One of the best things about my love affair with the movies is that I can see a movie more than once and get something different out of it every time. The movie can take on a new meaning, inspire me, force me out of a funk or just relax me for the night. I watched A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints this week and this time this film has inspired me in a way that makes me want to start making another film.
I can’t quite put my finger on why I love this film so much, or why I find it uplifting instead of saddening, but I do. When I watch A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints I know this summer in Dito’s life was traumatic and horrible, but watching the film you know that it was actually transforming, it was something that made him who he is today and he can’t escape that which is why the last line of narration in the film is so damn important – “In the end – just like I said – I left everything, and everyone. But no one, no one has ever left me.”
For me, everything I love about this film actually goes back to the style inherent in the film. It’s incredibly unique and that’s why I find it so inspiring. From the music choices, editing style, actors chosen, time line and narration of the film every element in this film works together perfectly to give you a snapshot of a summer and a man, and the style gives it a clear insight into what he must really be like and who he’s become.
The fascinating thing about A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, at least for a film intellectual like me, is the perspective of the film. Dito Montiel is played as an adult by Robert Downy Jr, and as a teen by Shia LeBouf; it’s about the summer that changed his life and that he ends up writing a book about as an adult and comes back to visit his neighborhood. However, Dito Montiel is also a real person, not just any person but the man who wrote and directed the film and actually wrote a book about these events in his life called A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints. This might be one of the most autobiographical films I’ve seen in a long time and I can only imagine how unique an experience it had to have been for Montiel to put it on screen himself.
Right now A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints is making me wonder if there is anything in my life, stylized or not, that would be just as entertaining to watch and as healing to put from page to screen. I don’t know the answer to that, but you can bet I will be thinking about that. I can’t imagine what that would be like as an artist to have something I can put out there that’s so literally personal, and how freeing it might be.
Showing posts with label shia labeouf. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shia labeouf. Show all posts
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Friday, March 6, 2009
New York, I Love You
New York, I Love You is the second in the Cities of Love series; this is a ongoing film of anthology films that focus on stories of love, love of the romantic kind and love of the city in which they are set. For those not familiar with the definition of an anthology film it is a group of short films, usually based around the same topic. All of these short films have differing directors and writers and are stitched into one movie.
The first in the Cities of Love series was Paris, Je T’aime. While the differences in the “style” of Paris vs. New York are subtle the basic differences are that Paris was much more fanciful, and the Paris installment did not “stitch” together; while I love Paris, Je T’aime very much it did suffer from each vignette feeling separate and cut off from the others. New York, I Love You does not suffer from this; in order to feel more cohesive New York does not simply jump into the next short, instead it segways or transitions to each new story by meandering around the city. Characters even pop in and out of the background of each others stories to further the feeling of a cohesive environment that all these stories are set in.
My favorite story in the entire film probably had to be the segment with Ethan Hawke. He plays a writer who tries to smooth talk a woman outside of a bar.
I know that what I saw of New York, I Love You was a preview screening this appeared to be a fully finished version of the film – titles, credits and all – and yet I remember hearing that New York, I Love You would contain the directorial debut of Scarlett Johansson. Scarlett is even listed in the directors credit on IMDB and yet her short film segment is not in the movie. I did enjoy the directorial debut of Natalie Portman though.
This is not a film series that everyone will enjoy. However, if you want to experience a non-typical movie, or just something very fun, beautiful and meaningful this is something you should see. New York, I Love You is not a typical romantic comedy.
Directors: Faith Akin, Yvan Attal, Allen Hughes, Sunji Iwai, Wen Jiang, Scarlett Johnasson, Shekhar Kapur, Joshua Martson, Mira Nair, Natalie Portman, Brett Ratner, Andrei Zvyagintsev & Randall Balsmeyer
Maggie: Jacinda Barrett
Molly: Rachel Bilson
David: Orlando Bloom
Mr. Riccoli: James Caan
Johnny: Hayden Christensen
Isabelle: Julie Christie
Gus: Bradley Cooper
Alex: Chris Cooper
Lydia: Drea de Matteo
Garry: Andy Garcia
Writer: Ethan Hawke
Jacob: Shia LaBeouf
Mitzie: Cloris Leachman
Ex-Girlfriend: Blake Lively
Rifka: Natalie Portman
Hooker: Maggie Q
Camille: Christina Ricci
Abe: Eli Wallach
Anna: Robin Wright Penn
Prom Boy: Anton Yelchin
The first in the Cities of Love series was Paris, Je T’aime. While the differences in the “style” of Paris vs. New York are subtle the basic differences are that Paris was much more fanciful, and the Paris installment did not “stitch” together; while I love Paris, Je T’aime very much it did suffer from each vignette feeling separate and cut off from the others. New York, I Love You does not suffer from this; in order to feel more cohesive New York does not simply jump into the next short, instead it segways or transitions to each new story by meandering around the city. Characters even pop in and out of the background of each others stories to further the feeling of a cohesive environment that all these stories are set in.
