Circo

Posted on June 27, 2011 by Sarah

US Release Date: April 3 – very limited

Circo documents a traveling Mexican circus troupe family. At the beginning of the film, it is clear the Ponce family is encountering a lot of hardships – they are having financial difficulty and some family members are becoming tired of the traveling circus lifestyle. One of the major ongoing conflicts is between Tino Ponce, the circus operator, and his wife. She feels they are asking too much of their children by having them perform in the circus, and she feels that Tino does too much for his father (who originally owned the circus) without asking for anything in return.

This documentary was very interesting and gives audiences a glimpse into a lifestyle we otherwise would know very little about. Many people have been to a circus in their lifetime but very few of us think about everything that goes into making a circus show. Aside from the traveling and living on the road, the performers have to devote all of their free time to practicing and perfecting their act.

In addition to showing us a very unfamiliar lifestyle, the movie also spends a little time chronicling the rise and ongoing fall of popularity of traveling circuses. I thought it was interesting that Tino Ponce was one of four brothers who, after being raised in their father’s circus, all started their own individual circuses. The fact that they all could start a circus and prosper for some time speaks to how much more lucrative the business used to be.

The film does not try to glamorize this lifestyle at all. If anything, the main focus of the movie is the problems the circus life causes within a family. I thought this was a great documentary about a very unexplored topic. My one complaint is the ending; it ends with Tino’s wife making a decision that could have very serious consequences for the family and the circus, but we will never know how it turns out. However, the very last scene does symbolize the popular message, “The show must go on.”

Documentary Grade: A-

Posted in 2011 Release, A- film, Documentary, Foreign | Leave a comment

Something Borrowed

Posted on June 23, 2011 by Sarah

U.S. Release Date: May 6, 2011

When I first saw the trailer for Luke Greenfield’s Something Borrowed, I thought it looked like a typical, cliché “unrequited love until the very end of the movie when a person finally realizes what a mistake they have been making” chick flick. And, to a certain extent, that is what it is, but it manages to add some new elements to a very much overdone storyline.

The first thing I noticed was that the story isn’t told in a typical, linear way. Most of the stuff you see in the trailers, with Rachel (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Dex (Colin Egglesfield) realizing they might have feelings for each other, despite the fact that Dex is engaged to Rachel’s best friend Darcy (Kate Hudson), happens in the beginning of the film. A lot of the story of how Rachel and Dex met, and how Dex and Darcy end up getting together, is told through flashback. The parts that are told in real-time focus more on Rachel and Dex deciding how to deal with the fact that they kissed in the taxi, as you see in the trailers. This was a welcome break from the typical “boy meets girl, other girl likes boy but keeps it to herself and supports boy’s relationship for the sake of their friendship, girl and boy get together at the last minute” way these stories are usually told.

This movie also focused on a type of friendship that is often ignored in chick flicks. Rachel and Darcy are best friends; they truly do love each other and care about each other as much as any set of two long-time best friends do. But,  Darcy dominates the friendship and Rachel lets her. This type of dynamic between friends is very common, where one person lets themselves get walked all over just for the sake of keeping status quo. But, it is not a relationship often explored in this type of movie.

In terms of the acting, it was all mediocre. I really enjoyed John Krasinski’s character (he plays Rachel’s best friend) because I think he brings a certain sillyness and realness to characters he plays, especially Burt in Away We Go. I think Goodwin did a pretty good job playing the more serious, less aggressive friend. Hudson did fine and Egglesfield tried a little too hard. Steve Howey (who plays Dex’s friend) was completely character acting, but it was still humorous. Like I always say in movies like this, there’s only a certain level the acting really needs to reach, and this movie reaches it without any major issues.

The ending is mostly cliché but does have one surprise, which doesn’t really make any sense unless you see the movie, but I appreciated the fact that it wasn’t 100% cliché. This is a pretty good movie and it was worth seeing in a matinee or when it comes out for renting, but I wouldn’t pay full price for it.

