Lars and the Real Girl (2007)

"Lars and the Real Girl" was a sweet and quirky piece.

It brought a lot of warm feelings, and from the innocuous premise of a guy falling for a blow-up doll, it's interesting that you really feel for the main character and the love he truly feels. (It's one of those "ya gotta see it to believe it" type of deals)


Lars keeps to himself, and despite the efforts of his brother's wife, he doesn't really appreciate human contact.

He is socially awkward to the point of being antisocial.

But when a co-worker introduces him to the "girlfriend you can buy," Lars' world opens up with a whole new possibility.

However, all is not to be as expected.

I would recommend this film (there's a reason why it received critical acclaim!) for any of those people who can appreciate the warm-hearted fuzziness that comes from indie films such as these (remember "Little Miss Sunshine?"  -- less fluff than that one, though...)

This actually reminds me of a film I watched a while back, "Hachi: A Dog's Tale" (a real tearjerker, that one), which I'll review in a future post.


Meanwhile, "Lars and the Real Girl" is a human piece on one man's coping mechanism for dealing with his parents' death and never really appreciating close human comfort. In one scene, he gets physically hurt if people hug him, or touch him  -- it almost makes you think he is some sort of germophobe or anti- human contact.

The film develops gradually (but it never feels slow!  -- you have to be in the right mood, though) and tells a heartwarming tale of those that love you in a small town.

It's great to see the denizens of their small town adapt to Bianca's (Lars' blow-up doll girlfriend) presence in their and his life, and it really is for the best, as everyone benefits and learns / grows from knowing her/him.

I would definitely say this is a THUMBS WAY UP! 



This film is not for the skeptical or those who find this subject matter strange. Watch with an open mind!

I'm signing out; 4.5/5 *'s

PAYCE,

Alicea Engquist (that's right! I got married last Saturday! It's been a week since I've been a Mrs.!)

Have a great weekend!! 

Kung Fu Hustle (2004)

Randomly chanced to see this on the television while waiting so I could go on my morning run (not so morning now though...)

Typical Kung Fu fare, methinks. When I first watched "Iron Monkey," I was super impressed (in a way I wasn't with "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"), but my parents have seen it all their lives (they're from Taiwan), so they said it's just a typical Kung Fu movie lol...

I would say "Kung Fu Hustle" is a bit reminiscent of "Shaolin Soccer" except with a 40's noir/gangster film overtone.

Like "Shaolin Soccer", it's got some comedic moments (it's meant to be a comedy + Kung Fu).

There's a scene where they emulate Spiderman (the version I saw was dubbed) "With great power comes great responsibility" but it was with an Asian accent/mis-speak.

Like--"he is off his rocking chair" lol

I enjoyed it, though. Fun flicks with action peppered in (any Bruce Willis action flick and some Arnold Schwarzzenegger [although he tries a bit too hard] flick that's supposed to be comedic) are really the best. You don't have to be too invested, and it doesn't require too much deep thinking, so you can just enjoy it for the fluff and mediocrity that it is. And when you do (go in w/this mindset), you find that it's a quite enjoyable story.

[meanwhile, random Baby Bullet ads peppered in make me want one!! And the real thing, too...]

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I'll make this more complete soon...

New Clive Owen/De Niro flick

Just want to say I am ÜBER anticipating this!!

Clive Owen's been away for TOO long!

And De Niro's always good.

Although Jason Statham is in it, I don't really think that makes it a generic "Action Thriller Flick" that's mindless.

He's been somewhat type-cast (and unselective in his roles!), but I have faith. And C'MON!! With Owen and De Niro? It oughta be good! (o;

Stay tuned.

killer elite

hrm looks to be a possible remake?? (original starring James Caan and Robert Duvall)

[uh oh I read the premise... lol maybe I'm a bit more cautious now... Trailer looks TIGHT, though!]

Bon Cop, Bad Cop (2006)

I first saw and heard of this while in a French class. It was a beginning class and we were to choose a French film/book (or other media thereof) to watch and explain it/do a presentation on it for the class.

A woman taking the class showed a clip from this film to demonstrate the Canadian accent on French (versus French French - le français, n'est pas le joual). After that, I wanted to watch it. This was in 2008, I believe.

I finally had the chance to watch it (I tried to get my bf into it; he wasn't having any of it (o; ). I didn't realize there were so many famous Canadian personalities in it. Many comedians. Patrick Huard actually came up with the concept of the storyline for the film. And here is an interesting bit on anglo/francophone humour. Interestingly enough, they also list the actors in alphabetical order, so different from how most American films list (either in order of appearance or billed first).

ANYwho... I enjoyed this film because it demonstrates such a fresh perspective away from American "typicals" and relationships. Colm Feore, a Canadian actor who makes frequent appearances in American movies and television, co-stars in this film.

This film centers around Canadian Hockey, and displays the chasm between French-speaking Canada and English-speaking Canada. On first viewing, I thought the film was about an American fed and a Canadian cop having to work together, but it's actually a Quebecois and Ontarian forced to partner and work together--and their styles are different (reminded me of Mulder and Scully--don't ask me why): one's serious and one's not too afraid to bend the rules a bit (maybe 'Tango and Cash'?).

