Les Miserables (2013)

I saw Les Miserables with my parents and watching my dad's reaction was almost as entertaining.  The entire movie was sung, I was not expecting that, but being the musical/Broadway geek I am rather enjoyed it, finding it very opreaesque.  My father on the other hand... after the introduction of Jean Valjean and Javert leaned over to my mom and asked if the entire film would be sung, responding with a shoulder shrug.  After a respectful mourning period for Fantine began singing what he'd like for dinner to the tune of "I Dreamed A Dream" (it was eggplant Parmesan in case you were wondering).  Twenty minutes later he was checking his email, and then began comparing Hugh Jackman's hair-do to that of Michael Landon's in Little House on the Prairie. (although what would you expect from someone who pronounced it Less Miz?)

But what did I think of the movie?  I really enjoyed it.  I thought the costumes and setting were phenomenal with Anne Hathaway's rendition of I Dreamed A Dream being a showstopper and one of the highlights of the film for me.  That having been said, (and I had a premonition of this before entering the theater)  the second half felt rushed; it would seem almost impossible to squeeze a 1,000+ page novel into 2 hours and 45 minute movie.  Upon leaving the film both my mom and I (my dad made his feels pretty clear) decided that it was a good movie, but didn't think it would transfer well on the small screen as the production was so massive.

The Mystery of Edwin Drood (2012)

The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Charles Dickens last (incomplete) novel.  A novel of love and murder.  a love triangle between Edwin, Rosa and his Uncle John Jasper.  It reminded me of Wuthering Heights as I felt Rosa loved Edwin and was the safe reasonable choice but she was in love with Jasper, the bad boy.  After much fluctuation of the triangle Edwin ends up dead, but Dickens died before revealing the killer.  

Laura Linney, the host of Masterpiece theater introduced The Mystery of Edwin Drood had been completed in the way they thought Dickens would have wanted.  Well sure, he's dead, you can say whatever you want without being contradicted.  I went in with a bad taste in my mouth.  I later ate my words, I hope this is the way Dickens would have wanted it because I could not turn my eyes away.  Every character good or evil were creepy and all could have had motives for offing Edwin.  This film was terrifying, in the sense that all the character were mental.  Jasper was just insane and had hallucinations throughout, Edwin and Ceylonese Neville undergo a fight on race.  Meanwhile, Rosa is confused on what she wants with Neville's sister Helena only trying to help.  

I have not read the book so have nothing to compare it to, but I thought it was fabulous with a mega twist, to Edwin's murder.  The lightening was dark  adding to its eeriness and I felt such a liking towards the good natured Mr. Drood that I was chomping at the bit for there to be justice.  And with that in mind this adaptation was very fulfilling.

Oz: the not so great and powerful (2013)

I saw Oz on Thursday, despite horrid reviews and this article in The Atlantic stating that a good adaptation of The Wizard of Oz has not been made since 1939.  The stars were aligned in the Golden Age of Hollywood and have yet to meet again.

The beginning showed so much promise, Kansas was in sepia tone and there was a nod to MGM's film during Oscar's decent in the twister; things flying through the air and his balloon basket landing like Dorthy's house; I also enjoyed the transition for black and white turned color.  But once the Witch turned green it was all down hill.

The acting was actually pretty good and was impressed by James Franco's portrayal of Oscar "Oz" Diggs; although, I think the movie dwelled too much on the three witches (South, East and West) and would have preferred a bigger focus on the Wizard.  It did explain the animosity between the three witches, east and west being scorned by Wizard for south.  All three were aware that the Wizard was a fraud and because of which formed alliances. 

The ending had a battle scene that went on way to long, something that could of been condensed into 5 minutes was spread out into 20.  It felt like they just wanted to show off all the special effects they could do.  I debated walking out but by that point I had invested so much time into it that I had to see it out.

When Oz first came out I saw an interview with the cast and director, all were very subdued and noncommittal.  Now I know why, this movie was an embarrassment akin to the Wizard's lack of magic.

Life of Pi (2012)

The premise of Life of Pi is of a boy named Pi who becomes stranded on a boat with a menagerie of Zoo Animals, mainly a Bengal Tiger named Richard Parker.

The plot sounded strange and I dislike animal and animated movies, so having animated animals in a film felt like a double whammy to me.  I took a pass.  But then Ang Lee won Best Director and I began to question my prejudices.

