Film Review: The Fighter

Last night I saw The Fighter with Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale. I really didn't have any intentions of seeing it, but I agreed to go along simply to spend more time with a friend who was only visiting for a few days. The Fighter definitely exceeded any small expectations I had for the film. Those are actually my favorite movie experiences--when you go in not having any expectations and not even really knowing what the movie is about just to be thoroughly entertained and end up really enjoying the film. Let's just say I'm very happy I agreed to see it. Since it's a film about boxing and I know nothing about boxing, I figured it wouldn't interest me much, but there was so much more going on than simply boxing. It's the story of not one but two men--brothers--who are boxers and the relationship not only between them but also their large family.

The film sent me through a roller coaster of emotions. Dickey Ecklund, played by Bale, goes through a drug addiction, and although it's a serious matter and he messes up a lot he still has big heart and big personality, and he keeps the audience chuckling. He is quite a character to say the least. Micky Ward, played by Wahlberg, is the younger, less outspoken brother. Together they make a fantastic team which is evident by the end of the film despite all of their problems. In addition, even though their family is dysfunctional they all stick together no matter what, and they remain loyal.

The Fighter is a motivating film that shows that you should always have faith in your abilities and never give up. If life throws you an obstacle that you cannot climb over pave yourself a new path. That is what Dickey finally does when he realizes his days of professional boxing are over. He instead focuses his efforts on training Micky so that Micky can win the title he never did.

Audiences love a good story of an underdog's struggle to make it to the top, and this film executes it wonderfully. I also love the fact that it's based on a true story. During the credits at the end of the film, a short clip of the real half-brothers is shown. Bale mimicked the real Dickey so well I was really astonished. Not only was his acting amazing but he also lost a ton of weight to play the role. He looked skeletal and his eyes looked shrunken. He was believable as a drug user.

Another reason why I think The Fighter is an excellent film is because the setting took place in the 90's and everything from the clothes and big hair to the cars were accurate of the 90's style. Finally, I liked that the two brothers were from a small town, yet no matter how successful they became, they remained loyal to their town. They seem like average working class men in construction--they don't wear nice clothes, drive nice vehicles, have an especially nice house or go anywhere particularly extravagant, but they are champions inside. They truly are the town heroes.

If you liked Million Dollar Baby with Hilary Swank and Clint Eastwood I'm sure you'll enjoy The Fighter as well. I whole heartedly recommend it.

Film Review: Black Swan

**Note: spoiler alert**

I heard about Black Swan from a friend who told me to check out the trailer. After watching it I immediately wanted to see it. Then all of a sudden it blew up and everyone in New York (at least it seemed) was buzzing about it. The first night I went to see it I ended up calling a local theater in advance to make sure they had tickets for a particular time and I was informed that tickets had been sold out five hours prior to my call. Therefore, going into the movie I had very high expectations.

I thought Natalie Portman did a great job. I had heard even before seeing the movie that she had lost 20 lbs. for the role to have a body more like a ballerina's, but her acting in itself made her believable. I was so annoyed with her! I wanted to grab her shoulders and shake her sometimes which goes to show that she did the job right--she was able to evoke emotions and opinions from her audience. Better yet, she makes the audience contemplate the complexity of her character. Although the main character, Nina, played by Portman, is an adult, she still lives at home, she's an unassertive milquetoast, and she talks in a soft, whisper-like voice which makes you want to yell at her to speak up and grow a backbone. One deep-rooted issue Nina faces is her inability to really grow up. Her mother is rather smothering and she certainly crosses the mother-daughter boundaries considering Nina is an adult herself. Her mother even tucks her in bed still for heaven's sake!

A pivotal scene is when Nina allows herself to "explore" and let go a little by touching herself when she wakes up one morning, and just as she is starting to enjoy herself she looks over to find her mother asleep in a chair next to her bed. The scene shows the restrictions Nina faces as an unsure, dependent adult who is wishing to finally grow up. Her bedroom is decorated like that of a little girl's. The room and bedspread are pink and white and she still has dozens of stuffed animals. Inside she's wishing to break free, but her home environment and her mother are holding her back.

Nina has been oppressed for so long, her main struggle is the one with herself. Even though she does want to experience new things, sexual things, she holds herself back because it's unfamiliar and she cannot contemplate being anything other than pure. Nina so desperately wants to be the perfect ballerina. Her instructor even tells her that she has a near perfect technique, but unfortunately that's not enough, especially for the leading role of the company's new performance of Swan Lake*.

