I am Shiva the destroyer, your harbinger of doom this evening

I am biased toward Anne Hathaway, probably because people tell me I look like her (it's flattering, though I don't see it), but she makes things easier for me because she's a really talented actress. The girl who was a high-school-student-turned-princess at the beginning of her career made an amazing transformation into the troubled Kym in Rachel Getting Married.

Not all is well in Kym's family, which is made immediately made apparent. Kym is sitting on a bench next with a pyromaniac and a nurse, waiting for her father to pick her up. The pyro, twitchy as he is, gives us some important information: Kym has killed someone with a car. We won't find out until much later in the film about what happened exactly, and the circumstances surrounding Kym's rehab lurks in the background while she is home.

Hathaway (The Princess Diaries, Becoming Jane) plays a much different role than I've ever seen of her. She isn't America's sweetheart. Instead, she is a snarky, bitter young woman who purposely makes things difficult. For instance, when she says she's thirsty, her step-mom offers her a diet Coke. Kym's response: "I prefer Pepsi, from a fountain."

Her character quickly cycles through emotions. When Kym first sees her sister Rachel the two are giddy, giggling and finishing each other's sentences; however, a few hours later have the two sniping at each other when Kym takes offense at something. She's constantly on the outside, sitting away from people, being told not to do something and being kept in the dark about things. Kym also isolates herself, unable to step aside and let the spotlight shine on her sister. Instead, everything has to be about her recovery and return, which causes fighting.

It isn't until Kym predictably hits rock bottom that she and her sister come together again and make amends for the fighting of the past few days. Kym isn't just going to rehab anymore, it's really working at this point in the movie.

The movie feels less like a movie and more like we are watching a few days in their lives. This is mostly because of how the movie is shot - the shaky, moving camera and minimal soundtrack make it seem like a documentary - and because the actors are so natural in the way they interact with one another.

The fun thing about this movie is that even though it is so realistic in the way it's shot and acted, it still seems like looking at another world. The dad acts more like a mom, fussing and worrying over Kym, doing the dishes and making food; Kym is self-destructive and can't just let things be nice; there are musicians constantly playing music around the house because they're there for the wedding; and the wedding itself is more a traditional Indian wedding, which makes you feel as if you're not watching a white woman and a black man getting married in Connecticut.

The movie is touching but slow moving. There are long periods of quiet and the plot moves forward an inch at a time. Also, try not to be confused by thinking Hathaway is Rachel. I had to keep reminding myself that Rachel was the sister and Hathaway was Kym. This is probably because Hathaway is the main character, but it isn't her name in the title. For some, this is a movie to skip, but I thought it was worth a rental, just to see it once. But probably one time only.

Rachel Getting Married was released on DVD on March 10. The DVD has the usual extras - deleted scenes, cast and crew commentary, and behind the scenes - but it also has a piece on the wedding band, which was nice because the band was present throughout most of the movie.

Has anyone seen this? I'm having wonderful flashbacks to my childhood and I want to see this movie right about ... now.

Go see this.

No model for children

My first DVD purchase of 2009 was Role Models, and it was the easiest decision I'd ever made. This movie took a ludicrous storyline and made it believable, funny and just a little heartwarming.

There's something in this movie for everyone: geeks have Augie Farks (Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Superbad), who is involved with live action role playing and joins large battles where the people dress up; troublemakers have Wheeler (Seann William Scott, American Pie) and his smaller version, Ronnie Shields (Bobb'e J. Thompson, The Tracy Morgan Show), with their potty mouths and obsession with the female form; and the bored and disappointed with life have Danny Donahue (Paul Rudd, Knocked Up), with his deadpan delivery and comical facial expressions.

It sounds ridiculous, but the entire plot is based on the premise that Wheeler and Danny got in trouble with the law, but instead of getting jail time, Danny's lawyer girlfriend works a deal so they just have to complete 150 hours of community service at Sturdy Wings, a Big Brother-type program. It's silly, but it works.

Predictably, the adults learn something from the children and the kids grow a little thanks to the men. However, it's the journey there and the characters themselves who make the movie watchable and enjoyable.

The movie would be a dud for me if not for Rudd. His doubletakes, droll humor and facial expressions make Danny the most interesting character. He is the most adult, although he is having trouble being happy and his girlfriend left him as a result.

