Tangled is a 3-D animated adventure film based on the story of Rapunzel. Tangled is the most expensive animated film ever made, with a $260 million budget.
For hundreds of years, Mother Gothel (Donna Murphy) uses a magical flower made from the sun to retain her youth. Soldiers from the kingdom of Corona find the flower to heal their queen. She gives birth to Princess Rapunzel (Mandy Moore). Gotel attempts to steal the flower but discovers the magical powers are contained within Rapunzel's hair, and that when cut, the power is lost. Gothel steals baby Rapunzel and isolates her in a tower, raising her as her own. The king and queen release sky lanterns on each of Rapunzel's birthdays in hope see will return to the kingdom.
Before Rapunzel's 18th birthday, she asks Gothel to leave the tower to watch the lanterns. She denies her request saying it's much too dangerous. Thief Flynn Rider (Zachary Levi) steals Rapunzel's crown from the palace. While escaping the guards, he unknowingly climbs her tower and is knocked out by Rapunzel with a frying pan. She hides the crown and convinces him to take her to see the lanterns in exchange for the crown.
Flynn takes her to a pub full of thugs to try and get her to go back home. They sing about their dreams, but Gothel realizes she's left the tower and the guards search the pub. They escape through a tunnel and get caught in a flooding cave. Rapunzel uses her glowing hair to light the cave in order to break free. Flynn reveals his real name is Eugene Fitzherbert. They hide out in a forest and are followed by Gothel and two thugs. Eugene steps away and Gothel gives Rapunzel the crown.
Maximus, the palace horse, is initially searching for Flynn but befriends Rapunzel, leading them to form a truce on her birthday. They make it to the palace and take a boat to watch the lanterns. She gives him the crown and they fall in love. Eugene sees the thugs onshore and leaves to give them the crown. They tie him to a boat to make it look as if he left Rapunzel behind. Gothel gets her to believe she's rescuing her and takes her back to the tower.
Rapunzel realizes through the kingdom's symbol of the sun that she's the lost princess. She confronts Gothel and she ties up Rapunzel so she can't escape. Eugene is sentenced to death by hanging before he's saved by the guys from the pub. He rides with Maximus to the tower to save Rapunzel. Her hair falls from the tower and he climbs up to find he's been set up. Gothel stabs him, Rapunzel requests she save him and she will stay with her in the tower forever. Eugene cuts off her hair, breaking the spell that made Gothel young. Gothel falls out of the tower and turns to dust. Rapunzel's hair is gone but her tears heal Eugene's wounds. They return to the kingdom and eventually get married.
The story of Rapunzel is a classic German fairytale from the early 1800s. Disney Studios does a brilliant job of bringing the story to life with colorful characters and likable sidekicks. Rapunzel is a feisty young girl eager to explore the world. Eugene is the "prince charming" type who accidentally saves Rapunzel from isolation and himself from a life of crime. Rapunzel's pet chameleon Pascal and the noble horse Maximus don't speak but instead use mannerisms that add humor to many scenes throughout. Gothel is the villain, she isn't a witch or a sorceress, but she takes advantage of Rapunzel's powers, making her appear young and beautiful.
The original soundtrack is composed by Alan Menkin. With standout performances from Mandy Moore and Donna Murphy, the songs are a nice touch to the light-heartedness of the film.
Tangled is a visually stunning animated adventure. It's a quality addition to the list of Disney princess movies. I recommend this film to people of all ages.
Bird Box is a post-apocalyptic horror film released on Netflix, based on the novel written by Josh Malerman. Once you look at it, you will either see indescribable beauty or you will kill yourself. Opening your eyes is a matter of life and death.
Malorie (Sandra Bullock) explains to a boy and a girl never to remove their blindfolds and to listen to her instructions, or they will die. Keeping their eyes covered, they get in a boat and head down a river. They have a long journey ahead of them.
Five years earlier, Malorie is painting in her studio and her sister Jessica (Sarah Paulson) takes her to the hospital for a pregnancy check-up. They see a TV report on mass suicides happening in Europe. On their way out of the hospital, people start acting erratically and panic across town ensues. In the car, they see cars crashing, explosions and people committing suicide. Jessica sees an unknown entity and loses herself, causing her to crash the car. Jessica gets out of the wreck and steps in front of an oncoming truck. She is called and helped into a house of survivors. Douglas' (John Malkovich) wife fell victim to the entity and killed herself while saving Malorie.
The owner of the house, Greg (BD Wong), uses the security footage to try and get a look at what is turning people. He's affected by the entity and kills himself in his office. They realize there isn't enough food for everyone and they create a plan to safely drive to the grocery store. Malorie, Douglas, Tom (Trevante Rhodes), Charlie (Lil Rel Howery) and Lucy (Rosa Salazar) get in the blacked-out vehicle and use GPS navigation to get to the store. Charlie uses his keys to get in and they fill up carts with supplies. Malorie finds three birds in a cage and takes them with her. They hear someone calling for help from the loading docks, Charlie recognizes the man and stops him from opening the door, locking himself inside with him. Blood spills from the other side of the door.
The rest of them make it back to the house safely. Lucy and Felix (Machine Gun Kelly) steal the car and leave the rest of them without transportation. Pregnant survivor Olympia (Danielle MacDonald) lets a strange survivor, Gary (Tom Hollander), into the house. Douglas wants him to leave but he's knocked out and locked in the garage. Soon after, both Olympia and Malorie go into labor and deliver their babies. Gary knocks Tom unconscious, kills Douglas and forces Olympia to look at the entity causing her to commit suicide. Tom saves Malorie and the newborns.
Five years later, Malorie and Tom live together with the children she named Boy and Girl. They pick up a radio signal claiming there's a safe haven for survivors downriver. A group of armed survivors find their home and want them to look at the entity. Tom sacrifices himself, killing all of the insane people, but kills himself after seeing the entity. Malorie and the children escape with the birds to the boat and start their journey downstream.
After 14 hours on the river, Malorie and the children hear a voice telling them to take their blindfolds off. Malorie is attacked by a man who wants her to see the beauty. She kills him with a machete and they continue downstream. 10 hours later, the boy falls out of the boat and the supplies are lost. She warns the children of the upcoming rapids and ultimately decides neither of them will have to guide the way by taking off their blindfold. The boat flips over and Malorie recovers the children and makes it to shore. The entity attempts to trick them into removing their blindfolds but they prevail. They follow the chirping of thousands of birds to the sanctuary concluding their 42-hour journey.
Malorie discovers the community is a school for the blind, who are immune to the entity. She gives the children their names, Olympia and Tom, and releases the birds from the box.
