There is Not Much Magic in the Moonlight

After the success and acclaim of Woody Allen's last two films, Blue Jasmine (2013), and Midnight in Paris (2011), Allen has missed the mark with his latest film, Magic in the Moonlight. The movie stars Colin Firth as Stanley, the great magician "Wei Ling Soo", who is a true pessimist that finds great pleasure in debunking Psychic Mediums. The Medium he is trying to unmask this time is the incredibly upbeat Sophie Baker, played by Emma Stone.  

The movie began similar to a classic 1920's film, with the credits rolled over a black screen. Magic felt like an awkward throwback to the 1920's in cinema; the staging of the actors, the writing, and the sets all felt like a stage play rather than a movie. Many of the elements simply felt stiff or too overdone. 

It is unfortunate and uncreative of Allen to return to France in the 1920's; the same time and setting of most of Midnight in Paris. In many ways, Magic seemed to be resting on the shoulders of Midnight, not just because of the plot, but also because Magic's score was incredibly similar to that of Midnight's. For Magic in the Moonlight the soundtrack failed to be unique and became extremely repetitive.

The worst offense Allen has committed against the audience is the fact that the 97 minute film felt much more like 120 minutes, which did not support the script or pacing of the movie.
The one positive I can say about Magic, is that the cinematography is absolutely breathtaking. Darius Khondji did a fantastic job bringing us into the world of the 1920's South of France. 

Overall, Magic in the Moonlight felt immature and disappointing. There were some charming moments but they were not enough to make up for all of the film's shortcomings. It's safe to say you can save yourself some time and money by skipping this movie.

The Guardians of the Galaxy Rise Above the Rest

Guardians of the Galaxy, directed by James Gunn, at its core is the most heartwarming and friendship orientated Marvel movie to date. The film stars Chris Pratt as Peter Quill, A.K.A Star-Lord, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Bradley Cooper as the voice of Rocket Raccoon, full of cybernetic enhancements, Dave Bautista as the revenge-oriented alien Drax, and Vin Diesel voices Groot. This film has a classic storyline; a band of misfits put aside their differences and come together to save the universe.
The real charm of this film comes from its cast. Pratt brings a boyish charm as Quill, a human trying to find his way around an alien galaxy and Saldana breathes life and empathy into the lost alien assassin Gamora. Cooper especially rises to the challenge of turning a bad-talking raccoon into a likable mainstream character. The best character of film, however, is the humanoid tree Groot. During the 121 minute running time, Groot doesn't say much, in fact, he can really only say the words "I", "am", "Groot" and only in that order but this tree of little words still manages to steal your heart with his unbiased acceptance and playful attitude.
As enjoyable as this movie is, Guardians still has its weak points. Gamora's adoptive sister, Nebula, played by Karen Gillian, is part-alien, part-cybernetic enhancements. Nebula half being made up of metal, however, is no excuse for Gillian's stiff performance of the character. Ronin, who is portrayed by Lee Pace, also falls disappointedly flat, giving a lackluster performance as the film's main villain, a zealous genocidal alien.
Honestly it's no wonder why this movie is a Summer Blockbuster because Guardians of the Galaxy is definitely a must-see for friends and family alike.
Honorable Mention: The soundtrack to Guardians of the Galaxy is full of 70's and 80's classic songs and is truly the icing on top of this already amazing movie.

Spike Jonze's Her shines

I have always loved Spike Jonze. I think he makes really interesting films that push what we would consider to be normal. He tells stories that challenge traditional conventions and i have always appreciated that in a director.

Adaptation and Being John Malkcovich are two of my favorite films for exactly those reasons. Adaptation even takes it a step further by blatantly employing all of the traditional Hollywood techniques in order t open viewers up to how formulaic movies can be.

Her is no different in what is trying to accomplish.

Her was one of my favorite movies of the year and I think that is because it was super weird.

Mud is Indie Perfection

My mom really only likes comedies and romantic movies but I wanted to go see Mud as well as get her out of the house so she surprisingly agreed to come with me. Mud stars Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon but the movie really revolves around two young boys who find the fugitive Mud, played by Matthew McConaughey and agree to help him connect with the love of his life, Juniper, played by Reese Witherspoon. 

 I went into the film assuming the movie was about Mud but it is so much more. It’s about the time when children learn that love is not all they think it is as the main little boy’s parents go through a separation, he gets his heartbroken by a girl at school, and even Mud and Juniper’s relationship isn’t all it seems. It’s that moment when you’re a kid and you realize everything Disney has told you about love is much more complicated. I thought that was an absolutely brilliant lesson and the way it was delivered through the boy willing to do anything to help Mud because Mud is in love. Mud’s love is so important to the boy because then his definition of love isn’t completely destroyed. However, all of the events with Mud force the boy to reevaluate what love actually is and be okay with this change. 