Nina's obsession with perfectionism is essentially what "births" her and destroys her at the same time. Her internal battle at trying to let go and be seductive enough to be a convincing black swan is too much for her to take. How can a single person be a black swan and a white swan when the roles are completely opposite? Her instructor tells her from the get-go that she is the model of a white swan and that her difficulty would be letting loose enough to transform into a black swan as well. The embodiment of both proves to be too much. She lashes out at her mom (although in my opinion it was about time), she starts hallucinating, and she becomes extremely paranoid and feels threatened.

What I found to be most interesting is that although Nina destroys herself by the end of the film, she's happy because she did become the perfect black and white swan.

Black Swan is twisted. The film forces you to pay close attention in order to try to distinguish if certain events are real or part of Nina's psychological breakdown.

I absolutely recommend this movie to others. It has been praised by both ballet lovers and non-ballet connoisseurs alike. Just go in knowing that it's a pretty heavy film. Be prepared to take a few minutes after watching the movie to let all of the fast-paced scenes sink in and to mull over the complex, entwined themes.

*Swan Lake is a ballet composed in 1875. Since the first performance, many different endings have been written.

Film Review: Burlesque

I saw the movie Burlesque, starring Cher and Christina Aguilera, a few weeks ago. I was mesmerized by the previews which made me desire to see the movie in theaters. Sequins, pearls, fishnet stockings, lace and feathers were the eye grabbing materials for the tantalizing stage costumes for the performers. I was enthralled by the choreographed routines of the sexy, petite dancers with tight bods, and even more by Christina Aguilera's powerful voice.

Christina Aguilera and Cher both did great. I was actually surprised how well Christina did. The film was a perfect fit for her. She is actually not too bad of an actress (actually much better than my fav, Britney Spears, in Cross Roads. Sorry Brit Brit). And somehow she looked just as young as she did when she first started out in her singing career--as in "Genie in a Bottle" young. Her face looked youthful, fresh and flawless, and her naturally thin body looked at its prime.

I wasn't expecting too much from the plot of the film, but it surprisingly wasn't too bad either. It was one of those feel good movies that makes you want to get all dolled up and go out dancing. You can never have too much eye candy.

After watching the film, it made me a little curious about what burlesque is all about. According to wikipedia.org,

"Early theatrical burlesque was a form of musical and theatrical parody in which a serious or romantic opera or piece of classical theatre was adapted in a broad, often risqué style that ridiculed stage conventions.... In 20th century America the word became associated with a variety show in which striptease is the chief attraction."

Burlesque the movie mixes some some of the traditional practices and techniques of burlesque with a fresh, modern twist. What I appreciate about the film is that it isn't raunchy; Despite the fact that the women on stage are hardly wearing any clothes, they are still able to maintain a respectable, unattainable air about themselves. In addition, the movie seems to really embody the essence of burlesque.

Burlesque isn't simply a stripe tease. Traditional burlesque shows, "encompass a variety of acts such as dancing girls, chanson singers, comedians, mime artists, and striptease artistes, all satirical and with a saucy edge." Burlesque the movie stayed true to this by showing a comedic male mime and having a live band present on the stage.

If you're looking to hear a pretty voice and see some hot, sexy dance routines without having to think about anything too serious or deep, Burlesque is surely the right movie to entertain you.

Film Review: Inception

Inception is a brilliantly complex movie that kept me interested the whole three hours in length. Leonardo is probably my favorite actor (although Joseph Gordon-Levitt was looking pretty hot in this movie as Leo's partner too). I was waiting in anticipation for several months for the release of Shutter Island, and although it wasn't a bad movie by any means, it didn't blow me away either. While the plot for Shutter Island was pretty good, Inception seems to have been better produced. I liked the combination of action and thriller in Inception. Thank god there wasn't a corny love triangle thing going on. I am so tired of those kind of movies. Therefore, all the unexpected gun action that took place was a pleasant alternative as odd as it sounds.

What I found most unique about this film is that every time the characters went into a dream, into a dream, into a dream, I felt my own mind layering the details and trying to sort out what was actually happening and what was just a dream. I find films that make you think throughout the entire film to be the most rewarding.

**Spoiler Alert**

My take on the ending is that Cobb, Leo's character, gets out of the dream in time and is actually reunited with his kids in the real world. I believe this because:
1. The look on his face when he woke up on the plane after barely escaping alive. He could hardly even believe it himself that he made it back.
2. What would have been the point of Cobb traveling through time and dreams in order to find Saito (the Japanese man who was going to clear his record so he could go home to his family) and bring him back to reality if he wasn't going to actually see his kids in real life?
3. Cobb never looked at his kids' faces when he was under because he didn't want to mistake his dream for reality like his wife did. At the end of the movie, his own father takes him to his kids and he and the audience see their faces for the first time, thus supporting my belief that he wasn't dreaming anymore.
4. I think that Director, Christopher Nolan, only made the ending ambiguous as a shock factor to get his audience members talking about the movie and speculating about whether Cobb did or did not escape the dreamworld. The outcome is up to each individual audience member's own interpretation, but I choose to be optimistic.

