The Calm Before the Storm

Summer is pretty much over, and with it, the first half or so of 2010. With summer ending, fall begins, and with that, a new season of films. 2010 Hasn't really been too remarkable as far as movies go, but there have been some gems, and more than a handful of films to look forward to as we get into. That being said, I'm surprised at how conservative critics have been this year, especially with the more remarkable films so far. Generally speaking, critics tend not to line up with the average Joe-Six-Pack audience members, and praise a film for being different, bold, and not just another brick in the wall. But this year there's been this odd knee-jerk reaction amongst critics towards more original, fresh, and different material.

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Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: Review 4.5/5

Let me be the first to say that watching this film, I realized that the marketing for this week's movies has been off. "The Expendables", contrary to popular belief, is not the manliest movie being released this weekend. That title belongs to Edgar Wright's comic book adaptation "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World". Why? Because unlike "The Expendables", a movie about shit blowing up with the action stars of yesteryear running around, "Scott Pilgrim", like it's graphic novel counterpart, is a movie about growing up and being a man. Like my colleague Kristen Sales, the comics the film is based on affected me emotionally and personally. Not only is the story very sincere and heartfelt, but it's also hilarious. For my money, not only is "Scott Pilgrim" one of the most visually stunning films of the year with some of the best action sequences in a movie this year, but it's also the most heartfelt and hilarious comedy of 2010. In fact, it's the funniest movie I've seen in years. 

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There Will Be Blood - A Shakespearean Analysis

This is an enormous thesis paper I wrote on Paul Thomas Anderson's epic masterpiece "There Will Be Blood" my freshman year at UT Austin. To this day, it's the singular piece of writing I am most proud of. Enjoy! Screenshots courtesy of Blu-ray.com and tumblr. Works cited coming soon when I find the original document file.

The opening titles begin to roll, accompanied by a void of silence. Then, a dissonant chord builds, the crescendo of the unnerving sound rising softly from the silence, building until it drowns out your own thoughts. Out of the darkness, an image slowly fades in with the music and finally becomes clear just as the volume reaches an almost unbearable level; a sweeping wide shot of the landscape of a rocky desert mountain range. But just as soon as the image fades in, the music goes into a decrescendo, and suddenly we are in a small cave in the ground, watching a lone man hammer away at the rock with his tools. He never speaks, and the music goes completely silent for the next eight minutes as we watch him dig for silver in this tiny hole in the ground. We hear nothing but the sound of whatever touches the dry and rocky surroundings; be it his pick-axe striking the stone walls of the cavern, his breathing and sighing through his nostrils, or just the sound of wind and footsteps against the desert ground. It isn’t until he drags himself to the assay workshop after accidentally falling into the hole and breaking his leg that we return to the wide open space that surrounds him; and thus return to the music that introduced us to this place.

The contrast between the environments in the opening scene sets us up for the larger exploration of the contradictory narrative elements of There Will Be Blood, and how this contrast between epic qualities and the claustrophobic narrative define the Shakespearean nature of the film.

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Inception Review - 5/5 "There's No Place Like Home"

"Inception", simply put, is a masterpiece. Rarely does a film come along that is this bold, this original, this ambitious, this powerful. But Christopher Nolan has once again done the impossible and created a film that is not only ambitious and epic, but exceedingly intimate and compelling. The film is thrilling, smart, and features one of the most emotionally charged stories to come out of a large scale Hollywood studio in years. That Christopher Nolan was able to make a film that is at once his best film yet and his most personal, while also making it on a grand scale is something of a miracle. Those who haven't seen the film yet should not be reading my review. First of all, I am going to delve into some spoilers, but secondly, stop reading this review if you haven't see it, drop what you're doing and go see it!

In a lot of ways, "Inception" tells the story of a man with one simple driving force. He just wants to go home. He just wants to see his children again. Cobb, played with subtlety and grace by Leonardo DiCaprio, is a lot like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. Not that there are any plot similarities, mind you, but Cobb desperately needs a pair of red shoes to click together. Cobb is an extractor, the best in the business, but he is also a fugitive on the run. He uses a technology called dream sharing, where he is able to infiltrate the mind of a subject and find out all their secrets.

This technology, and extractors like Cobb, have become invaluable in a world filled with corporate espionage. The process by which Cobb breaks into the subject's subconscious and steals their secrets is called extraction. However, a wealthy corporate CEO named Saito asks Cobb to perform inception, the process of planting and idea rather than stealing one, on one of his competitors. Cobb's right hand man, Arthur, insists this is impossible, that true inspiration cannot be faked.

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The Last Airbender review - 1.5/5 aka "Failbender"

Believe me when I say that no one is more disappointed with this film than I am. What should have a been a slam-dunk is a huge let-down. An even bigger shame considering how brilliantly written, acted, and directed the animated series it's based on is. Where to begin? The film is far too short, and feels like a combination of a Sparknotes booklet (albeit an incomplete one) and a "Previously on" montage to set up a new season, but missing crucial moments, information, and characters. In fact, I think watching this adaptation of what is arguably the best American animated show since Batman: The Animated Series is like reading the Sparknotes version of a classic book. Sure, you get the basic idea, but you miss out on all the subtleties, complexities, and power of the source material. What you're left with is a flat, unenjoyable experience that feels more like a chore than anything. This is largely due to the incredibly rushed pacing of the film. With a running time of only 103 minutes, they had to cram more plot into this film than humanly possible. I honestly was not bothered so much by the changes to the story as much as the massive amount of material left out. Word on the street is there was a 150 minute cut at some point, as is evidenced by the trailers, which include a great deal of finished footage that never made it into the final cut of the film. And it's not so much that they took out little things, but practically any shred of character development gone. It's just plot plot plot, but not even told in a very coherent manner, due to the rushed, uneven pacing. The writing is just downright atrocious. Seriously, the detractors of James Cameron should give The Last Airbender a peek. You'll find yourself wanting to watch Avatar again, because that film told a better story, with more interesting, well-rounded characters.

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Toy Story 3 review - 5/5

At this point, I think it's safe to say that Pixar may just be the greatest film studio in history. Simply put, Pixar has added yet another classic masterwork into their catalogue. That may sound like something from broken record at this point, but when a studio is as consistent as Pixar, how can one not sound repetitive when giving them praise?

Toy Story 3 manages to blend all aspects of what makes a great film into one incredible package. Outrageously funny, sweeping adventure, and heartbreakingly profound, Toy Story 3 builds upon the themes and successes of the first two films and not only matches their wit, charm, and emotion, but, believe it or not, surpasses them.

I won't divulge into plot details, as not only would that be a disservice to just how well the story works. The setup is simple enough. Andy is all grown up now, and leaving for college. The toys find themselves in a predicament. Andy has outgrown them, so what now? After a hilarious mishap involving some mislabeled boxes and trash bags, the toys end up being donated to Sunnyside Daycare, which at first appears to be a great retirement home for toys. But of course, things are not all what they seem. Soon, the toys decide they need to break out.

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