Paranoid Park

Gus Van Sant is the uncle of cool, too young to be a grandfather, but maybe not.. but I liked this film a lot. The use of music was quite interesting. The landscape of young skater kids lent itself to hip, but the story line was directed in such a way that it felt dream like. The main character is a highschool kid of about 15 who's parents are going through a divorce. He becomes enamored of a skate park commonly referred to as Paranoid Park. This park is inhabited by degenerates, and outcasts and Alex, the main character feels akin to these kids and borrows his mother's car one day to secretly go there alone. None of his friends would ever go there alone but Alex, going through a hard time at home, felt drawn to it. On this night, while alone at Paranoid Park, he gets talked into drinking beer and hopping trains. While on the train, a railroad security guard starts to run along side of the train and hit at him with a bat, and Alex uses his skateboard to shoo him away and the man winds up stumbling and then falling onto the track in the train's path. His body is ripped in half and Alex witnesses him dying as a result. Throughout this film we experience a young kid with a devastating secret and we watch how it affects him in his day to day life. Gus Van Sant is graceful in his direction and it becomes elegant at some points, which is ironic given the who the main character is, and the situation at hand. It was subtle and genius, to me.

I give it a 8.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkMDs3FXVzg

Conversations With Other Women

This is the story of old love acquaintances coming together ten years later after their breakup at a wedding. I don't need to spell out what happens between them, but yes, they do make the fatal mistake of getting "together". Helena Bonham Carter plays the lead and Aaron Eckhart the male lead and throughout almost all of the film there is a split screen of memories mimicking the current situation with two youger versions of the the characters of present day. That was interesting and hard to accomplish. This film captures the nuances of a love of old and depicts all the memories that can taint a new dalliance, but that can also make it complex. I didn't mind this story, however, it began slow, but about 30 minutes in, it became easier and more appealing to watch. Inevitably, one feels more than the other.. the story was executed well. I got what they were trying to accomplish!

I give it a 4.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMMTCgfXcfQ&feature=PlayList&p=A8AAE10F6CD0D38A&index=1

Last Chance Harvey

Sometimes I wonder how Directors make a living because I rarely include them more than once, however, they may be making more films that I don't get to see... but somehow.. I think the Director's life must be equally tough to that of an actor's life! Ok, now on to this "made for tv" film. This film should have been on Life Time Network instead of a feature film! I guess because of the two bigger name actors, Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson they thought the picture would have more clout, but no matter who you put in it, it is a mediocre love story that only twice made me somewhat teary, but not even.. really. I did like that the main characters were in their 50s, one rarely sees this, but the subject matter creates the same old stereotype of life becoming benign and boring into the mature years. I don't think that is necessarily the case everywhere, certainly not in the New York Metropolitan area. So, it is a love story, of two people who eventually find one another and fall in love, THE END.. really NOTHING remarkable about the execution, of the characther's lives and the way they meet. I cannot believe this was a feature. Ok, I will cease the comments now, because it was rather boring.

I give it a 1.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNT2MFVYARE

Shrink

Although this was a slow moving film, all the characters introduced in the beginning through different scenarios came to clash together eventually. I like the way the story was structured. At times, it seemed contrived, but not all that much. A film cannot be perfect throughout. Kevin Spacey is great to watch, and isn't in enough films! He plays a Hollywood psychologist and famed author, Henry Carter, who is going through a tough time and decides that being high on pot constantly gets him through. Jesse Plemon's from Friday Night Lights fame, plays Jesus, Henry Carter's dealer. The tragedy that befalls Henry makes him second guess his work and brings him into contact with people who eventually bring him some relief. There is a slow and purposeful execution in this storytelling. It is deliberate and well thought out, and the interconnection that unfolded was fun! I wouldn't call this film fun in anyway, there are a couple of tearful scenes, but the end was elation and fun! Went from abysmal sadness to Ka-ping!

I give it a 5.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4yHZ4hVnBg

The Girlfriend Experience

I stumbled upon this much after I read and forgot about this film. I tend to order from Netflix sans info, and based upon a brief description or a view of how many stars are colored.. I began watching this without having read about it again, and thought,"Is this a documentary?" After getting through about 2/3rds, and before sitting to finish it the second day, I picked up the netflix jacket to discover that it was Steven Soderbergh's controversial film in which he cast an actual porn star in the lead. I read so much about this as it was being made! This was a voyeuristic look into the world of an escort who delivers The Girlfriend Experience. We are privy to her relationship with her live in boyfriend, and various men who hire her and one who interviews her regularly. It is comical in that this call girl, Chelsea, played by Sasha Grey, positions herself as a "high class" call girl. Is there really such a thing? Could there actually be a cultured hooker out there? I suppose, but highly unlikely, unless, of course, she could intellectually reason her way into it. Chelsea is in fact a boring, monotone, lifeless call girl who adds nothing to the girlfriend experience but an open ear and an eagerness to agree with everything the john says, or shakes her head. She is neither smart nor adds anything remarkable for these wealthy men. There is a point in the film where the narration rips her to shreds and it is ruthless, yet true. From a direction standpoint, this was sort of interesting, but it became cumbersome to watch at times. I think because it was documentary style and didn't have anything special about it, it dragged a bit. At times, it was interesting, but not too much.

