Unforgiven

Thought I'd like to share my thoughts on my favourite film, Unforgiven.

Without a doubt, Unforgiven is Clint Eastwood's finest achievement. It's a masterpiece that embodies everything Eastwood has done before. It's also a tribute to Sergio Leone and Don Siegal. Quite possibly a bookend to Eastwood's westerns.

Clint Eastwood stars as William Munny, a retired gunslinger and now a down on his luck pig farmer. When a younger gunfighter The Schofield Kid, rides onto the farm, he tells William about a reward for the "Cutting of a Whore". William refuses saying he's retired, but the pig farm is suffering and he's got two young children to feed. William has no other choice.

William Munny is a complex character. Not only is he a retired Gunslinger, but a reformed alcoholic. He says this periodically throughout the film. "My wife cured me of my wicked ways"

Morgan Freeman plays, "Ned" William Munny's partner. Ned is content working his own farm and married to Sally Two Trees. In many ways, Ned is the character that William should be. Content, practical and logical. Ned is a changed man at the beginning of the film. He doesn't need any transformation. However, he is William's old riding partner and he will help out his friend.

Each character has their own complexities. Even the Schofield Kid. He's the young desperado. The one who sees the legend in William but wants to take his crown. He wants to be the next one. What the Kid lacks though, is experience.

Gene Hackman portrays Little Bill. Now, there's a reason why Gene Hackman won an Oscar for this role. Little Bill is the Sheriff of Big Whisky. He's mean, tough and a killer. He upholds the law and believes in his system. No right or wrong. Justice. He explains to a Mr. Beauchamp, a biographer chronicling the life of English Bob(played outstandly by Richard Harris) about the workings of firing a gun,

"It's cold ain't it?"

Little Bill is everything that William Munny, Ned, English Bob and The Schofield Kid are not. On the flipside, Little Bill is every character combined.

He's what William Munny used to be. He's building a house which is the peacefulness of Ned. He has the built up legend of English Bob and he's got the wide eyed enthusiasm of the Schofield Kid.

In the most poignant scene in Unforgiven, The Schofield Kid and William Munny are waiting by a tree for one of the prostitutes to bring them their reward money. The Kid says to William,

"I shot him five times while he was taking a piss" which William responds,

"You sure shot the hell out of that fella."

"Yeah, well, I guess he had it coming."--The Kid

"We all got it coming, Kid"

Unforgiven is not a western, it's not an anti gun film. Sure, it has some of these themes, but really, it's a story of regret, loss, sorrow, doubt and pain. or in this quote,

"I don't deserve to die like this..."

"Deserves got nothing to do with it."

Watch Unforgiven. It is an incredible film.

***** (out of five)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105695/

Oscar Wrap-Up

Amid all the glitz, glamour and hoopla; there were awards presented last night. First off, Jon Stewart is an amazing host. Hope he's back next year.

On that note, I hope Ben Mulroney of E Talk Daily is not back next year. That is one horrible host with a really bad haircut.

I'm glad The Coen Brothers cleaned up. Again, if you haven't seen No Country For Old Men; see it. Then, see it again. It was also kind of fitting it won Best Picture(read the post on No Country For Old Men to find out-I love you Mary Beth).

Here are the winners:

Best Picture: No Country For Old Men

Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis

Best Actress: Marion Cotillard

Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem

Supporting Actress: Tilda Swinton

Director: The Coen Brothers

Original Screenplay: No Country For Old Men

Adapted Screenplay: Juno

I would have liked to see some Canadians win at the festival, but proud of the winners anyways. If you get the chance, check out the short film, Madame Tutli-Putli. It'll be at the Kingston Canadian Film Festival next week.

Check back at The Reel Cafe for full reviews of the Festival.

http://www.nfb.ca/webextension/madame-tutli-putli/

Michael Clayton

Remember when George Clooney was the bobble headed caped crusader chasing a frost bitten Arnold Schwarzenegger through the streets of Gotham City? Or how about Jo's boyfriend on Facts of Life? Now wait, I'm putting my finger to my lips on this one: Kevin Stark on the ill fated Street Hawk?(I loved that show!)


Apparently, neither does George.


I was skeptical of Mr. Clooney for the longest time, but over the last ten years, he's proven himself to be an exceptional actor and director(Confessions of a Dangerous Mind).


Which brings me to Michael Clayton.


Michael Clayton is the fixer of a law firm. The man who everyone turns to when they need a mess cleaned up, but when the firm's top lawyer, Arthur(played by Tom Wilkinson)becomes a whistleblower, Michael is called in. However, his life is on the line and this mess may be too much for Michael to clean up.


It's not a bad film, but I've never been into Court Room dramas, but George Clooney is great in this film.

Sometimes a little confusing and other times set ups aren't pay off for example, Michael Clayton being the single father falls flat. The gambling addiction never seeks counselling either.

Other than that, Michael Clayton proves to be another great George Clooney film.

***1/2
http://michaelclayton.warnerbros.com/#

Oscar Weekend Pool

Just a reminder to make your picks for this year's Oscars. Having an Oscar Party or Pool? Here is a PDF list of the nominees:


So just for fun, make your picks and come Monday we'll award the inaugural Reel Cafe Oscar Pool. A few posts ago, I made my picks, so now it's your turn.


http://a.oscar.abc.com/media/2008/images/nominees/printballot_2008.pdf

10 000 BC

It makes me cringe when I see"From the creators of Independance Day and The Day After Tomorrow".

Never prefered the Emmerich's work. Godzilla was a disaster and well, The Patriot was horrible.

However, they do serve a niche. They don't compromise when it comes to blockbuster films, but for scriptwriting students? Do not emulate their work for dialogue. That's my only advice.

I am curious about this film simply because by the time I was in Grade 2, I could recite roughly 25 species of dinosaurs. Don't ask me now.

Brontosaurus and and Stegosaurus better be in it or I want my money back!

http://www.10000bcmovie.com/

film

Fargo

No Country For Old Men is nominated in the Best Picture category, but I want to revisit the film that made the Coen Brothers a household name.

Fargo.

OK, the truth is out. This was the first time I ever saw Fargo. Yes, I call myself a reviewer but here's the truth; everytime I went to see Fargo, someone wasn't a fan of the Coen brothers and so my attempts to watch this amazing film, hell, it ranks up there in the top five films of the 1990's, was thwarted. Until this past weekend when Mary Beth and I on a whim decided to go to Blockbuster and pick up Fargo. Here's the verdict:

This was the film that launched William H Macy into households everywhere and began the career of the hardest working man in film. Macy plays Jerry Lundegaard, a hapless car salesman who hatches a plan to make money by hiring two thugs to kidnap Jerry's wife for ransom and collect the money from Wade Gustafson-Jerry's wife's rich father. Sounds simple enough, but this is a Coen Brother's film and greed will get the best of Jerry and even with the most simplest plans, things are complex.

Macy plays the part beautifully. So good in fact, the dialogue becomes another character. With the,"Yah's" and the accents. The role landed Macy an Oscar nod for supporting actor.

Frances McDormand. Is there any role this woman can't do? She won an Oscar for her portrayal of small town Officer Marge Gunderson. It's in the simple way she moves from scene to scene and the quiet determination that she solves the crime. Incredibly amazing.

However, there is a scene that stand out which sums up the characters in Fargo. The first scene in which we meet Marge.

Marge and her husband Norm(John Carroll Lynch) rise out of bed to what appears to be just another routine day. He makes her breakfast, they eat and she goes out to warm up the car. A moment later she comes back in the house,

"The cruiser needs a jump"

It's a remarkable scene because there is so much happening and reveals pretty much everything the audience needs to know about Marge.

This is the Coen Brother's forte, creating these touching scenes and foreshadowing the evil lurking around the corner.

So, now that I'm predicting No Country For Old Men will win Best Picture. Go out and rent Fargo.

Here's the trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTkrXNEzPf4&feature=related

movies

KCFF--Reminder

We'll be seeing quite a few films at this year's Kingston Canadian Film Festival. I posted the link to the festival in a previous post, but just a reminder that I'll be reviewing every film we see this year.

Here's the link again: It runs February 27th-March 2nd

http://www.kingcanfilmfest.com/

Juno

The Oscar nominations for 2008 have got a new face, Juno.

She is a spunky kid who, after one night with her on again/ off again boyfriend Bleeker, played by the amazing Michael Cera, becomes pregnant. She's sixteen years old. Juno decides to give the baby up for adoption. What follows next is the most tender and poignant movie of 2008.

Ellen Page has gotten a lot of press this past year for her portrayal of Juno and she deserves it. The 21 year old from Halifax carries the film with authority.

Juno could have easily turned into just another film about the complications of teen pregnancy, however its the supporting cast that make this film a true gem.

JK Simmons plays Juno's father, Mac Mcgruff. A rough-around- the -edges HVAC Technician, but given Simmons genius at comedy, he keeps this role from straying too far into caricture mode, but upon hearing the news that Juno is pregnant, his response is,

"I'm going to punch that Bleeker kid in the weiner next time I see him."

It's this simple dialogue throughout the film that produces the most heartfelt moments.

The adoptive parents, Mark and Vanessa Loring played by Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner are at first, the stereotypical "yuppies" but wait, look underneath and see that there's something more.

That's what makes this film really work. Instead of finger pointing at Juno and her pregnancy, the film focuses on everyone's flaws and mistakes and comes up with something special. The audience can't walk away from the film not liking anyone. The lessons are tough, but love can go a long way in getting through any problem.

My only concern was some of Juno's dialogue was trying to be too "cool" or "hip". Maybe I'm getting old and don't get it, but that was my only fault with the film.

a very beautiful film!

***1/2





http://www.foxsearchlight.com/juno/

juno

In Theatres

Here's what's opening this weekend:

Spiderwick Chronicles

Definitely, Maybe

-----------------------------------

Indy 4-- trailer!

Happy Valentine's Day!

In keeping with the spirit of Valentine's Day, here is my list of cinema's all time greatest love stories. Well, my opinion.

5. Rocky--I know I blasted Sly in a previous post, but go back and look at this film. A tender love story going on. Beautiful.

4. Brokeback Mountain--As odd as it sounds but a movie about two gay cowboys and their forbidden love is one of cinema's finest achievements.

3. Almost Famous-- It's got everything. Romance, passion, oh yeah, Tommy.

2. Casablanca--Just watch it.

1. No Country For Old Men--That was the night I proposed to Mary Beth. I love you!


By The Way, check out the trailer for Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull.




Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull

WGA Strike is Over

The Writer's Guild of America strike is all but over. The vote passed with a 92.5% to end the strike.

Hollywood needs writers. Without them there wouldn't be any films and there wouldn't be any growth in creativity. So, why should the writers fight? One of the reasons was the distributor's gross.

The details are in great length, but I've included the link to the WGA site.

http://www.wga.org/

John August(Big Fish, Go, and The Nines) has an incredible blog for screenwriters:

http://johnaugust.com/

plus he has tons of other information.

Here's another great site:

http://www.wordplayer.com/

it's run by Terry Rossio and Ted Elliot. You know, the guys behind Shrek. Excellent one too.

I believe that writer's are the bottom of the ladder in Hollywood while the Paris Hilton's reign supreme, writers slave in front of the page for months and sometimes years to create great scripts like China Town, Raging Bull and Casablanca.

Plus, in this digital age, its become more important that writers get their fare share.

Way to go WGA! Congratulations!

WGA Strike

Rambo (2008)

It seems that there has been a couple of phrases that have cropped up since DVD's have come into existence.

1. "Take it for what it is"
2. "Check your brain at the door"

That's exactly what Sylvester Stallone has done with this film. I have not seen Rambo, but somewhere down the road I might. With that being said, let me ask a question: Would someone go and buy a vehicle and the salesperson says, "Take it for what it is." Nope. Nobody would buy that vehicle. I know this, I've sold cars for a living.

Would a doctor say when they meet a patient,"I'm going to check my brain at the door while I examine you." I don't think so.

Sylvester Stallone, once upon a time, had potential. He created Rocky. One of my favourites and one of the greatest films ever made. It had characters, it had passion, it had love. It won an Oscar.

All right, I was skeptical when he brought Rocky Balboa to the screen. However, it wasn't bad at all. In fact, I'm going out on a limb to say it was a good way to end the series. Although, the series should have ended after Rocky. Or at the very least, Sylvester should have hired a director and screenwriter to breathe new life into the project. He's a very pedestrian kind of director. No style or substance.

Now, movies are expensive to make and they're expensive to go and see. I'm not about to spend $25 on,"Take it for what it is." It better be a classic.

There is a right way to do things and a wrong way. A Lamborghini is the right way to make a car. A Ford Pinto is the wrong way.

Rocky=the right way

Rambo=the wrong way.

You get my point.

Please Sly, stop making movies. Copland showed you might still have it, but you blew it. Did it not occur to you to do more dramatic roles instead of schlock like Rambo?

If Sylvester Stallone wants to be taken seriously, he should pick serious roles.

So, take this review(cough, cough) for what it is.

http://movies.break.com/rambo/

reviews

Memory of Roy Scheider

Roy Scheider passed away yesterday of cancer. For those of you who don't quite know of him, he played Chief Brody in the classic thriller, Jaws.

He gave us the immortal line, "I think you need a bigger boat."

Jaws is a great example of the way a script should be. It's also a great film. The films of today don't compare to this film with their piles of special effects and gore. Suffice it to say, but Jaws had very little of these. Whether it was due to budget or technology, the film relied on good old fashioned suspence. The audience never knew where the shark was going to be--and the music!!! Probably the most famous film music ever.

Now, Chief Brody is the kind of character a film needs: The reluctant hero(He's afraid of water). Also, amid all the scientists and politicians, Chief Brody is a cop and he has to protect the Island, but the Mayor wants the beach left open because it's the busiest weekend of the summer. It's all in the setup.

Throw in the shark expert(Richard Dreyfuss) and the shark hunter(Robert Shaw), you have a recipe for a great myth(George vs the Dragon)

So, in memory of Roy; go watch Jaws tonight.

Roy Scheider

Away From Her

This is the story of a long married couple and their struggles with Alzheimer's Disease. Gordon Pinsent plays Grant Anderson. A man faced with the reality that his wife Fiona, is sinking into the depths of Alzheimer's Disease. No longer capable of looking after her, he has to put her into a home.

Grant visits her everyday and watches helplessly as Fiona gradually loses contact with him and develops a relationship with another patient. He can't do anything about it and his growing frustration at losing his wife is the true soul of the Away From Her.

It's with this complexity that this film really shines. The years that Fiona and Grant spent together are quickly removed from her. Grant has the memories to hold onto so while he sees Fiona's memories vanish, he's left with the sadness. However, Fiona isn't aware of her husband's pain. She only lives for "Now" while Grant is still in yesterday, today and tomorrow. It's a testament to how deep love grows through time and how a crippling disease can ravage it in an instant.

It's not that I didn't like Away From Her, because Julie Christie was incredible. She really was. Gordon Pinsent was outstanding and powerful, but the direction was meandering. A more powerful film would have been seeing the disintigration of Fiona. More time spent with Fiona and Grant to see where their relationship was before the disease took over would have made a good movie into an incredible film.

*** (out of 5)

http://www.caprifilms.com/awayfromher/

reviews

Kingston Canadian Film Festival

I've posted the link to the Kingston Canadian Film Festival. Mary Beth and I went last year and had a blast! We met Gordon Pinsent and saw Away From Her which I will post a review soon on that one.

We also saw six other films and hung out a bit with Don McKeller, where he was premiering Monkey Warfare. Allan King was there too. He's very cool!

So if anyone's in the Kingston area, check out the Film Festival!



http://www.kingcanfilmfest.com/

The Dark Knight

This is an extrordinary vision of the way The Batman character should be. Now, I'm not taking anything away from Tim Burton's version, but Christian Bale adds another element. In Batman Begins, the training sequences where more believable because of the makeshift costumes and he hasn't mastered his craft yet.

What else can be said about the talents of Heath Ledger? The entertainment industry is shook up by his passing as well as the rest of us. The Joker has never been more psychotic on screen. It should be an incredible performance judging from the trailers.

I remember reading a book of short stories called,"The Further Adventures of the Joker". it was a collection of about 10 stories written by various horror authors and really had nothing to do with the origin of The Joker, but were all-new stories. A very good book if you can find it. What I can remember of it, The Joker played in the NBA in one story, and another story told about how he killed his best friend and hid the crime. Very horrific stuff, but in the context of The Joker; this is where the character's soul lies.

It opens July 18 2008

http://thedarkknight.warnerbros.com/

movie

The Incredible Hulk

There were many reasons why Ang Lee's Hulk movie failed. It wasn't Eric Bana's fault, it wasn't the over-the top performance by Nick Nolte and it wasn't the much maligned CG of the Hulk: It was that age old adage; the story.

Many purists sit on two sides of the fence when it comes to the Hulk. One side sits the comic book telling of the grey Hulk and all the mutations regarding the comic and original story of the Hulk.

The other side of the fence is the television series version.

This version was panned when it first came out in the 1970's. However, due to budget and technology, the producers had to change the origin of the Incredible Hulk. In retrospect, the made it work.

The tragedy of Jekyl & Hyde. The wandering and searching for a cure. The sadness of loss. In the television version, Banner experimented on himself because he couldn't save his wife from a car accident. He couldn't free her from the wreckage. He wanted to,"Tap into the strength that all humans have" Well, he did. In a big way.

So in every episode, Banner wandered from town to town searching for a cure, but really using the Hulk to help victims overcome their own loss, pain, and tragedies and yet he wanted to rid himself of the beast within. A very interesting premise. It worked for the television audience.

Now comes the re-doing of the Hulk. Edward Norton is starring and it borrows heavily from the television series. It was filmed partly in the Belleville, Trenton area and in Hamilton.

I think the problem with Ang Lee's version may have been a case of too many ideas going on and not as much focus.

Then again, it needed a hero.

Stay tuned!


http://incrediblehulk.marvel.com/

film

Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

When the previews are over and the screen goes black and that familiar theme music begins, butterflies will be flapping their wings in every stomach in every man over thirty. Our eyes will twitch from the DTS crack of his whip, women's hearts will melt when he flashes his mischievous grin and we'll shed a tear in nostalgic glory when he mutters the immortal phrase, "I hate snakes."

It's been almost twenty years since Dr. Jones rode off into the sunset but now he's back. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull comes to the screen May 22 2008.

This project has been ongoing for quite a few years however scheduling contracts and "creative differences" have put holds on the film. Last year, they finally began filming.

At first I was skeptical about the project. Frank Darabont(Shawshank Redemption) was attached to write the script, but that fell through for some reason or another. However, David Koepp(Spiderman) has written the final script. I was a little bit worried when I heard the news that George Lucas was going to write the script himself and feared that Jar Jar Binks was going to yell,"Dr. Jones! Dr. Jones!" Phew!!!

The attraction to the Indiana Jones series isn't so much that they're a highbrow film. They're not. What they are is really what a great film should be: Adventure, romance, excitement and for two hours of the day, imagination. Spielberg has compared the series to the serials of the thirties and forties. He's right.

When I was a kid, I collected the Raiders of the Lost Ark trading cards. There was always that last card with the gum stuck on it too. My dad took my brother and I to see Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. We waited for almost an hour in the line up.

So on May 22 2008, my Dad and I will wait in line again. We'll get a large popcorn, sit in the middle row and when the lights dim and the previews are over and we hear the familiar theme song; Butterflies will fly again.

http://www.indianajones.com/site/index.html

film

Venus

Everyone gets older and Peter O' Toole isn't any different. He stars as Maurice, a veteran actor who is content playing roles as dying fathers on Soap Operas and frequenting the local coffee shop with his actor pal, Ian (Leslie Phillips). They talk about the old days and what ails each other.

Ian's niece Jesse, played by Jodie Whittaker, comes to stay with him. A teenager who's "rough around the edges". She drinks, smokes and wants to look for a career in Modelling. Ian is fearful of his age and isn't quite sure that he's healthy enough to look after her. He asks Maurice to watch over her instead.

Maurice is feeling young again being with Jesse. He takes her to the theatre and buys her earrings. Maurice even gets her a job modelling. Maurice is falling in love with her.

It's not until their age gap catches up with them that Maurice realises that just like the bones in his body an old man's heart gets broken easier with age.

I had a hard time liking this film. It wasn't the actors and it wasn't the direction, but Venus was too much too close to another film called,"On Golden Pond" Henry Fonda played the now cliched,"old man" role. He won an Oscar for it. It's a great film, a really great film.

Now, I'm not really comparing the two films because Venus is close to Lolita also, but not exactly. There's a sadness to Maurice.

The real sadness is actors like Peter O'Toole won't be around forever and watching him grace the audience with his skills in Venus was the real gem.

***1/2
http://video.movies.go.com/venus/

reviews

Sweeney Todd-The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

The dynamic duo team up yet again. This is their sixth adventure together and it doesn't get any better than this. Tim Burton and Johnny Depp have been doing movies together for years.

Sweeney Todd is based on the Broadway musical about a barber who exacts revenge on the man who took his daughter away.

The film opens with Sweeney Todd arriving in London and he finds his way to Mrs Lovett's Bakery. Together, they hatch a plan to seek revenge on Judge Turpin, played deliciously by Alan Rickman.

Sweeny Todd is similar to the old monster films like Frankenstein and the Wolfman. The key to the success of Tim Burton is his twisted tales of the macabre that really makes the audience cheer for the "bad guy"

Watch out for an hilarious cameo by Sacha Baron Cohen(Borat).

***1/2


http://www.sweeneytoddmovie.com/

reviews