Contagion

MovieHook Rating.. C+

Contagion is about a group of people who must deal with the spread and containment of a highly contagious disease. Based on that statement you could probably guess what might happen. Sick people, a search for the cure, and widespread panic. Contagion is exactly what you think it is. Not to say that's bad, but I was not surprised by anything I saw.

The disease starts in Hong Kong, from there it is carried by Gwyneth Paltrow back to the states where she and her son die within a day or so. Her husband Matt Damon, immune to the disease, is left to take care of himself and his daughter.

Meanwhile Laurence Fishburne, Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, and a few other major players are notified of numerous deaths happening around the world. The disease is spreading quickly, and the Center for Disease Control must find a vaccination and keep the public calm.

Jude Law a conspiracy blogger/journalist broke the story first. He questions if the CDC is really trying to help. He finds a medicine that he believes cures the disease, and spreads the word. As millions become affected chaos breaks out, road blocks are set up, and the people go nuts.

Soderbergh directed an all star cast. Scott Burns wrote a fairly smart script. The movie was well put together and entertaining enough, but nothing more than you'd expect. I wish Soderbergh would have gotten a little more experimental, maybe tinted the movie red like he did with Traffic. Well obviously not that, but something along those lines. It seems like disease outbreak movies can go in one of two directions. An epidemic occurs and everyone turns into flesh eating zombies Aka 28 days later & I am Legend. Or an epidemic probably stemming from an animal becomes widespread, and the government works to contain the disease and the world seemingly goes ape shit Aka Outbreak.

I honestly felt like Contagion was too predictable and brought in tons of characters the movie couldn't devote enough time to explore. John Hawkes who I loved in Winter's Bone, plays a Janitor who shows up only once in each act of the movie, his character seemed compelling, but was pretty much wasted. The movie somewhat explored the idea that the government and CDC took care of their own before the average person. Hawkes character could have been used to show the struggles and desperation of a lower income individual taking care of his family during this epidemic.

Winslet and Cotillard were intriguing as well, but are never really explored. They came and went without us really knowing anything about them. I completely forgot about Cotillard until they mildly tie up her story near the end. I think this movie could have benefited from chopping off some of the extra meat. There were probably 7 or 8 main characters introduced, and only 2 or 3 were given the proper time to develop. Contagion tried to be this massive story about all these different people, but it just couldn't be done in 100 minutes.

For this movie to work, they were really gonna have to get us involved with these characters. So when they cry, we cry. When they are angry, we get angry, and so on. They basically just crapped on Matt Damon's character the whole movie, and by the end, sure I felt bad for him, but I wasn't really upset. His wife was cheating on him, he couldn't give his family a proper funeral, and he was stuck inside with no food protecting his daughter for months. I was more like, "jesus christ" cut this guy a break. You waited for some kind of reprieve, but what they gave him was pretty unsatisfying.

On the positive side, I always say if I can finish a movie in one sitting it was pretty good. And like I said the cast was impressive. Matt Damon is a great actor and he did what he could with the wiggle room he was given. He really only had two key emotional scenes, hearing his wife has died and dealing with it at the end, both were good.

I really did like contagion, it just didn't add anything to the genre. If you're going to make a movie on a topic that's already been explored, you have to find a unique way to tell the story. This movie just rang repetition in my ears, and it'll quickly be forgotten.

Drive.. My Review

MovieHook Rating A-

First off, I want to say I have never seen a movie like Drive. I heard great things from my friends and the critics before I found an opportunity to see this film. I hyped this movie up almost to an irresponsible level, essentially it was going to have to blow my mind, and that's exactly what it did. Tons of movies fall victim to the curse of the hype. Sometimes not given the amount of credit they deserve because of preconceived notions, but Drive surpassed my expectations.

Starting with Ryan Gosling, I don't really like him. I'm not even sure why. His role choices aren't a problem. I liked Blue Valentine and loved Half Nelson. It may just be that he looks like another stupid hollywood hunk, but looking over his filmography, it's not really the case. He chooses mostly indie roles, and thankfully has never played a superhero.

His character in Drive is a Hollywood stuntman, with some 'for hire' getaway driving on the side. His name is not mentioned, he is only referenced as The Driver or The Kid. His character is similar to the one he plays in Half Nelson. In both roles, he doesn't speak to a large extent. Most of what he portrays comes from his expressions and his body language. In Drive, he meets the girl in the apartment next to him (Carey Mulligan), and begins spending time with her and her son. There exchanges in the movie are brief, mostly just trading smiles back and forth. You get a feel that his character doesn't really have a personality. I spent most of the movie looking for the peephole into his head, but the turning point for his character comes one night sitting alone in a diner. He is approached by a former associate he once drove for a job, the man jokes and harasses him, eventually re-asking for his services as a getaway driver. The Kid is upset, and threatens to kick this man's teeth down his throat. I immediately thought to myself, "Ok, now we're getting somewhere."

It is also important to point out the look and score of the film. The cinematography is grainy which gives the city a rough and gritty feel. It takes place in Hollywood, but you wouldn't know it from what they show us. You don't see any celebrities or tourists shopping around town. The events that take place are secluded and rarely escape the crime polluted side of the city.

The score has everything to do with the pacing of the film. The soundtrack is made up of electro 80's pop songs, but really only a few songs are played. The first act of Drive is mostly silent, sort of letting the characters and the story grow organically. There's a lot of downtime, grocery shopping, car garage, lots of driving. Sitting on shots longer than most people would like, but it gives the film it's art house feel.

The speed of the film jump starts when Mulligan's ex-convict baby daddy comes back into the picture. Without giving a lot away, the next forty five minutes involved me readjusting in my chair and frequently rubbing my face. The build up with the score is intense, I felt very uncomfortable, this is probably the most intense movie I have ever seen. It's also significant to mention by the end of the second act the movie comes to a eery halt, all the tension building up to the climax disappears. I'm sure this was not an accident. The director Nicholas Winding Refn is giving us time to comprehend what's been lost, and time to figure out what the driver must do next. This launches us into The Driver's last stand and the conclusion of the film.

Refn chooses to do the violence in a very B movie way. It reminded me of a Robert Rodriguez/Quentin Tarantino 'esque' over the top formula for killing. The most memorable slaying award has to go to the scene in the elevator. Gosling brings down a man who has come to his apartment to kill him, afterwards, for good measure he repeatedly kicks his face in. After about the 7th or 8th kick, I'm confident I heard this man's skull cracking, it sounded like Gosling was stepping on a plastic container. It actually reminded me of how they mutilated Hitler's face in Inglorious Basterds. Between that murder and a copious amount of other stabs and gunshots. It was apparent to me, Refn was not trying to hide the blood. Some of it even travels on Gosling's jacket from scene to scene.

Drive is easily one of the best movies this year, if not the best. Gosling is not extraordinary, but he does nothing to ruin the film. And if you don't wanna see this movie because Ryan Gosling's in it. Go see it for Bryan Cranston, or Ron Perlman, or Carey Mulligan, or Al Brooks (out of nowhere), or the bodacious Christina Hendricks from Mad Men. If you haven't already seen this movie, go see it. If you don't wanna see it, go see it anyway because you are making a bad decision.

It's Kind of a Funny Story

It's Kind of a Funny Story premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 2010. It's follows a young boy named Craig who hasn't experienced high school in the best way. Craig's best friend is dating the girl he loves. In a high school full of future scholars, Craig can't seem to find his niche. He doesn't seem to know what he's good at, and his rowdy friends aren't helping. Craig's father played by stand up comedian Jim Gaffigan urges his son to prepare for the future, and apply to a summer camp for the brightest students in the city. Now that Craig's problems are piling up, he dreams about killing himself. Craig rides his bike to the hospital seeking help before he does something he may regret. After a plea for help, the doctor checks him into the psych ward. Craig finds comfort in the other patients realizing that someone is always willing to help.

I despise movies that cast extremely good looking kids as high school outcasts because it's not believable. I refuse to accept that Zach Efron wouldn't be popular in any high school. The main character in this movie is not buff or chiseled; he's look perfectly regular, and that's why it's easy to believe his performance. Keir Gilchrist plays the protagonist Craig. Keir's character is just like any number of kids you went to high school with. He's very awkward with a good sense of humor. And even though we learn throughout the movie Craig is a good kid with a kind heart. But given the chance to impress his crush, Craig will stretch the truth and maybe hurt some people along the way. Craig makes the same mistakes we've all made, that's what makes him relatable.

My favorite two stars of this movie were Zach Galifinakis and Emma Roberts. Coming off his success with The Hangover, Galifinakis is in high demand right now. Everybody loves him, and for good reason. The guy is a character, and finally he shows a little range in this one. His character is bi-polar, he doesn't act like he should be in the hospital most of the time, but when he feels angry or rejected he loses his mind. Bob is real easy to love and probably teaches Craig more about life than anyone else in the hospital. Galifinakis reminds me of comedians like Robin Williams or Jim Carrey. He can go from slapstick silly to a serious dramatic actor. I'm currently a big fan.

Emma Roberts is just cute. I'll admit I had a little crush on her in this one. She hasn't done many serious movies so far in her career. But right now it looks like she isn't taking the commercial route and looking for some more challenging roles. Roberts plays another patient in the hospital Noelle, a girl who struggles with her appearance and has a history of cutting. It's no simple task to play a person who is depressed. It's hard to keep on smile on even in the happiest moments. Roberts captures this well, her character is embarrassed about cutting, and trys to keep her secret under raps. She plays a character with a lot of layers, and I wish she would have appeared in the movie a bit more.

