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Post by RedSparrow on Feb 7, 2017 4:27:00 GMT
Reviews/Thoughts on Films or TV Shows (old and new) you've seen can be posted here. Please share your opinions. Cheers!
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Post by Lex Salander on Feb 7, 2017 5:28:22 GMT
Reviews of Films/TV Shows (old and new) you've seen can be posted here. Please share your opinions. Cheers! So is this where we post our review and thoughts on Rooney's movies? |
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Post by RedSparrow on Feb 7, 2017 5:49:15 GMT
Reviews of Films/TV Shows (old and new) you've seen can be posted here. Please share your opinions. Cheers! So is this where we post our review and thoughts on Rooney's movies? Yes, you can post reviews of Rooney's films and also other films not related to hers that you would like to share your opinion on :) |
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Post by Lex Salander on Feb 7, 2017 6:42:56 GMT
So is this where we post our review and thoughts on Rooney's movies? Yes, you can post reviews of Rooney's films and also other films not related to hers that you would like to share your opinion on :) Alright, thanks for the clarification. |
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Post by Lex Salander on Feb 7, 2017 6:49:27 GMT
This is my review of Carol, which I originally wrote and posted on my blog on February 18, 2016
Carol already had my attention when I heard that my two favourite actresses, Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchett, were both going to be in the same movie. It had a lot of hype, despite it not winning many of the awards that it was nominated for. After finally seeing Carol I have to say that it is truly one of the best movies of 2015. Todd Haynes’s excellent direction and attention to detail mixed with the great performances from Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchett makes this an incredible movie.
One thing I heard about this movie before going into it is that the romance is much more subtle than in other movies. That’s definitely the case and I thought it was extremely well done, however it wasn’t just the romance that was subtle. The acting and direction allows you to clearly see how the characters are feeling, without too much dialogue needed to get their emotions across. Also you might initially think from the plot summary that a big part of the movie is focussed on how gay people weren’t exactly able to see each other in the 1950s but it smartly focussed more on the actual romance between Carol and Therese, which helped us get pulled even more into the story, if that aspect was included it could’ve taken away the immersement of the love story. This is the first film I’ve seen from Todd Haynes, and after seeing Carol, I really want to see his other movies.
The acting is excellent from everyone. Cate Blanchett is as usual excellent in one of her best performances yet, and that’s saying a lot considering her performances like in Elizabeth and Blue Jasmine. Another great performance which is often overlooked in this movie is by Rooney Mara. Despite Mara being placed often in Best Supporting Actress in many award ceremonies, the movie is really Therese’s story. She arguably has the hardest job of any of the actors in this movie, a lot of her emotions you get from her eyes, which really is the sign of a great actor. Both of them share great chemistry, there was no moment where I doubted the love between Carol and Therese. The supporting actors also added quite a bit with actors like Sarah Paulson and Kyle Chandler but its Mara and Blanchett’s film.
Usually with period piece movies, there’s some aspect that doesn’t feel natural with the time period and kind of takes me out of the movie. In the case of Carol however, it puts you right into the 50s with the excellent production design and costumes, which are both things that I don’t usually notice in most films. Todd Haynes’s attention to detail is great and can be clearly seen here. The soundtrack from Carter Burwell was great as well, and helps fit in with the tone that they were going for. By that I noticed that this film almost had some sort of hypnotising effect, and it helped as this movie really felt like a journey with these characters.
Carol is one of the best movies of 2015, it’s such a shame that it didn’t get as much recognition as it should have. Its excellent performances, the great love story and the production value makes this an amazing movie. I’m not sure if it’s my number 1 favourite movie of the year but I’ll just say that the other movies I gave a 10/10 this year at least had some sort of flaw. With Carol though, I can’t find anything wrong with this movie, everything felt complete and I loved it. Check this movie out as soon as possible.