The movie starts with a murder happening and the murderer is masked and out-of-frame. The voice is manipulated so you can't tell who it is (it could be one of the good guys for all we know!)

The cops are introduced as they are starting their days--

Martin Ward, the Ontarian straitlaced, by-the-book police detective who is hoping to get a desk job soon, is a divorcé w/a teenage son and in close contact with his younger sister.

David Bouchard, the Quebecois who isn't afraid to bend the rules a bit, also a divorcé, but still in close contact and on seeming good relations with his ex-wife; he has a young daughter.

They are called on to the scene of a bizarre crime.

A man has seemingly fallen or been dropped onto a large (billboard) sign ("Welcome to Ontario!/Bienvenue à Quebec!"), with his torso/top half on the Quebec side, and his legs, bottom half on the Ontario side.

Bouchard states that it is Ontario's case b/c in soccer (I believe, or some other sports references he makes), it is where the foot crosses that matters.

Ward stops him, stating that in the dash (and other sports references), it is the head/top half that makes the difference.

Through a comical mishap, the body splits in half and one half is on each side of the border.

The relationship between Francophone and Anglophone Canadiens really reminded me of the Wallons/Flamands (Flemish versus French-speaking) characters in "Le Mur" (The Wall, reviewed in an earlier post).

I don't really want to ruin too much of the details that ensue, but overall I felt the film was artfully done and the characters were fleshed out enough that I cared about them.

I like Colm Feore (he's in 24: Season 7, actually), and he's one of those that's a bit underappreciated and hasn't really broken onto the scene (Gary Oldman's another). Patrick Huard is good as well.

They both portray the disdain that Anglo/Franco-Canadians have for each other well, and you feel that when Ward is on Quebecois "soil" and when Bouchard crosses onto Ontarian "soil."

Some parts were predictable, but the mishaps make the movie enjoyable.

Overall, the ending and villain and outerlying characters... well... you'll see. I would recommend you watch this, just to broaden your horizons.

For me, watching films from other countries is a peek into their lives and lifestyles and cultures.

It is, like I said, a fresh perspective away from American norms and expectations.

I would give this movie a B (B-/B/B+ I'm a bit torn lol).

GO WATCH IT!!

Payce.

(o;

addendum

Also, I finished "24: Season 8" (the last and final season) a while back.

I'll review that as well.

As a side note--sometimes I feel like they try too hard with the "surprise" factor that I don't know if the writers intentionally planned it from beginning to end to have certain characters be two-faced, even a "triple agent" of sorts. Like in the Jet Li/Jason Statham action flick, "War" (which I was expecting to be more action than acting/storyline, and they tried too hard on the latter that it was a bad movie overall for me--I had such high hopes lol), I felt the writers were like "Oh, here's a good place to turn it all around!" and it disappointed me a LOT.

Not ALL of the Seasons of "24" do this (disappoint me), but I want to say they all have this "surprise/twist" that occurs not once, but multiple times per season. Sometimes it works, and sometimes... it doesn't.

REVIEW TO COME!!

No Strings Attached (2011)

Ok, first off, I actually watched this a WHILE ago (before "Burlesque") and thought I had reviewed it, but I hadn't. I'll come back to it, but from the trailer of up and coming movie "Friends With Benefits" starring Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake (we'll have to wait till it comes out and I watch it to be sure), THAT is what "No Strings Attached" was trying to do.

After watching it, I felt as if I was watching a repeat of Ashton Kutcher's "A Lot Like Love" starring Amanda Peet in the Natalie Portman role (even though the understanding from the trailer is that they are already friends and decide to throw in sex--NOT the case at all).

[side note--after we watched it, my friends and I thought Amanda Peet and Ashton would make a lovely couple... because they seemed like two sides of the same coin. OH WELL]

That reminds me, I gotta review "How Do You Know" (another one with a surprise to it as well--NOT what you think from the Trailer either).

But I'm going to bed. I've had a long weekend. See you in the morning!

<3

[o yeah... how random is it that Mila Kunis and Natalie Portman are in almost the same movie (well, with a seemingly similar premise), almost competing ... lol "Black Swan" reference/real-life similarity?? (o; ] <- Ok, know that was dumb. WHATCHA GON' DO

Immortal Beloved (1994)

WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SOME SPOILERS. READ FORWARD AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION.

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I wrote this review as part of my Music Appreciation class for the film, "Immortal Beloved," based upon Beethoven (Gary Oldman)'s life and who his "Immortal Beloved" could be.

Note: when you get to the part about the Sonata Pathétique, click the link and if you want to skip the intro (although I'd suggest listening to the whole first movement (o; ), go to 1:49 to hear the "famous portion" (utilized in an AT&T commercial!).

