Well, of course this is another Stephen King that I've gone in with certain expectations. Of course I try to judge this based on it's value as a movie on it's own, not in relation to what I think a King film should be like. This here is quite a good movie. Kathy Bates and James Caan couldn't have been any better and I doubt anyone could have portrayed more captivating characters as they have. The general idea is Caan is a writer who just finished his final novel in a series about a character named Misery. He's on his way home when his car goes off the road, and Bates comes along to drag him to safety. She's a nurse and tends to his mangled legs, and keeps him in her house. Things progress and we find out she's absolutely nuts about him; she's his 'biggest fan' and keeps him locked up in her house. She is utterly insane and he is unable to escape. This is the basic premise and it's executed beautifully. Both characters speak and act in such a way that is perfectly fitting for the style and content of the film. Phenomenal.
9/10
Film#62 - If A Man Answers, 1962, dir. Henry Levin
Basic idea: traditional woman is looking for a husband, finds one, he's flirty with other girls, she pretends to have another lover. That's the movie. Its absolute filled to the brim with these horrible old and out of date traditions for gender roles and it's almost unbearable at times. She honestly lives to serve her husband and finds no greater pleasure than going for the housewife & breadwinner lifestyle. In fact that seems to be the goal of the film; rather than poking at these conformist societal expectations, the film encourages that all things are solved when everyone plays their part the way they should. I could rant but it's not worth the time. The positive part of this film is that it was fairly entertaining for what it was, but nothing special by a long shot.
6.5/10
Film#63 - Raising Arizona, 1987, dir. Joel Coen (& Ethan)
So I tend to really like Coen brothers' movies, and this really let me down. It starts out fantastically, with this strange montage and narration that sets an off-key tone that really got me excited for the rest of the film to play out. However, it just gets out of hand. Silly even. Not only is the narrative silly, but the way it's done is just silly as well. It rivals teenage summer joke movies that are around these days. However it even lacks a real defining element to target that group; it seems to be geared towards a somewhat more adult crowd with the style yet at the same time goes for stupid jokes and over-the-top action and dialogue to be taken seriously, even as a comedy.
5/10
Film#64 - Paranormal Activity, 2007, dir. Oren Peli
I honestly didn't even think I'd ever see this from the promotional material I saw. It seemed like a typical horror movie that I'd pass on. It wasn't until I found out how low budget this was and how it apparently had some edgy style to it that I gave it a try. Unfortunately much of the film was ruined by people who seem to think giving away not only the ending to movies but the entire plot line is okay to do. However, even knowing what would happen, I still found it to be quite enjoyable. It really does have some scary parts, and builds on them as the movie progresses. What I found best about the film was not the horror elements but rather the effect that this 'paranormal activity' had on the couple being filmed. The entire movie is portrayed as found footage of a couple who decide to videotape their lives in hopes of capturing some kind of terrible entity or spirit, if you can call it that. We never really know what it is, which is part of the movie's charm. Some say the characters are 'annoying' and sure, that's true. But I think they are terribly well acted and seem very real. In fact I would go as far as to say that during the majority of the film I felt as if I was actually watching a real life couple deal with real occurrences. He on one hand wants to assert his masculinity and protect his girlfriend; he's cocky and sometimes foolish in how quickly he is to storm out to face whatever is terrorizing them, while on the other hand she is reluctant to do much of anything that could anger it, and rightfully so. Both characters present plausible takes on what goes on, and in that sense it makes it seem believable. I'm sure different viewers will associate with different characters and that is where the film succeeds.
8.5/10
Film#65 - Avatar, 2009, dir. James Cameron
I can't say I was particularly thrilled to see this. Sure, I wanted to and knew I would but I can't say I had high expectations. Of course I knew of all the hype and such. I went in expecting a 'cool' movie that would be visually stunning, a story taken right out of Pocahontas/Fern Gully/Dances With Wolves, and maybe some half decent acting. I got just that. Yes, this movie is beautiful, or as beautiful as artificiality can produce. Yes, the story is nothing groundbreaking. Acting wise, it was mediocre. I have some serious problems with the casting of this film. Sigourney Weaver and Michelle Rodriguez simply don't belong and bring a level of cheesiness that brings the entire film down. Giovanni Ribisi wasn't half bad though, as well as some of the other minor characters. Oh, Joel Moore a.k.a. a terrible actor, yeah, he also didn't belong. Other than it's obvious problems, well, it had some more. The dialogue was often just brutal, especially the failed one-liners Cameron threw in to get some cheap laughs, which honestly made me cringe (think Michelle Rodriguez saying things like "Take that bitch" and you get the general idea). I have trouble seeing this a the best film of the past year when it wasn't nominated for best screenplay or any acting roles. It makes me wonder how something can be the 'best' yet have no noteworthy dialogue, story, or acting. I also wonder what the intent of this film was. So many movies get picked apart as allegorical for this and that, and if so, how can I not take this film as a representation of American attitudes towards invading other people's land, uninvited and through the use of force. The parallels are undeniable in my mind. It so overtly takes a jab at taking resources from other people, which unfortunately is all too familiar. However in this one we see the invaders as the 'bad guys', obviously, and we are meant to feel for the victimized tribal people. And yeah, it works. So this makes me wonder, is this film so popular because it speaks to the people to stop taking and forcing views on others, or is it really just a 'cool' movie with lots of explosions and pretty colours for the kiddies to enjoy?
8.5/10
