Posts Tagged ‘love’

Short Take: An epic that pushes the boundaries of cinematic storytelling

Directors: Lana and Andy Wachowski, Tom Tykwer

Screenwriters: Lana and Andy Wachowski, Tom Tykwer; David Mitchell (novel)

Cast: Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Doona Bae, Ben Whishaw, Keith David, Hugh Grant, Susan Sarandon, David Gyasi

Length: 2h 52m

Synopsis: Set across several centuries, six different stories about human souls drifting through time are told: A dying man (Jim Sturgess) on a voyage back home to America helps a stowaway slave (David Gyasi) escape from bondage. A brash, young composer (Ben Whishaw) forces his way under the wing of a brilliant, elderly composer (Jim Broadbent). An intrepid reporter (Halle Berry) investigates the corporate crimes of a nuclear energy company and finds herself in danger. A cowardly publisher (Jim Broadbent) finds himself trapped in a retirement home after getting in trouble with the wrong crowd. A human clone (Doona Bae), created simply to serve, rebels against her oppressors and attempts to bring down their regime. A hunter from a post-apocalyptic village (Tom Hanks) is faced with the truth of humanity’s future when he is visited by a prescient being (Halle Berry).

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Short Take: Surprisingly heartfelt and moving. Polley strikes again.

Director: Sarah Polley

Screenwriter: Sarah Polley

Cast: Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, Luke Kirby, Sarah Silverman

Length: 1h 56m

Synopsis: Margot (Michelle Williams) is married to goofy chicken chef Lou (Seth Rogen). She seems happily married to him, as he brings out her young glee and childish mischief through inside jokes, funny games, and silly pranks. Margot goes on a trip for business, and meets Daniel (Luke Kirby), an enigmatic artist who turns out to live across the street from her. He’s serious, introspective, and intelligent. He speaks to Margot’s adventurous, adult side, and understands her more deeply than she does herself.  Margot finds herself torn between the marriage that is making her happy enough, or a new and potentially greater love that could destroy everything she’s built for herself.

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Short Take: An incredibly authentic romance with both highs and lows. It weaves the veil and then strips it away.

Director: Drake Doremus

Screenwriters: Drake Doremus and Ben York James

Cast: Anton Yelchin, Felicity Jones, Jennifer Lawrence, Charlie Bewley

Length: 1 hr 30 min

Synopsis: Soon after Anna (Jones) and Jacob (Yelchin) meet in college they develop an infatuation, which quickly turns into a deeper love. Though Anna is set to return to England after graduation to avoid overstaying her visa, she can’t bear to leave Jacob for the summer and decides to stay. However, when she tries to return to the States after a brief visit to the U.K., she is denied and cannot enter until the visa violation is resolved. Because of this, Anna and Jacob must endure a years-long struggle to keep their love alive even when space and change threaten to break them apart.

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Short Take: Self-aware without bragging about it. A genuinely romantic comedy.

Directors: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa

Screenwriter: Dan Fogelman

Cast: Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Jonah Bobo, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone, Analeigh Tipton, Marisa Tomei, Kevin Bacon

Length: 1 hour, 58 minutes

Synopsis: Cal Weaver (Carell) is overcome with depression when his wife Emily (Moore) demands a divorce and reveals she slept with a coworker. After listening to Cal drunkenly profess his woes, fast-talking lothario Jacob (Gosling) decides to teach him how to get more women. As Cal regains his self-confidence, Jacob falls in love with Hannah (Stone), a determined young woman who has a specific vision for her future. Meanwhile, Cal’s son Robbie (Bobo) nurses a crush for his babysitter, Jessica (Tipton).

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Short Take: Utterly ineffable, yet readily comprehensible. Unlike anything you’ve ever seen

Director: Terrence Malick

Screenwriter: Terrence Malick

Cast: Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain, Hunter McCracken, Sean Penn

Length: 2h 18m

Synopsis: The era is 1950s America. Mr. O’Brien (Pitt) is an old-fashioned man who, like his father before him, adopted the kind of parenting skills that, looking back, leave a bit to be desired. He cares for his wife (Chastain) and three sons, but his disciplinary methods and anger issues prevent too strong of a connection from forming between them – at least not in the same sense that parents nowadays are expected to achieve. The eldest son, Jack (McCracken), goes through a sort of coming of age process that involves learning various exceptional and unexceptional life lessons, mostly by way of observing his father, mother, brothers, and friends. This family story is also at certain intervals juxtaposed with scenes showing the creation of the universe, extinction of the dinosaurs, and several biblical references. To be sure, it is very much an avant garde film; using montage at certain points not too unlike what Eisenstein might have enjoyed, as well as narrative temporality that likens back to the French New Wave. It belongs with the class of films that can be described as being like a Rorschach test: you will understand it best from your own perspective, and feel sensitivity in whichever ways correlate with that perspective. It is not necessarily whatever you want it to be, but it is dramatically more abstract than anything else Terrence Malick has done.

