Hotel Transylvania (Genndy Tartakovsky, 2012)
Decent animation that is by no means bad, but I definitely think this is one of those animations that children will enjoy far more than those who are older. Adam Sandler applies his comedic style to this film which makes for some cute and funny moments with a decent story which makes it watchable, but I did not find it particularly great or funny myself.
The Prestige (Christopher Nolan, 2006)
This is a film which I might try and watch again sometime soon, although its flaws are quite clear for me. The film spends so much time attempting to come across as something grand, sleak and stylish, with a mixture of darkness and class that make for a mysterious thriller, that what is at the centre of it is all a bit of a mess. Whilst the personal dual between Jackman and Bale's characters is interesting, there are just so many plot points that just seem stuck in to the film to make it work. Michael Caine's character outlines how a trick is made and how it can be divided into three parts. This film can be seen very much like a trick, it looks stylish and cool, and the first two acts are certainly enjoyable, but when it comes to the third act, The Prestige, where we want to be amazed, we are not with the a series of convenient details emerging to make for a neat ending.
The Cabin in the Woods (Drew Goddard, 2012)
Whilst not spectacular, this film makes for enjoyable viewing and I thought it was a very good and original effort in its genre of choice. Paying homage and giving a unique spin to the slasher/horror genre, this film is extremely strange, but also very funny in the way it mixes ancient/mythical elements with modern scientific age elements. I actually found that the film in a way reminded me of the TV show Lost, where the island's ancient powers/chambers/monsters are manipulated by modern day scientists, DHARMA.
Lincoln (Steven Spielberg, 2012)
First of all I am going to say that I have no idea how historically accurate this film is, so that does not play any part in my opinion. What I will say is that when it comes to making films as a piece of entertainment, Spielberg is one of the best and manages to do this for me even with what could of been a potentially dull and drawn out topic and a running time of two and a half hours. This film is a drama that very much relies on the performances of its cast, Tommy Lee Jones is great in his supporting role but it is the Oscar winning performance of Daniel Day-Lewis that really makes the film what it is, watching him feels like you are watching Lincoln. I enjoyed the smaller appearances in the large ensemble cast, such as Michael Stuhlbarg, with some scenes in particular working really well for me with a lot of emotion coming out through conflicting prejudice opinions on the issue of slavery.
The Master (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2012)
I have held off posting this in the Movie Tab for quite a bit now, I have now seen it twice, so why did I hold off initially posting? If you have seen the film (many have), then you will problem have an idea why, The Master is one of the most bizarre and mysterious films that I have ever seen, I could not stop thinking about it after first seeing it and simply had to give it another viewing.
My five star rating might be met with some controversy judging my member's opinions on it so far, I was initially going to go with a 4.5 rating but thought why should I hold back on one of the most memorable film watching experiences in recent time for me? When I first posted in this thread about watching
Boogie Nights I recall awarding it a 4.5 rating, but since then it has become apparent that it's a 5 star film for me.
So what makes
The Master deserving of such a high rating? Lets start with Joaquin Pheonix who gives a fantastic performance, even better than Daniel Day-Lewis for me, as the eccentric and lost Freddie Quell.
In There Will Be Blood, Daniel Day-Lewis gave us a chilling performance of a man who was much more easier to comprehend, it was a film that was very formal in its approach and extremely cinematic, it had a beginning, a middle and the end and truly showed the transformation of one man in a haunting manner.
*Slight spoilers ahead*
The Master is almost the opposite, the film opens with Freddie talking about getting rid of crabs, and ****ing women made out of sand on a beach. This is then followed by Freddie's attempts to fit into a normal life, partaking in jobs such as photography. But by the end of the film you won't feel as if the character of Freddie has changed at all, the piece of story telling is not complete. The final scene in which Freddie is sleeping with another girl, is brilliant, and hilarious at the same time, almost mocking viewers that expecting a conventional story of a man who was going to be changed by the cause.
Philip Seymour Hoffman gives a performance we have come to expect from him, truly great as a man whose character seems like PTA is once again mocking Scientology and cult practises. But this man, who attempts to be a master, is far from it in this film, whilst he controls Freddie to a certain degree, Freddie is ultimately unpredictable, extremely volatile and at times even understandable. He is constantly haunted by his own failures and his sexual instincts, he is a man obsessed by sex, take the scene where he imagines everyone naked as an example of this. Freddie wants to exert control over others, he beats up others for the cause, he shares a number of tense scenes with a young member of the cause during the middle part of the film, and he eventually abandons those who have tried to help him, before imagining himself receiving a phone call from Lancaster Dodd who he believes is expecting him, he wants to be the dominant male and this is reflected throughout.
I have heard a lot of complaints about the wall and the window scene, I had no problem with it the first time, and I loved it the second time. The film really allows us to get in to the mind of Freddie, in fact the whole narrative structure acts a metaphor for his frustrating and unfulfilled life, this scene in particular feels painful and without reward, just how Freddie feels.
Right now, that's some ramblings and attempt at justifying why I thought this truly was a modern day masterpiece from Paul Thomas Anderson, possibly my favourite director right now (cue, you're being bias! comments). I will definitely right up a thorough and better written/structured review in the future.
Just remembered to make a comment on the score of this film from Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood. Once again contrasting with the formal, cinematic style of the music in
There Will Be Blood where it is very much used to dramatise particular scenes, the music here is used very differently, playing naturally as the film goes from one scene to another, you can here a mysterious ticking, fitting for Freddie's character as he attempts to find something, moving from one place to another in his life with little result.
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