Film Reviews (Capsule): November 2011

From my Tumblr. These reviews are slightly longer than the previous capsule reviews.

Movie Reviews (November)

November was the month for great performances. I feel like I mention acting in every single one of these reviews. However, November was also the month for Michael Fassbender. Read these, and you’ll see why. He is now one of my favorite actors of all time. One of the best actors of his generation. Anyways, back to cinema. Another great month for film.

DVD:


1. X-Men: First Class- 3 stars


One of the best films in the franchise, mainly due to some brilliant performances by James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence, and the rest of the amazing supporting cast. However, the highest praise must be given to Michael Fassbender, who brings so much complexity to Magneto. Interesting plot lines, good special effects, and well developed characters lead to one of the better superhero films of the year.

2. The Company Men- 3 stars


A really depressing film that tackles an extremely difficult subject. Most films choose to shy away from current economic situations, but this film is brave. It does not sugarcoat its difficult topics and themes, and it definitely feels real because of the humanity involved. Ben Affleck does a fine job here. I enjoyed this movie. Or at least, I enjoyed it as much as I possibly could.

3. Water for Elephants- 3 and 1/2 stars


I don’t understand the mixed reviews for this movie. It’s one of my favorites of the year. This film feels like an old-fashioned classic Hollywood picture with big stars and a nice story. Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon, and Christoph Waltz all give great performances in a film about love and danger at the circus during the Depression. This film is elegant, lush, and beautiful in it’s simplicity. 

In Theaters:

4. J. Edgar- 3 and 1/2 stars


Again, another film that received mixed reviews, and it’s one of my favorites. Leonardo DiCaprio gives a mesmerizing performance, completely losing himself in the role of J. Edgar Hoover. The story is fascinating, dealing with the suspense and intrigue involved with the roots of the FBI. However, Armie Hammer is the real star here. He gives one of the most astonishing supporting performances of the year. Oscar-worthy. The best thing about this film involves the possibility of the romance between Hoover and his assistant. DiCaprio and Hammer are excellent at creating such a palpable and seductive sense of sexual tension. That’s where the real intrigue and sadness comes into play.

5. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1- 2 and 1/2 stars


Forgive me while I take a breath after typing out that title. Phew. Okay. I saw this film twice. Once at midnight and the 2nd time on Saturday of the opening weekend. (Okay, I can hear you all laughing from LMU. Stop laughing. Stop shaking your heads too)! After the first viewing, I had very mixed feelings. I felt like it was well done, but the beginning was so campy and unintentionally funny that I couldn’t handle it. However, after the second viewing, I liked it much better. The film is a little bit slower than the previous installments, but it is very good, especially towards the end. Stewart and Pattinson do a good job with the material. Lautner sometimes struggles, but he’s much better here than in previous films. (*Cough* *Cough* Abduction). The script is very uneven, but the ending is very suspenseful. Be warned for some extremely disturbing material, especially the childbirth scene. Breaking Dawn is one of the better installments in the series.

6. A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas- 2 and 1/2 stars


While not quite as good as the original, this film is one of the better comedies of the latter part of 2011. Harold and Kumar, again, get themselves into crazy situations. Except this time, Christmas is involved! There are a couple of really good laughs here. Some of the scenes are ridiculously stupid but funny. The film is offensive and raunchy, but at the same time, sweet in a way. If you end up seeing this movie, I recommend it in 3D. I wish that I got to see it in 3D because it would’ve been one of the films where the 3D adds to the fun and the experience. Even though Neil Patrick Harris is only in this film for a couple of minutes, he steals the whole movie.

7. A Dangerous Method- 3 stars


This film is getting some Oscar buzz and deservedly so. The performances here are amazing. Keira Knightley gives a great performance that is brave and chilling. She plays a psychotic woman with great depth. Viggo Mortinsen is also very good here as Sigmund Freud. A very different type of performance for him where he is cast against type. However, the star performer here is Michael Fassbender. He gives a subtle but extremely nuanced performance as Carl Jung. The story at hand is extremely complex, and it deals with some very interesting and disturbing topics. David Cronenberg’s directorial decisions are absolutely fascinating, and he does a great job with the difficult material.

8. Shame- 4 stars


One of the best and one of the most powerful movies I’ve seen in years, Shame is truly a film worth savoring. Michael Fassbender gives the best performance of the year that is so incredible and fearless that he deserves the Oscar. Carey Mulligan also gives a great performance here that is sad but beautiful. Steve McQueen, the director, really does a great job with this film. Extremely long tracking and static shots that last anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes long without any cuts or editing, it’s truly a sight to behold. The music in the film is excellent. There’s one scene with Carey Mulligan singing “New York, New York” that is one of the most memorable cinematic scenes I’ve seen in the past couple of years. I can’t believe that this film deals with such a disturbing and serious topic, but it’s incredible. The film makes you feel sympathetic towards sex addicts. The film very much deserves its NC-17 rating, but I’m glad that it stuck with the rating. Any cutting would have very much taken away from the power of this movie. If you see the film, I advise discretion. It is very difficult to watch. The sex is not glamorized at all, and the heartbreak truly hits you in a deep way. Once the film ended, I couldn’t get out of my seat. I had to sit through the credits and think about it. I went home and thought about it some more. It’s been a long time since a movie has made me think so deeply and feel so emotional. I’m calling Shame a masterpiece that will go down as one of the great films of our time.