We begin with Pi as an adult meeting with a novelist to whom he tells his story.  He begins with his life story at the age of 12.  He grows up with his father the owner of a zoo where Pi learns that not everyone (be it person or animal) is not always as cuddly as them seem.  the Patel family are Hindu, but Pi, going through a discovery phase also practices Christianity and Islam.  Watching Pi incorporate all three religions into his life was very clever and amusing.  In short, he had a full life.

That is until his father decides to sell the zoo, the animals going to various zoos around the country and the Patel family packing up for Canada.  Along with the animals, they choose transportation of boat.  A storm brews, sinking the ship with the sole survivor being Pi, along with a zebra, hyena, orangutan and Richard Parker, the Bengal Tiger.  All in one small lifeboat, until primal instincts kick in.  I will cut out the gory details of the animal food chain and simply say that Pi and Richard Parker are the only two left.  As Pi looks like a tasty treat to the tiger, he must use survival skills not just to get through this ordeal but also out of reach of his furry friend.

Even though Pi and Richard Parker will never be BFFs I was reminded of Wilson and Tom Hanks in Castaway.  being all they have they form a bond that is almost heartbreaking and when the tiger eventually departs the cut was as deep as Wilson floating out to sea.

One of the reasons I dislike animal movies, is because they are so sappy, heartfelt and so cutesy that I want to vomit.  Yes, I felt for the tiger/human camaraderie and was sorry to see him go, but I wasn't crying Old Yeller, it was a good balance.

The animation was great and blended nicely in with the live action.  It was not over-done screaming "look what we can do!"  but rather subtle and looked seamless.

The conclusion of this tale, just when you think it can't become anymore unbelievable, Pi makes you question everything he just divulged into what if?

Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

As I have stated before, I'm a huge fan of the Oscars and watch every single movie.  The Silver Lining's Playbook was up for all four acting categories (Jennifer Laurence winning best actress) and best picture.  Thus my mom and I saw it in the theater in preparation.  I thought it was good, it would have been a great summer movie as all the elements were there, romance-to-be filled with obstacles conquering all with a happy all is right in the world ending.  Although, I wasn't sure if I would consider it Oscar worthy.

A co-worker of my dad's recommended it, and asked me to add it to our Netflix queue.  So I did.  I liked it better than I did the first time, recognizing its dry humor and caught my attention a bit more.  Speaking of humor, Pat has promised his new friend Tiffany that he will partner with her a dance compition if she helps him reconcile with his wife.  She agrees.  They show several practice scenes and I kept waiting for them to do the Patrick Swayze/Jennifer Grey Dirty Dancing lift.  Sadly, I was disappointed.

The negative, I had a problem with the bi-polar thing.  I will probably come off sounding like bitch, and that persons with the disorder have their ups and downs, but by the dance competition he was too up.  Too normal.  Too Hollywood.  I guess I enjoyed it more than the first time, but I still think it would have made a better summer flick.

Capote (2005)

One of my favorite books is Truman Capote's In Cold Blood, so when a movie was made on Truman Capote's reporting of the Clutter murders, it was only natural that I would be looking forward to it.

Hollywood has been known to blow nudity and violence out of proportion in movies so I was nervous that they would make the murder scenes too graphic.  Despite the brutality of the murders the sights where very minimal, a staging of Nancy was shown and a brief look during the confession.  I also like that actual photos of the Clutters where Incorporated (alive and crime scene) Alvin Dewey the lead KBI agent and even Truman Capote.  Anyway, I appreciated these small touches.

Away from the true crime factor I thought the muted colors of cinematography and costumes was appropriate and set the tone for the film, serious colors for a serious theme.  Even though Truman Capote was flamboyant, I think adding bright colors to his wardrobe would have ruined the design of the film, with outlandish clothing drawing attention away from the subject matter.

Phillip Seymour Hoffman was dead on with his portrayal of Truman Capote and if he had been a few inches shorter would have been a dead ringer. His hand gestures, mannerisms and dress set him apart from the crowd.  There is a scene in which he turns around to show off a new coat and another proclaiming his scarf was "Bergdof" truly setting off his character, but this also made him oblivious to other's reception of him or a consideration to others.

This is where Nelle Harper Lee steps in (played by Catherine Keener) she has the soft touch and by relating to the town members is able to get Truman Capote "in" (although it also helps that Mrs. Dewey has read fiction)  Anyway, I felt Keener did a wonderful job of keeping Truman in line and being light-hearted at the same time.