Bird Box generated a buzz when it was released to Netflix during the holidays. Before I even knew of it, I was recommended to watch it by a few of my friends that enjoy horror movies. After watching Bird Box, I don't exactly get why this film was hyped to the extent it was. There are some twists and turns, but I didn't feel much at all for the characters.
Sandra Bullock plays Malorie, a soon-to-be single mother that plans not to have any care or love for her child. She's given an adaption pamphlet at her pregnancy checkup. We receive no details into her life or who the father might be. She's bitter and unlikeable from the very beginning. She's very strict towards the children because she thinks giving them an imagination could result in their deaths. For the first five years of their lives, she gives them the names Boy and Girl... seriously? Serious as taking off a blindfold.
John Malkovich's character Douglas has a similar cynical personality to Malorie, except he was more rational in his thinking, even when he was drunk. The bright spot in this cast is Trevante Rhodes, the star of Moonlight, who plays Tom. He shows affection towards Malorie and they end up being the last to survive with a need to take care of the children. The two other interesting cameos came from Tom Hollander and Machine Gun Kelly. I was unaware MGK had a career in acting, alas, his screen time was limited to a brief sex scene.
There are some plot points that don't make a whole lot of sense. Why does the entity affect people differently? Why are some enlightened by it and others kill themselves? If one sees it and doesn't commit suicide, how do they survive afterward? How did the birds in the box live for five years and survive the rapids? These are questions that don't have much explanation.
Bird Box mostly reminds me of M. Night Shyamalan'sThe Happening, with all the unprecedented suicides. Luckily, Bird Box has a better conclusion than The Happening, but still leaves us with too many unanswered questions. The wind blowing leaves around is all we see of the entity and it just isn't scary. I recommend you skip the film unless you're really into post-apocalyptic thrillers.
Big Hero 6 is a 3D animated superhero film produced by Walt Disney Animated Studios. The story is based on the Marvel Comics but animated to appeal to children. It's colorful characters and heartfelt story make this more than your average superhero movie.
Taking place in the futuristic city of San Fransokyo, 14-year old Hiro Hamada (Ryan Potter) buys his way into an underground bot fighting match. His older brother Tadashi (Daniel Henney) saves him from a gang of thugs, but land themselves in jail. Their Aunt Cass (Maya Rudolph) bails them out and takes them home. Hiro reveals his parents died when he was three.
Tadashi takes Hiro to his research lab and introduces him to his friends, Go Go (Jamie Chung), Wasabi (Damon Wayans Jr.), Honey Lemon (Genesis Rodriguez) and Fred (T.J. Miller). Hiro also meets Robert Callaghan (James Cromwell), the head of the robotics program. Tadashi shows Hiro his project, an inflatable robot named Baymax (Scott Adsit). Hiro signs up for the school's science fair and creates an invention he calls microbots. The presentation is a success and the CEO of Krei Tech offers to buy his product, but Callaghan insists he not sell out to them. Hiro turns down the offer and Callaghan accepts him into the university. Later on, the building with the science fair goes up in flames and Callaghan is the only one left inside. Tadashi runs inside to save him but is killed by an explosion.
Weeks later, Hiro accidentally activates Baymax, as it responds to physical harm. Hiro finds his remaining microbot pulling itself like a compass. They follow it to an abandoned warehouse to find someone has been mass-producing the microbots. They are attacked by a masked man controlling the microbots. Hiro reprograms Baymax with karate skills and body armor. They track the masked man to the docks and Baymax calls in Tadashi's friends for help. They're chased down by the microbots and escape to Fred's mansion. They decide to create a high-tech superhero team to take down the villain.
Baymax uses his new high-powered sensor to track the masked man to an island. They find an abandoned Krei Tech factory and discover it was used for teleportation research that had gone wrong. They fight and unmask the villain to reveal it's Callaghan, who used the microbots to protect him from the explosion. Hiro removes Tadashi's chip from Baymax and orders him to terminate Callaghan. Honey puts the chip back in just before he carries out the order and Callaghan escapes.
Back home, Hiro tries to remove the healthcare chip but Baymax refuses and shows him a video of Tadashi working on his prototype. The team visits Hiro and shows him a flash drive recovered from the factory. Video files reveal Callaghan's daughter was lost in a teleportation test causing him to seek revenge on Krei Tech. The team confronts Callaghan at Krei Tech's headquarters and uses the portal to destroy the building. Hiro and the team use the portal to destroy the microbots and takedown Callaghan. Baymax scans the portal to discover Callaghan's daughter is still alive. Hiro and Baymax fly into the portal and find her. Baymax's armor and thrusters are destroyed and he sacrifices himself to save Hiro and Callaghan's daughter using his rocket-propelled fist. Hiro then finds Tadashi's chip inside the detached fist and rebuilds Baymax.
The visuals in Big Hero 6 are done very well, on a similar level to a Pixar animated film. The most stunning visuals were inside the portal and the rainbow supernova of hyperspace. The story combines science fiction and superheroes making this an imaginative and unique animated adventure. Bubbly and lovable protagonist Baymax is a joy to watch, constantly being upgraded with new knowledge and abilities. Even though it's a robot, it learns to feel human emotion.
The superhero team is brought to life with their distinct personalities and wonderful voice acting. T.J. Miller is perfectly cast to voice Fred, the comic book reading slacker that wants to breathe fire. Scott Adsit voices Baymax resembling an electronic personal assistant. Maya Rudolph and Genesis Rodriguez voice the upbeat and optimistic females, adding humor to their scenes.
Big Hero 6 will be greatly enjoyed by fans of animated superheroes such as the TV series Teen Titans. It may not be as good as Pixar'sThe Incredibles, but it is superior to Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Fans of Big Hero 6will be happy to explore the TV series released on Disney Channel. I recommend this film to children and adults.
Into the Forest is a Canadian drama taking place in the near future, shown by the advanced technology that had been taken for granted. Based on the 1996 novel written by Jean Hegland, the story revolves around sisterhood and hope.
Nell (Ellen Page), Eva (Evan Rachel Wood) and their father Robert (Callum Keith Rennie) live in a home miles away from the nearest town. A massive power outage leaves millions of people without technology. Days later, they drive into town and see gas stations have closed and food at the grocery store is scarce. Store employee Stan (Michael Eklund) brings them around back and gives them supplies such as gas and candles. Eva goes to her dance class and Nell goes to a bonfire to see her boyfriend Eli (Max Minghella).
Robert goes into the forest to gather wood and has an accident with the chainsaw causing him to bleed to death. After two months without power, Eli finds the house and stays with them for a few days. He heard a rumor about Boston having power and wants them to make an eight-month trek on foot. Nell leaves with Eli and Eva stays at the house. After one night, Nell returns home to be with her sister.
