Midnight in Paris

Okay before i begin, im bias towards anything Woody Allen directs, I LOVE ME SOME WOODY ALLEN. None the less i saw Midnight in Paris a while back at the Magnolia. Being a Woody Allen guru im used to his heavily artist inspired and driven filming. Each of his movies has been inspired and artistically influenced by a piece, this on being Vincent Von Gogh's A starry Night.

Too start off, this is the type of movie ANY artist would enjoy. It is full of intellectual jokes on writers, painter, and musicians of the early 1900s. We see a modern writer with a bad case of writers block, Owen Willson, and his blissful fantasy driven get away into a world of artists. He spends his time socializing with the Fitzgerald's, the Hemingway's, Matisse, Dali, T.S Elliot, Picasso, and many many more. I personally enjoyed the full illusion of the life artist in their time and all the surprising interactions and relations between them. The most refreshing and invigorating part was when a new character would be introduced by relation and the use of context clues lead me to guess the artist! The alternate realty in the film was that of a fairy tail, filled with magical artist and beautiful inspiration for growing artists.

The filming itself was mystical- and that is the BEST adjective for it. It captured Paris' true beauty in the night and day. By the end of the movie i was DYING to fly to Paris and walk the roads at midnight when the magic happens.

The story line, although predictable in ways was made up for by the writing. The writers gave each artist distinctly researched personality but with a humorous turn. The concept of the man escaping reality by visiting these artist is a very serious topic but mixed with this dialogue i could not help but smile. Each person was SO FUNNY. To sum it up, i was not disappointed but inspired by all the beautiful artist of the past. I left the theatre wanting to create!

"you know, I sometimes think, how is anyone ever gonna come up with a book, or a painting, or a symphony, or a sculpture that can compete with a great city. You can't. Because you look around and every street, every boulevard, is its own special art form and when you think that in the cold, violent, meaningless universe that Paris exists, these lights, I mean come on, there's nothing happening on Jupiter or Neptune, but from way out in space you can see these lights, the cafés, people drinking and singing. For all we know, Paris is the hottest spot in the universe. "

- Gil

The Girl Who Played with Fire

A few weekends ago a friends and i had nothing better to do, so we sat down and started the Girl Who Played With Fire. Both my friend and I had seen and read the girl with the dragon tattoo so we knew well what we were getting into.

The movie starts off exactly where the previous movies ends, and i LOVE that. There is nothing I hate more than starting off a sequel somewhere random. I wont spoil anything but the story line consist of a journalist researching sex trafficking setting out to clear and defend the name of Lisbeth. Lisbeth finds herself in contact and conflict with her past, and conquering a large portion of the revenge she set out for.

The director Daniel Alfredson, with a seemingly small repertoire sets out and creates a large film, and in my opinion does a beautiful job. I really enjoy the clean cut filming in contrast with the rather rough and raged story line and characters. The suspense was as unique as Alfred Hitchcock and his use of suspense. Often in the movie i was surprised by the next action, although having read the book. With a budget of €4,000,000 (estimated), or $5.2 million i was impressed by the wonderful acting, location and use of resources.

I cant seem to find enough words to express the magnitude that this this movie has. It is 1.an amazing movie MATCHING the amazing book 2. a thriller that makes you think 3.beautiful and captivating to say the least. I really really enjoy the journey that the movie took me on.WARNING: this movie is NOT appropriate for anyone under 17, to say the least... there are a few inappropriate sexual scenes.

My Week With Maryln

This weekend my film going group of friends and I went to the Magnolia for a birthday celebration. We saw My Week With Marylin. Right off the bat i was a bit excited because i might be a little bit in love with Eddie Redmayne, after all he is BEAUTIFUL. And to top it off I'm a fan of most work produced by David Parffit. Unlike my last review, I can honestly say every second of this movie is well spent, I enjoyed it so very much! out of a ten i would easily give it an eight, maybe a nine!

This movie is based on a journal kept by a young man by the name of Collin Clark. Collin aspired to work on the producing side of the film industry and left his wealthy home to work as a third for a film Marylin Monroe was staring in. Many years after this Collin Clark wrote a memoir by the name My Week With Marylin, which is obviously what most of the script was derived from. The movie focuses on showing the true difference between Marylin and Marylin Monroe the Hollywood star. Collin Clark falls in love with her for a bliss week showing a new side of the actress and icon of the new born Hollywood lifestyle.

At the start of the movie you are greeted by a breath taking location with a cold, crisp, clear view of what the director will show you most of the movie. Director Simon Curtis, who began his career as a big wig in the Royal Court Theatre, captures the audience the entire movie. Michelle Williams as Marylin was nothing less than brilliant, never ceasing to capture me with her charm and grace. If Michelle does not receive a nomination of any kind i will be upset, because with the amount of work and how captivating she was HOW COULD SHE NOT?! I often found myself smiling at the so charming Marylin. I was completly bewitched not only by Michelle Williams but by the wonderful cast! the cast inclded: It stars Michelle Williams, Kenneth Branagh, Eddie Redmayne, Dougray Scott, Judi Dench and Emma Watson. ALL of which were brilliant.

The filming style of Simon Curtis is the perfect mixed style to fit the characters, you get a taste of England and a taste of big Hollywood. The move revolves around filming another movie and the way Mr.Curtis cut from the personal life of Marylin and the filming of the film was very clear. Never once was i confused The year 1956 has never been more perfectly captured, and I went out of my way looking for anachronism, none of which i found!
In Conclusion i so greatly enjoyed the movie! I was beautiful to watch, charming acting, and a Sweet story. I can find noting i was extremely dissatisfied with.

Movie review- J Edgar Hoover

This past weekend I went over to the Angelca in hopes to catch Melincollia, or some other intresting looking film, rather my friends convince me that we just HAD to see J Edagr Hoover. Seeing the Lenardo DiCapro would be potraying Hoover I concluded i would at least enjoy watching him ;)... however now I think I should haev asked to length of the movie before agreeing. After watching this 2 hour and 17 minute movie I have a lot to say, so hold on, this will be a trip.




This movie takes an interesting view on the life of J. Edgar showing us everything of his home life to his build up of a career. The cover almost every major event of his life, except for his birth. Now personally I've had the idea that J Edgar was a smart, yet relatively horrible man, and somewhat disturbed. The movie does not blatantly defimate J Edgar, but rather shows the viewer all opinions, and much of J Edgar's original poorly executed objectives. The start of the movie the viewer feels a sense of sympathy for the man and as time progresses the viewer would be crazy to not develop a sense of disapproval in the man J Edgar becomes. For director Clint Eastwood, although less violent then most of his films, this movie falls accurately in his portfolio featuring a miserable man leading to his own demise. Clint Eastwood's traditional filming style successfully highlights the dark, semi-satirical script, and creates interesting time jumps between past and present.
Now don't get me wrong the acting was incredible! I really bought into the emotional J Edgar, the over bearing mother, and the stressed homosexual relationship. But the makeup was too much. They tried too hard to make very attractive actors look unattractive, which was done poorly. On top of that the same actors age from 17- late 80s, with such a traumatic change in the amount of makeup and touch up used, it is hard for the audience to really keep that suspension of disbelief. Although much of the cinematography was beautiful, i feel like this was one aspect of the movie that was OVER, WAY OVER done.
In conclusion it was an okay movie with wonderful actors. For the most part it is pleasing to the eye and the mood and emotion is continuous through the movie. The script was anticlimactic and did not reveal the real J Edgar, the man we love to hate, until the last 10 minutes. For one long ass movie, it was a short reward.