowed to channel and vent the anger of the audience. For the most part the film feels more like a great showcase for ensemble acting rather than having individual performances stand out, though Michael Keaton impresses as the steadfast head of the Spotlight team, giving the film a foundation of great strength. The impressive cast continues into its supporting and minor roles, with Stanley Tucci in particular making a strong impression. What I also appreciated is that the film never sanctifies the characters who are attempting to unravel this scandal. It doesn't ram them down your throat as these great heroes of truth and virtue. It presents them as normal people, with their own flaws, who are just doing their job.

Another way in which I found the films to be similar is in my own personal viewing experience of them. With All the President's Men I knew the basics about the Watergate scandal but not all of the ins and outs. So in addition to being a piece of entertaininment it was also an informative and illuminating experience. And it's the same with Spotlight. I obviously knew about the shocking revelations about the Catholic church and the heinous crimes they had committed in terms of covering up systemic child abuse. Once again though I didn't know the story in an in-depth nature. So along the way I was learning about all the facts of the scandal; those involved, how they covered it up, the sheer scale of it etc. And it is certainly a sobering tale that leaves a nasty taste in the mouth.

In fact I'm struggling to remember the last time a film made me so angry, almost to the point of being apoplectic. What the Catholic church did, and on such a scale, is just disgusting. The church was basically the largest paedophile ring in history. As with most adaptations of a true story Spotlight concludes with captions on screen that inform us of what happened in the aftermath of the story being printed. Amongst the information it divulges is the fact that Cardinal Bernard Law (the ringleader in terms of covering up abuse in the Boston area) was forced to resign in the wake of the revelations. Just two years later however the Pope himself appointed him to a position at a church in Rome that is one of the highest ranking Roman Catholic churches in the world. Now that may be the farthest thing from funny that you can imagine, but it does have to be the biggest joke featured in any film of 2015.

Spotlight seems to be the current favourite to take the Best Picture award at the Oscars. While the unsavoury material may make it tough to truly love I do think it's a high quality film of strong acting, writing and directing and would be a worthy winner. It shows journalism at its best, and organised religion at its worst. An All the President's Men for a new generation.

gbgoodies 02-15-16 09:40 PM

I thought Spotlight was great, and after finally seeing all of the Best Picture nominees, I hope it wins the Best Picture award at the Oscars this year.

honeykid 02-16-16 10:15 AM

Originally Posted by JayDee (Post 1459640)
And it is certainly a sobering tale that leaves a nasty taste in the mouth.
As it did for so many.

Amongst the information it divulges is the fact that Cardinal Bernard Law (the ringleader in terms of covering up abuse in the Boston area) was forced to resign in the wake of the revelations. Just two years later however the Pope himself appointed him to a position at a church in Rome that is one of the highest ranking Roman Catholic churches in the world.
It shouldn't be a surprise, as that's how they've dealt with these cases throughout. Someone does something. Someone finally believes it happened and the person involved is moved to a new parish while the abused are paid/convinced/bullied into staying quiet so as not to embarrass the Church. In fact, the only different here is the people in his new 'parish' know of his past.

Daniel M 02-16-16 10:24 AM

Re: One Movie, Two Movie, Three Movie, Four... - JayDee's Movie Diary
 
Unlike All The President's Men I thought Spotlight failed to deliver the story in an any way interesting way, nothing interesting visually or cinematically, the direction was dull, or should I say non-existent. I don't think it should instantly get praise for showing "restraint" or whatever it is, absolutely anybody could have made the same film from the script, it's like a TV movie with well known actors. When I see a film I want to see something cinematically, why is this made for the big screen, how is the direction used to convoy its message or tell its story. Okay, the message is important, but for me this is not cinema, sorry. Although it seems I'm in the minority here, I've yet to see another person give this a bad review.

I'll rep you for your as always well written review though :up:

JayDee 02-16-16 09:14 PM

Originally Posted by Daniel M (Post 1459901)
Although it seems I'm in the minority here, I've yet to see another person give this a bad review.
And you also think The Hateful Eight is a masterpiece. Just more proof you're weird. :p

To be honest I was quite glad to see I disagreed with you on Spotlight as before that I had actually agreed with you on a few films in a row in terms of opinion and general rating; The Revenant, Big Short and Fury Road I think it was. Agreeing so much with you was starting to freak me out. :D

seanc 02-16-16 09:58 PM

Re: One Movie, Two Movie, Three Movie, Four... - JayDee's Movie Diary
 
I loved Spotlight and put it in my top ten this year. I just love the procedural feel of it and thought the performances were great. I understand what Daniel is saying about it not being particularly cinematic but I don't think everything has to be. I don't find All The President's Men any more so to be honest.