10/10
Review from blog at youngcinemabuffs.wordpress.com/2016/02/18/carol-2015/
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Post by Lex Salander on Feb 7, 2017 9:24:23 GMT
Kubo and the Two Strings review, originally written on September 6, 2016
This is a movie that interested me ever since I heard about it, mostly because of the voice acting cast with Charlize Theron, Matthew McConaughey, Rooney Mara and Ralph Fiennes involved. Also this film is made by Laika Entertainment, a stopmotion animation studio who’s made quite a few animated movies. Admittedly before this movie the only other film by Laika that I’ve seen was The Box Trolls, which I liked quite a bit. But I know that they are generally well liked with films like Coraline. After seeing Kubo and The Two Strings, I have to say that this is not only my favourite animated movie of the year so far, it is also one of my favourite movies of the whole year. Everything from the story to the animation is so well done. I hope we get more animated films like these.
I found myself invested in the story from start to finish. All things considered, this film is darker and more mature than most animated movies, both in regards to visuals and some of the things that happen during the story. The film is also willing to slow down for some great character and story moments. This is something that I wished more animated films did, be more willing to be a little more different and challenging for children. I do think that children will enjoy Kubo (even if the film might be a little too scary or slow for them) but adults will enjoy it much more.
The characters for the most part were also written well and were quite memorable. Kubo was a likable and relatable protagonist. The show stealers for me though, were Monkey (Charlize Theron), Beetle (Matthew McConaughey). I guess if we are talking about weak links in regards to characters, it’s the Moon King (Ralph Fiennes), the main villain of the film. He’s not written badly but he doesn’t have enough screentime and felt a little weak. He’s fine overall though. I thought the other villain(s), The Sisters (Rooney Mara), Kubo’s aunts who are sent after Kubo were much more effective and memorable, they were also showstealers in the film and I loved watching them when they were on screen.
If you know Laika, you know that they use a lot of stopmotion animation. I don’t know how it compares to most of their other films as I’ve only seen The Box Trolls but I thought the animation for this movie was absolutely fantastic. This movie is beautiful from start to finish, the environment and locations were great, they really blended CGI and practical work well. The costume designs and actually the designs for everything was fantastic. It’s a very well designed movie overall.
Kubo and the Two Strings is absolutely fantastic and is one of the best films of the year. From the beautiful animation, to the well written and memorable characters (which is helped by the brilliant voice actors) to a great story, this movie was great at pretty much every level. It also goes further than most children’s animated films, both tonally and structurally. Go out and see this movie as soon as possible. You will not be disappointed.
Review on blog at youngcinemabuffs.wordpress.com/2016/09/06/kubo-and-the-two-strings-2016-review/
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Post by RedSparrow on Feb 7, 2017 14:21:47 GMT
^Both films are one of my favourites of 2015 and 2016.
Unrelated to Rooney, Here's my review for Moonlight (2016)
"In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue"
Moonlight is the story of a wonderful black gay man slowly coming into his own, which is told in three very important stages of his life: childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. The first stage is that of a confused and bullied 'Little' The second is of a disturbed and isolated teenager 'Chiron' and the third 'Black' who in his persona couldn't be more different from the first two, but at his core is the same young lost boy searching for answers.
The heart of the movie are the performances of the three actors playing the central protagonist at different ages. They are Alex R. Hibbert, Ashton Sanders and Trevante Rhodes. All exceptional and heartbreaking in their own way. They are finely supported by the performances of the wonderful Naomie Harris as our protagonist's drug addicted mother Paula, The excellent Mahershala Ali as Juan, who as described perfectly by Ali himself, is a drug-dealer with a heart of gold, and the lovely Janelle Monáe as Juan's girlfriend Teresa, a kind and non-judgemental woman who welcomes 'little' into her home and who's more of a mother to him than his biological one.
Sincerity and heart in Moonlight shines throughout the entire film. There's no telling that without Barry Jenkins (the brilliant director of this film) and his perfect screenplay the film would be the same. With the help of his cast, cinematography, score and screenplay, he makes Moonlight an emotional triumph. One that's here to stay.