Six months without power, the girls get drunk and turn on the generator to watch home videos. Nell goes into the forest to gather berries and Eva stays back to chop wood. Stan walks up to the house and asks Eva questions. He disarms the ax from Eva, rapes her and steals the car. Two months later, Eva knows she's pregnant and wants to keep the baby.
After 15 months without power, Eva is getting closer to having the baby and they're running out of food. Nell hunts down a wild pig to give Eva the essential nutrition for going into labor. Eva's contractions get more intense and Nell brings her to a safe place in the woods. Eva gives birth to a healthy baby boy. They realize the house is no longer safe due to mold and the caved in roof. They take the remaining food and belongings and use the last of the gasoline to set the house on fire.
Directed and written by Patricia Rozema, she creates a sense of dread using the isolation of the house and the untimely death of the father. When the power went out the first night, they expected things would be fine. Until ten days goes by, then two months, six months and so on. There's a feeling of hopelessness once Robert passes away and when Eva is raped. But hope returns unexpectedly when Eva finds out she's pregnant, which is ironic because she warns Nell while Eli is staying with them.
Ellen Page and Evan Rachel Wood carry this film with their strong bond of sisterhood. They're inseparable and Nell realizes this after she leaves and returns. Eva is traumatized after she's violated, refusing to eat and Nell takes care of her. They only argue once about using the gas, which Nell convinces Eva they need to save for emergencies. Even though society as they know it has collapsed, Eva continues to practice for her dance audition and Nell reads books to study for her exams.
There are elements of horror portrayed in this film. This is one of the most realistic outcomes of a future national disaster or post-apocalyptic setting I've seen in movies. What happens when millions are left without the use of the internet or cell service? Total chaos. Especially 10-20 years from now, everyone will rely on technology even more than we do right now. Without technology, society will fail to function and the true nature of humans will present itself.
The ending had me feeling as if I were left hanging. Almost the same feeling I had after watching the post-apocalyptic thriller, 10 Cloverfield Lane. Just as they leave everything behind to begin a new journey, we are hit with the credits. I was left wanting to see where they would go next.
Into the Forest is a gripping drama with the strong performances by Ellen Page and Evan Rachel Wood. I recommend this film to adults and drama/thriller fans. 3/4
The Conjuring 2 is the third installment in The Conjuring Universe and the sequel to The Conjuring. Ed and Lorraine Warren return as we remember them from the original. They fly overseas to Enfield, England, to deal with one of the most difficult supernatural occurrences ever documented.
Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga) recalls the brutally violent event that took place in Amityville, New York 1974 in which a man murdered his mother, father, two brothers and two sisters. Lorraine follows the spirit of the youngest boy to the basement where she sees a demonic nun and a vision of her husband Ed's (Patrick Wilson) death.
In Enfield, England 1977, single mother Peggy Hodgson (Frances O'Connor) raises her four children in a suburban home. 11-year old Janet (Madison Wolfe) starts sleep talking and walking. She sees an elderly man in her dreams claiming it's his house. Janet hears a voice and follows it downstairs. The spirit follows her back to her room and bites her. She and her sister Margaret (Lauren Esposito) wake up their mother and the entire family witnesses a dresser slamming the door shut. Terrified, they run across the street to seek help from their neighbors, the Nottinghams. The police are called and they see a chair move before their eyes. They say it's beyond their duties and they should call a church.
The local news covers the story and conducts an interview with the girls. Janet becomes possessed during the interview and the spirit identifies itself as 72-year old Bill Wilkins (Bob Adrian), who claims the house is his. The Warrens listen to the interview and agree to travel overseas to determine whether or not Janet's possession is a hoax.
The Warrens plan to stay at the Hodgson's home for three days. Ed communicates with Wilkins' spirit through Janet and that night Wilkins attacks her. Ed helps Peggy fix up the house and she is bitten by Wilkins' in the basement in attempts to drown her. Ed finds a denture in the water and matches it to the bite mark. One night, Janet is possessed by Wilkins and she's recorded destroying the kitchen as if it were a prank. The Warrens have no choice but to leave the house. Lorraine has a vision of the demonic nun controlling Wilkins to make them leave and her senses were clouded by the nun.
They quickly return to the house where everyone but Janet has been locked out of the house. Ed enters through the basement alone and lightning strike breaks the tree in the front yard, creating a sharp spike that killed Ed in Lorraine's vision. Lorraine remembers the name of the demon, Valek, and makes her way upstairs. Janet attempted suicide by jumping onto the spike but Ed grabbed her and they hold on only by a curtain. Lorraine uses the demons condemns the nun back to Hell. She saves Ed and Janet and the curse of Valek is lifted.
This recreation of the Enfield Poltergeist was the logical next step for a sequel to The Conjuring. This case generated lots of coverage in newspapers and eventually books, documentaries and this film. Like the original, it claims to be based on a true story from the Warren's case files. After watching real interviews with Janet Hodgson and Lorraine Warren, I want to believe it was true but there are many skeptics out there saying the Enfield Poltergeist was a hoax. Either way, it makes for a good plot in The Conjuring Universe.
James Wan is back, having directed Insidious: Chapter 2 and Furious 7 since the first Conjuring. He directs a plausible third installment to the franchise. The set was built in a Los Angeles studio and feels as if it were filmed in London. The house was built to replicate the actual house in Enfield. The hallways were built longer to prolong the length of certain takes for visual effect. There were more special effects used than the original which makes certain scenes feel engulfed in CGI. The Crooked Man looked entirely computer-generated until I saw Javier Botet in costume on the special features disc.
Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga have great chemistry as Ed and Lorraine Warren. Ed plays Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love" beautifully on guitar for the Hodgsons and his wife. Back at their home, Lorraine plays the song on the record player and they have a dance in the final scene.
The Conjuring 2 may not be as frightening as the original, but it's a solid sequel that shouldn't be completely overlooked. I recommend this film to fans of horror and The Conjuring Universe.
The Conjuring is the first film set in The Conjuring Universe. It's based on a real case file in the archives of couple Ed and Lorraine Warren. They're paranormal investigators who claim to have worked on over 10,000 cases, including the famous Amityville haunting. Lorraine proclaims to be clairvoyant, an ability to feel supernatural presences.
In 1968, the Warrens conduct an interview discussing the Annabelle case. 7-year old Anna Higgins died and her spirit was given permission to move into a doll. Strange events occurred which led them to seek help. The Warrens explain the doll is a conduit to an inhuman or demonic spirit, that wanted to possess them.
In 1971, Roger (Ron Livingston) and Carolyn (Lili Taylor) Perron move into an abandoned 14-room farmhouse in Harrisville, Rhode Island with their five daughters, Andrea (Shanley Caswell), Nancy (Hayley McFarland), Christine (Joey King), Cindy (Mackenzie Foy) and April (Kyla Deaver). The dog, Sadie, refuses to go in the house. The girls play a game of hide and clap and stumble upon the cellar which had been boarded up.
The next morning, Carolyn finds a bruise on her leg, the house is freezing and smells of rotten meat and they find Sadie dead outside. Carolyn notices all the clocks stop at 3:07. That night, Cindy sleepwalks into Andrea's room and pounds her head against the wardrobe. The next day while the girls are at school, April tells her mother about her new friend Rory. She found a music box and says she can see him behind her in the reflection. They play a game of hide and clap and Carolyn is led to the wardrobe, but April wasn't hiding there.
While everyone is asleep, Christine feels someone tugging her leg. She shares a room with Nancy and she sees a presence behind the door. She wakes up Nancy who doesn't believe her until the door slams shut. Christine tells them it wants their family dead. The next night, Carolyn hears noises and investigates. All the pictures hung up on the stairway are torn down and she's led to the basement where she's trapped. At the same time, Cindy is sleepwalking into the wardrobe and Andrea is attacked by a demonic spirit. Roger gets home and hears screaming from inside the house.
Carolyn attends a seminar on demonology and exorcisms conducted by Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) Warren. Carolyn meets up with them afterward and convinces them it's urgent they come to her home. Lorraine senses an evil presence has latched onto the family and Ed suggests an exorcism may be required. They would need permission from the Church as well as evidence of supernatural activity. Lorraine discovers the house was cursed by an accused witch, Bathsheba after she sacrificed her week-old newborn to the devil and then hung herself on the tree in the yard.
The Warrens decide to take action by setting up cameras and bells in every room of the house. Lorraine sees a presence looking out the window of Carolyn's room and she becomes possessed. They observe Cindy sleepwalk into the room with the wardrobe and hear a voice whispering to her on the microphones. They find a secret passage in the wardrobe and Cindy claims it's where Rory hides. Lorraine crawls inside and finds a noose. She falls through the floor to the cellar and sees more spirits.
The Perrons' stay at a motel for the night while the Warrens present the evidence to the Church. The Warrens daughter is attacked by Annabelle. Lorraine senses something is wrong and they make it home just in time to save her. Carolyn, possessed by Bathsheba, takes Christine and April back to the house. The Warrens find Carolyn in the cellar trying to stab April. Ed realizes he must perform the exorcism as birds start swarming the house. Carolyn escapes in search of April but Lorraine reminds her of a memory of her family. Ed completes the exorcism and the curse of Bathsheba is lifted.
The story of the Perron family is both terrifying and unsettling but not entirely believable. Since this is a supernatural film, there has to be some skepticism when saying it's based on a true story. The real-life Lorraine Warren claims the film is an accurate account of what happened in that house.
Director James Wan does an excellent job of creating suspense through the sound. When Christine sees the spirit in her room, we hear the sound of her heart racing. The claps and the knocking draw in our attention and allows us to feel the uncertainty the characters go through. He builds up tension until there's a moment of silence, then induces horror and accelerates the scene. The scares are far from cheap and you become absorbed into the dark atmosphere.
When I see a supernatural or paranormal film, what interests me the most is how they go about collecting evidence of the demonic spirits. The crew working with the Warrens seem personable, knowledgable and appear to love what they do. Since it takes place in 1971, the technology they used to capture photos and audio were state-of-the-art. They even used thermostats to gauge a temperature drop to have the camera snap a picture. The special effects are also well done. During the exorcism scene, when the chair floats in the air, flips upside down and bangs against the ceiling looks as if it's actually happening.
It's the fifth film directed by James Wan, whose prior works include Saw and Insidious. Wan set the bar high in terms of scariness with Insidious. The Conjuring succeeds as an R-rated horror film that doesn't need to use blood and gore, sexuality or profanity to make its scares effective. This is one of the better horror films in the last decade. I recommend this film to adults and horror film fans.
Me and Orson Welles is a portrayal of the Welles' modern-dress bare-stage production of William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. The film is based on the novel, Me and Orson Welles, written by Robert Kaplow. Richard Linklater directs and produces this coming-of-age story to make it feel as real as being there backstage.
The date is November 5th, 1937 in New York City. Richard Samuels (Zac Efron) is a 17-year old student that has hopes of becoming an actor. He meets Gretta (Zoe Kazan) in a music store and she dreams of becoming a writer. Richard unexpectedly runs into 21-year old Orson Welles (Christian McKay), who is impressed with his on-the-spot talents of drumming, singing and theatre knowledge. He offers him the role of Lucius in his upcoming play at the Mercury Theatre, Julius Cesar. Early on, Richard can see Welles is having an affair with the leading actress while his wife is pregnant. Welles directs, produces and stars the play as Brutus. Welles is worried too much good luck will bring bad luck on premiere night.
Richard meets the hardworking production assistant Sonja (Claire Danes), who quickly takes a liking to him. He soon finds out that every guy on set has tried to woo Sonja in one way or another without success. Richard is backstage during rehearsals and accidentally sets off the sprinkler system which soaks the theatre. Welles demands to know who to blame and calls out Richard. He suggests it's the bad luck thing and Welles understands.
Richard runs into Gretta at a museum and she shows him the short story she wrote. He tells her he's met notable people through acting and suggests taking her story to a publisher. Welles sets up a coupling game as a way to bond before the premiere. Richard hands out the tickets and cheats his way to partnering up with Sonja. They go out dancing and spend the night together.
The next night, Orson tells Richard he's a God created actor, magnificent. Welles takes Sonya for the night and she tells Richard she can't refuse him. A man overhears their conversation and comes out of the shadows. He tells Richard she wants him to fight for her. The morning of the premiere, Richard tells Sonya he loves her and calls out Welles for cheating on his wife. Welles abruptly fires him. That afternoon, Richard and Welles make an agreement to perform on opening night. The premier is a huge success and afterward, Richard finds out he's been fired for good. He sees Sonja for the last time and tells him she tried changing Welles mind but couldn't.
Richard meets up with Gretta again at the museum and she has good news. Her short story had been published in The New Yorker. She asks him out to celebrate and they walk out of the museum.
Christian McKay deserves a ton of credit for his outstanding work as Orson Welles in his film debut. He's near perfect in the way he boastfully expresses himself without judgment in front of an entire cast and production crew. He doesn't take criticism from anyone and gets the point across very clearly that it's his show. The crew is used to waiting around because they are on Orson's time. He gives his unfiltered, rash opinion without hesitation.