It's Kind of a Funny Story is darker comedy. It hard to tell whether the movie actually takes its self seriously throughout. One scene completely jumps from reality. The main characters appear on a stage dressed as punk rockers lip singing David Bowie's, "Under Pressure." The movie goes back and forth between serious and comedic. I liked the cast, and I really enjoyed the story. This film could be seen as predictable by some, but not enough to ruin it for me. I felt great after watching It's Kind of a Funny Story. If you ever felt like an outcast in your life, you can relate to this film too. I loved it and hope to own it when it comes out on Dvd.

Sofia Coppola's Somewhere

I'm going to do informal reviews from now on. Mentioning somethings I liked about the movie and the director/actors etc.

I watched the film New York, I Love You a few months back. This movie includes 7 or 8 random short films that take place and intertwine in New York City. One of the short films shows a father and his son having a conversation about life and love as they walk through central park. After watching this I got the idea in my head to write a screenplay about the relationship between and father and his son/daughter. I was planning to write this script for months, trying to get motivation in anyway I could. Before I could sit down and get started I stumbled upon a trailer for Sofia Coppolas new film Somewhere. After seeing the preview for Somewhere I didn't know if I still wanted to write this script, but now I was obsessed with seeing this movie.

Somewhere is about a well established nearly middle aged actor played by Stephen Dorff. In the beginning, Dorff's character falls asleep as a pair of twins dance on stripper poles in his hotel room. What a way to introduce a character; he pays the girls to come to his room and he falls asleep half way through. Obviously beautiful woman don't excite him much, and money can't be an issue if he spends it this way. What else can we tell, he's probably single and lonely. Not the best role model at this point.

Now we meet Dakota Fanning's little sister Elle, a little girl that I had only seen in one other film (Phoebe in Wonderland). Elle Fanning is a wonderful young actress, and a great casting in this movie. In the film Dorff's ex drops off Fanning at the hotel, and let's him know she is leaving for an unknown period of time. He must take care of her until she leaves for summer camp. Dorff and Fanning have great chemistry. She is not oblivious to her dads rock star lifestyle, but acts like she doesn't notice. Except at breakfast one morning when Cleo is forced to make small talk with a strange woman that stayed overnight. She reacts to this by coldly glaring at her father, and Dorff reacts by not doing it again.

The first thing I really loved about this movie was the relationship between Dorff and Fanning. It was so genuine. He is put into a situation that's not normal for him. Where he has to take care of a girl he knows almost nothing about. It kind of hard to watch, thinking he's going to mess up this little girls life, but he never does. Even though he treats women like shit, and lives a carefree cavalier lifestyle. He is a good dad, maybe even a great one. He treats his daughter like a princess, and it's beautiful to watch. Sofia finds a healthy middle-ground when telling us about these characters. She gives every scene a lifelike awkwardness, along with a blissful feeling I can't really describe. I couldn't help but grin in the hotel lobby when she fell asleep on her father's shoulder, and I bet nobody else could either.

Marco's character is fascinating by his dullness. He has no personality and few words to say. He's not an opinionated or an angry person. Look at any scene in the movie where somebody is interviewing him or asking him questions. Every answer is simple and uninspired. Even when his former flame tells him off during a photo shoot, Marco stands there and takes the shots. My theory is that after living that lifestyle for so long, Marco has become what he calls 'nothing'. He is told where to go everyday by his assistants. He is told what to say by his publicist. If he needs food the hotel will bring it up. He has no shortage of women. He doesn't even have to think, he thoughts might as well be given to him. He has lost his personality. And it could have stayed that way forever, that is until his daughter shows up at his doorstep and gives him a jolt to the heart.

The other thing I loved about Somewhere was a new technique (as far as I know) the director uses in the film. She does it maybe 3 times. Coppola introduces a scene and leaves the camera on one the characters for maybe a minute. They don't talk or move much. She sets up the shot and leaves you sitting there waiting for the transition to the next scene. If you are paying attention to the movie when she does this. You sit there and think about what is going on. Think about the characters, how we got there. You begin to get stressed out, wondering why are we still watching this. It kind of pissed me off at first, but the more I thought about it, the more I loved it. When you watch movies you see all the important stuff, only the scenes with relevance to the story. All they do is sit there motionless, and we wonder what they are thinking. I felt like I was at the pool looking over at this father and daughter, it made me feel like I was there.

I've now seen Lost in Translation and Somewhere. Coppola's work isn't normally appreciated by the blue collar movie goer, and even I thought Lost in Translation was a bit boring, but this movie was fantastic. It's exactly what I wanted. I haven't met anybody else who's watched it yet, but I'm interested to see what other people think.