I give it a 2.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/68046/movie-trailers-the-girlfriend-experience

The Dreamers

I knew this film would be good due to the opening Jimi Hendrix song...Such an interesting and sometimes disturbing film. An American student in Paris in the 60s meets a brother and sister as fellow cinephiles, and their relationship is rife with psychological games. The brother and sister, Theo and Isabella are twins and literally inseparable. They sleep together, and live in a world of only themselves. They are suggestions that their relationship is somewhat incestuous yet the American boy, played by Michael Pitt becomes taken with Isabella and tries to pry her away from the security of her ancestral bond. Matthew, the American, moves in with the twins as their parents travel away much of the time due to the father being a famous author. Their nights are spent drinking rare wines, acting out movie scenes and playing mind games. I did not mind this film. It made me want to revisit my literature and film roots. The twins called themselves purists due to the fact that they didn't watch television. Intellectually, I got what the writer and Director were portraying. They all were living in a dream world, never leaving the house. The dynamics between the siblings and their new friend were complex and thought provoking.

I give it a 5 out of 10
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YU1brBVMBkM

My Blueberry Nights

I rented this after seeing the trailer on a recent movie because I love Natalie Portman, Jude Law and Rachel Weisz. Strange that the three would do this film because it was totally indie, slow and the dialogue wasn't super. The direction lended itself to more actions, acting and mood which I respect. The feel of it was depressed, dark and was a story surrounding heart break and strange acquaintances. Namely the relationship between Elizabeth, played by Norah Jones and Jeremy, played by Jude Law. The film began so slowly and almost lost me but lately I find myself sticking to this genre even if it is mediocre. The film had a few highlights and one was when Natalie Portman entered.. she plays a wise cracking poker player who tries to teach the tame and sweet Elizabeth to not trust people. Elizabeth was strung out on a broken heart and travels to find herself again and we know the predictable ending given the relationship mentioned above. The cinematography was interesting and the shots of the train breezing by in NYC happened frequently after a quiet scene to remind us that the world continues whether or not we stop. I am not sure I can totally recommend this film but Norah Jones was pretty good in the lead, but boring...

I give it a 3 out of 10.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7QezPkGJSw

Camille

Lucky pick from Netflix because I had no idea Sienna Miller and James Franco, two of my faves, were in this! Not to say that made this a great film, but it helped enormously to look at two beautiful people for a little over an hour. David Carradine was in this as a side show cowboy with food color dyed horses, namely a blue one, Maggie, who gets a lot of screen time. I can see what the director was trying to do... but it missed the edgy mark. It was funny to see Sienna as Camille because the character was a chatty, sweet and innocent girl. The story was realistic in the sense that a beautiful innocent woman fell for a convict, played by James Franco because she found him so handsome. Don't we women fall for handsome over all else initially? This is a love story and I forgot that a few times, but surprisingly, there were a couple scenes where my heart strings were taught, VERY UNEXPECTEDLY because I was distracted by the bad country music and utterly corny scenes! It was nice to see Sienna more natural and not so made up, where her appearance would intermittantly change from ordinary to beautiful depending on the camera angle. James Franco, the same... I wonder why in real life these two never got together, they seem to be a good fit. Franco is sort of off the beaten path and broody, and Sienna seems to go for that. This story had a fairy tale element, and while it wasn't terrible, it wasn't super great. I have mixed feelings, but the ending is good, and it did have it's sweet moments.

I give it a 4 out of 10 (due to the 2 leads, and the surprising elements, just give it a little time)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlX5ZlXCQjA

Purple Violets

Funny, I didn't know Ed Burns was attached to this when I put it in my Netflix Queue. Now that I looked that up, it makes sense. This definitely had the feel of Burns creation in that it wanted to be really good, but it just couldn't make it there. I am unsure if it is due to weak dialogue or bad acting because the actors involved are seasoned enough to be good or very good. Maybe it was the editing as the timing of some of the scenes seeemed rushed;especially when Selma Blair's character and her awful, misshapen, and mean chef husband appeared. OH MY GOD, Donal Logue played the chef husband from Tao of Steve! So funny, I didn't recognize him because of the glasses and his thick accent.. maybe Donal is a good actor after all! Hear that Hollywood, cast Donal Logue! The story centers around 2 pairs of best friends from college who remain that way, 2 women, 2 men. They all dated in the past and run into one another one eve in NYC and become interested in each other's lives again. Not original, but Edward Burnesque. SOME of the dialogue was funny, some not. Debra Messing wasn't used to her capacity, and Selma Blair was the lead, both interesting choices.

I give it a 2 out of 10. (the only element that interested me was that 2 of the characters were writers, but they weren't compelling characters in the least, again, bad dialogue, no depth)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dH0K6_e-FTI