Shutter Island (2010)

Good intentions. That is what my first thought after I saw this movie. Martin Scorsese had the right idea, using old style movie making combined with a unique plot. Leonardo DiCaprio does a good job playing US Marshal Teddy Daniels. He is convincing in his paranoia, deteriorating in his mental state as the film progresses. The ending is fairly predictable but a nice surprise from the - he wakes up and the dream is over - endings. You know the kind where you go out of the theatre, thinking if it was all a dream, then why did I just waste my money in a sub-fictious reality. My biggest complaint with this movie is in the sound department. The score for the film tries to pull off Alfred Hitchcock's suspense-filled film noir era atmosphere. The overly dramatic, loud music is supposed to heighten suspense. It worked back then and in those style of movies but it makes Shutter Island feel like a cheap knock-off. Not only does the opening score try too hard, but the sound editor ups the volume unnecessarily giving the actors a cheasy entry into Ashecliff Hospital, an asylum for the criminally insane. This atmosphere ruins the first half of the movie, as the audience tries to forget that the director is putting on a dramatic thriller, not a spoof. The twist at the end definetly makes up for the predictibility of the rest of the movie, almost redeeming its earlier flaws. Good intentions, poor execution.

Young Frankenstein (2010) - Toronto

What a fun time Young Frankenstein was to watch. It had humour, it had a great cast and it a wonderful set. Sure the plot was stale and the same as the movie, but I wasn't expecting it to be any different. In fact, I probably would have been disappointed if it had been changed. The actors were very natural in their roles and nothing seemed forced. Roger Bart had great comedic timing and the two female leads sung beautifully. The lighting was artfully orchestrated with highlights of blue and greens and a subtly of darkness (it is Transylvania after all). Even in the dressing circle I good see every detail. The only thing that disappointed me was the similarities between this production and that of Spamalot. The humour was similar and the characters reminded me of each other, especially the diva. It wasn't a stretch or anything original, it was ment to be tongue in cheek in spots and laugh out loud in others. I just would have liked to see something more from Mel Brooks. I think that he could have stepped it up a litte.

Repo Man (2010)

Surprising! Ok, well not the whole movie was surprising, but the end was fabulous. The rest of the movie was a combination of the Minority Report and the predictable writing style of action films. The blue and black colouring is characteristic of the Minority report and the plot is similar but the action stands out on its own. Jude Law plays a convincing action hero with a soft side and Alice Braga manages to pull off a reformed junkie with more fake parts than you can count on one hand. The two characters climax in an interesting and unique conclusion, that is strange but well executed and definitely original. The overall film is a dark satire of the American health care system, where the main character removes transplanted organs from people who have come past due in their payments. The company responsible for both installing and repossessing these manufactured organs is "the Union". After one of the repo men has an accident and is sold a new heart, he has a change of perspective. He realises that he cannot remove the organs of those who have been sold a product they cannot afford, so the company can remove it and sell it to somebody else for a profit. "We cannot make money on full payments". And it only took a fake heart for him to realise he had a real heart all along. Awwwww. The movie drags a bit in the middle, once he makes the decision to not pay for his purchased heart - the hunter becomes the hunted. Its like we've seen that before, somewhere. The redeeming features are definitely the fight scenes at the conclusion, with some new knife fighting techniques and cinematography. Its not the same old, same old when it comes to last battle. There are some gory parts, so viewer beware, you do see a first person perspective of the organ removal in the beginning and the blood continues throughout. In the end, it redeems its flaws.

2012 (2009)

So the world is going to end in 2012, like we haven't heard that one before. And while the movie at least tries to explain the scientific basis behind why the world is falling apart, it fails in the one reason the movie was created, its special effects. Honestly, why the writers even bothered with a plot is beyond me, especially since they don't do much with it except add to its runtime. Of course the world falls apart around the main characters and the craters them around like winding snakes playing a game of tag. It is the same old just in the nick of time story with a more than obvious blue screen. The movie starts off with a tired middle aged man facing a personal crisis, played by John Cusak. This isn't a stretch for Cusak as he is constantly re-playing this type of character. At least he tries to act scared when the earths crust gives way. The movie continues to race towards its inevitable conclusion when a catastrophic solar flare emitting mutated neutrinos warms up the earths core to temperature that break the crust. Earthquakes and fault lines start to form as Cusak's character fights to take his family to the secret arcs (yes, like Noah) that the government has built in China to save all of the rich and powerful. By the time the movie hits the halfway mark, the plot leaves behind all semblance of hope when a pilot with barely a licence flies a Antonov cargo plane to China. The whole movie feels like a long Disney ride on crack, you know the ones where the chairs move and you can't believe that you are subjecting yourself to the nasea. Sometimes it's fun but for the most part you just can't help but laugh.

Introduction

The first thing you need to know is that I am a realist when it comes to my opinion on most movies. I love watching them, but I am almost always disappointed and typically walk out of the cinema cursing the creators for its flaws. I watch almost all kinds of movies and I can't pick my favourite. My list of must see films include Fried Green Tomatoes, The English Patient, Gladiator, Braveheart, It's a Wonderful Life, Lord of the Rings trilogy and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. My biggest bias, however, comes with rom-coms - must be the sappy side of me. I know that they are all the same but I can't help it. Recently though there seems to be no life or effort put into them anymore. Where are the fresh witty scripts? You can't even compare Valentines Day with Love Actually.

My biggest passion is theatre. Walking to my seat with ticket in hand and staring up at the big red curtain or getting a sneak peak at the set. Trying to figure out the mood or tone of the play before it starts based on what you see and then getting it completely wrong. I love it. My favourite playhouse is Vertigo Theatre in Calgary which is a small venue that only shows mystery plays. They do a fabulous job with the sets, direction and play selection. I don't know what it is about mystery plays but trying to guess who dunnit in intermission is half the experience.

So that's a little about me and what I like.