What’s on now:Vanity Fair starring Reese Witherspoon. Now streaming on Netflix, but only available until March 15, so if it’s on your list, get on that!
I had never even heard of Forever Strong before. It popped up on my recommendations on Netflix, probably because I’d given four and five stars to just about any sports movie I’d ever seen before. What can I say? I’m an athlete. It doesn’t matter what sport it’s about or how similar they all tend to be, sports movies are my lifeblood.
Two words: Loved it. I didn’t even care that it was completely predictable. Starring Sean Faris, a tall dark and very handsome fellow who I had never even heard of, who plays your typical troubled teen who takes his anger out on opponents on the rugby pitch. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, Forever Strong is about rugby. If that doesn’t immediately send all youInvictus fans scrambling for your own copy, I don’t know what will. It’s streaming on Netflix now, go to it! I actually liked Forever Strong more than Invictus. Certainly not a better movie in general, but there was more emphasis on the sport than on the political history of the time period.
Anyway, Faris plays Rick, the troubled teen I told you about. He’s sent to juvenile hall after almost killing his girlfriend in a drunken driving accident. At the facility he’s angry and grappling with his daddy issues (Neal McDonough plays his dad and rugby coach), trying to be reached by a kind social worker-type man played by Sean Astin of Rudy and Lord of the Rings recognition. Rick is sent to another rugby team, unconventionally coached by Larry Gelwix (Gary Cole), to try to work out his frustrations on the pitch and learn real teamwork and inner strength. Forever Strong also stars Nathan West (Miracle) as Rick’s new teammate, who takes a while to warm up to him, and Lobster Todd from Easy A (Penn Badgley) as Rick’s old teammate and best friend, who resents him for trying to clean up his act.
As is to be expected in a good sports flick, the climax is at the end when the two teams face off for the U.S. national high school championship. I didn’t even know that existed, but apparently the film is actually based on true events. Who wins the game? Not telling. But it’s worth the watch to find out. The warrior chant the players do before the game made me want to run outside and start tackling other people on a muddy field. Thank goodness I had a good hold on my sense. It’s the kind of thing that will definitely get your blood pumping.
In all, Forever Strong will certainly be on my shopping list for when I need a mindless adrenaline rush or a pump-up movie before a competition. And as an extra bonus, Sean Faris surprised me into a new crush. What can I say? I’m a sucker for abs.
Starring: Sean Faris, Gary Cole, Neal McDonough, Sean Astin, Penn Badgley Directed by: Ryan Little Rated PG-13 2008
And for extra funsies, here's that warrior chant done by the cast of Forever Strong.
I had to write this essay for a history class, so I thought, "What the heck." Enjoy!
Gangs of New York, directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Daniel Day Lewis, may be a rather sensationalized version of history, but it can’t be said that it’s entirely inaccurate. In fact, a great deal of the story is grounded in actual historical events.
In short, Gangs of New York is basically the graphic novel version of the story, like what 300was to the Battle of Thermopylae. Comic book elements and characters have been added to real-life events to make a far more vibrant and gritty story. In the style of Hollywood, it represents historical events in a more interesting way.
One of the main overarching themes of the movie could be that perhaps people who were born in America as opposed to immigrants were not so different after all, and a common enemy could even unite them if it was powerful enough. The latter is not seen until the end of the movie, during the riots. As the Natives and the Dead Rabbits show up to battle each other, they are interrupted by the Union army trying to restore order, and they find themselves inexplicably on the same side. Both groups are fighting for their own reasons, but they are still fighting a common enemy.
Another main theme was the struggle of the masses against the power of the corrupt rich, especially politicians, as exemplified by Jim Broadbent’s character Boss Tweed. Hardly a scene goes by without Tweed showing possibly even more ruthlessness than Day-Lewis’ Bill the Butcher ever did. For example, when the house is burning down and the competing fire departments are fighting, he gives them permission to raid the house next door. And at the end of the movie, after the riots had died down, Tweed stood in front of the mass graves with a handkerchief daintily covering his nose and he tells his companions that they were burying a lot of votes there.
This brings into question the validity of both kinds of rule: the corrupt power of elected officials and organized government or the violent but perhaps more honorable power of the street gangs. The former relies on backhanded, under the table dealings during which substantial sums of money are traded. The latter relies on hand-to-hand combat on the street, out in the open. The bloodshed might have been terrible, but at least there was no hiding or secrecy. Bill’s story about cutting out his eye that looked away when Priest Vallon was about to kill him is reminiscent of Japanese seppuku, when samurai killed themselves in order to rid themselves of the shame of defeat. The honor code of the gangs may have been brutal and savage, but at least they had an honor code.