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Post by RedSparrow on Feb 7, 2017 15:28:12 GMT
Thoughts on Tanner Hall (2009)
So I rewatched Tanner Hall yesterday. As you know Tanner Hall is the coming of age story of four teenagers, Fernanda (Rooney), Victoria (Georgia King), Kate (Brie Larson) and Lucasta (Amy Ferguson) set at an all-girls boarding school in New England. The film here has a lot to say, but unfortunately doesn't reach it's full potential. You can see Francesca Gregorini and Tatiana von Furstenberg (the film's writers and directors) are struggling to make an underwritten script work where even the characters feel underwritten and at times one dimensional. I felt really bad for them because their intentions are good. You can see that they have talent, but one which like the film struggles to get off the ground. If anything they make the film with a lot of sincerity. Which I appreciate, as it could've easily been preachy and pretentious.
The film completely relies on the performances of the four actresses, Especially Rooney's and would not have worked at all without them. They elevate the material given to them as much as they can. Rooney who plays the protagonist gives a very sweet and endearing performance as Fernanda. Georgia King who plays the stubborn/moody Victoria, a character who just might be the most troubled one in the film, does a wonderful job here. Amy Ferguson, who plays Lucasta, a character who's in search of her sexual identity is lovely and at times heartbreaking. Brie Larson plays Kate, a character I feel the filmmakers wanted to show as more than just the standard 'popular girl in school' type, but unfortunately doesn't completely work. Her character is probably the most underwritten of the four, But Brie tries her best to elevate the material and capture the essence of Kate, which she does to an extent, you can only imagine how much more wonderful she would've been if she was given more to play with.
Overall, I found the movie very sincere in it's approach, But with a better script and with better character development this film could've been something really special.
For Rooney fans I would definitely recommend watching it nevertheless, Not only because this is her first lead role but also because her performance here is quite beautiful and definitely deserves a viewing.
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Post by Lex Salander on Feb 7, 2017 18:33:35 GMT
^Both films are one of my favourites of 2015 and 2016. Unrelated to Rooney, Here's my review for Moonlight (2016)"In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue"Moonlight is the story of a wonderful black gay man slowly coming into his own, which is told in three very important stages of his life: childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. The first stage is that of a confused and bullied 'Little' The second is of a disturbed and isolated teenager 'Chiron' and the third 'Black' who in his persona couldn't be more different from the first two, but at his core is the same young lost boy searching for answers. The heart of the movie are the performances of the three actors playing the central protagonist at different ages. They are Alex R. Hibbert, Ashton Sanders and Trevante Rhodes. All exceptional and heartbreaking in their own way. They are finely supported by the performances of the wonderful Naomie Harris as our protagonist's drug addicted mother Paula, The excellent Mahershala Ali as Juan, who as described perfectly by Ali himself, is a drug-dealer with a heart of gold, and the lovely Janelle Monáe as Juan's girlfriend Teresa, a kind and non-judgemental woman who welcomes 'little' into her home and who's more of a mother to him than his biological one. Sincerity and heart in Moonlight shines throughout the entire film. There's no telling that without Barry Jenkins (the brilliant director of this film) and his perfect screenplay the film would be the same. With the help of his cast, cinematography, score and screenplay, he makes Moonlight an emotional triumph. One that's here to stay. I really need to see this movie ASAP. I've heard so much great things about it. Good review btw. |
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Post by Lex Salander on Feb 7, 2017 18:35:14 GMT
Thoughts on Tanner Hall (2009)So I rewatched Tanner Hall yesterday. As you know Tanner Hall is the coming of age story of four teenagers, Fernanda (Rooney), Victoria (Georgia King), Kate (Brie Larson) and Lucasta (Amy Ferguson) set at an all-girls boarding school in New England. The film here has a lot to say, but unfortunately doesn't reach it's full potential. You can see Francesca Gregorini and Tatiana von Furstenberg (the film's writers and directors) are struggling to make an underwritten script work where even the characters feel underwritten and at times one dimensional. I felt really bad for them because their intentions are good. You can see that they have talent, but one which like the film struggles to get off the ground. If anything they make the film with a lot of sincerity. Which I appreciate, as it could've easily been preachy and pretentious. The film completely relies on the performances of the four actresses, Especially Rooney's and would not have worked at all without them. They elevate the material given to them as much as they can. Rooney who plays the protagonist gives a very sweet and endearing performance as Fernanda. Georgia King who plays the stubborn/moody Victoria, a character who just might be the most troubled one in the film, does a wonderful good job here. Amy Ferguson, who plays Lucasta, a character who's in search of her sexual identity is lovely and at times heartbreaking. Brie Larson plays Kate, a character I feel the filmmakers wanted to show as more than just the standard 'popular girl in school' type, but unfortunately doesn't completely work. Her character is probably the most underwritten of the four, But Brie tries her best to elevate the material and capture the essence of Kate, which she does to an extent, you can only imagine how much more wonderful she would've been if she was given more to play with. Overall, I found the movie very sincere in it's approach, But with a better script and with better character development this film could've been something really special. For Rooney fans I would definitely recommend watching it nevertheless, because not only is this Rooney's first lead role but also one where her performance is quite beautiful and definitely deserves a viewing. I'll definitely check it out, shame that it doesn't reach its full potential but it's good to hear that it's okay at least. |
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Post by Lex Salander on Feb 13, 2017 8:09:44 GMT
My review of Split.