Zac Efron, having prior experience in films such as High School Musical and Hairspray, makes him a perfect cast for this role. Welles made sure he could sing and trusted he could play the ukulele. He and Clare Danes compliment each other nicely. She admires the way he romanticizes everything, and he believes in finding love.
Richard Linklater does an excellent job of capturing the near-constant work, days and nights, that goes into a stage production of this magnitude. It's exhausting work for a cast that's getting paid little to nothing to put in days worth of effort. One of the most impressive scenes is when Welles and the main cast is reading the script over the radio. From the start to finish, the camera moves left to right in a circle, just as a script would be read. Welles didn't miss a beat while smoking his Cuban cigar.
I've seen most of Linklater's films and this is one of his finest works. Ebert claimed Me and Orson Welles as one of the best films about the theater he had ever seen, and I have to agree with him. In the end, Linklater leaves us with life lessons and historical context. Most importantly, insight on the young Orson Welles, who inspired not only this film but many others over the past near-century. I highly recommend this film to teens and adults, especially those interested in theater.
The Hunt is a serious and powerful Danish drama that revolves around trust, innocence and the destruction of man through false accusation. All it takes is one misinterpreted fib to rattle an entire workplace, family and community to its core.
Lucas (Mads Mikkelsen), is a daycare helper who's working through a custody battle over his teenage son, who plans to move in with him around the holidays. Lucas is well liked by the children and staff. Klara (Annika Wedderkopp), is the daughter of Lucas' best friend. She enjoys spending time with Lucas and walking his dog, Fanny. She finds comfort in Lucas and uses him to escape from her constantly arguing parents and her rowdy older brother.
Lucas walks Klara to school since her parents are fighting. She makes a heart out of beads and puts it in Lucas' coat pocket and gives him a kiss on the lips. Lucas tells her only to give kisses to her mother and father and to give the heart to one of the boys in the class. She is hurt by his rejection and as she's waiting to be picked up, mentions to Grethe (Susse Wold), the class director, that she hates Lucas and describes an erect penis, an image her brother had shown her the night before.
Nadja (Alexandra Rapaport), a co-worker of Lucas' is interested in seeing him outside of work. They begin an intimate relationship. The following day, Lucas is called into Grethe's office. She tells him about a sexual incident that occurred between him and a student. He denies the claims but Grethe believes the student wouldn't lie and further investigations would follow. Klara is asked questions about the incident, which she denies at first, then nods her head yes to the rest of the questions. Klara tells her mother Agnes (Anne Louise Hassing) that Lucas didn't harm her but Agnes sees this as repressing the memory of abuse.
Grethe holds a parent meeting and gives them a list of symptoms to watch for signs of sexual abuse. Lucas is fired shortly afterward and is shunned by the community. His friendship with Klara's father Theo (Thomas Bo Larsen) is ruined as well as his relationship with Nadja. His son Marcus (Lasse Fogelstrøm) calls saying he can no longer move in with him and his mother told him about the news. Marcus visits him anyways and believes his father is innocent. Lucas is arrested and awaits trial the next morning. Marcus stays the night at a close friends house. Lucas is released the following morning without charge.
Lucas is preparing dinner with Marcus when a large rock is thrown through the window. He walks outside to see Fanny has been killed. He's assaulted by grocery store workers who refuse his business. Theo and his family see him covered in blood but don't approach him. On Christmas Eve, Lucas attacks Theo during a church service Klara is performing in. That night, as Klara is falling asleep, apologizes to Lucas and Theo overhears her. She tells him he did nothing wrong and Theo finally believes her. Theo visits Lucas and apologizes to him by bringing him food and drinks.
A year later, Lucas is back together with Nadja. Marcus is accepted into their hunting club as a man and is given a gun passed down from his father. On a hunting trip, Lucas is nearly shot by an unknown man, who flees without a trace.
Mads Mikkelsen's character is someone you would least expect to cause harm to a child, especially his best friend's daughter. Before the accusations, he struggles to communicate with his ex-wife about his son and he was recently let go from his job as a high school teacher. He views Klara as an imaginative and innocent young girl. He's more than happy to spend time with her, as she loves walking his dog. Once he finds out it was Klara who made the allegations, he's in total disbelief.
The innocence within Klara's character is shown very well by Annika Wedderkopp. She distances herself from the negativity of her family by staying in solitude. She visits Lucas without her parent's permission after he tries to convince his own innocence to them. She realizes her words caused a world of trouble for Lucas. No matter what she said, her words couldn't be reversed. Had she known the seriousness of the situation, she wouldn't have said those things to Grethe in the first place.
The lighting plays a major role in setting the mood, specifically in the children's faces. When Lucas is playing with the children and having a good time, the sun is shining brightly on them. In the scene when Klara tells Grethe about how she feels about Lucas, she's sitting alone in a dark room. The film was shot entirely in Denmark, most often on cloudy days.
Sexual abuse is a touchy subject for most people, which is why there aren't many films out there like The Hunt. I doubt everyone who watches this will like it, but it's a moving drama that will stick with you long after it's over. Mads Mikkelsen's award-winning performance is one worth seeing. I highly recommend this film to adults.
Like Stars on Earth is a very special film. Disney even bought one-third of the distribution rights so it could be released in the US, UK and Australia. The screenplay was written and developed over a span of seven years by Amole Gupte and his wife. Gupte was set to direct the film that was being made by Aamir Khan Productions. After a week of conflicting views as to how the film should be done, Aamir Khan took on the challenge of directing his first and only film to date, as well as co-starring and producing the film.
The story is seen through the eyes of an eight-year-old boy, Ishaan Awasthi (Darsheel Safary), whose parents don't understand why he constantly misbehaves and does poorly in school. His older brother, Yohan, excels in school and his the top of his class. Ishaan is bullied and gets into a fight. His father, Nandkishore (Vipin Sharma), is losing his patience with him, while his mother, Maya (Tisca Chopra), feels sympathy towards him. Maya gave up her career to raise a family, she's dedicated to helping her husband get to work and her children to school.
In the classroom, Ishaan is called out for not paying attention and is told to read aloud to the class. He tells the teacher the letters are dancing and is kicked out of class. The next day, Ishaan is taken aside for not having his shoes polished. He runs away from school and spends the day exploring the city. He convinces Yohan to forge an absent note to take to school the next day. He does poorly on his math exam and that evening his parents find the note. His parents have a conference with the teachers and principal and his father decides to send him to boarding school.