My favorite story in the entire film probably had to be the segment with Ethan Hawke. He plays a writer who tries to smooth talk a woman outside of a bar.
I know that what I saw of New York, I Love You was a preview screening this appeared to be a fully finished version of the film – titles, credits and all – and yet I remember hearing that New York, I Love You would contain the directorial debut of Scarlett Johansson. Scarlett is even listed in the directors credit on IMDB and yet her short film segment is not in the movie. I did enjoy the directorial debut of Natalie Portman though.
This is not a film series that everyone will enjoy. However, if you want to experience a non-typical movie, or just something very fun, beautiful and meaningful this is something you should see. New York, I Love You is not a typical romantic comedy.
Directors: Faith Akin, Yvan Attal, Allen Hughes, Sunji Iwai, Wen Jiang, Scarlett Johnasson, Shekhar Kapur, Joshua Martson, Mira Nair, Natalie Portman, Brett Ratner, Andrei Zvyagintsev & Randall Balsmeyer
Maggie: Jacinda Barrett
Molly: Rachel Bilson
David: Orlando Bloom
Mr. Riccoli: James Caan
Johnny: Hayden Christensen
Isabelle: Julie Christie
Gus: Bradley Cooper
Alex: Chris Cooper
Lydia: Drea de Matteo
Garry: Andy Garcia
Writer: Ethan Hawke
Jacob: Shia LaBeouf
Mitzie: Cloris Leachman
Ex-Girlfriend: Blake Lively
Rifka: Natalie Portman
Hooker: Maggie Q
Camille: Christina Ricci
Abe: Eli Wallach
Anna: Robin Wright Penn
Prom Boy: Anton Yelchin
Monday, September 29, 2008
Eagle Eye
I have loved DJ Caruso’s films since I was introduced to his debut feature film The Salton Sea when I was in college. I see a lot of talent in DJ Caruso and I have been waiting for another film to match the level of talent he showed in his debut feature film. Eagle Eye is not that film, but that does not mean it’s not an enjoyable film. Anything by DJ is worth watching at least once.
What I did love about Eagle Eye is that I finally got to see DJ do a straight out action film; they gave him a budget and let him blow up anything he wanted – and he does. The only problem with the film is kind of the problem with all action films nowadays, the cutting is so chaotic during the action bits that it becomes very muddled and hard to follow. More than once I thought the protagonists had their car crashed, shot or set on fire only to find out that was a different car. It was rather annoying, but most action films have been having this issue since the Jason Bourne series hit the cinemas. This film actually reminds me of very early Michael Bay films - you know, when he still had a plot to his movies.
To me Eagle Eye was a little predictable on one level, because when a certain piece of the plot was revealed I guessed a big chunk of what was going on – but I see more movies than most people so that’s kind of understandable. It felt a little to me like 2001 meets Patriot Games.
What does work is the actors. This is a conspiracy theory that does not have a lot of time to develop deep characters, so your actors have to have the right chemistry from scene one so you as an audience member can wait to learn about the characters as you go along with the story. Michelle Monaghan & Shia LaBeouf have chemistry. They bring a vivacity to the screen that shows one of DJ’s true talents – casting the right people in the right parts.
All in all, Eagle Eye is not a perfect film, but it is what an action movie should be: a smart, fun adrenaline rush that keeps you guessing and makes you want to see what is going to happen next. Just be prepared for the political commentary.
Director: DJ Caruso
Writers: John Glenn, Travis Wright, Hillary Seitz & Dan McDermott
Jerry Shaw: Shia LaBeouf
Rachel Holloman: Michelle Monaghan
Zoe Perez: Rosario Dawson
Defense Secretary Callister: Michael Chiklis
Agent Toby Grant: Ethan Embry
Agent Thomas Morgan: Billy Bob Thornton
William Shaw: William Sadler
What I did love about Eagle Eye is that I finally got to see DJ do a straight out action film; they gave him a budget and let him blow up anything he wanted – and he does. The only problem with the film is kind of the problem with all action films nowadays, the cutting is so chaotic during the action bits that it becomes very muddled and hard to follow. More than once I thought the protagonists had their car crashed, shot or set on fire only to find out that was a different car. It was rather annoying, but most action films have been having this issue since the Jason Bourne series hit the cinemas. This film actually reminds me of very early Michael Bay films - you know, when he still had a plot to his movies.
To me Eagle Eye was a little predictable on one level, because when a certain piece of the plot was revealed I guessed a big chunk of what was going on – but I see more movies than most people so that’s kind of understandable. It felt a little to me like 2001 meets Patriot Games.