Daniel M 02-17-16 03:01 AM

Originally Posted by JayDee (Post 1460508)
And you also think The Hateful Eight is a masterpiece. Just more proof you're weird. :p
Because it is :p

To be honest I was quite glad to see I disagreed with you on Spotlight as before that I had actually agreed with you on a few films in a row in terms of opinion and general rating; The Revenant, Big Short and Fury Road I think it was. Agreeing so much with you was starting to freak me out. :D
That's not too bad then. You should post a 2015 ranked list ;)

JayDee 02-19-16 09:10 PM

mirror
mirror

Year of release
2015

Directed by
Tom Hooper

Written by
Lucinda Coxon
David Ebershoff (novel)

Starring
Eddie Redmayne
Alicia Vikander
Matthias Schoenaerts
Ben Whishaw
Amber Heard
Sebastian Koch

The Danish Girl

-

What a complete hash of things Tom Hooper makes of this film. A prime opportunity lands in his lap and he largely squanders it. Not only does he have a great story to work with but thanks in no small part to the Caitlyn Jenner effect, awareness of transgender individuals and issues has never been higher. There's arguably never been a better time to tell this story. So what a shame that it comes up so far short of what it could have been.

Now don't get me wrong, in many ways this is actually a really nice film, beautiful even. For pretty much the first time in my life however I don't see that as being overly positive; if anything it's a negative because Hooper has sanitised The Danish Girl to within an inch of its life. It's all picture postcard locations, glossy cinematography and what felt like a constant assault of gentle piano music as the backdrop for every scene to tell you that what we're watching is beautiful and emotional. Yes there is some beauty to be found in the story, primarily in the relationship between Eddie Redmayne's Einar (later Lili) and Alicia Vikander's Gerda, but surely there should also be a sizeable degree of edge and darkness to reflect the emotional torture that Einar is suffering and the prejudice he faces. But everything is just so damn pleasant! The story feels like it was ripe to deliver a really powerful examination of transgender issues and what it must feel like to be born in the wrong body. But there's no real sign of that. Instead Hooper has taken it down the direction of a period costume drama. It's so sterilised that I felt it robbed the story of most of its potential emotion and power.

While the tone is probably my largest gripe I think the film also suffers from some problems in the scripting and storytelling department that limited the emotional connection with the characters and the material. The main issue being that Einar/Lili doesn't really feel like much of a character. The only defining characteristic he/she really appears to have is that of gender. Beyond that there isn't really a great deal to him/her. The realisation about his true self also strikes Einar very early on in the proceedings, meaning that we don't really get to know him to any degree before he begins to disappear under the influence of Lili. As a result I don't feel any great connection was made with Einar to the point where we engaged with his predicament.

If the film does have a saving grace then it's to be found in the performances of its leading man and lady, well one of them at least, with the other I have some slight reservations. Taking on the challenging role of Einar/Lili is Eddie Redmayne who is looking to scoop the Best Actor Oscar for the second year in a row. Truthfully I'm a little unsure what to make of his performance. I think that on a technical level it is excellent; his looks, mannerisms, the way he carried himself etc are all very impressive. However I don't feel that his performance engaged me as much as it should have. I found that their was something a bit robotic and clinical about him. It's actually a similar reaction to the one I had with The Theory of Everything last year. In terms of mimicking Stephen Hawking and capturing the mechanics of someone suffering from motor neurone disease I found it quite extraordinary. But for whatever reason it didn't make me feel to the extent of Benedict Cumberbatch in The Imitation Game for example. Instead the star performance in my eyes lies with Alicia Vikander who takes on the role of Einar's wife, Gerda. I thought she was rather terrific. To begin with she is this beguiling, vivacious free spirit. As the truth about her husband dawns on her however this incredible strength and grace comes to the fore. She is fantastic.

I think the potential was there for The Danish Girl to be a great film but in my eyes it missed by a fair margin. I mentioned earlier how there has arguably never been a better time to tell this story, but perhaps I was wrong. Perhaps the increased exposure of such issues convinced the filmmakers to make a glossy, attractively stylised film to be more palatable for its increased audience. Or maybe Hooper just decided to play safe and aim for Oscar glory rather than to try and tell a story of real boldness and substance. Either way it's a disappointment. The dialogue, the direction, the score, the cinematography, the aesthetic; it's just all so precious and trite. A huge missed opportunity.

