The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
STC Genre: Institutionalized
- “Group” – the Family
- “Choice” – whether Michael joins family business or not
- “Sacrifice” – will Michael sacrifice his family or his soul?
I don’t think it requires any comments – this is such a classic. One of my takeaways, because the movie is so long, it helps if the setup is actually a bit tighter than the beat sheet suggests, or at least is spiced up by more action. But then, I’m an action junky…
Tags: Francis Ford Coppola, Institutionalized, Movie Reviews, The Godfather
Two men reaching middle age with not much to show but disappointment, embark on a week long road trip through California’s wine country, just as one is about to get married.
Director: Alexander Payne
STC Genre: Rites of Passage (mid-life crisis)
- “Life Problem” – Miles can’t get over his divorce
- “Wrong Way” – lying your way through
- “Acceptance” – moving ahead the way you really are
Somewhat slow starting and gradually gaining pace, this movie definitely hits the mark by the end. Interestingly, many Hollywood movies have a very impressive beginning and a (comparatively) pathetic ending. But not this one – it actually picks up the pace, suspense and overall quality towards the end. My impression was that the filmmakers dragged their feet through the opening and setup and couldn’t wait to get to the meat of the story, which is really in the second half of act 2 and act 3.
Overall, a pretty damn good movie.
Tags: Alexander Payne, Movie Reviews, Rites of Passage, Sideways
Britain’s King George VI (Colin Firth) struggles with an embarrassing stutter for years until he seeks help from unorthodox Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush).
Director: Tom Hooper
STC Genre: Rites of Passage
- “Life Problem” – an embarrassing stutter
- “Wrong Way” – denying the deep psychological roots and trying to solve it mechanically
- “Acceptance” – literally accepting Lionel as a member of his family
The movie is truly remarkable in many ways. First, it is a great modern movie that holds up strong without any crutches like sex or violence. The story itself is simple yet so powerful it keeps you on the edge. Acting is awesome. Score is all classical and absolutely beautiful – who would have thought it can work so well in a 21st century movie? Camera work is bold and I’d say experimental at times. For instance, a great use of “fish eye” lens to show the emotional state of the king as he stands in front of people and feels overwhelmed by fear that he won’t be able to speak.
This will surely become another classic of the 21 century.
Tags: King's Speech, Movie Reviews, Rites of Passage, Tom Hooper
In this meditation on the need for passion and human connection — the final film in Krzysztof Kieslowski’s “three colors” trilogy — an accident brings together two very different people: Valentine (Irene Jacob), a model, and Joseph (Jean-Louis Trintignant), a retired judge.
Director: Krzysztof Kieslowski
STC Genre: Out of the Bottle
- “Wish” – a wish for connection, true love, something that never happened in the old man’s life
- “Spell” – in a weird way, he’s reliving his life again in a different way through another man
- “Lesson” – learning what really matters
A classic of sort, this is a slow “savoring the moment” meditative story of love and fate, right and wrong, life and death. It seems, the director tried to use the least amount of action to get the point across, and make you think on your own. Who’s right? What’s really happening? You decide. Take your time.
From the technical point of view, the camera work is beautiful – the use of color (especially red) is very deliberate and powerful. Pulling focus, slight camera moves – they are almost imperceptible, but add much depth to the emotional charge. Just as all the other aspects – lighting, music, costumes, decor – the list goes on. And yet, with all the deliberation, it looks very natural, the way it should be. The true magic is invisible.
Tags: Krzysztof Kieslowski, Movie Reviews, Out of the Bottle, Red
Ex-con Marv (Mickey Rourke) avenges a hooker’s (Jaime King) death, Detective Dwight (Clive Owen) gets involved with hazardous vixens and a rogue cop (Bruce Willis) becomes hell-bent on saving a stripper (Jessica Alba) from a rapist (Nick Stahl) in interlaced stories adapted from Frank Miller’s graphic novels.
Directors: Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez
STC Genre: Superhero
- “Special Power” – virtually everyone is a superman (or a superwoman, for that matter), often in their own unique way
- “Nemesis” – again, everyone has their own, unique enemy
- “Curse” – plenty of that stuff. Just read the tittle again
Very cool modern film noir that is so faithful to the comic book style you have to see it to believe it. The fast-action story line, violence, sex, and other very primal attributes may be debatable for some, and certainly not for kids.
However, what impressed me most is the way it is shot and styled. It is largely black and white, but with selective colored elements – like blue or green eyes, red dress, golden hair, etc. The color stands out so much on the black-and-white background that even very little of it makes a powerful statement. From a technical point, this is one hell of a movie.
Tags: Frank Miller, Movie Reviews, Robert Rodriguez, Sin City, Superhero
A complex romantic story unfolds in two parallel worlds that split apart by a seemingly unimportant event of Helen (Gwyneth Paltrow) catching or missing a subway train. In one, she comes home early and finds her boyfriend cheating on her, but not in the other. The two stories dance together all the way to the end until something else happens…
Director: Peter Howitt
STC Genre: Buddy Love (Rom-Com) – despite what Blake says
- “Incomplete Hero” – Helen who is not very happy in her current relationship with Gerry
- “Counterpart” – James
- “Complication” – two different ones, in fact. In one version she doesn’t even learn about him, and in the other – well, that would be a spoiler, wouldn’t it?