Lastly, I loved all of the casts' polished style of dress. Although the movie takes place in present-day, their clothing, which consists of business formal suits and ties, button-down shirts, dressy vests, and leather jackets coupled with their well-groomed, slicked back hair, had a flair of the bourgeois 30s or 40s.

Overall, Inception was an excellent film and I recommend it to those who enjoy a multi-layered storyline that forces you to pay attention in order to keep up.

My Film Rating: 9.5/10

Film Review: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

I recently saw The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, a film based on the same titled book by Swedish Stieg Larsson. At first I was a little weary because I had to grab my glasses in order to be able to read the Swedish subtitles, but I quickly forgot that I was even reading when I became absorbed in the movie. It was honestly one of the best movies I have seen all year. I love the kind of movies that require you to think, or to at least be forced to pay close attention to details in order to be able to follow the unfolding of events taking place in the movie.

The central theme of the film is the unraveling of an unexplained disappearance of a young girl which leads to the chasing of a murder mystery. Meanwhile, the audience gets a preview of what the main female character, Lisbeth (the girl with the dragon tattoo), goes through on a daily basis—harsh abuse and degradation by males. Many of the issues throughout the novel involve the sexual abuse of women. Lisbeth is one of the most interesting female characters I have seen in a long time. Instead of being an unrealistically strong woman who can overpower men, she instead uses her brains and patience in order to seek (justified, in my opinion,) revenge against them. As weird as she seems, there is something about her that is likeable and keeps the audience rooting for her—perhaps it is sympathy for the unfortunate, undeserved beatings she endures, or maybe it is the glimpse of helplessness in her eyes that angers me even more for what is being done to her. Many of the scenes were very disturbing to watch, but at the same time, I think it’s important for people to realize that abuse is something that women all over the world still face on a daily basis. I later learned that the original Swedish title translates to "Men Who Hate Women." That would have been an appropriate title to keep because the film is filled with abuse towards women.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is the first in Stieg Larssson's trilogy followed by The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest. If the books are anything like the movie, then I am sure I will also like them. I recommend The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo to anyone who enjoys mystery/thriller films and can handle some unsettling images. It is definitely meant for a mature audience.

My film rating: 4.5/5

A Lackluster Film With Two A-List Stars

Is it just me, or have the recent films released these past several months been overly corny? I went to the movies with a friend the other night and we were deciding between Killers with Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigl or Knight and Day with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz. We ended up picking Knight and Day, and let's just say that the title was just as cheesy as Knight (Cruise) trying to be an overly-suave "knight in shining armor" for Day (Diaz). The movie as a whole was simply overdone. The action scenes were pretty good, so if some of the corny dialog would have been simply cut out, it would have been a better movie.

Let me try to describe how trite some of the scenes with Cruise and Diaz were. First of all, only ten minutes into the movie Day is already falling for Knight and sharing personal information in hushed whispers in one of the most awkward public places to try to have an intimate conversation with someone--an airplane. Secondly, after about twenty minutes into the movie, in what was probably the most cliche moment of the entire movie, Day walks up to Knight and kisses him...in the middle of the aisle on the airplane after speaking to him for only a few short minutes. The movie was ruined for me before it was even halfway through.

Another stupidly comical part was at the end of the movie when Day let herself be captured by "the bad guy" in hopes that Knight would try to rescue her. The criminal who supposedly has no problem killing people doesn't try to rough Day up in order to get information out of her. Instead, he injects her with truth serum which essentially leaves Day in a giggly, valley-girl state in which she confesses her love for Knight. Diaz shouldn't have taken this role, even if she was acting aside ultra-famous Cruise. Her character was annoying on so many levels. She followed around Knight like a lost, needy puppy dog. It was not a flattering role for her. Even though she played a sometimes-ditzy blonde in Charlie's Angles, at least she could handle her own and was more of a kick-ass character. She actually had a personality in that film, whereas in Knight and Day it seems like she's just along for the ride. You can hardly call her a sidekick.

I was excited to see Knight and Day because I figured it would be good with two A-list actors, but I was definitely wrong. Even throwing two great actors into the leading roles in this movie did nothing to improve the horrendous dialogue. In addition, although the action scenes weren't too bad, even they were watered down by the way the film was produced. The producers were somehow able to lackluster the seriousness of the action scenes, making them seem kiddish and extinguishing a sense of urgency necessary for an successful action film. I can only hope that the next movie I see won't leave me as disappointed.

