Director: Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me, Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?)
Documentary
On Bluray + DVD: August 23, 2011
Synopsis: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold follows Morgan Spurlock as he tries to get advertisement funding for his movie The Greatest Movie Ever Sold. The film records the different hoops Spurlock has to go through to appease his partners and questions the line between legitimate funding and selling out.
Comments: This is like the Inception of documentaries. Spurlock meets with businesses asking for money for a film he wants to make... while filming the actual movie. I'm a sucker for meta-film stuff like this, and Sold is a great example of how that concept can work perfectly. It also forces you to keep that meta-film aspect in mind when thinking about how these people conduct their advertising business. Would they really work like this off-screen, or are they playing it up for the camera? The commercials Spurlock intersperses throughout the film are also ingeniously integrated. My only criticism of the film is that it really doesn't open your eyes about the inner workings of the advertising-film industry much if you have a good idea to begin with. But when a documentary is this hilarious and entertaining, who cares?
Comments: This is like the Inception of documentaries. Spurlock meets with businesses asking for money for a film he wants to make... while filming the actual movie. I'm a sucker for meta-film stuff like this, and Sold is a great example of how that concept can work perfectly. It also forces you to keep that meta-film aspect in mind when thinking about how these people conduct their advertising business. Would they really work like this off-screen, or are they playing it up for the camera? The commercials Spurlock intersperses throughout the film are also ingeniously integrated. My only criticism of the film is that it really doesn't open your eyes about the inner workings of the advertising-film industry much if you have a good idea to begin with. But when a documentary is this hilarious and entertaining, who cares?
Director: Cary Fukunaga (Sin Nombre)
Starring: Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender, Jamie Bell, Judi Dench
On Bluray + DVD: August 16, 2011
Synopsis: Jane Eyre tells the same story as that book you probably had to read in high school. Jane (Wasikowska) is an orphan who goes to work at Thornfield, a mansion owned by Mr. Rochester (Fassbender). The film follows their friendship and eventual relationship through many tribulations.
Comments: I don't see Jane Eyre winning anyone over who read and hated the book in high school. This is a fairly accurate adaptation, capturing all of the most important pieces of the book and cutting off a lot of the excess that a novel allows you to have. However, for fans of the book, this should be a great experience. Fukunaga actually restructures the way the story is told, beginning with St. John and presenting the actual story as if she is reciting her history to him. It actually makes the story more interesting, allowing the film to shift between points in time. Technically the film is a marvel, as well. Eyre is one of the most beautiful films of the year, with gorgeous scenery and locations. Wasikowska gives Jane an interesting personality and gives a notable performance. She did seem a bit wooden during parts of the film, but then again, I remember Jane being a bit wooden in the book. The real star here, just like in the new X-Men, is Michael Fassbender. As Mr. Rochester, he takes over every time he's on screen, giving his character a larger-than-life persona, just like his character should be. Again, Jane Eyre is only really for those interested in the book, but if you are, it's a great film.
Comments: I don't see Jane Eyre winning anyone over who read and hated the book in high school. This is a fairly accurate adaptation, capturing all of the most important pieces of the book and cutting off a lot of the excess that a novel allows you to have. However, for fans of the book, this should be a great experience. Fukunaga actually restructures the way the story is told, beginning with St. John and presenting the actual story as if she is reciting her history to him. It actually makes the story more interesting, allowing the film to shift between points in time. Technically the film is a marvel, as well. Eyre is one of the most beautiful films of the year, with gorgeous scenery and locations. Wasikowska gives Jane an interesting personality and gives a notable performance. She did seem a bit wooden during parts of the film, but then again, I remember Jane being a bit wooden in the book. The real star here, just like in the new X-Men, is Michael Fassbender. As Mr. Rochester, he takes over every time he's on screen, giving his character a larger-than-life persona, just like his character should be. Again, Jane Eyre is only really for those interested in the book, but if you are, it's a great film.
Director: Jonathan Levine (The Wackness, All the Boys Love Mandy Lane)
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard
Currently in Theaters
Synopsis: 50/50 is about Adam (Gordon-Levitt), a radio writer, who is diagnosed with a cancer that has a 50% survival rate. In the film, Adam learns to cope with his disease with a little help from his friend, Kyle (Rogen), and his psychologist, Katie (Kendrick).