Split was one of my most anticipated films of 2017. M. Night Shyamalan has been starting to make a comeback with The Visit and from the trailers, Split looked like it has a lot of potential. James McAvoy particularly looks like he was going to give a tremendous performance. Having seen Split, I can say that M. Night Shyamalan is officially back. This film was so great, with great acting, excellent direction and a mostly riveting story. Although it’s not quite the level of greatness of The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable, Split comes very close. It has some issues but the pros absolutely outweigh the cons.
I will say that the first act of this movie is a little weak. It just didn’t really have me riveted all the time, the dialogue felt a little awkward at times and it was just okay overall, though McAvoy kept me interested enough. By the second act however, I was incredibly invested in what is going on. Shyamalan keeps everything riveting. Shyamalan in his films often makes the mistake of just having character spurt exposition, telling the audience information. Save for one scene with Betty Buckley in a Skype conversation, Shyamalan handles the information distribution a lot better, giving little tidbits of info, trusting the audience to follow along. This movie has a surprising amount of comedy, most of the time it works. A lot of it is about how odd and strange the situations are, which I like, Shyamalan knows that a lot of the film can be a little weird and he has fun with it. One other thing to note is that Anya Taylor Joy’s character does have some flashbacks to her past. While I understand the importance of them, I felt like they could’ve been done a little better. They felt mostly out of place and the choice of flashbacks could’ve been better. Now this film mostly is realistic but at a point it goes in a ‘different direction’. You really have to just go along with this direction, even if it feels jarring. The ending for me made this direction make sense. This ending of the movie is going to divide some people. I personally think it’s amazing. Let’s just say that if you’re a fan of Shyamalan’s earlier work, your mind will be blown. However it’s understandable that many people don’t understand the meaning of the ending. If you watch Split and don’t get understand it, just look it up.
This is the best performance I’ve ever seen James McAvoy give. He had to portray 9 (of the 23) personalities, all with unique quirks, mannerisms and aspects to them. Not only that but he had to make it all feel real, not just cartoony and crazy. Sometimes during one shot he’d change from one to the other and you can really tell when this happens, all the personalities are very distinct. This couldn’t have been easy to pull off. There’s particularly one scene in the third act which really shows how fantastic of an actor he is. Definitely one of the best performances I’ve seen in a long time. Anya Taylor Joy was also incredible as the main girl Casey. As previously stated, her character has a backstory, a pretty unfortunate backstory to say the least. Without revealing anything, Anya was very convincing as her and it was easy to follow her character. Betty Buckley plays Kevin’s psychiatrist and she was also great, especially in her scenes with McAvoy. If there’s any weak parts in terms of acting, it’s the other kidnapped girls. They weren’t horrendous but they are like typical horror movie girls, there wasn’t anything really to them.
The cinematography is fantastic but that’s not surprising, since Shyamalan brought on the Cinematographer of It Follows. So naturally it looks great. The music by West Dylan Thordson was also really effective. Shyamalan really knows how to make situations creepy and unsettling, despite some issues in the story, I can’t really say at any point in the movie the direction faltered because it doesn’t really. This film has many legitimately scary moments, and went further than I thought it would.