Amsterdam Vallon’s internal struggle with avenging his father and accepting his killer as a new father figure is nothing short of Shakespearean. At first, he sees himself as simply getting close to Bill until he could kill him. But after he saves his life from the assassin at the theatre, he realizes that he had come to love Bill as he had once loved his father. That event is what sort of snaps him out of the trance he’d fallen under in Bill’s company. The butcher’s charisma and power would have been, and was, intoxicating to any young, angry orphan. Amsterdam finally realizes he has been a fool and must avenge his father properly. He resurrects his father’s gang, the Dead Rabbits, and proceeds to seek out his revenge openly.
One particularly interesting reference to true historical happenings was the underlying hatred between Catholics and Protestants. It is a centuries-old conflict stemming way back to when England first invaded Ireland and still continues today, though perhaps not as much in New York City. Brendan Gleeson’s character McGinn aptly describes it when he tells Amsterdam, “That war is a thousand years old and more. We never expected it to follow us here. It didn’t. It was waiting for us when we landed.” The Irish were no strangers to oppression, so it should really come as no big shock that they would fight back.
Gangs of New York is certainly a Hollywood film, not a historical documentary. But it does successfully use various true events and even a few people to deftly tell the story.
What’s on now:The Pianist now streaming on Netflix. Adrien Brody definitely deserved the Oscar for this one.
Every Tuesday will feature whichever actor or actress is rattling around my brain more than the others that week. This week’s winner is Heath Ledger, the promisingly talented young Aussie who tragically died in 2008 from a drug overdose.
I’d had a crush on Heath since I was twelve years old, ever since I saw him in my first-ever R-rated movie The Patriot. Looking back, it’s interesting to think about why I liked him so much. He wasn’t conventionally handsome, come to think of it, not like your typical young hotties these days who all look like they’ve escaped from an Abercrombie & Fitch advertisement. I think I was also drawn to his powerful on-screen presence. No matter what character he embodied, he always did it masterfully. The effort he put into immersing himself into a character was always noticeable.
I actually remember hearing the news that Heath had died. I was very sad. I even drew a special farewell message on my dorm room whiteboard. I knew the film industry had just lost one of the most promising young talents ever.
I remember for whatever reason, back when The Four Feathers first came out into theatres, I heard the film and Heath being discussed on the radio. The announcer said something like Heath was someone to watch, because if he kept going with performances like this, he could be the next Mel Gibson. Too true. Hopefully he wouldn’t have had the same ridiculous issues that Mel has had in his old age, but we’ll sadly never know.
This Saturday marks the three-year anniversary of Heath’s death. I’ve watched two of his movies in the past three days or so, and I’m deeply sorrowful that there won’t be any more. As a special tribute to Heath, here are my favorite scenes from my top five favorite of his movies.
5. A Knight’s Tale
Heath stars as William Thatcher, a peasant who disguises himself as a noble so he can compete in the joust. This scene always makes me chuckle. To prove his love for his lady, William is asked to lose a tournament. At first he refuses, but then, to the chagrin of his friends, he decides some things are more important than winning.
A Knight’s Tale is a fun sports film, especially because it gives a modern twist to medieval athletics, complete with screaming fans, trophies and Queen ballads.
4. The Patriot
The first film rated higher than PG-13 that I’ve ever seen. My parents let me watch it with them when I was 12 because it was about a historical time period. This clip contains massive spoilers by the way, so if you really don’t want to know anything about the movie, skip over this section.
The following is Heath’s death scene, one of the most heartbreakingdeaths in a film ever. He did a damn good job of it.
3. The Four Feathers
This is the epic battle scene from the movie I was talking about before. It’s a little less known, but deserves no less recognition. Heath plays a dishonored British soldier who follows his friends to war in order to redeem himself. He finds himself behind enemy lines, even among them in this battle.
This is a long clip, but it’s the only good one I could find online from this film. Heath shows up at 5:22, if you want to skip ahead.
2. 10 Things I Hate About You
Heath’s big break, the first time he was really noticed in America! This is my absolute favorite scene of the movie, which I love dearly. Heath plays juvenile delinquent Patrick Verona, who tries to woo the shrew played by Julia Stiles.
1. The Dark Knight
Heath’s most unforgettable role. He received countless posthumous awards for his iconic portrayal of the Joker, including an Oscar. It was his last full role (his unfinished part in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus was taken on by Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell after he died), and it was definitely his most memorable, in my opinion.
I remember when I saw The Dark Knight in theatres, I did not recognize Heath at all. If I hadn’t already know that was him, I would have had not a clue as to who was that devilish genius behind Batman’s most deadly foe of all time.