Ishaan is afraid of the new school and becomes withdrawn and depressed. He is paired up with Rajan (Tanay Chheda), a physically handicapped boy who is top of his class. Ishaan continues to do poorly and doesn't understand his strict teachers. His new art teacher, Ram Shankar Nikumbh (Aamir Khan), is different than the other teachers. He doesn't believe in discipline. He gives the class an assignment to draw whatever they want. He notices Ishaan leaves his canvas blank, so he asks him his name and Rajan answers for him. Ram speaks with the principal and tells him Ishaan needs a special kind of help or else he will sink. The principal already figured he wouldn't make it to the end of the year and Ram says not to give up on him.
On his off day, Ram visits Ishaan's family to discuss their son. He sees the paintings he's drawn and the flip book he made distancing himself from his family. Ram asks what they think the problem is. Nandkishore says it's his attitude that makes him disobedient and rebellious. Ram explains the patterns of the mistakes he makes in his handwriting and math equations. Nandkishore continues to think he must be stupid and lazy. Ram hands him a box written in Chinese and asks him to read it. He can't read it and Ram tells him he's misbehaving and his attitude is wrong. Ram reveals their son has dyslexia, he doesn't recognize the letters which is why he can't read or write.
The next day in class, Ram flips the book in front of Ishaan to get his attention. He tells the class a story about a boy who couldn't read or write. That boy was Albert Einstein. He goes on listing successful dyslexics including Leonardo Da Vinci, Thomas Edison and Walt Disney. He keeps Ishaan after class and reveals that he too was dyslexic and faced similar challenges at his age. Ram gets permission from the principal to be Ishaan's tutor. Over time, he teaches Ishaan to read and write and his grades vastly improve.
Towards the end of the year, Ram organizes an after-school art competition for the staff and students. The winner will have their artwork displayed on the cover of the yearbook. Ishaan shows up late, but sits down and paints a masterpiece. He shows it to Ram, then sees the portrait of himself drawn by Ram. Ishaan wins the competition and Ram is the runner-up. His parents meet with the teachers and are proud of his transformation. Nandkishore gets emotional and can't thank Ram enough for his help.
The performances in this film are exceptional. Darsheel Safary portrays Ishaan's character using his facial expressions and body language since he doesn't speak much. His imagination runs wild, which is shown through various animated sequences while he's sitting in class. The use of special effects is subtle and unique. Ishaan sees spiders with letters and numbers as bodies crawling towards him. Through his eyes, his nightmares are his reality.
Aamir Khan's role throughout the film I can only imagine as being exhausting. He worked with a classroom of 40 children and taught them how to act. He tells them not to worry about acting, but to act natural, to do what they normally would do. Khan had to work one-on-one with Safary to get the emotional tone required for each scene. His kind and caring persona gave the film a fresh breath of air once he appeared on the screen. There was a feeling of hope, you could feel it through him.
The soundtrack and background music are used to create emotional atmospheres. The scene when Ram introduces himself to the class, he shows them with his costume and song that he's carefree and fun. Having a soundtrack as good as this one gave Khan the freedom to show sides of the characters that wouldn't have worked without the music.
The story of Ishaan rose the awareness of dyslexia greatly, which led parents to meet with their children's teachers about this resolvable issue. This is a film that should be shown in schools, so teachers and students can recognize and relate to kids who might be struggling with dyslexia. Don't let the running time of 165 minutes and subtitles turn you away from this gem of a film. I highly recommend this film to people of all ages and most importantly to parents and teachers. 4/4
The Big Lebowski is the 7th film written, produced and directed by the Coen Brothers. The script was written in the early '90s around the time they released Barton Fink. In the meantime, they wrote, produced and directed the box office bomb, The Hudsucker Proxy, as well as the critically acclaimed and Oscar award-winning, Fargo. They waited as long as they needed to get Jeff Bridges and John Goodman in the cast and it paid off big time.
Synopsis
In Los Angeles, 1991, a mysterious man (Sam Elliot) introduces us to the lazy hero of this story, Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski (Jeff Bridges). The Dude walks into his apartment and is attacked by two thugs, mistaking him for the millionaire Jeff Lebowski, whose wife, Bunny, owes money to pornographer Jackie Treehorn. Before they leave, one of them urinates on The Dude's rug. The next day, he tells the story to his bowling team, hard-nosed Vietnam veteran Walter Sobchak (John Goodman) and good-hearted Donny Kerabatsos (Steve Buscemi). The Dude visits the Lebowski mansion and he's greeted by his cheery assistant, Brandt (Philip Seymour Hoffman). He meets with millionaire Jeffery Lebowski (David Huddleston), a wheelchair-bound philanthropist, seeking compensation for his soiled rug. Lebowski denies his request for a rug and The Dude leaves his office. He tells Brandt he can take any rug in the house. On his way out, he meets Bunny (Tara Reid), Lebowski's trophy wife.
Brandt summons The Dude to meet with Lebowski, who informs him Bunny was kidnapped and is being held ransom for one million dollars. He wants The Dude to meet with the kidnappers and give them a briefcase with the money inside. At the bowling alley, The Dude explains the kidnapping to Walter and Donny, thinking Bunny kidnapped herself. Later that night while relaxing on his rug, he's knocked out by two men and a woman. He wakes up and his rug is gone. Brandt gives him a phone to set up a meeting with the thugs. They receive an order to throw the briefcase over a bridge and Walter throws a bag of his dirty underwear instead so they can keep the million dollars for themselves. Later that night, The Dude's car is stolen with the briefcase inside.
Police question The Dude about the stolen car when Lebowski's daughter, Maude (Julianne Moore), calls him, revealing she took her rug back and sends a car to pick him up. He is brought to Maude's abstract art studio, where she's swinging around nude, throwing paint at a canvas. She shows him a video of Bunny acting in one of Treehorn's porno films. Maude assumes Bunny staged her kidnapping. Maude noticed the $1 million withdrawal from one of the Lebowski charity programs for the ransom. She gives The Dude the number of a doctor who will give him a free examination.
The Dude is given a limo back to his apartment and the driver shoves him into another limo with Brandt and Lebowski. Lebowski is furious that the ransom money wasn't delivered, accusing him of stealing the money and shows him a severed toe he thinks belongs to Bunny. That night, three German nihilists break into The Dude's apartment, threatening him to get the ransom money. His car was found by police but the briefcase is gone. He finds a piece of homework in the seat with the name Larry Sellers on it. The Dude and Walter go to his house, but the teenager refuses to speak. Walter takes a tire iron and smashes the Corvette outside of their house. The neighbor and owner of the Corvette runs outside and smashes The Dude's car with the tire iron.