Now as I said this movie does have some problems with regards to its story really in the first act. However, all the positives of the film are so great that I almost forget about these issues. Everything from the acting, direction and most of the story made this such a surprising and great movie. And let’s just say that after the ending, I’m hyped for M. Night Shyamalan’s next project. However this movie is not really for everyone, just a heads up.
Review at blog youngcinemabuffs.wordpress.com/2017/02/13/split-2017-review/
Random side note, after Split I kinda want Rooney to work with M. Night Shyamalan at some point.
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Post by RedSparrow on Feb 13, 2017 18:17:12 GMT
My review of Split.
Split was one of my most anticipated films of 2017. M. Night Shyamalan has been starting to make a comeback with The Visit and from the trailers, Split looked like it has a lot of potential. James McAvoy particularly looks like he was going to give a tremendous performance. Having seen Split, I can say that M. Night Shyamalan is officially back. This film was so great, with great acting, excellent direction and a mostly riveting story. Although it’s not quite the level of greatness of The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable, Split comes very close. It has some issues but the pros absolutely outweigh the cons.
I will say that the first act of this movie is a little weak. It just didn’t really have me riveted all the time, the dialogue felt a little awkward at times and it was just okay overall, though McAvoy kept me interested enough. By the second act however, I was incredibly invested in what is going on. Shyamalan keeps everything riveting. Shyamalan in his films often makes the mistake of just having character spurt exposition, telling the audience information. Save for one scene with Betty Buckley in a Skype conversation, Shyamalan handles the information distribution a lot better, giving little tidbits of info, trusting the audience to follow along. This movie has a surprising amount of comedy, most of the time it works. A lot of it is about how odd and strange the situations are, which I like, Shyamalan knows that a lot of the film can be a little weird and he has fun with it. One other thing to note is that Anya Taylor Joy’s character does have some flashbacks to her past. While I understand the importance of them, I felt like they could’ve been done a little better. They felt mostly out of place and the choice of flashbacks could’ve been better. Now this film mostly is realistic but at a point it goes in a ‘different direction’. You really have to just go along with this direction, even if it feels jarring. The ending for me made this direction make sense. This ending of the movie is going to divide some people. I personally think it’s amazing. Let’s just say that if you’re a fan of Shyamalan’s earlier work, your mind will be blown. However it’s understandable that many people don’t understand the meaning of the ending. If you watch Split and don’t get understand it, just look it up.
This is the best performance I’ve ever seen James McAvoy give. He had to portray 9 (of the 23) personalities, all with unique quirks, mannerisms and aspects to them. Not only that but he had to make it all feel real, not just cartoony and crazy. Sometimes during one shot he’d change from one to the other and you can really tell when this happens, all the personalities are very distinct. This couldn’t have been easy to pull off. There’s particularly one scene in the third act which really shows how fantastic of an actor he is. Definitely one of the best performances I’ve seen in a long time. Anya Taylor Joy was also incredible as the main girl Casey. As previously stated, her character has a backstory, a pretty unfortunate backstory to say the least. Without revealing anything, Anya was very convincing as her and it was easy to follow her character. Betty Buckley plays Kevin’s psychiatrist and she was also great, especially in her scenes with McAvoy. If there’s any weak parts in terms of acting, it’s the other kidnapped girls. They weren’t horrendous but they are like typical horror movie girls, there wasn’t anything really to them.
The cinematography is fantastic but that’s not surprising, since Shyamalan brought on the Cinematographer of It Follows. So naturally it looks great. The music by West Dylan Thordson was also really effective. Shyamalan really knows how to make situations creepy and unsettling, despite some issues in the story, I can’t really say at any point in the movie the direction faltered because it doesn’t really. This film has many legitimately scary moments, and went further than I thought it would.
Now as I said this movie does have some problems with regards to its story really in the first act. However, all the positives of the film are so great that I almost forget about these issues. Everything from the acting, direction and most of the story made this such a surprising and great movie. And let’s just say that after the ending, I’m hyped for M. Night Shyamalan’s next project. However this movie is not really for everyone, just a heads up.
Review at blog youngcinemabuffs.wordpress.com/2017/02/13/split-2017-review/
Random side note, after Split I kinda want Rooney to work with M. Night Shyamalan at some point.