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The film, “Immortal Beloved” is a fictionalized hypothesis on who Ludwig van Beethoven's Unsterbliche Geliebte (“Immortal Beloved”) could have been. The film runs about two hours and hints at three possible women: Johanna van Beethoven, his sister-in-law by marriage to his younger brother, Kaspar van Beethoven; Anna-Marie Erdödy, a Countess separated from her husband, raising three young children when Beethoven comes to live with her before Napoleon's army takes Austria; and Giulietta Guicciardi, a young woman he teaches piano lessons to, as well as proposes to (according to the film), but rejects her because of her father's (and her) inability to accept his deafness (it is not well-known; Ludwig seems to try to keep it hidden). Beethoven is portrayed as volatile but passionate, as well as blunt and seemingly tactless to a fault. If the story is true, then this movie has taught me more about Beethoven than I have ever learned in my music career—via Music History and theory courses.

The movie hints that he was loved greatly by all three women, but that his heart belonged to his brother's wife, Johanna (née Reiss). Historical theorists who speculate on the women in Beethoven's life who could have been his Unsterbliche Geliebte¹ seem to lean heavily on Antonie Brentano as the favorite. Thérèse von Brunswick is also a potential candidate, and she is seen fleetingly in the film, as she is Countess Giulietta Giucciardi's cousin. She is considered a likely candidate due to his dedicating one piece, the Diabelli Variations (Op. 120) to her and his Piano Sonata Op. 109 to her daughter. Critics of this view put forth that Beethoven had told a friend that he had met the love of his life in 1811 (this is likely to be his “Immortal Beloved”). A Beethoven biographer has quoted two sources showing that Antonie Brentano had met Beethoven prior to 1810. SPOILER!! An alternate case is made for Anna-Marie Erdödy², portrayed by Isabella Rossellini in the film. Gail S. Altman, who puts forth this theory, states that it “would have been against Beethoven's deepest precepts to betray a friend by carrying on an affair with his wife” (and this would be Franz and Antonie Brentano). If this is the case, this also refutes the film's claims of Johanna van Beethoven as his “Immortal Beloved.”

Anton Felix Schindler is portrayed as Beethoven's confidante, secretary, and seemingly best friend (assistant/“right-hand man”), but factually he was not this to Beethoven at all. The interpretation of Schindler as Beethoven's admirer and friend is based upon falsifications in his publications on Beethoven's life and his “exaggeration of his period of close association” with him³.

The music used in “Immortal Beloved” are all well-known Beethoven pieces, and “Für Elise” and the “Moonlight Sonata” (Piano Sonata No. 14 in C♯ minor "Quasi una fantasia", Mondscheinsonate in German), of course, make an appearance. The filmmaker made it seem as if Gary Oldman were playing the pieces because the camera shots would not shy from his fingers. I speculated that perhaps he was fingering random notes and a professional played over the scene. Gary Oldman did, in fact, learn how to play the piano for this film in order for those scenes to be authentic, but a few professionals⁴ actually played the pieces—Murray Perahia and Emanuel Ax—for the film.

Excerpts (movements or clips) from Beethoven's Symphonies #5, 3, 6, 8, 7, and 9 (which we have studied in class) are also used. My personal favorite is the “Pathetique” (Piano Sonata No. 8), with parts of the first and second movements. The music was clear and technically sound. However, I feel that vocal interpretations of the music were really up to the delivery of the actors—Beethoven's claiming that Count Wenzel Robert von Gallenberg's interpretation of his piece was staid and lacked any empathy or emotion (too staccato, implying he was only playing the notes, and not understanding the meaning behind the music). However, if we listen to the soundtrack only, then the pieces are all identical in form. Therefore, it is the performance of the players on screen that denote or emote what emotions we should be feeling from the music: Gary Oldman has so much emotion as Beethoven when he plays his pieces. In the scene where Giulietta Giucciardi meets Beethoven, she has just walked out of Count von Gallenberg's performance. Beethoven dedicated the “Moonlight” sonata to the Countess, however, and therein begins the speculation behind the identity of Beethoven's Unsterbliche Geliebte.

Overall, this will forever remain a mystery, unless new information comes to light. The movie was a surprise and delight, because I had been unaware of this film until this class. I enjoy Gary Oldman as an actor (I believe he is underappreciated), and he was brilliant as Ludwig. The other actors in the movie were great as well, but fleshing out the story between Ludwig and his sister-in-law, Johanna (as well as giving an explanation to their bitter relationship) by book-ending the beginning with the mystery and the ending with the unveiling made the film an artful piece of work. This movie did not feel its two hours. After having seen this and “Amadeus,” I may search for other movies based upon the lives of composers.

1Oakley Beahrs, Virginia. “The Immortal Beloved Riddle Reconsidered.” Musical Times, Vol. 129, No. 1740 (Feb., 1988), pp. 64-70

2Altman, Gail S. Beethoven: A Man of His Word - Undisclosed Evidence for his Immortal Beloved, Anubian Press 1996

3Peter Stadlen. “Schindler's Beethoven Forgeries.” The Musical Times, Vol. 118, No. 1613. (July 1977), pp. 549-552.

4“Immortal Beloved Soundtrack.” Amazon.com. 2001. Retrieved 15 Mar 2011. http://www.amazon.com/Immortal-Beloved-Georg-Solti-film/dp/B000002AQD/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1300225501&sr=8-2