I’ll miss Heath. I mourn the loss of him, his talent, and all the movies he will no longer make. But he has given us plenty of memorable films to keep forever in his memory. Though he was only with us for a short time, his lasting impression on the movie world will remain for a long, long time.
What’s on now:The Wind That Shakes the Barley now streaming on Netflix. I was feeling nostalgic for Ireland, probably my favorite place on earth. Turns out Cillian Murphy is actually quite handsome. You can’t really tell by his usual gig as some murdering psychopath (a la Red Eye and Batman Begins).
First of all, I apologize for my long absence. I’ve been home for winter break for the past month and had neither the time nor the desire to really get on this. Sorry to leave like that when I had only just started this thing, but I’m back now!
To make up for my disappearance, I’ve decided to talk about the three new movies I got a chance to see in theatres during my vacation, starting with my favorite.
I wasn’t expecting to like Tangled, Disney’s latest animated feature. The cast was mostly made of non-hoursehold-name actors, the kind of folks that are usually only recognized by die-hard movie buffs and random trivia-seekers. I realize now that was probably because, as with most Disney flicks, the actors did all of their own singing. Mandy Moore was the biggest name attached as the voice of Rapunzel. Zachary Levi played the devilishly charming Flynn Rider (who knew Chuck had such a nice singing voice?) and Donna Murphy, of Center Stage and Spider-Man 2 recognition, rounded out the primaries as Mother Gothel. There was even a cameo by Brad Garrett, so what’s not to love?
I was wondering how Disney was going to go about this story. Have you ever read the original fairytale? It’s incredibly dark, with lots of blood and violence. I barely remember it, but I think at one point the prince fell from the tower into a patch of thorns and was blinded. Spoiler alert, that does not happen in Tangled. This revamp of the tale of Rapunzel was very light and fun, complete with a handful of catchy musical numbers and plenty of laughs, not to mention possibly the cutest little animal sidekick in any Disney film yet. Even without dialog, Pascal the chameleon (random, no?) stole scenes with his adorable antics.
The basic plot of the story is thus: A magical flower born from a drop of sunlight has the power to heal and restore when a special tune is sung to it. The flower is used to save Rapunzel’s mother when she falls ill during her pregnancy. After the princess is born, she is endowed with the same power in her golden hair. Mother Gothel, a nasty old woman, wants the power to herself so she can stay young forever. She realizes the girl’s hair loses its power once cut, so she kidnaps the child from her royal parents and hides her in a tower deep in the woods.
Eighteen years later, Rapunzel wants nothing more than to go outside. She finally gets her chance when Flynn Rider, a charming rogue thief, stumbles upon her sanctum while running from the law.
The climax near the end of the tale was the best part. I absolutely will not divulge what happens, but it actually had me tearing up, it was so romantically heartbreaking.In all, Tangled is a funfilm for the whole family. I was worried I would be a little too old for it, but I was wonderfully mistaken. I would definitely see it again in theatres, and it’ll be on my shopping list when it hits DVD.
Starring: Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi and Donna Murphy Directed by: Nathan Greno and Byron Howard Rated PG 2010
Next on the docket is the third installment of C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. The next film in the series follows Lucy and Edmund as they once again find themselves in Narnia, this time also with their maddeningly snotty and peckish cousin Eustace. They join their old friend Caspian, now king of Narnia, on a voyage to find seven of his father’s old exiled supporters.
It was a little odd to me that Caspian, played by Ben Barnes, went from having a Spanish/Mediterranean accent in the last movie to a British one in this film. The change was a welcome one, the old accent sounding a bit forced from Barnes at times in movie two.
I enjoyed the movie for the most part. It didn’t exactly have me biting my nails or my heart pounding (although the battle with the sea monster had me going for a bit), but it was a solid addition to an already solid series of films. The books are very short, so naturally the screenwriters took some liberties with the plot, but I didn’t notice any blasphemous alterations.
I don’t know as of yet whether they’re planning to continue the saga. Will Poulter gave a lovely performance as Eustace, so I wouldn’t mind seeing him again. The next book, The Silver Chair, does not feature any of the original Pevensie children, but rather follows a new adventure for Eustace and a new character Jill Pole, who had an amusing mention at the end of Dawn Treader that is sure to tickle fans of the books. After that is The Last Battle, in which Eustace, Jill and all the Pevensies are back for one last adventure, but there’s no telling whether the filmmakers will go that far. They’ve already skipped The Magician’s Nephew and The Horse and His Boy, so there’s really no telling.
Voyage of the Dawn Treader was an all-around good film, especially if you’re already a fan of the other films.
Starring: Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, Will Poulter and Ben Barnes Directed by: Michael Apted Rated PG 2010
And now, last but not least, Black Swan.
