Movie Schizo

random movie musings

Archive for category Drama

At ease, dear John.

Mar 9

Posted by Helmut in Drama, Romantic | No Comments

Dear John PosterWell, it’s been a while since the last tear-jerker, so today we’ll take a look at Dear John. Dear reader, do you like romtantic dramas? If you do, please read on. Special Forces Army Sergeant John Tyree (Channing Tatum) is on leave when he meets Savannah (Amanda Seyfried). Immediately he falls head over heels in love with her. During his two-week break he gets to know Savannah much better and when he has to leave for his next tour, they promise each other to write until John gets back one year later. But when he re-enlists after the 9/11 attacks, their love for each other is put to the test.

This is a very emotional movie. It asks the question of whether long-distance relationships can be made to work. It explores the ups and downs and how distance can affect how people feel about each other. Tatum and Seyfried both performed well. I identified most with Tatum’s character, though. John Tyree is not the usual type of character Tatum has been known for lately. And I liked this break from the mould. John Tyree is initially a bit of a question mark, but throughout the movie you learn more and more about him. The conclusion was slightly different than I expected, but it forced me to look at the situation in another light.

And I guess that’s all I ask of a movie – to make me think about something differently.

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Up in the Air: Clooney delivers again

Feb 13

Posted by Helmut in Art, Comedy, Drama | 1 Comment

Up In The Air PosterI heard about Up in the Air (directed by Jason Reitman) about 6 months ago, in the UK. Of course it was released there shortly after I was back in SA, so I had to wait a while longer for it to be released here. But it was worth the wait.

Ryan Bingham (Played by George Clooney) works for a company that helps other companies fire their employees. Ryan is this company’s top “consultant”, and travels across the country most of the year, telling dozens of people every day that they’re being “let go”. Over the time he’s grown to love the travelling, and it has become his life. When his company employs Natalie (played by Anna Kendrick), who plans to make his travelling obsolete by introducing new technology, Ryan is not impressed. He is then instructed to take Natalie along with him for a few weeks, to show her the ropes. The struggle to deal with all the changes that threaten the life he’s learned to love brings many new experiences and Ryan learns much about what is missing in his life.

I really enjoyed watching this movie, because it dared to delve beyond the superficial. Ryan’s difficulty in dealing with change speaks about a lot of things we face nowadays. Ryan is used to being alone most of the time, and is only focused on his own goals, but starts to wonder whether a complete lack of any meaningful relationship might be a concern. Is it really worth it, living so isolated and separated from anything deeper than a mere acquaintance? I won’t tell you what his conclusion is – you’ll have to go watch Up in the Air yourself. It’s a great movie.

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Consuming Dreams: Julie & Julia (2009)

Sep 21

Posted by Helmut in Drama | 1 Comment

Julie and JuliaWhat is your dream? Do you even have a dream? As I went in to see this movie, I was not sure what to expect. And when I walked out, I asked myself what my dreams are, and what I’m doing to achieve them.

Julie & Julia, starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams, tells the story of two women who embark on long and difficult journeys to achieve something. Julia decides she wants to become one of the best cooks in town (so that she can write a cookbook about french recipes in English), and sets off to learn everything she needs to accomplish this. Julie, years later, decides to cook her way through Julia’s (by then) legendary cookbook in a year, and publish her thoughts on a blog every day. The two contrasting experiences thus make for a very insightful viewing.

Both stories made me think. In Julia’s story it was inspiring to see how she attacked every obstacle without fail, often not even breaking a sweat. Some of that is down to personality, but the rest is choice, I believe. Julie, on the other hand, struggled to overcome her problems. At numerous points she wanted to give up. But for a whole year she persevered to finish what she had started. The important thing was what Julie learned about looking up to someone. Well, I won’t reveal what she learned exactly, since that would spoil the ending. But if you enjoy a good drama, this one won’t disappoint. I strongly recommend it.

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Starting autumn with (500) Days of Summer

Sep 19

Posted by Helmut in Comedy, Drama, Romantic | No Comments

500 Days of SummerEverybody loves Summer. And it’s no different for Tom Hansen. When Summer is employed in the office where Tom works, he finds love at first sight. But Summer is no ordinary girl. There’s something about her, and Tom can’t put his finger on it. It’s no surprise, then, that she’s all he can think about. I should state, though, that this is not a love story. This is made clear right at the beginning of the movie.

500 Days of Summer, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel, takes a very fresh approach to romantic comedy. In a way it’s not really a romantic comedy, though. The movie takes us on a journey through Tom’s experiences that involve Summer in one way or another. Over the 500 days that he’s known her, we see some of the highs and lows Tom goes through. Summer seems to be very unsure about what she wants, and subsequently puts Tom through some tough times. But will they end up together? You’ll have to watch the movie yourself. It’s well worth it!

On a deeper note, the movie has something to say about following your dreams. Tom designs cards for a greeting card company, but is really an architect at heart. He’s not doing much to follow that dream, though. And so the  500 day journey of joy, sadness, and depression, teaches Tom something new about reaching for a star. It’s quite inspiring.