Role Models was released on DVD on March 10. Some of its special features include alternate and deleted scenes and on the set. Also included are bloopers which show the actors stumbling over lines and improving when they forget or can't say the lines. Once again Paul Rudd shines with his quick wit and self-deprecation.

Milk will recruit you

Even though Sean Penn was the only actor to win for his role in Milk, the entire cast was what made the movie. The expert handling of the supporting actors turned Dustin Lance Black's screenplay into a touching and inspirational story for the big screen.

The story is straightforward. Harvey Milk is a middle-aged homosexual who is still in the closet when he meets Scott Smith (James Franco, Spider-man). The two leave New York and travel to San Francisco. Dismayed by how homosexuals are being treated (bullied and beaten by police and unable to meet in public), Harvey runs for city supervisor three times before winning in 1977.

Black's screenplay unravels the story in a unique way. The film uses real footage from San Francisco at the time Harvey was running for office. These clips show gay men being corralled and piled into the back of police vans. Also, the movie is mostly told in flashbacks. At the beginning Harvey is speaking into a tape recorder, recounting his journey from New York and his election to office as the first openly gay elected official. However, he is foreshadowing his own death: the purpose of the tape is in the event he is assassinated.

The movie would not be the Oscar-worthy film it is if not for the cast. Penn, a usually dark and brooding actor, takes a turn as the smiling and flamboyant Harvey. However, he isn't the only shining star. All of the people involved in the campaign are fully fleshed characters brought to life by the ministrations of the cast.















Cleve Jones (Emile Hirsch, Into the Wild) is initially lost to the cause, but eventually joins the campaign as one of the most outspoken supporters. He becomes Harvey's righthand man and is there through thick and thin when the losses and continuing campaigns take a toll on Harvey's relationship with Scott. After Scott, Harvey meets Jack Lira (Diego Luna, The Terminal), a clingy, dependent, disturbed individual who often causes trouble for Harvey. However, Luna encompasses the characters flaws and makes the audience invest in him as Harvey is invested in Jack.

Amidst the stellar cast is one other standout: Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men). As city superviser Dan White, Brolin plays opposite Penn as the upstanding, family man. The chemistry between the two actors is undeniable. Harvey finds himself gravitating toward Dan because he believes Dan is a closet homosexual, as Harvey once was. Dan also tries to keep a working relationship with Harvey, but it falls apart. One of the best scenes is when Dan, drunk and confused, shows up at Harvey's birthday party. It is a revealing look at the characters and the relationship between the two city supervisors who, despite trying, just can't seem to work together.

I recommend seeing Milk. It is an enlightening look at the struggles and triumphs the gay community has gone through. The characters' stories will touch anyone's heart and the actors' talent makes it possible.

Milk was released on DVD on March 10, 2009. It includes features that look further into the movement. Harvey Milk's closest friends speak about him in one feature, key figures from Harvey's life reflect the many marches that took place in search for equality, and cast and crew share their stories from making the movie.

Who Watches the Watchmen?

At 12:01 on Friday, March 7, it would have been easier to answer the question, “Who doesn’t watch the Watchmen?” The extra $3 didn’t discourage college students from packing the IMAX theater to watch the unfilmable comic book on film at last.

The 12 issues of Watchmen were released in the late ’80s and portrayed an alternative history where superheroes emerged a few decades earlier in history and after the war in Vietnam was considered a win, Richard Nixon is still president. However, during 1985 these superheroes are now outlawed with only Dr. Manhattan (the only one who has superpowers) and the Comedian working for the government.

We begin with the Edward Blake (Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Grey’s Anatomy), aka the Comedian, who, despite his early demise, is the center of the films plotline. He is shown exiting his apartment via the window with a little help from a shadowed figure who just spent the first few minutes brutally beating the Comedian.


One of the most interesting Watchmen, Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley, Little Children), can’t fathom a regular burglar killing the Comedian and so, armed with the belief there is a mask killer on the loose, he warns the remaining Watchmen: Daniel Dreiberg (the second Nite Owl), Laurie Juspeczyk (the second Silk Spectre), Dr. Manhattan and Adrian Veidt (Ozymandius).

