Here are a few other films that I have seen and rated. For some of the films, as well as in the future, I will write a brief sentence or so on what I thought. Reviewer: Pat Brennan Dracula Untold (2014) Rating: 1.5/4 Director: Gary Shore Writers: Matt Sazama, Burke Sharpless & Bram Stoker (characters) Cast: Luke Evans, Dominic Cooper, Charles Dance, & Sarah Gordon - This film had the potential to be pretty decent due to the casting early on, but the final product did not end up that way. The acting wasn't bad and was probably the only salvageable part of the film (mainly Charles Dance) but other than that it's easy to overlook the rest of the film. The plot was rushed/did not make any sense and the editing seemed to be done poorly. ——————————————– Love, Rosie (2014) Rating: 3/4 Director: Christian Ditter Writers: Juliette Towhidi (screenplay) & Cecelia Ahern (novel) Cast: Lily Collins & Sam Clafin - I am all for "Rom-coms" if they are done right, meaning that they take the idea of what a romantic comedy is and have an original twist to it or a different style than almost every other romantic comedy. What this film does will is explore the relationship between the two characters and tell the story in a way that made the film flow smoothly. By creating a separation between the two, it allowed the audience to feel both characters emotions and relationship, as well as made the story feel real and relatable. All in all, a surprisingly good film. ——————————————– Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (2014) Rating: 1.5/4 Director: Miguel Artera Writers: Rob Lieber (screenplay) & Judith Viorst (novel) Cast: Steve Carell, Jennifer Garner, Dylan Minnette, Kerris Dorsey, & Ed Oxenbould ——————————————– The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (2014)
Rating: 3/4 Director: Paul Tibbitt Writers: Glenn Berger & Jonathan Aibel Cast: Antonio Benderas, Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke, Clancey Brown, Carolyn Lawerence, Rodger Bumpass, & Mr. Lawerence - What can I say, Spongebob is probably one of my favorite shows of all time. I hadn't really planned on seeing this in the theater but I am actually kind of glad that I did. The only part that I kind of had a problem with was the live-action versions of the characters but that was only a smaller portion of the film. I think that if you like Spongebob, you will certainly enjoy this film. ——————————————–
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Reviewer: Pat Brennan Rating: 3/4 Directors: Richard Glatzer & Wash Westmoreland Writers: Richard Glatzer (screenplay); Lisa Genova (novel) Cast: Julianne Moore, Alec Baldwin, Kate Bosworth, Kristen Stewart Still Alice is one of those films where you know there is not going to be a happy ending. There is a feeling of sadness and anguish as the film moves along, which continues to sit with you long after it is over. First and foremost, lets talk about Julianne Moore's performance as Alice and what a performance it was. Moore plays Alice Holland, a linguistics professor at Columbia in New York, who slowly starts to forget everyday words and the things that she does daily. When she is diagnosed with early on-set Alzheimer's disease, her life drastically changes. Moore is able to become one with Alice and separate herself from the rest of the characters in the film, which made it seem as though they were not even there half of the time. That is not to say that the supporting cast did not do a great job (Baldwin shines as her husband; Bosworth and Stewart both create excellent supporting characters that make you feel the pain they are going through), it is just simply because Moore is one of the best that is working today. You are drawn to her and find it hard not to feel like you are one of her children watching her go through this horrible disease. Moore is, in my opinion, one of the greatest actresses to ever grace the screen and this being her fifth Academy Award nomination, I can say that the Oscar will finally tip her way. She most definitely deserves it. There were a couple of moments in the film where the directors truly showed how Alice's disease was changing her and separating her from the world, as well as her family. The first moment came towards the beginning of the film when she is at her doctor's office for an appointment to help with her memory. The shot starts out completely out of focus, but as she starts to talk and tries to put pieces together, the camera slowly comes back into focus, solely on her. This is to show how her mind and her sense of identity is slowly becoming distant and fuzzy. This subtle trick is to show the audience that this is what she is starting to feel and go through. This is what it will be like moving forward. The second moment in the film that truly stood out to me was when her husband, John, and her children, Anna and Tom, were discussing how they should care for her now that she is not even recognizing them or even remembering who she is. The shot starts out with Alice leaned over to the side in the foreground of the frame, while her family is in the background of the frame, sitting at a table completely out of focus. The next shot (wide angle) has her shown from a distance, sitting in the living room with nobody around her. It is as if she is trapped there in the living room with no escape. No escaping the empty space that is growing in her mind. Again, this particular moment in the film shows how Alice is becoming more distant from her family and from herself. She is slowly starting to forget those that she loves and who she is. What these moments tell us as an audience member is by not showing a lot happening within the frame, you can actually express a lot through emotion and thought by creating these vivid images. These moments not only help create the character of Alice, they also express what she is going through by showing the audience what this disease can do to someone. By having her often shot by herself within the frame, the directors are able to establish how Alice is feeling throughout the film, as well as connect the audience to Alice. Without Moore in the leading role, I do not think that this film would have had such a strong impact as it did. She will win the Oscar. Without a doubt. (Below is the trailer for the film) Here are a few other films that I have seen and rated. For some of the films, as well as in the future, I will write a brief sentence or so on what I thought. Reviewer: Pat Brennan The Hunger Games: Mocking Jay - Part 1 (2014) Rating: 3/4 Director: Francis Lawrence Writers: Peter Craig & Danny Strong Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Julianne Moore - Did not really need to stand alone as a solo film, but I still find these movies very entertaining. ——————————————– The Giver (2014) Rating: 2/4 Director: Phillip Noyce Writers: Michael Mitnick & Robert B. Weide Cast: Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep, Brenton Thwaites, Alexander Skarsgard, Katie Holmes, Odeya Rush ——————————————– Frank (2014) Rating: 3.5/4 Director: Lenny Abrahamson Writers: Jon Ronson & Peter Straughan Cast: Michael Fassbender, Domnhall Gleeson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Scott McNairy - This film tackles the idea of what it means to be accepted in this world, no matter who you are or where you came from. Frank tries to hide is true identity from those around him because he is scared to show what he actually looks like. What this film is really trying to express is the idea of seeing someone for who they are regardless of what they might look like on the outside. The always fantastic Michael Fassbender plays Frank brilliantly alongside someone who is quickly becoming one of my favorite actors, Domnhall Gleeson. ——————————————– Burn After Reading (2008)
Rating: 3/4 Director: Joel & Ethan Coen Writers: Joel & Ethan Coen Cast: Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton, Richard Jenkins |
AuthorPat Brennan: Recent Film grad from Temple University with a love for all aspects of film. David Fincher for life.
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