Gideon58 02-23-16 03:57 PM

Re: One Movie, Two Movie, Three Movie, Four... - JayDee's Movie Diary
 
Originally Posted by JayDee (Post 1459640)
mirror
mirror

Year of release
2015

Directed by
Tom McCarthy

Written by
Tom McCarthy
Josh Singer

Starring
Michael Keaton
Mark Ruffalo
Rachel McAdams
Liev Schreiber
Stanley Tucci
John Slattery

Spotlight




In the words of Keanu Reeves in The Matrix, “woah....deja vu.” 1976 saw the release of Alan J. Pakula's All the President's Men, a film that detailed a newspaper investigation into the infamous Watergate scandal. And now 40 years later we have Spotlight; another film that details a newspaper investigation into another large entity that was surely beyond such corruption, or so you'd hope. Throughout the film I found it impossible not to be reminded of Pakula's classic. For all of the technical advances in cinema (CGI, digital cameras, motion capture etc) Spotlight just goes to show that the same thing that worked forty years ago can still work today.

Not only do the films share similar storylines, but their approach to the material is also very much alike. Just as Pakula's film did four decades earlier, Spotlight treats its story in a restrained fashion. There is nothing flashy about the film. From its storytelling to its performances, this is actually a very understated and reserved film. It lends the film a real sense of realism and I think it's also the appropriate approach to take with such horrifying, lurid material; particularly with so many victims still alive. Though I do wonder if the subdued nature will hurt the chances of its cast when it comes to picking up nominations and awards at the big shows. All the President's Men was nominated for eight Oscars (winning four) but neither of its leading men, Dustin Hoffman or Robert Redford, were nominated. And I wouldn't be surprised if something similar happened with Spotlight.

You know how at awards ceremonies they will show a video compilation of the nominees with a clip of each of them in action, usually in a scene of high drama that allows them to really 'act'. Well only Mark Ruffalo is really given the chance to 'go big' at any stage, and does so in style. He is the one who is really allowed to channel and vent the anger of the audience. For the most part the film feels more like a great showcase for ensemble acting rather than having individual performances stand out, though Michael Keaton impresses as the steadfast head of the Spotlight team, giving the film a foundation of great strength. The impressive cast continues into its supporting and minor roles, with Stanley Tucci in particular making a strong impression. What I also appreciated is that the film never sanctifies the characters who are attempting to unravel this scandal. It doesn't ram them down your throat as these great heroes of truth and virtue. It presents them as normal people, with their own flaws, who are just doing their job.

Another way in which I found the films to be similar is in my own personal viewing experience of them. With All the President's Men I knew the basics about the Watergate scandal but not all of the ins and outs. So in addition to being a piece of entertaininment it was also an informative and illuminating experience. And it's the same with Spotlight. I obviously knew about the shocking revelations about the Catholic church and the heinous crimes they had committed in terms of covering up systemic child abuse. Once again though I didn't know the story in an in-depth nature. So along the way I was learning about all the facts of the scandal; those involved, how they covered it up, the sheer scale of it etc. And it is certainly a sobering tale that leaves a nasty taste in the mouth.

In fact I'm struggling to remember the last time a film made me so angry, almost to the point of being apoplectic. What the Catholic church did, and on such a scale, is just disgusting. The church was basically the largest paedophile ring in history. As with most adaptations of a true story Spotlight concludes with captions on screen that inform us of what happened in the aftermath of the story being printed. Amongst the information it divulges is the fact that Cardinal Bernard Law (the ringleader in terms of covering up abuse in the Boston area) was forced to resign in the wake of the revelations. Just two years later however the Pope himself appointed him to a position at a church in Rome that is one of the highest ranking Roman Catholic churches in the world. Now that may be the farthest thing from funny that you can imagine, but it does have to be the biggest joke featured in any film of 2015.

Spotlight seems to be the current favourite to take the Best Picture award at the Oscars. While the unsavoury material may make it tough to truly love I do think it's a high quality film of strong acting, writing and directing and would be a worthy winner. It shows journalism at its best, and organised religion at its worst. An All the President's Men for a new generation.
Loved your review of Spotlight and am looking forward to seeing it...actually, the cast alone is reason enough to see it.

Guaporense 02-23-16 10:06 PM

Re: One Movie, Two Movie, Three Movie, Four... - JayDee's Movie Diary
 
These movie diaries/logs seem to be all the rage just now
Before they were called "review threads". ;)


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