Fair Game

It's tough to rate titles like Fair Game based solely on cinematic qualities like acting or the plot. Watching the movie version of how Valerie Plame's job as a covert CIA officer was leaked in the media was much like seeing it on the news a few years back. Sure, there were actors and camera work to depict what happened, but the film style was more like a documentary because of its content. In addition to the true events, there are books written by Plame and her husband, former U.S. Ambassador Joseph Wilson, used to create the script.

Plame (Naomi Watts) wrote the book Fair Game and Wilson (Sean Penn) completed his The Politics of Truth after the events that started in 2003. Wilson published an editorial in the New York Times that was thought to criticize the Bush Administration and to be the reason why his wife's very secret job became public.
As far as Plame, the film largely focused on her role in the CIA to ensure Iran didn't secure weapons of mass destruction, among other undercover intelligence-gathering missions. That is before "the leak." After it happened, she stepped into the shadows while Wilson worked in the limelight to show the truth. His efforts  only led to people think Plame used her role in the CIA to order Wilson to travel to Niger to investigate the source of uranium sold there, which led to his editorial in the paper. By the end Plame did speak to the public and Naomi Watts' scene was identical to what happened. They even showed the actual footage parallel with Watts' performance.
So acting and cinematography aren't the main key here. It's seeing a story of fact, and a pretty recent one at that, combined in a couple of hours to document a historic event. It's surprising Plame and Wilson turned out books so quickly when sometimes it feels like this just happened. But, it was obviously a very personal story for them both to tell since the national scandal had roots in their marriage. In the movie, the political/criminal aspects of the scandal were the focus just as much as how their relationship survived.
Watts excelled in scenes to show her character's personal strife about her marriage and strain on her family more than those about losing her career. If there is one cinema plus of Fair Game, it's Watts' acting. Otherwise, I overall enjoyed the truth at the heart of this film and attention to a story that made history.

Scream 4

Well, Scream 4 definitely lived up to my expectations. It's a perfect date movie, first of all, and as far as sequels go it stayed true to the original without being completely horrible. Well done, Wes Craven, well done.

To me, the first Scream was scary but watchable in that I didn't feel the need to close my eyes most of the time. The fear factor has disappeared as Wes Craven continued his saga, but he's also kept up the premise, characters and movie-within-a-movie plot.

In Scream 4, Sidney Prescott returns to Woodsboro for a book tour to share her story of being Ghostface Killer's target. Neve Campbell reprised her role as Sidney and all that means as soon as she steps foot in Woodsboro is, let the murders begin!

LOTS of people die in this one and there is even more blood and gore. Bravo, I say, bravo. Scream 4 is a homage to where it all began and is campy, entertaining and funny while pulling off the whodunit factor for the audience. That brings me to who you should see this movie with, a date! Like I said, it's not scary so if you tend to be a baby at true horror flicks (like me) you don't have to embarrass yourself by not being able to watch or screaming in a movie theater full of people. And it's a conversation starter, especially if you've seen the other Scream movies, to determine who the killer is and if Craven will return with a fifth installment.

Add in the Hollywood cameos and original cast members like Campbell, Courtney Cox as Gale Weathers-Riley and David Arquette as Deputy Dewey Riley, and you can also reminisce back to the days when the first Scream came out.
What's your favorite "scary" movie? Scream is a contender. You can jump out of your seat a couple times, but not be scarred for life. Craven has got a gold mine on his hands and better keep producing.
If you're looking for more of a fright risk and losing some sleep, try The Strangers or the first Paranormal Activity. Sometimes I am willing to be completely terrified in order to see some good cinema, so I'll take your suggestions. In the meantime, I recommend Scream 4.

The Lookout

As a writer I should know that it's never a good idea to leave a piece unfinished for too long, because then it may never happen. At work at the paper I can push through and get something on paper because of that whole deadline requirement, but this blog has proved to be a different story.