Acting Grade: C+
Overall Grade: B-


Posted in 2011 Release, B- film, C+ Acting, Comedy, Romance | Leave a comment

Water for Elephants

Posted on June 15, 2011 by Sarah

U.S. Release Date: April 22, 2011

Water for Elephants tells the story of Jacob (Robert Pattinson), a Cornell veterinary student who has to drop out when his parents are tragically killed in a car accident. He is left with no money and no home, so he jumps on a train that happens to be carrying the Benzini Brothers’ Circus. He gets a job as the show’s vet (even though he never finished his degree) and eventually falls in love with Marlena (Reese Witherspoon), the woman who performs with the animals. The fact that Marlena is married to August (Christoph Waltz), the violent, bipolar circus ringmaster, puts Jacob and all of his friends in physical danger.

I wasn’t that excited going into this movie because it’s based on a book and I can only think of one movie (Requiem for a Dream) that I’ve ever enjoyed more than the book. Most don’t even come close. But, Water for Elephants does a pretty good job at staying as true to the book as possible. There were, of course, changes, but most of the changes were understandable and didn’t affect the storyline in any major way. There is one thing in the book I do wish was included in the film; in the book, the climax scene, where the animals escape from their cages, is told twice – once at the very beginning of the book and once near the end, where it belongs chronologically. Without giving too much away, there is one major difference in these two scenes and while it seems pretty clear which version is the “real” version, the issue is up for debate and you could argue either one is the one that really happened. In the movie, there is no twist like this. The scene happens once (and, for the record, it’s a lot more dramatic than in the book) and there is no question as to what happens and whose fault it is.

Since the film does stay so true to the book, if you’ve read it you already kind of know how it will end. I would be curious to see what someone who hasn’t read the book thinks of the plot and the way the story is told.

As far as the acting, most of the actors do a decent job. I don’t have any complaints about the main characters, although I do think Robert Pattinson could have done a little less of his typical quiet, broody, mumbling characteristics he usually tends to bring to roles. However, this could easily have been his interpretation of Jacob, since he does spend a good amount of the movie living in fear or doing things in secret. Reese Witherspoon does a good job but I couldn’t help but feel like I’ve already seen her play the tortured girlfriend/wife of someone with mental instability in Walk the Line. Christoph Waltz is the one actor who does an amazing job. Sean Penn was originally slated for this role, and while I think he would have done well, I think Christoph Waltz was the perfect casting choice.

All in all, I was pleasantly surprised by Water for Elephants’ adaptation of a great book.

Acting Grade: A-
Overall Grade: A-

Posted in 2011 Release, A- acting, A- film, Drama, Romance | Leave a comment

Arthur

Posted on May 31, 2011 by Sarah

U.S. Release Date: April 8, 2011

Arthur is a remake of the 1981 film (with the same name) and tells the story of a childish adult (Russel Brand) who will inherit a $950 million fortune after marrying an heiress (Jennifer Garner). When he falls in love with someone else and does not want to marry the heiress, his mother cuts him off from the money.

I’ve heard a lot of people who have seen the original version say they don’t want to see the remake. I have never seen the original so I went in without many preconceived opinions. The film was better than I expected (although the trailer didn’t make it look very good, so that isn’t necessarily saying much) but there just isn’t a lot to say about it. It was silly and lighthearted, and other than that there’s not a lot to it. The storyline was predictable, but that is to be expected in a movie like this. It had its funny moments but it also had a few serious ones.

The whole movie is basically made up of character acting. Russel Brand excels at this (I highly doubt he can do any other type of acting) but some of the other characters (Garner, Luis Guzman, Nick Nolte, Greta Gerwig) are not as good at it. I thought Garner’s attempts at character acting were particularly bad; she isn’t very good at being silly. The only actors who showed some genuine talent were Helen Mirren and, at times, Geraldine James.

If you want to see a cute, predictable, lighthearted movie Arthur is worth seeing. If you want anything of substance and quality acting, you should probably avoid it.

Acting Grade: C+
Overall Grade: C+


Posted in 2011 Release, C+ film, Comedy | Leave a comment