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Short Take: Surprisingly touching, good family fun

Director: Pierre Coffin (Gary’s Fall), Chris Renaud (No Time for Nuts)

Screenwriter: Ken Daurio (Horton Hears a Who!, The Santa Clause 2), Sergio Pablos (Début)

Cast: Steve Carell (Date Night, Horton Hears a Who!), Jason Segel (I Love You, Man; Forgetting Sarah Marshall), Miranda Cosgrove (iCarly, The School of Rock)

Length: 1 hour 35 minutes

Synopsis: Evil villain Gru (Carell) prepares to steal the moon after his nemesis Vector (Segel) manages to purloin one of the pyramids.  In order to pull off his plan, Gru adopts three young orphan girls.  Though Gru sees the girls as little more than destructive nuisances at first, his attitude and love of villainy slowly begin to change the more involved he become in their lives.

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Short Take: Definitely the most interesting of the series thus far

Director: David Slade (30 Days of Night)

Screenwriter: Melissa Rosenberg (Twilight Saga, Step Up)

Cast: Kristen Stewart (Twilight Saga, The Runaways, Adventureland), Robert Pattinson (Twilight Saga, Remember Me), Taylor Lautner (Twilight Saga, Valentine’s Day)

Length: 2 hours 4 minutes

Synopsis: When last we left Bella Swan (Stewart) in New Moon, she was deciding between vampire boyfriend Edward Cullen (Pattinson) or werewolf and best friend Jacob Black (Lautner).  Bella spends much of Eclipse weighing her options.  On the one hand, she could spend eternity as a vampire with Edward, though that would mean giving up important human experiences like aging and having a normal family. Choosing Jacob would allow her life to continue unchanged, except that she would have to lose Edward.  On top of this love triangle an army of recently turned or “newborn” vampires is after Bella, and Jacob and Edward must put aside the rivalry between their warring families to protect her. Read the rest of this entry »

Short Take: Laugh for laugh it's as good as you can expect, which is pretty darn funny

Director: Nicholas Stoller (Forgetting Sarah Marshall)

Screenwriters: Nicholas Stoller (Yes Man), Jason Segel (Forgetting Sarah Marshall)

Cast: Jonah Hill (Superbad), Russell Brand (Forgetting Sarah Marshall), Sean “P. Diddy” Combs (Monster’s Ball) Elisabeth Moss (TV’s Mad Men)

Length: 1h 49m

Synopsis: Aaron Green (Hill) is an unassuming employee who works in the think tank of a major record production company that’s looking to cash in on a large scale event that will give the business more staying power. He suggests a comeback concert for fledgling English music artist Aldous Snow (Brand), who used to be as popular and successful as anyone before his last album tanked due to it being horribly offensive, idiotic, and distasteful. The studio green lights Aaron’s idea, and even insists that he himself go to England to pick Snow up and bring him to Los Angeles where he’ll perform his revival concert at the famed Greek Theater. What Aaron finds out is that such a simple task is made exceedingly difficult when the rock star continually fails to cooperate in any way, electing instead to do as he pleases – which includes partying, drugs, and women. Read the rest of this entry »

Short Take: Thorough in its approach, which is regurgitation

Director: Garry Marshall (Pretty Woman, The Princess Diaries)

Screenwriters: Katherine Fugate (The Prince and Me, Carolina)

Cast: Ashton Kutcher (What Happens in Vegas, The Guardian), Jennifer Garner (The Invention of Lying, Juno), Anne Hathaway (Bride Wars, Rachel Getting Married), Jamie Foxx (The Kingdom, Dreamgirls), Jessica Biel (Easy Virtue, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry), Shirley MacLaine (In Her Shoes, The Apartment), Hector Elizondo (The Princess Diaries, American Gigolo)

Length: 2 hours 5 minutes

Synopsis: During Valentine’s Day in Los Angeles, a number of related characters celebrate love in all its forms.  The film mostly centers on lovesick florist Reed (Kutcher), who proposes to his girlfriend, and his interactions with the other characters throughout the day.  Reed’s best friend, Julia (Garner), decides to surprise her mysterious boyfriend.  Liz (Hathaway) is a secretary who moonlights as a phone sex operator and tries to keep it secret from her new boyfriend.  Valentine’s-hating sports agent Kara (Biel) throws a party lamenting the holiday and shares her hatred with Kelvin (Foxx), a sports newscaster forced to report on the holiday. Kate (Roberts), a soldier on leave, gets to know a handsome and friendly business man (Cooper) as she flies home to see her valentine. Read the rest of this entry »