I have a couple of drafts about films in the hopper, but those will be have to put off longer because of my recent viewing: The Lookout.
I came across the title while perusing Joseph Gordon Levitt's resume on IMDB. While I would have rented the film solely because he's the star, I was intrigued enough by the plot and rest of the cast to move it to the top of my Netflix queue.
Gordon Levitt is joined by Matthew Goode (Match Point) and Jeff Daniels in the "intelligent crime thriller," as billed by the Netflix DVD sleeve. Usually I don't give much bearing to those descriptions, but in anything else I read that is all I heard about the plot. The little research I did ended up being a blessing in disguise because I was able to experience the layers of the story as a surprise and without judgement.
Gordon Levitt plays Chris Pratt, a former high school hockey star who is in a serious car accident and suffers a brain injury. From then on Pratt is a different person trying to start his life over while battling the mental and physical side effects caused by his injury.
Creator Scott Frank takes much of the film reel focusing on this and Gordon Levitt met people in real life who experienced what his character did to prepare for the role. The "intelligent crime thriller" plot only comes into play in the background.
Pratt works as a janitor at a small town Kansas bank that a group of "bad guys" intend to rob, with his help of course. The bank robbers befriend Pratt and designate him to serve as the lookout in their plan.
Strangely, an idea that can only go wrong in some way and not be a good experience becomes part of Pratt's recovery and process to move forward from his tragic past.
The Lookout does good by its plot choice and will make you think enough that if you were going to try and write about it as I am now, several edits will be in order.
But I gave my draft a second, and third chance and for that I recommend you try The Lookout at least once.

Your Highness

Who cares about Prince William's royal wedding, how about that of Fabious and Belladonna?

I had the pleasure of attending the festivities last night during a viewing of Your Highness. To be honest, I had no idea what I was in for and went because of the A-list cast and David Gordon Green from Pineapple Express in the director's chair.

He is joined by Danny McBride and James Franco, both of Pineapple Express, and starlets Natalie Portman and Zooey Deschanel. Rumor has it that McBride and Green, who went to film school together, came up with the plot during a game where one person thinks of a movie title and the other has to come up with what it should be about. Many years later their impromptu idea for Your Highness, a comedy about brothers Fabious and Thadeus on a quest to save Fabious' bride from the evil Leezar, was bankrolled with a sizable budget for special effects and again, the cast.

I've also heard that much of the actors' final lines came from improvisation on set, perhaps extending the level of low brow humor you can fit into an hour and a half.

Trust me, I have no complaints. I was not ashamed to watch and laugh while Fabious (Franco) and Thadeus (McBride) class it up on screen with about every dirty joke in the book.

I can't even repeat anything they said and the trailers on mainstream TV are all a mish-mash of the few appropriate scenes in the film.

But, I was happy not to have a full preview and be surprised with how far the cast and crew would go with their antics.

You'll get the most out of Your Highness if you're a fan of the cast and can appreciate their range in a comedic role. Franco was the perfect fit to play Fabious. If you've seen Pineapple Express, you'll know why. Your Highness is right up McBride's alley, from his stardom in the series Eastbound and Down and Pineapple Express as well.

He shares writing credits on the film and I wonder if there will be a sequel. As with most the products of Hollywood, especially comedies, I wish they would all end at No. 1. But that's rarely the case. In the previews before Your Highness two of the upcoming features were Hangover 2 and Scream 4. Hangover 2 looks like the same Las Vegas bachelor party, but in Thailand. I am debating seeing it as to not ruin my enjoyment of the first one. Scream I may see since it's been a while since the last release in the series, but they better draw the line with the fourth installment.

So, take this chance to see Your Highness now and then put it in the vault of excellent comedies that should not have a part two.

Flashback: The Brave Little Toaster

A while ago I watched Toy Story 3 (as part of my 2010 best picture nominees retrospective) and I was reminded of a very similar movie from my childhood: The Brave Little Toaster. All you have to do is swap out the toys in the Pixar series for household appliances and their owner Andy for an adult who abandons the items at a cabin and the result is still a movie every kid should see.
The appliances, including an electric blanket, vacuum, lamp, radio and of course the fearless toaster, come to life when their "master" is away and have their own daily routine, much like in Toy Story. And, as in the last feature film with Woody and Buzz Lightyear, the vintage appliances eventually decide to venture out to find their owner.
I'll admit it wasn't quite the same watching this movie now than as a kid, but the old-school animation was welcome nostalgia back to the 1980s.
I hope The Brave Little Toaster continues to stand the test of time. So, whether you've got a few youngsters at home now or are young at heart, please check it out.

The Adjustment Bureau

Anyone who knows me knows I have a bit of an obsession with Matt Damon. Don't worry, it's a healthy one centered on my appreciation for his acting skills and humble "guy next door" personality -- from what I can tell. He's
majorly famous (and handsome) yet the most down-to-earth celebrity I've seen in interviews.
If I ever meet him I hope I could maintain my composure and just tell him my admiration for his work. If this chance meeting happens anytime soon, I would start with sharing my intrigue about his latest project, The Adjustment Bureau. I'd love to pick his brain as to why he
chose the film, but that probably won't happen so I'll just go with why I like it. For starters, Damon's performance as New York politician David Norris definitely has my vote.

