Director: Ron Howard
With: Daniel Brühl, Chris Hemsworth, Olivia Wilde, Alexandra Maria Lara
Not gonna lie, I thought Rush would be trash that's why I didn't watch it in the cinema when it came out. I had all the chance but thought that it's going to be irrelevant and didn't believe that it would excel even if I heard and read a lot of good things about it. I didn't suppose that a film about F1 racers would earn so much support from the critics and other award giving bodies so I ignored it. Ha! I've mentioned so many reasons but the primary reason is that I really just dislike Chris Hemsworth.
Chris Hemsworth proved to be a decent actor though, and his haters, if there are any aside from me, should give him a second chance. I thought he's adequate in capturing the happy-go-lucky playboy persona of James Hunt. He can be awkward at times but the change of accent and dramatic attempts are laudable. He doesn't irk me anymore. Howbeit, the reason why I loved the movie so much is the character, Niki Lauda and how committed Daniel Brühl was in portraying this not so likable yet disciplined German racer. Brühl achieved something that not many actors can do and that is by making an unlikable character lovable. Meryl Streep and Emma Thompson come to mind when I think of that quality and he is a nice addition to this line of actors :)). I can't believe that I almost didn't see it because watching Brühl act is such a treat and Niki Lauda the character is just equally captivating.
The first half of the film may seem like a generic biopic but the second half is not only exhilirating with the action and racing scenes but it's also striking because of the twist in the story and relationship of the main characters. It's receptive even to viewers who had no idea about Formula1 racing. Love the touch of computer game text effects during their races as it adds up to its entertainment value. The editing, the score, all commendable and if there's a Hans Zimmer score for 2013 that deserves recognition, it's his work here and not for 12 Years a Slave. Seriously. I'm not crazy about it but it's miles better than the latter. Some of its visual effects are kind of lousy though.
Rush should have gotten more recognition. It's a shame that it didn't have any nominations in the Oscars, especially Brühl's performance as it's not only competent and deserving to be nominated, it's really one of the best performances for films in 2013. And the fact that he's categorized as supporting is a travesty as Rush is probably more about Niki Lauda's story than James Hunt.
Her Director: Spike Jonze
With: Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, Olivia Wilde, Chris Pratt
"We're only here briefly. And while I'm here, I wanna allow myself joy. So fuck it."
"I think anybody who falls in love is a freak. It's a crazy thing to do. It's kind of like a form of socially acceptable insanity."
Spike Jonze gave Amy Adams a weird hairdo and weird fashion style but man, he also gave her some of the memorable film quotes there is.
As mushy as those quotes sound, Her centers around a lonely guy named Theodore Twombly who's just recently gone through divorce so that's already an indication why the film is sentimental. Sounds so basic, right? But Spike Jonze is everything but basic. See Jonze's past films - Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, Where The Wild Things Are. So to make things interesting, (as we all know already) he injected an OS with a female voice and personality to Theodore's life and eventually, Theodore developed a relationship with 'Her'. Her name is Samantha.
Cool? Sure. I loved this idea and Her became one of my most anticipated films of 2013 because of that super interesting plot but as I was finally watching it and seeing things unfold, I felt like I need to be rescued because it's kind of starting to feel ridiculous, opposite from what I've expected. I realized, what's going on with Theodore is actually kind of creepy. Am I the only one who feels that way? Probably. I just can't fathom the idea of a human emotion being invested to an artificial one. And this is from someone who thought that it's an interesting concept. It just so happen that after seeing the execution that I realized it's cweepy.
Nothing against out of this world ideas. Heck I love About Time, a film that involves time travel. Plus, I don't necessarily hate or at least dislike the film. I'm conflicted about it. On one hand, it's awesome visually and technically. The color palettes are pretty, great cinematography, one of the best scores for 2013 films. Spike Jonze is a genius for creating a future world with sophisticated technology that makes his viewers yearn to live in that time. On the other hand, I fail to see the achievement in his story. Its aim is to grasp his audience emotionally but that's hard when the emotions are robotic and absurd. Perhaps, this is when the 'insanity' enters the equation. Insane indeed. But I'm really having a hard time devoting any deep or serious emotion towards the film. It's not a good sign when I'm laughing in some of its most intense parts - OS sex, OS saying 'fuck you', OS surrogate, OS falling in love with 600 plus other OS. :/ I gotta give Spike Jonze credit though because this is what people are interested to see and Spike Jonze gave it to them.