Comments: 50/50 is that rare comedy that manages to walk the fine line between drama and laughter without tipping over. Many movies like this feel the need to keep the laughs going during their serious scenes, and this usually ends up ruining what could've been a poignant moment. 50/50 is smart enough to compartmentalize its comedic scenes from its more serious ones, allowing the real emotion of the scene to come through. This isn't to say that the movie is melodramatic. It's just an emotional story, and you can't tell it right if you're cracking jokes in the middle of a cancer diagnosis. Which isn't to suggest that 50/50 is light on jokes. In fact, the movie is hilarious. This balance of comedy and drama works so well because of the performances of Rogen and Gordon-Levitt. As Kyle, Rogen is literally playing himself (the film's writer, the guy who got cancer, was best friends with Rogen during his cancer), so if you weren't a fan of his stuff to begin with, he's not going to win you over here. However, I think Rogen is hilarious, and he definitely brings the laughs here, too. On the dramatic side is Gordon-Levitt, who gives one of the best performances of the year. He's able to bring the right emotion to each scene, reserving his explosive outbursts for when it would have the greatest impact. And it surely has an impact: the scene in the car is one of the more memorable of the film. If you're looking for a comedy that has something extra along with the laughs, 50/50 is a great choice.
Comments: 50/50 is that rare comedy that manages to walk the fine line between drama and laughter without tipping over. Many movies like this feel the need to keep the laughs going during their serious scenes, and this usually ends up ruining what could've been a poignant moment. 50/50 is smart enough to compartmentalize its comedic scenes from its more serious ones, allowing the real emotion of the scene to come through. This isn't to say that the movie is melodramatic. It's just an emotional story, and you can't tell it right if you're cracking jokes in the middle of a cancer diagnosis. Which isn't to suggest that 50/50 is light on jokes. In fact, the movie is hilarious. This balance of comedy and drama works so well because of the performances of Rogen and Gordon-Levitt. As Kyle, Rogen is literally playing himself (the film's writer, the guy who got cancer, was best friends with Rogen during his cancer), so if you weren't a fan of his stuff to begin with, he's not going to win you over here. However, I think Rogen is hilarious, and he definitely brings the laughs here, too. On the dramatic side is Gordon-Levitt, who gives one of the best performances of the year. He's able to bring the right emotion to each scene, reserving his explosive outbursts for when it would have the greatest impact. And it surely has an impact: the scene in the car is one of the more memorable of the film. If you're looking for a comedy that has something extra along with the laughs, 50/50 is a great choice.
Director: Thomas McCarthy (The Visitor, The Station Agent)
Starring: Paul Giamatti, Alex Shaffer, Amy Ryan, Bobby Canavale
On Bluray + DVD: August 23, 2011
Synopsis: Win Win tells the story of Mike (Giamatti), a lawyer and wrestling coach, who decides to earn some extra money by becoming a legal guardian for an elderly client of his. When the old man's grandson, Kyle (Shaffer), runs away from his drug-addict mother to come visit, Mike is forced to take the boy in.
Comments: Win Win is actually a very well-made film. The performances are great throughout (other than the boy), the plot is interesting, and the characters are, for the most part, distinctive. But there's just something missing here that would have elevated this film to another level of greatness. Throughout the film I found myself waiting for the next scene not because I was engaged with the film but simply because I wanted to know how it ended. Like I said, the plot is interesting. It just didn't touch me on any significant level. Additionally, while the characters are distinctive, they seem kind of unrealistic. Which is odd, because it's so obvious that McCarthy was going for a sense of realism with these characters. It's hard to really explain what keeps this film from being really great, but something did. I still liked it, I just found myself wanting something better at the end.
Comments: Win Win is actually a very well-made film. The performances are great throughout (other than the boy), the plot is interesting, and the characters are, for the most part, distinctive. But there's just something missing here that would have elevated this film to another level of greatness. Throughout the film I found myself waiting for the next scene not because I was engaged with the film but simply because I wanted to know how it ended. Like I said, the plot is interesting. It just didn't touch me on any significant level. Additionally, while the characters are distinctive, they seem kind of unrealistic. Which is odd, because it's so obvious that McCarthy was going for a sense of realism with these characters. It's hard to really explain what keeps this film from being really great, but something did. I still liked it, I just found myself wanting something better at the end.
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