Treehorn's thugs return and bring The Dude to Jackie Treehorn (Ben Gazzara). He asks about Bunny and the money. He drugs The Dude's white Russian that brings him to a surrealistic fantasy titled, Gutterballs, where he dreams of Maude and bowling. The ending turns into a nightmare as he's chased by red men with giant scissors. He wakes up, running down the middle of the street. He's picked up by the police and told to stay out of Malibu. His taxi driver throws him out of the car for hating on The Eagles. Bunny driving a red convertible passes him, she still has all of her toes.
He walks home to find his place trashed. He trips and Maude stands above him in his robe, wanting him to make love to her. Afterward, Maude reveals her father has no money, having given it all to charity. Maude gets into a position she believes will increase the chances of conception. She assures him that he will have no involvement with her or the child. That's why she had him see a doctor.
The Dude finds a private investigator outside looking for Bunny. He reveals Bunny's real name is Fawn and she ran away from home a year ago. He's picked up by Walter and tells him there was no money in the briefcase and Lebowski wanted Bunny dead all along. They drive to Lebowski's to find Bunny's car crashed into a fountain. Brandt tells them Bunny went to visit friends in Palm Springs without telling anyone. Walter throws Lebowski out of his wheelchair and realizes he wasn't faking his paralysis.
Back at the bowling alley, they walk outside to find The Dude's car on fire. The three German nihilists demand ransom money. The Dude tells them there was no money or hostage. Walter throws his bowling ball at one of them, bites one of their ears off and beats the last one with their radio. Donny suffers from a heart attack and dies. The Dude and Walter refuse to buy an urn at the morgue so they settle with a coffee can to hold his ashes. On the Pacific coast, Walter gives his eulogy and spreads the ashes. The wind blows the ashes all over The Dude. He's angry at first then Walter suggests they go bowling. The mysterious man reveals there's a Little Dude on the way and wishes them luck in their bowling tournament.
Review
The Big Lebowski is difficult to discuss without revealing certain aspects of the film, which is why I included a shortened synopsis. To read the full synopsis, click here. Similar to The Big Sleep, The Big Lebowski takes a convoluted plot to extreme measures. Both films include a wealthy, handicapped millionaire, promiscuous young women, blackmailers and pornographers. Both films make us connect characters to one another and piece together a scattered plot.
Taking a large step back from everything that happens in The Big Lebowski, the story is essentially about nothing. There is no money in the briefcase. There is no hostage. The nihilists believe in nothing except money. The Dude is not seen bowling. The Dude has no job and we don't know how he makes an income. Walter uses Shomer Shabbos as an excuse to do nothing on Saturday even though he's no longer Jewish. The only reason The Dude gets involved with Lebowski is due to his rug and agrees to work with him for just a small portion of the ransom. From the beginning, The Dude, Walter and Maude assume that Bunny kidnapped herself to extort money from Lebowski.
The bowling alley is the safe haven for The Dude and his team. Walter takes the bowling league very seriously. He threatens a bowler with a gun for stepping over the line and gets him to mark zero on his scorecard. When bowling rival Jesus Quintana (John Turturro) confronts the team, Walter reminds them he's a sex offender that exposed himself to an eight-year-old. Throughout the story, The Dude shares his news to Walter and Donny at the bowling alley. The mysterious man most likely overhears their conversations which is why he can narrate The Dude's story. He's seen talking to The Dude at the bowling alley's bar and appears again at the end. He never introduces himself, but Sam Elliot's resonant accent and thick mustache make his character memorable.
The script is very funny and explicit. The Dude and Walter's dialogue often clash but it doesn't get in the way of their friendship. The script was written specifically for Jeff Bridges and John Goodman's characters. Jeff Bridges is perfectly cast as The Dude, he's often misunderstood and spacing out in his own world. Unlike previous Coen Brothers films with Steve Buscemi, Donny can barely get a word out before Walter tells him to shut up. Julianne Moore puts on an interesting accent as Maude, that isn't distinct to any one place. Maude's giggly assistant, abstract artwork and sexual nature make her one of the funniest characters in the film. She's the centerpiece of the Gutterballs dream sequence as a sexy Viking surrounded by bowling pin dancers.
The soundtrack is great and it's referenced throughout the film. The Dude and Walter are listening to Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Run Through the Jungle" when delivering the briefcase. The cops who look for the car are worried the tape deck with Creedence would be stolen and are relieved when they find it still there. The song used in the opening credits, "The Man in Me" by Bob Dylan is used again when Maude knocks out The Dude and takes back the rug. They play the Rolling Stones song "Dead Flowers" by Townes Van Zandt after Donny's death.
The directing by Coen Brothers is very well done. Many of the cast members are reoccurring from previous films they've directed. The film's structure was influenced by detective fiction writer Raymond Chandler. The cinematography by Roger Deakins made the scenes look contemporary with the time period and the dream sequences to look bizarre. Deakins worked on previous Coen Brothers films such as Barton Fink and Fargo, as well as The Shawshank Redemption. The editing is impressive, especially during the dream sequences. The first-person camera shot inside the bowling ball as it rolls down the lane for a strike looks very sharp. They use pan and zoom shots frequently to go from a wide view of the setting to the subjects. They use long takes, the most impressive coming in the final scene, that finishes with a strike.
At the time, The Big Lebowski was one of the Coen Brothers highest budgeted films at $15 million. It grossed just over $46 million worldwide. The Big Lebowski can be enjoyed on many viewings and it succeeds as both a comedy and a crime film. I highly recommend this film to adults.
The Big Sleep is based on Raymond Chandler's 1939 novel of the same name. Despite its widely regarded convoluted plot, The Big Sleep ranks among the best film noirs of all-time.
Private detective Philip Marlowe (Humphrey Bogart) is summoned to the Sternwood mansion. He's welcomed by Norris the butler (Charles D. Brown) and meets Carmen Sternwood (Martha Vickers), the flirtatious and ditzy daughter of General Sternwood (Charles Waldron). Marlowe meets with wheelchair-bound, widower and millionaire, General Sternwood. He wants Marlowe to resolve the gambling debts that Carmen owes to bookseller Arthur Gwynn Geiger. He mentions Joe Brody, a gambler he once paid off and Sean Regen, an employee and friend who's gone missing. Before he leaves, he meets the alluring Vivian Rutledge (Lauren Bacall), Carmen's older divorced sister. She believes her father's true motive is to find Sean Regen.
Philip Marlowe's investigation leads him to pornographers, gamblers and blackmailers. He charms every woman he comes into contact with, leaving them aroused. Dorothy Maloneplays a book store librarian in a tantalizing scene where she closes up shop after Marlowe sweet talks her. The romance between Marlowe and Vivian gets heated as the film progresses. Vivian works through the investigation with Marlowe, giving him leads and saving him along the way. They both play hard to get, raising the sexual tension until the climactic final words of the film. Marlowe is a rebel of sorts when it comes to detective work and effortlessly seduces every woman he meets. Vivian is mature and sophisticated compared to her younger sister Carmen, who throws herself at Marlowe every chance she gets.