Then again, I appreciate a lot of its aspects. It actually reminds me of Jonze's ex-girlfriend, Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation - the ethereal vibe, the city lights, emphasis in loneliness and silence, the dimness of colors. Exquisite! And I would rather see more films like this wherein the director is not afraid to take risks, to take his viewers to a different world. I'd rather be surprised or have a commotion to the story than witness a predictable one where there's nothing to talk about. I should just be thankful that Spike Jonze didn't go beyond what's already beyond and that is by making Samantha turn into a real human being ala Pinnochio. :)) I may have some problems with what occurred in the film but overall, Her is gratifying.
August: Osage CountyDirector: John Wells
With: Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Juliette Lewis, Julianne Nicholson, Chris Cooper, Ewan McGregor,
Margo Martindale, Dermot Mulroney, Abigail Breslin, Misty Upham, Sam Shepard
The film tells the story of the women of the Weston family whose lives have strayed until a family crisis reunited them back to the house they grew up in and all their hardships, secrets, imperfections and things they have left behind have been awakened. Meryl Streep plays Violet Weston, the filthy-mouthed, pill-popping mother of Barbara, Karen and Ivy played by Julia Roberts, Juliette Lewis and Julianne Nicholson respectively. It is these actresses that brought life and chaos to this conflict-filled play turned into film by Tracy Letts.
Overwhelming. With the star-studded cast and numerous clusterfuck plots that filled the film, it surely makes for an entertaining flick. But as promising and fun as it sounds, it's also immensely negative. There's been a lot of feel bad movies I've watched before, like Young Adult, Amour, Oslo: August 31st, Blue Valentine, the list goes on but this film might be one of the most horrible of them all. It all depends in your background. You either see your own family in the Westons or you're just thankful that you have a different family compared to them. Either way, it leaves a bad taste in your mouth. It's enough that we hear or witness family arguments in real life, but August: Osage County provokes us to recall these bad memories. In this film, you'll hear several words like ingrate, hypocrite, idiot and more. And now, just by thinking about it, makes me want to STOP them from fighting and saying these hurtful words :333. Trufax.
It probably got me too much but I've been in a lot of family gatherings when I saw this film and I just can't help but see some of our own shambles to it. Thinking about it, I'm pretty sure most of us, if not all, could relate to a few things 'bout the film and it's just harrowing to know how hardships can damage our lives, especially when it comes from our family. But enough about me, let's talk about their performances because I also consider this film a performance driven one.
Call Meryl Streep overrated but she's the best aspect of the film. I could repeat and say that she can go on and on and act for hours and I'll just watch her and feel blessed a hundred times but that's really what she makes me feel :3. Despite the negative nature of her role, she just brings me pleasure whenever she acts. Her screams, her antics as Violet Weston are amazing and call it cliché, but my favorite scene of the whole film is the funeral dinner scene and it's also because of her. Sometimes, I feel like Meryl Streep is secretly a bad person because she's so brilliant in portraying one :)). Julia Roberts as Barbara is also impressive. I'm not wow'd by her but her transition from the goody goody, funny and glamorous characters into the Barbara Weston kind of character is really commendable. No make up, she somewhat looked old, she looked bad as a character and she owned it. Streep and Roberts carried the film for me that I didn't notice the film's imperfections. The ensemble as a whole is praiseworthy.
If you're into dramas, August: Osage County will not disappoint you. It's one that will may make you feel bad because of its content, but will also make you feel good because of the wonderful performances from start to finish. I'm having a hard time categorizing it as a comedy despite some of the funny lines but the negative content is really overpowering that it negates all the jokes it possesses.
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