I thoroughly enjoyed 500 Days of Summer and would recommend that you watch it when you get a chance.

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Signs (2002)

Sep 12

Posted by Helmut in Drama, Paranormal, Science Fiction | No Comments

SignsAfter The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable, M. Night Shyamalan brought us Signs, starring Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix. Finally diving into the extra-terrestrial, Shyamalan’s technique of story telling has once again delivered the goods with a suspenseful plot. In a world where movies tend to show everything graphically it’s refreshing to see something not being shown – building the tension until the climax arrives. And apart from that Shyamalan tells an intriguing story of lost and found faith, coupled with a sense of purpose in the grander scheme of things.

I’ve heard some people complain about the fact that the aliens were eventually shown in the movie, and that this ruined it. To me this wasn’t so much of a problem. While most of the movie gained in tension by not showing them, the final parts served to portray the shock that people experience when faced with something never seen before. This gives it a purpose. Some people may still not like it, but that’s their right.

In my opinion Shyamalan hasn’t topped The Sixth Sense with any of his subsequent movies, although they were each quite intriguing in their own way – with the exception of one: The Happening. The movie had good tension initially, but it just didn’t go anywhere. Additionally, I was expecting one of his trademark twists at the end, but it turned out quite ordinary. Maybe Shyamalan was trying to bring across a different message with this film, but for me it didn’t fit into his style.

Anyway, if you are interested in the paranormal and a good suspense drama, give Signs (buy at Amazon) a try.

More M. Night Shyamalan movies:

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The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009)

Sep 1

Posted by Helmut in Drama, Romantic | No Comments

The Time Travelers WifeTime travel features in yet another movie, The Time Traveler’s Wife, starring Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams. It’s the first time, though, that I’ve seen it being used at the center of a romance (or as far as I can remember at the moment). This certainly makes for an interesting perspective into how time travel might affect a romantic relationship.

Henry is a time traveler who can’t control his gift. He’s whisked away to another time at a moment’s notice by an unknown force, leaving only his clothes behind. Having arrived at his destination he needs to find some new clothes before exploring where and when he is. In most cases he doesn’t seem to stay for long, but one thing becomes clear – time travel always draws him to specific times and places. In particular, times and places where Clare is present. Henry experiences many times in her life, from when she is six to when she lives life as an adult. And on her part a fascination builds for this mysterious man who appears and disappears after a brief stay, leaving her wanting more. When this strange relationship finally develops into a romance, Clare falls head over heels in love (not that she wasn’t in love before). It’s at this point that the problems associated with “involuntary” time travel start becoming apparent.

What I found interesting was the idea of time travel just happening to someone. All elements of control are removed, and instead it’s a mysterious event that cannot be explained, but which happens nonetheless and is accepted as such. This also helps to explain many contradictions that might have otherwise been problematic. If you find out that you will travel through time later in your life, the fact that you know this will most definitely affect your future and that particular future event. Unless you have no control over your time travel, as it is in this case. I had to constantly remind myself of this throughout the movie, but that didn’t detract from the impact it made. One thing was made very clear, though. Time travel would probably not be nearly as fun and glamorous as it’s made out to be in most other movies.

If you don’t object to romantic dramas with some humour, watch this one. It’s well made and will get you thinking about something real. In a way. ;)

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Review: Hollywoodland (2006)

Jul 29

Posted by Helmut in Art, Drama | No Comments

Hollywoodland

Hollywoodland

The movie Hollywoodland is based on a true story. While it wasn’t thrilling or action-filled, it had very interesting qualities, including some excellent acting by Adrian Brody and Ben Affleck.

After an actor, George Reeves (played by Ben Affleck), the first actor to appear as Superman, apparently commits suicide, his mother hires a private investigator (played by Adrian Brody). She thinks her son was murdered. The investigation turns up several leads, with significant resistance coming from “higher” people/places. But the conclusion turns out to be different than one would expect. The investigator has an interesting “light-bulb” moment, about what it all means for his own life.

I would recommend this one only to people who like watching an arty movie occasionally. It’s a real treat for someone who appreciates a thought-provoking story.

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A Goodie/Woman

Jul 21

Posted by Helmut in Art, Drama | No Comments

A Good Woman

A Good Woman

I’ve seen A Good Woman (starring Scarlet Johansson and Helen Hunt) twice, and it is good. If you’re interested in what it’s about, here’s a short summary (don’t worry, it won’t spoil too many details):

  1. Goodie A & B are newly-weds.
  2. Baddie A comes to town and seduces Goodie B.
  3. Goodie A finds out about this.
  4. It turns out Goodie B really didn’t have an affair with Baddie A.
  5. Everything is restored, but only Baddie A (who has become Goodie C by now) knows the whole truth about the misunderstanding.

There’s much more to it than that, obviously, but I don’t want to spoil it for you. The movie is light-hearted, witty, and the story has much more depth than in most other movies. I recommend it to those who want something that’s a bit more intellectually challenging than watching stuff explode. If you only want explosions, rather watch Transformers 2. ;)

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