What does work is the actors. This is a conspiracy theory that does not have a lot of time to develop deep characters, so your actors have to have the right chemistry from scene one so you as an audience member can wait to learn about the characters as you go along with the story. Michelle Monaghan & Shia LaBeouf have chemistry. They bring a vivacity to the screen that shows one of DJ’s true talents – casting the right people in the right parts.
All in all, Eagle Eye is not a perfect film, but it is what an action movie should be: a smart, fun adrenaline rush that keeps you guessing and makes you want to see what is going to happen next. Just be prepared for the political commentary.
Director: DJ Caruso
Writers: John Glenn, Travis Wright, Hillary Seitz & Dan McDermott
Jerry Shaw: Shia LaBeouf
Rachel Holloman: Michelle Monaghan
Zoe Perez: Rosario Dawson
Defense Secretary Callister: Michael Chiklis
Agent Toby Grant: Ethan Embry
Agent Thomas Morgan: Billy Bob Thornton
William Shaw: William Sadler
Thursday, September 25, 2008
A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints
Lately, I have had a fascination with watching Robert Downey Jr. movies. I’d forgotten how much I love him as an actor until I picked up Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and threw it into my DVD player a few months ago. Now I am obsessed. Since I opened a Netflix account and now have access to everything I added most of Downey’s catalog and Christian Bale’s to my queue. The latest Downey film I received is A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints.
The film is autobiographical about the life of the director/writer of the film and book - Dito. In the film Dito is played by Robert Downey Jr. in the 2005 time line and Shia LaBeouff in the 1986 time line. In the present Dito has just written the book about his life as a teen in Queens and why he left, and his mother gives him a call because his father is sick and won’t go to the hospital so she wants Dito to attempt coming home and taking him. Dito left home in 1986 and hasn’t been back since. The film recounts the events that led up to Dito fleeing home in the flashbacks with Shia LaBeouf.
I enjoyed this movie, but I don’t think that it is one that will appeal to the mass audience. The director has chosen to add some experimental elements into the film that won’t sit well with a large portion of the audience. There is subtitles put in the film when they would not normally be necessary, portions are edited similar to The Limey where you flash forward and backward with characters during a conversation so you don’t see them speaking while you hear them conversing, and the fourth wall is broken multiple times.
It is my opinion that this film worked in this format because it was made by the author of the book. It is obviously not a faithful adaptation to the entire book, but rather focuses on something very specific that Dito needed to work through – his relationship with his father and the life that he wanted for his son. This is actually one movie that really makes me want to learn more about the man behind it and read the book.
Director & Writer: Dito Montiel
Dito: Robert Downey Jr.
Young Dito: Shia LaBeouf
Flora: Dianne Wiest
Laurie: Rosario Dawson
Young Laurie: Melonie Diaz
Diane: Julia Garro
Jenny: Elenore Hendricks
Guiseppe: Adam Scarimbolo
Nerf: Scott Campbell
Young Nerf: Peter Tambakis
Antonio: Eric Roberts
Young Antonio: Channing Tatum
Monty: Chazz Palminteri
Mike: Martin Compston
Frank: Anthony DeSando
Dito: In the end - just like I said - I left everything, and everyone. But no one, no one has ever left me
The film is autobiographical about the life of the director/writer of the film and book - Dito. In the film Dito is played by Robert Downey Jr. in the 2005 time line and Shia LaBeouff in the 1986 time line. In the present Dito has just written the book about his life as a teen in Queens and why he left, and his mother gives him a call because his father is sick and won’t go to the hospital so she wants Dito to attempt coming home and taking him. Dito left home in 1986 and hasn’t been back since. The film recounts the events that led up to Dito fleeing home in the flashbacks with Shia LaBeouf.
I enjoyed this movie, but I don’t think that it is one that will appeal to the mass audience. The director has chosen to add some experimental elements into the film that won’t sit well with a large portion of the audience. There is subtitles put in the film when they would not normally be necessary, portions are edited similar to The Limey where you flash forward and backward with characters during a conversation so you don’t see them speaking while you hear them conversing, and the fourth wall is broken multiple times.
It is my opinion that this film worked in this format because it was made by the author of the book. It is obviously not a faithful adaptation to the entire book, but rather focuses on something very specific that Dito needed to work through – his relationship with his father and the life that he wanted for his son. This is actually one movie that really makes me want to learn more about the man behind it and read the book.
Director & Writer: Dito Montiel
Dito: Robert Downey Jr.