On a side note, I liked that they Incorporated the publishing of "To Kill A Mockingbird" in the film.

I think Capote hit the mark and deserved it's Oscar nominations and Philip Seymour Hoffman's win.

Persuasion (1995)

Anne Elliot is persuaded to break off her engagement to Fredrick Wentworth because it is felt that it was not a suitable match and far beneath her.  Several years have past and the Elliot's financial situation leaves them with the decision to rent out their estate to Admiral Croft who is also acquainted with Captain Wentworth who has since become a wealthy man and suitable bachelor.  With a chance that he has not been persuaded to relieve himself of his affections towards Anne. 

I have mixed feelings about this film. Of course I enjoyed the story but found the acting to be lackluster.  Anne Elliot is a huge push over thinking little about herself.  Amanda Root who plays Miss Elliot has the wide-eyed puppy dog face down pat and wanted to slap her every time it was made because it was so completely pathetic.  Because of this I had a hard time feeling for the character, although in the novel I don't feel this way at all, so I will point the finger at the acting.  Unlike other Austen heroines I had a hard time liking this Anne disconnecting me from the movie.  These said characters can really make or break it and this adaptation just didn't cut it for me.

Great Expectations (2012)

Gillian Anderson, Agent Scully from the X-Files, impregnated by aliens is Miss Havisham.  An ex-x-file agent (see what I did there?) playing haunting Miss Havisham, already this mini-series is awesome!

Okay, I got my X-Files geekyness out of me so on word.  I was (and still am)  halfway through the book when I watched this adaptation of Great Expectations.  Despite the fact that I shamefully watched the movie before finishing the book I really enjoyed it.  Pip was so cute and whatever when he was young but once he got that inheritance and moved to London, I started to get annoyed with him.  I think he got to big for his britches, buying furniture beyond his means, although he did help a friend out so he could marry, I still think his head ballooned.

Pip becomes infatuated with Estella, Miss Havisham's adopted daughter who was born under mysterious circumstances.  He has put himself under the delusion that there is an understanding between the two; but is sadly brought down to Earth after losing to a rival classmate.

The film ends happily with Estella and Pip hooking up, but as the movie concluding my mom went on the oh so dangerous Wikipedia and looked up the book's plot in which a different ending was revealed.  My mom, faining deaf to my protests of not knowing the book's differences told me of the different ending of the book.  Although there was such an outcry at its unfortunate ending that the writers/directors changed it to appease audiences.  Knowing what I know now I can only imagine my own outcry when finishing Great Expectations as to whether I finding as appeasing as I did the mini-series.

The Hunger Games (2012)

I saw The Hunger Games this afternoon and let me tell you, it was awesomeness!  After having finished and loved the novel, I was excitedly anticipating seeing the film.  I patiently waited for the hub to die down (I didn't want to be stuck in a theater full of middle schoolers).  So I waited, and came to the conclusion that it was worth it!

After valiantly volunteering to take her younger sister's place as District 12 Tribute is wished away to the Capital with her male competitor Petta.  While watching this sacrifice I question, would I do that for my brother?  I can only hope that if such a dreadful predicament presented itself I would do the same.  Jennifer Lawrence, does a superb job of bringing these emotions across.  I first saw her in Winter's Bone, so when my mom mentioned that she was the actress who played Katniss I was like, oh yeah, I remember her, she was good.  She ended up blowing me away.  It is hard for me to put into words, but she played our victor just as I pictured her; playing a ass-kicking girl to the t.

Gale and Peeta were slightly different that I pictured them.  Gale, (Liam Humsworth) I expected to be more rugged and wild.  I thought of Gale like an attractive mountain man.  Due to the "bread incident" I imagined Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) to be more um, well round like the cupcakes he decorates; but I wasn't complaining very much either. 

I would like to address Stanley Tucci, I think he is a phenomenal actor and have loved everything he has been in, but he wasn't in my head while reading The Hunger Games, instead it was along the lines of Andy Serkis who I find more eccentric.  That having been said, I still thought he was great and his make-up made him unrecognizable. 


I will also briefly bring up The Capital Solely due to the costumes, which my mom compared to the Munchkins of Munchkin Land in which I highly agree; the residence of the city were like puffs of Cotton candy and the impressions the  Tributes were trying to express won over this moviegoer. 