The best friend to the boy is brilliant by his willingness to stick by his friend through everything and really shows what it means to be a best friend. The writer/director Jeff Nichols did a wonderful job showing how children will help someone in need regardless of circumstance. Children do not judge. If someone needs help then they help. I loved the innocence and the spirit the two boys had. 

 Michael Shannon was incredible as always as the best friend’s uncle. He could have easily been absent and uncaring as an uncle who was stuck with his brother’s kid but instead he compassionate. watchful, and  an incredible guardian. Not to mention, his constant innovation to make diving for clams easier was just awesome and showed how unassumingly smart he is. 

 The cast was perfect and the characters were incredibly complex and well-rounded. It was refreshing to have a story full of characters that could totally exist in the real world. 

 If you ever get the chance in the future, go see this movie. Seriously. Although it’s a small, indie film, it’s one of the best ones that have come out this summer. And my mom loved (and she never likes anything like this).

Movie Review In a Minute

Go watch Pitch Perfect. It’s a really funny movie with the always perfect Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, and Rebel Wilson. The film was written by Kay Cannon, who does a brilliant job showing ladies can be funny and they don’t need men to do so. Obviously there are men in the film, the rival acapella group for the Bellas but they are not what the film is about. Pitch Perfect joins the ranks of films that are feminist in a positive and empowering way.

Now You See Me isn't Just Some Magic Trick

It's taken me a bit longer than I thought to write this review because I wanted to see the movie one more time before I wrote about it. I really wanted to digest everything I saw because there was a lot to take in.

I first saw the trailer for Now You See Me at the screening for The Great Gatsby. The trailer intrigued me. The movie looked like a fun summer movie with a really impressive cast. (I've been wanting to see Melanie Laurent, from Inglorious Basterds, in something else since that film.) So I was excited for the film because I always like in the summer when the movies are more entertaining than serious melodramas vying for an Oscar. 

I asked to go see the movie when my family was taking me out for a belated birthday dinner. I was nervous about everyone was going to like it and how good Now You See Me was going to be, especially because my dad really wanted to see Star Trek: Into Darkness, which I knew for a fact is a really good movie. So I went into the theater anxiously waiting for the movie to start praying it would be, at the least, an entertaining film.

I have to say this movie really exceeded by expectations. I was so pleasantly surprised by this film. The story revolves around four magicians known as The Four Horsemen who keep pulling off elaborate heists as the FBI and Interpol try to catch them. The film is full of twists and turns and magic and Mark Ruffalo as the stumbling FBI agent and Melanie Laurent as the Interpol agent are the center of the story.  The cast is incredible. Laurent shines as the agent trying to figure out what The Horsemen are trying to pull off but also enamored by their magic tricks and with magic itself. I absolutely love Mark Ruffalo, he personally made me love the Hulk again. Ruffalo shows his depth as the absolutely overwhelmed but tenacious agent. As for The Four Horsemen, everyone was just magnificent. Each Horsemen has their own specialty, Jack Wilder, played by Dave Franco, is a master of slight of hand (and pickpocketing). Franco certainly has had an interesting career, with credits such as the last season of Scrubs, which as terrible as the season was, Franco was very good in, and 21 Jumpstreet, which again he proves that he is funny and talented. In Now You See Me, Franco proves that he be more than comic relief. Though he does get as much screen time as the other characters, he really left me wanting to see more of him and in my opinion, proved why he is the better brother in this film. Woody Harrelson is just a charming and funny as ever as Merritt McKinney, the "mentalist", and the film's comic relief. I have always been a fan of Jesse Eisenberg, Zombieland is one of my favorite movies, and even though the character is reminiscent of his role as Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network, I liked the role nonetheless. Eisenberg plays Daniel Atlas, the incredibly talented street performer, as well as the sort-of group leader. Atlas' one-time assistant, Henley Reeves, played by Isla Fischer, rounds out the group as the magician who pulls off life-risking tricks. Fischer is charismatic and proves that she just because she wasn't born and raised in America doesn't mean she can't pull of the accent. I think this is Fischer's time. She is incredibly talented and I have always liked her roles. I know that Confessions of a Shopaholic isn't exactly cinema gold but she has been in successes such as Wedding Crashers, Rango, The Great Gatsby, and the newest season of Arrested Development. 

Of course the film also features legends Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine. Freeman plays Thaddeus Bradley, a former magician who reveals how magicians do their tricks and Caine plays The Four Horsemen's sponsor, Arthur Tressler. The two are as perfect as always in their roles and as much I love Freeman, it was fun to hate his character as Thaddeus tried to reveal the Horsemen's end goal.