Each character has his or her flaws: Daniel (Patrick Wilson, Lakeview Terrace) is middle-aged and seems to have had no trouble falling into the life of a common man; Laurie (Malin Akerman, 27 Dresses) is in an empty relationship with Dr. Manhattan, (Billy Crudup, Big Fish) who she finds is more and more detached from humanity; Adrian (Matthew Goode, Brideshead Revisited) is the world’s smartest man and a ruthless businessman who revealed his identity as Ozymandius; and Rorschach is paranoid, dangerous and unshakably certain.

Rorschach narrates the movie because he is the one man interested in the Comedian’s murder, who could have done it and what was coming next. Although Dr. Manhattan has the power to make people explode, Rorschach is scary and dangerous in his own way, witnessed when he shouts in prison “I’m not locked up in here with you! You’re locked up in here with me!” He propels the plot with his untiring search to find out what happened to the Comedian.

The movie does a good job showing aging and retired superheroes who can’t quite seem to let go of the glory days, not when there’s a hint of something afoot. Director Zack Snyder filmed the movie in normal colors, unlike his previous project 300, but he kept the slow-motion fight scenes. These helped showing the superheroes as super again and showed the audience just why the Watchmen were people to be afraid of.

The actors didn’t have easy characters to play, but they managed to embody each troubled superhero. Crudup was believable as the godlike Dr. Manhattan, spewing lines about seeing time differently from humans in his soft, emotionless voice. However, the most surprising turn was Morgan. The Comedian is a very different role from Morgan’s stint on Grey’s Anatomy, and he pulls of the gun totting, trigger-happy, warmongering Comedian believably and with a dash of dark humor. However, it is Haley’s performance as Rorschach that drives the film as the central focus of the plot. He touched on the character’s insanity and ruthless drive.

Along the ride the movie hits some bumps that makes it feel like its two-hour length. The flashbacks, while helpfully giving insight into who the Comedian was to each of the remaining Watchmen, doesn’t help to move the plot forward much. They break the already slow action of the beginning and probably cause some to lose interest. It’s only in retrospect that the purpose of the flashbacks gains meaning: this isn’t just a superhero movie about good guys fighting bad guys. This movie has ambiguous good guys and ambiguous bad guys, and the comic was more about the characters and who each one was, rather than the end storyline.

One serious gripe is that the film was obviously aimed toward the fanboy out there. Case in point: the sex scene. It is corny and really only serves to gratify the fanboys who cheered when Laurie is finally shown naked and then giggled and guffawed when an inadvertently hit button activates a flamethrower, an obvious symbol of ejaculation that was eye-roll inducing in the book and even more so in a movie.

Although the story takes place during an alternative version of America’s history, the opening credits recreate the new history. As Bob Dylan sings “The Times They Are A-Changin’” we see the original Watchmen, who they were and what they were to the country, and, eventually, how they fell apart and to the wayside. This new history shows the superheroes in memorable roles in our history.

The movie is just another step away from campy superheroes toward the more human and fallible ones. Superheroes don’t come any more flawed than the Watchmen.

Is anybody out there?

Hello!

So the initial purpose of this blog is to complete an assignment for my English course, Reviewing and Publishing. Hopefully, I will become compelled to continue writing here beyond graduation. In the meantime, I will be posting at least once a week about movies. They will mostly be reviews about new movies, but one some weeks I will review newly released DVDs. And maybe I will comment on new trailers or information about upcoming movies that I find.

The next post will be a (delayed) review of Watchmen, which I saw in IMAX for the midnight showing. After that I will post some small reviews of various DVDs that came out this week because there are a lot: Milk, Rachel Getting Married, Role Models, Happy-Go-Lucky, and Cadillac Records. The week of March 16 I will be seeing I Love You, Man that Friday, because who doesn't love a good buddy flick? The Quantum of Solace is released on DVD on March 24. Adventureland and Sunshine Cleaning will be released on April 3 (Sunshine Cleaning will be released a few weeks prior, but only in New York and Los Angeles). Doubt, which I saw a few months ago in theaters, will be on DVD April 7. Then I will go see 17 Again on April 17, which I thought had a funny trailer. On April 21 The Wrestler will be released on DVD and that Friday The Soloist is in theaters. X-Men Origins: Wolverine is in theaters on May 1, the last day of classes for my undergraduate career. And to cap off the school year, I will post one last definite time about Star Trek, which will be interesting for me since I had no interest in the show or previous movies, but I'm oddly excited for the new one.

So, if anyone's out there, now you know what to expect in the weeks to come.