My Film Rating: 1.5/5 stars

Film Review: Sex and the City 2

I recently saw Sex & the City II, and I have to admit, as amazing as the girls' (Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, Charlotte) wardrobe and hotel rooms in Abu Dhabi were, the movie as a whole wasn't spectacular. I heard on TV that over $10 million was spent on wardrobe alone. It seemed that there was more of a focus on the clothes than anything; there were clothing changes when they weren't even necessary, which made it distracting from the plot.

One scene in particular where I was like "oh, come on now" was when Miranda surprised the girls with a camel back ride followed by a picnic. First of all, even though she was surprising them, she could have at least told them to wear something comfortable so she didn't have to spend time picking out outfits, complete with matching accessories of course. Second, without even mentioning the fact that even though Miranda picked out special outfits for her and all of the girls, she still managed to chose the ugliest one for herself, it didn't make sense that the girls changed outfits right before the camel ride, then again right before their picnic. It seemed choppy when one minute they were riding camels in the middle of the desert and the next they were in totally different outfits eating in an elaborate picnic setup. Who were they trying to look good for at their picnic anyway, the scorpions in the desert?

Another aspect that was semi-disappointing that I'm sure critics have already dwelt on is the fact that despite the title "Sex and the City," neither was there much sex nor New York City in the film. The majority of the movie took place in modish Abu Dhabi. Even sex queen Samantha had to take a break from her sexcapades. It seems that in place of the staple sassy sex scenes, they were replaced by awkward and often overdone scenes. While I often agree with the saying "go big or go home," the gay wedding that started off the movie was only a preview of how overdone to expect everything. Carrie's black crown piece she wore as the "man of honor" may have been expensive, but it just made her look like a big child trying to play princess again. At least the film stayed consistent with its ridiculousness throughout. One of the ending scenes in which the girls follow a veiled Abu Dhabi woman into a back room where she and several other women disrobe to show the NYC girls their designer clothes that they wear under their veils did not make me laugh. If anything, it made me sad that the Muslim women were wearing the latest fashions by famous designers that cost thousands of dollars and no one could even see and appreciate it!

Now, a brief comment on the ladies wardrobes. Although most people said Carrie hands-down was best dressed, I personally preferred Samantha's wardrobe. Besides the black crown Carrie wore at Stanley's wedding that I didn't care for, I also did not like the poofy purple skirt with black Dior tee shirt she wore to the market, and I hated the newspaper print dress she wore on a date with Big. Ugh, fashion faux pas! My favorite of Carrie's outfits is the plain white dress shown in the opening scene and on the poster above that was literally sparkled up with her gold sparkly Louis Vuitton heels and multi-colored diamond necklace. See, sometimes less is more.

The movie has a weak plot but its strength is keeping the viewers' eyes glowing from the numerous extravagant wardrobe changes made throughout the film. I did really like its message about doing things that best fit an individual relationship rather than just following what society says is norm. To close, as much as I like how nontraditional Carrie and Big's relationship is, I also liked how Big finally put a rock on Carrie's finger even though it was a black diamond.

My film rating: 2.75/5

Film Review: Letters to Juliet

I saw Letters to Juliet last night. It was alright, just your typical romance film. It was also predictable, like most romance films. Sophie, played by Amanda Seyfried, is a pretty cute, non-threatening character. She was made out to be such a push-over in the film, which is the only reason why I really wanted her to have a happy ending. Although the other lead character in the film, Charlie, played by Christopher Egan, is pretty cute with his blonde hair, clear complexion, and beaming blue eyes, he wasn't a very interesting character...or maybe he's just a bad actor. I saw an interview with Seyfried and she said her favorite scenes were with Gael Garcia Bernal (who played her fiance Victor), so apparently Christopher didn't shine on or off the screen.

Other criticisms I have are that there were a lot of car scenes that simply showed Charlie softening over Sophie every time he creepily viewed her from the rear view mirror. I found myself a little bored throughout the movie. Finally, the ending with Charlie climbing the vine to reach Sophie was corny. I was surprised when Sophie confessed her love for Charlie even though he was a rude and uninteresting ass throughout the entire movie. (This is where our society gets the overuse and undeserving use of the L word). I also wanted to laugh out loud when Charlie predictably fell from the vines as he leaned in to kiss Sophie. Wouldn't it have been a nice twist to the Romeo & Juliet re-enactment if Charlie would have broken his neck just after he and Sophie established their mutual love for one another?

Overall, Letters to Juliet was cute, but I could have went without seeing it at the theater. It did make me want to drink some wine though after seeing all the beautiful Italian vineyards.

My film rating: 2/5