When the movie was finished and I went to turn my cell phone back on I realized the 2 1/2 hours had past.  No way, the movie went by way too fast and is one of the few films that actually lives up to the book.

Libeled Lady (1936)

Spencer Tracy plays Warren Haggerty, a newspaperman known for postponing his Maridel nuptials, this time due to a young woman (Myrna Loy) threatening to sue the paper for slander.  Haggerty quickly hatches a plan to persuade her to change her mind, in comes lady's man Bill Chandler (played by William Powell), who slowly woes himself into the hearts of Connie and J.B. Allenbury via J.B.'s affinity to trout fishing.  By the description on the DVD slip I expected to watch a drama, but instead I found a great comedy. Should I have expected anything less from Nick and Nora Charles?

 Anyway, Chandler checks-out every book on trout fishing know to man and the result is tall tales of fishing glory and a trout fishing trip with J.B. to prove his skill.  Needless to say,  craziness and sheer luck ensue.

Bill Chandler's fishing tactics

Haggerty's fiance, Gladys Benton (Jean Harlow) is also in on the act, marrying Chandler in order to play the scorned wife later on with the master plot of seduction. The problem?  Both girls have fallen in love with him.

This movie had me avidly watching and cursing out Bill Chandler (sorry William Powell) but at the same time he had me laughing, especially his fishing efforts.    The acting was acceptable and perfect for a slapstick comedy which was the feel that I got.  While I have not seen any other "Best Production" nominees for the 9th Academy Awards I was a little surprised that it was in that category; particularly because comedies are not typically chosen for said category.  Overall, it was a fun movie and I am happy to have seen it.

Dark Victory (1939)

Bette Davis is my favorite actress and Dark Victory is one of my favorite movies.  Although I might not have made this statement if Bette hadn't pestered Warner Bros to buy the rights to Dark Victory; Jack Warner skeptically broke down, commenting "Who wants to see a dame go blind?"  When Dark Victory became a box office success, he ate his words.


In Dark Victory, Bette Davis plays Judith Traherne who begins having frequent "hang-overs" eventually leading her to brain surgeon Fredrick Steele (George Brent) who operates at alarming speed removing a tumor; although she is still going to die.  Doctor Steele makes the excutive decision not to disclose this and lets Judith go on her merry way.

I myself had brain surgery and even though this is one of my favorite movies I usually end up yelling at the screen because of its inaccuracies.  Besides Bette Davis having a cigarette moments before surgery (oh the good old days) my biggest problem was her hair growth.

She went from this...

cap is covering supposed "bald spot"

To This...

In six months I had a buzz cut.  What is her secret?

On this watch I realized what an annoying spoiled brat Judith was and didn't understand how she had so many potential suitors i.e. Ronald Reagan, Humphrey Bogart and George Brent so really didn't care if she lived or died; but yet somehow Bette Davis had me moved to tears by the end.  She is just that good.  The storyline, while maybe a little melodramatic (being the trend in 1939) I still think it is brilliant and like Jack Warner, on first viewing believed it was a subject that is not to be touched upon.  Although now we have so many fatal illnesses movies from Stepmom to Wit that it seems the norm.

I have touched on Dark Victory's Best Picture and Bette Davis' Best Actress nomination and as to the last, Best Score I didn't pay much attention to it as I was so enrapt in Judith's journey (despite my newly found dislike of her)  so cannot judge on that award.  Have I mentioned I love this movie?  with a fantastic cast and plot Dark Victory deserves nothing less that prognosis positive.

Early Hitchcock Films Suck

My dad recently decided that he wanted to watch more Hitchcock films, as he remembered loving them as a kid.  While we were waiting for our selected movies through Netflix I went down to the library and checked out some of his earlier work, such as Murder! and  Lifeboat.  

Afterword, we both looked at each other and said "what the fuck?!" how did Hitchcock become so big?  The story lines were so confusing that I couldn't even give an adequate description, Murder! is about a jury voting to convict a murderer and has second thoughts.  Lifeboat, is of several survivors of a torpedoed ship. (and these I got from IMDB)  Granted, these are very early films but the dark footage made it hard to concentrate and the vocals were very muffled.  

We then decided to watch some of his more popular films such as Rear Window, Dial M for Murder and The Birds;  Rear Window did not transfer at all, all four members of my family fell asleep at different points, thinking it was boring and Jimmy Stewart came off as a perv.  The Birds was laughable, my mom warned my brother and I that it was going to scare the shit out of us and instead, didn't see the horror in it (you can see the strings on the birds for crying out loud!)  Dial M for Murder was still a stand-up movie although not  suspenseful as I remember it being, and therefore a bit underwhelming.  Overall, it was very disappointing and expected Hitchcock films to stand out a little more.

Gentleman's Agreement (1947)

Gentleman's Agreement centers around Phillip Schuyler Green (played by Gregory Peck) who goes undercover as a Jew to report on antisemitism.

This film came out shortly after the end of WWII and was obvious propaganda.  The filming was dark, and while it was a dark subject itself it was so dark that sometimes I had difficult disguising what was going on.  I have always had an interest in WWII so was looking forward to seeing this, unfortunately, the story telling was so dull that I don't think I could have held my eyes up with toothpicks.  In fact I am having a hard time reviewing this as my eyes were so glazed over that I couldn't even give a fair judgement on whether Gentleman's Agreement even deserved an Oscar for Best Picture.  To conclude, this is a lackluster review for a lackluster film.

Ben Hur (1959)

I recently went to see Ben Hur on the big screen with a friend, neither of us having seen the film before.  I was disappointed by two things.  First, they didn't play "modern previews" as I would have found that hilarious and second we were not the only ones in the theater, and were joined by two other couples (six of us in all) and were several decades older than us.

The first half was interesting and built a good plot with lots of dialogue holding attention.  It was also nice to see Charlton Heston without a gun in hand or yell "damn dirty apes" and discovered he really can act.  Second was recognizing what a production Ben Hur was, like Cleopatra, but unlike the Queen of the Nile Ben Hur succeed by leaps and bounds, with its costumes and scenery and had a story to back it all up.  The film got a bit melodramatic at the end of part one but having learned of your sibling's and mother's death is understandable, although the reaction still made me giggle.

One thing I noticed was how blue Charlton Heston's eyes were and that the camera continually focused on them.

and reminded me of this

Then we had an intermission, we were impressed they kept the intermission in there as did our behinds.  When we were once again seated, one of the moviegoers asked why we were seeing Ben Hur my friend and I replied that we had never seen it before and there wasn't anything else out that looked good.  That got the small crowd into an uproar that we had never seen Ben Hur before as it was all their favorite movie.

The ending mainly focused on the teachings of Jesus (as did a portion of the first part) and Ben Hur's mother and Sister being Lepers.  The ending was pretty predictable and I don't just mean the thing about Jesus.  Even so it held the same calibre as the beginning.

When the lights came up we were ask if we liked it and replied we did, although I would have been a little weary to reply otherwise in that crowd.  I actually did enjoy it and was glad to have finally seen a film I kept passing over on TCM. 

Claiming My Blog

It is offical, I've claimed We Have the Stars on Bloglovin, and would love it if you checked my page out.

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On the Queue #1

On the Queue is a weekly post in which I highlight the movies I watched from my Netflix queue the past week, to keep these posts short and sweet I am going to sum up my thoughts in one or two sentences.

Philomena
Philomena was heartbreaking and quite frankly, made me angry and is an amazing story of one woman's journey to find her son.

Labor Day
Implausible, and more  Lifetime Movie material and considering the actors was a complete disappointment.  It did have a "Ghost" moment, you know the one.

Possessed
I didn't feel like Possessed had a beginning, middle or an end, it just plugged along.  Strange.

Intermezzo
Intermezzo pissed me off.  Leslie Howard's character was a douche, and I do not like to think of Leslie Howard as a douche so therefore frustrated me.  I will say the ending had an "OH MY GOD!" moment but not enough to save this film.

The Blue Gardenia
Interesting, held my attention but at the same time nondescript.

I'm Baaack!

After a two year hiatus I've returned to my classic movie blog.  I stopped blogging because writing soly about classic films had begun to feel constricting as I watch such a variety of genres and the stress of making sure I had a ready rotation of classic films to review was starting to wear.  I've recently starting watch a myriad of movies but when talking about them to friends my thoughts turned into "I liked it" and if I was lucky had one or two sentences to add.  Thus I have come back to We Have the Stars but am going to expand it to all genres, and as the title of this post proclaims, I'm baaack!