Even now, I’m somewhat at a loss as to how to explain my reaction, but I’m certain the letters WTF would be involved.
Black Swan follows the story of Nina Sayers, an accomplished ballerina who is finally given her big break with the leading role in her company’s production of Swan Lake. However, the stress soon begins to take a heavy toll on Nina, who has struggled with psychiatric problems in the past. She experiences horrifying hallucinations that will make even the most steadfast of audience members squeamish. Even the mild bits used in the trailer still give me the willies.
Natalie Portman stars as Nina, and I have to give major props to her preparation for the role. She dances wonderfully in her ballet scenes, looking as if she’s been doing this forever. Mila Kunis is a firecracker as Nina’s frenemy rival.
The rumors are true, folks. This film contains some serious sexual content, including girl on girl oral. Just because it turns out to have been a hallucination doesn’t really do much to detract from the shock factor. You never “see” anybody’s parts per se, but prudes and children are nevertheless advised to keep away.
I can certainly see why this film has garnered a lot of attention from the awards committees. It’s dark and deep, with absolutely fantastic dancing and acting. I’d say it was worth seeing, even the bits where I had my eyes covered, and I certainly appreciate it as a film. But if I never see it again, I think I’ll be all right.
In fact, I think I'll be far better off.
Starring: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis and Vincent Cassel Directed by: Darren Aronofsky Rated R 2010
What's on now: The Fifth Element now streaming on Netflix. Utterly bizarre, but it's a cult favorite for good reason.
I've decided to have a special thing on Saturdays where I find trailers and information about up-and-coming movies and give you my preliminary impressions. This week's feature is Real Steel, a futuristic film about robot boxing. Is anyone else heavily reminded of Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots?
The film is set to hit theatres on Oct. 7, 2011 and stars the deliciously hunky Hugh Jackman and the delightfully spunky Evangeline Lilly of Lost fame. Plot details are few to be had for now, but it looks like it might follow at least the basics of the conventional sports movie plotline.
"The human body can only take so much. But the steel... never stops."
Jackman's character is probably an ex-fighter, one who probably took quite a beating and was robbed of his career is some way, whether by injury or foul play. Now he makes his living operating the humanoid robots that do all the fighting. Lilly will undoubtedly be his love interest, the beautiful woman cheering for him ringside as he does battle with an intimidating foe.
I'm certain we can count on some pretty cool special effects, if the trailer is any clue. At some point, undoubtedly near the end, our hero will probably be in a high-stakes fight for his life in which he is the underdog. And even though at this point it looks like it'll be a little predictable, I actually like the looks of it. I've never been averse to some mindless entertainment, in fact it tends to be one of my favorite forms of entertainment. After all, isn't one of the main reason we go to the movies to avoid thinking?
One question I'm interested in is: Are the robots just really high-tech video games, or do they actually have some sort of self-awareness a la Asimov? From the looks of the trailer, they're just pieces of machinery that a human has to drive, for lack of a better word. But how cool would it be if these robot boxers had some sort of spirit? With Real Steel, we could have a robot Rocky on our hands.
Or Steely.
Starring: Hugh Jackman and Evangeline Lilly Directed by: Shawn Levy Rated NYR 2011
Unless of course you enjoy being trapped with 66 - or is it 67? - criminally insane folks. Hey, to each his (or her) own.
If you're up for a twisty psychological thriller, look no further than "Shutter Island." The dark tale follows U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (played by Leo D) as he investigates the bizarre disappearance of a woman. From a mental institution. On an island. During a hurricane. You'd think he would've taken the hint.
I honestly saw the ending coming somewhere in the middle, but I thoroughly enjoyed this film nevertheless. It was suspenseful, exciting and kept me questioning everyone and everything. I particularly loved the final line, which I will unfortunately refrain from quoting just for spoiler reasons.
It wasn't particularly scary, at least not in the monster-jumping-out-of-the-dark kind of way. It was more the creepy kind of scary. I was never scared, and I'm kind of a wuss, if that gives you some idea. There were a few moments of brief gore, a couple of which were Teddy's wartime flashbacks.
The only thing I sort of regret about this movie is that after watching, I don't feel the desire to buy it. I could see myself wanting to watch it again maybe once or twice to catch the clues you'd only get after seeing the ending. But sadly, one of the best things about this movie is the suspense, and it definitely loses some of that when you know what's going to happen.
All in all, "Shutter Island" is certainly worth the watch.
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo and Ben Kingsley Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Rated R
2010
Don't forget to check out this week's poll!
What's on now: Catching up on Glee with 2x10 "A Very Glee Christmas."