Young Dito: Shia LaBeouf
Flora: Dianne Wiest
Laurie: Rosario Dawson
Young Laurie: Melonie Diaz
Diane: Julia Garro
Jenny: Elenore Hendricks
Guiseppe: Adam Scarimbolo
Nerf: Scott Campbell
Young Nerf: Peter Tambakis
Antonio: Eric Roberts
Young Antonio: Channing Tatum
Monty: Chazz Palminteri
Mike: Martin Compston
Frank: Anthony DeSando
Dito: In the end - just like I said - I left everything, and everyone. But no one, no one has ever left me
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
It’s been nineteen years since Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was released to theatres. Nineteen years for fans to hope that maybe, someday they’d get to see the everyman hero named Indy crack his whip in a new adventure again. Last night at 12:01 a.m. the wait ended and fans are going to be divided directly down the line.
I cannot say that Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a bad movie. It is well shot by Janusz Kaminski (although it looks vastly different than any of the previous films), there are numerous iconic images that strike of what makes Spielberg the king of Hollywood, the action sequences are fun, and Indy does get out of tight situations by the combination of brains and brawn that we have come to expect from the character.
This being said, my problem with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is that the movie takes us to a place where I don’t think Indy belongs. I have no problem with the Cold War instead of the Nazi’s trying to take over the world, but aliens are stretching it. Indy himself doesn’t even seem to do much in the “detective” work that we’re so used to seeing him do; he follows an old friends instructions and this old friend turns out to be bat crazy then they just kind of jaunt together wherever old crazy tells them to go.
All of the Indiana Jones films harken back to the over-the-top action adventure movies of the golden era of cinema, but Raiders of the Lost Ark, Temple of Doom and The Last Crusade still managed to create realistic characters, realistic (yet fanciful) adventures and amazing action – yet Kingdom of the Crystal Skull seems to have finally walked just over the line where an homage to old action movies becomes a literal translation of old action movies. And this time we get old sci-fi movies as well, and I tell you I don’t think Doctor Jones can pull off sci-fi.
I won’t post any spoilers here as I know that this movie is going to be seen by almost everyone I know this weekend, but I will stress that you need to go into the movie knowing that this is not the Indiana Jones you remember, this is an Indiana Jones movie made for a new generation of kids who don’t want to think about what they are watching.
This is my final opinion: I waited nineteen years for a sequel to a movie that really didn’t need a sequel, I know that they had fun making it, but I would have waited another year or two for a movie that felt more like an Indiana Jones movie, not a movie that feels like another movie that happens to have the Indiana Jones characters in it.
I think far too many movies are being made nowadays because they are “fun” movies to watch. What happened to the days where my “fun” movies to watch were also smart?
Director: Steven Spielberg
Writer: David Koepp
Indiana Jones: Harrison Ford
Marion Ravenwood: Karen Allen
Mutt: Shia LaBeouf
Mac: Ray winstone
Irina Spalko: Cate Blanchett
Indiana Jones: Put your hands down will you, you're embarrassing us.
I cannot say that Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a bad movie. It is well shot by Janusz Kaminski (although it looks vastly different than any of the previous films), there are numerous iconic images that strike of what makes Spielberg the king of Hollywood, the action sequences are fun, and Indy does get out of tight situations by the combination of brains and brawn that we have come to expect from the character.
This being said, my problem with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is that the movie takes us to a place where I don’t think Indy belongs. I have no problem with the Cold War instead of the Nazi’s trying to take over the world, but aliens are stretching it. Indy himself doesn’t even seem to do much in the “detective” work that we’re so used to seeing him do; he follows an old friends instructions and this old friend turns out to be bat crazy then they just kind of jaunt together wherever old crazy tells them to go.
All of the Indiana Jones films harken back to the over-the-top action adventure movies of the golden era of cinema, but Raiders of the Lost Ark, Temple of Doom and The Last Crusade still managed to create realistic characters, realistic (yet fanciful) adventures and amazing action – yet Kingdom of the Crystal Skull seems to have finally walked just over the line where an homage to old action movies becomes a literal translation of old action movies. And this time we get old sci-fi movies as well, and I tell you I don’t think Doctor Jones can pull off sci-fi.
I won’t post any spoilers here as I know that this movie is going to be seen by almost everyone I know this weekend, but I will stress that you need to go into the movie knowing that this is not the Indiana Jones you remember, this is an Indiana Jones movie made for a new generation of kids who don’t want to think about what they are watching.
This is my final opinion: I waited nineteen years for a sequel to a movie that really didn’t need a sequel, I know that they had fun making it, but I would have waited another year or two for a movie that felt more like an Indiana Jones movie, not a movie that feels like another movie that happens to have the Indiana Jones characters in it.
I think far too many movies are being made nowadays because they are “fun” movies to watch. What happened to the days where my “fun” movies to watch were also smart?
Director: Steven Spielberg
Writer: David Koepp
Indiana Jones: Harrison Ford
Marion Ravenwood: Karen Allen
Mutt: Shia LaBeouf
Mac: Ray winstone
Irina Spalko: Cate Blanchett
Indiana Jones: Put your hands down will you, you're embarrassing us.
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