Have been hearing a lot of good things about this film (another on my list of films to watch asap). It's so nice to see Shama Lama Ding Dong finally doing well again. His last films seriously left me scratching my head. McAvoy is wonderful in everything I've seen him in and feel he deserves better than the material he has been getting in recent years, So good to this work out for him as well. Didn't know Anya Taylor-Joy was in this. That girl is a force. She and Riley Keough are ones to keep an eye on. |
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Post by sethan on Feb 23, 2017 22:47:35 GMT
I just saw Lion in theater. I like it. It's a very sensitive film. The Awards thing I think it harmed it a bit because it is not a manipulative film at all. And it is not a "best actors" movie neither. It is quite a film of direction, cinematography and editing. There are a lot of creative decisions that privilege the power of cinema language over melodrama. Garth did a beautiful job and Rooney looks wonderful under Fraser's lens. Rooney's performance is subtle as expected but the nice thing is that the rest of the cast is in that tone as well. Garth manages to make a film of sensations and textures as he likes. It somehow narrates a chunk of life and memories and lets the viewer feel it. It's also one of the best and honest movies I've ever seen about motherhood and roots. But it's necessary watching it for what it is and not for what you projected on it.
I think Roo did this movie for similar reasons why she did Trash. But this is a lot better movie.
The score is stunning. The screenplay could be better but it doesn't hurt cause it's such a visual film.
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Post by RedSparrow on Feb 25, 2017 8:10:30 GMT
Thoughts on Manchester by the Sea. ( Warning, It's a bit Spoilery) Manchester by the Sea is a powerful exploration of grief that works beautifully. The film follows Lee (played by a heartbreaking Casey Affleck), who lives a pretty routine/mundane life working as a janitor in Boston. He has been running away from an incident that took place a while ago, something linked to his hometown and for which he is infamous now. And when he is forced to revisit and confront the place after his brother passes away, the little control that he seemed to have brought in his life slowly begins to slip away. And it only gets worse when Lee learns that his brother Joe has given him the guardianship of his son Patrick (played by an exceptional Lucas Hedges). Lee is a lost and confused soul. He is guilt ridden and feels a lot, which only makes it heartbreaking when he struggles to get any of it across. His inability to communicate is a big part of the film. There's one incredible scene in the movie where he's unexpectedly confronted by his ex-wife Randi (played by the lovely Michelle Williams  ), unable to control herself she begins to cry and pours out everything that she has been holding back all these years. Here you see her struggling to communicate with him and just when you think he's going to give in and let it out himself, he walks away. His inability to communicate leaves him feeling frustrated and his frustration leads him to hurt others and at one time even himself. So much of the film revolves around people coping with grief and loss, but Kenneth Lonergan doesn't forget the vital thing that's needed for survival of the characters and to bring more life to the film, a sense of humor. Usually when directors, writers tackle stories like this one, In order to keep the story serious they undervalue the role of humor. And I'm so glad that the writer didn't forget about it. Because it's one of the things gives the story so much life. It really boosts up the script and the film. A very natural yet smart move by Lonergan, As it's the humor that makes the sadness more genuine and affecting, and the characters feel more human and real. P.S.: Apologies if this felt all over the place, I'm still processing it. |
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Post by RedSparrow on Feb 25, 2017 9:41:38 GMT
I just saw Lion in theater. I like it. It's a very sensitive film. The Awards thing I think it harmed it a bit because it is not a manipulative film at all. And it is not a "best actors" movie neither. It is quite a film of direction, cinematography and editing. There are a lot of creative decisions that privilege the power of cinema language over melodrama. Garth did a beautiful job and Rooney looks wonderful under Fraser's lens. Rooney's performance is subtle as expected but the nice thing is that the rest of the cast is in that tone as well. Garth manages to make a film of sensations and textures as he likes. It somehow narrates a chunk of life and memories and lets the viewer feel it. It's also one of the best and honest movies I've ever seen about motherhood and roots. But it's necessary watching it for what it is and not for what you projected on it. I think Roo did this movie for similar reasons why she did Trash. But this is a lot better movie. The score is stunning. The screenplay could be better but it doesn't hurt cause it's such a visual film. I'm watching this in 3 days. Can't wait. |
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