The film is based on a short story by Phillip K. Dick. I have not read it,
but played out on screen it's about some behind-the-scenes men in suits who
are able to control your life. Viewers will recognize John Slattery from Mad
Men and Anthony Mackie from The Hurt Locker.
They, The Adjustment Bureau, have the opportunity to meddle in the
characters' fate should they stray from their path. From what I could
understand, they don't fix to change your emotion or reason but will be on
alert if either of those will prompt something that's not meant to be.
Luckily for me, this borderline sci-fi story is set against a romance
between David and Elise.
I don't often check out any reviews before I see a movie, but I do make sure
to listen to The Movie Maven's report on The Current every Friday morning.
She gives an update of what's out in theaters for the weekend and enough of
an overview to determine what's worth seeing without spoiling the whole
plot. I would have seen The Adjustment Bureau anyway (again
the Matt Damon obsession), but my decision was affirmed by Ms. Maven.
First, she said the film was supposed to be out last year, but it was
delayed for release in March. I guess in the movie world that's a bad sign,
but she said it didn't hinder The Adjustment Bureau. And, her recommendation
was for newbies to the sci-fi genre to check this one out.
That would be me. There were times I wasn't able to make sense of the plot,
but it just carried me through the hour-and-a-half with suspense, subtle
humor and a very solid cast.
And, then the romance. Elise and David are taken in all sorts of directions
in their relationship with The Adjustment Bureau guys pulling the strings.
At one point with the Bureau in close pursuit and the decision to stay with
David on her mind, Elise shouts "What is going on?!?!"
I could definitely relate to that statement at times during The Adjustment Bureau, but for me watching movies is all about escaping to an imaginary place outside of reality for awhile this one fits perfectly into that
path.
It's all about plans and fate, so trust me, everyone is meant to see this one.

127 Hours

James Franco has been on my radar of late and with my mission to see all 10 Oscar nominees for 2010 I got to witness one of his latest projects, 127 Hours. It was the only one I didn't get to see before the big show, but I now know why the film made it to the big leagues. Several of the best pictures were based on true stories, which is one of the reasons I appreciated 127 Hours.

Director Danny Boyle took the story of hiker Aron Ralston falling into a canyon and being pinned by a boulder and presented an engaging visual depiction of a seemingly simple tale. I didn't think about it before watching, but what could possibly be visually interesting about a guy trapped for five days? Ralston wrote a book about what happened, which I haven't read, but I can understand how on the page his story could be compelling. Boyle and the film's writers, luckily, consulted with Ralston and watched tapes he made while trapped and turned out a work that is probably equally has compelling as the book. I guess it depends on your preference of medium which version of the story you'd like. There is the film, book, and of course the media frenzy about Ralston after his accident. But, the film as far as I can tell didn't stray from what actually happened and paid respect to the plight of someone who lived through such a harrowing experience. Audiences shouldn't be disappointed in choosing that version.
Boyle melds a one-on-one struggle a man must face trying to survive with reflection of his time on Earth since he realizes he might die. Other than meeting two hikers early on his hiking trip, Franco as Ralston is all by himself and has to act alone for a majority of the picture. I knew going into it that ultimately Ralston cut off the arm pinned by the boulder in order to climb out the canyon and have even a chance of survival. The journey starts with Ralston trying to get out from under the boulder, thinking of times with his family and friends, and ends with a grisly scene that shows the viewer as much as possible what it looks like and feels like to cut off your arm. It was incredibly graphic and not for the squeamish, but the scene couldn't and shouldn't have been done any other way.
Franco gets props too because, other than the visual scenery and music Boyle crafted, 127 Hours was a one man show. He was what viewers saw most of the time and had to be entertaining while focusing on pretending to live through someone else's life-threatening experience.
Back to 127 Hours' roots in Ralston's story, a film about such an accident and struggle would not have been at all believable if someone just came up with the idea as fiction one day and put it on screen. Even with the same cast and cinematography, the film as fiction would have lost me right away. But, Ralston decided to tell his story and leave it to creative minds to take it to the next level.
From all sides, 127 Hours holds its own with having a tale that's as heartbreaking as it is heartwarming to work from. What's not to give away is who Ralston is as a person shown by Franco during his five days in the canyon. We all know he cuts off his arm to be free, but not why he wanted to be free and the life he'd lived before the accident. It's one of those "I was lost and now I'm found" type of scenarios and the film really just took me away on the journey with Ralston.
Boyle redeemed himself from Slumdog Millionaire for me, and here's a guarantee I'll be catching up on what I haven't seen from Franco and his next projects. It's been a tough decision, but I've decided to let my Netflix queue run free and not add to or reorder it until I get through more of the titles. (I of course have a separate running list for when that happens). At least I know there is some Franco work in there somewhere, and I hope it comes up sooner rather than later.