Change Your Image
nikevapor16
Reviews
How much Wood would a Woodchuck chuck... - Beobachtungen zu einer neuen Sprache (1976)
Clarity through unclarity
I watched this in a creative writing class in order to gain inspiration to expand into more experimental writing. I'm not sure it served that purpose, but the documentary does have a very experimental and ballsy feel to it. A documentary about auctioneers is a hard sell, but the true meaning (at least what I got out of it) is pretty excellent, that being communication and art is everywhere. The flow and process of talking at such speeds seems pointless(I honestly had no idea what the auctioneers were saying most of the time), but at the same time the judges and crowd are all giving feedback, and even judging how effectively they were selling the livestock, mainly based on rate of speech. At the same time, it was all about clarity. And I think that is what Herzog was going for. Unconventional, yet understandable.
7/10
Midnight in Paris (2011)
Artistic dreaming at it's finest
I had heard of this movie a few times, and always told myself I'd watch it eventually. Oddly enough, I ended up seeing it on an airplane to Costa Rica. I didn't know the actual premise, but as it revealed itself, I was engrossed immediately.
Gil (Owen Wilson) is tired of writing meaningless Hollywood screenplays and wants to move to France to pursue his idealistic dream of self and literary discovery. His soon-to-be wife (Rachel McAdams) does not share the same sentiment. But they are in Paris for the time, so Gil attempts to create a sliver of his fantasy by walking the streets of Paris in search of inspiration. He ends up at a street corner at Midnight in Paris, where he gets a ride in a classic 1920's Model-T esque car to a party of intellectuals. Famous intellectuals of the 1920's, namely F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway and Gertrude Stein.
I'm a huge fan of this literary era (1920's), so of course I am going to enjoy it. But it is so much more than some kind of time travel movie. The idea that a generation that lived before us was "the time to be living" is felt by every generation, which is revealed in the film wonderfully by Gil's new love interest from his journey, Adriana (played by the always excellent Marion Cotillard). One can relate to that idea, even if they aren't fans of the artistic culture post WWI. It is a very artistic film, and all the acting is top notch in my opinion (by far my favorite Owen Wilson performance, even if he is similar to the characters he's played before, and the portrayal of Hemingway was everything that I could have expected). My favorite Woody Allen film to date, and that is a bold statement.
I recommend it to anyone, but if you have a true appreciation for that period, you will love it as mush as I do without a doubt in my mind.
9/10
It's Kind of a Funny Story (2010)
One of my favorite films of 2010
I saw this movie a while ago, and recently re-watched it. It is still great on re-watch. I found the premise to be very fresh, and I thought the dialogue throughout was excellent. The way the film presents what would normally be an entirely serious subject matter (depression, and other mental health issues in a psyche ward)in a comedic fashion, while still being a serious film was the strongest part of the film. The interactions between Keir Gilchrist and Zach Galifianakis were awesome, and there were many truly memorable scenes in this movie. Emma Roberts was good as well, though I think she is good in pretty much everything she does. I recommend it to almost anyone, because it crosses between dramatic and comedic elements seamlessly, so it has something to offer to just about everybody.
8/10
Apollo 18 (2011)
not that great
For me, Apollo 18 was just too boring. They were trying to capitalize on the found footage craze lately, but they didn't really accomplish that. The movie is advertized as horror, but I would call it a sci-fi drama at most. The characters were decent enough; I wasn't really attached to them but they served their purpose. But my major problem was that nothing really happens for 80% of the film as far as scares go. There just weren't enough shocking or scary scenes in the film to make the found footage aspect work. It had it's moments, but overall the pacing was too slow and the pay off really wasn't there.
4/10, good idea, poor execution