Like I said earlier, I was pleasantly surprised by this film because it was more than entertaining, it was also clever and the twists and turns were fresh. It is very hard to surprise me because I have seen it all and movies, regardless of how well-written or clever they are, usually have the same ending. This movie REALLY surprised me and I loved it. I mean when you think back it's so obvious because the theme of the film, "The closer you look, the less you see" really reveals a lot but of course you do exactly what the film wants and looks extremely close. 

Now You See Me wasn't perfect of course, the forced romance between Ruffalo and Laurent was uncomfortable and unnecessary and I wish the film was centered a little more around The Four Horsemen and not the chance after them, but it is understandable because there is supposed to be an element of mystery, nonetheless, I wouldn't have minded more scenes with The Horsemen. The ending is also a little quick because the film felt it necessary to end on the romance instead of going more in depth to what The Four Horsemen were doing, which again might be because the filmakers wanted to keep an element of surprise but I would have enjoyed an ending that wasn't centered on the incredibly fake and forced romance. However, this film is not for those who like to multitask or be on their phone while watching because it is focused around paying attention and looking for any possible clue as to what is actually going on and that is so refreshing because movies now expect you to only be paying half attention so their plots are watered down versions that can be easily followed if the viewer starts paying attention half way through.

This film is definitely on my list of recommendations to go see because not only is it fun, entertaining, and a good summer movie, it is also an incredible ride and highly impressive for a movie in its summer slot. I would give the movie a seven and a half out of ten. It is so well done for a movie I thought was just going to be okay. I am so thrilled that it turned out to exceed all of my expectations and was a film based on wit and actually, you know, watching the screen.

Wes Anderson Redeems with Moonrise Kingdom

Wes Anderson is hands down one of my favorite filmmakers. His style of comedy, the way he handles his subject matter, and how unique his films are is always refreshing. This doesn’t mean, however, that all of his films are good. The Darjeeling Limited is an example of how Anderson sometimes misses the marks. I would also add The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou but that film is actually quite good and just misunderstood when it first came out. The reason the film wasn’t widely received is because compared to its predecessor, The Royal Tennenbaums, The Life Aquatic didn’t really have the same vibe.  This might be due to the fact this was the first film Anderson wrote without his writing partner, Owen Wilson.

So after the failure of The Darjeeling Limited, Anderson came out with the incredible Moonrise Kingdom and officially redeemed himself. Moonrise Kingdom is a sweet story of an unusual and misunderstood boy who runs away from his boy scout camp because he feels he just doesn't fit in. He then later meets up with a girl he met earlier in the year at a Christmas pageant. I think Chistopher Orr of The Atlantic put it best when he wrote Moonrise Kingdom "captures the texture of childhood summers, the sense of having a limited amount of time in which to do unlimited things". Anderson always focuses on family dynamics but in Moonrise Kingdom (2012) he seems to focus more on how fleeting childhood can be and how fast kids try to grow up.

Moonrise Kingdom boasts an impressive cast of accomplished actors, such as Tilda Swinton, Francis McDormand, Edward Norton, and Bruce Willis. The strange thing about Moonrise Kingdom is that Anderson only uses two of his regulars, Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman. Regardless, the cast is incredible and this is one of Bruce Willis' best performances. He is sympathetic, funny, understated, and extremely relatable. It was an incredibly refreshing role to see Willis in. Edward Norton is just fantastic as well as the Boy Scout's leader and really shows the different roles he can play. Francis McDormand and Bill Murray just shine in their roles as a disconnected married couple. Jared Gilman as Sam, the boy who runs away, and Kara Hayward as Suzy, the girl who meets Sam, rise to the roles of unhappy adolescents trying to convince the adults around them they are not crazy or bad kids, they are just trying to find themselves.

Wes Anderson in undoubtedly the King of Mise-en-Scene because this entire film is steeped in meticulous shot composition and saturated in red and yellow, enhancing and strengthening the tone and ambiance of a Wes Anderson film. There is always so much attention to detail in Anderson films that he really creates a story within his own world instead of creating a story in the world the viewer is used to. It's almost as if he creates universes similar but quite exactly our own.

Moonrise Kingdom is quirky and fun but also very serious but the seriousness never feels odd or out of place when the mood switches. Anderson is a true master at balancing drama and comedy. The film is an excellent coming-of-age tale but is also more than that. The story has many facets and is relatable to everyone and everyone. I enjoyed this film so much, as I usually do with Wes Anderson's films, that I have to give it a nine out of ten. I highly recommend this film and any other Anderson film for that matter.

Thank you for reading and being patient while I catch up. Come back soon for a review on Now You See Me.