The Big Sleep is directed by Howard Hawks. Hawks has many notable works such as one of the greatest comedies from the 1930s, Bringing Up Baby, and one of the best westerns of all-time, Rio Bravo. The camerawork is excellent and gives us every detail in a smooth fashion. The outdoors scenes are mostly rainy and gloomy.
The score is beautifully composed by Max Steiner. His musical résumé before The Big Sleep includes King Kong, Gone with the Wind and Casablanca. The score is masterful, as it sets the mood of each scene, building up tension and keeping us actively engaged.
The screenplay was written by three authors including Nobel Prize and two time Pulitzer Prize winner William Faulkner, as well as Leigh Brackett and Jules Furthman. The script is the major accomplishment of The Big Sleep because the film relies on its quick and intelligent dialogue. Bogart's consistently clever lines bring Marlowe's charming personality to life. "She tried to sit down in my lap when I was standing up." The screenplay was written around the Hays Code, the censorship policy that put restrictions on sexual themes. In the book, Geiger was selling pornography and he was in a gay relationship with his assistant Lundgren. Both selling pornography and references to homosexuality were prohibited. In the novel, Carmen appears nude in two scenes, but in the film, she is fully clothed. A scene that explains the plot towards the end with two characters, the police commissioner and the district attorney, was removed completely from the final version of the film.
Prior to The Big Sleep, Howard Hawks directed To Have and Not Have in 1944, starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall in her film debut. The chemistry between Bogart and Bacall is just one of many reasons to watch this film. They got married in 1945 when Bacall was 20 and Bogart was 45 and recently divorced. Bogart frequently missed days on set due to his depression and alcoholism following his divorce. They were together until Bogart's death in 1957.
The film was pre-released in 1945 but was revised and re-released in 1946 for a few reasons. Bacall's agent, Charles K. Feldman, requested many of Bacall's scenes to be re-shot in order to capture the chemistry between her and Bogart. The famous racehorse scene was added solely for that purpose. Many of Martha Vickers' scenes were removed to boost Bacall's performance.
The Big Sleep is a film noir well worth seeing. The plot allows the audience to piece the puzzle together with clues that can be interpreted depending on how you see it. It heavily influenced The Coen Brothers to create the 1998 cult classic, The Big Lebowski. I highly recommend The Big Sleep to adults and fans of film noir. 4/4
My name is Scott Setchell and I love film. I'm 24 years old, I was born and raised in DeKalb, IL. After I finished my Associate's degree, I began watching films daily. I've seen over 2,500 films and a handful of TV series. In the fall of 2016, I watched an average of five films a day. I log and rate every film I see on multiple platforms. IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and Letterboxd all have their own perks. If you're serious about keeping track of the films you've seen, I highly recommend using one or all of these platforms.
I started collecting DVDs and Blu-Rays when I was in high school, browsing local pawn shops and thrift stores searching for hidden gems. I logged my entire collection online and over the years, I've accumulated over 600 DVDs and 300 Blu-Rays. Not only do I collect movies for myself, but I collect so I can provide my peers with must-see films. One of my greatest pleasures in life is recommending and loaning out a disc and knowing it was enjoyed. I believe everyone, especially the people closest to me, should have full access to my library of media.
My biggest inspiration is Roger Ebert, film critic and historian for the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. His passion, insight and dedication to film criticism are incredibly inspiring to me. I highly respect Ebert's opinion and I read all of his reviews for the films I've seen. I plan on adopting his 4-star rating system to my written reviews. I've read his memoir "Life Itself" and watched the documentary of the same name. It's amazing that he continued to write reviews after he lost his lower jaw to cancer of the thyroid and salivary glands in 2002. Roger Ebert's favorite film of all-time was Citizen Kane, he watched it over 50 times and studied it frame by frame. I watched Citizen Kane once and then a second time with Ebert's commentary. He points out so many subtle details I completely overlooked on my first viewing. This experience allowed me to see the film from the director's perspective while watching the film. I can use this skill to look deeper into a film, by observing camera techniques, special effects and other behind the scenes details. Georges Méliès wrote, directed and starred in A Trip to the Moon (La Voyages dans la Lune) in 1902. In 1921, Charlie Chaplin released his first feature film, The Kid. Alfred Hitchcock started directing in 1922 until 1976. In 1941 at age 25, Orson Welles wrote, directed and starred in Citizen Kane. These early directors inspired some of my favorite directors including Stanley Kubrick, Woody Allen, Clint Eastwood, Francis Ford Coppola, David Lynch, Quentin Tarantino and Christopher Nolan. Ebert had great respect for one of my favorite directors, Martin Scorsese. Ebert wrote an entire book dedicated to review and analyze all of Scorsese's works.
I've had the thought that being a film critic in 2019 would be challenging since there are hundreds of critics getting paid to write for newspapers, magazines and websites all over the world. I hope to bring a fresh angle to film criticism in my reviews because of how open I am to all types of films. From foreign films to animated films to black and white and silent films, no film should be overlooked because of its cover, title or age.
There are films that will change the way you view yourself, other people and the reality we live in. Films can make you feel a wide spectrum of emotions. Films allow you to explore topics including life, love, death, relationships, politics and religion through a visual and auditory medium. A powerful film will stay with you forever.
I aspire to write reviews in a structure that will fully engage my readers. Hyperlinks to IMDb will be embedded in my reviews so my readers can understand references to actors, directors and related films. Hyperlinks to Amazon will also be included as a direct way of buying or renting the film I'm reviewing. The links are there for your convenience, download the IMDb app for even more accessibility! If you have any questions on setting up an account on IMDb or Letterboxd, send me a message and I'll gladly help you out.
This is my introduction and the first of many blogs to come. I plan to publish my reviews on my website, IMDb and Letterboxd, mixing it up with new releases as well as throwbacks from every decade. My goal is to be as informative as possible and hopefully, you will look forward to seeing the films I review. Thank you for taking the time to read this and getting to know me. I'll leave some useful links below, check them out! See you at the movies!
Flynn takes her to a pub full of thugs to try and get her to go back home. They sing about their dreams, but Gothel realizes she's left the tower and the guards search the pub. They escape through a tunnel and get caught in a flooding cave. Rapunzel uses her glowing hair to light the cave in order to break free. Flynn reveals his real name is Eugene Fitzherbert. They hide out in a forest and are followed by Gothel and two thugs. Eugene steps away and Gothel gives Rapunzel the crown.