Yes, with this movie I feel confident enough to disagree with Blake Snyder, and reclassify it as Buddy Love (instead of Out Of The Bottle). Why? Because there is really no “wish”. Helen is reasonably happy with Gerry, as long as she doesn’t know better, and makes no wish except for his success with a book (which quite obviously never happens). There is really no “spell” except for that freak incident of “time split” at the station. And while one can argue she learns the “lesson”, whatever that is, it is a necessary change in the hero that has to happen in Buddy Love too. And, most importantly, where is the emphasis in the story? What is always on the foreground? It is clearly the relationship of Helen and James and/or Gerry, and as a B-story, Gerry and Lydia. So, there it is.
The movie itself is great. The story is on one hand rather complex – you have to figure out which “universe” each scene is from, and the two stories interweave in a rather non-trivial way. But on the other hand, it is quite simple – it is a story of a woman who is discovering the truth about her boyfriend, and ultimately about herself and her own desires. Who wouldn’t understand that? The two possible scenarios is a clever tool to explore the character in more ways, going deeper than otherwise would be possible. I admire Peter Howitt for putting together such an intricate story, and showing it in such an elegant way.
Tags: Buddy Love, Movie Reviews, Peter Howitt, Sliding Doors
After FedEx systems engineer Chuck Noland’s (Tom Hanks) plane crashes in the Pacific Ocean, he finds himself fighting to survive on a deserted island with nothing but a painted volleyball — a silent partner he names Wilson.
Director: Robert Zemeckis
STC Genre: Golden Fleece (Solo) – according to Blake
- “Road” – Starting as a flight across Pacific, and ending as Chuck’s solo sailing into the sea four years later
- “Team” – the lonely hero and Wilson the Volleyball
- “Prize” – On the surface, return home. But upon return, he finds a lot more about himself and his close ones, and learning yet another life lesson.
This is a very good movie. What else would you expect from Zemeckis, after all?
However, I found it to be a bit slow in the setup, with almost nothing exciting happening for the first 30 min of the movie. Of course, given that it’s 143 min long, the beat sheet calculator gives exactly 32 minutes to Act II, but I still find it to be too long. I guess, these numbers shouldn’t be taken too literally, and the setup should be as short as reasonably possible even in a long movie. The rest of the movie has a nice pace that feels just right.
Also, I at first thought of it as a Dude with a Problem. After all, Chuck goes about his everyday life, and suddenly – BOOM! He’s on a tiny uninhabited island. I mean, what ELSE can it be? Right? Well, not according to Blake. I’m guessing, the subtle difference here is in the choice of the hero. A Dude will mind his business, will try to live exactly the life he wants to live, nothing extra. While Chuck chooses to fly away from his home, from his beloved, from everything else – to do his job of passion. He chooses to go on the road. And he pays for it. And of course, by the genre, he then has to not only face the opponent (the Ocean, in this case), but also find something at the end that would be more than he’s looking for. That usually doesn’t happen to the “Dude” whose best reward is his “normal” life gained back.
Tags: Cast Away, Golden Fleece, Movie Reviews, Robert Zemeckis
When a reclusive romance writer (Kathleen Turner) — whose humdrum life in no way resembles the exploits of her fiery fictional heroines — learns her sister’s been kidnapped, she’s soon embroiled in a wild adventure involving hidden treasure and a dashing mercenary (Michael Douglas).
Director: Robert Zemeckis
STC Genre: Golden Fleece (Buddy)
- “Road” – literally a road to and around Columbia
- “Team” – Joan and Jack
- “Prize” – the original goal is freeing Joan’s sister, but at the end she gets quite a bit more than that
A nicely done action / comedy / romance film. The two main lead characters are perhaps the most opposite of each other, and all the great conflicts and comedic tension that comes with it. Very well done, very enjoyable movie.
Tags: Golden Fleece, Movie Reviews, Robert Zemeckis, Romancing the Stone
To test its top-secret Human Hibernation Project, the Pentagon picks the most average Americans it can find — an Army private (Luke Wilson) and a prostitute (Maya Rudolph) — and sends them to the year 2505 after a series of freak events. But when they arrive, they find a civilization so dumbed-down that they’re the smartest people around.
Director: Mike Judge
STC Genre: Superhero (People’s)
- “Special Power” – the smartest man on Earth
- “Nemesis” – the idiocy in the society, at various points represented by specific people
- “Curse” – can’t go back
While the title and the premise scream for low expectations, the movie is actually quite good and (surprise!) not as stupid as it may seem on the surface. The filmmakers didn’t (always) give in to the temptation for cheesy toilet humor, and provided quite a few good laughs for a good reason. In other words, you do care “whose ass it is and why it is farting”.
Tags: Idiocracy, Mike Judge, Movie Reviews, Superhero
Local teenagers are being haunted and killed in their dreams by a monster Freddy Krueger. Nancy is the only survivor who has a chance and willing to face the monster.
Director: Wes Craven
STC Genre: Monster In The House (Supra-Natural) – obviously
- “Monster” – Freddy Krueger
- “House” – in this case the local block, the boiler room, and often literally the house
- “Sin” – the mob of angry parents who killed Freddy
No wonder this is considered a classic of horror. While not exactly my favorite genre, I enjoyed the drama of the story (save the gore), and the way the movie created the suspense, without ever going over the top, but never losing it either. Overall the story, acting, directing, cinematography, editing – everything was top-notch.
Tags: A Nightmare on Elm Street, Monster in the House, Movie Reviews, Wes Craven
