Sunday, September 16, 2012

We Need To Talk About Kevin

This film will blow you out of the water with its poignant cinematography, beautifully ironic soundtrack, and mysterious intercutting between pre- and post-massacre. I saw this 2011 masterpiece without knowing anything about it- I don't even think I saw the trailer (I know, shocking!). I don't want to give anything away because going into this film blind was all the more rewarding. In short, it centers on an exhausted mother and the complex, disturbing relationship with her son Kevin. Tilda Swinton really does give the performance of a lifetime and Ezra Miller, still my favorite since Afterschool, is remarkably terrifying. This will juxtapose his performance as a gay high school student in The Perks of Being A Wallflower wonderfully!
This is definitely a shot Wes Anderson would create.


Note: this film is horrifyingly real and timely in its subject matter, but not scary!

Grade: A

Monday, September 3, 2012

Celeste & Jesse Forever

This was such a cute indie film and I left just as happy- even a little perplexed- as I was when I first saw the trailer. Rashida and Andy looked and played the part well- I mean, what CAN'T Rashida pull off? The film also used cinematography to its advantage, manipulating focus in many of its shots. Centered around the loving bffs Celeste and Jesse, the audience learns of the trials and tribulations of a relationship not fully over. The actors, including a highly complementing supporting cast, take this un-Hollywood melodrama on a comic and sometimes raunchy ride through Broken Heartsville.

Grade: B+

Trailer: