March 31, 2012

Clip of the Day: "You Transfix Me Quite"

Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender in Jane Eyre (2011)

March 30, 2012

Announcement: Tribeca Spotlight

Sorry for the long delay (midterms all week) however, I am excited to announce that I have a new segment called Tribeca Spotlight. As some of you may or may not know Tribeca is in a few weeks and it will be my first time going (and volunteering). For me it is a huge deal and if I had it my way I would do nothing but see all the wonderful films offered at the festival (seriously it's like a delectable buffet of assortments!) Up till the festival I will be highlighting a number of films that will be making their big debut including exclusive interviews from Once in a Lullaby: The PS22 Chorus Story and Sexy Baby! If you have a film premiering at Tribeca I would love to take time and talk to you. Just email me at Ejm1059@aol.com.

March 22, 2012

Reviews and Reactions to the "Cosmopolis" Trailer

Thanks to Spunk-Ransom.com for creating a huge list of the media's reactions to the recently released Cosmopolis. Here is a small excerpt from the list. You can read the rest HERE

EmpireOnline:
“It’s a very brief little shot of pure Cronenberg weirdness, but from the looks of this, it could be Pattinson’s most interesting work in a while.”

MovieFantic
“As evidenced by the teaser trailer for Cosmopolis that has debuted, their collaboration is just what the actor [Pattinson] needs for people to forget about that Edward guy.”

IFC
“… Robert Pattinson in the lead, lounging around naked, firing guns and doing various other non-Stephanie-Meyer-approved activities…”

TheHollywoodReporter
“Self-interested, acquisitive and nihilistic, Pattinson goes very against type from his Edward Cullen character in the vampire films, leaning more toward the manipulative philanderer…”

Funny Moments With Jennifer Lawrence

Star of The Hunger Games (who by tomorrow will probably be a mega star) Jennifer Lawrence shows how funny she is. I will admit, I'm girl crushing.

By George, I Think He Might Have a Career

Here is a sneak peek of Robert Pattinson's much anticipated post-Twilight film Cosmopolis directed by David Cronenberg. My disdain for the Twilight series has not affected my liking for Pattinson. I want him to stick around and produce more films. Because let's be honest. It's hard to determine acting abilities when you're in a franchise that requires you to deliver the most Kraft cheesiest lines that have ever been uttered by a human being (let alone a glittering metro sexual vampire.) His 2 recent films (Water for Elephants and Remember Me) received luke warm reviews and a very mild reception (fan girling not included.) He's not the most exceptional actor in the world, but I believe he has so much potential. If Pattinson nails this role, I think he will be safe from falling into complete crazy Twi-hard obscurity and have the makings of a legitimate film star.

Will this be his real breakout role after Edward Cullen?

March 13, 2012

Drive By Review: Wanderlust

Saw this on Sunday while waiting to see Godspell on Broadway (Go see it, it's amazing.)

I have to say that I am surprised by how much I enjoyed this film. I have never been big on Aniston and have tried to avoid her films in the past. However, I can easily say that this is one of her better films. She and Paul Rudd have great chemistry and a lot of jokes were really funny while few failed miserably. It's a pity that this film bombed so badly financially, because overall it was pretty decent for a comedy. C+

March 10, 2012

Friends With Kids: Yuppies With Kids And I Don't Care

Must be nice to have a boyfriend who can rope up his high profile friends and get them to do your movie. However, an all-star cast and boyfriend, Jon Hamm's, connections cannot save Jennifer Westfeldt's vanilla bland Friends With Kids. With it's shoddy editing, eye rolling dialogue, and lead characters with the chemistry of two raw cucumbers, rubbing themselves together, in efforts to produce a spark, this film falls short.
Friends With Kids is a story about long time pals Jason (Adam Scott) and Julie (Jennifer Westfeldt) who are experiencing a turning point in their lives when they witness their group of friends ("Team Bridesmaids" Jon Hamm coupled with Kristen Wigg and Maya Rudolph with Chris O'Dowd) change due to their roles as parents. They decide to have a child together without the complication of a relationship and from there feelings and problems arise.
DO NOT BE FOOLED. This is by no means a fun ensemble film. If you're expecting hilarious banter from Wigg and Rudolph and charming zingers from O'Dowd and Hamm then you are best to wait for the confirmed Bridesmaids 2. The Bridesmaids pack are one of the few highlights of the film as they do the best they can with what is given to them. All of their acting is suburb and they nail both comedy and dramatic sides of the film. You become so interested with the 2 couples and their problems that when the story leaves them and goes to the main characters you become sad. You actually care about them and would rather watch their struggles than worry about Julie and Jason. The movie literally gave them nothing to do.

The problem I have with Friends With Kids is Jennifer herself. She is also the director and producer of this film (her first feature film if I'm correct) and I'm wondering if maybe it wasn't the best choice to put herself as the female lead. I know pointing out Westfeld's blatant botox is a cheap shot, but in this case it can't be avoided. Her almost lobotomized appearance delivers a stony performance that makes her almost unbearable to watch. Every reaction seemed forced and almost a struggle. Granted, at the end she managed to crank out a few tears and show some genuine emotions, but if this film is any indication of her acting prowess then she is definitely not lead actress material. The entire cast were acting rings around her (even Megan Fox showed more emotions than she did.) Worst of all her character Julie is such a boring push over. If Westfeldt had decided to stick with her job as a director and had casted a more interesting and capable actress in the lead role then this film, in my opinion, would have been a whole lot different. Jennifer's non-existent chemistry with the adorable Adam Scott makes their relationship even less believable. Scott's character Jason is such a tool at times that you hardly believe that a guy like him would ever tolerate such a spineless woman such as Julie. When they get together, I found myself not caring in the slightest. Their problems--irrelevant. Thank God we had a cute kid to look at.

Despite the cheesy fade outs that one can find in a high school Final Cut project and horrible moments of dialogue that made me look up to the stained theater ceiling and contemplate why I was there in the first place, I can appreciate the story at hand. The plot had potential. With better writing it could've been a contender (very few laughs from the audience I saw this with.) This is not the worst movie I have ever seen, however, I can not forgive the film for wasting such excellent comic talent and throwing away a potentially solid story.

March 4, 2012

5 Broadway Stars That Could Move To Film

These are some of my favorite Broadway actors. I admire all of them and as a film chick, could see them faring well in more films. Get to know these fabulous people:

Rory O'Malley

Patina Miller

Gavin Creel

Audra McDonald

Andrew Rannells

Project X: Sex, Drugs, and the Most Epic Party of All Time

Project X has no plot. None. Project X has no name actors at all. Project X only has one star and that is "The Party." And that's what saves the film.

When I first arrived to the theater I was already about 5 minutes late (not including trailers) and was rushing to get into the screening. The ticket taker asked for my ID and took a ridiculous amount of time analyzing my picture (and probably doing the math on my age.) Now, I can pass as a 21 year old most of the time, but when I got carded a 2nd time outside the theater I became a little disgruntled (only time I had to do that was for Shame and that was NC-17.) They obviously didn't want minors going into this film (and probably with good reason.)

Project X is a found footage (or as I like to call "handy cam") documentary film about 3 high school losers who want to make a name for themselves by throwing the most epic party of all time. The characters are your typical formula high school underdogs. You have the straight man, the wise cracking mastermind, and the dorky weirdo. There is nothing new about the "quest to be cool" storyline except Project X takes it to 11 with a series of montages and crazy situations.

People are going to be divided on this film. Some could pass it off as a high school fantastical wet dream that amounts to nothing at all but 1 hour and 28 minutes of people getting drunk. Others will find pure entertainment in Project X and go in wanting to see people getting fucked up and get into crazy situations. I fall in the latter.

Project X is for us. The Generation Y. The kids of today who have been to that crazy party or did that one thing that one time that you never want to bring up again. I didn't go into Project X as a stickler film critic, but as a 19-year old college student (their target audience) who wanted to watch an epic party unravel. The film does not cater to older audience members. That's plain and simple. The older audience members in my screening went out feeling like it was complete nonsense while the college students and high schoolers were actually leaving in awe and wonder. It's wish fulfillment. A small part of us have always wanted to attend a party like this. And that's where the schism comes in. Not so much the age difference but how much how much you want to let go. Sure, we can't believe that a party like Project X wouldn't get shut down 30 minutes after it started. However, isn't that why we go to the movies? To watch the impossible become possible? This is a classic underdog story mixed with steroid pumped craziness. This isn't a film to watch by yourself. This is a film to watch in a theater full of people or at your house with your closest friends. The movie will grab you and will not let go. It's a party that turns into the end of the world.

I have to applaud the film for using the "found footage" filming technique to good use. Unlike Chronicle, the filming was a tad bit more believable (except when it started catching private moments) and it really helped bring that serial feeling which made you feel like you were invited V.I.P.

One of the things I can say against the film is the storyline between the main character, Thomas, and his hot female best friend. It felt like a forced storyline that the filmmakers felt needed to be put into the film to have some sort of a plot. They were trying to develop the romance between the 2 people and the whole time I was thinking, Why? There's a huge party going on and we have to take 10 minutes to worry about these two irrelevant characters? I can understand what they were trying to do, but for me, it fell flat.

This film is a trip. Not the best film of the year but def. the most entertaining.

This is Corey Delaney. Project X is loosely based on a party he threw in 2008 where he invited 500 people. As you can see he's a dick.

March 3, 2012

Spotlight of the Day: Joel Kinnaman (Meet Your New RoboCop!)

Name: Charles Joel Nordström

Birth Date: November 25, 1979

Birthplace: Stockolm, Sweden

Breakout Role: He's big in Sweden, but made a small blip on the US radar for his work on the AMC mini series The Killing. Now it was just announced that he will make his US debut as the new RoboCop. To fans of fellow Swedish actor Alexander Skarsgard, he is best known as being one of Skarsgard's buddies. However, I predict Alex might have a run for his money for the title of "H-town's Top Swede" as Joel slowly makes his way into American films. You will see Joel in Aurthur & Lancelot along side Kit Harington and rumored Gary Oldman.

Why I Like Him: He is a very good and versatile actor. In Sweden, he is well respected and he definitely showed his acting prowess in The Killing with his American accent. He has done a lot of stage work and with his good looks, he definitely has the makings of a breakout star.

Why I Worry: I'm already leery about the RoboCop remake to begin with so I would be lying if I said that I was thrilled that this would be his first major US film. However, I know what he is capable of acting wise and will be interested to see what he will do with the role. Also, Joel is known in Sweden to be kind of a bad boy so as he slides his way into the American spotlight I hope he keeps his shit tight and doesn't go off the wall crazy.