Review: The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

Ah….Wes Anderson, how can one not adore you? With a very particular style, I’m actually kinda surprised how his films continue to stay fresh. He has yet to fall into the trap like Tim Burton of only embodying one style to the point where you can’t evolve as a director. So how does Wes Anderson escape this? It’s hard to say, but I’m sure the constant changing moods created within his films plays a part...

Review: Donne moi la main (2008)

The film begins as an animation, showcasing two boys, one in a bakery and the other on the outside. They are almost identical. With a nod of the head they run off together with only the clothes on their backs and their knapsacks  One of the boys scares the other and they fight. They are obviously brothers. They walk on a deserted road. This is how it begins.

Review: Comme les autres (2008)

When Emannuel (Lambert Wilson) tries to bring up to his partner that he wants a child, Philippe (Pascal Elbé) replies that he is tired and tries to dismiss the conversation. This is essentially the basis of the plot for this heartwarming French romance/drama/comedy. Manu is 42 and wants a child. Philippe is 40 and wants to live his life. The tension around the subject builds into a breaking point for their relationship.

Review: Pitch Perfect (2012)

The first time I saw the trailer for this film, I had my doubts on what Pitch Perfect was trying to be. On one hand, it seemed like it was making fun of the "glee craze" and on the other, it seemed like it was taking itself a bit too seriously. Having now seeing it, I can say it falls somewhere in the middle of parodying the style as well as trying to be its own endearing glee story. To sum it up into one statement, this is the singing version of Bring It On.

Review: Young Adult (2011)

In a time where quirky characters and anti-heroes are cherished, Charlize Theron's performance in Young Adult rises to the plate in delivering an endearing unlikeable character. From wanting to swoon a married man with a baby to insulting the crippled at every chance, this film managed to create a story where you actually wanted to root for such a lead.

Five Best Films I Saw in August

5. Starry, Starry Night (2011)

4. Moon (2009)

3. The Skin I Live In (2011)

2. Dark Days (2000)

1. ParaNorman (2012)

Review: The Possession (2012)

 

There are a good deal of possession films out there. Besides The Exorcist, the list of the bad ones are numerous, and this one probably knew it would fall amongst that list too. To say the least, it seems like this film didn't even try to be something good. It's one of the most generic horror films out there, that only succeeds at being forgettable.

Review: ParaNorman (2012)

Before the 1980s, the zombie genre was very black and white in its content. It was horror, and nothing more than that. Luckily, after The Return of the Living Dead was released, this film managed to show a new face to the world of zombies by proving it isn't too hard to make a joke out of the undead. ParaNorman manages to take that lead and bring a new level once again to the zombie genre. In this case, making zombies "kid-friendly". 

Fantasia Review: The Kick (2011)

After a family of taekwondo experts move to Taiwan, they become heroes when they foil the plans of a thief, and this thief then goes to any length to get his revenge. It actually plays out exactly as many family friendly films do, where the family have their woes, and they need to find the power to stick together. The only difference for this one, is that it has martial arts thrown in the mix. 

Fantasia Review: Starry Starry Night (2011)

One of Vincent Van Gogh's most famous paintings, Starry Starry Night, takes a landscape countless have seen, and turns it into the extraordinary. This film followed through with that idea by making a fantastical world out of the ordinary. This film manages to paint its own picture of how reality and imagination can cross paths making the world seem a bit less cruel, especially through the eyes of two kids who are trying to find their place in the world. 

5 Best Films I saw in July

This has been a pretty slow month for me in terms of movie watching. Between trying to catch up on a million and one tv series and staying on top of the new anime season, I haven't had much time to fit in my film quota for the month. I still have a hell of a lot of Fantasia films to see, so hopefully August will be a better month than this one. Anyway, here's my top five for July:

5. Cat Ballou (1965)

4. Black Pond (2011)

3. The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

2. The Dark knight Rises (2012)

1. K-ON! (2011)

Fantasia Review: Black Pond (2011)

As of late, the dark comedy genre for both films and television has no doubt been catching on in North America, but it's clear that Europe continues to reign as the masters as it consistently delivers fresh new takes takes on the style. Black Pond, directed by Tom Kingsley and Will Sharpe, is one of the newest editions to the dark comedy collection that tells the story of the events that lead up to the moment where the Thompson family and friend are accused of murdering a man who was a guest in their home.With fantastic acting that delivered the quirky script so wonderfully, this is a film that will no doubt please fans of the genre. 

Fantasia Review: You Are the Apple of My Eye (2011)

You Are the Apply of My Eye is a Taiwanese film about an unlikely couple who grow to love each other when the girl, Shen, decides to help Ko with his studies in school. To get an idea of the feel of the film, think of all the immature and sex-joked filled college comedies you could think of, then add in an over the top romance to that story. This obviously sounds like it shouldn't work, but for the most part, it oddly did. 

Fantasia Review: Gyo: Tokyo Fish Attack (2012)

This is a film where you need an audience with you to watch it because otherwise it can become a bit of an almost painful experience.

Gyo is based off a manga by one of the most famous horror managakas out there, Junji Ito. This is the first of his works to be animated, and so enough hype did surround it. It's all about disease carrying fish who leave the water by walking on land with their robotic legs. At a runtime of only 70 minutes, the story never takes a breather, and instead jumps right into a disgustingly horrid tale.

Fantasia Review: Cold Steel (2011)

Cold Steel is David Wu's latest film that charges right into the action with guns a-blazing. In terms of story it may have taken a generic blockbuster route, but it still managed to never have a dull moment, and I applaud it for that.

Review: The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

The highly anticipated conclusion to the newest Batman trilogy has finally arrived, but has it lived up to everyone's expectation? In short, I'd like to think so. This film had much of the same type of Batman plot you'd normally get, but in this case, his newest enemy is the genius man with superhero strength, Bane. It also shouldn't be forgotten that Catwoman also made the team of masked villains, even when she spent the whole film flip-flopping from good to evil.

Review: Safety Not Guaranteed (2012)

Safety Not Guaranteed is a quirky comedy  about three magazine writers who for a story try to discover the mystery behind a classified ad in the newspaper asking if anyone wanted to go back in time with them. It's one of the first feature length films for both the director and writer, but they with this film they have definitely earned some attention because it's clear they have a lot of talent. It's also clear that this film was no doubt graced with a wonderful cast including stars like: Aubrey Plaza, Jake Johnson, and Mark Duplass. The film may have had some faults with its plot, but I would still say this film is worth watching.

Forgotten Film Treasures: Nobody Knows (2004)

This is a little segment I wanted to start on this blog where I shine some light on deserving films that may have been forgotten over time or just never got the attention they deserved from the get go. In this case, I wanted to take a moment to both recommend and remind everyone of the film Nobody Knows. It's a Japanese drama (borderline melodrama) about four kids who are forced to live on their own after their irresponsible mother leaves them. 

For a film to have its focus be on four kids, the acting is surprisingly good, believable, and sincere. In fact, the sincerity is where this film really shines. These are kids being kids. Of course, due to the circumstances they are put in, some have to take on an older role to help everyone else, but the performances are so honest that you sometimes forget these are simply child actors playing characters. 

It's a film that is no doubt heartbreaking, but is also extremely beautiful. Both in its emotions and in its directing. This is a must see!

Here's an extremely misleading trailer: